Search the Perseus Catalog for:

← Previous Next →

Old Woman B: You, having crossed this law, where are you going?

OLD WOMAN B: You are dragging [it], [while] the letters have spoken on my behalf.

1050

Old Woman B: Should he have been sleeping before?

Young Man: Alas, wretched me.

Young man: From where did you pop up, you most wretched washerwoman?

Young Man: For this is more ruinous than that evil.

Old Woman B: Walk here.

Young man: do not let me pass by unnoticed.

Young man: I beg you, being dragged by this woman.

1055

OLD WOMAN B: But not I,

OLD WOMAN B: But the law drags you.

Young Man: Not me, but a drunk woman.

Young man: she is dressed in a blister of blood.

Old Woman B: Follow, you softies, over here, having completed [the task], and do not chatter.

Young Man: Come now, let me into the lavatory first.

Young man: come forward and be bold towards me; but if not,

1060

Young man: You will see me immediately doing something red there.

Young man: By fear.

Old Woman B: Cheer up, walk! You will urinate inside.

Young Man: I too fear that it will happen more than I wish.

Young Man: But I will provide you with two guarantors.

Young Man: 'A man of credit.'

1065

OLD WOMAN B: Do not make me stand down.

Old Woman G: Where are you going, where are you going?

Woman: Are you going with her?

Young Man: Not I, but I am being dragged.

Young Man: But whatever you may be, may many good things come to you,

Young Man: because you didn't notice me, having been rubbed down. O Heracles!

Young man: O Panes, O Corybantes, O Dioskoroi,

Young Man: This evil, again, is much more ruinous than that one.

1070

Young Man: But what is this thing I am ever asking for?

Young Man: Whether a monkey is full of chickpeas,

Young man: 'Or a woman standing up among the majority?'

Old Woman: Do not mock me, but follow me here.

Old Woman B: Come then.

OLD WOMAN G: I will never let you go.

1075

OLD WOMAN B: No indeed, I too.

Young man: You will tear me apart, you wretched women!

OLD WOMAN B: For I ought to have followed you according to the law.

There was no other old woman at all who appeared more shameless.

Ecclesiazusae. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

English (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (English) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)

Ἐκκλησιάζουσαι Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.) — 1049 focus

Γραῦς Β

αὕτη σὺ ποῖ τονδὶ παραβᾶσα τὸν νόμον

ἕλκεις, παρʼ ἐμοὶ τῶν γραμμάτων εἰρηκότων
1050

πρότερον καθεύδειν αὐτόν;

Νεανίας

οἴμοι δείλαιος.

πόθεν ἐξέκυψας ὦ κάκιστʼ ἀπολουμένη;

τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκείνου τὸ κακὸν ἐξωλέστερον.

Γραῦς Β

βάδιζε δεῦρο.

Νεανίας

μηδαμῶς με περιίδῃς

ἑλκόμενον ὑπὸ τῆσδʼ ἀντιβολῶ σʼ.
1055

Γραῦς Β

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐγώ,

ἀλλʼ ὁ νόμος ἕλκει σʼ.

Νεανίας

οὐκ ἐμέ γʼ, ἀλλʼ ἔμπουσά τις

ἐξ αἵματος φλύκταιναν ἠμφιεσμένη.

Γραῦς Β

ἕπου μαλακίων δεῦρʼ ἀνύσας καὶ μὴ λάλει.

Νεανίας

ἴθι νυν ἔασον εἰς ἄφοδον πρώτιστά με

ἐλθόντα θαρρῆσαι πρὸς ἐμαυτόν· εἰ δὲ μή,
1060

αὐτοῦ τι δρῶντα πυρρὸν ὄψει μʼ αὐτίκα

ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους.

Γραῦς Β

θάρρει, βάδιζʼ· ἔνδον χεσεῖ.

Νεανίας

δέδοικα κἀγὼ μὴ πλέον γʼ ἢ βούλομαι.

ἀλλʼ ἐγγυητάς σοι καταστήσω δύο

ἀξιόχρεως.
1065

Γραῦς Β

μή μοι καθίστη.

Γραῦς Γ

ποῖ σὺ ποῖ

χωρεῖς μετὰ ταύτης;

Νεανίας

οὐκ ἔγωγʼ, ἀλλʼ ἕλκομαι.

