Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 700-862

ed. Francis Storr

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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)) — 700 focus
ἐρῶ· σὲ γὰρ τῶνδ᾽ ἐς πλέον, γύναι, σέβω·
700
Κρέοντος, οἷά μοι βεβουλευκὼς ἔχει.
οἷόν μ᾽ ἀκούσαντ᾽ ἀρτίως ἔχει, γύναι,
ψυχῆς πλάνημα κἀνακίνησις φρενῶν.
πότερον ἐχώρει βαιός, ἢ πολλοὺς ἔχων
750
ἄνδρας λοχίτας, οἷʼ ἀνὴρ ἀρχηγέτης;
κοὐ μὴ στερηθῇς γ' ἐς τοσοῦτον ἐλπίδων
ἐμοῦ βεβῶτος· τῷ γὰρ ἂν καὶ μείζονι
λέξαιμ᾽ ἂν ἢ σοὶ διὰ τύχης τοιᾶσδ᾽ ἰών;
ἐμοὶ πατὴρ μὲν Πόλυβος ἦν Κορίνθιος,
μήτηρ δὲ Μερόπη Δωρίς. ἠγόμην δ᾽ ἀνὴρ
775
ἀστῶν μέγιστος τῶν ἐκεῖ, πρίν μοι τύχη
τοιάδ᾽ ἐπέστη, θαυμάσαι μὲν ἀξία,
σπουδῆς γε μέντοι τῆς ἐμῆς οὐκ ἀξία.
ἀνὴρ γὰρ ἐν δείπνοις μ' ὑπερπλησθεὶς μέθῃ
καλεῖ παρ᾿ οἴνῳ πλαστὸς ὡς εἴην πατρί.
780
κἀγὼ βαρυνθεὶς τὴν μὲν οὖσαν ἡμέραν
μόλις κατέσχον, θἀτέρᾳ δ᾽ ἰὼν πέλας
μητρὸς πατρός τ᾽ ἤλεγχον· οἱ δὲ δυσφόρως
τοὔνειδος ἦγον τῷ μεθέντι τὸν λόγον.
κἀγὼ τὰ μὲν κείνοιν ἐτερπόμην, ὅμως δ᾽
785
ἔκνιζέ μ᾿ ἀεὶ τοῦθ᾽· ὑφεῖρπε γὰρ πολύ.
λάθρα δὲ μητρὸς καὶ πατρὸς πορεύομαι
Πυθώδε, καί μ᾿ ὁ Φοῖβος ὧν μὲν ἱκόμην
ἄτιμον ἐξέπεμψεν, ἄλλα δ᾽ ἄθλια
καὶ δεινὰ καὶ δύστηνα προὐφάνη λέγων,
790
ὡς μητρὶ μὲν χρείη με μιχθῆναι, γένος δ᾽
ἄτλητον ἀνθρώποισι δηλώσοιμ᾿ ὁρᾶν,
φονεὺς δ᾽ ἐσοίμην τοῦ φυτεύσαντος πατρός.
κἀγὼ ᾿πακούσας ταῦτα τὴν Κορινθίαν
ἄστροις τὸ λοιπὸν ἐκμετρούμενος χθόνα
795
ἔφευγον, ἔνθα μήποτ᾽ ὀψοίμην κακῶν
χρησμῶν ὀνείδη τῶν ἐμῶν τελούμενα.
στείχων δ᾽ ἱκνοῦμαι τούσδε τοὺς χώρους ἐν οἷς
σὺ τὸν τύραννον τοῦτον ὄλλυσθαι λέγεις.
καί σοι, γύναι, τἀληθὲς ἐξερῶ. τριπλῆς
800
ὅτ᾽ ἦ κελεύθου τῆσδ᾽ ὁδοιπορῶν πέλας,
ἐνταῦθά μοι κῆρύξ τε κἀπὶ πωλικῆς
ἀνὴρ ἀπήνης ἐμβεβώς, οἷον σὺ φῄς,
ξυνηντίαζον· κἀξ ὁδοῦ μ᾽ ὅ θ᾽ ἡγεμὼν
αὐτός θ᾽ ὁ πρέσβυς πρὸς βίαν ἠλαυνέτην.
805
κἀγὼ τὸν ἐκτρέποντα, τὸν τροχηλάτην,
παίω διʼ ὀργῆς· καί μ᾿ ὁ πρέσβυς ὡς ὁρᾷ,
[42 a.
ὄχου παραστείχοντα τηρήσας μέσον
κάρα διπλοῖς κέντροισί μου καθίκετο.
οὐ μὴν ἴσην γ᾽ ἔτισεν, ἀλλὰ συντόμως
810
σκήπτρῳ τυπεὶς ἐκ τῆσδε χειρὸς ὕπτιος
μέσης ἀπήνης εὐθὺς ἐκκυλίνδεται.
κτείνω δὲ τοὺς ξύμπαντας. εἰ δὲ τῷ ξένῳ
τούτῳ προσήκει Λαΐῳ τι συγγενές,
τίς τοῦδε *τἀνδρὸς ἔστιν ἀθλιώτερος;
815
τίς ἐχθροδαίμων μᾶλλον ἂν γένοιτ᾽ ἀνήρ;
ᾧ μὴ ξένων ἔξεστι μηδ᾽ ἀστῶν τινὰ
δόμοις δέχεσθαι, μηδὲ προσφωνεῖν τινά,
ὠθεῖν δ᾽ ἀπ᾿ οἴκων. καὶ τάδ' οὔτις ἄλλος ἦν
ἢ ἐγὼ ἐπ᾿ ἐμαυτῷ τάσδ᾽ ἀρὰς ὁ προστιθείς.
820
λέχη δὲ τοῦ θανόντος ἐν χεροῖν ἐμαῖν
χραίνω, διʼ' ὧνπερ ὤλετ᾽. ἆρ᾽ ἔφυν κακός;
ἆρ᾽ οὐχὶ πᾶς ἄναγνος; εἴ με χρὴ φυγεῖν,
καί μοι φυγόντι μἤστι τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἰδεῖν
*μηδ' ἐμβατεύειν πατρίδος, ἢ γάμοις με δεῖ
825
μητρὸς ζυγῆναι καὶ πατέρα κατακτανεῖν
Πόλυβον, ὃς ἐξέφυσε κἀξέθρεψέ με.
ἆρ᾽ οὐκ ἀπ᾿ ὠμοῦ ταῦτα δαίμονός τις ἂν
κρίνων ἐπ᾿ ἀνδρὶ τῷδ᾽ ἂν ὀρθοίη λόγον;
μὴ δῆτα μὴ δῆτ᾽, ὦ θεῶν ἁγνὸν σέβας,
830
ἴδοιμι ταύτην ἡμέραν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ βροτῶν
βαίην ἄφαντος πρόσθεν ἢ τοιάνδ᾽ ἰδεῖν
κηλῖδ᾽ ἐμαυτῷ συμφορᾶς ἀφιγμένην.
ἡμῖν μέν, ὦναξ, ταῦτ᾽ ὀκνήρ᾽· ἕως δ᾽ ἂν οὖν
πρὸς τοῦ παρόντος ἐκμάθῃς, ἔχ᾿ ἐλπίδα.
835
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 700 focus
I’ll tell thee, lady, for I honour thee
700
More than these citizens. ’Twas Creon there,
