Sophocles

thumb|right|It is no weakness for the wisest man to learn when he is wrong. Sophocles (Greek: Σοφοκλῆς; c. 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those of Aeschylus and earlier than, or contemporary with, those of Euripides. Quotes Greek text cited from H. Lloyd-Jones, N. G. Wilson, Sophoclis Fabulae (Oxford, 1990). Ajax οὔκουν γέλως ἥδιστος εἰς ἐχθροὺς γελᾶν; And to mock at foes—is not that the sweetest mockery? Line 79 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1896) ὡς ἡμέρα κλίνει τε κἀνάγει πάλινἅπαντα τἀνθρώπεια. For a day can humble all human beings, and a day can lift them up. Lines 131–132 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1896) τῶν γὰρ μεγάλων ψυχῶν ἱεὶςοὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοι· κατὰ δ᾿ ἄν τις ἐμοῦτοιαῦτα λέγων οὐκ ἂν πείθοι.πρὸς γὰρ τὸν ἔχονθ᾿ ὁ φθόνος ἕρπει.καίτοι σμικροὶ μεγάλων χωρὶςσφαλερὸν πύργου ῥῦμα πέλονται. Yea, point thine arrow at a noble spirit, and thou shalt not miss; but should a man speak such things against me, he would win no faith. 'Tis on the powerful that envy creeps. Yet the small without the great can ill be trusted to guard the walls. Lines 154–159 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1896) γύναι, γυναιξὶ κόσμον ἡ σιγὴ φέρει. Woman, silence graces woman. Line 293 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1896) Woman, to women silence is the best ornament. (Cassell's, 1907) ἀλλ᾿ ἢ καλῶς ζῆν ἢ καλῶς τεθνηκέναιτὸν εὐγενῆ χρή. Nobly to live, or else nobly to die, Befits proud birth. Lines 479–480 (tr. R. C. Trevelyan, 1919) τῆς ἀναγκαίας τύχηςοὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν μεῖζον ἀνθρώποις κακόν. Of all human ills, greatest is fortune's wayward tyranny. Line 485–486 (tr. R. C. Trevelyan, 1919) χάρις χάριν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τίκτουσ᾿ ἀεί·ὅτου δ᾿ ἀπορρεῖ μνῆστις εὖ πεπονθότος,οὐκ ἂν γένοιτ᾿ ἔθ᾿ οὗτος εὐγενὴς ἀνήρ. For kindness begets kindness evermore, But he from whose mind fades the memory Of benefits, noble is he no more. Line 522–524 (tr. R. C. Trevelyan, 1919) For kindness is ever the begetter of kindness. (Cassell's, 1907) ὦ παῖ, γένοιο πατρὸς εὐτυχέστερος,τὰ δ᾿ ἄλλ᾿ ὁμοῖος· καὶ γένοι᾿ ἂν οὐ κακός. Ah, son, may you prove luckier than your father, but in all else like him. Then you would not prove base. Lines 550–551 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1896); Compare Lucius Accius: Virtuti sis par, dispar fortunis patris. ἐν τῷ φρονεῖν γὰρ μηδὲν ἥδιστος βίος. In knowing nothing is the sweetest life. Line 554 (Cassell's, 1907) ἐχθρῶν ἄδωρα δῶρα κοὐκ ὀνήσιμα. The gifts of enemies are no gifts and bring no good. Line 665 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1896) The gifts of enemies are not gifts, and have no value. (Cassell's, 1907) τέκνον, δορὶβούλου κρατεῖν μέν, σὺν θεῷ δ᾿ ἀεὶ κρατεῖν. My son, seek victory in arms, but seek it ever with the help of heaven. Line 765 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1896) ξυρεῖ γὰρ ἐν χρῷ. To touch the quick. Line 786 (Cassell's, 1907) πόνος πόνῳ πόνον φέρει. Toil follows toil, and brings but toil! Line 866 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1896) Alternative translation (E. H. Plumptre, 1865): Woe brings woe upon woe. οἱ γὰρ κακοὶ γνώμαισι τἀγάθ᾿ ἐν χεροῖνἔχοντες οὐκ ἴσασι πρίν τις ἐκβάλῃ. Men of ill judgement oft ignore the good That lies within their hands, till they have lost it. Lines 964–965 (tr. R. C. Trevelyan, 1919) θεοῖς τέθνηκεν οὗτος, οὐ κείνοισιν, οὔ. He died before the gods, not at all before them—no! Line 970 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1896) ξὺν τῷ δικαίῳ γὰρ μέγ᾿ ἔξεστιν φρονεῖν. In a just cause it is right to be confident. Line 1125 (Cassell's, 1907) ἦ πολλὰ βροτοῖς ἔστιν ἰδοῦσινγνῶναι· πρὶν ἰδεῖν δ᾿ οὐδεὶς μάντιςτῶν μελλόντων ὅ τι πράξει. Many things shall mortals learn by seeing; but, before he sees, no man may read the future, or his fate. Lines 1418–1420; closing lines (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1896) Electra δοκῶ μέν, οὐδὲν ῥῆμα σὺν κέρδει κακόν. I trow, no word is ill-omened, if fraught with gain. Line 61 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1894) No word that is profitable is bad. (Cassell's, 1907) καιρὸς γάρ, ὅσπερ ἀνδράσινμέγιστος ἔργου παντός ἐστ᾿ ἐπιστάτης. For so occasion bids, chief ruler of every enterprise of men. Lines 75–76 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1894) θάρσει μοι, θάρσει,τέκνον. ἔτι μέγας οὐρανῷΖεύς, ὃς ἐφορᾷ πάντα καὶ κρατύνει. Courage, my daughter, courage; great still in heaven is Zeus, who sees and governs all. Lines 173–175 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1894) μήθ᾿ οἷς ἐχθαίρεις ὑπεράχθεο μήτ᾿ ἐπιλάθου. Forget not thy foes, but refrain from excess of wrath against them. Lines 177 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1894) χρόνος γὰρ εὐμαρὴς θεός. Time is a gentle deity. Line 179 (Cassell's, 1907) πολλά τοι σμικροὶ λόγοιἔσφηλαν ἤδη καὶ κατώρθωσαν βροτούς. A little word hath often marred, or made, men's fortunes. Lines 415–416 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1894) ζῆν αἰσχρὸν αἰσχρῶς τοῖς καλῶς πεφυκόσιν. An ignoble life brings shame upon the noble. Line 989 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1894) οὐ γὰρ θανεῖν ἔχθιστον, ἀλλ᾿ ὅταν θανεῖνχρῄζων τις εἶτα μηδὲ τοῦτ᾿ ἔχῃ λαβεῖν. Death is not the worst evil, but rather when we wish to die and cannot. Lines 1007–1008 (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) Oedipus Rex thumb|Look on Oedipus.He