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Enter female servant of Persephone.

Servant

O dearest Heracles, you've returned! Come right in.

When the goddess heard you'd arrived, right off

she had us bake loaves of bread, and boil two or three pots

of ground pea soup; and roast a whole ox;
595

bake cakes and cookies; do come in.

Xanthias

Fine, I'm much obliged, but...

Servant

By Apollo, I will not

let you go away, since she's also

stewing up some flesh of fowls, and cooked
600

desserts, and mixed her sweetest wine.

So please come in.

Xanthias

Very nice, but...

Servant

You're kidding.

I won't let go of you. There's also a flute-girl for you
605

inside, a beauty, and other dancing girls

some two or three.

Xanthias

What'd you say? dancing girls?

Xanthias

Ripe to bursting and freshly plucked.

Come inside, since the cook was just about to take off
610

the fillets, and the table's coming in.

Xanthias

Go on, and first tell the dancing girls

who are inside that I myself am coming in:

Follow, slave, and bring my baggage.

Dionysus

You, stop! You're not really serious,
615

since I dressed you up as Heracles for a joke.

Stop fooling around, Xanthias;

Pick the bags back up and bring them along.

Xanthias

What? surely you don't intend to take away from me

what you gave me yourself.
620

Dionysus

No maybes, I'm doing it.

Take off the hide.

Xanthias

I'll sue you!

and entrust my case to the gods.

Dionysus

Which gods?
625

To expect that you—isn't it vain and foolish?

that you, a slave and mortal, could be Alcmena's son?

Xanthias

Well, never mind, fine; take them, but maybe soon

you'll need me, if god so wills.

Frogs. Aristophanes. Matthew Dillon (Translator). . 2026-09-08.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Current edition Experimental

Frogs (OCR draft) (English) (English (Matthew Dillon). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)

Βάτραχοι Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.) — 503 focus

Θεράπαινα

ὦ φίλταθʼ ἥκεις Ἡράκλεις; δεῦρʼ εἴσιθι.

ἡ γὰρ θεός σʼ ὡς ἐπύθεθʼ ἥκοντʼ, εὐθέως

ἔπεττεν ἄρτους, ἧψε κατερεικτῶν χύτρας
505

ἔτνους δύʼ ἢ τρεῖς, βοῦν ἀπηνθράκιζʼ ὅλον,

πλακοῦντας ὤπτα κολλάβους. ἀλλʼ εἴσιθι.

Ξανθίας

κάλλιστʼ, ἐπαινῶ.

Θεράπαινα

μὰ τὸν Ἀπόλλω οὐ μή σʼ ἐγὼ

περιόψομἀπελθόντʼ, ἐπεί τοι καὶ κρέα

ἀνέβραττεν ὀρνίθεια, καὶ τραγήματα
510

ἔφρυγε, κᾦνον ἀνεκεράννυ γλυκύτατον.

ἀλλʼ εἴσιθʼ ἅμʼ ἐμοί.

Ξανθίας

πάνυ καλῶς.

Θεράπαινα

ληρεῖς ἔχων

οὐ γάρ σʼ ἀφήσω. καὶ γὰρ αὐλητρίς γέ σοι

ἥδʼ ἔνδον ἔσθʼ ὡραιοτάτη κὠρχηστρίδες

ἕτεραι δύʼ ἢ τρεῖς.
515

Ξανθίας

πῶς λέγεις; ὀρχηστρίδες;

Θεράπαινα

ἡβυλλιῶσαι κἄρτι παρατετιλμέναι.

ἀλλʼ εἴσιθʼ, ὡς ὁ μάγειρος ἤδη τὰ τεμάχη

ἔμελλʼ ἀφαιρεῖν χἠ τράπεζʼ εἰσῄρετο.

Ξανθίας

ἴθι νυν φράσον πρώτιστα ταῖς ὀρχηστρίσιν

ταῖς ἔνδον οὔσαις αὐτὸς ὅτι εἰσέρχομαι.
520

ὁ παῖς ἀκολούθει δεῦρο τὰ σκεύη φέρων.

