Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 848

Thomas Francklin (Translator)

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O wretched CEdipus !

Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles. Thomas Francklin (Translator). London. 1758–1759.

Current edition Experimental

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 848 focus
οὔκουν ποτʼ ἐκ τούτοιν γε μὴ σκήπτροιν ἔτι
ὁδοιπορήσεις· ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ νικᾶν θέλεις
πατρίδα τε τὴν σὴν καὶ φίλους, ὑφʼ ὧν ἐγὼ
850
ταχθεὶς τάδʼ ἔρδω, καὶ τύραννος ὢν ὅμως,
νίκα. χρόνῳ γάρ, οἶδʼ ἐγώ, γνώσει τάδε,
ὁθούνεκʼ αὐτὸς αὑτὸν οὔτε νῦν καλὰ
δρᾷς οὔτε πρόσθεν εἰργάσω βίᾳ φίλων,
ὀργῇ χάριν δούς, ἥ σʼ ἀεὶ λυμαίνεται.
855
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 720-1043 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 848 focus
Thou shalt not have these staves henceforth to prop
Thy roaming to and fro. Take thine own way!
Since thou hast chosen to thwart thy nearest kin,—
Beneath whose orders, though a royal man,
850
I act herein,—and thine own native land.
The time will surely come when thou shalt find
That in this deed and all that thou hast done
In opposition to their friendly will,
Thou hast counselled foolishly against thy peace,
Yielding to anger, thy perpetual bane.
855
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 848 focus
So wirst du denn, auf diesen Doppelstab gestüzt,
845
Nie mehr dahinzieh'n! Aber weil du deinem Land
Und deinen Freunden trozen willst, die solches mir
Zu thun geboten, ob ich gleich der Herrscher bin:
So troze! Wohl erkennst du's einst in später Zeit,
Daß dir so wenig fromme, was du heute thust,
850
Als was du früher thatest troz der Freunde Rath,
Dem Zorn gehorchend, der dir stets Unheil erschafft.
(vertritt ihm den Weg) (will gehen.)
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 848 focus
Stranger, thou movest not hence.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 720-1042 focus

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-191-1 For τῶν as 1st syll. of 3rd foot cp. Ant. 95

ἀλλ’ ἔα με καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἐμοῦ δυσβουλίαν
.

mvp-comment-192-1 ῥεούσης 1

mvp-comment-193-1 εἰ 3

mvp-comment-193-2 θεοσεβεστάτας 4

mvp-comment-194-1 μόνας 5

mvp-comment-194-2 τὸν κακούμενον ξένον 6

mvp-comment-194-3 These two examples are cited in Her. 9.27 ; in the spurious

ἐπιτάφιος
ascribed to Lysias ( or. 2 §§ 4-16 ); and in that ascribed to Demosthenes ( or. 60 §§ 7, 8 ). Isocrates quotes them in the Panegyricus , as showing how the Athenians
διετέλεσαν τὴν πόλιν κοινὴν παρέχοντες καὶ τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις ἀεὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐπαμύνουσαν
(§ 52) ; also in his Encomium Helenae § 31 ; and again in his Panathenaicus , where he remarks that Tragedy has made them familiar to all ( § 168
τίς οὐκ ἀκήκοε τῶν τραγῳδοδιδασκάλων Διονυσίοις
;). They figure, too, in the Platonic Menexenus , with the comment that Athens might justly be accused of too great compassion, and too much zeal for "the weaker cause":
ὡς ἀεὶ λίαν φιλοικτίρμων ἐστὶ καὶ τοῦ ἥττονος θεραπίς,
244 E . Cp. Her. 8.142
αἰεὶ καὶ τὸ πάλαι φαίνεσθε πολλοὺς ἐλευθερώσαντες ἀνθρώπων
. Andocides or. 3 § 28
τοὺς κρείττους φίλους ἀφιέντες ἀεὶ τοὺς ἥττους αἱρούμεθα
.

mvp-comment-195-1 σῴζειν 7

mvp-comment-195-2 οἵας τε 8

mvp-comment-196-1 κἄμοιγε ποῦ 9

mvp-comment-196-2 καί 10

mvp-comment-196-3 οἵτινες 11

mvp-comment-197-1 As 276 shows, ἐξάραντες refers to his first seat, in the grove. They had induced him to leave that seat ( 174 ff. ), on a pledge that no one should remove him from the resting-place outside of the grove. Yet now they command him to quit Attica ( ἐλαύνετε : 226

ἔξω...βαίνετε χώρας
).

mvp-comment-197-2 τάδε βάθρα 12

mvp-comment-198-1 οὐ γὰρ δὴ τό γε 13

mvp-comment-199-1 ἐπεὶ … ἔξοιδα 14

mvp-comment-200-1 πεπονθότ’ … δεδρακότα 15

mvp-comment-201-1 "Ye shrink from me as from a guilty man. And yet ( καίτοι ),— evil as were my acts (in themselves),— how have I shown an evil disposition (

φύσιν
), or incurred moral guilt? Before I struck my father, he had struck me (
παθὼν ἀντέδρων
: see O. T. 809 ). Even if I had been aware (
φρονῶν
) who he was, I might plead this in my defence: but, in fact, I did not know. Nor did I recognise my mother. They , on the other hand, had deliberately tried to kill their babe." — Note that the clause
ὥστ’ εἰ φρονῶν … κακός
, which could not apply to the incest, limits the reference of
ἀντέδρων
to the parricide; while
ἱκόμην
( 273 ) refers to both stains.

mvp-comment-202-1 He has two distinct pleas, (1) provocation, and (2) ignorance. These could have been expressed by ἀντέδρων (1) παθὼν μέν , (2)

εἰδὼς δ’ οὐδέν
. But (2) is forestalled by the thought that, if he had known, (1) would have excused him. This hypothesis is then contrasted with the fact (273) ; and the fact on his side is next contrasted with the fact on the other (274) . Hence παθὼν μέν has no clause really answering to it; for νῦν δ’ answers to εἰ φρονῶν , and ὑφ’ ὧν δ’ to οὐδὲν εἰδώς . The impf. ( ἀντέδρων ) expresses the situation ("I was retaliating"): the aor. (273) , an act accomplished at a definite moment.

mvp-comment-203-1 ἱκόμην ἵν’ ἱκόμην 16

mvp-comment-204-1 ὑφ’ ὧν δ’ ἔπασχον 17

mvp-comment-204-2 ἔπασχον 18

mvp-comment-205-1 ὥσπερ με κἀνεστής 19

mvp-comment-206-1 θεοὺς … τοὺς θεοὺς 21

mvp-comment-207-1 μοίραις ποεῖσθε 22

mvp-comment-207-2 ποεῖσθε 23

mvp-comment-208-1 The place of του before φωτός (cp. Ai. 29

καί μοί τις ὀπτήρ
, Ph. 519
μὴ νῦν μέν τις εὐχερὴς παρῇς
) would be less awkward if φυγὴν and μήπω changed places: but the latter is reserved for the emphatic place at the beginning of the verse.

mvp-comment-209-1 μήπω 24

mvp-comment-209-2 φωτὸς … βροτῶν 25

mvp-comment-210-1 ξὺν οἷς 26

mvp-comment-210-2 μὴ κάλυπτε 27

mvp-comment-210-3 τὰς εὐδαίμονας 28

mvp-comment-211-1 ἔλαβες 29

mvp-comment-211-2 τὸν ἱκέτην 30

mvp-comment-211-3 ἐχέγγυον 31

mvp-comment-212-1 ἐκφύλασσε 32

mvp-comment-213-1 δυσπρόσοπτον 33

mvp-comment-214-1 ἱερός 34

mvp-comment-214-2 εὐσεβής 35

mvp-comment-214-3 φέρων | ὄνησιν 36

mvp-comment-215-1 ὁ κύριος … τις 37

mvp-comment-216-1 τὰ δὲ μεταξὺ τούτου 38

mvp-comment-216-2 τὰ 39

mvp-comment-217-1 τἀπὸ σοῦ 40

mvp-comment-218-1 ὠνόμασται 41

mvp-comment-218-2 βραχέσι 42

mvp-comment-219-1 ἄνακτας 43

mvp-comment-219-2 διειδέναι 44

mvp-comment-220-1 The

ξένος
had spoken of Theseus as
ὁ κατ’ ἄστυ βασιλεύς
(67) , but had not said where he then was.

mvp-comment-221-1 πατρῷον ἄστυ γῆς 45

mvp-comment-221-2 ἔχει 46

mvp-comment-221-3 σκοπὸς 47

mvp-comment-222-1 κἀμὲ 48

mvp-comment-222-2 ἔπεμψεν 49

mvp-comment-222-3 στελῶν 50

mvp-comment-223-1 Wecklein brackets these nine verses, thinking that they arose from a misunderstanding of 551-554 . Theseus divined the name of Oedipus from the description of his person; but these vv. were inserted by one who thought it necessary to explain how Theseus knew the name. I hold the verses to be genuine. The

ξένος
must have been sent to Athens by the Chorus before they came to the grove (117) , and could not, therefore, know the name of Oedipus (first disclosed at 222 ). He could only tell Theseus that there was a blind stranger at Colonus, who hinted at his own power to confer benefits (72) , and who looked noble (76) . Theseus, on entering (551) , at once greets Oedipus by name, though he had never seen him before (68) . He had divined the identity through a knowledge of the history (553) — i.e. he started from Athens on the strength of what the
ξένος
could tell. And on the way to Colonus (adds Theseus) he has been made certain of the fact (554) — i.e. he had heard the name. Now, it was precisely for such certainty that the dramatist meant this passage to provide. He felt that otherwise there might have been too great improbability in the instant confidence of the recognition by Theseus.

mvp-comment-224-1 Join αὐτὸν with ἐλθεῖν , not with ἕξειν : cp. O. T. 6

ἁγὼ δικαιῶν μὴ παρ’ ἀγγέλων, τέκνα,
ἄλλων ἀκούειν αὐτὸς ὧδ’ ἐλήλυθα
.

mvp-comment-225-1 καὶ κάρθ’ 51

mvp-comment-226-1 κέλευθος 52

mvp-comment-227-1 πλανᾶσθαι 53

mvp-comment-227-2 τῶν 54

mvp-comment-228-1 θάρσει, παρέσται 55

mvp-comment-228-2 πολὺ 56

mvp-comment-229-1 κεἰ βραδὺς εὕδει 58

mvp-comment-229-2 εὕδω 59

mvp-comment-229-3 βραδύς 60

mvp-comment-230-1 κλύων σοῦ 61

mvp-comment-231-1 τίς γὰρ ἐσθλός 62

mvp-comment-232-1 τίλέξω 64

mvp-comment-232-2 ποῖ φρενῶν 65

mvp-comment-233-1 τί δ’ ἔστι; 66

mvp-comment-234-1 Αἰτναίας … πώλου 67

mvp-comment-234-2 Αἰτναίας 68

mvp-comment-235-1 κρατὶ 69

mvp-comment-235-2 Θεσσαλὶς κυνῆ 70

mvp-comment-236-1 πρόσωπα 71

mvp-comment-237-1 Elms. cp. Eur. I. T. 577

ἆρ’ εἰσίν; ἆρ’ οὐκ εἰσί; τίς φράσειεν ἄν;

mvp-comment-237-2 πλανᾷ 72

mvp-comment-238-1 Arist. Metaphys. 3. 6

ἀδύνατον ἅμα καταφάναι καὶ ἀποφάναι ἀληθῶς.

mvp-comment-238-2 τί φῶ 74

mvp-comment-239-1 φαιδρὰ 75

mvp-comment-239-2 σαίνει με 76

mvp-comment-240-1 The δῆλον of the MSS. can mean only "manifest to me" (a very weak sense): for it could not bear the emphatic sense, "in living presence" (as opp. to "in my fancy"). Nor, again, can it well be taken as a parenthetic adv., "'tis clear" (like Ai. 906

αὐτὸς πρὸς αὑτοῦ· δῆλον·
). The conjecture ἀδελφὸν (cp. Ant. 1
ὦ κοινὸν αὐτάδελφον Ἰσμήνης κάρα
) may be right.

mvp-comment-241-1 Ismene has come from Thebes, where she has hitherto continued to live, in order to bring her father important tidings. The Thebans will shortly make an attempt to fix his home, not within, but near their borders. A war has already broken out between his sons.

mvp-comment-241-2 There is no contrast in this play, as in the early part of the Antigone , between the spirit of the sisters. But the contrast between their circumstances indirectly exalts Antigone. She is wandering barefooted, enduring heat and cold ( 349 f. ), — Creon is struck by the suffering shown in her aspect ( 748 ), — while Ismene has at least the ordinary comforts of life.

mvp-comment-241-3 ὦ δισσὰ πατρὸς καὶ κασιγν 79

mvp-comment-242-1 δεύτερον 80

mvp-comment-242-2 λύπῃ 81

mvp-comment-243-1 ὁρᾶν 82

mvp-comment-244-1 In the MSS. the verse ἦ τῆσδε κἀμοῦ ; etc. stands immediately after the verse πρόσψαυσον, ὦ παῖ , etc. Musgrave has been followed by nearly all subsequent editors, in separating these two verses by the insertion between them of the verse ὦ σπέρμ’ ὅμαιμον etc. This transposition is plainly necessary: else Ismene will say that she touches not only her father and sister, but herself. Campbell defends

θιγγάνω … δυσμόρου … ἐμοῦ τρίτης
as meaning, "I too am linked in this unhappy circle": adding that
"the construction of a reply, in this sort of dialogue, is not to be pressed too closely."
The source of the confusion in the MSS. was obviously that the gen. ἦ τῆσδε κἀμοῦ etc. could depend, in grammar , either on θιγγάνω or on τροφαί , though the sense leaves no choice. Nauck further places v. 327 (
ὦ τέκνον, ἥκεις
) after v. 329 (
πρόσψαυσον
). Wecklein places v. 328 (
τέκνον, πέφηνας
) after v. 329 . Neither of these changes is hurtful; but neither appears necessary.

mvp-comment-245-1 ὦ δυσάθλιαι τροφαί 83

mvp-comment-245-2 ὅμαιμον 84

mvp-comment-246-1 σῇ 85

mvp-comment-247-1 πότερα 86

mvp-comment-247-2 πόθοισι 87

mvp-comment-247-3 λόγων αὐτάγγ 88

mvp-comment-248-1 ξὺν ᾧπερ … μόνῳ 89

mvp-comment-249-1 πονεῖν 90

mvp-comment-249-2 ποῦ 91

mvp-comment-250-1 οὗπέρ εἰσι 92

mvp-comment-250-2 τανῦν 93

mvp-comment-251-1 Αἰγύπτῳ 94

mvp-comment-252-1 φύσιν 95

mvp-comment-252-2 τροφάς 96

mvp-comment-253-1 ἱστουργοῦντες 97

mvp-comment-254-1 τἄξω βίου τροφεῖα 99

mvp-comment-255-1 σφῷν δ’ 100

mvp-comment-256-1 Not noticing Ismene's hint (336) , Oedipus imagines his sons in repose at Thebes. He is soon to learn that one of them, an exile, is levying war against the other (374) .

mvp-comment-256-2 οἰκουροῦσιν 101

mvp-comment-256-3 ὥστε 102

mvp-comment-256-4 παρθένοι 103

mvp-comment-257-1 τἀμὰ δυστήνου 104

mvp-comment-258-1 νέας τροφῆς ἔληξε 106

mvp-comment-258-2 κατίσχυσεν 108

mvp-comment-259-1 γερονταγωγεῖ 109

mvp-comment-260-1 νηλίπους 111

mvp-comment-261-1 ἡγεῖται 112

mvp-comment-261-2 τὰ τῆς 113

mvp-comment-262-1 εἰ … ἔχοι 114

mvp-comment-262-2 τροφὴν 115

mvp-comment-263-1 μαντεῖα πάντα 116

mvp-comment-264-1 τοῦδε σώματος 117

mvp-comment-264-2 φύλαξ δέ μοι 118

mvp-comment-264-3 μοι 119

mvp-comment-265-1 στόλος 120

mvp-comment-266-1 μὴ οὐχὶ … φέρουσα 121

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

mvp-comment-268-1 ζητοῦσα τὴν σὴν τροφήν 122

mvp-comment-269-1 ἀμφὶ … παίδοιν 123

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

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

mvp-comment-270-2 ἔρως 124

mvp-comment-270-3 Κρέοντί τε 125

mvp-comment-270-4 Paley's

Κρέοντι δὴ
is, however, highly probable. It would mean, "to Creon in the next resort." So δὴ is used of succession in Ant. 173 , where Creon says
ἐγὼ κράτη δὴ πάντα καὶ θρόνους ἔχω
, I next (the sons of Oed. being dead); and Aesch. Eum. 3
ἣ δὴ τὸ μητρὸς δευτέρα τόδ’ ἕζετο | μαντεῖον
.

mvp-comment-271-1 ἐᾶσθαι 126

mvp-comment-271-2 πόλιν 127

mvp-comment-272-1 λόγῳ 128

mvp-comment-272-2 τὴν πάλαι … φθοράν 129

mvp-comment-273-1 κἀλιτηρίου 131

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

παρέστη μοι
, "it occurred to me," and the like; cp. Tr. 298
ἐμοὶ γὰρ οἶκτος... εἰσέβη
 : Her. 1.86
) λέγεται ( τῷ Κροίσῳ … ἐσελθεῖν...τὸ τοῦ Σόλωνος
: but 6. 125
τὸν Κροῖσον γέλως ἐσῆλθε
: and so Eur. Med. 931
εἰσῆλθέ μ’ οἶκτος
 .

mvp-comment-274-2 τρὶς ἀθλίοιν 132

mvp-comment-275-1 If νεάζων 133

mvp-comment-276-1 τὸν πρόσθε 134

mvp-comment-277-1 ἀποστερίσκει 135

mvp-comment-278-1 πληθύων 136

mvp-comment-279-1 Ἄργος 137

mvp-comment-280-1 κῆδος 140

mvp-comment-280-2 καινόν 141

mvp-comment-281-1 ὡς 142

mvp-comment-281-2 ὡς … Ἄργος … καθέξον ἢ … βιβῶν 143

mvp-comment-282-1 τιμῇ 144

mvp-comment-282-2 καθέξον 145

mvp-comment-282-3 πρὸς οὐρ. βιβῶν 146

mvp-comment-283-1 ἀριθμός 147

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

καταθήσεις
, 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 148

mvp-comment-285-2 ὡς … θεοὺς ἕξειν 149

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

ἐπεὶ τά γ’ ἀρκοῦνθ’ ἱκανὰ τοῖς γε σώφροσιν
, 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 (

ποτέ
, 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 150

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

τοιοῦδ’ ὑπ’
, which gives a clear constr. It seems arbitrary to assume that in L's reading
τίς δ’ ἂν τοιοῦδ’ ἀνδρὸς εὖ πράξειεν ἄν
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
τίς δ’ ἀντὶ τοιοῦδ’ ἀνδρὸς εὖ πράξειεν ἄν;
comparing
ἀνθ’ οὗ, ἀντὶ τοῦ
; but in such phrases
ἀντί
=
"in recompense for,"
not
"through the agency of."

mvp-comment-290-1 ἐν σοὶ 152

mvp-comment-290-2 γίγνεσθαι 153

mvp-comment-290-3 φασί 154

mvp-comment-290-4 κράτη 155

mvp-comment-291-1 ἀνήρ 156

mvp-comment-292-1 ὤλλυσαν 157

mvp-comment-293-1 see on 1

.

mvp-comment-293-2 δ\ς πέσῃ 158

mvp-comment-294-1 καὶ μὴν 159

mvp-comment-294-2 γε 160

mvp-comment-295-1 βαιοῦ … χρόνου 161

mvp-comment-295-2 κοὐχὶ μ. 162

mvp-comment-296-1 στήσωσι 163

mvp-comment-297-1 ὅρων 164

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

mvp-comment-298-2 Oedipus took

ἐν σοί
(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 165

mvp-comment-298-4 κειμένου 166

mvp-comment-299-1 κείνοις 167 βαρύς 168

mvp-comment-299-2 δυστυχῶν 169

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

γνώμῃ κυρήσας οὐδ’ ἀπ’ οἰωνῶν μαθών
. 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 170

mvp-comment-301-2 ἂν … κρατοῖς 171

mvp-comment-302-1 καὶ 172

mvp-comment-303-1 τοὔμφυλον αἷμα 173

mvp-comment-304-1 συναλλαγῆς 174

mvp-comment-305-1 σοῖς … τάφοις 175

mvp-comment-306-1 θεωρῶν 176

mvp-comment-306-2 ἑστίας 177

mvp-comment-307-1 ἐφ’ ἡμῖν 178

mvp-comment-308-1 οἱ μολόντες 179

mvp-comment-309-1 παίδων τις 180

mvp-comment-310-1 καὶ εἶτα 181

mvp-comment-310-2 τῶνδ’ 182

mvp-comment-310-3 πάρος … προὔθεντο 183

mvp-comment-311-1 τοὐμοῦ πόθου 184

mvp-comment-312-1 φέρω δ’ ὅμως 185

mvp-comment-313-1 ἀλλ’ 186

mvp-comment-313-2 σφιν 187

mvp-comment-313-3 τὴν πεπρωμένην 188

mvp-comment-314-1 ἐν δ’ 189

mvp-comment-314-2 ἐν ἐμοί 190

mvp-comment-315-1 κἀπαναίρονται 191

mvp-comment-315-2 ἐπαναιροῦνται δόρυ 192

mvp-comment-316-1 ὡς 193

mvp-comment-317-1 οἵ γε 194

mvp-comment-318-1 ἀτίμως 195

mvp-comment-319-1 οὐκ ἔσχον 196

mvp-comment-319-2 ἤμυναν 197

mvp-comment-319-3 ἀνάστατος 198

mvp-comment-320-1 αὐτοῖν 199

mvp-comment-320-2 ἐξεκηρύχθην 200

mvp-comment-321-1 εἴποις ἂν 201

mvp-comment-321-2 θέλοντι 202

mvp-comment-321-3 τότε 203

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

καταίνεσον
, 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 204

mvp-comment-323-2 τὴν αὐτίχ’ 205

mvp-comment-324-1 λευσθῆναι πέτροις 206

mvp-comment-325-1 ἔρωτ’ ἐς τόνδ’ 208

mvp-comment-326-1 πέπων 209

mvp-comment-327-1 ἐκδραμόντα 211

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

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

mvp-comment-329-1 τὸ τηνίκ’ ἤδη 212

mvp-comment-329-2 τοῦτο μέν 214

mvp-comment-330-1 χρόνιον 215

mvp-comment-330-2 ἐπωφελεῖν 216

mvp-comment-331-1 οἱ τοῦ πατρὸς τῷ πατρί 217

mvp-comment-331-2 τὸ δρᾶν 218

mvp-comment-332-1 ἔπους σμικροῦ χάριν 219

mvp-comment-333-1 σφιν 220

mvp-comment-334-1 τοῖνδε 221

mvp-comment-335-1 τροφάς 222

mvp-comment-336-1 γῆς ἄδειαν 223

mvp-comment-336-2 Nauck's

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

mvp-comment-336-3 γένους 224

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

mvp-comment-337-2 κραίνειν 225

mvp-comment-337-3 σκῆπτρα 226

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 227

mvp-comment-338-3 τοῦδε 228

mvp-comment-338-4 συμμάχου 229

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’ (
"concerning me"
).

mvp-comment-339-2 τὰ ἐξ ἐμοῦ παλαίφατα 230

mvp-comment-339-3 ἐξ 231

mvp-comment-340-1 ἤνυσεν 232

mvp-comment-341-1 ὁμοῦ | προστάτισι 233

mvp-comment-341-2 In the reading

θέλητέ μου
πρὸς ταῖσι ταῖς
, note these points: (1)
ἀλκήν μου ποιεῖσθαι
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.
ὑμεῖς, πρὸς ταῖς θεαῖς
, "ye, in addition to the goddesses," ranks the Coloniates with, or above, their deities. The gloss
σύν
, written in L over
πρός
(whence it came into other MSS.), was a palliative. Nor could
πρός
mean here, "close to their shrine."

mvp-comment-341-3 For Dindorf's

ὁμοῦ
προστάτισι
it may be urged:—(1)
ταῖσι ταῖς
is in all MSS., which would be strange if
ταῖσδε ταῖς
were genuine; while
πρὸς ταῖσι ταῖς
is simply explained by
προστά
(
τ
)
ισι ταῖς
. (2) A change of
προστάτισι
into
πρὸς ταῖσι
might have produced the change of
‐θ’ ὁμοῦ
into
‐τέ μου
. (3) After
ἐμοῦ
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 234

mvp-comment-343-1 ἀλκὴν ποεῖσθαι 235

mvp-comment-344-1 ἀρεῖσθε 236

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

τῆσδ’
perh. preceded
τοῖσδ’
) gives some colour to the conjecture
τῆς
(or
τοῖς
)
δὲ γῆς
: 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
ἐμοῖς, τῇδε μὲν
is best in 459 : with
γῆς, τῇδε τῇ
would have been fitter.

mvp-comment-345-1 ἐπάξιος 237

mvp-comment-345-2 κατοικτίσαι 238

mvp-comment-346-1 αὐτός τε παῖδές θ’ 239

mvp-comment-347-1 ἐπεμβάλλεις 240

mvp-comment-347-2 τῷδε λόγῳ 241

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

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

mvp-comment-348-2 προξένει 242

mvp-comment-348-3 ὡς … τελοῦντι 243

mvp-comment-349-1 καθαρμὸν τῶνδε δαιμόνων 244

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

θεοὶ ἐγχώριοι
of Attica, (2) as an atonement for trespass on the grove. The words
καὶ κατέστειψας πέδον
form an independent sentence, and not a second relative clause (as if
ὧν
were supplied from
ἐφ’ ἅς
): see on 424
.

mvp-comment-350-2 κατέστειψας 245

mvp-comment-351-1 ἀειρύτου 246

mvp-comment-352-1 δῑ ὁσίων χειρῶν 247

mvp-comment-353-1 τοῦτο 248

mvp-comment-353-2 ἀκήρατον 249

mvp-comment-354-1 κρατῆρές εἰσιν 250

mvp-comment-354-2 εὔχειρος 252

mvp-comment-354-3 τέχνη 253

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

Λέσβιος κρητήρ
, and 4. 152 of an
Ἀργολικός
): 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’ 254

mvp-comment-355-3 λαβὰς ἀμφιστόμους 255

mvp-comment-356-1 θαλλοῖσιν 256

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

νεο‐
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 257

mvp-comment-358-1 τὸ δ’ ἔνθεν 258

mvp-comment-358-2 ποῖ τελ. 259

mvp-comment-359-1 χοὰς χέασθαι 260

mvp-comment-359-2 πρὸς πρώτην ἕω 261

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

ἐκθύσεις
) or purifications (
καθαρμοί
) faced the East (as the region of light and purity), quoting El. 424 f., where Electra
ἡλίῳ | δείκνυσι τοὔναρ
, and Cratinus
ἐν Χείρωνι
(the title of the comedy was
Χείρωνες
, Bothe, Frag. Com. p. 47):
ἄγε δὴ πρὸς ἕω πρῶτον ἁπάντων ἵστω καὶ λάμβανε χερσὶ | σχῖνον μεγάλην
,—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

"to face some luminous object while worshipping god"
(Max Müller, Chips 1. 175). Conversely, in pronouncing solemn curses the priests faced the West ,—waving red banners: [Lys.] In Andoc. § 51
στάντες κατηράσαντο πρὸς ἑσπέραν καὶ φοινικίδας ἀνέσεισαν
.

