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Line 769

ὥσπερ νεωνήτοισιν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐγώ.

The dative plural form νεωνήτοισιν (neōnētoisin) is a rare Doric dialectal variant of the Attic νεανίαις (neaniais, 'to young men') or more likely a dialectal rendering of νεωτερίστοις (neōteristois, 'to the newly initiated'), though in this context it functions as a specific reference to the 'newly initiated' (neōtoi) in the Eleusinian Mysteries. Aristophanes often exploits dialectal variation for comic effect, and here the Doric form may signal a specific social or ritual register, contrasting with the expected Attic phrasing for 'fresh eyes' or 'newly opened eyes.' The phrase alludes to the disorientation of initiates seeing the sacred objects for the first time, a metaphor for Chremylus's sudden enlightenment in the play.

Wealth. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

Commentary (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)

Πλοῦτος Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.) — 771 focus

Πλοῦτος

καὶ προσκυνῶ γε πρῶτα μὲν τὸν ἥλιον,

ἔπειτα σεμνῆς Παλλάδος κλεινὸν πέδον

χώραν τε πᾶσαν Κέκροπος ἥ μʼ ἐδέξατο.

αἰσχύνομαι δὲ τὰς ἐμαυτοῦ συμφοράς,

οἵοις ἄρʼ ἀνθρώποις ξυνὼν ἐλάνθανον,
775

τοὺς ἀξίους δὲ τῆς ἐμῆς ὁμιλίας

ἔφευγον, εἰδὼς οὐδέν· ὦ τλήμων ἐγώ,

ὡς οὔτʼ ἐκεῖνʼ ἄρʼ οὔτε ταῦτʼ ὀρθῶς ἔδρων·

ἀλλʼ αὐτὰ πάντα πάλιν ἀναστρέψας ἐγὼ

δείξω τὸ λοιπὸν πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ὅτι
780

ἄκων ἐμαυτὸν τοῖς πονηροῖς ἐπεδίδουν.

Χρεμύλος

βάλλʼ ἐς κόρακας· ὡς χαλεπόν εἰσιν οἱ φίλοι

οἱ φαινόμενοι παραχρῆμʼ ὅταν πράττῃ τις εὖ.

νύττουσι γὰρ καὶ φλῶσι τἀντικνήμια,

ἐνδεικνύμενος ἔκαστος εὔνοιάν τινα.
785

ἐμὲ γὰρ τίς οὐ προσεῖπε; ποῖος οὐκ ὄχλος

περιεστεφάνωσεν ἐν ἀγορᾷ πρεσβυτικός;

Γυνή

ὦ φίλτατʼ ἀνδρῶν καὶ σὺ καὶ σὺ χαίρετε.

φέρε νυν, νόμος γάρ ἐστι, τὰ καταχύσματα

ταυτὶ καταχέω σου λαβοῦσα.
790

Πλοῦτος

μηδαμῶς.

ἐμοῦ γὰρ εἰσιόντος ἐς τὴν οἰκίαν

πρώτιστα καὶ βλέψαντος οὐδὲν ἐκφέρειν

πρεπῶδές ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἐσφέρειν.

Γυνή

εἶτʼ οὐχὶ δέξει δῆτα τὰ καταχύσματα;

Πλοῦτος

ἔνδον γε παρὰ τὴν ἑστίαν, ὥσπερ νόμος·
795

ἔπειτα καὶ τὸν φόρτον ἐκφύγοιμεν ἄν.

οὐ γὰρ πρεπῶδές ἐστι τῷ διδασκάλῳ

ἰσχάδια καὶ τρωγάλια τοῖς θεωμένοις

προβαλόντʼ ἐπὶ τούτοις εἶτʼ ἀναγκάζειν γελᾶν.

Γυνή

εὖ πάνυ λέγεις· ὡς Δεξίνικός γʼ οὑτοσὶ
800

ἀνίσταθʼ ὡς ἁρπασόμενος τὰς ἰσχάδας.

Χοροῦ

Translations (2)

Wealth (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 771 focus

Exit Interlude of dancing by the Chorus.

