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Trygaeus: O mistress, giver of grapes, what word should I address to you?

520

Trygaeus: From where might I take a ten-thousand-fold word?

Trygaeus: To whom shall I speak to you? For I did not have [you] from home.

Trygaeus: O Hail, Opora, and you too, O Theoria.

Trygaeus: what a face you have, O Theoria,

Trygaeus: How you blow, how sweetly against the heart!

525

Trygaeus: the sweetest thing, just like a campaign and perfume.

Hermes: Is it, then, also like a soldier's canteen?

Trygaeus: I have spat out the most hateful of the enemy's webs.

Trygaeus: for it smells of onion-chopping,

Trygaeus: of this harvest, of the welcome, of the Dionysia,

530

Trygaeus: I am piping, singing, the songs of Sophocles, chirping,

Hermes: you will weep

Hermes: lying about this; for he does not take pleasure in it.

Hermes: This is for a poet of forensic phrases.

Trygaeus: cheese, figs, bleating sheep,

535

Trygaeus: † of the bosom † of women running into the field,

Trygaeus: A drunken female slave, with a pitcher overturned,

Trygaeus: and many others and good ones—

Hermes: Go now and look.

Hermes: Just like this, the cities chatter to one another.

Hermes: having been reconciled and laughing happily,

540

Hermes: And these are bruised like a demon.

Hermes: all of them at once, and the ladles have been placed nearby.

Trygaeus: So now look at these spectacles as well.

Trygaeus: the doorsteps, so that you may recognize the crafts.

Hermes: Alas, wretch,

Trygaeus: But at least don't you see that fellow, the hill-maker?

545

Trygaeus: Shall I tear myself?

Hermes: But he who makes the little bells.

Hermes: He has just now robbed that sword-maker.

Trygaeus: But don't you see how the sickle-maker is enjoying himself?

Trygaeus: And how he has spattered the spear-shield!

Hermes: Go now and tell the farmers to depart.

550

Peace. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

English (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)

Εἰρήνη Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 657-728 focus

Τρυγαῖος

ἀλλʼ ὅ τι σιωπᾷς ὦ πότνια κάτειπέ μοι.

Ἑρμῆς

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἂν εἴποι πρός γε τοὺς θεωμένους·

ὀργὴν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὧν ἔπαθε πολλὴν ἔχει.

Τρυγαῖος

ἡ δʼ ἀλλὰ πρὸς σὲ μικρὸν εἰπάτω μόνον.
660

Ἑρμῆς

εἴφʼ ὅ τι νοεῖς αὐτοῖσι πρὸς ἔμʼ ὦ φιλτάτη.

ἴθʼ ὦ γυναικῶν μισοπορπακιστάτη.

εἶεν, ἀκούω. ταῦτʼ ἐπικαλεῖς; μανθάνω.

ἀκούσαθʼ ὑμεῖς ὧν ἕνεκα μομφὴν ἔχει.

ἐλθοῦσά φησιν αὐτομάτη μετὰ τἀν Πύλῳ
665

σπονδῶν φέρουσα τῇ πόλει κίστην πλέαν

ἀποχειροτονηθῆναι τρὶς ἐν τἠκκλησίᾳ.

Τρυγαῖος

ἡμάρτομεν ταῦτʼ· ἀλλὰ συγγνώμην ἔχε·

ὁ νοῦς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἦν τότʼ ἐν τοῖς σκύτεσιν.

Ἑρμῆς

ἴθι νυν ἄκουσον οἷον ἄρτι μʼ ἤρετο,
670

ὅστις κακόνους αὐτῇ μάλιστʼ ἦν ἐνθάδε,

χὤστις φίλος κἄσπευδεν εἶναι μὴ μάχας.

Τρυγαῖος

εὐνούστατος μὲν ἦν μακρῷ Κλεώνυμος.

Ἑρμῆς

ποῖός τις οὖν εἶναι δοκεῖ τὰ πολεμικὰ

ὁ Κλεώνυμος;
675

Τρυγαῖος

ψυχήν γʼ ἄριστος πλήν γʼ ὅτι

οὐκ ἦν ἄρʼ οὗπέρ φησιν εἶναι τοῦ πατρός.

εἰ γάρ ποτʼ ἐξέλθοι στρατιώτης, εὐθέως

ἀποβολιμαῖος τῶν ὅπλων ἐγίγνετο.

