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Leader of the Chorus

Scan all sides with your glance. Hark! methinks I can hear the rustle of the swift wings of a god from heaven.

The Machine brings in Iris, in the form of a young girl.

Pisthetaerus

Hi! you woman! where, where, where are you flying to? Halt, don't stir!

keep motionless! not a beat of your wing! She pauses in her flight. Who are you and from what country? You must say whence you come.
1200

Iris

I come from the abode of the Olympian gods.

Pisthetaerus

What's your name, ship or head-dress?

Iris

I am swift Iris.

Pisthetaerus

Paralus or Salaminia?

Iris

What do you mean?
1205

Pisthetaerus

Let a buzzard rush at her and seize her.

Iris

Seize me? But what do all these insults mean?

Pisthetaerus

Woe to you!

Iris

I do not understand it.

Pisthetaerus

By which gate did you pass through the wall, wretched woman?

Iris

By which gate? Why, great gods, I don't know.
1210

Pisthetaerus

You hear how she holds us in derision. Did you present yourself to the officers in command of the jays? You don't answer. Have you a permit, bearing the seal of the storks?

Iris

Am I dreaming?

Pisthetaerus

Did you get one?

Iris

Are you mad?

Pisthetaerus

No

head-bird gave you a safe-conduct?
1215

Iris

A safe-conduct to me. You poor fool!

Pisthetaerus

Ah! and so you slipped into this city on the sly and into these realms of air-land that don't belong to you.

Iris

And what other roads can the gods travel?

Pisthetaerus

By Zeus! I know nothing about that, not I. But they won't pass this way. And you still dare to complain? Why, if you were treated according to your deserts, no Iris would ever have more justly suffered death.
1220

Birds. Aristophanes. Anonymous (Translator), ed. Eugene O'Neill, Jr., ed. Whitney J. Oates, ed. Eugene O'Neill, Jr.. New York. 1938.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Birds (English) (Aristophanes. The Complete Greek Drama, Vol. 2. Anonymous, translator. O'Neill, Eugene; Oates, Whitney Jennings, editors. New York: Random House, 1938 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Ὄρνιθες Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 1196 focus

Χορός

ἄθρει δὲ πᾶς κύκλῳ σκοπῶν,

ὡς ἐγγὺς ἤδη δαίμονος πεδαρσίου

δίνης πτερωτὸς φθόγγος ἐξακούεται.

Πισθέταιρος

αὕτη σύ, ποῖ ποῖ ποῖ πέτει; μένʼ ἥσυχος,

ἔχʼ ἀτρέμας· αὐτοῦ στῆθʼ· ἐπίσχες τοῦ δρόμου.
1200

τίς εἶ; ποδαπή; λέγειν ἐχρῆν ὁπόθεν πότʼ εἶ.

Ἶρις

παρὰ τῶν θεῶν ἔγωγε τῶν Ὀλυμπίων.

Πισθέταιρος

ὄνομα δέ σο. τί ἐστι; πλοῖον ἢ κυνῆ;

Ἶρις

Ἶρις ταχεῖα.

Πισθέταιρος

Πάραλος ἢ Σαλαμινία;

Ἶρις

τί δὲ τοῦτο;
1205

Πισθέταιρος

ταυτηνί τις οὐ συλλήψεται

ἀναπτόμενος τρίορχος;

Ἶρις

ἐμὲ συλλήψεται;

τί ποτʼ ἐστὶ τουτὶ τὸ κακόν;

Πισθέταιρος

οἰμώξει μακρά.

Ἶρις

ἄτοπόν γε τουτὶ πρᾶγμα.

Πισθέταιρος

κατὰ ποίας πύλας

εἰσῆλθες ἐς τὸ τεῖχος ὦ μιαρωτάτη;

Ἶρις

οὐκ οἶδα μὰ Δίʼ ἔγωγε κατὰ ποίας πύλας.
1210

Πισθέταιρος

ἤκουσας αὐτῆς οἷον εἰρωνεύεται;

πρὸς τοὺς κολοιάρχας προσῆλθες; οὐ λέγεις;

σφραγῖδʼ ἔχεις παρὰ τῶν πελαργῶν;

Ἶρις

τί τὸ κακόν.

Πισθέταιρος

οὐκ ἔλαβες;

Ἶρις

ὑγιαίνεις μέν;

Πισθέταιρος

οὐδὲ σύμβολον

ἐπέβαλεν ὀρνίθαρχος οὐδείς σοι παρών;
1215

Ἶρις

μὰ Δίʼ οὐκ ἔμοιγʼ ἐπέβαλεν οὐδεὶς ὦ μέλε.

