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Aristophanes · Frogs Βάτραχοι

Aristophanes, Frogs 1–37: Prologue: Dionysus and Xanthias come to Heracles' door

Ancient Sources / Aristophanes / Frogs / 1–37

Xanthias, riding a donkey with the luggage, asks whether he may make the old jokes about carrying burdens, and Dionysus forbids them one by one. They argue over who is really carrying the load, since Dionysus walks while his slave rides. Dionysus, dressed in a lion's skin, knocks on the door with a clatter, and Heracles asks who banged it.

Lines 1–37 · 378 words · click a number to copy its link
1–5b
Ξανθίας 1Εἴπω τι τῶν εἰωθότων ὦ δέσποτα, ἐφʼ οἷς ἀεὶ γελῶσιν οἱ θεώμενοι; Διόνυσος νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ὅ τι Βούλει γε, πλὴν πιέζομαι, τοῦτο δὲ φύλαξαι· πάνυ γάρ ἐστʼ ἤδη χολή. Ξανθίας 5μηδʼ ἕτερον ἀστεῖόν τι; Διόνυσος πλήν γʼ ὡς θλίβομαι.

XANTHIAS Shall I crack any of those old jokes, master, At which the audience never fail to laugh?

DIONYSUS Aye, what you will, except I’m getting crushed: Fight shy of that: I’m sick of that already.

XANTHIAS Nothing else smart?

DIONYSUS Aye, save my shoulder’s aching.

XANTHIAS Come now, that comical joke?

DIONYSUS With all my heart. Only be careful not to shift your pole,

6–21
Ξανθίας 6τί δαί; τὸ πάνυ γέλοιον εἴπω; Διόνυσος νὴ Δία θαρρῶν γε· μόνον ἐκεῖνʼ ὅπως μὴ ʼρεῖς, Ξανθίας τὸ τί; Διόνυσος μεταβαλλόμενος τἀνάφορον ὅτι χεζητιᾷς. Ξανθίας μηδʼ ὅτι τοσοῦτον ἄχθος ἐπʼ ἐμαυτῷ φέρων, 10εἰ μὴ καθαιρήσει τις, ἀποπαρδήσομαι; Διόνυσος μὴ δῆθʼ, ἱκετεύω, πλήν γʼ ὅταν μέλλω ʼξεμεῖν. Ξανθίας τί δῆτʼ ἔδει με ταῦτα τὰ σκεύη φέρειν, εἴπερ ποιήσω μηδὲν ὧνπερ Φρύνιχος εἴωθε ποιεῖν καὶ Λύκις κἀμειψίας; Διόνυσος μή νυν ποιήσῃς· ὡς ἐγὼ θεώμενος, ὅταν τι τούτων τῶν σοφισμάτων ἴδω, πλεῖν ἢ ʼνιαυτῷ πρεσβύτερος ἀπέρχομαι. Ξανθίας ὢ τρισκακοδαίμων ἄρʼ ὁ τράχηλος οὑτοσί, 20ὅτι θλίβεται μέν, τὸ δὲ γέλοιον οὐκ ἐρεῖ. Διόνυσος εἶτʼ οὐχ ὕβρις ταῦτʼ ἐστὶ καὶ πολλὴ τρυφή,

DIONYSUS And—

XANTHIAS What?

DIONYSUS And vow that you’ve a belly-ache.

XANTHIAS May I not say I’m overburdened so That if none ease me, I must ease myself?

DIONYSUS For mercy’s sake, not till I’m going to vomit.

XANTHIAS What! must I bear these burdens, and not make One of the jokes Ameipsias and Lycis And Phrynichus, in every play they write, Put in the mouths of all their burden-bearers?

DIONYSUS Don’t make them; no! I tell you when I see Their plays, and hear those jokes, I come away More than a twelvemonth older than I went.

XANTHIAS O thrice unlucky neck of mine, which now Is getting crushed, yet must not crack its joke!

DIONYSUS Now is not this fine pampered insolence When I myself, Dionysus, son of—Pipkin, Toil on afoot, and let this fellow ride, Taking no trouble, and no burden bearing?

