Oedipus Tyrannus. 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-423-1 μαθοῦσά γ’ 1
mvp-comment-424-1 δόκησις … λόγων 2 ἀγνὼς 3
mvp-comment-424-2 δάπτει δὲ 4 δὲ 5 καὶ 6
mvp-comment-424-3 δάπτει 7
mvp-comment-425-1 ἀμφοῖν ἀπ’ αὐτοῖν 8
mvp-comment-425-2 λόγος 9
mvp-comment-426-1 προπονουμένας 10
mvp-comment-427-1 The evasive answer of the Chorus has nettled Oedipus by implying that the blame was divided, and that both parties ought to be glad to forget it. He could never forget it (672).
mvp-comment-427-2 ὁρᾷς ἵν’ ἥκεις 11
mvp-comment-428-1 παριεὶς 12 τοὐμὸν κέαρ 13 καταμβλύνων 14 παριεὶς 15 τοὐμὸν 16 κέαρ 17
mvp-comment-429-1 ἐπὶ φρόνιμα 18
mvp-comment-430-1 πεφάνθαι ἂν 19 ἐνοσφιζόμαν 20
mvp-comment-431-1 ὅς τε 21 οὔρισας 22
mvp-comment-432-1 ἀλύουσαν 23
mvp-comment-433-1 ἂν γένοιο 24 εἰ δύναιο γενοῦ 25 εἰ δύνᾳ γενοῦ 26 εἰ δύναιο 27 δύνᾀ γενοῦ 28 εἰ δύναιο 29 εἰ γένοιο 30 ἂν γένοιο 31 εἰ δύναιο 32 ἂν γένοιο 33 εἰ δύναιο 34 εἶ τό γ’ ἔν σοι 35
mvp-comment-434-1 κἄμ’ 36
mvp-comment-434-2 ὅτου … πράγματος 37
mvp-comment-434-3 στήσας ἔχεις 38
mvp-comment-435-1 τῶνδ’ ἐς πλέον 39
mvp-comment-435-2 Κρέοντος 40
mvp-comment-435-3 βεβουλευκὼς 41
mvp-comment-436-1 λέγ’ 42 εἰ σαφῶς ἐρεῖς 43
mvp-comment-436-2 ἐγκαλεῖν νεῖκός 44
mvp-comment-437-1 αὐτὸς ξυνειδώς 45
mvp-comment-437-2 μὲν οὖν 46
mvp-comment-438-1 τό γ’ εἰς ἑαυτὸν 47 πᾶν ἐλευθεροῖ 48
mvp-comment-439-1 ἀφεὶς σεαυτόν 49
mvp-comment-440-1 μάθ’ 50
mvp-comment-440-2 σοι 51 ἐστὶν ἔχον 52 τέχνης 53 ἐστὶν ἔχον 54
mvp-comment-441-1 οὐκ ἐρῶ 55
mvp-comment-442-1 ἥξοι 56 αὐτὸν 57 ἥξοι 58
mvp-comment-443-1 ὅσεις γένοιτ’ 59
mvp-comment-444-1 ξένοι 60
mvp-comment-445-1 See on 733.
mvp-comment-446-1 διέσχον 61
mvp-comment-446-2 βλάστας 62 διέσχον 63
mvp-comment-447-1 καί 64
mvp-comment-447-2 ἄρθρα ποδοῖν 65 ἐνζεύξας 66
mvp-comment-448-1 εἰς ἄβατον ὄρος 67
mvp-comment-449-1 κἀνταῦθ’ 68
mvp-comment-450-1 It is more likely that, as our MSS. suggest, παθεῖν 69 θανεῖν 70
mvp-comment-451-1 τοιαῦτα … διώρισαν 71 φῆμαι 72
mvp-comment-452-1 ὧν χρείαν ἐρευνᾷ 73
mvp-comment-453-1 The mention of “ three roads” (716) has startled Oedipus. He now asks concerning (1) the place, (2) the time, (3) the person. The agreement of (1) with (2) dismays him; that of both with (3) flashes conviction to his mind.
mvp-comment-454-1 πλάνημα 74
mvp-comment-455-1 ποίας μερ. ὑποστρ. 75
mvp-comment-456-1 λήξαντ’ 76
mvp-comment-457-1 σχιστὴ δ’ ὁδός 77
mvp-comment-458-1 ταὐτὸ 78 ἀπὸ 79
mvp-comment-459-1 τοῖσδ’ 80
mvp-comment-460-1 σχεδόν τι πρόσθεν 81
mvp-comment-461-1 ὦ Ζεῦ 82
mvp-comment-462-1 ἐνθύμιον 83
mvp-comment-463-1 I do not believe that Soph., or any Greek, could have written φύσιν | τίν’ εἶχε, φράζε, τίνα δ’ ἀκμὴν ἥβης ἔχων 84 τίνος 85 τίνα δ’ 86
mvp-comment-464-1 χνοάζων λευκανθὲς κάρα 87
mvp-comment-465-1 τάλāς 88
mvp-comment-465-2 ἔοικα … οὐκ εἰδέναι 89
mvp-comment-466-1 καὶ μὴν 90
mvp-comment-466-2 ἃνδ’ 91
mvp-comment-467-1 βαιός 92
mvp-comment-468-1 λοχίτας 93
mvp-comment-469-1 κῆρυξ 94 ἀπήνη ἦγε μία 95 ἀπήνη 96
mvp-comment-470-1 Cp. 118. οἰκεύς 97
mvp-comment-471-1 ἦ καὶ 98
mvp-comment-472-1 The poet has neglected clearness on a minor point. The οἰκεύς— sole survivor of the four attendants—had fled back to Thebes with the news that Laius had been slain by robbers (118-123). This news came before the trouble with the Sphinx began: 126-131. And the play supposes an interval of at least several days between the death of Laius and the election of Oedipus: see on 736. Hence κεῖθεν ἦλθε καὶ … εἶδε cannot mean that the οἰκεύς, on reaching Thebes, found Oedipus already reigning. Nor can we suggest that he may have fled from the scene of the slaughter before he was sure that Laius had been killed: that is excluded by 123 and 737. Therefore we must understand:— “when he had come thence, and [ afterwards] found that not only was Laius dead, but you were his successor.” (For the parataxis σέ τε … Λάϊόν τε see on 673.) I incline to suspect, however, that Sophocles was here thinking of the man as coming back to find Oedipus already on the throne, and had overlooked the inconsistency. The conjecture Λαΐου τε δώματα for Λάϊόν τ’ ὀλωλότα (Wolff) would remove the difficulty, but seems very improbable.
mvp-comment-473-1 χειρὸς θιγὼν 99
mvp-comment-474-1 ἀγρούς 100
mvp-comment-474-2 νομάς 101
mvp-comment-475-1 τοῦδ’ ἄποπτος ἄστεως 102
mvp-comment-476-1 οἶ’ 103 οἷα 104 ἄξιος 105
mvp-comment-477-1 φέρειν 106
mvp-comment-478-1 πάρεστιν 107
mvp-comment-479-1 δῑ ἅ 108
mvp-comment-480-1 κἀγὼ 109 που 110
mvp-comment-480-2 ἐν σοὶ 111 ἐν 112
mvp-comment-481-1 ἐς τοσοῦτον ἐλπίδων 113
mvp-comment-482-1 μείζονι 114 καὶ 115 λέξαιμ’ ἂν· — 116
mvp-comment-483-1 ἰών 117
mvp-comment-484-1 The epithet “Dorian” carries honour: Meropee was of the ancient stock, claiming descent from Dorus son of Hellen, who settled in the region between Oeta and Parnassus. The Scholiast's comment, Πελοποννησιακή, forgets that the Theban story is laid in times before the Dorian conquest.
