Sophocles Antigone 531

Table of Contents

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

View: By Card By Turn
← Previous Next →
Heus tu, quae, domi furtim subrepens, ceu vipera, clam me exsugis;
atque adeo inscius geminas pascebam furias, regnique mei pestes; age, dic mihi tandem , ecqui fateberis huius humationis sociam te quoque esse, an iurabis te huius rei ignaram esse?

Antigone. Sophocles. Berlin. 1806.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by Tufts University.

Current edition Experimental

Latin (F. H. Bothe, 1806) (OCR draft) (Latin) (Latin (F. H. Bothe, 1806))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (12)
Greek (L. Benloew, 1858) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (L. Benloew, 1858)) — 531 focus
σὺ δ᾽, ἣ κατ᾽ οἴκους, ὡς ἔχιδν᾽, ὑφειμένη
λήθουσά μ᾽ ἐξέπινες, οὐδ᾽ ἐμάνθανον
τρέφων δύ᾽ ἄτα, κἀπαναστάσεις θρόνων,
530
φέρ᾽, εἰπὲ δή μοι, καί σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου
φήσεις μετασχεῖν, ἢ ’ξομεῖ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι;
Greek (A. Boeckh, 1884) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Boeckh, 1884)) — 531 focus
Greek (F. H. Bothe, 1806) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. H. Bothe, 1806)) — 531 focus
σὺ δ᾽, ἣ, κατ᾽ οἴκους, ὡς ἔχιδν᾽, ὑφειμένη,
λήθουσά μ᾽ ἐξέπινες, οὐδ᾽ ἐμάνθανον
525
τρέφων δύ᾽ ἄτα, κἀπαναστάσεις θρόνων,
φέρ᾽, εἰπὲ δή μοι· καὶ σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου
φήσεις μετασχεῖν, ἢ ᾿ξομεῖ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι;
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 531 focus
σὺ δ᾽, ἣ κατ' οἴκους ὡς ἔχιδν᾽ ὑφειμένη
λήθουσά μ᾽ ἐξέπινες, οὐδ᾽ ἐμάνθανον
τρέφων δύʼ ἄτα κἀπαναστάσεις θρόνων,
φέρ᾽, εἰπὲ δή μοι, καὶ σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου
φήσεις μετασχεῖν, ἢ ʼξομεῖ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι;
535
Greek (A. Colonna, 1978) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Colonna, 1978)) — 531 focus
σὺ δ᾽, ἣ κατ᾽ οἴκους ὡς ἔχιδν᾽ ὑφειμένη
λήθουσά μ᾽ ἐξέπινες, οὐδ᾽ ἐμάνθανον
τρέφων δύ᾽ ἄτα κἀπαναστάσεις θρόνων,
φέρ᾽, εἰπὲ δή μοι, καὶ σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου
φήσεις μετασχεῖν, ἢ ᾿ξομῇ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι;
535
Greek (A. Dain, 1955) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Dain, 1955)) — 531 focus
σὺ δ’, ἣ κατ’ οἴκους ὡς ἔχιδν’ ὑφειμένη
λήθουσά μ’ ἐξέπινες, οὐδ’ ἐμάνθανον
τρέφων δύ’ ἄτα κἀπαναστάσεις θρόνων,
φέρ’, εἰπὲ δή μοι, καὶ σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου
φήσεις μετασχεῖν, ἢ ’ξομῇ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι;
535
Greek (R. D. Dawe, 1979) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (R. D. Dawe, 1979)) — 531 focus
σὺ δ᾽, ἣ κατ᾽ οἴκους ὡς ἔχιδν᾽ ὑφειμένη
λήθουσά μ᾽ ἐξέπινες, οὐδ᾽ ἐμάνθανον
τρέφων δύ᾽ ἄτα κἀπαναστάσεις θρόνων,
φέρ᾽ εἰπὲ δή μοι, καὶ σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου
φήσεις μετασχεῖν, ἢ ᾿ξομῆι τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι;
535
Greek (G. Hermann, 1830) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (G. Hermann, 1830)) — 531 focus
σὺ δ᾽, ἣ κατ᾽ οἴκους, ὡς ἔχιδν᾽ , ὑφειμένη
λήθουσά μ᾽ ἐξέπινες, οὐδ᾽ ἐμάνθανον
τρέφων δύ᾽ ἄτα κἀπαναστάσεις θρόνων,
φέρ᾽, εἰπὲ δή μοι, καὶ σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου
530
φήσεις μετασχεῖν, ἢ ᾿ξομεῖ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι;
Greek (R. C. Jebb, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (R. C. Jebb, 1906)) — 531 focus
σὺ δ᾽, ἣ κατ᾽ οἴκους ὡς ἔχιδν᾽ ὑφειμένη
λήθουσά μ᾽ ἐξέπινες, οὐδ᾽ ἐμάνθανον
τρέφων δύ᾽ ἄτα κἀπαναστάσεις θρόνων,
