Parabasis
CHOR. Come, Muse, to our Mystical Chorus, O come to the joy of my song,O see on the benches before us that countless and wonderful throng,Where wits by the thousand abide, with more than a Cleophon's pride--On the lips of that foreigner base, of Athens the bane and disgrace,There is shrieking, his kinsman by race,The garrulous swallow of Thrace;From that perch of exotic descent,Rejoicing her sorrow to vent,She pours to her spirit's content, a nightingale's woeful lament,That e'en though the voting be equal, his ruin will soon be the sequel.
Well it suits the holy Chorus evermore with counsel wiseTo exhort and teach the city: this we therefore now advise--End the townsmen's apprehensions; equalize the rights of all;If by Phrynichus's wrestlings some perchance sustained a fall,Yet to these 'tis surely open, having put away their sin,For their slips and vacillations pardon at your hands to win.Give your brethren back their franchise.Sin and shame it were that slaves,Who have once with stern devotion fought your battle on the waves,Should be straightway lords and masters, yea Plataeans fully blown--Not that this deserves our censure; there I praise you; there aloneHas the city, in her anguish, policy and wisdom shown--Nay but these, of old accustomed on our ships to fight and win,(They, their father too before them), these our very kith and kin,You should likewise, when they ask you, pardon for their single sin.O by nature best and wisest, O relax your jealous ire,Let us all the world as kinsfolk and as citizens acquire,All who on our ships will battle well and bravely by our sideIf we cocker up our city, narrowing her with senseless prideNow when she is rocked and reeling in the cradles of the sea,Here again will after ages deem we acted brainlessly.
And O if I'm able to scan the habits and life of a manWho shall rue his iniquities soon! not long shall that little baboon,That Cleigenes shifty and small, the wickedest bathman of allWho are lords of the earth--which is brought from the isle of Cimolus, and wroughtWith nitre and lye into soap--Not long shall he vex us, I hope.And this the unlucky one knows,Yet ventures a peace to oppose,And being addicted to blows he carries a stick as he goes,Lest while he is tipsy and reeling, some robber his cloak should be stealing.
Often has it crossed my fancy, that the city loves to dealWith the very best and noblest members of her commonweal,Just as with our ancient coinage, and the newly-minted gold.Yea for these, our sterling pieces, all of pure Athenian mould,All of perfect die and metal, all the fairest of the fair,All of workmanship unequalled, proved and valued every-whereBoth amongst our own Hellenes and Barbarians far away,These we use not: but the worthless pinchbeck coins of yesterday,Vilest die and basest metal, now we always use instead.Even so, our sterling townsmen, nobly born and nobly bred,Men of worth and rank and metal, men of honourable fame,Trained in every liberal science, choral dance and manly game,These we treat with scorn and insult, but the strangers newliest come,Worthless sons of worthless fathers, pinchbeck townsmen, yellowy scum,Whom in earlier days the city hardly would have stooped to useEven for her scapegoat victims, these for every task we choose.O unwise and foolish people, yet to mend your ways begin;Use again the good and useful: so hereafter, if ye win'Twill be due to this your wisdom: if ye fall, at least 'twill beNot a fall that brings dishonour, falling from a worthy tree.
Words in this poem 29
- countless a.
- Incapable of being counted; not ascertainable; innumerable.
- bane v. t.
- To be the bane of; to ruin. Fuller.
- kinsman n.
- A man of the same race or family; one related by blood.
- garrulous a.
- Talking much, especially about commonplace or trivial things; talkative; loquacious. [L. garrulus, fr. garrire to chatter, talk; cf. Gr. Call.]
- sequel n.
- That which follows; a succeeding part; continuation; as, the sequel of a man's advantures or history. [L. sequela, fr. sequit to follow: cf. F. séquelle a following. See Sue to follow.]
- evermore adv.
- During eternity; always; forever; for an indefinite period; at all times; -- often used substantively with for.
- equalize v. t.
- To make equal; to cause to correspond, or be like, in amount or degree as compared; as, to equalize accounts, burdens, or taxes. [Cf. F. égaliser.]
- franchise n.
- Exemption from constraint or oppression; freedom; liberty. [F., fr. franc, fem. franche, free. See Frank, a.]
- straightway adv.
- Immediately; without loss of time; without delay.
- kith n.
- Acquaintance; kindred. [OE. kith, cu, AS. cc known. Uncouth, Can, and cf. Kythe.]
- kinsfolk n.
- Relatives; kindred; kin; persons of the same family or closely or closely related families.
- bravely adv.
- In a brave manner; courageously; gallantly; valiantly; splendidly; nobly.
- cocker n.
- One given to cockfighting. Steele. [From Cock the bird.]
- narrowing n.
- The act of contracting, or of making or becoming less in breadth or extent.
- deem v. t.
- To decide; to judge; to sentence; to condemn. [OE. demen to judge, condemn, AS. d, fr. d doom; akin to OFries. d, OS. ad, D. doemen, OHG. tuommen, Icel. dæma, Sw. dömma, Dan. dömme, Goth. d. See Doom, n., an]
- scan v. t.
