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Line 920

ὁπόθʼ ἡ Νιόβη τι φθέγξεται· τὸ δρᾶμα δʼ ἂν διῄει.

The construction ἂν with the indicative in the apodosis of a future-less-vivid or general conditional (here, ἂν διῄει with the imperfect indicative) is a recognized feature of Attic comedy and later Koine, contrasting with the more rigid Attic prose preference for the optative in such contexts (e.g., ἂν διῴη). Here, the imperfect indicative with ἂν conveys a repeated or habitual action in the past ('it would always fall apart'), a usage well-attested in Aristophanes but which can confuse readers trained exclusively on Classical prose paradigms.

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.) — 907 focus

Εὐριπίδης

καὶ μὴν ἐμαυτὸν μέν γε τὴν ποίησιν οἷός εἰμι,

ἐν τοῖσιν ὑστάτοις φράσω, τοῦτον δὲ πρῶτʼ ἐλέγξω,

ὡς ἦν ἀλαζὼν καὶ φέναξ οἵοις τε τοὺς θεατὰς

ἐξηπάτα μώρους λαβὼν παρὰ Φρυνίχῳ τραφέντας.
910

πρώτιστα μὲν γὰρ ἕνα τινʼ ἂν καθῖσεν ἐγκαλύψας,

Ἀχιλλέα τινʼ ἢ Νιόβην, τὸ πρόσωπον οὐχὶ δεικνύς,

πρόσχημα τῆς τραγῳδίας, γρύζοντας οὐδὲ τουτί.

Διόνυσος

μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὐ δῆθʼ.

Εὐριπίδης

ὁ δὲ χορός γʼ ἤρειδεν ὁρμαθοὺς ἂν

μελῶν ἐφεξῆς τέτταρας ξυνεχῶς ἄν· οἱ δʼ ἐσίγων.
915

Διόνυσος

ἐγὼ δʼ ἔχαιρον τῇ σιωπῇ, καί με τοῦτʼ ἔτερπεν

οὐχ ἧττον ἢ νῦν οἱ λαλοῦντες.

Εὐριπίδης

ἠλίθιος γὰρ ἦσθα,

σάφʼ ἴσθι.

Διόνυσος

κἀμαυτῷ δοκῶ. τί δὲ ταῦτʼ ἔδρασʼ ὁ δεῖνα;

Εὐριπίδης

ὑπʼ ἀλαζονείας, ἵνʼ ὁ θεατὴς προσδοκῶν καθοῖτο,

ὁπόθʼ ἡ Νιόβη τι φθέγξεται· τὸ δρᾶμα δʼ ἂν διῄει.
920

Διόνυσος

ὢ παμπόνηρος, οἷʼ ἄρʼ ἐφενακιζόμην ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ.

τί σκορδινᾷ καὶ δυσφορεῖς;

Εὐριπίδης

ὅτι αὐτὸν ἐξελέγχω.

κἄπειτʼ ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα ληρήσειε καὶ τὸ δρᾶμα

ἤδη μεσοίη, ῥήματʼ ἂν βόεια δώδεκʼ εἶπεν,

ὀφρῦς ἔχοντα καὶ λόφους, δείνʼ ἄττα μορμορωπά,
925

ἄγνωτα τοῖς θεωμένοις.

Αἰσχύλος

οἴμοι τάλας.

Διόνυσος

σιώπα.

Εὐριπίδης

σαφὲς δʼ ἂν εἶπεν οὐδὲ ἕν—

Διόνυσος

μὴ πρῖε τοὺς ὀδόντας.

Εὐριπίδης

ἀλλʼ ἢ Σκαμάνδρους ἢ τάφρους ἢ ʼπʼ ἀσπίδων ἐπόντας

γρυπαιέτους χαλκηλάτους καὶ ῥήμαθʼ ἱππόκρημνα,

ἃ ξυμβαλεῖν οὐ ῥᾴδιʼ ἦν.
930

Διόνυσος

νὴ τοὺς θεοὺς ἐγὼ γοῦν

ἤδη ποτʼ ἐν μακρῷ χρόνῳ νυκτὸς διηγρύπνησα

τὸν ξουθὸν ἱππαλεκτρυόνα ζητῶν τίς ἐστιν ὄρνις.

Αἰσχύλος

σημεῖον ἐν ταῖς ναυσὶν ὦμαθέστατʼ ἐνεγέγραπτο.

Διόνυσος

ἐγὼ δὲ τὸν Φιλοξένου γʼ ᾤμην Ἔρυξιν εἶναι.

