Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 1723

mvp-comment-276-1 τὸν πρόσθε ¹

mvp-comment-277-1 ἀποστερίσκει ²

mvp-comment-278-1 πληθύων ³

mvp-comment-279-1 Ἄργος ⁴

mvp-comment-280-1 κῆδος ⁷

mvp-comment-280-2 καινόν ⁸

mvp-comment-281-1 ὡς ⁹

mvp-comment-281-2 ὡς … Ἄργος … καθέξον ἢ … βιβῶν ¹⁰

mvp-comment-282-1 τιμῇ ¹¹

mvp-comment-282-2 καθέξον ¹²

mvp-comment-282-3 πρὸς οὐρ. βιβῶν ¹³

mvp-comment-283-1 ἀριθμός ¹⁴

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 ¹⁵

mvp-comment-285-2 ὡς … θεοὺς ἕξειν ¹⁶

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 ¹⁷

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 ¹⁹

mvp-comment-290-2 γίγνεσθαι ²⁰

mvp-comment-290-3 φασί ²¹

mvp-comment-290-4 κράτη ²²

mvp-comment-291-1 ἀνήρ ²³

mvp-comment-292-1 ὤλλυσαν ²⁴

mvp-comment-293-1 see on 1

.

mvp-comment-293-2 δ\ς πέσῃ ²⁵

mvp-comment-294-1 καὶ μὴν ²⁶

mvp-comment-294-2 γε ²⁷

mvp-comment-295-1 βαιοῦ … χρόνου ²⁸

mvp-comment-295-2 κοὐχὶ μ. ²⁹

mvp-comment-296-1 στήσωσι ³⁰

mvp-comment-297-1 ὅρων ³¹

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 ³²

mvp-comment-298-4 κειμένου ³³

mvp-comment-299-1 κείνοις ³⁴ βαρύς ³⁵

mvp-comment-299-2 δυστυχῶν ³⁶

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 ³⁷

mvp-comment-301-2 ἂν … κρατοῖς ³⁸

mvp-comment-302-1 καὶ ³⁹

mvp-comment-303-1 τοὔμφυλον αἷμα ⁴⁰

mvp-comment-304-1 συναλλαγῆς ⁴¹

mvp-comment-305-1 σοῖς … τάφοις ⁴²

mvp-comment-306-1 θεωρῶν ⁴³

mvp-comment-306-2 ἑστίας ⁴⁴

mvp-comment-307-1 ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ⁴⁵

mvp-comment-308-1 οἱ μολόντες ⁴⁶

mvp-comment-309-1 παίδων τις ⁴⁷

mvp-comment-310-1 καὶ εἶτα ⁴⁸

mvp-comment-310-2 τῶνδ’ ⁴⁹

mvp-comment-310-3 πάρος … προὔθεντο ⁵⁰

mvp-comment-311-1 τοὐμοῦ πόθου ⁵¹

mvp-comment-312-1 φέρω δ’ ὅμως ⁵²

mvp-comment-313-1 ἀλλ’ ⁵³

mvp-comment-313-2 σφιν ⁵⁴

mvp-comment-313-3 τὴν πεπρωμένην ⁵⁵

mvp-comment-314-1 ἐν δ’ ⁵⁶

mvp-comment-314-2 ἐν ἐμοί ⁵⁷

mvp-comment-315-1 κἀπαναίρονται ⁵⁸

mvp-comment-315-2 ἐπαναιροῦνται δόρυ ⁵⁹

mvp-comment-316-1 ὡς ⁶⁰

mvp-comment-317-1 οἵ γε ⁶¹

mvp-comment-318-1 ἀτίμως ⁶²

mvp-comment-319-1 οὐκ ἔσχον ⁶³

mvp-comment-319-2 ἤμυναν ⁶⁴

mvp-comment-319-3 ἀνάστατος ⁶⁵

mvp-comment-320-1 αὐτοῖν ⁶⁶

mvp-comment-320-2 ἐξεκηρύχθην ⁶⁷

mvp-comment-321-1 εἴποις ἂν ⁶⁸

mvp-comment-321-2 θέλοντι ⁶⁹

mvp-comment-321-3 τότε ⁷⁰

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 ⁷¹

mvp-comment-323-2 τὴν αὐτίχ’ ⁷²

mvp-comment-324-1 λευσθῆναι πέτροις ⁷³

mvp-comment-325-1 ἔρωτ’ ἐς τόνδ’ ⁷⁵

mvp-comment-326-1 πέπων ⁷⁶

mvp-comment-327-1 ἐκδραμόντα ⁷⁸

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 ⁷⁹

mvp-comment-329-2 τοῦτο μέν ⁸¹

mvp-comment-330-1 χρόνιον ⁸²

mvp-comment-330-2 ἐπωφελεῖν ⁸³

mvp-comment-331-1 οἱ τοῦ πατρὸς τῷ πατρί ⁸⁴

mvp-comment-331-2 τὸ δρᾶν ⁸⁵

mvp-comment-332-1 ἔπους σμικροῦ χάριν ⁸⁶

mvp-comment-333-1 σφιν ⁸⁷

mvp-comment-334-1 τοῖνδε ⁸⁸

mvp-comment-335-1 τροφάς ⁸⁹

mvp-comment-336-1 γῆς ἄδειαν ⁹⁰

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 ⁹¹

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

mvp-comment-337-2 κραίνειν ⁹²

mvp-comment-337-3 σκῆπτρα ⁹³

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 ⁹⁴

mvp-comment-338-3 τοῦδε ⁹⁵

mvp-comment-338-4 συμμάχου ⁹⁶

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 ⁹⁷

mvp-comment-339-3 ἐξ ⁹⁸

mvp-comment-340-1 ἤνυσεν ⁹⁹

mvp-comment-341-1 ὁμοῦ | προστάτισι ¹⁰⁰

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 ¹⁰¹

mvp-comment-343-1 ἀλκὴν ποεῖσθαι ¹⁰²

mvp-comment-344-1 ἀρεῖσθε ¹⁰³

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 ¹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-345-2 κατοικτίσαι ¹⁰⁵

mvp-comment-346-1 αὐτός τε παῖδές θ’ ¹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-347-1 ἐπεμβάλλεις ¹⁰⁷

mvp-comment-347-2 τῷδε λόγῳ ¹⁰⁸

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 ¹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-348-3 ὡς … τελοῦντι ¹¹⁰

mvp-comment-349-1 καθαρμὸν τῶνδε δαιμόνων ¹¹¹

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 ¹¹²

mvp-comment-351-1 ἀειρύτου ¹¹³

mvp-comment-352-1 δῑ ὁσίων χειρῶν ¹¹⁴

mvp-comment-353-1 τοῦτο ¹¹⁵

mvp-comment-353-2 ἀκήρατον ¹¹⁶

mvp-comment-354-1 κρατῆρές εἰσιν ¹¹⁷

mvp-comment-354-2 εὔχειρος ¹¹⁹

mvp-comment-354-3 τέχνη ¹²⁰

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’ ¹²¹

mvp-comment-355-3 λαβὰς ἀμφιστόμους ¹²²

mvp-comment-356-1 θαλλοῖσιν ¹²³

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 ¹²⁴

mvp-comment-358-1 τὸ δ’ ἔνθεν ¹²⁵

mvp-comment-358-2 ποῖ τελ. ¹²⁶

mvp-comment-359-1 χοὰς χέασθαι ¹²⁷

mvp-comment-359-2 πρὸς πρώτην ἕω ¹²⁸

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 ¹²⁹

mvp-comment-360-2 οἷς ¹³⁰

mvp-comment-360-3 χέω ¹³¹

mvp-comment-361-1 πηγάς ¹³²

mvp-comment-361-2 τρισσάς ¹³³

mvp-comment-361-3 τὸν τελευτ ¹³⁴

mvp-comment-362-1 θῶ ¹³⁵

mvp-comment-363-1 μελίσσης ¹³⁶

mvp-comment-363-2 προσφέρειν ¹³⁷

mvp-comment-364-1 μελάμφυλλος ¹³⁸

mvp-comment-365-1 αὐτῇ ¹³⁹

mvp-comment-365-2 ἐξ ἀμφοῖν χεροῖν ¹⁴⁰

mvp-comment-366-1 ἐπεύχεσθαι ¹⁴¹

mvp-comment-367-1 τούτων ¹⁴²

mvp-comment-367-2 μέγιστα ¹⁴³

mvp-comment-368-1 Εὐμενίδας ¹⁴⁴

mvp-comment-368-2 ἐξ ¹⁴⁵

mvp-comment-369-1 τὸν ἱκέτην ¹⁴⁶

mvp-comment-369-2 σωτήριον ¹⁴⁷

mvp-comment-370-1 σύ τ’ ¹⁴⁸

mvp-comment-371-1 ἄπυστα ¹⁴⁹

mvp-comment-371-2 μηκύνων ¹⁵¹

mvp-comment-372-1 ἀφέρπειν ¹⁵²

mvp-comment-372-2 ἄστροφος ¹⁵³

mvp-comment-373-1 παρασταίην ¹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-374-1 προσχώρων ¹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-375-1 ὁδωτά ¹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-375-2 λείπομαι ¹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-375-3 ἐν ¹⁵⁸

mvp-comment-376-1 δύνασθαι ¹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-377-1 ἀρκεῖν … παρῇ ¹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-378-1 ἀλλ’ ἐν τάχει τι ¹⁶¹

mvp-comment-379-1 δίχα ¹⁶²

mvp-comment-380-1 τελοῦσα ¹⁶³

mvp-comment-380-2 τὸν τόπον ¹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-381-1 χρῆσται ¹⁶⁵

mvp-comment-381-2 τοῦτο ¹⁶⁶

mvp-comment-382-1 ἄλσους ¹⁶⁷

mvp-comment-383-1 ἔποικος ¹⁶⁸

mvp-comment-384-1 Ἀντιγόνη, σὺ δ’ ¹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-385-1 οὐδ’ ¹⁷⁰

mvp-comment-387-1 κείμενον … ἐπεγείρειν ¹⁷¹

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 ¹⁷²

mvp-comment-390-1 τᾶς ¹⁷³

mvp-comment-390-2 ἀπόρου φανείσας ¹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-391-1 ᾇ ξυνέστας ¹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-392-1 τᾶς σᾶς ἃ πέπονθ’ ¹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-392-2 ἔργ’ ¹⁷⁷

mvp-comment-393-1 τὸ πολὺ καὶ μηδαμὰ λῆγον ἄκουσμα χρῄξω ἀκοῦσαι ὀρθόν ¹⁷⁸

mvp-comment-393-2 πολὺ ¹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-393-3 μηδαμὰ ¹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-393-4 λῆγον ¹⁸¹

mvp-comment-393-5 ἄκουσμα ¹⁸²

mvp-comment-394-1 στέρξον ¹⁸³

mvp-comment-395-1 κἀγὼ ¹⁸⁴

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’ ¹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-396-3 κακότατ’ ¹⁸⁶

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 ¹⁸⁷

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 ¹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-398-1 κακᾷ εὐνᾷ ¹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-399-1 ἦ ματρόθεν … ἐπλήσω ¹⁹⁰

mvp-comment-399-2 ματρόθεν ¹⁹¹

mvp-comment-400-1 ἀκούειν ¹⁹²

mvp-comment-401-1 The constr. is

etc.

mvp-comment-401-2 ἐξ ἐμοῦ ¹⁹³

mvp-comment-401-3 αὗται … παῖδε ¹⁹⁴

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 ¹⁹⁵

mvp-comment-403-1 σαί τ’ εἴσ’ ἄῤ ¹⁹⁶

mvp-comment-403-2 κοιναί ¹⁹⁷

mvp-comment-403-3 πατρὸς ¹⁹⁸

mvp-comment-404-1 ἰώ — ἰὼ δῆτα ¹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-404-2 γε ²⁰⁰

mvp-comment-404-3 ἐπιστροφαί ²⁰¹

mvp-comment-405-1 ἄλαστ’ ἔχειν ²⁰²

mvp-comment-406-1 οὐκ ἔρεξα ²⁰³

mvp-comment-406-2 τί γάρ ²⁰⁴

mvp-comment-407-1 δῶρον ²⁰⁵

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 ²⁰⁶

mvp-comment-408-1 τί γάρ ²⁰⁷

mvp-comment-409-1 δευτέραν ²⁰⁸

mvp-comment-410-1 ἔχει δέ μοι … πρὸς δίκας τι ²⁰⁹

mvp-comment-410-2 τί γάρ ²¹⁰

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 ²¹¹

mvp-comment-412-2 ἐς τόδ’ ἦλθον ²¹²

mvp-comment-414-1 ὀμφήν ²¹³

mvp-comment-414-2 ἐφ’ ἁστάλη ²¹⁴

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 ²¹⁵

mvp-comment-416-1 ἔγνωκά ς’ ²¹⁶

mvp-comment-416-2 ἔγνωκα ²¹⁷

mvp-comment-417-1 ἀκούων ²¹⁸

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 ²¹⁹

mvp-comment-418-2 δύστηνον ²²⁰

mvp-comment-419-1 ὄνθ’ ὃς εἶ ²²¹

mvp-comment-420-1 )περέσθαι ²²²

mvp-comment-421-1 ἐπέστης ²²³

mvp-comment-421-2 πόλεως … ἐμοῦ τ; ²²⁴

mvp-comment-422-1 ἂν … τύχοις … ἐξαφισταίμην ²²⁵

mvp-comment-422-2 πρᾶξιν ²²⁶

mvp-comment-423-1 ξένος ²²⁷

mvp-comment-424-1 καὶ ὡς ἤθλησα πλεῖστα εἷς ἀνήρ ²²⁸

mvp-comment-424-2 ἐπὶ ξένης ²²⁹

mvp-comment-425-1 κινδυνεύματ’ ²³⁰

mvp-comment-425-2 ἐν τὠμῷ κάρᾳ ²³¹ κάρᾳ ²³²

mvp-comment-426-1 ξένον ²³³

mvp-comment-426-2 συνεκσῴζειν ²³⁴

mvp-comment-427-1 ἀνὴρ ²³⁵

mvp-comment-428-1 δοῦ ²³⁶

mvp-comment-429-1 τὸ σὸν γενναῖον ²³⁷

mvp-comment-430-1 παρῆκεν ²³⁸

mvp-comment-430-2 ὥστε ἐμοὶ δεῖσθαι ²³⁹

mvp-comment-430-3 δεῖσθαι ²⁴⁰

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 ²⁴¹

mvp-comment-432-2 διέρχεται ²⁴³

mvp-comment-433-1 τοῦτ’ αὐτὸ ²⁴⁴

mvp-comment-434-1 τὰ δὲ | κέρδη ²⁴⁵

mvp-comment-435-1 που ²⁴⁶

mvp-comment-436-1 ποίῳ ²⁴⁷

mvp-comment-436-2 προσφορὰ ²⁴⁸

mvp-comment-436-3 δηλώσεται ²⁴⁹

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 ²⁵⁰

mvp-comment-437-3 δῑ οὐδενὸς ποεῖ ²⁵¹

mvp-comment-438-1 ἐνταῦθα γάρ ²⁵²

mvp-comment-439-1 ἐν βραχεῖ ²⁵³

mvp-comment-440-1 γε μήν ²⁵⁴

mvp-comment-441-1 πότερα ²⁵⁵

mvp-comment-441-2 ἐγγενῶν ²⁵⁶

mvp-comment-441-3 κἀμοῦ ²⁵⁷

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 ²⁵⁸

mvp-comment-443-2 οὐδέ ²⁵⁹

mvp-comment-443-3 φεύγειν ²⁶⁰

mvp-comment-444-1 ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ ²⁶¹

mvp-comment-444-2 παρίεσαν ²⁶²

mvp-comment-445-1 θυμὸς δ’ ²⁶³

mvp-comment-445-2 ξύμφορον ²⁶⁴

mvp-comment-446-1 μάθῃς μου ²⁶⁵

mvp-comment-447-1 ξυμφορὰν ²⁶⁶

mvp-comment-447-2 ἐρεῖς ²⁶⁷

mvp-comment-448-1 μεῖζον ἢ κατ’ ἄνθρ. ²⁶⁸

mvp-comment-448-2 νοσεῖς ²⁶⁹

mvp-comment-449-1 Instead of

, we have , since = .—Cp. on 407

.

