Aristophanes Ecclesiazusae 41

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

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Γυνὴ Α

καὶ μὴν ὁρῶ καὶ Κλειναρέτην καὶ Σωστράτην

προσιοῦσαν ἤδη τήνδε καὶ Φιλαινέτην.

Πραξάγορα

οὔκουν ἐπείξεσθʼ; ὡς Γλύκη κατώμοσεν

τὴν ὑστάτην ἥκουσαν οἴνου τρεῖς χοᾶς

ἡμῶν ἀποτείσειν κἀρεβίνθων χοίνικα.
45

Γυνὴ Α

τὴν Σμικυθίωνος δʼ οὐχ ὁρᾷς Μελιστίχην

σπεύδουσαν ἐν ταῖς ἐμβάσιν;

Πραξάγορα

καίτοι δοκεῖ

κατὰ σχολὴν παρὰ τἀνδρὸς ἐξελθεῖν μόνη.

Γυνὴ Α

τὴν τοῦ καπήλου δʼ οὐχ ὁρᾷς Γευσιστράτην

ἔχουσαν ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ τὴν λαμπάδα;
50

Γυνὴ Β

καὶ τὴν Φιλοδωρήτου τε καὶ Χαιρητάδου

ὁρῶ προσιούσας χἀτέρας πολλὰς πάνυ

γυναῖκας, ὅ τι πέρ ἐστʼ ὄφελος ἐν τῇ πόλει.

Γυνὴ Γ

καὶ πάνυ ταλαιπώρως ἔγωγʼ ὦ φιλτάτη

ἐκδρᾶσα παρέδυν. ὁ γὰρ ἀνὴρ τὴν νύχθʼ ὅλην
55

ἔβηττε τριχίδων ἑσπέρας ἐμπλήμενος.

Πραξάγορα

κάθησθε τοίνυν, ὡς ἂν ἀνέρωμαι τάδε

ὑμᾶς, ἐπειδὴ συλλελεγμένας ὁρῶ,

ὅσα Σκίροις ἔδοξεν εἰ δεδράκατε.

Γυνὴ Α

ἔγωγε. πρῶτον μέν γʼ ἔχω τὰς μασχάλας
60

λόχμης δασυτέρας, καθάπερ ἦν ξυγκείμενον·

ἔπειθʼ ὁπόθʼ ἁνὴρ εἰς ἀγορὰν οἴχοιτό μου,

ἀλειψαμένη τὸ σῶμʼ ὅλον διʼ ἡμέρας

ἐχραινόμην ἑστῶσα πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον.

Γυνὴ Β

κἄγωγε· τὸ ξυρὸν δέ γʼ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας
65

ἔρριψα πρῶτον, ἵνα δασυνθείην ὅλη

καὶ μηδὲν εἴην ἔτι γυναικὶ προσφερής.

Πραξάγορα

ἔχετε δὲ τοὺς πώγωνας, οὓς εἴρητʼ ἔχειν

πάσαισιν ἡμῖν, ὁπότε συλλεγοίμεθα;

Γυνὴ Α

νὴ τὴν Ἑκάτην καλόν γʼ ἔγωγε τουτονί.
70

Γυνὴ Β

κἄγωγʼ Ἑπικράτους οὐκ ὀλίγῳ καλλίονα.

Πραξάγορα

ὑμεῖς δὲ τί φατε;

Γυνὴ Α

φασί· κατανεύουσι γάρ.

Πραξάγορα

καὶ μὴν τά γʼ ἄλλʼ ὑμῖν ὁρῶ πεπραγμένα.

Λακωνικὰς γὰρ ἔχετε καὶ βακτηρίας

καὶ θαἰμάτια τἀνδρεῖα, καθάπερ εἴπομεν.
75

Γυνὴ Α

ἔγωγέ τοι τὸ σκύταλον ἐξηνεγκάμην

τὸ τοῦ Λαμίου τουτὶ καθεύδοντος λάθρᾳ.

Γυνὴ Β

τοῦτʼ ἔστʼ ἐκείνων τῶν σκυτάλων ὧν πέρδεται.

Πραξάγορα

νὴ τὸν Δία τὸν σωτῆρʼ ἐπιτήδειός γʼ ἂν ἦν

τὴν τοῦ πανόπτου διφθέραν ἐνημμένος
80

εἴπερ τις ἄλλος βουκολεῖν τὸ δήμιον.

ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ ὅπως καὶ τἀπὶ τούτοις δράσομεν,

ἕως ἔτʼ ἐστὶν ἄστρα κατὰ τὸν οὐρανόν·

ἡκκλησία δʼ, εἰς ἣν παρεσκευάσμεθα

ἡμεῖς βαδίζειν, ἐξ ἕω γενήσεται.
85

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.) — 41 focus

First Woman

I see Clinarete coming too, along with Sostrate and their next-door neighbor Philaenete.

Praxagora
To the women that are just arriving; in a loud voice.

Hurry yourselves then, for Glyce has sworn that the last comer 45 shall forfeit three measures of wine and a choenix of pease.

First Woman

Don't you see Melistice, the wife of Smicythion, hurrying hither in her big shoes?

Praxagora

I think she is the only one of us all who has had no trouble in getting rid of her husband.

First Woman

And can't you see Geusistrate, the tavern-keeper's wife, 50 with a lamp in her hand?

Second Woman

And the wives of Philodoretus and Chaeretades, and a great many others; all the useful people in the city, in fact.

Third Woman

Oh! my dear, I have had such trouble 55 in getting away! My husband ate such a surfeit of sprats last evening that he was coughing and choking the whole night long.

Praxagora

Take your seats, and, since you are all gathered here at last, let us see if what we decided on at the feast of the Scirophoria has been duly done.

First Woman

60 Yes. Firstly, as agreed, I have let the hair under my armpits grow thicker than a bush; furthermore, whilst my husband was at the Assembly, I rubbed myself from head to foot with oil and then stood the whole day long in the sun.

Second Woman

65 So did I. I began by throwing away my razor, so that I might get quite hairy, and no longer resemble a woman.

Praxagora

Have you the beards that we had all to get ourselves for the Assembly?

First Woman

70 Yea, by Hecate! Is this not a fine one?

Second Woman

Aye, much finer even than the one Epicrates has.

Praxagora
To the other women.

And you?

First Woman

Yes, yes; look, they all nod assent.

Praxagora

I see that you have got all the rest too, Spartan shoes, staffs and men's cloaks, as it was arranged.

75

First Woman

I have brought Lamias' club, which I stole from him while he slept.

Second Woman

What, the club that makes him fart with its weight?

Praxagora

By Zeus the Deliverer, 80 if he had the skin of Argus, he would know better than any other how to shepherd the popular herd. But come, let us finish what has yet to be done, while the stars are still shining; the Assembly, at which 85 we mean to be present, will open at dawn.