Tag: Sophocles

Γνῶμαι πλέον κρατοῦσιν ἢ σθένος χερῶν.
(Sophocles, fr. 939)

Right judgments have more power than strength of arm.

(tr. Hugh Lloyd-Jones)

[ΝΕΟΠΤΟΛΕΜΟΣ. ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.]

[ΝΕΟ.] τί δ’ ἔστιν οὕτω νεοχμὸν ἐξαίφνης, ὅτου
τοσήνδ’ ἰυγὴν καὶ στόνον σαυτοῦ ποεῖ;
[ΦΙΛ.] οἶσθ’, ὦ τέκνον;
[ΝΕΟ.] τί δ’ ἔστιν;
[ΦΙΛ.] οἶσθ’, ὦ παῖ;
[ΝΕΟ.] τί σοί;
οὐκ οἶδα.
[ΦΙΛ.] πῶς οὐκ οἶσθα; παππαπαππαπαῖ.
[ΝΕΟ.] δεινόν γε τοὐπίσαγμα τοῦ νοσήματος.
[ΦΙΛ.] δεινὸν γὰρ οὐδὲ ῥητόν· ἀλλ’ οἴκτιρέ με.
[ΝΕΟ.] τί δῆτα δράσω;
[ΦΙΛ.] μή με ταρβήσας προδῷς·
ἥκει γὰρ αὐτὴ διὰ χρόνου, πλάνης ἴσως
ὡς ἐξεπλήσθη, νόσος.
[ΝΕΟ.] ἰὼ δύστηνε σύ,
δύστηνε δῆτα διὰ πόνων πάντων φανείς.
βούλει λάβωμαι δῆτα καὶ θίγω τί σου;
[ΦΙΛ.] μὴ δῆτα τοῦτό γ’· ἀλλά μοι τὰ τόξ’ ἑλὼν
τάδ’, ὥσπερ ᾐτοῦ μ’ ἀρτίως, ἕως ἀνῇ
τὸ πῆμα τοῦτο τῆς νόσου τὸ νῦν παρόν,
σῷζ’ αὐτὰ καὶ φύλασσε. λαμβάνει γὰρ οὖν
ὕπνος μ’, ὅταν περ τὸ κακὸν ἐξίῃ τόδε·
κοὐκ ἔστι λῆξαι πρότερον· ἀλλ’ ἐᾶν χρεὼν
ἕκηλον εὕδειν. ἢν δὲ τῷδε τῷ χρόνῳ
μόλωσ’ ἐκεῖνοι, πρὸς θεῶν ἐφίεμαι
ἑκόντα μηδ’ ἄκοντα μηδέ τῳ τέχνῃ
κείνοις μεθεῖναι ταῦτα, μὴ σαυτόν θ’ ἅμα
κἄμ’, ὄντα σαυτοῦ πρόστροπον, κτείνας γένῃ.
[ΝΕΟ.] θάρσει προνοίας οὕνεκ’· οὐ δοθήσεται
πλὴν σοί τε κἀμοί· ξὺν τύχῃ δὲ πρόσφερε.
[ΦΙΛ.] ἰδού, δέχου, παῖ· τὸν φθόνον δὲ πρόσκυσον
μή σοι γενέσθαι πολύπον’ αὐτὰ μηδ’ ὅπως
ἐμοί τε καὶ τῷ πρόσθ’ ἐμοῦ κεκτημένῳ.
[ΝΕΟ.] ὦ θεοί, γένοιτο ταῦτα νῷν· γένοιτο δὲ
πλοῦς οὔριός τε κεὐσταλὴς ὅποι ποτὲ
θεὸς δικαιοῖ χὠ στόλος πορσύνεται.
(Sophocles, Philoctetes 751-781)

[NEOPTOLEMUS. PHILOCTETES.]

