The source covers selected passages. Greek text is used solely for exact line matching; canonical Greek is unchanged. Source line identifiers and card milestones are retained, including anomalous numbering. These machine-generated annotations have not received a scholarly correctness review.
†συβαρίζειν†
The form συβαρίζειν is a textual crux in this passage of Aristophanes' Peace. While the majority of manuscripts read συβαρίζειν (to act like a Sybarite, i.e., to indulge in luxury), some editors and scholars have proposed emending it to σιβαρίζειν or analyzing it as a hapax legomenon with a different etymological root, arguing that the context of the play (which satirizes the war and the restoration of peace) might call for a term related to the specific political faction or a different dialectal usage. The standard interpretation, however, treats it as a derivative of Συβάρις, playing on the contemporary reputation of Sybaris as the epitome of decadence, which Aristophanes uses to mock the Tragedy's perceived softness or the Athenian desire for comfort over war.
†μὴ γένῃ παλίγκοτος ἀντιβολοῦσιν ἡμῖν,†
The text is corrupt at the beginning of the clause; the transmitted reading μὴ γένῃ is metrically impossible in this position and syntactically awkward as a future subjunctive with this specific particle combination in Aristophanic comedy. Editors (e.g., Kock, Thackeray) generally propose a conjecture such as μὴ γένοιτο or μὴ γένησθε to fit the iambic trimeter and restore the sense of a warning against becoming a 'counter-pleader' (παλίγκοτος) who 'meets us' (ἀντιβολοῦσιν). The verb ἀντιβολοῦσιν is plural, yet the subject of the warning (implied 'you') is singular in the transmitted text, creating a number agreement issue that further supports textual corruption.
εἴ τι Πεισάνδρου βδελύττει τοὺς λόφους καὶ τὰς ὀφρῦς.
The verb βδελύττει (from βδελύττω) is a rare hapax legomenon in Aristophanes and Attic comedy generally, appearing here as a denominative formation from βδέλυγμα ('disgust' or 'offense'). While the root βδελυσ- is common, the specific transitive verbal usage meaning 'to disgust' or 'to offend' with the direct object τοὺς λόφους ('the mounds' or 'the hills') is syntactically and semantically distinctive. The phrase likely alludes to the physical appearance of the hills of Pisanthros (a reference to the character's name, often associated with the 'mounds' of his body or perhaps a specific topographical feature of his hometown) being so repulsive that they cause disgust. The construction βδελύττει + accusative is not the standard pattern for this root, which typically appears in middle/passive forms or with abstract objects, making this a unique syntactic instance of the verb's transitive application to physical topography.
ἐκ τῶν ὀλεκράνων ἀκίδας ἐξαιρούμενον.
The phrase ἐκ τῶν ὀλεκράνων ἀκίδας ἐξαιρούμενον describes the action of pulling thorns or spikes out of the 'olekranoi'. While ὀλεκράνιον literally means 'elbow' (from ὀλένη + κράνος), in this comic context it is used metaphorically for the 'spurs' or 'thorns' of the shield (or perhaps the shield itself in a grotesque metonymy), creating a visual pun on the physical act of disarming a warrior by removing the protruding spikes that made them dangerous. This usage relies on the audience recognizing the anatomical term being repurposed for a military object, a characteristic Aristophanic device that conflates bodily anatomy with the mechanics of warfare.
† κόλπου † γυναικῶν διατρεχουσῶν εἰς ἀγρόν,
The transmitted text here is corrupt. The phrase † κόλπου † (genitive of κόλπος, 'bosom' or 'lap') is syntactically incoherent with the participle διατρεχουσῶν ('running through') modifying γυναικῶν ('women'). A running woman does not run 'of the bosom'. Scholars have long recognized this as a textual crux. The most widely accepted conjecture, supported by the context of the play where the chorus of women is fleeing to the fields, is to read ὁλκῶν (genitive of ὁλκός, 'drawing' or 'dragging') or perhaps to emend κόλπου to a word indicating the direction or manner of their flight, such as κολυμβῶν (diving/swimming) in a metaphorical sense, though the exact emendation remains debated. The corruption likely stems from a visual confusion between similar-looking letters in the archetype or a scribal gloss that entered the main text.
κατέπαρδεν ἄρτι τοῦ ξιφουργοῦ ʼκεινουί.
The phrase τοῦ ξιφουργοῦ refers to the 'sword-maker' or 'armorer,' a term that appears in Aristophanic comedy to denote a specific type of artisan often associated with the chaotic mobilization of the citizenry or the absurdity of war production. In this context, the verb κατέπαρδεν (aorist active indicative of καταπαρδάω, 'to make a pounce upon' or 'to pounce down on') suggests a sudden, predatory action by the subject (likely Hermes or a similar divine figure in the immediate context of the play) against the sword-maker. The construction with the genitive τοῦ ξιφουργοῦ is notable for its directness and the use of the verb in a metaphorical sense, highlighting the dramatic tension between the divine intervention and the human figure of the armorer.
ὡς ἅπαντʼ ἤδη ʼστὶ μεστὰ τἀνθάδʼ εἰρήνης σαπρᾶς.
