νεκρῶν πλάκα καὶ Στύγιον δόμον.
Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles. ed. Lewis Campbell. Oxford. 1879.
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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)) — 1568 focus
Töchter der Nacht, vernehmt! Mächtiges Ungethüm,
1550
Das an den eh'rnen Pforten,
Ewiger Sage nach,
Wach' hält dort, das allzeit heult und knurrt
Aus dem Geklüft, nimmerbezwungener
Hüter an Aïdes' Land,
1555
Du, Gäa's Sohn und des Tartaros,
Laß ohne Beschwerd' ihn wandeln die Bahn,
Den Fremdling, der jezt hinab steigt in's dunkle Todtenfeld!
Dich ruf' ich an,
Ewig wacher Hüter!
1560
Ein Bote. Der Chor.
Töchter der Nacht, vernehmt! Mächtiges Ungethüm,
1550
Das an den eh'rnen Pforten,
Ewiger Sage nach,
Wach' hält dort, das allzeit heult und knurrt
Aus dem Geklüft, nimmerbezwungener
Hüter an Aïdes' Land,
1555
Du, Gäa's Sohn und des Tartaros,
Laß ohne Beschwerd' ihn wandeln die Bahn,
Den Fremdling, der jezt hinab steigt in's dunkle Todtenfeld!
Dich ruf' ich an,
Ewig wacher Hüter!
1560
Der Bote.
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-1064-1 πλάκα 1
Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) focus
1561-1564. mvp-comment-830-1 *ἐπιπόνῳ.. δόμον That by no painful, by no greatly to be lamented doom, the stranger may reach the all-hiding nether region, and the Stygian home. 1561. The omission of the first μήτε, which Seidler proposed, restores the metre without disturbing the sense. Cp. Aesch. Ag. 532, Πάρις γάρ, οὔτε συντελὴς πόλις, ἐξεύχεται τὸ δρᾶμα τοῦ πάθους πλέον.
1561-1564. mvp-comment-830-2 βαρυαχεῖ is treated by the Scholiast (see also v. rr.) as the Doric form of βαρυηχεῖ, a word which occurs several times, whereas there is only one doubtful instance, Aesch. Eum. 145, πάθος δυσαχές, of a compound derivative of ἄχος. The chorus, who have been frightened by the thunder, may be supposed to pray that the end of Oedipus may be neither painful nor alarming. In the report of the messenger they are reassured on this very point. Infra 1658, οὐ γάρ τις αὐτὸν οὔτε πυρφόρος θεοῦ | κεραυνὸς ἐξέπραξεν, οὔτε ποντία | θύελλα κινηθεῖσα τῷ τότ᾽ ἐν χρόνῳ. For a similar feeling about εὐθανασία, cp. Plat. Phaedo, 117 Ε, καὶ γὰρ ἀκήκοα, ὅτι ἐν εὐφημίᾳ χρὴ τελευτᾶν. (2) But the metre is in favour of βαρυἄχεῖ, which, to avoid tautology, must be explained to mean causing severe sorrow. By no painful, by no lamentable doom.' Cp. infr. 1663, 4, οὐ στενακτὸς οὐδὲ . . ἀλγεινός. For the redundant ἐπί, see Essay on Language § 19. p. 27.
1564. mvp-comment-832-1 νεκρῶν νεκύων LA. Tricl. corr.
1564. mvp-comment-832-2 ἀνικάτου ἀνικήτου Α. in the antistrophe.