Sophocles Trachiniae 248

ed. Francis Storr

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Trachiniae. Sophocles. ed. Francis Storr. London. 1913.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Experimental

Τραχίνιαι (Greek) (Sophocles, Volume 2. Storr, Francis, editor. London; New York: William Heinemann Ltd.; The Macmillan Company, 1913.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 248 focus
οὐκ οὐκὶ, ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν πλεῖστον ἐν Λυδοῖς χρόνον
κατείχεθ᾽, ὥς φησ᾿ ὡσ φηὶσ᾽ ὥς φησ᾿ αὐτός, οὐκ ἐλεύθερος,
ἀλλ᾽ ἐμποληθείς, τοῦ λόγου δ' οὐ χρὴ φθόνον,
250
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 248 focus
Not so. The greater while he was detained
Among the Lydians, sold, as he declares,
To bondage. Nor be jealous of the word,
Since Heaven, my Queen, was author of the deed.
Enthrallèd so to Asian Omphalè,
He, as himself avers, fulfilled his year.
The felt reproach whereof so chafed his soul,
He bound fierce curses on himself and sware
That,—children, wife and all,—he yet would bring
In captive chains the mover of this harm.
Nor did this perish like an idle word,
But, when the stain was off him, straight he drew
Allied battalions to assault the town
Of Eurytus, whom, sole of earthly powers,
He had noted as the source of his annoy,
Because, having received him in his hall
A guest of ancient days, he burst on him
With outrage of loud voice and villanous mind,
Saying, ‘with his hand upon the unerring bow,
Oechalia’s princes could o’ershoot his skill;
And born to bondage, he must quail beneath
His overlord’; lastly, to crown this cry,
When at a banquet he was filled with wine,
He flung him out of door. Whereat being wroth,
When Iphitus to the Tirynthian height
Followed the track where his brood-mares had strayed,
He, while the thought and eye of the man by chance
Were sundered, threw him from the tower-crowned cliff.
In anger for which deed the Olympian King,
Father of Gods and men, delivered him
To be a bond-slave, nor could brook the offence,
That of all lives he vanquished, this alone
Should have been ta’en by guile. For had he wrought
250
In open quittance of outrageous wrong,
250
Even Zeus had granted that his cause was just.
250
The braggart hath no favour even in Heaven.
250
Whence they, o’erweening with their evil tongue,
250
Are now all dwellers in the house of death,
250
Their ancient city a captive;—but these women
250
Whom thou beholdest, from their blest estate
250
Brought suddenly to taste of piteous woe,
250
Come to thy care. This task thy wedded lord
250
Ordained, and I, his faithful minister,
250
Seek to perform. But, for his noble self,
250
When with pure hands he hath done sacrifice
250
To his Great Father for the victory given,
250
Look for his coming, lady. This last word
250
Of all my happy speech is far most sweet.
250
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 248 focus
Mit nichten: meistens ward er fern in Lydia
Gehalten, nicht als freier Mann, so sagt er selbst,
Nein, als verkaufter Sklave. Doch darf keinen Groll
Dies Wort, o Frau, dir wecken, weil Zeus solches that.
245
Verhandelt einem fremden Weib, der Omphale,
(Erzählt er selber,) fröhnt' er ihr ein volles Jahr;
Und also nagte dieser Schimpf am Herzen ihm,
Daß er sich selber einen Eid' auflegt' und schwur,
Den Schnöden, der ihm dieses Leids Urheber sei,
250
Als Knecht dereinst zu fesseln, ihn mit Kind und Weib.
Nicht eitle Drohung war es; nein, sobald er sich
Gesühnt, so führt' er vor die Burg des Eurytos
Ein Heer von Söldnern; denn er sagte, der allein
Von allen Menschen trage Schuld an diesem Leid;
255
Der habe, wie Herakles ihn an seinem Herd
Als alter Gastfreund heimgesucht, mit Worten oft,
Und oft mit unheilvollem Sinn ihn aufgereizt;
So prahlt' er, unentfliehbar sei wohl sein Geschoß,
Doch steh' er seinen Söhnen nach im Bogenkampf;
260
Er müsse, rief er, als der Knecht dem freien Mann
Sich beugen. Dann bei'm Mahle warf er ihn hinaus,
Den Weinberauschten. Drob ergrimmt' Herakles, und,
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 248 focus
Ill CEchalia then
Hath my Alcides been this long, long time?
Lie. Not so : in Lydia (as himself reports)
Was he detained a slave. So Jove ordained ;
And who shall blame the high decrees of Jove ?
Sold to barbarian Omphale, he served
Twelve tedious months ; ill brooked he the foul shame.
