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Νεανίας

ἢν οὖν ὑφʼ ὑμῶν πρῶτον ἀπόλωμαι κακῶς,

φέρε πῶς ἐπʼ ἐκείνην τὴν καλὴν ἀφίξομαι;
1080

Γραῦς Γ

αὐτὸς σκόπει σύ· τάδε δέ σοι ποιητέον.

Νεανίας

ποτέρας προτέρας οὖν κατελάσας ἀπαλλαγῶ;

Γραῦς Β

οὐκ οἶσθα; βαδιεῖ δεῦρʼ.

Νεανίας

ἀφέτω νύν μʼ αὑτηί.

Γραῦς Γ

δευρὶ μὲν οὖν ἴθʼ ὡς ἔμʼ.

Νεανίας

ἢν ἡδί μʼ ἀφῇ.

Γραῦς Β

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀφήσω μὰ Δία σʼ.
1085

Γραῦς Γ

οὐδὲ μὴν ἐγώ.

Νεανίας

χαλεπαί γʼ ἂν ἦστε γενόμεναι πορθμῆς.

Γραῦς Β

τιή;

Νεανίας

ἕλκοντε τοὺς πλωτῆρας ἂν ἀπεκναίετε.

Γραῦς Β

σιγῇ βάδιζε δεῦρο.

Γραῦς Γ

μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐμέ.

Νεανίας

τουτὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα κατὰ τὸ Καννωνοῦ σαφῶς

ψήφισμα, βινεῖν δεῖ με διαλελημμένον.
1090

πῶς οὖν δικωπεῖν ἀμφοτέρας δυνήσομαι;

Γραῦς Β

καλῶς, ἐπειδὰν καταφάγῃς βολβῶν χύτραν.

Νεανίας

οἴμοι κακοδαίμων ἐγγὺς ἤδη τῆς θύρας

ἑλκόμενός εἰμʼ.

Γραῦς Β

ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν ἔσται σοι πλέον.

ξυνεσπεσοῦμαι γὰρ μετὰ σοῦ.
1095

Νεανίας

μὴ πρὸς θεῶν·

ἑνὶ γὰρ ξυνέχεσθαι κρεῖττον ἢ δυοῖν κακοῖν.

Γραῦς Γ

νὴ τὴν Ἑκάτην ἐάν τε βούλῃ γʼ ἤν τέ μή.

Νεανίας

ὦ τρισκακοδαίμων εἰ γυναῖκα δεῖ σαπρὰν

βινεῖν ὅλην τὴν νύκτα καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν,

κἄπειτʼ ἐπειδὰν τῆσδʼ ἀπαλλαγῶ, πάλιν
1100

φρύνην ἔχουσαν λήκυθον πρὸς ταῖς γνάθοις.

ἆρʼ οὐ κακοδαίμων εἰμί; βαρυδαίμων μὲν οὖν

νὴ τὸν Δία τὸν σωτῆρʼ ἀνὴρ καὶ δυστυχής,

ὅστις τοιούτοις θηρίοις συνείρξομαι.

ὅμως δʼ ἐάν τι πολλὰ πολλάκις πάθω
1105

ὑπὸ τοῖνδε τοῖν κασαλβάδοιν δεῦρʼ ἐσπλέων,

θάψαι μʼ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ τῷ στόματι τῆς ἐσβολῆς,

καὶ τήνδʼ ἄνωθεν ἐπιπολῆς τοῦ σήματος

ζῶσαν καταπιττώσαντες εἶτα τὼ πόδε

μολυβδοχοήσαντες κύκλῳ περὶ τὰ σφυρὰ
1110

ἄνω ʼπιθεῖναι πρόφασιν ἀντὶ ληκύθου.

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.) — 1079 focus

Young Man

But if you kill me at the outset, 1080 how shall I afterwards go to find this beautiful girl of mine?

Third Old Woman

That's your problem. But begin by obeying.

Young Man

Of which one must I rid myself first?

Third Old Woman

Don't you know? Come here.

Young Man

Then let the other one release me.

Second Old Woman

Come to my house.

Young Man

If this dame will let me go.

