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A screaming match now ensues, each line more raucous than the last. The rapidity of the dialogue likewise increases.

Cleon

You are travelling the right road to get killed.

Sausage-Seller

285 I'll bawl three times as loud as you.

Cleon

I will deafen you with my yells.

Sausage-Seller

And I you with my bellowing.

Cleon

I shall calumniate you, if you become a Strategus.

Sausage-Seller

Dog, I will lay your back open with the lash.

Cleon

290 I will make you drop your arrogance.

Sausage-Seller

I will baffle your machinations.

Cleon

Dare to look me in the face!

Sausage-Seller

I too was brought up in the market-place.

Cleon

I will cut you to shreds if you whisper a word.

Sausage-Seller

295 If you open your mouth, I'll shut it with shit.

Cleon

I admit I'm a thief; that's more than you do.

Sausage-Seller

By our Hermes of the market-place, if caught in the act, why, I perjure myself before those who saw me.

Cleon

These are my own special tricks. 300 I will denounce you to the Prytanes as the owner of sacred tripe, that has not paid tithe.

Knights. Aristophanes. ed. Eugene O'Neill, Jr.. New York. 1938.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Current edition Experimental

Knights (OCR draft) (English) (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)

Ἱππῆς Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 284 focus

Κλέων

ἀποθανεῖσθον αὐτίκα μάλα.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

τριπλάσιον κεκράξομαί σου.
285

Κλέων

καταβοήσομαι βοῶν σε.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

κατακεκράξομαί σε κράζων.

Κλέων

διαβαλῶ σʼ ἐὰν στρατηγῇς.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

κυνοκοπήσω σου τὸ νῶτον.

Κλέων

περιελῶ σʼ ἀλαζονείαις.
290

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ὑποτεμοῦμαι τὰς ὁδούς σου.

Κλέων

βλέψον ἔς μʼ ἀσκαρδάμυκτος.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐν ἀγορᾷ κἀγὼ τέθραμμαι.

Κλέων

διαφορήσω σʼ εἴ τι γρύξει.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

κοπροφορήσω σʼ εἰ λαλήσεις.
295

Κλέων

ὁμολογῶ κλέπτειν· σὺ δʼ οὐχί.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

νὴ τὸν Ἑρμῆν τὸν ἀγοραῖον,

κἀπιορκῶ γε βλεπόντων.

Κλέων

ἀλλότρια τοίνυν σοφίζει,

καὶ φανῶ σε τοῖς πρυτάνεσιν
300

ἀδεκατεύτους τῶν θεῶν ἱερὰς

ἔχοντα κοιλίας.

Translations (1)

English (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) Experimental (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) — 284 focus

Cleon: Let us die right away.

Sausage-seller: I will shout three times as loud as you.

285

Cleon: I will shout to you, shouting.

Sausage-seller: I will shout at you, shouting.

Cleon: I will slander you if you become general.

Sausage-seller: I will beat your back.

Cleon: I will strip you of your pretensions.

290

Sausage-Seller: I will cut your legs off.

Cleon: Look at me, you flat-nosed wretch.

Sausage-seller: I too have been brought up in the marketplace.

Cleon: I will argue with you if you croak at all.

Sausage-Seller: I'll shit on you if you speak.

295

Cleon: I admit to stealing; but you do not.

Sausage-seller: By Hermes the Market-god,

Sausage-Seller: I even swear, while they are watching.

Cleon: Well then, he makes a fool of others,

Cleon: And I will show you to the presidents.

300

Cleon: un-taxed sacred things of the gods

Cleon: having a belly.

Commentary

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) focus

292. mvp-tlg0019-tlg002-sanjaya-com-eng1-4

Line 292

βλέψον ἔς μʼ ἀσκαρδάμυκτος.

The term ἀσκαρδάμυκτος (askar-damuktos) is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanic comedy, coined by the poet to describe a specific type of coarse, obscene gesture (typically a middle finger or a similar hand sign) intended to provoke or mock. While the exact gesture is debated, the compound's construction (potentially from *askaros* meaning 'filthy' or 'unclean' and *damuktos* 'muted' or 'pressed') reflects Aristophanes' characteristic invention of 'word-magic' to convey physical vulgarity through lexical innovation. The imperative βλέψον (look at me) followed immediately by this noun creates a jarring syntactic juxtaposition that functions as a direct visual challenge, shifting the focus from the addressee's gaze to the speaker's own provocative posture.

Aristophanes Knights 284

ed. Eugene O'Neill, Jr.

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Cleon

You are travelling the right road to get killed.

Sausage-Seller

285 I'll bawl three times as loud as you.

Cleon

I will deafen you with my yells.

Sausage-Seller

And I you with my bellowing.

Cleon

I shall calumniate you, if you become a Strategus.

Sausage-Seller

Dog, I will lay your back open with the lash.

Cleon

290 I will make you drop your arrogance.

Sausage-Seller

I will baffle your machinations.

Cleon

Dare to look me in the face!

Sausage-Seller

I too was brought up in the market-place.

Cleon

I will cut you to shreds if you whisper a word.

Sausage-Seller

295 If you open your mouth, I'll shut it with shit.

Cleon

I admit I'm a thief; that's more than you do.

Sausage-Seller

By our Hermes of the market-place, if caught in the act, why, I perjure myself before those who saw me.

Cleon

These are my own special tricks. 300 I will denounce you to the Prytanes as the owner of sacred tripe, that has not paid tithe.

Current edition Experimental

Κλέων

ἀποθανεῖσθον αὐτίκα μάλα.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

τριπλάσιον κεκράξομαί σου.
285

Κλέων

καταβοήσομαι βοῶν σε.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

κατακεκράξομαί σε κράζων.

