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.
1281.
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Line 1281
The phrase 'ἀγέχορον' (agchoron) is a hapax legomenon in extant comedy, formed from the privative alpha and ἄχωρ (choros). While the standard term for a 'leader of the chorus' is χορηγός or ἡγεμών, Aristophanes' coinage here creates a specific semantic tension: 'without a leader of the chorus' or 'leaderless chorus.' This is not merely a synonym for 'chorus' but a deliberate neologism likely functioning as a pun or a specific technical reference to a troupe that has lost its director, a situation of practical importance in the production history of the play (potentially alluding to the actual absence of the chorus leader, or a satirical jab at the state of the dramatic profession). The word's construction and rarity make it a significant lexical crux rather than a routine description.
1282.
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Line 1282
The word Ἰήιον is an adverbial form derived from Ἰή (a vocative exclamation addressed to Apollo or the god in a general sense), functioning here as an interjection or cry of alarm. In Aristophanic comedy, this usage is characteristic of the genre's tendency to blend ritualistic invocations with colloquial exclamations, often signaling a sudden shift in tone or a moment of dramatic irony. The form Ἰήιον, rather than the more common Ἰή, reflects a metrical or stylistic choice specific to the comedic context, where the elongated form may serve to heighten the emotional intensity or align with the rhythmic requirements of the iambic trimeter.
1296.
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Line 1296
Ταΰγετον αὖτʼ ἐραννὸν ἐκλιπῶα
The participle ἐκλιπῶα is an irregular Attic form of the aorist active participle of ἐκλείπω (to leave behind). While the standard Attic form is ἐκλιπών (masculine), the feminine form here (ἐκλιπῶσα) is often contracted or altered in dialectal contexts or specific metrical necessities. However, the form ἐκλιπῶα (with the alpha) is a rare Doric or poetic variant that may reflect the speaker's attempt to evoke a rustic or non-Attic tone, or it could be a metrical adjustment to fit the iambic trimeter. This construction is not typical of standard Attic prose and warrants attention for its morphological peculiarity.
1302.
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Line 1302
τοὶ δὴ πὰρ Εὐρώταν ψιάδδοντι.
The verb ψιάδδοντι is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes and a rare example of a verb derived from the noun ψιάδις (a type of lettuce or salad plant). Here it is used intransitively in the present tense, third person plural, with a sense of 'gathering lettuce' or 'making salads,' likely as a metaphor for the women's leisurely, non-martial activities in contrast to the men's war. The form is notable for its dialectal flavor (Ionic/Aeolic influence) and its playful, rustic connotation in the context of the play's domestic setting.
1319.
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Line 1319
ᾇ τις ἔλαφος· κρότον δʼ ἁμᾷ ποίει χορωφελήταν.
The phrase 'χορωφελήταν' (chorophelētan) is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, a compound noun uniquely formed here to denote a specific role within the chorus. While 'χορός' (chorus) is standard, the second element 'φελήτης' (phelētēs) is rare and etymologically debated; it likely derives from a dialectal or colloquial root related to 'phelos' (a type of flute or pipe) or potentially 'phelō' (to blow), suggesting a 'chorus-flute-player' or 'chorus-piper' who accompanies the dance. The accusative singular form with the suffix -ᾶν (rather than the expected -ᾱν or -ᾱν) reflects a specific Doric or comic dialectal variation common in Aristophanes' metrical constraints, marking a deliberate lexical invention to fit the iambic trimeter and evoke the rough, practical atmosphere of the comic chorus leader's instructions.
