Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 1237

ed. Francis Storr

Table of Contents

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

View: By Scene
← Previous Next →

Oedipus Tyrannus. Sophocles. ed. Francis Storr. London. 1912.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Experimental

Οἰδίπους Τύραννος (Greek) (Sophocles, Volume 1. Storr, Francis, editor. London; New York: William Heinemann Ltd.; The Macmillan Company, 1912.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 1237 focus
αὐτὴ πρὸς αὑτῆς. τῶν δὲ πραχθέντων τὰ μὲν
ἄλγιστ᾽ ἄπεστιν· ἡ γὰρ ὄψις οὐ πάρα.
ὅμως δ᾽, ὅσον γε κἀν ἐμοὶ μνήμης ἔνι,
πεύσει τὰ κείνης ἀθλίας παθήματα.
1240
ὅπως γὰρ ὀργῇ χρωμένη παρῆλθ᾽ ἔσω
θυρῶνος, ἵετ᾽ εὐθὺ πρὸς τὰ νυμφικὰ
λέχη, κόμην σπῶσ᾽ ἀμφιδεξίοις ἀκμαῖς·
πύλας δ᾽ ὅπως εἰσῆλθ᾽ ἐπιρράξασ᾽ ἔσω,
κάλει τὸν ἤδη Λάϊον πάλαι νεκρόν,
1245
μνήμην παλαιῶν σπερμάτων ἔχουσ᾽, ὑφ᾽ ὧν
θάνοι μὲν αὐτός, τὴν δὲ τίκτουσαν λίποι
τοῖς οἷσιν αὐτοῦ δύστεκνον παιδουργίαν.
γοᾶτο δ᾽ εὐνάς, ἔνθα δύστηνος διπλοῦς
ἐξ ἀνδρὸς ἄνδρα καὶ τέκν' ἐκ τέκνων τέκοι.
1250
χὤπως μὲν ἐκ τῶνδ᾽ οὐκέτ᾽ οἶδ᾽ ἀπόλλυται·
βοῶν γὰρ εἰσέπαισεν Οἰδίπους, ὑφ᾽ οὗ
οὐκ ἦν τὸ κείνης ἐκθεάσασθαι κακόν,
ἀλλ᾽ εἰς ἐκεῖνον περιπολοῦντ᾽ ἐλεύσσομεν.
φοιτᾷ γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἔγχος ἐξαιτῶν πορεῖν,
1255
γυναῖκά τ᾽ οὐ γυναῖκα, μητρῴαν δ᾽ ὅπου
κίχοι διπλῆν ἄρουραν οὗ τε καὶ τέκνων.
λυσσῶντι δ᾽ αὐτῷ δαιμόνων δείκνυσί τις·
οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀνδρῶν, οἳ παρῆμεν ἐγγύθεν.
δεινὸν δ᾽ ἀΰσας ὡς ὑφηγητοῦ τινὸς
1260
πύλαις διπλαῖς ἐνήλατ᾽, ἐκ δὲ πυθμένων
ἔκλινε κοῖλα κλῇθρα κἀμπίπτει στέγῃ.
οὗ δὴ κρεμαστὴν τὴν γυναῖκʼ ἐσείδομεν,
πλεκταῖσιν αἰώραισιν ἐμπεπλεγμένην.
ὁ δ᾽ *ὡς ὁρᾷ νιν, δεινὰ βρυχηθεὶς τάλας,
1265
χαλᾷ κρεμαστὴν ἀρτάνην. ἐπεὶ δὲ γῇ
ἔκειτο τλήμων, δεινὰ δ᾽ ἦν τἀνθένδ᾽ ὁρᾶν.
ἀποσπάσας γὰρ εἱμάτων χρυσηλάτους
περόνας ἀπ᾿ αὐτῆς, αἷσιν ἐξεστέλλετο,
ἄρας ἔπαισεν ἄρθρα τῶν αὑτοῦ κύκλων,
1270
αὐδῶν τοιαῦθ᾽, ὁθούνεκ᾽ οὐκ ὄψοιντό νιν
οὔθ᾽ οἷʼ ἔπασχεν οὔθ᾽ ὁποῖʼ ἔδρα κακά,
ἀλλ᾽ ἐν σκότῳ τὸ λοιπὸν οὓς μὲν οὐκ ἔδει
ὀψοίαθ᾽, οὓς δ᾽ ἔχρῃζεν οὐ γνωσοίατο.
τοιαῦτ᾽ ἐφυμνῶν πολλάκις τε κοὐχ ἅπαξ
1275
ἤρασσ᾽ ἐπαίρων βλέφαρα. φοίνιαι δ᾽ ὁμοῦ
γλῆναι γένειʼ ἔτεγγον, οὐδ᾽ ἀνίεσαν
φόνου μυδώσας σταγόνας, ἀλλ᾽ ὁμοῦ μέλας
ὄμβρος χαλάζης *αἱματοῦς ἐτέγγετο.
τάδ᾽ ἐκ δυοῖν ἔρρωγεν, οὐ μόνου κακά,
ἀλλ᾽ ἀνδρὶ καὶ γυναικὶ συμμιγῆ κακά.
1280
ὁ πρὶν παλαιὸς δ᾽ ὄλβος ἦν πάροιθε μὲν
ὄλβος δικαίως, νῦν δὲ τῇδε θἠμέρᾳ
στεναγμός, ἄτη, θάνατος, αἰσχύνη, κακῶν
ὅσ᾽ ἐστὶ πάντων ὀνόματ', οὐδέν ἐστ᾽ ἀπόν.
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 1237 focus
Her own determination. You are spared
The worst affliction, not being there to see.
Yet to the height of my poor memory’s power