Διόνυσος

ἐπίσχες οὗτος. οὔ τί που σπουδὴν ποιεῖ,

ὁτιή σε παίζων Ἡρακλέα ʼνεσκεύασα;

οὐ μὴ φλυαρήσεις ἔχων ὦ Ξανθία,

ἀλλʼ ἀράμενος οἴσεις πάλιν τὰ στρώματα.
525

Ξανθίας

τί δʼ ἔστιν; οὔ τι πού μʼ ἀφελέσθαι διανοεῖ

ἅδωκας αὐτός;

Διόνυσος

οὐ τάχʼ, ἀλλʼ ἤδη ποιῶ.

κατάθου τὸ δέρμα.

Ξανθίας

ταῦτʼ ἐγὼ μαρτύρομαι

καὶ τοῖς θεοῖσιν ἐπιτρέπω.

Διόνυσος

ποίοις θεοῖς;

τὸ δὲ προσδοκῆσαί σʼ οὐκ ἀνόητον καὶ κενὸν
530

ὡς δοῦλος ὢν καὶ θνητὸς Ἀλκμήνης ἔσει;

Ξανθίας

ἀμέλει καλῶς· ἔχʼ αὔτʼ. ἴσως γάρ τοί ποτε

ἐμοῦ δεηθείης ἄν, εἰ θεὸς θέλοι.

Translations (1)

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.) — 503 focus

Servant: O dearest, have you come, Heracles? Come here.

Servant: For the goddess, since she has heard that you have arrived, [will come] immediately.

Maid: She was baking breads, she was rubbing down the pots with lye.

505

Maid: Two or three fennels, and strip the whole skin off an ox,

Maid: I baked flat cakes, little cakes. But come in.

Xanthias: Very beautiful, I praise you.

Maid: By Apollo, I will not...

Maidservant: I will go around and look after him, since you have meat too.

Maid: The hen was roosting, and the tidbits

510

Servant: It boiled, and she stirred in the most sweet wine-mix.

Maid: But come in with me.

Xanthias: very well.

Servant: You are talking nonsense.

Maid: For I will not let you go. For you are also a flute-girl.

Therapaina: She is inside, the most beautiful and a dancer.

Servant: Two or three others.

515

Xanthias: How do you say it? Dancers?

Maid: To have been anointed and just now put on.

Maid: But come in, just as the cook has already [prepared] the pieces.

Maid: She was about to take even the table, when she entered.

Xanthias: Go now, tell the dancers first.

Xanthias: to the women inside, I am entering.

520

Xanthias: Let the boy follow here carrying the equipment.

Dionysus: Stop right there. There is no hurry,

Dionysus: Did I make Heracles into a joke?

Dionysus: 'You will certainly not chatter, having [those words], O Xanthias,'

Dionysus: But, having lifted them up, you will carry the bedding back again.

525

Xanthias: What is it? Surely he does not intend to cheat me.

Xanthias: Have you sung yourself?

Dionysus: Not soon, but now I do it.

Dionysus: Put down the skin.

Xanthias: I testify to this.

Xanthias: And I entrust it even to the gods.

Dionysus: Which gods?

Dionysus: but it is not foolish or empty to expect you.

530

Dionysus: 'Will you be like a slave and mortal Alcmene?'

Xanthias: By all means, well; keep it. For perhaps to you at some time

Xanthias: You would ask me, if the god wished.

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

581. mvp-tlg0019-tlg009-sanjaya-com-eng1-21

Line 581

οὐκ ἂν γενοίμην Ἡρακλῆς ἄν.

The sentence presents a striking syntactic anomaly: the personal pronoun Ἡρακλῆς (Hēraklēs) functions as a vocative or appositional noun directly following the first-person verb form γενοίμην (genoímēn), creating a self-addressed paradox where the speaker (Dionysus) denies the possibility of becoming the very figure he is imitating. While the optative γενοίμην with ἂν marks a potential condition, the juxtaposition with the proper name in the nominative/vocative case creates a dramatic irony central to the play's metatheatrical critique of tragedy, as Dionysus simultaneously claims and disavows the identity of Heracles, a hero he is currently impersonating on stage.

