Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 1751-1777

mvp-comment-1175-1 νέμεσις γάρ ¹

mvp-comment-1176-1 τίνος … χρείας ²

mvp-comment-1176-2 ἀνύσαι ³

mvp-comment-1176-3 αὐταὶ ⁴

mvp-comment-1177-1 The MS. words

, which I omit, were almost certainly a gloss upon ἀλλ’ οὐ θεμιτόν . If we keep them, then we must add something more, so as to make an anapaestic dimeter (see cr. n.). Campbell defends ἀλλ’ οὐ θεμιτὸν κεῖσε μολεῖν as a paroemiac; but it is not such. In a paroemiac the penultimate syllable is necessarily long (as if here we had ).

mvp-comment-1178-1 ἀπεῖπεν ⁵

mvp-comment-1179-1 μήτ’ ἐπιφωνεῖν … θήκην ⁶

mvp-comment-1179-2 If μηδενὶ were substituted for μηδένα , this would give a much easier sense; but then Theseus must be the subject to both infinitives:—

According to Greek ideas, however, Theseus, at least, ought occasionally to visit the grave with : and in fact the rendering of such honours is implied by the provision that the place of the grave should always be known to one person (1531). I therefore keep μηδένα .

mvp-comment-1179-3 θήκην ἱεράν ⁷

mvp-comment-1180-1 καλῶς ⁸

mvp-comment-1180-2 ἄλυπον ⁹

mvp-comment-1181-1 ταῦτ’ οὖν ¹⁰

mvp-comment-1181-2 δαίμων ¹¹

mvp-comment-1182-1 πάντ’ ἀΐων ¹²

mvp-comment-1182-2 Διὸς Ὅρκος ¹³

mvp-comment-1183-1 κατὰ νοῦν ¹⁴

mvp-comment-1183-2 τάδ’ … ταῦτ’ ¹⁵

mvp-comment-1184-1 τᾶς ὠγυγίους ¹⁶

mvp-comment-1185-1 ἰόντα ¹⁷

mvp-comment-1185-2 ὁμαίμοις ¹⁸

mvp-comment-1185-3 Antigone suggests that she and Ismene may yet be in time to plead with their two brothers, and so to avert the doom of mutual destruction pronounced on them by their father (1373) . Thus the close of this drama is linked by the poet with the beginning of his earlier Antigone , which opens at a moment just after the deaths of the brothers. The sisters are then living at Thebes, where Creon has succeeded to the throne. An additional pathos is lent to Antigone's part there by the suggestion here of a previous intercession. In Aesch. Theb. it is the Chorus (of Theban maidens) that endeavours to dissuade Eteocles from going to meet his brother (677 ff.) : in Eur. Phoen. it is their mother Iocasta who seeks to reconcile them (452 ff.) .

mvp-comment-1186-1 After οὐ in 1776 the MS. γάρ must be struck out, as Hermann saw, so that the anapaests spoken by Theseus may end with a paroemiac. When anapaests spoken by the Chorus close a tragedy, these always form a system separate from the anapaests (if any) which precede them. This was plainly necessary, in order to avoid an unduly abrupt ending. But if we point thus:— πρὸς χάριν· οὐ δεῖ μ’ ἀποκάμνειν , the asyndeton has a crude effect. Hence, placing only a comma after πρὸς χάριν , we should render:— "Not only will I do these things, but in all things which I am likely to do for your advantage (etc.) I must not wax weary. " The sentence begins as if the constr. was to be δράσω καὶ τάδε καὶ πάντα . But the new verb added at the end requires πάντα to be acc. with ἀποκάμνειν . (Cp. on 351

.)

mvp-comment-1186-2 ὁπόσ’ ἂν ¹⁹

mvp-comment-1187-1 πράσσειν ²⁰

mvp-comment-1187-2 πρόσφορά θ’ ὑμῖν, καὶ πρὸς χάριν τῷ κατὰ γῆς ²¹

mvp-comment-1187-3 πρόσφορα ²²

mvp-comment-1187-4 πρὸς χάριν ²³

mvp-comment-1187-5 ἔρρει ²⁴

mvp-comment-1188-1 ἀποκάμνειν ²⁵

mvp-comment-1189-1 ἀλλ’ ²⁶

mvp-comment-1189-2 ἀποπαύετε ²⁷

mvp-comment-1189-3 Though the neut. pl. πλείω alone is sometimes adverbial, there seems to be no instance of ἐπὶ πλείω as= ἐπὶ πλέον : indeed, such a phrase is hardly conceivable. ἐπὶ must therefore belong to ἐγείρετε : for the tmesis cp. on 1689

.

