Sophocles Trachiniae 813

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)) — 813 focus
τί σῖγ᾽ ἀφέρπεις ἐφέρπεις? οὐ κάτοισθ᾽ ὁθούνεκα
ξυνηγορεῖς σιγῶσα τῷ κατηγόρῳ;
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 813 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 813 focus
Why steal’st thou forth in silence? Know’st thou not
Let her go off. Would that a sudden flood
815
Might sweep her far and swiftly from mine eye!
Why fondle vainly the fair-sounding name
Of mother, when her acts are all unmotherly?
Let her begone for me: and may she find
Such joy as she hath rendered to my sire!
820
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 813 focus
Was gehst du schweigend? Weißt du nicht, indem du schweigst,
Bekennst du dem dich schuldig, der dich schuldig fand?
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 813 focus
Whence this abrupt departure? Knowst thou
Let her be gone ; and may some prosperous
815
gale
815
Waft her far off, that these abhorring eyes
815
May never see her more ! What boots the name
815
Of raothei', when no longer she i:)erforms
815
A moihor's duty ? Let lier go in peace,
815
And for her kindness to my father soon
815
May she enjoy the blessing she bestowed !
815
True was the oracle divine,
Long since delivered from Dodona's shrine,
Which said, Alcides' woes should last
Till twelve revolving years were past;
Then should his labours end in sw^eet repose
Behold, my friends, 'tis come to pass,
'Tis all fultilled ; for who, alas !
In peaceful death, or toil or slavery knows ?
If deep within his tortured veins
The centaur's cruel poison reigns.
That from the Hydra's baleful breath
Destructive flowed, replete with death,
On him another sun shall never rise ;
The venom runs through every part.
And, lo ! to Nessus' direful art
Alcides falls a helpless sacrifice.
Poor Deianira long deplored
Her waning charms, and ever faithless lord ;
At length by evil counsel swayed
Her passion's dictates she obeyed,
Resolved Alcides' doubtful truth to prove ;
But now, alas ! laments his fate
In ceaseless woe, and finds too late
A dying husband, and a foreign love.
. Another death must soon succeed,
Another victim soon shall bleed,
Fatal, Alcides, was the dart
That pierced the rival monarch's heart,
And brought lole from her native land ;
From Yenus did our sorrows flow.
The secret spring of all our woe,
For nought was done but by her dread command.
Or I'm deceived, or I did hear loud shrieks
820
Within the palace ; 'twas the voice of one
820
In anguish ; doubtless some calamity
820
Hath fallen upon us now. What can it be 1
820
But see, yon matnon, with contracted brow
820
And unaccustomed sadness, comes to tell
820
The dreadful news.
820
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 813 focus
Without reply why dost thou haste away?
Nay, let her go; and may a favouring gale
815
Swell as she goes, and waft her from my sight.
815
Why should I cherish with a son's fond pride
The name of mother? Nothing hath she done
That shows a mother's part: let her then go,
And take this farewell with her, May she find
Such joys as to my father she hath given.
820

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-422-1 σῖγ’ 1

mvp-comment-422-2 815 f. The place of ὀφθαλμῶν ἐμῶν 2 οὖρος 3

mvp-comment-422-3 αὐτῇ 4

mvp-comment-422-4 καλός 5

mvp-comment-423-1 γὰρ 6

mvp-comment-423-2 ὄγκον 7

mvp-comment-423-3 τρέφειν 8

mvp-comment-423-4 μηδὲν 9 ἥτις 10

mvp-comment-424-1 ἀλλ’ ἑρπ. χαίρουσα 11

mvp-comment-424-2 τήνδ’ 12

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

813-814. mvp-comment-600-1 Deianira has no words wherewith to answer the reproaches of her son. She goes silently and undefended to her death, already heart-broken by having done what she greatly feared to do, and rendered yet more desolate by the rebuke of her child. She enters the house by the central door.

815-816. mvp-comment-601-1 οὗρος καλός] 'Fair be the wind that carries her away out of my sight!' καλός, which is the better reading, is sufficiently supported by the Scholiast. For οὗρος, cp. Ο. Τ. 195, ἔπουρον, and note. Join ἄπωθεν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐμῶν. The inversion gives greater force both to ἐμῶν and to καλός.

816. mvp-comment-602-1 foll. Why vainly keep the high-sounding name of mother for one whose deeds are all unmotherly?' Although ὄγκον ἄλλως might stand alone='A solemn mockery, it is better here to join ἄλλως with τρέφειν. μητρῷον ὄγκον ὀνόματος = ὀγκῶδες ὄνομα μητρός. See Essay on L. § 42. p. 8ο γ.

818. mvp-comment-603-1 ἥτις] For the implied antecedent, cp. O. C. 263 foll. κάμοιγε ποῦ ταῦτ᾽ ἐστιν, οἵτινες βάθρων, κ.τ.λ.

819. mvp-comment-604-1 χαίρουσα] ‘And joy go with her,' said ironically, like oὗpos, supr.; i. e. I willingly give her leave to go. τὴν δὲ τέρψιν, κ.τ.λ.] « And may that joy be hers, -even that, which she gives to my father!' ἥν] The careless rhythm, with the monosyllable in synaphea, suits with the mood of Hyllus, in which, wrought upon by strong passion, he lightly casts off his mother. Exit Hyllus to the courtyard (L).