Sophocles Philoctetes 557

Richard Jebb (Translator)

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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)) — 557 focus
ἀλλ᾽ ἡ χάρις μὲν τῆς προμηθίας, ξένε,
550
εἰ μὴ κακὸς πέφυκα, προσφιλὴς μενεῖ·
φράσον δ᾽ ἅπερ γ᾽ om. γ' ἔλεξας, ὡς μάθω τί μοι
νεώτερον βούλευμ᾽ βούλευμα ἀπ᾿ ᾿Αργείων ἔχεις.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 557 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 557 focus
Well, stranger, for the kindness thou hast shown,—
550
Else were I base,—my heart must thank thee still.
But tell me what thou meanest, that I may learn
What new-laid plot thou bring’st me from the camp.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 557 focus
Für diese Sorgfalt wartet dein liebreicher Dank,
O Freund, so wahr ich edel bin von edler Art.
Doch sage, was du meintest; denn ich wüßte gern,
545
Welch neuen Anschlag über mich das Heer gefaßt.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 557 focus
Counsels against thee not by threats alone
Or words enforced, but now in execution.
555
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 557 focus
If such thy judgment: let him come with speed;
In grateful memory, stranger, I shall hold
Thy kind concern for me, else 1 were base.”
What thou hast hinted speak at large, 'gainst me
The councils by the Grecians lately form'd.
What, hath this vile accurs'd deceiver sworn
To show me to the Grecians? Were I dead,

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-306-1 ἀλλ’ 1 ἡ χάρις … τῆς προμηθίας 2 προμηθίας 3

mvp-comment-306-2 εἰ μὴ κακὸς πέφυκα 4

mvp-comment-306-3 προσφιλὴς 5 χάρις 6

mvp-comment-307-1 ἅπερ γ’ 7 ἅπερ κἄλεξας 8 γε 9 ἅπερ 10

mvp-comment-308-1 νεώτερον 11

mvp-comment-308-2 ἀπ’ Ἀργείων 12 βούλευμα 13 ἔχεις 14 μοι 15

mvp-comment-309-1 φοῖνιξ 16

mvp-comment-309-2 οἵ τε Θησέως κόροι 17

mvp-comment-310-1 ἐκ βίας 18

mvp-comment-310-2 λόγοις 19 δόλοις 20

mvp-comment-311-1 καθ’ ὁρμὴν 21

mvp-comment-312-1 ὡς ταῦτ’ ἐπίστω δρώμεν’ 22

mvp-comment-313-1 πρὸς τάδ’ 23

mvp-comment-313-2 αὐτάγγελος 24

mvp-comment-314-1 κεῖνός γ’ 25

mvp-comment-314-2 ὁ Τυδέως παῖς 26 ἔστελλον 27

mvp-comment-315-1 πρὸς ποῖον αὖ τόνδ’ … ἔπλει 28 αὖ 29 αὖ 30 ἂν 31

mvp-comment-315-2 If ἂν 32

mvp-comment-316-1 σοι 33

mvp-comment-317-1 τὰ πλείον’ 34

mvp-comment-317-2 σεαυτὸν ξυλλαβὼν 35

mvp-comment-318-1 τί με 36 διεμπολᾷ … πρός σε 37 τί με 38 τί δὲ 39 διεμπολᾷ 40

mvp-comment-319-1 εἰς φῶς 41 καί … τε 42

mvp-comment-320-1 σπέρμ’ 43

mvp-comment-320-2 στρατῷ 44

mvp-comment-320-3 ἃ μὴ δεῖ 45

mvp-comment-320-4 δρῶν ἀντιπάσχω 46 οἷ’ ἀνὴρ πένης 47

mvp-comment-320-5 χρηστά θ’ 48

mvp-comment-321-1 ἐγώ εἰμ’ 49

mvp-comment-321-2 φίλος μέγιστος 50

mvp-comment-322-1 λόγων 51 λόγον 52 ὧν 53

mvp-comment-323-1 ὅρα 54

mvp-comment-323-2 πάλαι 55

mvp-comment-324-1 ποιοῦ 56

mvp-comment-324-2 λέγων 57

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

549-550. mvp-comment-391-1 ὡς νεναυστοληκότες] 'When I had ascertained in the course of conversation that the mariners who had manned the vessel were one and all your men' (σοί, possessive pronoun). So Hermann, Opusc. 8. p. 190, rightly, although the reason which he gives ('Nam sic demum nauclerus tuto referre poterat, quae erat narraturus'), is not required. Dobree conjectured συννεναυστοληκότες (‘That they had all accompanied you in your voyage').

