Sophocles, Trachiniae, Robert Potter (Translator), 76

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Lichas

With what intent

That question dost thou ask?

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)) — 76 focus

ἆρ᾽ οἶσθα δῆτ', ὦ τέκνον, ὡς ἔλειπέ μοι

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)) — 76 focus

LICH

Why such a question? What is thine intent?

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 79 focus

Entweder harre seiner dort der Tage Ziel,

So hieß es, oder wenn er sieg' in diesem Kampf,
80

Verfließ' in lautern Wonnen ihm des Lebens Rest.

Nun also seine Wage schwankt, so gehe, Kind,

Ihm beizustehen, da wir selbst gerettet sind,

Wenn er sich rettet, oder untergeh'n mit ihm.

Hylos.

Ich gehe, Mutter; wäre mir der Götterspruch
85

Bekannt gewesen, wär' ich wohl schon lange dort.

Doch ließ für unsern Vater sein gewohntes Glück

Nichts uns befürchten, noch zu sehr in Sorgen sein.

Jezt, weil ich das vernommen, unterlass' ich Nichts,

Bis ich davon die ganze Wahrheit ausgeforscht.
90

Deianeira.

So gehe, Theurer! Wenn man auch in später Zeit

Vernimmt von einem Glücke, bringt es noch Gewinn.

(Hyllos ab. Der Chor der Jungfrauen aus der Stadt tritt auf, und ordnet sich vor dem Palaste.) Deianeira. Der Chor. Erste Strophe.

Der Chor.

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 76 focus

Deianira

Oh ! do not, I beseech thee by that power
490

Whose thunders roll o'er CEta's lofty grove,
490

Do not conceal the truth. Thou speakst to one
490

Not unexperienced in the ways of men —
490

To one who knows we cannot always joy
490

In the same object. 'Tis an idle task
490

To take up arms against all-powerful love :

Love which commands the gods. Love conquered me,

And wherefore should it not subdue another,

Whose nature and whose passions are the same?

If my Alcides is indeed oppressed

With this sad malady, I blame him not ;

That were a folly. Nor this hapless maid,

Who meant no ill, no injury to me.

'Tis not for this I speak. But, mark me well ;

If thou wert taught by him to utter falsehood,

A vile and shameful lesson didst thou learn ;

And if thou art thy own instructor, know

Thou shalt seem wicked e'en when most sincere,

And never be believed. Speak then the truth ;

For to be branded with the name of liar

Is ignominy fit for slaves alone.

And not for thee. Nor think thou canst conceal it ;

Those who have heard the tale will tell it nie.

If fear deters thee, thou hast little cause ;

For to susi>ect his falsehood is my grief —

To know it, none. Already have I seen

Alcides' heart estranged to other loves,

Yet did no rival ever hear from me
495

One bitter word, nor will 1 now reproach
495

This wretched slave, e'en though she pines for him
495

With strongest love. Alas ! I pity her.
495

Whose beauty thus hath been the fatal cause
495

Of all her misery, laid her country waste,

And brought her here, far from her native land,

A helpless captive. But no more of this;

Only remember, if thou must be false,

Be false to others, but be true to me.

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-215-1 σὺ δ’ ¹

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

403. mvp-comment-307-1 The reading ἐρωτήσασ' (cp. 412) has suggested to some editors a transposition of the lines, which is quite unnecessary. Thus Dindorf (Oxford, 1869) reads ΔΗ. 400, ΛΙ. 403, ΔΗ. 404, ΛΙ. 401, ΑΓ. 402. But Lichas is too courteous to Deianira and too self-possessed to have addressed so rude a question to her, instead of answering at once, and if he had done so would not have emphasized the pronoun σύ: whereas it is quite natural that he should turn abruptly on the Messenger without giving him a direct answer. And 404 suits better with the peremptoriness of the "Αγγελος than with the character of Deianira.

Sophocles Trachiniae 76

Robert Potter (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Lichas

With what intent

That question dost thou ask?

Current edition Experimental

LICH

Why such a question? What is thine intent?

Entweder harre seiner dort der Tage Ziel,

So hieß es, oder wenn er sieg' in diesem Kampf,
80

Verfließ' in lautern Wonnen ihm des Lebens Rest.

Nun also seine Wage schwankt, so gehe, Kind,

Ihm beizustehen, da wir selbst gerettet sind,

Wenn er sich rettet, oder untergeh'n mit ihm.

Deianeira.

So gehe, Theurer! Wenn man auch in später Zeit

Vernimmt von einem Glücke, bringt es noch Gewinn.

(Hyllos ab. Der Chor der Jungfrauen aus der Stadt tritt auf, und ordnet sich vor dem Palaste.) Deianeira. Der Chor. Erste Strophe.

Der Chor.

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Lichas With what intent That question dost thou ask?

Current edition Experimental

LICH Why such a question? What is thine intent?

Entweder harre seiner dort der Tage Ziel, So hieß es, oder wenn er sieg' in diesem Kampf, 80 Verfließ' in lautern Wonnen ihm des Lebens Rest. Nun also seine Wage schwankt, so gehe, Kind, Ihm beizustehen, da wir selbst gerettet sind, Wenn er sich rettet, oder untergeh'n mit ihm.

Deianeira. So gehe, Theurer! Wenn man auch in später Zeit Vernimmt von einem Glücke, bringt es noch Gewinn. (Hyllos ab. Der Chor der Jungfrauen aus der Stadt tritt auf, und ordnet sich vor dem Palaste.) Deianeira. Der Chor. Erste Strophe.

Der Chor.

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Lichas

With what intent

That question dost thou ask?

LICH

Why such a question? What is thine intent?

Entweder harre seiner dort der Tage Ziel,

So hieß es, oder wenn er sieg' in diesem Kampf,
80

Verfließ' in lautern Wonnen ihm des Lebens Rest.

Nun also seine Wage schwankt, so gehe, Kind,

Ihm beizustehen, da wir selbst gerettet sind,

Wenn er sich rettet, oder untergeh'n mit ihm.

Deianeira.

So gehe, Theurer! Wenn man auch in später Zeit

Vernimmt von einem Glücke, bringt es noch Gewinn.

(Hyllos ab. Der Chor der Jungfrauen aus der Stadt tritt auf, und ordnet sich vor dem Palaste.) Deianeira. Der Chor. Erste Strophe.