Aristophanes Ecclesiazusae 128

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

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Πραξάγορα

ὁ περιστίαρχος, περιφέρειν χρὴ τὴν γαλῆν.

πάριτʼ ἐς τὸ πρόσθεν. Ἀρίφραδες παῦσαι λαλῶν.

κάθιζε παριών. τίς ἀγορεύειν βούλεται;
130

Γυνὴ Α

ἐγώ.

Πραξάγορα

περίθου δὴ τὸν στέφανον τύχἀγαθῇ.

Γυνὴ Α

ἰδού.

Πραξάγορα

λέγοις ἄν.

Γυνὴ Α

εἶτα πρὶν πιεῖν λέγω;

Πραξάγορα

ἰδοὺ πιεῖν.

Γυνὴ Α

τί γὰρ ὦ μέλʼ ἐστεφανωσάμην;

Πραξάγορα

ἄπιθʼ ἐκποδών· τοιαῦτʼ ἂν ἡμᾶς ἠργάσω

κἀκεῖ.
135

Γυνὴ Α

τί δʼ; οὐ πίνουσι κἀν τἠκκλησίᾳ;

Πραξάγορα

ἰδού γε σοὶ πίνουσι.

Γυνὴ Α

νὴ τὴν Ἄρτεμιν

καὶ ταῦτα γʼ εὔζωρον. τὰ γοῦν βουλεύματα

αὐτῶν ὅσʼ ἂν πράξωσιν ἐνθυμουμένοις

ὥσπερ μεθυόντων ἐστὶ παραπεπληγμένα.

καὶ νὴ Δία σπένδουσί γʼ· ἢ τίνος χάριν
140

τοσαῦτʼ ἂν ηὔχοντʼ, εἴπερ οἶνος μὴ παρῆν;

καὶ λοιδοροῦνταί γʼ ὥσπερ ἐμπεπωκότες,

καὶ τὸν παροινοῦντʼ ἐκφέρουσʼ οἱ τοξόται,

Πραξάγορα

σὺ μὲν βάδιζε καὶ κάθησʼ· οὐδὲν γὰρ εἶ.

Γυνὴ Α

νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἦ μοι μὴ γενειᾶν κρεῖττον ἦν·
145

δίψῃ γάρ, ὡς ἔοικʼ, ἀφαυανθήσομαι.

Πραξάγορα

ἔσθʼ ἥτις ἑτέρα βούλεται λέγειν;

Γυνὴ Β

ἐγώ.

Πραξάγορα

ἴθι δὴ στεφανοῦ· καὶ γὰρ τὸ χρῆμʼ ἐργάζεται.

ἄγε νυν ὅπως ἀνδριστὶ καὶ καλῶς ἐρεῖς

διερεισαμένη τὸ σχῆμα τῇ βακτηρίᾳ.
150

Γυνὴ Β

ἐβουλόμην μὲν ἂν ἕτερον τῶν ἠθάδων

λέγειν τὰ βέλτισθʼ, ἵνʼ ἐκαθήμην ἥσυχος·

νῦν δʼ οὐκ ἐάσω κατά γε τὴν ἐμὴν μίαν

ἐν τοῖς καπηλείοισι λάκκους ἐμποιεῖν

ὕδατος. ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐ δοκεῖ μὰ τὼ θεώ.
155

Πραξάγορα

μὰ τὼ θεώ; τάλαινα ποῦ τὸν νοῦν ἔχεις;

Γυνὴ Β

τί δʼ ἔστιν; οὐ γὰρ δὴ πιεῖν γʼ ᾔτησά σε.

Πραξάγορα

μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἀνὴρ ὢν τὼ θεὼ κατώμοσας,

καίτοι τά γʼ ἄλλʼ εἰποῦσα δεξιώτατα.

Γυνὴ Β

ὢ νὴ τὸν Ἀπόλλω.
160

Πραξάγορα

παῦε τοίνυν, ὡς ἐγὼ

ἐκκλησιάσουσʼ οὐκ ἂν προβαίην τὸν πόδα

τὸν ἕτερον, εἰ μὴ ταῦτʼ ἀκριβωθήσεται.

Γυνὴ Β

φέρε τὸν στέφανον· ἐγὼ γὰρ αὖ λέξω πάλιν.

οἶμαι γὰρ ἤδη μεμελετηκέναι καλῶς.

ἐμοὶ γὰρ ὦ γυναῖκες αἱ καθήμεναι—
165

Πραξάγορα

γυναῖκας αὖ δύστηνε τοὺς ἄνδρας λέγεις;

Γυνὴ Β

διʼ Ἐπίγονόν γʼ ἐκεῖνον· ἐπιβλέψασα γὰρ

ἐκεῖσε πρὸς γυναῖκας ᾠόμην λέγειν.

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 (1)

Ecclesiazusae (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 128 focus

Praxagora
Pretending to be the herald.

Priest, bring in the cat. Step forward, please! Silence, Ariphrades! 130 Go and take your seat. Now, who wishes to speak?

First Woman

I do.

Praxagora

Then put on this chaplet and success be with you.

First Woman

There!

Praxagora

Well then! begin.

First Woman

Before drinking?

Praxagora

Hah! she wants to drink!

First Woman

Why, what else is the meaning of this chaplet?

Praxagora

Get you hence! you would probably have played us this trick also 135 before the people.

First Woman

Well! don't the men drink then in the Assembly?

Praxagora

Now she's telling us the men drink!

First Woman

Yes, by Artemis, and neat wine too. That's why their decrees breathe of drunkenness and madness. 140 And why libations, why so many ceremonies, if wine plays no part in them? Besides, they abuse each other like drunken men, and you can see the archers dragging more than one uproarious drunkard out of the market-place.

Praxagora

Go back to your seat, you are wandering.

First Woman
Returning to her seat.

145 Ah! I should have done better not to have muffled myself in this beard; my throat's afire and I feel I shall die of thirst.

Praxagora

Who else wishes to speak?

Second Woman
Rising.

I do.

Praxagora

Quick then, take the chaplet; the time's running short. Try to speak worthily, let your language be truly manly, 150 and lean on your staff with dignity.

Second Woman

I had rather have seen one of your regular orators giving you wise advice; but, as that is not to be, it behoves me to break silence; I cannot, for my part indeed, allow the tavern-keepers to fill up their wine-pits 155 with water. No, by the two goddesses—

Praxagora

What? By the two goddesses! Wretched woman, where are your senses?

Second Woman

Eh! what? ... I have not asked you for a drink.

Praxagora

No, but you want to pass for a man, and you swear by the two goddesses. Otherwise you did very well.

Second Woman

160 Well then. By Apollo—

Praxagora

Stop! All these details of language must be adjusted; else it is quite useless to go to the Assembly.

Second Woman

Give me back the chaplet; I wish to speak again, for I think I have got hold of something good. 165 You women who are listening to me —

Praxagora

Women again; why, you wretched creature, it's men that you are addressing.

Second Woman

That's the fault of Epigonus; I caught sight of him way over there, and I thought I was speaking to women.