Ἑρμῆς

ἔτι νῦν ἄκουσον οἷον ἄρτι μʼ ἤρετο,

ὅστις κρατεῖ νῦν τοῦ λίθου τοῦ ʼν τῇ πυκνί.
680

Τρυγαῖος

Ὑπέρβολος νῦν τοῦτʼ ἔχει τὸ χωρίον.

αὕτη τί ποιεῖς; τὴν κεφαλὴν ποῖ περιάγεις;

Ἑρμῆς

ἀποστρέφεται τὸν δῆμον ἀχθεσθεῖσʼ ὅτι

αὑτῷ πονηρὸν προστάτην ἐπεγράψατο.

Τρυγαῖος

ἀλλʼ οὐκέτʼ αὐτῷ χρησόμεθʼ οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ νῦν
685

ἀπορῶν ὁ δῆμος ἐπιτρόπου καὶ γυμνὸς ὢν

τοῦτον τέως τὸν ἄνδρα περιεζώσατο.

Ἑρμῆς

πῶς οὖν ξυνοίσει ταῦτʼ ἐρωτᾷ τῇ πόλει.

Τρυγαῖος

εὐβουλότεροι γενησόμεθα.

Ἑρμῆς

τρόπῳ τίνι;

Τρυγαῖος

ὅτι τυγχάνει λυχνοποιὸς ὤν. πρὸ τοῦ μὲν οὖν
690

ἐψηλαφῶμεν ἐν σκότῳ τὰ πράγματα,

νυνὶ δʼ ἅπαντα πρὸς λύχνον βουλεύσομεν.

Ἑρμῆς

ὢ ὤ,

οἷά μʼ ἐκέλευσεν ἀναπυθέσθαι σου.

Τρυγαῖος

τὰ τί;

Ἑρμῆς

πάμπολλα καὶ τἀρχαῖʼ ἃ κατέλιπεν τότε·

πρῶτον δʼ ὅ τι πράττει Σοφοκλέης ἀνήρετο.
695

Τρυγαῖος

εὐδαιμονεῖ, πάσχει δὲ θαυμαστόν.

Ἑρμῆς

τὸ τί;

Τρυγαῖος

ἐκ τοῦ Σοφοκλέους γίγνεται Σιμωνίδης.

Ἑρμῆς

Σιμωνίδης; πῶς;

Τρυγαῖος

ὅτι γέρων ὢν καὶ σαπρὸς

κέρδους ἕκατι κἂν ἐπὶ ῥιπὸς πλέοι.

700

Ἑρμῆς

τί δαί; Κρατῖνος ὁ σοφὸς ἔστιν;
700

Τρυγαῖος

ἀπέθανεν

ὅθʼ οἱ Λάκωνες ἐνέβαλον.

Ἑρμῆς

τί παθών;

Τρυγαῖος

ὅ τι;

ὼρακιάσας· οὐ γὰρ ἐξηνέσχετο

ἰδὼν πίθον καταγνύμενον οἴνου πλέων.

χἄτερα πόσʼ ἄττʼ οἴει γεγενῆσθʼ ἐν τῇ πόλει;

ὥστʼ οὐδέποτʼ ὦ δέσποινʼ ἀφησόμεσθά σου.
705

Ἑρμῆς

ἴθι νυν ἐπὶ τούτοις τὴν Ὀπώραν λάμβανε

γυναῖκα σαυτῷ τήνδε· κᾆτʼ ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς

ταύτῃ ξυνοικῶν ἐκποιοῦ σαυτῷ βότρυς.

Τρυγαῖος

ὦ φιλτάτη δεῦρʼ ἐλθὲ καὶ δός μοι κύσαι.

ἆρʼ ἂν βλαβῆναι διὰ χρόνου τί σοι δοκῶ
710

ὦ δέσποθʼ Ἑρμῆ τῆς Ὀπώρας κατελάσας;

Ἑρμῆς

οὐκ εἴ γε κυκεῶνʼ ἐπιπίοις βληχωνίαν.

ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστα τήνδε τὴν Θεωρίαν

ἀπάγαγε τῇ βουλῇ λαβών, ἧσπέρ ποτʼ ἦν.

