[Aaron Poochigian]

Lysistrata:
One of you will repeat, for all, the terms
of our agreement after me, and then
the rest will swear to keep them when we’re done.

No man, be he a lover or a husband,. . .

Calonice: (stepping up as the representative for all the women)
No man, be he a lover or a husband,. . .

Lysistrata:
. . . shall come up to me with a boner. Say it!

Calonice:
. . . shall come up to me with a boner.
. . . shall come up to me with a boner. Ah!
My knees are going to buckle, Lysistrata!

Lysistrata:
And I shall stay at home in celibacy. . .

Calonice:
And I shall stay at home in celibacy. . .

Lysistrata:
. . . dressed in a saffron gown and all made up . . .

Calonice:
. . . dressed in a saffron gown and all made up . . .

Lysistrata:
. . . so that my man gets very hot for me.

Calonice:
. . . so that my man gets very hot for me.

Lysistrata:
Never shall I consent to sex with him.

Calonice:
Never shall I consent to sex with him.

Lysistrata:
And if he forces me against my will. . .

Calonice:
And if he forces me against my will. . .

Lysistrata:
. . . I shall be frigid and shall not grind back.

Calonice:
. . . I shall be frigid and shall not grind back. . .

Lysistrata:
. . . nor raise my fancy slippers toward the ceiling. . .

Calonice:
. . . nor raise my fancy slippers toward the ceiling. . .

Lysistrata:
. . . nor lift my haunches like a lioness.

Calonice:
. . . nor lift my haunches like a lioness.

Lysistrata:
If I fulfill these vows, may I drink wine. . .

Calonice:
If I fulfill these vows, may I drink wine. . .

Lysistrata:
but, if I fail, this cup be full of water.

Calonice:
but, if I fail, this cup be full of water.

Lysistrata:
So do you women swear?

All the Women:
So do we swear.

. . . . . .
Lines 19/20 "grind" for "push"

Lines 23/24
"nor lift my haunches like a lioness" for "not pose my haunches like a lioness'"


. . . . . .


Greek Text
Λυσιστράτη
210λεγέτω δ᾽ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν μί᾽ ἅπερ ἂν κἀγὼ λέγω:
ὑμεῖς δ᾽ ἐπομεῖσθε ταὐτὰ κἀμπεδώσετε.
οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς οὔτε μοιχὸς οὔτ᾽ ἀνήρ—

Καλονίκη

οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς οὔτε μοιχὸς οὔτ᾽ ἀνήρ—

Λυσιστράτη

ὅστις πρὸς ἐμὲ πρόσεισιν ἐστυκώς. λέγε.

Καλονίκη

215ὅστις πρὸς ἐμὲ πρόσεισιν ἐστυκώς. παπαῖ
ὑπολύεταί μου τὰ γόνατ᾽ ὦ Λυσιστράτη.

Λυσιστράτη

οἴκοι δ᾽ ἀταυρώτη διάξω τὸν βίον—

Καλονίκη

οἴκοι δ᾽ ἀταυρώτη διάξω τὸν βίον—

Λυσιστράτη

κροκωτοφοροῦσα καὶ κεκαλλωπισμένη,—

Καλονίκη

220κροκωτοφοροῦσα καὶ κεκαλλωπισμένη,—

Λυσιστράτη

ὅπως ἂν ἁνὴρ ἐπιτυφῇ μάλιστά μου:

Καλονίκη

ὅπως ἂν ἁνὴρ ἐπιτυφῇ μάλιστά μου:

Λυσιστράτη

κοὐδέποθ᾽ ἑκοῦσα τἀνδρὶ τὠμῷ πείσομαι.

Καλονίκη

κοὐδέποθ᾽ ἑκοῦσα τἀνδρὶ τὠμῷ πείσομαι.

Λυσιστράτη

225ἐὰν δέ μ᾽ ἄκουσαν βιάζηται βίᾳ,—

Καλονίκη

ἐὰν δέ μ᾽ ἄκουσαν βιάζηται βίᾳ,—

Λυσιστράτη

κακῶς παρέξω κοὐχὶ προσκινήσομαι.

Καλονίκη

κακῶς παρέξω κοὐχὶ προσκινήσομαι.

Λυσιστράτη

οὐ πρὸς τὸν ὄροφον ἀνατενῶ τὼ Περσικά.

