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ἀνάβαινε δεῦρο χρυσομηλολόνθιον,

τῇ χειρὶ τουδὶ λαβομένη τοῦ σχοινίου.

ἔχου· φυλάττου δʼ, ὡς σαπρὸν τὸ σχοινίον·

ὅμως γε μέντοι τριβόμενον οὐκ ἄχθεται.

ὁρᾷς ἐγώ σʼ ὡς δεξιῶς ὑφειλόμην
1345

μέλλουσαν ἤδη λεσβιᾶν τοὺς ξυμπότας·

ὧν οὕνεκʼ ἀπόδος τῷ πέει τῳδὶ χάριν.

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀποδώσεις οὐδʼ ἐφιαλεῖς οἶδʼ ὅτι,

ἀλλʼ ἐξαπατήσεις κἀγχανεῖ τούτῳ μέγα·

πολλοῖς γὰρ ἤδη χἀτέροις αὔτʼ ἠργάσω.
1350

ἐὰν γένῃ δὲ μὴ κακὴ νυνὶ γυνή,

ἐγώ σʼ ἐπειδὰν οὑμὸς υἱὸς ἀποθάνῃ,

λυσάμενος ἕξω παλλακὴν ὦ χοιρίον.

νῦν δʼ οὐ κρατῶ ʼγὼ τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ χρημάτων

νέος γάρ εἰμι καὶ φυλάττομαι σφόδρα.
1355

τὸ γὰρ υἵδιον τηρεῖ με, κἄστι δύσκολον

κἄλλως κυμινοπριστοκαρδαμογλύφον.

ταῦτʼ οὖν περί μου δέδοικε μὴ διαφθαρῶ.

πατὴρ γὰρ οὐδείς ἐστιν αὐτῷ πλὴν ἐμοῦ.

ὁδὶ δὲ καὐτὸς ἐπὶ σὲ κἄμʼ ἔοικε θεῖν.
1360

ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστα στῆθι τάσδε τὰς δετὰς

λαβοῦσʼ, ἵνʼ αὐτὸν τωθάσω νεανικῶς,

οἵοις ποθʼ οὗτος ἐμὲ πρὸ τῶν μυστηρίων.

Βδελυκλέων

ὦ οὗτος οὗτος τυφεδανὲ καὶ χοιρόθλιψ,

ποθεῖν ἐρᾶν τʼ ἔοικας ὡραίας σοροῦ.
1365

οὔτοι καταπροίξει μὰ τὸν Ἀπόλλω τοῦτο δρῶν.

Φιλοκλέων

ὡς ἡδέως φάγοις ἂν ἐξ ὄξους δίκην.

Βδελυκλέων

οὐ δεινὰ τωθάζειν σε τὴν αὐλητρίδα

τῶν ξυμποτῶν κλέψαντα;

Φιλοκλέων

ποίαν αὐλητρίδα;

τί ταῦτα ληρεῖς ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τύμβου πεσών;
1370

Βδελυκλέων

νὴ τὸν Δίʼ αὕτη πού ʼστί σοί γʼ ἡ Δαρδανίς.

Φιλοκλέων

οὔκ, ἀλλʼ ἐν ἀγορᾷ τοῖς θεοῖς δᾲς κάεται.

Βδελυκλέων

δᾲς ἥδε;

Φιλοκλέων

δᾲς δῆτʼ. οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἐστιγμένην;

Βδελυκλέων

τί δὲ τὸ μέλαν τοῦτʼ ἐστὶν αὐτῆς τοὐν μέσῳ;

Φιλοκλέων

ἡ πίττα δήπου καομένης ἐξέρχεται.
1375

Βδελυκλέων

ὁ δʼ ὄπισθεν οὐχὶ πρωκτός ἐστιν οὑτοσί;

Φιλοκλέων

ὄζος μὲν οὖν τῆς δᾳδὸς οὗτος ἐξέχει.

Βδελυκλέων

τί λέγεις σύ; ποῖος ὄζος; οὐκ εἶ δεῦρο σύ;

Φιλοκλέων

ἆ ἆ τί μέλλεις δρᾶν;

Βδελυκλέων

ἄγειν ταύτην λαβὼν

ἀφελόμενός σε καὶ νομίσας εἶναι σαπρὸν
1380

κοὐδὲν δύνασθαι δρᾶν.