Plutus

I adore thee, oh! thou divine sun, and thee I greet, thou city, the beloved of Pallas; be welcome, thou land of Cecrops, which hast received me. Alas! 775 what manner of men I associated with! I blush to think of it. While, on the other hand, I shunned those who deserved my friendship; I knew neither the vices of the ones nor the virtues of the others. A two-fold mistake, and in both cases equally fatal! Ah! what a misfortune was mine! But I want to change everything; 780 and in the future I mean to prove to mankind that, if I gave to the wicked, it was against my will.

Chremylus
To the wings

Get you gone! Oh! what a lot of friends spring into being when you are fortunate! They dig me with their elbows and bruise my shins 785 to prove their affection. Each one wants to greet me. What a crowd of old fellows thronged round me on the market-place!

Wife

Oh! thou, who art dearest of all to me, and thou too, be welcome! Allow me, Plutus, 790 to shower these gifts of welcome over you in due accord with custom.

Plutus

No. This is the first house I enter after having regained my sight; I shall take nothing from it, for it is my place rather to give.

Wife

Do you refuse these gifts?

Plutus

795 I will accept them at your fireside, as custom requires. Besides, we shall thus avoid a ridiculous scene; it is not meet that the poet should throw dried figs and dainties to the spectators; it is a vulgar trick to make them laugh.

Wife

800 You are right. Look! yonder's Dexinicus, who was already getting to his feet to catch the figs as they flew past him.

English (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) Experimental (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) — 771 focus

Wealth: And I do reverence, first of all, to the sun,

Plutus: Afterwards, the glorious ground of august Pallas.

Plutus: the whole land of Kekrops that received me.

Plutus: I am ashamed of my own misfortunes,

Wealth: With what sort of people, then, was he living unseen,

775

Wealth: but those worthy of my company

Wealth: I was fleeing, knowing nothing; wretched me,

Wealth: as indeed I did not do those things, nor these, correctly;

Plutus: But I myself having turned everything back again,

Plutus: I will show from now on to all people that

780

Plutus: Unwillingly I was handing myself over to the wicked.

Chremylus: Throw them to the crows; how difficult it is to have friends.

Chremylus: Those who appear immediately whenever someone does well.

Chremylus: for they bite and sting the shins,

Chremylus: showing each one some goodwill.

785

Chremylus: For who did not address me? What crowd did not [do so]?

Chremylus: Did an old man crown him in the marketplace?

Woman: O dearest of men, and you and you, greetings.

Woman: Bring it now, for it is the law, the pourings.

Woman: Now I will pour this over you after taking it.

790

Wealth: by no means.

Wealth: for when I was entering the house

Plutus: first of all, even after having looked, he brings out nothing.

Wealth: It is seemly, but rather it is better to give.

Woman: Then won't you at least pour out the dregs?

Plutus: Inside, certainly, by the hearth, as is the custom;

795

Wealth: Then we might also escape the burden.

Plutus: for it is not seemly for the teacher.

Wealth: ribs and mutton for the spectators.

Wealth: stepping forward on these things, then he forces [them] to laugh.

Woman: You speak very well; Dexinous, this fellow here...

800

Woman: Get up, as if you are about to snatch the buttocks.

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

769. mvp-tlg0019-tlg011-sanjaya-com-eng1-21

Line 769

ὥσπερ νεωνήτοισιν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐγώ.

Aristophanes Wealth 769

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 769

Current edition Experimental

Γυνή

ὦ φίλτατʼ ἀνδρῶν καὶ σὺ καὶ σὺ χαίρετε.

φέρε νυν, νόμος γάρ ἐστι, τὰ καταχύσματα

ταυτὶ καταχέω σου λαβοῦσα.
790

Πλοῦτος

μηδαμῶς.

ἐμοῦ γὰρ εἰσιόντος ἐς τὴν οἰκίαν

πρώτιστα καὶ βλέψαντος οὐδὲν ἐκφέρειν

πρεπῶδές ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἐσφέρειν.

Γυνή

εἶτʼ οὐχὶ δέξει δῆτα τὰ καταχύσματα;

Γυνή

εὖ πάνυ λέγεις· ὡς Δεξίνικός γʼ οὑτοσὶ
800

ἀνίσταθʼ ὡς ἁρπασόμενος τὰς ἰσχάδας.

Chremylus
To the wings

Get you gone! Oh! what a lot of friends spring into being when you are fortunate! They dig me with their elbows and bruise my shins 785 to prove their affection. Each one wants to greet me. What a crowd of old fellows thronged round me on the market-place!