552. mvp-comment-392-1 προστυχόντι τῶν ἴσων depends οη τὸν πλοῦν ποιεῖσθαι as an affirmative expression: i. e. ἔδοξέ μοι, φράσαντι καὶ τῶν ἴσων προστυχόντι, οὕτω τὸν πλοῦν ποιεῖσθαι. · When first I had received fair recompense.' For the naiveté of this parenthetical demand, as not unbefitting the relations of the sea-captain to Neoptolemus (who is no less careful to assure him of his gratitude, infr. 557, 8), ср. О. Τ. 1005, 6, καὶ μὴν μάλιστα τοῦτ᾽ ἀφικόμην ὅπως | σοῦ πρὸς δόμους ἐλθόντος εὖ πράξαιμί τι: Trach. 190, 1, ὅπως τοι πρῶτος ἀγγείλας τάδε πρὸς σοῦ τι κερδάναιμι.

553. mvp-comment-393-1 οὐδὲν σύ που] The asyndeton marks the urgency of the intelligence.

554. mvp-comment-394-1 ἀμφὶ σοῦ * νέα] This emendation of Auratus has been generally received. And although the MS. reading may be possibly defended by the comparison of such phrases as τίνος δὴ χάριν ἕνεκα, etc. (see especially Thuc. 8. 92, ὅσον καὶ ἀπὸ βοῆς ἕνεκα), the meaning as well as the grammar is distinctly improved by the change.

556. mvp-comment-395-1 δρώμεν', οὐκέτ᾽ ἐξαργούμενα] Ιn act, no longer left undone.' Cp. Aesch. Ag. 1359, τοῦ δρῶντός ἐστι καὶ τὸ βουλεῦσαι πέρι.

559. mvp-comment-396-1 φράσον . . ἔλεξας] Declare at full what you have now mentioned.'

560. mvp-comment-397-1 ἀπ᾿ ᾿Αργείων] Sc. φαινόμενον. ἔχεις] Cp. Trach. 318, οὐδ᾽ ὄνομα πρὸς του τῶν ξυνεμπόρων ἔχεις; Ο. C. 1451, μάτην γὰρ οὐδὲν ἀξίωμα δαιμόνων ἔχω φράσαι.

562. mvp-comment-398-1 οἱ.. Θησέως κόροι] Acamas and Demophon, said to have been first mentioned in the Ἰλίου πέρσις of Arctinus. These names help to commend the lie to the fancy of the Athenian audience.

563. mvp-comment-399-1 λόγοις] By persuasion.' Cp. infr. 612, 623 foll., 629, 30.

563,565. mvp-comment-400-1 These vague replies show that Neoptolemus has not yet seized his cue. Cp. 570, 1 foll.

566. mvp-comment-401-1 οὕτω καθ' ὁρμήν] ‘Thus incontinently' (in the old sense); referring to supr. 555. 6.

567. mvp-comment-402-1 ὡς ταῦτ᾽ ἐπίστω δρώμεν] i. e. ἐπίστασο, ὡς ταῦτα δρώμενα (sc. ἐστίν). For ἐπίστασο ταῦτα ὡς δρώμενα this would be too violent an inversion.

568. mvp-comment-403-1 πρὸς τάδε] 'Hereupon,' i. e. 'When such was the counsel of the Argives.' αὐτάγγελος] ‘'Bringing the message in person;' i. e. αὐτὸς καὶ μὴ δι᾽ ἄλλων ἀγγέλων. Phoenix and the Theseidae were ἄγγελοι of the resolution of the chieftains to Neoptolemus.

569. mvp-comment-404-1 ἢ.. νιν] Neoptolemus assumes a spirited tone, and suggests a mean motive in Odysseus, in order to gratify Philoctetes.

