Sophocles Antigone 259

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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2ND MESS

She with keen knife before the altar place

Closed her dark orbs; but first lamented loud

The glorious bed of buried Megareus,

And then of Haemon; lastly clamoured forth

The curse of murdered offspring upon thee.
1305

Antigone. Sophocles. Lewis Campbell (Translator). London, New York and Toronto. 1906.

Current edition Experimental

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (12)

Greek (L. Benloew, 1858) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (L. Benloew, 1858)) — 259 focus

φύλαξ ¹ ἐλέγχων φύλακα· κἂν ἐγίγνετο

Greek (A. Boeckh, 1884) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Boeckh, 1884)) — 259 focus

κοὐδεὶς ἐναργής, ἀλλ’ ἔφευγε μὴ εἰδέναι.

Greek (F. H. Bothe, 1806) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. H. Bothe, 1806)) — 259 focus

πληγὴ τελευτῶσ᾽, οὐδ᾽ ὁ κωλύσων παρῆν·

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 259 focus

λόγοι δ᾽ ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐρρόθουν κακοί,

Greek (A. Colonna, 1978) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Colonna, 1978)) — 259 focus

λόγοι δ᾽ ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐρρόθουν κακοί,

Greek (A. Dain, 1955) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Dain, 1955)) — 259.mvp-line-259 focus

λόγοι δ’ ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐρρόθουν κακοί,

Greek (R. D. Dawe, 1979) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (R. D. Dawe, 1979)) — 259 focus

λόγοι δ᾽ ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐρρόθουν κακοί,

Greek (G. Hermann, 1830) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (G. Hermann, 1830)) — 259 focus

λόγοι δ᾽ ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐῤῥόθουν κακοί,

Greek (R. C. Jebb, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (R. C. Jebb, 1906)) — 259 focus

λόγοι δ᾽ ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐρρόθουν κακοί,

Greek (A. C. Pearson, 1924) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. C. Pearson, 1924)) — 259.mvp-line-259 focus

λόγοι δ᾽ ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐρρόθουν κακοί,

Antigone (OCR draft) Experimental (Antigone) — 259 focus

λόγοι δʼ ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐρρόθουν κακοί,

Greek (K. Reinhardt, 1949) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (K. Reinhardt, 1949)) — 259 focus

λόγοι δ᾽ ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐρρόθουν κακοί,

Translations (9)

German (A. Boeckh, 1884) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (A. Boeckh, 1884)) — 259 focus

CHOR.

Nicht weiſs ich's: aber allzutiefes Schweigen scheint

gleich drohend mir als übermäfsig Klaggeschrei.
1195

Spanish (J. A. Bolufer, 1921) (OCR draft) Experimental (Spanish (J. A. Bolufer, 1921)) — 259 focus

EL MENSAJERO

Tu mujer ha muerto; la infeliz, madre amantísima de ese cadáver, se acaba de inferir herida mortal.

Latin (F. H. Bothe, 1806) (OCR draft) Experimental (Latin (F. H. Bothe, 1806)) — 259 focus

Creon

1284 O inexpiabilis caedium thesaure, cur, obsecro , cur me perdis? O luctuosae calamitatis nuntie , quemnam edis sermonem? Hei, hei! perditum virum iterum confecisti, Qnid, puer, inquis? quid mihi narras novi? hei, hei, num exitiali isti calamitati accedere etiam uxoris cruentam necem ?

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 278 focus

Schon lang, o König, überlegt mein Inneres,

Ob eine Gottheit diese That nicht angeregt.

Kreon.

Schweig', eh mich deine Rede gar mit Zorn erfüllt,
280

Daß du, der Alte, nicht zugleich als Thor erscheinst.

Denn unerträglich ist es, daß du sagen magst,

Die Götter trügen Sorge für den Todten dort.

Sie hätten, wie zu schöner That Verherrlichung,

Den Mann begraben, der mit Brand zu tilgen kam
285

Die säulumringten Tempel und der Gaben Schmuck,

Und ihre Fluren, ihr Gesez zu stürzen sann?

Wann sahst du Frevler je geehrt durch Götterhuld?

