Sophocles Ajax 635

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.) — 634-680 focus
Αἴας First1KGreek (Sophocles. Sophoclis Fabulae. Pearson, Alfred Chilton, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.) — 646-692 focus
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 635 focus
ἀντ.β΄. κρέσσων κρείσσων γὰρ Ἅιδᾳ ἀΐδα ἅδα κεύθων ὁ νοσῶν μάταν,
ὃς ἐκ πατρώας ἥκων ἥκον ἥκων γενεᾶς ἄριστος om.
πολυπόνων Ἀχαιῶν,
635
οὐκέτι συντρόφοις
ὀργαῖς ἔμπεδος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκτὸς ὁμιλεῖ.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 635 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 646 focus
What change will never-terminable Time
645
Not heave to light, what hide not from the day?
645
What chance shall win men’s marvel? Mightiest oaths
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 635 focus
Denn besser wär's, das Grab schlösse den Kranken ein,
Der, edel von Geschlecht, Allen im Heere vorstrahlt
605
Duldender Argossöhne,
Und dem ererbten Geist
Nicht treubleibend, auf Irrpfaden umherschweist.
Vater, wehe dir! Welch bittere Kunde wartet
Dein vom schweren Geschick des
610
Sohnes, wie es die Zeiten
Keinem Aeakossohne noch erschufen! 1
(Ajas und Tekmessa kommen aus dem Zelte zurück.) Ajas. Tekmessa. Der Chor.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 646 focus
Alas ! too late did Teucer send me here,
645
Or I am come too slowly.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 646 focus
Time in the length of its unbounded course
645
Draws things obscure to light, and sinks in shades
645
The most conspicuous: no event befals,
645
But what might be expected; solemn oaths
645
Yield to assaults, and the obdurate mind.
645
And I, who late like temper'd steel retain'd
645
My firmness, by this woman have been taught
645
A softer tone. I pity her sad state,
645
Left 'mongst her foes a widow, and my son
645
An orphan. To the margin of the sea
645
Hence then I go, and in the cleansing wave
645
Wash off these stains, if so I may appease
645
The anger of the goddess. Where I find:
645
A place unmark'd by human foot, this sword,
645
The most abhorr'd of weapons, in the ground
645
Deep-buried I will hide, where never eye...
645
Shall see it more; let night, and hell's dark king
645
Keep it; for from the hour when I received
645
From Hector's hostile hand this gift, from Greece
645
No grateful meed, no honour have I shared.
645
Well was it said, The gifts of hostile hands
645
Are ever hostile, and with mischiefs fraught.
645
Henceforth then to the gods we know to yield,
645
And learn the sons of Atreus to revere;
645
They are our Chiefs; behoves us to obey:
645
Why not? the harshest and the strongest things
645
Yield to their higher sovereigns: for this cause
The Winters stiff with all their snows give place
To summer glowing with its beauteous fruits;
And the dark circle of the Night retirés
That the fair Day may flame with orient light.
A soft gale breathes, and the tempestuous sea,
Groaning beneath impetuous winds, is calm.
E'en all-subduing Sleep unbinds his chain,
And sets his captives free. Why should not I
Know gentler thoughts? This wisdom I have learn'd,
That him, who is my foe, I so may hate
As one perchance to be my friend again;
And so far wish to aid my friend, as one
That may know change: for friendship is a port
In which our bark not always rides secure.
But these things shall be well. Within the tent
Retire, Tecmessa; with incessant vows
Implore the favouring gods that they would grant
My heart's warm wish. And you, my friends, with her
Thus honour me. To Teucer, when he comes
Give this my charge, that mine he make his care,
And be to you benevolent. I go
Where I must go: do you what I command.
Though wretched now, you soon perchance may know
That Ajax from his miseries is relieved.

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-377-1 κρείσσων … κεύθων 1

mvp-comment-377-2 Elmsley's emendation,

παῤ Ἄιδᾳ
, instead of
γὰρ Ἅιδᾳ
(the reading of the MSS.), is specious; for Sophocles has that phrase in O. T. 972 and in O. C. 1572 ; but here he may have been thinking of Il. 23. 244
εἰς ὅ κεν αὐτὸς ἐγὼν Ἄϊδι κεύθωμαι
. The personal sense of Hades easily passes into the local; thus we have not only
εἰς Ἅιδου
( Tr. 4 ), but
εἰς Ἀΐδαν
( El. 833 ). For the simple dat., cp. El. 174
οὐρανῷ
(n.).

