The Battle of Frogs and Mice

A digital edition by George Grimbilas and Phillip Mitsis,
illustrations by David Beck and readings by David Starr.
Text under construction - send comments and observations to
phillip.mitsis@nyu.edu

Step-in-Pot & Puff-Jaw + Arming 2

σκεπτομένων δ’ αὐτῶν στάσις ἢ τίς ὁ θρύλλος,

κῆρυξ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων ῥάβδον μετὰ χερσίν,

Τυρογλύφου υἱὸς μεγαλήτορος Ἐμβασίχυτρος,

ἀγγέλλων πολέμοιο κακὴν φάτιν εἶπέ τε τοῖα·

“ὦ βάτραχοι, μύες ὔμμιν ἀπειλήσαντες

εἰπεῖν ὁπλίζεσθαι ἐπὶ πτόλεμόν τε μάχην τε.

εἶδον γὰρ καθ’ ὕδωρ Ψιχάρπαγα, ὅν περ ἔπεφνεν

ὑμέτερος βασιλεὺς Φυσίγναθος. ἀλλὰ μάχεσθε

οἵ τινες ἐν βατράχοισιν ἀριστῆες γεγάατε"

ὥς εἰπὼν ἀπέφηνε λόγος δ’ εἰς οὔατα πάντων

εἰσελθὼν ἐτάραξε φρένας βατράχων ἀγερώχων·

μεμφομένων δ’ αὐτῶν Φυσίγναθος εἶπεν ἀναστάς·

“ὦ φίλοι, οὐκ ἔκτεινον ἐγὼ μῦν, οὐδὲ κατεῖδον

ὀλλύμενον· πάντως δ’ ἐπνίγη παίζων παρὰ λίμνην,

νήξεις τὰς βατράχων μιμούμενος· οἱ δὲ κάκιστοι

νῦν ἐμὲ μέμφονται τὸν ἀναίτιον· ἀλλ’ ἄγε βουλὴν

ζητήσωμεν ὅπως δολίους μύας ἐξολέσωμεν.

νῦν γὰρ ἐγὼν ἐρέω ὥς μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι ἄριστα.

σώματα κοσμήσαντες ἔνοπλοι* στῶμεν ἅπαντες

ἄκροις πὰρ χείλεσσιν, ὅπου κατάκρημνος ὁ χῶρος·

ἡνίκα δ’ ὁρμηθέντες ἐφ’ ἡμέας ἐξέλθωσι,

δραξάμενοι κορύθων, ὅς τις σχεδὸν ἀντίος ἔλθῃ,

ἐς λίμνην αὐτοὺς σὺν ἐκείνῳ* εὐθὺ βάλωμεν.

οὕτω γὰρ πνίξαντες ἐν ὕδασι τοὺς ἀκολύμβους

στήσομεν εὐθύμως τὸ μυοκτόνον ὧδε τρόπαιον.”

ὥς εἰπὼν συνέπεισε καθοπλίζεσθαι ἅπαντας.

φύλλοις μὲν μαλαχῶν κνήμας ἑὰς ἀμφεκάλυψαν,

θώρηκας δ’ εἶχον καλῶν χλοερῶν ἀπὸ σεύτλων,*

φύλλα δὲ τῶν κραμβῶν εἰς ἀσπίδας εὖ ἤσκησαν,

ἔγχος δ’ ὀξύσχοινος ἑκάστῳ μακρὸς ἀρήρει,

καὶ κόρυθες* κοχλιῶν λεπτῶν ἐκάλυπτε κάρηνα.

φραξάμενοι δ’ ἔστησαν ἐπ’ ὄχθαις ὑψηλῇσι

σείοντες λόγχας, θυμοῦ δ’ ἔμπληντο ἕκαστος.

135. στάσις

στάσις -εως, ἡ, ‘dispute, dissent, quarrel, point of contention.’

θρύλλος

θρῦλος -ου, ὁ, ‘noise, as of many voices.’ θρυλέω means ‘to mumble, murmur over and over’ referring to the talk of the town.

136. ῥάβδον

ῥάβδος -ου, ἡ, ‘staff, small branch, small stick, scepter.’ Appropriately multivalent since presumably the staff of a mouse herald is a small stick.

137. Τυρογλύφου

Τυρογλύφος -ου, ὁ, ‘Cheese-Carver,’ [τυρός, γλύφω], γλύφω, ‘to carve.’

μεγαλήτορος

μεγαλήτωρ -ορος [μέγας, ἦτορ], ‘great-hearted, courageous.’ Cf. note 2.

