128-192.
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128-192. Parodos. It is com- matic, that is, divided between actor and chorus. The chorus enter in a winged car
(ὄχῳ
πτερωτῷ 135,
κραι-
πνόσυτον
θᾶκον 279), moved by the- atrical machinery. The car, advancing from the right side, has gradually approached Prometheus. It is seen by the spectators while still invisible to Prometheus, who can only look straight before him. At 124 the chorus are already very near, and they hear the words of 127
(φοβερόν). - The
᾿Ωκεανίδες are daughters of Oceanus and Tethys; see Hesiod Theog. 362. Hesiod (ibid. 346) enum- erates
forty-one by name, and adds
πολλαί
γε
μέν
εἶσι
καὶ
ἄλλαι,
τρὶς
γὰρ
χίλιαί
εἰσι
τανύσφυροι
Ωκεανῖναι. Aes- chylus's chorus consisted of twelve persons. The first strophe gives the motive of the chorus for coming; this is what an unknown grammarian (in the hypothesis to the Persians) calls '
παροδικά,
ὅτε
λέγει (sc.
ὁ
χορός)
δι᾽
ἣν
αἰτίαν
πάρεστιν.' - The rhythms (
ῥυθμὸς
᾿Ανακρεόντειός
ἐστι
κεκλασμένος
πρὸς
τὸ
θρηνητικόν, Schol.) are in keeping with the sorrowful tone of the composition (see 144 ff.); they
are furthermore especially appropri- ate to a female chorus.
129.
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129.
πτερύγων
ἁμίλλαις : =
πτέρυξιν
ἁμιλλωμέναις. Cp. 147. The emula- tion is between the wings of the right and left sides of the car, which are imagined as striving to outdo one another. Cp. Soph. Ant. 1065
τροχοὺς
ἁμιλλητῆρας
ἡλίου.
131.
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131.
μόγις: 'Quod se patri aegre persuasisse dicunt, ut iis commeatum daret, id e vetere sexus muliebris, vir- ginum inprimis disciplina iudican- dum. Sic paedagogus Antigones apud Euripidem (Phoen. 89) viam circumspicit, verens ne quis in publi- cum prodeuntem regis filiam vitu- peret' (Schütz). Cp. Suppl. 996
ὑμᾶς
δ᾽
ἐπαινῶ
μὴ
καταισχύνειν
ἐμὲ
ὥραν
ἐχούσας
τήνδ᾽
ἐπίστρεπτον
βροτοῖς,
κτἑ. –
παρειποῦσα: cp. Il. vi. 62; vii. 120
ὡς
εἰπὼν
παρέπεισεν
ἀδελφειοῦ
φρένας
ἥρως
αἴσιμα
παρειπών. See also Il. i. 555, vi. 337, Hes. Theog. 90
μαλακοῖσι
παραιφάμενοι
ἐπέεσσιν. Grammatically
παρειποῦσα can be taken with
τάξις,
130. 135.
our
maiden
s
mydeply of
grave
infert but in thought it stands as if
ἐγὼ
προσέβην had preceded. See on 201.
132.
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132.
κραιπνοφόροι
αύραι: that is, "and I came with great haste."
133.
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133.
ἐκ
δ᾽
ἔπληξε:
δέ is often put between preposition and verb (tme- sis). Krüger II. § 68, 48, 1.
ἐξέπληξε, here and 360, is not wholly figurative, but is chosen with reference to the actual nature of the cause (here the blows). Cp. 370; Ag. 480
φλογὸς
παρ-
αγγέλμασιν
νέοις
πυρωθέντα
καρδίαν.
134.
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134.
θεμερώπιν: Empedocles 23
Δῆρις
δ᾽
αἱματόεσσα
καὶ
῾Αρμονίη
θεμε-
ρώπις. Hesychius interprets
θεμερῶπις
(αἰδώς)·
ἐρασμία
αἰσχύνη, but this is inexact, for
θεμερός (from the root
06-) means settled, tranquil, sedate; cp. Hesych.
θεμερή·
βεβαία,
σεμνή,
εὐστα-
θής; also the words
θέμα,
θέμεθλον,
θεμοῦν. Accordingly
θεμερῶπις
αἰδώς is the modesty which makes maidens quiet and sedate. Its opposite is im- plied in
σύθην
ἀπέδιλος.
135.
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135.
