Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus, Lewis Campbell (Translator), 408

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OED

Then had I ne’er

Been proved a parricide, ne’er borne the shame

Of marriage bonds incestuous! But now

I am God abandoned, Son of the unholy,
1360

Rival of him who gave me being. Ah woe!

What sorrow beyond sorrows hath chief place?
1365

That sorrow Oedipus must bear!

Oedipus Tyrannus. Sophocles. Lewis Campbell (Translator). London, New York and Toronto. 1906.

Current edition Experimental

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 408 focus

εἰ καὶ τυραννεῖς, ἐξισωτέον τὸ γοῦν

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 463-511 focus

Χορός

τίς ὅντινʼ ἁ θεσπιέπεια Δελφὶς εἶπε πέτρα

ἄρρητʼ ἀρρήτων τελέσαντα φοινίαισι χερσίν;
465

ὥρα νιν ἀελλάδων

ἵππων σθεναρώτερον

φυγᾷ πόδα νωμᾶν.

ἔνοπλος γὰρ ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἐπενθρῴσκει

πυρὶ καὶ στεροπαῖς ὁ Διὸς γενέτας,
470

δειναὶ δʼ ἅμʼ ἕπονται

κῆρες ἀναπλάκητοι

473

Χορός

ἔλαμψε γὰρ τοῦ νιφόεντος ἀρτίως φανεῖσα

φάμα Παρνασοῦ τὸν ἄδηλον ἄνδρα πάντʼ ἰχνεύειν.

φοιτᾷ γὰρ ὑπʼ ἀγρίαν
475

ὕλαν ἀνά τʼ ἄντρα καὶ

πέτρας ἰσόταυρος

μέλεος μελέῳ ποδὶ χηρεύων,

τὰ μεσόμφαλα γᾶς ἀπονοσφίζων
480

μαντεῖα· τὰ δʼ ἀεὶ

ζῶντα περιποτᾶται.

483

Χορός

δεινὰ μὲν οὖν, δεινὰ ταράσσει σοφὸς οἰωνοθέτας

οὔτε δοκοῦντʼ οὔτʼ ἀποφάσκονθʼ· ὅ τι λέξω δʼ ἀπορῶ.
485

πέτομαι δʼ ἐλπίσιν οὔτʼ, ἐνθάδʼ ὁρῶν οὔτʼ ὀπίσω.

τί γὰρ ἢ Λαβδακίδαις

ἢ τῷ Πολύβου νεῖκος ἔκειτʼ, οὔτε πάροιθέν ποτʼ ἔγωγʼ
490

ἔμαθον, πρὸς ὅτου δὴ βασανίζων βασάνῳ

ἐπὶ τὰν ἐπίδαμον φάτιν εἶμʼ Οἰδιπόδα Λαβδακίδαις

ἐπίκουρος ἀδήλων θανάτων.
495

496

Χορός

ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν οὖν Ζεὺς ὅ τʼ Ἀπόλλων ξυνετοὶ καὶ τὰ βροτῶν

εἰδότες· ἀνδρῶν δʼ ὅτι μάντις πλέον ἢ ʼγὼ φέρεται,
500

κρίσις οὔκ ἔστιν ἀλαθής· σοφίᾳ δʼ ἂν σοφίαν

παραμείψειεν ἀνήρ.

ἀλλʼ οὔποτʼ ἔγωγʼ ἄν, πρὶν ἴδοιμʼ ὀρθὸν ἔπος, μεμφομένων ἂν καταφαίην.
505

φανερὰ γὰρ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, πτερόεσσʼ ἦλθε κόρα

ποτέ, καὶ σοφὸς ὤφθη βασάνῳ θʼ ἁδύπολις τῷ ἀπʼ ἐμᾶς
510

φρενὸς οὔποτʼ ὀφλήσει κακίαν.

Translations (2)

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 408 focus

Wohl bist du Herrscher; doch besteh'n muß gleiches Recht

Zu gleicher Antwort; hiezu ward auch mir Gewalt.
410

Nicht dir ja, nur dem Phöbos bin ich unterthan,¹

Daß nicht als Beistand Kreon mich vertreten muß.²

Doch ich verkünde, weil du mich als Blinden höhnst:

Du siehst, und sehend siehst du nicht, wie tief du sankst,

Nicht wo du weilest, noch mit wem zusammenwohnst.
415

Von wem du stammest, weißt du das? Nichtwissend bist

Du Feind den Deinen, drunten und auf Erden hier.

Und doppelt treffend treibt dich einst aus diesem Land

Mit grausem Schritt des Vaters und der Mutter Fluch,

Und wie du jezt hell siehest, schaust du Dunkel dann.
420

Ia, welcher Hafen widerhallt nicht dein Geschrei,

Wo tönt Kithäron deinen Nuf nicht bald zurück,³

Erkennst du deinen Chebund als Leidensport,

In den du, glücklich segelnd, eingelaufen bist?

