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Κύων

αὗ αὗ.

Βδελυκλέων

πάρεστιν οὗτος.

Φιλοκλέων

ἕτερος οὗτος αὖ Λάβης.

Βδελυκλέων

ἀγαθός γʼ ὑλακτεῖν καὶ διαλείχειν τὰς χύτρας.

σίγα, κάθιζε· σὺ δʼ ἀναβὰς κατηγόρει.
905

Φιλοκλέων

φέρε νυν ἅμα τήνδʼ ἐγχεάμενος κἀγὼ ῥοφῶ.

Σωσίας

τῆς μὲν γραφῆς ἠκούσαθʼ ἣν ἐγραψάμην

ἄνδρες δικασταὶ τουτονί. δεινότατα γὰρ

ἔργων δέδρακε κἀμὲ καὶ τὸ ῥυππαπαῖ.

ἀποδρὰς γὰρ ἐς τὴν γωνίαν τυρὸν πολὺν
910

κατεσικέλιζε κἀνέπλητʼ ἐν τῷ σκότῳ —

Φιλοκλέων

νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἀλλὰ δῆλός ἐστʼ· ἔμοιγέ τοι

τυροῦ κάκιστον ἀρτίως ἐνήρυγεν

ὁ βδελυρὸς οὗτος.

Σωσίας

κοὐ μετέδωκʼ αἰτοῦντί μοι.

καίτοι τίς ὑμᾶς εὖ ποιεῖν δυνήσεται,
915

ἢν μή τι κἀμοί τις προβάλλῃ τῷ κυνί;

Φιλοκλέων

οὐδὲν μετέδωκεν οὐδὲ τῷ κοινῷ γʼ ἐμοί.

θερμὸς γὰρ ἁνὴρ οὐδὲν ἧττον τῆς φακῆς.

Βδελυκλέων

πρὸς τῶν θεῶν μὴ προκαταγίγνωσκʼ ὦ πάτερ,

πρὶν ἄν γʼ ἀκούσῃς ἀμφοτέρων.
920

Φιλοκλέων

ἀλλʼ ὦγαθὲ

τὸ πρᾶγμα φανερόν ἐστιν· αὐτὸ γὰρ βοᾷ.

Σωσίας

μή νυν ἀφῆτέ γʼ αὐτόν, ὡς ὄντʼ αὖ πολὺ

κυνῶν ἁπάντων ἄνδρα μονοφαγίστατον,

ὅστις περιπλεύσας τὴν θυείαν ἐν κύκλῳ

ἐκ τῶν πόλεων τὸ σκῖρον ἐξεδήδοκεν.
925

Φιλοκλέων

ἐμοὶ δέ γʼ οὐκ ἔστʼ οὐδὲ τὴν ὑδρίαν πλάσαι.

Σωσίας

πρὸς ταῦτα τοῦτον κολάσατʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε

τρέφειν δύναιτʼ ἂν μία λόχμη κλέπτα δύο·

ἵνα μὴ κεκλάγγω διὰ κενῆς ἄλλως ἐγώ·

ἐὰν δὲ μή, τὸ λοιπὸν οὐ κεκλάγξομαι.
930

Φιλοκλέων

ἰοὺ ἰού.

ὅσας κατηγόρησε τὰς πανουργίας.

κλέπτον τὸ χρῆμα τἀνδρός· οὐ καὶ σοὶ δοκεῖ

ὦλεκτρυόν; νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἐπιμύει γέ τοι.

ὁ θεσμοθέτης· ποῦ ʼσθʼ οὗτος; ἀμίδα μοι δότω.
935

Βδελυκλέων

αὐτὸς καθελοῦ· τοὺς μάρτυρας γὰρ ἐσκαλῶ.

Λάβητι μάρτυρας παρεῖναι τρύβλιον

δοίδυκα τυρόκνηστιν ἐσχάραν χύτραν,

καὶ τἄλλα, τὰ σκεύη τὰ προσκεκαυμένα.

ἀλλʼ ἔτι σύ γʼ οὐρεῖς καὶ καθίζεις οὐδέπω;
940

Φιλοκλέων

τοῦτον δέ γʼ οἶμʼ ἐγὼ χεσεῖσθαι τήμερον.

Βδελυκλέων

οὐκ αὖ σὺ παύσει χαλεπὸς ὢν καὶ δύσκολος,

καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς φεύγουσιν, ἀλλʼ ὀδὰξ ἔχει;

ἀνάβαινʼ, ἀπολογοῦ. τί σεσιώπηκας; λέγε.