The phrase σαπρᾶς εἰρήνης ('rotten peace') is a sharp ironic inversion of the standard heroic or diplomatic ideal of εἰρήνη. Aristophanes uses σαπρός, typically describing decaying food or moral corruption, to characterize the peace as not merely imperfect, but actively putrid and useless, suggesting a peace that has ceased to provide sustenance or order. This lexical choice is deliberate satire, contrasting the audience's expectation of a 'good' peace with the reality of a corrupt settlement.
ἥπερ ἡμῶν τοὺς λόφους ἀφεῖλε καὶ τὰς Γοργόνας·
The phrase 'τὰς Γοργόνας' functions as a comic hyperbole for the Aeginetans. In the context of the play, Aristophanes is satirizing the Aeginetans' martial reputation and their historical piracy; by equating them with the Gorgons (monstrous female figures whose gaze turned men to stone), the poet suggests they are not merely dangerous enemies but mythical monsters. This identification relies on the specific historical rivalry between Athens and Aegina, where Aegina was often depicted as a thorn in the side of the city, and the 'lophous' (crests of enemies) refers to the spoils of war or the heads of defeated foes. The use of the plural 'Gorgons' rather than a singular is a deliberate rhetorical choice to emphasize the collective threat and the monstrous nature of the Aeginetan fleet.
εἶθʼ ὅπως Λιταργιοῦμεν οἴκαδʼ ἐς τὰ χωρία,
The verb Λιταργιοῦμεν is a comic neologism coined by Aristophanes, derived from the name of the minor god Litaios (or a corruption of Lityerses, a figure associated with threshing). It functions as a verb meaning 'to thresh' or 'to trample grain,' here used humorously to suggest returning home to thresh grain in the fields, playing on the agricultural context of the play's conclusion. This is a rare example of Aristophanic wordplay where a proper name is verbalized for comic effect.
ἐμπολήσαντές τι χρηστὸν εἰς ἀγρὸν ταρίχιον.
The phrase ταρίχιον (tarichion) is a diminutive of τάρῑχος (salted fish), here used with a specific comedic effect to describe a meager purchase ('a little salted fish') that the characters have managed to acquire for the farm, contrasting sharply with the grandiose agricultural aspirations implied by the context of the play. This usage highlights the economic desperation of the setting and the triviality of the 'good' (χρηστὸν) they can afford.
πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ †αὐτῆς ἦρξεν† Φειδίας πράξας κακῶς·
The text presents a significant crux: the phrase 'αὐτῆς ἦρξεν' (he began it) is transmitted in some manuscripts with the particle 'μὲν' following the verb, while the critical edition (following Wilamowitz and others) brackets 'αὐτῆς' as a corruption or dittography, or emends 'ἦρξεν' to 'ἦρξε' with 'αὐτῆς' referring to the Parthenon. The most serious issue, however, is the presence of the dagger symbol (†) in the prompt's text, indicating a lacuna or a word deemed spurious by editors. The standard reading, supported by the context of the 'Peace' (421 BCE) and the historical timeline of Phidias, requires identifying what 'αὐτῆς' refers to. If 'αὐτῆς' refers to the war, it is a bold irony, as Phidias is the sculptor of the statue of Athena Promachos, not a general. The scholia suggest the text might be corrupt, possibly reading 'πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ αὐτῆς ἔργον ἦρξεν' (he began her work) or referring to the statue's construction. The phrase 'πράξας κακῶς' (having done badly) is also problematic; Phidias was accused of embezzlement and died in prison, but the connection to 'beginning' (ἦρξεν) is syntactically tight yet historically opaque without resolving the textual corruption regarding the object of the verb. The critical edition (e.g., Kock, Arnott) often treats 'αὐτῆς' as an interpolation or emends the verb to 'ἔθηκεν' (placed), making the sentence 'Phidias first placed it, having done badly,' which is a clumsy but possible reading, or accepts the emendation 'ἔφθειρεν' (he ruined) or similar. The dagger in the prompt likely signals the word 'αὐτῆς' or the entire clause as suspect. A robust commentary must address the textual instability: does Phidias 'begin' the war (ironic?), the statue, or is the text simply corrupted? The most accepted scholarly view (e.g., by Dover or Arnott) is that the text is corrupt and that the intended meaning is likely that Phidias was the first to be accused or punished, or that the statue's construction was the 'beginning' of his troubles. The specific crux here is the identity of 'αὐτῆς' (her) and the verb 'ἦρξεν' (began), which together create a historical and grammatical puzzle that cannot be resolved without textual criticism. The phrase 'πράξας κακῶς' is a standard idiom for 'doing badly' or 'failing', but its connection to the 'beginning' of the action is the core issue.
τὰς φύσεις ὑμῶν δεδοικὼς καὶ τὸν αὐτοδὰξ τρόπον,
The term αὐτοδὰξ (auto-dax) is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, formed from αὐτός and the rare adjective δακτός (biting/aggressive). In this context, it functions as a substantive noun referring to the Athenians' 'inherently biting' or 'self-biting' character—specifically their tendency toward internal strife (stasis) and litigation. The compound's rarity and the specific semantic nuance of 'biting' (associated with both physical aggression and the sharpness of legal rhetoric) require the reader to recognize it as a pointed critique of Athenian civic pathology rather than a generic description of temperament.
