Sophocles Trachiniae 339

ed. Lewis Campbell

Table of Contents

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

View: By Card By Card
← Previous Next →
τί δ᾽ ἐστί; τοῦ με τήνδ᾽ ἐφίστασαι φ ἐπίστασαι βάσιν ;

Trachiniae. Sophocles. ed. Lewis Campbell. Oxford. 1879.

Current edition Experimental

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Greek) (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 205-496 focus
Translations (2)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 335 focus
Erst harre noch hier außen eine Weile, daß
Du hörst, von diesen ferne, wen du führst hinein,
330
Und was du nicht vernahmest und doch wissen mußt.
Denn über alles dieses bin ich wohl belehrt.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 497-530 focus

Commentary

Commentary (R. C. Jebb) (OCR draft) (Commentary (R. C. Jebb))

mvp-comment-182-1 τί δ’ ἔστι 1

mvp-comment-182-2 τοῦ 2

mvp-comment-182-3 ἐφίστασαί με 3 τήνδε βάσιν 4

mvp-comment-182-4 The midd.

ἐφίσταμαι
does not elsewhere occur in a causal sense (except in the aor., as Xen. Cyr.8. 2. 19
φρουροὺς ἐπεστησά μην
). But the causal use of
καθίσταμαι
( Aesch. Eum.706
φρούρημα γῆς καθίσταμαι
, Thuc.2. 6
τά τ’ ἐν τῇ πόλει καθίσταντο
) appears to warrant a like use of
ἐφίσταμαι
, where, as here, the context helps to explain it. Cp. also Plat. Tim. 63 C
γεώδη γένη διϊστάμενοι
, ‘separating.’ [But we cannot properly compare O. C.916
παρίστασαι
, ‘you bring to your own side,’ ‘subjugate’: nor Plat. Rep. 565C
ἕνα τινὰ...δῆμος εἴωθε...προΐστασθαι ἑαυτοῦ
: where there is a special reason for using the midd.] The midd.
προσορωμένα
in Soph. O. C.244 is similarly unique, and has a like justification.

mvp-comment-182-5 A fact which confirms this view is that

ἐφιστάναι, ἐφίστασθαι
were regularly used with ref. to a halt. Xen. An.2. 4. 26
ἐπορεύετο δὲ ἄλλοτε καὶ ἄλλοτε ἐφιστάμενος. ὅσον δὲ χρόνον τὸ ἡγούμενον τοῦ στρατεύματος ἐπιστήσειε, τοσοῦτον ἦν ἀνάγκη χρόνον δἰ ὅλου τοῦ στρατεύματος γίγνεσθαι τὴν ἐπίστασιν
. (For
ἐπίστασις
, ‘a halt,’ cp. Soph. Ant.225 n.) Polyb. 16. 34. 2
ἐπιστήσαντες...τὴν ὁρμήν
. Diod.17. 112
τὴν ὁδὸν...ἐπιστήσας
. Plut. Cim. 1
ἐπιστήσας...τὴν πορείαν
. Arrian 5. 16. 1
ἐπέστησε τοὺς ἱππέας τοῦ πρόσω
.

mvp-comment-182-6 Another explanation is: τοῦ με ἐφίστασαι 5 τήνδε βάσιν 6 με 7 μοι 8 τοῦ 9 ἐφ’ οὗ 10 με 11

Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) focus

339. mvp-comment-264-1 τί δ᾽ ἐστί] 'What is the matter? Why do you stay my footsteps here with your interruption?" τοῦ for τίνος = τίνος ἕνεκα. See Essay on L. § 10. p. 15 d. The punctuation (that of L) is rendered probable by comparing Ο. Τ. 938, τί δ᾽ ἔστι; ποίαν δύναμιν ὧδ᾽ ἔχει διπλῆν ; ἐφίστασαι] The present middle of ἵστημι is used transitively in Hdt. 7. 9, πολέμους ἵστανται, 'They set up wars amongst themselves.' παρίστασθαι is so used by Sophocles, O. C. 916, ἄγεις θ' ἃ χρήζεις καὶ παρίστασαι βίᾳ, and by other writers: καθίσταμαι by Eur. Suppl. 522, πόλεμον οὐ καθίσταμαι: προίστασθαι by Plato and Demosthenes : διίστασθαι by Plato, Tim. 63 C. It is therefore possible that ἐφίστασθαι here and in Aj. 869 (ἐπίσταται MSS.) may mean, 'To arrest.' τήνδε . . βάσιν] The second accusative expresses the respect in which Deianira was stopped: 'In this going,' i.e. in going, as I have just begun to do. The above interpretation, which is that of the Scholiast, agrees better with the context than if ἐφίστασαι were taken intransitively: Why do you stand before me in this your coming?' See esp. l. 335, αὐτοῦ. . ἀμμείνασα, and 340, σταθεῖσα.