Sophocles, Trachiniae, Robert Potter (Translator), 113

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Deianira

Is there aught else I wish thee to relate?
630

My love to him, I fear, thou may'st report,

Ere of his love to me I am assured.

Trachiniae. Sophocles. Robert Potter (Translator). London. 1820.

Current edition Experimental

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Robert Potter, 1788))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 113 focus

κύματ᾿ ἐν om. εὐρέϊ πόντῳ βάντ᾽ ἐπιόντα τ᾽ ἴδοι,

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 94-140 focus

Χορός

ὃν αἰόλα νὺξ ἐναριζομένα

τίκτει κατευνάζει τε, φλογιζόμενον
95

Ἅλιον Ἅλιον αἰτῶ

τοῦτο καρῦξαι, τὸν Ἀλκμήνας πόθι μοι πόθι παῖς

ναίει ποτʼ, ὦ λαμπρᾷ στεροπᾷ φλεγέθων,

ἢ ποντίας αὐλῶνος ἢ δισσαῖσιν ἀπείροις κλιθείς,
100

εἴπʼ, ὦ κρατιστεύων κατʼ ὄμμα.

103

Χορός

ποθουμένᾳ γὰρ φρενὶ πυνθάνομαι

τὰν ἀμφινεικῆ Δηιάνειραν ἀεί,

οἷά τινʼ ἄθλιον ὄρνιν,
105

οὔποτʼ εὐνάζειν ἀδακρύτων βλεφάρων πόθον, ἀλλʼ

εὔμναστον ἀνδρὸς δεῖμα τρέφουσαν ὁδοῦ

ἐνθυμίοις εὐναῖς ἀνανδρώτοισι τρύχεσθαι, κακὰν
110

δύστανον ἐλπίζουσαν αἶσαν.

112

Χορός

πολλὰ γὰρ ὥστʼ ἀκάμαντος ἢ νότου ἢ βορέα τις

κύματʼ ἂν εὐρέϊ πόντῳ βάντʼ ἐπιόντα τʼ ἴδοι,

οὕτῶ δὲ τὸν Καδμογενῆ στρέφει, τὸ δʼ αὔξει,

βιότου πολύπονον ὥσπερ πέλαγος
115

Κρήσιον. ἀλλά τις θεῶν αἰὲν ἀναμπλάκητον Ἅιδα
120

σφε δόμων ἐρύκει.

122

Χορός

ὧν ἐπιμεμφομένα σʼ αἰδοῖα μέν, ἀντία δʼ οἴσω.

φαμὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἀποτρύειν ἐλπίδα τὰν ἀγαθὰν
125

χρῆναί σʼ· ἀνάλγητα γὰρ οὐδʼ ὁ πάντα κραίνων βασιλεὺς ἐπέβαλε θνατοῖς Κρονίδας·

ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ πῆμα καὶ χαρὰ πᾶσι κυκλοῦσιν, οἷον

ἄρκτου στροφάδες κέλευθοι.
130

μένει γὰρ οὔτʼ αἰόλα

132

Χορός

νὺξ βροτοῖσιν οὔτε κῆρες

οὔτε πλοῦτος, ἀλλʼ ἄφαρ

βέβακε, τῷ δʼ ἐπέρχεται

χαίρειν τε καὶ στέρεσθαι.
135

ἃ καὶ σὲ τὰν ἄνασσαν ἐλπίσιν λέγω

τάδʼ αἰὲν ἴσχειν· ἐπεὶ τίς ὧδε

τέκνοισι Ζῆνʼ ἄβουλον εἶδεν;
140

Translations (4)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 113 focus

LICH

I saw, and was amazed with heart-struck joy.

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 112 focus

Wie man in Weiten der See, wann

Boreas oder der Süd stürmt,

Wogen sich drängend an Wogen,

Kommend und gehend erblickt:
110

So treibt den Sohn Thebe's umher

Des Lebens vielfältige Noth,

Und wächst empor, kretischen Meers

Wallungen gleich; doch läßt ihn nie

Straucheln ein Gott und hält ihn stets
115

Ferne vom Haus des Todes.