Then in his wrath he made a solemn vow
He would revenge the wrong on the base author,
And bind in chains his >vife and all his race :
Nor fruitless the resolve, for when the year
Of slavery past had expiated the crime
Imputed, soon with gathered force he mai'ched
'Gainst the devoted Eurytus, the cause
Within his palace he had erst received
Alcides, but with bitterest taunts reviled him,
Boasting, in spite of his all-conquering arrows,
His son's superior skill, and Siiid a slave
Like him should bend beneath a freeman's power ;
Then, midst the banquet's mirth, inflamed with wine,
Cast forth his ancient guest. This to revenge
When Iphitus to search his pastured steeds
Came to Tyrinthia, Hercules surprised,
And, as he turned his wandering eyes aside.
Hurled headlong from the mountain's top. Great Jov
Father of men, from high Olympus saw
And disapproved the deed, unworthy him
Who ne'er before by fraud destroyed his foes ;
With open force had he revenged the wrong
Jove had forgiven, but violence concealed
250
The gods abhoi-, and therefore was he sold
250
To slavery. Eurytus' unhappy sons
250
Were punished too, and dwell in Erebus ;
250
Their city is destroyed, and they, whom here
250
Thou seest, from freedom and prosperity.
250
Reduced to wretchedness. To thee they come,
250
Such was Alcides' will ; which I, his slave.
250
Have faithfully performed. Himself ere long
250
Thou shalt behold, whon to paternal Jove
250
He hath fultilled his vows. Thus my long tale
250
Ends with the welcomest news which thou couklst
250
hear :
250
Alcides comes !
250
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 248 focus
No: but in Lydia he was long detain'd
Not free, such his account, but sold a slave.
We should not censure, Lady, what appears
Wrought by the hand of Jove. Betray'd, and sold
To the barbaric Omphale, he pass'd...
One tedious year a slave: but the disgrace
So stung his noble soul, that with an oath
He vow'd the author of this wrong, his wife,
And children should be slaves; nor vow'd in vain;
But, expiation made, with social hosts
Vengeful he march'd against the rampired walls
Of Eurytus, for him of all mankind
Alone he deem'd the cause of his disgrace,
Who, to his hearth when he approach'd, a friend
With hospitable rites received of old,
Insulted him aloud with taunting words,
And all the outrage of an hostile mind;
Reviling him as holding in his hands
Arrows by fate assign'd to reach the mark,
But that his sons excell'd him in the skill
To draw the bow; that by the nobly born
He as a slave should be trod down and crush'd;
Nay more, with wine when heated from his house:
He spurn'd him forth. Indignant at these wrongs,
O'er the Tirynthian hills when Iphitus
Search'd for his steeds that from their pastures roved,
His eye on other objects bent, his mind
On other thoughts engag'd, he hurl'd the youth
From the steep summit of the tow'ring rock.
Offended at the deed Olympian Jove,
The supreme king and father, sent him thence.
To slavery sold, nor brook'd a treacherous act
Unpractised but against this hapless youth:
250
With manly fortitude and front to front
250
In arms had he opposed him, heav'n's high king
250
Had pardon'd him, and deem'd his vengeance just;
250
But base insidious wrong the gods abhor.
250
But all those boasters, whose reviling tongues
250
Were wanton in their insolence, have now
250
Their mansions in the gloomy realms beneath,
250
And their proud city is enslaved. These dames,
250
Which here thou seest, from high and happy life
250
Sunk to this wretched state attend thy will.
250
Such are thy lord's commands, which I perform
250
With faithful zeal. When to his father Jove
250
The hallow'd victims for his conquest vow'd
250
Are slain, expect him here: of my long speech,
250
Though grateful all, this gives thee highest joy.
250
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 248 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-132-1 τὸν μὲν πλεῖστον … χρόνον 1 ὡς φήσ’ αὐτός 2

mvp-comment-133-1 ἐμποληθείς 3

mvp-comment-133-2 τοῦ λόγου … φθόνον 4

mvp-comment-133-3 προσεῖναι 5

mvp-comment-133-4 ὅτου 6 ὅτου 7 τοῦ λόγου 8

mvp-comment-133-5 πράκτωρ φανῇ 9

mvp-comment-133-6 The meaning is:—‘You may think that the humiliation of Heracles ought not to be related by his servant to his wife. But this humiliation was imposed by Zeus himself, and can therefore be related without reflecting upon Heracles.’

