Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 436

mvp-comment-1149-1 εὐσκίαστον ¹

mvp-comment-1149-2 πένθος … ἄκλαυτον ²

mvp-comment-1150-1 In τόδ’ ἐμὸν ὄμμα δακρῦον ἀναστένει ³

mvp-comment-1151-1 τὸ σὸν ἄχος ⁴

mvp-comment-1151-2 ἀφανίσαι ⁵

mvp-comment-1151-3 τόσον ⁶

mvp-comment-1152-1 ὤμοι ⁷

mvp-comment-1153-1 Cp. 1735

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

mvp-comment-1154-1 ἔλυσε τὸ τέλος … βίου ⁸

mvp-comment-1155-1 λήγετε ⁹

mvp-comment-1155-2 κακῶν δυσάλωτος ¹⁰

mvp-comment-1156-1 πάλιν … συθῶμεν ¹¹

mvp-comment-1157-1 The MS. text of this verse does not answer metrically to 1739. Bergk and Gleditsch alter both verses (see cr. n.). Hermann, whose remedy is simplest, leaves this v. intact, and in 1739 reads ΧΟ. καὶ πάρος ἀπέφυγε ΑΝ. τί ; See n. there.

mvp-comment-1158-1 τὰν χθόνιον ἑστίαν ¹²

mvp-comment-1159-1 θέμις … τάδ’ ¹³

mvp-comment-1159-2 μῶν οὐχ ὁρᾷς ¹⁴

mvp-comment-1159-3 μῶν οὐ ¹⁵

mvp-comment-1159-4 ἐπέπληξας ¹⁶

mvp-comment-1160-1 καὶ τόδ’ ¹⁷

mvp-comment-1160-2 μάλ’ αὖθις ¹⁸

mvp-comment-1160-3 ἔπιτνε ¹⁹

mvp-comment-1160-4 δίχα τε παντός ²⁰

1707. mvp-comment-912-1 εὐσκίαστον With kindly shadow. Cp. supra 406, and note.

1708. mvp-comment-913-1 Schneidewin compares the wish of Solon, Fr. 21, μηδέ μοι ἄκλαυστος θάνατος μόλοι, κ.τ.λ.

1709. mvp-comment-914-1 *ἀνὰ γάρ Hermann's conj. is adopted as the best hitherto.

1712. mvp-comment-915-1 ἀφανίσαι Το quench.

1713. mvp-comment-916-1 †ιώ· μὴ.. μοι The most probable explanation of these words is Hermann's, who, for the sake of metre, reads τῷ for ἰώ. (Quare) utinam ne in peregrina terra cupivisses mori, sed mortuus esses ita mihi desertus. Quoniam enim sentit tanto minus leniri dolorem suum posse, quod ne tumulus quidem patris sibi relictus sit, optat ut ille ne quaesivisset hanc apud exteros mortem, sed obiisset potius ita desertus ignotusque, ut ante cum ipsa per terras vagus errabat, quo saltem sepelire eum et justa facere in tumulo posset.' This interpretation supposes the use of μή with an historical tense of the indicative to express a strong negative wish, as has been already suggested in the note on supra 540-541. Ср. Aesch. Cho. 363 ff. This uncommon use would be here softened by exppses, suggesting ἐχρῆν σε, ας ἐπωφέλησα in 541 was suggestive of ὤφελες. On the other hand, the words in 1714, especially when compared with 1717, Plat. Phaedo, 58 C, ἀλλ' ἐρῆμος ἐτελεύτα φίλων, may very naturally mean, As it is, thou diedst unattended by me, while the positive expression of a wish by the past tense is more doubtful than the negative. And Mr. Palmer, reading lú μοι, γῆς ἐπὶ ξένας, κ.τ.λ., gives this turn to the sentence: Ah me! thou didst desire to die in a foreign land; yet thou hast thus died deserted by me. So also Schneidewin, omitting μή. But such a resumption of the beginning of the speech is too inartistic and abrupt for Sophocles. It is therefore better to follow Hermann and render, Would that thou hadst not cared to die in a strange land, but hadst died as thou wert, all alone upon my hands.'

1716-1719. mvp-comment-917-1 See v. rr. These three lines, which are defaced by the evident interpolation from 1735 infra (first struck out by Lachmann, cp. supr. 769 v. rr.), have been given by the editors to Ismene. The MSS. often mix the persons in this play.

1719. mvp-comment-918-1 For the metre of this and of 1736 in the epode of a commos, cp. Ant. 880, θέμις ὁρᾶν ταλαίνᾳ.

1720. mvp-comment-919-1 ἔλυσεν τὸ τέλος βίου is a condensed expression for κατέλυσε καὶ ἐτελεύτησε τὸν βίον. Cp. τὸν τελευταῖον βίον | κρύψων, supra 1551.

1727. mvp-comment-920-1 τὰν χθόνιον ἑστίαν The dark home.'

1729. mvp-comment-921-1 μῶν οὐχ ὁρᾷς Sc. ἀθέμιτον εἶναι. There are two reasons. It is forbidden to know the place: and no man saw him die, or buried him (1732).

1730. mvp-comment-922-1 τί τόδ' ἐπέπληξας means this rebuke?' What