Εὐριπίδης

εἶτʼ ἐν τραγῳδίαις ἐχρῆν κἀλεκτρυόνα ποιῆσαι;
935

Αἰσχύλος

σὺ δʼ ὦ θεοῖσιν ἐχθρὲ ποῖʼ ἄττʼ ἐστὶν ἅττʼ ἐποίεις;

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.) — 907 focus

Euripides

Well, of myself and what sort of poet I am,

I will tell at the end: but first I'll prove that this man

was an impostor and a cheat, and how he took the spectators and used to fool the dupes reared with Phrynichos.

First, he'd wrap up and sit down someone or other,
1060

An Achilles, or Niobe, not showing the face,

a facade of tragedy, not mumbling so much as this.

Dionysus

That's right, they didn't.

Euripides

And then the chorus boomed

four strings of lyric in a row nonstop: but they kept quiet.
1065

Dionysus

And l enjoyed their silence; that pleased me

no less than the babblers now.

Euripides

Because you were stupid,

no doubt about it.

Dionysus

I think so too. Why did the so-and-so do this?
1070

Euripides

From fraudulence, so the spectator would sit there waiting

for when Niobe would say something. And the play would go on.

Dionysus

Oh what a villain! How I was fooled by him!

Why do you stretch and act uncomfortable?

Euripides

Because I'm convicting him.
1075

And then after he pulled this cheap trick, and the play

was already half over, he'd speak a dozen bullish words

With eyebrows, crests, some awful witch-faced things,

Unknown to the audience.

Aeschylus

Woe is me, alas.
1080

Dionysus

Quiet.

Euripides

Yet not a thing he said was clear—

Dionysus

Don't saw your teeth.

Euripides

But Scamanders, or trenches, or shield-adorning

bronze-beaten griffon-eagles and horse-cliffed phrases,
1085

which it was not easy to construe.

Dionysus

Ye gods! As for me,

“one night did I pass sleepless all the while,”

wondering what sort of bird the yellow hipporooster was.

Aeschylus

You blockhead, it's a symbol engraved on ships.
1090

Dionysus

I thought it was Eryxis, Philoxenus' son.

Euripides

Then, did you have to create a rooster in tragedy?

Aeschylus

You god-detested wretch! What sort of things did

you used to compose?

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.) — 907 focus

Euripides: 'Indeed, as for myself, as for my poetry, I am as I am,'

Euripides: In the very last lines I will speak, but this one I will refute first,

Euripides: how he was a boaster and a charlatan, capable of deceiving the spectators

Euripides: he deceived fools, having taken them as raised by Phrynichus.

910

Euripides: for first of all he would have sat down, having concealed himself,

Euripides: 'Achilles or Niobe, not showing the face,'

Euripides: a prop of tragedy, even this grumbling.

Dionysus: By Zeus, not at all.

Euripides: But the chorus would have been pulling down the stakes.

Euripides: he sang four melodies in succession continuously; but the others were silent.

915

Dionysus: I, however, was delighted by the silence, and this gave me pleasure.

Dionysus: Not less than now those who talk.

Euripides: For you were foolish,

Euripides: be quite certain.

DIONYSUS: I think so too. But what did that man do?

Euripides: out of pretension, so that the spectator, while waiting, might sit down,

Euripides: whenever Niobe speaks a word, the play would be broken up.

920

Dionysus: Oh, what a villain! I was so thoroughly cheated by him.

Dionysus: Why are you scowling and being ill-tempered?

Euripides: because I convict him.

Euripides: and then, since he would prattle these things and the play

Euripides: 'It would have been better if he had spoken twelve ox-head words.'

Euripides: having eyebrows and ridges, a terribly frightful monster,

925

Euripides: [they are] unknown to the spectators.

Aeschylus: alas, wretched me.

Dionysus: Be quiet.

Euripides: he would not have been able to say even one clear thing—

Dionysus: Do not grind your teeth.

Euripides: But either Skamandrians or trenches or those marching upon shields

Euripides: beaked, bronze-beating, and cliff-top verses,

Euripides: What to combine is not easy.

930

Dionysus: By the gods, I at least

Dionysus: I have indeed kept awake for a long time during the night.

Dionysus: I am looking for what kind of bird the red-headed rooster is.

Aeschylus: a sign, most clearly, was inscribed on the ships.

Dionysus: I thought, then, that Philoxenos' son was Eryx.

Euripides: Then should he have made a cock in his tragedies?

935

Aeschylus: But you, enemy of the gods, what things are these that you do?

