Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 118-250

Richard Jebb (Translator)

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Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles. Richard Jebb (Translator). Cambridge. 1889.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Experimental

Oedipus at Colonus (English) (Sophocles the plays and fragments, Part 2: The Oedipus at Colonus. Jebb, Richard Claverhouse, Sir, translator. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1889. (Modernized by Perseus.))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 149 focus
ἒ ἔ, ἀλαῶν ὀμμάτων
ἆρα καὶ ἦσθα φυτάλμιος, δυσαίων;
150
μακραίων *τις, ἐπεικάσαι.
ἀλλʼ οὐ μὰν ἔν γʼ ἐμοὶ
προσθήσεις τάσδʼ ἀράς. περᾷς γάρ,
περᾷς· ἀλλʼ ἵνα τῷδʼ ἐν ἀ-
155
φθέγκτῳ μὴ *προπέσῃς νάπει
ποιάεντι, κάθυδρος οὗ
κρατὴρ μειλιχίων ποτῶν
ῥεύματι συντρέχει,
160
τῶν, ξένε πάμμορʼ, εὖ φύλαξαι,
μετάσταθʼ, ἀπόβαθι. πολ-
λὰ κέλευθος ἐρατύει·
κλύεις, ὦ πολύμοχθʼ ἀλᾶτα ;
165
λόγον εἴ τινʼ οἴσεις
πρὸς ἐμὰν λέσχαν, ἀβάτων ἀποβάς,
ἵνα πᾶσι νόμος,
φώνει· πρόσθεν δʼ ἀπερύκου.
οὔ τοι μήποτέ σʼ ἐκ τῶνδʼ ἑδράνων,
ὦ γέρον, ἄκοντά τις ἄξει.
β
αὐτοῦ· μηκέτι τοῦδʼ ἀντιπέτρου
βήματος ἔξω πόδα κλίνῃς.
ἐπ.α΄. ὦ ξένοι,
ἀπόπτολις· ἀλλὰ μή,
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 117-253b focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 149 focus
Alas! And are thine eyes
Sightless? O full of misery,
150
As thou look’st full of years!
But not, if I prevail,
Shalt thou bring down this curse.
Thou art trespassing. Yet keep thy foot
155
From stumbling in that verdant, voiceless dell,
Where running water as it fills
The hallowed bowl,
Mingles with draughts of honey. Stranger, hapless one!
160
Avoid that with all care.
Away! Remove!
Distance impedes the sound. Dost hear,
Woe-burdened wanderer? If aught thou carest to bring
165
Before our council, leave forbidden ground,
And there, where all have liberty,
Speak,—but till then, avaunt thee!
Assure thee, from this seat
No man shall drag thee off against thy will.
There! From that bench of rock
Go not again astray.
O strangers, I have none!
But do not—
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 149 focus
Ah; ah! Mit des Aug's blindem Stern
Kamest du wohl in die Welt, und lebst ein banges,
Langes Leben, vermuth' ich recht?
Drum füg', ach! folge mir
Dem Fluch nicht neuen Fluch!
150
Du dringst ein,
Dringst ein; doch in des stillen Hains
Grünumlaubte Gefilde hier
Tritt nicht, wo sich dem Wasserkrug
Strömend lieblichen Honiges
155
Süßer Erguß gesellt:
Hüte dich, schwergeprüfter Fremdling!
Flieh, entweiche von hinnen! Weit
Trennt von mir dich des Pfades Naum:
Hörst du, jammerbeladner Flüchtling?
160
Von geweihter Stätte
Fort hebe dich, willst du mir sagen ein Wort;
Wo Jeder es darf,
Sprich's aus; jezt wehre der Zunge!
Nie soll aus diesen Bezirken, o Greis, 1
Jemand mit Gewalt dich entführen.
Hier steh' und nicht von dem Felsumkreis
Ausschreitend bewege den Fuß mehr!
Heimatlos,
English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 149 focus
Jove the defender ! who is this old man ?
Thou shalt not ; be assured that thou art safe ;
None shall offend or drive thee hence.
Where should I sit?
195
Alas ! my lords,
A poor abandoned exile; but, oh ! do not
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 149 focus
Alas, those sightless eyes denote thy fate
Unhappy, and thy aspect gives me proof
150
That thou art old. Yet charge not on our heads,
For we are innocent, the curse that hangs
O'er thee; for thou hast pass'd the bounds prescribed;
These thou hast pass'd: but set not thy rash foot
On the fresh verdure of that awful grove,
Where the full goblet with the fluent stream
Tempers the honied draught: forbear, restrain
160
Thy steps, ill-fated stranger; thence withdraw.
Wide is the space between us; dost thou hear,
Unhappy wanderer? Wou'dst thou hold discourse
165
With us, from that forbidden place remove
Come to us; converse here is free to all,
Here freely speak; till then refrain thy tongue.
From wrong thou art secure: nor from that seat..
Shalt thou, old man, against thy will be led.
But may I sit?
195
Tell us who gave thee birth, and who thou art
Through many toils thus led; thy country what
I would inquire.
Ostrangers, I have none,
Outcast I have no country. But no more......
What should I say? Thoughts, whither do you lead?

Commentary

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

mvp-comment-102-1 ἐκτόπιος 1

mvp-comment-103-1 ἀκορέστατος 2

mvp-comment-104-1 This verse is corrupt in the MSS., but two things seem clear: (1) there is no reason to suspect προσδέρκου : (2) the singular λεῦσσε must be restored, and placed after προσδέρκου . The antistrophic verse (153) is

ἀλλ’ οὐ μὰν ἔν γ’ ἐμοί
. A long syllable is then wanted to complete the verse προσδέρκου, λεῦσσε . Hermann's νιν has been generally adopted. But λεῦσσε νιν could only mean " see him": not, " look for him": λεύσσειν τινά could not stand for ζητεῖν τινα . The MS. αὐτὸν was prob. a gloss which came in after προσδέρκου and λεῦσσε had been transposed; and the plur. λεύσσετε may have arisen from λεῦσσε δή . In 135 ὅν is governed by γνῶναι , not by λεύσσων : and in Aesch. Eum. 255
ὅρα, ὅρα μάλ’ αὖ, λεῦσσέ τε πάντα
( v.l.
παντᾶ
), the sense is, "scan all the ground." Cp. Ai. 890 ("'tis cruel," the Chorus say, baffled in their quest)
αμενηνὸν ἄνδρα μὴ λεύσσειν ὅπου
.