The wretched lady’s passion you shall hear.
When she had passed in her hot mood within
1240
The vestibule, straight to the bridal room
She rushes, tearing with both hands her hair.
Then having entered, shutting fast the door,
She called aloud on Laius, long dead,
With anguished memory of that birth of old
1245
Whereby the father fell, leaving his queen
To breed a dreadful brood for his own son.
And loudly o’er the bed she wailed, where she,
In twofold wedlock, hapless, had brought forth
Husband from husband, children from a child.
1250
We could not know the moment of her death,
Which followed soon, for Oedipus with cries
Broke in, and would not let us see her end,
But held our eyes as he careered the hall,
Demanding arms, and where to find his wife,—
No, not his wife, but fatal mother-croft,
1255
Cropped doubly with himself and his own seed.
And in his rage some god directed him
To find her:—’twas no man of us at hand.
Then with a fearful shout, as following
His leader, he assailed the folding-doors;
1260
And battering inward from the mortised bolts
The bending boards, he burst into the room:
Where high suspended we beheld the queen,
In twisted cordage resolutely swung.
He all at once on seeing her, wretched king!
1265
Undid the pendent noose, and on the ground
Lay the ill-starred queen. Oh, then ’twas terrible
To see what followed—for he tore away
The tiring-pins wherewith she was arrayed,
And, lifting, smote his eyeballs to the root,
Saying, Nevermore should they behold the evil
1270
His life inherited from that past time,
But all in dark henceforth should look upon
Features far better not beheld, and fail
To recognize the souls he had longed to know.
Thus crying aloud, not once but oftentimes
1275
He drave the points into his eyes; and soon
The bleeding pupils moistened all his beard,
Nor stinted the dark flood, but all at once
The ruddy hail poured down in plenteous shower.
Thus from two springs, from man and wife together,
Rose the joint evil that is now o’erflowing.
1280
And the old happiness in that past day
Was truly happy, but the present hour
Hath pain, crime, ruin:—whatsoe’er of ill
Mankind have named, not one is absent here.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 1237 focus
Sie starb von eignen Händen. Doch das Schmerzlichste
Der That entging euch; denn der Anblick mangelt euch.
So viel indeß mir haftet im Gedächtnisse,
Vernehmt vom lezten Leidenskampf der Armen dort.
Denn als in wildem Schmerze sie hineingelangt
1215
Zur Halle, stürmt sie sonder Rast in's Brautgemach,
Und rauft mit beiden Händen sich die Locken aus.
Dann warf sie drinnen hinter sich die Thüre zu,
Und rief dem längst entschlaf'nen Laïos, eingedenk
Der alten Ehe, deren Sprößling ihn erschlug,