mvp-comment-450-1 πεμψαίαθ’ ²⁷⁰

mvp-comment-450-2 ὥστ’ οἰκεῖν δίχα ²⁷¹

mvp-comment-450-3 ὥστε ²⁷²

mvp-comment-451-1 ἐξαναγκάσει ²⁷³

mvp-comment-452-1 ὅτι ²⁷⁴

mvp-comment-452-2 τῇδε … χθονί ²⁷⁵

mvp-comment-453-1 τἀμὰ κἀκείνων ²⁷⁶

mvp-comment-454-1 γῆρας … κατθανεῖν ²⁷⁷

mvp-comment-455-1 συγχεῖ ²⁷⁸

mvp-comment-455-2 παγκρατὴς ²⁷⁹

mvp-comment-456-1 φθίνει μὲν … φθίνει δὲ ²⁸⁰

mvp-comment-456-2 γῆς ²⁸¹

mvp-comment-457-1 βλαστάνει ²⁸²

mvp-comment-458-1 πνεῦμα ²⁸³

mvp-comment-459-1 βέβηκεν ²⁸⁶

mvp-comment-459-2 πόλει ²⁸⁷

mvp-comment-460-1 τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἤδη ²⁸⁸

mvp-comment-460-2 ἤδη ²⁸⁹

mvp-comment-460-3 καὖθις φίλα ²⁹⁰

mvp-comment-461-1 Θήβαις ²⁹¹

mvp-comment-462-1 καλῶς ²⁹²

mvp-comment-462-2 τὰ ²⁹³

mvp-comment-462-3 τὸ πρὸς σέ ²⁹⁴

mvp-comment-462-4 ὁ μυρίος ²⁹⁵

mvp-comment-463-1 τεκνοῦται ²⁹⁶

mvp-comment-463-2 ἰών ²⁹⁷

mvp-comment-464-1 ἐν αἷς ²⁹⁸

mvp-comment-464-2 δεξιώματα ²⁹⁹

mvp-comment-465-1 δόρει διασκεδῶσιν ³⁰⁰

mvp-comment-465-2 δόρει ³⁰¹

mvp-comment-466-1 ἵν’ ³⁰²

mvp-comment-466-2 εὕδων ³⁰³

mvp-comment-467-1 ψυχρὸς … θερμὸν ³⁰⁴

mvp-comment-468-1 σαφής ³⁰⁵

mvp-comment-469-1 τἀκίνητα ³⁰⁶

mvp-comment-470-1 ἔα με ³⁰⁷

mvp-comment-470-2 τὸ σὸν … πιστὸν φυλάσσων ³⁰⁸

mvp-comment-471-1 εἴπερ μὴ ψεύσουσι ³⁰⁹

mvp-comment-471-2 εἴπερ ³¹⁰

mvp-comment-472-1 πάλαι ³¹²

mvp-comment-473-1 ἐφαίνετο τελῶν ³¹³

mvp-comment-474-1 δῆτ’ ³¹⁴

mvp-comment-474-2 ἐκβάλοι ³¹⁵

mvp-comment-475-1 ὅτῳ ³¹⁶

mvp-comment-475-2 κοινή ³¹⁷

mvp-comment-475-3 αἰέν ³¹⁸

mvp-comment-475-4 δορύξενος ³¹⁹

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 ³²⁰

mvp-comment-476-2 δασμός ³²¹

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

1007 ,

σεβίσασα

Ant. 943 ,

σεβίζομαι ³²²

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 ³²³

mvp-comment-478-1 ἔμπολιν ³²⁴

mvp-comment-478-2 ἔμπαλιν ³²⁵

mvp-comment-478-3 δέ ³²⁶

mvp-comment-479-1 σέ ³²⁷

mvp-comment-480-1 εἰ δὲ τόδε — στείχειν μετ’ ἐμοῦ, — ἡδύ ἐστι — δίδωμί σοι, τούτων κρίναντι ( ὁπότερον βούλει ), χρῆσθαι ( αὐτᾦ ³²⁸

mvp-comment-480-2 τούτων ³²⁹

mvp-comment-480-3 δίδωμι … χρῆσθαι ³³⁰

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 ³³¹ 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 ³³²

