ἰὼ ματρῷαι λέκτρων
Antigone. Sophocles. ed. Francis Storr. London. 1912.
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Table of Contents
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Current edition Experimental
Ἀντιγόνη (Greek) (Sophocles, Volume 1. Storr, Francis, editor. London; New York: William Heinemann Ltd.; The Macmillan Company, 1912.)
Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.
Editions (11)
Greek (L. Benloew, 1858) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (L. Benloew, 1858)) — 861 focus
οἵων ἐγώ ποθ᾽ ἁ ταλαίφρων
Greek (A. Boeckh, 1884) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Boeckh, 1884)) — 861 focus
ἐλθοῦσα μέντοι κάρτ᾽ ἐν ἐλπίσιν τρέφω
Greek (F. H. Bothe, 1806) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. H. Bothe, 1806)) — 861 focus
ἄκλαυστος, ἄφιλος, ἀνυμέναιος,
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 861 focus
κλεινοῖς Λαβδακίδαισιν.
Greek (A. Colonna, 1978) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Colonna, 1978)) — 861 focus
κλεινοῖς Λαβδακίδαισιν.
Greek (A. Dain, 1955) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Dain, 1955)) — 861.mvp-line-854 focus
κλεινοῖς Λαβδακίδαισιν.
Greek (R. D. Dawe, 1979) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (R. D. Dawe, 1979)) — 861 focus
ἁμετέρου πότμου
Greek (G. Hermann, 1830) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (G. Hermann, 1830)) — 861 focus
ἰὼ δυσπότμων
Greek (R. C. Jebb, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (R. C. Jebb, 1906)) — 861 focus
ἁμετέρου πότμου κλεινοῖς Λαβδακίδαισιν.
3
Greek (A. C. Pearson, 1924) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. C. Pearson, 1924)) — 861.mvp-line-853 focus
ἁμετέρου πότμου
Greek (K. Reinhardt, 1949) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (K. Reinhardt, 1949)) — 861 focus
κλεινοῖς Λαβδακίδαισιν.
Translations (2)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 858 focus
Du regst den herzkränkenden Gram mir auf im Busen,
Das Jammergeschick des Vaters,
Unseres ganzen
850
Stammes berufenes Loos,
Edler Labdakossöhne !
Weh, weh!
Fluchvoll, schuldvoll Ehbett, wo
Dem leiblichen Sohn die Mutter,
855
Ach! unserem Vater beiwohnte,
Von welchen ich entsproß, die Unselige,
In deren Haus ich unvermählt, von Fluch belastet, wandern muß!
weh! Unheil schuf
Der Bund, den du, mein Bruder, knüpftest!
1
860
Ein Todter schon, mordest du mein Leben!
Du regst den herzkränkenden Gram mir auf im Busen,
Das Jammergeschick des Vaters,
Unseres ganzen
850
Stammes berufenes Loos,
Edler Labdakossöhne !
Weh, weh!
Fluchvoll, schuldvoll Ehbett, wo
Dem leiblichen Sohn die Mutter,
855
Ach! unserem Vater beiwohnte,
Von welchen ich entsproß, die Unselige,
In deren Haus ich unvermählt, von Fluch belastet, wandern muß!
weh! Unheil schuf
Der Bund, den du, mein Bruder, knüpftest!
1
860
Ein Todter schon, mordest du mein Leben!
Der Chor.
English (Sir Richard Jebb2, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb2, 1904)) — 883-940 focus
Enter Creon.
929
Creon
Do you not know that dirges and wailing before death would never be given up, if it were allowed to make them freely?
Take her away—now! And when you have enshrouded her, as I proclaimed, in her covered tomb, leave her alone, deserted—let her decide whether she wishes to die or to live entombed in such a home. It makes no difference, since our hands are clean so far as regards this girl.
885
But no matter what, she will be stripped of her home here above.
890
Do you not know that dirges and wailing before death would never be given up, if it were allowed to make them freely?
Take her away—now! And when you have enshrouded her, as I proclaimed, in her covered tomb, leave her alone, deserted—let her decide whether she wishes to die or to live entombed in such a home. It makes no difference, since our hands are clean so far as regards this girl.
885
But no matter what, she will be stripped of her home here above.
890
Antigone
Tomb, bridal-chamber, deep-dug eternal prison where I go to find my own, whom in the greatest numbers destruction has seized and Persephone has welcomed among the dead!
Last of them all and in by far the most shameful circumstances, I will descend, even before the fated term of my life is spent. But I cherish strong hopes that I will arrive welcome to my father, and pleasant to you, Mother, and welcome, dear brother, to you.
895
For, when each of you died, with my own hands I washed and dressed you and poured drink-offerings at your graves. But now, Polyneices, it is for tending your corpse that I win such reward as this.
