Sophocles Antigone 76

Thomas Francklin (Translator)

Table of Contents

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

View: By Card
← Previous Next →
Antigone
I had it not from Jove, nor the just gods
450
Who rule below ; nor could I ever think
450
A mortal's law of power or strength sufficient
To abrogate th* unwritten law divine,
Immutable, eternal, not like these
Of
yesterday,
455
ill man pei
but made ere time began.
Heaven's great commands,
violate
and make the gods my foes ?
460
Without thy mandate, death had one day come ;
460
For who shall 'scape it ? and if now I fall
A little sooner, 'tis the thing I wish.
To those who live in misery like me,
Believe me, king, 'tis happiness to die ;
Without remorse I shall embrace my fate;
465
But to my brother had I left the rites
Of sepulture unpaid, I then indeed
Had been most wretched. Tliis to thee may seem
Madness and folly. If it be, 'tis fit
I should act thus — it but resembles thee.
470

Antigone. Sophocles. Thomas Francklin (Translator). London. 1758–1759.

Current edition Experimental

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (12)
Greek (L. Benloew, 1858) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (L. Benloew, 1858)) — 76 focus
ἐκεῖ γὰρ αἰεὶ κείσομαι. σοὶ δ᾽ εἰ δοκεῖ,
Greek (A. Boeckh, 1884) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Boeckh, 1884)) — 76 focus
ἐκεῖ γὰρ αἰεὶ κείσομαι· σοὶ δ᾽ εἰ δοκεῖ,
Greek (F. H. Bothe, 1806) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. H. Bothe, 1806)) — 76 focus
ἐκεῖ γὰρ αἰεὶ κείσομαι· σοὶ δ᾽ εἰ δοκεῖ,
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 76 focus
ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἀεὶ κείσομαι· σοὶ δ᾽ εἰ δοκεῖ,
Greek (A. Colonna, 1978) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Colonna, 1978)) — 76 focus
ἐκεῖ γὰρ αἰεὶ κείσομαι σοὶ δ᾽ εἰ δοκεῖ,
Greek (A. Dain, 1955) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Dain, 1955)) — 76.mvp-line-76 focus
ἐκεῖ γὰρ αἰεὶ κείσομαι· σοὶ δ’ εἰ δοκεῖ,
Greek (R. D. Dawe, 1979) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (R. D. Dawe, 1979)) — 76 focus
ἐκεῖ γὰρ αἰεὶ κείσομαι σοὶ δ᾽ εἰ δοκεῖ,
Greek (G. Hermann, 1830) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (G. Hermann, 1830)) — 76 focus
ἐκεῖ γὰρ αἰεὶ κείσομαι· σοὶ δ᾽ εἰ δοκεῖ,
Greek (R. C. Jebb, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (R. C. Jebb, 1906)) — 76 focus
ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἀεὶ κείσομαι· σοὶ δ᾽ εἰ δοκεῖ,
Greek (A. C. Pearson, 1924) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. C. Pearson, 1924)) — 76.mvp-line-76 focus
ἐκεῖ γὰρ αἰεὶ κείσομαι· σοὶ δ᾽ εἰ δοκεῖ,
Antigone (OCR draft) Experimental (Antigone) — 76 focus
ἐκεῖ γὰρ αἰεὶ κείσομαι· σοὶ δʼ, εἰ δοκεῖ,
Greek (K. Reinhardt, 1949) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (K. Reinhardt, 1949)) — 76 focus
ἐκεῖ γὰρ αἰεὶ κείσομαι· σὺ δ᾽, εἰ δοκεῖ,
Translations (10)
German (A. Boeckh, 1884) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (A. Boeckh, 1884)) — 76 focus
WÄCHTER
So war der Hergang. Als wir eben hingeeilt,
von dir mit jenen schweren Worten hart bedräut,
395
und wir vom Leichnam allen aufgehäuften Staub
gekehrt, bis völlig wir entblöfst den modernden;
da sitzen an den Hügelhöhn wir unterm Wind,
daſs uns der Hauch nicht treffe von dem Leichendunst,
wachsam erregend Mann den Mann mit strömenden
400
Schmähreden, so sich einer lässig zeigt' im Werk.
Dies währte fort so lange, bis der Sonne Kreis
hoch in des Aethers Mitte stand, der strahlende,
und Glut uns sengte: jetzt erhebt vom Boden sich
furchtbare Windsbraut plötzlich, wirbelnd himmelhoch
405
den Wettersturm, die Ebne füllend und das Haar
der Bäum' im Felde schändend, und der Aether ward
voll dieses Grauens. Blinzend trugen wir die Noth,
die gottgesandte. Wie sich endlich dies gelegt,
erscheint das Mägdlein, jammernd auf mit hellem Laut,
410
wie eines bangen Vogels, wann er heimgekehrt
des leeren Bettes Lager sieht der Brut verwaist.
So klagte diese, da sie bloſs den Todten sieht,
in herbem Wehruf, und verflucht mit gräfslicher
Verwünschung jene, welche dieses Werk gethan.
415
Und auf den Händen brings sogleich sie trocknen Staub;
hoch aus dem kunstreich erzgetriebnen Krug herab
kränzt spendend sie den Todten mit dreifachem Gufs.
Wir aber, dies gewahrend, eilen flugs heran,
Spanish (J. A. Bolufer, 1921) (OCR draft) Experimental (Spanish (J. A. Bolufer, 1921)) — 76 focus
CREONTE
Y, así, ¿te atreviste a desobedecer las leyes?
Latin (F. H. Bothe, 1806) (OCR draft) Experimental (Latin (F. H. Bothe, 1806)) — 76 focus
Creon
Et vel sic ausa es hasce transgredi leges?
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 76 focus
CR
How durst thou then transgress the published law?
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 69 focus
Nicht mehr verlang' ich's, möchte dich zur Helferin
Nicht mehr, erklärtest du dich auch bereit dazu.
70
Nein, wähle deinem Sinne nach: ihn werd' ich selbst
Bestatten; ruhmvoll ist der Tod für diese That.
Bei ihm, dem Lieben, werd' ich ruh'n, die Liebende,
Die frommen Frevel übte; muß ich länger doch
Den Todten dort gefallen, als den Lebenden.
75
Denn dort ja ruh' ich ewig; du, wenn dir's gefällt,
Entehre, was in Ehre selbst bei Göttern steht.
Ich acht' es auch der Ehre werth; indeß der Stadt
Zum Troz zu handeln, fühl ich mich nicht stark genug.
Spanish (A. G. Garbin, 1889) (OCR draft) Experimental (Spanish (A. G. Garbin, 1889)) — 76 focus
CREONTE
¿Y cómo se la ha visto? ¿Cómo ha sido cogida in fraganti?
German (F. Hölderlin, 1804) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (F. Hölderlin, 1804)) — 76 focus
KREON
Was wagtest du, ein solch Gesez zu brechen?
English (Sir Richard Jebb1, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb1, 1904)) — 76 focus
Creon
And thou didst indeed dare to transgress that law?
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 76 focus
Creon
Of sense wast thou deprived,
When basely with the base it was thy choice
Of my sister if bereft,
To suffer.
How can I bear to live?
565
Speak not of her,
565
She is no more.
English (Sir Richard Jebb2, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb2, 1904)) — 100-160 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-254-1 Ζεύς 1