ἀτὰρ ἥτις εἶ γε, πόλλʼ ἀγαθὰ γένοιτό σοι,

ὅτι μʼ οὐπεριεῖδες ἐπιτριβέντʼ. ὦ Ἡράκλεις

ὦ Πᾶνες ὦ Κορύβαντες ὦ Διοσκόρω,

τοῦτʼ αὖ πολὺ τούτου τὸ κακὸν ἐξωλέστερον.
1070

ἀτὰρ τί τὸ πρᾶγμʼ ἔστʼ ἀντιβολῶ τουτί ποτε;

πότερον πίθηκος ἀνάπλεως ψιμυθίου,

ἢ γραῦς ἀνεστηκυῖα παρὰ τῶν πλειόνων;

Γραῦς Γ

μὴ σκῶπτέ μʼ ἀλλὰ δεῦρʼ ἕπου.

Γραῦς Β

δευρὶ μὲν οὖν.

Γραῦς Γ

ὡς οὐκ ἀφήσω σʼ οὐδέποτʼ.
1075

Γραῦς Β

οὐδὲ μὴν ἐγώ.

Νεανίας

διασπάσεσθέ μʼ ὦ κακῶς ἀπολούμεναι.

Γραῦς Β

ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἀκολουθεῖν σʼ ἔδει κατὰ τὸν νόμον.

Γραῦς Γ

οὐκ ἢν ἑτέρα γε γραῦς ἔτʼ αἰσχίων φανῇ.

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.) — 1049 focus

Just as he begins to go in with the Young Girl an even older and uglier woman enters.

Second Old Woman

Hi! you there! where 1050 are you taking that young man to, in defiance of the law? The decree ordains that he must first sleep with me.

Young Man

Oh! what a misfortune! Where does this hag come from? She's a more frightful monster than the other even.

Second Old Woman

Come here.

She takes him by the arm.

Young Man
To the Young Girl.

1055 Oh! I beg you, don't let me be led off by her!

Second Old Woman

It's not I but the law that leads you off.

Young Man

No, it's not the law, but an Empusa with a body covered with blemishes and blotches.

Second Old Woman

Follow me, my handsome little friend, come along quickly without any more ado.

Young Man

Oh! let me 1060 go to the can first, so that I may gather my wits somewhat. Else I should be so terrified that you would see me letting out something yellow.

Second Old Woman

Never mind! you can crap, if you want, in my house.

Young Man

More than I want to, I'm afraid; but I offer you two 1065 good securities.

Second Old Woman

I don't require them.

A Third Old Woman, the ugliest yet, now appears.

Third Old Woman

Hi! friend, where are you off to with that woman?

Young Man

I am not going with her, but am being dragged by force. Oh! whoever you are, may heaven bless you for having had pity on me in my dire misfortune. Turns round and sees the Third Old Woman. Oh Heracles! oh Pan! oh Corybantes! oh Dioscuri! 1070 Why, she is still more awful! Oh! what a monster! great gods! Are you an ape plastered with white lead, or the ghost of some old hag returned from the dark borderlands of death?

Taking his other arm.

Third Old Woman

No jesting! Follow me.

Second Old Woman

No, come this way.

Third Old Woman

1075 I will never let you go.

Second Old Woman

Nor will I.

Young Man

But you will rend me asunder, you cursed wretches.

Second Old Woman

I'm the one he must go with according to the law.

Third Old Woman

Not if an uglier old woman than yourself appears.

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

1055. mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-41

Line 1055

ἑλκόμενον ὑπὸ τῆσδʼ ἀντιβολῶ σʼ.

The verb ἑλκόμενον (present middle/passive participle of ἕλκω) functions here with a passive force ('being dragged'), yet the subject of the participle is the implied 'you' (σέ) of the main verb ἄντιβολῶ, creating a syntactic construction where the addressee is described as being physically dragged by the authority of the assembly (τῆσδʼ ἀντιβολῶ, literally 'I stand against you' or 'I oppose you', but here likely a pun on 'standing against' and 'dragging'). The participle ἑλκόμενον is in the accusative case, agreeing with the implied direct object of ἄντιβολῶ, which is unusual because ἄντιβολῶ typically takes a dative of person opposed. This construction may reflect a colloquial or comic usage where the speaker conflates the act of opposing someone with the physical act of dragging them, a rhetorical device typical of Aristophanic satire. The phrase 'ὑπὸ τῆσδʼ ἀντιβολῶ' is also a crux: the dative τῆσδʼ (feminine singular) agrees with ἀντιβολῶ (a feminine noun in the dative), but ἀντιβολῶ is typically a verb, not a noun. This suggests either a textual corruption (perhaps ὑπὸ τῆσδʼ ἀντιβολῆς) or a deliberate wordplay by Aristophanes, exploiting the ambiguity between the verb and a hypothetical noun form to mock the bureaucratic language of the assembly.