Τρυγαῖος

ὦ μακαρία βουλὴ σὺ τῆς Θεωρίας,
715

ὅσον ῥοφήσει ζωμὸν ἡμερῶν τριῶν,

ὅσας δὲ κατέδει ξόλικας ἑφθὰς καὶ κρέα.

ἀλλʼ ὦ φίλʼ Ἑρμῆ χαῖρε πολλά.

Ἑρμῆς

καὶ σύ γε

ὦνθρωπε χαίρων ἄπιθι καὶ μέμνησό μου.

Τρυγαῖος

ὦ κάνθαρʼ οἴκαδʼ οἴκαδʼ ἀποπετώμεθα.
720

Ἑρμῆς

οὐκ ἐνθάδʼ ὦ τᾶν ἔστι.

Τρυγαῖος

ποῖ γὰρ οἴχεται;

Ἑρμῆς

ὑφʼ ἅρματʼ ἐλθὼν Ζηνὸς ἀστραπηφορεῖ.

Τρυγαῖος

πόθεν οὖν ὁ τλήμων ἐνθάδʼ ἕξει σιτία;

Ἑρμῆς

τὴν τοῦ Γανυμήδους ἀμβροσίαν σιτήσεται.

Τρυγαῖος

πῶς δῆτʼ ἐγὼ καταβήσομαι;
725

Ἑρμῆς

θάρρει, καλῶς·

τῃδὶ παρʼ αὐτὴν τὴν θεόν.

Τρυγαῖος

δεῦρʼ ὦ κόραι

ἕπεσθον ἅμʼ ἐμοὶ θᾶττον, ὡς πολλοὶ πάνυ

ποθοῦντες ὑμᾶς ἀναμένουσʼ ἐστυκότες.

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.) — 520 focus

Peace is drawn out of the pit. With her come Opora and Theoria.

Trygaeus

520 Ah! venerated goddess, who givest us our grapes, where am I to find the ten-thousand-gallon words wherewith to greet thee? I have none such at home. Oh! hail to thee, Opora, and thee, Theoria! How beautiful is thy face! 525 How sweet thy breath! What gentle fragrance comes from thy bosom, gentle as freedom from military duty, as the most dainty perfumes!

Hermes

Is it then a smell like a soldier's knapsack?

Trygaeus

Oh! hateful soldier! your hideous satchel makes me sick! it stinks like the belching of onions, 530 whereas this lovable deity has the odor of sweet fruits, of festivals, of the Dionysia, of the harmony of flutes, of the tragic poets, of the verses of Sophocles, of the phrases of Euripides—

Hermes

That's a foul calumny, you wretch! She detests that framer of subtleties and quibbles.

Trygaeus
ignoring this.

535 —of ivy, of straining-bags for wine, of bleating ewes, of provision-laden women hastening to the kitchen, of the tipsy servant wench, of the upturned wine-jar, and of a whole heap of other good things.

Hermes

Then look how the 540 reconciled towns chat pleasantly together, how they laugh, and yet they are all cruelly mishandled; their wounds are bleeding still.

Trygaeus

But let us also scan the mien of the spectators; we shall thus find out the trade of each.

Hermes

Good god!

Trygaeus

545 Do you see that poor crest-maker, tearing at his hair?

Hermes

—and that pike-maker, who has just farted in yon sword-cutler's face?

Trygaeus

And do you see with what pleasure this sickle-maker is thumbing his nose at the spear-maker?

Hermes

550 Now tell the husbandmen to be off.

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

536. mvp-tlg0019-tlg005-sanjaya-com-eng1-5

Line 536

† κόλπου † γυναικῶν διατρεχουσῶν εἰς ἀγρόν,

The transmitted text here is corrupt. The phrase † κόλπου † (genitive of κόλπος, 'bosom' or 'lap') is syntactically incoherent with the participle διατρεχουσῶν ('running through') modifying γυναικῶν ('women'). A running woman does not run 'of the bosom'. Scholars have long recognized this as a textual crux. The most widely accepted conjecture, supported by the context of the play where the chorus of women is fleeing to the fields, is to read ὁλκῶν (genitive of ὁλκός, 'drawing' or 'dragging') or perhaps to emend κόλπου to a word indicating the direction or manner of their flight, such as κολυμβῶν (diving/swimming) in a metaphorical sense, though the exact emendation remains debated. The corruption likely stems from a visual confusion between similar-looking letters in the archetype or a scribal gloss that entered the main text.

