Sophocles Philoctetes 865-1080

ed. Francis Storr

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Philoctetes. Sophocles. ed. Francis Storr. London. 1913.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Experimental

Φιλοκτήτης (Greek) (Sophocles, Volume 2. Storr, Francis, editor. London; New York: William Heinemann Ltd.; The Macmillan Company, 1913.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 865 focus
σιγᾶν κελεύω, μηδ' ἀφεστάναι φρενῶν.
865
κινεῖ γὰρ ἁνὴρ ἀνὴρ ὄμμα κἀνάγει κάρα.
ἔσται τάδ'· ἀλλ᾽ ἵστω τε καὐτὸς ἀντέχου.
ὦ πῦρ σὺ καὶ πᾶν δεῖμα δημα δεῖμα καὶ πανουργίας

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

δεινῆς τέχνημ᾽ ἔχθιστον, οἷά μ' εἰργάσω (εἰρ)γάσω,
οἷ᾽ ἠπάτηκας· οὐδ᾽ ἐπαισχύνει μ᾽ ὁρῶν
τὸν προστρόπαιον, τὸν ἱκέτην, ὦ σχέτλιε;
930
ἀπεστέρηκας τὸν βίον τὰ τόξ᾽ ἑλών.
ἀπόδος, ἱκνοῦμαί σ᾽ ἱκνοῦμ᾽, ἀπόδος, ἱκετεύω, τέκνον.
πρὸς θεῶν πατρῴων, τὸν βίον με μἀφέλῃς μή μ' ἀφέλῃς μή μου 'φέλησ μ᾿ ἀφέλης.
ὤμοι τάλας, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ προσφωνεῖ προφωνεῖ προσφωνεῖν μ᾽. μ᾽ ἔτι,
ἀλλ᾽ ὡς μεθήσων μήποθ', ὧδ᾽ ὁρᾷ πάλιν.
935
ὦ λιμένες, ὦ προβλῆτες, ὦ ξυνουσίαι
θηρῶν ὀρείων, ὦ καταρρώγες πέτραι,
ὑμῖν τάδ', οὐ γὰρ ἄλλον οἶδ᾽ ὅτῳ λέγω,
ἀνακλαίομαι παροῦσι τοῖς εἰωθόσιν,
οἷ᾽ ἔργ᾽ ὁ παῖς μ' ἔδρασεν οὐξ ᾿Αχιλλέως·
940
τί δρῶμεν; ἐν σοὶ καὶ τὸ πλεῖν ἡμᾶς, ἄναξ,
ἤδη ἐστὶ καὶ τοῖς τοῦδε προσχωρεῖν λόγοις.
ὦ χεῖρες, οἷα πάσχετ᾽ ἐν χρείᾳ φίλης
νευρᾶς, ὑπ᾿ ἀνδρὸς τοῦδε συνθηρώμεναι.
1005