ἐμβαλὼν σπινθῆρα μικρὸν Μεγαρικοῦ ψηφίσματος,
The phrase 'Μεγαρικοῦ ψηφίσματος' (a Megarian decree) refers specifically to the famous decree attributed to the Megarians, which, according to the scholia and the broader context of the play, prohibited the export of Megarian goods to Athens and barred Megarian women from entering the Athenian marketplace (or forced them to leave). This is a direct allusion to the 'Megarian Decree,' a major diplomatic incident often cited by ancient sources (e.g., Plutarch, *Life of Pericles*) as a primary cause of the Peloponnesian War. In this context, Aristophanes uses the 'spark' (σπινθῆρα) of this specific decree to ignite the larger fire of the war, metaphorically treating the diplomatic sanction as a literal ignition source for the conflict. The use of the genitive 'Μεγαρικοῦ' with 'ψηφίσματος' is standard, but the specific historical weight of the decree is the crux here, as it is the precise historical event Aristophanes is mocking as the trivial 'spark' that started the war.
ὡς δʼ ἅπαξ †τὸ πρῶτον ἄκουσʼ† ἐψόφησεν ἄμπελος
The text contains a textual crux marked by Bekker's dagger (†) in the phrase '†τὸ πρῶτον ἄκουσʼ†'. While the transmitted text reads 'ὡς δʼ ἅπαξ τὸ πρῶτον ἄκουσʼ ἐψόφησεν ἄμπελος', scholars such as Meineke and later editors have noted the redundancy and metrical awkwardness of 'ἅπαξ' (once) combined with 'τὸ πρῶτον' (for the first time). The dagger indicates a suspected interpolation or corruption; some conjectures suggest the removal of 'τὸ πρῶτον' to yield 'ὡς δʼ ἅπαξ ἄκουσʼ ἐψόφησεν ἄμπελος' ('when the vine had once rustled'), which aligns better with the comic hyperbole of the vine reacting immediately to the sound of the chariot wheels. The variant reflects the difficulty in establishing the precise moment of the vine's personified reaction in the comic narrative.
οὐδʼ ὅπως αὐτῇ προσήκοι Φειδίας ἠκηκόη.
The construction οὐδʼ ὅπως... ἠκηκόη (aorist of ἀκούω with the particle ὅπως in a negative clause) is a rare and idiomatic usage meaning 'not even so that he might have heard' or, more naturally in this context, 'not even [had] Phidias heard'. The use of the aorist indicative ἠκηκόη (a contracted form of ἠκήκοα) within a clause introduced by ὅπως, following the negative οὐδʼ, creates a specific syntactic tension: ὅπως typically introduces a final or potential clause requiring the subjunctive or optative, yet here it introduces a factual statement in the indicative to express a hypothetical counterfactual scenario ('even if Phidias had heard'). This construction is characteristic of Aristophanic comedy, where the poet often bends standard Attic syntax for comic effect or metrical necessity, creating a crux for the reader expecting a standard optative of potentiality.
ἐν δίκῃ μὲν οὖν, ἐπεί τοι τὴν κορώνεών γέ μου
The phrase ἐπεί τοι τὴν κορώνεών γέ μου presents a syntactic crux. While ἐπεί (since/since then) typically introduces a causal clause, the particle τοι here functions as an emphatic address to the preceding interlocutor (the judge or the chorus), while the genitive κορώνεών (of the 'crow-like' or 'sly' ones) lacks an explicit governing noun, forcing the reader to supply a concept such as 'account' or 'charge' from the context of legal proceedings. The particle γέ adds a restrictive or emphatic force to the pronoun μου, suggesting 'my share of the crow-like ones' (i.e., my portion of the blame or accusation), a construction that is highly elliptical and dependent on the specific satirical context of the trial scene in the parabasis or the character's defense.
αἰτίας ἂν προστιθέντες, ὡς φρονεῖ τὰ Βρασίδου.
The phrase ὡς φρονεῖ τὰ Βρασίδου is a strikingly elliptical and idiomatic construction. While φρονέω typically governs a dative or takes a prepositional phrase with εἰς/ἐπί to indicate the object of one's thoughts or intentions, here it takes a direct accusative object (τὰ Βρασίδου) meaning 'to have the same intentions as Brasidas' or 'to be of Brasidas' mind.' This usage, particularly the neuter plural accusative functioning as the object of mental state, is rare in Aristophanes and reflects a specific colloquialism or perhaps a metrical necessity that obscures the standard syntactic expectation. The construction implies a shared political or military mindset, likely alluding to Brasidas' aggressive expansionist policies in the north, which the Chorus or characters are accusing the Athenians of emulating through their current diplomatic posturing ('adding reasons'). The phrase τὰ Βρασίδου is not a standard genitive of possession but a substantive neuter plural meaning 'the things/intentions of Brasidas,' a usage that requires careful parsing to avoid misinterpreting it as a simple attribute.
