Sophocles Philoctetes 178

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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PHI
782
Ah! but I fear, my son, thy prayer is vain:
For welling yet again from depths within,
This gory ooze is dripping. It will come!
I know it will. O, foot, torn helpless thing,
785
What wilt thou do to me? Ah! ah! It comes,
It is at hand. ’Tis here! Woe’s me, undone!
I have shown you all. Stay near me. Go not far:
Ah! ah!
O island king, I would this agony
790
Might cleave thy bosom through and through! Woe, woe!
Woe! Ah! ye two commanders of the host,
Agamemnon, Menelaüs, O that ye,
Another ten years’ durance in my room
795
Might nurse this malady! O Death, Death, Death!
I call thee daily—wilt thou never come?
Will it not be?—My son, thou noble boy,
If thou art noble, take and burn me there
Aloft in yon all-worshipped Lemnian fire!
800
Yea, when the bow thou keep’st was my reward,
I did like service for the child of Heaven.
How now, my son?
What say’st? Art silent? Where—where art thou, boy?

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)) — 178 focus
οἷς μὴ μέτριος αἰών.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 219-390 focus
Translations (4)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 180 focus
Er, der sicherlich keinem Sohn
Altberühmter Geschlechter weicht,
Er liegt, alles Bedarfs entblößt,
Einsam, ohne Genossen,
180
Wo nur buntes und zottiges
Wild haust, liegt, sich verzehrend in
Schmerz und Hunger, von unheilbaren Grams Sorgen ge=
Von dem geschwäzigen,
Fernhindröhnenden Widerhall quält, und rings
185
Bittern Jammers umlagert.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 178 focus
Philoctetes
Loose me.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 178 focus
Neoptolemus
Be confident; for thee we here will stay.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 219-390 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-420-1 πρόστροπον 1

mvp-comment-420-2 κτείνας γένῃ 2

mvp-comment-421-1 προνοίας οὕνεκ’ 3 γ’ 4 οὕνεκα 5 γε 6

mvp-comment-421-2 πλὴν σοί τε κἀμοί 7

mvp-comment-421-3 ξὺν τύχῃ 8

mvp-comment-422-1 τὸν φθόνον δὲ πρόσκυσον 9

mvp-comment-423-1 μή … γενέσθαι 10

mvp-comment-423-2 πολύπονα 11

mvp-comment-423-3 μηδ’ ὅπως 12

mvp-comment-424-1 θεοί 13

mvp-comment-424-2 γένοιτο … γένοιτο δὲ 14 ταῦτα νῷν 15

mvp-comment-424-3 κεὐσταλής 16

mvp-comment-424-4 ὅποι ποτὲ 17

mvp-comment-425-1 ἀλλ’ Ὄκνος 18 ἀλλὰ δέδοικ’, ὦ παῖ, μή μ’ ἀτελὴς εὐχή 19 ὦ παῖ 20 ἀλλὰ 21 δέδοικ’ 22 μ’ 23 με 24 εὔχῃ, μή μ’ ἀτελὴς 25 ἀτελῶς 26 εὔχῃ 27 ἔχει 28 ἀτέλεστ’ 29

mvp-comment-425-2 For μὴ 30 α 31

mvp-comment-426-1 κηκῖον 32 νέον 33

mvp-comment-427-1 ἐργάσει 34 προσέρπει 35

mvp-comment-428-1 τάλας 36

mvp-comment-428-2 ἔχετε 37

mvp-comment-428-3 μηδαμῇ 38

mvp-comment-429-1 Κεφαλλήν 39

mvp-comment-429-2 σοῦ 40 ἔχοιτο 41 διαμπερὲς στέρνων 42 σου 43

mvp-comment-430-1 μάλ’ αὖθις 44

mvp-comment-430-2 ὦ διπλοῖ στρ. 45

mvp-comment-430-3 Ἀγάμεμνον, ὦ Μενέλαε 46 Μενέλαέ τ’ Ἀγάμεμνόν τε 47 πῶς ἄν 48 τρέφοιτε 49