Φιλοκλέων

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔχειν οὗτός γʼ ἔοικεν ὅ τι λέγῃ.
945

Βδελυκλέων

οὔκ, ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνό μοι δοκεῖ πεπονθέναι,

ὅπερ ποτὲ φεύγων ἔπαθε καὶ Θουκυδίδης·

ἀπόπληκτος ἐξαίφνης ἐγένετο τὰς γνάθους.

πάρεχʼ ἐκποδών. ἐγὼ γὰρ ἀπολογήσομαι.

χαλεπὸν μὲν ὦνδρες ἐστὶ διαβεβλημένου
950

ὑπεραποκρίνεσθαι κυνός, λέξω δʼ ὅμως.

ἀγαθὸς γάρ ἐστι καὶ διώκει τοὺς λύκους.

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.) — 903 focus

Dog

Bow wow! bow wow!

Bdelycleon

Here he is.

Philocleon

Why, he's another Labes, a great barker and a licker of dishes.

Bdelycleon
as Herald

905 Silence! Keep your seats! To the Cydathenaean dog. And you, up on your feet and accuse him.

Philocleon

Go on, and I will help myself and eat these lentils.

Sosias

Gentlemen of the jury, listen to this indictment I have drawn up. He has committed the blackest of crimes, against both me and the seamen. 910 He sought refuge in a dark corner to glutton on a big Sicilian cheese, with which he sated his hunger.

Philocleon

Why, the crime is clear; the filthy brute this very moment belched forth a horrible odour of cheese right under my nose.

Sosias

And he refused to share with me. 915 And yet can anyone style himself your benefactor, when he does not cast a morsel to your poor dog?

Philocleon

He has not shared anything, not even with his comrade. His madness is as hot as my lentils.

Bdelycleon

In the name of the gods, father! 920 No hurried verdict without hearing the other side!

Philocleon

But the evidence is plain; the fact speaks for itself.

Dog

Then beware of acquitting the most selfish of canine gluttons, who has devoured the whole cheese, 925 rind and all, prowling round the platter.

Philocleon

There is not even enough left for me to fill up the chinks in my pitcher.

Dog

Besides, you must punish him, because the same house cannot keep two thieves. Let me not have barked in vain, 930 else I shall never bark again.

Philocleon

Oh! the black deeds he has just denounced! What a shameless thief! Say, cock, is not that your opinion too? Ha, ha! He thinks as I do. 935 Here, Thesmothetes! where are you? Hand me the thunder-mug.

Bdelycleon

Get it yourself. I go to call the witnesses; these are a plate, a pestle, a cheese knife, a brazier, a stew-pot and other half-burnt utensils. To Philocleon 940 But you have not finished? you are piddling away still! Have done and be seated.

Philocleon

Ha, ha! I reckon I know somebody who will crap for fright to-day.

Bdelycleon

Will you never cease showing yourself hard and intractable, and especially to the accused? You tear them to pieces tooth and nail.

To Labes

Come forward and defend yourself. What means this silence? Answer.

Philocleon

945 No doubt he has nothing to say.

Bdelycleon

Not at all, I think he has got what happened once to Thucydides in court; his jaws suddenly set fast. Get away! I will undertake your defence. — 950 Gentlemen of the jury, it is a difficult thing to speak for a dog who has been calumniated, but nevertheless I will try. He is a good dog, and he chases wolves finely.

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.) — 903 focus

Dog: hoo hoo.

Bdelycleon: This one is here.

Philocleon: This is another Labes.

Bdelycleon: He is good at barking and breaking pots.

Bdelycleon: Be quiet, sit down; and you, having climbed up, brought the charges.

905

Philocleon: Come on, then, let me suckle her too, having thrust in my spear.

Sosias: I heard the indictment which I wrote.

Sosias: Men of the jury, this fellow. For he is most dreadful

Sosias: He has done deeds to me as well and to the rypapais.

Sosias: For having slipped away into the corner, a great deal of cheese.

910

Sosias: he used to hit me and hit me in the dark —

Philocleon: By Zeus, but it is clear; at least to me.

Philocleon: he just now drew out the very worst cheese.

Philocleon: This wretch.

Sosias: And he did not give it to me, the one asking.

Sosias: and yet who will be able to do you good,

915

Sosias: Or will someone else not put forward something for the dog as well?

Philocleon: He has not given me anything, nor even to me in common.