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ὦ μηδὲν ὑγιὲς μηδ᾽ ἐλεύθερον φρονῶν,
οἷ᾽ αὖ οἷα διά οῖμ' ἀπῆλθες οἴως μ᾽ ὑπῆλθες, ὥς μ᾽ ἐθηράσω, λαβὼν
πρόβλημα σαυτοῦ παῖδα τόνδ᾽ ἀγνῶτ᾽ ἐμοί,
ἀνάξιον μὲν σοῦ, κατάξιον δ᾽ ἐμοῦ,
ὃς οὐδὲν ἤδη πλὴν τὸ προσταχθὲν ποιεῖν ποεῖν ποιεῖν·
1010
δῆλος δὲ καὶ νῦν ἐστιν ἐστὶν ἐστιν ἀλγεινῶς φέρων
οἷς τ᾿ αὐτὸς ἐξήμαρτεν οἷς τ᾽ ἐγὼ ἔπαθον.
ἀλλ᾽ ἡ κακὴ σὴ διὰ μυχῶν βλέπουσ᾽ ἀεὶ
ψυχή νιν ἀφυῆ τ᾿ ὄντα κοὐ θέλονθ᾽ θέλον θ' θέλων θ' θέλονθ' ὅμως
εὖ προὐδίδαξεν ἐν κακοῖς εἶναι σοφόν.
1015
καὶ νῦν ἔμ᾽, ὦ δύστηνε, συνδήσας νοεῖς
ἄγειν ἀπ᾿ ἀκτῆς τῆσδ', ἐν ᾗ με προὐβάλου
ἄφιλον ἔρημον ἄπολιν, ἐν ζῶσιν νεκρόν.
βαρύς τε καὶ βαρεῖαν ὁ ξένος φάτιν
1045
τήνδ᾽ εἶπ᾽, ᾿Ὀδυσσεῦ, κοὐχ ὑπείκουσαν ει from η ὑπείκουσαν κακοῖς.
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 865 focus
Hush! One word more were madness. He revives.
865
His eye hath motion. He uplifts his head.
I will; stand up, endure!
O thou fire,
Thou terror of the world! Dark instrument
Of ever-hateful guile!—What hast thou done?
How thou hast cheated me! Art not ashamed
To look on him that sued to thee for shelter?
930
O heart of stone, thou hast stolen my life away
With yonder bow!—Ah, yet I beg of thee,
Give it me back, my son, I entreat thee, give!
By all thy father worshipped, rob me not
Of life!—Ah me! Now he will speak no more,
But turns away, obdúrate to retain it.
935
O ye, my comrades in this wilderness,
Rude creatures of the rocks, O promontories,
Creeks, precipices of the hills, to you
And your familiar presence I complain
Of this foul trespass of Achilles’ son.
Sworn to convey me home, to Troy he bears me.
940
And under pledge of his right hand hath ta’en
And holds from me perforce my wondrous bow,
The sacred gift of Zeus-born Heracles,
Thinking to wave it midst the Achaean host
Triumphantly for his. In conquering me
945
He vaunts as of some valorous feat, and knows not
945
He is spoiling a mere corse, an empty dream,
The shadow of a vapour. In my strength
He ne’er had vanquished me. Even as I am,
He could not, but by guile. Now, all forlorn,
I am abused, deceived. What must I do?
950
Nay, give it me. Nay, yet be thy true self!
Thou art silent. I am lost. O misery!
Rude face of rock, back I return to thee
And thy twin gateway, robbed of arms and food,
To wither in thy cave companionless:—
No more with these mine arrows to destroy
955
Or flying bird or mountain-roving beast.
But, all unhappy! I myself must be
The feast of those on whom I fed, the chase
Of that I hunted, and shall dearly pay
In bloody quittance for their death, through one
Who seemed all ignorant of sinful guile.
960
Perish,—not till I am certain if thy heart
Will change once more,—if not, my curse on thee!
What shall we do, my lord? We wait thy word
Or to sail now, or yield to his desire.
Poor hands, for lack of your beloved string,
Caught by this craven! O corrupted soul!
How thou hast undermined me, having taken
1005
To screen thy quest this youth to me unknown,
Far worthier of my friendship than of thine,
Who knew no better than to obey command.
Even now ’tis manifest he burns within
With pain for his own error and my wrong.
1010
But, though unwilling and mapt for ill,
Thy crafty, mean, and cranny spying soul
Too well hath lessoned him in sinful lore.
Now thou hast bound me, O thou wretch, and thinkest
To take me from this coast, where thou didst cast me
1015
Outlawed and desolate, a corpse ’mongst men.
Oh!
I curse thee now, as ofttimes in the past:
But since Heaven yields me nought but bitterness,
Thou livest and art blithe, while ’tis my pain
To live on in my misery, laughed to scorn
1020
By thee and Atreus’ sons, those generals twain
Whom thou art serving in this chase. But thou
With strong compulsion and deceit was driven
Troyward, whilst I, poor victim, of free will
Took my seven ships and sailed there, yet was thrown
1025
Far from all honour,—as thou sayest, by them,
But, as they turn the tale, by thee.—And now
Why fetch me hence and take me? To what end?
I am nothing, dead to you this many a year.
How, O thou Heaven-abhorred! am I not now
1030
Lame and of evil smell? how shall ye vaunt
Before the gods drink-offering or the fat
Of victims, if I sail among your crew?
For this, as ye professed, was the chief cause
Why ye disowned me. Perish!—So ye shall,
1035
For the wrong done me, if the Heavens be just.
And that they are, I know. Else had ye ne’er
Sailed on this errand for an outcast wretch,
Had they not pricked your heart with thoughts of me.
Oh, if ye pity me, chastising powers,
1040
And thou, the Genius of my land, revenge,
Revenge this crime on all their heads at once!
My life is pitiable; but if I saw
Their ruin, I would think me well and strong.
How full of bitterness is his resolve,
1045
Wrathfully spoken with unbending will!
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 865 focus
Nun schweiget, sag' ich, seid gefaßt und unverzagt!
835
Der Mann bewegt die Augen und erhebt das Haupt.
(erwachend)
So sei es: doch nun stehe selbst und halte dich.
(sich aufrichtend)
Du Feuerbrand, du Grauen, du feindseliges
Gewebe falscher Trügerei, wie thust du mir,
Wie hast du mich betrogen, und erröthest nicht,
Mich Schuzbefohl'nen, Fleh'nden anzuseh'n, o Schalk?
900
Den Bogen raubend, raubtest du mein Leben mir.
Ach gib, ich flehe, gib mir ihn zurück, o Kind;
Bei deiner Ahnen Göttern, nimm mein Leben nicht!
Weh, wehe! Nicht mit einem Laut entgegnet er:
Nein, wie ihn nie zu lassen, blickt der Arge weg.
905
Ihr Buchten dort, ihr schroffen Felsabhänge, du
Bergwild, Genosse meines Grams, ihr Klippen hier,
Euch klag' ich keinem Andern ja vermag ich es,
Ihr seid zugegen, hört mich stets in meinem Leid
Euch klag' ich, euch, was mir Achilleus' Sohn gethan:
910
Führt mich nach Troja, der mich heimzuführen schwur,
Gibt mir die Hand zum Pfande, raubt das heilige
Geschoß, Herakles' Bogen, mir, des Sohns von Zeus,
Und will zur Schau mich stellen vor Achäa's Heer!
Wie einen Starken führt er mit Gewalt mich fort,
915
Nicht ahnend, daß er Luftgebild' und Leiche schlägt,
Des Rauches Schatten. Hätt' ich Kraft, er sing mich nie;
Denn auch den Kraftberaubten fing er nur mit List.
Nun - so betrogen, was beginn' ich Armer nun?
Gib mir zurück ihn, werde wieder, der du warst!
920
Was ist's? Du schweigst. Ich bin vernichtet, wehe mir!
Du Fels mit deinem Doppelthor, ich schleiche nun
Nackt, ohne Nahrung, wiederum zu dir zurück;
Einsam verschmachten werd' ich hier in dieser Kluft,
Und kein beschwingter Vogel noch des Berges Wild
925
Erliegt von diesen Pfeilen mehr; selbst werd' ich todt
Ein Mahl für jene, deren Fleisch mich sättigte,
Und, die zuvor ich jagte, jagen nun mich selbst.
Mit meinem Tode büß' ich Armer ihren Tod
Durch diesen, der kein Böses mir zu kennen schien.
930
Noch lebe, stirb nicht, eh' ich weiß, ob etwa noch
Dein Sinn sich wendet; anders stirb des Bösen Tod!
Was thun wir? Nun steht's, Herr, bei dir, mit uns an Bord
Zu gehen oder seinem Wunsch gerecht zu sein.
Hände, was erduldet ihr, die nun, beraubt
Der trauten Sehne, dieser Mann gebunden hält!
975
Du, welcher nie das Reine, nie das Edle denkt,
Wie hast du mich beschlichen, wie gefangen und
Den Knaben vorgeschoben, der mir unbekannt,
Unwürdig deiner, aber mein wohl würdig war,
Der Nichts gewußt hat, als zu thun, was du befahlst,
980
Der aber jezt schon offenbar mit Schmerzen fühlt,
Was er verschuldet, und das Leid, das ich erfuhr.
Dein böser Sinn nur, welcher stets im Winkel lauscht,
Hat ihn, den arglos Blöden, Widerstrebenden
Wohl unterwiesen, klug zu sein in arger List.
985
Nun denkst du mich gebunden weg von diesem Strand
Zu führen, Frevler, wo du mich einst ausgesezt
Freundlos, verlassen, fern von Haus, im Leben todt!
Weh!
Tod dir! Ich flehte dieses oft auf dich herab;
Doch nichts Erwünschtes theilen mir die Götter zu;
990
Du lebst in Freuden, aber ich empfinde Schmerz
Darüber, daß ich lebe, leb' in schwerer Dual,
Von dir verspottet und den zwei Heerfürsten dort,
Den Söhnen Atreus', welchen du dies Werk bestellst.
Du wurdest gleichwohl mitzuzieh'n durch Zwang und List 2
995
Genöthigt; mich Verlor'nen, der freiwillig zog
Mit sieben Masten, warfen sie mit Schmach hinaus, 3
Wie du behauptest; jene geben dir die Schuld.
Und nun wozu, was bindet, was entführt ihr mich,
Mich, der ein Nichts ist und für euch schon lange todt?
1000
Was hältst du, Gottverhaßter, nun mich nicht für lahm,
Für übelriechend? Wie, von mir begleitet, könnt
Ihr noch den Göttern opfern, wie noch Spenden weih'n?
Mich auszustoßen, hast du dies ja vorgewandt.
Tod euch! ja, Tod wird treffen euch, die so verrucht
1005
An mir gefrevelt, wenn das Recht vor Göttern gilt.
Ich weiß, es gilt vor ihnen; niemals wärt ihr ja
Den Weg gezogen nach dem Unglückseligen,
Wenn nicht ein Götterstachel euch hertrieb zu mir.
O Vatererde, Götter, ihr allsehenden,
1010
So strafet endlich, endlich doch, o strafet sie,
Sie alle, wenn ihr meiner euch erbarmen wollt!
Wohl leb' ich elend; aber säh' ich diese nur
Vernichtet, glaubt' ich meiner Qual entfloh'n zu sein.
In schwerem Zorne sprach der Mann ein schweres Wort
1015
Zu dir, Odysseus, das der Noth sich nicht gebeugt.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 865 focus
[aioaking]. O fair returning light ! beyond
my hope ;
You too, my kind preservers ! O my son !
I could not think thou wouldst have stayed so long
In kind compassion to thy friend. Alas !
The Atridse never would have acted thus.
But noble is thy nature, and thy birth,
And therefore little did my wretchedness,
Nor from my wounds the noisome stench deter
Thy generous heart. I have a little respite ;
Help me, my son ! I'll try to rise ; this weakness
Will leave me soon, and then we'll go together.
Well, be it so ; but rise.
Thou worst of men, thou vile artificer
Of fraud most infamous, what hast thou done ?
How have I been deceived? Dost thou not bhish
To look upon me, to behold me thus
Beneath thy feet imploring? Base betrayer !
930
To rob me of my bow, the means of hfe,
The only means — give 'em, restore 'em to me !
Do not take all ! Alas ! he hears me not,
Kor deigns to speak, but casts an angry look
That says I never shall be free again.
O mountains, rivers, rocks, and savage herds !
935
To you I speak — to you alone I now
Must breathe my sorrows ; you are wont to hear.
My sad complaints, and I will tell you all
That I have suffered from Achilles' son,
Who, bound by solemn oath to bear me hence
To my dear native soil, now sails for Troy.
940
The perjured wretch lii-st gave his plighted hand,
Then stole the sacred arrows of my friend,
The son of Jove, the great Alcides ; those
He means to show the Greeks, to snatch me hence
This empty shade, were worthy of his arm.
945
Had I been what I was, he ne'er had thus
945
Subdued me, and e'en now to fraud alone
He owes the conquest . I have been betiuyed !
Give me my arms again, and be thyself
Once more. Oh, speak ! Thou wilt not? Then I'm lost.
O my poor hut ! again I come to thee
950
Naked and destitute of food ; once more
Receive me, here to die ; for now, no longer
Shall my swift arrow reach the flying prey,
Or on the mountains pierce the wandering herd ;
1 shall myself afford a banquet now
To those I used to feed on — they the hunters.
955
And I their easy prey ; so shall the blood
Which I so oft have shed be paid by mine ;
And all this too fron him whom once I deemed
Stranger to fraud nor capable of ill ;
And yet I will not curse thee till I know
Whether thou still retainst thy horrid purpose,
960
Or dost repent thee of it ; if thou dost not,
Destruction wait thee !
We attend your pleasure,
iNIy royal lord, we must be gone ; determine
To leave, or take him with us.
Manacled ! O hands !
How helpless are you now ! those arms, which once
Protected, thus torn from you ! [To Ulys«es.
1005
Thou abandoned,
Thou shameless wretch ! from whom nor truth nor
justice,
Naught that becomes the generous mind, can flow,
How hast thou used me ! how betrayed ! Suborned
This stranger, this poor youth, who, worthier far
1010
To be my friend than thine, was only here
Thy instrument ; he knew not what he did,
And now, thou seest, repents him of the crime
Which brought such guilt on him, such woes on me.
But thy foul soul, which from its dai-k recess
Trembling looks forth, beheld him void of art,
1015
Unwilling as he wms, instructed him.
And made him soon a master in deceit.
I am thy prisoner now ; e'en now thou meanst
To drag me hence, from this unhappy shore.
Where first thy malice left me, a poor exile,
Deserted, fiiendless, and though living, dead
To all mankind. Perish the vile betrayer !
1020
Oh ! I have cursed thee often, but the gods
Life and its joys are thine, whilst I, unhapjiy,
Am but the scorn of thee, and the Atiidie,
Thy haughty masters. Fraud and force compelled
thee.
Or thou hadst never sailed with them to Troy.
1025
I lent my willing aid ; with seven brave ships
I ploughed the main to serve them. In return
They cast me forth, disgraced me, left me here.
Thou sayst they did it ; they impute the crime
To thee. And what will you do with me now ?
And whither must I go ? What end, what purpose
1030
Could urge thee to it ? I am nothing, lost
And dead already. Wherefore — tell me, wherefore ?-
Am I not still the same detested burthen.
Disturb your holy rites ? If I am with you
How can you make libations ? That was once
Your vile j^retence for inhumanity.
1035
Oh ! may you perish for the deed ! The gods
Will grant it sure, if justice be their care —
And that it is I know. You had not left
Your native soil to seek a wretch like me
Had not some impulse from the powers above.
Spite of yourselves, ordained it. O my country !
1040
And you, O gods ! who look upon this deed,
Punish, in pity to me, punish all
The guilty band ! Could I behold them perish,
My wounds were nothing ; that would heal them all.
\to UlyssesJ. Observe, my lord, what bitterness
1045
of soul
1045
His words express ; he bends not to misfortune,
But seems to brave it.
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 865 focus
Be silent, I command thee; of such thoughts
865
No more: he moves his eyes, and lifts his head.
Of that no more; but raise thee, grasp my hand.
Thou wasting fire, thou every thing to sense
Most hideous, thou detested instrument
Of horrid villainy, what hast thou done?
How hast thou wrong'd me? How deceived me? Wretch,
Dost thou not blush to see me at thy knees
930
A suppliant? Thou hast robb'd me of my life,
Taking my bow. I pray thee give it back,
Restore it, I implore thee, O my son;
Ah, take not, by the gods that guard thy hearth,
Take not what yields my life support, away!
Unhappy me! He speaks not yet, but looks
935
As he would never part with it again.
935
Ye ports, ye cliffs projecting o'er the waves,
Ye herds of mountain-beasts, yecraggy rocks,
To you (none other have I to address)
To you, who oft have heard me, I complain
Of these my wrongs. He swore to me, this youth,
Son of Achilles, swore to bear me home;
940
To Troy he bears me: pledging his right hand
He took the sacred bow of Hercules,
And now detains it. To the Grecian host
Vaunting his prowess, as some manly might
He had subdued, he drags me hence by force;
Nor knows he that his conquest is obtain'd
945
O'er one long dead, the shadow of a smoke,
A flitting phantom. Had these nerves the strength
Which once they had, he would not triumph now;
Nor but by fraud this conquest hath he gain'd.
With falsehoods, wretched me! I am betray'd';
What can I do?... But give me back my bow;
950
Be thou again thyself. What dost thou say??
Still art thou silent? Ah, I am undone!..
Thou double opening of my rock, again
I enter thee, but of my arms deprived,
The means of my subsistence, in thy cave
To waste away alone, nor winged bird
955
Nor mountain-beast with these my shafts to pierce,
955
But 'midst my woes to die, to be a feast
To those on whom I feasted, and a prey
To those on whom I prey'd, and recompense
Slaughter with slaughter: thus am I betray'd
By one, whose heart, I thought, ne'er harbour'd ill.
I will not curse thee yet, till I shall learn
960
If honour once more may thy purpose change:
If not, may ruin seize thee and base death!
What thy commands? It now is thine, O king,
To speed thy sails, assenting to his words..
Alas, ye hands, deprived of your loved bow,
What vile indignity do you sustain !
O thou, whose soul ne'er harbour'd generous thought,
Or upright purpose, how hast thou beguiled,
With what base arts ensnared me in thy toils,
1005
Skulking behind this youth to me unknown,
1005
Not meriting to share thy fraudful guilt,
1005
But worthy of my love! He nothing knew,
He but performs his orders: see his brow
Clouded with grief for what he has misdone,
And I have suffer'd. But thy treacherous soul,
For ever peeping from its lurking-place,
Hath taught his noble nature 'gainst his will.
To be expert in mischief; and, thou wretch,
My hands thus bound, thy purpose is declared
To drag me from this shore, on which long since
Thou didst expose me with unpitying heart
Friendless, abandon'd, out-cast, whilst alive
Rank'd with the dead. Perdition seize thee ! Oft
Have I made this my pray'r; but to my pray'rs
1010
The gods grant nothing that delights my soul.
1010
To live is thine, and to exult; with grief
1010
My heart is rent, that 'midst my various ills
I am by thee derided, and the Chiefs
The sons of Atreus, who command these things,
And thou art to their lordly will a slave.
Yet didst thou join their arms compell'd by force,
Thy wiles detected. Me, unhappy me,
The willing leader of sev'n gallant ships,
They with disgrace cast out; the guilty deed
Thou on their baseness chargest, they on thine.
Why lead me now away? Why drag me hence ?
What cause impels you? I am nothing now,
To you for ten long years I have been dead.
Base and detested wretch, is not my foot
1015
Now lame? Is not its stench offensive now?.
1015
How, if I mount the bark, will you present
1015
Your victims, your libations to the gods?....
This was thy plea to leave me on these rocks!
An out-cast. May the vengeance of the gods
Pour ruin on you all who wrong'd this wretch,
If justice rules their thoughts; it does, it does,
I know it well; for never had your sails ::
Stretch'd o'er the ocean for a wretch like me,
But that remorse, heav'n-sent, hath pierced your hearts.
But, O my country, O ye gods who view
Fierce is his passion and his words are fierce ;
1045
He hath a soul that yields not to his woes.
He is our lord, our galley he commands;
To thee whate'er he says, the same we say .T
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 865-1080 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-472-1 μηδ’ ἀφεστάναι φρενῶν 1