mvp-comment-430-4 τὸν ἴσον χρόνον 50

mvp-comment-431-1 ὦ Θάνατε 51

mvp-comment-431-2 ἀεὶ … κατ’ ἦμαρ 52

mvp-comment-431-3 δύνᾳ 53

mvp-comment-432-1 ὦ τέκνον, ὦ γενναῖον 54

mvp-comment-432-2 ἀλλὰ 55

mvp-comment-433-1 τῷ Λ. τῷδ’ ἀνακ. πυρὶ 56

mvp-comment-433-2 The volcanic mountain called

Μόσυχλος
appears to have been on the east coast of Lemnos, south of the rocky promontory (
Ἑρμαῖον ὄρος
, v. 1459) to which the cave of Philoctetes was adjacent. No volcanic crater can now be traced in Lemnos; and it is probable that the ancient Mosychlus has been submerged. See Appendix.
Λήμνιον πῦρ
was proverbial for ‘a fierce fire’ ( Ar. Lys. 299 ). Lycophron (227) has
τεφρώσας γυῖα Λημναίῳ πυρί
in this sense, and calls Ajax
ὁ Λήμνιος
|
πρηστὴρ Ἐνυοῦς
(462), ‘Lemnian thunderbolt of war.’ Cp. Hesych.
Λήμνιον βλέπειν· ἐπειδὴ τὸ πῦρ Λήμνιον
. The legendary association of Lemnos with fierce crime (
Λήμνια κακά
) may have helped to suggest such phrases.

mvp-comment-434-1 ἔμπρησον 57 πυρί μ’ 58 συλλαβὼν 59

mvp-comment-435-1 τὸν τοῦ Διὸς παῖδ’ 60

mvp-comment-435-2 σῴζεις 61

mvp-comment-435-3 τοῦτ’ 62

mvp-comment-435-4 ἐπηξίωσα 63

mvp-comment-435-5 δρᾶν 64

mvp-comment-436-1 τί φής, παῖ 65

mvp-comment-436-2 ποῦ ποτ’ ὤν 66

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

763. mvp-comment-544-1 πρόστροπον] This word has an especially sacred and compelling force. Cp. O. Τ. 41, ἱκετεύομέν σε πάντες οἵδε πρόστροποι. κτείνας γένῃ] Cp. especially Aj. 588, μὴ προδοὺς ἡμᾶς γένῃ.

765. mvp-comment-545-1 οὐ δοθήσεται .. κάμοί] 'They shall be given to no one (and no one shall have them) besides us two.' Neoptolemus has in mind the real ground for this. Supr. 115.

766. mvp-comment-546-1 Philoctetes, even amidst his pain, feels the gravity of the moment when he gives the bow out of his hands. The common feeling about the Divine envy appears also in El. 1466.

767. mvp-comment-547-1 μηδ' ὅπως] For the disjunctive form of expression, cp. supr. 80, τοιαῦτα φωνεῖν, μηδὲ τεχνᾶσθαι κακά.

768. mvp-comment-548-1 Heracles and Philoctetes, both owners of the bow, had both had more than the usual share of trouble. The troubles of Heracles might even be traced to the weapon with which he had slain Nessus and provoked the sons of Eurytus to strife.

769-771. mvp-comment-549-1 Neoptolemus also feels the gravity of the moment, but dissembles his gladness under the cover of a heart-felt though ambiguous prayer.

770. mvp-comment-550-1 εὐσταλής] 'Happily conducted' = εὐτυχῶς ἐσταλμένος : said with reference to other dangers than those of winds and waves; e. g. a mutiny arising from Philoctetes' malady. Cp. supr. 520, 1, infr. 890 foll.

