Aeschylus Prometheus Bound 640

Herbert Weir Smyth (Translator)

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Prometheus Bound. Aeschylus. Herbert Weir Smyth (Translator). New York. 1922.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Prometheus Bound (English) (Aeschylus, Volume 1. Smyth, Herbert Weir, translator. London; New York: William Heinemann; G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1922. (Modernized by Perseus.))

Editions (7)
Προμηθεὺς Δεσμώτης First1KGreek (Aeschyli Tragoediae. Sidgwick, Arthur, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1902.) — 609-886 focus
Προμηθεὺς δεσμώτης Perseus (Aeschylus, Volume 1. Smyth, Herbert Weir, editor. London; New York: William Heinemann; G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1922.) — 640 focus
Προμηθεὺς Δεσμώτης (OCR draft) Experimental (Προμηθεὺς Δεσμώτης. Guilielmus Dindorfius, 1882.) — 640 focus
Προμηθεὺς Δεσμώτης (OCR draft) Experimental (Προμηθεὺς Δεσμώτης. Gottfried Hermann, 1852.) — 640 focus
ΠΡΟΜΗθΕΥΣ ΔΕΣΜΩΤΗΣ (OCR draft) Experimental (ΠΡΟΜΗθΕΥΣ ΔΕΣΜΩΤΗΣ. Paul Mazon, 1920-1925.) — 640 focus
Προμηθεὺς Δεσμώτης (OCR draft) Experimental (Προμηθεὺς Δεσμώτης. N. Wecklein, 1885.) — 640 focus
οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ὅπως ὑμῖν ἀπιστῆσαί με χρή,
σαφεῖ δὲ μύθῳ πᾶν ὅπερ προσχρήζετε
πεύσεσθε· καίτοι καὶ λέγουσ᾽ ὀδύρομαι
θεόσσυτον χειμῶνα καὶ διαφθορὰν
670
μορφῆς, ὅθεν μοι σχετλία προσέπτατο.
Aeschyli Prometheus Vinctus (OCR draft) Experimental (Aeschyli Prometheus Vinctus. Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, 1914.) — 640 focus
Translations (8)
Prometheus Bound. (OCR draft) Experimental (Prometheus Bound.. Theodore Alois Buckley, 1849.) — 640 focus
I know not how I should disobey you; and in a plain tale ye shall learn every thing that ye desire: and yet I am pained even to speak of the tempest that hath been sent upon me from heaven, and the utter marring of my person, whence it suddenly came upon me, a wretched creature ! For nightly visions thronging to my maiden chamber, would entice me with smooth words:
O damsel, greatly fortunate, why dost thou live long time in maidenhood, when it is in thy power to achieve a match the very noblest ? for Jupiter is fired by thy charms with the shaft of passion, and longs with thee to share in love. But do not, my child, spurn away from thee the couch of Jupiter; but go forth to Lerna's fertile mead, to the folds and ox-stalls of thy father, that the eye of Jove may have respite from its longing.
By dreams such as these was I unhappy beset every night, until at length I made bold to tell my sire of the dreams that haunted me by night. And he despatched both to Pytho and to Dodona
many a messenger to consult the oracles, that he might learn what it behoved him to do or say, so as to perform what was well-pleasing to the divinities. And they came bringing a report back of oracles ambiguously worded, indistinct, and obscurely delivered. But at last a clear response came to Inachus, plainly charging and directing him to thrust me forth both from my home and my country, to stray an outcast to earth's remotest limits; and that, if he would not, a fiery-visaged thunderbolt would come from Jupiter, and utterly blot out his whole race. Overcome by oracles of Loxias such as these, unwilling did he expel and exclude me unwilling from his dwelling : but the bit of Jupiter
perforce constrained him to do this And straightway my person and my mind were distorted, and horned, as ye see, stung by the keenly-biting fly, I rushed with maniac boundings to the sweet stream of Cerchneia, and the fountain
of Lerna:—and the earth-born neatherd Argus of untempered fierceness, kept dogging me, peering after my footsteps with thick-set eyes. Him, however, an unlooked-for sudden fate bereaved of life; but I hornet-striken am driven by the scourge divine from land to land. Thou hearest what has taken place, and if thou art able to say what pangs there remain for me, declare them; and do not, compassionating me, warm me with false tales, for I pronounce fabricated statements to be a most foul malady.
