Line 506

ἵνα μὴ βό η, κηρίῳ βεβυσμένον·

The verb βό (from βάω, 'to swim') is here used intransitively with the dative βόη, a rare construction where the dative indicates the medium or substance in which one is immersed. While the participle βεβυσμένον (perfect passive of βύω, 'to dip') is standard, the combination with the intransitive use of βόη creates a vivid, albeit unusual, image of a figure submerged in honey. This syntactic choice emphasizes the entrapment rather than the action of dipping, aligning with the comedic exaggeration of the scene.

Thesmophoriazusae. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (English) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)

Θεσμοφοριάζουσαι Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.) — 520 focus

Χορός

τουτὶ μέντοι θαυμαστόν,
520

ὁπόθεν ηὑρέθη τὸ χρῆμα,

χἤτις ἐξέθρεψε χώρα

τήνδε τὴν θρασεῖαν οὕτω.

τάδε γὰρ εἰπεῖν τὴν πανοῦργον

κατὰ τὸ φανερὸν ὧδʼ ἀναιδῶς
525

οὐκ ἂν ᾠόμην ἐν ἡμῖν

οὐδὲ τολμῆσαί ποτʼ ἄν.

ἀλλʼ ἅπαν γένοιτʼ ἂν ἤδη·

τὴν παροιμίαν δʼ ἐπαινῶ

τὴν παλαιάν· ὑπὸ λίθῳ γὰρ

παντί νου χρὴ
530

μὴ δάκῃ ῥητωρ ἀθρεῖν.

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.) — 520 focus

Chorus
singing

520 Great gods! where has she unearthed all that? What country gave birth to such an audacious woman? Oh! you wretch! I should not have thought ever a one of us could have spoken 525 in public with such impudence. 'Tis clear, however, that we must expect everything and, as the old proverb says, must look beneath every stone, 530 lest it conceal some orator ready to sting us.

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.) — 520 focus

Chorus: This, however, is amazing,

520

Chorus: From where was the money found,

Chorus: Who has nurtured the country?

Chorus: This bold woman, like this.

Chorus: for to say this about the cunning woman

Chorus: plainly and shamelessly thus

525

Chorus: I should not have thought that among us

Chorus: Nor dare ever.

Chorus: But let it all have already come to pass;

Chorus: But I praise the proverb.

Chorus: The old one, for under a stone

Chorus: one must with all one's mind

530

Chorus: let not the orator bite to look.

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

506. mvp-tlg0019-tlg008-sanjaya-com-eng1-10

Line 506

ἵνα μὴ βό η, κηρίῳ βεβυσμένον·

Aristophanes Thesmophoriazusae 506

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Line 506

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Commentary

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