Sophocles, Trachiniae, Richard Jebb (Translator), 270

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Furious at this treatment,

265

when afterward Iphitus came to the hill of Tiryns on the track of horses that had strayed, Heracles seized a moment when the man’s eyes were one place and his thoughts another, and hurled him from a towering summit. But in anger at that deed, the king,
270

the father of all, Olympian Zeus, sent him away to be sold, and did not tolerate that this once, he killed a man by guile. Had he achieved his vengeance openly, Zeus would surely have pardoned him the righteous triumph.
275

For the gods do not love criminal behavior either.
So those men, who gloried in bitter speech, are themselves residents of Hades, all of them, and their city is enslaved. And the women whom you see, fallen from happiness to misery,
280

are sent here to you. For that was your husband’s command, which I, his faithful servant, perform. As for the man himself, know that he will come, once he has made pure sacrifice to Zeus of his fathers for the sacking of the city. After all the good news
285

that has been told, this, indeed, is the sweetest word to hear.
290

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)) — 270 focus

ὡς ἵκετ᾽ ἵκετ' αὖθις Ιφιτος Τιρυνθίαν
270

πρὸς κλιτύν, ἵππους νομάδας ἐξιχνοσκοπῶν,

τότ᾽ ἄλλοσ᾽ αὐτὸν ὄμμα, θἀτέρᾳ θἠτέραι δὲ νοῦν

ἔχοντ᾽, ἀπ᾿ ἄκρας ἦκε πυργώδους πλακός.

ἔργου δ᾽ ἕκατι τοῦδε μηνίσας ἄναξ,

ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων απάντων Ζεὺς πατὴρ Ὀλύμπιος,
275

πρατόν νιν ἐξέπεμψεν, οὐδ᾽ ἠνέσχετο,

ὁθούνεκ᾿ αὐτὸν μοῦνον μόνον μοῦνον ἀνθρώπων δόλῳ

ἔκτεινεν. εἰ γὰρ ἐμφανῶς ἠμύνατο,

Ζεύς τἄν τ' ἂν συνέγνω ξὺν δίκῃ χειρουμένῳ.

ὕβριν γὰρ οὐ στέργουσιν οὐδὲ δαίμονες.
280

κεῖνοι δ᾽ ὑπερχλίοντες ὑπερχλιδῶντεσ ἐκ γλώσσης κακῆς,

αὐτοὶ μὲν "Αιδου πάντες εἴσ᾽ οἰκήτορες,

πόλις δὲ δούλη· τάσδε δ᾽ ἅσπερ εἰσορᾷς,

ἐξ ὀλβίων ἄζηλον εὑροῦσαι βίον

χωροῦσι πρὸς σέ· ταῦτα γὰρ πόσις τε σὸς
285

ἐφεῖτ᾽, ἐγὼ δέ, πιστὸς ὢν κείνῳ, τελῶ.

αὐτὸν δ᾽ ἐκεῖνον, εὐτ᾿ ἂν ἁγνὰ θύματα

ῥέξῃ πατρῴῳ Ζηνὶ τῆς ἁλώσεως,

φρόνει φρονεῖν φρόνεῖν φρόνει νιν ὡς ἥξοντα· τοῦτο γὰρ λόγου

πολλοῦ καλῶς λεχθέντος ἥδιστον κλύειν.
290

ΧΟ.

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 270 focus

Λίχας

ὡς ἵκετʼ αὖθις Ἴφιτος Τιρυνθίαν
270

πρὸς κλιτύν, ἵππους νομάδας ἐξιχνοσκοπῶν,

τότʼ ἄλλοσʼ αὐτὸν ὄμμα, θατέρᾳ δὲ νοῦν

ἔχοντʼ, ἀπʼ ἄκρας ἧκε πυργώδους πλακός.