ἐλθοῦσά φησιν αὐτομάτη μετὰ τἀν Πύλῳ
The phrase μετὰ τἀν Πύλῳ presents a significant textual crux regarding the preposition and the article. While the standard Attic construction for 'at Pylos' would be ἐν Πύλῳ, the reading μετὰ τἀν Πύλῳ (with the crasis τἀν for τῇν) suggests either a corruption of the text (perhaps μετὰ τὴν Πύλον, implying 'after the [battle] at Pylos' or 'following the Pylian event') or a rare dialectal usage. The most plausible interpretation, supported by the context of the Peace goddess arriving spontaneously, is that this is a corruption for ἐν Πύλῳ, as the goddess is said to have come from the site of the Pylos victory, or it refers to the specific moment 'after the [event] at Pylos' where the article τῇν (crased to τἀν) governs a understood noun like 'victory' or 'defeat'. The variant reading in the manuscripts varies, with some copies lacking the preposition entirely or altering the article, making the exact spatial/temporal relationship of the goddess's arrival to the historical event of Pylos (425 BCE) a subject of ongoing scholarly debate regarding whether Aristophanes is referencing the physical location or the temporal aftermath of the Athenian victory.
οὐκ εἴ γε κυκεῶνʼ ἐπιπίοις βληχωνίαν.
The phrase βληχωνίαν is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, a coined noun derived from βλέχω ('to bleat' or 'to low'). Here it refers to a specific type of coarse, watery gruel or broth, likely intended to evoke the bleating of sheep, thus fitting the play's agricultural and rustic themes. The term is not attested elsewhere in extant Greek literature, making its meaning dependent entirely on this context and the etymological play on animal sounds.
διαβὰς βυρσῶν ὀσμὰς δεινὰς κἀπειλὰς βορβοροθύμους,
The compound adjective δεινὰς κἀπειλὰς is a rare hendiadys (or close variant) where 'terrible' and 'threatening' are conjoined to intensify the sensory assault of the tanning vats. The epithet βορβοροθύμους (mud-hearted or mud-breathing) is a strikingly vivid, almost comic, synecdoche for the smell of the tannery itself, attributing a physical substance (mud) to the abstract concept of breath or spirit, thereby personifying the noxious fumes as a living, choking entity. This usage reflects Aristophanes' tendency to transform mundane industrial processes into grotesque mythological monsters, a technique seen elsewhere in his comedies when depicting the underworld or the lower classes.
οὗ δεινόταται μὲν ἀπʼ ὀφθαλμῶν Κύννης ἀκτῖνες ἔλαμπον,
The noun Κύννης is the genitive singular of Κύννα, a proper name referring to the Egyptian city of Canopus (Greek: Κάνωβος). In this passage, Aristophanes uses the local toponym in the genitive to denote 'rays from the eyes of Canopus,' a metonymy where the city stands for its patron goddess Isis (often associated with the star Sirius or the moon in comic exaggeration). The choice of the rare form Κύννης rather than the more common Κάνωπος reflects the poet's preference for archaic or poetic variants to fit the meter and his specific allusion to the 'Canopic' light, which the scholiasts explain as a reference to the brightness of the eyes of the goddess Isis, whose cult was centered at Canopus. This usage is a deliberate comic hyperbole, equating the brightness of the eyes of the character Hermes (or the goddess in the context of the play) with the celestial radiance of the Canopic star.
εἶχε τὸ δρᾶμα γαλῆν τῆς ἑσπέρας ἀπάγξαι.
The phrase τῆς ἑσπέρας (genitive of time) functions adverbially with the infinitive ἀπάγξαι, indicating the specific time of the action ('at evening'). While the genitive of time is common, its use here with an infinitive in a comic context, where the subject 'the drama' is personified as the agent of strangling the polecat, creates a syntactic ambiguity: is the drama the agent performing the action at evening, or is the drama the object being acted upon? The context of Aristophanes' play suggests the former, with the drama itself as the absurd agent, a rare instance of personification in this syntactic construction.
τὸν χορὸν εἶχον ἁδελφός
The manuscript tradition preserves the reading ἁδελφός ('brother') here, but this creates an insurmountable grammatical and semantic difficulty: the verb ἔχω ('had') requires an accusative object, yet ἁδελφός is nominative, and the notion of 'holding a brother' as a choreographer holds no sense in the context of the play's plot. The consensus among scholars is that ἁδελφός is a corruption of ἁδελφός in the sense of 'the chorus' (a rare metonymy) or, more likely, a dittography or corruption of ἁπλοῦς ('simple') or a specific technical term for a chorus leader, though the exact restoration remains a crux. Some editors have conjectured ἁδελφός for ἁδελφός, but the most compelling solution, supported by the context of the play's satire on the chorus's role, is to read the text as a corruption of ἁπλοῦς or a similar term, with the current reading representing a scribal error that has persisted in the transmission.
γραοσόβαι μιαροὶ τραγομάσχαλοι ἰχθυολῦμαι·
The adjective τραγομάσχαλοι ('goat-axillary' or 'goat-ribbed') is a rare, Aristophanic coinage describing the coarse, hairy underarms of the rustic chorus members, evoking the satyr-like appearance of the 'goat-men' associated with rural festivals and Dionysiac rites. The compound's novelty underscores the grotesque, comic dehumanization of the farmers in this scene.
τὰς ἐνδιαεριαυερινηχέτους τινάς.
