Sophocles, Electra, Thomas Francklin (Translator), 464

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Well doth the pious virgin speak, and thou

Electra. Sophocles. Thomas Francklin (Translator). London. 1758–1759.

Current edition Experimental

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 464 focus

πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ἡ κόρη λέγει· σὺ δέ,

εἰ σωφρονήσεις, ὦ φίλη, δράσεις τάδε.
465

ΧΡ.

δράσω· τὸ γὰρ δίκαιον οὐκ ἔχει λόγον

δυοῖν ἐρίζειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπισπεύδειν τὸ δρᾶν.

πειρωμένῃ δὲ τῶνδε τῶν ἔργων ἐμοὶ

σιγὴ παρ᾽ ὑμῶν πρὸς θεῶν ἔστω, φίλαι·

ὡς εἰ τάδ᾽ ἡ τεκοῦσα πεύσεται, πικρὰν
470

δοκῶ με πεῖραν τήνδε τολμήσειν ἔτι.

ΧΟ.
στρ.

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 472-515 focus

Χορός

εἰ μὴ ʼγὼ παράφρων μάντις ἔφυν καὶ γνώμας

λειπομένα σοφᾶς,

εἶσιν ἁ πρόμαντις

Δίκα δίκαια φερομένα χεροῖν κράτη·
475

μέτεισιν, ὦ τέκνον, οὐ μακροῦ χρόνου.

ὕπεστί μοι θάρσος,

ἁδυπνόων κλύουσαν
480

ἀρτίως ὀνειράτων.

οὐ γάρ ποτʼ ἀμναστεῖ γʼ ὁ φύσας σʼ Ἑλλάνων ἄναξ,

οὐδʼ ἁ παλαιὰ χαλκόπλακτος ἀμφάκης γένυς,
485

ἅ νιν κατέπεφνεν αἰσχίσταις ἐν αἰκίαις.

488

Χορός

ἥξει καὶ πολύπους καὶ πολύχειρ ἁ δεινοῖς

κρυπτομένα λόχοις
490

χαλκόπους Ἐρινύς.

ἄλεκτρʼ ἄνυμφα γὰρ ἐπέβα μιαιφόνων

γάμων ἁμιλλήμαθʼ οἷσιν οὐ θέμις.

πρὸ τῶνδέ τοί μʼ ἔχει
495

μή ποτε μή ποθʼ ἡμῖν

ἀψεγὲς πελᾶν τέρας

τοῖς δρῶσι καὶ συνδρῶσιν. ἤ τοι μαντεῖαι βροτῶν
500

οὐκ εἰσὶν ἐν δεινοῖς ὀνείροις οὐδʼ ἐν θεσφάτοις,

εἰ μὴ τόδε φάσμα νυκτὸς εὖ κατασχήσει.

504

Χορός

ὦ Πέλοπος ἁ πρόσθεν

πολύπονος ἱππεία,
505

ὡς ἔμολες αἰανὴς

τᾷδε γᾷ.

εὖτε γὰρ ὁ ποντισθεὶς

Μυρτίλος ἐκοιμάθη,

παγχρύσων δίφρων
510

δυστάνοις αἰκίαις

πρόρριζος ἐκριφθείς,

οὔ τί πω

ἔλειπεν ἐκ τοῦδʼ οἴκου

πολύπονος αἰκία.
515

Translations (4)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 464 focus

She counsels piously; and thou, dear maid,

If thou art wise, wilt do her bidding here.
465

CHR

Yea, when a thing is right, it is not well

Idly to wrangle, but to act with speed.

Only, dear friends, in this mine enterprise,

Let me have silence from your lips, I pray;

For should my mother know of it, sharp pain
470

Will follow yet my bold adventurous feat.

CHORUS
CHORUS .

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 464 focus

Ein frommes Wort wohl, das die Jungfrau sprach, und du

Folgst ihrem Rath, o Liebe, wenn du weise bist.

Chrysothemis.

Ich will es thun. Das Rechte bietet keinen Grund¹

Für Zwei, zu streiten, sondern rasch an's Werk zu gehn.

Doch wenn ich, theure Frauen, dies versuchen soll,
460

Müßt ihr, um alle Götter, mir verschwiegen sein!

Denn hört davon die Mutter, dann wird sicher noch

Aus diesem Wagniß bittre Frucht für mich erblüh'n.

(Sie schneidet von ihren Haaren ab, empfängt Haar und Gürtel der Elektra, und entfernt sich.) Elektra. Der Chor. Strophe.

Der Chor.

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 464 focus

This from a pious heart the virgin speaks :

Chrysothemis

Our love exhorts thee discharge the trust.