Third Old Woman

1085 No, by all the gods, I'll not let you go.

Second Old Woman

Nor will I.

Young Man

You would make very bad boatwomen.

Second Old Woman

Why?

Young Man

Because you would tear your passengers to pieces in dragging them on board.

Third Old Woman

Then come along, do, and hold your tongue.

Second Old Woman

No, by Zeus, come with me.

Young Man

It's clearly a case for the 1090 decree of Cannonus; I must cut myself in two in order to lay you both. But how am I to work two oars at once?

Third Old Woman

Easily enough; you have only to eat a full pot of onions.

Young Man

Oh! great gods! here I am close to the door and being dragged in!

Second Old Woman
To Third Old Woman.

1095 You will gain nothing by this, for I shall rush into your house with you.

Young Man

Oh, no! no! better to suffer a single misfortune than two.

Third Old Woman

Ah! by Hecate, whether you wish it or not ...

Young Man

What a fate is mine, that I must make love to such a stinking harridan the whole night through and all day; 1100 then, when I am rid of her, I have still to tackle a brick-coloured hag! Am I not truly unfortunate? Ah! by Zeus the Deliverer; under what fatal star must I have been born, that I must sail in company with such monsters! 1105 But if my bark sinks in the sewer of these strumpets, may I be buried at the very threshold of the door; let this hag be stood upright on my grave, let her be coated alive with pitch and her legs 1110 covered with molten lead up to the ankles, and let her be set alight as a funeral lamp. The Young Man is dragged off by the two Old Women, one on each arm.

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.) — 1079 focus

Young Man: If, therefore, I should perish first at your hands miserably,

Young Man: Come, how shall I arrive at that beautiful woman?

1080

Old Woman G: Look at it yourself; but do these things.

Young man: So, having driven away the former fathers, do you now wish to be rid of the latter ones?

OLD WOMAN B: Don't you know? Come here.

Young Man: Let her be with me now.

OLD WOMAN: Well then, come here to me.

Young man: If only he would leave me alone.

Old Woman B: But I will not let you go, by Zeus.

1085

Old Woman: Not at all, I too.

Young Man: You would have become difficult to ferry.

Old Woman B: What?

Young Man: You would have been able to drag the sailors away if you had been pulling.

OLD WOMAN B: walk here quietly.

Old Woman G: By Zeus, but just like me.

Young Man: This matter clearly according to the Cannonus.

Young Man: A decree, I must be drunk.

1090

Young Man: So how will I be able to look at both of them?

Old Woman B: Well, after you have eaten a pot of bulbs.

Young Man: Alas, woe is me, she is already near the door.

Young man: I am being dragged.

OLD WOMAN B: But you will gain nothing from it.

Old Woman B: For I will go with you.

1095

Young man: By the gods, no!

Young Man: For it is better to be united with one than with two evils.

Old Woman G: By Hecate, whether you wish it or not.

Young man: O wretched man, if a woman must be rotten.

Young man: to sleep the whole night and the day,

Young man: and then, when I have got rid of this woman, again

1100

Young man: a young woman holding a lekythos by her cheeks.

Young Man: Am I not ill-fated? Well, I am certainly ill-fated.

Young Man: By Zeus the Savior, the man is both brave and wretched,

Young man: Whoever I shall bind to such beasts.

Young Man: Nevertheless, if I should suffer something many, many times

1105

Young man: "Come here rowing under these two bald men"

Young Man: Bury me with that very mouth of the entrance,

Young Man: and this one, from above, lightly over the monument.

Young man: having smeared [her] alive and then the two feet

Young man: having poured lead around their ankles

1110

Young Man: To put a pretext on top instead of a little oil-flask.

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

1090. mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-44

Line 1090

ψήφισμα, βινεῖν δεῖ με διαλελημμένον.

The verb βινεῖν is a comic neologism (or deliberate corruption) derived from βινός (wine) or the act of drinking wine, standing in for the expected form of πιεῖν (to drink). Aristophanes exploits the phonetic similarity to create a pun suggesting that the speaker must be drunk ('wine-filled') to pass the decree. This morphological play is a hallmark of Old Comedy's linguistic inventiveness, where the verb is formed on the analogy of other infinitives ending in -εῖν but with a stem altered for satirical effect.

