Sir Richard C. Jebb Commentary on Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus introduction

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Commentary on Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. 1899.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Experimental

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

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 761 focus
ΟΙ, ὦ πάντα τολμῶν κἀπὸ παντὸς ἂν φέρων
λόγου δικαίου μηχάνημα ποικίλον,
τί ταῦτα πειρᾷ κἀμὲ δεύτερον θέλεις
ἑλεῖν, ἐν οἷς μάλιστʼ ἂν ἀλγοίην ἁλούς;
πρόσθεν τε γάρ με τοῖσιν οἰκείοις κακοῖς
765
νοσοῦνθʼ, ὅτʼ ἦν μοι τέρψις ἐκπεσεῖν χθονός,
οὐκ ἤθελες θέλοντι προσθέσθαι χάριν,
ἀλλʼ ἡνίκʼ ἤδη μεστὸς ἦ θυμούμενος,
καὶ τοὐν δόμοισιν ἦν διαιτᾶσθαι γλυκύ,
τότʼ ἐξεώθεις κἀξέβαλλες, οὐδέ σοι
770
τὸ συγγενὲς τοῦτʼ οὐδαμῶς τότʼ ἦν φίλον·
νῦν τʼ αὖθις ἡνίκʼ εἰσορᾷς πόλιν τέ μοι
ξυνοῦσαν εὔνουν τήνδε καὶ γένος τὸ πᾶν,
πειρᾷ μετασπᾶν, σκληρὰ μαλθακῶς λέγων.΄
καίτοι τίς αὕτη τέρψις ἄκοντας φιλεῖν;
775
ὥσπερ τις εἰ σοὶ λιπαροῦντι μὲν τυχεῖν
μηδὲν διδοίη μηδʼ ἐπαρκέσαι θέλοι,
πλήρη δʼ ἔχοντι θυμὸν ὧν χρῄζοις, τότε
δωροῖθʼ, ὅτʼ οὐδὲν ἡ χάρις χάριν φέροι·
ἆρʼ ἂν ματαίου τῆσδʼ ἂν ἡδονῆς τύχοις;
780
τοιαῦτα μέντοι καὶ σὺ προσφέρεις ἐμοί,
λόγῳ μὲν ἐσθλά, τοῖσι δʼ ἔργοισιν κακά.
φράσω δὲ καὶ τοῖσδʼ, ὥς σε δηλώσω κακόν.
ἥκεις ἔμʼ ἄξων, οὐχ ἵνʼ ἐς δόμους ἄγῃς,
ἀλλʼ ὡς πάραυλον οἰκίσῃς, πόλις δέ σοι
785
κακῶν ἄνατος τῶνδʼ ἀπαλλαχθῇ χθονός.
οὐκ ἔστι σοι ταῦτʼ, ἀλλά σοι τάδʼ ἔστʼ, ἐκεῖ
χώρας ἀλάστωρ οὑμὸς ἐνναίων ἀεί·
ἔστιν δὲ παισὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖσι τῆς ἐμῆς
χθονὸς λαχεῖν τοσοῦτον, ἐνθανεῖν μόνον.
790
ἆρʼ οὐκ ἄμεινον ἢ σὺ τἀν Θήβαις φρονῶ;
πολλῷ γʼ, ὅσῳπερ ἐκ σαφεστέρων κλύω,
Φοίβου τε καὐτοῦ Ζηνός, ὃς κείνου πατήρ.
τὸ σὸν δʼ ἀφῖκται δεῦρʼ ὑπόβλητον στόμα,
πολλὴν ἔχον στόμωσιν· ἐν δὲ τῷ λέγειν
795
κάκʼ ἂν λάβοις τὰ πλείονʼ ἢ σωτήρια.
ἀλλʼ οἶδα γάρ σε ταῦτα μὴ πείθων, ἴθι·
ἡμᾶς δʼ ἔα ζῆν ἐνθάδʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἂν κακῶς
οὐδʼ ὧδʼ ἔχοντες ζῷμεν, εἰ τερποίμεθα.
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 720-1043 focus
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 761 focus
I before all,—since I were worst of men,
Were I not pained at thy misfortunes, sir,
—To see thee wandering in the stranger’s land
Aged and miserable, unhoused, unfed,
Singly attended by this girl, whose fall
To such a depth of undeservèd woe
I could not have imagined! Hapless maid!
Evermore caring for thy poor blind head,
Roving in beggary, so young, with no man
To marry her,—a mark for all mischance.
O misery, what deep reproach I have laid
On thee and me and our whole ill-starred race!
But who can hide evil that courts the day?
Thou, therefore, Oedipus, without constraint,
(By all the Gods of Cadmus’ race I pray thee)
Remove this horror from the sight of men
By coming to the ancestral city and home
Of thy great sires,—bidding a kind farewell
To worthiest Athens, as is meet. But Thebes,
Thy native land, yet more deserves thy love.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 761 focus
Du Frecher, dreist zu Allem, der aus jedem Ding
Den Schein gerechter Sache schlau zu spinnen weiß,
Weßhalb versuchst du solches, willst mich abermals
Im Nez verstricken, wo das Herbste meiner harrt?
760
Denn früher, als mich kränkte meines Hauses Noth,
Daß mir Verbanmmung aus dem Land für Wonne galt,
Ward meinem Wunsche solche Gunst mißgönnt von dir.
Doch als der Seele grimmer Schmerz gesättigt war,
Und mir, daheim zu leben, schien ein süßes Glück:
765
Da stießest, warfest du mich aus, da waren dir
Des Blutes edle Bande nur ein eitles Wort.
Nun willst du wieder, da du siehst, wie diese Stadt
Und alles Volk hier wohlgesinnt mir Hülfe leiht,
Das Rauhe sanft aussprechend, mich von hinnen zieh'n.
770
Doch welche Lust kann aufgedrung'ne Liebe sein?
Wie? Wenn ein Mann auf ungestümes Bitten dir
Wohlthaten oder Hülfe kalt verweigerte,
Und erst, nachdem dir, was du willst, in Fülle ward,
Willfahrte, wann ihm keinen Dank die Gunst gewinnt:
775
Sprich, wäre das nicht ein verächtlich leerer Dienst?
Nun, solche Gaben bietest du mir eben dar,
Die schön in Worten, in der That verwerflich sind.
Auch diesen sag' ich's, daß sie seh'n, wie schlecht du bist.
Du kommst mich fortzuführen, nicht zu meinem Haus;
780
Nein, außen soll ich wohnen, daß die Theberstadt
Frei sei der Uebel, die von diesem Land ihr droh'n.