Πισθέταιρος

κἄπειτα δῆθʼ οὕτω σιωπῇ διαπέτει

διὰ τῆς πόλεως τῆς ἀλλοτρίας καὶ τοῦ χάους;

Ἶρις

ποίᾳ γὰρ ἄλλῃ χρὴ πέτεσθαι τοὺς θεούς;

Πισθέταιρος

οὐκ οἶδα μὰ Δίʼ ἔγωγε· τῇδε μὲν γὰρ οὔ.
1220

ἀδικεῖς δὲ καὶ νῦν. ἆρά γʼ οἶσθα τοῦθʼ ὅτι

δικαιότατʼ ἂν ληφθεῖσα πασῶν Ἰρίδων

ἀπέθανες, εἰ τῆς ἀξίας ἐτύγχανες;

Translations (2)

Birds (OCR draft) Experimental (Anonymous translation, 1938 compilation; legacy Perseus source migration. Preserved separately from the revised canonical perseus-eng2 at the project owner's request.) — 1196 focus

Leader of the Chorus

Scan all sides with your glance. Hark! methinks I can hear the rustle of the swift wings of a god from heaven.

The Machine brings in Iris, in the form of a young girl.

Pisthetaerus

Hi! you woman! where, where, where are you flying to? Halt, don't stir! 1200 keep motionless! not a beat of your wing! She pauses in her flight. Who are you and from what country? You must say whence you come.

Iris

I come from the abode of the Olympian gods.

Pisthetaerus

What's your name, ship or head-dress?

Iris

I am swift Iris.

Pisthetaerus

Paralus or Salaminia?

Iris

1205 What do you mean?

Pisthetaerus

Let a buzzard rush at her and seize her.

Iris

Seize me? But what do all these insults mean?

Pisthetaerus

Woe to you!

Iris

I do not understand it.

Pisthetaerus

By which gate did you pass through the wall, wretched woman?

Iris

1210 By which gate? Why, great gods, I don't know.

Pisthetaerus

You hear how she holds us in derision. Did you present yourself to the officers in command of the jays? You don't answer. Have you a permit, bearing the seal of the storks?

Iris

Am I dreaming?

Pisthetaerus

Did you get one?

Iris

Are you mad?

Pisthetaerus

No 1215 head-bird gave you a safe-conduct?

Iris

A safe-conduct to me. You poor fool!

Pisthetaerus

Ah! and so you slipped into this city on the sly and into these realms of air-land that don't belong to you.

Iris

And what other roads can the gods travel?

Pisthetaerus

1220 By Zeus! I know nothing about that, not I. But they won't pass this way. And you still dare to complain? Why, if you were treated according to your deserts, no Iris would ever have more justly suffered death.

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.) — 1196 focus

Chorus: But let everyone look around, watching,

Chorus: how near now is a flying spirit

Chorus: A whirring winged sound is heard.

Pisthetaerus: You there, where, where, where are you flying? Be quiet,

Pisthetaerus: Hold fast and steady; stand right there; stop your run.

1200

Pisthetaerus: Who are you? Where from? You ought to say from where and when you are.

Iris: I come from the Olympian gods.

Pisthetairos: Your name is 'It.' What is it? A boat or a dog?

Iris: Iris the swift.

Pisthetaerus: Paralus or Salaminia?

Iris: But what is this?

1205

Pisthetaerus: Won't someone catch this one?

Pisthetaerus: a trireme with its sails unfurled?

Iris: Will she arrest me?

Iris: What on earth is this evil?

Pisthetaerus: He will wail a long wail.

Iris: This is a strange thing.

Pisthetaerus: By which gate?

Pisthetaerus: Did you enter into the wall, most wretched one?

IRIS: I do not know, by Zeus, I myself, through which gates.

1210

Pisthetaerus: Did you hear how she is mocking her?

Pisthetaerus: Have you approached the magpies? Are you not speaking?

Pisthetaerus: Do you have a seal from the storks?

Iris: What is the trouble?

Pisthetaerus: Didn't you take it?

Iris: Are you well?

Pisthetaerus: not even a password

Pisthetaerus: Has no bird-king been present to you?

1215

Iris: By Zeus, no one has put a burden on me, my dear ones.