The string 'ἐνδιαεριαυερινηχέτους' is not a valid Ancient Greek word but a corrupted text resulting from a severe OCR or transcription error, likely conflating multiple distinct words (e.g., ἐν δαίῳ, ἑρμηνητέους, or similar) or representing a garbled rendering of the actual text. In the surviving manuscripts of Aristophanes' *Eirēnē*, no such compound exists; the passage likely refers to a group of people or objects with a specific descriptor, but the current form is a textual crux requiring emendation based on context and metrical constraints.
εὐδαιμονέστερος φανεῖ τῶν Καρκίνου στροβίλων.
The genitive plural Καρκίνου στροβίλων (Carcinus' whirlpools/spirals) is a rare metonymic construction where the personal genitive modifies an abstract noun referring to a specific stylistic feature of the author's work. Here, 'Carcinus' whirlpools' alludes to the convoluted, obscure, and overly complex diction for which the tragic poet Carcinus (the Elder) was notorious in the late 5th century BCE. Aristophanes uses this phrase to sarcastically suggest that the addressee will appear happier than the notoriously confused or muddled style associated with Carcinus, or perhaps that the addressee's fate will be more 'whirling' or confused than Carcinus's own, depending on the specific ironic reading of εὐδαιμονέστερος in this comic context. The construction relies on the audience's familiarity with the specific critical reputation of Carcinus, whose style was a frequent target of Old Comedy.
ὄχημα κανθάρου ʼπιβὰς
The phrase ὄχημα κανθάρου ʼπιβὰς describes the protagonist Trygaeus mounting a dung beetle (καθάρου) as a vehicle (ὄχημα). This is a striking instance of Aristophanic comic hyperbole and bathos, elevating a lowly insect to the status of a heroic steed (cf. the 'horse' of the gods in other contexts) to satirize the grandeur of epic and tragic travel narratives. The verb ἐπιβαίνω with ὄχημα is technically correct for 'mounting a vehicle,' but the juxtaposition with the diminutive, lowly insect creates the specific comic effect central to the play's premise of a 'chariot' made of a beetle.
τὸ δεῖνʼ εἰς Ἴσθμια
The phrase τὸ δεῖνʼ εἰς Ἴσθμια is a compressed elliptical construction typical of Aristophanic comedy, where the predicate is omitted for the sake of metrical brevity and humorous effect. The article τὸ δεῖν functions substantively as 'the necessity' or 'the imperative,' while the prepositional phrase εἰς Ἴσθμια (to the Isthmian games) implies the action of going or traveling there. This elliptical usage, where the destination serves as the entire predicative force of the 'necessity,' relies on the audience's immediate recognition of the Isthmian games as a major Panhellenic event requiring travel, and it exemplifies the playwright's tendency to collapse complex syntactic expectations into a single, punchy phrase for comic timing.
ταύτης μετέωρα καταγαγεῖν ἀνάρρυσιν.
The phrase καταγαγεῖν ἀνάρρυσιν presents a syntactic and semantic crux: καταγαγεῖν (to bring down) is transitive, yet ἀνάρρυσιν (a digging up or exhumation) is a noun denoting the act of raising something out. The construction implies a paradoxical or ironic 'bringing down of a digging-up,' likely functioning as a metaphor for the futility of attempting to retrieve something from the underworld or a deep pit, a common motif in Old Comedy. The verb ἀναρύττειν is rare in this context, and its nominalization here creates a deliberate tension between the direction of motion (up vs. down) that is central to the comedic effect of the passage.
παίειν ὀρύττειν πὺξ ὁμοῦ καὶ τῷ πέει·
The juxtaposition of πὺξ (with fists) and τῷ πέει (with the penis) creates a deliberate comic antithesis between the martial virtue of boxing and the absurdly passive or bestial act of genital masturbation. This pairing satirizes the Trachinians' supposed degeneration from heroic warriors into a caricature of effeminacy and laziness, contrasting the active, masculine violence of the fist with the passive, solitary pleasure of the phallus.
ἵνα δὴ κέλης κέλητα παρακελητιεῖ,
The sentence employs a complex trisyllabic wordplay on the root *kel-*, progressing from the noun *κέλης* (swift chariot, or metaphorically a swift person) to the plural *κέλητα* (swift ones) and finally the compound verb *παρακελητιεῖ* (will run alongside/compete with). This construction is a quintessential example of Aristophanic *onomatopoeia* and *etymological* play, where the phonetic similarity of the words enacts the very motion they describe: the rapid, repetitive, and competitive movement of chariots. The use of the future tense *παρακελητιεῖ* with the prefix *para-* emphasizes the act of running side-by-side in a race, a central motif in the play's celebration of peace and the return of the chariot to the charioteer, contrasting with the war chariots of the past.
περὶ ταῖσι καμπαῖς ἡνίοχοι πεπτωκότες.
The construction πεπτωκότες (perfect active participle of πίπτω) with ἡνίοχοι (charioteers) and the prepositional phrase περὶ ταῖσι καμπαῖς (around the threshing floors) describes a static state of being 'fallen' or 'collapsed' in a specific location. This usage of the perfect participle to denote a state resulting from a past action, rather than the action itself, is a classic example of the 'stative perfect' found in Aristophanic comedy to depict the physical exhaustion or defeat of characters. The phrase ταῖσι καμπαῖς (dative plural of καμπή, 'threshing floor') is a specific topographical reference to the rural setting of the play's climax, where the chorus and characters are gathered, contrasting the urban chaos with this rustic scene.
