Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 911-1085

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)) — 911 focus
χώρας ἄνακτες, δόξα μοι παρεστάθη
ναοὺς ἱκέσθαι δαιμόνων, τάδ᾽ ἐν χεροῖν
στέφη λαβούσῃ κἀπιθυμιάματα.
ὑψοῦ γὰρ αἴρει θυμὸν Οἰδίπους ἄγαν
λύπαισι παντοίαισιν· οὐδ᾽ ὁποῖʼ ἀνὴρ
915
ἔννους τὰ καινὰ τοῖς πάλαι τεκμαίρεται,
ἀλλ᾽ ἐστὶ τοῦ λέγοντος, εἰ φόβους λέγῃ.
ὅτ᾽ οὖν παραινοῦσ᾽ οὐδὲν ἐς πλέον ποιῶ,
πρὸς σ᾽, ὦ Λύκειʼ Ἄπολλον, ἄγχιστος γὰρ εἶ,
ἱκέτις ἀφῖγμαι τοῖσδε σὺν κατεύγμασιν,
920
ὅπως λύσιν τινʼ ἡμὶν εὐαγῆ πόρῃς·
ὡς νῦν ὀκνοῦμεν πάντες ἐκπεπληγμένον
κεῖνον βλέποντες ὡς κυβερνήτην νεώς.
ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ.
ἆρ᾽ ἂν παρ᾽ ὑμῶν, ὦ ξένοι, μάθοιμ' ὅπου
τὰ τοῦ τυράννου δώματ' ἐστὶν Οἰδίπου;
925
μάλιστα δ᾽ αὐτὸν εἴπατ᾽, εἰ κάτισθ᾽ ὅπου.
ὦ φίλτατον γυναικὸς Ἰοκάστης κάρα,
950
τί μ' ἐξεπέμψω δεῦρο τῶνδε δωμάτων;
τί δ᾽ ἂν φοβοῖτ᾽ ἄνθρωπος, ᾧ τὰ τῆς τύχης
κρατεῖ, πρόνοια δ᾽ ἐστὶν οὐδενὸς σαφής;
εἰκῆ κράτιστον ζῆν, ὅπως δύναιτό τις.
σὺ δ᾽ εἰς τὰ μητρὸς μὴ φοβοῦ νυμφεύματα·
980
πολλοὶ γὰρ ἤδη κἀν ὀνείρασιν βροτῶν
μητρὶ ξυνευνάσθησαν. ἀλλὰ ταῦθ᾽ ὅτῳ
παρ᾽ οὐδέν ἐστι, ῥᾷστα τὸν βίον φέρει.
ἦ γὰρ τάδ᾽ ὀκνῶν κεῖθεν ἦσθ᾽ ἀπόπτολις;
1000
εὑρὼν ναπαίαις ἐν Κιθαιρῶνος πτυχαῖς.
γύναι, νοεῖς ἐκεῖνον, ὅντιν᾿ ἀρτίως
μολεῖν ἐφιέμεσθα; τόνδ' οὗτος λέγει;
1055
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 911 focus
Are ye the men to tell me where to find
The mansion of the sovereign Oedipus?
Or better, where he may himself be found?
Jocasta, my dear queen, why didst thou send
950
To bring me hither from our palace-hall?
Why should man fear, seeing his course is ruled
By fortune, and he nothing can foreknow?
’Tis best to live at ease as best one may.
Then fear not thou thy mother’s nuptial hour.
980
Many a man ere now in dreams hath lain
With her who bare him. He hath least annoy
Who with such omens troubleth not his mind.
Did fear of this make thee so long an exile?
1000
Found in Cithaeron’s hollowy wilderness.
We lately sought that one should come, my queen.
Know’st thou, is this of whom he speaks the same?
1055
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 911 focus
Ihr Häupter Thebe's, ich beschloß in meinem Sinn,
Der Götter Tempeln mich zu nah'n, die Kränze hier
885
In meinen Händen tragend und das Räucherwerk.
Denn allzuschwer ringt Dedipus in bangem Muth
Mit mannigfachem Kummer; nach dem Alten mag
Er nicht das Neue messen, wie's dem Klugen ziemt; 1
Nein, offen ist er jedem Wort, das Schrecken bringt.
890
Mit meinem Zuspruch kann ich nichts hier schaffen mehr;
(sie wendet sich zu dem Altar des Apollon)
Drum nah' ich flehend mit den Weihgeschenken dir,
Lykeier Phöbos, weil du mir der Nächste bist, 2
Auf daß du heilig lösest uns aus diesem Leid:
Denn, ach, wir alle zagen, nun wir ihn betäubt
895
Von Schrecken seh'n, der unsres Schiffes Steuer führt.
Ein Bote. Die Vorigen.
Der Botr.
Gewährtet ihr, o Freunde, wohl die Kunde mir,
Wo seine Wohnung Dedipus, der König, hat?
Doch, wisset ihr's, sagt lieber, wo er selber weilt.
Mein trautes Weib, Iokaste, vielgeliebtes Haupt,
In welcher Absicht riefst du mich vom Haus hieher?
Was hat der Mensch zu fürchten, den das Ungefähr
950
Beherrscht, und den kein sichrer Blick vorahnend lenkt?
Am besten lebt er ohne Harm, wie's eben geht.
Drum bange dir vor deiner Mutter Ehe nicht.
Denn viele Menschen sahen auch in Träumen schon
Sich zugesellt der Mutter; doch wer alles dies
955
Für nichtig achtet, trägt die Last des Lebens leicht.
Und um des Vaters Mörder nicht zu sein, o Greis.
In tiefer Waldschlucht am Kithäron fand ich dich.
Frau, meinst du, jener, den wir eben jezt hieher
Beschieden, sei derselbe, den der Bote meint?
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 911 focus
Thou art, and I will tell thee ;
Thou art my hope — to whom should I impart
My sorrows, but to thee? Know then, Jocasta,
I am the son of Polybus, who reigns
At Corinth, and the Dorian Merope
His queen ; there long I held the foremost rank,
Honoured and happy, when a strange event
The deep concern I felt) alarmed me much :
A drunken reveller at a feast proclaimed
That I was only the supposed son
Of Corinth's king. Scarce could I bear that day
The vile reproach. The next, I sought my parents
And asked of them the truth ; they too, enraged,
Resented much the base indignity.
I liked their tender warmth, but still I felt
915
A secret anguish, and, unknown to them,
915
Sought out the Pythian oracle. In vain.
915
Touching my parents nothing could I learn ;
But dreadful were the miseries it denounced
Against me. 'Twas my fate, Apollo said,
To wed my mother, to produce a race
Accursed and abhorred ; and last, to slay
My father who begat me. Sad decree !
Lest I should e'er fulfil the dire prediction,
Instant I fled from Corinth, by the stars
Guiding my hapless journey to the place
Where thou report'st this wretched king was slain.
But I will tell thee the whole truth. At length
came to where the three ways meet, when, lo!
I A herald, with another man hke him
! Wliom thou describst, and in a cliariot, met me.
Both strove with violence to drive me back ;
920
Enraged, I struck the charioteer, when straight.
920
As I advanced, the old man saw, and twice
920
Smote me o' th' head, but dearly soon repaid
The insult on me ; from his chariot rolled
Prone on the earth, beneath my staff he fell,
And instantly expired ! Th' attendant train
All shared his fate. If this unhappy stranger
And Laius be the same, lives there a wretch
So cursed, so hateful to the gods as I am ?
Nor citizen nor alien must receive,
Or converse, or communion hold with me,
But drive me forth with infamy and shame.
The dreadful curse pronounced with my own lips
Shall soon o'ertake me. I have stained the bed
Of him whom I had murdered ; am I then
Aught but pollution ? If I fly from hence,
The bed of incest meets me, and I go
925
Tc sby m^ father Polybus, the best,
925
The tenderest parent. This must bo. the work
925
Of some malignant power. Ye righteous gods !
^Let me not seejbhatdaj'-, but rest in death,
Bather than su'ffer such calamity.
That shepherd is my only hope : Jocasta,
950
Would he were here !
