ΑΒΡΟΤΟΝΟΝ

τὸ παιδάριον, ὃ νῦν τιθηνεῖθ’ ἡ γυνή,

Ὀνήσιμ’, ἔνδον, οὗτος εὗρεν ἁνθρακεύς;465

 

ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ

ναί, φησίν.

 

ΑΒΡΟΤΟΝΟΝ

ὡς κομψόν, τάλαν.

 

ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ

καὶ τουτονὶ

τὸν δακτύλιον ἐπόντα τοὐμοῦ δεσπότου.

 

ΑΒΡΟΤΟΝΟΝ

αἴ, δύσμορ’· εἶτ’ εἰ τρόφιμος ὄντως ἐστί σου,

τρεφόμενον ὄψει τοῦτον ἐν δούλου μέρει,

κοὐκ ἂν δικαίως ἀποθάνοις;470

 

ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ

ὅπερ λέγω,

τὴν μητέρ’ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν.

 

ΑΒΡΟΤΟΝΟΝ

ἀπέβαλεν δέ, φῄς,

Ταυροπολίοις αὐτόν;

 

ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ

παροινῶν γ’, ὡς ἐμοὶ

τὸ παιδάριον εἶφ’ ἁκόλουθος.

 

ΑΒΡΟΤΟΝΟΝ

δηλαδὴ

εἰς τὰς γυναῖκας παννυχιζούσας μόνας

ἐνέπεσε· κἀμοῦ γὰρ παρούσης ἐγένετο475

τοιοῦτον ἕτερον.

 

ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ

σοῦ παρούσης;

 

ΑΒΡΟΤΟΝΟΝ

πέρυσι, ναί,

Ταυροπολίοις· παισὶν γὰρ ἔψαλλον κόραις,

αὕτη θ’ ὁμοῦ συνέπαιζεν. οὐδ’ ἐγὼ τότε,

οὔπω γάρ, ἄνδρ’ ἤιδειν τί ἐστι.

 

ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ

καὶ μάλα.

 

ΑΒΡΟΤΟΝΟΝ

μὰ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην.480

 

ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ

τὴν δὲ παῖδά γ’ ἥτις ἦν

οἶσθας;

 

ΑΒΡΟΤΟΝΟΝ

πυθοίμην ἄν· παρ’ αἷς γὰρ ἦν ἐγὼ

γυναιξί, τούτων ἦν φίλη.

 

ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ

πατρὸς τίνος

ἤκουσας;

 

ΑΒΡΟΤΟΝΟΝ

οὐδὲν οἶδα· πλὴν ἰδοῦσά γε

γνοίην ἂν αὐτήν. εὐπρεπής τις, ὦ θεοί·

καὶ πλουσίαν ἔφασάν τινα.485

 

ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ

αὕτη ’στιν τυχόν.

 

ΑΒΡΟΤΟΝΟΝ

οὐκ οἶδ’· ἐπλανήθη γὰρ μεθ’ ἡμῶν οὖσ’ ἐκεῖ,

εἶτ’ ἐξαπίνης κλάουσα προστρέχει μόνη,

τίλλουσ’ ἑαυτῆς τὰς τρίχας, καλὸν πάνυ

καὶ λεπτόν, ὦ θεοί, ταραντῖνον σφόδρα

ἀπολωλεκυῖ’· ὅλον γὰρ ἐγεγόνει ῥάκος.490

 

ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ

καὶ τοῦτον εἶχεν;

 

ΑΒΡΟΤΟΝΟΝ

εἶχ’ ἴσως, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐμοὶ

ἔδειξεν· οὐ γὰρ ψεύσομαι.

 

ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ

τί χρὴ ποεῖν

ἐμὲ νῦν;

    Now that SYROS has departed, HABROTONON, who started taking an interest earlier in what ONESIMOS was saying, now addresses him directly to learn more.

     

    464 τιθηνεῖθ’: = τιθηνεῖται

    465 Ὀνήσιμ’: = Ὀνήσιμε

    466 τουτονί: = τοῦτον + deictic (“pointing”) iota (“this here”)

    467 δύσμορ’: = δύσμορε. εἶτ’: = εἶτα

    470 κοὐκ: = καὶ οὐκ

    472 and 477: See note on line 451, where Onesimos first mentions the Tauropolia festival.

    475 κἀμοῦ: = καὶ ἐμοῦ, part of genitive absolute with παρούσης, and picked up by Onesimos in the next line.

    480: Onesimos has expressed sarcastic disbelief at Habrotonon’s claim that she was a virgin at the Tauropolia festival in honor of the virgin goddess Artemis. Habrotonon insists that she is telling the truth and incongruously invokes Aphrodite, the goddess associated with sex.

    481 οἶσθας: > οἶδα, 2nd sing. perf. indic. act. πυθοίμην: > πυνθάνομαι, 1st sing. aor. opt. mid.

    484 πυθοίμην: > γιγνώσκω 1st sing. aor. opt. mid.

