Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus, Richard Jebb (Translator), 1286

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Chorus

And does the sufferer have any respite from pain now?

Second Messenger

He cries for some one to unbar the gates and show to all the Cadmeans his father’s slayer, his mother’s—the words must not pass my lips—

in order to banish himself from the land and not to put the house under his own curse by waiting here. And yet he lacks strength, and one to guide his steps, for the anguish is more than he can bear. He will soon show this to you: look, the bars of the gates are withdrawn,
1290

and soon you will behold a sight which even he who abhors it must pity.
1295

Oedipus Tyrannus. Sophocles. Richard Jebb (Translator). Cambridge. 1887.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Experimental

Oedipus Tyrannus (English) (Sophocles the plays and fragments, Part 1: The Oedipus Tyrannus. Jebb, Richard Claverhouse, Sir, translator. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1887. (Modernized by Perseus.))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 1285 focus

νῦν δ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ὁ τλήμων ἔν τινι σχολῇ κακοῦ;
1285

Ἐξάγγελος

βοᾷ διοίγειν κλῇθρα καὶ δηλοῦν τινὰ

τοῖς πᾶσι Καδμείοισι τὸν πατροκτόνον,

τὸν μητρός, αὐδῶν ἀνόσι οὐδὲ ῥητά μοι,

ὡς ἐκ χθονὸς ῥίψων ἑαυτόν, οὐδ᾽ ἔτι
1290

μενῶν δόμοις ἀραῖος, ὡς ἠράσατο.

ῥώμης γε μέντοι καὶ προηγητοῦ τινὸς

δεῖται· τὸ γὰρ νόσημα μεῖζον ἢ φέρειν.

δείξει δὲ καὶ σοί· κλῇθρα γὰρ πυλῶν τάδε

διοίγεται· θέαμα δ᾽ εἰσόψει τάχα
1295

τοιοῦτον οἷον καὶ στυγοῦντ᾽ ἐποικτίσαι.

Χορός

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1285 focus

Χορός

νῦν δʼ ἔσθʼ ὁ τλήμων ἐν τίνι σχολῇ κακοῦ;
1285

Ἐξάγγελος

βοᾷ διοίγειν κλῇθρα καὶ δηλοῦν τινα

τοῖς πᾶσι Καδμείοισι τὸν πατροκτόνον,

τὸν μητέρʼ—αὐδῶν ἀνόσιʼ οὐδὲ ῥητά μοι,

ὡς ἐκ χθονὸς ῥίψων ἑαυτὸν οὐδʼ ἔτι
1290

μενῶν δόμοις ἀραῖος, ὡς ἠράσατο.

ῥώμης γε μέντοι καὶ προηγητοῦ τινος

δεῖται· τὸ γὰρ νόσημα μεῖζον ἢ φέρειν.

δείξει δὲ καὶ σοί· κλῇθρα γὰρ πυλῶν τάδε

διοίγεται· θέαμα δʼ εἰσόψει τάχα
1295

τοιοῦτον οἷον καὶ στυγοῦντʼ ἐποικτίσαι.

Translations (4)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 1285 focus

And finds the sufferer now some pause of woe?
1285

MESS

He bids make wide the portal and display

To all the men of Thebes the man who slew

His father, who unto his mother did

What I dare not repeat, and fain would fling

His body from the land, nor calmly bide
1290

The shock of his own curse on his own hall.

Meanwhile he needs some comfort and some guide,

For such a load of misery who can bear?

Thyself shalt judge: for, lo, the palace-gates

Unfold, and presently thine eyes will see
1295

A hateful sight, yet one thou needs must pity.

LEADER OF CH
Enter OEDIPUS , blind and unattended.

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 1285 focus

Soviel es irgend Namen hat, fehlt keines hier.

Der Chor.

Und welche Nuh' im Leide fand der Arme nun?
1260

Der Diener.

Er ruft, das Thor zu öffnen, allem Kadmosvolk

Ihn darzustellen als den Vatermörder, als

Der Mutter Grauses rust er, unaussprechlich mir,

Will aus dem Land sich bannen, will nicht weilen mehr

Im Haus, mit Fluch belastet durch den eignen Fluch.
1265

Doch eine Stüze mangelt ihm, des Führers Hand;

Denn allzuschwer zu tragen ist ein solches Weh.

Er wird es dir auch zeigen. Sieh, schon öffnen sich

Der Pforte Riegel, und ein Schauspiel wirst du gleich

Erblicken, das selbst einen Feind erbarmen muß.
1270
Oedipus (wird herausgeführt). Der Chor.

Der Chor.

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 1285 focus

To be brief, the queeUj

Divine Jocasta's dead.

Chorus

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 1285 focus

Unhappy queen! And what the fatal cause?
1285

Messenger

That from herself arose: but of these deeds

The greatest grief is wanting, for no eye

Beheld them; yet, as far as memory prompts,

Her heart-corroding sufferings thou shalt know.

Soon as the portal she had pass'd, with woes

Distracted to her nuptial bed she rush'd

Rending her hair, and entering barr'd the doors :

On Laius long since dead she calls, and makes

Sad mention of the seed announced of old,

By which he died, and left her to produce

Unhallow'd offspring, at which nature starts.