Ἐμβασίχυτρος

Ἐμβασίχυτρος -ου, ὁ, ‘Step-in-Pot,’ [ἔμβασις, χύτρος]. The first element of the herald’s name, ἔμβασις, ‘entry, ingress’ [έμβαίνω] has no etymological connection in Greek to ‘embassy,’ which derives from ἄγω. Χύτρος, ‘pot,’ is appropriately in the world of mice. Cf. notes 41, 255.

138. φάτιν

φάτις, ἡ [φημί], ‘voice, rumor, news,’ φάτιν ἀγγέλλειν (with obj.gen.), ‘to bring news about.’

139. ὔμμιν ἀπειλήσαντες

ὔμμιν ep. Aeol. lengthened for meter. ἀπειλέω, ‘to threaten,’ τινι.

ἔπεμψαν

ἔπεμψαν . . . εἰπεῖν: Though often an understood object is supplied for πέμπω, ἔπεμψαν here governs εἰπεῖν with the sense, “. . . mice sent to say to prepare to arm.”

140. ὁπλίζεσθαι

2 pl. pres. imper. mid, ὁπλίζω, trans. ‘to prepare to arm, equip.’ Cf. note 120.

141. εἶδον

The herald implies either that the mice went to see the floating body or that they had knowledge
from the eyewitness report.

περ

encl. particle, esp. in poetry, postposed, with asseverative value, ‘really, precisely, truly, certainly.’

ἔπεφνεν

3 sg. second aor. ind. act., θείνω, ‘to strike, beat, wound;’ only in forms with reduplicated πεφ, ‘to batter, strike down, kill.’ The herald’s language implies active battering and striking. The herald claims there was an active drowning by Puff-Jaw, whereas the narrator tells us he simply abandoned Crumb-Snatcher, cf. line 85. It is unclear how the mice even know that it was Puff-Jaw as opposed to some other frog who left Crumb-Snatcher to his death, given that we do not know how much Lick-Platter saw in line 100. Even if he did see Puff-Jaw abandon Crumb-Snatcher at the time of his demise, it is not clear how he would have been able to identify him.

142. ἀλλὰ

‘come on!,’ in commands, exhortations, prayers etc., with imper., subj., opt.

143. οἵ τινες

an alternate reading in many mss. εἴ τινες “if some”, is somewhat insulting and registers a different tone.

γεγάατε

ep. 2 pl. pf. ind. act., γίγνομαι, abs. of pers. ‘to be born,’ (usu. pf. act. ‘to be born, to have been born’).

144. ἀπέφηνε

3 sg. aor. ind. act., ἀποφαίνω [ἀπό, φαίνω], ‘to make known, proclaim, declare.’

145. ἐτάραξε

3 sg. aor. ind. act., ταράσσω, ‘to upset, agitate, disturb.’

ἀγερώχων

ἀγέρωχος -ον, ‘proud, high-minded, noble;’ later, ‘arrogant, haughty, insolent.’ ‘Proud’ conveys the possible double resonance.

146. μεμφομένων δ’ αὐτῶν

Some ambiguity remains in interpreting the genitive absolute. Are the frogs disapproving the message, finding fault with the herald, blaming Puff-Jaw, or just engaging in general finger-pointing?

147. κατεῖδον

3 sg. aor. ind. act., καθοράω, ‘to observe (from above),’ cf. line 99. Although technically true, especially if we take the sense of “to observe from above,” the reader knows the wider context of Puff-Jaw diving and abandoning him.

148. πάντως

adv.,‘in every way, absolutely, without doubt.’ πάντως δ’ ἐπνίγη παίζων παρὰ λίμνην: Puff-Jaw’s storm of alliterative plosives mirrors those of Crumb-Snatcher at line 96.

ἐπνίγη

3 sg. aor. (thematic) ind. pass., πνίγω, ‘to suffocate, strangle;’ pass. ‘to drown.’ Cf. note 119.

149. νήξεις

Puff-Jaw is giving a clever re-description of the swimming in line 68 (νήξει).

μιμούμενος

Cf. line 7; the mice are again associated with mimesis.

150. ἀναίτιον

ἀναίτιος -ον, ‘not responsible, exempt from blame, innocent.’ Puff-Jaw avoids explaining how he comes to be accused by the mice and turns instead to the question of how to destroy them.

151. ζητήσωμεν

1 pl. aor. subj. act., ζητέω, ‘to look for, seek.’ Puff-Jaw now employs the same moral charges (κάκιστοι and δολίους) against the mice in general that Crumb-Snatcher used against him in his dying execration, cf. lines 93, 95.

