Trachiniae. Sophocles. Robert Potter (Translator). London. 1820.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Robert Potter, 1788))
Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.
mvp-comment-120-1 κατ’ ἔργου κτῆσιν 1
mvp-comment-120-2 ἄνδρα γὰρ 2
mvp-comment-120-3 καλῶς πράσσοντ’ 3 καλῶς 4 καλά 5
mvp-comment-121-1 ἃ πρῶτα βούλομαι 6 ‐εα 7
mvp-comment-122-1 ἔγωγέ τοι 8
mvp-comment-122-2 ἔλειπον 9 ζῶντα 10 τε καί 11 ἰσχύοντα 12 καί 13 θάλλοντα 14
mvp-comment-123-1 ποῦ γῆς 15 πατρῴας εἴτε βαρβάρου 16 εἴτε 17 εἴτε 18
mvp-comment-123-2 ποῦ γῆς; πατρῴας εἴτε βαρβάρου; λέγε 19
mvp-comment-123-3 ποῦ γῆς; πατρῴας εἴτε βαρβάρου, λέγε 20
mvp-comment-123-4 πατρῴας 21
mvp-comment-124-1 Εὐβοίς 22
mvp-comment-124-2 ὁρίζεται βωμοὺς 23 βωμοὺς 24
mvp-comment-124-3 τέλη τ’ ἔγκαρπα 25
mvp-comment-125-1 εὐκταῖα … ἢ )πὸ μαντείας 26
mvp-comment-125-2 φαίνων 27
mvp-comment-126-1 εὐχαῖς 28
mvp-comment-126-2 ἀνάστατον 29
mvp-comment-127-1 ὧν 30
mvp-comment-127-2 ἐν ὄμμασιν 31
mvp-comment-128-1 τοῦ ποτ’ εἰσὶ 32 ἐκεῖνος 33
mvp-comment-129-1 οἰκτραὶ γάρ 34
mvp-comment-129-2 ξυμφοραὶ 35 ξυμφορᾷ 36
mvp-comment-130-1 ἐξείλεθ’ 37 αὑτῷ 38 θεοῖς 39
mvp-comment-131-1 ἦ κἀπὶ 40
mvp-comment-131-2 ἄσκοπον 41
mvp-comment-131-3 ἡμερῶν 42 ἀνήριθμον 43 χρόνον 44
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 45 ὡς φήσ’ αὐτός 46
mvp-comment-133-1 ἐμποληθείς 47
mvp-comment-133-2 τοῦ λόγου … φθόνον 48
mvp-comment-133-3 προσεῖναι 49
mvp-comment-133-4 ὅτου 50 ὅτου 51 τοῦ λόγου 52
mvp-comment-133-5 πράκτωρ φανῇ 53
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 54 ἐν Λυδοῖς 55 χρόνον 56
mvp-comment-134-2 πραθεὶς … Ὀμφάλῃ 57
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 58
mvp-comment-136-1 λαβὼν 59
mvp-comment-137-1 ὅρκον αὑτῷ προσβαλὼν 60
mvp-comment-137-2 ἦ μὴν 61
mvp-comment-137-3 τὸν ἀγχιστῆρα τοῦδε τοῦ πάθους 62
mvp-comment-137-4 No emendation is probable. Nauck's αὐτόχειρα 63
mvp-comment-138-1 ξὺν παιδὶ καὶ γυναικὶ 64 παισὶ 65
mvp-comment-138-2 ἔτι 66
mvp-comment-139-1 κοὐχ ἡλίωσε τοὔπος 67
mvp-comment-139-2 ὅθ’ ἁγνὸς ἦν 68 ἁγνός 69
mvp-comment-140-1 στρατὸν … ἐπακτὸν 70
mvp-comment-140-2 ἔρχεται 71
mvp-comment-140-3 πόλιν τὴν Εὐρυτείάν 72
mvp-comment-141-1 ἐφέστιον 73 ἐς δόμους 74 ἐλθόντ’ … ἐφέστιον 75
mvp-comment-142-1 ξένον παλαιὸν ὄντα 76
mvp-comment-143-1 ἐπερρόθησε 77
mvp-comment-143-2
From
ἐπερρόθησε a verb of more general sense, such as
ὕβρισε, is to be supplied with
ἀτηρᾷ φρενί
78
γόγοις
79
φρενί
80
δείπνοις δ’
81
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 82 ἀτηρᾷ 83 πολλὰ μὲν … πολλὰ δέ 84
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 85
mvp-comment-144-1 λέγων χεροῖν μὲν 86 δὲ 87 λέγων 88
mvp-comment-144-2 τῶν ὧν τέκνων 89
mvp-comment-144-3 λείποιτο 90
mvp-comment-145-1 φωνεῖ δὲ 91 ῥαίοιτο 92
mvp-comment-145-2 ἀνδρὸς … ἐλευθέρου 93 δοῦλος 94
mvp-comment-145-3 ῥαίοιτο 95
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 96
mvp-comment-145-6 ᾠνωμένος 97
mvp-comment-145-7 ἔρριψεν ἐκτὸς αὐτόν 98
mvp-comment-145-8 ὧν ἔχων χόλον 99
mvp-comment-146-1 αὖθις 100
mvp-comment-146-2 Τιρυνθίαν … κλιτύν 101 υ^ 102 κλιτύν 103
mvp-comment-146-3 ἵππους νομάδας 104 νομάδας 105
mvp-comment-147-1 ἄλλοσ’ … ὄμμα, θατέρᾳ δὲ νοῦν ἔχοντ’ 106 θατέρᾳ 107 ἄλλοσε 108
mvp-comment-147-2 πυργώδους πλακός 109
mvp-comment-148-1 ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων 110
mvp-comment-149-1 πρατόν νιν ἐξέπεμψεν 111 οὐδ’ ἠνέσχετο 112 ὁθούνεκ’ 113 μοῦνον 114
mvp-comment-150-1 ἠμύνατο 115
mvp-comment-151-1 χειρουμένῳ 116
mvp-comment-151-2 οὐδὲ δαίμονες 117
mvp-comment-152-1 κεῖνοι δ’ 118
mvp-comment-152-2 ὑπερχλίοντες 119
mvp-comment-152-3 ἐκ γλώσσης κακῆς 120
mvp-comment-152-4 282 For αὐτοὶ μὲν 121 κεῖνοι 122 πόλις δὲ 123
mvp-comment-152-5 οἰκήτορες 124
mvp-comment-153-1 τάσδε 125 ἅσπερ 126 ἐξ ὀλβίων 127
mvp-comment-154-1 χωροῦσι πρὸς σέ 128
mvp-comment-154-2 πόσις τε … ἐγὼ δὲ 129 ἐφεῖτο 130 τελῶ 131
mvp-comment-155-1 ἁγνὰ θύματα 132 τῆς ἁλώσεως 133
mvp-comment-156-1 φρόνει νιν ὡς ἥξοντα 134 νιν 135 ὡς 136
mvp-comment-157-1 καλῶς 137
mvp-comment-158-1 νῦν σοι τέρψις ἐμφανὴς κυρεῖ 138
mvp-comment-158-2 τῶν μὲν 139 τὰ δὲ 140
mvp-comment-159-1 πανδίκῳ φρενί 141
mvp-comment-160-1 τῇδε 142 τοῦτο 143
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 144
mvp-comment-161-2 ταρβεῖν τὸν εὖ πράσσοντα 145
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 146
mvp-comment-162-2 δεινὸς 147
mvp-comment-163-1 ἀπάτορας 148
mvp-comment-163-2 301 f. For ἴσως 149 ἐξ ἐλευθέρων ἀνδρῶν 150 ἀνδρῶν 151 ἀπάτορας 152
mvp-comment-164-1 ὦ Ζεῦ τροπαῖε 153
mvp-comment-164-2 τοὐμὸν σπέρμα 154
mvp-comment-164-3 χωρήσαντα 155 εἰς 156 πρὸς 157 σε 158 που 159
mvp-comment-165-1 μηδ’, εἴ τι δράσεις 160 εἰ 161 ζώσης 162
mvp-comment-165-2 This verse is a development of μή ποτ’ εἰσίδοιμι 163
mvp-comment-165-3
The objection to the verse as illogical assumes that the
δέ in
μηδέ
164
mvp-comment-166-1 τεκνοῦσσα 165 τεκοῦσα 166
mvp-comment-166-2 πρὸς … φύσιν 167 πάντων … τῶνδε 168
mvp-comment-166-3 γενναία 169
mvp-comment-167-1 ὁ φιτύσας πατήρ 170
mvp-comment-167-2 ᾤκτισα 171
mvp-comment-167-3 ὅσῳπερ 172 μόνη 173
mvp-comment-167-4 φρονεῖν οἶδεν 174 φρονεῖν 175
mvp-comment-167-5 314 f. For καὶ 176 κρίνοις 177
mvp-comment-167-6 γέννημα τῶν ἐκεῖθεν 178 οὐκ ἐν ὑστάτοις 179
mvp-comment-168-1 μὴ τῶν τυράννων 180
mvp-comment-168-2 Εὐρύτου σπορά τις ἦν 181 τις 182
mvp-comment-169-1 ἀνιστόρουν 183
mvp-comment-169-2 μακράν 184
mvp-comment-170-1 ξυνεμπόρων 185
mvp-comment-170-2 ἔχεις 186
mvp-comment-170-3 ἤνυτον 187
mvp-comment-171-1 ἀλλ’ ἡμὶν 188
mvp-comment-172-1 καὶ 189 ξυμφορά 190
mvp-comment-173-1 οὔ τἄρα 191 οὐδὲν ἐξ ἴσου 192 τῷ γε πρόσθεν χρόνῳ 193 ἐξ ἴσου 194 διοίσει 195 γλῶσσαν 196 διοίσει 197
mvp-comment-173-2 ἤτις 198
mvp-comment-173-3 οὐδαμὰ 199
mvp-comment-174-1 οὔτε μείζον’ οὔτ’ ἐλάσσονα 200
mvp-comment-175-1 ὠδίνουσα … βάρος 201
mvp-comment-176-1 διήνεμον 202 πάτραν 203
mvp-comment-176-2 ἡ … τὐχη 204
mvp-comment-176-3 αὐτῇ γ’ 205 γ’ 206
mvp-comment-176-4 συγγνώμην ἔχει 207
mvp-comment-177-1 ἡ δ’ οὖν 208 ἡ δ’ 209 ἥδ’ 210
mvp-comment-177-2 οὕτως ὅπως ἥδιστα 211
mvp-comment-177-3
331 Among the attempts to amend
λύπην...λύπην (cr. n.), the two best, I think, are, (1)
ἄλλην … λύπην
212
λύπην … διπλῆν
213
διπλῆν
214
mvp-comment-177-4 Almost all edd. retain the optat. λάβοι 215 λάβῃ 216
mvp-comment-178-1 οἷ θέλεις σπεύδῃς 217
mvp-comment-178-2 ἐγὼ δὲ 218 σύ θ’ 219
mvp-comment-178-3 ἐξαρκῆ τιθῶ 220
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’ 221 γε 222
mvp-comment-179-3 ἀμμείνας’ 223
mvp-comment-180-1 ἄνευ 224 τ’ 225 μάθῃς 226 μάθῃς 227 ἐκμάθῃς 228 οὕστινας 229
mvp-comment-180-2 ὧν τ’ οὐδὲν εἰσήκουσας 230
mvp-comment-181-1 πάντ’ 231
mvp-comment-182-1 τί δ’ ἔστι 232
mvp-comment-182-2 τοῦ 233
mvp-comment-182-3 ἐφίστασαί με 234 τήνδε βάσιν 235
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 236 τήνδε βάσιν 237 με 238 μοι 239 τοῦ 240 ἐφ’ οὗ 241 με 242
mvp-comment-183-1 οὐδὲ τὸν πάρος … οὐδὲ νῦν 243 οὐδὲ 244 οὔτε 245
mvp-comment-183-2 μάτην 246
mvp-comment-183-3 δοκῶ 247
mvp-comment-184-1 ἐκείνους 248 τούτους δ’ ἔα 249 ἄνευ τῶνδ’ 250
mvp-comment-184-2 ἢ )μοὶ ταῖσδέ τ’ 251
mvp-comment-185-1 σοὶ ταῖσδέ τ’ οὐδὲν εἴργεται 252 οὐδὲν 253 σοὶ ταῖσδέ τ’ 254
mvp-comment-186-1 καὶ δὴ 255
mvp-comment-186-2 χὡ λόγος σημαινέτω 256
mvp-comment-187-1 δίκης ἐς ὀρθόν 257
mvp-comment-187-2 ἢ νῦν … ἢ πρόσθεν … παρῆν 258 κακός 259
mvp-comment-188-1 ἃ μὲν γὰρ ἐξείρηκας 260
mvp-comment-188-2 ἀγνοία 261
mvp-comment-189-1 μαρτύρων 262
mvp-comment-189-2 Εὔρυτόν θ’ ἕλοι τήν θ’ ὑψίπ. Οἰχαλίαν 263
mvp-comment-189-3 τὴν ὑψίπυργον 264
mvp-comment-189-4 Οἰχαλίαν 265
mvp-comment-190-1 μόνος θεῶν 266
mvp-comment-190-2 θέλξειεν 267
mvp-comment-191-1 οὐ τἀπὶ Λυδοῖς 268 ὑπ’ 269 ἐπ’ 270 τἀπὶ 271 ἐπ’ 272
mvp-comment-191-2 πόνων λατρεύματ’ 273
mvp-comment-191-3 ὁ ῥιπτὸς … μόρος 274
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 275 ὃ 276 ὃν … παρώσας 277
mvp-comment-193-1 ἀλλ’ ἡνίκ’ 278 οὐκ ἔπειθε 279
mvp-comment-193-2 τὸν φυτοσπόρον 280
mvp-comment-194-1 κρύφιον ὡς ἔχοι λέχος 281 αἰτίαν 282
mvp-comment-194-2 ἑτοιμάσας 283
mvp-comment-194-3 362—
mvp-comment-195-1 ἐπιστρατεύει … ἄνακτα πατέρα 284 τόνδ’ 285 τῶνδ’ 286
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’
287
τῶνδ’
288
mvp-comment-195-3 (2) Heracles is subject to ἐπιστρατεύει 289 κτείνει 290 εἶπε 291 δεσπόζειν 292 εἶπε 293
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
294
mvp-comment-195-5 The only course which removes all these three difficulties is Hartung's,—who brackets the words τὴν ταύτης … πατέρα 295
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
296
τῶνδ’
297
mvp-comment-195-7 For the change of tenses, cp. Ant.406 n.
mvp-comment-196-1 ἥκει 298 ἔπερσε 299 ἐντεθέρμανται 300 ἥκει 301
mvp-comment-196-2 δόμους ὡς τούσδε 302
mvp-comment-197-1 οὐδ’ εἰκός 303
mvp-comment-197-2 ἐντεθέρμανται 304 ἐν‐ 305 ἐκ‐ 306
mvp-comment-198-1 πρὸς μέσῃ Τραχινίων ἀγορᾷ 307 ἐν 308
mvp-comment-198-2 ἀγορᾷ 309
mvp-comment-198-3 Join ὡσαύτως ἐμοί 310
mvp-comment-199-1 τὸ δ’ ὀρθὸν 311
mvp-comment-200-1 ποῦ … πράγματος 312
mvp-comment-200-2 ὑπόστεγον 313
mvp-comment-201-1 ὦ δὐστηνος 314 πέφυκεν 315
mvp-comment-201-2 This question seems strange after the words κτείνει τ’ ἄνακτα πατέρα τῆσδε 316
mvp-comment-201-3 διώμνυτο 317
mvp-comment-202-1 ἦ κάρτα 318
mvp-comment-202-2 The conject. ὄνομα 319 ὄμμα 320 ἆρ’ ἀνώνυμος πέφυκεν 321 ὄνομα 322 φύσιν 323 κατ’ ὄμμα 324
mvp-comment-202-3 φύσιν 325
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 326 ἢ 327 ἦ 328 φύσιν 329 διώμνυτο 330
mvp-comment-203-1 πατρὸς μὲν οὖσα 331 Ἰόλη )καλεῖτο 332 ποτέ 333 )καλεῖτο 334 οὖσα 335
mvp-comment-203-2 Ἰόλη 336
mvp-comment-203-3 τῆς 337
mvp-comment-204-1 βλάστας 338
mvp-comment-204-2 οὐδὲν ἱστορῶν 339
mvp-comment-204-3 Many editors place a comma after ἐφώνει 340 δῆθεν 341 δῆθεν 342 οὐδὲν ἱστορῶν 343
mvp-comment-205-1 ὄλοιντο 344
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 345 δὲ 346
mvp-comment-205-4 μὴ 347 πρέπονθ’ αὑτῷ 348
mvp-comment-206-1 ποεῖν 349
mvp-comment-207-1 πεύθου 350 πυθοῦ 351
mvp-comment-207-2 σαφῆ 352
mvp-comment-208-1 οὐκ ἀπὸ γνώμης 353
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 354 αὐτόκλητος 355
mvp-comment-210-1 ὡς ὁρᾷς 356 εἰσορᾷς 357 εἰσορᾷς 358 ὡς 359 ἕρποντος ἐμοῦ, εἰσορᾷς 360 ὡς ἕρποντος ἐμοῦ 361 εἰσορᾷς 362 εἰσορᾷς ὡς ἕρποντος ἐμοῦ 363 εἰσορᾷς 364
mvp-comment-210-2 As regards ὡς ὁρᾷς 365 ὡς 366
mvp-comment-211-1 ἐκ ταχείας 367
mvp-comment-211-2 σὺν χρόνῳ … βραδεῖ 368
mvp-comment-211-3 πρὶν ἡμᾶς κἀννεώσασθαι λόγους 369
mvp-comment-212-1 ἦ καὶ 370
mvp-comment-212-2 τὸ πιστὸν τῆς ἀλη‐ 371 θείας 372
mvp-comment-212-3 νεμεῖς 373
mvp-comment-212-4 Even without the hint in the schol. (cr. n.), it would have been clear that νεμεῖς 374 νέμεις 375
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
376
τόλμησον εἰπεῖν, εἰ φρονεῖς
377
mvp-comment-214-1 οὗτος, βλέφ’ ὧδε 378
mvp-comment-215-1 σὺ δ’ 379
mvp-comment-216-1 τόλμησον 380
mvp-comment-216-2 εἰ φρονεῖς 381
mvp-comment-216-3 ἱστορῶ 382
mvp-comment-216-4 406 f. If δάμαρτα 383 δεσπότιν 384 θ’ 385 δ’ 386 δέ … δέ 387 τε … τε. — λεύσσων μάταια 388
mvp-comment-217-1 δίκαια 389
mvp-comment-218-1 δίκαιος 390
mvp-comment-219-1 ποικίλας 391
mvp-comment-220-1 ἱστορούμενος 392
mvp-comment-221-1 κάτοισθα 393
mvp-comment-222-1 ἣν ὑπ’ ἀγνοίας ὁρᾷς 394 ὑπ’ ἀγνοίας 395 ὑπ’ ἀγνοίας 396
mvp-comment-222-2 On the whole, I do not feel sure that there is a corruption. If there is, it probably lies deep. Some conjectures are noticed in the Appendix.
mvp-comment-223-1 τίς πόθεν μολὼν 397
mvp-comment-224-1 πολλοῖσιν ἀστῶν 398 ποίοις ἐν ἀνθρώποισι 399
mvp-comment-224-2 ἀγορᾷ 400
mvp-comment-224-3 ταῦτά 401 γ’ 402 γε 403
mvp-comment-224-4 425 If the MS. ναί 404 γε 405 κλύειν 406 ναί 407
mvp-comment-224-5 ταὐτὸ 408
mvp-comment-224-6 426 The antithesis is between the whole phrases, δόκησιν 409 ἐξακριβῶσαι 410
mvp-comment-225-1 ποίαν δόκησιν 411
mvp-comment-226-1 ἐγὼ δάμαρτα 412
mvp-comment-226-2 431 The emphatic σοῦ 413 σου 414 ἤκουσεν 415 ἤκουσα 416
mvp-comment-227-1 ἡ Λυδία 417 ἡ Λυδία 418 ὁ τῆσδ’ ἔρως φανείς 419 ὡς ταύτης πόθῳ 420
mvp-comment-228-1 ἀποστήτω 421
mvp-comment-229-1 πρός σε τοῦ … Διός 422
mvp-comment-229-2 νάπος 423
mvp-comment-229-3 ἐκκλέψῃς λόγον 424
mvp-comment-230-1 Deianeira argues:—(1) 438 —448: he need not fear that she will feel rancour against Heracles or Iolè: (2) 449—454: falsehood would be disgraceful for him,—and, if his motive were kind, useless: (3) 455 f.: detection would be certain: (4) 457 ff.: he need not be afraid of paining her. (5) In vv. 461— 467 she returns to the first topic.
mvp-comment-230-2 κακῇ 425
mvp-comment-230-3 τἀνθρώπων 426
mvp-comment-230-4 πέφυκεν 427 πεφύκας’ 428
mvp-comment-231-1 Ἔρωτι μέν νυν 429
mvp-comment-231-2 πύκτης ὅπως 430
mvp-comment-231-3 οὐ καλῶς φρονεῖ 431
mvp-comment-232-1 ἄρχει καὶ θεῶν 432
mvp-comment-233-1 κἀμοῦ γε 433 γε 434
mvp-comment-233-2 πῶς δ’ οὐ 435
mvp-comment-233-3 οἵας γ’ ἐμοῦ 436 γε 437
mvp-comment-233-4
Wunder and Nauck reject this beautiful verse, because: (1) by
κἀμοῦ γε Deianeira implies that she is stronger than the gods; and also that she has been untrue to her husband: (2) she cannot assume that Iolè returns the passion of Heracles; nor does Iolè's feeling come into account here.
mvp-comment-234-1 τὠμῷ τ’ ἀνδρὶ 438 τε 439 ἢ 440
mvp-comment-234-2 τῇδε τῇ νόσῳ 441
mvp-comment-234-3 μεμπτός 442
mvp-comment-235-1 τοῦ μηδὲν αἰσχροῦ 443 μηδ’ ἐμοὶ κακοῦ τινος 444 τοῦ 445
mvp-comment-235-2
This is a remarkable passage, and it is of some moment to understand it rightly. The meaning is not merely that Iolè's relation to Heracles was excused by the omnipotence of Erôs. Concubinage (
παλλακία) was not merely tolerated by Athenian opinion, but, in some measure, protected by law (see
e.g. ,
Lys. or. 1 § 31
:
Isae. or. 8 § 39
). Its relation to the life of the family is illustrated by the
Andromachè of Euripides; for though Andromachè is Trojan, and Hermionè Spartan, the sentiments are Athenian. A wife (
γαμετὴ γυνή) who tolerates a
παλλακή is there represented as proving her goodness of heart (
ἀρετή, 226), and her wise moderation (938—942); she ought to be consoled by her higher place, and by the advantage which her children will have over the
νόθοι.
mvp-comment-235-3 But is Deianeira in earnest here; or is she feigning acquiescence, to reassure Lichas? Presently she tells the Chorus that she cannot endure to share her home with Iolè (539—546). Probably Sophocles meant her to be sincere in both places. The faith in her own power to bear the trial is natural at this moment of excitement and suspense. Not less so is the reaction, when she knows the worst, and has had time to think.
mvp-comment-236-1 οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτ)· ἀλλ’ 446 οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα 447
mvp-comment-236-2 μαθὼν … ἐκμανθάνεις 448
mvp-comment-237-1 αὑτὸν 449 ὀφθήσει 450
mvp-comment-238-1 κὴρ 451 πρόσεστιν 452
mvp-comment-239-1 ὅπως δὲ λήσεις 453 ὅπως δὲ λήσεις 454
mvp-comment-240-1 δέδοικας … ταρβεῖς 455
mvp-comment-240-2 τοῦτο 456
mvp-comment-241-1 πλείστας ἀνὴρ εἷς 457
mvp-comment-241-2 ἔγημε 458
mvp-comment-241-3 The legendary loves of Heracles were as numerous as the local myths which claimed Heracleid <*>escent for clans or houses. Thus his bride Megara connected him with Thebes; Astydameia, with Thessaly; Astyochè, with Epeirus; Epicastè, with Elis; Parthenopè, with Arcadia; Chalciopè, with Cos; the Thespiades, with Sardinia; and so forth. The number of his sons finally grew to about seventy, whose mothers are enumerated by Apollodorus (2. 7. 8).
mvp-comment-242-1 ἠνέγκατ’ 459
mvp-comment-242-2 ἥδε τε, οὐδ’ εἰ … ἐντακείῃ 460 ἂν 461 οὐδ’ 462 εἰ 463 ἂν 464
mvp-comment-242-3 ἐντακείη τῷ φιλεῖν 465
mvp-comment-242-4 ἐντακείη 466 τῷ φιλεῖν 467
mvp-comment-242-5 The conject. ἐκτακείη 468
mvp-comment-243-1 ᾤκτιρα 469 δὴ 470
mvp-comment-244-1 ῥείτω κατ’ οὖρον 471 ἴτω 472 οὖρον 473
mvp-comment-244-2 κακὸν 474
mvp-comment-244-3 πρὸς ἄλλον 475 κακὸν 476 πρὸς ἄλλον εἶναι 477
mvp-comment-245-1 πιθοῦ λεγούσῃ 478 πείθου 479 πιθοῦ 480 γυναικὶ τῇδε 481
mvp-comment-246-1 ἀλλ’ 482 θνητὴν φρονοῦσαν θνητὰ 483 ἀγνώμονα 484
mvp-comment-247-1 κρύψομαι 485
mvp-comment-248-1 ἔστιν γὰρ οὕτως 486
mvp-comment-249-1 ταύτης ὁ δεινὸς ἵμερος 487 ὁ δεινὸς 488
mvp-comment-249-2 ποθ’ 489
mvp-comment-249-3 διῆλθε 490 τῆσδ’ 491 ταύτης 492
mvp-comment-249-4 ἡ πολύφθορος 493
mvp-comment-249-5 πατρῷος 494
mvp-comment-250-1 καὶ τὸ πρὸς κείνου 495
mvp-comment-251-1 εἴ τι τήνδ’ ἁμαρτ. 496
mvp-comment-251-2 νέμεις 497
mvp-comment-252-1 γε μὲν δὴ 498 ἐπεὶ 499
mvp-comment-253-1 στέργε 500 ἐς 501
mvp-comment-253-2 ἐμπέδως 502 ἐμπέδους 503
mvp-comment-253-3 488 f. Either τἄλλ’ 504 χεροῖν 505
mvp-comment-254-1 καὶ 506 φρονοῦμεν 507
mvp-comment-255-1 νόσον γ’ ἐπακτὸν ἐξαρούμεθα 508 ἐπακτὸν 509 γε 510 ἐξαρούμεθα 511
mvp-comment-255-2 Others understand:—(1) ‘I shall not heighten the trouble already brought upon me by others’ (viz., the introduction of Iolè into the house, 376). But this sense for ἐξαρούμεθα 512 γε 513 νόσημ’ 514
mvp-comment-255-3 θεοῖσι δυσμαχοῦντες 515
mvp-comment-256-1 λόγων τ’ 516
mvp-comment-256-2 λόγων … ἐπιστολὰς 517
mvp-comment-257-1 προσαρμόσαι 518
mvp-comment-257-2
This is the first mention of the fateful gift. An unobtrusive significance is given to it by two traits of expression. (1)
δῶρα is drawn into the relative clause (
O. C.907
n.), and resumed, with a light emphasis, in
καὶ ταῦτ’: cp.
Ph.1247
ἅ γ’ ἔλαβες βουλαῖς ἐμαῖς, |
πάλιν μεθεῖναι ταῦτα. (2) A pause follows the second foot of the verse (
ἄγῃς).
Cp. 27
n.
mvp-comment-257-3 ἄγῃς 519 φέρῃς 520 δίκαια 521
mvp-comment-257-4 ὧδε 522 σὺν π. στόλῳ 523
mvp-comment-258-1 μέγα τι σθένος … νίκας 524
mvp-comment-258-2 ἐκφέρεται 525
mvp-comment-259-1 θεῶν 526 παρέβαν 527
mvp-comment-259-2 Κρονίδαν 528
mvp-comment-260-1 τὸν ἔννυχον Ἅιδαν 529
mvp-comment-261-1 Ποσειδάωνα 530
mvp-comment-261-2 τινάκτορα γαίας 531
mvp-comment-262-1 ἐπὶ τάνδ’ … ἄκοιτιν 532
mvp-comment-262-2
Other explanations of
ἀμφίγυοι here are these:—(1) ‘With massive limbs,’—
ἀμφί being intensive. (2) ‘Dexterous combatants’: cp.
ἀμφιδέξιος. (3) ‘Of dissimilar forms,’—
i.e., man and bull.
mvp-comment-262-3 κατέβαν 533
mvp-comment-263-1 πάμπληκτα 534
mvp-comment-263-2 παγκόνιτά τ’ 535
mvp-comment-263-3 ἐξῆλθον ἄεθλ’ 536
mvp-comment-263-4 ἄεθλα 537 ἀγώνων 538
mvp-comment-264-1 ποταμοῦ σθένος 539
mvp-comment-264-2 φάσμα ταύρου 540
mvp-comment-264-3
Acheloüs fights, then, as the
ἐναργὴς ταῦρος,—not merely as the
ἀνδρείῳ κύτει βούπρῳρος (12). Sophocles is here following the traditional version. The Homeric Scamander, in conflict with Achilles,
roars ‘like a bull’ (
μεμυκὼς ἠΰτε ταῦρος,
Il.21. 237
).
ἐντεῦθεν ὁρμηθέντες (says the schol. there)
τὸν Ἀχελῷον ἐταύρωσαν Ἡρακλεῖ ἀγωνιζόμενον. The taurine form was given to Acheloüs, in that combat, by Archilochus (schol.
ib.), by Pindar (schol.
Il.21. 194
), and by the logographer Pherecydes (
Apollod.2. 6. 5
): perhaps, too, by Panyasis, the author of an epic
Ἡράκλεια. An engraved gem in the British Museum (King,
Antique Gems II. pl. 34, fig. 3) shows Acheloüs as a bull, preparing to butt at Heracles. The gem is older than the time of Sophocles, and may, as Mr. Murray S. thinks, have followed the rendering of this subject on the still more archaic throne of Apollo at Amyclae (
Paus.3. 18. 5
). Cp. n. on 520. This fight was a favourite theme in art: for the literature, see Roscher,
Lex.p. 9.
mvp-comment-264-4 Ovid ( Met. 9. 1—100 ) departs from the old Greek version: his Acheloüs begins the fight in quasi-human form,—then turns into a serpent (63) ,—and then, as a last resource into a bull (80) .
mvp-comment-265-1 ἀπ’ Οἰνιαδᾶν 541
mvp-comment-265-2 Oeniadae was some twelve miles W.S.W. of Pleuron. As Heracles arrives from his famous home to the east, so it is fitting that the river-god should come from the western town which was a chief seat of his worship. The head of the Acheloüs appears on coins of Oeniadae.
mvp-comment-266-1 Βακχίας 542
mvp-comment-266-2 ἀπὸ 543 ἄπο 544
mvp-comment-267-1 παλίντονα 545
mvp-comment-267-2 λόγχας 546
mvp-comment-267-3 ῥόπαλον 547 λόγχας 548 ῥόπαλον 549 τόξα 550
mvp-comment-268-1 ἀολλεῖς 551 ἐς μέσον 552
mvp-comment-269-1 μόνα δ’ 553
mvp-comment-269-2 ἐν μέσῳ 554
mvp-comment-269-3 ῥαβδονόμει 555
mvp-comment-269-4 Aphroditè is here the only person near the two combatants ( ξυνοῦσα 556
mvp-comment-270-1 τότ’ ἦν χερός 557 χερὸς πάταγος 558 ἀμφίπλεκτοι κλίμακες 559 μετώπων πλήγματα 560
mvp-comment-270-2 For ἦν 561 ἦν δὲ 562
mvp-comment-271-1 ἀνάμιγδα 563
mvp-comment-271-2 κεράτων 564
mvp-comment-272-1 ἦν 565
mvp-comment-272-2 ἀμφίπλεκτοι κλίμακες 566
mvp-comment-272-3
At any rate
κλιμακίζω was a familiar term in Greek wrestling: cp. Plato comicus
Πρέσβεις fr. 2
χαίρεις, οἶμαι, μεταπεττεύσας αὐτὸν διακλιμακίσας τε (explained by Hesych. as
διαπαλαίσας). For a like use of wrestling terms, cp.
Ar.
