Euripides, Helen, Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator), 167

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Ihr beschwingten jugendlichen Töchter Ge's, jungfrauliche

Sirenen! Daß ihr meinem Schmerz mit Libya's Rohrfldten, mit

Syringen nahtet, unversiegende

Thränen zollend meinem Leide, Lied um Lied und Klag' um

Klage;

Daß Persephassa Trauersangeschdre,
170

Zu meinem Grame stimmend,

Sendet'! Ich sång', ihre Wonne, Lieder

Um die Todten unter Zähren ihr hinab in's Haus der Nacht.

Der Chor tritt auf. Erste Gegenstrophe.

Der Chor.

Helen. 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)

Ἑλένη Perseus (Euripides. Euripidis Fabulae, Vol. III. Murray, Gilbert, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913. (Reprinted 1920-1978)) — 164-251 focus

Ἑλένη

ὤ, μεγάλων ἀχέων καταβαλλομένα μέγαν οἶκτον

ποῖον ἁμιλλαθῶ γόον; ἢ τίνα μοῦσαν ἐπέλθω
165

δάκρυσιν ἢ θρήνοις ἢ πένθεσιν; αἰαῖ.

167

Ἑλένη

πτεροφόροι νεάνιδες,

παρθένοι Χθονὸς κόραι

Σειρῆνες, εἴθʼ ἐμοῖς γόοις

μόλοιτʼ ἔχουσαι Λίβυν
170

λωτὸν ἢ σύριγγας ἢ

φόρμιγγας, αἰλίνοις κακοῖς

τοῖς ἐμοῖσι σύνοχα δάκρυα·

πάθεσι πάθεα, μέλεσι μέλεα,

μουσεῖα θρηνήμα-

σι ξυνῳδὰ πέμψειε

Φερσέφασσα
175

φόνια, χάριτας ἵνʼ ἐπὶ δάκρυσι

παρʼ ἐμέθεν ὑπὸ μέλαθρα νύχια

παιᾶνα

νέκυσιν ὀλομένοις λάβῃ.

179

Χορός

κυανοειδὲς ἀμφʼ ὕδωρ

ἔτυχον ἕλικά τʼ ἀνὰ χλόαν
180

φοίνικας ἁλίου πέπλους

αὐγαῖσιν ἐν χρυσέαις

ἀμφὶ δόνακος ἔρνεσιν

θάλπουσα· ποτνίας δʼ ἐμᾶς,

ἔνθεν οἰκτρὸν ἀνεβόασεν,

ὅμαδον ἔκλυον, ἄλυρον ἔλεγον,
185

ὅτι ποτʼ ἔλακεν αἰάγμα-

σι στένουσα, Νύμφα τις

οἷα Ναῒς

ὄρεσι φυγάδα νόμον ἱεῖσα

γοερόν, ὑπὸ δὲ πέτρινα γύαλα

κλαγγαῖσι

Πανὸς ἀναβοᾷ γάμους.
190

191

Ἑλένη

ἰὼ ἰώ·

θήραμα βαρβάρου πλάτας,

Ἑλλανίδες κόραι,

ναύτας Ἀχαιῶν

τις ἔμολεν ἔμολε δάκρυα δάκρυσί μοι φέρων.
195

Ἰλίου κατασκαφαὶ

πυρὶ μέλουσι δαΐῳ

διʼ ἐμὲ τὰν πολυκτόνον,

διʼ ἐμὸν ὄνομα πολύπονον.

Λήδα δʼ ἐν ἀγχόναις
200

θάνατον ἔλαβεν αἰσχύ-

νας ἐμᾶς ὑπʼ ἀλγέων.

ὁ δʼ ἐμὸς ἐν ἁλὶ πολυπλανὴς

πόσις ὀλόμενος οἴχεται,

κάστορός τε συγγόνου τε
205

διδυμογενὲς ἄγαλμα πατρίδος

ἀφανὲς ἀφανὲς ἱππόκροτα λέ-

λοιπε δάπεδα γυμνάσιά τε

δονακόεντος Εὐρώ-
210

τα, νεανιᾶν πόνον.