mvp-comment-480-6 ξυνοίσομαι ³³³

mvp-comment-481-1 διδοίης … εὖ ³³⁴

mvp-comment-482-1 δόμους στείχειν ³³⁵

mvp-comment-483-1 εἰ … ἦν ³³⁶

mvp-comment-484-1 ἐν ᾧ τί πράξεις ³³⁷

mvp-comment-485-1 κρατήσω ³³⁸

mvp-comment-486-1 μέγ’ ἂν λέγοις δώρημα ³³⁹

mvp-comment-486-2 τῆς συνουσίας ³⁴⁰

mvp-comment-486-3 τῆς ς. ³⁴¹

mvp-comment-487-1 εἰ σοί γ’ | ἅπερ φὴς ἐμμενεῖ ³⁴²

mvp-comment-488-1 τὸ τοῦδέ γ’ ἀνδρ ³⁴³

mvp-comment-489-1 ὡς κακὸν ³⁴⁴

mvp-comment-490-1 ἢ λόγῳ ³⁴⁵

mvp-comment-491-1 τοῦ μάλιστ’ ὄκνος σ’ ἔχει ³⁴⁷

mvp-comment-492-1 ὅρα με λείπων ³⁴⁸

mvp-comment-493-1 ὀκνοῦντ’ ἀνάγκη ³⁴⁹

mvp-comment-494-1 οὐκ οἶσθ’ ³⁵⁰

mvp-comment-494-2 μή ³⁵¹

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 ³⁵²

mvp-comment-496-1 αὑτοῦ ³⁵³

mvp-comment-496-2 φροῦδα ³⁵⁴

mvp-comment-497-1 κείνοις ³⁵⁵

mvp-comment-497-2 καὶ εἰ ἐπερρώσθη ³⁵⁶

mvp-comment-497-3 λέγειν ³⁵⁷

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 ³⁵⁸

mvp-comment-497-6 κεἰ ³⁵⁹

mvp-comment-498-1 τὸ δεῦρο ³⁶⁰

mvp-comment-499-1 θαρσεῖν μὲν οὖν ³⁶¹

mvp-comment-499-2 κἄνευ τῆς ἐμῆς γνώμης ³⁶²

mvp-comment-499-3 ἐπαινῶ ³⁶³

mvp-comment-499-4 Φοῖβος ³⁶⁴

mvp-comment-500-1 ὅμως ³⁶⁵

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 ³⁶⁶

mvp-comment-503-2 ἔπαυλα ³⁶⁷

mvp-comment-504-1 τὸν ³⁶⁸

mvp-comment-504-2 ἀργῆτα ³⁶⁹

mvp-comment-505-1 μινύρεται θαμίζουσα ³⁷⁰

mvp-comment-506-1 χλω. ὑπὸ βάσσαις ³⁷¹

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 ³⁷²

mvp-comment-509-1 ἀνήνεμον … χειμώνων ³⁷³

mvp-comment-510-1 βακχιώτας ³⁷⁴

mvp-comment-511-1 ἐμβατεύει ³⁷⁵

mvp-comment-511-2 ἀμφιπολῶν ³⁷⁶

mvp-comment-511-3 tiqh/nais ³⁷⁷

mvp-comment-512-1 θάλλει δ’ ³⁷⁹

mvp-comment-513-1 νάρκισσος ³⁸⁰

mvp-comment-513-2 μεγάλαιν θεαῖν ³⁸¹

mvp-comment-514-1 ἀρχαῖον στεφάνωμ’ ³⁸²

mvp-comment-515-1 χρυσαυγὴς κρόκος ³⁸³

mvp-comment-516-1 κρῆναι ³⁸⁵

mvp-comment-516-2 μινύθουσιν ³⁸⁶

mvp-comment-517-1 Κηφισοῦ ³⁸⁷

mvp-comment-517-2 νομάδες ³⁸⁸

mvp-comment-518-1 ἐπ’ ἤματι ³⁸⁹

mvp-comment-519-1 ὠκυτόκος ³⁹²

mvp-comment-519-2 πεδίων ἐπινίσσεται ³⁹³

mvp-comment-520-1 ὄμβρῳ ³⁹⁴

mvp-comment-521-1 στ. χθονός ³⁹⁵

mvp-comment-521-2 στερνούχου ³⁹⁶

mvp-comment-521-3 Μουσᾶν ³⁹⁷

mvp-comment-522-1 νιν ³⁹⁸

mvp-comment-522-2 οὐδ’ ἁ ³⁹⁹

mvp-comment-522-3 Ἀφροδίτη ⁴⁰⁰

mvp-comment-522-4 χρυσάνιος ⁴⁰¹

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 ⁴⁰²

mvp-comment-524-1 Δωρίδι ⁴⁰³

mvp-comment-524-2 νάσῳ ⁴⁰⁴

mvp-comment-524-3 Πέλοπος ⁴⁰⁵

mvp-comment-525-1 φύτευμ’ ⁴⁰⁷

mvp-comment-525-2 ἀχείρωτον ⁴⁰⁸

mvp-comment-526-1 φόβημα ⁴⁰⁹

mvp-comment-527-1 τᾷδε … χώρᾳ ⁴¹⁰

mvp-comment-527-2 μέγιστα ⁴¹¹

mvp-comment-528-1 παιδοτρόφου ⁴¹²

mvp-comment-529-1 τὸ μέν τις ⁴¹³

mvp-comment-529-2 σημαίνων ⁴¹⁴

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 ⁴¹⁵

mvp-comment-531-1 Μορίου Διός ⁴¹⁶

mvp-comment-531-2 Μορίου ⁴¹⁷

mvp-comment-532-1 γλαυκῶπις ⁴¹⁸

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

mvp-comment-533-2 ματρόπολει ⁴¹⁹

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 ⁴²⁰

mvp-comment-535-2 εὔιππον ⁴²¹

mvp-comment-535-3 εὐθάλασσον ⁴²²

mvp-comment-535-4 εὔιππον, εὐθάλασσον ⁴²³

mvp-comment-536-1 σὺ γάρ ⁴²⁴

mvp-comment-537-1 εἷσας ⁴²⁵

mvp-comment-538-1 ἵπποισιν ⁴²⁶

mvp-comment-538-2 ἀκεστῆρα ⁴²⁷

mvp-comment-539-1 πρώταισι ταῖσδε … ἀγυιαῖς ⁴²⁸

mvp-comment-539-2 κτίσας ⁴²⁹

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 ⁴³⁰

mvp-comment-540-3 ἔκπαγλα ⁴³¹

mvp-comment-540-4 ἁλία ⁴³²

mvp-comment-541-1 τῶν ἑκατομπόδων Νηρῄδων ⁴³³

mvp-comment-543-1 σὸν … δὴ ⁴³⁴

mvp-comment-543-2 φαίνειν τὰ λαμπρὰ ἔπη ⁴³⁵

mvp-comment-544-1 The

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

mvp-comment-545-1 ἡμῖν ⁴³⁶

mvp-comment-546-1 φαίνοιτ’ ἄν ⁴³⁷

mvp-comment-546-2 τέρμα τῆς σωτηρίας ⁴³⁸

mvp-comment-547-1 παρέσται ⁴³⁹

mvp-comment-547-2 ἐγώ ⁴⁴⁰

mvp-comment-548-1 ὀμμάτων ⁴⁴¹

mvp-comment-548-2 εἰληφότας ⁴⁴²

mvp-comment-548-3 νεώρη ⁴⁴³

mvp-comment-549-1 ὃν ⁴⁴⁴

mvp-comment-550-1 ὡς ⁴⁴⁵

mvp-comment-550-2 δρᾶν τι ⁴⁴⁶

mvp-comment-551-1 εἴ τιν’ ⁴⁴⁷

mvp-comment-552-1 τηλικόσδ’ ⁴⁴⁸

mvp-comment-553-1 οὐκ ἐξ ἑνὸς στείλαντος ⁴⁴⁹

mvp-comment-553-2 ἀστῶν ⁴⁵⁰

mvp-comment-554-1 ἧκέ μοι γένει ⁴⁵¹

mvp-comment-554-2 γένει ⁴⁵²

mvp-comment-555-1 εἰς πλεῖστον πόλεως ⁴⁵³

mvp-comment-555-2 εἰς ⁴⁵⁴

mvp-comment-556-1 ἀλλ’ ⁴⁵⁵

mvp-comment-557-1 δικαίως ⁴⁵⁶

mvp-comment-557-2 ἐκ δὲ τῶν ⁴⁵⁷

mvp-comment-558-1 ὅσῳπερ ⁴⁵⁸

mvp-comment-558-2 πλειστον … κάκιστος ⁴⁵⁹

mvp-comment-559-1 ξένον ⁴⁶⁰

mvp-comment-559-2 ἐπὶ μιᾶς πρ ⁴⁶¹

mvp-comment-560-1 τὴν ⁴⁶²

mvp-comment-560-2 τάλας ⁴⁶³

mvp-comment-561-1 οὐκ ἔδοξα πεσεῖν ἄν ⁴⁶⁴

mvp-comment-561-2 ἐς τοσοῦτον αἰκίας ⁴⁶⁵

mvp-comment-561-3 ὅσον ⁴⁶⁶

mvp-comment-561-4 ἥδε δύσμορος ⁴⁶⁷

mvp-comment-562-1 τὸ σὸν κάρα ⁴⁶⁸

mvp-comment-563-1 πτωχῷ ⁴⁶⁹

mvp-comment-563-2 τηλικοῦτος ⁴⁷⁰

mvp-comment-564-1 τοὐπιόντος ⁴⁷¹

mvp-comment-565-1 ἆῤ ⁴⁷²

mvp-comment-565-2 ὦ τάλας ⁴⁷³

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 ⁴⁷⁴

mvp-comment-568-1 θελήσας ⁴⁷⁶

mvp-comment-568-2 ἄστυ ⁴⁷⁷

mvp-comment-569-1 εἰπών ⁴⁷⁸

mvp-comment-569-2 ἡ δ’ οἴκοι ⁴⁷⁹

mvp-comment-570-1 παντὸς ⁴⁸⁰

mvp-comment-570-2 ἂν φέρων ⁴⁸¹

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 ⁴⁸²

mvp-comment-571-3 δεύτερον … ἑλεῖν ⁴⁸³

mvp-comment-571-4 ἐν οἷς ⁴⁸⁴

mvp-comment-571-5 μάλιστ’ ἂν ἀλγοίην ⁴⁸⁵

mvp-comment-572-1 πρόσθεν τε ⁴⁸⁶

mvp-comment-572-2 οἰκείοις ⁴⁸⁷

mvp-comment-573-1 νοσοῦνθ’ ⁴⁸⁸

mvp-comment-574-1 οὐκ ἤθελες θέλοντι ⁴⁸⁹

mvp-comment-574-2 προσθέσθαι ⁴⁹⁰

mvp-comment-575-1 ἦ ⁴⁹¹

mvp-comment-575-2 μεστὸς ⁴⁹²

mvp-comment-576-1 ἐξεώθεις κἀξέβ ⁴⁹⁴

mvp-comment-577-1 τοῦτ’ ⁴⁹⁵

mvp-comment-578-1 πόλιν ⁴⁹⁶ γένος ⁴⁹⁷

mvp-comment-579-1 μετασπᾶν ⁴⁹⁸

mvp-comment-579-2 σκληρὰ μαλθακῶς λέγων ⁴⁹⁹

mvp-comment-580-1 αὕτη ⁵⁰¹

mvp-comment-580-2 τίς τέρψις ⁵⁰²

mvp-comment-580-3 φιλεῖν ⁵⁰³

mvp-comment-580-4 τοσαύτη ⁵⁰⁴

mvp-comment-581-1 ὥσπερ ⁵⁰⁵

mvp-comment-581-2 τις ⁵⁰⁶

mvp-comment-581-3 τυχεῖν ⁵⁰⁷

mvp-comment-582-1 ὧν χρῄζοις ⁵⁰⁸

mvp-comment-583-1 ἡ χάρις ⁵⁰⁹

mvp-comment-584-1 ἆῤ ⁵¹⁰

mvp-comment-585-1 καὶ σὺ ⁵¹¹

mvp-comment-586-1 λόγῳ … τοῖσι δ’ ἔργοισιν ⁵¹²

mvp-comment-587-1 καὶ τοῖσδ’ ⁵¹³

mvp-comment-588-1 πάραυλον ⁵¹⁴

mvp-comment-589-1 κακῶν ἄνατος ⁵¹⁵

mvp-comment-589-2 τῆσδ’ ⁵¹⁶

mvp-comment-589-3 ἀπαλλαχθῇ ⁵¹⁷

mvp-comment-590-1 ταῦτα … τάδ’ ⁵¹⁸

mvp-comment-590-2 χώρας ⁵¹⁹

mvp-comment-591-1 τοσοῦτον, ἐνθανεῖν μόνον ⁵²⁰

mvp-comment-591-2 ἐνθανεῖν ⁵²²

mvp-comment-592-1 σαφεστέρων ⁵²³

mvp-comment-592-2 κλύω ⁵²⁴

mvp-comment-593-1 τὸ σὸν … στόμα ⁵²⁵

mvp-comment-593-2 ὑπόβλητον ⁵²⁶

mvp-comment-594-1 πολλὴν ἔχον στόμωσιν ⁵²⁷

mvp-comment-595-1 κακά ⁵²⁸ σωτήρια ⁵²⁹

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 ⁵³⁰

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 ⁵³¹

mvp-comment-598-3 ἐς τὰ σά ⁵³²

mvp-comment-598-4 ἐν τῷ νῦν λόγῳ ⁵³³

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

Oed. rejoins,

mvp-comment-600-1 φύσας ⁵³⁴

mvp-comment-601-1 λῦμα ⁵³⁵

mvp-comment-601-2 τρέφει ⁵³⁶

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

(Oed. to Creon).