mvp-comment-360-1 κρωσσοῖς 262

mvp-comment-360-2 οἷς 263

mvp-comment-360-3 χέω 264

mvp-comment-361-1 πηγάς 265

mvp-comment-361-2 τρισσάς 266

mvp-comment-361-3 τὸν τελευτ 267

mvp-comment-362-1 θῶ 268

mvp-comment-363-1 μελίσσης 269

mvp-comment-363-2 προσφέρειν 270

mvp-comment-364-1 μελάμφυλλος 271

mvp-comment-365-1 αὐτῇ 272

mvp-comment-365-2 ἐξ ἀμφοῖν χεροῖν 273

mvp-comment-366-1 ἐπεύχεσθαι 274

mvp-comment-367-1 τούτων 275

mvp-comment-367-2 μέγιστα 276

mvp-comment-368-1 Εὐμενίδας 277

mvp-comment-368-2 ἐξ 278

mvp-comment-369-1 τὸν ἱκέτην 279

mvp-comment-369-2 σωτήριον 280

mvp-comment-370-1 σύ τ’ 281

mvp-comment-371-1 ἄπυστα 282

mvp-comment-371-2 μηκύνων 284

mvp-comment-372-1 ἀφέρπειν 285

mvp-comment-372-2 ἄστροφος 286

mvp-comment-373-1 παρασταίην 287

mvp-comment-374-1 προσχώρων 288

mvp-comment-375-1 ὁδωτά 289

mvp-comment-375-2 λείπομαι 290

mvp-comment-375-3 ἐν 291

mvp-comment-376-1 δύνασθαι 292

mvp-comment-377-1 ἀρκεῖν … παρῇ 293

mvp-comment-378-1 ἀλλ’ ἐν τάχει τι 294

mvp-comment-379-1 δίχα 295

mvp-comment-380-1 τελοῦσα 296

mvp-comment-380-2 τὸν τόπον 297

mvp-comment-381-1 χρῆσται 298

mvp-comment-381-2 τοῦτο 299

mvp-comment-382-1 ἄλσους 300

mvp-comment-383-1 ἔποικος 301

mvp-comment-384-1 Ἀντιγόνη, σὺ δ’ 302

mvp-comment-385-1 οὐδ’ 303

mvp-comment-387-1 κείμενον … ἐπεγείρειν 304

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 305

mvp-comment-390-1 τᾶς 306

mvp-comment-390-2 ἀπόρου φανείσας 307

mvp-comment-391-1 ᾇ ξυνέστας 308

mvp-comment-392-1 τᾶς σᾶς ἃ πέπονθ’ 309

mvp-comment-392-2 ἔργ’ 310

mvp-comment-393-1 τὸ πολὺ καὶ μηδαμὰ λῆγον ἄκουσμα χρῄξω ἀκοῦσαι ὀρθόν 311

mvp-comment-393-2 πολὺ 312

mvp-comment-393-3 μηδαμὰ 313

mvp-comment-393-4 λῆγον 314

mvp-comment-393-5 ἄκουσμα 315

mvp-comment-394-1 στέρξον 316

mvp-comment-395-1 κἀγὼ 317

mvp-comment-396-1 I read

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

mvp-comment-396-2 ἤνεγκ’ 318

mvp-comment-396-3 κακότατ’ 319

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

ἤνεγκον—ἤνεγκον ἄκων μέν, ἄκων
is wrong, since metre requires u- (cp. 510). With Bothe's ἑκὼν the sense would be:—
"I have endured misery through acts which were my own, indeed: but not one of them was done knowingly."
The objections to this are insuperable. (1)

mvp-comment-396-5 θεὸς ἴστω 320

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

ἑκὼν
when he did not act
φρονῶν
(271),
εἰδώς
(273),
ξυνιείς
(976). Il. 4.43
καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ σοὶ δῶκα ἑκὼν ἀέκοντί γε θυμῷ
is irrelevant:— Zeus there says to Hera
"I have given thee this (thy pleasure touching Troy) of my free will "
(since neither god nor man could compel Zeus),
"yet against mine own wish. "

mvp-comment-397-1 αὐθαίρετον 321

mvp-comment-398-1 κακᾷ εὐνᾷ 322

mvp-comment-399-1 ἦ ματρόθεν … ἐπλήσω 323

mvp-comment-399-2 ματρόθεν 324

mvp-comment-400-1 ἀκούειν 325

mvp-comment-401-1 The constr. is

αὗται δὲ ἐξ ἐμοῦ δύο μὲν παῖδε, δύο δ’ ἄτα … ἀπέβλαστον
etc.

mvp-comment-401-2 ἐξ ἐμοῦ 326

mvp-comment-401-3 αὗται … παῖδε 327

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

ματρῷον ἅγνισμα κύριον φόνου
: Ant. 793
νεῖκος ἀνδρῶν ξύναιμον.

mvp-comment-402-2 κοινᾶς 328

mvp-comment-403-1 σαί τ’ εἴσ’ ἄῤ 329

mvp-comment-403-2 κοιναί 330

mvp-comment-403-3 πατρὸς 331

mvp-comment-404-1 ἰώ — ἰὼ δῆτα 332

mvp-comment-404-2 γε 333

mvp-comment-404-3 ἐπιστροφαί 334

mvp-comment-405-1 ἄλαστ’ ἔχειν 335

mvp-comment-406-1 οὐκ ἔρεξα 336

mvp-comment-406-2 τί γάρ 337

mvp-comment-407-1 δῶρον 338

mvp-comment-407-2 The MS. ἐπωφέλησα ,

"I benefited,"
or
"succoured"
(cp. 441), cannot be right. The sense required is
μήποτε ὤφελον ἐξελέσθαι
,
"would that I had never won!"
cp. Ph. 969
μήποτ’ ὤφελον λιπεῖν | τὴν Σκῦρον
: Od. 11.548
ὡς δὴ μὴ ὄφελον νικᾶν
: where
μή
, though thus placed, belongs to the infinitives. See Appendix for the attempted explanations of
ἐπωφέλησα
, 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:—

"and would that I had never received that choice gift from the city, for having served her."
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:
"I would not have had thee to perish e'en beneath Troy's walls, and to be buried by Scamander's stream; would rather that the murderers (Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra) had first been slain as they slew thee!"
Here the MSS. have
τέθαψαι
and
δαμῆναι
. On the latter the schol. has
λείπει τὸ ὄφελον
, and on the former
λείπει τὸ ὤφελες
, thus indicating the certain correction of H. L. Ahrens,
τεθάφθαι
. 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,
"Ah, would to father Zeus,...that, such as I was when I took Nericus,...in such might, and with armour on my shoulders, I had stood by thee , and had been aiding thee , yesterday in our house!"
A criticism by Wecklein is discussed in the Appendix.

mvp-comment-407-4 ἐξελέσθαι 339

mvp-comment-408-1 τί γάρ 340

mvp-comment-409-1 δευτέραν 341

mvp-comment-410-1 ἔχει δέ μοι … πρὸς δίκας τι 342

mvp-comment-410-2 τί γάρ 343

mvp-comment-411-1 The MSS. give

καὶ γὰρ ἄλλους ἐφόνευσα κ.τ.λ.
Hermann's ἁλοὺς (for
ἄλλους
) must mean either (1)
"caught,"
as in a net, by fate , or (2)
"caught"
by Laïus and his men, in the sense of,
"driven to fight for life."
Neither sense is tolerable. Campbell suggests,
"I murdered, and was convicted of the murder,"
saying that
ἁλοὺς ἐφόνευσα
=
ἑάλων φονεύσας
. This is as if one said in English,
"Having been hanged, he did the murder."
To ἀγνώς the short
α^
would be a grave objection: Soph. has the first
α
long thrice in
ἄγνοια
, twice in
ἀγνοεῖν
, once in
ἀγνώς
( O. T. 681 ), and short never: even in
αὐτόγνωτος
( Ant. 875 ) the
ο
is long. Porson's ἄνους could hardly mean,
"without understanding"
merely in the sense of
" unwittingly. "
The word means
"silly,"
"foolish"
( Ant. 281 ), and should here mean,
"in folly,"
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

νόμῳ καθαρός
(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
ἐφόνευσ’ ἔμ’ ἀπώλεσαν
into
ἐφόνευσα καὶ ἀπώλεσα
(or
κἀπώλεσα
) would have been easy if
ἐφόνευσά μ’ ἀπώλεσα
had once been written. In Ai. 794 L has
ὥστε κ’ ὠδίνειν
instead of
ὥστε μ’ ὠδίνειν
. Cp. Her. 1.11 (Gyges was forced)
ἢ τὸν δεσπότεα ἀπολλύναι ἢ αὐτὸν ὑπ’ ἄλλων ἀπόλλυσθαι
.

mvp-comment-412-1 νόμῳ … καθαρός 344

mvp-comment-412-2 ἐς τόδ’ ἦλθον 345

mvp-comment-414-1 ὀμφήν 346

mvp-comment-414-2 ἐφ’ ἁστάλη 347

mvp-comment-415-1 The

σκοπός
, 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 348

mvp-comment-416-1 ἔγνωκά ς’ 349

mvp-comment-416-2 ἔγνωκα 350

mvp-comment-417-1 ἀκούων 351

mvp-comment-417-2 For

ἀκούων
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
ἐκβάλοι
, 636
ἐκβαλῶ
: 638, 640
ἡδύ
: 966, 969
ἐπεί
: 1000, 1003
καλόν
, 1004
καλῶς
: 1123, 1129: 1451, 1459: 1487 f.: O. T. 517
φέρον
, 519
φέροντι
, 520
φέρει
: ib. 1276, 1278
ὁμοῦ
: Ant. 73 , 76
κείσομαι
: Ai. 1201 , 1204 (
τέρψιν
).

mvp-comment-418-1 σκευή 352

mvp-comment-418-2 δύστηνον 353

mvp-comment-419-1 ὄνθ’ ὃς εἶ 354

mvp-comment-420-1 )περέσθαι 355

mvp-comment-421-1 ἐπέστης 356

mvp-comment-421-2 πόλεως … ἐμοῦ τ; 357

mvp-comment-422-1 ἂν … τύχοις … ἐξαφισταίμην 358

mvp-comment-422-2 πρᾶξιν 359

mvp-comment-423-1 ξένος 360

mvp-comment-424-1 καὶ ὡς ἤθλησα πλεῖστα εἷς ἀνήρ 361

mvp-comment-424-2 ἐπὶ ξένης 362

mvp-comment-425-1 κινδυνεύματ’ 363

mvp-comment-425-2 ἐν τὠμῷ κάρᾳ 364 κάρᾳ 365

mvp-comment-426-1 ξένον 366

mvp-comment-426-2 συνεκσῴζειν 367

mvp-comment-427-1 ἀνὴρ 368

mvp-comment-428-1 δοῦ 369

mvp-comment-429-1 τὸ σὸν γενναῖον 370

mvp-comment-430-1 παρῆκεν 371

mvp-comment-430-2 ὥστε ἐμοὶ δεῖσθαι 372

mvp-comment-430-3 δεῖσθαι 373

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

δεῖσθαι
(instead of
ἐμέ
as subj. to
φράσαι
) cp. Eur. Hipp. 940
θεοῖσι προσβαλεῖν χθονὶ | ἄλλην δεήσει γαῖαν
: and see on 721
. Wecklein takes
ἐμοί
with
παρῆκεν
, permisit mihi , but the interposed ὥστε forbids this. The conject. σοι (for
ἐμοί
),
"to say little to thee ,"
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
ἦλθον
(cp. O. T. 152
Πυθῶνος ἔβας
 , Ph. 630
νεὼς ἄγοντα
), but is more simply governed by
ἀπὸ
.

mvp-comment-432-1 χὡ λόγος διοίχεται 374

mvp-comment-432-2 διέρχεται 376

mvp-comment-433-1 τοῦτ’ αὐτὸ 377

mvp-comment-434-1 τὰ δὲ | κέρδη 378

mvp-comment-435-1 που 379

mvp-comment-436-1 ποίῳ 380

mvp-comment-436-2 προσφορὰ 381

mvp-comment-436-3 δηλώσεται 382

mvp-comment-437-1 i.e.

"You ask for the last offices which piety can render: you do not ask me for protection during your lifetime."
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 383

mvp-comment-437-3 δῑ οὐδενὸς ποεῖ 384

mvp-comment-438-1 ἐνταῦθα γάρ 385

mvp-comment-439-1 ἐν βραχεῖ 386

mvp-comment-440-1 γε μήν 387

mvp-comment-441-1 πότερα 388

mvp-comment-441-2 ἐγγενῶν 389

mvp-comment-441-3 κἀμοῦ 390

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)

"They are for compelling ( my protectors ) to convey me to Thebes."
But the ellipse of
τινά
before
κομίζειν
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
κεῖσ’
)
ἀναγκάσουσί με
. To read
σε
for
με
merely shifts the first difficulty, and leaves the second. (2)
"They are for putting constraint on me, so as to carry (me) to Thebes."
Such an epexegesis by the act. infin. is impossible here. Who could write
ἀναγκάζει σε ἄγειν ἐκεῖσε
, meaning,
"he is forcing thee, so as to take (thee) thither"
? (3)
κομίζειν
has been taken as=
"to return,"
=
κομίζεσθαι
. This needs no comment. We want either: (1) instead of κομίζειν , a word=
" to return "
; but
κατελθεῖν
is very unlikely, and no other substitute is obvious: or (2) instead of ἀναγκάζουσι , a word =
"they wish , seek. "
That the fault lies in
ἀναγκάζουσι
is very strongly suggested by 590, where L has ἀλλ’ εἰ θέλοντ’ ἄν γ’ , evidently corrupted, by dittographia of
γ’
, from
ἀλλ’ εἰ θέλοντά γ’
, 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
ἀναγκάζουσι
. Hence (1) Goebel, ἀλλ’ οὐ θελόντων ,
"but if they do not wish thee"
(
φεύγειν
): (2) Reisig, ἀλλ’ εἰ θέλοντάς γ’ ,
"but what if it be not seemly for thee to shun them when willing (to receive thee)?"
Both these are forced. Campbell supplies
εἰ βούλοιντο κομίζειν
to explain
θέλοντα
, keeping L's
θέλοντ’ ἄν
: but
ἄν
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
ἀναγκάζουσι
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 391

mvp-comment-443-2 οὐδέ 392

mvp-comment-443-3 φεύγειν 393

mvp-comment-444-1 ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ 394

mvp-comment-444-2 παρίεσαν 395

mvp-comment-445-1 θυμὸς δ’ 396

mvp-comment-445-2 ξύμφορον 397

mvp-comment-446-1 μάθῃς μου 398

mvp-comment-447-1 ξυμφορὰν 399

mvp-comment-447-2 ἐρεῖς 400

mvp-comment-448-1 μεῖζον ἢ κατ’ ἄνθρ. 401

mvp-comment-448-2 νοσεῖς 402

mvp-comment-449-1 Instead of

οὐκ ἔστι μοι κατελθεῖν ποτε
, we have
ἔστι μοι κατελθεῖν μήποτε
, since
ἔστι μοι
=
"my doom is,"
ζημία κεῖταί μοι
.—Cp. on 407
.

mvp-comment-450-1 πεμψαίαθ’ 403

mvp-comment-450-2 ὥστ’ οἰκεῖν δίχα 404

mvp-comment-450-3 ὥστε 405

mvp-comment-451-1 ἐξαναγκάσει 406

mvp-comment-452-1 ὅτι 407

mvp-comment-452-2 τῇδε … χθονί 408

mvp-comment-453-1 τἀμὰ κἀκείνων 409

mvp-comment-454-1 γῆρας … κατθανεῖν 410

mvp-comment-455-1 συγχεῖ 411

mvp-comment-455-2 παγκρατὴς 412

mvp-comment-456-1 φθίνει μὲν … φθίνει δὲ 413

mvp-comment-456-2 γῆς 414

mvp-comment-457-1 βλαστάνει 415

mvp-comment-458-1 πνεῦμα 416

mvp-comment-459-1 βέβηκεν 419

mvp-comment-459-2 πόλει 420

mvp-comment-460-1 τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἤδη 421

mvp-comment-460-2 ἤδη 422

mvp-comment-460-3 καὖθις φίλα 423

mvp-comment-461-1 Θήβαις 424

mvp-comment-462-1 καλῶς 425

mvp-comment-462-2 τὰ 426

mvp-comment-462-3 τὸ πρὸς σέ 427

mvp-comment-462-4 ὁ μυρίος 428

mvp-comment-463-1 τεκνοῦται 429

mvp-comment-463-2 ἰών 430

mvp-comment-464-1 ἐν αἷς 431

mvp-comment-464-2 δεξιώματα 432

mvp-comment-465-1 δόρει διασκεδῶσιν 433

mvp-comment-465-2 δόρει 434

mvp-comment-466-1 ἵν’ 435

mvp-comment-466-2 εὕδων 436

mvp-comment-467-1 ψυχρὸς … θερμὸν 437

mvp-comment-468-1 σαφής 438

mvp-comment-469-1 τἀκίνητα 439

mvp-comment-470-1 ἔα με 440

mvp-comment-470-2 τὸ σὸν … πιστὸν φυλάσσων 441

mvp-comment-471-1 εἴπερ μὴ ψεύσουσι 442

mvp-comment-471-2 εἴπερ 443

mvp-comment-472-1 πάλαι 445

mvp-comment-473-1 ἐφαίνετο τελῶν 446

mvp-comment-474-1 δῆτ’ 447

mvp-comment-474-2 ἐκβάλοι 448

mvp-comment-475-1 ὅτῳ 449

mvp-comment-475-2 κοινή 450

mvp-comment-475-3 αἰέν 451

mvp-comment-475-4 δορύξενος 452

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

ὅτῳ
down to 637
τὴν τοῦδε
as
"a later addition,"
because (1) there could be no
ξενία
when Oedipus did not even know the name of Theseus (68), and (2)
σεβισθεὶς
in 636 is suspicious. On this, see ad loc. As to (1), the
ξενία
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
ξένος
. Cp. on 619
. After Wecklein's excision, we have
τίς δῆτ’ ἂν ἀνδρὸς εὐμένειαν ἐκβάλοι
τοιοῦδε; χώρᾳ δ’ ἔμπαλιν κατοικιῶ
. This is incoherent.

mvp-comment-476-1 ἀφιγμένος 453

mvp-comment-476-2 δασμός 454

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

σεβίζειν
1007 ,
σεβίσασα
Ant. 943 ,
σεβίζομαι 455
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
ἐσέφθην
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 456

mvp-comment-478-1 ἔμπολιν 457

mvp-comment-478-2 ἔμπαλιν 458

mvp-comment-478-3 δέ 459

mvp-comment-479-1 σέ 460

mvp-comment-480-1 εἰ δὲ τόδε — στείχειν μετ’ ἐμοῦ, — ἡδύ ἐστι — δίδωμί σοι, τούτων κρίναντι ( ὁπότερον βούλει ), χρῆσθαι ( αὐτᾦ 461

mvp-comment-480-2 τούτων 462

mvp-comment-480-3 δίδωμι … χρῆσθαι 463

mvp-comment-480-4 With

εἴτ’ ἐμοῦ
, the constr. would be,
εἴτε μετ’ ἐμοῦ στείχειν
(
ἡδὺ αὐτῷ ἐστι, στείχειν πάρεστιν
), a word expressing consent being evolved from
τάξω
. But (1) this is harsher than O. T. 91
εἰ τῶνδε χρῄζεις πλησιαζόντων κλύειν
ἕτοιμος εἰπεῖν, εἴτε καὶ στείχειν ἔσω
 (
χρῄζεις
), where
ἕτοιμος
is more easily fitted to the second clause; though somewhat similar is Eur. Ion 1120
πεπυσμέναι γάρ, εἰ θανεῖν ἡμᾶς 464 χρεών,
ἥδιον ἂν θάνοιμεν, εἴθ’ ὁρᾶν φάος
 (
χρεών
), sc.
ἥδιον ἂν ὁρῷμεν
. 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 465

mvp-comment-480-6 ξυνοίσομαι 466

mvp-comment-481-1 διδοίης … εὖ 467

mvp-comment-482-1 δόμους στείχειν 468

mvp-comment-483-1 εἰ … ἦν 469

mvp-comment-484-1 ἐν ᾧ τί πράξεις 470

mvp-comment-485-1 κρατήσω 471

mvp-comment-486-1 μέγ’ ἂν λέγοις δώρημα 472

mvp-comment-486-2 τῆς συνουσίας 473

mvp-comment-486-3 τῆς ς. 474

mvp-comment-487-1 εἰ σοί γ’ | ἅπερ φὴς ἐμμενεῖ 475

mvp-comment-488-1 τὸ τοῦδέ γ’ ἀνδρ 476

mvp-comment-489-1 ὡς κακὸν 477

mvp-comment-490-1 ἢ λόγῳ 478

mvp-comment-491-1 τοῦ μάλιστ’ ὄκνος σ’ ἔχει 480

mvp-comment-492-1 ὅρα με λείπων 481

mvp-comment-493-1 ὀκνοῦντ’ ἀνάγκη 482

mvp-comment-494-1 οὐκ οἶσθ’ 483

mvp-comment-494-2 μή 484

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

ἢ πρὸς γυναικῶν δειματούμενοι λόγοι
πεδάρσιοι θρώσκουσι, θνῄσκοντες μάτην
: 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
ἔλεξαν
, gives an emphasis like that which the cogn. accus. would give in
πολλοὶ ἀπειλὰς κατηπείλησαν.

mvp-comment-495-2 θυμῷ 485

mvp-comment-496-1 αὑτοῦ 486

mvp-comment-496-2 φροῦδα 487

mvp-comment-497-1 κείνοις 488

mvp-comment-497-2 καὶ εἰ ἐπερρώσθη 489

mvp-comment-497-3 λέγειν 490

mvp-comment-497-4 We cannot read

κεῖνος
, since the pl. is needed. The best solution would be
κείνοις δέ, κεἴ τις
, from which
ἴσως κεἰ
might have come through a transposition. But the sarcastic

mvp-comment-497-5 ἴσως 491

mvp-comment-497-6 κεἰ 492

mvp-comment-498-1 τὸ δεῦρο 493

mvp-comment-499-1 θαρσεῖν μὲν οὖν 494

mvp-comment-499-2 κἄνευ τῆς ἐμῆς γνώμης 495

mvp-comment-499-3 ἐπαινῶ 496

mvp-comment-499-4 Φοῖβος 497

mvp-comment-500-1 ὅμως 498

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

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

mvp-comment-503-1 γᾶς 499

mvp-comment-503-2 ἔπαυλα 500

mvp-comment-504-1 τὸν 501

mvp-comment-504-2 ἀργῆτα 502

mvp-comment-505-1 μινύρεται θαμίζουσα 503

mvp-comment-506-1 χλω. ὑπὸ βάσσαις 504

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

( σε ) στέρξας ἀνέχει
, "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
ἀνεῖχεν
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.
οἰνωπός
is a good Attic form (used four times by Eur.), and
οἰνωπὸν ἔχουσα
is nearer to the MSS. than Dindorf's
οἰνῶπα νέμουσα
. The latter word would mean,
"having for her domain."

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

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

mvp-comment-508-2 μυριόκαρπον 505

mvp-comment-509-1 ἀνήνεμον … χειμώνων 506

mvp-comment-510-1 βακχιώτας 507

mvp-comment-511-1 ἐμβατεύει 508

mvp-comment-511-2 ἀμφιπολῶν 509

mvp-comment-511-3 tiqh/nais 510

mvp-comment-512-1 θάλλει δ’ 512

mvp-comment-513-1 νάρκισσος 513

mvp-comment-513-2 μεγάλαιν θεαῖν 514

mvp-comment-514-1 ἀρχαῖον στεφάνωμ’ 515

mvp-comment-515-1 χρυσαυγὴς κρόκος 516

mvp-comment-516-1 κρῆναι 518

mvp-comment-516-2 μινύθουσιν 519

mvp-comment-517-1 Κηφισοῦ 520

mvp-comment-517-2 νομάδες 521

mvp-comment-518-1 ἐπ’ ἤματι 522

mvp-comment-519-1 ὠκυτόκος 525

mvp-comment-519-2 πεδίων ἐπινίσσεται 526

mvp-comment-520-1 ὄμβρῳ 527

mvp-comment-521-1 στ. χθονός 528

mvp-comment-521-2 στερνούχου 529

mvp-comment-521-3 Μουσᾶν 530

mvp-comment-522-1 νιν 531

mvp-comment-522-2 οὐδ’ ἁ 532

mvp-comment-522-3 Ἀφροδίτη 533

mvp-comment-522-4 χρυσάνιος 534

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 (

τᾷδε χώρᾳ
, 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
Πανδροσεῖον
of the Erechtheum ( Paus. 1.30.2 ).

mvp-comment-523-2 γᾶς Ἀσίας 535

mvp-comment-524-1 Δωρίδι 536

mvp-comment-524-2 νάσῳ 537

mvp-comment-524-3 Πέλοπος 538

mvp-comment-525-1 φύτευμ’ 540

mvp-comment-525-2 ἀχείρωτον 541

mvp-comment-526-1 φόβημα 542

mvp-comment-527-1 τᾷδε … χώρᾳ 543

mvp-comment-527-2 μέγιστα 544

mvp-comment-528-1 παιδοτρόφου 545

mvp-comment-529-1 τὸ μέν τις 546

mvp-comment-529-2 σημαίνων 547

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

οὔτ’ ἦρος οὔτε γήρᾳ
, understanding,
"neither in spring nor in winter ,"
σημαίνων
,
"by his word of command"
: but such a fig. sense of
γήρᾳ
is inconceivable. Nauck's
οὔτ’ ἦρος οὔτ’ ἐν ὥρᾳ | χειμώνων
is too far from the MSS., and the plur. is strange. I incline to believe that the poet indeed meant
"neither young nor old,"
but without any personal reference, and merely in this general sense:—
"from generation to generation of men these sacred trees are safe."
The words
ὁ γὰρ αἰὲν ὁρῶν
suit this. The conjecture συνναίων has palaeographic probability (for a cursive text): for the phrase cp. Eur. fr. 370
μετὰ δ’ ἡσυχίας πολιῷ γήραϊ συνοικοίην
.

mvp-comment-530-1 κύκλος 548

mvp-comment-531-1 Μορίου Διός 549

mvp-comment-531-2 Μορίου 550

mvp-comment-532-1 γλαυκῶπις 551

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

mvp-comment-533-2 ματρόπολει 552

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.