Philocleon: For a man is no less hot than lentil soup.

Bdelycleon: By the gods, do not prejudge, father,

Bdelukleon: before you hear both.

920

Philocleon: But, good sir,

Philocleon: The matter is clear; for it itself cries out.

Sosias: Now, do not let him go, since he is actually a great deal

Sosias: 'the most gluttonous of all men among dogs,'

Sosias: whoever, having sailed around the wasp in a circle

Sosias: The scorpion has eaten its way out of the cities.

925

Philocleon: But for me, I cannot even sculpt the hybris.

Sosias: Punish this fellow for these things; for he will never

Sosias: Can one thief's loaf feed two?

Sosias: so that I do not scream through empty space in any other way;

Sosias: If not, I shall not cry out from now on.

930

Philocleon: ouch, ouch.

Philocleon: As many tricks as he accused.

Philocleon: Stealing the man's money; don't you think so too?

Philocleon: O cock! By Zeus, you're definitely giving me the eye-roll.

Philocleon: The lawgiver; where is he? Let him give me a jar.

935

Bdelycleon: He himself will knock down; for I have kicked the witnesses.

Bdelucleon: Have the witnesses bring a bowl with them.

Bdelycleon: a double cheese-skin, a griddle, a pot,

Bdelucléon: And the rest, the burnt vessels.

Bdelycleon: But you still urinate and sit down, not yet?

940

Philocleon: I'll be sure to defecate on this fellow today.

Bdelycleon: And you certainly won't stop being difficult and uncooperative,

Bdelycléon: And even these things to those who are fleeing, but does he gnaw at them?

Bdelukleon: Come up, defend yourself. Why are you silent? Speak.

Philocleon: But this man seems not to have anything to say.

945

Bdelycleon: No, but that one seems to have suffered,

Bdelycleon: which also happened to Thucydides when he was once fleeing;

Bdelycleon: Suddenly he became paralyzed, his jaws.

Bdelucleon: Get out of the way, for I will make my defense.

Bdelucleon: it is indeed difficult, men, for a slandered person

950

Bdelycleon: To answer at great length like a dog, I will say it anyway.

Bdelycles: for he is good and he pursues the wolves.

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

924. mvp-tlg0019-tlg004-sanjaya-com-eng1-47

Line 924

ὅστις περιπλεύσας τὴν θυείαν ἐν κύκλῳ

The phrase περιπλεύσας τὴν θυείαν is a comic hyperbole referring to the defendant's trial for the theft of sacred olive oil (or the olive trees themselves) from the sanctuary of Athena. The accusative τὴν θυείαν (the olive-tree) is the direct object of the periphrastic verb περιπλεύσας, implying a nautical journey around the tree, which is physically impossible and thus underscores the absurdity of the charge or the defendant's obsession with the case. This construction relies on the specific historical context of the 'Olive Oil' trial (likely alluding to the real trial of Cimon or a satirical fabrication thereof) where the defendant was accused of stealing sacred oil from the Acropolis, and the 'flight' around the tree is a metaphor for the legal maneuvering or the defendant's frantic defense.

937. mvp-tlg0019-tlg004-sanjaya-com-eng1-48

Line 937

Λάβητι μάρτυρας παρεῖναι τρύβλιον

The imperative λάβητι (from λαμβάνω) is a second-person singular aorist active imperative of the third (contract) verb class, exhibiting the Attic contraction of the stem vowel -ε- with the ending -τι to form -ητι. While this form is standard in Attic comedy, its occurrence here is syntactically notable because it governs a subjectless infinitive clause (παραῖναι) with an accusative object (τρύβλιον) that functions as the subject of the infinitive. The phrase τρύβλιον (a 'trouble' or 'trick', often referring to a specific legal maneuver or a physical object used in a trick) is used in a specialized legal context where the plaintiff is being told to 'take' (i.e., summon or produce) the witnesses as if they were a tangible object, reflecting the hyperbolic, comic reduction of legal procedure to physical possession. This construction highlights the play's satire of the hyper-litigiousness of the elderly, who treat the legal process as a game of physical objects rather than abstract truth.

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

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Κύων αὗ αὗ.

Βδελυκλέων πάρεστιν οὗτος.

Φιλοκλέων ἕτερος οὗτος αὖ Λάβης.

Βδελυκλέων ἀγαθός γʼ ὑλακτεῖν καὶ διαλείχειν τὰς χύτρας. σίγα, κάθιζε· σὺ δʼ ἀναβὰς κατηγόρει. 905

Φιλοκλέων φέρε νυν ἅμα τήνδʼ ἐγχεάμενος κἀγὼ ῥοφῶ.

