Messenger Scene
1115 πολυώνυμε, Καδμείας νύμφας ἄγαλμα
καὶ Διὸς βαρυβρεμέτα
γένος, κλυτὰν ὃς ἀμφέπεις
Ἰταλίαν, μέδεις δὲ
παγκοίνοις, Ἐλευσινίας
1120 Δῃοῦς ἐν κόλποις, Βακχεῦ Βακχᾶν
ματρόπολιν Θήβαν
ναιετῶν παρʼ ὑγρῶν
1125 Ἰσμηνοῦ ῥείθρων ἀγρίου τʼ ἐπὶ σπορᾷ δράκοντος.
σὲ δʼ ὑπὲρ διλόφου πέτρας στέροψ ὄπωπε
λιγνύς, ἔνθα Κωρύκιαι
στείχουσι νύμφαι Βακχίδες,
1130 Κασταλίας τε νᾶμα.
καί σε Νυσαίων ὀρέων
κισσήρεις ὄχθαι χλωρά τʼ ἀκτὰ
πολυστάφυλος πέμπει,
ἀμβρότων ἐπέων
1135 εὐαζόντων Θηβαΐας ἐπισκοποῦντʼ ἀγυιάς·
τὰν ἐκ πᾶσαι τιμᾷς ὑπερτάταν πόλεων
ματρὶ σὺν κεραυνίᾳ·
1140 καὶ νῦν, ὡς βιαίας ἔχεται
πάνδαμος πόλις ἐπὶ νόσου,
μολεῖν καθαρσίῳ ποδὶ Παρνασίαν ὑπὲρ κλιτὺν
1145 στονόεντα πορθμόν.
ἰὼ πῦρ πνειόντων χοράγʼ ἄστρων, νυχίων
φθεγμάτων ἐπίσκοπε,
παῖ Διὸς γένεθλον, προφάνηθʼ,
1150 ὦναξ, σαῖς ἅμα περιπόλοις
Θυίαισιν, αἵ σε μαινόμεναι πάννυχοι χορεύουσι
τὸν ταμίαν Ἴακχον.
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An open-access project
Jebb 1912
Loeb
Jebb, Cambridge, 1912 · 1912
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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