Aristophanes Thesmophoriazusae 52

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

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Θεράπων

δρυόχους τιθέναι δράματος ἀρχάς.

κάμπτει δὲ νέας ἁψῖδας ἐπῶν,

τὰ δὲ τορνεύει, τὰ δὲ κολλομελεῖ,

καὶ γνωμοτυπεῖ κἀντονομάζει
55

καὶ κηροχυτεῖ καὶ γογγύλλει

καὶ χοανεύει.

Μνησίλοχος

καὶ λαικάζει.

Θεράπων

τίς ἀγροιώτας πελάθει θριγκοῖς;

Μνησίλοχος

ὃς ἕτοιμος σοῦ τοῦ τε ποιητοῦ

τοῦ καλλιεποῦς κατὰ τοῦ θριγκοῦ
60

συγγογγύλας καὶ συστρέψας

τουτὶ τὸ πέος χοανεῦσαι.

Θεράπων

ἦ που νέος γʼ ὢν ἦσθʼ ὑβριστὴς ὦ γέρον.

Εὐριπίδης

ὦ δαιμόνιε τοῦτον μὲν ἔα χαίρειν, σὺ δὲ

Ἀγάθωνά μοι δεῦρʼ ἐκκάλεσον πάσῃ τέχνῃ.
65

Θεράπων

μηδὲν ἱκέτευʼ· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἔξεισιν τάχα.

καὶ γὰρ μελοποιεῖν ἄρχεται· χειμῶνος οὖν

ὄντος κατακάμπτειν τὰς στροφὰς οὐ ῥᾴδιον,

ἢν μὴ προίῃ θύρασι πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον.

Εὐριπίδης

τί οὖν ἐγὼ δρῶ;
70

Θεράπων

περίμενʼ, ὡς ἐξερχεται.

Εὐριπίδης

ὦ Ζεῦ τί δρᾶσαι διανοεῖ με τήμερον;

Μνησίλοχος

νὴ τοὺς θεοὺς ἐγὼ πυθέσθαι βούλομαι

τί τὸ πρᾶγμα τουτί. τί στένεις; τί δυσφορεῖς;

οὐ χρῆν σε κρύπτειν ὄντα κηδεστὴν ἐμόν.

Εὐριπίδης

ἔστιν κακόν μοι μέγα τι προπεφυραμένον.
75

Μνησίλοχος

ποῖόν τι;

Εὐριπίδης

τῇδε θἠμέρᾳ κριθήσεται

εἴτʼ ἔστʼ ἔτι ζῶν εἴτʼ ἀπόλωλʼ Εὐριπίδης.

Μνησίλοχος

καὶ πῶς; ἐπεὶ νῦν γʼ οὔτε τὰ δικαστήρια

μέλλει δικάζειν οὔτε βουλῆς ἐσθʼ ἕδρα,

ἐπεὶ τρίτη ʼστὶ Θεσμοφορίων ἡ μέση.
80

Εὐριπίδης

τοῦτʼ αὐτὸ γὰρ τοι κἀπολεῖν με προσδοκῶ.

αἱ γὰρ γυναῖκες ἐπιβεβουλεύκασί μοι

κἀν Θεσμοφόροιν μέλλουσι περί μου τήμερον

ἐκκλησιάζειν ἐπʼ ὀλέθρῳ.

Μνησίλοχος

τιὴ τί δή;

Εὐριπίδης

ὁτιὴ τραγῳδῶ καὶ κακῶς αὐτὰς λέγω.
85

Μνησίλοχος

νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ καὶ δίκαιά γʼ ἂν πάθοις.

ἀτὰρ τίνʼ ἐκ τούτων σὺ μηχανὴν ἔχεις;

Εὐριπίδης

Ἀγάθωνα πεῖσαι τὸν τραγῳδοδιδάσκαλον

ἐς Θεσμοφόροιν ἐλθεῖν.

Μνησίλοχος

τί δράσοντʼ; εἰπέ μοι.

Εὐριπίδης

ἐκκλησιάσοντʼ ἐν ταῖς γυναιξὶ κἂν δέῃ
90

λέξονθʼ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ.

