mvp-comment-174-1
321 The short ode which begins here corresponds metrically to 362 ff. The metre is similar to 237 ff. -
ὀρθοψάλακτος, 'loud': cf. 249.
οψαλακτος (see cr. n.) is meaningless, and 362 indicates that one extra syllable is required, so that I follow Hunt in adopting Murray's conjecture, but without much confidence that it is right. Wilamowitz does not explain his
ἀπροψάλακτος, which, though presumably based on
προψαλάσσω (241), is by no means perspicuous. Since
ψαλάσσω was unquestionably used for twanging the lyre (Lycophr. 139
τοίγαρ ψαλάξεις εἰς κενὸν νευρᾶς κτύπον, |
ἄσιτα κἀδώρητα φορμίζων μέλη), this meaning must surely have been the chief element in the compound (perhaps
ἀποψάλακτος after Philostr. vit. soph. 2. 1. 14
ἡ γλῶττα τὴν ἄκραν ᾿Ατθίδα ἀποψάλλει). -
κατοιχ νεῖ τόπου. The genitive resembles
πεδίων ἐπινίσσεται Ο.C. 689. It is descended from the old (partitive) genitive
mvp-comment-174-2
of place which survives in the Homeric
διώκεσθαι πεδίοιο. But in both cases the preposition assists the construction: see Kuehner-Gerth 1 404.
mvp-comment-175-1
322 f. See cr. nn.
πρεπτά in agreement with
φάσματα is supported by
Hesych. III p. 369
πρεπτά· φαντάσματα
,
εἰκόνες, which, as Wilamowitz suggests, may relate to this particular passage. Hunt gives two versions: (1) 'the song plucks local images.' Or (2) with
ἐπανθεμίζει intransitive: 'fantasies flit over the scene,' like a bird or bee from flower to flower. I prefer the latter alternative and take Theon's variant, which is against the metre, to be an acknowledgment of the intransitive use
ἐπανθεμίζει. But I should prefer to render: 'visions revealed by the straining chords are spread around us (
ἔγχωρα, predicative) like a carpet of flowers. Similarly in
Aesch. Cho. 150
, where
ἐπανθίζειν ‘to make to blossom' is transitive, there is the same comparison of sound to flowers. The variegated
ποικιλία of the lyre (319) is expressed as
ἄνθεμα. For the
τόνος of the lyre (
ἑπτάτονος) cf.
Ar. Ey. 532
. Stahl, who thinks that
ἐπανθεμίζει must be transitive, makes
ὀμφά the subject, and reads
ἔγχορδα for
ἔγχωρα.
mvp-comment-176-1
324 ff. On the assumption that the text is sound in the main, the baldness of style and clumsiness of structure are quite unlike Sophocles. Wilamowitz gives up the first line as corrupt, and holds that the sense required is
τὸ πρᾶγμα ὃ μετέρχομαι. Translate rather: 'this is the point to which I am gradually conducting my search (
τὸ πρᾶγμα =
τὸ χρῆμα in 223): whoever be the god who devised this trick, the thief is none other than he, lady, you may be sure.' (1)
οἶπερ seems indispensable here, as in
Eur. Hel. 1670
, since
οὗπερ would be scarcely intelligible. Where the verb is in the perfect tense, as in
Trach. 40
, the case may be different. (2) I understand
οἶπερ as having a personal reference, i.e. to
τὸν δαίμον' in the following clause. See on fr. 191 and cf. Hdt. 9. 1
ὅκου δὲ ἑκάστοτε γένοιτο,
τούτους παρελάμβανε,
Phil. 456
ff., and for the relative clause put first Kuehner-Gerth 11 420 Anm. 2. The extraordinary circumlocutions are due to the chorus being afraid to come to the point (cf. 328 f.). (3)
τὸν δαίμον' is an anticipated accusative, but instead of being resumed as the subject (or object) of a subordinate clause,
ἐκείνου takes its place. So
El. 1366
. For a similar looseness of connexion see on
Eur. Phoen. 101
. (4) Instead of the subordinate clause for which we are looking, there follows what now becomes the main sentence, as if
ἴσθι which precedes were as much parenthetic as
σάφ' ἴσθι which follows (
O.T. 1022
, 1117, fr. 282 n.). (5)
ὅστις ποθ᾽ ὅς is strangely substituted for
ὅστις ποτ᾽ ἦν ὅς, which is itself an unusual amplification of
ὅστις. In
Ο.
Τ. 1349
ὅλοιθ᾽ ὅστις ἦν ὃς κτέ. Hermann cut out
ἦν.
Ο.
Τ. 373
οὐδεὶς ὃς οὐχί κτέ. -
ἄλλος...
ἀντ᾽ ἐκείνου: for the pleonasm see on
Eur. Hel. 574
, Starkie on
Ar. Nub. 653
. For Hermes in the character of a thief cf. Cornut. 16 p. 25, 13 Lang
κλέπτην αὐτὸν παρέδωκαν. The evidence is collected by Gruppe, Gr. Myth. p. 1338, and by Eitrem in Pauly-Wissowa VIII 780. Stahl, reading
οὗ πέρι προνεύω, with
ὡς for ős and
τοῦτ' for
ταῦτ', makes
τὸ πρᾶγμα the anticipated object of
ἐτεχνήσατο, with
ὡς following
ἴσθι.
mvp-comment-177-1
329 See cr. n. Wilamowitz thinks that this and the preceding line are not part of the strophe, but form a tetrameter
mvp-comment-177-2
catalectic closing the preceding acatalectic series. The text is unfortunately defective at 369, where it might have decided the question.-
δυσφορηθῇς implies
δυσφορεῖσθαι, of which there is no trace except as a variant in
Xen. Cyr. 2. 2. 5
. For the passive form of the aorist see on frs. 164, 837.