Nie wahrlich, nie! Doch lange murrten schon darum,

Ungern gehorsam, wider mich die Bürger hier,
290

Geheim die Häupter schüttelnd; ja, sie hielten nicht

Pflichttreu den Nacken unter'm Joch, wie's mir genügt.

Von ihnen wurden jene, sicher weiß ich das,

Durch Lohn verleitet und verübten diese That.

Denn wahrlich, nichts von Allem, was bei Menschen gilt,
295

Ist, wie das Geld, verderblich: dies mag Städte selbst

Zerstören, dies treibt Männer aus von Hof und Herd;

Dies unterweiset und verkehrt den edlen Sinn

Rechtschaff'ner Männer, nachzugeh'n ruchloser That,

Zeigt an die Wege böser List den Sterblichen,
300

Und bildet sie zu jedem gottverhaßten Werk.

Doch die für Lohn gedungen diese That vollbracht,

Erwirkten sich's nun endlich, daß sie Strafe trifft.

Ia, wenn noch irgend Ehre Zeus von mir empfängt,

So sei versichert, und mein Schwur betheur' es dir:
305

Wofern ihr nicht den Frevler, der den Todten dort

Bestattet, aufspürt und mir hier vor Augen stellt,

Genügt es nicht an eurem Tode nur, ihr sollt

Am Kreuze hängen, bis ihr offenbart die Schmach,

Auf daß ihr, wissend, wo Gewinn zu suchen sei,
310

Ihn künftig dort erhaschet und begreifen lernt,

Daß nicht in Allem nach Gewinn zu spähen frommt.

Denn mit dem Preis des Schlechten wirst du Mehrere

Unglücklich enden, als das Glück gewinnen seh'n.

Der Wächter.

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 259 focus

Chorus
1293

A wretch, already dead

With grief, thy horrid tale once more hath slain.

Spanish (A. G. Garbin, 1889) (OCR draft) Experimental (Spanish (A. G. Garbin, 1889)) — 259 focus

EL MENSAJERO

En tal estado estas cosas, me parece conveniente que se delibere sobre lo demás.—(Se ve salir de palacio á la Reina.)

German (F. Hölderlin, 1804) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (F. Hölderlin, 1804)) — 259 focus

BOTE

Des ehgestorbenen Magareus rühmlich Bett.

Dann hat geklaget sie um den, zulezt lobpries sie

Die schlechten Thaten dir, dem Kindermörder.
1360

English (Sir Richard Jebb1, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb1, 1904)) — 259 focus

Chorus

1293 Thou canst behold: ’tis no longer hidden within. The doors of the palace are opened, and the corpse of EURYDICE is disclosed. 2

English (Sir Richard Jebb2, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb2, 1904)) — 332-380 focus

Chorus

Wonders are many, and none is more wonderful than man.

This power spans the sea, even when it surges white before the gales of the south-wind, and makes a path under swells that threaten to engulf him. Earth, too, the eldest of the gods, the immortal, the unwearied,
335

he wears away to his own ends, turning the soil with the offspring of horses as the plows weave to and fro year after year.
340

343

Chorus

The light-hearted tribe of birds

and the clans of wild beasts and the sea-brood of the deep he snares in the meshes of his twisted nets, and he leads them captive, very-skilled man. He masters by his arts
345

the beast who dwells in the wilds and roams the hills. He tames the shaggy-maned horse, putting the yoke upon its neck, and tames the tireless mountain bull.
350

354

Chorus

Speech and thought fast as the wind and the moods that give order to a city he has taught himself, and how to flee the arrows of the inhospitable frost under clear skies and the arrows of the storming rain.

He has resource for everything. Lacking resource in nothing he strides towards what must come. From Death alone he shall procure no escape, but from baffling diseases he has devised flights.
360

365

Chorus

Possessing resourceful skill, a subtlety beyond expectation he moves now to evil, now to good. When he honors the laws of the land and the justice of the gods to which he is bound by oath,
365

his city prospers. But banned from his city is he who, thanks to his rashness, couples with disgrace. Never may he share my home,
370

never think my thoughts, who does these things!
375

376

Enter the Guard, on the spectators’ left, leading in Antigone.

