Aristophanes Peace 200

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

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Τρυγαῖος

πῶς οὖν σὺ δῆτʼ ἐνταῦθα κατελείφθης μόνος;
200

Ἑρμῆς

τὰ λοιπὰ τηρῶ σκευάρια τὰ τῶν θεῶν,

χυτρίδια καὶ σανίδια κἀμφορείδια.

Τρυγαῖος

ἐξῳκίσαντο δʼ οἱ θεοὶ τίνος οὕνεκα;

Ἑρμῆς

Ἕλλησιν ὀργισθέντες. εἶτʼ ἐνταῦθα μὲν

ἵνʼ ἦσαν αὐτοὶ τὸν Πόλεμον κατῴκισαν,
205

ὑμᾶς παραδόντες δρᾶν ἀτεχνῶς ὅ τι βούλεται·

αὐτοὶ δʼ ἀνῳκίσανθʼ ὅπως ἀνωτάτω,

ἵνα μὴ βλέποιεν μαχομένους ὑμᾶς ἔτι

μηδʼ ἀντιβολούντων μηδὲν αἰσθανοίατο.

Τρυγαῖος

τοῦ δʼ οὕνεχʼ ἡμᾶς ταῦτʼ ἔδρασαν; εἰπέ μοι.
210

Ἑρμῆς

ὁτιὴ πολεμεῖν ᾑρεῖσθʼ ἐκείνων πολλάκις

σπονδὰς ποιούντων· κεἰ μὲν οἱ Λακωνικοὶ

ὑπερβάλοιντο μικρόν, ἔλεγον ἂν ταδί·

ναὶ τὼ σιὼ νῦν ὡττικίων δωσεῖ δίκαν.

εἰ δʼ αὖ τι πράξαιτʼ ἀγαθὸν ἁττικωνικοί
215

κἄλθοιεν οἱ Λάκωνες εἰρήνης πέρι,

ἐλέγετʼ ἂν ὑμεῖς εὐθύς· ἐξαπατώμεθα

νὴ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν, νὴ Δίʼ, οὐχὶ πειστέον·

ἥξουσι καὖθις, ἢν ἔχωμεν τὴν Πύλον.’

Τρυγαῖος

ὁ γοῦν χαρακτὴρ ἡμεδαπὸς τῶν ῥημάτων.
220

Ἑρμῆς

ὧν οὕνεκʼ οὐκ οἶδʼ εἴ ποτʼ Εἰρήνην ἔτι

τὸ λοιπὸν ὄψεσθʼ.

Τρυγαῖος

ἀλλὰ ποῖ γὰρ οἴχεται;

Ἑρμῆς

ὁ Πόλεμος αὐτὴν ἐνέβαλʼ εἰς ἄντρον βαθύ.

Τρυγαῖος

ἐς ποῖον;

Ἑρμῆς

ἐς τουτὶ τὸ κάτω, κἄπειθʼ ὁρᾷς

ὅσους ἄνωθεν ἐπεφόρησε τῶν λίθων,
225

ἵνα μὴ λάβητε μηδέποτʼ αὐτήν.

Τρυγαῖος

εἰπέ μοι,

ἡμᾶς δὲ δὴ τί δρᾶν παρασκευάζεται;

Ἑρμῆς

οὐκ οἶδα πλὴν ἕν, ὅτι θυείαν ἑσπέρας

ὑπερφυᾶ τὸ μέγεθος εἰσηνέγκατο.

Τρυγαῖος

τί δῆτα ταύτῃ τῇ θυείᾳ χρήσεται;
230

Ἑρμῆς

τρίβειν ἐν αὐτῇ τὰς πόλεις βουλεύεται.

ἀλλʼ εἶμι· καὶ γὰρ ἐξιέναι γνώμην ἐμὴν

μέλλει· θορυβεῖ γοῦν ἔνδον.

Τρυγαῖος

οἴμοι δείλαιος.

φέρʼ αὐτὸν ἀποδρῶ· καὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ ᾐσθόμην

καὐτὸς θυείας φθέγμα πολεμιστηρίας.
235

Πόλεμος

ἰὼ βροτοὶ βροτοὶ βροτοὶ πολυτλήμονες,

ὡς αὐτίκα μάλα τὰς γνάθους ἀλγήσετε.

