Aristophanes Lysistrata 130

ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart

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Μυρρίνη

μὰ Δίʼ οὐδʼ ἐγὼ γάρ, ἀλλʼ ὁ πόλεμος ἑρπέτω.
130

Λυσιστράτη

ταυτὶ σὺ λέγεις ὦ ψῆττα; καὶ μὴν ἄρτι γε

ἔφησθα σαυτῆς κἂν παρατεμεῖν θἤμισυ.

Καλονίκη

ἄλλʼ ἄλλʼ ὅ τι βούλει· κἄν με χρῇ διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς

ἐθέλω βαδίζειν· τοῦτο μᾶλλον τοῦ πέους.

οὐδὲν γὰρ οἷον ὦ φίλη Λυσιστράτη.
135

Λυσιστράτη

τί δαὶ σύ;

Ἄλλη

κἀγὼ βούλομαι διὰ τοῦ πυρός.

Λυσιστράτη

ὦ παγκατάπυγον θἠμέτερον ἅπαν γένος,

οὐκ ἐτὸς ἀφʼ ἡμῶν εἰσιν αἱ τραγῳδίαι.

οὐδὲν γάρ ἐσμεν πλὴν Ποσειδῶν καὶ σκάφη.

ἀλλʼ ὦ φίλη Λάκαινα, σὺ γὰρ ἐὰν γένῃ
140

μόνη μετʼ ἐμοῦ, τὸ πρᾶγμʼ ἀνασωσαίμεσθʼ ἔτʼ ἄν,

ξυμψήφισαί μοι.

Λαμπιτώ

χαλεπὰ μὲν ναὶ τὼ σιὼ

γυναῖκάς ἐσθʼ ὑπνῶν ἄνευ ψωλᾶς μόνας.

ὅμως γα μάν· δεῖ τᾶς γὰρ εἰράνας μάλʼ αὖ.

Λυσιστράτη

ὦ φιλτάτη σὺ καὶ μόνη τούτων γυνή.
145

Καλονίκη

εἰ δʼ ὡς μάλιστʼ ἀπεχοίμεθʼ οὗ σὺ δὴ λέγεις,

ὃ μὴ γένοιτο, μᾶλλον ἂν διὰ τουτογὶ

γένοιτʼ ἂν εἰρήνη;

Λυσιστράτη

πολύ γε νὴ τὼ θεώ.

εἰ γὰρ καθοίμεθʼ ἔνδον ἐντετριμμέναι,

κἀν τοῖς χιτωνίοισι τοῖς Ἀμοργίνοις
150

γυμναὶ παρίοιμεν δέλτα παρατετιλμέναι,

στύοιντο δʼ ἅνδρες κἀπιθυμοῖεν σπλεκοῦν,

ἡμεῖς δὲ μὴ προσίοιμεν ἀλλʼ ἀπεχοίμεθα,

σπονδὰς ποιήσαιντʼ ἂν ταχέως, εὖ οἶδʼ ὅτι.

Λαμπιτώ

ὁ γῶν Μενέλαος τᾶς Ἑλένας τὰ μᾶλά πᾳ
155

γυμνᾶς παραϊδὼν ἐξέβαλʼ, οἰῶ, τὸ ξίφος.

Καλονίκη

τί δʼ ἢν ἀφιῶσʼ ἅνδρες ἡμᾶς ὦ μέλε;

Λυσιστράτη

τὸ τοῦ Φερεκράτους, κύνα δέρειν δεδαρμένην.

Καλονίκη

φλυαρία ταῦτʼ ἐστὶ τὰ μεμιμημένα.

ἐὰν λαβόντες δʼ ἐς τὸ δωμάτιον βίᾳ
160

ἕλκωσιν ἡμᾶς;

Λυσιστράτη

ἀντέχου σὺ τῶν θυρῶν.

Καλονίκη

ἐὰν δὲ τύπτωσιν;

Λυσιστράτη

παρέχειν χρὴ κακὰ κακῶς.

οὐ γὰρ ἔνι τούτοις ἡδονὴ τοῖς πρὸς βίαν.

