1-3.
mvp-comment-1-1
Before the dialogue begins, the suppliants are seen to enter on the spectator's right, with wool-wreathed olivewands in their left hands (Aesch. Suppl. 193). Marshalled by the Priests, they eagerly approach the altars, on the steps of which they lay their wands (Ib. 242). Before this movement is completed, Oedipus enters to them by the central door. There was probably at least one altar on either side of this, that of Apollo Lycaeus (1.919) being one, and the approach of Creon, who comes from the country, would be seen by those on the spectator's left (11. 78, 9), before becoming visible to Oedipus or to the Priest of Zeus, who remains on the right.
1.
mvp-comment-2-1
Ω τέκνα .. τροφή Oedipus addresses the Thebans as the strangerprince, who will soon be discovered to belong to the race which he governs. Cp. the answer in l. 14, which recalls his foreign origin, and see infr. 452-453, εἶτα δ᾽ ἐγγενής | φανήσεται Θηβαῖος.
1.
mvp-comment-2-2
τροφή,
objects of my care, expressing the tenderness not of Cadmus but of Oedipus for his children; a rare use of abstract for concrete. See Essay on Language, p. 94. Κάδμου is gen. of origin.
O latest offspring of old Cadmus, children who are my care.
2.
mvp-comment-3-1
μοι is
precatory, adding a tone of pleading affectionateness to the question. Cp. Εl. 144, τί μοι τῶν δυσφόρων ἐφίει; τίνας . . ἕδρας τάσδε.. θοάζετε =
Why do ye thus sit (or kneel) here with so much haste? The king in entering has observed (or before entering has heard from others, 11. 6, 7) the earnestness with which the suppliants have taken their places by the altars, and he regards this as one of the signs of trouble in the city. The meaning here given to θοάζω is that which it has everywhere in Euripides, who uses it frequently. Another θοάζω = θάσσω is mentioned by grammarians, and has been generally assumed to be the verb found in this and two other places of classical Greek, viz. Aesch. Suppl. 595, Emped. 1. 18. But it is at least questionable whether the meaning
to hasten is not admissible in both of these. And in the present case it is unobjectionable. For however slow and staid the movements on the proscenium actually were, they are often described in the dialogue as rapid and hurried. (El. 872, O. C. 887.) Cp. esp. Aesch. Suppl. 209, μή νυν σχόλαζε, addressed by Danaus to the suppliant maidens, who are taking their places at the altar. It must be admitted, however, that the authority of Plutarch (de Aud. Poet. 2. 22 E) counts for something in favour of the other meaning, and that it suits the context equally well.
3.
mvp-comment-4-1
Instead of saying simply
equipped with suppliant boughs, the more descriptive ἐξεστεμμένοι =
enfilleted (infr. 1. 19) is used, occasioning a pleonasm like that in Pind. Nem. 10. 43, ἀργυρωθέντες σὺν οἰνηραῖς φιάλαις. ἐξεστεμμένοι, i. e. στέμμασιν ἐξεσταλμένοι,
Well provided with woollen wreaths.
4.
mvp-comment-5-1
πόλις δ΄ The form of interrogation is dropped. The pleonastic ἄλλων, ('who are not myself,') in apposition to ἀγγέ λων, makes the antithesis more explicit. Cp. Eur. Or. 532, τί μαρτύρων | ἄλλων ἀκούειν δεῖ μ᾽, ἅ γ᾽ εἰσορᾶν πάρα; Hdt. 7. 50, εἰ μὴ χρεώμενοι γνώμῃσι τοιαύτῃσι ἄλλους συμβούλους εἶχον τοιούτους.
4-5.
mvp-comment-6-1
The expression is slightly inaccurate. Oedipus begins with the antithesis of what is seen and heard, and the further antithesis (between the signs of hope and grief) is suggested to him. Hence the second ὁμοῦ has a double use.
The city is at the same time full of offerings of incense, and of groanings which mingle with the sounds of the paean.
6.
mvp-comment-7-1
ἅ
The things of which I ask, especially the subject of Il. 4.5.
7.
mvp-comment-8-1
For the emphatic αὐτός, cp. Hdt. 4. 76 (of King Saulios), ὁ δέ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπικόμενος, ὡς εἶδε, κ.τ.λ.
8.
mvp-comment-9-1
'The world-renowned Oedipus by name.' This line introduces Oedipus to the spectators in the simple manner of ancient tragedy, and strengthens the impression of his perfect security.
9-10.
mvp-comment-10-1
.
Since you stand forth as the person naturally fitted to speak before or
on behalf of these. πρέπειν here appears in transition from
being conspicuous to
being suitable. πρό is partly foremost amo among,' partly
in behalf of. Cp. II. 13. 693, 699, πρὸ Φθίων θωρηχθέντες.
10.
mvp-comment-11-1
τίνι τρόπῳ καθέστατε means not merely,
How are you? but,
In what wise are ye present here? Oedipus addresses the priest and his companions, who are evidently there to crave an audience. The exact word for this is καθεστάναι. Cp. Pind. Pyth. 4. 135, καί β᾽ ἦλθον Πελίου μέγαρον, ἐσσύμενοι δ᾽ εἴσω κατέσταν: Hdt. 1. 152, καταστάς, ἔλεγε πολλά. Also κατάστασις in Hdt. 3.46. (Trin. gl. ἐπεστήκατε.) The 1st pers. in προσήμεθα 1. 15, ἑζόμεσθα 1. 32, ἱστώμεσθα 1. 147, does not necessarily imply that the priest spoke in the attitude of supplication. But on comparing Aesch. Suppl. 208, Eur. Heracl. 238, this does seem possible, and might add to the apparent greatness of Oedipus. For καθέστατε in this case, cр. О. С. 23, κατέσταμεν, where Oedipus is sitting.
