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.
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.
