Sophocles, Trachiniae, Thomas Francklin (Translator), 393

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Her name lole ; he had not inquired

Touching her race.

Chorus

Trachiniae. Sophocles. Thomas Francklin (Translator). London. 1758–1759.

Current edition Experimental

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 393 focus

τί χρή, γύναι, μολόντα μ᾿ Ηρακλεῖ ει from ηι Ἡρακλεῖ λέγειν ;

δίδαξον, ὡς ἕρποντος εἰσορᾶς ἐμοῦ.

ΔΗ.

ὡς ἐκ ταχείας σὺν χρόνῳ συνχρόνωι σὺν χρόνω βραδεῖ μολὼν
395

ᾄσσεις, πρὶν ἡμᾶς καὶ νεώσασθαι λόγους.

ΛΙ.

ἀλλ᾽ εἴ τι χρήζεις ἱστορεῖν, πάρειμ᾽ ἐγώ.

ΔΗ.

ἢ καὶ τὸ πιστὸν τῆς ἀληθείας νέμεις;

ΛΙ.

ἴστω μέγας Ζεύς, ὧν γ᾽ ἂν ἐξειδὼς κυρῶ.

ΔΗ.

τίς ἡ γυνὴ δῆτ᾽ ἐστὶν ἣν ἥκεις ἄγων;
400

ΛΙ.

Εὐβοιίς· ὧν δ᾽ ἔβλαστεν οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν.

ΑΓ.

οὗτος, βλέφ᾽ ὧδε. πρὸς τίν' ἐννέπειν δοκεῖς ;

ΛΙ.

σὺ δ᾽ εἰς τί δή με τοῦτ᾽ ἐρωτήσας ἐρωτήσασ' ἔχεις;

ΑΓ.

τόλμησον εἰπεῖν, εἰ φρονεῖς, ὅ σ᾽ ὃσ ἱστορῶ.

ΛΙ.

πρὸς τὴν κρατοῦσαν Δῃάνειραν, Οἰνέως
405

κόρην, δάμαρτά θ' ῾Ηρακλέους, εἰ μὴ κυρῶ

λεύσσων λεύσων λεύσσων μάταια, δεσπότιν τε τὴν ἐμήν.

ΑΓ.

τοῦτ᾽ αὔτ᾽ αὐτ' ἔχρηζον, τοῦτό σου μαθεῖν. λέγεις

δέσποιναν εἶναι τήνδε σήν;

ΛΙ.

δίκαια γάρ.

ΑΓ.

τί δῆτα; ποίαν ἀξιοῖς δοῦναι δίκην,
410

ἣν ἤν.. ἦν εὑρεθῇς ἐς τήνδε μὴ δίκαιος ὤν;

ΛΙ.

πῶς μὴ δίκαιος; τί ποτε ποικίλας ποικιλασ' ποικίλλας ποικίλας ἔχεις;

ΑΓ.

οὐδέν. σὺ μέντοι μέντο κάρτα τοῦτο δρῶν κυρεῖς.

ΛΙ.

ἄπειμι. μῶρος δ᾽ ἦ πάλαι κλύων σέθεν.

ΑΓ.

οὔ, πρίν γ' ἂν εἴπῃς ἱστορούμενος βραχύ.
415

ΛΙ.

λέγ' εἴ τι χρήζεις· καὶ γὰρ οὐ σιγηλὸς εἶ.

ΑΓ.

τὴν αἰχμάλωτον, ἣν ἔπεμψας ἐς δόμους δόμο.. δόμουσ,

κάτοισθα δήπου ;

ΛΙ.

φημί· πρὸς τί δ᾽ ἱστορεῖς ;

ΑΓ.

οὔκουν σὺ ταύτην, ἣν ὑπ᾿ ἀγνοίας ἀγνοίασ(α) ἀγνοίας ὁρᾷς,

Ιόλην ἔφασκες Εὐρύτου σπορὰν ἄγειν ;
420

ΛΙ.

ποίοις ἐν ἀνθρώποισι; τίς πόθεν μολὼν

σοὶ μαρτυρήσει ταῦτ᾽ ἐμοῦ κλύειν παρών ;

ΑΓ.

πολλοῖσιν ἀστῶν· ἐν μέσῃ Τραχινίων

ἀγορᾷ πολύς σου ταῦτά γ' ταῦτ᾽ ταῦτά γ' εἰσήκουσ᾽ ὄχλος.

ΛΙ.

ναί. κλύειν γ᾽ ἔφασκον. ταὐτὸ δ᾽ οὐχὶ γίγνεται γίνεται
425

δόκησιν εἰπεῖν κἀξακριβῶσαι λόγον.

ΑΓ.

ποίαν δόκησιν; οὐκ ἐπώμοτος λέγων

δάμαρτ᾽ ἔφασκες Ηρακλεῖ Ἡρακλεῖ ταύτην ἄγειν ;

ΛΙ.

ἐγὼ δάμαρτα; πρὸς θεῶν, φράσον, φίλη

δέσποινα, τόνδε ω τώνδε τίς ποτ᾽ ἐστὶν ὁ ξένος.
430

ΑΓ.

ὃς σοῦ παρὼν ἤκουσεν ἤκοσεν ἤκουσεν ὡς ταύτης πόθῳ

πόλις δαμείη πᾶσα, κοὐχ ἡ κοὐχὶ κοὐχ ἡ Λυδία

πέρσειεν αὐτήν, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τῆσδ᾽ ἔρως φανείς.

ΛΙ.

ἄνθρωπος ἄνθρωποσ, ὦ δέσποιν', ἀποστήτω. τὸ γὰρ

νοσοῦντι ληρεῖν ἀνδρὸς οὐχὶ σώφρονος.
435

ΔΗ.

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 497-530 focus

Χορός

μέγα τι σθένος ἁ Κύπρις ἐκφέρεται νίκας ἀεί.

καὶ τὰ μὲν θεῶν

παρέβαν, καὶ ὅπως Κρονίδαν ἀπάτασεν οὐ λέγω,
500

οὐδὲ τὸν ἔννυχον Ἅιδαν

ἢ Ποσειδάωνα τινάκτορα γαίας·

ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τάνδʼ ἄρʼ ἄκοιτιν

τίνες ἀμφίγυοι κατέβαν πρὸ γάμων,

τίνες πάμπληκτα παγκόνιτά τʼ ἐξῆλθον ἄεθλʼ ἀγώνων;
505

507

Χορός

ὁ μὲν ἦν ποταμοῦ σθένος, ὑψίκερω τετραόρου

φάσμα ταύρου,

Ἀχελῷος ἀπʼ Οἰνιαδᾶν, ὁ δὲ Βακχίας ἀπὸ
510

ἦλθε παλίντονα Θήβας

τόξα καὶ λόγχας ῥόπαλόν τε τινάσσων,

παῖς Διός· οἳ τότʼ ἀολλεῖς

ἴσαν ἐς μέσον ἱέμενοι λεχέων·

μόνα δʼ εὔλεκτρος ἐν μέσῳ Κύπρις ῥαβδονόμει ξυνοῦσα.
515

517

Χορός

τότʼ ἦν χερός, ἦν δὲ τόξων πάταγος,

ταυρείων τʼ ἀνάμιγδα κεράτων·

ἦν δʼ ἀμφίπλεκτοι κλίμακες,
520

ἦν δὲ μετώπων ὀλόεντα

πλήγματα, καὶ στόνος ἀμφοῖν.

ἁ δʼ εὐῶπις ἁβρὰ

τηλαυγεῖ παρʼ ὄχθῳ

ἧστο, τὸν ὃν προσμένουσʼ ἀκοίταν.
525

ἀγὼν δὲ μαργᾷ μὲν οἷα φράζω·

τὸ δʼ ἀμφινείκητον ὄμμα νύμφας

ἐλεινὸν ἀμμένει·

κἀπὸ ματρὸς ἄφαρ βέβακεν,

ὥστε πόρτις ἐρήμα.
530

Translations (4)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 393 focus

What message must I carry to my lord?

Tell me, my Queen. I am going, as thou seest.

DÊ

So slow in coming, and so quickly flown,
395

Ere one have time to talk with thee anew!
395

LICH

What wouldst thou ask me? I am bent to hear.

DÊ

And art thou bent on truth in the reply?

LICH

By Heaven! in all that I have knowledge of.

DÊ

Then tell me, who is she thou brought’st with thee?
400

LICH

An islander. I cannot trace her stock.

MESS

Look hither, man. Who is’t to whom thou speakest?

LICH

Why such a question? What is thine intent?

MESS

Nay, start not, but make answer if thou knowest.

LICH

To Dêanira, Oeneus’ queenly child,
405

Heracles’ wife,—if these mine eyes be true,—
405

My mistress.

MESS

Ay, that is the very word

I longed to hear thee speak. Thy mistress, sayest?

LICH

To whom I am bound.

MESS

Hold there! What punishment
410

Wilt thou accept, if thou art found to be
410

Faithless to her?

LICH

I faithless! What dark speech

Hast thou contrived?

MESS

Not I at all. ’Tis thou

Dost wrap thy thoughts i’ the dark.

LICH

Well, I will go.

’Tis folly to have heard thee for so long.

MESS

You go not till you answer one word more.
415

LICH

One, or a thousand! You’ll not stint, I see.

MESS

Thou knowest the captive maid thou leddest home?

LICH

I do. But wherefore ask?

MESS

Did you not say

That she, on whom you look with ignorant eye,

Was Iolè, the daughter of the King,

Committed to your charge?

LICH

Where? Among whom?

What witness of such words will bear thee out?

MESS

Many and sound. A goodly company

In Trachis’ market-place heard thee speak this.

LICH

Ay.
425

I said ’twas rumoured. But I could not give
425

My vague impression for advised report.

MESS

Impression, quotha! Did you not on oath

Proclaim your captive for your master’s bride?

LICH

My master’s bride! Dear lady, by the Gods,

Who is the stranger? for I know him not.
430

MESS

One who was present where he heard thee tell,

How that whole city was subdued and taken,

Not for the bondage to the Lydian girl,

But through the longing passion for this maid.

LICH

Dear lady, let the fellow be removed.

To prate with madmen is mere foolishness.
435

DÊ

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 393 focus

Was meld' ich, Herrin, komm' ich dort zu Herakles?

Laß hören; fertig siehst du mich zur Wanderung.

Deianeira.

Mit solcher Eile stürmst du fort und kamst so spät,

Stürmst fort, bevor du dein Gespräch erneut mit uns?
390

Lichas.

Nun, wenn du Weitres fragen willst, ich stehe hier.

Deianeira.

Und willst du treulich auch die Wahrheit mir gestehn?

Lichas.

Bei'm hohen Zeus, in Allem, was ich selber weiß.

Deianeira.

Wer ist die Frau denn also, die du hergebracht?

Lichas.

Vom Land Euböa; wessen Kind, ich weiß es nicht.
395

Der Bote.

Du, schaue hierher: weißt du wohl, mit wem du sprichst?

Lichas.

Und du, wofür denn bietest du die Frage mir?

Der Bote.

Gib, wenn du klug bist, kühn Bescheid auf dieses Wort.

Lichas.

Mit Deianeira, die des Deneus Tochter ist,

Herakles' hoher Gattin, wenn mich anders nicht
400

Mein Auge täuscht, mit meiner Herrin red' ich hier.

Der Bote.

Dies wollt' ich hören, dieses nur von dir. Du sagst,

Daß diese deine Herrin sei.

Lichas.

Und das mit Recht.

Der Bote.

Wie also? Welcher Strafe glaubst du werth zu sein,

Wenn deine Falschheit gegen sie zu Tage kommt?
405

Lichas.

Was wäre Falschheit? Welchen Trug ersinnst du da?

Der Bote.

Nicht ich, du selber bist es, traun, der dieses thut.

Lichas.

Ich gehe: längst war's thöricht, dir Gehör zu leihn.

Der Bote.

Nicht, eh du mir auf kurze Fragen Rede standſt!

Lichas.

Sprich, was dich lüstet, weil du doch nicht schweigen willst.
410

Der Bote.

Die Kriegsgefangne, die du hier in's Haus geführt,

Die kennst du doch?

Lichas.

Mit nichten: doch was fragst du dies?

Der Bote.

Nun, gabst du diese, die du jezt nicht kennen willst,

Nicht aus für Jole, für das Kind des Eurytos?

Lichas.

Vor welchen Menschen? Wer der Mann, wo kommt er her,
415

Der dir's bezeugte, daß er das von mir gehört?

Der Bote.

Vor vielen Bürgern. Mitten dort auf offnem Markt

Zu Trachin hört' es vieles Volk aus deinem Mund.

Lichas.

Wohl! Daß ich's vernommen, sagt' ich; doch auf Glauben nur,
420

Und zuversichtlich reden, ist nicht einerlei.

Der Bote.

Auf Glauben? Wie das? Schwurst du nicht mit hohem Eid,

Sie, die du bringest, sei die Braut des Herakles?

Lichas.

Was? Seine Braut? Um alle Götter, sage mir,

Geliebte Fürstin, wer er ist, der Fremdling hier.
425

Der Bote.

Der, der von dir vernommen, daß Sehnsucht um sie

Die ganze Stadt erstürmte, nicht die Lyderin

Die Stadt vertilgte, sondern ihre Lieb' allein.

Lichas.

Der Mensch, o Fürstin, möge nur von hinnen gehn;

Denn, traun, mit Thoren schwazen, ziemt dem Klugen nicht.
430

Deianeira.

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 393 focus

What wou'dst thou, Lady, that I bear in charge

To Hercules? I hasten my return.

Deianira

After so long an absence why so soon
395

Depart, ere my inquiries I renew?
395

Lichas

More wou'dst thou ask? I to inform thee stay.

Deianira

But wilt thou answer me with honest truth?

Lichas

To what I know; be witness mighty Jove!

Deianira

Who is this woman, hither whom thou led'st?
400

Lichas

A native of Eubea; of what race

Attendant

I know not.

Herald, fix thine eye on me.

Know'st thou to whom thou speak'st?

Lichas

With what intent

That question dost thou ask?

Attendant

If thou dost bear

The spirit of a man, be bold, and speak.

Lichas

To Deianira, to the queen I speak,
405

Daughter of Œneus, wife of Hercules,
405

My royal mistress; or I see in vain.

Attendant

This was my wish to know. Didst thou not say

She is thy royal mistress ?

Lichas

With just right...

Attendant

Tell me what punishment is then thy due.
410

If to thy mistress thou art found not just?

Lichas

And how not just? With what insidious wiles

Wou'dst thou ensnare me?

Attendant

Fear not wiles from me;

Thy thoughts are all employ'd on wiles.

Lichas

I go,

Unwise thus far to hear thee.

Attendant

Hence thy foot
415

Thou shalt not stir till, one short question ask'd,
415

I have thy answer.
415

Lichas

Ask whate'er thou wilt;

Thy tongue, it seems, can speak.

Attendant

This captive then,

Whom thou hast brought, who is she? dost thou know?

Lichas

Who is she? Why is this inquiry made ?

Attendant

Hast thou not said that she, on whom thine eye

Look'd as on one unknown, was nobly born

Of Eurytus, and Iole her name?

Lichas

To whom said this? Whom bring'st thou to attest

That from my lips such words he ever heard?

Attendant

The citizens: for the Trachinians round

In crouds assembled heard thee speak these words.

Lichas

I said indeed I heard this; but to speak
425

On mere imagination, and to affirm

Messenger

As certain, merit not a like regard.

Imagination! Didst thou not on oath

Declare thou brought'st the wife of Hercules

Lichas

I say she was his wife! Now, by the gods,

Who, honour'd lady, is this stranger here?
430

Attendant

One, who in person heard thee say his arms

Subdued the country for this virgin's sake :

That not his Lydian slavery, but the love

Of her spread devastation o'er her realms.

Lichas

The man is frentic: Lady, send him hence:

With such to hold vain converse is not wise.
435

Deianira

English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 497-530 focus

Chorus

Great and mighty is the victory which the Cyprian queen always bears away. I bypass the tales of the gods,

and do not narrate how she beguiled the son of Cronus, and Hades, the lord of darkness, or Poseidon, shaker of the earth. But, when this bride was to be won,
500

who were the massive rivals that entered the contest for her nuptials? Who stepped forward to the ordeal of battle full of blows and raising dust?
505

507

Chorus

One was a mighty river-god, the form of a bull, high-horned and four-legged,

Achelous, from Oeniadae. The other came from Thebes , home of Bacchus, brandishing his resilient bow, his spears and club; he was the son of Zeus. These two then met in a mass, lusting to win a bride,
510

and the Cyprian goddess of nuptial joy was there with them, acting as sole umpire.
515

517

Chorus

There was clatter of fists and clang of bow and crash of a bull’s horns mixed together;

then there were close-locked grapplings and deadly blows from foreheads and loud deep cries from both. Meanwhile the delicate beauty sat on the side of a hill that could be seen from afar,
520

awaiting the husband that would be hers.
So the battle rages, as I narrate. But the face of the bride which is the prize of the strife awaits the end in piteous anguish. And suddenly she has left her mother,
525

like an orphaned calf.
530

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-30-1 εἰ πατρὸς νέμοι τιν’ ὤραν τοῦ … δοκεῖν ¹ πατρὸς ² τοῦ … δοκεῖν ³ τοῦ … δοκεῖν ⁴

mvp-comment-30-2 δοκεῖν ⁵

mvp-comment-30-3 νέμοι ⁶ νέμει ⁷

mvp-comment-31-1 ἀρτίπους ⁸ ἀρτίπους ⁹

mvp-comment-32-1 πρὸς καιρὸν ¹⁰

mvp-comment-32-2 τοῖς τ’ ¹¹ τοῖς ¹² τοῖς γ’ ¹³

mvp-comment-33-1 ὦ τέκνον, ὦ παῖ ¹⁴

mvp-comment-33-2 ἀγεννή<*>ων ¹⁵

mvp-comment-34-1 διδακτά ¹⁶

mvp-comment-35-1 σὲ … τὸ μὴ πυθέσθαι ¹⁷ ἐξενωμένου ¹⁸

mvp-comment-35-2 ποῦ )στιν ¹⁹

mvp-comment-35-3 φέρειν ²⁰ φέρει ²¹

mvp-comment-36-1 μύθοις ²² μύθοις γ’ ²³

mvp-comment-37-1 ἱδρῦσθαι ²⁴

mvp-comment-38-1 μὲν ²⁵ ἀλλ’ ²⁶

mvp-comment-38-2 ἄροτον ²⁷

mvp-comment-38-3 Λυδῇ ²⁸

mvp-comment-39-1 εἰ καὶ τοῦτ’ ἔτλη ²⁹

mvp-comment-40-1 ἀλλά ³⁰

mvp-comment-41-1 ἢ θανὼν ³¹

mvp-comment-42-1 Εὐβοῖδα ³²

mvp-comment-42-2 πόλιν ³³ Εὐβοῖδα χώραν ³⁴ ἢ μέλλειν ἔτι ³⁵

mvp-comment-43-1 ἔλειπε ³⁶

mvp-comment-43-2 τῆσδε τῆς χώρας πέρι ³⁷

mvp-comment-44-1 ἀγνοῶ ³⁸

mvp-comment-45-1 τελευτὴν … τελεῖν ³⁹

mvp-comment-46-1 ἄρας ⁴⁰

mvp-comment-46-2 εἰς τό γ’ ὕστερον ⁴¹ εἰς τὸν ὕστερον ⁴² βίοτον εὐαίων’ ⁴³

mvp-comment-47-1 ἐν οὖν ῥοπῇ … κειμένῳ ⁴⁴

mvp-comment-47-2 83—

mvp-comment-48-1 ἡνίκ’ ἢ σεσώσμεθα … οἰχόμεσθ’ ἅμα ⁴⁵

mvp-comment-48-2 This view of the original text may be supported by a consideration which does not seem to have been noticed. The very circumstance which prompted the interpolation—viz., the absence of the condition for

οἰχόμεσθ’ ἅμα

—is an admirable dramatic touch. For, while Deianeira and her hearers would understand

ἅμα

as meaning,

ἅμα οἰχομένῳ

, her death is really to be linked with his victory.

mvp-comment-48-3 For a similar piece of textual history, cp. Eur. Andr.6 , where the true text is

νῦν δ’, εἴτις ἄλλη, δυστυχεστάτη γυνή

: but there was another reading, which made two verses of it:—

νῦν δ’ οὔτις

(or

νῦν δὴ τίς

)

ἄλλη δυστυχεστέρα γυνὴ

ἐμοῦ πέφυκεν ἢ γενήσεταί ποτε

. Of the second v., the schol. there says,

οἱ ὑποκριταὶ τὸν ἴαμβον προσέθηκαν

. See Appendix.

mvp-comment-48-4 The synizesis in ἢ οἰχόμεσθ’ ⁴⁶ ἢ κείμεσθ’ ⁴⁷

mvp-comment-49-1 νῦν δ’ ὁ ξυνήθης ⁴⁸ εἴα ⁴⁹

mvp-comment-49-2 For other instances of

νῦν

with a past tense, cp. O. C.273 , Ai.445 Ai., 1060.

mvp-comment-50-1 τὸ μὴ ⁵⁰

mvp-comment-51-1 καὶ γὰρ ὑστέρῳ ⁵¹

mvp-comment-51-2 τό γ’ εὖ ⁵² πράσσειν ⁵³

mvp-comment-51-3 ἐμπολᾷ ⁵⁴

mvp-comment-52-1 αἰόλα ⁵⁵ φλογιζόμενον ⁵⁶ ἐναριζομένα ⁵⁷ κατευνάζει ⁵⁸ τίκτει ⁵⁹

mvp-comment-52-2 The text has been much suspected (see cr. n.), but without reason. The imagery, indeed, does not form a consistent whole: Night is slain, and then overcomes. But this is merely one of many instances in which the poet's language wavers between the figurative and the literal.

mvp-comment-52-3 κατευνάζει τε φλογιζόμενον ⁶⁰

mvp-comment-53-1 τοῦτο ⁶¹ τον Ἀλκμήνας πόθι … ναίει ⁶² καρῦξαι ⁶³ τοῦτο ⁶⁴

mvp-comment-54-1 πόθι μοι πόθι παῖς ⁶⁵ πα<*>ς ⁶⁶ μοι ⁶⁷ τὸν Ἀλκμ. ⁶⁸ παῖς ⁶⁹

mvp-comment-54-2 Porson is cited by Wunder and other editors as the authority for omitting

παῖς

. But Porson (on Hec.1030 ) said only that it is possible to omit

παῖς

,—adding that it is better to retain it (omitting the second

μοι

):—‘potes ejicere

παῖς

et legere

πόθι μοι πόθι μοι

. Sed alterum melius.’

mvp-comment-55-1 ὦ … φλεγέθων ⁷⁰

mvp-comment-55-2 στεροπᾷ ⁷¹

mvp-comment-56-1 ἢ ποντίας … κλιθείς ⁷² ποντίας ⁷³ ποντίους ⁷⁴

mvp-comment-56-2 The constr. is, πόθι ⁷⁵ που ⁷⁶ ναίει ἢ ποντίας αὐλῶνας ἢ δισς. ἀπείροις κλιθείς ⁷⁷ ναίει ⁷⁸ ἢ ⁷⁹

mvp-comment-56-3 ἤ ⁸⁰

mvp-comment-56-4 δισς. ἀπείροις κλιθείς ⁸¹

mvp-comment-56-5 This use of δισσαῖσιν ⁸² πόθι ⁸³

mvp-comment-56-6 ‘The two continents’ (Europe and Asia, Africa being included in the latter) mean, ‘the habitable world.’ Isocr. or. 4 § 179

τῆς γὰρ γῆς ἁπάσης τῆς ὑπὸ τῷ κόσμῳ κειμένης δίχα τετμημένης, καὶ τῆς μὲν Ἀσίας τῆς δ’ Εὐρώπης καλουμένης

. Varro De Ling. Lat. 4

Ut omnis natura in caelum et terram divisa est, sic caelum in regiones, terra in Asiam et Europam.

