Aristophanes, Frogs, 860

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Euripides: 'I am ready, indeed, and I do not surface,'

860

Euripides: 'I will bite first, if that seems right to him.'

Euripides: the words, the melodies, the sinews of tragedy,

Euripides: And by Zeus, both Peleus and Aeolus

Euripides: 'And Meleager, and very much so Telephus.'

Dionysus: But what are you planning to do? Speak, Aeschylus.

865

Aeschylus: I would not wish to quarrel here;

Aeschylus: for the contest is not equal between us.

Dionysus: But what then?

Aeschylus: because poetry has not died for me,

Aeschylus: He has died with this man, so that he will have something to say.

Aeschylus: Nevertheless, since it seems so to you, I must do these things.

870

Dionysus: Go now, someone bring frankincense here and give fire.

Dionysus: so that I may pray before the sophistries.

Dionysus: to judge this contest most musically;

Dionysus: And you, sing a song to the Muses.

Chorus: O holy nine maidens of Zeus

875

Chorus: Muses, you who look upon the subtle-minded minds.

Chorus: of men who fashion maxims, when they, with sharp-edged counsels, enter into strife

Chorus: Let them come, twisting their bodies and arguing back and forth,

Chorus: Come, let us go to see the army.

Chorus: to procure the most terrible mouths.

880

Chorus: words and the syllables of the words.

Chorus: For now the great contest of wisdom is already proceeding to action.

Dionysus: Pray, then, and say something yourselves before the rest speak.

885

Aeschylus: Demeter, who nourished my mind,

Aeschylus: 'To be worthy of your mysteries.'

Dionysus: Put it on, and you too take some incense.

Euripides: "Very well."

Euripides: For there are other gods in whom I pray.

Dionysus: 'Do you have any of your own, a new bit?'

890

Euripides: "And indeed."

Dionysus: Go on then, pray to the ordinary gods.

Euripides: The air is my pasture and the twist of my tongue.

Euripides: and noses and snouts and smelling-parts,

Euripides: You are right to censure me in regard to whatever speeches I undertake.

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.) — 860 focus

Εὐριπίδης

ἕτοιμός εἰμʼ ἔγωγε, κοὐκ ἀναδύομαι,
860

δάκνειν δάκνεσθαι πρότερος, εἰ τούτῳ δοκεῖ,

τἄπη, τὰ μέλη, τὰ νεῦρα τῆς τραγῳδίας,

καὶ νὴ Δία τὸν Πηλέα γε καὶ τὸν Αἴολον

καὶ τὸν Μελέαγρον κἄτι μάλα τὸν Τήλεφον.

Διόνυσος

τί δαὶ σὺ βουλεύει ποιεῖν; λέγʼ Αἰσχύλε.
865

Αἰσχύλος

ἐβουλόμην μὲν οὐκ ἐρίζειν ἐνθάδε·

οὐκ ἐξ ἴσου γάρ ἐστιν ἁγὼν νῷν.

Διόνυσος

τί δαί;

Αἰσχύλος

ὅτι ἡ ποίησις οὐχὶ συντέθνηκέ μοι,

τούτῳ δὲ συντέθνηκεν, ὥσθʼ ἕξει λέγειν.

ὅμως δʼ ἐπειδή σοι δοκεῖ, δρᾶν ταῦτα χρή.
870

Διόνυσος

ἴθι νυν λιβανωτὸν δεῦρό τις καὶ πῦρ δότω.

ὅπως ἂν εὔξωμαι πρὸ τῶν σοφισμάτων

ἀγῶνα κρῖναι τόνδε μουσικώτατα·

ὑμεῖς δὲ ταῖς Μούσαις τι μέλος ὑπᾴσατε.

Χορός

ὦ Διὸς ἐννέα παρθένοι ἁγναὶ
875

Μοῦσαι, λεπτολόγους ξυνετὰς φρένας αἳ καθορᾶτε

ἀνδρῶν γνωμοτύπων, ὅταν εἰς ἔριν ὀξυμερίμνοις

ἔλθωσι στρεβλοῖσι παλαίσμασιν ἀντιλογοῦντες,

ἔλθετʼ ἐποψόμεναι δύναμιν

δεινοτάτοιν στομάτοιν πορίσασθαι
880

ῥήματα καὶ παραπρίσματʼ ἐπῶν.

