Sophocles Philoctetes 782

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)) — 782 focus
ἀλλὰ ἄλλα ἀλλὰ ἀλλ᾽ οὐ δέδοικ, ὦ a from a ὦ παῖ, μή μ' ἀτελὴς εὔχῃ εὐχή·
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 782 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 782 focus
Ah! but I fear, my son, thy prayer is vain:
For welling yet again from depths within,
This gory ooze is dripping. It will come!
I know it will. O, foot, torn helpless thing,
785
What wilt thou do to me? Ah! ah! It comes,
It is at hand. ’Tis here! Woe’s me, undone!
I have shown you all. Stay near me. Go not far:
Ah! ah!
O island king, I would this agony
790
Might cleave thy bosom through and through! Woe, woe!
Woe! Ah! ye two commanders of the host,
Agamemnon, Menelaüs, O that ye,
Another ten years’ durance in my room
795
Might nurse this malady! O Death, Death, Death!
I call thee daily—wilt thou never come?
Will it not be?—My son, thou noble boy,
If thou art noble, take and burn me there
Aloft in yon all-worshipped Lemnian fire!
800
Yea, when the bow thou keep’st was my reward,
I did like service for the child of Heaven.
How now, my son?
What say’st? Art silent? Where—where art thou, boy?
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 782 focus
Ich fürchte, Jüngling, dein Gebet wird eitel sein:
Denn wieder quillt aus tiefer Wunde mir das Blut
In dunkeln Tropfen, und mir ahnt ein neuer Sturm.
755
weh! Ach!
Weh, wehe, Fuß! Ha, welche Marter schaffst du mir!
Es schleicht her,
Es dringt heran stets näher; weh mir Armen, weh!
Da seht ihr Alles; aber, ach, flieht nicht von mir!
760
Ah, ah, ah!
Kephallener, möchte doch an deiner Brust
Durchbohrend hasten dieser Schmerz! Ach wehe, weh!
Ja, wehe nochmals! Und des Heers Anführer ihr,
Agamemnon und Menelaos, daß an meiner Statt
765
Ihr diese Krankheit nährtet, und gleich lange Zeit!
Weh, weh mir!
O Tod, o Tod! Du, den ich also jeden Tag
Ohn' Unterlaß anrufe, was erscheinst du nie?
Mein Trauter du, mein Edler, komm und fasse mich,
770
Verbrenne mich in Lemnos' Flammengluten dort,
Den oft von mir geruf'nen! Hab' ich selber doch
Dem Sohn Kronions ehemals für diese Wehr,
Die jezo du bewahrest, gleichen Dienst erzeigt.
sprich, Sohn! sprich!
775
Du schweigst? Wo waren deine Sinne, Kind?
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 782 focus
Receive them, son ; and let it be thy prayer
They bring not woes on thee, as they have done
To me and to Alcides.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 782 focus
Take it, my son; and be thy vows address'di,ז
To Envy, that to thee it cause not toils,
Such as to me, and to its former lord.

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-425-1 ἀλλ’ Ὄκνος 1 ἀλλὰ δέδοικ’, ὦ παῖ, μή μ’ ἀτελὴς εὐχή 2 ὦ παῖ 3 ἀλλὰ 4 δέδοικ’ 5 μ’ 6 με 7 εὔχῃ, μή μ’ ἀτελὴς 8 ἀτελῶς 9 εὔχῃ 10 ἔχει 11 ἀτέλεστ’ 12

mvp-comment-425-2 For μὴ 13 α 14

mvp-comment-426-1 κηκῖον 15 νέον 16

mvp-comment-427-1 ἐργάσει 17 προσέρπει 18

mvp-comment-428-1 τάλας 19

mvp-comment-428-2 ἔχετε 20

mvp-comment-428-3 μηδαμῇ 21

mvp-comment-429-1 Κεφαλλήν 22

mvp-comment-429-2 σοῦ 23 ἔχοιτο 24 διαμπερὲς στέρνων 25 σου 26

mvp-comment-430-1 μάλ’ αὖθις 27

mvp-comment-430-2 ὦ διπλοῖ στρ. 28

mvp-comment-430-3 Ἀγάμεμνον, ὦ Μενέλαε 29 Μενέλαέ τ’ Ἀγάμεμνόν τε 30 πῶς ἄν 31 τρέφοιτε 32

