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Line 345

ὠμοσπάρακτον παραλαβὼν μεταχειρίσαιο χρηστῶς.

The compound verb ὠμοσπάρακτον is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, formed from ὠμός (raw) and σπάρακτον (torn to pieces). While the participle παραλαβὼν implies 'having taken up' or 'received', the adjective functions as a substantive here, likely referring to a piece of raw, torn meat. The phrase serves as a grotesque metaphor for the state of the person being addressed (likely Cleon), suggesting he is a 'raw, torn-to-pieces' object to be handled. The imperative μεταχειρίσαιο (handle/treat) is in the middle voice, implying a reflexive or self-interested action, which fits the satirical context of the Knights where the Sausage-Seller is advising the Paphlagonian (Cleon) on how to manipulate the situation, or perhaps mocking his own readiness to be 'handled' by the mob. The construction is syntactically straightforward but lexically striking due to the rarity of ὠμοσπάρακτον and its specific application in this comic context.

Knights. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

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

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.) — 335 focus

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

καὶ μὴν ἀκούσαθʼ οἷός ἐστιν οὑτοσὶ πολίτης.
335

Κλέων

οὐκ αὖ μʼ ἐάσεις;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

μὰ Δίʼ ἐπεὶ κἀγὼ πονηρός εἰμι.

Χορός

ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ταύτῃ γʼ ὑπείκῃ, λέγʼ ὅτι κἀκ πονηρῶν.

Κλέων

οὐκ αὖ μʼ ἐάσεις;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

μὰ Δία.

Κλέων

ναὶ μὰ Δία.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

μὰ τὸν Ποσειδῶ.

ἀλλʼ αὐτὸ περὶ τοῦ πρότερος εἰπεῖν πρῶτα διαμαχοῦμαι.

Κλέων

οἴμοι διαρραγήσομαι.
340

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

καὶ μὴν ἐγὼ οὐ παρήσω.

Χορός

πάρες πάρες πρὸς τῶν θεῶν αὐτῷ διαρραγῆναι.

Κλέων

τῷ καὶ πεποιθὼς ἀξιοῖς ἐμοῦ λέγειν ἔναντα;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ὁτιὴ λέγειν οἷός τε κἀγὼ καὶ καρυκοποιεῖν.

Κλέων

ἰδοὺ λέγειν. καλῶς γʼ ἂν οὖν σὺ πρᾶγμα προσπεσόν σοι

ὠμοσπάρακτον παραλαβὼν μεταχειρίσαιο χρηστῶς.
345

ἀλλʼ οἶσθʼ ὅπερ πεπονθέναι δοκεῖς; ὅπερ τὸ πλῆθος.

εἴ που δικίδιον εἶπας εὖ κατὰ ξένου μετοίκου,

τὴν νύκτα θρυλῶν καὶ λαλῶν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς σεαυτῷ,

ὕδωρ τε πίνων κἀπιδεικνὺς τοὺς φίλους τʼ ἀνιῶν,

ᾤου δυνατὸς εἶναι λέγειν. ὦ μῶρε τῆς ἀνοίας.
350

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

τί δαὶ σὺ πίνων τὴν πόλιν πεποίηκας, ὥστε νυνὶ

ὑπὸ σοῦ μονωτάτου κατεγλωττισμένην σιωπᾶν;

Κλέων

ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἀντέθηκας ἀνθρώπων τίνʼ; ὅστις εὐθὺς

θύννεια θερμὰ καταφαγών, κᾆτʼ ἐπιπιὼν ἀκράτου

οἴνου χοᾶ κασαλβάσω τοὺς ἐν Πύλῳ στρατηγούς.
355

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐγὼ δέ γʼ ἤνυστρον βοὸς καὶ κοιλίαν ὑείαν

καταβροχθίσας κᾆτʼ ἐπιπιὼν τὸν ζωμὸν ἀναπόνιπτος

λαρυγγιῶ τοὺς ῥήτορας καὶ Νικίαν ταράξω.