mvp-comment-603-1 ἐξ ἅπαντος ⁵³⁷

mvp-comment-603-2 εὖ λέγει ⁵³⁸

mvp-comment-604-1 τὸ καίρια ⁵³⁹

mvp-comment-605-1 ὡς δὴ ⁵⁴⁰

mvp-comment-606-1 ὅτῳ ⁵⁴¹

mvp-comment-607-1 πρὸ τῶνδε ⁵⁴²

mvp-comment-608-1 ἐφορμῶν ⁵⁴³

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 ⁵⁴⁴

mvp-comment-610-1 ἀνταμείβει ⁵⁴⁵

mvp-comment-610-2 πρὸς ⁵⁴⁶

mvp-comment-610-3 οἷα ⁵⁴⁷

mvp-comment-611-1 τῶνδε συμμ ⁵⁴⁸

mvp-comment-612-1 ἦ μὴν ⁵⁴⁹

mvp-comment-612-2 κἄνευ τοῦδε ⁵⁵⁰

mvp-comment-612-3 λυπηθεὶς ἔσει ⁵⁵¹

mvp-comment-613-1 ποίῳ σὺν ἔργῳ ⁵⁵²

mvp-comment-613-2 σὺν ⁵⁵³

mvp-comment-613-3 ἀπειλήσας ἔχεις ⁵⁵⁴

mvp-comment-614-1 τὴν μὲν ⁵⁵⁵

mvp-comment-615-1 τάδε ⁵⁵⁶

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 ⁵⁵⁷

mvp-comment-617-1 τὸν ἀσεβῆ ⁵⁵⁸

mvp-comment-618-1 θᾶσσον ⁵⁵⁹

mvp-comment-618-2 εἴργασαι ⁵⁶⁰

mvp-comment-619-1 ὑμῖν ⁵⁶¹

mvp-comment-619-2 ἂν εἴη ⁵⁶²

mvp-comment-620-1 ποῖ φύγω ⁵⁶³

mvp-comment-620-2 θεῶν … ἢ βροτῶν; ⁵⁶⁴

mvp-comment-621-1 οὐχ ἅψομαι ⁵⁶⁵

mvp-comment-621-2 τῆς ἐμῆς ⁵⁶⁶

mvp-comment-622-1 τοὺς ἐμοὺς ⁵⁶⁷

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 ⁵⁶⁸

mvp-comment-625-1 εἰς βάσανον εἶ χερῶν ⁵⁶⁹

mvp-comment-625-2 εἶ ⁵⁷⁰

mvp-comment-626-1 εἴργου ⁵⁷¹

mvp-comment-626-2 μωμένου ⁵⁷²

mvp-comment-627-1 πόλει ⁵⁷³

mvp-comment-628-1 οὐκ ἠγόρευον ⁵⁷⁴

mvp-comment-629-1 μὴ )πίτασσ’ ἃ μὴ κρατεῖς ⁵⁷⁵

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 ⁵⁷⁶

mvp-comment-631-1 πρόβαθ’ … βᾶτε ⁵⁷⁷

mvp-comment-631-2 ὧδε ⁵⁷⁸

mvp-comment-631-3 ἔντοποι ⁵⁷⁹

mvp-comment-632-1 πόλις … σθένει ⁵⁸⁰

mvp-comment-632-2 σθένει ⁵⁸¹

mvp-comment-633-1 μοι ⁵⁸²

mvp-comment-634-1 ὦ τάλας ⁵⁸³

mvp-comment-635-1 ἐκ τούτοιν … σκήπτροιν ⁵⁸⁴

mvp-comment-635-2 ἐκ ⁵⁸⁵

mvp-comment-635-3 σκήπτροιν ⁵⁸⁶

mvp-comment-636-1 οδοιπορήσῃς ⁵⁸⁷

mvp-comment-636-2 νικᾶν ⁵⁸⁸

mvp-comment-637-1 τύραννος ⁵⁸⁹

mvp-comment-638-1 γνώσει τάδε ⁵⁹⁰

mvp-comment-638-2 αὑτὸν ⁵⁹¹

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 ⁵⁹²

mvp-comment-640-1 ὀργῇ χάριν δούς ⁵⁹³

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 ⁵⁹⁴

mvp-comment-643-1 ῥύσιον ⁵⁹⁵

mvp-comment-643-2 πόλει ⁵⁹⁶

mvp-comment-643-3 πόλει ⁵⁹⁹

mvp-comment-643-4 θήσεις πόλει ⁶⁰⁰

mvp-comment-643-5 ἐφάψομαι ⁶⁰¹

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 ⁶⁰²

mvp-comment-645-1 ἢν μή γ’ ⁶⁰³

mvp-comment-645-2 ἀπειργάθῃ ⁶⁰⁴

mvp-comment-646-1 φθέγμ’ ⁶⁰⁵

mvp-comment-647-1 αὐδῶ σιωπᾶν ⁶⁰⁶

mvp-comment-647-2 ἄφωνον … ἀρᾶς ⁶⁰⁷

mvp-comment-647-3 τῆς ⁶⁰⁸

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

mvp-comment-648-2 ὅς ⁶⁰⁹

mvp-comment-648-3 ψιλὸν ὄμμ’ ⁶¹⁰

mvp-comment-648-4 ψιλὸν ⁶¹¹

mvp-comment-648-5 ἀποσπάσας ⁶¹²

mvp-comment-649-1 ἐξοίχει ⁶¹³

mvp-comment-650-1 σέ τ’ αὐτὸν ⁶¹⁴

mvp-comment-651-1 Ἥλιος ⁶¹⁵

mvp-comment-651-2 βίον ⁶¹⁶

mvp-comment-651-3 κἀμὲ ⁶¹⁷

mvp-comment-652-1 ὁρᾶτε ⁶¹⁸

mvp-comment-653-1 ἔργοις ⁶¹⁹

mvp-comment-653-2 ῥήμασιν ⁶²⁰

mvp-comment-654-1 μοῦνος ⁶²¹

mvp-comment-654-2 βραδύς ⁶²²

mvp-comment-655-1 ἰὼ τάλας ⁶²³

mvp-comment-656-1 τάνδε ( πόλιν ) οὐκέτι πόλιν νεμῶ ⁶²⁴

mvp-comment-657-1 τοῖς … δικαίοις ⁶²⁵

mvp-comment-657-2 βραχὺς ⁶²⁶

mvp-comment-658-1 τά ⁶²⁷

mvp-comment-659-1 Ζεύς γ’ ἂν … σὺ δ’ οὔ ⁶²⁸

mvp-comment-660-1 ὕβρις ⁶²⁹

mvp-comment-660-2 ἀνεκτέα ⁶³⁰

mvp-comment-661-1 πρόμοι ⁶³¹

mvp-comment-662-1 πέραν περῶσ’ οἵδε δή ⁶³²

mvp-comment-662-2 δή ⁶³³

mvp-comment-663-1 βωμὸν ⁶³⁴

mvp-comment-663-2 ἔσχετ’ ⁶³⁵

mvp-comment-664-1 θᾶσσον ἢ καθ’ ἡδονὴν ⁶³⁶

mvp-comment-665-1 ἔγνων ⁶³⁷

mvp-comment-666-1 τὰ ποῖα ταῦτα ⁶³⁸

mvp-comment-667-1 οἴχεται ⁶³⁹

mvp-comment-667-2 τὴν μόνην ⁶⁴⁰

mvp-comment-668-1 περ ⁶⁴¹

mvp-comment-669-1 οὔκουν τις … ἀναγκάσει ⁶⁴²

mvp-comment-669-2 τούσδε βωμοὺς ⁶⁴³

mvp-comment-670-1 Join σπεύδειν ἀπὸ θυμάτων, ἄνιππον, ἱππότην τε ἀπὸ ῥυτῆρος ⁶⁴⁴

mvp-comment-670-2 ἀπὸ ῥυτῆρος ⁶⁴⁵

mvp-comment-670-3 δίστομοι … ὁδοί ⁶⁴⁶

mvp-comment-670-4 μάλιστα ⁶⁴⁷ ἔνθα ⁶⁴⁸

mvp-comment-671-1 ἴθ’ ⁶⁴⁹

mvp-comment-672-1 δῑ ὀργῆς ἧκον ⁶⁵⁰

mvp-comment-673-1 μεθῆκ’ ⁶⁵¹

mvp-comment-674-1 οὕσπερ … τοὺς νόμους ⁶⁵²

mvp-comment-675-1 τούτοισι ⁶⁵³

mvp-comment-675-2 ἁρμοσθήσεται ⁶⁵⁴

mvp-comment-676-1 ἐναργεῖς ⁶⁵⁵

mvp-comment-676-2 ἄγων ⁶⁵⁶

mvp-comment-677-1 κατάξια δρᾶν ⁶⁵⁷

mvp-comment-678-1 ὧν ⁶⁵⁸

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’ ⁶⁵⁹

mvp-comment-680-2 ἀφεὶς ⁶⁶⁰

mvp-comment-681-1 τὰ … κύρια ⁶⁶¹

mvp-comment-681-2 ἐπεισπεσὼν ⁶⁶²

mvp-comment-682-1 ἄγεις ⁶⁶³

mvp-comment-682-2 παρίστασαι ⁶⁶⁴

mvp-comment-683-1 κένανδρον … ἢ δούλην τινὰ ⁶⁶⁵

mvp-comment-684-1 τῷ μηδενί ⁶⁶⁶

mvp-comment-685-1 Θῆβαι ⁶⁶⁷

mvp-comment-685-2 ἐπαίδευσαν ⁶⁶⁸

mvp-comment-686-1 πυθοίατο ⁶⁶⁹

mvp-comment-687-1 συλῶντα ⁶⁷⁰

mvp-comment-687-2 φωτῶν ἀθλίων ἱκτήρια ⁶⁷¹

mvp-comment-688-1 ἐπεμβαίνων ⁶⁷²

mvp-comment-689-1 εἶχον ⁶⁷³

mvp-comment-690-1 ἄνευ γε τοῦ κραίνοντος ⁶⁷⁴

mvp-comment-690-2 χθονὸς ⁶⁷⁵

mvp-comment-690-3 ὅστις ἦν ⁶⁷⁶

mvp-comment-691-1 οὔθ’ εἷλκον οὔτ’ ἂν ἦγον ⁶⁷⁷

mvp-comment-692-1 ξένον ⁶⁷⁸

mvp-comment-693-1 ἀξίαν οὐκ οὖσαν ⁶⁷⁹

mvp-comment-694-1 τὴν αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ ⁶⁸⁰

mvp-comment-694-2 ὁ πληθύων χρόνος ⁶⁸¹

mvp-comment-694-3 τοῦ νοῦ ⁶⁸²

mvp-comment-695-1 τινα ⁶⁸³

mvp-comment-696-1 The essence of the notion conveyed by μέτοικος ⁶⁸⁴

mvp-comment-697-1 βίᾳ τε κοὐχ ἑκ ⁶⁸⁵

mvp-comment-697-2 κοὐχ ἑκών ⁶⁸⁶

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 ⁶⁸⁷

mvp-comment-699-1 ὁρᾷς ἵν’ ἥκεις ⁶⁸⁸

mvp-comment-699-2 ἀφ’ ὧν ⁶⁸⁹

mvp-comment-700-1 ἐγὼ οὔτ’ ⁶⁹⁰

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 ⁶⁹¹

mvp-comment-701-2 ἐμπέσοι ⁶⁹²

mvp-comment-702-1 ξυναίμων ⁶⁹³

mvp-comment-703-1 κἄναγνον ⁶⁹⁴ ἄναγνον ⁶⁹⁵

mvp-comment-703-2 δεξοίατ’ ⁶⁹⁶

mvp-comment-704-1 ηὑρέθησαν ⁶⁹⁷

mvp-comment-704-2 τέκνων ⁶⁹⁸

mvp-comment-704-3 ξυνόντες ⁶⁹⁹

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 ⁷⁰⁰

mvp-comment-705-2 εὔβουλον ⁷⁰¹

mvp-comment-706-1 χθόνιον ⁷⁰²

mvp-comment-707-1 θυμοῦ ⁷⁰³

mvp-comment-707-2 θανόντων ⁷⁰⁴

mvp-comment-708-1 κεἰ ⁷⁰⁵

mvp-comment-708-2 σμικρὸν ⁷⁰⁶

mvp-comment-708-3 πρὸς … τὰς πράξεις ⁷⁰⁷

mvp-comment-709-1 τοῦ ⁷⁰⁸

mvp-comment-710-1 μοι ⁷⁰⁹

mvp-comment-710-2 διῆκας ⁷¹⁰

mvp-comment-711-1 ἄκων ⁷¹¹

mvp-comment-711-2 θεοῖς ⁷¹²

mvp-comment-712-1 ἄν ⁷¹³

mvp-comment-713-1 ἐπεὶ καθ’ αὑτόν γ’ ⁷¹⁴

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 ⁷¹⁵

mvp-comment-714-2 εἴ τι θέσφατον ⁷¹⁶

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 ⁷¹⁷

mvp-comment-716-1 οὔτε...οὐ ⁷¹⁸

mvp-comment-716-2 βλάστας ⁷¹⁹

mvp-comment-717-1 φανεὶς δύστηνος ⁷²⁰

mvp-comment-717-2 ἐγὼ )φάνην ⁷²¹

mvp-comment-718-1 ἐς χεῖρας ⁷²²

mvp-comment-719-1 μηδὲν ⁷²³

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 ⁷²⁴

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 ⁷²⁵

mvp-comment-723-1 εἰς τόδ’ ἐξελθ. ἀνόσιον στόμα ⁷²⁶

mvp-comment-723-2 ἀνόσιον στόμα ⁷²⁷

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 ⁷²⁸

mvp-comment-724-3 αὑτῆς ὄνειδος ⁷²⁹

mvp-comment-725-1 δυσστομεῖν ⁷³⁰

mvp-comment-726-1 ἄκων ⁷³¹

mvp-comment-727-1 ἀλλ’ οὐ γὰρ ⁷³²

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 ⁷³³

mvp-comment-728-2 φόνους ⁷³⁴

mvp-comment-729-1 ἄμειψαι ⁷³⁵

mvp-comment-730-1 εἴ τις … κτείνοι ⁷³⁶

mvp-comment-730-2 αὐτίκα ⁷³⁷

mvp-comment-730-3 τὸν δίκ ⁷³⁸

mvp-comment-731-1 δοκῶ μέν ⁷³⁹

mvp-comment-732-1 περιβλέποις ⁷⁴⁰

mvp-comment-733-1 εἰσέβην ⁷⁴¹

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 ⁷⁴²

mvp-comment-733-4 ἐμοί ⁷⁴³

mvp-comment-733-5 ἂν ⁷⁴⁴ ἀντειπεῖν ⁷⁴⁵

mvp-comment-733-6 ἐγὼ οὐδὲ ⁷⁴⁶

mvp-comment-734-1 πατρὸς ψυχὴν … ζῶσαν ⁷⁴⁷

mvp-comment-734-2 ψυχή ⁷⁴⁸

mvp-comment-735-1 ἅπαν ⁷⁴⁹

mvp-comment-735-2 καλὸν ⁷⁵⁰

mvp-comment-735-3 ῥητὸν ἄρρ ⁷⁵¹

mvp-comment-736-1 τὸ Θ. ὄνομα θωπ ⁷⁵²

mvp-comment-736-2 θωπεῦσαι ⁷⁵³

mvp-comment-736-3 καλόν ⁷⁵⁴

mvp-comment-737-1 ὡς κατῴκηνται καλῶς ⁷⁵⁵

mvp-comment-738-1 κᾆθ’ ⁷⁵⁶

mvp-comment-738-2 πολλὰ ⁷⁵⁷

mvp-comment-739-1 εἴ τις γῆ θεοὺς ⁷⁵⁸

mvp-comment-740-1 τῷδ’ ⁷⁵⁹

mvp-comment-741-1 κλέψας ⁷⁶⁰

mvp-comment-742-1 ἐχειροῦ ⁷⁶¹

mvp-comment-742-2 οἴχει ⁷⁶²

mvp-comment-743-1 κατασκήπτω λιταῖς ⁷⁶³

mvp-comment-744-1 ξεῖνος ⁷⁶⁴

mvp-comment-744-2 αἱ δὲ ς. ⁷⁶⁵

mvp-comment-744-3 ἄξιαι δ’ ἀμ. ⁷⁶⁶

mvp-comment-745-1 ἄξιαι … ἀμυναθεῖν ⁷⁶⁷

mvp-comment-746-1 The contrast with παθόντες ⁷⁶⁸

mvp-comment-746-2 ἐξηρπασμένοι ⁷⁶⁹

mvp-comment-747-1 ἕσταμεν ⁷⁷⁰

mvp-comment-748-1 ἀμ. φωτὶ ⁷⁷¹

mvp-comment-748-2 ἀμαυρῷ ⁷⁷²

mvp-comment-749-1 τῆς ἐκεῖ ⁷⁷³

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 ⁷⁷⁴

mvp-comment-751-1 ἐγκρατεῖς ⁷⁷⁵

mvp-comment-751-2 φεύγουσιν ⁷⁷⁶

mvp-comment-752-1 ἄλλοι ⁷⁷⁷

mvp-comment-752-2 οὓς χώρας τῆσδε φυγόντες οὐ μή ποτε ἐπεύξωνται θεοῖς ⁷⁷⁸

mvp-comment-752-3 ἐπεύξωνται ⁷⁷⁹

mvp-comment-753-1 ἀλλ’ ⁷⁸⁰

mvp-comment-753-2 ἔχων ἔχει ⁷⁸¹

mvp-comment-754-1 θηρῶνθ’ ⁷⁸²

mvp-comment-754-2 ἡ τύχη ⁷⁸³

mvp-comment-754-3 τὰ … δόλῳ κτήματα ⁷⁸⁴

mvp-comment-754-4 τῷ μὴ δικαίῳ ⁷⁸⁵

mvp-comment-755-1 κοὐκ ἄλλον ἕξεις εἰς τόδ’ ⁷⁸⁶

mvp-comment-755-2 ὡς ἔξοιδα ⁷⁸⁷

mvp-comment-755-3 οὐ ψιλὸν ⁷⁸⁸

mvp-comment-755-4 ἄσκευον ⁷⁸⁹

mvp-comment-756-1 ἐς τοσήνδ’ ὕβριν … τόλμης ⁷⁹⁰

mvp-comment-757-1 ἀλλ’ ἔσθ’ ὅτῳ ⁷⁹¹

mvp-comment-757-2 πιστὸς ⁷⁹²

mvp-comment-758-1 τι τούτων ⁷⁹³

mvp-comment-758-2 τὰ νῦν ⁷⁹⁴

mvp-comment-759-1 ἐνθάδ’ ὢν ⁷⁹⁵

mvp-comment-759-2 μεμπτὸν ἐμοί ⁷⁹⁶

mvp-comment-760-1 χωρῶν ἀπείλει νῦν ⁷⁹⁷

mvp-comment-761-1 πιστωθεὶς ⁷⁹⁸

mvp-comment-762-1 ὄναιο ⁷⁹⁹ χάριν ⁸⁰⁰

mvp-comment-764-1 εἴην ὅθι ⁸⁰¹

mvp-comment-765-1 ἐπιστροφαὶ ⁸⁰⁴

mvp-comment-766-1 χαλκοβόαν ⁸⁰⁵

mvp-comment-766-2 μείξουσιν ⁸⁰⁶

mvp-comment-766-3 ἢ πρὸς Πυθίαις ἢ λαμπάσιν ἀκταῖς ⁸⁰⁷

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 ⁸⁰⁸

mvp-comment-767-2 τιθηνοῦνται ⁸⁰⁹

mvp-comment-767-3 τέλη ⁸¹⁰

mvp-comment-768-1 θνατοῖσιν ⁸¹¹

mvp-comment-768-2 ὧν καὶ χρυσέα ⁸¹²

mvp-comment-768-3 κλὴ|ς Εὐμολπιδᾶν ⁸¹³

mvp-comment-769-1 κλὴ|ς ⁸¹⁴

mvp-comment-769-2 χρυσέα ⁸¹⁵

mvp-comment-770-1 προσπόλων Εὐμολπιδᾶν ⁸¹⁶

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 ⁸¹⁷

mvp-comment-772-1 Θησέα ⁸¹⁸

mvp-comment-772-2 αὐτάρκει βοᾷ ⁸¹⁹

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 ⁸²⁰

mvp-comment-772-5 αὐτάρκει ⁸²¹

mvp-comment-772-6 τούσδ’ ἀνὰ χ. ⁸²²

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 ⁸²³

mvp-comment-773-3 πελῶς’ ⁸²⁴

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 ⁸²⁵

mvp-comment-775-1 ἁλώσεται ⁸²⁶

mvp-comment-775-2 προσχώρων ⁸²⁷

mvp-comment-775-3 Θησειδᾶν ⁸²⁸

mvp-comment-775-4 ἀκμά ⁸²⁹

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 ⁸³⁰

mvp-comment-778-1 ἄμβασις ⁸³¹

mvp-comment-778-2 οἳ ⁸³²

mvp-comment-778-3 τὰν ἱππίαν ⁸³³

mvp-comment-779-1 γαιάοχον ⁸³⁴

mvp-comment-779-2 Ῥέας ⁸³⁵

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’ ⁸³⁶

mvp-comment-780-2 μέλλουσιν ⁸³⁷

mvp-comment-781-1 γνώμα μοι ⁸³⁸ προμνᾶταί τι ⁸³⁹

mvp-comment-782-1 ἀντάσειν ⁸⁴⁰

mvp-comment-782-2 ἀντάω ⁸⁴¹

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 ⁸⁴²

mvp-comment-784-1 ἀελλαία ⁸⁴³

mvp-comment-784-2 ταχύρρωστος ⁸⁴⁴

mvp-comment-785-1 Hermann's ἄνωθ’ ⁸⁴⁵

mvp-comment-785-2 θεωρήσασα ⁸⁴⁶

mvp-comment-785-3 θεωρήσουσα ⁸⁴⁷

mvp-comment-785-4 αἰωρεῖν ⁸⁴⁸

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 ⁸⁴⁹

mvp-comment-788-1 σθένει ⁸⁵⁰

mvp-comment-788-2 ἐπινικείῳ ⁸⁵¹

mvp-comment-788-3 τὸν εὔαγρον τελειῶσαι λόχον ⁸⁵²

mvp-comment-788-4 τὸν εὔαγρον ⁸⁵³

mvp-comment-788-5 λόχον ⁸⁵⁴

mvp-comment-789-1 σεμνά τε παῖς ⁸⁵⁵

mvp-comment-790-1 τὸν ἀγρευτὰν ⁸⁵⁶

mvp-comment-791-1 ὀπαδὸν … ἐλάφων ⁸⁵⁷

mvp-comment-791-2 πυκνοστίκτων ⁸⁵⁸

mvp-comment-792-1 στέργω ⁸⁵⁹

mvp-comment-792-2 διπλᾶς ἀρωγὰς ⁸⁶⁰

mvp-comment-794-1 τῷ σκοπῷ μὲν ⁸⁶¹

mvp-comment-794-2 μέν ⁸⁶²

mvp-comment-795-1 προσπολουμένας ⁸⁶³

mvp-comment-796-1 τίς ἂν … δοίη ⁸⁶⁴

mvp-comment-796-2 δοίη ⁸⁶⁵

mvp-comment-797-1 φιλτάτων τ’ ⁸⁶⁶

mvp-comment-798-1 μηδαμά ⁸⁶⁷

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 ⁸⁶⁸

mvp-comment-799-2 σὺν πόθῳ … ἡ χάρις ⁸⁶⁹

mvp-comment-800-1 ἔρνη ⁸⁷⁰

mvp-comment-800-2 τῷ τεκόντι ⁸⁷¹

mvp-comment-800-3 πᾶν ⁸⁷²

mvp-comment-801-1 σκῆπτρα ⁸⁷³

mvp-comment-801-2 φωτός ⁸⁷⁴

mvp-comment-802-1 θανὼν ⁸⁷⁵

mvp-comment-803-1 ἐρείσατε … πλευρὸν ἀμφιδέξιον ⁸⁷⁶

mvp-comment-804-1 ἐμφύντε ⁸⁷⁷

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 ⁸⁷⁸

mvp-comment-805-1 ταῖς τηλικαῖσδε ⁸⁷⁹

mvp-comment-806-1 ὅδ’ … τοῦδε ⁸⁸⁰

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. ⁸⁸¹

mvp-comment-809-1 τέκνα ⁸⁸²

mvp-comment-809-2 ἄελπτα ⁸⁸³

mvp-comment-810-1 τὴν ἐς τάσδε ⁸⁸⁴

mvp-comment-811-1 μηδενὸς ⁸⁸⁵

mvp-comment-812-1 ὡς ⁸⁸⁶

mvp-comment-813-1 αὐτῷ τε ⁸⁸⁷

mvp-comment-813-2 τό γ’ εὐσεβές ⁸⁸⁸

mvp-comment-813-3 μόνοις ⁸⁸⁹

mvp-comment-814-1 τοὐπιεικὲς ⁸⁹⁰

mvp-comment-815-1 εἰδὼς δ’ ἀμύνω ⁸⁹¹

mvp-comment-815-2 τάδε ⁸⁹³

mvp-comment-816-1 ψαύσω ⁸⁹⁴

mvp-comment-816-2 εἰ θέμις ⁸⁹⁵

mvp-comment-817-1 πῶς σ’ ⁸⁹⁶

mvp-comment-817-2 τίς οὐκ ⁸⁹⁷

mvp-comment-817-3 κηλὶς κακῶν ⁸⁹⁸

mvp-comment-817-4 ξύνοικος ⁸⁹⁹

mvp-comment-817-5 οὐκ ἔγωγέ σε ⁹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-817-6 οὐδ’ οὖν ⁹⁰¹

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 ⁹⁰²

mvp-comment-819-1 αὐτόθεν ⁹⁰³

mvp-comment-820-1 ἐς τόδ’ ἡμέρας ⁹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-821-1 οὔτ’ εἴ τι κ.τ.λ. ⁹⁰⁵

mvp-comment-821-2 θαυμάσας ἔχω ⁹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-822-1 οὔτ’ ⁹⁰⁷

mvp-comment-823-1 γὰρ ⁹⁰⁸

mvp-comment-824-1 δείκνυμι δ’ ⁹⁰⁹

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 ⁹¹⁰

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

.

