Euripides, Medea, Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator), 1261

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Umsonst littst du um die Kinder Schmerz,

Umsonst also gebarst du den geliebten Stamm,
1235

Die' du der Symplegaden ungastlichem,

Blaulichem Felsenpaar über das Meer entschifft!

Warum, Arme, hat so schwerer Zorn

Dein Herz übermannt, was tauschest du

Feindlichen Mord um Mord?
1240

Denn das verwandte Blut, welches zur Erde floß,

Drückt auf die Menschen schwer, sucht mit entsprechenden

Qualen den Mörder heim, die ihm ein Gott verhängt.

Der eine Sohn

Weh, was beginn' ich? Wie entfliehn der Mutter Hand?

Der andere Sohn

Ich weiß es nicht, mein Bruder; sterben müssen wir.
1245

Chor.

Medea. Euripides. Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator). . .

Current edition Experimental

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1841; OCR review) (OCR draft) (German) (Euripides. Deutsch in den Versmaßen der Urschrift. Volume 1, Heidelberg: C. F. Winter, 1841. Harvard OCR compared with an independent BSB copy. Native Donner verse citations, Murray reference cards, explicitly located notes and page facsimiles. Unresolved OCR, verse divisions, unlocated notes and printed errata are documented in the source review.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)

Μήδεια Perseus (Euripides. Euripidis Fabulae, Vol. I. Murray, Gilbert, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1902.) — 1251-1292 focus

Χορός

ἰὼ Γᾶ τε καὶ παμφαὴς

ἀκτὶς Ἀελίου, κατίδετ’ ἴδετε τὰν

ὀλομέναν γυναῖκα, πρὶν φοινίαν

τέκνοις προσβαλεῖν χέρ’ αὐτοκτόνον·

τεᾶς γὰρ ἀπὸ χρυσέας γονᾶς
1255

ἔβλαστεν, θεοῦ δ’ αἷμά τι πίτνειν

φόβος ὑπ’ ἀνέρων.

ἀλλά νιν, ὦ φάος διογενές, κάτειρ-

γε κατάπαυσον, ἔξελ’ οἴκων φονίαν

τάλαινάν τ’ Ἐρινὺν ὑπ’ ἀλαστόρων.
1260

1261

Χορός

μάταν μόχθος ἔρρει τέκνων,

ἆρα μάταν γένος φίλιον ἔτεκες, ὦ

κυανεᾶν λιποῦσα Συμπληγάδων

πετρᾶν ἀξενωτάταν ἐσβολάν;

δειλαία, τί σοι φρενῶν βαρὺς
1265

χόλος προσπίτνει καὶ δυσμενὴς

φόνος; ἀμείβεται

χαλεπὰ γὰρ βροτοῖς ὁμογενῆ μιά-

σματα ἐπὶ γαῖαν αὐτοφόνταις ξυνῳ-

δὰ θεόθεν πίτνοντ’ ἐπὶ δόμοις ἄχη.
1270

Παῖδες
ἔνδοθεν.

αἰαῖ.

1273

Χορός

—ἀκούεις βοὰν ἀκούεις τέκνων;

—ἰὼ τλᾶμον, ὦ κακοτυχὲς γύναι.

Παῖδες

—οἴμοι, τί δράσω; ποῖ φύγω μητρὸς χέρας;

—οὐκ οἶδ’, ἄδελφε φίλτατ’· ὀλλύμεσθα γάρ.

Χορός

παρέλθω δόμους; ἀρῆξαι φόνον
1275

δοκεῖ μοι τέκνοις.

Παῖδες

—ναί, πρὸς θεῶν, ἀρήξατ’· ἐν δέοντι γάρ.

—ὡς ἐγγὺς ἤδη γ’ ἐσμὲν ἀρκύων ξίφους.

Χορός

—τάλαιν’, ὡς ἄρ’ ἦσθα πέτρος ἢ σίδα-

ρος, ἅτις τέκνων
1280

ὃν ἔτεκες ἄροτον αὐτόχειρι μοίρᾳ κτενεῖς.

1282

Χορός

—μίαν δὴ κλύω μίαν τῶν πάρος

γυναῖκ’ ἐν φίλοις χέρα βαλεῖν τέκνοις·

Ἰνὼ μανεῖσαν ἐκ θεῶν, ὅθ’ ἡ Διὸς

δάμαρ νιν ἐξέπεμψε δωμάτων ἄλῃ·
1285

πίτνει δ’ ἁ τάλαιν’ ἐς ἅλμαν φόνῳ

τέκνων δυσσεβεῖ,

ἀκτῆς ὑπερτείνασα ποντίας πόδα,

δυοῖν τε παίδοιν συνθανοῦσ’ ἀπόλλυται.

