Sophocles Ajax 201-210

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.) — 202-214 focus
Αἴας First1KGreek (Sophocles. Sophoclis Fabulae. Pearson, Alfred Chilton, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.) — 201-213 focus
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 201 focus
ναὸς ἀρωγοὶ τῆς Αἴαντος,
γενεᾶς χθονίων ἀπ᾿ ᾿Ερεχθειδᾶν,
ἔχομεν στοναχὰς οἱ κηδόμενοι
τοῦ Τελαμῶνος τηλόθεν οἴκου.
νῦν γὰρ ὁ δεινὸς μέγας μέγας ὁ μέγας ὠμοκρατὴς
205
Αἴας θολερῷ
κεῖται χειμῶνι νοσήσας.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 201-213 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 201 focus
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.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 201 focus
Ihr Führer von Ajas' Schiffe, gezeugt
Aus Erechtheus' Stamm, den die Erde gebar! 1
Wohl jammern wir laut, wir, liebend und treu
200
Um Telamons Haus in der Ferne besorgt;
Denn Ajas, der Held, groß, riesiger Kraft,
Liegt niedergebeugt
Von dem Sturm wildwühlenden Wahnsinns.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 201 focus
Chorus.
A dire disease ! and not by human aid
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 201 focus
Ye faithful train, that o'er the billows steer
The bark of Ajax, from Erectheus sprung
A generous race, with sorrow pierced we groan,
Who in a foreign land with zeal attend
The house of Telamon: for now the great,
205
The strong, the daring Ajax sinks beneath
The turbid storm of a distemper'd mind.

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

mvp-comment-142-1 τί δὲ βάρος ἐνήλλακται νὺξ ἥδε τῆς ἡμερίας 10 ἐνήλλακται 11

mvp-comment-142-2 No tolerable emendation has been made. ἠρεμίας 12 εὐμαρίας 13 ἀμμορίας 14 νὺξ ἥδε 15

mvp-comment-142-3 The schol. in L has:

γρ. δὲ ἀημερίας ἀντὶ τῆς ἀηδοῦς φορᾶς
(‘unpleasant course’),
καὶ ἔσται ὁ νοῦς, ποῖον βάρος ἔλαβεν αὕτη ἡ νὺξ ἀπὸ τῆς προτέρας ἀηδίας;
This explanation of
ἀημερίας
by
ἀηδοῦς φορᾶς
and
ἀηδίας
indicates (I think) a reference, not to
ἡμέρα
—as if
ἀημερία
could mean
δυσημερία
—but to
ἥμερος
: the original scholium may have had
ἀνημερίας
(meant as ‘unkindly fortune’).

mvp-comment-143-1 Φρυγίου Τελεύταντος 16

mvp-comment-143-2 Lobeck remarks that the father of Tecmessa is called Teuthras by Malela and others, Tethras by Cedrenus, and Teuthas by Tzetzes.

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.

208. mvp-comment-156-1 'What heavy change from the condition of the day hath last night experienced?' This is Triclinius' explanation of τῆς ἁμερίας, sc. καταστάσεως. As in the case of other feminine words used substantively, we need not be precise in supplying the ellipse. Lobeck prefers ὥρας. Ajax' condition on the previous day was lamentable enough: what new trouble has arisen during the night?

210. mvp-comment-157-1 Τελεύταντος] The first syllable is to be scanned as long : cp. Ἱππομέδων, Παρθένοπαῖος in Iambic verse. Others read Φρυγίοιο for Φρυγίου, which is questionable both as to the form of the genitive and the division of the line.