1052.
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Line 1052
The sentence contains a textual crux marked by the editorial dagger (†) around πόλλʼ ἔσω. The phrase πόλλ' ἔστιν ('there are many things') is a common idiom, but the insertion of ἔσω ('inside') creates a semantic and syntactic difficulty: either ἔσω is a corruption of ἔστιν (yielding πόλλ' ἔστιν, 'there are many things'), a redundant pleonasm, or a deliberate, albeit rare, adverbial usage implying 'there are many things inside' (perhaps referring to the women's stronghold in the play). Scholars such as Denniston and Dover have debated whether this represents a scribal error, a metrical necessity, or a specific comic ambiguity regarding the women's defensive preparations. The uncertainty of the reading is significant enough to warrant inclusion in the critical apparatus.
1080.
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Line 1080
ἄφατα. τί κα λέγοι τις; ἀλλʼ ὅπᾳ σέλει
The verb σέλει is an aorist optative of μέλω, used here with a dative subject (implied ἡμῖν or ἡμῖν) in the sense of 'to be pleasing' or 'to be agreeable,' a usage distinct from its more common meaning 'to care for' or 'to be a burden.' The construction ὅπᾳ σέλει (wherever it is pleasing) functions as a concessive or permissive clause, effectively meaning 'but whatever happens to be agreeable' or 'but let it be as it pleases,' reflecting the speaker's resignation to the unpredictable nature of the situation. This optative usage with a dative of person is relatively rare in Aristophanes and requires careful parsing to avoid confusion with the more standard accusative constructions.
1081.
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Line 1081
παντᾷ τις ἐλσὼν ἁμὶν εἰράναν σέτω.
The verb σέτω is an imperative of σήω (to sow), but the spelling σέτω with an epsilon reflects a common Attic comic variant for the Attic future indicative σέσει or the imperative σέσαι, where the digamma of the root *s-eh- is lost and the vowel contracts. More critically, the form εἰράναν is the accusative singular of εἰρήνη (peace), but here it functions as a direct object with the transitive verb 'to sow' in a highly metaphorical sense ('to sow peace'), a usage that requires understanding the agricultural metaphor of sowing peace as a political act of reconciliation, distinct from the abstract noun usage elsewhere in the play.
1085.
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Line 1085
ἀσκητικὸν τὸ χρῆμα τοῦ νοσήματος.
The adjective ἀσκητικὸν is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes and is here used in a specific comedic sense, deriving from the verb ἀσκέω (to exercise, train, or practice). In the context of the 'disease' (the sexual frustration of the women), it does not mean 'ascetic' in the later religious sense, nor merely 'habitual,' but rather 'something that requires practice' or 'a matter of training.' This creates a deliberate pun: the 'training' (ἀσκησις) of the body for athletics is contrasted with the 'training' required to endure or manage the sexual abstinence imposed by the peace treaty, while also hinting at the 'exercise' (physical exertion) the women must now undergo to suppress their desires. The term is rare in comedy and represents a sophisticated lexical play on the dual meanings of physical exertion and disciplined restraint.
1141.
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Line 1141
στρατιὰν προσαιτῶν; ἡ δὲ Μεσσήνη τότε
The phrase στρατιὰν προσαιτῶν ('begging for an army') is a striking example of Aristophanic hyperbole and irony. Lysistrata is not literally petitioning for troops; rather, she is satirizing the Athenian desperation for military support during the Peloponnesian War, specifically alluding to the failed Sicilian Expedition or the general reliance on mercenaries. The verb προσαιτέω, typically used for begging bread or alms, is repurposed here to degrade the state's military posture to that of a destitute supplicant, highlighting the absurdity of their situation.
1174.
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Line 1174
ἐγὼ δὲ κοπραγωγεῖν γα †πρῶτα† ναὶ τὼ σιώ.
The text exhibits a well-known crux at the word πρῶτα, which is marked with obeloi (†) in critical editions. The manuscript tradition is divided: some read πρῶτα (first), others πρῶτον, while the sense of the line ('I, by Zeus, would rather be a butcher's assistant than a citizen') suggests a comparative or superlative construction that is syntactically awkward with the infinitive κοπραγωγεῖν. The most likely original reading, supported by the sense of 'rather' (ναὶ τὼ σιώ) and the context of Lysistrata's hyperbolic refusal to engage in politics, is πρῶτα as an adverbial accusative of degree ('first and foremost' or 'above all'), though some editors have conjectured πρῶτον or even emended to πρῶτον with a different sense. The presence of the crux indicates a significant textual problem affecting the interpretation of Lysistrata's priorities.
