Aristophanes Thesmophoriazusae 153

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

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Μνησίλοχος

οὐκοῦν κελητίζεις, ὅταν Φαίδραν ποιῇς;

Ἀγάθων

ἀνδρεῖα δʼ ἢν ποιῇ τις, ἐν τῷ σώματι

ἔνεσθʼ ὑπάρχον τοῦθʼ. ἃ δʼ οὐ κεκτήμεθα,
155

μίμησις ἤδη ταῦτα συνθηρεύεται.

Μνησίλοχος

ὅταν σατύρους τοίνυν ποιῇς, καλεῖν ἐμέ,

ἵνα συμποιῶ σοὔπισθεν ἐστυκὼς ἐγώ.

Ἀγάθων

ἄλλως τʼ ἄμουσόν ἐστι ποιητὴν ἰδεῖν

ἀγρεῖον ὄντα καὶ δασύν· σκέψαι δʼ ὅτι
160

Ἴβυκος ἐκεῖνος κἀνακρέων ὁ Τήιος

κἀλκαῖος, οἳ περὶ ἁρμονίαν ἐχύμισαν,

ἐμιτροφόρουν τε καὶ διεκλῶντʼ Ἰωνικῶς,

καὶ Φρύνιχος, τοῦτον γὰρ οὖν ἀκήκοας,

αὐτός τε καλὸς ἦν καὶ καλῶς ἠμπέσχετο·
165

διὰ τοῦτʼ ἄρʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ κάλʼ ἦν τὰ δράματα.

ὅμοια γὰρ ποιεῖν ἀνάγκη τῇ φύσει.

Μνησίλοχος

ταῦτʼ ἄρʼ ὁ Φιλοκλέης αἰσχρὸς ὢν αἰσχρῶς ποιεῖ,

ὁ δʼ αὖ Ξενοκλέης ὢν κακὸς κακῶς ποιεῖ,

ὁ δʼ αὖ Θέογνις ψυχρὸς ὢν ψυχρῶς ποιεῖ.
170

Ἀγάθων

ἅπασʼ ἀνάγκη· ταῦτα γάρ τοι γνοὺς ἐγὼ

ἐμαυτὸν ἐθεράπευσα.

Μνησίλοχος

πῶς πρὸς τῶν θεῶν;

Εὐριπίδης

παῦσαι βαΰζων· καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ τοιοῦτος ἦν

ὢν τηλικοῦτος, ἡνίκʼ ἠρχόμην ποιεῖν.

Μνησίλοχος

μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὐ ζηλῶ σε τῆς παιδεύσεως.
175

Εὐριπίδης

ἀλλʼ ὧνπερ οὕνεκʼ ἦλθον, ἔα μʼ εἰπεῖν.

Ἀγάθων

λέγε.

Εὐριπίδης

Ἀγάθων, σοφοῦ πρὸς ἀνδρός, ὅστις ἐν βραχεῖ

πολλοὺς καλῶς οἷός τε συντέμνειν λόγους.

ἐγὼ δὲ καινῇ ξυμφορᾷ πεπληγμένος

ἱκέτης ἀφῖγμαι πρὸς σέ.
180

Ἀγάθων

τοῦ χρείαν ἔχων;

Εὐριπίδης

μέλλουσί μʼ αἱ γυναῖκες ἀπολεῖν τήμερον

τοῖς Θεσμοφορίοις, ὅτι κακῶς αὐτὰς λέγω.

Ἀγάθων

τίς οὖν παρʼ ἡμῶν ἐστιν ὠφέλειά σοι;

Εὐριπίδης

ἡ πᾶσʼ· ἐὰν γὰρ ἐγκαθεζόμενος λάθρᾳ

ἐν ταῖς γυναιξίν, ὡς δοκῶν εἶναι γυνή,
185

ὑπεραποκρίνῃ μου, σαφῶς σώσεις ἐμέ.

μόνος γὰρ ἂν λέξειας ἀξίως ἐμοῦ.

Ἀγάθων

ἔπειτα πῶς οὐκ αὐτὸς ἀπολογεῖ παρών;

Εὐριπίδης

ἐγὼ φράσω σοι. πρῶτα μὲν γιγνώσκομαι·

ἔπειτα πολιός εἰμι καὶ πώγωνʼ ἔχω,
190

σὺ δʼ εὐπρόσωπος λευκὸς ἐξυρημένος

γυναικόφωνος ἁπαλὸς εὐπρεπὴς ἰδεῖν.