Eq.262
f. —One of the subjects on the archaic throne of Apollo at Amyclae was
ἡ πρὸς Ἀχελῷον Ἡρακλέους πάλη (
Paus.3. 18. 5
).
mvp-comment-273-1 μετώπων … πλήγματα 567
mvp-comment-274-1 τηλαυγεῖ 568
mvp-comment-274-2 ὄχθῳ 569
mvp-comment-274-3 τὸν ὃν 570
mvp-comment-275-1 †ἐγὼ δὲ μάτηρ† μὲν οἷα φράζω 571
mvp-comment-275-2
The true key to this passage depends on observing the sequence of topics. (1) In 517—522,
τότ’ ἦν χερός...στόνος ἀμφοῖν, we have a brief picture of the fight. (2) Then vv. 523—525,
ἁ δ’ εὐῶπις...ἀκοίταν, mark Deianeira's suspense. (3) Next comes the obscure parenthesis,
ἐγὼ δὲ...φράζω. (4) And then we
return, at v. 527, to Deianeira's suspense,—not, however, in a form which adds anything new to vv. 523 —525, but in one which merely repeats their substance:—
τὸ δ’ ἀμφινείκητον...ἀμμένει.
mvp-comment-275-3
Now, to justify such a repetition, it is manifest that (2) and (4) should be separated, not by a mere parenthesis, such as (3) now is, but by some further allusion to
the fight. This inference is strengthened by the phrase,
τὸ δ’ ἀμφινείκητον ὄμμα νύμφας, which gains point if a reference to the
νεῖκος has immediately preceded.
mvp-comment-275-4 I believe that ἐγὼ 572 ἀγὼν 573 φράζω 574 ἀγὼν δὲ μαργᾷ μέν, οἷα φράζω 575 τὸ δ’ ἀμφινείκητον 576
mvp-comment-276-1 ὄμμα 577 ὄμμα νύμφας 578
mvp-comment-276-2 ἐλεινὸν ἀμμένει 579
mvp-comment-277-1 κἀπὸ ματρὸς ἄφαρ βέβακεν 580
mvp-comment-277-2 ἄφαρ 581
mvp-comment-278-1 ὥστε 582 ὥσπερ 583
mvp-comment-278-2 πόρτις ἐρήμα 584
mvp-comment-279-1 ἦμος 585 τῆμος 586
mvp-comment-279-2 ὁ ξένος 587
mvp-comment-279-3 θροεῖ 588
mvp-comment-279-4 ταῖς αἰχμ. παισὶν 589
mvp-comment-279-5 ὡς ἐπ’ ἐξόδῳ 590 ἐπ’ ἐξόδῳ 591
mvp-comment-279-6 θυραῖος 592
mvp-comment-280-1 τὰ μὲν 593 τὰ δ’ 594
mvp-comment-280-2 χερσὶν 595
mvp-comment-280-3 συγκατοικτιουμένη 596
mvp-comment-281-1 κόρην 597 ἐζευγμένην 598
mvp-comment-282-1 παρεισδέδεγμαι 599 φόρ‐ 600 τον 601 παρεισδέδεγμαι 602
mvp-comment-282-2 λωβητὸν 603
mvp-comment-282-3 ἐμπόλημα 604
mvp-comment-282-4 τῆς ἐμῆς φρενός 605 λωβητὸν 606
mvp-comment-283-1 δὔ οὖσαι 607
mvp-comment-283-2 μιᾶς ὑπὸ χλαίνης 608
mvp-comment-283-3 ὑπαγκάλισμα 609
mvp-comment-283-4
Mr Murray S. has shown me a curious illustration of this passage. A vase of the 6th cent. B.C., now in the British Museum, depicts two women under the same
χλαῖνα,—a symbolical representation, perhaps, of a common grief.
mvp-comment-284-1 ὁ … ἡμῖν καλούμενος 610
mvp-comment-284-2 πιστός 611
mvp-comment-285-1 οἰκούρια 612 τοῦ μακροῦ χρόνου 613
mvp-comment-286-1 οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι 614
mvp-comment-286-2 τῇδε τῇ νόσῳ 615
mvp-comment-287-1 τὸ δ’ αὖ ξυνοικεῖν 616
mvp-comment-288-1
The text of this passage is, I believe, sound, though the diction is bold, and somewhat careless. The
one
ἥβη (Iolè's) is growing to the perfect flower, while the other (Deianeira's) is declining. (Cp.
Ar.
Lys.596
τῆς δὲ γυναικὸς σμικρὸς ὁ καιρός.) In what follows, these points may be noted.
mvp-comment-288-2 (1) ὧν 617 ὧν 618
mvp-comment-288-3 (2) τῶν δ’ ὑπεκτρέπει πόδα 619
mvp-comment-288-4 (3) ἀφαρπάζειν 620
mvp-comment-288-5 (4) ὀφθαλμὸς 621
mvp-comment-289-1 ταῦτ’ οὖν 622
mvp-comment-289-2 καλῆται 623 καλεῖται 624 καλῆται 625
mvp-comment-289-3 ἀνήρ 626
mvp-comment-290-1 ἀλλ’ οὐ γάρ 627
mvp-comment-290-2 553 f. The MSS. have ᾗ δ’ ἔχω 628 λυτήριον λύπημα 629 λύπημα 630 λώφημα 631
mvp-comment-290-3
Deianeira is here speaking of an expedient which gives her some hope, indeed, but no assured confidence (590 f.). This exactly suits the usage of
λωφᾶν and its derivatives, which denote the
alleviation of evil,—not its complete removal. Cp.
Ai.61
ἐπειδὴ τοῦδ’ ἐλώφησεν πόνου.
Thuc.6. 12
ἀπὸ νόσου μεγάλης καὶ πολέμου βραχύ τι λελωφήκα<*>εν.
Plat.
Legg. 854 C
ἐὰν μέν σοι δρῶντι ταῦτα λωφᾷ τι τὸ νόσημα. Thuc. uses
λώφησις, ‘abatement’ (
4. 81
τοῦ πολέμου). Deianeira, in bethinking her of the philtre, has found that which holds out a promise of deliverance, and
assuages, though it does not cure, her pain,—a
λυτήριον λώφημα.
mvp-comment-290-4
The attempted versions of
λυτήριον λύπημα have been these:—(1) With a comma after
τῇδ’: ‘a thing to grieve this girl, for my deliverance’:—a grammatically sound phrase, but wholly unsuited to Deianeira, whose aim is to be
more loved than Iolè (584 ff.),—but not to pain her. (2) Taking
λυτήριον as=
λυτόν: ‘how I find that my pain is remediable.’ This is impossible. (3) Governing
λύπημα by
λυτήριον: ‘how I have a thing to remedy my pain.’ Also impossible.
mvp-comment-290-5 Paley, changing ἔχω 632 ἔχει 633
mvp-comment-291-1 ἦν μοι 634
mvp-comment-291-2 ποτὲ 635 δῶρον 636 θηρός 637
mvp-comment-291-3 παλαιὸν 638 ἀρχαίου 639
mvp-comment-291-4 θηρός 640
mvp-comment-291-5 λέβητι 641
mvp-comment-292-1 δασυστέρνου 642
mvp-comment-292-2 παρὰ Νέσσου 643 ἐκ φονῶν 644 φόνων 645
mvp-comment-292-3 The name Νέσσος 646
mvp-comment-293-1 τὸν βαθύρρουν … Εὔηνον 647
mvp-comment-293-2
The association of Nessus with the Evenus well illustrates the significance of the Centaur as a personification of a ravaging torrent. (Cp. Mr Sidney Colvin in
Journ. of Hellen. Stud. vol. I. p. 160: also Mure,
Tour in Greece, I. 170.) In
Ov.
Met.2. 638
a daughter of the Centaur Cheiron is called Ocyroe (
Ὠκυρόη), because born
‘Fluminis in rapidi ripis.’
mvp-comment-293-3 ποταμὸν … βροτοὺς … )πόρευε 648 )πόρευε 649 θοῦ 650
mvp-comment-294-1 τὸν πατρῷον … στόλον 651 ἑσπόμην 652
mvp-comment-294-2
The soundness of the words is confirmed by their dramatic fitness. There is a tacit contrast in her thoughts between herself and the new paramour; she thinks of the long-past day when her father gave her to her husband, and sent her forth with him. The words also accord with that tone of passivity in which she has already spoken of her marriage (6—27). She welcomed Heracles as a deliverer, and has learned to love him; but she had no voice in the bestowal of her hand.— Cp. fr. 521 (the young girl is happy at home, but the bride is
sent forth by her parents to a doubtful fate):
αἳ νέαι μὲν ἐν πατρὸς |
ἥδιστον, οἶμαι, ζῶμεν ἀνθρώπων βίον· | ... |
ὅταν δ’ ἐς ἥβην ἐξικώμεθ’ ἔμφρονες, |
ὠθούμεθ’ ἔξω.—See Appendix.
mvp-comment-294-3 εὖνις 653
mvp-comment-295-1 φέρων ἐπ’ ὤμοις 654
mvp-comment-295-2 ἦ 655 ἦν 656
mvp-comment-295-3 μέσῳ πόρῳ 657
mvp-comment-295-4 ἐκ δ’ ἤϋσ’ ἐγώ 658
mvp-comment-296-1 ἐπιστρέψας 659
mvp-comment-296-2 κομήτην 660
mvp-comment-296-3 πλεύμονας 661 ν 662 λ 663 λ 664 λ 665 ν 666
mvp-comment-296-4 ἐκθνῄσκων 667
mvp-comment-296-5 569 ff. For τοσοῦτον 668
mvp-comment-296-6 τῶν ἐμῶν … πορθμῶν 669
mvp-comment-297-1 ἐὰν γὰρ … ὕδρας 670 τῶν ἐμῶν σφαγῶν 671 ἀμφίθρεπτον 672 ἐνέγκῃ χερσίν 673 ᾗ μελαγχόλους 674 μελαγχόλους 675 ἰούς 676
mvp-comment-297-2 θρέμμα … ὕδρας 677
mvp-comment-297-3
Others explain thus:—‘If thou gather the blood from my wound, clotted around (
the arrow), at the place where the hydra has tinged it,’ etc.,
i.e., at the arrow's
head. This is quite possible, but is open to objections. (1) The language in 557 f. (
παρὰ Νέσσου...ἐκ φονῶν) implies that she obtained the blood directly from the body, not from the arrow-head. (2) The phrase
ἐνέγκῃ χερσίν
678
mvp-comment-297-4 If we adopted the conjecture μελάγχολος … ἰός 679 θρέμμα 680 ἔβαψεν 681
mvp-comment-297-5
Ovid describes the incident thus:—The arrow is withdrawn, and the blood flows from the wound,
mixtus Lernaei tabe veneni: Nessus then presents Deianeira with a garment steeped in the blood (
velamina tincta cruore):
Met.9. 129
ff.
mvp-comment-298-1 ὥστε μήτιν’ εἰσιδὼν στέρξει 682
mvp-comment-298-2 ἀντὶ σοῦ 683
mvp-comment-299-1 ἐννοήσας’ 684
mvp-comment-299-2 δόμοις 685 ἐγκεκλῃμένον 686
mvp-comment-300-1 χιτῶνα τόνδ’ 687
mvp-comment-300-2 ἔβαψα 688
mvp-comment-300-3 προσβαλοῦς’ 689
mvp-comment-301-1 πεπείρανται 690
mvp-comment-302-1 κακὰς δὲ τόλμας 691
mvp-comment-302-2 μήτ’ ἐπισταίμην …, μήτ’ ἐκμάθοιμι 692
mvp-comment-302-3 στυγῶ 693
mvp-comment-303-1 φίλτροις δ’ ἐάν πως 694 μεμηχάνηται τοὔργον 695
mvp-comment-303-2 ὑπερβαλώμεθα 696
mvp-comment-303-3 τὴν παῖδα 697 θέλκτροισι 698
mvp-comment-303-4 εἴ τι μὴ 699
mvp-comment-303-5 μάταιον 700
mvp-comment-303-6 εἰ δὲ μή 701
mvp-comment-304-1 πίστις 702
mvp-comment-304-2 590 f. The whole phrase οὕτως ἔχει 703 γε 704 πίστις 705
mvp-comment-304-3 ὡς 706 οὕτως 707
mvp-comment-304-4 τὸ μὲν δοκεῖν 708
mvp-comment-304-5 πείρᾳ δ’ οὐ προσωμίλησα 709
mvp-comment-305-1 δρῶσαν 710 γνῶμα 711
mvp-comment-306-1 ἀλλ’ αὐτίκ’ 712 ἐλεύσεται 713
mvp-comment-307-1 μόνον 714
mvp-comment-307-2 παρ’ ὑμῶν 715 παρ’ ὑμῖν 716 στεγώμεθ’ 717
mvp-comment-307-3 αἰσχύνῃ πεσεῖ 718
mvp-comment-308-1 τῷ μακρῷ χρόνῳ 719
mvp-comment-309-1 αὐτὰ … ταῦτα 720 καὶ 721 πράσσω 722 ἠγορῶ 723
mvp-comment-309-2 ταναϋφῆ 724 τόνδε γ’ εὐϋφῆ 725 ἀϋφῆ 726 ταναϋφῆ 727 γε 728
mvp-comment-309-3 πέπλον 729 τόνδε 730
mvp-comment-310-1 φράζ’ ὅπως μηδεὶς … ἀμφιδύσεται 731
mvp-comment-311-1 ἕρκος ἱερὸν 732 ἐφέστιον σέλας 733
mvp-comment-312-1 φανερὸς 734 ἐμφανῶς 735 σταθεὶς 736
mvp-comment-313-1 ηὔγμην 737
mvp-comment-314-1 πανδίκως 738 στελεῖν 739 σωθέντ’ 740 πανδίκως 741
mvp-comment-315-1 καινῷ καινὸν 742
mvp-comment-315-2
As to the wearing of new, or freshly washed, garments on such occasions, cp.
Od.4. 750
(Penelope is to pray to Athena)
καθαρὰ χροῒ εἵμαθ’ ἑλοῦσα.
mvp-comment-316-1 καὶ τῶνδ’ ἀποίσεις 743
mvp-comment-316-2 ἐπὸν μαθήσεται 744 ἐπ’ ὄμμα θήσεται 745 ν 746 μ 747 εὐμαθὲς … μαθήσεται 748 ὃ 749 ἐπιθήσεται ὄμμα 750
mvp-comment-317-1 νόμον 751
mvp-comment-317-2 τὸ μὴ )πιθυμεῖν πομπὸς ὢν 752
mvp-comment-318-1 ὅπως ἂν 753 χάρις 754 ἁπλῆ 755 διπλῆ 756 κείνου τε κἀμοῦ 757 ξυνελθοῦς’ 758
mvp-comment-319-1 εἴπερ Ἑρμοῦ 759
mvp-comment-319-2 πομπεύω 760 τέχνην 761 βέβαιον 762
mvp-comment-319-3 οὔ τι μὴ 763 οὔ τοι μὴ 764
mvp-comment-319-4 τὸ μὴ οὐ 765
mvp-comment-319-5 ἄγγος 766
mvp-comment-319-6 ὡς ἔχει 767
mvp-comment-320-1 λόγων … πίστιν 768
mvp-comment-320-2 ἐφαρμόσαι 769
mvp-comment-320-3 λέγεις 770 ἔχεις 771 ἔχει 772 ἐφεῖς’ 773
mvp-comment-321-1 στείχοις ἂν ἤδη 774
mvp-comment-322-1 σεσωσμένα 775
mvp-comment-322-2 627 f. For ἀλλὰ … μὲν δὴ 776 αὐτὴν 777 αὐτήν θ’ 778 τὰ τῆς ξένης προσδέγματα 779 αὐτὴν ὡς ἐδεξάμην φίλως 780 οἶσθα 781 τὰ τῆς ξένης προσδέγματα 782 φίλως 783 αὐτήν θ’ 784 θ’ 785
mvp-comment-323-1 ἐκπλαγῆναι 786
mvp-comment-324-1 πρὼ| 787
mvp-comment-324-2 μὴ … λέγοις ἂν 788
mvp-comment-324-3 τὸν ἐξ ἐμοῦ 789
mvp-comment-325-1 τἀκεῖθεν 790 εἰδέναι 791 εἰ ποθούμεθα 792 δέδοικα 793 ἐμοῦ 794
mvp-comment-326-1 <*> ναύλοχα 795
mvp-comment-326-2 θερμὰ λουτρὰ 796 να<*>λοχα 797 πετραῖα 798
mvp-comment-326-3 ναύλοχα 799
mvp-comment-326-4 πάγους Οἴτας 800
mvp-comment-326-5 παραναιετάοντες 801
mvp-comment-326-6 οἵ 802 τε 803
mvp-comment-326-7 χρυσαλακάτου τ’ ἀκτὰν κόρας 804
mvp-comment-326-8 χρυσαλακάτου 805
mvp-comment-327-1 ἔνθ’ Ἑλλάνων 806
mvp-comment-327-2 Ἑλλάνων 807
mvp-comment-327-3 ἀγοραὶ Πυλάτιδες 808
mvp-comment-327-4 κλέονται 809
mvp-comment-328-1 ἀναρσίαν 810
mvp-comment-328-2 ἐπάνεισιν 811
mvp-comment-328-3 θείας … μούσας 812 ἀντίλυρον 813
mvp-comment-328-4 ἀχῶν 814 ἰάχων 815
mvp-comment-329-1 ὁ Διὸς … Ἀλκμήνας κόρος 816
mvp-comment-330-1 σοῦται 817 σεῦται 818
mvp-comment-330-2 πάσας 819
mvp-comment-331-1 ὃν ἀπόπτολιν εἴχομεν 820
mvp-comment-331-2 παντᾷ 821 ἀπόπτολιν 822
mvp-comment-331-3 δυοκαιδεκάμηνον … χρόνον 823
mvp-comment-331-4 πελάγιον 824
mvp-comment-332-1 ἁ δέ οἱ … δάμαρ 825 οἱ 826
mvp-comment-333-1 τάλαιναν 827 τάλαινα 828
mvp-comment-333-2 ὤλλυτο 829
mvp-comment-334-1 Ἄρης 830
mvp-comment-334-2 οἰστρηθεὶς 831 αὖ 832 οἱ 833 στρωθεὶς 834
mvp-comment-334-3 ἐξέλυσ’ ἐπίπονονἁμέραν 835 ἐπίπονον ἁμέραν 836
mvp-comment-335-1 ὄχημα ναὸς 837
mvp-comment-336-1 πρὶν … ἀνύσειε 838
mvp-comment-337-1 ἑστίαν 839
mvp-comment-337-2 ἀμείψας 840
mvp-comment-337-3 κλῄζεται θυτήρ 841
mvp-comment-338-1 πανίμερος 842 πανάμερος 843
mvp-comment-339-1 τᾶς πειθοῦς παγχρίστῳ 844
mvp-comment-339-2 Let us now examine the text in detail.
mvp-comment-339-3 (1) παγχρίστῳ 845
mvp-comment-339-4 (2) The words ἐπὶ προφάσει θηρός 846 φάρους 847
mvp-comment-339-5 (3) For συγκραθεὶς 848
mvp-comment-339-6 There remains, however, the metrical discrepancy between συγκραθεὶς 849 ἐξέλυς’ 850 ἐξείλυς’ 851 συντακεὶς 852
mvp-comment-339-7
Either
συγκραθείς or
συντακείς would here admit a secondary sense, unconsciously prophetic of the dire event (833
προστακέντος ἰοῦ: 836
προστετακώς),— like
προσαρμόσαι in 494.—For other views, see Appendix.
mvp-comment-340-1 περαιτέρω 853
mvp-comment-341-1 Δῃάνειρα, τέκνον Οἰνέως 854
mvp-comment-342-1 ἀθυμῶ δ’, εἰ φανήσομαι 855
mvp-comment-343-1 οὐ δή 856 τι 857 ἐλπίδος 858 τι 859 δωρημάτων 860
mvp-comment-344-1 ὥστε μήποτ’ ἂν παραινέσαι 861 προθυμίαν … ἔργου 862 ἄδηλον 863 λαβεῖν 864
mvp-comment-345-1 εἰ διδακτόν 865
mvp-comment-346-1 οἷον, ἢν φράσω 866
mvp-comment-346-2 (1) To retain ὑμῖν 867 μαθεῖν 868
mvp-comment-346-3 (2) To read ὑμᾶς 869 ὑμῖν 870 φράσω 871
mvp-comment-346-4 Others, taking μαθεῖν 872 θαῦμ’ ἀνέλπιστον 873 ἂν φράσαι 874
mvp-comment-347-1 τὸν ἐνδυτῆρα πέπλον 875
mvp-comment-348-1 ἀργὴς … πόκος 876 ἀργῆτ’ … πόκῳ 877 ἀργῆτ’ 878 ἀργῆτα 879 τὸν ἐνδυτῆρα πέπλον 880
mvp-comment-348-2
Blaydes suggests
ἀργῆς οἰὸς εὐέρου πόκῳ: but the usage of
ἀργός precludes this. A change of
ἀργὴς … πόκος
881
ἀργῆτ’
882
πόκῳ
883
ᾧ
884
εὐέρου
885
mvp-comment-349-1 πρὸς οὐδενὸς 886 τῶν ἔνδον 887 τῶν ἐκτός 888 φθίνει 889
mvp-comment-350-1 ψῇ 890
mvp-comment-350-2
Such is the only sense which the words will bear. They are perhaps corrupt. Sophocles has the dat. plur.
σπιλάδεσσι, in the ordinary sense, ‘sea-rocks,’ in fr. 341; but the sense of the sing. here is peculiar. And vv. 695—698 would naturally suggest that she had thrown the tuft at once on the ground, rather than on a stone from which it afterwards crumbled down.
mvp-comment-350-3 Possibly the true reading is κατ’ ἄκρας σπόδιον 891 σπιλάδος 892 σπ 893
mvp-comment-351-1 ἐκτενῶ 894
mvp-comment-352-1 γὰρ 895
mvp-comment-352-2 ὧν 896 θεσμῶν 897
mvp-comment-352-3 ὁ θὴρ Κένταυρος 898
mvp-comment-352-4 πονῶν πλευρὰν 899
mvp-comment-352-5 πικρᾷ 900
mvp-comment-352-6 προὐδιδάξατο 901
mvp-comment-353-1 θεσμῶν οὐδέν 902 ἐσῳζόμην 903
mvp-comment-354-1 χαλκῆς … δέλτου 904 θεσμῶν 905
mvp-comment-355-1 καίμοι 906 σῴζειν 907 προὐδιδάξατο 908 κἄδρων τοιαῦτα 909 τοιαῦτ’ ἔδρων 910
mvp-comment-356-1 ἄπυρον 911 ἄθικτον 912
mvp-comment-357-1 ἕως νιν 913
mvp-comment-357-2 που 914
mvp-comment-358-1 ἔχρισα μὲν 915 κἄθηκα 916 εἴσω δ’ 917 κατ’ οἶκον 918 ἐν δόμοις 919
mvp-comment-359-1 κτησίου 920
mvp-comment-360-1 ἀλαμπὲς ἡλίου 921
mvp-comment-361-1 ζυγάστρῳ 922
mvp-comment-361-2 κοίλῳ 923
mvp-comment-362-1 εἴσω δ’ ἀποστείχουσα 924
mvp-comment-362-2 φάτιν 925 ἄφραστον 926 ἀξύμβλητον 927 ἀνθρώπῳ μαθεῖν 928 ἀξύμβλητον 929
mvp-comment-363-1 κάταγμα 930
mvp-comment-363-2 προὔχριον 931 ἀκτῖν’ ἐς ἡλιῶτιν 932
mvp-comment-363-3 Wunder rashly rejects the verse. Dobree's objection to it seems to have been the repeated ἐς 933
mvp-comment-364-1 ῥεῖ 934
mvp-comment-364-2 κατέψηκται 935
mvp-comment-365-1 μορφῇ 936 μάλιστ’ εἰκαστὸν 937 ὥστε 938
mvp-comment-365-2 πρίονος ἐκβρώματ’ 939
mvp-comment-366-1 προπετές 940 προὔκειτ’, ἀναζέουσι 941 θρομβώδεις ἀφροί 942
mvp-comment-367-1 πίονος ποτοῦ γλ. ὀπώρας ἀπὸ Β. ἀμπέλου 943
mvp-comment-367-2 χυθέντος 944 Β. ἀπ’ ἀμπέλου 945
mvp-comment-367-3 For ὀπώρας 946 Βακχίας 947 πίονος 948
mvp-comment-368-1 ποῖ γνώμης πέσω 949
mvp-comment-369-1 ὁρῶ δέ μ’ … ἐξειργασμένην 950
mvp-comment-370-1 πόθεν 951 ἀντὶ τοῦ 952
mvp-comment-370-2 ἂν … παρέσχ’ 953
mvp-comment-370-3 ἧς … ὕπερ 954
mvp-comment-371-1 ἀποφθίσαι 955
mvp-comment-372-1 ἀρκεῖ 956
mvp-comment-372-2 ἄρνυμαι 957
mvp-comment-373-1 εἴ τι μὴ 958
mvp-comment-373-2 ψευσθήσομαι γνώμης 959
mvp-comment-374-1 ἄτρακτον 960
mvp-comment-374-2 θεὸν Χείρωνα 961
mvp-comment-374-3 πημήναντα 962
mvp-comment-374-4
Ovid varies the story. Heracles visited Cheiron on Mount Pelion; a poisoned arrow chanced to fall from the hero's quiver on the left foot of the Centaur.
Virus edax superabat opem...Nona dies aderat, cum tu, iustissime Chiron, | Bis septem stellis corpore cinctus eras.
(
Fast. 5. 387—414.)
mvp-comment-374-5 χὧνπερ 963 χὥσπερ 964
mvp-comment-375-1 ἐκ … σφαγῶν τοῦδε διελθὼν 965
mvp-comment-375-2 ἰὸς αἵματος 966
mvp-comment-375-3 τόνδε 967
mvp-comment-375-4 Others take ἐκ … τοῦδε 968 ὅδε 969 τοῦδ’ 970
mvp-comment-375-5 δόξῃ γοῦν ἐμῇ 971
mvp-comment-376-1 σφαλήσεται 972
mvp-comment-376-2 For σὺν 973
mvp-comment-377-1 προτιμᾷ 974 κακὴ 975
mvp-comment-378-1 ἔργα δείν’ 976
mvp-comment-378-2 ἐλπίδ’ 977
mvp-comment-379-1 τοῖς μὴ καλοῖς β. 978 προξενεῖ 979
mvp-comment-380-1 ἀμφὶ 980
mvp-comment-380-2 μὴ )ξ ἑκουσίας 981
mvp-comment-380-3 πέπειρα 982
mvp-comment-381-1 τοιαῦτα δ’ 983
mvp-comment-381-2 οἴκοι 984
mvp-comment-382-1 ἂν ἁρμόζοι 985
mvp-comment-382-2 τὸν πλείω λόγον 986 λέξεις 987
mvp-comment-382-3 μαστὴρ πατρὸς 988
mvp-comment-383-1 ἂν … εἱλόμην 989
mvp-comment-383-2 σε 990 ἓν 991 σε ἢ μηκέτ’ εἶναι 992 σε 993
mvp-comment-383-3 ἐκ τριῶν ἓν 994
mvp-comment-383-4 κεκλῆσθαι 995
mvp-comment-384-1 τί δ’ ἔστιν … πρός γ’ ἐμοῦ στυγού‐ 996 μενον 997 πρός γ’ ἐμοῦ 998
mvp-comment-385-1 τὸν δ’ ἐμὸν 999 δέ 1000 λέγω 1001 λέγω 1002
mvp-comment-386-1 ἐξήνεγκας 1003
mvp-comment-387-1 δν οὐχ ο<*>όν τε 1004 μὴ οὐ 1005 μὴ 1006
mvp-comment-387-2 τὸ … φανθὲν 1007 τὸ γὰρ 1008
mvp-comment-387-3 τίς ἂν δύναιτ’ ἂν 1009
mvp-comment-387-4 ἀγένητον 1010
mvp-comment-387-5 744 f. For ἀνθρώπων 1011
mvp-comment-387-6 ἄζηλον 1012
mvp-comment-388-1 ἐν ὄμμασιν 1013
mvp-comment-388-2 κατὰ γλῶσσαν 1014
mvp-comment-389-1 ἐμπελάζεις … καὶ παρίστασαι 1015
mvp-comment-390-1 εἰ χρὴ μαθεῖν σε 1016
mvp-comment-391-1 ὅθ’ εἷρπε 1017
mvp-comment-392-1 τροπαῖα 1018 ἀκροθίνια 1019
mvp-comment-393-1 ἀκτή … ἔστιν 1020
mvp-comment-393-2 Κήναιον 1021
mvp-comment-393-3 πατρῴῳ 1022 βωμοὺς ὁρίζει 1023
mvp-comment-393-4 τεμενίαν … φυλλάδα 1024 ἄσμενος πόθῳ 1025
mvp-comment-394-1 πολυθύτους … σφαγὰς 1026
mvp-comment-395-1 κῆρυξ ἀπ’ οἴκων … οἰκεῖος 1027 οἰκεῖος 1028
mvp-comment-396-1 προὐξεφίεσο 1029
mvp-comment-397-1 ταυροκτονεῖ 1030 συμμιγῆ βοσκήματα 1031
mvp-comment-397-2 ἐντελεῖς 1032
mvp-comment-397-3 βοῦς 1033 ταυροκτονεῖ 1034
mvp-comment-397-4 προσῆγε 1035
mvp-comment-398-1 ἵλεῳ 1036
mvp-comment-399-1 κόσμῳ τε … καὶ στολῇ 1037
mvp-comment-399-2 Several critics alter κατηύχετο 1038 κατήρχετο 1039
mvp-comment-399-3 But κατηύχετο 1040
mvp-comment-400-1 σεμνῶν ὀργίων … φλὸξ 1041
mvp-comment-400-2 πιείρας δρυός 1042
mvp-comment-401-1 ἱδρὼς 1043 ἀρτίκολλος, ὥστε τέκτονος 1044
mvp-comment-401-2
Some have supposed that the
χιτών is compared to (stone or bronze) drapery on a statue.
τέκτων could certainly mean a sculptor:
Eur.
Alc.348
σοφῇ δὲ χειρὶ τεκτόνων τὸ σὸν δέμας |
εἰκασθέν. But: (1) There would be little point in comparing a real robe to an imitation in art. (2) Cp. fr. 430. 4, where Pelops is responding, with his eyes, to the glance of Hippodameia, and the discreet limit which the lover's instinct observes is compared to the line traced by a craftsman's rule;—
ἴσον μετρῶν ὀφθαλμόν, ὥστε τέκτονος |
παρὰ στάθμην ἰόντος ὀρθοῦται κανών. There, then, as here, the simile is from a mechanical process: the
τέκτων is suggested there by
ἴσον μετρῶν, as here by
ἀρτίκολλος.
mvp-comment-401-3 ἅπαν κατ’ ἄρθρον 1045
mvp-comment-401-4 ὀστέων 1046 ἀντίσπαστος 1047 ἀδαγμός 1048
mvp-comment-402-1 ἐχίδνης … ὣς 1049
mvp-comment-402-2 ἐδαίνυτο 1050
mvp-comment-403-1 )βόησε 1051
mvp-comment-403-2 μηχαναῖς 1052
mvp-comment-404-1 ἔλεξεν 1053
mvp-comment-405-1 πλευμόνων 1054
mvp-comment-406-1 ἄρθρον ᾗ λυγίζεται 1055
mvp-comment-407-1 ἐκ πόντου 1056
mvp-comment-407-2
The name ‘Lichades’ was given to some rocky islets just S. of C. Cenaeum, in the narrow strait dividing it from the promontory of Cnemīdes on the Locrian coast.
Strabo 9.
p. 426
ἐνταῦθα καὶ αἱ Λιχάδες καλούμεναι τρεῖς νῆσοι πρόκεινται, ἀπὸ Λίχα τοὔνομα ἔχουσαι. Cp. Aesch. fr. 29, quoted on 237 f.
Ovid
Met. 9. 226
Nunc quoque in Euboico scopulus brevis emicat alte | Gurgite, et humanae servat vestigia formae; | Quem quasi sensurum nautae calcare verentur, | Appellantque Lichan. —
Λίχας perh.=
λίθος: cp.
ὄρνιχος, ὄρνιθος (Preller 2. 255 n. 2).
mvp-comment-408-1 κόμης … μυελὸν ἐκραίνει 1057
mvp-comment-408-2 μυελὸν 1058
mvp-comment-408-3 διασπαρέντος 1059 μέσου 1060
mvp-comment-409-1 ἀνηυφήμησεν οἰμωγῇ 1061
mvp-comment-410-1 ἰύζων 1062
mvp-comment-411-1 Λοκρῶν τ’ ὄρειοι πρῶνες 1063 τ’ 1064 Λοκρῶν 1065 ἄκραι 1066 ἄκρα 1067
mvp-comment-411-2 Seneca's equivalent for this passage is curious: he describes the hero's cries as re-echoed from Chalcis (50 miles off), from Cape Caphareus (upwards of 100), and from ‘all the Cyclades’! ( Herc. Oet. 803 ff.)
mvp-comment-412-1 ἀπεῖπε … ῥίπτων 1068
mvp-comment-413-1 δυσπάρευνον 1069 λέκτρον 1070
mvp-comment-413-2 ἐνδατούμενος 1071
mvp-comment-413-3 τὸν Οἰνέως γάμον 1072
mvp-comment-414-1 προσέδρου 1073
mvp-comment-414-2 λιγνύος 1074
mvp-comment-414-3 διάστροφον 1075
mvp-comment-415-1 συνθανεῖν 1076
mvp-comment-416-1 ἔξω 1077 ἆρον 1078
mvp-comment-416-2 The reasons for preferring Wakefield's με θὲς 1079 μέθες 1080 μέθες 1081
mvp-comment-416-3 ὅπου … μή τις ὄψεται 1082
mvp-comment-417-1 εἰ δ’ οἶκτον ἴσχεις 1083 εἰ δ’ οἶκτος ἴσχει ς’. 1084
mvp-comment-417-2 ἀλλά 1085 αὐτοῦ 1086
mvp-comment-417-3 θάνω 1087
mvp-comment-418-1 τοσαῦτ’ 1088
mvp-comment-418-2 ἐπισκήψαντος 1089
mvp-comment-419-1 σφε 1090 ἐκέλσαμεν 1091 θέντες 1092
mvp-comment-420-1 ἢ ζῶντ’ … ἢ τεθνηκότ’ 1093
mvp-comment-421-1 βουλεύσας’ 1094
mvp-comment-421-2 δρῶς’ 1095
mvp-comment-421-3 ποίνιμος 1096
mvp-comment-421-4 Δίκη 1097
mvp-comment-421-5 ἐπεύχομαι 1098
mvp-comment-421-6 εἰ θέμις … θέμις δ’ 1099
mvp-comment-421-7 προὔβαλες 1100
mvp-comment-421-8 μοι 1101
mvp-comment-421-9
Others understand: (1) ‘you have
thrown this very justice
as a shield (
πρόβλημα) over my action’ (Paley);
i.e., ‘have made it right for me to do so.’ (2) ‘You have given me the right to do so’ (lit., ‘placed’ that right ‘at my disposal’).—Wunder, changing
θέμιν
1102
ἔριν
1103
mvp-comment-422-1 σῖγ’ 1104
mvp-comment-422-2 815 f. The place of ὀφθαλμῶν ἐμῶν 1105 οὖρος 1106
mvp-comment-422-3 αὐτῇ 1107
mvp-comment-422-4 καλός 1108
mvp-comment-423-1 γὰρ 1109
mvp-comment-423-2 ὄγκον 1110
mvp-comment-423-3 τρέφειν 1111
mvp-comment-423-4 μηδὲν 1112 ἥτις 1113
mvp-comment-424-1 ἀλλ’ ἑρπ. χαίρουσα 1114
mvp-comment-424-2 τήνδ’ 1115
mvp-comment-425-1 ἴδ’ 1116
mvp-comment-425-2 προσέμειξεν 1117 παλαιφάτου 1118
mvp-comment-426-1 θεοπρόπον 1119
mvp-comment-426-2 τᾶς παλαιφάτου προνοίας 1120
mvp-comment-427-1 ὅ τ’ 1121 ἅ τ’ 1122 ὃν 1123
mvp-comment-427-2 ἔλακεν 1124
mvp-comment-427-3 ἐκφέροι 1125
mvp-comment-427-4 δωδέκατος ἄροτος 1126
mvp-comment-427-5 This is the only passage of the play which mentions the period of twelve years. In 44 f. and 164 f., the reference is merely to the fifteen months which, when Heracles left home, were still wanting to those twelve years. It may be asked, then, whence the Chorus derive their knowledge of the twelve years; for Deianeira, in 155 ff., speaks as if they had not then heard of the oracle. The answer is simply that this inconsistency of detail was overlooked by the poet; the term of twelve years was in his mind, as a familiar part of the story; and he forgot that, if the Chorus were to know it, Deianeira ought to have mentioned it.
mvp-comment-427-6 Needless difficulties have been made by assuming that the allusion here must be to the fifteen months of 44 f. and 164 f. Even then, however, it has to be supposed that ‘twelve months’ are put loosely for ‘fifteen.’
mvp-comment-427-7 ἄροτος 1127
mvp-comment-427-8 ἀναδοχὰν τελεῖν 1128 πόνων 1129 τελεῖν 1130
mvp-comment-428-1 αὐτόπαιδι 1131
mvp-comment-428-2 ἔμπεδα 1132
mvp-comment-428-3 κατουρίζει 1133
mvp-comment-429-1 ὁ μὴ λεύσσων 1134
mvp-comment-429-2 ἐπίπονον … λατρείαν 1135 πόνων 1136
mvp-comment-430-1 φονίᾳ νεφέλᾳ 1137
mvp-comment-430-2
Others understand: (1) ‘in the Centaur's deadly
net.’