[NEO.] What is this sudden new thing that makes you cry out and groan so much?
[PHIL.] You know, my son!
[NEO.] What is it?
[PHIL.] You know, my boy!
[NEO.] What is the matter with you? I do not know.
[PHIL.] How can you not know? A-a-a-a-a-h!
[NEO.] The burden of the sickness is grievous!
[PHIL.] Grievous indeed, and indescribable! Come, take pity on me!
[NEO.] What shall I do?
[PHIL.] Do not take fright and betray me! It has come in person after a time, perhaps because it is weary of wandering, the sickness.
[NEO.] Ah, unlucky one! Unlucky you are found to be in every kind of trouble! Do you wish me to take hold of you and hold you?
[PHIL.] No, not that! But take my bow here, as you asked me for it earlier, and guard it and keep it, until the pain of the sickness that is now upon me shall abate; for sleep takes me, whenever this trouble is departing, and it cannot stop till then. You must leave me to sleep peacefully; and if meanwhile those people come, I beg you not to let them have it, willingly or unwillingly or in any way, in case you cause the death both of yourself and me, who am your suppliant.
[NEO.] Be assured as regareds the care that I shall take! It shall be given to no one except you and me; hand it to me, and may good luck come of it!
[PHIL.] There, take it, boy; and kiss it to avert a curse, in case it should bring trouble upon you, as things were with me and with him who had it before me.
[NEO.] O gods, grant this to us! And may our voyage be prosperous and rapid to wherever the god thinks right and our mission lies!
(tr. Hugh Lloyd-Jones)

[ΠΑΙΔΑΓΩΓΟΣ. ΟΡΕΣΤΗΣ]

[ΠΑΙΔ.] Ὦ τοῦ στρατηγήσαντος ἐν Τροίᾳ ποτὲ
Ἀγαμέμνονος παῖ, νῦν ἐκεῖν’ ἔξεστί σοι
παρόντι λεύσσειν, ὧν πρόθυμος ἦσθ’ ἀεί.
τὸ γὰρ παλαιὸν Ἄργος οὑπόθεις τόδε,
τῆς οἰστροπλῆγος ἄλσος Ἰνάχου κόρης·
αὕτη δ’, Ὀρέστα, τοῦ λυκοκτόνου θεοῦ
ἀγορὰ Λύκειος· οὑξ ἀριστερᾶς δ’ ὅδε
Ἥρας ὁ κλεινὸς ναός· οἷ δ’ ἱκάνομεν,
φάσκειν Μυκήνας τὰς πολυχρύσους ὁρᾶν
πολύφθορόν τε δῶμα Πελοπιδῶν τόδε,
ὅθεν σε πατρὸς ἐκ φονῶν ἐγώ ποτε
πρὸς σῆς ὁμαίμου καὶ κασιγνήτης λαβὼν
ἤνεγκα κἀξέσωσα κἀξεθρεψάμην
τοσόνδ’ ἐς ἥβης, πατρὶ τιμωρὸν φόνου.
νῦν οὖν, Ὀρέστα καὶ σὺ φίλτατε ξένων
Πυλάδη, τί χρὴ δρᾶν ἐν τάχει βουλευτέον·
ὡς ἡμὶν ἤδη λαμπρὸν ἡλίου σέλας
ἑῷα κινεῖ φθέγματ’ ὀρνίθων σαφῆ
μέλαινά τ’ ἄστρων ἐκλέλοιπεν εὐφρόνη.
πρὶν οὖν τιν’ ἀνδρῶν ἐξοδοιπορεῖν στέγης,
ξυνάπτετον λόγοισιν· ὡς ἐνταῦθ’ †ἐμὲν
ἵν’ οὐκέτ᾽ ὀκνεῖν καιρός, ἀλλ’ ἔργων ἀκμή.
[ΟΡ.] ὦ φίλτατ᾽ ἀνδρῶν προσπόλων, ὥς μοι σαφῆ
σημεῖα φαίνεις ἐσθλὸς εἰς ἡμᾶς γεγώς.
ὥσπερ γὰρ ἵππος εὐγενής, κἂν ᾖ γέρων,
ἐν τοῖσι δεινοῖς θυμὸν οὐκ ἀπώλεσεν,
ἀλλ’ ὀρθὸν οὖς ἵστησιν, ὡσαύτως δὲ σὺ
ἡμᾶς τ’ ὀτρύνεις καὐτὸς ἐν πρώτοις ἕπει.
τοιγὰρ τὰ μὲν δόξαντα δηλώσω, σὺ δὲ
ὀξεῖαν ἀκοὴν τοῖς ἐμοῖς λόγοις διδούς,
εἰ μή τι καιροῦ τυγχάνω, μεθάρμοσον.
ἐγὼ γὰρ ἡνίχ’ ἱκόμην τὸ Πυθικὸν
μαντεῖον, ὡς μάθοιμ’ ὅτῳ τρόπῳ πατρὶ
δίκας ἀροίμην τῶν φονευσάντων πάρα,
χρῇ μοι τοιαῦθ᾽ ὁ Φοῖβος ὧν πεύσει τάχα·
ἄσκευον αὐτὸν ἀσπίδων τε καὶ στρατοῦ
δόλοισι κλέψαι χειρὸς ἐνδίκου σφαγάς.
ὅτ’ οὖν τοιόνδε χρησμὸν εἰσηκούσαμεν,
σὺ μὲν μολών, ὅταν σε καιρὸς εἰσάγῃ,
δόμων ἔσω τῶνδ’, ἴσθι πᾶν τὸ δρώμενον,
ὅπως ἂν εἰδὼς ἡμὶν ἀγγείλῃς σαφῆ.
οὐ γάρ σε μὴ γήρᾳ τε καὶ χρόνῳ μακρῷ
γνῶσ᾽, οὐδ’ ὑποπτεύσουσιν ὧδ᾽ ἠνθισμένον.
(Sophocles, Electra 1-43)