(Sallust, however, remarks that the division into three continents had been more usual: Jug. 17. )

mvp-comment-56-7 ποντίας αὐλῶνας ⁸⁴

mvp-comment-57-1 κρατιστεύων κατ’ ὄμμα ⁸⁵ κατά ⁸⁶

mvp-comment-58-1 ποθουμένᾳ ⁸⁷ πυνθάνομαι ⁸⁸

mvp-comment-59-1 τὰν ἀμφινεικῆ ⁸⁹ ἀεί ⁹⁰ τρύχεσθαι ⁹¹

mvp-comment-60-1 ὄρνιν ⁹²

mvp-comment-61-1 ἀδακρύτων ⁹³

mvp-comment-61-2 βλεφάρων πόθον ⁹⁴

mvp-comment-61-3 108 It is simplest to construe εὔμναστον δεῖμα ὁδοῦ ἀνδρὸς ⁹⁵ τρέφουσαν ⁹⁶ φέρουσαν ⁹⁷ τρέφουσαν ⁹⁸

mvp-comment-62-1 ἐνθυμίοις εὐναῖς ἀνανδρώτοισι τρύχεσθαι ⁹⁹

mvp-comment-62-2 δύστανον ¹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-63-1 πολλὰ γὰρ … ἴδοι ¹⁰¹ κύματ’ ἂν … ἴδοι ¹⁰² εὐρέϊ πόντῳ ¹⁰³

mvp-comment-63-2 Three other views claim notice. (1) <*>ν ¹⁰⁴ ἂν ¹⁰⁵ ἴδοι ¹⁰⁶ ἐν ¹⁰⁷ ἴδοι ¹⁰⁸ ἴδῃ ¹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-63-3 βάντ’ ἐπιόντα τ’ ¹¹⁰ βάντ’ ¹¹¹

mvp-comment-64-1 οὕτω δὲ ¹¹²

mvp-comment-64-2 Construe:

mvp-comment-64-3 βιότου πολύπονον ¹¹³ ὥσπερ πέλαγος Κρήσιον ¹¹⁴ στρέφει τὸ δ’ αὔξει τὸν Καδμογενῆ ¹¹⁵ Κρήσιον ¹¹⁶ στρέφει ¹¹⁷ αὔξει ¹¹⁸ τὸ δ’ ¹¹⁹ βιότου πολύπονον ¹²⁰

mvp-comment-64-4 Among those who receive στρέφει ¹²¹

mvp-comment-64-5 As to the MS. τρέφει ¹²²

mvp-comment-65-1 ἀλλά ¹²³ τὸ δ’ αὔξει ¹²⁴

mvp-comment-65-2 ἀναμπλάκητον ¹²⁵ ἐρύκει ¹²⁶

mvp-comment-66-1 ὧν ¹²⁷

mvp-comment-66-2 Hense (whom Nauck follows) thinks that this second antistrophe (122—131) requires to be transposed, so as to become the second strophe, immediately following v. 111. But this change is worse than unnecessary. It is liable to the fatal objection that vv. 132 ff. (

μένει γὰρ

etc.) are then severed from the thought which they develope (vv. 129—131

ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ πῆμα καὶ χαρὰ

etc.). They are brought into a context which does not suit them (vv. 119— 121

ἀλλά τις θεῶν

etc.).

mvp-comment-67-1 αἰδοῖα ¹²⁸ ἁδεῖα ¹²⁹ ἁδεῖα ¹³⁰ ἀντία ¹³¹ ἁδεῖα ¹³² αἰδοῖα ¹³³

mvp-comment-67-2 οἴσω ¹³⁴

mvp-comment-68-1 γὰρ ¹³⁵

mvp-comment-68-2 ἀποτρύειν ¹³⁶

mvp-comment-68-3 ἐλπίδα τὰν ἀγαθὰν ¹³⁷

mvp-comment-69-1 ἀνάλγητα ¹³⁸

mvp-comment-69-2 οὐδ’ ὁ πάντα κρ. ¹³⁹ οὐδ’ ¹⁴⁰

mvp-comment-69-3 ἐπέβαλε ¹⁴¹

mvp-comment-70-1 ἐπὶ … κυκλοῦσιν ¹⁴² ἐπὶ πᾶσι ¹⁴³ κυκλοῦσιν ¹⁴⁴ χαρὰν ¹⁴⁵ χαρὰ ¹⁴⁶ οἷον ¹⁴⁷ αἰὲν ¹⁴⁸

mvp-comment-70-2 ἄρκτου στροφάδες κέλευθοι ¹⁴⁹

mvp-comment-71-1 οὔτ’ αἰόλα ¹⁵⁰ νὺξ ¹⁵¹

mvp-comment-71-2 κῆρες ¹⁵²

mvp-comment-71-3 ἀλλ’ ἄφαρ βέβακε ¹⁵³

mvp-comment-71-4 τῷδ’ ¹⁵⁴ χαίρειν τε καὶ στέρεσθαι ¹⁵⁵ ἐπέρχεται ¹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-71-5 Other views are as follows. (1) The constr. is,

ἀλλὰ χαίρειν τε καὶ στέρεσθαι ἄφαρ βέβακε

(

τῷ μέν

τῷ δ’ ἐπέρχεται

. This is less simple. (2)

τῷ δ’

=simply ‘ and to him,’— i.e., to the person from whom woe or joy ‘has gone.’ But: ( a)

τῷ δ’

surely implies an antithesis. ( b) The clause

τῷ δ’ ἐπέρχεται κ.τ.λ.

would thus mean merely,—‘and then his experiences begin over again.’

mvp-comment-72-1 ἃ ¹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-72-2 Others suppose that

ἃ

is governed by ἴσχειν ¹⁵⁸ τάδ’ ¹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-72-3 For λέγω ¹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-72-4 ἐλπίσιν ἴσχειν ¹⁶¹ ἄβουλον ¹⁶²

mvp-comment-73-1 ἀπεικάσαι ¹⁶³

mvp-comment-74-1 θυμοφ<*> ¹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-75-1 μήτ’ <*>θοις … νῦν δ’ ἄπειρος εἶ ¹⁶⁵ νῦν δ’ ¹⁶⁶ νῦν τ’ ¹⁶⁷ νῦν δ’ ¹⁶⁸ τε … δέ ¹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-76-1 τ<*> νεάζον ¹⁷⁰ τοιοῖσδε ¹⁷¹ βόσκεται ¹⁷² αὐτοῦ ¹⁷³

mvp-comment-76-2 θάλπος … ὄμβρος … πνευμάτων ¹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-76-3 The text is as clearly sound as the passage itself is beautiful. But numerous changes have been proposed: for these, see Appendix. Here I will only remark that the genuineness of the words καί ¹⁷⁵ νιν ¹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-77-1 ἡδοναῖς ¹⁷⁷

mvp-comment-77-2 ἐξαίρει βίον ¹⁷⁸

mvp-comment-78-1 ἐν νυκτὶ ¹⁷⁹ λάβῃ ¹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-78-2 ἤτοι … ἢ ¹⁸¹

mvp-comment-78-3 πρὸς ἀνδρὸς … φοβουμένη ¹⁸²

mvp-comment-79-1 αὑτοῦ ¹⁸³

mvp-comment-79-2 κακοῖσιν οἷς ¹⁸⁴ κακοῖσιν οἷς ¹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-80-1 μὲν οὖν δὴ ¹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-81-1 ἦμος ¹⁸⁷

mvp-comment-81-2 τὴν τελευταίαν ¹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-82-1 δέλτον ¹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-82-2 ἐγγεγραμμένην ¹⁹⁰ ξυνθήμαθ’ ¹⁹¹ ξυνθήματα ¹⁹²

mvp-comment-83-1 ἀγῶνας ἐξιών ¹⁹³ οὐ ¹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-83-2 ἔτλη ¹⁹⁵

mvp-comment-84-1 ὥς τι δράσων ¹⁹⁶

mvp-comment-85-1 ἔτ’ οὐκ ὤν ¹⁹⁷

mvp-comment-85-2 εἶπε μὲν … εἶπε δ’ ¹⁹⁸ προτάξας ¹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-85-3 εἶπε … ὅ τι χρείη μ’ ἑλέσθαι λέχους κτῆσιν ²⁰⁰

mvp-comment-85-4 ἣν τέκνοις … νέμοι ²⁰¹

mvp-comment-85-5 διαιρετὸν ²⁰²

mvp-comment-86-1 The constr. is:

mvp-comment-86-2 χρόνον προτάξας ²⁰³

mvp-comment-86-3 ὡς ²⁰⁴

mvp-comment-86-4 ἡνίκα χώρας ἀπείη βεβώς τρίμ. χρόνον κἀνιαύς ²⁰⁵

mvp-comment-86-5 τότε χρείη σφε ἢ θανεῖν τῷδε τῷ χρ., ἢ … ζῆν ²⁰⁶ ὡς ²⁰⁷

mvp-comment-86-6 I leave the MS. τρίμηνον … κἀνιαύσιος ²⁰⁸ κἀνιαύσιον ²⁰⁹ χρόνον … χρόνῳ … χρόνου ²¹⁰

mvp-comment-86-7 ὑπεκδραμόντα ²¹¹ χρόνου τέλος ²¹² ὑπεκδρ ²¹³ ὑπερδραμόντα ²¹⁴

mvp-comment-86-8 The arguments which have been brought against vv. 166—168 are examined in the Appendix.

mvp-comment-87-1 τοιαῦτ’ ἔφραζε … πόνων ²¹⁵ τῶν Ἡρακλείων πόνων ²¹⁶

mvp-comment-87-2 (1) It is a gen. of connection, equiv. to the gen. with

περί

, and going with the whole phrase εἱμαρμένα ἐκτελευτᾶσθαι ²¹⁷

mvp-comment-87-3 (2) It is also possible, though less probable, that the gen. should be taken as partitive with ἐκτελευτᾶσθαι ²¹⁸

mvp-comment-87-4 (3) πόνων ²¹⁹ πρὸς θεῶν εἱμαρμένα ²²⁰

mvp-comment-87-5 (4) πόνων ²²¹ ἐκτελευτᾶσθαι ²²²

mvp-comment-88-1 ὡς τὴν παλαιὰν φηγὸν ²²³

mvp-comment-88-2 Others understand:—(1) ‘by the agency of two doves’: i.e., the signs from the oak were somehow combined with, or explained by, signs derived from birds. (2) ‘The oak spake from between two doves’; i.e. a symbolical dove, of stone or metal, stood on either side of the tree. The Appendix will show what can be said for or against each of these theories. Here it may be noted that neither seems to accord so well with the phrase αὐδῆσαι ἐκ ²²⁴

mvp-comment-88-3 Δωδῶνι ²²⁵

mvp-comment-89-1 ναμέρτεια ²²⁶

mvp-comment-89-2 τῶνδε ²²⁷ ναμέρτεια ²²⁸ συμβαίνει ²²⁹ ὡς ²³⁰ τελεσθῆναι χρεών ²³¹ ὡς ²³² ᾧ ²³³

mvp-comment-89-3 Others understand:—(1) ‘The true fulfilment of these words as (

ὡς

) they are to be accomplished’; or (2) ‘the truth of the prediction that (

ὡς

) these things are to be accomplished.’

mvp-comment-89-4 This is one of those passages in which the manner of Sophocles recalls that of Vergil. The general meaning is simple and clear<*> but a verbal analysis demands the nicest care.

mvp-comment-90-1 ἡδέως ²³⁴

mvp-comment-90-2 φόβῳ ²³⁵ ταρβοῦσαν ²³⁶

mvp-comment-91-1 εὐφημίαν ²³⁷

mvp-comment-91-2 πρὸς χαρὰν λόγων ²³⁸

mvp-comment-92-1 πρῶτος ἀγγέλων ²³⁹

mvp-comment-93-1 γὰρ ²⁴⁰

mvp-comment-93-2 κρατοῦντα ²⁴¹

mvp-comment-93-3 ἀπαρχὰς ²⁴² τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις ²⁴³

mvp-comment-94-1 τίνα … τόνδε ²⁴⁴

mvp-comment-95-1 πολύζηλον ²⁴⁵

mvp-comment-95-2 φανέντα ²⁴⁶

mvp-comment-95-3 κράτει νικηφόρῳ ²⁴⁷

mvp-comment-96-1 ἀστῶν ἢ ξένων ²⁴⁸

mvp-comment-97-1 βουθερεῖ ²⁴⁹

mvp-comment-98-1 τοι ²⁵⁰

mvp-comment-99-1 εἴπερ εὐτυχεῖ ²⁵¹

mvp-comment-99-2 193 (

ἄπεστιν

), οὐκ εὐμ. χρώμενος ²⁵²

mvp-comment-100-1 Μηλιεὺς ²⁵³

mvp-comment-100-2 ἅπας ²⁵⁴

mvp-comment-101-1 κρίνει ²⁵⁵

mvp-comment-101-2 παραστάς ²⁵⁶ κύκλῳ ²⁵⁷ περιστάς ²⁵⁸

mvp-comment-101-3 βῆναι ²⁵⁹

mvp-comment-102-1 τὸ γὰρ ποθοῦν ²⁶⁰ τὸ … ποθοῦν ²⁶¹ τὰ γὰρ ποθείν’ ²⁶²

mvp-comment-102-2 (1) If τὸ … ποθοῦν ²⁶³

mvp-comment-102-3 (2) τὸ ποθοῦν ἐκμαθεῖν ²⁶⁴ ἐκμαθεῖν ²⁶⁵ τὸ ποθοῦν ²⁶⁶

mvp-comment-102-4 (3) It remains, then, to take τὸ ποθοῦν ²⁶⁷

mvp-comment-103-1 οὐχ ἑκών, ἑκοῦσι δὲ ²⁶⁸

mvp-comment-104-1 τὸν Οἴτης ἄτομον … λειμῶν’ ²⁶⁹ ἄτομον ²⁷⁰

mvp-comment-105-1 ἀλλὰ ²⁷¹ σὺν χρόνῳ ²⁷²

mvp-comment-106-1 εἴσω ²⁷³ ἔσω ²⁷⁴

mvp-comment-106-2 στέγης … αὐλῆς ²⁷⁵

mvp-comment-106-3 ὄμμα φήμης τῆσδε, ἄελπτον ἐμοὶ ἀνασχόν ²⁷⁶

mvp-comment-106-4 The wording here, ὡς … ἀνασχόν ²⁷⁷ τῆσδε ²⁷⁸ τῆσδ’ ὃ ²⁷⁹ ἄελπτον ²⁸⁰

mvp-comment-107-1 This lively ‘dance-song’ (

ὑπόρχημα

) is the direct response of the Chorus to Deianeira's appeal (202

φωνήσατ’

),—expressing their delight at the good news. As Dr. W. Christ, who calls it ‘a paean to Artemis and Apollo,’ justly remarks ( Metrik § 443), its contents clearly point to a distribution of the verses between different singers. (1) The first part, down to v. 215 (

Νύμφας

), is an invitation to song and dance; this would be given either by the coryphaeus, or by the leader of one semichorus. (2) The second part, vv. 216—220 (

ἀείρομ’...ἅμιλλαν

), is the response, delivered by the leader of the other semichorus. (3) Then, at v. 221, the whole Chorus joins in with the refrain of the paean,

ἰὼ ἰὼ Παιάν

. (4) The coryphaeus then gives the last three verses, which introduce the next scene.—For the metres, see Metrical Analysis.

mvp-comment-107-2 ἀνολολυξάτω ²⁸¹ δόμοις ²⁸² ἁ ²⁸³ ὁ ²⁸⁴ δόμοις ²⁸⁵ ἐφεστίοις ²⁸⁶ ἐν δὲ κοινὸς ἀρσένων ²⁸⁷

mvp-comment-107-3 Hence we have to choose between these views, of which I prefer the first. (1) ἁ μελλόνυμφος ²⁸⁸ ἁ μελλόνυμφος ²⁸⁹ δόμος … ὁ μελλόνυμφος ²⁹⁰

mvp-comment-107-4 ἀνολολυξάτω ²⁹¹

mvp-comment-107-5 δόμοις ²⁹² ἀλαλαῖς ²⁹³

mvp-comment-108-1 κοινὸς ²⁹⁴ τὸν εὐφ. Ἀπ ²⁹⁵ ἴτω κλαγγὰ ²⁹⁶

mvp-comment-109-1 ἀνάγετ’ ²⁹⁷

mvp-comment-110-1 Ἄρτεμιν Ὀρτυγίαν ²⁹⁸

mvp-comment-110-2 Artemis was worshipped on the coasts near Malis (637 n.), but we have no proof that the name

Ὀρτυγία

was specially given to her there. Perhaps the poet uses it here merely as one of her standing epithets.

mvp-comment-110-3 ἐλαφαβόλον ²⁹⁹

mvp-comment-110-4 ἀμφίπυρον ³⁰⁰

mvp-comment-110-5 Νύμφας ³⁰¹

mvp-comment-111-1 ἀείρομ’ ³⁰²

mvp-comment-112-1 τὸν αὐλόν ³⁰³ ὦ τύραννε ³⁰⁴ τᾶς ἐμᾶς φρενός ³⁰⁵

mvp-comment-113-1 ἰδού μ’ ³⁰⁶ εὐοῖ ³⁰⁷ ἀναταράσσει ³⁰⁸

mvp-comment-113-2 ὁ κισσός ³⁰⁹

mvp-comment-113-3 βακχίαν … ἅμιλλαν ³¹⁰

mvp-comment-114-1 ἰὼ ἰὼ Παιάν ³¹¹

mvp-comment-115-1 ἵδ’ ³¹² ἴδε ἴδ’ ³¹³

mvp-comment-116-1 τάδ’ ³¹⁴

mvp-comment-116-2 ἐναργῆ ³¹⁵ ἀντίπρῳρα ³¹⁶

mvp-comment-117-1 οὐδέ μ’ ὄμματος φρουρὰν παρῇλθε ³¹⁷ παρῆλθε ³¹⁸ φρουρὰ ³¹⁹

mvp-comment-118-1 προὐννέπω ³²⁰

mvp-comment-118-2 φέρεις ³²¹ καὶ ³²²

mvp-comment-119-1 ἀλλ’ ³²³

mvp-comment-120-1 κατ’ ἔργου κτῆσιν ³²⁴

mvp-comment-120-2 ἄνδρα γὰρ ³²⁵

mvp-comment-120-3 καλῶς πράσσοντ’ ³²⁶ καλῶς ³²⁷ καλά ³²⁸

mvp-comment-121-1 ἃ πρῶτα βούλομαι ³²⁹ ‐εα ³³⁰

mvp-comment-122-1 ἔγωγέ τοι ³³¹

mvp-comment-122-2 ἔλειπον ³³² ζῶντα ³³³ τε καί ³³⁴ ἰσχύοντα ³³⁵ καί ³³⁶ θάλλοντα ³³⁷

mvp-comment-123-1 ποῦ γῆς ³³⁸ πατρῴας εἴτε βαρβάρου ³³⁹ εἴτε ³⁴⁰ εἴτε ³⁴¹

mvp-comment-123-2 ποῦ γῆς; πατρῴας εἴτε βαρβάρου; λέγε ³⁴²

mvp-comment-123-3 ποῦ γῆς; πατρῴας εἴτε βαρβάρου, λέγε ³⁴³

mvp-comment-123-4 πατρῴας ³⁴⁴

mvp-comment-124-1 Εὐβοίς ³⁴⁵

mvp-comment-124-2 ὁρίζεται βωμοὺς ³⁴⁶ βωμοὺς ³⁴⁷

mvp-comment-124-3 τέλη τ’ ἔγκαρπα ³⁴⁸

mvp-comment-125-1 εὐκταῖα … ἢ )πὸ μαντείας ³⁴⁹

mvp-comment-125-2 φαίνων ³⁵⁰

mvp-comment-126-1 εὐχαῖς ³⁵¹

mvp-comment-126-2 ἀνάστατον ³⁵²

mvp-comment-127-1 ὧν ³⁵³

mvp-comment-127-2 ἐν ὄμμασιν ³⁵⁴

mvp-comment-128-1 τοῦ ποτ’ εἰσὶ ³⁵⁵ ἐκεῖνος ³⁵⁶

mvp-comment-129-1 οἰκτραὶ γάρ ³⁵⁷

mvp-comment-129-2 ξυμφοραὶ ³⁵⁸ ξυμφορᾷ ³⁵⁹

mvp-comment-130-1 ἐξείλεθ’ ³⁶⁰ αὑτῷ ³⁶¹ θεοῖς ³⁶²

mvp-comment-131-1 ἦ κἀπὶ ³⁶³

mvp-comment-131-2 ἄσκοπον ³⁶⁴

mvp-comment-131-3 ἡμερῶν ³⁶⁵ ἀνήριθμον ³⁶⁶ χρόνον ³⁶⁷

mvp-comment-131-4 The form

ἀνήριθμος

is of a frequent type. When the second part of a compound adj. has a disyllabic stem (usu. a verbal stem), beginning with a short vowel, this vowel may be lengthened. Such forms were oft. convenient in poetry (as

ἀνήροτος, εὐήνεμος, φιλήρετμος

), but many of them were equally current in good prose (as

ἀνήκεστος, ἀνήνυτος, ἀνηλεῶς, εὐώνυμος

). The restriction of

ἀνήριθμος

to classical poetry and late prose (as Athen. p. 253 F) is not due to 1ts form, but to the fact that classical prose preferred

ἀναρίθμητος

. Tragedy uses

ἀνάριθμος

(

α^

) where it suits the metre (as in El.225 ). In Theocr. 15. 45

ἀνάριθμοι

(

α—

) is Doric for

ἀνήριθμοι

mvp-comment-132-1 τὸν μὲν πλεῖστον … χρόνον ³⁶⁸ ὡς φήσ’ αὐτός ³⁶⁹

mvp-comment-133-1 ἐμποληθείς ³⁷⁰

mvp-comment-133-2 τοῦ λόγου … φθόνον ³⁷¹

mvp-comment-133-3 προσεῖναι ³⁷²

mvp-comment-133-4 ὅτου ³⁷³ ὅτου ³⁷⁴ τοῦ λόγου ³⁷⁵

mvp-comment-133-5 πράκτωρ φανῇ ³⁷⁶

mvp-comment-133-6 The meaning is:—‘You may think that the humiliation of Heracles ought not to be related by his servant to his wife. But this humiliation was imposed by Zeus himself, and can therefore be related without reflecting upon Heracles.’

mvp-comment-134-1 κεῖνος δὲ ³⁷⁷ ἐν Λυδοῖς ³⁷⁸ χρόνον ³⁷⁹

mvp-comment-134-2 πραθεὶς … Ὀμφάλῃ ³⁸⁰

mvp-comment-134-3 Two tragic poets of the fifth century B.C., Ionof Chios and Achaeus, had written an

Ὀμφάλη σατυρική

. Two poets of the Middle Comedy, Antiphanes (Athen. 112 C) and Cratinus jun. (id. 669 B) wrote an

Ὀμφάλη

, picturing Heracles abandoned to sensuous pleasures. Itis the more noteworthy how Sophocles, in lightly touching on this episode, has guarded his hero's dignity. For he speaks only of servile labours for the Lydian taskmistress (70 It, 356 ); and marks how the bondsman felt his disgrace (254).

mvp-comment-135-1 ἐνιαυτὸν ³⁸¹

mvp-comment-136-1 λαβὼν ³⁸²

mvp-comment-137-1 ὅρκον αὑτῷ προσβαλὼν ³⁸³

mvp-comment-137-2 ἦ μὴν ³⁸⁴

mvp-comment-137-3 τὸν ἀγχιστῆρα τοῦδε τοῦ πάθους ³⁸⁵

mvp-comment-137-4 No emendation is probable. Nauck's αὐτόχειρα ³⁸⁶

mvp-comment-138-1 ξὺν παιδὶ καὶ γυναικὶ ³⁸⁷ παισὶ ³⁸⁸

mvp-comment-138-2 ἔτι ³⁸⁹

mvp-comment-139-1 κοὐχ ἡλίωσε τοὔπος ³⁹⁰

mvp-comment-139-2 ὅθ’ ἁγνὸς ἦν ³⁹¹ ἁγνός ³⁹²

mvp-comment-140-1 στρατὸν … ἐπακτὸν ³⁹³

mvp-comment-140-2 ἔρχεται ³⁹⁴

mvp-comment-140-3 πόλιν τὴν Εὐρυτείάν ³⁹⁵

mvp-comment-141-1 ἐφέστιον ³⁹⁶ ἐς δόμους ³⁹⁷ ἐλθόντ’ … ἐφέστιον ³⁹⁸

mvp-comment-142-1 ξένον παλαιὸν ὄντα ³⁹⁹

mvp-comment-143-1 ἐπερρόθησε ⁴⁰⁰

mvp-comment-143-2 From

ἐπερρόθησε

a verb of more general sense, such as

ὕβρισε

, is to be supplied with ἀτηρᾷ φρενί ⁴⁰¹ γόγοις ⁴⁰² φρενί ⁴⁰³ δείπνοις δ’ ⁴⁰⁴

mvp-comment-143-3 Others understand :—‘railed against him both with (rude) words and with evil intent.’ To this there are two objections. (1) Since all the supposed affronts are then verbal, the antithesis would require an epithet for λόγοις ⁴⁰⁵ ἀτηρᾷ ⁴⁰⁶ πολλὰ μὲν … πολλὰ δέ ⁴⁰⁷

mvp-comment-143-4 The text is clearly (I think) sound. It is unwarrantable, as it is undesirable, to strike out πολλὰ δ’ … χεροῖν μὲν ⁴⁰⁸

mvp-comment-144-1 λέγων χεροῖν μὲν ⁴⁰⁹ δὲ ⁴¹⁰ λέγων ⁴¹¹

mvp-comment-144-2 τῶν ὧν τέκνων ⁴¹²

mvp-comment-144-3 λείποιτο ⁴¹³

mvp-comment-145-1 φωνεῖ δὲ ⁴¹⁴ ῥαίοιτο ⁴¹⁵

mvp-comment-145-2 ἀνδρὸς … ἐλευθέρου ⁴¹⁶ δοῦλος ⁴¹⁷

mvp-comment-145-3 ῥαίοιτο ⁴¹⁸

mvp-comment-145-4 The conject.

