Sophocles Ajax 245

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.) — 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)) — 245 focus
ἀντ. ὥρα τιν᾽ ἤδη τίν᾽ ἤδη τοι κρᾶτα ἤδη κράτα ἤδη τοι κράτα κάρα καλύμμασι
245
κρυψάμενον ποδοῖν κλοπὰν ἀρέσθαι,
ἢ θοὸν εἰρεσίας ζυγὸν ἑζόμενον
ποντοπόρῳ ναὶ μεθεῖναι.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 245 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 245 focus
Ah! then ’tis time, our heads in mantles hiding,
245
Our feet on some stol’n pathway now to ply,
245
Or with swift oarage o’er the billows gliding,
245
With ordered stroke to make the good ship fly
245
Such threats the Atridae, armed with two fold power,
Launch to assail us. Oh, I sadly fear
Stones from fierce hands on us and him will shower,
Whose heavy plight no comfort may come near.
’Tis changed, his rage, like sudden blast,
Without the lightning gleam is past
And now that Reason’s light returns,
New sorrow in his spirit burns.
For when we look on self made woe,
In which no hand but ours had part,
Thought of such griefs and whence they flow
Brings aching misery to the heart.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 245 focus
Nun ist es Zeit, unser Haupt in bergende Hüllen versteckt, 1
Verstohlen fortzuflüchten,
Oder gewandt zu den Rudern, in Eile des meer-
wandelnden Schiffs Bande zu lösen.
240
Mit solchen Drohworten bestürmt uns das Atridenpaar hier,
Die Trozvollen: mir bangt, ach, vom erhobnen Steine
Erreicht, muß ich verderben, wie er, den grauses Leiden fesselt.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 245 focus
And wond'ring crowds repeat the dreadful tale ;
245
Alas ! I fear th' event ! I fear me much.
Lest, with their flocks and herds the shepherds slain,
Against himself he lift his murth'rous hand.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 245 focus
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.

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-163-1 ἤδη τοι κρᾶτα 1 ἀνδρὸς 2 ἀνέρος 3 τοι 4 κρᾶτα 5 κάρα 6 ἐδήλωσας 7 ἔδειξας 8 ἔφηνας 9 ἐδήλους 10 τοι 11 ἤτοι 12

mvp-comment-163-2 κρᾶτα … κρυψάμενον 13

mvp-comment-163-3 ποδοῖν κλοπὰν ἀρέσθαι 14 κλοπὰν 15

mvp-comment-164-1 θοὸν 16 εἰρεσίας 17 ζυγὸν 18

mvp-comment-164-2 ναῒ μεθεῖναι 19

mvp-comment-165-1 τοίας 20

mvp-comment-165-2 ἐρέσσουσιν 21

mvp-comment-165-3 δικρατεῖς Ἀτρεῖδαι 22

mvp-comment-166-1 πεφόβημαι 23

mvp-comment-166-2 λιθόλευστον Ἄρη 24

mvp-comment-166-3 The accus. is, in the first place, object to πεφόβημαι 25 ξυναλγεῖν 26 τυπείς 27

mvp-comment-166-4 αἶσ’ ἄπλατος 28

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

245. mvp-comment-181-1 κάρα is the emendation of Triclinius for κρᾶτα, which is in most MSS., generally with τοι preceding: according to Hermann this was due to a mistaken metrical emendation. Reading κάρα and retaining τοι, we might read in supr. 221, οἴαν ἐδήλωσας *κατ᾿ ἀνδρὸς αἴθονος. τιν'] ἱ.ε. ἡμᾶς. Essay on L. § 22. p. 36. κάρα καλύμμασι κρυψάμενον] 'Veiling one's head,' either (1) in token of confusion and shame as well as sorrow. Cp. Od. 8.92; Plat. Phaedr. 243 В. Or (2) by way of disguise. ποδοῖν κλοπὰν ἀρέσθαι] i. e. φυγὴν ἀρέσθαι, 'to steal away on foot.' Cp. Eur. Or. 1499, ἐκκλέπτειν πόδα: Rhes. 54, αἴρεσθαι φυγήν.

247. mvp-comment-182-1 θοὸν εἰρεσίας ζυγὸν ἑζόμενον] 'Pressing the swift rowing-bench.' Cp. Aesch. Ag. 982, θάρσος . . ἵζει φρενὸς φίλον θρόνον. And for the hypallage ( =θοᾶς εἰρεσίας ζυγόν), see Essay on L. § 42. p. 80.

250. mvp-comment-183-1 ποντοπόρῳ ναὶ μεθεῖναι] 'Let the sea-faring ship go on her way.' No definite ellipse (as of πλοῦν or πείσματα) is to be supplied with μεθεῖναι.

250. mvp-comment-183-2 ματα) need be supposed. The verb 'to let go' is first used absolutely, and then again acquires a remote object, which is put in the dative. The ship is 'a thing of life.'

251. mvp-comment-184-1 ἐρέσσουσιν] 'Launch.' Ant. 158, μῆτιν ἐρέσσω. For the unconscious tautology, εἰρεσίας .. ἐρέσσουσιν, see Essay on L. § 44. pp. 83, 4. The mariners think of the Atreidae as chasing them astern. The words καθ' ἡμῶν mark that their lot is bound up with that of Ajax, a thought which is developed in the succeeding lines. The accusative Ἄρη is in two constructions, first after πεφόβημαι, and then with ξυναλγεῖν, which is added in epexegesis. For Apns of destructive violence, cp. esp. Aesch. Prom. 861, 2, θηλυκτόνῳ | Ἄρει δαμέντων.