Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles. Thomas Francklin (Translator). London. 1758–1759.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759))
Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.
mvp-comment-404-1 ἰώ — ἰὼ δῆτα 1
mvp-comment-404-2 γε 2
mvp-comment-404-3 ἐπιστροφαί 3
mvp-comment-405-1 ἄλαστ’ ἔχειν 4
mvp-comment-406-1 οὐκ ἔρεξα 5
mvp-comment-406-2 τί γάρ 6
mvp-comment-407-1 δῶρον 7
mvp-comment-407-2
The MS.
ἐπωφέλησα ,
"I benefited," or
"succoured" (cp. 441), cannot be right. The sense required is
μήποτε ὤφελον ἐξελέσθαι ,
"would that I had never won!" cp.
Ph. 969
μήποτ’ ὤφελον λιπεῖν | τὴν Σκῦρον:
Od. 11.548
ὡς δὴ μὴ ὄφελον νικᾶν: where
μή , though thus placed, belongs to the infinitives. See Appendix for the attempted explanations of
ἐπωφέλησα , and for some proposed emendations.
mvp-comment-407-3
I would read the partic.
ἐπωφελήσας (which the iambic metre allows), and take
ἐξελέσθαι as the absol. infin. expressing a wish:—
"and would that I had never received that choice gift from the city, for having served her." For this absol. infin., with the subject in the nominative, cp.
Aesch.
Cho. 363:
. Orestes had uttered the wish that Agamemnon had fallen in war at Troy:
ΗΛ. μηδ’ ὑπὸ Τρωΐας
τείχεσι φθίμενος, πάτερ,
μετ’ ἄλλων δουρικμῆτι λαῷ
παρὰ Σκαμάνδρου πόρον τεθάφθαι,
πάρος δ’ οἱ κτανόντες νιν οὕτως δαμῆναι
εἰ γὰρ ὑπ’ Ἰλίῳ | … κατηναρίσθης
(345 ff.)
. Electra modifies it:
"I would not have had thee to perish e'en beneath Troy's walls, and to be buried by Scamander's stream; would rather that the murderers (Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra) had first been slain as they slew thee!" Here the MSS. have
τέθαψαι and
δαμῆναι . On the latter the schol. has
λείπει τὸ ὄφελον , and on the former
λείπει τὸ ὤφελες , thus indicating the certain correction of H. L. Ahrens,
τεθάφθαι . Cp. also
Od. 24.376
αἲ γάρ, Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον,
οἷος Νήρικον εἷλον, …
τοῖος ἐών τοι χθιζὸς ἐν ἡμετέροισι δόμοισιν,
τεύχε’ ἔχων ὤμοισιν, ἐφεστάμεναι καὶ ἀμύνειν,
"Ah, would to father Zeus,...that, such as I was when I took Nericus,...in such might, and with armour on my shoulders,
I had stood by thee ,
and had been aiding thee , yesterday in our house!"A criticism by Wecklein is discussed in the Appendix.
mvp-comment-407-4 ἐξελέσθαι 8
mvp-comment-408-1 τί γάρ 9
mvp-comment-409-1 δευτέραν 10
mvp-comment-410-1 ἔχει δέ μοι … πρὸς δίκας τι 11
mvp-comment-410-2 τί γάρ 12
mvp-comment-411-1
The MSS. give
καὶ γὰρ ἄλλους ἐφόνευσα κ.τ.λ.Hermann's
ἁλοὺς (for
ἄλλους ) must mean either (1)
"caught," as in a net, by
fate , or (2)
"caught" by Laïus and his men, in the sense of,
"driven to fight for life." Neither sense is tolerable. Campbell suggests,
"I murdered, and was convicted of the murder," saying that
ἁλοὺς ἐφόνευσα =
ἑάλων φονεύσας . This is as if one said in English,
"Having been hanged, he did the murder." To
ἀγνώς the short
α^ would be a grave objection: Soph. has the first
α long thrice in
ἄγνοια , twice in
ἀγνοεῖν , once in
ἀγνώς (
O. T. 681
), and short never: even in
αὐτόγνωτος (
Ant. 875
) the
ο is long. Porson's
ἄνους could hardly mean,
"without understanding" merely in the sense of
"
unwittingly. "The word means
"silly,"
"foolish" (
Ant. 281
), and should here mean,
"in folly," which is not an apt sense.