And yet I honored you rightly, as the wise understand.
900
Never, if I had been a mother of children, or if a husband had been rotting after death, would I have taken that burden upon myself in violation of the citizens’ will. For the sake of what law, you ask, do I say that? A husband lost, another might have been found,
905
and if bereft of a child, there could be a second from some other man. But when father and mother are hidden in Hades, no brother could ever bloom for me again. Such was the law whereby I held you first in honor, but for that Creon judged me guilty of wrongdoing
910
and of dreadful outrage, dear brother! And now he leads me thus in his hands’ strong grasp, when I have enjoyed no marriage bed or bridal song and have not received any portion of marriage or the nurture of children. But deserted by friends,
915
in misery I go living to the hollow graves of the dead. What law of the gods have I transgressed? Why should I look to the gods anymore? What ally should I call out to, when by my reverence I have earned a name for irreverence?
920
Well, then, if these events please the gods, once I have suffered my doom I will come to know my guilt. But if the guilt lies with my judges, I could wish for them no greater evils than they inflict unjustly on me.
925
929
Tomb, bridal-chamber, deep-dug eternal prison where I go to find my own, whom in the greatest numbers destruction has seized and Persephone has welcomed among the dead!
Last of them all and in by far the most shameful circumstances, I will descend, even before the fated term of my life is spent. But I cherish strong hopes that I will arrive welcome to my father, and pleasant to you, Mother, and welcome, dear brother, to you.
895
For, when each of you died, with my own hands I washed and dressed you and poured drink-offerings at your graves. But now, Polyneices, it is for tending your corpse that I win such reward as this.
And yet I honored you rightly, as the wise understand.
900
Never, if I had been a mother of children, or if a husband had been rotting after death, would I have taken that burden upon myself in violation of the citizens’ will. For the sake of what law, you ask, do I say that? A husband lost, another might have been found,
905
and if bereft of a child, there could be a second from some other man. But when father and mother are hidden in Hades, no brother could ever bloom for me again. Such was the law whereby I held you first in honor, but for that Creon judged me guilty of wrongdoing
910
and of dreadful outrage, dear brother! And now he leads me thus in his hands’ strong grasp, when I have enjoyed no marriage bed or bridal song and have not received any portion of marriage or the nurture of children. But deserted by friends,
915
in misery I go living to the hollow graves of the dead. What law of the gods have I transgressed? Why should I look to the gods anymore? What ally should I call out to, when by my reverence I have earned a name for irreverence?
920
Well, then, if these events please the gods, once I have suffered my doom I will come to know my guilt. But if the guilt lies with my judges, I could wish for them no greater evils than they inflict unjustly on me.
925
Chorus
Still the same tempest of the soul
grips this girl with the same fierce gusts.
930
Still the same tempest of the soul
grips this girl with the same fierce gusts.
930
Creon
Then because of this her guards will have reason to lament their slowness.
Then because of this her guards will have reason to lament their slowness.
Antigone
Ah, no! That command verges close on death.
Ah, no! That command verges close on death.
Creon
I cannot console you with any hope that your doom is not to be fulfilled in that way.
935
I cannot console you with any hope that your doom is not to be fulfilled in that way.
935
Antigone
O city of my fathers, land of
Thebes
, and you gods, our ancestors! I am led away now; there is no more delay!
Look at me, you who are
Thebes
’ lords—look at the only remaining daughter of the house of your kings. See what I suffer, and at whose hands, because I revered reverence!
Antigone is led away by the guards.
940
O city of my fathers, land of
Thebes
, and you gods, our ancestors! I am led away now; there is no more delay!
Look at me, you who are
Thebes
’ lords—look at the only remaining daughter of the house of your kings. See what I suffer, and at whose hands, because I revered reverence!
Antigone is led away by the guards.
940
Commentary
Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) focus
861. mvp-comment-495-1 κλεινοῖς is said with bitterness, as in O. T. 1207, κλεινὸν Οἰδίπου κάρα. The dative is used in explanation of ἁμετέρου, Ist as clearer than the genitive with so many genitives preceding; 2nd with an ethical' force; the lot that fell on us. 863. O my mother, to whom marriage was calamity, O my hapless father, who in wedlock with a mother, held guilty intercourse with her from whom he came.' ματρῷαι λέκτρων ἆται] ‘My mother's calamity in marriage.' λέκτρων is descriptive or distinctive genitive (Essay on Language § 9. p. 12), and the possessive ματρῷαι is joined to λέκτρων ἆται taken as one word. In observing Antigone's tenderness for her mother we are reminded that the plot of the Oedipus Tyrannus was not yet conceived.