σύθην: the tragedians omit the syllabic augment not infrequently in lyric passages and in the narratives
of messengers. The temporal aug- ment is much less often omitted; yet
see
ἐρέθισε 181. –
ἀπέδιλος: the scholi- ast cites Hesiod O. D. 345
γείτονες
ἄζωστοι
ἔκιον. Cp. Soph. El. 871
ὑφ'
ἡδονῆς
τοι,
φιλτάτη,
διώκομαι
τὸ
κόσμιον
μεθεῖσα
σὺν
τάχει
μολεῖν,
Theocr. Id. xix. 36
ἄνστα
μηδὲ
πόδεσσιν
ἐοῖς
ὑπὸ
σάνδαλα
θείης (Bion i. 19 &
δ'
᾿Αφροδίτα
λυσαμένα
πλοκαμίδας
ἀνὰ
δρυμὼς
ἀλά-
ληται
πενθαλέα
νήπαστος
ἀσάνδαλος), Apoll. Rhod. iv. 43
γυμνοῖσιν
δὲ
πό-
δεσσιν
ἀνὰ
στεινοὺς
θέεν
οἴμους (said of Medea). -
ὄχῳ
πτερωτῷ: winged chariots are not rare in ancient art: cp. for instance
Müller-Wieseler, Denkmäler der alten Kunst, Vol. II. Plate ix. n. 110, Plate x.
п. 111, 112, where Triptolemus is seen mounted on a car furnished with swan's wings.
137.
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137.
πολυτέκνου: see on 128. Cp. Il. xiv. 201
Ωκεανόν
τε,
θεῶν
γένεσιν,
καὶ
μητέρα
Τηθύν.
138.
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138.
περὶ
πᾶσαν
εἰλισσομένου
χθόνα : cp.
ἀψορρόου
Ὠκεανοῖο Il. xviii. 399, Od. xx. 65. Cp. also
150. Ovid Fast. v. 81 duxerat Oceanus quondam Titanida Tethyn, qui terram liquidis qua patet ambit aquis. For the form
εἱλισσομένου see on 345.
139.
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139.
ἀκοιμήτῳ
ῥεύματι : cp. Il. xiv. 244
ἄλλον
μέν
κεν
ἔγωγε (the speaker is Sleep)
θεῶν
αἰειγενετάων
ῥεῖα
κατευ-
νήσαιμι
καὶ
ἂν
ποταμοῖο
ῥέεθρα
᾿Ὠκεανοῦ,
ὅς
περ
γένεσις
πάντεσσι
τέτυκται.
141.
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141 f. Synonyma haec vehemen- tiam commoti animi produnt' (Schütz). –
προσπορπατός: cp. 61.
143.
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143.
φρουρὰν
ὀχήσω: see
on
φρου-
ρήσεις, 31.
ὀχεῖν = sustinere, as in Od. vii. 211
ὀχέοντας
ὀιζύν,
xi. 618
κακὸν
μόρον,
ὅν
περ
ἐγὼν
ὀχέεσκον
ὑπ᾿
αὐγὰς
ἠελίοιο, xxi. 302
ἣν
ἄτην
ὀχέων
ἀεσίφρονι
θυμῷ. –
ἄζηλον: cp.
ἀτερπῆ 31,
ἀμέγαρτα 402; and Cho. 1017
ἄζηλα
νίκης
τῆσδ᾽
ἔχων
μιάσματα.
145.
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145.
πλήρης
δακρύων: like a rain- cloud. Cp. Sept. 228
χαλεπᾶς
δύας
ὕπερθ᾽
ὀμμάτων
κρημναμενᾶν
νεφελᾶν,
Soph. Ant. 528
νεφέλη
δ᾽
ὀφρύων
ὕπερ
αἱματόεν
ῥέθος
αἰσχύνει
τέγγουσ᾽
εὐῶπα
παρειάν, Eur. Hipp. 173
στυγνὸν
δ᾽
ὀφρύων
νέφος
αὐξάνεται, Antiphanes in Meineke Com. iii. p. 197
τὸ
προσὸν
νῦν
νέφος
ἐπὶ
τοῦ
μετώπου, Hor. Epist. i. 18,94 deme supercilio nubem. The figure was used by Homer Il. xvii. 591
τὸν
δ' (Hector)
ἄχεος
νεφέλη
ἐκάλυψε
μέλαινα. —
εἰσιδοῦσαν : the accusative follows the dative
ἐμοῖσιν
ὄσσοις as Cho. 410
πέπαλται
δ᾽
αὐτέ
μοι
φίλον
κέαρ
τόνδε
κλύουσαν
οἶκτον, Pers. 913
λέλυται
γὰρ
ἐμῶν
γνίων
ῥώμη
τήνδ'
ἡλικίαν
ἔσιδόντα, Soph.
Εl. 479
ὕπεστί
μοι
θράσος
ἁδυπνόων
κλύουσαν
ἀρτίως
ὀνειράτων,
Αἰ. 1006
ποῖ
γὰρ
μολεῖν
μοι
δυνατὸν
τοῖς
σοῖς
ἀρήξαντ᾽
ἐν
πόνοισι
μηδαμοῦ. The reverse change (from acc. to dat.) in Eur. Med. 57
ὥσθ᾽
ἵμερός
μ᾽
ὑπῆλθε...