mvp-comment-430-4 τὸν ἴσον χρόνον 33

mvp-comment-431-1 ὦ Θάνατε 34

mvp-comment-431-2 ἀεὶ … κατ’ ἦμαρ 35

mvp-comment-431-3 δύνᾳ 36

mvp-comment-432-1 ὦ τέκνον, ὦ γενναῖον 37

mvp-comment-432-2 ἀλλὰ 38

mvp-comment-433-1 τῷ Λ. τῷδ’ ἀνακ. πυρὶ 39

mvp-comment-433-2 The volcanic mountain called

Μόσυχλος
appears to have been on the east coast of Lemnos, south of the rocky promontory (
Ἑρμαῖον ὄρος
, v. 1459) to which the cave of Philoctetes was adjacent. No volcanic crater can now be traced in Lemnos; and it is probable that the ancient Mosychlus has been submerged. See Appendix.
Λήμνιον πῦρ
was proverbial for ‘a fierce fire’ ( Ar. Lys. 299 ). Lycophron (227) has
τεφρώσας γυῖα Λημναίῳ πυρί
in this sense, and calls Ajax
ὁ Λήμνιος
|
πρηστὴρ Ἐνυοῦς
(462), ‘Lemnian thunderbolt of war.’ Cp. Hesych.
Λήμνιον βλέπειν· ἐπειδὴ τὸ πῦρ Λήμνιον
. The legendary association of Lemnos with fierce crime (
Λήμνια κακά
) may have helped to suggest such phrases.

mvp-comment-434-1 ἔμπρησον 40 πυρί μ’ 41 συλλαβὼν 42

mvp-comment-435-1 τὸν τοῦ Διὸς παῖδ’ 43

mvp-comment-435-2 σῴζεις 44

mvp-comment-435-3 τοῦτ’ 45

mvp-comment-435-4 ἐπηξίωσα 46

mvp-comment-435-5 δρᾶν 47

mvp-comment-436-1 τί φής, παῖ 48

mvp-comment-436-2 ποῦ ποτ’ ὤν 49

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

772. mvp-comment-552-1 The appearance of a single dochmiac line amongst the senarii is not of itself a sufficient reason for suspicion in a passage which is naturally interrupted by physical as well as by mental suffering. Cp. Trach. 1185, 6. Indeed the regularity of the dochmiac structure is rather in favour of the verse. But, in the vulgate reading (see v. rr.), the ellipse of the subjunctive mood and the accusative με-μ' cannot = μοι-are difficult to explain. The former objection may be removed by conjecturing μή μ' ἀτελὴς (οι ἀτελῶς) εὔχῃ, and the accusative may then be defended. See Essay on L. § 16. p. 23.

783. mvp-comment-553-1 ἐκ βυθοῦ] 'From hidden depths.' Men in pain naturally exaggerate the dimensions of the part affected.

784. mvp-comment-554-1 τι.. νέον] 'Some violent change.' Ср. O. С. 1447, and note.

786. mvp-comment-555-1 παπαῖ μάλ] Cp. O. C. 1462, ἴδε μάλα, and note. ἐργάσει] 'A great evil perpetually recurrent is most in apprehension.' But Philoctetes is also thinking of the danger to his new-found hopes.

789. mvp-comment-556-1 ἔχετε τὸ πρᾶγμα] 'You know all now.' He has made known to them what he had sought to hide, l. 742 foll. and they are aware both of his need and his danger, 776 foll. He implores them therefore to stand by him. μηδαμή = μηδεμιᾷ τέχνῃ. Cp. supr. 771.

790. mvp-comment-557-1 ἀτταταῖ] Perhaps *ἰατταταῖ should be read so as to keep up the iambic rhythm.

791-792. mvp-comment-558-1 εἴθε.. ἥδε] 'Would that this pang might pierce thy breast and cling there!' For ξένε, cp. Aj.817. Philoctetes and Odysseus had been bound by a common oath,

793-795. mvp-comment-559-1 For the repeated interjection, cp. Eur. Alc. 235, βόασον ὦ, στέναξον ὦ Φεραία χθών: ib. 460, ὦ μόνα, ὦ φίλα γυναικῶν : Cycl. 266.

794. mvp-comment-560-1 ὦ Μενέλαε: 795, τὸν ἴσον: 797, ὦ θάνατε, θάνατε. The freeer handling of the senarius, which marks the Philoctetes, and which belongs to the later manner of Greek tragedy, is most observable in this speech, where it expresses agitation ( cp. O. T. 967). For other instances, see ll. 651, 665, 879, 923, 4, 950, 1029, 1315, 1327, mostly in speeches of Philoctetes.

797-798. mvp-comment-561-1 Cp. Aj. 854, ὦ θάνατε, θάνατε, νῦν μ᾿ ἐπίσκεψαι μολών: Aesch. Phil. fr. 250, ὦ θάνατε Παιάν, μή μ' ἀτιμάσῃς μολεῖν.

798. mvp-comment-562-1 οὐ δύνᾳ μολεῖν] 'Why can you not come?' i. e. 'Why is it impossible to bring you?” πῶς οὐ δυνατόν ἐστί σε μολεῖν;

800. mvp-comment-563-1 ἀνακαλουμένῳ] (1) ‘Generally invoked,' or (2) 'Celebrated by this name.' Cp. Ar. Lys. 299. The volcano on Mount Mosychlos would be a god-prepared pyre for Philoctetes, whose end would then resemble that of his master Heracles.

803. mvp-comment-564-1 After l. 803 there is a pause, during which Neoptolemus is lost in thought. Philoctetes, who is already losing consciousness, is visited with a sudden fear lest his friend may have left him. Every word which he utters gives him a fresh hold on Neoptolemus' compassion.