[OLD SLAVE. ORESTES]

[O.S.] Son of Agamemnon who once led the army before Troy, now you can gaze with your own eyes on what you have always longed to see! This is the ancient Argos for which you used to long, the precinct of the daughter of Inachus whom the gadfly stung; and this, Orestes, is the Lycean marketplace of the wolf-killing god; this ot the left is the famous temple of Hera; and at the place where we have arrived, you may say that you see Mycenae, rich in gold, and the house of the sons of Pelops here, rich in disasters, from which I once carried you, after your father’s murder, receiving you from your own sister, and kept you safe and raised you up to this stage of youthful vigour, to avenge your father’s murder. So now, Orestes, and you, dearest of host, Pylades, you must speedily decide what you must do; for already we hear the morning voices of the birds whom the bright beam of the sun is arousing, and the black night of stars has departed. So before any man leaves the house you must take counsel, since in this place this is no occasion to hesitate, but it is time to act.
[OR.] Dearest of retainers, how clearly you show your loyalty to us! Just as a noble horse, even if he is old, does not lose his spirit in a time of danger, but pricks up his ear, just so do you urge us on and yourself are foremost in support. So I will explain my decisions, and do you lend a prompt ear to my words, and if I do not hit the mark, correct me! When I went to the Pythian oracle to learn how I might get vengeance for my father on his murderers, Phoebus gave me a prophecy which you shall soon hear; that alone, without the help of armed men or of an army, I should accomplish by cunning the slaughter done by a righteous hand. Then, since this is the nature of the oracle I heard, do you go into this house, when you have the chance to enter it, and find out everything that they are doing, so that you can report to us with certain knowledge. They will never know you, grizzled as you are with age and the passage of time, and they will not suspect you.
(tr. Hugh Lloyd-Jones)