211

Χορός

αἰαῖ αἰαῖ·

ὦ δαίμονος πολυστόνου

μοίρας τε σᾶς, γύναι.

αἰὼν δυσαίων

τις ἔλαχεν ἔλαχεν, ὅτε σʼ ἐτέκετο ματρόθεν

χιονόχρως κύκνου πτερῷ
215

Ζεὺς πρέπων διʼ αἰθέρος·

τί γὰρ ἄπεστί σοι κακῶν;

τίνα δὲ βίοτον οὐκ ἔτλας;

μάτηρ μὲν οἴχεται,

δίδυμά τε Διὸς οὐκ εὐ-
220

δαιμονεῖ τέκεα φίλα,

χθόνα δὲ πάτριον οὐχ ὁρᾷς,

διὰ δὲ πόλεας ἔρχεται

βάξις, ἅ σε βαρβάροισι,

πότνια, παραδίδωσι λέχεσιν,
225

ὁ δὲ σὸς ἐν ἁλὶ κύμασί τε λέ-

λοιπε βίοτον, οὐδέ ποτʼ ἔτι

πάτρια μέλαθρα καὶ τὰν

Χαλκίοικον ὀλβιεῖς.

229

Ἑλένη

φεῦ φεῦ, τίς ἢ Φρυγῶν

ἢ τίς Ἑλλανίας ἀπὸ χθονὸς
230

ἔτεμε τὰν δακρυόεσσαν

Ἰλίῳ πεύκαν;

ἔνθεν ὀλόμενον σκάφος

συναρμόσας ὁ Πριαμίδας

ἔπλευσε βαρβάρῳ πλάτᾳ

τὰν ἐμὰν ἐφʼ ἑστίαν,
235

ἐπὶ τὸ δυστυχέστατον

κάλλος, ὡς ἕλοι, γάμων

ἀμῶν· ἅ τε δόλιος

ἁ πολυκτόνος Κύπρις

Δαναΐδαις ἄγουσα θάνατον Πριαμίδαις,

ὦ τάλαινα συμφορᾶς.
240

ἁ δὲ χρυσέοις θρόνοις

Διὸς ὑπαγκάλισμα σεμνὸν

Ἥρα τὸν ὠκύπουν

ἔπεμψε Μαιάδος γόνον·

ὅς με χλοερὰ δρεπομέναν

ἔσω πέπλων ῥόδεα πέταλα,
245

Χαλκίοικον ὡς Ἀθάναν μόλοιμʼ,

ἀναρπάσας διʼ αἰθέρος

τάνδε γαῖαν εἰς ἄνολβον

ἔριν ἔριν τάλαιναν ἔθετο

Πριαμίδαισιν Ἑλλάδος.

τὸ δʼ ἐμὸν ὄνομα

παρὰ Σιμουντίοις ῥοαῖσι
250

μαψίδιον ἔχει φάτιν.

Translations (2)

Helen Perseus (Euripides. The Plays of Euripides, Vol. I. Coleridge, Edward P., translator. London: George Bell and Sons, 1906. (Modernized by Perseus.)) — 164-250 focus

Exit Teucer.

Helen

Oh, as I begin the great lament of my great distress,

what mourning shall I strive to utter? or what Muse shall I approach with tears or songs of death or woe? Alas!
165

167

Helen

Winged maidens, virgin daughters of Earth, the Sirens, may you come to my mourning

with Libyan flute or pipe or lyre, tears to match my plaintive woes; grief for grief and mournful chant for chant, may Persephone send choirs of death
170

in harmony with my lamentation, so that she may receive as thanks from me, in addition to my tears, a paean for the departed dead beneath her gloomy roof.
175