mvp-comment-105-1 προσπεύθου 3

mvp-comment-106-1 πλανάτας 4

mvp-comment-107-1 προσέβα γὰρ οὐκ ἄν 5

mvp-comment-108-1 ἄλσος ἐς 6

mvp-comment-109-1 ἀμαιμακετᾶν 7

mvp-comment-110-1 καὶ παραμειβόμεσθ’ κ.τ.λ. 8

mvp-comment-110-2 τὸ τᾶς ἐφάμου στόμα φροντίδος ἱέντες 9

mvp-comment-111-1 ἀφώνως 10

mvp-comment-112-1 After ἱέντες we may place either (1) a point,—making τὰ δὲ νῦν begin a new sentence: or (2) merely a comma,— taking

ἃς
(129) as still the object to ἅζονθ’ : (1) is best.

mvp-comment-113-1 οὐδὲν 11

mvp-comment-114-1 ὃν 12

mvp-comment-115-1 μοι 13

mvp-comment-115-2 ναίει 14

mvp-comment-116-1 ἐκεῖνος 15

mvp-comment-116-2 φωνῇ γὰρ ὁρῳ 16

mvp-comment-117-1 ὁρᾶν, κλύειν 17

mvp-comment-118-1 προσίδητ’ ἄνομον 18

mvp-comment-119-1 The hiatus allows Ζεῦ to be short.

mvp-comment-119-2 ἀλεξῆτορ 19

mvp-comment-120-1 οὐ πάνυ μοίρας πρώτης 20

mvp-comment-120-2 πρώτης 21

mvp-comment-120-3 οὐ πάνυ 22

mvp-comment-121-1 ἔφοροι 23

mvp-comment-122-1 δηλῶ δ’ 24

mvp-comment-122-2 ἀλλοτρίοις ὄμμ 25

mvp-comment-123-1 Oedipus is indeed old and worn (110) : but μέγας contrasts the man of mature age with the girl, his defenceless guide (752) . Cp. Od. 2.313 (Telemachus)

ἐγὼ δ’ ἔτι νήπιος ἦα·
νῦν δ’, ὅτε δὴ μέγας εἰμί
( full-grown ).

mvp-comment-123-2 σμικροῖς 26

mvp-comment-123-3 ὥρμουν 27

mvp-comment-124-1 ἐή 28

mvp-comment-124-2 ἀλαῶν ὀμμάτων 29

mvp-comment-125-1 φυτάλμιος 30

mvp-comment-126-1 =120

ὁ πάντων ἀκορέστατος
. In regard to L's reading, μακραίων τέ θ’ 31 ὡς ἐπεικάσαι, note these points: (1) ὡς is wrong, as the metre shows, (2) τ’ is certainly right. We should not read, with Campb., δυσαίων; μακραίων τις, ἐπεικάσαι , because the thought turns on the linking of δυσαίων with μακραίων , the chief stress falling (as oft. in Greek) on the second: thou art old as well as hapless: i.e. thou hast borne thy woes long. (3) ἔθ’ may, I think, be rejected, as too weak. (4) How, then, is the short syllable to be supplied? ( a ) We might read;— μακραίων θ’, ὅσ’ ἐπεικάσαι: cp. Thuc. 6.25
ὅσα...ἤδη δοκεῖν αὐτῷ
,
"so far as he could now judge."
( b ) μακραίων τέ τις , εἰκάσαι: cp. O. T. 82
ἀλλ’, εἰκάσαι μέν, ἡδύς
. I prefer ( a ), since all MSS. have ἐπεικάσαι .

mvp-comment-127-1 (

"Thou hast already suffered;) but verily, within my power ( ἔν γ’ ἐμοί , =if I can help it), thou shalt not add these curses (to thy woes)."

mvp-comment-127-2 μάν 32

mvp-comment-127-3 προσθήσει 33

mvp-comment-128-1 περᾷς 34

mvp-comment-129-1 ἀλλ’ ἵνα … μὴ προπέσῃς 35

mvp-comment-129-2 προπέσῃς ἐν νάπει 36

mvp-comment-129-3 ἀφθέγκτῳ 38

mvp-comment-130-1 οὗ κάθυδρος κρατὴρ συντρέχει ῥεύματι μειλιχίων ποτῶν 39

mvp-comment-130-2 μειλιχίων π. 40

mvp-comment-130-3 συντρέχει 41

mvp-comment-131-1 The τῶν of L and most MSS. cannot be right. To be on one's guard against a thing is always φυλάσσομαί τι , never τινος . In Thuc. 4.11

φυλασσομένους τῶν νεῶν μὴ ξυντρίψωσιν
= acting cautiously on account of the ships (where Classen cp.
χαλεπῶς φέρειν τινός,
1. 77 ): in Aesch. PV 390
τούτου φυλάσσου μήποτ’ ἀχθεσθῇ κέαρ
, join
τούτου κέαρ
. The v.l.
τὸν
points to τό , which in this parenthetic warning=
τοῦτο
(
τὸ προπεσεῖν
) rather than ὅ . τόν (referring to
κρατήρ
) is less good; and τῷ ("wherefore") would be weak.

mvp-comment-132-1 ἐρατυ^/ει 43

mvp-comment-133-1 οἴσεις 44

mvp-comment-133-2 φέρειν λόγον πρὸς ἐμὰν λέσχαν 45

mvp-comment-134-1 ἀβάτων 47

mvp-comment-135-1 ἵνα πᾶσι νόμος 48

mvp-comment-136-1 ἀπερύκου 49

mvp-comment-137-1 ποῖ τις φροντίδος ἔλθῃ 50

mvp-comment-137-2 ἔλθῃ 51

mvp-comment-138-1 ἀστοῖς ἴσα χρὴ μελετᾶν 52

mvp-comment-139-1 Since κἀκούοντας suits both metre and sense, it seems more likely that this was the reading from which, by a scribe's mistake, κοὐκ ἀκούοντας arose, than that

ἀκούοντας
conceals some other participle (such as
κατοκνοῦντας
or
ἀπιθοῦντας
). It is hard to see why Herm. thought the
"negatio contrarii"
to be necessary here,—common though it is (see on O. T. 58
γνωτὰ κοὐκ ἄγνωτα
). After χρὴ μελετᾶν , too, we should expect
μηδέ
, not
καὶ οὐκ
; the latter supposes that
οὐ
and its partic. form one word. κοὐκ ἄκοντας (B and Campbell) would mean,
"and that, too, not unwillingly"
—surely a weak sense. The existence of this as the only v.l. confirms κἀκούοντας .