Pisthetaerus: And then, by Zeus, he flew away in silence.

Pisthetaerus: through the city of strangers and through the chaos?

Iris: For with what other wings ought the gods to fly?

Pisthetaerus: I do not know, by Zeus, I for one; for certainly not in this way.

1220

Pisthetairos: You are acting unjustly even now. Do you know this fact that

Pisthetaerus: most justly would be taken of all the Iris's.

Pisthetaerus: You died, if you happened to be of worth?

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

1197. mvp-tlg0019-tlg006-sanjaya-com-eng1-80

Line 1197

ὡς ἐγγὺς ἤδη δαίμονος πεδαρσίου

The adjective πεδαρσίου (pedarsiou) is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, appearing only here in the extant corpus. It is derived from πέδᾱ (pedā, 'ground' or 'earth') and ἄρσις (arsis, 'lifting' or 'raising'), likely meaning 'earth-lifting' or 'ground-uprooting.' The term is a comic coinage describing the Chorus of Birds as a daemon of such magnitude that they can lift the earth itself, reflecting the play's central theme of the birds establishing a new aerial kingdom that challenges the gods. The rarity and etymological construction of the word warrant specific attention to the playwright's inventive morphology.

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Leader of the Chorus Scan all sides with your glance. Hark! methinks I can hear the rustle of the swift wings of a god from heaven.

Pisthetaerus Hi! you woman! where, where, where are you flying to? Halt, don't stir! keep motionless! not a beat of your wing! She pauses in her flight. Who are you and from what country? You must say whence you come. 1200

Iris I come from the abode of the Olympian gods.

Pisthetaerus What's your name, ship or head-dress?

Iris I am swift Iris.

Pisthetaerus Paralus or Salaminia?

Iris What do you mean? 1205

Pisthetaerus Let a buzzard rush at her and seize her.

Iris Seize me? But what do all these insults mean?

Pisthetaerus Woe to you!

Iris I do not understand it.

Pisthetaerus By which gate did you pass through the wall, wretched woman?

Iris By which gate? Why, great gods, I don't know. 1210

Pisthetaerus You hear how she holds us in derision. Did you present yourself to the officers in command of the jays? You don't answer. Have you a permit, bearing the seal of the storks?

Iris Am I dreaming?

Pisthetaerus Did you get one?

Iris Are you mad?

Pisthetaerus No head-bird gave you a safe-conduct? 1215

Iris A safe-conduct to me. You poor fool!

Pisthetaerus Ah! and so you slipped into this city on the sly and into these realms of air-land that don't belong to you.

Iris And what other roads can the gods travel?

Pisthetaerus By Zeus! I know nothing about that, not I. But they won't pass this way. And you still dare to complain? Why, if you were treated according to your deserts, no Iris would ever have more justly suffered death. 1220

Current edition Perseus

Χορός ἄθρει δὲ πᾶς κύκλῳ σκοπῶν, ὡς ἐγγὺς ἤδη δαίμονος πεδαρσίου δίνης πτερωτὸς φθόγγος ἐξακούεται.

Πισθέταιρος αὕτη σύ, ποῖ ποῖ ποῖ πέτει; μένʼ ἥσυχος, ἔχʼ ἀτρέμας· αὐτοῦ στῆθʼ· ἐπίσχες τοῦ δρόμου. 1200 τίς εἶ; ποδαπή; λέγειν ἐχρῆν ὁπόθεν πότʼ εἶ.

Ἶρις παρὰ τῶν θεῶν ἔγωγε τῶν Ὀλυμπίων.

Πισθέταιρος ὄνομα δέ σο. τί ἐστι; πλοῖον ἢ κυνῆ;

Ἶρις Ἶρις ταχεῖα.

Πισθέταιρος Πάραλος ἢ Σαλαμινία;

Ἶρις τί δὲ τοῦτο; 1205

Πισθέταιρος ταυτηνί τις οὐ συλλήψεται ἀναπτόμενος τρίορχος;

Ἶρις ἐμὲ συλλήψεται; τί ποτʼ ἐστὶ τουτὶ τὸ κακόν;

Πισθέταιρος οἰμώξει μακρά.

Ἶρις ἄτοπόν γε τουτὶ πρᾶγμα.