mvp-comment-134-1 κεῖνος δὲ 10 ἐν Λυδοῖς 11 χρόνον 12

mvp-comment-134-2 πραθεὶς … Ὀμφάλῃ 13

mvp-comment-134-3 Two tragic poets of the fifth century B.C., Ionof Chios and Achaeus, had written an

Ὀμφάλη σατυρική
. Two poets of the Middle Comedy, Antiphanes (Athen. 112 C) and Cratinus jun. (id. 669 B) wrote an
Ὀμφάλη
, picturing Heracles abandoned to sensuous pleasures. Itis the more noteworthy how Sophocles, in lightly touching on this episode, has guarded his hero's dignity. For he speaks only of servile labours for the Lydian taskmistress (70 It, 356 ); and marks how the bondsman felt his disgrace (254).

mvp-comment-135-1 ἐνιαυτὸν 14

mvp-comment-136-1 λαβὼν 15

mvp-comment-137-1 ὅρκον αὑτῷ προσβαλὼν 16

mvp-comment-137-2 ἦ μὴν 17

mvp-comment-137-3 τὸν ἀγχιστῆρα τοῦδε τοῦ πάθους 18

mvp-comment-137-4 No emendation is probable. Nauck's αὐτόχειρα 19

mvp-comment-138-1 ξὺν παιδὶ καὶ γυναικὶ 20 παισὶ 21

mvp-comment-138-2 ἔτι 22

mvp-comment-139-1 κοὐχ ἡλίωσε τοὔπος 23

mvp-comment-139-2 ὅθ’ ἁγνὸς ἦν 24 ἁγνός 25

mvp-comment-140-1 στρατὸν … ἐπακτὸν 26

mvp-comment-140-2 ἔρχεται 27

mvp-comment-140-3 πόλιν τὴν Εὐρυτείάν 28

mvp-comment-141-1 ἐφέστιον 29 ἐς δόμους 30 ἐλθόντ’ … ἐφέστιον 31

mvp-comment-142-1 ξένον παλαιὸν ὄντα 32

mvp-comment-143-1 ἐπερρόθησε 33

mvp-comment-143-2 From

ἐπερρόθησε
a verb of more general sense, such as
ὕβρισε
, is to be supplied with ἀτηρᾷ φρενί 34 γόγοις 35 φρενί 36 δείπνοις δ’ 37

mvp-comment-143-3 Others understand :—‘railed against him both with (rude) words and with evil intent.’ To this there are two objections. (1) Since all the supposed affronts are then verbal, the antithesis would require an epithet for λόγοις 38 ἀτηρᾷ 39 πολλὰ μὲν … πολλὰ δέ 40

mvp-comment-143-4 The text is clearly (I think) sound. It is unwarrantable, as it is undesirable, to strike out πολλὰ δ’ … χεροῖν μὲν 41

mvp-comment-144-1 λέγων χεροῖν μὲν 42 δὲ 43 λέγων 44

mvp-comment-144-2 τῶν ὧν τέκνων 45

mvp-comment-144-3 λείποιτο 46

mvp-comment-145-1 φωνεῖ δὲ 47 ῥαίοιτο 48

mvp-comment-145-2 ἀνδρὸς … ἐλευθέρου 49 δοῦλος 50

mvp-comment-145-3 ῥαίοιτο 51

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 52

mvp-comment-145-6 ᾠνωμένος 53

mvp-comment-145-7 ἔρριψεν ἐκτὸς αὐτόν 54

mvp-comment-145-8 ὧν ἔχων χόλον 55

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

248ff. mvp-comment-190-1 The falsehood of Lichas consists, not in the story of the servitude of Heracles to Omphale, which, whether true or false, was matter of common rumour (ll. 67 foll.), but in his assigning this as the reason for the conquest of Oechalia.

