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Sausage-Seller: One must be silent and keep one's mouth shut and abstain from giving testimony,

Ball-seller: and even to close the law-courts, in which this city rejoices,

Sausage-seller: To celebrate their new successes, the theater should sing a paean.

Chorus: O light of the holy Athens and aid the islands,

Chorus: With what good reputation do you come, for what purpose do we smoke the streets?

1320

Sausage-seller: Having cooked the People for you, I have made something beautiful out of something shameful.

Chorus: And where is he now, you who discover and devise wonderful things?

Sausage-seller: in the flower-crowned ancient Athens lives.

Chorus: How might we see? What sort of equipment does he have? What has he become?

Sausage-seller: Just as he lived with Aristides and Miltiades before.

1325

Ball seller: You will see; for already there is a sound of the propylaea opening.

Sausage-seller: But shout 'oi oi' with the ancient Athens appearing!

Sausage-seller: both to those who are marvellous and to those who are highly praised, so that the famous Demos may dwell.

Chorus: O lush and violet-crowned and much-envied Athens,

Chorus: show to you the sole ruler of Greece and of this land.

1330

Sausage-seller: This one is that one, bright in an ancient shape, to see the locust-bearing ones,

Sausage-seller: Not the smell of pigs, but of libations, a residue of myrrh.

Chorus: Hail, king of the Greeks; and we rejoice with you.

Chorus: For you are doing deeds worthy of the city and of the trophy at Marathon.

Knights. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

English (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.) — 1316 focus

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

εὐφημεῖν χρὴ καὶ στόμα κλῄειν καὶ μαρτυριῶν ἀπέχεσθαι,

καὶ τὰ δικαστήρια συγκλῄειν οἷς ἡ πόλις ἥδε γέγηθεν,

ἐπὶ καιναῖσιν δʼ εὐτυχίαισιν παιωνίζειν τὸ θέατρον.

Χορός

ὦ ταῖς ἱεραῖς φέγγος Ἀθήναις καὶ ταῖς νήσοις ἐπίκουρε,

τίνʼ ἔχων φήμην ἀγαθὴν ἥκεις, ἐφʼ ὅτῳ κνισῶμεν ἀγυιάς;
1320

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

τὸν Δῆμον ἀφεψήσας ὑμῖν καλὸν ἐξ αἰσχροῦ πεποίηκα.

Χορός

καὶ ποῦ ʼστιν νῦν ὦ θαυμαστὰς ἐξευρίσκων ἐπινοίας;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐν ταῖσιν ἰοστεφάνοις οἰκεῖ ταῖς ἀρχαίαισιν Ἀθήναις.

Χορός

πῶς ἂν ἴδοιμεν; ποίαν τινʼ ἔχει σκευήν; ποῖος γεγένηται;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

οἷός περ Ἀριστείδῃ πρότερον καὶ Μιλτιάδῃ ξυνεσίτει.
1325

ὄψεσθε δέ· καὶ γὰρ ἀνοιγνυμένων ψόφος ἤδη τῶν προπυλαίων.

ἀλλʼ ὀλολύξατε φαινομέναισιν ταῖς ἀρχαίαισιν Ἀθήναις

καὶ θαυμασταῖς καὶ πολυύμνοις, ἵνʼ ὁ κλεινὸς Δῆμος ἐνοικεῖ.

Χορός

ὦ ταὶ λιπαραὶ καὶ ἰοστέφανοι καὶ ἀριζήλωτοι Ἀθῆναι,

δείξατε τὸν τῆς Ἑλλάδος ὑμῖν καὶ τῆς γῆς τῆσδε μόναρχον.
1330

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ὅδʼ ἐκεῖνος ὁρᾶν τεττιγοφόρας, ἀρχαίῳ σχήματι λαμπρός,

οὐ χοιρινῶν ὄζων ἀλλὰ σπονδῶν, σμύρνῃ κατάλειπτος.

Χορός

χαῖρʼ ὦ βασιλεῦ τῶν Ἑλλήνων· καί σοι ξυγχαίρομεν ἡμεῖς.