νεφέλη was a kind of bird-net used by fowlers: in
Anthol. 6. 11. 2 it is called
λεπτόμιτος, ‘of fine texture,’ and distinguished from the hunter's
δολιχὸν δίκτυον .
Cp. 1052
ὑφαντὸν ἀμφίβληστρον, and 1057
πέδῃ. But it seems doubtful whether this use of
νεφέλη would have been suitable to Tragedy. (2) ‘The deadly envelopment,’—
i.e., the robe, compared to a cloud which obscures the sun.
mvp-comment-430-3 Κενταύρου … δολοποιὸς ἀνάγκα 1138
mvp-comment-430-4 χρίει 1139
mvp-comment-430-5 πλευρά 1140
mvp-comment-430-6
834 The MSS. have
ὃν
τέκετο θάνατος,
ἔτεκε δ’ αἰόλος δράκων. This has been explained as if
θάνατος were the father and the
δράκων (hydra) the mother. But usage does not warrant such a pointed antithesis between
τίκτομαι (midd.) and
τίκτω. The poets apply either voice to either parent: see,
e.g.,
Il.6. 154
ὁ δ’ ἄρα Γλαῦκον τέκεθ’ υἱόν, |
αὐτὰρ Γλαῦκος ἔτικτεν ἀμύμονα Βελλεροφόντην:
ib. 2. 728
ἔτεκεν Ῥήνη, and 742
τέκετο κλυτὸς Ἱπποδάμεια. Lobeck's correction of
ἔτεκε
1141
ἔτρεφε
1142
αἰόλος
1143
mvp-comment-431-1 ἀέλιον 1144 α^ 1145
mvp-comment-432-1 ὕδρας … φάσματι 1146 προστετακὼς 1147 μελαγχαίτα δ’ 1148 φάσματι 1149
mvp-comment-432-2 μελαγχαίτα 1150
mvp-comment-433-1 ἄμμιγα 1151
mvp-comment-434-1 It has long been the general belief that the words νέσου 1152 νέσσου 1153 θ’ ὕπο 1154 μελαγχαίτα 1155
mvp-comment-434-2 Here I may briefly state my own conclusions. (1) μελαγχαίτα 1156
mvp-comment-434-3
(2) Comparing v. 830 with v. 840, we see that the words
ἔχοι θανὼν λατρείαν in 830 correspond metrically with
‐α^ κέντρ’ ἐπιζέσαντα. The words
ἔτι ποτ’ ἔτ’ ἐπίπονον in 830 ought therefore to correspond with what stands between
αἰκίζει in 839 and the
α^ before
κέντῤ in 840: viz., acc. to the MSS.,
νέσου (or
νέσσου )
θ’ ὕπο φοίνια δολόμυθ‐.
mvp-comment-434-4 (3) Now, if νέσου θ’ ὕπο 1157 ὑπόφονα 1158 δολόμυθα 1159 φόνια δολιόμυθα 1160 ὕπο 1161
mvp-comment-434-5 (4) But a closer adherence to the MS. text becomes possible, if, with Gleditsch, we read Νέσσου ὑποφόνια δολιόμυθα κέντρ’ ἐπιζέσαντα 1162 ἔτι ποτ’ ἔτ’ ἐπίπονον <πόνων> ἔχοι θανὼν λατρείαν 1163
mvp-comment-435-1 ὧν … ἄοκνος 1164 ἄοκνον 1165
mvp-comment-436-1 προσορῶσα 1166 προορῶσα 1167
mvp-comment-437-1 ἀΐσσουσαν 1168 ἀϊσσόντων 1169 γάμων 1170
mvp-comment-438-1 τὰ μὲν αὐτὰ προσέβαλε 1171
mvp-comment-438-2
The MS. reading,
τὰ μὲν
οὔ τι προσέβαλε, is explained to mean, ‘part she did not
comprehend’ (schol.
οὐκ ἔγνω, οὐ συνῆκεν ):
i.e., she had, indeed, a secret purpose, but she did not know the deadly nature of the unguent. To this there are two objections. (1) The supposed sense of
προσέβαλε is unexampled:
cp. 580
n. (2) The proper antithesis is lost; for
τὰ ἀπ’ ἀλλόθρου γνώμας μολόν<*>) <*>ought to be opposed to her own designs or acts; but those things which she ‘did not comprehend’ were just those which ‘came from the alien will.’
mvp-comment-438-3 ἀλλόθρου 1172
mvp-comment-438-4 ὀλεθρίαισι συναλλαγαῖς 1173
mvp-comment-438-5 ὀλεθρίαισι 1174 ὀλεθρίαις 1175
mvp-comment-439-1 ἦ που 1176
mvp-comment-439-2 ὀλοὰ 1177
mvp-comment-439-3 στένει 1178 ἦ που ἄρ’ ἀλασταίνει 1179 αἰάζει 1180 στένει 1181
mvp-comment-440-1 χλωρὰν … ἄχναν 1182
mvp-comment-440-2 τέγγει … ἄχναν 1183
mvp-comment-440-3 850 f. The μοῖρα 1184 ἐρχομένα 1185 ἄταν 1186
mvp-comment-440-4 δολίαν 1187
mvp-comment-440-5 προφαίνει 1188
mvp-comment-441-1 ἔρρωγεν παγὰ δακρύων 1189
mvp-comment-442-1 κέχυται νόσος 1190
mvp-comment-442-2 ὦ πόποι 1191
mvp-comment-442-3 ἀναρσίων 1192
mvp-comment-442-4 The doubt as to the reading here is confined to the words between πόποι 1193 ἐπέμολε 1194
mvp-comment-442-5 It seems almost certain that Ἡρακλέους 1195 δόμοις 1196 δόμοισι 1197 <ὕπ)> οὔπω <τοῦδε σῶμ)> ἀγακλειτόν 1198
mvp-comment-442-6 οἰκτίσαι 1199
mvp-comment-443-1 κελαινὰ 1200
mvp-comment-443-2 προμάχου 1201
mvp-comment-443-3 αἰχμᾷ 1202
mvp-comment-443-4 θοὰν 1203
mvp-comment-443-5 αἰπεινᾶς 1204
mvp-comment-444-1 ἀμφίπολος 1205 ἄναυδος 1206 α 1207
mvp-comment-444-2 The ‘silence’ of Aphroditè means that the passion of Heracles had not been avowed as his motive for the war ( cp. 358 ). She has been revealed as the φανερὰ πράκτωρ 1208
mvp-comment-445-1
These eight verses form an epode to the stasimon; three persons take part in the delivery, viz., the two
παραστάται, or leaders of
ἡμιχόρια (HM. A, HM. B), and the coryphaeus (XO.). The third part (868—870) is best assigned to the coryphaeus, who usually announces a new comer, and who would naturally conduct the dialogue with the
τροφός. Similar epodes to stasima are
Eur.
H. F. 815
—821, and
Eur.
Hipp. 1143
— 1152, in each of which three parts can be distinguished. (See W. Christ,
Metrik, § 723, p. 653 2nd ed.)
mvp-comment-445-2
The motive of the whole passage from 863 to 898 is the dramatic necessity of making an impressive preparation for the Nurse's
ῥῆσις. It rests with the Chorus alone to do this, since no actor is present.
mvp-comment-445-3 Hermann supposed that, after the three leading choreutae had spoken (863 —870), each of the other twelve in turn took part in the dialogue. But this seems improbable.
mvp-comment-445-4 μάταιος 1209
mvp-comment-446-1 τί φημί 1210 τὶ φημί 1211
mvp-comment-447-1 οὐκ ἄσημον 1212 ἀλλὰ δυστυχῆ 1213
mvp-comment-447-2 καινίζει 1214
mvp-comment-447-3 869 The MS. reading, ἀήθης 1215
mvp-comment-447-4 The conjecture ἀηδὴς 1216
mvp-comment-447-5 Surely ἀήθης 1217 ἀ 1218 γ 1219 ηθής 1220
mvp-comment-448-1 σημανοῦσα 1221 σημαίνουσα 1222
mvp-comment-449-1 Ἡρακλεῖ τὸ πόμπιμον 1223
mvp-comment-450-1 καινοποιηθὲν 1224
mvp-comment-451-1 ἐξ ἀκινήτου ποδός 1225
mvp-comment-452-1 οὐ δή ποθ’ 1226
mvp-comment-452-2 πάντ’ ἀκήκοας 1227
mvp-comment-452-3 τέθνηκεν 1228
mvp-comment-452-4
878 For the metres of this
κομμός (878—895), see Analysis.
mvp-comment-452-5 ὀλεθρία 1229
mvp-comment-452-6 879 The MS. reading, σχετλιώτατα πρός γε πρᾶξιν 1230 σχετλίῳ τὰ πρός γε πρᾶξιν 1231
mvp-comment-452-7
Heinrich Schmidt, whose view of the metre will be seen in the Metrical Analysis, merely transposes
πρός and
γε, writing
σχετλιώτατά γε πρὸς πρᾶξιν
1232
γε
1233
mvp-comment-452-8
By
πρᾶξιν must be meant here the mode of ‘doing’ the deed, rather than the victim's ‘fortune’; though the latter is the usual sense of the singular (
Ant.1305
n.). After the question,
τίνι τρόπῳ
1234
πρᾶξιν
1235
mvp-comment-453-1 ξυντρέχει 1236
mvp-comment-454-1 διηΐστωσε 1237
mvp-comment-455-1 τίς θυμός 1238
mvp-comment-455-2 τίνες νόσοι 1239 ξυνεῖλε 1240
mvp-comment-456-1 μόνα 1241
mvp-comment-457-1 στονόεντος 1242
mvp-comment-457-2 ἐν τομᾷ 1243
mvp-comment-458-1 ὦ ματαία 1244
mvp-comment-458-2 τάνδ’ ὕβριν 1245
mvp-comment-459-1 ὡς δὴ … παραστάτις 1246
mvp-comment-460-1 τίς ἦν 1247 πῶς 1248
mvp-comment-461-1 αὐτὴ πρὸς αὑτῆς 1249
mvp-comment-462-1 ἔτεκεν ἔτεκε δὴ 1250
mvp-comment-462-2 νέορτος 1251
mvp-comment-463-1 ἄγαν γε 1252
mvp-comment-463-2 κάρτα μᾶλλον ἂν ᾤκτισας 1253
mvp-comment-464-1 καὶ ταῦτ’ ἔτλη τις 1254
mvp-comment-464-2 κτίσαι 1255
mvp-comment-464-3
Hermann rejects this v. and the next, because the Chorus, not knowing the nature of the deeds (
οἷ’ ἔδρασε), ought not yet to marvel at them. The verses were inserted, he thinks, to soften the abruptness of
ἐπεὶ παρῆλθε (900) after
κάρτ’ ἂν ᾤκτισας (897). It may be granted that they are not very forcible; but they seem genuine. The Nurse has hitherto been led from point to point by questions. A direct question (898) is needed to prompt her narrative. It would be less like her to begin it spontaneously.
mvp-comment-465-1 παρῆλθε 1256 γὰρ ἦλθε 1257
mvp-comment-466-1 αὐλαῖς 1258
mvp-comment-466-2 κοῖλα 1259
mvp-comment-466-3 στορνύνθ’ 1260
mvp-comment-466-4 Hyllus had entered the house immediately after his mother (820). His occupation reminded her that Heracles would soon arrive, and decided her to act at once.
mvp-comment-467-1 κρύψασ’ ἑαυτὴν 1261
mvp-comment-467-2 ἔνθα μή τις εἰσίδοι 1262
mvp-comment-467-3
In Homeric Greek, a final relat. clause can take the subjunct. (usu. with
κε) after a primary tense, and the optat. (without
κε) after a secondary tense. But this is not an Attic construction. Thus the Homeric
ἄγγελον ἧκαν ὃς ἀγγείλειε (
Od.15. 458
) would in Attic be
ἄγγελον ἔπεμψαν ὃς ἀγγελεῖ: it could not be,
ὃς ἀγγείλειε. The constr.
ἔνθα μή τις εἰσίδοι —a very rare one in Attic—has grown out of the ‘deliberative’ constr.
οὐκ οἶδεν ἔνθα μή τις εἰσίδῃ, by steps which have changed the interrogative clause into a final relative clause. A like instance is
Ph.281
οὐχ ὅστις ἀρκέσειεν, (seeing no one) to aid. See Appendix.
mvp-comment-468-1 βρυχᾶτο 1263
mvp-comment-468-2 βωμοῖσι 1264
mvp-comment-468-3 γένοιντ’ ἔρημοι 1265 γένοιτ’ ἐρήμη 1266
mvp-comment-468-4 ὀργάνων ὅτου ψαύσειεν 1267
mvp-comment-469-1 ἄλλῃ … δωμάτων 1268
mvp-comment-469-2 φίλων … οἰκετῶν 1269
mvp-comment-470-1 ἀνακαλουμένη 1270
mvp-comment-470-2 911 The MS. text, καὶ τὰς ἄπαιδας ἐς τὸ λοιπὸν οὐσίας 1271
mvp-comment-470-3 The genuine verse must have had some direct reference to the context. She is weeping at the sight of attached servants whom she is about to leave. The general sense ought to be, ‘bewailing her own fate, and that of the household over which a change was impending’; since, when master and mistress were dead, the household would be dissolved, and the faithful slaves would pass into other hands. After the death of Heracles, Ceÿx, the king of Trachis (40 n.), was deterred by Eurystheus from continuing to protect the Heracleidae; who sought refuge at Athens. ( Apollod.2. 8. 1. )
mvp-comment-470-4
I believe that
ΑΠΑΙΔΑΣ arose from
ΕΠΑΛΛΟΙΣ when the E had been accidentally lost or obscured. A similar interchange of initial
α and
ε, combined with fusion of two words into one, occurs in
O. C.550
, where
ἐφ’ ἁστάλη was corrupted into
ἀπεστάλη. I would read,
καὶ τῆς ἐπ’ ἄλλοις ἐς τὸ λοιπὸν οὐσίας
1272
ἑστίας
1273
mvp-comment-471-1 τὸν Ἡράκλ. 1274
mvp-comment-471-2 θάλαμον 1275
mvp-comment-472-1 λαθραῖον ὄμμ’ 1276 ἐπεσκιασμένη 1277
mvp-comment-473-1 βάλλουσαν 1278 στρωτὰ 1279
mvp-comment-474-1 εὐνατηρίοις 1280
mvp-comment-475-1 ῥήξασα 1281
mvp-comment-475-2 νυμφεῖα 1282
mvp-comment-475-3 εὐνάτριαν 1283
mvp-comment-476-1 συντόνῳ 1284
mvp-comment-477-1 ᾗ 1285 ᾧ 1286
mvp-comment-477-2 προὔκειτο μαστῶν 1287
mvp-comment-477-3 ἐκ δ’ ἐλώπισεν 1288
mvp-comment-478-1 δρομαία 1289 φράζω 1290 τάδε 1291 τεχνωμένης 1292
mvp-comment-479-1 τὸ κεῖσε δεῦρό τ’ 1293
mvp-comment-479-2 ἐξορμώμεθα 1294
mvp-comment-479-3 ὁρῶμεν αὐτὴν … πεπληγμένην 1295
mvp-comment-479-4 ὑφ’ ἧπαρ καὶ φρένας 1296
mvp-comment-480-1 τοὔργον … ὡς ἐφάψειεν 1297
mvp-comment-480-2
Others explain: (1) ‘that he had
kindled the deed.’ But
ἐφάπτειν never has the sense of
ὑφάπτειν. In
Eur.
Bacch.778
our only MS. for that part of the play has, indeed,
ἤδη τόδ’ ἐγγὺς ὥστε πῦρ ἐφάπτεται |
ὕβρισμα: but the true
ὑφάπτεται is attested by the
Christus Patiens 2227. (2) ‘That
she had
made fast the deed,’—
i.e. done the irrevocable deed. But
κατ’ ὀργὴν
1298
mvp-comment-481-1 τῶν κατ’ οἶκον 1299 ἐκδ. 1300
mvp-comment-482-1 δύστηνος 1301 ἐλείπετ’ οὐδέν 1302 ὀδυρμάτων 1303 ἀμφιπίπτων 1304
mvp-comment-482-2 ἀμφί νιν 1305
mvp-comment-482-3 ἀμφιπίπτων στόμασιν 1306
mvp-comment-482-4 πλευρόθεν 1307 παρείς 1308
mvp-comment-483-1 αἰτίᾳ βάλοι 1309
mvp-comment-484-1 ἐκ δυοῖν … ὠρφανισμένος βίον 1310 βίου 1311 βίου 1312 ἐκ 1313 εἷς 1314
mvp-comment-485-1 δύο 1315
mvp-comment-485-2 ἢ καί τι πλείους 1316 ἢ καὶ πλείους τις 1317 τι 1318 ἢ καὶ πλέους τις 1319
mvp-comment-485-3 The sense is:—‘Men often reckon on the morrow, or even, perchance ( τι 1320
mvp-comment-486-1 πότερα πρότερον 1321
mvp-comment-486-2 μέλεα 1322 τέλεα 1323
mvp-comment-487-1 τάδε 1324 μένομεν 1325 ἐπ’ ἐλπίσιν 1326 μελόμεν’ 1327
mvp-comment-488-1 ἔχειν 1328 μέλλειν 1329 κοινὰ 1330
mvp-comment-489-1 ἀνεμόεσσα 1331 αὔρα 1332 ἔπουρος 1333 ἑστιῶτις 1334
mvp-comment-489-2 956 ff. It is doubtful whether the MS. Διὸς 1335 Ζηνὸς 1336 Δῖον 1337
mvp-comment-489-3 μοῦνον 1338 εἰσιδοῦσ’ ἄφαρ 1339 μοῦνον 1340 μῶλυν 1341 καῦρον 1342 μανὸν 1343 μαῦρον 1344 μαυρὸν 1345 μοῦνον 1346
mvp-comment-490-1 ἐπεὶ 1347
mvp-comment-491-1 χωρεῖν πρὸ δόμων 1348
mvp-comment-492-1 θαῦμα 1349 θέαμα 1350
mvp-comment-493-1 ἀγχοῦ δ’ ἄρα 1351 ἀγχοῦ κοὐ μακρἀν προὔκλαιον 1352
mvp-comment-493-2 ὀξύφωνος ὡς ἀηδών 1353 ἀγχοῦ 1354 μακρὰν 1355
mvp-comment-494-1 ξένῳν 1356
mvp-comment-494-2 ξένων … βάσις 1357 στάσις 1358 βάσις 1359
mvp-comment-494-3 ἐξόμιλος 1360
mvp-comment-495-1 πᾷ δ’ αὖ 1361
mvp-comment-495-2 βαρεῖαν 1362
mvp-comment-495-3 φέρει βάσιν 1363
mvp-comment-496-1 ἀναύδατος 1364
mvp-comment-497-1 τί χρή 1365 φθίμενον 1366 θάνατον 1367 θανόντα 1368
mvp-comment-497-2 A comma should follow χρή 1369 τί χρή 1370 θανόντα νιν 1371
mvp-comment-498-1 τί πάθω; τί δὲ μήσομαι 1372
mvp-comment-499-1 ὠμόφρονος 1373
mvp-comment-500-1 προπετής 1374
mvp-comment-500-2 δακὼν 1375
mvp-comment-501-1 οὐ μὴ )ξεγερεῖς 1376
mvp-comment-501-2 κάτοχον 1377
mvp-comment-502-1 φοιτάδα 1378
mvp-comment-503-1 ἀλλ’ ἐπί μοι 1379
mvp-comment-503-2 ἄπλετον 1380 ἄπλετον 1381 ἐμμέμονε 1382 ἐπί 1383 μοι 1384
mvp-comment-504-1 ὦ Ζεῦ 1385
mvp-comment-504-2 τοῖσι 1386
mvp-comment-504-3 πεπονημένος 1387
mvp-comment-504-4 ἀλλήκτοις 1388
mvp-comment-505-1 οἴμοι <μοι> 1389 μοι 1390 ὀδύναις 1391 ὧδ’ 1392
mvp-comment-506-1 ἡ δ’ 1393 ἅδ’ 1394
mvp-comment-506-2 βρύκει 1395
mvp-comment-507-1 ἆρ’ ἐξῄδη 1396
mvp-comment-507-2 ἐξῄδη ς’ 1397 ἐξῄδης 1398 ἐξῄδησθ’ 1399
mvp-comment-507-3 κεύθειν — σκεδάσαι 1400
mvp-comment-508-1 κρατὸς βλεφάρων θ’ 1401 βλεφάρων ὕπνον 1402
mvp-comment-509-1 στέρξαιμι 1403
mvp-comment-510-1 Κηναία 1404
mvp-comment-510-2 κρηπὶς 1405
mvp-comment-511-1 ἱερῶν οἵων 1406 ἐπί μοι 1407 ἠνύσω 1408 ἤνυσας 1409 ἤνυσας 1410
mvp-comment-511-2 ὦ Ζεῦ 1411
mvp-comment-512-1 ἔθου με λώβαν 1412
mvp-comment-513-1 ἣν 1413 ἣν … ὄσσοις 1414
mvp-comment-513-2 μή ποτ’ 1415 προσιδεῖν 1416 ὤφελον 1417
mvp-comment-513-3 ἀκήλητον 1418
mvp-comment-513-4 καταδερχθῆναι 1419
mvp-comment-514-1 ἀοιδός 1420
mvp-comment-514-2 τίς ὁ χειροτέχνης 1421 ὃς 1422
mvp-comment-514-3 χωρὶς Ζηνὸς 1423
mvp-comment-515-1 θαῦμ’ ἂν πόρρωθεν ἰδοίμην 1424 πόρρωθεν 1425 θ<*>μα 1426
mvp-comment-516-1
This passage consists of lyrics delivered by actors (
ἀπὸ σκηνῆς). As the Chorus takes no part in it, it is not technically a
κομμός, which is a
θρῆνος κοινὸς χοροῦ καὶ ἀπὸ σκηνῆς.
mvp-comment-516-2
The lyric structure is complex, but not obscure. The passage falls into two main parts, separated by the five hexameters in 1018—1022 (
ὦ παῖ τοῦδ’ ἀνδρὸς...νέμει Ζεύς). I. The first part consists of 1004—1017, in which the first three verses correspond metrically with the last three. II. The second part consists of 1023—1043. (It is equal in length with the first part, though the traditional numbering makes it appear longer.) Here, the first four verses correspond with the last four. Then the central portion of part I. corresponds with the central portion of part II. Thus: (1) 1st strophe, 1004—1006,=1st antistr., 1015—1017. (2) 2nd str., 1007—1009,=2nd antistr., 1027—1030. (3) 3rd str., 1023—1026, =3rd antistr., 1040—1043. The dactyls in 1010—1014, and 1031—1040, could also be regarded as forming a fourth strophe and antistrophe.—For the metres see Metrical Analysis.
mvp-comment-517-1 ἐᾶτέ μ’, ἐᾶτε … εὐνᾶσθαι 1427 εὐνᾶσαι 1428 ὕστατον 1429 εὐνάσαι 1430 δύστανον 1431 δύσμορον 1432 ὕστατον 1433 ἐᾶθ’ ὕστατον εὐνᾶσθαι 1434 μολὼν τοῦ στυγεροῦ; φεῦ φεῦ 1435
mvp-comment-518-1 πᾷ … ψαύεις 1436 πᾷ 1437
mvp-comment-519-1 ἀνατέτροφας 1438
mvp-comment-519-2 ὅ τι καὶ μύσῃ 1439
mvp-comment-520-1 ἥδ’ 1440
mvp-comment-520-2 πόθεν ἔστ’ 1441 πόθεν ἐστέ 1442
mvp-comment-521-1 οὓς 1443 καθαίρων 1444 οἷς 1445
mvp-comment-522-1 ἐν πόντῳ 1446
mvp-comment-522-2
κατά
τε after
πολλὰ
μὲν: cp.
Ant.1162
σώσας μὲν... |
λαβών τε (n.).
mvp-comment-522-3 δρία 1447
mvp-comment-522-4 καὶ νῦν … οὐκ ἐπιτρέψει 1448 οὐκ 1449 ἀποτρέψει 1450
mvp-comment-522-5 τῷδε 1451
mvp-comment-522-6 πῦρ 1452
mvp-comment-522-7 ἔγχος 1453
mvp-comment-522-8
1016 f. The MS. reading,
ἀπαράξαι κρᾶτα
βίου, is explained as, ‘to sever the head from life,’—
i.e., to destroy life by striking the head from the body. This extraordinary phrase is surely not Greek. It has been supported by a corrupt verse of Eur. ,
Helen. 302,
σμικρὸν (
σμικρὸς Badham)
δ’ ὁ καιρὸς ἄρτ’ ἀπαλλάξαι βίου: where Keil reads
ἄρθῤ, Nauck
κρᾶτ’, and Hermann
σάρκ’. But, whatever be read there,
ἀπαλλάξαι βίου is widely different from
ἀπαράξαι βίου. I hold, with Paley, that Wakefield's
βίᾳ
1454
τοῦ στυγεροῦ
1455
mvp-comment-523-1 τοὔργον τόδε 1456
mvp-comment-523-2 μεῖζον 1457 ἀνήκει 1458
mvp-comment-524-1 ἢ κατ ἐμὰν ῥώμαν 1459
mvp-comment-524-2 σοὶ γὰρ ἑτοίμα 1460 ἐς πλέον ἢ δἰ ἐμοῦ σῴζειν 1461
mvp-comment-524-3 The MSS. give σοί τε γὰρ ὄμμα 1462 ἔμπλεον ἢ δἰ ἐμοῦ σῴζειν 1463 ἢ 1464
mvp-comment-524-4 The MS. words, σοί τε γὰρ ὄμμα 1465 ὄμμα 1466 τε 1467 σοί τε γὰρ ὄμμα 1468 σοὶ γὰρ ἑτοίμα 1469 οίμα 1470 ὄμμα 1471
mvp-comment-524-5 In the Appendix are given the proposed explanations of the vulgate, and various conjectures.
mvp-comment-525-1 λαθίπονον δ’ ὀδυνᾶν 1472 ἐξανύσαι 1473 βίοτον 1474 ἔστι οἱ 1475 μοι 1476 ἔνδοθεν 1477
mvp-comment-525-2 θύραθεν 1478 ὀδύναν … βιότου 1479
mvp-comment-525-3 τοιαῦτα νέμει Ζεύς 1480
mvp-comment-526-1 τᾷδε 1481 τᾷδέ με … πρόσλαβε κουφίσας 1482 πρόσλαβέ με 1483 κουφίσας 1484
mvp-comment-527-1 ἰὼ δαῖμον 1485
mvp-comment-528-1 θρῴσκει 1486
mvp-comment-528-2 ἀποτίβατος 1487
mvp-comment-529-1 Παλλάς 1488
mvp-comment-530-1 φύτοῤ 1489 τὸν φύσαντ’ οἴκτιῤ 1490 οἴκτιῤ 1491 φύτοῤ 1492 φύσαντ’ 1493
mvp-comment-530-2 ἀνεπίφθονον 1494
mvp-comment-531-1 ἐμᾶς ὑπὸ κλῇδος 1495
mvp-comment-531-2 ἐχόλωσεν 1496 ἐχόλησεν 1497
mvp-comment-532-1 αὔτως 1498
mvp-comment-532-2 γλυκὺς 1499
mvp-comment-533-1 αὐθαίμων 1500
mvp-comment-534-1 ὠκυπέτᾳ 1501
mvp-comment-535-1 οἵαις 1502 οἵας 1503
mvp-comment-536-1 ὦ πολλὰ δὴ 1504
mvp-comment-536-2 Cicero's version is essentially that of an orator; the true test for it would be declamation. But even a reader can feel its sonorous vigour, and its Roman gravity; Cicero succeeds as Lord Derby succeeded in much of the Iliad. The rendering of the Greek is very free, sometimes inadequate, but always manly, and highly terse; indeed, the 57 lines of the original become 45; in one place, eleven verses (1079—1089) are reduced to four (vv. 30—33).
mvp-comment-536-3 θερμὰ 1505
mvp-comment-536-4 κοὐ λόγῳ κακὰ 1506 θερμά 1507 οὐ λόγῳ 1508
mvp-comment-536-5 The MS. reading, καὶ λόγῳ κακὰ 1509
mvp-comment-537-1 χερσὶ 1510 νώτοισι 1511 στέρνοισι 1512 μοχθήσας 1513
mvp-comment-538-1 κοὔπω 1514
mvp-comment-538-2 ἄκοιτις ἡ Διὸς 1515
mvp-comment-538-3 προὔθηκεν 1516
mvp-comment-538-4 Εὐρυσθεὺς 1517
mvp-comment-539-1 οἷον τόδ’ 1518
mvp-comment-539-2 δολῶπις 1519
mvp-comment-539-3 Ἐρινύων … ἀμφίβληστρον 1520 ὑφαντὸν 1521
mvp-comment-540-1 προσμαχθὲν 1522
mvp-comment-540-2 πλεύμονός τ’ ἀρτηρίας 1523
mvp-comment-541-1 ῥοφεῖ 1524 ξυνοικοῦν 1525
mvp-comment-541-2 χλωρὸν 1526
mvp-comment-542-1 ἀφράστῳ 1527
mvp-comment-542-2 χειρωθεὶς 1528
mvp-comment-543-1 κοὐ … οὔθ’ 1529 οὔθ’ 1530 οὐδ’ 1531
mvp-comment-543-2 λόγχη πεδιάς 1532
mvp-comment-543-3 στρατὸς Γιγάντων 1533
mvp-comment-543-4 θήρειος βία 1534
mvp-comment-544-1 ἄγλωσσος 1535 Ἑλλὰς 1536
mvp-comment-544-2 οὔθ’ ὅσην 1537
mvp-comment-544-3 γαῖαν 1538
mvp-comment-545-1 θῆλυς 1539 οὖσα 1540 φῦσα 1541 ἀνδρὸς 1542 ἀνὴρ 1543
mvp-comment-545-2 καθεῖλε 1544
mvp-comment-545-3 φασγάνου δίχα 1545
mvp-comment-546-1 γενοῦ 1546 γεγώς 1547 ἐτήτυμος 1548
mvp-comment-546-2 πρεσβεύσῃς 1549
mvp-comment-547-1 εἰδῶ 1550 ἴδω 1551
mvp-comment-547-2 εἰ τοὐμὸν 1552 κακούμενον 1553
mvp-comment-547-3
Cicero represents this passage by a single verse,
Iam cernam ,
mene an illam potiorem putes. Hence Nauck rejects v. 1069. But the inference is most unsafe, as another instance will show. The passage beginning with
ἰδού (1079) and ending with
ἐξώρμηκεν (1089) shrinks, in Cicero's version, to three lines and a half, viz.,
Videte cuncti: tuque,
caelestum sator, |
Iace,
obsecro,
in me vim coruscam fulminis! |
Nunc ,
nunc dolorum anxiferi torquent vertices: |
Nunc serpit ardor. Thus Cicero wholly ignores vv. 1085 ff.: he ignores vv. 1080—1084 also, except in so far as their general sense is blended with his version of 1088 f.,
δαίνυται...ἐξώρμηκεν. Yet the Greek text there is clearly sound.
mvp-comment-548-1 ἴθ’ 1554 τόλμησον 1555
mvp-comment-548-2 ὥστε παρθένος 1556
mvp-comment-549-1 ἀστένακτος 1557
mvp-comment-549-2 εἱπόμην 1558 τόνδ’ ἄνδρα 1559 ἑσπόμην 1560 αἰὲν 1561
mvp-comment-549-3 εἱπόμην κακοῖς 1562
mvp-comment-550-1 ἐκ τοιούτου 1563
mvp-comment-551-1 καὶ νῦν … στῆθι … σκέψαι δ’ 1564 δ’ 1565 θ’ 1566
mvp-comment-552-1 δείξω γὰρ 1567
mvp-comment-552-2 ἐκ καλυμμάτων 1568 ἐκ 1569
mvp-comment-553-1 ἰδού 1570
mvp-comment-553-2 1081 It is best to retain αἰαῖ, ὦ τάλας, αἰαῖ 1571
mvp-comment-554-1 ἔθαλψεν 1572
mvp-comment-554-2 ἄτης 1573
mvp-comment-554-3 ὅδ’ αὖ 1574 ἔθαλψεν 1575
mvp-comment-555-1 δέξαι μ’ 1576 Ἅιδη 1577 Ἀΐδη 1578
mvp-comment-556-1 ἔνσεισον 1579 ἐγκατάσκηψον 1580
mvp-comment-556-2 δαίνυται 1581
mvp-comment-557-1 ἤνθηκεν 1582
mvp-comment-557-2 ὦ χέρες 1583
mvp-comment-557-3 ὦ νῶτα καὶ στέρν’ 1584
mvp-comment-558-1 ὑμεῖς δὲ κεῖνοι 1585 ὑμεῖς ἐκεῖνοι 1586
mvp-comment-558-2 καθέσταθ’ 1587 ὑμεῖς 1588
mvp-comment-559-1 Νεμέας 1589
mvp-comment-559-2 ἀλάστορα 1590 ἄπλατον 1591
mvp-comment-560-1 βίᾳ κατειργάσασθε 1592
mvp-comment-560-2 Λερναίαν θ’ ὕδραν 1593
mvp-comment-560-3
1095 f. The next two exploits are also linked. Sentby Eurystheus in quest of the
κάπρος (
θῆρα
1594
mvp-comment-560-4 διφυᾶ 1595
mvp-comment-560-5 ἱπποβάμονα 1596
mvp-comment-560-6 θηρῶν 1597
mvp-comment-560-7 ὑβριστήν, ἄνομον 1598
mvp-comment-561-1 Ἅιδου τρίκρανον σκύλακ’ 1599
mvp-comment-561-2 Ἐχίδνης θρέμμα 1600
mvp-comment-561-3 χρυσέων 1601
mvp-comment-561-4
The golden apples, brought from the garden of the gods, originally meant the winning of immortality. Hence this
ἆθλος properly comes after the Cerberus, though the latter is sometimes made the last (
Eur.