solved the famous riddle, with his brilliance,he rose to power, a man beyond all power.Who could behold his greatness without envy? ᾧ μή ᾿στι δρῶντι τάρβος, οὐδ᾿ ἔπος φοβεῖ. When a man shrinks not from a deed, neither is he scared by a word. Line 296 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) φεῦ φεῦ, φρονεῖν ὡς δεινὸν ἔνθα μὴ τέληλύῃ φρονοῦντι. Teiresias: How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be When there's no help in truth! Lines 316–317 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1949) Wisdom is a curse when wisdom does nothing for the man who has it. (tr. Stephen Berg and Diskin Clay, 1978) ἐγὼ οὔτ᾿ ἐμαυτὸν οὔτε σ᾿ ἀλγυνῶ. τί ταῦτ᾿ἄλλως ἐλέγχεις; οὐ γὰρ ἂν πύθοιό μου. Teiresias: I will not wound myself nor thee. Why seek To trap and question me? I will not speak. Lines 332–333 (tr. Gilbert Murray, 1911) Nay, I see that thou, on thy part, openest not thy lips in season: therefore I speak not, that neither may I have thy mishap. (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) I will never reveal my dreadful secrets, or rather, yours. (tr. Bernard M. W. Knox, 1959) ὦ κακῶν κάκιστε. O worst of evil persons. Line 334 (Cassell's, 1907); also Philoctetes, l. 984. χρόνος δίκαιον ἄνδρα δείκνυσιν μόνος,κακὸν δὲ κἂν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ γνοίης μιᾷ. Time alone shows a just man; but thou couldst discern a knave even in one day. Lines 614–615 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) φρονεῖν γὰρ οἱ ταχεῖς οὐκ ἀσφαλεῖς. Those who are quick in deciding are in danger of being mistaken. Line 617 (Cassell's, 1907) ὕβρις φυτεύει τύραννον· ὕβρις, εἰπολλῶν ὑπερπλησθῇ μάταν,ἃ μὴ ᾿πίκαιρα μηδὲ συμφέροντα,ἀκρότατα γεῖσ᾿ ἀναβᾶσ᾿ἀπότομον ὤρουσεν εἰς ἀνάγκανἔνθ᾿ οὐ ποδὶ χρησίμῳχρῆται. The tyrant is a child of Pride Who drinks from his sickening cup Recklessness and vanity, Until from his high crest headlong He plummets to the dust of hope. Line 873–879 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1949) ἔννους τὰ καινὰ τοῖς πάλαι τεκμαίρεται. A sensible man judges of present by past events. Line 916 (Cassell's, 1907) τί δ᾿ ἂν φοβοῖτ᾿ ἄνθρωπος ᾧ τὰ τῆς τύχηςκρατεῖ, πρόνοια δ᾿ ἐστὶν οὐδενὸς σαφής;εἰκῆ κράτιστον ζῆν, ὅπως δύναιτό τις. Jocasta: Fear? What has a man to do with fear? Chance rules our lives, and the future is all unknown. Best live as we may, from day to day. Line 977–979 (tr. E. F. Watling, 1947) Nay, what should mortal fear, for whom the decrees of fortune are supreme and who hath clear foresight of nothing? 'Tis best to live at random, as one may. (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) ἐγὼ δ᾿ ἐμαυτὸν παῖδα τῆς Τύχης νέμωντῆς εὖ διδούσης οὐκ ἀτιμασθήσομαι.τῆς γὰρ πέφυκα μητρός· οἱ δὲ συγγενεῖςμῆνές με μικρὸν καὶ μέγαν διώρισαν.τοιόσδε δ᾿ ἐκφὺς οὐκ ἂν ἐξέλθοιμ᾿ ἔτιποτ᾿ ἄλλος, ὥστε μὴ ᾿κμαθεῖν τοὐμὸν γένος. Oedipus: I am the child of Fortune, The giver of good, and I shall not be shamed. She is my mother; my sisters are the Seasons; My rising and my falling match with theirs. Born thus, I ask to be no other man Than that I am, and will know who I am. Line 1080–1085 (tr. E. F. Watling, 1947) I am Fortune's child, Not man's; her mother face hath ever smiled Above me, and my brethren of the sky, The changing Moons, have changed me low and high. There is my lineage true, which none shall wrest From me; who then am I to fear this quest? (tr. Gilbert Murray, 1911) τῶν δὲ πημονῶνμάλιστα λυποῦσ᾿ αἳ φανῶσ᾿ αὐθαίρετοι. Second Messenger: The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves. Line 1230–1231, (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1949) The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities. πάντα γὰρ καιρῷ καλά. Time eases all things. Line 1516 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1949) ὥστε θνητὸν ὄντ᾿ ἐκείνην τὴν τελευταίαν ἔδειἡμέραν ἐπισκοποῦντα μηδέν᾿ ὀλβίζειν, πρὶν ἂντέρμα τοῦ βίου περάσῃ μηδὲν ἀλγεινὸν παθών. Chorus: Let every man in mankind's frailty Consider his last day; and let none Presume on his good fortune until he find Life, at his death, a memory without pain. Lines 1528–1530 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1949) Look upon him, O my Thebans, on your king, the child of fame!This mighty man, this Œdipus the lore far-famed could guess,And envy from each Theban won, so great his lordliness—Lo to what a surge of sorrow and confusion hath he come!Let us call no mortal happy till our eyes have seen the doomAnd the death-day come upon him—till, unharassed by mischance,He pass the bound of mortal life, the goal of ordinance.(tr. E. D. A. Morshead, 1885) People of Thebes, my countrymen, look on Oedipus.He solved the famous riddle, with his brilliance,he rose to power, a man beyond all power.Who could behold his greatness without envy?Now what a black sea of terror has overwhelmed him.Now as we keep our watch and wait the final day,count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last.