Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 141

mvp-comment-415-1 οὐ τὸν ¹

mvp-comment-415-2 πρόμον ²

mvp-comment-416-1 ὅ τι πύματόν ³ ὀλοίμαν ⁴

mvp-comment-417-1 τὰ δ’—σφῷν ⁵ τὰ δ’ ⁶ γᾶ φθίνουσα ⁷ τάδ’ ⁸

mvp-comment-417-2 προσάψει ⁹ τὰ δ’ ¹⁰

mvp-comment-418-1 ὁ δ’ οὖν ¹¹

mvp-comment-419-1 ἐλεινόν ¹²

mvp-comment-419-2 στυγήσεται ¹³

mvp-comment-420-1 στυγνὸς … περάσῃς ¹⁴

mvp-comment-420-2 βαρὺς ¹⁵

mvp-comment-420-3 περάσῃς ¹⁶

mvp-comment-420-4 θυμοῦ ¹⁷ μὲν ¹⁸ δὲ ¹⁹

mvp-comment-421-1 ἀγνῶτος ²⁰

mvp-comment-421-2 ἐν δὲ τοῖσδ’ ἴσος· ἐν ²¹

mvp-comment-421-3 ἴσος ²²

mvp-comment-422-1 Creon leaves the scene. The Chorus wish Iocasta to withdraw Oedipus also, that he may be soothed in the house: but she wishes first to learn how the dispute began.

660. mvp-comment-386-1 οὐ τόν Cp. 1088, Ant. 758, Ε1. 1063, 1239, Eur. Ion 870.

660. mvp-comment-386-2 πρόμον Foremost of the hosts of heaven. It is not easy to say in what sense the sun is spoken of as first or foremost. He is invoked as the god who brings all things to light (Hymn. Hom. Dem. 62, θεῶν σκοπὸν ἠδὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν: Il. 3.277, Ἠέλιός θ᾽, ὃς πάντ᾽ ἐφορᾶς καὶ πάντ᾽ ἐπακούεις), and with reference to the intention of the person speaking, may be regarded as first of Gods; i. e. the author of light and illumination in all things. Cp. O. C. 868-870, ὁ πάντα λεύσσων “Ἥλιος δοίη βίον, κ.τ.λ. Or he is imagined as the vanguard of Heaven, standing before the rest as the champion. Welcker compares Fr. 875, Ἠέ- λιος οἰκτείρειέ με, | ὃν οἱ σοφοὶ λέγουσι γεννητὴν θεῶν | καὶ πατέρα πάντων. But this is a philosophical conceit, which could not properly find place here.

661. mvp-comment-387-1 ὅ τι πύματον i. e. as the Scholiast explains, ἀπώλειαν ἥτις ἐσχάτη. Cp. supr. 344. For πύματον, cp. O. С. 1235, ἐπιλέλογχε πύματον.

665. mvp-comment-388-1 φθίνουσα here does not correspond with the line 694 in the antistrophe. Dindorf has therefore proposed to read φθινάς for φθίνουσα. But as a still slighter alteration in the antistrophe, πόνοισι for πόνοις, reconciles the two lines, it has been adopted. For the combination of cretic and trochaic metre, cp. 1. 651. καὶ in 666 is against metre.

667. mvp-comment-389-1 προσάψει Sc. γᾶ. If she is to add to her former evils these which come from you. Cp. Eur. Med. 78, εἰ κακὸν προσοίσομεν νέον παλαιῷ. Ε. on L. p. 52.

672. mvp-comment-390-1 ἐλεινόν Which does move me. The adjective is so placed, with pathos, in order to increase the antithesis to what follows. Essay on Language § 23. p. 37.

673. mvp-comment-391-1 You show yourself to be sullen in yielding. ὤν is dropped dropped or absorbed in the participle. στυγνός echoes στυγήσεται and has a neuter meaning = tristis, morose.

673. mvp-comment-391-2 βαρὺς δ', ὅταν θυμοῦ περάσῃς And intolerable when you exceed in wrath. θυμοῦ is genitive of place, like σοφίας in πόρρω σοφίας ἐλαύνειν (Plat. Crat. 410 E). Essay on Language p 16, 3, d. βαρύς expresses the something dangerous in a passionate man. Cp. 546, Ant. 767, νοῦς δ᾽ ἐστὶ τηλικοῦτος ἀλγήσας βαρύς. The other explanation: You are dangerous even when you come to an end of your wrath (ὅταν ἐπὶ πέρας ἔλθῃς τῆς ὀργῆς Schol.)-is objectionable on two grounds-(1) because presenting a mere repetition under the form of antithesis; (2) because θυμοῦ περᾶν, in the sense of to pass out of anger, is too harsh for Sophocles. Also (3) because some Greek word is needed to give the sense of even. The use of περâν in either case is metaphorical. For περᾶν, to go far, cp. О. С. 155, περῖς γάρ, περᾷς.

674-675. mvp-comment-392-1 Nature justly ordains that such dispositions shall be most grievous to themselves, i. e. ἑαυταῖς μάλιστα ἀλγειναί.

676. mvp-comment-393-1 οὔκουν 'Will you not, then,'i. e. Since I am so disagreeable.

677. mvp-comment-394-1 ἀγνῶτος Without discernment. ἐν τοῖσδε] In their minds. Cp. Ant. 459, ἐν θεοῖσι τὴν δίκην δώσειν: ib. 925, εἰ τάδ᾽ ἐστὶν ἐν θεοῖς καλά.

677. mvp-comment-394-2 ἴσος Either (1) just (cp. Phil. 685, ἴσος ἔν γ᾽ ἴσοις ἀνήρ), or (2) ‘'as I was before,' = ἴσος καὶ πρὸ τοῦ, cp. supr. 53, ἴσος γενοῦ. (2) is best.