H. F.427
).
mvp-comment-561-5 δράκοντα μήλων φύλακ’ 1602
mvp-comment-561-6 ἐπ’ ἐσχάτοις τόποις 1603
mvp-comment-562-1 μόχθων 1604
mvp-comment-562-2 ἐγευσάμην 1605
mvp-comment-563-1 χερῶν 1606
mvp-comment-564-1 ἄναρθρος 1607
mvp-comment-565-1 ἀρίστης 1608
mvp-comment-565-2 ὠνομασμένος 1609
mvp-comment-566-1 τὸ μηδὲν ὦ 1610
mvp-comment-567-1 κἂν μηδὲν ἕρπω 1611
mvp-comment-568-1 χειρώσομαι 1612
mvp-comment-568-2 κἀκ τῶνδε 1613
mvp-comment-568-3 ἵν’ ἐκδιδαχθῇ<01> ἀγγέλλειν 1614
mvp-comment-568-4 κακούς γε 1615 γε 1616
mvp-comment-568-5 θανὼν 1617
mvp-comment-569-1 ὦ τλῆμον Ἑλλάς 1618
mvp-comment-569-2 σφαλήσεται 1619 σφαλεῖσ’ ἔσει 1620
mvp-comment-570-1 παρέσχες 1621 παρασχὼν 1622
mvp-comment-570-2 νοσῶν ὅμως 1623
mvp-comment-570-3 δίκαια 1624
mvp-comment-571-1 δός μοι σεαυτόν 1625 μὴ τοσοῦτον δύσοργος 1626 ὡς δάκνει θυμῷ 1627 δάκνῃ 1628
mvp-comment-571-2 With the conjecture τοιοῦτον 1629
mvp-comment-572-1 οὐ γὰρ ἂν γνοίης 1630
mvp-comment-572-2 ἐν οἷς χαίρειν προθυμεῖ 1631
mvp-comment-572-3 κἀν ὅτοις ἀλγεῖς μάτην 1632
mvp-comment-573-1 ποικίλλεις 1633
mvp-comment-574-1 τῆς μητρὸς 1634 φράσων 1635 νῦν ἔστιν 1636
mvp-comment-574-2 οἷς θ’ ἥμαρτεν 1637
mvp-comment-575-1 καὶ παρεμνήσω 1638 γὰρ 1639
mvp-comment-575-2 παρεμνήσω 1640
mvp-comment-576-1 πατροφόντου 1641
mvp-comment-576-2 ὡς κλύειν ἐμέ 1642
mvp-comment-577-1 ἔχει γὰρ οὕτως 1643
mvp-comment-578-1 οὐ δῆτα 1644 τοῖς γε πρόσθεν ἡμαρτ 1645
mvp-comment-579-1 ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ μὲν δὴ ἐρεῖς 1646 τοῖς γ’ ἐφ’ ἡμέραν 1647
mvp-comment-579-2 ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ μὲν δὴ 1648
mvp-comment-579-3 τοῖς … ἐφ’ ἡμέραν 1649
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 ;
419. mvp-comment-320-1 ἣν ὑπ᾿ ἀγνοίας ὁρᾷς] 'Whom you regard with strangeness. For ὑπό with the genitive, where (as in some uses of the dative, Essay on L. § 14. p. 20, 1 ) the notion of cause passes into that of manner, or accompaniment, cp. Εl. 630, ὑπ᾿ εὐφήμου βοῆς : Εur. Hipp. 1299, ὑπ᾿ εὐκλείας θανεῖν. Iole is not present; therefore ὁρᾷς must refer to the behaviour of Lichas in the former scene. Schndw. conjectured ἧς σύ γ᾽ ἀγνοεῖς γονάς.
423. mvp-comment-321-1 πολλοῖσιν ἀστῶν] The dative answers ποίοις ἐν ἀνθρώποισι in l. 421, so that ev is easily supplied. Essay on L. §35. p. 60.
424. mvp-comment-322-1 ταῦτά γ'] 'This, ay, this!' γε adds emphasis to ταῦτα, but also qualifies the whole sentence as affirming what Lichas denies.
425. mvp-comment-323-1 ναί has sometimes been omitted, as a gloss on ye in this line. But the pause, with the interjection extra metrum, expresses very naturally the momentary confusion of Lichas. ταὐτὸ δ᾽ οὐχί] The negative is emphasized by being postponed. Essay on L. § 41. p. 78, γ.
426. mvp-comment-324-1 δόκησιν εἰπεῖν] ‘Το state an impression and to speak with exactness.'
427. mvp-comment-325-1 ποίαν δόκησιν] 'Impression quotha!' The only example of this idiom in tragedy. Cp. O. T. 1145, ὦ τάν in the mouth of the Corinthian messenger in where see note.
430. mvp-comment-326-1 τόνδε.. ξένοs] Cp. supr. 98, and note.
432. mvp-comment-327-1 πόλις .. πᾶσα] (1) i. e. πᾶσα ἡ πόλις, i.e. Oechalia. πᾶσα marks that the whole city was ruined for one maid. Cp. infr. 466. Or (2) the expression is at first general, 'A whole city,' and passes on to the particular (433, αὐτήν), as often happens in Thucydides. κοὐχ ἡ Λυδία] The sense is here improved by adopting the reading of Paris A. and other MSS., involving a very slight and probable change from κουχί, the reading of L.
433. mvp-comment-328-1 φανείς] «Having arisen; i. e 'Having proved to be a fact in the life of Heracles. (Not, 'Having been disclosed.')
435. mvp-comment-329-1 νοσοῦντι.. σώφρονος] • Το talk idly to a madman is unworthy of a man in his senses.'
436ff. mvp-comment-330-1 In this speech of Deianira, although she dissembles her jealousy in order to draw the truth from Lichas, yet the real gentleness of her character is also expressed. Cр. l. 445 with infr. 543-4.
436. mvp-comment-331-1 πρός σε τοῦ, κ.τ.λ.] This peculiar inversion seems to belong to the later manner of Sophocles. Cр. О. С. 250, 1333, Phil. 468.
437. mvp-comment-332-1 ἐκκλέψῃς λόγον] Cheat me of the truth.' ἐκκλέπτειν here is to deprive by falsehood. λόγον, ‘The true account.' Cp. Aesch. Prom. 783, μηδ' ἀτιμάσῃς λόγους.
439. mvp-comment-333-1 Either (1) To be always glad is not granted by Nature to the same person,' or (2) 'He' (man, ἄνθρωπος, implied in τὰ ἀνθρώπων) ‘is not of a nature to delight always in the same things.' For (1) cp. Thuc. 2. 64, πάντα γὰρ πέφυκε καὶ ἐλασσοῦσθαι: El. 859, πᾶσι θνατοῖς ἔφυ μόρος. And, for (2), Phil. 88, ἔφυν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐκ τέχνης πράσσειν κακῆς. The first meaning is more pathetic, and on the whole preferable, although the second may be thought to suit better with Deianira's present purpose (see especially l. 448). For the indefinite or collective singular alternating with the plural in (2), see Essay on L. § 20. p. 31, 3.
441. mvp-comment-334-1 μέν has no distinct antithesis, but prepares for ἀλλὰ . . ἀλλά in ll. 449, 453. Cp. with εἰς χεῖρας ἰέναι the old English expression, To go to buffets.'
443-444. mvp-comment-335-1 καὶ θεῶν. . κἀμοῦ γε] 'Even over the gods, and certainly over me.'
444ff. mvp-comment-336-1 The following quotation from La Fameuse Comédienne is believed to record the personal experience of Molière: My passion has risen to such a height that it goes the length of entering with sympathy into her concerns; and when I consider how impossible it is for me to overcome my love for her, I say to myself that she may have the same difficulty in subduing her inclinations, and I feel accordingly more disposed to pity her than to blame her.' -See Molière, in Blackwood's Foreign Classics, p. 106. οἷας γ᾽ ἐμοῦ] 'I mean one who is a woman as I am.' Cp. infr. 447. For the attraction (= οῖα ἐγώ εἰμι), see Essay on L. § 35. p. 59 , and cp. Plato, Soph. 237 C, χαλεπὸν ἥρου καὶ οἴῳ γε ἐμοὶ παντάπασιν ἄπορον.
445. mvp-comment-337-1 τε.. 447. ἤ ἤ is substituted for the second τε as the disjunctive nature of the sentence becomes more prominent. See Essay on L. § 36. p. 65 f , and cp. Plat. Theaet. 143 C, περὶ αὐτοῦ τε .. ἢ αὖ περὶ τοῦ ἀποκρινομένου . .
446. mvp-comment-338-1 μεμπτός εἰμι] 'Feel reproachfully. For this use of the verbal adjective, cp. supr. 357, ὁ ῥιπτὸς Ἰφίτου μόρος, and note. The force of the verbal here is, 'Touched with a feeling of blame,' 'Affected with displeasure' = μομφὴν ἔχων (Αj. 180). μαίνομαι] Cp. Aj. 1330, ἡ γὰρ εἴην οὐκ ἂν εὐ φρονῶν: Aesch. Ag. 1064, ἦ μαίνεταί γε καὶ κακῶν κλύει φρενῶν, κ.τ.λ.
447. mvp-comment-339-1 μεταιτίᾳ] ‘Of that which is in no way disgraceful '-because shared by so many. ἐρᾷς· τί τοῦτο θαῦμα; σὺν πολλοῖς βροτῶν, Eur. Hipp. 439.
448. mvp-comment-340-1 μηδ᾽ ἐμοὶ κακοῦ τινος] ‘Nor at all involving mischief to me.' The indefinite pronoun has an adverbial force. Essay on L. § 22. p. 36, sub fin. From the point of view which she is trying to put before Lichas, Deianira still holds her position as the wife of Heracles. See below, l. 550.
449. mvp-comment-341-1 οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα] 'There is no such thing,' as this jealous feeling you are afraid to wound.
450. mvp-comment-342-1 ἐκμανθάνεις] ἐκ is repeated from ἐκ κείνου, without adding to the meaning. Essay on L. § 55. p. 101.
451. mvp-comment-343-1 If you are your own instructor in this,' i. e. if you are not acting on instructions from another.
452. mvp-comment-344-1 γενέσθαι χρηστός] ‘Το prove yourself good.' Cp. Thuc. 3. 14. § 2, γίγνεσθε.. ἄνδρες οἴουσπερ ὑμᾶς οἵ τε Ἕλληνες ἀξιοῦσι, κ.τ.λ. ὀφθήσει] Cp. Ant. 709, ὤφθησαν κενοί.
453. mvp-comment-345-1 ἐλευθέρῳ . . καλή] i. e. εἰ ἐλεύθερός τις ὢν ψευδὴs καλεῖται, πρόσεστιν αὐτῷ οὐ καλὴ αὕτη ἡ κήρ. For προσεῖναι of a moral attribute, cp. Isocr. Panathen. p. 250, ἣν περὶ ἀνδρὸς τοιούτου διαλεγόμενος παραλίπω τι τῶν ἐκείνῳ τε προσόντων ἀγαθῶν κἀμοὶ προσηκόντων εἰπεῖν : ib. 256 C.
455. mvp-comment-346-1 The same inverted style, occasioned by Deianira's earnestness, is continued in ll. 458, 9. As to any way of concluding detection, neither is that feasible for you.'
457. mvp-comment-347-1 κεἰ μὲν δέδοικας] A suppressed antithesis is slightly hinted in μέν : viz. 'And if you are not afraid, why not have told me?' Ср. О. Т. 227, κεί μὲν φοβεῖται, κ.τ.λ. οὐ καλῶς] «Unworthily, because groundlessly. For the variation in δέδοικας .. ταρβεῖς. cp. Ο. Τ. 54.
458. mvp-comment-348-1 τὸ μὴ πυθέσθαι] i. e. Τo remain in suspense, when the doubt has once been suggested.
460. mvp-comment-349-1 For ἀνὴρ εἷς, cp. Ο. Τ. 1380, and note.
462. mvp-comment-350-1 ἠνέγκατο] 'Has obtained.' φέρεσθαι is to carry away with oneself either good or evil. Cp Plat. Legg. 6. 762 Α, ἀνείδη φερέσθωσαν: Rep. 3. 406 Β, καλὸν (ironical) .. τὸ γέρας .. ἠνέγκατο. ἥδε τ'] We should rather have expected δέ, but te may have been preferred for the sake of euphony. There are already four d's in the line.
463. mvp-comment-351-1 ἐντακείη τῷ φιλεῖν] The subject may be (1) Iole. Hermann defends this by referring to l. 444. But, taking into account the whole connection, and also the meaning of φιλεῖν, which implies active rather than passive affection (cp. O. C. 1617 foll., τὸ γὰρ φιλεῖν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐξ ὅτου πλέον, κ.τ.λ.), it is better to suppose (2) a change of subject, or rather a reversion to the main subject, with the Scholiast and Mr. Blaydes. 'And she shall not, though he were irrevocably steeped in his affection' (for her). ἐντακῆναι is used of that which adheres indissolubly. Cp. El. 1311, μισός τε γὰρ παλαιὸν ἐντέτηκέ μοι, and especially Plat. Symp. 183 E, ὁ δὲ τοῦ ἤθους χρηστοῦ ὄντος ἐραστὴς διὰ βίου μένει, ἅτε μονίμῳ συντακείς.
468. mvp-comment-352-1 ῥείτω κατ᾿ οὗρον] 'Drift down the wind.' Nauck and Blaydes conjecture ἴτω, which is the more ordinary expression (Aesch. S. c. T. 690, ἴτω κατ' οὗρον κῦμα Κωκυτοῦ λάχον . . πᾶν τὸ Λαΐου γένος. Cp. Ο. Τ. 1458, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ μὲν ἡμῶν μοῖρ᾽, ὅποιπερ εἶσ', ἴτω). But it may be urged that ταῦτα suggests not the image of a vessel, but rather of things drifting along a surface-current made by the wind. The expression is thus more suggestive of a passive and insensible motion.
469. mvp-comment-353-1 'Though you may be false to others yet be ever true to me.' The structure is paratactic. Essay on L. § 36. p. 68. Blaydes conjectures εἶναι πρὸς ἄλλους, which removes the emphatic word from the first place in the line. Essay on L. § 41. p. 77
470-471. mvp-comment-354-1 Yield to her good persuasion, so hereafter you will find no fault with her, while you will have gained our gratitude.' For οὐ μέμψει, cp. Aesch. S. c. Τ. 560, ἢ ἐξωθεν εἴσω τῷ φέροντι μέμψεται. γυναικὶ τῇδε is governed by μέμψει and is opposed to ἐμοῦ.
473. mvp-comment-355-1 θνητὴν φρονοῦσαν θνητά] 'Having mortal thoughts, as becomes a mortal.' Cp. esp. Fr. 320, καλὸν φρονεῖν τὸν θνητὸν ἀνθρώποις ἴσα. κοὐκ ἀγνώμονα] (1) 'And not perverse' (thoughts). Neuter plural. Cp. Αj. 1236, ποίου κέκραγας ἀνδρὸς ὧδ᾽ ὑπέρφρονα. Or (2) sc. οὖσαν, ‘And not perversely disposed.'
474. mvp-comment-356-1 οὐδὲ κρύψομαι] ‘And will not hide what I know.' οὐ κρύψω τὸ ἐμόν. Cp. the use of the middle voice in ἀγγέλλομαι, Αj. 1376. Essay on L. § 31. p. 53 d.
476. mvp-comment-357-1 ταύτης] What follows is epexegetic of οὕτως, κ.τ.λ. Hence the asyndeton. ὁ δεινὸς ἵμερος] The article is not to be explained by mere emphasis (Schndw.), but by reference to that which is already before the mind, viz. the strange fit of passion which led Heracles to destroy Oechalia. Hence ταύτης is the real predicate. The strong feeling which moved him was the desire for her.'
477. mvp-comment-358-1 διῆλθε, καί] Cp. supr. 469, and note. ἡ πολύφθορος] 'That ill-starred city,' whose fate is known to us. πολύφθορος, 'Abounding in ruin,' hints comprehensively at the condition of a conquered town.
478. mvp-comment-359-1 πατρῷος] 'Of her sires.'
479. mvp-comment-360-1 δεῖ γάρ, κ.τ.λ.] Cp. supr. 449. i.e. While telling the truth, I must also (καί) clear him as far as I can.
480. mvp-comment-361-1 εἶπε] i. e. ἐκέλευσε.
481-482. mvp-comment-362-1 τὸ σὸν.. στέρνον is to be taken after δειμαίνων, as well as after ἀλγύνοιμι.
483. mvp-comment-363-1 εἴ τι τήνδ᾽ ἁμαρτίαν νέμεις] ‘If at all you reckon this a sin.' τήνδε = τόδε, attracted to the predicate ἁμαρτίαν.
484. mvp-comment-364-1 ἐπεί γε μὲν δή] 'However, since you are now made acquainted with all.' For the collocation of particles, cp. Eur. Hel. 1259, διδούς γε μὲν δὴ δυσγενές μηδὲν δίδου.
485. mvp-comment-365-1 'Alike for his sake and your own. For κοινήν, cp. Pind. O1. 2. 89, Πυθῶνι .. Ἰσθμοῖ τε κοιναὶ χάριτες: Pyth. 5. 137, σφὸν ὄλβον νἱῷ τε κοινὰν χάριν.
486. mvp-comment-366-1 στέργε τὴν γυναῖκα] "Take kindly to the woman.'
487. mvp-comment-367-1 ἐμπέδως] Nauck's correction, ἐμπέδους, is not necessary.
488-489. mvp-comment-368-1 It is strange that these lines should have been suspected by some modern critics. A ῥῆσις often ends with a couplet not much in point. Cp. Aj. 1038, 9, 1089, 90, 1262, 3, Ant. 506, 7, 679, 80, Ó. C. 798, 9, 935, 6, 1153. But these lines are not pointless, for it is the complete and irresistible strength of the passion for Iole, which, as Lichas views the matter, clinches the necessity for Deianira's prudent acquiescence.
489. mvp-comment-369-1 εἰς ἅπαντα] 'Utterly.' ἔφυ] Cp. Phil. 1052, νικᾶν γε μέντοι πανταχοῦ χρήζων ἔφυν. The word here implies the argument, 'It was in his nature,' and therefore not to be avoided.
490. mvp-comment-370-1 καί marks the correspondence between Lichas' advice and Deianira's state of mind. 'So am I minded.' Cp. Plat. Theaet. 166 D, ἀλλ᾿ αὐτὸν τοῦτον καὶ λέγω σοφόν.
491. mvp-comment-371-1 κοὔτοι.. γε] 'Yea, and I certainly will not.' νόσον . . ἐπακτὸν ἐξαρούμεθα] This may be taken in one of three ways: (1) 'I will not cause to arise for myself a self-sought mischief,' (2) 'I will not aggravate the trouble, which then would be (in so far) of my own seeking' (ἐπακτόν, proleptic = ὥστε ἐπακτὸν ἔχειν αὐτήν), (3) ‘I will not aggravate the mischief thus brought in from without.' For (3), cp. infr. 536 foll., Eur. Phoen. 343, γάμων ἐπακτὸν ἄταν. But (2) agrees better with the intention of Deianira's present speech.
493-494. mvp-comment-372-1 And that thou mayest also carry gifts, wherewith it is meet to make return for what is given.' For ταῦτα supplying the antecedent, see Essay on L. § 40. p. 75, 2. προσαρμόσαι contains no allusion to the dress fitting the frame of Heracles (Blaydes, cp. infr. 768, ἀρτίκολλοs), but to the imagined adaptation of the love-charm to its purpose. To Lichas the phrase only means, 'To make a suitable return.' And possibly no more is intended by the poet. Cp. infr. 687, and note. The irony of ll. 495, 6 is brought out by comparing infr. ll. 540-2, τοιάδ᾽ Ἡρακλῆς . . οἰκούρι᾽ ἀντέπεμψε τοῦ μακροῦ χρόνου.
498-530. mvp-comment-373-1 The power of Aphrodite here, as in Ant. 781 foll., is regarded more with awe than with delight. It has been now exemplified in Iole's conquest of Heracles, so cruel to Deianira, and destined to be so calamitous to all concerned (infr. l.872). The maidens in their sympathy with Deianira recall the time when the same power had driven heroes to do battle for her, and when she was carried triumphantly from her mother's side. There is a close correspondence, as elsewhere, between this lyric strain and passages in the preceding senarii. Cp. esp. ll. 4-40, 142-150, 441-3,465-7. The ode consists of a strophe, antistrophe, and epode, in which logaoedic rhythms are varied with anapaestic and iambic metres. The anapaests (cp. O. T. 469, 470, 479, 480) indicate the coming on of the combatants; the interrupted rhythms of the epode help to express the struggle between them, while the happy issue is marked by the trochaics and glyconics at the close.
498. mvp-comment-374-1 (1) 'Aphrodite ever advances unchecked in mighty conquering force' (ἐκφέρεται, passive; cp. the intransitive use of the active in Il. 23. 759, ἔκφερ᾿ Οϊλιάδης : σθένος, adverbial accusative); (2) Aphrodite ever exhibits mighty conquering force' (ἐκφέρεται, subjective middle, σθένος, accusative in regimen); or (3) Aphrodite ever wins great might of victory' (σθένος, accusative in regimen ; ἐκφέρεται, 'dative-like' middle). (2) may be rejected as bad Greek, though it pleased Hermann; (1) is preferable to (3), as more poetical, and in better keeping with the style of the ode, and also because (3) seems to require κράτος (which Mr. Blaydes proposes) instead of σθένος, which denotes rather the act than the result of victory. For a similar doubt, cp. Hdt. 4. 129, ταῦτα μέν νυν ἐπὶ σμικρόν τι ἐφέροντο τοῦ πολέμου.
499. mvp-comment-375-1 τὰ μὲν θεῶν] Supr. 443: Ant. 786, οὔτ᾽ ἀθανάτων φύξιμος οὐδείς.
500. mvp-comment-376-1 παρέβαν] In Greek, a thought or feeling which is made the subject of reflection is often spoken of in the aorist, and not, as in English, in the present tense. Cp. Αj. 693. ἔφριξ᾽ ἔρωτι, κ.τ.λ. This idiom is analogous to the aorist of the immediate past (τί εἶπας, etc.). Essay on L. § 32. p. 55. So in Pindar we have κατέβαν, Οl. 7. 23: ἔμολον, Ο1. 14. 26 : ἐπέβαν, ἔσταν, Nem. 1. 26-9: and μετέσταν in Aesch. Suppl. 538. οὐ λέγω] The words imply a dislike for myths that are lowering to the gods. Cp. Pind. Pyth. 1, and, for the expression, El. 1467, εἰ δ᾽ ἔπεστι Νέμεσις, οὐ λέγω.
502-503. mvp-comment-377-1 The love of Hades for Persephone, of Poseidon for Amymone, Tyro, etc.
504. mvp-comment-378-1 ἐπὶ τάνδ᾽.. ἄκοιτιν] It makes little difference whether ἄκοιτιν is taken as predicate or, better, as a proleptic expression: - To win this bride,' rather than, 'To win this lady as a wife.' Cp. infr. 525.
505. mvp-comment-379-1 * τίνες] This word was added by Hermann, who observes that it may have been lost from the repetition of the letters τιν (άκοιτιν, τίνες). λέγω οι ἐρῶ is understood from οὐ λέγω supr., the positive elicited from the negative.
505. mvp-comment-379-2 κατέβαν] Sc. ἐς μέσον (l. 514). Cp. Hdt. 5. 22, ᾿Αλεξάνδρου . ἀεθλεύειν ἑλομένου, καὶ καταβάντος ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸ τοῦτο.
503. mvp-comment-380-1 Essay on L. § 36. p. 64. This is better than with Schndw. to suppose a transition to direct interrogation, which is too abrupt. *τίνες ἀμφίγυοι] (1) 'What all-accomplished champions.' ἀμφίγυοι has been differently explained. (2) 'Diversely armed,' Herm. (3) 'Both strong of limb,' Schndw., who compares such compounds as δικρατεῖς, δισσάρχας, etc. The more obvious meaning given by Liddell and Scott suits better with the description which follows. Each combatant was able every way, like a spear sharpened at both ends, ready to make and to parry various forms of attack: infr. 516-9. There is an etymological reference to γυῖον, 'Active in every limb.' This interpretation agrees also with πάμπληκτα, which signifies, 'Carried on with blows of every kind.'
506. mvp-comment-381-1 παγκόνιτα] Either (1) Amidst clouds of dust,' the force of παν- in composition being slightly different in this and the preceding word. See E. on L. § 55. p. 101, 6, and § 53. p. 98 , or (2) With various stirrings of the dust,' i.e. With various kinds of contest.' Cp. παγκράτιον. Blaydes reads παγκόνιτ᾽ ἐπεξῆλθον, needlessly substituting a prosaic for a poetical word. For the accusative, cp. supr. 159, πολλοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐξιών, infr. 562, τὸν πατρῷον.. στόλον . . ἑσπόμην. ἄεθλα] This word in the plural is sometimes equivalent to ἆθλος, e.g. Phil. 507, δυσοίστων πόνων ἆθλα, which also illustrates the periphrasis here. See L. and S. s. v. ἆθλον. The addition of a nearly synonymous word in the genitive is a not uncommon way of expanding and so emphasizing an idea. Essay on L. § 10. p. 17, 6.
507. mvp-comment-382-1 ποταμοῦ σθένος] An Epic expression. Cp. Il. 18. 607, ποταμοῖο μέγα σθένος Ὠκεανοῖο : ib. 486, τό τε σθένος Ωρίωνος : ib. 13. 248, σθένος Ἰδομενῆος. It is also used by Pindar and Aeschylus.
507-508. mvp-comment-383-1 ὑψίκερω τετραόρου | φάσμα ταύρου] Eustathius, p. 573, 27, reads τετράορον, but he quotes elsewhere as in the text, and the epithets redoubled about the same word are more impressive in this connection. τετράοροι ἵπποι in Od. 13. 81 are τέσσαρες ὁμοῦ ἀείροντες ἅρμα. Sophocles here employs the word in a new sense, = ἐπὶ τέσσαρσιν ἀειρόμενος, 'Upborne by fourfold means,' = 'four-footed.' This gives the Achelõus an advantage against his biped antagonist, and so lends additional terror to the description. φάσμα is in apposition with ποταμοῦ σθένος, ί.ε. σθεναρὸς ποταμός, ταῦρος παραφαινόμενος. The word φάσμα, like our 'apparition,' implies something which produces a strange impression through the eye. Cp. infr. 836, 7, δεινοτάτῳ ὕδρας . . φάσματι. Achelous enters the contest ἐναργὴς ταῦρος, supr. l. 11. Ср. Il. 21. 237, 8, τοὺς ἔκβαλλε θύραζε, μεμυκὼς ἠὔτε ταῦρος, | χέρσονδε.
510. mvp-comment-384-1 ἀπ᾿ Οἰνιαδᾶν] According to Hellenic notions each of the competitors for a prize must have a city. Achelous hails from Oeniadae, the city at his mouth, where he was probably worshipped, and had a τέμενος βωμός τε θυήεις.
510. mvp-comment-384-2 Βακχίας . . Θήβας] For Thebes as the city of Heracles, see above, l. 116, Καδμογενή. The word Bακχίας commends him to the favour of the Dionysiac worshippers. Cp. Ant. 1135 foll., Θηβαίας ἐπισκοποῦντ᾽ ἀγυιάς· | τὰν ἐκ πασᾶν τιμᾶς | ὑπερτάταν πόλεων. The emphasis on Θήβας is strengthened by the order of words, παλίντονα being interposed. This epithet has been explained as specially descriptive of a bow like the Scythian, whose ends turned outwards. But it is rather = 'elastic,' as a general epithet of the bow: i. e. Drawing against that which draws it. Cp. Heracl. Fr. 56, ed. Byw. παλίντονος ἁρμονίη κόσμου, ὅκωσπερ λύρης καὶ τόξου : ΙΙ. 8. 266, παλίντονα τόξα τιταίνων,
513. mvp-comment-385-1 παῖς Διός] The name is not required after this full description of the hero who is always in our thoughts. ἀολλεῖς] 'With collected might.' The Scholiast drily says, καταχρηστικῶς εἶπεν ἐπὶ δύο τὸ ἀολλεῖς. But the word is graphically descriptive of the confused contest as it appeared to an awe-stricken spectator. The meeting of the hero and the monster was as if two armies clashed. There is the same straining of language as in τετραόρου, supra. Cp. Milton, Par. Lost, Bk. 2. ll. 636 foll., where Satan is compared to a fleet at sea: ib. 714, 18, 'As when two black Clouds, | With Heaven's Artillery fraught, come rattling on | Over the Caspian, then stand front to front| Hovering a space, till winds the signal blow | To join their dark encounter in mid air.'
514. mvp-comment-386-1 ἱέμενοι λεχέων] 'Eager for the bridal.' See Essay on L. § 56. p. 102 , and cp. Il. 23. 371, πάτασσε δὲ θυμὸς ἑκάστου | νίκης ἱεμένων. μόνα] The combat was manifold, but one power, that of the Goddess of Love (supr.497-506), presided over the whole.
515. mvp-comment-387-1 εὔλεκτρος.. Κύπρις] ‘Aphrodite, the giver of desired marriage.' So εύχλοος Δημήτηρ is Demeter who gives abundant herbage. ῥαβδονόμει ξυνοῦσα] 'Was there directing all. The ῥαβδονόμος, οι ῥαβδοῦχος, was not the βραβευτής οι βραβεύς (in this case Ζεὺς ἀγώνιος) who awarded the prize, but the regulator of the contest, who was not necessarily the same person. Cp. Plat. Prot. 338 A (Hippias loq.), πείθεσθέ μοι ῥαβδοῦχον καὶ ἐπιστάτην καὶ πρύτανιν ἑλέσθαι, ὃς ὑμῖν φυλάξει τὸ μέτριον μῆκος τῶν λέγων ἑκατέρου.
517. mvp-comment-388-1 Schndw. regards this line as a hendiadys describing the noise made by hand and bow together, 'There was the sound of the hand, the sound of the bow, i. e. the sound of the hand upon the bow. But χερός rather means, Of blows with the fist,' and in τόξων πάταγος is included, besides the twang of the bow, the whizz and loud impact of the arrow. Musgrave objects to τόξων as unsuited for close fighting (cp. Hdt. 3.78. § 3), and absurdly suggests ταρσῶν. The arrows might be delivered before closing, or Heracles might retire a few paces. But it is needless to press the details of the description, which is meant to suggest in a few words the incidents of a varied encounter. Cp. the meeting of Satan and Death in Milton, or of Christian and Apollyon in the Pilgrim's Progress.
519. mvp-comment-389-1 ἀνάμιγδα] Therewithal.' The crashing blows of the bull's horns were mingled with the twanging of the bow, etc., in a confused noise. The more usual form is ἄμμιγα.
520. mvp-comment-390-1 ἦν] This, the so-called 'schema Pindaricum,' does not occur elsewhere in Sophocles. Cp. Eur. Ion 1146, ἐνῆν δ'.. ὑφαί: Hes. Theog. 321, τῆς δ᾽ ἦν τρεῖς κεφαλαί. It only happens where the verb precedes the noun, and it is here used for the sake of the emphatic repetition of ἦν ἦν-ἦν. Recent philology inclines to consider ἦν in such cases not as the 3rd person singular, but as a dialectical form of ἦσαν.
520. mvp-comment-390-2 ἀμφίπλεκτοι κλίμακες] Twistings and mountings on the back. The κλίμαξ was a trick in wrestling. Hermann conjectures the nature of it to have been that mentioned by Ovid, Met. 9. 51, in describing this very contest, viz. the act of giving the adversary a sudden push so as to turn him round, and then trying to throw him by mounting on his back. For the use of the verbal ἀμφίπλεκτοι, cp. supr. 357, ῥιπτός and note, and see Hdt. 3. 78, συμπλακέντος Γωβρύεω τῷ Μάγῳ.
521. mvp-comment-391-1 μετώπων.. πλήγματα] 'Blows given with the forehead-of Achelous. Cp. Ovid, Met. 9. 44, 5, Totoque ego pectore pronus | Et digitos digitis, et frontem fronte premebam.'
522. mvp-comment-392-1 στόνος] 'Groanings'-not from pain, but from the extremity of effort.