mvp-comment-485-1 πρίν μοι … ἐπέστη 118
mvp-comment-485-2 ἐπέστη 119
mvp-comment-486-1 ὑπερπλησθεὶς μέθῃ, 120
mvp-comment-487-1 παρ’ οἴνῳ 121
mvp-comment-487-2 πλαστὸς ὡς εἴην 122 καλεῖ με 123 πλαστὸς 124 πατρί 125
mvp-comment-488-1 κατέσχον 126
mvp-comment-489-1 τῷ μεθέντι 127 δυσφόρως τοὔνειδος ἦγον 128
mvp-comment-490-1 ὅμως δ’ 129
mvp-comment-491-1 ὑφεῖρπε γὰρ πολύ 130 πολύ 131
mvp-comment-492-1 ὦν ἱκόμην ἄτιμον 132
mvp-comment-493-1 προὔφηνεν 133 προὔφηνεν 134 προὐφάνη 135 προὐφάνη λέγων 136 προὔφηνεν 137
mvp-comment-494-1 γένος δ’ 138
mvp-comment-494-2 ὁρᾶν 139 ἄτλητον 140 δηλώσοιμ’ 141
mvp-comment-495-1 ἐπακούσας 142
mvp-comment-495-2 τὴν κορινθίαν 143 ἐκμετρούμενος 144 ἄστροις ἐκμετρούμενος 145 ἔφευγον 146 ἐκμετρ. 147 τὴν Κορ. χθόνα 148 τὴν Κορινθίαν 149 χθόνα 150
mvp-comment-496-1 ἔνθα 151 ἔφευγον 152 ὀψοίμην 153
mvp-comment-497-1 καί σοι … τριπλῆς 154
mvp-comment-498-1 κῆρυξ τε 155 κῆρύξ τε 156
mvp-comment-499-1 ἀπήνης 157
mvp-comment-499-2 οἶον 158
mvp-comment-500-1 The κῆρυξ 159 ἡγεμών 160 τροχηλάτης 161 ἡγεμών 162 ἠλαυνέτην 163 πρὸς βίαν 164 τροχηλάτης 165 ἐκτρέποντα 166
mvp-comment-501-1 ὄχου 167 μέσον κάρα 168 ὄχου 169
mvp-comment-501-2 τηρήσας 170
mvp-comment-502-1 καθίκετο 171 μου 172 μέσον κάρα 173
mvp-comment-502-2 διπλοῖς κέντροισι 174
mvp-comment-503-1 οὐ μὴν ἴσην γ’ 175
mvp-comment-503-2 ἔτεισεν 176
mvp-comment-503-3 συντόμως 177
mvp-comment-504-1 μέσης 178
mvp-comment-505-1 εἰ συγγενές τι τῷ Λαΐῳ 179 τι 180 συγγενές 181
mvp-comment-506-1 δν … τινι 182
mvp-comment-507-1 μηδὲ … τινα 183 ἔξεστι 184
mvp-comment-507-2 ὠθεῖν δ’ 185
mvp-comment-507-3 καὶ τάδ’ 186 τάδε 187
mvp-comment-508-1 ἐν χεροῖν 188
mvp-comment-509-1 ἆρ’—ἆρ’ οὐχὶ 189 ἆρα 190 ἆρ’ οὐχὶ 191
mvp-comment-510-1 Πόλυβον 192
mvp-comment-511-1 ἐπ’ ἀνδρὶ τῷδε 193 ὀρθοίη λόγον 194
mvp-comment-512-1 τοιάνδε 195
mvp-comment-512-2 κηλῖδα 196 συμφορᾶς 197
mvp-comment-513-1 δ’ οὖν 198
mvp-comment-514-1 τοῦ παρόντος 199
mvp-comment-515-1 τῆς ἐλπίδος 200
mvp-comment-516-1 πεφασμένου 201
mvp-comment-517-1 πάθος 202 ἄγος 203 πάθος 204
mvp-comment-518-1 περισσόν 205
mvp-comment-519-1 τὸν αὐτὸν ἀριθμόν 206
mvp-comment-519-2 ἴσος 207 τοῖς πολλοῖς 208
mvp-comment-520-1 οἰόζωνον 209 οἰόζωνος 210
mvp-comment-521-1 εἰς ἐμὲ ῥέπον 211
mvp-comment-522-1 ἐπίστασο φανὲν τοὔπος ὦδε 212 ἐπίστασο ὡς φανὲν τοὔπος ὧδε 213 ὡς 214 ἐπίστασο 215
mvp-comment-523-1 ἐκβαλεῖν 216
mvp-comment-524-1 εἰ κἀκτρέποιτο 217
mvp-comment-525-1 τόν γε Λαΐου φόνον 218 σόν 219 γε 220
mvp-comment-526-1 δικαίως ὀρθόν 221 ὀρθόν 222
mvp-comment-526-2 λοξίας 223
mvp-comment-527-1 διεῖπε 224
mvp-comment-528-1 οὔτε τῇδε—οὔτε τῇδε 225
mvp-comment-528-2 μαντείας γ’ … οὕνεκα 226
mvp-comment-529-1 καλῶς νομίζεις 227
mvp-comment-529-2 στελοῦντα 228
mvp-comment-530-1 γάρ 229 ἴωμεν 230 ἂν 231
mvp-comment-530-2 ὧν οὐ σοὶ φίλον 232
mvp-comment-531-1 εἴ μοι ξυνείη μοῖρα φέροντι 233 μοῖρα 234 ξυνείη 235 φέροντι 236 ἁγνείαν 237
mvp-comment-532-1 εὔσεπτον 238
mvp-comment-533-1 ὧν νόμοι πρόκεινται ὑψίπ. 239 νόμοι 240
mvp-comment-533-2 πρόκεινται 241
mvp-comment-534-1 οὐρανίαν δῑ αἰθέρα τεκνωθέντες 242 τεκνωθέντες 243 νόμοι 244 δῑ αἰθέρα 245 πατήρ 246
mvp-comment-534-2 αἰθέρα 247 οὐρανίαν αἰθέρα 248
mvp-comment-535-1 Ὄλυμπος 249
mvp-comment-536-1 ἔτικτεν 250
mvp-comment-537-1 μέγας ἐν τούτοις θεός 251
mvp-comment-538-1 ὕβρις 252
mvp-comment-538-2 τύραννον 253
mvp-comment-539-1
εἰ … ὑπερπλησθῇ:
Plat. Rep. 573c
τυραννικὸς δὲ … ἀνὴρ ἀκριβῶς γίγνεται, ὅταν ἢ φύσει ἢ ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἢ ἀμφοτέροις μεθυστικός τε καὶ ἐρωτικὸς καὶ μελαγχολικὸς γένηται. For
εἰ with subj., see on 198.
mvp-comment-539-2 ἃ μή 254
mvp-comment-540-1 The reading of all the MSS., ἀκροτάταν εἰσαναβᾶσ’ 255 ἀκρότατα γεῖσ’ ἀναβᾶσ’ 256 γ 257 ν 258
mvp-comment-540-2 γεῖσα 259
mvp-comment-541-1 With the MS. ἀπότομον ὤρουσεν εἰς ἀνάγκαν 260 ἀποτμοτάταν 261
mvp-comment-541-2 ὤρουσεν 262
mvp-comment-541-3 ἀνάγκαν 263
mvp-comment-542-1 χρησίμῳ … χρῆται 264
mvp-comment-543-1 τὸ καλῶς δ’ ἔχον 265
mvp-comment-544-1 πάλαισμα 266
mvp-comment-545-1 προστάταν 267
mvp-comment-545-2 ὑπέροπτα 268
mvp-comment-545-3 χερσὶν 269
mvp-comment-546-1 Δίκας ἀφόβητος 270
mvp-comment-547-1 ἕδη 271
mvp-comment-548-1 δυσπότμου 272
mvp-comment-549-1 τῶν ἀσέπτων 273
mvp-comment-549-2 ἔρξεται 274
mvp-comment-550-1 θίξεται 275
mvp-comment-551-1 τίς ἔτι ποτ’ … ἀμύνειν; 276 ἀμύνειν 277 ἐν τοῖσδ’ 278
mvp-comment-552-1 θεῶν βέλη 279 θυμοῦ βέλη 280 βέλη 281
mvp-comment-553-1 εὔξεται 282 ἔρξεται 283 ἔρξεται 284 εὔξεται 285
mvp-comment-554-1 χορεύειν 286
mvp-comment-555-1 ἄθικτον 287
mvp-comment-555-2 ὀμφαλόν 288
mvp-comment-556-1 τὸν Ἀβαῖσι ναόν 289
mvp-comment-557-1 τὰν Ὀλυμπίαν 290
mvp-comment-558-1 εἰ μὴ τάδε ἁρμόσει 291 χειρόδεικτα πᾶσιν βροτοῖς 292 χειρόδ 293
mvp-comment-559-1 ἀκούεις 294
mvp-comment-560-1 The subject to λάθοι 295 τάδε 296
mvp-comment-561-1 After φθίνοντα γὰρ Λαΐου 297 παλαίφατα 298 φθίνοντα 299 Λαΐου 300
mvp-comment-562-1 ἐξαιροῦσιν 301 ἐξαιρουσιν 302 φθίνοντα 303
mvp-comment-563-1 τιμαῖς … ἐμφανής 304
mvp-comment-564-1 τὰ θεῖα 305
mvp-comment-565-1 Iocasta comes forth, bearing a branch (ἱκετηρίἀ, wreathed with festoons of wool (στέφἠ, which, as a suppliant, she is about to lay on the altar of the household god, Apollo Λύκειος, in front of the palace. The state of Oedipus frightens her. His mind has been growing more and more excited. It is not that she herself has much fear for the future. What alarms her is to see “the pilot of the ship” (923) thus unnerved. Though she can believe no longer in human μαντική, she has never ceased to revere the gods (708); and to them she turns for help in her need.
mvp-comment-566-1 ναοὺς δαιμόνων 306
mvp-comment-567-1 στέφη 307
mvp-comment-567-2 ἐπιθυμιάματα 308
mvp-comment-568-1 τὰ καινὰ 309 τοῖς πάλαι 310
mvp-comment-569-1 τοῦ λέγοντος 311
mvp-comment-570-1 ὅτε 312
mvp-comment-571-1 Λύκεῑ Ἄπολλον 313
mvp-comment-572-1 κατεύγμασιν 314 κατάργμασιν 315
mvp-comment-573-1 λύσιν … εὐαγῆ 316
mvp-comment-574-1 ὡς κυβερνήτην νεώς 317
mvp-comment-575-1 When the messenger arrives, Iocasta's prayer seems to have been immediately answered by a λύσις εὐαγής (921), as regards part at least of the threatened doom, though at the cost of the oracle's credit.
mvp-comment-576-1 μάλιστα 318
mvp-comment-577-1 γυνὴ δέ 319
mvp-comment-578-1 παντελής 320
mvp-comment-579-1 αὔτως 321
mvp-comment-580-1 εὐεπείας 322
mvp-comment-581-1 παρὰ τίνος 323
mvp-comment-582-1 τὸ δ’ ἔπος 324
mvp-comment-583-1 ἀσχάλλοις 325
mvp-comment-584-1 ἐγκρατὴς 326
mvp-comment-585-1 A defective verse, πῶς εἶπας; ἦ τέθνηκε πόλυβος; 327 γέρων 328 γέρον 329 ἦ τέθνηκεν Οἰδίπου πατήρ; 330 Πόλυβος 331
mvp-comment-586-1 ὦ θεῶν μαντεύματα 332
mvp-comment-587-1 ἵν’ ἐστέ· ἵνα 333
mvp-comment-587-2 τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα … τρέμων ἔφευγε 334 μὴ κτάνοι 335
mvp-comment-588-1 πρὸς τῆς τύχης 336
mvp-comment-589-1 ἐξεπέμψω 337
mvp-comment-590-1 τί μοι λέγει; 338
mvp-comment-591-1 ὡς 339
680. mvp-comment-395-1 μαθοῦσά γ'.. τύχη Sc. ἐσκομιῶ αὐτόν. I will do so when I hear what has happened. Cp. Plat. Phaedr. 228 D, δείξας γε πρῶτον, ὦ φιλότης, κ.τ.λ. ..
681. mvp-comment-396-1 δόκησις λόγων Α vague suspicion arose in talk.' λόγων, a descriptive genitive, arising out of, connected with. ἀγνώς] = ἄνευ γνώσεως, Without knowledge. δάπτει δέ καί implies There was a vague suspicion, which, although unjust, nevertheless stings. Schol. κἂν τὸ συνειδὸς ἐρρωμένον ἡ. For δάπτει, cp. Od. 16. 92, καταδάπτετ᾿ ἀκούοντος φίλον ἦτορ: Pind. Nem. 8. 23.
