Search the Perseus Catalog for:

← Previous Next →

497-530

First

στάσιμον

. Strophe (497 — 506) = antistrophe (507 — 516): epode 517—530. For the metres see Metrical Analysis.

In the scene which has just ended, testimony has been borne to the omnipotence of Love (441 ff.). The Trachinian maidens set out from this theme. Thence they pass to another, which the same scene might well suggest. Deianeira, the much-tried wife, has now a rival in the affections of her lord. The Chorus recall a far-off day, when, in her youthful beauty, she was the prize for whom Heracles strove with Acheloüs.

μέγα τι σθένος … νίκας =

μεγασθενῆ τινα νίκην

: the victory which she carries off is the glorious proof of her might. Cp. O. C.1088

σθένει )πινικείῳ.

ἐκφέρεται : .—Others explain: (1) ‘carries a great strength out of victory’— i.e., wins with much to spare: (2) ‘ advances in mighty conquering force’ (cogn. acc.).

θεῶν , a monosyll.: cp. 183 .— παρέβαν : for the aor., cp. Ph.1289

ἀπώμοσ’

(n.). It is better not to dwell on stories which ascribe weakness to the gods: Pind. O.1. 35

ἔστι δ’ ἀνδρὶ φάμεν ἐοικὸς ἀμφὶ δαιμόνων καλά

: ib. 9. 40

ἐπεὶ τό γε λοιδορῆσαι θεοὺς

ἐχθρὰ σοφία

Κρονίδαν : Zeus is

κατ’ ἐξοχήν

so called, though his two brothers had the same father. Cp. the Homeric hymn to Aphroditè (4. 38),

καί τε τοῦ

(Zeus),

εὖτε θέλοι, πυκινὰς φρένας ἐξαπαφοῦσα

, |

ῥηιδίως συνέμιξε καταθνητῇσι γυναιξίν

, |

Ἥρης ἐκλελαθοῦσα.— οὐ λέγω

: implying religious

εὐφημία

: cp. El.1467

εἰ δ’ ἔπεστι νέμεσις, οὐ λέγω

τὸν ἔννυχον Ἅιδαν : O. C.1559

ἐννυχίων ἄναξ

. Cp. Il.15. 187

τρεῖς γάρ τ’ ἐκ Κρόνου εἰμὲν ἀδελφεοί, οὓς τέκε Ῥείη

, |

Ζεὺς καὶ ἐγώ, τρίτατος δ’ Ἀΐδης ἐνέροισιν ἀνάσσων

. The allusion is to Pluto carrying off Persephonè.

Ποσειδάωνα , the regular Homeric form: L, which has

ποσειδῶνα

here, conversely gives

ποσειδαωνίῳ

(where

Ποσειδωνίῳ

is most probable) in O. C.1494. Poseidon was as little true to Amphitritè as Zeus to Hera: Propert. 2. 26. 46 Neptunus fratri par in amore Iovi. Thus Tyro (the subject of a play by Sophocles) bore Pelias and Neleus to the sea-god. At Aegina the cult of Poseidon was combined with that of Aphroditè ( Quaest. Gr. 44: Athen. XIII. p. 590 F).

τινάκτορα γαίας =

ἐννοσίγαιον, ἐνοσίχθονα

: Hom. hymn. 22. 2

γαίης κινητῆρα καὶ ἀτρυγέτοιο θαλάσσης

ἐπὶ τάνδ’ … ἄκοιτιν , ‘to win Deianeira as bride’ (predicate): for the prep., cp. Ph.591

ἐπὶ τοῦτον

... | ...

πλέουσιν

: Xen. Cyr.1. 2. 9

ὅταν...ἐξίῃ... ἐπὶ θήραν.— ἀμφίγυοι

: the prep. expresses the idea, ‘two’; the second part of the compound suggests that of ‘stalwart,’ ‘vigorous.’ Thus the epithet is of the same class as

δίστολοι

( Soph. O. C.1055 ), said of two persons who are travelling. It seems more likely that Sophocles here used

ἀμφίγυος

with an original boldness, than that he was directly thinking of the Homeric

ἔγχεσιν ἀμφιγύοισιν

( Il.13. 147 ): where the adj. has been explained as ( a) ‘having a

γυῖον

, a limb (of iron), at each end,’—the

λόγχη

, and the

σαυρωτήρ

: or ( b) ‘having a

λόγχη

curved (

γυ

) on both sides’: but Leaf ad loc. suggests ( c) ‘bending to either side,’ ‘elastic.’ The primary notion of

γυῖον

is, ‘a flexible limb.’

Other explanations of

ἀμφίγυοι

here are these:—(1) ‘With massive limbs,’—

ἀμφί

being intensive. (2) ‘Dexterous combatants’: cp.

ἀμφιδέξιος

. (3) ‘Of dissimilar forms,’— i.e., man and bull.