φανεὶς δὲ δοῦλος ἀνδρος ἀντ’ ἐλευθέρου

(cr. n.) has been received by several edd., who cite Ai.1020

δοῦλος λόγοισιν ἀντ’ ἐλευθέρου φανείς

. There, however, the force of

φανείς

depends on

λόγοισιν

: ‘represented,’ ‘made out,’ in his taunting words, to be a slave. Here

φανείς

would mean simply, ‘found to be.’

mvp-comment-145-5 δείπνοις ⁴¹⁹

mvp-comment-145-6 ᾠνωμένος ⁴²⁰

mvp-comment-145-7 ἔρριψεν ἐκτὸς αὐτόν ⁴²¹

mvp-comment-145-8 ὧν ἔχων χόλον ⁴²²

mvp-comment-146-1 αὖθις ⁴²³

mvp-comment-146-2 Τιρυνθίαν … κλιτύν ⁴²⁴ υ^ ⁴²⁵ κλιτύν ⁴²⁶

mvp-comment-146-3 ἵππους νομάδας ⁴²⁷ νομάδας ⁴²⁸

mvp-comment-147-1 ἄλλοσ’ … ὄμμα, θατέρᾳ δὲ νοῦν ἔχοντ’ ⁴²⁹ θατέρᾳ ⁴³⁰ ἄλλοσε ⁴³¹

mvp-comment-147-2 πυργώδους πλακός ⁴³²

mvp-comment-148-1 ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων ⁴³³

mvp-comment-149-1 πρατόν νιν ἐξέπεμψεν ⁴³⁴ οὐδ’ ἠνέσχετο ⁴³⁵ ὁθούνεκ’ ⁴³⁶ μοῦνον ⁴³⁷

mvp-comment-150-1 ἠμύνατο ⁴³⁸

mvp-comment-151-1 χειρουμένῳ ⁴³⁹

mvp-comment-151-2 οὐδὲ δαίμονες ⁴⁴⁰

mvp-comment-152-1 κεῖνοι δ’ ⁴⁴¹

mvp-comment-152-2 ὑπερχλίοντες ⁴⁴²

mvp-comment-152-3 ἐκ γλώσσης κακῆς ⁴⁴³

mvp-comment-152-4 282 For αὐτοὶ μὲν ⁴⁴⁴ κεῖνοι ⁴⁴⁵ πόλις δὲ ⁴⁴⁶

mvp-comment-152-5 οἰκήτορες ⁴⁴⁷

mvp-comment-153-1 τάσδε ⁴⁴⁸ ἅσπερ ⁴⁴⁹ ἐξ ὀλβίων ⁴⁵⁰

mvp-comment-154-1 χωροῦσι πρὸς σέ ⁴⁵¹

mvp-comment-154-2 πόσις τε … ἐγὼ δὲ ⁴⁵² ἐφεῖτο ⁴⁵³ τελῶ ⁴⁵⁴

mvp-comment-155-1 ἁγνὰ θύματα ⁴⁵⁵ τῆς ἁλώσεως ⁴⁵⁶

mvp-comment-156-1 φρόνει νιν ὡς ἥξοντα ⁴⁵⁷ νιν ⁴⁵⁸ ὡς ⁴⁵⁹

mvp-comment-157-1 καλῶς ⁴⁶⁰

mvp-comment-158-1 νῦν σοι τέρψις ἐμφανὴς κυρεῖ ⁴⁶¹

mvp-comment-158-2 τῶν μὲν ⁴⁶² τὰ δὲ ⁴⁶³

mvp-comment-159-1 πανδίκῳ φρενί ⁴⁶⁴

mvp-comment-160-1 τῇδε ⁴⁶⁵ τοῦτο ⁴⁶⁶

mvp-comment-160-2 The rejection of this verse (see cr. n.) would be deplorable. Deianeira rejoices, but <*>ls a certain sadness, and knows that she cannot help showing it; all the more she wishes to assure them how real her joy is.

mvp-comment-161-1 τοῖσιν εὖ σκοπουμένοις ⁴⁶⁷

mvp-comment-161-2 ταρβεῖν τὸν εὖ πράσσοντα ⁴⁶⁸

mvp-comment-161-3 This shadow which flits across Deianeira's joy is the more dramatically impressive for the spectators, because it arises so naturally out of her tender sympathy for the captives. It is a touch worthy of the greatest master.

mvp-comment-162-1 ἐμοὶ … εἰσέβη ⁴⁶⁹

mvp-comment-162-2 δεινὸς ⁴⁷⁰

mvp-comment-163-1 ἀπάτορας ⁴⁷¹

mvp-comment-163-2 301 f. For ἴσως ⁴⁷² ἐξ ἐλευθέρων ἀνδρῶν ⁴⁷³ ἀνδρῶν ⁴⁷⁴ ἀπάτορας ⁴⁷⁵

mvp-comment-164-1 ὦ Ζεῦ τροπαῖε ⁴⁷⁶

mvp-comment-164-2 τοὐμὸν σπέρμα ⁴⁷⁷

mvp-comment-164-3 χωρήσαντα ⁴⁷⁸ εἰς ⁴⁷⁹ πρὸς ⁴⁸⁰ σε ⁴⁸¹ που ⁴⁸²

mvp-comment-165-1 μηδ’, εἴ τι δράσεις ⁴⁸³ εἰ ⁴⁸⁴ ζώσης ⁴⁸⁵

mvp-comment-165-2 This verse is a development of μή ποτ’ εἰσίδοιμι ⁴⁸⁶

mvp-comment-165-3 The objection to the verse as illogical assumes that the

δέ

in μηδέ ⁴⁸⁷

mvp-comment-166-1 τεκνοῦσσα ⁴⁸⁸ τεκοῦσα ⁴⁸⁹

mvp-comment-166-2 πρὸς … φύσιν ⁴⁹⁰ πάντων … τῶνδε ⁴⁹¹

mvp-comment-166-3 γενναία ⁴⁹²

mvp-comment-167-1 ὁ φιτύσας πατήρ ⁴⁹³

mvp-comment-167-2 ᾤκτισα ⁴⁹⁴

mvp-comment-167-3 ὅσῳπερ ⁴⁹⁵ μόνη ⁴⁹⁶

mvp-comment-167-4 φρονεῖν οἶδεν ⁴⁹⁷ φρονεῖν ⁴⁹⁸

mvp-comment-167-5 314 f. For καὶ ⁴⁹⁹ κρίνοις ⁵⁰⁰

mvp-comment-167-6 γέννημα τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ⁵⁰¹ οὐκ ἐν ὑστάτοις ⁵⁰²

mvp-comment-168-1 μὴ τῶν τυράννων ⁵⁰³

mvp-comment-168-2 Εὐρύτου σπορά τις ἦν ⁵⁰⁴ τις ⁵⁰⁵

mvp-comment-169-1 ἀνιστόρουν ⁵⁰⁶

mvp-comment-169-2 μακράν ⁵⁰⁷

mvp-comment-170-1 ξυνεμπόρων ⁵⁰⁸

mvp-comment-170-2 ἔχεις ⁵⁰⁹

mvp-comment-170-3 ἤνυτον ⁵¹⁰

mvp-comment-171-1 ἀλλ’ ἡμὶν ⁵¹¹

mvp-comment-172-1 καὶ ⁵¹² ξυμφορά ⁵¹³

mvp-comment-173-1 οὔ τἄρα ⁵¹⁴ οὐδὲν ἐξ ἴσου ⁵¹⁵ τῷ γε πρόσθεν χρόνῳ ⁵¹⁶ ἐξ ἴσου ⁵¹⁷ διοίσει ⁵¹⁸ γλῶσσαν ⁵¹⁹ διοίσει ⁵²⁰

mvp-comment-173-2 ἤτις ⁵²¹

mvp-comment-173-3 οὐδαμὰ ⁵²²

mvp-comment-174-1 οὔτε μείζον’ οὔτ’ ἐλάσσονα ⁵²³

mvp-comment-175-1 ὠδίνουσα … βάρος ⁵²⁴

mvp-comment-176-1 διήνεμον ⁵²⁵ πάτραν ⁵²⁶

mvp-comment-176-2 ἡ … τὐχη ⁵²⁷

mvp-comment-176-3 αὐτῇ γ’ ⁵²⁸ γ’ ⁵²⁹

mvp-comment-176-4 συγγνώμην ἔχει ⁵³⁰

mvp-comment-177-1 ἡ δ’ οὖν ⁵³¹ ἡ δ’ ⁵³² ἥδ’ ⁵³³

mvp-comment-177-2 οὕτως ὅπως ἥδιστα ⁵³⁴

mvp-comment-177-3 331 Among the attempts to amend

λύπην...λύπην

(cr. n.), the two best, I think, are, (1) ἄλλην … λύπην ⁵³⁵ λύπην … διπλῆν ⁵³⁶ διπλῆν ⁵³⁷

mvp-comment-177-4 Almost all edd. retain the optat. λάβοι ⁵³⁸ λάβῃ ⁵³⁹

mvp-comment-178-1 οἷ θέλεις σπεύδῃς ⁵⁴⁰

mvp-comment-178-2 ἐγὼ δὲ ⁵⁴¹ σύ θ’ ⁵⁴²

mvp-comment-178-3 ἐξαρκῆ τιθῶ ⁵⁴³

mvp-comment-179-1 The

ἄγγελος

(180), who has listened in silence, now places himself between Deianeira and the door through which she is about to follow Lichas and the captives.

mvp-comment-179-2 αὐτοῦ γε πρῶτον βαιὸν ἀμμείνας’ ⁵⁴⁴ γε ⁵⁴⁵

mvp-comment-179-3 ἀμμείνας’ ⁵⁴⁶

mvp-comment-180-1 ἄνευ ⁵⁴⁷ τ’ ⁵⁴⁸ μάθῃς ⁵⁴⁹ μάθῃς ⁵⁵⁰ ἐκμάθῃς ⁵⁵¹ οὕστινας ⁵⁵²

mvp-comment-180-2 ὧν τ’ οὐδὲν εἰσήκουσας ⁵⁵³

mvp-comment-181-1 πάντ’ ⁵⁵⁴

mvp-comment-182-1 τί δ’ ἔστι ⁵⁵⁵

mvp-comment-182-2 τοῦ ⁵⁵⁶

mvp-comment-182-3 ἐφίστασαί με ⁵⁵⁷ τήνδε βάσιν ⁵⁵⁸

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 ⁵⁵⁹ τήνδε βάσιν ⁵⁶⁰ με ⁵⁶¹ μοι ⁵⁶² τοῦ ⁵⁶³ ἐφ’ οὗ ⁵⁶⁴ με ⁵⁶⁵

mvp-comment-183-1 οὐδὲ τὸν πάρος … οὐδὲ νῦν ⁵⁶⁶ οὐδὲ ⁵⁶⁷ οὔτε ⁵⁶⁸

mvp-comment-183-2 μάτην ⁵⁶⁹

mvp-comment-183-3 δοκῶ ⁵⁷⁰

mvp-comment-184-1 ἐκείνους ⁵⁷¹ τούτους δ’ ἔα ⁵⁷² ἄνευ τῶνδ’ ⁵⁷³

mvp-comment-184-2 ἢ )μοὶ ταῖσδέ τ’ ⁵⁷⁴

mvp-comment-185-1 σοὶ ταῖσδέ τ’ οὐδὲν εἴργεται ⁵⁷⁵ οὐδὲν ⁵⁷⁶ σοὶ ταῖσδέ τ’ ⁵⁷⁷

mvp-comment-186-1 καὶ δὴ ⁵⁷⁸

mvp-comment-186-2 χὡ λόγος σημαινέτω ⁵⁷⁹

mvp-comment-187-1 δίκης ἐς ὀρθόν ⁵⁸⁰

mvp-comment-187-2 ἢ νῦν … ἢ πρόσθεν … παρῆν ⁵⁸¹ κακός ⁵⁸²

mvp-comment-188-1 ἃ μὲν γὰρ ἐξείρηκας ⁵⁸³

mvp-comment-188-2 ἀγνοία ⁵⁸⁴

mvp-comment-189-1 μαρτύρων ⁵⁸⁵

mvp-comment-189-2 Εὔρυτόν θ’ ἕλοι τήν θ’ ὑψίπ. Οἰχαλίαν ⁵⁸⁶

mvp-comment-189-3 τὴν ὑψίπυργον ⁵⁸⁷

mvp-comment-189-4 Οἰχαλίαν ⁵⁸⁸

mvp-comment-190-1 μόνος θεῶν ⁵⁸⁹

mvp-comment-190-2 θέλξειεν ⁵⁹⁰

mvp-comment-191-1 οὐ τἀπὶ Λυδοῖς ⁵⁹¹ ὑπ’ ⁵⁹² ἐπ’ ⁵⁹³ τἀπὶ ⁵⁹⁴ ἐπ’ ⁵⁹⁵

mvp-comment-191-2 πόνων λατρεύματ’ ⁵⁹⁶

mvp-comment-191-3 ὁ ῥιπτὸς … μόρος ⁵⁹⁷

mvp-comment-191-4 Heracles had really killed Iphitus. The denial here refers only to the place which the murder held in the story told by Lichas. Heracles was instigated, not by the Lydian servitude which punished his crime, or by those affronts (262 ff.) which Lichas represented as having moved him to the crime, but, in reality, by the refusal of Eurytus to give him Iolè.

mvp-comment-192-1 ὃν ⁵⁹⁸ ὃ ⁵⁹⁹ ὃν … παρώσας ⁶⁰⁰

mvp-comment-193-1 ἀλλ’ ἡνίκ’ ⁶⁰¹ οὐκ ἔπειθε ⁶⁰²

mvp-comment-193-2 τὸν φυτοσπόρον ⁶⁰³

mvp-comment-194-1 κρύφιον ὡς ἔχοι λέχος ⁶⁰⁴ αἰτίαν ⁶⁰⁵

mvp-comment-194-2 ἑτοιμάσας ⁶⁰⁶

mvp-comment-194-3 362—

mvp-comment-195-1 ἐπιστρατεύει … ἄνακτα πατέρα ⁶⁰⁷ τόνδ’ ⁶⁰⁸ τῶνδ’ ⁶⁰⁹

mvp-comment-195-2 (1) It was needless to say that the girl's

πατρίς

was also the realm of Eurytus: cp. 244 f.: 283 ff.: 315. The excuse must be that the Messenger himself had not yet said so; he is wordy, and anxious, in his own fashion, to be lucid. The reading τόνδ’ ⁶¹⁰ τῶνδ’ ⁶¹¹

mvp-comment-195-3 (2) Heracles is subject to ἐπιστρατεύει ⁶¹² κτείνει ⁶¹³ εἶπε ⁶¹⁴ δεσπόζειν ⁶¹⁵ εἶπε ⁶¹⁶

mvp-comment-195-4 (3) At v. 377 Deianeira asks,

ἆρ’ ἀνώνυμος

πέφυκεν

; i.e., ‘is she of obscure birth?’—and then, for the first time, learns that the girl's father is Eurytus. So she must have understood ἄνακτα ⁶¹⁷

mvp-comment-195-5 The only course which removes all these three difficulties is Hartung's,—who brackets the words τὴν ταύτης … πατέρα ⁶¹⁸

mvp-comment-195-6 Others read τῶν Εὐρύτου τόνδ’, rendering: ‘in which (Lichas) said that Heracles (

τόνδ’

) holds’ [or ‘wishes to hold’] the throne of Eurytus.’ But Heracles simply laid Oechalia waste; there was no question of his reigning there.—Wecklein ingeniously reads τὸν ἐργάτην ⁶¹⁹ τῶνδ’ ⁶²⁰

mvp-comment-195-7 For the change of tenses, cp. Ant.406 n.

mvp-comment-196-1 ἥκει ⁶²¹ ἔπερσε ⁶²² ἐντεθέρμανται ⁶²³ ἥκει ⁶²⁴

mvp-comment-196-2 δόμους ὡς τούσδε ⁶²⁵

mvp-comment-197-1 οὐδ’ εἰκός ⁶²⁶

mvp-comment-197-2 ἐντεθέρμανται ⁶²⁷ ἐν‐ ⁶²⁸ ἐκ‐ ⁶²⁹

mvp-comment-198-1 πρὸς μέσῃ Τραχινίων ἀγορᾷ ⁶³⁰ ἐν ⁶³¹

mvp-comment-198-2 ἀγορᾷ ⁶³²

mvp-comment-198-3 Join ὡσαύτως ἐμοί ⁶³³

mvp-comment-199-1 τὸ δ’ ὀρθὸν ⁶³⁴

mvp-comment-200-1 ποῦ … πράγματος ⁶³⁵

mvp-comment-200-2 ὑπόστεγον ⁶³⁶

mvp-comment-201-1 ὦ δὐστηνος ⁶³⁷ πέφυκεν ⁶³⁸

mvp-comment-201-2 This question seems strange after the words κτείνει τ’ ἄνακτα πατέρα τῆσδε ⁶³⁹

mvp-comment-201-3 διώμνυτο ⁶⁴⁰

mvp-comment-202-1 ἦ κάρτα ⁶⁴¹

mvp-comment-202-2 The conject. ὄνομα ⁶⁴² ὄμμα ⁶⁴³ ἆρ’ ἀνώνυμος πέφυκεν ⁶⁴⁴ ὄνομα ⁶⁴⁵ φύσιν ⁶⁴⁶ κατ’ ὄμμα ⁶⁴⁷

mvp-comment-202-3 φύσιν ⁶⁴⁸

mvp-comment-202-4 In some ancient texts this verse was given to Deianeira. Among recent editors, Paley shares that view. But: (1) If Deianeira has already answered her own question, the Messenger's speech opens weakly with v. 380. (2) It agrees best with the practice of Sophocles to suppose that ἦ κάρτα ⁶⁴⁹ ἢ ⁶⁵⁰ ἦ ⁶⁵¹ φύσιν ⁶⁵² διώμνυτο ⁶⁵³

mvp-comment-203-1 πατρὸς μὲν οὖσα ⁶⁵⁴ Ἰόλη )καλεῖτο ⁶⁵⁵ ποτέ ⁶⁵⁶ )καλεῖτο ⁶⁵⁷ οὖσα ⁶⁵⁸

mvp-comment-203-2 Ἰόλη ⁶⁵⁹

mvp-comment-203-3 τῆς ⁶⁶⁰

mvp-comment-204-1 βλάστας ⁶⁶¹

mvp-comment-204-2 οὐδὲν ἱστορῶν ⁶⁶²

mvp-comment-204-3 Many editors place a comma after ἐφώνει ⁶⁶³ δῆθεν ⁶⁶⁴ δῆθεν ⁶⁶⁵ οὐδὲν ἱστορῶν ⁶⁶⁶

mvp-comment-205-1 ὄλοιντο ⁶⁶⁷

mvp-comment-205-2 The comment is aimed at Lichas in the first instance; but its vague form seems purposed, so that the hearers may extend it, if they please, to Heracles. Deianeira herself is in doubt whether the dissimulation practised by Lichas was prompted by her lord (449): Lichas explains that it was not so (479 f.). The schol.'s paraphrase shows that he wished to punctuate thus:

ὄλοιντο, μή τι πάντες, οἱ κακοί

, etc.: ‘perish, not all men, but the evil; and (especially) he,’ etc.

mvp-comment-205-3 τὰ δὲ ⁶⁶⁸ δὲ ⁶⁶⁹

mvp-comment-205-4 μὴ ⁶⁷⁰ πρέπονθ’ αὑτῷ ⁶⁷¹

mvp-comment-206-1 ποεῖν ⁶⁷²

mvp-comment-207-1 πεύθου ⁶⁷³ πυθοῦ ⁶⁷⁴

mvp-comment-207-2 σαφῆ ⁶⁷⁵

mvp-comment-208-1 οὐκ ἀπὸ γνώμης ⁶⁷⁶

mvp-comment-208-2 The accent in L here,

ἄπο γνώμης

, represents the theory that this prep. should be paroxytone when it means ‘at a distance from,’ as in the phrases cited above, and in

ἀπὸ τείχεος

( Il.9. 353 ),

ἀπὸ σεῖο

( ib. 437), etc. But this was merely a refinement due to comparatively late grammarians: see Ellendt, Lex. Soph. p. 79 a: Matthiae Gr. § 572 n. b.

mvp-comment-209-1 οὐκ ἐμῶν ὑπ’ ἀγγέλων ⁶⁷⁷ αὐτόκλητος ⁶⁷⁸

mvp-comment-210-1 ὡς ὁρᾷς ⁶⁷⁹ εἰσορᾷς ⁶⁸⁰ εἰσορᾷς ⁶⁸¹ ὡς ⁶⁸² ἕρποντος ἐμοῦ, εἰσορᾷς ⁶⁸³ ὡς ἕρποντος ἐμοῦ ⁶⁸⁴ εἰσορᾷς ⁶⁸⁵ εἰσορᾷς ὡς ἕρποντος ἐμοῦ ⁶⁸⁶ εἰσορᾷς ⁶⁸⁷

mvp-comment-210-2 As regards ὡς ὁρᾷς ⁶⁸⁸ ὡς ⁶⁸⁹

mvp-comment-211-1 ἐκ ταχείας ⁶⁹⁰

mvp-comment-211-2 σὺν χρόνῳ … βραδεῖ ⁶⁹¹

mvp-comment-211-3 πρὶν ἡμᾶς κἀννεώσασθαι λόγους ⁶⁹²

mvp-comment-212-1 ἦ καὶ ⁶⁹³

mvp-comment-212-2 τὸ πιστὸν τῆς ἀλη‐ ⁶⁹⁴ θείας ⁶⁹⁵

mvp-comment-212-3 νεμεῖς ⁶⁹⁶

mvp-comment-212-4 Even without the hint in the schol. (cr. n.), it would have been clear that νεμεῖς ⁶⁹⁷ νέμεις ⁶⁹⁸

mvp-comment-213-1 As to Nauck's change in the order of these verses (cr. n.), it is enough to observe that (1) Lichas could not reply to the question of his

δέσποινα

with such a rebuff as σὺ δ’ εἰς τί δή με ⁶⁹⁹ τόλμησον εἰπεῖν, εἰ φρονεῖς ⁷⁰⁰

mvp-comment-214-1 οὗτος, βλέφ’ ὧδε ⁷⁰¹

mvp-comment-215-1 σὺ δ’ ⁷⁰²

mvp-comment-216-1 τόλμησον ⁷⁰³

mvp-comment-216-2 εἰ φρονεῖς ⁷⁰⁴

mvp-comment-216-3 ἱστορῶ ⁷⁰⁵

mvp-comment-216-4 406 f. If δάμαρτα ⁷⁰⁶ δεσπότιν ⁷⁰⁷ θ’ ⁷⁰⁸ δ’ ⁷⁰⁹ δέ … δέ ⁷¹⁰ τε … τε. — λεύσσων μάταια ⁷¹¹

mvp-comment-217-1 δίκαια ⁷¹²

mvp-comment-218-1 δίκαιος ⁷¹³

mvp-comment-219-1 ποικίλας ⁷¹⁴

mvp-comment-220-1 ἱστορούμενος ⁷¹⁵

mvp-comment-221-1 κάτοισθα ⁷¹⁶

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

55. mvp-comment-50-1 ἀνδρὸς κατὰ ζήτησιν] Cp. Hdt. 1. 94, ἀποπλώειν κατὰ βίου ζήτησιν.