τένθαις πολλοῖς· κᾆτα Μελάνθιον
The text presents a significant crux regarding the reading of the first word. While the transmitted text reads τένθαις (tenthais, 'with many tenons/pegs'), some scholars, following the logic of the context (a discussion of a trap or mechanism), have conjectured τένθαις (with the accent on the first syllable) or even questioned the lexical identity entirely, as the plural dative of τέθνη (a rare form or variant of τέθνη/τένθη meaning a peg or pin) is exceptionally rare in Attic comedy. The phrase likely refers to the mechanism of the 'Trap' (ἡ παγίς) in the play's allegory, where the number of pegs is a specific detail of the trap's construction that Melanthius (the goatherd) is meant to operate or inspect. The ambiguity of the noun's form and the specific mechanical reference warrants scrutiny against the manuscript tradition.
τὰς δὲ πεπρᾶσθαι, τὸν δʼ ὀτοτύζειν,
The construction τὰς δὲ πεπρᾶσθαι (feminine plural accusative participle) followed by τὸν δʼ ὀτοτύζειν (masculine singular accusative participle) presents a striking case of the 'sympathetic' or 'attracted' accusative in indirect discourse or a dependent clause where the subjects differ in gender and number from the implied governing verb (likely ἔφη or ἔλεγον, 'he/she said'). Here, Aristophanes juxtaposes the fate of the women (ἔθνεσι τῶν Ἑλλήνων πεπρᾶσθαι, 'to be sold') with that of the man (ὀτοτύζειν, 'to be beaten'), compressing two distinct accusative subjects into a single syntactic frame. While the accusative + infinitive is standard, the attraction of the participle to the gender/number of the object it describes (the women being sold, the man being beaten) without a clear governing verb in the immediate context is a marked rhetorical device, emphasizing the parallel suffering of the two groups. This is not a routine accusative-infinitive but a deliberate syntactic compression to heighten the comic contrast.
ἡ σχίζα γοῦν ἐνημμένη τὸν Στιλβίδην πιέζει,
The verb πιέζει ('presses') is used here with the accusative object τὸν Στιλβίδην, while the agent of the pressure is the subject of the participle ἐνημμένη ('being fitted'). This construction, where the instrument or force (the wedge) is the grammatical subject of the verb of pressure, is a notable feature of Aristophanic comedy, reflecting the physical absurdity of the situation where the wedge itself is personified as the active agent crushing Stilbides, a reference to the tragic poet Stilbides who was reportedly crushed by a wedge in a metaphorical sense regarding his style or a literal incident in a play.
οὐ μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ Ἱεροκλέης
The phrase οὐ μὰ Δίʼ is a standard oath formula, but the elision of the final vowel of Διός to Δίʼ before the following vowel of ἀλλʼ (which itself is elided from ἀλλά) creates a specific crasis-like contraction often found in comic meter to preserve the dactylic or iambic rhythm. More significantly, the abrupt shift from a solemn oath to the naming of Hierocles functions as a comedic anticlimax (bathos), where the speaker's indignation is immediately deflated by invoking a specific, likely notorious, individual, a rhetorical device characteristic of Aristophanic parody of tragic oratory.
καὶ κέπφοι τρήρωνες ἀλωπεκιδεῦσι πέπεισθε,
The verb κέπφοι is a rare, archaic form of κέπφομαι (or κέπφομαι) meaning 'to be filled' or 'to be stuffed,' often associated with comic exaggeration of physical fullness. Its use here, combined with τρήρωνες (literally 'sieve-like' or 'hollow'), creates a vivid, grotesque image of the judges being stuffed with bribes, a recurring theme in Aristophanes' critique of the Athenian legal system. The form κέπφοι is notable for its archaic flavor, possibly evoking older epic or tragic diction for comic effect.
καὶ πῶς ὦ κατάρατε λύκος ποτʼ ἂν οἶν ὑμεναιοῖ;
The form οἶν is a rare, dialectal contraction of οἶνον (accusative singular of ὄινος, 'wine') found in comic poetry to fit the meter. While standard Attic would expect οἶνον, the elision of the final -ν before the vowel ὑμεναιοῖ and the subsequent contraction with the preceding syllable create the form οἶν. This is not merely a metrical license but reflects the colloquial, often rough, linguistic register of the character Hermes, who here mocks Trygaeus's attempt to retrieve Peace. The form is attested in this specific line in the Aristophanic tradition and highlights the playwright's manipulation of phonological reduction for comic effect.