Joe. Suppose he were ; what then ?
What wouldst thou do ?
The laws descended from above.
Which, not like those by feeble mortals given,
Buried in dark oblivion lie,
Or worn by time decay, and die,
But bloom eternal like their native heaven !
Pride first gave birth to tyrflnufi^r"^
That hateful vice, insulting pride,
When, every human power defied,
She lifts to glory's height her votary ;
Soon stumbling, from her tottering throne
985
She throws the wretched victim down.
985
But may the pfod indulgent hear my prnyer,
985
That god wliom humbly I adore,
985
Oh ! may he smile on Thebes once more,
985
And take its wretched monarch to his care !
985
Perish the impious and profane,
985
Who, void of reverential fear.
985
Nor justice nor the laws revere,
985
"Who leave their god for pleasure or for gain !
Who swell by fraud their ill-got store,
Who rob the wretched and the poor !
If vice unpunished virtue's meed obtain,
Who shall refrain the impetuous soul,
The rebel passions who control,
Or wherefore do I lead this choral train ?
No more to Delphi's sacred shrine
Need we with incense now repair,
No more shall Phocis hear our prayer ;
Nor fair Olympia see Jier rites divine ;
If oracles no longer prove
The power of Phoebus and of Jove.
Great lord of all, from thy eternal throne
Behold, how impious men defame
Thy loved Apollo's honoured name ;
Oh ! guard his rights, and vindicate thy own. [Exeunt.
'Scene I.
Chorus.
Sages and rulers of the land, I come
To seek the altars of the gods, and there
With incense and oblations to appease
Offended Heaven. My (Edipus, alas !
JN"o longer wise and prudent, as you all
Remember once he was, with present things
Compares the past, nor judges like himself ;
1060
Unnumbered cares perplex his anxious mind,
And every tale awakes new terrors in him ;
Vain is my counsel, for he hears me not.
First, then, to thee, O Phoebus ! for thou still
Art near to help the wretched, we appeal,
And suppliant beg thee now to grant thy aid
Propitious ; deep is our distress ; for, oh !
"We see our pilot sinking at the helm,
And much already fear the vessel lost.
Shepherd from Corinth, Jocasta, Chorus.
Can you instruct me, strangers, which way
lies
The palace of king Oedipus ; himself
I would most gladly see. Can you inform me ?
If touching this thou fii'St desir'st my answer ;
1000
Know, he is dead.
1000
Or some disease ?
1000
He had no children ; that persuaded him
To take and keep thee.
This shepherd ; whether still he lives at Thebes,
1055
Or in some neighbouring country. Tell me quick,
For it concerns us near.
It must be he
Whom thou didst lately send for ; but the queen
Can best inform thee.
QEdi. Knowst thou, my Jocasta,
Whether the man whom thou didst order hither.
And whom the shepherd speaks of, be the same 1
Joe Whom meant he ? for I know not. CEdipus,
Think not so deeply of this thing.
Forbid, Jocasta, I should now neglect
To clear my birth, when thus the path is marked
And open to me.
Joe. Do not, by the gods
I beg thee, do not, if thy life be dear.
Make further search, for I have felt enough
Already from it.
Kest thou satisfied ;
1065
Were I descended from a race of slaves,
1065
'Twould not dishonour thee.
1065
Joe. Yet hear me ; do not,
1065
Once more I beg thee, do not search this matter.
1065
And find it too.
1065
Joe. I know it best, and best
1065
Advise thee.
1065
Whate'er
May come of that, I am resolved to know
The secret of my birth, how mean soever
It chance to prove. Perhaps her sex's pride
May make her blush to find I was not born
Of noble parents ; but I call myself
The son of fortune, my indulgent mothei',
Whom I shall never be ashamed to own.
The kindred months that are like me, her children,
The years that roll obedient to her will,
Have raised me from the lowest state to power
And splendour. Wherefore, being what I am,
I need not fear the knowledge of my birth.
If my prophetic soul doth well divine.
1080
Ere on thy brow to-morrow's sun shall shine,
1080
Cithreron, thou the mystery shalt unfold ;
1080
The doubtful (Edipus, no longer blind,
Shall soon his country and his father find,
And all the story of his birth be told.
Then shall we in grateful lays
Celebrate our monarch's praise,
And in the sprightly dance our songs triumphant raise.
What heavenly power gave birth to thee, O king !
From Pan, the god of mountains, didst thou sprin^
With some fail' daughter of Apollo joined ;
Art thou from him who o'er Cyllene reigns,
JSwift Hermes, sporting in Arcadia's plains?
Some nymph of Helicon did Bacchus find —
Bacchus, who delights to rove
1085
Through the forest, hill and grove —
1085
And art thou, prince, the offspring of their love ?
1085
Chorus.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 911 focus
To bring this herdsman back; omit not that,
Whate'er to thee is pleasing I would do.
No more to Phœbus honours pay;
And things divine decay.
O my Jocasta, dearest to my soul,
950
Why hast thou sent my presence to require?
Why should man fear, since fortune governs all?
Sage forecast sees nought clearly: wisest then
Is he who lives at hazard, as he may.
Fear not thy mother's bed; it is a dream,
Such as hath haunted many: he, who slights
To be divulg'd? Or may not strangers know?
1000
To this his former childless state
Induced him.
Knowest thou, lady, him we wish'd to come
To be the man of whom this stranger speaks?
Who...speak of whom?...Regard him not, nor wish
1055
On words at random utter'd e'en to think.
1055
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 911-1085 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-565-1 Iocasta comes forth, bearing a branch (ἱκετηρίἀ, wreathed with festoons of wool (στέφἠ, which, as a suppliant, she is about to lay on the altar of the household god, Apollo Λύκειος, in front of the palace. The state of Oedipus frightens her. His mind has been growing more and more excited. It is not that she herself has much fear for the future. What alarms her is to see “the pilot of the ship” (923) thus unnerved. Though she can believe no longer in human μαντική, she has never ceased to revere the gods (708); and to them she turns for help in her need.

