Aristophanes, Frogs, 738

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

← Previous Next →

Aiaikos: By Zeus the savior, he is a man of noble birth.

Aeacus: your master.

Xanthias: "How indeed not a gentleman,"

Xanthias: As for anyone who only knows how to drink and get drunk?

740

Aiakos: but that you were not struck, even though exposed openly,

Aiakos: that, although you were a slave, you claimed to be a master.

Xanthias: He groaned, indeed.

Aiakos: this, however, is slave-like.

Aiakos: you have done it immediately, which I am glad to do.

Xanthias: Are you well, I beg you?

745

Aiakos: But I think I am observing.

Aeacus: when I curse the master secretly.

Xanthias: But why are you shouting, when you have received blows?

Xanthias: You are going out the door many times?

Aiakos: and I am pleased by this.

Xanthias: But why do you do so many things?

Aeacus: As surely as by Zeus, I know nothing.

Xanthias: Zeus, my dear! And while the masters are listening.

750

Xanthias: What would they be saying?

Aiaikos: But I sail rather than I am mad.

Xanthias: But what am I saying about those things out there?

Aiakos: me?

Aeacus: By Zeus, but when I do this, I become exhausted.

Xanthias: O Phoebus Apollo, cast the right hand upon me,

Xanthias: And give [him] a kiss, and kiss yourself, and tell me.

755

Xanthias: by Zeus, who is our whip-fellow,

Xanthias: What is this noise and clamor then?

Xanthias: And the abuse?

Aiaikos: Aeschylus's and Euripides's.

Xanthias: What?

Aiaikos: A big deed, a big deed has been stirred up, a big one.

Aiaikos: There is also great strife among the dead.

760

Xanthias: From where?

Aiakos: there is a certain law established here.

Aiaikos: from the crafts that are great and skillful,

Aiaikos: the best of his own fellow craftsmen.

Aiakeus: that he should receive food in the prytaneion.

Aiakos: and a throne of Pluto in sequence—

765

Xanthias: I understand.

Aiaikos: until he should come back more skilled in his art.

Aeacus: Another one of his; then he had to yield.

Xanthias: Why on earth has Aeschylus been making such a commotion?

Aiakos: He had the tragic throne,

Aeacus: as being the most powerful in the art.

770

Xanthias: But now, who is it?

Aiaikos: when indeed Euripides came down, he was being exhibited.

Aeacus: to the thieves and to the purse-cutters.

Aiaikos: and to the patrolling guards and to the wall-climbers,

Aiaos: Whatever is the multitude in Hades, but the listeners

Aiakos: of the counter-arguments and twists and turns

775

Aiaikos: They went mad and they judged him to be the wisest;

Aiaikos: And then, having been puffed up, he seized hold of the throne,

Aiaikos: so that Aeschylus might sit.

Xanthias: And he wasn't being struck?

Aiakos: By Zeus, but the people were shouting to hold a trial.

Aeacus: which one might be more skilled in the craft.

780

Xanthias: The one of the rascals?

Aiaikos: By Zeus of heaven, what a huge one!

Xanthias: But were there not other allies with Aeschylus?

Aeacus: Goodness is little, just as here.

Xanthias: But what is Pluto now preparing to do?

Aiaikos: let us make a contest right away and a judgment.

785

Aiakeus: And I will expose their skill.

Xanthias: and then how?

Xanthias: Did Sophocles not also take hold of the throne?

Frogs. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

English (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.) — 738 focus

Ἄιακος

νὴ τὸν Δία τὸν σωτῆρα γεννάδας ἀνὴρ

ὁ δεσπότης σου.

Ξανθίας

πῶς γὰρ οὐχὶ γεννάδας,

ὅστις γε πίνειν οἶδε καὶ βινεῖν μόνον;
740

Ἄιακος

τὸ δὲ μὴ πατάξαι σʼ ἐξελεγχθέντʼ ἄντικρυς,

ὅτι δοῦλος ὢν ἔφασκες εἶναι δεσπότης.

