Sophocles Trachiniae 85

ed. Lewis Campbell

κείνου βίον σώσαντος, ἢ οἰχόμεσθ᾽ ἅμα;
85

Trachiniae. Sophocles. ed. Lewis Campbell. Oxford. 1879.

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
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 85 focus
MESS
You go not till you answer one word more.
415
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.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 85 focus
Deianira
Know then, Lichas,
That whilst thou commun'dst with thy friends, myself
Have hither brought a garment which I wove
For my Alcides ; thou must bear it to him.
Tell him, no mortal must with touch profane
Pollute the sacred gift, nor sun behold it,
Nor holy temple, nor domestic hearth,
Ere at the altar of paternal Jove
Himself shall wear it. 'Twas my solemn vow
Whene'er he should return, that, clothed in this,
He to the gods should offer sacrifice.
625
Bear too this token : he will know it well.
625
Away ! Remember to perform thy office,
625
But go no farther, so shall double praise
625
And favour from us both reward thy duty.
625
Lie. If I have aught of skill, by Hermes right
625
Instructed in his art, I will not fail
625
To bear thy gift, and faithful to report
625
What thou hast said.
625
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 85 focus
Attendant
Hence thy foot
415
Thou shalt not stir till, one short question ask'd,
415
I have thy answer.
415
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 94-140 focus

Commentary

Commentary (R. C. Jebb) (OCR draft) (Commentary (R. C. Jebb))

mvp-comment-48-1 ἡνίκ’ ἢ σεσώσμεθα … οἰχόμεσθ’ ἅμα 1

mvp-comment-48-2 This view of the original text may be supported by a consideration which does not seem to have been noticed. The very circumstance which prompted the interpolation—viz., the absence of the condition for

οἰχόμεσθ’ ἅμα
—is an admirable dramatic touch. For, while Deianeira and her hearers would understand
ἅμα
as meaning,
ἅμα οἰχομένῳ
, her death is really to be linked with his victory.

mvp-comment-48-3 For a similar piece of textual history, cp. Eur. Andr.6 , where the true text is

νῦν δ’, εἴτις ἄλλη, δυστυχεστάτη γυνή
: but there was another reading, which made two verses of it:—
νῦν δ’ οὔτις
(or
νῦν δὴ τίς
)
ἄλλη δυστυχεστέρα γυνὴ
|
ἐμοῦ πέφυκεν ἢ γενήσεταί ποτε
. Of the second v., the schol. there says,
οἱ ὑποκριταὶ τὸν ἴαμβον προσέθηκαν
. See Appendix.

mvp-comment-48-4 The synizesis in ἢ οἰχόμεσθ’ 2 ἢ κείμεσθ’ 3

Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) focus

84-85. mvp-comment-75-1 Canter ingeniously defended l. 84 by placing it after 85 and reading καί for ἤ. But the line is still unnecessary and falls flat. Some editors, with strange judgment, have rejected 85. 84 is most probably spurious. It looks like an attempt to fill up the lacuna, when 85 had been lost. The only other considerable interpolation to which we can point with any confidence is in lines 898, 899, which look like a players' addition. These three lines make but a slight foundation for the theory of two editions of the Trachiniae, even if we add ll. 88, 9, and the v. rr. in lines 12, 13, supr. See Introduction.

85. mvp-comment-76-1 βίον is the safety of Heracles with all that depends on it, including the happiness of Deianira and her children. Cp. El. 768, εἰ τοῖς ἐμαυτῆς τὸν βίον σώζω κακοῖς, where, as Ellendt remarks, Clytemnestra is not thinking only of her life, but of the prosperity attending it.