Sophocles Ajax 172

ed. Lewis Campbell

Current edition Experimental

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Greek) (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (3)
Αἴας μαστιγοφόρος First1KGreek (Sophocles. Sophoclis Aiax. Lobeck Christian, editor. Berlin: Weidmann, 1866.) — 172-201 focus
Αἴας First1KGreek (Sophocles. Sophoclis Fabulae. Pearson, Alfred Chilton, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.) — 172-200 focus
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 172-200 focus
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 172 focus
CH
Ay, ay, ’tis true.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 172 focus
Trieb dich die Tochter des Zeus, die Vertilgerin,
Artemis, schweres Gerücht, Quelle bitt'rer Schande mir!
Auf unsres Volkes Gut, in die weidenden Rinder,
Wohl wegen eines ohne Dank erkämpften Siegs, 1
175
Sei es um Gaben getäuscht
Von stolzer Rüstung oder um Beuten der Sagd?
Wie? Oder zürnt dir Ares im ehernen Kleid,
Hat, weil mit Undank ihm du die Hülfe gelohnt,
Dich gestraft mit nächtlichem Blendwerk?
180
Gegenstrophe.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 172 focus
Teucer
Who can it be ?
From the army, thinkst thou 1
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 172 focus
Tecmessa
Behold, behold, my friends, yet warm in death
905
Where Ajax lies, roll'd on his deep-plunged sword.
905
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 172-200 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-121-1 The Chorus being now drawn up in the orchestra (134 n.), the lyric part of the Parodos begins. Strophe 172—182=antistr. 183—193: epode 194 —200. For metres, see Metrical Analysis.

mvp-comment-121-2 ἦ ῥά σε 1 ἦ 2 ἠέ 3

mvp-comment-121-3 The sailors ask whether Artemis or Ares can have driven Ajax to such a deed. In connection with their chief, the deities of hunting and war naturally occur to them. They do not think of Athena.

mvp-comment-121-4 Ταυροπόλα 4

mvp-comment-121-5 It is possible that Sophocles here was thinking only of the

Ταυροπόλος
proper, and names her simply because bulls had been among the victims of Ajax. On the other hand, the savage nature of the bloody onslaught might suggest that she was associated in his thought with the
Ταυρική
. Such an association occurs as early as I. T. 1457 where the Brauronian Artemis (
ἐπώνυμον γῆς Ταυρικῆς
, 1454) is called
Ταυροπόλος
. The dithyrambic poet Timotheus of Miletus ( c. 400 B.C.) addressed the Ephesian Artemis as
μαινάδα, θυιάδα, φοιβάδα, λυσσάδα
(Bergk fr. 1). See Appendix.

mvp-comment-121-6 Διὸς 5

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

134-200. mvp-comment-100-1 The first part of the parodos consists of six anapaestic systems (ll. 134-171), during the recitation of which the Chorus pace to and fro in the orchestra, before the tent of Ajax. This long-continued movement, which betokens the restless anxiety of the mariners for their prince, also strikes a note in harmony with the feelings of the spectator, to whom the horror that is going on within has already been revealed. He knows that their dreadful apprehensions are only too true. It is followed by a strophe, antistrophe, and epode (ll. 172-200), which mark the climax of their agitation before the entrance of Tecmessa.

172-200. mvp-comment-126-1 Beginning from a dactylic movement, the ode (expressing the combination of deep sadness with eager hope) continues with trochaic, iambic, and dactylic rhythms, as follows:- ... The slow movement with frequent long syllables increases towards the close.

172. mvp-comment-127-1 ἡ ῥα .. Ἄρτεμις] Can it be, as I suspect ( pa), that Artemis?' Ταυροπόλα Διὸς Ἄρτεμις] 'Bull-riding Artemis, daughter of Zeus,' conveys the image of the goddess riding on a bull, as she sometimes appears on coins. In this character (probably derived from the East) Artemis was worshipped in different places with orgiastic rites. Euripides, I. T. 1449 foll., associates this name of Artemis with the supposed derivation of her worship under this attribute from the Tauric Chersonese. She is here alluded to (1) as the subduer of cattle, (2) as the inspirer of frenzy.