Φιλοκλέων

ἄκουσόν νυν ἐμοῦ.

Ὀλυμπίασιν, ἡνίκʼ ἐθεώρουν ἐγώ,

Ἐφουδίων ἐμαχέσατʼ Ἀσκώνδᾳ καλῶς

ἤδη γέρων ὤν· εἶτα τῇ πυγμῇ θενὼν

ὁ πρεσβύτερος κατέβαλε τὸν νεώτερον.
1385

πρὸς ταῦτα τηροῦ μὴ λάβῃς ὑπώπια.

Βδελυκλέων

νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἐξέμαθές γε τὴν Ὀλυμπίαν.

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.) — 1341 focus

Philocleon
Dropping into speech; to the flute-girl

Mount up there, my little gilded cock-chafer; take hold of this rope's end in your hand. Hold it tight, but have a care; the rope's a bit old and worn. But even though it's worn, it still has its virtues. 1345 Do you see how opportunely I got you away from the solicitations of those fellators, who wanted you to make love to them in their own odd way? You therefore owe me this return to gratify me. But will you pay the debt? Oh! I know well you will not even try; you will play with me, you will laugh heartily at me 1350 as you have done at many another man. And yet, if you would not be a naughty girl, I would redeem you, when my son is dead, and you should be my concubine, my little one. At present I am not my own master; 1355 I am very young and am watched very closely. My dear son never lets me out of his sight; he's an unbearable creature, who would quarter a thread and skin a flint; he is afraid I should get lost, for I am his only father. 1360 But here he comes running towards us. But be quick, don't stir, hold these torches. I am going to play him a young man's trick, the same as he played me before I was initiated into the mysteries.

Bdelycleon

Oh! oh! you debauched old dotard! 1365 you are amorous, it seems, of pretty baggages; but, by Apollo, it shall not be with impunity!

Philocleon

Ah! you would be very glad to eat a lawsuit in vinegar, you would.

Bdelycleon

Only a rascal would steal the flute-girl away from the other guests.

Philocleon

What flute-girl? 1370 Are you distraught, as if you had just returned from Pluto?

Bdelycleon

By Zeus! But here is the Dardanian wench in person.

Philocleon

Nonsense. This is a torch that I have lit in the public square in honour of the gods.

Bdelycleon

Is this a torch?

Philocleon

A torch? Certainly. Do you not see it is of several different colours?

Bdelycleon

And what is that black part in the middle?

Philocleon

1375 That's the pitch running out while it burns.

Bdelycleon

And there, on the other side, surely that is a girl's bottom?

Philocleon

No. That's just a small bit of the torch, that projects.

Bdelycleon

What do you mean? what bit? Hi! you woman! come here!

Philocleon

Oh! What do you want to do?

Bdelycleon

To take her away from you and lead her off. 1380 You are too much worn out and can do nothing.

He takes the girl into the house.

Philocleon

Listen to me! One day, at Olympia , I saw Euphudion boxing bravely against Ascondas; 1385 he was already aged, and yet with a blow from his fist he knocked down his young opponent. So watch out that I don't blacken your eyes.

Bdelycleon
who has returned

By Zeus! you have Olympia at your finger-ends!

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.) — 1341 focus

Philocleon: Come up here, golden-washed!

Philocleon: Grasping the rope with this hand.

Philocleon: Take it; and watch out, because the rope is rotten;

Philocleon: Nevertheless, though he is being rubbed, he is not annoyed.

Philocleon: Do you see how skillfully I borrowed it?

1345

Philocleon: the Lesbian woman is already about to sing to the drinking companions;

Philocleon: Give this dog a favor on account of those things.

Philocleon: But you will not give it back, nor will you be terrifying; I know that.

Philocleon: But you will deceive and cheat this man greatly;

Philocleon: for you have already done this to many and others as well.

1350

Philokleon: But if she should turn out not to be a bad woman now,

Philocleon: "I, whenever my son dies,"

Philocleon: Having loosed the concubine outside, o little pig.

