Sophocles Antigone 137

Robert Potter (Translator)

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Antigone
858
Oh, thou hast touch'd the griefs that rend my heart
With sharpest pangs, my father's mournful fate
Through the wide world divulged, and all the ills
Which sunk th' illustrious house of Labdacus!
Ye horrors of my mother's nuptial rites,
865
My father in unhappy hour ye led
To the same couch from which he took his birth;
And thence, O miserable me, I sprung!
876
With them accursed, unwedded, I descend
To share their gloomy mansions. Fatal too
Thy nuptials; O my brother: thou, though dead,
Draw'st me, yet living, to the realms below.

Antigone. 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 (12)
Greek (L. Benloew, 1858) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (L. Benloew, 1858)) — 137 focus
ῥιπαῖς ἐχθίστων ἀνέμων.
Greek (A. Boeckh, 1884) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Boeckh, 1884)) — 137 focus
δεξιόσειρος.
Greek (F. H. Bothe, 1806) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. H. Bothe, 1806)) — 137 focus
ῥιπαῖς ἐχθίστων ἀνέμων.
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 137 focus
ῥιπαῖς ἐχθίστων ἀνέμων.
Greek (A. Colonna, 1978) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Colonna, 1978)) — 137 focus
ῥιπαῖς ἐχθίστων ἀνέμων.
Greek (A. Dain, 1955) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Dain, 1955)) — 137.mvp-line-137 focus
ῥιπαῖς ἐχθίστων ἀνέμων.
Greek (R. D. Dawe, 1979) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (R. D. Dawe, 1979)) — 137 focus
ῥιπαῖς ἐχθίστων ἀνέμων.
Greek (G. Hermann, 1830) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (G. Hermann, 1830)) — 137 focus
ῥιπαῖς ἐχθίστων ἀνέμων.
Greek (R. C. Jebb, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (R. C. Jebb, 1906)) — 137 focus
ῥιπαῖς ἐχθίστων ἀνέμων. 4
Greek (A. C. Pearson, 1924) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. C. Pearson, 1924)) — 137.mvp-line-137 focus
ῥιπαῖς ἐχθίστων ἀνέμων.
Antigone (OCR draft) Experimental (Antigone) — 137 focus
ῥιπαῖς ἐχθίστων ἀνέμων.
Greek (K. Reinhardt, 1949) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (K. Reinhardt, 1949)) — 137 focus
ῥιπαῖς ἐχθίστων ἀνέμων.
Translations (10)
German (A. Boeckh, 1884) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (A. Boeckh, 1884)) — 137 focus
ANTIGONE
O liebster Hämon, wie entehrt der Vater dich!
Spanish (J. A. Bolufer, 1921) (OCR draft) Experimental (Spanish (J. A. Bolufer, 1921)) — 137 focus
HEMÓN
Padre, tuyo soy, y tú me diriges con buenos consejos, que yo debo obedecer; pues para mi ningún casamiento será digno de más aprecio que el dejarme llevar de ti, bien dirigido.
Latin (F. H. Bothe, 1806) (OCR draft) Experimental (Latin (F. H. Bothe, 1806)) — 137 focus
Haemon
Pater, tua sum in potestate, tuque, rectis quidem utens consiliis, me regas, quibus equidem obsequar: mihi enim nullae tanti esse possunt nuptiae, ut esas iustis tuis imperiis praeferam.
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 137 focus
HAEMON
I am thine, father, and will follow still
635
Thy good directions; nor would I prefer
The fairest bride to thy wise government.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 134 focus
Niedergeschmettert zur dröhnenden Erde stürzt' er,
Welcher, bewehrt mit der Fackel, in trunk nem Wahnsinn,
135
In wuthathmendem Drang,
Wild herschnob mit feindlichem Sturm.
Doch es ging anders aus;
Andern beschied anderes Loos Ares, der Held, der die Bedrängten
Stürmend davontrieb.
140
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 137 focus