Χορός

τὰ μὲν ἄλλα μʼ ἤρεσας λέγων·. ἓν δʼ οὐ προσίεταί με,

τῶν πραγμάτων ὁτιὴ μόνος τὸν ζωμὸν ἐκροφήσει.
360

Κλέων

ἀλλʼ οὐ λάβρακας καταφαγὼν Μιλησίους κλονήσεις.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἀλλὰ σχελίδας ἐδηδοκὼς ὠνήσομαι μέταλλα.

Κλέων

ἐγὼ δʼ ἐπεσπηδῶν γε τὴν βουλὴν βίᾳ κυκήσω.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐγὼ δὲ κινήσω γέ σου τὸν πρωκτὸν ἀντὶ φύσκης.

Κλέων

ἐγὼ δέ γʼ ἐξέλξω σε τῆς πυγῆς θύραζε κύβδα.
365

Χορός

νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ κἀμέ τἄρʼ, ἤνπερ γε τοῦτον ἕλκῃς.

Translations (2)

Knights (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 335 focus

Sausage-Seller

Yes, hear what sort of citizen he is.

Cleon

Won't you let me speak?

Sausage-Seller

Assuredly not, for I too am an awful rascal.

Chorus

If he does not give in at that, tell him your parents were awful rascals too.

Cleon

Once more, will you let me speak?

Sausage-Seller

No, by Zeus!

Cleon

Yes, by Zeus, you shall!

Sausage-Seller

No, by Poseidon! We will fight first to see who shall speak first.

Cleon

340 I will die sooner.

Sausage-Seller

I will not let you .

Chorus

Let him, in the name of the gods, let him die.

Cleon

What makes you so bold as to dare to speak to my face?

Sausage-Seller

Because I know both how to speak and how to cook.

Cleon

Hah! the fine speaker! Truly, if some business matter fell your way, 345 you would know thoroughly well how to attack it, to carve it up alive! Shall I tell you what has happened to you? Like so many others, you have gained some petty lawsuit against some alien. Did you drink enough water to inspire you? Did you mutter over the thing sufficiently through the night, spout it along the street, recite it to all you met? Have you bored your friends enough with it? And for this 350 you deem yourself an orator. You poor fool!

Sausage-Seller

And what do you drink yourself then, to be able all alone by yourself to dumbfound and stupefy the city so with your clamor?

Cleon

Can you match me with a rival? Me? When I have devoured a good hot tunny-fish and drunk on top of it a great 355 jar of unmixed wine. I say “to Hell with the generals of Pylos !”

Sausage-Seller

And I, when I have bolted the tripe of an ox together with a sow's belly and swallowed the broth as well, I am fit, though slobbering with grease, to bellow louder than all orators and to terrify Nicias.

Chorus

I admire your language so much; 360 the only thing I do not approve is that you swallow all the broth yourself.

Cleon

Even though you gorged yourself on sea-dogs, you would not beat the Milesians.

Sausage-Seller

Give me a bullock's breast to devour, and I am a man to traffic in mines.

Cleon

I will rush into the Senate and set them all by the ears.

Sausage-Seller

And I will pull out your arse to stuff like a sausage.

Cleon

365 As for me, I will seize you by the rump and hurl your head foremost through the door.

Chorus

By Poseidon, only after you have thrown me there first.

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.) — 335 focus

Sausage-seller: Yes indeed, listen to what sort of citizen this fellow is.

335

Cleon: You won't let me, then?

Sausage-Seller: By Zeus, since I am also a rogue.

Chorus: If, however, he does not yield in this way, say that he is also from bad people.

Cleon: Will you not, then, leave me alone?

Sausage-seller: By Zeus.

Cleon: Yes, by Zeus.

Sausage-Seller: By Poseidon.

Sausage-seller: But I shall first contend with him over who shall speak first.

Cleon: Alas, I am about to burst.

340

Sausage-seller: And indeed I shall not give it up.

Chorus: Give it, give it, by the gods, to be torn apart from him.

