Scaife ATLAS

CTS Library / Birds

Birds (760-821)

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg006.perseus-eng2:760-821
Refs {'start': {'reference': '760', 'human_reference': 'Line 760'}, 'end': {'reference': '821', 'human_reference': 'Line 821'}}
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The runaway slave, whom you brand, is only a spotted francolin with us. Are you Phrygian like Spintharus? Among us you would be the Phrygian bird, the goldfinch, of the race of Philemon. Are you a slave and a Carian like Execestides?
Among us you can create yourself forefathers; you can always find relations. Does the son of Pisias want to betray the gates of the city to the foe? Let him become a partridge, the fitting offspring of his father; among us there is no shame in escaping as cleverly as a partridge.
769
Second Semi-ChorusSinging.
So the swans on the banks of the Hebrus,
tiotiotiotiotiotinx, mingle their voices to serenade Apollo, tiotiotiotinx, flapping their wings the while,
tiotiotiotinx; their notes reach beyond the clouds of heaven; they startle the various tribes of the beasts; a windless sky calms the waves, totototototototototinx;
all Olympus resounds, and astonishment seizes its rulers; the Olympian graces and Muses cry aloud the strain, tiotiotiotinx.
785
Leader of Second Semi-Chorus
There is nothing more useful nor more pleasant than to have wings. To begin with, just let us suppose a spectator to be dying with hunger and to be weary of the choruses of the tragic poets; if he were winged, he would fly off, go home to dine and come back with his stomach filled.
Some Patroclides, needing to take a crap, would not have to spill it out on his cloak, but could fly off, satisfy his requirements, let a few farts and, having recovered his breath, return. If one of you, it matters not who, had adulterous relations and saw the husband of his mistress in the seats of the senators,
he might stretch his wings, fly to her, and, having laid her, resume his place. Is it not the most priceless gift of all, to be winged? Look at Diitrephes! His wings were only wicker-work ones, and yet he got himself chosen Phylarch and then Hipparch; from being nobody,
he has risen to be famous; he's now the finest gilded cock of his tribe.
801
Pisthetaerus and Euelpides return; they now have wings.
Pisthetaerus
Halloa! What's this? By Zeus! I never saw anything so funny in all my life.
Euelpides
What makes you laugh?
Pisthetaerus
Your little wings. D'you know what you look like?
Like a goose painted by some dauber.
Euelpides
And you look like a close-shaven blackbird.
Pisthetaerus
We ourselves asked for this transformation, and, as Aeschylus has it, These are no borrowed feathers, but truly our own.
Epops
Come now, what must be done?
Pisthetaerus
First give our city
a great and famous name, then sacrifice to the gods.
Euelpides
I think so too.
Leader of the Chorus
Let's see. What shall our city be called?
Pisthetaerus
Will you have a high-sounding Laconian name? Shall we call it Sparta?
Euelpides
What!
call my town Sparta? Why, I would not use esparto for my bed, even though I had nothing but bands of rushes.
Pisthetaerus
Well then, what name can you suggest?
Euelpides
Some name borrowed from the clouds, from these lofty regions in which we dwell in short, some well-known name.
Pisthetaerus
Do you like Nephelococcygia?
Leader of the Chorus
Oh! capital!
truly that's a brilliant thought!
Euelpides
Is it in Nephelococcygia that all the wealth of Theogenes and most of Aeschines' is?

