οὐ
μήποτ᾽ ἐς τὴν
μήποτ᾽ ἐσ τὴν Σκῦρον ἐκπλεύσῃς ἔχων.
Philoctetes. Sophocles. ed. Lewis Campbell. Oxford. 1879.
Table of Contents
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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)) — 391-402 focus
Χορός
ὀρεστέρα παμβῶτι Γᾶ, μᾶτερ αὐτοῦ Διός,
ἃ τὸν μέγαν Πακτωλὸν εὔχρυσον νέμεις,
σὲ κἀκεῖ, μᾶτερ πότνιʼ, ἐπηυδώμαν,
395
ὅτʼ ἐς τόνδʼ Ἀτρειδᾶν ὕβρις πᾶσʼ ἐχώρει,
ὅτε τὰ πάτρια τεύχεα παρεδίδοσαν,
ἰὼ μάκαιρα ταυροκτόνων
400
λεόντων ἔφεδρε, τῷ Λαρτίου
σέβας ὑπέρτατον.
ὀρεστέρα παμβῶτι Γᾶ, μᾶτερ αὐτοῦ Διός,
ἃ τὸν μέγαν Πακτωλὸν εὔχρυσον νέμεις,
σὲ κἀκεῖ, μᾶτερ πότνιʼ, ἐπηυδώμαν,
395
ὅτʼ ἐς τόνδʼ Ἀτρειδᾶν ὕβρις πᾶσʼ ἐχώρει,
ὅτε τὰ πάτρια τεύχεα παρεδίδοσαν,
ἰὼ μάκαιρα ταυροκτόνων
400
λεόντων ἔφεδρε, τῷ Λαρτίου
σέβας ὑπέρτατον.
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 381 focus
PHI
They ne’er shall make me see Troy with my will.
They ne’er shall make me see Troy with my will.
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!
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!
Philoktetes.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 381 focus
Tiresias
a PropJiet.
A Messenger, Guard, Ser-
1470
vant, and Attendants.
a PropJiet.
A Messenger, Guard, Ser-
1470
vant, and Attendants.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 381 focus
Neoptolemus
Th' avenging Grecians how shall I escape ?
Th' avenging Grecians how shall I escape ?
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 391-400 focus
Chorus
Goddess of the hills, Earth all-nourishing, mother of Zeus himself, you through whose realm the great Pactolus
rolls golden sands! There, there also, dread Mother, I called upon your name, when all the insults of the Atreids landed upon this man, when they handed over his father’s armor, that sublime marvel,
395
to the son of
Laertes
. Hear it, blessed queen, who rides on bull-slaughtering lions!
400
Goddess of the hills, Earth all-nourishing, mother of Zeus himself, you through whose realm the great Pactolus
rolls golden sands! There, there also, dread Mother, I called upon your name, when all the insults of the Atreids landed upon this man, when they handed over his father’s armor, that sublime marvel,
395
to the son of
Laertes
. Hear it, blessed queen, who rides on bull-slaughtering lions!
400
Commentary
Commentary (R. C. Jebb) (OCR draft) (Commentary (R. C. Jebb))
mvp-comment-216-1
Mindful of their young chief's precept—
πειρῶ τὸ παρὸν θεραπεύειν (149)—the Chorus seize this moment in order to deepen the impression left on the mind of Philoctetes. It was in the land of the Trojans—often called ‘Phrygians’ —that Neoptolemus was wronged by the Atreidae. ‘Then and there’—say the Chorus—‘we invoked the most awful deity of the land, the great Earth Mother, the Phrygian Cybele—to punish our prince's wrong.’ The interposition of the Chorus is admirably effective for the purpose of making their master's indignation appear genuine.
mvp-comment-216-2
This strophe, to which vv. 507—518 form the antistrophe, is a
ὑπόρχημα, or ‘dance-song’ (
O. T. 1086
n.). The dochmiacs of which it is mainly composed (see Metrical Analysis) are accompanied by animated movement, expressive of the lively resentment which these memories suggest.
mvp-comment-216-3
From a mythological point of view the verses are of singular interest. The attributes given to the goddess belong to three groups. (1)
παμβῶτι Γᾶ recognises her in the primary character of an Elemental power. (2)
μᾶτερ...Διός identifies her with Rhea. (3)
ὀρεστέρα, λεόντων ἔφεδρε, and the mention of the Pactolus, present her as the specially Phrygian Cybele. But these three characters are completely fused in the unity of the
μάτηρ πότνια.