248. mvp-comment-191-1 τὸν.. πλεῖστον] Viz. twelve months out of the fifteen (l. 253).

249. mvp-comment-192-1 ὥς φησ᾿ αὐτός 253 ὡς αὐτὸς λέγει] The word of Heracles himself is required to confirm a statement so degrading to him.

250-251. mvp-comment-193-1 τοῦ λόγου δ᾽ οὐ χρὴ φθόνον .. προσεῖναι] 'And, lady, this must be heard without offence, as all things must in which the hand of Zeus is seen.' The expression is generalized in the relative clause. Hence the subjunctive.

251. mvp-comment-194-1 τοῦ λόγου is an objective genitive, - 'Envy at the word' or 'tale.' Ζεύς, κ.τ.λ.] Infr. 275.

252. mvp-comment-195-1 πραθείς repeats ἐμποληθείς with less attempt at softening the harsh fact. Cp. 276. Lichas purposely enlarges on the trouble that is past in order to lighten by contrast the effect of the discovery which must soon be made.

254. mvp-comment-196-1 He was so stung by incurring this dishonour.' For ὄνειδος = Disgrace,' cp. O. C. 967, 984, О. Т. 1035, 1494.

255. mvp-comment-197-1 Cp. with ὅρκον.. προσβαλών the expressions ὅρκον ἐπελαύνειν and προσάγειν τινί in Hdt. 1. 146, 6. 62.

256. mvp-comment-198-1 τὸν ἀγχιστῆρα] 'The causer.' This being a verbal form cannot be the equivalent of ἀγχιστεύς, which is from ἄγχιστος, ας ἀριστεύς from ἄριστος. Whether a verb ἀγχίζω existed or not, it is presupposed in the formation of ἀγχιστήρ, which can only mean, 'Him who brought on' (Seidler). 'He expressly swore that he would reduce to slavery the man who brought this trouble.' αὐτόχειρα has been conjectured, but this word could hardly be applied to Eurytus with reference to the bondage of Heracles. There Eurytus was only μεταίτιος, an accomplice before the fact, which was the work of Zeus.

257. mvp-comment-199-1 ξὺν παιδί] In Odyss. 9. 199, οὖνεκά μιν σὺν παιδὶ περισχόμεθ' ἠδὲ γυναικί, there is a various reading παισί, but there is nothing improbable in the collective use of the singular here. Essay on L. § 20. p. 31, 2.

258. mvp-comment-200-1 οὐχ ἡλίωσε] 'He made not void;' i. e, amply fulfilled. ἁγνός] 'Clean,' i. e. free. The bondage was a pollution incurred by the murder of Iphitus and at the same time an expiation of it. There may also have been some formal expiation not expressly mentioned. When this was over, he was pure, and might therefore look for success.

259. mvp-comment-201-1 ‘στρατὸν .. ἐπακτόν, quem dicit Sophocles, Arcades fuisse et Malienses et Locros Epicnemidios perhibet Apollodorus, 2. 7, 7; solos Arcades nominat Diodorus, 4. 37.' Herm. The point is one of no importance to the action. πόλιν] Accusative of motion to. Essay on L. § 16. p. 22.

260. mvp-comment-202-1 τόνδε] Sc. τὸν Εύρυτον. Α simple instance of the construction κατὰ σύνεσιν. Essay on L. § 36. p. 64. μεταίτιον] Alone partner with Zeus in the blame of this calamity.' Cp. Aesch. Eum. 199, 200, αὐτὸς σὺ τούτων οὐ μεταίτιος πέλει, | ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τὸ πᾶν ἔπραξας ὢν παναίτιος.

261. mvp-comment-203-1 μόνον βροτῶν] Cp. 355, μόνος θεῶν.

262. mvp-comment-204-1 ἐφέστιον, | ξένον παλαιὸν ὄντα] Coming to be received at his hearth, having been a friend of old.'

263-264. mvp-comment-205-1 πολλὰ μὲν πολλὰ δέ] 'Brake forth against him with rude words and with evil intent.' The antithetical repetition adds emphasis. Eurytus not only spoke badly, but meant badly. See Essay on L. § 40. p. 76. ἀτηρᾷ φρενί] 'With mischief-meaning mind.' Cp. Phil. 1272, πιστός, ἀτηρὸς λάθρᾳ.

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.