Aristophanes Wealth 51

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

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Χρεμύλος

οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως ὁ χρησμὸς ἐς τοῦτο ῥέπει,

ἀλλʼ εἰς ἕτερόν τι μεῖζον. ἢν δʼ ἡμῖν φράσῃ

ὅστις ποτʼ ἐστὶν οὑτοσὶ καὶ τοῦ χάριν

καὶ τοῦ δεόμενος ἦλθε μετὰ νῷν ἐνθαδί,

πυθοιμεθʼ ἂν τὸν χρησμὸν ἡμῶν ὅ τι νοεῖ.
55

Καρίων

ἄγε δὴ σὺ πότερον σαυτὸν ὅστις εἶ φράσεις,

ἢ τἀπὶ τούτοις δρῶ; λέγειν χρὴ ταχὺ πάνυ.

Πλοῦτος

ἐγὼ μὲν οἰμώζειν λέγω σοι.

Καρίων

μαναθάνεις

ὅς φησιν εἶναι;

Χρεμύλος

σοὶ λέγει τοῦτʼ, οὐκ ἐμοί·

σκαιῶς γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ χαλεπῶς ἐκπυνθάνει.
60

ἀλλʼ εἴ τι χαίρεις ἀνδρὸς εὐόρκου τρόποις,

ἐμοὶ φράσον.

Πλοῦτος

κλάειν ἔγωγέ σοι λέγω.

Καρίων

δέχου τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ τὸν ὄρνιν τοῦ θεοῦ.

Χρεμύλος

οὔ τοι μὰ τὴν Δήμητρα χαιρήσεις ἔτι.

εἰ μὴ φράσεις γάρ—
65

Καρίων

ἀπό σʼ ὀλῶ κακὸν κακῶς.

Χρεμύλος

ὦ τᾶν—

Πλοῦτος

ἀπαλλάχθητον ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ.

Χρεμύλος

πώμαλα.

Καρίων

καὶ μὴν ὃ λέγω βέλτιστόν ἐστʼ ὦ δέσποτα.

ἀπολῶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον κάκιστα τουτονί.

ἀναθεὶς γὰρ ἐπὶ κρημνόν τινʼ αὐτὸν καταλιπων

ἄπειμʼ, ἵνʼ ἐκεῖθεν ἐκτραχηλισθῇ πεσών.
70

Χρεμύλος

ἀλλʼ αἶρε ταχέως.

Πλοῦτος

μηδαμῶς.

Χρεμύλος

οὔκουν ἐρεῖς;

Πλοῦτος

ἀλλʼ ἢν πύθησθέ μʼ ὅστις εἴμʼ, εὖ οἶδʼ ὅτι

κακόν τί μʼ ἐργάσεσθε κοὐκ ἀφήσετον.

Χρεμύλος

νὴ τοὺς θεοὺς ἡμεῖς γʼ, ἐὰν βούλῃ γε σύ.

Πλοῦτος

μέθεσθε νῦν μου πρῶτον.
75

Χρεμύλος

ἤν, μεθίεμεν.

Πλοῦτος

ἀκούετον δή· δεῖ γὰρ ὡς ἔοικέ με

λέγειν ἃ κρύπτειν ἦν παρεσκευασμένος.

ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι Πλοῦτος.

Χρεμύλος

ὦ μιαρώτατε

ἀνδρῶν ἁπάντων, εἶτʼ ἐσίγας Πλοῦτος ὤν;

Καρίων

σὺ Πλοῦτος, οὕτως ἀθλίως διακείμενος;
80

ὦ Φοῖβʼ Ἄπολλον καὶ θεοὶ καὶ δαίμονες

καὶ Ζεῦ, τί φῄς; ἐκεῖνος ὄντως εἶ σύ;

Πλοῦτος

ναί.

Χρεμύλος

ἐκεῖνος αὐτός;

Πλοῦτος

αὐτότατος.

Χρεμύλος

πόθεν οὖν φράσον

αὐχμῶν βαδίζεις;

Πλοῦτος

ἐκ Πατροκλέους ἔρχομαι,

ὃς οὐκ ἐλούσατʼ ἐξ ὅτουπερ ἐγένετο.
85

Χρεμύλος

τουτὶ δὲ τὸ κακὸν πῶς ἔπαθες; κάτειπέ μοι.

Πλοῦτος

ὁ Ζεύς με ταῦτʼ ἔδρασεν ἀνθρώποις φθονῶν.

ἐγὼ γὰρ ὢν μειράκιον ἠπείλησʼ ὅτι

ὡς τοὺς δικαίους καὶ σοφοὺς καὶ κοσμίους

μόνους βαδιοίμην· ὁ δέ μʼ ἐποίησεν τυφλόν,
90

ἵνα μὴ διαγιγνώσκοιμι τούτων μηδένα.

οὕτως ἐκεῖνος τοῖσι χρηστοῖσι φθονεῖ.