φέρ᾽, εἰπὲ δή μοι, καὶ σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου
φήσεις μετασχεῖν, ἢ ᾿ξομεῖ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι;
535
Greek (A. C. Pearson, 1924) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. C. Pearson, 1924)) — 531 focus
σὺ δ᾽, ἣ κατ᾽ οἴκους ὡς ἔχιδν᾽ ὑφειμένη
λήθουσά μ᾽ ἐξέπινες, οὐδ᾽ ἐμάνθανον
τρέφων δύ᾽ ἄτα κἀπαναστάσεις θρόνων,
φέρ᾽, εἰπὲ δή μοι, καὶ σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου
φήσεις μετασχεῖν, ἢ ᾿ξομῇ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι;
535
Antigone (OCR draft) Experimental (Antigone) — 531 focus
Greek (K. Reinhardt, 1949) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (K. Reinhardt, 1949)) — 531 focus
σὺ δ᾽, ἣ κατ᾽ οἴκους ὡς ἔχιδν᾽ ὑφειμένη
λήθουσά μ᾽ ἐξέπινες, οὐδ᾽ ἐμάνθανον
τρέφων δύ᾽ ἄτα κἀπαναστάσεις θρόνων,
φέρ᾽ εἰπὲ δή μοι, καὶ σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου
φήσεις μετασχεῖν, ἢ 'ξομῆι τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι;
535
Translations (10)
German (A. Boeckh, 1884) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (A. Boeckh, 1884)) — 531 focus
Spanish (J. A. Bolufer, 1921) (OCR draft) Experimental (Spanish (J. A. Bolufer, 1921)) — 531 focus
¡Tú, la que deslizándote por palacio como una vibora víbora, sin advertirlo yo, me chupabas la sangre! No sabia sabía yo que alimentara a dos furias que se revolvian contra mi trono. ¡Ea!, dime ya: tú en este sepelio, ¿confiesas haber tenido parte, o juras que no lo sabias?
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 531 focus
And thou, that like a serpent coiled i’ the house
Hast secretly been draining my life-blood,—
Little aware that I was cherishing
Two curses and subverters of my throne,—
Tell us, wilt thou avouch thy share in this
Entombment, or forswear all knowledge of it?
535
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 531 focus
Du, die im Hause, gleich der Natter angeschmiegt,
Mich heimlich ausgesogen, der ich unbewußt
530
Zwei Gräuel mir zum Sturze meines Throns erzog:
Auf, sage mir, bekennst du, Theil an dieser That
Zu haben, oder schwörst du dich der Sünde rein?
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 531 focus
No woman rules in Thebes whilst Creon lives.
Antigone, Creon, Chorus.
Creon Come forth, thou serpent ! Little did I think
That I had nourished two such deadly foes
To suck my blood, and cast me from my throne.
"What sayst thou? Wert thou accomplice in the deed,
Or wilt thou swear that thou ait innocent ?
Spanish (A. G. Garbin, 1889) (OCR draft) Experimental (Spanish (A. G. Garbin, 1889)) — 531 focus
¡Oh! la que oculta en la sombra de ese palacio, te proponías, á la manera de una víbora, saciarte en secreto de mi sangre: no sabía yo que estaba alimentando estas dos furias, calamidad de mi reino; habla, respóndeme al punto, si has tomado parte en esa inhumación; ó dí, bajo juramento, si lo ignorabas todo.
German (F. Hölderlin, 1804) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (F. Hölderlin, 1804)) — 531 focus
English (Sir Richard Jebb1, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb1, 1904)) — 531 focus
And thou, who, lurking like a viper in my house, wast secretly draining my life-blood, while I knew not that I was nurturing two pests, to rise against my throne—come, tell me now, wilt thou also confess thy part in this burial, or wilt thou forswear all knowledge of it?
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 531 focus
Thou, like a viper creeping through my house
English (Sir Richard Jebb2, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb2, 1904)) — 583-630 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-150-1 πότερον 1 ἔκρυπτον 2

