Second Stasimon
εὐδαίμονες οἷσι κακῶν ἄγευστος αἰών.
οἷς γὰρ ἂν σεισθῇ θεόθεν δόμος, ἄτας
585 οὐδὲν ἐλλείπει γενεᾶς ἐπὶ πλῆθος ἕρπον·
ὅμοιον ὥστε ποντίαις οἶδμα δυσπνόοις ὅταν
Θρῄσσαισιν ἔρεβος ὕφαλον ἐπιδράμῃ πνοαῖς,
590 κυλίνδει βυσσόθεν κελαινὰν θῖνα καὶ
δυσάνεμοι, στόνῳ βρέμουσι δʼ ἀντιπλῆγες ἀκταί.
ἀρχαῖα τὰ Λαβδακιδᾶν οἴκων ὁρῶμαι
595 πήματα φθιτῶν ἐπὶ πήμασι πίπτοντʼ,
οὐδʼ ἀπαλλάσσει γενεὰν γένος, ἀλλʼ ἐρείπει
θεῶν τις, οὐδʼ ἔχει λύσιν. νῦν γὰρ ἐσχάτας ὑπὲρ
600 ῥίζας τέτατο φάος ἐν Οἰδίπου δόμοις,
κατʼ αὖ νιν φοινία θεῶν τῶν νερτέρων
ἀμᾷ κόνις λόγου τʼ ἄνοια καὶ φρενῶν ἐρινύς.
605 τεάν, Ζεῦ, δύνασιν τίς ἀνδρῶν ὑπερβασία κατάσχοι;
τὰν οὔθʼ ὕπνος αἱρεῖ ποθʼ πάντʼ ἀγρεύων,
οὔτε θεῶν ἄκματοι μῆνες, ἀγήρῳ δὲ χρόνῳ
610 δυνάστας κατέχεις Ὀλύμπου μαρμαρόεσσαν αἴγλαν.
τό τʼ ἔπειτα καὶ τὸ μέλλον
καὶ τὸ πρὶν ἐπαρκέσει
νόμος ὅδʼ, οὐδὲν ἕρπει
θνατῶν βιότῳ πάμπολύ γʼ ἐκτὸς ἄτας.
615 γὰρ δὴ πολύπλαγκτος ἐλπὶς πολλοῖς μὲν ὄνασις ἀνδρῶν,
πολλοῖς δʼ ἀπάτα κουφονόων ἐρώτων·
εἰδότι δʼ οὐδὲν ἕρπει, πρὶν πυρὶ θερμῷ πόδα τις
620 προσαύσῃ. σοφίᾳ γὰρ ἔκ του κλεινὸν ἔπος πέφανται.
τὸ κακὸν δοκεῖν ποτʼ ἐσθλὸν
τῷδʼ ἔμμεν ὅτῳ φρένας
θεὸς ἄγει πρὸς ἄταν·
625 πράσσει δʼ ὀλίγιστον χρόνον ἐκτὸς ἄτας.
Χορός
ὅδε μὴν Αἵμων, παίδων τῶν σῶν
νέατον γέννημʼ· ἆρʼ ἀχνύμενος
τάλιδος ἥκει μόρον Ἀντιγόνης,
630 ἀπάτης λεχέων ὑπεραλγῶν;
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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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