Aristophanes Birds 49

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

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Πισθέταιρος

οὗτος.

Ἐυελπίδης

τί ἔστιν;

Πισθέταιρος

ἡ κορώνη μοι πάλαι

ἄνω τι φράζει.
50

Ἐυελπίδης

χὠ κολοιὸς οὑτοσὶ

ἄνω κέχηνεν ὡσπερεὶ δεικνύς τί μοι,

κοὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνταῦθʼ ὄρνεα.

εἰσόμεθα δʼ αὐτίκʼ, ἢν ποιήσωμεν ψόφον.

Πισθέταιρος

ἀλλʼ οἶσθʼ ὃ δρᾶσον; τῷ σκέλει θένε τὴν πέτραν.

Ἐυελπίδης

σὺ δὲ τῇ κεφαλῇ γʼ, ἵνʼ ᾖ διπλάσιος ὁ ψόφος.
55

Πισθέταιρος

σὺ δʼ οὖν λίθῳ κόψον λαβών.

Ἐυελπίδης

πάνυ γʼ, εἰ δοκεῖ.

παῖ παῖ.

Πισθέταιρος

τί λέγεις οὗτος; τὸν ἔποπα παῖ καλεῖς;

οὐκ ἀντὶ τοῦ παιδός σʼ ἐχρῆν ἐποποῖ καλεῖν;

Ἐυελπίδης

ἐποποῖ. ποιήσεις ἔτι με κόπτειν αὖθις αὖ.

ἐποποῖ.
60

Θεράπων Ἔποπος

τίνες οὗτοι; τίς ὁ βοῶν τὸν δεσπότην;

Ἐυελπίδης

Ἄπολλον ἀποτρόπαιε τοῦ χασμήματος.

Θεράπων Ἔποπος

οἴμοι τάλας ὀρνιθοθήρα τουτωί.

Ἐυελπίδης

οὕτως τι δεινὸν οὐδὲ κάλλιον λέγειν.

Θεράπων Ἔποπος

ἀπολεῖσθον.

Ἐυελπίδης

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἀνθρώπω.

Θεράπων Ἔποπος

τί δαί;

Ἐυελπίδης

Ὑποδεδιὼς ἔγωγε Λιβυκὸν ὄρνεον.
65

Θεράπων Ἔποπος

οὐδὲν λέγεις.

Ἐυελπίδης

καὶ μὴν ἐροῦ τὰ πρὸς ποδῶν.

Θεράπων Ἔποπος

ὁδὶ δὲ δὴ τίς ἐστιν ὄρνις; οὐκ ἐρεῖς;

Πισθέταιρος

Ἐπικεχοδὼς ἔγωγε Φασιανικός.

Ἐυελπίδης

ἀτὰρ σὺ τί θηρίον ποτʼ εἶ πρὸς τῶν θεῶν;

Θεράπων Ἔποπος

ὄρνις ἔγωγε δοῦλος.
70

Ἐυελπίδης

ἡττήθης τινὸς

ἀλεκτρυόνος;

Θεράπων Ἔποπος

οὐκ ἀλλʼ ὅτε περ ὁ δεσπότης

ἔποψ ἐγένετο, τότε γενέσθαι μʼ ηὔξατο

ὄρνιν, ἵνʼ ἀκόλουθον διάκονόν τʼ ἔχῃ.

Ἐυελπίδης

δεῖται γὰρ ὄρνις καὶ διακόνου τινός;

Θεράπων Ἔποπος

οὗτός γʼ, ἅτʼ οἶμαι πρότερον ἄνθρωπός ποτʼ ὤν,
75

τοτὲ μὲν ἐρᾷ φαγεῖν ἀφύας Φαληρικάς·

τρέχω ʼπʼ ἀφύας λαβὼν ἐγὼ τὸ τρύβλιον.

ἔτνους δʼ ἐπιθυμεῖ, δεῖ τορύνης καὶ χύτρας·

τρέχω ʼπὶ τορύνην.

Ἐυελπίδης

τροχίλος ὄρνις οὑτοσί.