mvp-comment-377-3 κεύθων 2

mvp-comment-377-4 ὁ νοσῶν μάταν 3

mvp-comment-378-1 ἐκ πατρῴας ἥκων γενεᾶς ἄριστος … Ἀχαιῶν 4 ἥκων 5 ἄριστος 6 ἄριστος 7

mvp-comment-378-2 The ingenious conjecture of Burges,

ὃς εὖ πατρῴας ἥκων γενεᾶς ἄνωθεν
, would mean, ‘fortunate (
εὖ ἥκων
) in his descent (
ἄνωθεν
) with regard to paternal lineage’ (the gen.
γενεᾶς
as in
χρημάτων εὖ ἥκοντες
, Her. 5. 62 , etc.). But this is tame; and
εὖ ἥκων
is also prosaic: nor does it account for the gen.
Ἀχαιῶν
. Wecklein, reading
εὖ πατρῴας ἥκων γενεᾶς, ἄριστα..Ἀχαιῶν
, understands, ‘fortunate in his lineage, — most so, indeed, of the Achaeans’: so that
ἄριστα
defines
εὖ
.

mvp-comment-378-3 πολυπόνων 8

mvp-comment-379-1 συντρόφοις ὀργαῖς 9 ἔμπεδος 10

mvp-comment-379-2 ἐκτὸς ὁμιλεῖ 11 ἐκτὸς 12 ὁμιλεῖ 13 ὁμιλεῖ 14

mvp-comment-380-1 τλᾶμον 15

mvp-comment-381-1 δύσφορον 16

mvp-comment-382-1 ἔθρεψεν 17

mvp-comment-382-2 αἰὼν 18 δίων 19

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

631-634. mvp-comment-427-1 χερόπληκτοι .. δοῦποι] 'Noise of smiting hands.' πλήσσειν δοῦπον, «Το make a noise in smiting' would be a legitimate cognate accusative. Hence the passive form. Essay on L. § 53. p. 98.

633. mvp-comment-428-1 ἐν.. πεσοῦνται] i. e. ἐμπεσοῦνται.

634. mvp-comment-429-1 πολιᾶς *ἄμυγμα χαίτας] Sc. ἐγγενήσεται, or some general notion resumed from the preceding verb.

635. mvp-comment-430-1 For ῞Αιδα κεύθων, cp. Il. 23. 244, εἰσόκεν αὐτὸς ἐγὼν ῎Αϊδι κεύθωμαι. Elmsley needlessly corrected γὰρ Ἅιδᾳ to παρ' Ἅιδα. ὁ νοσῶν μάταν] (1) - 'One hopelessly afflicted.' μάταν (as in O. C. 1567, πολλῶν γὰρ ἂν καὶ μάταν | πημάτων ἱκνουμένων, | πάλιν σε δαίμων δίκαιος αὔξοι) means 'with no good end.' Others take μάταν here to mean, (2) ‘idly,' i. e. 'with idle or vain imaginations;' comparing Ar. Pax 95, τί πέτει; τί μάτην οὐχ ὑγιαίνεις; Either is possible.

637-638. mvp-comment-431-1 ὃς .. ᾿Αχαιών] 'Who, by the family from which he came, was, and proved to be, the noblest of the toilworn Achaeans.' ἐκ is at once 'because of' and 'in accordance with.' ἥκων is used in a double sense: 'Come forth from his father's home,' and 'Come forth,' i. e. 'proved, as bravest.' Ср. О. Т. 1519, ἔχθιστος ἥκω. ἄριστος was found by Triclinius in an 'old' MS., but may be merely due, as Blaydes remarks, to the words of the Scholiast, ἄριστα ἥκων· λείπει γὰρ τὸ ἄριστος. Another possible reading is ἄριστα. πολυπόνων] Infr. 1186 foll.

639-640. mvp-comment-432-1 'No longer remains in his habitual frame of mind, but abides outside of it,' i.e. he is no longer in his mind, but out of his mind. For this somewhat strained oxymoron, cp. Eur. Hipp. 102, πρόσωθεν αὐτὴν ἁγνὸς ὡν ἀσπάζομαι: Aesch. Pers. 756, ἔνδον αἰχμάζειν : also Ant. 773, ἔρημος ἔνθ᾽ ἂν ῇ βροτῶν στίβος, where the privative ἔρημος is equivalent to a negative.

641. mvp-comment-433-1 As his mother will utter the shrill cry of maternal agony, so his father will mourn over the dishonour of the race.

644-645. mvp-comment-434-1 'A calamity such as no life of any son of Aeacus hath ever known, but only he.' Bergk's conj., δίων Αἰακιδᾶν, has been widely received. But αἰών involves only an ordinary use of abstract for concrete, and agrees better with the figurative word ἔθρεψεν.