547. mvp-tlg0019-tlg005-sanjaya-com-eng1-6

Line 547

κατέπαρδεν ἄρτι τοῦ ξιφουργοῦ ʼκεινουί.

The phrase τοῦ ξιφουργοῦ refers to the 'sword-maker' or 'armorer,' a term that appears in Aristophanic comedy to denote a specific type of artisan often associated with the chaotic mobilization of the citizenry or the absurdity of war production. In this context, the verb κατέπαρδεν (aorist active indicative of καταπαρδάω, 'to make a pounce upon' or 'to pounce down on') suggests a sudden, predatory action by the subject (likely Hermes or a similar divine figure in the immediate context of the play) against the sword-maker. The construction with the genitive τοῦ ξιφουργοῦ is notable for its directness and the use of the verb in a metaphorical sense, highlighting the dramatic tension between the divine intervention and the human figure of the armorer.

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Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Experimental

Τρυγαῖος ἀλλʼ ὅ τι σιωπᾷς ὦ πότνια κάτειπέ μοι.

Ἑρμῆς ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἂν εἴποι πρός γε τοὺς θεωμένους· ὀργὴν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὧν ἔπαθε πολλὴν ἔχει.

Τρυγαῖος ἡ δʼ ἀλλὰ πρὸς σὲ μικρὸν εἰπάτω μόνον. 660

Τρυγαῖος ἡμάρτομεν ταῦτʼ· ἀλλὰ συγγνώμην ἔχε· ὁ νοῦς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἦν τότʼ ἐν τοῖς σκύτεσιν.

Ἑρμῆς ἴθι νυν ἄκουσον οἷον ἄρτι μʼ ἤρετο, 670 ὅστις κακόνους αὐτῇ μάλιστʼ ἦν ἐνθάδε, χὤστις φίλος κἄσπευδεν εἶναι μὴ μάχας.

Τρυγαῖος εὐνούστατος μὲν ἦν μακρῷ Κλεώνυμος.

Ἑρμῆς ποῖός τις οὖν εἶναι δοκεῖ τὰ πολεμικὰ ὁ Κλεώνυμος; 675

Τρυγαῖος ψυχήν γʼ ἄριστος πλήν γʼ ὅτι οὐκ ἦν ἄρʼ οὗπέρ φησιν εἶναι τοῦ πατρός. εἰ γάρ ποτʼ ἐξέλθοι στρατιώτης, εὐθέως ἀποβολιμαῖος τῶν ὅπλων ἐγίγνετο.

Ἑρμῆς ἔτι νῦν ἄκουσον οἷον ἄρτι μʼ ἤρετο, ὅστις κρατεῖ νῦν τοῦ λίθου τοῦ ʼν τῇ πυκνί. 680

Τρυγαῖος Ὑπέρβολος νῦν τοῦτʼ ἔχει τὸ χωρίον. αὕτη τί ποιεῖς; τὴν κεφαλὴν ποῖ περιάγεις;

Ἑρμῆς ἀποστρέφεται τὸν δῆμον ἀχθεσθεῖσʼ ὅτι αὑτῷ πονηρὸν προστάτην ἐπεγράψατο.

Τρυγαῖος ἀλλʼ οὐκέτʼ αὐτῷ χρησόμεθʼ οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ νῦν 685 ἀπορῶν ὁ δῆμος ἐπιτρόπου καὶ γυμνὸς ὢν τοῦτον τέως τὸν ἄνδρα περιεζώσατο.

Ἑρμῆς πῶς οὖν ξυνοίσει ταῦτʼ ἐρωτᾷ τῇ πόλει.

Τρυγαῖος εὐβουλότεροι γενησόμεθα.

Ἑρμῆς τρόπῳ τίνι;

Τρυγαῖος ὅτι τυγχάνει λυχνοποιὸς ὤν. πρὸ τοῦ μὲν οὖν 690 ἐψηλαφῶμεν ἐν σκότῳ τὰ πράγματα, νυνὶ δʼ ἅπαντα πρὸς λύχνον βουλεύσομεν.

Ἑρμῆς ὢ ὤ, οἷά μʼ ἐκέλευσεν ἀναπυθέσθαι σου.