mvp-comment-411-2
And all these corrections, confined to
ἄλλους , leave a blot. After
ἐφόνευσα, καὶ ὤλεσα is intolerably weak. Mekler's
καὶ γὰρ ἄν, οὓς ἐφόνευς), ἔμ’ ἀπώλεσαν brings out the point on which Oed. insists, and to which the words
νόμῳ καθαρός (548) refer,—viz. that, in slaying, he was defending his own life. Cp. 271. After he had returned the blow of Laïus, the attendants set on him (see on
O. T. 804
—812). The change of
ἐφόνευσ’ ἔμ’ ἀπώλεσαν into
ἐφόνευσα καὶ ἀπώλεσα (or
κἀπώλεσα ) would have been easy if
ἐφόνευσά μ’ ἀπώλεσα had once been written. In
Ai. 794
L has
ὥστε κ’ ὠδίνειν instead of
ὥστε μ’ ὠδίνειν . Cp.
Her. 1.11
(Gyges was forced)
ἢ τὸν δεσπότεα ἀπολλύναι ἢ αὐτὸν ὑπ’ ἄλλων ἀπόλλυσθαι .
mvp-comment-412-1 νόμῳ … καθαρός 13
mvp-comment-412-2 ἐς τόδ’ ἦλθον 14
mvp-comment-414-1 ὀμφήν 15
mvp-comment-414-2 ἐφ’ ἁστάλη 16
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 17
mvp-comment-416-1 ἔγνωκά ς’ 18
mvp-comment-416-2 ἔγνωκα 19
mvp-comment-417-1 ἀκούων 20
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 21
mvp-comment-418-2 δύστηνον 22
mvp-comment-419-1 ὄνθ’ ὃς εἶ 23
mvp-comment-420-1 )περέσθαι 24
mvp-comment-421-1 ἐπέστης 25
mvp-comment-421-2 πόλεως … ἐμοῦ τ; 26
mvp-comment-422-1 ἂν … τύχοις … ἐξαφισταίμην 27
mvp-comment-422-2 πρᾶξιν 28
mvp-comment-423-1 ξένος 29
mvp-comment-424-1 καὶ ὡς ἤθλησα πλεῖστα εἷς ἀνήρ 30
mvp-comment-424-2 ἐπὶ ξένης 31
mvp-comment-425-1 κινδυνεύματ’ 32
mvp-comment-425-2 ἐν τὠμῷ κάρᾳ 33 κάρᾳ 34
mvp-comment-426-1 ξένον 35
mvp-comment-426-2 συνεκσῴζειν 36
mvp-comment-427-1 ἀνὴρ 37
mvp-comment-428-1 δοῦ 38
mvp-comment-429-1 τὸ σὸν γενναῖον 39
mvp-comment-430-1 παρῆκεν 40
mvp-comment-430-2 ὥστε ἐμοὶ δεῖσθαι 41
mvp-comment-430-3 δεῖσθαι 42
mvp-comment-430-4
For the dat.
ἐμοί with
δεῖσθαι (instead of
ἐμέ as subj. to
φράσαι ) cp.
Eur.
Hipp. 940
θεοῖσι προσβαλεῖν χθονὶ | ἄλλην δεήσει γαῖαν: and see on
721
. Wecklein takes
ἐμοί with
παρῆκεν ,
permisit mihi , but the interposed
ὥστε forbids this. The conject.
σοι (for
ἐμοί ),
"to say little
to thee ,"would be very weak.
mvp-comment-431-1
Theseus has named Oed. (557) and Laïus (553), but not Thebes. A knowledge of the stranger's country was implied by the rest. Cp. on
205
.
γῆς could stand with
ἦλθον (cp.
O. T. 152
Πυθῶνος ἔβας ,
Ph. 630
νεὼς ἄγοντα), but is more simply governed by
ἀπὸ .
mvp-comment-432-1 χὡ λόγος διοίχεται 43
mvp-comment-432-2 διέρχεται 45
mvp-comment-433-1 τοῦτ’ αὐτὸ 46
mvp-comment-434-1 τὰ δὲ | κέρδη 47
535. mvp-comment-297-1 κοιναί γε γε assents to what the chorus were about to say, which Oedipus emphasises by the words κοιναί γε πατρός. On κοιναί, see Essay on Language p. 95. Own sisters of their own sire.