Tokens

The 1 w 3
runaway 1 w 10
slave 1 w 15
whom 1 w 20
you 1 w 23
brand 1 w 28
is 1 w 31
only 1 w 35
a 5 w 36
spotted 1 w 43
francolin 1 w 52
with 1 w 56
us 1 w 58
Are 1 w 62
you 2 w 65
Phrygian 1 w 73
like 1 w 77
Spintharus 1 w 87
Among 1 w 93
us 3 w 95
you 3 w 98
would 1 w 103
be 1 w 105
the 1 w 108
Phrygian 2 w 116
bird 1 w 120
the 2 w 124
goldfinch 1 w 133
of 1 w 136
the 3 w 139
race 1 w 143
of 2 w 145
Philemon 1 w 153
Are 2 w 157
you 4 w 160
a 11 w 161
slave 2 w 166
and 2 w 169
a 14 w 170
Carian 1 w 176
like 2 w 180
Execestides 1 w 191
Among 2 w 197
us 4 w 199
you 5 w 202
can 1 w 205
create 1 w 211
yourself 1 w 219
forefathers 1 w 230
you 7 w 234
can 2 w 237
always 1 w 243
find 1 w 247
relations 1 w 256
Does 1 w 261
the 5 w 264
son 1 w 267
of 3 w 269
Pisias 1 w 275
want 1 w 279
to 1 w 281
betray 1 w 287
the 6 w 290
gates 1 w 295
of 4 w 297
the 7 w 300
city 1 w 304
to 2 w 306
the 8 w 309
foe 1 w 312
Let 1 w 316
him 1 w 319
become 1 w 325
a 28 w 326
partridge 1 w 335
the 9 w 339
fitting 1 w 346
offspring 1 w 355
of 6 w 357
his 1 w 360
father 2 w 366
among 1 w 372
us 5 w 374
there 1 w 379
is 4 w 381
no 1 w 383
shame 1 w 388
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escaping 1 w 398
as 2 w 400
cleverly 1 w 408
as 3 w 410
a 36 w 411
partridge 2 w 420
Second 1 w 427
Semi-Chorus 1 w 438
Singing 1 w 445
So 1 w 448
the 12 w 451
swans 1 w 456
on 9 w 458
the 13 w 461
banks 1 w 466
of 7 w 468
the 14 w 471
Hebrus 1 w 477
tiotiotiotiotiotinx 1 w 497
mingle 1 w 504
their 1 w 509
voices 1 w 515
to 3 w 517
serenade 1 w 525
Apollo 1 w 531
tiotiotiotinx 2 w 545
flapping 1 w 554
their 2 w 559
wings 1 w 564
the 17 w 567
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tiotiotiotinx 3 w 586
their 3 w 592
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the 19 w 611
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of 8 w 619
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they 1 w 630
startle 1 w 637
the 21 w 640
various 1 w 647
tribes 1 w 653
of 9 w 655
the 22 w 658
beasts 1 w 664
a 47 w 666
windless 1 w 674
sky 1 w 677
calms 1 w 682
the 23 w 685
waves 1 w 690
totototototototototinx 1 w 713
all 1 w 717
Olympus 1 w 724
resounds 1 w 732
and 3 w 736
astonishment 1 w 748
seizes 1 w 754
its 1 w 757
rulers 1 w 763
the 24 w 767
Olympian 1 w 775
graces 1 w 781
and 4 w 784
Muses 1 w 789
cry 1 w 792
aloud 1 w 797
the 25 w 800
strain 1 w 806
tiotiotiotinx 4 w 820
Leader 1 w 827
of 10 w 829
Second 2 w 835
Semi-Chorus 2 w 846
There 1 w 851
is 6 w 853
nothing 1 w 860
more 1 w 864
useful 1 w 870
nor 1 w 873
more 2 w 877
pleasant 1 w 885
than 1 w 889
to 14 w 891
have 1 w 895
wings 2 w 900
To 1 w 903
begin 1 w 908
with 2 w 912
just 1 w 917
let 1 w 920
us 14 w 922
suppose 1 w 929
a 63 w 930
spectator 1 w 939
to 16 w 941
be 8 w 943
dying 1 w 948
with 3 w 952
hunger 1 w 958
and 5 w 961
to 17 w 963
be 9 w 965
weary 1 w 970
of 11 w 972
the 26 w 975
choruses 1 w 983
of 12 w 985
the 27 w 988
tragic 1 w 994
poets 1 w 999
if 1 w 1002
he 31 w 1004
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he 32 w 1017
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to 18 w 1037
dine 1 w 1041
and 6 w 1044
come 2 w 1048
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with 4 w 1056
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Some 1 w 1077
Patroclides 1 w 1088
needing 1 w 1096
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a 73 w 1103
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his 4 w 1168
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a 78 w 1185
few 1 w 1188
farts 1 w 1193
and 7 w 1196
having 1 w 1203
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his 5 w 1215
breath 1 w 1221
return 1 w 1228
If 1 w 1231
one 1 w 1234
of 15 w 1236
you 8 w 1239
it 9 w 1242
matters 1 w 1249
not 4 w 1252
who 2 w 1255
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relations 2 w 1278
and 8 w 1281
saw 1 w 1284
the 28 w 1287
husband 1 w 1294
of 16 w 1296
his 6 w 1299
mistress 1 w 1307
in 29 w 1309
the 29 w 1312
seats 1 w 1317
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the 30 w 1322
senators 1 w 1330
he 36 w 1333
might 1 w 1338
stretch 1 w 1345
his 7 w 1348
wings 3 w 1353
fly 3 w 1357
to 23 w 1359
her 5 w 1362
and 10 w 1366
having 2 w 1373
laid 1 w 1377
her 6 w 1380
resume 1 w 1387
his 8 w 1390
place 1 w 1395
Is 1 w 1398
it 10 w 1400
not 5 w 1403
the 31 w 1406
most 1 w 1410