Φιλοκλέων νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἀλλὰ δῆλός ἐστʼ· ἔμοιγέ τοι τυροῦ κάκιστον ἀρτίως ἐνήρυγεν ὁ βδελυρὸς οὗτος.

Σωσίας κοὐ μετέδωκʼ αἰτοῦντί μοι. καίτοι τίς ὑμᾶς εὖ ποιεῖν δυνήσεται, 915 ἢν μή τι κἀμοί τις προβάλλῃ τῷ κυνί;

Φιλοκλέων οὐδὲν μετέδωκεν οὐδὲ τῷ κοινῷ γʼ ἐμοί. θερμὸς γὰρ ἁνὴρ οὐδὲν ἧττον τῆς φακῆς.

Βδελυκλέων πρὸς τῶν θεῶν μὴ προκαταγίγνωσκʼ ὦ πάτερ, πρὶν ἄν γʼ ἀκούσῃς ἀμφοτέρων. 920

Φιλοκλέων ἀλλʼ ὦγαθὲ τὸ πρᾶγμα φανερόν ἐστιν· αὐτὸ γὰρ βοᾷ.

Φιλοκλέων ἐμοὶ δέ γʼ οὐκ ἔστʼ οὐδὲ τὴν ὑδρίαν πλάσαι.

Φιλοκλέων τοῦτον δέ γʼ οἶμʼ ἐγὼ χεσεῖσθαι τήμερον.

Βδελυκλέων οὐκ αὖ σὺ παύσει χαλεπὸς ὢν καὶ δύσκολος, καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς φεύγουσιν, ἀλλʼ ὀδὰξ ἔχει; ἀνάβαινʼ, ἀπολογοῦ. τί σεσιώπηκας; λέγε.

Φιλοκλέων ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔχειν οὗτός γʼ ἔοικεν ὅ τι λέγῃ. 945

Current edition Perseus

Dog Bow wow! bow wow!

Bdelycleon Here he is.

Philocleon Why, he's another Labes, a great barker and a licker of dishes.

Bdelycleon as Herald 905 Silence! Keep your seats! To the Cydathenaean dog. And you, up on your feet and accuse him.

Philocleon Go on, and I will help myself and eat these lentils.

Sosias Gentlemen of the jury, listen to this indictment I have drawn up. He has committed the blackest of crimes, against both me and the seamen. 910 He sought refuge in a dark corner to glutton on a big Sicilian cheese, with which he sated his hunger.

Philocleon Why, the crime is clear; the filthy brute this very moment belched forth a horrible odour of cheese right under my nose.

Sosias And he refused to share with me. 915 And yet can anyone style himself your benefactor, when he does not cast a morsel to your poor dog?

Philocleon He has not shared anything, not even with his comrade. His madness is as hot as my lentils.

Bdelycleon In the name of the gods, father! 920 No hurried verdict without hearing the other side!

Philocleon But the evidence is plain; the fact speaks for itself.

Dog Then beware of acquitting the most selfish of canine gluttons, who has devoured the whole cheese, 925 rind and all, prowling round the platter.

Philocleon There is not even enough left for me to fill up the chinks in my pitcher.

Dog Besides, you must punish him, because the same house cannot keep two thieves. Let me not have barked in vain, 930 else I shall never bark again.

Philocleon Oh! the black deeds he has just denounced! What a shameless thief! Say, cock, is not that your opinion too? Ha, ha! He thinks as I do. 935 Here, Thesmothetes! where are you? Hand me the thunder-mug.

Bdelycleon Get it yourself. I go to call the witnesses; these are a plate, a pestle, a cheese knife, a brazier, a stew-pot and other half-burnt utensils. To Philocleon 940 But you have not finished? you are piddling away still! Have done and be seated.

Philocleon Ha, ha! I reckon I know somebody who will crap for fright to-day.

Bdelycleon Will you never cease showing yourself hard and intractable, and especially to the accused? You tear them to pieces tooth and nail. To Labes Come forward and defend yourself. What means this silence? Answer.

Philocleon 945 No doubt he has nothing to say.

Commentary

Line 924

Line 937

Stable identifiers

Κύων

αὗ αὗ.

Βδελυκλέων

πάρεστιν οὗτος.

Φιλοκλέων

ἕτερος οὗτος αὖ Λάβης.

