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Line 570

ἥσθην σέρφῳ σφαγιαζομένῳ. βροντάτω νῦν ὁ μέγας Ζάν.

The phrase ὁ μέγας Ζάν is a hapax legomenon in extant literature, referring to the Phrygian deity Sabazios (often equated with Zeus in syncretic cults). The vocative construction and the epithet 'great' here likely allude to the specific mystery cults popular in Athens during the late 5th century, contrasting the 'great' god with the 'servant' (σέρφῳ) mentioned earlier, potentially satirizing the protagonist's claim to divine status or the hierarchical absurdity of the bird-kingdom's theology.

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.) — 550 focus

Πισθέταιρος

καὶ δὴ τοίνυν πρῶτα διδάσκω μίαν ὀρνίθων πόλιν εἶναι,
550

κἄπειτα τὸν ἀέρα πάντα κύκλῳ καὶ πᾶν τουτὶ τὸ μεταξὺ

περιτειχίζειν μεγάλαις πλίνθοις ὀπταῖς ὥσπερ Βαβυλῶνα.

Ἔποψ

ὦ Κεβριόνη καὶ Πορφυρίων ὡς σμερδαλέον τὸ πόλισμα.

Πισθέταιρος

κἄπειτʼ ἢν τοῦτʼ ἐπανεστήκῃ, τὴν ἀρχὴν τὸν Δίʼ ἀπαιτεῖν·

κἂν μὲν μὴ φῇ μηδʼ ἐθελήσῃ μηδʼ εὐθὺς γνωσιμαχήσῃ,
555

ἱερὸν πόλεμον πρωὐδᾶν αὐτῷ, καὶ τοῖσι θεοῖσιν ἀπειπεῖν

διὰ τῆς χώρας τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐστυκόσι μὴ διαφοιτᾶν,

ὥσπερ πρότερον μοιχεύσοντες τὰς Ἀλκμήνας κατέβαινον

καὶ τὰς Ἀλόπας καὶ τὰς Σεμέλας· ἤνπερ δʼ ἐπίωσʼ, ἐπιβάλλειν

σφραγῖδʼ αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν ψωλήν, ἵνα μὴ βινῶσʼ ἔτʼ ἐκείνας.
560

τοῖς δʼ ἀνθρώποις ὄρνιν ἕτερον πέμψαι κήρυκα κελεύω,

ὡς ὀρνίθων βασιλευόντων θύειν ὄρνισι τὸ λοιπόν,

κἄπειτα θεοῖς ὕστερον αὖθις· προσνείμασθαι δὲ πρεπόντως

τοῖσι θεοῖσιν τῶν ὀρνίθων ὃς ἂν ἁρμόττῃ καθʼ ἕκαστον·

ἢν Ἀφροδίτῃ θύῃ, πυροὺς ὄρνιθι φαληρίδι θύειν·
565

ἢν δὲ Ποσειδῶνί τις οἶν θύῃ, νήττῃ πυροὺς καθαγίζειν·

ἢν δʼ Ἡρακλέει θύῃ τι, λάρῳ ναστοὺς θύειν μελιτοῦντας·

κἂν Διὶ θύῃ βασιλεῖ κριόν, βασιλεύς ἐστʼ ὀρχίλος ὄρνις,

ᾧ προτέρῳ δεῖ τοῦ Διὸς αὐτοῦ σέρφον ἐνόρχην σφαγιάζειν.

Ἐυελπίδης

ἥσθην σέρφῳ σφαγιαζομένῳ. βροντάτω νῦν ὁ μέγας Ζάν.
570

Χορός

καὶ πῶς ἡμᾶς νομιοῦσι θεοὺς ἄνθρωποι κοὐχὶ κολοιούς,

οἳ πετόμεσθα πτέρυγάς τʼ ἔχομεν;

Πισθέταιρος

ληρεῖς· καὶ νὴ Δίʼ ὅ γʼ Ἑρμῆς

πέτεται θεὸς ὢν πτέρυγάς τε φορεῖ, κἄλλοι γε θεοὶ πάνυ πολλοί.

