Aristophanes Birds 1354

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Birds. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

Commentary (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)
Ὄρνιθες Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 1337 focus
Translations (3)
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.) — 1337 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.) — 1337 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

1354. mvp-tlg0019-tlg006-sanjaya-com-eng1-87

Line 1354

παλαιὸς ἐν ταῖς τῶν πελαργῶν κύρβεσιν·
The noun κύρβες (singular κύρβος) refers specifically to the deep, bowl-shaped nests of the stork, distinct from the flatter platforms or ledges (φρεάτια or simply καταβάθραι) often used by other birds or humans. Aristophanes' choice of this specific term here, paired with the genitive τῶν πελαργῶν, evokes the imagery of a deep, enclosed space, reinforcing the comic absurdity of the 'Birds' (specifically the character Peisetairos or the chorus) imagining themselves ruling from such a precarious, avian dwelling rather than a fortified human acropolis. The adjective παλαιὸς ('old') functions as a substantive, implying 'an old resident' or 'an old-timer,' a usage that aligns with the play's theme of establishing an ancient, pre-human order of birds, yet the specific collocation with 'stork-nests' is a rare poetic image in Old Comedy that relies on the reader's recognition of stork nesting habits to grasp the visual comedy.