56. mvp-comment-51-1 εἰκός] ἰέναι rather than πέμπειν is the 'word understood,' as required by the subsequent context. Ср. О. Т. 190, ᾿Αρεά τε τὸν μαλερόν, κ.τ.λ.

57. mvp-comment-52-1 νέμοι] The Scholiast seems to have read νέμει. But νέμοι agrees better with the indirect turn given by ὅνπερ εἰκός : “The very one who might be expected to go, if he was at all careful to ascertain his father's welfare.' For the double genitive (on which see Essay on L. § 23. p. 37 a ), Dindorf well quotes Alexis apud Athenaeum, 10. Ρ. 431 Ε, τῶν δ᾽ ὠνουμένων προνοούμενοι τοῦ τὰς κεφαλὰς ὑγιεῖς ἔχειν. For the periphrasis with δοκεῖν, pointing to the desire of good tidings, cp. Ο. Τ. 402, εἰ δὲ μὴ ἐδόκεις γέρων εἶναι, and note: Thuc. 3. 10, ἀρετῆς δοκούσης. Here, as in similar expressions in Greek, seeming is not necessarily opposed to reality.

58. mvp-comment-53-1 ἀρτίπους] (1) ὅ ἐστιν, ἀρτίως καὶ ἡρμοσμένως τῷ καιρῷ πορεύεται. Schol. And such an 'etymological' use = ' With timely approach,' is quite possible. ( Essay on L. § 54 6, p. 99 ). The latter part of the compound is in this case less significant. Essay on L. § 55. p. 101. But (2) the simple Homeric meaning, Sound of foot,' is really more suited to the context, Hyllus, having out of doors heard news of his father, comes bounding home. The handmaid, seeing his agile movement, infers there can be no doubt of his ability to run this errand.' δόμους = εἰς δόμους, accusative of motion towards. Essay on L. § 16. p. 22.

59. mvp-comment-54-1 τί] Cp. Ο. C. 1034, νοεῖς τι τούτων.

61. mvp-comment-55-1 ὦ τέκνον, ὦ παῖ] The affectionate repetition betrays excitement. Cp. Philoct. 260, ὦ τέκνον, ὦ παῖ πατρὸς ἐξ ᾿Αχιλλέως. ἀγεννήτων] · Of no birth, i.e. low-born. à priv., as in ἀγεννής, has the meaning of δυσ-. Cp. ἄγλωσσος for βάρβαρος, infr. 1060.

62. mvp-comment-56-1 πίπτουσιν] 'Drop,' or 'Fall from the lips.' The notion is that of coming forth unexpectedly. Cp. χρησμὸς ἐκπίπτει, and the other expressions mentioned by L. and S. s. v. ἐκπίπτω, 5.

63. mvp-comment-57-1 δούλη μέν] Sc. ἐστίν. For this form of the senarius, see on O. T. 1513. ἐλεύθερον· ἐλευθέρῳ πρέποντα, Schol.

64. mvp-comment-58-1 εἰ διδακτά μοι] Sc. ἐστίν. ‘If I may be told.' The plural neuter of the verbal adjective has the force of an impersonal verb.

65. mvp-comment-59-1 ἐξενωμένου] 'Estranged,' i.e. Remaining away from home. Compare the use of févos in Εl. 865-7, εἰ ξένος .. κέκευθεν.

66. mvp-comment-60-1 αἰσχύνην φέρειν] The infinitive (depending on εἴρηκεν, 1. 63) is necessary, although most MSS. have φέρει.

67-78. mvp-comment-61-1 Hyllus has only just heard the rumour which he repeats; and Deianira is prompted by his mention of the new enterprise to communicate to him the special anxiety, over which she has hitherto brooded in solitude. The objection of Dobree, that she ought to have done so before, is like that made against the ignorance of Jocasta in the Oedipus Tyrannus. If such improbabilities in things external to the immediate action are not to be allowed, the composition of any drama becomes impossible.

67. mvp-comment-62-1 μύθοις] Three MSS. read μύθοις γ', a plausible reading, but made less likely by the recurrence of the same variant after θανών in line 73.

69. mvp-comment-63-1 ἐν μήκει χρόνου] ‘All this while,' is to be taken with πονεῖν. 'He has been labouring all this while for the past year.' Cp. infr. 824, 5, ὁπότε τελεόμηνος ἐκφέροι . . ἄροτος.

70. mvp-comment-64-1 λάτριν πονεῖν] 'That he has been serving as a menial.' The tense is the imperfect.

73. mvp-comment-65-1 ἢ θανών] ‘If he be indeed alive.' Deianira is stung by the report of Heracles' servitude to a barbarian woman, and. as she herself says, is prepared for anything. She even imagines that the prophecy of liberation may have been fulfilled by his death. Hence ἢ θανών is added with despairing bitterness. On the passive ἀγγέλλεται, see Essay on L. § 31. p. 54 b. The reading ἢ θανών γ᾽ (Par. B) is plausible, but see on 1. 67.

74. mvp-comment-66-1 Εὐρύτου πόλιν] Apposition of a part to the whole. Essay on L. § 33. p. 56.

75. mvp-comment-67-1 ἢ μέλλειν ἔτι] 'Or is on the eve of doing so. The second clause is a qualification of the first, and is added to avoid an absolute statement. Cp. infr. 460, ἀνὴρ εἶς, and note.

76. mvp-comment-68-1 ἔλειπε] The imperfect (being more descriptive) refers more pointedly to the time of Heracles' departure (sc. ὅτε ἔστειχε, cp. supr. 47), than the aorist would have done.

77. mvp-comment-69-1 τῆσδε τῆς χώρας πέρι] As Wunder observes, Oechalia was not mentioned in the oracle, but Deianira infers, from the coincidence of time, that the prophecy referred to what Heracles was doing now. Dobr. conj. πείρας, Dronke, ὥρας, Hense, χρείας.

78. mvp-comment-70-1 τὰ ποῖα] More precise than ποῖα. What were they exactly?' τὸν λόγον] The matter' to which you refer. Cp. Aj. 734, τοῖς κυρίοις γὰρ πάντα χρὴ δηλοῦν λόγον.

79. mvp-comment-71-1 ὡς ἢ τελευτὴν . . τελεῖν] • That he is either to accomplish the ending of his life.' Cp. 1255, 6, παῦλά τοι κακῶν αὕτη, τελευτὴ τοῦδε τἀνδρὸς ὑστάτη. Το which Hyllus replies, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲν εἴργει σοὶ τελειοῦσθαι τάδε. The expression, though unusual, is not more so than O. C. 1551, 2, τὸν τελευταῖον βίον | κρύψων: ib. 1720, ὀλβίως γ᾽ ἔλυσεν | τὸ τέλος βίου. For the pleonasm, cp. esp. infr. 1171, λύσιν τελεῖσθαι.

80-81. mvp-comment-72-1 These lines have been much suspected, but if τὸν ἀεὶ= τὸν ἀεὶ χρόνον, in El. 1076, O. C. 1701, which there is no good reason for doubting, εἰς τὸν ὕστερον = εἰς τὸν ὕστερον χρόνον, may be allowed. ἄρας] 'When he has carried away,' i.e. Performed successfully. The notion is partly that of lifting a weight, partly of removing an obstacle (between emolitus and amolitus).

82. mvp-comment-73-1 ἐν . . κειμένῳ] 'When he is at such a critical point;' lit. such a turning of the scale. ῥοπή is commonly the preponderance or determination of the balance one way; here it is the moment or crisis of a determination which is still uncertain. For κειμένῳ, cp. Aj. 323, ἐν τοιᾷδε κείμενος . . τύχῃ, where, however, there is the additional notion of being 'laid prostrate.'

83. mvp-comment-74-1 ἡνίκα] ‘At a moment when.'

84-85. mvp-comment-75-1 Canter ingeniously defended l. 84 by placing it after 85 and reading καί for ἤ. But the line is still unnecessary and falls flat. Some editors, with strange judgment, have rejected 85. 84 is most probably spurious. It looks like an attempt to fill up the lacuna, when 85 had been lost. The only other considerable interpolation to which we can point with any confidence is in lines 898, 899, which look like a players' addition. These three lines make but a slight foundation for the theory of two editions of the Trachiniae, even if we add ll. 88, 9, and the v. rr. in lines 12, 13, supr. See Introduction.

85. mvp-comment-76-1 βίον is the safety of Heracles with all that depends on it, including the happiness of Deianira and her children. Cp. El. 768, εἰ τοῖς ἐμαυτῆς τὸν βίον σώζω κακοῖς, where, as Ellendt remarks, Clytemnestra is not thinking only of her life, but of the prosperity attending it.

87. mvp-comment-77-1 βάξις in Greek tragedy is generally a striking utterance, either of an oracle or of common rumour, and often conveys some unpleasant association.

88. mvp-comment-78-1 The corrections of Vauvillers (ela for ą) and Wakefield (πρὶν for νῦν) remove all suspicion from this line. The sons of Heracles could not be apprehensive or greatly fearful for him who was perpetually contending with dangers and hitherto always with success. The sense of fear in them was partly lost through familiarity, partly disarmed by habitual good fortune. For πότμος in this indifferent sense (fortune ane whether good or bad), cp. Fr. 786. 1, 2, ἀλλ᾿ οὑμὸς ἀεὶ πότμος ἐν πυκνῷ θεοῦ τροχῷ κυκλεῖται καὶ μεταλλάσσει φύσιν.

90. mvp-comment-79-1 τὸ μή] For the absence of oὐ here in reference to prospective action, cp. Ο. Τ. 77, μὴ δρῶν, and see Essay on L. § 29. p. 50. The whole question of the Greek negatives is still too indeterminate to justify the admission of such conjectural emendations as the insertion of οὐ after μή in this place, proposed by Brunck and others.

92-93. mvp-comment-80-1 τό γ᾽ εὐ | πράσσειν] γε emphasizes ev: Wise action, even though late.' The emphatic position of πράσσειν at the beginning of another line, and the addition of ἐπεὶ πύθοιτο, may justify the singular use of τὸ εὐ πράσσειν in an active sense (= 'Doing right,' not, 'Faring well'), which is required by the context. For the omission of τίς, τινί (the subject of πύθοιτο and the dative after ἐμπολᾷ), see Essay on L. § 39. P. 72, 3, and cp. O. Τ. 314, 5, ἀφ᾽ ὧν ἔχοι τε καὶ δύναιτο.

94-140. mvp-comment-81-1 Parodos. Where in the wide world is Heracles, reposing in what continent, or by what narrow sea? Tell us, bright, all-beholding Sun! For our Deianira, for whose hand he fought, wears out her soul in thinking of him on her lonely couch; so ceaseless are the toils that crowd upon him like stormy billows. But God hath hitherto protected him; wherefore let not hope weary, O my queen. No life is without pain, but, by Divine ordinance, grief succeeds to joy and joy to grief. Remember this and hope the best. Zeus cannot leave his offspring to destruction.' The metre beginning with an iambic rhythm passes quickly into dactylo-trochaic, changing again in the epode to iambo-trochaic (with occasional syncope), then to pure iambics, ending with a bacchius followed by three trochees.

94-95. mvp-comment-82-1 ἐναριζομένα τίκτει] Gives birth to, being despoiled.' The word αἰόλα (like ποικιλείμων in Aesch. Prom. 24) suggests the glories of the starry night. (See Buttmann, Lexil. § 12.) These perish with her as she vanishes, 'Shot through with orient beams.' Cp. ΕΙ. 19, μέλαινά τ᾽ ἄστρων ἐκλέλοιπεν εὐφρόνη: Aesch. Ag. 279, τῆς νῦν τεκούσης φῶς τόδ᾽ εὐφρόνης λέγω. The mention of day succeeding night prepares for the suggestion of hope, infr. 131. κατευνάζει τε φλογιζόμενον] And lays glowing to his rest.' φλογιζόμενον calls up the image of a red sunset.

96. mvp-comment-83-1 ῞Αλιον αἰτῶ] The accusative or third person instead of the vocative, as in Aesch. Prom. 91, καὶ τὸν πανόπτην κύκλον ἡλίου καλῶ· | ἴδεσθέ μ'.

97. mvp-comment-84-1 πόθι μοι πόθι] The repetition belongs to the later manner of Greek tragedy. The change of construction after πόθι (παῖς not παῖδα) is right. To avoid the hiatus after l. 4 of the antistrophe the second μοι rather than παῖς (see v. rr.) should be omitted. μοι is dative of indirect reference after πόθι ναίει (cp. Ο. C. 137, ποῦ μοί ποτε ναίει), and also supplies the remoter object of καρύξαι.

99. mvp-comment-85-1 ὦ . . φλεγέθων] Cp. Ο. Τ. 163, 4, καὶ Φοῖβον ἑκαβόλον, ἰὼ |.. προφάνητε. στεροπᾷ is used etymologically, like στέροψ in Ant. 1126 = 'Dazzling light.'

100. mvp-comment-86-1 ἢ . . αὐλῶνας] Sc. ναίων. ‘Either dwelling amongst winding seas:' i. e. in some island of the Aegean. αὐλών is said to be feminine in poetry, and the reading of Ist hand of L, ποντίας, may therefore be right. Cp. Fr. 503 (Ath. 5. p. 189 D). The change to the dative is occasioned by the addition of κλιθείς on which ἀπείροις is made to depend. The sea most familiar to the Trachinian maidens would be the strait between Euboea and the mainland, but their description might apply equally to any of the narrow seas intersecting the islands of the Aegean: interfusa nitentes .. Cycladas (Hor. Od. 1. 14, sub fin.). κλιθείς with the dative is an expression borrowed from the Homeric κεκλιμένος (e. g. Il. 5. 709, λίμνῃ κεκλιμένος Κηφισίδι). δισσαῖσιν ἀπείροις] 'On one of the two continents,' i. e. somewhere on the seaboard of Europe or of Asia, which are divided by the πόντιοι αὐλῶνες. Others have suggested Thessaly and Epirus, or even Euboea and Thessaly. But cp. Hdt. 4. 118, ἐπειδή οἱ τὰ ἐν τῇ ἠπείρῳ τῇ ἑτέρῃ πάντα κατέστραπται, · διαβέβηκε ἐς τήνδε τὴν ἤπειρον, and Schol. in Aesch. Pers. 181, τὼ δύ᾽ ἠπείρω. Mr. Paley strangely interprets. 'Resting between two mainlands,' as if Heracles were imagined to be on the Hellespont. But for the condensation, cp. El. 1320, οὐκ ἂν δυοῖν ἥμαρτον, ἱ.ε. δυοῖν θατέρου.

101. mvp-comment-87-1 εἰπέ resumes the imperative implied in αἰτῶ . . καρύξαι. ὦ κρατιστεύων κατ᾿ ὄμμα] Ο thou that bearest the palm for strength of sight!' For κατά, cp. Ο. Τ. 1087, καὶ κατὰ γνώμαν ἴδρις. And for ὄμμα, see Essay on L. § 54. P. 99 , and cp. infr. 1018, σοί τε γὰρ ὅμμα | ἔμπλεον ἡ δι᾽ ἐμοῦ σώζειν.

103. mvp-comment-88-1 ποθουμένᾳ . . φρενί] ποθουμένᾳ is either (1) middle, 'With longing soul: '-of such a use of ποθεῖσθαι in the middle voice we have no example, but see Essay on L. § 31. p. 52 , and cp. Ο. Τ. 1487, νοούμενος, -or (2) passive, With heart oppressed by longings.' This gives a better meaning, but implies a causative sense of ποθεῖν not found elsewhere. Similarly in the Electra, 1065, ἀπόνητοι may be said to imply a causative sense of πονεῖν, 'Το afflict with toil.' (Musgr. conjectures πόνουμένᾳ here.) See Essay on L. § 53. p. 98 , and cp. Pind. Ol. 10 (11). 93, ἀείδετο δὲ πᾶν τέμενος τερπναῖσι θαλίαις | τὸν ἐγκώμιον ἀμφὶ τρόπον, where ἀείδετο means, Was occupied with song.' In either sense the phrase is applied to Deianira.

104. mvp-comment-89-1 ἀμφινεική] 'The bride of strife.' She whose hand was once the object of fierce contention is now forlorn. Cp. Aesch. Agam. 669, τὰν δορίγαμβρον ἀμφινεικὴ θ' Ἑλέναν: infr. 527, ἀμφινείκητον ὄμμα νύμφας. The word may also allude to the etymological meaning of Δηιάνειρα ('Object of contention among men'). ἀεί looks forward to τρύχεσθαι.

105. mvp-comment-90-1 ὄρνιν] The nightingale, poetically imagined as being wakeful for sorrow. Cp. Od. 19. 518 foll., ὡς δ' ὅτε Πανδαρέου κούρη, χλωρηὶς ᾿Αηδών, κ.τ.λ. ἀδακρύτων] Α familiar instance of prolepsis. Never allows to rest the longing in her eyes, nor dries her tears.'

106-107. mvp-comment-91-1 ἀλλ᾽.. ὁδοῦ] 'Bearing a trembling recollection of her husband and of his far journey.' ἀνδρός is to be taken as genitive of the object with εὔμναστον, 'Keenly mindful of,' as well as with δεῖμα. ὁδοῦ is added epexegetically, as a genitive of respect. ὁδός = ' A journey or expedition,' often includes the enterprise which is the object of the expedition, with its attendant circumstances. φέρουσαν] Cp. Ο. Τ. 93, τῶνδε γὰρ πλέον φέρω | τὸ πένθος, κτ.λ.: 863, εἴ μοι ξυνείη φέροντι, κ.τ.λ.; Casaubon (Anim. in Athen. 549) ingeniously but unnecessarily conjectured τρέφουσαν.

110. mvp-comment-92-1 ἐνθυμίοις . . ἀνανδρώτοισι] 'On a bed of care, to which no husband comes.' ἐνθυμίοις, Haunted by care or thought' (see Scholia), rather than 'Weighing on the mind' (although some good critics are satisfied with this). The dative is one of place or circumstance (= ἐν), not of cause or reason. Deianira is not worn out with thinking that she wants her husband, but pines with anxiety on her widowed bed. The Scholiast explains ἐνθυμίοις, ταῖς μεριμνητικαῖς, ταῖς πολυφροντίστοις. This meaning of ἐνθύμιος = ἐνθυμίας πλήρης, although singular, is not impossible. Cp. O. C. 240, and see Essay on L. § 50. p. 94, § 42. p. 80. ἀνανδρώτοισι, 'Not visited by a husband.' The verbal notion is hard to render, but adds vividness to the idea of bereavement.

111. mvp-comment-93-1 κακὰν . . αἶσαν] 'Unhappy one (δύστανον), forecasting an evil fortune.' For ἐλπίζουσαν, cp. Αj. 606, κακὰν ἐλπίδ᾽ ἔχων, and note.

112. mvp-comment-94-1 πολλά, expressing the primary notion of the sentences, belongs in the first instance to the apodosis, in which βιότου πολύπονον is substituted for πάθη or whatever word was at first intended, whereupon πολλά falls into a secondary agreement with κύματα. 'As many as are the waves,' not, 'Like the many waves.'

114. mvp-comment-95-1 ἀκάμαντος νότου, βορέα, are not simply genitives in regimen, like κύματα παντοίων ἀνέμων, Il. 2. 396, but either (1) genitives of the cause, or (2) genitives absolute = νότου συνεχῶς πνέοντος. For the former (1), cp. Eur. Or. 497, πληγεὶς θυγατρὸς τῆς ἐμῆς ὑπὲρ κάρα. And, for the latter (2), O. С. 1588, ὑφηγητῆρος οὐδενὸς φίλων. ἐν is required by the metre. 'For many as are the waves one sees passing and coming on anew over the wide sea, from the south or else the north wind blowing unweariedly, even so manifold in troubles is the life which, like a Cretan sea, sustains,-ay, and glorifies, our hero of Cadmus' race.'

115. mvp-comment-96-1 βάντ᾽ ἐπιόντα τε] Not, 'Coming and going,' or, 'Falling and rising, but, '(One) having gone and (another) coming on.' Cp. II. 4. 422, 3, ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἐν αἰγιαλῷ πολυηχέϊ κῦμα θαλάσσης | ὄρνυτ' ἐπασσύτερον Ζεφύρου ὕπο κινήσαντος : 13. 798, (κύματα) πρὸ μέν τ᾽ ἄλλ᾽ αὐτὰρ ἔπ᾿ ἄλλα. For the meaning given to βάντα, cp. Ant. 120, ἔβα, and note. ἴδοι] The change to the subjunctive, in accordance with Homeric idiom, is unnecessary. Ср. О. С. 1172, ὅν γ' ἐγὼ ψέξαιμί τι: Hdt. 2. 93, ἵνα δὴ μὴ ἁμάρτοιεν τῆς ὁδοῦ. And see Essay on L. § 36. p. 61. Several editions read ἴδοις, with του in 114. But for the ellipse of tis, see Essay on L. § 39. p. 72, 3. οὕτω δέ] δέ ' in apodosi,' as in El. 27, ὡσαύτως δὲ σύ, κ.τ.λ.

116. mvp-comment-97-1 Καδμογενῆ] Heracles, having been born at Thebes, was claimed as a Theban hero, and therefore of the stock of Cadmus by adoption. τρέφει τὸ δ᾽ αὔξει] (1) ‘Surrounds and also magnifies.' For a similar idiomatic use of τὸ δέ, cp. Thuc. 1. 107, τὸ δέ τι καὶ ἄνδρες τῶν ᾿Αθηναίων ἐπῆγον αὐτούς, ib. 7. 48, τὸ δέ τι καὶ τὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἐλπίδος τι ἔτι παρείχε. The words τὸ δ᾽ αὔξει are διὰ μέσου. It has been thought that τρέφειν and αὔξεις are too near one another in meaning to point an antithesis, and στρέφει for τρέφει has been proposed. For this, more recently, Hense has substituted στερεῖ. But the words are not an application of the simile, as though Heracles was now engulphed and now uplifted by the billow, but express a new thought: and both words have a different meaning in tragic poetry from that which belongs to them in prose. For τρέφειν of the circumstances or surroundings of a life, ср. О. Т. 374, μιᾶς τρέφει πρὸς νυκτός. And, for αὔξειν, Το magnify,' ib. 1090, 1, μὴ οὐ σέ γε καὶ πατριώταν Οἰδίπου καὶ τροφὸν καὶ ματέρ᾽ αὔξειν. The words τὸ δ' αὔξει are added by the Chorus (though logically inconsistent with ἀλλά in what follows), because of their strong wish to suggest cheerful thoughts to Deianira. In this case, the remaining words may be taken in one of two ways, either (α) supposing a slight inversion and alternation of clauses, the order may be πολύπονον πέλαγος βιότου, ὥσπερ Κοήσιον (πέλαγος), 'A troubled sea of life, as it were a Cretan sea.' Or (b) As it were a Cretan sea of troubles that constitutes his life.' (2) Hermann joins τὸ δ' αὔξει βιότου πολύπονον, 'As it were a Cretan sea surrounds Heracles and increases this toilsomeness of his life.' The Cretan sea was wider than the Aegean and no less subject to storms. Cp. Hor. Od. 1. 26. 1, ‘tristitiam et metus | tradam protervis in mare Creticum portare ventis.' For the concrete imagery, cp. Ο. Τ. 194, εἴτ᾿ ἐς μέγαν θάλαμον ᾿Αμφιτρίτας | εἴτ᾿ ἐς τὸν ἀπόξενον ὅρμον | Θρήκιον κλύδωνα.

120. mvp-comment-98-1 ἀναμπλάκητον "Αιδα δόμων] 'Some deity, never suffering him to fall, keeps him away from the halls of Hades.' For gen. see E. on L. § 8. p. 11.