Ξανθίας

ᾤμωξε μέντἄν.

Ἄιακος

τοῦτο μέντοι δουλικὸν

εὐθὺς πεποίηκας, ὅπερ ἐγὼ χαίρω ποιῶν.

Ξανθίας

χαίρεις, ἱκετεύω;
745

Ἄιακος

μἀλλʼ ἐποπτεύειν δοκῶ,

ὅταν καταράσωμαι λάθρᾳ τῷ δεσπότῃ.

Ξανθίας

τί δὲ τονθορύζων, ἡνίκʼ ἂν πληγὰς λαβὼν

πολλὰς ἀπίῃς θύραζε;

Ἄιακος

καὶ τοῦθʼ ἥδομαι.

Ξανθίας

τί δὲ πολλὰ πράττων;

Ἄιακος

ὡς μὰ Δίʼ οὐδὲν οἶδʼ ἐγώ.

Ξανθίας

ὁμόγνιε Ζεῦ· καὶ παρακούων δεσποτῶν
750

ἅττʼ ἂν λαλῶσι;

Ἄιακος

μἀλλὰ πλεῖν ἢ μαίνομαι.

Ξανθίας

τί δὲ τοῖς θύραζε ταῦτα καταλαλῶν;

Ἄιακος

ἐγώ;

μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ὅταν δρῶ τοῦτο, κἀκμιαίνομαι.

Ξανθίας

ὦ Φοῖβʼ Ἄπολλον ἔμβαλέ μοι τὴν δεξιάν,

καὶ δὸς κύσαι καὐτὸς κύσον, καί μοι φράσον
755

πρὸς Διός, ὃς ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὁμομαστιγίας,

τίς οὗτος οὕνδον ἐστὶ θόρυβος καὶ βοὴ

χὠ λοιδορησμός;

Ἄιακος

Αἰσχύλου κεὐριπίδου.

Ξανθίας

ἆ.

Ἄιακος

πρᾶγμα πρᾶγμα μέγα κεκίνηται μέγα

ἐν τοῖς νεκροῖσι καὶ στάσις πολλὴ πάνυ.
760

Ξανθίας

ἐκ τοῦ;

Ἄιακος

νόμος τις ἐνθάδʼ ἐστὶ κείμενος

ἀπὸ τῶν τεχνῶν ὅσαι μεγάλαι καὶ δεξιαί,

τὸν ἄριστον ὄντα τῶν ἑαυτοῦ συντέχνων

σίτησιν αὐτὸν ἐν πρυτανείῳ λαμβάνειν

θρόνον τε τοῦ Πλούτωνος ἑξῆς—
765

Ξανθίας

μανθάνω.

Ἄιακος

ἕως ἀφίκοιτο τὴν τέχνην σοφώτερος

ἕτερός τις αὐτοῦ· τότε δὲ παραχωρεῖν ἔδει.

Ξανθίας

τί δῆτα τουτὶ τεθορύβηκεν Αἰσχύλον;

Ἄιακος

ἐκεῖνος εἶχε τὸν τραγῳδικὸν θρόνον,

ὡς ὢν κράτιστος τὴν τέχνην.
770

Ξανθίας

νυνὶ δὲ τίς;

Ἄιακος

ὅτε δὴ κατῆλθʼ Εὐριπίδης, ἐπεδείκνυτο

τοῖς λωποδύταις καὶ τοῖσι βαλλαντιοτόμοις

καὶ τοῖσι πατραλοίαισι καὶ τοιχωρύχοις,

ὅπερ ἔστʼ ἐν Ἅιδου πλῆθος, οἱ δʼ ἀκροώμενοι

τῶν ἀντιλογιῶν καὶ λυγισμῶν καὶ στροφῶν
775

ὑπερεμάνησαν κἀνόμισαν σοφώτατον·

κἄπειτʼ ἐπαρθεὶς ἀντελάβετο τοῦ θρόνου,

ἵνʼ Αἰσχύλος καθῆστο.