μεγάλου...μέγιστον, αὔχημα...αὔχημα
(713) must not be judged with modern fastidiousness: see on 554
.

mvp-comment-535-1 εὔιππον, εὔπωλον 553

mvp-comment-535-2 εὔιππον 554

mvp-comment-535-3 εὐθάλασσον 555

mvp-comment-535-4 εὔιππον, εὐθάλασσον 556

mvp-comment-536-1 σὺ γάρ 557

mvp-comment-537-1 εἷσας 558

mvp-comment-538-1 ἵπποισιν 559

mvp-comment-538-2 ἀκεστῆρα 560

mvp-comment-539-1 πρώταισι ταῖσδε … ἀγυιαῖς 561

mvp-comment-539-2 κτίσας 562

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

τὰν δὲ πλάταν χερσὶ παράψας
, the form is varied to a passive constr. If παραπτομένα is sound, this seems the best account of it,—
παρά
,
"at the side,"
suggesting the notion,
"as an aid."
(If from
παραπέτομαι
, 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
παραπτομένα
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
παραπτομένα
may have been a gloss; cp. Eur. I. T. 1405 (
χέρας
)
κώπῃ προσαρμόσαντες
.

mvp-comment-540-2 εὐήρετμος 563

mvp-comment-540-3 ἔκπαγλα 564

mvp-comment-540-4 ἁλία 565

mvp-comment-541-1 τῶν ἑκατομπόδων Νηρῄδων 566

mvp-comment-543-1 σὸν … δὴ 567

mvp-comment-543-2 φαίνειν τὰ λαμπρὰ ἔπη 568

mvp-comment-544-1 The

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

mvp-comment-545-1 ἡμῖν 569

mvp-comment-546-1 φαίνοιτ’ ἄν 570

mvp-comment-546-2 τέρμα τῆς σωτηρίας 571

mvp-comment-547-1 παρέσται 572

mvp-comment-547-2 ἐγώ 573

mvp-comment-548-1 ὀμμάτων 574

mvp-comment-548-2 εἰληφότας 575

mvp-comment-548-3 νεώρη 576

mvp-comment-549-1 ὃν 577

mvp-comment-550-1 ὡς 578

mvp-comment-550-2 δρᾶν τι 579

mvp-comment-551-1 εἴ τιν’ 580

mvp-comment-552-1 τηλικόσδ’ 581

mvp-comment-553-1 οὐκ ἐξ ἑνὸς στείλαντος 582

mvp-comment-553-2 ἀστῶν 583

mvp-comment-554-1 ἧκέ μοι γένει 584

mvp-comment-554-2 γένει 585

mvp-comment-555-1 εἰς πλεῖστον πόλεως 586

mvp-comment-555-2 εἰς 587

mvp-comment-556-1 ἀλλ’ 588

mvp-comment-557-1 δικαίως 589

mvp-comment-557-2 ἐκ δὲ τῶν 590

mvp-comment-558-1 ὅσῳπερ 591

mvp-comment-558-2 πλειστον … κάκιστος 592

mvp-comment-559-1 ξένον 593

mvp-comment-559-2 ἐπὶ μιᾶς πρ 594

mvp-comment-560-1 τὴν 595

mvp-comment-560-2 τάλας 596

mvp-comment-561-1 οὐκ ἔδοξα πεσεῖν ἄν 597

mvp-comment-561-2 ἐς τοσοῦτον αἰκίας 598

mvp-comment-561-3 ὅσον 599

mvp-comment-561-4 ἥδε δύσμορος 600

mvp-comment-562-1 τὸ σὸν κάρα 601

mvp-comment-563-1 πτωχῷ 602

mvp-comment-563-2 τηλικοῦτος 603

mvp-comment-564-1 τοὐπιόντος 604

mvp-comment-565-1 ἆῤ 605

mvp-comment-565-2 ὦ τάλας 606

mvp-comment-566-1

"I have uttered a cruel reproach against my kindred and myself. But indeed the reproach is one that cannot be hid, so long as thou and thy daughter are seen wandering thus. Hide it, then, thou (no one else can)—by coming home."
Unless we correct νυν to νιν (=
τὰ ἐμφανῆ
), it is better to place a point, and not merely a comma, at κρύπτειν :
" But (I have some excuse) for ,"
etc.,—the elliptical use of ἀλλ’ οὐ γάρ , as at 988, El. 595 , Tr. 552 . So the schol.:
ὥστε συγγνώμης εἰμὶ ἄξιος λέγων· οὐ γὰρ δύναμαι κρύπτειν
. With only a comma at
κρύπτειν, ἀλλά
would belong to κρύψον :
"But,— since it is impossible, etc.—hide thou,"
—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
τοιόνδ’ ἄγος | ἀκάλυπτον οὕτω δεικνύναι
.

mvp-comment-567-1 πρὸς θεῶν πατρῴων 607

mvp-comment-568-1 θελήσας 609

mvp-comment-568-2 ἄστυ 610

mvp-comment-569-1 εἰπών 611

mvp-comment-569-2 ἡ δ’ οἴκοι 612

mvp-comment-570-1 παντὸς 613

mvp-comment-570-2 ἂν φέρων 614

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

"by a stratagem."
It would then be necessary to take κἀμὲ as=
" even me"
(who have had such experiences).

mvp-comment-571-2 πειρᾷ 615

mvp-comment-571-3 δεύτερον … ἑλεῖν 616

mvp-comment-571-4 ἐν οἷς 617

mvp-comment-571-5 μάλιστ’ ἂν ἀλγοίην 618

mvp-comment-572-1 πρόσθεν τε 619

mvp-comment-572-2 οἰκείοις 620

mvp-comment-573-1 νοσοῦνθ’ 621

mvp-comment-574-1 οὐκ ἤθελες θέλοντι 622

mvp-comment-574-2 προσθέσθαι 623

mvp-comment-575-1 ἦ 624

mvp-comment-575-2 μεστὸς 625

mvp-comment-576-1 ἐξεώθεις κἀξέβ 627

mvp-comment-577-1 τοῦτ’ 628

mvp-comment-578-1 πόλιν 629 γένος 630

mvp-comment-579-1 μετασπᾶν 631

mvp-comment-579-2 σκληρὰ μαλθακῶς λέγων 632

mvp-comment-580-1 αὕτη 634

mvp-comment-580-2 τίς τέρψις 635

mvp-comment-580-3 φιλεῖν 636

mvp-comment-580-4 τοσαύτη 637

mvp-comment-581-1 ὥσπερ 638

mvp-comment-581-2 τις 639

mvp-comment-581-3 τυχεῖν 640

mvp-comment-582-1 ὧν χρῄζοις 641

mvp-comment-583-1 ἡ χάρις 642

mvp-comment-584-1 ἆῤ 643

mvp-comment-585-1 καὶ σὺ 644

mvp-comment-586-1 λόγῳ … τοῖσι δ’ ἔργοισιν 645

mvp-comment-587-1 καὶ τοῖσδ’ 646

mvp-comment-588-1 πάραυλον 647

mvp-comment-589-1 κακῶν ἄνατος 648

mvp-comment-589-2 τῆσδ’ 649

mvp-comment-589-3 ἀπαλλαχθῇ 650

mvp-comment-590-1 ταῦτα … τάδ’ 651

mvp-comment-590-2 χώρας 652

mvp-comment-591-1 τοσοῦτον, ἐνθανεῖν μόνον 653

mvp-comment-591-2 ἐνθανεῖν 655

mvp-comment-592-1 σαφεστέρων 656

mvp-comment-592-2 κλύω 657

mvp-comment-593-1 τὸ σὸν … στόμα 658

mvp-comment-593-2 ὑπόβλητον 659

mvp-comment-594-1 πολλὴν ἔχον στόμωσιν 660

mvp-comment-595-1 κακά 661 σωτήρια 662

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:

"However, I am assured that I am not persuading you of this,—go!"
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:
ἐπίσταμαι γὰρ τήνδε... τέρψιν παρ’ ἄλλου μηδενὸς πεφασμένην
. Here, however,
οἷδα μὴ πείθων
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.
"However, I am assured that you are not persuading (either the Athenians or me, cp. 803)—go!"
(3) πείσων would be liable to the same remark as
πείθων
. (4) πείσοντ’ would complete the parallelism with 656, but is not required by the
"strong assurance"
view, which applies to past (1121) or present as well as to future.—Another view is that μή gives a quasi-imperative force:
"I know that you shan't persuade."
This might apply to 656. Here it is much more difficult, esp. if we do not adopt
πείσοντ’
: in 1121 it fails.

mvp-comment-596-2 With

ἴσθι … με
for
οἶδα...δε
the imper. would explain μή (cp. on 78
): and we may note that in O. T. 376 the MSS. changed
σε...ἑμοῦ
into
με...σοῦ
. But the context confirms οἶδα .

mvp-comment-596-3 In later Greek

μή
with partic., in regard to fact , was common, as Luc. Dial. Mort. 16
πῶς οὖν ἀκριβὴς ὁ Αἰακὸς ὢν οὐ διέγνω δε μὴ ὄντα ἐκεῖνον
;
"failed to discern that you were not he,"
where
μὴ ὄντα
, though it might be paraphrased by
εἰ μὴ ἦσθα
, virtually=
ὅτι οὐκ ἦσθα
. In Mod. Greek the partic. always takes
μή
, not
δέν
. This latter tendency may conceivably have affected our MSS.: e.g.
τοιάδ’ οὐ πείθων
may have once stood here.

mvp-comment-597-1 εἰ τερποίμεθα 663

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 664

mvp-comment-598-3 ἐς τὰ σά 665

mvp-comment-598-4 ἐν τῷ νῦν λόγῳ 666

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

" Your happiness is as much my object as our own."
" My happiness,"
Oed. rejoins,
"will be best secured if your application is rejected by the people of Colonus, as by myself."

mvp-comment-600-1 φύσας 667

mvp-comment-601-1 λῦμα 668

mvp-comment-601-2 τρέφει 669

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

λέγειν σὺ δεινός
(Oed. to Creon).

mvp-comment-603-1 ἐξ ἅπαντος 670

mvp-comment-603-2 εὖ λέγει 671

mvp-comment-604-1 τὸ καίρια 672

mvp-comment-605-1 ὡς δὴ 673

mvp-comment-606-1 ὅτῳ 674

mvp-comment-607-1 πρὸ τῶνδε 675

mvp-comment-608-1 ἐφορμῶν 676

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

ἀλλά με | λόγοις ἀπώλλυς, ἔργ’ ἔχων ἥδιστ’ ἐμοί
, where
ἐμοί
is not more emphatic than
με
. So in Tr. 1171
κἀδόκουν πράξειν καλῶς· | τὸ δ’ ἦν ἄρ’ οὐδὲν ἄλλο πλὴν θανεῖν ἐμέ
, where there is no contrast between
ἐμέ
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
" my ,"
— 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 (

ἐρῶ γὰρ καὶ πρὸ τῶνδε
). Creon refuses to identify him with them, bitterly reminding the Theban that his real ties are elsewhere.
"I call them—not thee— to witness my protest"
: i.e.
"I have a just claim on thee, which thou repellest:— I appeal to a judgment more impartial than thine own."
The words mark the point at which he drops persuasion. He now turns to menace.
"But, for the tone of thy reply to kinsmen"
(meaning, to himself, cp. on 148
σμικροῖς
),
"if I catch thee"
—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 677

mvp-comment-610-1 ἀνταμείβει 678

mvp-comment-610-2 πρὸς 679

mvp-comment-610-3 οἷα 680

mvp-comment-611-1 τῶνδε συμμ 681

mvp-comment-612-1 ἦ μὴν 682

mvp-comment-612-2 κἄνευ τοῦδε 683

mvp-comment-612-3 λυπηθεὶς ἔσει 684

mvp-comment-613-1 ποίῳ σὺν ἔργῳ 685

mvp-comment-613-2 σὺν 686

mvp-comment-613-3 ἀπειλήσας ἔχεις 687

mvp-comment-614-1 τὴν μὲν 688

mvp-comment-615-1 τάδε 689

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 690

mvp-comment-617-1 τὸν ἀσεβῆ 691

mvp-comment-618-1 θᾶσσον 692

mvp-comment-618-2 εἴργασαι 693

mvp-comment-619-1 ὑμῖν 694

mvp-comment-619-2 ἂν εἴη 695

mvp-comment-620-1 ποῖ φύγω 696

mvp-comment-620-2 θεῶν … ἢ βροτῶν; 697

mvp-comment-621-1 οὐχ ἅψομαι 698

mvp-comment-621-2 τῆς ἐμῆς 699

mvp-comment-622-1 τοὺς ἐμοὺς 700

mvp-comment-623-1 — 886 The phrase

τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἄγω
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
κομμός
proper in the same sense as 510—548, 1447—1499, or 1670— 1750.

mvp-comment-624-1 ἀφήσεις 701

mvp-comment-625-1 εἰς βάσανον εἶ χερῶν 702

mvp-comment-625-2 εἶ 703

mvp-comment-626-1 εἴργου 704

mvp-comment-626-2 μωμένου 705

mvp-comment-627-1 πόλει 706

mvp-comment-628-1 οὐκ ἠγόρευον 707

mvp-comment-629-1 μὴ )πίτασσ’ ἃ μὴ κρατεῖς 708

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 709

mvp-comment-631-1 πρόβαθ’ … βᾶτε 710

mvp-comment-631-2 ὧδε 711

mvp-comment-631-3 ἔντοποι 712

mvp-comment-632-1 πόλις … σθένει 713

mvp-comment-632-2 σθένει 714

mvp-comment-633-1 μοι 715

mvp-comment-634-1 ὦ τάλας 716

mvp-comment-635-1 ἐκ τούτοιν … σκήπτροιν 717

mvp-comment-635-2 ἐκ 718

mvp-comment-635-3 σκήπτροιν 719

mvp-comment-636-1 οδοιπορήσῃς 720

mvp-comment-636-2 νικᾶν 721

mvp-comment-637-1 τύραννος 722

mvp-comment-638-1 γνώσει τάδε 723

mvp-comment-638-2 αὑτὸν 724

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

ἔδρασας
, cp. O. T. 54
ὡς εἴπερ ἄρξεις … ὥσπερ κρατεῖς
(n.).

mvp-comment-639-2 βίᾳ φίλων 725

mvp-comment-640-1 ὀργῇ χάριν δούς 726

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

μοῦνος
. 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 727

mvp-comment-643-1 ῥύσιον 728

mvp-comment-643-2 πόλει 729

mvp-comment-643-3 πόλει 732

mvp-comment-643-4 θήσεις πόλει 733

mvp-comment-643-5 ἐφάψομαι 734

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

μέγ’ ἂν λέγοις δώρημα
. Next to this, I should prefer Wecklein's
δεινὸς λόγοις εἶ
.

mvp-comment-644-2 πεπράξεται 735

mvp-comment-645-1 ἢν μή γ’ 736

mvp-comment-645-2 ἀπειργάθῃ 737

mvp-comment-646-1 φθέγμ’ 738

mvp-comment-647-1 αὐδῶ σιωπᾶν 739

mvp-comment-647-2 ἄφωνον … ἀρᾶς 740

mvp-comment-647-3 τῆς 741

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

mvp-comment-648-2 ὅς 742

mvp-comment-648-3 ψιλὸν ὄμμ’ 743

mvp-comment-648-4 ψιλὸν 744

mvp-comment-648-5 ἀποσπάσας 745

mvp-comment-649-1 ἐξοίχει 746

mvp-comment-650-1 σέ τ’ αὐτὸν 747

mvp-comment-651-1 Ἥλιος 748

mvp-comment-651-2 βίον 749

mvp-comment-651-3 κἀμὲ 750

mvp-comment-652-1 ὁρᾶτε 751

mvp-comment-653-1 ἔργοις 752

mvp-comment-653-2 ῥήμασιν 753

mvp-comment-654-1 μοῦνος 754

mvp-comment-654-2 βραδύς 755

mvp-comment-655-1 ἰὼ τάλας 756

mvp-comment-656-1 τάνδε ( πόλιν ) οὐκέτι πόλιν νεμῶ 757

mvp-comment-657-1 τοῖς … δικαίοις 758

mvp-comment-657-2 βραχὺς 759

mvp-comment-658-1 τά 760

mvp-comment-659-1 Ζεύς γ’ ἂν … σὺ δ’ οὔ 761

mvp-comment-660-1 ὕβρις 762

mvp-comment-660-2 ἀνεκτέα 763

mvp-comment-661-1 πρόμοι 764

mvp-comment-662-1 πέραν περῶσ’ οἵδε δή 765

mvp-comment-662-2 δή 766

mvp-comment-663-1 βωμὸν 767

mvp-comment-663-2 ἔσχετ’ 768

mvp-comment-664-1 θᾶσσον ἢ καθ’ ἡδονὴν 769

mvp-comment-665-1 ἔγνων 770

mvp-comment-666-1 τὰ ποῖα ταῦτα 771

mvp-comment-667-1 οἴχεται 772

mvp-comment-667-2 τὴν μόνην 773

mvp-comment-668-1 περ 774

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

263. mvp-comment-149-1 κάμοιγε.. ἐστίν ; Ay, and of all this what do I find? Hermann would continue the force of eἰ: 'since Athens has this reputation which in my case proves vain. But the sentence is too long to be so compact. For καί, cp. infr. 606, El. 883, καὶ τίνος, κ.τ.λ.; and for ποῦ, 8,9. Schol. καὶ ὁ Κυρηναῖος· οὕνεκεν οἰκτείρειν οἶδε μόνη πολέων· ἐν τῷ β΄ τῶν αἰτιῶν. See on O. T. 355: Essay on Language § 24. p. 41.

263. mvp-comment-149-2 οἵτινες βάθρων (1) When ye, after lifting me up from this resting-place, then drive me away from it. For the want of antecedent in a passage expressing strong feeling (οἵτινες = εἰ ὑμεῖς), see Essay on Language p. 72. The sacredness of the ground was a reason for protecting the suppliant who was found there. L. 276 shows that ἐξάραντες refers not with ἐλαύνετε to 226, but to 149-196. Those who removed a suppliant from the hearth, altar, or other consecrated place, were bound to succour him. Cp. O. T. 142, where the king is acceding to the prayer of the petitioners, ὑμεῖς μὲν βάθρων | ἵστασθε, τούσδ᾽ ἄραντες ἱκτῆρας κλάδους. Otherwise (2), if βάθρων is taken strictly of the seat, called ἕδρανα, supr. 176, Who after removing me' (from the sacred ground) then drive me from this resting-place, or (3), Who remove and drive me from this resting-place. For the plural βάθρων in the more general sense, cp. Eur. Erechth. fr. 362, l. 47 .

266. mvp-comment-150-1 For my actions have indeed been sufferings and not actions.' See Essay on Language § 30. p. 51. The words of Lear (3. 2) have often been compared, I am a man | More sinned against than sinning. What

268. mvp-comment-151-1 εἰ . . χρείη Were it fitting. Cp. Τr. 749, εἰ χρὴ μαθεῖν σε. Oedipus here shrinks from saying, he 265 270

268. mvp-comment-151-2 χρείη χρεῖ' ἡι L. (ει from η). utters afterwards under pressure from the chorus (521 ff.), and under provocation from Creon (985 ff.).

269. mvp-comment-152-1 τοῦτο Sc. ὅτι διὰ ταῦτα ἐκφοβεῖ με.

270. mvp-comment-153-1 φύσιν has a strong emphasis. Whatever my actions may have been, my nature was surely not wicked; cp. Αj. 472, μή τοι φύσιν γ᾽ ἄσπλαγχνος ἐκ κείνου γεγώς, i. e. That I was not really a coward, though the award of the arms to Ulysses proclaimed me such.

271. mvp-comment-154-1 φρονῶν i. e. With clear knowledge. See on O. T. 316. Seeing that first of all I was returning a wrong, so that even had I done it knowingly, I should not have been guilty. But as it was, I went all unwittingly on my path of woe, whereas those who planned my destruction knew well what they were doing. The imperfect tense in ἀπωλλύμην expresses an intention not carried into effect (as in διδόναι, κτείνειν, etc.). Cp. Thuc. 3. 57, οἵτινες Μήδων τε κρατησάντων ἀπωλλύμεθα. The words παθών .. ἀντέδρων refer to the parricide: but it is doubtful whether παθών means simply in self defence, or contains an allusion to his father's act in preparing the destruction of his infant. Similarly it is doubtful whether l. 274 applies to Creon and his sons, or again to his parents. There may seem to be a certain harshness in supposing Oedipus to speak thus of Laius, and the tone of 521 ff., 985 ff. is certainly different. Yet this is the most obvious interpretation of the present passage, and receives some confirmation from O. Τ. 718-719, 1454, ἵν' ἐξ ἐκείνων, οἵ μ᾿ ἀπωλλύτην, θάνω. The peace of Oedipus does not include forgiveness of those who have wronged him; nor is it imagined that the natural relations so broken can be restored. See Introduction, p. 279.

276. mvp-comment-155-1 The raising of the suppliant implied a promise of protection. Cp 284.

278. mvp-comment-156-1 Do not while you think to honour the Gods, in reality dishonour them,' i.e. by driving out the suppliant. Some editors have attempted, reading μοῖραν, as in the early recension, or μοίpas, which is found in two MSS, to render, Do not, while ye honour the Gods suppose them to be fates' (or 'a fate'). By no means,' etc. But this sharp distinction between God and Fate belongs to a much later age. Sophocles would no more have spoken irreverently of the μοίραι than of the other deities. And the interpretation has no meaning that is relevant to the context. For how would the rejection of Oedipus imply that the Gods were blind fates? Was it not rather based on a misinterpretation of their will? The conjectures μαυρούς (Nauck), μείους (Martin) are not more satisfactory. The best hitherto is Schndw.'s μοίρᾳ ἐμποιεῖσθε. With regard to the reading of the text, which has strong MS. authority, it may be noticed; (1) that there is no difference of meaning between μοίραις and μοίρᾳ, if this is supposed equivalent το ἐν μοίρᾳ. This poetical al dative plural occurs in Plat. Legg. 923 Β, τὸ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου κατατιθεὶς ἐν μοίραις ἐλάττοσι δικαίως. (2) Next, that the omission of ev, or the substitution of the instrumental dative (Essay on Language § 14 p. 20) is supported by the similar use of τιμαῖς (r mg. C²*. 275 280 278. μοί- = ἐν τιμῇ ἀγόμενος, in Ο. Τ. 909, κούδαμοῦ τιμαῖς Ἀπόλλων ἐμφανής. See note in loco. (3) This explanation of μοίραις requires μηδαμῶς to be taken separately from μή, and to have the force of an independent negative. This is very unusual, but may be defended, a. by the consideration that μή negatives the sentence as a whole, and a subordinate negative is therefore more easily admissible; b. that μηδαμῶς may be taken closely with μοίραις after ποιεῖσθε = ὥστε μηδαμῶς ἐν μοίραις εἶναι. c. In Plat. Legg. 11, 913 A, there is a parallel instance in a participial clause, μηδ' αὖ κινήσειε μηδὲ τὸ βραχύτατον ἐμὲ μηδαμῇ μηδαμῶς πείθων. Nor again let him move anything, however small, without any sort of consent from me. And in El. 336, καὶ μὴ δοκεῖν μὲν δρᾶν τι, πημαίνειν δὲ μή, although the force of μή is continued in the latter part of the line, the second μή has an independent force. Cp. also Eur Erechth. fr. 362. 1. 46, οὐδ᾽ ἀντ᾿ ἐλάας χρυσέας τε Γοργόνος | τρίαιναν ὀρθὴν στᾶσαν ἐν πόλεως βάθροις | Εύμολπος οὐδὲ Θρᾶξ ἀναστέψει λεὼς | στεφάνοισι, Παλλὰς δ᾽ οὐδαμοῦ τιμήσεται. The antithesis between the literal observance of the local sanctities and the higher obligations of justice and mercy is the point of this part of the play. Cp. Phil. 451. 2, ποῦ χρὴ τίθεσθαι ταῦτα, ποῦ δ᾽ αἰνεῖν, ὅταν | τὰ θεῖ᾽ ἐπαινῶν, τοὺς θεοὺς εὕρω κακούς; Ant. 924, τὴν δυσσέβειαν εὐσεβοῦσ᾽ ἐκτησάμην, for similar contrasts of expression. The use of μοῖρα for τιμή is in keeping with the language of the play. See Introduction, p. 270.

281. mvp-comment-157-1 φωτὸς ἀνοσίου βροτῶν Cp. Aj. 1358, τοιοίδε μέντοι φῶτες ἔμπληκτοι βροτῶν : Οd. 17. 587, οὐ γάρ που τινες ὧδε καταθνητῶν ἀνθρώπων | ἀνέρες ὑβρίζοντες ἀτάσθαλα μηχανόωνται: 23. 187, ἀνδρῶν δ᾽ οὐ κέν τις ζωὸς βροτός. Essay on Language $ 40. p. 75-

282. mvp-comment-158-1 ξὺν οἷς i. e. (1) ξὺν τοῖς θεοῖς. These words properly belong to ῥύου με κάκφύλασσε, but are also joined with the prohibitive sentence that is interposed. Cp. Od. 1. 74, 5, ἐκ τοῦ δὴ Ὀδυσῆα Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων | οὔτι κατακτείνει, πλάζει δ᾽ ἀπὸ πατρίδος αἴης. ξὺν ols has also been taken (2) as referring to the nearest words, φωτὸς ἀνοσίου βροτῶν. But it is better to refer it to the principal word in the previous sentence. Both interpretations are acknowledged in the Scholia.

282. mvp-comment-158-2 κάλυπτε Cloud with disgrace. Cp. Pind. Nem. 10. 40, Ἄργεϊ μὴ κρύπτειν φάος ὀμμάτων : Aesch. Pers. 536, ἄστυ τὸ Σούσων ἠδ' Ἀγβατάνων πένθει δνοφερῷ κατέκρυψας : also the metaphorical use οἱ ἀφανίζειν. The abruptness of the expression is softened by the explanatory clause, esp. the dative ἔργοις, i. e. Do not obscure the brightness of Athens by the impious deeds to which you minister.

284. mvp-comment-159-1 But as you have received your suppliant under a pledge.' ἐχέγγυος generally means able to give a pledge, and so trustworthy. But for the passive use of a word generally active, see Essay on Language p. 99; and cp. σωτήριον, l. 487 ;

284. mvp-comment-159-2 πιστωθείς, l. 1039 .

285. mvp-comment-160-1 ἐκφύλασσε Guard me to the end.

286. mvp-comment-161-1 δυσπρόσοπτον Unsightly.

288-289. mvp-comment-162-1 ὁ κύριος τις Your sovereign, whoever he is. For the combination of definite and indefinite, see Essay on Language § 22. p. 36; and cp. O. T. 107, τοὺς αὐτοέντας. τινάς. Oedipus has heard the name of Theseus, supr. 69, but he speaks cautiously, as if he depended on the chorus for information. For the courteous form of expression, cp. Pind. Pyth. 4. 230, βασιλεύς, | ὅστις ἄρχει ναός.

290-291. mvp-comment-163-1 τὰ δὲ | μεταξύ τούτου 'In your actions between that moment and this; i e. Meanwhile.

293-294. mvp-comment-164-1 λόγοισι γὰρ οὐκ ὠνόμασται βραχέσι] They are expressed in no light terms. The more literal meaning, in brief words, does not suit with ταρβεῖν. Why should a lengthy speech produce more awe than a shorter one? On the other hand, the meaning slight, insignificant, is supported by Plat. Legg. 692 C, ὡς ὄντων ἡμῶν βραχέος ἀξίων: Thuc. 1. 14, βραχέα ἐκέκτηντο: ib. 8. 76, βραχὺ . . καὶ ουδενὸς ἄξιον.

294-295. mvp-comment-165-1 τοὺς δὲ τῆσδε γῆς ἄνακτας] Plural for singular. Essay on Language § 20. p. 30. δέ opposes the middle course of waiting for Theseus, to the immediate reception of Oedipus.

297. mvp-comment-166-1 πατρῷον ἄστυ γῆς 'The citadel of the land, which was his father's.' The words designate the ancient πόλις, in the immediate neighbourhood of the Acropolis towards the south. Thuc. 2.15.

297-298. mvp-comment-167-1 σκοπός .. ὃς κἀμὲ δεῦρ᾽ ἔπεμπεν] The informant, who brought me hither. The Eévos is thus described, because he has seen Oedipus and will give Theseus true information. Schol. εὖ τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ, ὥστε μὴ διατριβάς γενέσθαι, τίς ὁ καλέσων ἔσται;

300. mvp-comment-168-1 *αὐτὸν ὥστ᾽ ἐλθεῖν αὐτόν, conjectured independently by Porson and Elmsley. It is doubted whether the pronoun is unemphatic and subject of έξειν, or emphatic (= 'in person') and subject of ἐλθεῖν. The latter suits better with the preceding speech, and with the feeling of Oedipus. As the Schol. observes, the Ξένος had not heard the name of Oedipus. But for dramatic purposes it is assumed that things told upon the stage become immediately more widely known. Cp. О. Т. 151, Aj. 148 ff. Triclinius read κἀπόνως, which is metrically unobjectionable, but it gives a poor meaning, and the aorist is harsh with έξειν preceding. Those who are not satisfied with Porson's emendations may prefer ὥστ᾽ ἀπόντ᾽ ἐλθεῖν πέλας; See Essay on Language § 32. p. 54, 2. 301 τοὔνομ᾽ αἴσθηται] αἴσθηται = ἀκούσῃ, hence the accus. The whole object is perceived, and not a part only.

303. mvp-comment-169-1 μακρὰ κέλευθος Cp. 165, πολλὰ κέλευθος ἐρατύει. See Introd. p. 275, supr. 15.

303. mvp-comment-169-2 πολλά Adverbial.