1220
Indeß er sie, die Mutter als Erzeugerin
Unsel'ger Kinder hinterließ dem eignen Sohn.
Sie flucht dem Lager, wo sie (zwiefach herbe Schmach!)
Den Mann vom Manne, Kinder sich vom Kind gebar.
Doch wie sie dann geendet, weiß ich weiter nicht.
1225
Denn schreiend kam jezt Dedipus hereingestürzt,
Was uns den Ausgang ihres Leids zu schau'n verwehrt:
Auf ihn allein, der wild umherlief, blickten wir.
Denn stürmend bat er um ein Schwert und fragte, wo
Die Gattin, ach! nicht Gattin, wo die Mutter sei,
1230
Aus deren Schooße sein Geschlecht und er entsproß.
Und wie er tobte, zeigt' ein Gott den Weg ihm an:
Kein Mann ja, der ihm nahe stand, vermochte dies.
Mit grausem Heulen sprang er los auf's Doppelthor,
Geführt von unsichtbarer Hand; vom Grunde bog
1235
Er aus der hohlen Schlösser Band und stürzt hinein
Zum Brautgemache, wo wir hängen sah'n die Frau,
Geknüpft an's hochgewundne Seil. Doch als er so
Sie sah, der Arme, brüllt er gräßlich auf und läßt
Die Schlinge nieder. Wie die Jammervolle nun
1240
Dalag am Boden, gräßlich war's, was hier geschah.
Denn goldgetriebne Spangen, die vordem zum Schmuck 1
Ihr dienten, riß er aus der Frau Gewanden los,
Erhob sie, traf der Augen beide Kreise sich,
Und rief das Wort: sie sollten, weil sie nicht geseh'n,
1245
Was er geduldet Grauses; noch was er gethan,
Hinfort in Nacht schau'n, die zu schau'n ihm Sünde war,
Und die er kennen möchte, nicht erkennen mehr!
Und also fluchend hob er oft, nicht Einmal nur,
Die Wimpern hoch und traf sich, und die blutigen
1250
Augäpfel nezten roth die Wang' und sandten nicht
Des Blutes Naß in Tropfen, nein, zugleich ergoß
Ein Regen sich in blutig schwarzem Strom herab.
So brach das Unheil über Zwei vereint herein;
Verstrickt in Eines Leides Fall ward Mann und Weib.
1255
Wohl war in frühern Tagen noch das alte Glück
Ein Glück in Wahrheit; aber nun, an diesem Tag,
Blüht Jammer, Elend, Schande, Tod; von allem Leid,
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 1237 focus
Sages of Thebes, most honoured and
revered,
If e'er the house of Labdacus was dear
And precious to you, what will be your grief
CEDIPUS TYRANNUS. 227
When I shall tell the most disastrous tale
You ever heard, and to your eyes present
A spectacle more dreadful than they yet
Did e'er behold : not the wide Danube's waves
Nor Phasis' streams can wash away the stains
Of this polluted palace ; the dire crimes
Long time concealed at length are brought to light ;
But those which spring from voluntary guilt
Are still more dreadful.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 1237 focus
What soonest may be spoken, soonest heard,
Take briefly, the revered Jocasta's dead.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1237 focus