mvp-comment-566-1 ναοὺς δαιμόνων 1

mvp-comment-567-1 στέφη 2

mvp-comment-567-2 ἐπιθυμιάματα 3

mvp-comment-568-1 τὰ καινὰ 4 τοῖς πάλαι 5

mvp-comment-569-1 τοῦ λέγοντος 6

mvp-comment-570-1 ὅτε 7

mvp-comment-571-1 Λύκεῑ Ἄπολλον 8

mvp-comment-572-1 κατεύγμασιν 9 κατάργμασιν 10

mvp-comment-573-1 λύσιν … εὐαγῆ 11

mvp-comment-574-1 ὡς κυβερνήτην νεώς 12

mvp-comment-575-1 When the messenger arrives, Iocasta's prayer seems to have been immediately answered by a λύσις εὐαγής (921), as regards part at least of the threatened doom, though at the cost of the oracle's credit.

mvp-comment-576-1 μάλιστα 13

mvp-comment-577-1 γυνὴ δέ 14

mvp-comment-578-1 παντελής 15

mvp-comment-579-1 αὔτως 16

mvp-comment-580-1 εὐεπείας 17

mvp-comment-581-1 παρὰ τίνος 18

mvp-comment-582-1 τὸ δ’ ἔπος 19

mvp-comment-583-1 ἀσχάλλοις 20

mvp-comment-584-1 ἐγκρατὴς 21

mvp-comment-585-1 A defective verse, πῶς εἶπας; ἦ τέθνηκε πόλυβος; 22 γέρων 23 γέρον 24 ἦ τέθνηκεν Οἰδίπου πατήρ; 25 Πόλυβος 26

mvp-comment-586-1 ὦ θεῶν μαντεύματα 27

mvp-comment-587-1 ἵν’ ἐστέ· ἵνα 28

mvp-comment-587-2 τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα … τρέμων ἔφευγε 29 μὴ κτάνοι 30

mvp-comment-588-1 πρὸς τῆς τύχης 31

mvp-comment-589-1 ἐξεπέμψω 32

mvp-comment-590-1 τί μοι λέγει; 33

mvp-comment-591-1 ὡς 34

mvp-comment-592-1 σημάντωρ 35 σημήνας γενοῦ 36

mvp-comment-593-1 εὖ ἴσθ’ 37 σαφῶς 38

mvp-comment-593-2 θανάσιμον βεβηκότα 39

mvp-comment-594-1 ξυναλλαγῇ 40

mvp-comment-595-1 σμικρὰ ῥοπή 41 εὐνάζει 42

mvp-comment-596-1 Yes, he died of infirmities (νόσοις ἔφθιτὀ, and of the long years (τῷ μακρῷ χρόνῳ, causal dat.), in accordance with their term ( συμμετρούμενος 43

mvp-comment-597-1 σκοποῖτο 44

mvp-comment-597-2 τὴν Π. ἑστίαν 45 ἑστίαν 46

mvp-comment-598-1 κλάζοντας 47

mvp-comment-598-2 ὧν ὑφηγητῶν 48

mvp-comment-599-1 κτενεῖν 49

mvp-comment-600-1 κεύθει 50

mvp-comment-600-2 δὴ 51

mvp-comment-601-1 ἄψαυστος 52

mvp-comment-601-2 εἴ τι μὴ 53

mvp-comment-602-1 εἴη ξ 54

mvp-comment-603-1 τὰ δ’ οὖν παρόντα 55 δ’ οὖν 56 ἄξῑ οὐδενός 57

mvp-comment-603-2 τὰ παρόντα 58

mvp-comment-603-3 συλλαβὼν 59

mvp-comment-604-1 ηὔδας 60

mvp-comment-605-1 νυν 61

mvp-comment-606-1 ᾦ, 62

mvp-comment-606-2 τὰ τῆς τύχης 63 τύχη 64

mvp-comment-607-1 πρόνοια 65

mvp-comment-608-1 εἰκῆ 66

mvp-comment-608-2 κράτιστον … ὅπως δύναιτο 67

mvp-comment-609-1 φοβοῦ 68

mvp-comment-610-1 κἀν ὀνείρασιν 69

mvp-comment-611-1 παρ’ οὐδέν 70

mvp-comment-612-1 ἐξείρητο 71

mvp-comment-613-1 ὀφθαλμὸς 72

mvp-comment-614-1 καὶ 73 ἐκφοβεῖσθε 74

mvp-comment-615-1 ἐκείνης 75 ἐς φόβον φέρον 76

mvp-comment-616-1 θεήλατον 77

mvp-comment-617-1 The MSS. having οὐ θεμιτὸν 78 οὐχὶ θεμιτὸν 79 θεμιτὸν 80 μάντευμα 81 ἄλλον 82 θεμιτὸν 83

mvp-comment-618-1 τὸ πατρῷον αἷμα ἑλεῖν 84

mvp-comment-619-1 The simplest view of ἡ Κόρινθος ἐξ ἐμοῦ ἀπῳκεῖτο is, as Whitelaw says, that it means literally, “Corinth was lived-away-from by me,” —being the passive of ἐγὼ ἀπῴκουν τῆς Κορίνθου. It is thus merely one of those instances in which a passive verb takes as subject that which would stand in gen. or dat. as object to the active verb: cp. the passive καταγελῶμαι, καταφρονοῦμαι, καταψηφίζομαι, ἐπιβουλεύομαι, etc. [I formerly took it to be passive of ἐγὼ ἀπῴκουν τὴν Κόρινθον, “I inhabited C. only at a distance,” —a paradoxical phrase like ἐν σκότῳ ὁρᾶν (1273).] ἀποικεῖν 85

mvp-comment-620-1 εὐτυχῶς 86

mvp-comment-620-2 τῶν τεκόντων 87

mvp-comment-621-1 ἀπόπτολις 88

mvp-comment-622-1 πατρός τε 89 γε 90

mvp-comment-623-1 ἐγὼ οὐχὶ 91

mvp-comment-624-1 ἐξελυσάμην 92

mvp-comment-625-1 καὶ μὴν 93 καὶ μὴν 94

mvp-comment-626-1 τοῦτ’ ἀφικόμην 95

mvp-comment-627-1 καλῶς 96

mvp-comment-628-1 With Erfurdt I think that ταρβῶν 97 ταρβῶ 98

mvp-comment-629-1 Cp. Soph. Trach. 408

τοῦτ’ αὔτ’ ἔχρῃζον, τοῦτό σου μαθεῖν.

