Sophocles Trachiniae 236

mvp-comment-655-1 καλῶς τελευτᾷς ¹

mvp-comment-655-2 κἀπὶ τοῖσδε ²

mvp-comment-655-3 πρὶν ἐμπεσεῖν ³

mvp-comment-655-4 σπαραγμὸν ⁴

mvp-comment-655-5 οἶστρον ⁵

mvp-comment-656-1 ἄγ’ ⁶

mvp-comment-656-2 ἐγκονεῖτ’ ⁷

mvp-comment-656-3 αὕτη ⁸

mvp-comment-656-4 τελευτὴ … ὑστάτη ⁹

mvp-comment-657-1 ἀλλ’ ¹⁰

mvp-comment-657-2 οὐδὲν εἴργει ¹¹

mvp-comment-657-3 τελειοῦσθαι ¹²

mvp-comment-657-4 ἐπεὶ κελεύεις ¹³

mvp-comment-658-1 As Hyllus spoke the last two verses, he gave a sign to the bearers (964) to come forward and resume their places beside the litter. These five anapaestic lines are spoken by Heracles while that order is being obeyed. Then the words of Hyllus,

(1264), mark that the procession is about to move.

mvp-comment-658-2 ἄγε νυν ¹⁴

mvp-comment-659-1 πρὶν ἀνακινῆσαι τήνδε νόσον ¹⁵

mvp-comment-659-2 Other views are:—(1)

is intrans., ‘be roused.’ But this use is unexampled, and cannot safely be inferred from the intrans. ( Her.5. 106 , etc.), or as= , delirare. (2) The subject to the inf. is , and the object is understood. But clearly refers to rousing the pain, not to troubling the mind: cp. 974 : 979 .

mvp-comment-659-3 ὦ ψυχὴ σκληρά ¹⁶

mvp-comment-659-4 χάλυβος λιθοκόλλητον στόμιον ¹⁷

mvp-comment-659-5 I take the words in a way different from any of these.

, the ‘curb of steel,’ is, as all agree, the strong selfrestraint which is to keep the lips closed. Then introduces a new image. The lips, thus firmly closed, are set as stone to stone in masonry. Thus the whole phrase means ‘A curb of steel, to keep the lips set as stone to stone.’ The use of to describe the effect of the ‘curb’ has been assisted by the suggestion, in , of .

mvp-comment-659-6 ἀνάπαυε βοήν ¹⁸

mvp-comment-659-7 ὡς ¹⁹ τελέους’ ²⁰ ἐπίχαρτον ²¹

1252. mvp-comment-887-1 καλῶς τελευτᾷς] 'You end well, i. e. You show the right spirit at last.

1252-1253. mvp-comment-888-1 κἀπὶ.. πρόσθες] ‘And let the act of kindness follow quickly upon these words.'

1254. mvp-comment-889-1 σπαραγμὸν ἤ τιν' οἶστρον] Some convulsion or some access of fury,' which would make it impossible to carry Heracles up the mountain. Cp. supr. 804, 5. με θῇς] Clearly not μεθῇς here, although μέθες was preferred in l. 799.

1255. mvp-comment-890-1 ἄγε is chiefly addressed to Hyllus, but may be said, like ἴδε, supr. 821, without any distinct reference to number. The following words are addressed to the attendants, who are to carry him with their hands while Hyllus leads the way. αἴρεσθε is subjective middle (= 'Apply your strength to raise me') and is less peremptory than αἴρετε, infr. l. 1264.

1255-1256. mvp-comment-891-1 παῦλα.. ὑστάτη] ‘This is my reprieve from woe, this is the last end of my being' Heracles knows nothing of the bliss which is hereafter to be his portion.

1259-1260. mvp-comment-892-1 πρὶν τήνδ᾽ ἀνακινῆσαι | νόσον] Either (1) taking ἀνακινῆσαι ας transitive, Before allowing this trouble to re awaken;' see note on Aj. 674, 5, ἐκοίμισε στένοντα πόντον, or (2) with ἀνακινῆσαι intransitive, Before this trouble re-awaken.' Other compounds of κινεῖν, ας παρακινεῖν, ὑποκινεῖν, are used intransitively, and why not ἀνακινεῖν ? Heracles thus steels himself against the possible recurrence of the pain, because ἐν εὐφημίᾳ χρὴ τελευτᾶν.

1260. mvp-comment-893-1 ὦ ψυχὴ σκληρά] Cp. Eur. Alc. 837, ΗΡ. ὦ πολλὰ τλᾶσα καρδία ψυχή τ' ἐμή.

1260-1261. mvp-comment-894-1 χάλυβος | λιθοκόλλητον στόμιον] 'A bit of iron set with adamant.' λιθοκόλλητον is literally, Inlaid with stones.'

1261. mvp-comment-895-1 παρέχουσ'] Sc. τῇ βοῇ, 'Applying' as a preventive.

1262. mvp-comment-896-1 ὡς ἐπίχαρτον, κ.τ.λ.] i.e. τελέουσα ἔργον ἀεκούσιον ὡς ἐπίχαρτον ὄν, 'Performing an unwilling deed as a thing to rejoice at.' Not, As performing an unwilling deed that will bring joy,' which is inconsistent with l. 1256, and with the tone of the whole scene.