Commentary

Commentary (R. C. Jebb) (OCR draft) (Commentary (R. C. Jebb))

mvp-comment-761-1 οὐ πάρα 1

mvp-comment-762-1 κἀν ἐμοὶ 2 ἐν—ἔνι 3

mvp-comment-763-1 We are to suppose that, when she rushed from the scene in her passionate despair (1072), Iocasta passed through the central door of the palace (βασίλειος θύρἀ into the θυρών, a short passage or hall, opening on the court (αὐλή) surrounded by a colonnade (περίστυλον). Across this court she hurried to the θάλαμος or bedroom of the master and mistress of the house, and shut herself into it. Presently Oedipus burst into the court with that cry of which we heard the first accents (1182) as he fled from the scene ( βοων εἰσέπαισεν 4 ἐνήλατο 5

mvp-comment-764-1 εὐθὺ 6

mvp-comment-765-1 ἀμφιδεξίοις 7 ἀκμαῖς 8

mvp-comment-766-1 ἐπιρράξασ’ 9

mvp-comment-767-1 τὸν ἤδη Λ. πάλαι νεκρόν 10

mvp-comment-768-1 παιδουργίαν 11 λίποι | τοῖς οἷσιν αὐτοῦ 12

mvp-comment-769-1 γοᾶτο 13

mvp-comment-769-2 διπλοῦς 14

mvp-comment-770-1 The order (instead of ἀπόλλυται, οὐκέτ’ οἶδα 15

mvp-comment-771-1 φοιτᾷ, 16

mvp-comment-772-1 πορεῖν 17 ἐξαιτῶν 18 τε ὅπου κίχοι 19

mvp-comment-773-1 ἄρουραν 20

mvp-comment-774-1 οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀνδρῶν 21

mvp-comment-775-1 ὡς ὑφηγ 22

mvp-comment-776-1 πύλαις διπλαῖς 23

mvp-comment-776-2 πυθμένων 24 κοῖλα 25

mvp-comment-777-1 αἰώραισιν 26 αἰωρα 27

mvp-comment-777-2 ἐμπεπληγμένεν 28

mvp-comment-778-1 γῇ, 29

mvp-comment-779-1 δεινὰ δ’ 30

mvp-comment-780-1 περόνας 31

mvp-comment-781-1 ἄρθρα 32 κύκλων 33

mvp-comment-782-1 οὐκ ὄψοιντο 34 ἔπασχεν … ἔδρα 35

mvp-comment-783-1 ἐν σκότῳ … ὀψοίαθ’, i.e. οὐκ ὄψονται: see on 997. The other verbs being plural (with κύκλοι for subject), the subject to ἔχρῃζεν cannot be ἄρθρα κύκλων, but only Oed. He had craved to learn his true parentage (782 ff.). ὀψοίατο, γνωσοίατο 36

mvp-comment-784-1 ἐφυμνῶν 37

mvp-comment-785-1 Cp. Soph. Ant. 52

ὄψεις ἀράξας αὐτὸς αὐτουργῷ χερί
. ὁμοῦ 38 ἔτεγγον 39

mvp-comment-786-1 The best choice lies between Heath's ὄμβρος χαλάζης αἱματοῦς 40 ὄμβρος χάλαζά θ’ αἱματοῦσσ’ 41 χαλάζης 42 αἵματος 43 μέλας ὄμβρος αἱματοῦς χαλάζης 44

mvp-comment-787-1 Soph. cannot have written these two verses as they stand; and the fault is doubtless in 1280. Porson's οὐχ ἑνὸς μόνου 45 οὐ μόνου κάτα 46

mvp-comment-788-1 ὁ πρὶν 47 παλαιὸς 48

mvp-comment-789-1 δικαίως 49

mvp-comment-790-1 Instead of κακὰ πάντα, ὅσα ὀνομάζεται, πάρεστιν, we have ὅσ’ ἐστὶ πάντων ὀνόματα 50 οὐδέν ἐστ’ ἀπόν 51

Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) focus

1239. mvp-comment-701-1 καν ἐμοί i. e. As far as my poor memory serves. καί adds emphasis to ἐν ἐμοί. Cp. supr. 1112 and note: O. C. 53, ὅσ᾽ οἶδα κἀγὼ πάντ᾽ ἐπιστήσει κλύων.

1242. mvp-comment-702-1 ἵετ᾽.. λέχη So of Deianira in Trach. 912 foll. ἐξαίφνης σφ᾽ ὁρῶ τὸν Ἡράκλειον θάλαμον εἰσορμωμένην, κ.τ.λ.

1242. mvp-comment-702-2 εὐθύ The o in L. is correctly erased by the διορθωτής, in accordance with the usual distinction between the adverbs of time and place.

1243. mvp-comment-703-1 ὀμφιδεξίοις ἀκμαῖς With the fingers of both hands at once. For ἀμφιδεξίοις, see Essay on Language p. 101, and ср. О. С. 112, πλευρὸν ἀμφιδέξιον. The word here marks the equal energy with which both hands were used.