mvp-comment-255-1 τῶν κάτω θεῶν 2 ξύνοικος 3 τοιούσδ’ … ὥρισεν 4 οἳ τούσδ’ … ὥρισαν 5 τάδε 6

mvp-comment-256-1 ἄγραπτα … νόμιμα 7

mvp-comment-256-2 quotes vv. 456 f.) Cp. O.T. 865 ff.

νόμοι... | ὑψίποδες, οὐρανίαν | δἰ αἰθέρα τεκνωθέντες
, with notes there. Thuc. 2.37 (
νόμοι
)
ὅσοι ἄγραφοι ὄντες αἰσχύνην ὁμολογουμένην φέρουσι
. When ‘the unwritten laws’ are thus called
νόμοι
, the latter word is used figuratively. νόμιμα 8

mvp-comment-256-3 ἀσφαλῆ 9

mvp-comment-256-4 θνητὸν ὄντ’ 10

mvp-comment-256-5 ὑπερδραμεῖν 11

mvp-comment-257-1 νῦν γε κἀχθές 12

mvp-comment-257-2 ζῇ 13

mvp-comment-257-3 ’φάνη 14

mvp-comment-258-1 τούτων 15 τὴν δίκην 16 τούτων 17

mvp-comment-258-2 shows that, like

ταῦτα
just before, it refers to the
νόμιμα
: we cannot, therefore, render, ‘the penalty of such an act’ ( sc.
τοῦ ὑπερδραμεῖν
).

