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Line 1286

τοφλαττοθρατ τοφλαττοθρατ,

This is an instance of onomatopoeic comic nonsense (barrage of syllables) intended to mimic the croaking of frogs, a hallmark of Aristophanic satire in the parabasis and choral sections. The specific repetition and vowel shifts (alpha, omicron, tau, theta) are not standard lexical items but a phonetic approximation of the frog chorus's sound, serving as a metatheatrical device to parody the solemnity of tragic diction or to signal the absurdity of the chorus's entry.

Frogs. 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)

Βάτραχοι Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.) — 1296 focus

Διόνυσος

τί τὸ φλαττοθρατ τοῦτʼ ἐστίν; ἐκ Μαραθῶνος ἢ

πόθεν συνέλεξας ἱμονιοστρόφου μέλη;

Αἰσχύλος

ἀλλʼ οὖν ἐγὼ μὲν ἐς τὸ καλὸν ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦ

ἤνεγκον αὔθʼ, ἵνα μὴ τὸν αὐτὸν Φρυνίχῳ

λειμῶνα Μουσῶν ἱερὸν ὀφθείην δρέπων·
1300

οὗτος δʼ ἀπὸ πάντων †μὲν φέρει, πορνιδίων†,

σκολίων Μελήτου, Καρικῶν αὐλημάτων,

θρήνων, χορειῶν. τάχα δὲ δηλωθήσεται.

ἐνεγκάτω τις τὸ λύριον. καίτοι τί δεῖ

λύρας ἐπὶ τούτων; ποῦ ʼστιν ἡ τοῖς ὀστράκοις
1305

αὕτη κροτοῦσα; δεῦρο Μοῦσʼ Εὐριπίδου,

πρὸς ἥνπερ ἐπιτήδεια ταῦτʼ ᾄδειν μέλη.

Διόνυσος

αὕτη ποθʼ ἡ Μοῦσʼ οὐκ ἐλεσβίαζεν, οὔ.

Translations (2)

Frogs (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Matthew Dillon). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 1296 focus

Dionysus

What is this phlattothrat? Is it from Marathon, or

where did you assemble these songs of a rope-twister?

Aeschylus

Well, to a fine place from a fine place did I

bring them, lest I be seen garnering from the same meadow as Phrynichos.

But this guy gets them from everywhere, from little whores,
1490

Meletus' drinking songs, Carian flute solos,

Dirges, dances. This will all be made clear immediately.

Someone bring in a lyre. And yet, what need

of a lyre for this guy? Where's the girl who clacks the castanets? Hither, Muse of Euripides,

for whom these songs are appropriate to sing.
1495

Dionysus

This Muse never did the Lesbian thing, oh no..

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.) — 1296 focus

Dionysus: What is this 'flattathrat'? From Marathon or?

Dionysus: From where did you gather the songs of the chariot-turner?

Aeschylus: But in any case, I go from the beautiful to the beautiful.

Aeschylus: I brought it back, so that the same [thing] would not [happen] to Phrynichus.

Aeschylus: May I be seen picking a holy meadow of the Muses;

1300

Aeschylus: 'But this one indeed carries from everyone, [regarding] brothels,'

Aeschylus: songs of Melitus, flutes of the Carian women,

Aeschylus: dirges, choruses. And soon it will be made clear.

Aeschylus: Let someone bring the lyre. And yet, why is it necessary?

Aeschylus: a lyre upon these? Where is the one with the oyster shells?

1305

Aeschylus: this one clapping? Come here, Muse of Euripides,

Aeschylus: 'to the very melodies to which these are suited for singing.'

Dionysus: This Muse never practiced Lesbian-style singing, no.

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

1286. mvp-tlg0019-tlg009-sanjaya-com-eng1-66

Line 1286

τοφλαττοθρατ τοφλαττοθρατ,

Aristophanes Frogs 1286

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 1286

Current edition Experimental

Διόνυσος

τί τὸ φλαττοθρατ τοῦτʼ ἐστίν; ἐκ Μαραθῶνος ἢ

πόθεν συνέλεξας ἱμονιοστρόφου μέλη;

Διόνυσος

αὕτη ποθʼ ἡ Μοῦσʼ οὐκ ἐλεσβίαζεν, οὔ.

Dionysus

What is this phlattothrat? Is it from Marathon, or

where did you assemble these songs of a rope-twister?

Dionysus

This Muse never did the Lesbian thing, oh no..

Commentary

Line 1286

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 1286

Current edition Experimental

Διόνυσος τί τὸ φλαττοθρατ τοῦτʼ ἐστίν; ἐκ Μαραθῶνος ἢ πόθεν συνέλεξας ἱμονιοστρόφου μέλη;

Διόνυσος αὕτη ποθʼ ἡ Μοῦσʼ οὐκ ἐλεσβίαζεν, οὔ.

Dionysus What is this phlattothrat? Is it from Marathon, or where did you assemble these songs of a rope-twister?

Dionysus This Muse never did the Lesbian thing, oh no..

Commentary

Line 1286

Stable identifiers

Διόνυσος

τί τὸ φλαττοθρατ τοῦτʼ ἐστίν; ἐκ Μαραθῶνος ἢ

πόθεν συνέλεξας ἱμονιοστρόφου μέλη;

Διόνυσος

αὕτη ποθʼ ἡ Μοῦσʼ οὐκ ἐλεσβίαζεν, οὔ.

Dionysus

What is this phlattothrat? Is it from Marathon, or

where did you assemble these songs of a rope-twister?

Dionysus

This Muse never did the Lesbian thing, oh no..