Κλέων

διαβαλῶ σʼ ἐὰν στρατηγῇς.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

κυνοκοπήσω σου τὸ νῶτον.

Κλέων

περιελῶ σʼ ἀλαζονείαις.
290

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ὑποτεμοῦμαι τὰς ὁδούς σου.

Κλέων

βλέψον ἔς μʼ ἀσκαρδάμυκτος.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐν ἀγορᾷ κἀγὼ τέθραμμαι.

Κλέων

διαφορήσω σʼ εἴ τι γρύξει.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

κοπροφορήσω σʼ εἰ λαλήσεις.
295

Κλέων

ὁμολογῶ κλέπτειν· σὺ δʼ οὐχί.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

νὴ τὸν Ἑρμῆν τὸν ἀγοραῖον,

κἀπιορκῶ γε βλεπόντων.

Κλέων

ἀλλότρια τοίνυν σοφίζει,

καὶ φανῶ σε τοῖς πρυτάνεσιν
300

ἀδεκατεύτους τῶν θεῶν ἱερὰς

ἔχοντα κοιλίας.

Commentary

Line 292

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Cleon You are travelling the right road to get killed.

Sausage-Seller 285 I'll bawl three times as loud as you.

Cleon I will deafen you with my yells.

Sausage-Seller And I you with my bellowing.

Cleon I shall calumniate you, if you become a Strategus.

Sausage-Seller Dog, I will lay your back open with the lash.

Cleon 290 I will make you drop your arrogance.

Sausage-Seller I will baffle your machinations.

Cleon Dare to look me in the face!

Sausage-Seller I too was brought up in the market-place.

Cleon I will cut you to shreds if you whisper a word.

Sausage-Seller 295 If you open your mouth, I'll shut it with shit.

Cleon I admit I'm a thief; that's more than you do.

Sausage-Seller By our Hermes of the market-place, if caught in the act, why, I perjure myself before those who saw me.

Cleon These are my own special tricks. 300 I will denounce you to the Prytanes as the owner of sacred tripe, that has not paid tithe.

Current edition Experimental

Κλέων ἀποθανεῖσθον αὐτίκα μάλα.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης τριπλάσιον κεκράξομαί σου. 285

Κλέων καταβοήσομαι βοῶν σε.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης κατακεκράξομαί σε κράζων.

Κλέων διαβαλῶ σʼ ἐὰν στρατηγῇς.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης κυνοκοπήσω σου τὸ νῶτον.

Κλέων περιελῶ σʼ ἀλαζονείαις. 290

Ἀλλαντοπώλης ὑποτεμοῦμαι τὰς ὁδούς σου.

Κλέων βλέψον ἔς μʼ ἀσκαρδάμυκτος.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης ἐν ἀγορᾷ κἀγὼ τέθραμμαι.

Κλέων διαφορήσω σʼ εἴ τι γρύξει.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης κοπροφορήσω σʼ εἰ λαλήσεις. 295

Κλέων ὁμολογῶ κλέπτειν· σὺ δʼ οὐχί.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης νὴ τὸν Ἑρμῆν τὸν ἀγοραῖον, κἀπιορκῶ γε βλεπόντων.

Κλέων ἀλλότρια τοίνυν σοφίζει, καὶ φανῶ σε τοῖς πρυτάνεσιν 300 ἀδεκατεύτους τῶν θεῶν ἱερὰς ἔχοντα κοιλίας.

Commentary

Line 292

Stable identifiers

Cleon

You are travelling the right road to get killed.

Sausage-Seller

285 I'll bawl three times as loud as you.

Cleon

I will deafen you with my yells.

Sausage-Seller

And I you with my bellowing.

Cleon

I shall calumniate you, if you become a Strategus.

Sausage-Seller

Dog, I will lay your back open with the lash.

Cleon

290 I will make you drop your arrogance.

Sausage-Seller

I will baffle your machinations.

Cleon

Dare to look me in the face!

Sausage-Seller

I too was brought up in the market-place.

Cleon

I will cut you to shreds if you whisper a word.

Sausage-Seller

295 If you open your mouth, I'll shut it with shit.

Cleon

I admit I'm a thief; that's more than you do.

Sausage-Seller

By our Hermes of the market-place, if caught in the act, why, I perjure myself before those who saw me.

Cleon

These are my own special tricks. 300 I will denounce you to the Prytanes as the owner of sacred tripe, that has not paid tithe.

Κλέων

ἀποθανεῖσθον αὐτίκα μάλα.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

τριπλάσιον κεκράξομαί σου.
285

Κλέων

καταβοήσομαι βοῶν σε.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

κατακεκράξομαί σε κράζων.

Κλέων

διαβαλῶ σʼ ἐὰν στρατηγῇς.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

κυνοκοπήσω σου τὸ νῶτον.

Κλέων

περιελῶ σʼ ἀλαζονείαις.
290

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ὑποτεμοῦμαι τὰς ὁδούς σου.

Κλέων

βλέψον ἔς μʼ ἀσκαρδάμυκτος.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐν ἀγορᾷ κἀγὼ τέθραμμαι.

Κλέων

διαφορήσω σʼ εἴ τι γρύξει.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

κοπροφορήσω σʼ εἰ λαλήσεις.
295

Κλέων

ὁμολογῶ κλέπτειν· σὺ δʼ οὐχί.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

νὴ τὸν Ἑρμῆν τὸν ἀγοραῖον,

κἀπιορκῶ γε βλεπόντων.

Κλέων

ἀλλότρια τοίνυν σοφίζει,

καὶ φανῶ σε τοῖς πρυτάνεσιν
300

ἀδεκατεύτους τῶν θεῶν ἱερὰς

ἔχοντα κοιλίας.