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Epopus: Yes, by Zeus, I am not drowsy anymore.

Epops: It is time for us, and we should not delay,

640

Epops: but we must do something as quickly as possible; first of all

Epops: Come into my nest, please.

Epopos: and my chaff and the present twigs,

Epops: And tell us this name too.

Pisthetaerus: but it is easy.

Pisthetaerus: My name is Pisthetaerus, to this man

Pisthetaerus: Euelpides from Crios.

645

Hoopoe: but farewell

Ἔποψ: both.

Pisthetaerus: We accept.

hoopoe: then come in here.

Pisthetaerus: Let us go; you lead the way, taking us with you.

Epops: Go.

Pisthetairos: But the thing is, come back here again.

Pisthetaerus: Come, let me see, tell us, how I and this man

Pisthetaerus: Shall we accompany you who are flying, or those who are not flying?

650

Epops: "Well done."

Pisthetaerus: Look now, as in Aesop's fables

Pisthetaerus: it is said, to be sure, about the fox, as

Pisthetairos: He once consorted with an eagle in a shameful way.

Epops: Do not be afraid at all; for there is a root.

Eops: You who have been torn to pieces, you will be winged.

655

Pisthetairos: Let us enter this way. Come on now, Xanthias.

Pisthetaerus: And Manodorus, take the mattresses.

Birds. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

English (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.) — 639 focus

Ἔποψ

καὶ μὴν μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὐχὶ νυστάζειν ἔτι

ὥρα ʼστὶν ἡμῖν οὐδὲ μελλονικιᾶν,
640

ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστα δεῖ τι δρᾶν· πρῶτον δέ γε

εἰσέλθετʼ ἐς νεοττιάν γε τὴν ἐμὴν

καὶ τἀμὰ κάρφη καὶ τὰ παρόντα φρύγανα,

καὶ τοὔνομʼ ἡμῖν φράσατον.

Πισθέταιρος

ἀλλὰ ῥᾴδιον.

ἐμοὶ μὲν ὄνομα Πισθέταιρος, τῳδεδὶ

Εὐελπίδης Κριῶθεν.
645

Ἔποψ

ἀλλὰ χαίρετον

ἄμφω.

Πισθέταιρος

δεχόμεθα.

Ἔποψ

δεῦρο τοίνυν εἴσιτον.

Πισθέταιρος

ἴωμεν· εἰσηγοῦ σὺ λαβὼν ἡμᾶς.

Ἔποψ

ἴθι.

Πισθέταιρος

ἀτὰρ τὸ δεῖνα, δεῦρʼ ἐπανάκρουσαι πάλιν.

φέρʼ ἴδω, φράσον νῷν, πῶς ἐγώ τε χοὐτοσὶ

ξυνεσόμεθʼ ὑμῖν πετομένοις οὐ πετομένω;
650

Ἔποψ

καλῶς.

Πισθέταιρος

ὅρα νυν, ὡς ἐν Αἰσώπου λόγοις

ἐστὶν λεγόμενον δή τι, τὴν ἀλώπεχʼ, ὡς

φλαύρως ἐκοινώνησεν αἰετῷ ποτέ.

Ἔποψ

μηδὲν φοβηθῇς· ἔστι γάρ τι ῥιζίον,

ὃ διατραγόντʼ ἔσεσθον ἐπτερωμένω.
655

Πισθέταιρος

οὕτω μὲν εἰσίωμεν. ἄγε δὴ Ξανθία

καὶ Μανόδωρε λαμβάνετε τὰ στρώματα.

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.) — 639 focus

Epops

By Zeus! it's no longer 640 the time to delay and loiter like Nicias; let us act as promptly as possible.... In the first place, come, enter my nest built of brushwood and blades of straw, and tell me your names.

Pisthetaerus

That is soon done; my name is Pisthetaerus, and his, 645 Euelpides, of the deme Crioa.

Epops

Good! and good luck to you.

Pisthetaerus

We accept the omen.

Epops

Come in here.

Pisthetaerus

Very well, you are the one who must lead us and introduce us.

Epops

Come then.

Pisthetaerus
Pisthetaerus starts to fly away, then stops himself.

Oh! my god! do come back here. Hi! tell us how 650 we are to follow you. You can fly, but we cannot.

Epops

Well, well.

Pisthetaerus

Remember Aesop's fables. It is told there that the fox fared very badly, because he had made an alliance with the eagle.

Epops

Be at ease. You shall eat a certain root 655 and wings will grow on your shoulders.