Μνησίλοχος

πότερα φανερῶς ἢ λάθρᾳ;

Εὐριπίδης

λάθρᾳ, στολὴν γυναικὸς ἠμφιεσμένον.

Μνησίλοχος

τὸ πρᾶγμα κομψὸν καὶ σφόδρʼ ἐκ τοῦ σοῦ τρόπου·

τοῦ γὰρ τεχνάζειν ἡμέτερος ὁ πυραμοῦς.

Εὐριπίδης

σίγα.
95

Μνησίλοχος

τί δʼ ἔστιν;

Εὐριπίδης

Ἁγάθων ἐξέρχεται.

Μνησίλοχος

καὶ ποῖός ἐστιν;

Εὐριπίδης

οὗτος οὑκκυκλούμενος.

Μνησίλοχος

ἀλλʼ ἢ τυφλὸς μέν εἰμʼ· ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐχ ὁρῶ

ἄνδρʼ οὐδένʼ ἐνθάδʼ ὄντα, Κυρήνην δʼ ὁρῶ.

Εὐριπίδης

σίγα· μελῳδεῖν γὰρ παρασκευάζεται.

Μνησίλοχος

μύρμηκος ἀτραπούς, ἢ τί διαμινύρεται;
100

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.) — 52 focus

Servant

—is going to construct the framework of a drama. He is rounding fresh poetical forms, 55 he is polishing them in the lathe and is welding them; he is hammering out sentences and metaphors; he is working up his subject like soft wax. First he models it and then he casts it in bronze—

Mnesilochus

—and sways his buttocks amorously.

Servant

Who is the rustic that approaches this sacred enclosure?

Mnesilochus

Take care of yourself and of your 60 sweet-voiced poet! I have a strong tool here both well rounded and well polished, which will pierce your enclosure and penetrate you.

Servant

Old man, you must have been a very insolent fellow in your youth!

Euripides
to the Servant

Let him be, friend, and, 65 quick, go and call Agathon to me.

Servant

It's not worth the trouble, for he will soon be here himself. He has started to compose, and in winter it is never possible to round off strophes without coming to the sun to excite the imagination.

Euripides

70 And what am I to do?

Servant

Wait till he gets here.

He goes into the house.

Euripides

Oh, Zeus! what hast thou in store for me to-day?

Mnesilochus

Great gods, what is the matter now? What are you grumbling and groaning for? Tell me; you must not conceal anything from your father-in-law.

Euripides

75 Some great misfortune is brewing against me.

Mnesilochus

What is it?

Euripides

This day will decide whether it is all over with Euripides or not.

Mnesilochus

But how? Neither the tribunals nor the Senate are sitting, 80 for it is the third day of the Thesmophoria.

Euripides

That is precisely what makes me tremble; the women have plotted my ruin, and to-day they are to gather in the Temple of Demeter to execute their decision.

Mnesilochus

What have they against you?

Euripides

85 Because I mishandle them in my tragedies.

Mnesilochus

By Poseidon, you would seem to have thoroughly deserved your fate. But how are you going to get out of the mess?

Euripides

I am going to beg Agathon, the tragic poet, to go to the Thesmophoria.

Mnesilochus

And what is he to do there?

Euripides

90 He would mingle with the women, and stand up for me, if needful.

Mnesilochus

Would he be openly present or secretly?

Euripides

Secretly, dressed in woman's clothes.

Mnesilochus

That's a clever notion, thoroughly worthy of you. The prize for trickery is ours.

The door of Agathon's house opens.

Euripides

95 Silence!

Mnesilochus

What's the matter?

Euripides

Here comes Agathon.

Mnesilochus

Where, where?

Euripides

That's the man they are bringing out yonder on the eccyclema.

Agathon appears on the eccyclema, softly reposing on a bed, clothed in a saffron tunic, and surrounded with feminine toilet articles.

Mnesilochus

I am blind then! I see no man here, I only see Cyrene.

Euripides

Be still! He is getting ready to sing.

Mnesilochus

100 What subtle trill, I wonder, is he going to warble to us?