Aristophanes Peace 119

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

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Τρυγαῖος

δοξάσαι ἔστι κόραι, τὸ δʼ ἐτήτυμον ἄχθομαι ὑμῖν,

ἡνίκʼ ἂν αἰτίζητʼ ἄρτον πάππαν με καλοῦσαι,
120

ἔνδον δʼ ἀργυρίου μηδὲ ψακὰς ᾖ πάνυ πάμπαν.

ἢν δʼ ἐγὼ εὖ πράξας ἔλθω πάλιν, ἕξετʼ ἐν ὥρᾳ

κολλύραν μεγάλην καὶ κόνδυλον ὄψον ἐρʼ αὐτῇ.

Παιδίον

καὶ τίς πόρος σοι τῆς ὁδοῦ γενήσεται;

ναῦς μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἄξει σε ταύτην τὴν ὁδόν.
125

Τρυγαῖος

πτηνὸς πορεύσει πῶλος· οὐ ναυσθλώσομαι.

Παιδίον

τίς δʼ ἡ ʼπίνοιά σοὐστὶν ὥστε κάνθαρον

ζεύξαντʼ ἐλαύνειν ἐς θεοὺς ὦ παππία;

Τρυγαῖος

ἐν τοῖσιν Αἰσώπου λόγοις ἐξηυρέθη

μόνος πετεινῶν ἐς θεοὺς ἀφιγμένος.
130

Παιδίον

ἄπιστον εἶπας μῦθον ὦ πάτερ πάτερ,

ὅπως κάκοσμον ζῷον ἦλθεν ἐς θεούς.

Τρυγαῖος

ἦλθεν κατʼ ἔχθραν αἰετοῦ πάλαι ποτέ,

ᾤʼ ἐκκυλίνδων κἀντιτιμωρούμενος.

Παιδίον

οὐκοῦν ἐχρῆν σε Πηγάσου ζεῦξαι πτερόν,
135

ὅπως ἐφαίνου τοῖς θεοῖς τραγικώτερος.

Τρυγαῖος

ἀλλʼ ὦ μέλʼ ἄν μοι σιτίων διπλῶν ἔδει·

νῦν δʼ ἃττʼ ἂν αὐτὸς καταφάγω τὰ σιτία,

τούτοισι τοῖς αὐτοῖσι τοῦτον χορτάσω.

Παιδίον

τί δʼ ἢν ἐς ὑγρὸν πόντιον πέσῃ βάθος;
140

πῶς ἐξολισθεῖν πτηνὸς ὢν δυνήσεται;

Τρυγαῖος

ἐπίτηδες εἶχον πηδάλιον, ᾧ χρήσομαι·

τὸ δὲ πλοῖον ἔσται Ναξιουργὴς κάνθαρος.

Παιδίον

λιμὴν δὲ τίς σε δέξεται φορούμενον;

Τρυγαῖος

ἐν Πειραιεῖ δήπου ʼστὶ Κανθάρου λιμήν.
145

Παιδίον

ἐκεῖνο τήρει, μὴ σφαλεὶς καταρρυῇς

ἐντεῦθεν, εἶτα χωλὸς ὢν Εὐριπίδῃ

λόγον παράσχῃς καὶ τραγῳδία γένῃ.

Τρυγαῖος

ἐμοὶ μελήσει ταῦτά γʼ. ἀλλὰ χαίρετε.

ὑμεῖς δέ γʼ, ὑπὲρ ὧν τοὺς πόνους ἐγὼ πονῶ,
150

μὴ βδεῖτε μηδὲ χέζεθʼ ἡμερῶν τριῶν·

ὡς εἰ μετέωρος οὗτος ὢν ὀσφρήσεται,

κατωκάρα ῥίψας με βουκολήσεται.

Peace. 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

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

Translations (1)

Peace (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 119 focus

Trygaeus
Singing.

Yes, I am going. You hurt me too sorely, my daughters, 120 when you ask me for bread, calling me your daddy, and there is not the ghost of an obolus in the house; if I succeed and come back, you will have a barley loaf every morning —and a punch in the eye for sauce!

Little Daughter

But how will you make the journey? 125 There's no ship that will take you there.

Trygaeus

No, but this winged steed will.

Little Daughter

But what an idea, papa, to harness a beetle, to fly to the gods on.

Trygaeus

We see from Aesop's fables 130 that they alone can fly to the abode of the Immortals.

Little Daughter

Father, father, that's a tale nobody can believe! that such a smelly creature can have gone to the gods.

Trygaeus

It went to have vengeance on the eagle and break its eggs.

Little Daughter

135 Why not saddle Pegasus? you would have a more tragic appearance in the eyes of the gods.

Trygaeus

Eh! don't you see, little fool, that then twice the food would be wanted? Whereas my beetle devours again as filth what I have eaten myself.

Little Daughter

140 And if it fell into the watery depths of the sea, could it escape with its wings?

Trygaeus
Exposing himself.

I am fitted with a rudder in case of need, and my Naxos beetle will serve me as a boat.

Little Daughter

And what harbor will you put in at?

Trygaeus

145 Why, is there not the harbor of Cantharus at the Piraeus ?

Little Daughter

Take care not to knock against anything and so fall off into space; once a cripple, you would be a fit subject for Euripides, who would put you into a tragedy.

Trygaeus
As the Machine hoists him higher.

I'll see to it. Good-bye! To the Athenians. 150 You, for love of whom I brave these dangers, do ye neither fart nor crap for the space of three days, for, if, while cleaving the air, my steed should scent anything, he would fling me head foremost from the summit of my hopes.