682. mvp-comment-397-1 ἀμφοῖν ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῖν Sc. ἦλθε;
682. mvp-comment-397-2 καὶ τίς ἦν λόγος And what was in dispute? 684. This line is divided like 655, to which it is antistrophic.
686. mvp-comment-398-1 αὐτοῦ μένειν That the dispute should remain where it is, an evasive answer. The v. rr. here are curious.
687-688. mvp-comment-399-1 Do you see what you have come to, honest man as you are, in trying to assuage and blunt my wrath?" I.e. Do you see in what a dilemma your well meant intercession has placed you? You are pressed to rehearse the charge against me, which you durst not support, but which you would not allow me to repel.
687-688. mvp-comment-399-2 παριείς Endeavouring to slacken or divert. Cp. Eur. Cycl. 310, πάρες τὸ μάργον σῆς γνάθου. Cp. also the use of the passive voice in El. 545, παίδων πόθος παρεῖτο. The chorus again earnestly disclaim the imputation of disloyalty. My king, I have said it not once alone, but let me assure thee, that I were clearly insensate, void of wisdom, to cast off thee, who gavest good speed to my dear land, when distraught with miseries, and now, too, if thou canst, be our good guide.
691. mvp-comment-400-1 εἰ . . νοσφίζομαι Το desert thee, lit. to put thee from me. The present indicative with ei, by representing the supposed case as actual, adds emphasis. Cp. the use of the present for the future. And see Essay on Language § 28. p. 46. Herm. conjectured σ᾽ ἐνοσφιζόμαν.
695. mvp-comment-401-1 ἀλύουσαν =' At her wit's end,' has been plausibly but unnecessarily changed to σαλεύουσαν.
695. mvp-comment-401-2 κατ᾿ ὀρθὸν οὔρισας Didst speed on her right course. The image is rather that of a breeze, or of a favouring deity, than of a good pilot. For τε followed by δé, see Essay on Language p. 65. Others read ὅστ' in 694.
696. mvp-comment-402-1 εἰ δύναιο The reading is not certain; but, for the ellipse of the imperative of εἰμί or γίγνομαι in supplication, see Essay on Language § 39. p. 72. Ср. Ο. C. 1480, ἵλαος, ὦ δαίμων, ἵλαος : El. 1434, τάδ᾽ ὡς πάλιν.
698. mvp-comment-403-1 καμ i. e. Let not me be ignorant of what the elders know.
698. mvp-comment-403-2 ὅτου .. πράγματος] For what reason. For the separation of the words, giving emphasis to the interrogative, cp. Phil. 598-599, τίνος δ' Ἀτρείδαι τοῦδ᾽ ἄγαν οὕτω χρόνῳ | τοσῷδ᾽ ἐπεστρέφοντο πράγματος χάριν ;
699. mvp-comment-404-1 μῆνιν.. στήσας Cp. Phil. 1263, τίς αὖ παρ᾿ ἄντροις θόρυβος ἵσταται βοῆς;
700. mvp-comment-405-1 ἐς πλέον Lit. To a greater amount, i.e. more. As he turned from 02 Creon to the chorus l. 671, so now being angry with them he turns gladly to Jocasta. With equal impetuosity he breaks away from her, infr. 1078. ..
701. mvp-comment-406-1 Κρέοντος Answering ὅτου πράγματος, and therefore in the same case, but with a slightly different force. It is about Creon. For a similar pendent genitive, cp. Αj. 771, δίας Ἀθάνας ἡνίκ᾽ ὀτρύνουσά νιν, κ.τ.λ.: ib. 792.
702. mvp-comment-407-1 Speak, if in making the charge, you will tell plainly the cause of quarrel.' τὸ νεῖκος is governed κατὰ σύνεσιν by ἐγκαλῶν, which implies φράζων. Jocasta expresses her impatience at being kept in uncertainty.
704. mvp-comment-408-1 αὐτὸς ξυνειδώς Was he himself in the secret? Cp. supr. 330.
705. mvp-comment-409-1 'Neither' (μὲν οὖν) : (he has fastened the charge on me) by bringing in a rascally prophet. 706. (1) As to what affects himself he keeps his utterance wholly free; i. e. He will not commit himself in a word.
705. mvp-comment-409-2 ἐλευθεροῖ, according to this interpretation, not acquits,' excuses, but = keeps out of reach of blame, ἔξω βαρείας αἰτίας ἐλεύθερον, Ant. 445; Aesch. Eum. 175, οὔποτ᾽ ἐλευθεροῦται. πᾶν is adverbial as in Aj. 275, λύπῃ πᾶς ἐλήλαται. Or (2) τό γ᾽ εἰς ἑαυτόν may be the direct accusative and πᾶν στόμα adverbial. He uses all his power of speech to free his own actions from blame. Cp. El. 596-597, ἢ πᾶσαν ἵης γλῶσσαν, ὡς τὴν μητέρα | κακοστομοῦμεν. The former explanation is more in accordance with usage.
707. mvp-comment-410-1 ὧν λέγεις πέρι = περὶ τούτων ὧν λέγεις, Relieving your mind on the subject of which you speak. The simple genitive would have been enough: cp. Hdt. 4. 157, οὐ γὰρ δή σφεας ἀπίει ὁ θεὸς τῆς ἀποικίης, But περί is added pleonastically.
708. mvp-comment-411-1 The reading of M., ἐμοῦ τ' ἄκουσον, deserves notice. For σοι, see Essay on Language p. 19.
708. mvp-comment-411-2 ἐστὶ .. ἔχον 'Nothing in the life of mortals has anything to do with prophetic art. For this rare use of the active voice of ἔχω, cp. esp. Hdt. 3. 128, γραψάμενος πολλά, καὶ περὶ πολλῶν ἔχοντα πρηγμάτων: Aesch. Eum. 445. 6, οὐδ᾽ ἔχει μύσος πρὸς χειρὶ τὴμῇ (?). The middle voice has this meaning, e.g. in Il. 9.102, σέο δ᾽ ἔξεται ὅττι κεν ἄρχῃ. For the active in place of middle, see Essay on Language pp. 51, 98. This interpretation alone suits the context; the other possible explanation, No mortal creature has any share in the prophetic art (which has led to the conjecture λαχόν), might agree with the temper of the chorus (499, foll.), but not with that of Jocasta, who is rejecting all prophecies alike, though she makes the slight admission in 711-712, οὐκ ἐρῶ Φοίβου γ᾿ ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Cp., however, Hdt. 2. 83. Μαντικὴ δὲ αὐτοῖσι ὧδε διακέεται· ἀνθρώπων μὲν οὐδενὶ προσκέεται ἡ τέχνη, τῶν δὲ θεῶν μετεξετέροισι.
713. mvp-comment-412-1 ἥξοι Cp. О. С. 1472-1473, ἥκει τῷδ᾽ ἐπ᾿ ἀνδρὶ θέσφατος βίου τελευτή: Αj. 186, ἥκοι γὰρ ἂν θεία νόσος: ib. 278, 9, μὴ ἐκ θεοῦ πληγή τις ἥκῃ. The accusative is justified by the general meaning of the sentence and by the infinitive, of which it is partly the subject. The conjecture ἕξοι is suggested by Phil. 331, ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἔσχε μοῖρ᾽ Ἀχιλλέα θανεῖν, but is less pointed here.
715. mvp-comment-413-1 ξένοι i. e. Not only not his offspring, but of a different race, as coming not from Thebes but from the opposite direction (734). Cp. supr. 122 foll.
716. mvp-comment-414-1 ἐν τριπλαῖς ἁμαξιτοῖς These words, which give Oedipus the first suspicion of the truth (see 750), are intended by Jocasta to show the fortuitous nature of the occurrence.
717-718. mvp-comment-415-1 But as to the child that was born, three days had not intervened, when he tied its feet together and cast it by the hands of others upon a trackless mountain.' It is uncertain whether διέσχον is intransitive or active. In the latter case the word may be taken (1) in the sense of 'divided the day of the child's birth' from his death, i. e. τὸν παῖδα γιγνόμενον καὶ ἀποθνήσκοντα, (Hdt. 9. 51, διέχων ἀπ᾿ ἀλλήλων τὰ ῥέεθρα). Three days did not divide the birth of the child from-what followed. Cp. the Latin, Nec longum tempus et...: or, (2) not three days continued the growth of the child. Cp.
717-718. mvp-comment-415-2 διεγένετο in Thuc. 5. 16. Otherwise (3) taking βλάστας as a pendent accusative. But as for the growth of the child, three days had not fully passed. (2) is best.
718. mvp-comment-416-1 καί Temporal = when.
719. mvp-comment-417-1 εἰς ἄβατον ὄρος An undivided tribrach occurs again in 826, πατέρα κατακτανεῖν : 1496, τὸν πατέρα πατήρ: Aj. 459, καὶ πεδία τάδε. Hence the metrical rhythm is defensible, while the natural rhythm of the words is rather injured by transposing to ἄβατον εἰς ὄρος.
720. mvp-comment-418-1 ἤνυσεν ·Made good his prophecy.'
722. mvp-comment-419-1 τὸ δεινόν Accus. in apposition with θανεῖν, governed by ἤνυσεν. There is no reason for preferring παθεῖν. The words of the prophecy are repeated. Cp. О. С. 970, πρὸς παίδων θανεῖν.
723. mvp-comment-420-1 τοιαῦτα So futile have been the determinations of prophecy.
724. mvp-comment-421-1 ὧν.. χρείαν ἐρευνᾷ Of whatsoever things God searcheth out the use,' i.e. ὧν χρείαν ἔχων (χρήζων), ἐρευνᾷ αὐτά. For what God needs to search out, he will easily bring to light without our help. (Cp. Shak. Macb. 1. 3, If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, Without my stir.) Jocasta in renouncing prophecy unconsciously expresses the exact truth. Apollo is already working out his purpose, and vindicating the power of his prophet. Cp. 1. 747.
726-727. mvp-comment-422-1 What distraction and perturbation of soul possesses me, my queen, on hearing the words you have just uttered!