κατέβαν , in certamen descenderunt. — Xen. An.4. 8. 27

ἠγωνίζοντο δὲ παῖδες κ.τ.λ....καὶ καλὴ θέα ἐγένετο· πολλοὶ γὰρ κατέβησαν.— πρὸ γάμων

, ‘ for it,’ i.e., to win it (=

ὑπέρ

): not, ‘ before it.’ In

πρό

, just as in ‘for,’ the two notions are closely linked. Cp. Soph. O. T.134

πρὸ τοῦ θανόντος

(on his behalf): Soph. El.495

πρὸ τῶνδε

(on this account).

πάμπληκτα : schol.

πληγῶν μεστά

: cp. 50

πανδάκρυτ’

. (It is overrefining to explain it as referring to the various kinds of blow, 517 f.)

παγκόνιτά τ’ : the dust raised by the comba. is the proverbial symbol of violent effort: neither can win

ἀκονιτί

. Cp. Ov. Am. 1. 15. 4

Praemia militiae pulverulenta sequi.

Ovid may have had

παγκόνιτα

in mind when he described Heracles and Acheloüs as throwing handfuls of dust at each other ( Met. 9. 35 f.):

Ille cavis hausto spargit me pulvere palmis, | Inque vicem fulvae iactu flavescit arenae.

For the accumulated compounds of

πᾶς

, cp. 660 f.

ἐξῆλθον ἄεθλ’ :

ἄεθλα (=

ἄθλους

) ἀγώνων : cp. Ph.507

δυσοίστων πόνων

ἆθλ’

(n.).

ποταμοῦ σθένος : cp. 38 : Il.13. 248

σθένος Ἰδομενῆος.— τετραόρου

τετρασκελοῦς

(schol.): lit., ‘ erect upon four legs’: elsewhere always epithet of four horses yoked abreast, or of the chariot drawn by them.

φάσμα ταύρου , a periphrasis expressing his dread aspect: cp. O. C.1568

σῶμά τ’

ἀνικάτου κυνός

: Verg. Aen.6. 289 et forma tricorporis umbrae (Geryon).

Acheloüs fights, then, as the

ἐναργὴς ταῦρος

,—not merely as the

ἀνδρείῳ κύτει βούπρῳρος

(12). Sophocles is here following the traditional version. The Homeric Scamander, in conflict with Achilles, roars ‘like a bull’ (

μεμυκὼς ἠΰτε ταῦρος

, Il.21. 237 ).

ἐντεῦθεν ὁρμηθέντες

(says the schol. there)

τὸν Ἀχελῷον ἐταύρωσαν Ἡρακλεῖ ἀγωνιζόμενον

. The taurine form was given to Acheloüs, in that combat, by Archilochus (schol. ib.), by Pindar (schol. Il.21. 194 ), and by the logographer Pherecydes ( Apollod.2. 6. 5 ): perhaps, too, by Panyasis, the author of an epic

Ἡράκλεια

. An engraved gem in the British Museum (King, Antique Gems II. pl. 34, fig. 3) shows Acheloüs as a bull, preparing to butt at Heracles. The gem is older than the time of Sophocles, and may, as Mr. Murray S. thinks, have followed the rendering of this subject on the still more archaic throne of Apollo at Amyclae ( Paus.3. 18. 5 ). Cp. n. on 520. This fight was a favourite theme in art: for the literature, see Roscher, Lex.p. 9.

Ovid ( Met. 9. 1—100 ) departs from the old Greek version: his Acheloüs begins the fight in quasi-human form,—then turns into a serpent (63) ,—and then, as a last resource into a bull (80) .

ἀπ’ Οἰνιαδᾶν : a town in Acarnania, on the west bank of the Acheloüs. It was about ten miles from the mouth of that river, which is described by (2. 102) as

ἐς θάλασσαν .. ἐξιεὶς παρ’ Οἰνιάδας καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτοῖς περιλιμνάζων

. Marshes, due partly to the lake Melitè, insulated the hill on which the town stood, and made the site a strong one. The name was familiar to Athenians in the poet's time. Oeniadae was long a centre of anti-Athenian influence in western Greece. It was unsuccessfully besieged by Pericles ( Th. 1. 111 , 454 B.C.); but, under pressure from the other Acarnanian towns, was received into the Athenian alliance by Demosthenes in 424 B.C. (Th. 4. 77) . The site (now Tricardo) was first identified by Leake.

Oeniadae was some twelve miles W.S.W. of Pleuron. As Heracles arrives from his famous home to the east, so it is fitting that the river-god should come from the western town which was a chief seat of his worship. The head of the Acheloüs appears on coins of Oeniadae.

Βακχίας : Ant.1122

Βακχεῦ, Βακχᾶν

ὁ ματρόπολιν Θήβαν

ναιετῶν

(n.). Heracles was born at. Thebes (116 n.).