1106. mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-45

Line 1106

ὑπὸ τοῖνδε τοῖν κασαλβάδοιν δεῦρʼ ἐσπλέων,

The form κασαλβάδοιν is a rare comic coinage (hapax legomenon in this context) derived from the verb κασαλβάζω, meaning 'to be bald' or 'to have a shiny head,' used here as an insult implying the addressees are bald or perhaps 'shiny' with grease or oil, a common Aristophanic trope for mocking the appearance of political opponents or specific individuals like the balding politician Kleon or generic oligarchs. The dative plural κασαλβάδοιν functions as a predicate dative with the participle ἐσπλέων ('coming'), a construction where the participle agrees in case with the implied subject of the main verb (or the subject of the sentence), here likely functioning adverbially to describe the manner or state of the approaching figures.

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Νεανίας ἢν οὖν ὑφʼ ὑμῶν πρῶτον ἀπόλωμαι κακῶς, φέρε πῶς ἐπʼ ἐκείνην τὴν καλὴν ἀφίξομαι; 1080

Γραῦς Γ αὐτὸς σκόπει σύ· τάδε δέ σοι ποιητέον.

Νεανίας ποτέρας προτέρας οὖν κατελάσας ἀπαλλαγῶ;

Γραῦς Β οὐκ οἶσθα; βαδιεῖ δεῦρʼ.

Νεανίας ἀφέτω νύν μʼ αὑτηί.

Γραῦς Γ δευρὶ μὲν οὖν ἴθʼ ὡς ἔμʼ.

Νεανίας ἢν ἡδί μʼ ἀφῇ.

Γραῦς Β ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀφήσω μὰ Δία σʼ. 1085

Γραῦς Γ οὐδὲ μὴν ἐγώ.

Νεανίας χαλεπαί γʼ ἂν ἦστε γενόμεναι πορθμῆς.

Γραῦς Β τιή;

Νεανίας ἕλκοντε τοὺς πλωτῆρας ἂν ἀπεκναίετε.

Γραῦς Β σιγῇ βάδιζε δεῦρο.

Γραῦς Γ μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐμέ.

Νεανίας τουτὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα κατὰ τὸ Καννωνοῦ σαφῶς ψήφισμα, βινεῖν δεῖ με διαλελημμένον. 1090 πῶς οὖν δικωπεῖν ἀμφοτέρας δυνήσομαι;

Γραῦς Β καλῶς, ἐπειδὰν καταφάγῃς βολβῶν χύτραν.

Νεανίας οἴμοι κακοδαίμων ἐγγὺς ἤδη τῆς θύρας ἑλκόμενός εἰμʼ.

Γραῦς Β ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν ἔσται σοι πλέον. ξυνεσπεσοῦμαι γὰρ μετὰ σοῦ. 1095

Νεανίας μὴ πρὸς θεῶν· ἑνὶ γὰρ ξυνέχεσθαι κρεῖττον ἢ δυοῖν κακοῖν.

Γραῦς Γ νὴ τὴν Ἑκάτην ἐάν τε βούλῃ γʼ ἤν τέ μή.

Current edition Perseus

Young Man But if you kill me at the outset, 1080 how shall I afterwards go to find this beautiful girl of mine?

Third Old Woman That's your problem. But begin by obeying.

Young Man Of which one must I rid myself first?

Third Old Woman Don't you know? Come here.

Young Man Then let the other one release me.

Second Old Woman Come to my house.

Young Man If this dame will let me go.

Third Old Woman 1085 No, by all the gods, I'll not let you go.

Second Old Woman Nor will I.

Young Man You would make very bad boatwomen.

Second Old Woman Why?

Young Man Because you would tear your passengers to pieces in dragging them on board.

Third Old Woman Then come along, do, and hold your tongue.

Second Old Woman No, by Zeus, come with me.

Young Man It's clearly a case for the 1090 decree of Cannonus; I must cut myself in two in order to lay you both. But how am I to work two oars at once?