CHRY. Yes, I will do it: for when justice bids,

Reason disputes not, but makes haste to act.

But by the gods, my friends, whilst I attempt

Theseus
STRO: ANTIS.

English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 472-515 focus

Chorus

If I am not a deranged prophet and one who lacks wise judgments,

Justice, the sender of the omen, will come, winning the just victory of her hands’ might. She will come in pursuit before long, my child. Courage is mine,
475

since I heard just now of this sweet-blowing dream. Never does the lord of the Hellenes, your producer forget,
480

nor does the axe of long ago forget, striking with bronze on its jaws, which in most shameless disgrace annihilated him.
485

488

Chorus

She, too, will come, she of many hands and many feet who lurks in her terrible ambush,

the bronze-shod Erinys. For an unwed, unbetrothed passion for a marriage polluted by murder seized the pair, though divine law forbade it to them.
490

Therefore I am confident that the portent—a wonder which I will never blame—will draw near to the criminals and conspirators. To be sure, mortal prophecy
495

from fearful dreams or divine signs exists no more, if this vision of the night does not find due fulfillment.
500

504

Chorus

O chariot-race of Pelops long ago, source of many a sorrow,

what disaster you have brought upon this land! For ever since Myrtilus sank to rest beneath the waves,
505

hurled to utter destruction from his golden chariot in disgraceful outrage, from that time to this, outrage and its many sorrows
510

were never yet gone from this house.
515

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-278-1 πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ¹

Sophocles Electra 464

Thomas Francklin (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Well doth the pious virgin speak, and thou

Current edition Experimental

πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ἡ κόρη λέγει· σὺ δέ,

εἰ σωφρονήσεις, ὦ φίλη, δράσεις τάδε.
465

ΧΟ.
στρ.

She counsels piously; and thou, dear maid,

If thou art wise, wilt do her bidding here.
465

CHR

Yea, when a thing is right, it is not well

Idly to wrangle, but to act with speed.

Only, dear friends, in this mine enterprise,

Let me have silence from your lips, I pray;

For should my mother know of it, sharp pain
470

Will follow yet my bold adventurous feat.

CHORUS
CHORUS .

Ein frommes Wort wohl, das die Jungfrau sprach, und du

Folgst ihrem Rath, o Liebe, wenn du weise bist.

Der Chor.

This from a pious heart the virgin speaks :

Chrysothemis

Our love exhorts thee discharge the trust.

CHRY. Yes, I will do it: for when justice bids,

Reason disputes not, but makes haste to act.

But by the gods, my friends, whilst I attempt

Theseus
STRO: ANTIS.

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Well doth the pious virgin speak, and thou

Current edition Experimental

πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ἡ κόρη λέγει· σὺ δέ, εἰ σωφρονήσεις, ὦ φίλη, δράσεις τάδε. 465

ΧΟ. στρ.

She counsels piously; and thou, dear maid, If thou art wise, wilt do her bidding here. 465

CHR Yea, when a thing is right, it is not well Idly to wrangle, but to act with speed. Only, dear friends, in this mine enterprise, Let me have silence from your lips, I pray; For should my mother know of it, sharp pain 470 Will follow yet my bold adventurous feat.

CHORUS CHORUS .

Ein frommes Wort wohl, das die Jungfrau sprach, und du Folgst ihrem Rath, o Liebe, wenn du weise bist.

Der Chor.

This from a pious heart the virgin speaks :

Chrysothemis Our love exhorts thee discharge the trust. CHRY. Yes, I will do it: for when justice bids, Reason disputes not, but makes haste to act. But by the gods, my friends, whilst I attempt

Theseus STRO: ANTIS.

Commentary

Stable identifiers

πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ἡ κόρη λέγει· σὺ δέ,

εἰ σωφρονήσεις, ὦ φίλη, δράσεις τάδε.
465

ΧΟ.
στρ.

She counsels piously; and thou, dear maid,

If thou art wise, wilt do her bidding here.
465

CHR

Yea, when a thing is right, it is not well

Idly to wrangle, but to act with speed.

Only, dear friends, in this mine enterprise,

Let me have silence from your lips, I pray;

For should my mother know of it, sharp pain
470

Will follow yet my bold adventurous feat.

CHORUS
CHORUS .

Ein frommes Wort wohl, das die Jungfrau sprach, und du

Folgst ihrem Rath, o Liebe, wenn du weise bist.

Chrysothemis

Our love exhorts thee discharge the trust.

CHRY. Yes, I will do it: for when justice bids,

Reason disputes not, but makes haste to act.

But by the gods, my friends, whilst I attempt

Theseus
STRO: ANTIS.