mvp-comment-150-2 ἀμφικίονας ναούς 3

mvp-comment-150-3 κἀναθήματα 4

mvp-comment-150-4 Her. 1.50 ; Thuc. 6.46 ; Isae. or. 7 § 41.) The wealth of Delphi in

ἀναθήματα
is already proverbial in Il. 9.404 ; at Thebes the
Ἰσμήνιον
( O. T. 21 ) also seems to have been rich in them. After
ἀνάθημα
the gen. denotes either
ὁ ἀναθείς
(as more oft.), or, as here, the divine owner.

mvp-comment-150-5 γῆν ἐκείνων 5 πυρώσων 6

mvp-comment-150-6 νόμους διασκεδῶν 7

mvp-comment-150-7 διασκεδῶν 8

mvp-comment-151-1 τοὺς κακοὺς τιμῶντας … θεούς; 9

mvp-comment-152-1 ταῦτα 10 μόλις φέροντες 11 καὶ πάλαι 12

mvp-comment-152-2 πόλεως ἄνδρες 13

mvp-comment-152-3 ἐρρόθουν 14

mvp-comment-152-4 ἐμοί 15

mvp-comment-152-5 κάρα σείοντες 16

mvp-comment-152-6 ὑπὸ ζυγῷ 17

mvp-comment-152-7 λόφον 18

mvp-comment-152-8 δικαίως 19

mvp-comment-152-9 equal poise’ ( New Crat. 371).—

ὡς = ὥστε
( O. T. 84 ): στέργειν 20

mvp-comment-153-1 τῶνδε 21 ἐκ 22

mvp-comment-153-2 τούτους, 23

mvp-comment-153-3 εἰργάσθαι 24 ἐξεπίσταμαι 25 παρηγμένους 26

mvp-comment-154-1 νόμισμ’ 27

mvp-comment-154-2 ἔβλαστε 28

mvp-comment-154-3 πορθεῖ 29

mvp-comment-154-4 τόδ’ 30 ἄνδρας 31

mvp-comment-155-1 τόδ’ ἐκδ. καὶ παραλλάσσει 32 ἵστασθαι 33 καὶ παραλλάσσει 34

mvp-comment-155-2 ἵστασθαι πρός τι 35

mvp-comment-156-1 πανουργίας … ἔχειν 36

mvp-comment-156-2 εἰδέναι 37 παντὸς ἔργου δυσσέβ. 38 παντὸς ἔργ 39 πανουργίας 40

mvp-comment-157-1 ἤνυσαν 41

mvp-comment-157-2 χρόνῳ ποτέ 42 δοῦναι δίκην 43

mvp-comment-157-3 ἐξέπραξαν ὡς 44

mvp-comment-158-1 Ζεύς 45

mvp-comment-158-2 ὅρκιος 46

mvp-comment-158-3 τὸν αὐτόχειρα 47 τάφου = ταφῆς 48

mvp-comment-159-1 μοῦνος 49 πρὶν ἂν . . δηλώσητε 50 κρεμαστοί 51 ζῶντες κρεμαστοί 52

mvp-comment-159-2 δηλώσηθ’ 53

mvp-comment-159-3 ὕβριν 54

mvp-comment-160-1 ἵν’ … ἁρπάζητε 55

mvp-comment-160-2 τὸ κέρδος 56 ἔνθεν οἰστέον 57

mvp-comment-160-3 μάθηθ’ 58

mvp-comment-160-4 ἐξ ἅπαντος 59 τὸ κερδαίνειν 60

mvp-comment-160-5

πιεῖν
. In O. C. 807
ἑξ ἅπαντος εὖ λέγει
 =speaks well on any theme (starting from anything).

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

223-330. mvp-comment-136-1 The half-comic or rustic character of the watchman in this play is an extension of the common character of the messenger, whose natural rudeness of speech and thought brings into greater prominence the horror or pathos of the events he describes. The grotesqueness disappears when he speaks of the action of Antigone in 407-440. The employment of this artifice by Sophocles arises from the same motive to which Shakespeare gave a far wider range in such creations as the gravediggers in Hamlet, and the rural fellow in Antony and Cleopatra. The Messenger in the Trachiniae, the Corinthian in the Oedipus Tyrannus, Menelaus in the Ajax, the pretended Shipmaster in the Philoctetes, afford the same sort of contrast to the more tragic personages: and the superstition of the Coloniatae may be compared with the cowardice of the Phrygian slave in the Orestes of Euripides.

223-330. mvp-comment-136-2 The vulgarity of the common-place Athenian of the fifth century в.с. takes the form of misplaced subtlety of wit. Cp. Shak. Hamlet, 5. 1 ,

We must speak by the card, or equivocation will undo us. The age is grown so picked, that the toe of the peasant comes so near the heel of the courtier, he galls his kibe.

281. mvp-comment-169-1 ἄνους τε καὶ γέρων Cp. О. С. 930-931, καί σ᾽ ὁ πληθύων χρόνος | γέρονθ' ὁμοῦ τίθησι καὶ τοῦ νοῦ κενόν. See Essay on Language § 41. p. 78. 285-286. Who came to burn their pillared shrines and offerings, and to break in pieces their land and laws. It seems more likely that the ἀναθήματα are joined in one expression with ναούς than with γῆν and νόμους, which are in a different category.

