Second Stasimon
πιθοῦ θελήσας φρονήσας τʼ, ἄναξ, λίσσομαι.
650 τί σοι θέλεις δῆτʼ εἰκάθω;
τὸν οὔτε πρὶν νήπιον νῦν τʼ ἐν ὅρκῳ μέγαν καταίδεσαι.
οἶσθʼ οὖν χρῄζεις;
οἶδα.
φράζε δὴ τί φής.
655 τὸν ἐναγῆ φίλον μήποτʼ ἐν αἰτίᾳ
σὺν ἀφανεῖ λόγῳ σʼ ἄτιμον βαλεῖν.
εὖ νυν ἐπίστω, ταῦθʼ ὅταν ζητῇς, ἐμοὶ
ζητῶν ὄλεθρον φυγὴν ἐκ τῆσδε γῆς.
660 οὐ τὸν πάντων θεῶν θεὸν πρόμον
Ἅλιον· ἐπεὶ ἄθεος ἄφιλος τι πύματον
ὀλοίμαν, φρόνησιν εἰ τάνδʼ ἔχω.
665 ἀλλά μοι δυσμόρῳ γᾶ φθινὰς
τρύχει ψυχάν, τάδʼ εἰ κακοῖς κακὰ
προσάψει τοῖς πάλαι τὰ πρὸς σφῷν.
δʼ οὖν ἴτω, κεἰ χρή με παντελῶς θανεῖν
670 γῆς ἄτιμον τῆσδʼ ἀπωσθῆναι βίᾳ.
τὸ γὰρ σόν, οὐ τὸ τοῦδʼ, ἐποικτίρω στόμα
ἐλεινόν· οὗτος δʼ ἔνθʼ ἂν στυγήσεται.
στυγνὸς μὲν εἴκων δῆλος εἶ, βαρὺς δʼ, ὅταν
θυμοῦ περάσῃς· αἱ δὲ τοιαῦται φύσεις
675 αὑταῖς δικαίως εἰσὶν ἄλγισται φέρειν.
οὔκουν μʼ ἐάσεις κἀκτὸς εἶ;
πορεύσομαι,
σοῦ μὲν τυχὼν ἀγνῶτος, ἐν δὲ τοῖσδʼ ἴσος.
γύναι, τί μέλλεις κομίζειν δόμων τόνδʼ ἔσω;
680 μαθοῦσά γʼ ἥτις τύχη.
δόκησις ἀγνὼς λόγων ἦλθε, δάπτει δὲ καὶ τὸ μὴ ʼνʼδικον.
ἀμφοῖν ἀπʼ αὐτοῖν;
ναίχι.
καὶ τίς ἦν λόγος;
685 ἅλις ἔμοιγʼ, ἅλις, γᾶς προπονουμένας,
φαίνεται ἔνθʼ ἔληξεν αὐτοῦ μένειν.
ὁρᾷς ἵνʼ ἥκεις, ἀγαθὸς ὢν γνώμην ἀνήρ,
τοὐμὸν παριεὶς καὶ καταμβλύνων κέαρ;
690 ὦναξ, εἶπον μὲν οὐχ ἅπαξ μόνον,
ἴσθι δὲ παραφρόνιμον, ἄπορον ἐπὶ φρόνιμα
πεφάνθαι μʼ ἄν, εἴ σʼ ἐνοσφιζόμαν,
ὅς τʼ ἐμὰν γᾶν φίλαν ἐν πόνοις
695 ἀλύουσαν κατʼ ὀρθὸν οὔρισας,
τανῦν τʼ εὔπομπος, ἂν γένοιο.
πρὸς θεῶν δίδαξον κἄμʼ, ἄναξ, ὅτου ποτὲ
μῆνιν τοσήνδε πράγματος στήσας ἔχεις.
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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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