Zweite Gegenstrophe.

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 113 focus

Nurse

What woes, my hapless daughter;

Alcides' fatal gift hath brought upon us !
875

English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 94-140 focus

Enter the Chorus on the other side.

Chorus

You, to whom Night gives birth when she is vanquished and despoiled of her starry crown,

and whom, as you blaze, she lays to rest, I pray you, O Sun, Sun, tell me, where is Alcmena’s son, where dwells her child? O Shining god with your bright flash,
95

is he on the straits of the sea, or does he lean upon the twin continents? Speak, you who surpass all in sight!
100

103

Chorus

For with longing heart, as I hear, Deianeira, the battle-prize, now,

like some mournful bird, never rests her eyes’ longing that they might be without tears, but nourishing a well-remembered fear for her husband’s travels she is constantly afflicted
105

by her anxious, widowed marriage-bed and in her misery anticipates misfortune.
110

112

Chorus

For just as one may see billow after billow

advancing and passing over the wide deep before the tireless south-wind, or the north, so the great toil of his life, stormy as the Cretan sea, now whirls back the heir of Cadmus, now exalts him. But some god always
115

keeps him unerring from the house of Hades.
120

122

To Deianeira.

Chorus

With respect I reproach you for your weeping, but still I will speak in dissent.

You must not, I say, wear away fair hope. Remember that the all-accomplishing king, the son of Cronus, does not appoint a painless lot for mortals. Sorrow and joy revolve to all, as the stars of the Bear
125

move in their circling paths.
130

132

Chorus

Starry night does not remain constant with men, nor does tribulation, nor wealth; in a moment it is gone from us, and to another in his turn come both

gladness and bereavement. So I urge even you, our Queen, to keep these matters firmly in your outlook. You must, for who has
135

known Zeus to be so without care for his children?
140

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-324-1 πρὼ| ¹

mvp-comment-324-2 μὴ … λέγοις ἂν ²

mvp-comment-324-3 τὸν ἐξ ἐμοῦ ³

mvp-comment-325-1 τἀκεῖθεν ⁴ εἰδέναι ⁵ εἰ ποθούμεθα ⁶ δέδοικα ⁷ ἐμοῦ ⁸

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

531-632. mvp-comment-400-1 Deianira, who has already prepared the charmed robe, confides her intention to the Trachinian maidens, and, on Lichas' coming forth, entrusts the gift to him, with the appropriate commands.

631. mvp-comment-471-1 πρώ] «Τoo soon.' λέγοις ἄν] Sc. εἰ λέγοις. The construction remains unaffected by μή. • I fear it is too soon for you to speak of my affection, before I know if on his side there is affection for me.' εἰδέναι τἀκεῖθεν, εἰ ποθούμεθα, sc. ἐκεῖ, is said by the same idiom as εἰδέναι τινά, εἰ κάμνει, and the like. γάρ gives the reason for not adding more, the assurance of her love being that which in other circumstances she would have added.

Sophocles Trachiniae 113

Robert Potter (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Deianira

Is there aught else I wish thee to relate?
630

My love to him, I fear, thou may'st report,

Ere of his love to me I am assured.

Current edition Experimental

LICH

I saw, and was amazed with heart-struck joy.

Nurse

What woes, my hapless daughter;

Alcides' fatal gift hath brought upon us !
875

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Deianira Is there aught else I wish thee to relate? 630 My love to him, I fear, thou may'st report, Ere of his love to me I am assured.

Current edition Experimental

LICH I saw, and was amazed with heart-struck joy.

Nurse What woes, my hapless daughter; Alcides' fatal gift hath brought upon us ! 875

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Deianira

Is there aught else I wish thee to relate?
630

My love to him, I fear, thou may'st report,

Ere of his love to me I am assured.

LICH

I saw, and was amazed with heart-struck joy.

Nurse

What woes, my hapless daughter;

Alcides' fatal gift hath brought upon us !
875