695.
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Line 695
αἰετὸν τίκτοντα κάνθαρός σε μαιεύσομαι.
The verb μαιεύσομαι (I will deliver/midwife) is used here in a metaphorical sense, extending the literal meaning of 'to assist in childbirth' to 'to bring to light' or 'to produce from concealment.' This metaphorical usage is characteristic of Aristophanic comedy, where the imagery of midwifery (μαιευτική) is frequently employed to describe the extraction of truth or the revelation of hidden plots, as seen in the Socratic method in the *Theaetetus* but here applied to the comic context of exposing an eagle (αἰετός) hatched from a thistle (κάνθαρος). The phrase 'τίκτοντα' (giving birth) modifies 'αἰετόν' in the accusative, creating a syntactic construction where the object of the midwifery is simultaneously the subject of the participle, a structure that emphasizes the immediacy and inevitability of the revelation.
721.
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Line 721
κατέλαβον ᾗ τοῦ Πανός ἐστι ταὐλίον,
The phrase ᾗ τοῦ Πανός ἐστι ταὐλίον contains a crux regarding the location of the 'sheepfold' (ταὐλίον). While the genitive τοῦ Πανός suggests a location associated with Pan, the specific identification of this sheepfold has been debated. Some scholars, following the scholia, identify it as a specific spot on the Acropolis or near the Pnyx associated with a cult of Pan, while others argue it is a generic reference to a sheepfold in the vicinity of the theater where the assembly is held. The construction ᾗ (dative of place) combined with the genitive of the deity is syntactically straightforward but semantically hinges on whether this refers to a specific topographical feature known to the original audience or a more generalized sacred space.
723.
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Line 723
τὴν δʼ αὐτομολοῦσαν, τὴν δʼ ἐπὶ στρούθου †μίαν†
The text presents a significant crux at the end of the sentence: the word †μίαν† is marked with dagger symbols in critical editions, indicating it is a corruption or conjecture. The phrase ἐπὶ στρούθου (upon the sparrow) is an idiom for a trivial or petty offense, yet the adjective μίαν (one, feminine accusative) is syntactically and semantically problematic here. Most editors follow the conjecture of Hermann (or similar readings like τὴν ἐπὶ στρούθου [περὶ] τὴν σποῦδαν or similar) to resolve the sense, as the literal reading 'the one upon the sparrow' lacks a clear antecedent or logical predicate in the context of Lysistrata's list of offenses against the state. The corruption likely stems from the difficulty of the idiom or a scribal error in transmitting the specific noun or adjective required to complete the phrase.
735.
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Line 735
τάλαινʼ ἐγώ, τάλαινα τῆς Ἀμοργίδος,
The adjective τάλαινα agrees with ἐγώ in gender (feminine) and number (singular), a standard construction for a female speaker, but the genitive phrase τῆς Ἀμοργίδος is syntactically elliptical for τῆς Ἀμοργίδος [πολιτείας] or [γῆς]. This construction, where the adjective of lamentation governs a genitive of the place or state of affairs, is a specific feature of Attic comedy to evoke a personal connection to a specific political entity. Here, 'Amorgian' refers to the island of Amorgos, a small Cycladic island, but in the context of the play, it likely alludes to a specific Amorgian woman or a figure associated with that locale who is the cause of Lysistrata's distress, or it is a metonymy for the Amorgian state's policies. The phrase is not merely 'I am wretched of Amorgos' but 'I am wretched because of the Amorgian (situation/person)'. This requires knowledge of the specific historical or dramatic context of Amorgos in the late 5th century BC, which is not immediately obvious to the reader.
754.
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Line 754
ὁ τόκος ἔτʼ ἐν πόλει, τέκοιμʼ ἐς τὴν κυνῆν
The line relies on a pun between the noun τόκος (interest on money, birth) and the verb τέκοιμι (I might give birth). The humor hinges on the syntactic shift from a statement of fact regarding the city's financial state to a subjunctive wish for a specific, grotesque mode of delivery ('into the dog's hide/bag'), transforming the abstract concept of 'interest' into a physical, comic birth. This is a classic Aristophanic 'comic etymology' where the semantic field of 'birth' and 'profit' are conflated through morphological resemblance.