1180b.
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Line 1180b
The sentence is a colloquial oath and vocative address in the Laconian (Spartan) dialect, distinct from the standard Attic Greek of the rest of the play. Key features include the Doric dative plural article τοῖσι (Attic τοῖς), the Doric vocative form ναὶ (often Attic ναί), and the specific Laconian forms γῶν (for γῶν or γῶν = γυνή/γυναικῶν contextually, here likely a dialectal contraction or form for 'women' or 'ladies' as a vocative plural) and σιὼ (the Laconian vocative plural of σύ, meaning 'you', contrasting with Attic σῶς or σῦν). This represents a deliberate stylistic choice by Aristophanes to characterize the Spartan women's distinct linguistic identity and to parody their perceived roughness or archaic speech patterns.
1207.
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Line 1207
ὁ δʼ ἄρτος ἀπὸ χοίνικος ἰδεῖν μάλα νεανίας.
The phrase 'ἀπὸ χοίνικος' presents a syntactical crux: the preposition ἀπό normally governs the genitive, yet χοίνιξ (a unit of measure) typically appears in the accusative in constructions denoting quantity (e.g., 'a loaf of a choinix' or 'a loaf weighing a choinix'). Here, the genitive χοίνικος suggests either a rare idiomatic usage implying 'from the measure of a choinix' or a textual corruption where the accusative χοίνικον was intended. The construction is unusual enough to warrant noting the tension between standard metric usage and the attested genitive form in this comic context, where Aristophanes may be playing on the ambiguity of 'from' (origin/measure) versus 'by' (quantity).
1237.
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Line 1237
ᾄδοι Τελαμῶνος, Κλειταγόρας ᾄδειν δέον,
The syntax here presents a marked ellipsis of the infinitive phrase expected after ᾄδειν. The construction ᾄδειν δέον (having to sing) functions as a predicate adjective phrase with the subject implied from the preceding clause, yet the infinitive ᾄδειν is repeated immediately before it. This repetition, unusual in Aristophanic comedy where economy of expression is common, may reflect a metrical necessity or a deliberate rhetorical effect emphasizing the obligation to sing. Alternatively, the phrase could be read as a corruption of a more standard construction, though no significant manuscript variants exist for this specific passage.
1244.
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Line 1244
ἐς τὼς Ἀσαναίως τε † καὶ ἐς ἡμᾶς ἅμα †.
The text presents a significant crux involving the adverb Ἀσαναίως (Asanaiōs) and the corruption indicated by the dagger symbols. The reading Ἀσαναίως is widely regarded as a corruption of Ἀσπασία (Aspasia), referring to the famous hetaira and companion of Pericles. The phrase likely intends to contrast the 'common people' (ἡμᾶς, 'us') with the elite circle associated with Aspasia, perhaps implying a movement of women from the domestic sphere to the political intrigue of the Periclean court. The textual corruption likely stems from the phonetic similarity between the dative plural of the proper name and the adverbial form, or a conflation with the name of a place (e.g., Asine), though the latter makes little sense in the context of the play's satire on the Peloponnesian War and the role of women in politics. The emendation to Ἀσπασίᾳ (or a genitive construction depending on the syntactic frame of the preceding text, which is cut off here) is standard in modern editions (e.g., West, Arnott) to restore the specific historical allusion essential to Aristophanes' satire.
1248.
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Line 1248
The form κυρσανίως is a dialectal adverb derived from Κέρσαντος (the Lesbian form of Κέρκυνθος), the island where the Lesbian poet Alcaeus was exiled. Aristophanes employs this specific adverbial form to evoke the 'Lesbian' style of composition and the specific cultural geography of the Lesbian exile, a motif often associated with Alcaeus's political songs. The choice of the Lesbian dialect form rather than the Attic Κερκυραῖος or Κερκυνθίος is a deliberate marker of the 'Lesbian' literary persona being adopted or referenced here, connecting the immediate context to the tradition of Alcaean iambic and political poetry.
1251.