728. mvp-comment-423-1 Of what nature is the anxiety which alters your tone and makes you say this? The genitive is causal. Cp. Aj. 1116, τοῦ δὲ σοῦ ψόφου | οὐκ ἂν στραφείην. The verb is used metaphorically to express Oedipus' sudden change of mood from 705-706 supr. Others explain it to mean a change of gesture merely.
731. mvp-comment-424-1 Such was the rumour, which has not yet died away.' O. C. 517, τό τοι πολὺ καὶ μηδαμὰ λῆγον.
732. mvp-comment-425-1 οὗτος refers to the words ἐν τριπλαῖς ἁμαξιτοῖς, supr. 761, which have brought the image of the place vividly before the mind of Oedipus.
734. mvp-comment-426-1 I. e. The two roads from Delphi and Daulia meet there.
735. mvp-comment-427-1 τοῖσδ' Since these things happened. For the dative, cp. Hdt. 2. 145, Ἡρακλέϊ ὅσα φασὶ εἶναι ἔτεα ἐς Ἄμασιν βασιλέα: ib. 13: Thuc. 1. 13, 4, ἔτη δὲ μάλιστα καὶ ταύτῃ ἑξήκοντα καὶ διακόσιά ἐστι μέχρι τοῦ αὐτοῦ χρόνου: ib. 3. 29.
736. mvp-comment-428-1 I. e. The announcement was publicly made, just before your elevation to the sovereignty of this land.
738. mvp-comment-429-1 The absence of caesura gives this line the effect of an agonized, convulsive utterance.
739. mvp-comment-430-1 Why do you take this to heart?' i.e. Why are you apprehensive that Zeus has some design against you? Cp. Hdt. 7. 37, ἰδύντι .. τοῦτο τῷ Ξέρξῃ ἐπιμελὲς ἐγένετο : Thuc. 5. 16, ἐς ἐνθυμίαν ..προβαλλόμενος.
740-741. mvp-comment-431-1 τὸν. . ἔχων But say, what was the appearance of Laius, and what ripe stage of blooming life was his?
740-741. mvp-comment-431-2 φύσιν Appearance. Cp. Aesch. Suppl. 496, Ar. Vesp. 1071.
740-741. mvp-comment-431-3 τίνα ἀκμὴν ἤβης ἔχων For the irregular construction, -ἔχων (sc. ἦν) corresponding to εἶχε,-cp. Hdt. 8. 38, μέζονας ἢ κατὰ ἀνθρώπων φύσιν ἔχοντας. The participle is added, if φύσιν τίν' εἶχε were τίς ἣν φύσιν;
740-741. mvp-comment-431-4 ἥβη is used not only of early manhood but of youthful vigour in more advanced age. Od. 16. 174. For this idea cp. Aesch. S. c. Τ. 11, 12, καὶ τὸν ἔξηβον χρόνῳ | βλαστημὸν ἀλδαίνοντα σώματος πολύν. Shak. Ant. and Cleo. 4. 8, Though grey Do something mingle with our younger brown, yet ha we A brain that nourishes our nerves, and can Get goal for goal of youth. ἀκμὴν ἥβης is a courteous expression, softening the abruptness of the inquiry.
742. mvp-comment-432-1 The white locks were just beginning to grow.' χνοάζω is usually applied to the first appearance of the beard in youth; here, to the first sprinkling of grey, as a sign of advancing age. Cp. Hom. Od. 6. 226, where the sprinkling of salt on the hair of Ulysses from the sea spray is called χνοῦς, -ἐκ κεφαλῆς δ᾽ ἔσμηχεν ἁλὸς χνόον ἀτρυγέτοιο. And for λευκανθές, which is proleptic = ὥστε λευκανθὲς εἶναι, cp. Hdt. 8. 27, where λευκανθίζειν is used of men who have been whitened with chalk.
744. mvp-comment-433-1 The natural answer of Jocasta is at the same time an obscure intimation of the likeness of the father to the son.
745. mvp-comment-434-1 'That I have just been unwittingly making myself the object of a terrible curse; i. e. οὐκ εἰδὼς προβάλλειν. Essay on Language § 42. p. 80.
746. mvp-comment-435-1 Jocasta is seized with a vague horror on hearing the words of Oedipus and seeing his gesture.
747. mvp-comment-436-1 I am terribly afraid that the prophet may be the reverse of blind." Cp. 371, τυφλὸς τὰ τ᾽ ὦτα τόν τε νοῦν τὰ τ᾿ ὄμματ' εἶ.
749. mvp-comment-437-1 ἂν δ' is preferred on metrical grounds; but cp. 537, 768, 937. The accus. is governed both by μαθοῦσα and ἐρῶ.
749. mvp-comment-437-2 μαθοῦσα When I understand what it is you ask.
750. mvp-comment-438-1 βαιός With a scanty following. Cp. 179, ἀνάριθμος, and note. Essay on Language § 23. p. 39.
752. mvp-comment-439-1 ἐν δ᾽ αὐτοῖσιν ἦν κῆρυξ This is one of the circumstances which Oedipus identifies, infr. 1. 802.
753. mvp-comment-440-1 There was one vehicle, in which Laius rode. The reading μόνον is plausible, but untrue.
754. mvp-comment-441-1 τάδ᾽ ἤδη διαφανή It is quite clear now. Oedipus rushes at once to the extreme of fear, as he presently rises to the extreme of confidence again. In his excitement he is moved to and fro by the lightest breath.
755. mvp-comment-442-1 ὑμῖν Plural, because the rumour is the same of which the Theban elders had spoken, supr. 1. 292.
756. mvp-comment-443-1 οἰκεύς Probably = οἰκέτης, 'α household slave;' but according to Eustathius 1423-1424, = ὁ οἰκογενὴς οἰκέτης. The distinction would hold in the present case (1123), but is probably only a fancy of grammarians in order to account for the two forms.
761. mvp-comment-444-1 ἀγρούς Accusative of the place whither. ἐπί is added for variety with the second word, but is not necessary to the construction of ἀγρούς. See Essay on Language § 16. p. 22.
762. mvp-comment-445-1 τοῦδ᾽ ἄποπτος ἄστεως So as he might be furthest removed from sight of this city. For the genitive = from,' assisted by ἀπό in comp., see Essay on Language § 7. p. 11. ἄποπτος = away from sight of: away from seeing, rather than merely away from. Essay on Language § 23. p. 38. The urgency of the request (ἐξικέτευσε, see Essay on Language $ 55. 1, p. 101), though seeming to Jocasta to arise simply from affection for Laius, is to be accounted for by the οἰκεύς having recognized Oedipus as the murderer. This also helps to account for his expression of horror in 1146, οὐκ εἰς ὅλεθρον ;
763. mvp-comment-446-1 ὥς γ᾽ ἀνὴρ δοῦλος For a servant. The interpretation of the Scholiast (οἷον, τὸ αἴτημα οὐχ ὑπερέβαλεν δοῦλον) is equally consistent with of and ὥς γ'. The latter, however, is nearer to the MSS., and equally if not more suited to express the true meaning. Jocasta implies that his deserts towards her exceeded those of common service; thus unconsciously recalling the peculiar trust she had once reposed in him. Cp. 1. 1173, and see Arist. Poet. 1454. The readings ὃ δ' ἀνήρ, ὅδε γ᾽ ἀνήρ, also point to this: i.e. (1) ὥσγ', (2) ὅσγ', (3) ὅγ᾽, (4) ὅδ᾽, (5) ὅδε γ'. The way in which ἄξιοσ γάρ is written in L. (ἄξιο γάρ), shows how easily the might be lost.
766. mvp-comment-447-1 πάρεστιν 'You can have your wish: cp. O. C. 726: not He is already here, which would be inconsistent with the preceding lines and with ἴξεται following. The interpretation He is as good as here, i.e. he can be brought at once, is forced and unnecessary. The ambiguity is no objection to the reading.
767-768. mvp-comment-448-1 I fear that there are recent words of mine, too freely spoken, which make me wish to see him.' This refers to the curse. Cp infr. ll. 819-820. Others explain, I fear I have already said too plainly why I wish to see him, referring to supr. 703. But the form of expression δέδοικ᾿ ἐμαυτόν, κ.τ.λ. agrees better with the former interpretation.
770. mvp-comment-449-1 κἀγώ '1, too,' as well as yourself. The mixture of vehemence and affection in the character of Jocasta appears here and in ll. 697, 861, 2.
770. mvp-comment-449-2 τὰ γ᾽ ἐν σοὶ δυσφόρως ἔχοντ' Thy troubles. τὰ ἐν σοί, like τὰ ἐν πόλει, What is contained within the sphere of thy interests.' 771. And you shall not be denied, when I am in such a depth of suspense.' The idea of motion, which is almost lost in βεβῶτος, is revived in the construction with s. For the plural of ἐλπίς expressing uncertain presage, cp. 487, πέτομαι δ ἐλπίσιν. And for es τοσοῦτον with the genitive, cp. O. C. 748, ἐς τοσοῦτον αἰκίας πεσεῖν. Cp. infr. 914, ὑψοῦ γὰρ αἴρει θυμὸν Οἰδίπους ἄγαν.
772. mvp-comment-450-1 τῷ γὰρ ἂν καὶ μείζονι ‘For whom have I more worthy to whom I should speak in such a crisis of my fortunes?" καί as elsewhere in questions: Essay on Language § 25. 1, p. 42. For μείζονι = τιμιωτέρῳ, cp. Ant. 638, μείζων φέρεσθαι. This word has the chief emphasis. See Essay on Language §41. p. 77.
775. mvp-comment-451-1 ἠγόμην I was accounted. Cp. Ant. 34, 5, τὸ πρᾶγμ᾽ ἄγειν οὐχ ὡς παρ᾿ οὐδέν. Trag. adesp. Fr. 368, ἐν πρώτοις σ' ἄγω. For the passive, see Essay on Language § 31. P. 54.
777. mvp-comment-452-1 ἐπέστη Encountered me.
778. mvp-comment-453-1 σπουδῆς.. τῆς ἐμῆς The earnest heed I gave to it.
