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Line 1432

οὕτω δὲ καὶ σὺ παράτρεχʼ ἐς τὰ Πιττάλου.

The proper noun Πιττάλου is the genitive of Πίτταλος, referring to Pittalacus, a well-known Athenian flute-girl (hetaera) associated with the symposia of the late fifth century. In this context, the verb παράτρεχʼ (run alongside/across to) functions as a comic euphemism for sexual intercourse or, more specifically, for visiting a prostitute, a common trope in Old Comedy where characters are urged to 'run to' a woman's house. The specific reference to Pittalacus likely alludes to a contemporary scandal or a specific reputation of hers that would have been immediately recognizable to the original audience, serving as a punchline to the preceding dialogue about the old man's behavior.

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.) — 1450-1473 focus

Χορός

ζηλῶ γε τῆς εὐτυχίας
1450

τὸν πρέσβυν οἷ μετέστη

ξηρῶν τρόπων καὶ βιοτῆς·

ἕτερα δὲ νῦν ἀντιμαθὼν

ἦ μέγα τι μεταπεσεῖται

ἐπὶ τὸ τρυφῶν καὶ μαλακόν.
1455

τάχα δʼ ἂν ἴσως οὐκ ἐθέλοι.

τὸ γὰρ ἀποστῆναι χαλεπὸν

φύσεος, ἣν ἔχοι τις ἀεί.

καίτοι πολλοὶ ταῦτʼ ἔπαθον·

ξυνόντες γνώμαις ἑτέρων
1460

μετεβάλοντο τοὺς τρόπους.

1462

Χορός

πολλοῦ δʼ ἐπαίνου παρʼ ἐμοὶ

καὶ τοῖσιν εὖ φρονοῦσιν

τυχὼν ἄπεισιν διὰ τὴν

φιλοπατρίαν καὶ σοφίαν
1465

ὁ παῖς ὁ Φιλοκλέωνος.

οὐδενὶ γὰρ οὕτως ἀγανῷ

ξυνεγενόμην, οὐδὲ τρόποις

ἐπεμάνην οὐδʼ ἐξεχύθην.

τί γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἀντιλέγων
1470

οὐ κρείττων ἦν, βουλόμενος

τὸν φύσαντα σεμνοτέροις

κατακοσμῆσαι πράγμασιν;

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.) — 1417 focus

A badly bruised man enters.

Accuser

I summons you, old man, for outrage.

Bdelycleon

For outrage? Oh! in the name of the gods, do not summons him! I will be answerable for him; 1420 name the price and I will be more more grateful still.

Philocleon

I ask for nothing better than to be reconciled with him; for I admit I struck him and threw stones at him. So, first come here. Will you leave it in my hands to name the indemnity I must pay, 1425 if I promise you my friendship as well, or will you fix it yourself?

Accuser

Fix it; I like neither lawsuits nor disputes.

Philocleon

A man of Sybaris fell from his chariot and wounded his head most severely; he was a very poor driver. 1430 One of his friends came up to him and said, "Every man to his trade." Well then, go you to Pittalus to get mended.

Bdelycleon

You are incorrigible.

Accuser
to his witness

At all events, make a note of his reply.

They start to leave.

Philocleon

1435 Listen, instead of going off so abruptly. A woman at Sybaris broke a box.

Accuser
to his witness

I again ask you to witness this.

Philocleon

The box therefore had the fact attested, but the woman said, "Never worry about witnessing the matter, 1440 but hurry off to buy a cord to tie it together with; that will be the more sensible course."

Accuser

Oh! go on with your ribaldry until the Archon calls the case.

He and his witness depart.

Bdelycleon
to Philocleon

By Demeter! you'll stay here no longer! I am going to take you and carry you off.

Philocleon

And what for?

Bdelycleon

What for? I am going to carry you into the house, 1445 so that the accusers will not run out of witnesses.

Philocleon

One day at Delphi , Aesop ...

Bdelycleon

I don't care a fig for that.