Wife

Oh! thou, who art dearest of all to me, and thou too, be welcome! Allow me, Plutus, 790 to shower these gifts of welcome over you in due accord with custom.

Plutus

No. This is the first house I enter after having regained my sight; I shall take nothing from it, for it is my place rather to give.

Wife

Do you refuse these gifts?

Plutus

795 I will accept them at your fireside, as custom requires. Besides, we shall thus avoid a ridiculous scene; it is not meet that the poet should throw dried figs and dainties to the spectators; it is a vulgar trick to make them laugh.

Wife

800 You are right. Look! yonder's Dexinicus, who was already getting to his feet to catch the figs as they flew past him.

Commentary

Line 769

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Line 769

Current edition Experimental

Γυνή ὦ φίλτατʼ ἀνδρῶν καὶ σὺ καὶ σὺ χαίρετε. φέρε νυν, νόμος γάρ ἐστι, τὰ καταχύσματα ταυτὶ καταχέω σου λαβοῦσα. 790

Πλοῦτος μηδαμῶς. ἐμοῦ γὰρ εἰσιόντος ἐς τὴν οἰκίαν πρώτιστα καὶ βλέψαντος οὐδὲν ἐκφέρειν πρεπῶδές ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἐσφέρειν.

Γυνή εἶτʼ οὐχὶ δέξει δῆτα τὰ καταχύσματα;

Γυνή εὖ πάνυ λέγεις· ὡς Δεξίνικός γʼ οὑτοσὶ 800 ἀνίσταθʼ ὡς ἁρπασόμενος τὰς ἰσχάδας.

Chremylus To the wings Get you gone! Oh! what a lot of friends spring into being when you are fortunate! They dig me with their elbows and bruise my shins 785 to prove their affection. Each one wants to greet me. What a crowd of old fellows thronged round me on the market-place!

Wife Oh! thou, who art dearest of all to me, and thou too, be welcome! Allow me, Plutus, 790 to shower these gifts of welcome over you in due accord with custom.

Plutus No. This is the first house I enter after having regained my sight; I shall take nothing from it, for it is my place rather to give.

Wife Do you refuse these gifts?

Plutus 795 I will accept them at your fireside, as custom requires. Besides, we shall thus avoid a ridiculous scene; it is not meet that the poet should throw dried figs and dainties to the spectators; it is a vulgar trick to make them laugh.

Wife 800 You are right. Look! yonder's Dexinicus, who was already getting to his feet to catch the figs as they flew past him.

Commentary

Line 769

Stable identifiers

Γυνή

ὦ φίλτατʼ ἀνδρῶν καὶ σὺ καὶ σὺ χαίρετε.

φέρε νυν, νόμος γάρ ἐστι, τὰ καταχύσματα

ταυτὶ καταχέω σου λαβοῦσα.
790

Πλοῦτος

μηδαμῶς.

ἐμοῦ γὰρ εἰσιόντος ἐς τὴν οἰκίαν

πρώτιστα καὶ βλέψαντος οὐδὲν ἐκφέρειν

πρεπῶδές ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἐσφέρειν.

Γυνή

εἶτʼ οὐχὶ δέξει δῆτα τὰ καταχύσματα;

Γυνή

εὖ πάνυ λέγεις· ὡς Δεξίνικός γʼ οὑτοσὶ
800

ἀνίσταθʼ ὡς ἁρπασόμενος τὰς ἰσχάδας.

Chremylus
To the wings

Get you gone! Oh! what a lot of friends spring into being when you are fortunate! They dig me with their elbows and bruise my shins 785 to prove their affection. Each one wants to greet me. What a crowd of old fellows thronged round me on the market-place!

Wife

Oh! thou, who art dearest of all to me, and thou too, be welcome! Allow me, Plutus, 790 to shower these gifts of welcome over you in due accord with custom.

Plutus

No. This is the first house I enter after having regained my sight; I shall take nothing from it, for it is my place rather to give.

Wife

Do you refuse these gifts?

Plutus

795 I will accept them at your fireside, as custom requires. Besides, we shall thus avoid a ridiculous scene; it is not meet that the poet should throw dried figs and dainties to the spectators; it is a vulgar trick to make them laugh.

Wife

800 You are right. Look! yonder's Dexinicus, who was already getting to his feet to catch the figs as they flew past him.