(tr. Robert Fagles, 1982) Antigone thumb|right|Think not that your word and yours alone must be right. thumb|Ἔρως ἀνίκατε μάχαν.Love, unconquered in battle. Ζεὺς γὰρ μεγάλης γλώσσης κόμπουςὑπερεχθαίρει. For God hates utterly The bray of bragging tongues. Lines 127–128 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938) τὰ μὲν δὴ πόλεος ἀσφαλῶς θεοὶπολλῷ σάλῳ σείσαντες ὤρθωσαν πάλιν. Our Ship of State, which recent storms have threatened to destroy, has come safely to harbor at last. Lines 162–163 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938) ἐμοὶ γὰρ ὅστις πᾶσαν εὐθύνων πόλινμὴ τῶν ἀρίστων ἅπτεται βουλευμάτων,ἀλλ᾿ ἐκ φόβου του γλῶσσαν ἐγκλῄσας ἔχει,κάκιστος εἶναι νῦν τε καὶ πάλαι δοκεῖ·καὶ μείζον᾿ ὅστις ἀντὶ τῆς αὑτοῦ πάτραςφίλον νομίζει, τοῦτον οὐδαμοῦ λέγω. I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is best for the State; and as for the man who sets private friendship above the public welfare — I have no use for him, either. Lines 178–183 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938) στέργει γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἄγγελον κακῶν ἐπῶν. Nobody likes the man who brings bad news. Line 277 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938); cf. "Don’t shoot the messenger." οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀνθρώποισιν οἷον ἄργυροςκακὸν νόμισμ᾿ ἔβλαστε. τοῦτο καὶ πόλειςπορθεῖ, τόδ᾿ ἄνδρας ἐξανίστησιν δόμων·τόδ᾿ ἐκδιδάσκει καὶ παραλλάσσει φρέναςχρηστὰς πρὸς αἰσχρὰ πράγμαθ᾿ ἵστασθαι βροτῶν·πανουργίας δ᾿ ἔδειξεν ἀνθρώποις ἔχεινκαὶ παντὸς ἔργου δυσσέβειαν εἰδέναι.ὅσοι δὲ μισθαρνοῦντες ἤνυσαν τάδε,χρόνῳ ποτ᾿ ἐξέπραξαν ὡς δοῦναι δίκην. Nothing so evil as money ever grew to be current among men. This lays cities low, this drives men from their homes, this trains and warps honest souls till they set themselves to works of shame; this still teaches folk to practise villainies, and to know every godless deed. But all the men who wrought this thing for hire have made it sure that, soon or late, they shall pay the price. Line 295-303 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) Alternative translation (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938; line 295): Money! There's nothing in the world so demoralizing as money. ἵν᾿ εἰδότες ἔνθεν οἰστέοντὸ λοιπὸν ἁρπάζητε, καὶ μάθηθ᾿ ὅτιοὐκ ἐξ ἅπαντος δεῖ τὸ κερδαίνειν φιλεῖν.ἐκ τῶν γὰρ αἰσχρῶν λημμάτων τοὺς πλείοναςἀτωμένους ἴδοις ἂν ἢ σεσωμένους. Henceforth ye may thieve with better knowledge whence lucre should be won, and learn that it is not well to love gain from every source. For thou wilt find that ill-gotten pelf brings more men to ruin than to weal. Lines 310-314 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) τὰ δειλὰ κέρδη πημονὰς ἐργάζεται. Ill-gotten gains work evil. Line 326 (Cassell's, 1907) πολλὰ τὰ δεινὰ κοὐδὲν ἀν- θρώπου δεινότερον πέλει. Numberless are the world's wonders, but none More wonderful than man. Lines 332–333 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938) There are many wonderful things, and nothing is more wonderful than man. (tr. R. W. Livingstone, 1935) τὸ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐκ κακῶν πεφευγέναιἥδιστον, ἐς κακὸν δὲ τοὺς φίλους ἄγεινἀλγεινόν. It is a good thing To escape from death, but it is not great pleasure To bring death to a friend. Lines 437–439 ΚΡ. καὶ δῆτ᾿ ἐτόλμας τούσδ᾿ ὑπερβαίνειν νόμους;ΑΝ. οὐ γάρ τί μοι Ζεὺς ἦν ὁ κηρύξας τάδε,οὐδ᾿ ἡ ξύνοικος τῶν κάτω θεῶν Δίκητοιούσδ᾿ ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ὥρισεν νόμους,οὐδὲ σθένειν τοσοῦτον ᾠόμην τὰ σὰκηρύγμαθ᾿ ὥστ᾿ ἄγραπτα κἀσφαλῆ θεῶννόμιμα δύνασθαι θνητά γ᾿ ὄνθ᾿ ὑπερδραμεῖν.οὐ γάρ τι νῦν γε κἀχθές, ἀλλ᾿ ἀεί ποτεζῇ ταῦτα, κοὐδεὶς οἶδεν ἐξ ὅτου ᾿φάνη. Creon: And thou didst indeed dare to transgress that law?Antigone: Yes; for it was not Zeus that had published me that edict; not such are the laws set among men by the justice who dwells with the gods below; nor deemed I that thy decrees were of such force, that a mortal could override the unwritten and unfailing statutes of heaven. For their life is not of to-day or yesterday, but from all time, and no man knows when they were first put forth. Lines 449–457 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) ὅστις γὰρ ἐν πολλοῖσιν ὡς ἐγὼ κακοῖςζῇ, πῶς ὅδ᾽ οὐχὶ κατθανὼν κέρδος φέρει; For whoso lives, as I, in many woes,How can it be but death shall bring him gain? Lines 463–464 (tr. Plumptre, 1865, 1878) οὐ γάρ ποτ᾿, ὦναξ, οὐδ᾿ ὃς ἂν βλάστῃ μένεινοῦς τοῖς κακῶς πράσσουσιν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐξίσταται. Grief teaches the steadiest minds to waver. Lines 563–564 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938) εἰδαίμονες οἷσι κακῶν ἄγευστος αἰών. Happy are they who know not the taste of evil. Line 582 (tr. E. F. Watling, 1947) τὸ κακὸν δοκεῖν ποτ᾿ ἐσθλὸντῷδ᾿ ἔμμεν ὅτῳ φρέναςθεὸς ἄγει πρὸς ἄταν. Evil seems good, soon or late, to him whose mind the god draws to mischief. Lines 622–624 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893), a "famous saying" ἐν τοῖς γὰρ οἰκείοισιν ὅστις ἔστ᾿ ἀνὴρχρηστός, φανεῖται κἀν πόλει δίκαιος ὤν. Show me the man who keeps his house in hand, He's fit for public authority. Lines 661–662 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938) μή νυν ἓν ἦθος μοῦνον ἐν σαυτῷ φόρει,ὡς φὴς σύ, κοὐδὲν ἄλλο, τοῦτ᾿ ὀρθῶς ἔχειν. Think not that thy word, and thine alone, must be right. Line 705–706 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) Think not that your word and yours alone must be right. (ed. Moses Hadas, 1965) ἀλλ᾿ ἄνδρα, κεἴ τις ᾖ σοφός, τὸ μανθάνεινπόλλ᾿ αἰσχρὸν οὐδὲν καὶ τὸ μὴ τείνειν ἄγαν. It is no weakness for the wisest man To learn when he is wrong. Lines 710–711 (tr. E. F. Watling, 1947) φήμ᾿ ἔγωγε πρεσβεύειν πολὺφῦναι τὸν ἄνδρα πάντ᾿ ἐπιστήμης πλέων·εἰ δ᾿ οὖν, φιλεῖ γὰρ τοῦτο μὴ ταύτῃ ῥέπειν,καὶ τῶν λεγόντων εὖ καλὸν τὸ μανθάνειν. The ideal condition Would be, I admit, that men should be right by instinct; But since we are all too likely to go astray, The reasonable thing is to learn from those who can teach. Line 720–723 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938) Ἔρως ἀνίκατε μάχαν,Ἔρως, ὃς ἐν κτήμασι πίπτεις,ὃς