Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 1500

mvp-comment-257-1 τἀμὰ δυστήνου ¹

mvp-comment-258-1 νέας τροφῆς ἔληξε ³

mvp-comment-258-2 κατίσχυσεν ⁵

mvp-comment-259-1 γερονταγωγεῖ ⁶

mvp-comment-260-1 νηλίπους ⁸

mvp-comment-261-1 ἡγεῖται ⁹

mvp-comment-261-2 τὰ τῆς ¹⁰

mvp-comment-262-1 εἰ … ἔχοι ¹¹

mvp-comment-262-2 τροφὴν ¹²

mvp-comment-263-1 μαντεῖα πάντα ¹³

mvp-comment-264-1 τοῦδε σώματος ¹⁴

mvp-comment-264-2 φύλαξ δέ μοι ¹⁵

mvp-comment-264-3 μοι ¹⁶

mvp-comment-265-1 στόλος ¹⁷

mvp-comment-266-1 μὴ οὐχὶ … φέρουσα ¹⁸

mvp-comment-267-1 From Thebes to Athens is a short day's journey; but Ismene has sought her father far and wide. This could not well have been if, as Campbell supposes (on 355 ), the oracles which she herself had formerly brought to him had directed his course towards Attica.

mvp-comment-268-1 ζητοῦσα τὴν σὴν τροφήν ¹⁹

mvp-comment-269-1 ἀμφὶ … παίδοιν ²⁰

mvp-comment-270-1 Eteocles and Polyneices were young boys at the fall of Oedipus (see on 1

), and their uncle Creon (brother of Iocasta) became regent ( O. T. 1418 ). As the two brothers grew up, they agreed, at first, in wishing to resign the throne, of which they were joint heirs, to Creon, lest Thebes should be tainted by their own rule; but afterwards they fell to striving with each other for the sole power.

mvp-comment-270-2 ἔρως ²¹

mvp-comment-270-3 Κρέοντί τε ²²

mvp-comment-270-4 Paley's

is, however, highly probable. It would mean, "to Creon in the next resort." So δὴ is used of succession in Ant. 173 , where Creon says , I next (the sons of Oed. being dead); and Aesch. Eum. 3

ἣ δὴ τὸ μητρὸς δευτέρα τόδ’ ἕζετο | μαντεῖον

.

mvp-comment-271-1 ἐᾶσθαι ²³

mvp-comment-271-2 πόλιν ²⁴

mvp-comment-272-1 λόγῳ ²⁵

mvp-comment-272-2 τὴν πάλαι … φθοράν ²⁶

mvp-comment-273-1 κἀλιτηρίου ²⁸

mvp-comment-274-1 The dat. after εἰσῆλθε is strictly a dat. of the person interested, but was perh. influenced by the analogy of the dat. in

, "it occurred to me," and the like; cp. Tr. 298

ἐμοὶ γὰρ οἶκτος... εἰσέβη

: Her. 1.86

) λέγεται ( τῷ Κροίσῳ … ἐσελθεῖν...τὸ τοῦ Σόλωνος

: but 6. 125

τὸν Κροῖσον γέλως ἐσῆλθε

: and so Eur. Med. 931

εἰσῆλθέ μ’ οἶκτος

.

mvp-comment-274-2 τρὶς ἀθλίοιν ²⁹

mvp-comment-275-1 If νεάζων ³⁰

mvp-comment-276-1 τὸν πρόσθε ³¹

mvp-comment-277-1 ἀποστερίσκει ³²

mvp-comment-278-1 πληθύων ³³

mvp-comment-279-1 Ἄργος ³⁴

mvp-comment-280-1 κῆδος ³⁷

mvp-comment-280-2 καινόν ³⁸

mvp-comment-281-1 ὡς ³⁹

mvp-comment-281-2 ὡς … Ἄργος … καθέξον ἢ … βιβῶν ⁴⁰

mvp-comment-282-1 τιμῇ ⁴¹

mvp-comment-282-2 καθέξον ⁴²

mvp-comment-282-3 πρὸς οὐρ. βιβῶν ⁴³

mvp-comment-283-1 ἀριθμός ⁴⁴

mvp-comment-284-1 If the MS. ὅποι (Vat. ὅπη ) is right, the phrase is harsh beyond example. ποῖ, ὅποι , instead of ποῦ, ὅπου , are often boldly used, when the verb implies either ( a ) motion , as 227

, 476

τελευτῆσαι

, Eur. Bacch. 184

καθιστάναι

, etc.; or ( b ) patience up to a point, as Aristoph. Lys. 526

ποῖ γὰρ καὶ χρῆν ἀναμεῖναι;

But it is hard to see how ὅποι κατοικτιοῦσιν could mean " how far they will prolong (thy woes) before they pity them." To supply προελθόντας or προαγαγόντες is to cut the knot. If the phrase meant anything, it ought rather to mean, " up to what point they will pity them." As in 335

ποῖ

is a MS. error for ποῦ , so here ὅποι for ὅπου (Wecklein prefers ὅπῃ , "in what way"). Note that, in this context, πόνους = the woes of Oed. generally (mental and physical), not merely his toils in wandering: this is against the emend. κατοικιοῦσιν .

mvp-comment-285-1 ὡς … ἕξειν ⁴⁵

mvp-comment-285-2 ὡς … θεοὺς ἕξειν ⁴⁶

mvp-comment-286-1 Since ἔγωγε is virtually one word, this v. cannot be regarded as an instance of γε used twice in the same sentence. Such repetition is allowable when more than one word is to be emphasised, as Eur. Phoen. 554

, but no certain example happens to occur in Soph.: see on O. T. 1030 .

mvp-comment-287-1 The purport of this new oracle seems to have been: — "The welfare of Thebes depends on Oed., alive or dead." Ismene paraphrases it: — "It shows that you will be in request with the Thebans some day (

, i.e. some day soon , 397 ), — not merely after your death, but while you live." She knows that Creon is coming in the hope of carrying Oed. back — not to Thebes, but to some place just beyond the Theban border, where his person, and afterwards his grave, should be under Theban control. Cp. on 1331

.

mvp-comment-288-1 εὐσοίας ⁴⁷

mvp-comment-289-1 A and other MSS. have

, which gives a clear constr. It seems arbitrary to assume that in L's reading the syllable lost was rather τι after τίς δ’ ἂν , the gen. being one of source. Herm. supports the latter view by O. T. 1006

σοῦ πρὸς δόμους ἐλθόντος εὖ πράξαιμί τι

, but there the gen. is absolute. Wecklein gives comparing ; but in such phrases = not

mvp-comment-290-1 ἐν σοὶ ⁴⁹

mvp-comment-290-2 γίγνεσθαι ⁵⁰

mvp-comment-290-3 φασί ⁵¹

mvp-comment-290-4 κράτη ⁵²

mvp-comment-291-1 ἀνήρ ⁵³

mvp-comment-292-1 ὤλλυσαν ⁵⁴

mvp-comment-293-1 see on 1

.

mvp-comment-293-2 δ\ς πέσῃ ⁵⁵

mvp-comment-294-1 καὶ μὴν ⁵⁶

mvp-comment-294-2 γε ⁵⁷

mvp-comment-295-1 βαιοῦ … χρόνου ⁵⁸

mvp-comment-295-2 κοὐχὶ μ. ⁵⁹

mvp-comment-296-1 στήσωσι ⁶⁰

mvp-comment-297-1 ὅρων ⁶¹

mvp-comment-298-1 The tenor of this fine passage should be observed.

mvp-comment-298-2 Oedipus took

(392) to mean that the welfare of Thebes depended on his presence there. He is thinking of a restoration to his Theban home (395) . He asks, therefore, —"Of what use can I be to them if I am left at their doors, and not received within their land?" "They will suffer," she replies, "if your tomb is neglected." Oedipus does not see the force of this answer: he still infers (from θανόντα in 390 ) that, whatever may be his doom in life, he is at least to be buried at Thebes. "Why, of course they will," he replies (403) . " So " — pursues the daughter (404) — "they mean to keep you within their grasp." A new suspicion flashes on him. "They will bury me at Thebes?" "It cannot be." That is enough. He will never give himself into their hands. — Remark that he was supposing Apollo's former decree (91) to have been cancelled by this later one (389) . He now sees that the new oracle does not cancel the former, but merely confirms it in one aspect, viz. in the promise of

ἄτην τοῖς πέμψασιν

(93) .

mvp-comment-298-3 θύρασι ⁶²

mvp-comment-298-4 κειμένου ⁶³

mvp-comment-299-1 κείνοις ⁶⁴ βαρύς ⁶⁵

mvp-comment-299-2 δυστυχῶν ⁶⁶

mvp-comment-300-1 Cp. O. T. 398

. It needed no oracle to tell one that they would incur divine anger for neglecting the first duties of piety towards their late king.

mvp-comment-301-1 σε προσθέσθαι ⁶⁷

mvp-comment-301-2 ἂν … κρατοῖς ⁶⁸

mvp-comment-302-1 καὶ ⁶⁹

mvp-comment-303-1 τοὔμφυλον αἷμα ⁷⁰

mvp-comment-304-1 συναλλαγῆς ⁷¹

mvp-comment-305-1 σοῖς … τάφοις ⁷²

mvp-comment-306-1 θεωρῶν ⁷³

mvp-comment-306-2 ἑστίας ⁷⁴

mvp-comment-307-1 ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ⁷⁵

mvp-comment-308-1 οἱ μολόντες ⁷⁶

mvp-comment-309-1 παίδων τις ⁷⁷

mvp-comment-310-1 καὶ εἶτα ⁷⁸

mvp-comment-310-2 τῶνδ’ ⁷⁹

mvp-comment-310-3 πάρος … προὔθεντο ⁸⁰

mvp-comment-311-1 τοὐμοῦ πόθου ⁸¹

mvp-comment-312-1 φέρω δ’ ὅμως ⁸²

mvp-comment-313-1 ἀλλ’ ⁸³

mvp-comment-313-2 σφιν ⁸⁴

mvp-comment-313-3 τὴν πεπρωμένην ⁸⁵

mvp-comment-314-1 ἐν δ’ ⁸⁶

mvp-comment-314-2 ἐν ἐμοί ⁸⁷

mvp-comment-315-1 κἀπαναίρονται ⁸⁸

mvp-comment-315-2 ἐπαναιροῦνται δόρυ ⁸⁹

mvp-comment-316-1 ὡς ⁹⁰

mvp-comment-317-1 οἵ γε ⁹¹

mvp-comment-318-1 ἀτίμως ⁹²

mvp-comment-319-1 οὐκ ἔσχον ⁹³

mvp-comment-319-2 ἤμυναν ⁹⁴

mvp-comment-319-3 ἀνάστατος ⁹⁵

mvp-comment-320-1 αὐτοῖν ⁹⁶

mvp-comment-320-2 ἐξεκηρύχθην ⁹⁷

mvp-comment-321-1 εἴποις ἂν ⁹⁸

mvp-comment-321-2 θέλοντι ⁹⁹

mvp-comment-321-3 τότε ¹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-322-1 The ι in L's κατηίνυσεν speaks for κατῄνεσεν ,— clearly much fitter here than κατήνυσεν . Cp. 1633

, 1637

κατῄνεσεν

. The contrast is between exile imposed as a doom or granted as a boon,—not merely between a wish fulfilled or unfulfilled.

mvp-comment-323-1 ἡμέραν ¹⁰¹

mvp-comment-323-2 τὴν αὐτίχ’ ¹⁰²

mvp-comment-324-1 λευσθῆναι πέτροις ¹⁰³

mvp-comment-325-1 ἔρωτ’ ἐς τόνδ’ ¹⁰⁵

mvp-comment-326-1 πέπων ¹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-327-1 ἐκδραμόντα ¹⁰⁸

mvp-comment-328-1 The gen. might be taken with μείζω , "a chastiser greater than the sins," i.e. "severer than they merited" (

.); but it is simpler to take it with κολαστήν , "too great a chastiser of the sins." As is "violent anger," so which is over-violent can be called . The rhythm of the verse will not permit us to disjoin (as by a comma) from .

mvp-comment-329-1 τὸ τηνίκ’ ἤδη ¹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-329-2 τοῦτο μέν ¹¹¹

mvp-comment-330-1 χρόνιον ¹¹²

mvp-comment-330-2 ἐπωφελεῖν ¹¹³

mvp-comment-331-1 οἱ τοῦ πατρὸς τῷ πατρί ¹¹⁴

mvp-comment-331-2 τὸ δρᾶν ¹¹⁵

mvp-comment-332-1 ἔπους σμικροῦ χάριν ¹¹⁶

mvp-comment-333-1 σφιν ¹¹⁷

mvp-comment-334-1 τοῖνδε ¹¹⁸

mvp-comment-335-1 τροφάς ¹¹⁹

mvp-comment-336-1 γῆς ἄδειαν ¹²⁰

mvp-comment-336-2 Nauck's

seems too suggestive of a fixed home to suit (3): Wecklein's makes a detail too prominent in this general acknowledgment. With regard to or (Blaydes), remark that never occurs with a gen. of that against which one is safe. The καὶ before seems genuine: were it absent, the before must answer to that before . And, for a rhetorical passage, γῆς is in some degree confirmed by the assonance with .

mvp-comment-336-3 γένους ¹²¹

mvp-comment-337-1 The constr. is, εἱλέσθην θρόνους, καὶ κραίνειν σκῆπτρα , etc.

mvp-comment-337-2 κραίνειν ¹²²

mvp-comment-337-3 σκῆπτρα ¹²³

mvp-comment-338-1 As most editors since Elmsley have allowed, the MS. οὔ τι ... οὔτε cannot be right. And οὔ τι ... οὐδέ is clearly more forcible than οὔτε ... οὔτε .

mvp-comment-338-2 λάχωσι ¹²⁴

mvp-comment-338-3 τοῦδε ¹²⁵

mvp-comment-338-4 συμμάχου ¹²⁶

mvp-comment-339-1 The oracle newly brought by Ismene is distinguished from the oracle given to Oedipus himself at Delphi in former years (see on 87

). He calls the former her oracle, because she brings it. Both oracles alike concern him. We must not, then, change τἀξ to τἀπ’ ( ).

mvp-comment-339-2 τὰ ἐξ ἐμοῦ παλαίφατα ¹²⁷

mvp-comment-339-3 ἐξ ¹²⁸

mvp-comment-340-1 ἤνυσεν ¹²⁹

mvp-comment-341-1 ὁμοῦ | προστάτισι ¹³⁰

mvp-comment-341-2 In the reading

, note these points: (1) would not mean, "defend me," but rather "defend against me" (cp. on 1524

): we must at least have μοι . (2) πρός yields no tolerable sense. , "ye, in addition to the goddesses," ranks the Coloniates with, or above, their deities. The gloss , written in L over (whence it came into other MSS.), was a palliative. Nor could mean here, "close to their shrine."

mvp-comment-341-3 For Dindorf's

it may be urged:—(1) is in all MSS., which would be strange if were genuine; while is simply explained by ( ) . (2) A change of into might have produced the change of into . (3) After in 455 it is easy to dispense with the pronoun.—Cp. O. T. 882

θεὸν οὐ λήξω ποτὲ προστάταν ἴσχων

: Tr. 209

Ἀπόλλωνα προστάταν

: Porphyry Antr. Nymph. 12

νύμφαις ὑδάτων προστάτισιν

.

mvp-comment-342-1 δημούχοις ¹³¹

mvp-comment-343-1 ἀλκὴν ποεῖσθαι ¹³²

mvp-comment-344-1 ἀρεῖσθε ¹³³

mvp-comment-344-2 The ἐμῆς in L (where

perh. preceded ) gives some colour to the conjecture (or ) : yet τοῖς δ’ ἐμοῖς seems right. Oedipus is following the train of thought in which benefits to Attica are bound up with retribution for his own wrongs ( 92 ); and he thus gives the Chorus another pledge that their interest is one with his. With is best in 459 : with would have been fitter.

mvp-comment-345-1 ἐπάξιος ¹³⁴

mvp-comment-345-2 κατοικτίσαι ¹³⁵

mvp-comment-346-1 αὐτός τε παῖδές θ’ ¹³⁶

mvp-comment-347-1 ἐπεμβάλλεις ¹³⁷

mvp-comment-347-2 τῷδε λόγῳ ¹³⁸

mvp-comment-348-1 Editors usu. give either

(with L), or (as Elms.). But νυν seems best in 465 , νῦν in 466 .

mvp-comment-348-2 προξένει ¹³⁹

mvp-comment-348-3 ὡς … τελοῦντι ¹⁴⁰

mvp-comment-349-1 καθαρμὸν τῶνδε δαιμόνων ¹⁴¹

mvp-comment-350-1 The libation is due (1) as a greeting to the

of Attica, (2) as an atonement for trespass on the grove. The words form an independent sentence, and not a second relative clause (as if were supplied from ): see on 424

.

mvp-comment-350-2 κατέστειψας ¹⁴²

mvp-comment-351-1 ἀειρύτου ¹⁴³

mvp-comment-352-1 δῑ ὁσίων χειρῶν ¹⁴⁴

mvp-comment-353-1 τοῦτο ¹⁴⁵

mvp-comment-353-2 ἀκήρατον ¹⁴⁶

mvp-comment-354-1 κρατῆρές εἰσιν ¹⁴⁷

mvp-comment-354-2 εὔχειρος ¹⁴⁹

mvp-comment-354-3 τέχνη ¹⁵⁰

mvp-comment-355-1 The crater had various forms, some of them local (thus Her. 4.61 speaks of a

, and 4. 152 of an ): but the general type was that of a large bowl, supported by a foot with a broad base, and having a handle at each side (cp. Guhl and Koner, p. 150).

mvp-comment-355-2 κρᾶτ’ ¹⁵¹

mvp-comment-355-3 λαβὰς ἀμφιστόμους ¹⁵²

mvp-comment-356-1 θαλλοῖσιν ¹⁵³

mvp-comment-357-1 The MS. νεαρᾶς seems the right word: with Bellermann, I insert σὺ , though Wecklein's τε is also possible. For the iterated

cp. Ant. 157

νεοχμὸς νεαραῖσι θεῶν

ἐπὶ συντυχίαις

. The objection to γε is that it supposes κρόκαισιν to be the genus of which μαλλῷ is a species. μαλλός , however, means, not a woollen texture, but a fleece of wool, flocks of which were to be made into a festoon ( στέφος ) for the brim of the κρατήρ , like that which the suppliant put on his ἱκετηρία ( O. T. 3 ). νεώρους is tempting, but elsewhere means "recent," "fresh" ( 730 , El. 901 ), not "young." The drawback to Dindorf's νεαλοῦς is the sense. νεαλής in class. Attic meant not young , but fresh as opp. to exhausted : Xen. Cyr. 8.6.17

παραλαμβάνειν τοὺς ἀπειρηκότας ἵππους καὶ ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἄλλους πέμπειν νεαλεῖς

. Plat. Polit. 265B

νεαλέστεροι ὄντες

(we shall travel better) while we are fresh. Aristoph. fr. 330

ἕως νεαλής ἐστιν αὐτὴν τὴν ἀκμήν

is an isolated line, but the word seems to have the same sense there. Nicander Alexipharmaca 358 ( circ. 150 B.C. ) is the first writer quoted for νεαλής as = "young."

mvp-comment-357-2 λαβών ¹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-358-1 τὸ δ’ ἔνθεν ¹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-358-2 ποῖ τελ. ¹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-359-1 χοὰς χέασθαι ¹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-359-2 πρὸς πρώτην ἕω ¹⁵⁸

mvp-comment-359-3 The schol. here says that persons performing expiatory rites (

) or purifications ( ) faced the East (as the region of light and purity), quoting El. 424 f., where Electra , and Cratinus (the title of the comedy was , Bothe, Frag. Com. p. 47): ,—the squill being used in purifications.

mvp-comment-359-4 Statues of gods were oft. set to face the East ( Paus. 5.23.1 , etc.): also, victims about to be sacrificed ( Sen. Oed. 338 ). Cp. the precept of Zoroaster