mvp-comment-140-1 καὶ δή 53

mvp-comment-141-1 μὴ … ἀδικηθῶ 54

mvp-comment-142-1 σοὶ 55

mvp-comment-143-1 τῶνδ’ ἑδράνων 56

mvp-comment-144-1 ἄξει 57

mvp-comment-145-1 L's ἔτ’ οὖν ἔτι προβῶ; metrically answers to

οὕτως
in 194 . The choice seems to lie between ἔτ’ οὖν; and προβῶ; The latter might easily have been added to explain the former: and ἔτ’ οὖν is not too abrupt, since πρόσθιγέ νύν μου (173) has already marked the beginning of his forward movement. ἔτι βαῖνε seems better than ἐπίβαινε in the case of a blind man advancing step by step , and asking at each step whether he has come far enough. This is well expressed by
ἔτ’ οὖν;— ἔτι βαῖνε.— ἔτι;
For
ἔτι—
before
προβ.
, cp. Ant. 612
το— πρίν
 .

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

ὤμοι … ἄτας
. See Metrical Analysis.

mvp-comment-147-1 μάν 58

mvp-comment-147-2 ὧδ’ 59

mvp-comment-147-3 ἀμαυρῷ κώλῳ 60

mvp-comment-148-1 τόλμα … σέβεσθαι 61

mvp-comment-148-2 ξεῖνος ἐπὶ ξένης 62

mvp-comment-149-1 ὦ τλάμων 63

mvp-comment-150-1 τέτροφεν ἄφιλον 64

mvp-comment-151-1 ἄν 65

mvp-comment-151-2 εἴποιμεν … ἀκούσαιμεν 66

mvp-comment-151-3 ἄν 67

mvp-comment-151-4 εὐσεβίας ἐπιβαίνοντες 68

mvp-comment-152-1 καὶ μὴ χρ. πολ. 69

mvp-comment-153-1 αὐτοῦ 70

mvp-comment-153-2 αὐτοπέτρου βήματος 71

mvp-comment-154-1 πόδα κλίνῃς 72

mvp-comment-155-1 ἦ ἑσθῶ; 73

mvp-comment-155-2 λέχριός γ’ … ὀκλάσας 74

mvp-comment-155-3 βραχὺς 75

mvp-comment-155-4 ἄκρου 76

mvp-comment-155-5 λᾶος 77

mvp-comment-156-1 ἐμὸν τόδ’ 78

mvp-comment-157-1 δύσφρονος 79

mvp-comment-158-1 τλάμων 80

mvp-comment-158-2 χαλᾷς 81

mvp-comment-159-1 τίς ὁ πολ. 82

mvp-comment-159-2 τίν’ ἂν … πατρίδ’ 83

mvp-comment-160-1 Oed. replies to their second question by ἀπόπτολις , which is almost an exclamation; — "I have no πατρίς now": he deprecates their first question ( τίς ἄγει; ) altogether. Cp. Aesch. Ag. 1410 (the Argive elders to Clytaemnestra)

ἀπόπολις δ’ ἔσει, | μῖσος ὄβριμον ἀστοῖς
. Soph. has ἀπόπτολις in O. T. 1000 (dialogue) and Tr. 647 (lyr.). Cp. 1357.

mvp-comment-161-1 μή, μή μ’ ἀνέρῃ 85

mvp-comment-162-1 Wunder's correction of the MS. δεινὰ to αἰνὰ is required by the Ionic measure ( uu | - uu ): see Metr. Analysis.

mvp-comment-162-2 φύσις 86

mvp-comment-163-1 γεγώνω 87

mvp-comment-163-2 τίνος εἶ σπέρματος 88

mvp-comment-163-3 πατρόθεν 89

mvp-comment-164-1 τί πάθω … ; 90

mvp-comment-165-1 ἐπ’ ἔσχατα βαίνεις 91

mvp-comment-166-1 Hermann's μέλλετον (for the MS. μέλλετ’ ) is fitting, since Oed. and Ant. have just been speaking together; and is clearly better than μέλλετέ γ’ (Triclinius) or μέλλομεν (suggested by Elms.). The sing. τάχυνε rightly follows, since it is from Oed. alone that a reply is sought.

mvp-comment-166-2 μακρὰ 92

mvp-comment-167-1 Λαΐου ἴστε τιν’ 93

mvp-comment-168-1 The family patronymic was taken from Labdacus (the father of Laïus), though the line was traced directly up to Cadmus, father of Polydorus and grandfather of Labdacus ( O. T. 267 ; Her. 5.59 ).

mvp-comment-169-1 The relat. clause ὅσ’ αὐδῶ is most simply taken as representing an accus., governed by δέος ἴσχετε μηδὲν as= μὴ δειμαίνετε (rather than a genitive depending on δέος ): Tr. 996

οἵαν μ’ ἄρ’ ἔθου λώβαν
: Dem. De Fals. Legat. § 81
ὅ γε δῆμος ὁ τῶν Φωκέων οὕτω κακῶς...διάκειται, ὥστε...τεθνάναι τῷ φόβῳ...τοὺς Φιλίππου ξένους
: Aesch. Theb. 289
μέριμναι ζωπυροῦσι τάρβος 94
τὸν ἀμφιτειχῆ λεών
 : Eur. Ion 572
τοῦτο κἄμ’ ἔχει πόθος
. Cp. below, 583
, 1120
. In such instances the acc. might also, however, be taken as one of "respect."

mvp-comment-170-1 The MSS. give the one word δυσμορος to Oed., as uttered by him between the exclamations of the Chorus. It thus marks his despair at their refusal to hear him. There is dramatic force in the sentence of expulsion (226) being the first articulate utterance of the Chorus after the disclosure which has appalled them.

mvp-comment-171-1 ποῖ καταθήσεις; 95

mvp-comment-172-1 οὐδενὶ μοιριδία τίσις ἔρχεται 96

mvp-comment-172-2 ὧν 97

mvp-comment-172-3 With Wunder's ἃν some construe:— οὐδενὶ τὸ τίνειν ἃ ἂν προπάθῃ ἔρχεται μοιριδία τίσις , "for no one retaliation becomes (= γίγνεται ) a fate-doomed punishment": but could the τίσις itself thus stand for the cause of the τίσις ? The ὧν of the MSS. is confirmed by other passages where, instead of an acc. governed by the infin., we have a gen. depending on another word, and then the infin. added epexegetically: El. 542