mvp-comment-826-1 ᾑρέθη ⁹¹¹

mvp-comment-827-1 λόγος ⁹¹²

mvp-comment-827-2 λόγος ⁹¹³

mvp-comment-827-3 ἐμπέπτωκεν ⁹¹⁴

mvp-comment-827-4 συμβαλοῦ γνώμην ⁹¹⁵

mvp-comment-828-1 εἰπεῖν θαυμάσαι ⁹¹⁸

mvp-comment-829-1 ἄνθρωπον ⁹¹⁹

mvp-comment-830-1 τί δ’ ἔστι ⁹²⁰

mvp-comment-830-2 δίδασκέ με ὡς μὴ εἰδότ’ ⁹²¹

mvp-comment-830-3 ὡς οὐ ⁹²²

mvp-comment-830-4 ὡς ⁹²³

mvp-comment-831-1 ἡμῖν ⁹²⁴

mvp-comment-831-2 ἔμπολιν ⁹²⁵

mvp-comment-831-3 προσπεσόντα πως ⁹²⁶

mvp-comment-831-4 πως ⁹²⁷

mvp-comment-832-1 βωμῷ ⁹²⁸

mvp-comment-832-2 ἔκυρον ⁹²⁹

mvp-comment-832-3 ἡνίχ’ ὡρμώμην ⁹³⁰

mvp-comment-833-1 τῷ θακήματι ⁹³¹

mvp-comment-833-2 προς‐ ⁹³²

mvp-comment-834-1 σοῦ ⁹³³

mvp-comment-835-1 οὐκ ὄγκου πλέων ⁹³⁴

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 ⁹³⁵

mvp-comment-837-2 τοῦτο ⁹³⁶

mvp-comment-838-1 σχὲς οὗπερ εἶ ⁹³⁷

mvp-comment-838-2 τίδ’ ἔστι σοι ⁹³⁸

mvp-comment-839-1 πράγματος ποίου ⁹³⁹

mvp-comment-840-1 ἀκούων τῶνδ’ ⁹⁴⁰

mvp-comment-840-2 ὅς ⁹⁴¹

mvp-comment-840-3 προστάτης ⁹⁴²

mvp-comment-841-1 ὅν γ’ ἐγὼ ψέξαιμι ⁹⁴⁴

mvp-comment-842-1 στυγνός ⁹⁴⁵

mvp-comment-842-2 λόγων ⁹⁴⁶

mvp-comment-842-3 ἄλγιστα ἀνδρῶν ⁹⁴⁷

mvp-comment-843-1 ἃ μὴ ⁹⁴⁸

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’ ⁹⁴⁹

mvp-comment-845-2 ἥκει ⁹⁵⁰

mvp-comment-846-1 μή μ’ ἀνάγκῃ προσβάλῃς ⁹⁵¹

mvp-comment-846-2 εἰκαθεῖν ⁹⁵²

mvp-comment-847-1 τὸ θάκημ’ ⁹⁵³

mvp-comment-847-2 ἐξαναγκάζει ⁹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-847-3 πρόνοια … τοῦ θεοῦ ⁹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-847-4 φυλακτέα ⁹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-848-1 πιθοῦ μοι ⁹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-848-2 κεἰ ⁹⁵⁸

mvp-comment-848-3 vέα ⁹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-849-1 τὸν ἄνδρα τόνδε ⁹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-850-1 ὕπεικε ⁹⁶¹

mvp-comment-851-1 παρασπάσει ⁹⁶²

mvp-comment-851-2 ἃ μή ⁹⁶³

mvp-comment-851-3 λέξεται ⁹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-852-1 κακῶς ⁹⁶⁵

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 ⁹⁶⁶

mvp-comment-855-1 θέμις σέ γ’ εἶναι ⁹⁶⁷

mvp-comment-856-1 ἀλλ’ αὐτόν· εἰσὶ ⁹⁶⁸

mvp-comment-857-1 ἐξεπᾴδονται φύσιν ⁹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-858-1 ἐκεῖνα ⁹⁷⁰

mvp-comment-858-2 πατρῷα καὶ μ. ⁹⁷¹

mvp-comment-858-3 μητρῷα ⁹⁷²

mvp-comment-859-1 τελευτὴν ⁹⁷³

mvp-comment-860-1 τἀνθυμήματα ⁹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-861-1 ἀδέρκτων ⁹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-861-2 τητώμενος ⁹⁷⁶

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’ ⁹⁷⁷

mvp-comment-862-3 οὐκ ἐπίστασθαι ⁹⁷⁸

mvp-comment-862-4 τίνειν ⁹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-862-5 The structure of οὐδ’ αὐτὸν … τίνειν ⁹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-863-1 The stress is on

:

mvp-comment-863-2 ἡδονὴν ⁹⁸¹

mvp-comment-863-3 δ’ οὖν ⁹⁸²

mvp-comment-864-1 ἐλεύσεται ⁹⁸³

mvp-comment-865-1 κρατείτω τῆς ἐ. ψυχῆς ⁹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-865-2 τῆς ἐμ. ψ. ⁹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-866-1 κλύειν ⁹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-866-2 τὰ τοιαῦτ’ ⁹⁸⁷

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 ⁹⁸⁸ ζώειν ⁹⁸⁹ παρεὶς ⁹⁹⁰ τοῦ μετρίου ⁹⁹¹

mvp-comment-869-2 χρῄζ ⁹⁹²

mvp-comment-869-3 παρείς ⁹⁹³

mvp-comment-869-4 μετρίου ⁹⁹⁴

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 ⁹⁹⁵

mvp-comment-869-7 φυλάσσων ⁹⁹⁶

mvp-comment-869-8 ἐν ἐμοὶ ⁹⁹⁷

mvp-comment-870-1 αἱ μακραὶ | ἁμέραι ⁹⁹⁸

mvp-comment-870-2 πολλὰ μὲν δὴ κατέθεντο ⁹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-870-3 λύπας ¹⁰⁰⁰

mvp-comment-870-4 λύπας ἐγγυτέρω ¹⁰⁰¹

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 ¹⁰⁰²

mvp-comment-871-1 τοῦ δέοντος ¹⁰⁰³

mvp-comment-871-2 πέσῃ ¹⁰⁰⁴

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 ¹⁰⁰⁵

mvp-comment-871-5 ἰσοτέλεστος ¹⁰⁰⁶

mvp-comment-872-1 ἀνυμέναιος ¹⁰⁰⁷

mvp-comment-872-2 ἀναπέφηνε ¹⁰⁰⁸

mvp-comment-873-1 μὴ φῦναι τὸν ἅπ. νικᾷ λόγον ¹⁰¹⁰

mvp-comment-873-2 ὁ ἅπας λόγος ¹⁰¹¹

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 ¹⁰¹²

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 ¹⁰¹³

mvp-comment-874-3 πολὺ ¹⁰¹⁴

mvp-comment-875-1 ὡς εὖτ’ ἂν … καμάτων ἔνι ¹⁰¹⁵

mvp-comment-875-2 παρῇ ¹⁰¹⁷

mvp-comment-876-1 τίς πλαγὰ ¹⁰¹⁸

mvp-comment-877-1 φθόνος ¹⁰¹⁹

mvp-comment-878-1 κατάμεμπτον ¹⁰²⁰

mvp-comment-878-2 ἐπιλέλογχε ¹⁰²¹

mvp-comment-878-3 ἀκρατές ¹⁰²²

mvp-comment-879-1 κακὰ κακῶν ¹⁰²³

mvp-comment-879-2 ξυνοικεῖ ¹⁰²⁴

mvp-comment-880-1 βόρειος ἀκτὰ ¹⁰²⁵

mvp-comment-881-1 κατ’ ἄκρας ¹⁰²⁶

mvp-comment-881-2 κυματοα—γεῖς ¹⁰²⁸

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’ ¹⁰²⁹

mvp-comment-883-1 *(πιπᾶν ¹⁰³⁰

mvp-comment-883-2 ἐννυχιᾶν ¹⁰³¹

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 ¹⁰³²

mvp-comment-885-2 ἡμῖν ¹⁰³³

mvp-comment-886-1 ἀνδρῶν γε μοῦνος ¹⁰³⁴

mvp-comment-887-1 ἀστακτὶ ¹⁰³⁵

mvp-comment-887-2 ἀστακτὶ ¹⁰³⁶

mvp-comment-887-3 ὧδε ¹⁰³⁷

mvp-comment-888-1 κατείχομεν γνώμῃ ¹⁰³⁸

mvp-comment-889-1 δράσω ¹⁰³⁹

mvp-comment-890-1 ἐνθάδ’ ἐκβεβλημένον ¹⁰⁴⁰

mvp-comment-891-1 σὺν ¹⁰⁴¹

mvp-comment-891-2 τῆς ¹⁰⁴²

mvp-comment-891-3 γέρων … πίνος ¹⁰⁴³

mvp-comment-891-4 συγκατῴκηκεν ¹⁰⁴⁴

mvp-comment-892-1 πλευρὰν μαραίνων ¹⁰⁴⁵

mvp-comment-892-2 κρατὶ ὀμματοστερεῖ ¹⁰⁴⁶

mvp-comment-892-3 ἀκτένιστος ¹⁰⁴⁷

mvp-comment-892-4 ᾄσσεται ¹⁰⁴⁸

mvp-comment-893-1 ἀδελφὰ … τούτοισιν ¹⁰⁴⁹

mvp-comment-893-2 φορεῖ ¹⁰⁵⁰

mvp-comment-894-1

:

mvp-comment-894-2 ἥκειν ¹⁰⁵¹

mvp-comment-894-3 τροφ. ταῖς σαῖσιν ¹⁰⁵²

mvp-comment-894-4 μὴ )ξ ἄλλων ¹⁰⁵³

mvp-comment-895-1 ἀλλὰ … γὰρ ¹⁰⁵⁴

mvp-comment-895-2 Ζηνὶ σύνθακος θρόνων ¹⁰⁵⁵

mvp-comment-895-3 Αἰδὼς ¹⁰⁵⁶

mvp-comment-895-4 ἐπ’ ἔργοις πᾶσι ¹⁰⁵⁷

mvp-comment-895-5 καὶ πρὸς σοί ¹⁰⁵⁸

mvp-comment-896-1 τῶν γὰρ ἡμαρτημένων ¹⁰⁵⁹

mvp-comment-896-2 προσφορὰ ¹⁰⁶⁰

mvp-comment-897-1 τί σιγᾷς ¹⁰⁶¹

mvp-comment-898-1 μή μ’ ἀποστραφῇς ¹⁰⁶²

mvp-comment-898-2 ἀτιμάσας ¹⁰⁶³

mvp-comment-899-1 ὦ σπέρματ’ ¹⁰⁶⁴

mvp-comment-899-2 ἐμαὶ δ’ ¹⁰⁶⁵

mvp-comment-900-1 ἀλλ’ ὑμεῖς γε ¹⁰⁶⁶

mvp-comment-901-1 δυσπρόσοιστον ¹⁰⁶⁷

mvp-comment-901-2 στόμα ¹⁰⁶⁸

mvp-comment-902-1 ὡς μή μ’ ἄτιμον … οὕτως ἀφῇ με ¹⁰⁶⁹

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 ¹⁰⁷⁰

mvp-comment-902-4 τοῦ θεοῦ γε ¹⁰⁷¹

mvp-comment-902-5 προστάτην ¹⁰⁷²

mvp-comment-902-6 οὕτως ¹⁰⁷³

mvp-comment-903-1 χρείᾳ ¹⁰⁷⁴

mvp-comment-904-1 τὰ πολλὰ ῥήματα ¹⁰⁷⁵

mvp-comment-904-2 ἢ τέρψαντά τι ¹⁰⁷⁶

mvp-comment-905-1 ἀφωνήτοις ¹⁰⁷⁷

mvp-comment-906-1 ἐξηγεῖ ¹⁰⁷⁸

mvp-comment-907-1 ποιούμενος ᾀρωγόν ¹⁰⁷⁹

mvp-comment-907-2 ὧδε ¹⁰⁸⁰

mvp-comment-907-3 ἀνέστησεν ¹⁰⁸¹

mvp-comment-908-1 λέξαι τ’ ἀκοῦσαί τ’ ¹⁰⁸²

mvp-comment-908-2 ἐξόδῳ ¹⁰⁸³

mvp-comment-909-1 βουλήσομαι ¹⁰⁸⁴

mvp-comment-910-1 θέλω δὲ λέξαι ¹⁰⁸⁵

mvp-comment-911-1 πανάρχοις ¹⁰⁸⁶

mvp-comment-911-2 γεραίτερος ¹⁰⁸⁷

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 ¹⁰⁸⁸

mvp-comment-913-1 λόγῳ ¹⁰⁸⁹

mvp-comment-913-2 εἰς ἔλεγχον ¹⁰⁹⁰

mvp-comment-913-3 χειρὸς οὐδ’ ἔργου ¹⁰⁹¹

mvp-comment-914-1 μάλιστα μὲν ¹⁰⁹²

mvp-comment-914-2 τὴν σὴν Ἐρινὺν ¹⁰⁹³

mvp-comment-914-3 μάντεων ¹⁰⁹⁴

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 ¹⁰⁹⁵

mvp-comment-916-1 γῆς Ἀπίας ¹⁰⁹⁶

mvp-comment-917-1 τετίμηνται ¹⁰⁹⁷

mvp-comment-917-2 δορί ¹⁰⁹⁸

mvp-comment-918-1 τὸν ἑπτάλογχον … στόλον ¹⁰⁹⁹

mvp-comment-919-1 πανδίκως ¹¹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-919-2 τοὺς τάδ’ ἐκπρ ¹¹⁰¹

mvp-comment-920-1 εἶεν ¹¹⁰²

mvp-comment-921-1 αὐτός τ’ ¹¹⁰³

mvp-comment-922-1 τάξεσιν … λόγχαις ¹¹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-923-1 δορυσσοῦς ¹¹⁰⁵

mvp-comment-923-2 δορυσσόος ¹¹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-923-3 Ἀμφιάρεως ¹¹⁰⁷

mvp-comment-923-4 τὰ πρῶτα μὲν … πρῶτα δέ ¹¹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-923-5 οἰωνῶν ὁδοῖς ¹¹¹⁰

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 ¹¹¹¹

mvp-comment-925-2 Ἐτέοκλος ¹¹¹²

mvp-comment-925-3 Ἱππομέδοντ’ ¹¹¹³

mvp-comment-926-1 κατασκαφῇ … δῃώσειν πυρί ¹¹¹⁴ πυρί ¹¹¹⁵ κατασκαφῇ ¹¹¹⁶

mvp-comment-926-2 Καπανεὺς ¹¹¹⁷

mvp-comment-927-1 Παρθενοπαῖος ¹¹¹⁸

mvp-comment-927-2 ἐπώνυμος τῆς πρόσθεν ἀδμήτης ¹¹¹⁹ χρόνῳ μητρὸς λοχευθείς ¹¹²⁰

mvp-comment-927-3 χρόνῳ ¹¹²¹

mvp-comment-928-1 ἐγὼ δὲ σός ¹¹²²

mvp-comment-928-2 πότμου ¹¹²³

mvp-comment-929-1 ἀντὶ παίδων ... ἱκετεύομεν ¹¹²⁴

mvp-comment-930-1 μῆνιν ...εἰκαθεῖν ¹¹²⁵

mvp-comment-930-2 τοὐμοῦ ¹¹²⁶

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 ¹¹²⁷

mvp-comment-932-2 προσθῇ ¹¹²⁸

mvp-comment-932-3 ἔφασκ’ ¹¹³⁰

mvp-comment-933-1 κρηνῶν ¹¹³¹

mvp-comment-934-1 πιθέσθαι ¹¹³²

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 ¹¹³³

mvp-comment-936-1 δαίμον’ ¹¹³⁴

mvp-comment-936-2 ἐξειληχότες ¹¹³⁵

mvp-comment-936-3 ἐξειληφότες ¹¹³⁶

mvp-comment-937-1 τάλας ¹¹³⁷

mvp-comment-937-2 ἁβρύνετι ¹¹³⁸

mvp-comment-938-1 φρενί ¹¹³⁹

mvp-comment-939-1 ὄγκῳ ¹¹⁴⁰

mvp-comment-939-2 σὺν ¹¹⁴¹

mvp-comment-939-3 διασκεδῶ ¹¹⁴²

mvp-comment-939-4 στήσω … στήσω δ’ ¹¹⁴³

mvp-comment-939-5 ἄγων ¹¹⁴⁴

mvp-comment-940-1 οὐδὲ σωθῆναι ¹¹⁴⁵

mvp-comment-941-1 τοῦ πέμψαντος ¹¹⁴⁶

mvp-comment-941-2 εἰπὼν … ἔκπεμψαι ¹¹⁴⁷

mvp-comment-942-1 δημοῦχοι ¹¹⁴⁸

mvp-comment-943-1 δικαιῶν ὥστ’ ¹¹⁴⁹

mvp-comment-944-1 ὀμφῆς ¹¹⁵⁰

mvp-comment-945-1 ἀξιωθεὶς … κἀκούσας γ’ ¹¹⁵¹

mvp-comment-945-2 τοιαῦθ’ ¹¹⁵²

mvp-comment-946-1 ὅς γ’, ὦ κάκιστε ¹¹⁵³

mvp-comment-946-2 σκῆπτρα καὶ θρόνους ¹¹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-947-1 ἃ ¹¹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-948-1 τὸν αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ ¹¹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-948-2 ἔθηκας ἄπολιν … καὶ φορεῖν ¹¹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-948-3 ἄπολιν ¹¹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-948-4 ταύτας ¹¹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-949-1 πόνῳ … κακῶν ¹¹⁶¹

mvp-comment-949-2 βεβηκὼς ¹¹⁶²

mvp-comment-949-3 ἐμοί ¹¹⁶³

mvp-comment-950-1 κλαυστὰ … οἰστέα ¹¹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-950-2 ἐμοὶ μὲν ¹¹⁶⁵

