Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 45

mvp-comment-146-1 After ἀΐεις three verses have been lost (the 1st and 3rd for Ant., the 2nd for Oed.), answering to 197 πάτερ — 199 ἅρμοσαι : and after ᾇ σ’ ἄγω (183) a verse for Oed. answering to 202

. See Metrical Analysis.

mvp-comment-147-1 μάν ¹

mvp-comment-147-2 ὧδ’ ²

mvp-comment-147-3 ἀμαυρῷ κώλῳ ³

mvp-comment-148-1 τόλμα … σέβεσθαι ⁴

mvp-comment-148-2 ξεῖνος ἐπὶ ξένης ⁵

mvp-comment-149-1 ὦ τλάμων ⁶

mvp-comment-150-1 τέτροφεν ἄφιλον ⁷

mvp-comment-151-1 ἄν ⁸

mvp-comment-151-2 εἴποιμεν … ἀκούσαιμεν ⁹

mvp-comment-151-3 ἄν ¹⁰

mvp-comment-151-4 εὐσεβίας ἐπιβαίνοντες ¹¹

mvp-comment-152-1 καὶ μὴ χρ. πολ. ¹²

mvp-comment-153-1 αὐτοῦ ¹³

mvp-comment-153-2 αὐτοπέτρου βήματος ¹⁴

mvp-comment-154-1 πόδα κλίνῃς ¹⁵

180. mvp-comment-110-1 προβίβαζε Conduct him onward, maiden, for you see and understand. Cp. Od. 18. 11, οὐκ ἀτεις ὅτι δή μοι ἐπιλλίζουσιν ἅπαντες, where ateiv is to perceive by sight. προσβίβαζε, besides the doubtful metre, conveys too much of the idea of force.

182-183. mvp-comment-111-1 ἕπεο μάν .. ᾧ σ᾽ ἄγω Come follow, this way follow with thy darkened steps, father, the way I am leading thee.

184-187. mvp-comment-112-1 τόλμα.. σέβεσθαι These lines are rightly given to the chorus. They correspond to 203-206, in which the expression ὦ τλάμων again occurs. not averse, unhappy one, when sojourning in a strange land, to cherish the same hatreds with the citizens and to respect their loves Cp. Eur. Bacch. 431-433, τὸ πλῆθος ὅτι τε φαυλότερον | ἐνόμισε, χρῆταί τε, | τόδε τοι λέγοιμ' ἄν: Aesch. Suppl. 202, μέμνησο δ' εἴκειν, χρεῖος εἶ ξένη φυγάς: Eum. 983, καὶ στυγεῖν μιᾷ φρενί.

186. mvp-comment-113-1 τέτροφεν ἄφιλον Hath habitually chosen for dislike ; i. e. is wont to dislike. There is a slight oxymoron in the form of expression. τέτροφεν, ἔχει, Schol.

189. mvp-comment-114-1 ἵν᾿ ἄν The use of the optative mood with ἄν after a relative, following an imperative, and conveying an implied purpose, is analogous to the Epic construction of such passages as Hom. Il. 8.289 foll., πρώτῳ τοι μετ' ἐμὲ πρεσβήϊον ἐν χερὶ θήσω, |... ἠὲ γυναῖχ᾽ ἣ κέν τοι ὑμὲν λέχος εἰσαναβαίνοι: Theocr. 25.61, ἐγὼ δὲ τοι ἡγεμονεύσω | αὖλιν ἐς ἡμετέρην ἵνα κεν τέτμοιμεν ἄνακτα. The use of ἄν in such places is equivalent to the use of ἄν with the optative in independent clauses. The usage, however, is rare, and has not been generally retained in later Greek.

189. mvp-comment-114-2 In εὐσεβίας ἐπιβαίνοντες there is a confusion of the literal and metaphorical sense, like that noticed in ἥκομεν, l. 12. Partly coming where we may stand without impiety. like ἐπίβαινε in l. 178, and partly relying on pious action, as in Phil. 1463, δόξης οὔποτε τῆσδ᾽ ἐπιβάντες, where, as here, there is a reminiscence of Epic Greek. Od. 23.13, σαοφροσύνης ἐπέβησαν, etc.

191. mvp-comment-115-1 And let us not fight with necessity.

192. mvp-comment-116-1 αὐτοῦ There; i.e. That is where I bid you stay. The ellipse is probably a colloquial idiom. Cp. ἔτι; l. 180, supra.

192-193. mvp-comment-117-1 μηκέτι .. κλίνῃς Stir not again from this rocky platform. For the periphrasis in πόδα κλίνῃς, cp. 113, καὶ σύ μ᾽ ἐξ ὁδοῦ πόδα κρύψον, Ο. Τ. 468, πόδα νωμᾷν. The expression ἀντίπετρον βῆμα, A rock-like platform. would suggest to those who had seen the sacred place at Colonus some peculiarity in the basement of the low seats at the entrance of the grove, or possibly means that while Oedipus remains on this narrow restingplace his foot is placed immovably on the rock. The conjecture αὐτοπέτρου is plausible but unnecessary. The Scholiast says, ἀντιπέτρου, ὅτι ἀντὶ πέτρας χαλκοῦν ἦν, referring to the χάλκους ὀδός. Cp. supr. l. 57, and note. ἀντίπετρος, like ἀντίθεος, ἀντίδουλος, ἀντήλιος, ἀντίπαις, ἀντίπυργος, ἀντίσποδος.

192-193. mvp-comment-117-2 Ιη πόδα κλίνῃς there is a reminiscence of the Epic use of κλίνω. II. 10. 349, 50, ὡς ἄρα φωνήσαντε παρέξ ὁδοῦ ἐν νεκύεσσιν | κλινθήτην.