Third Stasimon
ἴδʼ οἷον, παῖδες, προσέμιξεν ἄφαρ
τοὔπος τὸ θεοπρόπον ἡμῖν
τᾶς παλαιφάτου προνοίας,
τʼ ἔλακεν, ὁπότε τελεόμηνος ἐκφέροι
825 δωδέκατος ἄροτος, ἀναδοχὰν τελεῖν πόνων
τῷ Διὸς αὐτόπαιδι· καὶ τάδʼ ὀρθῶς
ἔμπεδα κατουρίζει. πῶς γὰρ ἂν μὴ λεύσσων
830 ἔτι ποτʼ ἔτʼ ἐπίπονον πόνων ἔχοι θανὼν λατρείαν;
εἰ γάρ σφε Κενταύρου φονίᾳ νεφέλᾳ
χρίει δολοποιὸς ἀνάγκα
πλευρά, προστακέντος ἰοῦ,
ὃν τέκετο θάνατος, ἔτρεφε δʼ αἰόλος δράκων,
835 πῶς ὅδʼ ἂν ἀέλιον ἕτερον τανῦν ἴδοι,
δεινοτάτῳ μὲν ὕδρας προστετακὼς
φάσματι; μελαγχαίτα δʼ ἄμμιγά νιν αἰκίζει
840 Νέσσου ὑποφόνια δολιόμυθα κέντρʼ ἐπιζέσαντα.
ὧν ἅδʼ τλάμων ἄοκνος μεγάλαν προορῶσα
δόμοισι βλάβαν νέων
ἀΐσσουσαν γάμων τὰ μὲν αὐτὰ προσέβαλε, τὰ
δʼ ἀπʼ ἀλλόθρου
845 γνώμας μολόντʼ ὀλεθρίαισι συναλλαγαῖς
που ὀλοὰ στένει,
που ἀδινῶν χλωρὰν
τέγγει δακρύων ἄχναν.
850 δʼ ἐρχομένα μοῖρα προφαίνει δολίαν
καὶ μεγάλαν ἄταν.
ἔρρωγεν παγὰ δακρύων· κέχυται νόσος, πόποι,
οἷον ἀναρσίων
οὔπω Ἡρακλέους ἀγακλειτὸν ἐπέμολε πάθος οἰκτίσαι.
855 ἰὼ κελαινὰ λόγχα προμάχου δορός,
τότε θοὰν νύμφαν
ἄγαγες ἀπʼ αἰπεινᾶς
τάνδʼ Οἰχαλίας αἰχμᾷ·
860 δʼ ἀμφίπολος Κύπρις ἄναυδος φανερὰ
τῶνδʼ ἐφάνη πράκτωρ.
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An open-access project
Jebb 1913
Loeb
Jebb, Cambridge, 1913 · 1913
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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