523. mvp-comment-393-1 foll. Cp. supr. 24, ἐγὼ γὰρ ἥμην ἐκπεπληγμένη φόβῳ. ὁ δ᾽ εὐῶπις ἁβρά] The Chorus, who have only seen Deianira as a careworn matron, delight in imagining her tender beauty as a girl.
524. mvp-comment-394-1 τηλαυγεῖ] 'Far-glancing.' Explained by τηλεσκόπῳ; ἱ.ε. τῆλε πέμπουσα τὰς αὐγὰς τῶν ὀμμάτων. Where a rising-ground gave a distinct view of the fight.' Paley.
526. mvp-comment-395-1 ἐγὼ δὲ μάτηρ μὲν οἷα φράζω] The interpretation of one Scholiast, ἐγὼ παρεῖσα τὰ πολλά, τὰ τέλη λέγω τῶν πραγμάτων, seems to point to a lost various reading, in which τὰ τερμόνια, or something of the kind, was written for μάτηρ μὲν οἷa. It is another question whether the conjecture founded upon this, τὰ τέρματ᾽ οἷα, gives better sense than the reading in the text, which is explained in the first scholion: ἐγώ, φησὶν ἐνδιαθέτως, ὡσεὶ μήτηρ λέγω. The Chorus had not been present at that distant scene, but in imagining it they feel a mother's tenderness for her, who 'with much, much more dismay Beheld the fight than those who made the fray.' (Shak. Merchant of Venice, 3. 2. 61, 2.)
527. mvp-comment-396-1 τὸ δ᾽.. ἀμμένει] 'And she for whom they fought, with anxious looks awaits her lord.' δé, as in prose δ' οὖν, here resumes the clause τὸν ὂν. ἀκοίταν after the parenthesis. This makes easier the omission of the object after ἀμμένει, which has been felt as a difficulty:-i.e. ἡ νύμφη, περιμάχητος οὖσα ἀμφοῖν, ἐλεινῶς θεωμένη ἀναμένει τὸν νικῶντα. Her eye' or 'gaze' ( Essay on L. § 54. p. 99 ) is made the subject because she is intently looking on, and not merely, as the Scholiast says, because the most beautiful part is put for the whole. Cp. Aj. 140, πτηνῆς ὡς ὄμμα πελείας.
528. mvp-comment-397-1 ἐλεινόν] 'Deserving pity,' because distracted with doubt and fear. Cp. O. C. 317, 8, καὶ φημὶ κἀπύφημι, κοὐκ ἔχω τί φῶ, | τάλαινα.
529. mvp-comment-398-1 κἀπὸ ματρός, κ.τ.λ.] 'And all at once she leaves her mother's side.' In the manner of this brief and rapid lyric strain, the Chorus pass from the midst of the contest to its final issue.
530. mvp-comment-399-1 ὥστε πόρτις ἐρήμα] ‘Like a heifer taken from the mother' whom she often misses; with an allusion to the solitary and wandering life which Deianira has led since her marriage day.
531-632. mvp-comment-400-1 Deianira, who has already prepared the charmed robe, confides her intention to the Trachinian maidens, and, on Lichas' coming forth, entrusts the gift to him, with the appropriate commands.
532. mvp-comment-401-1 ὡς ἐπ᾿ ἐξόδῳ] 'With his departure in view.' Cp. El. 1322.
533. mvp-comment-402-1 θυραῖος] The masc. for the fem. form occurs more readily where a woman is speaking to women. Cp. supr. 151; El. 313; Essay on L. § 20. p. 30.
534. mvp-comment-403-1 χερσὶν ἄ] For the postponement of the initial word, see Essay on L. § 41. p. 78. τὰ μὲν . . τὰ δέ are adverbial accusatives = 'Partly,' not antecedents to the relatives. Cp. infr. 843, 4.
535. mvp-comment-404-1 οἷα πάσχω] 'For the treatment I receive.' In what follows she takes up the latter topic first. συγκατοικτιουμένη] 'To implore commiseration.' For the effect of the middle voice, cp. Hdt. 1. 114, ἀποικτίζετο τῶν ὑπὸ Κύρου ἤντησε.
536. mvp-comment-405-1 οἶμαι δ᾽ οὐκέτι] Sc. κόρην εἶναι.
537. mvp-comment-406-1 παρεισδέδεγμαι] παρα- implies, * At unawares,' (as we say, 'By a side wind.')
538. mvp-comment-407-1 'A piece of merchandize which inflicts an outrage on me.' As in supr. 33, the expression is adapted to the simile. The figure is not that of overloading, which could have no meaning here, but simply that of a cargo which in some way proves disastrous. There is a play on the word ἐμπόλημα, which is an accusative in apposition, not to φόρτον, but to the action of παρεισδέδεγμαι. The line may be thus paraphrased: ὥστε τούτῳ τῷ ἐμπολήματι ἐμπολᾶσθαι καὶ λελωβῆσθαι καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν Φρένα. λωβητόν is the verbal of the cognate passive, = ἐπὶ λωβῇ πραττόμενον. Essay on L. § 53. p. 98. Hermann and others explain the words to mean, A cruel return for my faithfulness of soul. But τῆς ἐμῆς φρενός is merely a periphrasis like ἡ ἐμὴ ψυχή in Ant. 559. Cp. Phil. 1281, and especially Ant. 1063, ὡς μὴ ᾿μπολήσων ἴσθι τὴν ἐμὴν φρένα.
540. mvp-comment-408-1 ὑπαγκάλισμα] 'Clasped in one embrace.' Cp. Ant. 650, ψυχρὸν παραγκάλισμα τοῦτο γίγνεται. The sense of μιᾶς is continued : i. e. μ. ΰ. χ. ἐν ὑπαγκάλισμα. τοιάδ᾽ Ἡρακλῆς, κ.τ.λ.] This, the single expression of bitterness on Deianira's part, tends to confirm the interpretation given supr. of ll. 383, 4. Ср. Shak. Othello, 4. 2. 107, Des. 'Tis meet I should be used so, very meet.'
541. mvp-comment-409-1 ἡμῖν is to be taken with πιστὸς κἀγαθός, rather than with καλούμενος (which is added to complete the sense). ἡμῖν is also resumed with ἀντέπεμψε, 'Heracles, so faithful and kind to me (as he was reputed), has sent me such wages in return for my long service in keeping the house.'
542. mvp-comment-410-1 τοῦ μακροῦ χρόνου] A genitive like that in μηνὸς μίσθον. τοῦ μ. χρ. sc. τῆς οἰκουρίας. For the sense, cp. Eur. H. F. 1371-3, σε τ᾽ οὐχ ὁμοίως, ὦ τάλαιν', ἀπώλεσα, | ὥσπερ σὺ τἀμὰ λέκτρ᾽ ἔσωζες ἀσφαλῶς | μακρὰς διαντλοῦσ᾽ ἐν δόμοις οἰκουρίας.
543. mvp-comment-411-1 οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι] 'I cannot.' Cp. Ant. 686, μήτ' ἐπισταίμην λέγειν.
544. mvp-comment-412-1 νοσοῦντι, κ.τ.λ.] ‘Though often taken with this malady:' viz. with love. Cp. supr. 445 and note. The clause is concessive.
545. mvp-comment-413-1 τὸ δ᾽ αὖ ξυνοικεῖν] The article, for which cp. Ant. 78, τὸ δὲ | βίᾳ πολιτῶν δρᾶν ἔφυν ἀμήχανος, gives indignant emphasis to the antithesis. That Heracles' affections should go forth to others is something to bear that the rival should have a position in the household is intolerable. For τίς ἂν δύναιτο, cp. Eur. Med. 1044, οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην· χαιρέτω βουλεύματα | τὰ πρόσθεν.
546. mvp-comment-414-1 γάμων] γάμος is not strictly reserved for the κουριδίη ἄλοχος. Cp. Eur. Hel. 190.
547. mvp-comment-415-1 ἥβην, κ.τ.λ.] The contrast is developed as the sentence proceeds. Cp. O. C. 1649, ἄνδρα, τὸν μέν, κ.τ.λ. τὴν μέν] i.e. τῆσδε μέν. Cp. Aj. 114, τέρψις ἥδε, and note.
548. mvp-comment-416-1 ὧν, κ.τ.λ.] 'From which' (viz. from those whose youth advances) 'the eye is wont to cull the bloom; but from the other,' etc. The expression is not clear, but the meaning is obvious, and the text is not corrupt. For the relative referring to the former of two expressions, see Essay on L. § 41. p. 78 , and cp. O. C. 86, 7, Φοίβῳ τε κἀμοὶ .. ὅς μοι. And, for the generic relative plural with a singular antecedent, cp. Thuc. 6. 12, 13, νεωτέρῳ.. | οὓς ἐγὼ ὁρῶν νῦν ἐνθάδε.
549. mvp-comment-417-1 ὑπεκτρέπει πόδα] Sc. ὁ ἵμερος understood in the personified ὀφθαλμός. The crowding of images is certainly rather bold. For the general sense, cp. Plato, Symp. 195, 6, especially the words ἀνανθεῖ γὰρ καὶ ἀπηνθηκότι καὶ σώματι καὶ ψυχῇ καὶ ἄλλῳ ὅτῳοῦν οὐκ ἐνίζει ἔρως.
550. mvp-comment-418-1 ταῦτ᾽ οὖν φοβοῦμαι] 'This then is my fear;' i, e. τοῦτον τὸν φόβον φοβοῦμαι, ταῦτα refers to what precedes, and is further explained by what follows. The distinction between πόσις and ἀνήρ, 'husband' or 'lord,' and 'mate,' is readily intelligible.
554. mvp-comment-419-1 λυτήριον] Cp. Ο. Τ. 392, ἠύδας ἐκλυτήριον. †λύπημα] The MS. reading, λυτήριον λύπημα, has not been successfully explained. λυτήριον cannot be taken as a verbal noun governing an accusative. Nor is it satisfactory to postpone the comma and render, 'A vexation for Iole that will deliver me.' Herm. conjectures λ. κήλημα, which may be right, but anticipates too much. A more general word seems to be required. νόημα is suggested by the resumption in l. 578, and the first syllable may have been lost from or preceding or νοῦν coming in the line above. Other conjectures are λυτήριόν τι πημονῆς (Ziel), and Mr. Paley's ἢ δ᾽ ἔχει . . λυτήριον λύπημα. To this last it may be objected that the use of the first person (ἔχω) is more expressive of Deianira's sanguine mood. A third way of interpreting the words as they stand may be suggested, viz. taking λυτήριον passively, agreeing with λύπημα: 'I will tell you a way in which I find the grief remediable.' For the passive use, see Essay on L. § 53. p. 99 , and for the redundant antecedent, ib. § 40. p. 75, 2.
555. mvp-comment-420-1 ἦν κεκρυμμένον] I had, hidden in an urn of bronze, the gift I once long ago received from the old Centaur.' ποτέ is to be taken closely with δῶρον. Cp. Ο. Τ. 1043, ἢ τοῦ τυράννου τῆσδε γῆς πάλαι ποτέ; For ἀρχαῖος in the sense of old,' cp. Ο. C. 112, χρόνῳ παλαιοί. παλαιός and ἀρχαῖος convey more of a sense of awe or wonder as attaching to old age, than γέρων οι γεραιός. The Centaur is thought of as an old-world creature belonging to a state of things that is passed away.
557. mvp-comment-421-1 παρά = from a person = (i.e. by his will), ἐκ = out of a place.
558. mvp-comment-422-1 φόνων] Bergk conjectures φονῶν. Cp infr. l. 573, σφαγῶν.
559. mvp-comment-423-1 τὸν . . ποταμόν.. πόρευε] Cp. Plat. Theaet. 199 E, ὁ τὸν ποταμὸν καθηγούμενος. The epithet βαθύρρουν accounts for mortals needing the Centaur's help.
561. mvp-comment-424-1 ἐρέσσων, which is added to explain the instrumental dative κώπαις, is of course not resumed with λαίφεσιν.
562. mvp-comment-425-1 τὸν πατρῷον.. στόλον] 'On that journey on which my father sent me forth.' viz. When he gave me in marriage. The expression is more natural if we imagine Oeneus as having accompanied them part of the way. This accusative is in a loose construction with the sentence (in apposition to the action). Cp. Ο. C. 1400, 1401, οἷον ἆρ᾽ ὁδοῦ τέλος |῎Αργους ἀφωρμήθημεν.
563. mvp-comment-426-1 ξὺν Ἡρακλεῖ] · With Heracles at my side.' The preposition is not required with ἑσπόμην following, but the fulness of expression marks the closeness of her relation to Heracles.
564. mvp-comment-427-1 ἡνίκ᾽ ἦν μέσῳ πόρῳ] 'When he was at the middle of the crossing.' Cobet would read ἢ 'v ('I was in'). Dindorf and Nauck also prefer the first person. But there is no sufficient reason for this, and the locative dative presents no difficulty.
565. mvp-comment-428-1 ματαίαις] · Wanton' Cp. Aesch. Suppl. 229, and the use of ματάζων in Ο. Τ. 891.
566. mvp-comment-429-1 ἐπιστρέψας] The middle voice is more usual. Here τόξον οι βέλος may be supplied in thought. The word always implies a sudden movement. χεροῖν] Either (1) From' (gen.), or (2) With' (dat.) his hands.'
567. mvp-comment-430-1 κομήτην] The feather of the arrow which is elsewhere imagined as a swift wing, is here figured as its hair.
568. mvp-comment-431-1 στέρνων] Governed of δια- in διερροίζησεν. ἐκθνήσκων] Αs he breathed his last.' This compound is elsewhere used figuratively, as in γέλῳ ἔκθανον, Od. 18. 100, (' died outright [as it were] with laughter'); and from Plato onwards, To faint or fall into a trance,' is the accepted meaning of the word.
570-571. mvp-comment-432-1 τῶν ἐμῶν.. πορθμῶν] For this use of the possessive adjective, cp. Ο. Τ. 572, 3, τὰς ἐμὰς . . Λαΐου διαφθοράς.
572. mvp-comment-433-1 γάρ introduces the explanatory statement, answering τοσόνδε. τῶν ἐμῶν σφαγῶν is (a) possessive genitive with αΐμα, and also (b) ablative genitive with ἐνέγκῃ, 'Bear from my wound the clotted gore of my wound.'
573-574. mvp-comment-434-1 ᾗ.. ὕδρας] 'At the place where the arrows had been tinged with black venom from the Lernaean hydra,' i.e. From that part of the wound where a dark tinge shows a trace of the hydra's venom in which the arrows were dipped.' The blood would be more clotted about the wound because of the venom, and the part of the blood most affected by the venom would be preternaturally dark. Observe the unconscious tautology in θρέμμα after ἀμφίθρεπτον, and for the periphrasis, cp. the uses of φάσμα in ll. 509,837. θρέμμα is merely expletive. See Essay on L. § 10. p. 17. Madvig's reading, adopted by Paley, is μελάγχολος. ἰός. θρέμμα is then the issue.'
577. mvp-comment-435-1 στέρξει] The future indicative after ὥστε μή is curious. Ср. О. Т. 411, ὥστ᾽ οὐ Κρέοντος προστάτου γεγράψομαι. Several MSS. and Hermann read στέρξαι; but the nominative is then unaccountable. If the text is right, we must suppose a return to the indicative from the infinitive which should have followed ὥστε μή. ἀντὶ σοῦ πλέον] 'Before thee:' a twofold expression including 'Instead of thee' and 'More than thee.' Cp. Ant. 182, 3, μείζον᾽ . . ἀντὶ τῆς αὑτοῦ πάτρας.
578. mvp-comment-436-1 τοῦτ᾽ ἐννοήσασ'] 'Bethinking me of this.' See the conjectural reading νόημα supr. l. 554, note, which this would seem to resume. δόμοις] Probably a cabinet or closet, which would exclude the light. Cp. Eur. Alc. 160, 1, ἐκ δ᾽ ἑλοῦσα κεδρίνων δόμων | ἐσθῆτα κόσμον τ᾽ εὐπρεπῶς ἠσκήσατο, where the 'cedarn habitation' of the dress is a sort of wardrobe.
580. mvp-comment-437-1 ἔβαψα] Sc. τούτῳ from τοῦτο supr. προσβαλοῦσ᾽ ὅσα | ζῶν κεῖνος εἶπε] 'With such addition as the Centaur, while yet alive, enjoined.' This refers to the manner of application, or of preparation for immediate use - cp. infr. ll. 680-7-and not (as Schndw. supposes) to something added to or mingled with the blood. The words need not include more than the precautions on which she afterwards lays such stress:-infr. 684-92. Others take προσβαλοῦσα (sc. τὸν νοῦν) to mean, 'Giving careful heed to. Cp. infr. 844, and note.
581. mvp-comment-438-1 πεπείρανται] An Epic word. Cp. Od. 12. 37, 8, ταῦτα μὲν οὕτω πάντα πεπείρανται.
582-584. mvp-comment-439-1 κακὰς δὲ .. φίλτροις δὲ..] The repetition of dé indicates the contention of opposing thoughts. Cp. O. С. 1014, 5, ὁ ξεῖνος, ὦναξ, χρηστός, αἱ δὲ συμφοραὶ | αὐτοῦ πανώλεις, ἄξιαι δ᾽ ἀμυναθεῖν. τάς τε τολμώσας] Sc. τὰς τοιαύτας τόλμας.
585. mvp-comment-440-1 ἐφ' Ἡρακλεῖ] 'Upon Heracles;' i.e. used with the view of influencing him. Cp. Eur. Hipp. 32, Ἱππολύτῳ δ᾽ ἔπι, κ.τ.λ.
586. mvp-comment-441-1 μεμηχάνηται τούργον] The means have been contrived.'
587. mvp-comment-442-1 εἰ δὲ μή] But if otherwise, I will proceed no further,' i.e. εἰ δοκῶ πράσσειν ματαιόν τι. τι in the preceding clause is to be taken, not with δοκώ, but with πράσσειν. Cp. Εl. 31, εἰ μή τι καιροῦ τυγχάνω. Deianira promises to desist, if the Chorus think her unwise. But when Lichas appears, she forgets everything in the eagerness of her purpose, and their faltering dissuasion is lost upon her.
588. mvp-comment-443-1 πίστις . . 590. ἡ πίστις] The πίστις of which the Chorus speaks is more objective = Ground of confidence; that which Deianira means is more subjective, = 'The confidence I have.'
589. mvp-comment-444-1 οὐ . . κακῶς expresses a cautious approval. Cp. Fr. 154, ἔχοιμ᾽ ἂν αὐτὸ μὴ κακῶς ἀπεικάσαι.
590. mvp-comment-445-1 γ' marks the limitation under which she assents to εἴ τις ἐστὶ πίστις supra.
591. mvp-comment-446-1 ἔνεστι] Sc. τῇ πίστει or τῷ βουλεύματι. πείρᾳ δ᾽ οὐ προσωμίλησά πω.] - But I have not yet made acquaintance with the proof of it; i.e. My plan has not been tested by experience.
593. mvp-comment-447-1 γνῶμα] The meaning of words signifying mental processes or results is not yet fixed in tragic diction, and is still relative to the several meanings of the corresponding verb. Thus γνῶμα = ἐγνωσμένον τι, which in the present context would signify, Anything clearly discerned or determined.' μὴ πειρωμένη = εἰ μὴ πεῖραν λάβοις.
594. mvp-comment-448-1 αὐτίκ᾽ εἰσόμεσθα] Deianira, in her eagerness, under-estimates the time that must still pass before Heracles' arrival. It is thus that tragic feeling helps the conventional abridgment of time that is necessary to the composition of tragedy : πόνου γὰρ ἄκρον οὐκ ἔχει χρόνον. τόνδε] Lichas, whom she does not care to name, and who is treated slightingly throughout. His fate 'is but a trifle here' (Shak. K. Lear, 5. 3. 295).
595. mvp-comment-449-1 ἐλεύσεται] 'He will make his way' to Cenaeum, where his master is.
596. mvp-comment-450-1 στεγοίμεθ'] She expresses a wish and not a command, and this in the passive voice, not only as a gentler, but also as a more earnest way of speaking. Might I only have my secret well kept by you.' σκότῳ] i. e. ἐν σκότῳ, 'Under covert of darkness:' the dative of place passing into a dative of circumstance. Essay on L. § 11. p. 18, § 14. p. 20.
597. mvp-comment-451-1 The dative αἰσχύνῃ is either (1) causal By reason of shame,' or (2) = ès αἰσχύνην: cp. Ο. C. 483, αὐτῇ . . τιθείς : infr. 789, χθονὶ ῥίπτων ἑαυτόν: probably the former (1). E. on L. § 11. p. 18, 3 a.
599. mvp-comment-452-1 ὡς .. βραδείς] 'Since we are belated by reason of the length of time,' viz. which we are spending in the fulfilment of our mission.
600. mvp-comment-453-1 αὐτὰ δὴ.. πράσσω] ‘I have been arranging this very thing,' viz. what Lichas is to do.
601. mvp-comment-454-1 ἠγορῶ] You have been talking.' Lichas has done talking to the women, but Deianira's act, for which this gave time, is still in progress. Hence the pres. and imperf. tenses.
602. mvp-comment-455-1 τόνδε γ᾽ εὐϋφῆ] 'Just this carefully woven garment.' Wunder's conjecture, ταναϋφῆ, has been very generally received by recent editors. But (α) γε, although postponed in the sentence ( Essay on L. § 26. p. 44; § 41. p. 77 ), bears a good meaning, complying with Lichas' σήμαινε, and particularizing: (β) εὐφῆ, “Carefully woven,' is exactly in point; the value of the gift was enhanced by the care which Deianira had spent on it: (c) ταναϋφῆ (for which, cp. 674, ἐνδυτῆρα) occurs nowhere in any extant writing, and though Hesychius mentions the word, there is nothing in his manner of doing so to show that he is quoting from Sophocles.
607. mvp-comment-456-1 μήθ᾽ ἔρκος ἱερὸν μήτ' ἐφέστιον σέλας] 'Nor sacred enclosure' (because there would be fire upon the hearth or altar there), 'nor hearth-lit flame.' ἐφέστιον has generally been referred to the private hearth as distinguished from the public altar. But a doubt is thrown on this distinction by the use of ἑστίαν in l. 658.
608. mvp-comment-457-1 φανερὸν ἐμφανής] The reading of Triclinius (also according to Blaydes of Par. A), is here better than that of L, φανερὸς ἐμφανής.
609. mvp-comment-458-1 ἡμέρᾳ ταυροσφάγῳ] For the gladness implied in this phrase, cp. the Biblical expression, 'As in a day of slaughter,' and Pind. Nem. 6. 69, ἐν ἀμφικτιύνων | ταυροφόνῳ τριετηρίδι. The meaning of the phrase, 'A day when the greatest victims are sacrificed,' is illustrated by infr. 760 foll.
611. mvp-comment-459-1 πανδίκως] This word is rightly taken by Mr. Paley and Otto Hense with the following line:-'I would array him rightly in this robe.' On πανδίκως see above, l. 294.
612. mvp-comment-460-1 στελεῖν] That I would array him.' Cp. Eur. Bacch. 827, 8, ΔΙ. ἐγὼ στελῶ σε δωμάτων εἴσω μολών. | ΠΕ. τίνα στολήν; ἢ θῆλυν; ἀλλ᾽ αἰδώς μ' ἔχει.
613. mvp-comment-461-1 The words καινῷ καινόν, as Dindorf observes, are thrown together according to a very frequent idiom, for which, cp. especially Αj. 467, μόνος μόνοις. The meaning of καινόν is therefore not to be pressed. But it may hint the appropriateness of the new robe to Heracles' first appearance after his long absence.
614. mvp-comment-462-1 εὐμαθὲς ἐπ᾿ ὄμμα θήσεται] 'Which his eye, that lights on this firm seal, will easily discern.' Against the conjecture of Billerbeck, ἐπὸν μαθήσεται, it may be urged that the tautology εὐμαθές μαθήσεται is singularly ungraceful (Dindorf has accordingly introduced the further conjecture εὐθέως, and Mr. Paley that of ὄμμα θείς, for εὐμαθές) and that ἐπών adds nothing to the sense. On the other hand the reading in the text requires εὐμαθές to have an active meaning, and ő to be governed κατὰ σύνεσιν by the whole clause. The expression ἐπιθήσεται ὄμμα also appears strange. But for the two former objections, see Essay on L. § 53. p. 99, supr. 136, and note; and for the last-mentioned expression, cp. Il 10. 46, ῾Εκτορέοις ἄρα μᾶλλον ἐπὶ φρένα θῆχ᾽ ἱεροῖσιν. σφραγίδος ἕρκος is simply A safeguard consisting of a seal,' without any reference to the rim of the seal. Cp. Pind. Nem. 10. 66, ἐν ἀγγέων ἕρκεσιν παμποικίλοις.
616. mvp-comment-463-1 νόμον] Rule of conduct,' as in Ant. 191, τοιοῖσδ᾽ ἐγὼ νόμοισι τήνδ' αὔξω πόλιν. See Essay on L. p. 88 , and cp. infr. 1177, 8, νόμον . . πειθαρχεῖν πατρί.
617. mvp-comment-464-1 περισσὰ δρᾶν] Το act beyond thine office.' The meaning of περισσός is relative to the circumstances in question. Here it conveys a rebuke for Lichas' previous conduct, rather than a warning not to break the seal, etc. Cp. περισσὰ πράσσειν in Ant. 68.
619. mvp-comment-465-1 ἐξ ἁπλῆς διπλῆ] The favour which Lichas has hitherto sought is 'single,' being that of Heracles alone. Cp. supr. 286, πιστὸς ὢν κείνῳ, and note.
620. mvp-comment-466-1 πομπεύω τέχνην = χρῶμαι πομπίμῳ τέχνῃ, just as τυμβεῦσαι χοάς in Εl. 406 = χέαι ἐπιτυμβίους χοάς. The chief stress is on βέβαιον. If this art of Hermes which I practise be securely mine; i. e. 'May I lose it, if I play false.'
621. mvp-comment-467-1 οὗ τι μὴ σφαλῶ γ᾽ ἐν σοί] i. e. οὐ μὴ τι σφαλῶ ἐν σοί γε. “I will not offend in anything concerning thee.
622. mvp-comment-468-1 τόδ᾽ ἄγγος] 'This casket.' ἄγγος here is the κοῖλον ζύγαστρον (infr. 692) in which Deianira had enclosed the robe. ὡς ἔχει] • As it is,' ie. With the seal unbroken.
623. mvp-comment-469-1 λόγων τε πίστιν ὧν ἔχεις ἐφαρμόσαι] ‘And add thereto the fitting assurance of thy very words.' The Scholiasts misinterpret this passage, taking ἐφαρμόσαι (which they must have read ἐφάρμοσαι) for an imperative. The use of the word ἁρμόζω, cp. supr. l. 494, προσαρμόσαι, has no reference (as Schndw. supposes) to the closely-fitting robe (πλευραῖσιν ἀρτίκολλος, infr. l. 768). ἔχεις has been suspected: but cp. El. 934, 5, λόγους τοιούσδ᾽ ἔχουσ': Ant. 635,6, σύ μοι γνώμας ἔχων | χρηστὰς ἀπορθοῖς. ἔχω has a wide range of meaning in Sophocles. Thus explained, the line may be translated, And adding therewith faithfully the words you use,' referring to ll. 604-613. The words λόγων πίστιν may be explained as = λόγους πιστῶς λεχθέντας (abstract for concrete), cp. supr. l. 173, τῶνδε ναμέρτεια= τάδε νημερτῶς γενησόμενα. But λόγων πίστιν may also mean, 'A verbal confirmation,' and the words of Deianira, including ll. 614.5, may be regarded as the proof that Lichas is to give of the reality of his mission from her. The seal would be enough, but the repetition of her vow, and the injunction not to display the robe too soon (of which Lichas did not know the real reason) may have been felt by him to add likelihood to his assertion that this was Deianira's gift. Cp. infr. ll. 775, 6, τὸ σὸν μόνης δώρημ᾽ ἔλεξεν. ἔχεις then = παρέχεις, and, possibly, ἥν should be read for ὧν.
628. mvp-comment-470-1 αὐτήν θ] The opposition between Iole and her reception is merely verbal, but it justifies the position of αὐτήν. See v. rr.
631. mvp-comment-471-1 πρώ] «Τoo soon.' λέγοις ἄν] Sc. εἰ λέγοις. The construction remains unaffected by μή. • I fear it is too soon for you to speak of my affection, before I know if on his side there is affection for me.' εἰδέναι τἀκεῖθεν, εἰ ποθούμεθα, sc. ἐκεῖ, is said by the same idiom as εἰδέναι τινά, εἰ κάμνει, and the like. γάρ gives the reason for not adding more, the assurance of her love being that which in other circumstances she would have added.
633. mvp-comment-472-1 foll. The Chorus invite all the countries around Trachis to rejoice with them at the approach of Heracles, whose triumph the welcome flute will soon proclaim. He comes, long-waited for, to her who pined in thought for him. His own right arm hath freed him from toil. Let not the oars of his vessel tarry! Let him leave the sacrifice; and let the charm of Nessus draw him gently home.' The ode consists of two strophes and antistrophes of logaoedic verse, in which the alternation of quick and slow movements reflects the alternate eagerness and patience of expectancy.
633-635. mvp-comment-473-1 'Ye dwellers by the hot springs near the haven and the rock, and by the Oetean heights.' Hot springs were sacred to Heracles (Aristoph. Nub. 1047, etc.). Hence Thermopylae (where there was an altar to him, Hdt. 7. 176) had a special interest in his return. ναύλοχα καὶ πετραῖα] ‘By the roadstead and the rocks.' For the use of adjectives in general indications of place, see Essay on L. § 23. p. 39. Others take ναύλοχα substantively, but this makes an awkward division of the sentence. λουτρά no less than πάγους is governed of παραναιετάοντες: The word πάγος is used of the summit of Mount Oeta, infr. l. 1191, but πάγοι here include the rocky region to the north and east of the mountain. See Hdt. 7.198.
635. mvp-comment-474-1 μέσσαν] i. e. Surrounded by the lands of Euboea, Trachis, and Phthiotis.
636. mvp-comment-475-1 λίμναν is here descriptive of a land-locked sea, like the Gulf of Volo, although in the Homeric use, of which this is a reminiscence, it is sometimes applied to more open waters, as also in Soph. Fr. 432, ἐπ᾿ οἶδμα λίμνας, a phrase which is ridiculed as an affectation by Aristophanes, Av. 1337, 8.
637. mvp-comment-476-1 χρυσηλάκατος is the Homeric epithet of Artemis, χρυσηλακάτου κελαδεινῆς. In whatever sense the word was originally used, Sophocles is thinking here of the bright arrows of the goddess, for which, cp. O. T. 207, ᾿Αρτέμιδος αἴγλας, κ.τ.λ., and note. ἀκτάν] The word signifies a jutting foreland, or cliff, such as elsewhere, as in Salamis and at Artemisium in Euboea, was dedicated to the divine huntress. Cp. supr. l. 212, Ορτυγίαν, and note.
638-639. mvp-comment-477-1 Where are the famous gatherings of Hellenes in the Council of Pylae.' Ἑλλάνων ἀγοραὶ Πυλάτιδες are the meetings of the Amphictyonic Council at Pylae.' Cp. Hdt. 7. 200, 201. *κλέονται (cp. infr. l. 659, ἔνθα κλήζεται θυτήρ : Eur. Οr. 331, ἵνα μεσόμφαλοι λέγονται μυχοί), although a conjectural reading, is more probable, because more poetical, than καλεῦνται, which in this connection could hardly mean anything but are summoned.'
640. mvp-comment-478-1 καλλιβόαs] With delightful sound.' Cp. Simon. Fr. 46, ἐπείπερ ἄρξατο τερπνοτάτων μελέων ὁ καλλιβίας πολύχορδος αὐλός: Aristoph. Av. 682, καλλιβύαν . . αὐλόν. βοή is used of musical sounds in Il. 18. 495, αὐλοὶ φόρμιγγές τε βοὴν ἔχον. ὑμῖν . . ἐπάνεισιν] • Will arise over you.' The sound will travel far and high.
641. mvp-comment-479-1 ἀναρσίαν] 'Unwelcome.' Cp. Herod. 3. 10, ἀνάρσιον πρῆγμα, and the use of δάϊος in Aesch. Pers. 257, νεόκοτα καὶ δάϊα.
642-643. mvp-comment-480-1 θείας | ἀντίλυρον μούσας] Sweet as the lyre of Heavenly Muse.' The flute was commonly associated, not with Apollo and the Muses, but with ruder powers. But the joy which it now proclaimed would make it as musical as the lyre.
644. mvp-comment-481-1 ὁ γὰρ Διὸς ᾿Αλκμήνας κόρος] 'Alcmena's man-child begotten of Zeus.' The Triclinian reading omitting τε is adopted on the ground of metre.
645-646. mvp-comment-482-1 πάσας ἀρετᾶς | λάφυρα] 'Spoils, such as are the meed of supreme valour.' wâs is here intensive- not 'All' but 'Uttermost.'
647. mvp-comment-483-1 ὃν ἀπόπτολιν εἴχομεν] ie. ὃς ἦν ἀπόπτολις ἡμῖν. 'Whose absence we endured.'
648. mvp-comment-484-1 πάντα.. χρόνον] 'All a twelve-month's time.' πάντα has been changed to παντᾶ for the sake of the metre; but, as Linwood observes, this adverb is nowhere used of time. It is better therefore to retain πάντα and to divide the lines as above, unless we suspect some deeper corruption. Or, if παντᾶ is read, it may be possibly explained of direction, 'Looking all ways for him.' Cp. supr. 96 foll. δυοκαιδεκάμηνον] Heracles had been absent fifteen months. The Chorus are less precise than Deianira in counting the days. They know that a full twelve-month has elapsed. And the time of chief anxiety had been the last year, on which the issue of Heracles' fortune hung. See especially infr. ll. 824-6, ὁπότε τελεόμηνος ἐκφέροι δωδέκατος ἄροτος, ἀναδοχὰν τελεῖν πόνων τῷ Διὸς αὐτόπαιδι.