Cleon: And even though you are confident, do you demand that I speak against you?

Sausage-Seller: For I am able to speak and to make nut-cakes.

Cleon: Look, he is speaking. So you would be well, having encountered a matter.

Cleon: Having received a raw, torn piece of flesh, handle it well.

345

Cleon: But do you know what you think you have suffered? The multitude.

Cleon: if you ever said something justly against a foreigner and resident alien,

Cleon: 'By night, muttering and talking to yourself in the streets,'

Cleon: drinking water and showing it off and annoying his friends,

Cleon: You thought you were able to speak. You fool of stupidity.

350

Sausage-seller: But what have you done to the city while drinking, so that now...

Sausage-Seller: The silence that was stammered by you, the loneliest one?

Cleon: For to whom of men have you opposed me, whoever you are, who is straight?

Cleon: Having devoured hot tunny fish, and then having drunk unmixed wine,

Cleon: Let me make a libation of wine and splash the generals at Pylos.

355

Butcher: I have a cow's udder and a sow's belly.

Sausage-seller: after swallowing it down and then drinking it, unclean.

Sausage-seller: I will chop up the orators and disturb Nicias.

Chorus: In other respects you have pleased me by speaking; but there is one thing which I do not accept,

Chorus: of the matters whoever alone will taste the broth.

360

CLEO: But you will not stagger the Milesians by devouring the sea bass.

Sausage-seller: But I will buy ores having eaten a chameleon.

Cleon: I, however, will rouse up the council by force while rushing at it.

Sausage-seller: I will move your anus instead of a bladder.

Cleon: But I will drag you out of the house, you rascal.

365

Chorus: By Poseidon, I too, if you were to drag him away.

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

345. mvp-tlg0019-tlg002-sanjaya-com-eng1-7

Line 345

ὠμοσπάρακτον παραλαβὼν μεταχειρίσαιο χρηστῶς.

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 345

Current edition Experimental

Ἀλλαντοπώλης καὶ μὴν ἀκούσαθʼ οἷός ἐστιν οὑτοσὶ πολίτης. 335

Κλέων οὐκ αὖ μʼ ἐάσεις;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης μὰ Δίʼ ἐπεὶ κἀγὼ πονηρός εἰμι.

Χορός ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ταύτῃ γʼ ὑπείκῃ, λέγʼ ὅτι κἀκ πονηρῶν.

Κλέων οὐκ αὖ μʼ ἐάσεις;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης μὰ Δία.

Κλέων ναὶ μὰ Δία.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης μὰ τὸν Ποσειδῶ. ἀλλʼ αὐτὸ περὶ τοῦ πρότερος εἰπεῖν πρῶτα διαμαχοῦμαι.

Κλέων οἴμοι διαρραγήσομαι. 340

Ἀλλαντοπώλης καὶ μὴν ἐγὼ οὐ παρήσω.

Χορός πάρες πάρες πρὸς τῶν θεῶν αὐτῷ διαρραγῆναι.

Κλέων τῷ καὶ πεποιθὼς ἀξιοῖς ἐμοῦ λέγειν ἔναντα;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης ὁτιὴ λέγειν οἷός τε κἀγὼ καὶ καρυκοποιεῖν.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης τί δαὶ σὺ πίνων τὴν πόλιν πεποίηκας, ὥστε νυνὶ ὑπὸ σοῦ μονωτάτου κατεγλωττισμένην σιωπᾶν;

Κλέων ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἀντέθηκας ἀνθρώπων τίνʼ; ὅστις εὐθὺς θύννεια θερμὰ καταφαγών, κᾆτʼ ἐπιπιὼν ἀκράτου οἴνου χοᾶ κασαλβάσω τοὺς ἐν Πύλῳ στρατηγούς. 355

Ἀλλαντοπώλης ἐγὼ δέ γʼ ἤνυστρον βοὸς καὶ κοιλίαν ὑείαν καταβροχθίσας κᾆτʼ ἐπιπιὼν τὸν ζωμὸν ἀναπόνιπτος λαρυγγιῶ τοὺς ῥήτορας καὶ Νικίαν ταράξω.

