Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 402

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

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

mvp-comment-1011-2 ἐρείπεται ¹

mvp-comment-1011-3 κτύπος … διόβολος ²

mvp-comment-1011-4 ἄκραν ³

mvp-comment-1012-1 ἔπτηξα ⁴

mvp-comment-1012-2 θυμόν ⁵

mvp-comment-1012-3 οὐρανία ⁶

mvp-comment-1013-1 τί … ἀφήσει τέλος ⁷

mvp-comment-1013-2 μὰν ⁸

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

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

mvp-comment-1015-1 ἀφορμᾷ ⁹

mvp-comment-1015-2 ξυμφορᾶς ¹⁰

mvp-comment-1016-1 ὦ μέγας αἰθήρ ¹¹

1462. mvp-comment-777-1 ἴδε μάλα Lo! now again. μάλα emphasizing the repetition, as in μάλ᾽ αὖθις, cp. Aesch. Cho. 870, ἔα, ἔα μάλα: S. c. Τ. 915, δόμων μάλ᾽ ἀχὰν ἐς οὖς προπέμπει δαΐκτωρ γόος: Pers. 1045, οἱ μάλα καὶ τόδ᾽ ἀλγῶ: Hdt. 1. 181, καὶ ἕτερος μάλα ἐπὶ τούτου.

1462. mvp-comment-777-2 μέγας . . διόβολος There comes mightily crashing down the unutterable roar of the Zeus-hurled bolt. As in πτερωτὸς βροντή supra, the thunder has the attributes of the lightning.

1462. mvp-comment-777-3 ἄφατος, of an overwhelming sensation, as in O. T. 1314, νέφος.. ἐπιπλόμενον ἄφατον.

1464. mvp-comment-778-1 ἐς.. φόβαν (1) And fear hath crept even to the very hair of my head. ἄκραν, adverbial. Or (2) to the very tips of my hair; with a suggestion of the hair standing on end.

1466. mvp-comment-779-1 ἔπτηξα θυμόν 'I am cowed at heart. On the aorist used when the speaker reflects on his own state, see Essay on Language § 32. p. 55, and cp. esp. Αj. 693. ἔφριξ᾽ ἔρωτι. The MS. reading οὐρανία, which is metrically indefensible, can be best accounted for as a mistaken gloss on οὐρανοῦ, which, however, is not really a descriptive genitive (like ἄστρων .. εὐφρόνη in El. 19), but = from heaven, from the region of the sky. Meineke conj. οὐρανόν, i. e. Lights up the heaven.

1467. mvp-comment-780-1 μάν gives to the question a wondering expression.

1469. mvp-comment-781-1 τί.. τέλος 'What event will it bring forth?" Cp. φωνήν, ἀράς, χροιὰς ἀφιέναι.

1469. mvp-comment-781-2 δέδια τόδ' The reading of l. 1454 being uncertain, it is better not to alter this the corresponding line, for the sake of the metre only, seeing that IC is not an impossible rhythm. Hence it is better to retain τόδ', which has a good meaning (τὸ τῆς βροντῆς χρήμα) and also gives a reason for the neuter gender of ἅλιον.

1469-1470. mvp-comment-782-1 οὐ γὰρ.. ξυμφορᾶς For it never goes forth resultless, never without grave issues. For the repetition of οὐκ, see Essay on Language § 29. p. 48. Heath conj. οὐδ᾽.

1471. mvp-comment-783-1 ὦ μέγας αἰθήρ Tremendous power of the sky. Cp. Aj. 173, ὦ μεγάλα φάτις, in a similar expression of awe and dread.