Chorus
681
O king ! if right the youth advise, 'tis fit
Spanish (A. G. Garbin, 1889) (OCR draft) Experimental (Spanish (A. G. Garbin, 1889)) — 137 focus
EL CORO
¿Con que vas á privar á tu hijo de esta esposa suya?
German (F. Hölderlin, 1804) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (F. Hölderlin, 1804)) — 137 focus
HAEMON
Als wie von Gott, himmlisch kommt dieBesinnung,
Mein Vater, die auch ist von allem Gut das beste.
710
Mein eigen Leben aber kann es nicht,
Weifs auch nicht, ob du recht geredt, zu sagen.
Mag andern zu das Schöne ziehn, von nun an,
Für dich war ich am Leben, zu beschauen,
Was einer sagt und thut und tadelt, alles.
715
Von dir das Auge wäre für das Volk,
Für Worte, die du gern nicht hörst, zu furchtbar?
Mir aber ward, zu hören das Vertrauen,
Und wie die Stadt voll ist von Trauer um die Jungfrau.
„Die soll, die unschuldigste von den Weibern,
720
„So schlecht vergehn ob dem, was sehr ruhmvoll gethan war.
„Die ihren Bruder, der in Mord gefallen,
„Vom unbarmherzgen Hunde grablos wollte
„Nicht fressen lassen, noch der Vögel einem,
„Soll eine solche goldnen Ruhmsnicht werth seyn?“
725
So finster ingeheim kommt das Gerücht uns.
Wenn dir es aber wohl von statten geht,
Mein Vater, drüber geht kein Eigentum mir.
Wenn ja der Vater blüht, was steht dann Kindern
Von gutem Rufe gottesähnlicher,
730
Als kindliches Betragen vor dem Vater?
Und hege nur in dir jezt keine eigne Sitte,
Und sage nicht, du habest Recht, kein andrer.
Denn wer allein hält von sich selbst, er habe
Gedanken nicht und Sprach’ und Seele, wie ein andrer,
735
Wenn aufgeschlossen würd’ ein solcher Mensch,
Erschien er leer. An einem Manne aber,
Wenn irgendwo ein Weiser ist, ists keineSchande,
Viellernen , und nichts gar zu weit zu treiben.
Sieh, wieam Regenbache, der vorbeistürzt,
740
Die Bäume all’ ausweichen; alle denen
Erwärmet ihr Gezweig; die aber gegenstreben,
Sind gleich hin; sonst auch, wenn ein habhaft Schiff
Sich breit macht, und nicht weichen will in etwas,
Rüklings hinunter von den Ruderbänken muss das zulezt den Weg und gehet scheitern.
745
Gieb nach, da wo der Geist ist, schenk’ uns Aendrung,
Und wenn im Wort hier aus mir selber auch
Dabei ist eine jugendliche Meinung,
Ist alten Geists ein Mann, voll in vollkommnem Wissen;
Ist dieser nicht dabei, denn selten will es so gehn,
750
So ist von Worten auch, die gut sind, gut zu lernen.
English (Sir Richard Jebb1, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb1, 1904)) — 137 focus
Haemon
Father, Iam thine; and thou, in thy wisdom, tracest for me—rules which I shall follow. No marriage shall be deemed by me a-greater gain than thy good guidance.
English (Sir Richard Jebb2, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb2, 1904)) — 162-330 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-513-1 μερίμνας 1 οἶκτον 2 πατρός 3 πότμου 4 οἶκτον 5

mvp-comment-513-2 to taking

οἶκτον
as acc. in apposition with
ἔψαυσας...μερίμνας
is that this would imply
τό
(
σε
)
ψαῦσαι ἀλγ. ἐμοὶ μερίμνης οἶκτός ἐστιν
: as Eur. Or. 1105
Ἑλένην κτάνωμεν, Μενέλεῳ λύπην πικράν
, implies,
τὸ Ἑλένην κτανεῖν Μενέλεῳ λύπη πικρὰ ἔσται
: Aesch. Ag. 224
ἔτλα δ’ οὖν | θυτὴρ γενέσθαι θυγατρός, γυναικοποίνων πολέμων ἀρωγάν
, implies,
τὸ θυτῆρα γενέσθαι ἀρωγὴ ἦν
. Now, if we had, for instance,
ἀνεμνήσθην μερίμνης
, it is conceivable that
οἶκτον
, as acc. in appos., should mean
οἴκτου ἀφορμήν
or
ἔγερσιν
. But when, as here, the subject of
ἔψαυσας
is distinct from the person who makes the lament, it seems impossible that
οἶκτον
should have this pregnant sense.