121. mvp-comment-99-1 ὧν] In respect whereof,' to be joined with ἐπιμεμφομένα and repeated with οἴσω. The genitive of respect is here assisted by ἐπί in composition. See Essay on L. § 54. pp. 99, 100. ἁδεῖα μέν, ἀντία δ΄ οἴσω] 'I will offer counsel in a pleasant vein, albeit contrary counsel.' The transition from the subject to the object is hardly more violent than in l. 63. δούλη μέν, εἴρηκεν δ᾽ ἐλείθερον λόγον. The only difference is that δούλη is full predicate (= δούλη ἐστί) and ἁδεῖα supplementary predicate (=ἁδεῖα οὖσα). And for ἡδὺς = φέρων ἡδέα, cp. Ο. Τ. 82, ἀλλ᾽ εἰκάσαι μέν, ἡδύς. Musgrave's correction, αἰδοῖα, has since been modified by Blaydes and Hense to δέδοικα, ἔδεισα.

124. mvp-comment-100-1 ἀποτρύειν] Suffer to wear out,' = ἐἂν ἀποτρύεσθαι. Cp. such expressions as αἴρειν θυμόν = To allow passion to rise.' E. on L. § 30. p. 52 d.

125. mvp-comment-101-1 ἐλπίδα τὰν ἀγαθάν] Good hope opposed to the expectation of evil, which might be called κακὴ ἐλπίς, as in Aj. 606.

126. mvp-comment-102-1 ἀνάλγητα] Lit. 'Things without pain,' i. e. 'A tranquil existence.' For this use of the neuter adj. cp. Aj. 885, σχέτλια γάρ, κ.τ.λ., Ο. C. 537.

127. mvp-comment-103-1 ἐπέβαλε] Gnomic aorist = 'Doth not send. ἐπιβάλλειν is used as in ἐπιβάλλειν ζημίαν. “The lot which Zeus imposes on mortals is never exempt from grief.' ἐπὶ . . κυκλοῦσιν] Grief and joy come circling round to all, i.e. Grief succeeds to joy and joy to grief. For the tmesis, see Essay on L. § 18. p. 27. ἐπί marks succession in time, as in ἐπήλυθον ὧραι. οἷον . . κέλευθοι] 'Like the circling course of the Bear, i. e. As the constellation now is high in heaven, and now all but touches the horizon, so man's life is elevated and depressed. Others, without the comma, read χαράν, 'A circling course like that of the Bear brings round joy and grief to all.'

133. mvp-comment-104-1 αἰόλα] Glimmering,' or 'Palpitating,' rather than Spangled.' Cp. Εl. 106, ἄστρων ῥιπάς. For the repetition of the same word with some difference of meaning, see Essay on L. § 44. pp. 83. 4.

135. mvp-comment-105-1 βέβακε] Sc. ὁ πλοῦτος ἢ αἱ κῆρες. τῷ δ'] (1) ‘And to him,' viz. from whom the sorrow or the wealth has departed, 'comes in turn either rejoicing or loss.' Or (2) To another man.' In this case χαίρειν τε καὶ στέρεσθαι means, 'To be glad and again (afterwards) 'to lose.' The point, however, is not that sorrow passes from one to another, but rather that sorrows and joys alternate in the same life.

136. mvp-comment-106-1 ἃ (1) is resumed by apposition in τάδε, cp. Eur. Andr. 1115, ὧν Κλυταιμνήστρας τόκος εἷς ἦν ἁπάντων τῶνδε μηχανορράφος. 'Which truths I bid thee also, who art a Queen, to hold fast in looking forward.' Or (2), with Hermann, 'In respect of which truths (ἃ) I bid thee ever be hopeful regarding this' (τάδε), viz. the fortune and return of Heracles. Cp. Ant. 897, κάρτ᾽ ἐν ἐλπίσιν τρέφω, κ.τ.λ.

140. mvp-comment-107-1 τέκνοισι .. ἄβουλον] ‘Without providence for his children.' 'Filiis male consulentem.' For the vague plural, cp. 1268, οἱ φύσαντες καὶ κλῃζόμενοι πατέρες, κ.τ.λ. Hermann has remarked that the images chosen in the beginning of this ode all harmonize with the mood of Deianira (the vanishing of beauteous night, the fiery death of day, etc.), just as all cheering topics are suggested towards the end.

141. mvp-comment-108-1 ὡς ἀπεικάσαι] ‘Το hazard a conjecture.' Hermann lays down the rule that ἀπεικάζω always implies comparison, and he therefore reads ἐπεικάσαι here. But ἀπο- in ἀπεικάζω may have the same force as in ἀπομαντεύομαι, ἀποκινδυνεύω, ἀποδείκνυμαι, of something done (as we say 'right off') on the spur of the moment.

142. mvp-comment-109-1 πάθημα.. θυμοφθορῶ] There is an opposition between the outward accident and the inward feeling. The one the maidens know, but not the other.

143. mvp-comment-110-1 μήτ᾽ . . νῦν δ'] The antithesis is strengthened as the sentence grows. 'I would not have you learn by experience, but, as yet, you know nothing of it.' Hence δέ answering τε. Essay on L. § 36. p. 65 f.

144-145. mvp-comment-111-1 τὸ γὰρ . . αὑτοῦ, κ.τ.λ.] ‘For youth is nurtured in places of its own where no experience of sorrow reaches.' τοιοίσδε] Hermann missed the correlative of τοιοίσδε, and thought he had found it in the conjectural emendation χώροις, ἵν᾽ αὑτοῦ. Of this and many other attempted changes of this passage, it may be said that they are either too abrupt or destroy simplicity. τοιύσδε, like ὅδε, often in Sophocles refers to what has preceded, and may here be easily referred to ἄπειρος εἶ, 'Such,' i. e. as I see in you. You are ignorant of my sorrow, for youth is so placed' (as to be ignorant of sorrow). Essay on L. § 22. pp. 35, 6 , and for the emphasis on αὑτοῦ, see Essay on L. § 9. p. 12 b , and ср. О. С. 659, 60, ὁ νοῦς ὅταν αὑτοῦ γένηται. For the possessive following a descriptive adjective, cp. O. T. 1462, ταῖν δ᾽ ἀθλίαιν οἰκτραῖν τε παρθένοιν ἐμαῖν. βόσκεται] The image is that of a young plant, as in Aj. 558, τέως δὲ κούφοις πνεύμασιν βόσκου.

145. mvp-comment-112-1 θεοῦ] Of the sun. Cp. Eur. Alc. 722, φίλον τὸ φέγγος τοῦτο τοῦ θεοῦ, φίλον : Med. 352, εἴ σ' ἡ ᾿πιοῦσα λαμπὰς ὄψεται θεοῦ. The whole passage recalls Od. 4. 566, 5. 478 foll., 6. 43.

146. mvp-comment-113-1 πνευμάτων οὐδέν] The emphatic repetition of the negative immediately before the verb is idiomatic. Cp. infr. 1013, οὐ πῦρ, οὐκ ἔγχος τις ὀνήσιμον οὐκ ἀποτρέψει. κλονεῖ] The verb is adapted to the nearest subject. No heat offends, no rain disturbs, no wind ruffles it.' οὐδέν is substantive, i. e. πνεῦμα is not to be supplied. No breath of winds, not, No wind of all the winds.' Cp. Ant. 499, 500, τῶν σῶν λόγων . . οὐδέν.

147-148. mvp-comment-114-1 ἡδοναῖς ἄμοχθον ἐξαίρει βίον ἐς τοῦθ'] 'But it grows up' (lit. rears its life) 'amid delights, knowing not pain, even (f) to that point.' For ἐξαίρει = ἔχει ἐξαιρόμενον, αρ. ἀποτρύειν supr. 125 and note. The word suits with the simile from a young plant, for which, cp. Il. 18. 56, ὁ δ᾽ ἀνέδραμεν ἔρνεϊ ἴσος.

148. mvp-comment-115-1 γυνή] ‘A woman.' The word refers less here to the marriage-relationship than to the position of a matron.

149. mvp-comment-116-1 ἐν νυκτί] 'In a night,' i. e. the night of marriage. Cp. Fr. 521. 11, ἐπειδὰν εὐφρόνη ζεύξῃ μία : Eur. Fr. 660, λέγουσιν ὡς μί' εὐφρόνη χαλᾷ | τὸ δυσμενὲς γυναικὸς εἰς ἀνδρὸς λέχος. Musgrave and Hermann join ἐν νυκτὶ φροντίδων, 'Anxiety by night.'

150. mvp-comment-117-1 ἤτοι . . φοβουμένη] 'Being in fear either on her husband's account or for her children.' This verse has been unnecessarily suspected. The language is not quite accurate, but the meaning is clear, the sentence being continued as if λάβῃ were ἄρξηται ἔχειν.

151. mvp-comment-118-1 τις] The indefinite pronoun here in the apodosis refers more pointedly to the persons addressed than supr. 148. See Essay on L. § 22. p. 36. 4. εἰσίδοιτο] The middle has some such force as 'might see of himself.' αὑτοῦ] The masculine is often used where women are spoken of in a general way Essay on L § 20. p. 30.

152. mvp-comment-119-1 κακοῖσιν οἷς] i. e, τὰ κακὰ οἷς. For the attraction, see Essay on L. § 35. p. 59 , and cp. O. C. 1150, 1, λόγος δ᾽ ὃς ἐμπέπτωκεν ἀρτίως ἐμοὶ .. συμβαλοῦ γνώμην.

153. mvp-comment-120-1 δή] 'As you well know.'

154. mvp-comment-121-1 οἷον οὔπω πρόσθεν] Sc. εἶπον, implied in ἐκλαυσάμην.

157. mvp-comment-122-1 The δέλτος mentioned above (l. 47) contained Heracles' memorandum of the oracle received at Dodona, infr. 1165. In giving this to Deianira before leaving home, he also told her by word of mouth what disposition of his property he desired in case of his death. ἐγγεγραμμένην ξυνθήμαθ'] Having notes inscribed on it. The word ξύνθημα occurs in two places of the O. C., (1) in the singular, of a sign, l. 46, (2) of the record of an agreement, l. 1594. Neither of these meanings exactly suits the context here. A closer parallel is the expression ξυνθήματα κρυπτὰ χαράξας, which appears on an altar in the Museum at Athens, on which certain hierophantic symbols are inscribed. Here it clearly refers to the oracular indication of the doom of Heracles as inscribed on the tablet. The testamentary instructions which are further mentioned were given orally. For the construction of the accusative with the passive verb, see Essay on L. § 16. p. 236. Heracles might be said ἐγγράψαι τὴν δέλτον (οι τῇ δέλτῳ) ξυνθήματα.

159. mvp-comment-123-1 πολλοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐξιών] ‘Though he had gone forth on many labours,' ἀγῶνας is in a similar construction with ὁδύν in l. 155: the labour and the journey to meet the labour being included in one conception. The resumption of πρόσθεν οὐ . . ποτέ in οὔπω, after the intermediate clause, helps to point the antithesis in the following line. Cp. the emphatic repetition in Shaks. Jul. Caesar, 1. 3, 'But never till to-night, never till now, Did I go through a tempest dropping fire." φράσαι in what follows is (1) To show,' (2) 'To explain.'

160. mvp-comment-124-1 ὡς . . . εἶρπε] 'He went with the mien of one.' ἕρπω is a picturesque word, calling up the act of motion to the eye.

161. mvp-comment-125-1 ἔτ᾿ οὐκ ὤν] Already doomed.' Cp. Phil. 1217, ἔτ᾿ οὐδέν εἰμι (where there is the same inversion of οὐκέτι).

161-162. mvp-comment-126-1 ὅ τι κτῆσιν] 'What I must appropriate as my marriage portion; lit. Possession having to do with my marriage.' The MSS. read ὅτι, which may be right, implying that Deianira (knowing the amount of her marriage portion) was to select from the property of Heracles to that amount before dividing the remainder. But ὅ τι agrees better with ἣν in the next clause, and with the situation.

162. mvp-comment-127-1 ἣν τέκνοις] This may refer, as Schndw. supposes, to the partition of the Peloponnese among the Heracleidae. Cp. the anonymous mention of Eurystheus and Ceyx above, ll. 35, 40, and see Eur. H. F. 462 foll., σοὶ μὲν γὰρ ῎Αργος ἔνεμ᾽ ὁ κατθανὼν πατήρ, κ.τ.λ.

163. mvp-comment-128-1 ἣν .. νέμοι] What share of their father's land he assigned for distribution to his children (severally). τέκνοις is short for ἑκάστῳ τέκνων. The scribe who wrote μένειν seems to have understood, The part that remained after the marriage portion was taken out.'

164. mvp-comment-129-1 χρόνον] Víz. a time when it would be known whether the will was to be at once executed or not. τρίμηνον] Sc. χρόνον, to be repeated as accus. of duration with ἀπείη.

165. mvp-comment-130-1 The nom. ἐνιαύσιος, if right, is occasioned by the addition of βεβώς, and is to be explained, after the analogy of χρόνιος, τριταῖος, etc., like Aj. 217, νύκτερος ἀπελωβήθη: ib. 602, μηνῶν ἀνήριθμος .. τρυχόμενος. E. on L. § 23. p. 39 €. Deianira quotes Heracles as telling her what conclusion to draw, if he were absent more than fifteen months. These lines have been suspected, chiefly on account of their tautology, which may be excused by the all-importance of the time to Deianira, and the difficulty which the Greeks felt in defining notions of time. Essay on L. § 48. p. 91. τότε belongs to the whole sentence, τῷδε τῷ χρόνῳ to θανεῖν only. Then the decree of fate should take effect either for him to die within that time,' etc.

167. mvp-comment-131-1 τοῦτο · τοῦ χρόνου τέλος] 'This appointed period of time;' lit. 'This completion in respect of the time.' The conjecture τοῦδε for τοῦτο rather weakens the expression. ὑπεκδραμόντα] 'Having escaped from,' i.e. 'Having passed the danger of.' Burges conj. ὑπερδραμόντα. But the text is more expressive, dimly suggesting the image of a danger to be escaped.

169. mvp-comment-132-1 τοιαῦτα.. πόνων] 'Such he said was the Heaven-appointed issue of the labours of Heracles.' τοιαῦτα, to which εἱμαρμένα adheres, is the 'cognate subject' of ἐкτελευτᾶσθαι ( Essay on L. § 17. p. 25 c ); i. e. if the expression were turned actively, it would stand thus, τὸν Ἡρακλῆ τελευτᾷν τοιαῦτα (= τοιαύτην τελευτὴν) τῶν πόνων, ' That Heracles should find such an end of his labours.' Cp. Thuc. 2. 13, τὰ δὲ πολλὰ τοῦ πολέμου γνώμῃ καὶ χρημάτων περιουσίᾳ κρατεῖσθαι. The genitive may be taken as one of respect, but is assisted by ἐκ in ἐκτελευτᾶσθαι ('Such issue from his labours'). The present tense is often used in prophecies. Aesch. Prom. 848, ἐνταῦθα δή σε Ζεὺς τίθησιν ἔμφρονα. The wording of the oracle may have been τοιαύτην τελευτὴν ἐκτελευτᾷ Ἡρακλῆς τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πόνων. This is another example of Sophocles' fondness for the passive voice. See Essay on L. § 31. p. 54. There is no reason for doubting the genuineness of these two lines, which is confirmed by the Sophoclean character of the construction. ἔφραζε . . ἔφασκε] Sc. ὁ Ἡρακλῆς.

172. mvp-comment-133-1 δισσῶν ἐκ πελειάδων] Sophocles does not explain the manner in which the oracle at Dodona had been given: but vaguely combines the talking oak (Aesch. Prom. 832) with the prophetic pigeons (Hdt. 2. 55, where, however, of the two birds only one comes to Dodona).

173. mvp-comment-134-1 ναμέρτεια] 'The true fulfilment of these words as predestined (ὡς χρεών) comes to pass about this time.' τῶνδε ναμέρτεια almost = τάδε ναμερτῆ ὄντα, with some thought of the etymological meaning (νη, ἁμαρτάνω). For τάδε of the prophecy and event in one, cp. Ο. Τ. 901, εἰ μὴ τάδε χειρόδεικτα πᾶσιν ἁρμόσει βροτοῖς. συμβαίνει] For συμβαίνειν of the issue or fulfilment of an oracle, cp. Thuc. 2. 17, καί μοι δοκεῖ τὸ μαντεῖον τοὐναντίον ξυμβῆναι ἡ προσεδέχοντο.

173-174. mvp-comment-135-1 χρόνου | τοῦ νῦν παρόντος] The dative of time would be too precise and matter-of-fact to express Deianira's meaning, with reference to an emergency, which had not actually arisen. But in using the genitive she does not mean to be indefinite. The fulfilment belongs to the hour that now is here.'

175. mvp-comment-136-1 So that in the midst of a sweet slumber, I start up in fear and dread.' Cp. Plat. Rep. 1. 330 Ε. καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὕπνων, ὥσπερ οἱ παῖδες, θαμὰ ἐγειρόμενος, δειμαίνει. φόβῳ is a causal dative (with ἐκπηδᾶν). ταρβοῦσαν is added in explanation of φόβῳ. εἰ] To think that it is possible,' cp. infr. 666, ἀθυμῶ δ᾽ εἰ φανήσομαι. For this ethical use of ci, which is frequent in Greek (Od. 21. 253) see Essay on L. § 28. p. 46 5.

176. mvp-comment-137-1 εἴ με χρὴ μένειν] 'That I may have to live on.' μένειν has a pathetic force, i.e. to endure, when he is gone. Cp. Phil. 1368, καὐτὸς ἐν Σκύρῳ μένων | ἔα κακῶς αὐτοὺς ἀπόλλυσθαι κακούς.

177. mvp-comment-138-1 φωτός] φώς appears for the most part to have two senses in Sophocles, (1) rather depreciatory, An inconsiderable person,' eg. O. C. 1018, ἀμαυρῷ φωτί : (2) here and in Aj. 807, ἔγνωκα γὰρ δὴ φωτὸς ἠπατημένη, ‘Α husband.

178. mvp-comment-139-1 εὐφημίαν νῦν ἴσχε] 'Say now no more.' Deianira's last words were not auspicious, and the Chorus warn her not to continue them for fear of crossing with an evil omen one who seemed to be a messenger of good tidings. εὐφήμει is an injunction to silence, but generally with reference to some unlucky word that has been or is likely to be said. For the form of expression, cp. Phil. 807, ἀλλ᾽, ὦ τέκνον, καὶ θάρσος ἴσχ᾽, κ.τ.λ. Others would explain, 'Speak no more sadly,' for you will now have cause for joy.

179. mvp-comment-140-1 καταστεφή] O. T. 83, Aesch. Ag. 493. πρὸς χαρὰν λόγων] To be joined with καταστεφή στείχοντα in one phrase. Coming garlanded, like a messenger of joy.' πρὸς χάριν λόγων would merely mean, 'To do the office of a messenger.'

180. mvp-comment-141-1 πρῶτος ἀγγέλων] This busy-body, who is somewhat like the Φύλαξ in the Antigone, though not quite so mean, has rushed in before Lichas in the hope of getting some reward (infr. 191).

183. mvp-comment-142-1 ἀπαρχάς] Including the captives, see below, l. 245.

184. mvp-comment-143-1 Deianira is too much overcome by the announcement to realise it at once. Cp. Phil. 917-19, ib. 1380, where an unwelcome statement is received in the same vacant way: O. Τ. 359, λέγ᾽ αὖθις, ὡς μᾶλλον μάθω : Aesch. Ag. 268, πῶς φής; πέφευγε τοὔπος ἐξ ἀπιστίας.

186. mvp-comment-144-1 σὺν κράτει νικηφόρῳ] · Bringing with him triumphant conquest.'

188. mvp-comment-145-1 βουθερεῖ] 'Where the oxen in summer feed.' The summer grass is the harvest (θέρος) of the cattle. This is more picturesque (esp. with ἄτομον λειμώνα following, infr. 200) than Bovθόρῳ, 'Where the oxen leap.'

189. mvp-comment-146-1 τοῦ] (a) With κλύων, (b) with ἀπῇξα.

190. mvp-comment-147-1 τοι] 'Το say sooth.' The particle introduces the avowal of his motive. Cp. esp. El. 1468, 9. ὅπως | τὸ συγγενές τοι κἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ θρήνων τύχῃ. The candour of the messenger here resembles that of the Corinthian in O. T. 1005, καὶ μὴν μάλιστα τοῦτ᾽ ἀφικόμην, ὅπως | σοῦ πρὸς δόμους ἐλθόντος εὖ πράξαιμί τι. Cp. also the Old Man in the Electra, when assuming a similar character, 772, μάτην ἄρ᾽ ἡμεῖς, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἥκομεν.

192. mvp-comment-148-1 αὐτός] 'Lichas himself.' εἴπερ εὐτυχεῖ] Sc. ὁ Λίχας. If all is well with him.'

193. mvp-comment-149-1 οὐκ εὐμαρείᾳ χρώμενος πολλῇ] 'Being not altogether his own master; i. e. he is detained, not quite of his own free will.

194. mvp-comment-150-1 Μηλιεύς .. λεώς] The Melian people and the Trachinians are the same in the mind of Sophocles. Cp. his indifference about Calydon and Pleuron in l. 7. The gentile substantive is used for the adjective, as often elsewhere. 'All the Melian folk press round and question him (cp. infr. 314), nor can he advance a step.'

195. mvp-comment-151-1 κρίνει . . ἔχει] There is no difficulty in the change of subject. See Essay on L. § 36. p. 65.

196. mvp-comment-152-1 τὸ . . ποθοῦν.. ἐκμαθεῖν] Το satisfy his longing with full information.' For this use of the active neuter participle, see Essay on L. § 30. p. 51. The abstract notion is here put for the object, the desire of knowledge, for the knowledge desired. Cp. Shak. Temp. 1. 2. 176, For still 'tis beating in my mind.'

197. mvp-comment-153-1 οὐκ ἂν μεθεῖτο] (1) 'Refuse to let him go. The third person is used as the first might have been, οὐκ ἂν μεθείμην σε, 'I will not let thee go.' See Aristophanes, Ran. 830, οὐκ ἂν μεθείμην τοῦ θρόνου: Αj. 313, εἰ μὴ φανοίην, and note. Or (2), 'He is not likely to be let go.' καθ' ἡδονήν] ‘To their heart's content.' κατά, as in κατὰ νοῦν.

198. mvp-comment-154-1 οὐχ ἑκών, ἑκοῦσι δέ] 'Not of his will, but by theirs.' Cp. Odyss. 5. 155, παρ᾿ οὐκ ἐθέλων ἐθελούσῃ.

200. mvp-comment-155-1 foll. The mention of the precinct on Mount Oeta, which was sacred to Zeus (infr. 436, 1191), is preparatory to the death of Heracles on that spot. ἄτομον, * Inviolate.' Cp. Hymn Merc. 72, where the oxen of the gods are λειμῶνες ἀκηράσιοι, a Cretan inscription (Corp. Inscr. 2. 1103), ἵνα μηθεὶς ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τοῦ Διὸς τοῦ Δικταίου μήτε ἐννέμῃ μήτε ἐναυλοστατῇ μήτε σπείρῃ μήτε ξυλεύῃ : Eur. Hipp. 73, σοὶ τόνδε πλεκτὸν στέφανον ἐξ ἀκηράτου, κ.τ.λ.: Hom H. Ven. 269, 70, ἑστᾶσ᾽ ἠλίβατοι· τεμένη δέ ἑ κικλήσκουσιν | ἀθανάτων· τὰς δ᾽ οὔτι βροτοὶ κείρουσι σιδήρῳ.

201. mvp-comment-156-1 ἀλλὰ σὺν χρόνῳ] 'At length, though late.' Cp. Ant. 552, τί δῆτ᾽ ἂν ἀλλὰ νῦν σ᾽ ἔτ᾿ ὠφελοῖμ᾽ ἐγώ ;

202-203. mvp-comment-157-1 αἵ τ᾿ εἴσω στέγης.. αἵ τ᾿ ἐκτὸς αὐλῆς] The variety of expression has little or no significance. Deianira addresses herself to the women who belong to the house, as well as to the Chorus who have come to visit her, and are standing before the gates.