PROMÉTHÉE ENCHAINÉ (OCR draft) Experimental (PROMÉTHÉE ENCHAINÉ. Paul Mazon, 1920-1925.) — 640 focus
pourquoi si longtemps rester vierge, quand tu pourrais avoir le plus grand des époux ? Zeus a
été par toi brûlé du trait du désir, il veut avec toi jouir des dons de Cypris : garde-toi, enfant, de repousser l'hymen de Zeus ; mais pars, dirige-toi vers Lerne et sa prairie herbeuse, vers les parcs à moutons et à bœufs de ton père, afin que l'œil de Zeus soit délivré de son désir ! » Voilà
les rêves qui toutes les nuits me pressaient, malheureuse ! jusqu'au jour où j'osai révéler à mon père quels songes hantaient mon sommeil. Et lui alors, à Pytho, à Dodone, dépêchait de fréquents messagers chargés d'interroger le
Ciel et de savoir ce qu'il devait ou dire ou faire pour être agréable aux dieux. Mais ils revenaient ne rapportant qu'oracles ambigus, aux formules obscures, malaisées à débrouiller. Enfin une réponse nette arrive à Inachos : elle
parlait clair et lui enjoignait de me jeter hors de la maison, hors du pays, bête vouée aux dieux 1 , libre d'errer jusqu'aux derniers confins du monde. S'il s'y refusait, la foudre enflammée, échappant à la main de Zeus, anéantirait sa race. Docile à de tels oracles, émanés de Loxias, mon
père me bannit et me ferme à jamais sa demeure malgré lui-même autant que malgré moi : mais le frein de Zeus le forçait d'agir contre sa volonté. Et aussitôt ma forme et ma raison s'altèrent à la fois ; des cornes me viennent,
Prometheus Chained (OCR draft) Experimental (Prometheus Chained. Robert Potter, 1779.) — 640 focus
Ill wou'd excuſe become me, or denial;
Take then the plain unornamented tale
Ye wiſh to hear; tho' ſad the taſk injoin'd,
645
And hard: for how relate the heav'nſent tempeſt
That burſt upon my head, my form thus chang'd,
And all the weight of woe that overwhelms me?
Still, when retir'd to reſt, air-bodied forms z
Viſit my ſlumbers nightly, ſoothing me
650
With gentle ſpeech, "Bleft maid, why hoard for ever
Thy virgin treaſure, when the higheſt nuptials
Await thy choice; the flames of ſoft deſire
Have touch'd the heart of Jove; he burns with love:
Diſdain not, gentle virgin, ah diſdain not
655
The couch of Jove; to Lerna's deep receſſ,
Where graze thy father's herds the meads along,
Go, gentle virgin, crown the god's deſires."
The night returns, the visionary forms
Return again, and haunt my troubled ſoul
660
Forbidding reſt, till to my father's ear
I dar'd diſcloſe the viſions of the night.
To Pytho, to Dodona's vocal grove
He ſent his ſeers, anxious to know what beſt
Was pleaſing to the gods. Return'd they bring
665
Darkutter'd anſwers of ambiguous ſenſe.
At length one oracle diſtinct and plain
Pronounc'd its mandates, charging Inachus
To drive me from his houſe and from my country,
To rove at large o'er earth's extremeſt bounds:
670
Should he refuſe, the vengeful bolt of Jove,
Wing'd with red flames wou'd all his race deſtroy.
Obedient to the Pythian god he drove me
Unwilling from his houſe, himſelf unwilling
Compell'd by Jove, and harſh neceſſity.
675
Strait was my ſenſe diſorder'd, my fair form
Chang'd, as you ſee, disfigur'd with these horns;
And tortur'd with the bryze's horrid ſting,
Wild with my pain with frantic ſpeed I hurried
To Cenchrea's vale with ſilver-winding ſtreams a
680
Irriguous, and the fount whence Lerna ſpreads
Its wide expanſe of waters; cloſe behind
In wrathful mood walk'd Argus, earthborn herdſman,
With all his eyes obſervant of my ſteps.
Him unawares a ſudden fate depriv'd
685
Of life; whilſt I, ſtung with that heav'nſent peſt,
Am driv'n with devious ſpeed from land to land. !
Thou haſt my tale. If ought of woes to come.
Thy præſcient mind divines, relate them freely;
Nor thro' falſe pity with fallacious words
690
Sooth my vain hopes, my ſoul abhors as baſe
The fabling tongue of glozing courteſy.
Eschilo, Prometeo legato: traduzione italiana di Ettore Romagnoli (OCR draft) Experimental (Eschilo, Prometeo legato: traduzione italiana di Ettore Romagnoli. Ettore Romagnoli, 1922.) — 640 focus
Come opporvi rifiuto io non saprei ;
e con chiara parola a voi dirò
tutto quanto da me saper bramate,
anche s'io piangerò, solo a narrare
la divina procella, e d'onde avvenne
750
che la mia prisca forma andò distrutta.
