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

Athena Speech

ὥς ἄρ’ ἔφη Κρονίδης· τὸν δὲ προσέειπεν Ἀθήνη·

“ὦ πάτερ, οὐκ ἄν πώ ποτ’ ἐγὼ μυσὶ τειρομένοισιν

ἐλθοίμην ἐπαρωγὸς, ἐπεὶ κακὰ πολλὰ μ’ ἔοργαν

στέμματα βλάπτοντες καὶ λύχνους εἵνεκ’ ἐλαίου.

τοῦτο δέ μοι λίην ἔδακε φρένας οἷον ἔρεξαν·

πέπλον μου κατέτρωξαν ὃν ἐξύφηνα καμοῦσα
ἐκ ῥοδάνης λεπτῆς καὶ στήμονα μακρὸν ἔνησα,
τρώγλας ἐμποίησαν· ὁ δ’ ἠπητής μοι ἐπέστη

καὶ πράσσει με τόκον· τὸ δὲ ῥίγιον ἀθανάτοισιν·

χρησαμένη γὰρ ἔνησα καὶ οὐκ ἔχω ἀνταποδοῦναι.
ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ ὣς βατράχοισιν ἀρηγέμεν οὐκ ἐθελήσω.
εἰσὶ γὰρ οὐδ’ αὐτοὶ φρένας ἔμπεδοι, ἀλλά με πρῴην
ἐκ πολέμου ἀνιοῦσαν ἐπεὶ λίην ἐκοπώθην,

ὕπνου δευομένην οὐκ εἴασαν θορυβοῦντες

οὐδ’ ὀλίγον καταμῦσαι· ἐγὼ δ’ ἄϋπνος κατεκείμην
τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀλγοῦσα, ἕως ἐβόησεν ἀλέκτωρ.
ἀλλ’ ἄγε παυσώμεσθα θεοὶ τούτοισιν ἀρήγειν,

μή κέ τις ὑμείων τρωθῇ βέλει ὀξυόεντι·

εἰσι γὰρ ἀγχέμαχοι, εἰ καὶ θεὸς ἀντίον ἔλθοι·

πάντες δ’ οὐρανόθεν τερπώμεθα δῆριν ὁρῶντες.”
ὥς ἄρ’ ἔφη· καὶ τῇ γε θεοὶ ἐπεπείθοντ’ ἄλλοι.

177. Κρονίδης

Κρονίδης -ου, ὁ [Κρόνος], ‘son of Kronos, Kronides, usu. Zeus.’

178. τειρομένοισιν

masc. pl. dat. pres. pass. part., τείρω, ‘oppress, distress, weaken.’

179. ἐπαρωγὸς

ἐπαρωγός -όν [ἐπαρήγω], ‘aiding, championing, protecting, defending.’

ἔοργαν

ἔρδω, 3 pl. pf. ind. act., ‘to do, accomplish, perform,’ with double acc. of what is done and of the person or thing affected.

180. στέμματα

στέμμα -ατος, τό [στέφω], ‘wreath, crown, garland,’ perhaps of laurel or olive. Silver tetradrachms were stamped on the obverse with the head of Athena, and on the reverse, an image of the owl of Athena surrounded by an olive wreath.

λύχνους

λύχνος -ου, ὁ, ‘lamp.’

ἐλαίου

ἔλαιον -ου, τό, [ἐλαία], ‘olive-oil.’

181. λίην

ep., Ion. for λίαν, adv., ‘a great deal, excessively, too much.’

ἔδακε

3 sg. aor. ind. act., δάκνω, ‘bite.’ Cf. textual notes 45,47.

182. πέπλον

πέπλος -ου, ὁ, ‘a robe, typical attire worn by women and goddesses.’ The sacred peplos of Athena was carried like the sail of a galley in an annual public procession at the Panathenaea. A group of girls, the Ergastinai, spent nine months weaving it with the themes of Athena’s defeat of the Giant Enkelados (283) and the Olympians’ defeat of the Giants.