ἐν μαλακαῖς παρειαῖςνεάνιδος ἐννυχεύεις,φοιτᾷς δ᾿ ὑπερπόντιος ἔν τ᾿ἀγρονόμοις αὐλαῖς·καί σ᾿ οὔτ᾿ ἀθανάτων φύξιμος οὐδεὶςοὔθ᾿ ἁμερίων σέ γ᾿ ἀν-θρώπων, ὁ δ᾿ ἔχων μέμηνεν. Love, unconquerable, Waster of rich men, keeper Of warm lights and all-night vigil In the soft face of a girl: Sea-wanderer, forest-visitor! Even the pure immortals cannot escape you, And mortal man, in his one day's dusk, Trembles before your glory. Line 781–790 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938) Love, unconquered in battle. (Cassell's, 1907) τοῖς πᾶσι κοινόν ἐστι τοὐξαμαρτάνειν·ἐπεὶ δ᾿ ἁμάρτῃ, κεῖνος οὐκέτ᾿ ἔστ᾿ ἀνὴρἄβουλος οὐδ᾿ ἄνολβος, ὅστις ἐς κακὸνπεσὼν ἀκεῖται μηδ᾿ ἀκίνητος πέλει. All men are liable to err; but when an error hath been made, that man is no longer witless or unblest who heals the ill into which he hath fallen, and remains not stubborn. Lines 1024-1027 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893); cf. Book of Proverbs 28:13 All men are liable to err. But when an error is made, that man is no longer unwise or unblessed who heals the evil into which he has fallen and does not remain stubborn. (ed. Moses Hadas, 1965) ὅσῳ κράτιστον κτημάτων εὐβουλία. Wisdom outweighs any wealth. Line 1050 (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938) πολλῷ τὸ φρονεῖν εὐδαιμονίαςπρῶτον ὑπάρχει· χρὴ δὲ τά γ᾿ ἐς θεοὺςμηδὲν ἀσεπτεῖν· μεγάλοι δὲ λόγοιμεγάλας πληγὰς τῶν ὑπεραύχωνἀποτείσαντεςγήρᾳ τὸ φρονεῖν ἐδίδαξαν. There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; No wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big words are always punished, And proud men in old age learn to be wise. Line 1347–1353, closing lines (tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938) Trachiniae Λόγος μὲν ἔστ᾿ ἀρχαῖος ἀνθρώπων φανεὶςὡς οὐκ ἂν αἰῶν᾿ ἐκμάθοις βροτῶν, πρὶν ἂνθάνῃ τις, οὔτ᾿ εἰ χρηστὸς οὔτ᾿ εἴ τῳ κακός. There is an ancient saying, famous among men, that thou shouldst not judge fully of a man's life before he dieth, whether it should be called blest or wretched. Line 1 (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) ἄνδρα γὰρ καλῶςπράσσοντ᾿ ἀνάγκη χρηστὰ κερδαίνειν ἔπη. It needs must beThat one who prospers should receive good words. Lines 230–231 (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ὅμως δ᾿ ἔνεστι τοῖσιν εὖ σκοπουμένοιςταρβεῖν τὸν εὖ πράσσοντα, μὴ σφαλῇ ποτε. A prudent mind can see room for misgiving, lest he who prospers should one day suffer reverse. Lines 296–297 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1892) τὸ γὰρνοσοῦντι ληρεῖν ἀνδρὸς οὐχὶ σώφρονος. Thus to prateWith one of mind diseased is hardly wise. Lines 434–435 (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Ἔρωτι μέν νυν ὅστις ἀντανίσταταιπύκτης ὅπως ἐς χεῖρας, οὐ καλῶς φρονεῖ. They are not wise, then, who stand forth to buffet against Love; for Love rules the gods as he will, and me. Lines 441–442 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1892) ἀλλ᾿ εἰδέναι χρὴ δρῶσαν· ὡς οὐδ᾿ εἰ δοκεῖςἔχειν, ἔχοις ἂν γνῶμα, μὴ πειρωμένη. Knowledge must come through action; thou canst have no test which is not fanciful, save by trial. Lines 592–593 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1892) οὐ κάτοισθ᾿ ὁθούνεκαξυνηγορεῖς σιγῶσα τῷ κατηγόρῳ; Know'st thou notThat silence but admits the accuser's charge? Lines 813–814 (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ὥστ᾿ εἴ τις δύοἢ κἀπὶ πλείους ἡμέρας λογίζεται,μάταιός ἐστιν· οὐ γὰρ ἔσθ᾿ ἥ γ᾿ αὔριονπρὶν εὖ πάθῃ τις τὴν παροῦσαν ἡμέραν. Rash indeed is he who reckons on the morrow, or haply on days beyond it; for tomorrow is not, until today is past. Lines 943–946 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1892) Philoctetes βούλομαι δ᾿, ἄναξ, καλῶςδρῶν ἐξαμαρτεῖν μᾶλλον ἢ νικᾶν κακῶς. But my wish, O King, is to do right and miss my aim, rather than succeed by evil ways. Lines 94–95 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1890) ἀεὶ καλὸς πλοῦς ἔσθ᾿, ὅταν φεύγῃς κακά. 'Tis ever fair sailing, when thou fleest from evil. Line 641 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1890) καὶ μὴν ἐρῶ γε· τὸν δ᾿ ἔρωθ᾿ οὕτως ἔχω·εἴ μοι θέμις, θέλοιμ᾿ ἄν· εἰ δὲ μή, πάρες. I certainly long to touch it,—but my longing is on this wise;—if it be lawful, I should be glad; if not, think no more of it. Lines 660–661 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1890) ὅστις γὰρ εὖ δρᾶν εὖ παθὼν ἐπίσταται,παντὸς γένοιτ᾿ ἂν κτήματος κρείσσων φίλος. Whosoever knows how to render benefit for benefit must prove a friend above price. Lines 672–673 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1890) ὦ θάνατε θάνατε, πῶς ἀεὶ καλούμενοςοὕτω κατ᾿ ἦμαρ οὐ δύνῃ μολεῖν ποτε; O Death, Death, when I am thus ever calling thee, day by day, why canst thou never come? Lines 797–798 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1890) Ὕπν᾿ ὀδύνας ἀδαής, Ὕπνε δ᾿ ἀλγέων,εὐαὴς ἡμῖν ἔλθοις, εὐαίων,εὐαίων, ὦναξ. Sleep, stranger to anguish, painless Sleep, come, at our prayer, with gentle breath, come with benison, O king. Lines 827–830 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1890) ἅπαντα δυσχέρεια, τὴν αὑτοῦ φύσινὅταν λιπών τις δρᾷ τὰ μὴ προσεικότα. All is offence when a man hath forsaken his true nature, and is doing what doth not befit him. Lines 902–903 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1890) ἀνθρώποισι τὰς μὲν ἐκ θεῶντύχας δοθείσας ἔστ᾿ ἀναγκαῖον φέρειν. Men must needs bear the fortunes given by the gods. Lines 1316–1317 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1890) οἷς γὰρ ἡ γνώμη κακῶνμήτηρ γένηται, κἄλλα παιδεύει κακούς. When