Ξανθίας

κοὐκ ἐβάλλετο;

Ἄιακος

μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ὁ δῆμος ἀνεβόα κρίσιν ποιεῖν

ὁπότερος εἴη τὴν τέχνην σοφώτερος.
780

Ξανθίας

ὁ τῶν πανούργων;

Ἄιακος

νὴ Δίʼ οὐράνιόν γʼ ὅσον.

Ξανθίας

μετʼ Αἰσχύλου δʼ οὐκ ἦσαν ἕτεροι σύμμαχοι;

Ἄιακος

ὀλίγον τὸ χρηστόν ἐστιν, ὥσπερ ἐνθάδε.

Ξανθίας

τί δῆθʼ ὁ Πλούτων δρᾶν παρασκευάζεται;

Ἄιακος

ἀγῶνα ποιεῖν αὐτίκα μάλα καὶ κρίσιν
785

κἄλεγχον αὐτῶν τῆς τέχνης.

Ξανθίας

κἄπειτα πῶς

οὐ καὶ Σοφοκλέης ἀντελάβετο τοῦ θρόνου;

Translations (1)

Frogs (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Matthew Dillon). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 738 focus

Enter Xanthias and Aeacus

Aeacus

By Zeus our Saviour, a real gentleman

is your master.

Xanthias

Of course he's a real gentleman,
870

he only knows how to drink and screw.

Aeacus

But not to beat you then and there when it was proved

that you're the slave but claimed to be the master!

Xanthias

He'd sure regret it.

Aeacus

That's a right slavish thing
875

you did just now, the kind of thing I like to do myself.

Xanthias

Beg pardon, you like that?

Aeacus

Even more, I'm practically in ecstasy

When I curse my master behind his back.

Xanthias

What about your grumbling, when after getting
880

a good beating you run outside?

Aeacus

I love that too.

Xanthias

And what of meddling?

Aeacus

It's like nothing else I know, by God.

Xanthias

Zeus of Family Ties! And eavesdropping on the masters
885

when they gossip?

Aeacus

It drives me even crazier.

Xanthias

What about blabbing it all to outsiders?

Aeacus

Who, me?

God, when I do that, I stain my pants.
890

Xanthias

Phoebus Apollo! Put your right hand there,

Let me kiss you—you kiss me too, and tell me

By Zeus, who is our fellow whipping boy,

What's all this noise inside and shouting

and abuse?
895

Aeacus

That's Euripides and Aeschylus.

Xanthias

Huh?

Aeacus

Big, big trouble's stirring

among the dead, and nasty civil war.

Xanthias

For what?
900

Aeacus

There is a custom established here,

in all the great and noble arts

that the best man in his own field of talent

gets his meals in the Town Hall,

and the seat next to Pluto...
905

Xanthias

I get it.

Aeacus

Until someone wiser in the art arrives

Than he, and then must he give way.

Xanthias

So why has this disturbed Aeschylus?

Aeacus

He held the chair of tragedy,
910

As the mightiest in that art.

Xanthias

And who does now?

Aeacus

Why, when Euripides came down, he started showing off

to the muggers and the pickpockets,

parricides, and burglars,
915

and that's the majority in Hades—and listening to

his speeches pro and con, and twists and turns,

they went crazy and hailed him the wisest.

Then he, all excited, claimed the throne

where Aeschylus was sitting.
920

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Experimental

Ἄιακος νὴ τὸν Δία τὸν σωτῆρα γεννάδας ἀνὴρ ὁ δεσπότης σου.

Ξανθίας πῶς γὰρ οὐχὶ γεννάδας, ὅστις γε πίνειν οἶδε καὶ βινεῖν μόνον; 740

Ἄιακος τὸ δὲ μὴ πατάξαι σʼ ἐξελεγχθέντʼ ἄντικρυς, ὅτι δοῦλος ὢν ἔφασκες εἶναι δεσπότης.