1057. mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-42

Line 1057

ἐξ αἵματος φλύκταιναν ἠμφιεσμένη.

The phrase ἐξ αἵματος ('from blood') modifies φλύκταιναν (a 'blister' or 'pustule'), creating a grotesque, literalized metaphor for the character Praxagora's disguise. In the context of the play's central satire on the inversion of social norms, this describes a costume element where a garment is made to look as if it has been stitched together from bloodied skin or is covered in blood-blisters, emphasizing the visceral, anti-aesthetic nature of the 'women's' new regime. The construction relies on the genitive of source/origin (ἐξ + genitive) to indicate the material composition of the disguise, a usage that heightens the absurdity of the costume description in the parabasis.

1065. mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-43

Line 1065

ἀξιόχρεως.

This hapax legomenon in the Aristophanic corpus is a compound adjective, literally 'worthy of trust' (from ἄξιος + χρέως, the genitive of χρεών 'debt' or 'obligation', functioning here as a synonym for πίστις). While the sense is transparent, its formation as a substantive or predicate adjective in this specific metrical context is rare, reflecting Aristophanes' tendency to coin or revive compounds to fit the iambic trimeter while maintaining a colloquial or bureaucratic tone appropriate for the assembly setting.

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Experimental

Γραῦς Β αὕτη σὺ ποῖ τονδὶ παραβᾶσα τὸν νόμον ἕλκεις, παρʼ ἐμοὶ τῶν γραμμάτων εἰρηκότων 1050 πρότερον καθεύδειν αὐτόν;

Νεανίας οἴμοι δείλαιος. πόθεν ἐξέκυψας ὦ κάκιστʼ ἀπολουμένη; τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκείνου τὸ κακὸν ἐξωλέστερον.

Γραῦς Β βάδιζε δεῦρο.

Νεανίας μηδαμῶς με περιίδῃς ἑλκόμενον ὑπὸ τῆσδʼ ἀντιβολῶ σʼ. 1055

Γραῦς Β ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐγώ, ἀλλʼ ὁ νόμος ἕλκει σʼ.

Νεανίας οὐκ ἐμέ γʼ, ἀλλʼ ἔμπουσά τις ἐξ αἵματος φλύκταιναν ἠμφιεσμένη.

Γραῦς Β ἕπου μαλακίων δεῦρʼ ἀνύσας καὶ μὴ λάλει.

Νεανίας ἴθι νυν ἔασον εἰς ἄφοδον πρώτιστά με ἐλθόντα θαρρῆσαι πρὸς ἐμαυτόν· εἰ δὲ μή, 1060 αὐτοῦ τι δρῶντα πυρρὸν ὄψει μʼ αὐτίκα ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους.

Γραῦς Β θάρρει, βάδιζʼ· ἔνδον χεσεῖ.

Νεανίας δέδοικα κἀγὼ μὴ πλέον γʼ ἢ βούλομαι. ἀλλʼ ἐγγυητάς σοι καταστήσω δύο ἀξιόχρεως. 1065

Γραῦς Β μή μοι καθίστη.

Γραῦς Γ ποῖ σὺ ποῖ χωρεῖς μετὰ ταύτης;

Γραῦς Γ μὴ σκῶπτέ μʼ ἀλλὰ δεῦρʼ ἕπου.

Γραῦς Β δευρὶ μὲν οὖν.

Γραῦς Γ ὡς οὐκ ἀφήσω σʼ οὐδέποτʼ. 1075

Γραῦς Β οὐδὲ μὴν ἐγώ.

Νεανίας διασπάσεσθέ μʼ ὦ κακῶς ἀπολούμεναι.

Γραῦς Β ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἀκολουθεῖν σʼ ἔδει κατὰ τὸν νόμον.

Γραῦς Γ οὐκ ἢν ἑτέρα γε γραῦς ἔτʼ αἰσχίων φανῇ.

Second Old Woman Hi! you there! where 1050 are you taking that young man to, in defiance of the law? The decree ordains that he must first sleep with me.

Young Man Oh! what a misfortune! Where does this hag come from? She's a more frightful monster than the other even.

Second Old Woman Come here.

Young Man To the Young Girl. 1055 Oh! I beg you, don't let me be led off by her!

Second Old Woman It's not I but the law that leads you off.

Young Man No, it's not the law, but an Empusa with a body covered with blemishes and blotches.

Second Old Woman Follow me, my handsome little friend, come along quickly without any more ado.

Young Man Oh! let me 1060 go to the can first, so that I may gather my wits somewhat. Else I should be so terrified that you would see me letting out something yellow.

Second Old Woman Never mind! you can crap, if you want, in my house.