700
And his inveterate treason against me.
What strange emotions overcloud my soul,
Stirred to her depths on hearing this thy tale!
Had he scant following, or, as princes use,
750
Full numbers of a well-appointed train?
Thou shalt not lose thy rights in such an hour,
When I am harrowed thus with doubt and fear.
To whom more worthy should I tell my grief?
—My father was Corinthian Polybus,
My mother, Dorian Meropè.—I lived
A prince among that people, till a chance
775
Encountered me, worth wonder, but, though strange,
Not worth the anxious thought it waked in me.
For at a feasting once over the wine
One deep in liquor called aloud to me,
‘Hail, thou false foundling of a foster-sire!’
780
That day with pain I held my passion down;
But early on the morrow I came near
And questioned both my parents, who were fierce
In anger at the man who broached this word.
For their part I was satisfied, but still
785
It galled me, for the rumour would not die.
Eluding then my parents I made way
To Delphi, where, as touching my desire,
Phoebus denied me; but brake forth instead
With other oracles of misery
790
And horrible misfortune, how that I
Must know my mother’s shame, and cause to appear
A birth intolerable in human view,
And do to death the author of my life.
I fled forth at the word, conjecturing now
Corinthia’s region by the stars of heaven,
795
And wandered, where I never might behold
Those dreadful prophecies fulfilled on me.
So travelling on, I came even to the place
Where, as thou tell’st, the King of Thebè fell.
And, O my wife, I will hide nought from thee.
800
When I drew near the cross-road of your tale,
A herald, and a man upon a car,
Like your description, there encountered me.
And he who led the car, and he himself
The greybeard, sought to thrust me from the path.
805
Then in mine angry mood I sharply struck
The driver-man who turned me from the way;
Which when the elder saw, he watched for me
As I passed by, and from the chariot-seat
Smote full upon my head with the fork’d goad;
810
But got more than he gave; for, by a blow
From this right hand, smit with my staff, he fell
Instantly rolled out of the car supine.
I slew them every one. Now if that stranger
Had aught in common with king Laius,
What wretch on earth was e’er so lost as I?
815
Whom have the Heavens so followed with their hate?
No house of Theban or of foreigner
Must any more receive me, none henceforth
Must speak to me, but drive me from the door!
I, I have laid this curse on mine own head!
820
Yea, and this arm that slew him now enfolds
His queen. O cruel stain! Am I not vile?
Polluted utterly! Yes, I must flee,
And, lost to Thebè, nevermore behold
My home, nor tread my country, lest I meet
825
In marriage mine own mother, and bring low
His head that gave me life and reared my youth,
My father, Polybus. Ah! right were he
Who should declare some god of cruel mood
Had sent this trouble upon my soul! Ye Powers,
830
Worshipped in holiness, ne’er may I see
That day, but perish from the sight of men,
Ere sins like these be branded on my name!
Thy fear is ours, O king: yet lose not hope,
Till thou hast heard the witness of the deed.
835
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 700 focus