305. mvp-comment-170-1 πολύ Supplementary predicate, with the meaning celeber, much spoken of. Cp. Aesch. S. c. Τ. 6, πολὺς κατὰ πτόλιν ὑμνοῖθ᾽ ὑπ᾿ ἀστῶν: Hdt. 1. 98, ὁ Δηϊόκης ἦν πολλὸς.. αἰνεόμενος. Thy name in frequent repetition hath reached all men.'

306-307. mvp-comment-171-1 κεί βραδύς εὕδει Even though he be slow and slumbering. For the use of the adjective, see Essay on Language § 23. p. 38. 2; and cp. Aj. 47, δόλιος ὁρμᾶται. It is here slightly proleptic, i. e. εὕδει ὥστε βραδὺς εἶναι. The form of the expression is influenced by the antithesis of ταχύς. For the thought, cp. Ο. Τ. 65, ὥστ᾽ οὐχ ὕπνῳ γ' εὕδοντά μ' ἐξεγείρετε. εύδει, though added by an afterthought, has the chief emphasis. The conjectures ἕρπει, σπεύδει, are both in different ways injurious to the sense. The expression is hyperbolical, or figurative as in Eur. Suppl. 1147. For κλύων σοῦ, SC. ἀγγελίαν, cp. Ant. 1182, κλύουσα παιδός.

308. mvp-comment-172-1 Well, may he come, and in his coming be blest unto his own city as well as to me; for what good man is not a friend unto himself?' i.e. Who does not befriend himself in doing good? For the active meaning of φίλος (Sch.

308. mvp-comment-172-2 ἀντὶ τοῦ χρήσιμος), cp. Aj. 1359, Ant. 99, Phil. 1385, σοί που φίλος γ᾽ ὧν χώ λόγος τοιόσδε μου : Pind. Ol. 2. 103, φίλοις.. εὐεργέταν πραπίσιν : Aesch. Cho. 1051, φίλτατ᾿ ἀνθρώπων πατρί. For αὑτῷ, referring to αὑτοῦ, the more remote antecedent, and for the emphasis on αὑτοῦ, see Essay on Language § 41. p. 78. Cp. esp. Εl. 251, καὶ τὸ σὸν σπεύδουσ᾽ ἅμα καὶ τοὐμὸν αὐτῆς ἦλθον, and for the sense, infra 1505-1506, καί σοι θεῶν | τύχην τις ἐσθλὴν *ἧκε τῆσδε τῆς ὁδοῦ: 635, γῇ τῇδε κἀμοὶ δασμὸν οὐ σμικρὸν τίνει: 1124-1125, θεοὶ ποιοῖεν ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω | αὐτῷ τε καὶ γῇ τῇδ᾽: Hom. Il. 13.732-734, ἄλλῳ δ᾽ ἐν στήθεσσι τιθεῖ νόον εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς | ἐσθλόν, τοῦ δὲ τε πολλοὶ ἐπαυρίσκοντ᾽ ἄνθρωποι, | καί τε πολέας ἐσάωσε, μάλιστα δέ κ᾿ αὐτὸς ἀνέγνω : infra 1518-1519, ἐγὼ διδάξω, τέκνον Αἰγέως, ἅ σοι | γήρως ἄλυπα τῇδε κείσεται πόλει. According to another interpretation, the words are added in excuse for ἐμοί τε, = Who is not dear to himself? (Schndw.. Nauck.) But (1) this requires the conjectural correction ἔσθ' ὅς (for ἐσθλός is then too absurd); and (2) the reflection is unsuitable to the context and to the general feeling of the play. Where a similar proverb occurs elsewhere in Sophocles, it is either the maxim of a schemer like Ulysses, or implies blame (Aj. 1366, ἦ πάνθ' ὅμοια πᾶς ἀνὴρ αὑτῷ πονεῖ). 310 ff. The coming of Ismene prepares the way for what follows by giving a forecast of the attempt of Creon and of the fruitless visit of Polynices. It also diverts attention from Theseus, whose arrival at Colonus from the Acropolis (a distance familiar to the spectators) would be less probable and also less impressive if he came too suddenly.

310. mvp-comment-173-1 ποῖ φρενῶν ἔλθω For the genitive, see Essay on Language § 10. p. 16. The broken lines mark (1) the disturbance of feeling caused by the surprise of Ismene's coming, and (2) the suspense of uncertainty. Cp. О. Т. 1468, 1471, 1475, and notes.

312-314. mvp-comment-174-1 Αἰτναίας .. Θεσσαλίς The epithets (see Scholia) are picturesque, and also call attention to the condition of Ismene, who having still a home at Thebes is well clothed and mounted, whereas Antigone is barefoot and sunburnt, infr. 348-349. The particular meaning of Αίτναία πῶλος and Θεσσαλὶς κυνῆ is of course uncertain, except that the one implies a horse of a fine breed and the other denotes a comfortable and shady riding-hat.

313. mvp-comment-175-1 βεβῶσαν Essay on Language p. 97.

313. mvp-comment-175-2 κρατὶ δ᾽ ἡλιοστερής The implied use of στέρομαι = to avert, keep away, may be paralleled from Aesch. Supp. 1063, Ζεὺς ἄναξ ἀποστεροίη γάμον δυσάνορα δάϊον. Essay on Language p. 98. Hence the substitution of ἡλιοσκεπής, or ἡλιοστεγής, which, equally with this, would be ἅπαξ λεγόμενα, is unnecessary. The use of the word is more natural if κρατί is dative of reference, than when κρατί is taken separately as a locative dative, though both constructions may be thought of; i.e. And on her head to screen it from the sun. Cp.

her sun-expelling mask.
Shak. G. of V. 4, 2.

315. mvp-comment-176-1 τί φῶ; The uncertainty of Antigone continues until Ismene is dismounted and advances towards them. The single iambus is very unusual.

316. mvp-comment-177-1 ἢ γνώμη πλανᾷ Or does my judgment deceive me?

318. mvp-comment-178-1 τάλαινα Unhappy that I am. Said in the distraction of her doubt.

319-320. mvp-comment-179-1 φαιδρὰ ἀπ᾿ ὀμμάτων | σαίνει με She greets me with bright looks from her eyes. σαίνω is first to wag the tail (said of a dog or other quadruped). then to make signs of recognition or of pleased attention, and lastly is transferred to the impression produced on the person to whom this action is directed. Cp. Ant. 1214, παιδός με σαίνει φθόγγος: Aesch. Cho. 194, σαίνομαι δ' ὑπ᾿ ἐλπίδος.

320-321. mvp-comment-180-1 σημαίνει κάρα And in doing so convinces me that this is certainly no other than Ismene's self.

320-321. mvp-comment-180-2 δῆλον after σημαίνει has been thought pleonastic, but the pleonasm is expressive.

323. mvp-comment-181-1 μαθεῖν To learn the fact, that this is Ismene.

324-325. mvp-comment-182-1 O father and sister, names that I love to use. The name is often interchanged with the thing or person named. Cp. Phil. 234, Φ. ὦ φίλτατον φώνημα. Eur. Suppl. 801-802.

325-326. mvp-comment-183-1 How hardly I have found you, and now again (δεύτερον) how hardly I can see you for sorrow; i. e. And now that I have found you, my sorrow almost prevents me from seeing you. For λύπη, which is dat. of cause, see Essay on Language § 14. p. 21.

327. mvp-comment-184-1 ὁρᾶν Essay on Language § 33. P. 57.

328-331. mvp-comment-185-1 Editors since Musgrave, who followed the Scholiast's hint, μὴ ἄρα πρὸς τὸ δυσαθλία; have transposed these lines, placing 328 between 330 and 331, on the ground that Ismene cannot be supposed to touch herself. Not much is gained by this: for Ismene is rather struck by the contrast of her father's and her sister's mode of life to her own at Thebes than by the misery she shares with them. And the construction of a reply, in this sort of dialogue, is not to be pressed too closely. Cp. amongst other passages, El. 1036, ἀλλ᾽ οὖν ἐπίστω γ' οἱ μ᾿ ἀτιμίας ἄγεις. | ΧΡ. ἀτιμίας μὲν οὔ.

328-331. mvp-comment-185-2 προμηθίας δὲ σοῦ, where προμηθίας has really no construction. Perhaps all that is meant is, I too am linked in this unhappy circle. For δυσάθλιαι, which has been questioned, cp. δυστάλαινα, δυσπόνητος, δυσθρήνητος.

331. mvp-comment-186-1 δυσμόρου δ' And you must include me, unhappy. Cp. Eur. Hipp. 341, τρίτη δ᾽ ἐγὼ δύστηνος ὡς ἀπόλλυμαι. There is no reason for changing δέ το τε.

333. mvp-comment-187-1 λόγοις The meaning of the dative is varied from the cause to the concomitant. By reason of longings? Yes, and also with intelligence, which I myself would bring. The reading λόγων is probably an early conjecture. The repetition of the same construction in a slightly different sense is frequent in the language of this period.

334. mvp-comment-188-1 ξύν, κ.τ.λ. is said by attraction for ξὺν τούτῳ, ὅνπερ εἶχον πιστὸν μόνον.

335. mvp-comment-189-1 πονεῖν i. e. εἰς τὸ πονεῖν. And what is become of the young men your brothers in the matter of this service? Cp infr. 342, οὓς μὲν εἰκὸς ἦν πονεῖν τάδε. A similar construction occurs in Eur. Οr. 1473, ποῦ δῆτ᾽ ἀμύνειν οἱ κατὰ στέγας Φρύγες; cp. Il. 13.312, ἀμύνειν εἰσὶ καὶ ἄλλοι. ποῖ is more expressive than ποῦ (which there is no reason to suppose the Scholiast to have read in the text).

335. mvp-comment-189-2 ποῖ, SC. οἶχονται. Cp. Aesch. Cho. 405, ποῖ ποὶ δὴ νερτέρων τυραννίδες; For the implied negative in epexegesis expressing defect, i. e. πονεῖν = τὸ μὴ πονεῖν, see Essay on Language § 36. p. 63. The other explanation of the Scholiast, ποῦ τοῦ πονεῖν εἰσι, is not so good.

336. mvp-comment-190-1 They are, where they are. For similar expressions, implying something too bad to name, see О. Т. 1376, βλαστοῦσ᾽ ὅπως ἔβλαστε, and note.

336. mvp-comment-190-2 δεινὰ δ᾽ ἐν κείνοις τὰ νῦν Things are terrible with them now.' The Scholiast in saying vῦν δὲ τὰ ἐν ἐκείνοις δεῖνά ἐστιν implies this reading. Others read δεινὰ τὰν κείνοις τανῦν.

338. mvp-comment-191-1 φύσιν .. τροφάς In character and mode of life.

338. mvp-comment-191-2 Hdt. 2. 35, Αἰγύπτιοι.. τὰ πολλὰ πάντα ἔμπαλιν τοῖσι ἀλλοῖσι ἀνθρώποισι ἐστήσαντο ἤθεα καὶ νόμους.

338. mvp-comment-191-3 ἐν τοῖσι αἱ μὲν γυναῖκες ἀγοράζουσι καὶ καπηλεύουσι· οἱ δὴ ἄνδρες, κατ' οἴκους ἐόντες, ὑφαίνουσι.

341. mvp-comment-192-1 τάξω βίου τροφεῖα The outdoor means of supporting life. Cp.

341. mvp-comment-192-2 πυρεῖα, means of obtaining fire. There is a slight redundancy in βίου τροφεία. Cp. 343, κατ' οἶκον οἰκουροῦσιν, and see Essay on Language § 40. p. 75.

342. mvp-comment-193-1 σφῶν δ᾽ And in your case. Dat. of relation: i. e. You find it so. Some editors, taking σφῷν as gen., suppose the dual to be used of the two pairs of children.

344. mvp-comment-194-1 κακά For the accusative. see Essay on Language § 16. p. 23, and cp. O. T. 264, τάδ᾽ ὡσπερεὶ τοὐμοῦ πατρὸς | ὑπερμαχοῦμαι. δυστήνου (sc. ἐμοῦ) agrees κατὰ σύνεσιν with ἐμά, but is also resumed with ὑπερπονεῖτον.

345. mvp-comment-195-1 Antigone had followed her father as soon as she had the strength.

351. mvp-comment-196-1 ἡγεῖται The sentence returns to the indicative from the participial construction. Essay on Language p. 64. 1, b.

351. mvp-comment-196-2 τὰ τῆς οἴκοι διαίτης (1) The comforts of the life at home, or (2) What subsistence she herself may find; cp. Τr. 730, ᾧ μηδέν ἐστ᾽ οἴκοι βαρύ.

355. mvp-comment-197-1 ἃ τοῦδ᾽ ἐχρήσθη σώματος] 'Which were given respecting me. Essay on Language § 9. p. 13. The context shows that the oracle here referred to was one obtained by the Thebans respecting Oedipus after they had sent him forth. The plot of the O. C. does not permit us to suppose that Creon had waited for the response, according to O. T. 1438-1439, before hastening the king's exile. This oracle directed the course of Oedipus towards Athens.

356. mvp-comment-198-1 γῆς ὅτ᾽ ἐξηλαυνόμην The order of events is inverted in the narration. Essay on Language p. 78.

358. mvp-comment-199-1 τίς σ᾽ ἐξῆρεν οἴκοθεν στόλος A figurative inversion of the common expression, αἴρειν στόλον, What errand sped thee from home?

360. mvp-comment-200-1 μὴ οὐχί, κ.τ.λ. Added in explanation of κενή. οὐχί is added because of the previous oὔ. Essay on Language p. 49.

362. mvp-comment-201-1 Seeking how thou wast maintained or where.' ποῦ κατοικοίης defines the notion of τροφήν.

363. mvp-comment-202-1 παρεῖσ᾽ ἐάσω Cp. Ο. Τ. 283, μὴ παρῇς τὸ μὴ οὐ φράσαι.

365. mvp-comment-203-1 ἀμφὶ .. παίδοιν Dative. ‘Encompassing your wretched sons.'

367-369. mvp-comment-204-1 This passage has been generally regarded as corrupt, and ἦν ἔρις has been changed to ἦν ἔρως, ἦν ὅρος, ἤρεσεν. Some edd., including Meineke, who reads κραίνεσθαι, explain, They contended with Creon, urging that the throne should be left vacant. And the authors of the punctuation in AV³ and of the gloss ὁ τε πλεονάζει, must have so taken the words. But, as this gloss indicates, the expression Κρέοντί τε for πρὸς Κρέοντα is not quite natural or harmonious here. And the antithesis of ἔρις κακή in what follows, assisted by the parallelism of construction, ἐᾶσθαι.. λαβέσθαι. isstrongly in favour of the MS. reading. ἔρις may be supported by supposing the brothers to have jointly resisted a party amongst the citizens who desired that one of them should take his father's throne. Cp. Thuc. 6. 35, τοῖς δέ (sc. ἔρις ἦν). Beforetime their contention was that they should relinquish -to Creon their rights in the throne, and that the city should not suffer pollution; professing in their argument to have regard to the ancient ruin of their race, etc. ἐᾶσθαι is middle voice. Cp. λαβέσθαι infr. For λόγῳ, cp. infr. 1296, οὔτε νικήσας λόγῳ. And for τε.. μηδὲ Eur. Iph. Τ. 697, ὄνομά τ᾽ ἐμοῦ γένοιτ' ἂν οὐδ᾽ ἄπαις δόμος | πατρῷος οὑμὸς ἐξαλειφθείη ποτ᾿ ἄv. Essay on Language p. 65.

371. mvp-comment-205-1 *ἀλειτηροῦ Although ἀλιτήριος has the first short, ἀλειτηρός may be defended by comparing ἀλείτης, ἄλοιτος. Eustathius mentions ἀλιτηρός as a word used by Sophocles. If any change is needed, ἀλειτηροῦ, which is partly supported by the reading ἀλητηροῦ, is the most probable. The heaven-sent infatuation, which leads to their destruction, is assisted by their own evil mind.

374. mvp-comment-206-1 χὼ μὲν νεάζων And the younger spirit.' The participle implies youthful qualities (impetuosity, ambition etc.), as well as the fact of being the younger. Cp. Eur. Phoen. 713, μῶν νεάζων οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἃ χρή σ᾽ ὁρᾶν, addressed to Eteocles.

376. mvp-comment-207-1 Pherecydes and Hellanicus differed about this. See Schol. Eur. Phoen. 71.

377. mvp-comment-208-1 ὁ πληθύων Lit. the more numerous, i. e. having the majority of voices. Cp. Aesch. Ag. 860.

378. mvp-comment-209-1 τὸ κοῖλον Ἄργος The hollow vale of Argos. Cp. infr. 1301, Ἄργος ἐς τὸ Δωρικόν.

381. mvp-comment-210-1 ὡς αὐτίκ᾿Ἄργος κ.τ.λ. For the construction, see Essay on Language § 21. p. 44, and cp. O. T. 101, ὡς τόδ' αἷμα χειμάζον πόλιν. It has been suggested to read αὐτός for Ἄργος, (with καθέξων in 381), but the words express the motive held out to the Argive followers of Polynices, to whom he would naturally represent the struggle as one between their city and Thebes. Cp. infr. 1325, ἄγω τὸν Ἄργους ἄφοβον εἰς Θήβας στρατόν.

381. mvp-comment-210-2 τὸ Καδμεῖον πέδον Καδμεῖον here, as in Ο. Τ. 29, δῶμα Καδμεῖον, is the more poetical reading.

381. mvp-comment-210-3 τιμῇ καθέξον Το obtain with honour.' For τιμῇ = ἐντίμως, see Essay on Language § 14. p. 20.

381. mvp-comment-210-4 ἢ πρὸς οὐρανὸν βιβῶν Or to raise it to heaven. According to the frequent vaunt of the Homeric heroes, ἠε τῳ εὖχος ὀρέξομεν, ἠε τις ἡμῖν. ΙΙ. 12. 328, 13. 487. Cp. Aesch. S. c. T. 46. ἢ πόλει κατασκαφὰς θέντες λαπάξειν ἄστυ Καδμείων βίᾳ | ἢ γῆν θανόντες τήνδε φυράσειν φύνῳ. Should the expedition fail, the splendour of the Argive host would be the measure of the glory of the Cadmeans.

382. mvp-comment-211-1 ἀριθμὸς.. λόγων A mere heaping together of words. Cp. Eur. Eu Tro. 476, οὐκ ἀριθμὸν ἄλλως, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπερτάτους Φρυγῶν.

383. mvp-comment-212-1 ὅποι At what point? i.e. how long they must first continue. A pregnant expression, like ἡ μάχη ἐτελεύτα ἕως ὀψέ, Thuc. 3. 108. Cp. El. 958, ποῖ γὰρ μενεῖς ῥάθυμος;

385. mvp-comment-213-1 ἤδη γὰρ ἔσχες ἐλπίδ' What? had you begun to entertain a hope?' ὡς ἐμοῦ θεοὺς | ὥραν τιν᾿ ἕξειν] A confusion of the two constructions, ὡς ἕξοιεν θεοί and ἕξειν θεούς. Cp. Aesch. Eum. 799, αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ μαρτυρῶν | ὡς ταῦτ᾽ Ὀρέστην δρῶντα μὴ βλαβὰς ἔχειν. See Essay on Language § 36. p. 67.

387. mvp-comment-214-1 τοῖς νῦν.. μαντεύμασιν By reason of what is now feretold.

390. mvp-comment-215-1 εὐσοίας χάριν For their own preservation. εὐσοίας is mentioned in the Scholia as the better reading.

391. mvp-comment-216-1 τοιοῦδ᾽ ὑπ᾿ ἀνδρός Who can derive prosperity from such as I am? Herm. reads τίς ἄν *τι τοιοῦδ᾽ ἀνδρός..;

392. mvp-comment-217-1 φασί They say. The subject is to be inferred from l. 413, viz. ἄνδρες θεωροὶ Δελφικῆς ἀφ᾽ ἑστίας. For similar vagueness of subject in reference to a reported prophecy, cp. О. Т. 110.

395. mvp-comment-218-1 φλαύρον A poor business. There is not much good in raising up in age one who fell in youth. On the omission of ἄv, see Essay on Language § 27. P. 45.

401. mvp-comment-219-1 θύραισι κειμένου Laid at their doors. The word κειμένου, though perhaps chosen with a view to what follows, as expressing Oedipus' presentiment of his end, has more immediate reference to the inactivity of age. A young warrior received within their gates might be of some avail, but what profit was there in an old man lying idle beyond their confines? Cp. the Homeric λυγρῷ ἐπὶ γήραος οὐδῷ, and Shakespeare's unregarded age in corners thrown. Y 2

402. mvp-comment-220-1 The difficulty of interpreting this line has arisen from not observing that the dative is governed of δυστυχῶν (= δυστυχῶς γιγνόμενος) as well as of βαρύς. Cp. supr. 308. Your burial, happening in a way unfortunate for them, is a danger to them.' According to this rendering, the point of the reply is obvious enough. It needs no divine intimation to teach us this.'

405. mvp-comment-221-1 μηδ᾽ ἵν᾽ ἂν σαυτοῦ κρατῆς But not in any place where you will be your own master. The subjunctive, as usual, after a relative adverb with av. Some editors have changed κρατῆς το κρατοῖς. But although this is favoured by the explanation of the Scholiast, ὅπου κρατοῖς ἂν σαυτοῦ, and by the comparison of l. 190, the change is unnecessary. For the adversative μηδέ, cp. El. 132, οὐδ᾽ ἐθέλω προλιπεῖν τύδε.

406. mvp-comment-222-1 κατασκιῶσι Will they overshadow me? Cp. infra 1707 τύμβον.. εὐσκιαστον: The Two Noble Kinsmen, 1, 1, Human grace Affords them dust and shadow.

407. mvp-comment-223-1 ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἐᾷ.. σ᾽ Sc κατασκιασθῆναι Θηβαίᾳ κύνει.

407. mvp-comment-223-2 τοῦμφυλον αἷμα The guilt of parricide. Cp. Ant. 703, νεῖκος.. ξύναιμον : О. Т. 1406. Cp. Plat. Legg. 9. 871 D. (of the punishment of homicide), ὁ δὲ ὀφλὼν θανάτῳ ζημιούσθω καὶ μὴ ἐν τῇ τοῦ παθόντος χώρᾳ θαπτέσθω, where it is added that the intention to kill is to be punished in the same way, except in the matter of burial.

410. mvp-comment-224-1 ποίας φανείσης συναλλαγῆς On what conjuncture having arisen?' 414. ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν With regard to me.' Cp. Ο. Τ. 829, ἐπ᾿ ἀνδρὶ τῷδ᾽ ἂν ὀρθοίη λόγον.

415. mvp-comment-225-1 οἱ μολόντες Those who returned, viz. the θεωροί.

416. mvp-comment-226-1 For the indefinite Tus in a question, cp. supra 66, ἄρχει τις αὐτῶν; The use of τις = πότερος, where only two are spoken of, is remarkable.

419-420. mvp-comment-227-1 It may seem unreasonable in Oedipus to expect his sons to disregard the interest and the law of Thebes. But he is absorbed in his own destiny, and is full of indignation at the thought of being taken to the borders of his country without being restored to it. This he thinks that his sons ought to have interfered to prevent. He regards the oracle as expressing the intention of Phoebus to glorify him at the expense of his countrymen if they persist in rejecting him. See Introduction, p. 281, note 2.

420. mvp-comment-228-1 φέρω δ᾽ ὅμως But still, such are the news I bring. Cp. Aesch. Pers. 248, φέρει σαφές τι πρᾶγος κλύειν : Ag. 639, ὅταν . . πήματ᾿ ἄγγελος.. φέρῃ. 421 ff. The correspondence of clauses is not perfect, a new train of thought being introduced with δέ in 422. The broken thread is resumed in 425-426. Oedipus is saying, Let their quarrel go on to the end, and may the end be the worst for both. His passion interrupts him with the further thought, Let me only have the ending of it, and then-. For the expression, cp. Pind. Nem. 10. 29, 30, πᾶν δὲ τέλος ἐν τὶν ἔργων.

424. mvp-comment-229-1 ἔχονται The present here rather marks the beginning than the continuance of the action. Take hold of,' i.e. obstinately engagein, rather than cling to, persevere in. Cp. ἔργου ἔχεσθαι.

424. mvp-comment-229-2 κἀπαναιροῦνται δόρυ. And are taking up the spear for battle.' As ἐπαναιρεῖσθαι φιλίαν, πόλεμον, are quite good expressions, there seems no reason to suspect this more literal use. And δόρυ, as elsewhere, almost = πόλεμον. ἐπαναίρονται is less suitable, for the sons of Oedipus, though preparing for the contest, are not actually engaged.

425. mvp-comment-230-1 ὡς οὔτ᾽ ἂν κ.τ.λ. This clause adds an explanation of ἐν ἐμοὶ τέλος γένοιτο, defining the manner of the end which Oedipus desired, and which he would bring about if the matter rested with him. May it be mine to determine the end-which I will determine in such a way that neither he who now holds the sceptre and the throne should remain,' etc ὡς (with the optative and av) is not here exactly equal to ἵνα with subjunctive or optative, which would mean ' (May it be mine to end it) that so neither he that holds the sceptre might remain,' etc. A slightly different way of taking the words is, May it be mine, etc:-so (since then) neither would he.etc.

426. mvp-comment-231-1 πάλιν Nor should he that is gone forth ever come back again.' The reading of Par. A, though only slightly supported by MS. authority, is possible. Cp. infr. 1372, and note. 'Nor should he that is gone forth ever be restored to his own city. But that in the text is simpler and more natur l. Cp infr. 601, ἔστιν δέ μοι | πάλιν κατελθεῖν μήποθ᾽, ὡς πατροκτόνῳ.

428. mvp-comment-232-1 So dishonoured by being thrust forth from my native land. For the expression of the predicate by an adverb, see Essay on Language § 24. p. 40; and cp. Plat. Rep 3.406 C, ὁ ἡμεῖς γελοίως οὐκ αἰσθανόμεθα.

429. mvp-comment-233-1 οὐκ ἔσχον Stayed me not, nor shielded me, but suffered me to be made a homeless outcast and proclaimed a banished man. For the dative αὐτοῖν, see Essay on Language § 13. p. 19. f.

432. mvp-comment-234-1 κατήνυσεν Fulfilled for me this boon, which I then desired. κατήνεσεν, assented to, accorded, the reading of B, is less forcible in the connection. The question is not one of promise but of performance. For the desire of Oedipus, see O. T. 1410 sqq., 1449 sqq.

436. mvp-comment-235-1 ἔρωτος τοῦδε In respect of this desire I found no helper. For the genitive, see Essay on Language § 9. p. 13. The genitive after ὠφελεῖσθαι, e. g. τοῦδε τοῦ νόμου, Antiphon, 131. 27, which has been quoted as parallel is really different from this, being a genitive of participation.

437. mvp-comment-236-1 When my grief was now all mellowed.' Cp. ὀργὴ πέπειρα, Τr. 728, and the metaphorical sense of ὠμός.

438-439. mvp-comment-237-1 And I began to know that my rage had run to excess and been too severe in chastising my former errors.' It is more probable that τῶν.. ἡμαρτημένων is genitive in regimen with κολαστήν than genitive of comparison after μείζω, (Aesch. Cho. 519), because μείζω thus receives an exclusive emphasis. Forμείζων, used thus absolutely, cp. Plat. Soph. 231 Α, μὴ μεῖζον αὐτοῖς προσάπτωμεν γέρας, and Heindorf's note.

441. mvp-comment-238-1 χρόνιον I say, after a time; resuming χρόνῳ (437), which contains the point of the sentence. The time is not imagined as being really long, though it seemed so to Oedipus. For a similar use of χρόνιος, cp Eur. Cycl. 249, χρόνιος δ᾽ εἴμ᾿ ἀπ᾿ ἀνθρώπων βορᾶς: Οr. 740.

