Aristophanes Ecclesiazusae 204

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

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Γυνὴ Α

ὡς ξυνετὸς ἁνήρ.

Πραξάγορα

νῦν καλῶς ἐπῄνεσας.

ὑμεῖς γάρ ἐστʼ ὦ δῆμε τούτων αἴτιοι.
205

τὰ δημόσια γὰρ μισθοφοροῦντες χρήματα

ἰδίᾳ σκοπεῖσθʼ ἕκαστος ὅ τι τις κερδανεῖ,

τὸ δὲ κοινὸν ὥσπερ Αἴσιμος κυλίνδεται.

ἢν οὖν ἐμοὶ πίθησθε, σωθήσεσθʼ ἔτι.

ταῖς γὰρ γυναιξὶ φημὶ χρῆναι τὴν πόλιν
210

ἡμᾶς παραδοῦναι. καὶ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις

ταύταις ἐπιτρόποις καὶ ταμίαισι χρώμεθα.

Γυνὴ Α

εὖ γʼ εὖ γε νὴ Δίʼ εὖ γε.

Γυνὴ Β

λέγε λέγʼ ὦγαθέ.

Πραξάγορα

ὡς δʼ εἰσὶν ἡμῶν τοὺς τρόπους βελτίονες

ἐγὼ διδάξω. πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ τἄρια
215

βάπτουσι θερμῷ κατὰ τὸν ἀρχαῖον νόμον

ἁπαξάπασαι, κοὐχὶ μεταπειρωμένας

ἴδοις ἂν αὐτάς. ἡ δʼ Ἀθηναίων πόλις,

εἰ τοῦτο χρηστῶς εἶχεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐσῴζετο,

εἰ μή τι καινὸν ἄλλο περιηργάζετο.
220

καθήμεναι φρύγουσιν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ·

ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς φέρουσιν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ·

τὰ Θεσμοφόριʼ ἄγουσιν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ·

πέττουσι τοὺς πλακοῦντας ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ·

τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐπιτρίβουσιν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ·
225

μοιχοὺς ἔχουσιν ἔνδον ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ·

αὑταῖς παροψωνοῦσιν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ·

οἶνον φιλοῦσʼ εὔζωρον ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ·

βινούμεναι χαίρουσιν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ.

ταύταισιν οὖν ὦνδρες παραδόντες τὴν πόλιν

μὴ περιλαλῶμεν, μηδὲ πυνθανώμεθα
230

τί ποτʼ ἄρα δρᾶν μέλλουσιν, ἀλλʼ ἁπλῷ τρόπῳ

ἐῶμεν ἄρχειν, σκεψάμενοι ταυτὶ μόνα,

ὡς τοὺς στρατιώτας πρῶτον οὖσαι μητέρες

σῴζειν ἐπιθυμήσουσιν· εἶτα σιτία

τίς τῆς τεκούσης μᾶλλον ἐπιπέμψειεν ἄν;
235

χρήματα πορίζειν εὐπορώτατον γυνή,

ἄρχουσά τʼ οὐκ ἂν ἐξαπατηθείη ποτέ·

αὐταὶ γάρ εἰσιν ἐξαπατᾶν εἰθισμέναι.

τὰ δʼ ἄλλʼ ἐάσω· ταῦτʼ ἐὰν πίθησθέ μοι,

εὐδαιμονοῦντες τὸν βίον διάξετε.
240

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

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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.) — 204 focus

First Woman

Oh! what a brilliant man!

Praxagora
To her.

That's better! that's fitting applause. Continuing her speech. 205 Citizens, you are the ones who are the cause of all this trouble. You vote yourselves salaries out of the public funds and care only for your own personal interests; hence the state limps along like Aesimus. But if you hearken to me, you will be saved. 210 I assert that the direction of affairs must be handed over to the women, for they are the ones who have charge and look after our households.

First Woman

Very good, very good, that's perfect!

Second Woman

Go on, go on.

Praxagora
Ignoring this interruption.

They are worth more than you are, 215 as I shall prove. First of all they wash all their wool in warm water, according to the ancient practice; you will never see them changing their method. Ah! if Athens only acted thus, 220 if it did not take delight in ceaseless innovations, would not its happiness be assured? Then the women sit down to cook, just as they always did; they carry things on their head just as they always did; they keep the Thesmophoria, just as they always did; they knead their cakes just as they always did; they make their husbands angry just as they always did; 225 they receive their lovers in their houses just as they always did; they buy dainties just as they always did; they love unmixed wine just as they always did; they delight in being loved just as they always did. Let us therefore hand Athens over to them 230 without endless discussions, without bothering ourselves about what they will do; let us simply hand them over the power, remembering that they are mothers and will therefore spare the blood of our soldiers; besides, 235 who will know better than a mother how to forward provisions to the front? Woman is adept at getting money for herself and will not easily let herself be deceived; she understands deceit too well herself. I omit a thousand other advantages. 240 Take my advice and you will live in perfect happiness.