Sophocles Ajax 221

Richard Jebb (Translator)

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Ajax. Sophocles. Richard Jebb (Translator). Cambridge. 1893.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Experimental

Ajax (English) (Sophocles the plays and fragments, Part 7: The Ajax. Jebb, Richard Claverhouse, Sir, translator. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1891. (Modernized by Perseus.))

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)) — 221 focus
στρ. οἵαν ἐδήλωσας ἀνδρὸς αἴθονος αἴθο.νος αἴθο.νος αἴθο.πος αἴθοπος αἴθωνος
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 221 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 221 focus
What news of our fierce lord thy story showeth,
Sharp to endure, impossible to fly!
News that on tongues of Danaäns hourly groweth,
Which Rumour’s myriad voices multiply!
Alas! the approaching doom awakes my terror.
The man will die, disgraced in open day,
Whose dark dyed steel hath dared through mad brained error
The mounted herdmen with their herds to slay.
O horror! Then ’twas there he found
The flock he brought as captives tied,
And some he slew upon the ground,
And some, side smiting, sundered wide
Two white foot rams he backward drew,
And bound. Of one he shore and threw
The tipmost tongue and head away,
The other to an upright stay
He tied, and with a harness thong
Doubled in hand, gave whizzing blows,
Echoing his lashes with a song
More dire than mortal fury knows.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 221 focus
Ha, welchen Ruf offenbarst du, Frau, von dem grimmigen Mann,
Ha, schrecklich, unentrinnbar!
Ruchtbar gemacht von den Fürsten des Danaerheers,
220
Mehrt ihn die stets wachsende Sage.
Bang ahn' ich, bang, was mir herannaht! Vor den Augen Aller
Erschlägt ihn auch die wahnsinnige Hand, die eben
Mit bluttriefendem Stahle die Heerden mordet' und die Hirten.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 221 focus
To be removed ; already Greece hath heard
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 221 focus
What hast thou said of one, that in the works
Of war flamed foremost! We can neither bear
The infamy, nor shun it. By the Chiefs
Already it is whisper'd, and anon
Wide through the Grecian camp it will be spread.
Ah me! I fear th' advancing ills; the man
By the same hand, by frenzy arm'd, will die,
Amidst the darkness of the night which whirl'd
His sword, and with the herdsmen slew the herds.

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-149-1 A strophe, to which vv. 245—256 form the antistrophe. For the metres, see Metrical Analysis.

mvp-comment-149-2 ἀνέρος … ἀγγελίαν 1

mvp-comment-149-3 αἴθονος 2

mvp-comment-149-4 The v.l. αἴθοπος 3 ο 4

mvp-comment-149-5 ἄτλατον οὐδὲ φευκτάν 5

mvp-comment-150-1 τῶν μεγάλων Δαναῶν 6

mvp-comment-150-2 κλῃζομέναν 7

mvp-comment-151-1 ὁ μέγας μῦθος 8

mvp-comment-151-2 ἀέξει 9

mvp-comment-152-1 περίφαντος 10

mvp-comment-153-1 παραπλάκτῳ 11

mvp-comment-153-2 συγκατακτὰς 12 κελαινοῖς 13

mvp-comment-154-1 ξίφεσιν 14

mvp-comment-154-2 ἱππονώμας 15 βοτῆρας 16 βοτά 17 ἱππονόμους 18

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

221-232. mvp-comment-165-1 The metrical scheme (Logaoedic, with frequent syncope) is the following...

221. mvp-comment-166-1 ἀνδρὸς αἴθονος] ‘Concerning the fiery man.' Essay on L. § 9. p. 12, 2. If τοι is retained in infr. 245, we may read here οἵαν ἐδήλωσας *κατ᾿ ἀνδρὸς αἴθονος. The short syllable in αἴθονος is sufficiently supported by αΐθονα occurring in Hesychius in the right alphabetical order (immediately after αἶθον). Although αἴθοπος (see v. rr.) may be defended, on the ground that the second part of a compound has sometimes little significance (see esp. infr. 954, κελαινώπαν θυμών), yet αἴθων, which directly expresses character, is more appropriate here, and has the preponderance of MS. authority in its favour.

222. mvp-comment-167-1 ἄτλατον οὐδὲ φευκτάν] ‘That can neither be avoided nor endured.'

225. mvp-comment-168-1 μεγάλων] 'Terrible.' The mariners, in their feebleness ( supr. 165 foll.), are afraid of the opinion of the host. These words are added as a comment on οὐδὲ φευκτάν. The consequences of the fact cannot be eluded, since it is known to the host, and magnified by rumour.

226. mvp-comment-169-1 ὁ μέγας μῦθος] ‘The formidable power of rumour.' Supr. 172, ὦ μεγάλα φάτις. μῦθος is the rumour about this particular thing, with a suggestion of rumour in general. ἀέξει] Not 'exaggerates,' for the evil could not be exaggerated, but, 'which the mighty power of rumour spreads abroad.'