Philocleon

... was accused of having stolen a sacred vase. But he replied, that the horn-beetle ...

Bdelycleon

Oh, dear, dear! You'll drive me crazy with your horn-beetle.

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.) — 1417 focus

Prosecutor: Alas, woe is me! I summon you, old man.

Prosecutor: of hubris.

Bdelycleon: Of hubris? May he not, by the gods, call him to account!

Bdelycleon: for I will give a fine on his behalf to you.

Bdelycléon: Whichever you order, I shall also accept it with gratitude.

1420

Philokleon: I will therefore reconcile him.

Philokleon: Voluntarily; for I admit that I struck and threw.

Philocleon: But come here. Do you entrust it to me,

Philocleon: whatever sum I must pay back for the affair

Philocleon: So is it a friend, or will you tell me?

1425

Prosecutor: you speak. For I am in no need of trials or of affairs.

Philocleon: A Sybarite fell out of a cart,

Philocleon: and somehow the head has been shattered quite badly;

Philocleon: for he happened not to be a cloak-wearer of horsemen.

Philocleon: And then, standing up, he said, 'A man who is a friend to himself.'

1430

Philocleon: Let each man practice the craft he knows.

Philocleon: And you too run past to Pittalus' house.

Bdelyclēon: So like these are your other ways.

Prosecutor: But indeed you yourself remember that he answered.

Philocleon: Listen, don't run away. Once in Sybaris a woman

1435

Philocleon: He has crushed the hedgehog.

Prosecutor: These things I swear to.

Philocleon: Well then, having a fig, he gave testimony.

Philocleon: Then the Sybarite said, if indeed the girl

Philocleon: having left this testimony quickly

Philocleon: I bought a bandage, you would have had more sense.

1440

Prosecutor: Stop your insolence until the one who initiates the trial calls it.

Bdelycleon: By Demeter, you certainly won't stay here any longer,

Bdeluclion: but taking you up, I shall carry you away —

Philocleon: What are you doing?

Bdelycleon: What am I doing?

Bdelukleon: I'll drag you inside from here; but if not, soon.

Bdeluclēon: The criers will run out of the so-called ones.

1445

Philocleon: Aesop, the Delphians once—

Bdelycleon: I care little.

Philocleon: they accused a jar of having stolen from the god;

Philocleon: but he said to them, that the beetle once —

Bdelucleon: Alas, how I will destroy you with those dung-beetles.

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

1432. mvp-tlg0019-tlg004-sanjaya-com-eng1-83

Line 1432

οὕτω δὲ καὶ σὺ παράτρεχʼ ἐς τὰ Πιττάλου.

Aristophanes Wasps 1432

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 1432

Current edition Experimental

Accuser

I summons you, old man, for outrage.

Bdelycleon

For outrage? Oh! in the name of the gods, do not summons him! I will be answerable for him; 1420 name the price and I will be more more grateful still.

Philocleon

I ask for nothing better than to be reconciled with him; for I admit I struck him and threw stones at him. So, first come here. Will you leave it in my hands to name the indemnity I must pay, 1425 if I promise you my friendship as well, or will you fix it yourself?

Accuser

Fix it; I like neither lawsuits nor disputes.

Philocleon

A man of Sybaris fell from his chariot and wounded his head most severely; he was a very poor driver. 1430 One of his friends came up to him and said, "Every man to his trade." Well then, go you to Pittalus to get mended.

Bdelycleon

You are incorrigible.

Accuser
to his witness

At all events, make a note of his reply.

Philocleon

1435 Listen, instead of going off so abruptly. A woman at Sybaris broke a box.

Accuser
to his witness

I again ask you to witness this.

Philocleon

The box therefore had the fact attested, but the woman said, "Never worry about witnessing the matter, 1440 but hurry off to buy a cord to tie it together with; that will be the more sensible course."

Accuser

Oh! go on with your ribaldry until the Archon calls the case.

Bdelycleon
to Philocleon

By Demeter! you'll stay here no longer! I am going to take you and carry you off.