203-204. mvp-comment-158-1 We now reap the gladness of a vision of hope that has arisen unexpectedly on me in the utterance of this auspicious word.' On the mixed metaphor, see Essay on L. § 58. p. 105. ὄμμα] The notions of an act and of an object of vision, as well as of the instrument, are contained in this word. See Essay on L. § 54. p. 99. Hence it comes to mean anything which suddenly affects (1) the eye, or (2) (metaphorically) the mind. Cp. esp. El. 902, 3, ἐμπαίει τί μοι | ψυχῇ ξύνηθες ὄμμα. ἐμοί is in construction with ἀνασχόν, and also with ἄελπτον. φήμης is genitive of origin. The news is regarded as a star or sun from which the new light proceeds. For ἀνασχεῖν of a sudden event, cp. Hdt. 7. 14, τάδε τοι ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀνασχήσειν.

205-224. mvp-comment-159-1 The Chorus in response to Deianira raise this strain, accompanied, at least in the latter part of it (216 foll.), with dancing, or some rapid motion to and fro. Cp. Aj. 693-717, О. Т. 1086–1109, Ant. 1115-1152, for similar expressions of hope before some catastrophe. See also O. C. 1044 foll., El. 1384-1397. The maidens who are come to visit Deianira (1) challenge the maidens within the house to shout for joy, and (2) invite the young men to accompany them; (3) they encourage each other to raise the hymn to Artemis, (4) they dance under the excitement of the flute and the thyrsus, (5) they call attention to the coming of Lichas with the captives. These quick changes mark the feeling of trepidation which the situation is calculated to produce.

205. mvp-comment-160-1 ἀνολολύξατε δόμοις] There is no cause for changing the MS. reading of this line, which, as Hermann pointed out, has the same metre as El. 1384, ἴδεθ᾽ ὅπου προνέμεται. The plur. imperative is addressed to all within the house (young men and maidens), who are mentioned separately afterwards.

206. mvp-comment-161-1 ὁ μελλόνυμφος is either (1) used collectively-the indefinite singular for the indefinite plural ( Essay on L. § 20. p. 31 )-or (2) there is an ellipse of χόρος (κατὰ σύνεσιν). The former (1) is more probable, and the gender is to be accounted for, as in l. 151 supr., τὴν αὑτοῦ σκοπῶν πρᾶξιν. The word μελλόνυμφος may be suggested by Deianira's description in ll. 144-150. Those to whom marriage is in futurity. Such echoes of the dialogue are frequent in the choric songs. ἐν δέ] · And therewith.' Essay on L. § 18. p. 26. κοινός] Mingling' with the voices of the maidens. Cp. O. C. 1500, τίς αὖ παρ᾽ ὑμῶν κοινὸς ἠχεῖται κτύπος; κοινὸς feminine occurs only here.

207. mvp-comment-162-1 ἴτω] Nauck well quotes Fr. 435, ἴτω δὲ Πυθιὰς βοὰ θεῷ : Eur. Fr. Phaeth. 775, l. 52, ἴτω τελεία γάμων ἀοιδά. τὸν .. προστάταν] The accusative is governed by the general notion of celebrating' implied in the preceding words. See E. on L. § 16. p. 23. εὐφαρέτραν] ‘Lord of the quiver,' an epithet which either (1) simply brings the figure of the god vividly before the eye, cp. ἀργυρότοξος, or (2) implies his propitious power.

209. mvp-comment-163-1 προστάταν] “The protector,' Apollo προστάτης οι προστατήριος, is rightly invoked by those within the house, as having his altar at the gate. El. 637-

210. mvp-comment-164-1 παιᾶνα παιᾶν] The repetition imitates the hymn itself, in which the same sounds would be often renewed. ἀνάγετε] Cp. Eur. Phoen. 1350, ἀνάγετε κωκυτόν. ὦ παρθένοι] The Chorus now address themselves, as below l. 821, ἴδ᾽ οἷον, ὦ παῖδες, προσέμιξεν ἄφαρ, κ τ.λ.

211. mvp-comment-165-1 βοᾶτε τὰν .. "Αρτεμιν] ‘Call aloud the name of Artemis.' Cp. supr. 207. ὁμόσπορον] ‘His sister. See the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, ll. 14 foll., and the Hymn to Artemis, l. 2.

212. mvp-comment-166-1 Ὀρτυγίαν] Two accounts are given of the use of this epithet: (1) that as, according to the Scholiast of Apollonius Rhodius, the name Ortygia primarily belonged to Artemis as worshipped in Aetolia, she is so named here in compliment to Deianira: (2) that Artemis Ortygia was believed to haunt some place in the neighbourhood of Trachis. The latter is confirmed by l. 637, and by the most natural meaning of γείτονας in this passage, viz. 'in our neighbourhood.' The comparison of the Syracusan Ortygia (Pind. Pyth. 2. 10, 11, 'Ορτυγίαν ποταμίας ἕδος᾿ Αρτέμιδος) may suggest that the goddess was imagined to haunt wooded promontories or peninsulas, which had been left wild from being difficult of access. The quail (ὄρτυξ) may have been peculiarly abundant in such places. For γείτονας, i.e. Μηλιάδας, cp. Phil. 725, Μηλιάδων νυμφᾶν, κ.τ.λ.

214. mvp-comment-167-1 ἀμφίπυρον] Artemis is commonly represented with a torch in either hand. Cр. О. Т. 207, 8, τάς τε πυρφόρους | ᾿Αρτέμιδος αἴγλας ξὺν αἷς | Λύκι᾿ ὄρεα διάσσει.

216. mvp-comment-168-1 This line seems to mark the point where the dance, or the rapid movement of the Chorus, begins. The elision of the termination in ἀείρομαι is very unusual.

216. mvp-comment-168-2 ἀείρομ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἀπώσομαι τὸν αὐλόν] 'I am uplifted, and will not repel the flute;' i.e. I will yield to its power. The following words are not addressed to Deianira, but are an apostrophe to the power of the flute, 'The sovran of the willing soul' (as Gray calls the lyre, in summing up the first Pythian), which is compelling them to the dance. Cp. Αj. 693, περιχαρής δ᾽ ἀνεπτάμαν.

219-220. mvp-comment-169-1 ἰδοὺἅμιλλαν] • Behold even now (glory to Iacchos), the ivy stirs up my soul, and makes me quick to turn in' (or 'into') 'the Bacchic course!' The ivy upon their brows, or wound about the thyrsus, with which they incite each other to the dance. βακχίαν .. ἅμιλλαν is probably acc. in app. with the action of ὑποστρέφων. Turning me' either in,' or 'into the Bacchic course.' Others, with the Scholiast, would render, Converting my soul (from sorrow) to the Bacchic dance.'

222. mvp-comment-170-1 ἰὼ, ἰὼ Παιάν] The Chorus are just leading up the Paean, which from its monotony could not have been continued with dramatic effect, when Lichas arrives, and they break off. The correction of the text is due to Dindorf, who also reads γυναικῶν. But there is no reason to assume that the three lines must be alike. The iambic tripody with a pause makes a good transition to the other form, CICIC!!. (Qy. ἰδέ· | ἴδ᾽ ὦ φ. γ.?)

223-224. mvp-comment-171-1 τάδ' .. ἐναργῆ] ‘Here is the thing face to face, present and palpable to sight.' ἐναργῆ] 'Beyond the possibility of mistake.'

225-226. mvp-comment-172-1 ὄμματος .. στόλον] The subject of παρῆλθε is the vague τάδε (l.223) resumed with more distinctness in τόνδε .. στόλον : i. e. οὐ παρῆλθέ μ' ὅδε ὁ στόλος, μὴ λεύσσειν αὐτόν. παρῆλθε, 'Escaped,' as in Dem. 550. 26, τουτὶ .. μικροῦ παρῆλθέ με εἰπεῖν, 'I see it, dear friends, nor hath this escaped the vigilance of my eye.' τόνδε, sc. ὄντα τοιόνδε. For the second acc. (με governed by ὀμμ. Φ. π. = ἔλαθε) see Essay on L. § 16. p. 23 , and cp. Ο. C. 113, καὶ σύ μ᾿ ἐξ ὁδοῦ πόδα | κρύψον. While Musgrave's correction is adopted in the text, as having a high degree of probability, the MS. reading may be defended as meaning, 'Vigilance has not (so) passed from my eye.' But such a meaning of παρῆλθε is questionable.

226. mvp-comment-173-1 μὴ λεύσσειν] Although μὴ οὐ would be in place here, we are not in a position to say that μή by itself is wrong.

227-228. mvp-comment-174-1 χρόνῳ | πολλῷ] Cp. Phil. 715, δεκέτει χρόνῳ: Aesch. Ag. 521, δέξασθε κύσμῳ βασιλέα πολλῷ χρόνῳ. χαρτὸν φέρεις] For the direct address following the third person, cp. Ο. Τ. 162, καὶ Φοῖβον ἑκαβόλον .. προφάνητε. There is an obvious play of words, to which καί gives emphasis, Joy to thee, herald, if thou bringest joyful news. For the order of words, ср. О. С. 665, Φοῖβος εἰ προϋπεμψέ σε.

229. mvp-comment-175-1 ἀλλ᾽ εὐ μὲν ἵγμεθ᾽] ἀλλά sets aside the doubt expressed in εἰ . . φέρεις. Cp. Phil. 232, ἀλλ᾽, ὦ ξέν᾽, ἴσθι τοῦτο πρῶτον, κ.τ.λ., ‘Our coming is happy, be assured, and happily are we addressed, lady, as the deed which has been achieved is happy.'

230. mvp-comment-176-1 κατ᾿ ἔργου κτῆσιν = ὥσπερ ἔργῳ ἐκτησάμεθα, sc. ἀγαθά implied in ev. ἄνδρα.. ἔπη] 'He who is fortunate cannot fail to win good words.' For ἀνάγκη, which may seem rather abrupt, cp. 295, πολλή ᾿στ᾿ ἀνάγκη τῇδε τοῦτο συντρέχειν, where, as here, the expression is stronger than the thought, 'It cannot be otherwise,' meaning only, 'It is but natural.'

232. mvp-comment-177-1 φίλτατ᾿ ἀνδρῶν] For the affectionate address arising simply from the effusion of joy, cp. Εl. 1227, ὦ φίλταται γυναῖκες, ὦ πολίτιδες, κ.τ.λ. Lichas has also, of course, a claim on Deianira's gratitude for having brought the news. βούλομαι] Sc. διδαχθῆναι.

233. mvp-comment-178-1 προσδέξομαι] Deianira, in her eager questioning, goes beyond what Lichas could possibly tell.

234. mvp-comment-179-1 ἔλειπον] For the tense, see on l. 47. When I took leave of him he was, etc. ἰσχύοντά τε | καὶ ζῶντα] i. e. 'Not only alive but strong.' See Essay on L. § 41. p. 78 b.

235. mvp-comment-180-1 θάλλοντα] Flourishing,' as one who has lately done great things.

236. mvp-comment-181-1 Where in the world either of his own land or of lands beyond?' Cp. supr. 73 for a similar condensed question. Like the Chorus, Deianira is all uncertainty as to Heracles' whereabouts, and her imagination wanders far. In supr. 163 the words πατρώας γῆς denoted the Peloponnese, as the inheritance of the sons of Heracles. Here (γῆς) πατρώας refers to Hellas generally, either (1) simply as the native land of Heracles, or (2) as the land which was under the especial protection of his father Zeus. Cp. Aesch. Fr. 157-

237. mvp-comment-182-1 ἀκτή τις ἔστ᾽ Εὐβοιΐς, ἔνθ'] The usual formula in describing the place where anything occurred (l. 752, Ant. 966, Homer passim). ὁρίζεται] «He consecrates.' The word is literally applicable to the τέμενος, whose bounds were marked out, but is extended to the altar and what is placed on it.

238. mvp-comment-183-1 τέλη τ' ἔγκαρπα] The 'tribute of fruitful things' is (1) that proportion of the produce of the τέμενος which was to be devoted to the immediate service of the god. Or (2) more generally, 'Offerings of the fruits of the earth.'

239. mvp-comment-184-1 εὐκταῖα φαίνων] Το fulfil a vow.' For φαίνειν of the practical manifestation of an intention, cp. O. C. 721, νῦν σοὶ τὰ λαμπρὰ ταῦτα δὴ φαίνειν ἔπη: Hdt. 3. 36, εὔνοιαν φαίνων.

240. mvp-comment-185-1 εὐχαῖς] ‘By reason of the vow he vowed.' For the dative of the reason, cp. infr. 1127, τοῖς γε πρόσθεν ἡμαρτημένοις. This is the reading of L supported by the lemma of the Scholiast, and is also the harder reading. On these accounts it is preferred to εὐκταῖ', the reading of Par. A, although the latter is equally good in point of sense. ἀνάστατον] Proleptic. 'He conquered and made homeless.

243. mvp-comment-186-1 ξυμφορᾷ] 'Unless they deceive me by their misfortune,' i.e. Unless I am led by their unhappy looks to pity them more than they deserve. This, the reading of the diorthotes of L, which Schndw. adopted, is better than ξυμφορα, which is found in other MSS., because Deianira's feeling is better expressed by making the maidens the subject of the sentence, than if ξυμφοραὶ = αἱ ξυμφοραὶ αὐτῶν were the nominative.

245. mvp-comment-187-1 καὶ θεοῖς] Cp. Eur. Ion 309, 10, τοῦ θεοῦ καλοῦμαι δοῦλος, εἰμί τ', ὦ γύναι. ΚΡ. ἀνάθημα πόλεως, ἤ, κ.τ.λ.: Phoen. 220, 1, ἴσα δ᾽ ἀγάλμασι χρυσοτεύκτοις Φοίβῳ λάτρις γενόμαν. κριτόν] Choice.' Cp. Pind. Pyth. 4. 89, κριτὸν εὑρήσει . . γένος, but the word here retains more of the verbal meaning = ἔκκριτον.

246. mvp-comment-188-1 And was it by that city that he was absent during the vast time of which the days could not be numbered?' ἄσκοπον] That cannot be taken into the eye (or the mind). Essay on L. § 51. p. 96.

247. mvp-comment-189-1 For βεβώς here, see on l. 41. ἡμερῶν ἀνήριθμον] For the gen., cp. Ο. Τ. 178, ὧν πόλις ἀνάριθμος ὄλλυται, and note.

248ff. mvp-comment-190-1 The falsehood of Lichas consists, not in the story of the servitude of Heracles to Omphale, which, whether true or false, was matter of common rumour (ll. 67 foll.), but in his assigning this as the reason for the conquest of Oechalia.

248. mvp-comment-191-1 τὸν.. πλεῖστον] Viz. twelve months out of the fifteen (l. 253).

249. mvp-comment-192-1 ὥς φησ᾿ αὐτός 253 ὡς αὐτὸς λέγει] The word of Heracles himself is required to confirm a statement so degrading to him.

250-251. mvp-comment-193-1 τοῦ λόγου δ᾽ οὐ χρὴ φθόνον .. προσεῖναι] 'And, lady, this must be heard without offence, as all things must in which the hand of Zeus is seen.' The expression is generalized in the relative clause. Hence the subjunctive.

251. mvp-comment-194-1 τοῦ λόγου is an objective genitive, - 'Envy at the word' or 'tale.' Ζεύς, κ.τ.λ.] Infr. 275.

252. mvp-comment-195-1 πραθείς repeats ἐμποληθείς with less attempt at softening the harsh fact. Cp. 276. Lichas purposely enlarges on the trouble that is past in order to lighten by contrast the effect of the discovery which must soon be made.

254. mvp-comment-196-1 He was so stung by incurring this dishonour.' For ὄνειδος = Disgrace,' cp. O. C. 967, 984, О. Т. 1035, 1494.

255. mvp-comment-197-1 Cp. with ὅρκον.. προσβαλών the expressions ὅρκον ἐπελαύνειν and προσάγειν τινί in Hdt. 1. 146, 6. 62.

256. mvp-comment-198-1 τὸν ἀγχιστῆρα] 'The causer.' This being a verbal form cannot be the equivalent of ἀγχιστεύς, which is from ἄγχιστος, ας ἀριστεύς from ἄριστος. Whether a verb ἀγχίζω existed or not, it is presupposed in the formation of ἀγχιστήρ, which can only mean, 'Him who brought on' (Seidler). 'He expressly swore that he would reduce to slavery the man who brought this trouble.' αὐτόχειρα has been conjectured, but this word could hardly be applied to Eurytus with reference to the bondage of Heracles. There Eurytus was only μεταίτιος, an accomplice before the fact, which was the work of Zeus.

257. mvp-comment-199-1 ξὺν παιδί] In Odyss. 9. 199, οὖνεκά μιν σὺν παιδὶ περισχόμεθ' ἠδὲ γυναικί, there is a various reading παισί, but there is nothing improbable in the collective use of the singular here. Essay on L. § 20. p. 31, 2.

258. mvp-comment-200-1 οὐχ ἡλίωσε] 'He made not void;' i. e, amply fulfilled. ἁγνός] 'Clean,' i. e. free. The bondage was a pollution incurred by the murder of Iphitus and at the same time an expiation of it. There may also have been some formal expiation not expressly mentioned. When this was over, he was pure, and might therefore look for success.

259. mvp-comment-201-1 ‘στρατὸν .. ἐπακτόν, quem dicit Sophocles, Arcades fuisse et Malienses et Locros Epicnemidios perhibet Apollodorus, 2. 7, 7; solos Arcades nominat Diodorus, 4. 37.' Herm. The point is one of no importance to the action. πόλιν] Accusative of motion to. Essay on L. § 16. p. 22.

260. mvp-comment-202-1 τόνδε] Sc. τὸν Εύρυτον. Α simple instance of the construction κατὰ σύνεσιν. Essay on L. § 36. p. 64. μεταίτιον] Alone partner with Zeus in the blame of this calamity.' Cp. Aesch. Eum. 199, 200, αὐτὸς σὺ τούτων οὐ μεταίτιος πέλει, | ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τὸ πᾶν ἔπραξας ὢν παναίτιος.

261. mvp-comment-203-1 μόνον βροτῶν] Cp. 355, μόνος θεῶν.

262. mvp-comment-204-1 ἐφέστιον, | ξένον παλαιὸν ὄντα] Coming to be received at his hearth, having been a friend of old.'

263-264. mvp-comment-205-1 πολλὰ μὲν πολλὰ δέ] 'Brake forth against him with rude words and with evil intent.' The antithetical repetition adds emphasis. Eurytus not only spoke badly, but meant badly. See Essay on L. § 40. p. 76. ἀτηρᾷ φρενί] 'With mischief-meaning mind.' Cp. Phil. 1272, πιστός, ἀτηρὸς λάθρᾳ.

265. mvp-comment-206-1 ἄφυκτα.. βέλη] The bow and arrows afterwards bequeathed to Philoctetes. Cp. Phil. 105.

266. mvp-comment-207-1 τῶν ὧν.. κρίσιν] ‘He came behind his (Eurytus') sons in fitness to compete with the bow;' (i.e. πρὸς τὸ τόξῳ κρίνεσθαι.)

267. mvp-comment-208-1 φωνεῖ δέ] 'And he utters the word.' This emphatic resumption of λέγων may be justified by the extraordinary nature of the reproach. Such a use of φωνεῖν is rare, but cp. O. Τ. 780, καλεῖ παρ᾿ οἶνῳ, κ.τ.λ.: Αj. 1047, οὗτος, σὲ φωνῶ, κ.τ.λ., and see above, λόγοις ἐπερρόθησε. The word suggests the loud tones in which the reproach was uttered. For the 'return to the indicative,' see Essay on L. § 36. p. 64 b. Most MSS. have φώνει, the imperfect without augment. Brunck substituted for this the vivid present. Hermann suspected the word, and conjectured φανείς. I formerly suggested φύσει (ΙΙ. 19. 95 foll., O. С. 1295).

268. mvp-comment-209-1 ῥαίοιτο] 'Was being crushed,' viz. by Eurystheus. Cp. Aesch. Prom. 189, ὅταν ταύτῃ ῥαισθῇ. δείπνοις] ‘At a feast. O. Τ. 779 and note. ἦν οἰνώμενος] Sc. ὁ Ἡρακλῆς. Ας Epic and Ionic forms are sometimes employed in narration, it is not worth while to alter the MS. reading to ᾠνώμενος here. Cp. μοῦνον, l. 277.

270. mvp-comment-210-1 αὖθις] ‘Again,' on another occasion. Τιρυνθίαν πρὸς κλιτύν] Το the Tirynthian height.'

271. mvp-comment-211-1 ἵππους νομάδας] ‘His horses, which had been loose at pasture.' His mind was following the horses, wondering where they were. This gave Heracles the opportunity for his single act of guile.

273. mvp-comment-212-1 Hurled him from the towering cliff.' ἀπ᾿ ἄκρας . . πυργώδους πλακός, From the tower-like crown of the cliff,' is an expression which recalls the appearance of Tiryns as seen from below.

275. mvp-comment-213-1 τῶν ἁπάντων] Of all, and not only of Heracles, to whom therefore he could not forgive this wrong.

276-277. mvp-comment-214-1 οὐδ᾽ ἠνέσχετο, | ὁθούνεκ'] 'And would not endure it, that-.' μοῦνον ἀνθρώπων] Unlike the rest of those whom he had slain. See the story of Iphitus told in Od. 21. 14-41.

278. mvp-comment-215-1 εἰ . . ἠμύνατο] ‘If he had made requital openly.'

279. mvp-comment-216-1 Zeus manifestly would have consented' either (1) to his being justly punished,' or (2) 'to his justly punishing him.' In the former case, (1) χειρουμένῳ used passively involves a change of subject. In the latter, (2) the same word used actively is without an object. τοι gives a note of preparation for what follows, in which the connection, though not fully expressed, is obvious; viz. 'Zeus punished Heracles for his guile, certainly not out of any love for Eurytus' proud race, who for their over-weening insolence have now been destroyed.' So Lichas returns from the digression, with which he laboured to assign a motive for the siege of Oechalia. His prolixity in doing this (which has brought the passage under suspicion), is really a stroke of art, by which the poet reminds the spectators of the simplicity of the real motive.

280. mvp-comment-217-1 'It is not to be supposed that the gods any more than men favour the proud.' Of this the ruin of Oechalia is a proof.

281. mvp-comment-218-1 κεῖνοι] 'And they too'-Eurytus and his sons, who must be supposed to have joined with him in his transgression. ἐκ γλώσσης κακῆς] 'With reviling words.' ἐκ here denotes rather the manner than the origin of the offence. ὑπερχλίοντες is in the imperfect tense. See Essay on L. § 32. p. 54 , and cp. Thuc. 3. 9. § 3, ἐν τῇ εἰμήνῃ τιμώμενοι.

282. mvp-comment-219-1 ῞Αιδου οἰκήτορες] Cp. infr. 1161, ὅστις "Αιδου φθίμενος οἰκήτωρ πέλοι.

283. mvp-comment-220-1 τάσδε] For this attraction of the antecedent, see Essay on L. § 35. p. 59, and cp. supr. 152.

284. mvp-comment-221-1 ἐξ ὀλβίων] Sc. οὐσῶν. As if the sentence were ἐξ ὀλβίων ἄζηλοι γενόμενοι.

286. mvp-comment-222-1 πιστὸς ὢν κείνῳ] Deianira remembers this afterwards, ll. 617-20.

287. mvp-comment-223-1 αὐτὸν . . ἐκεῖνον] Resumed in νιν, l. 289, where Hense unnecessarily conjectures φρόνησον. ἁγνὰ θύματα] ‘'Pure sacrifices,' consecrating the victory by acknowledging the help of the gods.

288. mvp-comment-224-1 τῆς ἁλώσεως] For the capture,' as a thank-offering. To be joined with θύματα. Essay on L. § 10. p. 15 d. πατρῴῳ Ζηνί] Schndw. says that although Zeus was the father of Heracles he was here worshipped by him as the god of the whole race (of Amphitryon?). But Zeus was πατρῷος to Heracles in a peculiar sense-'The Zeus of fatherhood,' i e. 'The author of being.' Cp. infr. 753. Qy. φρονεῖν (see v. rr.)?