αὐτίκα Νίκη πέτεται πτερύγοιν χρυσαῖν καὶ νὴ Δίʼ Ἔρως γε·

Ἥρην δέ γʼ Ὅμηρος ἔφασκʼ ἰκέλην εἶναι τρήρωνι πελείῃ.
575

Ἐυελπίδης

ὁ Ζεὺς δʼ ἡμῖν οὐ βροντήσας πέμψει πτερόεντα κεραυνόν;

Πισθέταιρος

ἢν δʼ οὖν ὑμᾶς μὲν ὑπʼ ἀγνοίας εἶναι νομίσωσι τὸ μηδέν,

τούτους δὲ θεοὺς τοὺς ἐν Ὀλύμπῳ τότε χρὴ στρούθων νέφος ἀρθὲν

καὶ σπερμολόγων ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν τὸ σπέρμʼ αὐτῶν ἀνακάψαι·

κἄπειτʼ αὐτοῖς ἡ Δημήτηρ πυροὺς πεινῶσι μετρείτω.
580

Ἐυελπίδης

οὐκ ἐθελήσει μὰ Δίʼ, ἀλλʼ ὄψει προφάσεις αὐτὴν παρέχουσαν.

Πισθέταιρος

οἱ δʼ αὖ κόρακες τῶν ζευγαρίων, οἷσιν τὴν γῆν καταροῦσιν,

καὶ τῶν προβάτων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐκκοψάντων ἐπὶ πείρᾳ·

εἶθʼ ὅ γʼ Ἀπόλλων ἰατρός γʼ ὢν ἰάσθω· μισθοφορεῖ δέ.

Ἐυελπίδης

μὴ πρίν γʼ ἂν ἐγὼ τὼ βοιδαρίω τὠμὼ πρώτιστʼ ἀποδῶμαι.
585

Πισθέταιρος

ἢν δʼ ἡγῶνται σὲ θεὸν σὲ βίον σὲ δὲ γῆν σὲ Κρόνον σὲ Ποσειδῶ,

ἀγάθʼ αὐτοῖσιν πάντα παρέσται.

Ἔποψ

λέγε δή μοι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἕν.

Πισθέταιρος

πρῶτα μὲν αὐτῶν τὰς οἰνάνθας οἱ πάρνοπες οὐ κατέδονται,

ἀλλὰ γλαυκῶν λόχος εἷς αὐτοὺς καὶ κερχνῄδων ἐπιτρίψει.

εἶθʼ οἱ κνῖπες καὶ ψῆνες ἀεὶ τὰς συκᾶς οὐ κατέδονται,
590

ἀλλʼ ἀναλέξει πάντας καθαρῶς αὐτοὺς ἀγέλη μία κιχλῶν.

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.) — 550 focus

Pisthetaerus

550 First I advise that the birds gather together in one city and that they build a wall of great bricks, like that at Babylon , round the plains of the air and the whole region of space that divides earth from heaven.

Epops

Oh, Cebriones! oh, Porphyrion! what a terribly strong place!

Pisthetaerus

Then, when this has been well done and completed, you demand back the empire from Zeus; 555 if he will not agree, if he refuses and does not at once confess himself beaten, you declare a sacred war against him and forbid the gods henceforward to pass through your country with their tools up, as hitherto, for the purpose of laying their Alcmenas, their Alopes, or their Semeles! if they try to pass through, 560 you put rings on their tools so that they can't make love any longer. You send another messenger to mankind, who will proclaim to them that the birds are kings, that for the future they must first of all sacrifice to them, and only afterwards to the gods; that it is fitting to appoint to each deity the bird that has most in common with it. 565 For instance, are they sacrificing to Aphrodite, let them at the same time offer barley to the coot; are they immolating a sheep to Poseidon, let them consecrate wheat in honor of the duck; if a steer is being offered to Heracles, let honey-cakes be dedicated to the gull; if a goat is being slain for King Zeus, there is a King-Bird, the wren, to whom the sacrifice of a male gnat is due before Zeus himself even.