ἔργου δʼ ἕκατι τοῦδε μηνίσας ἄναξ

ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων Ζεὺς πατὴρ Ὀλύμπιος
275

πρατόν νιν ἐξέπεμψεν οὐδʼ ἠνέσχετο,

ὁθούνεκʼ αὐτὸν μοῦνον ἀνθρώπων δόλῳ

ἔκτεινεν· εἰ γὰρ ἐμφανῶς ἠμύνατο,

Ζεύς τἂν συνέγνω ξὺν δίκῃ χειρουμένῳ·

ὕβριν γὰρ οὐ στέργουσιν οὐδὲ δαίμονες.
280

κεῖνοι δʼ ὑπερχλίοντες ἐκ γλώσσης κακῆς

αὐτοὶ μὲν Ἅιδου πάντες εἴσʼ οἰκήτορες,

πόλις δὲ δούλη· τάσδε δʼ ἅσπερ εἰσορᾷς

ἐξ ὀλβίων ἄζηλον εὑροῦσαι βίον

χωροῦσι πρὸς σέ· ταῦτα γὰρ πόσις τε σὸς
285

ἐφεῖτʼ, ἐγὼ δὲ πιστὸς ὢν κείνῳ τελῶ.

αὐτὸν δʼ ἐκεῖνον, εὖτʼ ἂν ἁγνὰ θύματα

ῥέξῃ πατρῴῳ Ζηνὶ τῆς ἁλώσεως,

φρόνει νιν ὡς ἥξοντα· τοῦτο γὰρ λόγου

πολλοῦ καλῶς λεχθέντος ἥδιστον κλύειν.
290

Translations (4)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 291 focus

Now surety of delight is thine, my Queen,

Part by report and part before thine eye.

DÊ

Yea, now I learn this triumph of my lord,

Joy reigns without a rival in my breast.

This needs must run with that in fellowship.

Yet wise consideration even of good

Is flecked with fear of what reverse may come.

And I, dear friends, when I behold these maids,

Am visited with sadness deep and strange.
295

Poor friendless beings, in a foreign land
295

Wandering forlorn in homeless orphanhood!
295

Erewhile, free daughters of a freeborn race,

Now, snared in strong captivity for life.

O Zeus of battles, breaker of the war,

Ne’er may I see thee turn against my seed

So cruelly; or, if thou meanest so,

Let me be spared that sorrow by my death!

Such fear in me the sight of these hath wrought.

Who art thou, of all damsels most distressed?

Single or child-bearing? Thy looks would say,

A maid, of no mean lineage. Lichas, tell,

Who is the stranger-nymph? Who gave her birth?

Who was her sire? Mine eye hath pitied her
300

O’er all, as she o’er all hath sense of woe.
300

LICH

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 270 focus

Als Iphitos zu Tiryns' Hügel wiederum

Hinkam, der Spur verirrter Stuten nachzuspäh'n,
265

Da stürzt er diesen, der das Aug' hierher, den Sinn

Dorthin gewandt, vom hochgethürmten Fels hinab.

Ob dieser Unthat grollte Zeus, der Herrscher, ihm,

Der Vater Aller, thronend auf Olympos' Höh'n,

Verkauft' in ferne Länder ihn und trug es nicht,
270

Daß er von allen Menschen ihn allein mit List

Getödtet. Rächt' er offen sich, ihm hätte Zeus

Vergeben, weil er Rache nahm mit vollem Recht.

Denn frechen Hochmuth lieben auch die Götter nicht.

Doch jene, die mit böser Zunge sich gebläht,
275

Sie wohnen nun im Hades allzumal, die Stadt

Versank in Knechtschaft; die du hier erblickst, die Frau'n,

Die tief in Unheil stürzten aus des Glückes Höh'n,

Sie nahen dir. Denu also hat es dein Gemahl

Geboten; ich, sein treuer Diener, richt' es aus.
280

Er selbst, sobald er für den Sieg der Opfer Dank,

Die frommen Gaben dargebracht dem Vater Zeus,

Wird hier erscheinen, zweifle nicht; dies lezte Wort

Tönt unter vielen schönen wohl am süßesten.

Der Chor.

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 291 focus

O queen ! thy happiness

Is great indeed, to see these slav^es before thee,

And know thy lord approaches.

Deianira

I am happy —

To see my Hercules with victory crowned

'Tis fit I should rejoice ; and yet, my friends,

If we consider well, we still should fear

For the successful, lest they fall from bliss.

It moves my pity much when I behold

These wretched captives in a foreign land,
295

Without 8, parent and without a home..
295

Thus doomed to slavery here, who once perhaps
295

Enjoyed fair freedom's best inheritance :

O Jove ! averter of each mortal ill,

Let not my children ever feel thy arm

Thus raised against them? or, if 'tis decreed,

Let it not be whilst Deianira Jives :

The sight of these alarms my fears. But tell me

Thou poor afflicted captive, who thou art. \To Idle.