τῆς γὰρ πόλεως ἄξια πράττεις καὶ τοῦ ʼν Μαραθῶνι τροπαίου.

Translations (1)

Knights (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 1316 focus

The Sausage-Seller comes out of the house of Demos, splendidly robed.

Sausage-Seller
Solemnly

Maintain a holy silence! Keep your mouths from utterance! call no more witnesses; close these tribunals, which are the delight of this city, and gather at the theater to chant the Paean of thanksgiving to the gods for a fresh favour.

Leader of the Chorus

Oh! torch of sacred Athens , saviour of the Islands, 1320 what good tidings are we to celebrate by letting the blood of the victims flow in our market-places?

Sausage-Seller

I have freshened Demos up somewhat on the stove and have turned his ugliness into beauty.

Leader of the Chorus

I admire your inventive genius; but, where is he?

Sausage-Seller

He is living in ancient Athens , the city of the garlands of violets.

Leader of the Chorus

How I should like to see him! What is his dress like, what his manner?

Sausage-Seller

1325 He has once more become as he was in the days when he lived with Aristides and Miltiades. But you will judge for yourselves, for I hear the vestibule doors opening. Hail with your shouts of gladness the Athens of old, which now doth reappear to your gaze, admirable, worthy of the songs of the poets and the home of the illustrious Demos.

Leader of the Chorus

Oh! noble, brilliant Athens , whose brow is wreathed with violets, 1330 show us the sovereign master of this land and of all Greece .

Demos comes from his house, rejuvenated and joyous.

Sausage-Seller

Lo! here he is coming with his hair held in place with a golden band and in all the glory of his old-world dress; perfumed with myrrh, he spreads around him not the odor of lawsuits, but that of peace.

Leader of the Chorus

Hail! King of Greece , we congratulate you upon the happiness you enjoy; it is worthy of this city, worthy of the glory of Marathon.

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

1325. mvp-tlg0019-tlg002-sanjaya-com-eng1-108

Line 1325

οἷός περ Ἀριστείδῃ πρότερον καὶ Μιλτιάδῃ ξυνεσίτει.

The phrase ξυνεσίτει (dative singular of ξυνεσίτης, 'one who eats at the same table') is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes and a rare compound in the corpus of Greek literature, formed with the prefix ξυν- (syn-) to denote shared dining. The dative here functions as a dative of manner or accompaniment ('living in the same way as'), but the specific lexical choice evokes the ancient concept of *syssitia* (common meals), a practice central to Spartan military and civic life. Aristophanes uses this rare term to draw a pointed, ironic parallel between the Paphlagonian's current behavior and the legendary temperance and frugality of the historical figures Aristides and Miltiades, whose shared meals were proverbial for their simplicity. The construction relies on the reader recognizing the specific cultural weight of *syssitia* to grasp the satirical contrast between the idealized past and the Paphlagonian's corruption.

Aristophanes Knights 1316

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Χορός

ὦ ταῖς ἱεραῖς φέγγος Ἀθήναις καὶ ταῖς νήσοις ἐπίκουρε,

τίνʼ ἔχων φήμην ἀγαθὴν ἥκεις, ἐφʼ ὅτῳ κνισῶμεν ἀγυιάς;
1320

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

τὸν Δῆμον ἀφεψήσας ὑμῖν καλὸν ἐξ αἰσχροῦ πεποίηκα.

Χορός

καὶ ποῦ ʼστιν νῦν ὦ θαυμαστὰς ἐξευρίσκων ἐπινοίας;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐν ταῖσιν ἰοστεφάνοις οἰκεῖ ταῖς ἀρχαίαισιν Ἀθήναις.

Χορός

πῶς ἂν ἴδοιμεν; ποίαν τινʼ ἔχει σκευήν; ποῖος γεγένηται;

Χορός

ὦ ταὶ λιπαραὶ καὶ ἰοστέφανοι καὶ ἀριζήλωτοι Ἀθῆναι,

δείξατε τὸν τῆς Ἑλλάδος ὑμῖν καὶ τῆς γῆς τῆσδε μόναρχον.
1330

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ὅδʼ ἐκεῖνος ὁρᾶν τεττιγοφόρας, ἀρχαίῳ σχήματι λαμπρός,

οὐ χοιρινῶν ὄζων ἀλλὰ σπονδῶν, σμύρνῃ κατάλειπτος.