Πισθέταιρος κατὰ ποίας πύλας εἰσῆλθες ἐς τὸ τεῖχος ὦ μιαρωτάτη;

Ἶρις οὐκ οἶδα μὰ Δίʼ ἔγωγε κατὰ ποίας πύλας. 1210

Πισθέταιρος ἤκουσας αὐτῆς οἷον εἰρωνεύεται; πρὸς τοὺς κολοιάρχας προσῆλθες; οὐ λέγεις; σφραγῖδʼ ἔχεις παρὰ τῶν πελαργῶν;

Ἶρις τί τὸ κακόν.

Πισθέταιρος οὐκ ἔλαβες;

Ἶρις ὑγιαίνεις μέν;

Πισθέταιρος οὐδὲ σύμβολον ἐπέβαλεν ὀρνίθαρχος οὐδείς σοι παρών; 1215

Ἶρις μὰ Δίʼ οὐκ ἔμοιγʼ ἐπέβαλεν οὐδεὶς ὦ μέλε.

Πισθέταιρος κἄπειτα δῆθʼ οὕτω σιωπῇ διαπέτει διὰ τῆς πόλεως τῆς ἀλλοτρίας καὶ τοῦ χάους;

Ἶρις ποίᾳ γὰρ ἄλλῃ χρὴ πέτεσθαι τοὺς θεούς;

Leader of the Chorus Scan all sides with your glance. Hark! methinks I can hear the rustle of the swift wings of a god from heaven.

Pisthetaerus Hi! you woman! where, where, where are you flying to? Halt, don't stir! 1200 keep motionless! not a beat of your wing! She pauses in her flight. Who are you and from what country? You must say whence you come.

Iris I come from the abode of the Olympian gods.

Pisthetaerus What's your name, ship or head-dress?

Iris I am swift Iris.

Pisthetaerus Paralus or Salaminia?

Iris 1205 What do you mean?

Pisthetaerus Let a buzzard rush at her and seize her.

Iris Seize me? But what do all these insults mean?

Pisthetaerus Woe to you!

Iris I do not understand it.

Pisthetaerus By which gate did you pass through the wall, wretched woman?

Iris 1210 By which gate? Why, great gods, I don't know.

Pisthetaerus You hear how she holds us in derision. Did you present yourself to the officers in command of the jays? You don't answer. Have you a permit, bearing the seal of the storks?

Iris Am I dreaming?

Pisthetaerus Did you get one?

Iris Are you mad?

Pisthetaerus No 1215 head-bird gave you a safe-conduct?

Iris A safe-conduct to me. You poor fool!

Pisthetaerus Ah! and so you slipped into this city on the sly and into these realms of air-land that don't belong to you.

Iris And what other roads can the gods travel?

Pisthetaerus 1220 By Zeus! I know nothing about that, not I. But they won't pass this way. And you still dare to complain? Why, if you were treated according to your deserts, no Iris would ever have more justly suffered death.

Commentary

Line 1197

Stable identifiers

Leader of the Chorus

Scan all sides with your glance. Hark! methinks I can hear the rustle of the swift wings of a god from heaven.

Pisthetaerus

Hi! you woman! where, where, where are you flying to? Halt, don't stir!

keep motionless! not a beat of your wing! She pauses in her flight. Who are you and from what country? You must say whence you come.
1200

Iris

I come from the abode of the Olympian gods.

Pisthetaerus

What's your name, ship or head-dress?

Iris

I am swift Iris.

Pisthetaerus

Paralus or Salaminia?

Iris

What do you mean?
1205

Pisthetaerus

Let a buzzard rush at her and seize her.

Iris

Seize me? But what do all these insults mean?

Pisthetaerus

Woe to you!

Iris

I do not understand it.

Pisthetaerus

By which gate did you pass through the wall, wretched woman?

Iris

By which gate? Why, great gods, I don't know.
1210

Pisthetaerus

You hear how she holds us in derision. Did you present yourself to the officers in command of the jays? You don't answer. Have you a permit, bearing the seal of the storks?

Iris

Am I dreaming?

Pisthetaerus

Did you get one?

Iris

Are you mad?

Pisthetaerus

No

head-bird gave you a safe-conduct?
1215

Iris

A safe-conduct to me. You poor fool!

Pisthetaerus

Ah! and so you slipped into this city on the sly and into these realms of air-land that don't belong to you.

Iris

And what other roads can the gods travel?

Pisthetaerus

By Zeus! I know nothing about that, not I. But they won't pass this way. And you still dare to complain? Why, if you were treated according to your deserts, no Iris would ever have more justly suffered death.
1220

Χορός

ἄθρει δὲ πᾶς κύκλῳ σκοπῶν,

ὡς ἐγγὺς ἤδη δαίμονος πεδαρσίου

δίνης πτερωτὸς φθόγγος ἐξακούεται.