Art thou a mother ? or, as by thy years

Thou seemst, a vii-gin, and of noble birth?

Canst not thou tell me, Lichas, whence she sprang ?

Inform me, for of all these slaves she most

Hath won my pity, and in her alone

Have I observed a firm and generous mind.
300

Lie. Why ask of me 1 I know not who she is;
300

Perhaps of no mean rank.
300

Deianira

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 291 focus

Now, royal lady, certain joy is thine;

This captive train gives proof of his report.

Deianira

Yes, my heart feels it; I have cause, just cause

Of joy; it bounds to hear my lord returns

Victorious; all within me is alive

To tender sympathy. Yet those, who deep

Resolve the change of fortune, must have fears

Lest he, who triumphs now, may some time know

A sad reverse. E'en now, my friends, my heart

Feels the warm touch of pity, while I see
295

These wretched females from their country torn,
295

Torn from their parents, in a foreign land
295

To exile doom'd; yet these perhaps are sprung

From generous lineage, but must now sustain

A servile life. O Jove, whose guardian pow'r

Averts misfortune, never may I see

My offspring by thy anger thus assail'd;

Or if to sufferings thou hast doom'd them, spare

My anguish, nor inflict them whilst I live!

Such are my fears, these females as I view.

But who amidst this youthful train art thou ?

Ill chance is thine: unmarried is thy state?

Or dost thou feel a mother's grief? Thy mein

Denotes thee virgin, and of noble blood.

Who is this stranger, Lichas? Whence her birth?
300

Tell me: my pity most for her is mov'd,
300

For she alone shows fortitude of mind.
300

Lichas

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-144-1 λέγων χεροῖν μὲν ¹ δὲ ² λέγων ³

mvp-comment-144-2 τῶν ὧν τέκνων ⁴

mvp-comment-144-3 λείποιτο ⁵

mvp-comment-145-1 φωνεῖ δὲ ⁶ ῥαίοιτο ⁷

mvp-comment-145-2 ἀνδρὸς … ἐλευθέρου ⁸ δοῦλος ⁹

mvp-comment-145-3 ῥαίοιτο ¹⁰

mvp-comment-145-4 The conject.

φανεὶς δὲ δοῦλος ἀνδρος ἀντ’ ἐλευθέρου

(cr. n.) has been received by several edd., who cite Ai.1020

δοῦλος λόγοισιν ἀντ’ ἐλευθέρου φανείς

. There, however, the force of

φανείς

depends on

λόγοισιν

: ‘represented,’ ‘made out,’ in his taunting words, to be a slave. Here

φανείς

would mean simply, ‘found to be.’

