Aristophanes Clouds 1452-1509

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

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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.) — 1452 focus
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.) — 1452 focus

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

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Line 1466

ἀπολεῖς μετʼ ἐμοῦ ʼλθών, οἳ σὲ κἄμʼ ἐξηπάτων.
The pronoun οἳ functions as a relative pronoun with an antecedent that is not explicitly stated in the immediate clause but is supplied from the context of the preceding dialogue (likely referring to the 'Clouds' or the 'New Learning' personified). This usage of οἳ to refer to an abstract or personified collective entity, rather than a concrete plural noun, is a characteristic feature of Aristophanic personification that requires the reader to infer the antecedent from the dramatic context rather than the syntax of the isolated sentence.

1471. mvp-tlg0019-tlg003-sanjaya-com-eng1-99

Line 1471

Δῖνος βασιλεύει τὸν Δίʼ ἐξεληλακώς.
The participle ἐξεληλακώς (perfect active) modifies Δῖνος (Dinos, the personification of the Whirlwind), creating a striking paradox: Dinos, who has forcibly expelled Zeus, now claims the throne. This construction relies on the reader recognizing Dinos not merely as a meteorological force but as the protagonist of the play's 'New Learning' who has successfully usurped the divine order, replacing Zeus with the 'Clouds' (Νεφέλαι) and their new theology. The perfect tense emphasizes the completed, irreversible nature of this coup, a central thematic pivot in the parabasis and the subsequent trial of Socrates.

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Line 1490

ἐμοὶ δὲ δᾷδʼ ἐνεγκάτω τις ἡμμένην,
The participle ἡμμένην (perfect passive participle of ἱμνύμι, 'to kindle') is rare in this specific morphological form; the more common perfect active form ἡμμένη is not attested here, and the perfect passive 'having been kindled' is semantically necessary to describe the torch as already lit and ready to be carried, contrasting with the future action of the carrier. This construction highlights the state of the object rather than the action of lighting, which is crucial for the stage direction implied in the line.

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Line 1496

διαλεπτολογοῦμαι ταῖς δοκοῖς τῆς οἰκίας;
The hapax legomenon διαλεπτολογοῦμαι (dia-lepto-logoumai) is a compound verb unique to this passage, formed from διά, λεπτός, and λέγω. While λεπτός typically denotes 'fine' or 'thin' in physical descriptions (e.g., fine air, thin air), here it modifies the manner of speaking to imply 'subtle' or 'sophisticated' argumentation. The prefix διά- suggests a thorough or scattered discourse. This neologism is a deliberate Aristophanic coinage mocking the Socratic habit of dissecting language and reality into increasingly abstract, 'thin' components, contrasting sharply with the concrete 'rafters' (δοκαί) of the house mentioned in the dative of separation.