Third Stasimon
εἴ μοι ξυνείη φέροντι
μοῖρα τὰν εὔσεπτον ἁγνείαν λόγων
865 ἔργων τε πάντων, ὧν νόμοι πρόκεινται
ὑψίποδες, οὐρανίαν
διʼ αἰθέρα τεκνωθέντες, ὧν Ὄλυμπος
πατὴρ μόνος, οὐδέ νιν
θνατὰ φύσις ἀνέρων
870 ἔτικτεν οὐδὲ μή ποτε λάθα κατακοιμάσῃ·
μέγας ἐν τούτοις θεὸς οὐδὲ γηράσκει.
ὕβρις φυτεύει τύραννον·
ὕβρις, εἰ πολλῶν ὑπερπλησθῇ μάταν,
875 μὴ ʼπίκαιρα μηδὲ συμφέροντα,
ἀκρότατον εἰσαναβᾶσʼ
αἶπος ἀπότομον ὤρουσεν εἰς ἀνάγκαν,
ἔνθʼ οὐ ποδὶ χρησίμῳ
880 χρῆται. τὸ καλῶς δʼ ἔχον
πόλει πάλαισμα μήποτε λῦσαι θεὸν αἰτοῦμαι.
θεὸν οὐ λήξω ποτὲ προστάταν ἴσχων.
εἰ δέ τις ὑπέροπτα χερσὶν λόγῳ πορεύεται,
885 δίκας ἀφόβητος οὐδὲ δαιμόνων ἕδη σέβων,
κακά νιν ἕλοιτο μοῖρα,
δυσπότμου χάριν χλιδᾶς,
εἰ μὴ τὸ κέρδος κερδανεῖ δικαίως
890 καὶ τῶν ἀσέπτων ἔρξεται
τῶν ἀθίκτων θίξεται ματᾴζων.
τίς ἔτι ποτʼ ἐν τοῖσδʼ ἀνὴρ θεῶν βέλη
εὔξεται ψυχᾶς ἀμύνειν;
895 εἰ γὰρ αἱ τοιαίδε πράξεις τίμιαι,
τί δεῖ με χορεύειν;
οὐκέτι τὸν ἄθικτον εἶμι γᾶς ἐπʼ ὀμφαλὸν σέβων,
900 οὐδʼ ἐς τὸν Ἀβαῖσι ναὸν οὐδὲ τὰν Ὀλυμπίαν,
εἰ μὴ τάδε χειρόδεικτα
πᾶσιν ἁρμόσει βροτοῖς.
ἀλλʼ, κρατύνων, εἴπερ ὄρθʼ ἀκούεις,
905 Ζεῦ, πάντʼ ἀνάσσων, μὴ λάθοι
σὲ τάν τε σὰν ἀθάνατον αἰὲν ἀρχάν.
φθίνοντα γὰρ Λαΐου παλαίφατα
θέσφατʼ ἐξαιροῦσιν ἤδη,
κοὐδαμοῦ τιμαῖς Ἀπόλλων ἐμφανής·
910 ἔρρει δὲ τὰ θεῖα.
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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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