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Sophocles · The Trackers §166-244

The Satyrs' Clamor and the Appearance of Cyllene

Passage 3 of 5 · Greek

Summary

Silenus and the satyrs continue their search for the cattle, but when Silenus tries to flee in fear, the satyrs restrain him. They kick at the cave to make a loud noise, prompting the nymph Cyllene to emerge and rebuke them for their wild behavior.

§166εἰ μὴ ʼνανοστήσαντες ἐξιχνεύσε[τε §167τὰς βοῦς ὅπῃ βεβᾶσι καὶ τὸν βουκόλο[ν, §168κλαίοντες αὐτῇ δειλίᾳ ψοφή[ς]ετε.
If you do not turn back and track down the cows, wherever they have gone, and the cowherd, you will croak, weeping because of your very cowardice.
§169πάτερ, παρὼν αὐτός με συμποδηγέτε[ι, §170ἵνʼ εὖ κατείδῃς εἴ τίς ἐστι δειλία· §171γνώση[ι] γὰρ αὐτός, ἂν παρῇς, οὐδὲν λέγω[ν.
Father, being present yourself, guide me along, so that you may well know if there is any cowardice; for you will know yourself, if you are present, that you speak in vain.
§172ἐγὼ πα[ρ]ὼν αὐτός σε προσβιβῶ λόγῳ, §173κυνορτικὸν σύριγμα διακαλούμεν[ος.
Being present myself, I will urge you on with my voice, calling out with a dog-rousing whistle.
§174ἀλλʼ εἷʼ [ἐ]φίστω τριζύγης οἵμου βάσιν· §175ἐγὼ δʼ ἐν [ἔ]ργοις παρμένων σʼ ἀπευθυνῶ.
But come, stand upon the track of the three-way path; and I, remaining at the scene, will direct you.
§176ὗ ὗ ὗ, ψ ψ, ἆ ἆ.
Hu, hu, hu, ps, ps, ah, ah!
λέγʼ ὅ τι πονεῖς.
Tell me what you are laboring at.
§177τί μάτην ὑπέκλαγες, ὑπέκριγες §178ὑπό μʼ ἴδες;
Why did you cry out in vain, why did you squeak, and look at me from below?
ἔχεται
It is caught!
§179ἐν πρώτῳ τίς ὅδε τροπ[ῳ;
Who is this in the first manner?
§180ἔχει.
He has it.
ἐλήλυθεν, ἐλήλ[υθεν.
He has come, he has come!
§181ἐμὸς εἶ, ἀνάγου.
You are mine, stand up.
§182δεῦτʼ ὤ, τίς ὅδε [ ]της
Come here, who is this...
§183ὁ δράκις, ὁ γράπις, [ ]
the grabber, the scratcher...
§184[Ο]ὐρίας Οὐρίας, αδ[ ]κεις
Ourias, Ourias, you...
§185παρέβης· μεθυ[ ]
you went aside, drunk...
§186ὅ τι ποτε φερε[ ]ι[ ]ν
whatever...
§187ἔποχον ἔχει τι[ ]
has some rider...
§188στίβος ὁδενες[ ]
the path of the track...
§189στράτιος, στράτ[ιος ]υ[ ]
warlike, warlike...
§190δεῦρʼ ἕπου· τ[ ]δρ[ ]
Follow here...
§191ἔνι β[ο]ῦς ἔνι πονο[
there is a cow, there is labor...
§192μὴ μεθῇ κρ[ο]κι [
do not let go of the thread...
§193σὺ τί καλ[ὸ]ν ἐπιδ[
what good thing do you see?
§194ὅδε γʼ ἀγαθὸς ὁ τρε[
this good runner...
§195κατὰ νόμον ἕπετα[ι
follows according to the rule.
§196ἐφέπου, ἐφέπου μ[
follow closely, follow me...
§197ὀπποποῖ·
Oppopoi!
ἆ μιαρέ, γε[
O villain...
§198ἦ τάχʼ ὁπόταν ἀπίη[ις
indeed soon when you depart...
§199ἀπελεύθερος ὢν ολ [
being a freedman...
§200ἀλλὰ μὴ παραπλακ[
But do not wander astray...
§201ἔπ[ι]θʼ [ἔ]πεχʼ εἴσιθʼ ἴθι[
press on, hold on, enter, go!
§202τ[ὸ] δὲ πλάγιον ἔχομ[εν
we hold the flank.
§203πάτερ, τί σιγᾷς;
Father, why are you silent?
μῶν ἀληθ[ὲς εἴπομεν;
Have we spoken the truth?
§204οὐ[κ ε]ἰσακο[ύε]ις;
Do you not hear?
ἦ κεκώφη[σαι, ψόφον;
Or have you been deafened by the noise?
§205σί[γα·
Silence!
] τί ἔστιν;
What is it?
§205bοὐ μενῶ.
I will not stay.
§205cμένʼ, ε[ἰ] δύνᾳ.
Stay, if you can.
§206οὐκ ἔστιν. ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς σὺ ταῦθ[ʼ ὅπῃ θέλεις]
It is not possible.
§207ζήτει τε κἀξίχνευε καὶ πλού[τει λαβὼν §208τὰς βοῦς τε κα[ὶ] τὸν χρυσὸν [ ]ε[
But do you yourself, wherever you wish, search and track them down, and grow rich by taking the cows and the gold...
§209μὴ πλεῖστ[ον] ἔτι ς[ ]ν [ ] χρόνον.
not remaining for any longer time.
§210ἀλλʼ οὔ τι μ[ή σοί] μ[ʼ ἐκλιπεῖν ἐφήσομαι] §211οὐδʼ ἐξυπελθ[εῖ]ν τ[οῦ πόνου πρίν γʼ ἂν σα]φῶς §212εἰδῶμεν ὅν[τινʼ] ἔ[νδον ἥδʼ ἔχει στέγη.
