Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus, Lewis Campbell (Translator), 413

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CR
Enter CREON .

I come not, Oedipus, to mock thy woes,

Nor to reproach thee for thine evils past.

But ye, () if all respect of mortal eye

Be dead, let awe of the universal flame

Of life’s great nourisher, our lord the Sun,
1425

Forbid your holding thus unveiled to view

This huge abomination, which nor Earth

Nor sacred Element, nor light of Heaven

Can once endure. Convey him in with speed.

Religion bids that kindred eyes and ears
1430

Alone should witness kindred crime and woe.

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)) — 413 focus

σὺ καὶ δέδορκας κοὐ βλέπεις ἵνʼ εἶ κακοῦ,

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-865-1 Cp. the words of Tennyson's Arthur to Guinevere: “Yet think not that I come to urge thy crimes. ”

mvp-comment-866-1 Nauck gives these verses to Oedipus, making them follow 1415. He regards τοιόνδ’ ἄγος ¹

mvp-comment-867-1 βόσκουσαν ²

mvp-comment-868-1 δεικνύναι ³ αἰδεῖσθε ⁴

mvp-comment-868-2 τὸ ⁵ μήτε ⁶ γῆ—ὄμβρος—φῶς ⁷ προσδέξεται ⁸ ὄμβρος ⁹

mvp-comment-869-1 The original sense of ἱερός ¹⁰

mvp-comment-870-1 The objection to taking μάλιστα ¹¹ τοῖς ἐν γένει ¹² τἀγγενῆ ¹³ εὐσεβῶς ἔχει ¹⁴

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

1425. mvp-comment-792-1 πάντα βόσκουσαν Cp. Plat. Rep. 6. 509 Β, τὸν ἥλιον τοῖς ὁρωμένοις οὐ μόνον, οἶμαι, τὴν τοῦ ὁρᾶσθαι δύναμιν παρέχειν φήσεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν γένεσιν καὶ αὔξην καὶ τροφήν : Aesch. Ag. 633, πλὴν τοῦ τρέφοντος ἡλίου χθονὸς φύσιν.

1427. mvp-comment-793-1 δεικνύναι Epexegetic inf. (= ὥστε μὴ δ.) governed by αἰδεῖσθε, which has a double construction. Essay on Language p. 63.

1427. mvp-comment-793-2 τὸ μήτε γῆ μή implies a reason, i. e. Seeing it is one which neither Earth, etc. Cp. the use of the indefinite ὅστις, supra 1184, ὅστις πέφασμαι, κ.τ.λ. Seeing that I am, etc.

1428. mvp-comment-794-1 μήτ᾿ ὄμβρος The showers (Heaven's χέρνιβες) which represent the sacred element of water. The sanctities of earth and sky are violated by the presence of Oedipus. Essay on Language p. 98. ἱρός marks the purity or sacredness of the element as it exists in nature. Cp. κνέφας ἱερόν, Il. 17.455.

1430. mvp-comment-795-1 μάλιστα is to be joined with εὐσεβῶς ἔχει, May with least impropriety.

Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 413

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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