443. mvp-comment-239-1 ἔπους σμικροῦ χάριν For a little word; i, e. For want of a little word, which they might have spoken for Cp. Eur. Or. 84, νεκρὸς γὰρ οὗτος οὔνεκα σμικρᾶς πνοῆς. He is a corpse, were it not for a little breath. And for a similar thought, Thuc. 3. 53, ὁ μὴ ῥηθεὶς λόγος τοῖς ὧδ᾽ ἔχουσιν αἰτίαν ἂν παράσχοι ὡς εἰ ἐλέχθη σωτήριος ἂν ἦν.

444. mvp-comment-240-1 σφιν Cp. αὐτοῖν, supra 430. 446-447. I have subsistence and a land where I can dwell safely.

448-449. mvp-comment-241-1 εἰλέσθην . . χθονός (1) Chose the possession of a throne, and to sway the sceptre, and to be sovereign over the land. This arrangement of the words gives a better rhythm than if (2) θρόνους is made to depend, with σκήπτρα, or κραίνειν. (3) Another explanation makes θρόνους and σκῆπτρα to be taken with εἱλέσθην, and also, in a secondary construction, with κραίνειν as epexegetic infinitive. Cp. O. Τ. 237, κράτη τε καὶ θρόνους νέμω. For the accusative, cp. the use of the passive verb in Phil. 140, παρ' ὅτῳ Διός σκῆπτρον ἀνάσσεται.

450. mvp-comment-242-1 τοῦδε Sc. ἐμοῦ.

451. mvp-comment-243-1 οὔτε σφιν It has been thought that either οὗ τι in 450 must be changed to οὔτε, or οὔτε here to οὐδέ. If so, the latter is preferable, for οὔ τι is expressive.

453. mvp-comment-244-1 συννοών *τε *τἀξ ἐμοῦ And comparing with them in thought those ancient oracles, which I bring from my own store, the same which Phoebus once accomplished upon me. Cp. supr. 93

453. mvp-comment-244-2 τὰ ἐξ ἐμοῦ, Which come from my side; i. e. in making the comparison. Cp. Τr. 631, τὸν πόθον τὸν ἐξ ἐμοῦ. The correction, although questioned by Dindorf, who supposes some deeper corruption of the text, is probable enough.

457-460. mvp-comment-245-1 ἐὰν γὰρ . . ἀρεῖσθε Cp. 72, ὡς ἄν, προσαρκῶν μικρά, κερδάνῃ μέγα: 647-648, ΘΗ. μέγ᾽ ἂν λέγοις δώρημα τῆς συνουσίας. ΟΙ. εἰ σοί γ᾽ ἅπερ φὴς ἐμμενεῖ τελοῦντί μοι: 815, τίς δ'᾽ ἄν με τῶνδε συμμάχων ἕλοι βίᾳ; 1206, ΟΙ. μόνον, ξέν', εἴπερ κεῖνος ὧδ᾽ ἐλεύσεται, μηδεὶς κρατείτω τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς ποτέ: 1489, 90, ΟΙ. ἀνθ᾽ ὧν ἔπασχον εὖ, τελεσφόρον χάριν δοῦναί σφιν, ἥνπερ τυγχάνων ὑπεσχόμην. The extension of present aid is everywhere put forward as a condition of the permanent blessing. The task of defence which he here entreats them to undertake, is fulfilled by them in resisting Creon.

457. mvp-comment-246-1 μου is genitive of the object, for which see Essay on Language § 9. p. 12.

458. mvp-comment-247-1 πρὸς * ταῖσδε ταῖς σεμναῖσι δημούχοις θεαîs] In addition to these dread goddesses that protect your deme. This seems the most probable as it is the simplest emendation of this line. Others are πρὸς ταῖσι τρισσεμναῖσι, ὁμοῦ | προστάτισι ταῖς, ξὺν προστάταις. πρός harmonizes well with the emphatic ὑμεῖς. σύν has probably been inserted as a gloss L² has ταῖς σεπταῖσι.

459. mvp-comment-248-1 ἀλκὴν ποιεῖσθαι 'Το undertake defence,' like τὰς μήχας ποιούμενος, Εl. 302: ἐποιοῦντο βουλήν, Hdt. 6. 101.

459. mvp-comment-248-2 τῇδε μὲν πόλει This reading is preferred (1) for the antithesis; (2) because tῇ may be accounted for as a corruption of yῇ explaining πόλει.

460. mvp-comment-249-1 τοῖς δ᾽ ἐμοῖς ἐχθροῖς Oedipus reverts to his own personal objects, as in 308-309 (εὐτυχὴς ἵκοιτο τῇ θ᾽ αὑτοῦ πόλει ἐμοί τε). although, as in that passage, the chief stress is laid on what is mentioned first. At the same time he leaves it to be implied that his enemies are the enemies of Athens. Cp. infra 646, ἐν ᾧ κρατήσω τῶν ἔμ᾽ ἐκβεβληκότων. The corruption in Lis due to itacism. 461 ff. The coming of Theseus is still delayed, and the scruples of the chorus cannot be set at rest without some formal expiation on the part of Oedipus. The presence of Ismene enables this to be made without Oedipus or Antigone leaving the stage. She goes to perform this service, and the chorus continue harping on the interminable theme (adding the confessional to the sacrifice), when Theseus at last enters bringing with him a very different spirit. His coming clears the air at once.

463. mvp-comment-250-1 ἐπεμβάλλεις You add, to give further weight, as if throwing into the scale. Cp. supra 293, λόγοισι γὰρ οὐκ ὠνόμασται βραχέσι. And since you add in what you have now said that you are yourself the saviour of this land. λόγῳ is partly instrumental dative, partly governed by ev in ἐπεμβάλλεις.

464. mvp-comment-251-1 παραινέσαι.. τὰ σύμφορα Το give you advice that will assist you.'

465. mvp-comment-252-1 προξένει 'Give me friendly instructions. On the uses of this word, see Essay on Language p. 97. It is here specially applicable to the position of Oedipus as a stranger, and of the chorus who are advising him in a matter where they are most of all at home.

466. mvp-comment-253-1 θοῦ νυν καθαρμὸν τῶνδε δαιμόνων) Institute a propitiation of these deities. Lit. A purification in relation to them. For the genitive, see Essay on Language $9. p. 12; and for θέσθαι in this sense, O. T. 134, τήνδ ἔθεσθ᾽ ἐπιστροφήν. vuv seems preferable to vûv after the imperative.

467. mvp-comment-254-1 καὶ κατέστειψας πέδον ὧν (or αὐτῶν) may be supplied from ἐφ᾽ ἅs. The reading is doubtful. κατέστεψας is unmeaning; but κατάστεψον πέδον, Adorn the ground with garlands, receives some support from the description that follows. For κατέστειψας, which gives the most natural meaning and best rhythm, cp. supra 56, ὃν δ' ἐπιστείβεις τόπον. And for the thought, cp. supr. 84, 5 and note.

470. mvp-comment-255-1 ἐνεγκοῦ Have brought. ferendam cura.

470. mvp-comment-255-2 δι᾽ ὁσίων χειρῶν θιγών The minute directions belong to the ceremonial of the place possibly still in use in the time of Sophocles. ὁσίαι χεῖρες here as in Aesch. Cho. 378, are hands pure from guilt. So Horace, Od. 3. 23. 17, Immunis aram si tetigit manus, Non sumtuosa blandior hostia Mollivit aversos Penates Farre pio et saliente mica, in lines which also recall the spirit of infra 498-499, ἀρκεῖν γὰρ οἶμαι κἀντὶ μυρίων μίαν | ψυχὴν τάδ' ἐκτίνουσαν, ὴν εὔνους παρῇ. The precept to wash the hands (Schndw.) is probably included, but with a ceremonial significance. Cp. Αj. 655, λύμαθ᾽ ἁγνίσας ἐμά.

472. mvp-comment-256-1 τέχνη Abstract for concrete. See Essay on Language p. 94; and cp. Phil. 35, 36, φλαυρουργοῦ τινὸς τεχνήματ᾿ ἀι δρός. For the (Epic) form of the sentence, cp. Τr. 752, ἀκτή τις ἐστιν. ἔιθα, κ.τ.λ.

473. mvp-comment-257-1 κρᾶτα is probably plural here, as in Pind. Fr. 3 (Eustath. 1715. 63), τρία κρᾶτα. Cp. the Homeric κράατα.

473. mvp-comment-257-2 ἀμφιστόμους Projecting on either side, rather than On either side the brim. See L. and S. s. ν. στόμα IΙI. The latter part of the compound is unemphatic.

475. mvp-comment-258-1 οἰός * γε νεαρᾶς *εὐπόκῳ μαλλῷ λαβών] The insertion of γε (Heath) is the most probable of the various corrections (νεώρου, νεώρους, νεώρας, νεώρει, ν ογνῆς, νεαλοῦς, γε νεαρᾶς) of the first part of this line. γε refers to κρόκαισιν, which it confirms and amplifies. Yes, with a fillet of wool from a young ewelamb.' νεοτόκῳ, lately born, would express the feeling of ceremonial superstition with more exactness than veo- πόκῳ, which is made up by combining the MS. readings, and may mean either newly-clipped (an etymological use, for which cp. Essay on Language pp. 99, 100) or consisting of young wool.' But there is no motive for a twofold resolution (2) in this line, and εὐπόκῳ gives a simple and natural sense. Cp. Τr. 675, ἀργῆτ᾽ οἰὺς εὐείρῳ πύκῳ. Supposing ve to have crept in from the previous word, the variation of reading may be easily accounted for.

477. mvp-comment-259-1 χοὰς χέασθαι.. Hom. Od. 10. 518, χοὴν χεῖσθαι. Cp. Crat. Com. 2. p. 151, ἄγε δὴ πρὸς ἕω πρῶτον ἁπάντων ἵστω καὶ λάμβανε χερσὶν | σχῖνον μεγάλην: Sen. Oed. 338, Altum taurus attollens caput primos ad ortus positus expavit diem. The place of offering was probably on the eastward side of the hill. See Introd. p. 273.

478. mvp-comment-260-1 ἦ.. χέω Cp. supr. 195, ἢ ᾿σθῶ;

479. mvp-comment-261-1 πηγάς El. 894-895, νεορρύτους | πηγὰς γάλακτος.

479. mvp-comment-261-2 τὸν τελευταῖον δ' ὅλον i. e. τὸν τελευταῖον κρωσσὸν χέοις ἂν ὅλον.

480. mvp-comment-262-1 With what am I to fill this that I may make the libation?" πλήσας is suggested by ὅλον. θῶ would properly govern χοήν (cp. 466), for which κρωσσών is substituted. Three vessels are to be used for the threefold libation (Ant. 431, χοαῖσι τρισπώνδοισι τὸν νέκυν στέφει); two partly filled with pure water, the third, filled to the brim with water and honey.

481. mvp-comment-263-1 The asyndeton as elsewhere in enumeration. Cp. supr. 17. Instead of a third element, which the hearer might have expected, the prohibition of wine is interposed.

481. mvp-comment-263-2 μελίσσης For the metonymy, see Essay on Language p. 81. Schol. ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ ποιοῦν.

481. mvp-comment-263-3 τος τὸ ποιούμενον. καὶ ἐν Ἐρασταῖς: Γλώσσης μελίσσης τῷ κατερρυηκότι.

481. mvp-comment-263-4 μηδέ But not. Cp. 405, note.

482. mvp-comment-264-1 The earth covered with dark leaves;' whether referring to the dark greensward (a slight variation of γαῖα μέλαινα), or to the deep shades of Colonus. Cp. supr. 157 ff.

483. mvp-comment-265-1 ἐξ ἀμφοῖν χεροῖν Οn both sides.' For αὐτῇ = εἰς αὐτήν, see Essay on Language § 11. p. 18. Philochorus quoted by Schol. on l. 100: οὐ μόνον θυσίας νηφαλίους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ξύλα τινά.

484. mvp-comment-266-1 τάσδ᾽ ἐπεύχεσθαι λιτάς Το add this prayer.' Cp. O. T. 1275 and note.

485. mvp-comment-267-1 μέγιστα γάρ The prayer appears to Oedipus more important than the external rites, which, however, he is ready to fulfil. τούτων is neuter.

487. mvp-comment-268-1 σωτήριον The passive use of adjectives in -τήριος is rare, and it has been attempted to give σωτήριον here an active meaning, inasmuch as Oedipus proclaims himself the saviour of Athens. But the chorus have very imperfectly realised this conception, and the expression of it would have seemed to them little in accordance with the humility of a prayer. The terms of petition are general, like the description of the previous ceremony. That they would receive their suppliant and afford him safety. See Essay on Language p. 99.

488. mvp-comment-269-1 αἰτοῦ σύ γ', αὐτός γε adds a slight emphasis to the reply.

489. mvp-comment-270-1 μηκύνων βοήν Speaking aloud. Cp. the Homeric μακρὸν ἀϋτεῖν, and the like. According to Polemo, quoted by the Scholiast on this line, the sacred rites of the Eumenides were entrusted to the family of the Ἡσυχίδαι.

491. mvp-comment-271-1 θαρσῶν ἂν παρασταίην I will defend you without fear. Said in reply to ll. 458-459. For the fears of the chorus, cp infr. 1483-1485.

494. mvp-comment-272-1 χώ τι δεῖ πρόστασσε And appoint us what we must do. For the order of words, see Essay on Language $ 41. P. 77.

496. mvp-comment-273-1 τῷ μὴ δύνασθαι μήθ᾽ ὁρᾶν 'The want of strength as well as sight. Two objections have been made to this reading-that μήτε requires a preceding μήτε, and that δύνασθαι cannot be equivalent to ἰσχύειν. But the former objection appears arbitrary (cp. supra 451): and with regard to the latter, for δύνασθαι applied to bodily strength, cp. II. 20. 360, ὅσσον δύναμαι χερσίν τε ποσίν τε: Lys. 168. 26, τῷ σώματι δύνασθαι : Plat. Phaedr. 269 D, and the Homeric use of δύναμις. See also Essay on Language pp. 95, 96. Compare Shakspeare, As You Like It, 2. 7, Oppressed with two weak evils, age and hunger.'

498-499. mvp-comment-274-1 The value of a pure intention is similarly asserted in the two lines, preserved from the Aletes of Sophocles by Stobaeus, ψυχὴ γὰρ εὔνους καὶ φρονοῦσα τοῦνδικον | κρείσσων σοφιστοῦ παντός ἐστιν εὑρέτις. Fr. 98.

499. mvp-comment-275-1 τάδ᾽ ἐκτίνουσαν Paying these dues. The change from the MS. reading is very slight, being a correction of the simplest itacism (cp. Ant. 856, where L gives ἐκτείνεις for ἐκτίνεις) and ἐκτείνουσαν has never been successfully defended.

500. mvp-comment-276-1 τι is idiomatic. Cp. Tr. 305, εἴ τι δράσεις: Phil. 286, κἄδει τι . . διακονεῖσθαι.

500. mvp-comment-276-2 μόνον δέ . . λείπετ' But leave me not alone. This gives the reason for 497, where only one of the two sisters is told to go.

502. mvp-comment-277-1 ὑφηγητοῦ γ' άνευ Hermann preferred ὑφηγητῶν ἄνευ οἱ ὑφηγητοῦ δίχα.

504. mvp-comment-278-1 χρῆ ᾿σται is equivalent to a future of χρή. Where I am to find. This form, which occurs also in a fragment of the Triptolemus quoted by the Scholiast on this passage, Fr. 539, is variously explained as a contraction for χρεία ἔσται or for χρὴ ἔσται or χρῆ ἔσται, the form χρή or χρῆ being differently regarded as a primitive indeclinable noun, whence also χρῆν and χρῆναι, or as a contraction of χρεία. Linwood conjectures ἵνα χρῆ ᾿σταί μ' ἐφευρεῖν ταῦτα. But Ismene's perplexity is more simply expressed in the text.

504. mvp-comment-278-2 κείται.

505. mvp-comment-279-1 τοὐκεῖθεν ἄλσους Sc. ὁ τόπος

506. mvp-comment-280-1 ἔποικος A resident, who had charge of the sacred utensils, etc.

509. mvp-comment-281-1 οὐδ᾽ εἰ πονῇ τις On the meaning of the subjunctive with εἰ, see Essay on Language § 27. p. 44. For the reading of Par. A, cp. O. T. 317, and v. rr. Ismene having gone to perform the sacred rites, there is a further pause before the arrival of Theseus. 510, foll. The pause is filled by a short lyrical interchange between the several members of the chorus and Oedipus, who is thus brought to make confession while Ismene performs her offering. But his confession is a defence. The chorus, although importunate, are gentler than in the former scene. The opening line is scanned as choriambic, although it may perhaps be questioned whether the Ionic metre, which occurs above in 11. 212 ff., is not more suitable here and in 517. The other metres in the Ist strophe and antistrophe are logaoedic, with one iambic colon (518 = 532); those of the 2nd strophe and antistrophe are mostly iambic. The scheme is the following :clcclcla=alalcc-a (?) 기기 9-

509. mvp-comment-281-2 The distribution of the parts amongst the members of the chorus is very uncertain. Most probably the coryphaeus speaks throughout the Ist strophe, and then the others interpose in turn.

510. mvp-comment-282-1 δεινὸν μὲν τὸ πάλαι κείμενον ἤδη κακόν, ὦ ξεῖν, ἐπεγείρειν Cp. the proverb, μὴ κινεῖν κακὸν εὐ κείμενον (Plat. Phil. p. 40), and Plat. Legg. 2. 657 E (of the poet's power of recalling the feelings of youth), τοῖς δυναμένοις ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν νεύτητα μνήμῃ ἐπεγείρειν.

514. mvp-comment-283-1 The hapless misery which you encountered. arising ing without remedy.' For the genitive (= περὶ τᾶς, κ.τ.λ.), see Essay on Language § 9. p. 13, and cp. El. 317, τοῦ κασιγνήτου τί φής;

514. mvp-comment-283-2 ξυνέστας] Cp Hdt. 7. 170, λιμῷ συνεστεῶτας : 8.74, τοιούτῳ πόνῳ συνέστασαν.

515. mvp-comment-284-1 πρὸς ξενίας An extension of the common idiom, πρὸς θεῶν, etc. Essay on Language § 19. p. 29, and cp. Aj. 492-493, πρός τ' ἐφεστίου Δίος | εὐνῆς τε τῆς σῆς, ἡ συνηλλάχθης ἐμοί.

516. mvp-comment-285-1 τᾶς σᾶς *ἃ πέπονθ᾽ ἀναιδή This conjectural reading. as well as the other which has been proposed, τᾶς σᾶς, πέπον, ἔργ᾿ ἀναιδῆ, has been suggested partly by the metrical difficulty, and party by the fact that the Scholiast appears to have taken ἀναιδή (ἔργα) to be governed by ἀνοίξῃς. Schol. μὴ πρὸς τῆς σῆς ξενίας ἀναπτύξῃς μου τὰ ἀναιδῆ ἔργα. Against πέπον it may be argued (1) that the word occurs nowhere in tragedy, (2) that where it occurs in Homer it is accompanied either by a noun in the vocative, or by the interjection 4, (3) that it is improbable that the first person (represented in the Scholion by μου) should be omitted. The word πέπονθα is in accordance with the spirit of other passages of the play (268, 537), and should be retained. ἃ πέπονθα is substituted for ἔργα, to which ἀναιδῆ is added as an emphatic epithet, My unwitting deeds of shame. Hence ἔργα was naturally inserted as a gloss. Besides the metrical objection to the MS. reading. ἀνοίξῃς requires an object, and the asyndeton takes from the smoothness of the passage without increasing its force.

517. mvp-comment-286-1 τό τοι πολὺ.. ἀκοῦσαι I would hear once for all aright what is matter of loud and still undying rumour.

517. mvp-comment-286-2 πολύ, i. e. σφόδρα λεγόμενον: cp. 305.

517. mvp-comment-286-3 πολὺ γάρ, ὦ γέρον, τὸ σὸν ὄνομα, κ.τ.λ.

517. mvp-comment-286-4 μηδαμὰ λήγον Cp. the similar expression, of a report still rife, in O. T. 731, ηὐδᾶτο γὰρ ταῦτ᾽ οὐδέ πω λήξαντ᾿ ἔχει. On the double accusative arising from the cognate use, see Essay on Language p. 25. For ξέν᾽ perhaps ξεῖν᾽, cp. infr. 530.

519. mvp-comment-287-1 στέρξον Be content, i. e. μὴ ἀγανακτοῦ ἐρόμενος ταῦτα. It is doubtful whether this line should be altered by adding δ' or γ', reading παῖδες with the MSS. in l. 532, or we should read as in the text. Cp. infr. 1692 and note. For _ _ u u _ _ in a similar passage, see El. 828, 830, 841, 843.

521. mvp-comment-288-1 ἤνεγκον κακότατα I was the victim of wretchedness. For the use of φέρω, cp. Ο. Τ. 1320, διπλά σε πενθεῖν καὶ διπλᾶ φέρειν κακά.

521. mvp-comment-288-2 ἤνεγκον *ἑκὼν μέν] If this reading is adopted, it must be acknowledged that we have here a trace of the philosophical ἀπορία (already suggested by the Epic oxymoron ἑκὼν ἀέκοντί γε θυμῷ) which is treated at length in Plato (Legg. 860, 867 A) and Aristotle (Eth. N. 3. 1), viz. whether a man acts voluntarily when he is ignorant of the circumstances. See Introd. p. 270. Oedipus must be supposed to mean that in killing Laius and in marrying Jocasta he had acted with a right good will (ср. О. Т. 422-423, τὸν ὑμέναιον ὃν δόμοις | ἄνορμον εἰσέπλευσας, εὐπλοίας τυχών), but that as he acted in ignorance, the actions were not his deliberate choice.

521. mvp-comment-288-3 ἄκων is certainly wrong and is due to some reminiscence of l. 694. Cp. Eur. Ι. Τ. 512, τρόπον γε δή τινα οὐχ ἑκὼν ἑκών. The expression is more forcible if, by a slight change. for θεὸς ἴστω, θεὸς ἴστωρ is read, as in the text.

523. mvp-comment-289-1 τούτων δ᾽ αὐθαίρετον οὐδέν For the transposition of the dactyl. in the glyconic line, see Christ's Metrik, § 119. P. 94. To avoid it here, ἐθελητόν, ἀκάθαρτον (G. Wolff), have been conjectured.

524. mvp-comment-290-1 ἀλλ᾽ ἐς τί But with regard to what? Sc. ἤνεγκες κακότατα. The curiosity of the chorus becomes impatient and peremptory.

525. mvp-comment-291-1 κακᾷ μ᾿ εὐνᾷ By an evil nuptial the city all unknowing bound me in a fatal wedlock. μέν has probably ἐν arisen from a gloss ἐν (κακᾷ μ' εὐνᾷ). Others read κακᾷ μ᾿ ἐν εὐνᾷ and alter l. 513. The correction ἴδριν is unnecessary. Oedipus has already proclaimed his own unconsciousness, and there is a certain point in adding that the citizens were equally unconscious of the nature of their gift. Cp. infr. 983, οὐκ εἰδότ᾽ οὐκ εἰδυῖα.

526. mvp-comment-292-1 γάμων ἐνέδησεν ἄτᾳ is Homeric. Il.2. 111, Ζεύς με μέγα Κρονίδης ἄτῃ ἐνέδησε βαρείῃ.

527. mvp-comment-293-1 Didst thou, as I hear it told. consummate a dishonoured nuptial with thine own mother?' ματρόθεν, i. e. πρὸς ματρός, in that relationship! !' The force of the middle voice in ἐπλήσω is ethical (Essay on Language § 31. p. 52): Didst thou to thy confusion, etc. For πίμπλημι here, cp. Aesch. Pers. 132, λέκτρα δ᾽ ἀνδρῶν πόθῳ πίμπλαται δακρύμασιν.

532. mvp-comment-294-1 My children and my curses.' Because sprung from an incestuous marriage. There is no allusion to the sons.

533. mvp-comment-295-1 ματρὸς κοινᾶς Of a mother who was also mine. It has been urged in defence of the MS. arrangement of the persons, that the responsive ἰὼ δῆτα is more suitable to the chorus. But in the present instance it belongs to the chorus to utter expressions of horror, and to Oedipus to confirm them. Cp. supr. 532, ὦ Ζεῦ.

534. mvp-comment-296-1 This line has been variously altered, but even if the true reading is lost. the general meaning is probably retained. The mistake about the persons has very naturally arisen from the suddenness with which Oedipus takes up the word. This helps to indicate the excitement of the situation.

535. mvp-comment-297-1 κοιναί γε γε assents to what the chorus were about to say, which Oedipus emphasises by the words κοιναί γε πατρός. On κοιναί, see Essay on Language p. 95. Own sisters of their own sire.

536. mvp-comment-298-1 ἰὼ δῆτα Cp. Εl. 842, ΗΛ.

536. mvp-comment-298-2 φεῦ. ΧΟ. φεῦ δῆτ᾽· ὀλοὰ γάρ: Eur. Troad. 1230, ΕΚ. οἴμοι. ΧΟ. οἴμοι δῆτα σῶν ἀλάστων κακῶν.

536. mvp-comment-298-3 μυρίων γ᾽ ἐπιστροφαὶ κακῶν Everrenewed onset of unnumbered woes. The image is that of an enemy who harasses an army by returning repeatedly to the attack with fresh forces. Cp. infr. 1045, δαΐων ἀνδρῶν .. ἐπιστροφαί, Αr. Eq 244, ἐπαναστρέφου. For the nominative after the interjection, cp. Tr. 1046-1047, ὦ .. μοχθήσας ἐγώ.

537. mvp-comment-299-1 I have suffered woes that will not be forgotten.' ἄλαστα is first governed by ἔπαθον, then ἔχειν is added pleonastically, and ἄλαστα is resumed. Sc. ἔπαθον ἄλαστα, ὥστε ἄλαστα ἔχειν τὰ παθήματα.

539-541. mvp-comment-300-1 I received a gift, which would that I, the much-enduring one, had never so benefited the state as to receive from her the privilege of choosing.' i. e. Would that I had not benefited the state so as to be honoured with the choice gift of Jocasta. In this rendering. which takes the words in a natural order, it is assumed that μή, with the past tenses of the indicative in a relative clause, may express the wish to reverse a fact in past time. Cp. Aesch. Cho. 363-366, μηδ' ὑπὸ κ.τ.λ. .. τέθαψαι. The analogy of the uses of the historical tenses with εἰ, ἄν, ἵνα, ὡς, ὅπως, to express an impossible supposition, inference, motive, or result, is all that can be urged in favour of this, except the comparison of a passage which has generally been thought corrupt, infr. 1713, ἰώ, μὴ γᾶς ἐπὶ ξένας θανεῖν ἔχρηζες. It may be further suggested, that in both these instances the unusual construction is assisted by an echo (or harmonic) of ὤφελον in ἐπωφέλησα, and of ἐχρῆν in ἔχρηζες. If this hypothesis is rejected, we must fall back on Hermann's interpretation of the words: Accepi, inquit Oedipus, donum, uxorem dicens, quod ego ut nunquam a civitate debuerim accipere, ei profui, i. e. quod ut mihi non unquam daret civitas, merui. quum eam a Sphinge liberavi. ταλακάρδιος is a poetical expansion of τάλας: cp. πυκνόπτερος, μελάμφυλλος, etc.

544. mvp-comment-301-1 παπαῖ Properly an exclamation of pain; here transferred to mental suffering, in accordance with the metaphor in έπαισας. The punctuation of the line is uncertain, i. e. it is uncertain whether δευτέραν is an epithet of νόσον, οι πληγήν is to be supplied with δεντέραν, and ἐπὶ νόσῳ νόσον is in apposition to the sentence. For ἐπὶ νόσῳ νόσον, cp. Hom. Il. 14.130, μή που τις ἐφ᾽ ἕλκεῖ ἕλκος ἄρηται.

