Sophocles Ajax 525

ed. Francis Storr

View: By Scene

Ajax. Sophocles. ed. Francis Storr. London. 1913.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Experimental

Αἴας (Greek) (Sophocles, Volume 2. Storr, Francis, editor. London; New York: William Heinemann Ltd.; The Macmillan Company, 1913.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (3)
Αἴας μαστιγοφόρος First1KGreek (Sophocles. Sophoclis Aiax. Lobeck Christian, editor. Berlin: Weidmann, 1866.) — 592-633 focus
Αἴας First1KGreek (Sophocles. Sophoclis Fabulae. Pearson, Alfred Chilton, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.) — 596-645 focus
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 525 focus
Αἴας, ἔχειν σ᾽ ἂν οἶκτον ὡς κἀγὼ φρενὶ
525
θέλοιμ᾽ ἄν· αἰνοίης γὰρ ἂν τὰ τῆσδ᾽ ἔπη.
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 525 focus
Aias, I would thy heart were touched like mine
525
With pity; then her words would win thy praise.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 525 focus
Ich wollte, Mitleid wohnte dir im Busen, Herr,
Wie mir; gewiß, du lobtest, was dir diese rieth.
505
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 525 focus
Oh ! that thou couldst feel
525
Pity like mine for tliis unhappy woman !
525
Then wouldst thou say her words deserve thy
praise.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 525 focus
Oh that thy bosom, Ajax, felt, like mine,
525
The touch of pity! Thou wou'dst praise her words.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 525 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-312-1 ἔχειν σ’ ἂν … θέλοιμ’ ἄν 1

mvp-comment-312-2 ὡς κἀγὼ 2

mvp-comment-313-1 καὶ κάρτ’ 3

mvp-comment-313-2 τὸ ταχθὲν 4

mvp-comment-313-3 τολμᾷ 5

mvp-comment-313-4 For the alliteration (

παρήχησις
) cp. 1112 : O.T. 371
τυφλὸς τά τ’ ὦτα τόν τε νοῦν τά τ’ ὄμματ’ εἶ
(n.).

mvp-comment-314-1 ἀλλ’ 6

mvp-comment-315-1 ὡς ἴδω 7

mvp-comment-316-1 καὶ μὴν φόβοισί γ’ 8 γε 9 φόβοισι 10 καὶ μήν … γε 11 γε 12

mvp-comment-316-2 φόβοισι 13

mvp-comment-316-3 ἐξελυσάμην 14

mvp-comment-316-4 The conjecture ἐξερρυσάμην 15

mvp-comment-317-1 κακοῖσιν 16

mvp-comment-318-1 μὴ σοί γε 17 σοί 18

mvp-comment-319-1 πρέπον γέ τἂν ἦν 19

mvp-comment-319-2 δαίμονος 20

mvp-comment-320-1 ἀλλ’ οὖν 21 γε 22

mvp-comment-320-2 )φύλαξα 23

mvp-comment-320-3 ἀρκέσαι 24

mvp-comment-321-1 ἐπῄνες’ 25

mvp-comment-321-2 ἔθου 26

mvp-comment-322-1 ὡς ἐκ τῶνδ’ 27 ἐκτῶνδε 28 ὡς 29

mvp-comment-323-1 καὶ μὴν 30

mvp-comment-323-2 γε 31 πέλας. 32

mvp-comment-323-3 προσπόλοις 33

mvp-comment-324-1 μὴ οὐ 34 τί μέλλει 35

mvp-comment-324-2 παρουσίαν ἔχειν 36

mvp-comment-325-1 εὐθύνων 37

mvp-comment-326-1 ἕρποντι φωνεῖς 38

mvp-comment-326-2 λελειμμένῳλόγων 39

mvp-comment-327-1 καὶ δὴ 40

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

525-526. mvp-comment-358-1 For av repeated, see Essay on L. § 27. p. 46 e.

527-528. mvp-comment-359-1 The alliteration with T helps to express harshness here. Ajax will not own to feeling pity for Tecmessa, but catches at the word αἰνοίης.

528. mvp-comment-360-1 ἐὰν.. τολμᾷ] Ajax is not thinking of the fears which Tecmessa presently expresses. He simply means, 'I am ready enough to praise her if instead of weak complaints she will bring herself to do what I command.'

531. mvp-comment-361-1 'Oh, it was in my terror-I conveyed him out of the way.' Tecmessa is divided between obedience and fear, and interposes an excuse. The particles, καὶ μὴν.. γε, call attention to something which tends to limit or delay compliance. 'Why, so I can, Sir, but-' (Othello, 3. 4). Cp. Ο. Τ. 749, καὶ μὴν ὀκνῶ μέν: infr. 539.

532. mvp-comment-362-1 By using the general word κακοῖσιν, Ajax avoids specifying the evil, which is too manifest. τί μοι λέγεις;] 'What mean you, pray?' Cp. O. T. 954, τί μοι λέγει; μοι here expresses impatience.

533. mvp-comment-363-1 Tecmessa cannot withhold the truth from Ajax. Cp. supr. 315.

534. mvp-comment-364-1 'That truly would have been in character with my destiny.' The descriptive genitive (= πρὸς δαίμονος τουμοῦ) takes the place of the more usual dative after the participle. Cp. Plat. Polit. 271 Ε, τῆς τοιαύτης .. κατακοσμήσεως ἑπόμενα.

535. mvp-comment-365-1 'Well, my watchfulness did that service at any rate.' Join τοῦτο with ἀρκέσαι, ἱ.ε. τὸ μὴ θανεῖν σφε.

536. mvp-comment-366-1 ἐπῄνεσ'] For this use of the aorist, see Essay on L. § 32, 6. p. 55. Ajax still speaks as a master to a slave, but he feels to the full extent the service rendered in saving the life of his son.

537. mvp-comment-367-1 Tecmessa remains irresolute, till, in 540, Ajax' anger begins to rise.

540. mvp-comment-368-1 παρουσίαν ἔχειν = παρεῖναι. So in Ant. 237, ἔχεις ἀθυμίαν = ἀθυμεῖς, and supr. 139, ὅκνον ἔχω = ὀκνῶ.

541. mvp-comment-369-1 προσπόλων] For this partitive genitive, see Essay on L. § 10. p. 15.

542. mvp-comment-370-1 ὅσπερ κυρεῖς] These words indicate that the child cannot yet go alone.

543. mvp-comment-371-1 ἕρποντι] Sc. τῷ προσπόλῳ, i.e. 'Does he come when you speak?' Essay on L. § 42. p. 80 β. ἢ λελειμμένῳ λόγων] 'Or do your words not reach to him?'