Euelpides

570 This notion of an immolated gnat delights me! And now let the great Zeus thunder!

Leader of the Chorus

But how will mankind recognize us as gods and not as jays? Us, who have wings and fly?

Pisthetaerus

You talk rubbish! Hermes is a god and has wings and flies, and so do many other gods. First of all, Victory flies with golden wings, Eros is undoubtedly winged too, 575 and Iris is compared by Homer to a timorous dove.

Euelpides

But will not Zeus thunder and send his winged bolts against us?

Pisthetaerus

If men in their blindness do not recognize us as gods and so continue to worship the dwellers in Olympus ? Then a cloud of sparrows greedy for corn must descend upon their fields and eat up all their seeds; 580 we shall see then if Demeter will mete them out any wheat.

Euelpides

By Zeus, she'll take good care she does not, and you will see her inventing a thousand excuses.

Pisthetaerus

The crows too will prove your divinity to them by pecking out the eyes of their flocks and of their draught-oxen; and then let Apollo cure them, since he is a physician and is paid for the purpose.

Euelpides

585 Oh! don't do that! Wait first until I have sold my two young bullocks.

Pisthetaerus

If on the other hand they recognize that you are God, the principle of life, that you are Earth, Kronos, Poseidon, they shall be loaded with benefits.

Epops

Name me one of these then.

Pisthetaerus

Firstly, the locusts shall not eat up their vine-blossoms; a legion of owls and kestrels will devour them. 590 Moreover, the gnats and the gallbugs shall no longer ravage the figs; a flock of thrushes shall swallow the whole host down to the very last.

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.) — 550 focus

Pisthetaerus: And now, then, first I teach that there is a city of birds,

550

Pisthetaerus: And then the whole air in a circle and all this in between.

Pisthetaerus: to wall it in with large baked bricks, like Babylon.

Epopus: O Kebrión and Porphyrión, what a fearsome city this is.

Pisthetaerus: and then, if this has been restored, demand the beginning from Zeus;

Pisthetaerus: and if he does not say, nor is willing, nor immediately enters into a trial by combat,

555

Pisthetaerus: to wage a holy war against him, and to declare war against the gods as well

Pisthetaerus: since they have been born in your country, they should not frequent it.

Pisthetaerus: just as before they descended, having committed adultery with Alcmene's

Pisthetaerus: and the Alopes and the Semeles; for if she has pursued, she will attack.

Pisthetaerus: a seal for them on the penis, so that they may not wet them any longer.

560

Pisthetaerus: but I order that a different bird be sent as a herald to the men,

Pisthetaerus: that in future we must sacrifice to the birds as if the birds were ruling,

Pisthetaerus: And then later to the gods again; to distribute appropriately.

Pisthetaerus: to the gods of the birds whoever is fitting for each one individually;

Pisthetaerus: If you sacrifice to Aphrodite, you must sacrifice barley to the sparrow.

565

Pisthetaerus: If anyone sacrifices wine to Poseidon, let him boil the wheat to make it pure;

Pisthetairos: But if anyone sacrifices to Heracles, they should sacrifice to the lark honeyed guts;

Pisthetaerus: Even if he sacrifices a ram to Zeus the king, the king is the oryx bird,

Pisthetaerus: To which of them first must he sacrifice the self-castrated eunuch of Zeus.

Euelpides: I rejoiced at the sacrifice of a slave. Let the great Zeus thunder now.

570

Chorus: And how do men think us gods and not jackdaws,

Chorus: Shall we fly, and shall we have wings?

