χοὔτως ἀδῇον τήνδʼ ἐνοικήσεις πόλιν
Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles. ed. Lewis Campbell. Oxford. 1879.
Table of Contents
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Current edition Experimental
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Greek) (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879))
Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.
Editions (1)
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1556-1578 focus
Χορός
εἰ θέμις ἐστί μοι τὰν ἀφανῆ θεὸν
καὶ σὲ λιταῖς σεβίζειν,
ἐννυχίων ἄναξ,
Αἰδωνεῦ Αἰδωνεῦ, λίσσωμαι
1560
ἄπονα μήτʼ ἐπὶ βαρυαχεῖ
ξένον ἐξανύσαι
μόρῳ τὰν παγκευθῆ κάτω
νεκρῶν πλάκα καὶ Στύγιον δόμον.
πολλῶν γὰρ ἂν καὶ μάταν
1565
πημάτων ἱκνουμένων
πάλιν σφε δαίμων δίκαιος αὔξοι.
εἰ θέμις ἐστί μοι τὰν ἀφανῆ θεὸν
καὶ σὲ λιταῖς σεβίζειν,
ἐννυχίων ἄναξ,
Αἰδωνεῦ Αἰδωνεῦ, λίσσωμαι
1560
ἄπονα μήτʼ ἐπὶ βαρυαχεῖ
ξένον ἐξανύσαι
μόρῳ τὰν παγκευθῆ κάτω
νεκρῶν πλάκα καὶ Στύγιον δόμον.
πολλῶν γὰρ ἂν καὶ μάταν
1565
πημάτων ἱκνουμένων
πάλιν σφε δαίμων δίκαιος αὔξοι.
Χορός
ὦ χθόνιαι θεαὶ σῶμά τʼ ἀνικάτου
θηρός, ὃν ἐν πύλαισι
ταῖσι πολυξένοις
1570
εὐνᾶσθαι κνυζεῖσθαί τʼ ἐξ ἄντρων
ἀδάματον φύλακα παρʼ Ἁίδᾳ
λόγος αἰὲν ἔχει·
τόν, ὦ Γᾶς παῖ καὶ Ταρτάρου,
κατεύχομαι ἐν καθαρῷ βῆναι
1575
ὁρμωμένῳ νερτέρας
τῷ ξένῳ νεκρῶν πλάκας·
σέ τοι κικλήσκω τὸν αἰένυπνον.
ὦ χθόνιαι θεαὶ σῶμά τʼ ἀνικάτου
θηρός, ὃν ἐν πύλαισι
ταῖσι πολυξένοις
1570
εὐνᾶσθαι κνυζεῖσθαί τʼ ἐξ ἄντρων
ἀδάματον φύλακα παρʼ Ἁίδᾳ
λόγος αἰὲν ἔχει·
τόν, ὦ Γᾶς παῖ καὶ Ταρτάρου,
κατεύχομαι ἐν καθαρῷ βῆναι
1575
ὁρμωμένῳ νερτέρας
τῷ ξένῳ νεκρῶν πλάκας·
σέ τοι κικλήσκω τὸν αἰένυπνον.
Translations (2)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 1556 focus
Ist es verstattet, dich, nächtliche Göttin, und
Dich im Gebet zu feiern,
1540
König der Schattenwelt,
1
Aidoneus, Aidoneus, hört uns fleh'n!
Ohne Schmerz, ohne Gestöhn der Angst,
Laßt den verscheidenden Gast
Zur allverbergenden düstern Flur
1545
Der Todten entwandern, in Plutons Haus!
Nachdem so viel Jammer ihn ohne Schuld bestürmt, erhöht
Jezt wiederum
Ein gerechter Gott ihn.
Gegenstrophe.
Ist es verstattet, dich, nächtliche Göttin, und
Dich im Gebet zu feiern,
1540
König der Schattenwelt,
1
Aidoneus, Aidoneus, hört uns fleh'n!
Ohne Schmerz, ohne Gestöhn der Angst,
Laßt den verscheidenden Gast
Zur allverbergenden düstern Flur
1545
Der Todten entwandern, in Plutons Haus!