ἵμερον τέκνων … ἔσχε δαίσασθαι
: Plat. Crito 52B
οὐδ’ ἐπιθυμία σε ἄλλης πόλεως οὐδ’ ἄλλων νόμων ἔλαβεν εἰδέναι
 : Rep. 443 B
ἀρχόμενοι τῆς πόλεως οἰκίζειν
 .

mvp-comment-173-1 ἀπάτα δ’ 98

mvp-comment-173-2 ἀπάτα ἑτέρα 99

mvp-comment-173-3 παραβαλλ 101

mvp-comment-174-1 ἑδράνων 103

mvp-comment-175-1 χρέος … προσάψῃς 104

mvp-comment-176-1 αἰδόφρονες 105

mvp-comment-176-2 ἀλλ’ 106

mvp-comment-176-3 This whole

μέλος ἀπὸ σκηνῆς
of Antigone (237 — 253) , with the tetrastichon of the Chorus (254 — 257) , was rejected by some of the ancient critics, acc. to the schol. on L:
"for they say it is better that Oed. should forthwith address his justification to them."
But, as the schol. rightly adds, it is natural and graceful that an appeal to pity (
ἐλεεινολογία
),— which the daughter makes,—should precede the father's appeal to reason (
τὸ δικαιολογικόν
). The schol. further remarks that Didymus ( circ. 30 B.C. ) had not obelized any part of the passage. This is important, as making it most improbable that the
ἀθέτησις
rested on the absence of these verses from the older Alexandrian copies. Though the text is doubtful in some points, the internal evidence cannot be said to afford any good ground for suspicion.

mvp-comment-177-1 γεραὸν … ἐμὸν 107

mvp-comment-178-1 ἀκόντων 108

mvp-comment-178-2 ἀΐοντες αὐδάν 109

mvp-comment-178-3 ἔργων 110

mvp-comment-179-1 ἀλλ’ 111

mvp-comment-180-1 Hermann's τοὐμοῦ μόνου (for the MS. τοῦ μόνου ) is metrically right, but μόνου can hardly be sound. It must mean (1) "for my father alone" (and not for my own sake): not (2) "lonely, as he is": nor (3) "for my own father" (Campbell's view, which I do not comprehend). ΤΟΥΜΟΝΟΥ may have come from ΤΟΥΔΑΘΛΙΟΥ (Mekler), but

τὸν ἄθλιον
in 246 is against this (see, however, on 554 ). Perhaps τοῦδ’ ἀμμόρου .

mvp-comment-181-1 οὐκ ἀλαοῖς 112

mvp-comment-181-2 προσορωμένα 113

mvp-comment-182-1 ὥς τις 114

mvp-comment-183-1 ἐν ὔμμι κείμεθα 115

mvp-comment-183-2 κείμεθα 116

mvp-comment-184-1 νεύσατε 117

mvp-comment-184-2 τὰν ἀδόκητον χάριν 118

mvp-comment-185-1 πρός ς’ 119

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

120. mvp-comment-80-1 ἀκορέστατος i. e. not to be satisfied without invading our most sacred place.

121-123. mvp-comment-81-1 Hermann's conjectures are adopted to secure the correspondence of these lines with infr. 153-155, 11. 4-6 of the antistrophe : ἀλλ᾽ οὐ μὰν ἕν γ᾽ ἐμοὶ | προσθήσεις τάσδ' ἀράς· | περᾷς γάρ.

125. mvp-comment-82-1 προσέβα .. οὐκ Essay on Language § 41. p. 78.

126. mvp-comment-83-1 The genitive with ἄλσος forms a single phrase; hence és is not misplaced. Cp. Εl. 14, τοσόνδ᾽ ἐς ἥβης : Il. 1.350, θῖν ἐφ᾽ ἁλὸς πολιῆς : supr. 85. The preposition marks that he not only approached but entered.

127. mvp-comment-84-1 ἀμαιμακετᾶν Schol. ἀκαταμαχήτων ἢ ἀπροσπελάστων. The former seems to be the true Homeric meaning, which however is modified in the Sophoclean use by an association from μαίομαι. Cp. Pind. Pyth. 3. 33, κασιγνήταν μένει | θύοισαν ἀμαιμακέτῳ.

131. mvp-comment-85-1 Cp. infr. 489; Eur. Or. 409-410, ὀνομάσαι δ᾽ οὐ βούλομαι. ΟΡ. σεμναὶ γάρ· εὐπαιδευτὰ δ᾽ ἀποτρέπει λέγειν.

134. mvp-comment-86-1 οὐδὲν ἄζοντα The unusual active voice strengthens the expression. Cp. Essay on Language pp. 51, 98. Oedipus alone of mortals has no fear of the Erinyes. Blaydes conj. οὐκ ἀλέγονθ', retaining εἴ τιν' ἔχεις in l. 166. And the synaphea is certainly more regular if the anapaests have already begun.

138. mvp-comment-87-1 Here am I, the man you seek, for I see by sound, as the saying goes;' i. e. I hear you, though I cannot see. Cp. Ant. 829, ὡς φάτις ἀνδρῶν. Oedipus and Antigone re-enter from behind, and after several movements, with irregular anapaestic accompaniment, he is again seated in the middle of the proscenium, on a raised platform. The absence of the conventional palace-front enables Oedipus to be seen when at the back of the stage.

140-141. mvp-comment-88-1 The chorus are at first too horror-stricken at the very sight of the offender, either to discern his blindness, or to gather the meaning of his words. This appears from their language in 149-150, which is most naturally interpreted as an exclamation on first discovering that he is blind. The present words, as Oedipus perceives, simply express horror at seeing and hearing the impious one (ἄνομον). In l. 143 they pass from horror to curiosity. Only when he directly calls their attention to it, do they realize the fact that he is without sight. Schol. οὔπω ἀκριβῶς ἑωρακότες αὐτὸν τοῦτό φασιν.

142. mvp-comment-89-1 Regard me not as lawless. See not a lawless man in me. For the apparent ellipse of ὡs, see Essay on Language §23. p. 38, and § 39. p. 73.