Ξανθίας ᾤμωξε μέντἄν.

Ἄιακος τοῦτο μέντοι δουλικὸν εὐθὺς πεποίηκας, ὅπερ ἐγὼ χαίρω ποιῶν.

Ξανθίας χαίρεις, ἱκετεύω; 745

Ἄιακος μἀλλʼ ἐποπτεύειν δοκῶ, ὅταν καταράσωμαι λάθρᾳ τῷ δεσπότῃ.

Ξανθίας τί δὲ τονθορύζων, ἡνίκʼ ἂν πληγὰς λαβὼν πολλὰς ἀπίῃς θύραζε;

Ἄιακος καὶ τοῦθʼ ἥδομαι.

Ξανθίας τί δὲ πολλὰ πράττων;

Ἄιακος ὡς μὰ Δίʼ οὐδὲν οἶδʼ ἐγώ.

Ξανθίας ὁμόγνιε Ζεῦ· καὶ παρακούων δεσποτῶν 750 ἅττʼ ἂν λαλῶσι;

Ἄιακος μἀλλὰ πλεῖν ἢ μαίνομαι.

Ξανθίας τί δὲ τοῖς θύραζε ταῦτα καταλαλῶν;

Ἄιακος ἐγώ; μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ὅταν δρῶ τοῦτο, κἀκμιαίνομαι.

Ἄιακος Αἰσχύλου κεὐριπίδου.

Ξανθίας ἆ.

Ἄιακος πρᾶγμα πρᾶγμα μέγα κεκίνηται μέγα ἐν τοῖς νεκροῖσι καὶ στάσις πολλὴ πάνυ. 760

Ξανθίας ἐκ τοῦ;

Ξανθίας μανθάνω.

Ἄιακος ἕως ἀφίκοιτο τὴν τέχνην σοφώτερος ἕτερός τις αὐτοῦ· τότε δὲ παραχωρεῖν ἔδει.

Ξανθίας τί δῆτα τουτὶ τεθορύβηκεν Αἰσχύλον;

Ἄιακος ἐκεῖνος εἶχε τὸν τραγῳδικὸν θρόνον, ὡς ὢν κράτιστος τὴν τέχνην. 770

Ξανθίας νυνὶ δὲ τίς;

Ξανθίας κοὐκ ἐβάλλετο;

Ἄιακος μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ὁ δῆμος ἀνεβόα κρίσιν ποιεῖν ὁπότερος εἴη τὴν τέχνην σοφώτερος. 780

Ξανθίας ὁ τῶν πανούργων;

Ἄιακος νὴ Δίʼ οὐράνιόν γʼ ὅσον.

Ξανθίας μετʼ Αἰσχύλου δʼ οὐκ ἦσαν ἕτεροι σύμμαχοι;

Ἄιακος ὀλίγον τὸ χρηστόν ἐστιν, ὥσπερ ἐνθάδε.

Ξανθίας τί δῆθʼ ὁ Πλούτων δρᾶν παρασκευάζεται;

Ἄιακος ἀγῶνα ποιεῖν αὐτίκα μάλα καὶ κρίσιν 785 κἄλεγχον αὐτῶν τῆς τέχνης.

Ξανθίας κἄπειτα πῶς οὐ καὶ Σοφοκλέης ἀντελάβετο τοῦ θρόνου;

Aeacus By Zeus our Saviour, a real gentleman is your master.

Xanthias Of course he's a real gentleman, 870 he only knows how to drink and screw.

Aeacus But not to beat you then and there when it was proved that you're the slave but claimed to be the master!

Xanthias He'd sure regret it.

Aeacus That's a right slavish thing 875 you did just now, the kind of thing I like to do myself.

Xanthias Beg pardon, you like that?

Aeacus Even more, I'm practically in ecstasy When I curse my master behind his back.

Xanthias What about your grumbling, when after getting 880 a good beating you run outside?

Aeacus I love that too.

Xanthias And what of meddling?

