Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris, Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator), 868

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Grauses erkühnt' ich Elende mich, grauser That, grauser

Weh mir!

That,

Entslohn wårst du kaum ruchlosem Untergang,

Bruder, von meinen Hånden graunvoll erwürgt.

Welches Ende folgt auf dieses?

Welches Schicksal wird mein Loos sein?
840

Was sinn' ich dir aus, auf welchem Pfad send' ich dich

Von hier, frei von Tod, in's Land Argos heim,

Eh' hier dein Leben dem Stahle verfällt?

Das, das ist es, o armes Herz,¹

Was du mir ausspåhn mußt,
845

Ob du zu Lande, nicht im Schiffe,

Ob du mit eilendem Fuß

Dich gibst in den Tod, wenn du Stämme der Barbaren

Und unwegsame Wege durchziehst; durch kyanische Felsen

Den Engpaß hindurch, dehnt für die Flucht sich, traun,
850

Der Meerpfad zu weit.

Ich Arme, ich Arme!

Wer, ob es ein Gott, ob ein Sterblicher sei,

Welch glucklicher Zufall

Entwirrt den verworrenen Pfad,²
855

Zeigt uns, die noch allein leben von Atreus' Stamm,

Aus Noth Rettung an?

Chor.

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)) — 1089-1151 focus

Χορός

ὄρνις, ἃ παρὰ πετρίνας

πόντου δειράδας, ἀλκυών,
1090

ἔλεγον οἶτον ἀείδεις,

εὐξύνετον ξυνετοῖς βοάν,

ὅτι πόσιν κελαδεῖς ἀεὶ μολπαῖς,

ἐγώ σοι παραβάλλομαι

θρήνους, ἄπτερος ὅρνις,
1095

ποθοῦσʼ Ἑλλάνων ἀγόρους,

ποθοῦσʼ Ἄρτεμιν λοχίαν,

ἃ παρὰ Κύνθιον ὄχθον οἰ-

κεῖ φοίνικά θʼ ἁβροκόμαν

δάφναν τʼ εὐερνέα καὶ
1100

γλαυκᾶς θαλλὸν ἱερὸν ἐλαί-

ας, Λατοῦς ὠδῖνα φίλαν,

λίμναν θʼ εἱλίσσουσαν ὕδωρ

κύκλιον, ἔνθα κύκνος μελῳ-

δὸς Μούσας θεραπεύει.
1105

1106

Χορός

ὦ πολλαὶ δακρύων λιβάδες,

αἳ παρηίδας εἰς ἐμὰς

ἔπεσον, ἁνίκα πύργων

ὀλομένων ἐν ναυσὶν ἔβαν

πολεμίων ἐρετμοῖσι καὶ λόγχαις.
1110

ζαχρύσου δὲ διʼ ἐμπολᾶς

νόστον βάρβαρον ἦλθον,

ἔνθα τᾶς ἐλαφοκτόνου

θεᾶς ἀμφίπολον κόραν

παῖδʼ Ἀγαμεμνονίαν λατρεύ-
1115

ω βωμούς τʼ οὐ μηλοθύτας,

ζηλοῦσʼ ἄταν διὰ παν-

τὸς δυσδαίμονʼ· ἐν γὰρ ἀνάγ-

καις οὐ κάμνεις σύντροφος ὤν.

μεταβάλλει δυσδαιμονία·
1120

τὸ δὲ μετʼ εὐτυχίας κακοῦ-

σθαι θνατοῖς βαρὺς αἰών.

1123

Χορός

καὶ σὲ μέν, πότνιʼ, Ἀργεία

πεντηκόντορος οἶκον ἄξει·

συρίζων θʼ ὁ κηροδέτας
1125

κάλαμος οὐρείου Πανὸς

κώπαις ἐπιθωΰξει,

ὁ Φοῖβός θʼ ὁ μάντις ἔχων

κέλαδον ἑπτατόνου λύρας

ἀείδων ἄξει λιπαρὰν
1130

εὖ σʼ Ἀθηναίων ἐπὶ γᾶν.

ἐμὲ δʼ αὐτοῦ λιποῦσα

βήσῃ ῥοθίοισι πλάταις·

ἀέρι δὲ ἱστία πρότονοι κατὰ πρῷραν ὑ-

πὲρ στόλον ἐκπετάσουσι πόδα
1135

ναὸς ὠκυπόμπου.

1138

Χορός

λαμπροὺς ἱπποδρόμους βαίην,

ἔνθʼ εὐάλιον ἔρχεται πῦρ·

οἰκείων δʼ ὑπὲρ θαλάμων
1140

πτέρυγας ἐν νώτοις ἁμοῖς

λήξαιμι θοάζουσα·

χοροῖς δʼ ἑσταίην, ὅθι καὶ

παρθένος, εὐδοκίμων γάμων,

παρὰ πόδʼ εἱλίσσουσα φίλας
1145

ματρὸς ἡλίκων θιάσους,

χαρίτων εἰς ἁμίλλας,

χαίτας ἁβρόπλουτον ἔριν,

ὀρνυμένα, πολυποίκιλα φάρεα

καὶ πλοκάμους περιβαλλομένα
1150

γένυσιν ἐσκίαζον.

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.)) — 1089-1150 focus

Chorus

Halcyon bird, you that sing your fate as a lament

beside the rocky ridges of the sea, a cry easily understood by the wise, that you are always chanting for your husband; I, wingless bird that I am, compare
1090

my laments with yours, in my longing for the festivals of Hellas , and for Artemis of childbirth, who dwells beside the Cynthian mountain and the palm with delicate leaves
1095

and the well-grown laurel and the holy shoot of gray-green olive, Leto’s dear child, and the lake that rolls about its ripples, where the melodious swan
1100

serves the Muses.
1105

1106

Chorus

O streams of tears that fell onto my cheeks, when my city was destroyed and the enemy forced me to sail,

by their oars, by their spears! Purchased by gold, I came to a barbarian home, where I serve Agamemnon’s daughter,
1110

the attendant maid of the deer-killing goddess, and the altars where no sheep are sacrificed; and I envy ruin that is wretched throughout, for when you are brought up in harsh necessity, you do not suffer.
1115

Misery changes; life is hard for mortals, when they are treated badly after happiness.
1120

1123

Chorus

And you, lady, the Argive penteconter will bear you home;

the wax-bound reed of the mountain god Pan, piping, will shout to the oars, and Phoebus the prophet, with the ring of his seven-stringed lyre,
1125

singing, will guide you well to the gleaming land of the Athenians. Leaving me here, you will go with splashing oars. In the breeze, the forestays of the ship that carries you swiftly
1130

will spread out over the front beyond the prow.
1135

1138

Chorus

May I come to the bright race-course, where the sun’s fire goes;

over the chambers of my home, may I cease to flutter the wings on my back. May I take my stand in the dances of glorious marriages, where I stood as a maiden,
1140

twirling about in the dancing bands of other girls, away from my dear mother; rushing on to the contest of charms, the luxuriant strife of hair, I covered my cheeks with the multi-colored veil
1145

and shadowed them with the locks of my hair.
1150

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.] L. τόδε, τόδ', ὦ μελέα ψυχά.

2. [OCR note; compare the printed page.] L. ἄπορον πόρον ἐξανύσας.

Euripides Iphigenia in Tauris 868

Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator)

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Chor.

Current edition Experimental

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