Χρεμύλος

καὶ μὴν διὰ τοὺς χρηστούς γε τιμᾶται μόνους

καὶ τοὺς δικαίους.

Πλοῦτος

ὁμολογῶ σοι.

Χρεμύλος

φέρε τί οὖν;

εἰ πάλιν ἀναβλέψειας ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ,
95

φεύγοις ἂν ἤδη τοὺς πονηρούς;

Πλοῦτος

φήμʼ ἐγώ.

Χρεμύλος

ὡς τοὺς δικαίους δʼ ἂν βαδίζοις;

Πλοῦτος

πάνυ μὲν οὖν·

πολλοῦ γὰρ αὐτοὺς οὐχ ἑόρακά πω χρόνου.

Χρεμύλος

καὶ θαῦμά γʼ οὐδέν· οὐδʼ ἐγὼ γὰρ ὁ βλέπων.

Πλοῦτος

ἄφετόν με νῦν. ἴστον γὰρ ἤδη τἀπʼ ἐμοῦ.
100

Χρεμύλος

μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἑξόμεσθά σου.

Πλοῦτος

οὐκ ἠγόρευον ὅτι παρέξειν πράγματα

ἐμέλλετόν μοι;

Χρεμύλος

καὶ σύ γʼ ἀντιβολῶ πιθοῦ,

καὶ μή μʼ ἀπολίπῃς· οὐ γὰρ εὑρήσεις ἐμοῦ

ζητῶν ἔτʼ ἄνδρα τοὺς τρόπους βελτίονα.
105

Καρίων

μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄλλος πλὴν ἐγώ.

Wealth. 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

Πλοῦτος (Greek) (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.)

Translations (1)

Wealth (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 51 focus

Chremylus

No, that is not the meaning of the oracle; there must be another that is nobler. If this blind man would tell us who he is and why and with what object he has led us here, 55 we should no doubt understand what our oracle really does mean.

Cario
To Plutus

Come, tell us at once who you are, or I shall give effect to my threat. He menaces him. And quick too, be quick, I say.

Plutus

I'll thrash you.

Cario
To Chremylus

Do you understand who he says he is?

Chremylus

It's to you and not to me that he replies thus: 60 your mode of questioning him was ill-advised. To Plutus Come, friend, if you care to oblige an honest man, answer me.

Plutus

I'll knock you down.

Cario
Sarcastically

Ah! what a pleasant fellow and what a delightful prophecy the god has given you!

Chremylus
To Plutus

By Demeter, you'll have no reason to laugh presently. 65 If you don't speak—

Cario

I will surely do you an ill turn.

Chremylus

Friends—

Plutus

Take yourselves off and leave me.

Chremylus

No, we won't.

Cario

This, master, is the best thing to do. I'll undertake to secure him the most frightful death; I will lead him to the verge of a precipice 70 and then leave him there, so that he'll break his neck when he pitches over.

Chremylus

Well then, seize him right away.

Cario does so.

Plutus

Oh, no! Have mercy!

Chremylus

Will thou speak then?

Plutus

But if you learn who I am, I know well that you will ill-use me and will not let me go again.

Chremylus

I call the gods to witness that you have naught to fear if you will only speak.

Plutus

75 Well then, first unhand me.

Chremylus

There! we set you free.

Plutus

Listen then, since I must reveal what I had intended to keep a secret. I am Plutus.

Chremylus

Oh! you wretched rascal! You Plutus all the while, and you never said so!

Cario

80 You, Plutus, and in this piteous guise! Oh, Phoebus Apollo! oh, ye gods of heaven and hell! Oh, Zeus! is it really and truly as you say?

Plutus

Yes.

Chremylus

Plutus' very own self?

Plutus

His own very self and none other.

Chremylus

But tell me, how come you're so squalid?

Plutus

I have just left Patrocles' house, 85 who has not had a bath since his birth.

Chremylus

But your infirmity; how did that happen? Tell me.

Plutus

Zeus inflicted it on me, because of his jealousy of mankind. When I was young, I threatened him that I would only go to the just, the wise, the men of ordered life; to prevent my distinguishing these, 90 he struck me with blindness! so much does he envy the good!

Chremylus

And yet, it's only the upright and just who honor him.

Plutus

Quite true.

Chremylus

Therefore, 95 if ever you recovered your sight, you would shun the wicked?

Plutus

Undoubtedly.

Chremylus

You would visit the good?

Plutus

Assuredly. It is a very long time since I saw them.

Chremylus
To the audience

That's not astonishing. I, who see clearly, don't see a single one.

Plutus

100 Now let me leave you, for I have told you everything.

Chremylus

No, certainly not! we shall fasten ourselves on to you faster than ever.

Plutus

Did I not tell you, you were going to plague me?

Chremylus

Oh! I adjure you, believe what I say and don't leave me; for 105 you will seek in vain for a more honest man than myself.

Cario

There is only one man more worthy; and that is I.