Τρυγαῖος

ὦναξ Ἄπολλον τῆς θυείας τοῦ πλάτους,

ὅσον κακόν, καὶ τοῦ Πολέμου τοῦ βλέμματος.

ἆρʼ οὗτός ἐστʼ ἐκεῖνος ὃν καὶ φεύγομεν,
240

ὁ δεινός, ὁ ταλαύρινος, ὁ κατὰ τοῖν σκελοῖν;

Πόλεμος

ἰὼ Πρασιαὶ τρὶς ἄθλιαι καὶ πεντάκις

καὶ πολλοδεκάκις, ὡς ἀπολεῖσθε τήμερον.

Τρυγαῖος

τουτὶ μὲν ἄνδρες οὐδὲν ἡμῖν πρᾶγμά πω·

τὸ γὰρ κακὸν τοῦτʼ ἐστὶ τῆς Λακωνικῆς.
245

Πόλεμος

ὦ Μέγαρα Μέγαρʼ ὡς ἐπιτετρίψεσθʼ αὐτίκα

ἁπαξάπαντα καταμεμυττωτευμένα.

Τρυγαῖος

βαβαὶ βαβαιὰξ ὡς μεγάλα καὶ δριμέα

τοῖσι Μεγαρεῦσιν ἐνέβαλεν τὰ κλαύματα.

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.) — 200 focus

Trygaeus

200 But why have they left you all alone here?

Hermes

I am watching what remains of the furniture, the little pots and pans, the bits of chairs and tables, and odd wine-jars.

Trygaeus

And why have the gods moved away?

Hermes

Because of their wrath against the Greeks. 205 They have located War in the house they occupied themselves and have given him full power to do with you exactly as he pleases; then they went as high up as ever they could, so as to see no more of your fights and to hear no more of your prayers.

Trygaeus

210 What reason have they for treating us so?

Hermes

Because they have afforded you an opportunity for peace more than once, but you have always preferred war. If the Laconians got the very slightest advantage, they would exclaim, “By the Twin Brethren! the Athenians shall smart for this.” 215 If, on the contrary, the latter triumphed and the Laconians came with peace proposals, you would say, “By Demeter, they want to deceive us. No, by Zeus, we will not hear a word; they will always be coming as long as we hold Pylos .”

Trygaeus

220 Yes, that is quite the style our folk do talk in.

Hermes

So that I don't know whether you will ever see Peace again.

Trygaeus

Why, where has she gone to then?

Hermes

War has cast her into a deep pit.

Trygaeus

Where?

Hermes

Down there, at the very bottom. And you see 225 what heaps of stones he has piled over the top, so that you should never pull her out again.

Trygaeus

Tell me, what is War preparing against us?

Hermes

All I know is that last evening he brought along a huge mortar.

Trygaeus

230 And what is he going to do with his mortar?

Hermes

He wants to pound up all the cities of Greece in it.... But I must say good-bye, for I think he is coming out; what an uproar he is making!

He departs in haste.

Trygaeus

Ah! great gods let us seek safety; I think I already hear 235 the noise of this fearful war mortar.

He hides.

War
Enters, carrying a huge mortar.

Oh! mortals, mortals, wretched mortals, how your jaws will snap!

Trygaeus

Oh! divine Apollo! what a prodigious big mortar! Oh, what misery the very sight of War causes me! 240 This then is the foe from whom I fly, who is so cruel, so formidable, so stalwart, so solid on his legs!

War

Oh! Prasiae! thrice wretched, five times, aye, a thousand times wretched! for thou shalt be destroyed this day.

He throws some leeks into the mortar.

Trygaeus
to the audience.

This, gentlemen, does not concern us over much; 245 it's only so much the worse for the Laconians.

War

Oh! Megara ! Megara ! how utterly are you going to be ground up! what fine mincemeat are you to be made into!

He throws in some garlic.

Trygaeus
Aside.

Alas! alas! what bitter tears there will be among the Megarians!