649. mvp-comment-485-1 πελάγιον] 'Far at sea.' The expression is metaphorical, as in O. C. 662, 3, φανήσεται | μακρὸν τὸ δεῦρο πέλαγος. The meaning is that the place of his abode was as unknown as that of a vessel which, after leaving the shore, has passed beyond the horizon.
650. mvp-comment-486-1 ὁ δὲ οἱ] In Lyric poetry the habit of allowing a hiatus before of is retained from the Epic style.
651. mvp-comment-487-1 * τάλαιναν, Dindorf's correction of τάλαινα, removes an unpleasing tautology, and improves at once the metre and the sense.
652. mvp-comment-488-1 πάγκλαυτος] Cp. supr. ll. 105 foll.
654-655. mvp-comment-489-1 Hoc innuit chorus: quum Hercules diu ubi esset ignoratus, longe dissitas regiones peragrasset, nunc bellum quod exarserit, sustulit labores.' Herm. The War-god stung to fury' is a lyrical condensation of ll. 359-365. in which Lichas described the sudden levying of the war against Eurytus. For the personification, cp. Aj. 706, ἔλυσεν αἰνὸν ἄχος ἀπ᾿ ὀμμάτων ᾿Αρης, and note. The conjectures αὖ στρωθείς, οἱ στρωθείς, though receiving some plausibility from a late variant οἰστρωθείς, are really worthless. ἐξέλυσ᾽ ἐπίπονον ἁμέραν] ‘Has freed him from the day of toil. The phrase ἐπίπονος ἁμέρα is formed on the analogy of δούλιον ἦμαρ, ἐλεύθερον ἦμαρ, and the like, in Epic Greek. For the accusative, cp. Ο. Τ. 35, ἐξέλυσας .. δασμόν. The day of toil' is the succession of labours, which had weighed on the life of Heracles, and through him on Deianira. Cp. infr. l.825, ἀναδοχὰν τελεῖν πόνων, κ.τ.λ.
655. mvp-comment-490-1 πολύκωπον όχημα] Literally, The many-oared car. The expression is figurative, for there is no reason to suppose that here or in Aesch. Prom. 468, ὄχημα is generalised as it is in Plato, Polit. 288 A, 289 B, to signify literally, Any means of locomotion.'
656. mvp-comment-491-1 ἀνύσειε] The optative follows the previous optative, and continues the expression of desire.
657. mvp-comment-492-1 νασιῶτιν ἑστίαν] ‘The island altar,' viz. of Zeus Cenaeus in Euboea.
659. mvp-comment-493-1 ἀμείψας] 'Passing from.' Cp. Phil. 1262. The other construction, τήνδε τὴν πόλιν ἀμείψας ἐκ νησιωτίδος ἑστίας, would have been equally possible. κλήζεται] Viz. since the report of Lichas, ll. 237, 8.
660. mvp-comment-494-1 πανάμερος] Either (1) All day long, i. e. not breaking the journey (cp. infr. 740); or (2) All docile,' from ἥμερος, i. e. cured of his passion.
661-662. mvp-comment-495-1 τᾶς πειθοῦς παγχρίστῳ συγκεραθείς] «Steeped in the full anointing of persuasion: i. e. penetrated with the virtue of the charm through which persuasion works. Cp. Pind. Pyth. 5. 24, τεᾷ τοῦτο μιγνύμενον φρενί: Hdt. 4. 152, φιλίαι . . συνεκρήθησαν. Prof. Paley, metri gratia, conjectures συντακείς. παγχρίστῳ has been suspected. But such a substantival use of the adjective does not seem impossible here. Cp. Εl. 851 foll. πανσύρτῳ παμμήνῳ, κ.τ.λ., where, however, the text is probably corrupt.
662. mvp-comment-496-1 ἐπὶ προφάσει θηρός] · By the Centaur's precept.' πρόφασις here may mean 'Fore-telling, just as πρόφατος in Pind. Olymp. 8. 16 means 'Proclaimed.' Or if πρόφατον be, as some allege, = πρόφαντον, then προφάσει may have the meaning of προφάνσει. Cp. ἔμφασις, and Hdt. 6. 129, ἐκφάσιος. In either case it is quite unnecessary to adopt an inferior reading (ἐπιπόνων ἁμερᾶν) in the strophe (l. 655). The proscenium having been vacant during the preceding ode, Deianira- with changed countenance (?) - comes forth from the house.
663. mvp-comment-497-1 περαιτέρω] · Too far,' = περαιτέρω (l. e. πέρα) τοῦ δέοντος. The comparative form strengthens the notion already contained in πέρα.
665. mvp-comment-498-1 τέκνον Οἰνέως] The formality of address reflects the solemnity of Deianira's tone.
666. mvp-comment-499-1 εἰ, κ.τ.λ.] Cp. supr. 176, and note.
668. mvp-comment-500-1 οὐ δή introduces a question about something which is suspected to be true, but is either too strange, or too good, or, as here, too bad, to be at once believed. τι] Sc. λέγεις. τῶν δωρημάτων is a vague genitive, as if with the ellipse of περί. Essay on L. § 9. р. 13. 3. Ср. О. Т. 701, Κρέοντος, οἷά μοι βεβουλευκὼς ἔχει. For the dative Ἡρακλεῖ governed by the verbal noun, cp. supr. 603, δώρημ᾽ ἐκείνῳ τἀνδρί.
669-670. mvp-comment-501-1 προθυμίαν | ἄδηλον, κ.τ.λ.] To have zeal where they have not certainty in anything which they do.' The adjective belongs in sense rather to ἔργου. Cp. infr. 817, 8, ὄγκον . . ὀνόματος μητρῷον. For προθυμίαν ἔργου λαβεῖν = προθύμως ἔργου ἅπτεσθαι, cp. Ant. 301, παντὸς ἔργου δυσσέβειαν εἰδέναι.
672. mvp-comment-502-1 οἷον.. μαθεῖν] For the construction, cp. Aristoph. Plut. 349, ποῖός τις; -Οἷος -ἣν μὲν κατορθώσωμεν, εὖ πράττειν ἀεί.
673. mvp-comment-503-1 ὑμῖν] We must suppose an ellipse of ἂν γενέσθαι οἱ ἂν γένοιτο, to which μαθεῖν is epexegetic.
674. mvp-comment-504-1 ἐνδυτῆρα] Cp. Aesch. Eum. 1028, φοινικοβάπτοις ἐνδυτοῖς ἐσθήμασιν. Ενδυτός non simpliciter quod induitur significat, sed quod ornatus causa'-Hermann, who compares Eur. Iph. Aul. 1073, 4. ἐνδύτ᾽ ἐκ θεᾶς ματρὸς δωρήματα (the arms of Achilles), Troad. 258, ἐνδυτῶν στεφέων ἱεροὺς στολμούς. The word has acquired from early use a solemn association, in addition to the original simple meaning of 'put on.' Cp. the word 'vestment' in English.
675. mvp-comment-505-1 ἀργῆτ] i. e. ἀργῆτι. The elision of ι of the dative, although rare, certainly occurs in Epic Greek, and it is therefore not irrational to admit the licence here and in O. C. 1435, and also in Aesch. Pers. 855, ὑπαντιάζειν παίδ' ἐμῷ, which there is no ground for altering. ἀργῆτα, agreeing with πέπλον, could only mean, I made the garment bright with anointing,'-a poor and ridiculous sense. The synizesis supposed by Hermann (ἀργῆτι οἷos) is practically equivalent to the elision. εὐείρῳ] For the twofold epithet, see Essay on L. § 23. p. 37. The brightness and freshness of the piece of wool increased the marvel of its rapid disappearance.
676. mvp-comment-506-1 πρὸς οὐδενὸς τῶν ἔνδον] 'Not by anything in the house' (οὐδενός, neut.). The conjecture τῶν ἐκτός (Of things foreign to it') is quite unnecessary.
677. mvp-comment-507-1 φθίνει] For the return to the indicative, see Essay on L. § 36. p. 64.
678. mvp-comment-508-1 Several editors have objected to Ψῇ having an intransitive meaning = καταψήχεται, and have accordingly suspected the reading. But the intransitive use of the active verb (see Essay on L. § 53. p. 98 ), however singular, is more probable than any conjecture that has been made. The word, so understood, naturally prepares the way for the description in ll. 698-700. κατ᾿ ἄκρας σπιλάδος] «Upon the stones.' We are to imagine the courtyard, where Deianira had flung down the flock of wool, to have been paved with small round stones.
680-681. mvp-comment-509-1 πονῶν πλευρὰν πικρᾷ γλωχίνι] 'When suffering in his side from the cruel barb.' The alliteration is suggestive of struggle and difficulty. Although πικρὸς ὀϊστός (according to Buttmann) is The sharp arrow, the meaning is different in Sophocles, - viz. 'Bitter,' i. e. 'Painful.'
682. mvp-comment-510-1 θεσμών] The awe which attended his dying moments gave to the Centaur's precepts the force of a Divine ordinance. Hence they had remained fixed in Deianira's memory.
683. mvp-comment-511-1 i.e. ὅπως ἐν χαλκῇ δέλτῳ δύσνιπτον γραφήν.
684. mvp-comment-512-1 This verse has been condemned by critics since Wunder, -unnecessarily. Although it repeats and expands what is already said, this is expressive of the perturbation of Deianira's mind, and of her effort in collecting her thoughts. She returns upon her steps several times in telling her story. See ll. 678, 698; 675, 690, 695; 685, 691.
687. mvp-comment-513-1 ἕως .. που] Until, having laid it freshly on, I should apply it to some use.' The retention of av in oblique narrative, although singular, is not indefensible, and was defended by Hermann on l. 3. See also l. 164 and v. rr. Elmsley conjectured ἕως νιν.
689. mvp-comment-514-1 ἔχρισα] 'I applied the unguent.' The object (πέπλον) is easily supplied. Cp. inf. 696, ᾧ προὔχριον. μέν prepares for the contrast between the care taken with the robe and the neglect of the bit of wool. But Deianira's speech is not logically coherent, and d' in l. 693 does not answer to μέν here. κατ᾿ οἶκον ἐν δόμοις] ‘In a chamber of the house." Another instance of redundancy arising from the same cause- the intentness of Deianira's thought. She is showing how closely she had observed the precept ἐν μυχοῖς σώζειν ἕως . . ἀρμόσαιμί που.
690. mvp-comment-515-1 κτησίου βοτοῦ] Either (1) one of the home flock, as distinguished from those in distant pastures, or (2) simply a sheep from the flock.' λάχνῃ, Wool,' is a more general word than μαλλῷ, 'Sheep's-wool.'
692. mvp-comment-516-1 ζυγάστρῳ] The ἄγγος mentioned above. l.622. It was a box with strong fastenings. See L. and S. s. v.
693. mvp-comment-517-1 ἀποστείχουσα] ‘Returning,' from before the gate.
693-694. mvp-comment-518-1 φάτιν μαθεῖν] Α thing beyond the hearer's thought, beyond the guess of man to understand.' φάτιν .. ἄφραστον = οἷον θαῦμ᾽ ἀνέλπιστον μαθεῖν, supr. ll. 672, 3. ἄφραστος is that 'which from its strangeness escapes or baffles the mind,' as ἄσκοπος is, 'What from its vastness escapes or baffles the eye.' For the infin. cp. Aesch. Suppl. 94, κατιδεῖν ἄφραστοι.
695. mvp-comment-519-1 κάταγμα] 'The bit of wool that I had pulled.' κατάγειν is properly, To pull out before spinning, so as to be ready for the distaff. See Plat. Polit. 282 E. πως] Nescio quo modo; indicating the carelessness of the act.
696. mvp-comment-520-1 προὔχριον] Prepared (the robe) by anointing.' Supr. 675, 689.
697. mvp-comment-521-1 ἀκτῖν᾽ ἐς ἡλιῶτιν] 'Into the bright sunshine.' Added to explain φλόγα.
698. mvp-comment-522-1 ῥεῖ.. ἄδηλον] It melts all out of sight,' i. e. dissolves and disappears. καὶ κατέψηκται χθονί] And is crumbled on the ground; i.e. The shrunken morsels that remain appear like a crumbling substance.
699. mvp-comment-523-1 εἰκαστὸν ὥστε] The comparison begins afresh with ὥστε, as if εἰκαστόν had not preceded. See Essay on L. § 40. p. 75, 5. ὥστε.. ξύλου] 'As, where wood is severed, you may see the morsels bitten out by the saw; i.e. it had the appearance of sawdust,
701. mvp-comment-524-1 προπετές] This has been commonly explained, 'On the ground,' or 'Thrown away:' as if κεῖται προπετές were simply = προκεῖται. But the radical meaning of προπετής is rather, 'Ready to fall' than Having fallen.' See L. and S. s. v. And on comparing infr. l.976, Menand. Παρακ. 2, Eur. Alc. 909, Hec. 152, a more probable explanation seems to be, On the point of dissolution,' 'About to perish,' or 'disappear.' The wool has all but crumbled away when the froth exudes from the ground. ὅθεν] The adverb of place being added to particularize ἐκ γῆς, ὅθεν takes the case of its antecedent (= κεῖθεν οὗ), just as ὧν is often = τούτων ἅ.
702. mvp-comment-525-1 προὔκειτο] 'It lay exposed.' θρομβώδεις ἀφροί] Clots of foam.'
703. mvp-comment-526-1 γλαυκῆς .. ἀμπέλου] · As when in bloomy vintage-time the rich liquor pressed from Bacchus' vine is spilt upon the ground.' γλαυκῆς ὀπώρας is to be taken (1) with the whole sentence, as a genitive of time or circumstance, rather than (2) in regimen with ποτοῦ. On the other hand, Βακχίας ἀπ᾿ ἀμπέλου is to be joined with ποτοῦ rather than with χυθέντος. The venom frothed like the spilth of new-made wine.
705. mvp-comment-527-1 ποῖ γνώμης πέσω] «Whither finally to rush in thought.' πέσω (more than μόλω) expresses the violence of the disturbance in Deianira's mind. Cp. the Homeric use of ὁρμαίνειν.
706. mvp-comment-528-1 ὁρῶ δέ μ'.. ἐξειργασμένην] She sees her error as clearly as if it were the act of another. Hence the accusative.
707. mvp-comment-529-1 πόθεν.. ἀντὶ τοῦ] 'Whence? From what motive?' The abruptly repeated question is quite in keeping with the rest of the speech, and there is no reason for any change in the reading.
708. mvp-comment-530-1 ἧς.. ὕπερ.] On whose account.' He was slain in vindication of Deianira's honour.
714. mvp-comment-531-1 τὸν . . ἄτρακτον] The arrows of Heracles, all alike dipped in the poison of the Hydra, are poetically spoken of as one. βαλόντ'] Sc. τὸν Νέσσον. θεόν] Chiron was a son of Cronus.
715. mvp-comment-532-1 χώσπερ ἄν is more forcible than Wakefield's conjecture χὧνπερ ἄν. • Even as it touches, even so it destroys;' i.e. As sure as it touches, so surely it kills.' Cp. Ar. Pax, 24.
716. mvp-comment-533-1 ἐκ δὲ τοῦδ᾽ ὅδε, κ.τ.λ.] 'And must not the dark gory venom from his (Nessus') wound be fatal to him (Heracles) too?' τοῦδε, sc. τοῦ Νέσσου, from the implied object of βαλόντα, supra. For the repetition of the same pronoun, ср. О. С. 1405-1413.
717. mvp-comment-534-1 ἰὸς αἵματος is the 'poison consisting of the (envenomed) blood.'
719. mvp-comment-535-1 δέδοκται] Sc. ἐμοί from ἐμé in l. 720. Observe the unconscious tautology in δόξῃ (718).. δέδοκται. σφαλήσεται] i. e. πείσεταί τι. 'If he shall come to harm.' A euphemism for θανεῖται.
720. mvp-comment-536-1 ταύτῃ σὺν ὁρμῇ] 'Together with that fall, I too shall die with him.' ὁρμή is 'sudden departure,' the impetus which carries Heracles away. Ср. Aesch. Ag. 1388, θυμὸν ὁρμαίνει: Eur. Alc. 901, 2, ὁμοῦ χθονίαν λίμνην διαβάντε. She will not follow, she will rush from life together with him. The conjecture ταὐτῇ makes no difference to the sense. Cp. Aj. 497. Others understand the words to mean, 'The same impulse which made me do the deed, shall make me die with him.'
721-722. mvp-comment-537-1 'She who cares to live nobly cannot endure ill fame.'
723. mvp-comment-538-1 ἔργα δεινά] (1) ‘A terrible fact,' such as the portent of the crumbling piece of wool. Or (2) 'Actions which are fearful,' as the sending of the robe now proves to have been.
724. mvp-comment-539-1 τὴν δ᾽ ἐλπίδ᾽ οὐ χρὴ .. κρίνειν] This has been explained in two different ways: (1) 'One ought not to judge of a hope,' and (2) One ought not to decide one's judgment of the future.' The first suits the context best. The 'hope' is that with which Deianira had sent the robe (cp. supr. l. 667), and the Chorus urge that it is too soon to condemn that hope as having been ill-founded.
726. mvp-comment-540-1 ἥ τις .. προξενεῖ] Mr. Blaydes unnecessarily questions the indicative here. It makes the reference to the actual circumstances more pointed.
727. mvp-comment-541-1 ἐξ ἑκουσίας] For this adverbial expression, cp. supr. l. 395.
728. mvp-comment-542-1 Cp. Thuc. 3. 40, ξύγγνωμον δ' ἐστὶ τὸ ἀκούσιον, πέπειρα is (a) predicative, (b) attributive, as part of the antecedent of τῆς.
729-730. mvp-comment-543-1 i. e. That is for you to say, who have no share in the crime, but not for me, who have committed it.' *οἴκοι] At home,' i. e. within the sphere of his own life. The MS. reading οἴκοις is indefensible. For the figure, cp. O. T. 1390, τὴν φροντίδ᾽ ἔξω τῶν κακῶν οἰκεῖν γλυκύ.
731-733. mvp-comment-544-1 These quiet words precede the climax of horror. Cp. O. T. 1110, and note. ἁρμόζοι, sc. τῷ καιρῷ, i.e. καιρὸς εἴη. τὸν πλείω λόγον] 'Anything more which you have to say.' Cp. Eur. Med. 609, ὡς οὐ κρινοῦμαι τώνδέ σοι τὰ πλείονα.
732. mvp-comment-545-1 εἰ μή τι λέξεις] · Unless you mean to speak.'
733. mvp-comment-546-1 μαστὴρ . . ᾤχετο] Cp. O. C. 35, σκοπὸς προσήκεις: ib. 70, πομπὸς μόλοι.
734. mvp-comment-547-1 The pronominal phrase, ἐκ τριῶν ἓν, takes the place of an infinitive, of which σε is the subject. Cp. similar constructions with δυοῖν θάτερον, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἤ, τί ἄλλο ἤ, and the like expressions.
738. mvp-comment-548-1 τί.. στυγούμενον] These words have been needlessly suspected. The abstract use of the neuter participle is more easily explained in the passive than in the active voice (e.g. τὸ .. ποθοῦν, supra 196). 'What cause of dislike is there that proceeds from me?' i.e. 'What cause have I given for your abhorrence?' See E. on L. § 31. p. 54.
739-740. mvp-comment-549-1 τὸν δ᾽ ἐμὸν λέγω | πατέρα] Hyllus corrects himself, as if he had admitted too much in speaking of his father as Deianira's husband. Thy husband? no, I mean my father.' Cp. infr. 807. τῇδ᾽ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ] This shows that the action is imagined as lasting only for a day. Cp. supr. 660, πανάμερος, and note.
741. mvp-comment-550-1 τίν᾿ ἐξήνεγκας.. λόγον] ‘What hast thou uttered?" Deianira, stunned by her anguish, falters this out half-consciously. τίνα is nearly = οἷον. Cp. Εl. 388, τίν', ὦ τάλαινα, τόνδ᾽ ἐπηράσω λόγον ; ἐξήνεγκας] ἐκφέρειν is literally to produce that which one has in possession.
742-743. mvp-comment-551-1 τὸ.. φανθέν] 'That which has come into existence,' superasque evasit in auras.
743. mvp-comment-552-1 τίς ἂν δύναιτ' ἄν] For a similar reduplication of av in an emphatic passage, cp. O. T. 339, 40, τίς γὰρ τοιαῦτ᾽ ἂν οὐκ ἂν ὀργίζοιτ᾽ ἔπη | κλύων; Suidas (s. v. rr.) has preserved the true reading, for ἀγέννητον is unsuitable here.
745. mvp-comment-553-1 ἄζηλον = ἀνόλβιον. So horrible a deed.' Cp. Εl. 1455, ἄζηλος θέα.
746-747. mvp-comment-554-1 αὐτὸς .. πατρός] Nauck's inversion of these words injures the effect. αὐτός is made much stronger by being separated from δεδορκώς and put first in the sentence.
748. mvp-comment-555-1 ἐμπελάζεις .. παρίστασαι] Historical present. τἀνδρί is pronominal = 'to him.' These words are said in a subdued tone. Though heart-broken, she still wishes to hear more of Heracles.
749. mvp-comment-556-1 If you must know, then I must tell all.' εἰ χρὴ μαθεῖν σε] Wunder explained this: Dignane sit cui rem exponat, iratus Hyllus dubitat.' The words may also convey his feeling of horror in telling her the consequence of her crime. πάντα] 'All,' and not merely the answer to Deianira's last question. Hyllus is in too impatient a mood to tell his story piecemeal.
750-753. mvp-comment-557-1 ὅθ᾽ εἶρπε.. ἀκτή τις . . ἐστίν] Cp. supr. 237, and especially Eur. Hippol. 1198, ἐπεὶ δ᾽ ἔρημον χῶρον εἰσεβάλλομεν, ἀκτή τίς ἐστι, .. . . ἔνθεν τις ἠχὼ .. .. βρόμον μεθῆκεν. See also Aesch. Fr. 29, Εὐβοΐδα καμπὴν ἀμφὶ Κηναίου Διὸς | ἀκτήν, κατ᾿ αὐτὸν τύμβον ἀθλίου Λίχα.
752. mvp-comment-558-1 Εὐβοίας ἄκρον] 'At the extreme end of Euboea.' ἄκρον is an adjective, rather than a substantive='A point of Euboea.'
754. mvp-comment-559-1 By a slight variation of expression ὁρίζει is here active, whereas ὁρίζεται in l. 237 is in the middle voice. See Essay on L. § 30. p. 516. τεμενίαν τε φυλλάδα] τέμενος πολύφυλλον, Schol.
755. mvp-comment-560-1 ἄσμενος πόθῳ] 'Rejoicing, for I longed to see him. The joy of Hyllus at finding his father was in proportion to his longing for him; hence the latter is represented as occasioning the former.
756. mvp-comment-561-1 πολυθύτους τεύχειν σφαγάς] To commence the slaying of many victims.' πολυθύτους = πολλῶν θυμάτων.
757. mvp-comment-562-1 οἰκεῖος] «His own,' i. e. attached to his person. This word denotes the relation of Lichas to Heracles. Deianira, to the Trachinian maidens, supr. l. 531, speaks of him as ὁ ξένος, i. e, as not belonging to Trachis.
759. mvp-comment-563-1 ὡς σὺ προὐξεφίεσο] Supr. ll. 608, 9, 623, and note. Hyllus heard Deianira's charge repeated by Lichas.
760. mvp-comment-564-1 ταυροκτονεῖ.. βοῦς] «Was engaged in sacrificing twelve entire (or perfect) cattle, the firstlings of the spoil. For the redundant expression, see Essay on L. § 40. p. 75; § 55. p. 101 , and cp. El. 190, οἰκονομῶ θαλάμους. ἔχων marks the continuity of the act = ἐπέχων, ἐντελεῖς is either (1) Unblemished,' or (2) ‘Entire' =ἐνόρχους, so that ἐντελεῖς βοῦς = ταύρους.
762. mvp-comment-565-1 προσῆγε] Sc. τοῖς βώμοις.
764. mvp-comment-566-1 κόσμῳ τε καὶ στολῇ is either (1) a hendiadys for κόσμῳ στολῆς. “The ornate raiment,' or (2) implies that the dress was accompanied with ornaments, such as a brooch, etc.
765. mvp-comment-567-1 σεμνῶν ὀργίων] 'From the solemn sacrifices.' Abl. gen. assisted by ἀπό in what follows.
766. mvp-comment-568-1 πιείρας δρυός] Hermann, following a suggestion of the Scholiast, imagines δρῦς here to be the pine, or rather a general word for tree. This is disproved by comparing infr. 1195. The oak is naturally preferred in sacrificing to Zeus. πιείρας then refers not to the special peculiarity of the wood, but generally to the sap, or essential oil, or whatever the flame is supposed to feed on, as R. Browning says, 'Tasting some richness caked in the core of the tree.' (Balaustion).
767. mvp-comment-569-1 ἱδρὼς ἀνῄει] We may either read thus, or ἱδρῶτ᾽ ἀνίει. See v. rr. The breaking forth of the sweat is the first symptom of the activity of the poison. προσπτύσσετο] 'Was clinging.' This is the reading of the MSS., and was retained by Hermann. See on O. C. 1624, θώϋξεν. Musgrave conj. προσπτύσσεται.
768. mvp-comment-570-1 ἀρτίκολλος] Fast-glued,' not, 'Lately glued,' as the Scholiast supposed. ὥστε τέκτονος] Sc. κολλήσαντος, Like the work of a carpenter.' τέκτονος is a genitive absolute passing into the genitive of cause. Essay on L. § 9. pp. 13, 14.
769. mvp-comment-571-1 ἅπαν κατ' ἄρθρον] ‘At every joint,' i. e, showing every curve of the body. ἦλθε] 'Came on.' Cp. O. T. 681, δόκησις ἄγνως λόγων ἦλθε. ὀστέων ἀδαγμὸς ἀντίσπαστος] ‘Racking pains in the bones.' ὀστέων ἀδαγμός is, A shooting pain in the bones,' just as ὀμμάτων φόβον is, 'A fear in the eyes,' O. C. 729, 30.
770. mvp-comment-572-1 ἀντίσπαστος] ‘In contrarium vellens.' Wakefield.
771. mvp-comment-573-1 ἐδαίνυτο] 'It began devouring.' Sc. ὁ ἰός, to be supplied from ἰὸς ὥς. The thing compared is again absorbed in the comparison (cp. supr. 32, 3, 537,8) Hyllus infers the presence of poison from the effect.
772. mvp-comment-574-1 βόησε] The absence of the augment in a narrative passage may be justified by many examples, but it is a point of little importance whether we read βόησε or ᾿βόησε.
773. mvp-comment-575-1 τοῦ σοῦ κακοῦ] Cp. Ο. Τ. 572, 3, τὰς ἐμὰς | οὐκ ἄν ποτ' εἶπε Λαΐου διαφθοράς.
774. mvp-comment-576-1 For ποίαις, κ.τ.λ., depending on βόησε, cp. Ο. Τ. 780, καλεῖ.. ὡς εἴην, κ.τ.λ., supr. 267.
775. mvp-comment-577-1 μόνης] · And of no other,' a form of asseveration. Cp. O. C. μύνης τάδ' ἐστὶ δῆλον Ἰσμήνης κάρα,
776. mvp-comment-578-1 ἔλεξεν] Sc. εἶναι. Cp. infr. 1128, ἐρεῖς (SC. πρέπειν). ὥσπερ ἦν ἐσταλμένον] Either (1) ‘As had been given him in charge.' Or (2) taking δώρημα as the subject, - Even as it had been sent forth. The robe had been sent expressly as Deianira's gift, supr. l. 603.
779. mvp-comment-579-1 μάρψας ποδός] Cp. Eur. Cycl. 400, τὸν δ᾽ αὖ τένοντος ἁρπάσας ἄκρου ποδός. ἄρθρον ᾗ λυγίζεται] 'Where the joint moves about.'-At the ankle-socket.
780. mvp-comment-580-1 ῥιπτεῖ] Editors have changed this to ῥίπτει. Cp. Αj. 239. The derivative is more emphatic. Cp. φορῶ and φέρω. πρὸς ἀμφίκλυστον ἐκ πόντου πέτραν] (1) 'On a spray-washed island-rock that jutted from the sea.' ἐκ πόντου, SC. προφαινόμενov, -a descriptive phrase to be taken with the whole clause. Or (2) On a rock washed all around with waves from the sea.' The 'rock' is one of those known in historical times ας Λιχάδες νῆσοι.
781-782. mvp-comment-581-1 κόμης.. ὁμοῦ.] ‘And out through the hair he sprinkles a grey pulp, the brain being scattered about and blood therewith.' μέσον κάρα is a periphrasis for ἐγκέφαλος. κόμης is ablative genitive assisted by ἐκ in ἐκραίνει. Cp. supr. 765. There remains the question whether the subject of ἐκραίνει is (1) Lichas, or (2) Heracles. The latter (2) is stronger and more probable, the consequence of the action being identified in the rapid narrative with the action itself. For the former (1), cp. Aj. 918, 9, φυσῶντ᾽ ἄνω .. αἷμ᾿ ἀπ᾿ οἰκείας σφαγῆς.
784. mvp-comment-582-1 'For the frenzy of the one and for the violent end of the other.'
785. mvp-comment-583-1 τἀνδρὸς μολείν] • To approach my father.' That the pronominal use of ἀνήρ implies no coldness or indifference is clear from this passage, and from supr. l. 748.
786. mvp-comment-584-1 ἐσπᾶτο.. μετάρσιος] « For the convulsion pulled him to the ground, then threw him up into the air.'
787. mvp-comment-585-1 ἐκτύπουν] Diog. L. 10. 137, in quoting the passage, gives ἔστενον,
788. mvp-comment-586-1 Cp. II. 2. 528, Λοκρῶν, οἱ ναίουσι πέρην ἱερῆς Εὐβοίας.
789. mvp-comment-587-1 χθονί] For this 'pregnant' use of the locative dative = is χθόνα, CP. Εl. 747, τοῦ δὲ πίπτοντος πέδῳ.
791. mvp-comment-588-1 τὸ δυσπάρευνον .. ταλαίνης] 'Harping bitterly on his ill-assorted marriage with you, the wretched woman.' ἐνδατούμενος is more literally, Reproachfully dilating upon.' See L. and S. s. v. Heracles, in his half-articulate outcry (infr. 1031-1111), continually introduces Deianira, and his fatal marriage with her.
792. mvp-comment-589-1 τὸν Οἰνέως γάμον] ‘His alliance with the house of Oeneus,' which had seemed a prize worth the contest with Achelous.
794. mvp-comment-590-1 ἐκ προσέδρου λιγνύος] From the clinging smoke.' This has been interpreted to mean the dimness of vision induced by the disease, metaphorically spoken of as a blinding smoke. Schndw, rightly explains it to mean the smoke from the hecatomb, clinging about the place of sacrifice, and perhaps parted for the moment by a puff of wind. As Heracles had been standing by the sacrifices, the smoke would be most dense immediately around him, and would aggravate his torment. His distraction is calmed for the moment when the thick cloud which enveloped him is parted, and his eye rests upon his son.
795. mvp-comment-591-1 στρατῷ] 'Multitude' = λεώς, supr. l. 783. Cp. El. 749, στρατὸς δ' ὅπως ὁρᾷ νιν ἐκπεπτωκότα,
799. mvp-comment-592-1 Hermann rightly prefers μέθες to the conjecture με θές. The notion of 'removing out of the way,' which is contained in μέθες, suits the context here. The case is different in infr. l. 1254, ἐς πυράν με θῇς.
800. mvp-comment-593-1 Ср. О. Т. 1410-12, ἔξω μέ που ἐκρίψατ᾽, ἔνθα μήποτ᾽ εἰσόψεσθ᾽ ἔτι.
801. mvp-comment-594-1 εἰ δ᾽ οἶκτον ἴσχεις] ‘But if your feelings will not allow of that.' οἶκτος is' weak emotion,' as in O. C. 1636, οὐκ οἴκτου μέτα. If Hyllus is too soft-hearted to leave Heracles in a desert place, he is at least to remove him from Euboea, where his enemies would rejoice over his sufferings (Schndw.).
802. mvp-comment-595-1 πόρθμευσον] 'Ferry me' across the strait.
803. mvp-comment-596-1 ἐν μέσῳ σκάφει] ‘In the hollow of the ship.'
807. mvp-comment-597-1 πατρὶ.. ἐμῷ] The dative of reference, instead of the more regular ἐς τὸν πατέρα.
809. mvp-comment-598-1 εἰ θέμις δ', ἐπεύχομαι] For similar hesitation in uttering a curse, cp. Phil. 961, 2, ὄλοιο μή πω, πρὶν μαθοιμ᾽ εἰ καὶ πάλιν | γνώμην μετοίσεις· εἰ δὲ μή, θάνοις κακῶς. Hyllus' hesitation, however, is only momentary, and is overcome by the apparently overwhelming evidence of his mother's guilt.
810. mvp-comment-599-1 τὴν θέμιν σὺ προὔβαλες] 'You have given me this right,' i.e. have made this lawful for me by your crime.
813-814. mvp-comment-600-1 Deianira has no words wherewith to answer the reproaches of her son. She goes silently and undefended to her death, already heart-broken by having done what she greatly feared to do, and rendered yet more desolate by the rebuke of her child. She enters the house by the central door.
815-816. mvp-comment-601-1 οὗρος καλός] 'Fair be the wind that carries her away out of my sight!' καλός, which is the better reading, is sufficiently supported by the Scholiast. For οὗρος, cp. Ο. Τ. 195, ἔπουρον, and note. Join ἄπωθεν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐμῶν. The inversion gives greater force both to ἐμῶν and to καλός.
816. mvp-comment-602-1 foll. Why vainly keep the high-sounding name of mother for one whose deeds are all unmotherly?' Although ὄγκον ἄλλως might stand alone='A solemn mockery, it is better here to join ἄλλως with τρέφειν. μητρῷον ὄγκον ὀνόματος = ὀγκῶδες ὄνομα μητρός. See Essay on L. § 42. p. 8ο γ.
818. mvp-comment-603-1 ἥτις] For the implied antecedent, cp. O. C. 263 foll. κάμοιγε ποῦ ταῦτ᾽ ἐστιν, οἵτινες βάθρων, κ.τ.λ.