So höre (denn dich acht' ich mehr als diese, Frau,)
Von Kreon, was er Arges mir ersonnen hat.
Frau, wie befällt mich plözlich über deinem Wort
Irrsal des Geistes, wie bewegt's mein Innerstes!
710
Zog Laïos nur mit Wenigen, oder folgten ihm
Zahlreiche Krieger als des Landes hohem Herrn?
Dir bleib' es nicht verborgen, nun ich angelangt
Bei solcher Aussicht! Welchem Würdigern könnt' ich's auch,
755
Als dir, vertrauen, da mich solche Noth bedrängt?
Mein Vater war Korinthos' Herrscher, Polybos,
Und meine Mutter Merope, die Dorerin.
Als erster Bürger galt ich dort, eh' solcher Art
Mich traf ein Zufall, der beachtenswürdig zwar,
760
Doch nicht des Eifers würdig war, der mich ergriff.
Ein Mann, am Gastmal überfüllt vom Trunk des Weins,
Nief laut, ich sei nicht meines Vaters ächter Sohn.
Und ich, gereizt, vermocht' an diesem Tage kaum
An mich zu halten; doch am zweiten fragt' ich an
765
Bei meinen Eltern, welche schwer ob solchem Schimpf
Dem Manne zürnten, dem das Wort entfallen war.
Mich freuten ihre Reden; doch stets nagte mir
Dies Wort am Herzen; denn es wühlte tief sich ein.
Und unbemerkt von meinen Eltern, zog ich aus
770
Gen Pytho. Phöbos sandte zwar mich ungehört,
Um was ich kam, von dannen; doch ein andres Leid,
Ein gräßlich jammervolles Loos enthüllt' er mir:
Ich müsse meine Mutter frei'n und ein Geschlecht
Des Gräuels offenbaren vor der Menschen Blick,
775
Und Mörder sein des Vaters, der mir Leben gab.
Und das vernehmend, floh ich scheu Korinthos' Land,
Nur aus den Sternen seine Lag' hinfort zu späh'n,
Hinziehend, wo ich hoffte nimmerdar die Schmach
Des mir geword'nen bösen Spruchs erfüllt zu seh'n.
780
Und also wandernd kam ich auch an jenen Ort,
Wo, wie du sagtest, dein Gemahl erschlagen ward.
Und, Frau, die Wahrheit will ich dir gesteh'n: sobald
Ich jenem Dreiweg nahe war auf meiner Fahrt,
Kommt mir ein Herold und ein Mann, so wie du jezt
785
Mir ihn beschriebst, entgegen, den ein Wagen trug
Mit jungen Rossen; und des Wagens Lenker trieb
Samt jenem Alten mit Gewalt vom Weg mich ab.
Und ich, im Zorne, schlage den, der mich vertrieb,
Den Wagenführer; als der Alte dies gewahrt,
790
Die Zeit erspäht' er, bis ich nah dem Wagen kam,
Und schwang den Stachel mitten mir auf's Haupt herab. 3
Doch büßt' er nicht mit Gleichem; nein, vom Stab sofort
Aus meiner Hand getroffen, wird er ungesäumt
Vom Wagensize hinterrücks hinabgestürzt;
795
Darauf erschlug ich Alle. Wenn nun Laïos
Jemals Gemeinschaft hatte mit dem Fremdlinge:
Wo mag der Menschen Einer unglückseliger,
Wer könnte gottverhaßter sein, als Dedipus?
Den nicht ein Fremdling, noch ein hier gebor'ner Manu
800
In seine Wohnung nehmen noch ansprechen darf,
Nein, aus dem Hause stoßen muß! Und ich bin's selbst,
Kein Andrer hat mir diesen Fluch auf's Haupt gelegt,
Des Todten Gattin wird befleckt in meinem Arm,
Der ihn zu Boden streckte. Bin ich nicht verrucht?
805
Nicht ganz und gar unheilig? Wenn ich fliehen muß,
Und als ein Flüchtling nimmermehr die Meinen seh'n,
Nicht meiner Heimat nahen darf: sonst muß ich, ha!
Die Mutter frei'n, muß meinen Vater Polybos
Ermorden, der mir Leben gab und mich erzog.
810
Wer sagen wollte, daß ein grimmer Dämon dies
Mir zugesendet, träf' er nicht das Richtige?
