Sophocles Philoctetes 241

Thomas Francklin (Translator)

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Ulysses
I could answer him,
Were this a time for words ; but now, no more
Than this — I act as best befits our purpose.
Where virtue, truth, and justice are required
1050
Ulysses yields to none \ I was not born
To be o'ercome, and yet submit to thee.
Let him remain. Thy arrows shall suffice ;
We want thee not ; Teucer can draw thy bow
1055
As well as thou ; myself with equal strength
Can aim the deadly shaft, with equal skill.
What could thy presence do ? Let Lemnos keep thee.
Farewell ! perhaps the honours once designed
1060
For thee may be reserved to grace Ulysses.

Philoctetes. Sophocles. Thomas Francklin (Translator). London. 1758–1759.

Current edition Experimental

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 241 focus
᾿Αχιλλέως, Νεοπτόλεμος. οἶσθα δὴ οἶσθ᾽ ἤδη οἶσθα δὴ τὸ πᾶν.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 219-390 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 241 focus
OD
Be sure of that, Odysseus, whom thou seest.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 254 focus
Weh mir, dem vielgequälten, gottverhaßten Mann,
Von dessen Leide nicht ein Ruf nach Hause, noch
Sonst irgend hin gedrungen im Hellenenland!
250
Und jene, die mich frevelnd ausgeworfen hier,
Hohulachen mein im Stillen: doch in voller Kraft
Blüht meine Krankheit, und gewinnt an Stärke ſtets.
Kind, Achillens, eines edlen Vaters, Sohn!
Ich, wisse, bin derselbe, den dir wohl der Ruf
255
Als den genannt hat, der Herakles' Wehr empfing,
Bin Philoktetes, Pöas' Sohn, den jene zwei
Heerfürsten und der Kephallenenkönig einst 1
Schmachvoll in diese Wüste warfen, weil an ihm
Die grimme Krankheit zehrte, seit der wilde Biß
260
Der mordbewehrten Natter ihn verwundete.
Mit ihr, o Jüngling, haben sie mich ausgesezt,
Mich einsam hier gelassen, als der Schiffe Zug
Von Chryse's Meereilande sich hieher gewandt.
Da froh gewahrend, wie ich matt vom Meergetos
265
Am Strande schlief im wohlgewölbten Felsenhaus,
Entfloh'n sie treulos, ließen wenig Lumpen mir,
Wie einem Bettler, und der Kost armseligen
Bedarf zurück: o werde Gleiches ihnen auch!
Doch welch Erwachen dünkt es dir, zu welchem ich
270
Nach ihrem Abzug aus dem Schlaf erstand, o Kind?
Wie bitter weint' ich? Wie beklagt' ich meine Noth?
Ich sah die Schiffe, welche mich hieher geführt,
All' abgezogen, keinen Mann am Orte mehr,
Nicht Einen, der mir hülse, der mich Leidenden
275
In meiner Qual erquickte: ringsum späht' ich nach;
Doch nichts entdeckt' ich überall, als Sammer nur;
Und dessen fand ich eine große Fülle, Kind.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 241 focus
Ulysses
That, were he willing, he shall never do;
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-570-1 παρείκοι 1

mvp-comment-570-2 ἑνὸς κρατῶ λόγου 2

mvp-comment-571-1 γὰρ 3

mvp-comment-571-2 τοιούτων 4 τοιούτων 5 πανούργων 6

mvp-comment-571-3 κρίσις 7

mvp-comment-571-4 μου 8

mvp-comment-572-1 νικᾶν 9

mvp-comment-572-2 γε μέντοι 10

mvp-comment-572-3 εἰς σέ 11

mvp-comment-572-4 ἐκστήσομαι 12

mvp-comment-573-1 ἄφετε γὰρ αὐτόν 13 γὰρ 14

mvp-comment-573-2 οὐδὲ σοῦ 15 οὐδέ σου 16 προσχρῄζομεν 17 σοῦ 18 τά γ’ ὅπλ’ 19

mvp-comment-574-1 Τεῦκρος 20 τήνδ’ ἐπιστήμην 21

mvp-comment-574-2 παρ’ ἡμῖν 22 πάρεστι 23

mvp-comment-575-1 ἐγώ θ’ 24

mvp-comment-575-2 μηδ’ ἐπιθύνειν 25

mvp-comment-575-3 After a verb of thinking or saying,

οὐ
is the ordinary negative with the inf.: but
μή
sometimes occurs ( O. T. 1455 n., 2nd ed.). Here the question is, why the second inf. should have μηδ’ 26 οὐδὲν 27 οὐδὲν 28 κάκιον 29 κρατύνειν 30