mvp-comment-630-1 πρὸς δίκης 99 πρὸς 100

mvp-comment-631-1 ἐν γένει 101

mvp-comment-632-1 τῷ μηδενί, 102

mvp-comment-633-1 ἀπ’ ἄλλης χειρὸς 103

mvp-comment-634-1 ἐμπολήσας … ἢ τυχών 104 ἐμπολήσας 105 τυχών 106 τεκών 107

mvp-comment-635-1 The fitness of the phrase ναπαίαις πτυχαῖς 108

mvp-comment-636-1 ἐπὶ θητείᾳ, 109 πλάνης 110

mvp-comment-637-1 σοῦ δ’ 111 σοῦ γ’ 112 σοῦ δ’ 113 δὲ 114 δέ γε 115 δέ γε 116 γε 117

mvp-comment-638-1 τί δ’ ἄλγος 118 ἐν κακοῖς 119 ἐν καιροῖς 120

mvp-comment-639-1 δεινόν γε 121

mvp-comment-639-2 σπαργάνων 122 σπαργάνων 123

mvp-comment-640-1 ὥστε 124

mvp-comment-640-2 ὃς εἶ 125

mvp-comment-641-1 πρὸς μητρός, ἢ πατρός; 126

mvp-comment-642-1 βοτήρ 127

mvp-comment-643-1 εἰδεῖτ’ 128

mvp-comment-644-1 οὖν 129 εἴτε 130

mvp-comment-644-2 ἐπ’ ἀγρῶν 131

mvp-comment-645-1 ὁ καιρὸς 132 ηὑρῆσθαι 133

mvp-comment-646-1 Supply ἐννέπειν (αὐτόν), not ἐννέπει. The form οἶμαι 134

mvp-comment-647-1 ἂν … ἂν 135

mvp-comment-648-1 νοεῖς 136

mvp-comment-649-1 τόνδ’ 137 τόν θ’ 138 λέγει 139 ἐφιέμεσθα 140

mvp-comment-650-1 τί δ’ ὅντιν’ εἶπε; 141

mvp-comment-651-1 Since οὐκ ἔστιν ὅπως, οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο ὅπως mean “there is, there could be found, no way in which, ” τοῦθ’ 142

mvp-comment-652-1 Since the answer at 1042, Iocasta has known the worst. But she is still fain to spare Oedipus the misery of that knowledge. Meanwhile he thinks that she is afraid lest he should prove to be too humbly born. The tragic power here is masterly.

mvp-comment-653-1 ἅλις 143 νοσοῦσ’ ἐγώ 144

mvp-comment-654-1 For the genitive τρίτης μητρὸς 145 τρίτης μητρὸς τρίδουλος 146

mvp-comment-655-1 κακή 147

mvp-comment-656-1 τὰ λῷστα … ταῦτα 148

mvp-comment-657-1 ὃς 149

mvp-comment-658-1 Iocasta rushes from the scene-to appear no more. Cp. the sudden exit of Haemon ( Soph. Ant. 766 ), of Eurydice ( Soph. Ant. 1245 ), and of Deianeira ( Soph. Trach. 813 ). In each of the two latter cases, the exit silently follows a speech by another person, and the Chorus comments on the departing one's silence. Iocasta, like Haemon, has spoken passionate words immediately before going: and here σιωπῆς 150

mvp-comment-659-1 δέδοικα 151

mvp-comment-660-1 The subject to ἀναρρήξει 152 κακά 153 κακά 154

mvp-comment-661-1 χρῄζει scornfully personifies the κακά.

mvp-comment-661-2 βουλήσομαι 155

mvp-comment-662-1 ὡς γυνὴ 156 ὡς 157

mvp-comment-663-1 Whatever may have been his human parentage, Oed. is the “son of Fortune ” (said in a very different tone from “ Fortunae filius” in Hor. Sat. 2.6.49 ): Fortune brings forth the months with their varying events; these months, then, are his brothers, who ere now have known him depressed as well as exalted. He has faith in this Mother, and will not shrink from the path on which she seems to beckon him; he will not be false to his sonship. We might recall Schiller's epigram on the Wolfians; whatever may be the human paternity of the Iliad, “ hat es doch Eine Mutter nur, Und die Züge der Mutter, Deine unsterblichen Züge, Natur.”

mvp-comment-663-2 τῆς εὖ διδούσης 158 τῆς 159

mvp-comment-664-1 συγγενεῖς 160

mvp-comment-665-1 διώρισαν 161

mvp-comment-666-1 “Having sprung of such parentage ( ἐκφὺς 162 ἐξέλθοιμι 163 ἄλλος 164 ποτ’ 165 ἔτι | ποτέ 166

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

912. mvp-comment-535-1 ἱκέσθαι To approach as a suppliant. Infr. 920. Cp. the similar proceeding of Clytemnestra in El. 634, immediately after the announcement of Orestes' death.

914. mvp-comment-536-1 For Oedipus is over-excited and carried away by all sorts of anxieties.' For θυμός in the general sense of emotion, see Essay on Language p. 92, and for αἴρει meaning allows to rise, ibid. §. 30. d, P. 52.

916. mvp-comment-537-1 ἔννους In possession of reason.

916. mvp-comment-537-2 τὰ καινὰ τοῖς πάλαι i. e. He will not judge the oracle and the words of Teiresias by the failure of the former prophecy. Supr. 720 ff.

917. mvp-comment-538-1 εἰ φόβους λέγῃ The correction ἦν (see v. r.) has evidently been added to suit the subjunctive, which of the two alternatives given by the first hand has the advantage of being the harder reading. The subjunctive is also more in accordance with the present time, while ei may be sufficiently defended by the generality of the supposition, which is emphatic. If only he tell of fears.' See Essay on Language § 27. p. 44.

918. mvp-comment-539-1 ὅτ᾽ οὖν Cp. El. 1318-1319, ὅτ' οὖν τοιαύτην ἡμὶν ἐξήκεις ὁδόν, ἄρχ᾿ αὐτός, κ.τ.λ.

919. mvp-comment-540-1 Cp. El. 635 ff., esp. 1. 655, and note on supr. 16. πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν γὰρ ἵδρυτο, Schol.

919. mvp-comment-540-2 ἄγχιστος i. e. Not merely easiest of access, but having a prior claim, as next the hearth.

920. mvp-comment-541-1 κατεύγμασιν Emblems of supplication. The conjecture κατάργμασιν, though ingenious, is unnecessary. For an analogous abstract expression, cp. Αj. 1175, ἱκτήριον θησαυρόν.

