Aristophanes Birds 209

Anonymous (Translator), ed. Eugene O'Neill, Jr., ed. Whitney J. Oates, ed. Eugene O'Neill, Jr.

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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.) — 209 focus
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.) — 209 focus
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.) — 209 focus

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

212. mvp-tlg0019-tlg006-sanjaya-com-eng1-1

Line 212

τὸν ἐμὸν καὶ σὸν πολύδακρυν Ἴτυν·
The phrase 'πολύδακρυν Ἴτυν' alludes to the myth of Tereus, Procne, and Philomela, specifically referencing the transformation of Procne (or Philomela, depending on the version) into a nightingale and the associated lamentation. In the context of the Birds, Aristophanes employs this myth to evoke the theme of tragic suffering and metamorphosis, contrasting it with the comedic aspirations of the protagonists. The adjective 'πολύδακρυν' (much-tearing) is a deliberate hyperbolic characterization of the nightingale's song, which in myth is the perpetual weeping of Procne for her lost child Itys. This allusion serves to underscore the play's exploration of the boundaries between human tragedy and avian existence.