mvp-comment-473-1 ὦ φέγγος 2 τό τ’ 3

mvp-comment-473-2 ἐλπίδων ἄπιστον 4 οἰκούρημα 5

mvp-comment-474-1 τοῦτ’ 6 ἐξηύχης’ 7 τλῆναι 8 ἂν 9 τλῆναι 10 ἐξηύχης’ 11

mvp-comment-474-2 μεῖναι 12 τἀμὰ πήματα 13

mvp-comment-474-3 ξυνωφελοῦντά μοι 14

mvp-comment-475-1 οὔκουν 15

mvp-comment-475-2 εὐφόρως 16 εὐπόρως 17

mvp-comment-476-1 κἀξ εὐγενῶν 18 ἐν εὐχερεῖ ἔθου 19

mvp-comment-476-2 γέμων 20

mvp-comment-477-1 λήθη 21

mvp-comment-477-2 δή 22

mvp-comment-478-1 σύ μ’ αὐτὸς … ποτέ 23 κόπος 24 ού μ’ αὐτὸς ἆρον, σύ με κατάστησον 25

mvp-comment-478-2 νῦν δ’ αἶρε σαυτόν 26 ἵν’, ἡνίκ’ ἂν κόπος μ’ ἀπαλλάξῃ ποτέ 27

mvp-comment-478-3 ZippmannA. , whom Nauck and Cavallin follow in their texts, deletes both v. 880 and v. 889 as spurious, and transposes 879 to a place between 888 and 890. His two main objections to the traditional text are:—Why should Ph. , formerly so eager to start, now wish to wait till his

κόπος
has passed off? (880). And why should he desire to rise before that moment, instead of resting on the ground? The view of the whole situation which I have given above will show why I believe the traditional text to be sound.

mvp-comment-479-1 ἐπίσχωμεν 28 τὸ πλεῖν 29

mvp-comment-480-1 ἀλλ’ ἥδομαι μέν 30 μέν 31

mvp-comment-480-2 ἀνώδυνον 32

mvp-comment-480-3 βλέποντα 33

mvp-comment-480-4 κἀμπνέοντ’ 34

mvp-comment-481-1 ὡς οὐκέτ’ ὄντος 35 συμβόλαια 36 τὰς παρούσας ξυμφορὰς 37 πρὸς 38 τὰς παρ. ξυμφοράς 39 πρὸς τὰς παρ. ξυμφορὰς 40

mvp-comment-481-2 συμβόλαια 41

mvp-comment-482-1 νῦν δ’ αἶρε σαυτόν 42

mvp-comment-482-2 εἰ δέ σοι μᾶλλον φίλον 43

mvp-comment-482-3 τοῦ πόνου γὰρ 44

mvp-comment-483-1 αἰνῶ τάδ’, ὦ παῖ 45 αἰνῶ τάδε 46

mvp-comment-484-1 ἔασον 47

mvp-comment-484-2 ὀσμῇ 48

mvp-comment-484-3 συνναίειν 49

mvp-comment-485-1 ἔσται τάδ’ 50

mvp-comment-485-2 ἵστω 51

mvp-comment-485-3 καὐτὸς ἀντέχου 52

mvp-comment-486-1 σύνηθες … ἔθος 53

mvp-comment-487-1 τί δῆτ’ ἂν δρῷμ’ 54

mvp-comment-487-2 δρῷμ’ 55

mvp-comment-487-3 τοὐνθένδε γε 56 γε 57

mvp-comment-488-1 ἐξέβης 58

mvp-comment-488-2 λόγῳ 59 λόγων 60

mvp-comment-489-1 οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅποι χρὴ 61 στρέφειν 62 τρέπειν 63

mvp-comment-490-1 ἀπορεῖς δὲ τοῦ σύ 64

mvp-comment-491-1 ἐνθάδε … τοῦδε τοῦ πάθους 65

mvp-comment-492-1 οὐ δή 66 ὥστε 67 ἔπεισεν 68

mvp-comment-492-2 ναύτην 69

mvp-comment-493-1 ἅπαντα δυσχέρεια 70

mvp-comment-493-2 τὴν αὑτοῦ φύσιν 71 λιπών 72 τὰ μὴ προσεικότα 73

mvp-comment-494-1 οὐδὲν ἔξω τοῦ φυτεύσαντος 74 φυτεύσαντος 75 προσεικότος 76 τοὐμφυτευθέντος 77

mvp-comment-494-2 ἐσθλὸν 78

mvp-comment-495-1 πάλαι 79

mvp-comment-496-1 οὔκουν 80 ἐν οἷς γε δρᾷς 81 ἐν οἷς δὲ αὐδᾷς 82

mvp-comment-496-2 ὀκνῶ 83 δρᾷς 84

mvp-comment-497-1 δράσω 85 λέγων αἴσχιστ’ ἐπῶν 86 κρύπτων ἃ μὴ δεῖ 87

mvp-comment-498-1 ἁνὴρ ὅδ’ 88

mvp-comment-498-2 εἰ μὴ )γὼ 89 γνώμην 90 γνώμων 91

mvp-comment-498-3 τὸν πλοῦν στελεῖν 92

mvp-comment-499-1 λιπὼν 93

mvp-comment-499-2 πέμπω 94 πέμπων 95 τοῦτ’ 96 τοῦτ’ ἀνιῶμαι πάλαι 97

mvp-comment-500-1 οὐδέν σε κρύψω 98

mvp-comment-500-2 γὰρ 99

mvp-comment-501-1 τί <δ)> εἶπας 100 δ’ 101 τί εἶπας 102 τί μ’ εἶπας 103 τί γ’ εἶπας 104

mvp-comment-501-2 πρὶν μάθῃς 105

mvp-comment-501-3 ποῖον μάθημα 106

mvp-comment-501-4 δρᾶσαι 107

mvp-comment-502-1 σῶσαι κακοῦ 108

mvp-comment-502-2 ξὺν σοὶ 109

mvp-comment-503-1 καὶ ταῦτ’ 110

mvp-comment-503-2 ἀληθῆ 111

mvp-comment-503-3 κρατεῖ τούτων 112

mvp-comment-504-1 ὦ ξένε 113

mvp-comment-505-1 ἀλλ’ οὐχ οἷόν τε 114

mvp-comment-505-2 τῶν ἐν τέλει 115

mvp-comment-505-3 927 ff. While Philoctetes makes this appeal, Neoptolemus stands with averted face (935), still holding the bow. Despairing anguish could not be more pathetically expressed than by the transitions from imprecation to entreaty, and from entreaty to the half-soliloquy in which he imagines the future (952).

