Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 1211

Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator)

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Wer das längere Lebenstheil
Wünscht, nicht achtend des kürzeren,
Den hält thörichter Unverstand
Ewig gebunden nach meinem Urtheil.
1205
Denn viel herbe Bekümmerniß
Führt langdauerndes Alter dir
Näher; doch es gewahrt dein Blick
Nirgends lautere Freude, wenn
Du mehr verlangst, als dein Geschick
1210
Willig beut, und nie genug hast,
Bis sich am Ziele,
Ohne Brautlied, ohne Reigen,
Ohne Lauten, Tod vom Hades,
Allen gemeinsam, einstellt.
1215
Gegenstrophe.

Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles. Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator). . .

Current edition Experimental

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) (German) (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 1211 focus
στρ.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1211-1248 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 1211 focus
Who, loving life, hath sought
To outlive the appointed span,
Shall be arraigned before my thought
For an infatuate man.
Since the added years entail
Much that is bitter,—joy
1215
Flies out of ken, desire doth fail,
The longed-for moments cloy.
But when the troublous life,
1220
Be it less or more, is past,
With power to end the strife
Comes rescuing Death at last.
Lo! the dark bridegroom waits! No festal choir
Shall grace his destined hour, no dance, no lyre!
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 1211 focus
For Theseus' sake, oh ! give him answer now,
And let him go.
Who hither brought him did request it of me,
He ne'er had heard the voice ef Qildipus ;
And little pleasure will it now bestow.
Ungrateful wretch ! who, when the throne of Thebes,
Where now thy brother sits, was thine, didst drive
1215
Thy father hence, to penury and woe.
Now, when thou seest me in this mean attire.
Thou weepst my fate because 'tis Uke thy own ;
1220
But I'll not weep, for I can bear it all,
1220
Still, wicked parricide, remembering thee.
The cruel cause of all ; thou mad'st me thus
On others' bounty to rely for food
And nourishment ; for thee, I might have perished.
But these my pious daughters, these alone,
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 1211 focus
Beyond the bounds to strength assign'd
Hast thou a wish t' extend life's lingering day?
With heedful eye my state survey,
And learn that thoughtless folly rules thy mind.
For years thus lengthen'd in their train:
Bring nearer weakness, grief, and pain.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1211-1245 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-862-1 Notice the dat. προσχρῄζουσιν (with

καλόν
), followed by the acc. αὐτόν with πάσχειν , and παθόντα with ἐπίστασθαι . A literal version shows the reason:—
"It is not fitting for the askers of just things to sue long, nor that a man should himself be well-treated, and then not know how to requite it."
Importunityis here viewed as touching the dignity of the suppliants; ingratitude , in its moral aspect.—

mvp-comment-862-2 οὐδ’ 1

mvp-comment-862-3 οὐκ ἐπίστασθαι 2

mvp-comment-862-4 τίνειν 3

mvp-comment-862-5 The structure of οὐδ’ αὐτὸν … τίνειν 4

mvp-comment-863-1 The stress is on

βαρεῖαν
:
"Grievous (for me) is the gratification (to yourselves) in regard to which ye prevail over me by your words; however ( δ’ οὖν ) it shall be as ye wish."

mvp-comment-863-2 ἡδονὴν 5

mvp-comment-863-3 δ’ οὖν 6

mvp-comment-864-1 ἐλεύσεται 7

mvp-comment-865-1 κρατείτω τῆς ἐ. ψυχῆς 8

mvp-comment-865-2 τῆς ἐμ. ψ. 9

mvp-comment-866-1 κλύειν 10

mvp-comment-866-2 τὰ τοιαῦτ’ 11

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 12 ζώειν 13 παρεὶς 14 τοῦ μετρίου 15

mvp-comment-869-2 χρῄζ 16

mvp-comment-869-3 παρείς 17

mvp-comment-869-4 μετρίου 18

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 19

mvp-comment-869-7 φυλάσσων 20

mvp-comment-869-8 ἐν ἐμοὶ 21

mvp-comment-870-1 αἱ μακραὶ | ἁμέραι 22

mvp-comment-870-2 πολλὰ μὲν δὴ κατέθεντο 23

mvp-comment-870-3 λύπας 24

mvp-comment-870-4 λύπας ἐγγυτέρω 25

mvp-comment-870-5 The middle

κατατίθεσθαι
is continually used in Attic of
" storing up ,"
— either literally, as
καρπούς, θησαυρούς, σῖτον
,—or figuratively, as
χάριν, κλέος, φιλίαν, ἔχθραν
. Therefore I would not render κατέθεντο simply,
" set down ,"
as if the meaning were that many things, once
"near to joy,"
are moved by the years, and set down nearer to grief; though this view is tenable. (Cp. Aristoph. Ran. 165
Δ. τὰ στρώματ’ αὖθις λάμβανε.
Ξ. πρὶν καὶ καταθέσθαι;
) — Not , "oft (
πολλὰ
) lay up griefs (
λύπας
acc. pl.) nearer (us)."

mvp-comment-870-6 οὐκ ἂν ἴδοις ὅπου 26

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

1204. mvp-comment-645-1 βαρεῖαν ἡδονὴν νικᾶτέ με You win me by your words to grant your request against my will. ἡδονή may either refer (1) to the pleasure which Oedipus gives to his daughters, cp. Αj. 114, ἐπειδὴ τέρψις ἥδε σοὶ τὸ δρᾶν: or (2) to the pleasure which he feels in hearing them; either being accompanied with pain to himself. For the accusative in (2) see Essay on Language § 17. p. 24, and cp. Tr. 960-961, χωρεῖν πρὸ δόμων λέγουσιν, ἄσπετόν τι θαῦμα. The oxymoron is more pointed in (2).

1206. mvp-comment-646-1 εἴπερ is emphatic, expressing some impatience at his forced consent. If he must come.

1207. mvp-comment-647-1 Let me never be delivered into the power of any man; i.e. By no means let me come into his power. For the periphrasis with ψυχή, cp. esp. Ant. 1069, Phil. 54, 5. And for μηδείς, see Essay on Language § 22. p. 36.

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.

1212. mvp-comment-651-1 φυλάσσων An Homeric expression. Il. 16. 30, χόλος ὃν σὺ φυλάσσεις.

1212. mvp-comment-651-2 ἐν ἐμοί i. e. So far as the decision rests with me. Cp. O. T. 677, ἐν δὲ τοῖσδ᾽ ἴσος: supr. 422-423, ἐν δ᾽ ἐμοὶ τέλος | αὐτοῖν γένοιτο, κ.τ.λ.

1215-1216. mvp-comment-652-1 ἐπεὶ ἐγγυτέρω These words have been explained in two ways: (1) Since length of days brings many things (in life) nearer to grief. (Herm.) (2) Since length of days has in store much that is akin to sorrow.' (Elms.) A third way of taking κατέθεντο seems preferable. (3) Since length of days contributes much that is akin to sorrow; i.e. κατέθεντο is a subjective middle, like παρέχομαι. Not = Has laid up in store, which requires the perfect tense, but brings in,' sc. εἰς τὸν βίον. Cp Hesiod. Op. et D. 361. For the use of the adverb, cp. Ant. 933.4, θανάτου τοῦτ᾽ ἐγγυτάτω | τοῦπος ἀφῖκται, And see Essay on Language § 24. p. 40, 2.