Οὐ γὰρ τάφου νῷν τὼ κασιγνήτω Κρέων
τὸν μὲν προτίσας, τὸν δ’ ἀτιμάσας ἔχει;
Ἐτεοκλέα μέν, ὡς λέγουσι, σὺν δίκης
χρησθεὶς δικαίᾳ καὶ νόμῳ, κατὰ χθονὸς
ἔκρυψε τοῖς ἔνερθεν ἔντιμον νεκροῖς·
τὸν δ’ ἀθλίως θανόντα Πολυνείκους νέκυν
ἀστοῖσί φασιν ἐκκεκηρῦχθαι τὸ μὴ
τάφῳ καλύψαι μηδὲ κωκῦσαί τινα,
ἐᾶν δ ̓ ἄκλαυτον, ἄταφον, οἰωνοῖς γλυκὺν
θησαυρὸν εἰσορῶσι πρὸς χάριν βορᾶς.
τοιαῦτά φασι τὸν ἀγαθὸν Κρέοντα σοὶ
κἀμοί, λέγω γὰρ κἀμέ, κηρύξαντ’ ἔχειν,
καὶ δεῦρο νεῖσθαι ταῦτα τοῖσι μὴ εἰδόσιν
σαφῆ προκηρύξοντα, καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμ’ ἄγειν
οὐχ ὡς παρ’ οὐδέν, ἀλλ’ ὃς ἂν τούτων τι δρᾷ,
φόνον προκεῖσθαι δημόλευστον ἐν πόλει.
οὕτως ἔχει σοι ταῦτα, καὶ δείξεις τάχα
εἴτ’ εὐγενὴς πέφυκας εἴτ’ ἐσθλῶν κακή.
(Sophocles, Antigone 21-38)

Why, has not Creon honoured one of our brothers and dishonoured the other in the matter of their burial? Eteocles, they say, in accordance with justice and with custom he has hidden beneath the earth, honoured among the dead below. But as for the unhappy corpse of Polynices, they say it has been proclaimed to the citizens that none shall conceal it in a grave or lament for it, but that they should leave it unwept for, unburied, a rich treasure house for birds as they look out for food. This is the proclamation which they say the good Creon has made to you and me—yes, I count myself also—and he is coming this way to make the proclamation clear to those who do not know of it. He is not treating the matter as unimportant, but for anyone who does any of these things death in the city is ordained, by stoning at the people’s hand. There you have the way things stand, and you will soon show whether your nature is noble or you are the cowardly descendant of valiant ancestors. (tr. Hugh Lloyd-Jones)

Τό τ’ ἔπειτα καὶ τὸ μέλλον
καὶ τὸ πρὶν ἐπαρκέσει
νόμος ὅδ’· οὐδέν’ ἕρπει
θνατῶν βίοτος πάμπολυς ἐκτὸς ἄτας.
(Sophocles, Ant. 611-614)

For present, future and past this law shall suffice: to none among mortals shall great wealth come without disaster. (tr. Hugh Lloyd-Jones)

