Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 90

Robert Potter (Translator)

Table of Contents

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

View: By Card
← Previous Next →
Oedipus
And think you he will hold a blind old man
Worthy his care, and hither deign to come?
300

Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles. Robert Potter (Translator). London. 1820.

Current edition Experimental

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Robert Potter, 1788))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 90 focus
σεμνῶν ἕδραν λάβοιμι καὶ ξενόστασιν,
90
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 117-253b focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 90 focus
OED
Fear not my words.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 75 focus
Um nicht zu irren, höre noch: (denn edel scheinst
75
Du mir von Anseh'n, außer daß dies Loos dich traf;)
Bleib' hier, o Fremdling, wo du mir zuerst erschienst,
Bis ich Kolonos' Bürgern, nicht dem Volk der Stadt, 1
Den Fall zu melden gehe; die entscheiden dann,
Ob hier du bleiben, ob du wieder ziehen sollst.
80
Oedipus. Antigone.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 90 focus
Ismene
Scene VI.
O the sweet sounds ! a father and a sister !
What pains have I not suffered in the search !
And now for grief can scarce behold you.
325
My daughter, art thou here 1
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 118-250 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-223-1 Wecklein brackets these nine verses, thinking that they arose from a misunderstanding of 551-554 . Theseus divined the name of Oedipus from the description of his person; but these vv. were inserted by one who thought it necessary to explain how Theseus knew the name. I hold the verses to be genuine. The

ξένος
must have been sent to Athens by the Chorus before they came to the grove (117) , and could not, therefore, know the name of Oedipus (first disclosed at 222 ). He could only tell Theseus that there was a blind stranger at Colonus, who hinted at his own power to confer benefits (72) , and who looked noble (76) . Theseus, on entering (551) , at once greets Oedipus by name, though he had never seen him before (68) . He had divined the identity through a knowledge of the history (553) — i.e. he started from Athens on the strength of what the
ξένος
could tell. And on the way to Colonus (adds Theseus) he has been made certain of the fact (554) — i.e. he had heard the name. Now, it was precisely for such certainty that the dramatist meant this passage to provide. He felt that otherwise there might have been too great improbability in the instant confidence of the recognition by Theseus.

mvp-comment-224-1 Join αὐτὸν with ἐλθεῖν , not with ἕξειν : cp. O. T. 6

ἁγὼ δικαιῶν μὴ παρ’ ἀγγέλων, τέκνα,
ἄλλων ἀκούειν αὐτὸς ὧδ’ ἐλήλυθα
.

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

300. mvp-comment-168-1 *αὐτὸν ὥστ᾽ ἐλθεῖν αὐτόν, conjectured independently by Porson and Elmsley. It is doubted whether the pronoun is unemphatic and subject of έξειν, or emphatic (= 'in person') and subject of ἐλθεῖν. The latter suits better with the preceding speech, and with the feeling of Oedipus. As the Schol. observes, the Ξένος had not heard the name of Oedipus. But for dramatic purposes it is assumed that things told upon the stage become immediately more widely known. Cp. О. Т. 151, Aj. 148 ff. Triclinius read κἀπόνως, which is metrically unobjectionable, but it gives a poor meaning, and the aorist is harsh with έξειν preceding. Those who are not satisfied with Porson's emendations may prefer ὥστ᾽ ἀπόντ᾽ ἐλθεῖν πέλας; See Essay on Language § 32. p. 54, 2. 301 τοὔνομ᾽ αἴσθηται] αἴσθηται = ἀκούσῃ, hence the accus. The whole object is perceived, and not a part only.