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 ¹¹⁶⁶

mvp-comment-951-3 φονέως ¹¹⁶⁷

mvp-comment-951-4 μεμνημένος ¹¹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-952-1 μόχθῳ … ἔντροφον ¹¹⁷⁰

mvp-comment-952-2 ἐκ σέθεν ¹¹⁷²

mvp-comment-953-1 ἐπαιτῶ ¹¹⁷³

mvp-comment-954-1 εἰ δ’ ἐξέφυσα … μὴ ¹¹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-954-2 τὸ σὸν μέρος ¹¹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-955-1 εἰς τὸ συμπονεῖν ¹¹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-955-2 ἀπ’ ἄλλου ¹¹⁷⁷

mvp-comment-956-1 τοιγάρ σ’ ὁ δαίμων ¹¹⁷⁸

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 ¹¹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-957-1 κείνην ἐρείψεις ¹¹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-957-2 αἵματι … μιανθεὶς ¹¹⁸¹

mvp-comment-958-1 τοιάσδ’ ¹¹⁸²

mvp-comment-958-2 ἐξανῆκ’ ¹¹⁸³

mvp-comment-958-3 ξυμμάχους ¹¹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-959-1 ἀνακαλοῦμαι ¹¹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-960-1 ἵν’ ἀξιῶτον ¹¹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-960-2 τοὺς φυτεύσαντας σέβειν ¹¹⁸⁷

mvp-comment-961-1 καὶ μὴ )ξατιμάζητον ¹¹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-961-2 ἔφυτον ¹¹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-962-1 τοιγὰρ τὸ σὸν θ. ¹¹⁹⁰

mvp-comment-962-2 Δίκη ¹¹⁹¹

mvp-comment-962-3 θάκημα ¹¹⁹²

mvp-comment-962-4 κρατοῦσιν ¹¹⁹³

mvp-comment-963-1 ἡ παλαίφατος ¹¹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-964-1 ξύνεδρος ¹¹⁹⁵ Ζηνὸς ¹¹⁹⁶

mvp-comment-964-2 ἀρχαίοισνόμοις ¹¹⁹⁷

mvp-comment-965-1 κἀπάτωρ … ἐμοῦ ¹¹⁹⁸

mvp-comment-966-1 συλλαβὼν ¹¹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-966-2 καλοῦμαι ¹²⁰⁰

mvp-comment-966-3 ἐμφυλίου ¹²⁰¹

mvp-comment-967-1 δόρει ¹²⁰²

mvp-comment-967-2 νοστῆσαι ¹²⁰³

mvp-comment-967-3 τὸ κοῖλον Ἄργος ¹²⁰⁴

mvp-comment-968-1 κτανεῖν θ’ ¹²⁰⁵

mvp-comment-968-2 ¹²⁰⁶

mvp-comment-969-1 πατρῷον ¹²⁰⁷

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 ¹²⁰⁸

mvp-comment-970-1 τάσδε δαίμονας ¹²⁰⁹

mvp-comment-970-2 Ἄρη ¹²¹⁰

mvp-comment-971-1 ἐξάγγελλε ¹²¹¹

mvp-comment-972-1 γέρα ¹²¹²

mvp-comment-973-1 οὔτε … τε ¹²¹³

mvp-comment-973-2 ὁδοῖς ¹²¹⁴

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 ¹²¹⁵

mvp-comment-974-2 τῆς ἐμῆς ¹²¹⁶ κελεύθου ¹²¹⁷

mvp-comment-975-1 οἷον … ὁδοῦ τέλος ¹²¹⁸

mvp-comment-975-2 τάλας ¹²¹⁹

mvp-comment-976-1 οἷον ¹²²⁰ φωνῆσαι ¹²²¹

mvp-comment-976-2 ἀλλ’ ὄντ’ ¹²²²

mvp-comment-977-1 τοῦδ’ ¹²²³

mvp-comment-977-2 ἀλλ’ ¹²²⁴

mvp-comment-978-1 τὰ σκληρὰ ¹²²⁵

mvp-comment-978-2 ταῦτ’ ¹²²⁶

mvp-comment-979-1 μή τοί με … μή μ’ ¹²²⁷

mvp-comment-980-1 θέσθε ἐν τάφοισι ¹²²⁸

mvp-comment-980-2 θέσθε ἐν κτερίσμασι ¹²²⁹

mvp-comment-980-3 κτερίσματα ¹²³⁰

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 ¹²³¹

mvp-comment-981-2 οἷς ¹²³²

mvp-comment-981-3 οἴσει ¹²³³

mvp-comment-981-4 τῆς ἐμῆς ὑπουργίας ¹²³⁴

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 ¹²³⁵

mvp-comment-984-1 ὡς τάχιστά γε ¹²³⁶

mvp-comment-985-1 πόλιν ¹²³⁷

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 ¹²³⁸

mvp-comment-987-1 αὖθις ¹²³⁹

mvp-comment-987-2 πάτραν ¹²⁴⁰

mvp-comment-988-1 πρεσβεύοντ’ ¹²⁴¹

mvp-comment-988-2 οὕτω ¹²⁴²

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 ¹²⁴³

mvp-comment-990-1 ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ¹²⁴⁴

mvp-comment-991-1 χρῄζει γάρ ¹²⁴⁵

mvp-comment-992-1 ἕπεσθαι ¹²⁴⁶

mvp-comment-993-1 οὐδ’ ¹²⁴⁷

mvp-comment-993-2 φλαῦῤ ¹²⁴⁸

mvp-comment-994-1 ἔσται μέλουσα ¹²⁴⁹

mvp-comment-995-1 κακὴ ¹²⁵⁰

mvp-comment-996-1 εὐοδοίη ¹²⁵¹

mvp-comment-996-2 τάδ’ εἰ θανόντι μοι | τελεῖτ’ ¹²⁵²

mvp-comment-996-3 ἐπεὶ οὐ ¹²⁵³

mvp-comment-996-4 ἕξετον ¹²⁵⁴

mvp-comment-997-1 μέθεσθε ¹²⁵⁵

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

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

mvp-comment-998-2 καὶ τίς ¹²⁵⁶

mvp-comment-998-3 προῦπτον ¹²⁵⁷

mvp-comment-999-1 μὴ σύ γ’ ¹²⁵⁸

mvp-comment-999-2 ἃ μὴ δεῖ ¹²⁶¹

mvp-comment-1000-1 εἰ … στερηθῶ ¹²⁶²

mvp-comment-1000-2 ταῦτα δ’ ¹²⁶³

mvp-comment-1000-3 ταῦτα ¹²⁶⁴ φῦναι ¹²⁶⁵

mvp-comment-1000-4 ἐν τῷ δ. ¹²⁶⁶

mvp-comment-1000-5 φῦναι ¹²⁶⁷

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 ¹²⁶⁸

mvp-comment-1001-1 πᾶσιν ¹²⁶⁹

mvp-comment-1003-1 νέα τάδε … κιγχάνει ¹²⁷⁰

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 ¹²⁷¹

mvp-comment-1003-3 εἴ τι μοῖρα μὴ κιγχάνει ¹²⁷²

mvp-comment-1003-4 νεόθεν ¹²⁷³ νέα ¹²⁷⁴

mvp-comment-1003-5 εἴ τι μοῖρα μὴ κιγχάνει ¹²⁷⁵

mvp-comment-1003-6 κιγχάνει ¹²⁷⁶

mvp-comment-1004-1 ματᾶν ¹²⁷⁷

mvp-comment-1004-2 ἀξίωμα ¹²⁷⁸

mvp-comment-1004-3 φράσαι ¹²⁷⁹

mvp-comment-1005-1 ὁρᾷ ¹²⁸⁰

mvp-comment-1005-2 ταῦτ’ ¹²⁸¹

mvp-comment-1005-3 ὁρᾷ ¹²⁸²

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 ¹²⁸³

mvp-comment-1007-1 πῶς ἄν ¹²⁸⁴

mvp-comment-1007-2 εἴ τις ἔντοπος ¹²⁸⁵

mvp-comment-1008-1 δεῦρο … πόροι ¹²⁸⁶

mvp-comment-1008-2 πάντ’ ¹²⁸⁷

mvp-comment-1009-1 τί δ’ ¹²⁸⁸

mvp-comment-1009-2 τἀξίωμ’ ¹²⁸⁹

mvp-comment-1010-1 πτερωτὸς ¹²⁹⁰

mvp-comment-1010-2 ἄξεται ¹²⁹¹

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 ¹²⁹²

mvp-comment-1011-3 κτύπος … διόβολος ¹²⁹³

mvp-comment-1011-4 ἄκραν ¹²⁹⁴

mvp-comment-1012-1 ἔπτηξα ¹²⁹⁵

mvp-comment-1012-2 θυμόν ¹²⁹⁶

mvp-comment-1012-3 οὐρανία ¹²⁹⁷

mvp-comment-1013-1 τί … ἀφήσει τέλος ¹²⁹⁸

mvp-comment-1013-2 μὰν ¹²⁹⁹

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 ¹³⁰⁰

mvp-comment-1015-2 ξυμφορᾶς ¹³⁰¹

mvp-comment-1016-1 ὦ μέγας αἰθήρ ¹³⁰²

mvp-comment-1017-1 ἥκει τῷδ’ ἐπ’ ἀνδρί ¹³⁰³

mvp-comment-1018-1 συμβαλὼν ἔχεις ¹³⁰⁴

mvp-comment-1019-1 μοι ¹³⁰⁵

mvp-comment-1020-1 ἔα ¹³⁰⁶

mvp-comment-1020-2 μάλ’ αὖθις ¹³⁰⁷

mvp-comment-1020-3 ἀμφίσταται ¹³⁰⁸

mvp-comment-1020-4 διαπρύσιος ¹³⁰⁹

mvp-comment-1021-1 For ὦ δαίμων ¹³¹⁰

mvp-comment-1021-2 ἵλα^ος ¹³¹¹

mvp-comment-1022-1 γᾷ ματέρι ¹³¹²

mvp-comment-1022-2 ἀφεγγὲς ¹³¹³

mvp-comment-1023-1 σοῦ τύχοιμι ¹³¹⁴

mvp-comment-1023-2 ἄλαστον ἄνδρ’ ¹³¹⁵

mvp-comment-1023-3 ἰδὼν ¹³¹⁶

mvp-comment-1024-1 ἀκερδῆ χάριν μετάσχ. ¹³¹⁷

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 ¹³¹⁸

mvp-comment-1025-1 κιχήσεται ¹³¹⁹

mvp-comment-1025-2 κατορθοῦντος ¹³²⁰

mvp-comment-1026-1 ἐμφῦναι φρενί ¹³²¹

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 ¹³²²

mvp-comment-1027-3 σφιν ¹³²³

mvp-comment-1027-4 τυγχάνων ¹³²⁴

mvp-comment-1028-1 εἴτ’ ἄκρα … ἱκοῦ ¹³²⁵

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 ¹³²⁶

mvp-comment-1028-4 ἑστίαν ¹³²⁷

mvp-comment-1028-5 Ποσειδωνίῳ θεῷ ¹³²⁸

mvp-comment-1029-1 ἐπαξιοῖ ¹³²⁹

mvp-comment-1029-2 πόλισμα ¹³³⁰

mvp-comment-1029-3 παθών ¹³³¹

mvp-comment-1029-4 χάριν ¹³³²

mvp-comment-1031-1 μή τις ¹³³³

mvp-comment-1031-2 ὀμβρία χάλαζα ¹³³⁴

mvp-comment-1031-3 ἐπιρράξασα ¹³³⁵

mvp-comment-1032-1 τοιαῦτα ¹³³⁶

mvp-comment-1033-1 ποθοῦντι προὐφάνης ¹³³⁷

mvp-comment-1033-2 καί σοι θεῶν ¹³³⁸ τύχην … ὁδοῦ ¹³³⁹

mvp-comment-1034-1 ῥοπὴ βίου μοι ¹³⁴⁰

mvp-comment-1034-2 καὶ θέλω θανεῖν μὴ ψεύσας σε πόλιν τε τήνδε ¹³⁴¹

mvp-comment-1034-3 ἅπερ ξυνῄνεσα ¹³⁴²

mvp-comment-1035-1 ἐν τῷ δὲ κεῖσαι ¹³⁴³

mvp-comment-1036-1 αὐτοὶ ¹³⁴⁴ κήρυκες ¹³⁴⁵

mvp-comment-1036-2 ψεύδοντες οὐδὲν σημάτων προκ. ¹³⁴⁶

mvp-comment-1036-3 With the conjecture σῆμα τῶν , the sense is,

a less usu. sense of , for which see Ant. 389 n.

mvp-comment-1037-1 The usual order would be αἱ πολλὰ διατελεῖς βρονταί ,

But an adj. or partic. is sometimes thus placed after the subst., when the art. and an adv. (or adverbial phrase) stands before it: cp. O. T. 1245

τὸν ἤδη Λάϊον πάλαι νεκρόν

= , the already long-dead L.: where see n.

mvp-comment-1037-2 πολλὰ ¹³⁴⁷

mvp-comment-1038-1 στράψαντα ¹³⁴⁸

mvp-comment-1038-2 σκήψαντα ¹³⁴⁹

mvp-comment-1038-3 χειρὸς τῆς ἀνικήτου ¹³⁵⁰

mvp-comment-1039-1 θεσπίζονθ’ ¹³⁵¹

mvp-comment-1039-2 ψευδόφημα ¹³⁵²

mvp-comment-1040-1 σοι ¹³⁵³ τῇδε πόλει ¹³⁵⁴

mvp-comment-1040-2 γήρως ἄλυπα ¹³⁵⁵

mvp-comment-1041-1 χῶρον … ἐξηγήσομαι ¹³⁵⁶

mvp-comment-1041-2 ἄθικτος ¹³⁵⁷

mvp-comment-1042-1 τοῦτον ¹³⁵⁸

mvp-comment-1042-2 μήθ’ οὗ κέκευθε ¹³⁵⁹

mvp-comment-1043-1 ὥς σοι … τιθῇ ¹³⁶⁰

mvp-comment-1043-2 δορός τ’ ἐπακτοῦ ¹³⁶¹

mvp-comment-1043-3 Others join ἀλκὴν … γειτόνων ¹³⁶²

mvp-comment-1044-1 ἃ δ’ ἐξάγιστα ¹³⁶³

mvp-comment-1044-2 μηδὲ κινεῖται λόγῳ ¹³⁶⁴

mvp-comment-1044-3 μαθήσει ¹³⁶⁵

mvp-comment-1045-1 σῷζε ¹³⁶⁶

mvp-comment-1045-2 ἀφικνῇ ¹³⁶⁷

mvp-comment-1045-3 τῷ προφερτάτῳ μόνῳ ¹³⁶⁸

mvp-comment-1046-1 ἀδῇον ¹³⁶⁹

mvp-comment-1046-2 σπαρτῶν ἀπ’ ἀνδρῶν ¹³⁷⁰

mvp-comment-1046-3 αἱ δὲ μυρίαι πόλεις ¹³⁷¹

mvp-comment-1046-4 Those who suspect αἱ μυρίαι should observe that Greek writers often use this phrase when they wish to express the notion of many probabilities against one. Cp. Her. 8.119