τί δῆτ’ οὖν γένοιτ’ ἂν ἔτι δεινόν; ὦ
1290

γυναικῶν λέχος

πολύπονον, ὅσα βροτοῖς ἔρεξας ἤδη κακά.

Translations (2)

Medea Perseus (Euripides. The Plays of Euripides, Vol. I. Coleridge, Edward P., translator. London: George Bell and Sons, 1906.) — 1251-1290 focus

Chorus

O earth, O sun whose beam illumines all, look, look upon this lost woman, ere she stretch forth, her murderous hand upon her sons for blood;

for lo! these are scions of thy own golden seed, and the blood of gods is in danger of being shed by man. O light, from Zeus proceeding, stay her, hold her hand, forth from the house
1255

chase this fell bloody fiend by demons led.
1260

1261

Chorus

Vainly wasted were the throes thy children cost thee; vainly hast thou born, it seems, sweet babes, O thou who hast left behind thee that passage through the blue Symplegades, that strangers justly hate.

Ah! hapless one, why doth fierce anger thy soul assail? Why¹ in its place is fell murder growing up? For grievous unto mortal men are pollutions that come of kindred blood poured on the earth,
1265

woes to suit each crime hurled from heaven on the murderer’s house.
1270

Sons
within

Ah!²

1273

Chorus

Didst hear, didst hear the children’s cry? O lady, born to sorrow, victim of an evil fate!

³

1st Son

(within). Ah, me; what can I do? Whither fly to escape my mother’s blows?

⁴

2nd Son

(within). I know not, sweet brother mine; we are undone.

⁵

Chorus

Shall I enter the house? For the children’s sake I am resolved to ward off the murder.
1275

1st Son

(within). Yea, by heaven I adjure you; help, your aid is needed.

⁶

2nd Son

(within). Even now the toils of the sword are closing round us.

⁷

Chorus

O hapless mother, surely thou hast a heart of stone or steel

to slay the offspring of thy womb by such a murderous doom.
1280

1282

Chorus

Of all the wives of yore I know but one who laid her hand upon her children dear, even Ino,⁸ whom the gods did madden in the day

that the wife of Zeus drove her wandering from her home. But she, poor sufferer, flung herself into the sea because of the foul murder of her children, leaping o’er the wave-beat cliff, and in her death was she united to her children twain.
1285

Can there be any deed of horror left to follow this? Woe for the wooing of women fraught with disaster! What sorrows hast thou caused for men ere now!
1290

Medea (OCR draft) Experimental (Medea. Robert Potter's English verse translation, first published in 1781–1783; text from the 1808 Oxford printing.)

No corresponding passage available

Euripides Medea 1261

Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Der eine Sohn

Weh, was beginn' ich? Wie entfliehn der Mutter Hand?

Der andere Sohn

Ich weiß es nicht, mein Bruder; sterben müssen wir.
1245

Chor.

Current edition Experimental

Παῖδες
ἔνδοθεν.

αἰαῖ.

Χορός

—ἀκούεις βοὰν ἀκούεις τέκνων;

—ἰὼ τλᾶμον, ὦ κακοτυχὲς γύναι.

Παῖδες

—οἴμοι, τί δράσω; ποῖ φύγω μητρὸς χέρας;

—οὐκ οἶδ’, ἄδελφε φίλτατ’· ὀλλύμεσθα γάρ.

Χορός

παρέλθω δόμους; ἀρῆξαι φόνον
1275

δοκεῖ μοι τέκνοις.

Παῖδες

—ναί, πρὸς θεῶν, ἀρήξατ’· ἐν δέοντι γάρ.

—ὡς ἐγγὺς ἤδη γ’ ἐσμὲν ἀρκύων ξίφους.

Χορός

—τάλαιν’, ὡς ἄρ’ ἦσθα πέτρος ἢ σίδα-

ρος, ἅτις τέκνων
1280

ὃν ἔτεκες ἄροτον αὐτόχειρι μοίρᾳ κτενεῖς.

Sons
within

Ah!²

Chorus

Didst hear, didst hear the children’s cry? O lady, born to sorrow, victim of an evil fate!

³

1st Son

(within). Ah, me; what can I do? Whither fly to escape my mother’s blows?

