Aristophanes Birds 125

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

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Ἔποψ

ἀριστοκρατεῖσθαι δῆλος εἶ ζητῶν.
125

Ἐυελπίδης

ἐγώ;

ἥκιστα· καὶ γὰρ τὸν Σκελίου βδελύττομαι.

Ἔποψ

ποίαν τινʼ οὖν ἥδιστʼ ἂν οἰκοῖτʼ ἂν πόλιν;

Ἐυελπίδης

ὅπου τὰ μέγιστα πράγματʼ εἴη τοιάδε·

ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν μου πρῴ τις ἐλθὼν τῶν φίλων

λέγοι ταδί· πρὸς τοῦ Διὸς τοὐλυμπίου
130

ὅπως παρέσει μοι καὶ σὺ καὶ τὰ παιδία

λουσάμενα πρῴ· μέλλω γὰρ ἑστιᾶν γάμους·

καὶ μηδαμῶς ἄλλως ποιήσῃς· εἰ δὲ μή,

μή μοι τότε γʼ ἔλθῃς, ὅταν ἐγὼ πράττω κακῶς.

Ἔποψ

νὴ Δία ταλαιπώρων γε πραγμάτων ἐρᾷς.
135

τί δαὶ σύ;

Πισθέταιρος

τοιούτων ἐρῶ κἀγώ.

Ἔποψ

τίνων;

Πισθέταιρος

ὅπου ξυναντῶν μοι ταδί τις μέμψεται

ὥσπερ ἀδικηθεὶς παιδὸς ὡραίου πατήρ·

καλῶς γέ μου τὸν υἱὸν ὦ Στιλβωνίδη

εὑρὼν ἀπιόντʼ ἀπὸ γυμνασίου λελουμένον
140

οὐκ ἔκυσας, οὐ προσεῖπας, οὐ προσηγάγου,

οὐκ ὠρχιπέδισας, ὢν ἐμοὶ πατρικὸς φίλος.

Ἔποψ

ὦ δειλακρίων σὺ τῶν κακῶν οἵων ἐρᾷς.

ἀτὰρ ἔστι γʼ ὁποίαν λέγετον εὐδαίμων πόλις

παρὰ τὴν ἐρυθρὰν θάλατταν.
145

Ἐυελπίδης

οἴμοι μηδαμῶς

ἡμῖν παρὰ τὴν θάλατταν, ἵνʼ ἀνακύψεται

κλητῆρʼ ἄγουσʼ ἕωθεν ἡ Σαλαμινία.

Ἑλληνικὴν δὲ πόλιν ἔχεις ἡμῖν φράσαι;

Ἔποψ

τί οὐ τὸν Ἠλεῖον Λέπρεον οἰκίζετον

ἐλθόνθʼ;
150

Ἐυελπίδης

ὁτιὴ νὴ τοὺς θεοὺς ὅσʼ οὐκ ἰδὼν

βδελύττομαι τὸν Λέπρεον ἀπὸ Μελανθίου.

Ἔποψ

ἀλλʼ εἰσὶν ἕτεροι τῆς Λοκρίδος Ὀπούντιοι,

ἵνα χρὴ κατοικεῖν.

Ἐυελπίδης

ἀλλʼ ἔγωγʼ Ὀπούντιος

οὐκ ἂν γενοίμην ἐπὶ ταλάντῳ χρυσίου.

οὗτος δὲ δὴ τίς ἔσθʼ ὁ μετʼ ὀρνίθων βίος;
155

σὺ γὰρ οἶσθʼ ἀκριβῶς.

Ἔποψ

οὐκ ἄχαρις ἐς τὴν τριβήν·

οὗ πρῶτα μὲν δεῖ ζῆν ἄνευ βαλλαντίου.

Ἐυελπίδης

πολλήν γʼ ἀφεῖλες τοῦ βίου κιβδηλίαν.

Ἔποψ

νεμόμεσθα δʼ ἐν κήποις τὰ λευκὰ σήσαμα

καὶ μύρτα καὶ μήκωνα καὶ σισύμβρια.
160

Ἐυελπίδης

ὑμεῖς μὲν ἆρα ζῆτε νυμφίων βίον.

Πισθέταιρος

φεῦ φεῦ·

ἦ μέγʼ ἐνορῶ βούλευμʼ ἐν ὀρνίθων γένει,

καὶ δύναμιν ἣ γένοιτʼ ἄν, εἰ πίθοισθέ μοι.

Birds. 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

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

Translations (2)

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

No corresponding passage available

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.) — 125 focus

Epops

125 Then you are looking for an aristocratic country.

Euelpides

I? Not at all! I hold the son of Scellias in horror.

Epops

But, after all, what sort of city would please you best?

Euelpides

A place where the following would be the most important business transacted. —Some friend would come knocking at the door quite early in the morning 130 saying, “By Olympian Zeus, be at my house early, as soon as you have bathed, and bring your children too. I am giving a nuptial feast, so don't fail, or else don't cross my threshold when I am in distress.”

Epops

135 Ah! that's what may be called being fond of hardships! To Pisthetaerus. And what say you?

Pisthetaerus

My tastes are similar.

Epops

And they are?

Pisthetaerus

I want a town where the father of a handsome lad will stop in the street and say to me reproachfully as if I had failed him, “Ah! Is this well done, Stilbonides? 140 You met my son coming from the bath after the gymnasium and you neither spoke to him, nor kissed him, nor took him with you, nor ever once felt his balls. Would anyone call you an old friend of mine?”

Epops

Ah! wag, I see you are fond of suffering. But there is a city of delights such as you want. 145 It's on the Red Sea .

Euelpides

Oh, no. Not a sea-port, where some fine morning the Salaminian galley can appear, bringing a process-server along. Have you no Greek town you can propose to us?

Epops

Why not choose Lepreum in Elis for your settlement?

Euelpides

150 By Zeus! I could not look at Lepreum without disgust, because of Melanthius.

Epops

Then, again, there is the Opuntian Locris, where you could live.

Euelpides

I would not be Opuntian for a talent. 155 But come, what is it like to live with the birds? You should know pretty well.

Epops

Why, it's not a disagreeable life. In the first place, one has no purse.

Euelpides

That does away with a lot of roguery.

Epops

For food the gardens yield us white sesame, 160 myrtle-berries, poppies and mint.

Euelpides

Why, 'tis the life of the newly-wed indeed.

Pisthetaerus

Ha! I am beginning to see a great plan, which will transfer the supreme power to the birds, if you will but take my advice.