mvp-comment-506-1 πῦρ 116 πῦρ 117 δεῖμα 118

mvp-comment-506-2 πᾶν δεῖμα 119 δεῖμα 120

mvp-comment-506-3 πανουργίας … τέχνημα 121 τέχνημα 122

mvp-comment-507-1 εἰργάσω 123

mvp-comment-508-1 τὸν προστρόπαιον 124

mvp-comment-509-1 τὸν βίον 125

mvp-comment-509-2 932 A dactyl is here followed by a tribrach, as in 1029 we have two tribrachs. In both verses the rhythm marks agitation.

mvp-comment-510-1 θεῶν πατρῴων 126

mvp-comment-510-2 με μὴ ἀφέλῃ 127

mvp-comment-511-1 προσφωνεῖ 128

mvp-comment-511-2 ὡς μεθήσων μήποθ’ 129 ὁρᾷ πάλιν 130

mvp-comment-512-1 λιμένες 131 προβλῆτες 132

mvp-comment-512-2 ξυνουσίαι θηρῶν 133

mvp-comment-512-3 καταρρῶγες 134

mvp-comment-513-1 λέγω 135

mvp-comment-513-2 ἀνακλαίομαι 136

mvp-comment-513-3 παροῦσι 137 τοῖς εἰωθόσιν 138 παροῦσι 139

mvp-comment-514-1 ὀμόσας 140

mvp-comment-514-2 προσθείς 141 προθείς 142

mvp-comment-515-1 ἱερὰ 143 τοῦ Ζηνὸς Ἡρακλέους 144 ἱερὰ 145 τοῦ Ζ. Ἡρ 146 τοῦ Ζ. Ἡρακλ. 147

mvp-comment-516-1 φήνασθαι 148 φήνασθαι 149 φήνασθαι 150

mvp-comment-516-2 Seyffert, placing only a comma after θέλει 151 κοὐχ ὡς 152 κοὐκ οἶδ’ 153 ὡς 154 κοὐχ ὡς 155 ὡς 156 θέλει 157 ὡς ἑλὼν 158

mvp-comment-517-1 κοὐκ οἶδ’ 159

mvp-comment-517-2 ἐναίρων νεκρὸν 160

mvp-comment-517-3 καπνοῦ σκιάν 161

mvp-comment-517-4 εἴδωλον ἄλλως 162 ἄλλως 163

mvp-comment-518-1 ἐπεὶ οὐδ’ 164

mvp-comment-519-1 ἀλλ’ 165

mvp-comment-519-2 ἀλλὰ νῦν 166

mvp-comment-519-3 ἐν σαυτῷ γενοῦ 167 ἔτι 168 ἐν σαυτοῦ 169

mvp-comment-520-1 σιωπᾷς 170 οὐδέν εἰμ’ 171

mvp-comment-521-1 ὦ σχῆμα πέτρας δίπυλον 172 σχῆμα 173

mvp-comment-521-2 αὖθις αὖ πάλιν 174

mvp-comment-521-3 953 The MSS. and edd. give πρὸς σὲ 175 πρός σε 176

mvp-comment-521-4 ψιλός 177

mvp-comment-522-1 αὐανοῦμαι 178

mvp-comment-523-1 πτηνὸν 179 ὀρειβάτην 180

mvp-comment-523-2 τοισίδ’ 181 τοισίδ’ 182 τοῖσδ’ ἔτ’ 183

mvp-comment-524-1 παρέξω δαῖτα 184 ὑφ’ ὧν ἐφερβ 185

mvp-comment-524-2 Wunder proposes

ἀφ’ ὧν
, objecting that
ὑφ’ ὧν
implies active ministration, ‘as by a nurse.’ It is true that
τρέφομαι ὑπό τινος
properly refers to the nurse, while the source of nourishment is denoted by
τινί, ἀπό τινος
, or
ἔκ τινος
( cp. 535 ). But here Ph. is poetically saying that he had forced the beasts to become his
τροφεῖς
,—as he will now be theirs; and so ὑπό 186 ἀπό 187

mvp-comment-525-1 καί μ’ 188 κἄμ’ 189 ἐθήρων 190 θηράσουσι 191

mvp-comment-526-1 ῥύσιον 192 φόνον φόνου … ῥύσιον τείσω 193 φόνου 194

mvp-comment-526-2 τοῦ δοκοῦντος 195

mvp-comment-526-3 οὐδὲν εἰδέναι κακόν 196

mvp-comment-527-1 ὄλοιο 197

mvp-comment-527-2 μήπω 198 μήπω 199

mvp-comment-527-3 πρὶν μάθοιμ’ 200

mvp-comment-527-4 εἰ καὶ πάλιν 201 καὶ 202 εἰ 203 καὶ 204 εἰ καὶ πάλιν 205

mvp-comment-527-5 καὶ 206 πάλιν 207 μετοίσεις 208 πάλιν μετοίσεις 209

mvp-comment-528-1 δρῶμεν 210

mvp-comment-528-2 ἐν σοὶ 211

mvp-comment-528-3 προσχωρεῖν 212

mvp-comment-529-1 ἐμοὶ μὲν 213

mvp-comment-529-2 ἐμπέπτωκε 214 οὐ νῦν πρῶτον 215

mvp-comment-530-1 ἐλἐησον 216

mvp-comment-530-2 παρῇς σαυτοῦ βρ. ὄνειδος 217

mvp-comment-530-3 ἐκκλέψας 218

mvp-comment-531-1 μήποτ’ 219 λιπεῖν 220 ὤφελον 221

mvp-comment-531-2 Σκῦρον 222

mvp-comment-532-1 νῦν δ’ ἄλλοισι δοὺς 223 οἷς εἰκός 224 οὐκ εἶ κακὸς σύ 225 ἄλλοισι 226

mvp-comment-532-2 Other interpretations are: (1) δοὺς 227 ἄλλοις σε δοὺς 228 οἷα 229 ἄλλοισι 230

mvp-comment-532-3 974 We are to suppose that Odysseus,—disquieted when he found that the

ἔμπορος
(627) was not quickly followed by N.,—had set out to inquire into the cause of the delay. From a place of concealment close to the scene he has overheard the last part of the conversation, and now, at the critical moment, he springs forward. The abruptness of his entrance is marked by the divided verse (
ἀντιλαβή
).

mvp-comment-532-4 975 Join εἶ … πάλιν 231

mvp-comment-533-1 πέπραμαι 232

mvp-comment-534-1 ἅμ’ αὐτοῖς 233 στελοῦσί σε 234 αὐτοῖς 235

mvp-comment-535-1 τολμήστατε 236

mvp-comment-536-1 οἵδ’ 237

mvp-comment-536-2 μὴ ἕρπῃς 238 η 239 ε 240 α 241 γ’ 242 ἕρπῃς 243

mvp-comment-536-3 986 f. For the voc. combined with nom., cp. 867 n.

mvp-comment-536-4 τὸ παγκρατὲς σέλας Ἡφαιστότευκτον 244

mvp-comment-536-5 The Lemnians had an early repute as workers in iron: Tzetzes on Lycophr. 460

Λήμνιοι, ὡς φησὶν Ἑλλάνικος, εὗρον ὁπλοποιΐαν
. The local cult and the local industry of Lemnos were both expressed by its name
Αἰθάλεια
(‘sooty’), acc. to Polybius ap. Byz. Steph. s. v.
Αἰθάλη
. The same name was given to Ilva (Elba), on account of its iron-stone.

mvp-comment-537-1 εἰ … ἀπάξεται 245

mvp-comment-537-2 τῶν σῶν 246

mvp-comment-538-1 Ζεύς 247 ἵν’ εἰδῇς 248

mvp-comment-539-1 μῖσος 249

mvp-comment-539-2 καὶ ἐξανευρίσκεις 250 λέγειν 251 λέγων 252

mvp-comment-540-1 προτείνων 253 ψευδεῖς τίθης 254

mvp-comment-541-1 ἀληθεῖς 255

mvp-comment-541-2 ἡ δ’ ὁδὸς 256

mvp-comment-542-1 οὐ φήμ’ 257

mvp-comment-542-2 ἐγὼ δὲ φημί 258

mvp-comment-542-3 πειστέον τάδε 259

mvp-comment-543-1 ἡμᾶς μὲν 260

mvp-comment-544-1 τοῖς ἀρίστοισιν 261

mvp-comment-544-2 κατασκάψαι 262

mvp-comment-545-1 οὐδέποτέ γ’ 263

mvp-comment-545-2 πᾶν … κακόν 264

mvp-comment-545-3 γῆς τόδ’ αἰπεινὸν βάθρον 265

mvp-comment-546-1 ἐργασείεις 266

mvp-comment-547-1 πέτρᾳ 267 αἱμάξω 268

mvp-comment-547-2 πέτρας 269 πεσών 270 ἄνωθεν 271

mvp-comment-548-1 ξυλλάβετον αὐτόν 272 ξυλλάβετ’ αὐτόν 273 γε 274 ξυλλάβετε 275

mvp-comment-548-2 μὴ )πὶ τῷδ’ 276

mvp-comment-549-1 ὦ χεῖρες 277

mvp-comment-549-2 ἐν χρείᾳ 278

mvp-comment-549-3 συνθηρώμεναι 279

mvp-comment-550-1 ὦ μηδὲν ὑγιὲς … φρονῶν 280

mvp-comment-550-2 μηδὲν ὑγιές 281

mvp-comment-550-3 ἐλεύθερον 282

mvp-comment-551-1 οἷ’ αὖ μ’ ὑπῆλθες 283

mvp-comment-551-2 ὑπῆλθες 284

mvp-comment-552-1 πρόβλημα 285

mvp-comment-553-1 ἀνάξιον μὲν σοῦ 286 σοῦ 287

mvp-comment-553-2 οὐδὲν ᾔδει πλὴν 288

mvp-comment-554-1 καὶ νῦν 289

mvp-comment-554-2 οἷς 290

mvp-comment-555-1 διὰ μυχῶν βλέπους’ 291

mvp-comment-555-2 ἀφυᾶ 292 ‐εα 293 ε 294 ‐εᾶ 295 ι 296 υ 297 ‐ιᾶ 298 ‐λῆ; ‐υᾶ 299 ‐υῆ 300 ᾶ 301 ῆ 302

