Antigone, Second Stasimon (tr. Jebb)
Francesco Mambrini / Antigone, Second Stasimon (583-625). Trans. by E.R. Dodds (1951: 49-50)
- Created on 2017-07-04 13:03:14
- Modified on 2017-07-04 13:26:07
- Aligned by Francesco Mambrini
Translation by R.C. Jebb. The text is also taken from Jebb's edition
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
εὐδαίμονες οἷσι κακῶν ἄγευστος αἰών ·
οἷς γὰρ ἂν σεισθῇ θεόθεν δόμος , ἄτας
οὐδὲν ἐλλείπει , γενεᾶς ἐπὶ πλῆθος ἕρπον ·
ὅμοιον ὥστε ποντίας οἶδμα δυσπνόοις ὅταν
Θρῄσσαισιν ἔρεβος ὕφαλον ἐπιδράμῃ πνοαῖς ,
κυλίνδει βυσσόθεν κελαινὰν θῖνα , καὶ
δυσάνεμοι στόνῳ βρέμουσιν ἀντιπλῆγες ἀκταί .
ἀρχαῖα τὰ Λαβδακιδᾶν οἴκων ὁρῶμαι
πήματα φθιτῶν ἐπὶ πήμασι πίπτοντ ' ,
οὐδ ' ἀπαλλάσσει γενεὰν γένος , ἀλλ ' ἐρείπει
θεῶν τις , οὐδ ' ἔχει λύσιν . νῦν γὰρ ἐσχάτας ὑπὲρ
ῥίζας ὃ τέτατο φάος ἐν Οἰδίπου δόμοις ,
κατ ' αὖ νιν φοινία θεῶν τῶν νερτέρων
ἀμᾷ κόνις , λόγου τ ' ἄνοια καὶ φρενῶν ἐρινύς .
τεάν , Ζεῦ , δύνασιν τίς ἀνδρῶν ὑπερβασία κατάσχοι ;
τὰν οὔθ ' ὕπνος αἱρεῖ ποθ ' ὁ πάντ ἀγρεύων ,
οὔτε θεῶν ἀκάματοι μῆνες , ἀγήρως δὲ χρόνῳ
δυνάστας κατέχεις Ὀλύμπου μαρμαρόεσσαν αἴγλαν .
τό τ ' ἔπειτα καὶ τὸ μέλλον
καὶ τὸ πρὶν ἐπαρκέσει
νόμος ὅδ ' · οὐδὲν ἕρπει
θνατῶν βιότῳ πάμπολύ γ ' ἐκτὸς ἄτας .
ἁ γὰρ δὴ πολύπλαγκτος ἐλπὶς πολλοῖς μὲν ὄνασις ἀνδρῶν ,
πολλοῖς δ ' ἀπάτα κουφονόων ἐρώτων ·
εἰδότι δ ' οὐδὲν ἕρπει , πρὶν πυρὶ θερμῷ πόδα τις
προσαύσῃ . σοφίᾳ γὰρ ἔκ του κλεινὸν ἔπος πέφανται ,
τὸ κακὸν δοκεῖν ποτ ' ἐσθλὸν
τῷδ ' ἔμμεν ὅτῳ φρένας
θεὸς ἄγει πρὸς ἄταν ·
πράσσει δ ' ὀλιγοστὸν χρόνον ἐκτὸς ἄτας .
οἷς γὰρ ἂν σεισθῇ θεόθεν δόμος , ἄτας
οὐδὲν ἐλλείπει , γενεᾶς ἐπὶ πλῆθος ἕρπον ·
ὅμοιον ὥστε ποντίας οἶδμα δυσπνόοις ὅταν
Θρῄσσαισιν ἔρεβος ὕφαλον ἐπιδράμῃ πνοαῖς ,
κυλίνδει βυσσόθεν κελαινὰν θῖνα , καὶ
δυσάνεμοι στόνῳ βρέμουσιν ἀντιπλῆγες ἀκταί .
ἀρχαῖα τὰ Λαβδακιδᾶν οἴκων ὁρῶμαι
πήματα φθιτῶν ἐπὶ πήμασι πίπτοντ ' ,
οὐδ ' ἀπαλλάσσει γενεὰν γένος , ἀλλ ' ἐρείπει
θεῶν τις , οὐδ ' ἔχει λύσιν . νῦν γὰρ ἐσχάτας ὑπὲρ
ῥίζας ὃ τέτατο φάος ἐν Οἰδίπου δόμοις ,
κατ ' αὖ νιν φοινία θεῶν τῶν νερτέρων
ἀμᾷ κόνις , λόγου τ ' ἄνοια καὶ φρενῶν ἐρινύς .
