Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 410

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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THE
I need no repetition, aged friend,
Of that request. Vaunt will I not, but thou
Be sure, if Heaven protect me, thou art free.

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)) — 410 focus
ποίας φανείσης, ὦ τέκνον, συναλλαγῆς;
410
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 510-548 focus
Translations (3)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 421 focus
So mag den Zwiespalt, über sie vom Loos verhängt,
Niemals die Gottheit löschen, und bei mir allein
Das Ende ruh'n des Kampfes, der die Brüder theilt,
Die nun mit aufgehob'nem Speer einander droh'n,
Daß weder er, den heute Thron und Scepter schmückt,
420
Fest stehe, noch der Ausgetrieb'ne je zurück
Zur Stadt gelange! Haben sie den Vater doch,
Der aus dem Land so schmählich ausgestoßen ward,
Nicht aufgehalten, nicht geschirmt; ich ward verjagt,
Verbannt mit Heroldsrufen, und sie duldeten's.
425
Man könnte sagen, daß die Stadt in jener Zeit
Mir das mit Recht gewährte, was ich selbst erbat.
In keiner Weise: denn an jenem Tage gleich, 1
Da noch der Unmuth glühte, ja das Liebste mir
Gewesen wäre jäher Tod und Steinigung,
430
Erschien mir Niemand diesen Liebesdienst zu thun.
Doch als die Zeit schon allen Harm besänftiget,
Und ich erkannte, daß der Zorn mir ausgeschweift
Zu Züchtigungen, schwerer noch denn meine Schuld :
Da trieb gewaltsam aus dem Lande mich die Stadt
435
Nach langer Zeit erst, und des Vaters Söhne, die
Dem Vater helfen konnten, sie verweigerten
Die Hülfe, ließen, statt mit kurzem Worte mich
Zu schirmen, mich als Bettler flieh'n in fremdes Land.
Von diesen schwachen Mädchen hier wird Iegliches,
440
Wie's ihr Geschlecht verstattet, Lebensunterhalt,
Ein sichrer Siz und Kindeshülfe mir gewährt.
Die Söhne zogen Thron und Stab dem Vater vor,
Und schalten lieber als die Herrn im Lande dort.
Doch meine Hülfe leih' ich ihnen nimmermehr;
445
Nie soll die Herrschaft über Kadmos' Land für sie
Ein Segen sein: das weiß ich, wenn ich diesen Spruch,
Den du verkündest, Tochter, und das alte Wort
Erwäge, das mir Phöbos einst verkündet hat. 2
Drum mögen sie den Kreon, und wenn Einer sonst
450
Im Land Gewalt hat, senden, um nach mir zu späh'n.
Denn wollet ihr nur, Freunde, samt den Göttinnen,
Den Hehren, die in diesem Lande, walten, mir
Beistand gewähren, dann gewinnt ihr eurer Stadt
Den starken Helfer, meinen Feinden Schmach und Noth.
455
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 410 focus
Chorus
1491
Hither, my son, haste hither, if perchance
On the shore's lowest verge thy pious hand
Burns offerings on the altar to the god,
That rules the ocean, hallow'd, hither come.
1495
The stranger, grateful for thy courteous deeds,
Just recompense to thee, thy state, thy friends
Wishes to pay: come then, O king, with speed.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 510-546c focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-866-1 κλύειν 1

mvp-comment-866-2 τὰ τοιαῦτ’ 2

mvp-comment-867-1 If δ’ is omitted (with Wecklein) after κομπεῖν , we must either make κομπεῖν οὐχὶ βούλομαι a parenthesis (as he does), or else point thus:

κλύειν·
ὦ πρέσβυ,
etc. The abruptness would add a certain spirit to the words. But the δ’ after κομπεῖν may well be genuine, if we conceive him as checking the impulse to remind Oed. of the prowess already shown: — "however, I do not wish to boast."
σὺ δὲ
σῶς ἴσθι
could not mean, "know that you are safe": ὤν is indispensable: and the choice lies between (1)
σὺ δ’ ὢν
σῶς ἴσθ’
, and (2)
σὺ σῶς
ὢν ἴσθ’
. For (2) it may be said that the MS. σῶν is more easily explained by it, and that δὲ might have been added to complete v. 1209: for (1), that it is nearer to the actual text (in which σῶν may have sprung from ὤν superscript), and that σῶς is more effective if it begins the verse in which σώζῃ follows.