mvp-comment-555-3 προὐδίδαξεν 303

mvp-comment-556-1 συνδήσας 304 ἄγειν 305

mvp-comment-556-2 προὐβάλου 306

mvp-comment-556-3 ἄπολιν 307

mvp-comment-557-1 θεοὶ 308

mvp-comment-557-2 1022 ff. Seyffert puts a comma after ζῶ 309 σὺν κακοῖς πολλοῖς 310 γελώμενος 311 σὺν κακοῖς πολλοῖς 312 ζῶ 313 σὺν κακοῖς πολλοῖς 314 ζῶ 315

mvp-comment-557-3 τῶν Ἀτρέως … στρατηγῶν 316

mvp-comment-558-1 κλοπῇ τε κἀνάγκῃ ζυγεὶς 317 ζυγεὶς 318

mvp-comment-559-1 ἑπτὰ ναυσὶ 319

mvp-comment-560-1 ἔβαλον 320 ὡς σὺ φής 321

mvp-comment-561-1 ἄγετε 322 ἀπάγεσθε 323

mvp-comment-561-2 οὐδέν εἰμι 324 τέθνηχ’ ὑμῖν 325

mvp-comment-562-1 σοι 326

mvp-comment-562-2 δυσώδης 327

mvp-comment-562-3 πῶς … ἔξεσθ’, ὁμοῦ 328 πῶς … εὔξεσθ’, ἐμοῦ 329 εὔξεσθ’ 330 εὔξεσθ’ 331 ἔξεσθ’ 332 ὁμοῦ 333 ἐμοῦ 334 εὔξεσθ’ ἐμοῦ 335 ἔξεστ’ ἐμοῦ 336 ἔξεσθ’ ὁμοῦ 337 θ’ 338 θεοῖς 339

mvp-comment-562-4 Against ἔξεσθ’ 340

mvp-comment-563-1 ὄλοισθ)· ὀλεῖσθε δ’ 341

mvp-comment-564-1 μέλει γ’ 342

mvp-comment-564-2 ἐπεὶ οὔποτ’ 343 ἀνδρὸς ἀθλίου 344

mvp-comment-564-3 1039 For the place of τι 345

mvp-comment-564-4 κέντρον … ἐμοῦ 346

mvp-comment-565-1 θεοί τ’ ἐπόψιοι 347

mvp-comment-565-2 Thus the invocation of πατρῴα γῆ 348 ἐπόψιοι 349

mvp-comment-566-1 τείσασθε 350

mvp-comment-566-2 ἀλλὰ τῷ χρόνῳ 351

mvp-comment-567-1 κἄμ’ 352

mvp-comment-568-1 τῆς vόσου 353

mvp-comment-569-1 βαρύς 354

mvp-comment-569-2 κοὐχ ὑπείκ. 355

mvp-comment-570-1 παρείκοι 356

mvp-comment-570-2 ἑνὸς κρατῶ λόγου 357

mvp-comment-571-1 γὰρ 358

mvp-comment-571-2 τοιούτων 359 τοιούτων 360 πανούργων 361

mvp-comment-571-3 κρίσις 362

mvp-comment-571-4 μου 363

mvp-comment-572-1 νικᾶν 364

mvp-comment-572-2 γε μέντοι 365

mvp-comment-572-3 εἰς σέ 366

mvp-comment-572-4 ἐκστήσομαι 367

mvp-comment-573-1 ἄφετε γὰρ αὐτόν 368 γὰρ 369

mvp-comment-573-2 οὐδὲ σοῦ 370 οὐδέ σου 371 προσχρῄζομεν 372 σοῦ 373 τά γ’ ὅπλ’ 374

mvp-comment-574-1 Τεῦκρος 375 τήνδ’ ἐπιστήμην 376

mvp-comment-574-2 παρ’ ἡμῖν 377 πάρεστι 378

mvp-comment-575-1 ἐγώ θ’ 379

mvp-comment-575-2 μηδ’ ἐπιθύνειν 380

mvp-comment-575-3 After a verb of thinking or saying,

οὐ
is the ordinary negative with the inf.: but
μή
sometimes occurs ( O. T. 1455 n., 2nd ed.). Here the question is, why the second inf. should have μηδ’ 381 οὐδὲν 382 οὐδὲν 383 κάκιον 384 κρατύνειν 385

mvp-comment-575-4 (2) The less probable view is that οὐδὲν 386 κρατύνειν 387 μηδ’ 388 ἐπιθύνειν 389 οἶμαι 390 οὐ 391 μηδέ 392 οὐ … μηδέ 393 οὐ … οὐδέ 394

mvp-comment-575-5 Nauck's conjecture, ἠδ’ ἐπευθύνειν 395

mvp-comment-576-1 τὴν Αῆμνον 396

mvp-comment-577-1 γέρας 397

mvp-comment-577-2 ἣν σὲ χρῆν 398 ἣν σ’ ἐχρῆν 399

mvp-comment-577-3 1064 Since ἐν 400 Ἀργείοις 401 ὅπλοισι κοσμηθεὶς 402

mvp-comment-578-1 μή μ’ ἀντιφώνει 403

mvp-comment-578-2 δή 404

mvp-comment-579-1 προσφθεγκτός 405

mvp-comment-579-2 οὕτως 406

mvp-comment-580-1 γενναῖός περ ὤν 407 τὴν τύχην διαφθερεῖς 408

mvp-comment-580-2 ὅπως μὴ 409

mvp-comment-581-1 ναυκράτωρ 410

mvp-comment-582-1 ἀκούσομαι 411

mvp-comment-583-1 εἰς ὅσον 412

mvp-comment-583-2 τά … ἐκ νεὼς στείλωσι 413 στείλωσι 414

mvp-comment-583-3 θεοῖς εὐξώμεθα 415

mvp-comment-584-1 ὁρμώμεθον 416

mvp-comment-585-1 ὁρμᾶσθαι 417 ταχεῖς 418

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

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.

889. mvp-comment-624-1 ὥσπερ νοεῖς] 'As you really mean.' Philoctetes does not take the refusal of Neoptolemus to lift him with his own hands. He is too much impressed with his actual kindness to be at once affected by the coldness and reserve of his language.

892. mvp-comment-625-1 συνναίειν] For the infinitive, see Essay on L. § 33. p. 57 , and cp. especially O. C. 1211, 2, ὅστις τοῦ πλέονος μέρους χρήζει . . ζώειν.

893. mvp-comment-626-1 Neoptolemus gives Philoctetes his hand, but bids him exert himself, and put forth his strength in using the support. He is roused by this and makes the necessary exertion.

894. mvp-comment-627-1 'Fear not. Long habit will enable me to rise.'

895. mvp-comment-628-1 If Neoptolemus had followed the course marked out for him, he would have taken Philoctetes on board, and only when out at sea have let him discover the destination of the voyage. But now that the decisive moment is arrived, he cannot deceive the unfortunate who has trusted him. For the optative (potential) without av, see E. on L. § 27. p. 45. Others read δῆτ᾽ ἄν.

896. mvp-comment-629-1 'What mean such words, my son? Whither tends this sudden diversion?'

897. mvp-comment-630-1 'I know not which way to express what is so full of perplexity.' τάπορον . . ἔπος is the word that can neither be spoken nor kept silent.

898. mvp-comment-631-1 Philoctetes cannot bear that doubts should rise just when his hopes are on the point of being fulfilled.

899. mvp-comment-632-1 (1) 'But I am at such a point of difficulty (that I must speak).' τοῦδε πάθους, sc. τῆς ἀπορίας, from ἀπορεῖς, supr. Or (2) simply, 'I am in a difficulty.' Cp. Aesch. Choeph. 891, ἐνταῦθα γὰρ δὴ τοῦδ᾽ ἀφικόμην κακοῦ.

900. mvp-comment-633-1 οὐ δή] 'Surely it cannot be-;' i.e. 'I trust it is not.' Cp. Trach. 668, and note.

901. mvp-comment-634-1 ναύτην] 'On board your ship.' ναύτης here = πλωτήρ. The word is used predicatively. For both, cp. Aesch. Pers. 719, πεζὸς ἡ ναύτης δὲ πεῖραν τήνδ' ἐμώρανεν τάλας;

902. mvp-comment-635-1 ἅπαντα δυσχέρεια] ‘There is nothing but unpleasantness.' For this use of the abstract noun, cp. O. C. 883, ἆρ᾽ οὐχ ὕβρις τάδ';

903. mvp-comment-636-1 ὅταν is postponed to give greater emphasis to τὴν αὐτοῦ φύσιν. λιπών] Cp. supr. 865, ἀφεστάναι.

904. mvp-comment-637-1 ἔξω τοῦ φυτεύσαντος] 'From (i. e. 'alien to') your father's strain.' ἔξω is suggested by λιπών and φυτεύσαντος by φύσιν. Mollweide very ingeniously conjectured τοῦ προσεικότος (which, as Nauck observes, might be corrupted to τοῦ πατρὸς εἰκότος), but his conjecture is less forcible than the text.

907. mvp-comment-638-1 'There is certainly no baseness in what you are doing. But for what your speech may imply, I feel afraid.' For ὀκνῶ, describing a state of vague, but painful apprehension, cp. O. T. 746, 749. For the ellipse, ὀκνῶ (μὴ αἰσχρὸς φανῇς), see Essay on L. § 39, 6. p. 74. Nauck unnecessarily conjectured ἐφ᾽ οἷς.

908. mvp-comment-639-1 δεύτερον] 'A second time.' He is already convicted of baseness in his own mind for having concealed his intention, and he foresees the reproach which the avowal of this same intention will draw down upon him.

910. mvp-comment-640-1 The idea of the homeward voyage is so vividly present to Philoctetes' mind, that the only evil intention he can imagine in Neoptolemus is that of leaving him behind.

