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Odysseus

This is the headland of sea-washed Lemnos , land untrodden by men and desolate. It was here, child bred of the man who was the noblest of the Greeks, Neoptolemus son of Achilles, that I exposed
1

long ago the native of Malis, Poeas’ son, on the express command of the two chieftains to do so, because his foot was all running with a gnawing disease. Neither libation nor burnt sacrifice could be attempted by us in peace, but with his wild, ill-omened cries
5

he filled the whole camp continually with shrieking, moaning. But what need is there to speak of that? The time is not ripe for too many words, lest he even learn that I am here, and I so waste the whole ruse whereby I think soon to take him.
10

Come, it is your task to serve as my ally in what remains, and to seek where in this region there is a cave with two mouths. During cold weather it provides two seats facing the sun, while in summer a breeze wafts sleep through the tunnelled chamber.
15

And a little below, on the left hand, perhaps, you will see water rising from a spring, if it has not failed. Go there silently, and signal to me whether he still dwells in this same place, or is to be found elsewhere, so that the rest of my plan may be explained by me, heard by you,
20

and sped by the joint effort of us both.
25

Philoctetes. Sophocles. Richard Jebb (Translator). Cambridge. 1898.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Experimental

Philoctetes (English) (Sophocles the plays and fragments, Part 4: The Philoctetes. Jebb, Richard Claverhouse, Sir, translator. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1898. (Modernized by Perseus.))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 1 focus

᾿ΑΚΤῊ μὲν ἥδε τῆς περιρρύτου χθονὸς
1

Λήμνου, βροτοῖς ἄστιπτος οὐδ᾽ οἰκουμένη οἰκουμένην,

ἔνθ᾽, ὦ κρατίστου πατρὸς ῾Ελλήνων τραφεὶς

᾿Αχιλλέως παῖ Νεοπτόλεμε, τὸν Μηλιᾶ

Ποίαντος υἱὸν ἐξέθηκ᾽ ἐγώ ποτε,
5

ταχθεὶς τόδ᾽ ἔρδειν τῶν ἀνασσόντων ὕπο,

νόσῳ καταστάζοντα διαβόρῳ πόδα·

ὅτ᾽ οὔτε λοιβῆς ἡμὶν ἦμιν ἡμὶν οὔτε θυμάτων

παρῆν ἑκήλοις προσθιγεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀγρίαις

κατεῖχ᾽ κατείχετ' κατεῖχ᾿ ἀεὶ πᾶν στρατόπεδον δυσφημίαις,
10

βοῶν, στενάζων. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τί δεῖ

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

λέγειν; ἀκμὴ γὰρ οὐ μακρῶν ἡμῖν λόγων,

μὴ καὶ μάθῃ μ' ἥκοντα κἀκχέω τὸ πᾶν

σόφισμα τῷ νιν αὐτίχ᾽ αὐτίκ αὐτίχ᾿ αἱρήσειν δοκῶ.

ἀλλ᾽ ἔργον ἤδη σὸν τὰ λοίφ᾽ λοίπ᾿ λοίπ' λοίφ' ὑπηρετεῖν,
15

σκοπεῖν θ᾽ om. add ὅπου 'στ᾽ ὅπούστ᾽ ὅποὔστιν ἐνταῦθα δίστομος πέτρα

τοιάδ', ἵν ἐν ψύχει μὲν ἡλίου διπλῆ

πάρεστιν ἐνθάκησις, ἐν θέρει δ᾽ ὕπνον

δι' ἀμφιτρῆτος αὐλίου πέμπει πνοή.

βαιὸν δ᾽ ἔνερθεν ἐξ ἀριστερᾶς τάχ᾽ ἂν
20

ἴδοις ποτὸν κρηναῖον, εἴπερ ἐστὶ σῶν.