11.
mvp-comment-12-1
δείσαντες ἢ στέρξαντες στέ ξαντες, which appears in some later MSS, but not in all, and as a very late correction of L, was perhaps invented to suit the gloss, ὑπομείναντές τι κακόν, a late meaning of στέγειν being
to endure. Cp. gloss in Par. Essay on l. 341, στέγω ὑπομένω, ἔστεξα is not an Attic form. στέρξαντες is right in the sense of desiring or having the affections fixed on something. Cp. O. C. 1094, στέργω ἀρωγὰς | μολεῖν: Plat. Legg. 10. 907 C, ἑαυτοὺς μὲν μισῆσαι, τὰ δ᾽ ἐναντία πως ἤθη στέρξαι, and see ἱμείροντες in l.59.
In what manner do you stand here? in consequence of what fear? or of what desire? i.e.
What desire or fear has brought you? The force of the interrogative is continued in the participles. στέρξαντες is quoted by the Scholiast, who interprets, οἷον, ἤδη πεπονθότες. But Oedipus asks, not, 'Is the evil present or past?'-that some blow had fallen was clear-but, What is the feeling with which you come?' Others connect ὡς, κ.τ.λ., immediately with στέρξαντες in the sense of
being resigned.
Having made up your minds to suffer, in the belief that, etc. But although this interpretation gives the more ordinary meaning to στέρξαντες, it has the capital fault of making Oedipus express his main assurance to the people in a parenthesis, or in a suppressed clause. ὡς refers to φράζε,
Tell me, and believe, etc. 12,
13.
mvp-comment-13-1
δυσάλγητος .. εἴην Sc. εἰ μὴ θέλοιμι, which is further explained by μὴ οὐ, κ.τ.λ.
13.
mvp-comment-13-2
μὴ οὐ For the redundant οὐ here, see Essay on Language § 29, 3. c. p. 50. The participial epexegesis implies a negative condition (i. e. εἰ μὴ κατοικτείραιμι) of the negative statement δυσάλγητος ἂν εἴην, and has pointed reference to the case actually present.
14.
mvp-comment-14-1
The priest, speaking for the people, recounts the calamities of the state and adjures Oedipus to be once more their saviour. Of his power and wisdom they have no doubt; they only ask that he shall be willing to save them. He is the lord of circumstance, the proved friend of Heaven; once he has rescued them from destruction let him not suffer them again to fall. This is so expressed as to show how unconscious all the persons are, (1) of the designs of the gods respecting Oedipus, (2) of the impiety which he will display when tempted (31), (3) of the coming destruction not of the city but of Oedipus himself.
15.
mvp-comment-15-1
ὁρᾷς μὲν ἡμᾶς Opposed to τὸ δ' ἄλλο φύλον, κ.τ.λ.,
l. 19
.
15.
mvp-comment-15-2
ἡλίκοι
Of what ages,-young children, chosen youths, and aged priests; the ages most befitting supplication. The priest calls attention to this point in order to conciliate the sympathy of the king. At thy altars,' i. e. the altars (of Apollo and perhaps other deities), before the king's palace. Cp. 919.
Thou seest how we, who are of such different ages, are seated at thine altars; some not yet able to go far (lit.
fly, the familiar Greek image of νεοσοί),
some weak with age, who are priests, as I am of Zeus; and these chosen youths. πτέσθαι = πέτεσθαι.
16.
mvp-comment-16-1
Some take βωμοῖσι as a poetical plural, others suppose more than one altar. The latter is more probable. See opening note.
17.
mvp-comment-17-1
σὺν γήρᾳ βαρεῖς
Weighed down with the burden of years. Ср. О. С. 7, ὁ χρόνος ξυνὼν μακρός. See Essay on Language § 48. a. p. 91.
18.
mvp-comment-18-1
οἵδε τ᾽ ᾐθέων λεκτοί The priest points out the youths who are near him. This is the most probable reading. The Epic οἱ δέ τε is without parallel in Sophocles, and probably in tragedy. (In Aesch. Cho. 490, δ᾽ ἔπ', or δ' ἔτ', may be read.) οἱ δ' ἐπ', an early conjecture of Wunder's (cp. Suidas, λεκτός, ἐπίλεκτος, οἱ δὲ τ᾽ ἠθέων λεκτοί. Σοφοκλῆς), and since extracted by Dübner from the Laurentian MS, has not really the authority of this MS. for the letter is lost, and was more probably the form 66, i. e. ετε without elision), and is of doubtful meaning, though it may slightly be confirmed by Ant. 790, οὔθ' ἁμερίων ἐπ᾿ ἀνθρώπων. The erasure has most probably been occasioned by the form 66 for ετε (in οἱ δέ τε), which the corrector altered for the sake of dividing the words. The word λεκτοί at the beginning of the line (cp. Homer), although to be taken strictly with ᾐθέων only, helps to point the more general antithesis between ἡμᾶς and τὸ ἄλλο φύλον. For the meaning of ἠθεος,
unmarried youth, cp. the Homeric παρθένος ἠἰθεός Te, and Eur. Phoen. 945, οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ᾔθεος. Also Plato, Legg. 8. 840 D, μέχρι μὲν παιδογονίας ἠἴθεοι καὶ ἀκήρατοι γάμων τε ἁγνοὶ ζῶσιν.
19.
mvp-comment-19-1
τὸ δ᾽ ἄλλο φύλον, κ.τ.λ.
And there is another gathering which, etc. The article is appositional, as in the Homeric τὸ δὲ μέγα κεῖται ἄεθλον (11. 22.163). And ἄλλος has an adverbial force. Cp. El. 601, ὁ δ᾽ ἄλλος ἔξω ..
19.
mvp-comment-19-2
Ορέστης.
And besides ourselves there is a gathering in the Agora. See Essay on Language § 21. p. 33.
20.
mvp-comment-20-1
ἀγοραῖσι Two different marketplaces are mentioned by Xenophon (Hell. 5. 2, 29) and Pausanias. But the plural is more probably simply poetical, as in Od. 8. 16, καρπαλίμως δ' ἔμπληντο βροτῶν ἀγοραί τε καὶ ἕδραι | ἀγρομένων. The shrine of Artemis Eucleia (1. 161) and probably others also, were in the Agora.