mvp-comment-145-5 δείπνοις ¹¹

mvp-comment-145-6 ᾠνωμένος ¹²

mvp-comment-145-7 ἔρριψεν ἐκτὸς αὐτόν ¹³

mvp-comment-145-8 ὧν ἔχων χόλον ¹⁴

mvp-comment-146-1 αὖθις ¹⁵

mvp-comment-146-2 Τιρυνθίαν … κλιτύν ¹⁶ υ^ ¹⁷ κλιτύν ¹⁸

mvp-comment-146-3 ἵππους νομάδας ¹⁹ νομάδας ²⁰

mvp-comment-147-1 ἄλλοσ’ … ὄμμα, θατέρᾳ δὲ νοῦν ἔχοντ’ ²¹ θατέρᾳ ²² ἄλλοσε ²³

mvp-comment-147-2 πυργώδους πλακός ²⁴

mvp-comment-148-1 ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων ²⁵

mvp-comment-149-1 πρατόν νιν ἐξέπεμψεν ²⁶ οὐδ’ ἠνέσχετο ²⁷ ὁθούνεκ’ ²⁸ μοῦνον ²⁹

mvp-comment-150-1 ἠμύνατο ³⁰

mvp-comment-151-1 χειρουμένῳ ³¹

mvp-comment-151-2 οὐδὲ δαίμονες ³²

mvp-comment-152-1 κεῖνοι δ’ ³³

mvp-comment-152-2 ὑπερχλίοντες ³⁴

mvp-comment-152-3 ἐκ γλώσσης κακῆς ³⁵

mvp-comment-152-4 282 For αὐτοὶ μὲν ³⁶ κεῖνοι ³⁷ πόλις δὲ ³⁸

mvp-comment-152-5 οἰκήτορες ³⁹

mvp-comment-153-1 τάσδε ⁴⁰ ἅσπερ ⁴¹ ἐξ ὀλβίων ⁴²

mvp-comment-154-1 χωροῦσι πρὸς σέ ⁴³

mvp-comment-154-2 πόσις τε … ἐγὼ δὲ ⁴⁴ ἐφεῖτο ⁴⁵ τελῶ ⁴⁶

mvp-comment-155-1 ἁγνὰ θύματα ⁴⁷ τῆς ἁλώσεως ⁴⁸

mvp-comment-156-1 φρόνει νιν ὡς ἥξοντα ⁴⁹ νιν ⁵⁰ ὡς ⁵¹

mvp-comment-157-1 καλῶς ⁵²

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

265. mvp-comment-206-1 ἄφυκτα.. βέλη] The bow and arrows afterwards bequeathed to Philoctetes. Cp. Phil. 105.

266. mvp-comment-207-1 τῶν ὧν.. κρίσιν] ‘He came behind his (Eurytus') sons in fitness to compete with the bow;' (i.e. πρὸς τὸ τόξῳ κρίνεσθαι.)

267. mvp-comment-208-1 φωνεῖ δέ] 'And he utters the word.' This emphatic resumption of λέγων may be justified by the extraordinary nature of the reproach. Such a use of φωνεῖν is rare, but cp. O. Τ. 780, καλεῖ παρ᾿ οἶνῳ, κ.τ.λ.: Αj. 1047, οὗτος, σὲ φωνῶ, κ.τ.λ., and see above, λόγοις ἐπερρόθησε. The word suggests the loud tones in which the reproach was uttered. For the 'return to the indicative,' see Essay on L. § 36. p. 64 b. Most MSS. have φώνει, the imperfect without augment. Brunck substituted for this the vivid present. Hermann suspected the word, and conjectured φανείς. I formerly suggested φύσει (ΙΙ. 19. 95 foll., O. С. 1295).

268. mvp-comment-209-1 ῥαίοιτο] 'Was being crushed,' viz. by Eurystheus. Cp. Aesch. Prom. 189, ὅταν ταύτῃ ῥαισθῇ. δείπνοις] ‘At a feast. O. Τ. 779 and note. ἦν οἰνώμενος] Sc. ὁ Ἡρακλῆς. Ας Epic and Ionic forms are sometimes employed in narration, it is not worth while to alter the MS. reading to ᾠνώμενος here. Cp. μοῦνον, l. 277.

270. mvp-comment-210-1 αὖθις] ‘Again,' on another occasion. Τιρυνθίαν πρὸς κλιτύν] Το the Tirynthian height.'

271. mvp-comment-211-1 ἵππους νομάδας] ‘His horses, which had been loose at pasture.' His mind was following the horses, wondering where they were. This gave Heracles the opportunity for his single act of guile.

273. mvp-comment-212-1 Hurled him from the towering cliff.' ἀπ᾿ ἄκρας . . πυργώδους πλακός, From the tower-like crown of the cliff,' is an expression which recalls the appearance of Tiryns as seen from below.

275. mvp-comment-213-1 τῶν ἁπάντων] Of all, and not only of Heracles, to whom therefore he could not forgive this wrong.

276-277. mvp-comment-214-1 οὐδ᾽ ἠνέσχετο, | ὁθούνεκ'] 'And would not endure it, that-.' μοῦνον ἀνθρώπων] Unlike the rest of those whom he had slain. See the story of Iphitus told in Od. 21. 14-41.

278. mvp-comment-215-1 εἰ . . ἠμύνατο] ‘If he had made requital openly.'

279. mvp-comment-216-1 Zeus manifestly would have consented' either (1) to his being justly punished,' or (2) 'to his justly punishing him.' In the former case, (1) χειρουμένῳ used passively involves a change of subject. In the latter, (2) the same word used actively is without an object. τοι gives a note of preparation for what follows, in which the connection, though not fully expressed, is obvious; viz. 'Zeus punished Heracles for his guile, certainly not out of any love for Eurytus' proud race, who for their over-weening insolence have now been destroyed.' So Lichas returns from the digression, with which he laboured to assign a motive for the siege of Oechalia. His prolixity in doing this (which has brought the passage under suspicion), is really a stroke of art, by which the poet reminds the spectators of the simplicity of the real motive.