ἅ μοι προσελθὼν σῖγα σήμαιν᾽ εἰτ' ἔχει ἔχει ἔνι

χῶρον πρὸς αὐτὸν τόνδε γ', εἴτ᾿ ἄλλῃ κυρεῖ,

ὡς τἀπίλοιπα τῶν λόγων σὺ μὲν κλύῃς,

ἐγὼ δὲ φράζω, κοινὰ δ᾽ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν * ἴῃ.
25

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΝΕΟΠΤΟΛΕΜΟΣ,

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1 focus

Ὀδυσσεύς

ἀκτὴ μὲν ἥδε τῆς περιρρύτου χθονὸς
1

Λήμνου, βροτοῖς ἄστιπτος οὐδʼ οἰκουμένη,

ἔνθʼ, ὦ κρατίστου πατρὸς Ἑλλήνων τραφεὶς

Ἀχιλλέως παῖ Νεοπτόλεμε, τὸν Μηλιᾶ

Ποίαντος υἱὸν ἐξέθηκʼ ἐγώ ποτε,
5

ταχθεὶς τόδʼ ἔρδειν τῶν ἀνασσόντων ὕπο,

νόσῳ καταστάζοντα διαβόρῳ πόδα·

ὅτʼ οὔτε λοιβῆς ἡμὶν οὔτε θυμάτων

παρῆν ἑκήλοις προσθιγεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἀγρίαις

κατεῖχʼ ἀεὶ πᾶν στρατόπεδον δυσφημίαις,
10

βοῶν, στενάζων. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τί δεῖ

λέγειν; ἀκμὴ γὰρ οὐ μακρῶν ἡμῖν λόγων,

μὴ καὶ μάθῃ μʼ ἥκοντα κἀκχέω τὸ πᾶν

σόφισμα, τῷ νιν αὐτίχʼ αἱρήσειν δοκῶ.

ἀλλʼ ἔργον ἤδη σὸν τὰ λοίφʼ ὑπηρετεῖν
15

σκοπεῖν θʼ ὅπου ʼστʼ ἐνταῦθα δίστομος πέτρα

τοιάδʼ, ἵνʼ ἐν ψύχει μὲν ἡλίου διπλῆ

πάρεστιν ἐνθάκησις, ἐν θέρει δʼ ὕπνον

διʼ ἀμφιτρῆτος αὐλίου πέμπει πνοή·

βαιὸν δʼ ἔνερθεν ἐξ ἀριστερᾶς τάχʼ ἂν
20

ἴδοις ποτὸν κρηναῖον, εἴπερ ἐστὶ σῶν.

ἅ μοι προσελθὼν σῖγα σήμαινʼ εἴτʼ ἐκεῖ

χῶρον τὸν αὐτὸν τόνδʼ ἔτʼ εἴτʼ ἄλλῃ κυρεῖ,

ὡς τἀπίλοιπα τῶν λόγων σὺ μὲν κλύῃς,

ἐγὼ δὲ φράζω, κοινὰ δʼ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἴῃ.
25

Translations (4)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 1 focus

This coast of sea-girt Lemnos, where we stand,
1

Is uninhabited, untrodden of men.
1

And here, O noble son of noblest sire,
1

Achilles-born Neoptolemus, I erewhile,—

Ordered by those who had command,—cast forth

Trachinian Philoctetes, Poeas’ son,

His foot dark-dripping with a rankling wound;

When with wild cries, that frighted holy rest,

Filling the camp, he troubled every rite,

That none might handle sacrifice, or pour

Wine-offering, but his noise disturbed our peace.
5

But why these words? No moment this for talk,
5

Lest he discern my coming, and I lose

The scheme, wherewith I think to catch him soon.

Now most behoves thy service, to explore

This headland for a cave with double mouth,

Whose twofold aperture, on wintry days,

Gives choice of sunshine, and in summer noons

The breeze wafts slumber through the airy cell.

Then, something lower down, upon the left,

Unless ’tis dried, thine eye may note a spring.

Go near now silently, and make me know

If still he persevere, and hold this spot,
10

Or have roamed elsewhere, that informed of this
10

I may proceed with what remains to say,

And we may act in concert.

NEOPTOLEMUS

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 1 focus

Das ist der Strand von Lemnos' ringsumfloss'nen Gau'n,¹²
1

Stets unbetreten, unbewohnt von Sterblichen.

