Sophocles Electra 1384

Richard Jebb (Translator)

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Electra. Sophocles. Richard Jebb (Translator). Cambridge. 1894.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Experimental

Electra (English) (Sophocles the plays and fragments, Part 6: The Electra. Jebb, Richard Claverhouse, Sir, translator. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1894. (Modernized by Perseus.))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 1384 focus
ἴδεθ᾽ ὅπου προνέμεται
τὸ δυσέριστον αἷμα φυσῶν Ἄρης.
1385
βεβᾶσιν ἄρτι δωμάτων ὑπόστεγοι
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1384 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 1384 focus
What is the present scene?
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 1384 focus
Seht ihn, seht Ares, wie
(allein.) Strophe. (sie folgt ihnen.)
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 1384 focus
What deed ?
How? where ?
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 1384 focus
See this Mars against his foes
Breathing slaughter furious goes.
Faithful to the scent of blood
On him waits a ravening brood,
Dogs of hell, with eager chase
Train'd the murderer's steps to trace:
On they rush with horrid joy,
Keen, and certain to destroy.
1385
Did not this my soul presage?
1385
Slumbers now his vengeful rage?
1385
See him prompt to aid the dead,
1385
Range these courts with secret tread.
1385
O'er each room his eyes are roll'd,
1385
With his father's treasures stor'd.
Fierce he grasps his keen-edged sword.
Hermes, brooking no delay,
Leads him on the destin'd way;
And the great avenger shrouds,
Guileful in a veil of clouds.

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-764-1 ἴδεθ’ 1 ὅπου 2

mvp-comment-764-2 προνέμεται 3

mvp-comment-764-3 Campbell suggests that the image in

προνέμεται
is from fire ‘eating its way’ forward, and compares Her. 5. 101
ἀπ’ οἰκίης ἐς οἰκίην ἰὸν τὸ πῦρ ἐπενέμετο τὸ ἄστυ
. This hardly agrees so well with the idea of a stealthy advance.

mvp-comment-765-1 τὸ δυσέριστον αἷμα 4

mvp-comment-765-2 φυσῶν 5

mvp-comment-766-1 δωμάτων ὑπόστεγοι 6

mvp-comment-767-1 μετάδρομοι … κύνες 7

mvp-comment-768-1 ἀμμενεῖ 8

mvp-comment-769-1 τοὐμὸν φρενῶν ὄνειρον 9

mvp-comment-769-2 αἰωρούμενον 10

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

1384ff. mvp-comment-652-1 In a single strophe and antistrophe (cp. O. C. 1556-1578) the Chorus (1) augur the success of the dreadful enterprize, and (2) recognise the presence of Hermes, who is conducting it. Beginning with a resolved cretic (the fourth paeon) the rhythm becomes first dochmiac and then iambic.

1384-1385. mvp-comment-653-1 'Behold ye, where the God of Strife advances panting forth the eager blood-drops of a fatal feud;' i. e. full of his slaughterous intent. προνέμεσθαι is said to mean literally, To go forward in grazing' (L. and S.). But the image immediately suggested is rather that of a fire, which may also be said 'to eat its way.' Cp. Aj. 197 foll., and notes: Hdt. 5. 101, αὐτίκα ἀπ᾿ οἰκίης ἐς οἰκίην ἰὸν τὸ πῦρ, ἐπενέμετο τὸ ἄστυ ἅπαν : ib. τὰ περιέσχατα νεμομένου τοῦ πυρός : Thuc. 2. 54, ἡ νόσος . . ἐπενείματο ᾿Αθήνας μὲν μάλιστα, ἔπειτα δέ, κ.τ.λ. δυσέριστον is either (1) as the Scholiast explains it, δι' ἔριν γινόμενον κακόν, Instinct with the evil of contention;' or (2) Irresistible; ' ' ineluctabilem caedem spirans' (Jacobs). αἷμα is here the spirit of bloodshed. See Essay on L. § 42. p. 80 β, and for a similar confusion, cp. Aesch. Ag. 1428, λίπος ἐπ᾿ ὀμμάτων αἵματος ἐμπρέπει,

1387-1388. mvp-comment-654-1 Clytemnestra and Aegisthus were above spoken of as an embodiment of the Alastor (supr. 198-200). Similarly, Orestes and Pylades are here identified with the Erinyes. In the antistrophe, ll. 1391, 2, Orestes is described in vaguely impressive language as the ‘ helper of the powers below,’ ἐνέρων .. ἀρωγές. For 'help' = 'vengeance,' cp. supr. 811, and note.

1389. mvp-comment-655-1 The emendation suggested by Wunder, consisting only in the change of an accent (see v. rr.), seems to be required by the sense. 'My soul's-vision (supr. 479-81) has not long to linger unaccomplished' (lit. in suspense, cp. supr. 501).