Sophocles Ajax 348

Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator)

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Ihr Schiffsfreunde dort, die ihr mit rechtem Sinn
Allein Freunde mir, allein treu verbliebt,
seht, in welchen Wogen mich des blutigrothen Sturmes Wuth
Wirbelnd im Kreis umherjagt!
(leise zu Tekmessa)

Ajax. Sophocles. Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator). . .

Current edition Experimental

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) (German) (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (4)
Αἴας μαστιγοφόρος First1KGreek (Sophocles. Sophoclis Aiax. Lobeck Christian, editor. Berlin: Weidmann, 1866.) — 343-424 focus
Αἴας First1KGreek (Sophocles. Sophoclis Fabulae. Pearson, Alfred Chilton, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.) — 348-429 focus
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 348 focus
στρ. α. ἰὼ
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 348-429 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 348 focus
(). Too true thy witness: for the fact cries out
Wild thoughts were here and Reason’s lamp extinct.
Strong helpers of sea-speed, whose nimble hand
Plied hither the salt oar with circling stroke,
No shepherd there was found
To give the avenging wound.
Come, lay me with the flock!
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 348 focus
\aside to Tecmessa]. What thou saidst, alas !
Was but too true ; he seems indeed distracted.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 348 focus
My friends, who with me mount the stately bark,
Alone, of all my friends, to faith's firm law
Alone adhering, from the raging storm
Behold what bloody waves around me swell.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 348-428 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-215-1 τοῖς πάλαι νοσήμασι ξυνοῦσι 1 ξυνοῦσι 2

mvp-comment-215-2 παρών 3

mvp-comment-216-1 ἰὼ παῖ παῖ 4 Τεῦκρον καλῶ 5

mvp-comment-216-2 Prof. Campbell understands

ἰὼ παῖ παῖ
as meaning Teucer, whom an elder brother might so address. Tecmessa, at least, did not so take the words.

mvp-comment-217-1 ὤμοι τάλαιν’ 6

mvp-comment-217-2 Εὐρύσακες 7

mvp-comment-217-3 ἀμφὶ σοὶ 8

mvp-comment-217-4 ποῦ ποτ’ εἶ 9

mvp-comment-218-1 Τεῦκρον 10

mvp-comment-218-2 τὸν εἰσαεὶ … χρόνον 11 λεηλατήσει 12

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

337. mvp-comment-244-1 ἢ τοῖς . . παρών] 'Or to grieve at witnessing the effects of past madness which remain with him.' Cp. supr. 307. The addition of παρών suggests that Ajax, seeing the carnage in the tent, is the eye-witness of his own madness.

339. mvp-comment-245-1 Ajax calls upon Teucer. παῖ is frequently addressed by an elder person to a younger, even by the Corinthian messenger to Oedipus, O. Τ. 1008, and by Electra (under excitement) to the supposed Phocian stranger, El. 1220. The picture in the Iliad, 8. 271, of Teucer retiring behind the shield of Ajax, παῖς ὡς ὑπὸ μητέρα, suggests that Teucer was the younger brother. And it is natural to suppose Ajax to have been born before Telamon's expedition in which he won Hesione, the mother of Teucer.-According to Pindar in the fifth (or sixth) Isthmian ode, Ajax was given to Telamon in answer to the prayer of Heracles before the expedition. But in such details the legends are not constant. See O. C. 375, and note. Lycophr. 445 and schol. -The need of Teucer's presence is Ajax' first thought on coming to himself. Tecmessa at first thinks of the child, until, in l. 342, Ajax calls Teucer by name. He does not ask to see the child till l.530, after his attention has been vividly drawn that way by Tecmessa.

341. mvp-comment-246-1 τάλαιν᾽ ἐγώ] Tecmessa is distracted between the fear of crossing Ajax and the fear of harm to the child. The division of the line helps to mark this distraction of the wife and mother.