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Πραξάγορα

καὶ μὴν ὅτι μὲν χρηστὰ διδάξω πιστεύω· τοὺς δὲ θεατάς,

εἰ καινοτομεῖν ἐθελήσουσιν καὶ μὴ τοῖς ἠθάσι λίαν

τοῖς τʼ ἀρχαίοις ἐνδιατρίβειν, τοῦτʼ ἔσθʼ ὃ μάλιστα δέδοικα.
585

Βλέπυρος

περὶ μὲν τοίνυν τοῦ καινοτομεῖν μὴ δείσῃς· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμῖν

δρᾶν ἀντʼ ἄλλης ἀρχῆς ἐστιν, τῶν δʼ ἀρχαίων ἀμελῆσαι.

Πραξάγορα

μή νυν πρότερον μηδεὶς ὑμῶν ἀντείπῃ μηδʼ ὑποκρούσῃ,

πρὶν ἐπίστασθαι τὴν ἐπίνοιαν καὶ τοῦ φράζοντος ἀκοῦσαι.

κοινωνεῖν γὰρ πάντας φήσω χρῆναι πάντων μετέχοντας
590

κἀκ ταὐτοῦ ζῆν, καὶ μὴ τὸν μὲν πλουτεῖν, τὸν δʼ ἄθλιον εἶναι,

μηδὲ γεωργεῖν τὸν μὲν πολλήν, τῷ δʼ εἶναι μηδὲ ταφῆναι,

μηδʼ ἀνδραπόδοις τὸν μὲν χρῆσθαι πολλοῖς, τὸν δʼ οὐδʼ ἀκολούθῳ·

ἀλλʼ ἕνα ποιῶ κοινὸν πᾶσιν βίοτον καὶ τοῦτον ὅμοιον.

Βλέπυρος

πῶς οὖν ἔσται κοινὸς ἅπασιν;
595

Πραξάγορα

κατέδει πέλεθον πρότερός μου.

Βλέπυρος

καὶ τῶν πελέθων κοινωνοῦμεν;

Πραξάγορα

μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἔφθης μʼ ὑποκρούσας.

τοῦτο γὰρ ἤμελλον ἐγὼ λέξειν· τὴν γῆν πρώτιστα ποιήσω

κοινὴν πάντων καὶ τἀργύριον καὶ τἄλλʼ ὁπόσʼ ἐστὶν ἑκάστῳ.

εἶτʼ ἀπὸ τούτων κοινῶν ὄντων ἡμεῖς βοσκήσομεν ὑμᾶς

ταμιευόμεναι καὶ φειδόμεναι καὶ τὴν γνώμην προσέχουσαι.
600

Βλέπυρος

πῶς οὖν ὅστις μὴ κέκτηται γῆν ἡμῶν, ἀργύριον δὲ

καὶ Δαρεικοὺς ἀφανῆ πλοῦτον;

Πραξάγορα

τοῦτʼ ἐς τὸ μέσον καταθήσει.

καὶ μὴ καταθεὶς ψευδορκήσει.

Βλέπυρος

κἀκτήσατο γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο.

Ecclesiazusae. Aristophanes. ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart. Oxford. 1907.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Ἐκκλησιάζουσαι (Greek) (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.)

Translations (2)

Ecclesiazusae (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 583 focus

Praxagora

I believe my ideas are good, but what 585 I fear is that the public will cling to the old customs and refuse to accept my reforms.

Blepyrus

Have no fear about that. Love of novelty and disdain for traditions, these are the dominating principles among us.

Praxagora
To the audience.

Let none contradict nor interrupt me until I have explained my plan. 590 I want all to have a share of everything and all property to be in common; there will no longer be either rich or poor; no longer shall we see one man harvesting vast tracts of land, while another has not ground enough to be buried in, nor one man surround himself with a whole army of slaves, while another has not a single attendant; I intend that there shall only be one and the same condition of life for all.

Blepyrus

595 But how do you mean for all?

Praxagora
Impatiently.

You'll eat dung before I do!

Blepyrus

Won't the dung be common too?

Praxagora

No, no, but you interrupted me too soon. This is what I was going to say: I shall begin by making land, money, everything that is private property, common to all. Then we shall live on this common wealth, 600 which we shall take care to administer with wise thrift.

Blepyrus

And how about the man who has no land, but only gold and silver coins, that cannot be seen?

Praxagora

He must bring them to the common stock, and if he fails he will be a perjured man.