mvp-comment-258-3 ἐν θεοῖσι 18

mvp-comment-259-1 δώσειν 19

mvp-comment-259-2 θανουμένη γάρ 20

mvp-comment-259-3 τί δ’ οὔ 21

mvp-comment-260-1 κεἰ μὴ σὺ προὐκήρυξας 22

mvp-comment-260-2 τοῦ χρόνου 23

mvp-comment-260-3 αὔτ’ 24

mvp-comment-261-1 φέρει 25

mvp-comment-262-1 Kvičala and Wecklein reject these four verses, despairing of the difficulties found in vv. 466, 467, which have been variously amended; see Appendix. The alleged difficulties are, (1)

παρ’ οὐδὲν ἄλγος
: (2) the mention of the mother only: (3) the position of
θανόντ’
, which might suggest the sense, ‘slain by my mother’: (4)
ηἰσχόμην
(as L has it). Before dealing with these points, I would call attention to a trait which the impugners of these verses have overlooked, and which speaks strongly for the genuineness of the passage as a whole, corrupt though it be in certain words. That trait is the clause τοῖσδε δ’ οὐκ ἀλγύνομαι 26

mvp-comment-263-1 ἄλγος 27 παρ’ οὐδέν 28

mvp-comment-263-2 adv.: ‘is a pain in no appreciable degree,’ is a pain not worth a thought: as he might have said,

οὐδαμοῦ ἄλγος ἐστί
. The normal use of
παρ’ οὐδέν
, ‘of no account,’ is either ( a) with the verb
εἶναι
, as O. T. 982
ταῦθ’ ὅτῳ | παρ’ οὐδέν ἐστι
, or ( b) with a verb meaning ‘to esteem,’ as above, v. 34,
τὸ πρᾶγμ’ ἄγειν | οὐχ ὡς παρ’ οὐδέν
. The only peculiarity here is that, instead of a word in the general sense, ‘ is esteemed’ (
ἄγεται
), we have a virtual equivalent, tinged with the special thought of the moment, viz., ‘ is a pain.’ Exactly so in El. 1327 we have
πότερα παρ’ οὐδὲν τοῦ βίου κήδεσθ’ ἔτι
, instead of
πότερα παρ’ οὐδὲν τὸν βίον ἄγετε
. Thus the suspicions as to the genuineness of
παρ’ οὐδὲν ἄλγος
are illusory.

mvp-comment-263-3 ἀλλ’ ἄν 29

mvp-comment-264-1 ἄθαπτον ἠνσχόμην νέκυν 30 ηἰσχόμην 31 ἠνσχόμην 32

mvp-comment-264-2 In my first edition I placed in the text the emendation of Semitelos (1887) ᾔσχυναν κύνες 33

mvp-comment-264-3 Other emendations will be found in the Appendix. Most of them assume that we must have

ἠνεσχόμην
(or
ἀνεσχόμην
), and therefore alter the words
θανόντ’ ἄθαπτον
and
νέκυν
in various ways, —usu. omitting
νέκυν
. The verses produced by these processes are wretched, while, from a palaeographical point of view, they are pure conjectures, which do not attempt to account for the tradition in L.—Two points remain. (1) τὸν ἐξ ἐμῆς | μητρός 34

mvp-comment-264-4 or

μιᾶς
(Meineke). (2) τὸν ἐξ ἐμ. | μητρος θανόντ’ 35

mvp-comment-265-1 σχεδόν τι 36

mvp-comment-265-2 μώρῳ μωρίαν 37

mvp-comment-265-3 ὀφλισκάνω 38

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

450. mvp-comment-259-1 I obeyed no decree of yesterday, but the eternal law. That cannot be annulled by any enactment of a mere man. It may be that I shall die for what I have done. But it needed not your proclamation to tell me that I must die. And to die before the term appointed me is to lose so much of sorrow.

451. mvp-comment-260-1 For the mythological fancy, cp. О. С. 1381-1382, εἴπερ ἐστὶν ἡ παλαίφατος | Δίκη ξύνεδρος Ζηνὸς ἀρχαίοις νόμοις.