1751. mvp-comment-933-1 The genitive θρήνων is the harder reading, and the absolute use of the imperative is more forcible. Cp. Phil. 1275, παθε, μὴ λέξῃς πέρα.

1751. mvp-comment-933-2 ἐν οἷς γὰρ .. χρή] (1) • For it is wrong to make lamentation amongst those for whom the favour of the dead is laid up in store as a public benefit. That may well provoke their anger.' ἐν οἷς = ἐν τούτοις, οἷς; i. e. the blessing which Oedipus has left for the Athenians is not to be disturbed by violent mourning in their presence. For ξυνά, cp. Pind. Isthm. 8.46, φαντὶ γὰρ ξυν᾿ ἀλέγειν | καὶ γάμον Θέτιος ἄνακτε. Or (2), the meaning may be more general. It is wrong and provocative of Wrath to continue mourning in a case where the favour of the powers beneath rests with the dead. For ξυνά, sc. τῷ θανόντι, cp. Αj. 577, τὰ δ᾽ ἄλλα τεύχη κοίν᾿ ἐμοὶ τεθάψεται. And, for ἐν οἷς, Εl. 141-142, ἀεὶ στενάχουσα διόλλυσαι, | ἐν οἷς ἀνάλυσίς ἐστιν οὐδεμία κακῶν. For the sentiment, cp. supr. 1556 ff., 1663 ff. But the former explanation (1) is more pointed in connection with the approach of Theseus and his train. Cp. supr. 633.

1755. mvp-comment-934-1 τίνος.. χρείας ἀνύσαι The gen, depends on the notion of supplication in προσπίτνομεν, and ἀνύσαι (sc. ὑμᾶς) is epexegetic inf. See Essay on Language § 36. p. 64; ib. p. 66.

1758. mvp-comment-935-1 κεῖσε μολεῖν Dindorf, following Bothe, rejects these words. But the break made by the paroemiac has a good effect, giving room for the pause of astonishment caused by the decisive words of Theseus.

1760. mvp-comment-936-1 ἀπεῖπεν ἐμοί i. e. not merely He forbade me to approach, but In what he said to me he forbade all approach.

1762. mvp-comment-937-1 μήτ᾽ ἐπιφωνεῖν.. ἔχει And that no mortal voice should violate the place of holy rest where he is laid. Cp. ἐπιφημίζω.-But qy. μηδενί?

1764. mvp-comment-938-1 καλῶς is to be joined with πράσσοντα, = performing this. Cp. Τr. 579, δόμοις γὰρ ἦν | κείνου θανόντος ἐγκεκλημένον καλῶς: Εl. 793, κἀπεκύρωσεν καλῶς : ib. 1305, οὐ γὰρ ἂν καλῶς | ὑπηρετοίην τῷ παρόντι δαίμονι: Fr. 736, ἐπεὶ πέπρακται πᾶν τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ καλῶς, | χωρῶμεν ἤδη, κ.τ.λ.

1768. mvp-comment-939-1 For Ὅρκος here, cp. Hes. Op. D. 219.

1769. mvp-comment-940-1 ταῦτ᾽ ἂν ἀπαρκοῖ Cp. О. Т. 1182 and note.

1772. mvp-comment-941-1 τοῖσιν ὁμαίμοις Partly dative of direct reference after ἰόντα (Essay on Language § 12. p. 18), partly of remote reference after διακωλύσωμεν. ' In the hope of averting the bloody death which menaces our brothers: and, In the hope of averting from our brothers the death which threatens them.

1773. mvp-comment-942-1 ὅσα *γ΄ This is nearer to the MSS, and otherwise better than either ὁπόσ᾽ ἄν οἱ ὅσσ᾽ ἄν. 1773, foll. δράσω.. ἀποκάμνειν] Not only will I do this; but in all that I can do that may give help to you or pleasure to him below who is just gone, I ought not to weary. The emendation of Hermann, who omits γάρ before ἀποκάμνειν, rests on the observation that an anapaestic speech immediately before the final words of the chorus naturally ends with a paroemiac. Phil. 1468, Aj. 1416, alib. It may be further remarked that the resumption (Essay on Language p. 64, 6) is more harmonious than the new sentence beginning in the last line, and the full pause after πρὸς χάριν is unrhythmical.