Sophocles Ajax 234

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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CH
1316
Hail, Lord Odysseus! thou art come in time
Not to begin, but help to end, a fray.

Ajax. 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 (4)
Αἴας μαστιγοφόρος First1KGreek (Sophocles. Sophoclis Aiax. Lobeck Christian, editor. Berlin: Weidmann, 1866.) — 215-257 focus
Αἴας First1KGreek (Sophocles. Sophoclis Fabulae. Pearson, Alfred Chilton, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.) — 214-262 focus
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 231 focus
τὰ τὰσδέ τὰς δὲ τὰσδὲ δὲ πλευροκοπῶν δίχ᾽ ἀνερρήγνυ ἂν ἐρρήγνυ ἀνερρήγνυ.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 214-262 focus
Translations (4)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 233 focus
Weh! Dorther, dorther kam er zu uns,
225
Und führte die Heerd' in gefesseltem Zug;
Und die einen erwürgt' er am Boden im Zelt,
Und die anderen hieb er mitten entzwei,
Griff zween weißfüßige Widder sodann,
Mäht' einem das Haupt und die Zunge herab,
230
Und warf sie hinweg;
Und den anderen band er am Pfeiler empor,
Und faßte den Roßzaum doppelt und schwang
Und geißelte, daß hell schwirrte der Schlag,
Schmachworte zugleich ausschüttend, die nur
235
Ein Gott, kein Mensch, ihm gelehrt hat.
Gegenstrophe.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 234 focus
Ulysses
'Tis always so
To hearken to the counsels of a friend,
When he advises well.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 234 focus
Teucer
1150
Hear thou my answer, He shall be entomb'd.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 214-260 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-779-1 καιρὸν 1 ξυνάψων 2 συλλύσων 3

mvp-comment-779-2 1318 f. The conciliatory temper of Odysseus is marked at once by the courteous form of address,

ἄνδρες
,—by the honourable patronymic
Ἀτρειδῶν
,—and by the designation of Ajax as
ἄλκιμος
.

mvp-comment-779-3 βοὴν Ἀτρειδῶν 4

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

1316. mvp-comment-843-1 καιρόν] For this adverbial accusative, cp. supr. 34 and note: Pind. Pyth. 1. 156, καιρὸν εἰ φθέγξαιο.

1316-1317. mvp-comment-844-1 (1) 'If you are come not to entangle, but to assist in adjusting this matter.' Or, (2) 'If not in time to begin the fray, at all events you are here to help in ending it.' The expression seems in either case to be proverbial. In support of (2) it may be said that the Chorus can have no doubt that the coming of Odysseus will help to compose strife. In this case (2) the verbs ἴσθι, πάρει, without connecting particle, may be either viewed as an asyndeton, or πάρει may be regarded as a resumption of ἐληλυθώς, returning to the indicative mood. The interpretation turns upon the question, which is the more natural image, that of a knot (or complication), for which, cp. Ant. 40, λύουσ᾽ ἂν ἢ 'φάπτουσα, or that of joining battle ( ξυνάπτειν τινὰς ἐς μάχην, νείκεα λύειν). 'Odysseus comes at the end of a fray.'