Das wird dir nicht; das wird dir, daß mein Rachegeist,
Ein ewig Schreckbild, hausen wird in Kadmos' Reich;
Und meine Söhne können einst von meinem Land
785
Nicht mehr erlangen, als darin zu sterben nur.
Ist Thebe's Loos nicht besser mir, als dir, bekannt?
Um Vieles, weil ich sein Geschick von Weiseren,
Von Phöbos, ja, von dessen Vater Zeus vernahm.
Du aber kamst mit tückevollem Mund daher,
790
Mit vielgewandter Zunge; doch dein Neden wird
Mehr Schaden dir bereiten als ersprießlich sein.
Nun geh; ich weiß, dich wenden meine Worte nicht -
Uns aber laß hier leben; denn wir leben nicht
Elend in solcher Lage selbst, wenn's uns behagt.
795
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 761 focus
Beneath fair semblance mean but to betray,
Why wouldst thou tempt me thus? Why thus once more
K
fQO
Ensnare me in thy toils, and make me still
765
More wi-etched than I am ? Long time oppressed
By heaviest woes, I pined within my palace,
And longed for exile ; but you then refused
To let nie go, till, satiated with grief,
My soul at length was calm, and much I wished
770
To spend my few remaining years at home :
Then thou — for little did the kindred blood
Thou talkst of then avail — didst banish me ;
And now again thou com'st to make me wretched.
Because thou seest this kind benignant city
775
Embrace and cherish, thou wouldst drag me hence,
With sweetest words covering thy bitter mind,
Professing love to those who choose it not.
He who denies his charitable aid
780
To the poor beggar in his utmost need,
And if abundance comes, should offer that
Which is not wanted, little merits thanks.
Such is thy bounty now — in word alone,
And not in deed, the friend of Q^^dipus.
785
But I will tell them what thou art. Thou cam'st not
To take me hence, but leave me in the borders
Of Thebes, that so thy kingdom may escape
The impending ills which this avenging city
Shall pour upon it ; but 'twill come to pass
790
As I foretold : my evil genius still
Slmll haunt yon, and my sons no more of Thebes
Inherit than shall serve them for a grave.
Thy country's fate is better known to me
795
Than to thyself, for my instruction comes
From surer guides — from Phoebus and from Jove.
Thy artful speech shall little serve thy purpose,
'Twill only hurt thy cause : therefore begone !
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 761 focus
And prompt from all just words to draw a train
Of deep insidious ills, why this attempt?
Why seek again t' ensnare me, where I most,
Should grieve to be ensnared? In days long past
When with domestic miseries o'erwhelm'd
765
My sickening soul in exile would have joy'd,
765
Then to my wish this grace didst thou deny.
But when my soul was glutted with its grief,
And in my house it had been sweet to rest,
For ebbing then I found my former rage,
Then didst thou drive me forth an outcast thence,
770
Nor was this near affinity of blood
Dear to thee. Now again, when thou didst see
This state benevolent to me, and all
Its race, dost thou assay to drag me hence,
Filing thy tongue to smooth thy harsh attempts.
Why this delight to show thy courtesy
775
When most it is unwelcome? If to thee,
What thy wants crave requesting to obtain,
One should give nothing, nor e'en show a will
To grant thee a supply; but, when thy soul
Enjoys its wish e'en to the full, would give,
When the slow favour all its grace hath lost,
780
Wou'dst thou this worthless pleasure wish to gain?
Such is to me thy offer'd grace, in words
Pretending good, but hateful in effect.
Nay, I will tell it these, that I may show
Thy baseness: hence to draw me thou art come,
Not with leave granted to possess my house,
785
But to be stabled on your confines; thus
Your country should be guarded from the ills.
Fear'd from these realms. This never shall be thine;
But thine shall be those ills; for in that land
My vengeful spirit always shall reside.
Nor of my kingdom shall my sons share more,
790
Then to die in it. Seem I not to know
Better than thou the destined state of Thebes?
Much better, as by more unerring guides
Instructed, Phœbus and his father Jove.
Yet hither hast thou brought that treacherous front
795
Harden'd 'gainst shame: but that fine-filed tongue
795
Shall work thee woe, not safety; be assured
With me thou never shalt prevail : begone,
Let us live here; not ill we here should live...
E'en as we are, could we delight in life.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 720-1042 focus