mvp-comment-513-3 ἀλγ. μερίμνας 6 οἶτον 7

mvp-comment-513-4 τριπόλιστον 8

mvp-comment-513-5 κλεινοῖς Λαβδακίδαισιν 9 πότμου 10

mvp-comment-513-6 ἁμετέρου 11

mvp-comment-514-1 ματρῷαι λέκτρων ἆται 12 πατρῷαι 13

mvp-comment-514-2

λέκτρον οὐκ ὀκνεῖν με δεῖ
; and ( b) with
πατρῷαι
the explanation by
ἐμῷ πατρί
, etc., would have been less needed.

mvp-comment-515-1 κοιμήματα . . αὐτογέννητα . . ματρός 14

mvp-comment-515-2 ἐμῷ πατρί 15

mvp-comment-515-3 δυσμόρου 16

mvp-comment-516-1 οἵων 17 ποτέ 18 οἵων 19 ποτέ 20 οὕς 21 οἵων 22 ματρός.—ἀραῖος 23

mvp-comment-516-2 μέτοικος 24

mvp-comment-517-1 κασίγνητε 25

mvp-comment-518-1 θανὼν ἔτ’ οὖσαν 26

mvp-comment-518-2 κατήναρες 27

mvp-comment-519-1 σέβειν 28

mvp-comment-519-2 sense,

εὐσέβεια
’: i.e. though it is not complete
εὐσέβεια
—which the Chorus regard as including loyalty to the State's laws— yet, so far as it goes, it deserves praise of the same kind. Cp. 924
τὴν δυσσέβειαν εὐσεβοῦσ’ ἐκτησάμην
: by practising
εὐσέβεια
towards the dead, she had come to be thought, on the whole,
δυσσεβής
—as a law-breaker. The Chorus is here the apologist of Creon, and this concession is meant to emphasise the next sentence. Hence the purposed vagueness of σέβειν 29

mvp-comment-520-1 κράτος δὲ 30 ὅτῳ 31

mvp-comment-520-2 οὐδαμᾷ 32 μέλει 33

mvp-comment-521-1 αὐτόγνωτος 34 αὐτὴ γιγνώσκουσα 35

mvp-comment-521-2 ὀργά 36

mvp-comment-522-1 ἑτοίμαν 37

mvp-comment-523-1 τόδε λ. ἱρὸν ὄμμα 38

mvp-comment-524-1 ἀδάκρυτον 39

mvp-comment-524-2 (and so it remains) unwept. Soph. has several instances of the predicative adj. thus added to a subst. which has the art. and possessive pron.; as O. T. 671

τὸ γὰρ σόν, οὐ τὸ τοῦδ’, ἐποικτίρω στόμα | ἐλεινόν
(n.): El. 1143
τῆς ἐμῆς πάλαι τροφῆς | ἀνωφελήτου
. Cp. 791 .

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

857. mvp-comment-494-1 Thou hast touched my saddest thought, the thrice-told tale of my father's sorrow.' Boeckh has cleared up the difficulties of this passage (1) by showing that οἶκτον harmonizes better with the context than οἶτον or οἶκον, and also gives a construction to πότμου: (2) by tracing the derivation of τριπόλιστον from πολίζω = πολέω, which occurs in the compound avναπολίζω : (3) by rightly explaining the dative Λαβδακίδαισιν. See Essay on Language § 13. p. 19. He also points out that μερίμνας is genitive, because the singular is more forcible, and μέριμναν would have suited the metre equally well. The only remaining doubt is the construction of οἶκτον.

