Sophocles Trachiniae 40

Robert Potter (Translator)

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Lichas
248
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

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)) — 40 focus
ξένῳ παρ᾿ ἀνδρὶ ναίομεν, κεῖνος δ᾽ ὅπου
40
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1-93 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 40 focus
LICH
248
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)) — 49 focus
O Deianeira, Fürstin, oft gewahrt' ich schon,
Wie du betrübt in thränenreiche Klagen dich
50
Ergossest, daß Herakles ausgezogen sei.
Doch heute, wenn's der Sklavin schlichtem Sinn geziemt,
Dem freien Weib zu rathen, gönn' auch mir ein Wort.
Du bist an soviel Söhnen reich: was sendest du 1
Nicht ihrer Einen, auszuspäh'n des Mannes Spur?
55
Zumal dem Hyllos ziemte das, vertrau'n wir ihm,
Daß ihn um seines Vaters Wohl die Sorge treibt.
Da kommt er eben leichten Schritt's zum Haus heran,
Daß, wenn dir meine Rede nicht unzeitig dünkt,
Du seinen Beistand nüzen kannst und meinen Rath.
60
Hyllos. Die Vorigen.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 40 focus
Deianira
314cont2
The royal race
Of Eurytus?
Lie. 1 know not, nor did e'er
Inquire.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1-92 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.’

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.