Χορός

χαῖρʼ ὦ βασιλεῦ τῶν Ἑλλήνων· καί σοι ξυγχαίρομεν ἡμεῖς.

τῆς γὰρ πόλεως ἄξια πράττεις καὶ τοῦ ʼν Μαραθῶνι τροπαίου.

Sausage-Seller
Solemnly

Maintain a holy silence! Keep your mouths from utterance! call no more witnesses; close these tribunals, which are the delight of this city, and gather at the theater to chant the Paean of thanksgiving to the gods for a fresh favour.

Leader of the Chorus

Oh! torch of sacred Athens , saviour of the Islands, 1320 what good tidings are we to celebrate by letting the blood of the victims flow in our market-places?

Sausage-Seller

I have freshened Demos up somewhat on the stove and have turned his ugliness into beauty.

Leader of the Chorus

I admire your inventive genius; but, where is he?

Sausage-Seller

He is living in ancient Athens , the city of the garlands of violets.

Leader of the Chorus

How I should like to see him! What is his dress like, what his manner?

Leader of the Chorus

Oh! noble, brilliant Athens , whose brow is wreathed with violets, 1330 show us the sovereign master of this land and of all Greece .

Demos comes from his house, rejuvenated and joyous.

Sausage-Seller

Lo! here he is coming with his hair held in place with a golden band and in all the glory of his old-world dress; perfumed with myrrh, he spreads around him not the odor of lawsuits, but that of peace.

Leader of the Chorus

Hail! King of Greece , we congratulate you upon the happiness you enjoy; it is worthy of this city, worthy of the glory of Marathon.

Commentary

Line 1325

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Experimental

Χορός ὦ ταῖς ἱεραῖς φέγγος Ἀθήναις καὶ ταῖς νήσοις ἐπίκουρε, τίνʼ ἔχων φήμην ἀγαθὴν ἥκεις, ἐφʼ ὅτῳ κνισῶμεν ἀγυιάς; 1320

Ἀλλαντοπώλης τὸν Δῆμον ἀφεψήσας ὑμῖν καλὸν ἐξ αἰσχροῦ πεποίηκα.

Χορός καὶ ποῦ ʼστιν νῦν ὦ θαυμαστὰς ἐξευρίσκων ἐπινοίας;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης ἐν ταῖσιν ἰοστεφάνοις οἰκεῖ ταῖς ἀρχαίαισιν Ἀθήναις.

Χορός πῶς ἂν ἴδοιμεν; ποίαν τινʼ ἔχει σκευήν; ποῖος γεγένηται;

Χορός ὦ ταὶ λιπαραὶ καὶ ἰοστέφανοι καὶ ἀριζήλωτοι Ἀθῆναι, δείξατε τὸν τῆς Ἑλλάδος ὑμῖν καὶ τῆς γῆς τῆσδε μόναρχον. 1330

Ἀλλαντοπώλης ὅδʼ ἐκεῖνος ὁρᾶν τεττιγοφόρας, ἀρχαίῳ σχήματι λαμπρός, οὐ χοιρινῶν ὄζων ἀλλὰ σπονδῶν, σμύρνῃ κατάλειπτος.

Χορός χαῖρʼ ὦ βασιλεῦ τῶν Ἑλλήνων· καί σοι ξυγχαίρομεν ἡμεῖς. τῆς γὰρ πόλεως ἄξια πράττεις καὶ τοῦ ʼν Μαραθῶνι τροπαίου.

Sausage-Seller Solemnly Maintain a holy silence! Keep your mouths from utterance! call no more witnesses; close these tribunals, which are the delight of this city, and gather at the theater to chant the Paean of thanksgiving to the gods for a fresh favour.

