Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 707

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)) — 707 focus
ἄλλον δʼ αἶνον ἔχω ματροπόλει τᾷδε κράτιστον,
δῶρον τοῦ μεγάλου δαίμονος, εἰπεῖν .., αὔχημα μέγιστον,
εὔιππον, εὔπωλον, εὐθάλασσον.
ὦ παῖ Κρόνου, σὺ γάρ νιν εἰς
τόδʼ εἷσας αὔχημʼ, ἄναξ Ποσειδάν,
ἵπποισιν τὸν ἀκεστῆρα χαλινὸν
πρώταισι ταῖσδε κτίσας ἀγυιαῖς.
715
[105 b.
ἁ δʼ εὐήρετμος ἔκπαγλʼ ἁλία χερσὶ † παραπτομένα πλάτα
θρώσκει, τῶν ἑκατομπόδων
Νηρήδων ἀκόλουθος.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 707 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 707 focus
To grace these roadways Prince Poseidon first
Framed for the horse, that else had burst
From man’s control, the spirit taming bit
And the trim bark, rowed by strong arms, doth flit
O’er briny seas with glancing motion brave
Lord of the deep! by that thy glorious gift
Thou hast established our fair town
715
For ever in supreme renown—
The Sea nymphs’ plashing throng glide not more smoothly swift.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 707 focus
Des stolzherrschenden Meergottes Geschenk,
705
Nenn' ich, des Land's edelste Gabe:
Den Ruhm der Meerfahrt, der Ross' und Füllen. 1
Kronos' Sohn, du hobst es ja
Zu diesem Preis, hehrer Fürst Poseidon,
Der dem Nosse den wuthstillenden Zügel
710
Am ersten umwarf auf diesen Wegen.
Sieh, hineilend mit Macht nieder zum Meer
Hüpft in den Händen geschwungen dein
Ruder, das Nereïden rings 2
Hundertfüßig umtanzen.
715
(den nahenden Kreon erblickend)
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 707 focus
Creon {li^ith Attendants), CEdipus, Antigone,
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 707 focus
From Doric Pelops named, contain,
Here, unrequired the cult'ring hand,
The hallow'd plant spontaneous grows,
Striking cold terror through our foes.
Here blooms, this favour'd region round,
The fertile Olive's hoary head;
715
The young, the old behold it spread,
Nor dare with impious hand to wound:

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-533-1 This antistrophe is devoted to Poseidon, as the strophe to Athena.

mvp-comment-533-2 ματρόπολει 1

mvp-comment-534-1 If vv. 696 f. are sound as they stand, the problem here is to supply uu , and Porson's χθονὸς seems best.

μεγάλου...μέγιστον, αὔχημα...αὔχημα
(713) must not be judged with modern fastidiousness: see on 554
.

mvp-comment-535-1 εὔιππον, εὔπωλον 2

mvp-comment-535-2 εὔιππον 3

mvp-comment-535-3 εὐθάλασσον 4

mvp-comment-535-4 εὔιππον, εὐθάλασσον 5

mvp-comment-536-1 σὺ γάρ 6

mvp-comment-537-1 εἷσας 7

mvp-comment-538-1 ἵπποισιν 8

mvp-comment-538-2 ἀκεστῆρα 9

mvp-comment-539-1 πρώταισι ταῖσδε … ἀγυιαῖς 10

mvp-comment-539-2 κτίσας 11

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

707. mvp-comment-392-1 ἄλλον . . εὐθάλασσον I have yet another mighty praise for this city that hath reared me, the gift of that great deity, to tell, her great pride, that she is renowned for the fairest steeds, the fairest colts, and for glorious sea. εἰπεῖν is added epexegetically in construction with ἔχω. The adjectives, εὔιππον, etc., agree with αὐτήν, which is to be supplied as the object of εἰπεῖν, if indeed some word equivalent to this has not been lost. Porson, to complete the metre, supplied χθονός before αύχημα. But perhaps the line may have stood, δῶρον τοῦ μεγάλου δαίμονος, εἰπεῖν γέ νιν, αὔχημα μέγιστον, κ.τ.λ. ματροπόλει = 'the state our mother.' Cp. 1480, γᾷ ματέρι. The word probably refers to Athens, as presiding over the smaller townships. But in ταίσδε .. ἀγνιαῖς, infr. 715, the neighbourhood of Colonus is meant.

712. mvp-comment-393-1 For, son of Cronos, it was thou... γάρ is postponed after the vocative.

713. mvp-comment-394-1 αὔχημ᾿ For the unconscious repetition of aὔχημα, see Essay on Language § 44. p. 84.

714. mvp-comment-395-1 The dative ἵπποισι depends immediately on κτίσας, and is to be resumed with ἀκεστῆρα. Having framed for horses the bit, which tames their rage. Cp. Pind. O1. 13. 85, φάρμακον πραῦ τείνων ἀμφὶ γένυι.

715. mvp-comment-396-1 ταῖσδε κτίσας ἀγυιαῖς Having instituted in these roads. κτίσας, having invented and brought into use. ταῖσδε . . ἀγυιαîs] In the roads about Colonus. The note of the Schol. here is curious: ὁ γὰρ Κολωνὸς ἱππεὺς ὠνομάσθη, παρ' ἃς ἐξεθέμην αἰτίας διὰ τὸν Ἄδραστον (κατ' Ἀνδροτίωνα, Rom. ed.). ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ σεμνότατον ἄγει τὸ πράγμα.