Λυσσῶντι δ᾽ αὐτῷ δαιμόνων δείκνυσί τις·
οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀνδρῶν, οἳ παρῆμεν ἐγγύθεν.
δεινὸν δ᾽ ἀύσας ὡς ὑφ᾽ ἡγητοῦ τινος
πύλαις διπλαῖς ἐνήλατ᾽, ἐκ δὲ πυθμένων
ἔκλινε κοῖλα κλῇθρα κἀμπίπτει στέγῃ.
οὗ δὴ κρεμαστὴν τὴν γυναῖκ᾽ εἰσείδομεν,
πλεκταῖσιν αἰώραισιν ἐμπεπλεγμένην.
ὁ δ᾽ ὡς ὁρᾷ νιν, δεινὰ βρυχηθεὶς τάλας,
χαλᾷ κρεμαστὴν ἀρτάνην. ἐπεὶ δὲ γῇ
ἔκειτο τλήμων, δεινά γ᾽ ἦν τἀνθένδ᾽ ὁρᾶν.
ἀποσπάσας γὰρ εἱμάτων χρυσηλάτους
περόνας ἀπ᾽ αὐτῆς, αἷσιν ἐξεστέλλετο,
ἄρας ἔπαισεν ἄρθρα τῶν αὑτοῦ κύκλων,
αὐδῶν τοιαῦθ᾽, ὁθούνεκ᾽ οὐκ ὄψοιντό νιν
οὔθ᾽ οἷ᾽ ἔπασχεν οὔθ᾽ ὁποῖ᾽ ἔδρα κακά,
ἀλλ᾽ ἐν σκότῳ τὸ λοιπὸν οὓς μὲν οὐκ ἔδει
ὀψοίαθ᾽, οὓς δ᾽ ἔχρῃζεν οὐ γνωσοίατο.
τοιαῦτ᾽ ἐφυμνῶν πολλάκις τε κοὐχ ἅπαξ
ἤρασσ᾽ ἐπαίρων βλέφαρα. φοίνιαι δ᾽ ὁμοῦ
γλῆναι γένει᾽ ἔτεγγον, οὐδ᾽ ἀνίεσαν.
(Sophocles, Oed. Rex 1258-1277)

And in his fury some god showed her to him; it was none of us men who stood nearby. And with a dreadful cry, as though someone were guiding him he rushed at the double doors, forced the bolts inward from their sockets and fell into the room. There we saw the woman hanging, her neck tied in a twisted noose. And when he saw her, with a fearful roar, poor man, he untied the knot from which she hung; and when the unhappy woman lay upon the ground, what we saw next was terrible. For he broke off the golden pins from her raiment, with which she was adorned, and lifting up his eyes struck them, uttering such words as these: that they should not see his dread sufferings or his dread actions, but in the future they should see in darkness those they never should have seen, and fail to recognise those he wished to know. Repeating such words as these he lifted up his eyes and not once but many times struck them; the bleeding eyeballs soaked his cheeks, and did not cease to drip. (tr. Hugh Lloyd-Jones)

[ΧΟΡΟΣ. ΤΕΚΜΗΣΣΑ]

ΧΟΡ. Πᾷ πᾷ
κεῖται ὁ δυστράπελος
δυσώνυμος Αἴας;
ΤΕΚ. οὔτοι θεατός· ἀλλά νιν περιπτυχεῖ
φάρει καλύψω τῷδε παμπήδην, ἐπεὶ
οὐδεὶς ἂν ὅστις καὶ φίλος τλαίη βλέπειν
φυσῶντ’ ἄνω πρὸς ῥῖνας ἔκ τε φοινίας
πληγῆς μελανθὲν αἷμ’ ἀπ’ οἰείας σφαγῆς.

(Sophocles, Ajax 913-919)

[CHORUS. TECMESSA]

CHO. Where, where lies the unmanageable Ajax of ill-omened name?
TEC. He must not be looked upon! I shall cover him completely with this cloak folded about him, since none that was a friend could bear to look upon him spurting blood upwards to his nostrils, and the black gore from the deadly wound inflicted by self-slaughter.
(tr. Hugh Lloyd-Jones)

Ἀτταταῖ.
ὦ ξένε Κεφαλλήν, εἴθε σοῦ διαμπερὲς
στέρνων ἵκοιτ’ ἄλγησις ἥδε. φεῦ, παπαῖ.
παπαῖ μάλ’ αὖθις. ὦ διπλοῖ στρατηλάται,
[Ἀγάμεμνον, ὦ Μενέλαε, πῶς ἂν ἀντ’ ἐμοῦ]
τὸν ἴσον χρόνον τρέφοιτε τήνδε τὴν νόσον.
ὤμοι μοι.
ὦ θάνατε θάνατε, πῶς ἀεὶ καλούμενος
οὕτω κατ’ ἦμαρ οὐ δύνῃ μολεῖν ποτε;
ὦ τέκνον, ὦ γενναῖον, ἀλλὰ συλλαβὼν
τῷ Λημνίῳ τῷδ’ ἀνακαλουμένῳ πυρὶ
ἔμπρησον, ὦ γενναῖε; κἀγώ τοί ποτε
τὸν τοῦ Διὸς παῖδ’ ἀντὶ τῶνδε τῶν ὅπλων,
ἃ νῦν σὺ σῴζεις, τοῦτ’ ἐπηξίωσα δρᾶν.
τί φής, παῖ;
τί φής; τί σιγᾷς; ποῦ ποτ’ ὤν, τέκνον, κυρεῖς;
(Sophocles, Philoctetes 790-805)