ἀπὸ : L's accent, ἄπο , represents the doctrine of some grammarians that the accent of the prep. suffered anastrophè when it stood between adj. and subst. (or subst. and adj.): see Ellendt Lex.p. 78 b. There is more reason for this when the subst. precedes; e.g.,

Ξάνθου ἄπο δινήεντος

( Il.2. 877 ) is more natural than

Βακχίας ἄπο Θήβας

. Modern editors differ: nor is their practice always consistent. But in all such cases it seems better to regard adj. and subst. as forming a single expression, and therefore to keep the normal accent.

παλίντονα , ‘back-bent,’ is a general epithet, referring to the shape of the bow; not to its being ‘drawn back’ in shooting, nor to its ‘springing back’ after the shot. It seems properly to have denoted a bow of which the curvature was in a direction contrary to that in which the archer bent the bow when drawing it. See Appendix.

λόγχας , two spears, in Homeric fashion: cp. Il.3. 17 f., where Paris is armed with

κάμπυλα τόξα, ξίφος

, and

δύο δοῦρε

. (Not, ‘pointed arrows,’ as Paley renders.)

ῥόπαλον , the club, made from a wild-olive tree which Heracles had plucked up by the roots on Mount Helicon: cp. Theocr. 25. 206 ff., where he carries this

βάκτρον

in his right hand, and his bow in the left: Apoll. Rh. 2. 34

καλαύροπά τε τρηχεῖαν

| ...

ὀρειτρεφέος κοτίνοιο.— τινάσσων

would suit λόγχας ( Il.12. 298

δύο δοῦρε τινάσσων

) as well as ῥόπαλον , but not τόξα , for which a word such as

ἔχων

νωμῶν

must be supplied: cp. n. on 353.—The picture is not distinct; his right hand must wield the club; his left may hold either bow or spears,—the other weapon being slung about him. As to the archer type of Heracles, here partly blended with the hoplite, cp. Ph.727 n.

ἀολλεῖς here simply=

ὁμοῦ

: Hermann compares Mosch.2. 48

δοιοὶ δ’ ἕστασαν ὑψοῦ ἐπ’ ὀφρύος αἰγιαλοῖο

φῶτες ἀολλήδην.— ἴσαν

(epic=

ᾐέσαν

) ἐς μέσον : so Theocr. 22. 183 (of a fight)

ὁ δ’ εἰς μέσον ἤλυθε Λυγκεύς.— λεχέων

: the plur., as Soph. Ant.630

ἀπάτας λεχέων

, Soph. O. T.821

λέχη...τοῦ θανόντος

μόνα δ’ : whereas in an ordinary

ἀγών

there were several

ῥαβδοῦχοι. ... εὔλεκτρος

: in Ant.795 the epithet of a bride: here, of the goddess who gives fair brides to men.

ἐν μέσῳ here refers to the umpire as an impartial judge between two competitors.

ῥαβδονόμει ( =

ἐρραβδονόμει

). The officials who maintained order in the contests at the great festivals were called

ῥαβδοῦχοι

: Thuc.5. 50

ἐν τῷ ἀγῶνι ὑπὸ τῶν ῥαβδούχων πληγὰς ἔλαβεν

. The term included the notion of ‘umpire’: Plat. Prot. 338A

πείθεσθέ μοι ῥαβδοῦχον καὶ ἐπιστάτην καὶ πρύτανιν ἑλέσθαι, ὃς ὑμῖν φυλάξει τὸ μέτριον μῆκος τῶν λόγων ἑκατέρου

. The verb

ῥαβδονομεῖν

occurs only here, and

ῥαβδονόμος

itself is postclassical: but cp. Hesych. ( s. v.

ῥάβδοι

καὶ ὁ βραβευτὴς ῥαβδονόμος

Aphroditè is here the only person near the two combatants ( ξυνοῦσα ): Deianeira views the fight from afar. But the scene was not always so conceived. Thus the Megarian

θησαυρός

at Olympia contained a group of figures in gilt cedarwood, of which Paus. (6. 19. 12) says:

Ζεὺς δὲ ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἡ Δηιάνειρα καὶ Ἀχελῷος καὶ Ἡρ<*>κλῆς ἐστιν Ἄρης τε τῷ Ἀχελῴῳ βοηθῶν

τότ’ ἦν χερός

κ.τ.λ.

In this compressed description of the fight, the two combatants figure alternately. (1) Heracles deals blows with his fists ( χερὸς πάταγος ),—then retires a little, and sends a shaft from his twanging bow (

τόξων πάταγος

). (2) Acheloüs charges, and the hero's club rattles on his horns (

κεράτων πάταγος

). (3) Then Heracles, <*>ning to the wrestler's arts, endeavours to grapple with Acheloüs, to spring upon his back ( ἀμφίπλεκτοι κλίμακες ). (4) The tauriform god butts at his adversary ( μετώπων πλήγματα ). And the account fitly closes with the words,

στόνος ἀμφοῖν

For ἦν (

μὲν

)... ἦν δὲ , cp. Ant.806 n.

