Sophocles Ajax 273

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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TEU
Speed we, for the hour grows late:
Some to scoop his earthy cell,
Others by the cauldron wait,
Plenished from the purest well.
Hoist it, comrades, here at hand,
1405
High upon the three-foot stand!
1405
Let the cleansing waters flow;
Brightly flame the fire below!
Others in a stalwart throng
From his chamber bear along
All the arms he wont to wield
Save alone the mantling shield.
1410
Thou with me thy strength employ,
Lifting this thy father, boy;
Hold his frame with tender heed—
Still the gashed veins darkly bleed.
Who professes here to love him?
Ply your busy cares above him,
Come and labour for the man,
1415
Nobler none since time began,
Aias, while his life-blood ran.

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.) — 258-342 focus
Αἴας First1KGreek (Sophocles. Sophoclis Fabulae. Pearson, Alfred Chilton, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.) — 263-347 focus
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 273 focus
ἡμᾶς δὲ τοὺς φρονοῦντας βλέποντας φρονοῦντας ἠνία ξυνών·
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 263-347 focus
Translations (3)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 263 focus
Nun, wich die Krankheit, acht' ich's wohl für großes Glück;
250
Des schon entschwundnen Leides denkt man weniger.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 273 focus
Ulysses
Such is my wish :
1365
For to the tomb I must descend.
1365
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 263-346 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-835-1 ἅλις· ἤδη γὰρ 1

mvp-comment-835-2 πολὺς ἐκτέταται χρόνος 2

mvp-comment-836-1 ἀλλ’ οἱ μὲν 3

mvp-comment-836-2 κάπετον 4

mvp-comment-836-3 ταχύνετε 5

mvp-comment-837-1 τοὶ δ’ 6 τὸν δ’ 7 οἱ μέν 8

mvp-comment-837-2 ὑψίβατον τρίποδ’ 9

mvp-comment-837-3 ἀμφίπυρον … θέσθε 10

mvp-comment-837-4 λουτρῶν … ἐπίκαιρον 11

mvp-comment-837-5 ὁσίων 12

mvp-comment-838-1 ἴλη 13 τὸν ὑπασπίδιον κόσμον 14

mvp-comment-839-1 παῖ, σὺ δὲ πατρός γ’ 15 γε 16 πατρός 17 πλευρὰς 18

mvp-comment-840-1 ἔτι γὰρ θερμαὶ 19

mvp-comment-840-2 σύριγγες 20

mvp-comment-840-3 μέλαν μένος 21

mvp-comment-841-1 φησὶ 22

mvp-comment-841-2 σούσθω 23

mvp-comment-841-3 πάντ’ ἀγαθῷ 24

mvp-comment-842-1 κοὐδενί πω λῴονι θνητῶν 25 πω 26

mvp-comment-843-1 [ Αἴαντος, ὅτ’ ἦν, τότε φωνῶ 27

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

1402ff. mvp-comment-896-1 Exodos. The anapaests give the signal for departure, and probably indicate that Ajax is not to be buried in the fatal spot, but is carried off the stage in solemn procession.

1402. mvp-comment-897-1 The unseemly interruption of the Atreidae has delayed the burial.

1403-1408. mvp-comment-898-1 Perhaps the tripod and the armour were carried in the procession, which would go forth while the Chorus or the Coryphaeus chanted ll. 1418-20. During the words of Teucer, various attendants are moving to and fro, until at l. 1413 all is ready, and the procession forms.

1404-1405. mvp-comment-899-1 ταχύνετε .. θέσθ'] The digging of the grave takes time. The tripod is set up in a moment. Hence the change of tense.

1404-1406. mvp-comment-900-1 τοὶ. ἐπικαίρον] ‘Others set over the fire the tripod on its lofty stand, ready to serve for pure lustration." The words of Ajax, supr. 654, compared with 862, suggest that he bathed himself before his end. But Teucer could not know this, and in any case the lustration was necessary, especially after the self-violence. For ἀμφίπυρον, which is predicative, cp. Il. 18. 344, ἀμφὶ πυρὶ στῆσαι τρίποδα μέγαν. τοί continues the epic note struck in κοίλην κάπετον. λουτρῶν is a genitive of respect after ἐπίκαιρον, 'With a view to,' 'For the purpose of.' Cp. Thuc. 3. 92. § 5, τοῦ πολέμου καλῶς . . καθίστασθαι.

1407-1408. mvp-comment-901-1 According to the wish of Ajax expressed to the mariners, supr. 572 foll., his body-armour is to be buried with him, while the shield is leſt to Eurysaces. The Chorus must be supposed to have communicated this message to Teucer. See Introduction. Join ἐκ κλισίας φερέτω. The crowd who have gathered are now ready as one man to obey Teucer.

1409-1413. mvp-comment-902-1 'Yes, and do thou, dear boy, as far as thy strength allows, help me thus to lift thy father's frame, applying thy hands with loving care. For the darkened life-current still issues from

1409-1413. mvp-comment-902-2 the warm arteries.' The clause with γάρ gives the reason for the addition of φιλότητι θιγών. The σύριγγες are the circular mouths of the several arteries, which were imagined to be full of air, and to blow forth the blood. ἄνω is 'into the air.' Cp. Phil. 783, τόδ᾽ ἐκ βυθοῦ | κηκῖον αἷμα. Others, comparing supr. 918 (when the wound was recent), explain σύριγγες of the nostrils, and suppose Teucer merely to raise the shoulders in order to stay the flow of blood.

1415. mvp-comment-903-1 τῷδ᾽ ἀνδρί] Essay on L. § 12. p. 18.

1416. mvp-comment-904-1 κοὐδενί πω λῴονι] The whole clause is affected by attraction. Essay on L. § 35. p. 60 ; and cp. 'nonsuch,' 'nonpareil,' 'on ne peut mieux,' and similar idioms of modern speech.

1417. mvp-comment-905-1 [Αίαντος.. φωνῶ] 'Than Ajax, I speak of the time when he was in life.' This line is open to question, chiefly on the metrical ground of the awkwardness of closing a system of marching anapaests with two paroemiacs. For ὅτ᾽ ἦν, cp. Eur. Fr. 313 (the shade of Bellerophon is apostrophizing his former self), ἦσθ᾽ εἰς θεοὺς μὲν εὐσεβής, ὅτ᾽ ἦσθ', ἀεί, κ.τ.λ.