Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 58

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)) — 58 focus
ὦ παῖδες οἰκτροί, γνωτὰ κοὐκ ἄγνωτά μοι
προσήλθεθ᾽ ἱμείροντες· εὖ γὰρ οἶδ᾽ ὅτι
νοσεῖτε πάντες, καὶ νοσοῦντες, ὡς ἐγὼ
60
οὐκ ἔστιν ὑμῶν ὅστις ἐξ ἴσου νοσεῖ.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὑμῶν ἄλγος εἰς ἕν᾽ ἔρχεται
μόνον καθ' αὐτόν, κοὐδέν᾽ ἄλλον, ἡ δ᾽ ἐμὴ
ψυχὴ πόλιν τε κἀμὲ καὶ σ᾽ ὁμοῦ στένει.
ὥστ᾽ οὐχ ὕπνῳ γ' εὕδοντά μ' ἐξεγείρετε,
65
ἀλλ᾽ ἴστε πολλὰ μέν με δακρύσαντα δή,
πολλὰς δ᾽ ὁδοὺς ἐλθόντα φροντίδος πλάνοις.
ἣν δ᾽ εὖ σκοπῶν εὕρισκον ἴασιν μόνην,
ταύτην ἔπραξα· παῖδα γὰρ Μενοικέως
Κρέοντ᾽, ἐμαυτοῦ γαμβρόν, ἐς τὰ Πυθικὰ
70
ἔπεμψα Φοίβου δώμαθ', ὡς πύθοιθ᾽ ὅ τι
δρῶν ἢ τί φωνῶν τήνδε ῥυσαίμην πόλιν.
καί μ᾽ ἦμαρ ἤδη ξυμμετρούμενον χρόνῳ
λυπεῖ τί πράσσει· τοῦ γὰρ εἰκότος πέρα
ἄπεστι πλείω τοῦ καθήκοντὰς χρόνου.
75
ὅταν δ᾽ ἵκηται, τηνικαῦτ᾽ ἐγὼ κακὸς
μὴ δρῶν ἂν εἴην πάνθ᾽ ὅσ᾽ ἂν δηλοῖ θεός.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 58 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 58 focus
Ye touch me to the core. Full well I know
Your trouble and your desire. Think not, my sons,
I have no feeling of your misery!
60
Yet none of you hath heaviness like mine.
Your grief is held within the single breast
Of each man severally. My burdened heart
Mourns for myself, for Thebè, and for you.
Your coming hath not roused me from repose:
65
I have watched, and bitterly have wept; my mind
Hath travelled many a labyrinth of thought.
And now I have tried in act the only plan
Long meditation showed me. I have sent
The brother of my queen, Menoeceus’ son,
70
Creon, to learn, in Phoebus’ Delphian Hall,
What word or deed of mine may save this city.
And when I count the time, I am full of pain
To guess his speed; for he is absent long,
Beyond the limit of expectancy.
75
But when he shall appear, base then were I
In aught to disobey the voice of Heaven.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 58 focus
Ihr armen Kinder, wohlbekannt, nicht unbekannt,
Sind eures Herzens Wünsche mir. Wohl weiß ich es,
Ihr leidet alle; doch wie schwer ihr leidet auch,
60
Ist euer Niemand, welcher litte so wie ich.
Denn euer Leid ist Eines, ist auf Einen nur
Beschränkt und keinen Andern sonst; doch mein Gemüth
Beklagt die Stadt der Väter, mich und dich zugleich.
So weckt mich eure Stimme nicht vom Schlummer auf;
65
Nein, wisset, manche Thräne hab' ich schon geweint,
Bin manchen Pfad der Sorge schon umhergeirrt;
Das Eine Rettungsmittel, das ich sinnend fand,
Versucht' ich endlich: nach Apollons Heiligthum
In Pytho sandt' ich Kreon, meinen Schwager, aus, 1
70
Den Sohn Menökeus', um zu späh'n, durch welche That,
Durch welches Wort ich diese Stadt erretten mag.
Schon bangt mir, wie's ihm gehe, zähl' ich nach die Zeit,
Seitdem er auszog; über mein Erwarten ja
Verweilt er länger außen, als es ziemlich scheint.
75
Doch wenn er anlangt, wär' ich wohl ein schlechter Mann,
Vollendet' ich nicht Alles, was der Gott gebeut.
(Jünglinge treten an ihn heran.)
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 58 focus
O my unhappy sons ! too well I know
Your sad estate. I know the woes of Thebes ;
And yet amongst you lives not such a wretch
60
As (Edipus ; for oh ! on me, my children.
Your sorrows press. Alas ! I feel for you
My people, for myself, for Thebes, for all !
Think not I slept regardless of your ills ;
Oh no ! with many a tear I wept your fate.
65
And oft in meditation deep revolved
How best your peace and safety to restore :
The only medicine that my thoughts could find
I have administered : Menteceus' son.
The noble Creon, went by my command
70
To Delphos from Apollo's shrine, to know
What must be done to save this wretched land t
'Tis time he were returned : I wonder much
At his delay. If, when he comes, your king
Perform not all the god enjoins, then say
75
He is the worst of men.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 58 focus
But deem it worthy the illustrious name
Of Edipus to learn the cause of this
In person. Speak then thou, whose reverend age
Claims this respect; inform me what your state,
Your fears or sufferings; in each point my will
Is prompt to succour: ruthless were my heart,
Did it not melt with pity at this sight.

