Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus, Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator), 1313

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Ogräßliches

Oedipus.

Gewölk meiner Nacht, das einstürmt' auf mich,

Voll Grau'n, unbezwinglich, gränzenlos ewig! Weh mir!

Und weh mir nochmals! Wie durchbohren mich vereint
1290

Die Wuth der Schmerzen und des Gräu'ls Erinnerung!

Der Chor.

Kein Wunder wahrlich, daß in Martern solcher Art

Du doppelt wehklagst, doppelt trägst dein Ungemach!

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)) — 1313 focus

ἰὼ σκότου

νέφος ἐμὸν ἀπότροπον, ἐπιπλόμενον ἄφατον,

ἀδάματόν τε καὶ δυσούριστον *ὄν.
1315

οἴμοι,

οἴμοι μάλ᾽ αὖθις· οἷον εἰσέδυ μ' ἅμα

κέντρων τε τῶνδ᾽ οἴστρημα καὶ μνήμη κακῶν.

Χορός

καὶ θαῦμά γ᾽ οὐδὲν ἐν τοσοῖσδε πήμασιν

διπλᾶ σε πενθεῖν καὶ διπλᾶ φέρειν κακά.
1320

Οἰδίπους
α

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1313-1366 focus

Οἰδίπους

ἰὼ σκότου

νέφος ἐμὸν ἀπότροπον, ἐπιπλόμενον ἄφατον,

ἀδάματόν τε καὶ δυσούριστον ὄν.
1315

οἴμοι,

οἴμοι μάλʼ αὖθις· οἷον εἰσέδυ μʼ ἅμα

κέντρων τε τῶνδʼ οἴστρημα καὶ μνήμη κακῶν.

Χορός

καὶ θαῦμά γʼ οὐδὲν ἐν τοσοῖσδε πήμασιν

διπλᾶ σε πενθεῖν καὶ διπλᾶ φορεῖν κακά.
1320

1321

Οἰδίπους

ἰὼ φίλος,

σὺ μὲν ἐμὸς ἐπίπολος ἔτι μόνιμος· ἔτι γὰρ

ὑπομένεις με τὸν τυφλὸν κηδεύων.

φεῦ φεῦ.

οὐ γάρ με λήθεις, ἀλλὰ γιγνώσκω σαφῶς,
1325

καίπερ σκοτεινός, τήν γε σὴν αὐδὴν ὅμως.

Χορός

ὦ δεινὰ δράσας, πῶς ἔτλης τοιαῦτα σὰς

ὄψεις μαρᾶναι; τίς σʼ ἐπῆρε δαιμόνων;

1329

Οἰδίπους

Ἀπόλλων τάδʼ ἦν, Ἀπόλλων, φίλοι,

ὁ κακὰ κακὰ τελῶν ἐμὰ τάδʼ ἐμὰ πάθεα.
1330

ἔπαισε δʼ αὐτόχειρ νιν οὔτις, ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ τλάμων.

τί γὰρ ἔδει μʼ ὁρᾶν,

ὅτῳ γʼ ὁρῶντι μηδὲν ἦν ἰδεῖν γλυκύ;
1335

Χορός

ἦν τᾷδʼ ὅπωσπερ καὶ σύ φῄς.

Οἰδίπους

τί δῆτʼ ἐμοὶ βλεπτὸν ἢ

στερκτὸν ἢ προσήγορον

ἔτʼ ἔστʼ ἀκούειν ἡδονᾷ φίλοι;

ἀπάγετʼ ἐκτόπιον ὅ τι τάχιστά με,
1340

ἀπάγετʼ, ὦ φίλοι, τὸν μέγʼ ὀλέθριον

τὸν καταρατότατον, ἔτι δὲ καὶ θεοῖς

ἐχθρότατον βροτῶν.
1345

Χορός

δείλαιε τοῦ νοῦ τῆς τε συμφορᾶς ἴσον,

ὡς σʼ ἠθέλησα μηδέ γʼ ἂν γνῶναί ποτε.

1349

Οἰδίπους

ὄλοιθʼ ὅστις ἦν, ὃς ἀγρίας πέδας

μονάδʼ ἐπιποδίας ἔλυσʼ μʼ ἀπό τε φόνου
1350

ἔρυτο κἀνέσωσεν, οὐδὲν εἰς χάριν πράσσων.