Βδελυκλέων

ἀγαθός γʼ ὑλακτεῖν καὶ διαλείχειν τὰς χύτρας.

σίγα, κάθιζε· σὺ δʼ ἀναβὰς κατηγόρει.
905

Φιλοκλέων

φέρε νυν ἅμα τήνδʼ ἐγχεάμενος κἀγὼ ῥοφῶ.

Φιλοκλέων

νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἀλλὰ δῆλός ἐστʼ· ἔμοιγέ τοι

τυροῦ κάκιστον ἀρτίως ἐνήρυγεν

ὁ βδελυρὸς οὗτος.

Σωσίας

κοὐ μετέδωκʼ αἰτοῦντί μοι.

καίτοι τίς ὑμᾶς εὖ ποιεῖν δυνήσεται,
915

ἢν μή τι κἀμοί τις προβάλλῃ τῷ κυνί;

Φιλοκλέων

οὐδὲν μετέδωκεν οὐδὲ τῷ κοινῷ γʼ ἐμοί.

θερμὸς γὰρ ἁνὴρ οὐδὲν ἧττον τῆς φακῆς.

Βδελυκλέων

πρὸς τῶν θεῶν μὴ προκαταγίγνωσκʼ ὦ πάτερ,

πρὶν ἄν γʼ ἀκούσῃς ἀμφοτέρων.
920

Φιλοκλέων

ἀλλʼ ὦγαθὲ

τὸ πρᾶγμα φανερόν ἐστιν· αὐτὸ γὰρ βοᾷ.

Φιλοκλέων

ἐμοὶ δέ γʼ οὐκ ἔστʼ οὐδὲ τὴν ὑδρίαν πλάσαι.

Φιλοκλέων

τοῦτον δέ γʼ οἶμʼ ἐγὼ χεσεῖσθαι τήμερον.

Βδελυκλέων

οὐκ αὖ σὺ παύσει χαλεπὸς ὢν καὶ δύσκολος,

καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς φεύγουσιν, ἀλλʼ ὀδὰξ ἔχει;

ἀνάβαινʼ, ἀπολογοῦ. τί σεσιώπηκας; λέγε.

Φιλοκλέων

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔχειν οὗτός γʼ ἔοικεν ὅ τι λέγῃ.
945

Dog

Bow wow! bow wow!

Bdelycleon

Here he is.

Philocleon

Why, he's another Labes, a great barker and a licker of dishes.

Bdelycleon
as Herald

905 Silence! Keep your seats! To the Cydathenaean dog. And you, up on your feet and accuse him.

Philocleon

Go on, and I will help myself and eat these lentils.

Sosias

Gentlemen of the jury, listen to this indictment I have drawn up. He has committed the blackest of crimes, against both me and the seamen. 910 He sought refuge in a dark corner to glutton on a big Sicilian cheese, with which he sated his hunger.

Philocleon

Why, the crime is clear; the filthy brute this very moment belched forth a horrible odour of cheese right under my nose.

Sosias

And he refused to share with me. 915 And yet can anyone style himself your benefactor, when he does not cast a morsel to your poor dog?

Philocleon

He has not shared anything, not even with his comrade. His madness is as hot as my lentils.

Bdelycleon

In the name of the gods, father! 920 No hurried verdict without hearing the other side!

Philocleon

But the evidence is plain; the fact speaks for itself.

Dog

Then beware of acquitting the most selfish of canine gluttons, who has devoured the whole cheese, 925 rind and all, prowling round the platter.

Philocleon

There is not even enough left for me to fill up the chinks in my pitcher.

Dog

Besides, you must punish him, because the same house cannot keep two thieves. Let me not have barked in vain, 930 else I shall never bark again.

Philocleon

Oh! the black deeds he has just denounced! What a shameless thief! Say, cock, is not that your opinion too? Ha, ha! He thinks as I do. 935 Here, Thesmothetes! where are you? Hand me the thunder-mug.

Bdelycleon

Get it yourself. I go to call the witnesses; these are a plate, a pestle, a cheese knife, a brazier, a stew-pot and other half-burnt utensils. To Philocleon 940 But you have not finished? you are piddling away still! Have done and be seated.

Philocleon

Ha, ha! I reckon I know somebody who will crap for fright to-day.

Bdelycleon

Will you never cease showing yourself hard and intractable, and especially to the accused? You tear them to pieces tooth and nail.

To Labes

Come forward and defend yourself. What means this silence? Answer.

Philocleon

945 No doubt he has nothing to say.