τεάν , Ζεῦ , δύνασιν τίς ἀνδρῶν ὑπερβασία κατάσχοι ;
τὰν οὔθ ' ὕπνος αἱρεῖ ποθ ' ὁ πάντ ἀγρεύων ,
οὔτε θεῶν ἀκάματοι μῆνες , ἀγήρως δὲ χρόνῳ
δυνάστας κατέχεις Ὀλύμπου μαρμαρόεσσαν αἴγλαν .
τό τ ' ἔπειτα καὶ τὸ μέλλον
καὶ τὸ πρὶν ἐπαρκέσει
νόμος ὅδ ' · οὐδὲν ἕρπει
θνατῶν βιότῳ πάμπολύ γ ' ἐκτὸς ἄτας .
ἁ γὰρ δὴ πολύπλαγκτος ἐλπὶς πολλοῖς μὲν ὄνασις ἀνδρῶν ,
πολλοῖς δ ' ἀπάτα κουφονόων ἐρώτων ·
εἰδότι δ ' οὐδὲν ἕρπει , πρὶν πυρὶ θερμῷ πόδα τις
προσαύσῃ . σοφίᾳ γὰρ ἔκ του κλεινὸν ἔπος πέφανται ,
τὸ κακὸν δοκεῖν ποτ ' ἐσθλὸν
τῷδ ' ἔμμεν ὅτῳ φρένας
θεὸς ἄγει πρὸς ἄταν ·
πράσσει δ ' ὀλιγοστὸν χρόνον ἐκτὸς ἄτας .
Blest
are
they
whose
days
have
not
tasted
of
evil
.
For
when
a
house
hath
once
been
shaken
from
heaven
,
there
the
curse
fails
nevermore
,
passing
from
life
to
life
of
the
race
;
even
as
,
when
the
surge
is
driven
over
the
darkness
of
the
deep
by
the
fierce
breath
of
Thracian
sea-winds
,
it
rolls
up
the
black
sand
from
the
depths
,
and
there
is
sullen
roar
from
wind-vexed
headlands
that
front
the
blows
of
the
storm
.
I see that from olden time the sorrows in the house of the Labdacidae are heaped upon the sorrows of the dead ; and generation is not freed by generation , but some god strikes them down , and the race hath no deliverance .
For now that hope of which the light had been spread above the last root of the house of Oedipus-that hope , in turn , is brought low--by the blood-stained dust due to the gods infernal , and by folly in speech , and frenzy at the heart .
Thy power , O Zeus , what human trespass can limit ? That power which neither Sleep , the all-ensnaring , nor the untiring months of the gods can master ; but thou , a ruler to whom time brings not old age , dwellest in the dazzling splendour of Olympus .
And through the future , near and far , as through the past , shall this law hold good : Nothing that is vast enters into the life of mortals without a curse .
For that hope whose wanderings are so wide is to many men a comfort , but to many a false lure of giddy desires ; and the disappointment comes on one who knoweth nought till he burn his foot against the hot fire .
For with wisdom hath some one given forth the famous saying , that evil seems good , soon or late , to him whose mind the god draws to mischief ; and but for the briefest space doth he fare free of woe .
I see that from olden time the sorrows in the house of the Labdacidae are heaped upon the sorrows of the dead ; and generation is not freed by generation , but some god strikes them down , and the race hath no deliverance .
For now that hope of which the light had been spread above the last root of the house of Oedipus-that hope , in turn , is brought low--by the blood-stained dust due to the gods infernal , and by folly in speech , and frenzy at the heart .
Thy power , O Zeus , what human trespass can limit ? That power which neither Sleep , the all-ensnaring , nor the untiring months of the gods can master ; but thou , a ruler to whom time brings not old age , dwellest in the dazzling splendour of Olympus .
And through the future , near and far , as through the past , shall this law hold good : Nothing that is vast enters into the life of mortals without a curse .
For that hope whose wanderings are so wide is to many men a comfort , but to many a false lure of giddy desires ; and the disappointment comes on one who knoweth nought till he burn his foot against the hot fire .
For with wisdom hath some one given forth the famous saying , that evil seems good , soon or late , to him whose mind the god draws to mischief ; and but for the briefest space doth he fare free of woe .