607. mvp-tlg0019-tlg009-sanjaya-com-eng1-22

Line 607

οὐκ ἐς κόρακας; μὴ πρόσιτον.

The phrase οὐκ ἐς κόρακας is a well-attested idiom meaning 'to nothing' or 'to the dogs,' literally 'not into the crows.' In this context, Dionysus asks if the chorus (or the frogs) are going nowhere, to which Xanthias replies with a sarcastic 'μὴ πρόσιτον' (let us not approach/come near). The use of κόρακες here likely alludes to the Greek belief that crows (or ravens) were associated with death or the underworld, fitting the play's descent into Hades. The construction μὴ πρόσιτον is an elliptical imperative or exhortation, where πρόσιτον (accusative of πρόσιτος) functions as a verbal noun meaning 'approach' or 'come near,' with the negative μὴ expressing prohibition.

Aristophanes Frogs 503

Matthew Dillon (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Servant

O dearest Heracles, you've returned! Come right in.

When the goddess heard you'd arrived, right off

she had us bake loaves of bread, and boil two or three pots

of ground pea soup; and roast a whole ox;
595

bake cakes and cookies; do come in.

Xanthias

Fine, I'm much obliged, but...

Servant

By Apollo, I will not

let you go away, since she's also

stewing up some flesh of fowls, and cooked
600

desserts, and mixed her sweetest wine.

So please come in.

Xanthias

Very nice, but...

Servant

You're kidding.

I won't let go of you. There's also a flute-girl for you
605

inside, a beauty, and other dancing girls

some two or three.

Xanthias

What'd you say? dancing girls?

Xanthias

Ripe to bursting and freshly plucked.

Come inside, since the cook was just about to take off
610

the fillets, and the table's coming in.

Xanthias

Go on, and first tell the dancing girls

who are inside that I myself am coming in:

Follow, slave, and bring my baggage.

Dionysus

You, stop! You're not really serious,
615

since I dressed you up as Heracles for a joke.

Stop fooling around, Xanthias;

Pick the bags back up and bring them along.

Xanthias

What? surely you don't intend to take away from me

what you gave me yourself.
620

Dionysus

No maybes, I'm doing it.

Take off the hide.

Xanthias

I'll sue you!

and entrust my case to the gods.

Dionysus

Which gods?
625

To expect that you—isn't it vain and foolish?

that you, a slave and mortal, could be Alcmena's son?

Xanthias

Well, never mind, fine; take them, but maybe soon

you'll need me, if god so wills.

Current edition Experimental

Ξανθίας

κάλλιστʼ, ἐπαινῶ.

Ξανθίας

πάνυ καλῶς.

Θεράπαινα

ληρεῖς ἔχων

οὐ γάρ σʼ ἀφήσω. καὶ γὰρ αὐλητρίς γέ σοι

ἥδʼ ἔνδον ἔσθʼ ὡραιοτάτη κὠρχηστρίδες

ἕτεραι δύʼ ἢ τρεῖς.
515

Ξανθίας

πῶς λέγεις; ὀρχηστρίδες;

Θεράπαινα

ἡβυλλιῶσαι κἄρτι παρατετιλμέναι.

ἀλλʼ εἴσιθʼ, ὡς ὁ μάγειρος ἤδη τὰ τεμάχη

ἔμελλʼ ἀφαιρεῖν χἠ τράπεζʼ εἰσῄρετο.

Ξανθίας

ἴθι νυν φράσον πρώτιστα ταῖς ὀρχηστρίσιν

ταῖς ἔνδον οὔσαις αὐτὸς ὅτι εἰσέρχομαι.
520

ὁ παῖς ἀκολούθει δεῦρο τὰ σκεύη φέρων.

Ξανθίας

τί δʼ ἔστιν; οὔ τι πού μʼ ἀφελέσθαι διανοεῖ

ἅδωκας αὐτός;

Διόνυσος

οὐ τάχʼ, ἀλλʼ ἤδη ποιῶ.