the mind hath once become a parent of evil, it teaches men to be evil thenceforth. Lines 1360–1361 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1890) Oedipus at Colonus δίδασκ᾿· ἄνευ γνώμης γὰρ οὔ με χρὴ ψέγειν. Say on: I must not pronounce without knowledge. Line 594 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) θνῄσκει δὲ πίστις, βλαστάνει δ᾿ ἀπιστία. Faith dies, distrust is born. Line 611 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) χωρὶς τό τ᾿ εἰπεῖν πολλὰ καὶ τὸ καίρια. Much speech is one thing, well-timed speech another. Line 808 (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) It is a different thing to say many things and things to the purpose. (Cassell's, 1907) τοῖς τοι δικαίοις χὠ βραχὺς νικᾷ μέγαν. In a just cause the weak o'ercome the strong. Line 880 (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) ἅπαν καλὸνλέγειν νομίζων, ῥητὸν ἄρρητόν τ᾿ ἔπος. One who holds all things meet to utter, knowing no barrier betwixt speech and silence. Lines 1000–1001 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) τὰ γὰρ δόλῳτῷ μὴ δικαίῳ κτήματ᾿ οὐχὶ σῴζεται. Gains got by wrongful arts are soon lost. Lines 1026–1027 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) τῷ τεκόντι πᾶν φίλον. Everything is dear to its parent. Line 1108 (Cassell's, 1907) οὐ γὰρ λόγοισι τὸν βίον σπουδάζομενλαμπρὸν ποεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς δρωμένοις. Not in words so much as deeds would I make the lustre of my life. Lines 1143–1144 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) πρᾶγος δ᾿ ἀτίζειν οὐδὲν ἄνθρωπον χρεών. Mortal man should deem nothing beneath his care. Line 1153 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) μὴ φῦναι τὸν ἅπαντα νι-κᾷ λόγον· τὸ δ᾿, ἐπεὶ φανῇ,βῆναι κεῖθεν ὅθεν περ ἥ-κει πολὺ δεύτερον ὡς τάχιστα. Not to be born is, past all prizing, best; but, when a man hath seen the light, this is next best by far, that with all speed he should go thither, whence he hath come. Lines 1224–1227 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) Compare Yeats, "From Oedipus at Colonus" (1928) and Auden, "Death's Echo" (1937) ἐν ᾧ τλάμων ὅδ᾿—οὐκ ἐγὼ μόνος—πάντοθεν βόρειος ὥς τις ἀκτὰκυματοπλὴξ χειμερία κλονεῖται,ὡς καὶ τόνδε κατ᾿ ἄκραςδειναὶ κυματοαγεῖςἆται κλονέουσιν ἀεὶ ξυνοῦσαι. In such years is yon hapless one, not I alone: and as some cape that fronts the North is lashed on every side by the waves of winter, so he also is fiercely lashed evermore by the dread troubles that break on him like billows. Line 1239 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1893) θεοὶ γὰρ εὖ μέν, ὀψὲ δ᾿ εἰσορῶσ᾿, ὅταντὰ θεῖ᾿ ἀφείς τις ἐς τὸ μαίνεσθαι τραπῇ. For though the gods are slow to heed, they seeFull clearly, when the wilfulness of menTurns from their worship to the scorn of fools. Lines 1536–1537 (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ἀλλ᾿ ἓν γὰρ μόνοντὰ πάντα λύει ταῦτ᾿ ἔπος μοχθήματα. One word Frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love. Lines 1615–1616 (tr. Robert Fitzgerald, 1940) κακῶνγὰρ δυσάλωτος οὐδείς. For there is no one whom ills cannot reach. Lines 1722–1723 (Cassell's, 1907) Fragments Greek text cited from S. Radt, Tragicorum Graecorum Fragmenta, vol. 4 Sophocles (Göttingen, 1999). From known plays Ajax Locrus ("Ajax the Locrian") ἄνθρωπός ἐστι πνεῦμα καὶ σκιὰ μόνον. Man is but breath and shadow, nothing more. Frg. 13 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) σοφοὶ τύραννοι τῶν σοφῶν ξυνουσίᾳ. Kings are wise by association with wise men. Frg. 14 TrGF (Cassell's, 1907) Aechmalotides ("The Captive Women") ἐν παντὶ γάρ τοι σκοπρίος φρουρεῖ λίθῶ. 'Neath every stone there lies a scorpion hid. Frg. 37 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Acrisius ἅπαντα γάρ τοι τῷ φοβουμένῳ ψοφεῖ. The man who fears hears noise on every side. Frg. 61.2 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ἀλλ᾿ οὐδὲν ἕρπει ψεῦδος εἰς γῆρας χρόνου. A lie never lives to be old. Frg. 62 TrGF (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) τοῦ ζῆν γὰρ οὐδεὶς ὡς ὁ γηράσκων ἐρᾷ. No man loves life like him that's growing old. Frg. 66 TrGF (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) Aleadae ("The Sons of Aleus") ἐνταῦθα μέντοι πάντα τἀνθρώπων νοσεῖ,κακοῖς ὅταν θέλωσιν ἰᾶσθαι κακά. Then does men's life become one vast disease,When once they seek their ills by ills to cure. Frg. 77 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ὦ παῖ, σιώπα· πόλλ᾿ ἔχει σιγὴ καλά. O boy, hold your tongue, silence has many advantages. Frg. 81 TrGF (tr. C. T. Ramage, 1864) μὴ πάντ᾿ ἐρεύνα· πολλὰ καὶ λαθεῖν καλόν. In some things be not anxious to inquire:Far better is it oft to leave them hid. Frg. 83 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Achillis amatores ("The Lovers of Achilles") ὅταν πάγου φανέντος αἰθρίου χεροῖνκρύσταλλον ἁρπάσωσι παῖδες εὐπαγῆ,τὰ πρῶτ᾿ ἔχουσιν ἡδονὰς ποταινίους·τέλος δ᾿ ὁ θυμὸς οὔθ᾿ ὅπως ἀφῇ θέλει,οὔτ᾿ ἐν χεροῖν τὸ κτῆμα σύμφορον μένειν.