ἀνάμιγδα =

ἀναμίξ

, suggesting the confusion of sounds. The form is a rare one: but Nicander has

ἀμμίγδην

( Alex.570 , Ther.912 ). Cp. 839

ἄμμιγα

κεράτων . A prominent mention is given to the horns, since the story was that Heracles broke off one of them. Cp. Ovid M. 9. 85 rigidum fera dextera cornu | Dum tenet, infregit, truncaque a fronte revellit. Acheloüs ransomed it by giving his conqueror the horn of Amaltheia, or cornucopia ( Apollod.2. 7. 5 ). This gift, which Heracles transferred as the bride-price to Oeneus, was explained as a symbol of the increased fertility gained by works which altered the course of the Acheloüs ( Strabo 10 , p. 458).

ἦν with plur. subj.: the so-called schema Pindaricum: Theog. 825

ἦν ἑκατὸν κεφαλαί

(cp. ib. 321): Pind. fr. 75. 15

τότε βάλλεται τότ’ ἐπ’ ἀμβρόταν χθόν’ ἐραταὶ

ἴων φόβαι

: Eur. Ion1146

ἐνῆν δ’ ὑφανταὶ γράμμασιν τοιαίδ’ ὑφαί

. In this constr., the sing. verb always precedes the plur. subject. ‘As the sing. is the general and the plur. the particular, we have not so much a want of concord as an afterthought’ (Gildersleeve, Introd. to Pindar, p. lxxxviii.). The genuine examples in Pindar are not numerous.

ἀμφίπλεκτοι κλίμακες . Ancient writers mention the

κλῖμαξ

as a wrestling trick, but do not explain it (Hesych. s. v.

κλίμακες

: Pollux 3. 155). The schol. here had evidently no clear notion of it:

κλίμακες· αἱ ἐπαναβάσεις

(a literal paraphrase)

παρὰ τὸ ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω αὐτοὺς στρέφεσθαι ἐν τῇ μάχῃ

. Hermann explains it thus;—the wrestler turns his adversary round, seizes him from behind, and springs on his back, so as to force him down. He relies on Ov. Met.9. 50 —54, where Heracles shakes off the embrace of Acheloüs, and then, with a strong push from his hand,

protinus avertit, tergoque onerosus inhaesit.

For the view that this is the

κλῖμαξ

see Appendix. The Acheloüs of Ovid, it should be remembered, is at that moment the horned man, not yet the bull (cp. n. on 507 f.).

At any rate

κλιμακίζω

was a familiar term in Greek wrestling: cp. Plato comicus

Πρέσβεις

fr. 2

χαίρεις, οἶμαι, μεταπεττεύσας αὐτὸν διακλιμακίσας τε

(explained by Hesych. as

διαπαλαίσας

). For a like use of wrestling terms, cp. Ar. Eq.262 f. —One of the subjects on the archaic throne of Apollo at Amyclae was

ἡ πρὸς Ἀχελῷον Ἡρακλέους πάλη

( Paus.3. 18. 5 ).

μετώπων … πλήγματα , blows from the forehead; the bull is now butting (

κυρίττων

) at Heracles,—as shown on the gem mentioned above (507 f., n.). Schol.:

οἱ γὰρ ταῦροι τοῖς κέρασι καὶ μετώποις μάχονται.— στόνος

, in the strenuous effort. Cp. Cic. Tusc.2. 23. 56 (quoted by Billerbeck and others)

pugiles etiam cum feriunt adversarium in iactandis cestibus ingemiscunt

,—not from pain or fear, he adds, but because the very utterance helps to brace up the nerves (

omne corpus intenditur

τηλαυγεῖ , ‘seen afar,’ ‘distant’: Theog. 550

ἀπὸ τηλαυγέος φαινόμενος σκοπιῆς

: Nub. 281

τηλεφανεῖς σκοπιάς

: cp.

τηλωπός

(n. on Ph.216 ).—Others take it actively, ‘seeing (=giving a view) from afar’ (cp.

τηλεσκόπος

). Diod.1. 50 has this use:

τῆς χώρας αὐτοῖς συνεργούσης πρὸς τὸ τηλαυγέστερον ὁρᾶν

. But it seems less probable here.

ὄχθῳ : Nonnus 43. 13 (quoted by Schneidewin) makes Deianeira watch the fight from the bank of a river. Did he, then, take

ὄχθῳ

here as =

ὄχθῃ

? (Cp. Ant.1132 n.)

τὸν ὃν , emphatic ( cp. 266 ): the husband who was to be hers.