Aeacus It's like nothing else I know, by God.

Xanthias Zeus of Family Ties! And eavesdropping on the masters 885 when they gossip?

Aeacus It drives me even crazier.

Xanthias What about blabbing it all to outsiders?

Aeacus Who, me? God, when I do that, I stain my pants. 890

Xanthias Phoebus Apollo! Put your right hand there, Let me kiss you—you kiss me too, and tell me By Zeus, who is our fellow whipping boy, What's all this noise inside and shouting and abuse? 895

Aeacus That's Euripides and Aeschylus.

Xanthias Huh?

Aeacus Big, big trouble's stirring among the dead, and nasty civil war.

Xanthias For what? 900

Aeacus There is a custom established here, in all the great and noble arts that the best man in his own field of talent gets his meals in the Town Hall, and the seat next to Pluto... 905

Xanthias I get it.

Aeacus Until someone wiser in the art arrives Than he, and then must he give way.

Xanthias So why has this disturbed Aeschylus?

Aeacus He held the chair of tragedy, 910 As the mightiest in that art.

Xanthias And who does now?

Xanthias And wasn't he bombarded?

Aeacus Lord no, the plebs cried out to have a trial, to see which was the better dramatist.

Xanthias The crowd of rascals?

Aeacus Oh yes, as high as heaven. 925

Xanthias Didn't Aeschylus have others to take his side?

Aeacus The best's a small group, just like here.

Xanthias And what is Pluto planning to do?

Aeacus To hold the contest right away, and a trial and test of their skill. 930

Xanthias And how is it then that Sophocles didn't claim the throne as well?

Stable identifiers

Ἄιακος

νὴ τὸν Δία τὸν σωτῆρα γεννάδας ἀνὴρ

ὁ δεσπότης σου.

Ξανθίας

πῶς γὰρ οὐχὶ γεννάδας,

ὅστις γε πίνειν οἶδε καὶ βινεῖν μόνον;
740

Ἄιακος

τὸ δὲ μὴ πατάξαι σʼ ἐξελεγχθέντʼ ἄντικρυς,

ὅτι δοῦλος ὢν ἔφασκες εἶναι δεσπότης.

Ξανθίας

ᾤμωξε μέντἄν.

Ἄιακος

τοῦτο μέντοι δουλικὸν

εὐθὺς πεποίηκας, ὅπερ ἐγὼ χαίρω ποιῶν.

Ξανθίας

χαίρεις, ἱκετεύω;
745

Ἄιακος

μἀλλʼ ἐποπτεύειν δοκῶ,

ὅταν καταράσωμαι λάθρᾳ τῷ δεσπότῃ.

Ξανθίας

τί δὲ τονθορύζων, ἡνίκʼ ἂν πληγὰς λαβὼν

πολλὰς ἀπίῃς θύραζε;

Ἄιακος

καὶ τοῦθʼ ἥδομαι.

Ξανθίας

τί δὲ πολλὰ πράττων;

Ἄιακος

ὡς μὰ Δίʼ οὐδὲν οἶδʼ ἐγώ.

Ξανθίας

ὁμόγνιε Ζεῦ· καὶ παρακούων δεσποτῶν
750

ἅττʼ ἂν λαλῶσι;

Ἄιακος

μἀλλὰ πλεῖν ἢ μαίνομαι.

Ξανθίας

τί δὲ τοῖς θύραζε ταῦτα καταλαλῶν;

Ἄιακος

ἐγώ;

μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ὅταν δρῶ τοῦτο, κἀκμιαίνομαι.

Ἄιακος

Αἰσχύλου κεὐριπίδου.

Ξανθίας

ἆ.

Ἄιακος

πρᾶγμα πρᾶγμα μέγα κεκίνηται μέγα

ἐν τοῖς νεκροῖσι καὶ στάσις πολλὴ πάνυ.
760

Ξανθίας

ἐκ τοῦ;

Ξανθίας

μανθάνω.