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

920. mvp-tlg0019-tlg009-sanjaya-com-eng1-35

Line 920

ὁπόθʼ ἡ Νιόβη τι φθέγξεται· τὸ δρᾶμα δʼ ἂν διῄει.

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 920

Current edition Experimental

Διόνυσος μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὐ δῆθʼ.

Εὐριπίδης ὁ δὲ χορός γʼ ἤρειδεν ὁρμαθοὺς ἂν μελῶν ἐφεξῆς τέτταρας ξυνεχῶς ἄν· οἱ δʼ ἐσίγων. 915

Διόνυσος ἐγὼ δʼ ἔχαιρον τῇ σιωπῇ, καί με τοῦτʼ ἔτερπεν οὐχ ἧττον ἢ νῦν οἱ λαλοῦντες.

Εὐριπίδης ἠλίθιος γὰρ ἦσθα, σάφʼ ἴσθι.

Διόνυσος κἀμαυτῷ δοκῶ. τί δὲ ταῦτʼ ἔδρασʼ ὁ δεῖνα;

Εὐριπίδης ὑπʼ ἀλαζονείας, ἵνʼ ὁ θεατὴς προσδοκῶν καθοῖτο, ὁπόθʼ ἡ Νιόβη τι φθέγξεται· τὸ δρᾶμα δʼ ἂν διῄει. 920

Διόνυσος ὢ παμπόνηρος, οἷʼ ἄρʼ ἐφενακιζόμην ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ. τί σκορδινᾷ καὶ δυσφορεῖς;

Αἰσχύλος οἴμοι τάλας.

Διόνυσος σιώπα.

Εὐριπίδης σαφὲς δʼ ἂν εἶπεν οὐδὲ ἕν—

Διόνυσος μὴ πρῖε τοὺς ὀδόντας.

Εὐριπίδης ἀλλʼ ἢ Σκαμάνδρους ἢ τάφρους ἢ ʼπʼ ἀσπίδων ἐπόντας γρυπαιέτους χαλκηλάτους καὶ ῥήμαθʼ ἱππόκρημνα, ἃ ξυμβαλεῖν οὐ ῥᾴδιʼ ἦν. 930

Διόνυσος νὴ τοὺς θεοὺς ἐγὼ γοῦν ἤδη ποτʼ ἐν μακρῷ χρόνῳ νυκτὸς διηγρύπνησα τὸν ξουθὸν ἱππαλεκτρυόνα ζητῶν τίς ἐστιν ὄρνις.

Αἰσχύλος σημεῖον ἐν ταῖς ναυσὶν ὦμαθέστατʼ ἐνεγέγραπτο.

Διόνυσος ἐγὼ δὲ τὸν Φιλοξένου γʼ ᾤμην Ἔρυξιν εἶναι.

Εὐριπίδης εἶτʼ ἐν τραγῳδίαις ἐχρῆν κἀλεκτρυόνα ποιῆσαι; 935

Αἰσχύλος σὺ δʼ ὦ θεοῖσιν ἐχθρὲ ποῖʼ ἄττʼ ἐστὶν ἅττʼ ἐποίεις;

Dionysus That's right, they didn't.

Euripides And then the chorus boomed four strings of lyric in a row nonstop: but they kept quiet. 1065

Dionysus And l enjoyed their silence; that pleased me no less than the babblers now.

Euripides Because you were stupid, no doubt about it.

Dionysus I think so too. Why did the so-and-so do this? 1070

Euripides From fraudulence, so the spectator would sit there waiting for when Niobe would say something. And the play would go on.

Dionysus Oh what a villain! How I was fooled by him! Why do you stretch and act uncomfortable?

Euripides Because I'm convicting him. 1075 And then after he pulled this cheap trick, and the play was already half over, he'd speak a dozen bullish words With eyebrows, crests, some awful witch-faced things, Unknown to the audience.

Aeschylus Woe is me, alas. 1080

Dionysus Quiet.

Euripides Yet not a thing he said was clear—

Dionysus Don't saw your teeth.

Euripides But Scamanders, or trenches, or shield-adorning bronze-beaten griffon-eagles and horse-cliffed phrases, 1085 which it was not easy to construe.

Dionysus Ye gods! As for me, “one night did I pass sleepless all the while,” wondering what sort of bird the yellow hipporooster was.

Aeschylus You blockhead, it's a symbol engraved on ships. 1090

Dionysus I thought it was Eryxis, Philoxenus' son.

Euripides Then, did you have to create a rooster in tragedy?

Aeschylus You god-detested wretch! What sort of things did you used to compose?

