Sophocles, Electra, Richard Jebb (Translator), 233

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Chorus

It is nevertheless with goodwill, like a true-hearted mother,

that I dissuade you from begetting misery upon miseries.
235

Electra

But what limit has nature begot for my affliction? Tell me, how can it be right to neglect the dead? Has such a seed been sown in any mortal? May I never have such men’s esteem;

never, when I am close to prosperity, may I dwell in ease, hindering the wings of shrill lamentation so as to deprive my begetter of his honors!
For if the dead is to lie a wretch, merely dust and nothingness,
240

while his slayers do not pay back to him blood for blood in penalty,
245

then shame and reverence will vanish from all humanity.
250

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)) — 233 focus

μάτηρ ὡσεί τις πιστά,

μὴ τίκτειν σ᾽ ἄταν ἄταις.
235

ΗΛ.

καὶ τί μέτρον κακότατος ἔφυ; φέρε,

πῶς ἐπὶ τοῖς φθιμένοις ἀμελεῖν καλόν;

ἐν τίνι τοῦτ᾽ ἔβλαστ᾽ ἔβλαστεν LFL². ἔβλαστ᾽ A Pal. (gl. ἐνομοθετήθη). ἀνθρώπων ;

μήτ' εἴην ἔντιμος τούτοις,

μήτ', εἴ τῳ πρόσκειμαι χρηστῷ,
240

ξυνναίοιμ' ξυναίοιμι LF. ξυνναίοιμι C2. ξυνναίοιμ' A. ξυνέοιμι gl. συνδιάγω Pal. εὔκηλος, γονέων

ἐκτίμους ἴσχουσα ἴσχυουσα? C. ἴσχουσα C2. πτέρυγας

ὀξυτόνων γόων.

εἰ γὰρ ὁ μὲν θανὼν γᾶ τε καὶ οὐδὲν ὢν

κείσεται τάλας,
245

οἱ δὲ μὴ πάλιν

δώσουσ᾽ ἀντιφόνους δίκας,

ἔρροι τ᾽ ἂν αἰδὼς

ἁπάντων τ᾽ εὐσέβεια σέβεια, εὐσεβεία L Pal. εὐσεβεία CA. θνατῶν.

ΧΟ.

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 233 focus

Χορός

ἀλλʼ οὖν εὐνοίᾳ γʼ αὐδῶ,

μάτηρ ὡσεί τις πιστά,

μὴ τίκτειν σʼ ἄταν ἄταις.
235

Ἠλέκτρα

καὶ τί μέτρον κακότατος ἔφυ; φέρε,

πῶς ἐπὶ τοῖς φθιμένοις ἀμελεῖν καλόν;

ἐν τίνι τοῦτʼ ἔβλαστʼ ἀνθρώπων;

μήτʼ εἴην ἔντιμος τούτοις

μήτʼ, εἴ τῳ πρόσκειμαι χρηστῷ,
240

ξυνναίοιμʼ εὔκηλος, γονέων

ἐκτίμους ἴσχουσα πτέρυγας

ὀξυτόνων γόων.

εἰ γὰρ ὁ μὲν θανὼν γᾶ τε καὶ οὐδὲν ὢν
245

κείσεται τάλας,

οἱ δὲ μὴ πάλιν

δώσουσʼ ἀντιφόνους δίκας,

ἔρροι τʼ ἂν αἰδὼς

ἁπάντων τʼ εὐσέβεια θνατῶν.
250

Translations (4)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 233 focus

Fear not. He will bestead you. He is true.

EL

But for that faith my life had soon gone by.

CH

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 233 focus

Ich red' aus freundlichem Antheil,

Wie die treuvorsorgende Mutter:

Zeug' Unheil nicht aus Unheil!

Elektra.

Hat denn der Sammer ein Maß, der unendliche?

Und zu vergessen der Todten, geziemt es mir?
230

Wer artet in diese Gesinnung aus?

Nie werde mir Ruhm von Solchen zum Lohn!

Nie will ich, erblüht mir irgend ein Glück,

Es in Ruhe genießen, wofern ich, zur Schmach

Den Geschiedenen, je kalt hemme den Flug
235

Jammernden Klagerufs!

Wenn der Geliebte todt unten im Erdenschooß

Ruht, ein vergess'nes Nichts,

Und die Rache nicht

Sie, Mord fordernd um Mord, ereilt;
240

Ist alle Scham hin,

Hin alle Götterfurcht der Menschen.

Der Chor.

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 233 focus

Things of moment

Require deliberation and delay.

Electra

Oh ! but did I delay to save Orestes ?

Chorus

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 233 focus

I speak through pure benevolence of heart,

As a fond mother anxious for her child,

Let not thy ills give birth to other ills.
235

Electra

Have then my ills a bound? Say, can the heart

Feel a just sense of virtue, and forget

A murder'd parent? Nature at the thought

Is shock'd. From them no honour would I have;

Nor, were I wedded to some worthy man,

Would I live with him hushing all my griefs

To peace, and checking their shrill-sounding flight,

My father so disgracing. If the dead,

As earth, and nothing more, neglected lies,

And if no vengeance waits their crimes, farewell

To shame, farewell to piety 'mongst men.