    485 τιν': = τινα. ’στιν = ἐστιν

    486 οἶδ’: = οἶδα. μεθ’: = μετὰ. οὖσ’: = οὖσα

    487 εἶτ’: = εἶτα

    488 τίλλουσ’: = τίλλουσα

    490 ἀπολωλεκυῖ’: = ἀπολωλεκυῖα fem. nom. sing. perf. part. act. < ἀπόλλυμι

    491 εἶχ’: = εἶχε

    παιδάριον -ου τό: little boy

    τιθηνέομαι: nurse

    ἔνδον: inside

    ἀνθρακεύς -έως ὁ: charcoal-burner

    κομψός -ή -όν: nice, refined, gentlemanly

    τάλας τάλαινα τάλαν: sorry, wretched

    αἴ: (a sound expressing pain)

    δακτύλιος,-ου ὁ: ring, signet

    δύσμορος,-ον: ill-fated, unlucky

    τρόφιμος -ου ὁ: a slave's young master

    ἀποβάλλω ἀποβαλῶ ἀπέβαλον: to throw off, lose

    παροινέω: to be drunk

    παιδάριον -ου τό: little boy

    ἀκόλουθος -ον: following, attending

    δηλαδή: quite clearly

    παννυχίζω: spend all night

    ἐμπίπτω ἐμπεσέομαι ἐνέπεσον: to fall upon, charge

    πέρυσι: a year ago, last year

    ψάλλω: to pluck, play a stringed instrument

    κόρη -ης ἡ: girl

    συμπαίζω: to play with

    ὁμοῦ: together

    εὐπρεπής -ές: comely, good-looking

    πλούσιος -α -ον: wealthy, rich

    τυχόν: by chance, perhaps

    πλανάω πλανήσω ἐπλανήθην: to wander off, stray

    ἐξαπίνης: suddenly

    κλαίω: to cry, wail

    προστρέχω: to run to

    τίλλω: to tear

    θρίξ τριχός ἡ: hair

    λεπτός -ή -όν: fine, delicate

    ταραντῖνος -η -ον: refers to a delicate type of cloak whose weave was associated with the Italian city of Tarentum.

    σφόδρα: very much, exceedingly

    ἀπολύω ἀπολύσω ἀπέλυσα ἀπολέλυκα: to loose, set free

    ψεύδω ψεύσω: to lie

    HABROTONON

    (innocently approaches)

    So, Onesimos, that little child whom the woman is nursing inside… (465) did this charcoal burner find him?

     

    ONESIMOS

    Yeah, or so he says!

     

    HABROTONON

    (clutching her hands, gasping lightly)

    Oh! How very tragically heroic it all is! Wretched, miserable me!

    (dabs eyes)

     

    ONESIMOS

    (relieved to have someone to vent to)

    Hah! That’s not the half of it! He found this ring

    (holding it up)

    with the baby, too, except it also belongs to my master.

     

    HABROTONON

    How unlucky! Well…

    (playing off of ONESIMOS’ fear)

    if he really is your little master, could you really see him raised as a slave? (470) Surely not! I mean

    (light, dismissive laughter)

    if that were the case you’d have to be put to death!

     

    ONESIMOS

    (nervous again)

    Ahem, well, it’s just as I said, no one knows the mother.

     

    HABROTONON

    Ah, of course …

    (casually)

    but you said he lost it at the festival?

     

    ONESIMOS

    Yeah, the attendant told me he was wasted.

     

    HABROTONON

    (sweetly)

    Well, evidently, he must have wandered off alone and (475) stumbled upon the women in the revelry.

    (pauses, then as if just remembering something)

    You know, just such a thing happened where I was!

     

    ONESIMOS

    (shocked)

    Wait… Where you were?

     

    HABROTONON

    Mhm, yes, last year!

    (reminiscently)

    I was playing sweet melodies for some girls and joining in their delightful little games myself, too, well

    (bashfully)

    I didn’t know – not yet anyhow – what men were like.

     

    ONESIMOS

    (unconvinced, skeptical)

    Oh really?

     

    HABROTONON

    (offended he doesn’t believe her, one hand raised, the other on her heart)

    (480) By Aphrodite!

     

    ONESIMOS

    (Rolls eyes)

    Fine. Do you know who that girl was?

     

    HABROTONON

    (back to being sweet)

    No, but I’m sure I could learn about her from some of the women, they were her friends after all.

     

    ONESIMOS

    (pacing as he questions HABROTONON, piecing things together)

    Did you hear anything about the father?

     

    HABROTONON

    I know nothing … except I’d know her if I saw her

    (dreamily)

    She was absolutely delightful to look at, gods,

    (turning to the audience as if confiding a secret motivation)

    and rich, too, they said!

     

    ONESIMOS
    Perhaps it’s her?

     

    HABROTONON

    (nonchalant shrug)

    I don’t know. She was with us, but she wandered off then suddenly (acting out the scene) she ran back – all alone, wailing and tearing her hair,

    (falling to her knees on the ground pulling at her hair)

    so beautiful and fine – (490) her dress was violently torn – the whole thing was in tatters!

     

    ONESIMOS

    (holding up the ring)

    and did she have this?

     

    HABROTONON

    (recovering from her dramatic display, getting up, making a show of brushing off her dress)

    Perhaps she did, but she didn’t show me. I won’t lie about it.

     

    ONESIMOS

    (had been hoping for a clear-cut answer, defeated)

    What should I do now?

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    Suggested Citation

    Marie Plunkett, Menander: Epitrepontes (The Arbitration). Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2022. ISBN: 978-1-947822-19-1. https://dcc.dickinson.edu/menander-epitrepontes/464-492