οὕτω δὲ τοὺς ἐρῶντας αὑτὸς ἵμεροςδρᾶν καὶ τὸ μὴ δρᾶν πολλάκις προσίεται. When ice appears out of doors, and boys seize it up while it is solid, at first they experience new pleasures. But in the end their pride will not agree to let it go, but their acquisition is not good for them if it stays in their hands. In the same way an identical desire drives lovers to act and not to act. Frg. 149.3–9 TrGF (tr. Lloyd-Jones, 1996) Often paraphrased: "Love is like ice in the hands of children." Eriphyle ἀρετῆς βέβαιαι δ᾿ εἰσὶν αἱ κτήσεις μόνης. What virtue gains alone abides with us. Frg. 201d TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Thyestes οὐ γὰρ ἔσθ᾿ ὅπωςσπουδῆς δικαίας μῶμος ἅψεταί ποτε. It cannot beThat any blame should fall on righteous haste. Frg. 257 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ἔνεστι γάρ τις καὶ λόγοισιν ἡδονή,λήθην ὅταν ποιῶσι τῶν ὄντων κακῶν. Some pleasure is there found even in words,When with them comes forgetfulness of ills. Frg. 259 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Iobates τὸν Ἀΐδαν γὰρ οὐδὲ γῆρας οἶδε φιλεῖν. Even old age views not with eyes of loveThe gates of Hades. Frg. 298 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Hipponous πρὸς ταῦτα κρύπτε μηδέν· ὡς ὁ πάνθ᾿ ὁρῶνκαὶ πάντ᾿ ἀκούων πάντ᾿ ἀναπτύσσει χρόνος. Do nothing secretly; for Time sees and hears all things, and discloses all. Frg. 301 TrGF (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) Creusa καλὸν μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔστι τὰ ψευδῆ λέγειν·ὅτῳ δ᾿ ὄλεθρον δεινὸν ἁλήθει᾿ ἄγει,συγγνωστὸν εἰπεῖν ἐστι καὶ τὸ μὴ καλόν. Truly, to tell lies is not honorable; But when the truth entails tremendous ruin, To speak dishonorably is pardonable. Frg. 352 TrGF (Bartlett's, 14th ed., 1968) οἳ μακρὸν βίονθνητῶν ἔχουσι, τοῦ γε κερδαίνειν ὅμωςἀπρὶξ ἔχονται, κἄστι πρὸς τὰ χρήματαθνητοῖσι τἆλλα δεύτερ᾿. They whose life is longStill cleave to profit with their might and main,And men count all things else as less than wealth. Frg. 354.2–5 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) εἰσὶ δ᾿ οἵτινεςαἰνοῦσιν ἄνοσον ἄνδρ᾿· ἐμοὶ δ᾿ οὐδεὶς δοκεῖεἶναι πένης ὢν ἄνοσος, ἀλλ᾿ ἀεὶ νοσεῖν. And though there be that praise a life kept freeFrom all disease, to me no poor man seemsIn that blest state, but sick continually. Frg. 354.5–7 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Laocoon πόνου μεταλλαχθέντος οἱ πόνοι γλυκεῖς. When trouble ceases even troubles please. Frg. 374 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Minos οὐκ ἔστι τοῖς μὴ δρῶσι σύμμαχος τύχη. Chance never helps the men who nothing do. Frg. 407 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Mysii ("The Mysians") ὡς τοῖς κακῶς πράσσουσιν ἡδὺ καὶ βραχὺνχρόνον λαθέσθαι τῶν παρεστώτων κακῶν. For those who fare but ill 'tis very sweetE'en for a moment to forget their ills. Frg. 409 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Nauplius τῷ γὰρ κακῶς πράσσοντι μυρία μίανύξ ἐστιν, εὖ παθόντα δ᾿ ἡμέρα φθάνει. For to the unhappy man one night is equal to ten thousand, but the fortunate man is taken by surprise by day. Frg. 434 TrGF (tr. H. Lloyd-Jones, 2003) Peleus πάλιν γὰρ αὖθις παῖς ὁ γηράσκων ἀνήρ. The aged man becomes a child again. Frg. 487.3 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) τὸ μὴ γὰρ εἶναι κρεῖσσον ἢ τὸ ζῆν κακῶς. It is better not to live at all than to live disgraced. Frg. 488 TrGF (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) Scyrii ("The Men of Scyros") φιλεῖ γὰρ ἄνδρας πόλεμος ἀγρεύειν νέους. War loves to seek its victims in the young. Frg. 554 TrGF (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) ἀλλ᾿ εἰ μὲν ἦν κλαίουσιν ἰᾶσθαι κακᾶκαὶ τὸν θανόντα δακρύοις ἀνιστάναι,ὁ χρυσὸς ἧσσον κτῆμα τοῦ κλαίειν ἂν ἦν. If it were possible to heal sorrow by weeping and to raise the dead with tears, gold were less prized than grief. Frg. 557.1–3 TrGF (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) Tereus ὅστις γὰρ ἐν κακοῖσι θυμωθεὶς βροτῶνμεῖζον προσάπτει τῆς νόσου τὸ φάρμακον,ἰατρός ἐστιν οὐ ἐπιστήμων κακῶν. What man soe'er, in troubles waxing wroth,Applies a charm that goes beyond the ill,Is no physician skilled to deal with grief. Frg. 589.3–5 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ἀλλὰ τῶν πολλῶν καλῶντίς χάρις, εἰ κακόβουλοςφροντὶς ἐκτρίψει τὸν εὐαίωνα πλοῦτον; What profit is there from our many goods,If care, with evil thoughts,Is still the nurse of fair prosperity? Frg. 592.1–3 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ζώοι τις ἀνθρώπων τὸ κατ᾿ ἦμαρ ὅπωςἥδιστα πορσύνων· τὸ δ᾿ ἐς αὔριον αἰεὶτυφλὸν ἕρπει. There liveth one who gives the present hourIts fill of pleasure, creeping blindly onTo future which he knows not. Frg. 593 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Tympanistae ("The Drummers") φεῦ φεῦ, τί τούτου χάρμα μεῖζον ἂν λάβοις,τοῦ γῆς ἐπιψαύσαντα κᾆθ᾿ ὑπὸ στέγῃπυκνῆς ἀκοῦσαι ψακάδος εὑδούσῃ φρενί; Well, well, what greater joy could'st thou receiveThan touching land, and then, beneath a roof,With slumbering mind to hear the pelting storm? Frg. 636 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Tyndareus οὐ χρή ποτ᾿ εὖ πράσσοντος ὀλβίσαι τύχαςἀνδρός, πρὶν αὐτῷ παντελῶς ἤδη βίοςδιεκπεραθῇ καὶ τελευτήσῃ δρόμον.ἐν γὰρ βραχεῖ καθεῖλε κὠλίγῳ χρόνῳπάμπλουτον ὄλβον δαίμονος κακοῦ δόσις,ὅταν μεταστῇ καὶ θεοῖς δοκῇ τάδε. To call that man who prospers truly happyWere vain before his life be wholly done;For in short time and swift great power and richesHave fallen by the dower of fate malign,When fortune veers and thus the gods decree. Frg. 646 TrGF (tr. J. A. Symonds, 1879) It is never right to consider that a man has been made happy by fate, until his life is absolutely finished, and he has ended his existence. (Cassell's, 1907) Tyro μήπω μέγ᾿ εἴπῃς, πρὶν τελευτήσαντ᾿ ἴδῃς. Praise no man much until thou see his death. Frg. 662 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) τίκτουσι γάρ τοι καὶ νόσους δυσθυμίαι. Despondency will ofttimes sickness breed. Frg. 663 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) γῆρας διδάσκει πάντα καὶ χρόνου τριβή. Old age doth all things teach, and lapse of time. Frg. 664 