Hier, Sohn Achillens, edler Sproß des tapfersten

Hellenen, o Neoptolemos, hier hab' ich einst

Den Sohn des Pöas ausgesezt, den Melier,³
5

Wie durch des Heeres Fürsten mir geboten ward,

Weil ihm von eklem Eiter troff der wunde Fuß,

Da ruhig weder Räucherwerk noch Spenden wir⁴

Anrühren konnten: also füllt er ohne Rast

Mit grauser Töne wildem Ruf das Lager an,
10

Und heulte, stöhnte. Doch wozu dies Alles noch

Erwähnen? Lang zu reden ist hier keine Zeit;

Er könnte mich bemerken und mein ganzer Plan

Zerrinnen, der, ich hoffe, bald ihn fahen soll.

Sezt ist es deine Sache, mir hülfreich zu sein,
15

Und auszuspähen, wo der doppelmündige

Fels ist, in welchem Winters für die Sonne sich

Zwiefach die Einkehr öffnet, und im Sommer Schlaf

Die kühlen Lüfte durch die offne Grotte weh'n.

Ein wenig tiefer, links hinab, erblickst du wohl
20

Den Born zum Trinken, wenn er nicht versiegen ging.

Tritt leise näher und bedeute mir sofort,

Ob dort die Grotte wirklich ist, ob anderwärts,

Daß du vernehmest, was ich sonst anordne noch,

Und ich's dir sage; denn gemeinsam sei das Werk!
25

Neoptolemos.

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 1 focus

At length, my noble friend, thou bravest son
1

Of a brave father — father of us all,
1

The great Achilles — we have reached the shore
1

Of sea-girt Lemnos, desert and forlorn,

Where never tread of human step is seen.

Or voice of mortal heard, save his alone,

Whom here I left ; for such were my commands

From Grecia's chiefs, when by his fatal wound

Oppressed, his groans and execrations dreadful

Alarmed our hosts, our sacred rites profaned,

And interrupted holy sacrifice.

But why should I repeat the tale 1 The time
5

Admits not of delay. We must not linger.
5

Lest he discover our arrival here,

And all our purposed fraud to draw him hence

Be ineffectual. Lend me then thy aid.

Surv'eying round thee, canst thou see a rock

With double entrance — to the sun's warm rays

In winter open, and in summer's heat

Giving free pasj^age to the welcome breeze ?

A little to the left there is a fountain

Of li\-ing water, where, if yet he breathes.

He slakes his thirst. If aught thou seest of this

Inform me \ so shall each to each impart
10

Council mast fit, and serve our common cause.
10

Ned. ]}iaiing Ulysses a little behind /dm]. If I
10

mistake not, I behold a cave,

E'en such as thou describst.

Ulysses

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 1 focus

THIS is the shore of Lemnos, sea-girt isle;
1

No human footstep marks the ground: no hut,
1

Which man inhabits, rises to the eye :
1

Here, Neoptolemus, thou noble son

Of the most valiant of the Grecian Chiefs,

In times long past, commanded by the kings

To do this deed; for from his wounded foot

A rankling ulcer oozed, and undisturb'd

Nor victim nor libation could our hands

Present; through all the camp his dismal groans

And horrid cries resounded. But these things
5

Why should I now relate? This is no time
5

For long discourse, lest, my arrival known,
5

I frustrate all my subtle trains, in which

I think to take him soon. Thine now the task..

To act as I direct thee, and observe

If here the pierced rock to the winter's sun

Presents on either side a cheerful seat;

But in the summer through the pervious cleft

The gently-passing gale leads sleep along.

A little lower, on the left, perchance

A fountain thou may'st see, of whose pure stream,

If living yet, he drinks: with silent step

Advance, and tell me in, that place if still
10

He holds his habitation, or elsewhere.
10

Further instructions then thou may'st receive,

And I may give them: mutual be our toil.

Neoptolemus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-1-1 ἀκτὴ μὲν ἥδε ¹

mvp-comment-2-1 ἄστιπτος ² στιπτή ³

mvp-comment-2-2 οὐδ’ οἰκουμένη ⁴

mvp-comment-3-1 κρατίστου … τραφείς ⁵ πατρὸς ⁶ τραφείς ⁷

mvp-comment-4-1 Νεοπτόλεμε ⁸

mvp-comment-4-2 τὸν Μηλιᾶ ⁹

mvp-comment-5-1 ἐξέθηκ’ ¹⁰

mvp-comment-5-2 6 f. Nauck's transposition of these two verses effaces a delicate touch. Odysseus is anxious to present his conduct in the best light. After

