Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 510

Richard Jebb (Translator)

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Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles. Richard Jebb (Translator). Cambridge. 1889.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Experimental

Oedipus at Colonus (English) (Sophocles the plays and fragments, Part 2: The Oedipus at Colonus. Jebb, Richard Claverhouse, Sir, translator. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1889. (Modernized by Perseus.))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 510 focus
δεινὸν μὲν τὸ πάλαι κείμενον ἤδη κακόν, ὦ ξεῖνʼ, ἐπεγείρειν·
510
ὅμως δʼ ἔραμαι πυθέσθαι
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 510 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 510 focus
Seem wanting, there is one at hand to show it.
Thy long since slumbering woe I would not wake again,
But yet I long to learn.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 510 focus
Grausam ist es, o Freund, wecken ein Leid,
505
Welches bereits lange geschlummert;
Und doch zu vernehmen wünsch' ich
Was ist es?
Welch herber, welch gräßlicher Schlag des Schicksals,
Unseliger, dich getroffen.
510
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 510 focus
There, some inhabitant will soon inform thee,
If thou shouldst want assistance or instruction.
Stranger, albeit we know 'tis most ungrateful
520
To raise the sad remembrance of past woes.
520
Yet would we gladly hear
520
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 510 focus
Have need, O Virgin stranger, there resides
One thy inquiries ready to resolve.
Though it be painful to awake a grief
520
Long calm'd to rest, yet, Stranger, I would ask......
520

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-387-1 κείμενον … ἐπεγείρειν 1

mvp-comment-388-1 Mekler's ὥρα με (for ἔραμαι ) would give a closer correspondence between strophe and antistrophe: see on 523

.

mvp-comment-389-1 τί τοῦτο 2

mvp-comment-390-1 τᾶς 3

mvp-comment-390-2 ἀπόρου φανείσας 4

mvp-comment-391-1 ᾇ ξυνέστας 5

mvp-comment-392-1 τᾶς σᾶς ἃ πέπονθ’ 6

mvp-comment-392-2 ἔργ’ 7

mvp-comment-393-1 τὸ πολὺ καὶ μηδαμὰ λῆγον ἄκουσμα χρῄξω ἀκοῦσαι ὀρθόν 8

mvp-comment-393-2 πολὺ 9

mvp-comment-393-3 μηδαμὰ 10

mvp-comment-393-4 λῆγον 11

mvp-comment-393-5 ἄκουσμα 12

mvp-comment-394-1 στέρξον 13

mvp-comment-395-1 κἀγὼ 14

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

510. mvp-comment-282-1 δεινὸν μὲν τὸ πάλαι κείμενον ἤδη κακόν, ὦ ξεῖν, ἐπεγείρειν Cp. the proverb, μὴ κινεῖν κακὸν εὐ κείμενον (Plat. Phil. p. 40), and Plat. Legg. 2. 657 E (of the poet's power of recalling the feelings of youth), τοῖς δυναμένοις ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν νεύτητα μνήμῃ ἐπεγείρειν.

514. mvp-comment-283-1 The hapless misery which you encountered. arising ing without remedy.' For the genitive (= περὶ τᾶς, κ.τ.λ.), see Essay on Language § 9. p. 13, and cp. El. 317, τοῦ κασιγνήτου τί φής;

514. mvp-comment-283-2 ξυνέστας] Cp Hdt. 7. 170, λιμῷ συνεστεῶτας : 8.74, τοιούτῳ πόνῳ συνέστασαν.

515. mvp-comment-284-1 πρὸς ξενίας An extension of the common idiom, πρὸς θεῶν, etc. Essay on Language § 19. p. 29, and cp. Aj. 492-493, πρός τ' ἐφεστίου Δίος | εὐνῆς τε τῆς σῆς, ἡ συνηλλάχθης ἐμοί.

516. mvp-comment-285-1 τᾶς σᾶς *ἃ πέπονθ᾽ ἀναιδή This conjectural reading. as well as the other which has been proposed, τᾶς σᾶς, πέπον, ἔργ᾿ ἀναιδῆ, has been suggested partly by the metrical difficulty, and party by the fact that the Scholiast appears to have taken ἀναιδή (ἔργα) to be governed by ἀνοίξῃς. Schol. μὴ πρὸς τῆς σῆς ξενίας ἀναπτύξῃς μου τὰ ἀναιδῆ ἔργα. Against πέπον it may be argued (1) that the word occurs nowhere in tragedy, (2) that where it occurs in Homer it is accompanied either by a noun in the vocative, or by the interjection 4, (3) that it is improbable that the first person (represented in the Scholion by μου) should be omitted. The word πέπονθα is in accordance with the spirit of other passages of the play (268, 537), and should be retained. ἃ πέπονθα is substituted for ἔργα, to which ἀναιδῆ is added as an emphatic epithet, My unwitting deeds of shame. Hence ἔργα was naturally inserted as a gloss. Besides the metrical objection to the MS. reading. ἀνοίξῃς requires an object, and the asyndeton takes from the smoothness of the passage without increasing its force.

517. mvp-comment-286-1 τό τοι πολὺ.. ἀκοῦσαι I would hear once for all aright what is matter of loud and still undying rumour.

517. mvp-comment-286-2 πολύ, i. e. σφόδρα λεγόμενον: cp. 305.

517. mvp-comment-286-3 πολὺ γάρ, ὦ γέρον, τὸ σὸν ὄνομα, κ.τ.λ.

517. mvp-comment-286-4 μηδαμὰ λήγον Cp. the similar expression, of a report still rife, in O. T. 731, ηὐδᾶτο γὰρ ταῦτ᾽ οὐδέ πω λήξαντ᾿ ἔχει. On the double accusative arising from the cognate use, see Essay on Language p. 25. For ξέν᾽ perhaps ξεῖν᾽, cp. infr. 530.

519. mvp-comment-287-1 στέρξον Be content, i. e. μὴ ἀγανακτοῦ ἐρόμενος ταῦτα. It is doubtful whether this line should be altered by adding δ' or γ', reading παῖδες with the MSS. in l. 532, or we should read as in the text. Cp. infr. 1692 and note. For _ _ u u _ _ in a similar passage, see El. 828, 830, 841, 843.