36-37.
mvp-comment-29-1
φύλαξ ἔβην, κ.τ.λ.] The order ἰς
ἔβην εἰς ὁδὸν πρόθυμος φύλαξ τῇ σῇ κυναγίᾳ, ' I came upon my path as a zealous guardian for thy chase.' E. on L. § 12. p. 19.
38.
mvp-comment-30-1
ἡ καί] ‘And is my endeavour really well-directed?'
ἡ asks the question with eager interest.
39.
mvp-comment-31-1
ὡς ἔστιν ἀνδρός, κ.τ.λ.] Sc.
οὕτω νόει. σοι]
Cp. Ant. 37,
οὕτως ἔχει σοι ταῦτα. Ε. on L. § 13. p. 19 e.
40.
mvp-comment-32-1
'With what intent did he break forth in this ill-judged violence?' For the epithet,
cp. infr. 230,
παραπλήκτῳ χερί. It is unnecessary to suppose that
άΐσσω is transitive here.
Cp. the construction of 1. 42.
41.
mvp-comment-33-1
'Incensed with wrath because of the arms of Achilles.' A word on this subject is enough for Odysseus, to whom the arms had been adjudged. He understands at once that harm had been intended to himself and the generals.
42.
mvp-comment-34-1
'But why, then, this raid upon the flock? The construction of
ὅπλων, as genitive of the reason after
βαρυνθείς, is assisted by the substantive
χόλῳ preceding.
44.
mvp-comment-35-1
'And was this blow, then, really aimed against the Argives?'
45.
mvp-comment-36-1
κἂν ἐξεπράξατ'] 'He would actually have accomplished his design.' The middle voice is preferable as the harder reading, and signifies that the plan and execution would have been alike Ajax' own.
46.
mvp-comment-37-1
'What bold attempt inspired by recklessness do your words imply (
ταῖσδε)?'
47.
mvp-comment-38-1
δόλιος] i.e.
ἐπὶ δόλῳ, 'With crafty intent.' E. on L. §23. p. 39.
48.
mvp-comment-39-1
παρέστη] Sc.
ἡμῖν.
49.
mvp-comment-40-1
καὶ δή] ‘ Actually.’
50.
mvp-comment-41-1
Join
ἐπέσχε φόνου.
μαιμῶσαν is more expressive than the v. τ.
διψῶσαν, which is probably meant to be construed with
φόνου. For
πῶς, 'How came it that-?' cp. O. T. 1177,
πῶς δῆτ᾿ ἀφῆκας;
51.
mvp-comment-42-1
ἀπείργω] The vivid present (see v. rr.) is preferable to the aorist, as the less obvious reading. Join
ἀπείργω with
χαρᾶς, which is added in further explanation.
δυσφόρους γνώμας] ‘Overpowering fancies.'
δύσφορος has been supposed to be here equivalent το
παράφορος, 'false,' or 'misleading;' but this, (though a possible association of the word) is unnecessary. The natural meaning of 'grievous,' 'intolerable,' is slightly modified by the association of 'hard to resist,' or 'bear up against.' Ajax could not withstand the fatal illusion.
52.
mvp-comment-43-1
τῆς ἀνηκέστου χαρᾶς] ‘From his fatal pleasure.' The harm once done would have been irrevocable. For
χαpâς,
cp. infr. 114,
ἐπειδὴ τέρψις ἥδε σοι τὸ δρᾶν.
53-54.
mvp-comment-44-1
πρός τε ποίμνας.. φρουρήματα] 'I turned him off upon the flocks, and the mixed charge of the herdsmen that was not yet divided from the spoil,' i. e. simply the sheep and oxen. Schndw. distinguishes between the sheep, which he assumes to have been kept in common to be slaughtered as food, and the oxen, which were gradually distributed as booty. That no such exact definition is intended here is proved by
supr. 25-7,
λείας ἁπάσας .. αὐτοῖς ποιμνίων ἐπιστάταις. The words
λείας ἄδαστα are added, to show that the act of Ajax would provoke the whole army to be enraged against him with one consent.
Cp. infr. 145-6, 408-9.
55.
mvp-comment-45-1
ἔκειρε is imperfect. The syllable
κειρ is echoed in
πολύκερων. The cognate accusative and hypallage together cannot be literally rendered in English. 'He made bloody havoc with the horned multitude, felling them on all sides of him.'
57.
mvp-comment-46-1
ἔχων] ‘Having them in his power.'
μέν (l. 56) with
δέ in l. 59, contrasts the belief of Ajax with the reality described in 59, 60. Or, possibly (2)
μέν points forward to a
dé which is lost in l. 58, 1.ε.