779. mvp-comment-454-1 ἐν δείπνοις At a banquet. This seems to be the force of the plural here. Cp. Tr. 268, Eur. Οr. 1008, τά τ' ἐπώνυμα δείπνα Θυέστου. me
780. mvp-comment-455-1 καλεῖ Calls out to me, ' Assails with the rep reproach.' A singular but not unnatural use of καλέω. Ср. ἀποκαλεῖν, and Tr. 267, φωνεῖ δὲ δοῦλος ἀνδρὸς ὡς ἐλευθέρου | ῥαίοιτο: Ο. C. 1385, (τάσδε .. ἀρὰς) ἃς σοι καλοῦμαι.
780. mvp-comment-455-2 παρ' οἴνῳ As we were drinking. The phrase has suggested the conj.
780. mvp-comment-455-3 παροινῶν, which is ingenious but unnecessary. This circumstance helps to account for the slight importance which Oedipus now attaches to the doubt which at first tormented him.
780. mvp-comment-455-4 πλαστὸς ὡς εἴην πατρί ‘That I was only in pretence my father's son.' For the dative πατρί, see Essay on Language § 13. p. 19, b. rumour spread widely;' πολύ predicative as in O. C. 305, πολύ.. διήκει πάντας. This interpretation, introducing a new circumstance, is better than For it rankled deeply,' which adds little to ἔκνιζε.
781. mvp-comment-456-1 βαρυνθείς Deeply offended, Heavy and displeased. Cp. Aj. 41, χόλῳ βαρυνθεὶς τῶν Ἀχιλλείων ὅπλων.
781. mvp-comment-456-2 οὖσαν Equivalent to παροῦσαν. Ε. on L. p. 101-104. Cp. El. 1498, τὰ τ᾿ ὄντα καὶ μέλλοντα Πελοπιδῶν κακά: Ant. 1109, οἵ τ᾽ ὄντες οἱ τ᾽ ἀπόντες,
782. mvp-comment-457-1 κατέσχον Restrained my anger. The object (θυμόν) may be gathered from βαρυνθείς. Essay on Language § 39. 4. P. 73-
783. mvp-comment-458-1 ἤλεγχον Questioned them.
783. mvp-comment-458-2 οἱ δὲ .. λόγον They took the reproach with exasperation against him who had thrown out the charge. The dative as after χαλεπαίνω. See Essay on Language p. 64, Β. 6, α. ἄγειν as in ἐντίμως ἄγειν, and the like. Plat. Rep. 7. 528 C, πόλις ὅλη .. ἐντίμως ἄγουσα αὐτά: Ib. 538 Ε, ἃ μάλιστα ἦγεν ἐν τιμῇ: Hdt. 9. 7, περὶ πλείστου δ᾽ ἦγον τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πορσύνειν.
785. mvp-comment-459-1 τὰ μὲν κείνοιν ἐτερπόμην So far as they were concerned, I was satisfied.
785. mvp-comment-459-2 ἐτερπόμην, sc. αὐτοῖν (dat.). Cp.11. 21. 45, ἐτέρπετο οἶσι φίλοισιν. Od. 13.61; 19. 462..
786. mvp-comment-460-1 ὑφεῖρπε γὰρ πολύ 'For the
788. mvp-comment-461-1 ὧν .. ἱκόμην ὧν genitive, partly by attraction to the antecedent, governed by ἄτιμον, (cp. O. C. 49, 50 μή μ' ἀτιμάσῃς | τοιόνδ᾽ ἀλήτην, ὧν σε προστρέπω φράσαι), partly with ἱκόμην = ὧν ἕνεκα.
790. mvp-comment-462-1 προὐφάνη λέγων He came forth with; προὐφάνη expresses the suddenness of the revelation. The gloss προέδειξε, in Par. E., probably indicates the existence of προὔφηνεν as a various reading.
791. mvp-comment-463-1 The synaphea marks the increasing interest of what is said. Cp. supr. 29.
792. mvp-comment-464-1 ὁρᾶν is in a double construction, epexegetic of ἄτλητον and of δηλώσοιμι; but is more immediately joined with δηλώσοιμι, = 'That I should manifest before the eyes of men.'
794-795. mvp-comment-465-1 The emphasis rests on ἄστροις. See Essay on Language § 41. p. 77. Surveying the region of Corinth by the help of the stars, i. e. resolved never to see it more, though, like an exile, casting looks in the direction where it lay. Cp. Phil. 454-455, τηλόθεν τό τ' Ιλιον καὶ τοὺς Ἀτρείδας εἰσορῶν φυλάξομαι. Aesch. Suppl. 393-395, ὕπαστρον δέ τοι | μῆχαρ ὀρίζομαι γάμου δύσφρονος | φυγᾷ.
794-795. mvp-comment-465-2 ἐκμετρούμενος = measuring the situation of (relatively to myself). ἐκ meaning from a distance. Cp. ἐξορᾶν. This is better than the conjectural reading τεκμαρούμενος, in which the future tense is questionable, and τεκμαίρεσθαι χθόνα is not a natural expression, while, if the word were used absolutely, the pause before χθόνα would be extremely harsh. The conjecture was founded on the words of Suidas, ἄστροις τεκμαίρεσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν μακρὰν καὶ ἔρημον ὁδὸν πορευομένων καὶ ἄστροις σημαινομένων τὰς θέσεις τῶν πατρίδων, who however does not use the expression ἄστροις τεκμαίρεσθαι χθόνα. Cp. Shak. Rich. II. 1. 3, 'Save back to England, all the world's my way.'
796-797. mvp-comment-466-1 Where I might never know the dishonour of seeing fulfilled the evil oracles that were predicted against me;' ⅰ. e. τὰ ἐμοὶ κακῶς χρησθέντα τελούμενα, ὄνειδος ἐμοί.
798-801. mvp-comment-467-1 τούσδε .. τῆσδε The crossroad is vividly present to his imagination; hence the pronoun ὅδε is used. The place described in general terms, supr. l. 716, was more closely identified in ll. 733-734. The poetical plural is applicable to a spot which was the meeting point of several districts.
799. mvp-comment-468-1 τὸν τύραννον τοῦτον This king, of whom so much has been said to-day. Oedipus still speaks of Laius as of a perfect stranger.
800. mvp-comment-469-1 This line is omitted in the chief MS. and only added there in the margin by a hand of the 14th century (C7.), to which several important corrections are also due. The words add a touch of nature. Cp. Virg. Aen. 4. 20, Anna, fatebor enim... As Oedipus approaches the critical moment in his story, his tone becomes more confidential, and he introduces the part of the narrative that tells against himself with a form of asseveration. Cp. supr. 412, 449. At this point, too, the mention of the exact spot, where the three roads met (τριπλῆς, κ.τ.λ.), is extremely natural, after the general description in 798-799. Oedipus dwells expressly on each of the circumstances which he identifies, and it is not likely that he would omit that which first awakened his suspicion. Lastly, the omission of the line produces an asyndeton, which may be paralleled perhaps from Homer, but hardly from Attic Greek. To say that the verse was invented to fill up a lacuna is an improbable assumption. The hand (C².), which has supplied several lines omitted by the first hand of L., must have overlooked this omission.
801. mvp-comment-470-1 When I was near this triple way as I proceeded on my journey.'
802. mvp-comment-471-1 κῆρυξ The herald, who is at once recognized by his staff, goes before the rest, to show the peaceful intentions of the party and their sacred mission (θεωρία).
802. mvp-comment-471-2 πωλικῆς Drawn by colts, i. e. not a chariot, but some rougher vehicle for travelling in a hill-country.
803. mvp-comment-472-1 οἷον σὺ φής 'Like your de- scription' (cp. 742-743). Oedipus dwells on this with special emphasis, which is assisted by the pause in the line.
804. mvp-comment-473-1 ὁ θ᾽ ἡγεμών .. 806. τὸν τροχηλάτην] The driver is first called ἡγεμών, because he is leading the horses along the hilly road. After striking him, Oedipus passes on by the chariot, and only then comes within the reach of Laius' goad. It is not clear from the description whether the herald and the driver are the same or different. As there were five in all, and amongst these were probably the customary δύο ἀμφίπολοι (one of whom was the οἰκεύς), it seems natural to suppose that they were different. And it is improbable that Oedipus would strike, on a slight provocation, the Διὸς ἄγγελον ἠδὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν.
806. mvp-comment-474-1 τὸν ἐκτρέποντα The repetition of the article shows Oedipus' desire to make every point in the narrative clear. Cp. τοὺς ἴσχοντας, Hdt. 3. 77.
807. mvp-comment-475-1 ὡς ὁρᾷ Sc. τοῦτο ποιοῦντα. When he sees my act. με is partly governed by ὁρᾷ, but chiefly by the general action of the sentence. From the vehicle he watched for me, as I walked by, and came down full upon my head with the forked goad.' 808, ὄχου] = ἐξ ὄχου, governed partly by τηρήσας, but chiefly by καθίκετο. See Essay on Language § 36. p. 66, and cp. Pind. Pyth. 9. 10, 11, θεοδμάτων ὀχέων ἐφαπτομένα χερὶ κούφᾳ. For μέσον, used merely to add emphasis, cp. El. 745, ἄξονος μέσας χνόας. Full on the box of the wheel. And just below, 812, μέσης ἀπήνης εὐθὺς ἐκκυλίνδεται. Straightway he was rolled right out of the chariot. Also Od. 5. 316, μέσον δὲ οἱ ἱστὸν ἔαξεν.
810. mvp-comment-476-1 οὐ μὴν ἴσην γ᾽ ἔτισεν ἴσην, sc. τίσιν. He paid no equal penalty. I.e. He got more than he had given.
810. mvp-comment-476-2 συντόμως All at once.
811. mvp-comment-477-1 ἐκ τῆσδε χειρός The simplicity of the language adds greatly to the effect. The son shows his mother the very hand with which he slew his father. There is an unconsciousness in the expression which calls forth at once horror and pity. For Oedipus, though beginning to be doubtfully aware that he has slain Laius, has hitherto no idea of his relationship to him.
812. mvp-comment-478-1 ἐκκυλίνδεται The rare use of the passive ἐκκυλίνδε is suggested by the Homeric ἐκ δίφροιο . . ἐξεκυλίσθη, Il. 6.42.
813. mvp-comment-479-1 κτείνω δὲ τοὺς ξύμπαντας Ορdipus in his excitement overlooked the οἰκέτης, as the latter in telling his tale spoke not of one but of many assailants. The least particulars will hereafter become of the greatest importance in the progress of the inquiry.
