Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus, Richard Jebb (Translator), 1313

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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 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)) — 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 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

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

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 1313 focus

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!

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

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-805-1 ἀπότροπον ¹

mvp-comment-805-2 ἐπιπλόμενον ²

mvp-comment-806-1 δυσούριστον ³ δυσούριστον ὄν ⁴ δυσούριστ’ ἰόν ⁵ δυσοιώνιστον ⁶ δυσεξούριστον ⁷

mvp-comment-807-1 κέντρων ⁸

mvp-comment-808-1 ἐν τοσοῖσδε πήμασιν ⁹

mvp-comment-809-1 πενθεῖν … καὶ φέρειν ¹⁰ διπλᾶ πενθεῖν ¹¹ φέρειν ¹²

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

1313-1318. mvp-comment-742-1 O cloud of darkness cov. ering me, horrible, unutterably lowering on my head, unconquerable, and wafted to me by an evil fate.' For δυσούριστον, cp. 423, ἄνορμον εἰσέπλευσας εὐπλοίας τυχών, For ἐμόν, expressing a feeling of personal appropriation, cp. Αj. 395, σκότος, ἐμὸν φάος : О. С. 1549, ὦ φῶς ἀφεγγές, πρόσθε πού ποτ' ἦσθ' ἐμόν.

1318. mvp-comment-743-1 κέντρων.. τῶνδε The points of the clasps, which he still felt as if piercing his eye-balls, or rather the wounds inflicted by them. How the pang of these sharp wounds enters into me together with the remembrance of my calamity!' The word κέντρον is again used of a stabbing pain in Tr. 840, κέντρ᾽ ἐπιζέσαντα.

1319-1320. mvp-comment-744-1 The coldness of this and similar expressions of the chorus, who are stunned by the sight, acts as a foil to the passion of Oedipus.

Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 1313

Richard Jebb (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

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

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

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

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
(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

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

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

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

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

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 (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

Commentary

Stable identifiers

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

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

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.

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
(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.