ἐστὶ μὲν .. ἐστὶ δὲ ..
Cp. Ant. 165-7,
τοῦτο μὲν .. τοῦτ᾽ αὖθις.
58.
mvp-comment-47-1
i.e.
ἔσθ' ὅτε ἐδόκει κτείνειν ἄλλους τῶν στρατηλατῶν, ἄλλοτε ἄλλον, ('somebody else, now one and now another,')
ἐμπίτνων, sc.
τῇ ἀγέλῃ.
59-60.
mvp-comment-48-1
(1) And as the man ranged to and fro, I urged him with maddening frenzy, and drave him into the evil net;' or (2), construing
μανιάσιν νόσοις with
φοιτώντα, ‘As he bounded to and fro in frenzy, I urged and drave him,' etc. In the latter case the expression is proleptic. The Scholion
οι ἕρκη, εἰς ἐρινῦν κακήν, perhaps conceals a v. r.
eἰς ἄρκυν κακήν. But
cp. Od. 21. 238, 384,
ἀνδρῶν ἡμετέροισιν ἐν ἕρκεσι.
61.
mvp-comment-49-1
'And then, when he had remission of this toil.'
πόνου, the more general word, is better than
φόνου, which is tautological.
πόνου in connection with the preceding words, implies that the vain task was imposed on Ajax by the will of Athena.
63.
mvp-comment-50-1
ποίμνας τε πάσας] When the chief of the flock were bound and dragged away, the rest would follow.
Cp. infr. 296.
64.
mvp-comment-51-1
εὔκερων] This epithet applies to the sheep as well as to the kine.
65.
mvp-comment-52-1
συνδέτους is rather 'tied together' than bound hand and foot.'
66.
mvp-comment-53-1
(1) 'Come, I will show thee this affliction in full sight.'
περιφανή predicative. Or (2), taking the word attributively, 'this signal frenzy.'
Cp. infr. 81 and note,
infr. 229.
67.
mvp-comment-54-1
ὡς .. θροῇς]· That you may noise it abroad.'
Cp. infr. 149,
εἰς ὦτα φέρει πᾶσιν Ὀδυσσεύς.
68.
mvp-comment-55-1
συμφορὰν δέχου τὸν ἄνδρα] 'Look for his coming as a misfortune:' sc.
ὡς συμφοράν.
Cp. Ο. C. 142,
μή μ', ἱκετεύω, προσίδητ᾽ ἄνομον. And see E. on L. § 39. p. 73.
69-70.
mvp-comment-56-1
ὀμμάτων .. εἰσιδεῖν] I will divert the effluence of his eyes, and debar them from the sight of you.'
ἀποστρόφους is predicative: i.e.
ἀποστρέφουσα αὐτάς. On the ancient theory of vision and its effect on language, see E. on L. $ 54. p. 99.
μή is omitted after
εἴργω, as after
κωλύω: i.e.
τὸ μὴ εἰσιδεῖν νιν σὴν πρόσοψιν, ‘I will turn away the light of his eyes, so that your form shall be invisible to him.'
Cp. Phil. 1407,
εἴρξω πελάζειν.
71.
mvp-comment-57-1
Athena faces the tent and raises her voice.
72.
mvp-comment-58-1
ἀπευθύνοντα has been taken literally, 'to bind straight or fast.' But although the image of a constrained position is suggested by the word, it retains its more general meaning of 'reducing to order or subjection,' as in Eur. Bacch. 884-6,
ἀπευθύνει δὲ βροτῶν | τοὺς τ᾿ ἀγνωμοσύναν τιμῶντας καὶ μὴ τὰ θεῶν | αὔξοντας ξὺν μαινομένᾳ δόξα.
74.
mvp-comment-59-1
σφ', although omitted by L, is probably genuine.
75.
mvp-comment-60-1
μηδὲ δειλίαν ἀρεῖς] ‘And not give way to cowardice.' See E. on L. § 30. p. 52 d.
ἀρεῖ, which Schndw. and Dindorf prefer, would mean, 'Do not bring upon yourself the imputation of cowardice,' a less appropriate expression.
76.
mvp-comment-61-1
ἔνδον ἀρκείτω μένων] 'Enough that he is there, but let him not come forth.' E. on L. § 36. p. 63 а.
77.
mvp-comment-62-1
'For fear of what? Is he now for the first time a man?' Athena ironically rallies Odysseus on his fear of seeing the madman. As Odysseus presently finds, Ajax in his madness is to be pitied, not to be feared. For the emphatic
ἀνήρ,
cp. Ο. C. 393,
ὅτ' οὐκέτ᾽ εἰμί, τηνικαῦτ᾽ ἄρ᾽ εἴμ᾿ ἀνήρ ; Others take the words to mean, 'Up to this time was he not a (mortal) man?' in which is implied the thought, 'Is he more than a man now?' In either case the general meaning is, 'You used not to be afraid of him; why should you be so now?'
