Menelaus
1168
'Tis well ; I'll leave thee. 'Tis a folly thus
To talk with those whom we have power to punish.
Ajax. Sophocles. Thomas Francklin (Translator). London. 1758–1759.
Ajax. Sophocles. Thomas Francklin (Translator). London. 1758–1759.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759))
Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.
mvp-comment-686-1 καὶ μὴν 1
mvp-comment-686-2 ἐς αὐτὸν καιρὸν 2 πλησίον 3
mvp-comment-686-3 Tecmessa had left the scene after v. 989, in order to bring the child Eurysaces from the tent, where he had been left when she set forth in search of Ajax (810). The part of Tecmessa is now taken by a mute person, as the deuteragonist has presently to resume the part of Odysseus (1318).
mvp-comment-686-4 τάφον περιστελοῦντε 4 περιστελοῦντι 5
mvp-comment-687-1 ἱκέτης 6
mvp-comment-687-2
While the child knelt as a suppliant by the body, with his hand upon it, the corpse could not be forcibly removed without offence to Zeus
mvp-comment-687-3 ὅς σ’ ἐγείνατο 7
mvp-comment-688-1 θάκει δὲ προστρόπαιος 8
mvp-comment-688-2 κόμας 9
mvp-comment-688-3 τρίτου 10
mvp-comment-689-1 ἱκτήριον θησαυρόν 11
mvp-comment-690-1 κακὸς κακῶς 12
mvp-comment-690-2 ἄθαπτος ἐκπέσοι χθονός 13
mvp-comment-690-3 ἐκπέσοι 14
1170. mvp-comment-749-1 περιστελοῦντε] Το 'care for.' The verb is used much as in Ant. 903, δέμας περιστέλλουσα.
1172. mvp-comment-750-1 The child clinging to his dead father would be as inviolable as a suppliant clinging to an altar. Cp. Aesch. Cho. 106, αἰδουμένη σοι βωμὸν ὡς τύμβον πατρός: ib. 336, 7, τάφος δ᾽ ἱκέτας δέδεκται | φυγάδας θ' ὁμοίως.
1173. mvp-comment-751-1 προστρόπαιος is a more solemn and formal word than ἱκέτης. The formality of the supplication would be marked by the locks of hair cut off in token of mourning for the dead, which Eurysaces is to hold in his hand.
1174. mvp-comment-752-1 Cp. El. 448-50, σὺ δὲ | τεμοῦσα κρατὸς βοστρύχων ἄκρας φόβας | κἀμοῦ ταλαίνης, κ.τ.λ. For τρίτου, cp. O. C. 8, and note.
1175. mvp-comment-753-1 ἱκτήριον θησαυρόν] ‘A suppliant store,' i. e. a sacred deposit having virtue for the purpose of supplication. στρατοῦ] Here and supr. 1044 the rest of the army seems to be opposed to the men of Salamis.
1177. mvp-comment-754-1 κακὸς κακῶς] The tautology belongs to the formal solemnity of the oath. Cp. O. T. 219, 20, and note.