λέξαι
μολούσῃ.
146.
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146.
πέτρα
προσαυαινόμενον : =
πρὸς
πέτρᾳ
αὐαινόμενον. Cp. Soph. Phil. 954
αὐανοῦμαι
τῷδ᾽
ἐν
αὐλίῳ
μόνος,
Εl. 819
αὐανῶ
βίον. – With
αὐαινόμενον
λύμαις ср. 93.
147.
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147.
ἀδαμαντοδέτοισι
λύμαις: nearly equivalent to
ἀδαμαντίνοις
δεσμοῖς
λυ-
μαντηρίοις (991). Cp. 580
οἰστρηλάτῳ
δείματι, Theocr. Epigr. xiii. 4
κηροδέτῳ
πνεύματι.
148.
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148.
γάρ: the chorus explains to itself the reason of Prometheus's
155 maltreatment. —
οἰακονόμοι : Zeus is meant. Sic et nos: denn jetzt sitzen neue Herrn am Ruder, quamvis de uno tantum sermo sit' (Schütz). For the figure cp. Sept. 2
ὅστις
φυλάσ-
σει
πρᾶγος
ἐν
πρύμνῃ
πόλεως
οἴακα
νωμῶν, ibid. 62, Pers. 767; also 515 below.
150.
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150.
νόμοις :
νόμοι are changeable laws, made by temporal authorities (cp. Sept. 1070
πόλις
ἄλλως
ἄλλοτ᾽
ἐπαινεῖ
τὰ
δίκαια), in distinction to
θεσμοί, immutable statutes, based upon eternal right. —
ἀθέτως·
ἀθέσμως,
οὐ
συγκατατεθειμένως, Hesych. That is, Zeus issues ordinances in his own right (186), without acknowledging the authority of a higher law. Cp. 324
οὐδ᾽
ὑπεύθυνος
κρατεῖ.
151.
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151.
τὰ
πρὶν
πελώρια : in a general sense; the
former powers
(τοὺς
Τιτάνας
καὶ
τοὺς
τούτων
νόμους, Schol.). The word
πελώρια is appropriate in refer- ence to the reign of the Titans. For the thought, cp. Ag. 168
οὐδ᾽
ὅστις
πάροιθεν
ἦν
μέγας,
παμμάχῳ
θράσει
βρύων,
οὐδὲ
λέξεται
πρὶν
ὤν. –
ἀιστοῖ :
the verb denotes absolute annihila- tion, so that a thing is neither seen nor heard of more: from
ἄϊστος, out of sight and mind.
152.
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152.
νέρθεν
"Αιδου: with emphasis, nay, under very Hades. That is, into
Tartarus, following the conception of
11. viii. 13
ἤ
μιν
ἑλὼν
ῥίψω
ἐς
Τάρτα-
ρον
ἠερόεντα, ...
τόσσον
ἔνερθ᾽
᾿Αίδεω
ὅσον
οὐρανός
ἐστ᾿
ἀπὸ
γαίης (whereas in Eum. 72
Τάρταρόν
θ᾽
ὑπὸ
χθονός, Tar- tarus is equivalent to Hades). Into Tartarus the other Titans had been thrown: Il. viii. 481; Hesiod Theog. 719
τόσσον
ἔνερθ᾽
ὑπὸ
γῆς
ὅσον
οὐρανός
ἐστ᾿
ἀπὸ
γαίης·
ἶσον
γάρ
τ᾽
ἀπὸ
γῆς
ἐς
Τάρταρον
ἠερόεντα.
153.
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153 f.
τοῦ
νεκροδέγμονος : cp. Sept. 860
πάνδοκον
εἰς
ἀφανῆ
τε
χέρσον, Suppl. 157
τὸν
πολυξενώτατον
Ζῆνα
τῶν
κεκμηκότων. In Hom. Hymn v. 9, 17, 430, Hades is called
Πολυδέκτης and
Πολυδέγμων. Cp.
οἰστοδέγμονα
θησαυρόν Pers. 1020. –
ἀπέραντον : see 1078.
δεσμοῖς
πελάσας : " and had put me in bonds there as here." For the expression
δεσμοῖς
πελάσας cp. Eur. Alc. 229
βρόχῳ
δέρην
οὐρανίῳ
πελάσσαι, also
ΙΙ.
ν. 766
κακῆς
ὀδύνῃσι
πελάζειν.
156.
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156.
