First Stasimon
πολλὰ τὰ δεινὰ κοὐδὲν ἀνθρώπου δεινότερον πέλει.
τοῦτο καὶ πολιοῦ πέραν πόντου χειμερίῳ νότῳ
335 χωρεῖ, περιβρυχίοισιν
περῶν ὑπʼ οἴδμασιν.
θεῶν τε τὰν ὑπερτάταν, Γᾶν
ἄφθιτον, ἀκαμάταν, ἀποτρύεται
ἰλλομένων ἀρότρων ἔτος εἰς ἔτος
340 ἱππείῳ γένει πολεύων.
κουφονόων τε φῦλον ὀρνίθων ἀμφιβαλὼν ἄγει
345 καὶ θηρῶν ἀγρίων ἔθνη πόντου τʼ εἰναλίαν φύσιν
σπείραισι δικτυοκλώστοις,
περιφραδὴς ἀνήρ·
κρατεῖ δὲ μηχαναῖς ἀγραύλου
350 θηρὸς ὀρεσσιβάτα, λασιαύχενά θʼ
ἵππον ὀχμάζεται ἀμφὶ λόφον ζυγῶν
οὔρειόν τʼ ἀκμῆτα ταῦρον.
355 καὶ φθέγμα καὶ ἀνεμόεν φρόνημα καὶ ἀστυνόμους
ὀργὰς ἐδιδάξατο καὶ δυσαύλων
πάγων ὑπαίθρεια καὶ δύσομβρα φεύγειν βέλη
παντοπόρος· ἄπορος ἐπʼ οὐδὲν ἔρχεται
360 τὸ μέλλον· Ἅιδα μόνον φεῦξιν οὐκ ἐπάξεται·
νόσων δʼ ἀμηχάνων φυγὰς ξυμπέφρασται.
365 σοφόν τι τὸ μηχανόεν τέχνας ὑπὲρ ἐλπίδʼ ἔχων
τοτὲ μὲν κακόν, ἄλλοτʼ ἐπʼ ἐσθλὸν ἕρπει,
νόμους γεραίρων χθονὸς θεῶν τʼ ἔνορκον δίκαν,
370 ὑψίπολις· ἄπολις ὅτῳ τὸ μὴ καλὸν
ξύνεστι τόλμας χάριν. μήτʼ ἐμοὶ παρέστιος
375 γένοιτο μήτʼ ἴσον φρονῶν ὃς τάδʼ ἔρδει.
Χορός
ἐς δαιμόνιον τέρας ἀμφινοῶ
τόδε· πῶς εἰδὼς ἀντιλογήσω
τήνδʼ οὐκ εἶναι παῖδʼ Ἀντιγόνην.
δύστηνος
380 καὶ δυστήνου πατρὸς Οἰδιπόδα,
τί ποτʼ; οὐ δή που σέ γʼ ἀπιστοῦσαν
τοῖς βασιλείοισιν ἄγουσι νόμοις
καὶ ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ καθελόντες;
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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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