Philocleon: But now I do not have control over my own money.

Philocleon: for I am young and I am closely watched.

1355

Philocleon: for my own housekeeper is guarding me, and she is difficult.

Philocleon: I'm also a cumin-grinding, celery-carving, parsnip-sculpting.

Philocleon: So he fears these things about me lest I be corrupted.

Philocleon: For he has no father except me.

Philocleon: And indeed it seems likely that he will throw both at you and at me.

1360

Philocleon: But stand here in these fetters as quickly as possible.

Philocleon: Take it, so that I may greet him in a youthful manner.

Philocleon: Such as this one [did] to me before the Mysteries.

Bdelucleon: O you, you, you stinking fellow and pig-trampler,

Bdelycleon: you seem to desire and long for a lovely corpse.

1365

Bdelycleon: By Apollo, he will not do this by way of insult.

Philocleon: how sweetly you would eat justice from vinegar.

Bdelucléon: It is not a terrible thing to squeak at the flute-girl.

Bdelycles: stealing from the drinking companions?

Philocleon: Which flute-girl?

Philocleon: Why are you prattling like someone who has fallen from a tomb?

1370

Bdelycleon: By Zeus, that is certainly your Dardanis.

Philocleon: No, but in the market-place he is burning incense to the gods.

Bdelucleon: Do you want this?

Philocleon: You are really angry. Don't you see that she is marked?

Bdelucleon: But what is this black thing in the middle of it?

Philocleon: The cake is surely coming out while it is burning.

1375

Bdelycleon: But isn't that fellow behind him a fart?

Philocleon: This is the tip of the torch.

Bdelukleon: What are you saying? What kind of smell? Are you not coming here?

Philocleon: Ah ah, what are you waiting to do?

Bdelycleon: Take her by the hand and lead her away.

Bdelycleon: taking you away and thinking you were rotten

1380

Bdelycleon: And he can do nothing.

Philokleon: Now listen to me.

Philocleon: When I was watching the Olympic Games,

Philocleon: You fought well in a pillow-fight with Ascondas.

Philocleon: already being old; then having struck with the fist

Philocleon: The older man knocked down the younger man.

1385

Philokleon: In light of this, be careful not to suspect anything.

Bdelycleon: By Zeus, you have indeed learned the Olympic Games.

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

1341. mvp-tlg0019-tlg004-sanjaya-com-eng1-76

Line 1341

ἀνάβαινε δεῦρο χρυσομηλολόνθιον,

The adjective χρυσομηλολόνθιον is a coined compound (a hapax legomenon in this specific form) functioning as a vocative of address to the dog Labes. It is a satirical neologism combining χρυσός (gold), μήλον (apple), and λόνθιον (a diminutive of λόνθος, a type of fig or perhaps a corruption of λῶνθος/λόνθος meaning 'fig' or 'morsel'). The term is not a standard epithet but a comic invention by Aristophanes to mock the dog's supposed value or appetite, treating a scavenger dog as if it were a precious, golden-fruit-eating creature. The construction relies on the reader recognizing the compound's components to grasp the absurdity of the address.

1346. mvp-tlg0019-tlg004-sanjaya-com-eng1-77

Line 1346

μέλλουσαν ἤδη λεσβιᾶν τοὺς ξυμπότας·

The adjective λεσβιᾶν (Lesbian) here is not a generic ethnic descriptor but a specific cultural signifier in Old Comedy, referring to the reputation of Lesbos for erotic license and, crucially in this context, the association with the 'Lesbian bed' (a metaphor for sexual promiscuity or, in the case of a woman, for being a courtesan or having illicit relations). In Aristophanes, this term often functions as a loaded insult implying that the woman in question is already 'taken' or 'ruined' by the symposiasts' revelry, playing on the stereotype of the 'Lesbian' as a woman of loose morals or a specific type of sexual encounter. The participle μέλλουσαν (about to become) combined with ἤδη (already) creates a temporal paradox: she is simultaneously 'already' the object of the symposiasts' attention and 'about to' be labeled a 'Lesbian' in the colloquial sense of the term, highlighting the rapid degradation of her reputation in the comic narrative.

