Sophocles Philoctetes 47

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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CH. 2
But tell
169
Where is the pain-worn wight himself abroad?

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)) — 47 focus
ἕλοιτό μ' ἢ τοὺς πάντας ᾿Αργείους λαβεῖν.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1-134 focus
Translations (4)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 54 focus
Und was begehrst du?
Strebe Philoktetes' Geist
Mir schlau zu hintergehen durch der Rede Kunst.
55
Sobald er anfragt, wer du seist, aus welchem Land,
So sprich: „Achilleus' Sohn"; in diesem rede wahr:
Du schiffest heimwärts, habest dort der Danaer
Schiffsheer verlassen, dem du zürnst in schwerem Zorn,
Das aus der Heimat dich gelockt durch langes Fleh'n,
60
Weil, Ilion zu stürzen, so nur möglich sei,
Und doch dich nicht gewürdigt, dir des Vaters Wehr
Zu geben, die du kommend als dein Recht begehrt,
Nein, ich, Odysseus, habe sie: und sage dann
Von mir das Aergste, Schmach um Schmach, so viel du willst.
65
Mich kränkst du damit nimmermehr; doch, thust du's nicht,
So bringst du Sammer über Argos' ganzes Heer.
Denn wird des Mannes Bogen nicht entwandt von uns,
So kannst du Troja's Veste nicht bewältigen.
Warum ich selbst nicht, sondern du allein dich ihm
70
Getrost und sicher nähern kannst, das höre nun.
Du schifftest, Keinem zugethan durch Eidesschwur, 1
Nach Troja, nicht gezwungen, nicht im ersten Zug; 2
Mir steht von allem diesem Nichts zu läugnen an.
Drum wenn er, seines Bogens Herr, mich hier gewahrt,
75
Bin ich verloren und verderbe dich mit mir.
Hier also gilt es eine List, wir müssen spähn,
Wie du der unbesiegten Wehr den Mann beraubst.
Wohl hat, ich weiß es, die Natur dich nicht gemacht
Zu solchen Reden, noch zu Trug und Hinterlist;
80
Doch reizend ist es, einzufah'n des Sieges Glück;
So wag' es; künftig handeln wir dann wieder gut.
Sezt gib dich nur für eines Tages kurze Frist
Mir hin zu dreister Lüge; für die Folge dann
Laß dich den Frömmsten nennen, der auf Erden ist!
85
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 47 focus
Chorus
201
No more, my son !
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 47 focus
Neoptolemus
My wonder this excites not; for heav'n-sent
200
These sufferings seized him, if aright I judge,
200
Derived from baleful Chryse; and the toils
200
Which now afflict him, where no friend is near
200
To mitigate his ills, are by the gods
200
Assign'd, who would not their unconquer'd shafts
200
He wing against the Trojans, ere the time
200
Arrive, when by them Troy must be subdued.
200
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1-130 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-101-1 φορβῆς 1