Pisthetairos: You are talking nonsense; and by Zeus, Hermes too

Pisthetaerus: Being a god, he flies and wears wings, and there are many other gods too.

Pisthetairos: Immediately, Victory flies with golden wings, and by Zeus, so does Eros;

Pisthetaerus: But Homer said that Hera was like the hole-piercing dove.

575

Euelpides: But will Zeus send us a winged thunderbolt without thundering?

Pisthetaerus: But if they think that you are ignorant, since you do nothing,

Pisthetaerus: and these gods in Olympus must then have a flock of sparrows lifted up.

Pisthetaerus: and to dig up the seed of these seed-eaters from the fields;

Pisthetairos: And then let Demeter measure out barley to them while they are hungry.

580

Euelpides: No, by Zeus, he will not be willing, but you will see her providing excuses.

Pisthetaerus: And the crows, with which they curse the fields,

Pisthetaerus: and [make] them gouge out the sheep's eyes as a trial;

Pisthetaerus: Then let Apollo, being a physician, heal; for he receives a fee.

Euelpides: Not before I repay my oxherd my own first.

585

Pisthetaerus: If they think of you as a god, you as life, you as earth, you as Cronus, you as Poseidon,

Pisthetairos: All these things will be present for them.

Epops: Speak now to me one of the good things.

Pisthetaerus: first of all, the thieves do not eat their wine-roses,

Pisthetaerus: But a single ambush of owls and kestrels will crush them.

Pisthetaerus: Then the jackdaws and hornets are always devouring the figs,

590

Pisthetaerus: But a single flock of quails will pick them all clean.

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

570. mvp-tlg0019-tlg006-sanjaya-com-eng1-26

Line 570

ἥσθην σέρφῳ σφαγιαζομένῳ. βροντάτω νῦν ὁ μέγας Ζάν.

Aristophanes Birds 570

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 570

Current edition Experimental

Ἔποψ

ὦ Κεβριόνη καὶ Πορφυρίων ὡς σμερδαλέον τὸ πόλισμα.

Ἐυελπίδης

ἥσθην σέρφῳ σφαγιαζομένῳ. βροντάτω νῦν ὁ μέγας Ζάν.
570

Χορός

καὶ πῶς ἡμᾶς νομιοῦσι θεοὺς ἄνθρωποι κοὐχὶ κολοιούς,

οἳ πετόμεσθα πτέρυγάς τʼ ἔχομεν;

Ἐυελπίδης

ὁ Ζεὺς δʼ ἡμῖν οὐ βροντήσας πέμψει πτερόεντα κεραυνόν;

Ἐυελπίδης

οὐκ ἐθελήσει μὰ Δίʼ, ἀλλʼ ὄψει προφάσεις αὐτὴν παρέχουσαν.

Ἐυελπίδης

μὴ πρίν γʼ ἂν ἐγὼ τὼ βοιδαρίω τὠμὼ πρώτιστʼ ἀποδῶμαι.
585

Πισθέταιρος

ἢν δʼ ἡγῶνται σὲ θεὸν σὲ βίον σὲ δὲ γῆν σὲ Κρόνον σὲ Ποσειδῶ,

ἀγάθʼ αὐτοῖσιν πάντα παρέσται.

Ἔποψ

λέγε δή μοι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἕν.

Pisthetaerus

550 First I advise that the birds gather together in one city and that they build a wall of great bricks, like that at Babylon , round the plains of the air and the whole region of space that divides earth from heaven.

Epops

Oh, Cebriones! oh, Porphyrion! what a terribly strong place!

Euelpides

570 This notion of an immolated gnat delights me! And now let the great Zeus thunder!

Leader of the Chorus

But how will mankind recognize us as gods and not as jays? Us, who have wings and fly?

Pisthetaerus

You talk rubbish! Hermes is a god and has wings and flies, and so do many other gods. First of all, Victory flies with golden wings, Eros is undoubtedly winged too, 575 and Iris is compared by Homer to a timorous dove.

