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Line 1564

Χαιρεφῶν ἡ νυκτερίς.

The phrase ἡ νυκτερίς (the night-raven/nightjar) is a specific designation for the character Chaerephon, a known associate of Socrates famous for his extreme poverty and asceticism. Aristophanes exploits the etymological ambiguity of the name 'Chaerephon' (which sounds like 'chara' [joy] and 'phonos' [murder/death] or 'phōnē' [voice]) by pairing it with a bird that was often associated with omens of death or madness in Greek folklore. The choice of νυκτερίς specifically, rather than a generic bird, alludes to the character's nocturnal habits and his reputation as a 'night-bird' of the Athenian agora, highlighting his role as a gadfly who operates in the shadows of the city's intellectual life. This is a pointed biographical and literary allusion rather than a simple description.

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.) — 1565 focus

Ποσειδῶν

τὸ μὲν πόλισμα τῆς Νεφελοκοκκυγίας
1565

ὁρᾶν τοδὶ πάρεστιν, οἷ πρεσβεύομεν.

οὗτος τί δρᾷς; ἐπʼ ἀριστέρʼ οὕτως ἀμπέχει;

οὐ μεταβαλεῖς θοἰμάτιον ὧδʼ ἐπιδέξια;

τί ὦ κακόδαιμον; Λαισποδίας εἶ τὴν φύσιν;

ὦ δημοκρατία ποῖ προβιβᾷς ἡμᾶς ποτε,
1570

εἰ τουτονί γʼ ἐχειροτόνησαν οἱ θεοί;

Τριβαλλός

ἕξεις ἀτρέμας;

Ποσειδῶν

οἴμωζε· πολὺ γὰρ δή σʼ ἐγὼ

ἑόρακα πάντων βαρβαρώτατον θεῶν.

ἄγε δὴ τί δρῶμεν Ἡράκλεις;

Ἡρακλῆς

ἀκήκοας

ἐμοῦ γʼ ὅτι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἄγχειν βούλομαι,
1575

ὅστις ποτʼ ἔσθʼ ὁ τοὺς θεοὺς ἀποτειχίσας.

Ποσειδῶν

ἀλλʼ ὦγάθʼ ᾑρήμεσθα περὶ διαλλαγῶν

πρέσβεις.

Ἡρακλῆς

διπλασίως μᾶλλον ἄγχειν μοι δοκεῖ.

Πισθέταιρος

τὴν τυρόκνηστίν τις δότω· φέρε σίλφιον·

τυρὸν φερέτω τις· πυρπόλει τοὺς ἄνθρακας.
1580

Ποσειδῶν

τὸν ἄνδρα χαίρειν οἱ θεοὶ κελεύομεν

τρεῖς ὄντες ἡμεῖς.

Πισθέταιρος

ἀλλʼ ἐπικνῶ τὸ σίλφιον.

Ἡρακλῆς

τὰ δὲ κρέα τοῦ ταῦτʼ ἐστίν;

Πισθέταιρος

ὄρνιθές τινες

ἐπανιστάμενοι τοῖς δημοτικοῖσιν ὀρνέοις

ἔδοξαν ἀδικεῖν.
1585

Ἡρακλῆς

εἶτα δῆτα σίλφιον

εἴπικνῇς πρότερον αὐτοῖσιν;

Πισθέταιρος

ὦ χαῖρʼ Ἡράκλεις.

τί ἔστι;

Ποσειδῶν

πρεσβεύοντες ἡμεῖς ἥκομεν

παρὰ τῶν θεῶν περὶ πολέμου καταλλαγῆς.

Πισθέταιρος

ἔλαιον οὐκ ἔνεστιν ἐν τῇ ληκύθῳ.

Ἡρακλῆς

καὶ μὴν τά γʼ ὀρνίθεια λιπάρʼ εἶναι πρέπει.
1590

Ποσειδῶν

ἡμεῖς τε γὰρ πολεμοῦντες οὐ κερδαίνομεν,

ὑμεῖς τʼ ἂν ἡμῖν τοῖς θεοῖς ὄντες φίλοι

ὄμβριον ὕδωρ ἂν εἴχετʼ ἐν τοῖς τέλμασιν,

ἀλκυονίδας τʼ ἂν ἤγεθʼ ἡμέρας ἀεί.

τούτων περὶ πάντων αὐτοκράτορες ἥκομεν.
1595

Πισθέταιρος

ἀλλʼ οὔτε πρότερον πώποθʼ ἡμεῖς ἤρξαμεν

πολέμου πρὸς ὑμᾶς, νῦν τʼ ἐθέλομεν, εἰ δοκεῖ,

ἐάν τι δίκαιον ἀλλὰ νῦν ἐθέλητε δρᾶν,

σπονδὰς ποιεῖσθαι. τὰ δὲ δίκαιʼ ἐστὶν ταδί,

τὸ σκῆπτρον ἡμῖν τοῖσιν ὄρνισιν πάλιν
1600

τὸν Δίʼ ἀποδοῦναι· κἂν διαλλαττώμεθα

ἐπὶ τοῖσδε, τοὺς πρέσβεις ἐπʼ ἄριστον καλῶ.