ὅπως

ὅπως . . . ἐξολέσωμεν: 1 pl. aor. subj. act., ἐξόλλυμι, ‘to destroy completely, annihilate.’

153. κοσμήσαντες

Cf. note 41 for the range of uses.

ἔνοπλοι

Cf. note 132.

154. χείλεσσιν

χεῖλος -εος, τό, ‘lip; of things, rim, edge, hence, shore, bank, embankment.’

κατάκρημνος

κατάκρημνος -ον [κατά, κρημνός], ‘steep, rugged.’

155. ὁρμηθέντες

masc. pl. nom. aor. pass. part., ὁρμάω, ‘to rush or hurl oneself toward or against;’ aor. pass. with active meaning, ‘to go on the attack.’

ἐξέλθωσι

Cf. note 120.

156. δραξάμενοι

masc. pl. nom. aor. mid. part., δράσσομαι, ‘to grasp, with the hand.’

κορύθων

κόρυς -υθος, ἡ, ‘helmet.’

σχεδὸν

prep. of place and motion to a place, ‘near, hard by.’

ἀντίος

ἀντίος -ία -ίον [ἀντί] ‘facing one another, opposite.’

157. σὺν ἐκείνῳ

‘with that one,’ i.e., Crumb-Snatcher.

158. πνίξαντες

masc. pl. nom. aor. mid. part., πνίγω. The active, strictly speaking, means ‘to choke, throttle, asphyxiate,’ but presumably here denotes to actively drown; contrast line 148; cf. line 233.

ὕδασι

Cf. note 92.

ἀκολύμβους

ἀκόλυμβος -ον [κολυμβάω], ‘that does not know how to swim.’ Greek authors regularly contrast the Greeks’ ability to swim with the barbarians’ inability. Plato, for instance, links swimming and knowing one’s letters as ordinary attainments for the average Greek (Laws 689d). He also said that Greeks living around the sea are like ants or frogs around a pond (Phaedo 109a-b). Puff-Jaw’s condescension perhaps reflects Greek prejudices. The irony is that mice are actually expert swimmers.

159. μυοκτόνον

μυοκτόνος -ον [μῦς, κτείνω], ‘of or for killing mice.’ Here an adjective meaning ‘mouse- killing,’ but as a substantive ὁ μυοκτόνος means ‘mousebane’ or ‘aconite,’ which was used by the Greeks to poison mice, cf. Nic. Al.36. Perhaps a clever wordplay suggesting that the frogs would build a τρόπαιον out of mousebane.

τρόπαιον

τροπαῖος -α -ον [τρέπω, to turn], ‘that puts the enemy to flight,’ hence substantive, τό τροπαῖον, ‘monument,’ for having put the enemy to flight.

160. ὥς εἰπὼν

The Frog Arming Scene begins.

συνέπεισε

3 sg. aor. ind. act., συμπείθω, ‘to win by persuasion, persuade.’The arming scenes begin with similar but not identical lines (cf. line 122). Puff-Jaw perhaps has to work harder in the βουλή to persuade his troops (σύν-) than Nibble-Bread (ἀνά-) in the mice’s ἀγορή. Cf. note 122.

καθοπλίζεσθαι

pres. inf. mid., καθοπλίζω, ‘to arm,’ mid., ‘to arm oneself,’

161. φύλλοις

φύλλον -ου, τό, ‘leaf.’ In keeping with Crumb-Snatcher’s contrast between the cultured mice who live among humans and frogs as creatures of mere nature, mice arm themselves with human objects, such as the lugs of oil- lamps and needles, whereas the frogs arm themselves with natural objects such as sea beets and rushes.

μαλαχῶν

μαλάχη -ης, ἡ, ‘mallow;’ mallow is a coarse and crinkled leaf, somewhat slimy, suitable for frogs’ armor.

κνήμας

κνήμη -ης, ἡ, ‘leg, shin.’ Cf. note 124.

ἀμφεκάλυψαν

3 pl. aor. ind. act., ἄμφικαλύπτω [ἀμφι, καλύπτω], ‘to enfold, surround, wrap,’ τινά τινι s.o. with sthg.

162. θώρηκας

θώραξ -ακος, ὁ, ‘armor for the chest, breastplate.’

σεύτλων

σεῦτλον -ου, τό, ‘sea beet,’ beta maritima, see Beekes and Biancardi et al. (2012). Its shiny, leathery leaves serve as the frogs’ breastplates. Cf. Σευτλαῖος, a frog’s name (209).

