Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 1693

ed. Lewis Campbell

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)) — 1670-1750 focus
Translations (2)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 1696 focus
So war denn Wonne selbst im Leide;
Freundlich erschien mir ja selbst Unfreundliches,
Solang ich ihn nur hielt in meinen Armen.
Vater, in's ewige
Dunkel der Erde gehüllt, o Geliebtester!
1680
Ewig ja bleiben wir, ich und die Schwester, dir
Mit unsrer Liebe nahe!
Ihm wurde
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1670-1750 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-1141-1 The MSS. give τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ καλῶς φέρειν χρή . There has certainly been an interpolation, equivalent to uu- . (1) Some reject the words φέρειν χρή . Then τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ καλῶς must be taken with φλέγεσθον :

"As to the fortune sent by heaven for your good, be not too passionate in grief"
(pass.): or, if with Herm. the verb is made midd.,
"do not inflame the trouble sent for your good"
(cp. the act. in Ai. 196
ἄταν οὐρανίαν φλέγων
). So, if the MS. μηδ’ ἄγαν is kept, μηδ’ =
"do not on your part "
(Herm.,
" etiam non debet vos tam vehementer urere"
). But μηδὲν ἄγαν or μηδ’ ἔτ’ ἄγαν (see cr. n.) gives in this case a clearer sense. (2) Wecklein, with whom I agree, rejects καλῶς and χρή , keeping φέρειν . Then τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ φέρειν =
" bear the fate from heaven,"
the inf. standing for imperat., a use fitting in such a precept ( O. T. 1529 ). The origin of the interpolated words is thus clear: χρή explained the use of the inf., while καλῶς was meant to fix the sense of φέρειν , lest τὸ φέρον should obscure it.

mvp-comment-1141-2 τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ 1

mvp-comment-1141-3 τὸ φέρον 2

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

1693. mvp-comment-904-1 τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ καλῶς φέρειν χρή] You must bear with fortitude the lot whose direction is from heaven. φέρειν, as in the frequent φέρειν εἰς, expresses tendency or intention. φέρειν ἐκ occurs only here; but cp. Eur. Ι. Α. 69, ὅτου πνοαὶ φέροιεν Ἀφροδίτης φίλα: Hdt. 1. 159, φωνὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἀδύτου γενέσθαι φέρουσαν πρὸς τὸν Ἀριστόδικον. For the rare form of verse, troch. trim. brachycat., cp. Aesch. 977, 790, supr. 1240, and Eur. Hel. 243, H. F. 120, where the 1st arsis is resolved, as here.