mög' ich nie, ihr heiligen Himmelsmächte dort!
Nie diesen Tag schau'n! Mög' ich aus der Sterblichen
Anblick zuvor entschwinden, eh' ich sehen muß,
815
Daß solches Unheils grause Schmach mein Leben drückt!
Uns, König, macht dies auch besorgt; doch ehe du
Den Augenzeugen ausgeforscht, verzage nicht.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 726 focus
Wilt not begone ?
I said before.
Again I say, that not to love my king
E'en as myself, would mark me for the worst
Of men. For thou didst save expiring Thebes.
Oh ! rise once more, protect, preserve thy country 1
Joe. O king ! inform me, whence this strange dissen-
sion ?
835
I'll tell thee, my Jocasta, for thou knowst
The love I bear thee, what this wicked Creon
Did artfully devise against me.
Joe. Speak it,
If he indeed be guilty.
That I did murder Laius.
Joe. Spake he this
As knowing it himself, or from another ?
And sharpens every tongue against his king.
Joe. Let not a fear perplex thee, (Edipus ;
Mortals know nothing of futurity,
And these prophetic seers are all impostors ;
I'll prove it to thee. Know then, Laius once,
Not from Apollo, but his priests, received
An oracle, which said it was decreed
755
He should be slain by his own son, the offspring
755
Of Laius and Jocasta. Yet he fell
755
By strangers, murdered, for so fame reports,
755
By robbers, in the place where_three Avays meet.
755
A son was born, but ere three days had passed
755
The infant's feet were bored. A servant took
755
And left him on the pathless mountain's top.
755
To perish there. Thus Phoebus ne'er decreed
755
That he should kill his father, or that Laius,
755
Which much he feared, should by his son be slain.
755
Such is the truth of oracles. Henceforth
755
Regard them not. What heaven would have us know,}'
755
It can with ease unfold, and will reveal it. ^
755
O almighty Jove !
What -vvilt thou do with me ?
Joe. Why talkst thou thus 'f
GEdi. Ask me no more ; but tell me of this Laius :
What was his age and stature 1
J oc. He was tall ;
His hairs just turning to the silver hue ;
His form not much unlike thy own.
Sure I have called down curses on myself
Unknowing.
Joe Ha ! what sayst thou, CEdipus ?
I tremble whilst I look on thee.
Oh ! much
1 fear the prophet saw too well ; but say,
One thing will make it clear.
Joe. I dread to hear it ;
Yet speak, and I will tell thee'.
GEdi. Went he forth
With few attendants, or a numerous train.
In kingly pomp?
Joe. They were but tive in all.
The herald with them ; but one chariot there.
Which carried Laius.
CEdt, Oh ! 'tis but too plain.
Who brought the news?
Joe. A servant, who alone
Escaped with Ufe.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 700 focus
I will inform thee (for than these more high
He saith I murder'd Laius.
Said he this
What wild amazement, lady, at thy words
Seizes my troubled thoughts, and shakes my soul.
Went he with few; or, as became a king,
750
With many guards attendant on his state?
750
Without more train than five, an herald one
Of these; a single chariot bore the king.
My expectation to such height is raised,
That I will tell thee: for in whom more dear
Can I, thus struggling with my fate, confide?
My father was the royal Polybus