Ἡρακλῆς

ἐμοὶ μὲν ἀπόχρη ταῦτα καὶ ψηφίζομαι.

Ποσειδῶν

τί ὦ κακόδαιμον; ἠλίθιος καὶ γάστρις εἶ.

ἀποστερεῖς τὸν πατέρα τῆς τυραννίδος;
1605

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.) — 1565 focus

Poseidon

1565 This is the city of Nephelococcygia, to which we come as ambassadors.

To Triballus.

Hi! what are you up to? you are throwing your cloak over the left shoulder. Come, fling it quick over the right! And why, pray, does it draggle in this fashion? Have you ulcers to hide like Lespodias? 1570 Oh! democracy! whither, oh! whither are you leading us? Is it possible that the gods have chosen such an envoy? You are undisturbed? Ugh! you cursed savage! you are by far the most barbarous of all the gods. —Tell me, Heracles, what are we going to do?

Heracles

1575 I have already told you that I want to strangle the fellow who dared to wall us out.

Poseidon

But, my friend, we are envoys of peace.

Heracles

All the more reason why I wish to strangle him.

Pisthetaerus comes out of the thicket, followed by slaves, who are carrying various kitchen utensils; one of them sets up a table on which he places poultry dressed for roasting.

Pisthetaerus

Hand me the cheese-grater; bring me the silphium for sauce; 1580 pass me the cheese and watch the coals.

Heracles

Mortal! we who greet you are three gods.

Pisthetaerus

Wait a bit till I have prepared my silphium pickle.

Heracles

What are these meats?

Pisthetaerus

These are birds that have been punished with death 1585 for attacking the people's friends.

Heracles

And you are going to season them before answering us?

Pisthetaerus
Looking up from his work for the first time.

Ah! Heracles! welcome, welcome! What's the matter?

Poseidon

The gods have sent us here as ambassadors to treat for peace.

Pisthetaerus
Ignoring this.

There's no more oil in the flask.

Heracles

1590 And yet the birds must be thoroughly basted with it.

Poseidon

We have no interest to serve in fighting you; as for you, be friends and we promise that you shall always have rain-water in your pools and the warmest of warm weather. 1595 So far as these points go we are plenipotentiaries.

Pisthetaerus

We have never been the aggressors, and even now we are as well disposed for peace as yourselves, provided you agree to one equitable condition, namely, 1600 that Zeus yield his scepter to the birds. If only this is agreed to, I invite the ambassadors to dinner.

Heracles

That's good enough for me. I vote for peace.

Poseidon

You wretch! you are nothing but a fool and a glutton. 1605 Do you want to dethrone your own father?

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.) — 1565 focus

Poseidon: The city of Cloudcuckooland

1565

Poseidon: It is possible to see this, for which we are ambassadors.

Poseidon: What is this man doing? Is he stretching out his arms to the left like this?

Poseidon: You will not change your tunic so skillfully?

Poseidon: What is it, you wretched fellow? Are you a Laispodian by nature?

Poseidon: O democracy, where are you leading us someday?

1570

Poseidon: If the gods have voted for this fellow?

Triballus: Will you have it quietly?

Poseidon: Alas! for I will surely...

Poseidon: I have seen the most barbarous of all the gods.

Poseidon: Come then, what shall we do, Heracles?

Heracles: You have heard.

Heracles: Since I wish to strangle the man,

1575

Heracles: whoever it is who walled off the gods.

Poseidon: But, by all means, you have been chosen regarding reconciliation.

Poseidon: ambassadors.

Heracles: it seems to me that it strangles me twice as much.

Pisthetaerus: Let someone hand over the cheese-grater; bring silphium!

Pisthetaerus: Let someone bring cheese; it will scorch the coals.

1580

Poseidon: The gods bid the man farewell.

Poseidon: being three, we.

Pisthetaerus: But I will smell the silphium.

Heracles: And the meat, whose is it?

Pisthetaerus: some birds

Pisthetaerus: rising up against the common birds

Pisthetairos: They seemed to be doing wrong.

1585

Heracles: Then indeed silphion.

Heracles: Should you tell them first?

Pisthetaerus: O hail, Heracles.

Pisthetaerus: What is it?

Poseidon: We have come as ambassadors.

Poseidon: concerning a reconciliation about war from the gods.

Pisthetaerus: There is no oil in the oil-flask.

Heracles: And indeed, it seems necessary that the birds are thin.

