Sophocles Philoctetes 150

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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NEO
Well, go within.

Philoctetes. Sophocles. Lewis Campbell (Translator). London, New York and Toronto. 1906.

Current edition Experimental

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 150 focus
Μέλον πάλαι μέλημά μοι λέγεις, ἄναξ,* Μέλον πάλαι μέλημά μοι λέγεις ἄναξ τὸ σὸν
150
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 135-217 focus
Translations (4)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 150 focus
Du mahnst, o Herr, an Sorgen, die mich längst erfüllt,
Waches Auges zu sein für deinen Vortheil.
150
Aber sage mir nun, welches Haus er einsam bewohnt,
Welcher Ort ihn verbirgt.
Denn wohl thut es noth, daß ich erkundige,
(Sonst fällt er unvermerkt mich an,)
Wo er verweilt und verkehrt und sich lagerte,
155
Ob innen oder draußen.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 150 focus
Neoptolemus
What is the cause ?
740
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 150 focus
Chorus
676
STRO. 1. Such miseries never did mine eyes behold;
675
But fame records from times of old
675
That when Ixion with ambitious love
Assay'd to stain the bed of Jove,
Seized by the Thunderer, on the whirling wheel
Enchain'd, such tortures he was doom'd to feel.
Else not the grief-assaulted ear,
Nor eye inured to scenes of woe,
680
Have known a fate like his severe :
Yet justice aims no vengeful blow;
His hands no deed of baseness stains,
And fraud his virtuous soul disdains.
Alone, exposed on this wild shore,
Hearing the billows round him roar,
685
I marvel how his mournful life he bore.
691
ANTIS. 1. In cheerless solitude these rocks among
With pain he dragg'd his steps along;
No social friend, no partner in his pains
Attentive hears while he complains,
From mutual anguish makes his mutual moan,
690
Re-echoes sigh for sigh, and groan for groan;
None, when his fierce envenom'd wound
Bursts ope, and spouts the boiling gore,
To cull the lenient herb is found
From bounteous nature's balmy store..
But (as a child, its nurse away,
695
With tottering foot attempts to stray)
695
Where best his food he may provide:
His feebly-rolling steps are tried,
Oft as his soul-consuming pains subside.
707
Him not the earth's rich fruits sustain,
Which from her sacred bounty rise;
Nor, food of men, the golden grain,
700
Which toil's inventive care supplies;
Nor aught, save birds that wing th' ethereal height,
If haply his swift shafts arrest their flight.
For ten long years no sparkling bowł
Cheer'd with the grape's rich juice his soul;
But where th' unruffled fount he saw,
705
"He hasted from the joyless stream to draw.
718
A noble youth he now hath found,
Who with his father's virtues glows;
By fortune now his patience crown'd,
He rises greater from his woes.
The bark shall waft him, after these sad hours,
710
To thy loved banks, Sperchius, where their bow'rs
The Melian Nymphs delight to twine;
Where Eta blazed with flames divine,
Whence glorious to the blest abodes
The hero rose a god among the gods.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 135-215 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-364-1 ἀνέστησας πέρα 1 πέρα 2 πέρα 3 ἔνερθεν 4 πέρα 5 μ’ ὕ 6 περ 7 ἀναστήσας πάρει 8 πέρα 9

mvp-comment-365-1 ταῦτα 10 παρέσται σοι 11 καὶ θιγγάνειν 12

mvp-comment-366-1 καὶ δόντι δοῦναι 13 δοῦναι 14 ἐπεύξασθαι 15 θιγγάνειν 16

mvp-comment-366-2 669 The acc. μόνον 17 δόντι 18 μόνῳ 19 μόνον 20 ς’ 21 ἀρετῆς 22

mvp-comment-367-1 εὐεργετῶν 23

mvp-comment-368-1 These three verses, called ‘manifesto spurii’ by Dindorf, are clearly genuine. If they are rejected, then Neoptolemus deigns no reply beyond

χωροῖς ἂν εἴσω
to the gracious and cordial speech of Philoctetes. In proof that the verses are pointless, Dindorf says:—‘Neque enim quidquam beneficii a Philocteta accepit Neoptolemus, ut
εὖ παθών
dici possit.’ Blaydes, though he does not bracket the verses, assents to this argument:—‘Certainly
εὖ παθὼν
cannot well apply to Neoptolemus.’ But
εὖ παθών
refers, of course, to Philoctetes. Neoptolemus means:—‘I am not sorry that chance drove me to Lemnos, and thus enabled me to gain your friendship. One who is ready to requite a benefit (viz., conveyance to Greece) by such a kindness as this (the promised loan of the bow), must indeed prove to be a priceless friend.’

mvp-comment-369-1 εὖ δρᾶν εὖ παθὼν 24

mvp-comment-369-2 κτήματος 25

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

664. mvp-comment-471-1 μόνος] Supr. 500.

665. mvp-comment-472-1 πέρα] 'Above their reach.' 'Where they cannot come.' ἀνιστάναι here is not merely 'To raise upright,' but To set up on high.' Cр. O. С. 661-3, κείνοις δ᾽ ἴσως κεὶ δείν᾽ ἐπερρώσθη λέγειν | τῆς σῆς ἀγωγῆς, οἶδ᾽ ἐγώ, φανή- | σεται | μακρὸν τὸ δεῦρο πέλαγος, οὐδὲ πλώσιμον: Aesch. Cho. 789.

666. mvp-comment-473-1 θιγγάνειν] ‘To handle for a while.’ This word, expressing a lingering process, is rightly in the continuous tense, although δόντι . . ἐξεπεύξασθαι are aorists. Cp. Il. 6. 322, τόξ᾽ ἁφόωντα.

667. mvp-comment-474-1 καὶ δόντι δοῦναι] This illogical addition is singularly expressive of the nervous anxiety of Philoctetes at the thought of giving the bow out of his hands: 'You shall have it in your grasp; I will give it you, and you will give it me again; and then you shall freely boast, etc.' While saying this, Philoctetes does not at once give the bow to Neoptolemus. Cp. infr. 762 foll.

669. mvp-comment-475-1 Cp. infr. 801-3.

670-672. mvp-comment-476-1 These three lines seem out of place. Either there is a lacuna after 670, or they have crept into the text out of the margin, where some hand had inserted them as an apposite quotation from some other play. They have not the appearance of a deliberate interpolation, nor is the difficulty obviated by assigning them to Neoptolemus. If they are retained, they can only mean, 'I do not feel this generous action burdensome, now that I have seen and found a friend in you. For no possession can be equal to a friend who knows (as I am sure you do) how to return kindness for kindness done to him.' In other words, to secure so true a friend as Neoptolemus, even the effort of relinquishing the bow for a moment is not too much. But ἄχθομαι has no object; and the promised kindness of Neoptolemus was not conditional on his being allowed to handle the bow.