813. mvp-comment-479-2 τῷ ξένῳ τούτῳ The stranger of whom I have spoken. Cp. supr. 799, τὸν τύραννον τοῦτον.
814. mvp-comment-480-1 But if this stranger is in any way connected with Laius by blood.
814. mvp-comment-480-2 συγγενές is added to supplement προσήκει; so that Aato is partly governed by both. The indirectness of the whole expression marks the reluctance of Oedipus to utter that of which he is becoming convinced.
815. mvp-comment-481-1 τίς τοῦδε *τἀνδρὸς ἔστιν ἀθλιώτερός] The reading of L. is here untenable. Others read τίς τοῦδε νῦν ἔστ᾽ ἀνδρός; The verse is necessary to the connection, and there is no ground for rejecting it.
817-818. mvp-comment-482-1 ᾧ μὴ.. δέχεσθαι Το whom it is forbidden that any, whether strangers or citizens, should receive me in their houses.' The conjecture ὅν .. τινί, is probable but not certain.
817-818. mvp-comment-482-2 ξένων I. e. Strangers in Thebes. Oedipus is not thinking of his possible rejection from other lands. An alien was not exempt from the obligation laid upon the citizens. See above, l. 230 , note.
819. mvp-comment-483-1 ὠθεῖν δ᾽ ἀπ᾿ οἴκων The positive notion is evolved from the negative. See Essay on Language § 36. р. 64. Cp. 240-241, μήτε χέρνιβος νέμειν· | ὠθεῖν δ᾽ ἀπ᾿ οἴκων πάντας.
819. mvp-comment-483-2 καὶ τάδε And in this. Pendent accusative, resumed in τάσδ' ἀράς. Observe the growth of the idea in the mind of Oedipus. He now imagines as A Trin.
819. mvp-comment-483-3 ζυγῆναι CA. certain what he at first (ll. 814-815) treated only as a supposition. 821, foll. And yet, as the spectator feels, the greater part of the horror remains unknown.
822. mvp-comment-484-1 ἆρ᾽ ἔφυν κακός Am I then, or am I not, a wretch? For this use of ἆρα, as even stronger than ἆρ' οὐ, see Essay on Language § 29. p. 50.
823. mvp-comment-485-1 ἆρ᾿ οὐχὶ πᾶς ἄναγνος Cp. Aj. 519, ἐν σοὶ πᾶσ᾽ ἔγωγε σώζομαι. The nominative of wâs in such cases has something of a predicative or adverbial force. Am I not utterly polluted?' See Essay on Language § 23. 8. 2, р. 38.
825. mvp-comment-486-1 μηδ' ἐμβατεύειν πατρίδος Nor set foot anywhere in my native land. See Essay on Language § 10. p. 15.
826. mvp-comment-487-1 μητρός The genitive marks the character of the act; An unholy marriage with my mother. Cp. О. С. 945, 6, γάμοι . . ἀνόσιοι τέκνων.
827. mvp-comment-488-1 There is no reason for bracketing this line. Oedipus' affectionate remembrance of his supposed father is contrasted with his real but involuntary crime. The reading of M., in which the order of words is inverted, deserves attention, as seeming to lay the chief emphasis on ἐξέφυσε. But see Essay on Language § 41. pp. 76-78. κατακτείειαν ναιεν CA. κατακτείναιεν Μο.
827. mvp-comment-488-2 κατακτείνειαν Trin.
828. mvp-comment-489-1 ἀπ᾿ ὠμοῦ.. δαίμονος For such a prepositional clause taking the place of a predicate, see Essay on Language § 41, p. 78, b. § 19. p. 29.
831. mvp-comment-490-1 ταύτην ἡμέραν That day. Essay on Language § 22. p. 35. Cp. Aj. 497, ταύτῃ νόμιζε κἀμὲ τῇ τόθ᾽ ἡμέρᾳ, κ.τ.λ.
832-833. mvp-comment-491-1 πρόσθεν ἤ is followed by the infinitive as if it were πρίν. So πρότερον ἤ in Hdt. 7. 2, al. Thuc. 6. 58.
832-833. mvp-comment-491-2 τοιάνδε . . κηλίδα.. συμφορᾶς Α calamity causing so deep a stain.' Essay on Language § 10. b, p. 14. For συμφορά in this connection, cp. supr. 1. 99 and note.
834. mvp-comment-492-1 ὀκνήρ᾽ Ε. on L. § 39. 1, p. 72.
834. mvp-comment-492-2 δ'.. οὖν However.
835. mvp-comment-493-1 τοῦ παρόντος • The man who was present at the deed.' Viz. the servant, to whom Oedipus presently refers ας τὸν βοτῆρα, because of his present occupation. Cp. supr. 761, ἀγρούς σφε πέμψαι κἀπὶ ποιμνίων νομάς. For the κατακτείν.. εν C.
835. mvp-comment-493-2 κατακτείνειεν Pal. use of the present in παρόντος, see Essay on Language § 32. p. 55.
836. mvp-comment-494-1 τῆς ἐλπίδος The article refers to ἐλπίδα in 835. Cp. Tr. 588-590, εἴ τις ἐστὶ πίστις .. οὕτως ἔχει γ' ἡ πίστις.
837. mvp-comment-495-1 The v. 1. of VMAV¹ pr., προσβῆναι, is a curious instance of the probably unintentional substitution for the true reading of a word suggested by the immediate context. Cp. supr. 670, and v. rr.
838. mvp-comment-496-1 And when he has appeared, why are you eager about him? The genitive absolute becoming, as the sentence proceeds. a genitive of respect.
840. mvp-comment-497-1 I shall have escaped the misery.' 841. And what in my description struck you as beside the mark?' i. e. as disagreeing from the fact with which your supposition identifies it?
843. mvp-comment-498-1 εἰ μὲν οὖν If, then, on the one hand.
845. mvp-comment-499-1 τοῖς πολλοῖς 'The many of whom he spoke;'-the article in reference as in 836, τῆς ἐλπίδος. Plat. Rep. 5.453 Ε, τὰς δὲ ἄλλας φύσεις.
846. mvp-comment-500-1 ἄνδρ᾽ ἕν᾽ οἰόζωνον One lonely traveller. The latter part of the compound is merely suggestive. Essay on Language p. 101.
847. mvp-comment-501-1 The scale then turns, and this heavy deed clearly comes home to me.'
848. mvp-comment-502-1 φανέν γε .. ὠδ' The tale was certainly told in this way.
849. mvp-comment-503-1 ἐκβαλεῖν Το strike out,' i.e. to cancel, or retract.
849. mvp-comment-503-2 τοῦτο This particular, -the plural number.
852. mvp-comment-504-1 (1) Will never show the murder of Laius to be truly accomplished,' i. e. in accordance with the prophecy, or (2) can never fairly show the murder of Laius to be in accordance with the prophecy. The former rendering (δικαίως ὀρθόν, sc. ov) is confirmed by 1283, ἣν .. ὄλβος δικαίως: Αj. 547, εἴπερ δικαίως ἔστ᾽ ἐμὸς τὰ πατρόθεν: Ant. 637, ἀξίως .. μείζων φέρεσθαι. Ε. on L. § 24. a. p. 40. For ὀρθόν, of the adequate fulfilment of a prophecy, cp. 506, πρὶν ἴδοιμ᾽ ὀρθὸν ἔπος: Ant. 1178, τοὔπος ὡς ἄρ᾽ ὀρθὸν ἤνυσας: Ο C. 1424-1425, ὁρᾷς τὰ τοῦδ᾽ οὖν ὡς ἐς ὀρθὸν ἐκφέρει μαντεύματα. The reading σόν γε Λαΐου φόνον is without MS. authority, and introduces an unnecessary harshness.
854. mvp-comment-505-1 διεῖπε Said expressly. 857-858.-862. The reduplication of av in each place adds emphasis to μαντείας and οὐδέν.
859. mvp-comment-506-1 καλῶς νομίζεις A wise persuasion. ὅμως] i.e. Let not your disregard of the oracles prevent your doing what is necessary to relieve me about the question of fact. The confidence of Oedipus, when once shaken, is never again whole as the marble, founded as the rock.
862. mvp-comment-507-1 This is said in order to calm the excitement of Oedipus. Cp. 914. φίλον, sc. ἐστὶ πραχθῆναι. 863 foll. As in the first stasimon of the Oedipus Coloneus, the second of the Trachiniae, and the first of the Antigone, the chorus in a pause of the action pour forth a strain, the interest of which, though in harmony with feelings suggested by the dramatic situation, is almost wholly lyrical. The second antistrophe returns to the circumstances of the drama, but in the earlier stanzas the thought of the impiety of the King and Queen is lost in the reflections which it has awakened. This is in so far dramatically appropriate, as the chorus could not openly express their censure. And while a momentary rest is thus interposed before the chief περιπέτεια, Ist str. and antistr. the love of purity and abhorrence of unholiness which are here expressed suggest the leading motive' of the whole tragedy. See Introduction. This ode is composed of iambic, trochaic, and dactylic measures, of which the iambic and dactylic predominate in the first strophe and antistrophe, and the trochaic in the second. The stateliness of the movement in the first strophe and antistrophe is shown by the prevalence of the heavy trochee and epitritus (------), and generally by the frequency of long syllables. This effect is, however, lightened in the fourth and fifth lines by the resolution of a long syllable in the opening dipodia of each. CートCIC The scansion is as follows:- I 2nd str. and antistr. トー D トリートー トリートー つ D ک トー ト
862. mvp-comment-507-2 1-12, Iambotrochaic. 1 D 0110 DI [qld] トー 2 3 4 3 5 6 567 5 7 8 9 10 9 10 3 11 3 12 13 2 14 2, 8, 10, 13, Trochaic. 3, 11, Iambic. 6, 7, Choriambic. 4, 5, 9, 14, Logaoedic. 2nd stasimon. 'May I never break the sanctity of the unwritten laws! Heaven-born, they live and move on high, and are not made by man, nor shall they ever sleep or be forgotten. In them is a Divine power which grows not old. How dangerous is pride; which heaves men high and dashes them below, to depths in which no foot may stir. Not so the noble ardour for the city's weal, which may God, who protects me, still uphold! But may an evil fate overtake the proud impious one, who tramples on justice and profanes holy things. How can he escape from vengeance? For if actions like his are honourable, what means my service in the dance? No longer will I worship unless the oracles be even now justified in the sight of men. But, O Zeus, thy power fails not; let thine eye behold the contempt which they are pouring on things Divine. For they heed not the oracles of Laius, and pay no honour to Apollo.' 863 foll. May I ever keep a holy purity, in all words and acts for which there are laws established on high, children of the sky, of whom Olympus is the only sire.' The participle φέροντι, where the infinitive might be expected, gives the notion of simultaneousness : ; May my lot be with me in keeping,' i.e. May it ever be my lot to keep. Cp. О. С. 648, Thuc. 3. 44, ξυμφέρον ἔσεσθαι.. προθεῖσι. See Essay on Language § 36. p. 63. For ei, which expresses a strong wish, cp. Eur. Hec. 836, εἴ μοι γένοιτο φθόγγος, κ.τ.λ. The use occurs in Homer, Il. 24. 74, ἀλλ᾽ εἴ τις καλέσειε θεῶν Θέτιν ἆσσον ἐμεῖο.