179

Chorus

Beside the deep-blue water

and on the tangled grass, I happened to be drying purple robes in the sun’s golden blaze near the young reed shoots; from my mistress, from where she cried aloud her misery,
180

I heard a sound, a mournful song not fit for the lyre, because she was then shrieking, lamenting with her wails; just as a Naiad nymph, who sends a song of woe ringing over the hills, cries out, under the rocky hollows, with screams
185

at the rape of Pan.
190

191

Helen

Oh! Oh! Maidens of Hellas , the prey of barbarian sailors! An Achaean sailor

came, he came bringing tears upon tears to me. Ilion has been destroyed and is left to the enemy’s fire through me, the death-giver, through my name, full of suffering.
195

Leda sought death by hanging, in anguish over my disgrace. My husband, after much wandering in the sea, has died and is gone;
200

and Castor and his brother, twin glory of their native land, have vanished, vanished, leaving the plains that shook to their galloping horses,
205

and the schools of reed-fringed Eurotas, scene of youthful labors.
210

211

Chorus

Alas, alas! for your mournful fate and destiny, lady! You were fated, fated to have a life full of pain, when Zeus begot you on your mother,

shining through the air on the wings of a snow-white swan. What evil is not yours? What life have you not endured? Your mother is dead;
215

the twin beloved sons of Zeus do not enjoy happiness; and you do not see your fatherland, while through the cities a rumor goes, mistress, which hands you over
220

to the bed of a barbarian; your husband has lost his life in the salty waves, and never again will you bring glee to your father’s halls and Athene of the Bronze House.
225

229

Helen

Ah! Who was it, either from Phrygia

or from Hellas, who cut the pine that brought tears to Ilion ? From this wood the son of Priam built his deadly ship, and sailed by barbarian oars
230

to my home, to that most ill-fated beauty, to win me as his wife; and with him sailed deceitful and murderous Kypris, bearing death for the Danaans.
235

Oh, unhappy in my misfortune! But Hera, the holy beloved of Zeus on her golden throne, sent the swift-footed son of Maia . I was gathering fresh rose leaves in the folds of my robe,
240

so that I might go to the goddess of the Bronze House; he carried me off through the air to this luckless land, and made me an object of miserable strife, of strife between Hellas and the sons of Priam. And my name
245

beside the streams of Simois bears a false rumor.
250

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

No corresponding passage available

Euripides Helen 167

Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Der Chor.

Current edition Experimental

Ἑλένη

ὤ, μεγάλων ἀχέων καταβαλλομένα μέγαν οἶκτον

ποῖον ἁμιλλαθῶ γόον; ἢ τίνα μοῦσαν ἐπέλθω
165

δάκρυσιν ἢ θρήνοις ἢ πένθεσιν; αἰαῖ.

Helen

Oh, as I begin the great lament of my great distress,

what mourning shall I strive to utter? or what Muse shall I approach with tears or songs of death or woe? Alas!
165

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Der Chor.

Current edition Experimental

Ἑλένη ὤ, μεγάλων ἀχέων καταβαλλομένα μέγαν οἶκτον ποῖον ἁμιλλαθῶ γόον; ἢ τίνα μοῦσαν ἐπέλθω 165 δάκρυσιν ἢ θρήνοις ἢ πένθεσιν; αἰαῖ.

Helen Oh, as I begin the great lament of my great distress, what mourning shall I strive to utter? or what Muse shall I approach with tears or songs of death or woe? Alas! 165

Stable identifiers

Ἑλένη

ὤ, μεγάλων ἀχέων καταβαλλομένα μέγαν οἶκτον

ποῖον ἁμιλλαθῶ γόον; ἢ τίνα μοῦσαν ἐπέλθω
165

δάκρυσιν ἢ θρήνοις ἢ πένθεσιν; αἰαῖ.

Helen

Oh, as I begin the great lament of my great distress,

what mourning shall I strive to utter? or what Muse shall I approach with tears or songs of death or woe? Alas!
165