290. mvp-comment-225-1 καλῶς λεχθέντος] ‘Of many words fair to hear this is the fairest.' πολλοῦ has been questioned and ὅλου conjectured by Otto Hense. But ὅλου is inexact. For the account of Heracles' bondage to Omphale (ll. 248-53) was not fair to hear.'

292. mvp-comment-226-1 i. e. You have not only the words of Lichas, but the presence of the captives, to vouch for the coming of Heracles. That which assures the joy of Deianira is to be the cause of her misery. So little does the 'coming event cast its shadow before.' Cp. 862.

294. mvp-comment-227-1 πανδίκῳ φρενί] 'With a heart that has every reason to rejoice':-πανδίκως τῇ φρενί.

295. mvp-comment-228-1 'This cannot fail' either (1) 'to coincide with that' (the joy with the news), or (2) 'to coincide in this way.' In (1) τῇδε = τῇ πράξει. In (2) τῇδε is adverbial and τοῦτο is the news and the rejoicing in one. The former (1) is best. Such news must needs be met by such rejoicing.' This line, with many others that could be dropped without ruining the connection, has been needlessly suspected as an interpolation.

296. mvp-comment-229-1 ἔνεστι τοῖσιν εὖ σκοπουμένοις] Either (1) There is occasion in the eyes of those who consider well' (the middle voice occurs in O. Τ. 964, τί δῆτ᾽ ἄν, ὦ γύναι, σκοποῖτό τις, κ.τ.λ.): -the dative, as in O. T. 616, καλῶς ἔλεξεν εὐλαβουμένῳ πεσεῖν : -or (2), 'There is room, when things are well considered.' In this case the dative is governed by ἐν in ἔνεστι.

298. mvp-comment-230-1 For οἶκτος of pity mixed with apprehension, cp. Eur. Med. 931, εἰσῆλθέ μ' οἶκτος εἰ γενήσεται τάδε. δεινός] Overpowering,' of strong feeling. Cp. infr. 476, ταύτης ὁ δεινὸς ἵμερος: Plat. Theaet. 169 Β, οὕτω τις ἔρως δεινὸς ἐνδέδυκε τῆς περὶ ταῦτα γυμνασίας.

300. mvp-comment-231-1 Homeless, because Oechalia was destroyed; Fatherless,' because its chief men had been slain in battle.

301. mvp-comment-232-1 πρίν] In their former life, when they had a home.

302. mvp-comment-233-1 δοῦλον) The adjectival use of δοῦλος, which occurs here and supr. l. 53, is not found in earlier Greek.

303. mvp-comment-234-1 τροπαῖε] 'Giver of victory." Deianira has been commonly understood to address Zeus thus as the averter of evil (ἀποτρόπαιος). But elsewhere τροπαίος means the god who turns armies in battle. On this occasion Zeus has driven the army of Oechalia before Heracles and his allies. Deianira apprehends the possibility of some descendant of the Heracleidae being similarly defeated and made captive through the same god favouring another race.

304. mvp-comment-235-1 ποι after the verb of motion = που.

305. mvp-comment-236-1 τῆσδέ γε ζώσης ἔτι, Sc. δράσειας

306. mvp-comment-237-1 ὁρωμένη) The middle adds a touch of feeling, like the ethical dative, Le Looking at them with reflection. Cp. Ο. Τ. 1487, νοούμενος τὰ λοιπὰ τοῦ πικροῦ βίου.

307. mvp-comment-238-1 Iole is naturally silent and downcast in the presence of Deianira, who in her quick sympathy interprets this as an expression of sorrow. The foremost captive, she observes, shows more feeling than the rest (312).

308. mvp-comment-239-1 τεκνοῦσσα (see v. rr.) is obtained from the lemma of the Scholiast. φύσιν] 'Appearance.' Cp. O. Т. 740, 1, φύσιν τιν εἶχε, φράζε.

309. mvp-comment-240-1 πάντων. . τῶνδε] Sc. τοῦ ἄνδρα τε καὶ τέκνα σχεῖν.

313. mvp-comment-241-1 φρονεῖν οἶδεν] 'Has the sense to feel her position." See note on 307. For this pleonastic use of οἶδεν = ἐπίσταται. cp. Hom. Il. 7. 238, οἶδ᾽ ἐπὶ δεξιά, εἶδ' ἐπ᾿ ἀριστερὰ νωμῆσαι βῶν: Phil. 1010, ὃς οὐδὲν ἤδη πλὴν τὸ προσ ταχθὲν ποιεῖν: Arist. Vesp. 376, ν᾽ εἰδῇ μὴ πατεῖν τὰ τῶν θεῶν ψηφίσματα.

314. mvp-comment-242-1 τί δ' ἄν με καὶ κρίνοις; καὶ opposes the question to the reply. I cannot answer, and why should you ask??

315. mvp-comment-243-1 τῶν ἐκεῖθεν] Sc. γεννημάτων. Ср. О. Т. 1167, τῶν Λαΐου τοίνυν τις ἦν γεννημάτων. οὐκ ἐν ὑστάτοις] 'Not far down.' The phrase is equivalent to an attributive adjective agreeing with γέννημα.

316. mvp-comment-244-1 μὴ τῶν τυράννων] Sc. γέννημα. 'Can she have been of the royal stock?' Εὐρύτου σπορά τις ἦν] Either (1) 'Is it possible she is Eurytus' offspring?' τις = πως. See Essay on L. § 22. p. 36, sub fin., and cp. Ó. T. 1167, quoted above. Or (2) Had Eurytus any offspring?" So Hermann.

317. mvp-comment-245-1 οὐδ᾽ ἀνιστόρουν μακράν] 'I did not carry my inquiries far.'

318. mvp-comment-246-1 τῶν ξυνεμπόρων] Of those travelling with her and you,' viz. the other captives. ἔχεις = πέπυσαι. Cp. Phil. 789, ἔχετε τὸ πρᾶγμα.

319. mvp-comment-247-1 τοὐμὸν ἔργον] The herald's task of bringing the captives home.

320. mvp-comment-248-1 Deianira, baffled in her compassionate eagerness, now turns to Iole herself in a tone of entreaty. ἀλλά belongs to ἐκ σαυτῆς or to the whole sentence, not to ἡμίν. (Cр. О. С. 238, ὦ ξένοι, . . ἀλλ᾽ ἐπεί, κ.τ.λ.)

321. mvp-comment-249-1 καὶ ξυμφορά τοι] These words express Deianira's strong sympathy. 'Verily, I am distressed not to know who thou art.' A narrator might say of her in the language of Herodotus, καὶ συμφορὴν ἐποιέετο, τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι τὴν ξείνην ἥ τις εἴη. It has been observed that the particles ἐπεὶ καί τοι are not found together elsewhere. But each of the three words has a distinct and apposite meaning. 'For' (ἐπεί) ‘I tell you' (τοι) 'I am even' (καί) ' distressed.' γε simply emphasizes σé, i. e. 'You, who have awakened such an interest in me.'

322ff. mvp-comment-250-1 Lichas hurriedly interposes to prevent disclosure with a significant warning to Iole to hold her peace. The first Scholiast's explanation of these words gives a rational meaning: ἐὰν αἰδουμένη σε φθέγξηται, κατ᾿ οὐδὲν ἄρα ἐξίσου τῷ πρόσθεν χρόνῳ προκομίσειεν (ἂν ?) αὐτῆς τὴν γλῶσσαν· τὸν γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ χρόνου ἐσιώπα: i.e. he understands the stress of the sentence to be on the words οὐδὲν ἐξ ἴσου τῷ γε πρόσθεν χρόνῳ ( Essay on L. § 24. p. 40 ). It will not be in accordance with (her demeanour in) the previous time that she will bring out her tongue (if she does so).' The doubt is whether διαφέρειν can mean, 'To bring between the lips,' and so answer the προκομίζειν of the Scholiast. Wakefield's conjecture διήσει, ' Will let pass through her lips,' is supported by Ο. C. 963 (ὅστις φόνους . .) τοῦ σοῦ διῆκας στόματος. Hermann explained the words to mean, Just as hitherto (τῷ γε πρόσθεν ἐξ ἴσου χρόνῳ) she will maintain an even tenour (οὐδὲν διοίσει) as to her tongue.' Dindorf (agreeing with the second Scholiast), 'She will not employ her tongue' (οὐ.. διοίσει οι διήσει γλῶσσαν) 'inconsistently with what she has done hitherto.'

323-324. mvp-comment-251-1 οὐδαμὰ | προὔφηνεν] ‘Made no sign.

325. mvp-comment-252-1 But travailing with the weight of her calamity she has wept over it ever since.' The accusative is to be joined both with ὠδίνουσα and δακρυρροεῖ. Cp. Shak. Pericles, 5. 1, 'I am great with woe and shall deliver weeping.'

327. mvp-comment-253-1 διήνεμον] It is difficult to determine whether this is (1) a mere epithet, 'Wind-swept,' like the Homeric ἠνεμόεσσα, descriptive of a city on a hill, or (2) a supplem. pred. = διήνεμον οὖσαν, ‘Desolate,' 'Open to the winds.' The first (1) may be supported by comparing several picturesque touches in this play, but the other (2) is more dramatic. Both are given in the scholia, ἔρημον (2), ὕψηλον (1). ἡ δέ τοι] This is better than ἥδε τοι, which leaves an unmeaning asyndeton. Her case is unfortunate, I mean for herself, but suggests a reason for indulgence' (on our part); i. e. 'Her misfortune may excuse her silence.'

328. mvp-comment-254-1 For ἔχει, cp. Thuc. 2. 41. § 3, ἀγανάκτησιν ἔχει ('Gives cause for complaint'): Eur. Phoen. 995, τοὐμὸν δ᾽ οὐχὶ συγγνώμην ἔχει.

329. mvp-comment-255-1 ἥδ᾽ οὖν] ἡ δ' οὖν is sometimes read here, as in O. T. 669. But while δέ is unnecessary, the opposition of πάντες in what follows is enough to justify the use of the demonstrative ἥδε. στέγας] For the accus. cp. 58, δύμους.

330. mvp-comment-256-1 ἥδιστα] For this sense of ἡδύς, ср. О. C. 639, 40, εἰ δ᾽ ἐμοῦ στείχειν μέτα | τόδ᾽ ἡδύ.

331. mvp-comment-257-1 This line in LA (see v. rr.) has manifestly suffered from corruption, some other word being replaced either by the first or the second λύπην. The Triclinian reading which is adopted in the text, although possibly due to conjecture, is more probable than any other of the various changes which have been proposed. It is not necessary to change λάβοι το λάβῃ. The optative slightly varies the expression, I would not have her,' etc.

333. mvp-comment-258-1 For τε.. δέ, see Essay on L. §36. p. 65 f , and cp. supr. 143. The antithesis is introduced after the sentence is begun. οἱ θέλεις] Viz. to rejoin Heracles.

334. mvp-comment-259-1 ἐξαρκή] ‘As they should be.' Cp. infr. 625.

335. mvp-comment-260-1 ἀμμείνασα] Sc. χωροῖς ἄν. Ср. Phil. 645, χωρῶμεν, ἔνδοθεν λαβών. For the use of the participle with ye = 'Not until,' cp. Plat. Phaedr. 228 D, δείξας γε πρῶτον, ὦ φιλότης, κ.τ.λ. The "Αγγελος is rude, and something of a busy-body, but honest and well-meaning.

336. mvp-comment-261-1 ἄνευ τῶνδε] When Lichas and the captives are not present.'

337. mvp-comment-262-1 ἐκμάθῃς θ' ἃ δεῖ] The change from τε to γε in AVR is an attempt to simplify the sentence, but still leaves an awkward resumption. The Αγγελος, full of the importance of his message, and yet afraid to speak it too soon, hurries over the latter part of the sentence, 'That you may learn, first who they are whom you are taking within, and then what else is hidden from you, and (in short) that you may learn fully what you ought to know.'

338. mvp-comment-263-1 l. 338 is characteristic of the man's self-importance. There is a certain ὄγκος in the postponement of γάρ (Aj. 522, El. 492); and the expression πάντ᾽ ἐπιστήμη, 'Knowledge as to all things, Absolute knowledge,' has also a mockheroic (almost 'Pistol'-like) air.

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.

341. mvp-comment-265-1 μάτην] 'Without result,' i.e. without the event proving the truth of my words. δοκῶ] Sc. τὸν μῦθον μάτην ἀκούσεσθαί σε,

342. mvp-comment-266-1 ἐκείνους] Those other people, who were here a little while ago. It may be remarked, as exemplifying the dramatic manner of Sophocles, that the words ἄνευ τῶνδε in l. 336 are unobserved by Deianira. Cp. O.Т. 360, and note.

344. mvp-comment-267-1 οὐδὲν εἴργεται] Sc. τάδε λεχθῆναι. For the passive, cp. Thuc. 8. 54, ὥστε μηκέτι διαμέλλεσθαι. τούτους] Though further off than the Chorus, Lichas and the captives are still imagined as within sight through the open door, and within call.

345. mvp-comment-268-1 χώ λόγος σημαινέτω] ‘Now then let your speech declare your meaning.' Deianira is impatient of the air of mystery which the man has hitherto assumed. For λόγος personified, ср. О. С. 574, χώ λόγος διέρχεται: Fr. inc. 782, διχοστατῶν λόγος. σημαίνειν, without an expressed object, occurs several times in Sophocles and Thucydides; and in Xenophon, Mem. 1. 1. § 4, τὸ δαιμόνιον γὰρ ἔφη σημαίνειν.

346. mvp-comment-269-1 ἀνὴρ ὅδ'] 'Lichas here' (pointing indoors). Cp. τούτους, supr. 344.

347. mvp-comment-270-1 δίκης ἐς ὀρθόν] Truly and uprightly. For δίκη in this sense, cp. Ant. 538, οὐκ ἐάσει τοῦτό σ᾽ ἡ δίκη. κακός] Sc. ἐστί. 'He is behaving badly.'

348. mvp-comment-271-1 δίκαιος] Honest.'

349. mvp-comment-272-1 πᾶν ὅσον νοεῖς] ‘All that thou knowest.'

353. mvp-comment-273-1 ἕλοι] 'Subdued,' viz. killed Eurytus and destroyed Oechalia. For a similar double use of εἶλον, cp Pind. Οl. 1. 142, ἕλεν δ' Οἰνομάου βίαν | παρθένον τε σύνευνον.

354-355. mvp-comment-274-1 Ἔρως.. μόνος θεῶν, κ.τ.λ.] The god of love, and no other, had moved him to this feat of arms.' αἰχμάσαι τάδε] 'Το enter on this warlike enterprise.’ τάδε, cognate accusative.

356-357. mvp-comment-275-1 τἀπὶ . . λατρεύματα] (1) 'Not the toilsome service at the bidding of the Lydians or of Omphale.' Or (2) the preposition may have the merely locative sense in the first instance, and the different meaning, 'In the power of,' with the second word. The labours which he performed among the Lydians and in the service of Omphale.' ἐπί = ' In the power of.' Cp. О. С. 66, ἄρχει τις αὐτῶν, ἢ ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει λόγος;

357. mvp-comment-276-1 ὁ ῥιπτὸς.. μόρος] ‘The death by hurling from the rock. For a use of the passive of ῥίπτω (with cognate subject) corresponding to this use of the verbal adj.. cp. the oracle in Hdt. 1. 62, ἔρριπται δ᾽ ὁ βόλος (‘Now the cast is made'), τὸ δὲ δίκτυον ἐκπεπέτασται. Cp. also Eur. Or. 990, 1, Μυρτίλου φόνον | δικών, and see Essay on L. § 53. p. 98.

358. mvp-comment-277-1 ov] Referring to "Έρως, the most important subject in the preceding lines. Cp. Ο. C. 86, 7, Φοίβῳ τε καμοί, κ.τ.λ., ὅς, κ.τ.λ. The conjectures ἅ and ὅ are quite unnecessary. παρώσας] « Having thrust aside,' cp. Eur. El. 1037, τἄνδον παρώσας λέκτρα: Plat. Rep. 5. p. 471 C, δ.. παρωσάμενος .. πάντα ταῦτα εἴρηκας. ἔμπαλιν λέγει] 'Tells a different (lit. opposite) tale.'

359. mvp-comment-278-1 οὐκ ἔπειθε] 'He could not persuade.' The imperfect implies that his suit was continued for some time. φυτοσπόρος is originally ὁ σπείρας τὸ φυτόν,

360. mvp-comment-279-1 κρύφιον . . λέχος] ‘In secret marriage,' - accusative in apposition with the action.

362-363. mvp-comment-280-1 These lines have been censured for their tautology, and justly enough; but they are in character with the speaker, who, like the Φύλαξ in the Antigone, has already shown a fondness for false emphasis and superfluous words. The words ἄνακτα πατέρα τῆσδε in l. 364 are in the same manner. ἐν ἡ τὸν Εὔρυτον τόνδ' εἶπε δεσπόζειν θρόνων] 'The same wherein he told us that Eurytus of whom he spake was master of the throne.' The Messenger wants to impress on Deianira that this part of what she has heard need not be unsaid. The reading τῶνδε (see v. rr.) involves a still more superfluous use of the demonstrative.

365. mvp-comment-281-1 ὡς] Hermann's note in defence of ὡς shows a wise caution. He thinks that the rule of grammarians that ὡς for πρός can only be used with persons may be extended so as to cover a case of this kind where the house includes the inmates of the house. It is certainly better to retain a reading which, for anything we know, may be specially suited to express an authorized mission, such as that of Iole under charge of Lichas. ἥκει] 'Heracles is come.' After the words of Lichas in supr. 289, the arrival of Heracles is regarded as an accomplished fact.

366. mvp-comment-282-1 ἀφροντίστως] 'Without special care,' as he would have done, if she had merely fallen to his lot as part of the spoil. Cp. supr. 283-6.

367. mvp-comment-283-1 μηδὲ προσδόκα τόδε] ‘Nay, do not look for that.' μηδέ is rather adversative to Deianira's previous impression than to the preceding words. Others have taken it to mean, 'As it is not the fact, so neither must you think it.' Cp. Aesch. Ag. 879, μηδὲ θαυμάσῃς τόδε, where there is a similar doubt.

368. mvp-comment-284-1 ἐντεθέρμανται] ἐνθερμαίνειν may surely mean ἐντὸς θερμαίνειν, ας ἐμπιμπλάναι means ἐντὸς πιμπλάναι, and unless we are to get rid of all ἅπαξ λεγόμενα, there is no good reason for exchanging this, at some one's suggestion, for ἐκτεθέρμανται, because the Scholiast explains the word by ἐκκέκανται and ἐκθερμαίνειν means somewhere, 'To chafe the limbs.' The addition of this line is suited to the character of the Messenger, whose garrulity unconsciously rubs the sore.

371. mvp-comment-285-1 πρὸς μέσῃ.. ἀγορᾷ] ‘Near the midst of the Trachinians' public place.' Lichas was standing in the midst of the ἀγορά, his audience were standing near. The expression is varied infr. 423. The word μέσῃ marks the publicity of Lichas' statement. See note on O. T. 808.

373. mvp-comment-286-1 ἐξελέγχειν] Sc. αὐτόν. · Clearly to convict him.' εἰ δὲ μὴ λέγω φίλα] From the signs of emotion which she shows, and perhaps instructed by the gestures of the Chorus, the man perceives at last how Deianira is wounded. Ср. О. Т. 746, and note. For φίλα, cp. Phil. 1178, φίλα μοι, φίλα ταῦτα παρήγγειλας.

374. mvp-comment-287-1 οὐχ ἥδομαι] ‘I am sorry.' Cp. Eur. Med. 136, οὐδὲ συνήδομαι, ὦ γύναι, ἄλγεσι δώματος, ἐπεί μοι φίλον κέκρανται.

375. mvp-comment-288-1 ποῦ . . πράγματος] ‘Where am 1?' Cp. Αj. 314, κἀνήρετ᾽, ἐν τῷ πράγματος κυροί ποτέ.

376-377. mvp-comment-289-1 What undermining trouble have I welcomed in beneath my roof?' Cp. Ant. 531, σὺ δ᾽, ἢ κατ᾿ οἴκους ὡς ἔχιδν᾽ ὑφειμένη | λήθουσά μ᾽ ἐξέπινες. ὦ δύστηνος] Sc. ἐγώ. Cp. 375, 1143, 1243, О. Т. 1155, О. С. 318. ἆρ᾿ ἀνώνυμος] Deianira thus dwells bitterly on the deceit of Lichas, whereupon the literal Messenger proclaims Iole's name.

379. mvp-comment-290-1 καὶ κατ᾿ ὄμμα καὶ φύσιν] ‘In birth, as in appearance.'

380. mvp-comment-291-1 πατρός.. Εὐρύτου] 'Taking lineage from Eurytus for her sire.' Ср. Phil. 260, ὦ παῖ πατρὸς ἐξ ᾿Αχιλλέως : Εl. 365, νῦν δ᾽ ἐξὸν πατρὸς .. παῖδα κεκλῆσθαι, καλοῦ τῆς μητρός: Ο. C. 215, τίνος εἶ σπέρματος, ὦ ξένε, φώνει, πατρόθεν. ποτέ] Once.' Cp. supr. 301, and the Homeric εἴ ποτ᾽ ἔην γε (Il. 3. 180).

381. mvp-comment-292-1 'Of whose origin he had not a word to say, pretending forsooth to have made no inquiry.' Cp. supr. 317.

382. mvp-comment-293-1 οὐδὲν ἱστορῶν] 'Because he did not inquire' at that former time. ὅτι (τότε) οὐδὲν ἱστόρει. Cp. supr. 281, ὑπερχλίοντες, and note.

383. mvp-comment-294-1 ὅλοιντο μή τι πάντες οἱ κακοί] The Chorus in a sort of aside, which Deianira is too absorbed to perceive (see infr. 386, ἐκπεπληγμένη), thus covertly direct their indignation at some one. Is this Lichas or Heracles? The prevarication of Lichas is hardly a sufficient cause for such an outburst, and the phrase 'unbecoming to himself' has no significance in relation to him. It is more probable that the Trachinian women, unheard by Deianira, thus breathe a curse on the unfaithfulness of Heracles. It should be remembered that he is not their master, so that the analogy of Medea, 83, 4, ὅλοιτο μὲν μή, δεσπότης γάρ ἐστ᾽ ἐμός, | ἀτὰρ κακός γ᾽ ὧν ἐς φίλους ἁλίσκεται, is rather in favour of this interpretation than against it. Cp. Phil. 451, 2, ποῦ χρὴ τίθεσθαι ταῦτα, ποῦ δ' αἰνεῖν, ὅταν | τὰ θεῖ᾽ ἐπαινῶν τοὺς θεοὺς εὕρω κακούς ;

386. mvp-comment-295-1 (I ask you because) ' I am struck dumb by what is now reported.'

387. mvp-comment-296-1 σαφῆ] ‘Clear truth.'

388. mvp-comment-297-1 εἰ . . θέλοις] 'If you chose to press him hard with questioning.'

389. mvp-comment-298-1 καὶ γὰρ. λέγεις] ‘For your words are not unwise.' οὐκ ἄπο γνώμης = πρὸς γνώμης. 'Thought' in such expressions = ' Wise thought,' or 'Wisdom.'

390. mvp-comment-299-1 This line, which in the Laurentian MS. is expressly given to the Chorus, has been transferred by Hermann and recent editors to the Messenger (cp. El. 772, μάτην ἄρ᾽ ἡμεῖς, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἥκομεν), on the ground that the Chorus were bound in any case to stay where they were, and moreover were helpless in this matter. But (a) τί χρὴ ποιεῖν ; does not mean, 'How shall we help you?' but, What shall we do about staying where we are?' (b) The Ajax and Eumenides show that the Chorus sometimes left the scene, and the objection is irrelevant, for the illusion of the theatre may be carried so far as to ignore stage necessities in imagination. Cp. Aesch. Prom. 1058 foll., where Hermes advises the ocean-nymphs to fly, and El. 1399, ἀλλὰ σῖγα πρόσμενε. (c) The answer of Deianira is perfectly consistent with the coryphaeus having asked, Shall we some of us accompany you, or all wait till you come back?' but is unmeaning as a reply to the question, 'Shall I wait here while you go in, or shall I go away?' which is the only sense the line will bear if given to the Messenger.

391. mvp-comment-300-1 οὐκ . . ἀγγέλων] Sc. κλητός, which is suggested by αὐτόκλητος following.

