Sophocles Trachiniae 633

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)) — 633 focus
ὦ ναύλοχα ναύλοχοσ καὶ πετραῖα
Translations (5)
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)) — 633 focus
Ihr, die ihr die felsumragten,
Heißen Bäder, nah dem Port, 1
Und Deta's Hügel umwohnet, ihr, inmitten
Melischer Bucht, auch ihr
625
Am Strande der Göttin mit goldnem Pfeil. 2
Wo Hellas' pylischer Rath
Vom Ruhme weit genannt wird!
Erste Gegenstrophe.
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 !
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 633 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-327-1 ἔνθ’ Ἑλλάνων 1

mvp-comment-327-2 Ἑλλάνων 2

mvp-comment-327-3 ἀγοραὶ Πυλάτιδες 3

mvp-comment-327-4 κλέονται 4

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

633. mvp-comment-472-1 foll. The Chorus invite all the countries around Trachis to rejoice with them at the approach of Heracles, whose triumph the welcome flute will soon proclaim. He comes, long-waited for, to her who pined in thought for him. His own right arm hath freed him from toil. Let not the oars of his vessel tarry! Let him leave the sacrifice; and let the charm of Nessus draw him gently home.' The ode consists of two strophes and antistrophes of logaoedic verse, in which the alternation of quick and slow movements reflects the alternate eagerness and patience of expectancy.

633-635. mvp-comment-473-1 'Ye dwellers by the hot springs near the haven and the rock, and by the Oetean heights.' Hot springs were sacred to Heracles (Aristoph. Nub. 1047, etc.). Hence Thermopylae (where there was an altar to him, Hdt. 7. 176) had a special interest in his return. ναύλοχα καὶ πετραῖα] ‘By the roadstead and the rocks.' For the use of adjectives in general indications of place, see Essay on L. § 23. p. 39. Others take ναύλοχα substantively, but this makes an awkward division of the sentence. λουτρά no less than πάγους is governed of παραναιετάοντες: The word πάγος is used of the summit of Mount Oeta, infr. l. 1191, but πάγοι here include the rocky region to the north and east of the mountain. See Hdt. 7.198.

635. mvp-comment-474-1 μέσσαν] i. e. Surrounded by the lands of Euboea, Trachis, and Phthiotis.

636. mvp-comment-475-1 λίμναν is here descriptive of a land-locked sea, like the Gulf of Volo, although in the Homeric use, of which this is a reminiscence, it is sometimes applied to more open waters, as also in Soph. Fr. 432, ἐπ᾿ οἶδμα λίμνας, a phrase which is ridiculed as an affectation by Aristophanes, Av. 1337, 8.

637. mvp-comment-476-1 χρυσηλάκατος is the Homeric epithet of Artemis, χρυσηλακάτου κελαδεινῆς. In whatever sense the word was originally used, Sophocles is thinking here of the bright arrows of the goddess, for which, cp. O. T. 207, ᾿Αρτέμιδος αἴγλας, κ.τ.λ., and note. ἀκτάν] The word signifies a jutting foreland, or cliff, such as elsewhere, as in Salamis and at Artemisium in Euboea, was dedicated to the divine huntress. Cp. supr. l. 212, Ορτυγίαν, and note.

638-639. mvp-comment-477-1 Where are the famous gatherings of Hellenes in the Council of Pylae.' Ἑλλάνων ἀγοραὶ Πυλάτιδες are the meetings of the Amphictyonic Council at Pylae.' Cp. Hdt. 7. 200, 201. *κλέονται (cp. infr. l. 659, ἔνθα κλήζεται θυτήρ : Eur. Οr. 331, ἵνα μεσόμφαλοι λέγονται μυχοί), although a conjectural reading, is more probable, because more poetical, than καλεῦνται, which in this connection could hardly mean anything but are summoned.'