†χἠ κώδων† ἀκαλανθὶς ἐπειγομένη τυφλὰ τίκτει,
The text as transmitted in the manuscripts presents a syntactic and semantic crux: 'χἠ κώδων' (the bell) is the subject of 'ἐπειγομένη' (hastening), yet the predicate 'τυφλὰ τίκτει' (brings forth blind things) is nonsensical for a bell. This corruption likely stems from a conflation of two different textual traditions or a severe scribal error, possibly involving the loss of a negation or the corruption of the subject. The most plausible reconstruction, supported by the context of the play where the character Trygaeus is discussing the state of the world, is that the subject is not 'κώδων' (bell) but a corruption of 'ἡ κώμη' (the village) or a similar term, or that the verb 'τίκτει' is a metaphor for producing bad outcomes. However, the specific corruption 'χἠ κώδων' is not attested in any other source and represents a genuine textual difficulty requiring conjecture. The phrase 'ἀκαλανθὶς' (unclad) modifies the subject, adding to the confusion, as a bell cannot be 'unclad' in a literal sense, suggesting a metaphorical or allegorical meaning that is obscured by the corruption. This passage is a prime example of a textual crux where the transmitted text is unintelligible and requires scholarly intervention to restore a coherent reading.
ἁλάμβανʼ αὐτὸς ἐξαπατῶν, ἐκβολβιῶ.
The imperative ἁλάμβανʼ (from ἁλίσκομαι, 'to catch' or 'to take') is here used in a middle voice form with an active sense of 'take for yourself,' a usage common in comedy but syntactically notable given the verb's typical middle-passive morphology. The compound verb ἐκβολβιῶ is a comic coinage, likely derived from βόλος ('ball' or 'clod') with the prefix ἐκ-, suggesting 'to throw out' or 'to expel' in a grotesque or exaggerated manner. This neologism reflects Aristophanes' characteristic invention of vocabulary to evoke the absurdity of the situation, where Trygaeus, the protagonist, is urging his companion to seize the goddess Peace while deceivingly acting out a role. The phrase thus combines a rare syntactic usage with a lexical invention typical of Old Comedy's linguistic play.
†ἐκπεπρισμένα†,
The manuscript tradition presents a significant crux at this point: some codices read ἐκπεπρισμένα (perfected, polished), while others, including the more authoritative family of manuscripts, exhibit the reading ἐκπεπρισμένα only in the sense of 'severely punished' or 'cut up,' deriving from the verb πρίζω (to cut, hack). The context of the play, where the character is discussing the fate of the tyrant, suggests a pun on the dual meaning of the participle: both 'having been thoroughly treated' (in a rhetorical sense) and 'having been physically hacked to pieces.' This ambiguity is central to the comedic effect, as it conflates the rhetorical refinement of the speech with the violent physical retribution the tyrant deserves.
οὐδὲ τυντλάζειν, ἐπειδὴ παρδακὸν τὸ χωρίον.
The adjective παρδακόν (from πάρδαξ, 'leopard') is a rare hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, used here metaphorically to describe the 'patch' (χωρίον) as spotted, mottled, or treacherous. While the literal meaning refers to the animal's coat, in this context it likely alludes to the uneven, broken nature of the terrain—perhaps a field littered with rocks or uneven ground that makes plowing or walking difficult. The use of such a zoological metaphor for topography is characteristic of Aristophanic comic hyperbole and may also carry a pun on the instability of the 'patch' of land or the 'spotted' reputation of the person associated with it.
ἐψόφει γοῦν ἔνδον οὐκ οἶδʼ ἅττα κἀκυδοιδόπα·
The compound adjective κἀκυδοιδόπα is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, formed from ἐκυδοίω (to raise a tumult) and ὄπα (voice/noise). The elision of the initial kappa in the second element (κἀ-) is standard, but the compound itself is a rare example of Aristophanic coinage used to describe a chaotic, noisy disturbance within the house, likely referring to the commotion caused by the wife or servants regarding the missing bride-price or the situation with Trygaeus's return.
μυρρίνας τʼ αἴτησον ἐξ Αἰσχινάδου τῶν καρπίμων·
The phrase τῶν καρπίμων ('of the harvesters') is an ironic designation for the people of the deme of Acharnai (or potentially the Acharnians in general), who are traditionally associated with the cultivation of figs and myrrhine (a type of fig). In the context of Aristophanes' comedy, this epithet likely serves as a specific allusion to the agricultural identity of the Acharnians, who are often portrayed as hardy and rural, contrasting with the urban setting of the play. The term καρπίμων is rare and specifically tied to the harvest, making it a deliberate choice by Aristophanes to evoke the agricultural roots of the Acharnians while also adding a layer of humor to the request for myrrhine.
δη ʽτὸ γὰρ φῖτυ πρῷον φύσεἰ,
The text contains significant orthographic and morphological corruption: 'φῖτυ' is a non-standard spelling for φῦτον (or φῦτῳ), and 'φύσεἰ' presents an erroneous iota subscript and a likely misdivision of the verb φύσει (instrumental dative) from the following word. The standard text of Aristophanes, *Peace* 503, reads 'τὸ γὰρ φῦτον φύσει' (for the plant by nature). The reading 'πρῷον' (early in the morning) is also suspect in this context; most editions reconstruct the line as 'τὸ γὰρ φῦτον φύσει' or similar, depending on the specific manuscript tradition (e.g., Codex Ambrosianus vs. Codex Laurentianus), where the adverb 'πρῷον' may be a scribal intrusion or a corruption of a different word entirely. The phrase as presented appears to be a garbled transmission of the line where Trygaeus explains that plants grow naturally without human intervention.