1244. mvp-comment-704-1 πύλας. ἔσω And after she had entered within the gates, and had shut them violently. This prepares the way for 1261. (1) The house must be supposed of a simple construction, consisting of a court, or αὐλή, with the θάλαμος at the further end secured by folding doors. ἐπιρράσσω like ἐπαράττω in Plat. Prot. 314 D, τὴν θίραν πάνυ προθύμως . . ἐπήραξεν. πύλας, primarily governed by εἰσῆλθε, is to be resumed with ἐπιρρ., which is proleptic, and ἔσω is added to complete the sense of εἰσῆλθε. Otherwise (2) πύλας ἐπιρράξασα, ὅπως εἰσῆλθ᾽ ἔσω, having violently closed the gate when she had entered within. For such an alternation between the words of different clauses, see Essay on Language § 41. p. 77. Or (3) joining πύλας ἐπιρράξασα ἔσω, having slammed the door inwards after entering. (1) is best.

1245. mvp-comment-705-1 The imperfect κάλει without augment (cf. infr. 1249) is retained from the MSS, and agrees with ἵστο and γοᾶτο better than καλεί. Cp. Τr. 904, βρυχάτο. For καλεῖ, which may be thought more vivid. cp. O. С. 1630.

1246. mvp-comment-706-1 σπερμάτων i. e. παιδοποιϊῶν. For this use of the verbal noun, see Essay on Language § 54. p..99, and cp Plat Legg. 8. 841 D, Polit. 272 E. And for the meaning, Aesch. S. c. T. 750-751.

1247. mvp-comment-707-1 (1) And left the mother of his children for his own son to breed from her an unhappy race. This interpretation gives most force to the expression, although supposing an extreme use of abstract for concrete; for which cp. Αj. 1297, ἐφῆκεν ἐλλοῖς ἰχθύσιν διαφθοράν. Or (2), making a pause at τοῖς οἶσιν αὐτοῦ, δύστεκνον παιδουργίαν may be taken in apposition to the sentence, And left the mother to his own son, an unhappy way of begetting children. Or (3), making τήν demonstrative and παιδουργίαν cognate accus., left her to bring forth for his own son a wretched progeny.

1249. mvp-comment-708-1 The construction is changed, and τέκοι substituted for another verb, i. e. διπλοῦς ἄνδρας σχοίη, ἄνδρα ἐξ ἀνδρὸς τεκοῦσα καὶ τέκνα ἐκ τέκνου.

1249. mvp-comment-708-2 γοᾶτο The augment is dropt Epicè, as in O. C. 1624, with a consonant preceding.

1251. mvp-comment-709-1 And after this she perishes, in what way, indeed, I cannot further tell, for Oedipus broke in with cries, and prevented us from seeing out her fatal act.' ἐκθεάσασθαι is to see out the tragedy. Cp. Tr. 929-931.

1256. mvp-comment-710-1 ὅπου κίχοι, to be joined with ἐξαιτῶν. It is oratio obliqua of ποῦ κίχω.

1257. mvp-comment-711-1 Her who was the parent earth that had borne himself and his children.'

1260. mvp-comment-712-1 ὡς ὑφηγητοῦ τινός ‘As if he had some one leading him. Viz. τοῦ δαίμονος. ὑφηγητοῦ, sc. ὄντος: see Essay on Language § 9. §. a. p. 14.

1261. mvp-comment-713-1 ἐκ δὲ πυθμένων ἔκλινε κοίλα κλήθρα And he uprooted and forced down the yielding doors. κλῆθρα are probably the doors with their fastenings.

1261. mvp-comment-713-2 ἐκ πυθμένων implies that the door was torn from its hinges or the bolts from their staples. κοῖλα, hollowing in. is a proleptic epithet suggesting the ease with which the obstruction gave way to Oedipus in his paroxysm. κοίλος is a favourite word with Sophocles, who extends the application of this as of some other epithets beyond the common use. Essay on Language p. 103. Cp. Tr. 901, κοίλα δέμνια: Il. 20.446, ἠέρα τύψε βαθείαν. For ἐκ πυθμένων, cp Aesch. Prom. 1047, χθόνα δ᾽ ἐκ πυθμένων | αὐταῖς ῥίζαις πνεῦμα κραδαίνοι. And for the use of κλίνω, cp. Hdt. 9. 9, μεγάλαι κλισιάδες ἀναπεπτέαται. The alliteration of κ, λ, is suggestive of the successful effort. on