μήτε
τις
ἄλλος: Prometheus shrinks from the mention of man- kind. For the position of ris see on
165. 21.- Nothing, to the unfortunate, is so hard to bear as the malicious exultation of their enemies.
Ср. Il. iii. 51; vi. 82; x. 193; Hesiod O. D. 701, Aesch. Pers. 1034, Soph. Ai. 382, Ant. 647, Eur. Med. 383.
157.
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157.
ὡς . . .
ἐπεγήθει: cp. 749; Cho. 195
εἴθ᾽
εἶχε
φωνὴν ...
ὅπως
δίφροντις
οὖσα
μὴ
᾿κινυσσόμην. GMT. 333.
ἐπι-
γηθεῖν, like
ἐπιχαίρειν (cp. 158
ἐπί-
χαρτα, 160
ἐπιχαρῆ) signifies
τὸ
συν-
επιγελᾶν
τοῖς
ἀλλοτρίοις
κακοῖς.
158.
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158.
κίνυγμα: Eustathius on Il. iv. 281 says,
τοῦ
δὲ
κινύω
αὖθις
παράγω-
γον
τὸ
κινύσσω·
ἐξ
οὗ
παρ᾿
Αἰσχύλῳ
αἰθέριον
κίνυγμα,
τὸ
ἀέριον
εἴδωλον. It is formed like
αἴθυγμα from
αἰθύσσω,
αἴνιγμα from
αἰνίττομαι. Cp. Cho. 196
ἐκινυσσόμην, might be driven this way and that, might waver.
αἰθέριον
κίνυγμα (oscillum) is a thing waving in
mid-air. It applies to Prometheus in that he hangs in the open air with nothing for his feet to rest on.
161.
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161.
συνασχαλᾷ: from
συνασχα-
λάω, whereas
συνασχαλῶν 303 is future of
συνασχάλλω. Cp. Isocr. Iv. 181
συνοργισθῆναι
τοῖς
ἀδικηθεῖσιν, also
συμ-
πονεῖν 274 below, and
συγχαίρειν,
συνή-
δεσθαι. In all these,
συν- denotes sympathy with grief or joy.
162.
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162. The ancient form
τεός for
σός occurs now and then in the lyric por- tions of tragedy. In Aeschylus twice besides this place, Sept. 105, Frg. 66. Only the melic trimeter (162 = 181) admits, in Aeschylus, three resolutions in a single verse. Cp. Suppl. 111 = 123, Ag. 485, Cho. 44 = 55. A tribrach in the second foot is found in only one other verse of this play (715), and there in a proper name.
163.
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163.
θέμενος: cp. Il. ix. 629
ἄγριον
ἐν
στήθεσσι
θέτο
μεγαλήτορα
θυμόν, Tyrtaeus Frg. 11, 5
ἐχθρὰν
μὲν
ψυ-
χὴν
θέμενος, Theogn. 89
ἀλλὰ
φίλει
καθαρὸν
θέμενος
νόον
ἤ
μ᾿
ἀποειπὼν
ἔχθαιρε. –
ἄγναμπτον: instead of this, the metre demands a word which shall form two iambi. Cp. the anti- strophe 182. Probably H. L. Ahrens's conjecture,
ἀκνάμπετον, is to be received (cp.
ἄπευκτος and
ἀπεύχετος,
καμψίπους and
καμπεσίγουνος,
παναρκής and
πανάρκετος). With
ἄγναμπτον
νόον cp. Il. xxiv. 41
οὐδὲ
νόημα
γναμπτὸν
ἐνὶ
στήθεσσι. 170.
175
164.
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164 f.
δάμναται : an epic word; ac- tive in sense here and Od. xiv. 487
ἀλλά
με
χεῖμα
δάμναται, passive Suppl. 904, as in the Iliad. –
Οὐρα-
νίαν
γένναν : the race of Uranus. Cp. 205, and Frg. III. of the
Προμηθεὺς
λυόμενος below, Titanum suboles generata Caelo; also Il. v. 898
Οὐρανιώνων.
Οὐρανίαν is said like Ag. 83
Τυνδαρέα
θύγατερ, ibid. 1499
᾿Αγα-
μεμνονίαν
ἄλοχον,
Il.
xiv. 317
Ιξιονίης
ἀλόχοιο. See also 590 below.
166.
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166.
παλάμᾳ: coup de main, bold or sudden stroke. -
τινί : cp. Cho. 138
ἐλθεῖν
δ᾽
᾿Ορέστην
δεῦρο
σὺν
τύχῃ
τινὶ
κατεύχομαι, Soph.
Αi. 853
ἀρκτέον
τὸ
πρᾶγμα
σὺν
τάχει
τινί, Pind.
Οl. ix. 39
σύν
τινι
μοιριδίῳ
παλάμᾳ.