Aristophanes, Women at the Thesmophoria

LCL 179: 542-543

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Aristophanes

ἔσται γυναιξὶ καὶ βροτοῖς ὅτι τὰ παράνομα τά τ᾿ ἀνόσια 685παραχρῆμ᾿ ἀποτίνεται θεός.

ΚΟΡΥΦΑΙΑ

ἀλλ᾿ ἔοιχ᾿ ἡμῖν ἅπαντά πως διεσκέφθαι καλῶς. οὐχ ὁρῶμεν γοῦν ἔτ᾿ ἄλλον οὐδέν᾿ ἐγκαθήμενον.

ΜΙΚΑ

ἆ ἆ. ποῖ ποῖ σὺ φεύγεις; οὗτος οὗτος, οὐ μενεῖς; 690τάλαιν᾿ ἐγώ, τάλαινα, καὶ τὸ παιδίον ἐξαρπάσας μοι φροῦδος ἀπὸ τοῦ τιτθίου.

ΚΗΔΕΣΤΗΣ

κέκραχθι. τοῦτο δ᾿ οὐδέποτε σὺ ψωμιεῖς, ἢν μή μ᾿ ἀφῆτ᾿· ἀλλ᾿ ἐνθάδ᾿ ἐπὶ τῶν μηρίων πληγὲν μαχαίρᾳ τῇδε φοινίας φλέβας καθαιματώσει βωμόν.

ΜΙΚΑ

695ὦ τάλαιν᾿ ἐγώ. γυναῖκες, οὐκ ἀρήξετ᾿; οὐ πολλὴν βοὴν στήσεσθε καὶ τροπαῖον, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μόνου τέκνου με περιόψεσθ᾿ ἀποστερουμένην;

ΧΟΡΟΣ

ἔα ἔα. 700ὦ πότνιαι Μοῖραι, τί τόδε δέρκομαι νεοχμὸν αὖ τέρας;

  • 685παραχρῆμ᾿ ἀποτίνεται θέος Henderson: θεὸς ἀποτίνεσται· παραχρῆμά τε τίνεται R
542

Women at the Thesmophoria

for all women and mortals to see that lawlessness and sacrilege are punished on the spot by god!

chorus leader

Well, we seem to have given everything a thorough inspection, and we don’t see any other man lurking hereabouts.

Kinsman seizes Mica’s baby and runs to the altar in the orchestra. 48
mica

Hey! Hey! Where do you think you’re going? Stop, you! Stop, won’t you? Good grief, oh my, he’s even gone and snatched my baby right from the tit!

kinsman

Scream away! You’ll never feed it again if you don’t let me go! Nay, here and now, smitten to his crimson veins by this bodkin atop the thigh bones, shall he begore the altar!

mica

Good grief! Women, please help! Please raise a great war cry and a victory trophy, and not look aside as I am bereft of my only child!

chorus

Ah! Ah! August Fates, what novel horror is this that I behold?

  • 48See 466 n.
543
DOI: 10.4159/DLCL.aristophanes-women_thesmophoria.2000