†ἐγὼ δὲ μάτηρ† μὲν οἷα φράζω . The words

ἐγὼ δὲ μάτηρ

(if no others) are unquestionably corrupt. They have been explained to mean:—‘I speak as a mother’ (or ‘her mother’) ‘might speak’: i.e., with all a mother's tender sympathy. If anything could increase the strangeness of such language, it would be the fact that the young maidens of Trachis are speaking of one who is old enough to be their mother. Or: (2) ‘I tell the story as her mother told it,’—a way of explaining how they can describe what they had not seen. This needs no refutation.

The true key to this passage depends on observing the sequence of topics. (1) In 517—522,

τότ’ ἦν χερός...στόνος ἀμφοῖν

, we have a brief picture of the fight. (2) Then vv. 523—525,

ἁ δ’ εὐῶπις...ἀκοίταν

, mark Deianeira's suspense. (3) Next comes the obscure parenthesis,

ἐγὼ δὲ...φράζω

. (4) And then we return, at v. 527, to Deianeira's suspense,—not, however, in a form which adds anything new to vv. 523 —525, but in one which merely repeats their substance:—

τὸ δ’ ἀμφινείκητον...ἀμμένει

Now, to justify such a repetition, it is manifest that (2) and (4) should be separated, not by a mere parenthesis, such as (3) now is, but by some further allusion to the fight. This inference is strengthened by the phrase,

τὸ δ’ ἀμφινείκητον ὄμμα νύμφας

, which gains point if a reference to the

νεῖκος

has immediately preceded.

I believe that ἐγὼ has come from ἀγὼν , under the influence of φράζω . The sense of the verse was, ‘And the strife goes on raging, as I describe’ (referring to vv. 517—522).

ΜΑΤΗΡ

may well be a corruption of

ΜΑΡΓΑΙ

, a loss of

having been followed by a change of

. This may have happened after

ἀγὼν

had become

ἐγὼ

, with help, perhaps, from a reminiscence of El.233

ἀλλ’ οὖν εὐνοίᾳ γ’ αὐδῶ

, |

μάτηρ ὡσεί τις πιστά

. Cp. Hesychius

μαργᾷ· μαργαίνει, ὑβρίζει, ἐνθουσιᾷ, μαίνεται

. Eur. H. F.1005

ὅς νιν φόνου μαργῶντος ἔσχε

. I would read, then, ἀγὼν δὲ μαργᾷ μέν, οἷα φράζω . The next words, τὸ δ’ ἀμφινείκητον κ.τ.λ., then fiftly turn from the stubborn fight to her continuing suspense.—For other views, see Appendix.

ὄμμα , in periphrasis, is sometimes little more than ‘form,’ ( Eur. Ion1261

ὦ ταυρόμορφον ὄμμα Κηφισοῦ πατρός

:) but here it refers specially to her anxious gaze: cp. Soph. Ai.139

πεφόβημαι

πτηνῆς ὡς ὄμμα πελείας

. Since the words ὄμμα νύμφας form one notion, the adj. is in the nom.: Soph. Ant.794.

ἐλεινὸν ἀμμένει : awaits (the result) with a piteous look: cp. Ph.1130

ἦ που ἐλεινὸν ὁρᾷς

κἀπὸ ματρὸς ἄφαρ βέβακεν . Sophocles does not tell us whether Heracles took his bride away from her father's home immediately after the fight. According to the common account Heracles and Deianeira remained with Oeneus for a considerable time after their marriage, while the hero did various exploits. ( Apollod.2. 7. 6 : Diod.4. 36 , who speaks of three years.) Then, having accidentally slain a youth in the house of Oeneus, Heracles departed with his wife and infant son (Hyllus) to Trachis.

ἄφαρ is not necessarily inconsistent with that version: it means merely that the result of the fight at once transferred Deianeira from the care of her mother to that of a husband.

ὥστε is preferable to ὥσπερ (cr. n.) in the first foot of the glyconic verse: for this use of it, cp. 112 , 367, 537, 699, 703, 768, 1071.

πόρτις ἐρήμα : Schneidewin compares Anacreon fr. 52

οἷά τε νεβρὸν νεοθηλέα

γαλαθηνόν, ὅστ’ ἐν ὕλῃ κεροέσσης

ἀπολειφθεὶς ἀπὸ μητρὸς ἐπτοήθη

. The image is especially suitable to one who was destined to have no secure or permanent home.

Commentary on Sophocles: Trachiniae. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. 1932.

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)) — 497 focus

μέγα τι σθένος ὁ Κύπρις ἐκφέρεται νίκας ἀεί.

καὶ τὰ μὲν θεῶν

παρέβαν, καὶ ὅπως Κρονίδαν ἀπάτασεν οὐ λέγω,

οὐδὲ τὸν ἔννυχον ῞Αιδαν ἀΐδαν,
500

ἢ Ποσειδάωνα ποσειδώνα ποσειδάονα ποσειδάωνα τινάκτορα γαίας·

ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τάνδ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἄκοιτιν

τίνες om. ἀμφίγυοι κατέβαν πρὸ γάμων, τίνες τινὲς τίνες

πάμπληκτα παγκόνιτά τ᾽ ἐξῆλθον ἄεθλ᾽ ἀγώνων.