Her nuptial bed with anguish she bewail'd,

Where from her husband husbands she brought forth,

And sons from sons. How, after this, she died

I know not, for with loud laments, and pace

Impetuous in rush'd Edipus: her ills
1290

Our thoughts no more engaged, for all our eyes
1290

Were fix'd on him; he, hurrying on, demands
1290

A sword; his wife he seeks, and not his wife,
1290

His mother, and the mother of his sons.
1290

Him raving thus some evil demon shows,

What not a man there present would declare,

Where he might find her; with a dreadful cry,

As by some impulse, 'gainst the folding doors

He rush'd, and all the solid bolts beat down,

Then burst into the chamber; there he saw

His wife, but breathless now, around her neck

The wreathed cord: at this unhappy sight

Deeply he groan'd, and loosed the strangling noose.

When on the floor the wretched corse was laid,

The golden clasps, with which she was adorn'd,

He from her vestments snatch'd, then, dreadful deed!

Raised high his hand, and plunged their piercing points

Deep in his orbs of sight, exclaiming thus,

That her no more they should behold, his woes,

His horrid deeds no more; but henceforth dark

Nor see whom it beseem'd him not to see,

Nor those, with whom he should have converse, know.

Thus oft exclaiming he his eyelids raised,

And rent the orbs of sight; the bleeding balls
1295

Imbath'd his cheeks, nor ceased the gushing drops,
1295

But rain'd a show'r of black and streaming gore.
1295

This the unhappy fate of both, the woes
1295

Of wife and husband blended dreadfully.
1295

Their former happiness, with ample right

Of old call'd happiness, is now, this day,

Misfortune, lamentation, death, disgrace,

And all the names that misery ever knew.

Chorus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-791-1 ἔν τινι ¹

mvp-comment-792-1 μητέρ’ ²

mvp-comment-793-1 δόμοις ἀραῖος ³ ὡς ἠράσατο ⁴ μενῶν δόμοις ⁵

mvp-comment-794-1 ἢ φέρειν ⁶

mvp-comment-795-1 The subject to δείξει ⁷

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

1286. mvp-comment-726-1 The MSS. with hardly an exception have ἐν τίνι, which the Schol. explains οἷον ἐν ποίᾳ διατριβῇ; i. e. In what passage of woe? But σχολή in classical Greek will not bear this meaning. And In what pause of woe?implies an assumption which is out of place. The MSS. continually err in accenting τις, and the text, which Elmsley approved, has the advantage of laying a pathetic emphasis on σχολῇ. now has the unhappy man any respite from woe?' Cp. Τr. 1083, οὐδ᾽ ἀγύμναστόν μ᾿ ἐἂν ἔοικεν ἡ τάλαινα διαβόρος νόσος: Phil. 877-878, ἐπειδὴ τοῦδε 'And γε κλεῖθρα γὰρ Μ.

1286. mvp-comment-726-2 τοῦ κακοῦ δοκεῖ | λήθη τις εἶναι κἀνάπαυλα δή, τέκνον.

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.

1294. mvp-comment-731-1 δείξει (1) As you will see: sc. τὸ νόσημα δείξει μέγα ὄv: cp. the common phrase, αὐτὸ δείξει, sc. τὸ πρᾶγ μα: or (2) As he will make you see' For the latter, cp. Ο. C. 1145, δείκνυμι δ᾽: Thuc. 3. 84, ἐδήλωσεν.. οὖσα, κ.τ.λ. The former (1) is best.

1294. mvp-comment-731-2 τάδε For, look, the gates are opening.

Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 1286

Richard Jebb (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Chorus

And does the sufferer have any respite from pain now?

Current edition Experimental

νῦν δ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ὁ τλήμων ἔν τινι σχολῇ κακοῦ;
1285

Χορός

Χορός

νῦν δʼ ἔσθʼ ὁ τλήμων ἐν τίνι σχολῇ κακοῦ;
1285

And finds the sufferer now some pause of woe?
1285

LEADER OF CH
Enter OEDIPUS , blind and unattended.

Soviel es irgend Namen hat, fehlt keines hier.

Der Chor.

Und welche Nuh' im Leide fand der Arme nun?
1260

Der Chor.

To be brief, the queeUj

Divine Jocasta's dead.

Chorus

Unhappy queen! And what the fatal cause?
1285

Chorus

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Chorus And does the sufferer have any respite from pain now?

Current edition Experimental

νῦν δ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ὁ τλήμων ἔν τινι σχολῇ κακοῦ; 1285

Χορός

Χορός νῦν δʼ ἔσθʼ ὁ τλήμων ἐν τίνι σχολῇ κακοῦ; 1285

And finds the sufferer now some pause of woe? 1285

LEADER OF CH Enter OEDIPUS , blind and unattended.

Soviel es irgend Namen hat, fehlt keines hier.

Der Chor. Und welche Nuh' im Leide fand der Arme nun? 1260

Der Chor.

To be brief, the queeUj Divine Jocasta's dead.

Chorus

Unhappy queen! And what the fatal cause? 1285

Chorus

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Chorus

And does the sufferer have any respite from pain now?

νῦν δ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ὁ τλήμων ἔν τινι σχολῇ κακοῦ;
1285

Χορός

νῦν δʼ ἔσθʼ ὁ τλήμων ἐν τίνι σχολῇ κακοῦ;
1285

And finds the sufferer now some pause of woe?
1285

LEADER OF CH
Enter OEDIPUS , blind and unattended.

Der Chor.

Und welche Nuh' im Leide fand der Arme nun?
1260

To be brief, the queeUj

Divine Jocasta's dead.

Unhappy queen! And what the fatal cause?
1285