(Max Müller, Chips 1. 175). Conversely, in pronouncing solemn curses the priests faced the West ,—waving red banners: [Lys.] In Andoc. § 51 .

mvp-comment-360-1 κρωσσοῖς ¹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-360-2 οἷς ¹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-360-3 χέω ¹⁶¹

mvp-comment-361-1 πηγάς ¹⁶²

mvp-comment-361-2 τρισσάς ¹⁶³

mvp-comment-361-3 τὸν τελευτ ¹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-362-1 θῶ ¹⁶⁵

mvp-comment-363-1 μελίσσης ¹⁶⁶

mvp-comment-363-2 προσφέρειν ¹⁶⁷

mvp-comment-364-1 μελάμφυλλος ¹⁶⁸

mvp-comment-365-1 αὐτῇ ¹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-365-2 ἐξ ἀμφοῖν χεροῖν ¹⁷⁰

mvp-comment-366-1 ἐπεύχεσθαι ¹⁷¹

mvp-comment-367-1 τούτων ¹⁷²

mvp-comment-367-2 μέγιστα ¹⁷³

mvp-comment-368-1 Εὐμενίδας ¹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-368-2 ἐξ ¹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-369-1 τὸν ἱκέτην ¹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-369-2 σωτήριον ¹⁷⁷

mvp-comment-370-1 σύ τ’ ¹⁷⁸

mvp-comment-371-1 ἄπυστα ¹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-371-2 μηκύνων ¹⁸¹

mvp-comment-372-1 ἀφέρπειν ¹⁸²

mvp-comment-372-2 ἄστροφος ¹⁸³

mvp-comment-373-1 παρασταίην ¹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-374-1 προσχώρων ¹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-375-1 ὁδωτά ¹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-375-2 λείπομαι ¹⁸⁷

mvp-comment-375-3 ἐν ¹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-376-1 δύνασθαι ¹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-377-1 ἀρκεῖν … παρῇ ¹⁹⁰

mvp-comment-378-1 ἀλλ’ ἐν τάχει τι ¹⁹¹

mvp-comment-379-1 δίχα ¹⁹²

mvp-comment-380-1 τελοῦσα ¹⁹³

mvp-comment-380-2 τὸν τόπον ¹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-381-1 χρῆσται ¹⁹⁵

mvp-comment-381-2 τοῦτο ¹⁹⁶

mvp-comment-382-1 ἄλσους ¹⁹⁷

mvp-comment-383-1 ἔποικος ¹⁹⁸

mvp-comment-384-1 Ἀντιγόνη, σὺ δ’ ¹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-385-1 οὐδ’ ²⁰⁰

mvp-comment-387-1 κείμενον … ἐπεγείρειν ²⁰¹

mvp-comment-388-1 Mekler's ὥρα με (for ἔραμαι ) would give a closer correspondence between strophe and antistrophe: see on 523

.

mvp-comment-389-1 τί τοῦτο ²⁰²

mvp-comment-390-1 τᾶς ²⁰³

mvp-comment-390-2 ἀπόρου φανείσας ²⁰⁴

mvp-comment-391-1 ᾇ ξυνέστας ²⁰⁵

mvp-comment-392-1 τᾶς σᾶς ἃ πέπονθ’ ²⁰⁶

mvp-comment-392-2 ἔργ’ ²⁰⁷

mvp-comment-393-1 τὸ πολὺ καὶ μηδαμὰ λῆγον ἄκουσμα χρῄξω ἀκοῦσαι ὀρθόν ²⁰⁸

mvp-comment-393-2 πολὺ ²⁰⁹

mvp-comment-393-3 μηδαμὰ ²¹⁰

mvp-comment-393-4 λῆγον ²¹¹

mvp-comment-393-5 ἄκουσμα ²¹²

mvp-comment-394-1 στέρξον ²¹³

mvp-comment-395-1 κἀγὼ ²¹⁴

mvp-comment-396-1 I read

was, indeed, the ordinary form of the aor. in the older Attic, as inscriptions show, in which occurs first about 360 B.C. (Meisterhans, p. 88); but is proved by metre in El. 13 and Eur. Ion 38 . is suitable, when he is reluctantly proceeding to unfold his story in answer to their pressing demand.

mvp-comment-396-2 ἤνεγκ’ ²¹⁵

mvp-comment-396-3 κακότατ’ ²¹⁶

mvp-comment-396-4 In the MS. reading,

is wrong, since metre requires u- (cp. 510). With Bothe's ἑκὼν the sense would be:— The objections to this are insuperable. (1)

mvp-comment-396-5 θεὸς ἴστω ²¹⁷

mvp-comment-396-6 It would be a subtlety foreign to Sophocles to make Oedipus say that he had acted

when he did not act (271), (273), (976). Il. 4.43

καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ σοὶ δῶκα ἑκὼν ἀέκοντί γε θυμῷ

is irrelevant:— Zeus there says to Hera (since neither god nor man could compel Zeus),

mvp-comment-397-1 αὐθαίρετον ²¹⁸

mvp-comment-398-1 κακᾷ εὐνᾷ ²¹⁹

mvp-comment-399-1 ἦ ματρόθεν … ἐπλήσω ²²⁰

mvp-comment-399-2 ματρόθεν ²²¹

mvp-comment-400-1 ἀκούειν ²²²

mvp-comment-401-1 The constr. is

etc.

mvp-comment-401-2 ἐξ ἐμοῦ ²²³

mvp-comment-401-3 αὗται … παῖδε ²²⁴

mvp-comment-402-1 Poetical Greek idiom would join κοινᾶς with ὠδῖνος rather than with ματρός . Cp. Aesch. Eum. 325

: Ant. 793

νεῖκος ἀνδρῶν ξύναιμον.

mvp-comment-402-2 κοινᾶς ²²⁵

mvp-comment-403-1 σαί τ’ εἴσ’ ἄῤ ²²⁶

mvp-comment-403-2 κοιναί ²²⁷

mvp-comment-403-3 πατρὸς ²²⁸

mvp-comment-404-1 ἰώ — ἰὼ δῆτα ²²⁹

mvp-comment-404-2 γε ²³⁰

mvp-comment-404-3 ἐπιστροφαί ²³¹

mvp-comment-405-1 ἄλαστ’ ἔχειν ²³²

mvp-comment-406-1 οὐκ ἔρεξα ²³³

mvp-comment-406-2 τί γάρ ²³⁴

mvp-comment-407-1 δῶρον ²³⁵

mvp-comment-407-2 The MS. ἐπωφέλησα ,

or (cp. 441), cannot be right. The sense required is , cp. Ph. 969

μήποτ’ ὤφελον λιπεῖν | τὴν Σκῦρον

: Od. 11.548

ὡς δὴ μὴ ὄφελον νικᾶν

: where , though thus placed, belongs to the infinitives. See Appendix for the attempted explanations of , and for some proposed emendations.

mvp-comment-407-3 I would read the partic. ἐπωφελήσας (which the iambic metre allows), and take ἐξελέσθαι as the absol. infin. expressing a wish:—

For this absol. infin., with the subject in the nominative, cp. Aesch. Cho. 363:

ΗΛ. μηδ’ ὑπὸ Τρωΐας

τείχεσι φθίμενος, πάτερ,

μετ’ ἄλλων δουρικμῆτι λαῷ

παρὰ Σκαμάνδρου πόρον τεθάφθαι,

πάρος δ’ οἱ κτανόντες νιν οὕτως δαμῆναι

. Orestes had uttered the wish that Agamemnon had fallen in war at Troy:

εἰ γὰρ ὑπ’ Ἰλίῳ | … κατηναρίσθης

(345 ff.) . Electra modifies it: Here the MSS. have and . On the latter the schol. has , and on the former , thus indicating the certain correction of H. L. Ahrens, . Cp. also Od. 24.376

αἲ γάρ, Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον,

οἷος Νήρικον εἷλον, …

τοῖος ἐών τοι χθιζὸς ἐν ἡμετέροισι δόμοισιν,

τεύχε’ ἔχων ὤμοισιν, ἐφεστάμεναι καὶ ἀμύνειν,

A criticism by Wecklein is discussed in the Appendix.

mvp-comment-407-4 ἐξελέσθαι ²³⁶

mvp-comment-408-1 τί γάρ ²³⁷

mvp-comment-409-1 δευτέραν ²³⁸

mvp-comment-410-1 ἔχει δέ μοι … πρὸς δίκας τι ²³⁹

mvp-comment-410-2 τί γάρ ²⁴⁰

mvp-comment-411-1 The MSS. give

Hermann's ἁλοὺς (for ) must mean either (1) as in a net, by fate , or (2) by Laïus and his men, in the sense of, Neither sense is tolerable. Campbell suggests, saying that = . This is as if one said in English, To ἀγνώς the short would be a grave objection: Soph. has the first long thrice in , twice in , once in ( O. T. 681 ), and short never: even in ( Ant. 875 ) the is long. Porson's ἄνους could hardly mean, merely in the sense of The word means ( Ant. 281 ), and should here mean, which is not an apt sense.

mvp-comment-411-2 And all these corrections, confined to ἄλλους , leave a blot. After ἐφόνευσα, καὶ ὤλεσα is intolerably weak. Mekler's καὶ γὰρ ἄν, οὓς ἐφόνευς), ἔμ’ ἀπώλεσαν brings out the point on which Oed. insists, and to which the words

(548) refer,—viz. that, in slaying, he was defending his own life. Cp. 271. After he had returned the blow of Laïus, the attendants set on him (see on O. T. 804 —812). The change of into (or ) would have been easy if had once been written. In Ai. 794 L has instead of . Cp. Her. 1.11 (Gyges was forced) .

mvp-comment-412-1 νόμῳ … καθαρός ²⁴¹

mvp-comment-412-2 ἐς τόδ’ ἦλθον ²⁴²

mvp-comment-414-1 ὀμφήν ²⁴³

mvp-comment-414-2 ἐφ’ ἁστάλη ²⁴⁴

mvp-comment-415-1 The

, who did not know the name of Oed., could describe the traces of wounds about the sightless eyes, and brought the mysterious message (72). Theseus then set out, surmising who it was. Meanwhile the name of Oed. had become known at Colonus (222), and wayfarers who met Theseus raised his surmise into certain knowledge. Cp. on 299

ff.

mvp-comment-415-2 ἔν τε ²⁴⁵

mvp-comment-416-1 ἔγνωκά ς’ ²⁴⁶

mvp-comment-416-2 ἔγνωκα ²⁴⁷

mvp-comment-417-1 ἀκούων ²⁴⁸

mvp-comment-417-2 For

it may be pleaded that the sense is at least quite intelligible, and that ancient writers, even the most artistic, were less careful than moderns in avoiding such repetitions of single words. Cp. 631 , 636 : 638, 640 : 966, 969 : 1000, 1003 , 1004 : 1123, 1129: 1451, 1459: 1487 f.: O. T. 517

φέρον

, 519 , 520 : ib. 1276, 1278 : Ant. 73 , 76 : Ai. 1201 , 1204 ( ).

mvp-comment-418-1 σκευή ²⁴⁹

mvp-comment-418-2 δύστηνον ²⁵⁰

mvp-comment-419-1 ὄνθ’ ὃς εἶ ²⁵¹

mvp-comment-420-1 )περέσθαι ²⁵²

mvp-comment-421-1 ἐπέστης ²⁵³

mvp-comment-421-2 πόλεως … ἐμοῦ τ; ²⁵⁴

mvp-comment-422-1 ἂν … τύχοις … ἐξαφισταίμην ²⁵⁵

mvp-comment-422-2 πρᾶξιν ²⁵⁶

mvp-comment-423-1 ξένος ²⁵⁷

mvp-comment-424-1 καὶ ὡς ἤθλησα πλεῖστα εἷς ἀνήρ ²⁵⁸

mvp-comment-424-2 ἐπὶ ξένης ²⁵⁹

mvp-comment-425-1 κινδυνεύματ’ ²⁶⁰

mvp-comment-425-2 ἐν τὠμῷ κάρᾳ ²⁶¹ κάρᾳ ²⁶²

mvp-comment-426-1 ξένον ²⁶³

mvp-comment-426-2 συνεκσῴζειν ²⁶⁴

mvp-comment-427-1 ἀνὴρ ²⁶⁵

mvp-comment-428-1 δοῦ ²⁶⁶

mvp-comment-429-1 τὸ σὸν γενναῖον ²⁶⁷

mvp-comment-430-1 παρῆκεν ²⁶⁸

mvp-comment-430-2 ὥστε ἐμοὶ δεῖσθαι ²⁶⁹

mvp-comment-430-3 δεῖσθαι ²⁷⁰

mvp-comment-430-4 For the dat. ἐμοί with

(instead of as subj. to ) cp. Eur. Hipp. 940

θεοῖσι προσβαλεῖν χθονὶ | ἄλλην δεήσει γαῖαν

: and see on 721

. Wecklein takes with , permisit mihi , but the interposed ὥστε forbids this. The conject. σοι (for ), would be very weak.

mvp-comment-431-1 Theseus has named Oed. (557) and Laïus (553), but not Thebes. A knowledge of the stranger's country was implied by the rest. Cp. on 205

. γῆς could stand with (cp. O. T. 152

Πυθῶνος ἔβας

, Ph. 630

νεὼς ἄγοντα

), but is more simply governed by .

mvp-comment-432-1 χὡ λόγος διοίχεται ²⁷¹

mvp-comment-432-2 διέρχεται ²⁷³

mvp-comment-433-1 τοῦτ’ αὐτὸ ²⁷⁴

mvp-comment-434-1 τὰ δὲ | κέρδη ²⁷⁵

mvp-comment-435-1 που ²⁷⁶

mvp-comment-436-1 ποίῳ ²⁷⁷

mvp-comment-436-2 προσφορὰ ²⁷⁸

mvp-comment-436-3 δηλώσεται ²⁷⁹

mvp-comment-437-1 i.e.

Through the oracle (389), of which Theseus knows nothing, a grave in Attica had become the supreme concern of Oedipus.

mvp-comment-437-2 τὰ δ’ ἐν μέσῳ ²⁸⁰

mvp-comment-437-3 δῑ οὐδενὸς ποεῖ ²⁸¹

mvp-comment-438-1 ἐνταῦθα γάρ ²⁸²

mvp-comment-439-1 ἐν βραχεῖ ²⁸³

mvp-comment-440-1 γε μήν ²⁸⁴

mvp-comment-441-1 πότερα ²⁸⁵

mvp-comment-441-2 ἐγγενῶν ²⁸⁶

mvp-comment-441-3 κἀμοῦ ²⁸⁷

mvp-comment-442-1 Kayser's ἄναξ, χρῄζουσι (for ἀναγκάζουσι ) is exactly what the sense requires, and is fairly near to the MS. reading, while the latter is (I think) certainly corrupt. The verse must not be considered alone, but in close connection with 590, and with the whole context. It has been rendered:—(1)

But the ellipse of before is intolerable. And the protectors could not be required to do more than surrender him. Therefore it is no cure to propose εἴ σ’ (for ) . To read for merely shifts the first difficulty, and leaves the second. (2) Such an epexegesis by the act. infin. is impossible here. Who could write , meaning, ? (3) has been taken as= = . This needs no comment. We want either: (1) instead of κομίζειν , a word= ; but is very unlikely, and no other substitute is obvious: or (2) instead of ἀναγκάζουσι , a word = That the fault lies in is very strongly suggested by 590, where L has ἀλλ’ εἰ θέλοντ’ ἄν γ’ , evidently corrupted, by dittographia of , from , which L2 has. This gives a clear and fitting sense, if in 589 we read ἄναξ, χρῄζουσί με . All the trouble, for the MSS. and for the edd., has arisen from . Hence (1) Goebel, ἀλλ’ οὐ θελόντων , ( ): (2) Reisig, ἀλλ’ εἰ θέλοντάς γ’ , Both these are forced. Campbell supplies to explain , keeping L's : but can stand with a partic. only when the latter is equiv. to an apodosis, as it is in 761. So far as the tense of is concerned, a change to the fut. is no gain: it is the pres. of tendency or intention. But the whole mention of compulsion or violence is premature in 589. Oed. leads very gently up to the disclosure of his sons' unnatural conduct (599).

mvp-comment-443-1 οὐδὲ σοὶ ²⁸⁸

mvp-comment-443-2 οὐδέ ²⁸⁹

mvp-comment-443-3 φεύγειν ²⁹⁰

mvp-comment-444-1 ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ ²⁹¹

mvp-comment-444-2 παρίεσαν ²⁹²

mvp-comment-445-1 θυμὸς δ’ ²⁹³

mvp-comment-445-2 ξύμφορον ²⁹⁴

mvp-comment-446-1 μάθῃς μου ²⁹⁵

mvp-comment-447-1 ξυμφορὰν ²⁹⁶

mvp-comment-447-2 ἐρεῖς ²⁹⁷

mvp-comment-448-1 μεῖζον ἢ κατ’ ἄνθρ. ²⁹⁸

mvp-comment-448-2 νοσεῖς ²⁹⁹

mvp-comment-449-1 Instead of

, we have , since = .—Cp. on 407

.

mvp-comment-450-1 πεμψαίαθ’ ³⁰⁰

mvp-comment-450-2 ὥστ’ οἰκεῖν δίχα ³⁰¹

mvp-comment-450-3 ὥστε ³⁰²

mvp-comment-451-1 ἐξαναγκάσει ³⁰³

mvp-comment-452-1 ὅτι ³⁰⁴

mvp-comment-452-2 τῇδε … χθονί ³⁰⁵

mvp-comment-453-1 τἀμὰ κἀκείνων ³⁰⁶

mvp-comment-454-1 γῆρας … κατθανεῖν ³⁰⁷

mvp-comment-455-1 συγχεῖ ³⁰⁸

mvp-comment-455-2 παγκρατὴς ³⁰⁹

mvp-comment-456-1 φθίνει μὲν … φθίνει δὲ ³¹⁰

mvp-comment-456-2 γῆς ³¹¹

mvp-comment-457-1 βλαστάνει ³¹²

mvp-comment-458-1 πνεῦμα ³¹³

mvp-comment-459-1 βέβηκεν ³¹⁶

mvp-comment-459-2 πόλει ³¹⁷

mvp-comment-460-1 τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἤδη ³¹⁸

mvp-comment-460-2 ἤδη ³¹⁹

mvp-comment-460-3 καὖθις φίλα ³²⁰

mvp-comment-461-1 Θήβαις ³²¹

mvp-comment-462-1 καλῶς ³²²

mvp-comment-462-2 τὰ ³²³

mvp-comment-462-3 τὸ πρὸς σέ ³²⁴

mvp-comment-462-4 ὁ μυρίος ³²⁵

mvp-comment-463-1 τεκνοῦται ³²⁶

mvp-comment-463-2 ἰών ³²⁷

mvp-comment-464-1 ἐν αἷς ³²⁸

mvp-comment-464-2 δεξιώματα ³²⁹

mvp-comment-465-1 δόρει διασκεδῶσιν ³³⁰

mvp-comment-465-2 δόρει ³³¹

mvp-comment-466-1 ἵν’ ³³²

mvp-comment-466-2 εὕδων ³³³

mvp-comment-467-1 ψυχρὸς … θερμὸν ³³⁴

mvp-comment-468-1 σαφής ³³⁵

mvp-comment-469-1 τἀκίνητα ³³⁶

mvp-comment-470-1 ἔα με ³³⁷

mvp-comment-470-2 τὸ σὸν … πιστὸν φυλάσσων ³³⁸

mvp-comment-471-1 εἴπερ μὴ ψεύσουσι ³³⁹

mvp-comment-471-2 εἴπερ ³⁴⁰

mvp-comment-472-1 πάλαι ³⁴²

mvp-comment-473-1 ἐφαίνετο τελῶν ³⁴³

mvp-comment-474-1 δῆτ’ ³⁴⁴

mvp-comment-474-2 ἐκβάλοι ³⁴⁵

mvp-comment-475-1 ὅτῳ ³⁴⁶

mvp-comment-475-2 κοινή ³⁴⁷

mvp-comment-475-3 αἰέν ³⁴⁸

mvp-comment-475-4 δορύξενος ³⁴⁹

mvp-comment-475-5 Wecklein brackets the whole passage from 632

down to 637 as because (1) there could be no when Oedipus did not even know the name of Theseus (68), and (2) in 636 is suspicious. On this, see ad loc. As to (1), the to which Theseus refers is not a personal friendship, but a hereditary alliance between the royal houses, as in Eur. Suppl. 930 Polyneices (whom he had not seen before) is his . Cp. on 619

