Sophocles Ajax 57

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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TECMESSA
Enter TECMESSA . 201
Helpers of Aias’ vessel’s speed,
Erechtheus’ earth-derivèd seed,
Sorrows are ours who truly care
For the house of Telamon afar.
The dread, the grand, the rugged form
Of him we know,
205
Is stricken with a troublous storm;
Our Aias’ glory droopeth low.

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.) — 1-171 focus
Αἴας First1KGreek (Sophocles. Sophoclis Fabulae. Pearson, Alfred Chilton, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.) — 1-171 focus
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 57 focus
δισσοὺς ᾿Ατρείδας αὐτόχειρ κτείνειν ἔχων παρὼν,
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1-171 focus
Translations (4)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 74 focus
Was thust du, Pallas? Nimmermehr ruf' ihn heraus -
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 57 focus
Chorus
Yet if his rage subside we should rejoice ;
The ill removed, we should remove our care.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 57 focus
Chorus
245
Time is it then we veil our heads, and steal
245
With secret foot away; or mount our seats, 1
245
Ply the strong oar, and to the ocean give
Our lightly-bounding bark. Such threats severe
The sons of Atreus, who command our host,
Denounce against us: crush'd with stones, I fear,
We too shall feel their vengeance, with our lord.
Now struggling in the bonds of ruthless fate.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1-170 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-137-1 vαὸς ἀρωγοὶ 1

mvp-comment-138-1 γενεᾶς 2

mvp-comment-138-2 χθονίων ἀπ’ Ἐρεχθειδᾶν 3

mvp-comment-138-3 Erechtheus,

ὁ γηγενής
( Her. 8. 55 ), ‘whom Earth, the grain-giver, brought forth, and Athena, daughter of Zeus, fostered’ ( Il. 2. 547 ), is representative of the Athenian claim to be
αὐτόχθονες
. It was in his reign, acc. to Her. 8. 44 , that the folk once called
Κραναοί
, and then
Κεκροπίδαι
, were first named
Ἀθηναῖοι
. For
Ἐρεχθεῖδαι
as=
Ἀθηναῖοι
, cp. Pind. I. 2. 19
κλειναῖς Ἐρεχθειδᾶν χαρίτεσσιν ἀραρὼς | ταῖς λιπαραῖς ἐν Ἀθάναις
, ‘having attained to the glorious honours given by the Erechtheidae in shining Athens.’ (In Soph. Ant. 981 f., however, the patronymic has a narrower sense, denoting merely the family of Erechtheus.) So, again, the Athenians are
Θησεῖδαι
( Soph. O. C. 1066 ), the Thebans
Καδμεῖοι
, the Trojans or Romans Aeneadae; and an unknown poet (frag. adesp. 274) calls the Argives
χθονίους Ἰναχίδας
, where Hesychius explains the adj. by
αὐτόχθονας καὶ οὐκ ἐπήλυδας
,— the sense of χθονίων 4

mvp-comment-138-4 Salamis is in this play a kingdom independent of Athens, but the Salaminians are of Athenian stock, and revere ‘sacred Athens’ (1222) as the metropolis of their race. See Introduction, § 4.

mvp-comment-139-1 τηλόθεν 5

mvp-comment-140-1 ὠμοκρατὴς 6

mvp-comment-141-1 θολερῷ 7 χειμῶνι 8

mvp-comment-141-2 νοσήσας 9

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

201. mvp-comment-149-1 The exposition of the situation in the Ajax, like the ἀναγνώρισις in the Oed. Tyr., is effected through the meeting of those who on either side know only half the truth. Tecmessa, whose affection for Ajax exceeds that of his own people, comes forth to meet the chorus of mariners before the hut. They learn from her the truth of the calamity. She learns from them the extent of it. Schol. διδάσκει τὸν χόρον ὅτι Αἴας ἐστὶν ὁ σφάξας τὰ ποίμνια. πυνθάνεται δὲ παρὰ τοῦ χοροῦ ὅτι Ἑλληνικὰ ἦν τὰ σφαγέντα, ἑκάτερος οὖν παρ' ἑκατέρου τὸ ἀγνοούμενον μανθάνει.

202. mvp-comment-150-1 γενεάς, κ.τ.λ.] 'Of race derived from the Earth-born Erechtheidae.' The Salaminians are, by an anachronism which is repeated infr. 861, counted as originally one with the Athenian people.

203. mvp-comment-151-1 ἔχομεν στοναχάς] ‘It is ours to groan.' She claims the sympathy of the chorus, of which they assure her, infr. 210.

204. mvp-comment-152-1 τηλόθεν] Sc. ὄντος or σκοπουμένου. Cp. O. T. 1259, οἱ παρῆμεν ἐγγύθεν. The word is not to be immediately joined with κηδόμενοι. Salamis, which she has never seen, seems far away to Tecmessa, whose hopes are notwithstanding centred there.

205. mvp-comment-153-1 ὁ δεινὸς μέγας ὠμοκρατής] · Our dread hero, rugged in might.' Various compounds of ὠμός are used to indicate the fierce impetuosity of Ajax, that cannot be reduced to rule: infr. 885, τὸν ὠμόθυμον : 931, ὠμόφρων : 548, ἀλλ᾿ αὐτίκ᾿ ὠμοῖς αὐτὸν ἐν νόμοις πατρὸς | δεῖ πωλοδάμνειν κάξομοιοῦσθαι φύσιν. See also infr. 613, θουρίῳ | κρατοῦντ᾽ ἐν᾿ Αρει. Others would render ὠμοκρατής, 'mighty-shouldered,' comparing the description of Ajax in Il. 3. 227 as ἔξοχος ᾿Αργείων κεφαλὴν ἠδ᾽ εὐρέας ὤμους !

206. mvp-comment-154-1 θολερῷ.. χειμῶνι] 'Through a turbid storm.' The darkened mind of Ajax is compared either to the troubling of waters by a flood, or to atmospheric disturbance, as we speak of 'dirty weather.' Cp. Ant. 420, 1, ἐν δ᾽ ἐμεστώθη μέγας | αἰθήρ, μύσαντες δ᾽ εἴχομεν θείαν νόσον, and, for the metaphorical use of θολερός, Aesch. Prom. 885, 6, θολεροὶ δὲ λόγοι παίουσ' εἰκη | στυγνῆς πρὸς κύμασιν ἄτης.

207. mvp-comment-155-1 κεῖται] • Is overthrown.' Cp. Plat. Rep. 5. p. 451 Α, κείσομαι, περὶ ἃ ἥκιστα δεῖ σφάλλεσθαι. νοσήσας] ‘Having fallen into madness.' The aorist expresses the suddenness of the stroke.