163. κραμβῶν

κράμβη -ης, ἡ, ‘cabbage.’ Κραμβοβάτης, a frog’s name (237).

εὖ ἤσκησαν

Here is the one instance of frogs displaying some artfulness in the preparation of their armor, whereas mice are depicted as skilled artisans (εὖ δ’ ἀσκήσαντες, line 125) throughout their arming preparations (125-30) and also make use of human artifacts and techniques.

164. ἔγχος

The more generic ἔγχος is used here as “weapon” and then further specified in line 167 as λόγχη, ‘spear.’ Cf. 214-15 for ὀξύσχοινος as ἔγχος. In all cases they intend to use them, in effect, as Mausers.

ὀξύσχοινος

ὀξύσχοινος -ου, ὁ [ὀξύς, σχοῖνος], ‘oxyschoenon, a kind of sharp swamp rush or reed.’ ὀξύς -εῖα -ύ, ‘sharp;’ σχοῖνος -ου, ὁ, ‘rush, reed,’ analog., ‘shaft, arrow, javelin.’

ἀρήρει

intrans. ep. 3 sg. ppf. ind. act., ἀραρίσκω, ‘to fit, connect, furnish;’ with dat., ‘to be fitted, furnished.’ When the perfect has a present sense (ἄραρα, Ion.and ep. ἄρηρα) the pluperfect is often best rendered as an imperfect.

165. κόρυθες

κόρυς -υθος, ἡ, ‘helmet,’ Cf. note 123.

κοχλιῶν

κοχλίας -ου, ὁ [κόχλος], ‘snail.’

λεπτῶν

λεπτός -ή -όν [λέπω], ‘shelled.’

ἐκάλυπτε

3 sg. impf. ind. act., καλύπτω, ‘to cover, envelop, enfold.’ The third person plural feminine subject with the third person singular verb.

166. φραξάμενοι

masc. pl. nom. aor. mid. part., φράσσω, ‘to surround, enclose, hence fortify;’ in mid., part. as abs., ‘in order of battle.’

ἔστησαν

intrans. 3 pl. aor. ind. act./mid., ἵστημι, ‘to stand, place oneself, set oneself.’

ὑψηλῇσι

ὑψηλός -ή -όν [ὕψι], ‘high, elevated.’ Note the dialectically mismatched Ionic dative ending with the Attic form ὄχθαις.

”167.

This is the only appearance of θυμός in the poem.

ἔμπληντο

ἐμπίμπλημι, 3 pl. aor. ind. mid./pass., ‘to be filled, be full,’ τινος with sthg.

ἕκαστος

‘each, every;’ usually singular, but also takes plural verb, as here.

As they considered the origin of the contention or what the uproar was, [135]

a herald came near bearing a staff in his paws,

Step-in-Pot, the son of great-hearted Cheese-Carver,

bringing baleful news of war, he said to this effect:

“Frogs, the mice having made their threats against you sent to say

to prepare to arm yourselves for war and battle. [140]

For they saw Crumb-Snatcher upon the water, whom surely

your king Puff-Jaw struck down. But come on, fight,

those of you who are born best among frogs.”

So speaking he proclaimed; and his speech after it entered

the ears of all agitated the minds of the proud frogs; [145]

while they were casting blame Puff-Jaw having risen up said:

“Friends, I did not kill the mouse, nor even observe him

perishing; no doubt he drowned playing by the pond,

imitating the swimming of frogs; but these cowards

are now casting blame on me, one innocent; but come [150]

let us seek a plan how we might annihilate the deceitful mice.

Now therefore I will say what I believe to be best.

After dressing our bodies let us all armed take a stand

on the tops of the embankments, where the place is steep;

and whenever having gone on the attack they march out against us, [155]

after grasping their helmets, whoever comes hard by face-to-face,

let us cast them straight into the pond together with that one.

In this way, indeed, having drowned those non-swimmers in the water

we will happily raise a monument here to mice-killing.”

So speaking he persuaded them all to arm themselves. [160]

They wrapped their shins with mallow leaves,

and had chest-armor of beautiful green sea beets,

they artfully formed leaves of cabbage into shields,

a long sharp reed was furnished to each as a weapon,

and helmets of shelled snails covered their heads. [165]

In battle order they placed themselves on the high banks

shaking their spears, and each one was filled with spirit.

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Lines 135-143

Lines 144-159

Lines 160-167