Leader of the Chorus Oh! torch of sacred Athens , saviour of the Islands, 1320 what good tidings are we to celebrate by letting the blood of the victims flow in our market-places?

Sausage-Seller I have freshened Demos up somewhat on the stove and have turned his ugliness into beauty.

Leader of the Chorus I admire your inventive genius; but, where is he?

Sausage-Seller He is living in ancient Athens , the city of the garlands of violets.

Leader of the Chorus How I should like to see him! What is his dress like, what his manner?

Leader of the Chorus Oh! noble, brilliant Athens , whose brow is wreathed with violets, 1330 show us the sovereign master of this land and of all Greece . Demos comes from his house, rejuvenated and joyous.

Sausage-Seller Lo! here he is coming with his hair held in place with a golden band and in all the glory of his old-world dress; perfumed with myrrh, he spreads around him not the odor of lawsuits, but that of peace.

Leader of the Chorus Hail! King of Greece , we congratulate you upon the happiness you enjoy; it is worthy of this city, worthy of the glory of Marathon.

Commentary

Line 1325

Stable identifiers

Χορός

ὦ ταῖς ἱεραῖς φέγγος Ἀθήναις καὶ ταῖς νήσοις ἐπίκουρε,

τίνʼ ἔχων φήμην ἀγαθὴν ἥκεις, ἐφʼ ὅτῳ κνισῶμεν ἀγυιάς;
1320

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

τὸν Δῆμον ἀφεψήσας ὑμῖν καλὸν ἐξ αἰσχροῦ πεποίηκα.

Χορός

καὶ ποῦ ʼστιν νῦν ὦ θαυμαστὰς ἐξευρίσκων ἐπινοίας;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐν ταῖσιν ἰοστεφάνοις οἰκεῖ ταῖς ἀρχαίαισιν Ἀθήναις.

Χορός

πῶς ἂν ἴδοιμεν; ποίαν τινʼ ἔχει σκευήν; ποῖος γεγένηται;

Χορός

ὦ ταὶ λιπαραὶ καὶ ἰοστέφανοι καὶ ἀριζήλωτοι Ἀθῆναι,

δείξατε τὸν τῆς Ἑλλάδος ὑμῖν καὶ τῆς γῆς τῆσδε μόναρχον.
1330

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ὅδʼ ἐκεῖνος ὁρᾶν τεττιγοφόρας, ἀρχαίῳ σχήματι λαμπρός,

οὐ χοιρινῶν ὄζων ἀλλὰ σπονδῶν, σμύρνῃ κατάλειπτος.

Χορός

χαῖρʼ ὦ βασιλεῦ τῶν Ἑλλήνων· καί σοι ξυγχαίρομεν ἡμεῖς.

τῆς γὰρ πόλεως ἄξια πράττεις καὶ τοῦ ʼν Μαραθῶνι τροπαίου.

Sausage-Seller
Solemnly

Maintain a holy silence! Keep your mouths from utterance! call no more witnesses; close these tribunals, which are the delight of this city, and gather at the theater to chant the Paean of thanksgiving to the gods for a fresh favour.

Leader of the Chorus

Oh! torch of sacred Athens , saviour of the Islands, 1320 what good tidings are we to celebrate by letting the blood of the victims flow in our market-places?

Sausage-Seller

I have freshened Demos up somewhat on the stove and have turned his ugliness into beauty.

Leader of the Chorus

I admire your inventive genius; but, where is he?

Sausage-Seller

He is living in ancient Athens , the city of the garlands of violets.

Leader of the Chorus

How I should like to see him! What is his dress like, what his manner?

Leader of the Chorus

Oh! noble, brilliant Athens , whose brow is wreathed with violets, 1330 show us the sovereign master of this land and of all Greece .

Demos comes from his house, rejuvenated and joyous.

Sausage-Seller

Lo! here he is coming with his hair held in place with a golden band and in all the glory of his old-world dress; perfumed with myrrh, he spreads around him not the odor of lawsuits, but that of peace.

Leader of the Chorus

Hail! King of Greece , we congratulate you upon the happiness you enjoy; it is worthy of this city, worthy of the glory of Marathon.