Sophocles Electra 1391

ed. Lewis Campbell

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παράγεται γὰρ ἐνέρων
δολιόπους ἀρωγὸς εἴσω στέγας,
ἀρχαιόπλουτα πατρὸς εἰς ἑδώλια,
νεακόνητον αἷμα χειροῖν ε χεροῖν ἔχων·
ὁ Μαίας δὲ παῖς
1395
Ἑρμῆς σφ᾽ ἄγει ἐξάγει ἐπάγει σφ᾽ ἄγει σφ᾽ ἐπάγει δόλον σκότῳ
κρύψας πρὸς αὐτὸ τέρμα, κοὐκέτ᾽ ἀμμένει.

Electra. Sophocles. ed. Lewis Campbell. Oxford. 1879.

Current edition Experimental

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Greek) (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1391 focus
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 1397 focus
Even to the fatal end in clouds of night.
His time of weary waiting all is o’er.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 1391 focus
Denu der Bluträcher trat
Im Haus eben ein mit trugvollem Schritt,
1360
Zu seines Vaters altem goldnem Herrschersiz,
Und in den Händen trägt er Mord, blutigroth.
Es führt Hermes ihu,
Der Maja Sohn, zum Ziel hinan,
Den Trug in Nacht einhüllend, säumt nicht länger mehr.
1365
Elektra (eilig zurückkommend). Der Chor.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 1397 focus
He was ; and so, could Iphigenia speak,
1405
Thy breathless sister, she too would declare.
Know then, I grieve not ; shame or penitence
I feel not for the deed ; and if to thee
It seems so heinous, weigh each circumstance,
Remember what he did, and lay the blame
1415
On him who well deserved the fate he suffered.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 1397 focus
My dearest friends, they now are in the act,
E'en now: in silence then await 'th' event..
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1391 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-770-1 ἐνέρων … ἀρωγός 1

mvp-comment-771-1 ἀρχαιόπλουτα 2

mvp-comment-772-1 νεακόνητον αἷμα χειροῖν ἔχων 3

mvp-comment-772-2 The bold use of αἷμα 4 χειροῖν ἔχων 5 αἷμα 6

mvp-comment-772-3 If νεάκονητον 7 α 8

mvp-comment-773-1 ὁ Μαίας δὲ παῖς 9

mvp-comment-773-2 Ἑρμῆς σφ’ ἄγει 10 ς 11 σφ’ 12

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

1392. mvp-comment-656-1 εἴσω στέγας] The construction is Homeric, cp. Il. 21. 124, 5, ἀλλὰ Σκάμανδρος | οἴσει δινήεις εἴσω ἁλὸς εὐρέα κόλπον.

1395. mvp-comment-657-1 νεακόνητον.. ἔχων] ‘Holding with his hands the newly - whetted Death.' In αἷμα the effect is put by metonymy for the cause. Essay on L. § 42. p. 81. For νεακόνητον, cp. Aesch. Ag. 1535, 6, δίκην δ᾽ ἐπ᾿ ἄλλο πρᾶγμα θηγάνει βλάβης | πρὸς ἄλλαις θηγάναισι Μοῖρα. The quantity probably, though not certainly, follows the analogy of νεᾶκονής (Doric for νεηκονής). Hermann's νεο-κόνητον involves an awkward prolepsis.

1396. mvp-comment-658-1 δόλον σκότῳ κρύψας] Cp. Aesch. Cho. 812-8. The words πρὸς αὐτὸ τέρμα, though joined primarily with ἄγει, are to be resumed with κρύψας ('Concealing the guile till close upon the goal ').

1397. mvp-comment-659-1 After this line there is a pause, in which Electra comes forth to watch for Aegisthus. In tones of suppressed excitement she tells what is going on within.

1398-1441. mvp-comment-660-1 The following passage (1398-1441), although consisting largely of senarii, appears to be antistrophic, nearly corresponding even in the division of the lines. According to this view ll. 1404-1406 are either (1) not to be counted in the strophe, or (2) lines answering to them after l. 1427 must be supposed to have been lost. As the lines in question relate to the sudden cry of Clytemnestra from within, the former supposition is sufficiently probable. Cp. note on O. C. 117 foll., vol. i. p. 298 (Ist column). In the 'strophe,' ll. 1398-1421, Clytemnestra is put to death, -in the 'antistrophe,' ll. 1422-41, the bleeding sword is displayed, and Aegisthus is descried. The young men then retire into the palace, and Electra waits outside.