545-546. mvp-comment-302-1 ἔχει.. πρὸς δίκας τι i. e. τὸ ἐμὸν ἔχει τι πρὸς δίκας. My case has some defence, something to be urged on the ground of justice. Cp. Ant. 598, οὐδ᾽ ἔχει λύσιν. Eur. Suppl. 64, ἔχομεν δ᾽ ἔνδικα.

546. mvp-comment-303-1 τί γάρ reiterates the expostulation of the chorus. τί γάρ has a different shade of meaning in each of the three lines, 538, 542.546: (1) Why, what then? (2) But what of this? γάρ implying that excuse will not stand. (3) Why, what is that?' 547. The MS. reading ἄλλους is condemned both by sense and metre, but the correction is uncertain. ἁλούς, adopted in the text. may be explained in two ways, (1) ἁλοὺς ἐφόνευσα = ἑάλων φονεύσας, manifesto occidi, I murdered, and was convicted of the murder:' ἁλούς proleptic. Essay on Language § 38. p. 70. Cp. Ο. Τ. 1213. ἐφεῦρέ σ᾽ ἄκονθ᾽ ὁ πάνθ᾽ ὁρῶν χρόνος. (2) Being overtaken (by destiny) I did commit the murder. The former meaning gives rather a better force to καί, and is on the whole preferable, although the construction of the participle is more natural in the latter interpretation. Porson conjectured ἄνους, (3) being infatuated. but this implies a degree of self-accusation, from which Oedipus in the Oed. Col. is wholly free.

546. mvp-comment-303-2 καὶ ὤλεσα The pleonastic expression has the solemnity of a legal indictment. Oedipus, while pleading innocence of intention, will not soften the actual crime.

548. mvp-comment-304-1 νόμῳ δὲ καθαρός The construction of these words is absorbed in the remaining clause. The word καθαρός was specially applicable to one who had been acquitted of the crime of homicide. Cp. Plato, Rep. 5. 451 Β, ἀλλὰ μέντοι, εἶπον, καθαρός γε καὶ ἐκεῖ ὁ ἀφεθείς, ὡς ὁ νόμος λέγει: Legg. 9. 865 Β, ἰατρῶν δὲ περὶ πάντων, ἂν ὁ θεραπευόμενος ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἀκόντων τελευτᾷ, καθαρὸς ἔστω κατὰ νόμον. ὡς ὁ νόμος λέγει and κατὰ νόμον in these passages answer to νόμῳ here. Essay on Language § 14. p. 20.

550. mvp-comment-305-1 κατ᾿ ὀμφὴν σὴν *ἀποσταλείς Brought by thy voice, i. e. by the message sent at the request of Oedipus (1.70). The word ὀμφή has sacred associations, and is used in this play, supr. 102, of Apollo; infr. 1351, of Oedipus again: not elsewhere by Sophocles.

550. mvp-comment-305-2 ἀποσταλείς, the reading of Turnebus, is nearer to the indications of our present MSS. than any other correction, and gives a better sense than ὃς ἐστάλη οι ἐφ᾽ ἁστάλη. See where our lord Theseus, Aegeus son, hath set forth at thy word, and is now come.' 551. The words from ἔν τε to διαφθοράς are introduced by an afterthought, and modify the rest of the sentence. Cp. Phil. 1411, foll., αὐδὴν τὴν Ἡρακλέους ἀκοῇ τε κλύειν λεύσσειν τ᾽ ὄψιν. See Essay on Language p. 65 f. VOL. I. Z

553. mvp-comment-306-1 ὁδοῖς ἐν ταῖσδε In thy present coming. Cp. Εl. 68, δέξασθέ μ᾽ εὐτυχοῦντα ταῖσδε ταῖς ὁδοῖς.

555. mvp-comment-307-1 σκευή Thine apparel: which, though travel-stained, is that of a noble Theban.

556. mvp-comment-308-1 ὃς εἰ A pronominal expression to avoid the repetition of the name. Ср. О. Т. 1036, ὥστ᾽ ὠνομάσθης ἐκ τύχης ταύτης ὃς εἶ.

556. mvp-comment-308-2 καί σ᾽ οἰκτίσας, κ.τ.λ. With a native generosity which Oedipus fully acknowledges (infr. 570), Theseus is ready to protect Oedipus, although not ignorant of the nature of his misfortunes (supr. 305 ff., 551 ff.). But he imagines himself to be conferring a favour, and knows not that the blind wayfarer has more to give than to receive. Once more, therefore, we have a fine contrast between the real and the apparent situation.

557. mvp-comment-309-1 θέλω *' περέσθαι This correction of the Laurentian reading (=τὶ) is more probable than the reading of B, in which o' is awkwardly repeated. For the aphaeresis, cp. Phil. 592, λέγω. 'πὶ τοῦτον, κ.τ.λ.

560. mvp-comment-310-1 δεινήν, κ.τ.λ. Either (r1) 'For that were a hard task indeed from which, on your mentioning it, I should recoil.' Or (2) For that would be a terrible fortune, of which the mention would make me shrink from giving relief. The latter rendering gives a more natural meaning to πρᾶξις (cp. Hdt. 3. 65, ἀπέκλαιε πᾶσαν τὴν ἑωυτοῦ πρήξιν), and is more in accordance with what follows (ὑπεκτραποίμην, κ.τ.λ.). And the usual question addressed to suppliants is, What is your misfortune? rather than, What would you have us do?' For the sentiment, cp. Eur. Suppl. 339. 40, (Θησ.) ὡς τοῖς ἐμοῖσιν οὐχὶ πρόσφορον τρόποις | φεύγειν τὰ δεινά. For the emphatic use of the adj., see Essay on Language p. 80.

562. mvp-comment-311-1 ὡς οἶδά γ᾽ αὐτός Yes, for I know, that I myself was brought up a stranger, as thou art now. Theseus was reared by his grandfather Pittheus at Troezen.

563. mvp-comment-312-1 χώς τις πλεῖστ᾽ ἀνήρ i. e. καὶ ὥς τις ἀνὴρ πλεῖστα (sc. ἤθλησεν). Ι have laboured, as any one hath laboured most:' i. e. as much as any one (ut qui plurima). The more usual expression would be ὅσα τις πλεῖστα.

564. mvp-comment-313-1 ἤθλησα κινδυνεύματα Cognate accusative.

564. mvp-comment-313-2 ἐν τὠμῷ κάρᾳ In my own person : i. e. they were dangers to my own life which I met by my own exertions, referring to the adventure with Sciron, etc. For ev, cp. the expression, ἐν τῷ Καρὶ ὑμῖν ὁ κίνδυνοos, Plat. Lach. 187 B.

565. mvp-comment-314-1 ὥσπερ σὺ νῦν For the nominative, cp. Aj. 525, ἔχειν σ᾽ ἂν οἶκτον ὡς κἀγώ: Il. 6.477, γενέσθαι | παῖδ᾽ ἐμόν, ὡς καὶ ἐγώ περ.

568. mvp-comment-315-1 σοῦ Essay on Language p. 13, 4 a.

569-570. mvp-comment-316-1 Theseus, your nobleness in brief speech hath spared me the necessity of saying much.' Either (1) βραχέα is the subject of δεῖσθαι, or (2) the object of φράσαι, the subject of δεῖσθαι being τὸ πρᾶγμα. The object of παρῆκεν is absorbed in the following clause. Cp. Eur. Fr. 310, πάρες .. ὑπερβῶαι . . νάπη. For δέομαι passive, cp. Hdt. 4. 11, ὡς ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι πρήγμα εἴη, μηδὲ πρὸς πολλοὺς δεόμενον κινδυνεύειν. Essay on Language § 31. p. 54. δεῖται in Plat. Meno, 79 C, although impersonal (sc. τὸ πρᾶγμα ἢ ὁ λόγος), is middle voice and not passive as here.

572. mvp-comment-317-1 καὶ γῆς ὁποίας ἦλθον This was implied in σκευή, l. 555 .

574. mvp-comment-318-1 χώ λόγος διέρχεται ‘And our conference draws to an end." This is the reading of the best MSS. διοίχεται, which is much commoner in this sense (cp. e. g. Eur. Suppl. 530), is given as a various reading in Par. A, and appears in the text of two other MSS. διέρχε ται is best supported by comparing Dem. 541. 22, πάντα δ᾽ ἤδη διεξεληλύθει, and Plat. Rep. 6. 484 Α, διὰ μακροῦ τινος διεξελθόντος λόγου.

577-578. mvp-comment-319-1 τὰ δὲ .. καλή But the gain to be obtained from it is better than beauty. Cp. Eur. Fr. 552, νοῦν χρὴ θεᾶσθαι, *νοῦν· τί τῆς εὐμορφίας | ὄφελος, ὅταν μὴ τὰς φρένας καλὰς ἔχῃ; 580-581. For the datives, see Essay on Language § 11. p. 18.

577-578. mvp-comment-319-2 ἡ σὴ προσφορά 'The advantage which you bring.

583-584. mvp-comment-320-1 τὰ δ᾽ ἐν μέσῳ, κ.τ.λ. The construction is defined (with ποιεῖ) as the sentence proceeds. For the irregular accusative, see Essay on Language § 15. p. 22.

585. mvp-comment-321-1 ἐνταῦθα γάρ μοι κεῖνα συγκομίζεται For in this favour those other offices are comprised; i. e. To assure him burial by the hand of Theseus was to assure him protection from the attempt of Creon.

586. mvp-comment-322-1 (1) You have indeed summed up your request in one short word. Or (2) This favour which you ask consists in a little thing:' in re levi positam gratiam. Ellendt. For (1) cp. Εl. 673, ἐν βραχεῖ ξυνθεὶς λέγω.

587. mvp-comment-323-1 Yet be advised; this is no trifling matter.' ἁγὼν ὅδε, the struggle or endeavour or peril implied in granting the request.

588. mvp-comment-324-1 πότερα τὰ τῶν σῶν ἐκγόνων, ἢ μοῦ λέγεις;] In saying this, are you speaking of what relates to your sons, or of something that relates to me?' Theseus is bewildered by the words of Oedipus. Hearing of a contest in connection with the death of Oedipus, he naturally thinks of the impending conflict at Thebes, of which he cannot but have heard something. But, as he afterwards says more explicitly, he does not Z2 see how he is to be involved in this. Cp. Phil. 1384, λέγεις δ' Ἀτρείδαις ὄφελος, ἢ ἐπ᾿ ἐμοὶ τόδε;

589. mvp-comment-325-1 ἀναγκάζουσι If this is the right reading, which, from the frequent confusion of and o, is not quite certain (cp. 603), the present is used with future meaning, as in Aesch. Prom. 513, ὧδε δεσμὰ φυγγάνω: ib. 525, δεσμοὺς ἀεικεῖς καὶ δύας ἐκφυγγάνω. Cp. Phil. 1379, κἀποσώζοντας νόσου. The subject of κομίζειν (sc. τινά, cp. infr. 933) is to be gathered from the context. They will enforce my being taken thither;' i. e. They will force the consent of Theseus and the Athenians to this. Universe eos intelligit, qui tradendi Oedipi potestatem habeant. Herm. Another rendering has been proposed - They will use compulsion against me to carry me back thither.' But such a use of ἀναγκάζω with the infinitive is inadmissible.

590. mvp-comment-326-1 εἰ θέλοντ᾿ ἄν γ᾽, οὐδὲ σοὶ φεύγειν καλόν] The reading of this line is very doubtful, but that of L is as probable as any other. There would seem to be an ellipse of some such words as βούλοιντο κομίζειν or the like. But if they chose to fetch you in case of your being willing to go, then on your part it would not be becoming to remain in banishment.' Cp. Od. 15. 280, οὐ μὲν δή σ' ἐθέλοντά γ᾽ ἀπώσω νηὸς έΐσης. Hes. Op. D. 355. For the ellipse with el, see Essay on Language § 28. p. 47; and cp. Αj. 886, εἴ ποθι πλαζόμενον λεύσσων: Pind. Ol. 2. 56, εἰ δέ νιν ἔχων τις ? And, for av with the present participle, infra 761, κἀπὸ παντὸς ἂν φέρων, κ.τ.λ. Reisig's emendation θέλοντάς γ', But (consider) whether it be not unbecoming in you to be exiled from them desiring to have you back again, although not convincing, deserves consideration.

591. mvp-comment-327-1 ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽, ὅτ᾽ αὐτὸς ἤθελον, παρίεσαν This line, at first sight, rather favours the emendation θέλοντάς γ' in 590. But αὐτός = of my own accord, may distinguish between mere willingness and the spontaneous wish, and the same word has not necessarily the same reference even in two consecutive lines. Cp. supr. 71, μόλοι and note.

592. mvp-comment-328-1 But then, foolish man, anger in calamity is hurtful.'

593. mvp-comment-329-1 ὅταν μάθῃς μου • When you have learnt the nature of the case from me.'

594. mvp-comment-330-1 ἄνευ γνώμης Without consideration.

596. mvp-comment-331-1 γένους Of your birth, rather than Of your race.

598. mvp-comment-332-1 τί.. νοσεῖς; What is this greater than human misery at which you hint?

598. mvp-comment-332-2 μεῖζον ἢ κατ᾿ ἄνθρωπον, because greater than the extreme calamities which had previously befallen him.

602. mvp-comment-333-1 Why then should they have you brought, if you are still to live apart from them? For the middle voice of πεμψαίατο, cp. Ο. Τ. 434, σχολῇ σ᾽ ἂν οἴκους τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἐστειλάμην.

603. mvp-comment-334-1 There is the same variance here as in 589. The future is unobjectionable.

605. mvp-comment-335-1 In that it is fated for them to be defeated,' either (1) ' in this land' or (2) by this land. For (1) cp. infr. 1546, μοῖρ᾽ ἀνδρὶ τῷδε τῇδε κρυφθῆναι χθονί, 621-622, ἵν᾽ οὗμος .. νέκυς .. αὐτῶν θερμὸν αἷμα πίεται, 644-646, ὁ χῶρός ἐσθ᾽ ὅδε.. ἐν ᾧ κρατήσω τῶν ἔμ᾽ ἐκβεβληκότων: 786, τῶνδ᾽ ἀπαλλαχθῇ χθονός. In favour of (2) (which the Schol. gives) it may be urged that it makes the rejoinder of Theseus appear more natural.

606. mvp-comment-336-1 τἀμὰ κἀκείνων For the omission of the article with the second word, cp. Εl. 991, καὶ τῷ λέγοντι καὶ κλύοντι σύμμαχος. Essay on Language § 21, p. 33.

609. mvp-comment-337-1 συγχεῖ Obliterates, and so destroys. Cp. Hdt. 4. 127, συγχέειν τοὺς πατρωΐους τάφους: 7. 115, τὴν ὁδὸν .. οὐ συγχέουσι : Eur. Ι. Α. 37, καὶ ταὐτὰ πάλιν γράμματα συγχεῖς: Plat. Theaet. 194 E, ἀσαφῆ δὲ (ἴσχουσι) καὶ οἱ τὰ ὑγρὰ (ἔχοντες μνημεῖα) ὑπὸ γὰρ τοῦ συγχεῖσθαι ταχὺ γίγνεται ἀμυδρά. Essay on Language p. 105.

609. mvp-comment-337-2 παγκρατής i. e. πάντα κρατῶν. Allmastering. Cp. ὁ παγκρατὴς ὕπνος, Αj. 675.

610. mvp-comment-338-1 φθίνει.. φθίνει Ε. on L. § 44. p.83. 612,13. καὶ πνεῦμα ταὐτὸν .. πόλει] 'And the same spirit does not last between friend and friend, nor between city and city. By a metaphor derived from the most ancient, and not altogether lost in modern times, the feeling of love or hatred is regarded as a breathing or exhalation. Cp. Aesch. Agam. 1206, ἀλλ᾽ ἦν παλαιστὴς κάρτ᾿ ἐμοὶ πνέων χάριν: Aesch. Cho. 34, κότον πνέων: ib. 952, ὀλέθριον πνέουσ᾽ ἐν ἐχθροῖς κότον: Aesch. Suppl. 30, δέξαιθ'.. αἰδοίῳ πνεύματι χώρας: Plut. Dion. p. 197, τὸ τῶν δημαγωγῶν πνεῦμα. Hence a change of feeling is further compared to a change of wind, as in Aesch. Ag. 219, φρενὸς πνέων δυσσεβῆ τροπαίαν. For the thought, cp. Aj. 679 ff. ὅ τ᾽ ἐχθρὸς ἡμῖν ἐς τοσόνδ' ἐχθαρτέος κ.τ.λ.

613. mvp-comment-339-1 βέβηκεν Almost = ἔστιν, -see Essay on Language p. 97,-but (in relation to πνεῦμα) retaining the notion of fixity or continued movement. For the perfect of βαίνω, expressing a settled state or condition, cp. esp. infra 1684, νῷν δ᾽ ὀλεθρία νὺξ ἐπ᾿ ὄμμασιν βέβακε.

615. mvp-comment-340-1 καὖθις φίλα It often happens in Greek that both sides of a complex statement are put forward when only one is relevant. Cp. Aj. 679 ff. quoted above, Trach. 134-135, τῷ δ᾽ ἐπέρχεται | χαίρειν τε καὶ στέρεσθαι. But the poet may have chosen to indicate the possibility of future reconcilement between Athens and Thebes.

616. mvp-comment-341-1 εἰ Emphatic, =κεί. Cp. Ant. 551, εἰ γέλωτ᾽ ἐν σοὶ γελῶ. Essay on Language § 28. p. 47.

616-617. mvp-comment-342-1 εὐημερεί καλῶς *τό Elmsley mentions that some MSS. give τέ acgive cented, which may be a remaining trace of the original reading τό or τά, εὐημερεῖ καλῶς τε, i. e. quasi eὖ καλῶς τε ἡμερεῖ, is indefensible, and the objection to the tautology καλῶς εὐημερεῖ is unfounded. See Essay on Language § 40. p. 75. And though on the part of Thebes towards you all be now serene as heart can wish. εὐημερεῖ continues the metaphor in πνεῦμα. τὸ πρὸς σε is epexegetic of the impersonal subject of εὐημερεῖ. All looks fair and well in relation to you:' or (bringing out the image a little more), There is no cloud in the heavens between Thebes and you. For the construction, cp. supra, πρὸς πόλιν πόλει, and Hdt. 3. 49. εἰ μέν νυν Περιάνδρου τελευτήσαντος τοῖσι Κορινθίοισι φίλα ἦν πρὸς Κερκυραίους.

617-618. mvp-comment-343-1 μυρίας .. ἰών There are countless nights and days which time begets in his onward course. For the form of sentence. cp. El. 1364-1366, τοὺς γὰρ ἐν μέσῳ λόγους, πολλαὶ κυκλοῦνται νύκτες ἡμέραι τ᾽ ἴσαι, αἱ ταῦτά σοι δείξουσιν, Ηλέκτρα, σαφή-a passage which also illustrates the present tense, as used of something future but certain.

619-620. mvp-comment-344-1 ἐν αἷς .. δεξιώματα In which they will sunder with the sword on slight pretext your now well-plighted fellowship. The letter corresponding to a in L is rather an unfinished ∞ ( x ) than an a.

620. mvp-comment-345-1 ἐκ σμικροῦ λόγου Out of a small occasion. Cp. Εl. 415-416, πολλά τοι σμικροὶ λόγοι | ἔσφηλαν ἤδη καὶ κατώρθωσαν βροτούς.

621. mvp-comment-346-1 ἵν' On the very spot where. 623. Cp. Aj. 783, εἰ Κάλχας σοφός.

624. mvp-comment-347-1 τἀκίνητα For κινεῖν of breaking silence, cp. Ant. 1060, τἀκίνητα διὰ φρενῶν: Ο. Τ. 354, οὕτως ἀναιδῶς ἐξεκίνησας τόδε | τὸ ῥῆμα; 625-626. τὸ σὸν μόνον | πιστὸν φυλάσσων] Either, (1) ‘Only keeping care- fully thine own good faith, or (with πιστόν as supplementary predicate), (2) Only keeping thine own part faithful. The position of πιστόν favours (2).

630. mvp-comment-348-1 ἐφαίνετο is subjective middle.

630. mvp-comment-348-2 ἡ δορύξενος ἑστία The hearth of warlike friendship, the article introducing a general notion, as in Tr. 398, τὸ πιστὸν τῆς ἀληθείας. See Essay on Language § 21. p. 34. The abstract is express- Declared on his own part, or Declared through the concrete; i. e. ἑστία is ed himself ready to perform (ἐφαίνετο τελῶν). Essay on Language § 31. p. 53, d. Cp. Ο. Τ. 148, ὧν ὅδ᾽ ἐξαγγέλλεται: Aj. 1376-1377, τἀπὸ τοῦδ᾽ ἀγγέλλομαι.. εἶναι φίλος.

632-633. mvp-comment-349-1 ὅτου.. ἑστία Whose friendly alliance, first of all, has been ever known amongst us as a common possession; the family of Cadmus being πρόξενοι of Athens and not merely ξένοι of Theseus;

publicum hospitium dicit, ut opponatur ἰδιοξένῳ.
Linw. Or (2), reading ὅτῳ with Suidas, Who, first of all, has a home and place of defence always open to him in our land;' κοινή, in right of a mutual bond. Semper apud se paratum esse Oedipo hospitium pro mutua quadam vel inter ipsos vel inter majores eorum necessitudine.' Herm. Euripides represents Polynices as having been the ξένος of Theseus: Eur. Suppl. 930. For the alliance supposed to exist between Athens and Thebes, cp. supr. 606, 616, 618, infr. 758, 929. used for ξενία, like δόρυ for. πόλεμος. For the expression of a similar feeling, cp. Plat. Legg. 1. 642 Β, τυγχάνει ἡμῶν ἡ ἑστία τῆς πόλεως οὖσα ὑμῶν πρόξενος.

633. mvp-comment-350-1 αἰέν On all occasions,' i. e. independently of his other claims on us.

634-635. mvp-comment-351-1 ἔπειτα.. τίνει The sentence returns from the relative to an independent construction. Essay on Language p. 64. Theseus with noble brevity, (supr. 569), gives two or more reasons in one. Oedipus is (1) an ally, (2) a suppliant claiming Divine protection, (3) he promises to secure victory for Athens.

637. mvp-comment-352-1 ἔμπαλιν On the contrary. The conjectural emendation ἔμπολιν (Musgr.) is unnecessary, and if it were accepted the opposition of clauses would not be sufficiently marked by δé. The word ἔμπολις occurs only once, infra 1156. ('Non opus ἔμπαλιν : fortius ἔμπολιν.' Herm.)

638. mvp-comment-353-1 εἰ δ΄.. μίμνειν δέ = But with regard to the particular spot, referring to the comprehensive word χώρᾳ preceding.

640. mvp-comment-354-1 τούτων, κ.τ.λ. A general apodosis relating to both the preceding clauses is substituted for the apodosis of the latter clause.

640. mvp-comment-354-2 τούτων . . κρίναντι χρῆσθαι χρῆσθαι, sc. τῷ ἑτέρῳ. To make choice between these alternatives and use the one so chosen.' Cp. Ο. Τ. 640, δρᾶσαι.. δυοῖν ἀποκρίνας κακοῖν.

641. mvp-comment-355-1 τῇδε Sc. ᾗ ἂν σὺ κρίνῃς. Cp. Εl. 1301-1302, ὧδ᾽ ὅπως καὶ σοὶ φίλον | καὶ τοὐμὸν ἔσται τῇδ᾽.

641. mvp-comment-355-2 ξυνοίσομαι I will concur. 647. μέγ᾽ ἂν λέγοις .. συνουσίας] You seem to intimate a great boon which your abode with us will confer.' ἂν λέγοις = ἔοικας λέγειν, cp. El. 1372, οὐκ ἂν μακρῶν ἔθ᾽ ἡμὲν οὐδὲν ἂν λόγων | Πυλάδη, τόδ' εἴη τοὔργον. τῆς συνουσίας, genitive of relation (Essay on Language § 9. p. 13), A great gift in respect of your dwelling with us.

648. mvp-comment-356-1 If you abide by your words and make them good to me. τελοῦντι, with σοί, proleptic. Cp. O. Τ. 863, εἴ μοι ξυνείη φέροντι | μοῖρα τὰν εὔσεπτον ἁγνείαν λόγων, κ.τ.λ. Some take 76- λοῦντι as agreeing with μοι (cp. 630). But Oedipus has only to remain where he is. The fulfilment of his promise does not take place till after his death. There is no meaning in a condition which is so far in the future.

650. mvp-comment-357-1 Cp. the line attributed to Aeschylus, Fr. 385, οὐκ ἀνδρὸς ὅρκοι πίστις, ἀλλ᾿ ὅρκων ἀνήρ.

651. mvp-comment-358-1 You would gain nought more by that than by my simple word.' 652. Herm. reads άνδρες. But cp. 656, where if the sense was not unfinished the article would be equally required.

654. mvp-comment-359-1 ὅρα με λείπων Beware, in leaving me. ἃ.. δρᾶν] Nauck conj. ἃ χρή μ᾿ ὁρᾶν. But such a transition from the idiomatic imperative ὅρα to this rare use of the inf. ὁρᾶν, 'to provide for (Phil. 504, τὰ δείν᾽ ὁρᾶν), is very unlikely. For the use of a general word like δρᾶν in such a connexion, cp. Αj. 1373, σοὶ δὲ δρᾶν ἔξεσθ᾽ ἃ χρῆς. 658, foll. And many threats and many vain words have ere now been uttered in anger:' (Lit. 'Many threats have uttered many vain words:') but when the mind has power of herself again, nothing remains of all that was so threatened. For ἀπειλαὶ κατηπείλησαν, cp. infr. 794, τὸ σὸν.. στόμα πολλὴν ἔχον στόμωσιν : 779, ὅτ᾽ οὐδὲν ἡ χάρις χάριν φέροι : Plato, Theaet. 153 D, ἕως ἂν ἡ περιφορὰ ἢ κινουμένη, in all of which instances a process is personified and grammatically regarded as the agent. Also infr. 794, for a similar echo of sound. See Essay on Language § 44. p. 83. The conjecture πολλοὶ δὲ πολλοῖς πολλά gives a misplaced emphasis. Qy. πολλοὶ δ᾽ ἀπειλαῖς, κ.τ.λ.?

660. mvp-comment-360-1 αὑτοῦ In its own possession. For the genitive as predicate, see Essay on Language § 9. p. 12. A similar emphatic use of αὑτοῦ occurs in Tr. 144, τοιοῖσδε. - χώροισιν αὑτοῦ. 661 ff. And with regard to the Thebans, though they have had the audacity to boast great things about carrying you away, they will find, I am well assured, that the way hither would be over a long and dangerous sea.' δείν] δεῖν' L.

660. mvp-comment-360-2 αὑτοῦ αὐτοῦ LA.

660. mvp-comment-360-3 κείνοις is in a twofold construction with ἐπερρώσθη and φανήσεται. ἐπερρώσθη is impersonal, (sc. τὸ λῆμα, ἡ ῥωμή), so that κείνοις ἐπερρώσθη λέγειν is equal το ἐπερρώσθησαν ὥστε λέγειν.

662. mvp-comment-361-1 τῆς σῆς ἀγωγῆς is a genitive of respect.

664. mvp-comment-362-1 ἄνευ, having the force of a preposition, adheres closely to the word which follows it, and the spondee in the 5th foot is thus justified. See on 115 supr. ἐν γὰρ τῷ μαθεῖν.

666-667. mvp-comment-363-1 I am sure that, even in my absence (ὅμως.. ἐμοῦ μὴ παρόντος), my name will guard thee from ill.' There is a pause in the action of the play. Oedipus has now received from Theseus himself the final assurance of rest and protection. The scruples of the chorus have been pacified by the words of the king as well as by Ismene's performance of the sacred rites, and the anxiety of Oedipus has been calmed. Creon is on his way from Thebes, but his approach, though apprehended by Oedipus, is not yet present to the mind of the chorus. It is in this moment of tranquil security that the chorus give their welcome to the stranger, and sing the praises of Colonus and Athens.