ὁ μὲν ἦν ποταμοῦ σθένος, ὑψίκερω τετραόρου

φάσμα ταύρου,

᾿Αχελῷος ἀχελώιοσ ἀχελῷος ἀπ᾿ Οἰνιαδᾶν, ὁ δὲ Βακχίας βακχείας ἄπο ἄπο

ἦλθε ἦλθε παλίντονα Θήβας

510

τόξα καὶ λόγχας ῥόπαλόν τε τινάσσων,

παῖς Διός Δίο· οἳ τότ᾽ ἀολλεῖς

ἴσαν ἐς μέσον ἱέμενοι ἰέμενοι ἱέμενοι λεχέων· μόνα δ᾽

εὔλεκτρος ἐν μέσῳ Κύπρις ῥαβδονόμει ξυνοῦσα.

τότ᾽ ἦν χερός, ἦν δὲ τόξων πάταγος,

515

ταυρείων ταν, είων ταυρείων τ᾽ ἀνάμιγδα κεράτων·

ἦν δ᾽ δὲ ἀμφίπλεκτοι

κλίμακες, ἦν δὲ μετώπων μετόπων ὀλόεντα

πλήγματα καὶ στόνος ἀμφοῖν.

ὁ δ᾽ εὐῶπις ἁβρὰ
520

τηλαυγεῖ παρ᾿ ὄχθῳ

ἧστο, τὸν ὃν προσμένουσ᾽ ἀκοίταν.

ἐγὼ δὲ μάτηρ μὲν οἷα οἱα φράζω.

τὸ δ᾽ ἀμφινείκητον τόδ' αμφνίκητον τοδ᾽ ἀμφινείκητον ἀμφίνηκον ὄμμα νύμφας

ἐλεινὸν ἐλεεινόν ἀμμένει·
525

κἀπὸ ματρὸς ἄφαρ βέβακεν,

ὥστε ὥσπερ ὥστε πόρτις ἐρήμα ἐρῆμα ἐρήμα.

ΔΗ.

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 497-530 focus

Χορός

μέγα τι σθένος ἁ Κύπρις ἐκφέρεται νίκας ἀεί.

καὶ τὰ μὲν θεῶν

παρέβαν, καὶ ὅπως Κρονίδαν ἀπάτασεν οὐ λέγω,
500

οὐδὲ τὸν ἔννυχον Ἅιδαν

ἢ Ποσειδάωνα τινάκτορα γαίας·

ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τάνδʼ ἄρʼ ἄκοιτιν

τίνες ἀμφίγυοι κατέβαν πρὸ γάμων,

τίνες πάμπληκτα παγκόνιτά τʼ ἐξῆλθον ἄεθλʼ ἀγώνων;
505

507

Χορός

ὁ μὲν ἦν ποταμοῦ σθένος, ὑψίκερω τετραόρου

φάσμα ταύρου,

Ἀχελῷος ἀπʼ Οἰνιαδᾶν, ὁ δὲ Βακχίας ἀπὸ
510

ἦλθε παλίντονα Θήβας

τόξα καὶ λόγχας ῥόπαλόν τε τινάσσων,

παῖς Διός· οἳ τότʼ ἀολλεῖς

ἴσαν ἐς μέσον ἱέμενοι λεχέων·

μόνα δʼ εὔλεκτρος ἐν μέσῳ Κύπρις ῥαβδονόμει ξυνοῦσα.
515

517

Χορός

τότʼ ἦν χερός, ἦν δὲ τόξων πάταγος,

ταυρείων τʼ ἀνάμιγδα κεράτων·

ἦν δʼ ἀμφίπλεκτοι κλίμακες,
520

ἦν δὲ μετώπων ὀλόεντα

πλήγματα, καὶ στόνος ἀμφοῖν.

ἁ δʼ εὐῶπις ἁβρὰ

τηλαυγεῖ παρʼ ὄχθῳ

ἧστο, τὸν ὃν προσμένουσʼ ἀκοίταν.
525

ἀγὼν δὲ μαργᾷ μὲν οἷα φράζω·

τὸ δʼ ἀμφινείκητον ὄμμα νύμφας

ἐλεινὸν ἀμμένει·

κἀπὸ ματρὸς ἄφαρ βέβακεν,

ὥστε πόρτις ἐρήμα.
530

Translations (5)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 497 focus

Victorious in her might,

The Queen of soft delight

Still ranges onward with triumphant sway.

What she from Kronos’ son

And strong Poseidon won,

And Pluto, King of Night, I durst not say.

But who, to earn this bride,

Came forth in sinewy pride

To strive, or e’er the nuptial might be known

With fearless heart I tell

What heroes wrestled well,

With showering blows, and dust in clouds upthrown.