. After Wecklein's excision, we have . This is incoherent.

mvp-comment-476-1 ἀφιγμένος ³⁵⁰

mvp-comment-476-2 δασμός ³⁵¹

mvp-comment-477-1 The aor. σεβισθεὶς only here:

1007 ,

σεβίσασα

Ant. 943 ,

σεβίζομαι ³⁵²

Aesch. Suppl. 922 . In later Gk. the pass. aor. of σεβάζομαι was deponent, as Anth. P. 7. 122

αἴ, αἲ Πυθαγόρης τί τόσον κυάμους ἐσεβάσθη;

It appears rash to deny that ἐσεβίσθην could be so used. The deponent use of is attested only by Plat. Phaedr. 254 B

( σεφθεῖσα )

, and Hesych. 1. 1456

ἐσέφθην· ἐσεβάσθην, ἡσύχασα, ᾐσχύνθην. Σοφοκλῆς Δαιδάλῳ

(fr. 168 Nauck).

mvp-comment-477-2 ἐκβαλῶ ³⁵³

mvp-comment-478-1 ἔμπολιν ³⁵⁴

mvp-comment-478-2 ἔμπαλιν ³⁵⁵

mvp-comment-478-3 δέ ³⁵⁶

mvp-comment-479-1 σέ ³⁵⁷

mvp-comment-480-1 εἰ δὲ τόδε — στείχειν μετ’ ἐμοῦ, — ἡδύ ἐστι — δίδωμί σοι, τούτων κρίναντι ( ὁπότερον βούλει ), χρῆσθαι ( αὐτᾦ ³⁵⁸

mvp-comment-480-2 τούτων ³⁵⁹

mvp-comment-480-3 δίδωμι … χρῆσθαι ³⁶⁰

mvp-comment-480-4 With

, the constr. would be, ( ), a word expressing consent being evolved from . But (1) this is harsher than O. T. 91

εἰ τῶνδε χρῄζεις πλησιαζόντων κλύειν

ἕτοιμος εἰπεῖν, εἴτε καὶ στείχειν ἔσω

( ), where is more easily fitted to the second clause; though somewhat similar is Eur. Ion 1120

πεπυσμέναι γάρ, εἰ θανεῖν ἡμᾶς ³⁶¹ χρεών,

ἥδιον ἂν θάνοιμεν, εἴθ’ ὁρᾶν φάος

( ), sc. . And (2) in proposing the second alternative,—that Oed. should accompany him,—it is more suitable that he should address Oed. himself.

mvp-comment-480-5 τῇδε ³⁶²

mvp-comment-480-6 ξυνοίσομαι ³⁶³

mvp-comment-481-1 διδοίης … εὖ ³⁶⁴

mvp-comment-482-1 δόμους στείχειν ³⁶⁵

mvp-comment-483-1 εἰ … ἦν ³⁶⁶

mvp-comment-484-1 ἐν ᾧ τί πράξεις ³⁶⁷

mvp-comment-485-1 κρατήσω ³⁶⁸

mvp-comment-486-1 μέγ’ ἂν λέγοις δώρημα ³⁶⁹

mvp-comment-486-2 τῆς συνουσίας ³⁷⁰

mvp-comment-486-3 τῆς ς. ³⁷¹

mvp-comment-487-1 εἰ σοί γ’ | ἅπερ φὴς ἐμμενεῖ ³⁷²

mvp-comment-488-1 τὸ τοῦδέ γ’ ἀνδρ ³⁷³

mvp-comment-489-1 ὡς κακὸν ³⁷⁴

mvp-comment-490-1 ἢ λόγῳ ³⁷⁵

mvp-comment-491-1 τοῦ μάλιστ’ ὄκνος σ’ ἔχει ³⁷⁷

mvp-comment-492-1 ὅρα με λείπων ³⁷⁸

mvp-comment-493-1 ὀκνοῦντ’ ἀνάγκη ³⁷⁹

mvp-comment-494-1 οὐκ οἶσθ’ ³⁸⁰

mvp-comment-494-2 μή ³⁸¹

mvp-comment-495-1 — 660 Many emendations of 658 f. have been proposed, and Wecklein would reject the three verses altogether. To me they seem not only authentic but textually sound. They picture a tumult of passions in the soul, presently quelled by reason. The angry threats and the sobering reason are alike personified. The genuineness of the nominative πολλαὶ δ’ ἀπειλαὶ is confirmed by the imagery of the second clause, ἀλλ’ ὁ νοῦς ὅταν . For this animated personification of speech or passion, cp. Aesch. Cho. 845

: Eur. Hipp. 1416

οὐδὲ γῆς ὑπὸ ζόφῳ

θεᾶς ἄτιμοι Κύπριδος ἐκ προθυμίας

ὀργαὶ κατασκήψουσιν ἐς τὸ σὸν δέμας

. The cognate verb κατηπείλησαν (gnomic aorist), instead of the simple , gives an emphasis like that which the cogn. accus. would give in

mvp-comment-495-2 θυμῷ ³⁸²

mvp-comment-496-1 αὑτοῦ ³⁸³

mvp-comment-496-2 φροῦδα ³⁸⁴

mvp-comment-497-1 κείνοις ³⁸⁵

mvp-comment-497-2 καὶ εἰ ἐπερρώσθη ³⁸⁶

mvp-comment-497-3 λέγειν ³⁸⁷

mvp-comment-497-4 We cannot read

, since the pl. is needed. The best solution would be , from which might have come through a transposition. But the sarcastic

mvp-comment-497-5 ἴσως ³⁸⁸

mvp-comment-497-6 κεἰ ³⁸⁹

mvp-comment-498-1 τὸ δεῦρο ³⁹⁰

mvp-comment-499-1 θαρσεῖν μὲν οὖν ³⁹¹

mvp-comment-499-2 κἄνευ τῆς ἐμῆς γνώμης ³⁹²

mvp-comment-499-3 ἐπαινῶ ³⁹³

mvp-comment-499-4 Φοῖβος ³⁹⁴

mvp-comment-500-1 ὅμως ³⁹⁵

mvp-comment-502-1 The first word εὐίππου strikes a note which connects Colonus ἵππιος with the fame of Attica. Take

with . You have come to earth's best abodes ( Colonus ), belonging to this ( Attica ). The gen. εὐίπ. τ. χώρας is most simply taken as possessive, denoting the country to which the belong, though it might also be partitive. It precedes as the territorial gen. regularly precedes the local name, Her. 3.136

ἀπίκοντο τῆς Ἰταλίης ἐς Τάραντα

.

mvp-comment-503-1 γᾶς ³⁹⁶

mvp-comment-503-2 ἔπαυλα ³⁹⁷

mvp-comment-504-1 τὸν ³⁹⁸

mvp-comment-504-2 ἀργῆτα ³⁹⁹

mvp-comment-505-1 μινύρεται θαμίζουσα ⁴⁰⁰

mvp-comment-506-1 χλω. ὑπὸ βάσσαις ⁴⁰¹

mvp-comment-507-1 The reading ἀνέχουσα is usually justified by Ai. 212

, "having conceived a love for thee, he upholds thee"; and Eur. Hec. 123

βάκχης ἀνέχων λέκτρ’ Ἀγαμέμνων

, "upholding," i.e. "refusing to forsake," "remaining constant to." But how could the bird be said to "uphold" the ivy in that sense? In Thuc. 2.18 and 7. 48 is intrans., "he held back" cautiously. Of the two MS. readings, οἰνωπὰν ἔχουσα and οἰνῶπ’ ἀνέχουσα , the latter seems to have come from the former, not vice versa. is a good Attic form (used four times by Eur.), and is nearer to the MSS. than Dindorf's . The latter word would mean,

mvp-comment-508-1 The ivy and the vine (17) being sacred to Dionysus ( θεοῦ ), the foliage of the place generally is called his.

is certainly not the hero Colonus (65) . We might desire θεᾶν (the Eumenides), but the meant is not only that of the sacred grove; it includes the Academy.

mvp-comment-508-2 μυριόκαρπον ⁴⁰²

mvp-comment-509-1 ἀνήνεμον … χειμώνων ⁴⁰³

mvp-comment-510-1 βακχιώτας ⁴⁰⁴

mvp-comment-511-1 ἐμβατεύει ⁴⁰⁵

mvp-comment-511-2 ἀμφιπολῶν ⁴⁰⁶

mvp-comment-511-3 tiqh/nais ⁴⁰⁷

mvp-comment-512-1 θάλλει δ’ ⁴⁰⁹

mvp-comment-513-1 νάρκισσος ⁴¹⁰

mvp-comment-513-2 μεγάλαιν θεαῖν ⁴¹¹

mvp-comment-514-1 ἀρχαῖον στεφάνωμ’ ⁴¹²

mvp-comment-515-1 χρυσαυγὴς κρόκος ⁴¹³

mvp-comment-516-1 κρῆναι ⁴¹⁵

mvp-comment-516-2 μινύθουσιν ⁴¹⁶

mvp-comment-517-1 Κηφισοῦ ⁴¹⁷

mvp-comment-517-2 νομάδες ⁴¹⁸

mvp-comment-518-1 ἐπ’ ἤματι ⁴¹⁹

mvp-comment-519-1 ὠκυτόκος ⁴²²

mvp-comment-519-2 πεδίων ἐπινίσσεται ⁴²³

mvp-comment-520-1 ὄμβρῳ ⁴²⁴

mvp-comment-521-1 στ. χθονός ⁴²⁵

mvp-comment-521-2 στερνούχου ⁴²⁶

mvp-comment-521-3 Μουσᾶν ⁴²⁷

mvp-comment-522-1 νιν ⁴²⁸

mvp-comment-522-2 οὐδ’ ἁ ⁴²⁹

mvp-comment-522-3 Ἀφροδίτη ⁴³⁰

mvp-comment-522-4 χρυσάνιος ⁴³¹

mvp-comment-523-1 Thus far the theme has been Colonus and the adjacent region. Now the praises take a larger range. Athena's gift of the olive, Poseidon's gift of the horse, are here celebrated as common to Attica (

, 700, cp. 668): though the latter had a special interest for Colonus Hippius, and the former for the Academy, where an olive was shown, said to have sprung up next after the primal olive in the of the Erechtheum ( Paus. 1.30.2 ).

mvp-comment-523-2 γᾶς Ἀσίας ⁴³²

mvp-comment-524-1 Δωρίδι ⁴³³

mvp-comment-524-2 νάσῳ ⁴³⁴

mvp-comment-524-3 Πέλοπος ⁴³⁵

mvp-comment-525-1 φύτευμ’ ⁴³⁷

mvp-comment-525-2 ἀχείρωτον ⁴³⁸

mvp-comment-526-1 φόβημα ⁴³⁹

mvp-comment-527-1 τᾷδε … χώρᾳ ⁴⁴⁰

mvp-comment-527-2 μέγιστα ⁴⁴¹

mvp-comment-528-1 παιδοτρόφου ⁴⁴²

mvp-comment-529-1 τὸ μέν τις ⁴⁴³

mvp-comment-529-2 σημαίνων ⁴⁴⁴

mvp-comment-529-3 Now comes this question:—Was the antithesis here between youth and age , or between some other notions? Hartung writes

, understanding, , : but such a fig. sense of is inconceivable. Nauck's is too far from the MSS., and the plur. is strange. I incline to believe that the poet indeed meant but without any personal reference, and merely in this general sense:— The words suit this. The conjecture συνναίων has palaeographic probability (for a cursive text): for the phrase cp. Eur. fr. 370 .

mvp-comment-530-1 κύκλος ⁴⁴⁵

mvp-comment-531-1 Μορίου Διός ⁴⁴⁶

mvp-comment-531-2 Μορίου ⁴⁴⁷

mvp-comment-532-1 γλαυκῶπις ⁴⁴⁸

mvp-comment-533-1 This antistrophe is devoted to Poseidon, as the strophe to Athena.

mvp-comment-533-2 ματρόπολει ⁴⁴⁹

mvp-comment-534-1 If vv. 696 f. are sound as they stand, the problem here is to supply uu , and Porson's χθονὸς seems best.

(713) must not be judged with modern fastidiousness: see on 554

.

mvp-comment-535-1 εὔιππον, εὔπωλον ⁴⁵⁰

mvp-comment-535-2 εὔιππον ⁴⁵¹

mvp-comment-535-3 εὐθάλασσον ⁴⁵²

mvp-comment-535-4 εὔιππον, εὐθάλασσον ⁴⁵³

mvp-comment-536-1 σὺ γάρ ⁴⁵⁴

mvp-comment-537-1 εἷσας ⁴⁵⁵

mvp-comment-538-1 ἵπποισιν ⁴⁵⁶

mvp-comment-538-2 ἀκεστῆρα ⁴⁵⁷

mvp-comment-539-1 πρώταισι ταῖσδε … ἀγυιαῖς ⁴⁵⁸

mvp-comment-539-2 κτίσας ⁴⁵⁹

mvp-comment-540-1 Poseidon has taught men to row as well as to ride. He fits the oars to their hands. But, instead of

, the form is varied to a passive constr. If παραπτομένα is sound, this seems the best account of it,— , suggesting the notion, (If from , it could be only aor., which the sense excludes.) Conjecture might proceed on either of two views:—( a ) that in the strophic v. 704 the correction αἰὲν is true, so that is metrically sound: ( b ) that in 704 the MS. εἰσαιὲν is true, so that here we require u--uu- . On the latter view I would suggest that προσαρμοζομένα is suitable, and on this may have been a gloss; cp. Eur. I. T. 1405 ( ) .

mvp-comment-540-2 εὐήρετμος ⁴⁶⁰

mvp-comment-540-3 ἔκπαγλα ⁴⁶¹

mvp-comment-540-4 ἁλία ⁴⁶²

mvp-comment-541-1 τῶν ἑκατομπόδων Νηρῄδων ⁴⁶³

mvp-comment-543-1 σὸν … δὴ ⁴⁶⁴

mvp-comment-543-2 φαίνειν τὰ λαμπρὰ ἔπη ⁴⁶⁵

mvp-comment-544-1 The

(division of the verse between two persons) marks excitement: cp. 652, 1099, 1169.

mvp-comment-545-1 ἡμῖν ⁴⁶⁶

mvp-comment-546-1 φαίνοιτ’ ἄν ⁴⁶⁷

mvp-comment-546-2 τέρμα τῆς σωτηρίας ⁴⁶⁸

mvp-comment-547-1 παρέσται ⁴⁶⁹

mvp-comment-547-2 ἐγώ ⁴⁷⁰

mvp-comment-548-1 ὀμμάτων ⁴⁷¹

mvp-comment-548-2 εἰληφότας ⁴⁷²

mvp-comment-548-3 νεώρη ⁴⁷³

mvp-comment-549-1 ὃν ⁴⁷⁴

mvp-comment-550-1 ὡς ⁴⁷⁵

mvp-comment-550-2 δρᾶν τι ⁴⁷⁶

mvp-comment-551-1 εἴ τιν’ ⁴⁷⁷

mvp-comment-552-1 τηλικόσδ’ ⁴⁷⁸

mvp-comment-553-1 οὐκ ἐξ ἑνὸς στείλαντος ⁴⁷⁹

mvp-comment-553-2 ἀστῶν ⁴⁸⁰

mvp-comment-554-1 ἧκέ μοι γένει ⁴⁸¹

mvp-comment-554-2 γένει ⁴⁸²

mvp-comment-555-1 εἰς πλεῖστον πόλεως ⁴⁸³

mvp-comment-555-2 εἰς ⁴⁸⁴

mvp-comment-556-1 ἀλλ’ ⁴⁸⁵

mvp-comment-557-1 δικαίως ⁴⁸⁶

mvp-comment-557-2 ἐκ δὲ τῶν ⁴⁸⁷

mvp-comment-558-1 ὅσῳπερ ⁴⁸⁸

mvp-comment-558-2 πλειστον … κάκιστος ⁴⁸⁹

mvp-comment-559-1 ξένον ⁴⁹⁰

mvp-comment-559-2 ἐπὶ μιᾶς πρ ⁴⁹¹

mvp-comment-560-1 τὴν ⁴⁹²

mvp-comment-560-2 τάλας ⁴⁹³

mvp-comment-561-1 οὐκ ἔδοξα πεσεῖν ἄν ⁴⁹⁴

mvp-comment-561-2 ἐς τοσοῦτον αἰκίας ⁴⁹⁵

mvp-comment-561-3 ὅσον ⁴⁹⁶

mvp-comment-561-4 ἥδε δύσμορος ⁴⁹⁷

mvp-comment-562-1 τὸ σὸν κάρα ⁴⁹⁸

mvp-comment-563-1 πτωχῷ ⁴⁹⁹

mvp-comment-563-2 τηλικοῦτος ⁵⁰⁰

mvp-comment-564-1 τοὐπιόντος ⁵⁰¹

mvp-comment-565-1 ἆῤ ⁵⁰²

mvp-comment-565-2 ὦ τάλας ⁵⁰³

mvp-comment-566-1

Unless we correct νυν to νιν (= ), it is better to place a point, and not merely a comma, at κρύπτειν : etc.,—the elliptical use of ἀλλ’ οὐ γάρ , as at 988, El. 595 , Tr. 552 . So the schol.: . With only a comma at would belong to κρύψον : —when the position of νυν is awkward.—So in O. T. 1424 Creon urges the Theban elders to take Oed. into the house, forbidding them .

mvp-comment-567-1 πρὸς θεῶν πατρῴων ⁵⁰⁴

mvp-comment-568-1 θελήσας ⁵⁰⁶

mvp-comment-568-2 ἄστυ ⁵⁰⁷

mvp-comment-569-1 εἰπών ⁵⁰⁸

mvp-comment-569-2 ἡ δ’ οἴκοι ⁵⁰⁹

mvp-comment-570-1 παντὸς ⁵¹⁰

mvp-comment-570-2 ἂν φέρων ⁵¹¹

mvp-comment-571-1 In L's πείρᾶι (sic) we trace the wish of Didymus (schol.) to read πείρᾳ , i.e.