κατάθου τὸ δέρμα.

Ξανθίας

ταῦτʼ ἐγὼ μαρτύρομαι

καὶ τοῖς θεοῖσιν ἐπιτρέπω.

Διόνυσος

ποίοις θεοῖς;

τὸ δὲ προσδοκῆσαί σʼ οὐκ ἀνόητον καὶ κενὸν
530

ὡς δοῦλος ὢν καὶ θνητὸς Ἀλκμήνης ἔσει;

Ξανθίας

ἀμέλει καλῶς· ἔχʼ αὔτʼ. ἴσως γάρ τοί ποτε

ἐμοῦ δεηθείης ἄν, εἰ θεὸς θέλοι.

Commentary

Line 581

Line 607

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Servant O dearest Heracles, you've returned! Come right in. When the goddess heard you'd arrived, right off she had us bake loaves of bread, and boil two or three pots of ground pea soup; and roast a whole ox; 595 bake cakes and cookies; do come in.

Xanthias Fine, I'm much obliged, but...

Servant By Apollo, I will not let you go away, since she's also stewing up some flesh of fowls, and cooked 600 desserts, and mixed her sweetest wine. So please come in.

Xanthias Very nice, but...

Servant You're kidding. I won't let go of you. There's also a flute-girl for you 605 inside, a beauty, and other dancing girls some two or three.

Xanthias What'd you say? dancing girls?

Xanthias Ripe to bursting and freshly plucked. Come inside, since the cook was just about to take off 610 the fillets, and the table's coming in.

Xanthias Go on, and first tell the dancing girls who are inside that I myself am coming in: Follow, slave, and bring my baggage.

Dionysus You, stop! You're not really serious, 615 since I dressed you up as Heracles for a joke. Stop fooling around, Xanthias; Pick the bags back up and bring them along.

Xanthias What? surely you don't intend to take away from me what you gave me yourself. 620

Dionysus No maybes, I'm doing it. Take off the hide.

Xanthias I'll sue you! and entrust my case to the gods.

Dionysus Which gods? 625 To expect that you—isn't it vain and foolish? that you, a slave and mortal, could be Alcmena's son?

Xanthias Well, never mind, fine; take them, but maybe soon you'll need me, if god so wills.

Current edition Experimental

Ξανθίας κάλλιστʼ, ἐπαινῶ.

Ξανθίας πάνυ καλῶς.

Θεράπαινα ληρεῖς ἔχων οὐ γάρ σʼ ἀφήσω. καὶ γὰρ αὐλητρίς γέ σοι ἥδʼ ἔνδον ἔσθʼ ὡραιοτάτη κὠρχηστρίδες ἕτεραι δύʼ ἢ τρεῖς. 515

Ξανθίας πῶς λέγεις; ὀρχηστρίδες;

Θεράπαινα ἡβυλλιῶσαι κἄρτι παρατετιλμέναι. ἀλλʼ εἴσιθʼ, ὡς ὁ μάγειρος ἤδη τὰ τεμάχη ἔμελλʼ ἀφαιρεῖν χἠ τράπεζʼ εἰσῄρετο.

Ξανθίας ἴθι νυν φράσον πρώτιστα ταῖς ὀρχηστρίσιν ταῖς ἔνδον οὔσαις αὐτὸς ὅτι εἰσέρχομαι. 520 ὁ παῖς ἀκολούθει δεῦρο τὰ σκεύη φέρων.

Ξανθίας τί δʼ ἔστιν; οὔ τι πού μʼ ἀφελέσθαι διανοεῖ ἅδωκας αὐτός;

Διόνυσος οὐ τάχʼ, ἀλλʼ ἤδη ποιῶ. κατάθου τὸ δέρμα.

Ξανθίας ταῦτʼ ἐγὼ μαρτύρομαι καὶ τοῖς θεοῖσιν ἐπιτρέπω.