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Old age and the wear of time teach many things. (Cassell's, 1907) ἄκων δ᾿ ἁμαρτὼν οὔτις ἀνθρώπων κακός. No one who sins against his will is base. Frg. 665 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) Phaedra σύγγνωτε κἀνάσχεσθε σιγῶσαι· τὸ γὰργυναιξὶν αἰσχρὸν συγγυναῖκα δεῖ στέγειν. Forgive me, and be silent, patiently,For that which to us women bringeth shameOne ought in women's presence to conceal. Frg. 679 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ἀλλ᾿ εἰσὶ μητρὶ παῖδες ἄγκυραι βίου. Children are the anchors of a mother's life. Frg. 685 TrGF (tr. K. Freeman, 1947) Of uncertain placement διψῶντι γάρ τοι πάντα προσφέρων σοφὰοὐκ ἂν πλέον τέρψειας ἢ πιεῖν διδούς. If thou should'st bring all wisdom of the wiseTo one who thirsts, thou could'st not please him moreThan giving him to drink. Frg. 763 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ὅρκους ἐγὼ γυναικὸς εἰς ὕδωρ γράφω. I write a woman's oaths in water. Frg. 811 TrGF (Cassell's, 1907) τὸ κέρδος ἡδύ, κἂν ἀπὸ ψευδῶν ἴῃ. How sweet is gain, e'en though it come from fraud. Frg. 833 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) οὐκ ἐξάγουσι καρπὸν οἱ ψευδεῖς λόγοι. Words that are false bring forth no fruit at all. Frg. 834 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) γένοιτο κἂν ἄπλουτος ἐν τιμαῖς ἀνήρ. Though one be poor his fame may yet stand high. Frg. 835 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) τὰ μὲν διδακτὰ μανθάνω, τὰ δ᾿ εὑρετὰζητῶ, τὰ δ᾿ εὐκτὰ παρὰ θεῶν ᾐτησάμην. What may be taught I learn, what may be foundThat I still seek for, what must come by prayer,For that I asked the gods. Frg. 843 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) φίλων τοιούτων οἱ μὲν ἐστερημένοιχαίρουσιν, οἱ δ᾿ ἔχοντες εὔχονται φυγεῖν. Those who lose such friends lose them to their joy,And they who have them for deliverance pray. Frg. 863 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ταχεῖα πειθὼ τῶν κακῶν ὁδοιπορεῖ. Counsel of evil travelleth all too quick. Frg. 870 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ἀεὶ γὰρ εὖ πίπτουσιν οἱ Διὸς κύβοι. The dice of Zeus fall ever luckily. Frg. 895 TrGF (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) ἐσθλοῦ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς τοὺς πονοῦντας ὠφελεῖν. A good man still will succour the distressed. Frg. 922.1 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ἀλλ᾿ οἱ κακῶς πράσσοντες οὐ κωφοὶ μόνον,ἀλλ᾿ οὐδ᾿ ὁρῶντες εἰσορῶσι τἀμφανῆ. They that fare ill become not only deaf,But even though they gaze they see not clearWhat lies before them. Frg. 923 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) ἡ δὲ μωρίαμάλιστ᾿ ἀδελφὴ τῆς πονηρίας ἔφυ. Folly proves itselfOf wickedness true sister. Frg. 925 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) οὐ τοῖς ἀθύμοις ἡ τύχη ξυλλαμβάνει. Fortune is not on the side of the faint-hearted. Frg. 927 TrGF (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) αἰδὼς γὰρ ἐν κακοῖσιν οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ·ἡ γὰρ σιωπὴ τὠγκαλοῦντι σύμμαχος. Shame brings but little help in evil things,For silence is the speaker's best ally. Frg. 928 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumtpre, 1865) ὅρκος γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἀνδρὶ φιλήτῃ βαρύς. No oath can be too binding for a lover. Frg. 933 TrGF (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) γνῶμαι πλέον κρατοῦσιν ἢ σθένος χερῶν. Thoughts are mightier than strength of hand. Frg. 939 TrGF (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) εἰ σῶμα δοῦλον, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ νοῦς ἐλεύθερος. My body is enslaved, my mind is free. Frg. 940 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) τίς δ᾿ οἶκος ἐν βροτοῖσιν ὠλβίσθη ποτὲγυναικὸς ἐσθλῆς χωρὶς ὀγκωθεὶς χλιδῇ; What house hath ever gained prosperity,Puffed up with pride, without the kindly graceOf woman's nobler nature? Frg. 942 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) οὐ γὰρ θέμις ζῆν πλὴν θεοῖς ἄνευ κακῶν. None but the gods may live untouched by ill. Frg. 946 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) στέργειν δὲ τἀκπεσόντα καὶ θέσθαι πρέπεισοφὸν κυβευτήν, ἀλλὰ μὴ στένειν τύχην. A wise player ought to accept his throws and score them, not bewail his luck. Frg. 947 TrGF (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) ἐλπὶς γὰρ ἡ βόσκουσα τοὺς πολλοὺς βροτῶν. It is hope which maintains most of mankind. Frg. 948 TrGF (Cassell's, 1907) οὐκ ἐστι γῆρας τῶν σοφῶν, ἐν οἷς ὁ νοῦςθείᾳ ξύνεστιν ἡμέρᾳ τεθραμμένος.προμηθία γὰρ κέρδος ἀνθρώποις μέγα. The wise can ne'er grow old, for with them dwellsA soul sustained by Truth in Heaven's own time:Great pain to men is forethought such as this. Frg. 950 TrGF (tr. E. H. Plumptre, 1865) τἀληθὲς ἀεὶ πλεῖστον ἰσχύει λόγου. The truth is always the strongest argument. Frg. 955 TrGF (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) εἰ δείν᾿ ἔδρασας, δεινὰ καὶ παθεῖν σε δεῖ. If ills you do, ills also you must bear. Frg. 962 TrGF (tr. Pratten, Dods and Smith, 1867) Attributed καὶ δὴ καὶ Σοφοκλεῖ ποτε τῷ ποιητῇ παρεγενόμην ἐρωτωμένῳ ὑπό τινος· 'πῶς' ἔφη, 'ὦ Σοφόκλεις, ἔχεις πρὸς τἀφροδίσια; ἔτι οἷός τε εἶ γυναικὶ συγγίγνεσθαι;' καὶ ὅς 'εὐφήμει' ἔφη, 'ὦ ἄνθρωπε· ἀσμενέστατα μέντοι αὐτὸ ἀπέφυγον, ὥσπερ λυττῶντά τινα καὶ ἄγριον δεσπότην ἀποφυγών.' Cephalus: I remember hearing Sophocles the poet greeted by a fellow who asked, "How about your service of Aphrodite, Sophocles—is your natural force still unabated?" And