Chorus

What marvel sent by the gods is this?—I am bewildered! I know her. How can I deny that this girl is Antigone? O unhappy child

of your unhappy father, of Oedipus! What can this mean? What! Surely they are not bringing you captive for disobeying the King’s laws and being caught in lunacy?
380

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-783-1 ἥδ’ ¹ βωμία ² βωμία ³

mvp-comment-783-2 ξίφει ⁴

mvp-comment-783-3 Next to Arndt's, the best conjecture seems that of Blaydes, ἥδ’ ὀξυθήκτῳ σφαγίδι βωμίᾳ πέρι ⁵

mvp-comment-784-1 λύει κελαινὰ βλέφαρα ⁶ μύει ⁷

mvp-comment-785-1 Μεγαρέως ⁸

mvp-comment-785-2 κλεινὸν λάχος ⁹ λάχος ¹⁰ λέχος ¹¹

mvp-comment-786-1 κακὰς πράξεις ¹²

mvp-comment-786-2 ἐφυμνής. ¹³

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

1301. mvp-comment-723-1 ἡ δέ δέ opposes the case of Eurydice to that of Haemon, whose dead body is in the arms of Creon.

1301. mvp-comment-723-2 ὀξύθηκτος Infuriated (ὀργῇ χρω μένη, Ο. Τ. 1241). Cp. Aesch. S. c. T. 715, τεθηγμένον τοί μ᾽ οὐκ ἀπαμβλυνεῖς λόγῳ. The Scholion, ὀξεῖαν λαβούσα πληγήν, seems to imply a v. τ. ὀξύπληκτος (or ὀξύδηκτος, a vox nihili), which, however, gives a poorer sense.

1301. mvp-comment-723-3 ἥδε Pointing to the corpse, which has just been rolled into view by the ἐκκύκλημα.

1301. mvp-comment-723-4 βωμία At, or on the altar,' as in Eur. Suppl. 93, μητέρα γεραίαν βωμίαν ἐφημένην. Cp. Tr. 904, where Deianira, before her suicide, falls on the altar, βωμοῖσι προσπίπτουσα.

1301. mvp-comment-723-5 †πέριξ, if not spurious, must be explained as an epexegesis of βωμία = περιπετής. No satisfactory emendation has been proposed. Arndt suggested ἡ δ' ὀξυθήκτῳ βωμία περὶ ξίφει. Others, reading πτέρυξ, suppose the Exangelus to display the altar-knife which had given the wound. See L. and S. s. v.

1301. mvp-comment-723-6 πτέρυξ, 11. 5.

1302. mvp-comment-724-1 λύει κελαινὰ βλέφαρα Relaxes her darkened eye. λύειν is used here as in λῦσε δὲ γυῖα and the like expressions in Homer. κελαινά might quite well be used proleptically = σκοτεινά = ἐν σκότῳ. But this, like other words of colour in Sophocles, has usually a picturesque force, and here is probably intended to suggest the darkness of passionate grief and despair which oppressed her eyes in their last looks before the final darkness of death.

1303. mvp-comment-725-1 It has been suggested that the λέχος of Megareus and Haemon is the place which received each of them in death. Euripides speaks of Menoeceus, who flung himself into the serpent's lair, σηκὸν ἐς μελαμβαθῆ δράκοντος δράκοντος (Phoen. 1017), as θαλάμαις .. σφαγέντα VOL. I. 00 (ib. 938 ff.). If Megareus is Menoeceus, as would appear from Aesch. S. c. T. 474 ff., and if the body was left in the deep cavern where it lay. Eurydice may speak of this as at once her son's grave and bride-bed (for he was ἠθεος): and as κλεινόν, because earning him his country's gratitude. And although Haemon was not buried in the cell where he died, the word borrowed from the preceding clause may be less exact in its application to him. Bothe's conj. λάχος is accepted by Dindorf.

1304-1305. mvp-comment-726-1 λοίσθιον δὲ . . παιδοκτόνῳ And lastly uttering a strain of calamitous import against thee, the slayer of thy children. The expression signifies rather a prophecy than a mere imprecation of woe.