Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 224

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

Table of Contents

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

View: By Card
← Previous Next →
THESEUS
Enter THESEUS .
From many voices in the former time
Telling thy cruel tale of sight destroyed
I have known thee, son of Laius, and to-day
I know thee anew, in learning thou art here.
Thy raiment, and the sad change in thy face,
Proclaim thee who thou art, and pitying thee,
555
Dark-fated Oedipus, I fain would hear
What prayer or supplication thou preferrest
To me and to my city, thou and this
Poor maid who moves beside thee. Full of dread
Must be that fortune thou canst name, which I
560
Would shrink from, since I know of mine own youth,
How in strange lands a stranger as thou art
I bore the brunt of perilous circumstance
Beyond all others; nor shall any man,
Like thee an alien from his native home,
565
Find me to turn my face from succouring him.
I am a man and know it. To-morrow’s good
Is no more mine than thine or any man’s.

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)) — 224 focus
ὠὼ ὠώ. ΟΙ. δύσμορος.
ὠώ.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 254-509 focus
Translations (4)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 207 focus
Heimatlos,
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 224 focus
Creon
Let her go.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 224 focus
Theseus
More than man's common lot are then thy woes?
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 254-507 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-415-1 The

σκοπός
, who did not know the name of Oed., could describe the traces of wounds about the sightless eyes, and brought the mysterious message (72). Theseus then set out, surmising who it was. Meanwhile the name of Oed. had become known at Colonus (222), and wayfarers who met Theseus raised his surmise into certain knowledge. Cp. on 299
ff.

mvp-comment-415-2 ἔν τε 1

mvp-comment-416-1 ἔγνωκά ς’ 2

mvp-comment-416-2 ἔγνωκα 3

mvp-comment-417-1 ἀκούων 4

mvp-comment-417-2 For

ἀκούων
it may be pleaded that the sense is at least quite intelligible, and that ancient writers, even the most artistic, were less careful than moderns in avoiding such repetitions of single words. Cp. 631
ἐκβάλοι
, 636
ἐκβαλῶ
: 638, 640
ἡδύ
: 966, 969
ἐπεί
: 1000, 1003
καλόν
, 1004
καλῶς
: 1123, 1129: 1451, 1459: 1487 f.: O. T. 517
φέρον
, 519
φέροντι
, 520
φέρει
: ib. 1276, 1278
ὁμοῦ
: Ant. 73 , 76
κείσομαι
: Ai. 1201 , 1204 (
τέρψιν
).

mvp-comment-418-1 σκευή 5

mvp-comment-418-2 δύστηνον 6

mvp-comment-419-1 ὄνθ’ ὃς εἶ 7

mvp-comment-420-1 )περέσθαι 8

mvp-comment-421-1 ἐπέστης 9

mvp-comment-421-2 πόλεως … ἐμοῦ τ; 10

mvp-comment-422-1 ἂν … τύχοις … ἐξαφισταίμην 11

mvp-comment-422-2 πρᾶξιν 12

mvp-comment-423-1 ξένος 13

mvp-comment-424-1 καὶ ὡς ἤθλησα πλεῖστα εἷς ἀνήρ 14

mvp-comment-424-2 ἐπὶ ξένης 15

mvp-comment-425-1 κινδυνεύματ’ 16

mvp-comment-425-2 ἐν τὠμῷ κάρᾳ 17 κάρᾳ 18

mvp-comment-426-1 ξένον 19

mvp-comment-426-2 συνεκσῴζειν 20

mvp-comment-427-1 ἀνὴρ 21

mvp-comment-428-1 δοῦ 22

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

553. mvp-comment-306-1 ὁδοῖς ἐν ταῖσδε In thy present coming. Cp. Εl. 68, δέξασθέ μ᾽ εὐτυχοῦντα ταῖσδε ταῖς ὁδοῖς.

555. mvp-comment-307-1 σκευή Thine apparel: which, though travel-stained, is that of a noble Theban.

556. mvp-comment-308-1 ὃς εἰ A pronominal expression to avoid the repetition of the name. Ср. О. Т. 1036, ὥστ᾽ ὠνομάσθης ἐκ τύχης ταύτης ὃς εἶ.

556. mvp-comment-308-2 καί σ᾽ οἰκτίσας, κ.τ.λ. With a native generosity which Oedipus fully acknowledges (infr. 570), Theseus is ready to protect Oedipus, although not ignorant of the nature of his misfortunes (supr. 305 ff., 551 ff.). But he imagines himself to be conferring a favour, and knows not that the blind wayfarer has more to give than to receive. Once more, therefore, we have a fine contrast between the real and the apparent situation.

557. mvp-comment-309-1 θέλω *' περέσθαι This correction of the Laurentian reading (=τὶ) is more probable than the reading of B, in which o' is awkwardly repeated. For the aphaeresis, cp. Phil. 592, λέγω. 'πὶ τοῦτον, κ.τ.λ.

560. mvp-comment-310-1 δεινήν, κ.τ.λ. Either (r1) 'For that were a hard task indeed from which, on your mentioning it, I should recoil.' Or (2) For that would be a terrible fortune, of which the mention would make me shrink from giving relief. The latter rendering gives a more natural meaning to πρᾶξις (cp. Hdt. 3. 65, ἀπέκλαιε πᾶσαν τὴν ἑωυτοῦ πρήξιν), and is more in accordance with what follows (ὑπεκτραποίμην, κ.τ.λ.). And the usual question addressed to suppliants is, What is your misfortune? rather than, What would you have us do?' For the sentiment, cp. Eur. Suppl. 339. 40, (Θησ.) ὡς τοῖς ἐμοῖσιν οὐχὶ πρόσφορον τρόποις | φεύγειν τὰ δεινά. For the emphatic use of the adj., see Essay on Language p. 80.

562. mvp-comment-311-1 ὡς οἶδά γ᾽ αὐτός Yes, for I know, that I myself was brought up a stranger, as thou art now. Theseus was reared by his grandfather Pittheus at Troezen.

563. mvp-comment-312-1 χώς τις πλεῖστ᾽ ἀνήρ i. e. καὶ ὥς τις ἀνὴρ πλεῖστα (sc. ἤθλησεν). Ι have laboured, as any one hath laboured most:' i. e. as much as any one (ut qui plurima). The more usual expression would be ὅσα τις πλεῖστα.

564. mvp-comment-313-1 ἤθλησα κινδυνεύματα Cognate accusative.

564. mvp-comment-313-2 ἐν τὠμῷ κάρᾳ In my own person : i. e. they were dangers to my own life which I met by my own exertions, referring to the adventure with Sciron, etc. For ev, cp. the expression, ἐν τῷ Καρὶ ὑμῖν ὁ κίνδυνοos, Plat. Lach. 187 B.

565. mvp-comment-314-1 ὥσπερ σὺ νῦν For the nominative, cp. Aj. 525, ἔχειν σ᾽ ἂν οἶκτον ὡς κἀγώ: Il. 6.477, γενέσθαι | παῖδ᾽ ἐμόν, ὡς καὶ ἐγώ περ.

568. mvp-comment-315-1 σοῦ Essay on Language p. 13, 4 a.