Noch andern Unheils Fülle wirst du nicht gewahr,
425

Das gleiche Schrecken dir erschafft und deinem Stamm.⁴

So schmähe denn auf Kreon, schilt mein Seherwort

In stolzem Hohne; Keiner lebt auf Erden ja,

Der grauenvoller untergeht als du dereinst.

Oedipus.

English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 463-510 focus

Chorus

Who is he of whom the divine voice from the Delphian rock has said

to have wrought with blood-red hands horrors that no tongue can tell? It is time that he ply in flight a foot stronger than the feet of storm-swift steeds.
465

The son of Zeus is springing upon him with fiery lightning, and with him come the dread unerring Fates.
470

473

Chorus

Recently the message has flashed forth from snowy Parnassus

ordering all to search for the unknown man. He wanders under cover of the wild wood, among caves and rocks, fierce as a bull, wretched and forlorn on his joyless path, still seeking to separate himself from the doom revealed at the central shrine of the earth.
475

But that doom lives forever, forever flits around him.
480

483

Chorus

The wise augur moves me, neither approving nor denying, with dread, with dread indeed.

I am at a loss what to say. I am flustered in my expectations, seeing neither the present nor the future clearly. Never in past days or in these have I heard how the house of Labdacus or the son of Polybus had any quarrel with one another that
485

I could bring as proof in assailing the public reputation of Oedipus, seeking to avenge the line of Labdacus
490

for the undiscovered murder.
495

496

Chorus

Zeus and Apollo indeed are keen of thought and know the affairs of the earth.

But there is no sure test of whether a mortal seer attains more knowledge than I do, though man may surpass man in wisdom. But until I see the word made good, I will never assent when men blame Oedipus. Before all eyes the winged maiden came against him once upon a time, and he was seen to be wise,
500

and bore the test in welcome service to the state. Never, therefore, will he be adjudged guilty of evil.
510

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-824-1 φονεὺς ἦλθον ¹

mvp-comment-825-1 ( τούτων) ἀφ’ ὧν ²

mvp-comment-826-1 ἄθεος ³ ἄθλιος ⁴ νῦν ⁵ ἀπάγετ’ ⁶ ἀνοσίων ⁷

mvp-comment-827-1 ὁμογενὴς δ’ ἀφ’ ὧν ἔφυν ⁸ ὁμογενὴς ⁹

mvp-comment-828-1 πρεσβύτερον ¹⁰

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

1358. mvp-comment-755-1 ἦλθον Cp. 1519, ἀλλὰ θεοῖς γ' ἔχθιστος ἥκω.

1359. mvp-comment-756-1 For the ellipse of the antecedent here and in 1361, cp. Ant. 1194-1195, τί γάρ σε μαλθάσσοιμ᾽ ἂν ὧν ἐσύστερον ψεύσται φανούμεθ᾽;

1361. mvp-comment-757-1 ὁμογενής In the active sense, like ὁμοσπόρος in 460 : i. e. γεννῶν ὁμοῦ.

1365. mvp-comment-758-1 πρεσβύτερον Cp. Aesch. Ch. 631, κακῶν δὲ πρεσβεύεται τὸ Λήμνιον λόγῳ.

1365. mvp-comment-758-2 ἔτι Εl. 558-559. τίς ἂν λόγος γένοιτ' ἂν αἰσχίων ἔτι; Hermann's correction is supported by the occurrence of the same word in the corresponding place of the strophe. (ἔτι lost because of dé τι; ἔφυν from 1361).

1366. mvp-comment-759-1 τοῦτ Ε. on L. § 16. p. 23.

Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 408

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

OED

Then had I ne’er

Been proved a parricide, ne’er borne the shame

Of marriage bonds incestuous! But now

I am God abandoned, Son of the unholy,
1360

Rival of him who gave me being. Ah woe!

What sorrow beyond sorrows hath chief place?
1365

That sorrow Oedipus must bear!

Current edition Experimental

Oedipus.

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

OED Then had I ne’er Been proved a parricide, ne’er borne the shame Of marriage bonds incestuous! But now I am God abandoned, Son of the unholy, 1360 Rival of him who gave me being. Ah woe! What sorrow beyond sorrows hath chief place? 1365 That sorrow Oedipus must bear!

Current edition Experimental

Oedipus.

Commentary

Stable identifiers

OED

Then had I ne’er

Been proved a parricide, ne’er borne the shame

Of marriage bonds incestuous! But now

I am God abandoned, Son of the unholy,
1360

Rival of him who gave me being. Ah woe!

What sorrow beyond sorrows hath chief place?
1365

That sorrow Oedipus must bear!