Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles. ed. Lewis Campbell. Oxford. 1879.
Search the Perseus Catalog for:
Search the Perseus Catalog for:
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)) — 510-548 focus
Χορός
δεινὸν μὲν τὸ πάλαι κείμενον ἤδη κακόν, ὦ ξεῖνʼ, ἐπεγείρειν·
510
ὅμως δʼ ἔραμαι πυθέσθαι
Οἰδίπους
τί τοῦτο;
Χορός
τᾶς δειλαίας ἀπόρου φανείσας
ἀλγηδόνος, ᾇ ξυνέστας.
Οἰδίπους
μὴ πρὸς ξενίας ἀνοίξῃς
515
τᾶς σᾶς ἃ πέπονθʼ ἀναιδῆ.
Χορός
τό τοι πολὺ καὶ μηδαμὰ λῆγον
χρῄζω, ξεῖνʼ, ὀρθὸν ἄκουσμʼ ἀκοῦσαι.
Οἰδίπους
ὤμοι.
Χορός
στέρξον, ἱκετεύω.
Οἰδίπους
φεῦ φεῦ.
Χορός
πείθου· κἀγὼ γὰρ ὅσον σὺ προσχρῄζεις.
520
Οἰδίπους
ἤνεγκʼ οὖν κακότατʼ, ὦ ξένοι, ἤνεγκʼ ἀέκων μέν,
θεὸς ἴστω,
τούτων δʼ αὐθαίρετον οὐδέν.
Χορός
ἀλλʼ ἐς τί;
Οἰδίπους
κακᾷ μʼ εὐνᾷ πόλις οὐδὲν ἴδριν
525
γάμων ἐνέδησεν ἄτᾳ.
Χορός
ἦ ματρόθεν, ὡς ἀκούω,
δυσώνυμα λέκτρʼ ἐπλήσω;
Οἰδίπους
ὤμοι θάνατος μὲν τάδʼ ἀκούειν,
ὦ ξεῖνʼ· αὗται δὲ δύʼ ἐξ ἐμοῦ μὲν
530
Χορός
πῶς φῄς;
Οἰδίπους
παῖδε, δύο δʼ ἄτα
Χορός
ὦ Ζεῦ.
Οἰδίπους
ματρὸς κοινᾶς ἀπέβλαστον ὠδῖνος.
Χορός
σαί τʼ εἴσʼ ἄρʼ ἀπόγονοί τε καὶ
535
Οἰδίπους
κοιναί γε πατρὸς ἀδελφεαί.
Χορός
ἰώ.
Οἰδίπους
ἰὼ δῆτα μυρίων γʼ ἐπιστροφαὶ κακῶν.
Χορός
ἔπαθες
Οἰδίπους
ἔπαθον ἄλαστʼ ἔχειν.
Χορός
ἔρεξας
Οἰδίπους
οὐκ ἔρεξα.
Χορός
τί γάρ;
Οἰδίπους
ἐδεξάμην
δῶρον, ὃ μήποτʼ ἐγὼ ταλακάρδιος
540
ἐπωφέλησας πόλεος ἐξελέσθαι.
Χορός
δύστανε, τί γάρ; ἔθου φόνον
Οἰδίπους
τί τοῦτο; τί δʼ ἐθέλεις μαθεῖν;
Χορός
πατρός;
Οἰδίπους
παπαῖ. δευτέραν ἔπαισας, ἐπὶ νόσῳ νόσον,
Χορός
ἔκανες
545
Οἰδίπους
ἔκανον. ἔχει δέ μοι
Χορός
τί τοῦτο;
Οἰδίπους
πρὸς δίκας τι.
Χορός
τί γάρ;
Οἰδίπους
ἐγὼ φράσω.
καὶ γὰρ ἄν, οὓς ἐφόνευσʼ, ἔμʼ ἀπώλεσαν·
νόμῳ δὲ καθαρός, ἄϊδρις εἰς τόδʼ ἦλθον.
Translations (3)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 510 focus
ANT
Before, it vexed me; now it overwhelms.
1745
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 510 focus
Grausam ist es, o Freund, wecken ein Leid,
505
Welches bereits lange geschlummert;
Und doch zu vernehmen wünsch' ich
Was ist es?
Welch herber, welch gräßlicher Schlag des Schicksals,
Unseliger, dich getroffen.
510
Oedipus.
Bei'm Rechte des Gastes, deck' es
Nicht auf: ich erlitt so Schnödes!
Der Chor.
Von der mächtigen, nie ruhenden Sage,
Freund, möcht' ich sichere Kunde hören.
Oedipus.
Weh mir!
515
Der Chor.
Füge dich, ich flehe!
Oedipus.
Ach, ach!
Der Chor.
Willfahr' uns;
Denn ich auch ehre ja deine Wünsch' alle.
(ab.)
Oedipus.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 510-546c focus
Chorus
Terrible it is, stranger, to arouse the old woe that has for so long been laid to rest: and yet I yearn to hear—
510
Oedipus
What now?
Chorus
—Of that grief-filled anguish, cureless, with which you have wrestled.
Oedipus
By your hospitality, do not uncover the shame that I have suffered!
515
Chorus
Seeing that the tale is wide-spread and in no way weakens, I wish, friend, to hear it straight.
Oedipus
Ah me!
Chorus
Grant the favor, I beg!
Oedipus
Alas, alas!
Chorus
Grant my wish, as I have granted yours to the full.
520
Oedipus
I have suffered the greatest misery, strangers—suffered it through unintended deeds—may the god know it! No part was of my own choice.
Chorus
But in what way?
Oedipus
In an evil marriage, the city bound me, unknowing, to ruin.
525
Chorus
Is it true, as I hear, that you made your mother the partner of your bed, to its infamy?
Oedipus
Ah, me! These words, strangers, are like death to my ears. And those two maidens of mine—
Chorus
What will you say?
530
Oedipus
—Two daughters—two curses—
Chorus
O Zeus!
Oedipus
—of mine, sprung from the travail of the womb that bore me too.
Chorus
These, then, are at once your daughters, and—
Oedipus
—Sisters, indeed, of their father.
535
Chorus
Oh!
Oedipus
Indeed, woes untold sweep back upon my soul!
Chorus
You have suffered—
Oedipus
I have suffered woes grievous to bear.
Chorus
You have performed—
Oedipus
I have not performed!
Chorus
How?
Oedipus
A gift was given to me—O, wretched that I am, if only I had never won from the city that gift for my services!
Chorus
Cursed man! What of this? Did you commit the murder—
Oedipus
What now? What would you learn?
Chorus
—Of your father?
Oedipus
Oh! oh! a second stab—wound on wound!
Chorus
You killed—
545
Oedipus
I killed—yet I have a plea—
Chorus
What can you plead?
Oedipus
—A plea of justice.
Chorus
What?
Oedipus
I will tell you: I killed in ignorance and perished utterly. Pure before the law, without knowledge of my act, I have come to this!
Commentary
Commentary (R. C. Jebb) (OCR draft) (Commentary (R. C. Jebb))
mvp-comment-387-1 κείμενον … ἐπεγείρειν 1
Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) focus
510. mvp-comment-282-1 δεινὸν μὲν τὸ πάλαι κείμενον ἤδη κακόν, ὦ ξεῖν, ἐπεγείρειν Cp. the proverb, μὴ κινεῖν κακὸν εὐ κείμενον (Plat. Phil. p. 40), and Plat. Legg. 2. 657 E (of the poet's power of recalling the feelings of youth), τοῖς δυναμένοις ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν νεύτητα μνήμῃ ἐπεγείρειν.