It would then be necessary to take κἀμὲ as= (who have had such experiences).

mvp-comment-571-2 πειρᾷ ⁵¹²

mvp-comment-571-3 δεύτερον … ἑλεῖν ⁵¹³

mvp-comment-571-4 ἐν οἷς ⁵¹⁴

mvp-comment-571-5 μάλιστ’ ἂν ἀλγοίην ⁵¹⁵

mvp-comment-572-1 πρόσθεν τε ⁵¹⁶

mvp-comment-572-2 οἰκείοις ⁵¹⁷

mvp-comment-573-1 νοσοῦνθ’ ⁵¹⁸

mvp-comment-574-1 οὐκ ἤθελες θέλοντι ⁵¹⁹

mvp-comment-574-2 προσθέσθαι ⁵²⁰

mvp-comment-575-1 ἦ ⁵²¹

mvp-comment-575-2 μεστὸς ⁵²²

mvp-comment-576-1 ἐξεώθεις κἀξέβ ⁵²⁴

mvp-comment-577-1 τοῦτ’ ⁵²⁵

mvp-comment-578-1 πόλιν ⁵²⁶ γένος ⁵²⁷

mvp-comment-579-1 μετασπᾶν ⁵²⁸

mvp-comment-579-2 σκληρὰ μαλθακῶς λέγων ⁵²⁹

mvp-comment-580-1 αὕτη ⁵³¹

mvp-comment-580-2 τίς τέρψις ⁵³²

mvp-comment-580-3 φιλεῖν ⁵³³

mvp-comment-580-4 τοσαύτη ⁵³⁴

mvp-comment-581-1 ὥσπερ ⁵³⁵

mvp-comment-581-2 τις ⁵³⁶

mvp-comment-581-3 τυχεῖν ⁵³⁷

mvp-comment-582-1 ὧν χρῄζοις ⁵³⁸

mvp-comment-583-1 ἡ χάρις ⁵³⁹

mvp-comment-584-1 ἆῤ ⁵⁴⁰

mvp-comment-585-1 καὶ σὺ ⁵⁴¹

mvp-comment-586-1 λόγῳ … τοῖσι δ’ ἔργοισιν ⁵⁴²

mvp-comment-587-1 καὶ τοῖσδ’ ⁵⁴³

mvp-comment-588-1 πάραυλον ⁵⁴⁴

mvp-comment-589-1 κακῶν ἄνατος ⁵⁴⁵

mvp-comment-589-2 τῆσδ’ ⁵⁴⁶

mvp-comment-589-3 ἀπαλλαχθῇ ⁵⁴⁷

mvp-comment-590-1 ταῦτα … τάδ’ ⁵⁴⁸

mvp-comment-590-2 χώρας ⁵⁴⁹

mvp-comment-591-1 τοσοῦτον, ἐνθανεῖν μόνον ⁵⁵⁰

mvp-comment-591-2 ἐνθανεῖν ⁵⁵²

mvp-comment-592-1 σαφεστέρων ⁵⁵³

mvp-comment-592-2 κλύω ⁵⁵⁴

mvp-comment-593-1 τὸ σὸν … στόμα ⁵⁵⁵

mvp-comment-593-2 ὑπόβλητον ⁵⁵⁶

mvp-comment-594-1 πολλὴν ἔχον στόμωσιν ⁵⁵⁷

mvp-comment-595-1 κακά ⁵⁵⁸ σωτήρια ⁵⁵⁹

mvp-comment-596-1 If οἶδα is right (as it seems to be), μή can hardly be explained otherwise than by emphasis, i.e. by the strong assurance which the speaker expresses. But what form should the partic. have? (1) With the MS. πείθων , the sense is:

In 656

οἶδ’ ἐγώ σε μήτινα

ἐνθένδ’ ἀπάξοντ’ ἄνδρα

appears to be a like case of strong assurance. Cp. O. T. 1455 . In 1121 there is another: . Here, however, is so far stranger, that the emphasis appears less appropriate in stating the speaker's consciousness of what he himself is doing. (2) The v.l. πείθοντ’ , extant in at least one MS. (F), removes this objection. (3) πείσων would be liable to the same remark as . (4) πείσοντ’ would complete the parallelism with 656, but is not required by the view, which applies to past (1121) or present as well as to future.—Another view is that μή gives a quasi-imperative force: This might apply to 656. Here it is much more difficult, esp. if we do not adopt : in 1121 it fails.

mvp-comment-596-2 With

for the imper. would explain μή (cp. on 78

): and we may note that in O. T. 376 the MSS. changed into . But the context confirms οἶδα .

mvp-comment-596-3 In later Greek

with partic., in regard to fact , was common, as Luc. Dial. Mort. 16 ; where , though it might be paraphrased by , virtually= . In Mod. Greek the partic. always takes , not . This latter tendency may conceivably have affected our MSS.: e.g. may have once stood here.

mvp-comment-597-1 εἰ τερποίμεθα ⁵⁶⁰

mvp-comment-598-1 Which of us do you consider the greater sufferer by your present attitude? Me, because I am not to bring you back? Or yourself, when you reject your friends and country?

mvp-comment-598-2 δυστυχεῖν ⁵⁶¹

mvp-comment-598-3 ἐς τὰ σά ⁵⁶²

mvp-comment-598-4 ἐν τῷ νῦν λόγῳ ⁵⁶³

mvp-comment-599-1 Creon had said, in effect,

Oed. rejoins,

mvp-comment-600-1 φύσας ⁵⁶⁴

mvp-comment-601-1 λῦμα ⁵⁶⁵

mvp-comment-601-2 τρέφει ⁵⁶⁶

mvp-comment-602-1 Cp. O. T. 545

(Oed. to Creon).

mvp-comment-603-1 ἐξ ἅπαντος ⁵⁶⁷

mvp-comment-603-2 εὖ λέγει ⁵⁶⁸

mvp-comment-604-1 τὸ καίρια ⁵⁶⁹

mvp-comment-605-1 ὡς δὴ ⁵⁷⁰

mvp-comment-606-1 ὅτῳ ⁵⁷¹

mvp-comment-607-1 πρὸ τῶνδε ⁵⁷²

mvp-comment-608-1 ἐφορμῶν ⁵⁷³

mvp-comment-608-2 For με followed by ἐμέ , cp. El. 1359

, where is not more emphatic than . So in Tr. 1171

κἀδόκουν πράξειν καλῶς· | τὸ δ’ ἦν ἄρ’ οὐδὲν ἄλλο πλὴν θανεῖν ἐμέ

, where there is no contrast between and some one else: Ant. 292

ὡς στέργειν ἐμέ

: Ph. 299

τὸ μὴ νοσεῖν ἐμέ

, where the stress is on the verb, not on the pronoun. And so here, too, it may be doubted whether ἐμέ conveys such an emphasis as would be given by an italicised — implying a reproof of meddlesomeness. The stress is rather on χρὴ ναίειν : Apollo has brought him to this rest (89).

mvp-comment-609-1 This passage, which has been variously altered, appears to me to be sound as it stands in the MSS. Oedipus has undertaken to speak for the men of Attica (

). Creon refuses to identify him with them, bitterly reminding the Theban that his real ties are elsewhere. : i.e. The words mark the point at which he drops persuasion. He now turns to menace. (meaning, to himself, cp. on 148

), —an aposiopesis. (Cp. Il. 1.580

εἴπερ γάρ κ’ ἐθέλῃσιν Ὀλύμπιος ἀστεροπητὴς

ἐξ ἑδέων στυφελίξαι· ὁ γὰρ πολὺ φέρτερός ἐστιν

: Verg. Aen. 1. 135

Quos ego …

)

mvp-comment-609-2 μαρτύρομαι ⁵⁷⁴

mvp-comment-610-1 ἀνταμείβει ⁵⁷⁵

mvp-comment-610-2 πρὸς ⁵⁷⁶

mvp-comment-610-3 οἷα ⁵⁷⁷

mvp-comment-611-1 τῶνδε συμμ ⁵⁷⁸

mvp-comment-612-1 ἦ μὴν ⁵⁷⁹

mvp-comment-612-2 κἄνευ τοῦδε ⁵⁸⁰

mvp-comment-612-3 λυπηθεὶς ἔσει ⁵⁸¹

mvp-comment-613-1 ποίῳ σὺν ἔργῳ ⁵⁸²

mvp-comment-613-2 σὺν ⁵⁸³

mvp-comment-613-3 ἀπειλήσας ἔχεις ⁵⁸⁴

mvp-comment-614-1 τὴν μὲν ⁵⁸⁵

mvp-comment-615-1 τάδε ⁵⁸⁶

mvp-comment-616-1 The τήνδε γ’ of the MSS. could be retained only if μου were changed to καὶ and given to Creon.

mvp-comment-616-2 οὐ μακρ. χρόνου ⁵⁸⁷

mvp-comment-617-1 τὸν ἀσεβῆ ⁵⁸⁸

mvp-comment-618-1 θᾶσσον ⁵⁸⁹

mvp-comment-618-2 εἴργασαι ⁵⁹⁰

mvp-comment-619-1 ὑμῖν ⁵⁹¹

mvp-comment-619-2 ἂν εἴη ⁵⁹²

mvp-comment-620-1 ποῖ φύγω ⁵⁹³

mvp-comment-620-2 θεῶν … ἢ βροτῶν; ⁵⁹⁴

mvp-comment-621-1 οὐχ ἅψομαι ⁵⁹⁵

mvp-comment-621-2 τῆς ἐμῆς ⁵⁹⁶

mvp-comment-622-1 τοὺς ἐμοὺς ⁵⁹⁷

mvp-comment-623-1 — 886 The phrase

indicates the moment at which Creon lays his hand on Antigone. It is followed by 11 verses, 833—843, in which the dochmiacs of the Chorus, blended with iambic trimeters, mark excitement. Antistrophic to these are the 11 verses, 876—886, which in like manner follow the moment at which Creon lays his hand on Oedipus. As a lyric interposition in dialogue, the passage has a kommatic character, though it does not constitute a proper in the same sense as 510—548, 1447—1499, or 1670— 1750.

mvp-comment-624-1 ἀφήσεις ⁵⁹⁸

mvp-comment-625-1 εἰς βάσανον εἶ χερῶν ⁵⁹⁹

mvp-comment-625-2 εἶ ⁶⁰⁰

mvp-comment-626-1 εἴργου ⁶⁰¹

mvp-comment-626-2 μωμένου ⁶⁰²

mvp-comment-627-1 πόλει ⁶⁰³

mvp-comment-628-1 οὐκ ἠγόρευον ⁶⁰⁴

mvp-comment-629-1 μὴ )πίτασσ’ ἃ μὴ κρατεῖς ⁶⁰⁵

mvp-comment-630-1 At Creon's words, when he laid his hand on Antigone (832), one of his guards stepped up, and placed himself at her side.

mvp-comment-630-2 χαλᾶν λέγω σοι ⁶⁰⁶

mvp-comment-631-1 πρόβαθ’ … βᾶτε ⁶⁰⁷

mvp-comment-631-2 ὧδε ⁶⁰⁸

mvp-comment-631-3 ἔντοποι ⁶⁰⁹

mvp-comment-632-1 πόλις … σθένει ⁶¹⁰

mvp-comment-632-2 σθένει ⁶¹¹

mvp-comment-633-1 μοι ⁶¹²

mvp-comment-634-1 ὦ τάλας ⁶¹³

mvp-comment-635-1 ἐκ τούτοιν … σκήπτροιν ⁶¹⁴

mvp-comment-635-2 ἐκ ⁶¹⁵

mvp-comment-635-3 σκήπτροιν ⁶¹⁶

mvp-comment-636-1 οδοιπορήσῃς ⁶¹⁷

mvp-comment-636-2 νικᾶν ⁶¹⁸

mvp-comment-637-1 τύραννος ⁶¹⁹

mvp-comment-638-1 γνώσει τάδε ⁶²⁰

mvp-comment-638-2 αὑτὸν ⁶²¹

mvp-comment-639-1 For δρᾷς followed by εἰργάσω , instead of

, cp. O. T. 54

ὡς εἴπερ ἄρξεις … ὥσπερ κρατεῖς

(n.).

mvp-comment-639-2 βίᾳ φίλων ⁶²²

mvp-comment-640-1 ὀργῇ χάριν δούς ⁶²³

mvp-comment-641-1 The guards, carrying off Antigone, have already left the scene (847); cp. 875

. Creon is now about to follow them, when the Chorus again approach him, and protest that he shall not leave Colonus unless the two maidens are restored.

mvp-comment-642-1 τῶνδε ⁶²⁴

mvp-comment-643-1 ῥύσιον ⁶²⁵

mvp-comment-643-2 πόλει ⁶²⁶

mvp-comment-643-3 πόλει ⁶²⁹

mvp-comment-643-4 θήσεις πόλει ⁶³⁰

mvp-comment-643-5 ἐφάψομαι ⁶³¹

mvp-comment-644-1 After δεινὸν λέγοις (L), or λέγεις , a syllable has to be supplied conjecturally. Triclinius added ὡς ("be sure that," 45 ) before τοῦτο : but this mars the rhythm: and the simple fut. (as in 860 ) is more forcible. The optat. λέγοις of L, which is not likely to be a mere error for λέγεις , strongly favours Hermann's simple remedy, δεινὸν λέγοις ἄν , "'twere a dread deed that thou threatenest" (if only thou couldst do it): cp. on 647

. Next to this, I should prefer Wecklein's .

mvp-comment-644-2 πεπράξεται ⁶³²

mvp-comment-645-1 ἢν μή γ’ ⁶³³

mvp-comment-645-2 ἀπειργάθῃ ⁶³⁴

mvp-comment-646-1 φθέγμ’ ⁶³⁵

mvp-comment-647-1 αὐδῶ σιωπᾶν ⁶³⁶

mvp-comment-647-2 ἄφωνον … ἀρᾶς ⁶³⁷

mvp-comment-647-3 τῆς ⁶³⁸

mvp-comment-648-1 See Appendix on this passage.

mvp-comment-648-2 ὅς ⁶³⁹

mvp-comment-648-3 ψιλὸν ὄμμ’ ⁶⁴⁰

mvp-comment-648-4 ψιλὸν ⁶⁴¹

mvp-comment-648-5 ἀποσπάσας ⁶⁴²

mvp-comment-649-1 ἐξοίχει ⁶⁴³

mvp-comment-650-1 σέ τ’ αὐτὸν ⁶⁴⁴

mvp-comment-651-1 Ἥλιος ⁶⁴⁵

mvp-comment-651-2 βίον ⁶⁴⁶

mvp-comment-651-3 κἀμὲ ⁶⁴⁷

mvp-comment-652-1 ὁρᾶτε ⁶⁴⁸

mvp-comment-653-1 ἔργοις ⁶⁴⁹

mvp-comment-653-2 ῥήμασιν ⁶⁵⁰

mvp-comment-654-1 μοῦνος ⁶⁵¹

mvp-comment-654-2 βραδύς ⁶⁵²

mvp-comment-655-1 ἰὼ τάλας ⁶⁵³

mvp-comment-656-1 τάνδε ( πόλιν ) οὐκέτι πόλιν νεμῶ ⁶⁵⁴

mvp-comment-657-1 τοῖς … δικαίοις ⁶⁵⁵

mvp-comment-657-2 βραχὺς ⁶⁵⁶

mvp-comment-658-1 τά ⁶⁵⁷

mvp-comment-659-1 Ζεύς γ’ ἂν … σὺ δ’ οὔ ⁶⁵⁸

mvp-comment-660-1 ὕβρις ⁶⁵⁹

mvp-comment-660-2 ἀνεκτέα ⁶⁶⁰

mvp-comment-661-1 πρόμοι ⁶⁶¹

mvp-comment-662-1 πέραν περῶσ’ οἵδε δή ⁶⁶²

mvp-comment-662-2 δή ⁶⁶³

mvp-comment-663-1 βωμὸν ⁶⁶⁴

mvp-comment-663-2 ἔσχετ’ ⁶⁶⁵

mvp-comment-664-1 θᾶσσον ἢ καθ’ ἡδονὴν ⁶⁶⁶

mvp-comment-665-1 ἔγνων ⁶⁶⁷

mvp-comment-666-1 τὰ ποῖα ταῦτα ⁶⁶⁸

mvp-comment-667-1 οἴχεται ⁶⁶⁹

mvp-comment-667-2 τὴν μόνην ⁶⁷⁰

mvp-comment-668-1 περ ⁶⁷¹

mvp-comment-669-1 οὔκουν τις … ἀναγκάσει ⁶⁷²

mvp-comment-669-2 τούσδε βωμοὺς ⁶⁷³

mvp-comment-670-1 Join σπεύδειν ἀπὸ θυμάτων, ἄνιππον, ἱππότην τε ἀπὸ ῥυτῆρος ⁶⁷⁴

mvp-comment-670-2 ἀπὸ ῥυτῆρος ⁶⁷⁵

mvp-comment-670-3 δίστομοι … ὁδοί ⁶⁷⁶

mvp-comment-670-4 μάλιστα ⁶⁷⁷ ἔνθα ⁶⁷⁸

mvp-comment-671-1 ἴθ’ ⁶⁷⁹

mvp-comment-672-1 δῑ ὀργῆς ἧκον ⁶⁸⁰

mvp-comment-673-1 μεθῆκ’ ⁶⁸¹

mvp-comment-674-1 οὕσπερ … τοὺς νόμους ⁶⁸²

mvp-comment-675-1 τούτοισι ⁶⁸³

mvp-comment-675-2 ἁρμοσθήσεται ⁶⁸⁴

mvp-comment-676-1 ἐναργεῖς ⁶⁸⁵

mvp-comment-676-2 ἄγων ⁶⁸⁶

mvp-comment-677-1 κατάξια δρᾶν ⁶⁸⁷

mvp-comment-678-1 ὧν ⁶⁸⁸

mvp-comment-679-1 Athens

i.e. respects the rights of other states; and i.e.admits no claim which the laws do not sanction. Oedipus had placed himself and his daughters under the protection of Attic law. Creon should have sought legal warrant for their removal. Instead of doing so, he has used violence.

mvp-comment-680-1 εἶτ’ ⁶⁸⁹

mvp-comment-680-2 ἀφεὶς ⁶⁹⁰

mvp-comment-681-1 τὰ … κύρια ⁶⁹¹

mvp-comment-681-2 ἐπεισπεσὼν ⁶⁹²

mvp-comment-682-1 ἄγεις ⁶⁹³

mvp-comment-682-2 παρίστασαι ⁶⁹⁴

mvp-comment-683-1 κένανδρον … ἢ δούλην τινὰ ⁶⁹⁵

mvp-comment-684-1 τῷ μηδενί ⁶⁹⁶

mvp-comment-685-1 Θῆβαι ⁶⁹⁷

mvp-comment-685-2 ἐπαίδευσαν ⁶⁹⁸

mvp-comment-686-1 πυθοίατο ⁶⁹⁹

mvp-comment-687-1 συλῶντα ⁷⁰⁰

mvp-comment-687-2 φωτῶν ἀθλίων ἱκτήρια ⁷⁰¹

mvp-comment-688-1 ἐπεμβαίνων ⁷⁰²

mvp-comment-689-1 εἶχον ⁷⁰³

mvp-comment-690-1 ἄνευ γε τοῦ κραίνοντος ⁷⁰⁴

mvp-comment-690-2 χθονὸς ⁷⁰⁵

mvp-comment-690-3 ὅστις ἦν ⁷⁰⁶

mvp-comment-691-1 οὔθ’ εἷλκον οὔτ’ ἂν ἦγον ⁷⁰⁷

mvp-comment-692-1 ξένον ⁷⁰⁸

mvp-comment-693-1 ἀξίαν οὐκ οὖσαν ⁷⁰⁹

mvp-comment-694-1 τὴν αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ ⁷¹⁰

mvp-comment-694-2 ὁ πληθύων χρόνος ⁷¹¹

mvp-comment-694-3 τοῦ νοῦ ⁷¹²

mvp-comment-695-1 τινα ⁷¹³

mvp-comment-696-1 The essence of the notion conveyed by μέτοικος ⁷¹⁴

mvp-comment-697-1 βίᾳ τε κοὐχ ἑκ ⁷¹⁵

mvp-comment-697-2 κοὐχ ἑκών ⁷¹⁶

mvp-comment-698-1 The words τῷ νῷ have been suspected by recent criticism. They seem to me sound. The sense is,

With τῷ νῷ a verb meaning ( e.g. ) should strictly have been used; but the verb appropriate to ἀπὸ γλώσσης is made to serve for both. For a similar zeugma cp. O. T. 116

οὐδ’ ἄγγελός τις οὐδὲ συμπράκτωρ ὁδοῦ | κατεῖδ’

, where the verb appropriate to , viz. , has to be supplied from . To Meineke's τοῦ νοῦ (governed by ) it may be objected that would be the right prep., as in ἀπὸ γλώσσης ⁷¹⁷

mvp-comment-699-1 ὁρᾷς ἵν’ ἥκεις ⁷¹⁸

mvp-comment-699-2 ἀφ’ ὧν ⁷¹⁹

mvp-comment-700-1 ἐγὼ οὔτ’ ⁷²⁰

mvp-comment-700-2 L's λέγω , of which

was a correction, came in by mistake from 936. Schneidewin's νέμων has been generally received, and is clearly right: cp. on 879