394. mvp-comment-301-1 εἰσορᾷς] Wunder conjectures ὡς ὁρᾷς. Dindorf, on the other hand, suggests that Sophocles may have used εἰσορᾷς here for the parenthetical opas to avoid the repetition of ὡs. But the parenthetical opas is interrogative, and that is unsuitable here. The best explanation of the words as they stand is to suppose that they are a confusion of two constructions, (1) ὡς εἰσορᾶς ἐμὲ ἕρποντα, (2) ὡς ἕρποντος ἐμοῦ.

395. mvp-comment-302-1 ἐκ ταχείας] For this adverbial expression, cp. infr. 727, ἐξ ἑκουσίας : Plat. Soph. p. 231 C, τὰς ἁπάσας μὴ ῥάδιον εἶναι διαφεύγειν. ὁρμῆς, or some such word, can easily be supplied. But the ellipse has become idiomatic.

395. mvp-comment-302-2 σὺν χρόνῳ βραδεῖ] 'So tardily.' Cp. Ο. С. 1602, ταχεῖ ξὺν χρόνῳ. For the meaning, cp. supr. 44, 5, χρόνον γὰρ οὐχὶ βαιόν, ἀλλ᾽ ἤδη δέκα | μῆνας πρὸς ἄλλοις πέντ᾽ ἀκήρυκτος μένει

396. mvp-comment-303-1 καὶ νεώσασθαι] ‘Before I have conversed again with you.' Hermann conjectures κάννεώσασθαι, - i. e. καὶ ἀνανεώσασθαι, cp. Od. 10. 192, ἀννεῖται. But he was hardly justified in condemning νεώσασθαι. See Essay on L. § 55. p. 101, 4. The meaning is, 'Before we can have fresh interchange of talk,' rather than, 'Before we have renewed the talk we had with you just now.'

398. mvp-comment-304-1 ἢ καὶ . . νέμεις] ‘And dost thou maintain the faithful spirit of truth?" For νέμεις, 'Dost possess, wield, use,' cp. Aesch. Ag. 685, γλῶσσαν ἐν τύχᾳ νέμων. For τὸ πιστὸν τῆς ἀληθείας, cp. Thuc. 2. 40, ἐλευθερίας τῷ πιστῷ: ib. 6. 72, τὸ πιστὸν τῆς ἐπιστήμης.

399. mvp-comment-305-1 ὧν γε = (νέμω ἀλήθειαν) τούτων ἅ.

402. mvp-comment-306-1 Ср. О. Τ. 1121, δεῦρό μοι φώνει βλέπων, The Messenger rudely calls Lichas' attention to himself. Here and elsewhere in this scene (see v. rr.) the traditional reading confuses the persons of Lichas and the Messenger.

403. mvp-comment-307-1 The reading ἐρωτήσασ' (cp. 412) has suggested to some editors a transposition of the lines, which is quite unnecessary. Thus Dindorf (Oxford, 1869) reads ΔΗ. 400, ΛΙ. 403, ΔΗ. 404, ΛΙ. 401, ΑΓ. 402. But Lichas is too courteous to Deianira and too self-possessed to have addressed so rude a question to her, instead of answering at once, and if he had done so would not have emphasized the pronoun σύ: whereas it is quite natural that he should turn abruptly on the Messenger without giving him a direct answer. And 404 suits better with the peremptoriness of the "Αγγελος than with the character of Deianira.

404. mvp-comment-308-1 τόλμησον εἰπεῖν] ‘Say frankly.' τολμᾶν is one of those words which, like ἐπιχειρεῖν, are not to be pressed too closely when used as auxiliaries. Cp. Ο. C. 184, τόλμα . . ἀποστυγεῖν: Εl. 1051, οὔτε γὰρ σὺ τἄμ᾽ ἔπη τολμᾶς ἐπαινεῖν, κ.τ.λ : Aesch. Prom. 999, 1000, τόλμησον . . ὀρθῶς φρονεῖν. εἰ φρονεῖς] «If you have the sense to know it; i.e. If your lie has not 'made such a sinner of your memory' as to make you forget to whom you spoke. Hermann strangely understands the "Αγγελος to speak ironically, as if the Messenger thought that Lichas would not dare to answer the question if he were in his right mind.

406. mvp-comment-309-1 δάμαρτά θ' Ηρακλέους] Several editors propose to read δ' for θ'.

407. mvp-comment-310-1 λεύσσων μάταια] ‘If I have not lost the sight of my eyes.' Cp. infr. 863, πότερον ἐγὼ μάταιος. Lichas professes to be shaken by the rudeness of the question, so as for the moment almost to doubt his eyesight. For the adverbial use of the accusative plural, cp. Eur. Alc. 413, ἀνόνατ᾽ ἐνύμφευσας.

408. mvp-comment-311-1 For the repetition of τοῦτο, see on supr. 362, and cp. O. T. 1013, τοῦτ᾽ αὐτὸ . . τοῦτό μ᾽ εἰσαεὶ φοβεῖ. σου μαθεῖν] ‘To understand from you.' Cp. O. Τ. 575, ἐγὼ δὲ σου | μαθεῖν δικαιῶ ταὔθ᾽ ἅπερ κἀμοῦ σὺ νῦν.

409. mvp-comment-312-1 δίκαια γάρ] 'Yes, for it is right,' that I should acknowledge this. δίκαιος only means 'true' in this indirect way, viz. because it is right to speak the truth. Cp. supr. 347.

410. mvp-comment-313-1 What punishment would you accept? i.e. do you allow that you deserve?' Cp. Ο.Τ. 944, εἰ μὴ λέγω τἀληθές, ἀξιῶ θανεῖν.

412. mvp-comment-314-1 τί ποτε ποικίλας ἔχεις ;] · What riddle have you devised?' Cp. infr. 1121, οὐδὲν ξυνίημ᾽ ὧν σὺ ποικίλλεις πάλαι,

413. mvp-comment-315-1 τοῦτο δρῶν] Sc. ποικίλλων, 'Keeping up a mystery.'

414. mvp-comment-316-1 μῶρος .. σέθεν] ‘I have been a fool in listening to you for so long.'

415. mvp-comment-317-1 ού] Sc. οὐκ ἄπει. Not until being asked you have answered one little word.' See note on O. Т. 360.

416. mvp-comment-318-1 Speak what you will-indeed you have enough to say.'

418. mvp-comment-319-1 κάτοισθα δήπου ;] 'You know, I presume?' Cp. infr. 1219, τὴν Εὐρυτείαν οἶσθα δῆτα παρθένον ;

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Her name lole ; he had not inquired Touching her race.

Chorus

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τί χρή, γύναι, μολόντα μ᾿ Ηρακλεῖ ει from ηι Ἡρακλεῖ λέγειν ; δίδαξον, ὡς ἕρποντος εἰσορᾶς ἐμοῦ.

ΔΗ. ὡς ἐκ ταχείας σὺν χρόνῳ συνχρόνωι σὺν χρόνω βραδεῖ μολὼν 395

ᾄσσεις, πρὶν ἡμᾶς καὶ νεώσασθαι λόγους.

ΛΙ. ἀλλ᾽ εἴ τι χρήζεις ἱστορεῖν, πάρειμ᾽ ἐγώ.

ΔΗ. ἢ καὶ τὸ πιστὸν τῆς ἀληθείας νέμεις;

ΛΙ. ἴστω μέγας Ζεύς, ὧν γ᾽ ἂν ἐξειδὼς κυρῶ.

ΔΗ. τίς ἡ γυνὴ δῆτ᾽ ἐστὶν ἣν ἥκεις ἄγων; 400

ΛΙ. Εὐβοιίς· ὧν δ᾽ ἔβλαστεν οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν.

ΑΓ. οὗτος, βλέφ᾽ ὧδε. πρὸς τίν' ἐννέπειν δοκεῖς ;

ΛΙ. σὺ δ᾽ εἰς τί δή με τοῦτ᾽ ἐρωτήσας ἐρωτήσασ' ἔχεις;

ΑΓ. τόλμησον εἰπεῖν, εἰ φρονεῖς, ὅ σ᾽ ὃσ ἱστορῶ.

ΛΙ. πρὸς τὴν κρατοῦσαν Δῃάνειραν, Οἰνέως 405 κόρην, δάμαρτά θ' ῾Ηρακλέους, εἰ μὴ κυρῶ

λεύσσων λεύσων λεύσσων μάταια, δεσπότιν τε τὴν ἐμήν.

ΑΓ. τοῦτ᾽ αὔτ᾽ αὐτ' ἔχρηζον, τοῦτό σου μαθεῖν. λέγεις δέσποιναν εἶναι τήνδε σήν;

ΛΙ. δίκαια γάρ.

ΑΓ. τί δῆτα; ποίαν ἀξιοῖς δοῦναι δίκην, 410 ἣν ἤν.. ἦν εὑρεθῇς ἐς τήνδε μὴ δίκαιος ὤν;

ΛΙ. πῶς μὴ δίκαιος; τί ποτε ποικίλας ποικιλασ' ποικίλλας ποικίλας ἔχεις;

ΑΓ. οὐδέν. σὺ μέντοι μέντο κάρτα τοῦτο δρῶν κυρεῖς.

ΛΙ. ἄπειμι. μῶρος δ᾽ ἦ πάλαι κλύων σέθεν.

ΑΓ. οὔ, πρίν γ' ἂν εἴπῃς ἱστορούμενος βραχύ. 415

ΛΙ. λέγ' εἴ τι χρήζεις· καὶ γὰρ οὐ σιγηλὸς εἶ.

ΑΓ. τὴν αἰχμάλωτον, ἣν ἔπεμψας ἐς δόμους δόμο.. δόμουσ, κάτοισθα δήπου ;

ΛΙ. φημί· πρὸς τί δ᾽ ἱστορεῖς ;

ΑΓ. οὔκουν σὺ ταύτην, ἣν ὑπ᾿ ἀγνοίας ἀγνοίασ(α) ἀγνοίας ὁρᾷς,

Ιόλην ἔφασκες Εὐρύτου σπορὰν ἄγειν ; 420

ΛΙ. ποίοις ἐν ἀνθρώποισι; τίς πόθεν μολὼν σοὶ μαρτυρήσει ταῦτ᾽ ἐμοῦ κλύειν παρών ;

ΑΓ. πολλοῖσιν ἀστῶν· ἐν μέσῃ Τραχινίων ἀγορᾷ πολύς σου ταῦτά γ' ταῦτ᾽ ταῦτά γ' εἰσήκουσ᾽ ὄχλος.

ΛΙ. ναί. κλύειν γ᾽ ἔφασκον. ταὐτὸ δ᾽ οὐχὶ γίγνεται γίνεται 425 δόκησιν εἰπεῖν κἀξακριβῶσαι λόγον.

ΑΓ. ποίαν δόκησιν; οὐκ ἐπώμοτος λέγων δάμαρτ᾽ ἔφασκες Ηρακλεῖ Ἡρακλεῖ ταύτην ἄγειν ;

ΛΙ. ἐγὼ δάμαρτα; πρὸς θεῶν, φράσον, φίλη δέσποινα, τόνδε ω τώνδε τίς ποτ᾽ ἐστὶν ὁ ξένος. 430

ΑΓ. ὃς σοῦ παρὼν ἤκουσεν ἤκοσεν ἤκουσεν ὡς ταύτης πόθῳ πόλις δαμείη πᾶσα, κοὐχ ἡ κοὐχὶ κοὐχ ἡ Λυδία πέρσειεν αὐτήν, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τῆσδ᾽ ἔρως φανείς.

ΛΙ. ἄνθρωπος ἄνθρωποσ, ὦ δέσποιν', ἀποστήτω. τὸ γὰρ νοσοῦντι ληρεῖν ἀνδρὸς οὐχὶ σώφρονος. 435

ΔΗ.

What message must I carry to my lord? Tell me, my Queen. I am going, as thou seest.

DÊ So slow in coming, and so quickly flown, 395 Ere one have time to talk with thee anew! 395

LICH What wouldst thou ask me? I am bent to hear.

DÊ And art thou bent on truth in the reply?

LICH By Heaven! in all that I have knowledge of.

DÊ Then tell me, who is she thou brought’st with thee? 400

LICH An islander. I cannot trace her stock.

MESS Look hither, man. Who is’t to whom thou speakest?

LICH Why such a question? What is thine intent?

MESS Nay, start not, but make answer if thou knowest.

LICH To Dêanira, Oeneus’ queenly child, 405 Heracles’ wife,—if these mine eyes be true,— 405 My mistress.

MESS Ay, that is the very word I longed to hear thee speak. Thy mistress, sayest?

LICH To whom I am bound.

MESS Hold there! What punishment 410 Wilt thou accept, if thou art found to be 410 Faithless to her?

LICH I faithless! What dark speech Hast thou contrived?

MESS Not I at all. ’Tis thou Dost wrap thy thoughts i’ the dark.

LICH Well, I will go. ’Tis folly to have heard thee for so long.

MESS You go not till you answer one word more. 415

LICH One, or a thousand! You’ll not stint, I see.

MESS Thou knowest the captive maid thou leddest home?

LICH I do. But wherefore ask?

MESS Did you not say That she, on whom you look with ignorant eye, Was Iolè, the daughter of the King, Committed to your charge?

LICH Where? Among whom? What witness of such words will bear thee out?

MESS Many and sound. A goodly company In Trachis’ market-place heard thee speak this.

LICH Ay. 425 I said ’twas rumoured. But I could not give 425 My vague impression for advised report.

MESS Impression, quotha! Did you not on oath Proclaim your captive for your master’s bride?

LICH My master’s bride! Dear lady, by the Gods, Who is the stranger? for I know him not. 430

MESS One who was present where he heard thee tell, How that whole city was subdued and taken, Not for the bondage to the Lydian girl, But through the longing passion for this maid.

LICH Dear lady, let the fellow be removed. To prate with madmen is mere foolishness. 435

DÊ

Was meld' ich, Herrin, komm' ich dort zu Herakles? Laß hören; fertig siehst du mich zur Wanderung.

Deianeira. Mit solcher Eile stürmst du fort und kamst so spät, Stürmst fort, bevor du dein Gespräch erneut mit uns? 390

Lichas. Nun, wenn du Weitres fragen willst, ich stehe hier.

Deianeira. Und willst du treulich auch die Wahrheit mir gestehn?

Lichas. Bei'm hohen Zeus, in Allem, was ich selber weiß.

Deianeira. Wer ist die Frau denn also, die du hergebracht?

Lichas. Vom Land Euböa; wessen Kind, ich weiß es nicht. 395

Der Bote. Du, schaue hierher: weißt du wohl, mit wem du sprichst?

Lichas. Und du, wofür denn bietest du die Frage mir?

Der Bote. Gib, wenn du klug bist, kühn Bescheid auf dieses Wort.

Lichas. Mit Deianeira, die des Deneus Tochter ist, Herakles' hoher Gattin, wenn mich anders nicht 400 Mein Auge täuscht, mit meiner Herrin red' ich hier.

Der Bote. Dies wollt' ich hören, dieses nur von dir. Du sagst, Daß diese deine Herrin sei.

Her name lole ; he had not inquired

Touching her race.

τί χρή, γύναι, μολόντα μ᾿ Ηρακλεῖ ει from ηι Ἡρακλεῖ λέγειν ;

δίδαξον, ὡς ἕρποντος εἰσορᾶς ἐμοῦ.

ΔΗ.

ὡς ἐκ ταχείας σὺν χρόνῳ συνχρόνωι σὺν χρόνω βραδεῖ μολὼν
395

ΛΙ.

ἀλλ᾽ εἴ τι χρήζεις ἱστορεῖν, πάρειμ᾽ ἐγώ.

ΔΗ.

ἢ καὶ τὸ πιστὸν τῆς ἀληθείας νέμεις;

ΛΙ.

ἴστω μέγας Ζεύς, ὧν γ᾽ ἂν ἐξειδὼς κυρῶ.

ΔΗ.

τίς ἡ γυνὴ δῆτ᾽ ἐστὶν ἣν ἥκεις ἄγων;
400

ΛΙ.

Εὐβοιίς· ὧν δ᾽ ἔβλαστεν οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν.

ΑΓ.

οὗτος, βλέφ᾽ ὧδε. πρὸς τίν' ἐννέπειν δοκεῖς ;

ΛΙ.

σὺ δ᾽ εἰς τί δή με τοῦτ᾽ ἐρωτήσας ἐρωτήσασ' ἔχεις;

ΑΓ.

τόλμησον εἰπεῖν, εἰ φρονεῖς, ὅ σ᾽ ὃσ ἱστορῶ.

ΛΙ.

πρὸς τὴν κρατοῦσαν Δῃάνειραν, Οἰνέως
405

κόρην, δάμαρτά θ' ῾Ηρακλέους, εἰ μὴ κυρῶ

ΑΓ.

τοῦτ᾽ αὔτ᾽ αὐτ' ἔχρηζον, τοῦτό σου μαθεῖν. λέγεις

δέσποιναν εἶναι τήνδε σήν;

ΛΙ.

δίκαια γάρ.

ΑΓ.

τί δῆτα; ποίαν ἀξιοῖς δοῦναι δίκην,
410

ἣν ἤν.. ἦν εὑρεθῇς ἐς τήνδε μὴ δίκαιος ὤν;

ΛΙ.

πῶς μὴ δίκαιος; τί ποτε ποικίλας ποικιλασ' ποικίλλας ποικίλας ἔχεις;

ΑΓ.

οὐδέν. σὺ μέντοι μέντο κάρτα τοῦτο δρῶν κυρεῖς.

ΛΙ.

ἄπειμι. μῶρος δ᾽ ἦ πάλαι κλύων σέθεν.

ΑΓ.

οὔ, πρίν γ' ἂν εἴπῃς ἱστορούμενος βραχύ.
415

ΛΙ.

λέγ' εἴ τι χρήζεις· καὶ γὰρ οὐ σιγηλὸς εἶ.

ΑΓ.

τὴν αἰχμάλωτον, ἣν ἔπεμψας ἐς δόμους δόμο.. δόμουσ,

κάτοισθα δήπου ;

ΛΙ.

φημί· πρὸς τί δ᾽ ἱστορεῖς ;

ΑΓ.

οὔκουν σὺ ταύτην, ἣν ὑπ᾿ ἀγνοίας ἀγνοίασ(α) ἀγνοίας ὁρᾷς,

Ιόλην ἔφασκες Εὐρύτου σπορὰν ἄγειν ;
420

ΛΙ.

ποίοις ἐν ἀνθρώποισι; τίς πόθεν μολὼν

σοὶ μαρτυρήσει ταῦτ᾽ ἐμοῦ κλύειν παρών ;

ΑΓ.

πολλοῖσιν ἀστῶν· ἐν μέσῃ Τραχινίων

ἀγορᾷ πολύς σου ταῦτά γ' ταῦτ᾽ ταῦτά γ' εἰσήκουσ᾽ ὄχλος.

ΛΙ.

ναί. κλύειν γ᾽ ἔφασκον. ταὐτὸ δ᾽ οὐχὶ γίγνεται γίνεται
425

δόκησιν εἰπεῖν κἀξακριβῶσαι λόγον.

ΑΓ.

ποίαν δόκησιν; οὐκ ἐπώμοτος λέγων

δάμαρτ᾽ ἔφασκες Ηρακλεῖ Ἡρακλεῖ ταύτην ἄγειν ;

ΛΙ.

ἐγὼ δάμαρτα; πρὸς θεῶν, φράσον, φίλη

δέσποινα, τόνδε ω τώνδε τίς ποτ᾽ ἐστὶν ὁ ξένος.
430

ΑΓ.

ὃς σοῦ παρὼν ἤκουσεν ἤκοσεν ἤκουσεν ὡς ταύτης πόθῳ

πόλις δαμείη πᾶσα, κοὐχ ἡ κοὐχὶ κοὐχ ἡ Λυδία

πέρσειεν αὐτήν, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τῆσδ᾽ ἔρως φανείς.

ΛΙ.

ἄνθρωπος ἄνθρωποσ, ὦ δέσποιν', ἀποστήτω. τὸ γὰρ

νοσοῦντι ληρεῖν ἀνδρὸς οὐχὶ σώφρονος.
435

What message must I carry to my lord?

Tell me, my Queen. I am going, as thou seest.

DÊ

So slow in coming, and so quickly flown,
395

Ere one have time to talk with thee anew!
395

LICH

What wouldst thou ask me? I am bent to hear.

DÊ

And art thou bent on truth in the reply?

LICH

By Heaven! in all that I have knowledge of.

DÊ

Then tell me, who is she thou brought’st with thee?
400

LICH

An islander. I cannot trace her stock.

MESS

Look hither, man. Who is’t to whom thou speakest?

LICH

Why such a question? What is thine intent?

MESS

Nay, start not, but make answer if thou knowest.

LICH

To Dêanira, Oeneus’ queenly child,
405

Heracles’ wife,—if these mine eyes be true,—
405

My mistress.

MESS

Ay, that is the very word

I longed to hear thee speak. Thy mistress, sayest?

LICH

To whom I am bound.

MESS

Hold there! What punishment
410

Wilt thou accept, if thou art found to be
410

Faithless to her?

LICH

I faithless! What dark speech

Hast thou contrived?

MESS

Not I at all. ’Tis thou

Dost wrap thy thoughts i’ the dark.

LICH

Well, I will go.

’Tis folly to have heard thee for so long.

MESS

You go not till you answer one word more.
415

LICH

One, or a thousand! You’ll not stint, I see.

MESS

Thou knowest the captive maid thou leddest home?

LICH

I do. But wherefore ask?

MESS

Did you not say

That she, on whom you look with ignorant eye,

Was Iolè, the daughter of the King,

Committed to your charge?

LICH

Where? Among whom?

What witness of such words will bear thee out?

MESS

Many and sound. A goodly company

In Trachis’ market-place heard thee speak this.

LICH

Ay.
425

I said ’twas rumoured. But I could not give
425

My vague impression for advised report.

MESS

Impression, quotha! Did you not on oath

Proclaim your captive for your master’s bride?

LICH

My master’s bride! Dear lady, by the Gods,

Who is the stranger? for I know him not.
430

MESS

One who was present where he heard thee tell,

How that whole city was subdued and taken,

Not for the bondage to the Lydian girl,

But through the longing passion for this maid.

LICH

Dear lady, let the fellow be removed.

To prate with madmen is mere foolishness.
435

Was meld' ich, Herrin, komm' ich dort zu Herakles?

Laß hören; fertig siehst du mich zur Wanderung.

Deianeira.

Mit solcher Eile stürmst du fort und kamst so spät,

Stürmst fort, bevor du dein Gespräch erneut mit uns?
390

Lichas.

Nun, wenn du Weitres fragen willst, ich stehe hier.

Deianeira.

Und willst du treulich auch die Wahrheit mir gestehn?

Lichas.

Bei'm hohen Zeus, in Allem, was ich selber weiß.

Deianeira.

Wer ist die Frau denn also, die du hergebracht?

Lichas.

Vom Land Euböa; wessen Kind, ich weiß es nicht.
395

Der Bote.

Du, schaue hierher: weißt du wohl, mit wem du sprichst?

Lichas.

Und du, wofür denn bietest du die Frage mir?

Der Bote.

Gib, wenn du klug bist, kühn Bescheid auf dieses Wort.

Lichas.

Mit Deianeira, die des Deneus Tochter ist,

Herakles' hoher Gattin, wenn mich anders nicht
400

Mein Auge täuscht, mit meiner Herrin red' ich hier.

Der Bote.

Dies wollt' ich hören, dieses nur von dir. Du sagst,

Daß diese deine Herrin sei.

Lichas.

Und das mit Recht.

Der Bote.

Wie also? Welcher Strafe glaubst du werth zu sein,

Wenn deine Falschheit gegen sie zu Tage kommt?
405

Lichas.

Was wäre Falschheit? Welchen Trug ersinnst du da?

Der Bote.

Nicht ich, du selber bist es, traun, der dieses thut.

Lichas.

Ich gehe: längst war's thöricht, dir Gehör zu leihn.

Der Bote.

Nicht, eh du mir auf kurze Fragen Rede standſt!

Lichas.

Sprich, was dich lüstet, weil du doch nicht schweigen willst.
410

Der Bote.

Die Kriegsgefangne, die du hier in's Haus geführt,

Die kennst du doch?