Χορός τὰ μὲν ἄλλα μʼ ἤρεσας λέγων·. ἓν δʼ οὐ προσίεταί με, τῶν πραγμάτων ὁτιὴ μόνος τὸν ζωμὸν ἐκροφήσει. 360

Κλέων ἀλλʼ οὐ λάβρακας καταφαγὼν Μιλησίους κλονήσεις.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης ἀλλὰ σχελίδας ἐδηδοκὼς ὠνήσομαι μέταλλα.

Κλέων ἐγὼ δʼ ἐπεσπηδῶν γε τὴν βουλὴν βίᾳ κυκήσω.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης ἐγὼ δὲ κινήσω γέ σου τὸν πρωκτὸν ἀντὶ φύσκης.

Κλέων ἐγὼ δέ γʼ ἐξέλξω σε τῆς πυγῆς θύραζε κύβδα. 365

Χορός νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ κἀμέ τἄρʼ, ἤνπερ γε τοῦτον ἕλκῃς.

Sausage-Seller Yes, hear what sort of citizen he is.

Cleon Won't you let me speak?

Sausage-Seller Assuredly not, for I too am an awful rascal.

Chorus If he does not give in at that, tell him your parents were awful rascals too.

Cleon Once more, will you let me speak?

Sausage-Seller No, by Zeus!

Cleon Yes, by Zeus, you shall!

Sausage-Seller No, by Poseidon! We will fight first to see who shall speak first.

Cleon 340 I will die sooner.

Sausage-Seller I will not let you .

Chorus Let him, in the name of the gods, let him die.

Cleon What makes you so bold as to dare to speak to my face?

Sausage-Seller Because I know both how to speak and how to cook.

Sausage-Seller And what do you drink yourself then, to be able all alone by yourself to dumbfound and stupefy the city so with your clamor?

Cleon Can you match me with a rival? Me? When I have devoured a good hot tunny-fish and drunk on top of it a great 355 jar of unmixed wine. I say “to Hell with the generals of Pylos !”

Sausage-Seller And I, when I have bolted the tripe of an ox together with a sow's belly and swallowed the broth as well, I am fit, though slobbering with grease, to bellow louder than all orators and to terrify Nicias.

Chorus I admire your language so much; 360 the only thing I do not approve is that you swallow all the broth yourself.

Cleon Even though you gorged yourself on sea-dogs, you would not beat the Milesians.

Sausage-Seller Give me a bullock's breast to devour, and I am a man to traffic in mines.

Cleon I will rush into the Senate and set them all by the ears.

Sausage-Seller And I will pull out your arse to stuff like a sausage.

Cleon 365 As for me, I will seize you by the rump and hurl your head foremost through the door.

Chorus By Poseidon, only after you have thrown me there first.

Commentary

Line 345

Stable identifiers

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

καὶ μὴν ἀκούσαθʼ οἷός ἐστιν οὑτοσὶ πολίτης.
335

Κλέων

οὐκ αὖ μʼ ἐάσεις;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

μὰ Δίʼ ἐπεὶ κἀγὼ πονηρός εἰμι.

Χορός

ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ταύτῃ γʼ ὑπείκῃ, λέγʼ ὅτι κἀκ πονηρῶν.

Κλέων

οὐκ αὖ μʼ ἐάσεις;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

μὰ Δία.

Κλέων

ναὶ μὰ Δία.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

μὰ τὸν Ποσειδῶ.

ἀλλʼ αὐτὸ περὶ τοῦ πρότερος εἰπεῖν πρῶτα διαμαχοῦμαι.

Κλέων

οἴμοι διαρραγήσομαι.
340

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

καὶ μὴν ἐγὼ οὐ παρήσω.

Χορός

πάρες πάρες πρὸς τῶν θεῶν αὐτῷ διαρραγῆναι.