τότε γὰρ ἂν θανὼν

οὐκ ἦ φίλοισιν οὐδʼ ἐμοὶ τοσόνδʼ ἄχος.
1355

Χορός

θέλοντι κἀμοὶ τοῦτʼ ἂν ἦν.

Οἰδίπους

οὔκουν πατρός γʼ ἂν φονεὺς

ἦλθον οὐδὲ νυμφίος

βροτοῖς ἐκλήθην ὧν ἔφυν ἄπο.

νῦν δʼ ἄθεος μέν εἰμʼ, ἀνοσίων δὲ παῖς,
1360

ὁμολεχὴς δʼ ἀφʼ ὧν αὐτὸς ἔφυν τάλας.

εἰ δέ τι πρεσβύτερον ἔτι κακοῦ κακόν,
1365

τοῦτʼ ἔλαχʼ Οἰδίπους.

Translations (4)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 1313 focus

O dark cloud, descending

Unutterably on me! invincible,

Abhorred, borne onward by too sure a wind.

Woe, woe!
1315

Woe! Yet again I voice it, with such pangs

Both from these piercing wounds I am assailed

And from within through memory of my grief.

CH

Nay, ’tis no marvel if thy matchless woe

Redouble thine affliction and thy moan!
1320

OED

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 1313 focus

Open the doors, he cries, and let all Thebes

Behold his parents' murderer, adding words

Not to be uttered ; banished now, he says,

He must be, nor, devoted as he is

By his own curse, remain in this sad place.
1315

He wants a kind conductor and a friend

To help him now, for 'tis too much to bear. -

But you will see him soon, for lo ! the doors

Are opened, and you will behold a sight

That would to pity move his deadliest foe.

Chorus
Scene II. (Edipus, Messenger, Chorus.

Oh ! horrid sight ! more dreadful spectacle

Than e'er these eyes beheld ! what madness urged thee

To this sad deed ? What power malignant heaped

On thy poor head such complicated woe ?

Unhappy man, alas ! I would have held

Some converse with thee, but thy looks afiiight me j

I cannot bear to speak to thee.
1320

Where am I ? and whence comes the voice 1 heai* ?
1320

Where art thou, fortup.e ?
1320

Chok. Changed to misery,
1320

Dreadful to hear, and dreadful to behold.
1320

Oedipus
(Edi. O me !

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 1313 focus

Woe, woe, woe, woe! O miserable me!

Wretch that I am, ah, whither am I borne?

Whose ears do now my cries of anguish reach?

To what are thy decrees, O fortune, changed

Chorus

To horrors, which nor eye nor ear can bear.

Oedipus

English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1313-1365 focus

Oedipus

Oh horror of darkness that enfolds me, unspeakable visitant,

resistless, sped by a wind too favorable! Oh, me! and once again, Oh, me! How my soul is pierced by the stab of these goads and by the memory of sorrows!
1315

Chorus

No wonder that amidst these woes

you mourn and bear a double pain.
1320

1321

Oedipus

Ah, friend, you still are steadfast in your care for me, and still have patience to tend to the blind man! Ah, me!

Your presence is not hidden from me—no, blind though I am, nevertheless I know your voice full well.
1325

Chorus

Man of dread deeds, how could you quench your vision in this way? What divinity urged you on?

1329

Oedipus

It was Apollo, friends, Apollo who brought these troubles

to pass, these terrible, terrible troubles. But the hand that struck my eyes was none other than my own, wretched that I am!
1330

Why should I see, when sight showed me nothing sweet?
1335

Chorus

These things were just as you say.

Oedipus

What, my friends, can I behold anymore, what can I love, what greeting can touch my ear with joy? Hurry, friends,

lead me from the land, lead me from here, the utterly lost,
1340

the thrice-accursed, the mortal most hateful to the gods!
1345

Chorus

Wretched alike for your fortune and for your understanding of it, would that I had never known you!

1349

Oedipus

Perish the man, whoever he was, who freed me in the past years from the cruel shackle on my feet—a thankless deed! Had I died then,

I would not have been so sore a grief to my friends and to my own soul.
1355

Chorus

I too would have had it thus.

