Sophocles Electra 610

Thomas Francklin (Translator)

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And should have had Electra's. Well thou knowst
That cruel father, for whom thus thy tears
Incessant flow, that father slew his child :
He, he alone of all the Grecian host
615
Gave up his daughter — horrid sacrifice —
To the offended gods : he never felt
A mother's pangs, and therefore thought not of them,
Or, if he did, why slay the innocent?
For Greece, thou tellst me ! Greece could never claim
A right to what was mine. Or did she fall
630
For Menelaus? He had children too :

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)) — 610 focus
ὁρῶ μένος πνέουσαν· εἰ δὲ σὺν δίκῃ
610
ξύνεστι, τοῦδε φροντίδ᾽ οὐκέτ᾽ εἰσορῶ.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 516-822 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 610 focus
().
610
I see her fuming with fresh wrath: the thought
610
Of justice enters not her bosom now.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 610 focus
Ich sehe sie Zorn athmen; aber ob mit Recht
Sie zürne, dieses, seh' ich, wird nicht mehr bedacht.
595
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 610 focus
I see she burns with anger: whether justas
610
That anger, no regard, I see, is paid.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 516-820 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-357-1 ποίας δ’ ἐμοὶ δεῖ 1 ἐμοὶ 2 μοι 3 δεῖ 4

mvp-comment-357-2 Others understand: (1) ‘If Electra has no consideration for justice, why should I have any consideration for her,— i.e., show her any tenderness?’ Or: (2) ‘If she heeds not justice, why should I heed her?’ Neither view seems well suited to the context.

mvp-comment-358-1 καὶ ταῦτα 5

mvp-comment-358-2 τηλικοῦτος 6

mvp-comment-358-3 ἆρα 7

mvp-comment-358-4 χωρεῖν ἂν 8 εἰς πᾶν ἔργον 9

mvp-comment-359-1 εὖ νυν ἐπίστω 10

mvp-comment-359-2 ἔξωρα 11

mvp-comment-359-3 προσεικότα 12

mvp-comment-360-1 ἀλλὰ … γὰρ 13

mvp-comment-360-2 ἡ … ἐκ σοῦ δυσμένεια 14

mvp-comment-360-3 ἐξαναγκάζει 15 αἰσχροῖς 16

mvp-comment-360-4 622 f. The word θρέμμα 17

mvp-comment-360-5 ἦ σ’ ἐγὼ 18

mvp-comment-361-1 νιν 19

mvp-comment-361-2 εὑρίσκεται 20

mvp-comment-361-3 Cp. Milton, Apology for Smectymnuus (in his Prose Works, ed. Symmons, vol. I. p. 236): ‘I might also tell them [the prelates], what Electra in Sophocles, a wise virgin, answered her wicked mother, who thought herself too violently reproved by her the daughter: ‘' Tis you that say it, not I; you do the deeds, | And your ungodly deeds find me the words.’’

mvp-comment-362-1 οὐ μὰ 21

mvp-comment-362-2 δέσποιναν 22

mvp-comment-362-3 Ἄρτεμιν 23

mvp-comment-362-4 θράσους τοῦδ’ οὐκ ἀλύξεις 24 μόλῃ 25

mvp-comment-363-1 ὁρᾷς 26

mvp-comment-363-2 ἐκφέρει 27

mvp-comment-363-3 The v. l. παρεῖσα 28

mvp-comment-364-1 οὐδὲ 29

mvp-comment-364-2 ὑπ’ εὐφήμου βοῆς 30

mvp-comment-364-3 ἐπειδὴ σοί γ’ 31

mvp-comment-364-4 πᾶν λέγειν 32

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

614. mvp-comment-275-1 τηλικοῦτος] 'At her age.' Cp. infr. 961, 2:-i.e. Her words are not those of a petulant girl, which might be safely disregarded.

616-619. mvp-comment-276-1 The harshness of Electra is not native to her character, but superinduced, and she is painfully conscious of this.

623. mvp-comment-277-1 πόλλ᾽ ἄγαν λέγειν ποιεῖ] 'Make you to say too much: '-i.e. Are too much the theme of your discourse, in which you say much that you should not.

624. mvp-comment-278-1 viv is here neuter plural = αὐτά.

624-625. mvp-comment-279-1 Translated by Milton:-''Tis you that say it, not I; you do the deeds, And your ungodly deeds find me the words.'

626. mvp-comment-280-1 μὰ τὴν .. "Αρτεμιν] Cp. supr. 565, and note. θράσους is genitive of cause.

627. mvp-comment-281-1 For the repetition of οὐκ, see Essay on L. § 29. p. 48. We are again reminded that Aegisthus is from home. Cp. supr. 517.

628-629. mvp-comment-282-1 μεθεῖσά μοι χρήζοιμ 'After giving me leave to say what I chose.' Supr. 556.

630. mvp-comment-283-1 οὐδ᾽ ὑπ᾿ εὐφήμου βοῆς], 'Not even in silence from clamour:' - i. e. Not even without being pestered by your noise.