921. mvp-comment-542-1 λύσιν τιν'.. εὐαγῆ Some pure release, i. e. Some end of our troubles which will leave us pure from crime. λύσιν εὐαγῆ = λύσιν εἰς εὐαγῆ βίον. For the meaning of λύσιν, cp. Tr. 1170-1171, μόχθων τῶν ἐφεστώτων ἐμοὶ | λύσιν τελεῖσθαι.

923. mvp-comment-543-1 ὡς κυβερνήτην νεώς Sc. έκπεπληγμένον βλέποντες ἂν ὀκνοῖεν. For this brief way of indicating a simile, see Essay on Language § 39. P. 73, § 43. p. 82, and cp. supr. 602 and note.

928. mvp-comment-544-1 γυνὴ δὲ μήτηρ ἥδε By choosing this honourable title the chorus unconsciously remind the spectators of the horror that is presently to be revealed.

929-930. mvp-comment-545-1 The courteous fulness of the expression (which Jocasta acknowledges in l. 932) again reminds the hearer of the contrast between the appearance and the fact.

930. mvp-comment-546-1 παντελής His honoured queen; i. e. Having all the honours of a wife: echoing 928.

936. mvp-comment-547-1 ἐκ τῆς Κορίνθου He cannot answer παρὰ τίνος directly, since there is now no King of Corinth. The accusative ἔπος may be taken as pendent, although there are other instances of ἥδομαι transitive, e. g. Phil. 1314, ἥσθην πατέρα τε τὸν ἐμὸν εὐλογοῦντά σε. There is no need of altering τάχα το τάχ᾿ ἄν. The rhythm is better if τάχα be retained and joined with ἐξερῶ. Ср. О. С. 980, οἷους ἐρῶ τάχ. ἄν may be supplied with ἥδοιο as well as with ἀσχάλλοις. Ε. on L. § 39. 6. p. 73. But for the word which I will tell you in a moment, you will be glad, how can you be otherwise than glad? and yet perhaps you will be grieved.

941. mvp-comment-548-1 ἐγκρατής i. e. ἐν κράτει ὤν.

943. mvp-comment-549-1 The reading is by no means certain, although several copies (including Ven. 617c) have γέρον. The reading of L. and most MSS. is certainly wrong, and appears to be a foolish attempt to supply the deficiency of the line.

945. mvp-comment-550-1 ὦ πρόσπολ Jocasta has one or more attendants to assist in making the offering. Cp. El. 634, ΚΛ. ἔπαιρε δὴ σὺ θύμαθ᾽ ἡ παροῦσά μοι, κ.τ.λ.

947. mvp-comment-551-1 τοῦτον Essay on Language § 22. p. 35. The accusative ἄνδρα is governed (1) by ἔφευγε, but is also in secondary constructions (2) with τρέμων, (3) with κτάνοι.

949. mvp-comment-552-1 τοῦδ See Essay on Language § 22. p. 34.

951. mvp-comment-553-1 ἐξεπέμψω Hast thou had me called forth? The middle voice as in μεταπέμπεσθαι, of that which is done through others. In Ant. 19, where Antigone herself brings Ismene forth, the active is used.

954. mvp-comment-554-1 τί μοι λέγει What, pray, has he to tell? rather than, What has he to tell me?'

955. mvp-comment-555-1 ἐκ τῆς Κορίνθου Answers not quite exactly to τίς ποτ' ἐστί; cp. supr. 936

957. mvp-comment-556-1 σημήνας γενοῦ Εssay on Language p. 51.

957. mvp-comment-556-2 σημήνας The periphrasis is more courteous than σήμηνον here.

958. mvp-comment-557-1 The messenger would rather tell first the accession of Oedipus to the Corinthian throne. Supr. 939.

959. mvp-comment-558-1 εἰ ἴσθ᾽ Porson corrected this το σάφ'᾽ ἴσθ'. But the hiatus is sufficiently defended by the recurrence of the open vowel after φεῦ, τί, ὦ.

960. mvp-comment-559-1 νόσου ξυναλλαγή By visitation of disease. 961. A little touch lays low the aged frame. σμ. δ = A slight inclination of the balance. Cp. Plat. Rep. 8. 556 E, ὥσπερ σῶμα νοσῶδες μικρᾶς ῥοπῆς ἔξωθεν δεῖται προσλαβέσθαι πρὸς τὸ κάμνειν.

963. mvp-comment-560-1 Yes, and by the length of years which his life had measured.' The dative is first instrumental, and then joined with συμμετρούμενοs in a supplementary construction.

964. mvp-comment-561-1 τί.. σκοποῖτο Cp. Phil. 428, τί δῆτα δεῖ σκοπεῖν; and for the middle v., infr. 1487, νοούμενος.

966. mvp-comment-562-1 κλάζοντας ὄρνις The informants of Teiresias, supr. 350 foll., cp. Ant. 998, foll.

967. mvp-comment-563-1 κτανεῖν On the aor. inf. after μέλλω, see L. and S. s. v. μέλλω. The resolved feet have here the effect of a crescendo.

969. mvp-comment-564-1 ἄψαυστος ἔγχους Without having laid hand to sword.

971. mvp-comment-565-1 τὰ.. παρόντα i. e. Well, and so he is in his grave, and has taken with him those prophecies which were troubling us, worth nothing now. There is no special emphasis on παρόντα; δ᾽ οὖν merely marking the return from the digression εἴ τι μὴ.. εἴη ἐξ ἐμοῦ. The new fear of Oedipus (976) is inconsistent with this speech, but the inconsistency is natural, and in keeping with his irresolution and excitement. See l. 914, and cp. Shakespeare, Macbeth, 3. 4,

Then comes my fit again; I had else been perfect, | Whole as the marble, founded as the rock, | As broad and general as the casing air; | But now I am cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in | To saucy doubts and fears.

975. mvp-comment-566-1 ἐς θυμὸν βάλῃς Take to heart, — allow to weigh upon your spirit. Cp. Hdt. 7.51, ἐς θυμὸν ὧν βαλεῦ καὶ τὸ παλαιὸν ἔπος, ὡς εὖ εἴρηται, κ.τ.λ. Supr. 739, τί δ᾽ ἐστί σοι τοῦτ᾽, Οἰδίπους, ἐνθύμιον;

976. mvp-comment-567-1 λέχος cannot be retained without altering the order of the words, which is best as it is.

977. mvp-comment-568-1 Why should man fear, seeing that Fortune rules his life and he has no clear foreknowledge of anything?' ἄνθρωπος] Quite general, as in O. C. 1153, πρᾶγος δ᾽ ἀτίζειν οὐδὲν ἄνθρωπον χρεών. For the sentiment, cp. Thuc. 4.62, τὸ δὲ ἀστάθμητον τοῦ μέλλοντος, κ.τ.λ.