νῦν γὰρ ἀγὼν σοφίας ὁ μέγας χωρεῖ πρὸς ἔργον ἤδη.

Διόνυσος

εὔχεσθε δὴ καὶ σφώ τι πρὶν τἄπη λέγειν.
885

Αἰσχύλος

Δήμητερ ἡ θρέψασα τὴν ἐμὴν φρένα,

εἶναί με τῶν σῶν ἄξιον μυστηρίων.

Διόνυσος

ἐπίθες λαβὼν δὴ καὶ σὺ λιβανωτόν.

Εὐριπίδης

καλῶς·

ἕτεροι γάρ εἰσιν οἷσιν εὔχομαι θεοῖς.

Διόνυσος

ἴδιοί τινές σοι, κόμμα καινόν;
890

Εὐριπίδης

καὶ μάλα.

Διόνυσος

ἴθι δὴ προσεύχου τοῖσιν ἰδιώταις θεοῖς.

Εὐριπίδης

αἰθὴρ ἐμὸν βόσκημα καὶ γλώσσης στρόφιγξ

καὶ ξύνεσι καὶ μυκτῆρες ὀσφραντήριοι,

ὀρθῶς μʼ ἐλέγχειν ὧν ἂν ἅπτωμαι λόγων.

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.) — 860 focus

Euripides

I am prepared, and do not delay,

to bite, be bitten first, if that's his preference,

as to the lines and lyrics, the sinews of a tragedy,

I swear by Zeus, by Peleus, and by Aeolus,
1010

by MeIeager too, and even more, by Telephus.

Dionysus

And what do you plan to do? Speak, Aeschylus.

Aeschylus

I didn't want to join in battle here;

Our combat will not be on equal terms.

Dionysus

How so?
1015

Aeschylus

My Poetry did not die with me,

as his has died with him, so he'll have it to recite.

But nonetheless since you prefer, it must be done.

Dionysus

Come now, someone bring incense and fire,

So I can pray before the show of wits
1020

to judge this contest most aesthetically.

And you, sing a song to the Muses.

Chorus

Ye Nine virgin daughters of Zeus, blessed

Muses, who look down upon the subtle-speaking clever wits

of phrase-forging men, when to strife
1025

they come, debating with fiercely studied, crooked wrestling holds,

come to observe the power

of most awesome mouths to provide

sayings and sawdust of words.

For now the great contest of skill is getting down to business.
1030

Aristophanes Frogs 860

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Experimental

Διόνυσος

τί δαὶ σὺ βουλεύει ποιεῖν; λέγʼ Αἰσχύλε.
865

Αἰσχύλος

ἐβουλόμην μὲν οὐκ ἐρίζειν ἐνθάδε·

οὐκ ἐξ ἴσου γάρ ἐστιν ἁγὼν νῷν.

Διόνυσος

τί δαί;

Αἰσχύλος

ὅτι ἡ ποίησις οὐχὶ συντέθνηκέ μοι,

τούτῳ δὲ συντέθνηκεν, ὥσθʼ ἕξει λέγειν.

ὅμως δʼ ἐπειδή σοι δοκεῖ, δρᾶν ταῦτα χρή.
870

Διόνυσος

εὔχεσθε δὴ καὶ σφώ τι πρὶν τἄπη λέγειν.
885

Αἰσχύλος

Δήμητερ ἡ θρέψασα τὴν ἐμὴν φρένα,

εἶναί με τῶν σῶν ἄξιον μυστηρίων.

Διόνυσος

ἐπίθες λαβὼν δὴ καὶ σὺ λιβανωτόν.

Εὐριπίδης

καλῶς·

ἕτεροι γάρ εἰσιν οἷσιν εὔχομαι θεοῖς.