Of Corinth; Merope, who boasts her birth
From Dorian Chiefs, my mother; in that state
775
I was esteem'd the greatest, till there chanced
A circumstance, which might my wonder claim,
But nought of anxious care: amidst a feast
One fill'd with wine reviled me as not born
The son of Corinth's king; ill brook'd I this,
780
And scarce that day restrain'd myself; the next
780
My father and my mother I address'd,
Earnest to trace the truth; the insult raised
Their high resentment, though from heat of wine
It sprung; with their affection I was pleased;
Yet still this stung my heart, so deeply there
785
It rankled. Anxious to the Pythian shrine,
My purpose not disclosed, I take my way;
To this inquiry no reply was deign'd,
And me unhonour'd Phœbus sent away;
But show'd, the fates foretelling, other ills
With woe, with horror pregnant: he declared
790
That with my mother I was doom'd to mix
Embraces, and to light produce a race
By men to be abhorr'd; nay, doom'd to be
The murderer of my father. When these words
Reach'd my affrighted ear, from Corinth wide,
795
My course thenceforth directing by the stars,
I fled, where I might ne'er behold the shame,
The infamy of these dire oracles
Fulfill'd. My way pursuing, to the place
I came, where thou hast said this monarch fell.
Yes, I will tell thee all the truth: as near
800
This place, where three ways meet, I held my course,
An herald, and exalted on a car
One of such form as thy description mark'd,
Met me: with force the leader of the way,
And the old Chief himself against me rush'd,
805
And drove me back; the leader, who aside
Had turn'd me, in my rage I strike: the Chief,
Soon as he saw me passing near the car,
Smote me, against my head he aim'd the blow,
He smote me twice; but from this hand received
Unequal recompense; beneath my staff
810
At once he sunk, and from his chariot roll'd.
I slew them all. Now should these kindred deeds
Prove like relation 'twixt this stranger slain
And Laius, lives there such a wretch as I?
Lives there a man so hateful to the gods?
815
Nor citizen nor stranger may henceforth
Beneath their roof receive me, none with me
Hold converse, from their houses all constrain'd
To thrust me; yet none other, but myself,
Denounced these curses on me. I pollute
The bed of him, who perish'd by these hands,
820
These blood-stain'd hands? And am I not most vile?
Am I not all defiled? If I must fly,
And exiled never, never see those friends
That are most dear to me, and never tread
My country's soil again; if I must mount
825
My mother's bed, in fated nuptials join'd;
825
If I must kill my father Polybus,
From whom my life, my nurture I received ;
Who would not judge, who would not say with truth
That some remorseless Demon wrought these woes ?
But never, never, O ye holy pow'rs
830
Of the just gods, may I behold that day!
No: from the sight of mortals let me sink,
Ere see a stain like this pollute my life.
These things, O king, our consternation raise:
Yet see this herdsman, hear him; meanwhile hope:
835
This I will haste to do: but go we in.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 700-861 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-435-1 τῶνδ’ ἐς πλέον 1