But I will by no means permit you to abandon me, nor to escape from the labor, until we clearly know who this dwelling holds inside.
] §213ἶὼ γ[
Io...
§214φθέγ[μα ]ου
voice...
§215[ ]ηδ[ μισ-]
reward...
§216θο[ν δ]όμοισιν ὀλβίσῃς.
you may bless the house with wealth.
§217ὁ [δʼ ο]ὐ φαν[εῖτ]αι τοῖσιν. ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ τάχα
But he will not appear for these things.
§218φ[έρ]ων κτύ[π]ον πέδορτον ἐξαναγκάσω §219π[η]δήμασιν κραιπνοῖσι καὶ λακτίσμασιν §220ὥ[ς]τʼ εἰσακοῦσαι κεἰ λίαν κωφός τις ᾖ.
Yet I will quickly bring a ground-shaking din and force him out, with rapid leaps and stampings of feet, so that he will hear, even if he is exceedingly deaf.
§221θῆρες, τί [τό]νδε χλοερὸν ὑλώδη πάγον §222ἔν[θ]ηρον ὡρμήθητε σὺν πολλῇ βοῇ;
Beasts, why have you rushed to this green, wooded hill, full of wild beasts, with such loud shouting?
§223τίς ἥδε τέχνη;
What is this device?
τίς μετάστασις πόνων, §224οὓς πρόσθεν εἶχες δεσπότῃ χάριν φέρων, §225ὑμεῖν ὃς αἰεὶ νεβρίνῃ καθημμέν[ο]ς §226δορᾷ χερ[ο]ῖν τε θύρς[ο]ν εὐπαλῆ φέρων §227ὄπισθεν εὐίαζετʼ ἀμφὶ τὸν θεὸν §228σὺν ἐγγόνοις νύμφαισι καὶ παίδων ὄχλῳ;
What is this change of labors, which before you performed to bring pleasure to your master, who always, clad in a fawnskin and bearing in his hands the easily-wielded thyrsus, made you shout 'Evae' behind the god, along with the native nymphs and a crowd of children?
§229νῦν δʼ ἀγνοῶ τὸ χρῆμα· ποῖ στροφαὶ νέων §230μανιῶν στρέφουσι;
But now I do not understand this matter; whither do these turns of new madnesses turn you?
θαῦμα γὰρ κατέκλ[υ]ον §231ὁμοῦ πρέπον κέλευμά πως κυνηγετ[ῶ]ν §232ἐγγὺς μολόντων θηρὸς εὐναί[ου] τρο[φ]ῆς, §233ὁμοῦ δʼ ἂν αὖτι[ς ] αι φωρ[
For I heard a wonder: on one hand, some fitting shout of hunters approaching near to the beast's resting-place, and on the other hand, again... of a thief...
§234γλώσσης ἐτεινε[τʼ ε]ἰς κλοπὴν [ ]έναι· §235αὖτις δʼ α[ ]τ[ ] μενων [ ]α
of a tongue stretched to go to theft; and again...
§236κηρυκ[ ] ι[ ] κηρυγμα [
a herald's... proclamation...
§237καὶ τ[α]ῦτʼ ἀφεῖσα σὺν ποδῶν λακ[τίσμασι §238[κ]ληδὼν ὁμοῦ πάμφυρ[τ]ʼ ἐγειτν[ία στέγῃ] §239[καὶ] ταῦτʼ ἂν ἄλλως ἢ κλ[ ]μ[ §240[φων]ῶν ἀκο[ύ]σασʼ ὧδε παραπεπαισμέν[ων §241φ[ ]η[ ] νων ὑμᾶς νοσεῖν
and letting these go, with kickings of feet, a confused rumor neighbored the house, And how could these things be otherwise, hearing voices thus frenzied,...that you are sick...
§242νο[ς τί νύμφη]ν ἔτι ποε͂ιτʼ ἀναιτίαν;
why do you still make a guiltless nymph suffer?
§243νύμφη βαθύζωνε π[αῦσαι χόλου ] §244τοῦδʼ, οὔτε γὰρ νεῖκος ἥ[κει σέ τοι
O deep-girdled nymph, cease from this anger, for no quarrel has come to you.

Notes

  1. 168αὐτῇ δειλίᾳ ψοφή[ς]ετε — αὐτῇ δειλίᾳ is a dative of cause or accompaniment meaning "by that very cowardice." The verb ψοφήσετε literally means "to make a noise," but is used here colloquially to mean "to croak" or "to die."
  2. 204κεκώφη[σαι, ψόφον; — The passive verb κεκώφησαι ("you have been deafened") is accompanied by the accusative ψόφον indicating the source of the effect ("by the noise"), exhibiting a retained accusative construction with a passive verb.
  3. 210οὔ τι μ[ή σοί] μ[ʼ ἐκλιπεῖν ἐφήσομαι] — οὐ μή combined with the future indicative ἐφήσομαι expresses a strong negative assertion or refusal ("I will by no means permit"). The infinitives ἐκλιπεῖν and ἐξυπελθεῖν function as objects of ἐφήσομαι.

Cite this passage

Sophocles, The Trackers §166-244. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0011.tlg008.humanitext-grc2:166-244

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