Aristophanes Wasps 1341

Wasps. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (English) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Σφῆκες Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 1292-1449 focus
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
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

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.