ἐξέθηκ’ ἐγώ

, he hastens to add that he was merely obeying his chiefs (v. 6). And then, in vv. 7 ff., he palliates their conduct by describing how unendurable Philoctetes was.

mvp-comment-6-1 καταστάζοντα ¹¹ πόδα ¹²

mvp-comment-6-2 διαβόρῳ ¹³

mvp-comment-7-1 λοιβῆς … θυμάτων ¹⁴

mvp-comment-7-2 προσθιγεῖν ¹⁵

mvp-comment-7-3 δυσφημίαις ¹⁶

mvp-comment-7-4 The sacrifice which the cries of Philoctetes interrupted must be that which an oracle had commanded the Greeks to offer at Chrysè's altar, in the islet Chrysè. Thence they sailed to Lemnos, which was close by, and put him ashore (270). The word

στρατόπεδον

could be said of a fleet (Thuc. 1. 117); but the reference in vv. 8 f. can hardly include attempts at sacrifice made between Chrysè and Lemnos.

mvp-comment-8-1 ἀκμὴ … λόγων ¹⁷

mvp-comment-9-1 μὴ καὶ ¹⁸

mvp-comment-9-2 ἐκχέω ¹⁹

mvp-comment-9-3 τῷ ²⁰

mvp-comment-10-1 ἔργον … σὸν ²¹

mvp-comment-11-1 ὅπου )στ’ ²²

mvp-comment-11-2 ὅπου … ἐνταῦθα ²³

mvp-comment-12-1 τοιάδ’, ἵν’ ²⁴

mvp-comment-12-2 ἡλίου διπλῆ … ἐνθάκησις ²⁵

mvp-comment-12-3 ἀμφιτρῆτος ²⁶

mvp-comment-12-4 αὐλίου ²⁷

mvp-comment-13-1 εἴπερ ἐστὶ σῶν ²⁸

mvp-comment-14-1 ἅ μοι προσελθὼν … κυρεῖ ²⁹ μοι ³⁰ μοι ³¹ σήμαιν’ εἵτ’ ἔχει ³² ἔχει ³³ τόνδ’ ἔτ’, εἴτ’ ³⁴

mvp-comment-15-1 τἀπίλοιπα τῶν λόγων ³⁵

mvp-comment-15-2 κοινὰ ³⁶

mvp-comment-15-3 ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἴῃ ³⁷

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

1ff. mvp-comment-1-1 Odysseus and Neoptolemus with one attendant (infr. 45) enter from the spectators' left. The scene represents a rocky place, with a mountain in the background.

1. mvp-comment-2-1 ᾿Ακτὴ . . Λήμνου] 'This coast belongs to Lemnos, that wave-surrounded land.' μέν opposes the preliminary statement to what follows, especially ἀλλά, κ.τ.λ., in ll. 11 ff.

2. mvp-comment-3-1 βροτοῖς . . οἰκουμένη] The intention of this line is to mark the complete solitude of Philoctetes: and from the same motive no mention of any inhabitants of Lemnos is made throughout the play. But it is improbable (see Introd. p. 363) that Sophocles meant to speak of Lemnos as an entirely desert island, and the language here does not imply so much. It appears from 1001, 2 that the scene, although below the cave, is considerably above the sea.

3-11. mvp-comment-4-1 Odysseus, who knows the nature of Neoptolemus, approaches the subject cautiously, addressing him with the honourable title which appeals most to his ambition, and putting forward promptly the reasons or excuses for his own previous act, (1) as commanded by authority, (2) as required by the necessity for quiet in the army when religious ceremonies were performed.

3-4. mvp-comment-5-1 τραφείς] The slight periphrasis, by which τραφείς is substituted for γεγώς may or may not convey an allusion to the nurture of Neoptolemus in Scyros while Achilles was at Troy. Cp. Il. 19. 326, ἠὲ τὸν ὃς Σκυρῷ μοι ἐνὶ τρέφεται φίλος υἷος: infr. 243, θρέμμα Λυκομήδους.

4. mvp-comment-6-1 Νεοπτόλεμε] Νεοπτόλεμε.

5. mvp-comment-7-1 Odysseus thus suggests his own example to Neoptolemus.

11. mvp-comment-8-1 μέν opposes ταῦτα, κ.τ.λ. to ἀλλ᾽ ἔργον, κ.τ.λ. in l. 15.