771. mvp-comment-551-1 ὅποι ποτέ, κ.τ.λ.] The formality of the prayer renders its ambiguous vagueness less suspicious. Neoptolemus trusts that, in spite of apparent difficulties, the will of the gods, as expressed in prophecy, is on the side of his ambition.

772. mvp-comment-552-1 The appearance of a single dochmiac line amongst the senarii is not of itself a sufficient reason for suspicion in a passage which is naturally interrupted by physical as well as by mental suffering. Cp. Trach. 1185, 6. Indeed the regularity of the dochmiac structure is rather in favour of the verse. But, in the vulgate reading (see v. rr.), the ellipse of the subjunctive mood and the accusative με-μ' cannot = μοι-are difficult to explain. The former objection may be removed by conjecturing μή μ' ἀτελὴς (οι ἀτελῶς) εὔχῃ, and the accusative may then be defended. See Essay on L. § 16. p. 23.

783. mvp-comment-553-1 ἐκ βυθοῦ] 'From hidden depths.' Men in pain naturally exaggerate the dimensions of the part affected.

784. mvp-comment-554-1 τι.. νέον] 'Some violent change.' Ср. O. С. 1447, and note.

786. mvp-comment-555-1 παπαῖ μάλ] Cp. O. C. 1462, ἴδε μάλα, and note. ἐργάσει] 'A great evil perpetually recurrent is most in apprehension.' But Philoctetes is also thinking of the danger to his new-found hopes.

789. mvp-comment-556-1 ἔχετε τὸ πρᾶγμα] 'You know all now.' He has made known to them what he had sought to hide, l. 742 foll. and they are aware both of his need and his danger, 776 foll. He implores them therefore to stand by him. μηδαμή = μηδεμιᾷ τέχνῃ. Cp. supr. 771.

790. mvp-comment-557-1 ἀτταταῖ] Perhaps *ἰατταταῖ should be read so as to keep up the iambic rhythm.

791-792. mvp-comment-558-1 εἴθε.. ἥδε] 'Would that this pang might pierce thy breast and cling there!' For ξένε, cp. Aj.817. Philoctetes and Odysseus had been bound by a common oath,

793-795. mvp-comment-559-1 For the repeated interjection, cp. Eur. Alc. 235, βόασον ὦ, στέναξον ὦ Φεραία χθών: ib. 460, ὦ μόνα, ὦ φίλα γυναικῶν : Cycl. 266.

794. mvp-comment-560-1 ὦ Μενέλαε: 795, τὸν ἴσον: 797, ὦ θάνατε, θάνατε. The freeer handling of the senarius, which marks the Philoctetes, and which belongs to the later manner of Greek tragedy, is most observable in this speech, where it expresses agitation ( cp. O. T. 967). For other instances, see ll. 651, 665, 879, 923, 4, 950, 1029, 1315, 1327, mostly in speeches of Philoctetes.

797-798. mvp-comment-561-1 Cp. Aj. 854, ὦ θάνατε, θάνατε, νῦν μ᾿ ἐπίσκεψαι μολών: Aesch. Phil. fr. 250, ὦ θάνατε Παιάν, μή μ' ἀτιμάσῃς μολεῖν.

798. mvp-comment-562-1 οὐ δύνᾳ μολεῖν] 'Why can you not come?' i. e. 'Why is it impossible to bring you?” πῶς οὐ δυνατόν ἐστί σε μολεῖν;

800. mvp-comment-563-1 ἀνακαλουμένῳ] (1) ‘Generally invoked,' or (2) 'Celebrated by this name.' Cp. Ar. Lys. 299. The volcano on Mount Mosychlos would be a god-prepared pyre for Philoctetes, whose end would then resemble that of his master Heracles.

803. mvp-comment-564-1 After l. 803 there is a pause, during which Neoptolemus is lost in thought. Philoctetes, who is already losing consciousness, is visited with a sudden fear lest his friend may have left him. Every word which he utters gives him a fresh hold on Neoptolemus' compassion.