Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 1186

Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator)

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Ihr Menschengeschlechter, ach!
1155
Euch, die leben im Lichte, wie
Zähl' ich ähnlich dem Nichts euch!
Denn welcher der Sterblichen
Nimmt ein größeres Glück dahin,
Als so viel ihm der Wahn verleiht,
1160
Bis vom Wahn er hinabsinkt?
Durch dein gräßliches Loos gewarnt,
Dein unseliges Mißgeschick,
Armer Dedipus, preis' ich Nichts
Glückselig auf Erden.
1165
Erste Gegenstrophe.

Oedipus Tyrannus. Sophocles. Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator). . .

Current edition Experimental

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) (German) (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 1186 focus
ἰὼ γενεαὶ βροτῶν,
ὡς ὑμᾶς ἴσα καὶ τὸ μηδὲν ζώσας ἐναριθμῶ.
τίς γάρ, τίς ἀνὴρ πλέον
τᾶς εὐδαιμονίας φέρει
1190
ἢ τοσοῦτον ὅσον δοκεῖν
καὶ δόξαντ᾽ ἀποκλῖναι;
τὸ σόν τοι παράδειγμ᾽ ἔχων,
[46 a.
τὸν σὸν δαίμονα, τὸν σόν, ὦ τλᾶμον Οἰδιπόδα, βροτῶν *οὐδὲν μακαρίζω·
1195
α
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1186-1221 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 1186 focus
O mortal tribes of men,
How near to nothingness
I count you while your lives remain!
What man that lives hath more of happiness
1190
Than to seem blest, and, seeming, fade in night?
O Oedipus, in this thine hour of gloom,
Musing on thee and thy relentless doom,
I call none happy who beholds the light.
1195
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 1186 focus
Nothing can be worse
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 1186 focus
Ye race of mortals, what your state?
Life I an airy nothing deem.
For what, ah! what your happiest fate,
More than light fancy's high-wrought dream?
How soon those baseless dreams decay
And all the glittering visions melt away!
1195
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1186-1220 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-715-1 δύστηνος 1

mvp-comment-716-1 εἰς τόδ’ 2

mvp-comment-717-1 ἐς τριβὰς ἐλᾷ, 3

mvp-comment-718-1 οὐ δῆτ’ ἔγωγε 4

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

1155. mvp-comment-654-1 Unhappy that I am, wherefore? What is it you would learn? τί προσχρήζων, sc. ταῦτα κελεύεις; For similar inexactness, cp. Phil. 1191, τί ῥέξοντες ἀλλοκύτῳ | γνώμᾳ τῶν πάρος, ὧν προὔφαινες; Αj. 1351; and see Essay on Language p. 64.

1156. mvp-comment-655-1 The repetition of the demon- strative, τῷδε.. οὗτος, is expressive of the impatience of Oedipus.

1157. mvp-comment-656-1 τῇδ᾽ ἡμέρᾳ That day. Cp. Tr. 716-718, supr. 1128, and see Essay on Language § 22. p. 34.

1158. mvp-comment-657-1 τούνδικον What is right. Cp. 322, οὔτ᾽ ἔννομ᾽ εἶπες, κ.τ.λ.

1159. mvp-comment-658-1 διόλλυμαι. 1166. ὄλωλας The present and perfect for the future, implying certainty. Cp. supr. 297, οὗξελέγχων, and note.

1160. mvp-comment-659-1 ἐς τριβὰς ἐλᾷ Will be driving at delay. Cp. Eur. Heracl. 904, ἐγγὺς μανιῶν ἐλαύνει, and the like expressions.

1161. mvp-comment-660-1 πάλαι with εἶπον.

1163. mvp-comment-661-1 The postponement of the negative, and the unusual rhythm, for which cp. 1155, assist the effect of reluctance and constraint. μ 1167. Well, then, the child who was born came from the house of Laius.' The expression is purposely ambiguous. As οἱ Λαΐou are Laius people,' so τὰ Λαΐου γεννήματα include their offspring.