Euelpides

But will not Zeus thunder and send his winged bolts against us?

Pisthetaerus

If men in their blindness do not recognize us as gods and so continue to worship the dwellers in Olympus ? Then a cloud of sparrows greedy for corn must descend upon their fields and eat up all their seeds; 580 we shall see then if Demeter will mete them out any wheat.

Euelpides

By Zeus, she'll take good care she does not, and you will see her inventing a thousand excuses.

Pisthetaerus

The crows too will prove your divinity to them by pecking out the eyes of their flocks and of their draught-oxen; and then let Apollo cure them, since he is a physician and is paid for the purpose.

Euelpides

585 Oh! don't do that! Wait first until I have sold my two young bullocks.

Pisthetaerus

If on the other hand they recognize that you are God, the principle of life, that you are Earth, Kronos, Poseidon, they shall be loaded with benefits.

Epops

Name me one of these then.

Pisthetaerus

Firstly, the locusts shall not eat up their vine-blossoms; a legion of owls and kestrels will devour them. 590 Moreover, the gnats and the gallbugs shall no longer ravage the figs; a flock of thrushes shall swallow the whole host down to the very last.

Commentary

Line 570

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 570

Current edition Experimental

Ἔποψ ὦ Κεβριόνη καὶ Πορφυρίων ὡς σμερδαλέον τὸ πόλισμα.

Ἐυελπίδης ἥσθην σέρφῳ σφαγιαζομένῳ. βροντάτω νῦν ὁ μέγας Ζάν. 570

Χορός καὶ πῶς ἡμᾶς νομιοῦσι θεοὺς ἄνθρωποι κοὐχὶ κολοιούς, οἳ πετόμεσθα πτέρυγάς τʼ ἔχομεν;

Ἐυελπίδης ὁ Ζεὺς δʼ ἡμῖν οὐ βροντήσας πέμψει πτερόεντα κεραυνόν;

Ἐυελπίδης οὐκ ἐθελήσει μὰ Δίʼ, ἀλλʼ ὄψει προφάσεις αὐτὴν παρέχουσαν.

Ἐυελπίδης μὴ πρίν γʼ ἂν ἐγὼ τὼ βοιδαρίω τὠμὼ πρώτιστʼ ἀποδῶμαι. 585

Πισθέταιρος ἢν δʼ ἡγῶνται σὲ θεὸν σὲ βίον σὲ δὲ γῆν σὲ Κρόνον σὲ Ποσειδῶ, ἀγάθʼ αὐτοῖσιν πάντα παρέσται.

Ἔποψ λέγε δή μοι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἕν.

Pisthetaerus 550 First I advise that the birds gather together in one city and that they build a wall of great bricks, like that at Babylon , round the plains of the air and the whole region of space that divides earth from heaven.

Epops Oh, Cebriones! oh, Porphyrion! what a terribly strong place!

Euelpides 570 This notion of an immolated gnat delights me! And now let the great Zeus thunder!

Leader of the Chorus But how will mankind recognize us as gods and not as jays? Us, who have wings and fly?

Pisthetaerus You talk rubbish! Hermes is a god and has wings and flies, and so do many other gods. First of all, Victory flies with golden wings, Eros is undoubtedly winged too, 575 and Iris is compared by Homer to a timorous dove.

Euelpides But will not Zeus thunder and send his winged bolts against us?

Pisthetaerus If men in their blindness do not recognize us as gods and so continue to worship the dwellers in Olympus ? Then a cloud of sparrows greedy for corn must descend upon their fields and eat up all their seeds; 580 we shall see then if Demeter will mete them out any wheat.

Euelpides By Zeus, she'll take good care she does not, and you will see her inventing a thousand excuses.

Pisthetaerus The crows too will prove your divinity to them by pecking out the eyes of their flocks and of their draught-oxen; and then let Apollo cure them, since he is a physician and is paid for the purpose.