κατέτρωξαν

3 pl. aor. ind. act., κατατρώγω [κατά, τρώγω] ‘to eat up;’

ἐξύφηνα

3 sg. aor. ind. act., ἐξυφαίνω [ἐξ, ὑφαίνω], ‘to weave, to finish weaving.’ In ancient Greek looms, which stood vertically, the threads of the warp (στήμων) hung from the top. The even threads were attached to a horizontal rod and the odd to another. The weaver drew these rods alternately toward the chest and left an opening each time through which could pass the spool wound with thread for the weft (ῥοδάνη). Cf. Murray, Iliad 23.759, note 2.

183. ῥοδάνης

ῥοδάνη -ης, ἡ, ‘spun thread, weft.’

στήμονα

στήμων -ονος, ὁ, ‘warp,’ in weaving, extens. ‘Thread.’

ἔνησα

3 sg. aor. ind. act., νέω, ‘to spin.’ Athena weaves after having spun the thread. When there are consecutive relative clauses, sometimes the second relative pronoun is omitted, especially when they have the same antecedent and differ in case, ἐκ ῥοδάνης λεπτῆς καὶ (ᾧ) στήμονα μακρὸν ἔνησα.

184. τρώγλας

cf. Note 28.

ἠπητής

ἠπητής -οῦ, ὁ [ἠπάομαι], ‘mender, tailor, busheler.’

ἐπέστη

3 sg. aor. ind. act., ἐφίστημι, ‘to be at, to loom over, to threaten.’ In a role reversal, it is now a mere mender who looms over Athena.

185. πράσσει

3 sg. pres. ind. act., πράσσω, ‘to collect, make pay, extract payment,’ with double acc. τινὰ τόκον, ‘interest from someone.’

τόκον

τόκος -ου, ὁ, ‘childbirth, offspring, fig., of money interest, profit.’

ῥίγιον

compar. neut. adj., ‘more horrible, terrible, horrid,’ formed from ῥιγέω, ‘to shudder, bristle, tremble.’ The comparative can be used to soften an expression (rather, somewhat) as here. The joke is that paying interest for an unending immortal term would certainly be horrible.

186. χρησαμένη

fem. sg. nom. aor. mid. part., χράω [χράομαι], mid. ‘to take as a loan, receive, accept,’ abs. χρησαμένη, having received a loan.

ἔνησα

3 sg. aor. ind. act., νέω, ‘to spin.’ Athena weaves after having spun the thread. When there are consecutive relative clauses, sometimes the second relative pronoun is omitted, especially when they have the same antecedent and differ in case, ἐκ ῥοδάνης λεπτῆς καὶ (ᾧ) στήμονα μακρὸν ἔνησα.

ἔχω ἀνταποδοῦναι

ἔχω, with inf. (pres. or aor.), ‘to be in a position to, to have the ability to, be able;’ ἀνταποδίδωμι, [ἀντί, ἀποδίδωμι], aor. inf. act., ‘to exchange in turn, to tender in repayment, to repay.’ Athena borrowed to purchase fabric and also owes money with interest to the mender. Her predicament is ironic, especially considering that she is the goddess of weaving, cf. line 182. It is unclear whether she owes money to mortals or immortals, or even both.

187. ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ ὣς

οὐδέ, adv., sometimes preceded by ἀλλά, ‘but not for that reason.’ οὐδ’ . . . οὐκ: οὐδέ may be resumed by οὐ, ‘and no, in fact, not even.’

ἀρηγέμεν

ep. pres. inf. act. ἀρήγω, ‘to come to help, aid.’ -έμεν and -μεν are shortened forms of -έμεναι and -μεναι.

188. ἔμπεδοι

ἔμεδος -ον [ἐν, πέδον], ‘fixed firmly in the ground, secure, sturdy, steadfast, constant,’ with φρένας, acc. of respect. As evidenced in line 145 the minds of the frogs were quickly agitated by the mouse herald, and they began casting blame.

189. ἐκ πολέμου ἀνιοῦσαν

The poet does not specify from which battle Athena is returning. The poem only makes reference to battles involving Giants and Centaurs, cf. lines 7 and 171.