Third Old Woman Easily enough; you have only to eat a full pot of onions.

Young Man Oh! great gods! here I am close to the door and being dragged in!

Second Old Woman To Third Old Woman. 1095 You will gain nothing by this, for I shall rush into your house with you.

Young Man Oh, no! no! better to suffer a single misfortune than two.

Third Old Woman Ah! by Hecate, whether you wish it or not ...

Commentary

Line 1090

Line 1106

Stable identifiers

Νεανίας

ἢν οὖν ὑφʼ ὑμῶν πρῶτον ἀπόλωμαι κακῶς,

φέρε πῶς ἐπʼ ἐκείνην τὴν καλὴν ἀφίξομαι;
1080

Γραῦς Γ

αὐτὸς σκόπει σύ· τάδε δέ σοι ποιητέον.

Νεανίας

ποτέρας προτέρας οὖν κατελάσας ἀπαλλαγῶ;

Γραῦς Β

οὐκ οἶσθα; βαδιεῖ δεῦρʼ.

Νεανίας

ἀφέτω νύν μʼ αὑτηί.

Γραῦς Γ

δευρὶ μὲν οὖν ἴθʼ ὡς ἔμʼ.

Νεανίας

ἢν ἡδί μʼ ἀφῇ.

Γραῦς Β

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀφήσω μὰ Δία σʼ.
1085

Γραῦς Γ

οὐδὲ μὴν ἐγώ.

Νεανίας

χαλεπαί γʼ ἂν ἦστε γενόμεναι πορθμῆς.

Γραῦς Β

τιή;

Νεανίας

ἕλκοντε τοὺς πλωτῆρας ἂν ἀπεκναίετε.

Γραῦς Β

σιγῇ βάδιζε δεῦρο.

Γραῦς Γ

μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐμέ.

Νεανίας

τουτὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα κατὰ τὸ Καννωνοῦ σαφῶς

ψήφισμα, βινεῖν δεῖ με διαλελημμένον.
1090

πῶς οὖν δικωπεῖν ἀμφοτέρας δυνήσομαι;

Γραῦς Β

καλῶς, ἐπειδὰν καταφάγῃς βολβῶν χύτραν.

Νεανίας

οἴμοι κακοδαίμων ἐγγὺς ἤδη τῆς θύρας

ἑλκόμενός εἰμʼ.

Γραῦς Β

ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν ἔσται σοι πλέον.

ξυνεσπεσοῦμαι γὰρ μετὰ σοῦ.
1095

Νεανίας

μὴ πρὸς θεῶν·

ἑνὶ γὰρ ξυνέχεσθαι κρεῖττον ἢ δυοῖν κακοῖν.

Γραῦς Γ

νὴ τὴν Ἑκάτην ἐάν τε βούλῃ γʼ ἤν τέ μή.

Young Man

But if you kill me at the outset, 1080 how shall I afterwards go to find this beautiful girl of mine?

Third Old Woman

That's your problem. But begin by obeying.

Young Man

Of which one must I rid myself first?

Third Old Woman

Don't you know? Come here.

Young Man

Then let the other one release me.

Second Old Woman

Come to my house.

Young Man

If this dame will let me go.

Third Old Woman

1085 No, by all the gods, I'll not let you go.

Second Old Woman

Nor will I.

Young Man

You would make very bad boatwomen.

Second Old Woman

Why?

Young Man

Because you would tear your passengers to pieces in dragging them on board.

Third Old Woman

Then come along, do, and hold your tongue.

Second Old Woman

No, by Zeus, come with me.

Young Man

It's clearly a case for the 1090 decree of Cannonus; I must cut myself in two in order to lay you both. But how am I to work two oars at once?

Third Old Woman

Easily enough; you have only to eat a full pot of onions.

Young Man

Oh! great gods! here I am close to the door and being dragged in!

Second Old Woman
To Third Old Woman.

1095 You will gain nothing by this, for I shall rush into your house with you.

Young Man

Oh, no! no! better to suffer a single misfortune than two.

Third Old Woman

Ah! by Hecate, whether you wish it or not ...