Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 447

Richard Jebb (Translator)

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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)) — 447 focus
εἰπὼν ἄπειμ᾽ ὧν εἵνεκ᾽ ἦλθον, οὐ τὸ σὸν
δείσας πρόσωπον· οὐ γὰρ ἔσθ᾽ ὅπου μ᾽ ὀλεῖς.
λέγω δέ σοι· τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον, ὃν πάλαι
ζητεῖς ἀπειλῶν κἀνακηρύσσων φόνον
450
τὸν Λαΐειον, οὗτός ἐστιν ἐνθάδε,
ξένος λόγῳ μέτοικος, εἶτα δ᾽ ἐγγενὴς
φανήσεται Θηβαῖος, οὐδ᾽ ἡσθήσεται
τῇ ξυμφορᾷ· τυφλὸς γὰρ ἐκ δεδορκότος
καὶ πτωχὸς ἀντὶ πλουσίου ξένην ἔπι
455
σκήπτρῳ προδεικνὺς γαῖαν ἐμπορεύσεται.
φανήσεται δὲ παισὶ τοῖς αὑτοῦ ξυνὼν
ἀδελφὸς αὐτὸς καὶ πατήρ, κἀξ ἧς ἔφυ
γυναικὸς υἱὸς καὶ πόσις, καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς
ὁμόσπορός τε καὶ φονεύς. καὶ ταῦτʼ ἰὼν
460
εἴσω λογίζου· κἂν λάβῃς ἐψευσμένον,
φάσκειν ἔμ᾽ ἤδη μαντικῇ μηδὲν φρονεῖν.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 447 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 447 focus
I go, but I will speak. Why should I fear
Thy frown? Thou ne’er canst ruin me. The word
Wherefore I came, is this: The man you seek
With threatening proclamation of the guilt
Of Laius’ blood, that man is here to-day,
450
An alien sojourner supposed from far,
But by-and-by he shall be certified
A true-born Theban: nor will such event
Bring him great joy; for, blind from having sight
And beggared from high fortune, with a staff
455
In stranger lands he shall feel forth his way;
Shown living with the children of his loins,
Their brother and their sire, and to the womb
That bare him, husband-son, and, to his father,
Parricide and corrival. Now go in,
460
Ponder my words; and if thou find them false,
then say my power is naught in prophecy.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 447 focus
Warum ich kam, ich sag' es scheidend, ohne Furcht
Vor deinem Antliz; denn dein Arm erreicht mich nicht.
Ich sage dir denn: jener Mann, nach welchem du
450
Schon lange spähest, drohend und des Laïos Mord
Durch's Land verkündend, dieser Mann ist hier und gilt
Als Schuzgenoß, als Fremdling; bald erkennt man ihn
Als Eingebornen Thebe's, und nicht freuen wird
Ihn solche Schickung; blind ja, der einst sehend war,
455
Einst reich, ein Bettler, wird er zieh'n in fremdes Land,
Voraus die Wege tastend mit dem Wanderstab.
Den eignen Kindern offenbart er sich zugleich
Als Bruder und als Vater, der, die ihn gebar,
Als Sohn und Ehegatten, der des Vaters Weib
460
Beiwohnt und ihn ermordet. Und nun geh' hinein,
Dem nachzusinnen; wenn du mich auf Lügen triffst,
Dann sage, völlig mangle mir die Seherkunst.
(Teiresias mit dem Knaben ab; Dedipus geht in den Palast.
Der Chor bleibt allein zurück.)
Erste Strophe.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 447 focus
famed for wisdom's lore.
Hath dreadful ills to CEdipus divined ;
And as his words mysterious I explore.
Unnumbered doubts perplex my anxious mind.
Now raised by hope, and now with fears oppressed,
450
Sorrow and joy alternate till my breast :
450
How should these hapless kings be foes.
When never strife between them rose ?
Or why should Laius, slain by hands unknown.
Bring foul disgrace on Polybus' unhappy son ?
From Phoebus and all-seeing Jove
Nought can be hid of actions here below ;
455
But earthly prophets may deceitful prove.
And little more than other mortals know :
'riiough much in wisdom man doth man excel.
In all that 's human error still must dwell :
Could he commit the bloody deed.
Who from the Sphinx our city freed?
Ob, no ! he never shed the guiltless blood ;
460
The Sphynx declares him wise, and innocent^ and good.
Ckeon, Otiorus
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 447 focus
Our care: begone, and trouble us no more.
I go: but first will speak for what I came,
Nor dread thy frown; thy vengeance hath no pow'r
To touch my life. I tell thee that the man,
Whom thou hast sought, 'gainst whom thy solemn charge,
450
Thy threats have been proclaim'd, that man is here;
Of foreign birth now deem'd, his residence
Here fixing; but full soon he shall be found
A Theban born, nor in his fortune long
Rejoice; his visual ray in darkness quench'd,
455
His high state sunk to beggary, a staff
455
Shall to a foreign land his steps direct.
A brother and a father to his sons
Shall he appear; to her, that gave him birth,
A son and husband; to his father found
A rival and a murderer. Go thou in;
460
Muse on these things; say, if thou find them false,
No portion of a prophet's skill is mine.