A-a-a-a-h! Cephallenian stranger, I wish this pain would go right through your chest! Ah, ah, alas! Alas once more! O you two generals, [Agamemnon, O Menelaus, if only instead of me] may you feed this sickness for an equal time! Ah me! O death, death, why can you never come, though I do not cease to call you thus each day? O my son, O my noble son, take me and burn me with this fire that is invoked as Lemnian, noble one! I also once consented to do this to the son of Zeus in return for those weapons which you now are guarding! What do you say, boy? What do you say? Why are you silent? Where are you, my son? (tr. Hugh Lloyd-Jones)

[ΚΡΕΩΝ. ΑΝΤΙΓΟΝΗ]

ΚΡΕ. Οὔκουν ὅμαιμος χὠ καταντίον θανών;
ΑΝΤ. ὅμαιμος ἐκ μιᾶς τε καὶ ταὐτοῦ πατρός.
ΚΡΕ. πῶς δῆτ’ ἐκείνῳ δυσσεβῆ τιμᾷς χάριν;
ΑΝΤ. οὐ μαρτυρήσει ταῦθ’ ὁ κατθανὼν νέκυς.
ΚΡΕ. εἴ τοί σφε τιμᾷς ἐξ ἴσου τῷ δυσσεβεῖ.
ΑΝΤ. οὐ γάρ τι δοῦλος, ἀλλ’ ἀδελφὸς ὤλετο.
ΚΡΕ. πορθῶν δὲ τὴνδε γῆν· ὁ δ’ ἀντιστὰς ὕπερ.
ΑΝΤ. ὅμως ὅ γ’ Ἅιδης τοὺς νόμους τούτους ποθεῖ.
ΚΡΕ. ἀλλ’ οὐχ ὁ χρηστὸς τῷ κακῷ λαχεῖν ἴσος.
ΑΝΤ. τίς οἶδεν εἰ κάτω ‘στιν εὐαγῆ τάδε;
ΚΡΕ. οὔτοι ποθ’ οὑχθρός, οὐδ’ ὅταν θάνῃ, φίλος.
ΑΝΤ. οὔτοι συνέχθειν, ἀλλὰ συμφιλεῖν ἔφυν.
ΚΡΕ. κάτω νυν ἐλθοῦσ’, εἰ φιλητέον, φίλει
κείνους· ἐμοῦ δὲ ζῶντος οὐκ ἄρξει γυνή.

(Sophocles, Antigone 512-525)

[CREON. ANTIGONE]

CRE. Was not he who dies on the other side also your brother?
ANT. My brother with the same mother and the same father.
CRE. Then how can you render the other a grace which is impious towards him?
ANT. The dead body will not bear witness to that.
CRE. Yes, if you honour him equally with the impious one.
ANT. It was not a slave, but my brother who had died.
CRE. But he was trying to destroy this country, and the other stood against him to protect it.
ANT. None the less, Hades demands these laws.
CRE. But the noble man has not equal claim to honour with the evil.
ANT. Who knows if this action is free from blame in the world below?
CRE. An enemy is never a friend, even when he is dead.
ANT. I have no enemies by birth, but I have friends by birth.
CRE. Then go below and love those friends, if you must love them! But while I live a woman shall not rule!

(tr. Hugh Lloyd-Jones)