Ἀγάθων

Εὐριπίδη—

Εὐριπίδης

τί ἔστιν;

Ἀγάθων

ἐποίησάς ποτε,

χαίρεις ὁρῶν φῶς, πατέρα δʼ οὐ χαίρειν δοκεῖς;

Εὐριπίδης

ἔγωγε.
195

Ἀγάθων

μή νυν ἐλπίσῃς τὸ σὸν κακὸν

ἡμᾶς ὑφέξειν. καὶ γὰρ ἂν μαινοίμεθʼ ἄν.

ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς ὅ γε σόν ἐστιν οἰκείως φέρε.

τὰς συμφορὰς γὰρ οὐχὶ τοῖς τεχνάσμασιν

φέρειν δίκαιον ἀλλὰ τοῖς παθήμασιν.

Μνησίλοχος

καὶ μὴν ού γʼ ὦ κατάπυγον εὐρύπρωκτος εἶ
200

οὐ τοῖς λόγοισιν ἀλλὰ τοῖς παθήμασιν.

Εὐριπίδης

τί δʼ ἔστιν ὅτι δέδοικας ἐλθεῖν αὐτόσε;

Ἀγάθων

κάκιον ἀπολοίμην ἂν ἢ σύ.

Εὐριπίδης

πῶς;

Ἀγάθων

ὅπως;

δοκῶν γυναικῶν ἔργα νυκτερείσια

κλέπτειν ὑφαρπάζειν τε θήλειαν Κύπριν.
205

Thesmophoriazusae. 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

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

Translations (1)

Thesmophoriazusae (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 153 focus

Mnesilochus
aside

Then you make love horse-fashion when you are composing a Phaedra.

Agathon

If the heroes are men, 155 everything in him will be manly. What we don't possess by nature, we must acquire by imitation.

Mnesilochus
aside

When you are staging Satyrs, call me; I will do my best to help you from behind, if I can get my tool up.

Agathon

Besides, it is bad taste for a poet 160 to be coarse and hairy. Look at the famous Ibycus, at Anacreon of Teos , and at Alcaeus, who handled music so well; they wore head-bands and found pleasure in the lascivious and dances of Ionia . And have you not heard 165 what a dandy Phrynichus was and how careful in his dress? For this reason his pieces were also beautiful, for the works of a poet are copied from himself.

Mnesilochus

Ah! so it is for this reason that Philocles, who is so hideous, writes hideous pieces; Xenocles, who is malicious, malicious ones, 170 and Theognis, who is cold, such cold ones?

Agathon

Yes, necessarily and unavoidably; and it is because I knew this that I have so well cared for my person.

Mnesilochus

How, in the gods' name?

Euripides

Come, leave off badgering him; I was just the same at his age, when I began to write.

Mnesilochus

175 Ah! then, by Zeus! I don't envy you your fine manners.

Euripides
to Agathon

But listen to the cause that brings me here.

Agathon

Say on.

Euripides

Agathon, wise is he who can compress many thoughts into few words. Struck by a most cruel misfortune, 180 I come to you as a suppliant.

Agathon

What are you asking?

Euripides

The women purpose killing me to-day during the Thesmophoria, because I have dared to speak ill of them.

Agathon

And what can I do for you in the matter?

Euripides

Everything. Mingle secretly 185 with the women by making yourself pass as one of themselves; then do you plead my cause with your own lips, and I am saved. You, and you alone, are capable of speaking of me worthily.

Agathon

But why not go and defend yourself?

Euripides

Impossible. First of all, I am known; 190 further, I have white hair and a long beard; whereas you, you are good-looking, charming, and are close-shaven; you are fair, delicate, and have a woman's voice.

Agathon

Euripides!

Euripides

Well?

Agathon

Have you not said in one of your pieces, “You love to see the light, and don't you believe your father loves it too?”

Euripides

195 Yes.

Agathon

Then never you think I am going to expose myself in your stead; it would be madness. It's up to you to submit to the fate that overtakes you; one must not try to trick misfortune, but resign oneself to it with good grace.

Mnesilochus

200 You fairy! That's why your arse is so accessible to lovers.

Euripides

But what prevents your going there?

Agathon

I should run more risk than you would.

Euripides

Why?

Agathon

Why? I should look as if I were wanting to trespass on secret nightly pleasures of the women 205 and to rape their Aphrodite.