Euripides Ion 41

ed. Gilbert Murray

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κυρεῖ δʼ ἅμʼ ἱππεύοντος ἡλίου κύκλῳ
προφῆτις ἐσβαίνουσα μαντεῖον θεοῦ·
ὄψιν δὲ προσβαλοῦσα παιδὶ νηπίῳ
ἐθαύμασʼ εἴ τις Δελφίδων τλαίη κόρη
λαθραῖον ὠδῖνʼ ἐς θεοῦ ῥῖψαι δόμον,
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ὑπέρ τε θυμέλας διορίσαι πρόθυμος ἦν·
οἴκτῳ δʼ ἀφῆκεν ὠμότητα — καὶ θεὸς
συνεργὸς ἦν τῷ παιδὶ μὴ ʼκπεσεῖν δόμων —
τρέφει δέ νιν λαβοῦσα. τὸν σπείραντα δὲ
οὐκ οἶδε Φοῖβον οὐδὲ μητέρʼ ἧς ἔφυ,
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ὁ παῖς τε τοὺς τεκόντας οὐκ ἐπίσταται.
νέος μὲν οὖν ὢν ἀμφὶ βωμίους τροφὰς
ἠλᾶτʼ ἀθύρων· ὡς δʼ ἀπηνδρώθη δέμας,
Δελφοί σφʼ ἔθεντο χρυσοφύλακα τοῦ θεοῦ
ταμίαν τε πάντων πιστόν, ἐν δʼ ἀνακτόροις
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θεοῦ καταζῇ δεῦρʼ ἀεὶ σεμνὸν βίον.
Κρέουσα δʼ ἡ τεκοῦσα τὸν νεανίαν
Ξούθῳ γαμεῖται συμφορᾶς τοιᾶσδʼ ὕπο·
ἦν ταῖς Ἀθήναις τοῖς τε Χαλκωδοντίδαις,
οἳ γῆν ἔχουσʼ Εὐβοῖδα, πολέμιος κλύδων·
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ὃν συμπονήσας καὶ συνεξελὼν δορὶ
γάμων Κρεούσης ἀξίωμʼ ἐδέξατο,
οὐκ ἐγγενὴς ὤν, Αἰόλου δὲ τοῦ Διὸς
γεγὼς Ἀχαιός. χρόνια δὲ σπείρας λέχη
ἄτεκνός ἐστι, καὶ Κρέουσʼ· ὧν οὕνεκα
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ἥκουσι πρὸς μαντεῖʼ Ἀπόλλωνος τάδε
ἔρωτι παίδων. Λοξίας δὲ τὴν τύχην
ἐς τοῦτʼ ἐλαύνει, κοὐ λέληθεν, ὡς δοκεῖ.
δώσει γὰρ εἰσελθόντι μαντεῖον τόδε
Ξούθῳ τὸν αὑτοῦ παῖδα, καὶ πεφυκέναι
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κείνου σφε φήσει, μητρὸς ὡς ἐλθὼν δόμους
γνωσθῇ Κρεούσῃ, καὶ γάμοι τε Λοξίου
κρυπτοὶ γένωνται παῖς τʼ ἔχῃ τὰ πρόσφορα.
Ἴωνα δʼ αὐτόν, κτίστορʼ Ἀσιάδος χθονός,
ὄνομα κεκλῆσθαι θήσεται καθʼ Ἑλλάδα.
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ἀλλʼ ἐς δαφνώδη γύαλα βήσομαι τάδε,
τὸ κρανθὲν ὡς ἂν ἐκμάθω παιδὸς πέρι.
ὁρῶ γὰρ ἐκβαίνοντα Λοξίου γόνον
τόνδʼ, ὡς πρὸ ναοῦ λαμπρὰ θῇ πυλώματα
δάφνης κλάδοισιν. ὄνομα δʼ, οὗ μέλλει τυχεῖν,
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Ἴωνʼ ἐγώ νιν πρῶτος ὀνομάζω θεῶν.

Ion. Euripides. ed. Gilbert Murray. Oxford. 1913.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Ἴων (Greek) (Euripides. Euripidis Fabulae, Vol. II. Murray, Gilbert, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913. (Reprinted 1921-1962))

Editions (3)
Ion, Greek text (M. A. Bayfield, 1924) (OCR draft) Experimental (The Greek text and dramatic structure of M. A. Bayfield's second edition of 1924 (first edition 1889), aligned by line to the Murray reference edition.)

No corresponding passage available

Ion, Greek text (A. W. Verrall, 1890) (OCR draft) Experimental (The Greek text and dramatic structure of A. W. Verrall's 1890 edition, aligned by line to the Murray reference edition.)

No corresponding passage available

Ion, Greek text (Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, 1926) (OCR draft) Experimental (Wilamowitz's 1926 Greek edition with its critical apparatus, aligned by line to the Murray reference edition.)