979. mvp-comment-569-1 ''Tis best to live by chance, as best one may.' Cp. Eur. Hipp. 261 ff. For the asyndeton, cp. supr. 945.

979. mvp-comment-569-2 ὅπως δύναιτο is the more generalized form of ὅπως ἂν δύνηται. Cp. 315, ἀφ᾿ ὧν ἔχοι τε καὶ δύναιτο ; and see Essay on Language § 36. p. 61.

981. mvp-comment-570-1 Cp. Hdt. 6. 107: Plat. Rep. 9. 571 C.

987. mvp-comment-571-1 Either, 'And yet your father's death is a great eye to see with, i. e. may well open your eyes, or with a further association, 'And yet your father's death throws a cheering light on these matters.' Cp. Pind. Pyth. 5. 17, ἐπεὶ συγγενὴς ὀφθαλμός, κ.τ.λ., and Τι. 203-204, ἄελπτον ὄμμ᾽ ἐμοὶ | φήμης ἀνασχὸν τῆσδε.

991. mvp-comment-572-1 What is there in her (or in regard to her) which tends to give you alarm?' The genitive is continued from 988 τῆς ζώσης, 990 Μερόπης, and may be viewed either as a genitive of respect, or of origin. Essay on Language pp. 13, 14. 66. Here, as elsewhere in this part of the play, the serene courtesy of the dialogue contrasts with the approaching horror.

997. mvp-comment-573-1 ἡ Κόρινθος ἐξ ἐμοῦ. . ἀπῳκεῖτο (1) Corinth as a dwelling-place has long been set far away from me.' For this inversion (instead of my dwelling-place has been removed from Corinth'), cp. supr. 762 and note. Essay on Language § 42. p. 80; or (2) Corinth has been avoided (livedaway from) by me' = ἀπῴκουν Κορίνθου. For the preference for the passive form in either case, see Essay on Language pp. 53, 54. The effect here is to bring into greater prominence Oedipus' love for Corinth.

997. mvp-comment-573-2 ἐξ ἐμοῦ Either away from me,' or by my act. The v. τ. ἀπώκιστ᾽ (ἀπῴκιστο) is plausible (cp. Plat. Polit. 284 Ε, ὁπόσα εἰς τὸ μέσον ἀπῳκίσθη τῶν ἐσχάτων), but the perfect and not the pluperfect is the tense required.

999. mvp-comment-574-1 The natural simplicity of these words, said in the presence of Jocasta, contrasts terribly to the spectator with the unconsciousness of them. See 1371, foll., ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ὄμμασιν ποίοις βλέπων, κ.τ.λ. And cp. Aesch. Cho. 690-691, τὸν τεκόντα δ᾽ εἰκὸς εἰδέναι, said by Orestes before Clytemnestra.

1002-1003. mvp-comment-575-1 τί οὐχὶ . . ἐξελυσάμην ;] Had I not better, etc.? For this common idiom, cp. Aesch. Prom. 747-748, τί. . οὐκ ἐν τάχει | ἔρριψ᾿ ἐμαύτην, κ.τ.λ.

1004. mvp-comment-576-1 ἀξίαν Worth having, i. e. ample. For this absolute use of ἄξιος, cp. Od. 20. 383, ὅθεν κέ τοι ἄξιον ἄλφοι : Plat. Rep. 6. 504 Ε, ἄξιον τὸ διανόημα. 1005 τοῦτ᾽ ἀφικόμην] For this I came. The accusative in apposition, expressing purpose. Cp. O. C. 1291, ἃ δ' ἦλθον ἤδη σοι θέλω λέξαι, πάτερ.

1006. mvp-comment-577-1 That I might reap some benefit from you in your returning home.' σοῦ is (1) genitive of origin, (2) gen. absolute. Essay on Language § 9. P. 14.

1007. mvp-comment-578-1 τοῖς φυτεύσασιν 1012. τῶν φυτευσάντων] He expresses his particular fear in the general form which the prophecy (793) had originally suggested. See 1012, 1013, τοῦτό μ' εἰσαεὶ φοβεί.

1008. mvp-comment-579-1 ὦ παὶ This address comes somewhat strangely from the servant to the king, but is explained by the simplicity of heroic times, and by the circumstance that the aged speaker claims to have been a kind of fosterfather to Oedipus. Cp. El. 1220, where Electra, in addressing the supposed young stranger, uses in her excitement the address suitable for her brother.

1008. mvp-comment-579-2 καλῶς Clearly. O. C. 269-270, καλῶς | ἔξοιδα : Plat. Rep. 6, p. 506 В.

1010. mvp-comment-580-1 φεύγεις Here, as in supr. 948, the notion of exile is combined with the more general notion of avoidance.

1011. mvp-comment-581-1 Aldus and some MSS. have ταρβῶν. The variation of reading is like that in O. C. 1300: L. κλύω, Par. Α. κλύων. In both places the indicative is more forcible.

1011. mvp-comment-581-2 σαφής True, as in 390, ποῦ σὺ μάντις εἶ σαφής;

1012. mvp-comment-582-1 τῶν φυτευσάντων Here, as in supr. 988, τῆς ζώσης, the gen. expresses rather arising from,' than appertaining to. ' A pollution arising to you from your parents.' For the construction, see Essay on Language § 10. p. 14.

1013. mvp-comment-583-1 τοῦτο. φοβεῖ That is just the fear which is ever haunting me.

1014. mvp-comment-584-1 Then shall I tell you that your apprehensions are unreasonable?

1014. mvp-comment-584-2 πρὸς δίκης, like πρὸς τρόπου, etc., justly. So in El. 1211, πρὸς δίκης γὰρ οὐ στένεις.

1015. mvp-comment-585-1 Observe the emphatic position of παῖς and ἔφυν.

1016. mvp-comment-586-1 σοι.. οὐδὲν ἐν γένει Of no kin to thee. Eur. Alc. 904, ἐμοί τις ἦν ἐν γένει, ᾧ, κ.τ.λ.

1018. mvp-comment-587-1 The rusticity of the messenger shows itself in this blunt speech.

1019. mvp-comment-588-1 And how can a father be held equal to one who is no father?'

1019. mvp-comment-588-2 τῷ μηδενί μηδενί is probably masculine='ei, qui nullus est,' and may be best explained as = τῷ μηδὲν (i. e. μηδαμῶς) φύσαντι. To one who is nothing of the kind. The pronoun helps to make the negative more absolute. Cp. Theaet. 169 Α, ἐμὲ μὲν τῷ σῷ ἑταίρῳ . . ἐπαμύνειν, σὲ δὲ μηδενί : i. e. That I am bound to help and you not at all.' The negative is similarly strengthened in El. 276, ἐρινὸν οὔτιν᾽ ἐκφοβουμένη. Ib. 1215, ἄτιμος οὐδενὸς σύ. Aesch. Ag. 185, μάντιν οὔτινα ψέγων. Hdt. 3. 135, ἀπ᾿ οὐδενὸς δολεροῦ νόου. See Essay on Language § 22. p. 36. καὶ πῶς expresses incredulity; cp. Aesch. Suppl. 509, καὶ πῶς βέβηλον ἄλσος ἂν ῥύοιτό με ;

1021. mvp-comment-589-1 ἀντὶ τοῦ .. ὠνομάζετο 'Why ἐπεστάτουν] then did he call me his child? For the use of the middle voice, see Essay on Language § 31. p. 53, 6.