144. mvp-comment-90-1 Not altogether one of highest fortune, that ye should congratulate him thereon. The genitive is in the first instance attributive, One of high fortune, but is to be resumed with εὐδαιμονίσαι, which governs the genitive, as in Plat. Crit. 43 Β, πολλάκις σε εὐδαιμόνισα τοῦ τρόπου. εὐδαιμονίσαι is 140 145 146. δηλῶ δ'] 148. ὥρμουν LA. ὥρμων C³ and epexegetic infinitive. See Essay on Language § 33. p. 57. Another interpretation deserves notice. Not one to congratulate ( = olov εὐδαιμονίσαι) on his first destiny;' i.e. The destiny which has been his from birth: ἣν οἱ ἐπεκλώσαντο θεοί, ὅτε μιν τέκε μητήρ. But to this may be objected, (1) that the infinitive can hardly stand except as epexegetic; (2) the emphatic position of πρώτης; (3) the gentle irony of the former meaning, which is better adapted to the situation. The same objections apply to the conjecture πρωτῆς, i. q. πεπρωμένης (Vauvillers, Schndw., Nauck.), which is a word only found in grammarians, and gives a poor sense.

145. mvp-comment-91-1 ἔφοροι χώρας Guardians of this land. Oedipus infers their office from the words of the Ξένος, l. 78 , and of his daughter, l. 112 , σῆς ἕδρας ἐπίσκοποι. Cp. Aesch. Pers. 25, στρατιᾶς πολλῆς ἔφοροι.

146. mvp-comment-92-1 δηλῶ δ' And the manner of my coming proves this. Cp. δείκνυμι δ', 1145: Ant. 471, δηλοῖ τὸ γέννημ᾽ ὠμὸν ἐξ ὠμοῦ πατρός: Αj. 355, δηλοῖ δὲ τοὔργον, ὡς ἀφροντίστως ἔχει.

146. mvp-comment-92-2 ὧδε Thus. Ant. 990, αὕτη κέλευθος.

148. mvp-comment-93-1 κἀπὶ σμικροῖς μέγας ὥρμουν Nor, being a prince, as I am, should I have taken up my rest here to crave a small boon. Schol. καὶ ἐπὶ εὐτελέσιν αἰτήμασιν οὐκ ἂν σφόδρα ἱκέτευον, εἰ μὴ ἤμην δυστυχής. Cp. supr. 5. It may be objected to this rendering that it is dramatically inappropriate to make Oedipus assume as manifest (δηλῶ δ', l. 146 ) what the chorus could not know. But it may be rejoined that he is meditating on his own condition and speaking oracularly, as in supr. 45. The other interpretation (also given in the Scholia), or being tall, have leaned on one so slight, is less natural, and (unless σμικpās is read) attributes a doubtful use both to the dative and to the plural.

149-169. mvp-comment-94-1 And wast thou then blind? O wretched life, and protracted, too, if I am not mistaken. Howbeit, if I can prevent, thou shalt not bring this curse. For, I tell thee, thou art transgressing. But oh! lest you break the sacred peace of yonder grassy dell, where the watered hollow gathers softly-flowing streams, of this take heed, all hapless stranger; avoid, remove. The distance hinders. Dost hear, O weary wanderer? If you have any matter for conference with me, come off forbidden ground, and speak, where all may. But, till then, avaunt thee!'

149-150. mvp-comment-95-1 ἀλαῶν ὀμμάτων ἆρα καὶ ἦσθα φυτάλμιος Alas, and art thou then blind! The interrogative has the force of an exclamation. For the emphatic order of the words, see Essay on Language § 31. p. 78, γ. ἀλαῶν ὀμμάτων φυτάλμιος is a poetical phrase (cp. τὸ φατιζόμενον, l. 139 ) for ἀλαὰ ὄμματα φύσας, i. e. ἔχων. Cp. Aj. 1077, κἂν σῶμα γεννήσῃ μέγα. The past tense has a pathetic or reflective force, Essay on Language § 32. p. 55. The chorus are not enquiring the cause of Oedipus' blindness, but are expressing their horror, slightly modified by pity, at the fact, which they have just discovered.

151-152. mvp-comment-96-1 μακραίων *τις, ἐπεικάσαι For the asyndeton, cp. 161 foll. Others read μακραίων τ᾽ ἔτ᾽, ἐπεικάσαι, in which ἔτι is prosaic, or μακραίων θ᾽, ὅσ᾽ ἐπεικάσαι, for which Linw. cp. Ar. Pax 857, οι μακραίων γ᾽, ὅσ᾽ ἔπ᾽ εἰκάσαι (!).

153. mvp-comment-97-1 ἔν γ᾿ ἐμοί As far as lies in me; i. e. If I can prevent.

153-154. mvp-comment-98-1 οὐ .. ἀράς (1) Be thou blind or old, thou shalt not thus bring down the curse: viz. by violating the precinct.

153-154. mvp-comment-98-2 προσθήσεις, Sc. τῷ ἡμετέρῳ δήμῳ. For this use of προστίθημι, cp. Ο. Τ. 820, ἢ ἐγὼ ἐπ᾿ ἐμαυτῷ τάσδ᾽ ἀρὰς ὁ προστιθείς. The chorus, after yielding for a moment to compassion, return to their main object, the vindication of the sacred ground. Otherwise, the mood of the chorus being supposed to change from horror to pity, (2) Thou shalt not thus bring a curse upon thyself; or (3) Thou shalt not add this curse to thy calamity.

154. mvp-comment-99-1 περᾷς (I) You are transgressing. Not (2) 'You shall come forth: although such a use of the present for a certain future is permissible.

155. mvp-comment-100-1 ἀλλά, while opposing the command to the offence, also contrasts the danger of still further trespass with the trespass already committed. The construction ἐν νάπει πίπτειν is Epic: cp. Αj. 633, ἐν στέρνοισι πεσοῦνται, κ.τ.λ., ib. 375. For τῷδε, used in pointing to an object not close at hand, cp. El. 4, 7, 10.

155. mvp-comment-100-2 ἵνα, κ.τ.λ. depends (1) on the general precept of avoidance (sc. εὐλαβοῦ), which is more definitely expressed, as the sentence proceeds, in τῶν .. φύλαξαι, κ.τ.λ. Or (2) an ellipse of λέγω may be supposed.

155. mvp-comment-100-3 ἀφθέγκτῳ Of unbroken silence,' supr. 131.

156. mvp-comment-101-1 The reading προπέσῃς, although conjectural, seems to be required by the metre, and πρό and πρός are often confused. Either compound gives a good sense-προσπέσῃς implying violence, and προπέσῃς, heedlessness.