οἶσθʼ οὖν ὃ δρᾶσον ὦ τροχίλε; τὸν δεσπότην
80

ἡμῖν κάλεσον.

Θεράπων Ἔποπος

ἀλλʼ ἀρτίως νὴ τὸν Δία

εὕδει καταφαγὼν μύρτα καὶ σέρφους τινάς.

Ἐυελπίδης

ὅμως ἐπέγειρον αὐτόν.

Θεράπων Ἔποπος

οἶδα μὲν σαφῶς

ὅτι ἀχθέσεται, σφῷν δʼ αὐτὸν οὕνεκʼ ἐπεγερῶ.

Πισθέταιρος

κακῶς σύ γʼ ἀπόλοιʼ, ὥς μʼ ἀπέκτεινας δέει.
85

Ἐυελπίδης

οἴμοι κακοδαίμων χὠ κολοιός μοἴχεται

ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους.

Πισθέταιρος

ὦ δειλότατον σὺ θηρίον,

δείσας ἀφῆκας τὸν κολοιόν;

Ἐυελπίδης

εἰπέ μοι,

σὺ δὲ τὴν κορώνην οὐκ ἀφῆκας καταπεσών;

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.) — 49 focus

Pisthetaerus

Here! look!

Euelpides

What's the matter?

Pisthetaerus

Why, the crow has been directing me 50 to something up there for some time now.

Euelpides

And the jay is also opening it beak and craning its neck to show me I know not what. Clearly, there are some birds about here. We shall soon know, if we kick up a noise to start them.

Pisthetaerus

Do you know what to do? Knock your leg against this rock.

Euelpides

55 And you your head to double the noise.

Pisthetaerus

Well then use a stone instead; take one and hammer with it.

Euelpides

Good idea! He does so. Ho there, within! Slave! slave!

Pisthetaerus

What's that, friend! You say, “slave,” to summon Epops? It would be much better to shout, 60 “Epops, Epops!”

Euelpides

Well then, Epops! Must I knock again? Epops!

Trochilus

Rushing out of a thicket. Who's there? Who calls my master?

Pisthetaerus

In terror. Apollo the Deliverer! what an enormous beak!

He defecates. In the confusion both the jay and the crow fly away.

Trochilus

Equally frightened. Good god! they are bird-catchers.

Euelpides

Reassuring himself. But is it so terrible? Wouldn't it be better to explain things?

Trochilus

Also reassuring himself. You're done for.

Euelpides

But we are not men.

Trochilus

What are you, then?

Euelpides

Defecating also. 65 I am the Fearling, an African bird.

Trochilus

You talk nonsense.

Euelpides

Well, then, just ask it of my feet.

Trochilus

And this other one, what bird is it? To Pisthetaerus. Speak up!

Pisthetaerus

Weakly. I? I am a Crapple, from the land of the pheasants.

Euelpides

But you yourself, in the name of the gods! what animal are you?

Trochilus

70 Why, I am a slave-bird.

Euelpides

Why, have you been conquered by a cock?

Trochilus

No, but when my master was turned into a hoopoe, he begged me to become a bird also, to follow and to serve him.

Euelpides

Does a bird need a servant, then?

Trochilus

75 That's no doubt because he was once a man. At times he wants to eat a dish of sardines from Phalerum; I seize my dish and fly to fetch him some. Again he wants some pea-soup; I seize a ladle and a pot and run to get it.

Euelpides

This is, then, 80 truly a running-bird. Come, Trochilus, do us the kindness to call your master.

Trochilus

Why, he has just fallen asleep after a feed of myrtle-berries and a few grubs.

Euelpides

Never mind; wake him up.

Trochilus

I am certain he will be angry. However, I will wake him to please you.

He goes back into the thicket.

Pisthetaerus

As soon as Trochilus is out of sight. 85 You cursed brute! why, I am almost dead with terror!

Euelpides

Oh! my god! it was sheer fear that made me lose my jay.

Pisthetaerus

Ah! you big coward! were you so frightened that you let go your jay?

Euelpides

And did you not lose your crow, when you fell sprawling on the ground? Tell me that.