819. mvp-comment-604-1 χαίρουσα] ‘And joy go with her,' said ironically, like oὗpos, supr.; i. e. I willingly give her leave to go. τὴν δὲ τέρψιν, κ.τ.λ.] « And may that joy be hers, -even that, which she gives to my father!' ἥν] The careless rhythm, with the monosyllable in synaphea, suits with the mood of Hyllus, in which, wrought upon by strong passion, he lightly casts off his mother. Exit Hyllus to the courtyard (L).
821ff. mvp-comment-605-1 The Chorus, in an ode which marks the chief peripeteia, (a) pronounce that the doom of Heracles is now inevitable; (b) express their pity for Deianira, who is the unconscious instrument of the calamity, and whom they imagine as 'shedding tender tears;' (c) look apprehensively for what is still to come; (d) hint darkly at the love of Iole, which has been the silent but effectual cause of all this ruin.
821ff. mvp-comment-605-2 The chief metrical peculiarities of the ode are, (1) the frequency of resolutions, and (2) the accumulation of long syllables. The former (1), denoting excitement, is more prominent in the first strophe and antistrophe (a'), the latter (2), expressing sadness, in the second (β΄). In ll. 3-5 of ß' there are corruptions of the text both in strophe and antistrophe, and the metre is consequently uncertain.
821. mvp-comment-606-1 ἴδ᾽.. ὦ παῖδες] 'See, children, in what strange wise the prophetic word comes suddenly to pass.' So close a combination of singular and plural is unusual even in a chorus, but ἴδε, being virtually an interjection, loses the meaning of the inflection, and is used here, like the Homeric ἰδé, as = ἰδού. προσέμιξεν] • Has arrived;' i.e. is come to its fulfilment, and has touched our life. ὦ παῖδες] Cp. infr. l. 871. ἄφαρ] This Epic and Lyric word occurs four times in the Trachiniae, and nowhere else in Sophocles. See Essay on L. § 57. p. 104.
822. mvp-comment-607-1 θεοπρόπον] 'Prophetic, or Inspired.' θεοπρόπος is more commonly used of persons; but cp. O. C. 239, 40, ἔργων | ἀκόντων : ib. 977.
823. mvp-comment-608-1 τᾶς παλαιφάτου προνοίας] 'Of the prescience that revealed itself of old.'
824. mvp-comment-609-1 *ἅ τ᾽ ἔλακεν) The MS. reading, ὅ τ' ἔλακεν, has been variously explained: (1) (ὅ, neuter) Which sounded to this effect, viz. τὸ ἔπος; (2) (ὅ, neuter) Which he uttered,' viz. θεός, implied in θεοπρόπον; (3) (ὅ, masc.) • Who declared,' again referring to θεός; (4) (ὅτε) When he (θεός) declared.' The conjectural reading ἅ τε, already adopted by some editors, gives a clearer sense and also secures perfect metrical correspondence to the antistrophe. 'Which' (sc. ἡ πρόνοια) ‘declared.' If ὅ is read, the first (1) of the above-mentioned interpretations should be adopted. ὁπότε . . ἄροτος] 'When the twelfth year, with its full tale of months, should come to an end.' For ἐκφέροι, ср. О. С. 1424, ὡς ἐς ὀρθὸν ἐκφέρει, and note. And for ἄροτοs, cp. supr. 69, τὸν παρελθόντ᾽ ἄροτον.
825. mvp-comment-610-1 ἀναδοχὰν τελεῖν πόνων] (The undertaking' (rather than the succession') 'of labours should terminate.' τελεῖν (fut.), (1) like ἐκφέροι, is used absolutely, for which, cp. El. 1419, τελοῦσ᾽ ἀραί, or (2) = 'The year should end his toils.' For the meaning, cp. ll. 164-172. And for ἀναδοχὴ πόνων, cp. supr. ll. 27-35- τῷ . . αὐτόπαιδι] 'For the very son of Zeus.'
826. mvp-comment-611-1 ὀρθῶς | ἔμπεδα κατουρίζει] (1) 'Comes safely into harbour with straight course; i.e. attains fulfilment without failure. For the image, cp. Aesch. Suppl. 432, ἐξοκέλλεται: Ο.Τ. 1315, δυσούριστον, and note: El. 502, and note. τάδε implies that the fulfilment is already visible. 'Lo, where the foretold event is sailing into port!' Or (2) taking κατουρίζει actively, and supplying either τὸ ἔπος οι ἡ πρόνοια as the subject, And it brings this safely into haven, certainly fulfilled.'
830. mvp-comment-612-1 θανών, ‘After death,' is not a mere resumption of μὴ λεύσσων, but contains a pathetic argument, 'Seeing that he is dead and gone.' σφε] Sc. τὸν Ἡρακλῆ, implied in ὁ μὴ λεύσσων supr. l. 828.
831. mvp-comment-613-1 σφε... χρίει δολοποιὸς ἀνάγκα] Fate working by guile is stinging him.' The craft of Nessus was the means employed by Fate. φονίᾳ νεφέλᾳ] Gory cloud,' or 'envelopment.' Some have supposed a metaphorical application of the secondary use of νεφέλη = ' A net.' (L. and S. 5. ν. νεφέλη, III). And an association from this meaning may have been present. Cp. infr. 1052. But the less definite image is more impressive.
833. mvp-comment-614-1 πλευρά] Hermann's authority is in favour of connecting this word with χρίει. But on the whole, although the construction of the accusative is unusual, it seems better to take it with προστακέντος. Cp. infr. ll. 1053 foll. πλευραῖσι γὰρ προσμαχθέν, κ.τ.λ. Sc. προστακέντος αὐτῷ πλευρά.
834. mvp-comment-615-1 ὃν τέκετο.. δράκων] 'Which Death begat upon the spotted snake.' Hermann says here, ῎Ετρεφε δ' Lobeckius ad Aj. p. 327. Injuriâ, ut puto, haerent interpretes in verbis τέκετο et ἔτεκε: quae etsi promiscuè usurpantur, tamen proprie medii verbi potestas patri magis quam matri convenit: et sic videtur hic Sophocles distinxisse: quem generit mors, peperit autem draco.' The a of ἀέλιος is made short here and in Euripides, Med. 1252, Ion 122.
835. mvp-comment-616-1 ἕτερον ἢ τανῦν] Cp. Ant. 808-10, νέατον . . φέγγος .. κοῦποτ᾽ αὖθις, and note.
836. mvp-comment-617-1 προστετακώς. Sc. εἰ προστέτακε. See note on θανών, in supr. l. 830. φάσματι] Heracles 'cleaves to the Hydra, that terrible shape.' The meaning is that the evil nature of the poison is of the essence of the Hydra. But the word for 'essence' was not yet invented, and the terrible 'aspect' of the Hydra is used to symbolize this idea. Cp. supr. ll. 508, 9, ὑψίκερω τετραόρου | φάσμα ταύρου. For the whole expression, cp. Plat. Symp. 183 Ε, ἅτε μονίμῳ συντακείς.
837-840. mvp-comment-618-1 'And therewithal break forth upon him to torment him the piercing wounds of the dark-haired one, envenomed through crafty speech and secret thoughts of blood.' In the plague now afflicting Heracles, there was present the venom of the Lernaean Hydra, and there was also another element, inseparably mingled with this, viz. the murderous will of Nessus, operating through his crafty speech. Although the adjective ὑποφόνιος is not found elsewhere (see L. and S. s. v. ὑποφόνια), it is rightly retained here by Hermann, and helps to emphasize the combination of craft and cruelty in the Centaur. (There may also be an allusion to the blood of Nessus, which cried for revenge. See Essay on L. p. 103, 4. ) The words Νέσου θ', which occur in the MSS., may be a corruption of Νέσσου θηρός, a double gloss on μελαγχαίτα. As Hermann observes, this epithet is used for the proper name by a sort of Epic liberty, which is the more excusable with Κενταύρου preceding in l.831. μελαγχαίτης is an epithet of the Centaur Mimas in Hes. Scut. 186. μελαγχαίτα κέντρα are the stinging wounds inflicted by Nessus. They are called ὑποφόνια because stealthily destroying life, (and also because imbued with the blood of one who was slain;) δολόμυθα, because they were inflicted through crafty words; and they are said to have broken forth' upon him, because of the malady which they produced. Cp. supr. ll. 767 foll., also Aesch. S. c. Τ. 709, ἐξέζεσεν γὰρ Οἰδίπου κατεύγματα. See Essay on L. § 56. pp. 102, 3.
841. mvp-comment-619-1 foll. In places like this, where there is reason to suspect error both in the strophe and antistrophe, emendation must be more than ever uncertain. A reading of ll. 853, 4 consistent with the metre is obtained in the text by omitting πω and altering the position of οὐκ and of ἀγακλειτόν. The reconciliation of ll. 845, 855, is more difficult. Either (1) the line is a lyrical senarius (without caesura), in which case the corruption is in the antistrophe (qy. ἰὼ κελαινὸν αἰμ᾿ ἀπροσμάχου δορός?), or (2) the metre of l.855 is to be followed, and ὀλεθρίαις is corrupt (qy. ἀτηραῖσι συναλλαγαῖς?).
841-850. mvp-comment-620-1 "Which this poor lady, seeing great calamity fast coming upon her house, a strange new marriage being imminent, in one way did not understand at all (844. note), but for the unwitting act which arose from an alien will in consequence of a fatal meeting, over that methinks she groans in her misery, over that methinks she drops the fresh dew of abundant tears." ἄοκνον] Not shrinking,' i.e. Pressing on.
842. mvp-comment-621-1 προσορῶσα δόμοις = ὁρῶσα πρὸς δόμοις. Cp. supr. ll. 376, 7, τίν' εἰσδέδεγμαι πημονὴν ὑπόστεγον | λαθραῖον ; νέων] Not merely new, but also 'strange,' or 'unprecedented.' Cp. Phil. 784, καί τι προσδοκῶ νέον. ἀἴσσόντων] Cp. for the personification, Εl. 492, ἄλεκτρ᾽ ἄνυμφα γὰρ ἐπέβα μιαιφόνων | γάμων ἁμιλλήμαθ' οἶσιν οὐ θέμις, Ant. 10, πρὸς τοὺς φίλους στείχοντα τῶν ἐχθρῶν κακά.
844. mvp-comment-622-1 οὗ τι προσέβαλε] (1) 'Had no perception.' Schol. συνῆκεν, and so Herm. This assumes that προσβάλλειν τι (γνώμῃ) = προσβάλλειν γνώμην τινί. (2) Αnother meaning is, however, not to be rejected, viz. οὗ τι πρ. 'Had no part in bringing to pass.' In one aspect the deed was not hers at all, in another aspect it was hers, but done unwittingly. And she repents bitterly of her unwitting crime. Cp. infr. l. 1051, καθῆψεν, κ.τ.λ., and especially Aesch. Pers. 781, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ κακὸν τοσόνδε προσέβαλον πόλει: Eur. Med. 637 foll. μηδέποτ᾽ ἀμφιλόγους ὀργὰς ἀκόρεστά τε νείκη | προσβάλοι δεινὰ Κυπρίς. In either case, the words τὰ μὲν .. τὰ δ' are added by an afterthought. The Chorus intend to speak of Deianira's repentance, but cannot do so without first declaring her innocence. τὰ μὲν . . τὰ δέ are not really different parts of the action, but the action regarded in different points of view. ἀλλόθρου] - Alien,' not merely as of another race of men, but of a race different from man, viz. of the Centaur.
845. mvp-comment-623-1 γνώμας] «Intention,' or 'Determination.' Cp. esp. Aj. 744, Phil. 962, 1192. ὀλεθρίαις ξυναλλαγαῖς Hermann follows Triclinius in reading ὀλεθρίαισι συναλλαγαῖς. But the text remains uncertain. See above, note on 841 foll. The dative is that of the cause. For the meaning of ξυναλλαγαῖς, cp. Ο. Т. 1130, ἢ ξυνήλλαξάς τί πω;
846-847. mvp-comment-624-1 ἢ που.. ἢ που] This is more forcible than ή που.. ή που, the MS. reading. The accents are not clear in L. ὀλοά] This word may be either (1) fem. sing., ' undone,' as in El. 843, or (2) neut. plur. adv. 'despairingly,' (so Schndw.). For the latter, cp. Il. 23. 10, ἐπεί κ᾿ ὀλοοῖο τεταρπώμεσθα γόοιο. But the former is more poetical, because fixing attention on the person of Deianira. Cp. supr. 111, δύστανον, and note; and, for the meaning of the adjective in this case, infr. 878, τάλαιν ὀλεθρία.
849. mvp-comment-625-1 χλωρὰν.. ἄχναν] Tender dew.' χλωρός is a difficult word in Sophocles, because, as Bacon observes, words like 'hard,' 'soft,' moist,' 'dry,' being imperfectly abstracted from experience, have many secondary meanings. Tears are 'soft, 'tender,' 'moist, because 'the melting mood' does not suit the 'hard' temper, and dry eyes' give evidence of a dry,' unsympathizing soul. Again, χλωρὸν αἷμα, infr. l. 1055, is 'the blood which keeps the body flexible and fresh; while χλωρὰ ψάμαθος, in Aj. 1064, is literally the 'moist,' 'dank,' 'clammy' sand.
850. mvp-comment-626-1 τέγγει.. ἄχναν] The cognate accusative is substituted for the accusative in regimen after τέγγω. So Pind. Nem. 10. 75, has τέγγων δάκρυα.
851. mvp-comment-627-1 προφαίνει] 'Portends.' Cp. Hdt. 1. 210, τῷ δὲ ὁ δαίμων προέφαινε, ὡς αὐτὸς μὲν τελευτήσειν αὐτοῦ ταύτῃ μέλλοι, ἡ δὲ βασιληΐη αὐτοῦ περιχωρέοι ἐς Δαρεῖον : ib. 3.65; 7. 37, εἴρετο τοὺς μάγους τὸ θέλει προφαίνειν τὸ φάσμα. δολίαν] (1) The calamity is the more cruel because of the bright hopes out of which it springs. Cp. El. 489-91, ἃ δεινοῖς | κρυπτομένα λόχοις | χαλκόπους ᾿Ερινύς. This is better than (2) to suppose a reference to the fraud of Nessus, repeating the notion of δολόμυθα above.
852. mvp-comment-628-1 ἔρρωγεν παγὰ δακρύων] The Scholiast, Hermann. and Schndw. suppose the Chorus to be speaking of their own tears, and to say in effect, 'I begin to weep.' But this would come tamely in the midst of a lofty and condensed lyric strain. It seems better to take these words as parallel to those which follow, and to understand them to mean, A flood-gate of tears is burst open,' i.e. 'A calamity has arisen, for which tears will flow in large measure.'
853. mvp-comment-629-1 κέχυται νόσος] 'A trouble has begun to flow.' νόσος, as elsewhere in Sophocles, is to be taken in the general sense of Trouble,' 'Calamity.' The meaning is the same as that expressed by Heracles himself, infr. ll. 1046-1053. The words are immediately suggested by the 'diffused malady' induced by the poisoned robe, but much more than this is included in the thought.
854-855. mvp-comment-630-1 ἀναρσίων.. οἰκτίσαι] ‘Greater than any of the famous woes that from enemies of Heracles came erewhile against him so as to move compassion.' ἀναρσίων, genitive of origin: Ἡρακλέα, as object of ἐπέμολε, to be supplied from 'Ηρακλέους: οἰκτίσαι, an active infinitive added epexegetically, like εὐδαιμονίσαι in O. C. 144. In speaking of 'pity' the Chorus are thinking more of the present trouble than of those with which they compare it.
856. mvp-comment-631-1 κελαινά] 'Dark point of the champion spear.' Cp. Αj. 231, κελαινοῖς ξίφεσι. There is probably an association (as the Scholiast observes) between dark and deadly, the hue of the metal bearing some relation to the nether gloom to which its victims were despatched. But there is also the notion of a weapon which has been dulled and darkened by frequent use in war.
857. mvp-comment-632-1 προμάχου δορός] (1) 'Spear that fought for men. For this sense of πρόμαχος, cp. Aesch. S. c. T. 419, 482, and, for the general meaning, infr. 1010-2. There was a statue of 'Hρακλῆς Πρόμαχος in the 'Ηράκλειον at Thebes, Paus. 9. 11, 4. (2) Others prefer the meaning 'foremost in fight.'
858. mvp-comment-633-1 τότε) At the time of the capture of Oechalia, before the sacrifices at Cenaeum. θοάν, 'Swiftly borne away,' = ταχέως φερομένην. The word expresses not only the rapidity of Heracles' movements and of Iole's, who accompanied him, but the sudden change in the life of the young creature which such a marriage must have made. Cp. supr. 144 foll 529, 30, κἀπὸ ματρὸς ἄφαρ βέβακεν ώστε πόρτις ερήμα.
859. mvp-comment-634-1 αἰχμᾷ. At the point of the spear; ie. Having achieved her in war
860. mvp-comment-635-1 ἀμφίπολος.. άναυδος" (1) But the silent though manifest minister and agent of all this was the Goddess of Love herself' Cp. supr. 355 foll. 475 foll. Or (2) supposing the words ἀμφίπολος άναυδος to contain an allusion to Iole. But 'tis manifest that the agent in all this has been the Goddess of Love under the guise of a silent hand-maid. The attributes assigned to the goddess are suggested by the circumstances. Iole came as a hand-maiden, and remained obstinately silent supr. ll. 283, 4, 322 foll., 532). But under the deceptive appearance of this mute hand-maid there lurked the terrible destructive power of Aphrodite, who busied herself in silence to work the will of Fate that is now clearly revealed. Such is probably the meaning of this obscure expression which need not, however, be suspected because it is obscure.
863ff. mvp-comment-636-1 The proscenium has been vacant since the exit (severally) of Deianira and Hyllus. A sound of wailing is now heard from within.
863. mvp-comment-637-1 μάταιος] 'Silly,' i, e. 'Alarmed without cause. For the masc. form, cp. supr. l. 151, and note.
864. mvp-comment-638-1 οἴκτου) «Cry of sorrow. Cp. Αj. 895, οἴκτῳ τῷδε συγκεκραμένην, and for ὑρμασμένου, Springing forth, ib. 892, βοὴ . . ἐξέβη κάπους.
865. mvp-comment-639-1 τί φημί What is this?' For this expression and for the broken line here and in l. 868, cp. O. T. 1471. The three couplets are probably spoken by different members of the Chorus.
866. mvp-comment-640-1 οὐκ ἄσημον «A sound of wailing that is not ambiguous but full of sorrow. Cp. O. C. 1501, Ant. 1209. The conjectural reading, οὐκ εύσημον, ἀλλὰ δυστυχῆ, introduces a false and meaningless antithesis.
867. mvp-comment-641-1 τι καινίζει i.e. καινόν τι έχει.
869. mvp-comment-642-1 ἀήθης] This has been unnecessarily changed to ἀηδής, which should rather mean 'sullen' than 'sad,' and at all events expresses the same thing with συνοφρυωμένη. «Strange, 'Unlike herself,' is a meaning which aptly suits the place, and is properly made more definite by the addition of καὶ συνωφρυωμένη.
870. mvp-comment-643-1 σημαίνουσα] Declaring. The correction σημανοῦσα, “Το declare,' is possibly right; but the present tense may suitably call attention to the gestures of the Τροφός, before she speaks.
871. mvp-comment-644-1 οὐ σμικρών] That the gift has caused evil is already known, the extent of the evil to the house at Trachis is only now revealed.
872. mvp-comment-645-1 Ἡρακλεῖ τὸ πόμπιμον] The adj. is added to explain τὸ δῶρον, because the dative alone would have been an imperfect construction with δῶρον. For the passive meaning of πόμπιμον (which recalls the mission of Lichas, supr. ll. 600 foll.), cp. esp. supr. 822, О. С. 487, τὸν ἱκέτην σωτήριον.
873. mvp-comment-646-1 καινοποιηθέν] Freshly wrought,' i.e. since the news of Heracles' agony were brought by Hyllus.
875. mvp-comment-647-1 ἐξ ἀκινήτου ποδός] «Without stirring foot. Cp. the figurative language of the Watchman in the Antigone, 317, etc.
876. mvp-comment-648-1 οὐ δή ποθ᾿ ὡς θανοῦσα (sc. βέβηκε)] 'You cannot mean the way of death! Cp. supr. 668, and note. πάντ᾿ ἀκήκοας] She insists that her first words have told them all; but the Chorus, with the eagerness of sorrow, demand a more explicit statement. Cp. Εl. 676, θανόντ᾽ Ορέστην νῦν τε καὶ πάλαι λέγω.
878. mvp-comment-649-1 τάλαιν᾿ ὀλεθρία] ‘Poor ruined one!' ὀλέθριος implies guilt added to calamity. Cp. Ο. Τ. 1341, τὸν μέγ᾿ ὀλέθριον, according to one reading. The resolved feet mark the trepidation of the speaker.
879. mvp-comment-650-1 σχετλιώτατα + πρός γε πρᾶξιν] Most ruthlessly, as for the execution; i. e. Whatever else the deed was, it was cruelly determined. Cp. infr. 923-931. The anapaest in the second place is hardly possible even in a passage where the usual rules of the senarius are otherwise relaxed. A possible correction would be to substitute és for πρός.
879. mvp-comment-650-2 A certain approach to an antistrophic structure appears in the near correspondence of ll. 10, 18; 13, 15; 1, 2, 11, 12; 9. 16. εἰπὲ τῷ μόρφ] The Chorus still press the old woman, who is too horror-stricken to speak clearly, to be more explicit.
880. mvp-comment-651-1 ξυντρέχει] Deianira's fate had rushed to meet her when she left the scene (supr. 813).
882. mvp-comment-652-1 What rage, what madness, prompted her in seizing this evil-pointed weapon?' ξυνεῖλε (= μεταίτιος ἦν τοῦ έλειν) agrees with θυμός, which is the chief nominative. ἢ τίνες νόσοι being added διὰ μέσουν. and possibly spoken by a different member of the Chorus. Cp. Fr. 789. Passion is personified as the author of the deed. Cp. El. 198, δύλος ἦν ὁ φράσας, ἔρος ὁ κτείνας. Several editors have read τάνδ' αἰχμᾷ βέλεος κακοῦ ξυνεῖλε; = 'What rage snatched her away with the point of an evil weapon?' But there is something cold and inappropriate in the demonstrative pronoun thus applied to Deianira here, -as if those present could suppose anyone else to be meant.
884. mvp-comment-653-1 πῶς ἐμήσατο.. ἀνύσασα] How did she meditate and carry into effect?' For the proleptic use of the participle, cp. Αj. 185, ἐν ποίμναις πίτνων, and note.
887. mvp-comment-654-1 στονοέντος¹ 'Deadly;' like βέλεα στονοέντα, στονοέντες δϊστοί, πολύστονος ίύς, in Epic Greek. ἐν τομᾷ] For ev of the means or instrument, cp. Ant. 961, ἐν κερτομίοις γλώσσαις. Essay on L. § 19. p. 28.
888. mvp-comment-655-1 ματαία has been changed to μάταιε, making an iambic pentapody. As the text stands, the line is a combination of two iambi, a bacchius, and a cretic. ματαία (οι μάταιε) conveys the reproach of helplessness, - You saw, and could do nothing!' τάνδ᾽ ὕβριν) «This violent deed.' The use of ύβρις, as applied to suicide, must be allowed to be catachrestic;' but the Chorus are at a loss for a word corresponding to their impression, and take up the strongest which occurs to them. See Essay on L. (Specific use of General Words) § 51. p. 95.
890. mvp-comment-656-1 τίς ἦν; πῶς;] τις = ποῖος. Cp. Ο. C. 775, τις αὕτη τέρψις; The language here becomes very abrupt and irregular.
891. mvp-comment-657-1 She did and suffered this herself from her own hand. So the force of the middle voice may be rendered. χειροποιεῖται ἐς ἅπαξ λεγόμενον.
892. mvp-comment-658-1 foll. The ruin of Heracles and the death of Deianira are the first-born offspring of his union with Iole. For the iteration, which is rare in Sophocles, cp. Ο. C. 1670, ἔστιν, ἔστι νῷν δή, κ.τ.λ.
898-899. mvp-comment-659-1 Cho. And had a woman's hand the firmness for this act?' Nurse. The manner too was dreadful, as you will agree when you have heard me tell it.' Hermann condemned these lines as spurious, and it must be admitted that they are tame for Sophocles. They have the merit, however, of preparing by a further pause for the narration which follows. Cp. supr. 748, where the otherwise feeble line, ποῦ δ᾽ ἐμπελάζεις τὰνδρὶ καὶ παρίστασαι; has the same excuse of being there to give time for the stream to burst forth. τις in 898 (any woman's hand) can hardly be defended, but there are many ways in which this blemish may be removed, e.g. καὶ ταῦτ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔτλη Χ., κ.τ.λ.
900. mvp-comment-660-1 ἐπεὶ παρῆλθε] The conjecture ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἦλθε is unnecessary. Whether ll. 898, 9 are retained or not, the asyndeton is forcible and good. For παρῆλθε, cp. Ο. Τ. 1241. Compare with the following narration Virg. Aen. 4. 642 foll.
901. mvp-comment-661-1 κοῖλα] ‘Yielding.' κοῖλος is a favourite epithet. Essay on L. § 56. p. 103. The bed is hollowed in the middle where the person lies.
902. mvp-comment-662-1 ἄψορρον] Sc. lών, implied in ἀντῴη. 'That he might return and meet his father.' The language is slightly condensed. Hyllus was busied in preparing the litter, that so (viz. having prepared it) he might go and meet his father. Some critics have been influenced by Wunder's objection that Hyllus only meets Heracles at the gate. But this is not proved, and, if it were so, he has been hindered from his intention by what has happened since (927 foll.). The mention of his purpose, even if not fulfilled, is quite natural here.
903. mvp-comment-663-1 Deianira avoided the eye of her son.
904. mvp-comment-664-1 Several verbs in this narrative are without the augment. Cp. supr. 767, and note.
905. mvp-comment-665-1 γένειτ᾽ ἐρήμη] Nauck has changed this to γένοιντ' ἔρημοι, on the ground that ἐρήμη is not properly applied to a widow, and also that, as she meant to die first, her widowhood could not be in question. It is not of widowhood that she complains, but of the loss of all that made her life worth having, - the love of her husband and of her son. Even in the other world these blessings could not be restored to her. This is well expressed by ἐρήμη. κλαῖε, κ.τ.λ.] Wunder needlessly supposes a lacuna here. The tears start to Deianira's eyes at sight of the instruments of her tranquil industry in happier days.
908. mvp-comment-666-1 οἰκετῶν is not to be taken in the larger sense that would include her children (whom she would avoid), but, as Schndw. observes, the tender relation subsisting between Deianira and her domestics is made a point in the delineation of her character (cp. supr. 49-63). Euripides as usual dwells more on the details of the situation in Alc. 193 foll, ἡ δὲ δεξιὰν | προὔτειν᾿ ἑκάστῳ, κ.τ.λ.
911. mvp-comment-667-1 καὶ τὰς ἄπαιδας ἐς τὸ λοιπὸν οὐσίας] (Cp. Ο. C. 552, τὰς αἱματηρὰς ὀμμάτων διαφθοράς.) This is a strong case of the poetical plural, but the words may be understood to mean to εἶναι αὐτὴν ἄπαιδα ἐς τὸ λοιπόν, not in the absurd sense that she could have no more children, but that her children as well as her husband were lost to her. It is objected that, as she was going to the other world, this topic was not likely to occur to her. But (a) the loss of Hyllus' affection was certainly weighing on her mind, and, as she imagined, would not be repaired after her death, and (b) she is speaking to the servants, who know nothing of her intended death, but are ready to sympathize with her in her desolation. She may be imagined saying to them, 'Behold, I am a childless woman for evermore!'
912-913. mvp-comment-668-1 The house is a large palatial mansion, with passages, etc., unlike the simple house of Homeric times. Cp. supr. 907. ἐξαίφνης] Cp. the sudden movement of Oedipus, O. Τ. 1260 foll., δεινὸν δ᾽ ἀΐσας ὡς ὑφηγητοῦ τινὸς | πύλαις διπλαῖς ἐνήλατ᾽, κ.τ.λ.
914. mvp-comment-669-1 λαθραῖον ὄμμ᾽ ἐπεσκιασμένη] With shadowed and unseen gaze,' lit. 'With an eye overshadowed so as to be unobserved.' The accusative ὄμμα is to be repeated as cogn. acc. with Φρούρουν. Cp. Phil. 151, φρουρεῖν ὅμμ᾽ ἐπὶ σῷ μάλιστα καίρῳ.
915. mvp-comment-670-1 δεμνίοις = ἐς δέμνια. Cp. supr. 789, and note.
917. mvp-comment-671-1 ἐπενθοροῦσ᾽ ἄνω] The language suggests the sudden and violent movements of passionate grief. The words λέχη, νυμφεῖα, εὐνήτριαν, show that (like Jocasta, O. T. 1246) she returns in thought to her early married life. The plural νυμφεῖα adds a pathetic vagueness, including with the bridal chamber all the associations connected. with espousal and marriage.
923. mvp-comment-672-1 συντόνῳ χερί] With strong, impulsive hand. The words mean that the hand was in a state of tension, as in the determination of excited action.
924. mvp-comment-673-1 ᾧ) Whose clasp of beaten gold lay before her breast.' For ᾧ some would read οὗ, others ᾗ, unnecessarily.
928. mvp-comment-674-1 τῆς τεχνωμένης τάδε] These words are needlessly joined by some editors with φράζω. The passages which Mr. Blaydes cites in support of this all differ from it in one important respect, that the genitive does not contain the predicate, as would be the case, for instance, if in infr. 1122, 3, οὔσης.. ἁμαρτούσης were substituted for ἐστί.. ἥμαρτε. The object of φράζειν is, however, to be supplied from τεχνωμένης, ‘I told the son of her who was contriving thus,- that she was so contriving.' The word τεχνωμένης is chosen with reference to Deianira's elaborate preparation for her last act.
929-931. mvp-comment-675-1 The narrative is condensed, ср. О. С. 1647-52. And our eyes told us that in the time of my running thither and our return she had smitten herself with two-edged knife upon the side beneath the diaphragm and liver.' δεύρο, like the present ὁρῶ, is said with reference to the chamber of Deianira, as the chief point of interest which is brought before the mind's eye. πεπληγμένην is middle voice, and directly reflexive. It is somewhat strange that the left side should have been bared for a wound directed at the liver.
932. mvp-comment-676-1 ἔγνω γὰρ τάλας] An exception to the law of the cretic ending. Cp. Ο. C. 115, ἐν γὰρ τῷ μαθεῖν.
933. mvp-comment-677-1 ὡς ἐφάψειεν] (1) 'That she had set on foot. But κατ᾿ ὀργήν is hardly an appropriate expression for the impulse under which Deianira acted. Better (2) 'That he had caused.' The metaphor implied in this use of ἐφάπτειν is probably, as L. and S. have observed, taken from tying a knot, rather than from kindling a fire. Cp. Ant. 40, λύουσ᾽ ἂν ἡ 'φάπτουσα.
934. mvp-comment-678-1 τῶν κατ᾿ οἶκον] (1) Genitive of the agent (assisted by ἐκ?). Or (2) κατὰ σύνεσιν, because ἐκδιδαχθείς = πυθόμενος.
935. mvp-comment-679-1 πρὸς τοῦ θηρός] 'Induced by the Centaur.' The construction is κατὰ σύνεσιν, the feeling of the place being, as is implied in ἄκουσα, that Deianira was a passive agent, and that her act was πεπονθὸς μᾶλλον ἢ δεδρακός (Ο. C. 267.)
936. mvp-comment-680-1 ὁ παῖς δύστηνος] The position of the adjective is emphatic. Ср. О. Т. 58, ὦ παῖδες οἰκτροί. Essay on L. § 23. p. 37. B 2.
937. mvp-comment-681-1 ἐλείπετ᾽ οὐδέν] 'Showed every sign of grief.' This general statement is particularized in γοώμενος. ἀμφιπίπτων. For the expression, cp. Phil. 375, οὐδὲν ἐνδεὲς ποιούμενος.
938. mvp-comment-682-1 πλευρόθεν = ἐκ πλευρᾶς. 'Close by her side.'
940. mvp-comment-683-1 ματαίως] 'Falsely.' βάλοι] 'He had smitten her,' as with an arrow. Cp. Αj. 1244, 5, ἀλλ᾽ αἰὲν ἡμᾶς ἡ κακοῖς βαλεῖτέ που | ἢ σὺν δόλῳ κεντήσεθ' οἱ λελειμμένοι.
942. mvp-comment-684-1 βίου] It makes little difference whether we read βίῳ with Wakefield or βίου with the MSS. ὠ. βίου is, 'Orphaned in respect of his life;' ὠ. βίον, Having his life orphaned. The latter certainly has the advantage of being free from ambiguity. But the genitive, though not precisely exact, comes naturally after the privative word.
943. mvp-comment-685-1 ὥστ᾽ εἴ τις δύο, κ.τ.λ.] δύο .. ἡμέρας = δευτέραν ἡμέραν: ie. to-morrow in addition to to-day. Cp. Ant. 1156 foll.
945-946. mvp-comment-686-1 The simple expression would have been, There is no to-morrow until to-day is past. But this is amplified so as to suggest, Man has no hold upon to-morrow, but should secure his happiness for the day.'
947. mvp-comment-687-1 foll. The Nurse goes into the house to lay out the body of Deianira. The Chorus, who, down to l. 862, had been lamenting the imminent fate of Heracles, are doubting whether they should not mourn for Deianira first, when Heracles is brought in, and awakes in agony. The following is the scheme of metres from 947-970...
947. mvp-comment-687-2 πότερ' *ἄρα] This reading is as near to the MSS. as the vulgate πότερα. and secures a more exact metrical correspondence with l.950. For the sense, cp Phil. 337, 8, ἀμηχανῶ δὲ πότερον, ὦ τέκνον, τὸ σὸν | πάθημ᾽ ἐλέγχω πρῶτον, ἢ κεῖνον στένω.