mvp-comment-869-1 ὅστις τοῦ πλέονος μ. χρῄζει 3 ζώειν 4 παρεὶς 5 τοῦ μετρίου 6

mvp-comment-869-2 χρῄζ 7

mvp-comment-869-3 παρείς 8

mvp-comment-869-4 μετρίου 9

mvp-comment-869-5 Hartung explains his

τὰν μετρίου παρεὶς | ζωάν
as
"neglecting the life of moderate span"
( sc.
μέρους
). Though the phrase
τὸ μέτριον παρείς
(
"in neglect of due limit"
) occurs in Plat. Legg. 691C (quoted by Wunder), it seems very doubtful whether παρεὶς is sound here. The conjecture πέρα (Schneidewin) is possible, but derives no real support from the fact that
παρὰ τὸ καίριον καὶ τὸ μέτριον
occurs in the schol.'s loose paraphrase. Verrall ingeniously proposes παρὲκ , which, however, does not occur in Tragedy. Possibly
τοῦ μετρίου προθεὶς
,
"in preference to the moderate portion."

mvp-comment-869-6 σκαιοσύναν 10

mvp-comment-869-7 φυλάσσων 11

mvp-comment-869-8 ἐν ἐμοὶ 12

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

1210. mvp-comment-648-1 σῶς ἴσθ᾽ Sc. ὤν, Essay on Language § 39. p. 72, 1, c. Know thyself safe. The reading of L. may be due to a gloss to this effect, viz. σῶς/ὤν.

1211. mvp-comment-649-1 How foolish to desire long life, which but increases sorrow; while joys depart before the joyless hour of death. Far best for a man is never to be born; but after birth to go with all speed whence he came is next best by far. For when once thoughtless youth is come, [who escapes from grief?] what grief is not there? Blood, faction, strife, war, envy, and, last of ills, hateful, cold, helpless, friendless age, wherein all the greatest evils make their dwelling. So I have found, and so too this unfortunate is buffeted with a sea of troubles, some fresh calamity ever breaking over him, some borne on the sunset breeze, some at the rising of the sun, some coming through the noontide blaze, and some from the winds of night.

1211. mvp-comment-649-2 The iambic and trochaic metres which are here mingled with the glyconic and logaoedic, are lighter and more resolved than in the previous ode. Strophe and Antistrophe. The equivalence of the long and short syllables in the 2nd foot of l. 9 is remarkable, and indicates a retardation of the rhythm. Epode. * See note on 1248. The third line, both of strophe and antistrophe, introduces the reasons of the two lines which form the prelude.

1211. mvp-comment-649-3 The coming of Polynices again mars the peacefulness of the scene. The old age of Oedipus appears to have sorrow upon sorrow. The theme of the chorus is not, as some have thought, the unprofitableness of riches, but the misery of old age and the folly of desiring long life.

1211-1212. mvp-comment-650-1 He whose desire of life keeps not the mean, but craves the larger share, will be convicted in my judgment of cherishing folly.' ζώειν must be closely connected with the genitives, and is rather to be explained as an accusative of respect than as epexegetic infinitive.

1211-1212. mvp-comment-650-2 τοῦ μετρίου παρείς (1) Neglecting the moderate portion, a poetical construction for παρεὶς τὸ μέτριον. Cp. Plat. Legg. 3, 691 C, ἐάν τις μείζονα διδῷ τοῖς ἐλάττοσι δύναμιν παρεὶς τὸ μέτριον. The same construction occurs in Plat. Phaedr. 235 Ε, παρέντα τοῦ . . ἐγκωμιάζειν. Οι (2), supposing an ellipse of the inf., παρέντα τοῦ μετρίου χρήζειν, Omitting to desire the mean. Thuc 8.41, ἀφεὶς τὸ ἐς τὴν Χίον ἔπλει ἐς τὴν Καῦνον. The article, as elsewhere with words of number and measurement, opposing what is more to what is less. The expression d πλέον μέρος occurs in Cleobulus quoted by Suidas; ἀβουλία τὸ πλέον μέρος ἐν βροτοίσιν. Bergk, Poet. Lyr. Gr. Mel. xi.