912. mvp-comment-641-1 λιπών.. ἔγωγε] Sc. στελῶ τὸν πλοῦν.

912-913. mvp-comment-642-1 μὴ | πέμπω] The position of the words has the effect of throwing a strong emphasis on πέμπω.

914. mvp-comment-643-1 τί ποτε] The trisyllablic foot marks increasing agitation. Cp. infr. 923, 4.

915-916. mvp-comment-644-1 'Ex his tantum abest ut posterior versus ejiciendus sit, ut ejus adjectione eximie ostenderit Sophocles, quam penitus perspectam haberet animi humani naturam. Nam ubi quis semel ab se impetravit ut proferat quod celare jussus erat, jam, quasi expiaturus non recte factum, non aliquid, sed omnia cupit effundere.' (Hermann.) It may be observed here that the στιχομυθίαι in the Philoctetes are, like the style generally, less severely regular than in any of the other plays.

917. mvp-comment-645-1 πρὶν μάθης] 'Till you understand the case.' Neoptolemus indulges the hope, which he only abandons at the last moment ( infr. 1391), that Philoctetes may see that it is for his advantage to go to Troy.

919-920. mvp-comment-646-1 He here states briefly that which at a more favourable moment ( infr. 1326-47) he explains at full.

920. mvp-comment-647-1 τὰ .. πεδία] A periphrasis for Τροίαν. Cp. infr. 1332. The extent of the Trojan plain struck the imagination of the Greeks who lived in a broken, uneven country.

921. mvp-comment-648-1 ἀληθῆ] 'In very deed.' For the adverbial predicate, see Essay on L. § 23. p. 38.

922. mvp-comment-649-1 πολλή.. ἀνάγκη] ‘This is ruled by strong necessity.' κρατεῖ τούτων, sc. ὥστε οὕτω γενέσθαι. καί] 'And therefore.' καί with imperatives has often a slightly illative force. Cp. Plat. Gorg. 449 C, τούτου μὴν δεῖ, ὦ Γοργία· καί μοι ἐπίδειξιν αὐτοῦ τούτου ποίησαι.

923. mvp-comment-650-1 ὦ ξένε] This change in the manner of address, from ὦ τέκνον, supr. 914, marks the transition from confidence to estrangement on the part of Philoctetes.

926. mvp-comment-651-1 τό τ᾽ ἔνδικόν.. ποιεῖ] 'Duty and interest alike compel me.' Cp. supr. 50 foll., 111 foll.

927-962. mvp-comment-652-1 In this passionate outburst Philoctetes first reproaches Neoptolemus, then appeals to his feelings of honour and compassion, then meekly supplicates him. Then (934), when Neoptolemus turns away to hide the impression thus made on him, Philoctetes, thinking him obdurate, complains to the unconscious companions of his solitude. His speech insensibly returns to Neoptolemus, with whom he again pleads, first indirectly, then with one brief direct appeal (l.950). When this is answered by silence, he yields to despair, and turns his face and his complaint towards the lonesome cave. Once more (961) his mind reverts to him who has been so cruel, but had seemed so guileless, and before cursing him, he waits to know whether Neoptolemus will even yet repent.

927. mvp-comment-653-1 πῦρ] Cp. O. T. 190, 1, and note. πᾶν δεῖμα] In this and similar expressions ( supr. 622) it is doubted whether πᾶς is distributive or intensive, attributive or predicative. (1) πᾶν distributive: i. e. 'terror of every kind' (not only πῦρ). (2) πᾶν intensive, 'entire' or 'utter terror.' The latter is more probable. 'Thou that art fire and terror unrelieved.' πανουργίας . . ἔχθιστον] · 'Most hateful piece of knavish villany.' For the abstract neuter substantive applied to persons in expressing dislike, cp. λάλημα, μίσος, λῆμα, etc. So φθέγμα in expressing affection.

929-930. mvp-comment-654-1 οὐδ᾽ ἐπαισχύνει.. σχέτλιε] This is more forcible when taken interrogatively as a separate sentence. It is otherwise with the brief clause οὐδ' ἐπαισχύνει λέγων in Αj. 1307.

930-932. mvp-comment-655-1 The iteration and the broken rhythm (l.932 has three trisyllabic feet) are expressive of distracted feeling.

935. mvp-comment-656-1 ὧδ'] 'Even so.' For the emphatic resumption of the antecedent, see E. on L. § 40. p. 75. πάλιν] 'The opposite way.' 'Avertit vultum.' Brunck. Cp. Eur. Med. 411, καὶ δίκα καὶ πάντα πάλιν στρέφεται.

936. mvp-comment-657-1 προβλῆτες] The substantive is more easily omitted with πέτραι following in the next line.

936-937. mvp-comment-658-1 ξυνουσίαι θηρῶν ὀρείων] 'Wild comrades of the hills.' Cp. supr. 184, 5, στικτῶν ἢ λασίων μετὰ θηρῶν, and for the abstract word, Eur. Alc. 606, ἀνδρῶν Φεραίων εὐμενὴς παρουσία.

939. mvp-comment-659-1 ἀνακλαίομαι] 'I complain in my own behalf.' Such is the force of the middle voice. Cp. Antiphon, 119, 24, ἀποστερούμενος δὲ ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν μηδὲ τὰς παρούσας ἀτυχίας ἀνακλαύσασθαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἀπορῶ εἰς ἥντινα ἄλλην σωτηρίαν χρή με καταφυγεῖν, Trach. 153. εἰωθόσιν] Sc. παρεῖναι.

940. mvp-comment-660-1 Cp. supr. 260, and note.

942. mvp-comment-661-1 χεῖρα δεξιάν] Cp. supr. 813, and note. And for προστίθημι in a similar connection, cp. El. 47, ὅρκῳ προστιθείς: Fr. 428, ὅρκου δὲ προστεθέντος ἐπιμελεστέρα | ψυχὴ κατέστη.

943. mvp-comment-662-1 For the slight transposition of the order of the words = ἱερὰ τοῦ .. Ἡρακλέους, λαβὼν ἔχει, see Essay on L. § 41. p. 77. Ιn τοῦ Ζηνὸς Ἡρακλέους the second genitive has become a sort of epithet. Cp. Ant. 154, ὁ Θήβας . Βάκχιος.

944. mvp-comment-663-1 φήνασθαι] 'To show them as his own.'

945. mvp-comment-664-1 ἐκ βίας μ' ἄγει] ‘He seeks to carry me away by force.' In taking the bow, Neoptolemus tries to force Philoctetes to depart. Philoctetes feels this, though he prefers to die.

946-947. mvp-comment-665-1 Ср. О. C. 109, 10, οἰκτείρατ᾿ ἀνδρὸς Οἰδίπου τόδ᾽ ἄθλιον | εἴδωλον, οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὸ γ' ἀρχαῖον δέμας.

947-948. mvp-comment-666-1 οὐ γὰρ.. δόλῳ] These words are especially calculated to wound the pride of Neoptolemus.

949. mvp-comment-667-1 τί . . δρᾶν] He returns upon himself for a moment, but, finding no resource, makes one more effort to reach the heart of Neoptolemus. He is met with silence.

950. mvp-comment-668-1 Cp. Ant. 552, τί δῆτ᾽ ἂν ἀλλὰ νῦν σ᾽ ἔτ᾿ ὠφελοῖμ᾽ ἐγώ; For ἐν σαυτῷ γενοῦ, 'Return to thy true self,' cp. Xen. An. 1. 5. 17, ἀκούσας ταῦτα ὁ Κλέαρχος ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἐγένετο : Aj. 639,40, οὐκέτι συντρόφοις ὀργαῖς ἔμπεδος. The other idiom, ἐν σαυτοῦ, read in Par. A. ('esto apud te,' Lamb.), is a humorous expression unsuited for tragedy.

952. mvp-comment-669-1 σχῆμα πέτρας δίπυλον] 'Rock formed with twofold doorway,' i.e. πέτρα δίπυλος ἐσχηματισμένη. For a similar periphrasis, cp. Eur. Alc. 911, ὦ σχῆμα δύμων, πῶς εἰσέλθω ; ‘A common periphrasis for any object that presents itself to the eye in a familiar form.' Paley. αὖθις αὖ πάλιν] Supr. 930, 932.

953. mvp-comment-670-1 ψιλός .. τροφήν] 'Without means of defence or sustenance.' Cp. Αj. 1123, κἂν ψιλὸς ἀρκέσαιμι σοί γ' ὡπλισμένῳ : infr. 1125, 6, χερὶ πάλλων | τὰν ἐμὰν μελέου τροφάν.

954. mvp-comment-671-1 αὐανοῦμαι] There can be no doubt about this reading, though the notion of a 'second death' (see v. rr. and cp. νεκρόν, supr. 946) has infected the MSS. τῷδ᾽ ἐν αὐλίῳ] Cp. supr. 19, infr. 1087.

957. mvp-comment-672-1 For the suppressed antecedent (τοῖς οἱ ἐκείνοις), cp. Εl. 1060, τροφᾶς κηδομένους ἀφ᾽ ὧν . . βλάστωσιν.

959. mvp-comment-673-1 ῥύσιον] 'In requital.' ῥύσιον is (a) that which is rescued from plunder, (b) what is taken in reprisal, (c) an act of reprisal or requital.

960. mvp-comment-674-1 For πρός, κ.τ.λ. after a verb in the active voice, see Essay on L. § 36. p. 64.

961. mvp-comment-675-1 ὄλοιο μή πω] 'Perish-not yet!' The curse already on his lips ( ὅλοιο) is suspended by the addition of the negative and changed to ὄλοιο μή πω, κ.τ.λ. then finally resumed in θάνοις. πρὶν μάθοιμ᾽] Cp. supr. 325, and note.

962. mvp-comment-676-1 καί] Cp. infr. 1270, οὔκουν ένεστι καὶ μεταγῶναι πάλιν;

963. mvp-comment-677-1 δρῶμεν] Conjunctive mood.

