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κἄπειτʼ αὐτοῖς ἡ Δημήτηρ πυροὺς πεινῶσι μετρείτω.
The verb μετρείτω is an aorist imperative active, 3rd person singular, which creates a syntactic tension with the dative plural αὐτοῖς ('to them/them') and the nominative plural subject ἡ Δημήτηρ ('Demeter'). The construction implies that Demeter is to 'measure out' grain specifically for the birds (or 'to the extent that they are hungry'), but the dative αὐτοῖς could be read as a dative of disadvantage or, more likely in this comic context, a dative of reference or interest that is somewhat loose. However, the most striking feature is the juxtaposition of the present participle πεινῶσι ('being hungry' or 'as they are hungry') with the aorist imperative. The participle πεινῶσι is present active, 3rd person plural, agreeing with the implied subject of the relative clause or the birds themselves, creating a conditional or circumstantial clause: 'and then let Demeter measure out barley to them, (while) they are hungry' or 'as they are hungry.' This structure highlights the immediacy of the birds' need versus the ritualistic action of the goddess. Furthermore, the use of πυροὺς (barley) rather than the more generic σίτου (grain) is significant for the agricultural specificity of the birds' diet, as barley was a staple for both humans and birds in the Attic context, but its precise mention here underscores the comic inversion of the natural order where birds now control the grain supply.
Birds. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.