Chorus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-134-1 ἀλλ’ οὖν ¹ γε ² εὐνοίᾳ ³

mvp-comment-135-1 μάτηρ ὡσεί τις ⁴

mvp-comment-136-1 μὴ τίκτειν ⁵

mvp-comment-136-2 ἄταν ἄταις ⁶

mvp-comment-137-1 καὶ τί μέτρον ⁷ κακότατος ⁸

mvp-comment-137-2 φέρε ⁹

mvp-comment-137-3 ἐπὶ τοῖς φθ. ¹⁰

mvp-comment-138-1 ἔβλαστ’ ¹¹

mvp-comment-139-1 τούτοις ¹²

mvp-comment-140-1 εἴ τῳ πρόσκειμαι χρηστῷ ¹³

mvp-comment-141-1 ξυνναίοιμ’ ¹⁴

mvp-comment-141-2 εὔκηλος ¹⁵

mvp-comment-141-3 γονέων ¹⁶ ἐκτίμους ¹⁷

mvp-comment-141-4 ἐκτίμους ἵσχουσα ¹⁸

mvp-comment-141-5 πτέρυγας … γόων ¹⁹

mvp-comment-141-6 ὀξυτόνων ²⁰

mvp-comment-142-1 εἰ γὰρ ²¹

mvp-comment-142-2 γᾶ ²²

mvp-comment-142-3 οὐδὲν ²³ ὢν ²⁴ εἰ ²⁵

mvp-comment-142-4 Electra is contrasting her father, whose earthly life has been cut short, with his murderers, who survive. But she believes that his spirit lives in the world below, and will be active in aiding the vengeance (453 ff.).

mvp-comment-142-5 πάλιν ²⁶

mvp-comment-142-6 ἀντιφόνους δίκας ²⁷

mvp-comment-143-1 ἔρροι τ’ ²⁸

mvp-comment-143-2 αἰδὼς ²⁹ εὐσέβεια ³⁰

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

86-250. mvp-comment-59-1 In this long lament there are two principal movements, each of which admits of subdivision. First, the monody of Electra, consisting of two anapaestic systems, of which one (ll. 86-102) is retrospective, and the other (ll. 103-120) is prospective. Secondly, there is the commatic parodos :-the chorus on their entrance address Electra with lyric strains, to which she responds also in lyric measures. This movement consists of three strophes and antistrophes. In στρ. and ἀντ. α' (ll. 121-152), the chorus gently, but gloomily, expostulate with Electra, who is inconsolable. In στρ. and ἀντ. β΄ (ll. 153-192), they vainly try to cheer her. In στρ. and ἀντ. γ΄ (ll. 193- 232), they remind her of her past and present troubles, and exhort her not to add to them. All this is followed by a ῥῆσις of Electra (ll. 254-309) in reply to the coryphaeus, who, at l. 324, again speaks to call attention to Chrysothemis' approach.

86-250. mvp-comment-59-2 Metres. The anapaests in 86-120, although for the most part regular are in so far of the freer kind which belong to laments as to admit the spondaic paroemiacs near the commencement of each system in ll. 88, 9, 105, 6, which, with the opening half line, have a strange effect of heaviness and of struggle and pain. The two systems so nearly correspond, both in this respect and in the number of the lines, that one is tempted to believe that the half line that would complete the antistrophic effect has been lost somewhere between 113 and 117. But anapaestic systems are seldom exactly antistrophic, and the pause after the (dactylic) invocation in l. 115 may be intentional.

234. mvp-comment-135-1 Like a true-hearted mother.' For this form of expressing sympathy from one woman to another, cp. Trach. 526, ἐγὼ δὲ μάτηρ μὲν οἷα φράζω.

235. mvp-comment-136-1 ἄταν ἄταις] Cp. Αj. 866, πόνῳ πόνον, and note.

236. mvp-comment-137-1 καὶ τί μέτρον κακότατος ἔφυ;] 'And is not my trouble infinite?' (So the Scholiast, -πρὸς γὰρ ἄμετρον κακὸν καὶ ἀμέτρων δεῖται θρήνων.) Cp. infr. 1249, 50, ἁμέτερον οἷον ἔφυ κακόν. For the meaning, cp. Shak. Ant. and Cleo. 4. 15. 4, But comforts we despise; our size of sorrow, Proportioned to our cause, must be as great As that which makes it.'

237. mvp-comment-138-1 ἐπὶ τοῖς φθιμένοις ἀμελεῖν] To treat the dead with forgetfulness.' E. on L. § 19. p. 27.

238. mvp-comment-139-1 ἐν τίνι . . ἀνθρώπων] 'Where amongst men hath such a mind sprung up?'