mvp-comment-575-4 (2) The less probable view is that οὐδὲν 31 κρατύνειν 32 μηδ’ 33 ἐπιθύνειν 34 οἶμαι 35 οὐ 36 μηδέ 37 οὐ … μηδέ 38 οὐ … οὐδέ 39

mvp-comment-575-5 Nauck's conjecture, ἠδ’ ἐπευθύνειν 40

mvp-comment-576-1 τὴν Αῆμνον 41

mvp-comment-577-1 γέρας 42

mvp-comment-577-2 ἣν σὲ χρῆν 43 ἣν σ’ ἐχρῆν 44

mvp-comment-577-3 1064 Since ἐν 45 Ἀργείοις 46 ὅπλοισι κοσμηθεὶς 47

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

1048. mvp-comment-722-1 εἴ μοι παρείκοι] Sc. τὸ πρᾶγμα ὥστε πολλὰ λέγειν. 'Did but my leisure serve me.' νῦν δ᾽ ἑνὸς κρατῶ λόγου] 'But, as it is, I have only one thing to say.' This refers to infr. 1054 foll. 'All I can now say is that we need not take him, if he will not come. The bow is enough.' Odysseus means that this is not the time for justifying his act. He will do and say only what is necessary for his end. When the plea of justice is required, arguments will not fail him. κρατῶ has been suspected. The nearest parallel to it is O. T. 409, τοῦδε γὰρ κἀγὼ κρατῶ.

1049. mvp-comment-723-1 τοιούτων .. τοιοῦτος have here a general meaning, and τοιούτων may be either (1) neuter, or (2) masculine. (1) 'Where this or that line of conduct is required, I follow that course;' or (2) 'Where this or that character is needed, I am of that character.' Cp. Plato, Rep. 4.429 B, 437 E, Phaedr. 271 D; Eur. Or. 1680 ( ΜΕ. πείθεσθαι χρεών.) ΟΡ. κἀγὼ τοιοῦτος (sc. τῇ γνώμῃ εἰμὶ ὥστε πείθεσθαι). Others suppose a vague reference to the accusation of injustice in Philoctetes' speech.

1050-1051. mvp-comment-724-1 Cp. supr. 83-5.

1052-1053. mvp-comment-725-1 νικᾶν γε . ἐκστήσομαι] 'However, while in all other cases I am certainly solicitous to overcome, I make an exception in regard to you. On the contrary, I am willing to let you have your way.' The paratactic structure ( cp. supr. 1043) assists the surprise in πλὴν εἰς σέ, which is thus brought in suddenly. σοί γ᾽] γε reaffirms εἰς σε with ironical courtesy.

1054. mvp-comment-726-1 ἄφετε] Cp. supr. 1003.

1055. mvp-comment-727-1 προσχρήζομεν] προσ-, 'in addition.'

1056. mvp-comment-728-1 μέν] 'If no one else.'

1057. mvp-comment-729-1 Cp. Od. 8. 219, where Odysseus boasts that he is second to none but Philoctetes in the use of the bow, and contrast Aj. 1120, ὁ τοξότης ἔοικεν οὐ σμικρὸν φρονεῖν. It is necessary to the plot of the Philoctetes that skill in archery should be spoken of with respect, as in heroic times, whereas Menelaus in the Ajax expresses the contempt of a hoplite of the time of Pericles for the light-armed bowman.

1058. mvp-comment-730-1 ἐγώ θ'] 'And I too.' 'Post πόρεστι μὲν Τεύκρος sequi dedebat πάρειμι δ' ἐγώ, pro quo mutata orationis forma ἐγώ τε illatum est, quia hoc sine verbo positum est.' Dindorf. E. on L. § 36. p. 65. Cp. infr. 1424-8. ὃς οἶμαι, κ.τ.λ.] The bow of Odysseus is not less famous than that of Heracles. See Introd. to Trachiniae.

1058-1059. mvp-comment-731-1 οὐδὲν .. μηδ'] οὐ belongs strictly to οἶμαι, as in οὗ φημι, οὐ φαίνεται, etc. μή is to be taken closely with the infinitive, which receives an hypothetical turn from av preceding. Wunder quotes Plat. Prot. 319 Β, ὅθεν δὲ αὐτὸ ἡγοῦμαι οὐ διδακτὸν εἶναι μηδ' ὑπ᾿ ἀνθρώπων παρασκευστὸν ἀνθρώποις, δίκαιός εἰμι εἰπεῖν, but οὐ there rather adheres to διδακτόν. The repetition of the negative is here emphatic.

1060. mvp-comment-732-1 Cp. supr. 2, and note.

1062. mvp-comment-733-1 ἣν σ᾽ ἐχρῆν ἔχειν] Here, as above in 997, 8, Odysseus alludes to the prophecy, of which, however, Philoctetes has not been told. He was too impatient to listen to Neoptolemus, supr. 919, 20.