Aristophanes Lysistrata 1216

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Lysistrata. Aristophanes. . Publication date not supplied in legacy source.

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Current edition Experimental

Lysistrata (OCR draft) (English) (English (Jack Lindsay). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Λυσιστράτη Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.) — 1216 focus
Translations (1)
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.) — 1216 focus

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

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Line 1248

τὼς κυρσανίως ὦ Μναμοΰνα
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.

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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.

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Line 1252

πρὤκροον σιοείκελοι
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.

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Line 1255

ἆγεν ᾇπερ τὼς κάπρως
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.

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Line 1256

θάγοντας οἰῶ τὸν ὀδόντα·
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.

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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.

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Line 1261

τᾶς ψάμμας τοὶ Πέρσαι.
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.

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Line 1281

ἐπὶ δὲ δίδυμον ἀγέχορον
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.

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Line 1282

Ἰήιον
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.

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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.

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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.

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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.