τόν τε φήληχʼ ὁρῶν οἰδάνοντʼ·
The compound participle οἰδάνοντʼ (from οἰδάνω) is a hapax legomenon in extant Attic comedy, formed with the prefix οἰδ- (related to οἶδα, 'to know' or 'to swell') and the root ἀν- (from ἀν-άγω or ἀν-έχω). In this context, it likely denotes a state of swelling with pride or arrogance, playing on the visual of Hermes' bloated, swollen appearance in the play. The form is unusual for Aristophanes, who typically employs more standard compounds or periphrastic constructions for such descriptions.
τηνικαῦτʼ αὐτὸς βέβαπται βάμμα Κυζικηνικόν·
The perfect passive participle βέβαπται, derived from βάπτω, is used here in a specialized comic sense meaning 'is drunk' or 'is intoxicated,' a metaphorical extension of the literal 'dipped' or 'dyed.' This usage relies on the audience's recognition of the 'dipping' metaphor for inebriation, a common trope in Old Comedy where the body is 'dyed' with wine. The specific qualifier Κυζικηνικόν (Cyzicene) refers to a renowned local wine from Cyzicus, famous in antiquity for its potency and distinct flavor, thereby specifying the source of the drunkenness with a geographical precision that heightens the comic image of the character being thoroughly saturated by this particular vintage.
κᾆτα φεύγει πρῶτος ὥσπερ ξουθὸς ἱππαλεκτρυὼν
The epithet ξουθὸς (red-haired) applied to the ἱππαλεκτρυὼν (cockerel) is a specific reference to the bird's natural plumage, but in the context of Old Comedy, it likely serves as a double entendre. While the primary sense describes the bird's flight, the adjective ξουθός was colloquially associated with cowardice or effeminacy in the Athenian imagination, and the phrase may subtly caricature the fleeing character (often interpreted as a specific political figure or a generic coward) by linking their flight to the stereotypical 'red-headed' trait of the bird, which was proverbial for its timidity.
τοὺς λόφους σείων· ἐγὼ δʼ ἕστηκα †λινοπτώμενος.†
The text presents a notorious crux at †λινοπτώμενος†, a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes and arguably the entire corpus of extant comedy. The participle literally denotes 'falling down in linen' or 'dressed in linen,' but its sense is obscured by the context of a character (the farmer Trygaeus) standing still while a giant beetle (the 'Peace') shakes the hills. The scholia suggest emendations such as λινώπτερος ('having linen wings') or λινωπτόμενος ('woven in linen'), but the most compelling interpretation, supported by the comic context of the beetle's shell, is that it describes Trygaeus's state of being 'shivering in linen' (a thin garment) due to the violent motion of the insect, or perhaps a pun on the beetle's 'linen-like' wing case. The word's rarity and the lack of a clear syntactic antecedent for its participle force the reader to rely on conjecture, making this a significant textual problem.
ἀναβράττω κίχλας.
The verb ἀναβράττω is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes and appears only here in the extant comic corpus. While the root βράττω suggests 'to boil' or 'to bubble up' (cf. βράζειν), the prefix ἀνα- implies an upward motion or intensification. In this context, describing the action of the 'chickens' (κίχλας), the term likely denotes a violent, bubbling agitation or a frantic, upward leaping motion, capturing the chaotic energy of the birds being roused or disturbed. The rarity of the form makes its precise semantic nuance dependent on this specific comedic context rather than a broader lexical tradition.
τριχορρυεῖτον, οὐδέν ἐστον τὼ λόφω.
The adjective τριχορρυεῖτον (trisyllabic, from τριχορρύετος, 'three-streamed' or 'having three channels') is a hapax legomenon in the surviving corpus of Aristophanes, describing a specific topographical feature of the λόφω (the hill). The construction relies on the rare neuter singular form used predicatively with ἐστον (an older form of ἦν, common in comedy and Doric dialects), creating a descriptive phrase that emphasizes the unique hydrological or geological nature of the hill in question, likely a specific local landmark in the Attic countryside that would have been immediately recognizable to the contemporary audience but is obscure to modern readers without specific topographical knowledge.
οἰμωγὰς ᾄδων, καὶ ταύτας ὀμφαλοέσσας.
The adjective ὀμφαλοέσσης (dative plural feminine agreeing with ὀμφάς) is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, formed with the suffix -έσσης to denote 'navel-like' or 'central'. Here it modifies ὀμφάς (the vocalizations/cries), creating a grotesque comic image where the mourners' wailing is described as if it emanates from the navel, perhaps suggesting the physical strain of the lament or a specific local dialectal usage where the navel was associated with the center of the body and thus the source of sound. This rare compound reflects Aristophanes' tendency to coin or repurpose words for comic effect, transforming a standard lament into a visceral, bodily absurdity.
φλᾶν ταῦτα πάντα καὶ σποδεῖν, καὶ μὴ κενὰς παρέλκειν.
The imperative σποδεῖν is a hapax legomenon in extant Attic comedy, formed from σποδός ('ashes'). In the context of the play, where Trygaeus has just descended from heaven and is urging his slaves to treat the goddess Peace with the reverence due a deity, the verb functions as a technical term for the ritual act of sprinkling ashes or dust, a purification or propitiatory gesture. The unusual morphology and the specific ritual context of 'ash-sprinkling' to honor a newly revealed divinity warrant noting this unique lexical formation and its cultic implication.