No corresponding passage available

Translations (4)
Ion Perseus (Euripides. The Plays of Euripides, Vol. I. Coleridge, Edward P., translator. London: George Bell and Sons, 1906.) — 41 focus
But just as the sun-god was starting forth to run his course, a priestess chanced to enter the god’s shrine; and when her eyes lit upon the tender babe she thought it strange that any Delphian maid
should dare to cast her child of shame down at the temple of the god; wherefore her purpose was to remove him beyond the altar, but from pity she renounced her cruel thought, and the god to help his child did second her pity to save the babe from being cast out. So she took and brought him up,
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but she knew not that Phoebus was his sire nor of the mother that bare him, nor yet did the child know his parents. While yet he was a child, around the altar that fed him he would ramble at his play, but when he came to man’s estate, the Delphians made him treasurer of the god
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and steward of all his store, and found him true, and so until the present day he leads a holy life in the god’s temple. Meantime Creusa, mother of this youth, is wedded to Xuthus; and thus it came to pass; a war broke out ’twixt Athens and the folk of Chalcodon
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who dwell in the land of Euboea; and Xuthus took part therein and helped to end it, for which he received the hand of Creusa as his guerdon, albeit he was no native, but an Achaean, sprung from Aeolus, the son of Zeus; and after many years of wedded life
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he and Creusa still are childless; wherefore they are come to this oracle of Apollo in their desire for offspring. To this end is Loxias guiding their destiny nor hath it escaped his ken, as some suppose. For when Xuthus enters this shrine,
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the god will give him his own son and declare that Xuthus is the sire, that so the boy may come to his mother’s home and be acknowledged by Creusa, while the marriage of Loxias remains a secret and the child obtains his rights; and he shall cause him to be called Ion, founder of a realm in Asia,
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through all the breadth of Hellas . But now will I get me to yon grotto ’neath the laurel’s shade that I may learn what is decreed about the child. For I see the son of Loxias now coming forth to cleanse the gateway in front of the temple
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with boughs of laurel. I greet him first of all the gods by his name Ion which he soon shall bear.
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Ion (OCR draft) Experimental (Ion. Robert Potter's English verse translation, first published in 1781–1783; text from the 1808 Oxford printing.)

No corresponding passage available

Ion, English translation (A. W. Verrall, 1890) (OCR draft) Experimental (A. W. Verrall's English verse translation, passage-aligned to the Murray reference edition.)

No corresponding passage available

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1852; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (Euripides. Deutsch in den Versmaßen der Urschrift. Volume 3, Heidelberg: C. F. Winter, 1852. 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.) — 41 focus
Doch als die Sonne himmelan die Rosse trieb,
Betritt Apollons Heiligthum die Priesterin,
Und auf den zarten Knaben traf ihr heller Blick.
Sie staunte, daß ein Delphermädchen sich erkühnt,
In's Gotteshaus zu legen solch geheime Frucht.
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Ihn wegzuschaffen denkt sie schon vom heil'gen Ort;
Doch mild Erbarmen überwand die Grausamkeit,
Und Phobos wehrte, daß der Sohn verstoßen ward.
Sie nahm den Säugling, zog ihn auf und ahnte nicht,
Daß Phobos Vater, oder wer die Mutter sei,
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Und auch der Knabe selber weiß um Beides nicht.
Ein Kind noch, schwärmt' er spielend um die nährenden 1
Altar' Apollons; als er drauf zum Manne ward,
Bestellten Delphi's Bürger ihn, des Gottes Gold
Zu huten und für Alles treuer Hort zu sein,
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Und heilig lebt' er allezeit im Gotteshaus.
Kreusa, seine Mutter, ward dem Xuthos nun
Vermählt; doch also knupfte sich der Ehe Band:
Das Volk Athene's und Chalkodons Bürger, die 2
Im Land Eubda's wohnen, faßt' ein Kriegessturm,
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Den mitbestehend und den Feind bewältigend
Die Hand Kreusa's er gewann als Ehrenlohn,
Obwohl ein Fremdling; denn er stammt von Aeolos,
Zeus' Sohn, und ist Achåer. Lange schon vermählt,
Sind kinderlos die Beiden. Darum kamen sie
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Hierher zu Phobos' Sehersiz, verlangend wohl
Nach süßen Kindern. Phobos lenkt, so scheint es, selbst
Also das Schicksal und vergaß des Sohnes nicht.
Er wird dem Xuthos, wenn er dieses Haus betritt,
Den eignen Knaben schenken, wird des Xuthos Sohn
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Ihn nennen, daß Kreusa, wenn in's Mutterhaus
Er kommt, ihn anerkenn' und Phobos' Liebestrug
Verborgen bleibe, während ihm sein Erbe wird.
Und Ion, Gründer eines Reichs in Asia, 3
So will's Apollon, heißt er einst in Hellas' Volk.
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Doch nach den Lorbeergrotten wend' ich nun den Schritt,
Zu sehen, wie sich låsen wird des Junglings Loos.
Denn schon hervorgehn seh' ich dort des Phobos Sohn,
Mit grünen Lorbeerreisern hier des Tempels Hof
Zu saubern. Mit dem Namen, den er tragen wird,
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„Ion" begrüß ich von den Göttern ihn zuerst.
(er geht in den Lorbeerhain.) (tritt aus dem Tempel.)