Sophocles Trachiniae 55

Thomas Francklin (Translator)

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Chorus
375cont2
Perdition on the man,
Of all most wicked, who hath thus deceived thee !

Trachiniae. Sophocles. Thomas Francklin (Translator). London. 1758–1759.

Current edition Experimental

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 55 focus
ἀνδρὸς κατὰ ζήτησιν οὐ πέμπεις τινά,
55
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 94-140 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 55 focus
MESS
To thee and these I may, but let those be.
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 (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 55 focus
Attendant
Stay,
And hear me: not before did I abuse
Thy ear with false reports; nor shall I now.
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-200-1 ποῦ … πράγματος 1

mvp-comment-200-2 ὑπόστεγον 2

mvp-comment-201-1 ὦ δὐστηνος 3 πέφυκεν 4

mvp-comment-201-2 This question seems strange after the words κτείνει τ’ ἄνακτα πατέρα τῆσδε 5

mvp-comment-201-3 διώμνυτο 6

mvp-comment-202-1 ἦ κάρτα 7

mvp-comment-202-2 The conject. ὄνομα 8 ὄμμα 9 ἆρ’ ἀνώνυμος πέφυκεν 10 ὄνομα 11 φύσιν 12 κατ’ ὄμμα 13

mvp-comment-202-3 φύσιν 14

mvp-comment-202-4 In some ancient texts this verse was given to Deianeira. Among recent editors, Paley shares that view. But: (1) If Deianeira has already answered her own question, the Messenger's speech opens weakly with v. 380. (2) It agrees best with the practice of Sophocles to suppose that ἦ κάρτα 15 ἢ 16 ἦ 17 φύσιν 18 διώμνυτο 19

mvp-comment-203-1 πατρὸς μὲν οὖσα 20 Ἰόλη )καλεῖτο 21 ποτέ 22 )καλεῖτο 23 οὖσα 24

mvp-comment-203-2 Ἰόλη 25

mvp-comment-203-3 τῆς 26

mvp-comment-204-1 βλάστας 27

mvp-comment-204-2 οὐδὲν ἱστορῶν 28

mvp-comment-204-3 Many editors place a comma after ἐφώνει 29 δῆθεν 30 δῆθεν 31 οὐδὲν ἱστορῶν 32

mvp-comment-205-1 ὄλοιντο 33

mvp-comment-205-2 The comment is aimed at Lichas in the first instance; but its vague form seems purposed, so that the hearers may extend it, if they please, to Heracles. Deianeira herself is in doubt whether the dissimulation practised by Lichas was prompted by her lord (449): Lichas explains that it was not so (479 f.). The schol.'s paraphrase shows that he wished to punctuate thus:

ὄλοιντο, μή τι πάντες, οἱ κακοί
, etc.: ‘perish, not all men, but the evil; and (especially) he,’ etc.

mvp-comment-205-3 τὰ δὲ 34 δὲ 35

mvp-comment-205-4 μὴ 36 πρέπονθ’ αὑτῷ 37

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

375. mvp-comment-288-1 ποῦ . . πράγματος] ‘Where am 1?' Cp. Αj. 314, κἀνήρετ᾽, ἐν τῷ πράγματος κυροί ποτέ.

376-377. mvp-comment-289-1 What undermining trouble have I welcomed in beneath my roof?' Cp. Ant. 531, σὺ δ᾽, ἢ κατ᾿ οἴκους ὡς ἔχιδν᾽ ὑφειμένη | λήθουσά μ᾽ ἐξέπινες. ὦ δύστηνος] Sc. ἐγώ. Cp. 375, 1143, 1243, О. Т. 1155, О. С. 318. ἆρ᾿ ἀνώνυμος] Deianira thus dwells bitterly on the deceit of Lichas, whereupon the literal Messenger proclaims Iole's name.

379. mvp-comment-290-1 καὶ κατ᾿ ὄμμα καὶ φύσιν] ‘In birth, as in appearance.'

380. mvp-comment-291-1 πατρός.. Εὐρύτου] 'Taking lineage from Eurytus for her sire.' Ср. Phil. 260, ὦ παῖ πατρὸς ἐξ ᾿Αχιλλέως : Εl. 365, νῦν δ᾽ ἐξὸν πατρὸς .. παῖδα κεκλῆσθαι, καλοῦ τῆς μητρός: Ο. C. 215, τίνος εἶ σπέρματος, ὦ ξένε, φώνει, πατρόθεν. ποτέ] Once.' Cp. supr. 301, and the Homeric εἴ ποτ᾽ ἔην γε (Il. 3. 180).

381. mvp-comment-292-1 'Of whose origin he had not a word to say, pretending forsooth to have made no inquiry.' Cp. supr. 317.

382. mvp-comment-293-1 οὐδὲν ἱστορῶν] 'Because he did not inquire' at that former time. ὅτι (τότε) οὐδὲν ἱστόρει. Cp. supr. 281, ὑπερχλίοντες, and note.

383. mvp-comment-294-1 ὅλοιντο μή τι πάντες οἱ κακοί] The Chorus in a sort of aside, which Deianira is too absorbed to perceive (see infr. 386, ἐκπεπληγμένη), thus covertly direct their indignation at some one. Is this Lichas or Heracles? The prevarication of Lichas is hardly a sufficient cause for such an outburst, and the phrase 'unbecoming to himself' has no significance in relation to him. It is more probable that the Trachinian women, unheard by Deianira, thus breathe a curse on the unfaithfulness of Heracles. It should be remembered that he is not their master, so that the analogy of Medea, 83, 4, ὅλοιτο μὲν μή, δεσπότης γάρ ἐστ᾽ ἐμός, | ἀτὰρ κακός γ᾽ ὧν ἐς φίλους ἁλίσκεται, is rather in favour of this interpretation than against it. Cp. Phil. 451, 2, ποῦ χρὴ τίθεσθαι ταῦτα, ποῦ δ' αἰνεῖν, ὅταν | τὰ θεῖ᾽ ἐπαινῶν τοὺς θεοὺς εὕρω κακούς ;