280. mvp-comment-217-1 'It is not to be supposed that the gods any more than men favour the proud.' Of this the ruin of Oechalia is a proof.

281. mvp-comment-218-1 κεῖνοι] 'And they too'-Eurytus and his sons, who must be supposed to have joined with him in his transgression. ἐκ γλώσσης κακῆς] 'With reviling words.' ἐκ here denotes rather the manner than the origin of the offence. ὑπερχλίοντες is in the imperfect tense. See Essay on L. § 32. p. 54 , and cp. Thuc. 3. 9. § 3, ἐν τῇ εἰμήνῃ τιμώμενοι.

282. mvp-comment-219-1 ῞Αιδου οἰκήτορες] Cp. infr. 1161, ὅστις "Αιδου φθίμενος οἰκήτωρ πέλοι.

283. mvp-comment-220-1 τάσδε] For this attraction of the antecedent, see Essay on L. § 35. p. 59, and cp. supr. 152.

284. mvp-comment-221-1 ἐξ ὀλβίων] Sc. οὐσῶν. As if the sentence were ἐξ ὀλβίων ἄζηλοι γενόμενοι.

286. mvp-comment-222-1 πιστὸς ὢν κείνῳ] Deianira remembers this afterwards, ll. 617-20.

287. mvp-comment-223-1 αὐτὸν . . ἐκεῖνον] Resumed in νιν, l. 289, where Hense unnecessarily conjectures φρόνησον. ἁγνὰ θύματα] ‘'Pure sacrifices,' consecrating the victory by acknowledging the help of the gods.

288. mvp-comment-224-1 τῆς ἁλώσεως] For the capture,' as a thank-offering. To be joined with θύματα. Essay on L. § 10. p. 15 d. πατρῴῳ Ζηνί] Schndw. says that although Zeus was the father of Heracles he was here worshipped by him as the god of the whole race (of Amphitryon?). But Zeus was πατρῷος to Heracles in a peculiar sense-'The Zeus of fatherhood,' i e. 'The author of being.' Cp. infr. 753. Qy. φρονεῖν (see v. rr.)?

290. mvp-comment-225-1 καλῶς λεχθέντος] ‘Of many words fair to hear this is the fairest.' πολλοῦ has been questioned and ὅλου conjectured by Otto Hense. But ὅλου is inexact. For the account of Heracles' bondage to Omphale (ll. 248-53) was not fair to hear.'

Sophocles Trachiniae 270

Richard Jebb (Translator)

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ῥέξῃ πατρῴῳ Ζηνὶ τῆς ἁλώσεως,

φρόνει φρονεῖν φρόνεῖν φρόνει νιν ὡς ἥξοντα· τοῦτο γὰρ λόγου

πολλοῦ καλῶς λεχθέντος ἥδιστον κλύειν.
290

ΧΟ.

Now surety of delight is thine, my Queen,

Part by report and part before thine eye.

LICH

Der Chor.

O queen ! thy happiness

Is great indeed, to see these slav^es before thee,

And know thy lord approaches.

Deianira

Now, royal lady, certain joy is thine;

This captive train gives proof of his report.

Lichas

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Experimental

ῥέξῃ πατρῴῳ Ζηνὶ τῆς ἁλώσεως, φρόνει φρονεῖν φρόνεῖν φρόνει νιν ὡς ἥξοντα· τοῦτο γὰρ λόγου πολλοῦ καλῶς λεχθέντος ἥδιστον κλύειν. 290

ΧΟ.

Now surety of delight is thine, my Queen, Part by report and part before thine eye.

LICH

Der Chor.

O queen ! thy happiness Is great indeed, to see these slav^es before thee, And know thy lord approaches.

Deianira

Now, royal lady, certain joy is thine; This captive train gives proof of his report.

Lichas

Commentary

Stable identifiers

ῥέξῃ πατρῴῳ Ζηνὶ τῆς ἁλώσεως,

φρόνει φρονεῖν φρόνεῖν φρόνει νιν ὡς ἥξοντα· τοῦτο γὰρ λόγου

πολλοῦ καλῶς λεχθέντος ἥδιστον κλύειν.
290

Now surety of delight is thine, my Queen,

Part by report and part before thine eye.

O queen ! thy happiness

Is great indeed, to see these slav^es before thee,

And know thy lord approaches.

Now, royal lady, certain joy is thine;

This captive train gives proof of his report.