Aristophanes Frogs 1308

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.) — 1309 focus
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.) — 1309 focus
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.) — 1309 focus

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

1308. mvp-tlg0019-tlg009-sanjaya-com-eng1-74

Line 1308

αὕτη ποθʼ ἡ Μοῦσʼ οὐκ ἐλεσβίαζεν, οὔ.
The verb ἐλεσβίαζεν is a rare hapax legomenon in this context, functioning as a verb of action derived from the geographical epithet 'Lesbian' (or specifically 'Lesbian-style'). While 'Lesbian' poetry is famously associated with sapphic meters and erotic themes, here Aristophanes uses the verb to mean 'to act in a Lesbian manner' or 'to be effeminate/sophisticated in a way associated with Lesbos,' serving as a specific insult against the Muse's current behavior or character. The use of the verb form rather than the adjective is a notable lexical choice for satirical effect.