1590

Poseidon: For we, fighting, gain nothing,

Poseidon: You would also be friends to us, the gods,

Poseidon: he would have rainy water in the marshes,

Poseidon: He would lead the halcyon days always.

Poseidon: We have come as rulers over all of these things.

1595

Pisthetairos: But we have never before begun

Pisthetaerus: We are now willing to make war against you, if it seems good to you,

Pisthetaerus: If you are willing now to do something just,

Pisthetairos: To make libations. But the laws are as follows:

Pisthetaerus: the scepter for us, for the birds, again

1600

Pisthetairos: to give back Zeus. And if we make a settlement.

Pisthetaerus: On this, I summon the ambassadors to lunch.

Heracles: These things are sufficient for me, and I vote.

Poseidon: What, wretch? You are foolish and gluttonous.

Poseidon: Do you deprive the father of tyranny?

1605

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

1564. mvp-tlg0019-tlg006-sanjaya-com-eng1-94

Line 1564

Χαιρεφῶν ἡ νυκτερίς.

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 1564

Current edition Experimental

Τριβαλλός ἕξεις ἀτρέμας;

Ποσειδῶν οἴμωζε· πολὺ γὰρ δή σʼ ἐγὼ ἑόρακα πάντων βαρβαρώτατον θεῶν. ἄγε δὴ τί δρῶμεν Ἡράκλεις;

Ἡρακλῆς ἀκήκοας ἐμοῦ γʼ ὅτι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἄγχειν βούλομαι, 1575 ὅστις ποτʼ ἔσθʼ ὁ τοὺς θεοὺς ἀποτειχίσας.

Ποσειδῶν ἀλλʼ ὦγάθʼ ᾑρήμεσθα περὶ διαλλαγῶν πρέσβεις.

Ἡρακλῆς διπλασίως μᾶλλον ἄγχειν μοι δοκεῖ.

Πισθέταιρος τὴν τυρόκνηστίν τις δότω· φέρε σίλφιον· τυρὸν φερέτω τις· πυρπόλει τοὺς ἄνθρακας. 1580

Ποσειδῶν τὸν ἄνδρα χαίρειν οἱ θεοὶ κελεύομεν τρεῖς ὄντες ἡμεῖς.

Πισθέταιρος ἀλλʼ ἐπικνῶ τὸ σίλφιον.

Ἡρακλῆς τὰ δὲ κρέα τοῦ ταῦτʼ ἐστίν;

Πισθέταιρος ὄρνιθές τινες ἐπανιστάμενοι τοῖς δημοτικοῖσιν ὀρνέοις ἔδοξαν ἀδικεῖν. 1585

Ἡρακλῆς εἶτα δῆτα σίλφιον εἴπικνῇς πρότερον αὐτοῖσιν;

Πισθέταιρος ὦ χαῖρʼ Ἡράκλεις. τί ἔστι;

Ποσειδῶν πρεσβεύοντες ἡμεῖς ἥκομεν παρὰ τῶν θεῶν περὶ πολέμου καταλλαγῆς.

Πισθέταιρος ἔλαιον οὐκ ἔνεστιν ἐν τῇ ληκύθῳ.

Ἡρακλῆς καὶ μὴν τά γʼ ὀρνίθεια λιπάρʼ εἶναι πρέπει. 1590

Ἡρακλῆς ἐμοὶ μὲν ἀπόχρη ταῦτα καὶ ψηφίζομαι.

Ποσειδῶν τί ὦ κακόδαιμον; ἠλίθιος καὶ γάστρις εἶ. ἀποστερεῖς τὸν πατέρα τῆς τυραννίδος; 1605

Poseidon 1565 This is the city of Nephelococcygia, to which we come as ambassadors.

Heracles 1575 I have already told you that I want to strangle the fellow who dared to wall us out.

Poseidon But, my friend, we are envoys of peace.

Heracles All the more reason why I wish to strangle him.

Pisthetaerus Hand me the cheese-grater; bring me the silphium for sauce; 1580 pass me the cheese and watch the coals.

Heracles Mortal! we who greet you are three gods.

Pisthetaerus Wait a bit till I have prepared my silphium pickle.

Heracles What are these meats?

Pisthetaerus These are birds that have been punished with death 1585 for attacking the people's friends.

Heracles And you are going to season them before answering us?

Pisthetaerus Looking up from his work for the first time. Ah! Heracles! welcome, welcome! What's the matter?

Poseidon The gods have sent us here as ambassadors to treat for peace.

Pisthetaerus Ignoring this. There's no more oil in the flask.

Heracles 1590 And yet the birds must be thoroughly basted with it.

Poseidon We have no interest to serve in fighting you; as for you, be friends and we promise that you shall always have rain-water in your pools and the warmest of warm weather. 1595 So far as these points go we are plenipotentiaries.