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-45-1 γνωτὰ κοὐκ ἀγνῶτα 1

mvp-comment-46-1 νοσοῦντες … νοσεῖ 2

mvp-comment-47-1 εἰς ἕν’ … μόνον καθ’ αὑτόν 3

mvp-comment-48-1 πόλιν τε κἀμὲ καὶ σ’ 4

mvp-comment-49-1 The modal dat. ὕπνῳ 5

mvp-comment-50-1 πλάνοις 6

mvp-comment-51-1 ηὕρισκον 7

mvp-comment-52-1 ταύτην ἔπραξα 8

mvp-comment-53-1 Φοίβου … ὅ τι δρῶν … τί φωνῶν 9

mvp-comment-54-1 δρῶν ἢ … φωνῶν 10

mvp-comment-54-2 ῥυσαίμην 11

mvp-comment-55-1 καί μ’ ἦμαρ … χρόνῳ 12 ἤδη 13 χρόνῳ 14 ξυμμετρούμενον 15

mvp-comment-56-1 λυπεῖ τί πράσσει 16 τοῦ γὰρ εἰκότος πέρα 17

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

58. mvp-comment-43-1 Oedipus is full of anxiety, not for himself, but for his people, whose sorrows he bears. In his care for them he has sent Creon to consult the oracle, and now looks impatiently for his return. In a sense of which he is ignorant, his woe is indeed greater than the people's woe, and the plan which he has chosen as the only cure will bring the curse on him.

58. mvp-comment-43-2 ὦ παῖδες οἰκτροί O my poor children. The unusual position of the adjective gives a pathetic emphasis. See Essay on Language § 23. P. 37.

60. mvp-comment-44-1 νοσοῦντες is the real subject of the sentence, but the construction is changed for the sake of the emphatic phrase οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις, See Essay on Language § 15. p. 21. In ὡς ἐγώ and ἐξ ἴσου there is a confusion of οὕτως ὡς ἐγώ and ἐξ ἴσου ἐμοί: i.e. ἐξ ἴσου is substituted for οὕτως. And although you are sick at heart, the sickness of none of you is equal to mine.

65. mvp-comment-45-1 ὕπνῳ γ' εὔδοντα When taking rest in sleep. The redundancy (as in Ο. C. 306, βραδὺς εὕδει), is no objection to the reading. The repetition is emphatic. I am not asleep, and you do not rouse me from slumber. For this pleonasm as well as for the present participle, cp. Τr. 175, ὥσθ᾽ ἡδέως εὕδουσαν ἐκπηδᾶν ἐμὲ | φύβῳ, φίλαι, ταρβοῦσαν: also (for the participle) ib. 1163, ζῶντά μ᾽ ἔκτεινεν. Ε. on L. § 4. 5. p. 75.

67. mvp-comment-46-1 'And have traversed many paths in the wanderings of thought.' Cp. Hdt. 3. 156, πάσας τὰς διεξόδους τῶν βουλευμάτων. The gloss of the Schol., ἀντὶ τοῦ πλάναις θηλυκῶς, confirms the reading πλάνοις.

68. mvp-comment-47-1 That which on careful consideration I found the only cure, I put in execution. Cp. Ar. Nub. 76.

71. mvp-comment-48-1 πύθοιθ Probably suggested by the sound of Πυθικά, but not an intentional play upon the word. Essay on Language § 44. p. 83.

72. mvp-comment-49-1 ῥυσαίμην Cp. Ant. 271-272, οὔθ' ὅπως δρῶντες καλῶς πράξαιμεν. The short syllable (in thesi) before the initial p is an Epic usage, but rare in tragedy. Cp. Aesch. S. c. Τ. 91, τίς ἄρα ῥύσεται;

73. mvp-comment-50-1 Lit. The day now measured by the course of time makes me anxious to know how he fares; i. e. When I think what day this is,' When I count the days. χρόνῳ, not the time of his absence but time generally. The comparative unfamiliarity of the abstract notion of time may account for the vagueness of the expression, which is supplemented in the two following lines. Each day is compared with an absolute standard of time. See Essay on L p. 91. For the intransitive sense of τί πράσσει, cp. Aj. 1418-1419, οὐδεὶς μάντις τῶν μελλόντων ὅ τι πράξει, and for the construction, ib. 794, ὥστε μ' ὠδίνειν, τί φής.

74-75. mvp-comment-51-1 The expression is redundant, so that ἄπεστι is joined at once with τοῦ εἰκότος πέρα and with πλείω τοῦ καθήκοντος χρόνου. The clause πλείω, κ.τ.λ., is added as an explanation of τοῦ γὰρ εἰκότος πέρα, and more fully expresses Oedipus' surprise at the continued absence of Creon. He is absent longer than he ought to be, beyond due measure.