Sophocles, Trachiniae, Thomas Francklin (Translator), 73

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Deianira
436

Assembled multitudes. The citizens

Lie. They might say they heard

Reports like these. But must it therefore seem

A truth undoubted?

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)) — 73 focus

ποῦ δῆτα νῦν ζῶν ἢ θανὼν ἀγγέλλεται ;

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.

103

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.

112

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.

122

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.
130

μένει γὰρ οὔτʼ αἰόλα

132

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 (4)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 73 focus

DÊ

Then tell me, who is she thou brought’st with thee?
400

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 (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 73 focus

Deianira

Who is this woman, hither whom thou led'st?
400

English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 94-140 focus

Enter the Chorus on the other side.

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,
95

is he on the straits of the sea, or does he lean upon the twin continents? Speak, you who surpass all in sight!
100

103

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

112

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

122

To Deianeira.

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

132

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?
140

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-229-1 πρός σε τοῦ … Διός ¹

mvp-comment-229-2 νάπος ²

mvp-comment-229-3 ἐκκλέψῃς λόγον ³

mvp-comment-230-1 Deianeira argues:—(1) 438 —448: he need not fear that she will feel rancour against Heracles or Iolè: (2) 449—454: falsehood would be disgraceful for him,—and, if his motive were kind, useless: (3) 455 f.: detection would be certain: (4) 457 ff.: he need not be afraid of paining her. (5) In vv. 461— 467 she returns to the first topic.

mvp-comment-230-2 κακῇ ⁴

mvp-comment-230-3 τἀνθρώπων ⁵

mvp-comment-230-4 πέφυκεν ⁶ πεφύκας’ ⁷

mvp-comment-231-1 Ἔρωτι μέν νυν ⁸

mvp-comment-231-2 πύκτης ὅπως ⁹

mvp-comment-231-3 οὐ καλῶς φρονεῖ ¹⁰

mvp-comment-232-1 ἄρχει καὶ θεῶν ¹¹

mvp-comment-233-1 κἀμοῦ γε ¹² γε ¹³

mvp-comment-233-2 πῶς δ’ οὐ ¹⁴

mvp-comment-233-3 οἵας γ’ ἐμοῦ ¹⁵ γε ¹⁶

mvp-comment-233-4 Wunder and Nauck reject this beautiful verse, because: (1) by

κἀμοῦ γε

Deianeira implies that she is stronger than the gods; and also that she has been untrue to her husband: (2) she cannot assume that Iolè returns the passion of Heracles; nor does Iolè's feeling come into account here.

mvp-comment-234-1 τὠμῷ τ’ ἀνδρὶ ¹⁷ τε ¹⁸ ἢ ¹⁹

mvp-comment-234-2 τῇδε τῇ νόσῳ ²⁰

mvp-comment-234-3 μεμπτός ²¹

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

436ff. mvp-comment-330-1 In this speech of Deianira, although she dissembles her jealousy in order to draw the truth from Lichas, yet the real gentleness of her character is also expressed. Cр. l. 445 with infr. 543-4.

436. mvp-comment-331-1 πρός σε τοῦ, κ.τ.λ.] This peculiar inversion seems to belong to the later manner of Sophocles. Cр. О. С. 250, 1333, Phil. 468.

437. mvp-comment-332-1 ἐκκλέψῃς λόγον] Cheat me of the truth.' ἐκκλέπτειν here is to deprive by falsehood. λόγον, ‘The true account.' Cp. Aesch. Prom. 783, μηδ' ἀτιμάσῃς λόγους.

439. mvp-comment-333-1 Either (1) To be always glad is not granted by Nature to the same person,' or (2) 'He' (man, ἄνθρωπος, implied in τὰ ἀνθρώπων) ‘is not of a nature to delight always in the same things.' For (1) cp. Thuc. 2. 64, πάντα γὰρ πέφυκε καὶ ἐλασσοῦσθαι: El. 859, πᾶσι θνατοῖς ἔφυ μόρος. And, for (2), Phil. 88, ἔφυν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐκ τέχνης πράσσειν κακῆς. The first meaning is more pathetic, and on the whole preferable, although the second may be thought to suit better with Deianira's present purpose (see especially l. 448). For the indefinite or collective singular alternating with the plural in (2), see Essay on L. § 20. p. 31, 3.

441. mvp-comment-334-1 μέν has no distinct antithesis, but prepares for ἀλλὰ . . ἀλλά in ll. 449, 453. Cp. with εἰς χεῖρας ἰέναι the old English expression, To go to buffets.'

443-444. mvp-comment-335-1 καὶ θεῶν. . κἀμοῦ γε] 'Even over the gods, and certainly over me.'

444ff. mvp-comment-336-1 The following quotation from La Fameuse Comédienne is believed to record the personal experience of Molière: My passion has risen to such a height that it goes the length of entering with sympathy into her concerns; and when I consider how impossible it is for me to overcome my love for her, I say to myself that she may have the same difficulty in subduing her inclinations, and I feel accordingly more disposed to pity her than to blame her.' -See Molière, in Blackwood's Foreign Classics, p. 106. οἷας γ᾽ ἐμοῦ] 'I mean one who is a woman as I am.' Cp. infr. 447. For the attraction (= οῖα ἐγώ εἰμι), see Essay on L. § 35. p. 59 , and cp. Plato, Soph. 237 C, χαλεπὸν ἥρου καὶ οἴῳ γε ἐμοὶ παντάπασιν ἄπορον.

445. mvp-comment-337-1 τε.. 447. ἤ ἤ is substituted for the second τε as the disjunctive nature of the sentence becomes more prominent. See Essay on L. § 36. p. 65 f , and cp. Plat. Theaet. 143 C, περὶ αὐτοῦ τε .. ἢ αὖ περὶ τοῦ ἀποκρινομένου . .

446. mvp-comment-338-1 μεμπτός εἰμι] 'Feel reproachfully. For this use of the verbal adjective, cp. supr. 357, ὁ ῥιπτὸς Ἰφίτου μόρος, and note. The force of the verbal here is, 'Touched with a feeling of blame,' 'Affected with displeasure' = μομφὴν ἔχων (Αj. 180). μαίνομαι] Cp. Aj. 1330, ἡ γὰρ εἴην οὐκ ἂν εὐ φρονῶν: Aesch. Ag. 1064, ἦ μαίνεταί γε καὶ κακῶν κλύει φρενῶν, κ.τ.λ.

Sophocles Trachiniae 73

Thomas Francklin (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Deianira
436

Assembled multitudes. The citizens

Lie. They might say they heard

Reports like these. But must it therefore seem

A truth undoubted?

Current edition Experimental

DÊ

Then tell me, who is she thou brought’st with thee?
400

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.

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.

Deianira

Who is this woman, hither whom thou led'st?
400

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Deianira 436 Assembled multitudes. The citizens Lie. They might say they heard Reports like these. But must it therefore seem A truth undoubted?

Current edition Experimental

DÊ Then tell me, who is she thou brought’st with thee? 400

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.

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.

Deianira Who is this woman, hither whom thou led'st? 400

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Deianira
436

Assembled multitudes. The citizens

Lie. They might say they heard

Reports like these. But must it therefore seem

A truth undoubted?

DÊ

Then tell me, who is she thou brought’st with thee?
400

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.

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.

Deianira

Who is this woman, hither whom thou led'st?
400