. While ἄνανδρον answers to in 917, ἄβουλον (940), which implies the lack of a guiding mind, answers to in 918.—Creon's speech is as clever as it is impudent. He has only anticipated what the Athenians themselves would have wished. Indeed, he has acted in reliance on the Areiopagus (950). If his method has been rough, he was provoked by the violence of Oedipus.

mvp-comment-701-1 αὐτοὺς ⁷²¹

mvp-comment-701-2 ἐμπέσοι ⁷²²

mvp-comment-702-1 ξυναίμων ⁷²³

mvp-comment-703-1 κἄναγνον ⁷²⁴ ἄναγνον ⁷²⁵

mvp-comment-703-2 δεξοίατ’ ⁷²⁶

mvp-comment-704-1 ηὑρέθησαν ⁷²⁷

mvp-comment-704-2 τέκνων ⁷²⁸

mvp-comment-704-3 ξυνόντες ⁷²⁹

mvp-comment-704-4 Wecklein takes

as "relative" gen. with , in the sense of : "a marriage unholy in respect of its offspring." This seems forced. Musgrave's would be more specious if the gen. of a noun in anywhere else suffered synizesis in this place of the verse. (In 1361 is in the 4th place.) Soph. has El. 146 , 241 , and ib. 187 , Eur. the latter H. F. 915 , Or. 815 , and in these 5 places (all lyric) the words are scanned as trisyllables: a fact which, so far as it goes, is against here. Neither nor is a probable remedy; nor is . In my belief is sound.

mvp-comment-705-1 τοιοῦτον ⁷³⁰

mvp-comment-705-2 εὔβουλον ⁷³¹

mvp-comment-706-1 χθόνιον ⁷³²

mvp-comment-707-1 θυμοῦ ⁷³³

mvp-comment-707-2 θανόντων ⁷³⁴

mvp-comment-708-1 κεἰ ⁷³⁵

mvp-comment-708-2 σμικρὸν ⁷³⁶

mvp-comment-708-3 πρὸς … τὰς πράξεις ⁷³⁷

mvp-comment-709-1 τοῦ ⁷³⁸

mvp-comment-710-1 μοι ⁷³⁹

mvp-comment-710-2 διῆκας ⁷⁴⁰

mvp-comment-711-1 ἄκων ⁷⁴¹

mvp-comment-711-2 θεοῖς ⁷⁴²

mvp-comment-712-1 ἄν ⁷⁴³

mvp-comment-713-1 ἐπεὶ καθ’ αὑτόν γ’ ⁷⁴⁴

mvp-comment-713-2 Others take

as= and understand:— But (1) καθ’ αὑτόν could not naturally express this contrast between the badness of the acts and the innocence of the agent. It contrasts the man with the . (2) ἀνθ’ ὅτου regularly (if not always)= : e.g. El. 585 : Eur. Alc. 246

οὐδὲν θεοὺς δράσαντας ἀνθ’ ὅτου θανεῖ

: I. T. 926 So Hec. 1131 , 1136.

mvp-comment-714-1 ἐπεὶ δίδαξον ⁷⁴⁵

mvp-comment-714-2 εἴ τι θέσφατον ⁷⁴⁶

mvp-comment-715-1 The simple inf. θανεῖν could have depended on

, but ὥστε is added, as below 1350 ; Plat. Prot. 338C

ἀδύνατον ἡμῖν ὥστε Πρωταγόρου τοῦδε σοφώτερόν τινα ἑλέσθαι

: Eur. Hipp. 1327

Κύπρις γὰρ ἤθελ’ ὥστε γίγνεσθαι τάδε

: Thuc. 1.119

δεηθέντες ὥστε ψηφίσασθαι

: 8. 45

πεῖσαι ὥστε συγχωρῆσαι.

mvp-comment-715-2 παίδων ⁷⁴⁷

mvp-comment-716-1 οὔτε...οὐ ⁷⁴⁸

mvp-comment-716-2 βλάστας ⁷⁴⁹

mvp-comment-717-1 φανεὶς δύστηνος ⁷⁵⁰

mvp-comment-717-2 ἐγὼ )φάνην ⁷⁵¹

mvp-comment-718-1 ἐς χεῖρας ⁷⁵²

mvp-comment-719-1 μηδὲν ⁷⁵³

mvp-comment-720-1 The MSS. have πῶς γ’ ἄν , but γ’ should probably be omitted. In L, at least, there is a perceptible tendency to insert

, etc., superfluously (cp. cr. n. on 260); and here the first γ’ would weaken the second, while πῶς needs no strengthening. In O. T. 1030 , where L and most MSS. have , we should read . There is, however, no objection to a doubled where each of two words in the same sentence is to be emphasised ( Her. 1.187 ).

mvp-comment-720-2 ἆκον ⁷⁵⁴

mvp-comment-721-1 L's τλήμων might be either ( a ) predicate with the verb, or ( b ) nom. for voc., as 185

, where see n. But ( a ) would be rather weak; and a direct address, rather than a half-comment (as in 185), is fitting here. τλῆμον , then, seems most probable.

mvp-comment-722-1 οὖν ⁷⁵⁵

mvp-comment-723-1 εἰς τόδ’ ἐξελθ. ἀνόσιον στόμα ⁷⁵⁶

mvp-comment-723-2 ἀνόσιον στόμα ⁷⁵⁷

mvp-comment-724-1 — 984 He has just said,

(980). In these three vv. he tells of what sort it was,—viz., incestuous, but unconsciously so;—a double reason why Creon should have spared the taunt.

mvp-comment-724-2 ἔτικτεν ⁷⁵⁸

mvp-comment-724-3 αὑτῆς ὄνειδος ⁷⁵⁹

mvp-comment-725-1 δυσστομεῖν ⁷⁶⁰

mvp-comment-726-1 ἄκων ⁷⁶¹

mvp-comment-727-1 ἀλλ’ οὐ γὰρ ⁷⁶²

mvp-comment-727-2 The MS.

= (in the report of fairminded men): cp. Ph. 1074

ἀκούσομαι μὲν ὡς ἔφυν οἴκτου πλέως | πρὸς τοῦδ

: : ib. 607 . But the conjecture ἁλώσομαι has certainly more force and point: cp. O. T. 576

οὐ γὰρ δὴ φονεὺς ἁλώσομαι

: Ant. 46

οὐ γὰρ δὴ προδοῦσ’ ἁλώσομαι

.

mvp-comment-728-1 ἐμφορεῖς ⁷⁶³

mvp-comment-728-2 φόνους ⁷⁶⁴

mvp-comment-729-1 ἄμειψαι ⁷⁶⁵

mvp-comment-730-1 εἴ τις … κτείνοι ⁷⁶⁶

mvp-comment-730-2 αὐτίκα ⁷⁶⁷

mvp-comment-730-3 τὸν δίκ ⁷⁶⁸

mvp-comment-731-1 δοκῶ μέν ⁷⁶⁹

mvp-comment-732-1 περιβλέποις ⁷⁷⁰

mvp-comment-733-1 εἰσέβην ⁷⁷¹

mvp-comment-733-2 After ἀντειπεῖν and like words the person gainsaid is denoted by the dat.; the argument , by

or . Here we begin with a neut. dat.

mvp-comment-733-3 οἶς ⁷⁷²

mvp-comment-733-4 ἐμοί ⁷⁷³

mvp-comment-733-5 ἂν ⁷⁷⁴ ἀντειπεῖν ⁷⁷⁵

mvp-comment-733-6 ἐγὼ οὐδὲ ⁷⁷⁶

mvp-comment-734-1 πατρὸς ψυχὴν … ζῶσαν ⁷⁷⁷

mvp-comment-734-2 ψυχή ⁷⁷⁸

mvp-comment-735-1 ἅπαν ⁷⁷⁹

mvp-comment-735-2 καλὸν ⁷⁸⁰

mvp-comment-735-3 ῥητὸν ἄρρ ⁷⁸¹

mvp-comment-736-1 τὸ Θ. ὄνομα θωπ ⁷⁸²

mvp-comment-736-2 θωπεῦσαι ⁷⁸³

mvp-comment-736-3 καλόν ⁷⁸⁴

mvp-comment-737-1 ὡς κατῴκηνται καλῶς ⁷⁸⁵

mvp-comment-738-1 κᾆθ’ ⁷⁸⁶

mvp-comment-738-2 πολλὰ ⁷⁸⁷

mvp-comment-739-1 εἴ τις γῆ θεοὺς ⁷⁸⁸

mvp-comment-740-1 τῷδ’ ⁷⁸⁹

mvp-comment-741-1 κλέψας ⁷⁹⁰

mvp-comment-742-1 ἐχειροῦ ⁷⁹¹

mvp-comment-742-2 οἴχει ⁷⁹²

mvp-comment-743-1 κατασκήπτω λιταῖς ⁷⁹³

mvp-comment-744-1 ξεῖνος ⁷⁹⁴

mvp-comment-744-2 αἱ δὲ ς. ⁷⁹⁵

mvp-comment-744-3 ἄξιαι δ’ ἀμ. ⁷⁹⁶

mvp-comment-745-1 ἄξιαι … ἀμυναθεῖν ⁷⁹⁷

mvp-comment-746-1 The contrast with παθόντες ⁷⁹⁸

mvp-comment-746-2 ἐξηρπασμένοι ⁷⁹⁹

mvp-comment-747-1 ἕσταμεν ⁸⁰⁰

mvp-comment-748-1 ἀμ. φωτὶ ⁸⁰¹

mvp-comment-748-2 ἀμαυρῷ ⁸⁰²

mvp-comment-749-1 τῆς ἐκεῖ ⁸⁰³

mvp-comment-749-2

Three views of this clause require notice. I place first the view which seems to me right. 1. The construction is:— ( προστάσσω σὲ μὲν ) κατάρχειν ὁδοῦ τῆς ἐκεῖ, ἐμὲ δὲ πομπὸν χωρεῖν : The governing verb which is supplied, , contains the general notion , For with inf. where is subj., cp. Od. 8.221

τῶν δ’ ἄλλων ἐμέ φημι πολὺ προφερέστερον εἶναι

. Schaefer well cites Il. 3.88

ἄλλους μὲν κέλεται …

τεύχεα κάλ’ ἀποθέσθαι, …

αὐτὸν δ’ ἐν μέσσῳ καὶ ἀρηΐφιλον Μενέλαον

… μάχεσθαι

, where , referring to the subject of , is parallel with ἐμέ here: The word πομπόν (used in 723 of Creon's own followers) has here a touch of grim irony: cp. Il. 13.416

ἐπεί ῥά οἱ ὤπασα πομπόν

, — i.e. , sent his slayer to the shades along with him. could not well mean, On this view δ’ ἐμέ is better than δέ με .

mvp-comment-749-3 2. Reading μοι :—

: cp. Od. 4.826

τοίη γάρ οἱ πομπὸς ἅμ’ ἔρχετα

(Athena conducting Telemachus). The following clause makes this somewhat weak.

mvp-comment-749-4 3. Governing με by πομπόν :

Cp. Ant. 786

καί σ’ οὔτ’ ἀθανάτων φύξιμος οὐδείς

, where is governed by the adj. This was the view of Erfurdt and Reisig: it was also held by Shilleto. But the supposed construction, always rare, is extremely harsh here, where πομπόν would naturally be taken as agreeing with με .

mvp-comment-750-1 ἡμῖν ⁸⁰⁴

mvp-comment-751-1 ἐγκρατεῖς ⁸⁰⁵

mvp-comment-751-2 φεύγουσιν ⁸⁰⁶

mvp-comment-752-1 ἄλλοι ⁸⁰⁷

mvp-comment-752-2 οὓς χώρας τῆσδε φυγόντες οὐ μή ποτε ἐπεύξωνται θεοῖς ⁸⁰⁸

mvp-comment-752-3 ἐπεύξωνται ⁸⁰⁹

mvp-comment-753-1 ἀλλ’ ⁸¹⁰

mvp-comment-753-2 ἔχων ἔχει ⁸¹¹

mvp-comment-754-1 θηρῶνθ’ ⁸¹²

mvp-comment-754-2 ἡ τύχη ⁸¹³

mvp-comment-754-3 τὰ … δόλῳ κτήματα ⁸¹⁴

mvp-comment-754-4 τῷ μὴ δικαίῳ ⁸¹⁵

mvp-comment-755-1 κοὐκ ἄλλον ἕξεις εἰς τόδ’ ⁸¹⁶

mvp-comment-755-2 ὡς ἔξοιδα ⁸¹⁷

mvp-comment-755-3 οὐ ψιλὸν ⁸¹⁸

mvp-comment-755-4 ἄσκευον ⁸¹⁹

mvp-comment-756-1 ἐς τοσήνδ’ ὕβριν … τόλμης ⁸²⁰

mvp-comment-757-1 ἀλλ’ ἔσθ’ ὅτῳ ⁸²¹

mvp-comment-757-2 πιστὸς ⁸²²

mvp-comment-758-1 τι τούτων ⁸²³

mvp-comment-758-2 τὰ νῦν ⁸²⁴

mvp-comment-759-1 ἐνθάδ’ ὢν ⁸²⁵

mvp-comment-759-2 μεμπτὸν ἐμοί ⁸²⁶

mvp-comment-760-1 χωρῶν ἀπείλει νῦν ⁸²⁷

mvp-comment-761-1 πιστωθεὶς ⁸²⁸

mvp-comment-762-1 ὄναιο ⁸²⁹ χάριν ⁸³⁰

mvp-comment-764-1 εἴην ὅθι ⁸³¹

mvp-comment-765-1 ἐπιστροφαὶ ⁸³⁴

mvp-comment-766-1 χαλκοβόαν ⁸³⁵

mvp-comment-766-2 μείξουσιν ⁸³⁶

mvp-comment-766-3 ἢ πρὸς Πυθίαις ἢ λαμπάσιν ἀκταῖς ⁸³⁷

mvp-comment-766-4 (1) Πύθιαι ἀκταί , the Pythian shores; the shore of the bay of Eleusis just beyond the pass of Daphnè on the N.W., near the salt-springs called

( Thuc. 2.19 ). The distance from Colonus is about six miles. alludes to the , an Ionic temple of Apollo (some fragments from which are among the Elgin marbles in the British Museum), situated on the site of the present monastery of Daphnè, in the narrowest and highest part of the pass. (Cp. Leake, Demes pp. 144 f.: Paus. 1.37.6 .) Others take the to mean Oenoe, where also there was a temple of Apollo. But ( a ) Oenoe was about 12 miles N.W. of Eleusis, near the pass of Dryoscephalae over Cithaeron. could not be said of such an inland place, and the distance imagined is too great. ( b ) The order of mention indicates the as nearer than Eleusis to Colonus.

mvp-comment-766-5 (2) λαμπάδες ἀκταί ,

(cp. Harpocr. 184, quoted on 56, ): the coast of the same bay of Eleusis at a point about 5 miles W.N.W. of the former point,—viz. at Eleusis itself. The yearly celebration of the great Eleusinia began on or about the 16th of Boedromion (September). On the 20th of that month an image of Iacchus was borne in a torch-light procession along the from Athens to Eleusis. This procession is indicated by the in Aristoph. Ran. 316 ff.: see ib. 340

ἔγειρε φλογέας λαμπάδας, ἐν χερσὶ γὰρ ἥκεις τινάσσων,

Ἴακχ’, ὦ Ἴακχε,

νυκτέρου τελετῆς φωσφόρος ἀστήρ

. The search of Demeter for Persephone was also represented at Eleusis in a of torch-bearing mystae. Cp. Aesch. fr. 376 (speaking of Eleusis) . Ar. Th. 1151

ὄργια σεμνὰ θεαῖν, ἵνα λαμπάσι φαίνετον ἄμβροτον ὄψιν

.

mvp-comment-767-1 πότνιαι ⁸³⁸

mvp-comment-767-2 τιθηνοῦνται ⁸³⁹

mvp-comment-767-3 τέλη ⁸⁴⁰

mvp-comment-768-1 θνατοῖσιν ⁸⁴¹

mvp-comment-768-2 ὧν καὶ χρυσέα ⁸⁴²

mvp-comment-768-3 κλὴ|ς Εὐμολπιδᾶν ⁸⁴³

mvp-comment-769-1 κλὴ|ς ⁸⁴⁴

mvp-comment-769-2 χρυσέα ⁸⁴⁵

mvp-comment-770-1 προσπόλων Εὐμολπιδᾶν ⁸⁴⁶

mvp-comment-771-1 I incline to believe that the MS. words ἔνθ’ οἶμαι τὸν ἐγρεμάχαν are sound, and that the variant

may have arisen by corruption from ἐγρεμάχαν . See Appendix on this passage. The fact that the antistrophic passage is certainly unsound in the MSS. has increased the doubt: see on 1069

.

mvp-comment-771-2 ἐγρεμάχαν ⁸⁴⁷

mvp-comment-772-1 Θησέα ⁸⁴⁸

mvp-comment-772-2 αὐτάρκει βοᾷ ⁸⁴⁹

mvp-comment-772-3 Many critics, however, now regard καὶ as spurious: for Θησέα καὶ Dindorf proposes Αἰγεΐδαν : for Θησέα καὶ τὰς Wecklein Θησέα παῖδας . The sense would then be:—

—by attacking their captors. This is possibly right: but a change of καὶ τὰς into παῖδας is hardly likely. In Ph. 79 , which Erfurdt changed to , is clearly sound.

mvp-comment-772-4 διστόλους ⁸⁵⁰

mvp-comment-772-5 αὐτάρκει ⁸⁵¹

mvp-comment-772-6 τούσδ’ ἀνὰ χ. ⁸⁵²

mvp-comment-772-7 The poet has left the details of the rescue indistinct. Creon's guards first carried off the girls (844), and Theseus sent mounted Athenians in pursuit (897). Afterwards, Theseus commands Creon to lead him to where the girls are; if they are

(1020 ), Theseus himself will recover them: if, however, the guards are already flying with them, then Theseus has nothing to do; the mounted Athenians, who have already started, will pursue (1020 ff.). But from the words of Theseus in 1148 it is plain that they have been rescued by his personal prowess, of which he forbears to boast ( , 1149): and the same inference must be drawn from Antigone's words (1117). How are these facts to be reconciled? We can only suppose that the mounted Athenians, who started first, halted to watch the (900), while Creon's guards also halted somewhere in concealment, to await their master. Theseus, with Creon, was thus enabled to overtake his Athenians before the struggle. The fact is that Sophocles did not care to think out these points, about which an Athenian audience in the theatre would not trouble themselves. Cp. on O. T. 758 .

mvp-comment-773-1 Hartung's εἰς νομόν for the MS. ἐκ νομοῦ is certain. With the latter, we could only render:

The rare acc. with could be supported by Eur. Andr. 1167

δῶμα πελάζει

: but the ellipse of with is surely impossible.

mvp-comment-773-2 νομοῦ ⁸⁵³

mvp-comment-773-3 πελῶς’ ⁸⁵⁴

mvp-comment-773-4 The place meant is not certain. See note and map in Appendix. But the scholium here deserves at least thus much weight: it is our one ancient warrant for a definite view. Like the other old scholia in L, it probably dates (in substance) from the later Alexandrian age, which possessed many Attic writings, now lost, on the topography of Attica. The scholiast takes the νιφὰς πέτρα to be a rock or crag of Mount Aegaleos;— the same which was called

, by Istros, a writer on Attica, c. 240 B.C., whom he quotes. The schol. then explains Οἰάτιδος by the fact that Aegaleos , —namely, of . It cannot reasonably be doubted that this statement about , if it did not rest on the scholiast's own knowledge, was derived from Istros, or from some other old writer on Attic topography.