Pisthetaerus We have never been the aggressors, and even now we are as well disposed for peace as yourselves, provided you agree to one equitable condition, namely, 1600 that Zeus yield his scepter to the birds. If only this is agreed to, I invite the ambassadors to dinner.

Heracles That's good enough for me. I vote for peace.

Poseidon You wretch! you are nothing but a fool and a glutton. 1605 Do you want to dethrone your own father?

Commentary

Line 1564

Stable identifiers

Τριβαλλός

ἕξεις ἀτρέμας;

Ποσειδῶν

οἴμωζε· πολὺ γὰρ δή σʼ ἐγὼ

ἑόρακα πάντων βαρβαρώτατον θεῶν.

ἄγε δὴ τί δρῶμεν Ἡράκλεις;

Ἡρακλῆς

ἀκήκοας

ἐμοῦ γʼ ὅτι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἄγχειν βούλομαι,
1575

ὅστις ποτʼ ἔσθʼ ὁ τοὺς θεοὺς ἀποτειχίσας.

Ποσειδῶν

ἀλλʼ ὦγάθʼ ᾑρήμεσθα περὶ διαλλαγῶν

πρέσβεις.

Ἡρακλῆς

διπλασίως μᾶλλον ἄγχειν μοι δοκεῖ.

Πισθέταιρος

τὴν τυρόκνηστίν τις δότω· φέρε σίλφιον·

τυρὸν φερέτω τις· πυρπόλει τοὺς ἄνθρακας.
1580

Ποσειδῶν

τὸν ἄνδρα χαίρειν οἱ θεοὶ κελεύομεν

τρεῖς ὄντες ἡμεῖς.

Πισθέταιρος

ἀλλʼ ἐπικνῶ τὸ σίλφιον.

Ἡρακλῆς

τὰ δὲ κρέα τοῦ ταῦτʼ ἐστίν;

Πισθέταιρος

ὄρνιθές τινες

ἐπανιστάμενοι τοῖς δημοτικοῖσιν ὀρνέοις

ἔδοξαν ἀδικεῖν.
1585

Ἡρακλῆς

εἶτα δῆτα σίλφιον

εἴπικνῇς πρότερον αὐτοῖσιν;

Πισθέταιρος

ὦ χαῖρʼ Ἡράκλεις.

τί ἔστι;

Ποσειδῶν

πρεσβεύοντες ἡμεῖς ἥκομεν

παρὰ τῶν θεῶν περὶ πολέμου καταλλαγῆς.

Πισθέταιρος

ἔλαιον οὐκ ἔνεστιν ἐν τῇ ληκύθῳ.

Ἡρακλῆς

καὶ μὴν τά γʼ ὀρνίθεια λιπάρʼ εἶναι πρέπει.
1590

Ἡρακλῆς

ἐμοὶ μὲν ἀπόχρη ταῦτα καὶ ψηφίζομαι.

Ποσειδῶν

τί ὦ κακόδαιμον; ἠλίθιος καὶ γάστρις εἶ.

ἀποστερεῖς τὸν πατέρα τῆς τυραννίδος;
1605

Poseidon

1565 This is the city of Nephelococcygia, to which we come as ambassadors.

Heracles

1575 I have already told you that I want to strangle the fellow who dared to wall us out.

Poseidon

But, my friend, we are envoys of peace.

Heracles

All the more reason why I wish to strangle him.

Pisthetaerus

Hand me the cheese-grater; bring me the silphium for sauce; 1580 pass me the cheese and watch the coals.

Heracles

Mortal! we who greet you are three gods.

Pisthetaerus

Wait a bit till I have prepared my silphium pickle.

Heracles

What are these meats?

Pisthetaerus

These are birds that have been punished with death 1585 for attacking the people's friends.

Heracles

And you are going to season them before answering us?

Pisthetaerus
Looking up from his work for the first time.

Ah! Heracles! welcome, welcome! What's the matter?

Poseidon

The gods have sent us here as ambassadors to treat for peace.

Pisthetaerus
Ignoring this.

There's no more oil in the flask.

Heracles

1590 And yet the birds must be thoroughly basted with it.

Poseidon

We have no interest to serve in fighting you; as for you, be friends and we promise that you shall always have rain-water in your pools and the warmest of warm weather. 1595 So far as these points go we are plenipotentiaries.

Pisthetaerus

We have never been the aggressors, and even now we are as well disposed for peace as yourselves, provided you agree to one equitable condition, namely, 1600 that Zeus yield his scepter to the birds. If only this is agreed to, I invite the ambassadors to dinner.

Heracles

That's good enough for me. I vote for peace.

Poseidon

You wretch! you are nothing but a fool and a glutton. 1605 Do you want to dethrone your own father?