Aristophanes Ecclesiazusae 86

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

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Γυνὴ Α

νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ὥστε δεῖ σε καταλαβεῖν ἕδρας

ὑπὸ τῷ λίθῳ τῶν πρυτάνεων καταντικρύ.

Γυνὴ Β

ταυτί γέ τοι νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἐφερόμην, ἵνα

πληρουμένης ξαίνοιμι τῆς ἐκκλησίας.

Πραξάγορα

πληρουμένης τάλαινα;
90

Γυνὴ Β

νὴ τὴν Ἄρτεμιν

ἔγωγε. τί γὰρ ἂν χεῖρον ἀκροῴμην ἄρα

ξαίνουσα; γυμνὰ δʼ ἐστί μου τὰ παιδία.

Πραξάγορα

ἰδού γέ σε ξαίνουσαν, ἣν τοῦ σώματος

οὐδὲν παραφῆναι τοῖς καθημένοις ἔδει.

οὐκοῦν καλά γʼ ἂν πάθοιμεν, εἰ πλήρης τύχοι
95

ὁ δῆμος ὢν κἄπειθʼ ὑπερβαίνουσά τις

ἀναβαλλομένη δείξειε τὸν Φορμίσιον.

ἢν δʼ ἐγκαθεζώμεσθα πρότεραι, λήσομεν

ξυστειλάμεναι θαἰμάτια· τὸν πώγωνά τε

ὅταν καθῶμεν ὃν περιδησόμεσθʼ ἐκεῖ,
100

τίς οὐκ ἂν ἡμᾶς ἄνδρας ἡγήσαιθʼ ὁρῶν;

Γυνὴ Α

Ἀγύρριος γοῦν τὸν Προνόμου πώγωνʼ ἔχων

λέληθε· καίτοι πρότερον ἦν οὗτος γυνή·

νυνὶ δʼ, ὁρᾷς, πράττει τὰ μέγιστʼ ἐν τῇ πόλει.

Πραξάγορα

τούτου γε τοίνυν τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ἡμέραν
105

τόλμημα τολμῶμεν τοσοῦτον οὕνεκα,

ἤν πως παραλαβεῖν τῆς πόλεως τὰ πράγματα

δυνώμεθʼ, ὥστʼ ἀγαθόν τι πρᾶξαι τὴν πόλιν·

νῦν μὲν γὰρ οὔτε θέομεν οὔτʼ ἐλαύνομεν.

Γυνὴ Α

καὶ πῶς γυναικῶν θηλύφρων ξυνουσία
110

δημηγορήσει;

Πραξάγορα

πολὺ μὲν οὖν ἄριστά που.

λέγουσι γὰρ καὶ τῶν νεανίσκων ὅσοι

πλεῖστα σποδοῦνται, δεινοτάτους εἶναι λέγειν·

ἡμῖν δʼ ὑπάρχει τοῦτο κατὰ τύχην τινά.

Γυνὴ Α

οὐκ οἶδα· δεινὸν δʼ ἐστὶν ἡ μὴ ʼμπειρία.
115

Πραξάγορα

οὐκοῦν ἐπίτηδες ξυνελέγημεν ἐνθάδε,

ὅπως προμελετήσωμεν ἁκεῖ δεῖ λέγειν.

οὐκ ἂν φθάνοις τὸ γένειον ἂν περιδουμένη

ἄλλαι θʼ ὅσαι λαλεῖν μεμελετήκασί που.

Γυνὴ Α

τίς δʼ ὦ μέλʼ ἡμῶν οὐ λαλεῖν ἐπίσταται;
120

Πραξάγορα

ἴθι δὴ σὺ περιδοῦ καὶ ταχέως ἀνὴρ γενοῦ·

ἐγὼ δὲ θεῖσα τοὺς στεφάνους περιδήσομαι

καὐτὴ μεθʼ ὑμῶν, ἤν τί μοι δόξῃ λέγειν.

Γυνὴ Α

δεῦρʼ ὦ γλυκυτάτη Πραξαγόρα, σκέψαι τάλαν

ὡς καὶ καταγέλαστον τὸ πρᾶγμα φαίνεται.
125

Πραξάγορα

πῶς καταγέλαστον;

Γυνὴ Α

ὥσπερ εἴ τις σηπίαις

πώγωνα περιδήσειεν ἐσταθευμέναις.

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.) — 86 focus

First Woman

Good; you must take up your place at the foot of the platform and facing the Prytanes.

Second Woman

I have brought this with me to card during the Assembly.

She shows some wool.

Praxagora

90 During the Assembly, wretched woman?

Second Woman

Surely, by Artemis! shall I hear any less well if I am doing a bit of carding? My little ones are all but naked.

Praxagora

Think of her wanting to card! whereas we must not let anyone see the smallest part of our bodies. 95 'Twould be a fine thing if one of us, in the midst of the discussion, rushed on to the speaker's platform and, flinging her cloak aside, showed her Phormisius. If, on the other hand, 100 we are the first to take our seats closely muffled in our cloaks, none will know us. Let us fix these beards on our chins, so that they spread all over our bosoms. How can we fail then to be mistaken for men?

First Woman

Agyrrhius has deceived everyone, thanks to the beard of Pronomus; yet he was no better than a woman, and you see how he now holds the first position in the city.

105

Praxagora

Thus, I adjure you by this day that is about to dawn, let us dare to copy him and let us be clever enough to possess ourselves of the management of affairs. Let us save the ship of state, which just at present none seems able either to sail or row.

First Woman
In a tragic style.

110 But where shall we find orators in an Assembly of women?

Praxagora

Nothing simpler. Is it not said that the cleverest speakers are those who get made love to most often? Well, thanks to the gods, we are that by nature.

First Woman

115 There's no doubt of that; but the worst of it is our inexperience.

Praxagora

That's the very reason we are gathered here, in order to prepare the speech we must make in the Assembly. Hasten, therefore, all you who know aught of speaking, to fix on your beards.

First Woman

120 Oh! you stupid thing! is there ever a one among us cannot use her tongue?

Praxagora

Come, look sharp, on with your beard and become a man. As for me, I will do the same in case I should have a fancy for getting on to the platform. Here are the chaplets.

They all put on their beards.

First Woman

Oh! great gods! my dear Praxagora, do look here! 125 Is it not laughable?

Praxagora

How laughable?

First Woman

Our beards look like broiled cuttle-fishes.