157-160. mvp-comment-102-1 κάθυδρος οὗ κρατήρ μειλιχίων ποτῶν ῥεύματι συντρέχει] (1) Where the stream of sweet waters flows together in the pure basin : ῥεύματι, dat. of manner. The basin is said to run together in a stream by a metonymy or inversion. κάθυδρος implies that it received no wine. Supr. 100, ἀοίνοις. (2) The Scholiast understood μειλιχίων ποτῶν to refer to the honey that was mingled with the libation to the Eumenides (infr. 481); i.e. The libation of pure water mingles with the flowing hydromel. ῥεύματι dat. after συν in comp., and the bowl, as infr. 479, for the contents of the bowl. Meineke reads χεύματι. (3) Taking the words as in (1), the epithet μειλιχίων may, however, contain an allusion to this sweetening of the waters, and also an association from μειλίσσομαι, to propitiate. Schol. οἷς μειλίσσουσι τὰς θεάς. Ιn (1) the κρατήρ is the basin in which water was gathered for libations: in (2) it is the vessel from which the libations were poured.

161. mvp-comment-103-1 τῶν Neuter, referring to the whole of the previous description. The genitive is governed by the notion of avoidance in φύλαξαι (= ὑπεκτρέπεσθαι), assisted by μετάσταθι, ἀπόβαθι. For πάμμορε, Schndw. suggested the Homeric κάμμορε.

166. mvp-comment-104-1 λόγον εἴ τιν' οἴσεις This reading is adopted on the ground of metre, and as suiting well with the context. If you will bring any word to be considered by us assembled. For λέσχη, which in the mouth of the chorus here has an ancient and formal air, cp. Ant. 161, τήνδε γερόντων.. λέσχην. For ἔχεις in the MS. reading, cp. Pind. Ol. 8. 4.

168. mvp-comment-105-1 ἵνα πᾶσι νόμος Sc. ἐστὶ φωνεῖν. Where custom permits all to speak. Cp. the common ellipse of the inf. after ἢ θέμις, εἰ θέμις.

170. mvp-comment-106-1 'Daughter, what is one to think?' i. e. What counsel are we to take? The optative may be defended (Essay on Language §36. p. 62, cp. esp. Antipho, p. 112, πρὸς τίνας οὖν ἔλθοι τις βοηθούς;) but the subjunctive is better. For what follows, cp. Aesch. Suppl. sub init. μέμνησο δ' εἶκειν· χρεῖος εἶ ξένη φυγάς. Bias, fragm. viii. (in Bergk's Poetae Melici), Ἀστοῖσιν ἄρεσκε πᾶσιν, ἐν πόλει αἴ κε μένῃς.

172. mvp-comment-107-1 κοὐκ ἄκοντας Yielding what is meet, and not waiting for compulsion. Par. B, etc. here preserve the better reading. Cp Lys. Epitaph. § 14, μηδὲν ποιεῖν ἄκοντας: Εl. 1463. μηδὲ πρὸς βίαν φύσῃ φρένας : Eur. Hec. 225, Pind. Pyth. 4. 288, καλὰ γινώσκοντ᾽ ἀνάγκῃ. The words of Oedipus in 174, μὴ δῆτ᾽ ἀδικηθῶ, Let me not be roughly used are prompted by the fear which Antigone here suggests, and the chorus, in re-assuring him, use the same expression, οὔ τοι .. ἄκοντά τις ἄξει. Cp. infr. 827. Others suggest various modifications of the Laurentian reading. But κἀκούοντας is a feeble repetition of εἴκοντας, and κού κατοκνοῦντας involves too great a change. ἀκούοντας comes of the dittographia AKOONTAC for AKONTAC.

175. mvp-comment-108-1 σοὶ πιστεύσας καὶ μεταναστάς Herm. rejected καί, so as to obtain metrical correspondence with the paroemiac in 191. But this rests on the supposition that the anapaestic systems must exactly correspond, in which case four and a half lines are lost before 188. See note on p. 294. Ll. 176-177, 192-193, have been described by some edd. as choriambic. If so, they would be sung by the whole chorus: if anapaestic, they are recited by the coryphaeus.

178. mvp-comment-109-1 ἔτ᾿ οὖν ; [ἔτι προβῶ] Persuaded at last to move, Oedipus takes his daughter's hand, but before advancing asks for more assurance. The chorus point to a spot where he may rest secure. He then moves forward a few steps, and asks, Is that enough, or must he go further? This line exceeds by four syllables the corresponding line, infr. 194. The words ἔτι προβῶ, which Elmsley rejected, have more the appearance of a gloss than ἔτ᾽ οὖν.

178. mvp-comment-109-2 ἐπίβαινε *πόρσω] Come further on. ἐπιβαίνειν here is to move over a certain space.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

195. mvp-comment-118-1 The form ἑσθῶ is questionable in Attic, according to Thom. Mag. p. 483, and Phryn. p. 269. But the word ἐκαθέσθην, which was afterwards in common use, may be supposed to have had a source in the earlier language. And the alternative reading στῶ is less in accordance with what precedes and follows. For this question, as implied in οὕτως; has been already answered, and the rejoinder, λέχριός γ'. ὀκλάσας. is more natural, when supposed to give assent to a request to be allowed to sit. Shall I be seated? Yes, bending low adown upon the surface of the stone. λέχριος, not 'sideways, but simply opposed to ὀρθός, and probably connected by Sophocles with λέχος, i. e. halfrecumbent, bending; cp. Eur. Med. 1168, where it is used of a person ready to fall backwards. λέχριος conveys the general notion of a position other than upright.

196. mvp-comment-119-1 ὀκλάσας (der. from κλάω) gives the more particular notion of bending the limbs together, as one does who is on a low seat. Cp. Il. 13. 281, ἀλλὰ μετοκλάζει καὶ ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοτέρους πόδας ίζει :-of the coward in an ambush, who keeps shifting from one constrained position to another. The MSS. give 0 λάου, for which form, instead of dãos, the Schol. quotes the authority of Herodian.

197. mvp-comment-120-1 ἐν *ἡσυχαίᾳ If the metre is to correspond to l. 182, we must read thus for ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ. The words are commonly taken to mean, (1) Adjust thy step to my quiet tread,-Leaning forward thine aged body on my loving hand. i. e. Antigone presses her foot against her father's to steady him while he sits down, and, lest he should fall forward, supports him with her hand. But βάσει (which the Schol. interprets τῇ καθέδρᾳ) may be understood to mean the stone support for the foot attached to the seat. (2) Fit thy foot into its quiet resting-place. Cp. βήματος in 193.