452. mvp-comment-261-1 This line is rightly explained by the Scholiast and Donaldson, Ἡ δίκη, φησί, καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς ὥρισαν ὥστε θάπτεσθαι τοὺς νεκρούς.. θέλει δὲ εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως δίκαιον ἤγημαι θάπτειν τὸν ἀδελφόν. (Schol.) She replies, that she did not consider his proclamations as emanating from Zeus, the supreme God, or from that justice which regulated the rights of the dead, who, she says, have established these laws, namely, the laws of sepulture, which do not need any enactment, but have their ὅροι set up in the human heart. (Donaldson.) The iteration of τούσδε, in contrasting the law which she obeyed with the edict of Creon, is dramatically appropriate, and there is no difficulty in the vague use of the demonstrative. See Essay on Language § 22. p. 34. Cp. Od. 10. 326, τάδε φάρμακα.

454. mvp-comment-262-1 ἄγραπτα κἀσφαλῆ Unwritten and sure. Ср. О. Т. 865 ff., and note. ἀσφαλῆ is not only Never failing to apply, but also Never failing to vindicate their authority. Cp. II. 456 ff.

455. mvp-comment-263-1 θνητὸν ὄντα Sc. σέ, understood from τὰ σὰ κηρύγματα. That a mortal man should run beyond the silent irrefragable ordinances of the Gods. Cp. Eur. Ion 973, καὶ πῶς τὰ κρείσσω θνητός οὖσ᾽ ὑπερδράμω; Ο.Τ. 476-482

456. mvp-comment-264-1 νῦν .. κἀχθές To-day or yes- terday. The particle γε, ay, serves to connect the sentences, and τε is unnecessary, as appears from the similar expression, χθὲς καὶ πρώην, in Plat. Legg. 3. 677 D.

456. mvp-comment-264-2 ἀεί ποτε means Everlastingly, without any clear distinction of past or future. πότε gives the effect of indefiniteness or infinity.

457. mvp-comment-265-1 ζῇ Are in force. Cр. О. Т. 481, ἀεὶ ζῶντα περιποτᾶται.

457. mvp-comment-265-2 ἐξ ὅτου 'φάνη Since when they came into being. Cp. Tr. 1, λόγος ..

457. mvp-comment-265-3 ἀρχαῖος φανείς.

458-459. mvp-comment-266-1 τούτων.. τὴν δίκην The penalty to be exacted in vindication of these. The Gods might be said δίκην ἐπιτιθέναι τῶν παραβαθέντων νόμων, although the word in the genitive after δίκη more frequently signifies the offence for which punishment is awarded. Cp. infr. 1074, τούτων σε λωβητῆρες ὑστεροφθόροι, κ.τ.λ.

458-459. mvp-comment-266-2 ἀνδρός Of a mere man. Cp. O. C. 567, ἔξοιδ᾽ ἀνὴρ ὤν. 461 ff. Shak. Julius Caesar, 3. 1, 'Bru. That we shall die, we know; 'tis but the time | And drawing days out, that men stand upon. | Cass. Why, he that cuts off twenty years of life | Cuts off so many years of fearing death. | Bru. Grant that, and then is death a benefit: | So are we Caesar's friends, that have abridged His time of fearing death.'

458-459. mvp-comment-266-3 τοῦ χρόνου, sc. ἐν ᾧ μ᾿ ἐχρῆν θανεῖν.

462. mvp-comment-267-1 κέρδος αὔτ᾽ ἐγὼ λέγω αὔτ᾽, i. e. αὐτό, although not necessary to the construction, as appears from Plat. Apol. 40 Ε., κέρδος ἔγωγε λέγω, is better here than αὖτe, which weakens κέρδος.

463. mvp-comment-268-1 ὡς ἐγώ Supr. ll. 4-6.

466. mvp-comment-269-1 παρ᾿ οὐδὲν ἄλγος Is a grief of no account. Cp. supr. 35.

466. mvp-comment-269-2 ἐμῆς Meineke conj. ἐκ μιᾶs, Seyffert ὁμῆς, unnecessarily. The emphatic use of ἐμós is frequent in Sophocles.

467. mvp-comment-270-1 ἄθαπτον *ἠνσχόμην ἠνσχόμην (1) may be defended by the analogy of the syncopated ἀνσχήσεσθαι, ἄνσχεο, in Epic Greek. Otherwise (2) νέκυν may be cancelled as a gloss, and ἄθαπτον *ὄντ᾿ ἠνεσχόμην read, according to the conj. of Prof. E. L. Lushington. Or (3) ἐσχόμην may be read in the sense of ἠνεσχόμην. Ε. on L. § 55, 4. p. 101. But this is doubtful.

470. mvp-comment-271-1 μώρῳ i.e. One whose judgment is self-condemned, because opposed to the eternal laws. The word is not prompted by mere petulance, but is uttered with profound conviction.