20.
mvp-comment-20-2
διπλοῖς Schol. τὸ μὲν Ὀγκαίας, τὸ δὲ οισ in erasure M².
20.
mvp-comment-20-3
Ἰσμηνίας· οἱ δὲ τὸ μὲν Ἀλαλκομενίας, τὸ δὲ Καδμείας.
21.
mvp-comment-21-1
ἐπ᾿ Ἰσμηνοῦ The river Ismenus, a son of Apollo, was supposed to have an interest in the temple of Apollo on his bank, where divination was practised through burnt-sacrifice (Hdt. 8. 134). The prescient embers' are the ashes of such burnt-sacrifices.
By the ashes of divination that are sacred to Ismenus; i.e. Where men use divination through burnt-sacrifice at Ismenus' shrine.'
22.
mvp-comment-22-1
ὥσπερ.. εἰσορᾷς See 11.4.5.
For our state. as you perceive, begins to be overwhelmed by the storm, and can no longer raise her head out of the depths of the cruel seas. Cp. Plato, Legg. 923, ἐν νόσοις ἢ γήρᾳ σαλεύοντας: Ant. 169, πολλῷ σάλῳ σείσαντες.
24.
mvp-comment-23-1
ἔτ᾿ οὐχ See Essay on Language § 41, γ. b. p. 78.
26.
mvp-comment-24-1
βουνόμοις i. e. ἀ. νεμομένων βοῶν. Wasting in the herds of oxen at their pastures: ταῖς ἀγέλαις ἐν αἷς αἱ βόες νέμονται. The expression is not quite exact, but the latter part of the compound is subordinate. See Essay on Language p. 101; ib. § 40. p. 75. βούνομος is differently used by Aesch. Fr. 245.
26.
mvp-comment-24-2
τόκοισί τε ἀγόνοις A sort of oxymoron. Cp. 163-164, οὔτε τύκοισιν | ἰηίων καμάτων ἀνέχουσι γυναῖκες.
In the labours of women who have no strength to bring forth. ἐv is (1) adverbial, and (2) is to be resumed with σκήψας, suggesting ἐνσκήψας. ‘And there, too, has lighted that fire from heaven, a hateful plague which harasses the city. For the use of θεός, cp. El. 179, χρόνος γὰρ εὐμαρὴς θεός: Simonides Amorgin. Fr. 7. 102, λιμὸς δυσμενὴς θεός. The personification is carried further by the chorus,
l. 191
, Ἄρεά τε τὸν μαλερόν, κ. τ. λ. here the symbol not of fever but of destruction. Cp. 191,470. The article d marks the vividness with which the thing mentioned is present to the mind of the speaker.
29.
mvp-comment-25-1
δῶμα Καδμεῖον The city is the home of Cadmus, as the citizens are his family (1. 1).
30.
mvp-comment-26-1
στεναγμοῖς καὶ γόοις πλουτίζεται
Is enriched by lamentations and groans; probably with an allusion to Πλούτων, which is hardly translatable in English. Cp. Plat. Crat. 403 Α, τὸ δὲ Πλούτωνος, τοῦτο μὲν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πλούτου δόσιν. The groans of the dying and the lamentations over the dead augment the honours of the god of death. Cp. Ant. 519, ὁ γ' Ἅιδης τοὺς νόμους τούτους ποθεῖ.
31.
mvp-comment-27-1
θεοῖσι .. οὐκ ἰσούμενον The suppliants are sitting at the family altars of the king (which have the same kind of sacredness that belongs to the hearth), revering him not as a god but for his human and inspired wisdom. The pious moderation of the chorus is contrasted with the impiety afterwards displayed by the king and queen; and their description of Oedipus as the child of success and Providence points bitterly to the sequel, see esp. 1. 35, ἄστυ Καδμεῖον μολών : (ἵνα καὶ ἡ ἀπὸ ξένης αὐτοῦ ἄφιξις δηλαθῇ, Schol.) ἰσούμενόν σ'] σε is governed, πρὸς τὸ σημαινόμενον, by the verbal notion in ἑζόμεσθ' ἐφέστιοι = προσίγμεθα. To you we pray not as if you were the equal of the gods.' The expression becomes more personal as the sentence proceeds, so that κρίνοντες takes the place of ὄντα οι φαινόμενον. To sit at the altar of the palace was, like sitting at the hearth, a form of supplicating the king. Cp. Eur. Heracl. sub init. vero
33.
mvp-comment-28-1
ἔν τε συμφοραῖς
In the common accidents of life, and in the visitations of Heaven, or
when we have to do with the gods. συναλλαγή here as elsewhere has the meaning of intercourse or connection with.
Quanta ironia subest iis verbis! Nam quis, alio sensu, homo unquam extitit ipso Oedipo calamitosior? quis Deos magis iratos expertus?
Pellucioni. Cp. infr. 1205-1311. See Introd. and the Appendix on the so called Irony of Sophocles.
35.
mvp-comment-29-1
ὅς τ' The reading is taken from the citation of the Scholiast, who writes ὥστε. The construction is similar to l. 694, ὅς τ᾽ ἐμὰν γᾶν φίλαν .. κατ᾿ ὀρθὸν οὔρισας, τανῦν τ᾽ εὔπομπος, εἰ δύναιο ; and though ye would not be out of place, τε aptly prepares the way for νῦν τε in l. 40, which is postponed by the amplification of the thought in 11. 37-39. Ср. Hdt. 8. 101, σὺ ἂν ἐμοί, καὶ γὰρ .. περὶ τῆς ναυμαχίης εὖ συνεβούλευσας .. νῦν τε συμβούλευσον. ὅς τ' has the advantage of being the harder reading.
35.
mvp-comment-29-2
ἐξέλυσας This verb governs δασμόν with ἡμῖν or ἡμᾶς understood. Cp. Tr. 655, ἐξέλυσ᾽ ἐπίπονον ἁμέραν (sc. οἱ or νιν).
35.
mvp-comment-29-3
ἄστυ is the place rather than the society, and is to be connected only with μολών. The MSS. here and in l. 29, vary between Καδμεῖον and Καδμείων.