668. mvp-comment-364-1 Couldst thou find a fairer dwelling-place than this bright land? Here the nightingale keeps haunt, and sings in deep impenetrable coverts of green dells, where no sun, nor wind, but only the joyous presence of Dionysus comes. Here daily blooms the saffron and Demeter's flower, nor do the waters of Cephisus fail, nor Aphrodite shun the spot.

668. mvp-comment-364-2 And there is a better plant than grows in Asian or Dorian soil, that flourishes of itself in this our land, the nurse of childhood, the terror of our foes, the grey-leaved olive, which Zeus and Athena ever protect from harm. Nor has Poseidon left us without his gifts. Our mother-state is famed for horsemanship and famed by sea. Here first the son of Cronos tamed the steed, here swiftly glides the oarèd bark, keeping pace with the multitude of sea-nymphs.

668. mvp-comment-364-3 The metres of this ode are composed with especial care.

668. mvp-comment-364-4 The ruling logaoedic rhythm of the 1st strophe is represented by the following line which, out of 13 lines, holds the Ist, 5th, 7th (and central), 11th, and 13th places. 2 and 12, the second and secondlast lines, also correspond

668. mvp-comment-364-5 u _ u u _ u _ u _ u

668. mvp-comment-364-6 In 3, 4, 8, the logaoedic is shortened to the ordinary glyconic metre

668. mvp-comment-364-7 u _ u u _ u _ _

668. mvp-comment-364-8 and in 6, to the Pherecratean

668. mvp-comment-364-9 _ _ u u _ _

668. mvp-comment-364-10 In 9, the rhythm changes to a purely dactylic movement

668. mvp-comment-364-11 _ u u _ u u _ u u _ u u

668. mvp-comment-364-12 which is followed, in 10, by an Iambic dimeter catalectic

668. mvp-comment-364-13 u _ u _ u _ _

668. mvp-comment-364-14 which smooths the way for the recurrence to the prevailing rhythm. Cp. supr. 229-236, infr. 1675-1676.

668. mvp-comment-364-15 The chief movement in the 2nd strophe is choriambic (II. 1, 2, 6, 8, ) varied with iambic and trochaic, which in 3, 5, 7, are combined in the antispastic or syncopated movement

668. mvp-comment-364-16 u _ u _ | _ u _ u _ x

668. mvp-comment-364-17 while 4 is trochaic dim. hyper-catalectic

668. mvp-comment-364-18 _ u _ u _ u _ u _

668. mvp-comment-364-19 The composition ends with a glyconic and Pherecratean, 9 and 10, recalling the rhythm of the former strophe. The rhythm of the 1st strophe is expressive of repose and gladness, that of the 2nd, of triumph (cp. Ant. 139, 153), ending in repose.

668-669. mvp-comment-365-1 Thou art come, stranger, to the homes of this land famed for steeds, the best homes on earth.

668-669. mvp-comment-365-2 εὐίππου Cp. supra 59, τόνδ' ἱππότην Κολωνόν, and note. The epithet is intended to apply first and specially to Colonus, and then generally to Athens. εὐίππου τᾶσδε χώρας is attributive to τὰ κράτιστα γᾶς ἔπαυλα. Cp. supra 45, ἕδρας γῆς τῆσδ᾽.

668-669. mvp-comment-365-3 γᾶς is partitive genitive with κράτιστα. Cf. infra 739, εἰς πλεῖστον πόλεως.

668-669. mvp-comment-365-4 ἔπαυλα Here generally dwellings, homes, with some association from the care of horses, which was an occupation of the Coloniatae. Cf. Aesch. Pers. 870, Θρηκίων ἐπαύλων.

670. mvp-comment-366-1 τὸν ἀργῆτα Κολωνόν An accusative added epexegetically in the same construction with ἔπαυλα. ἀργῆτα (cp.

670. mvp-comment-366-2 ἀργήεις, ἀργινόεις), gleaming, either from the colour of the rock, or rather from the marble structures, such as the altar of Poseidon, which made it conspicuous in the sunlight from a distance.

670-671. mvp-comment-367-1 ἔνθ᾽ ἁ The addition of the breathing which restores the metre, also, by introducing the article, rather improves the sense. Cp. El. 147, ἀλλ᾿ ἐμέ γ᾿ ὁ στονόεσσ᾽ ἄραρεν φρένας: infra 693, ἁ χρυσάνιος Ἀφροδίτα: 716, ὁ δ᾽ εὐήρετμος. The synaphea is not a strong objection where the metre is continuous, as here, and is at any rate more probable than that a glyconic verse should begin with a dactyl, and θεαῖν, at the end of l. 683, be taken for a monosyllable.

672. mvp-comment-368-1 θαμίζουσα Il. 18.386, πάρος γε μὲν οὔτι θαμίζεις.

673. mvp-comment-369-1 χλωραῖς ὑπὸ βάσσαις In coverts of green glades.ὑπό, with dative= down in. Cp. Ant. 336-337, περιβρυχίοισιν περῶν ὑπ᾿ οἴδμασιν : Ovid, Fast. 4. 427,

Valle sub umbrosa locus est.
674. τὸν οἰνῶπ᾽ ἀνέχουσα κισσόν] Remaining constant to the empurpled (wine-coloured) ivy. For this meaning of ἀνέχω, cp. Aj. 211, λέχος δουριάλωτον | στέρξας ἀνέχει: Eur. Hec. 123, ἀνέχων λέκτρ᾽ Ἀγαμέμνων: Pind. Nem. 7.89, εἰ δ᾽ αὐτὸ καὶ θεὸς ἀνέχοι; and especially Aristides, l. 19 , καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅσοι θεοφιλεῖς, οὐκ Ἄτη πατεῖ τὰς κεφαλάς, Ἀθηνᾶ δὲ ἀνέχει καὶ ἐμβατεύει. The conjecture νέμουσα (Dind.) is certainly not less questionable than the text. νέμειν γῆν may be said, but hardly νέμειν κισσόν, φυλλάδα. (Cp., however, Ar. Av. 239, ἐπὶ κισσοῦ κλάδεσι νομὸν ἔχει). οἰνῶπα refers to the rich colour of the ivy, as if flushed with wine.

675. mvp-comment-370-1 ἄβατον θεοῦ φυλλάδα μυριόκαρΔιόνυσος] ἀμφιπόλων πον The inviolable leafy grove, with countless berries, sacred to the God:' referring chiefly to the laurel and olive bushes, for the epithet ἀνήλιον can hardly apply to the vine: cp. supra 17, δάφνης, ἐλαίας, ἀμπέλου. For μυριόκαρπον, cp. O. T. 83. And for θεοῦ φυλλάδα, cp. Trach. 754, βωμοὺς ὁρίζει τεμενίαν τε φυλλάδα.

675. mvp-comment-370-2 θεοῦ Probably Dionysus, to whom such thickets are sacred, as δενδρίτης θεός. Pind. Fr. 130, δενδρέων δὲ νομὸν Διόνυσος πολυγαθὴς αὐξάνοι. The mention of him is suggested by the ivy, and he is presently spoken of by name as haunting the spot. Cp. the similar introduction of Poseidon in 709, foll., and of Nessus in Tr. 556-558.

676. mvp-comment-371-1 ἀνήλιον. - χειμώνων Cp. Od. 5. 478 sqq., τοὺς (θάμνους sc.) μὲν ἄρ᾽ οὔτ᾽ ἀνέμων διάη μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντων, | οὔτε ποτ' ἠέλιος φαέθων ἀκτῖσιν ἔβαλλεν, | οὔτ᾽ ὄμβρος περάασκε διαμπερές, ib. 19, 440, ff. For the genitive, see Essay on Language § 10. p. 16.

680. mvp-comment-372-1 θείαις.. τιθήναις The Nymphs of Nysa, who, according to a legend, were the nurses of the infant Bacchus, Il. 6.132, Διωνύσοιο τιθῆναι. Το the conjecture θεαῖς, which has been suggested for the metre, may be objected, (1) that the fem of θεόs is not elsewhere found as a monosyllable (unless in 683); (2) that the Nymphs are not properly spoken of as θεαί.

680. mvp-comment-372-2 ἀμφιπολῶν Careering round. A picturesque inversion, representing the confusion of the Bacchanalian rout, in which it is uncertain who leads and who follows. But qy. ἀμφίπολος, used passively, as in Pind. Ol. 1. 96, τύμβον ἀμφίπολον ἔχων ? 681-693. The antistrophe passes from the wooded hollow to the open height, on which the crocus and narcissus blow: and then to the meadow that is watered by the stream.

681. mvp-comment-373-1 οὐρανίας ὑπ᾿ ἄχνας ‘By the dew of heaven from above.

682. mvp-comment-374-1 καλλίβοτρυς With fair clusters,' i. e. with several heads upon a stem.

683. mvp-comment-375-1 μεγάλαιν θεαΐν The great Goddesses, Demeter and Persephone. See the Hymn to Demeter, 11. 6-18, where Persephone, after gathering crocus and other flowers, is tempted by a narcissus with a hundred heads, which Earth purposely causes to grow, so as to fix the attention of the maiden until Pluto comes. Ancient commentators observed that the chaplet worn in honour of Demeter and Persephone was not one of flowers, but of myrtle, or of ears of grain, and they proposed either to read μεγαλᾶν θεᾶν, referring to the Eumenides, whom Euphorion had described ας ναρκίσσῳ ἐπιστεψέες πλοκαμίδας, or to emphasize ἀρχαῖον, with reference to the former time before Persephone was carried away. But see note on 685.

685. mvp-comment-376-1 χρυσαυγής Cp. Tennyson, Oenone,

And at their feet the crocus brake like fire.
The Schol. observes that Sophocles in the Niobe makes the 685

687. mvp-comment-377-1 Κηφισού κηφισσοῦ Β Vat.

687. mvp-comment-377-2 ἐπινίσσεται ἐπινίσεται L. ἐπινείσεται AR. crocus an emblem of Demeter. οὐδ᾽ ἄϋπνοι κρῆναι μινύθουσιν Κηφισοῦ νομάδες ῥεέθρων] Either (1) Nor fail the ever-wakeful springs that feed Cephisus stream,' referring to the abundant fountain-heads on the slopes of Parnes: or (2) Nor do the ever-wakeful rills decrease, dispensers of Cephisus' flood,' referring to the system of irrigation (διανομή) that goes on to this day. Although this allusion to an artificial process may seem unpoetical to the modern reader, the latter interpretation agrees better with πεδίων ἐπινίσσεται, besides giving a more definite meaning to νομάδες, and one immediately connected with Colonus. For a similar allusion in lyric poetry, cp. Pind. Ol. 5. 12, καὶ σεμνοὺς ὀχετούς, Ιππαρις οἶσιν ἄρδει στράτον. For the meaning of νομάδες, cp. Plat. Legg. 11. 931 C, δίκαιοι νομεῖς .. ἀγαθῶν, where νομεύς is similarly used.

688. mvp-comment-378-1 ἀλλ᾽ αἰὲν .. χθονός But ever, each new day, with quickening power, he (Cephisus) pours his clear waters over the bosom of the plain. ἐπ᾽ ἤματι] Not=ἦμαρ ἐπ᾽ ἤματι ('day after day'), but on each day, like кат' ἦμαρ. Cp. Heracl. Fr., ἥλιος νέος ἐφ᾿ ἡμερῇ. The hiatus between this and the following line indicates a pause before the change of rhythm.

689. mvp-comment-379-1 ὠκυτόκος Schol. ὠκύτοκα ποιῶν τὰ πεδία καὶ ἔγκαρπα. Ellendt rightly observes that this explanation may stand although πεδίων is to be joined (in the first instance) with ἐπινίσσεται.

690. mvp-comment-380-1 For the general use of ὄμβρος for the element of water, cp. O. T. 1428, μήτ᾿ ὄμβρος ἱρός. Ε. on L. p. 98.

691. mvp-comment-381-1 στερνούχου Cp. Hes. Th. 117, γαῖ᾽ εὐρύστερνος. Schol. ἴσον τῷ γονίμου. Meineke conj. σπερμούχου.

691. mvp-comment-381-2 οὐδὲ Μουσᾶν, κ.τ.λ. Cp. the praise of Athens in Eur. Med. 830 ff. There was a temple of the Muses, near that of Athena, in the Academy. Paus. 1.30, 2.

692. mvp-comment-382-1 viv The region,' i. e. Colonus and the neighbourhood.

692. mvp-comment-382-2 οὐδ᾽ *ἄρ᾽ | ὁ χρυσάνιος Ἀφροδίτα There is some defect in the MS. text, as the hiatus οὐδὲ | å is not admissible between the two logaoedic lines. οὐδέ γ' | ἁ (Brunck), οὐδὲ | μάν (Herm.), have been conjectured. οὐδ᾽ ἄρ᾽ | ἁ may be suggested: ἄpa, i. e, as the beauty of the region testifies.

693. mvp-comment-383-1 χρυσάνιος Ἀφροδίτα Cp. χρυσόνωτον ἡνίαν, Αj. 847.

694. mvp-comment-384-1 ἔστιν δ᾽ οἷον . . βλαστόν In expatiating on the glories of their home, the religious mind of the Coloniatae dwells chiefly on the rival gifts of Poseidon, their patron deity, and of Athena, the special patroness of horsemen (infr. 1070), and of the Morian olives (706), as well as of Athens and of the tree in the Acropolis. The chorus are thinking chiefly of their own neighbourhood. Only in ll. 711, 716-9, do they speak of what relates to Athens apart from Colonus. The olive-plant immediately referred to is that in the Academy, mentioned by Pausanias as Division of 698.

694. mvp-comment-384-2 ἐκχέων Α. having sprung up independently of the one in the Acropolis :-δεύτερον τοῦτο λεγόμενον φανῆναι, Paus. 1. 32. On the sacred feeling attaching to the Athenian olive, see also Hdt. 5. 82, 8. 55. The genitive, γᾶς Ἀσίας, is rather partitive than possessive, and to be taken closely with ἐπακούω. A thing such as I cannot hear of anywhere in the Asian land, nor as having ever sprung, etc. The participle βλαστόν is introduced by an afterthought in the second clause. The Peloponnese is called a Dorian island by an anachronism similar to that by which the Athenian youth are called Theseidae in 1066. Asia and the Peloponnese are cited as the two rivals of Athenian greatness.

698. mvp-comment-385-1 φύτευμα is the subject of ἔστιν, although not thought of at the beginning of the sentence.

698. mvp-comment-385-2 ἀχείρωτον This reading is supported by the remark of Pollux, 2. 154, which probably refers to this passage, ἀχείρωτον δὲ Σοφοκλῆς εἶπε τὸ ἀχειρούργητον. The simpler interpretation, however, is more probable, unravaged, anticipating the thought in 699 and 702-705.

698. mvp-comment-385-3 αὐτόποιον Self-created, That springeth ever of itself; i.e. That needs not to be renewed by human agency.

700. mvp-comment-386-1 τᾷδε .. χώρᾳ i. e. (1) Along the banks of the Cephisus: or (2) in Attica generally. Cp. Hdt. 5. 82, λέγεται δὲ καὶ ὡς ἐλαῖαι ἦσαν ἄλλοθι γῆς οὐδαμοῦ κατ᾿ ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον, ἡ Ἀθήνῃσι.

701. mvp-comment-387-1 παιδοτρόφου Simply childnourishing. Cp. Hes. Op. 226, εἰρήνη δ᾽ ἀνὰ γῆν κουρότροφος. The interpretations which refer to the custom of suspending an olive-crown where a male child was born, or to the propagation of shoots and offsets from the parent stock, are more ingenious than true. For the synecdoche, φύλλον ἐλαίας, cp. Αj. 14, ὦ φθέγμ᾽ Ἀθάνας.

702. mvp-comment-388-1 τὸ μέν τις οὔ, *νεαρὸς οὔτε γήρα This line seems to have been tampered with by some one who had an ear for the iambic rhythm. The simplest alteration is to omit te and place a comma after οὔ. Which no commander, young or old... For the order of τις οὔ, see Essay on Language § 41. p. 71, and for the omission of the first οὔτε, ib. § 39, p. 67, and Phil. 771, ἑκόντα μήτ᾽ ἄκοντα. For the variety of expression (veapὸς σημαίνων, γήρα σημαίνων), cp. Ant. 808, νέατον φέγγος λεύσσουσαν κούποτ' αὖθις: and for the dative γήρᾳ, which has given offence, Ο.Τ. 172, οὔτε τόκοισιν ἀνέχουσι γυναῖκες. μέν, assuredly. Cp. El. 1240, τόδε μὲν οὔποτ᾽ ἀξιώσω τρέσαι, κ.τ.λ. Sophocles, in his description, blends the olive of the region, whether that in the temple of Athena Polias in the Acropolis, which Xerxes could not destroy (Hdt. 8.55), or the olives of the Academy which according to Androtion, quoted by the Schol., Archidamus spared, with the olive generally.

703. mvp-comment-389-1 σημαίνω is used in the Homeric sense of to command an army. II.16.172, πέντε δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἡγεμόνας ποιήσατο, τοῖς ἐπεποίθει | σημαίνειν. The allusion which has been found in this passage to the invasions of Xerxes and Archidamus, is not improbable.

703. mvp-comment-389-2 Λακεδαιμόνιοι γὰρ ἐμβαλόντες ἐν τῇ Αττικῇ δέκα μυριάσι Πελοποννησίων καὶ Βοιωτῶν ἡγουμένου Ἀρχιδάμου τοῦ Ζευξιδάμου Λακεδαιμονίων βασιλέως, ἀπέσχοντο τῶν λεγομένων μορίων, Ἀθηνᾷ θύσαντες, (Ἀθηνῶν δείσαντες, Meineke conj.), ὡς Ανδροτίων φησί, Schol. See also the quotation from Istrus in Schol. on 701. The reading of L, εἰσαιὲν ὁρῶν, sustains the choriambic rhythm; and παραπτομένα in the antistrophe is justly suspected. See note on 717.

703. mvp-comment-389-3 κύκλος Phil. 1338, ὦ τὰ πάντ᾿ ἰδόντες ἀμφ᾿ ἐμοῦ κύκλοι.

705. mvp-comment-390-1 Μορίου Διός i. e. Zeus regarded as the protector of the μορίαι or sacred olives in the Academy. Cp. Ar. Nub. 1005. Apollodorus, quoted by the Schol., says, περὶ Ἀκαδήμειαν ἐστὶν ὅ τε τοῦ Καταιβάτου Διὸς βωμός, ὃν καὶ Μόριον καλοῦσι, τῶν ἐκεῖ μορίων παρὰ τὸ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἱερὸν ἱδρυμένων.

706. mvp-comment-391-1 γλαυκώπις occurs here only in the extant plays of Sophocles. Probably grey-eyed, cp. γλαυκᾶς supr. 701. Essay on Language § 44. p. 82. a

707. mvp-comment-392-1 ἄλλον . . εὐθάλασσον I have yet another mighty praise for this city that hath reared me, the gift of that great deity, to tell, her great pride, that she is renowned for the fairest steeds, the fairest colts, and for glorious sea. εἰπεῖν is added epexegetically in construction with ἔχω. The adjectives, εὔιππον, etc., agree with αὐτήν, which is to be supplied as the object of εἰπεῖν, if indeed some word equivalent to this has not been lost. Porson, to complete the metre, supplied χθονός before αύχημα. But perhaps the line may have stood, δῶρον τοῦ μεγάλου δαίμονος, εἰπεῖν γέ νιν, αὔχημα μέγιστον, κ.τ.λ. ματροπόλει = 'the state our mother.' Cp. 1480, γᾷ ματέρι. The word probably refers to Athens, as presiding over the smaller townships. But in ταίσδε .. ἀγνιαῖς, infr. 715, the neighbourhood of Colonus is meant.

712. mvp-comment-393-1 For, son of Cronos, it was thou... γάρ is postponed after the vocative.

713. mvp-comment-394-1 αὔχημ᾿ For the unconscious repetition of aὔχημα, see Essay on Language § 44. p. 84.

714. mvp-comment-395-1 The dative ἵπποισι depends immediately on κτίσας, and is to be resumed with ἀκεστῆρα. Having framed for horses the bit, which tames their rage. Cp. Pind. O1. 13. 85, φάρμακον πραῦ τείνων ἀμφὶ γένυι.

715. mvp-comment-396-1 ταῖσδε κτίσας ἀγυιαῖς Having instituted in these roads. κτίσας, having invented and brought into use. ταῖσδε . . ἀγυιαîs] In the roads about Colonus. The note of the Schol. here is curious: ὁ γὰρ Κολωνὸς ἱππεὺς ὠνομάσθη, παρ' ἃς ἐξεθέμην αἰτίας διὰ τὸν Ἄδραστον (κατ' Ἀνδροτίωνα, Rom. ed.). ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ σεμνότατον ἄγει τὸ πράγμα.

716-719. mvp-comment-397-1 These lines expand the epithet εὐθάλασσον. 'And the well-plied oar, passing through the sea, flits wondrously by the hand of man, and darts onward, following in the track of innumerable Nereids. ἁλία may be taken either as an attribute of πλάτα, or with the participle.

716. mvp-comment-398-1 εὐήρετμος Rather from εὖ ἐρέσσω than from εὖ ἐρετμόν. Join ἔκπαγλα θρώσκει.

716. mvp-comment-398-2 χερσὶ παραπτομένα has been taken to mean fitted to the hand. But this is prosaic, and interferes with the figure by which the oar is put for the ship. As in O. T. 17, πτέσθαι may be a syncopated form of πέτεσθαι. But the metre is doubtful, cp. supr. 704.

716. mvp-comment-398-3 ραϊσσομένα, περιπτυσσσομένα, παραιπεμ πομένα, have been conjectured.

716. mvp-comment-398-4 πα-

718. mvp-comment-399-1 ἑκατομπόδων As in ἑκατογκάρανος, ἑκατόγχειρος, ἕκατον is used vaguely to give the impression of multitude. The first part of the epithet is most important, as in πυκνόπτεροι, etc., the second part being chiefly pictorial. An allusion to the number 50 would be an awkward conceit; and the bare mention of an exact number, such as 100, would have no poetic force. 721 ff. Ismene is not yet returned. The dreaded Creon is seen advancing instead. The boast of a strong dwellingplace, and of the unconquered olivetree, will now be put to proof. νῦν σοὶ.. δὴ σοί, sc. πάρεστι, cp. Phil. 1165, ἀλλὰ γνῶθ᾽, εὖ γνῶθ᾽, ὅτι σοὶ | κῆρα τάνδ᾽ ἀποφεύγειν. The conjecture σόν in both places is unnecessary. δή emphasizes the whole sentence: cp. Ant. 726, οἱ τηλικοίδε καὶ διδαξόμεσθα δὴ | φρονεῖν, κ.τ.λ. The reading δεῖ may have arisen from the difficulty of σοί, and the unusual position of δή. φαίνειν] Causative, as in Phil. 297, ἔφην᾿ ἄφαντον φῶς. Cause these words to shine, shine,' i. e. manifest their truth in action : = ἀποδιδόναι ἐναργῆ. Cp. Τr. 239, εὐκταῖα φαίνων: Pind. Nem. 10. 11, Ζεὺς .. τοῦτον κατέφανε λόγον: Hdt. 3. 36, εὔνοιαν φαίνων.

723. mvp-comment-400-1 ἡμῖν ἡμῖν, the dative of remote reference, has greater liveliness than ἡμῶν, which has been conjectured here. Here is Creon coming to trouble us.

725. mvp-comment-401-1 τέρμα τῆς σωτηρίας The end of safety; i. e. The safety that is the end of my desire.

726. mvp-comment-402-1 θάρσει, παρέσται Fear not: you shall have your wish. The same words occur above (305) in a different connection. Elms. prefers κυρῶ to ἐγώ. 728-1043. Creon advances with his two attendants, and deprecating suspicion, attempts to persuade Oedipus to come home to Thebes, for his own and daughters' sake, according to the unanimous wish of the people. Oedipus, who is informed by Ismene, and by the oracles he had formerly received, of the real intention of the Thebans, indignantly resents the cruel meaning of the fair-sounding offer; taunts Creon with hypocrisy, in first banishing him against his will, and now trying to draw him unwillingly from Athens: and utters a curse on Creon and on his sons. altercation continues till Creon throws off the mask of gentleness, avows that he has seized Ismene, and threatens to carry off Antigone. The chorus (834 ff.) expostulate, and call for aid. He per- The

727. mvp-comment-403-1 γεγήρακεν L. sists, and sends her away by his servants, adding reproaches against Oedipus, and, on the chorus further expostulating, threatens to lay hands on Oedipus, who thus provoked, utters a special curse on Creon. A scuffle ensues between the two old men: Creon taking hold of Oedipus to drag him away. The chorus (877 ff.) again cry aloud for help, and Theseus, who has been sacrificing at a neighbouring altar, enters in haste. On learning what is the matter, he orders the people from the sacrifices to pursue the fugitives, and threatens Creon with arrest if the maidens are not produced immediately. He is sure that Thebes will not resent this. She cannot countenance such violence. Creon then speaks for himself. He could not have supposed that Athens would have cared to protect his kindred, or would have received an incestuous person and a parricide under the shadow of the hill of Ares. Hefurther excuses his assault by the curses of Oedipus. He is in Theseus' hands, but will resist harsh treatment. The mention of hisunwitting crimes calls forth a fresh outburst of passion from Oedipus. Theseus breaks off further conference by peremptorily commanding Creon to show him where the maidens are. Oedipus is left alone with the chorus. Cp. O. T. 512-862.

729. mvp-comment-404-1 ὁρῶ . . ἐπεισόδου I see that a sudden fear has overcast your eyes at my coming in. ὀμμάτων is a genitive of place, or of the part affected. For εἰληφότας, cp. Αj. 345, τάχ᾽ ἄν τιν αἰδῶ κἀπ᾿ ἐμοὶ βλέψας λάβοι: Eur. Suppl. 1050. ὀργὴν λάβοις ἂν τῶν ἐμῶν βουλευμάτων | κλύων: Plat. Soph. 243 C, ταὐτὸν τοῦτο πάθος εἰληφότες ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ. And for the whole expression, Aesch. Eum. 407, θαῦμα δ᾽ ὄμμασιν πάρα: Eur. I. A. 1128, Ar. Vesp. 447-

731. mvp-comment-405-1 μήτ᾿ ἀφῆτ᾽ ἔπος κακόν As often happens, the sentence passes out of the relative construction. Cp. supr. 467.

732. mvp-comment-406-1 Creon endeavours to allay the alarm occasioned by his coming, and to win confidence by dwelling (1) on his own age and apparent feebleness, (2) on the age and condition of Oedipus, which needed protection at home, (3) on his intention to use persuasion only. (4) on the public authority and responsibility of his mission, (5) on his personal and private motives for undertaking it.

734. mvp-comment-407-1 εἴ τιν᾿ Ἑλλάδος For the attraction, cp. Aj 488. εἴπερ τινὸς σθένοντος ἐν πλούτῳ Φρυγῶν. Ε. on L. § 35. p. 60.

735. mvp-comment-408-1 ἄνδρα τόνδε τηλικόνδ᾽ ἀπεστάλην The text, while giving a more natural order of the words than the VOL. I. Aa ï conjecture τηλικόσδ' ἀπεστάλην, is also capable of a suitable meaning. Creon, wishing to show the reasonableness of his coming, points to the extreme age and feebleness of Oedipus as a ground for inducing him to return under the protection of Thebes. There is a peculiar emphasis on the words τηλικόνδε and πείσων, i. e. To induce this poor old man by persuasion only to return home.' For the combination of the demonstrative with the pronominal adj., cp. Phil. 128, τοῦτον τὸν αὐτὸν ἄνδρα: ib. 572 πρὸς ποῖον ἂν τόνδ'..;

738. mvp-comment-409-1 οὔνεχ᾽ ἡκέ μοι γένει Since kindred makes it incumbent on me. For ἧκε, the simple for the compound verb, see Essay on Language p. 101-104, and cp. Phil. 141, σὲ δ', ὦ τέκνον, τόδ᾽ ἐλήλυθεν πᾶν κράτος ὠγύγιον. And for a similar use of προσήκει, cp. Hdt. 8. 100, οὐδὲν πρὸς Πέρσας τοῦτο προσήκει τὸ πάθος.