1357. mvp-tlg0019-tlg004-sanjaya-com-eng1-78

Line 1357

κἄλλως κυμινοπριστοκαρδαμογλύφον.

The hyper-correction of the article (κἄλλως instead of καὶ ἄλλως) reflects the comic tendency to mimic or parody the inflated, pedantic speech of the older generation, here specifically the 'Sycophant' class who are obsessed with precise, often unnecessary, technical detail. The adjective is a rare, coined compound (hapax legomenon in this specific form) meaning 'a grinder of cumin and caraway,' illustrating Aristophanes' characteristic use of grotesque, multi-syllabic compounds to satirize the pretensions of the older, litigious generation who reduce life to a series of minute, commercial calculations.

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Βδελυκλέων ὦ οὗτος οὗτος τυφεδανὲ καὶ χοιρόθλιψ, ποθεῖν ἐρᾶν τʼ ἔοικας ὡραίας σοροῦ. 1365 οὔτοι καταπροίξει μὰ τὸν Ἀπόλλω τοῦτο δρῶν.

Φιλοκλέων ὡς ἡδέως φάγοις ἂν ἐξ ὄξους δίκην.

Βδελυκλέων οὐ δεινὰ τωθάζειν σε τὴν αὐλητρίδα τῶν ξυμποτῶν κλέψαντα;

Φιλοκλέων ποίαν αὐλητρίδα; τί ταῦτα ληρεῖς ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τύμβου πεσών; 1370

Βδελυκλέων νὴ τὸν Δίʼ αὕτη πού ʼστί σοί γʼ ἡ Δαρδανίς.

Φιλοκλέων οὔκ, ἀλλʼ ἐν ἀγορᾷ τοῖς θεοῖς δᾲς κάεται.

Βδελυκλέων δᾲς ἥδε;

Φιλοκλέων δᾲς δῆτʼ. οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἐστιγμένην;

Βδελυκλέων τί δὲ τὸ μέλαν τοῦτʼ ἐστὶν αὐτῆς τοὐν μέσῳ;

Φιλοκλέων ἡ πίττα δήπου καομένης ἐξέρχεται. 1375

Βδελυκλέων ὁ δʼ ὄπισθεν οὐχὶ πρωκτός ἐστιν οὑτοσί;

Φιλοκλέων ὄζος μὲν οὖν τῆς δᾳδὸς οὗτος ἐξέχει.

Βδελυκλέων τί λέγεις σύ; ποῖος ὄζος; οὐκ εἶ δεῦρο σύ;

Φιλοκλέων ἆ ἆ τί μέλλεις δρᾶν;

Βδελυκλέων ἄγειν ταύτην λαβὼν ἀφελόμενός σε καὶ νομίσας εἶναι σαπρὸν 1380 κοὐδὲν δύνασθαι δρᾶν.

Βδελυκλέων νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἐξέμαθές γε τὴν Ὀλυμπίαν.

Current edition Perseus

Bdelycleon Oh! oh! you debauched old dotard! 1365 you are amorous, it seems, of pretty baggages; but, by Apollo, it shall not be with impunity!

Philocleon Ah! you would be very glad to eat a lawsuit in vinegar, you would.

Bdelycleon Only a rascal would steal the flute-girl away from the other guests.

Philocleon What flute-girl? 1370 Are you distraught, as if you had just returned from Pluto?

Bdelycleon By Zeus! But here is the Dardanian wench in person.

Philocleon Nonsense. This is a torch that I have lit in the public square in honour of the gods.

Bdelycleon Is this a torch?

Philocleon A torch? Certainly. Do you not see it is of several different colours?

Bdelycleon And what is that black part in the middle?

Philocleon 1375 That's the pitch running out while it burns.

Bdelycleon And there, on the other side, surely that is a girl's bottom?

Philocleon No. That's just a small bit of the torch, that projects.

Bdelycleon What do you mean? what bit? Hi! you woman! come here!

Philocleon Oh! What do you want to do?

Bdelycleon To take her away from you and lead her off. 1380 You are too much worn out and can do nothing.