Καλονίκη

230οὐ πρὸς τὸν ὄροφον ἀνατενῶ τὼ Περσικά.

Λυσιστράτη

οὐ στήσομαι λέαιν᾽ ἐπὶ τυροκνήστιδος.

Καλονίκη

οὐ στήσομαι λέαιν᾽ ἐπὶ τυροκνήστιδος.

Λυσιστράτη

ταῦτ᾽ ἐμπεδοῦσα μὲν πίοιμ᾽ ἐντευθενί:

Καλονίκη

ταῦτ᾽ ἐμπεδοῦσα μὲν πίοιμ᾽ ἐντευθενί:

Λυσιστράτη

235εἰ δὲ παραβαίην, ὕδατος ἐμπλῇθ᾽ ἡ κύλιξ.

Καλονίκη

εἰ δὲ παραβαίην, ὕδατος ἐμπλῇθ᾽ ἡ κύλιξ.

Λυσιστράτη

συνεπόμνυθ᾽ ὑμεῖς ταῦτα πᾶσαι;

Πᾶσαι
νὴ Δία.

Translation, by Jack Linsay
LYSISTRATA
You, Calonice, repeat for the rest
Each word I say. Then you must all take oath
And pledge your arms to the same stern conditions—
LYSISTRATA
To husband or lover I'll not open arms
CALONICE
To husband or lover I'll not open arms
LYSISTRATA
Though love and denial may enlarge his charms.
CALONICE
Though love and denial may enlarge his charms.
O, O, my knees are failing me, Lysistrata!
LYSISTRATA
But still at home, ignoring him, I'll stay,
CALONICE
But still at home, ignoring him, I'll stay,
LYSISTRATA
Beautiful, clad in saffron silks all day.
CALONICE
Beautiful, clad in saffron silks all day.
LYSISTRATA
If then he seizes me by dint of force,
CALONICE
If then he seizes me by dint of force,
LYSISTRATA
I'll give him reason for a long remorse.
CALONICE
I'll give him reason for a long remorse.
LYSISTRATA
I'll never lie and stare up at the ceiling,
CALONICE
I'll never lie and stare up at the ceiling,
LYSISTRATA
Nor like a lion on all fours go kneeling.
CALONICE
Nor like a lion on all fours go kneeling.
LYSISTRATA
If I keep faith, then bounteous cups be mine.
CALONICE
If I keep faith, then bounteous cups be mine.
LYSISTRATA
If not, to nauseous water change this wine.
CALONICE
If not, to nauseous water change this wine.
LYSISTRATA
Do you all swear to this?
ALL THE WOMEN
We do, we do.

[John Isbell]

Hi Aaron,

My Greek is poor enough that I have to judge this from the earlier version. I like the boner and the man getting hot, which fit what i know of Aristophanes. I also like the fancy slippers. I'm unsure what this means: "I shall not push back," and though I prefer lioness to lion, it seems unclear what "pose my haunches" means. Lift my haunches, maybe? Or something? In all, I think you've got a fair bit of the liveliness I associate with Aristophanes, but a couple of obscure moments to my ears.

Cheers,
John

[Aaron Poochigian]

John, do these two lines take care of your concerns?

I shall be frigid and shall not grind back.

Nor lift my haunches like a lioness.

[John Isbell]

In a word, yup. They do.
I also like the alliteration in lift - lioness.

Cheers,
John

[Aaron Poochigian]

Great, I have made the changes.

[Martin Rocek]

Hi Aaron,
I don't really know enough to comment on the translation, but your text reads well. I suppose you know this translation: https://www.poetryintranslation.com/...Lysistrata.php
It seems quite similar in tone to yours.

Thanks for the read!
Martin

[Julie Steiner]

Aaron, "And I shall stay at home in celibacy" doesn't seem quite right, since home seems the most likely place for a married Greek woman to encounter either her husband or her lover.

I read that Greek line more as "At home, I'll revert to the lifestyle of a virgin" (literally, οἴκοι [at home] δ᾽ [belated "and"] ἀταυρώτη [virgin, maiden, unwedded--a feminine nominative adjective, modifying the speaker] διάξω [I shall carry over] τὸν βίον [the life]).

BTW, ἀταυρώτη doesn't seem to be the standard word for "maiden." It might be derived from ἀ- (not) + ταυρόομαι (to be like a bull). "Unhorny," maybe. But there's little point in sticking to etymology that will be lost on the audience, anyway.