Ἄιακος

ἕως ἀφίκοιτο τὴν τέχνην σοφώτερος

ἕτερός τις αὐτοῦ· τότε δὲ παραχωρεῖν ἔδει.

Ξανθίας

τί δῆτα τουτὶ τεθορύβηκεν Αἰσχύλον;

Ἄιακος

ἐκεῖνος εἶχε τὸν τραγῳδικὸν θρόνον,

ὡς ὢν κράτιστος τὴν τέχνην.
770

Ξανθίας

νυνὶ δὲ τίς;

Ξανθίας

κοὐκ ἐβάλλετο;

Ἄιακος

μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ὁ δῆμος ἀνεβόα κρίσιν ποιεῖν

ὁπότερος εἴη τὴν τέχνην σοφώτερος.
780

Ξανθίας

ὁ τῶν πανούργων;

Ἄιακος

νὴ Δίʼ οὐράνιόν γʼ ὅσον.

Ξανθίας

μετʼ Αἰσχύλου δʼ οὐκ ἦσαν ἕτεροι σύμμαχοι;

Ἄιακος

ὀλίγον τὸ χρηστόν ἐστιν, ὥσπερ ἐνθάδε.

Ξανθίας

τί δῆθʼ ὁ Πλούτων δρᾶν παρασκευάζεται;

Ἄιακος

ἀγῶνα ποιεῖν αὐτίκα μάλα καὶ κρίσιν
785

κἄλεγχον αὐτῶν τῆς τέχνης.

Ξανθίας

κἄπειτα πῶς

οὐ καὶ Σοφοκλέης ἀντελάβετο τοῦ θρόνου;

Aeacus

By Zeus our Saviour, a real gentleman

is your master.

Xanthias

Of course he's a real gentleman,
870

he only knows how to drink and screw.

Aeacus

But not to beat you then and there when it was proved

that you're the slave but claimed to be the master!

Xanthias

He'd sure regret it.

Aeacus

That's a right slavish thing
875

you did just now, the kind of thing I like to do myself.

Xanthias

Beg pardon, you like that?

Aeacus

Even more, I'm practically in ecstasy

When I curse my master behind his back.

Xanthias

What about your grumbling, when after getting
880

a good beating you run outside?

Aeacus

I love that too.

Xanthias

And what of meddling?

Aeacus

It's like nothing else I know, by God.

Xanthias

Zeus of Family Ties! And eavesdropping on the masters
885

when they gossip?

Aeacus

It drives me even crazier.

Xanthias

What about blabbing it all to outsiders?

Aeacus

Who, me?

God, when I do that, I stain my pants.
890

Xanthias

Phoebus Apollo! Put your right hand there,

Let me kiss you—you kiss me too, and tell me

By Zeus, who is our fellow whipping boy,

What's all this noise inside and shouting

and abuse?
895

Aeacus

That's Euripides and Aeschylus.

Xanthias

Huh?

Aeacus

Big, big trouble's stirring

among the dead, and nasty civil war.

Xanthias

For what?
900

Aeacus

There is a custom established here,

in all the great and noble arts

that the best man in his own field of talent

gets his meals in the Town Hall,

and the seat next to Pluto...
905

Xanthias

I get it.

Aeacus

Until someone wiser in the art arrives

Than he, and then must he give way.

Xanthias

So why has this disturbed Aeschylus?

Aeacus

He held the chair of tragedy,
910

As the mightiest in that art.

Xanthias

And who does now?

Xanthias

And wasn't he bombarded?

Aeacus

Lord no, the plebs cried out to have a trial,

to see which was the better dramatist.

Xanthias

The crowd of rascals?

Aeacus

Oh yes, as high as heaven.
925

Xanthias

Didn't Aeschylus have others to take his side?

Aeacus

The best's a small group, just like here.

Xanthias

And what is Pluto planning to do?

Aeacus

To hold the contest right away, and a trial

and test of their skill.
930

Xanthias

And how is it then

that Sophocles didn't claim the throne as well?