Sophocles Trachiniae 640

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)) — 640 focus
ὁ καλλιβόας τάχ᾽ ὑμῖν υμῖν
640
αὐλὸς οὐκ ἀναρσίαν
ἰάχων καναχὰν ἐπάνεισιν, ἀλλὰ θείας
ἀντίλυρον μούσας.
ὁ γὰρ Διὸς ᾿Αλκμήνας κόρος τε κόρος τε κούρος
σεῦται πάσας ἀρετᾶς
645
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 640 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 633 focus
O ye that haunt the strand
Where ships in quiet land
Near Oeta’s height and the warm rock-drawn well,
And ye round Melis’ inland gulf who dwell,
Worshipping her who wields the golden wand,—
(There Hellas’ wisest meet in council strong):
Soon shall the flute arise
With sound of glad surprise,
Thrilling your sense with no unwelcome song,
But tones that to the harp of Heavenly Muse belong.
Zeus’ and Alcmena’s son,—
All deeds of glory done,—
Speeds now triumphant to his home, whom we
Twelve weary months of blind expectancy
Lost in vast distance, from our country gone.
While, sadly languishing, his loving wife,
Still flowing down with tears,
Pined with unnumbered fears.
But Ares, lately stung to furious strife,
Frees him for ever from the toilsome life.
O let him come to-day!
Ne’er may his vessel stay,
But glide with feathery sweep of many an oar,
Till from his altar by yon island shore
Even to our town he wind his prosperous way,
In mien returning mild,
And inly reconciled,
With that anointing in his heart ingrained,
Which the dark Centaur’s wizard lips ordained.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 640 focus
Süßhallende Flöten kehren 1
Bald zurück an euren Strand,
630
Kein feindliches Jauchzen erhebend, nein, der Lyra
Göttlichen Feierklang.
Denn Zeus' und Alkmene's erhab'ner Sohu
Eilt her, mit jeglichem Preis
Des Muths gekrönt, zur Heimat:
635
Zweite Strophe.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 633 focus
What canst thou tell him more ? Alas ! I fear
He'll know too well the love I bear to him.
Would I could be as certain he'd return it ! [Exeunt.
You who on (Eta's craggy summit dwell,
Or from the rock, whence gushing riv'lets flow,
Bathe in the warmer springs below.
You who near the Melian bay
To golden-shafted Diana hymn the lay.
Now haste to string the Ip^e, and tune the vocal shell,
No mournful theme demands your pensive strain,
But such as, kindled by the sacred fire.
The Muses might themselves admire —
A loud and cheerful song. For see.
The son of Jove returns with victory,
And richest spoils reward a life of toil and pain.
Far from his native land he took his way :
For twelve long moons, uncertain of his fate.
Did we lament his exiled state.
What time his anxious wife deplored,
With never-ceasing tears her absent lord ;
But Mars at last hath closed his long laborious day.
Let him from fair Euboea's isle appear.
Let winds and raging seas oppose no more.
But waft him to the wished-for shore.
Th' anointed vest's persuasive charms
Shall bring him soon to Deianira's arms.
Soon shall we see the great the loved Alcides here.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 633 focus
You, on the cliffs, whose jutting brow
O'erhangs the dashing wave,
At whose soft foot the warm springs flow
The weary limbs to lave;
On Œta's summits rudely piled
Who fix your habitations wild;
You, who the Melian bay command,
The golden-quiver'd Virgin's strand,
Or near the rocky straits reside
Where Greece her Chiefs in council views with pride;
Soon shall you hear the pipe's sweet sound;
To you it comes again;
No mournful notes it breathes around
But sprightly is the strain;
And, with such airs as joy inspire,
Rivals the Muses' heav'nly lyre.
The winged hours the hero bring,
Son of Alcmena and heav'n's king;
He comes, he chases all our fears,
And the rich spoils of every virtue bears.
The hero absent from our state
Twelve tedious moons we mourn,
Whilst anxious Expectation sate,
And watch'd his wish'd return,
Unknown what seas he ploughs with pain,
What shores his lingering steps detain.
Meanwhile his fond wife melts in tears, '
And yields her heart a prey to fears :
But Mars now bids his fury cease,
And closes his long day of toils in peace.
ANTIS. 2. May he arrive, e'en now arrive
Nor let the lab'ring oar
Forbear his welcome bark to drive
On Trachin's shouting shore,
But bring him from the island shrine,
Where now he offers rites divine.
Yes, let him come with all the fire
Of eager love and fond desire;
Come, as the Centaur's words profest,
Wrapt in persuasion's medicated vest !

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-328-1 ἀναρσίαν 1

mvp-comment-328-2 ἐπάνεισιν 2

mvp-comment-328-3 θείας … μούσας 3 ἀντίλυρον 4

mvp-comment-328-4 ἀχῶν 5 ἰάχων 6

mvp-comment-329-1 ὁ Διὸς … Ἀλκμήνας κόρος 7

mvp-comment-330-1 σοῦται 8 σεῦται 9

mvp-comment-330-2 πάσας 10

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

640. mvp-comment-478-1 καλλιβόαs] With delightful sound.' Cp. Simon. Fr. 46, ἐπείπερ ἄρξατο τερπνοτάτων μελέων ὁ καλλιβίας πολύχορδος αὐλός: Aristoph. Av. 682, καλλιβύαν . . αὐλόν. βοή is used of musical sounds in Il. 18. 495, αὐλοὶ φόρμιγγές τε βοὴν ἔχον. ὑμῖν . . ἐπάνεισιν] • Will arise over you.' The sound will travel far and high.

641. mvp-comment-479-1 ἀναρσίαν] 'Unwelcome.' Cp. Herod. 3. 10, ἀνάρσιον πρῆγμα, and the use of δάϊος in Aesch. Pers. 257, νεόκοτα καὶ δάϊα.

642-643. mvp-comment-480-1 θείας | ἀντίλυρον μούσας] Sweet as the lyre of Heavenly Muse.' The flute was commonly associated, not with Apollo and the Muses, but with ruder powers. But the joy which it now proclaimed would make it as musical as the lyre.

644. mvp-comment-481-1 ὁ γὰρ Διὸς ᾿Αλκμήνας κόρος] 'Alcmena's man-child begotten of Zeus.' The Triclinian reading omitting τε is adopted on the ground of metre.

645-646. mvp-comment-482-1 πάσας ἀρετᾶς | λάφυρα] 'Spoils, such as are the meed of supreme valour.' wâs is here intensive- not 'All' but 'Uttermost.'