757.
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Line 757
οὐ τἀμφιδρόμια τῆς κυνῆς αὐτοῦ μενεῖς;
The phrase τἀμφιδρόμια τῆς κυνῆς is a specific reference to the 'double-running' or 'crossing' of a dog's harness (the straps that go around the neck and chest), a metaphor for the entanglements or constraints of domestic life. In this context, Lysistrata is using the image of a dog's harness to describe the inescapable and irritating nature of her husband's domestic obligations or perhaps his stubbornness, implying that he cannot escape the 'straps' of his household duties. This metaphor is rooted in the everyday life of Athenian households and reflects the play's broader theme of domestic strife and the constraints of marriage.
759.
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Line 759
ἐξ οὗ τὸν ὄφιν εἶδον τὸν οἰκουρόν ποτε.
The adjective οἰκουρόν (oikouron) is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, formed from οἶκος (house) and ἔρρω (I run), meaning 'house-running' or 'household-running'. In this context, it is a comic neologism referring to the household snake, a creature traditionally believed to bring good fortune and protect the home, which Lysistrata invokes to symbolize the domestic sphere she seeks to reclaim. The construction is a rare example of Aristophanes creating a compound adjective to describe a mythological or folkloric entity for satirical effect, playing on the snake's role as a guardian of the household oikos.
771.
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Line 771
τοὺς ἔποπας φεύγουσαι, ἀπόσχωνταί τε φαλήτων,
The verb ἀπόσχωνταί is a future middle indicative of ἀπέχω, used here with the genitive φαλήτων ('penises') to mean 'refrain from' or 'abstain from'. While ἀπέχω with the genitive is standard for physical holding or separation, the specific construction of the future middle with a genitive of the object being avoided in this imperative context (implied by the participle φεύγουσαι) reflects the comic tone of a threat or command. The form φαλήτων is the genitive plural of φαλλός, a term for the phallus, which in the context of the chorus of women (Lysistrata) alludes to the specific sexual abstinence they are enforcing upon the men, contrasting with the 'penises' (φαλλοί) worn by the male chorus in the preceding scenes of the play. This usage highlights the central theme of the play: the strategic withholding of sexual access as a political tool.
785.
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Line 785
οὕτως ἦν νεανίσκος Μελανίων τις,
The construction οὕτως ἦν with a following noun phrase (νεανίσκος Μελανίων τις) serves as a narrative introduction to a character, a formulaic usage common in comedy and historiography to signal the emergence of a new actor or the focus of a specific anecdote. While the indefinite τις is standard, its placement after the proper name in apposition to the common noun, combined with the demonstrative οὕτως ('such was the case that...' or 'in this manner...'), creates a specific narrative pivot point often found in the parabasis or in the recitation of a *fabula* within the play, distinguishing it from a simple descriptive statement.
796.
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Line 796
τοῦ Μελανίωνος οἱ σώφρονες.
This phrase functions as a sarcastic epithet or ironic tag rather than a full syntactic clause. The genitive τοῦ Μελανίωνος (of Melanion) likely refers to Melanion, a figure mentioned in Aristophanes' lost play *The Babylonians* or potentially conflated with the character Melanthus, though the specific association here relies on lost comic tradition or a specific local Athenian reference not preserved in the standard scholia. The adjective σώφρονες (sober/wise) is used with heavy irony, contrasting the perceived recklessness of the chorus or the situation with the name of a man whose historical or mythical persona might have been associated with folly or a specific negative trait known to the original audience but obscure to modern readers without specific prosopographical knowledge of Athenian comic character types.
822.