Oedipus

In this way I would not have come to shed my father’s blood, or been known among men as the husband of the woman from whom I was born.

Now I am forsaken by the gods, son of a defiled mother, successor to the bed of the man who gave me my own wretched being:
1360

if there is a woe surpassing all woes, it has become Oedipus’ lot.
1365

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-792-1 μητέρ’ ¹

mvp-comment-793-1 δόμοις ἀραῖος ² ὡς ἠράσατο ³ μενῶν δόμοις ⁴

mvp-comment-794-1 ἢ φέρειν ⁵

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

1289. mvp-comment-727-1 τὸν μητρὸς.. μοι 'His mother's.. and there he utters what I may not repeat.' For the abrupt introduction of the participle. cp. Phil. 64. ἀλλ' αὔτ᾽ Ὀδυσσεῖ παρέδοσαν· λέγων, κ.τ.λ. Oedipus is still passionately bent on carrying out the consequences of his acts. Cp. supr. 1271.

1290-1291. mvp-comment-728-1 And will no longer remain in the palace under such a curse as he invoked. Cp. infr. 1378 foll. 1449-1451.

1292. mvp-comment-729-1 He needs some one to lend him strength and guidance, for his calamity is greater than can be borne.

1293. mvp-comment-730-1 μεῖζον ἢ φέρειν For the infinitive, cp. Eur. Suppl. 844, κρείσσον᾽ ἡ λέξαι λόγῳ | τολμήματα.

Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 1313

Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Ogräßliches

Oedipus.

Gewölk meiner Nacht, das einstürmt' auf mich,

Voll Grau'n, unbezwinglich, gränzenlos ewig! Weh mir!

Und weh mir nochmals! Wie durchbohren mich vereint
1290

Die Wuth der Schmerzen und des Gräu'ls Erinnerung!

Der Chor.

Kein Wunder wahrlich, daß in Martern solcher Art

Du doppelt wehklagst, doppelt trägst dein Ungemach!

Current edition Experimental

Χορός

καὶ θαῦμά γ᾽ οὐδὲν ἐν τοσοῖσδε πήμασιν

διπλᾶ σε πενθεῖν καὶ διπλᾶ φέρειν κακά.
1320

Οἰδίπους
α

Χορός

καὶ θαῦμά γʼ οὐδὲν ἐν τοσοῖσδε πήμασιν

διπλᾶ σε πενθεῖν καὶ διπλᾶ φορεῖν κακά.
1320

Χορός

ὦ δεινὰ δράσας, πῶς ἔτλης τοιαῦτα σὰς

ὄψεις μαρᾶναι; τίς σʼ ἐπῆρε δαιμόνων;

Χορός

ἦν τᾷδʼ ὅπωσπερ καὶ σύ φῄς.

Χορός

δείλαιε τοῦ νοῦ τῆς τε συμφορᾶς ἴσον,

ὡς σʼ ἠθέλησα μηδέ γʼ ἂν γνῶναί ποτε.

Χορός

θέλοντι κἀμοὶ τοῦτʼ ἂν ἦν.

O dark cloud, descending

Unutterably on me! invincible,

Abhorred, borne onward by too sure a wind.

Woe, woe!
1315

Woe! Yet again I voice it, with such pangs

Both from these piercing wounds I am assailed

And from within through memory of my grief.

CH

Nay, ’tis no marvel if thy matchless woe

Redouble thine affliction and thy moan!
1320

OED

Oedipus
(Edi. O me !

Woe, woe, woe, woe! O miserable me!

Wretch that I am, ah, whither am I borne?

Whose ears do now my cries of anguish reach?

To what are thy decrees, O fortune, changed

Chorus

To horrors, which nor eye nor ear can bear.

Oedipus

Oedipus

Oh horror of darkness that enfolds me, unspeakable visitant,

resistless, sped by a wind too favorable! Oh, me! and once again, Oh, me! How my soul is pierced by the stab of these goads and by the memory of sorrows!
1315

Chorus

No wonder that amidst these woes

you mourn and bear a double pain.
1320

Oedipus

Ah, friend, you still are steadfast in your care for me, and still have patience to tend to the blind man! Ah, me!