Τρυγαῖος τὰ τί;

Ἑρμῆς πάμπολλα καὶ τἀρχαῖʼ ἃ κατέλιπεν τότε· πρῶτον δʼ ὅ τι πράττει Σοφοκλέης ἀνήρετο. 695

Τρυγαῖος εὐδαιμονεῖ, πάσχει δὲ θαυμαστόν.

Ἑρμῆς τὸ τί;

Τρυγαῖος ἐκ τοῦ Σοφοκλέους γίγνεται Σιμωνίδης.

Ἑρμῆς Σιμωνίδης; πῶς;

Τρυγαῖος ὅτι γέρων ὢν καὶ σαπρὸς κέρδους ἕκατι κἂν ἐπὶ ῥιπὸς πλέοι.

Ἑρμῆς τί δαί; Κρατῖνος ὁ σοφὸς ἔστιν; 700

Τρυγαῖος ἀπέθανεν ὅθʼ οἱ Λάκωνες ἐνέβαλον.

Ἑρμῆς τί παθών;

Ἑρμῆς ἴθι νυν ἐπὶ τούτοις τὴν Ὀπώραν λάμβανε γυναῖκα σαυτῷ τήνδε· κᾆτʼ ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς ταύτῃ ξυνοικῶν ἐκποιοῦ σαυτῷ βότρυς.

Τρυγαῖος ὦ φιλτάτη δεῦρʼ ἐλθὲ καὶ δός μοι κύσαι. ἆρʼ ἂν βλαβῆναι διὰ χρόνου τί σοι δοκῶ 710 ὦ δέσποθʼ Ἑρμῆ τῆς Ὀπώρας κατελάσας;

Ἑρμῆς οὐκ εἴ γε κυκεῶνʼ ἐπιπίοις βληχωνίαν. ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστα τήνδε τὴν Θεωρίαν ἀπάγαγε τῇ βουλῇ λαβών, ἧσπέρ ποτʼ ἦν.

Τρυγαῖος ὦ μακαρία βουλὴ σὺ τῆς Θεωρίας, 715 ὅσον ῥοφήσει ζωμὸν ἡμερῶν τριῶν, ὅσας δὲ κατέδει ξόλικας ἑφθὰς καὶ κρέα. ἀλλʼ ὦ φίλʼ Ἑρμῆ χαῖρε πολλά.

Ἑρμῆς καὶ σύ γε ὦνθρωπε χαίρων ἄπιθι καὶ μέμνησό μου.

Τρυγαῖος ὦ κάνθαρʼ οἴκαδʼ οἴκαδʼ ἀποπετώμεθα. 720

Ἑρμῆς οὐκ ἐνθάδʼ ὦ τᾶν ἔστι.

Τρυγαῖος ποῖ γὰρ οἴχεται;

Ἑρμῆς ὑφʼ ἅρματʼ ἐλθὼν Ζηνὸς ἀστραπηφορεῖ.

Τρυγαῖος πόθεν οὖν ὁ τλήμων ἐνθάδʼ ἕξει σιτία;

Ἑρμῆς τὴν τοῦ Γανυμήδους ἀμβροσίαν σιτήσεται.

Τρυγαῖος πῶς δῆτʼ ἐγὼ καταβήσομαι; 725

Ἑρμῆς θάρρει, καλῶς· τῃδὶ παρʼ αὐτὴν τὴν θεόν.

Τρυγαῖος δεῦρʼ ὦ κόραι ἕπεσθον ἅμʼ ἐμοὶ θᾶττον, ὡς πολλοὶ πάνυ ποθοῦντες ὑμᾶς ἀναμένουσʼ ἐστυκότες.

Peace is drawn out of the pit. With her come Opora and Theoria.

Hermes Is it then a smell like a soldier's knapsack?

Hermes That's a foul calumny, you wretch! She detests that framer of subtleties and quibbles.

Trygaeus ignoring this. 535 —of ivy, of straining-bags for wine, of bleating ewes, of provision-laden women hastening to the kitchen, of the tipsy servant wench, of the upturned wine-jar, and of a whole heap of other good things.

Hermes Then look how the 540 reconciled towns chat pleasantly together, how they laugh, and yet they are all cruelly mishandled; their wounds are bleeding still.