36.
mvp-comment-30-1
σκληρᾶς ἀοιδοῦ δασμόν
The tribute levied by the inexorable songstress; i.e. the lives of those citizens who attempted to solve her riddle and failed. Cp. Eur. Phoen. 1027.
37.
mvp-comment-31-1
ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν.. πλέον
Having no advantage of information from us.
38.
mvp-comment-32-1
προσθήκῃ θεοῦ i.e. θεοῦ προσθεμένου σοι. By a god taking part with thee.' 'By a Divine aid. Cр. О. С. 1332, οἷς ἂν σὺ προσθῇ, τοῖσδ᾽ ἔφασκ᾿ εἶναι κράτος.
40.
mvp-comment-33-1
Join πᾶσιν with κράτιστον. Cp. l.8.
43.
mvp-comment-34-1
που του appears only in Land three other MSS, and may be an error arising from του in the previous line. Cp. infr. 117. Aj. 33. The repetition of του is not quite elegant, and που has a good meaning.
Or whether you know, as you may, of help coming from man. Cp. Od. 10. 486, ὅτε που σύ γε νόσφι γένηαι. ἀπ᾿ ἀνδρός, sc. ἀλκὴν γιγνομένην. There is a covert reference to Apollo in the first instance, and to Teiresias in the second.
44.
mvp-comment-35-1
ὡς τοῖσιν .. βουλευμάτων
For I see that where men have experience the issues of their counsels live and prosper. Oedipus had been tried in difficulty, and his advice, resting on experience, was the more likely to succeed. The simplicity of such a maxim is no objection to this rendering. Cp. Hdt. 1.60, οἰκότα μέν νυν βουλευομένοισι ἀνθρώποισι ὡς τὸ ἐπίπαν ἐθέλει γίνεσθαι, μὴ δὲ οἰκότα βουλευομένοισι, οὐκ ἐθέλει οὐδὲ ὁ θεὸς προσχωρέειν πρὸς τὰς ἀνθρωπηΐας γνώμας. The words are logically connected with the general meaning of the three preceding lines, and the point is, We come to you as to an experienced man.' καί expresses 'not only are the counsels good but their issues are also good.'
44.
mvp-comment-35-2
τὰς ξυμφορὰς .. τῶν βουλευμάτων
The results of their plans.
45.
mvp-comment-36-1
ζώσας The metaphorical use of ζῆν is comparatively rare. Cp. Aesch. Ag. 819, ἄτης θύελλαι ζῶσι: infr. 483, ζῶντα περιποτᾶται : Ant. 457. Eur. Fr. 35, ἀεὶ τὸ μὲν ζῇ, τὸ δὲ μεθίσταται κακόν. The explanation of τὰς ξυμφορὰς τῶν βουλευμάτων as = the conference of counsels,' (Aesch. Pers. 528, πιστοίσι πιστὰ ξυμφέρειν βουλεύματα), is ingenious. but increases the difficulty of ζώσας, which can never mean are habitual,' and it is not consistent with the laudatory tone of the address to advise Oedipus, who is the first of men, to take counsel with others. Cp. Thuc. 1. 140, τὰς ξυμφορὰς τῶν πραγμάτων.
47.
mvp-comment-37-1
εὐλαβήθηθ᾽ The tone of warning in the latter part of the speech is the first presage of the misfortunes that are to follow.
48.
mvp-comment-38-1
τῆς πάρος προθυμίας
For your former zeal. προμηθίας is a various reading. The two words are often confused in MSS, and προμηθίας has been thought to agree better with 11.47 and 51. But προθυμίας, implying no doubt of Oedipus' power to save the people if he will, is really preferable.
49.
mvp-comment-39-1
μεμνώμεθα The subjunctive is more in harmony with the imperatives before and after than the optative. μεμνώμεθα, or rather μεμνήμεθα, which some editors have pre preferred (in the spirit of Protagoras' objection to μῆνιν ἄειδε, θεά, viz. that commands should not be given to a superior.) Ср. О. С. 174: ὦ ξένοι, μὴ δῆτ᾽ ἀδικηθῶ. The quasi-imperative expresses a stronger confidence than the optative, which implies some degree of uncertainty. σόντες has the chief emphasis. See Essay on Language p. 78. The participles are in construction with μεμνώμεθα.
Let not this be our memory of your reign, that we stood upright only to fall again. For the metaphorical expression, cp. Pind. Pyth. 3. 53, 96, Isthm 6. 12. πε
51.
mvp-comment-40-1
ἀσφαλείᾳ (1) Dative of the manner. The noun is used with a consciousness of the verb σφάλλεσθαι, referring to πεσόντες.
Let your restoration of this city be without failure or falling. Cp. Thuc. 3. 22, ἀσφαλείας ἕνεκα τῆς πρὸς τὸν πηλόν. Also Thuc. 2.44, ἐκ τε τοῦ μὴ ἐρημοῦσθαι καὶ ἀσφαλείᾳ. Or (2) the word is used proleptically, i.e. ἀσφαλείᾳ = εἰς ἀσφάλειαν.
Restore us to security. Cp. Ant. 163, ἀσφαλῶς ὤρθωσαν. The words ὄρνιθι . . αἰσίῳ support the former explanation.
54.
mvp-comment-41-1
ἄρξεις .. κρατεῖς
If you will rule this land as you are now her lord. Cp. Thuc. 5. 105, οὗ ἂν κρατῇ, ἄρχειν.
57.
mvp-comment-42-1
μὴ ξυνοικούντων is epexegetic of ἔρημος ἀνδρῶν, and, as often in such cases, the negative implied in ἔρημος is made explicit. Without men to dwell therein.' Cp. Hdt. 2. 91, φεύγουσι Χρασθαι χρᾶσθαι .. μηδέ, κ.τλ. Ib. 4. 76. See Essay on Language § 40, 1. p. 74. Some edd. put a comma after ἔρημος, which lessens the force of ἀνδρῶν. Cp. Thuc. 7. 77, ἄνδρες γὰρ πόλις, καὶ οὐ τείχη οὐδὲ νῆες ἀνδρῶν κεναί.