Commentary

Line 920

Stable identifiers

Διόνυσος

μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὐ δῆθʼ.

Εὐριπίδης

ὁ δὲ χορός γʼ ἤρειδεν ὁρμαθοὺς ἂν

μελῶν ἐφεξῆς τέτταρας ξυνεχῶς ἄν· οἱ δʼ ἐσίγων.
915

Διόνυσος

ἐγὼ δʼ ἔχαιρον τῇ σιωπῇ, καί με τοῦτʼ ἔτερπεν

οὐχ ἧττον ἢ νῦν οἱ λαλοῦντες.

Εὐριπίδης

ἠλίθιος γὰρ ἦσθα,

σάφʼ ἴσθι.

Διόνυσος

κἀμαυτῷ δοκῶ. τί δὲ ταῦτʼ ἔδρασʼ ὁ δεῖνα;

Εὐριπίδης

ὑπʼ ἀλαζονείας, ἵνʼ ὁ θεατὴς προσδοκῶν καθοῖτο,

ὁπόθʼ ἡ Νιόβη τι φθέγξεται· τὸ δρᾶμα δʼ ἂν διῄει.
920

Διόνυσος

ὢ παμπόνηρος, οἷʼ ἄρʼ ἐφενακιζόμην ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ.

τί σκορδινᾷ καὶ δυσφορεῖς;

Αἰσχύλος

οἴμοι τάλας.

Διόνυσος

σιώπα.

Εὐριπίδης

σαφὲς δʼ ἂν εἶπεν οὐδὲ ἕν—

Διόνυσος

μὴ πρῖε τοὺς ὀδόντας.

Εὐριπίδης

ἀλλʼ ἢ Σκαμάνδρους ἢ τάφρους ἢ ʼπʼ ἀσπίδων ἐπόντας

γρυπαιέτους χαλκηλάτους καὶ ῥήμαθʼ ἱππόκρημνα,

ἃ ξυμβαλεῖν οὐ ῥᾴδιʼ ἦν.
930

Διόνυσος

νὴ τοὺς θεοὺς ἐγὼ γοῦν

ἤδη ποτʼ ἐν μακρῷ χρόνῳ νυκτὸς διηγρύπνησα

τὸν ξουθὸν ἱππαλεκτρυόνα ζητῶν τίς ἐστιν ὄρνις.

Αἰσχύλος

σημεῖον ἐν ταῖς ναυσὶν ὦμαθέστατʼ ἐνεγέγραπτο.

Διόνυσος

ἐγὼ δὲ τὸν Φιλοξένου γʼ ᾤμην Ἔρυξιν εἶναι.

Εὐριπίδης

εἶτʼ ἐν τραγῳδίαις ἐχρῆν κἀλεκτρυόνα ποιῆσαι;
935

Αἰσχύλος

σὺ δʼ ὦ θεοῖσιν ἐχθρὲ ποῖʼ ἄττʼ ἐστὶν ἅττʼ ἐποίεις;

Dionysus

That's right, they didn't.

Euripides

And then the chorus boomed

four strings of lyric in a row nonstop: but they kept quiet.
1065

Dionysus

And l enjoyed their silence; that pleased me

no less than the babblers now.

Euripides

Because you were stupid,

no doubt about it.

Dionysus

I think so too. Why did the so-and-so do this?
1070

Euripides

From fraudulence, so the spectator would sit there waiting

for when Niobe would say something. And the play would go on.

Dionysus

Oh what a villain! How I was fooled by him!

Why do you stretch and act uncomfortable?

Euripides

Because I'm convicting him.
1075

And then after he pulled this cheap trick, and the play

was already half over, he'd speak a dozen bullish words

With eyebrows, crests, some awful witch-faced things,

Unknown to the audience.

Aeschylus

Woe is me, alas.
1080

Dionysus

Quiet.

Euripides

Yet not a thing he said was clear—

Dionysus

Don't saw your teeth.

Euripides

But Scamanders, or trenches, or shield-adorning

bronze-beaten griffon-eagles and horse-cliffed phrases,
1085

which it was not easy to construe.

Dionysus

Ye gods! As for me,

“one night did I pass sleepless all the while,”

wondering what sort of bird the yellow hipporooster was.

Aeschylus

You blockhead, it's a symbol engraved on ships.
1090

Dionysus

I thought it was Eryxis, Philoxenus' son.

Euripides

Then, did you have to create a rooster in tragedy?

Aeschylus

You god-detested wretch! What sort of things did

you used to compose?