864. mvp-comment-508-1 εὔσεπτον ἁγνείαν A reverential purity. For the exact meaning of the verbal adj. here, see Essay on Language § 53, p. 98.
864. mvp-comment-508-2 λόγων ἔργων τε Genitive of respect.
865. mvp-comment-509-1 ὧν There is a slight inexactness of language in the article (τὰν), which marks the antecedent, being placed (by a sort of hypallage) with the governing noun ἁγνείαν, instead of with the genitive λόγων. This is hardly felt, because the ideas of the purity and the acts and words are coextensive.
865. mvp-comment-509-2 πρόκεινται Have been set forth or ordained; the usual word for the promulgation of a law, e.g. Ant. 36, φόνος πρόκειται δημόλευστος. Here almost = εἰσίν.
866. mvp-comment-510-1 ὑψίποδες Moving on high. Cp. the imagery in Plato, Phaedr. P. 247 ff. esp. the words in p. 254 B, ἐν ἁγνῷ βάθρῳ βεβῶσαν.
866-867. mvp-comment-511-1 'Created in, and pervading, the highest heaven, i. e. (1) They are from above: (2) They are all-embracing. Cp. Emped. Fr. 437-439 (403-405 Karsten.), οὐ πέλεται τοῖς μὲν θεμιτὸν τόδε, τοῖς δ᾽ ἀθέμιστον· | ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν πάντων νόμιμον διά τ᾿ εὐρυμέδοντος | αἰθέρος ἠνεκέως τέταται, διά τ᾿ ἀπλέτου αὐγῆς. 11. 15. 171, αἰθρηγενέος Βορέαο. The accusative with διά (cp. Aesch. Suppl. 15) is probably used because the idea is not that of passing through, but of pervading or permeating. Their mother-element is also the sphere of their life. Ether is the region, Olympus the cause of their birth; and in contrasting these, Sophocles follows Homer in making αἰθήρ feminine. Olympus, the seat of the Gods, is in Sophocles a sort of unseen Heaven; and has almost lost the association of place. Aj. 1389, Ant. 609, O. С. 1655, Fr. 490.
868. mvp-comment-512-1 'Nor was man's mortal nature operative in their birth.'
870. mvp-comment-513-1 οὐδὲ μὰν is similarly used to introduce a new thought after a previous negative in Pind. Pyth. 4. 87, οὔτι που οὗτος Ἀπόλλων, οὐδὲ μὰν χαλκάρματός ἐστι πόσις Ἀφροδίτας. The subjunctive κατακοιμάσῃ in L, the absence of the Doricism in μήν (but cp. θνητή supr.), and the correspondence of μήποτε in 880, are certainly in favour of μήποτε which Elmsley introduced, and which is found in Par. E., though with κατακοιμάσει following. But οὐ μή is too vehement for the passage, and is almost without MS. authority. Others read λάθᾳ, which involves an undesirable change of subject.
871. mvp-comment-514-1 μέγας .. γηράσκει There is in them a mighty Deity, that grows not old. As a Divine Power was recognized in the plague (πυρφόρος θεός, l. 27 ), so in the unwritten laws there is a Divine Nature, which is similarly personified. For the expression, cp. Plat. Phaed. 77 E, ἀλλ᾽ ἴσως ἔνι τις καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν παῖς, ὅστις τὰ τοιαῦτα φοβείται: Plat. Rep. 2. 382 D, ποιητὴς ἄρα ψευδὴς ἐν θεῷ οὐκ ἔνι.
873. mvp-comment-515-1 Lawlessness begets the tyrant. Cp. the τυραννικοῦ ἀνδρὸς γένεσις in Plat. Rep. 9. 571, ff.; Legg. 4, 716 AΒ. ὕβρις is the spirit of lawlessness of which Heraclitus said, ὕβριν χρὴ σβεννύειν μᾶλλον ἢ πυρκαϊήν: and the direct opposite of νόμος. Cp. Pind. O1. 13. 10, ὕβριν κόρου ματέρα. Sunt qui interpretentur; Propter malos civium mores amittitur libertas. Alii: Per scelera ad tyrannidem occupandam viam sibi faciunt homines. Elms. Both meanings are probably included in the more general notion that tyranny is the consummation of lawless violence in a state. Cp.
873. mvp-comment-515-2 ἀδικίαν εὐδαίμονα, Eur. Phoen. 552.
874. mvp-comment-516-1 εἰ πολλῶν ὑπερπλησθῇ For εἰ with the subjunctive in generalised contingent suppositions, see Essay on Language § 27. P. 44.
874. mvp-comment-516-2 μάταν Το no good end.' Cp. О. С. 1565-1566, πολλῶν γὰρ καὶ μάταν πημάτων ἱκνουμένων. This notion is expanded in the following words, ἃ surfeited with many things, which are neither seasonable nor expedient.'
876-877. mvp-comment-517-1 If there is no flaw in these verses, they may be rendered: Having mounted the topmost height she rushes on a rugged doom, wherein she finds no safe footing. The word ἀπότομος is applied metaphorically to the Spirit of Necessity in the sense of stern, inexorable, in Eur. Alc. 982, οὐδέ τις ἀποτόμου λήματός ἐστιν αἰδώς. Here Pride is imagined falling from her pinnacle on rugged broken ground, where she is left helpless to 'stumble on dark mountains. Cp. Ant. 853-855, προβᾶσ᾽ ἐπ᾿ ἔσχατον θράσους, ὑψηλὸν ἐς Δίκας βάθρον προσέπεσες, ὦ τέκνον, πολύ, and Aesch. Eum. 387, where the ways of the Erinyes are described as δυσοδοπαίπαλα | δερκομένοισι καὶ δυσομμάτοις ὁμῶς. In order to restore the correspondence of 877 with the strophe (867), we must suppose the loss of one long or two short syllables. The rhythm is iambic. Cp. στρ. α΄, 1. 3, στρ. β', 11. 6 and 8. The simplest hypothesis, as nothing is wanting to complete the sense, is that ὥρουσεν was compounded with et or els.
879-880. mvp-comment-518-1 It is needless to suppose any particular reference or allusion in these words; which simply denote the striving of patriotic zeal as distinguished from the struggles of lawless ambition. 'May God never end the contention that is for the city's good.' Cp. Pind. Nem. 5. 46-47, χαίρω δ᾽ ὅτι ἐσλοῖσι μάρναται πέρι πᾶσα πόλις: Hes. Op. et D. 24, ἀγαθὴ δ᾽ ἔρις ἥδε βροτοῖσιν: Aesch. Eum. 975, νικᾷ δ᾽ ἀγαθῶν ἔρις ἡμετέρα.
880. mvp-comment-519-1 θεόν Here generalized more completely than elsewhere in Sophocles. Cp. however infr. 734, Phil. 843, τάδε μὲν θεὸς ὄψεται.
883. mvp-comment-520-1 But whoso walks disdainfully in act or word.' ὑπέροπτα is neuter plural adverbial. The connection is: I will not cease to have God for my protector. The chorus take up the thought suggested by Teiresias 410-411, οὐ γάρ τι σοὶ ζῶ δοῦλος ἀλλὰ Λοξίᾳ, ὥστ᾽ οὐ Κρέοντος προστάτου γεγράψομαι. For χερσί = by deeds of violence, cp. Ε1. 1195, πότερα χερσὶν ἢ λύμῃ βίου ;
885. mvp-comment-521-1 οὐδέ In the vivid language of the chorus, the hypothetical passes into the demonstrative. What they at first supposed only, is now present to their imagination. Hence οὐδé, not μηδέ.
887. mvp-comment-522-1 ἕλοιτο Take him for her own. Cp. Αj. 397, ἕλεσθέ μ' οἰκήτορα.
888. mvp-comment-523-1 δυσπότμου χάριν χλιδᾶς For his ill-starred pride. Cp. the use of χλιδάω. For the ethical association attached to δύσποτμος. cp. Aj. 1156, τοιαῦτ᾽ ἄνολβον ἄνδρ᾽ ἐνουθέτει παρών.
889-891. mvp-comment-524-1 The clause εἰ μὴ ματάζων resumes the protasis with increased definiteness, dwelling on the two charges of unrighteousness and impiety, and describing the latter under the two forms of unholiness and sacrilege. If he will not be content with righteous gains, and refrain from unholy deeds, or will persist in laying wanton hands on things sacred.' Cp. Ο. C. 39, ἄθικτος οὐδ᾽ οἰκητός, ἕξεται is stronger than ἅψεται, implying obstinate determination. Cp. O. C. 424, ἧς νῦν ἔχονται, ἄθικτος is repeated in a different sense, infr. 898. See Essay on Language § 44. p. 84.
890. mvp-comment-525-1 τῶν ἀσέπτων From impious deeds, the opposite of εὔσεπτον above in l. 864. Cp. Eur. Iph. A. 1092.