1264. mvp-comment-714-1 ἐμπεπλεγμένην The Laur. MS. reads πλεκταῖσ᾽ ἐώραις ἐμπεπληγμένην ὁ δὲ | ὅπωσδ', in which the form ἐώραις and the meaning of ἐμπεπληγμένην are doubtful, and the second dé in ὅπως δ' is manifestly wrong. Better with MM² πλεκταῖσιν αἰώραισιν ἐμπεπλεγμένην, and either ὁ δε omitted, or the words ὁ δὲ ὅπως δ᾽ ὁρᾷ νιν corrected into ὁ δ᾽ ὡς ὁρᾷ νιν. The tautology of πλεκταῖσιν αἰώραισιν ἐμπεπλεγμένην is not unlike Sophocles (Essay L. § 44. p. 83) and ἐμπεπληγμένην, which is the reading of LE Ven. 617 pr. Vat. 1363, Vat. be. K., although more expressive of the violence of the act, where she had been dashed into the noose, seems hardly appropriate as a description not of Jocasta hanging herself, but of the dead body already hanging. But for ἐμπλήσσω in this connection, cp. Od. 22. 468 foll.

1264. mvp-comment-714-2 ὡς δ᾽ ὅταν ἢ κίχλαι τανυσίπτεροι ἠὲ πέλειαι | ἕρκει ἐνιπλήξωσι: and see Hesych.

1264. mvp-comment-714-3 ἐμπλῆξαι· ἐμπεσεῖν : and for the tense, Il. 16.660, ἐπεὶ βασιλῆα ἴδον βεβλαμμένον ἦτορ. ὁ δέ, with a pause following as well as preceding, cp. supr. 1252, makes a less suitable rhythm than the end-stopt line. The gloss in Trin. shows the doubtfulness of ἐώρα: ἑώρα διὰ τοῦ ἐ ψιλοῦ, ὅθεν καὶ μετέωρος.

1265. mvp-comment-715-1 ὁ δ᾽ *ὡς ὁρᾷ νιν Cp. El. 736: Ant. 1226, ὁ δ᾽ ὡς ὁρᾷ σφε.

1266. mvp-comment-716-1 ἐπεὶ δὲ γῇ The reading ἐπί, ἐκειτ᾿ ἡ Pal. 6 ἐμπεπληγμένην Ε.

1266. mvp-comment-716-2 ὅπωσ AV3 Trin.

1267. mvp-comment-717-1 ἔκειτο ἔκειθ' ὁ LAEF. for which cp. supr. 258 (ἐπικυρῶ for ἐπεὶ κυρῶ), has arisen from not recognizing the dative of place.

1267. mvp-comment-717-2 δεινὰ δ᾽ ἦν The δέ in apodosi adds emphasis. Then what followed was terrible to see.' Triclinius read γ'.

1268. mvp-comment-718-1 foll. For when he had plucked away from her person the clasps of gold with which her robes were fastened, he lifted them and smote his eye-balls to the root, saying aloud, "That they should not see the evils of which he was the victim, and the cause, but in darkness henceforth should look upon those whom he ought never to have seen, and fail to know those whom he had desired to know."' Herm.'s conjecture, ὄψαιντο, because they had not seen him, derives considerable plausibility (notwithstanding the doubtfulness of the form) from ἔπασχεν and ἔδρα. But these imperfects, as well as ἔδει and ἔχρηζεν, are to be explained by the implied reference to the past, when his eyes had seen his father in the triple way and his mother in Thebes, whom it would have been better for him never to have seen, and had failed to recognize them, whom he had so longed to know, when the recognition might have saved all. With sharp pathos he now says that in the future his eyes shall not do as in the past. They shall indeed look on those it were best not to have seen (his children, the citizens, his father and mother in Hades, 1371 foll.), but without having sight, and not know those whom he once desired to know (with a double reference to his desire to see his parents and the natural wish to see the faces of his children). For a similar oxymoron in threatening language, cp. Ant. 310 foll., ἵν᾽ εἰδότες τὸ κέρδος ἔνθεν οἰστέον | τὸ λοιπὸν ἁρπάζητε. And for the feeling in oὓς ἔχρηζε, cp. Εl. 1235, εἴδεθ᾽ οὓς ἐχρήζετε. The imperfects indicative in 1273-1274 are in the same construction as those in 1271, and they are not affected by the proposed emendation.