Euelpides 585 Oh! don't do that! Wait first until I have sold my two young bullocks.

Pisthetaerus If on the other hand they recognize that you are God, the principle of life, that you are Earth, Kronos, Poseidon, they shall be loaded with benefits.

Epops Name me one of these then.

Pisthetaerus Firstly, the locusts shall not eat up their vine-blossoms; a legion of owls and kestrels will devour them. 590 Moreover, the gnats and the gallbugs shall no longer ravage the figs; a flock of thrushes shall swallow the whole host down to the very last.

Commentary

Line 570

Stable identifiers

Ἔποψ

ὦ Κεβριόνη καὶ Πορφυρίων ὡς σμερδαλέον τὸ πόλισμα.

Ἐυελπίδης

ἥσθην σέρφῳ σφαγιαζομένῳ. βροντάτω νῦν ὁ μέγας Ζάν.
570

Χορός

καὶ πῶς ἡμᾶς νομιοῦσι θεοὺς ἄνθρωποι κοὐχὶ κολοιούς,

οἳ πετόμεσθα πτέρυγάς τʼ ἔχομεν;

Ἐυελπίδης

ὁ Ζεὺς δʼ ἡμῖν οὐ βροντήσας πέμψει πτερόεντα κεραυνόν;

Ἐυελπίδης

οὐκ ἐθελήσει μὰ Δίʼ, ἀλλʼ ὄψει προφάσεις αὐτὴν παρέχουσαν.

Ἐυελπίδης

μὴ πρίν γʼ ἂν ἐγὼ τὼ βοιδαρίω τὠμὼ πρώτιστʼ ἀποδῶμαι.
585

Πισθέταιρος

ἢν δʼ ἡγῶνται σὲ θεὸν σὲ βίον σὲ δὲ γῆν σὲ Κρόνον σὲ Ποσειδῶ,

ἀγάθʼ αὐτοῖσιν πάντα παρέσται.

Ἔποψ

λέγε δή μοι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἕν.

Pisthetaerus

550 First I advise that the birds gather together in one city and that they build a wall of great bricks, like that at Babylon , round the plains of the air and the whole region of space that divides earth from heaven.

Epops

Oh, Cebriones! oh, Porphyrion! what a terribly strong place!

Euelpides

570 This notion of an immolated gnat delights me! And now let the great Zeus thunder!

Leader of the Chorus

But how will mankind recognize us as gods and not as jays? Us, who have wings and fly?

Pisthetaerus

You talk rubbish! Hermes is a god and has wings and flies, and so do many other gods. First of all, Victory flies with golden wings, Eros is undoubtedly winged too, 575 and Iris is compared by Homer to a timorous dove.

Euelpides

But will not Zeus thunder and send his winged bolts against us?

Pisthetaerus

If men in their blindness do not recognize us as gods and so continue to worship the dwellers in Olympus ? Then a cloud of sparrows greedy for corn must descend upon their fields and eat up all their seeds; 580 we shall see then if Demeter will mete them out any wheat.

Euelpides

By Zeus, she'll take good care she does not, and you will see her inventing a thousand excuses.

Pisthetaerus

The crows too will prove your divinity to them by pecking out the eyes of their flocks and of their draught-oxen; and then let Apollo cure them, since he is a physician and is paid for the purpose.

Euelpides

585 Oh! don't do that! Wait first until I have sold my two young bullocks.

Pisthetaerus

If on the other hand they recognize that you are God, the principle of life, that you are Earth, Kronos, Poseidon, they shall be loaded with benefits.

Epops

Name me one of these then.

Pisthetaerus

Firstly, the locusts shall not eat up their vine-blossoms; a legion of owls and kestrels will devour them. 590 Moreover, the gnats and the gallbugs shall no longer ravage the figs; a flock of thrushes shall swallow the whole host down to the very last.