570. mvp-comment-405-1 ἐπ᾿ ἄλλον ἄνδρα] ‘With designs upon another person.'

571. mvp-comment-406-1 When I left the harbour, they were making ready.'

572. mvp-comment-407-1 'Who could this be. with a view to whom Odysseus himself was setting forth?' i e. ποῖος ἂν εἴη πρὸς ὃν ἔπλει; So the unusual insertion of ἄν may be explained. See Essay on L. § 27. p. 45. And the meaning is so appropriate, that it seems better to retain the particle, although πρὸς ποῖον αὖ τόν δ' is a conjectural reading involving only a slight change.

575. mvp-comment-408-1 'Sir, you have the privilege of seeing here the famous Philoctetes.' Thus Neoptolemus humours the feeling which Philoctetes had shown supra 261, 2, ὅδ᾽ εἴμ᾽ ἐγώ σοι κεῖνος, ὃν κλύεις ἴσως | τῶν Ἡρακλείων ὄντα δεσπότην ὅπλων.

576. mvp-comment-409-1 τὰ πλείον'] For the article, cp. Trach. 731, and note.

577. mvp-comment-410-1 ἔκπλει σεαυτὸν ξυλλαβών] 'Snatch yourself up and sail away.' Cp. Eur. H. F. 833 foll., ἄλλ' εἶ', ἄτεγκτον ξυλλαβοῦσα καρδίαν . . ἔλαυνε, κίνει, κ.τ.λ.: also Plat. Rep. 1. 336 В, συστρέψας ἑαυτὸν ἧκεν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς. The Ἔμπορος speaks low, as he had charged Neoptolemus to do. This awakens the lively suspicion of Philoctetes, who hears enough to understand that there is a danger of his being left behind. Mr. Paley conjectures, ἔκπλευσον αὐτὸν συλλαβών, comparing infr. 621. But there the case is altered by Neoptolemus having avowed his friendship for Philoctetes in ll. 585, 6.

578. mvp-comment-411-1 κατὰ σκότον] 'In secret.' So infr. 581, εἰς φῶς, Openly."

579. mvp-comment-412-1 διεμπολᾷ λόγοισι πρός σε] Is treating me dishonestly in his talk with thee.' Cp. Ant. 1036, ἐξημπόλημαι κἀκπεφόρτισμαι.

581. mvp-comment-413-1 εἰς φῶς = 'Openly.' Cp. О. Т. 93, ἐς πάντας αύδα. τούσδε τε] The Chorus.

582-583. mvp-comment-414-1 μή με.. ἃ μὴ δεῖ] 'Bring me not into discredit with the army, through my telling what I should keep close; i. e. Do not make me tell, and so make them angry with me. λέγοντα = διὰ τὸ λέγειν, cp. Thuc. 8.87, ἣν εἶπε πρόφασιν οὐ κομίσας (i. e. δι᾽ ὅ, τι οὐκ ἐκόμισεν).

583-584. mvp-comment-415-1 'I. being poor, receive much kindness from them for service which I do.' For γε, which modifies the sentence, to which it gives a pleading tone, see Essay on L. § 26. p. 41. οἱ᾿ ἀνὴρ πένης] (1) As is natural in the case of one who is poor: rather than, (2) 'Such service as a poor man may do.' Cp. supr. 273, and note.

585ff. mvp-comment-416-1 Neoptolemus professes to demand that, if there is danger, the Ἔμπορος should risk it for his and Philoctetes' sake. The Ἔμπορος in his reply insinuates that the danger, if he is made to speak, is common to them all three, and that Neoptolemus will be responsible for the consequences.

589. mvp-comment-417-1 καί belongs in meaning to the whole sentence = καὶ δὴ σκοπῶ. ἐγώ] 'Of myself,' without this caution from you.

590. mvp-comment-418-1 ποιοῦ λέγων] 'Make me so, if you will but speak. For this emphatic use of the participle, cp. especially O. C. 1038, χωρῶν ἀπείλει νυν, -also supr. 481, and note.

591. mvp-comment-419-1 ἅπερ κλύεις] Supr. 570, 1.

592. mvp-comment-420-1 ἥ τ᾿ Ὀδυσσέως βία] Cp. supr. 314, 321.