197. mvp-comment-120-2 ἡσυχαίᾳ has then associations from 176-177, as well as from the general silence and peacefulness surrounding the grove. The repetition of the same word in a different sense would be less felt than if we said in English, Step on that step.' P

198. mvp-comment-121-1 ἅρμοσαι The MS. reading ἁρμόσαι is inconsistent with the following clause. There is now a pause. The chorus are relieved from their horror, but only to be more horror-stricken.

198. mvp-comment-121-2 στεί

202. mvp-comment-122-1 δύσφρονος Cruel. ἄτη personified. Ant. 185, τὴν ἄτην χουσαν. ..

203. mvp-comment-123-1 ὅτε νῦν χαλᾷς (1) ‘Now that X 2 there is an end of this trouble about you,' or (2) Now that there is an end of your troubles' For (1) cp. supr. 169. For the absolute use of xaλᾷs, see Essay on Language p. 88. Cp. Eur. Ion 637, εἴκειν ὁδοῦ χαλῶντα τοῖς κακίοσιν : Ar.

203. mvp-comment-123-2 Αν. 383, οἵδε τῆς ὀργῆς χαλἂν εἴξασιν.

204. mvp-comment-124-1 τίς ἔφυς βροτῶν τίς ἔφυς, like οἴσεις, supr. 166, is reading supplied by an early hand on the margin of L. For is sup supplementary predicate, cp. Ο. Τ. 151, τίς ἔẞas; And for ἔφus = εἶ φύσει, cp. Ο. Τ. 1015, παίς γ᾽ εἰ τῶνδε γεννητῶν ἔφυν. The reading of B, etc. is against metre. The same hand gives τίς ὁ πολύπονος ἄγει; which, (1) like τίς ἔφυς, is unlikely to have been invented, and is more forcible than τίς ὢν πολύπονος ἄγει; which is read in all MSS, and acknowledged by the Scholiast, but does not correspond to 186, τέτροφεν ἄφιλον ἀποστύγειν. (2) One interpretation of the Scholiast, τίς ὢν ἄγῃ ἀπὸ σῆς πόλεως; points to an ancient variation of reading, such as τίς ὢν ἄπολις ἄγει; which Blaydes suggests.

204. mvp-comment-124-2 ἀπόπτολις may have crept in from below. For τίς ὤν, cp. Aesch. Prom. 611, τίς ὤν, τίς ἄρα μ᾽ ὧδ᾽ ἐτήτυμα προσθροεῖς;

211. mvp-comment-125-1 Nor search me out, inquiring farther. Cp. Od. 19. 116, μηδ' ἐμὸν ἐξερέεινε γένος καὶ πατρίδα γαίαν, | μή μοι μᾶλλον θυμὸν ἐνιπλήσῃς ὀδυνάων.

212. mvp-comment-126-1 τί τόδε; δεινὰ φύσις, αὔδα τί is extra metrum: cp. 1. 215. Elmsley conjectures τί δέ; κ.τ.λ.: cp. 1469. Herm. τί τοδ᾽; ΟΙ. αἰνά, κ.τ.λ. The former is the more probable of the two emendations. On φύσις in the sense of birth, see Essay on Language p. 91.

216. mvp-comment-127-1 ὤμοι ἐγώ, τί πάθω Il. 11.404, Od. 5. 465. Essay on Language § 45. p. 85.

217. mvp-comment-128-1 ἐπ᾿ ἔσχατα βαίνεις Your foot is on the verge, i. e. You are driven as it were to the edge of a precipice.

219. mvp-comment-129-1 Hermann's correction of this line is adopted without denying that some other (e. g. μέλλεις, Blaydes) may possibly be right.

220. mvp-comment-130-1 By simply rejecting lov from the Laurentian reading (i. e. λ. ἴ. τ. ἀ. -ὦ ὤ.), we might obtain a dactylic tetrameter, as in 224, 226, with a resolution of the 3rd arsis, for which, cp. Eur. Or. 1485, ἥσσονες ῾Ἑλλάδος ἐγενόμεθ᾽ αἰχμᾶς. But the regular alternation of the paroemiac with-0-0-0-gives a more probable rhythm. And ἀπόγονον may be a gloss on Λαΐου. If the several choreutae are supposed to speak in turn the line may have run: ΟΙ. Λαΐου ἴστε τιν'; ΧΟ. α΄. ὦ· ΧΟ. β'. ἰού, ἰού. And so Herm. read in 1839. For the sense, ср. О. Т. 1383, τὸν ἐκ θεῶν | φανέντ᾿ ἄναγνον καὶ γένους τοῦ Λαΐου : where the fatal birth from Laius makes the climax of horror.

224. mvp-comment-131-1 δύσμορος Alas. Oedipus, having been assured of peace, once more finds himself an outcast.

227. mvp-comment-132-1 ἃ δ᾽ ὑπέσχεο 176-177, But where will you make good your promise? i.e. But what becomes of your promise? Cp. Plat. Symp. 183 E.

229. mvp-comment-133-1 To no man cometh punishment from the fates for a matter in which he has been the first to suffer, that he κ.τ.λ. should be punished for this:' 1. ε. τίσις (τούτων), ὧν (genitive of relation) προπάθῃ, τὸ τίνειν, sc. τούτων τίσιν. Cp. infr. 271, ὅστις παθὼν μὲν ἀντέδρων, For the construction of ὧν, cp. Ant. 1194-1195, τί γάρ σε μαλθάσσοιμ᾽ ἄν, ὧν ἐσύστερον ψεῦσται φανούμεθ᾽; “For why should I soothe thee with a tale, in regard to which we shall presently be found false speakers?' See Essay on Language § 9. p. 13 This is better than (2) to make τίνειν = τίνεσθαι, ('nemo punitur ob injuriam prius acceptam, si eam rependit,' Herm., διὰ τὸ τιμωρεῖν ὑπὲρ ὧν προπάθῃ. . λείπει ἡ διά, Schol.): or (3) to make τὸ τίνειν the object of προπάθῃ; retribution for an act, of which he has already suffered the retribution: or (4) taking the genitive as after προ in comp. to render, that he should suffer for an act previously to which he has been wronged.' The chorus feel the gravity of their position in breaking a promise made in presence of the Erinyes, but plead that it was made under a false impression. Cp. Aesch. Fr. 294, ἀπάτης δικαίας οὐκ ἀποστατεῖ θεός. The form μοιράδιος, see v. rr., is questionable.