priceless 1 w 1419
gift 1 w 1423
of 18 w 1425
all 2 w 1428
to 24 w 1431
be 10 w 1433
winged 2 w 1439
Look 1 w 1444
at 14 w 1446
Diitrephes 1 w 1456
His 1 w 1460
wings 4 w 1465
were 2 w 1469
only 2 w 1473
wicker-work 1 w 1484
ones 1 w 1488
and 11 w 1492
yet 1 w 1495
he 41 w 1497
got 1 w 1500
himself 1 w 1507
chosen 1 w 1513
Phylarch 1 w 1521
and 12 w 1524
then 1 w 1528
Hipparch 1 w 1536
from 1 w 1541
being 1 w 1546
nobody 1 w 1552
he 43 w 1555
has 1 w 1558
risen 1 w 1563
to 25 w 1565
be 12 w 1567
famous 1 w 1573
he 44 w 1576
s 116 w 1578
now 1 w 1581
the 33 w 1584
finest 1 w 1590
gilded 1 w 1596
cock 1 w 1600
of 19 w 1602
his 9 w 1605
tribe 2 w 1610
Pisthetaerus 1 w 1623
and 13 w 1626
Euelpides 1 w 1635
return 2 w 1641
they 2 w 1646
now 2 w 1649
have 3 w 1653
wings 5 w 1658
Pisthetaerus 2 w 1671
Halloa 1 w 1677
What 1 w 1682
s 125 w 1684
this 1 w 1688
By 1 w 1691
Zeus 1 w 1695
I 3 w 1697
never 1 w 1702
saw 2 w 1705
anything 1 w 1713
so 3 w 1715
funny 1 w 1720
in 38 w 1722
all 4 w 1725
my 1 w 1727
life 1 w 1731
Euelpides 2 w 1741
What 2 w 1745
makes 1 w 1750
you 9 w 1753
laugh 1 w 1758
Pisthetaerus 3 w 1771
Your 1 w 1775
little 1 w 1781
wings 6 w 1786
D 3 w 1788
you 10 w 1792
know 1 w 1796
what 1 w 1800
you 11 w 1803
look 1 w 1807
like 3 w 1811
Like 1 w 1816
a 119 w 1817
goose 1 w 1822
painted 1 w 1829
by 1 w 1831
some 1 w 1835
dauber 1 w 1841
Euelpides 3 w 1851
And 1 w 1854
you 12 w 1857
look 2 w 1861
like 4 w 1865
a 122 w 1866
close-shaven 1 w 1878
blackbird 1 w 1887
Pisthetaerus 4 w 1900
We 1 w 1902
ourselves 1 w 1911
asked 1 w 1916
for 2 w 1919
this 2 w 1923
transformation 1 w 1937
and 14 w 1941
as 9 w 1944
Aeschylus 1 w 1953
has 2 w 1956
it 13 w 1958
These 1 w 1964
are 1 w 1967
no 12 w 1969
borrowed 1 w 1977
feathers 1 w 1985
but 2 w 1989
truly 1 w 1994
our 4 w 1997
own 1 w 2000
Epops 1 w 2006
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now 4 w 2013
what 2 w 2018
must 1 w 2022
be 15 w 2024
done 1 w 2028
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First 1 w 2046
give 1 w 2050
our 5 w 2053
city 2 w 2057
a 136 w 2058
great 1 w 2063
and 15 w 2066
famous 2 w 2072
name 1 w 2076
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to 26 w 2092
the 42 w 2095
gods 1 w 2099
Euelpides 4 w 2109
I 4 w 2110
think 1 w 2115
so 5 w 2117
too 1 w 2120
Leader 2 w 2127
of 20 w 2129
the 43 w 2132
Chorus 3 w 2138
Let 2 w 2141
s 164 w 2143
see 1 w 2146
What 3 w 2151
shall 1 w 2156
our 6 w 2159
city 3 w 2163
be 16 w 2165
called 1 w 2171
Pisthetaerus 6 w 2184
Will 1 w 2188
you 13 w 2191
have 5 w 2195
a 148 w 2196
high-sounding 1 w 2209
Laconian 1 w 2217
name 2 w 2221
Shall 1 w 2227
we 5 w 2229
call 2 w 2233
it 16 w 2235
Sparta 1 w 2241
Euelpides 5 w 2251
What 4 w 2255
call 3 w 2260
my 2 w 2262
town 1 w 2266
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Why 1 w 2276
I 5 w 2278
would 4 w 2283
not 6 w 2286
use 4 w 2289
esparto 1 w 2296
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my 3 w 2301
bed 1 w 2304
even 1 w 2309
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I 6 w 2316
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nothing 2 w 2326
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bands 1 w 2334
of 21 w 2336
rushes 1 w 2342
Pisthetaerus 7 w 2355
Well 1 w 2359
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what 3 w 2368
name 3 w 2372
can 3 w 2375
you 14 w 2378
suggest 1 w 2385
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Some 2 w 2399
name 4 w 2403
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from 2 w 2415
the 47 w 2418
clouds 2 w 2424
from 3 w 2429
these 1 w 2434
lofty 1 w 2439
regions 1 w 2446
in 44 w 2448
which 1 w 2453
we 7 w 2455
dwell 1 w 2460
in 45 w 2463
short 1 w 2468
some 2 w 2473
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name 5 w 2487
Pisthetaerus 8 w 2500
Do 2 w 2502
you 15 w 2505
like 5 w 2509
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of 23 w 2533
the 50 w 2536
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Oh 1 w 2544
capital 1 w 2552
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s 189 w 2564
a 175 w 2565
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Euelpides 7 w 2591
Is 2 w 2593
it 18 w 2595
in 46 w 2597
Nephelococcygia 2 w 2612
that 2 w 2616
all 10 w 2619
the 51 w 2622
wealth 1 w 2628
of 24 w 2630
Theogenes 1 w 2639
and 17 w 2642
most 2 w 2646
of 25 w 2648
Aeschines 1 w 2657
is 29 w 2660