, : i.e. not one man in 10,000 would dispute it. Xen. Anab. 2.1.19

ἐγώ, εἰ μὲν τῶν μυρίων ἐλπίδων μία τις ὑμῖν ἐστι σωθῆναι πολεμοῦντας βασιλεῖ, συμβουλεύω μὴ παραδιδόναι τὰ ὅπλα

: etc. So, of Eur. fr. 588 . And so here αἱ μυρίαι is something more than a mere synonym for . It suggests this notion:— (In citing Aeschin. or. 2 § 157 Blaydes has not noticed that means the Pan-Arcadian , not : cp. Grote c. 78, x. 317.)

mvp-comment-1046-5 κἂν εὖ τις οἰκῇ ¹³⁷²

mvp-comment-1046-6 Others explain:—(1)

: i.e. if you divulge the secret to the Athenians , it may be abused to the hurt of the State. A modification of this view is that refers to overweening confidence inspired at Athens by the new . Theseus must still be watchful. (2) —still referring to the Athenians. But for this sense we should at least need Wecklein's οἱ δὲ μυρίοι πόλεως .—Blaydes thought of : better would be ( Ai. 1112 , 1150): but neither this, nor anything with , is either needful or probable.

mvp-comment-1047-1 γὰρ ¹³⁷³

mvp-comment-1047-2 εὖ μὲν ὀψὲ δ’ ¹³⁷⁴

mvp-comment-1048-1 τὰ θεἶ ἀφείς ¹³⁷⁵

mvp-comment-1048-2 μαίνεσθαι ¹³⁷⁶

mvp-comment-1049-1 ὃ μὴ σὺ...βούλου παθεῖν ¹³⁷⁷

mvp-comment-1050-1 χῶρον ¹³⁷⁸

mvp-comment-1050-2 τοὐκ θεοῦ παρόν ¹³⁷⁹

mvp-comment-1050-3 μηδ’ ἔτ’ ἐντρεπώμεθα ¹³⁸⁰

mvp-comment-1051-1 — 1555 A more splendid dramatic effect than Sophocles has created here could hardly be conceived. Hitherto, throughout the play, Oedipus has been strongly characterised by that timidity in movement, and that sense of physical dependence, which are normal accompaniments of blindness. (Cp. 21, 173 ff., 495 ff., 1206, etc.) Now, suddenly inspired by the Unseen Power which calls him, he becomes the guide of his guides. Now it is they who shrink. Eager and unfaltering, the blind man beckons them on. And so he finally passes from the eyes of the spectators.

mvp-comment-1051-2 ὧδ’ ¹³⁸¹

mvp-comment-1051-3 καινός ¹³⁸²

mvp-comment-1052-1 τῇδ’, ὧδε, τῇδε ¹³⁸³

mvp-comment-1053-1 ὁ πομπὸς ¹³⁸⁴

mvp-comment-1053-2 ἥ τε ν. θεός ¹³⁸⁵

mvp-comment-1054-1 φῶς ἀφεγγές ¹³⁸⁶

mvp-comment-1054-2 πρόσθε ¹³⁸⁷

mvp-comment-1055-1 τὸν τελευταῖον βίον ¹³⁸⁸

mvp-comment-1056-1 αὐτός τε ¹³⁸⁹

mvp-comment-1056-2 πρόσπολοι ¹³⁹⁰

mvp-comment-1057-1 κἀπ’ εὐπραξίᾳ ¹³⁹¹

mvp-comment-1057-2 ἐπί ¹³⁹²

mvp-comment-1057-3 μέμνησθε ¹³⁹³

mvp-comment-1057-4 εὐτυχεῖς ἀεί ¹³⁹⁴

mvp-comment-1059-1 εἰ θέμις ἐστι ¹³⁹⁵

mvp-comment-1059-2 τὰν ἀφανῆ θεὸν ¹³⁹⁶

mvp-comment-1060-1 ἐννυχίων ἄναξ ¹³⁹⁷

mvp-comment-1060-2 λίσσομαι ¹³⁹⁸

mvp-comment-1061-1 L gives μήτ’ ἐπιπόνω ¹³⁹⁹ μήτ’ ἐπιβαρυαχεῖ. While this verse is certainly corrupt, the antistrophic verse (1572) seems to afford firmer ground in the words φύλακα παρ’ Ἅιδᾳ . These three words, at least, have every appearance of genuineness; and they tally metrically with ἐπὶ βαρυα—χεῖ . That the latter is Doric for

is confirmed by the fact that the schol. actually uses the latter form in his note; cp. 1663 . Brunck's ἀδάματον (for MS. ) being certain in 1572, the question then is:—How are the words μήτ’ ἐπιπόνω μήτ’ to be so corrected that they shall metrically answer to ἀδάματο—ν ? The absence of the ι subscript agrees with the hypothesis of an original μητ’ ἐπιπόνως . If, with Wecklein, we regard this as having been a gloss on a genuine ἄπονα (adv. neut. pl., 319), and read ἄπονα μηδ’ ἐπὶ βαρυαχεῖ , an exact correspondence is obtained, without further change in the strophe, and without any change in the antistrophe. The sense is also clear.—In the Appendix other views are given.

mvp-comment-1061-2 ἐπὶ βαρυαχεῖ … μόρῳ ¹⁴⁰⁰

mvp-comment-1062-1 ἐξανύσαι ¹⁴⁰¹

mvp-comment-1063-1 παγκευθῆ ¹⁴⁰²

mvp-comment-1064-1 πλάκα ¹⁴⁰³

mvp-comment-1065-1 The traditional text,

, is usu. understood;

mvp-comment-1065-2 In this there are two difficulties. (1) ἱκνουμένων is thus the partic. of the imperf. ,=

. But manifestly the partic. ought here to have a pres. sense, When the pres. partic. (or inf.) serves for the impf., there is usually something in the context which prevents too great ambiguity, as is the case in 1587 ( ), and O. T. 835

τοῦ παρόντος

, where see n. Cp. Xen. Anab. 5.8.1

Ξενοφῶντος κατηγορησάν τινες φάσκοντες παίεσθαι

(= ) (= ) . Dem. or. 20 § 119

ταῦτα αὐτοί τε ποιεῖτε...καὶ τοὺς προγόνους ὀργίζεσθε ἐὰν μή τις φῇ ποιεῖν

(= ).

mvp-comment-1065-3 (2) μάταν is strange in the sense

as= Another proposed version, seems inadmissible. Nor can the sense be ( temere ). Hence there is ground for suspecting

mvp-comment-1065-4 καὶ μάταν ¹⁴⁰⁴

mvp-comment-1066-1 The MS. σε is possible; but Reiske's σφε has very strong probability. Campbell says,

: but would it be so frigid? Changes to, and from, apostrophe are certainly not rare in choral odes; but this would (to my mind) be a somewhat harsh example;—quite different, e.g. , from O. T. 1201 , where see n. on 1197.

mvp-comment-1066-2 αὔξοι ¹⁴⁰⁶

mvp-comment-1067-1 χθόνιαι θεαί ¹⁴⁰⁷

mvp-comment-1067-2 σῶμά τ’ ¹⁴⁰⁸

mvp-comment-1067-3 ἀνικάτου ¹⁴⁰⁹

mvp-comment-1068-1 It seems clear that the φασὶ after πύλαισι in the MSS. is an interpolated gloss on λόγος ἔχει . If φασὶ were genuine, it must go with εὐνᾶσθαι only, κνυζεῖσθαι depending on λόγος ἔχει : a construction awkward beyond example. Bellermann seeks to avoid this by pointing thus,

etc., supplying with φασί : but this is even worse. The long delay of λόγος ἔχει brought in the gloss.—In the MS. πολυξέστοις the long penult.= of (1559). Even if we assume an syllable ( for ), the sense seems fatal. is surely not a good epithet for the Gates of Hell.

mvp-comment-1068-2 πολυξένοις ¹⁴¹⁰

mvp-comment-1069-1 While κνυζᾶσθαι is the form recommended by the analogy of like words for the sounds of animals (

, etc.), κνυζεῖσθαι has L's support, and also seems better just after εὐνᾶσθαι . If right here, it is, however, much the rarer form of the two.

mvp-comment-1069-2 ἐξ ἄντρων ¹⁴¹¹

mvp-comment-1070-1 φύλακα ¹⁴¹²

mvp-comment-1070-2 λόγος … ἔχει ¹⁴¹³

mvp-comment-1071-1 τόν ¹⁴¹⁴

mvp-comment-1071-2 Γᾶς παῖ ¹⁴¹⁵

mvp-comment-1072-1 The MSS. have ἐν καθαρῷ βῆναι .

as he passes to Hades. must mean strictly, i.e.to pass to ground which he will not traverse, leaving his path clear. ἐν καθαρῷ is thus virtually equivalent to . Madvig's ἐκ καθαροῦ is proleptic:— Cp. Pind. Ol. 6.23

κελεύθῳ τ’ ἐν καθαρᾷ

βάσομεν ὄκχον

: Her. 1.202

¹⁴¹⁶ ῥέει διὰ καθαροῦ

(through an open country, where its course is not checked). So Il. 8.491

ἐν καθαρῷ

, in a clear space. I suspect the text to be unsound, but the data are inadequate for its certain correction. Two views are possible. (1) τόν in 1574 may be corrupt. If ( e.g. ) Hartung's τόδ’ were read, the sense would be:— Such a view best suits the natural sense of . (2) τόν may be sound, while ἐν καθαρῷ may have supplanted something like . Or βῆναι may have come ( e.g. ) from :

mvp-comment-1072-2 πλάκας ¹⁴¹⁷

mvp-comment-1073-1 τὸν αἰένυπνον ¹⁴¹⁸

mvp-comment-1075-1 ξυντομώτατον ¹⁴¹⁹

mvp-comment-1075-2 λέξας … ὀλωλότα ¹⁴²⁰

mvp-comment-1076-1 ἃ δ’ ἦν τὰ πραχθέντ’ ¹⁴²¹

mvp-comment-1076-2 ὁ μῦθος οὐκ ἐν βραχεῖ πάρεστιν ¹⁴²²

mvp-comment-1077-1 The MS. words τὸν ἀεὶ (or αἰεὶ ) certainly conceal a fault, which is perhaps very old. We cannot supply

( ). Nor do I see how τὸν ἀεὶ βίοτον could mean, ( Whitelaw). The schol. gives nothing better than a fatuous interpretation of as . The first question is whether the fault is confined to ἀεί . (1) If so, τόν being sound, ἀεί ( a ) may conceal another adv., or an adj.: as . Of these is perh. least unsatisfactory. It should not be too hastily assumed that the poet would have shunned a fourfold . Or ( b ) ἀεί may have arisen from some ancient mutilation of ἄνδρα . The very simplicity of κεῖνον τὸν ἄνδρα has a solemnity which is not unfitting here; and to my mind this solution has greater probability than perhaps many would concede to it at first sight. (2) If τόν is corrupt, then there are these possibilities. ( a ) τὸν ἀεί may conceal one word, such ( e.g. ) as , Aesch. Cho. 49 . ( b ) τόν may have been inserted to supply a lost syllable: though against this is the fact that our MSS. often tolerate lame trimeters. This view suits ( e.g. ) ἐκεῖνον ἄρτι , or Hermann's κεῖνόν γ’ ἐσαιεί (to which, however, the γ’ is fatal). (3) It is vain to speculate on the possibility of corruptions extending beyond τὸν ἀεί . The words βίοτον ἐξεπίστασο and κεῖνον (or ) are prima facie sound. Thus ( e.g. ) to suggest would be unwarrantable. We seek to amend, not to re-write.

mvp-comment-1078-1 ἀπόνῳ ¹⁴²³

mvp-comment-1078-2 τοῦτ’ … ἤδη ¹⁴²⁴

mvp-comment-1079-1 ὑφηγητῆρος ¹⁴²⁵

mvp-comment-1080-1 καταρράκτην ¹⁴²⁶

mvp-comment-1081-1 χαλκοῖς βάθροισι ¹⁴²⁷

mvp-comment-1081-2 γῆθεν ¹⁴²⁹

mvp-comment-1082-1 πολυσχίστων ¹⁴³⁰

mvp-comment-1083-1 κοίλου … κρατῆρος ¹⁴³¹

mvp-comment-1083-2 Θησέως ¹⁴³²

mvp-comment-1084-1 Περίθου ¹⁴³³

mvp-comment-1084-2 κεῖται … ξυνθήματα ¹⁴³⁴

mvp-comment-1084-3 Others understand:

( κεῖται =pf. pass. of ),—a lively way of saying, : but this is improbable.— Wecklein conjectures Περίθῳ καλεῖται : : the dat. as Tr. 668

τῶν σῶν Ἡρακλεῖ δωρημάτων

: the verb as Simonides fr. 107 . (Cp. on O. T. 1451 .) This idiom, however, elsewhere always refers to places , not to acts.

mvp-comment-1085-1 (1) With L's

: the other objects. Cp. Il. 22.153

ἔνθα δ’ ἐπ’ αὐτάων πλυνοὶ εὐρέες ἐγγὺς ἔασιν

, at the springs. With , L's μέσου is possible; (2) With Brunck's , it becomes necessary to read μέσος . The is then one of four points from which the point denoted by is measured. The second ἀπό may be taken with also: cp. O.T. 734, 761.

mvp-comment-1085-2 μέσος ¹⁴³⁵

mvp-comment-1085-3 τοῦ τε Θορικίου πέτρου ¹⁴³⁶

mvp-comment-1086-1 κοίλης τ’ ἀχέρδου ¹⁴³⁷

mvp-comment-1086-2 κἀπὸ λαΐνου τάφου ¹⁴³⁸

mvp-comment-1086-3 The power and beauty of this passage are in no way lessened for us because we know nothing of the basin or the stone, the tree or the tomb. Rather it might be said that the very fact of our ignorance illustrates the spirit in which these details are introduced. Their significance is essentially local:

(schol.). They show us how the blind man, who had never been at Colonus before, placed himself at precisely the due point in the midst of its complex sanctities. The god made him as one who had the most intimate and minute knowledge of the ground.

mvp-comment-1087-1 ἔλυσε ¹⁴³⁹

mvp-comment-1087-2 δυσπινεῖς ¹⁴⁴⁰

mvp-comment-1088-1 ῥυτῶν ¹⁴⁴¹

mvp-comment-1089-1 They go to a hillock a little way off, on which was a shrine of Demeter Euchloös. See map in Introd.

