865.
mvp-comment-607-1
μηδ᾽ ἀφεστάναι φρενών] ‘And not take leave of your senses.'
Cp. El. 1326,
ὦ πλεῖστα μῶροι καὶ φρενῶν τητώμενοι, κ.τ.λ.
866.
mvp-comment-608-1
For
ἀνάγει, ‘Uplifts again,'
cp. Αj. 131,
κλίνει τε κἀνάγει πάλιν,
867-871.
mvp-comment-609-1
Just when the plot against his peace is being urged most vehemently, Philoctetes awakes, and pours out touching words of unsuspecting thankfulness for the patient care, of which he little knows the motive. He throws himself afresh on Neoptolemus, and will have no support but his.
867-868.
mvp-comment-610-1
ὦ φέγγος.. ξένων] 'Light after sleep, how welcome! And how surpassing fondest hope, the patient tendance of these friends!" For the construction of
φέγγος and
οἰκούρημα,
cp. Trach. 1046, 7,
ὦ πολλὰ . . μοχθήσας ἐγώ.
διάδοχον] 'Succeeding, taking the place of (in my experience).
ἐλπίδων ἄπιστον] 'Beyond the belief of expectation,' i.e. which I could not have believed beforehand.
οἰκούρημα] More concrete than
οἰκουρία = 'Act of keeping watch.'
οἰκουρεῖν is, ‘Το keep watch over a person's property and interests in his absence.' So Neoptolemus has guarded the bow and the person of Philoctetes during his prostration, from the thievish attempt which he most feared.
869.
mvp-comment-611-1
οὐκ ἂν ἐξηύχησα] 'I could not once have vaunted.' The aorist implies 'for a single moment,' and is thus more forcible here than the imperfect would have been.
871.
mvp-comment-612-1
μεῖναι has been unreasonably suspected. Cavallin conjectures
ἰδεῖν.
872.
mvp-comment-613-1
οὔκουν ᾿Ατρείδαι] 'It was not the Atreidae, who-.'
οὖν marks the reasonableness of Philoctetes' doubt, which was in accordance with the conduct of the Atreidae.
*εὐφόρως] This seems the simplest correction of
εὐπόρως. See
Essay on L. § 55. p. 101.
Others prefer
εὐπετῶς, comparing Fr. 523,
χρεὼν | τὰ θειᾶ θνητοὺς ὄντας εὐπετῶς φέρειν. Οr,
εὐλόφως. Paley retains
εὐπόρως.
874.
mvp-comment-614-1
κἀξ εὐγενῶν] The frequent allusions to his father have a constraining power over the heart of Neoptolemus.
875.
mvp-comment-615-1
ἐν εὐχερεῖ ἔθου] ‘Took as a light burden.'
876.
mvp-comment-616-1
βοῆς] This reference of Philoctetes to his own cries makes us feel how involuntary they were. He knew them as an inseparable accompaniment of his presence anywhere.
877.
mvp-comment-617-1
καὶ νῦν]
Cp. O. T. 52, 3,
ὄρνιθι γὰρ καὶ τὴν τότ᾽ αἰσίῳ τύχην | παρέσχες ἡμῖν, καὶ τανῦν ἴσος γενοῦ.
879.
mvp-comment-618-1
Nauck, following A. Zippmann, transposes this line to before 890 and rejects 880 and 889. The apparent coldness of Neoptolemus, who in 886 ignores this appeal of Philoctetes to him, may, however, be accounted for by supposing that his consciousness of acting a part makes him less forward with the show of sympathy, now that his emotions are really stirred.
880.
mvp-comment-619-1
Philoctetes is not yet confident that his powers are fully returned. The habit of lying perdu after each attack makes him less prompt to move. But he feels that he must be ready to start as soon as he can. (But qy.
ἡ. ἀ. τὸ πνεῦμ᾽ ἀπ. ποτέ?
Cp. supr. 639, 40.)
882.
mvp-comment-620-1
μέν prepares for the narrative in
νῦν δ᾽ αἷρε σαὐτόν.
883.
mvp-comment-621-1
ἀνώδυνον βλέποντα] 'Opening thine eyes without the look of pain.'
βλέποντα is sometimes put simply as an equivalent for
ζῶντα, e.g. Aesch. Ag. 677,
καὶ ζῶντα καὶ βλέποντα. But here the expression is modified by the addition of
ἀνώδυνον as an adverbial accusative (i. e. not only seeing the light but free from the look of pain). Others take
ἀνώδυνον as a masculine adjective, and make
ἀνώδυνον βλέποντα = 'Living in freedom from pain.'
884.
mvp-comment-622-1
τὰ συμβόλαιά σοι. . ἐφαίνετο] Either (1) 'Your commerce with the circumstances surrounding you: i.e. Your behaviour in the present juncture:' a figurative use of the ordinary meaning of
συμβόλαια: or (2) 'Your symptoms, when regarded in the light of your affliction:' i. e. 'Considering your peculiar case your appearance suggested the inference that you were dead.' The latter meaning (2) receives some confirmation from Hdt. 5. 92, 7, and, more doubtfully, from Eur. Ion 411, quoted by L. and S. But the former is better on the whole, and agrees with
σοι, the reading of the chief MS. See v. rr.
887-888.
mvp-comment-623-1
Cp. supr. 522, 3. Neoptolemus professes to be encouraged by these words of the Chorus to assume that they will not spare pains in helping Philoctetes, whose wishes are seconded by their prince.