Pisthetaerus

Then let us enter. Xanthias and Manodorus, pick up our baggage.

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

655. mvp-tlg0019-tlg006-sanjaya-com-eng1-31

Line 655

ὃ διατραγόντʼ ἔσεσθον ἐπτερωμένω.

The verb διατραγόντ' (a future participle of διατραγωδέω) is a unique formation in Aristophanes, combining the prefix δια- with a stem derived from τραγῳδέω. While the future tense of participles is rare in Classical Attic (typically restricted to specific periphrastic or predictive contexts), here it functions predicatively to describe the subjects' future state of being 'tragedized' or treated as tragic figures, a pun on the word 'tragedy' (tragōidia) and the physical act of being 'carried off' or 'trampled' (tragō). This lexical innovation relies on the audience's familiarity with the tragic genre's conventions to create a satirical prediction that the birds will soon be subjected to the same fate as the tragic heroes in the Dionysia.

Aristophanes Birds 639

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Πισθέταιρος

ἀλλὰ ῥᾴδιον.

ἐμοὶ μὲν ὄνομα Πισθέταιρος, τῳδεδὶ

Εὐελπίδης Κριῶθεν.
645

Ἔποψ

ἀλλὰ χαίρετον

ἄμφω.

Πισθέταιρος

δεχόμεθα.

Ἔποψ

δεῦρο τοίνυν εἴσιτον.

Πισθέταιρος

ἴωμεν· εἰσηγοῦ σὺ λαβὼν ἡμᾶς.

Ἔποψ

ἴθι.

Πισθέταιρος

ἀτὰρ τὸ δεῖνα, δεῦρʼ ἐπανάκρουσαι πάλιν.

φέρʼ ἴδω, φράσον νῷν, πῶς ἐγώ τε χοὐτοσὶ

ξυνεσόμεθʼ ὑμῖν πετομένοις οὐ πετομένω;
650

Ἔποψ

καλῶς.

Πισθέταιρος

ὅρα νυν, ὡς ἐν Αἰσώπου λόγοις

ἐστὶν λεγόμενον δή τι, τὴν ἀλώπεχʼ, ὡς

φλαύρως ἐκοινώνησεν αἰετῷ ποτέ.

Ἔποψ

μηδὲν φοβηθῇς· ἔστι γάρ τι ῥιζίον,

ὃ διατραγόντʼ ἔσεσθον ἐπτερωμένω.
655

Πισθέταιρος

οὕτω μὲν εἰσίωμεν. ἄγε δὴ Ξανθία

καὶ Μανόδωρε λαμβάνετε τὰ στρώματα.

Epops

By Zeus! it's no longer 640 the time to delay and loiter like Nicias; let us act as promptly as possible.... In the first place, come, enter my nest built of brushwood and blades of straw, and tell me your names.

Pisthetaerus

That is soon done; my name is Pisthetaerus, and his, 645 Euelpides, of the deme Crioa.

Epops

Good! and good luck to you.

Pisthetaerus

We accept the omen.

Epops

Come in here.

Pisthetaerus

Very well, you are the one who must lead us and introduce us.

Epops

Come then.

Pisthetaerus
Pisthetaerus starts to fly away, then stops himself.

Oh! my god! do come back here. Hi! tell us how 650 we are to follow you. You can fly, but we cannot.

Epops

Well, well.

Pisthetaerus

Remember Aesop's fables. It is told there that the fox fared very badly, because he had made an alliance with the eagle.

Epops

Be at ease. You shall eat a certain root 655 and wings will grow on your shoulders.

Pisthetaerus

Then let us enter. Xanthias and Manodorus, pick up our baggage.

Commentary

Line 655

Stable identifiers

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Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Experimental

Πισθέταιρος ἀλλὰ ῥᾴδιον. ἐμοὶ μὲν ὄνομα Πισθέταιρος, τῳδεδὶ Εὐελπίδης Κριῶθεν. 645

Ἔποψ ἀλλὰ χαίρετον ἄμφω.

Πισθέταιρος δεχόμεθα.

Ἔποψ δεῦρο τοίνυν εἴσιτον.

Πισθέταιρος ἴωμεν· εἰσηγοῦ σὺ λαβὼν ἡμᾶς.

Ἔποψ ἴθι.

Πισθέταιρος ἀτὰρ τὸ δεῖνα, δεῦρʼ ἐπανάκρουσαι πάλιν. φέρʼ ἴδω, φράσον νῷν, πῶς ἐγώ τε χοὐτοσὶ ξυνεσόμεθʼ ὑμῖν πετομένοις οὐ πετομένω; 650

Ἔποψ καλῶς.

