Sophocles Ajax 192

Robert Potter (Translator)

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Tecmessa
961
And let them mock, in his calamities
Let them exult: the time perchance may come,
Though whilst he lived they lightly prized his worth,
They may lament him dead with many a groan,
And want him in the dreadful shock of war.
The impotent of mind, whilst in their hands
965
They hold a treasure, know not how to prize
965
Its worth, till from them it be snatch'd away.
To me his death brings sorrow, joy to them;
To him it was most pleasing so to die,
It was the consummation of his wish.
Have they then cause to triumph in his death?
No: by the gods he died, and not by them.
970
Then let Ulysses swell with pride, none now
Opposing. Ajax lives for them no more,
But in his death to me leaves woes and groans.

Ajax. Sophocles. Robert Potter (Translator). London. 1820.

Current edition Experimental

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Robert Potter, 1788))

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)) — 192 focus
ὄμμ᾽ ἔχων κακὰν φάτιν ἄρῃ.
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)) — 192 focus
TEU
What man of all the host hath caught thine eye?
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 193 focus
Raffe dich auf von dem Size, wo du schon so lang
190
Meidend Werke des Krieges, hingefesselt ruhst,
Daß dein Jammer zum Himmel flammt!
Hier toben die Feinde keck, ohne Zittern,
In säuselnden Thalbuchten,
Und ringsher zischen um dich
195
Hohnlachende Zungen;
Doch zehrender Gram quält uns.
Tekmessa (tritt aus dem Zelte). Der Chor.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 192 focus
Teucer
Do not dishonour then the powers divine
That saved thee.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 201-210 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-560-1 οἱ δ’ οὖν 1

mvp-comment-560-2 κεἰ … μὴ 2

mvp-comment-560-3 )πόθουν 3

mvp-comment-560-4 ἐν χρείᾳ δορός 4

mvp-comment-561-1 κακοὶ γνώμαισι 5

mvp-comment-561-2 τἀγαθὸν χεροῖν 6 τἀγάθ’ ἐν χεροῖν 7

mvp-comment-561-3 πρίν τις ἐκβάλῃ 8

mvp-comment-561-4 For the sentiment, cp. Mimnermus fr. 1 (in Nauck's Frag. Trag. 2nd ed., p. 829)

δεινοὶ γὰρ ἀνδρὶ πάντες ἐσμὲν εὐκλεεῖ | ζῶντι φθονῆσαι, κατθανόντα δ’ αἰνέσαι
. Plaut. Capt. 1. 2. 39
Tum denique homines nostra intelligimus bona, | Quom quae in potestate habuimus ea amisimus.
 C. 3. 24. 31
Virtutem incolumem odimus, | Sublatam ex oculis quaerimus invidi.

mvp-comment-562-1 Various theories of interpolation have been held with regard to this passage: see Appendix. Most of them are founded on the assumption that Tecmessa's former speech of ten lines (915—924) must be balanced by a speech of the same length here, and that therefore three of the thirteen verses (961— 973) must be struck out. (Nauck, who rejects 918 f., strikes out five verses here, 966—970.)

mvp-comment-562-2 As several objections arise from the alleged incoherence of the speech, it is well to observe the train of thought in 961—973.

mvp-comment-562-3 ‘Let them mock, if they will, at the fate of Ajax; they will perhaps find out, in time of need, what they have lost; foolish men never know their own good fortune till they have thrown it away (961—965). No, his death is no gain for them—though it is anguish for me: for him, it is the release which he desired (966—968). Why should they mock at him, then? They cannot even claim that his death was their work; it is the affair of the gods (969 f.). So Odysseus may exult, if he pleases, but it is an empty triumph. He and his friends have merely suffered a loss; Ajax is gone, —and has left nothing behind him but the sorrow which is mine’ (971—973).

mvp-comment-562-4 ἐμοὶ πικρὸς 9 ἢ 10 ᾗ, εἰ, ὡς, καὶ 11 γλυκύς 12

mvp-comment-562-5 θάνατον 13 ὧν 14

mvp-comment-563-1 ἐπεγγελῷεν 15 κάτα 16 ἐγγελῷεν 17 τοῦδ’ 18

mvp-comment-564-1 θεοῖς 19

mvp-comment-565-1 πρὸς ταῦτ’ 20

mvp-comment-565-2 ἐν κενοῖς 21

mvp-comment-565-3 972 f. There is no stress on αὐτοῖς 22

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

962. mvp-comment-621-1 κεἰ .. μὴ ᾿πόθουν] ‘Though they missed him not.'-after he had withdrawn from fighting. Cp. Il. 1. 240, ἢ ποτ' ᾿Αχιλλῆος ποθὴ ἴξεται νίας ᾿Ἀχαιῶν: ib. 9. 9. 197, ή τι μάλα χρεώ.

963. mvp-comment-622-1 ἐν χρείᾳ δορός] (1) 'In exigency of war,' rather than (2) 'In sore need of his spear.' For the latter, however, cp. supr. 180, ξυνοῦ δορός.

965. mvp-comment-623-1 πρίν τις ἐκβάλῃ] 'Till one have lost it,' or 'thrown it away.' For the transition from the indefinite plural to τις, cp. Trach. 11. 2, 3, οὐκ ἂν αἰῶν᾽ ἐκμάθοις βροτῶν πρὶν ἂν | θάνῃ τις. ἐκβαλεῖν is to lose by one's own fault. Cp. Ant. 648, 9, μή νυν .. τὰς φρένας .. ἐκβάλῃς. 'Agamemnon has thrown a pearl away | Richer than all his tribe.' (Shak. Oth. 5. 2).

966-967. mvp-comment-624-1 Either (1) supposing an implied comparative, 'My sorrow in his death is greater than their joy: howbeit, he has pleased himself;' or (2) supposing δέ to be in apodosi, and τέθνηκεν to be virtually hypothetical, 'Be his death joy to them or grief to me, to him it brings content.' For (1), see Essay on L. § 39. p. 73 b; and for (2), cp. Ant. 1168, where see note. As there is nothing but the emphasis to suggest comparison, (2) is preferable.

968. mvp-comment-625-1 περ adds emphasis with reference to the words of Ajax, supr. ll. 473-480, which Tecmessa now recalls. Cp. O. C. 1704. ἐξέπραξεν οἷον ἤθελεν.

970. mvp-comment-626-1 'His death is no concern of theirs, but of the gods alone.' The gods have required this sacrifice, and the will of the Atreidae has had no part in it. For this vague 'dative of the person interested,' cp. El. 1152, τέθνηκ᾽ ἐγώ σοι: Phil. 1030, καὶ τέθνηχ᾽ ὑμῖν πάλαι. So, too, infr. 972, Αἴας γὰρ αὐτοῖς οὐκέτ᾽ ἐστίν, κ.τ.λ.

971. mvp-comment-627-1 ἐν κενοῖς] 'In a vain thing': i.e. where his insolence has no occasion, and no object, but is beating the air.

973. mvp-comment-628-1 Cp. Od. 14. 137, 8, φίλοισι δὲ κήδε᾽ ὀπίσσω | πᾶσιν, ἐμοὶ δὲ μάλιστα, τετεύχαται: Trach. 41, 2, πλὴν ἐμοὶ πικρὰς | ὠδῖνας αὐτοῦ προσβαλὼν ἀποίχεται.

973. mvp-comment-628-2 ἀνίας καὶ γόους] 'Distress and sorrow.' For the strength of meaning given to ἀνία here, cp. supr. 496 foll., infr. 1005.