κἄλλως ὀδυνᾶν χρή· κἀμέλει ταχέως πάνυ

ἀπεροῦσιν. οὐ γὰρ οὐδέποτʼ εὐφρανθήσεται
165

ἀνήρ, ἐὰν μὴ τῇ γυναικὶ συμφέρῃ.

Καλονίκη

εἴ τοι δοκεῖ σφῷν ταῦτα, χἠμῖν ξυνδοκεῖ.

Λαμπιτώ

καὶ τὼς μὲν ἁμῶν ἄνδρας ἁμὲς πείσομες

παντᾷ δικαίως ἄδολον εἰράναν ἄγειν·

τὸν τῶν Ἀσαναίων γα μὰν ῥυάχετον
170

πᾷ κά τις ἀμπείσειεν αὖ μὴ πλαδδιῆν;

Λυσιστράτη

ἡμεῖς ἀμέλει σοι τά γε παρʼ ἡμῖν πείσομεν.

Λαμπιτώ

οὐχ ἇς πόδας κʼ ἔχωντι ταὶ τριήρεες,

καὶ τὠργύριον τὤβυσσον ᾖ πὰρ τᾷ σιῷ.

Lysistrata. Aristophanes. ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart. Oxford. 1907.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Λυσιστράτη (Greek) (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.)

Translations (1)

Lysistrata (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Jack Lindsay). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 130 focus

MYRRHINE

No, I won't do it. Let the war proceed.

CALONICE

No, I won't do it. Let the war proceed.

LYSISTRATA

You too, dear turbot, you that said just now
155

You didn't mind being split right up in the least?

CALONICE

Anything else? O bid me walk in fire

But do not rob us of that darling joy.

What else is like it, dearest Lysistrata?

LYSISTRATA

And you?
160

MYRRHINE

O please give me the fire instead.

LYSISTRATA

Lewd to the least drop in the tiniest vein,

Our sex is fitly food for Tragic Poets,

Our whole life's but a pile of kisses apd babies.

But, hardy Spartan, if you join with me
165

All may be righted yet. O help me, help me.

LAMPITO

It's a sair, sair thing to ask of us, by the Twa,

A lass to sleep her lane and never fill

Love's lack except wi' makeshifts.... But let it be.

Peace maun be thought of first.
170

LYSISTRATA

My friend, my friend!

The only one amid this herd of weaklings.

CALONICE

But if—which heaven forbid—we should refrain

As you would have us, how is Peace induced?

LYSISTRATA

By the two Goddesses, now can't you see
175

All we have to do is idly sit indoors

With smooth roses powdered on our cheeks,

Our bodies burning naked through the folds

Of shining Amorgos ' silk, and meet the men

With our dear Venus-plats plucked trim and neat.
180

Their stirring love will rise up furiously,

They'll beg our arms to open. That's our time!

We'll disregard their knocking, beat them off—

And they will soon be rabid for a Peace.

I'm sure of it.
185

LAMPITO

Just as Menelaus, they say,

Seeing the bosom of his naked Helen

Flang down the sword.

CALONICE

But we'll be tearful fools

If our husbands take us at our word and leave us.
190

LYSISTRATA

There's only left then, in Pherecrates' phrase,

To flay a skinned dog
—flay more our flayed desires.

CALONICE

Bah, proverbs will never warm a celibate.

But what avail will your scheme be if the men

Drag us for all our kicking on to the couch?
195

LYSISTRATA

Cling to the doorposts.

CALONICE

But if they should force us?

LYSISTRATA

Yield then, but with a sluggish, cold indifference.

There is no joy to them in sullen mating.

Besides we have other ways to madden them;
200

They cannot stand up long, and they've no delight

Unless we fit their aim with merry succour.

CALONICE

Well if you must have it so, we'll all agree.

LAMPITO

For us I ha' no doubt. We can persuade

Our men to strike a fair an' decent Peace,
205

But how will ye pitch out the battle-frenzy

O' the Athenian populace?

LYSISTRATA

I promise you

We'll wither up that curse.

LAMPITO

I don't believe it.
210

Not while they own ane trireme oared an' rigged,

Or a' those stacks an' stacks an' stacks O' siller.