58.
mvp-comment-43-1
Oedipus is full of anxiety, not for himself, but for his people, whose sorrows he bears. In his care for them he has sent Creon to consult the oracle, and now looks impatiently for his return. In a sense of which he is ignorant, his woe is indeed greater than the people's woe, and the plan which he has chosen as the only cure will bring the curse on him.
58.
mvp-comment-43-2
ὦ παῖδες οἰκτροί
O my poor children. The unusual position of the adjective gives a pathetic emphasis. See Essay on Language § 23. P. 37.
60.
mvp-comment-44-1
νοσοῦντες is the real subject of the sentence, but the construction is changed for the sake of the emphatic phrase οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις, See Essay on Language § 15. p. 21. In ὡς ἐγώ and ἐξ ἴσου there is a confusion of οὕτως ὡς ἐγώ and ἐξ ἴσου ἐμοί: i.e. ἐξ ἴσου is substituted for οὕτως.
And although you are sick at heart, the sickness of none of you is equal to mine.
65.
mvp-comment-45-1
ὕπνῳ γ' εὔδοντα
When taking rest in sleep. The redundancy (as in Ο. C. 306, βραδὺς εὕδει), is no objection to the reading. The repetition is emphatic.
I am not asleep, and you do not rouse me from slumber. For this pleonasm as well as for the present participle, cp. Τr. 175, ὥσθ᾽ ἡδέως εὕδουσαν ἐκπηδᾶν ἐμὲ | φύβῳ, φίλαι, ταρβοῦσαν: also (for the participle) ib. 1163, ζῶντά μ᾽ ἔκτεινεν. Ε. on L. § 4. 5. p. 75.
67.
mvp-comment-46-1
'And have traversed many paths in the wanderings of thought.' Cp. Hdt. 3. 156, πάσας τὰς διεξόδους τῶν βουλευμάτων. The gloss of the Schol., ἀντὶ τοῦ πλάναις θηλυκῶς, confirms the reading πλάνοις.
68.
mvp-comment-47-1
That which on careful consideration I found the only cure, I put in execution. Cp. Ar. Nub. 76.
71.
mvp-comment-48-1
πύθοιθ Probably suggested by the sound of Πυθικά, but not an intentional play upon the word. Essay on Language § 44. p. 83.
72.
mvp-comment-49-1
ῥυσαίμην Cp. Ant. 271-272, οὔθ' ὅπως δρῶντες καλῶς πράξαιμεν. The short syllable (in thesi) before the initial p is an Epic usage, but rare in tragedy. Cp. Aesch. S. c. Τ. 91, τίς ἄρα ῥύσεται;
73.
mvp-comment-50-1
Lit. The day now measured by the course of time makes me anxious to know how he fares; i. e. When I think what day this is,'
When I count the days. χρόνῳ, not the time of his absence but time generally. The comparative unfamiliarity of the abstract notion of time may account for the vagueness of the expression, which is supplemented in the two following lines. Each day is compared with an absolute standard of time. See Essay on L p. 91. For the intransitive sense of τί πράσσει, cp. Aj. 1418-1419, οὐδεὶς μάντις τῶν μελλόντων ὅ τι πράξει, and for the construction, ib. 794, ὥστε μ' ὠδίνειν, τί φής.
74-75.
mvp-comment-51-1
The expression is redundant, so that ἄπεστι is joined at once with τοῦ εἰκότος πέρα and with πλείω τοῦ καθήκοντος χρόνου. The clause πλείω, κ.τ.λ., is added as an explanation of τοῦ γὰρ εἰκότος πέρα, and more fully expresses Oedipus' surprise at the continued absence of Creon.
He is absent longer than he ought to be, beyond due measure.
77.
mvp-comment-52-1
For κακὸς ἂν εἴην μὴ δρῶν, cp. Eur. Heracl. 282-283, μάτην.. ἥβην.. ἂν κεκτῴμεθα.. μή σε τιμωρούμενοι. Ε. on L p. 50.
78.
mvp-comment-53-1
εἰς καλόν depends at once on εἶπας, and on προσστείχοντα, which has the chief emphasis.
Welcome are your words, and no less welcome is the announcement I have just received that Creon is coming. Cp. Plat. Symp. 174 Ε. εἰς καλὸν ἥκεις: Hdt. 9. 87, εὖ λέγειν καὶ ἐς καιρόν. Some of the suppliants have signified by gestures the approach of Creon. See opening note.
80.
mvp-comment-54-1
εἰ γάρ εἰ expresses a strong and anxious wish, and γάρ connects this with what precedes (cp. Eur. Ion 410); here with the additional ye echoing εἰς καλὸν προσστείχοντα. Would indeed that he may come bright with saving fortune as his looks are bright.' ἐν τύχῃ λαμπρός, like ἐν ὅρκῳ μέγαν, infr. 653, ἐν =
invested with,
encompassed by.
81.
mvp-comment-55-1
ὄμματι Either (I)
in his eye. Cp. Pind. Nem. 7. 66, ὄμματι δέρκομαι λαμπρόν. Or (2)
in appearance, 'to the view. Essay on Language p. 99. For (1), cp. Schiller, Br. Messin. 1, 6, 11. 3, 4.
82.
mvp-comment-56-1
To all appearance he brings pleasant news.' ἡδύς, ἅτε φέρων ἡδέα. Cp. El. 929, ήἡδὺς οὐδὲ μητρὶ δυσχερής. For the inf. εἰκάσαι, see Essay on Language § 33, B. 2. p. 57.
83.
mvp-comment-57-1
παγκάρπου The Delphic laurel, according to Pliny and modern travellers, abounds with large red berries. This is a part of the bright apparel of Creon as a θεωρός returning with a joyful answer from the god. For the genitive ('richly crowned with'), cp. the Epic ἐπεστέψαντο ποτοῖο. Ε. on L. p. 15.
84.
mvp-comment-58-1
ξύμμετρος .. ὡς κλύειν
He is near and within hearing. . = ξυμμέτρως ἀπέχων. Ε. on L. § 39, 1. p. 72.
