Sophocles Trachiniae 52

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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DÊ
What cause hast thou
Thus to arrest my going?

Trachiniae. Sophocles. Lewis Campbell (Translator). London, New York and Toronto. 1906.

Current edition Experimental

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 52 focus
νῦν δ᾽, εἰ δίκαιον τοὺς ἐλευθέρους φρενοῦν
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 94-140 focus
Translations (4)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 49 focus
O Deianeira, Fürstin, oft gewahrt' ich schon,
Wie du betrübt in thränenreiche Klagen dich
50
Ergossest, daß Herakles ausgezogen sei.
Doch heute, wenn's der Sklavin schlichtem Sinn geziemt,
Dem freien Weib zu rathen, gönn' auch mir ein Wort.
Du bist an soviel Söhnen reich: was sendest du 1
Nicht ihrer Einen, auszuspäh'n des Mannes Spur?
55
Zumal dem Hyllos ziemte das, vertrau'n wir ihm,
Daß ihn um seines Vaters Wohl die Sorge treibt.
Da kommt er eben leichten Schritt's zum Haus heran,
Daß, wenn dir meine Rede nicht unzeitig dünkt,
Du seinen Beistand nüzen kannst und meinen Rath.
60
Hyllos. Die Vorigen.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 52 focus
Messenger
351
I heard him say, before attendant crowds,
It was 4.his virgin, this fair slave destroyed
That waged the war — no Lydian servitude,
Nor Omphale, nor the pretended fall
Of Iphytus — for so the tale he brings
Would fain persuade thee. Know, thy own Alcides,
For that he could not gain th' assenting voice
Of Eurytus to his unlawful love,
Laid waste the city where her father reigned,
355
And slew him. Now the daughter, as a slave,
Is sent to thee. The reason is too plain :
Nor think he meant her for a slave alone —
The maid he loves, that would be strange indeed !
My royal mistress, most unwillingly
Do I report th' unwelcome news, but thought
It was my duty : I have told the truth.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 52 focus
Deianira
335cont2
Then let her be indulged, and in the house-
Find courteous treatment: to her present ills
I would not that from me fresh grief, her griefs
Augmenting, she receive; she hath enough
Of woe already. To our houses now
Let us all go; where thy occasions call,
Go thou; domestic duties claim my care.
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-182-1 τί δ’ ἔστι 1

mvp-comment-182-2 τοῦ 2

mvp-comment-182-3 ἐφίστασαί με 3 τήνδε βάσιν 4

mvp-comment-182-4 The midd.

ἐφίσταμαι
does not elsewhere occur in a causal sense (except in the aor., as Xen. Cyr.8. 2. 19
φρουροὺς ἐπεστησά μην
). But the causal use of
καθίσταμαι
( Aesch. Eum.706
φρούρημα γῆς καθίσταμαι
, Thuc.2. 6
τά τ’ ἐν τῇ πόλει καθίσταντο
) appears to warrant a like use of
ἐφίσταμαι
, where, as here, the context helps to explain it. Cp. also Plat. Tim. 63 C
γεώδη γένη διϊστάμενοι
, ‘separating.’ [But we cannot properly compare O. C.916
παρίστασαι
, ‘you bring to your own side,’ ‘subjugate’: nor Plat. Rep. 565C
ἕνα τινὰ...δῆμος εἴωθε...προΐστασθαι ἑαυτοῦ
: where there is a special reason for using the midd.] The midd.
προσορωμένα
in Soph. O. C.244 is similarly unique, and has a like justification.

mvp-comment-182-5 A fact which confirms this view is that

ἐφιστάναι, ἐφίστασθαι
were regularly used with ref. to a halt. Xen. An.2. 4. 26
ἐπορεύετο δὲ ἄλλοτε καὶ ἄλλοτε ἐφιστάμενος. ὅσον δὲ χρόνον τὸ ἡγούμενον τοῦ στρατεύματος ἐπιστήσειε, τοσοῦτον ἦν ἀνάγκη χρόνον δἰ ὅλου τοῦ στρατεύματος γίγνεσθαι τὴν ἐπίστασιν
. (For
ἐπίστασις
, ‘a halt,’ cp. Soph. Ant.225 n.) Polyb. 16. 34. 2
ἐπιστήσαντες...τὴν ὁρμήν
. Diod.17. 112
τὴν ὁδὸν...ἐπιστήσας
. Plut. Cim. 1
ἐπιστήσας...τὴν πορείαν
. Arrian 5. 16. 1
ἐπέστησε τοὺς ἱππέας τοῦ πρόσω
.

mvp-comment-182-6 Another explanation is: τοῦ με ἐφίστασαι 5 τήνδε βάσιν 6 με 7 μοι 8 τοῦ 9 ἐφ’ οὗ 10 με 11

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

339. mvp-comment-264-1 τί δ᾽ ἐστί] 'What is the matter? Why do you stay my footsteps here with your interruption?" τοῦ for τίνος = τίνος ἕνεκα. See Essay on L. § 10. p. 15 d. The punctuation (that of L) is rendered probable by comparing Ο. Τ. 938, τί δ᾽ ἔστι; ποίαν δύναμιν ὧδ᾽ ἔχει διπλῆν ; ἐφίστασαι] The present middle of ἵστημι is used transitively in Hdt. 7. 9, πολέμους ἵστανται, 'They set up wars amongst themselves.' παρίστασθαι is so used by Sophocles, O. C. 916, ἄγεις θ' ἃ χρήζεις καὶ παρίστασαι βίᾳ, and by other writers: καθίσταμαι by Eur. Suppl. 522, πόλεμον οὐ καθίσταμαι: προίστασθαι by Plato and Demosthenes : διίστασθαι by Plato, Tim. 63 C. It is therefore possible that ἐφίστασθαι here and in Aj. 869 (ἐπίσταται MSS.) may mean, 'To arrest.' τήνδε . . βάσιν] The second accusative expresses the respect in which Deianira was stopped: 'In this going,' i.e. in going, as I have just begun to do. The above interpretation, which is that of the Scholiast, agrees better with the context than if ἐφίστασαι were taken intransitively: Why do you stand before me in this your coming?' See esp. l. 335, αὐτοῦ. . ἀμμείνασα, and 340, σταθεῖσα.