Διόνυσος

ἴδιοί τινές σοι, κόμμα καινόν;
890

Εὐριπίδης

καὶ μάλα.

Διόνυσος

ἴθι δὴ προσεύχου τοῖσιν ἰδιώταις θεοῖς.

Εὐριπίδης

αἰθὴρ ἐμὸν βόσκημα καὶ γλώσσης στρόφιγξ

καὶ ξύνεσι καὶ μυκτῆρες ὀσφραντήριοι,

ὀρθῶς μʼ ἐλέγχειν ὧν ἂν ἅπτωμαι λόγων.

Euripides

I am prepared, and do not delay,

to bite, be bitten first, if that's his preference,

as to the lines and lyrics, the sinews of a tragedy,

I swear by Zeus, by Peleus, and by Aeolus,
1010

by MeIeager too, and even more, by Telephus.

Dionysus

And what do you plan to do? Speak, Aeschylus.

Aeschylus

I didn't want to join in battle here;

Our combat will not be on equal terms.

Dionysus

How so?
1015

Aeschylus

My Poetry did not die with me,

as his has died with him, so he'll have it to recite.

But nonetheless since you prefer, it must be done.

Dionysus

Come now, someone bring incense and fire,

So I can pray before the show of wits
1020

to judge this contest most aesthetically.

And you, sing a song to the Muses.

Dionysus

Now, both say a prayer before speaking your verses.

Aeschylus

Demeter, nourisher of my mind,

grant that I be worthy of thy mysteries!

Dionysus

Now you too take and offer incense.

Euripides

Fine,
1035

but I have other gods I pray to.

Dionysus

Your own private ones, newly minted?

Euripides

Yes, indeed.

Dionysus

Well, pray away to these private Gods.

Euripides

O air, my sustenance, and pivot of my tongue,
1040

and intelligence, and olfactory nostrils,

may I stoutly refute whatever words I seize!

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Experimental

Διόνυσος τί δαὶ σὺ βουλεύει ποιεῖν; λέγʼ Αἰσχύλε. 865

Αἰσχύλος ἐβουλόμην μὲν οὐκ ἐρίζειν ἐνθάδε· οὐκ ἐξ ἴσου γάρ ἐστιν ἁγὼν νῷν.

Διόνυσος τί δαί;

Αἰσχύλος ὅτι ἡ ποίησις οὐχὶ συντέθνηκέ μοι, τούτῳ δὲ συντέθνηκεν, ὥσθʼ ἕξει λέγειν. ὅμως δʼ ἐπειδή σοι δοκεῖ, δρᾶν ταῦτα χρή. 870

Διόνυσος εὔχεσθε δὴ καὶ σφώ τι πρὶν τἄπη λέγειν. 885

Αἰσχύλος Δήμητερ ἡ θρέψασα τὴν ἐμὴν φρένα, εἶναί με τῶν σῶν ἄξιον μυστηρίων.

Διόνυσος ἐπίθες λαβὼν δὴ καὶ σὺ λιβανωτόν.

Εὐριπίδης καλῶς· ἕτεροι γάρ εἰσιν οἷσιν εὔχομαι θεοῖς.

Διόνυσος ἴδιοί τινές σοι, κόμμα καινόν; 890

Εὐριπίδης καὶ μάλα.

Διόνυσος ἴθι δὴ προσεύχου τοῖσιν ἰδιώταις θεοῖς.

Εὐριπίδης αἰθὴρ ἐμὸν βόσκημα καὶ γλώσσης στρόφιγξ καὶ ξύνεσι καὶ μυκτῆρες ὀσφραντήριοι, ὀρθῶς μʼ ἐλέγχειν ὧν ἂν ἅπτωμαι λόγων.

Euripides I am prepared, and do not delay, to bite, be bitten first, if that's his preference, as to the lines and lyrics, the sinews of a tragedy, I swear by Zeus, by Peleus, and by Aeolus, 1010 by MeIeager too, and even more, by Telephus.

Dionysus And what do you plan to do? Speak, Aeschylus.

Aeschylus I didn't want to join in battle here; Our combat will not be on equal terms.