mvp-comment-435-2 Κρέοντος 2

mvp-comment-435-3 βεβουλευκὼς 3

mvp-comment-436-1 λέγ’ 4 εἰ σαφῶς ἐρεῖς 5

mvp-comment-436-2 ἐγκαλεῖν νεῖκός 6

mvp-comment-437-1 αὐτὸς ξυνειδώς 7

mvp-comment-437-2 μὲν οὖν 8

mvp-comment-438-1 τό γ’ εἰς ἑαυτὸν 9 πᾶν ἐλευθεροῖ 10

mvp-comment-439-1 ἀφεὶς σεαυτόν 11

mvp-comment-440-1 μάθ’ 12

mvp-comment-440-2 σοι 13 ἐστὶν ἔχον 14 τέχνης 15 ἐστὶν ἔχον 16

mvp-comment-441-1 οὐκ ἐρῶ 17

mvp-comment-442-1 ἥξοι 18 αὐτὸν 19 ἥξοι 20

mvp-comment-443-1 ὅσεις γένοιτ’ 21

mvp-comment-444-1 ξένοι 22

mvp-comment-445-1 See on 733.

mvp-comment-446-1 διέσχον 23

mvp-comment-446-2 βλάστας 24 διέσχον 25

mvp-comment-447-1 καί 26

mvp-comment-447-2 ἄρθρα ποδοῖν 27 ἐνζεύξας 28

mvp-comment-448-1 εἰς ἄβατον ὄρος 29

mvp-comment-449-1 κἀνταῦθ’ 30

mvp-comment-450-1 It is more likely that, as our MSS. suggest, παθεῖν 31 θανεῖν 32

mvp-comment-451-1 τοιαῦτα … διώρισαν 33 φῆμαι 34

mvp-comment-452-1 ὧν χρείαν ἐρευνᾷ 35

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 36

mvp-comment-455-1 ποίας μερ. ὑποστρ. 37

mvp-comment-456-1 λήξαντ’ 38

mvp-comment-457-1 σχιστὴ δ’ ὁδός 39

mvp-comment-458-1 ταὐτὸ 40 ἀπὸ 41

mvp-comment-459-1 τοῖσδ’ 42

mvp-comment-460-1 σχεδόν τι πρόσθεν 43

mvp-comment-461-1 ὦ Ζεῦ 44

mvp-comment-462-1 ἐνθύμιον 45

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 46 τίνος 47 τίνα δ’ 48

mvp-comment-464-1 χνοάζων λευκανθὲς κάρα 49

mvp-comment-465-1 τάλāς 50

mvp-comment-465-2 ἔοικα … οὐκ εἰδέναι 51

mvp-comment-466-1 καὶ μὴν 52

mvp-comment-466-2 ἃνδ’ 53

mvp-comment-467-1 βαιός 54

mvp-comment-468-1 λοχίτας 55

mvp-comment-469-1 κῆρυξ 56 ἀπήνη ἦγε μία 57 ἀπήνη 58

mvp-comment-470-1 Cp. 118. οἰκεύς 59

mvp-comment-471-1 ἦ καὶ 60

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 61

mvp-comment-474-1 ἀγρούς 62

mvp-comment-474-2 νομάς 63

mvp-comment-475-1 τοῦδ’ ἄποπτος ἄστεως 64

mvp-comment-476-1 οἶ’ 65 οἷα 66 ἄξιος 67

mvp-comment-477-1 φέρειν 68

mvp-comment-478-1 πάρεστιν 69

mvp-comment-479-1 δῑ ἅ 70

mvp-comment-480-1 κἀγὼ 71 που 72

mvp-comment-480-2 ἐν σοὶ 73 ἐν 74

mvp-comment-481-1 ἐς τοσοῦτον ἐλπίδων 75

mvp-comment-482-1 μείζονι 76 καὶ 77 λέξαιμ’ ἂν· — 78

mvp-comment-483-1 ἰών 79

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 80

mvp-comment-485-2 ἐπέστη 81

mvp-comment-486-1 ὑπερπλησθεὶς μέθῃ, 82

mvp-comment-487-1 παρ’ οἴνῳ 83

mvp-comment-487-2 πλαστὸς ὡς εἴην 84 καλεῖ με 85 πλαστὸς 86 πατρί 87

mvp-comment-488-1 κατέσχον 88

mvp-comment-489-1 τῷ μεθέντι 89 δυσφόρως τοὔνειδος ἦγον 90

mvp-comment-490-1 ὅμως δ’ 91

mvp-comment-491-1 ὑφεῖρπε γὰρ πολύ 92 πολύ 93

mvp-comment-492-1 ὦν ἱκόμην ἄτιμον 94

mvp-comment-493-1 προὔφηνεν 95 προὔφηνεν 96 προὐφάνη 97 προὐφάνη λέγων 98 προὔφηνεν 99

