Search the Perseus Catalog for:

View: By Scene

← Previous Next →

Χορός

ἡνίχʼ ἡμεῖς δεῦρʼ ἀφορμᾶσθαι παρεσκευάσμεθα,

ἡ σελήνη συντυχοῦσʼ ἡμῖν ἐπέστειλεν φράσαι,

πρῶτα μὲν χαίρειν Ἀθηναίοισι καὶ τοῖς ξυμμάχοις·

εἶτα θυμαίνειν ἔφασκε· δεινὰ γὰρ πεπονθέναι
610

ὠφελοῦσʼ ὑμᾶς ἅπαντας οὐ λόγοις ἀλλʼ ἐμφανῶς.

πρῶτα μὲν τοῦ μηνὸς ἐς δᾷδʼ οὐκ ἔλαττον ἢ δραχμήν,

ὥστε καὶ λέγειν ἅπαντας ἐξιόντας ἑσπέρας,

μὴ πρίῃ παῖ δᾷδʼ, ἐπειδὴ φῶς σεληναίας καλόν.

ἄλλα τʼ εὖ δρᾶν φησιν, ὑμᾶς δʼ οὐκ ἄγειν τὰς ἡμέρας
615

οὐδὲν ὀρθῶς, ἀλλʼ ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω κυδοιδοπᾶν·

ὥστʼ ἀπειλεῖν φησιν αὐτῇ τοὺς θεοὺς ἑκάστοτε

ἡνίκʼ ἂν ψευσθῶσι δείπνου κἀπίωσιν οἴκαδε,

τῆς ἑορτῆς μὴ τυχόντες κατὰ λόγον τῶν ἡμερῶν.

κᾆθʼ ὅταν θύειν δέῃ, στρεβλοῦτε καὶ δικάζετε·
620

πολλάκις δʼ ἡμῶν ἀγόντων τῶν θεῶν ἀπαστίαν,

ἡνίκʼ ἂν πενθῶμεν ἢ τὸν Μέμνονʼ ἢ Σαρπηδόνα,

σπένδεθʼ ὑμεῖς καὶ γελᾶτʼ· ἀνθʼ ὧν λαχὼν Ὑπέρβολος

τῆτες ἱερομνημονεῖν, κἄπειθʼ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν τῶν θεῶν

τὸν στέφανον ἀφῃρέθη· μᾶλλον γὰρ οὕτως εἴσεται
625

κατὰ σελήνην ὡς ἄγειν χρὴ τοῦ βίου τὰς ἡμέρας.

Clouds. Aristophanes. ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart. Oxford. 1906.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Νεφέλαι (Greek) (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.)

Translations (2)

Clouds Perseus (Aristophanes. The Comedies of Aristophanes, Vol. I. Hickie, William James, translator. Bohn: London, 1853.) — 607 focus

Chorus.

When we had got ready to set out hither, the Moon met us, and commanded us first to greet the Athenians and their allies;

and then declared that she was angry, for that she had suffered dreadful things, though she benefits you all, not in words, but openly. In the first place, not less than a drachma every month for torches; so that also all, when they went out of an evening, were wont to say, Boy, don’t buy a torch, for the moonlight is beautiful.
610

And she says she confers other benefits on you, but that you do not observe the days at all correctly, but confuse them up and down; so that she says the gods are constantly threatening her, when they are defrauded of their dinner, and depart home, not having met with the regular feast according to the number of the days.
615

And then, when you ought to be sacrificing, you are inflicting tortures and litigating. And often, while we gods are observing a fast, when we mourn for Memnon or Sarpedon, you are pouring libations and laughing. For which reason Hyperbolus, having obtained the lot this year to be Hieromnemon, was afterward deprived by us gods
620

of his crown; for thus he will know better that he ought to spend the days of his life according to the Moon.
625

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.) — 607 focus

Chorus: When we have prepared to set out from here,

Chorus: The moon, meeting with us, has sent [us] to say,

Chorus: First of all, greetings to the Athenians and to the allies;

Chorus: Then he said that he was going mad; for he had suffered terrible things.

610

Chorus: I wish that I were helping you all, not by words but openly.

Chorus: First of all, for the month, not less than a drachma for a torch,

Chorus: so that they say that everyone goes out at nightfall,

Chorus: Do not blow out the torch, child, since it is the beautiful light of the moon.

Chorus: He says he does other things well, but does not lead your days.

615

Chorus: Nothing is right, but rather it is in a tumult, both up and down;

Chorus: So he says that the gods threaten her every time.

Chorus: whenever they have been tricked out of dinner and have gone home,

Chorus: Not having been part of the festival in accordance with the days.

Chorus: And then, whenever it is necessary to sacrifice, twist the rope and give judgment;

620

Chorus: often, while we were bringing peace to the gods,

Chorus: whenever we mourn either Memnon or Sarpedon,

Chorus: Make libations, you, and laugh; in return Hyperbolus has obtained the lot.

Chorus: to be sure, they perform a sacred memory, and then from us, the gods

Chorus: the wreath has been taken away; for in this way he will know better.

625

Chorus: We must lead the days of life by the moon.

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

623. mvp-tlg0019-tlg003-sanjaya-com-eng1-43

Line 623

σπένδεθʼ ὑμεῖς καὶ γελᾶτʼ· ἀνθʼ ὧν λαχὼν Ὑπέρβολος

The phrase ἀνθ' ὧν functions as a causal particle meaning 'in return for this' or 'consequently', introducing the specific example of Hyperbolos as the object of the preceding command to 'pour libations and laugh'. The construction relies on the anaphoric neuter plural pronoun ὧν referring back to the collective situation of the chorus's mockery, a usage typical of Aristophanic comedy where the chorus directly addresses the audience or the stage action to validate the satire. The abrupt ellipsis of the verb (e.g., 'he is the one') following Hyperbolos is a deliberate dramatic device, leaving the name hanging to emphasize the absurdity of sacrificing to a man who has become the butt of the joke, thereby reinforcing the comic inversion of religious ritual.

626. mvp-tlg0019-tlg003-sanjaya-com-eng1-44

Line 626

κατὰ σελήνην ὡς ἄγειν χρὴ τοῦ βίου τὰς ἡμέρας.

The phrase 'κατὰ σελήνην' (according to the moon) is a crucial crux here: it likely represents a corrupt or idiosyncratic reading for 'κατὰ τὴν σελήνην' or, more plausibly in the context of the Clouds' mockery of Socrates, a deliberate absurdity where the moon is personified as a guide. The construction 'ὡς ἄγειν χρὴ' (as one must lead) with the accusative and infinitive following the prepositional phrase creates a syntactic ambiguity: does 'ὡς' introduce a comparative clause of manner ('as one leads') or a result clause ('so as to lead')? In the context of the play, this ambiguity reinforces the Clouds' presentation of Socrates' teachings as a bizarre, pseudo-scientific regimen that treats celestial bodies as navigational instruments for daily life, a point of contention that aligns with the historical caricature of Socrates' alleged 'daimonion' and his focus on natural philosophy.

Aristophanes Clouds 607

ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Perseus

Commentary

Line 623

Line 626

Stable identifiers