Sophocles Philoctetes 391

ed. Lewis Campbell

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Ὀρεστέρα παμβῶτι Γᾶ ya yᾷ γὰ, μᾶτερ αὐτοῦ Διός,
ἃ τὸν μέγαν Πακτωλὸν εὔχρυσον νέμεις,
σὲ κἀκεῖ, μᾶτερ πότνι, ἐπηυδώμαν,
ὅτ᾽ ἐς τόνδ᾽ ᾿Ατρειδᾶν ὕβρις πᾶσ᾽ ἐχώρει,
ὅτε τὰ πάτρια τεύχεα τεύ(χ)χεα παρεδίδοσαν παραδίδοσαν παρεδίδοσαν,
395
ἰὼ μάκαιρα ταυροκτόνων
λεόντων ἔφεδρε, τῷ Λαρτίου λαερτίου λαρτίου
σέβας ὑπέρτατον.

Philoctetes. Sophocles. ed. Lewis Campbell. Oxford. 1879.

Current edition Experimental

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Greek) (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 391 focus
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 391 focus
Is like that of thy former visitants.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 391 focus
Bergmutter, Erd', Alnährerin, welcher Zeus selbst entsproß, 1
385
Die waltet bei Paktolos' großem, goldnem Strom!
Schon dort, hehre Mutter, dort rief ich zu dir,
Da schmachvollen Hohn ihm des Atreus Geschlecht bot,
Da sie des Vaters Wehr ihm an Laertes' Sohn
Hingaben, als des Ruhms höchsten Preis,
390
du Sel'ge, die auf Berglöwen hoch,
Den Stierwürgern, thront!
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 391 focus
And saw thee thus, in kind compassion weep ;
I too must pity thee — I can no more.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 391 focus
Thou all-sustaining parent, mighty queen,
Delighting in the mountain's wood-crown'd height,
Mother of Jove, who feed'st the golden stream
Of rich Pactolus, pow'r revered, to thee
My vows I then address'd, when all these wrongs
Burst from the sons of Atreus, when they gave
395
His father's arms (O thou, whose car sublime,
Blest as thou art, bull-rending lions draw!) :
To grace Ulysses, an illustrious prize.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 391 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-217-1 ὀρεστέρα 1 παμβῶτι 2

mvp-comment-217-2 μᾶτερ αὐτοῦ Διός 3

mvp-comment-218-1 Πακτωλὸν 4

mvp-comment-218-2 εὔχρυσον 5

mvp-comment-219-1 κἀκεῖ 6

mvp-comment-219-2 ἐπηυδώμαν 7

mvp-comment-219-3 Ἀτρειδᾶν ὕβρις πᾶς’ 8

mvp-comment-220-1 τὰ πάτρια 9

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

391-402;507-518. mvp-comment-280-1 The Chorus show their interest and support Neoptolemus by these strains, which are interwoven with the action, like those in O. T. 660 foll., 689 foll., О. С. 1447-1456, 1477-1485. They wish to assist their master by simulating hatred of the Atreidae and sympathy with Philoctetes. That both feelings are merely assumed, and that the Chorus really understand the situation, is obvious from the exaggerated strength of expression in 510, εἰ δὲ πικρούς, ἄναξ, ἔχθεις ᾿Ατρείδας. Their feigned excitement, to which the mixture of dochmiac and iambo-bacchic metre is well suited, was no doubt expressed with gestures accompanying the recitation, by the two half-choruses, of strophe and antistrophe severally.

391. mvp-comment-281-1 The Great Mother, who is here invoked, is said to have been worshipped at Lemnos as well as in Phrygia Steph. Byz. s. ν. Λήμνος, quoted by Gedike). And there is besides a special appropriateness in the invocation of this primal power of nature upon a desert shore, where no temples were to be seen. Bernhardy's remark, that the invocation of Rhea confirms the late date of the Philoctetes, is hardly warranted.

392. mvp-comment-282-1 ἃ . . νέμεις) 'That givest the mighty river Pactolus to be rich in gold.' For νέμω, meaning, 'To dispense or give forth,' cp. O. C. 687, Κηφισοῦ νομάδες ῥεέθρων. εὔχρυσον is a supplementary predicate = ὥστε εὔχρυσον εἶναι οἱ ῥεῖν. μέγας is, 'Deserving awe and reverence.' Cp. Plato, Phaedo, 62 Β, ὁ . . ἐν ἀπορρήτοις λόγος . . μέγας τέ τίς μοι φαίνεται καὶ οὐ ῥάδιος διϊδεῖν. The Pactolus comes from the mountains of Phrygia, and its peculiar virtue is attributed to the bounty of the universal mother, whose home was there.

395. mvp-comment-283-1 ἐπηυδώμαν ἐπηυδώμαν The middle voice expresses, 'I invoked for my behoof.'