85.
mvp-comment-59-1
ἐμὸν κήδευμα
Joined to me by marriage. The abstract for concrete has here the effect of respectful formality. Essay on Language p. 94.
86.
mvp-comment-60-1
What answer do you bring with you from the god?" 'What is Apollo's word which you come bringing?' τοῦ θεοῦ is (1) descriptive genitive with τίνα φήμην, (2) ablative gen. with ἥκεις φίρων.
87.
mvp-comment-61-1
καὶ τὰ δύσφορ᾽.. εὐτυχεῖν These words prepare the hearers' minds for the unwelcome intimation in l. 97. The construction of πάντα is difficult. Either (1) by an extension of the subject, πάντα is substituted in the resumption for τὰ δύσφορα.
For I declare that even what is troublous, if it but find right issue,all in short will then be well. Or (2) πάντα is part of the predicate and has the force of an adverb. Even what is hard, if it but find right issue, will turn out altogether prosperously.' Cp. Aj. 275, κεῖνός τε λύπῃ πᾶς ἐλήλαται κακῇ. That which is troublous or burdensome is the pollution of the murder, and its right issue is the detection and banishment of the murderer. There is no reason to suppose any corruption of the text. δύσθρο' (Heimsoeth conj.) would suggest rather the rumour than the reality of evils. λέγω shows that this is Creon's construction of the answer and not the answer itself. 89, 90, οὔτε, κ.τ.λ.]
For thus far I am not elated, nor do I anticipate evil until I hear more. πρό implies that fear would be premature.
91.
mvp-comment-62-1
The formal words of Creon (cp. Tr. 342 foll.) have the effect of making Oedipus seal his own destiny by the publicity which is given to the oracle.
92.
mvp-comment-63-1
ἕτοιμος For the omission of εἰμί, see Essay on Language p. 72. § 39.
93.
mvp-comment-64-1
94.
The grief which I bear is more a grief for them than concerning my single life. πλέον is not adverbial, but supplementary predicate agreeing with πένθος. It would be easy to supply περί with the former genitive, but the change of construction from the genitive of the object to genitive with περί is more in keeping with the style of Sophocles. Cp. Hdt. 4. 142, ὡς δούλων Ἰώνων τὸν λόγον ποιεύμενοι. καί is not intensive (= 'even') but simply points the comparison. Cp Aj. 1104, ἢ καὶ τῷδε σέ: and for ἐς πάντας, Plat. Tim. 28 C, εἰς πάντας ἀδύνατον λέγειν.
95-131.
mvp-comment-65-1
This short dialogue is carefully constructed with a view to the plot. Oedipus had heard of Laius and of his death, but (as he imagines) certainly never saw him and never thought of inquiring into the circumstances of his murder. (An excuse for this improbability is suggested afterwards in ll. 220-221, οὐ γὰρ ἂν μακράν, κ.τ.λ.) One witness of the deed remains, but he being overcome with fear could only give even at the time a confused account of an assault by a band of robbers.
95.
mvp-comment-66-1
οἷα is emphatic. not indefinite, and invites attention to the peculiar nature of the message.
I will tell you what an oracle I heard from the god.
96.
mvp-comment-67-1
ἐμφανῶς i. e. the revelation is unequivocal and unquestionable. 97.8 To drive out a pollution of our country, which, as he said, was fostered here.' ὡς τεθραμμένον. The accusative of the participle with ὡς while giving a reason conveys a further statement. Essay on. L. § 28. p. 47.
98.
mvp-comment-68-1
μηδ᾽ ἀνήκεστον τρέφειν (1)
And not to cherish it till past cure, or (2)
without applying a remedy. (1) is best.
99.
mvp-comment-69-1
ποίῳ καθαρμῷ; τίς ὁ τρόπος τῆς ξυμφορᾶς
How to purify? Of what nature is the defilement? ξυμφορά is a euphemism for ἄyos, as in Hdt. 1. 35, ἀνὴρ συμφορῇ ἐχόμενος καὶ οὐ καθαρὸς χεῖρας ἐών.
100.
mvp-comment-70-1
ἀνδρηλατοῦντας Sc. ἐλαύνειν, answering ποίῳ καθαρμῷ;
101.
mvp-comment-71-1
ὡς .. χειμάζον See on l. 97. The v. r. χειμάζει would make the implied assertion explicit. The answer to τίς ὁ τρόπος, κ.τ.λ., is given here. τόδε,
this, which has been implicitly mentioned, sc. in the words φόνῳ, κ.τ.λ. For similar uses of the pronoun, see Essay on Language § 22. p. 34.
102.
mvp-comment-72-1
ποίου γὰρ ἀνδρός γάρ asks for explanation.
And who is the man to whom he shows us that this misfortune happened? τῇδε has been defended, but τήνδε is more idiomatic. τήνδε τύχην, sc. τὸν φόνον.
102.
mvp-comment-72-2
μηνύει Sc. ὁ θεός.
105.
mvp-comment-73-1
οὐ γὰρ εἰσεῖδόν γέ πω
By hearsay, for I certainly never saw him.
105.
mvp-comment-73-2
που, which appears in several MSS, would imply uncertainty, and would therefore weakly express the security of Oedipus. The literal meaning of οὔπω is not to be pressed. From
not yet it has passed into meaning simply
never. Cp. Hdt. 3. 127, ὃς ὠφέλησε μέν κω Πέρσας οὐδέν : 4. 81, ὃς δὲ μὴ εἶδέ κω 160, τούτῳ γὰρ οὐδεὶς Περσέων ἠξίωσέ κω ἑαυτὸν συμβαλέειν. In all these places, though past time is spoken of, there is no opposition between past and future. Or, as happens with ἤδη, ποτέ, ἔτι, and other particles, the notion of time is altogether lost. Cp e.g. Hes Op. et D. 271, τά γ' ου πω ἔολπα τελεῖν. The conjecture γ' ἐγώ takes the emphasis from the verb.