One was a river bold,

Horn-crowned, with tramp fourfold,

Bull Achelôüs, Acarnania’s Fear;

And one from Bacchus’ town,

Own son of Zeus, came down,

With brandished mace, bent bow, and barbèd spear.

Who then in battle brunt,

Together, front to front,

Hurled, eager both to win the beauteous prize;

And Cypris ’mid the fray

Alone, that dreadful day,

Sate umpire, holding promise in her eyes.

Then clashed the fist, then clanged the bow;

Then horns gave crashing blow for blow,

Whilst, as they clung,

The twining hip throw both essay

And hurtling foreheads’ fearful play,

And groans from each were wrung.

But the tender fair one far away

Sate watching with an eye of piteous cheer

(A mother’s heart will heed the thing I say,)

Till won by him who freed her from her fear.

Sudden she leaves her mother’s gentle side,

Borne through the waste, our hero’s tender bride.

DÊ
Enter DÊANIRA .

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 497 focus

Aphrodite's erhabene Siegesgewalt strahlt ewig neu.

Schweigen will ich

Von den Göttern, und wie sie berückt den Kroniden, sag' ich nicht,¹

Oder den nächtlichen Hades,
495

Oder auch Poseidon, den Ländererschütt'rer.

Hier um die Sterbliche freiend,

Welche Bewerber erschienen zum Streit? Umhallt²

Von Schlachtgetos', umwölkt von Staub,

Traten sie vor zum Kampfe.
500
Gegenstrophe.

Acheloos, der Strom, in des Stieres Gestalt, vierfüßig und

Hochgehörnt, war's,

Von der Denier Stadt; und der Andere kam vom bacchischen³

Thebe daher, den gekrümmten

Bogen, Wurfspeer' auch und die Keule bewegend,
505

Zeus' Sohn. Beid', um die Jungfrau

Glühend, betraten den Plan, und des bräutlichen

Genusses Göttin saß im Kreis,⁴

Waltend allein des Kampfes.

Schlußgesang.

Da scholl von der Faust, von Wurfpfeilen erklang
510

Das Gedröhn, dumpf krachten die Hörner;

Verschlungne Füße

Rangen, es trafen die Stirn tödtliche Stöße;

Seufzen erscholl von den Beiden.

Doch voll Reizes und hold,
515

Auf weitschauendem Hügel

Saß sie, in Angst ihres Gatten harrend.

Und sie schied von der Mutter eilig,

Gleich der einsamen Stärke.

Deianeira. Der Chor.

Deianeira.

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 497 focus

She speaks most kindly to thee. Be persuaded.

Hereafter thou shalt find her not ungrateful ;

We too will thank thee.

Lie. O my dearest mistress !

Not vinexperienced thou in human life,

Nor ignorant. And therefore naught from thee

Will I conceal, but tell thee all the truth :

'Tis as he said, and Hercules indeed

Doth love lole. For her sake alone

QCchalia, her unhappy country, fell ;

This — for 'tis fit I tell thee — he confessed,

Nor willed me to conceal it. But I feared

'Twould pierce thy heart to hear th' unwelcome tale,

And therefore own I would have kept it from thee 3

That crime, if such it was, 1 have committed.

But since thou knowst it all, let me entreat thee,

For her sake and thy own, oh ! do not hate

This wretched captive, but remember well,

What thou hast promised faithfully perform.

He, whose victorious arm hath conquered all,

Now yields to her, and is a slave to love.

Deianira

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 497 focus

Sovereign, resistless in her sway

O'er the charm'd heart victorious Venus reigns.

Not her sweet force, which Gods obey,

Which Jove's firm soul subdued, attunes these strains;

Which taught the gloomy Pow'r to bow,

The monarch of the realms below;

And him, who gives his thundering waves to roar,

And furious shake the solid shore.

To other themes these humbler strains belong:...

In arms contending for this bride,

The contest dust, and toil, and wounds decide.

Rising in all his strength the Flood,

In form a Bull terrific to the sight,

Ætolian Achelous stood,

With horns his threat'ning forehead arm'd for fight.

From Thebes the Chief of mighty fame

Fierce to the rough encounter came,

The son of Jove; his massy club he rears,

His bow unbent, his arrows bears.

Inflamed with jealous love and rival rage

In horrid combat they engage;

While Venus with severe delight

Awards the prize, and arbitrates the fight.

Dauntless each the fight provokes,

Loud the thunder of their strokes;

The clanging bow now aims the wound;

With dreadful clash the Bull's strong horns resound.

Now front meets front, the furious blow

With horrid conflict threatens death;

Now in strong grasp each struggling foe

Strains every nerve, and lab'ring pants for breath.

Meanwhile the beauteous Nymph, whose charms

Inflamed the combatants to arms,

Anxious and doubtful of her fate

Conspicuous on the river's margin sate;

(My song records the voice of fame)

All was suspence and awful dread,

Till victor now the hero came,

And from her mother's arms the trembling virgin led.