mvp-comment-101-2 τῇδε 2 τόνδε 3

mvp-comment-102-1 ταύτην 4

mvp-comment-102-2 φύσιν 5

mvp-comment-103-1 στυγερὸν στυγερῶς 6 σμυγερὸν σμυγερῶς 7

mvp-comment-104-1 ἐπινωμᾶν 8

mvp-comment-105-1 οἰκτίρω 9

mvp-comment-105-2 ὅπως 10

mvp-comment-106-1 μή του 11

mvp-comment-106-2 μηδὲ 12 σύντροφον 13 ξύντροφον 14

mvp-comment-106-3 ξυντρ. ὄμμ’ 15

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

135-218. mvp-comment-91-1 We have here a commatic parados (cp. El., O. C.), in which Neoptolemus responds in anapaests to lyric measures chanted apparently by single members of the Chorus, as they take their places in the orchestra. Their entrance must be subsequent to l. 134, for the conversation in ll. 50 foll. would lose its effect if Odysseus and Philoctetes were not alone. The anapaests of Neoptolemus and l. 161, chanted by the coryphaeus, accompany movements of the Chorus, who at l. 169 have already taken up their position. The metres of the lyric part are as follows:- α΄. Glyc. β'. Glyc. γ. Glyc. It is evident that the lyric strains were accompanied with gesticulation, especially in στρ. and ἀντ. γ'. The fact that the Chorus at entering have some knowledge of that which has just been made known upon the stage, is not a sufficient reason for supposing them to have been present during any part of the previous scene. Similarly, in the O. T. the Chorus have been gathered by the news of the arrival of Creon from Delphi, which happens in the midst of the prologos, l. 87; and in the Ajax, the mariners speak of the slanders of Ulysses, which could only be disseminated after his exit. It is best, therefore, to suppose, as above, that the Chorus enter as usual after the prologos, and that the first strophe is begun as soon as they are well within hearing of the stage. The whole passage is meant to interest the spectator in Philoctetes, and to prepare for the effect to be produced by his entrance, infr. 219. Cp. Aj. 201-332.

159-161. mvp-comment-108-1 These lines break the antistrophic effect. Cp O C. 197 foll., El. 1403-5, and notes.

161. mvp-comment-111-1 ὁ τλήμων] This expression is prompted by the sight of Philoctetes' 'homeless dwelling-place.'

163. mvp-comment-112-1 στίβον ὀγμεύει] • He tracks his way.' The metaphor is taken from ploughing, and expresses the difficult motion of the lame man dragging his foot, and as it were harrowing the ground. For ὄγμος, ‘A furrow, cp. Il. 18. 546, Archil. 115. τόνδε πέλας που] 'This way, somewhere not far off.' With τόνδε Neoptolemus points to the way which Philoctetes must have taken. In πέλας he echoes what Odysseus had said in 41.

166. mvp-comment-113-1 στυγερὸν στυγερώς] The gloss ἐπιπόνως, compared with Hesych. σμυγερών : ἐπίπονον, οἰκτρών, μοχθηρόν, σμυγερῶς: ἐπιπόνως, certainly favours Brunck's emendation, σμυγερὸν σμυγε- ρῶς. But σμυγερός occurs nowhere else in Tragedy, μογερός being the form regularly used. And in iterative phrases like μόνος μόνοις, Αj. 467 : καινῷ καινὸν ἐν πεπλώματι, Τr. 613, it often happens that both words are not equally significant. Neoptolemus, in his horror of the solitary life, may also feel beforehand a natural horror of the solitary man. Philoctetes himself apprehends this, infr. 225, 6, καὶ μή μ᾿ ὀκνῳ | δείσαντες ἐκπλαγῆτ᾽ ἀπηγριωμένον. Cp. Od. 13. 399, 400, ἀμφὶ δὲ λαίφος | ἕσσω, ὅ κεν στυγέῃσιν ἰδῶν ἄνθρωπος ἔχοντα: ib. 11. 81, νῶῖ μὲν ὡς ἐπέεσσιν ἀμειβομένω στυγεροῖσιν | ἥμεθα.

167-168. mvp-comment-114-1 οὐδέ τιν᾿ αὐτῷ . . ἐπινωμᾶν] (1) Nor brings to his relief any healer of his woe;' so the Scholiast: i.e. 'No healer comes to him.' See E. on L. §30. p. 52, d. Or (2) reading αὑτῷ. • Nor does any healer of his woes approach him. But there is no clear instance in early Greek of νωμᾶν being used absolutely = To move.' See note on infr. 717. (3) Linwood prefers, 'Nor does any man bring him a healer.'

169. mvp-comment-115-1 ὅπως] As after θαυμάζω.

170. mvp-comment-116-1 The reading of the first hand of L, τοὺς κηδομένους, admits of a possible construction with ἔχων, but is probably an error arising from the change of construction.

171. mvp-comment-117-1 μηδὲ σύντροφον ὄμμα] Nor any soul to live with him.' ὄμμα is the act of eye meeting eye, and so is transferred to the object of affectionate intercourse. See E. on L. § 54, a. p. 99. σύντροφον, i. e. Partaking of the same circumstances and means of life.' For μή, see E. on L. p. 48, 2, 6.