Polyneices
νέα τάδε νεόθεν ἦλθέ μοι
κακὰ βαρύποτμὰ παρʼ ἀλαοῦ ξένου,
1450 εἴ τι μοῖρα μὴ κιγχάνει.
μάταν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἀξίωμα δαιμόνων ἔχω φράσαι.
ὁρᾷ ὁρᾷ ταῦτʼ ἀεὶ χρόνος, τρέχων μὲν ἕτερα,
1455 τὰ δὲ παρʼ ἦμαρ αὖθις αὔξων ἄνω.
ἔκτυπεν αἰθήρ, Ζεῦ.
τέκνα τέκνα, πῶς ἄν, εἴ τις ἔντοπος,
τὸν πάντʼ ἄριστον δεῦρο Θησέα πόροι;
πάτερ, τί δʼ ἐστὶ τἀξίωμʼ ἐφʼ καλεῖς;
1460 Διὸς πτερωτὸς ἥδε μʼ αὐτίκʼ ἄξεται
βροντὴ πρὸς Ἅιδην· ἀλλὰ πέμψαθʼ ὡς τάχος.
μέγας, ἴδε, μάλʼ ὅδʼ ἐρείπεται
κτύπος ἄφατος διόβολος· ἐς δʼ ἄκραν
1465 δεῖμʼ ὑπῆλθε κρατὸς φόβαν.
ἔπτηξα θυμόν· οὐρανία γὰρ ἀστραπὴ φλέγει πάλιν.
τί μὰν ἀφήσει τέλος; δέδοικα δʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἅλιον
1470 ἀφορμᾷ ποτʼ, οὐκ ἄνευ ξυμφορᾶς.
μέγας αἰθήρ, Ζεῦ.
παῖδες, ἥκει τῷδʼ ἐπʼ ἀνδρὶ θέσφατος
βίου τελευτὴ κοὐκέτʼ ἔστʼ ἀποστροφή.
πῶς οἶσθα; τῷ δὲ τοῦτο συμβαλὼν ἔχεις;
1475 καλῶς κάτοιδʼ· ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστά μοι μολὼν
ἄνακτα χώρας τῆσδέ τις πορευσάτω.
ἔα ἔα, ἰδοὺ μάλʼ αὖθις ἀμφίσταται διαπρύσιος ὄτοβος.
1480 ἵλαος, δαίμων, ἵλαος εἴ τι γᾷ
ματέρι τυγχάνεις ἀφεγγὲς φέρων.
ἐναισίου δὲ σοῦ τύχοιμι, μηδʼ ἄλαστον ἄνδρʼ ἰδὼν
ἀκερδῆ χάριν μετάσχοιμί πως. Ζεῦ ἄνα σοὶ φωνῶ.
ἆρʼ ἐγγὺς ἁνήρ; ἆρʼ ἔτʼ ἐμψύχου, τέκνα,
κιχήσεταί μου καὶ κατορθοῦντος φρένα;
τί δʼ ἂν θέλοις τὸ πιστὸν ἐμφῦναι φρενί;
ἀνθʼ ὧν ἔπασχον εὖ, τελεσφόρον χάριν
1490 δοῦναί σφιν, ἥνπερ τυγχάνων ὑπεσχόμην.
ἰὼ ἰὼ παῖ, βᾶθι βᾶθʼ, εἴτʼ ἄκρα,
περὶ γύαλʼ ἐναλίῳ Ποσειδωνίῳ θεῷ, τυγχάνεις
βούθυτον ἑστίαν ἁγίζων, ἱκοῦ.
γὰρ ξένος σε καὶ πόλισμα καὶ φίλους ἐπαξιοῖ
1495 δικαίαν χάριν παρασχεῖν παθών.
σπεῦσον ἄϊσσʼ, ὦναξ.
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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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