12. mvp-comment-9-1 ἀκμὴ . . λόγων] ‘For now is the time not for many words.' For the sudden introduction of the negative. cp. infr. 961, ὄλοιο μήπω, κ.τ.λ. It is no time for nice consideration of the past. The present crisis must be practically met. Thus Odysseus obviates further discussion.

13. mvp-comment-10-1 μὴ καί] Cp. infr. 46, and see Essay on L. § 25. p. 40. κἀκχέω] · And so I lose.' For καί implying consequence, cp. infr. 286, 490, 1061. ἐκχεῖν signifies the sudden loss by inadvertence of something held in store. Cp. Aesch. Pers. 824-6, μηδέ τις . . ἄλλων ἐρασθεὶς ὄλβον ἐκχέῃ μέγαν, (ἐκχέω is aor.).

15. mvp-comment-11-1 τὰ λοίφ᾽ ὑπηρετεῖν] Το serve' (infr. 53) 'in what remains.'

16. mvp-comment-12-1 ὅπου . . ἐνταῦθα] ‘At what point hereabouts.' Odysseus has a vivid recollection of the place. But the cave and its adjacent spring are not immediately visible.

17. mvp-comment-13-1 ἡλίου . . ἐνθάκησις] ‘On both sides one may sit in the sun.' ἡλίου ἐνθάκησις = θάκησις ἐν ἡλίῳ, Essay on L. § 9. p. 11. For the use of ἥλιος = ' Sunshine,' cp. Plat. Phaed. 116 E, ἔτι ἥλιον εἶναι ἐπὶ τοῖς ὄρεσιν.

18-19. mvp-comment-14-1 ἐν θέρει ... πνοή] 'And in summertime the breeze wafts slumber through the pervious cell.'

21. mvp-comment-15-1 εἴπερ ἐστὶ σῶν] ‘If it be not destroyed; '-explaining the uncertainty implied in τάχ᾽ ἄν.

22. mvp-comment-16-1 The comparison of Aj. 1101 and other places where there is elision shows that l. 23 need not have been suspected because of the apparent breach of the rule about the cretic ending. But ἔχει is difficult and the force of ye is not obvious. It is also doubted whether the subject of ἔχει is Philoctetes, or the cave and spring. The first agrees better with what follows in ll. 29-40, the other with the previous context, ll. 16 foll. Either (1) making Philoctetes the subject, we may render, Whereto, I pray thee, silently go near, and let me know concerning them, whether he still keeps to this very same spot, or is gone somewhere else:'- γε emphasizing the expansion of ἐνταῦθα (l. 16) in the words χῶρον πρὸς αὐτὸν τόνδε, ‘At this very place where we are.' Elmsley conjectured τώνδ' ἔτ'. Or, (2) making the antecedent of ἃ the subject of ἔχει, 'Go near, I pray thee silently, and let me know respecting these things, whether they are, as I imagine (ye), just in this direction, or he is' (or (3) 'they are') 'elsewhere.' For ἔχει in (1) cp. Il. 13. 679, ἀλλ᾿ ἔχεν, ἢ τὰ πρῶτα πύλας καὶ τεῖχος ἐσᾶλτο: Ο. C. 1169, σχὲς οὗπερ εἶ: Xen. An. 5: for ἔχει in (2) cp. Hdt. 2. 17, ἡ δὲ ἑτέρη τῶν ὁδῶν πρὸς ἑσπέρην ἔχει. Proposed alterations of this difficult place are (α) ἐκεῖ for ἔχει, conjectured by Canter and finally approved by Hermann, 'Whether they are yonder (where you stand), even close to this very spot.' But the conjunction of ἐκεῖ with τόνδε is harsh, and the accusative after πρός requires a different verb from κυρεῖ: (b) χῶρον τὸν αὐτόν, conjectured by Blaydes, giving the same sense as the first of the above renderings.

23-25. mvp-comment-17-1 γ'] om. εἴτ'] ἤτ᾿ εἴτ' κλύῃς] κλύοις That I may intimate and you may hear, what yet remains to be spoken of, and our proceeding may be in concert. *ἴῃ] This reading is implied in the Scholiast's explanation προβαίνοι.

Sophocles Philoctetes 1

Richard Jebb (Translator)