964. mvp-comment-678-1 ἤδη is to be joined with πλεῖν, 'To sail at once.' Cp. supr. 466, ἤδη · στέλλεσθε;

968. mvp-comment-679-1 σαυτοῦ] Some editors prefer σαυτῷ, the reading of I, i.e. 'Do not let thy name become a reproach amongst men.' But the reading of L is sound. 'Suffer not this reproach against thee to go forth amongst men.' ἐκκλέψας ἐμέ] 'Through your deceiving me.' Cp supr. 55.

969. mvp-comment-680-1 δράσω] Aor. conjunctive.

972. mvp-comment-681-1 ἔοικας ἥκειν] For this conversational periphrasis, see Essay on L. § 41. p. 77, a , and cp. Ant. 1279 foll. For δούς used like ἐνδούς, ‘yielding' ( cp. the intransitive use of 'give' in English), see Essay on L. § 55. p. 101, 4. Cp. also the turn of expression in Aj. 483, 4, παῦσαί γε μέντοι καὶ δὸς ἀνδράσιν φίλοις | γνώμης κρατῆσαι, τάσδε φροντίδας μεθείς : Eur. Phoen. 21, ἡδονῇ δούς.

979. mvp-comment-682-1 ξυλλαβών] Cp. supr. 945, and note.

981. mvp-comment-683-1 παῖ] Cp. supr. 967. The hateful sight of Odysseus drives Philoctetes once again to throw himself on the mercy of Neoptolemus. Cp. Lear, 2. 4, 'Those wicked creatures yet do look well-favoured, When others are more wicked; not being the worst | Stands in some rank of praise. I'll go with thee.'

982. mvp-comment-684-1 For the situation, cp. О. С. 858 foll.

983. mvp-comment-685-1 στείχειν ἅμ᾿ αὐτοῖς] ‘Το march along with them.' The pronoun αὐτοῖς refers to Neoptolemus and his attendants. Here, as infr. 1003, the language is assisted by the scene. Others refer αὐτοῖς to the bow, but in this case some other verb than στείχειν would be required.

986-988. mvp-comment-686-1 Cp. supr. 800, infr. 1464.

987. mvp-comment-687-1 Cp. supr. 376, and note.

988. mvp-comment-688-1 τῶν σῶν] Sc. χωρίων. The pron. refers to Λημνία χθών, the words καὶ.. Ἡφαιστότευκτον being διὰ μέσου.

989. mvp-comment-689-1 ἵν᾽ εἰδῇς] 'I tell you!' Cp. Aesch. Cho. 439, ἐμασχαλίσθη δ᾽ ἔθ᾽ ὡς τόδ' εἰδῇς. In such expressions there is an ellipse of λέγω. τῆσδε γῆς] Lemnos.

992. mvp-comment-690-1 Ср. О. С. 277. Zeus is false to Heracles if he favours the design against his friend.

993. mvp-comment-691-1 The removal of Philoctetes fulfils the prophecy of Helenus, and thus establishes the truthfulness of the gods.

994. mvp-comment-692-1 'I say, No! for my part.' 'But I say, Yes! you must be ruled.' Gernhard conjectured, ΦΙ. οὔ φημ'. ΟΔ. ἐγὼ δέ φημι

997. mvp-comment-693-1 ἄρα is postponed because of the energy with which the first words of the sentence are spoken. See Essay on L. § 26. p. 44.

998. mvp-comment-694-1 τοῖς ἀρίστοισιν] Neoptolemus.

1000. mvp-comment-695-1 γῆς .. βάθρον] 'This Lemnian steep.' Cp. Aj. 859, ὦ γῆς ἱερὸν οἰκείας πέδον | Σαλαμίνος. For the descriptive pleonasm of γῆς, cp. Aesch. Prom. 433, * Αϊδος.. μυχὸς γᾶς.

1002. mvp-comment-696-1 πέτρᾳ] 'On the rock;' i.e. ἐν πέτρα = εἰς πέτραν (rather than instrum. dat.), to be joined with αἱμάξω. πέτρας is ablative genitive with πεσών.

1003. mvp-comment-697-1 ξυλλάβετέ γ' αὐτόν] ‘Ay, apprehend him.' ye may be explained by supposing the attendants to have advanced of their own accord on seeing the intention of Philoctetes. Recent editors have adopted G. Bernhardy's conjecture, ξυλλάβετον αὐτόν, supposing Odysseus to address his two attendants, the usual δύ' ἀμφίπολοι of Epic poetry. But if this were right the same dual form of command would have been found elsewhere, e.g. in O. С. 840, 847.

1005. mvp-comment-698-1 ἀνδρὸς τοῦδε] 'Odysseus,' said with bitter emphasis. Cp. supr. 376, εἰ τἀμὰ κεῖνος ὅπλ᾽ ἀφαιρήσοιτό με. συνθηρώμεναι is at once 'caught' and 'bound.'

1007. mvp-comment-699-1 οἷ᾽ αὖ] This seems a more probable correction of οἷα than οἷον, which, though found in some MSS., may have arisen from a gloss. *αὖ] 'Again,' as you did ten years ago, when you took advantage of me sleeping; supr. 271 foll.

1008. mvp-comment-700-1 πρόβλημα σαυτοῦ] ‘As your stalking-horse.' πρόβλημα is in apposition to παῖδα. For προβάλλεσθαι, as a word of blame, cp. Thuc. 1. 37, τὸ εὐπρεπὲς ἄσπονδον . . προβέβληνται.

1009. mvp-comment-701-1 ἀνάξιον.. ἐμοῦ] 'Who does not deserve to be thy minister, but well deserves to be my friend.'

1012. mvp-comment-702-1 For the dative after ἀλγεινῶς φέρων = ἀχθόμενος, see Essay on L. § 14. p. 21, and § 36. p. 64.

1013. mvp-comment-703-1 διὰ μυχῶν βλέπουσ᾽] This is differently explained, (1) 'Spying into hidden places' (so Musgrave, who compares Philo J. 2. p. 78, τὸν ἀεὶ βλέποντα καὶ τὰ ἐν μυχοῖς τῆς διανοίας). For this cp. Αj. 11, καί σ᾽ οὐδὲν εἴσω τῆσδε παπταίνειν πύλης | ἔτ᾽ ἔργον ἐστίν. Or (2) 'Spying out of hiding holes' ('per latebras prospiciens,' Schndw.). The latter (2) is preferable. For the point here is, not that Philoctetes was hidden in his cave, but that Odysseus himself keeps out of sight, while he watches the proceedings of Neoptolemus. This also gives a better meaning. ‘By διά is meant looking through the intervening darkness.' (Paley.) Cp. Aj. 381, κακοπινέστατόν τ᾿ ἄλημα στρατοῦ: ib. 390, and note.

1014. mvp-comment-704-1 ἀφυῆ] ‘Unapt,' sc. πρὸς τὸ τοιοῦτὸν τι ποιεῖν: or, as Seyffert puts it, ἐπὶ τὸ σοφὸν εἶναι ἐν κακοῖς. Cp. supr. 79, 80, ἔξοιδα καὶ φύσει σε μὴ πεφυκότα τοιαῦτα φωνεῖν, μηδὲ τεχνᾶσθαι κακά.

1015. mvp-comment-705-1 προὐδίδαξεν] ‘Has instructed him.' Cp. supr. 538, προϋμαθον, and note.

1016. mvp-comment-706-1 δύστηνε] Cp. Aj. 1290, δύστηνε, ποῖ βλέπων ποτ' αὐτὰ καὶ θροεῖς; συνδήσας agrees with the subject of ἄγειν. The intention here mentioned is spoken of in the more passionate phrase, supr. 979, as a finished act; cp. Aj. 1126, δίκαια γὰρ τόνδ᾽ εὐτυχεῖν κτείναντά με;

1017. mvp-comment-707-1 ἀκτῆς] Supr. 1, 272. προὐβάλου] • You contrived to cast me forth.' The (subjective) middle throws on Odysseus the prime responsibility of the act.

1018. mvp-comment-708-1 ἄπολιν] 'Outcast.' Cp. the Homeric ἀφρήτωρ, ἀθέμιστος, ἀνέστιος. ἐν ζῶσιν νεκρόν] 'Among the living, but not alive.'

1019. mvp-comment-709-1 καί] 'And indeed.' For the stress on καί, cp. Εl. 597 ( ὡς τὴν μητέρα | κακοστομοῦμεν.) καί σ᾽ ἔγωγε δεσπότιν | ἢ μητέρ᾽ οὐκ ἔλασσον εἰς ἡμᾶς νέμω. Philoctetes adds this, not correcting himself, but as feeling painfully the impotence of his curse.

1022. mvp-comment-710-1 τοῦτ᾽ αὐτό is cognate accusative, expressing the cause. The pronoun refers both to ζῶν preceding, and to ὅτι following. Cp. supr. 797, Ant. 463, 4, ὅστις γὰρ ἐν πολλοῖσιν ὡς ἐγὼ κακοῖς | ζῇ, πῶς ὅδ᾽ οὐχὶ κατθανὼν κέρδος φέρει;

1025. mvp-comment-711-1 κλοπῇ τε κἀνάγκῃ ζυγείς] 'Through being kidnapped, and bound under compulsion.' Cp. supr. 73, and note. For the metaphor in ζυγείς, cp. Αj. 24, κἀγὼ ᾿θελοντὴς τῷδ᾽ ὑπεζύγην πόνῳ.

1027. mvp-comment-712-1 ἑπτὰ ναυσί] ΙΙ. 2. 718, τῶν δὲ Φιλοκτήτης ἦρχεν, τόξων εὖ εἰδώς, ἑπτὰ νεῶν.

1028. mvp-comment-713-1 ἄτιμον ἔβαλον] ‘Flung away dishonoured.' For the use of the simple verb = ἐξέβαλον, see E. on L. § 55. p. 101, 4. κεῖνοι δὲ σέ] Sc. ἐκβαλεῖν μέ φασιν. Dindorf wrongly quotes ἔκβαλον as the reading of L.

