Act 0
Χορός
Τελαμώνιε παῖ, τῆς ἀμφιρύτου
135 Σαλαμῖνος ἔχων βάθρον ἀγχιάλου,
σὲ μὲν εὖ πράσσοντʼ ἐπιχαίρω·
σὲ δʼ ὅταν πληγὴ Διὸς ζαμενὴς
λόγος ἐκ Δαναῶν κακόθρους ἐπιβῇ,
μέγαν ὄκνον ἔχω καὶ πεφόβημαι
140 πτηνῆς ὡς ὄμμα πελείας.
ὡς καὶ τῆς νῦν φθιμένης νυκτὸς
μεγάλοι θόρυβοι κατέχουσʼ ἡμᾶς
ἐπὶ δυσκλείᾳ, σὲ τὸν ἱππομανῆ
λειμῶνʼ ἐπιβάντʼ ὀλέσαι Δαναῶν
145 βοτὰ καὶ λείαν,
ἥπερ δορίληπτος ἔτʼ ἦν λοιπή,
κτείνοντʼ αἴθωνι σιδήρῳ.
τοιούσδε λόγους ψιθύρους πλάσσων
εἰς ὦτα φέρει πᾶσιν Ὀδυσσεύς,
150 καὶ σφόδρα πείθει· περὶ γὰρ σοῦ νῦν
εὔπειστα λέγει, καὶ πᾶς κλύων
τοῦ λέξαντος χαίρει μᾶλλον
τοῖς σοῖς ἄχεσιν καθυβρίζων.
τῶν γὰρ μεγάλων ψυχῶν ἱεὶς
155 οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις· κατὰ δʼ ἄν τις ἐμοῦ
τοιαῦτα λέγων οὐκ ἂν πείθοι·
πρὸς γὰρ τὸν ἔχονθʼ φθόνος ἕρπει.
καίτοι σμικροὶ μεγάλων χωρὶς
σφαλερὸν πύργου ῥῦμα πέλονται·
160 μετὰ γὰρ μεγάλων βαιὸς ἄριστʼ ἂν
καὶ μέγας ὀρθοῖθʼ ὑπὸ μικροτέρων.
ἀλλʼ οὐ δυνατὸν τοὺς ἀνοήτους
τούτων γνώμας προδιδάσκειν.
ὑπὸ τοιούτων ἀνδρῶν θορυβεῖ
165 χἠμεῖς οὐδὲν σθένομεν πρὸς ταῦτʼ
ἀπαλέξασθαι σοῦ χωρίς, ἄναξ.
ἀλλʼ ὅτε γὰρ δὴ τὸ σὸν ὄμμʼ ἀπέδραν,
παταγοῦσιν ἅπερ πτηνῶν ἀγέλαι·
μέγαν αἰγυπιὸν δʼ ὑποδείσαντες
170 τάχʼ ἂν ἐξαίφνης, εἰ σὺ φανείης,
σιγῇ πτήξειαν ἄφωνοι.
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An open-access project
Jebb 1913
Loeb
Jebb, Cambridge, 1913 · 1913
The Editor

Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb (1841–1905) was one of the greatest Greek scholars in the English-speaking world. Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge and Member of Parliament for the University, Jebb produced monumental commentaries on Sophocles (7 volumes, 1883–1896) that remain indispensable. His editions combined minute textual criticism with a profound sensitivity to Greek poetry and dramatic art.

About This Edition

Jebb's editions of Sophocles, published by Cambridge University Press, set a new standard for Greek dramatic commentary. Each play received a critical text, prose translation, and detailed commentary that addressed textual, linguistic, dramatic, and archaeological questions. Jebb's texts are conservative, preferring the manuscript tradition where defensible, and his commentary remains the starting point for serious study of each play. While the OCT by Lloyd-Jones and Wilson (1990) now provides the standard critical text, Jebb's commentary is still regularly consulted.

Translator

F. Storr (Loeb Classical Library)

Text Basis

Text based on Jebb's Cambridge edition. Storr translated for the Loeb Classical Library.

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