mvp-comment-773-5 The meaning will then be:—

This is also Leake's view ( Demi of Attica p. 154). The route supposed would be in the general line of that taken by Archidamus and the Peloponnesians in 431 B.C., when they moved from Oenoe E.S.E. to Acharnae, ,— i.e. keeping it to the S.,— , a deme in the valley between the N. end of Aegaleos and the S.W. end of Parnes. Hartung, referring to the of Istros, conjectures λι^τάδος , as= for νιφάδος : but though late poets could use for , the is most improbable for Soph.

mvp-comment-774-1 ῥιμφαρμάτοις … ἁμίλλαις ⁸⁵⁵

mvp-comment-775-1 ἁλώσεται ⁸⁵⁶

mvp-comment-775-2 προσχώρων ⁸⁵⁷

mvp-comment-775-3 Θησειδᾶν ⁸⁵⁸

mvp-comment-775-4 ἀκμά ⁸⁵⁹

mvp-comment-776-1 We require u - instead of the MS. κατ’ . Bothe gets this by supposing non-elision of

before . This, though rare, is possible: cp. Ai. 425

χθονὸς μολόντ’ ἀπὸ | Ἑλλανίδος

: Tr. 510

Βακχίας ἄπο | ἦλθε

. But I cannot believe κατὰ | ἀμπυκτήρια to be Greek, as meaning either (1) i.e. by shaking the reins,—Paley: or (2) — i.e. Campbell. Instead of κατ’ , Hermann gives χαλῶσ’ : Schneidewin proposed καθεῖσ’ (cp. Eur. Bacch. 695

καθεῖσαν εἰς ὤμους κόμας

). This, if it had become , might easily have shrunk to the MS. κατ’ , through the rest of the word being taken for .

mvp-comment-777-1 ἀμπυκτήρια φάλαρα πώλων ⁸⁶⁰

mvp-comment-778-1 ἄμβασις ⁸⁶¹

mvp-comment-778-2 οἳ ⁸⁶²

mvp-comment-778-3 τὰν ἱππίαν ⁸⁶³

mvp-comment-779-1 γαιάοχον ⁸⁶⁴

mvp-comment-779-2 Ῥέας ⁸⁶⁵

mvp-comment-779-3 Rhea, in the Greek theogony, is daughter of Uranos and Gaia, wife of Cronus, and "mother of the gods." The cult was that of the "Phrygian Mother" Cybele in a special phase, and came very early to Greece from Lydia: in Attica it was intimately connected with the Eleusinian cult of Demeter (cp. Hom. Hymn. 5.442 , Eur. Helen 1301 ff. ). The

at Athens, the temple of Rhea Cybele, contained a celebrated statue of the goddess, by Pheidias or his pupil Agoracritus.

mvp-comment-780-1 ἔρδους’ ⁸⁶⁶

mvp-comment-780-2 μέλλουσιν ⁸⁶⁷

mvp-comment-781-1 γνώμα μοι ⁸⁶⁸ προμνᾶταί τι ⁸⁶⁹

mvp-comment-782-1 ἀντάσειν ⁸⁷⁰

mvp-comment-782-2 ἀντάω ⁸⁷¹

mvp-comment-782-3 To ἀνδώσειν the objections are: (1) it could not possibly mean

, In Pind. fr. 133. 3, the sole passage quoted for this sense, is not but to the sunlight,—like . We must not be confused by our (2) To supply or as subject is extremely awkward. (3) The sing. τὰν...τλᾶσαν , etc., which this requires, cannot well be defended on the ground that Antigone is chiefly thought of.

mvp-comment-782-4 With ἐνδώσειν we have to render:—

—become milder. Hippocrates ( Progn. 43) uses the intrans. of a malady which remits its force. But is tolerable here, where the question is not of the sisters' sufferings being mitigated , but of their triumphant deliverance from the hands of the enemy? If, again, = it incurs the 2nd and 3rd objections to .

mvp-comment-783-1 κατ’ ἆμαρ ⁸⁷²

mvp-comment-784-1 ἀελλαία ⁸⁷³

mvp-comment-784-2 ταχύρρωστος ⁸⁷⁴

mvp-comment-785-1 Hermann's ἄνωθ’ ⁸⁷⁵

mvp-comment-785-2 θεωρήσασα ⁸⁷⁶

mvp-comment-785-3 θεωρήσουσα ⁸⁷⁷

mvp-comment-785-4 αἰωρεῖν ⁸⁷⁸

mvp-comment-786-1 In the MS. order of the words,

(monosyll.)=1074 , and =1075 . This requires the final α of the voc. παντόπτα to be long, which is impossible, though some edd. tacitly assume it. Meineke's remedy, , is not probable: and (nom. for voc.) could not stand here. The simple transposition which I have made in the text removes the difficulty. In 1088 the MSS. have : yet it is certain that the order of the words should be the reverse.

mvp-comment-787-1 δαμούχοις ⁸⁷⁹

mvp-comment-788-1 σθένει ⁸⁸⁰

mvp-comment-788-2 ἐπινικείῳ ⁸⁸¹

mvp-comment-788-3 τὸν εὔαγρον τελειῶσαι λόχον ⁸⁸²

mvp-comment-788-4 τὸν εὔαγρον ⁸⁸³

mvp-comment-788-5 λόχον ⁸⁸⁴

mvp-comment-789-1 σεμνά τε παῖς ⁸⁸⁵

mvp-comment-790-1 τὸν ἀγρευτὰν ⁸⁸⁶

mvp-comment-791-1 ὀπαδὸν … ἐλάφων ⁸⁸⁷

mvp-comment-791-2 πυκνοστίκτων ⁸⁸⁸

mvp-comment-792-1 στέργω ⁸⁸⁹

mvp-comment-792-2 διπλᾶς ἀρωγὰς ⁸⁹⁰

mvp-comment-794-1 τῷ σκοπῷ μὲν ⁸⁹¹

mvp-comment-794-2 μέν ⁸⁹²

mvp-comment-795-1 προσπολουμένας ⁸⁹³

mvp-comment-796-1 τίς ἂν … δοίη ⁸⁹⁴

mvp-comment-796-2 δοίη ⁸⁹⁵

mvp-comment-797-1 φιλτάτων τ’ ⁸⁹⁶

mvp-comment-798-1 μηδαμά ⁸⁹⁷

mvp-comment-798-2

, the generic , one which was never expected, etc.,— and which, therefore, is the more welcome. Cp. O. T. 397

ὁ μηδὲν εἰδώς

, n. — (Suidas s.v. ): Eur. Alc. 917

φιλίας ἀλόχου χέρα βαστάζων

.

mvp-comment-799-1 ἃ τεύξει ⁸⁹⁸

mvp-comment-799-2 σὺν πόθῳ … ἡ χάρις ⁸⁹⁹

mvp-comment-800-1 ἔρνη ⁹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-800-2 τῷ τεκόντι ⁹⁰¹

mvp-comment-800-3 πᾶν ⁹⁰²

mvp-comment-801-1 σκῆπτρα ⁹⁰³

mvp-comment-801-2 φωτός ⁹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-802-1 θανὼν ⁹⁰⁵

mvp-comment-803-1 ἐρείσατε … πλευρὸν ἀμφιδέξιον ⁹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-804-1 ἐμφύντε ⁹⁰⁷

mvp-comment-804-2 With

(note that L has κἀναπαύσετον ) the words are usu. taken to mean, "and give me relief from this hapless wandering, desolate before," — i.e. since Antigone was carried off (844) .

mvp-comment-804-3 πλάνου ⁹⁰⁸

mvp-comment-805-1 ταῖς τηλικαῖσδε ⁹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-806-1 ὅδ’ … τοῦδε ⁹¹⁰

mvp-comment-807-1 Hermann's change of the MS. τοὐμὸν into τοῦτ’ ἐμοί τ’ has been accepted by many edd. But the sense is most unsatisfactory. If τοὔργον means the deed of rescue, as is most natural, the meaning will be:

: i.e. But is this tolerable,—to say nothing of the somewhat ungracious suggestion that the account of their deliverer's exploit would otherwise be fatiguing? The alternative version would be worse still: I cannot but think, then, that this popular correction, though palaeographically easy, is untenable.

mvp-comment-807-2 I have little doubt that Wex is right, or nearly so, in his οὗ κἄστι τοὔργον . The

should be his to whom belongs the . This supposes an accidental loss of οὗ , after which κἄστι grew into καὶ σοί τε . The words then mean, "my part will thus be brief" (as you desire it to be, 1115 ) — consisting simply in referring Oed. to Theseus.

mvp-comment-808-1 Take πρὸς τὸ λιπαρὲς with μηκύνῳ λόγον :

:

mvp-comment-808-2 πρὸς τὸ λ. ⁹¹¹

mvp-comment-809-1 τέκνα ⁹¹²

mvp-comment-809-2 ἄελπτα ⁹¹³

mvp-comment-810-1 τὴν ἐς τάσδε ⁹¹⁴

mvp-comment-811-1 μηδενὸς ⁹¹⁵

mvp-comment-812-1 ὡς ⁹¹⁶

mvp-comment-813-1 αὐτῷ τε ⁹¹⁷

mvp-comment-813-2 τό γ’ εὐσεβές ⁹¹⁸

mvp-comment-813-3 μόνοις ⁹¹⁹

mvp-comment-814-1 τοὐπιεικὲς ⁹²⁰

mvp-comment-815-1 εἰδὼς δ’ ἀμύνω ⁹²¹

mvp-comment-815-2 τάδε ⁹²³

mvp-comment-816-1 ψαύσω ⁹²⁴

mvp-comment-816-2 εἰ θέμις ⁹²⁵

mvp-comment-817-1 πῶς σ’ ⁹²⁶

mvp-comment-817-2 τίς οὐκ ⁹²⁷

mvp-comment-817-3 κηλὶς κακῶν ⁹²⁸

mvp-comment-817-4 ξύνοικος ⁹²⁹

mvp-comment-817-5 οὐκ ἔγωγέ σε ⁹³⁰

mvp-comment-817-6 οὐδ’ οὖν ⁹³¹

mvp-comment-817-7 Oedipus is indeed

(287), as the suppliant of the Eumenides, and ( ib. ), as obeying the word of Apollo; but at this moment he feels that, in the eye of religious law, he is still formally what Creon has just called him— and (944). Contrast the more passionate strain of his words in O. T. 1413 , when he urges the Thebans to cast him forth— . To touch him—he there says—can defile no one, because his unique doom places him apart.

mvp-comment-818-1 βροτῶν ⁹³²

mvp-comment-819-1 αὐτόθεν ⁹³³

mvp-comment-820-1 ἐς τόδ’ ἡμέρας ⁹³⁴

mvp-comment-821-1 οὔτ’ εἴ τι κ.τ.λ. ⁹³⁵

mvp-comment-821-2 θαυμάσας ἔχω ⁹³⁶

mvp-comment-822-1 οὔτ’ ⁹³⁷

mvp-comment-823-1 γὰρ ⁹³⁸

mvp-comment-824-1 δείκνυμι δ’ ⁹³⁹

mvp-comment-824-2 The usu. constr. is

, while is comparatively rare: and so here οὐδέν seems to be adv., while ὧν (= ) is gen. after ἐψευσάμην . So I should take Plat. Legg. 921A

τὴν τιμὴν τῶν ἔργων ὀφειλέτω ὧν ἂν τὸν ἐκδόντα ψεύσηται

, —though an attraction of acc. into gen. is equally possible.

mvp-comment-824-3 ὤμοσα ⁹⁴⁰

mvp-comment-825-1 For the gen. with ἀκραιφνεῖς cp. 1519: Eur. Hipp. 949

.

mvp-comment-826-1 ᾑρέθη ⁹⁴¹

mvp-comment-827-1 λόγος ⁹⁴²

mvp-comment-827-2 λόγος ⁹⁴³

mvp-comment-827-3 ἐμπέπτωκεν ⁹⁴⁴

mvp-comment-827-4 συμβαλοῦ γνώμην ⁹⁴⁵

mvp-comment-828-1 εἰπεῖν θαυμάσαι ⁹⁴⁸

mvp-comment-829-1 ἄνθρωπον ⁹⁴⁹

mvp-comment-830-1 τί δ’ ἔστι ⁹⁵⁰

mvp-comment-830-2 δίδασκέ με ὡς μὴ εἰδότ’ ⁹⁵¹

mvp-comment-830-3 ὡς οὐ ⁹⁵²

mvp-comment-830-4 ὡς ⁹⁵³

mvp-comment-831-1 ἡμῖν ⁹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-831-2 ἔμπολιν ⁹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-831-3 προσπεσόντα πως ⁹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-831-4 πως ⁹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-832-1 βωμῷ ⁹⁵⁸

mvp-comment-832-2 ἔκυρον ⁹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-832-3 ἡνίχ’ ὡρμώμην ⁹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-833-1 τῷ θακήματι ⁹⁶¹

mvp-comment-833-2 προς‐ ⁹⁶²

mvp-comment-834-1 σοῦ ⁹⁶³

mvp-comment-835-1 οὐκ ὄγκου πλέων ⁹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-836-1 Heath's insertion of τ’ after ἀπελθεῖν is necessary, unless we adopt Nauck's ἐλθεῖν θέλοντ’ , i.e.

(his journey to Attica from Argos): but this throws too much stress on the return. Vauvilliers seems clearly right in restoring μόνον from the MS. μολόντ’ . The latter would go with ἐλθεῖν : : but this is weak; and it would be even worse to take μολόντ’ as= (at Colonus). μόνον fits the tone of the context. The suitor prefers his request in as modest a strain as possible.

mvp-comment-837-1 κατ’ Ἄργος ⁹⁶⁵

mvp-comment-837-2 τοῦτο ⁹⁶⁶

mvp-comment-838-1 σχὲς οὗπερ εἶ ⁹⁶⁷

mvp-comment-838-2 τίδ’ ἔστι σοι ⁹⁶⁸

mvp-comment-839-1 πράγματος ποίου ⁹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-840-1 ἀκούων τῶνδ’ ⁹⁷⁰

mvp-comment-840-2 ὅς ⁹⁷¹

mvp-comment-840-3 προστάτης ⁹⁷²

mvp-comment-841-1 ὅν γ’ ἐγὼ ψέξαιμι ⁹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-842-1 στυγνός ⁹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-842-2 λόγων ⁹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-842-3 ἄλγιστα ἀνδρῶν ⁹⁷⁷

mvp-comment-843-1 ἃ μὴ ⁹⁷⁸

mvp-comment-844-1 The emphasis is on κλύειν , not on τοῦδ’ :

Theseus has no need to ask, —for he knows already how Oed. has been treated by his sons (599). The sense is thus the same as if we kept the MS. τοῦτ’ : (Cp. Ph. 1121

καὶ γὰρ ἐμοὶ τοῦτο μέλει, μὴ φιλότητ’ ἀπώσῃ

: and O. T. 1058 .) But, when the question has already been put in an abstract form ( etc.), it would be tame to reiterate it in the same form. By τοῦδε it is adapted to the particular case. Cp. 1117 .

mvp-comment-845-1 φθέγμα τοῦθ’ ⁹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-845-2 ἥκει ⁹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-846-1 μή μ’ ἀνάγκῃ προσβάλῃς ⁹⁸¹

mvp-comment-846-2 εἰκαθεῖν ⁹⁸²

mvp-comment-847-1 τὸ θάκημ’ ⁹⁸³

mvp-comment-847-2 ἐξαναγκάζει ⁹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-847-3 πρόνοια … τοῦ θεοῦ ⁹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-847-4 φυλακτέα ⁹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-848-1 πιθοῦ μοι ⁹⁸⁷

mvp-comment-848-2 κεἰ ⁹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-848-3 vέα ⁹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-849-1 τὸν ἄνδρα τόνδε ⁹⁹⁰

mvp-comment-850-1 ὕπεικε ⁹⁹¹

mvp-comment-851-1 παρασπάσει ⁹⁹²

mvp-comment-851-2 ἃ μή ⁹⁹³

mvp-comment-851-3 λέξεται ⁹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-852-1 κακῶς ⁹⁹⁵

mvp-comment-853-1 Meineke rejects the three verses, 1189—1191, because (1)

is too abrupt: (2) it is too much to tell Oed. that he must bear anything from his son: (3) the phrase etc. is indefensible. As to (1), few readers can fail to perceive that the is both forcible and pathetic at the moment when she turns from colder and more external arguments to the plea of natural affection. As to (2), it is enough to observe that Antigone means, As to (3), see next n.

mvp-comment-854-1 δυσσεβέστατ’, ὦ ⁹⁹⁶

mvp-comment-855-1 θέμις σέ γ’ εἶναι ⁹⁹⁷

mvp-comment-856-1 ἀλλ’ αὐτόν· εἰσὶ ⁹⁹⁸

mvp-comment-857-1 ἐξεπᾴδονται φύσιν ⁹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-858-1 ἐκεῖνα ¹⁰⁰⁰

mvp-comment-858-2 πατρῷα καὶ μ. ¹⁰⁰¹

mvp-comment-858-3 μητρῷα ¹⁰⁰²

mvp-comment-859-1 τελευτὴν ¹⁰⁰³

mvp-comment-860-1 τἀνθυμήματα ¹⁰⁰⁴

mvp-comment-861-1 ἀδέρκτων ¹⁰⁰⁵

mvp-comment-861-2 τητώμενος ¹⁰⁰⁶

mvp-comment-862-1 Notice the dat. προσχρῄζουσιν (with

), followed by the acc. αὐτόν with πάσχειν , and παθόντα with ἐπίστασθαι . A literal version shows the reason:— Importunityis here viewed as touching the dignity of the suppliants; ingratitude , in its moral aspect.—

mvp-comment-862-2 οὐδ’ ¹⁰⁰⁷

mvp-comment-862-3 οὐκ ἐπίστασθαι ¹⁰⁰⁸

mvp-comment-862-4 τίνειν ¹⁰⁰⁹

mvp-comment-862-5 The structure of οὐδ’ αὐτὸν … τίνειν ¹⁰¹⁰

mvp-comment-863-1 The stress is on

:

mvp-comment-863-2 ἡδονὴν ¹⁰¹¹

mvp-comment-863-3 δ’ οὖν ¹⁰¹²

mvp-comment-864-1 ἐλεύσεται ¹⁰¹³

mvp-comment-865-1 κρατείτω τῆς ἐ. ψυχῆς ¹⁰¹⁴

mvp-comment-865-2 τῆς ἐμ. ψ. ¹⁰¹⁵

mvp-comment-866-1 κλύειν ¹⁰¹⁶

mvp-comment-866-2 τὰ τοιαῦτ’ ¹⁰¹⁷

mvp-comment-867-1 If δ’ is omitted (with Wecklein) after κομπεῖν , we must either make κομπεῖν οὐχὶ βούλομαι a parenthesis (as he does), or else point thus:

etc. The abruptness would add a certain spirit to the words. But the δ’ after κομπεῖν may well be genuine, if we conceive him as checking the impulse to remind Oed. of the prowess already shown: — "however, I do not wish to boast." could not mean, "know that you are safe": ὤν is indispensable: and the choice lies between (1) , and (2) . For (2) it may be said that the MS. σῶν is more easily explained by it, and that δὲ might have been added to complete v. 1209: for (1), that it is nearer to the actual text (in which σῶν may have sprung from ὤν superscript), and that σῶς is more effective if it begins the verse in which σώζῃ follows.

mvp-comment-869-1 ὅστις τοῦ πλέονος μ. χρῄζει ¹⁰¹⁸ ζώειν ¹⁰¹⁹ παρεὶς ¹⁰²⁰ τοῦ μετρίου ¹⁰²¹

mvp-comment-869-2 χρῄζ ¹⁰²²

mvp-comment-869-3 παρείς ¹⁰²³

mvp-comment-869-4 μετρίου ¹⁰²⁴

mvp-comment-869-5 Hartung explains his

as ( sc. ). Though the phrase ( ) occurs in Plat. Legg. 691C (quoted by Wunder), it seems very doubtful whether παρεὶς is sound here. The conjecture πέρα (Schneidewin) is possible, but derives no real support from the fact that occurs in the schol.'s loose paraphrase. Verrall ingeniously proposes παρὲκ , which, however, does not occur in Tragedy. Possibly ,

mvp-comment-869-6 σκαιοσύναν ¹⁰²⁵

mvp-comment-869-7 φυλάσσων ¹⁰²⁶

mvp-comment-869-8 ἐν ἐμοὶ ¹⁰²⁷

mvp-comment-870-1 αἱ μακραὶ | ἁμέραι ¹⁰²⁸

mvp-comment-870-2 πολλὰ μὲν δὴ κατέθεντο ¹⁰²⁹

mvp-comment-870-3 λύπας ¹⁰³⁰

mvp-comment-870-4 λύπας ἐγγυτέρω ¹⁰³¹

mvp-comment-870-5 The middle

is continually used in Attic of — either literally, as ,—or figuratively, as . Therefore I would not render κατέθεντο simply, as if the meaning were that many things, once are moved by the years, and set down nearer to grief; though this view is tenable. (Cp. Aristoph. Ran. 165

Δ. τὰ στρώματ’ αὖθις λάμβανε.

