Sophocles Trachiniae 1024

Richard Jebb (Translator)

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Trachiniae. Sophocles. Richard Jebb (Translator). Cambridge. 1892.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Experimental

Trachiniae (English) (Sophocles the plays and fragments, Part 5: The Trachiniae. Jebb, Richard Claverhouse, Sir, translator. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1892. (Modernized by Perseus.))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 1024 focus
Ὦ παῖ ὦ παὶ παῖ παῖ παι, ποῦ ποτ' εἶ;
τᾷδέ με τᾷδέ με πρόσλαβε κουφίσας.
ἐ ἔ, ἰὼ δαῖμον ἐ ἐ ἰὼ ἰὼ δαῖμον.
1025
θρώσκει δ᾽ αὖ, θρώσκει δειλαία
διολοῦσ᾽ ἡμᾶς
ἀποτίβατος ἀγρία νόσος.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1024 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 1024 focus
O breast and back,
O shrivelling arms and hands, ye are the same
That crushed the dweller of the Némean wild,
The lion unapproachable and rude,
The oxherd’s plague, and Hydra of the lake
Of Lerna, and the twi-form prancing throng
Of Centaurs,—insolent, unsociable,
Lawless, ungovernable:—the tuskèd pest
1025
Of Erymanthine glades; then underground
1025
Pluto’s three-headed cur—a perilous fear,
1025
Born from the monster-worm; and, on the verge
Of Earth, the dragon, guarding fruits of gold.
These toils and others countless I have tried,
And none hath triumphed o’er me. But to-day,
Jointless and riven to tatters, I am wrecked
Thus utterly by imperceptible woe;
I, proudly named Alcmena’s child, and His
Who reigns in highest heaven, the King supreme!
Ay, but even yet, I tell ye, even from here,
Where I am nothingness and cannot move,
She who hath done this deed shall feel my power.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 1024 focus
Fasse mich, fasse mich hier, und erleichtre mich!
weh, Götter, weh!
(Sie sezen ihn auf.)
Schon wieder auf mich stürmt her, stürmt her
1010
In vertilgender Wuth
Der unnahbare grauenvolle Schmerz.
Wieder, o göttliche Pallas, verzehrt mich's! Fühle mit deinem
Vater Erbarmen, o Sohn, zeuch aus den untadlichen Mordstahl,
Stoße mir ihn in die Brust, und heile den Schmerz, den die Mutter
1015
Frevelnd im Zorn mir entflammt! Ha, säh' ich sie niedergeschmettert
Also hier, wie mich sie vernichtete! Lieblicher Hades,
Wiege mich, Bruder des Zeus,
Wiege mich ein in den Schlaf, und vertilge mich
Armen in raschem Tod!
1020
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 1024 focus
My son, my son !
Where art thou? Bear me up, assist me. Oh !
Again it comes, th' unconqnerable ill,
Draw forth thy sword, my son ; strike, strike thy father,
1025
And heal the wound thy impious mother made.
1025
Oh ! could I see her like myself destroyed,
I should be happy ! Brother of great Jove,
Sweet Pluto, hear me 1 Oh ! with speedy death
Lay me to rest, and bury all my woes.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 1024 focus
My son, my son, where art thou? In thy arms
Raise me, support me. O my cruel fate!
This fierce, immedicable, wasting pest
Attacks, again attacks me; wretched me!
O Pallas, it consumes me. O my son,
In pity to thy father draw thy sword,
1025
And plunge it deep into my throat; the deed
1025
Will not be impious; heal these torturing pangs
Inflicted by thy mother's wicked hands:
Oh might I see her fall'n, thus fall'n, as me
Her arts have sunk! Thou monarch of the dead,
Brother of Jove, give me a speedy death,
And lay, oh lay a tortured wretch at rest!

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-527-1 ἰὼ δαῖμον 1

mvp-comment-528-1 θρῴσκει 2

mvp-comment-528-2 ἀποτίβατος 3

mvp-comment-529-1 Παλλάς 4

mvp-comment-530-1 φύτοῤ 5 τὸν φύσαντ’ οἴκτιῤ 6 οἴκτιῤ 7 φύτοῤ 8 φύσαντ’ 9

mvp-comment-530-2 ἀνεπίφθονον 10

mvp-comment-531-1 ἐμᾶς ὑπὸ κλῇδος 11

mvp-comment-531-2 ἐχόλωσεν 12 ἐχόλησεν 13

mvp-comment-532-1 αὔτως 14

mvp-comment-532-2 γλυκὺς 15

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

1023. mvp-comment-734-1 ποῦ ποτ' εἰ Heracles recognizes the voice of Hyllus, but is too much distracted to perceive him otherwise at first. Cp. Phil. 805, ποῦ ποτ᾿ ὤν, τέκνον, κυρεῖς; Then presently he directs him how to hold and turn him for greater ease.

1030. mvp-comment-735-1 ἀποτίβατος] 'Unapproachable, i. e. Irresistible or intractable. Cp. Αj. 255, τὸν αἰσ᾽ ἄπλατος ἴσχει,

1031. mvp-comment-736-1 ἰὼ ἰώ] ἰὼ ἰὼ. *φύσαντ'] The MSS. have τὸν φύσαντ', for which some (Dindorf) would substitute τὸν φύτορ', others τὸν πατέρ'. The spondaic rhythm prevails throughout these five hexameter lines, and the omission of the article may be excused by saying that the participle is not = ὃς ἔφυσα, but = εἰ (or ἐπεὶ) ἔφυσα.

1032. mvp-comment-737-1 ἀνεπίφθονον] 'Blameless:' i.e. no one could upbraid Hyllus for slaying his father under the circumstances.