Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 2

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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ANTIGONE
Woe-wearied father, yonder city’s wall
That shields her, looks far distant; but this ground
15
Is surely sacred, thickly planted over
With olive, bay and vine, within whose bowers
Thick-fluttering song-birds make sweet melody.
Here then repose thee on this unhewn stone.
Thou hast travelled far to-day for one so old.
20

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)) — 2 focus
χώρους ἀφίγμεθʼ, ἢ τίνων ἀνδρῶν πόλιν ;
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1-116 focus
Translations (4)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 1 focus
Wohin, des blinden Greises Kind, Antigone, 1
1
In welche Landschaft kamen wir, zu welcher Stadt?
Wer wird auf seinem irren Pfad den Dedipus
An diesem Tag mit karger Liebesgab' empfah'n,
Ihn, der um wenig bittet und noch weniger,
5
Als dieses, hinnimmt? Doch auch so genügt es mir.
Denn still zu dulden lehrte mich mein Mißgeschick,
Des Lebens lange Dauer und ein edler Sinn.
Wohlan, o Tochter, wenn du einen Siz gewahrst
An Götterhainen oder ungeweihter Statt,
10
So laß mich niedersizen, daß uns Kunde wird,
Wohin wir kamen; müssen wir als Fremde doch
Von Bürgern lernen und nach ihrem Worte thun.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 2 focus
Antigone
O G^dipus ! my poor, unliappy fatlier,
Far as my eyes can reach I see a city,
15
With lofty turrets crowned, and, if I err not,
This place is sacred, by the laurel shade
Olive and vine thick-planted, and the songs
Of nightingales sweet warbling through the grove
Here sit thee down, and rest thy wearied limbs
20
On this rude stone ; 'tis a long way for age
Like thine to travel.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 2 focus
Antigone
Is sacred, flourishing with laurels, vines,
And olives close enwoven; in the midst
Thick-fluttering nightingales their sweet notes tune.
Rest therefore seated on this unhewn stone,
For tiresome to thine age the length of way.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1-115 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-16-1 Οἰδίπους 1

mvp-comment-16-2 οἳ 2

mvp-comment-17-1 στέγουσιν 3

mvp-comment-17-2 ὡς ἀπ’ ὀμμάτων 4

mvp-comment-18-1 χῶρος δ’ ὅδ’ ἱρός 5

mvp-comment-18-2 ὡς σάφ’ εἰκάσαι 6

mvp-comment-18-3 βρύων 7

mvp-comment-19-1 ἀμπέλου 8

mvp-comment-19-2 πυκνόπτεροι 9

mvp-comment-19-3 δ’ 10

mvp-comment-20-1 ὡς γέροντι 11

mvp-comment-20-2 προὐστάλης 12

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

1-116. mvp-comment-1-1 The scene of the πρόλογος, ll. 1-116, is probably on the north side of Colonus, with Athens in the distance. See Introduction, p. 282. The spot so familiar to the audience (οὐ λόγοις τιμώμεν' ἀλλὰ τῇ συνουσίᾳ, infr. 63-64) would probably be recalled by the representation on the stage of some striking objects, especially those which marked the religio loci. Oedipus enters (right?), led by Antigone, and sits down in the middle of the proscenium, where he remains until Antigone descries the approach of the chorus.

14-15. mvp-comment-13-1 This answers τίνων ἀνδρῶν πόλιν; i. e. We are not yet come to the city, whose towers are seen from far.

15. mvp-comment-14-1 στέγουσιν Protect. Cp. Aesch. Sept. 216, 797, where, however, the word is used without the acc. of that which is protected. This is a simpler and more natural expression than στέφουσιν, which is therefore an unnecessary conjecture.

15. mvp-comment-14-2 ὡς ἀπ᾿ ὀμμάτων (1) Το judge of them by the eye, sc. εἰκάζειν or κρίνειν, or more simply without supplying an infinitive, (2) to the eye. Are far away for the eye to reach, i. e. We have but a distant view of them,

16. mvp-comment-15-1 χῶρος δ᾽ ὅδ' ἱρός Answering to τίνας χώρους ἀφίγμεθα; in l. 2, and to ἢ πρὸς ἄλσεσιν θεῶν in l. 10.

16. mvp-comment-15-2 ὡς ἀπεικάσαι The reading ὡς σάφ' εἰκάσαι, As one may guess with certainty, though it has some MS. authority, is less in keeping with the moderation of the style. Cp. Tr. 141, πεπυσμένη μέν, ὡς ἀπεικάσαι, πάρει | πάθημα τοὐμόν. ἀπο as in ἀπομαντεύεσθαι, ἀποπειρᾶσθαι : i. e. ἀπεικάσαι is to hazard a conjecture.

16. mvp-comment-15-3 βρύων governs the genitive with the general notion of fulness. Ср. О. Т. 83, πολυστεφὴς . . δάφνης.

17. mvp-comment-16-1 πυκνόπτεροι The compound adds picturesqueness to the expression. Many-winged nightingales, i. e. Many fluttering nightingales. See Essay on Language p. 101. For the synaphea, cp. O. T. 29, Ar. Av. 1716.

20. mvp-comment-17-1 Since the way you have travelled is long for an aged man.