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-308-1 πρόσωπον 1

mvp-comment-308-2 οὐκ ἔσθ’ ὅπου 2

mvp-comment-309-1 λέγω δέ σοι 3

mvp-comment-309-2 τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον … οὗτός ἐστιν 4

mvp-comment-310-1 ἀνακηρύσσων φόνον 5

mvp-comment-311-1 τὸν Λαΐειον 6

mvp-comment-311-2 ξένος μέτοικος 7

mvp-comment-311-3 εἶτα δὲ 8 ἐνθάδε. —ἐγγενὴς 9

mvp-comment-312-1 τῇ ξυμφορᾷ 10

mvp-comment-312-2 ἐκ δεδορκότος 11

mvp-comment-313-1 ξένην ἔπι 12

mvp-comment-313-2 γαῖαν 13 προδεικνὺς 14 ξένην 15 γαῖαν 16

mvp-comment-314-1 ξυνὼν 17

mvp-comment-314-2 ἀδελφὸς αὑτὸς 18 ἀδελφὸς 19 αὐτὸς 20 ἀδελφὸς καὶ πατὴρ 21 αὑτός 22

mvp-comment-315-1 ὁμόσπορος 23

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

447. mvp-comment-269-1 εἰπὼν ἄπειμ᾽ ὧν οὖνεκ᾽ ἦλθον The position of εἰπών here (having the first arsis of the line) is very emphatic. Cp. supr. 428, and see Essay on Language § 41. P. 77.

448. mvp-comment-270-1 πρόσωπον Cp. Hor. Od. 3. 3. 4. Nec vultus instantis tyranni Mente quatit solida.

448. mvp-comment-270-2 οὐ γὰρ . . ὀλεῖς Thou hast no power to ruin me. Cp. supr. 355. Essay on Language § 24. p. 41. Teiresias' habitual respect for Oedipus struggles with his prophetic knowledge, even now that he has help of anger.' ὅπου and ποῦ are used as nearly equivalent to ὅπως, πῶς. Cp. Αj. 1100, ποῦ σὺ στρατηγεῖς τοῦδε; 1103, οὐδ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ὅπου σοί, κ.τ.λ.

449. mvp-comment-271-1 τοῦτον Essay on Language § 22. p. 35; and § 35. p. 59.

450. mvp-comment-272-1 ἀπειλῶν Supr. 233 foll.

452. mvp-comment-273-1 λόγῳ In appearance. Cp. El. 63, 1217.

452. mvp-comment-273-2 ἐγγενὴς . . Θηβαῖος A native Theban, i.e. not only of Theban extraction, but at once born in the country and belonging to the race. Cp. Hdt. 2. 47, where Αἰγύπτιοι ἐγγενέες means the opposite of τὸ ἀνέκαθεν Αἰγύπτιοι.

453. mvp-comment-274-1 οὐδ᾽ ἡσθήσεται, κ.τ.λ. Nor will he be gladdened by his fortune. The use of the third person adds to the impressiveness of the prophecy.

456. mvp-comment-275-1 Groping his way. σκήπτρῳ προδεικνύς, lit. 'Pointing before him with a staff. For the order of words, see Essay on Language § 41. p. 77.

457. mvp-comment-276-1 αὐτός The MS. reading agrees better with αὑτοῦ in the previous line than αὑτός, which some editors have substituted. He shall prove to be to his own children, with whom he lives, himself their brother as well as father. (αὐτὸς τοῖς αὑτοῦ παισὶν ἀδελφός.) For the slight pleonasm in ξυνών, cp. Aj. 267, κοινὸς ἐν κοινοῖσι λυπεῖσθαι ξυνών. The horror of the relationship is increased by his having lived with them in ignorance of it for so long.

459. mvp-comment-277-1 And of his mother and wife—her husband as well as son. The collocation of γυναικὸς υἱὸς is intentionally suggestive.

459. mvp-comment-277-2 τοῦ πατρός The article points to Laius, his father, of whom so much has been lately said. And of his murdered sire at once the incestuous rival and the murderer.

460. mvp-comment-278-1 ὁμόσπορος τὴν αὐτὴν σπείρων γυναῖκα, Schol. Cp. Eur. Or. 476, where Menelaus says to Tyndareus, χαῖρε, Ζηνὸς ὁμόλεκτρον κάρα. The same word is used passively in 260. The seven καί's have a cumulative force. καί with the imperative = And now. 461. For με omitted see Essay on Language §39. P. 73-