Πισθέταιρος

αὕτη σύ, ποῖ ποῖ ποῖ πέτει; μένʼ ἥσυχος,

ἔχʼ ἀτρέμας· αὐτοῦ στῆθʼ· ἐπίσχες τοῦ δρόμου.
1200

τίς εἶ; ποδαπή; λέγειν ἐχρῆν ὁπόθεν πότʼ εἶ.

Ἶρις

παρὰ τῶν θεῶν ἔγωγε τῶν Ὀλυμπίων.

Πισθέταιρος

ὄνομα δέ σο. τί ἐστι; πλοῖον ἢ κυνῆ;

Ἶρις

Ἶρις ταχεῖα.

Πισθέταιρος

Πάραλος ἢ Σαλαμινία;

Ἶρις

τί δὲ τοῦτο;
1205

Πισθέταιρος

ταυτηνί τις οὐ συλλήψεται

ἀναπτόμενος τρίορχος;

Ἶρις

ἐμὲ συλλήψεται;

τί ποτʼ ἐστὶ τουτὶ τὸ κακόν;

Πισθέταιρος

οἰμώξει μακρά.

Ἶρις

ἄτοπόν γε τουτὶ πρᾶγμα.

Πισθέταιρος

κατὰ ποίας πύλας

εἰσῆλθες ἐς τὸ τεῖχος ὦ μιαρωτάτη;

Ἶρις

οὐκ οἶδα μὰ Δίʼ ἔγωγε κατὰ ποίας πύλας.
1210

Πισθέταιρος

ἤκουσας αὐτῆς οἷον εἰρωνεύεται;

πρὸς τοὺς κολοιάρχας προσῆλθες; οὐ λέγεις;

σφραγῖδʼ ἔχεις παρὰ τῶν πελαργῶν;

Ἶρις

τί τὸ κακόν.

Πισθέταιρος

οὐκ ἔλαβες;

Ἶρις

ὑγιαίνεις μέν;

Πισθέταιρος

οὐδὲ σύμβολον

ἐπέβαλεν ὀρνίθαρχος οὐδείς σοι παρών;
1215

Ἶρις

μὰ Δίʼ οὐκ ἔμοιγʼ ἐπέβαλεν οὐδεὶς ὦ μέλε.

Πισθέταιρος

κἄπειτα δῆθʼ οὕτω σιωπῇ διαπέτει

διὰ τῆς πόλεως τῆς ἀλλοτρίας καὶ τοῦ χάους;

Ἶρις

ποίᾳ γὰρ ἄλλῃ χρὴ πέτεσθαι τοὺς θεούς;

Leader of the Chorus

Scan all sides with your glance. Hark! methinks I can hear the rustle of the swift wings of a god from heaven.

Pisthetaerus

Hi! you woman! where, where, where are you flying to? Halt, don't stir! 1200 keep motionless! not a beat of your wing! She pauses in her flight. Who are you and from what country? You must say whence you come.

Iris

I come from the abode of the Olympian gods.

Pisthetaerus

What's your name, ship or head-dress?

Iris

I am swift Iris.

Pisthetaerus

Paralus or Salaminia?

Iris

1205 What do you mean?

Pisthetaerus

Let a buzzard rush at her and seize her.

Iris

Seize me? But what do all these insults mean?

Pisthetaerus

Woe to you!

Iris

I do not understand it.

Pisthetaerus

By which gate did you pass through the wall, wretched woman?

Iris

1210 By which gate? Why, great gods, I don't know.

Pisthetaerus

You hear how she holds us in derision. Did you present yourself to the officers in command of the jays? You don't answer. Have you a permit, bearing the seal of the storks?

Iris

Am I dreaming?

Pisthetaerus

Did you get one?

Iris

Are you mad?

Pisthetaerus

No 1215 head-bird gave you a safe-conduct?

Iris

A safe-conduct to me. You poor fool!

Pisthetaerus

Ah! and so you slipped into this city on the sly and into these realms of air-land that don't belong to you.

Iris

And what other roads can the gods travel?

Pisthetaerus

1220 By Zeus! I know nothing about that, not I. But they won't pass this way. And you still dare to complain? Why, if you were treated according to your deserts, no Iris would ever have more justly suffered death.