Your presence is not hidden from me—no, blind though I am, nevertheless I know your voice full well.
1325

Chorus

Man of dread deeds, how could you quench your vision in this way? What divinity urged you on?

Oedipus

It was Apollo, friends, Apollo who brought these troubles

to pass, these terrible, terrible troubles. But the hand that struck my eyes was none other than my own, wretched that I am!
1330

Why should I see, when sight showed me nothing sweet?
1335

Chorus

These things were just as you say.

Oedipus

What, my friends, can I behold anymore, what can I love, what greeting can touch my ear with joy? Hurry, friends,

lead me from the land, lead me from here, the utterly lost,
1340

the thrice-accursed, the mortal most hateful to the gods!
1345

Chorus

Wretched alike for your fortune and for your understanding of it, would that I had never known you!

Oedipus

Perish the man, whoever he was, who freed me in the past years from the cruel shackle on my feet—a thankless deed! Had I died then,

I would not have been so sore a grief to my friends and to my own soul.
1355

Chorus

I too would have had it thus.

Commentary

Stable identifiers

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Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Ogräßliches

Oedipus. Gewölk meiner Nacht, das einstürmt' auf mich, Voll Grau'n, unbezwinglich, gränzenlos ewig! Weh mir! Und weh mir nochmals! Wie durchbohren mich vereint 1290 Die Wuth der Schmerzen und des Gräu'ls Erinnerung!

Der Chor. Kein Wunder wahrlich, daß in Martern solcher Art Du doppelt wehklagst, doppelt trägst dein Ungemach!

Current edition Experimental

Χορός καὶ θαῦμά γ᾽ οὐδὲν ἐν τοσοῖσδε πήμασιν διπλᾶ σε πενθεῖν καὶ διπλᾶ φέρειν κακά. 1320

Οἰδίπους α

Χορός καὶ θαῦμά γʼ οὐδὲν ἐν τοσοῖσδε πήμασιν διπλᾶ σε πενθεῖν καὶ διπλᾶ φορεῖν κακά. 1320

Χορός ὦ δεινὰ δράσας, πῶς ἔτλης τοιαῦτα σὰς ὄψεις μαρᾶναι; τίς σʼ ἐπῆρε δαιμόνων;

Χορός ἦν τᾷδʼ ὅπωσπερ καὶ σύ φῄς.

Χορός δείλαιε τοῦ νοῦ τῆς τε συμφορᾶς ἴσον, ὡς σʼ ἠθέλησα μηδέ γʼ ἂν γνῶναί ποτε.

Χορός θέλοντι κἀμοὶ τοῦτʼ ἂν ἦν.

O dark cloud, descending Unutterably on me! invincible, Abhorred, borne onward by too sure a wind. Woe, woe! 1315 Woe! Yet again I voice it, with such pangs Both from these piercing wounds I am assailed And from within through memory of my grief.

CH Nay, ’tis no marvel if thy matchless woe Redouble thine affliction and thy moan! 1320

OED

Oedipus (Edi. O me !

Woe, woe, woe, woe! O miserable me! Wretch that I am, ah, whither am I borne? Whose ears do now my cries of anguish reach? To what are thy decrees, O fortune, changed

Chorus To horrors, which nor eye nor ear can bear.

Oedipus

Oedipus Oh horror of darkness that enfolds me, unspeakable visitant, resistless, sped by a wind too favorable! Oh, me! and once again, Oh, me! How my soul is pierced by the stab of these goads and by the memory of sorrows! 1315

Chorus No wonder that amidst these woes you mourn and bear a double pain. 1320

Oedipus Ah, friend, you still are steadfast in your care for me, and still have patience to tend to the blind man! Ah, me! Your presence is not hidden from me—no, blind though I am, nevertheless I know your voice full well. 1325

Chorus Man of dread deeds, how could you quench your vision in this way? What divinity urged you on?

Oedipus It was Apollo, friends, Apollo who brought these troubles to pass, these terrible, terrible troubles. But the hand that struck my eyes was none other than my own, wretched that I am! 1330 Why should I see, when sight showed me nothing sweet? 1335

Chorus These things were just as you say.