289-290. mvp-comment-170-1 ἀλλὰ ταῦτα.. ἐμοί But this explains the murmurs I have long been hearing from men in the city against me;' i. e. Those murmurs have become explicit in this act. Οη ταῦτα, see Essay on Language § 17. p. 25; and for the dative ἐμοί, at me, ib. § 12. p. 18. μόλις φέροντες, which some have connected with ταῦτα (ταῦτα μόλις φέροντες, 'Bearing my edict ill'), seems to be used absolutely, sc. τὸ ἐμὸν ζυγόν, with an allusion to the metaphor in what follows. Cp. Thuc. 5. 80, θυμῷ ἔφερον, sc. τὸν πόλεμον ἢ τὰ πράγματα.

291. mvp-comment-171-1 'Covertly shaking the head,' like an animal preparing to throw off the yoke.

292. mvp-comment-172-1 δικαίως Rightly; i. e. As I had a right to expect that they should.

292. mvp-comment-172-2 ὡς στέργειν ἐμέ So as to accept my sway. To this it has been objected that στέργω implies affectionate allegiance. But this notion, although inherent in the etymology of the word, is dropped in use. Cp. Phil. 538, ἐγὼ δ' ἀνάγκῃ προὔμαθον στέργειν κακά : Aesch. Prom. 11, τὴν Δίος τυραννίδα | στέργειν. What hope was there that Prometheus would be made loyal by loyal torments? The other interpretation, So that I should be content (cp. Phil. 458, τούτους ἐγὼ τοὺς ἄνδρας οὐ στέρξω ποτέ), would give but feeble expression to the self-will of Creon. The substitution for these words of εὐλόφως φέρειν from the citation of Eustathius, with the further change of νῶτον for λόφον, is rightly rejected by Dind., who points out that Eustathius, probably quoting from memory, has confused this passage with one of Lycophron.

293. mvp-comment-173-1 ἐκ τῶνδε By these malcontents. Supr. 290.

293. mvp-comment-173-2 τούτους (1) These guards. Infr. ll. 304 ff., supr. 260 ff.: or (2) simply τοὺς εἰργασμένους. The whole of this picture of discontent is the creation of Creon's anger from the hesitation of the chorus when told to see to the execution of the decree. Supr. 215 ff.

294. mvp-comment-174-1 There is a stress on μισθοῖσιν, preparing for what follows.

296. mvp-comment-175-1 νόμισμα, usually = Current coin, is here used in the more general sense which includes this. No such pestilent usance as money is, ever sprang up amongst mankind.

298. mvp-comment-176-1 The object of ἐκδιδάσκει, SC.

298. mvp-comment-176-2 χρηστοὺς αἰσχρά, is absorbed in the expansion of the sentence.

299. mvp-comment-177-1 πρὸς .. ἵστασθαι Το address themselves to shameful enterprizes.' Cp. Thuc. 6. 34. § 7, τῶν δ᾽ ἀνθρώπων πρὸς τὰ λεγόμενα καὶ αἱ γνῶμαι ἵστανται.

300. mvp-comment-178-1 πανουργίας The plural of the abstract noun gives the concrete notion.

300. mvp-comment-178-2 πανουργίας ἔχειν, like θήραν ἔχειν, Αj. 564: ὕβριν ἔχειν, Od. 1. 368, etc.

301. mvp-comment-179-1 παντὸς ἔργου δυσσέβειαν The impiety of every deed; i. e. Every kind of impiety in action. Cp. O.T. 864-865, εὔσεπτον ἁγνείαν λόγων | ἔργων τε πάντων.

303. mvp-comment-180-1 He implies, This cannot be their first act of disloyalty.' The unity of time is not to be pressed in the Antigone: see below, 11. 1064 ff. Else this suspicion of inveterate disaffection, against one who has reigned only for a few hours, would be too extravagant. The elders were selected for their loyalty. supr. 165 ff.

308-311. mvp-comment-181-1 οὐχ ὑμὶν ῞Αιδης.. ἁρπάζητε] Death shall not alone suffice for you, but first you shall be hung up alive to show the heinousness of this offence, that for the future, in your wrongful gettings, you may know better where to look for gain. See Essay on Language § 37. p. 64. There is a confusion of two constructions: (1) οὐχ ὑμὶν ῞Αιδης ἀρκέσει, τo which μοῦνος is added for emphasis, i. e. οὐ θανεῖσθε μόνον: and (2) οὐ θανεῖσθε πρίν, κ.τ.λ. Cp. 1064 ff., and see Aj. 106 ff., θανεῖν γὰρ αὐτὸν οὐτί πω θέλω, κ.τ.λ. The Φύλαξ is to take this message to his fellows.