239. mvp-comment-140-1 τούτοις] Sc. ἐν οἷς τοῦτο ἔβλαστε, the indefinite plural taking the place of the indefinite singular. E. on L. § 20. p. 31. 3. Cp. Hdt. 9. 79. § 3. ἐγὼ δ᾽ οὖν τούτου εἵνεκα μήτε Αἰγινήτῃσι ἅδοιμι, μήτε τοῖσι ταῦτα ἀρέσκεται· ἀποχρᾷ δ᾽ ἐμοί, Σπαρτιήτῃσι ἀρεσκόμενον, ὅσια μὲν ποιέειν, ὅσια δὲ καὶ λέγειν.

240. mvp-comment-141-1 εἴ τῳ πρόσκειμαι χρηστῷ] · If I have near me any good,' = εἴ τι χρηστὸν πρόσκειταί μοι : Ε. on L. § 42. p. 80 β. Cp. infr. 1040, ᾧ σὺ πρόσκεισαι κακῷ.

241-243. mvp-comment-142-1 γονέων .. γόων] • Holding back the wings of my shrill wailings from doing honour to my sire.' Each fresh utterance of the unabating sorrow is imagined as a bird that is eager to fly. ἐκτίμους is predicative and proleptic, = ὥστε ἔξω εἶναι τοῦ τιμᾶν. See E. on L. $ 54. p. 100 d, § 10. p. 16 f., § 23. p. 38 81, § 38. p. 71.

244. mvp-comment-143-1 ya] Prof. Jebb reads ya, i.e. 'buried,' adding, 'it is difficult to believe that yῆ could stand for σποδός.' But the expression is hyperbolical-' mere clay.' Cp. ψήγμα in Aesch. Ag. 442.

Sophocles Electra 233

Richard Jebb (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Chorus

It is nevertheless with goodwill, like a true-hearted mother,

that I dissuade you from begetting misery upon miseries.
235

Current edition Experimental

μάτηρ ὡσεί τις πιστά,

μὴ τίκτειν σ᾽ ἄταν ἄταις.
235

ΗΛ.

καὶ τί μέτρον κακότατος ἔφυ; φέρε,

πῶς ἐπὶ τοῖς φθιμένοις ἀμελεῖν καλόν;

ΧΟ.

Χορός

ἀλλʼ οὖν εὐνοίᾳ γʼ αὐδῶ,

μάτηρ ὡσεί τις πιστά,

μὴ τίκτειν σʼ ἄταν ἄταις.
235

Fear not. He will bestead you. He is true.

EL

But for that faith my life had soon gone by.

CH

Ich red' aus freundlichem Antheil,

Wie die treuvorsorgende Mutter:

Zeug' Unheil nicht aus Unheil!

Der Chor.

Things of moment

Require deliberation and delay.

Electra

Oh ! but did I delay to save Orestes ?

Chorus

I speak through pure benevolence of heart,

As a fond mother anxious for her child,

Let not thy ills give birth to other ills.
235

Chorus

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Chorus It is nevertheless with goodwill, like a true-hearted mother, that I dissuade you from begetting misery upon miseries. 235

Current edition Experimental

μάτηρ ὡσεί τις πιστά, μὴ τίκτειν σ᾽ ἄταν ἄταις. 235

ΗΛ. καὶ τί μέτρον κακότατος ἔφυ; φέρε, πῶς ἐπὶ τοῖς φθιμένοις ἀμελεῖν καλόν;

ΧΟ.

Χορός ἀλλʼ οὖν εὐνοίᾳ γʼ αὐδῶ, μάτηρ ὡσεί τις πιστά, μὴ τίκτειν σʼ ἄταν ἄταις. 235

Fear not. He will bestead you. He is true.

EL But for that faith my life had soon gone by.

CH

Ich red' aus freundlichem Antheil, Wie die treuvorsorgende Mutter: Zeug' Unheil nicht aus Unheil!

Der Chor.

Things of moment Require deliberation and delay.

Electra Oh ! but did I delay to save Orestes ?

Chorus

I speak through pure benevolence of heart, As a fond mother anxious for her child, Let not thy ills give birth to other ills. 235

Chorus

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Chorus

It is nevertheless with goodwill, like a true-hearted mother,

that I dissuade you from begetting misery upon miseries.
235

μάτηρ ὡσεί τις πιστά,

μὴ τίκτειν σ᾽ ἄταν ἄταις.
235

ΗΛ.

καὶ τί μέτρον κακότατος ἔφυ; φέρε,

πῶς ἐπὶ τοῖς φθιμένοις ἀμελεῖν καλόν;

Χορός

ἀλλʼ οὖν εὐνοίᾳ γʼ αὐδῶ,

μάτηρ ὡσεί τις πιστά,

μὴ τίκτειν σʼ ἄταν ἄταις.
235

EL

But for that faith my life had soon gone by.

Ich red' aus freundlichem Antheil,

Wie die treuvorsorgende Mutter:

Zeug' Unheil nicht aus Unheil!

Things of moment

Require deliberation and delay.

Electra

Oh ! but did I delay to save Orestes ?

I speak through pure benevolence of heart,

As a fond mother anxious for her child,

Let not thy ills give birth to other ills.
235