106.
mvp-comment-74-1
τούτου θανόντος This is most easily explained as genitive absolute, but is at the same time to be partly connected with τοὺς αὐτοέντας.
107.
mvp-comment-75-1
τοὺς αὐτοέντας .. τινάς
The murderers, whosoever they are. Cp. Ο. С. 288-289, ὅταν δ᾽ ὁ κύριος παρῇ τις: Hdt. 1. 114. τὸν δὲ κού τινα .. τῷ δέ τινι. This reading is preferable to τινά. If the mark over the σ L. indicates doubt, as seems probable from the parallel reading of A, this would only prove that some early scribe knew of or wished to suggest the other reading, perhaps because it seemed easier.
107.
mvp-comment-75-2
χειρὶ τιμωρεῖν Like τοιαύτῃ χειρὶ τιμωρεῖν,
l. 140
. For the rare active, denoting an absolute intention, see Essay on Language p. 98. The vague use of the plural in Creon's report prepares the way for the more definite statement in l. 122 without committing the oracle to error.
108.
mvp-comment-76-1
οἱ δ᾽ εἰσὶ ποῦ γῆς The inversion gives additional emphasis.
108.
mvp-comment-76-2
τόδε This, which we are set to find. Cp. τόδ' αἷμα, supr. 101.
110.
mvp-comment-77-1
τὸ δὲ ζητούμενον ἁλωτόν Creon, though no longer quoting the oracle, continues the oracular tone. Cp. 87-88.
112.
mvp-comment-78-1
It may seem strange that Oedipus should not have heard the particulars from Jocasta. But this kind of improbability is external to the play, and dramatic interest requires that the fact should here be brought before the mind of the spectator. Cp. Aristot. Poet. 1454-1456, ἄλογον δὲ μηδὲν εἶναι ἐν τοῖς πράγμασιν, εἰ δὲ μή, ἔξω τῆς τραγῳδίας, οἷον τὰ ἐν τῷ Οἰδίποδι τῷ Σοφοκλέους. The inevitable unlikelihood is minimized, however. For Oedipus does not deny having heard of the violent death of Laius; and gives a reason afterwards (220-221) why he could not inquire into the circumstances at the time.
114.
mvp-comment-79-1
θεωρός i.e. to Delphi. О. С. 413, ἀνδρῶν θεωρῶν Δελφικῆς ἀφ᾽ ἑστίας. Sophocles gives no hint as to the nature of the mission, whether occasioned by private anxiety or the troubles of the state. Euripides, Phoen. 36, adds this further touch, τὸν ἐκτεθέντα παῖδα μαστεύων μαθεῖν | εἰ μηκέτ' εἴη.
114.
mvp-comment-79-2
ὡς ἔφασκεν] Sc. ὁ Λάϊος.
115.
mvp-comment-80-1
ὡς ἀπεστάλη
After he had once taken his departure.
116.
mvp-comment-81-1
And there was none to tell the tale, no fellow-traveller who saw the deed, whose information might have been a guide to us? The words οὐδ᾽ ἄγγελος point to a repetition of ἵκετο, which is lost sight of in the continuation of the sentence.
117.
mvp-comment-82-1
ἐχρήσατ᾿ ἄν Sc. αὐτῷ οἱ τῇ μαθήσει. Cp. Τr. 60, πάρεστι χρῆσθαι τἀνδρὶ τοῖς τ᾿ ἐμοῖς λόγοις. The conjecture κατεῖδεν ὅ τι τις, κ.τ.λ. gives a less natural meaning. The witness who saw anything, must have seen the deed.
118.
mvp-comment-83-1
φόβῳ is connected partly with φυγών and partly with the following words (cp. O. C. 1625, ὀρθίας | στῆσαι φόβῳ δείσαντας τρίχας).
The fear with which he fled made him unable to speak with certainty of what he saw except on one point.
120.
mvp-comment-84-1
'For one fact might lead to the knowledge of many, if we could get hold of even a slight beginning of hope.' μαθεῖν supplements ἐξεύροι. Cp. Τr. 673. In ἀρχήν there is perhaps an association from the end of a thread. Cp. Hdt. 4. 60, σπάσας τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ στρόφου : Eur. Hipp. 762, πλεκτὰς πεισμάτων ἀρχάς. The mystery is like a tangled skein, which a slight clue, once caught hold of, may be the means of unravelling. Cp. Eur. I. A. 1124, τίν' ἂν λάβοιμι τῶν ἐμῶν ἀρχὴν κακῶν;
122.
mvp-comment-85-1
ἔφασκε Sc. ὁ ἄγγελος. This confused account prevents Oedipus from being reminded of the real circumstances, and even delays his self-conviction when almost brought home, ll. 725-842. The report of the attendant must be supposed to precede the arrival of Oedipus at Thebes. He can therefore have had no reason for his falsehood except the natural temptation to veil his cowardice by exaggerating the force from which he had fled.
124.
mvp-comment-86-1
ὁ λῃστής The singular referring to the plural may only be an idiomatic collective use (cp. ὁ Μῆδοs, etc,); but may also be a stroke of art, by which Oedipus is represented as wholly careless about the number of the persons, which is afterwards his only refuge: 842 ff.
125.
mvp-comment-87-1
ἐπράσσετο
Unless some influence with money was exerted from Thebes. Cp. Thuc. 5. 83, ὑπῆρχε δέ τι .. αὐτόθεν πρασσόμενον, ib. 4.121. The brigand must have had confederates in the city. Cp. O. C. 1028-1031, ἀλλ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ὅτῳ σὺ πιστὸς ὢν ἔδρας πάδε: Ford's Perkin Warbeck,
l. 1
,
Foreign attempts against a state and kingdom | Are seldom without some great friend at home.
126.
mvp-comment-88-1
δοκοῦντα ταῦτ᾽ ἦν
So men surmised. Such suspicions were always rife in Greek states, and recur elsewhere in tragedy. Cp. Ant. 289-292; О. С. 1028-1030.
126.
mvp-comment-88-2
Λαΐου is gen. abs. ἐν κακοῖς prevents Λαΐου from being taken as the genitive in regimen.