1025. mvp-comment-590-1 ἢ τεκών For this use of the aor. part. active of τίκτω, cp. О. С. 1108, τῷ τεκόντι πᾶν φίλον. The question is inconsistent with the assertion of the ἄγγελος in 1020, and hence the reading has been suspected and τυχών (from 1039) or κιχών, which of the two is more probable, has been substituted. But Oedipus need not be supposed to have weighed the words οὔτ᾽ ἐκεῖνος οὔτ᾽ ἐγώ. Cp. supr. 360 and note. And the same train of thought which leads him to ask this question, reappears in his colloquy with the βοτήρ, 1. 1162, πόθεν λαβών ; οἰκεῖον, ἢ ἐξ ἄλλου τινός; See also ll. 1062-1063. He is ready for any disclosure. When Caesar, who has just consented that Decius shall tell the senators he is not well, says immediately afterwards Shall Caesar send a lie? no one is found to complain of dramatic inconsistency. Shak. Jul. Caes. 1, 3.

1029. mvp-comment-591-1 ἐπὶ θητείᾳ πλάνης ‘And going from place to place to work for hire.' For ἐπί, see Essay on Language $ 19. p. 27. Oedipus dwells on this point as indicating the possible lowness of his origin. Ср. 1062.

1030. mvp-comment-592-1 σοῦ δ This correction, which Elmsley made from conjecture, is found in Flor. Γ. δέ may express the opposition between the insignificant station of the ποιμήν and his importance to Oedipus. The reading of L. and most MSS. σοῦ γ'.. σωτήρ γε was, however, approved by Hermann, who quotes Heindorf on Plat. Euthyd. 277 A. Cp. also O. C. 387, 977, 1278, 1409.

1031. mvp-comment-593-1 Oedipus is touched with pity for his former self. Cp. Shak. Temp. 1.2, 'Miranda. Alack, for pity ! | I, not remembering how I cried out then, | Will cry it o'er again: it is a hint, | That wrings mine eyes to 't.' The question is suggested to Oedipus by the word σωτήρ; i. e. From what pain that I was suffering in my misfortunes did you rescue me? but is introduced by the poet, as the Scholiast properly observes, in order to lead to the mention of the personal mark (compare the scar of Ulysses in the Odyssey) by which the conviction of the truth is brought home to Jocasta. In his eagerness to delve to the root the mystery of his birth, Oedipus is wholly unconscious of the effect which the successive answers have upon the mind of the queen-the horror of whose discovery is the chief interest of this part of the play, and who may be supposed to remain immoveable until her outbreak in l. 1056. The same explanation applies to l. 1037, which adds poignancy to the stroke.

1034. mvp-comment-594-1 ποδοῖν ἀκμάς Thy feet. ἀκμάς, like ἄρθρα supr., simply adds definiteness to πόδας: cp. ἄκρος.

1035. mvp-comment-595-1 ὄνειδος (τοῦτο) ἀνειλόμην Α cruel shame I got from my swaddling bands.' Cp. Pind. Nem. 7. 56, τυχεῖν δ᾽ ἕν᾿ ἀδύνατον εὐδαιμονίαν ἅπασαν ἀνελόμενον. The genitive is to be taken with the verb in the sense of derivation; only differing in being more metaphorical from the construction of El. 1139, 40, παμφλέκτου πυρὸς | ἀνειλόμην, ὡς εἰκός, ἄθλιον βάρος. Cp. supr. 1012. Eustath. 86. 16, 1097. 25 quotes καλόν γ᾽ ὄνειδος, which has been thought to be an error of memory, as these words occur in the Medea of Euripides, with whose style they are more in accordance. Eur. Med. 514.

1037. mvp-comment-596-1 Triclinius rightly says, ἀσύνετον καὶ ἀνακόλουθον πρὸς τὰ ἐπαγόμενα, τὸ νομίζειν ἐρωτᾶν τὸν Οἰδιπόδα, εἰ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἢ τῆς μητρὸς ὠνομάσθη. The words refer not to the preceding line, but to the cruel treatment of the child. Was it my mother's doing, or my father's?' See on 1031.

1042. mvp-comment-597-1 δήπου τις I am pretty sure that they called him one of Laius people.'

1044. mvp-comment-598-1 βοτήρ The word recals to the chorus and the spectators, though not to Oedipus, his saying in 836. 7, τοσοῦτόν ἐστί μοι τῆς ἐλπίδος, τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν βοτῆρα προσμεῖναι μόνον. Cp. also 1049 with 761.

1045. mvp-comment-599-1 ὥστ᾽ ἰδεῖν ἐμέ So that I may see him.

1050. mvp-comment-600-1 The very moment for full discovery is come. Essay on Language § 39. 1. a, p. 72.

1050. mvp-comment-600-2 τάδε Oedipus is now thinking only of the question of his birth, although his expression has a much wider import.

1051. mvp-comment-601-1 οὐδέν᾽ ἄλλον Sc. ἐννέπειν.

1053. mvp-comment-602-1 The chorus point to Jocasta, with what effect on her and the spectator may be imagined. But they have as yet no suspicion of the truth. merely conjecturing that Jocasta must know the history of the servant of Laius, and that he who is now over the flock (761) may have been the shepherd of former time.

1054. mvp-comment-603-1 Lady, do you remember the man whose coming we just now desired? Is he the man he speaks of? Cp. Τr. 417, τὴν αἰχμάλωτον, ἣν ἔπεμψας ἐς δόμους κάτοισθα δήπου; ib. 1191, οἶσθ᾽ οὖν τὸν Οἴτης Ζηνὸς ὕψιστον πάγον; 1219, τὴν Εὐρυτείαν οἶσθα δῆτα παρθένον; The indefinite ὅντινα marks Oedipus' uncertainty about the identity of the βοτήρ. Cp. Hdt. 4. 8, ἐς γῆν ταύτην, ἤντινα νῦν Σκύθαι νέμονται. Badham conjectures νοεῖς ἐκεῖνον ὄνθ᾽ ὃν ἀρτίως | μολεῖν ἐφιέμεσθα; τόνδ' οὗτος λέγει; The reading of LA. τόν θ' οὗτος λέγει, may be rendered, Do you remember the man whom we were just now sending for, and of whom he (the ἄγγελος) speaks? This, however, appears to be hardly the meaning required by the context, for the chorus has only expressed their belief that he is the same man, and has appealed to Jocasta to confirm this. A slight alteration, not altogether without MS. authority, gives τόνδ' οὗτος λέγει; as in the text.