⁴

2nd Son

(within). I know not, sweet brother mine; we are undone.

⁵

Chorus

Shall I enter the house? For the children’s sake I am resolved to ward off the murder.
1275

1st Son

(within). Yea, by heaven I adjure you; help, your aid is needed.

⁶

2nd Son

(within). Even now the toils of the sword are closing round us.

⁷

Chorus

O hapless mother, surely thou hast a heart of stone or steel

to slay the offspring of thy womb by such a murderous doom.
1280

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Der eine Sohn Weh, was beginn' ich? Wie entfliehn der Mutter Hand?

Der andere Sohn Ich weiß es nicht, mein Bruder; sterben müssen wir. 1245

Chor.

Current edition Experimental

Παῖδες ἔνδοθεν. αἰαῖ.

Χορός —ἀκούεις βοὰν ἀκούεις τέκνων; —ἰὼ τλᾶμον, ὦ κακοτυχὲς γύναι.

Παῖδες —οἴμοι, τί δράσω; ποῖ φύγω μητρὸς χέρας; —οὐκ οἶδ’, ἄδελφε φίλτατ’· ὀλλύμεσθα γάρ.

Χορός παρέλθω δόμους; ἀρῆξαι φόνον 1275 δοκεῖ μοι τέκνοις.

Παῖδες —ναί, πρὸς θεῶν, ἀρήξατ’· ἐν δέοντι γάρ. —ὡς ἐγγὺς ἤδη γ’ ἐσμὲν ἀρκύων ξίφους.

Χορός —τάλαιν’, ὡς ἄρ’ ἦσθα πέτρος ἢ σίδα- ρος, ἅτις τέκνων 1280 ὃν ἔτεκες ἄροτον αὐτόχειρι μοίρᾳ κτενεῖς.

Sons within Ah! 2

Chorus Didst hear, didst hear the children’s cry? O lady, born to sorrow, victim of an evil fate! 3

1st Son (within). Ah, me; what can I do? Whither fly to escape my mother’s blows? 4

2nd Son (within). I know not, sweet brother mine; we are undone. 5

Chorus Shall I enter the house? For the children’s sake I am resolved to ward off the murder. 1275

1st Son (within). Yea, by heaven I adjure you; help, your aid is needed. 6

2nd Son (within). Even now the toils of the sword are closing round us. 7

Chorus O hapless mother, surely thou hast a heart of stone or steel to slay the offspring of thy womb by such a murderous doom. 1280

Stable identifiers

Der eine Sohn

Weh, was beginn' ich? Wie entfliehn der Mutter Hand?

Der andere Sohn

Ich weiß es nicht, mein Bruder; sterben müssen wir.
1245

Παῖδες
ἔνδοθεν.

αἰαῖ.

Χορός

—ἀκούεις βοὰν ἀκούεις τέκνων;

—ἰὼ τλᾶμον, ὦ κακοτυχὲς γύναι.

Παῖδες

—οἴμοι, τί δράσω; ποῖ φύγω μητρὸς χέρας;

—οὐκ οἶδ’, ἄδελφε φίλτατ’· ὀλλύμεσθα γάρ.

Χορός

παρέλθω δόμους; ἀρῆξαι φόνον
1275

δοκεῖ μοι τέκνοις.

Παῖδες

—ναί, πρὸς θεῶν, ἀρήξατ’· ἐν δέοντι γάρ.

—ὡς ἐγγὺς ἤδη γ’ ἐσμὲν ἀρκύων ξίφους.

Χορός

—τάλαιν’, ὡς ἄρ’ ἦσθα πέτρος ἢ σίδα-

ρος, ἅτις τέκνων
1280

ὃν ἔτεκες ἄροτον αὐτόχειρι μοίρᾳ κτενεῖς.

Sons
within

Ah!²

Chorus

Didst hear, didst hear the children’s cry? O lady, born to sorrow, victim of an evil fate!

³

1st Son

(within). Ah, me; what can I do? Whither fly to escape my mother’s blows?

⁴

2nd Son

(within). I know not, sweet brother mine; we are undone.

⁵

Chorus

Shall I enter the house? For the children’s sake I am resolved to ward off the murder.
1275

1st Son

(within). Yea, by heaven I adjure you; help, your aid is needed.

⁶

2nd Son

(within). Even now the toils of the sword are closing round us.

⁷

Chorus

O hapless mother, surely thou hast a heart of stone or steel

to slay the offspring of thy womb by such a murderous doom.
1280