mvp-comment-1089-2 εὐχλόου ¹⁴⁴²

mvp-comment-1089-3 προσόψιον ¹⁴⁴³

mvp-comment-1090-1 )πόρευσαν ¹⁴⁴⁴

mvp-comment-1090-2 ταχεῖ σὺν χρ ¹⁴⁴⁵

mvp-comment-1090-3 λουτροῖς ¹⁴⁴⁶

mvp-comment-1091-1 ᾗ νομίζεται ¹⁴⁴⁷

mvp-comment-1092-1 παντὸς … δρῶντος ¹⁴⁴⁸

mvp-comment-1093-1 ἀργὸν ¹⁴⁴⁹

mvp-comment-1094-1 κτύπησε ¹⁴⁵⁰

mvp-comment-1094-2 Ζεὺς χθ ¹⁴⁵¹

mvp-comment-1095-1 οὐδ’ ἀνίεσαν ¹⁴⁵²

mvp-comment-1095-2 pammh/keis ¹⁴⁵³

mvp-comment-1096-1 ἐξαίφνης ¹⁴⁵⁴

mvp-comment-1097-1 πάντα τἀμά ¹⁴⁵⁵

mvp-comment-1098-1 τὴν δυσπόν ¹⁴⁵⁶

mvp-comment-1098-2 ἀμφ’ ἐμοὶ ¹⁴⁵⁷

mvp-comment-1098-3 τροφήν ¹⁴⁵⁸

mvp-comment-1098-4 σκληρὰν ¹⁴⁵⁹

mvp-comment-1098-5 ἀλλὰ … γὰρ ¹⁴⁶⁰

mvp-comment-1098-6 ἕν … ἔπος ¹⁴⁶¹

mvp-comment-1098-7 λύει ¹⁴⁶²

mvp-comment-1099-1 τητώμεναι ¹⁴⁶³

mvp-comment-1100-1 ἐπ’ ἀλλήλ. ἀμφικ. ¹⁴⁶⁴

mvp-comment-1100-2 λύγδην ¹⁴⁶⁵

mvp-comment-1101-1 σιωπή ¹⁴⁶⁶

mvp-comment-1101-2 τινὸς ¹⁴⁶⁷

mvp-comment-1102-1 θώϋξεν αὐτόν ¹⁴⁶⁸

mvp-comment-1102-2 πάντας ¹⁴⁶⁹

mvp-comment-1102-3 φόβῳ ¹⁴⁷⁰

mvp-comment-1102-4 ἐξαίφνης ¹⁴⁷¹

mvp-comment-1103-1 πολλὰ πολλαχῇ ¹⁴⁷²

mvp-comment-1103-2 It is strange that a modern critic should have thought this

(Schaefer). He must have forgotten that a divine summons had already been thrice repeated when

mvp-comment-1104-1 ὦ οὗτος ¹⁴⁷³

mvp-comment-1104-2 οὗτος ¹⁴⁷⁴

mvp-comment-1105-1 χωρεῖν ¹⁴⁷⁵

mvp-comment-1105-2 τἀπὸ σοῦ ¹⁴⁷⁶ βραδύνεται ¹⁴⁷⁷

mvp-comment-1106-1 οἱ ¹⁴⁷⁸

mvp-comment-1107-1 ὁρκίαν ¹⁴⁷⁹

mvp-comment-1107-2 ἀρχαίαν ¹⁴⁸⁰

mvp-comment-1107-3 (1) Two other conjectures claim notice. ἀρθμίαν (Wecklein)=

Cp. Od. 16.427

οἱ δ’ ἡμῖν ἄρθμιοι ἦσαν

, In Ph. 1132 Erfurdt has restored (as = ) for . But this epithet does not strengthen . (2) ἀρκίαν (L. Schmidt)= The only support for this is the epic phrase ( Il. 10.304 , Od. 18.358 , Hes. Op. 368 ).

mvp-comment-1108-1 ἑκών ¹⁴⁸¹

mvp-comment-1109-1 μέλλῃς ¹⁴⁸²

mvp-comment-1109-2 φρονῶν εὖ ¹⁴⁸³

mvp-comment-1109-3 εὖ φρονῶν ¹⁴⁸⁴

mvp-comment-1110-1 οὐκ οἴκτου μέτα ¹⁴⁸⁵

mvp-comment-1111-1 ὅρκιος ¹⁴⁸⁶

mvp-comment-1112-1 ἀμαυραῖς ¹⁴⁸⁷

mvp-comment-1113-1 τλάσας … τὸ γενναῖον φρενὶ ¹⁴⁸⁸

mvp-comment-1113-2 φρενὶ ¹⁴⁸⁹

mvp-comment-1114-1 ἃ μὴ ¹⁴⁹⁰

mvp-comment-1114-2 φωνούντων ¹⁴⁹¹

mvp-comment-1115-1 ὁ κύριος ¹⁴⁹²

mvp-comment-1116-1 εἰσηκούσαμεν ¹⁴⁹³

mvp-comment-1116-2 ξύμπαντες ¹⁴⁹⁴

mvp-comment-1116-3 ἀστακτὶ ¹⁴⁹⁵

mvp-comment-1117-1 ἐξαπείδομεν ¹⁴⁹⁶

mvp-comment-1117-2 τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν μὲν ¹⁴⁹⁷

mvp-comment-1118-1 αὐτὸν ¹⁴⁹⁸

mvp-comment-1118-2 ὀμμ ¹⁴⁹⁹

mvp-comment-1118-3 ἐπίσκιον ¹⁵⁰⁰

mvp-comment-1119-1 ἀντέχοντα ¹⁵⁰¹

mvp-comment-1120-1 γῆν τε … καὶ … Ὄλυμπον ¹⁵⁰²

mvp-comment-1120-2 ἐν ταὐτῷ λόγῳ ¹⁵⁰³

mvp-comment-1121-1 ἐξέπραξεν ¹⁵⁰⁴

mvp-comment-1121-2 ποντία θύελλα κινηθεῖσα ¹⁵⁰⁵

mvp-comment-1122-1 πομπός ¹⁵⁰⁷

mvp-comment-1122-2 ἢ τὸ νερτέρων γῆς βάθρον ¹⁵⁰⁸

mvp-comment-1122-3 ἀλύπητον ¹⁵⁰⁹

mvp-comment-1122-4 ἀλάμπετον ¹⁵¹⁰

mvp-comment-1123-1 οὐ στενακτὸς ¹⁵¹¹

mvp-comment-1123-2 σὺν νόσοις ¹⁵¹²

mvp-comment-1123-3 ἀλγεινὸς ¹⁵¹³

mvp-comment-1124-1 εἰ δὲ μὴ δοκῶ ¹⁵¹⁴

mvp-comment-1125-1 χοἱ προπέμψ. ¹⁵¹⁵

mvp-comment-1125-2 ἀσήμονες ¹⁵¹⁶

mvp-comment-1127-1 αἰαῖ, φεῦ ¹⁵¹⁷

mvp-comment-1127-2 ἔστιν ἔστι νῷν δή ¹⁵¹⁸

mvp-comment-1127-3 οὐ τὸ μέν, ἄλλο δὲ μή ¹⁵¹⁹

mvp-comment-1128-1 ἔμφυτον ¹⁵²⁰

mvp-comment-1128-2 ἄλαστον ¹⁵²¹

mvp-comment-1128-3 αἷμα ¹⁵²²

mvp-comment-1129-1 ᾧτινι ¹⁵²³

mvp-comment-1129-2 τὸν πολὺν ¹⁵²⁴

mvp-comment-1130-1 ἐν πυμάτῳ ¹⁵²⁵

mvp-comment-1130-2 ἀλόγιστα ¹⁵²⁶

mvp-comment-1130-3 παροίσομεν ¹⁵²⁷

mvp-comment-1131-1 ἰδόντε καὶ παθούσα ¹⁵²⁸

mvp-comment-1132-1 The Chorus ask,

She replies, ἔστιν μὲν εἰκάσαι , ( ). Cp. Eur. fr. 18 . So 1656

μόρῳ δ’ ὁποίῳ κεῖνος ὤλετ’ οὐδ’ ἂν εἷς | θνητῶν φράσειε

. Better thus than, —The MS. οὐκ ἔστιν μὲν = (Not, as Bellermann: schol. .)

mvp-comment-1132-2 οὐκ ¹⁵²⁹

mvp-comment-1133-1 ὡς μάλιστ’ ἂν ἐν πόθῳ λάβοις ¹⁵³⁰

mvp-comment-1134-1 τί γάρ, ὅτῳ ¹⁵³¹

mvp-comment-1134-2 μήτ’ Ἄρης μήτε πόντος ¹⁵³²

mvp-comment-1134-3 I think that I can suggest the true solution. The schol.'s

was a paraphrase of πόνος , a corruption of πόντος which actually appears in the Vatican MS. here.

mvp-comment-1135-1 ἄσκοποι … πλάκες ¹⁵³³

mvp-comment-1135-2 φερόμενον ¹⁵³⁴

mvp-comment-1136-1 ὀλεθρία νὺξ ¹⁵³⁵

mvp-comment-1137-1 ἀπίαν γᾶν ¹⁵³⁶

mvp-comment-1137-2 ἀλώμεναι ¹⁵³⁷

mvp-comment-1137-3 δύσοιστον ¹⁵³⁸

mvp-comment-1138-1 κατὰ … ἕλοι ¹⁵³⁹

mvp-comment-1138-2 φόνιος ¹⁵⁴⁰

mvp-comment-1138-3 In this and some following passages the correspondence of strophe and antistrophe has been disturbed by interpolations, and also omissions, in the MSS. A

of this kind was peculiarly liable to corruption by the actors, and that has doubtless been one of the causes at work. (Cp. on 1737

.) At some points it is now impossible to restore the text with certainty; but the whole extent of the mischief is small. In dealing with such points we can only use caution, and clearly recognise the doubtful nature of the ground.—On this passage, see note in Appendix.

mvp-comment-1139-1 The words πατρὶ ξυνθανεῖν γεραιῷ ¹⁵⁴¹

mvp-comment-1140-1 γ’ ὁ μέλλων ¹⁵⁴²

mvp-comment-1141-1 The MSS. give τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ καλῶς φέρειν χρή . There has certainly been an interpolation, equivalent to uu- . (1) Some reject the words φέρειν χρή . Then τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ καλῶς must be taken with φλέγεσθον :

(pass.): or, if with Herm. the verb is made midd., (cp. the act. in Ai. 196

ἄταν οὐρανίαν φλέγων

). So, if the MS. μηδ’ ἄγαν is kept, μηδ’ = (Herm., ). But μηδὲν ἄγαν or μηδ’ ἔτ’ ἄγαν (see cr. n.) gives in this case a clearer sense. (2) Wecklein, with whom I agree, rejects καλῶς and χρή , keeping φέρειν . Then τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ φέρειν = the inf. standing for imperat., a use fitting in such a precept ( O. T. 1529 ). The origin of the interpolated words is thus clear: χρή explained the use of the inf., while καλῶς was meant to fix the sense of φέρειν , lest τὸ φέρον should obscure it.

mvp-comment-1141-2 τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ ¹⁵⁴³

mvp-comment-1141-3 τὸ φέρον ¹⁵⁴⁴

mvp-comment-1142-1 The MS. μηδ’ ἄγαν οὕτω answers to λήγετε τοῦδ’ in 1722 . The question is, Are we (1) to compress the former, or (2) to expand the latter? Dindorf and others prefer (1), and so eject οὕτω , reading μηδ’ ἔτ’ (or μηδὲν ) ἄγαν ,=

. This view agrees with the metre, and is adopted by Heinrich Schmidt (see Metr. Analysis). If, on the other hand, οὕτω is kept here, then Hermann's λήγετ’ <ἤδη> τοῦδ’ is the simplest supplement in 1722. For Wecklein's conjecture λήγετ’ <αἰνοῦ> τοῦδ’ ( Ars Soph. emendandi p. 81), it may be said that might have dropped out before : cp. Ai. 706

αἰνὸν ἄχος

.

mvp-comment-1143-1 οὔτοι κατάμεμπτ’ ἔβητον ¹⁵⁴⁵

mvp-comment-1143-2 κατάμεμπτα ¹⁵⁴⁶

mvp-comment-1143-3 βαίνειν ¹⁵⁴⁷

mvp-comment-1143-4 But the scholium in L is:—

: [Elmsley ] (Theseus). . Does the lemma point to another reading? I do not think so. Papageorgius points out ( Krit. und palaeogr. Beiträge z. d. alt. Sophoklesscholien , p. 59) that was probably a mere slip, by the scholiast who copied the old scholia into L, for ( ), while was a like error for . On the strength of this schol., however, (1) Nauck conjectured οὔτοι κατάμεμπτος αἶσα : (2) Hartung, οὔτοι κατάμεμπτ’ ἔβη γάρ : (3) M. Schmidt, οὔτοι κατάμεμπτ’ ἀπέσβη , which Wecklein adopts, citing Bekk. Anecd. 422 . But the word would ill suit the swift passing of Oed.: it rather suggests a gradual extinction of life: cp. Eur. Med. 1218

¹⁵⁴⁸ χρόνῳ δ’ ἀπέσβη καὶ μεθῆχ’ ὁ δύσμορος | ψυχήν

.

mvp-comment-1144-1 < τοι> ¹⁵⁴⁹

mvp-comment-1144-2 ἄρ’ ἦν ¹⁵⁵⁰

mvp-comment-1145-1 The MS. τὸ φίλον φίλον can only mean:

But the article is unendurable here, making her say, in effect, that her former duty was not the ideal of what is pleasant. It came in to patch the metre, when ἦν had dropped out. For instead of cp. 73: for the neut. pl. form, 1104.

mvp-comment-1145-2 τὸν ¹⁵⁵¹

mvp-comment-1146-1 ὦ φίλος ¹⁵⁵²

mvp-comment-1146-2 Join τὸν ἀεὶ κατὰ γᾶς σκότον ¹⁵⁵³

mvp-comment-1146-3 εἱμένος ¹⁵⁵⁴

mvp-comment-1147-1 οὐδέ γ’ ἔνερθ’ ¹⁵⁵⁵

mvp-comment-1147-2 οὐδὲ γέρων ¹⁵⁵⁶

mvp-comment-1148-1 The first ἔπραξεν is itself an argument for the second. A simple repetition is more fitting than ἐξέπραξεν . Cp. on 1677

. Cp. Ai. 966

ἐμοὶ πικρὸς τέθνηκεν ἢ κείνοις γλυκύς,

αὑτῷ δὲ τερπνός· ὦν γὰρ ἠράσθη τυχεῖν

ἐκτήσαθ’ αὑτῷ, θάνατον ὅνπερ ἤθελεν

.

mvp-comment-1149-1 εὐσκίαστον ¹⁵⁵⁷

mvp-comment-1149-2 πένθος … ἄκλαυτον ¹⁵⁵⁸

mvp-comment-1150-1 In τόδ’ ἐμὸν ὄμμα δακρῦον ἀναστένει ¹⁵⁵⁹

mvp-comment-1151-1 τὸ σὸν ἄχος ¹⁵⁶⁰

mvp-comment-1151-2 ἀφανίσαι ¹⁵⁶¹

mvp-comment-1151-3 τόσον ¹⁵⁶²

mvp-comment-1152-1 ὤμοι ¹⁵⁶³

mvp-comment-1153-1 Cp. 1735

. Almost all critics are now agreed that the words ἔρημος ἄπορος were borrowed thence, to supply a gap here. But opinions differ as to whether we should here retain αὖθις , or ὧδ’ , or both. I retain both. See Metrical Analysis, and Appendix on 1690.

mvp-comment-1154-1 ἔλυσε τὸ τέλος … βίου ¹⁵⁶⁴

mvp-comment-1155-1 λήγετε ¹⁵⁶⁵

mvp-comment-1155-2 κακῶν δυσάλωτος ¹⁵⁶⁶

mvp-comment-1156-1 πάλιν … συθῶμεν ¹⁵⁶⁷