1270. mvp-comment-719-1 ἄρας – 1276. ἐπαίρων (1) Lifting the clasps in his hand (ἐπι = 'repeatedly'). Cp. II. 3. 362, πλῆξεν ἀνασχόμενος κόρυθος φάλον. According to others, (2) Lifting his eyes.'

1270. mvp-comment-719-2 ἄρθρα.. κύκλων The sockets of his eye-balls. For the periphrasis, cp. supr. 1032. And for κύκλων, Ant. 974, ὀμμάτων κύκλοις, Phil. 1354.

1275. mvp-comment-720-1 Uttering such a strain withal' (ἐπι = in accompaniment to the act, cp. Hdt. 1. 1,32, ἐπαείδει θεογονίην), he often and not once only lifted his hand again and smote his eyes. And the pupils all at once rained blood upon his beard, not letting fall moist drops of gore, but all at once was poured the shower of dark red hail. ὁμοῦ means, not in successive drops, but many coming together (ἀστακτί). Cp. Aesch. Pers. 401, (ὁ πᾶς στόλος ἐπεξεχώρει,) ὄψοιντο Α. 1270 1275 1280 1271. ὄψοιντο] 1274. ὀψοίαθ',.. ν

1275. mvp-comment-720-2 ἐφυμνῶν ἐφ᾽ ὑμῶν L. 0

1277. mvp-comment-721-1 ἀνίεσαν ἀνίεσσαν L.

1277. mvp-comment-721-2 ὄμμτ Μ. γρ. ὄμματα Γ mg. cp.

1277. mvp-comment-721-3 καὶ παρὴν ὁμοῦ (all at once) κλύειν | πολλὴν βοήν.

1279. mvp-comment-722-1 ὄμβρος χαλάζης αἱματοῦς The reading of M and that of I mg. suggesting ὀμμάτων, though plausible at first sight, is probably a corruption; cp. infr. 1400. αἱματοῦς is the least possible change from αἵματος. Cp. Hom. Il. 11.53, ἐέρσας αἵματι μυδαλέας. Pind. Isthm. 7.(6.) 27, ὅστις .. χάλαζαν αἵματος πρὸ φίλας πάτρας ἀμύνεται: Ib. 5. 49, Δτός ὄμβρῳ... χαλαζάεντι φόνῳ. 1280-1281. Cp. Tr. 941, ἐκ δυοῖν ἔσοιθ᾽ ἅμα.. ὠρφανισμένος βίου. The repetition of κακά having led to the omission of 1281 in a single MS. (Barocc.) this line was rejected by Elmsley, followed by Dindorf with the rejection of both lines. Porson and Hermann, with more probability, argue that the end of 1280 is corrupt. Pors. conj. οὐχ ἑνὸς μόνου. With respect to the omission of the lines it may be remarked that we must suppose not only an interpolation, but if the suspected verses are cut out, there will also be a lacuna. For 1279 does not connect with 1282. The fact is that such repetitions are not uncommon. Cp. Ο. C. 70, 71, μόλοι, 782-783, κακὰ, κακών, 1487-1488, φρένα, φρενί. For the datives in 1281, cp. Ant, 865, ἐμῷ πατρὶ δυσμόρῳ.

1282. mvp-comment-723-1 ἦν πάροιθε μέν Was once happiness in the true sense; but now all happiness is obliterated.' Cp. O. C. 1549, πρόσθε πού ποτ᾽ ἦσθ᾽ ἐμόν.

1283. mvp-comment-724-1 δικαίως In the true sense. Cp. Αj. 547, εἴπερ δικαίως ἔστ᾽ ἐμός.

1284. mvp-comment-725-1 κακῶν ὅσ᾽.. ὀνόματα A slight inversion for κακὰ ὅσων ἐστὶν ὀνόματα, arising from the frequent confusion be tween name and thing. See Essay on Language § 42. p. 80 β. The genitive κακῶν assists the transition to the negative expression, οὐδέν ἐστ᾽ ἀπόν.