Trygaeus But let us also scan the mien of the spectators; we shall thus find out the trade of each.

Hermes Good god!

Trygaeus 545 Do you see that poor crest-maker, tearing at his hair?

Hermes —and that pike-maker, who has just farted in yon sword-cutler's face?

Trygaeus And do you see with what pleasure this sickle-maker is thumbing his nose at the spear-maker?

Hermes 550 Now tell the husbandmen to be off.

Commentary

Line 536

Line 547

Stable identifiers

Τρυγαῖος

ἀλλʼ ὅ τι σιωπᾷς ὦ πότνια κάτειπέ μοι.

Ἑρμῆς

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἂν εἴποι πρός γε τοὺς θεωμένους·

ὀργὴν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὧν ἔπαθε πολλὴν ἔχει.

Τρυγαῖος

ἡ δʼ ἀλλὰ πρὸς σὲ μικρὸν εἰπάτω μόνον.
660

Τρυγαῖος

ἡμάρτομεν ταῦτʼ· ἀλλὰ συγγνώμην ἔχε·

ὁ νοῦς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἦν τότʼ ἐν τοῖς σκύτεσιν.

Ἑρμῆς

ἴθι νυν ἄκουσον οἷον ἄρτι μʼ ἤρετο,
670

ὅστις κακόνους αὐτῇ μάλιστʼ ἦν ἐνθάδε,

χὤστις φίλος κἄσπευδεν εἶναι μὴ μάχας.

Τρυγαῖος

εὐνούστατος μὲν ἦν μακρῷ Κλεώνυμος.

Ἑρμῆς

ποῖός τις οὖν εἶναι δοκεῖ τὰ πολεμικὰ

ὁ Κλεώνυμος;
675

Τρυγαῖος

ψυχήν γʼ ἄριστος πλήν γʼ ὅτι

οὐκ ἦν ἄρʼ οὗπέρ φησιν εἶναι τοῦ πατρός.

εἰ γάρ ποτʼ ἐξέλθοι στρατιώτης, εὐθέως

ἀποβολιμαῖος τῶν ὅπλων ἐγίγνετο.

Ἑρμῆς

ἔτι νῦν ἄκουσον οἷον ἄρτι μʼ ἤρετο,

ὅστις κρατεῖ νῦν τοῦ λίθου τοῦ ʼν τῇ πυκνί.
680

Τρυγαῖος

Ὑπέρβολος νῦν τοῦτʼ ἔχει τὸ χωρίον.

αὕτη τί ποιεῖς; τὴν κεφαλὴν ποῖ περιάγεις;

Ἑρμῆς

ἀποστρέφεται τὸν δῆμον ἀχθεσθεῖσʼ ὅτι

αὑτῷ πονηρὸν προστάτην ἐπεγράψατο.

Τρυγαῖος

ἀλλʼ οὐκέτʼ αὐτῷ χρησόμεθʼ οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ νῦν
685

ἀπορῶν ὁ δῆμος ἐπιτρόπου καὶ γυμνὸς ὢν

τοῦτον τέως τὸν ἄνδρα περιεζώσατο.

Ἑρμῆς

πῶς οὖν ξυνοίσει ταῦτʼ ἐρωτᾷ τῇ πόλει.

Τρυγαῖος

εὐβουλότεροι γενησόμεθα.

Ἑρμῆς

τρόπῳ τίνι;

Τρυγαῖος

ὅτι τυγχάνει λυχνοποιὸς ὤν. πρὸ τοῦ μὲν οὖν
690

ἐψηλαφῶμεν ἐν σκότῳ τὰ πράγματα,

νυνὶ δʼ ἅπαντα πρὸς λύχνον βουλεύσομεν.

Ἑρμῆς

ὢ ὤ,

οἷά μʼ ἐκέλευσεν ἀναπυθέσθαι σου.

Τρυγαῖος

τὰ τί;

Ἑρμῆς

πάμπολλα καὶ τἀρχαῖʼ ἃ κατέλιπεν τότε·

πρῶτον δʼ ὅ τι πράττει Σοφοκλέης ἀνήρετο.
695

Τρυγαῖος

εὐδαιμονεῖ, πάσχει δὲ θαυμαστόν.