We had the suspicion of treachery, but, when Laius was gone, there was no one to stand up for us in our misfortunes.
128.
mvp-comment-89-1
κακὸν δὲ ποῖον The inverted order gives an indignant emphasis to ποῖον.
And what misfortune could there be, which, when majesty was thus fallen, prevented you from investigating this matter to the end? τοῦτο, sc. τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ τὴν τυραννίδα οὕτω πεσεῖν.
128.
mvp-comment-89-2
ἐμποδών Cp. Eur. Phoen. 706, ἃ δ' ἐμποδὼν μάλιστα, ταῦθ᾽ ἥκω φράσων.
128.
mvp-comment-89-3
τυραννίδος οὕτω πεσούσης The abstract word emphasizes the strangeness of the neglect. Cp. Shak. K. Lear, 2.4,
'Tis worse than murder, To do upon respect such violent outrage.
131.
mvp-comment-90-1
Recte utitur poeta verbo medio quia τὸ πρὸς ποσίν pertinet ad ipsam Sphingam
(Herm.); i.e. The Sphinx drew our attention towards herself.
132.
mvp-comment-91-1
ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς
Beginning the inquiry anew.
132.
mvp-comment-91-2
αὔτ᾽ Probably αὐτό, not αὐτά. This one hidden thing, the secret of the murder.
134.
mvp-comment-92-1
'Have shown this care towards the dead.' For the periphrasis, cp. Ant. 151, θέσθε λησμοσύναν. πρός has greater MS. authority than πρό, and agrees better with the image suggested by ἐπιστροφήν (lit. 'turning towards'). Cp. infr. 1434, πρὸς σοῦ γάρ, οὐδ᾽ ἐμοῦ, φράσω.
134.
mvp-comment-92-2
ἐπιστροφή is sudden attention to a thing hitherto neglected. Cp. Phil. 598-599, τίνος δ' Ἀτρείδαι τοῦδ᾽ ἄγαν οὕτω χρόνῳ τοσῷδ᾽ ἐπεστρέφοντο πράγματος χάριν ;
135.
mvp-comment-93-1
ἐνδίκως
As is meet. The frank heart of Oedipus fully acknowledges the claim.
136.
mvp-comment-94-1
τῷ θεῷ θ᾽ ἅμα For the religious feeling here expressed, cp. O. С. 1182, 3, τῇ θ᾽ αὑτοῦ φρενὶ | χάριν παρασχεῖν, τῷ θεῷ θ᾽ ἃ βούλεται.
137.
mvp-comment-95-1
τῶν ἀπωτέρω φίλων ΑA far-off friend or connection,' as a wife's former husband may not unnaturally be called. Oedipus is still unconsciously drawing the attention of the spectators to his own part in the business. The person to be avenged is his father, and he is himself the author of the pollution, in which he has so deep an interest (αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ μύσος is suggested, though not said), and of the crime which he may one day wreak upon himself. For αὑτοῦ in 1st pers. see Essay on Language p. 37.
140.
mvp-comment-96-1
καμ᾿ ἂν.. τιμωρεῖν θέλοι
Might choose to wreak his violence in like manner on me. The tendency to use the same word though in a different connection (cp. 1. 136, and see Essay on Language § 44, p. 84) may have partly led to the use of τιμωρεῖν here. But the word is not inappropriate the murderer may be supposed to have a grudge against the crown-and by using it Oedipus suggests the end, when he, the murderer, shall inflict vengeance on himself, the king, with the same hand that had slain Laius. The conjecture πημαίνειν is therefore not in point. The words also prepare the way for what follows, by betraying the first rise of the feeling of suspicion in Oedipus which presently fixes itself on Creon. Cp. the sensitiveness of Creon himself on a like occasion in the Antigone, 1. 289, ταῦτα καὶ πάλαι, κ.τ.λ.
141.
mvp-comment-97-1
κείνῳ προσαρκῶν οὖν ἐμαυτὸν ὠφελῶ Schol. καὶ τοῦτο κινητικὸν τοῦ θεάτρου· τὰ γὰρ ἐναντία ἀποβήσεται.
143.
mvp-comment-98-1
ἄραντες They had laid them on the altar. Aesch. Suppl. 242, Eur. Heracl. 125.
145.
mvp-comment-99-1
ἢ γάρ Recalling the Homeric γνωσόμεθ' ἠε τῳ εὖχος ὀρέξομεν ἠε τις ἡμῖν.
I will use all effort, for it is a crisis in the state of Thebes. Cp. Tr. 82-85, ἐν οὖν ῥοπῇ τοιᾷδε κειμένῳ, τέκνον, | οὐκ εἶ ξυνέρξων, ἡνίκ᾿ ἡ σεσώσμεθα, | κείνου βίον σώσαντος, ἢ οἰχόμεσθ' ἅμα. Τo the spectators the word πεπτωκότες, with which Oedipus departs, is ominous of the catastrophe. Oedipus now goes into the palace, and after l. 150 the suppliants file off to the right.
146.
mvp-comment-100-1
σὺν τῷ θεῷ i.e. Apollo.
147.
mvp-comment-101-1
ἔξεισιν ὁ ἱερεὺς πράξας διόπερ ἦλθεν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ χώραν εἶναι ἑτέρῳ ὑποκριτῇ. Schol. The sin simple is used for the compound verb (ἀνιστώμεθα). Essay on Language $ 55. 4. p. 101. Supr. 143.
148.
mvp-comment-102-1
ὧν .. ἐξαγγέλλεται
What he of his own accord announces. For this
subjective use of the middle voice, see Essay on Language § 31. d. p. 53.
149.
mvp-comment-103-1
ἅμα Sc. τῷ πέμψαι, κ.τ.λ.
May Phoebus who has sent these oracles also give with them salvation and release. The suppliants retire from the stage; and the chorus of elders, honoured representatives (1. 1223) of the Theban people, whom Oedipus has summoned (1144), bound by ties of blood to the house of Cadmus (1. 1226),-enter the ὀρχήστρα from the spectator's right.