mvp-comment-494-1 γένος δ’ 100

mvp-comment-494-2 ὁρᾶν 101 ἄτλητον 102 δηλώσοιμ’ 103

mvp-comment-495-1 ἐπακούσας 104

mvp-comment-495-2 τὴν κορινθίαν 105 ἐκμετρούμενος 106 ἄστροις ἐκμετρούμενος 107 ἔφευγον 108 ἐκμετρ. 109 τὴν Κορ. χθόνα 110 τὴν Κορινθίαν 111 χθόνα 112

mvp-comment-496-1 ἔνθα 113 ἔφευγον 114 ὀψοίμην 115

mvp-comment-497-1 καί σοι … τριπλῆς 116

mvp-comment-498-1 κῆρυξ τε 117 κῆρύξ τε 118

mvp-comment-499-1 ἀπήνης 119

mvp-comment-499-2 οἶον 120

mvp-comment-500-1 The κῆρυξ 121 ἡγεμών 122 τροχηλάτης 123 ἡγεμών 124 ἠλαυνέτην 125 πρὸς βίαν 126 τροχηλάτης 127 ἐκτρέποντα 128

mvp-comment-501-1 ὄχου 129 μέσον κάρα 130 ὄχου 131

mvp-comment-501-2 τηρήσας 132

mvp-comment-502-1 καθίκετο 133 μου 134 μέσον κάρα 135

mvp-comment-502-2 διπλοῖς κέντροισι 136

mvp-comment-503-1 οὐ μὴν ἴσην γ’ 137

mvp-comment-503-2 ἔτεισεν 138

mvp-comment-503-3 συντόμως 139

mvp-comment-504-1 μέσης 140

mvp-comment-505-1 εἰ συγγενές τι τῷ Λαΐῳ 141 τι 142 συγγενές 143

mvp-comment-506-1 δν … τινι 144

mvp-comment-507-1 μηδὲ … τινα 145 ἔξεστι 146

mvp-comment-507-2 ὠθεῖν δ’ 147

mvp-comment-507-3 καὶ τάδ’ 148 τάδε 149

mvp-comment-508-1 ἐν χεροῖν 150

mvp-comment-509-1 ἆρ’—ἆρ’ οὐχὶ 151 ἆρα 152 ἆρ’ οὐχὶ 153

mvp-comment-510-1 Πόλυβον 154

mvp-comment-511-1 ἐπ’ ἀνδρὶ τῷδε 155 ὀρθοίη λόγον 156

mvp-comment-512-1 τοιάνδε 157

mvp-comment-512-2 κηλῖδα 158 συμφορᾶς 159

mvp-comment-513-1 δ’ οὖν 160

mvp-comment-514-1 τοῦ παρόντος 161

mvp-comment-515-1 τῆς ἐλπίδος 162

mvp-comment-516-1 πεφασμένου 163

mvp-comment-517-1 πάθος 164 ἄγος 165 πάθος 166

mvp-comment-518-1 περισσόν 167

mvp-comment-519-1 τὸν αὐτὸν ἀριθμόν 168

mvp-comment-519-2 ἴσος 169 τοῖς πολλοῖς 170

mvp-comment-520-1 οἰόζωνον 171 οἰόζωνος 172

mvp-comment-521-1 εἰς ἐμὲ ῥέπον 173

mvp-comment-522-1 ἐπίστασο φανὲν τοὔπος ὦδε 174 ἐπίστασο ὡς φανὲν τοὔπος ὧδε 175 ὡς 176 ἐπίστασο 177

mvp-comment-523-1 ἐκβαλεῖν 178

mvp-comment-524-1 εἰ κἀκτρέποιτο 179

mvp-comment-525-1 τόν γε Λαΐου φόνον 180 σόν 181 γε 182

mvp-comment-526-1 δικαίως ὀρθόν 183 ὀρθόν 184

mvp-comment-526-2 λοξίας 185

mvp-comment-527-1 διεῖπε 186

mvp-comment-528-1 οὔτε τῇδε—οὔτε τῇδε 187

mvp-comment-528-2 μαντείας γ’ … οὕνεκα 188

mvp-comment-529-1 καλῶς νομίζεις 189

mvp-comment-529-2 στελοῦντα 190

mvp-comment-530-1 γάρ 191 ἴωμεν 192 ἂν 193

mvp-comment-530-2 ὧν οὐ σοὶ φίλον 194

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

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.