536. mvp-comment-298-1 ἰὼ δῆτα Cp. Εl. 842, ΗΛ.
536. mvp-comment-298-2 φεῦ. ΧΟ. φεῦ δῆτ᾽· ὀλοὰ γάρ: Eur. Troad. 1230, ΕΚ. οἴμοι. ΧΟ. οἴμοι δῆτα σῶν ἀλάστων κακῶν.
536. mvp-comment-298-3 μυρίων γ᾽ ἐπιστροφαὶ κακῶν Everrenewed onset of unnumbered woes. The image is that of an enemy who harasses an army by returning repeatedly to the attack with fresh forces. Cp. infr. 1045, δαΐων ἀνδρῶν .. ἐπιστροφαί, Αr. Eq 244, ἐπαναστρέφου. For the nominative after the interjection, cp. Tr. 1046-1047, ὦ .. μοχθήσας ἐγώ.
537. mvp-comment-299-1 I have suffered woes that will not be forgotten.' ἄλαστα is first governed by ἔπαθον, then ἔχειν is added pleonastically, and ἄλαστα is resumed. Sc. ἔπαθον ἄλαστα, ὥστε ἄλαστα ἔχειν τὰ παθήματα.
539-541. mvp-comment-300-1 I received a gift, which would that I, the much-enduring one, had never so benefited the state as to receive from her the privilege of choosing.' i. e. Would that I had not benefited the state so as to be honoured with the choice gift of Jocasta. In this rendering. which takes the words in a natural order, it is assumed that μή, with the past tenses of the indicative in a relative clause, may express the wish to reverse a fact in past time. Cp. Aesch. Cho. 363-366, μηδ' ὑπὸ κ.τ.λ. .. τέθαψαι. The analogy of the uses of the historical tenses with εἰ, ἄν, ἵνα, ὡς, ὅπως, to express an impossible supposition, inference, motive, or result, is all that can be urged in favour of this, except the comparison of a passage which has generally been thought corrupt, infr. 1713, ἰώ, μὴ γᾶς ἐπὶ ξένας θανεῖν ἔχρηζες. It may be further suggested, that in both these instances the unusual construction is assisted by an echo (or harmonic) of ὤφελον in ἐπωφέλησα, and of ἐχρῆν in ἔχρηζες. If this hypothesis is rejected, we must fall back on Hermann's interpretation of the words: Accepi, inquit Oedipus, donum, uxorem dicens, quod ego ut nunquam a civitate debuerim accipere, ei profui, i. e. quod ut mihi non unquam daret civitas, merui. quum eam a Sphinge liberavi. ταλακάρδιος is a poetical expansion of τάλας: cp. πυκνόπτερος, μελάμφυλλος, etc.
544. mvp-comment-301-1 παπαῖ Properly an exclamation of pain; here transferred to mental suffering, in accordance with the metaphor in έπαισας. The punctuation of the line is uncertain, i. e. it is uncertain whether δευτέραν is an epithet of νόσον, οι πληγήν is to be supplied with δεντέραν, and ἐπὶ νόσῳ νόσον is in apposition to the sentence. For ἐπὶ νόσῳ νόσον, cp. Hom. Il. 14.130, μή που τις ἐφ᾽ ἕλκεῖ ἕλκος ἄρηται.
545-546. mvp-comment-302-1 ἔχει.. πρὸς δίκας τι i. e. τὸ ἐμὸν ἔχει τι πρὸς δίκας. My case has some defence, something to be urged on the ground of justice. Cp. Ant. 598, οὐδ᾽ ἔχει λύσιν. Eur. Suppl. 64, ἔχομεν δ᾽ ἔνδικα.
546. mvp-comment-303-1 τί γάρ reiterates the expostulation of the chorus. τί γάρ has a different shade of meaning in each of the three lines, 538, 542.546: (1) Why, what then? (2) But what of this? γάρ implying that excuse will not stand. (3) Why, what is that?' 547. The MS. reading ἄλλους is condemned both by sense and metre, but the correction is uncertain. ἁλούς, adopted in the text. may be explained in two ways, (1) ἁλοὺς ἐφόνευσα = ἑάλων φονεύσας, manifesto occidi, I murdered, and was convicted of the murder:' ἁλούς proleptic. Essay on Language § 38. p. 70. Cp. Ο. Τ. 1213. ἐφεῦρέ σ᾽ ἄκονθ᾽ ὁ πάνθ᾽ ὁρῶν χρόνος. (2) Being overtaken (by destiny) I did commit the murder. The former meaning gives rather a better force to καί, and is on the whole preferable, although the construction of the participle is more natural in the latter interpretation. Porson conjectured ἄνους, (3) being infatuated. but this implies a degree of self-accusation, from which Oedipus in the Oed. Col. is wholly free.
