Trachiniae. Sophocles. ed. Lewis Campbell. Oxford. 1879.
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Current edition Experimental
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Greek) (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879))
Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.
Editions (1)
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 94-140 focus
Χορός
ὃν αἰόλα νὺξ ἐναριζομένα
τίκτει κατευνάζει τε, φλογιζόμενον
95
Ἅλιον Ἅλιον αἰτῶ
τοῦτο καρῦξαι, τὸν Ἀλκμήνας πόθι μοι πόθι παῖς
ναίει ποτʼ, ὦ λαμπρᾷ στεροπᾷ φλεγέθων,
ἢ ποντίας αὐλῶνος ἢ δισσαῖσιν ἀπείροις κλιθείς,
100
εἴπʼ, ὦ κρατιστεύων κατʼ ὄμμα.
Χορός
ποθουμένᾳ γὰρ φρενὶ πυνθάνομαι
τὰν ἀμφινεικῆ Δηιάνειραν ἀεί,
οἷά τινʼ ἄθλιον ὄρνιν,
105
οὔποτʼ εὐνάζειν ἀδακρύτων βλεφάρων πόθον, ἀλλʼ
εὔμναστον ἀνδρὸς δεῖμα τρέφουσαν ὁδοῦ
ἐνθυμίοις εὐναῖς ἀνανδρώτοισι τρύχεσθαι, κακὰν
110
δύστανον ἐλπίζουσαν αἶσαν.
Χορός
πολλὰ γὰρ ὥστʼ ἀκάμαντος ἢ νότου ἢ βορέα τις
κύματʼ ἂν εὐρέϊ πόντῳ βάντʼ ἐπιόντα τʼ ἴδοι,
οὕτῶ δὲ τὸν Καδμογενῆ στρέφει, τὸ δʼ αὔξει,
βιότου πολύπονον ὥσπερ πέλαγος
115
Κρήσιον. ἀλλά τις θεῶν αἰὲν ἀναμπλάκητον Ἅιδα
120
σφε δόμων ἐρύκει.
Χορός
ὧν ἐπιμεμφομένα σʼ αἰδοῖα μέν, ἀντία δʼ οἴσω.
φαμὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἀποτρύειν ἐλπίδα τὰν ἀγαθὰν
125
χρῆναί σʼ· ἀνάλγητα γὰρ οὐδʼ ὁ πάντα κραίνων βασιλεὺς ἐπέβαλε θνατοῖς Κρονίδας·
ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ πῆμα καὶ χαρὰ πᾶσι κυκλοῦσιν, οἷον
ἄρκτου στροφάδες κέλευθοι.
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μένει γὰρ οὔτʼ αἰόλα
Χορός
νὺξ βροτοῖσιν οὔτε κῆρες
οὔτε πλοῦτος, ἀλλʼ ἄφαρ
βέβακε, τῷ δʼ ἐπέρχεται
χαίρειν τε καὶ στέρεσθαι.
135
ἃ καὶ σὲ τὰν ἄνασσαν ἐλπίσιν λέγω
τάδʼ αἰὲν ἴσχειν· ἐπεὶ τίς ὧδε
τέκνοισι Ζῆνʼ ἄβουλον εἶδεν;
140
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 76 focus
LICH
Why such a question? What is thine intent?
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 79 focus
Entweder harre seiner dort der Tage Ziel,
So hieß es, oder wenn er sieg' in diesem Kampf,
80
Verfließ' in lautern Wonnen ihm des Lebens Rest.
Nun also seine Wage schwankt, so gehe, Kind,
Ihm beizustehen, da wir selbst gerettet sind,
Wenn er sich rettet, oder untergeh'n mit ihm.
Hylos.
Ich gehe, Mutter; wäre mir der Götterspruch
85
Bekannt gewesen, wär' ich wohl schon lange dort.
Doch ließ für unsern Vater sein gewohntes Glück
Nichts uns befürchten, noch zu sehr in Sorgen sein.
Jezt, weil ich das vernommen, unterlass' ich Nichts,
Bis ich davon die ganze Wahrheit ausgeforscht.
90
Deianeira.
So gehe, Theurer! Wenn man auch in später Zeit
Vernimmt von einem Glücke, bringt es noch Gewinn.
