Ajax. Sophocles. Lewis Campbell (Translator). London, New York and Toronto. 1906.
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906))
Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.
mvp-comment-153-1 παραπλάκτῳ 1
mvp-comment-153-2 συγκατακτὰς 2 κελαινοῖς 3
mvp-comment-154-1 ξίφεσιν 4
mvp-comment-154-2 ἱππονώμας 5 βοτῆρας 6 βοτά 7 ἱππονόμους 8
mvp-comment-155-1 ἄρα 9
mvp-comment-155-2 ἤλυθε 10
mvp-comment-156-1 ὧν 11 ποίμνην 12 τὴν μὲν 13 τὰ δὲ 14
mvp-comment-156-2 ἔσω 15 ἔσω σφάζε 16
mvp-comment-156-3 ἐπὶ γαίας 17
mvp-comment-156-4 πλευροκοπῶν 18
mvp-comment-157-1 ἀργίποδας 19
mvp-comment-157-2
If the two rams are the two Atreidae, then Odysseus is ignored here. This would be consistent both with vv. 97— 110 and with 298—306. The flogging of the second ram here would correspond with the words
τοὺς δὲ δεσμίους | ᾐκίζεθ’ in 299 f. Then came the colloquy of Ajax with Athena (301); after which, he slowly regained his sanity,—before he had inflicted the lash upon Odysseus. That the ‘two rams’ are here the royal
brethren might be suggested by the analogy of the two eagles in
Ag. 115.
On the other hand, the special ferocity with which Ajax treats the second ram rather indicates that it represents Odysseus. There would be no point in so distinguishing Menelaüs from Agamemnon. On the whole, it seems most probable that the poet meant Agamemnon and Odysseus, but was careless of strict consistency with vv. 97—110.
mvp-comment-158-1 κεφαλὴν καὶ γλῶσσαν ἄκραν 20
mvp-comment-159-1 ῥιπτεῖ 21
mvp-comment-159-2 ὀρθὸν ἄνω … δήσας 22
mvp-comment-159-3 κίονι 23
mvp-comment-160-1 ἱπποδέτην ῥυτῆρα 24
mvp-comment-161-1 λιγυρᾷ 25
mvp-comment-162-1 κακὰ δεννάζων ῥήμαθ’ 26
mvp-comment-162-2 δαίμων 27
mvp-comment-163-1 ἤδη τοι κρᾶτα 28 ἀνδρὸς 29 ἀνέρος 30 τοι 31 κρᾶτα 32 κάρα 33 ἐδήλωσας 34 ἔδειξας 35 ἔφηνας 36 ἐδήλους 37 τοι 38 ἤτοι 39
mvp-comment-163-2 κρᾶτα … κρυψάμενον 40
mvp-comment-163-3 ποδοῖν κλοπὰν ἀρέσθαι 41 κλοπὰν 42
mvp-comment-164-1 θοὸν 43 εἰρεσίας 44 ζυγὸν 45
mvp-comment-164-2 ναῒ μεθεῖναι 46
mvp-comment-165-1 τοίας 47
mvp-comment-165-2 ἐρέσσουσιν 48
mvp-comment-165-3 δικρατεῖς Ἀτρεῖδαι 49
mvp-comment-166-1 πεφόβημαι 50
mvp-comment-166-2 λιθόλευστον Ἄρη 51
mvp-comment-166-3 The accus. is, in the first place, object to πεφόβημαι 52 ξυναλγεῖν 53 τυπείς 54
mvp-comment-166-4 αἶσ’ ἄπλατος 55
221-232. mvp-comment-165-1 The metrical scheme (Logaoedic, with frequent syncope) is the following...
226. mvp-comment-169-1 ὁ μέγας μῦθος] ‘The formidable power of rumour.' Supr. 172, ὦ μεγάλα φάτις. μῦθος is the rumour about this particular thing, with a suggestion of rumour in general. ἀέξει] Not 'exaggerates,' for the evil could not be exaggerated, but, 'which the mighty power of rumour spreads abroad.'
229. mvp-comment-170-1 περίφαντος.. θανεῖται] 'He will be discovered and will die.' περίφαντος is explained by the words that follow, παραπλήκτῳ χερί, κ.τ.λ. The nature of the crime defies concealment.
231. mvp-comment-171-1 κελαινοῖς ξίφεσιν] · With darkened brand.' The plural, as in Ant. 820, ξιφέων ἐπίχειρα, denotes the action of the sword rather than the sword itself. The epithet κελαινοῖς, as in Trach. 856, κελαινὰ λόγχα, suggests the colour of a sword or spear that has been much used in battle. βοτήρας] Supr. 27, αὐτοῖς ποιμνίων ἐπιστάταις. This fact is known to the mariners from the report of the army, not from Tecmessa. ἱππονώμας] Either (1) because captive horses, like those of Rhesus, were included in the spoil (this might add force to ἱππομανῆ, supr. 143), or rather (2) because the herdsmen were mounted, as might well happen where the herd was so extensive.