Blepyrus

That won't worry him much, for has he not gained them by perjury?

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.) — 583 focus

Praxagora: And indeed, I believe that I will teach useful things; but the spectators,

Praxagora: if they wish to innovate and not merely follow the usual customs

Praxagora: To spend time with the old people, that is what I fear most.

585

Blepyrus: So then, do not be afraid about innovating; for this to us

Blepyrus: To act is better than some other rule, but to neglect the old ones.

Praxagora: Now, let no one of you speak against [it] beforehand, nor interrupt [it],

Praxagora: before knowing the idea and hearing the speaker.

Praxagora: For I shall say that everyone should partake of everything, since they all are partakers.

590

Praxagora: to live from the same [source], and not for one to be rich, but for the wretched to be.

Praxagora: not even to farm the land, but not even to be buried,

Praxagora: not that one should use many slaves, nor even a follower.

Praxagora: But I make one common life for all, and this one alike.

Blepyrus: How then will it be common to all?

595

Praxagora: The old man showed up before me.

Blepyrus: And do we also share in the lentils?

Praxagora: By Zeus, but you have anticipated me by cutting in.

Praxagora: For this is what I was about to say: I will first make the land

Praxagora: let all property and all the money and all other things that belong to each person be held in common.

Praxagora: then, since these things are common, we will feed you.

Praxagora: while being saved and being frugal and paying attention to the opinion.

600

Blepyrus: How, then, is he who does not own our land, but has silver?

Blepyrus: 'And the Persian's invisible wealth?'

Praxagora: She will deposit this in the middle.

Praxagora: And do not lie after swearing an oath.

Blepyrus: for he acquired it for this reason.

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

595b. mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-16

Line 595b

κατέδει πέλεθον πρότερός μου.

The form πέλεθον is an irregular first aorist indicative active of πίπτω, attested here in the Comic poets (cf. Ar. Pax 566, Eq. 263) alongside the standard ἔπεσον. While the -θ- infix is the expected marker for the first aorist of this verb, the specific ending -ον (rather than -α) reflects the Doric or comic dialectal influence often found in Aristophanes, contrasting with the Attic standard ἔπεσον. The verb takes the dative case πέλεθον πρότερός μου (literally 'fell before me'), where πρότερός is a substantive adjective used as a predicate in the nominative, agreeing with the subject of the preceding clause (implied 'he' or 'they'), creating a syntactic structure where the participle or finite verb governs the state of being 'prior' rather than a simple locative dative.

596. mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-17

Line 596

καὶ τῶν πελέθων κοινωνοῦμεν;

The noun πελέθης (pelethēs) is a rare Atticism referring specifically to the 'hollow of the hand' or the 'palm' used to scoop up water or grain, distinct from the more common χείρ (hand) or παλάμη (palm). In this context, Aristophanes employs it in a grotesque metaphor: the women are asking if they will share in the 'pelethēs,' implying they will be allowed to scoop up (and thus control) the public funds or grain, a reference to the absurdity of women managing the state's resources with the same clumsy, scooping motion used for fetching water or serving food. The term's rarity and its specific connotation of a crude, utilitarian action heighten the comedic effect of the women's proposed governance.

Aristophanes Ecclesiazusae 583

ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart

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Βλέπυρος

περὶ μὲν τοίνυν τοῦ καινοτομεῖν μὴ δείσῃς· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμῖν

δρᾶν ἀντʼ ἄλλης ἀρχῆς ἐστιν, τῶν δʼ ἀρχαίων ἀμελῆσαι.

Βλέπυρος

πῶς οὖν ἔσται κοινὸς ἅπασιν;
595

Πραξάγορα

κατέδει πέλεθον πρότερός μου.

Βλέπυρος

καὶ τῶν πελέθων κοινωνοῦμεν;

Βλέπυρος

πῶς οὖν ὅστις μὴ κέκτηται γῆν ἡμῶν, ἀργύριον δὲ

καὶ Δαρεικοὺς ἀφανῆ πλοῦτον;

Πραξάγορα

τοῦτʼ ἐς τὸ μέσον καταθήσει.

καὶ μὴ καταθεὶς ψευδορκήσει.

Βλέπυρος

κἀκτήσατο γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο.

Current edition Perseus

Praxagora

I believe my ideas are good, but what 585 I fear is that the public will cling to the old customs and refuse to accept my reforms.

Blepyrus

Have no fear about that. Love of novelty and disdain for traditions, these are the dominating principles among us.