Nachdem so viel Jammer ihn ohne Schuld bestürmt, erhöht
Jezt wiederum
Ein gerechter Gott ihn.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1556-1575 focus
Chorus
If it is right for me with prayer to adore the Unseen Goddess and you, Lord of the Dead, then hear me, Aidoneus, Aidoneus!
Grant that without pain, without a fate arousing heavy grief, the stranger may pass to the all-concealing fields of the dead below, and to the Stygian house.
1560
Many were the sorrows that came to him without cause, but a just divinity will lift him up again.
1565
If it is right for me with prayer to adore the Unseen Goddess and you, Lord of the Dead, then hear me, Aidoneus, Aidoneus!
Grant that without pain, without a fate arousing heavy grief, the stranger may pass to the all-concealing fields of the dead below, and to the Stygian house.
1560
Many were the sorrows that came to him without cause, but a just divinity will lift him up again.
1565
Chorus
Goddesses of the nether world and unconquered beast
whose lair lies in the gates of many guests, you untamable Watcher of Hades, snarling from the cavern’s jaws, as rumor has always told! Hear me, Death, son of Earth and Tartarus!
1570
May that Watcher leave a clear path for the stranger on his way to the nether fields of the dead! To you I call, giver of the eternal sleep.
1575
Goddesses of the nether world and unconquered beast
whose lair lies in the gates of many guests, you untamable Watcher of Hades, snarling from the cavern’s jaws, as rumor has always told! Hear me, Death, son of Earth and Tartarus!
1570
May that Watcher leave a clear path for the stranger on his way to the nether fields of the dead! To you I call, giver of the eternal sleep.
1575
Commentary
Commentary (R. C. Jebb) (OCR draft) (Commentary (R. C. Jebb))
mvp-comment-1046-1 ἀδῇον 1
mvp-comment-1046-2 σπαρτῶν ἀπ’ ἀνδρῶν 2
mvp-comment-1046-3 αἱ δὲ μυρίαι πόλεις 3
mvp-comment-1046-4
Those who suspect
αἱ μυρίαι should observe that Greek writers often use this phrase when they wish to express the notion of
many probabilities against one. Cp.
Her. 8.119
ἐν μυρίῃσι γνώμῃσι μίαν οὐκ ἔχω ἀντίξοον,
"among ten thousand opinions I have not one against me" :
i.e. not one man in 10,000 would dispute it.
Xen.
Anab. 2.1.19
ἐγώ, εἰ μὲν τῶν μυρίων ἐλπίδων μία τις ὑμῖν ἐστι σωθῆναι πολεμοῦντας βασιλεῖ, συμβουλεύω μὴ παραδιδόναι τὰ ὅπλα:
"if among the ten thousand forebodings (which the situation might suggest) there is one chance of your escape," etc. So, of
"facing fearful odds," Eur. fr. 588
. And so here
αἱ μυρίαι is something more than a mere synonym for
εἶς τοι δίκαιος μυρίων οὐκ ἐνδίκων
κρατεῖ
αἱ πολλαί . It suggests this notion:—
"Be Athens never so just, there are countless chances to one that Thebes will some day attack it." (In citing
Aeschin. or. 2 § 157
Blaydes has not noticed that
τοὺς μυρίους Ἀρκάδων means the Pan-Arcadian
μύριοι , not
μυρίοι : cp. Grote c. 78, x. 317.)
mvp-comment-1046-5 κἂν εὖ τις οἰκῇ 4
mvp-comment-1046-6
Others explain:—(1)
"The majority of cities, even though one governs them well, are prone to outrage" :
i.e. if you divulge the secret to the
Athenians , it may be abused to the hurt of the State. A modification of this view is that
καθύβρισαν refers to overweening
confidence inspired at Athens by the new
ἀλκή . Theseus must still be watchful. (2)
"The cities, with their multitudes (
—still referring to the Athenians. But for this sense we should at least need Wecklein's
οἱ δὲ μυρίοι πόλεως .—Blaydes thought of
μυρίαι" ), are prone to outrage,αἱ δὲ μωρίας πλέαι : better would be
οἱ δὲ μωρίας πλέῳ (
Ai. 1112
, 1150): but neither this, nor anything with
κύριος , is either needful or probable.