235. mvp-comment-172-1 ὧν τὴν μέν] Sc. ποίμναν. 'Whereof one part.' The plural ὧν is equivalent to a collective ἧς, referring to ποίμναν supr. The force of ἔσω ('in the tent') is continued to the subsequent clauses. For τὴν μέν followed by τὰ δέ, see Essay on L. § 20. p. 31.
236. mvp-comment-173-1 πλευροκοπών δίχ᾽ ἀνερρήγνυ] 'He smote beneath the ribs and ripped asunder.' The two white-footed rams are probably Agamemnon and Odysseus. Menelaus may have been imagined to be slain in combat, while the king of men was brought away in triumph to be the object of more condign vengeance. Ll. 105 foll. leave no room to doubt that the second ram is intended by Ajax for Odysseus.
237. mvp-comment-174-1 ἀνελών] · Having lifted,' i.e. by the forefeet.
238-239. mvp-comment-175-1 'He sheared off and threw away (first) the tongue-tip and (then) the head.' E. on L. § 41. p. 78 β, b. The tongue, which had pronounced the judgment, the head, which was the seat of sovereignty, are the first to suffer. For ῥιπτεῖ, cp. Hdt. 4. 61, ὁ θύσας, τῶν κρεῶν καὶ τῶν σπλάγχνων ἀπαρξάμενος, ῥίπτει ἐς τὸ ἔμπροσθεν.
240. mvp-comment-176-1 ‘Bound up to a pillar erect.' ἄνω marks that the bonds were fastened from above, so as almost to suspend the creature from the ground.
241. mvp-comment-177-1 'With a great harness-thong.' ῥυτήρ is (1) a trace, (2) a rein, (3) any strap used in harnessing.
242. mvp-comment-178-1 'He smites him with resounding double lash ;' i.e. He holds the thong by the middle, and plies it, thus doubled, with a whizzing noise.
243. mvp-comment-179-1 ἃ δαίμων, κ.τ.λ.] i.e. The words gave evidence of superhuman passion. Ср. О. Т. 1258, 9, δαιμόνων δείκνυσί τις, οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀνδρῶν.
244. mvp-comment-180-1 'Reviling him with evil language.' Cp. Ant. 759, ἐπὶ ψόγοισι δεννάσεις ἐμέ.
245. mvp-comment-181-1 κάρα is the emendation of Triclinius for κρᾶτα, which is in most MSS., generally with τοι preceding: according to Hermann this was due to a mistaken metrical emendation. Reading κάρα and retaining τοι, we might read in supr. 221, οἴαν ἐδήλωσας *κατ᾿ ἀνδρὸς αἴθονος. τιν'] ἱ.ε. ἡμᾶς. Essay on L. § 22. p. 36. κάρα καλύμμασι κρυψάμενον] 'Veiling one's head,' either (1) in token of confusion and shame as well as sorrow. Cp. Od. 8.92; Plat. Phaedr. 243 В. Or (2) by way of disguise. ποδοῖν κλοπὰν ἀρέσθαι] i. e. φυγὴν ἀρέσθαι, 'to steal away on foot.' Cp. Eur. Or. 1499, ἐκκλέπτειν πόδα: Rhes. 54, αἴρεσθαι φυγήν.
247. mvp-comment-182-1 θοὸν εἰρεσίας ζυγὸν ἑζόμενον] 'Pressing the swift rowing-bench.' Cp. Aesch. Ag. 982, θάρσος . . ἵζει φρενὸς φίλον θρόνον. And for the hypallage ( =θοᾶς εἰρεσίας ζυγόν), see Essay on L. § 42. p. 80.
250. mvp-comment-183-1 ποντοπόρῳ ναὶ μεθεῖναι] 'Let the sea-faring ship go on her way.' No definite ellipse (as of πλοῦν or πείσματα) is to be supplied with μεθεῖναι.
250. mvp-comment-183-2 ματα) need be supposed. The verb 'to let go' is first used absolutely, and then again acquires a remote object, which is put in the dative. The ship is 'a thing of life.'
251. mvp-comment-184-1 ἐρέσσουσιν] 'Launch.' Ant. 158, μῆτιν ἐρέσσω. For the unconscious tautology, εἰρεσίας .. ἐρέσσουσιν, see Essay on L. § 44. pp. 83, 4. The mariners think of the Atreidae as chasing them astern. The words καθ' ἡμῶν mark that their lot is bound up with that of Ajax, a thought which is developed in the succeeding lines. The accusative Ἄρη is in two constructions, first after πεφόβημαι, and then with ξυναλγεῖν, which is added in epexegesis. For Apns of destructive violence, cp. esp. Aesch. Prom. 861, 2, θηλυκτόνῳ | Ἄρει δαμέντων.