857. mvp-comment-494-2 ψαύειν may govern the accusative, as appears from 961. But the change from the genitive to the accusative is still to be accounted for. (1) The word ἔψαυσας was chosen with special reference to μερίμνας. ἔλεξας, or some other general word, would have been sufficient if this had not intervened. Hence the general meaning of the verb (= ἔλεξας) is alone continued. (2) The case is partly governed by the verbal notion in μερίμνας = 8 μεριμνῶ. (3) The tendency of a Greek sentence is to pass from a more special to a more general construction. Essay on Language pp. 64, 5, οἶκτον is to be resumed with πότμου, which is co-ordinate with πατρός. Thou hast harped on what my mind broods over with saddest care, the thrice renewed pity for my father, and for the general fortune of our race, the lot that fell upon the famed Labdacidae. Seyffert thinks that in τριπόλιστον Antigone is thinking of her own ever-deepening grief. But the Scholiast and Boeckh are probably right in explaining the word (like κλεινοῖς) with reference to the widely felt compassion for Oedipus. Cp. O. C. 517, τό τοι πολὺ καὶ μηδαμὰ λῆγον: ib. 597, πᾶς τοῦτό γ' Ἑλλήνων θροεῖ. For τριπόλιστον, cp. Phil. 1238, δὶς ταὐτὰ βούλει καὶ τρὶς ἀναπολεῖν μ' ἔπη.

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.

865. mvp-comment-496-1 ματρός is objective genitive, after κοιμήματα = ξυνουσίαι, and also descriptive, like γάμοι τέκνων, Ο. C. 945. For the condensed expression κοιμήματά τ᾿ αὐτογέννητ᾽ = τὸ κοιμηθῆναι σὺν ταύτῃ ἐξ ἧς αὐτὸς ἐγεννήθη, see Essay on Language § 43. p. 81, and for the force of αὐτός in composition, ibid. p. 101. The dative ἐμῷ πατρί (Ε. on L. § 13. p. 19, see on l. 861) is occasioned by the adjective; i. e. αὐτογέννητ᾽ ἦν αὐτῷ τὰ κοιμήματα. The nature of constructions in such condensed expressions can only be explained by expanding each phrase into a sentence. The meaning of the passive verbal termination in αὐτογέννητα is extremely indefinite. The other way of taking the words ('Connubium dicit Jocastae cum Oedipo quem ipsa pepererat,' Dind.), although giving a more obvious construction to the dative, has the fatal blemish of making a twofold apostrophe to Jocasta, whereas οἵων implies a reference to both parents, which is much more forcible.

865. mvp-comment-496-2 The Laur. reading δυσμόρῳ is preferable, because of the peculiar significance of κοιμήματα ματρός.

866. mvp-comment-497-1 οἴων is to be immediately referred to κοιμήματα, Such wedlock as gave me birth.

868. mvp-comment-498-1 μέτοικος may possibly have the association of an alien,' because she could not expect to meet with proper burial. But for the generalised meaning of μέτοικος, cp. supr. 852: О. С. 934: infr. 890, μετοικίας.

872-875. mvp-comment-499-1 There is some piety in pious action; but, as towards him who wieldeth it, authority must in no wise be transgressed. A self-determined impulse hath undone thee.' Cp. Phil. 138, τέχνα γὰρ τέχνας ἑτέρας προὔχει | καὶ γνώμα παρ' ὅτῳ τὸ θεῖον | Διὸς σκῆπτρον ἀνάσσεται, where there is a similar ellipse of the antecedent. The meaning is, He who has authority must not suffer authority to be thwarted. This may be made clearer by supplying ἐκείνῳ, as dative of the person interested, for the antecedent to ὅτῳ. He must not have it (i.e. suffer it to be) transgressed.

877. mvp-comment-500-1 Unhappy, I am led the way that is here prepared for me.' Creon has already entered before these words are said. Cp. infr. 933-934. Mm