Ξ. πρὶν καὶ καταθέσθαι;

) — Not , "oft ( ) lay up griefs ( acc. pl.) nearer (us)."

mvp-comment-870-6 οὐκ ἂν ἴδοις ὅπου ¹⁰³²

mvp-comment-871-1 τοῦ δέοντος ¹⁰³³

mvp-comment-871-2 πέσῃ ¹⁰³⁴

mvp-comment-871-3 The vulgate τοῦ θέλοντος would be gen. of

(see on 267

): i.e. of wish for prolonged life; not, of self-indulgence; for the whole gist of the passage is that joy is left behind by simply living on: the satiety of jaded appetite (which can befall the young) is not in point here. Assuredly τοῦ θέλοντος in this context is not Greek. Blaydes, reading τοῦ σθένοντος , explains, : but could . mean, "live to a point of time beyond τὸ σθ. "?

mvp-comment-871-4 ὁ δ’ ἐπίκουρος ἰσοτέλεστος ¹⁰³⁵

mvp-comment-871-5 ἰσοτέλεστος ¹⁰³⁶

mvp-comment-872-1 ἀνυμέναιος ¹⁰³⁷

mvp-comment-872-2 ἀναπέφηνε ¹⁰³⁸

mvp-comment-873-1 μὴ φῦναι τὸν ἅπ. νικᾷ λόγον ¹⁰⁴⁰

mvp-comment-873-2 ὁ ἅπας λόγος ¹⁰⁴¹

mvp-comment-873-3 The form hints that Soph. was thinking of the verses of Theognis (425 ff.) which the schol. quotes, without naming that poet, as familiar (

):— . Diog. Laert. 10. 1. 126 quotes Epicurus as censuring these lines, and remarking that a man who really thought so ought to quit life,— . Cic. Tusc. 1. 48. 115

Non nasci homini longe optimum esse, proximum autem quam primum mori

: where he translates the lines of Eur. (fr. 452) . Alexis (Midd. Com., 350 B.C. ) 1. 14 .

mvp-comment-873-4 ἐπεὶ φανῇ ¹⁰⁴²

mvp-comment-874-1 The MS.

is usu. defended as an instance of ; but it is harsher than any example that can be produced. Thus in Plat. Crito 45B

πολλαχοῦ μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἄλλοσε ὅποι ἂν ἀφίκῃ ἀγαπήσουσί σε

, where stands for by attraction to , it is not preceded by a verb answering to βῆναι here. Who could say, (for ) , if he meant, ? So, here, βῆναι κεῖθεν ὅθεν περ ἥκει surely could not mean, βῆναιand ἥκει being thus sharply opposed, each verb requires its proper adverb. I should prefer to read κεῖσ’ ὁπόθεν , as Blaydes proposed. Cp. Tennyson, (of man's destiny,)

mvp-comment-874-2 πολὺ δεύτερον ¹⁰⁴³

mvp-comment-874-3 πολὺ ¹⁰⁴⁴

mvp-comment-875-1 ὡς εὖτ’ ἂν … καμάτων ἔνι ¹⁰⁴⁵

mvp-comment-875-2 παρῇ ¹⁰⁴⁷

mvp-comment-876-1 τίς πλαγὰ ¹⁰⁴⁸

mvp-comment-877-1 φθόνος ¹⁰⁴⁹

mvp-comment-878-1 κατάμεμπτον ¹⁰⁵⁰

mvp-comment-878-2 ἐπιλέλογχε ¹⁰⁵¹

mvp-comment-878-3 ἀκρατές ¹⁰⁵²

mvp-comment-879-1 κακὰ κακῶν ¹⁰⁵³

mvp-comment-879-2 ξυνοικεῖ ¹⁰⁵⁴

mvp-comment-880-1 βόρειος ἀκτὰ ¹⁰⁵⁵

mvp-comment-881-1 κατ’ ἄκρας ¹⁰⁵⁶

mvp-comment-881-2 κυματοα—γεῖς ¹⁰⁵⁸

mvp-comment-882-1 Compare this poet. indication of the four points of the compass with the prose phraseology in Xen. Anab. 3.5.15,

mvp-comment-882-2 ἀνὰ μέσσαν ἀκτῖν’ ¹⁰⁵⁹

mvp-comment-883-1 *(πιπᾶν ¹⁰⁶⁰

mvp-comment-883-2 ἐννυχιᾶν ¹⁰⁶¹

mvp-comment-883-3 Others, not taking ῥιπᾶν as a name, render: (1)

— but this would not sufficiently indicate the north. (2) like El. 105

παμφεγγεῖς ἄστρων | ῥιπάς

. But there would be no point in saying that troubles come on Oedipus from the West , the East , the South , and— the stars. There is, indeed, a secondary contrast between the brightness of the South and the gloom of the North; but the primary contrast is between the regions.

mvp-comment-885-1 καὶ μὴν ¹⁰⁶²

mvp-comment-885-2 ἡμῖν ¹⁰⁶³

mvp-comment-886-1 ἀνδρῶν γε μοῦνος ¹⁰⁶⁴

mvp-comment-887-1 ἀστακτὶ ¹⁰⁶⁵

mvp-comment-887-2 ἀστακτὶ ¹⁰⁶⁶

mvp-comment-887-3 ὧδε ¹⁰⁶⁷

mvp-comment-888-1 κατείχομεν γνώμῃ ¹⁰⁶⁸

mvp-comment-889-1 δράσω ¹⁰⁶⁹

mvp-comment-890-1 ἐνθάδ’ ἐκβεβλημένον ¹⁰⁷⁰

mvp-comment-891-1 σὺν ¹⁰⁷¹

mvp-comment-891-2 τῆς ¹⁰⁷²

mvp-comment-891-3 γέρων … πίνος ¹⁰⁷³

mvp-comment-891-4 συγκατῴκηκεν ¹⁰⁷⁴

mvp-comment-892-1 πλευρὰν μαραίνων ¹⁰⁷⁵

mvp-comment-892-2 κρατὶ ὀμματοστερεῖ ¹⁰⁷⁶

mvp-comment-892-3 ἀκτένιστος ¹⁰⁷⁷

mvp-comment-892-4 ᾄσσεται ¹⁰⁷⁸

mvp-comment-893-1 ἀδελφὰ … τούτοισιν ¹⁰⁷⁹

mvp-comment-893-2 φορεῖ ¹⁰⁸⁰

mvp-comment-894-1

:

mvp-comment-894-2 ἥκειν ¹⁰⁸¹

mvp-comment-894-3 τροφ. ταῖς σαῖσιν ¹⁰⁸²

mvp-comment-894-4 μὴ )ξ ἄλλων ¹⁰⁸³

mvp-comment-895-1 ἀλλὰ … γὰρ ¹⁰⁸⁴

mvp-comment-895-2 Ζηνὶ σύνθακος θρόνων ¹⁰⁸⁵

mvp-comment-895-3 Αἰδὼς ¹⁰⁸⁶

mvp-comment-895-4 ἐπ’ ἔργοις πᾶσι ¹⁰⁸⁷

mvp-comment-895-5 καὶ πρὸς σοί ¹⁰⁸⁸

mvp-comment-896-1 τῶν γὰρ ἡμαρτημένων ¹⁰⁸⁹

mvp-comment-896-2 προσφορὰ ¹⁰⁹⁰

mvp-comment-897-1 τί σιγᾷς ¹⁰⁹¹

mvp-comment-898-1 μή μ’ ἀποστραφῇς ¹⁰⁹²

mvp-comment-898-2 ἀτιμάσας ¹⁰⁹³

mvp-comment-899-1 ὦ σπέρματ’ ¹⁰⁹⁴

mvp-comment-899-2 ἐμαὶ δ’ ¹⁰⁹⁵

mvp-comment-900-1 ἀλλ’ ὑμεῖς γε ¹⁰⁹⁶

mvp-comment-901-1 δυσπρόσοιστον ¹⁰⁹⁷

mvp-comment-901-2 στόμα ¹⁰⁹⁸

mvp-comment-902-1 ὡς μή μ’ ἄτιμον … οὕτως ἀφῇ με ¹⁰⁹⁹

mvp-comment-902-2 Elmsley's conjecture

, which Hartung adopts, is unmetrical. has ι^ always in pres. subj. and opt.: Il. 13.234

μεθίῃσι μάχεσθαι

: Hom. Hymn. 4.152

προίῃ βέλεα στονόεντα

: Theogn. 94 : Od. 2.185

ὧδ’ ἀνιείης

. In Aristoph. Lys. 157

τί δ); ἢν ἀφίωσιν ἄνδρες ἡμᾶς, ὦ μέλε

(so the MSS.), Kuster brought in a gratuitous error by writing , which Dindorf has adopted. (As Chandler says, is a false accent for . Accent. , 2nd ed. § 794, cp. § 820.) In the pres. indic., imper., inf., and part., ι— is normal, but Homeric verse usually has ι^ in thesis (as when ends a line); and the part. ( in Aristoph. Eq. 522 ) occurs with in Trag. ( Aesch. Th. 493 , etc.). Cp. El. 131 n.

mvp-comment-902-3 ἀφῆται ¹¹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-902-4 τοῦ θεοῦ γε ¹¹⁰¹

mvp-comment-902-5 προστάτην ¹¹⁰²

mvp-comment-902-6 οὕτως ¹¹⁰³

mvp-comment-903-1 χρείᾳ ¹¹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-904-1 τὰ πολλὰ ῥήματα ¹¹⁰⁵

mvp-comment-904-2 ἢ τέρψαντά τι ¹¹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-905-1 ἀφωνήτοις ¹¹⁰⁷

mvp-comment-906-1 ἐξηγεῖ ¹¹⁰⁸

mvp-comment-907-1 ποιούμενος ᾀρωγόν ¹¹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-907-2 ὧδε ¹¹¹⁰

mvp-comment-907-3 ἀνέστησεν ¹¹¹¹

mvp-comment-908-1 λέξαι τ’ ἀκοῦσαί τ’ ¹¹¹²

mvp-comment-908-2 ἐξόδῳ ¹¹¹³

mvp-comment-909-1 βουλήσομαι ¹¹¹⁴

mvp-comment-910-1 θέλω δὲ λέξαι ¹¹¹⁵

mvp-comment-911-1 πανάρχοις ¹¹¹⁶

mvp-comment-911-2 γεραίτερος ¹¹¹⁷

mvp-comment-911-3 In Attic prose the comparative of

always implies the contrast between youth and a more advanced period of life ( Thuc. 6.18

ἅμα νέοι γεραιτέροις βουλεύοντες

). The use in the text, to denote merely priority of birth (Attic ), is Ionic, as Her. 6.52

ἀμφότερα τὰ παιδία ἡγήσασθαι βασιλέας, τιμᾶν δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν γεραίτερον

: and poetical, as Theocr. 15. 139

ὁ γεραίτατος εἴκατι παίδων

.

mvp-comment-912-1 ἀνθ’ ὧν ¹¹¹⁸

mvp-comment-913-1 λόγῳ ¹¹¹⁹

mvp-comment-913-2 εἰς ἔλεγχον ¹¹²⁰

mvp-comment-913-3 χειρὸς οὐδ’ ἔργου ¹¹²¹

mvp-comment-914-1 μάλιστα μὲν ¹¹²²

mvp-comment-914-2 τὴν σὴν Ἐρινὺν ¹¹²³

mvp-comment-914-3 μάντεων ¹¹²⁴

mvp-comment-915-1 The γὰρ seems meant to introduce a further account of what the

at Argos had said; but no such explanation is given. γὰρ cannot be explained, at this point in the story, as the mere preface to narrative ( O. T. 277 ); that should have stood in 1292. Yet I would not write δ’ ἄρ’ . The hearers are left to understand that he found the seers among his new allies.

mvp-comment-915-2 τὸ Δωρικόν ¹¹²⁵

mvp-comment-916-1 γῆς Ἀπίας ¹¹²⁶

mvp-comment-917-1 τετίμηνται ¹¹²⁷

mvp-comment-917-2 δορί ¹¹²⁸

mvp-comment-918-1 τὸν ἑπτάλογχον … στόλον ¹¹²⁹

mvp-comment-919-1 πανδίκως ¹¹³⁰

mvp-comment-919-2 τοὺς τάδ’ ἐκπρ ¹¹³¹

mvp-comment-920-1 εἶεν ¹¹³²

mvp-comment-921-1 αὐτός τ’ ¹¹³³

mvp-comment-922-1 τάξεσιν … λόγχαις ¹¹³⁴

mvp-comment-923-1 δορυσσοῦς ¹¹³⁵

mvp-comment-923-2 δορυσσόος ¹¹³⁶

mvp-comment-923-3 Ἀμφιάρεως ¹¹³⁷

mvp-comment-923-4 τὰ πρῶτα μὲν … πρῶτα δέ ¹¹³⁹

mvp-comment-923-5 οἰωνῶν ὁδοῖς ¹¹⁴⁰

mvp-comment-924-1 The thirteen lines (1313— 1325) which contain the list of chiefs illustrate the poet's tact. There is no pomp of description, no superfluous detail; but the three most interesting points are lightly touched,—the character of Amphiaraus, the character of Capaneus, and the parentage of Parthenopaeus. The dramatic purpose is to dignify the strife, and to heighten the terror of the father's curse, which falls not only on the guilty son, but on his allies (cp. 1400).

mvp-comment-924-2 The list agrees in names, though not in order, with Aesch. Th. 377—652 , where each name is associated with one of the seven gates of Thebes, as probably in the epic Thebaid. (Cp. Ant. 141 ff., where the seven champions appear as having been slain and spoiled ,—the special doom of Amphiaraus being ignored.) Eur. Phoen. 1104 —1188 also has this list, except that Eteoclus is omitted, and Adrastus (the one survivor) substituted. In his Supplices Eteoclus and Adrastus are both included, while either Hippomedon or Amphiaraus seems to be omitted.

mvp-comment-925-1 Τυδεύς ¹¹⁴¹

mvp-comment-925-2 Ἐτέοκλος ¹¹⁴²

mvp-comment-925-3 Ἱππομέδοντ’ ¹¹⁴³

mvp-comment-926-1 κατασκαφῇ … δῃώσειν πυρί ¹¹⁴⁴ πυρί ¹¹⁴⁵ κατασκαφῇ ¹¹⁴⁶

mvp-comment-926-2 Καπανεὺς ¹¹⁴⁷

mvp-comment-927-1 Παρθενοπαῖος ¹¹⁴⁸

mvp-comment-927-2 ἐπώνυμος τῆς πρόσθεν ἀδμήτης ¹¹⁴⁹ χρόνῳ μητρὸς λοχευθείς ¹¹⁵⁰

mvp-comment-927-3 χρόνῳ ¹¹⁵¹

mvp-comment-928-1 ἐγὼ δὲ σός ¹¹⁵²

mvp-comment-928-2 πότμου ¹¹⁵³

mvp-comment-929-1 ἀντὶ παίδων ... ἱκετεύομεν ¹¹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-930-1 μῆνιν ...εἰκαθεῖν ¹¹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-930-2 τοὐμοῦ ¹¹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-931-1 Since πάτρας must clearly go with both verbs, it would seem that, aided by ἐξέωσε , the poet has used ἀπεσύλησεν with the constr. of

. Elsewhere we find only , to strip a thing from a man (cp. 922), or , to strip a man of a thing. We cannot here take πάτρας as gen. of the person robbed, ( ) since ἐξέωσε implies that the expeller is within the country. Nor could we well read πάτραν ( ).

mvp-comment-932-1 χρηστηρίων ¹¹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-932-2 προσθῇ ¹¹⁵⁸

mvp-comment-932-3 ἔφασκ’ ¹¹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-933-1 κρηνῶν ¹¹⁶¹

mvp-comment-934-1 πιθέσθαι ¹¹⁶²

mvp-comment-934-2 The v.l. πτωχὸς for ξένος doubtless arose from a feeling that the word repeated should be that which immediately preceded μέν (cp. on 5

): but forms one notion, in which is the more important element.

mvp-comment-935-1 θωπεύοντες ¹¹⁶³

mvp-comment-936-1 δαίμον’ ¹¹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-936-2 ἐξειληχότες ¹¹⁶⁵

mvp-comment-936-3 ἐξειληφότες ¹¹⁶⁶

mvp-comment-937-1 τάλας ¹¹⁶⁷

mvp-comment-937-2 ἁβρύνετι ¹¹⁶⁸

mvp-comment-938-1 φρενί ¹¹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-939-1 ὄγκῳ ¹¹⁷⁰

mvp-comment-939-2 σὺν ¹¹⁷¹

mvp-comment-939-3 διασκεδῶ ¹¹⁷²

mvp-comment-939-4 στήσω … στήσω δ’ ¹¹⁷³

mvp-comment-939-5 ἄγων ¹¹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-940-1 οὐδὲ σωθῆναι ¹¹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-941-1 τοῦ πέμψαντος ¹¹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-941-2 εἰπὼν … ἔκπεμψαι ¹¹⁷⁷

mvp-comment-942-1 δημοῦχοι ¹¹⁷⁸

mvp-comment-943-1 δικαιῶν ὥστ’ ¹¹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-944-1 ὀμφῆς ¹¹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-945-1 ἀξιωθεὶς … κἀκούσας γ’ ¹¹⁸¹

mvp-comment-945-2 τοιαῦθ’ ¹¹⁸²

mvp-comment-946-1 ὅς γ’, ὦ κάκιστε ¹¹⁸³

mvp-comment-946-2 σκῆπτρα καὶ θρόνους ¹¹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-947-1 ἃ ¹¹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-948-1 τὸν αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ ¹¹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-948-2 ἔθηκας ἄπολιν … καὶ φορεῖν ¹¹⁸⁷

mvp-comment-948-3 ἄπολιν ¹¹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-948-4 ταύτας ¹¹⁹⁰

mvp-comment-949-1 πόνῳ … κακῶν ¹¹⁹¹

mvp-comment-949-2 βεβηκὼς ¹¹⁹²

mvp-comment-949-3 ἐμοί ¹¹⁹³

mvp-comment-950-1 κλαυστὰ … οἰστέα ¹¹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-950-2 ἐμοὶ μὲν ¹¹⁹⁵

mvp-comment-951-1 I have little doubt that τάδ’, ἕωσπερ , not τάδ’, ὥσπερ , is the true reading here. The synizesis of ἕως was familiar through Homer: Od. 2.148

: Il. 17.727

ἕως μὲν γάρ τε θέουσι διαρραῖσαι μεμαῶτες

. In Ph. 1330

ὡς ἂν αὑτὸς ἥλιος

, Scaliger rightly changed to (first adopted by Wunder); Brunck, with less probability, to . In Ai. 1117

ὡς ἂν ᾖς ὀ=ός περ εἶ, ὡς

is more easily defended; but there also (I now think) was rightly conjectured by Scaliger.