- To mount by steps; to go through with step by step. [L. scandere, scansum, to climb, to scan, akin to Skr. skand to spring, leap: cf. F. scander. Cf. Ascend, Descend, Scale a ladder.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- shifty a.
- Full of, or ready with, shifts; fertile in expedients or contrivance. Wright.
- isle v. t.
- To cause to become an island, or like an island; to surround or encompass; to island.
- nitre n.
- A white crystalline semitransparent salt; potassium nitrate; saltpeter. See Saltpeter. [F. nitre, L. nitrum native soda, natron, Gr. nit, natr natron. Cf. Natron.]
- coinage n.
- The act or process of converting metal into money. [From Coin, v. t., cf. Cuinage.]
- mould n.
- Crumbling, soft, friable earth; esp., earth containing the remains or constituents of organic matter, and suited to the growth of plants; soil. [OE. molde, AS. molde; akin to D. mul, G. mull, mulm, OHG. molt, molta, Icel. mold, Dan. muld, Sw. mull, Goth. mulda, and E. meal flour. See Meal, and cf. Mole a]
- amongst prep.
- Mixed or mingled; surrounded by. [OE. amongist, amonges, amonge, among, AS. onmang, ongemang, gemang, in a crowd or mixture. For the ending -st see Amidst. See Mingle.]
- pinchbeck n.
- An alloy of copper and zinc, resembling gold; a yellow metal, composed of about three ounces of zinc to a pound of copper. It is much used as an imitation of gold in the manufacture of cheap jewelry. [Said to be from the name of the inventor; cf. It. prencisbecco.]
- nobly adv.
- Of noble extraction; as, nobly born or descended.
- choral a.
- Of or pertaining to a choir or chorus; singing, sung, or adapted to be sung, in chorus or harmony. Choral service, a service of song. [LL. choralis, fr. L. chorus. See Chorus.]
- scapegoat n.
- A goat upon whose head were symbolically placed the sins of the people, after which he was suffered to escape into the wilderness. [Scape (for escape) + goat.]
- hereafter adv.
- In time to come; in some future time or state. [AS. hræfter.]
- dishonour n.
- Lack of honor; disgrace; ignominy; shame; reproach. [OE. deshonour, dishonour, OF. deshonor, deshonur, F. déshonneur; pref. des- (L. dis-) + honor, honur, F. honneur, fr. L. honor. See Honor.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Parabasis is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Frogs of Aristophanes, translated by Benjamin Bickley Rogers (Harvard Classics vol. 8, 1909; Rogers's translation first published 1902), Project Gutenberg ebook #7998, the Benjamin Bickley Rogers translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Aristophanes, Parabasis, in The Frogs (1902), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #7998, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/aristophanes-frogs/parabasis.html, id L28744.
Form and metre
Parabasis is 61 lines in 4 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 66% of the lines. The metre is trochaic octameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 77%).
See other poems in rhyming couplets, other poems in trochaic octameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AA-BBBCCC- songA · throngA · pride · disgraceB · raceB · thraceB · descentC · ventC · lamentC · sequel
- 2 AABBCCADDEEECCC--FF-- wiseA · adviseA · allB · fallB · sinC · winC · franchiseA · slavesD · wavesD · blownE · aloneE · shownE · winC · kinC · sinC · ire · acquire · sideF · prideF · sea · brainlessly
- 3 ----AABBB- man · baboon · all · wrought · soapA · hopeA · knowsB · opposeB · goesB · stealing
- 4 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJ dealA · commonwealA · goldB · mouldB · fairC · whereC · awayD · yesterdayD · insteadE · bredE · fameF · gameF · comeG · scumG · useH · chooseH · beginI · winI · beJ · treeJ
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against trochaic octameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| CHOR. Come, Muse, to our Mystical Chorus, O come to the joy of my song, | 17 | ····//˘/˘········ |
| O see on the benches before us that countless and wonderful throng, | 16 | ····/˘····/˘·/˘· |
| Where wits by the thousand abide, with more than a Cleophon's pride-- | 15 | ····/˘˘/······· |
| On the lips of that foreigner base, of Athens the bane and disgrace, | 16 | ·····/˘··/˘···˘/ |
| There is shrieking, his kinsman by race, | 9 | ··/˘·/··· |
| The garrulous swallow of Thrace; | 8 | ·/˘˘/˘·· |
| From that perch of exotic descent, | 9 | ····˘/˘˘/ |
| Rejoicing her sorrow to vent, | 8 | ˘/˘·/˘·· |
| She pours to her spirit's content, a nightingale's woeful lament, | 15 | ····/˘/˘·/˘/˘˘/ |
| That e'en though the voting be equal, his ruin will soon be the sequel. | 17 | ····/˘·/˘·/····/˘ |