he replied, "Hush, man, most gladly have I escaped this thing you talk of, as if I had run away from a raging and savage beast of a master." Plato, Republic, I.329b–c; T 80a TrGF (tr. Paul Shorey, 1930, 1937) ὁ Σοφοκλῆς ἔλεγε τὸν Αἰσχύλου διαπεπαιχὼς ὄγκον, εἶτα τὸ πικρὸν καὶ κατάτεχνον τῆς αὑτοῦ κατασκευῆς, τρίτον ἤδη τὸ τῆς λέξεως μεταβάλλειν εἶδος, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἠθικώτατον καὶ βέλτιστον. Sophocles said, that only after handling with a light touch the turgidity of Aeschylus and next his harshness and artificiality in composition, did he, as a third step, change the character of the language, which has the most to do with moral character and goodness. Plutarch, How a Man May Become Aware of His Progress in Virtue, 79b; T 100 TrGF (tr. F. C. Babbitt, 1922) εἰ μέν εἰμι Σοφοκλῆς, οὐ παραφρονῶ· εἰ δὲ παραφρονῶ, οὐκ εἰμὶ Σοφοκλῆς. If I am Sophocles, I am not mad; and if I am mad, I am not Sophocles. Life of Sophocles, 13; T 1 TrGF (tr. Plumptre, 1865, 1878) Misattributed ὁ πᾶς πρέπει ἐννέπειν τὰ δίκαια χρόνος. All time is the right time for saying what is just. Mangled quotation of Electra, lines 1254–1255 (tr. H. Lloyd-Jones, 1994): ὁ πᾶς ἂν πρέποι παρὼν ἐννέπειντάδε δίκᾳ χρόνος. The whole of time could aptly by its presence justly prompt these words! The corrupt form first appears in H. T. Riley, A Dictionary of Latin Quotations (London, 1856), p.543. βραχεῖ λόγῳ δὲ πολλὰ πρόσκειται σοφά. A short saying often contains much wisdom. Adesp. 1b.3 TrGF; Aletes (Bartlett's, 9th ed., 1892) Stylistic evidence strongly suggests the Aletes is not by Sophocles (S. Radt 2007:4). θεὸς δὲ τοῖς ἀργοῦσιν οὐ παρίσταται. Heaven ne'er helps the men who will not act. Adesp. 527 TrGF (tr. Plumptre, 1865, 1878) Anonymous verse mistakenly attached to Sophocles' frg. 308 TrGF (Iphigenia) due to a confusion in Stobaeus, Anthology, III.30.6 (S. Radt 1999:272; 2007:148). φαντάσματα θεῖα, καὶ σκιαὶ τῶν ὄντων. Divine visions and shadows of things that are. Lightly adapted from Plato, Republic VI.532c: φαντάσματα θεῖα καὶ σκιὰς τῶν ὄντων. First attributed to Sophocles in Cassell's, 1907, p. 480. Quotes about Sophocles ὁ δ’εὔκολος μὲν ἐνθάδ’, εὔκολος δ’ἐκεῖ Sweet-tempered as on earth, so here below. Aristophanes, Frogs (tr. Storr, 1912) Be hisMy special thanks, whose even-balanced soulFrom first youth tested up to extreme old ageBusiness could not make dull, nor passion wild;Who saw life steadily, and saw it whole;The mellow glory of the Attic stage,Singer of sweet Colonus, and its child. Matthew Arnold, Sonnet "To a Friend" (1849) Listen! you hear the grating roar Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling, At their return, up the high strand. Begin, and cease, and then again begin, With tremulous cadence slow, and bring The eternal note of sadness in. Sophocles long ago Heard it on the Ægæan, and it brought Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow Of human misery; we Find also in the sound a thought, Hearing it by this distant northern sea. Matthew Arnold, "Dover Beach" (1867) φιλομεῖραξ δὲ ἦν ὁ Σοφοκλῆς, ὡς Εὐριπίδης φιλογύνης. Sophocles, too, had a great fancy for having boy-favourites, equal to the addiction of Euripides for women. Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae XIII.81 (tr. C. D. Yonge, 1864) ... Sophocles, the poet loved and feared,Whose mighty voice once called out of her lairThe Dorian muse severe, with braided hair,Who loved the thyrsus and wild dances weird. Edmund Gosse, "The Tomb of Sophocles" The first part of the Ajax is prodigiously fine. I do not know that the agonies of wounded honour have ever been so sublimely represented... But the interest of the piece dies with Ajax. In the debates which follow, Sophocles does not succeed as well as Euripides would have done. The odes, too, are not very good. Thomas Babington Macaulay, quoted in George Otto Trevelyan, The Life and Letters of Lord Macaulay, Volume I (1876), p. 473 I have been less pleased with this perusal of the Œdipus Tyrannus than I was when I read it in January; perhaps because I then read it all at one sitting. The construction seems to me less perfect than I formerly thought it. But nothing can exceed the skill with which the discovery is managed. The agony of Œdipus is so unutterably grand; and the tender sorrow, in which his mind at last reposes after his daughters have been brought to him, is as moving as anything in the Greek Drama. Thomas Babington Macaulay, quoted in George Otto Trevelyan, The Life and Letters of Lord Macaulay, Volume I (1876), p. 473 The Philoctetes is a most noble play; conspicuous even among the works of Sophocles for the grace and majesty of effect produced by the most simple means. There is more character in it than in any play in the Greek language; two or three of Euripides's best excepted. Thomas Babington Macaulay, quoted in George Otto Trevelyan, The Life and Letters of Lord Macaulay, Volume I (1876), p. 473 External links H. Lloyd-Jones, Sophocles: Fragments, LCL 483 (Harvard UP, 1996) E. H. Plumptre, The Tragedies of Sophocles: A New Translation (1865, 1878) R. C. Jebb, Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments, 3rd ed. (Cambridge UP, 1893) A. C. Pearson, The Fragments of Sophocles, with additional notes from the papers of Sir R. C. Jebb and W. G. Headlam (Cambridge UP, 1917), vols. 1, 2, 3 Category:Playwrights from Greece Category:Poets from Greece Category:Politicians from Greece Category:Clergy Category:Gay poets Category:BCE births Category:BCE deaths Category:People from Athens