Philocleon Listen to me! One day, at Olympia , I saw Euphudion boxing bravely against Ascondas; 1385 he was already aged, and yet with a blow from his fist he knocked down his young opponent. So watch out that I don't blacken your eyes.

Bdelycleon who has returned By Zeus! you have Olympia at your finger-ends!

Commentary

Line 1341

Line 1346

Line 1357

Stable identifiers

Βδελυκλέων

ὦ οὗτος οὗτος τυφεδανὲ καὶ χοιρόθλιψ,

ποθεῖν ἐρᾶν τʼ ἔοικας ὡραίας σοροῦ.
1365

οὔτοι καταπροίξει μὰ τὸν Ἀπόλλω τοῦτο δρῶν.

Φιλοκλέων

ὡς ἡδέως φάγοις ἂν ἐξ ὄξους δίκην.

Βδελυκλέων

οὐ δεινὰ τωθάζειν σε τὴν αὐλητρίδα

τῶν ξυμποτῶν κλέψαντα;

Φιλοκλέων

ποίαν αὐλητρίδα;

τί ταῦτα ληρεῖς ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τύμβου πεσών;
1370

Βδελυκλέων

νὴ τὸν Δίʼ αὕτη πού ʼστί σοί γʼ ἡ Δαρδανίς.

Φιλοκλέων

οὔκ, ἀλλʼ ἐν ἀγορᾷ τοῖς θεοῖς δᾲς κάεται.

Βδελυκλέων

δᾲς ἥδε;

Φιλοκλέων

δᾲς δῆτʼ. οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἐστιγμένην;

Βδελυκλέων

τί δὲ τὸ μέλαν τοῦτʼ ἐστὶν αὐτῆς τοὐν μέσῳ;

Φιλοκλέων

ἡ πίττα δήπου καομένης ἐξέρχεται.
1375

Βδελυκλέων

ὁ δʼ ὄπισθεν οὐχὶ πρωκτός ἐστιν οὑτοσί;

Φιλοκλέων

ὄζος μὲν οὖν τῆς δᾳδὸς οὗτος ἐξέχει.

Βδελυκλέων

τί λέγεις σύ; ποῖος ὄζος; οὐκ εἶ δεῦρο σύ;

Φιλοκλέων

ἆ ἆ τί μέλλεις δρᾶν;

Βδελυκλέων

ἄγειν ταύτην λαβὼν

ἀφελόμενός σε καὶ νομίσας εἶναι σαπρὸν
1380

κοὐδὲν δύνασθαι δρᾶν.

Βδελυκλέων

νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἐξέμαθές γε τὴν Ὀλυμπίαν.

Bdelycleon

Oh! oh! you debauched old dotard! 1365 you are amorous, it seems, of pretty baggages; but, by Apollo, it shall not be with impunity!

Philocleon

Ah! you would be very glad to eat a lawsuit in vinegar, you would.

Bdelycleon

Only a rascal would steal the flute-girl away from the other guests.

Philocleon

What flute-girl? 1370 Are you distraught, as if you had just returned from Pluto?

Bdelycleon

By Zeus! But here is the Dardanian wench in person.

Philocleon

Nonsense. This is a torch that I have lit in the public square in honour of the gods.

Bdelycleon

Is this a torch?

Philocleon

A torch? Certainly. Do you not see it is of several different colours?

Bdelycleon

And what is that black part in the middle?

Philocleon

1375 That's the pitch running out while it burns.

Bdelycleon

And there, on the other side, surely that is a girl's bottom?

Philocleon

No. That's just a small bit of the torch, that projects.

Bdelycleon

What do you mean? what bit? Hi! you woman! come here!

Philocleon

Oh! What do you want to do?

Bdelycleon

To take her away from you and lead her off. 1380 You are too much worn out and can do nothing.

Philocleon

Listen to me! One day, at Olympia , I saw Euphudion boxing bravely against Ascondas; 1385 he was already aged, and yet with a blow from his fist he knocked down his young opponent. So watch out that I don't blacken your eyes.

Bdelycleon
who has returned

By Zeus! you have Olympia at your finger-ends!