| Well it suits the holy Chorus evermore with counsel wise | 15 | ····/˘/˘/˘··/˘· |
| To exhort and teach the city: this we therefore now advise-- | 15 | ·˘/···/˘·····˘/ |
| End the townsmen's apprehensions; equalize the rights of all; | 15 | ·····˘/˘/˘····· |
| If by Phrynichus's wrestlings some perchance sustained a fall, | 14 | ·····/˘·˘/˘/·· |
| Yet to these 'tis surely open, having put away their sin, | 15 | ····/˘/˘/˘·˘/·· |
| For their slips and vacillations pardon at your hands to win. | 15 | ·····˘/˘/˘····· |
| Give your brethren back their franchise. | 8 | ··/˘··/· |
| Sin and shame it were that slaves, | 7 | ······· |
| Who have once with stern devotion fought your battle on the waves, | 15 | ·····˘/˘··/˘··· |
| Should be straightway lords and masters, yea Plataeans fully blown-- | 14 | ··/˘··/˘···/˘· |
| Not that this deserves our censure; there I praise you; there alone | 15 | ···˘///˘·····˘/ |
| Has the city, in her anguish, policy and wisdom shown-- | 14 | ··/˘··/˘/˘·/˘· |
| Nay but these, of old accustomed on our ships to fight and win, | 15 | ·····˘/˘·/····· |
| (They, their father too before them), these our very kith and kin, | 15 | ··/˘·····//˘··· |
| You should likewise, when they ask you, pardon for their single sin. | 15 | ··/·····/˘··/˘· |
| O by nature best and wisest, O relax your jealous ire, | 15 | ··/˘··/˘·˘/·/˘· |
| Let us all the world as kinsfolk and as citizens acquire, | 14 | ······/˘··/˘˘/ |
| All who on our ships will battle well and bravely by our side | 15 | ···/··/˘··/˘·/· |
| If we cocker up our city, narrowing her with senseless pride | 15 | ··/˘·//˘/˘··/˘· |
| Now when she is rocked and reeling in the cradles of the sea, | 15 | ······/˘··/˘··· |
| Here again will after ages deem we acted brainlessly. | 15 | ·˘/···/˘··/˘··· |
| And O if I'm able to scan the habits and life of a man | 16 | ····/˘···/˘····· |
| Who shall rue his iniquities soon! not long shall that little baboon, | 16 | ····˘/˘·····/˘˘/ |
| That Cleigenes shifty and small, the wickedest bathman of all | 14 | ···/˘···/˘···· |
| Who are lords of the earth--which is brought from the isle of Cimolus, and wrought | 18 | ·················· |
| With nitre and lye into soap-- | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Not long shall he vex us, I hope. | 8 | ········ |
| And this the unlucky one knows, | 8 | ···˘/˘·· |
| Yet ventures a peace to oppose, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| And being addicted to blows he carries a stick as he goes, | 15 | ·/˘/˘···/˘····· |
| Lest while he is tipsy and reeling, some robber his cloak should be stealing. | 18 | ····/˘·/˘·/˘····/˘ |
| Often has it crossed my fancy, that the city loves to deal | 15 | /˘····/˘··/˘··· |
| With the very best and noblest members of her commonweal, | 15 | ··/˘··/˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| Just as with our ancient coinage, and the newly-minted gold. | 15 | ···//˘/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Yea for these, our sterling pieces, all of pure Athenian mould, | 15 | ···//˘/˘···˘/˘· |
| All of perfect die and metal, all the fairest of the fair, | 15 | ··/···/˘··/˘··· |
| All of workmanship unequalled, proved and valued every-where | 15 | ··/˘·˘/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Both amongst our own Hellenes and Barbarians far away, | 14 | ···/·/˘·˘/˘·˘/ |
| These we use not: but the worthless pinchbeck coins of yesterday, | 15 | ······/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Vilest die and basest metal, now we always use instead. | 15 | ······/˘··/··˘/ |
| Even so, our sterling townsmen, nobly born and nobly bred, | 14 | /·//˘··/˘··/˘· |
| Men of worth and rank and metal, men of honourable fame, | 15 | ······/˘······· |
| Trained in every liberal science, choral dance and manly game, | 15 | ··/˘/˘/˘/˘··/˘· |
| These we treat with scorn and insult, but the strangers newliest come, | 15 | ······/···/˘··· |
| Worthless sons of worthless fathers, pinchbeck townsmen, yellowy scum, | 16 | /˘··/˘/˘/˘······ |
| Whom in earlier days the city hardly would have stooped to use | 15 | ··/˘··/˘/˘····· |
| Even for her scapegoat victims, these for every task we choose. | 14 | /··/·/˘··/˘··· |
| O unwise and foolish people, yet to mend your ways begin; | 15 | ·˘/·/˘/˘·····˘/ |
| Use again the good and useful: so hereafter, if ye win | 15 | ·˘/···/˘·˘/˘··· |
| 'Twill be due to this your wisdom: if ye fall, at least 'twill be | 15 | ······/˘······· |
| Not a fall that brings dishonour, falling from a worthy tree. | 15 | ·····˘/˘/˘··/˘· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.