827-862.
mvp-comment-578-1
Odysseus (
supr. 77, 115), whose words appear in some way to have reached the Chorus (
supr. 136 foll.), spoke only of the necessity of obtaining the bow. For this the Chorus now see the opportunity, and cannot understand the inaction of Neoptolemus, who is better informed (839-42,
cp. infr. 1329-43), and is moreover chained to the spot by remorseful sympathy with Philoctetes. This passage, which does the work of a stasimon in separating two episodia, is in so far of the nature of a commos that it contains a lyrical interchange between the Chorus and one of the persons on the stage. The text is imperfect in several places, and Bergk conjectures that four lines of Neoptolemus', answering to 839-42, have dropped out between 854, 5. It seems most probable that ll. 827-32 were sung by one half-chorus, and ll. 843-48 by the other, in subdued tones; that 833-8, 849-54 were recited severally by two of the chief choreutae, and that 855-64 were recited by the coryphaeus, or, possibly, sung by the whole Chorus. The metres of this irregular strain are dactylic, anapaestic, trochaic, iambic, and choriambic. The following is an approximate scheme of them :-
στρ. and ἀντ.
Logaoedic 1 _UU_UU_UU_U_
(?)
Anapaestic { __ | __
Choriambic _UU_ __
Logaoedic 5 __UU_U_
Iambic U_U_ __
Iambic U_U_U_
Trochaic
Iambic U_ U_U_ __
Iambic 10 U_ U_U_ __
Iambic U_U_U_U_
Paracelèusmatic, { _ UU _ UU _
with logaoedic close (?)
The strophe is followed by four dactylic hexameters, the antistrophe by an epode, of which this is the scheme:-
Logaoedic {: __
Dactylic {: _UU_UU__ | _UU_UU_ _ (?)
Iambo-trochaic 5 _U_U_U_ _ (?)
Dactylic _UU_UU_UU_UU_
Iambic U_U_U_
For νύχιος, l. 858,
cp. Eur. Hel. 1479, Suppl. 280.
843.
mvp-comment-594-1
τάδε.. θεὸς ὄψεται] The completion of the work achieved so far may be left to Divine providence, notwithstanding what is mysterious in the oracle.
Cp. Aj. 1165, κοίλην κάπετόν τιν᾿ ἰδεῖν, and note: O. C. 1454, ὁρᾷ, ὁρᾷ ταῦτ᾽ ἀεὶ χρόνος : Thuc. 5. 27, ὁρᾶν τοὺς ᾿Αργείους ὅπως σωθήσεται ἡ Πελοπόννησος.
844.
mvp-comment-595-1
ὧν .. αὖθις] The metre of the MS. reading
ὧν δ᾽ ἂν ἀμείβῃ μ᾽ αὖθις (U_U_U_U) does not correspond to the strophe, and is not very probable. Possibly
ἀμείβῃ was a gloss explaining
προσφωνῇ.. αὖθις, and we might read,
ὧν δ᾽ ἂν προσφωνῇ μ᾽ αὖθις.
Cp. ll. 1. 223, Πηλείδης δ᾽ ἐξαῦτις ἀταρτηροῖς ἐπέεσσιν | ᾿Ατρείδην προσέειπε, κ.τ.λ. Hermann's conjecture is provisionally adopted in the text.
847.
mvp-comment-596-1
ὡς .. λεύσσειν] 'Since ever in disease Sleep, which slumbers not, is quick to perceive.'
πάντων ἐν νόσῳ, sc. ὄντων. ' Of all men, when they are sick.' (Others join
πάντων εὐδρακής, ‘Having quick sight of all things.")
λεύσσειν is epexegetic of
εὐδρακής. Sleep is personified, and 'sight' used for perception in general.
Cp. Trach. 1019.
850.
mvp-comment-597-1
The text is defective, as the metre shows.
κεῖνο is opposed to
τάδε in 843, and means, therefore, not the abduction of Philoctetes, but the carrying away of the bow and arrows. The Chorus urge Neoptolemus not to be absorbed in gazing on Philoctetes, but to take a wider survey of the situation, that he may secure the object set before him by Odysseus. For
λάθρα, σκοπῶν λαθραίως might be substituted to complete the line, which answers to
supr. 834.
852.
mvp-comment-598-1
The reading
ὧν, which would answer to
μενοῦμεν in 836, gives no satisfactory meaning. For the comparison of
supr. 240, 1,
αὐδῶμαι.. παῖς Ἀχιλλέως ('I call Achilles father') does not justify
ὧν αὐδῶμαι = ' Whom I call master,' even if this were clearly in point. And if
ὃν is read, the metre is the same as that of ll. 6 and 9. In this case
αὐδῶμαι is active, as in Ο. Τ. 846. The question remains whether Philoctetes or Odysseus is the antecedent to
ὃν. It seems necessary that
τούτῳ in 853 should be the antecedent, and
τούτῳ is Philoctetes. The Chorus may be supposed to speak vaguely of him, in order to avoid the possibility of awakening his suspicions, should he overhear them. 'If this be your mind towards him you wot of;' i. e. 'If you allow yourself to be so affected with pity, as you manifestly are, towards Philoctetes.' The Chorus thus gently warn their master of what follows in the ensuing scene. Prof. Jebb conjectures
ὃν αἰδοῦμαι, 'Whose fear is before my eyes,' viz. Odysseus'. Others read
ταὐτὸν . . γνώμας.
854.
mvp-comment-599-1
ἐνιδεῖν = SC.
