Sophocles Philoctetes 48

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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NEO
159cont2
To me ’tis clear, that, in his quest for food,
Here, not far off, he trails yon furrowed path.
For, so ’tis told, this mode the sufferer hath
Of sustenance, oh hardness! bringing low
Wild creatures with wing’d arrows from his bow;
Nor findeth healer for his troublous woe.
I feel his misery.
With no companion eye,
Far from all human care,
He pines with fell disease;
Each want he hourly sees
Awakening new despair.
How can he bear it still?
165
O cruel Heavens! O pain
165
Of that afflicted mortal train
165
Whose life sharp sorrows fill!
Born in a princely hall,
Highest, perchance, of all,
Now lies he comfortless
Alone in deep distress,
’Mongst rough and dappled brutes,
With pangs and hunger worn;
While from far distance shoots,
On airy pinion borne,
The unbridled Echo, still replying
To his most bitter crying.

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)) — 48 focus
ἀλλ᾽ ἔρχεταί τε καὶ φυλάξεται στίβος.
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)) — 48 focus
Neoptolemus
What sayst thou ?
200
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 48 focus
Chorus
Silence, my son; I hear a sound; it seems
210
The voice of one acquainted long with pain.
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-100-1 οἶκον … κοίτης 1

mvp-comment-100-2 ἀμφίθυρον 2 μὲν 3 ποῦ γὰρ 4

mvp-comment-101-1 φορβῆς 5

mvp-comment-101-2 τῇδε 6 τόνδε 7

mvp-comment-102-1 ταύτην 8

mvp-comment-102-2 φύσιν 9

mvp-comment-103-1 στυγερὸν στυγερῶς 10 σμυγερὸν σμυγερῶς 11

mvp-comment-104-1 ἐπινωμᾶν 12

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.

159. mvp-comment-109-1 οἶκον.. κοίτης] 'Thou seest the home with a door either way where he makes his bed upon the rock.' For the genitive, see Essay on L. § 10. p. 15.

160. mvp-comment-110-1 The coryphaeus, with one or more of the other choreutae, has mounted to the stage during the recitation of 144-9. He advances further while his companion recites 150-8, and Neoptolemus points out the cave to him. He turns to Neoptolemus with this question and then rejoins his comrades. While Neoptolemus recites 162-68, the Chorus take up their regular position in the orchestra in front of the stage.

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.'