Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 71

ed. Lewis Campbell

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ὡς πρὸς τί, λέξων ἢ καταρτύσων, μόλοι;

Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles. ed. Lewis Campbell. Oxford. 1879.

Current edition Experimental

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Greek) (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 117-253b focus
Translations (5)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 71 focus
CH
Now thou unbendest from thy stubborn ways,
O man of woe!
Declare, what mortal wight thou art,
That, marked by troublous fortune, here art led.
205
What native country, shall we learn, is thine?
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 75 focus
Um nicht zu irren, höre noch: (denn edel scheinst
75
Du mir von Anseh'n, außer daß dies Loos dich traf;)
Bleib' hier, o Fremdling, wo du mir zuerst erschienst,
Bis ich Kolonos' Bürgern, nicht dem Volk der Stadt, 1
Den Fall zu melden gehe; die entscheiden dann,
Ob hier du bleiben, ob du wieder ziehen sollst.
80
Oedipus. Antigone.
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 71 focus
Chorus
O Heaven !
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 71 focus
Antigone
Yet speak, since now th' extreme of ills is thine.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 118-250 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-64-1 ὡς πρὸς τί 1

mvp-comment-64-2 The reading and explanation of the verse hinge on the question whether ὡς (1) belongs to πρὸς τί , = "with what view?" or (2) is final, = "in order that." Now (1) is strongly supported by two other places of Soph., in each of which this formula stands, as here, at the beginning of a question: O. T. 1174

ΟΙ. ὡς πρὸς τί χρείας;
Tr.1182
ΥΑ. ὡς πρὸς τί πίστιν τήνδ’ ἄγαν ἐπιστρέφεις;
The simple πρὸς τί ; (also freq. in Soph.) = merely "with reference to what?" while ὡς πρὸς τί = "with reference to what, in your conception or intention ( ὡς )?": hence the latter is appropriate when the questioner cannot imagine the agent's motive.

mvp-comment-64-3 καταρτύσων μολεῖν 2

mvp-comment-64-4 With L's μόλοι ( ὡς being then final), we must render: "That Theseus might come with what view ( πρὸς τί ), —to say or to arrange (what)?" The opt. can stand (in spite of

κερδάνῃ
72 ), since
ἆρ’ ἂν μόλοι;
(70) puts the case hypothetically: see on 11
. But: ( a ) the double μόλοι , at the end of two successive verses, is intolerable. Dindorf, therefore, conjecturally reads παρῇ , which Wecklein and others adopt. ( b ) The antithesis between λέξων and καταρτύσων is hardly clear. Wecklein explains, πρὸς ποῖον λόγον ἢ ἔργον; Certainly τί λέξων ἢ δράσων could mean, "for what conceivable purpose?" (cp. O.T. 71
ὅ τι δρῶν ἢ τί φωνῶν
): but καταρτύσων would be a very strange substitute for δράσων .

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

1-116. mvp-comment-1-1 The scene of the πρόλογος, ll. 1-116, is probably on the north side of Colonus, with Athens in the distance. See Introduction, p. 282. The spot so familiar to the audience (οὐ λόγοις τιμώμεν' ἀλλὰ τῇ συνουσίᾳ, infr. 63-64) would probably be recalled by the representation on the stage of some striking objects, especially those which marked the religio loci. Oedipus enters (right?), led by Antigone, and sits down in the middle of the proscenium, where he remains until Antigone descries the approach of the chorus.

71. mvp-comment-50-1 That Theseus might come for what purpose of speech or decision?' Cp. 1. 68, λόγῳ τε καὶ σθένει. The reading μολεῖν avoids the awkwardness of repeating μόλοι with a different subject, but whether the line is then taken to mean, (1) To what purpose is he to speak to him? Or is he to arrange for him to come?' or (2) To speak to him, or arrange for him to come, for what purpose?' the Stranger is thus made to ignore the obvious meaning of πομπός in the question of Oedipus. The optative (ὡς μόλοι for ὡς ἂν μόλῃ) is occasioned by the optative preceding.