Sophocles Ajax 253

Robert Potter (Translator)

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Ulysses
Then hear me. By the gods, remorseless thus
Form not the thought to cast this body forth
Unburied; nor let violence transport
Thy soul so far to hate, as under foot
To trample justice. Once he was to me
1335
Of all the camp most hostile, from the time
I triumph'd in the contest for the arms
Of lost Achilles: yet, though such his mind
To me averse, I would not wrong his worth,
Refusing to his valour this just praise,
That him, of all the Grecian chiefs who march'd
1340
To Troy, I saw the bravest in the field,
Except Achilles. Such a man by thee
Unjustly were dishonour'd: not to him,
But to the gods, and to their sacred laws
This were offence. A brave man, when no more,
Though hated once, it is unjust to wrong.
1345

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.) — 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)) — 253 focus
ξυναλγεῖν μετὰ τοῦδε τυπείς, τὸν αἶσ᾿ ἄπλατος ἴσχει.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 263-347 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 253 focus
OD
A noisome enemy; but his life was great.
1355
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 257 focus
Nicht mehr! Er ruht nun, schnell wie der Süd,
Der ohne den Bliz aufstürmte, sich legt. 1
245
Den Genesenen quält jezt anderes Leid;
Denn zu sehen das Unheil, das du dir selbst,
Kein Anderer sonst mitwirkend erschuf,
Das weckt unsägliche Schmerzen.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 253 focus
Chorus
Ulysses,
The man who says thou art not wise and good
Is senseless and unjust.
1375
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 263-346 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-788-1 τλῇς 1

mvp-comment-788-2 βαλεῖν 2

mvp-comment-789-1 ἡ βία 3 νικησάτω 4

mvp-comment-789-2 πατεῖν 5

mvp-comment-790-1 ἔχθιστος 6

mvp-comment-790-2 )κράτησα 7

mvp-comment-791-1 ἔμπας 8

mvp-comment-791-2 ἀντατιμάσαιμ’ 9 οὔ τἂν ἀτιμάσαιμ’ 10 οὔκουν 11 οὐκ οὖν 12

mvp-comment-792-1 ἕν’ ἄνδρ’ … ἄριστον 13

mvp-comment-793-1 πλὴν Ἀχιλλέως 14

mvp-comment-794-1 τοὺς θεῶν νόμους 15

mvp-comment-795-1 τὸν ἐσθλὸν ἄνδρα 16

mvp-comment-795-2 εἰ θάνοι 17

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

1334. mvp-comment-853-1 ἡ βία] 'The spirit of tyranny.' Cp. infr. 1357. For a similar use of ἀρχή, cp. Thuc. 3. 82. § 16.

1335. mvp-comment-854-1 τοσόνδε μισεῖν] 'To carry hate so far.' The absolute use of the verb is noticeable. Cp. El. 357, σὺ δ' ἡμὶν ἡ μισοῦσα μισεῖς μὲν λόγῳ.

1336. mvp-comment-855-1 καμοί] 'To me also,' as well as to you and Menelaus.

1337. mvp-comment-856-1 Cp. Phil. 1292, πρότεινε χεῖρα, καὶ κράτει τῶν σῶν ὅπλων: Thuc. 3. 47, ἐπειδή τε ὅπλων ἐκράτησεν.

1339. mvp-comment-857-1 οὐκ *ἀντατιμάσαιμ' ἄν] This reading, though found in no MS., is nearer to the first hand of L, and also more pointed, than οὔκουν ἀτ. ἄv, the reading of C and some inferior MSS. ἀντατιμάζω does not occur elsewhere, but is supported by the analogy of ἀνταδικεῖν.

1340. mvp-comment-858-1 ἕν᾿ ἄνδρ᾿ ἰδεῖν ἄριστον ᾿Αργείων] 'That he stood alone, so far as I could see, as the noblest of the Argives.' ἕν᾿ ἄνδρα is here intensive. Cp. Aesch. Pers. 327, εἰς ἀνὴρ πλεῖστον πόνον . . παρασχών.

1341. mvp-comment-859-1 πλὴν ᾿Αχιλλέως] Cp. the lines of the 11th Odyssey quoted above, note on 1319; and Alcaeus, Fr. 48, τὸν ἄριστον πέδ᾽ ᾿Αχίλλεα: Pind. Nem. 7. 40, κράτιστον ᾿Αχιλέος ἄτερ.

1342. mvp-comment-860-1 ἀτιμάζοιτο] The passive, while emphasizing the verb, avoids the 2nd person. (E. on L. § 31. p. 1. 53 a, p. 1. 54 b.)

1344-1345. mvp-comment-861-1 εἰ θάνοι] For the optative in supposing a general case, see Essay on L. § 36. p. 61a (1) . Join ἄνδρα . . τὸν ἐσθλόν.