Aristophanes Peace 215-233

Hermes predicts to the Athenian Trygaeus what Peace and War will do if a truce with the Spartans is rejected

Ἑρμῆς	εἰ δ’ αὖ τι πράξαιτ’ ἀγαθὸν ἁττικωνικοί
	κἄλθοιεν οἱ Λάκωνες εἰρήνης πέρι,
	ἐλέγετ’ ἂν ὑμεῖς εὐθύς· “ἐξαπατώμεθα
	νὴ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν, νὴ Δί’, οὐχὶ πειστέον·
	ἥξουσι καὖθις, ἢν ἔχωμεν τὴν Πύλον.”
Τρυγαῖος	ὁ γοῦν χαρακτὴρ ἡμεδαπὸς τῶν ῥημάτων.
Ἑρμῆς	ὧν οὕνεκ’ οὐκ οἶδ’ εἴ ποτ’ Εἰρήνην ἔτι
	τὸ λοιπὸν ὄψεσθ’.
Τρυγαῖος	ἀλλὰ ποῖ γὰρ οἴχεται;
Ἑρμῆς	ὁ Πόλεμος αὐτὴν ἐνέβαλ’ εἰς ἄντρον βαθύ.
Τρυγαῖος	ἐς ποῖον;
Ἑρμῆς	ἐς τουτὶ τὸ κάτω, κἄπειθ’ ὁρᾷς
	ὅσους ἄνωθεν ἐπεφόρησε τῶν λίθων,
	ἵνα μὴ λάβητε μηδέποτ’ αὐτήν.
Τρυγαῖος	εἰπέ μοι,
	ἡμᾶς δὲ δὴ τί δρᾶν παρασκευάζεται;
Ἑρμῆς	οὐκ οἶδα πλὴν ἕν, ὅτι θυείαν ἑσπέρας
	ὑπερφυᾶ τὸ μέγεθος εἰσηνέγκατο.
Τρυγαῖος	τί δῆτα ταύτῃ τῇ θυείᾳ χρήσεται;
Ἑρμῆς	τρίβειν ἐν αὐτῇ τὰς πόλεις βουλεύεται.
	ἀλλ’ εἶμι· καὶ γὰρ ἐξιέναι γνώμην ἐμὴν
	μέλλει· θορυβεῖ γοῦν ἔνδον.

Ἀττικωνικοί - Attic boys, comic coinage to sound like Λακωνικοί (Laconians)
τὴν Πύλον - the occupation and fortification of Pylos was an important Athenian bargaining card
ἡμεδαπός, -ή, -όν - of our country, native
θυεία, -ας, ἡ - a mortar (as in mortar and pestle)

(1B 1 2008)

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Constructions illustrated in this passage:

mixed conditionals (sentence 262)
the gerundive (sentence 262)
the genitive of time or place within which (sentence 261)
the accusative of respect (sentence 261)
γοῦν (sentence 262)

Jo Willmott | Ancient Greek sentences

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