Oedipus What, my friends, can I behold anymore, what can I love, what greeting can touch my ear with joy? Hurry, friends, lead me from the land, lead me from here, the utterly lost, 1340 the thrice-accursed, the mortal most hateful to the gods! 1345

Chorus Wretched alike for your fortune and for your understanding of it, would that I had never known you!

Oedipus Perish the man, whoever he was, who freed me in the past years from the cruel shackle on my feet—a thankless deed! Had I died then, I would not have been so sore a grief to my friends and to my own soul. 1355

Chorus I too would have had it thus.

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Oedipus.

Gewölk meiner Nacht, das einstürmt' auf mich,

Voll Grau'n, unbezwinglich, gränzenlos ewig! Weh mir!

Und weh mir nochmals! Wie durchbohren mich vereint
1290

Die Wuth der Schmerzen und des Gräu'ls Erinnerung!

Der Chor.

Kein Wunder wahrlich, daß in Martern solcher Art

Du doppelt wehklagst, doppelt trägst dein Ungemach!

Χορός

καὶ θαῦμά γ᾽ οὐδὲν ἐν τοσοῖσδε πήμασιν

διπλᾶ σε πενθεῖν καὶ διπλᾶ φέρειν κακά.
1320

Οἰδίπους
α

Χορός

καὶ θαῦμά γʼ οὐδὲν ἐν τοσοῖσδε πήμασιν

διπλᾶ σε πενθεῖν καὶ διπλᾶ φορεῖν κακά.
1320

Χορός

ὦ δεινὰ δράσας, πῶς ἔτλης τοιαῦτα σὰς

ὄψεις μαρᾶναι; τίς σʼ ἐπῆρε δαιμόνων;

Χορός

ἦν τᾷδʼ ὅπωσπερ καὶ σύ φῄς.

Χορός

δείλαιε τοῦ νοῦ τῆς τε συμφορᾶς ἴσον,

ὡς σʼ ἠθέλησα μηδέ γʼ ἂν γνῶναί ποτε.

Χορός

θέλοντι κἀμοὶ τοῦτʼ ἂν ἦν.

O dark cloud, descending

Unutterably on me! invincible,

Abhorred, borne onward by too sure a wind.

Woe, woe!
1315

Woe! Yet again I voice it, with such pangs

Both from these piercing wounds I am assailed

And from within through memory of my grief.

CH

Nay, ’tis no marvel if thy matchless woe

Redouble thine affliction and thy moan!
1320

Oedipus
(Edi. O me !

Woe, woe, woe, woe! O miserable me!

Wretch that I am, ah, whither am I borne?

Whose ears do now my cries of anguish reach?

To what are thy decrees, O fortune, changed

Chorus

To horrors, which nor eye nor ear can bear.

Oedipus

Oh horror of darkness that enfolds me, unspeakable visitant,

resistless, sped by a wind too favorable! Oh, me! and once again, Oh, me! How my soul is pierced by the stab of these goads and by the memory of sorrows!
1315

Chorus

No wonder that amidst these woes

you mourn and bear a double pain.
1320

Oedipus

Ah, friend, you still are steadfast in your care for me, and still have patience to tend to the blind man! Ah, me!

Your presence is not hidden from me—no, blind though I am, nevertheless I know your voice full well.
1325

Chorus

Man of dread deeds, how could you quench your vision in this way? What divinity urged you on?

Oedipus

It was Apollo, friends, Apollo who brought these troubles

to pass, these terrible, terrible troubles. But the hand that struck my eyes was none other than my own, wretched that I am!
1330

Why should I see, when sight showed me nothing sweet?
1335

Chorus

These things were just as you say.

Oedipus

What, my friends, can I behold anymore, what can I love, what greeting can touch my ear with joy? Hurry, friends,

lead me from the land, lead me from here, the utterly lost,
1340

the thrice-accursed, the mortal most hateful to the gods!
1345

Chorus

Wretched alike for your fortune and for your understanding of it, would that I had never known you!

Oedipus

Perish the man, whoever he was, who freed me in the past years from the cruel shackle on my feet—a thankless deed! Had I died then,

I would not have been so sore a grief to my friends and to my own soul.
1355

Chorus

I too would have had it thus.