Κλέων

τῷ καὶ πεποιθὼς ἀξιοῖς ἐμοῦ λέγειν ἔναντα;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ὁτιὴ λέγειν οἷός τε κἀγὼ καὶ καρυκοποιεῖν.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

τί δαὶ σὺ πίνων τὴν πόλιν πεποίηκας, ὥστε νυνὶ

ὑπὸ σοῦ μονωτάτου κατεγλωττισμένην σιωπᾶν;

Κλέων

ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἀντέθηκας ἀνθρώπων τίνʼ; ὅστις εὐθὺς

θύννεια θερμὰ καταφαγών, κᾆτʼ ἐπιπιὼν ἀκράτου

οἴνου χοᾶ κασαλβάσω τοὺς ἐν Πύλῳ στρατηγούς.
355

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐγὼ δέ γʼ ἤνυστρον βοὸς καὶ κοιλίαν ὑείαν

καταβροχθίσας κᾆτʼ ἐπιπιὼν τὸν ζωμὸν ἀναπόνιπτος

λαρυγγιῶ τοὺς ῥήτορας καὶ Νικίαν ταράξω.

Χορός

τὰ μὲν ἄλλα μʼ ἤρεσας λέγων·. ἓν δʼ οὐ προσίεταί με,

τῶν πραγμάτων ὁτιὴ μόνος τὸν ζωμὸν ἐκροφήσει.
360

Κλέων

ἀλλʼ οὐ λάβρακας καταφαγὼν Μιλησίους κλονήσεις.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἀλλὰ σχελίδας ἐδηδοκὼς ὠνήσομαι μέταλλα.

Κλέων

ἐγὼ δʼ ἐπεσπηδῶν γε τὴν βουλὴν βίᾳ κυκήσω.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐγὼ δὲ κινήσω γέ σου τὸν πρωκτὸν ἀντὶ φύσκης.

Κλέων

ἐγὼ δέ γʼ ἐξέλξω σε τῆς πυγῆς θύραζε κύβδα.
365

Χορός

νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ κἀμέ τἄρʼ, ἤνπερ γε τοῦτον ἕλκῃς.

Sausage-Seller

Yes, hear what sort of citizen he is.

Cleon

Won't you let me speak?

Sausage-Seller

Assuredly not, for I too am an awful rascal.

Chorus

If he does not give in at that, tell him your parents were awful rascals too.

Cleon

Once more, will you let me speak?

Sausage-Seller

No, by Zeus!

Cleon

Yes, by Zeus, you shall!

Sausage-Seller

No, by Poseidon! We will fight first to see who shall speak first.

Cleon

340 I will die sooner.

Sausage-Seller

I will not let you .

Chorus

Let him, in the name of the gods, let him die.

Cleon

What makes you so bold as to dare to speak to my face?

Sausage-Seller

Because I know both how to speak and how to cook.

Sausage-Seller

And what do you drink yourself then, to be able all alone by yourself to dumbfound and stupefy the city so with your clamor?

Cleon

Can you match me with a rival? Me? When I have devoured a good hot tunny-fish and drunk on top of it a great 355 jar of unmixed wine. I say “to Hell with the generals of Pylos !”

Sausage-Seller

And I, when I have bolted the tripe of an ox together with a sow's belly and swallowed the broth as well, I am fit, though slobbering with grease, to bellow louder than all orators and to terrify Nicias.

Chorus

I admire your language so much; 360 the only thing I do not approve is that you swallow all the broth yourself.

Cleon

Even though you gorged yourself on sea-dogs, you would not beat the Milesians.

Sausage-Seller

Give me a bullock's breast to devour, and I am a man to traffic in mines.

Cleon

I will rush into the Senate and set them all by the ears.

Sausage-Seller

And I will pull out your arse to stuff like a sausage.

Cleon

365 As for me, I will seize you by the rump and hurl your head foremost through the door.

Chorus

By Poseidon, only after you have thrown me there first.