Ἑρμῆς

τὸ τί;

Τρυγαῖος

ἐκ τοῦ Σοφοκλέους γίγνεται Σιμωνίδης.

Ἑρμῆς

Σιμωνίδης; πῶς;

Τρυγαῖος

ὅτι γέρων ὢν καὶ σαπρὸς

κέρδους ἕκατι κἂν ἐπὶ ῥιπὸς πλέοι.

Ἑρμῆς

τί δαί; Κρατῖνος ὁ σοφὸς ἔστιν;
700

Τρυγαῖος

ἀπέθανεν

ὅθʼ οἱ Λάκωνες ἐνέβαλον.

Ἑρμῆς

τί παθών;

Ἑρμῆς

ἴθι νυν ἐπὶ τούτοις τὴν Ὀπώραν λάμβανε

γυναῖκα σαυτῷ τήνδε· κᾆτʼ ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς

ταύτῃ ξυνοικῶν ἐκποιοῦ σαυτῷ βότρυς.

Τρυγαῖος

ὦ φιλτάτη δεῦρʼ ἐλθὲ καὶ δός μοι κύσαι.

ἆρʼ ἂν βλαβῆναι διὰ χρόνου τί σοι δοκῶ
710

ὦ δέσποθʼ Ἑρμῆ τῆς Ὀπώρας κατελάσας;

Ἑρμῆς

οὐκ εἴ γε κυκεῶνʼ ἐπιπίοις βληχωνίαν.

ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστα τήνδε τὴν Θεωρίαν

ἀπάγαγε τῇ βουλῇ λαβών, ἧσπέρ ποτʼ ἦν.

Τρυγαῖος

ὦ μακαρία βουλὴ σὺ τῆς Θεωρίας,
715

ὅσον ῥοφήσει ζωμὸν ἡμερῶν τριῶν,

ὅσας δὲ κατέδει ξόλικας ἑφθὰς καὶ κρέα.

ἀλλʼ ὦ φίλʼ Ἑρμῆ χαῖρε πολλά.

Ἑρμῆς

καὶ σύ γε

ὦνθρωπε χαίρων ἄπιθι καὶ μέμνησό μου.

Τρυγαῖος

ὦ κάνθαρʼ οἴκαδʼ οἴκαδʼ ἀποπετώμεθα.
720

Ἑρμῆς

οὐκ ἐνθάδʼ ὦ τᾶν ἔστι.

Τρυγαῖος

ποῖ γὰρ οἴχεται;

Ἑρμῆς

ὑφʼ ἅρματʼ ἐλθὼν Ζηνὸς ἀστραπηφορεῖ.

Τρυγαῖος

πόθεν οὖν ὁ τλήμων ἐνθάδʼ ἕξει σιτία;

Ἑρμῆς

τὴν τοῦ Γανυμήδους ἀμβροσίαν σιτήσεται.

Τρυγαῖος

πῶς δῆτʼ ἐγὼ καταβήσομαι;
725

Ἑρμῆς

θάρρει, καλῶς·

τῃδὶ παρʼ αὐτὴν τὴν θεόν.

Τρυγαῖος

δεῦρʼ ὦ κόραι

ἕπεσθον ἅμʼ ἐμοὶ θᾶττον, ὡς πολλοὶ πάνυ

ποθοῦντες ὑμᾶς ἀναμένουσʼ ἐστυκότες.

Hermes

Is it then a smell like a soldier's knapsack?

Hermes

That's a foul calumny, you wretch! She detests that framer of subtleties and quibbles.

Trygaeus
ignoring this.

535 —of ivy, of straining-bags for wine, of bleating ewes, of provision-laden women hastening to the kitchen, of the tipsy servant wench, of the upturned wine-jar, and of a whole heap of other good things.

Hermes

Then look how the 540 reconciled towns chat pleasantly together, how they laugh, and yet they are all cruelly mishandled; their wounds are bleeding still.

Trygaeus

But let us also scan the mien of the spectators; we shall thus find out the trade of each.

Hermes

Good god!

Trygaeus

545 Do you see that poor crest-maker, tearing at his hair?

Hermes

—and that pike-maker, who has just farted in yon sword-cutler's face?

Trygaeus

And do you see with what pleasure this sickle-maker is thumbing his nose at the spear-maker?

Hermes

550 Now tell the husbandmen to be off.