1029. mvp-comment-714-1 'And now why take me, why force me away?' For the repetition and redundancy, cp. supr. 236. and note. ἀπάγειν is the word for taking a criminal to execution, and the middle voice conveys more of personal feeling. ( Cp. supr. 613.) The agitation of Philoctetes is again marked by two tribrachs following each other. Cp. supr. 932.

1030. mvp-comment-715-1 τέθνηχ᾽ ὑμῖν] Cp. O. C. 1366, ἢ τὰν οὐκ ἂν ἢ τὸ σὸν μέρος. And for the dative, ib. 444, φυγάς σφιν ἔξω πτωχὸς ἠλώμην ἀεί.

1032-1033. mvp-comment-716-1 πῶς θεοῖς εὔξεσθ' . . ἔτι] 'How shall ye declare to Heaven that ye will sacrifice or pour libation to the gods any more?' εὔχεσθαι is properly to say aloud in presence of a god, and so (a) 'To pray,' (b) 'To vow,' (c) 'To glory.' Here the meaning is somewhere between (c) and (b), 'To vaunt' and 'To promise.' Cp. Eur. Alc. 334, where eὔχομαι is, 'I thankfully profess.' θεοῖς is (a) dative after εὔξεσθε, (b) in a secondary construction with the infinitives αἴθειν ἱερά and σπένδειν. 'How shall ye vaunt before the gods that ye will burn sacrifice to them, or make drink-offerings?' There is no ground whatever for suspecting the reading.

1034. mvp-comment-717-1 αὕτη .. ἐμέ] Cp. supr. 8. It may be observed that Philoctetes here knows what he had not suspected at the time described by him, supr. 271. ἐκβαλεῖν] Sc. ὥστε ἐκβαλεῖν. See Essay on L. § 36. p. 62.

1039. mvp-comment-718-1 εἰ μή τι .. ἐμοῦ] 'Were ye not pricked to it by some divine power reminding you of me.' κέντρον is (a) literally, 'The prick of a goad.' (b) metaphorically, 'A sharp thought' ( θεῖον, ‘implanted by a god'); in which sense ἐμοῦ is joined to it as an objective genitive. The religious feeling of these lines is very similar to Oed. Col. 96-105. Philoctetes' hope in the gods, which at supr. 1020 had sunk very low, is revived by the reflection that some Divine Providence must have caused the wish for his return to Troy. But he appeals only in the first instance to the gods of his fatherland, and to the gods of vengeance. The θεοὶ ἐπόψιοι are either (1) the Ερινύες. Cp. Aj. 835, 6, τὰς ἀεί τε παρθένους | ἀεί θ᾽ ὁρώσας πάντα τὰν βροτοῖς πάθη Or (2), as elsewhere, Zeus and Apollo. Cp. Εl. 175, Ζεύς, ὃς ἐφορᾷ πάντα καὶ κρατύνει.

1042. mvp-comment-719-1 κἄμ᾽] καί belongs to the verb. Cp. Ant. 280, παῦσαι, πρὶν ὀργῆς κἀμὲ μεστῶσαι λέγων, and note.

1044. mvp-comment-720-1 τῆς νόσου] Sc. ἐκ. See Essay on L. § 8. p. 11. Cp. Od. 1. 18, πεφυγμένος ἦεν ἀέθλων: Ant. 488, 9, οὐκ ἀλύξετον | μόρου κακίστου. For the relief afforded by vengeance, cp. Εl. 939, τῆς νῦν παρούσης πημονῆς λύσεις βάρος: ib. 1489, 90, ὡς ἐμοὶ τύδ᾽ ἂν κακῶν | μόνον γένοιτο τῶν πάλαι λυτήριον.

1045. mvp-comment-721-1 Cp. Ant. 471, 2, δηλοῖ τὸ γέννημ' ὠμὸν ἐξ ὠμοῦ πατρὸς | τῆς παιδός· εἴκειν δ᾽ οὐκ ἐπίσταται κακοῖς. For the hypallage in φάτιν.. ὑπείκουσαν, cp. O. C. 977, πῶς *δἂν τὸ γ' ἶκον πρᾶγμ᾽ ἂν εἰκότως ψέγοις;

1048. mvp-comment-722-1 εἴ μοι παρείκοι] Sc. τὸ πρᾶγμα ὥστε πολλὰ λέγειν. 'Did but my leisure serve me.' νῦν δ᾽ ἑνὸς κρατῶ λόγου] 'But, as it is, I have only one thing to say.' This refers to infr. 1054 foll. 'All I can now say is that we need not take him, if he will not come. The bow is enough.' Odysseus means that this is not the time for justifying his act. He will do and say only what is necessary for his end. When the plea of justice is required, arguments will not fail him. κρατῶ has been suspected. The nearest parallel to it is O. T. 409, τοῦδε γὰρ κἀγὼ κρατῶ.

1049. mvp-comment-723-1 τοιούτων .. τοιοῦτος have here a general meaning, and τοιούτων may be either (1) neuter, or (2) masculine. (1) 'Where this or that line of conduct is required, I follow that course;' or (2) 'Where this or that character is needed, I am of that character.' Cp. Plato, Rep. 4.429 B, 437 E, Phaedr. 271 D; Eur. Or. 1680 ( ΜΕ. πείθεσθαι χρεών.) ΟΡ. κἀγὼ τοιοῦτος (sc. τῇ γνώμῃ εἰμὶ ὥστε πείθεσθαι). Others suppose a vague reference to the accusation of injustice in Philoctetes' speech.

1050-1051. mvp-comment-724-1 Cp. supr. 83-5.

1052-1053. mvp-comment-725-1 νικᾶν γε . ἐκστήσομαι] 'However, while in all other cases I am certainly solicitous to overcome, I make an exception in regard to you. On the contrary, I am willing to let you have your way.' The paratactic structure ( cp. supr. 1043) assists the surprise in πλὴν εἰς σέ, which is thus brought in suddenly. σοί γ᾽] γε reaffirms εἰς σε with ironical courtesy.

1054. mvp-comment-726-1 ἄφετε] Cp. supr. 1003.

1055. mvp-comment-727-1 προσχρήζομεν] προσ-, 'in addition.'

1056. mvp-comment-728-1 μέν] 'If no one else.'

1057. mvp-comment-729-1 Cp. Od. 8. 219, where Odysseus boasts that he is second to none but Philoctetes in the use of the bow, and contrast Aj. 1120, ὁ τοξότης ἔοικεν οὐ σμικρὸν φρονεῖν. It is necessary to the plot of the Philoctetes that skill in archery should be spoken of with respect, as in heroic times, whereas Menelaus in the Ajax expresses the contempt of a hoplite of the time of Pericles for the light-armed bowman.

1058. mvp-comment-730-1 ἐγώ θ'] 'And I too.' 'Post πόρεστι μὲν Τεύκρος sequi dedebat πάρειμι δ' ἐγώ, pro quo mutata orationis forma ἐγώ τε illatum est, quia hoc sine verbo positum est.' Dindorf. E. on L. § 36. p. 65. Cp. infr. 1424-8. ὃς οἶμαι, κ.τ.λ.] The bow of Odysseus is not less famous than that of Heracles. See Introd. to Trachiniae.

1058-1059. mvp-comment-731-1 οὐδὲν .. μηδ'] οὐ belongs strictly to οἶμαι, as in οὗ φημι, οὐ φαίνεται, etc. μή is to be taken closely with the infinitive, which receives an hypothetical turn from av preceding. Wunder quotes Plat. Prot. 319 Β, ὅθεν δὲ αὐτὸ ἡγοῦμαι οὐ διδακτὸν εἶναι μηδ' ὑπ᾿ ἀνθρώπων παρασκευστὸν ἀνθρώποις, δίκαιός εἰμι εἰπεῖν, but οὐ there rather adheres to διδακτόν. The repetition of the negative is here emphatic.

1060. mvp-comment-732-1 Cp. supr. 2, and note.

1062. mvp-comment-733-1 ἣν σ᾽ ἐχρῆν ἔχειν] Here, as above in 997, 8, Odysseus alludes to the prophecy, of which, however, Philoctetes has not been told. He was too impatient to listen to Neoptolemus, supr. 919, 20.

1064. mvp-comment-734-1 For the absence of caesura in this line, cp. infr. 1369.

1066-1067. mvp-comment-735-1 φωνῆς .. προσφθεγκτός] The pleonasm is pathetic. 'Shall I no more hear your voice addressing me?' Philoctetes, who supr. 220 foll. was overjoyed at the sight of Greeks, and longed to hear them speak, is now being left in tenfold desolation. He still clings to his hope in Neoptolemus, and makes a last appeal to the mariners, who, 507 foll., 676 foll., had shown some pity for him.

1074-1075. mvp-comment-736-1 'Odysseus will tell me that I am a victim of weak pity: but still, if Philoctetes craves it, go not yet.' ἀκούσομαι] · 'I shall be reviled.' Cp. supr. 607, and note. οἴκτου] Cp. O.C. 1636, οὐκ οἴκτου μέτα. πλέως is used in reproachful phrases, e.g. Aesch. Prom. 696, πρό γε στενάζεις καὶ φόβου πλέα τις εἶ.

1076. mvp-comment-737-1 εἰς ὅσον] Sc. χρόνον. Cp. O. C. 1701, El. 1075. and notes. τὰ ἐκ νεώς] 'Things on board.' For ἐκ, with the genitive denoting the whereabouts of a thing, cp. πρός with genitive, ἐγγύθεν, πόρρωθεν, etc. Cp. also supr. 630, and note.

1079. mvp-comment-738-1 ἡμῖν with λῴω. νώ] Neoptolemus and Odysseus. Some critics object to the form ὁρμώμεθον and read ὁρμώμεθα with Γ.

1080. mvp-comment-739-1 ὁρμᾶσθαι] Infin. for imper. ταχεῖς, predicative. Cp. supr. 526, ὁρμάσθω ταχύς: Thuc. 5. 9. § 7, σὺ δέ, ὦ Κλεαρίδα, . . αἰφνιδίως τὰς πύλας ἀνοίξας ἐπεκθεῖν.