Dionysus How so? 1015

Aeschylus My Poetry did not die with me, as his has died with him, so he'll have it to recite. But nonetheless since you prefer, it must be done.

Dionysus Come now, someone bring incense and fire, So I can pray before the show of wits 1020 to judge this contest most aesthetically. And you, sing a song to the Muses.

Dionysus Now, both say a prayer before speaking your verses.

Aeschylus Demeter, nourisher of my mind, grant that I be worthy of thy mysteries!

Dionysus Now you too take and offer incense.

Euripides Fine, 1035 but I have other gods I pray to.

Dionysus Your own private ones, newly minted?

Euripides Yes, indeed.

Dionysus Well, pray away to these private Gods.

Euripides O air, my sustenance, and pivot of my tongue, 1040 and intelligence, and olfactory nostrils, may I stoutly refute whatever words I seize!

Stable identifiers

Διόνυσος

τί δαὶ σὺ βουλεύει ποιεῖν; λέγʼ Αἰσχύλε.
865

Αἰσχύλος

ἐβουλόμην μὲν οὐκ ἐρίζειν ἐνθάδε·

οὐκ ἐξ ἴσου γάρ ἐστιν ἁγὼν νῷν.

Διόνυσος

τί δαί;

Αἰσχύλος

ὅτι ἡ ποίησις οὐχὶ συντέθνηκέ μοι,

τούτῳ δὲ συντέθνηκεν, ὥσθʼ ἕξει λέγειν.

ὅμως δʼ ἐπειδή σοι δοκεῖ, δρᾶν ταῦτα χρή.
870

Διόνυσος

εὔχεσθε δὴ καὶ σφώ τι πρὶν τἄπη λέγειν.
885

Αἰσχύλος

Δήμητερ ἡ θρέψασα τὴν ἐμὴν φρένα,

εἶναί με τῶν σῶν ἄξιον μυστηρίων.

Διόνυσος

ἐπίθες λαβὼν δὴ καὶ σὺ λιβανωτόν.

Εὐριπίδης

καλῶς·

ἕτεροι γάρ εἰσιν οἷσιν εὔχομαι θεοῖς.

Διόνυσος

ἴδιοί τινές σοι, κόμμα καινόν;
890

Εὐριπίδης

καὶ μάλα.

Διόνυσος

ἴθι δὴ προσεύχου τοῖσιν ἰδιώταις θεοῖς.

Εὐριπίδης

αἰθὴρ ἐμὸν βόσκημα καὶ γλώσσης στρόφιγξ

καὶ ξύνεσι καὶ μυκτῆρες ὀσφραντήριοι,

ὀρθῶς μʼ ἐλέγχειν ὧν ἂν ἅπτωμαι λόγων.

Euripides

I am prepared, and do not delay,

to bite, be bitten first, if that's his preference,

as to the lines and lyrics, the sinews of a tragedy,

I swear by Zeus, by Peleus, and by Aeolus,
1010

by MeIeager too, and even more, by Telephus.

Dionysus

And what do you plan to do? Speak, Aeschylus.

Aeschylus

I didn't want to join in battle here;

Our combat will not be on equal terms.

Dionysus

How so?
1015

Aeschylus

My Poetry did not die with me,

as his has died with him, so he'll have it to recite.

But nonetheless since you prefer, it must be done.

Dionysus

Come now, someone bring incense and fire,

So I can pray before the show of wits
1020

to judge this contest most aesthetically.

And you, sing a song to the Muses.

Dionysus

Now, both say a prayer before speaking your verses.

Aeschylus

Demeter, nourisher of my mind,

grant that I be worthy of thy mysteries!

Dionysus

Now you too take and offer incense.

Euripides

Fine,
1035

but I have other gods I pray to.

Dionysus

Your own private ones, newly minted?

Euripides

Yes, indeed.

Dionysus

Well, pray away to these private Gods.

Euripides

O air, my sustenance, and pivot of my tongue,
1040

and intelligence, and olfactory nostrils,

may I stoutly refute whatever words I seize!