Philocleon

And what for?

Bdelycleon

What for? I am going to carry you into the house, 1445 so that the accusers will not run out of witnesses.

Philocleon

One day at Delphi , Aesop ...

Bdelycleon

I don't care a fig for that.

Philocleon

... was accused of having stolen a sacred vase. But he replied, that the horn-beetle ...

Bdelycleon

Oh, dear, dear! You'll drive me crazy with your horn-beetle.

Commentary

Line 1432

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 1432

Current edition Experimental

Accuser I summons you, old man, for outrage.

Bdelycleon For outrage? Oh! in the name of the gods, do not summons him! I will be answerable for him; 1420 name the price and I will be more more grateful still.

Philocleon I ask for nothing better than to be reconciled with him; for I admit I struck him and threw stones at him. So, first come here. Will you leave it in my hands to name the indemnity I must pay, 1425 if I promise you my friendship as well, or will you fix it yourself?

Accuser Fix it; I like neither lawsuits nor disputes.

Philocleon A man of Sybaris fell from his chariot and wounded his head most severely; he was a very poor driver. 1430 One of his friends came up to him and said, "Every man to his trade." Well then, go you to Pittalus to get mended.

Bdelycleon You are incorrigible.

Accuser to his witness At all events, make a note of his reply.

Philocleon 1435 Listen, instead of going off so abruptly. A woman at Sybaris broke a box.

Accuser to his witness I again ask you to witness this.

Philocleon The box therefore had the fact attested, but the woman said, "Never worry about witnessing the matter, 1440 but hurry off to buy a cord to tie it together with; that will be the more sensible course."

Accuser Oh! go on with your ribaldry until the Archon calls the case.

Bdelycleon to Philocleon By Demeter! you'll stay here no longer! I am going to take you and carry you off.

Philocleon And what for?

Bdelycleon What for? I am going to carry you into the house, 1445 so that the accusers will not run out of witnesses.

Philocleon One day at Delphi , Aesop ...

Bdelycleon I don't care a fig for that.

Philocleon ... was accused of having stolen a sacred vase. But he replied, that the horn-beetle ...

Bdelycleon Oh, dear, dear! You'll drive me crazy with your horn-beetle.

Commentary

Line 1432

Stable identifiers

Accuser

I summons you, old man, for outrage.

Bdelycleon

For outrage? Oh! in the name of the gods, do not summons him! I will be answerable for him; 1420 name the price and I will be more more grateful still.

Philocleon

I ask for nothing better than to be reconciled with him; for I admit I struck him and threw stones at him. So, first come here. Will you leave it in my hands to name the indemnity I must pay, 1425 if I promise you my friendship as well, or will you fix it yourself?

Accuser

Fix it; I like neither lawsuits nor disputes.

Philocleon

A man of Sybaris fell from his chariot and wounded his head most severely; he was a very poor driver. 1430 One of his friends came up to him and said, "Every man to his trade." Well then, go you to Pittalus to get mended.

Bdelycleon

You are incorrigible.

Accuser
to his witness

At all events, make a note of his reply.

Philocleon

1435 Listen, instead of going off so abruptly. A woman at Sybaris broke a box.

Accuser
to his witness

I again ask you to witness this.

Philocleon

The box therefore had the fact attested, but the woman said, "Never worry about witnessing the matter, 1440 but hurry off to buy a cord to tie it together with; that will be the more sensible course."

Accuser

Oh! go on with your ribaldry until the Archon calls the case.

Bdelycleon
to Philocleon

By Demeter! you'll stay here no longer! I am going to take you and carry you off.

Philocleon

And what for?

Bdelycleon

What for? I am going to carry you into the house, 1445 so that the accusers will not run out of witnesses.

Philocleon

One day at Delphi , Aesop ...

Bdelycleon

I don't care a fig for that.

Philocleon

... was accused of having stolen a sacred vase. But he replied, that the horn-beetle ...

Bdelycleon

Oh, dear, dear! You'll drive me crazy with your horn-beetle.