(Hyllos ab. Der Chor der Jungfrauen aus der Stadt tritt auf,
und ordnet sich vor dem Palaste.)
Deianeira. Der Chor.
Erste Strophe.
Der Chor.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 76 focus
Deianira
Oh ! do not, I beseech thee by that power
490
Whose thunders roll o'er CEta's lofty grove,
490
Do not conceal the truth. Thou speakst to one
490
Not unexperienced in the ways of men —
490
To one who knows we cannot always joy
490
In the same object. 'Tis an idle task
490
To take up arms against all-powerful love :
Love which commands the gods. Love conquered me,
And wherefore should it not subdue another,
Whose nature and whose passions are the same?
If my Alcides is indeed oppressed
With this sad malady, I blame him not ;
That were a folly. Nor this hapless maid,
Who meant no ill, no injury to me.
'Tis not for this I speak. But, mark me well ;
If thou wert taught by him to utter falsehood,
A vile and shameful lesson didst thou learn ;
And if thou art thy own instructor, know
Thou shalt seem wicked e'en when most sincere,
And never be believed. Speak then the truth ;
For to be branded with the name of liar
Is ignominy fit for slaves alone.
And not for thee. Nor think thou canst conceal it ;
Those who have heard the tale will tell it nie.
If fear deters thee, thou hast little cause ;
For to susi>ect his falsehood is my grief —
To know it, none. Already have I seen
Alcides' heart estranged to other loves,
Yet did no rival ever hear from me
495
One bitter word, nor will 1 now reproach
495
This wretched slave, e'en though she pines for him
495
With strongest love. Alas ! I pity her.
495
Whose beauty thus hath been the fatal cause
495
Of all her misery, laid her country waste,
And brought her here, far from her native land,
A helpless captive. But no more of this;
Only remember, if thou must be false,
Be false to others, but be true to me.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 76 focus
Lichas
With what intent
That question dost thou ask?
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 94-140 focus
Chorus
You, to whom Night gives birth when she is vanquished and despoiled of her starry crown,
and whom, as you blaze, she lays to rest, I pray you, O Sun, Sun, tell me, where is Alcmena’s son, where dwells her child? O Shining god with your bright flash,
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is he on the straits of the sea, or does he lean upon the twin continents? Speak, you who surpass all in sight!
100
Chorus
For with longing heart, as I hear, Deianeira, the battle-prize, now,
like some mournful bird, never rests her eyes’ longing that they might be without tears, but nourishing a well-remembered fear for her husband’s travels she is constantly afflicted
105
by her anxious, widowed marriage-bed and in her misery anticipates misfortune.
110
Chorus
For just as one may see billow after billow
advancing and passing over the wide deep before the tireless south-wind, or the north, so the great toil of his life, stormy as the Cretan sea, now whirls back the heir of Cadmus, now exalts him. But some god always
115
keeps him unerring from the house of Hades.
120
Chorus
With respect I reproach you for your weeping, but still I will speak in dissent.
You must not, I say, wear away fair hope. Remember that the all-accomplishing king, the son of Cronus, does not appoint a painless lot for mortals. Sorrow and joy revolve to all, as the stars of the Bear
125
move in their circling paths.
130
Chorus
Starry night does not remain constant with men, nor does tribulation, nor wealth; in a moment it is gone from us, and to another in his turn come both
gladness and bereavement. So I urge even you, our Queen, to keep these matters firmly in your outlook. You must, for who has
135
known Zeus to be so without care for his children?
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Commentary
Commentary (R. C. Jebb) (OCR draft) (Commentary (R. C. Jebb))
Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) focus
67-78. mvp-comment-61-1 Hyllus has only just heard the rumour which he repeats; and Deianira is prompted by his mention of the new enterprise to communicate to him the special anxiety, over which she has hitherto brooded in solitude. The objection of Dobree, that she ought to have done so before, is like that made against the ignorance of Jocasta in the Oedipus Tyrannus. If such improbabilities in things external to the immediate action are not to be allowed, the composition of any drama becomes impossible.
76. mvp-comment-68-1 ἔλειπε] The imperfect (being more descriptive) refers more pointedly to the time of Heracles' departure (sc. ὅτε ἔστειχε, cp. supr. 47), than the aorist would have done.