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Χορός

πόλλʼ ἂν αἱ γυναῖκες ἡμεῖς ἐν δίκῃ μεμψαίμεθʼ ἂν
830

τοῖσιν ἀνδράσιν δικαίως, ἓν δʼ ὑπερφυέστατον.

χρῆν γάρ, ἡμῶν εἰ τέκοι τις ἄνδρα χρηστὸν τῇ πόλει,

ταξίαρχον ἢ στρατηγόν, λαμβάνειν τιμήν τινα,

προεδρίαν τʼ αὐτῇ δίδοσθαι Στηνίοισι καὶ Σκίροις

ἔν τε ταῖς ἄλλαις ἑορταῖς αἷσιν ἡμεῖς ἤγομεν·
835

εἰ δὲ δειλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν ἄνδρα τις τέκοι γυνή,

ἢ τριήραρχον πονηρὸν ἢ κυβερνήτην κακόν,

ὑστέραν αὐτὴν καθῆσθαι σκάφιον ἀποκεκαρμένην

τῆς τὸν ἀνδρεῖον τεκούσης. τῷ γὰρ εἰκὸς ὦ πόλις

τὴν Ὑπερβόλου καθῆσθαι μητέρʼ ἠμφιεσμένην
840

λευκὰ καὶ κόμας καθεῖσαν πλησίον τῆς Λαμάχου,

καὶ δανείζειν χρήμαθʼ, ᾗ χρῆν, εἰ δανείσειέν τινι

καὶ τόκον πράττοιτο, διδόναι μηδένʼ ἀνθρώπων τόκον,

ἀλλʼ ἀφαιρεῖσθαι βίᾳ τὰ χρήματʼ εἰπόντας τοδί,

ἀξία γοῦν εἶ τόκου τεκοῦσα τοιοῦτον τόκον.
845

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 (2)

Thesmophoriazusae (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 830 focus

Leader of the Chorus

830 There are many reproaches we have the right to bring against men. The most serious is this, that the woman, who has given birth to a useful citizen, whether taxiarch or strategus should receive some distinction; a place of honor should be reserved for her at the Stenia, the Scirophoria, 835 and the other festivals that we keep. On the other hand, she of whom a coward was born or a worthless man, a bad trierarch or an unskilful pilot, should sit with shaven head, behind her sister who had borne a brave man. Oh! citizens! is it just 840 that the mother of Hyperbolus should sit dressed in white and with loosened tresses beside that of Lamachus and lend out money on usury? He, who may have made a deal of this nature with her, so far from paying her interest, should not even repay the capital, saying, 845 “What, pay you interest? after you have given us this delightful son?”

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.) — 830 focus

Chorus: We women could indeed have many complaints in court.

830

Chorus: Justly to the men, but one thing is most supernatural.

Chorus: For we should have been, if someone had borne us a good man for the city,

Chorus: to take a tax-archon or a general, to receive some honor,

Chorus: that a seat of honor be given to her by the Stenians and the Scirians.

Chorus: and at the other festivals as well we led the way;

835

Chorus: but if a woman should bear a cowardly and wicked man,

Chorus: Either a wicked trierarch or a bad helmsman,

Chorus: She should sit down later, with her head cut off, on a pot.

Chorus: of the one who gave birth to the manly one. For it is fitting, O city.

Chorus: to sit with Hyperbolus' mother dressed up

840

Chorus: They have laid down white clothes and hair beside Lamachus,

Chorus: and to lend money, as he ought, if he were to lend to someone

Chorus: And may interest accrue, but let no one of men pay interest,

Chorus: But having said this, to take the money by force,

Chorus: Surely you are worthy of the interest that you bore, having given birth to such interest.

845

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

834. mvp-tlg0019-tlg008-sanjaya-com-eng1-23

Line 834

προεδρίαν τʼ αὐτῇ δίδοσθαι Στηνίοισι καὶ Σκίροις

The dative plural forms Σηνίοισι and Σκίροισι (sc. ἔθνεσιν or ἄνδρσιν) refer to the inhabitants of the demes of Sounion and Scirus, respectively. The use of the dative plural with the infinitive δίδοσθαι ('to be given') indicates the recipients of the proedria (presidency), a specific procedural detail in the play's parody of Athenian legislative decrees. This construction highlights the satirical inclusion of minor or obscure demes to mock the bureaucratic absurdity of granting official honors to peripheral communities.

Aristophanes Thesmophoriazusae 830

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

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