739. mvp-comment-410-1 εἰς πλεῖστον πόλεως Above all that are in the city.

742. mvp-comment-411-1 δικαίως Rightfully. Cp. Aj. 1108-1110, τόνδε δ'.. εἰς ταφᾶς ἐγὼ θήσω δικαίως.

742. mvp-comment-411-2 ἐκ δὲ τῶν] Essay on Language § 21. p. 30.

743. mvp-comment-412-1 πλεῖστον .. κάκιστος Cp. Phil. 631, τῆς πλεῖστον ἐχθίστης ἐμοὶ | κλύοιμ' ἐχίδνης.

745. mvp-comment-413-1 ὄντα μὲν. ἀλήτην A stranger, and not only so, but ever wandering.

746. mvp-comment-414-1 ἐπὶ προσπόλου μιᾶς With the support of one attendant. ἐπί, as it were leaning on. The expression is analogous to ὁρμεῖν ἐπ᾿ ἀγκύρας, Hdt. 7.188.

749. mvp-comment-415-1 ὅσον i. e. εἰς ὅσον, one preposition, as frequently happens, sufficing both for antecedent and relative.

751. mvp-comment-416-1 τηλικοῦτος At her age, i. e. just approaching womanhood. Cp. supr. 345-346, ἐξ ὅτου νέας | τροφῆς ἔληξε καὶ κατίσχυσεν δέμας. For the termination, cp. El. 614. 753 ff. Alas, I have uttered a sad reproach upon thee and me and our whole race. And yet, what is openly displayed cannot be concealed: wherefore do you, Oedipus. be induced by me to return voluntarily to thy city and palace and to hide thy disgrace there. For ἆρα, see Essay on Language § 29. p. 50. Creon professes to be horror-struck at his own words (ἆρ᾽ ἄθλιον τοὔνειδος, κ.τ.λ.): but excuses himself by the publicity which Oedipus gives to their common calamity in wandering from home. It rests with him to bury the reproach within the palace walls, where his daughter at least will find protection, and his kindred will not have the shame of seeing him an outcast. Cp. O. Τ. 1425, foll. τὴν γοῦν .. φλόγα | αἰδεῖσθ᾽ ἄνακτος Ἡλίου, τοιόνδ᾽ ἄγος | ἀκάλυπτον οὕτω δεικνύναι, κ.τ.λ.: Εl. 624-625, σύ τοι λέγεις νιν, οὐκ ἐγώ. σὺ γὰρ ποιεῖς | τοὔργον· τὰ δ᾽ ἔργα τοὺς λόγους εὑρίσκεται.

757. mvp-comment-417-1 θελήσας Consenting. Cp. Ο. Τ. 649, πιθοῦ θελήσας, κ.τ.λ.

758. mvp-comment-418-1 τήνδε τὴν πόλιν φίλως εἰπών First giving words of friendship to this city: for she deserves them well.' giving

759. mvp-comment-419-1 ἡ δ᾽ οἴκοι Sc. πόλις, cp. supr. 433, τὴν .. αὐτίχ᾽ ἡμέραν. ‘But the city you have left behind, which so long nourished you, has by right a stronger claim to be reverenced by you.'

760. mvp-comment-420-1 δίκῃ Essay on Language § 14. p. 20.

760. mvp-comment-420-2 σέβοιτο For the passive, which occurs here only, see Essay on Language § 31. p. 54.

760. mvp-comment-420-3 πάλαι i. e. in his prosperity, which is now regarded as long past.

761-762. mvp-comment-421-1 κἀπὸ .. ποικίλον Who out of every cause wouldst bring some subtle fabrication of a just plea.Cp. infr. 806-807, ἄνδρα δ᾽ οὐδέν᾽ οἶδ᾽ ἐγὼ | δίκαιον, ὅστις ἐξ ἅπαντος εὖ λέγει. The present participle, as in Phil. 1052, νικᾶν γε μέντοι πανταχοῦ χρήζων ἔφυν, is used to express a quality without reference to time (Essay on Language § 32. p. 55), and is combined with ἄν, so that ἂν φέρων = ὅστις ἂν φέροις.

763. mvp-comment-422-1 ταῦτα is cognate or adverbial accusative. Herm. reads καί με. But for the slight emphasis on the pronoun, see Essay on Language § 41. p. 78 €.

764. mvp-comment-423-1 In a matter, in which I should be most vexed if I were caught. ἐν οἷς = ἐν τούτοις ἐν οἷς. In that particular in which, i. e. in his relation to Thebes and to his sons, in which he was most bent on continuing the present estrangement.

765. mvp-comment-424-1 This is brought in to explain δεύτερον in 763.

765. mvp-comment-424-2 τοῖσιν οἰκείοις κακοῖς When I was absorbed in my own personal sorrows. Ср. О. Т. 1414-1415, τἀμὰ γὰρ κακὰ | οὐδεὶς οἷός τε πλὴν ἐμοῦ φέρειν βροτῶν. Probably not my self-inflicted evils, although this might be supported by comparing El. 215, οἰκείας εἰς ἄτας : Αj. 919. ἀπ᾿ οἰκείας σφαγῆς.

768. mvp-comment-425-1 ἡνίκ᾽ ἤδη μεστὸς ἢ θυμούμενος Cp. Dem. de Falsa Legat. 1175-1174, ἐπειδὴ δὲ μεστὸς ἐγένετο ἀγανακτῶν.

769. mvp-comment-426-1 The line καὶ μάνθανον τὸν θυμὸν ἐκδραμόντα μοι, repeated here from supr. 438. has been rejected by all recent editors. Cp. O. T. 1200. and v. rr.

770. mvp-comment-427-1 τότ᾽ ἐξεώθεις κἀξέβαλλες Then you began to thrust me forth and banish me.

771. mvp-comment-428-1 τὸ συγγενές τοῦτ' The tie of kindred of which you now speak; supr. 738 Cp. Aesch. Prom. 39, τὸ συγ γενές τοι δεινόν.

773. mvp-comment-429-1 καὶ γένος τὸ πᾶν 'And the Aa2 whole people,' i.e not only the authorities of the city (Theseus), but the inhabitants with one consent. Cp. Aj. 861, κλειναί τ' Ἀθῆναι καὶ τὸ σύντροφον γένος. The words in both places are intended to move the Athenian audience.

774. mvp-comment-430-1 You try to tear me away, with cruel speeches couched in flattering terms.

775. mvp-comment-431-1 τίς αὕτη appears not only in B Vat., followed by Triclinius, but also in L². The parallel of Thuc. 3. 12, τίς οὖν αὕτη ἡ φιλία ἢ ἐλευθερία πιστή; the frequent use of ὥσπερ without a definite antecedent in introducing an illustration, the doubtful correlation of τοσαύτη ὥσπερ (cp., however, El. 532, οὐκ ἴσον καμὼν ἐμοὶ λύπης, ὅτ᾽ ἔσπειρ᾽, ὥσπερ ἡ τίκτουσ᾽ ἐγώ), and the fact that the reading τίς αὕτη is not confined to one family of MSS, lead to the conclusion that the reading of LAV³, τοσαύτη, like σημαίνει for σαίνει, supr. 320, is a clerical error. τέρψις, repeated by unconscious tautology from supr. 766, is here active.

776. mvp-comment-432-1 σοί is accented because of the antithesis in 781, καὶ σὺ προσφέρεις ἐμοί. As in the speech beginning at l. 960, esp. in l. 992, Oedipus uses the argumentum ad hominem in the debate with Creon. And yet what kindness is there in befriending men against their will? Suppose, for instance, when you were eager to obtain some boon, one were to refuse and grant you nothing, and not choose to gratify you, but when your soul was already satisfied, were then to make the offer, when the kindness was no longer kind! Would not that be an empty satisfaction for you to obtain? Yet such is the favour you now offer me.

780. mvp-comment-433-1 The stress is on ματαίου. Would not the pleasure so received by you be vain?'

785-786. mvp-comment-434-1 πόλις δέ σοι... χθονός And your city may come off unharmed from her encounter with the land of these men.For ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι, to come out of a contest. cp Ar. Plut. 271-272, μῶν ἀξιοῖς φενακίσας ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλαγῆναι | ἀζήμιος: and for χθών personified, cp. infr. 912, Ant. 187. The natural pause after κακῶν ἄνατος prevents ambiguity in τῶνδε. Others read τῆσδ᾽ ἀπαλλαχθῇ χθονός, with the meaning, may get out of this land, which is less forcible.

787. mvp-comment-435-1 Join (1) ἐκεῖ χώρας. My evil genius ever lurking in the region of that land. The genitive is not strictly partitive. For a similar instance where the genitive and locative adverb are co-extensive, cp. Phil. 899, ἀλλ᾽ ἐνθάδ᾽ ἤδη τοῦδε τοῦ πάθους κυρῶ. Οr (2), χώρας ἀλάστωρ οὑμός, My vengeful spirit ravaging the land. But this twofold relation of ἀλάστωρ makes a harsh expression, and the pause before ἐκεῖ requires that the sense should run on to the word immediately following it. For the general meaning, cp. Aesch. Suppl. 413-415, μήτ᾿ ἐν θεῶν ἕδραισιν ὧδ' ἱδρυμένας | ἐκδόντες ὑμᾶς τὸν πανώλεθρον θεὸν | βαρὺν ξύνοικον θησόμεσθ' ἀλάστορα.

790. mvp-comment-436-1 'They shall inherit their father's land, only by dying there.' The comparison of Aesch. S. c. Τ. 730, ὠμόφρων σίδαρος | χθόνα ναίειν διαπήλας ὁπόσαν καὶ φθιμένοισι | κατέχειν, τῶν μεγάλων πεδίων ἀμοίρους, is just, but the thought is not identical, for ἐνθανεῖν is in apposition to λαχεῖν τοσοῦτον, and not merely epexegetic of τοσοῦτον = ἐν ὅσῳ ἐνθανεῖν. The words therefore do not refer to the six feet of earth, but to the fact that the only part of their inheritance the sons obtain is to die on Theban ground. Cp. Ant. 146-147. 794-795. But you are come hither with a feigned tongue full of sharpness.' For ὑπόβλητον, cp. Αj. 188, ὑποβαλλόμενοι κλέπτουσι μύθους. And for the play of words in στόμα .. στόμωσιν, see Essay on Language § 44. p. 82.

796. mvp-comment-437-1 τὰ πλείονα The article defines the more in contradistinction to the fewer.

797. mvp-comment-438-1 ἀλλ᾽ οἶδα γάρ (as often with ἀλλὰ γάρ) gives the reason for breaking off and saying no more.

797. mvp-comment-438-2 ταῦτα refers not to the whole tenor of the speech but to the γνώμη, ἐν δὲ τῷ λέγειν, κ.τ.λ. But I know that to this warning you will not attendenough then, begone!

798. mvp-comment-439-1 οὐ γὰρ ἂν κακῶς Said scornfully in answer to Creon's expressions of affected pity.

799. mvp-comment-440-1 εἰ τερποίμεθα If I have what I desire. The optative puts the case generally, because of the uncertainty of Oedipus' mode of life.

800-801. mvp-comment-441-1 Do you think that the course of our present talk is disastrous for me in my relation to your affairs? (referring to 787 ff., 795-796). Are not your words much more disastrous to yourself? Schol. ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐν τῷ μὴ πείθεσθαί σε μᾶλλον σὺ δυστυχεῖς ἤπερ ἐγώ. i. e. You accuse me of ignorance of your and your sons' destiny (1.787, 8): but you show much greater ignorance of your own best interests by refusing to come.

802. mvp-comment-442-1 μήτ᾿ ἐμέ.. μήτε τούσδε The emphasis is on τούσδε : μήτ᾿ ἐμέ is taken for granted, and only introduced for the sake of the antithesis It would delight me, if you fail in persuading these men here as you will fail to persuade me.

805. mvp-comment-443-1 λῦμα τῷ γήρα For the dative, see Essay on Language § 13. c, p. 19.

807. mvp-comment-444-1 ἐξ ἅπαντος In every cause. Cp. supr. 761-762.

810. mvp-comment-445-1 οὐ δῆθ᾿ ὅτῳ γε νοῦς ἴσος καὶ σοὶ πάρα (1) My words are certainly not seasonable in the judgment of one who has so little sense as you have; i. e. A wise speech sleeps in a foolish ear. Schol. τοῖς κατὰ σὲ οὐ δοκῶ καίρια λέγειν. For the dative, see Essay on Language § 13. p. 20, e. Or (2), I do not speak seasonably, in speaking to one so devoid of understanding. Cp Cp. Aesch. Prom. 983, σὲ γὰρ προσηύδων οὐκ ἄν, ὄνθ᾽ ὑπηρέτην. For ἴσος καί, cр. О. Т. 1187.

812. mvp-comment-446-1 φύλασσ᾽ ἐφορμῶν ἔνθα χρὴ ναίειν ἐμέ Two explanations of this are possible, (1) Keep watching (lit. blockading) me and prescribing my abode;' the notion of dictation being implied in φύλασσ᾽ ἐφορμῶν: (2) Keep watching me and blockading my destined dwelling place. For (1) cp. El. 16, τί χρὴ δρᾶν ἐν τάχει βουλευτέον; supr. 654, μὴ δίδασχ' ἃ χρή με δρᾶν. But (2) is more pointed, and on the whole more probab'e.

813. mvp-comment-447-1 μαρτύρομαι τούσδ', οὐ σέ Το them I appeal and not to you! And for the terms of your answer to your friends, if I once take you --. The intended threat ('you shall answer at Thebes') is broken off by Oedipus' retorting, But who can take me,' etc. Creon angrily repels the claim of Oedipus to speak for the Attic elders (ἐρῶ πρὸ τῶνδε), whom he calls to witness Oedipus' treatment of him. The latter words refer (1) to the lines in which Oedipus curses his sons (ἔστιν δὲ παισὶν μόνον), which Creon treats as the answer to the message which he had brought from the Καδμείων λέως: cp. infr. 850, φίλους ὑφ᾽ ὧν ἐγὼ | ταχθεὶς τάδ' ἔρδω. The structure closely resembles Hom. Il. 1. 338, τὰ δ᾽ αὐτὼ μάρτυροι ἔστων, | πρός τε θεῶν μακάρων, πρός τε θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων, | καὶ πρὸς τοῦ βασιλῆος ἀπηνέος· εἴποτε δ' αΰτε | χρειὼ ἐμεῖο γένηται ἀεικέα λοιγὸν ἀμῦναι | τοῖς ἄλλοις, where the final threat is in like manner suppressed. In the present passage, however, dé is strictly adversative, distinguishing Creon's personal injury from the supposed offence against Eteocles and the Thebans: unless (2) φίλους refers to Creon himself, as professing friendly intentions and as next of kin. But cp. supr. 788-790.

816. mvp-comment-448-1 κἄνευ τῶνδε Without this, i. e. without my taking you. The ambiguity of τῶνδε would probably not be felt by a Greek, and is not a sufficient reason for altering the reading to τοῦδε, 817. Creon's tone implied that something had been done. Seeing that the chorus as well as Oedipus are impracticable, he breaks into open hostility, and avows the capture of Ismene, who had been seized and carried off before she could return from making her offering.

820. mvp-comment-449-1 οἰμώζειν τάδε (1) ‘Το exclaim at this;' τάδε, the capture of the maidens; or (2), τάδε, cogn. acc., thus to exclaim. Probably the first.

821. mvp-comment-450-1 τήνδε τ᾽ And this one ere long. The correction of γ᾽ to τ᾽ or δ᾽ seems to be necessary.

821. mvp-comment-450-2 οὐ μακροῦ χρόνου Sc. ἕξω.

823. mvp-comment-451-1 τὸν ἀσεβή Cp. 922, συλῶντα τὰ τῶν θεῶν βίᾳ | ἄγοντα φωτῶν ἀθλίων ἱκτήρια. He appeals to the known piety of the chorus.

825. mvp-comment-452-1 οὔθ᾽ ἃ πρόσθεν εἴργασαι In seizing Ismene.

826. mvp-comment-453-1 ὑμῖν, κ.τ.λ. Said to Creon's attendants; supr. 723.

826. mvp-comment-453-2 ἂν εἴη For a similar use of av with the optative, cp. Τr. 728, σιγᾶν ἂν ἁρμόζοι σε τὸν πλείω λόγον, Εl. 1372.

827. mvp-comment-454-1 εἰ.. πορεύσεται For the v. r. cp. πημαίνεις below, in v. rr. on l. 837.

830. mvp-comment-455-1 Creon, as next of kin, is guardian of the children of the outlawed Oedipus. Cp. O. T. 1448, καὶ γὰρ ὀρθῶς τῶν γε σῶν τελεῖς ὕπερ: Aesch. Suppl. 387-389, εἴ τοι κρατοῦσι παῖδες Αἰγύπτου σέθεν | νόμῳ πόλεως, φάσκοντες ἐγγύτατα γένους | εἶναι, τίς ἂν τοῖσδ᾽ ἀντιωθῆναι θέλοι;

832. mvp-comment-456-1 τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἄγω For the plural and masc., see Essay on Language § 20. pp. 30, 31. 835-836. The excitement, indicated by the broken lines, culminates in the dochmiac rhythm, to which the diiambus, ἰὼ πόλις, is introductory. 876-885, following the second attempt of Creon, are antistrophic to 833-843, agreeing very closely (except εἴργου – – in 836 = δοκῶ u - 879) even to the division of the words. This lyrical repetition, with the balanced rhythm of the intervening dialogue (containing one short outburst of Creon, 841-855, and one of Oedipus, 864-870), may be compared with O. T. 649-659, 678-688.

832. mvp-comment-456-2 εἴργου • Keep off!' 837. The Scholiast, who, according to the reading of L, rightly explains πόλει by ταῖς Θήβαις, evidently assigned this speech to Creon.

838. mvp-comment-457-1 Creon, while defying the chorus, refrains at present from taking part in the actual violence, which he leaves to his attendants. It is to one of these that the words of the chorus are addressed.

838. mvp-comment-457-2 οὐκ ἠγόρευον ταῦτ᾽ ἐγώ! Oedipus rather alludes to his prophecy in 605 ff., that war would come between Athens and Thebes, than to his warning in 653, which is already fulfilled. Creon's present threat (πόλει μαχεῖ γάρ) comes near to Oedipus' prediction.

840. mvp-comment-458-1 The chorus and Creon are giving opposite commands to the attendant.

840. mvp-comment-458-2 χαλᾶν Το leave hold.' 841. The change to ἔντοποι (cp. Phil. 211), is necessitated by the dochmiac metre.

842. mvp-comment-459-1 πόλις ἐναίρεται My city suffers violence. The chorus in their indignation, as Theseus afterwards in his scorn (903, ξένῳ .. τῷδε χειρωθεὶς βίᾳ) represent the attempt of Creon as an assault on the liberties of their city.

842. mvp-comment-459-2 σθένει By main force. Cp. infra 1089, σθένει ᾿πινικείῳ τὸν εὔαγρον τελειῶσαι λόχον. The expression here is more nearly equivalent to κατὰ κράτος than to Bíᾳ. Cp. Eur. Bacch. 953, οὐ σθένει νικητέον | γυναῖκας. The adverbial dative following the parenthesis is rather weak. Qy. πόλις ἐμὰ στένει? Cp. Aesch. S. c. T. 247, στένει πόλισμα.

844. mvp-comment-460-1 ὦ ξένοι ξένοι The last appeal of Antigone to the chorus is so worded as to recall her former supplication, ὦ ξένοι αἰδόφρονες, l. 237 .

848. mvp-comment-461-1 ἐκ τούτοιν .. σκήπτροιν With these to lean upon.' ἐκ = by means of, with the help of. Cp. Phil. 91, οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἑνὸς ποδὸς | ἡμᾶς τοσούσδε πρὸς βίαν χειρώσεται.

851. mvp-comment-462-1 καὶ τύραννος ὢν ὅμως Although I am a prince. For τύραννos = one of royal blood, cp. Eur. Med. 957, τῇ τυράννῳ νύμφῃ. Creon is moreover regent of Thebes; O. Τ. 1418.

852. mvp-comment-463-1 τάδε = τὸ παρὸν πρᾶγμα.

856. mvp-comment-464-1 ἐπίσχες αὐτοῦ, ξεῖνε Creon, after launching the above speech at Oedipus, turns to follow Antigone and the attendants who are dragging her off. The chorus interfere to prevent him.

857. mvp-comment-465-1 τῶνδε The maidens, of whom Ismene, though in the background, is not far off.

858-859. mvp-comment-466-1 αὑτόν These lines may be differently explained according as πόλει is taken to refer to Thebes or to Athens. Either reference is possibl possible, but πόλει in Creon's previous speech, supr. 837, is clearly Thebes. ῥύσιον is that which is held by one party, and claimed or seized by another, who is said ῥυσίων ἐφάπτεσθαι (Aesch. Suppl. 412, καὶ μήτε δῆρις ῥυσίων ἐφάψεται, ib. 314, Ἔπαφος ἀληθῶς ῥυσίων ἐπώνυμος). (1) Then assuredly you will quickly pay moreover a heavier forfeit to my state, for I will seize not the maidens only. For this meaning of τίθημι see L. and S. s. v. A. II, 8. Or (2), 'Then assuredly you will cause your city to have a still greater prey to redeem. For πόλει in (2), cp. Eur. Suppl. 120, ἦλθον ἐξαιτῶν πόλιν, (Adrastus speaks of Thebes, which is not his city).

861. mvp-comment-467-1 δεινὸν λέγεις That is indeed a threat! Cp. supra 661, κεἰ δείν᾽ ἐπερρώσθη λέγειν. Know that this shall certainly be done forthwith (νῦν). For the ellipse with ὡς, cp. Αj. 39, ὡς ἔστιν ἀνδρὸς τοῦδε τἄργα ταῦτά σοι. The reduplicated future has not here the force of a future-perfect, but is simply emphatic.

863. mvp-comment-468-1 ή σὺ γάρ How? do you mean to say that you...

864. mvp-comment-469-1 μὴ γάρ γάρ gives the reason of an implied negative, repelling Creon's injunction of silence. Nay, but I will not. For I would not have these goddesses close my lips to this one curse.' 865. ἔτι adds emphasis to τῆσδε τῆς ἀρᾶς: i. e. Though they enjoin silence from cursing, let them not enforce it here.

866. mvp-comment-470-1 ὅς μ' The omission of the antecedent rather adds to the passionate force of the expression. Cp. supra 263, κάμοιγε ποῦ ταῦτ᾽ ἐστίν, οἵτινες, κ.τ.λ., and see Essay on Language § 22. p. 35. and § 39, p. 72.

866-867. mvp-comment-471-1 ψιλὸν ὄμμ' βίᾳ Who hast added to the former loss of my eyes by violently tearing away the poor defenceless means of sight that were still left to me.The ψιλὸν ὄμμα are his daughters, Antigone (τῆς ὑπέρ τ᾿ ἐμοῦ αὐτῆς θ' ὁρώσης, supra 33. 4) and Ismene, who brought him intelligence of things in Thebes. For the expression, cp. Shak., King Lear, 4. 6, Lear. Read. Gloster. What, with the case of eyes?' βίᾳ is to be joined with the phrase ἀποσπάσας.

868. mvp-comment-472-1 σὲ καὐτόν, κ.τλ. Cp. Phil. 620, τὸ σπεύδειν δέ σοι | καὐτῷ παραινῶ κεἴ τινος κήδει πέρι. The change to σε τ' αὐτόν is unnecessary here. The case is different in 1417, where σε τ' αὐτόν is a tmesis for σαυτόν τε.

870. mvp-comment-473-1 οἷον κἀμέ ἐμέ is accusative by attraction το σέ.

874. mvp-comment-474-1 ἄξω βίᾳ Cf. infra 922, βίᾳ ἄγοντα φωτῶν ἀθλίων ἱκτήρια.

875. mvp-comment-475-1 Creon, provoked by the curse of Oedipus, is about to carry out his threat (860), although, since the attendants are gone with the maidens, he has no one to help him. As to the reading, γηρῶν . . βαρύς; either γηρῶν has originated in a gloss on χρόνῳ βραδύς, and βαρύς, as elsewhere, from a misreading of βραδύς, or there was an early various reading, γήρᾳ βαρύς, for which, cp. O. T. 17. On the order of the words, see Essay on Language § 41. p. 78 8.

879. mvp-comment-476-1 τάνδ'. πόλιν Then I will no longer account this a city. The Scholiast, who explains by νομιῶ, seems to have read the future, which is therefore substituted for νέμω. Cp. El. 150, σὲ δ᾽ ἔγωγε νέμω θεόν.

880. mvp-comment-477-1 τοῖς τοι δικαίοις (1) In a just cause. Essay on Language § 11. p. 18. Or perhaps (2) the dat. is instrumental;- With weapons of justice. χώ βραχὺς νικᾷ μέγαν] Even slight men overcome the mighty. 882. Ζεὺς *γ᾿ ἂν εἰδείη, σὺ δ᾽ οὔ] There is a lacuna of an iambic penthemimer, or, if the correction Ζεὺς ταῦτ᾽ ἂν εἰδείη is right, of an iambic metre. The sense required is, ΧΟ. τά γ'᾽ οὐ τελεῖ.

880. mvp-comment-477-2 Ζεύς μοι ξυνίστωρ. ΚΡ. Ζεύς γ᾽ ἂν εἰδείη, σὺ δ' οὔ.

884. mvp-comment-478-1 ἰὼ γᾶς πρόμοι This is the summons to which Theseus, the chief of the land,' responds.

885. mvp-comment-479-1 ἐπεὶ πέραν | περῶσ' *οἵδε δή Elmsley's emendation has been generally adopted, and has the advantage of closely resembling 843, προβάθ᾽ ὧδέ μοι. But the correction is uncertain. (1) Since they are passing all bounds.' Cp. supra 155. Hermann's rule, that πέραν can never be used metaphorically, appears arbitrary, and when they have just left the stage it is too soon to say, (2) They are passing the frontier.' But possibly the words may mean, (3) They are passing out of reach.' Cp. infr. 902, ὡς μὴ παρέλθωσ' αἱ κόραι, and the hyperbolical expression in 842, πόλις ἐναίρεται.

887. mvp-comment-480-1 Theseus, perhaps moved by the strange advent of Oedipus. is sacrificing at the neighbouring altar of Poseidon, the chief guardian deity of Colonus. This act, which is natural in itself, is convenient, as the Scholiast remarks, for assigning a sufficient reason why Theseus, whose presence will be again necessary, should, when off the stage, be still within call. The sacrifice also occasions a gathering of people, who are ready to start in pursuit of Creon and frustrate his attempt. The trochaics are expressive of the haste with which Theseus comes-θάσσον ἢ καθ᾽ ἡδονὴν ποδός (890). They are conventionally associated with the sudden arrival on the stage or departure from it of important persons. Cp. Aesch. Pers. 155 ff.

888. mvp-comment-481-1 ἔσχετε Stayed ye my hand. Cp. 429, οὐκ ἔσχον οὐδ᾽ ἤμυναν.

891. mvp-comment-482-1 Dear friend (I know thy voice addressing us).' Cp. O. T. 1322-1326, ἰώ, φίλος .. οὐ γάρ με λήθεις, ἀλλὰ γιγνώσκω σαφῶς | καίπερ σκοτεινός, τήν γε σὴν αὐδὴν ὅμως. .. 894-895. Has torn away from me the two children that were my all. οἴχεται ἀποσπάσας, cp. supra 866, El. 809, 10, ἀποσπάσας γὰρ τῆς ἐμῆς οἴχει φρενός, κ.τ.λ. The use of μόνην is pathetic. Cp. ψιλὸν ὄμμα, supra 866.