893-894. mvp-comment-526-1 τίς ἔτι ποτ᾿ ἐν τοῖσδ᾽ ἀνὴρ θυμῷ βέλη ἔρξεται ψυχᾶς ἀμύνειν The passage is printed as it is written in L. If we are contented with adopting θυμοῦ, the meaning will be, Who in such courses can go on to avert the darts of wrath and ward them from his soul? i. e. What tyrant can avoid becoming an object of anger? Or, according to some interpreters, Who, where such things are done, can avoid being angry? But neither meaning is satisfactory, and the epexegesis, 4. a., is tame and awkward. ἔρξεται may have crept in from above. Either here or in infra l. 906 there must be some corruption of the text, as the words θυμοῦ βέλη have nothing corresponding to them in the antistrophe, unless the interlinear gloss παλαιά is supposed to be a corruption of παλαίφατα, or some such word. Hermann, in suggesting to omit ἔρξεται and read θεῶν for θυμῶι (i. e. θῶμ for θιμῶι), supposing the line φθίνοντα γὰρ Λαΐου to be complete, gave an impossible emphasis to ἀνήρ. Who in such a course is man enough to ward from his soul the darts of Heaven? Two modifications of this have been suggested, (1) reading ἀμύνοι for ἀμύνειν (cp. Ant. 635, τίς.. κατάσχοι); Who, in following such a course, can continue to ward off the arrows of the Gods? (2) Supposing the metre to be as in the text, with Λαΐου παλαίφατα in the antistrophe, τίς ἔτι ποτ᾽ ἐν τοῖσδ᾽ ἀνὴρ θυμῷ βάλοι θεῶν βέληψυχᾶς ἀμύνειν; Who then can imagine how to ward from his soul the weapons of the Gods?' The former (1) is preferable.
895-896. mvp-comment-527-1 For if honour attend such actions, what need have I to lead the sacred dance? If the righteous are as the wicked, then, as the Athenians judged in the time of the plague, it is ἐν ὁμοίῳ καὶ σέβειν καὶ μή (Thuc. 2. 53). This thought changes the mood of the chorus, who for the moment catch the infection of doubt (as previously they doubted Teiresias), here as elsewhere reflecting opposite and conflicting tendencies. They soon, however, renew the strain of piety (899, cp. 480), and appeal to the supreme power of Zeus. The allusion to their religious function in the worship of Dionysus is in keeping with the lyric character of the ode. Cp. infr. 1092, καὶ χορεύεσθαι πρὸς ἡμῶν.
900. mvp-comment-528-1 τὰν Ὀλυμπίαν The oracle of Zeus at Olympia is mentioned by Pindar, Olymp. 8. 2, ἵνα μάντιες ἄνδρες ἐμπύροις τεκμαιρόμενοι παραπειρῶνται Διὸς ἀργικεραύνου.
902. mvp-comment-529-1 If these things shall not coincide manifestly in the face of all mankind.' These things, i. e. the prediction and the event. Cp. Tr. 1174, ταῦτ᾽ οὖν ἐπειδὴ λαμπρὰ συμβαίνει.
902. mvp-comment-529-2 ἁρμόσει Used absolutely. Cp. Plat. Soph. 262 C, τότε δὲ ἥρμοσέ τε, κ.τ.λ.
902. mvp-comment-529-3 πᾶσιν.. βροτοῖς Dative of remote reference after ἁρμόσει, depending partly also on χειρόδεικτα.
903. mvp-comment-530-1 εἴπερ ὄρθ᾽ ἀκούεις i. e. If thou art rightly named the all-ruling one.
904. mvp-comment-531-1 πάντ᾽ ἀνάσσων πάντα is adverbial. All-ruling, i. e. exercising all command.
904. mvp-comment-531-2 μὴ λάθοι The vague or impersonal subject of λάθοι (cp. supr. 341) is supplemented by the four concluding lines.
906. mvp-comment-532-1 See on 893.
906. mvp-comment-532-2 φθίνοντα Which are fading in the past; or losing their authority; cp. Ant. 1013, φθίνοντ᾽ ἀσήμων ὀργίων μαντεύματα.
908. mvp-comment-533-1 ἐξαιροῦσι They put away from them, i. e. their fulfilment is no longer expected. Cp. Eur. Phoen. 991, ὡς εὖ πατρὸς ἐξεῖλον φόβον.
909-910. mvp-comment-534-1 Everywhere Apollo's honour becomes dim, and things Divine go to destruction. For τιμαῖς, which is dat. of manner, see Essay on Language § 14. pp. 20, 21. ἐμφανὴς τιμαῖς = φανερῶς ἀγόμενος ἐν τιμῇ. 911, foll. A way has been prepared by which the truth shall be revealed when it seems furthest from the thoughts of the king and queen. The messenger who brings from Corinth the welcome news of the death of Polybus is the means of unlocking the secret which the herdsman who has been sent for would else have buried in silence. Each knows a part of the mystery, and their meeting brings the whole to light. Jocasta still keeps her confidence, but cannot be unaffected by the mood of Oedipus, who is shaken by every hint of fear. She is preparing to supplicate the gods, not for herself but for her husband and the state, when the news arrives, which seems at first to remove all cause of apprehension.
909-910. mvp-comment-534-2 παρεστάθη It came into my mind. Cp. Eur. (?) Rhes. 780, καί μοι καθ' ὕπνον δόξα τις παρίσταται.
912. mvp-comment-535-1 ἱκέσθαι To approach as a suppliant. Infr. 920. Cp. the similar proceeding of Clytemnestra in El. 634, immediately after the announcement of Orestes' death.
914. mvp-comment-536-1 For Oedipus is over-excited and carried away by all sorts of anxieties.' For θυμός in the general sense of emotion, see Essay on Language p. 92, and for αἴρει meaning allows to rise, ibid. §. 30. d, P. 52.
916. mvp-comment-537-1 ἔννους In possession of reason.
916. mvp-comment-537-2 τὰ καινὰ τοῖς πάλαι i. e. He will not judge the oracle and the words of Teiresias by the failure of the former prophecy. Supr. 720 ff.
917. mvp-comment-538-1 εἰ φόβους λέγῃ The correction ἦν (see v. r.) has evidently been added to suit the subjunctive, which of the two alternatives given by the first hand has the advantage of being the harder reading. The subjunctive is also more in accordance with the present time, while ei may be sufficiently defended by the generality of the supposition, which is emphatic. If only he tell of fears.' See Essay on Language § 27. p. 44.
918. mvp-comment-539-1 ὅτ᾽ οὖν Cp. El. 1318-1319, ὅτ' οὖν τοιαύτην ἡμὶν ἐξήκεις ὁδόν, ἄρχ᾿ αὐτός, κ.τ.λ.
919. mvp-comment-540-1 Cp. El. 635 ff., esp. 1. 655, and note on supr. 16. πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν γὰρ ἵδρυτο, Schol.
919. mvp-comment-540-2 ἄγχιστος i. e. Not merely easiest of access, but having a prior claim, as next the hearth.
920. mvp-comment-541-1 κατεύγμασιν Emblems of supplication. The conjecture κατάργμασιν, though ingenious, is unnecessary. For an analogous abstract expression, cp. Αj. 1175, ἱκτήριον θησαυρόν.
921. mvp-comment-542-1 λύσιν τιν'.. εὐαγῆ Some pure release, i. e. Some end of our troubles which will leave us pure from crime. λύσιν εὐαγῆ = λύσιν εἰς εὐαγῆ βίον. For the meaning of λύσιν, cp. Tr. 1170-1171, μόχθων τῶν ἐφεστώτων ἐμοὶ | λύσιν τελεῖσθαι.
923. mvp-comment-543-1 ὡς κυβερνήτην νεώς Sc. έκπεπληγμένον βλέποντες ἂν ὀκνοῖεν. For this brief way of indicating a simile, see Essay on Language § 39. P. 73, § 43. p. 82, and cp. supr. 602 and note.
928. mvp-comment-544-1 γυνὴ δὲ μήτηρ ἥδε By choosing this honourable title the chorus unconsciously remind the spectators of the horror that is presently to be revealed.
929-930. mvp-comment-545-1 The courteous fulness of the expression (which Jocasta acknowledges in l. 932) again reminds the hearer of the contrast between the appearance and the fact.
930. mvp-comment-546-1 παντελής His honoured queen; i. e. Having all the honours of a wife: echoing 928.
936. mvp-comment-547-1 ἐκ τῆς Κορίνθου He cannot answer παρὰ τίνος directly, since there is now no King of Corinth. The accusative ἔπος may be taken as pendent, although there are other instances of ἥδομαι transitive, e. g. Phil. 1314, ἥσθην πατέρα τε τὸν ἐμὸν εὐλογοῦντά σε. There is no need of altering τάχα το τάχ᾿ ἄν. The rhythm is better if τάχα be retained and joined with ἐξερῶ. Ср. О. С. 980, οἷους ἐρῶ τάχ. ἄν may be supplied with ἥδοιο as well as with ἀσχάλλοις. Ε. on L. § 39. 6. p. 73. But for the word which I will tell you in a moment, you will be glad, how can you be otherwise than glad? and yet perhaps you will be grieved.
941. mvp-comment-548-1 ἐγκρατής i. e. ἐν κράτει ὤν.
943. mvp-comment-549-1 The reading is by no means certain, although several copies (including Ven. 617c) have γέρον. The reading of L. and most MSS. is certainly wrong, and appears to be a foolish attempt to supply the deficiency of the line.
945. mvp-comment-550-1 ὦ πρόσπολ Jocasta has one or more attendants to assist in making the offering. Cp. El. 634, ΚΛ. ἔπαιρε δὴ σὺ θύμαθ᾽ ἡ παροῦσά μοι, κ.τ.λ.
947. mvp-comment-551-1 τοῦτον Essay on Language § 22. p. 35. The accusative ἄνδρα is governed (1) by ἔφευγε, but is also in secondary constructions (2) with τρέμων, (3) with κτάνοι.
949. mvp-comment-552-1 τοῦδ See Essay on Language § 22. p. 34.
951. mvp-comment-553-1 ἐξεπέμψω Hast thou had me called forth? The middle voice as in μεταπέμπεσθαι, of that which is done through others. In Ant. 19, where Antigone herself brings Ismene forth, the active is used.
954. mvp-comment-554-1 τί μοι λέγει What, pray, has he to tell? rather than, What has he to tell me?'
955. mvp-comment-555-1 ἐκ τῆς Κορίνθου Answers not quite exactly to τίς ποτ' ἐστί; cp. supr. 936