Sophocles Electra 16

Robert Potter (Translator)

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Chorus
174
Sink not, Ah sink not in despair. In heav'n
From his high throne Almighty Jove beholds
And governs all things: to his pow'r resign
Thy flaming indignation; let not hate
175
Too far transport thee; nor forget these wrongs.
175
Time is a lenient god. Nor will the son
Of Agamemnon on the pastured beach...
Of Chrisa linger, never to return,
Nor the dread god that reigns o'er Acheron.

Electra. Sophocles. Robert Potter (Translator). London. 1820.

Current edition Experimental

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Robert Potter, 1788))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 16 focus
Πυλάδη πυλάδη(σ) L., τί χρὴ δρᾶν δρᾶν A. ἐν τάχει βουλευτέον·
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1-120 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 16 focus
CH
Sad was thy greeting when he reached the strand,
Piteous thy crying where thy father lay
On that fell day
When the bronze edge with dire effect was driven.
By craft ’twas planned,
90
By frenzied lust the blow was given:
90
Mother and father of a monstrous birth,
Whether a God there wrought or mortal of the Earth.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 23 focus
bester Diener, liebster Mann, wie legst du mir
Der Treue Zeichen gegen uns so deutlich dar!
Denn wie das Noß aus edler Art, obschon betagt,
25
In keiner Schreckniß und Gefahr den Muth verliert,
Nein, stolz das Ohr aufrichtet: also du, der uns
Zum Kampfe treibt und selbst der Ersten Einer folgt.
Drum will ich offenbaren, was ich ausgedacht;
Doch du vergönne meinem Wort ein scharfes Ohr,
30
Und traf ich nicht das Rechte, gib mir andern Rath.
Nachdem ich angekommen war bei'm pythischen
Orakel, dort zu fragen, wie des Vaters Tod
Ich rächen mög' an jenen, die ihn mordeten,
Gebot mir Phöbos also, wie du gleich vernimmst:
35
Den Streich gerechter Rache mit geheimer List
Allein zu führen, nicht bewehrt mit Schild und Heer.
Nun, da mir solcher Gottesspruch verkündet ward,
Tritt du, sobald die Stunde dich gelegen führt,
Zu diesem Haus ein, auszuspäh'n, was hier geschieht,
40
Auf daß du klar uns meldest, was du wohl erforscht.
Unkenntlich schuf dich Alter und die lange Zeit,
Und vor Verdacht bewahrt dich dieser Blumenschmuck. 1
Doch also sprich zu jenen, daß ein Fremdling du,
Ein Phoker seiest, abgesandt von Phanoteus; 2
45
Denn dieser Mann ist ihres Hauses bester Freund.
Mit Eid betheuernd, melde dann, Orestes sei
Dahingeschieden durch ein unerbittlich Loos,
Bei Kämpfen Pytho's aus dem raschhinrollenden 3
Rennwagen stürzend. Also sei der Rede Sinn.
50
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 16 focus
Electra
And wouldst thou have me then neglect the
dead?
Forget my father ! Can there be such guilt?
When I do so, may infamy pursue me !
185
And if I wed, may all the joys of love
185
Be far removed ! If vengeance doth not fall
185
On crimes like these, for ever farewell, justice —
Shame, honour, truth, and piety, farewell !
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1-120 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-101-1 ἔτι μέγας οὐρανῷ 1 ἐν 2

mvp-comment-102-1 τὸν ὑπεραλγῆ 3

mvp-comment-102-2 νέμουσα 4

mvp-comment-103-1 μήτε ὑπεράχθεο 5 οἷς 6

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.

174. mvp-comment-104-1 This line (see v. rr.) seems to have been interpolated so as to supplement the locative dative and the ellipse of ἐστίν. μέγας is the predicate. 'Zeus is still great in heaven.'

176-177. mvp-comment-105-1 'Committing unto him thine exceeding indignation, be neither overburdened with enmity against thy foes, nor yet forget them;' i.e. Let the thought that Zeus will some day avenge thee serve to calm and moderate thy rage. The structure is paratactic (Essay on L. § 36. p. 68), for Without forgetting your enemies. be moderate in assailing them, and trust in the Divine vengeance.'