mvp-comment-951-2 ἕωσπερ ¹¹⁹⁶

mvp-comment-951-3 φονέως ¹¹⁹⁷

mvp-comment-951-4 μεμνημένος ¹¹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-952-1 μόχθῳ … ἔντροφον ¹²⁰⁰

mvp-comment-952-2 ἐκ σέθεν ¹²⁰²

mvp-comment-953-1 ἐπαιτῶ ¹²⁰³

mvp-comment-954-1 εἰ δ’ ἐξέφυσα … μὴ ¹²⁰⁴

mvp-comment-954-2 τὸ σὸν μέρος ¹²⁰⁵

mvp-comment-955-1 εἰς τὸ συμπονεῖν ¹²⁰⁶

mvp-comment-955-2 ἀπ’ ἄλλου ¹²⁰⁷

mvp-comment-956-1 τοιγάρ σ’ ὁ δαίμων ¹²⁰⁸

mvp-comment-956-2 I hold εἴπερ to be right: it refers to the statement made by Polyneices, which it does not call in question, but merely notes as the condition.

mvp-comment-956-3 κινοῦνται ¹²⁰⁹

mvp-comment-957-1 κείνην ἐρείψεις ¹²¹⁰

mvp-comment-957-2 αἵματι … μιανθεὶς ¹²¹¹

mvp-comment-958-1 τοιάσδ’ ¹²¹²

mvp-comment-958-2 ἐξανῆκ’ ¹²¹³

mvp-comment-958-3 ξυμμάχους ¹²¹⁴

mvp-comment-959-1 ἀνακαλοῦμαι ¹²¹⁵

mvp-comment-960-1 ἵν’ ἀξιῶτον ¹²¹⁶

mvp-comment-960-2 τοὺς φυτεύσαντας σέβειν ¹²¹⁷

mvp-comment-961-1 καὶ μὴ )ξατιμάζητον ¹²¹⁸

mvp-comment-961-2 ἔφυτον ¹²¹⁹

mvp-comment-962-1 τοιγὰρ τὸ σὸν θ. ¹²²⁰

mvp-comment-962-2 Δίκη ¹²²¹

mvp-comment-962-3 θάκημα ¹²²²

mvp-comment-962-4 κρατοῦσιν ¹²²³

mvp-comment-963-1 ἡ παλαίφατος ¹²²⁴

mvp-comment-964-1 ξύνεδρος ¹²²⁵ Ζηνὸς ¹²²⁶

mvp-comment-964-2 ἀρχαίοισνόμοις ¹²²⁷

mvp-comment-965-1 κἀπάτωρ … ἐμοῦ ¹²²⁸

mvp-comment-966-1 συλλαβὼν ¹²²⁹

mvp-comment-966-2 καλοῦμαι ¹²³⁰

mvp-comment-966-3 ἐμφυλίου ¹²³¹

mvp-comment-967-1 δόρει ¹²³²

mvp-comment-967-2 νοστῆσαι ¹²³³

mvp-comment-967-3 τὸ κοῖλον Ἄργος ¹²³⁴

mvp-comment-968-1 κτανεῖν θ’ ¹²³⁵

mvp-comment-968-2 ¹²³⁶

mvp-comment-969-1 πατρῷον ¹²³⁷

mvp-comment-969-2 I prefer (1), but suspect that the poet used

with some measure of deliberate vagueness, leaving the hearers to choose between its possible associations, or to blend them. No emendation seems probable: see cr. n.

mvp-comment-969-3 ἀποικίσῃ ¹²³⁸

mvp-comment-970-1 τάσδε δαίμονας ¹²³⁹

mvp-comment-970-2 Ἄρη ¹²⁴⁰

mvp-comment-971-1 ἐξάγγελλε ¹²⁴¹

mvp-comment-972-1 γέρα ¹²⁴²

mvp-comment-973-1 οὔτε … τε ¹²⁴³

mvp-comment-973-2 ὁδοῖς ¹²⁴⁴

mvp-comment-973-3 Wecklein reads ξυνήδομαί σου (for σοι ): rightly, I think. With σοι, ταῖς παρελθούσαις ὁδοῖς is usu. taken as causal,

: but such a dat., in addition to the dat. of the person , is most awkward. We should expect either the dat. with , or else a gen., as Dem. or. 15 § 15

Ῥοδίοις γε...συγχαίρω τῶν γεγενημένων

. And ξυνήδομαι was constantly used with a dat. of the thing in which one takes joy, or of which one approves: Isocr. or. 5 § 8

συνησθεὶς...τοῖς περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης

: or. 8 § 87

συνησθησόμενοι ταῖς ἡμετέραις συμφοραῖς

(exult in): Eur. Med. 136

οὐδὲ συνήδομαι ...ἄλγεσι δώματος

: Hipp. 1286

τί...τοῖσδε συνήδει;

(these deeds ): Rhes. 958

οὐ μὴν θανόντι γ’ οὐδαμῶς συνήδομαι

(his death): Arist. Rhet. 2.4 . 3 (rejoicing in one's prosperity).

mvp-comment-974-1 οἴμοι ¹²⁴⁵

mvp-comment-974-2 τῆς ἐμῆς ¹²⁴⁶ κελεύθου ¹²⁴⁷

mvp-comment-975-1 οἷον … ὁδοῦ τέλος ¹²⁴⁸

mvp-comment-975-2 τάλας ¹²⁴⁹

mvp-comment-976-1 οἷον ¹²⁵⁰ φωνῆσαι ¹²⁵¹

mvp-comment-976-2 ἀλλ’ ὄντ’ ¹²⁵²

mvp-comment-977-1 τοῦδ’ ¹²⁵³

mvp-comment-977-2 ἀλλ’ ¹²⁵⁴

mvp-comment-978-1 τὰ σκληρὰ ¹²⁵⁵

mvp-comment-978-2 ταῦτ’ ¹²⁵⁶

mvp-comment-979-1 μή τοί με … μή μ’ ¹²⁵⁷

mvp-comment-980-1 θέσθε ἐν τάφοισι ¹²⁵⁸

mvp-comment-980-2 θέσθε ἐν κτερίσμασι ¹²⁵⁹

mvp-comment-980-3 κτερίσματα ¹²⁶⁰

mvp-comment-980-4 The poet's allusion to his own Antigone is lightly and happily made. Polyneices here naturally prays for regular funeral rites. That prayer was doomed to disappointment. And yet the

for which he asks are represented by the which, in the Antigone , his sister pours, after the symbolic rite of scattering dust on the unburied corpse ( Ant. 431 ).

mvp-comment-981-1 κομίζετον ¹²⁶¹

mvp-comment-981-2 οἷς ¹²⁶²

mvp-comment-981-3 οἴσει ¹²⁶³

mvp-comment-981-4 τῆς ἐμῆς ὑπουργίας ¹²⁶⁴

mvp-comment-982-1 — 1446 The dialogue between sister and brother illustrates her affection for him, and thus strengthens the link (1405 ff.) between this play and the Antigone. It has, however, a further dramatic purpose. The version of the paternal curse adopted by Sophocles tended to suggest this question to the spectator:—Why should Polyneices persevere in the war, when his defeat and death had been definitely foretold to him? For he plainly believes the prediction (cp. 1407, 1435), though he affects to think that there is a chance of escape (1444). The answer is furnished by the traits of his character which this dialogue brings out. They give the

for a course which might otherwise have seemed improbable.

mvp-comment-983-1 τὸ ποῖον ¹²⁶⁵

mvp-comment-984-1 ὡς τάχιστά γε ¹²⁶⁶

mvp-comment-985-1 πόλιν ¹²⁶⁷

mvp-comment-986-1 The MS.

is defensible if we take πῶς ἄγοιμι as dubitative, "How could I possibly lead?" See Appendix on 170. But there is at least a strong probability that the poet used ἄν here, instead of employing the much rarer construction. So far as our MSS. are concerned, the dropping out of ἄν after ἄγοιμι is not much less likely than the change of ἄν into αὖ . Either would have been easy. I prefer to , because ἄν is thus more forcibly placed, and serves also to bring out αὖθις . We have in Ph. 952 , but usually ( 364 : Ph. 127 , 342 , 1232 : Tr. 342 : Ai. 305 : fr. 444. 3 ).

mvp-comment-986-2 To Porson's

the drawback is the elision. We find for the plur. ( O. T. 284 , 840 etc.); but tragedy, which preferred to (though admitting the latter under metrical necessity, O. T. 734 ), would hardly have elided the in that word. Ant. 462

αὔτ’

(for ) is solitary in Soph.: L has .

mvp-comment-986-3 ταὐτὸν ¹²⁶⁸

mvp-comment-987-1 αὖθις ¹²⁶⁹

mvp-comment-987-2 πάτραν ¹²⁷⁰

mvp-comment-988-1 πρεσβεύοντ’ ¹²⁷¹

mvp-comment-988-2 οὕτω ¹²⁷²

mvp-comment-989-1 The MS. ἐκφέρει is usu. taken as intrans.,

The only relevant support for this is Tr. 824

ὁπότε τελεόμηνος ἐκφέροι | δωδέκατος ἄροτος

, The sense is different in Il. 23.376

ἔκφερον ἵπποι

, (and so Xen. Equest. 3. 4, of a horse running away). Hence Hermann's surely forced rendering here, But ἐκφέρει may be also 2nd pers. pres. midd., Cp. the use of the active in Il. 21.450

μισθοῖο τέλος... Ὧραι | ἐξέφερον

, accomplished the term of our hire: Pind. Nem. 4.60

Χείρων

mvp-comment-989-2 ἐς ὀρθὸν ¹²⁷³

mvp-comment-990-1 ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ¹²⁷⁴

mvp-comment-991-1 χρῄζει γάρ ¹²⁷⁵

mvp-comment-992-1 ἕπεσθαι ¹²⁷⁶

mvp-comment-993-1 οὐδ’ ¹²⁷⁷

mvp-comment-993-2 φλαῦῤ ¹²⁷⁸

mvp-comment-994-1 ἔσται μέλουσα ¹²⁷⁹

mvp-comment-995-1 κακὴ ¹²⁸⁰

mvp-comment-996-1 εὐοδοίη ¹²⁸¹

mvp-comment-996-2 τάδ’ εἰ θανόντι μοι | τελεῖτ’ ¹²⁸²

mvp-comment-996-3 ἐπεὶ οὐ ¹²⁸³

mvp-comment-996-4 ἕξετον ¹²⁸⁴

mvp-comment-997-1 μέθεσθε ¹²⁸⁵

mvp-comment-998-1 The change of persons within the verse (

) marks excitement: cp. 652, 820, 1169.

mvp-comment-998-2 καὶ τίς ¹²⁸⁶

mvp-comment-998-3 προῦπτον ¹²⁸⁷

mvp-comment-999-1 μὴ σύ γ’ ¹²⁸⁸

mvp-comment-999-2 ἃ μὴ δεῖ ¹²⁹¹

mvp-comment-1000-1 εἰ … στερηθῶ ¹²⁹²

mvp-comment-1000-2 ταῦτα δ’ ¹²⁹³

mvp-comment-1000-3 ταῦτα ¹²⁹⁴ φῦναι ¹²⁹⁵

mvp-comment-1000-4 ἐν τῷ δ. ¹²⁹⁶

mvp-comment-1000-5 φῦναι ¹²⁹⁷

mvp-comment-1000-6 The MS. σφῷν is better than σφὼ , to which some edd., following Elmsley, have needlessly changed it.

The contrast between his own case and theirs is thus more impressively marked than it would be by the acc. ( ). For the dat. of the person in whose interest the prayer is made, cp. O. T. 269 , Ph. 1019 , Ai. 392 . For

mvp-comment-1000-7 ἀρῶμαι ¹²⁹⁸

mvp-comment-1001-1 πᾶσιν ¹²⁹⁹

mvp-comment-1003-1 νέα τάδε … κιγχάνει ¹³⁰⁰

mvp-comment-1003-2 (2) Others suppose that a low rumbling of thunder was heard immediately after the exit of Polyneices, and that ἔκτυπεν αἰθήρ in 1456 merely marks the first loud sound. νέα τάδε … κακὰ ¹³⁰¹

mvp-comment-1003-3 εἴ τι μοῖρα μὴ κιγχάνει ¹³⁰²

mvp-comment-1003-4 νεόθεν ¹³⁰³ νέα ¹³⁰⁴

mvp-comment-1003-5 εἴ τι μοῖρα μὴ κιγχάνει ¹³⁰⁵

mvp-comment-1003-6 κιγχάνει ¹³⁰⁶

mvp-comment-1004-1 ματᾶν ¹³⁰⁷

mvp-comment-1004-2 ἀξίωμα ¹³⁰⁸

mvp-comment-1004-3 φράσαι ¹³⁰⁹

mvp-comment-1005-1 ὁρᾷ ¹³¹⁰

mvp-comment-1005-2 ταῦτ’ ¹³¹¹

mvp-comment-1005-3 ὁρᾷ ¹³¹²

mvp-comment-1005-4 The MS. words

are thus paraphrased by the schol.: . This makes it certain that, instead of ἐπεί , the schol. had some participle , as the form of the sentence plainly requires. For στρέφων cp. Eur. fr. 540 . Soph. Tr. 116

τὸν Καδμογενῆ | στρέφει, τὸ δ’ αὔξει βιότου | πολύπονον

, the troubles of his life now bring reverse, now glory, to Heracles. This was a poetical use of , which the schol.'s words were meant to explain. itself was not used alone as= , though often in phrases with that sense: cp. the frag. of a satyric drama (Aesch. fr. 304)—of a domesticated pig— . Wecklein's ἐπέχων ( ) would agree more closely with the metre of the antistrophe as given by the MSS. (see on 1469

). But στρέφων requires only the slightest change there, and is metrically preferable on other grounds (see Metrical Analysis): it is also a better contrast to αὔξων . — The MS. ἐπεὶ μέν is untranslatable. It has been explained as (1) = : (2) by an ellipse of a verb, as (Hermann). Neither is possible.

mvp-comment-1006-1 ἔκτυπεν ¹³¹³

mvp-comment-1007-1 πῶς ἄν ¹³¹⁴

mvp-comment-1007-2 εἴ τις ἔντοπος ¹³¹⁵

mvp-comment-1008-1 δεῦρο … πόροι ¹³¹⁶

mvp-comment-1008-2 πάντ’ ¹³¹⁷

mvp-comment-1009-1 τί δ’ ¹³¹⁸

mvp-comment-1009-2 τἀξίωμ’ ¹³¹⁹

mvp-comment-1010-1 πτερωτὸς ¹³²⁰

mvp-comment-1010-2 ἄξεται ¹³²¹

mvp-comment-1011-1 While the MS. words ἴδε μάλα μέγας ἐρείπεται correspond with the first verse of the strophe (1447), the second verse here exceeds its strophic counterpart by uu . Hermann supplied νέα in the strophe: Heinrich Schmidt omits ὅδε here. We need not do either. The erasure in L at μάλα μέγας shows that some disturbance had occurred; and this may have concerned the order of words. If we write

, we get an exact correspondence, without either adding to the strophe or taking from the antistrophe.

mvp-comment-1011-2 ἐρείπεται ¹³²²

mvp-comment-1011-3 κτύπος … διόβολος ¹³²³

mvp-comment-1011-4 ἄκραν ¹³²⁴

mvp-comment-1012-1 ἔπτηξα ¹³²⁵

mvp-comment-1012-2 θυμόν ¹³²⁶

mvp-comment-1012-3 οὐρανία ¹³²⁷

mvp-comment-1013-1 τί … ἀφήσει τέλος ¹³²⁸

mvp-comment-1013-2 μὰν ¹³²⁹

mvp-comment-1014-1 L has δέδεια τόδ’ , which might easily have grown out of δέδοικα δ’ (Nauck). The latter is recommended by metre, giving an exact correspondence if in 1454 we read στρέφων : cp. on 1453

f. With δέδια τόδ’ it is necessary to suppose a very improbable resolution of - into uu ; see Metrical Analysis.

mvp-comment-1015-1 ἀφορμᾷ ¹³³⁰

mvp-comment-1015-2 ξυμφορᾶς ¹³³¹

mvp-comment-1016-1 ὦ μέγας αἰθήρ ¹³³²

mvp-comment-1017-1 ἥκει τῷδ’ ἐπ’ ἀνδρί ¹³³³

mvp-comment-1018-1 συμβαλὼν ἔχεις ¹³³⁴

mvp-comment-1019-1 μοι ¹³³⁵

mvp-comment-1020-1 ἔα ¹³³⁶

mvp-comment-1020-2 μάλ’ αὖθις ¹³³⁷

mvp-comment-1020-3 ἀμφίσταται ¹³³⁸

mvp-comment-1020-4 διαπρύσιος ¹³³⁹

mvp-comment-1021-1 For ὦ δαίμων ¹³⁴⁰

mvp-comment-1021-2 ἵλα^ος ¹³⁴¹

mvp-comment-1022-1 γᾷ ματέρι ¹³⁴²

mvp-comment-1022-2 ἀφεγγὲς ¹³⁴³

mvp-comment-1023-1 σοῦ τύχοιμι ¹³⁴⁴

mvp-comment-1023-2 ἄλαστον ἄνδρ’ ¹³⁴⁵

mvp-comment-1023-3 ἰδὼν ¹³⁴⁶

mvp-comment-1024-1 ἀκερδῆ χάριν μετάσχ. ¹³⁴⁷

mvp-comment-1024-2 In the verb, μετά here=

: χάριν is acc., not gen., because it denotes the share, not the thing shared.

mvp-comment-1024-3 μετέχω ¹³⁴⁸

mvp-comment-1025-1 κιχήσεται ¹³⁴⁹

mvp-comment-1025-2 κατορθοῦντος ¹³⁵⁰

mvp-comment-1026-1 ἐμφῦναι φρενί ¹³⁵¹

mvp-comment-1027-1 For the pause in sense after εὖ , cp. 52, 288, 610, El. 1036 , Aesch. Eum. 87 .

mvp-comment-1027-2 τελεσφόρον χάριν ¹³⁵²

mvp-comment-1027-3 σφιν ¹³⁵³

mvp-comment-1027-4 τυγχάνων ¹³⁵⁴

mvp-comment-1028-1 εἴτ’ ἄκρα … ἱκοῦ ¹³⁵⁵

mvp-comment-1028-2 In 1491 εἴτ’ should perh. be εἴγ’ , but is intelligible if we suppose the thought to be,—Come (if thou art near, and at leisure),— or if thou art sacrificing, nevertheless quit the altar, and come.

mvp-comment-1028-3 βούθυτον ¹³⁵⁶

mvp-comment-1028-4 ἑστίαν ¹³⁵⁷

mvp-comment-1028-5 Ποσειδωνίῳ θεῷ ¹³⁵⁸

mvp-comment-1029-1 ἐπαξιοῖ ¹³⁵⁹

mvp-comment-1029-2 πόλισμα ¹³⁶⁰

mvp-comment-1029-3 παθών ¹³⁶¹

mvp-comment-1029-4 χάριν ¹³⁶²

mvp-comment-1031-1 μή τις ¹³⁶³

mvp-comment-1031-2 ὀμβρία χάλαζα ¹³⁶⁴

mvp-comment-1031-3 ἐπιρράξασα ¹³⁶⁵

mvp-comment-1032-1 τοιαῦτα ¹³⁶⁶

mvp-comment-1033-1 ποθοῦντι προὐφάνης ¹³⁶⁷

mvp-comment-1033-2 καί σοι θεῶν ¹³⁶⁸ τύχην … ὁδοῦ ¹³⁶⁹

mvp-comment-1034-1 ῥοπὴ βίου μοι ¹³⁷⁰

mvp-comment-1034-2 καὶ θέλω θανεῖν μὴ ψεύσας σε πόλιν τε τήνδε ¹³⁷¹

mvp-comment-1034-3 ἅπερ ξυνῄνεσα ¹³⁷²