Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 119

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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OED
Hast thou come, daughter?

Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles. Lewis Campbell (Translator). London, New York and Toronto. 1906.

Current edition Experimental

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 118 focus
ποῦ κυρεῖ ἐκτόπιος συθεὶς ὁ πάντων
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 117-253b focus
Translations (4)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 117 focus
schaut! Er entfloh! 1
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 119 focus
Oedipus
421
Oh ! may the gods doom them to endless strife ;
Ne'er may the battle cease till CEdipus
Himself shall end it ; then, nor he who bears
The sceptre now, should long maintain the throne,
Nor Polynices e'er to Thebes return ;
425
They should not live who drove a parent forth
To misery and exile, left by those
Who should have loved, supported, and revered him ;
I know they say the city but complied
With my request — I asked for banishment ;
Not then I asked it. In my desperate mind,
When first I raged, I wished indeed for death ;
It had been grateful then, but no kind friend
Would minister the boon. At length my grief
435
Gave way, and when they saw my troubled soul
Had taken ample vengeance on itself.
After long stay, the city drove me forth ;
And those who could have saved me, my base sons,
Deaf to a father's prayers, permit me still
To roam abroad in poverty and exile.
From these alone, far as their tender sex
Can help me, I receive the means of life.
All the sweet comfort, food, or needful rest
445
Earth can afford me now, whilst to my sons
A throne was dearer than a father's love ;
But they shall never gain me for their friend,
Ne'er reign in Thebes — these oracles declare
They never shall. I do remember too
Another prophecy which Phcebus erst
Delivered to me : let 'em send their Creon,
Or any other powerful citizen.
To drag me hence ; my hospitable friends,
455
If to those all-protecting deities
Who here preside you too will lend your aid,
Athens shall find in me its best defence,
And vengeance strike the foes of CEilipus.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 119 focus
Ismene
Announced, my child?
The time will come, when thee
Living and dead the Thebans shall require
390
For their protection.
390
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 118-250 focus

Commentary

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

328-331. mvp-comment-185-1 Editors since Musgrave, who followed the Scholiast's hint, μὴ ἄρα πρὸς τὸ δυσαθλία; have transposed these lines, placing 328 between 330 and 331, on the ground that Ismene cannot be supposed to touch herself. Not much is gained by this: for Ismene is rather struck by the contrast of her father's and her sister's mode of life to her own at Thebes than by the misery she shares with them. And the construction of a reply, in this sort of dialogue, is not to be pressed too closely. Cp. amongst other passages, El. 1036, ἀλλ᾽ οὖν ἐπίστω γ' οἱ μ᾿ ἀτιμίας ἄγεις. | ΧΡ. ἀτιμίας μὲν οὔ.

328-331. mvp-comment-185-2 προμηθίας δὲ σοῦ, where προμηθίας has really no construction. Perhaps all that is meant is, I too am linked in this unhappy circle. For δυσάθλιαι, which has been questioned, cp. δυστάλαινα, δυσπόνητος, δυσθρήνητος.