Young Man More than I want to, I'm afraid; but I offer you two 1065 good securities.

Second Old Woman I don't require them.

Third Old Woman Hi! friend, where are you off to with that woman?

Third Old Woman No jesting! Follow me.

Second Old Woman No, come this way.

Third Old Woman 1075 I will never let you go.

Second Old Woman Nor will I.

Young Man But you will rend me asunder, you cursed wretches.

Second Old Woman I'm the one he must go with according to the law.

Third Old Woman Not if an uglier old woman than yourself appears.

Commentary

Line 1055

Line 1057

Line 1065

Stable identifiers

Γραῦς Β

αὕτη σὺ ποῖ τονδὶ παραβᾶσα τὸν νόμον

ἕλκεις, παρʼ ἐμοὶ τῶν γραμμάτων εἰρηκότων
1050

πρότερον καθεύδειν αὐτόν;

Νεανίας

οἴμοι δείλαιος.

πόθεν ἐξέκυψας ὦ κάκιστʼ ἀπολουμένη;

τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκείνου τὸ κακὸν ἐξωλέστερον.

Γραῦς Β

βάδιζε δεῦρο.

Νεανίας

μηδαμῶς με περιίδῃς

ἑλκόμενον ὑπὸ τῆσδʼ ἀντιβολῶ σʼ.
1055

Γραῦς Β

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐγώ,

ἀλλʼ ὁ νόμος ἕλκει σʼ.

Νεανίας

οὐκ ἐμέ γʼ, ἀλλʼ ἔμπουσά τις

ἐξ αἵματος φλύκταιναν ἠμφιεσμένη.

Γραῦς Β

ἕπου μαλακίων δεῦρʼ ἀνύσας καὶ μὴ λάλει.

Νεανίας

ἴθι νυν ἔασον εἰς ἄφοδον πρώτιστά με

ἐλθόντα θαρρῆσαι πρὸς ἐμαυτόν· εἰ δὲ μή,
1060

αὐτοῦ τι δρῶντα πυρρὸν ὄψει μʼ αὐτίκα

ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους.

Γραῦς Β

θάρρει, βάδιζʼ· ἔνδον χεσεῖ.

Νεανίας

δέδοικα κἀγὼ μὴ πλέον γʼ ἢ βούλομαι.

ἀλλʼ ἐγγυητάς σοι καταστήσω δύο

ἀξιόχρεως.
1065

Γραῦς Β

μή μοι καθίστη.

Γραῦς Γ

ποῖ σὺ ποῖ

χωρεῖς μετὰ ταύτης;

Γραῦς Γ

μὴ σκῶπτέ μʼ ἀλλὰ δεῦρʼ ἕπου.

Γραῦς Β

δευρὶ μὲν οὖν.

Γραῦς Γ

ὡς οὐκ ἀφήσω σʼ οὐδέποτʼ.
1075

Γραῦς Β

οὐδὲ μὴν ἐγώ.

Νεανίας

διασπάσεσθέ μʼ ὦ κακῶς ἀπολούμεναι.

Γραῦς Β

ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἀκολουθεῖν σʼ ἔδει κατὰ τὸν νόμον.

Γραῦς Γ

οὐκ ἢν ἑτέρα γε γραῦς ἔτʼ αἰσχίων φανῇ.

Second Old Woman

Hi! you there! where 1050 are you taking that young man to, in defiance of the law? The decree ordains that he must first sleep with me.

Young Man

Oh! what a misfortune! Where does this hag come from? She's a more frightful monster than the other even.

Second Old Woman

Come here.

Young Man
To the Young Girl.

1055 Oh! I beg you, don't let me be led off by her!

Second Old Woman

It's not I but the law that leads you off.

Young Man

No, it's not the law, but an Empusa with a body covered with blemishes and blotches.

Second Old Woman

Follow me, my handsome little friend, come along quickly without any more ado.

Young Man

Oh! let me 1060 go to the can first, so that I may gather my wits somewhat. Else I should be so terrified that you would see me letting out something yellow.

Second Old Woman

Never mind! you can crap, if you want, in my house.

Young Man

More than I want to, I'm afraid; but I offer you two 1065 good securities.

Second Old Woman

I don't require them.

Third Old Woman

Hi! friend, where are you off to with that woman?

Third Old Woman

No jesting! Follow me.

Second Old Woman

No, come this way.

Third Old Woman

1075 I will never let you go.

Second Old Woman

Nor will I.

Young Man

But you will rend me asunder, you cursed wretches.

Second Old Woman

I'm the one he must go with according to the law.

Third Old Woman

Not if an uglier old woman than yourself appears.