79.
mvp-comment-63-1
γελᾶν] The epexegetic infinitive follows the adjective
ἥδιστος, and
εἰς ἐχθρούς is to be taken both with
γέλως and
γελάν. 'Is not laughter pleasantest at foes?'
81.
mvp-comment-64-1
περιφανώς may be taken either with (1)
μεμηνότα, or (2) with
ἰδεῖν. Other uses of
περιφανῶς are in favour of (1).
81.
mvp-comment-64-2
the former (1), but it makes better sense to join the adverb here with the whole expression; i.e. not. 'You shrink from seeing a man who is clearly insane,' but, 'You shrink from seeing plainly a man's madness.'
Cp. infr. 229,
περίφαντος. The same meaning may be obtained, however, by supposing the adverb in (1) to be used proleptically, (3) 'You shrink from seeing a man's madness clearly shown.'
84.
mvp-comment-65-1
ὀφθαλμοῖς γε]
γε adds emphasis; i.e. though his mind is alienated, he surely has not changed eyes.
85.
mvp-comment-66-1
καὶ δεδορκότα)
καὶ = καίπερ.
Cp. Pind. Ol. 7. 55,
αἱ δὲ φρενῶν ταραχαὶ παρέπλαγξαν καὶ σοφόν.
86.
mvp-comment-67-1
μένταν] • Well, after all.'
μέντοι admits and enforces the correcting statement, which it sets over against that which is corrected, viz. l. 84. For
γένοιτ' ἂν.. πᾶν,
cp. Hdt. 4. 195,
εἴη δ᾽ ἂν πᾶν.
88.
mvp-comment-68-1
μένοιμ' ἄν] I shall have to stay.
ἐκτός] 'Out of the way,' as in
ἐκτὸς κλαυμάτων, πημάτων ('out of harm's way'). See L. and S. s. v.
90.
mvp-comment-69-1
Athena affects to rally Ajax for disregarding her help on this occasion, as he had before scornfully rejected it.
Cp. infr. 774, 5. This helps to bring out his unconsciousness of her displeasure.
τῆς συμμάχου]
Cp. l. 60.
91.
mvp-comment-70-1
Ajax enters with the scourge in his hand. It is from this scene that the play takes its name of
Alaς μαστιγοφόρος. ll. 91-3 may be contrasted with 176 foll. Ajax is not by nature impious, although in the pride of his youth he may have been guilty of impiety; but he speaks to the goddess with the blunt familiarity of a comrade in arms.
καί in l. 92 has an encouraging, almost patronizing, sound.
93.
mvp-comment-71-1
στέψω] 'I will grace' or 'honour' thee.
94.
mvp-comment-72-1
ἐκεῖνο] 'That other thing.' For a similar emphatic use of the pronoun (with comic exaggeration),
cp. Aristoph. Nub. 655-7,
οὐ γάρ, ᾠζυρέ, τούτων ἐπιθυμῶ μανθάνειν οὐδέν. ΣΩ. τί δαί; | ΣΤ. ἐκεῖν ἐκεῖνο, τὸν ἀδικώτερον λόγον.
96.
mvp-comment-73-1
κόμπος πάρεστι] 'I am free to boast' (of that).
97.
mvp-comment-74-1
πρὸς ᾿Ατρείδαισιν ἤχμασας χέρα] 'Did you make an armed attack upon the Atreidae?' The construction with
πρός is continued from l. 95.
χέρα, ας
supr. 40, is cogn. accus. in the sense of 'a violent act.'
Cp. Trach. 355. Musgr. conj.
ήμαξας.
Cp. infr. 453. The use of
χέρα here as cogn. accus. without an epithet is somewhat singular.
98.
mvp-comment-75-1
οἵδ'] He believes them to be lying dead within the tent.
Cp. infr. 237 ff.
101.
mvp-comment-76-1
εἰεν, τί γὰρ δή] «Enough. For I would know.' She professes to turn her thoughts from the Atreidae to Odysseus, who is more interesting as the especial enemy of Ajax.
102.
mvp-comment-77-1
ποῦ σοι τύχης ἕστηκεν ;] · What have you done with him? Where stands he now?'
σοι implies that Odysseus is in Ajax' power.
103.
mvp-comment-78-1
τοὐπίτριπτον κίναδος] «The accursed fox.' The verbal, by a sort of prolepsis, expresses what ought to be.
Cp. the Homeric
οὐλόμενος. -The fox is at once noxious and cunning.
