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Χορός

ὦ μακάριʼ Αὐτόμενες ὥς σε μακαρίζομεν,
1275

παῖδας ἐφύτευσας ὅτι χειροτεχνικωτάτους·

πρῶτα μὲν ἅπασι φίλον ἄνδρα τε σοφώτατον,

τὸν κιφαραοιδότατον, ᾧ χάρις ἐφέσπετο·

τὸν δʼ ὑποκριτὴν ἕτερον ἀργαλέον ὡς σοφόν·

εἶτʼ Ἀριφράδην πολύ τι θυμοσοφικώτατον,
1280

ὅντινά ποτʼ ὤμοσε μαθόντα παρὰ μηδενός,

ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ σοφῆς φύσεος αὐτόματον ἐκμαθεῖν

γλωττοποιεῖν ἐς τὰ πορνεῖʼ εἰσιόνθʼ ἑκάστοτε.

Wasps. 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

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

Translations (2)

Wasps (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 1275 focus

Leader of the Chorus

1275 Oh! blessed, oh! fortunate Automenes, how enviable is your fortune! You have three sons, the most industrious in the world; one is the friend of all, a very able man, the first among the lyre-players, the favourite of the Graces. The second is an actor, and his talent is beyond all praise. 1280 As for Ariphrades, he is by far the most gifted; his father would swear to me, that without any master whatever and solely through the spontaneous effort of his happy nature, he taught himself to exercise his tongue in the whorehouses, where he spends the whole of his time.

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.) — 1275 focus

Chorus: O blessed Automenes, how we bless you,

1275

Chorus: You have planted children so that they are the most crafty;

Chorus: first, to all, a man most wise is dear,

Chorus: the most skillful lyre-singer, whom charm followed;

Chorus: for the other actor, as if he were wise, is a difficult task;

Chorus: then, a very much most passionate thing, Aripfrades,

1280

Chorus: whom he swore, having learned from no one,

Chorus: but from a wise nature to learn spontaneously

Chorus: to act as a tongue-licker for those entering the brothels at any time.

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

1280. mvp-tlg0019-tlg004-sanjaya-com-eng1-71

Line 1280

εἶτʼ Ἀριφράδην πολύ τι θυμοσοφικώτατον,

The adjective θυμοσοφικώτατον is a hapax legomenon in extant Greek literature, coined by Aristophanes to describe the character Aritophanes. The compound combines θύμος (passion/spirit) and σοφία (wisdom) with the adjectival suffix -ικός, forming a satirical neologism that characterizes Aritophanes as a 'passionate wise man' or one whose wisdom is driven by fiery temper. This lexical invention serves the play's comic purpose by mocking the pretensions of the Sophists and the legal eagerness of the older generation, particularly in the context of the character's role as a juror.

Aristophanes Wasps 1275

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

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Commentary

Line 1280

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