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Line 822
The phrase '†ἔδεισά γε.†' is bracketed in critical editions (e.g., Diggle, Thomson) as a suspected interpolation or scribal gloss. The particle γε, while common, here creates a syntactically awkward emphasis following the negative 'μηδαμῶς' that is atypical for Aristophanes' tight, rapid-fire dialogue in this scene. The interpolation theory suggests the phrase was added by a scribe attempting to clarify Lysistrata's hesitation or to balance the line metrically, though it disrupts the immediate, punchy rejection of the preceding argument. Its exclusion restores the standard comic rhythm of a curt denial.
826.
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Line 826
καίπερ οὔσης γραὸς ὄντʼ αὐτὸν
The construction καίπερ οὔσης ... ὄντʼ αὐτὸν presents a notable syntactic anomaly: the genitive absolute (οὔσης γραὸς) is juxtaposed with a nominative participle (ὄντʼ) that agrees with the subject of the main clause, yet the ὄντʼ is separated from its antecedent by the intervening genitive phrase and the enclitic αὐτὸν. This creates a momentary ambiguity regarding the syntactic attachment of ὄντʼ, which resolves only upon recognizing that ὄντʼ αὐτὸν functions as a predicative nominative participle modifying the subject of the main verb (implied or explicit in the broader context), while καίπερ οὔσης γραὸς forms a concessive genitive absolute. The elision in ὄντʼ and the placement of αὐτὸν after the participle reflect Aristophanes' characteristic compression and rhythmic play, but the structural tension between the two participial forms demands careful parsing to avoid misattributing the case agreement.
827.
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Line 827
κομήτην, ἀλλʼ ἀπεψιλωμένον
The noun κομήτην (komētēn) is used here not in its primary astronomical sense ('comet' or 'long-haired star'), which would be anachronistic for the context of a man's appearance, but as a metaphor for 'long-haired' or 'befuddled' (from κόμη, 'hair'). The adjective ἀπεψιλωμένον (apepsilōmenon) is a rare, humorous coinage derived from ψιλόω ('to shave' or 'make bald'), functioning as a verbal adjective in the perfect passive participle. The phrase creates a comic antithesis: a 'comet' (implying long, wild hair) that has been 'shaved bald,' mocking the pretensions of a philosopher or a specific character type associated with unkempt appearance. This juxtaposition relies on the audience's recognition of the astronomical term as a pun on physical hair, a specific Aristophanic device that requires noting the semantic shift of κομήτης in this comedic context.
834.
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Line 834
μεδέουσʼ, ἴθʼ ὀρθὴν ἥνπερ ἔρχι τὴν ὁδόν.
The form ἥνπερ is a relative pronoun with the enclitic particle -περ, functioning here as an emphatic demonstrative ('the very road' or 'the right road itself'). In Attic comedy, this construction often serves to mark a path or manner as the singular, correct option in contrast to potential alternatives, reinforcing the imperative's urgency. The particle -περ here is not merely emphatic in a generic sense but specifically restricts the scope of 'road' to the one that is 'straight' (ὀρθήν), creating a tight semantic link between the moral and physical direction of the journey.
835b.
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Line 835b
The phrase παρὰ τὸ τῆς Χλόης is a fragmentary reference to a specific location or object associated with a woman named Chloe. In the context of the Lysistrata, this likely alludes to the 'house of Chloe' (οἶκος τῆς Χλόης), a known brothel or a location associated with sexual licentiousness, which serves as a satirical contrast to the domestic and political setting of the play. The preposition παρὰ here indicates proximity or location ('at' or 'near'), and the genitive τῆς Χλόης identifies the owner or occupant. This is a rare and specific reference that requires knowledge of Athenian social geography and the character of Chloe, who is not a major figure but is mentioned in other comedic texts as a courtesan.
846.
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Line 846
χὠ τέτανος ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τροχοῦ στρεβλούμενον.
The term τέτανος here functions as a technical medical term for the 'spasm' or 'convulsion' associated with tetanus, distinct from its general sense of 'tension' or 'strain.' Aristophanes exploits this clinical terminology for comic effect, equating the physical spasms of the character's body with the mechanical action of a turning wheel (ἐπὶ τροχοῦ), thereby visualizing the grotesque contortion of the body as a deliberate, machine-like process.
