Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris, Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator), 392

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Blauliches Meer, blauliche, brandende Meeresenge,¹
380

Wo, von der Bremse gestachelt, im Fluge sich²

Jo zum Eureinosstrudel von Argos herschwang,

Zu des asischen Landes Gauen floh von Europa!

Wer sind die Männer, die dem rohrumgrûnten Strom,

Eurotas' Flut, entschifft
385

Und den heiligen Wassern Dirka's,

Gekommen, gekommen zum grausen Lande, wo die hehre

Jungfrau den Altar³

Und ihr såulenumringtes Haus

Nezt mit menschlichem Blute?
390
Erste Gegenstrophe.

Iphigenia in Tauris. Euripides. Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator). . .

Current edition Experimental

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1845; OCR review) (OCR draft) (German) (Euripides. Deutsch in den Versmaßen der Urschrift. Volume 2, Heidelberg: C. F. Winter, 1845. 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)

Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Ταύροις Perseus (Euripides. Euripidis Fabulae, Vol. II. Murray, Gilbert, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913. (Reprinted 1921-1962)) — 392-455 focus

Χορός

κυάνεαι κυάνεαι

σύνοδοι θαλάσσας, ἵνʼ οἶ-

στρος ὁ πετόμενος Ἀργόθεν ἄ-

ξενον ἐπʼ οἶδμα διεπέρασεν —
395

Ἀσιήτιδα γαῖαν

Εὐρώπας διαμείψας.

τίνες ποτʼ ἄρα τὸν εὔυδρον δονακόχλοα

λιπόντες Εὐρώταν ἢ
400

ῥεύματα σεμνὰ Δίρκας

ἔβασαν ἔβασαν ἄμεικτον αἶαν, ἔνθα κούρᾳ

δίᾳ τέγγει

βωμοὺς καὶ περικίονας
405

ναοὺς αἷμα βρότειον;

407

Χορός

ἦ ῥοθίοις εἰλατίνας

δικρότοισι κώπας ἔπλευ-

σαν ἐπὶ πόντια κύματα, νά-

ιον ὄχημα λινοπόροις αὔραις,
410

φιλόπλουτον ἅμιλλαν

αὔξοντες μελάθροισιν;

φίλα γὰρ ἐλπίς γʼ, ἐπί τε πήμασιν βροτῶν

ἄπληστος ἀνθρώποις, ὄλ-
415

βου βάρος οἳ φέρονται

πλάνητες ἐπʼ οἶδμα πόλεις τε βαρβάρους περῶντες,

κοινᾷ δόξᾳ·

γνώμα δʼ οἷς μὲν ἄκαιρος ὄλ-

βου, τοῖς δʼ ἐς μέσον ἥκει.
420

421

Χορός

πῶς πέτρας τὰς συνδρομάδας,

πῶς Φινεϊδᾶν ἀΰ-

πνους ἀκτὰς ἐπέρασαν

παρʼ ἅλιον

αἰγιαλὸν ἐπʼ Ἀμφιτρί-
425

τας ῥοθίῳ δραμόντες,

ὅπου πεντήκοντα κορᾶν

Νηρῄδων χοροὶ

μέλπουσιν ἐγκύκλιοι,

πλησιστίοισι πνοαῖς
430

συριζόντων κατὰ πρύμναν

εὐναίων πηδαλίων

αὔραις σὺν νοτίαις

ἢ πνεύμασι Ζεφύρου,

τὰν πολυόρνιθον ἐπʼ αἶ-
435

αν, λευκὰν ἀκτάν, Ἀχιλῆ-

ος δρόμους καλλισταδίους,

ἄξεινον κατὰ πόντον;

439

Χορός

εἴθʼ εὐχαῖσιν δεσποσύνοις

Λήδας Ἑλένα φίλα

παῖς ἐλθοῦσα τύχοι τὰν
440

Τρῳάδα λι-

ποῦσα πόλιν, ἵνʼ ἀμφὶ χαί-

τᾳ δρόσον αἱματηρὰν

ἑλιχθεῖσα λαιμοτόμῳ

δεσποίνας χειρὶ θάνοι
445

ποινὰς δοῦσʼ ἀντιπάλους.

ἁδίσταν δʼ ἀγγελίαν

δεξαίμεσθʼ, Ἑλλάδος ἐκ γᾶς

πλωτήρων εἴ τις ἔβα,

δουλείας ἐμέθεν
450

δειλαίας παυσίπονος·

κἀν γὰρ ὀνείροισι συνεί-

ην δόμοις πόλει τε πατρῴ-

ᾳ, τερπνῶν ὕπνων ἀπόλαυ-

σιν, κοινὰν χάριν ὄλβου.
455

Translations (2)

Iphigenia Among the Tauri Perseus (Euripides. The Plays of Euripides, Vol. II. Coleridge, Edward P., translator. London: George Bell and Sons, 1891. (Modernized by Perseus.)) — 392-455 focus

Chorus

Dark straits of the sea, dark, where the gadfly flying from Argos

crossed over the inhospitable wave . . . taking the Asian land in exchange for Europe . Whoever are the ones who left the lovely waters
395

of Eurotas, green with reeds, or the holy streams of Dirce, to come here, to come to the unsociable land, where, for the divine maiden, the blood of mortals stains
400

the altars and columned temples?
405

407

Chorus

Did they sail the pine-wood oars with double beat of surge, over the waves of the sea,

a chariot of a ship in breezes that move the linen sails, to increase the contest of wealth for their halls? For hope is sweet, and
410

insatiable in mortals, to their hurt, for those who bear away the weight of wealth, wandering over the wave and crossing to barbarian cities, with one expectation. But thought of wealth comes at the wrong time for some,
415

while for others it comes moderately.
420

421

Chorus

The rocks that rush together, the sleepless shores of Phineus—how did they cross them, running along the salty coast

on Amphitrite’s surge, where the fifty daughters of Nereus . . . the circular choruses sing,
425

with wind in the sails, the guiding rudder creaking under the stern, with southern breezes or by the blasts of the west wind,
430

to the land of many birds, the white strand, Achilles’ lovely race-course, over the Black Sea ?
435

439

Chorus

Would that, by my mistress’ prayers, Helen, Leda’s dear child,

might happen to leave Troy and come here, where she might die, crowned over her hair by the bloody water,
440

her throat cut by the hands of my mistress, and so pay her requital. But what a sweet message I should receive, if a sailor came from Hellas ,
445

to put an end to my wretched slavery! For may I even in dreams be at home and in my ancestral city, the enjoyment of pleasant sleep,
450

a grace we have in common with prosperity.
455

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

No corresponding passage available

Notes on the current edition

Iphigenia in Tauris

1. [OCR note; compare the printed page.] Die bläuliche Meeresenge, der thrakische Bospогов.

2. [OCR note; compare the printed page.] L. ἵν' οἶςρος ὁ ποτώμενος ᾿Αργόθεν Εὔξενον ἐπ᾿ οἶδμα διεπέρασεν Ἰῶς. Io, die Tochter des Flußgottes Inachos, wurde von Zeus, der sie den Augen Here's entziehen wollte, in eine Kuh verwandelt. Aber die eifersüchtige Göttin erbat sich die Kuh zum Geschenke, und nachdem ihr hundertäugiger Wächter, Argos, durch Hermes getödtet war, sandte sie ihr eine Bremse, die samt dem Schatten des Argos sie auf dem ganzen Erdkreise umhertrieb. Jo schwamm über den thrakischen Bosporos nach Asien.

3. [OCR note; compare the printed page.] 2. δία τέγγει.

Euripides Iphigenia in Tauris 392

Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator)

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