948. mvp-comment-688-1 τέλεα περαιτέρω] The explanation of the Scholiast, πότερα χαλεπώτερα καὶ περαιτέρω δεινότητος, has suggested various alterations of τέλεα into μέλεα, ὀλοά, etc. But the MS. reading gives an intelligible sense, 'Which sorrow first to groan over, which finally and to the last degree, is hard for me, the hapless one, to determine.'
950. mvp-comment-689-1 τάδε μέν, κ.τ.λ.] Deianira is dead in the house. the dying Heracles is momentarily expected. Cp. Ant. 1278-80, ὦ δέσποθ', ὡς ἔχων τε καὶ κεκτημένος, τὰ μὲν πρὸ χειρῶν τάδε φέρων, τὰ δ᾽ ἐν δόμοις | ἔοικας ἥκειν καὶ τάχ᾽ ὄψεσθαι κακά. μελόμενα] Sc. ἐστίν, or ἔχομεν. Εrfurdt and others conjecture μένομεν.
951. mvp-comment-690-1 ἐπ᾿ ἐλπίσιν] ‘In hope.' Cp. El. 108, ἐπὶ κωκυτῷ.
951. mvp-comment-690-2 κοινά] Sc. ἐστίν, ‘It is all one' (i.e. belongs alike to sorrow) 'whether evil be present or looked for.'
953-954. mvp-comment-691-1 εἴθ᾽ ἀνεμόεσσα αὔρα] (1) Might there but spring up a gale from the hearth, wafting me!' ἑστιῶτις = ἀφ' ἑστίας.
955. mvp-comment-692-1 ἐκ τόπων] Cp. ἐκτόπιος, Ο. C. 118. ὅπως, κ.τ.λ.] For the postponement of μή, cp. O. C. 1365, εἰ δ᾽ ἐξέφυσα τάσδε μὴ 'μαυτῷ τροφούς.
957. mvp-comment-693-1 μή, κ.τ.λ.] Connect ὅπως μὴ θάνοιμι ταρβαλέα ἄφαρ μοῦνον εἰσιδοῦσα τὸν Ζηνὸς ἄλκιμον γόνον, ‘That I die not suddenly of fear, after only glancing on the valiant son of Zeus.' ἄφαρ, like εὐθύς, etc., adheres to the participle in grammar, but to the verb in meaning.
961. mvp-comment-694-1 ἄσπετόν τι θαῦμα] Accusative in apposition with the action of χωρεῖν; i. e. the 'Stupendous marvel' is not the person of Heracles, but the manner of his coming.
963. mvp-comment-695-1 προὔκλαιον] I mourned beforehand.' The word suits more exactly with μακράν than with ἀγχοῦ. ὀξύφωνος, κ.τ.λ.] The figure is suggested by the distance to which the notes of the nightingale are carried.
964. mvp-comment-696-1 ξένων γὰρ ἐξόμιλος ἥδε τις βάσις] 'For here comes the step of strangers from another people.' βάσις is abstract for concrete, like ἀνδρῶν Φεραίων εὐμενὴς παρουσία (Eur. Alc. 606), and implies that those approaching are heard but not yet seen. Ας έκτοπος = ἔξω τῶνδε τῶν τόπων, and so 'Foreign,' So ἐξόμιλος = ἔξω τῆσδε τῆς ὁμιλίας. In what follows, the abstract word is treated as a collective; hence the singular number in φορεῖ, προκηδομένα.
965. mvp-comment-697-1 πᾶ δ᾽ αὖ φορεῖ νιν] Hearing the cautious, uncertain tread of those who are carrying Heracles the Chorus cannot distinguish the direction of their movement till they come in sight. αὖ, if genuine, implies that the question occurs to them on taking second thoughts. Meineke conjectures πᾶ καί.
965. mvp-comment-697-2 ὡς φίλου | προκηδομένα] ‘As caring for one who is dear to them, i. e. they move slowly and quietly because they are afraid of hurting him.
966. mvp-comment-698-1 βαρεῖαν | ἄψοφον.. βάσιν] ‘With grief-oppressed and noiseless footsteps.' For βαρείαν, cp. Phil. 207, 8, βαρεία τηλόθεν αὐδά : infr. l. 982, βάρος ἄπλετον ἐμμέμονε φρήν.
968. mvp-comment-699-1 Heracles, borne by attendants, now comes in sight. Hyllus either meets (supr. 902, note), or enters with them. For the verbal ἀναύδατος, cp. Ο. Τ. 191, περιβόατος. The polyschematism, or displacement of the trisyllabic foot (--) has troubled the critics, some of whom read φθίμενον for θανόντα, and some θάνατον, sc. κατά. But it is by no means certain that this metrical variation is impossible.
972. mvp-comment-700-1 τί πάθω] What is to happen to me?' Cp. Ο. C. 216, ὤμοι ἐγώ, τί πάθω, τέκνον ἐμόν;
974. mvp-comment-701-1 μὴ κινήσῃς] ‘Lest thou shouldst rouse.'
975. mvp-comment-702-1 ὠμόφρονος] 'Wild of mood.' The old man retains a vivid impression of what he has seen at Cenaeum, and on the voyage.
976. mvp-comment-703-1 ζῇ γὰρ προπετής] 'For he lives, though at the point of death.᾽ εἰς τὸν θάνατον προνενευκώς. Schol. Cp. supr. l. 701, τοιόνδε κεῖται προπετές, and note. The meaning is, (a) He is not quite dead, (b) He is all but dead. δακών] 'With clenched teeth.' Cp. Aristoph. Nub. 1368, 9, κάνταῦθα πῶς οἴεσθέ μου τὴν καρδίαν ὀρεχθεῖν; ὅμως δὲ τὸν θυμὸν δακὼν ἔφην, κ.τ.λ. Join στόμα both with ἴσχε and δακών.
977. mvp-comment-704-1 ἡ ζῇ] ἡ expresses doubtful eagerness. 'Does he really live?'
979. mvp-comment-705-1 κἀναστήσεις] The pain is imagined as a wild beast, which for the present is couched in slumber. For ἐκκινήσεις, cp. Εl. 567. 8, ἐξεκίνησεν ποδοῖν | στικτὸν κεράστην ἔλαφον.
980. mvp-comment-706-1 φοιτάδα] 'Wild.' If the malady is once awakened, there is no saying whither it may run.
982-983. mvp-comment-707-1 ἐπί μοι, φρήν] ‘My feelings rush upon me with resistless force.' Sophocles probably connects ἄπλετος with ἄπλατος. βάρος ἄπλετον is accusative in apposition with the action of ἐμμέμονε. Cp. Eur. I. T. 655. Heracles now awakes in delirium.
984. mvp-comment-708-1 παρὰ τοῖσι] This form of the dative of rís is rare. Cp. Hdt. 1.37, τέοισι ὄμμασι, 2. 81.
985. mvp-comment-709-1 ἀλλήκτοις] Epic for ἀλήκτοις.
986-987. mvp-comment-710-1 For the two paroemiacs, cp. infr. 1006-8, El. 88, 9, 105, 6.
987. mvp-comment-711-1 ἡ δ᾽ αὐ] The disease is again spoken of as a living thing. Cp. Phil. 758, ἥκει γὰρ αὕτη, κ.τ.λ.
988. mvp-comment-712-1 ἐξήδης] Hast thou now learnt?'
989. mvp-comment-713-1 σιγῇ κεύθειν] (1) To remain shrouded in silence, κεύθω being used intransitively as in Ο. Τ. 968, κεύθει κάτω δὴ γῆς. This is better than (2) To hide (what you might wish to say).
991-992. mvp-comment-714-1 πῶς ἂν | στέρξαιμι] ‘How to endure,' i. e. so as to keep silence. Valcknaer's conjecture, στέξαιμι, is based on a mistaken reading of O. T. 11, q. v. The division of l. 991 (cp. supr 981) is allowable in the freer sort of anapaestic verse that is used in laments.
993. mvp-comment-715-1 ὦ Κηναία κρηπίς βωμῶν] Cenean support of altars; i.e. Rock of Cenaeum, on which the altars are set.
995. mvp-comment-716-1 ἱερῶν . . ἠνύσω] ‘What glorious victims did I offer upon thee, and what a return of misery hast thou (for thy part) accomplished for me! In the MS. reading (see v. rr.) ἀντί and θυμάτων are due to glosses. Mr. Paley objects το ἐπί μοι. But cp. Phil. 1139, О. С. 414, and see Essay on L. § 44. p. 83, g.
996. mvp-comment-717-1 ἠνύσω· ὦ Ζεῦ,] According to this punctuation, the words & Ζεῦ are not a passing exclamation, but an address to his Father, to whom he suddenly turns, accusing him as the first cause of all (cp. infr. 1278). So Hermann. For the two accusatives after ἔθου, cp. Eur. Οr. 1038, ὕβρισμα θέμενος τὸν ᾿Αγαμέμνονος γόνον.
998. mvp-comment-718-1 foll. ἣν μήποτ᾽ ἐγὼ.. καταδερχθῆναι] Heracles, in his delirium, confuses the effect with the cause, ἣν .. ὅσσοις referring to the sacrificial robe (cp. infr. 1048-52). There would be something feeble in his merely wishing that he had not experienced this trouble. And ὄσσοις would then be inappropriate. Wunder supposes Κηναία κρηπίς to be the antecedent to ἥν; but this is of course inconsistent with our punctuation, and is forced in any case.
999-1000. mvp-comment-719-1 τόδε . · καταδερχθῆναι is epexegetic of προσιδεῖν. In what follows ἀκήλητον is taken up and expanded. μανίας ἄνθος] 'Bloom of madness,' i.e. madness in the highest degree. Cp. Ant. 959, 60, οὕτω τᾶς μανίας δεινὸν ἀποστάζει | ἀνθηρόν τε μένος.
1001. mvp-comment-720-1 τίς γὰρ ἀοιδός] 'For what charmer, what master of the healing craft so famous?' etc. Incantations were regarded as a branch of medicine. Cp. Aj. 582, and note. Hermann rightly defends d, which Erfurdt had condemned: 'Incipit poeta, ut si dicturus sit, τίς ἀοιδὸς κατακηλήσει ; tum mutata structura pergit, τίς ὁ χειροτέχνης ἰατορίας, ὃς κατακηλήσει;' Besides giving an antecedent to ὅs, the article asks for one great physician to be named. What charmer, - or who is he, the famed physician?' etc.
1003. mvp-comment-721-1 χωρίς Ζηνός] 'Save only Ζεύς,' who has power to heal as to destroy.
1004. mvp-comment-722-1 θαῦμ᾿ ἂν πόρρωθεν ἰδοίμην] Hermann placed a mark of interrogation after this line, understanding it to mean, 'Am I likely to see a miracle coming from afar?" This is hardly satisfactory. It seems better to take θαῦμα as an adverbial accusative. Cp. supr. 982, βάρος ἄπλετον. • Mine eyes would hail him wonderingly from afar.'
1004. mvp-comment-722-2 foll. ἐ ἔ, κ.τ.λ.] Heracles thus addresses those who approach to lift him from the litter to the bed. Hyllus takes him in his arms and places him there. while he speaks ll. 1007, 8. The outburst that follows, ll. 1009 foll., is made from the bed.
1008. mvp-comment-723-1 ἀντέτροφας ὅ τι καὶ μύσῃ] ‘ If aught of the evil slumber for a moment, you disturb it again.' Wunder complains of the want of correspondence between protasis and apodosis in respect of mood. But the combination of categorical with hypothetical expression is not uncommon even in prose. Cp. e.g. Plat. Phaedr. 244 Α. οὐκ ἔστ᾿ ἔτυμος λόγος ὃς ἂν φῇ. The subjunctive here suggests the doubt whether there has really been a moment of ease; i.e. 'You wake what sleeps if there be aught that sleeps.' Cp. Aj. 1160, and note. Linwood by substituting μύσαι, the optative for the subjunctive, evades the difficulty. ἀν(α)τέτροφας is perfect of ἀνατρέπω with present meaning.
1009. mvp-comment-724-1 πόθεν ἔστ'] The Scholiast says, τὴν δὲ ἐκ τόπου σχέσιν εἶπεν ἀντὶ τῆς ἐν τόπῳ, ὡς σχεδόθεν δὲ οἱ ἦλθεν ᾿Αθήνη (Od. 2, 267), ἀντὶ τοῦ σχεδύν. So ἐγγύθεν ἐλθών, Il. 11. 396. As Hermann truly says, there is a reason to be rendered for every such expression, and here the meaning is, From whence do you show yourselves?' because none appeared from any quarter.
1010. mvp-comment-725-1 πάντων .. ἀνέρες] Either (1) 'Ye most unrighteous of all Greeks:' or, (2) supposing the genitive not to be governed by the superlative, but to be a partitive gen. with ἀδικώτατοι ἄνδρες. 'Ye most unrighteous' (i. e. ungrateful) 'men in every part of Hellas.' See Essay on L. § 10. p. 17, 6. He does not expect aid from barbarians, though he has cleansed barbarous countries too. οὓς δή] Hermann suggested ols, but it is better to retain oὕs, the inhabitants being put for the countries, with the additional notion of benefits conferred on them, and to take πολλά adverbially; i. e. ὧν γαῖαν καθαίρων, κ.τ.λ. Cp. infr. 1061.
1011. mvp-comment-726-1 i.e. πολλὰ μὲν ἐν πόντῳ, πολλὰ δὲ κατὰ δρία πάντα, κτ.λ.
1012. mvp-comment-727-1 Heracles calls not for healing (cp. supr. 1001 foll.), but for instant death. Cp. Phil. 747-50, 799-801.
1013. mvp-comment-728-1 For the negatives, see E. on L. § 29. p. 48, 1.
1015-1016. mvp-comment-729-1 The interpretation of the Scholiast (οὐδεὶς ἐκείνων, φησί, βούλεται ἐλθὼν τὴν κεφαλήν μου ἀποτεμεῖν, καὶ ἐλευθερῶσαι τοῦ μοχθηροῦ βίου) suggests a slightly different text. Hermann would read λύων for μολών. Another expedient is to read ἀπαράξας κρᾶτα βίου θέλει | λῦσαι τοῦ στυγεροῦ. The Scholiast may have read λῦσαι μολών. Then λῦσαι having been dropped, through similarity to the last syllable of θέλει, ἀπαράξας would be changed to ἀπαράξαι for the sense.
1017. mvp-comment-730-1 ὦ παῖ τοῦδ᾽ ἀνδρός] 'Son of Heracles here!' It is strange that this expression should have given any trouble, when the much more vague ὦ παῖ κείνου τἀνδρός is so familiar in prose.
1019. mvp-comment-731-1 σοί τε γάρ. σώζειν] 'For indeed thou hast a fulness of resource beyond what I can do to save him.' The language is obscure, but has not the appearance of being corrupt. The Epic use of re may be compared with the digammated of in l. 650, or ἀποτίβατος, infr. 1030. Ας βλέπειν sometimes = ζῆν, so ὄμμα may be put by synecdoche for keenness of the faculties generally. And the ellipse of μᾶλλον ( E. on L. § 39. p. 73 ) may be accounted for by ἔμπλεον suggesting ἔνι πλέον. δι' ἐμοῦ σώζειν = τὸ δι᾽ ἐμοῦ σώζεσθαι αὐτόν, 'The hope of saving him through me.'
1021. mvp-comment-732-1 λαθίπονον δ᾽ ὀδυνᾶν] Essay on L. § 40. p. 75, § 55. p. 101. οὔτ᾽ ἔνδοθεν οὔτε θύραθεν] (1) 'Neither by my own resources nor with help from others.' Or, (2) 'Neither from within nor from without,' distinguishing between the inward pain of Heracles and the cares which press upon him. Cp. Ο.Τ. 1318, κέντρων τε τῶνδ' οἴστρημα καὶ μνήμη κακῶν : Milton, Samson Agonistes, l. 18, Ease to the body some, none to the mind.' For a similar expression, cp. supr. 730, 4 μηδέν ἐστ᾽ *οἶκοι βαρύ.
1022. mvp-comment-733-1 τοιαῦτα νέμει Ζεύς] 'The Father holds such things in his power.' Cp. Phil. 843, τάδε μὲν θεὸς ὄψεται. Others understand, So fearful is the trouble dispensed by Zeus.'
1023. mvp-comment-734-1 ποῦ ποτ' εἰ Heracles recognizes the voice of Hyllus, but is too much distracted to perceive him otherwise at first. Cp. Phil. 805, ποῦ ποτ᾿ ὤν, τέκνον, κυρεῖς; Then presently he directs him how to hold and turn him for greater ease.
1030. mvp-comment-735-1 ἀποτίβατος] 'Unapproachable, i. e. Irresistible or intractable. Cp. Αj. 255, τὸν αἰσ᾽ ἄπλατος ἴσχει,
1031. mvp-comment-736-1 ἰὼ ἰώ] ἰὼ ἰὼ. *φύσαντ'] The MSS. have τὸν φύσαντ', for which some (Dindorf) would substitute τὸν φύτορ', others τὸν πατέρ'. The spondaic rhythm prevails throughout these five hexameter lines, and the omission of the article may be excused by saying that the participle is not = ὃς ἔφυσα, but = εἰ (or ἐπεὶ) ἔφυσα.
1032. mvp-comment-737-1 ἀνεπίφθονον] 'Blameless:' i.e. no one could upbraid Hyllus for slaying his father under the circumstances.
1035. mvp-comment-738-1 παῖσον] For the asyndeton, which is expressive, cp. Phil. 747-9, πρὸς θεῶν, πρόχειρον εἴ τί σοι, τέκνον, πάρα | ξίφος χεροῖν, πάταξον εἰς ἄκρον πόδα· | ἀπάμησον ὡς τάχιστα, μὴ φείσῃ βίου. ἄχος, ᾧ μ᾿ ἐχόλωσεν] The grief wherewith thy mother has enraged me.' Physical pain. however vividly portrayed, is never the chief point of tragic interest in Sophocles. The wrath of the foiled hero, which he is unable to wreak, is the bitterest pang of all.
1036. mvp-comment-739-1 ἄθεος] 'God abandoned.' Either ος is long in arsi, before the pause, or (as in text) τάν should be read for ἄν.
1040. mvp-comment-740-1 αὕτως, ὧδ᾽ αὕτως, ὡς μ᾿ ὤλεσεν] 'Even as she destroyed me, in the very way ye see me now.' For γλυκύς in addressing a deity, cp. Ο. C. 106, ἴτ', ὦ γλυκεῖαι παίδες ἀρχαίου Σκότου. The MSS. have ὦ Διὸς αὐθαίμων, ὦ γλυκὺς ῾Αίδας. The transposition, made for metrical reasons, also improves the sense by restoring the climax.
1042. mvp-comment-741-1 εὔνασον εὔνασόν *μ'] Here also the MSS. are at fault, giving εὔνασόν μ᾿ εὔνασον. The metre is dochmiac. ὠκυπέτᾳ] (1) • Flying,' or (2), 'Descending swiftly,' in the shape of a thunderbolt. Cp. infr. 1086, 7: O. С. 1460, Διὸς πτερωτός .. βροντή.
1045. mvp-comment-742-1 οἵας οἷος ὤν] Cp. Αj. 923, οἷος ὢν οἵας ἔχεις. The MS. reading olas may be defended as following the case of its antecedent συμφοράς, and also as cognate accusative. Others read oἵais.
1046. mvp-comment-743-1 ὦ . . ἐγώ, κ.τ.λ.] For this mode of expression, cp. O. C. 337 foll, ὦ πάντ᾽ ἐκείνω . . τροφάς, κ.τ.λ. *κοὐ λόγῳ κακά] Evils that were so not in name only. This is Bothe's emendation of the MS. reading καὶ λόγῳ, which is certainly as old as Cicero's translation (Tusc. Disp. 2. 20), Multa dictu gravia, perpessu aspera.' This may be explained to mean, 'Even in report' (how much more, then, in reality!). Cp. Hdt. 7. 10, § 10, καίτοι καὶ λόγῳ ἀκοῦσαι δεινόν, ἐπ᾿ ἀνδρί γε ἑνὶ πάντα .. γεγενήσθαι. Wunder conjectures καὶ λόγων πέρα, which yields a fair sense, but κοὐ λόγῳ is simpler and more forcible. Cp. Aesch. S. c. Τ. 847, ἦλθε δ᾽ αἰακτὰ πήματ᾽ οὐ λόγῳ.
1047. mvp-comment-744-1 καὶ νώτοισι] Some have supposed an allusion here to Heracles having relieved Atlas of his burden. But cp. infr. 1090 foll.
1048. mvp-comment-745-1 κοὔπω] καὶ = καίτοι. Cp. infr. 1072: Phil. 385, κοὐκ αἰτιῶμαι τοῦτον: Essay on L. § 25. p. 42.
1050. mvp-comment-746-1 δολῶπις] ‘Of the deceitful eye.' The remembrance of Deianira's beauty returns involuntarily.
1050-1052. mvp-comment-747-1 τόδ' Ἐρινύων ἀμφίβληστρον] Aesch. Ag. 1115, δίκτυον .. "Αιδου: Cho. 492, μέμνησο δ᾽ ἀμφίβληστρον ὡς ἐκαίνισαν : ib. 999.
1053. mvp-comment-748-1 προσμαχθέν] Supr. 767-9. ἐκ.. βέβρωκε] Tmesis. ἐσχάτας] i.e. 'Even to the bone.'
1054. mvp-comment-749-1 πνεύμονος.. ξυνοίκουν] 'Lodging in the lung it drains the passages;' i.e. It has penetrated the lung and is shrivelling up the vessels there. ξυνοίκουν, sc. τῷ πνεύμονι.
1055. mvp-comment-750-1 Hath already sucked away my fresh life-blood.' For χλωρόν, see above, note on l. 849.
1057. mvp-comment-751-1 ἄφραστος is, ‘Baffling the mind,' and is here applied to that which cannot be overcome because it cannot be discerned, - Inscrutable.'
1058. mvp-comment-752-1 λόγχη πεδιάς] 'The array of spearmen on the plain. λόγχη is used collectively, like ἡ ἵππος, etc. Whether Heracles is thinking of the battle with the Minyans, or of some other exploit, we cannot determine.
1059. mvp-comment-753-1 θήρειος βία is probably, The violence of the Centaurs,' cp. infr. 1095, 6, and not generally, of wild beasts.'
1060. mvp-comment-754-1 Ἑλλάς] Sc. γαῖα. The word is strictly adjectival here. Some have supplied ἀνήρ οι βία, supposing that ἄγλωσσος could not be an epithet of a country. But why not ἄγλωσσος γαῖα as well as βάρβαρον αἷαν, Εl. 95? ἄγλωσσος] Without speech,' = 'A Without intelligible speech, just as ἀγέννητος = δυσγενής, supr. 61 : ἄδημος = ἀπόδημος, Fr. 577. Pindar (Isthm. 6 (5). 24) uses παλίγγλωσσος in this sense.
1062. mvp-comment-755-1 θήλυς οὖσα κοὐκ ἀνδρὸς φύσιν] 'A woman, and not of manly mould.' θήλυς for θήλεια occurs several times in Greek poetry, e.g. Eur. Нес. 659, θῆλυν σποράν. The construction of the remaining words is difficult: but ἀνδρός may be (1) a genitive of derivation, in accordance with the ancient notion that the female element came from the mother and the male from the father, - ‘Being female and not derived from the male in her birth; or (2) a genitive of quality = ἀνδρώδης. For φύσιν, Αj. 760, ἀνθρώπου φύσιν βλαστών, which has suggested several emendations of this line, e. g. θῆλυν σχοῦσα κοὐκ ἀνδρὸς φύσιν (Reiske), etc.
1064. mvp-comment-756-1 γενοῦ .. γεγώς] Cp. infr. 1157, ἐξήκεις δ' ἵνα | φανεῖς ὁποῖος ὢν ἀνὴρ ἐμὸς καλεῖ. The tautology γενοῦ . γεγώς adds a pathetic emphasis.
1065. mvp-comment-757-1 Cp. El. 366, 7, καλοῦ | τῆς μητρός, and note. We are to imagine the effect of this on Hyllus, who has just been bewailing his mother's death.
1068. mvp-comment-758-1 ἤ is probably not 'than,' but 'or.' 'If my form tormented or hers afflicted with righteous evil be a sight that causes you more pain.'
1070. mvp-comment-759-1 οἴκτειρόν τε με] The two imperatives are connected by τε, because Heracles regards obedience to his request as inseparable from pity for his state.
1071. mvp-comment-760-1 πολλοῖσιν οἰκτρόν] i. e. 'Whom many (and not my son only) may be expected to pity.' Cp. Eur. Med. 509, πολλαῖς μακαρίαν.
1074. mvp-comment-761-1 ἑσπόμην κακοῖς] I turned not aside from trouble.' The imperfect εἱπόμην might rather have been looked for here, but the aorist, summing up the past, is not wrong. Blaydes and Meineke propose εἰχόμην, the former on the ground that evils do not require to be followed after. But (α) ἔπεσθαι is not necessarily to follow after, but also to 'accompany' (see L. and S. s. v. ἕπω, B. 1. 4.): (β) I went where trouble led me' is a fair description of the life of Heracles, whose course was one of unremitting toil. Cp. Eur. Alc. 499, 500, ΗΡ. καὶ τόνδε τοὐμοῦ δαίμονος πόνον λέγεις, | σκληρὸς γὰρ ἀεὶ καὶ πρὸς αἶπος ἔρχεται. Cp. also the Epic phrase πότμον ἐπισπεῖν.
1075. mvp-comment-762-1 ἐκτοιούτου] (1) In consequence of such a thing;' i.e. From an unseen, subtle, woman-inflicted evil (ll. 1050-2, 1057, 1062, 3, 1104). Or (2), 'After being such, i.e. After having bravely endured so much.
1076. mvp-comment-763-1 foll. Heracles first draws Hyllus nearer to show him what ravage the venom had made: then, by a sudden impulse, displays the torn and writhing frame to all. Afterwards, the pain again overcomes him, and this is marked by the broken rhythm (1081 dochmiac, 1085, 6, anapaestic dimeter brachycatalectic). Then looking again at his shrivelled members, he recalls once more their prowess in past days, contrasting it with the feebleness of the present. Last comes one more outburst of futile rage against Deianira.
1078. mvp-comment-764-1 ἐκ καλυμμάτων] Forth of coverings,' i.e. unveiled. For the emphatic use of the preposition, cp. ἀπὸ in ἀπὸ ῥυτῆρος, Ο. C. 900, and similar expressions.
1082. mvp-comment-765-1 ἔθαλψεν] Hermann conjectures ἔθαλψέ μ'; but με is easily supplied. ἄτης σπασμός.. ὅδε] 'This cruel fatal spasm.' ἄτης is an attributive genitive like Ἐρινύων in supr. 1051. For the order, cp. Phil. 1050, 1.
1083. mvp-comment-766-1 οὐδ᾽ ἀγύμναστόν μ' ἐἂν] For the present tense, cp. Ant. 625, πράσσει δ᾽ ὀλιγοστὸν χρόνον ἐκτὸς ἄτας.
1091. mvp-comment-767-1 ἐκεῖνοι .. καθέσταθ΄] ‘Are the same.' However changed they appear, these achievements remain theirs. This is implied in the use of καθεστάναι for the substantive verb.
1093. mvp-comment-768-1 κἀπροσήγορον] 'And not affable.' For the irony implied in this epithet, cp. Job 41. 3, 5, Will he make many supplications unto thee? Will he speak soft words unto thee?.. Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?'
1094. mvp-comment-769-1 κατειργάσασθε] Cp. Hdt. 1. 24, ἑαυτὸν κατεργάσασθαι.
1095. mvp-comment-770-1 ἄμικτον] 'Unsociable,' not mingling in friendship with mankind. ἱπποβάμονα] · Tramping with horses' feet.'
1096. mvp-comment-771-1 θηρῶν] 'Of the Centaurs,' as elsewhere in this play. But in the next line θῆρα is used in the more general sense of Wild beast.' *ὑπέροχον] The MSS. give the Epic form ὑπείροχον, which is unmetrical here.
1098. mvp-comment-772-1 σκύλακα] The word conveys a touch of contempt for Heracles' old enemy, Cerberus.
1099. mvp-comment-773-1 δεινῆς Ἐχίδνης θρέμμα] Nurse-ling of dire Echidna.' Cp. Hes. Theog. 310, where Cerberus is so designated.
1100. mvp-comment-774-1 ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτοις τόποις] 'In the farthest region. The vagueness of the expression, without γῆς or χθονός, is intentional.
1102. mvp-comment-775-1 τῶν ἐμῶν χερῶν] Genitive of the object: i. e. of that over which the triumph is celebrated.
1103. mvp-comment-776-1 κατερρακωμένος] 'Reduced to shreds,' the poison having devoured the substance of his frame. Cp. Aesch. Prom. 1023, σώματος μέγα ῥάκος,-said of Prometheus torn by the vulture.
1104. mvp-comment-777-1 τυφλῆς] ‘Blind,' i. e. 'Eluding sight.' Cp. supr. 1057, ἀφράστῳ. ἐκπεπόρθημαι] I am utterly destroyed.' Cp. Aj. 896, διαπεπόρθημαι,
1105. mvp-comment-778-1 ὠνομασμένος] Alcmena's name was often introduced in speaking of Heracles. Cp. supr. 19, 644: Aj. 130 ᾿Αλκμήνης γόνος: Aesch. Ag. 1040, παῖδα . . ᾿Αλκμήνης.
1106. mvp-comment-779-1 ὁ.. αὐδηθείς] ‘Who was named aloud.' Cp. Phil. 240, 1, αὐδῶμαι δὲ παῖς ᾿Αχιλλέως, Νεοπτόλεμος. There seems to have been a v. r. αὐθαδής, a curious instance of the mixture of mechanical and mental error which has given rise to some corruptions.
1107-1108. mvp-comment-780-1 κἂν τὸ μηδὲν ὦ | κἂν μηδὲν έρπω] 'Though I be nothingness and have no power to move.' The second μηδέν is adverbial = Not at all.'
1109. mvp-comment-781-1 προσμόλοι μόνον] · Might she but come near,'-expressing a wish, not now a command. Cp. Ant. 310-2, and note: O. T. 624.
1111. mvp-comment-782-1 καὶ θανών] ‘And when already dead,' as he was in effect even now.
1113. mvp-comment-783-1 εἰ σφαλήσεται] Observe the change from the vocative to the 3rd person. The word implies not merely losing him, but being disappointed of her hopes in him.
1114. mvp-comment-784-1 παρέσχες] 'You give me the opportunity:' παρέχω in this sense is more commonly impersonal. The same verb is repeated, with a slightly different meaning, in the next line.
1116. mvp-comment-785-1 Ср. О. С. 1106, αἰτεῖς ἃ τεύξει.
1117-1118. mvp-comment-786-1 μὴ τοσοῦτον .. δύσοργος] i. e. ὡς μὴ τοσοῦτον δάκνῃ θυμῷ δύσοργος, That you be not so exceedingly vexed with rage, being grievously distempered.' θυμῷ is to be joined both with δάκνῃ and with δύσοργος. For the postponement of ὡς, cp. Αj. 589, 90, ἐγὼ θεοῖς | ὡς οὐδὲν ἀρκεῖν εἴμ᾽ ὀφειλέτης ἔτι. μή adheres closely to τοσοῦτον. Others, reading δάκνει, suppose an alternation of clauses = μὴ τοσοῦτον δύσοργος, ὡς δάκνει θυμῷ, “In a less wrathful mood, than now you are devoured with in your soul.'
1118-1119. mvp-comment-787-1 Else you will not know in what you would fain rejoice, and wherein you are indignant without cause.
1120. mvp-comment-788-1 ὡς ἐγὼ νοσῶν] 'Since I in my distraction.'
1121. mvp-comment-789-1 Heracles' impatience is roused by Hyllus' vague antithetical expression (1117-9), which he treats as a riddle. Then Hyllus speaks more plainly.
1122. mvp-comment-790-1 τῆς μητρός] About my mother. For this genitive, ср. О. Т. 701, Κρέοντος, and note.
1123. mvp-comment-791-1 οἷς θ᾽ ἥμαρτεν] ‘And wherein she erred unwittingly.' Cp. Phil. 1011, 2, ἀλγεινῶς φέρων | οἷς τ᾽ αὐτὸς ἐξή- μαρτεν, οἷς τ᾽ ἐγὼ ᾿παθον.
1124. mvp-comment-792-1 καὶ παρεμνήσω γάρ] · What? Hast thou even made passing mention?' γάρ gives the reason of ὦ παγκάκιστε. παραμιμνήσκομαι, like several other rare words, is common to Sophocles and Herodotus. See Essay on L. p. 88, note 1.
1125. mvp-comment-793-1 τῆς πατροφόντου μητρός] Of the mother that is thy father's murderer.' For the masculine form, cp. O. Τ. 80, 1, τύχῃ . . σωτῆρι.
1126. mvp-comment-794-1 ἔχει γὰρ οὕτως] (1) 'For her state is such,' or (2), sc. περὶ αὐτῆς, 'For the case stands so with her.' ὥστε μὴ σιγᾶν πρέπειν] That silence is not well,'-because it leaves her beneath an unjust imputation after she is dead.
1127. mvp-comment-795-1 οὐδῆτα τοῖς γε πρόσθεν ἡμαρτημένοις] (1) 'Certainly there is no cause for silence on account of her former errors;' i.e. No blame requiring silence attached to her until to-day. Or (2) 'No, her fault should be blazoned.' Or (3) Not so, for her crimes demand silence. But (2) and (3) assign no meaning to πρόσθεν. For the sending of the robe was not a former error, but the latest act of Deianira so far as Heracles knew, unless πρόσθεν may be taken to mean, 'Before this revelation which you are about to make.' The reminiscence of Deianira's blameless life, occurring when Heracles in his wrath against her is about to listen to Hyllus, is not the only modern touch' in the Trachiniae. Cp. supr. 1050, δολώπις, and note.
1128. mvp-comment-796-1 ἐρεῖς] Sc. ὅταν μάθῃς. (1) Neither does her fault to-day require silence, as you will presently confess. 'Sed et hodie dices ne ob haec quidem tacendum esse.' Musgr. Or (2), Her fault of to-day, too, (her suicide) must be spoken of.' Or (3) (γε μ. δ.?), But you will not say so when you have heard what has happened to-day.'