546. mvp-comment-303-2 καὶ ὤλεσα The pleonastic expression has the solemnity of a legal indictment. Oedipus, while pleading innocence of intention, will not soften the actual crime.
548. mvp-comment-304-1 νόμῳ δὲ καθαρός The construction of these words is absorbed in the remaining clause. The word καθαρός was specially applicable to one who had been acquitted of the crime of homicide. Cp. Plato, Rep. 5. 451 Β, ἀλλὰ μέντοι, εἶπον, καθαρός γε καὶ ἐκεῖ ὁ ἀφεθείς, ὡς ὁ νόμος λέγει: Legg. 9. 865 Β, ἰατρῶν δὲ περὶ πάντων, ἂν ὁ θεραπευόμενος ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἀκόντων τελευτᾷ, καθαρὸς ἔστω κατὰ νόμον. ὡς ὁ νόμος λέγει and κατὰ νόμον in these passages answer to νόμῳ here. Essay on Language § 14. p. 20.
550. mvp-comment-305-1 κατ᾿ ὀμφὴν σὴν *ἀποσταλείς Brought by thy voice, i. e. by the message sent at the request of Oedipus (1.70). The word ὀμφή has sacred associations, and is used in this play, supr. 102, of Apollo; infr. 1351, of Oedipus again: not elsewhere by Sophocles.
550. mvp-comment-305-2 ἀποσταλείς, the reading of Turnebus, is nearer to the indications of our present MSS. than any other correction, and gives a better sense than ὃς ἐστάλη οι ἐφ᾽ ἁστάλη. See where our lord Theseus, Aegeus son, hath set forth at thy word, and is now come.' 551. The words from ἔν τε to διαφθοράς are introduced by an afterthought, and modify the rest of the sentence. Cp. Phil. 1411, foll., αὐδὴν τὴν Ἡρακλέους ἀκοῇ τε κλύειν λεύσσειν τ᾽ ὄψιν. See Essay on Language p. 65 f. VOL. I. Z
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.
569-570. mvp-comment-316-1 Theseus, your nobleness in brief speech hath spared me the necessity of saying much.' Either (1) βραχέα is the subject of δεῖσθαι, or (2) the object of φράσαι, the subject of δεῖσθαι being τὸ πρᾶγμα. The object of παρῆκεν is absorbed in the following clause. Cp. Eur. Fr. 310, πάρες .. ὑπερβῶαι . . νάπη. For δέομαι passive, cp. Hdt. 4. 11, ὡς ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι πρήγμα εἴη, μηδὲ πρὸς πολλοὺς δεόμενον κινδυνεύειν. Essay on Language § 31. p. 54. δεῖται in Plat. Meno, 79 C, although impersonal (sc. τὸ πρᾶγμα ἢ ὁ λόγος), is middle voice and not passive as here.
572. mvp-comment-317-1 καὶ γῆς ὁποίας ἦλθον This was implied in σκευή, l. 555 .
574. mvp-comment-318-1 χώ λόγος διέρχεται ‘And our conference draws to an end." This is the reading of the best MSS. διοίχεται, which is much commoner in this sense (cp. e. g. Eur. Suppl. 530), is given as a various reading in Par. A, and appears in the text of two other MSS. διέρχε ται is best supported by comparing Dem. 541. 22, πάντα δ᾽ ἤδη διεξεληλύθει, and Plat. Rep. 6. 484 Α, διὰ μακροῦ τινος διεξελθόντος λόγου.
577-578. mvp-comment-319-1 τὰ δὲ .. καλή But the gain to be obtained from it is better than beauty. Cp. Eur. Fr. 552, νοῦν χρὴ θεᾶσθαι, *νοῦν· τί τῆς εὐμορφίας | ὄφελος, ὅταν μὴ τὰς φρένας καλὰς ἔχῃ; 580-581. For the datives, see Essay on Language § 11. p. 18.
577-578. mvp-comment-319-2 ἡ σὴ προσφορά 'The advantage which you bring.