Διόνυσος ποίοις θεοῖς; τὸ δὲ προσδοκῆσαί σʼ οὐκ ἀνόητον καὶ κενὸν 530 ὡς δοῦλος ὢν καὶ θνητὸς Ἀλκμήνης ἔσει;

Ξανθίας ἀμέλει καλῶς· ἔχʼ αὔτʼ. ἴσως γάρ τοί ποτε ἐμοῦ δεηθείης ἄν, εἰ θεὸς θέλοι.

Commentary

Line 581

Line 607

Stable identifiers

Servant

O dearest Heracles, you've returned! Come right in.

When the goddess heard you'd arrived, right off

she had us bake loaves of bread, and boil two or three pots

of ground pea soup; and roast a whole ox;
595

bake cakes and cookies; do come in.

Xanthias

Fine, I'm much obliged, but...

Servant

By Apollo, I will not

let you go away, since she's also

stewing up some flesh of fowls, and cooked
600

desserts, and mixed her sweetest wine.

So please come in.

Xanthias

Very nice, but...

Servant

You're kidding.

I won't let go of you. There's also a flute-girl for you
605

inside, a beauty, and other dancing girls

some two or three.

Xanthias

What'd you say? dancing girls?

Xanthias

Ripe to bursting and freshly plucked.

Come inside, since the cook was just about to take off
610

the fillets, and the table's coming in.

Xanthias

Go on, and first tell the dancing girls

who are inside that I myself am coming in:

Follow, slave, and bring my baggage.

Dionysus

You, stop! You're not really serious,
615

since I dressed you up as Heracles for a joke.

Stop fooling around, Xanthias;

Pick the bags back up and bring them along.

Xanthias

What? surely you don't intend to take away from me

what you gave me yourself.
620

Dionysus

No maybes, I'm doing it.

Take off the hide.

Xanthias

I'll sue you!

and entrust my case to the gods.

Dionysus

Which gods?
625

To expect that you—isn't it vain and foolish?

that you, a slave and mortal, could be Alcmena's son?

Xanthias

Well, never mind, fine; take them, but maybe soon

you'll need me, if god so wills.

Ξανθίας

κάλλιστʼ, ἐπαινῶ.

Ξανθίας

πάνυ καλῶς.

Θεράπαινα

ληρεῖς ἔχων

οὐ γάρ σʼ ἀφήσω. καὶ γὰρ αὐλητρίς γέ σοι

ἥδʼ ἔνδον ἔσθʼ ὡραιοτάτη κὠρχηστρίδες

ἕτεραι δύʼ ἢ τρεῖς.
515

Ξανθίας

πῶς λέγεις; ὀρχηστρίδες;

Θεράπαινα

ἡβυλλιῶσαι κἄρτι παρατετιλμέναι.

ἀλλʼ εἴσιθʼ, ὡς ὁ μάγειρος ἤδη τὰ τεμάχη

ἔμελλʼ ἀφαιρεῖν χἠ τράπεζʼ εἰσῄρετο.

Ξανθίας

ἴθι νυν φράσον πρώτιστα ταῖς ὀρχηστρίσιν

ταῖς ἔνδον οὔσαις αὐτὸς ὅτι εἰσέρχομαι.
520

ὁ παῖς ἀκολούθει δεῦρο τὰ σκεύη φέρων.

Ξανθίας

τί δʼ ἔστιν; οὔ τι πού μʼ ἀφελέσθαι διανοεῖ

ἅδωκας αὐτός;

Διόνυσος

οὐ τάχʼ, ἀλλʼ ἤδη ποιῶ.

κατάθου τὸ δέρμα.

Ξανθίας

ταῦτʼ ἐγὼ μαρτύρομαι

καὶ τοῖς θεοῖσιν ἐπιτρέπω.

Διόνυσος

ποίοις θεοῖς;

τὸ δὲ προσδοκῆσαί σʼ οὐκ ἀνόητον καὶ κενὸν
530

ὡς δοῦλος ὢν καὶ θνητὸς Ἀλκμήνης ἔσει;

Ξανθίας

ἀμέλει καλῶς· ἔχʼ αὔτʼ. ἴσως γάρ τοί ποτε

ἐμοῦ δεηθείης ἄν, εἰ θεὸς θέλοι.