Πισθέταιρος ὅρα νυν, ὡς ἐν Αἰσώπου λόγοις ἐστὶν λεγόμενον δή τι, τὴν ἀλώπεχʼ, ὡς φλαύρως ἐκοινώνησεν αἰετῷ ποτέ.

Ἔποψ μηδὲν φοβηθῇς· ἔστι γάρ τι ῥιζίον, ὃ διατραγόντʼ ἔσεσθον ἐπτερωμένω. 655

Πισθέταιρος οὕτω μὲν εἰσίωμεν. ἄγε δὴ Ξανθία καὶ Μανόδωρε λαμβάνετε τὰ στρώματα.

Epops By Zeus! it's no longer 640 the time to delay and loiter like Nicias; let us act as promptly as possible.... In the first place, come, enter my nest built of brushwood and blades of straw, and tell me your names.

Pisthetaerus That is soon done; my name is Pisthetaerus, and his, 645 Euelpides, of the deme Crioa.

Epops Good! and good luck to you.

Pisthetaerus We accept the omen.

Epops Come in here.

Pisthetaerus Very well, you are the one who must lead us and introduce us.

Epops Come then.

Pisthetaerus Pisthetaerus starts to fly away, then stops himself. Oh! my god! do come back here. Hi! tell us how 650 we are to follow you. You can fly, but we cannot.

Epops Well, well.

Pisthetaerus Remember Aesop's fables. It is told there that the fox fared very badly, because he had made an alliance with the eagle.

Epops Be at ease. You shall eat a certain root 655 and wings will grow on your shoulders.

Pisthetaerus Then let us enter. Xanthias and Manodorus, pick up our baggage.

Commentary

Line 655

Stable identifiers

Πισθέταιρος

ἀλλὰ ῥᾴδιον.

ἐμοὶ μὲν ὄνομα Πισθέταιρος, τῳδεδὶ

Εὐελπίδης Κριῶθεν.
645

Ἔποψ

ἀλλὰ χαίρετον

ἄμφω.

Πισθέταιρος

δεχόμεθα.

Ἔποψ

δεῦρο τοίνυν εἴσιτον.

Πισθέταιρος

ἴωμεν· εἰσηγοῦ σὺ λαβὼν ἡμᾶς.

Ἔποψ

ἴθι.

Πισθέταιρος

ἀτὰρ τὸ δεῖνα, δεῦρʼ ἐπανάκρουσαι πάλιν.

φέρʼ ἴδω, φράσον νῷν, πῶς ἐγώ τε χοὐτοσὶ

ξυνεσόμεθʼ ὑμῖν πετομένοις οὐ πετομένω;
650

Ἔποψ

καλῶς.

Πισθέταιρος

ὅρα νυν, ὡς ἐν Αἰσώπου λόγοις

ἐστὶν λεγόμενον δή τι, τὴν ἀλώπεχʼ, ὡς

φλαύρως ἐκοινώνησεν αἰετῷ ποτέ.

Ἔποψ

μηδὲν φοβηθῇς· ἔστι γάρ τι ῥιζίον,

ὃ διατραγόντʼ ἔσεσθον ἐπτερωμένω.
655

Πισθέταιρος

οὕτω μὲν εἰσίωμεν. ἄγε δὴ Ξανθία

καὶ Μανόδωρε λαμβάνετε τὰ στρώματα.

Epops

By Zeus! it's no longer 640 the time to delay and loiter like Nicias; let us act as promptly as possible.... In the first place, come, enter my nest built of brushwood and blades of straw, and tell me your names.

Pisthetaerus

That is soon done; my name is Pisthetaerus, and his, 645 Euelpides, of the deme Crioa.

Epops

Good! and good luck to you.

Pisthetaerus

We accept the omen.

Epops

Come in here.

Pisthetaerus

Very well, you are the one who must lead us and introduce us.

Epops

Come then.

Pisthetaerus
Pisthetaerus starts to fly away, then stops himself.

Oh! my god! do come back here. Hi! tell us how 650 we are to follow you. You can fly, but we cannot.

Epops

Well, well.

Pisthetaerus

Remember Aesop's fables. It is told there that the fox fared very badly, because he had made an alliance with the eagle.

Epops

Be at ease. You shall eat a certain root 655 and wings will grow on your shoulders.

Pisthetaerus

Then let us enter. Xanthias and Manodorus, pick up our baggage.