190. δευομένην

ep. fem. sg. acc. pres. mid. part., δέω, ‘to lack, need.’

οὐκ εἴασαν

3 pl. aor. ind. act., ἐάω, ‘to allow,’ governs the accusative infinitive constructions in lines 188-91.

θορυβοῦντες

masc. pl. nom. pres. act. part., θορυβέω [θόρυβος], ‘to make noise, raise a clamor, shout.’

191. καταμῦσαι

aor. inf. act., καταμύω, ‘to close, abs. close the eyes, fall asleep, doze.’ Perhaps there is a play on μῦς.

192. τὴν κεφαλὴν

accusative of respect with parts of the body.

ἀλγοῦσα

ἀλγέω, fem. sg. nom. pres. act. part., ‘to experience pain, suffer, be ill.’ Note hiatus at the natural pause in the weak caesura of the third foot.

ἀλέκτωρ

ἀλέκτωρ -ορος, ὁ, ‘a rooster, cock;’ agent noun from ἀλέξω, ‘to ward off, repel, protect, defend.’ Hence connections have been made to the Greek belief that a rooster crowing in the morning would ward off or repel evil spirits and disease.

193. παυσώμεσθα

1 pl. aor. subj. act.; παύω, rar. with inf., ‘to refrain from.’

ἀρήγειν

pres. inf. act., ἀρήγω, cf. note 187.

194. μή κέ

μή κέ...τρωθῇ [τρώω, ep. τιτρώσκω], 3 sg. aor. subj. pass., ‘to wound;’ (potential subj. with κέ, expressing negative purpose after μή).

ὑμείων

ep. lengthened for meter. Athena does not include herself among the possible wounded.

ὀξυόεντι

ὀξυόεις -εσσα -εν [ὀξύα], ‘made of beech,’ epith. of weapons (otherwise, ‘sharp, sharp- pointed,’ from ὀξύς).

195. ἀγχέμαχοι

ἀγχέμαχος -ον [ἄγχι, μάχομαι], ‘fighting close-up.’

ἀντίον

ἀντίος -ία -ίον [ἀντί], ‘standing in front (of), facing (one another), opposite;’ neut. adj. as adv., ‘face-to-face.’

196. τερπώμεθα

1 pl. pres. subj. act., τέρπω, mid. and pass. with part. and acc., ‘to delight in.’ We too, if indirectly, are invited as readers to delight in the conflict, observing in safety from afar.

δῆριν

as announced in the proem, cf. note 4.

197. ἐπεπείθοντ’

3 pl. impf. ind. mid., ἐπιπείθομαι, ‘to let oneself be persuaded; to listen to, obey with dat.’ In the Iliad it is Zeus who keeps the other gods from fighting, until Hector rises victorious. For her part, Athena is very much against Zeus’ plan, but has to obey. Here, however, it is Athena who suggests refraining and the ease with which the rest of the gods agree (197) is at odds with their complaints, as well as the occasional break of their abstention from war (especially by Athena herself and Hera) in the Iliad.

In this way then the son of Kronos spoke; and Athena addressed him:

“Father, I would never to mice in distress

come as their champion, since they have done me many harms

damaging garlands and lamps for the sake of their olive oil. [180]

This thing they did bit my heart too much;

they nibbled up my robe which wearing myself out I wove

from a fine weft and for which I spun long thread,

and they made holes; my mender though is looming over me and

is collecting interest from me; a thing rather horrid for immortals; [185]

for after taking a loan I spun and am not in position to repay.

But not even so will I want to help frogs.

For nor are they steadfast of mind, but the other day

returning from war when I was all worn out,

needing sleep they did not allow me by raising a clamor [190]

to close my eyes even a little; and I lay sleepless

my head aching, until the cock crowed.

But come let us gods refrain from helping those there,

so that some one of you not be wounded by a sharp missile;

for they are close fighters, even if a god would come face-to-face; [195]

let us all delight in the conflict observing instead from the heavens.”

In this way she spoke; and the rest of the gods obeyed her indeed.

No illustrations available for this section.

Listen to the Text

Lines 177-197