230. mvp-comment-134-1 For the collocation of words, cp. Phil. 138, τέχνα γὰρ τέχνας ἑτέρας προὔχει: Eur. Bacch. 905, ἕτερα δ᾽ ἔτερος ἕτερον ὄλβῳ καὶ δυνάμει παρῆλθεν. But deception, matching deception, makes return, not of good, but of evil.

233. mvp-comment-135-1 τῶνδ᾽ ἑδράνων The exact words of the promise (supr. 176) are repeated in retracting the promise.

234. mvp-comment-136-1 ἄφορμος ἐμᾶς χθονός The explanation of the Scholiast, ἄφορμος, ἀφορμηθείς, has been commonly accepted; but the derivation from ὅρμος gives more point, and is supported by the language of Oedipus, supr. 148. (1) Leaving my land;' (2) Driven from the harbour of my land. 235. Lest you bring some further burden on my state. χρέος, lit, debt. obligation, here, by a litotes, the obligation of removing pollution.

237-253. mvp-comment-137-1 O religious-minded strangers, yet, seeing ye could not bear with this my aged sire. because the sound of deeds which he did unwittingly was in your ears, yet, sirs, have pity, we entreat you, on me, the hapless one, who pray you for my own father, pray, looking in thine eyes with no blank gaze (like a daughter who had sprung from your own blood), that the unfortunate may find mercy. We are in your hands, and you are in the place of God to us in our misery. Come then, vouchsafe the unhoped for boon. By what thou lovest, of thy very own, pray thee, child, help-mate, duty, sacred name. For look as closely as you will, you shall not find the mortal who can resist the leading of a God.

237-253. mvp-comment-137-2 The pleading glyconic rhythms of l. 207 ff., which were broken off by the discovery of Oedipus, are here renewed, and as they proceed are mingled with a rapid dactylic strain, which meets the impetuosity of the chorus in l. 229 ff. with corresponding earnestness. This combined movement has given rise to some doubt, and, in order to keep the dactylic verse continuous, some would read in 247, ἐν ὑμῖν ὡς θεῷ, or ἐν ὕμμι γὰρ ὡς θεῷ, and in 252, with Triclinius, οὐ γὰρ ἴδοις ἂν ἀθρῶν βροτόν. But the syncopated thesis and change of rhythm in both places, as in ll. 7, 14, may give the effect of lingering earnestness (τὸ λιπαρές) combined with the eagerness of her supplication. On the other hand the slight alteration of the last two lines, approved by Hermann, appears probable on comparing ll. 235-236. The MS. reading of 253 may be scanned Cp. infr. 1676, 1703. In comparing this passage with El. 236-250 on the one hand, and on the other with Phil. 1170-1217, Eur. Or. 1452-1503, we seem to trace the increasing use of monostrophic μέλη ἀπὸ σκηνῆς. From the Aj., Ant., O. T., Trach. this phenomenon is absent, except in such short epodes as Ant. 876-881, ἄκλαυτος, ἄφιλος .. οὐδεὶς φίλων στενάζει. In the scheme of metres on pp. 301-302, it has been thought better not to divide the strophes into parts. Their structure will be sufficiently evident to the student, although a sharp division between the main portion of each, and the prelude or conclusion, can hardly be maintained.

237. mvp-comment-138-1 αἰδόφρονες This is not merely a propitiatory epithet = as you are merciful, have mercy, but is addressed to the religious spirit which the chorus have shown. As you are full of reverence for the Gods, have respect to the suppliant.' Antigone appeals from the religion of custom to the religion of the heart, and the way is thus prepared for the rebuke of Oedipus in 277-278.

237. mvp-comment-138-2 ἀλλά opposes this last prayer to the expressed determination of the chorus. The second ἀλλά resumes this with a slightly different force, contrasting her own supplication with that of her father, which they had rejected.

238. mvp-comment-139-1 γεραιὸν [ἄλαον πατέρα τόνδ' ἐμόν] Supposing the second a of ἄλαον short, as in 149, 244, this line is an iambic pentapody.

240. mvp-comment-140-1 ἀκόντων = ἀκουσίων, cp. 977, πῶς *δἂν τὸ γ' ἶκον πρᾶγμ᾽ ἂν εἰκότως ψέγοις. Essay on Language $ 50. 3. P. 94. For the metaphorical use of αὐδά, see Essay on Language p. 97.

243. mvp-comment-141-1 The reading of B Vat. etc. gives a glyconic verse similar to 239, if the first ἄντομαι is transferred to the next line- πατρὸς ὑπὲρ τοὐμοῦ ἄντομαι ἄντομαι -. But this is hardly the most natural or rhythmical division. μόνου, if genuine, simply adds emphasis to τοὐμοῦ πατρός. For my own father. μόνοs is one of the favourite words of Sophocles. Essay on Language p. 96.

245. mvp-comment-142-1 ὥς τις, κ.τ.λ. i. e. Looking up to you with the frank reliance of a daughter. ὡς ἂν τῆς κοινῆς ἀνθρωπότητος ἔχουσα τὸ συγγενές. Schol.

246. mvp-comment-143-1 τὸν ἄθλιον αἰδοῦς κῦρσαι These words are joined as an epexegesis or resumption with πατρὸς ὑπὲρ τοὐμοῦ ἄντομαι.

248. mvp-comment-144-1 Cp. Od. το. 69, ἀλλ᾽ ἀκέσασθε, φίλοι, δύναμις γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν: 13. 230-231, σοὶ γὰρ ἔγωγε | εύχομαι ὥς τε θεῷ. For the metre, cp. II. 242, 249, 252.

249. mvp-comment-145-1 νεύσατε is a poetical word, usually applied to the Gods.

249. mvp-comment-145-2 τὰν ἀδόκητον χάριν Unlooked for and therefore more prized. Cp. infr. 1104-1105, τὸ μηδαμὰ | ἐλπισθὲν ἥξειν σῶμα βαστάσαι δότε. 57

250. mvp-comment-146-1 πρός σ᾽ ὅ τι σοι φίλον Cp. Phil. 469, πρός τ' εἴ τι σοι κατ' οἶκόν ἐστι προσφιλές.

250. mvp-comment-146-2 ἐκ σέθεν] Coming from thyself. These words apply properly only to τέκνον, but are to be connected by a sort of zeugma in a more general sense with *λέχος, χρέος, θεός, just as τὰ ἔκ Tivos may mean all that is closely connected with him. Elmsley's conjecture οἴκοθεν deserves notice.