XANTHIAS What, don’t I bear?

DIONYSUS How can you when you’re riding?

22–37
Διόνυσος 22ὅτʼ ἐγὼ μὲν ὢν Διόνυσος υἱὸς Σταμνίου αὐτὸς βαδίζω καὶ πονῶ, τοῦτον δʼ ὀχῶ, ἵνα μὴ ταλαιπωροῖτο μηδʼ ἄχθος φέροι; Ξανθίας 25οὐ γὰρ φέρω ʼγώ; Διόνυσος πῶς φέρεις γὰρ ὅς γʼ ὀχεῖ; Ξανθίας φέρων γε ταυτί. Διόνυσος τίνα τρόπον; Ξανθίας Βαρέως πάνυ. Διόνυσος οὔκουν τὸ Βάρος τοῦθʼ ὃ σὺ φέρεις ὄνος φέρει; Ξανθίας οὐ δῆθʼ ὅ γʼ ἔχω ʼγὼ καὶ φέρω μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὔ. Διόνυσος πῶς γὰρ φέρεις, ὅς γʼ αὐτὸς ὑφʼ ἑτέρου φέρει; Ξανθίας 30οὐκ οἶδʼ· ὁ δʼ ὦμος οὑτοσὶ πιέζεται. Διόνυσος σὺ δʼ οὖν ἐπειδὴ τὸν ὄνον οὐ φῄς σʼ ὠφελεῖν, ἐν τῷ μέρει σὺ τὸν ὄνον ἀράμενος φέρε. Ξανθίας οἴμοι κακοδαίμων· τί γὰρ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐναυμάχουν; ἦ τἄν σε κωκύειν ἂν ἐκέλευον μακρά. Διόνυσος 35κατάβα πανοῦργε. καὶ γὰρ ἐγγὺς τῆς θύρας ἤδη βαδίζων εἰμὶ τῆσδʼ, οἷ πρῶτά με ἔδει τραπέσθαι. παιδίον, παῖ, ἠμί, παῖ.

XANTHIAS Why, I bear these.

DIONYSUS How?

XANTHIAS Most unwillingly.

DIONYSUS Does not the donkey bear the load you’re bearing?

XANTHIAS Not what I bear myself: by Zeus, not he.

DIONYSUS How can you bear, when you are borne yourself?

XANTHIAS Don’t know: but anyhow my shoulder’s aching.

DIONYSUS Then since you say the donkey helps you not, You lift him up and carry him in turn.

XANTHIAS O hang it all! why didn’t I fight at sea? You should have smarted bitterly for this.

DIONYSUS Get down, you rascal; I’ve been trudging on Till now I’ve reached the portal, where I’m going First to turn in. Boy! Boy! I say there, Boy!

HERACLES Who banged the door? How like a prancing Centaur He drove against it! Mercy on me, what’s this?

DIONYSUS Boy.

XANTHIAS Yes.

DIONYSUS Did you observe?

XANTHIAS What?

DIONYSUS How alarmed He is.

XANTHIAS Aye truly, lest you’ve lost your wits.

People and places in this passage

Passages in other works that tell of the same people and places, oldest and closest first.

  1. Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 48.474–652Book 48: Dionysos' wine-spring and the sleeping Aura
  2. Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 48.0–181Book 48: The Giants attack Dionysos; he wrestles Pallene
  3. Euripides, Bacchae 775–847Third episode: Pentheus calls for arms; Dionysus persuades him to spy
  4. Euripides, Bacchae 434–508Second episode: Pentheus questions the captive stranger
  5. Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.2.1–4.5.4Dionysus

English translation by Benjamin Bickley Rogers (1919). Original text: Greek text: F. W. Hall and W. M. Geldart (eds.), Aristophanis Comoediae, Oxford Classical Texts, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906-1907, as digitised by Perseus. English: Benjamin Bickley Rogers, The Frogs of Aristophanes, second edition, London: G. Bell and Sons, 1919.

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, Greek: CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain (Rogers). Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.