DBIA. Whilst with these female captives in the house

My guest, on his departure bent with speed,

Holds converse, unobserved to you, my friends,

Hither I come, to tell you what device

These hands have form'd, and for my sufferings raise

Your sympathetic pity; for no more

A virgin deem I that I here received,

But one who shares his bed; as in his bark

The mariner admits a baneful freight.

And now the same embrace in the same couch

We both await: such is the recompense

The good and faithful Hercules, so call'd,

Repays me for my long and anxious care.

Yet my heart knows not anger that he yields

Oft to this weakness; but to live with her

In the same house, with her my nuptial bed

To share, what woman can bear this? I see

Her age, it daily opens to fresh bloom,

While mine is in the sere: the eye of man

Delighted views the vernal glow, and loves

To crop the flow'r; but from the fading leaf

Turns with disgust away: hence rise my fears

Lest Hercules, in vain my husband call'd,

Give to her younger beauties all his love.

Yet not for this doth anger, as I said,

Become a prudent woman. But, my friends,

What I possess of pow'r to heal my griefs

I will inform you. In a brazen vase

A present from the ancient Centuar long

Have I preserv'd; while yet in. youth's fresh bloom

This from the shaggy Nessus I received

When dying from his wound. It was is wont

O'er the deep flood Evenus rolls to bear

For hire, who wish'd to reach the further bank,

In his strong arms; nor dashing oar was his,

Nor barge with-swelling sails. Me thus he bore,

When, unattended with my father's train

I followed Hercules; but when he reach'd

The middle of the stream, his wanton hands

'Gainst modesty transgress'd; I cried aloud:

The son of Jove sprung forward, in his hand

His ready bow, from which a feather'd shaft

Wing'd with impetuous fury pierced his side.

Me then the dying monster thus address'd,

Daughter of aged Œneus, I no more

Shall pass this flood; but since my arms have borne

Thee their last charge, derive thou thence this good,

Observant of my words: Preserve with care

The clodded blood which issues from my wound;

The gore of the Lernæan Hydra tinged:

The blacken'd shaft; this will have pow'r to charm

The heart of Hercules to thee assured;

That never woman shall his eyes behold

Fair and attractive of his love, like thee.

To memory this recalling (for with care

The dying Centaur's gift I have preserved)

With it, my friends, this vestment I have tinged,

Nothing omitted which he gave in charge

While yet he lived. These things are now prepared.

The boldness of ill arts I would not know,

I would not learn; those women I abhor

Who dare attempt them: yet her youthful bloom

Could I by charms o'ercome, and sooth the heart

Of Hercules to love, I would assay

Their potency: but if you deem th' attempt

Unmeet, or void of force, I will forbear.

Chorus
ANTIS. EPOD. DEIANIRA, CHORUS.

English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 497-530 focus

Chorus

Great and mighty is the victory which the Cyprian queen always bears away. I bypass the tales of the gods,

and do not narrate how she beguiled the son of Cronus, and Hades, the lord of darkness, or Poseidon, shaker of the earth. But, when this bride was to be won,
500

who were the massive rivals that entered the contest for her nuptials? Who stepped forward to the ordeal of battle full of blows and raising dust?
505

507

Chorus

One was a mighty river-god, the form of a bull, high-horned and four-legged,

Achelous, from Oeniadae. The other came from Thebes , home of Bacchus, brandishing his resilient bow, his spears and club; he was the son of Zeus. These two then met in a mass, lusting to win a bride,
510

and the Cyprian goddess of nuptial joy was there with them, acting as sole umpire.
515

517

Chorus

There was clatter of fists and clang of bow and crash of a bull’s horns mixed together;

then there were close-locked grapplings and deadly blows from foreheads and loud deep cries from both. Meanwhile the delicate beauty sat on the side of a hill that could be seen from afar,
520

awaiting the husband that would be hers.
So the battle rages, as I narrate. But the face of the bride which is the prize of the strife awaits the end in piteous anguish. And suddenly she has left her mother,
525

like an orphaned calf.
530

Sir Richard C. Jebb Commentary on Sophocles: Trachiniae 4

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

497-530

Current edition Experimental

πάμπληκτα παγκόνιτά τ᾽ ἐξῆλθον ἄεθλ᾽ ἀγώνων.

ΔΗ.

DÊ
Enter DÊANIRA .

Deianeira.

Deianira

Chorus
ANTIS. EPOD. DEIANIRA, CHORUS.

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

497-530

Current edition Experimental

πάμπληκτα παγκόνιτά τ᾽ ἐξῆλθον ἄεθλ᾽ ἀγώνων.

ΔΗ.

DÊ Enter DÊANIRA .

Deianeira.

Deianira

Chorus ANTIS. EPOD. DEIANIRA, CHORUS.

Stable identifiers

DÊ
Enter DÊANIRA .

Chorus
ANTIS. EPOD. DEIANIRA, CHORUS.