Blepyrus

595 But how do you mean for all?

Praxagora
Impatiently.

You'll eat dung before I do!

Blepyrus

Won't the dung be common too?

Praxagora

No, no, but you interrupted me too soon. This is what I was going to say: I shall begin by making land, money, everything that is private property, common to all. Then we shall live on this common wealth, 600 which we shall take care to administer with wise thrift.

Blepyrus

And how about the man who has no land, but only gold and silver coins, that cannot be seen?

Praxagora

He must bring them to the common stock, and if he fails he will be a perjured man.

Blepyrus

That won't worry him much, for has he not gained them by perjury?

Commentary

Line 595b

Line 596

Stable identifiers

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Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Βλέπυρος περὶ μὲν τοίνυν τοῦ καινοτομεῖν μὴ δείσῃς· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμῖν δρᾶν ἀντʼ ἄλλης ἀρχῆς ἐστιν, τῶν δʼ ἀρχαίων ἀμελῆσαι.

Βλέπυρος πῶς οὖν ἔσται κοινὸς ἅπασιν; 595

Πραξάγορα κατέδει πέλεθον πρότερός μου.

Βλέπυρος καὶ τῶν πελέθων κοινωνοῦμεν;

Βλέπυρος πῶς οὖν ὅστις μὴ κέκτηται γῆν ἡμῶν, ἀργύριον δὲ καὶ Δαρεικοὺς ἀφανῆ πλοῦτον;

Πραξάγορα τοῦτʼ ἐς τὸ μέσον καταθήσει. καὶ μὴ καταθεὶς ψευδορκήσει.

Βλέπυρος κἀκτήσατο γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο.

Current edition Perseus

Praxagora I believe my ideas are good, but what 585 I fear is that the public will cling to the old customs and refuse to accept my reforms.

Blepyrus Have no fear about that. Love of novelty and disdain for traditions, these are the dominating principles among us.

Blepyrus 595 But how do you mean for all?

Praxagora Impatiently. You'll eat dung before I do!

Blepyrus Won't the dung be common too?

Praxagora No, no, but you interrupted me too soon. This is what I was going to say: I shall begin by making land, money, everything that is private property, common to all. Then we shall live on this common wealth, 600 which we shall take care to administer with wise thrift.

Blepyrus And how about the man who has no land, but only gold and silver coins, that cannot be seen?

Praxagora He must bring them to the common stock, and if he fails he will be a perjured man.

Blepyrus That won't worry him much, for has he not gained them by perjury?

Commentary

Line 595b

Line 596

Stable identifiers

Βλέπυρος

περὶ μὲν τοίνυν τοῦ καινοτομεῖν μὴ δείσῃς· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμῖν

δρᾶν ἀντʼ ἄλλης ἀρχῆς ἐστιν, τῶν δʼ ἀρχαίων ἀμελῆσαι.

Βλέπυρος

πῶς οὖν ἔσται κοινὸς ἅπασιν;
595

Πραξάγορα

κατέδει πέλεθον πρότερός μου.

Βλέπυρος

καὶ τῶν πελέθων κοινωνοῦμεν;

Βλέπυρος

πῶς οὖν ὅστις μὴ κέκτηται γῆν ἡμῶν, ἀργύριον δὲ

καὶ Δαρεικοὺς ἀφανῆ πλοῦτον;

Πραξάγορα

τοῦτʼ ἐς τὸ μέσον καταθήσει.

καὶ μὴ καταθεὶς ψευδορκήσει.

Βλέπυρος

κἀκτήσατο γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο.

Praxagora

I believe my ideas are good, but what 585 I fear is that the public will cling to the old customs and refuse to accept my reforms.

Blepyrus

Have no fear about that. Love of novelty and disdain for traditions, these are the dominating principles among us.

Blepyrus

595 But how do you mean for all?

Praxagora
Impatiently.

You'll eat dung before I do!

Blepyrus

Won't the dung be common too?

Praxagora

No, no, but you interrupted me too soon. This is what I was going to say: I shall begin by making land, money, everything that is private property, common to all. Then we shall live on this common wealth, 600 which we shall take care to administer with wise thrift.

Blepyrus

And how about the man who has no land, but only gold and silver coins, that cannot be seen?

Praxagora

He must bring them to the common stock, and if he fails he will be a perjured man.

Blepyrus

That won't worry him much, for has he not gained them by perjury?