ἐστὶν or
ἔνεστιν, (1) 'The prudent may see therein inextricable harm.' Or, possibly, (2) 'One may see therein perplexing trouble for the wise' (i. e. for Odysseus).
855-862.
mvp-comment-600-1
It is probable that Neoptolemus answered here; and to this the words
βλέπ᾽ εἰ καίρια φθέγγει may be referred :- 'Whether you speak seasonably,' viz. in hinting that we must take him away. Else they must allude to
supr. 826, 6, which is far off.
οὖρος, κ.τ.λ.] This is to be taken literally, not figuratively with the Scholiast.
Cp. supr. 639, 40, and note. Schndw. quotes Theocr. 13. 52, κουφότερ', ὦ παῖδες, ποιεῖσθ᾽ ὅπλα· πλευστικὸς οὖρος.
856.
mvp-comment-601-1
οὐκ ἔχων ἀρωγάν] ‘Helpless, in sleep, disease and solitude, and in the loss of his arms.' For
ἀνόμματος, 'Without use of eyes,'
cp. supr. 632, ἄπουν, 'Lame.'
859.
mvp-comment-602-1
νύχιος resumes
ἀνόμματος with greater intensity. 'Sightless, as if steeped in night.'
ἐκτέταται, ' Lies prostrate,' is stronger than
κεῖται.
ἀλεὴς ὕπνος ἐσθλός] ‘How kind is sleep, warm sleep!' A parenthesis like
supr. 400, 1. To suppose a commonplace γνώμη, 'A man sleeps soundly in the sun,' is hardly adequate in feeling. It is rather an exclamation of joy that their invocation (
supr. 827 foll.) has been heard by the God of Sleep. For
ἐσθλός, meaning propitious,
cp. Od. 24. 311, ἢ τέ οἱ ἐσθλοὶ ἔσαν ὄρνιθες ἰόντι: ib. 19. 547, οὐκ ὄναρ, ἀλλ᾽ ὕπαρ ἐσθλόν: Ελ. 1093, μοίρᾳ μὲν οὐκ ἐν ἐσθλᾷ βεβῶσαν. If
ἀλεής is suspected,
ἀδαής rather than
ἀδεής should be read, although the latter might be connected with l. 864. But it is rash to reject
ἀλεής, when
λιαρός is an Homeric epithet of
ὕπνος: ΙΙ. 14. 164, ὕπνον ἀπήμονά τε λιαρόν τε. The notion of 'Sleep in the sun' agrees with
αἴγλαν,
supr. 831.
860.
mvp-comment-603-1
οὔ τινος] An enumeration of this kind often ends with a general expression.
Cp. O. Τ. 1284, 5. They are perhaps thinking of the bow, which they dare not name.
861.
mvp-comment-604-1
'But sees no more than the dead.'
Cp. O. Τ. 972, κεῖται παρ' "Αιδῃ Πόλυβος, and see
Essay on L. § 54. P 99.
Dindorf reads
ἀλλ' ὡς τίς τ', 'formula epica.' But
cp. l. 859.
862.
mvp-comment-605-1
βλέπ᾽ εἰ] This is the easiest correction of a faulty text, and affords a possible meaning.
Cp. supr. note on 855 foll. But it is doubtful whether
βλέπε can mean 'See to it,' in classical Greek; and
βλέπει may be a gloss on
ὁρᾷ.
φθέγγει is also open to suspicion.
862.
mvp-comment-605-2
Blaydes conjectures
βλέπει· καίρια φώνει. But Neoptolemus is the first to perceive the signs of waking in Philoctetes. Others,
βλέπ᾽ εἰ καίρια φωνῶ.
863-864.
mvp-comment-606-1
τὸ δ᾽ ἁλώσιμον *ἀμᾷ.. κράτιστος] 'So far as our minds can grasp, young sir, the toil that frightens not is best.'
Cp. O. Τ. 1234, 5,
ὃ μὲν τάχιστος τῶν λόγων εἰπεῖν τε καὶ μαθεῖν, τέθνηκε θεῖον Ἰοκάστης κάρα : Plat. Rep. 7.517 B,
τὰ δ᾽ οὖν ἐμοὶ φαινόμενα οὕτω φαίνεται, ἐν τῷ γνωστῷ τελευταία ἡ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἰδέα καὶ μόγις ὁρᾶσθαι.
ἀμᾷ seems to be required by the indications of the metre (dactylic with anacrusis.)
πόνος ὁ μὴ φοβῶν] The Chorus are probably using the language of fishermen, meaning that if Philoctetes is once alarmed, the capture of the bow will be more difficult. See above, l. 839,
θήραν, and
cp. Plato, Lys. 206 B,
ποιός τις οὖν ἄν σοι δοκοί θηρευτὴς εἶναι, εἰ ἀνασοβοῖ θηρεύων καὶ δυσαλωτοτέραν τὴν ἄγραν ποιοῖ; Δῆλον ὅτι φαῦλος. For
πόνος in this connection,
cp. Pind. Pyth. 2. 79,
ἅτε γὰρ εἰνάλιον πόνον ἐχοίσας βαθὺ | σκευᾶς ἑτέρας, ἀβάπτιστός εἰμι, φελλὸς ὡς ὑπὲρ ἕρκος, ἅλμας : Theocr. 21. 14,
οὗτος τοῖς ἁλιεῦσιν ὁ πᾶς πόνος. The common interpretation, from the Scholiast downwards, has been, 'The labour that causes no fear,' i.e. that is not attended with danger.