1056. mvp-comment-604-1 τί δ᾽ ὅντιν' ε. Cp. Aesch. Prom. 766, τί δ᾽ ὅντιν᾽; οὐ γὰρ ῥητὸν αὐδᾶσθαι τόδε, and for a similar ellipse, Plat. Legg. 1. 645 D, οὐδέν πω πρὸς ὅ τι. Why ask of whom he spoke? Jocasta, starting from a reverie, utters this abruptly.

1059. mvp-comment-605-1 φανῶ Bring to light. Supr. 132.

1061. mvp-comment-606-1 ἅλις νοσοῦσ᾽ ἐγώ My trouble is enough. It is enough that I am tormented without your knowing. Cp. Ar. Eth. Ν. 9, 11, ὅθεν τὸ ἅλις ἐγὼ δυστυχῶν. For the adverb as predicate, see Essay on Language § 24. p. 40.

1062. mvp-comment-607-1 οὐδ᾽ ἂν *εἰ τρίτης This reading involves a simpler change than οὐδ' ἐὰν τρίτης, which may be right however. For el with the subj., see Essay on Language § 27: p. 44. And although av with future cannot be defended, yet a change of construction may fairly be supposed, like that which accounts for the apparent solecism in Aj. 405-409, εἰ.. πᾶς .. στρατὸς δίπαλτος ἄν με χειρὶ φονεύοι: i. e. The expression is equivalent to σὺ οὐκ ἐκφανεῖ κακή, οὐδ᾽ ἂν (ἐκφανείης κακή), εἰ, κ.τ.λ. ' οὐδ᾽ ἂν εἰ planè eadem ratione dicitur quâ κἂν εἰ, in quo av ad suppressum aliquem optativum pertinet.' Herm.

1062. mvp-comment-607-2 τρίτης.. μητρὸς..τρίδουλος Though my mother, and my mother's mother, and the mother of this last, were slaves.' Cp. Plat. Legg. 6. 777 Α, οὐ τρὶς μόνον ἄλλα πολλάκις ἀπεργάζονται δούλας. Jocasta knows that the real horror is the nobility of his birth.

1066. mvp-comment-608-1 φρονοῦσά γ᾽ εὐ With clear knowledge. Ср. 1038.

1067. mvp-comment-609-1 τὰ λῷστα.. ταῦτα ‘This which you call the best'-that I do not learn my origin.

1069. mvp-comment-610-1 Will some one go and fetch the herdsman hither for me?' ἄξει here is more peremptory than οὐκ ἄξει; just as ἆρα; is stronger than ἆρ' οὐ; see Essay on Language § 29. p. 50.

1070. mvp-comment-611-1 πλουσίῳ .. γένει Her wealthy lineage. The word πλούσιος is used sarcastically. Cp. Εl. 361, σοὶ δὲ πλουσία | τράπεζα κείσθω.

1071. mvp-comment-612-1 ἰοὺ ἰού An exclamation of horror and wonder. Cp. Τr. 1143, ἰοὺ ἰοὺ δύστηνος, οἴχομαι τάλας.

1072. mvp-comment-613-1 ἄλλο δ᾽ οὔποθ᾽ ὕστερον And no word any more for ever.

1075. mvp-comment-614-1 ἀναρρήξει is best taken actively with ἡ γυνή as subject. She will cause evils to break forth. If κακά were the subject, χρήζει in 1076 could hardly have a natural meaning. Cp. II. 20. 55, ἐν δ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἐρίδα ῥήγνυντο. For the situation, cp. Ant. 766, 1253, Tr. 813.

1076. mvp-comment-615-1 Let her raise what storms she will; but I am determined to see my origin, though it be humble.'

1078. mvp-comment-616-1 ὡς γυνή For a woman. Cp. Hdt. 4. 81, ὀλίγους, ὡς Σκύθας εἶναι. Oedipus implies that his own 'pride of birth, (avowed in 1080, foll.) is of a nobler strain.

1079. mvp-comment-617-1 τὴν δυσγένειαν τὴν ἐμήν The baseness of my birth.

1080. mvp-comment-618-1 παῖδα τῆς Τύχης.. τῆς εὐ διδούσης Accounting myself the child of favouring Fortune. Cp. the opposite fancy of Polynices in O. C. 1323-1324, κεί μὴ σὸς ἀλλὰ τοῦ κακοῦ | πότμου φυτευθείς. So in Shak. Winter's Tale, 4. 4, Florizel says From thy succession wipe me, father! I Am heir to my affection.' 1082. οἱ δὲ συγγενεῖς μῆνές με μικρὸν καὶ μέγαν διώρισαν] And the months that have grown up with me, have alone determined my lowness and my exaltation. As elsewhere, Time is spoken of as a real thing or person commensurate with the events.

1084-1085. mvp-comment-619-1 This parentage of mine can never be disproved; and therefore why should I not find out my origin? This is better than I cannot but know my birth.

1084. mvp-comment-620-1 †ἔτι | ποτ' ἄλλος It must be admitted that ποτέ beginning the line after a short syllable which precludes synaphea, is questionable. See Aj. 986, οὐχ ὅσον τάχος | δῆτ᾿ αὐτὸν ἄξεις δεῦρο; It is allowable to conjecture ἐξέλθοιμ᾽ ἐγώ. But the secret of the anomaly is probably the inverted order (for ἄλλος ποτέ), which is for the sake of emphasis and rhythm. Cp. Phil. 1217, ἔτ᾿ οὐδέν εἰμι. 1086, foll. The chorus have forgotten their apprehension expressed in supr. 1074-1075, and yielding to the feeling of the moment, join with Oedipus in his wish to discover his origin. The joyous confidence of this strain gives greater emphasis to the catastrophe. Cp. Ant. 1115-1152, Aj. 693-718, Tr. 205-224- 'Soon shall the wonder be revealed. Our king was nursed on the mountain's breast, divinely born; some nymph his mother, his father, some roving God.' The solemnity of the prevailing ditrochaic (or epitrite) rhythm is relieved 1092. ματέρ'] by lyrical dactyls. The tone is one of religious joyousness, rising at first into excited hope, which changes, in line 7 of the strophe, into pious aspiration. ト​CCL トー 5 ト ト ト トー トー 1086. For κατὰ γνώμαν, cp. Tr. 102, εἴπ᾽, ὦ κρατιστεύων κατ᾿ ὄμμα, and see Essay on Language § 19. p. 28.