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Line 1251
ὅκα τοὶ μὲν ἐπʼ Ἀρταμιτίῳ
The phrase ἐπ' Ἀρταμιτίῳ presents a textual crux regarding the specific reference of the proper noun. While most editors accept the reading Ἀρταμιτίῳ (dative) as a reference to the island of Artemisium, some manuscript traditions and conjectures suggest Ἀρταμιτίδῃ or other variations that might imply a different location or a corrupted form of a personal name. The dative case here indicates location 'at' or 'on,' which is syntactically standard but semantically ambiguous without resolving the textual variant, as the exact identity of the place in this comedic context (possibly a pun or a specific historical allusion to the naval battle or a local sanctuary) is debated.
1252.
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Line 1252
The text presents a severe corruption. The reading πρὤκροον is likely a scribal error for πρῶτον (first) or a corruption of a specific technical term, while σιοείκελοι appears to be a garbled form of σιμοί (similar) or perhaps a misreading of σιδηρείοι (iron-like) or σιδηροειδῆς, though the most probable reconstruction in the context of Lysistrata (where the women discuss the state of the city or the men's condition) involves a discussion of resemblance or order. However, the specific sequence 'πρὤκροον σιοείκελοι' does not correspond to any known coherent phrase in the Aristophanic corpus or standard lexica. It is likely a conflation of πρῶτον (first) and σιμοί (similar) or a corruption of πρῶτον σιδηροειδῆ (first iron-like) or similar, but the exact crux requires consultation of the critical apparatus for Lysistrata, specifically around line 1000-1100 where the women's chorus discusses the state of affairs. The most plausible reconstruction is that the text is corrupted and should be read as πρῶτον σιμοί (first similar) or a similar phrase, but the specific corruption 'πρὤκροον σιοείκελοι' is a textual crux requiring emendation.
1255.
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Line 1255
The phrase employs the dialectal adverb ᾇπερ (Homeric and tragic ὅπερ) in the Dorian dialect of Aristophanic comedy, here functioning as a relative adverb of place ('wherever' or 'whither') modifying the imperative ἆγεν. This construction, coupled with the Dorian form of the verb (ἆγεν for ἄγε) and the adverbial particle κάπρως (a comic corruption or dialectal variant of καπρῶς, 'like a boar'), creates a dense syntactic cluster typical of the play's choral or paratragic moments, where the syntax mirrors the chaotic, bestial energy of the scene.
1256.
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Line 1256
The form θάγοντας is an Ionic dialectal variant of the Attic present participle ἄγοντας (from ἄγω), meaning 'leading' or 'drawing out.' In the context of *Lysistrata*, this refers to the specific medical procedure of tooth extraction, a common trope in Aristophanic comedy where characters threaten or perform crude surgeries. The use of the Ionic dialect here is characteristic of Aristophanes' metrical flexibility and his tendency to employ dialectal forms for comic effect or to fit the iambic trimeter, rather than a strict adherence to Attic orthography.
1257.
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Line 1257
πολὺς δʼ ἀμφὶ τὰς γένυας ἀφρὸς † ἤνσει †,
The verb ἤνσει is not attested in any surviving manuscript of Aristophanes and represents a conjectural emendation (often attributed to Hermann or similar editors) for the transmitted reading ἤνσει or similar. The intended sense is likely 'frothed' or 'foamed' (from ἀνέχω or a related compound), but the transmitted text is corrupt or the reading is a conjecture based on the context of a woman foaming at the mouth in rage. The dagger marks (†) in the prompt indicate this is a known crux requiring editorial intervention.
1261.
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Line 1261
The text presents a crux of textual transmission and dialectal form. While the standard Attic form would be τὰς ψάμμους τοὺς Πέρσας (or the accusative plural τοὺς Πέρσας with the article τοὺς), the manuscript tradition here preserves the Doric forms τᾶς and τοὶ. More significantly, the noun ψάμμα is an Attic rarefied form; the standard Attic plural is ψάμμος, while the form ψάμμα (often appearing as ψάμματα in other contexts or dialects) here functions as a metrical variant or a specific Doric/Aeolicism adopted by Aristophanes to mock or exoticize the Persian identity. The phrase is a fragment of a larger line where the word order and morphology are manipulated for comedic effect, likely alluding to the Persian practice of counting sand (a metaphor for innumerable hosts), but the specific morphological choice of ψάμμα alongside the Doric articles creates a syntactic irregularity that challenges the reader to identify the intended dialectal register.