Nelle mie stanze verginali, entravano
visïoni ogni notte, e m'esortavano
con soavi parole: «O beatissima
fanciulla, e perché mai tu resti nubile
755
sí lungo tempo, e aver potresti il gaudio
d'eccelse nozze? Ché di te, pel dardo
della brama, arde Giove, e coglier teco
vuole il piacer d'amore. E tu, fanciulla,
non calcitrare al talamo di Giove :
760
anzi esci al pingue pascolo di Lerna,
alle greggi del padre ed ai presepî,
ché requie abbia da te l'occhio divino ».
A tali sogni in preda ero ogni notte,
misera me, sin che narrare al padre
765
osai questi notturni incubi. Ed egli
molti indovini a Pito ed a Dodona
inviò, per saper che cosa ei debba
o dire o far per compiacere i Numi.
Tornavan quelli, e riferiano oracoli
770
confusi, ambigui, oscuramente espressi.
Chiaro un responso giunse infine ad Inaco:
che senz'ambage gl'imponeva l'ordine
che dalla casa via, via dalla patria
mi discacciasse, per gli estremi limiti
775
della terra, a vagar come una libera
vittima, se non vuol che ardente il folgore
piombi di Giove, e la sua stirpe stermini.
Da questi indotto oracoli di Febo,
via dalla casa mi scacciò, mi escluse,
780
malgrado suo, malgrado mio. Ma il freno
di Giove a ciò lo costringeva a forza.
E la mia forma e la mia mente súbito
si sconvolsero, e quale or mi vedete,
irta di corna il capo, e dall'acuto
785
pungiglio spinta d'un assillo, ai rivi
dolci di Cernèa giunsi, alla fontana
di Lerna, in folli balzi io mi lanciai.
E tutto pien di zelo Argo seguiami,
terrigeno bifolco, e vigilava
790
coi suoi cent'occhi, dietro ogni mio passo.
Vita gli tolse un improvviso fato:
ed io, punta dall'estro, e dalla sferza
divina, errando vo' di terra in terra.
Ciò che m'avvenne, udisti. Or, se lo sai,
795
il mal che debbo ancor soffrire insegnami,
né per pietà molcirmi di menzogne:
non v'ha morbo peggior che il parlar finto.
Aeschylus, Prometheus vinctus: versio Latina Ioannis Sanravii (OCR draft) Experimental (Aeschylus, Prometheus vinctus: versio Latina Ioannis Sanravii. Ioannes Sanravius, 1555.) — 640 focus
Non noui, quo pacto vobis possum dissidere.
Apertis verbis, quæ vultis,
Audietis. certè dicens lamentor,
640
Prometheus Bound (OCR draft) Experimental (Prometheus Bound. Anna Swanwick, 1886.) — 640 focus
English (E. D. A. Morshead, 1908) (OCR draft) Experimental (Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound — Morshead translation. Wikisource transcription; speech corresp and card milestones aligned to Smyth perseus-grc2.) — 640 focus
I know not how I should mistrust your prayer;
Therefore the whole that ye desire of me
Ye now shall learn in one straightforward tale.
Yet, as it leaves my lips, I blush with shame
690
To tell that tempest of the spite of Heaven,
And all the wreck and ruin of my form,
And whence they swooped upon me, woe is me!
Long, long in visions of the night there came
Voices and forms into my maiden bower,
695
Alluring me with smoothly glozing words—
O maiden highly favoured of high Heaven,
Why cherish thy virginity so long?
Thine is it to win wedlock's noblest crown!
Know that Zeus' heart thro' thee is all aflame,
700
Pierced with desire as with a dart, and longs
To join in utmost rite of love with thee.
Therefore, O maiden, shun not with disdain
Th' embrace of Zeus, but hie thee forth straightway
To the lush growth of Lerna's meadow-land,
705
Where are the flocks and steadings of thy home,
And let Zeus' eye be eased of its desire.
Night after night, haunted by dreams like these,
Heartsick, I ventured at the last to tell
Unto my sire these visions of the dark.
710
Then sent he many a wight, on sacred quest,
To Delphi and to far Dodona's shrine,
Being full fain to learn what deed or word
Would win him favour from the powers of heaven.
But they came back repeating oracles
715
Mystic, ambiguous, inscrutable,
Till, at the last, an utterance direct,
Obscure no more, was brought to Inachus—
A peremptory charge to fling me forth
Beyond my home and fatherland, a thing
720
Sent loose in banishment o'er all the world;
And—should he falter—Zeus should launch on him
A fire-eyed bolt, to shatter and consume
Himself and all his race to nothingness.
Bowing before such utterance from the shrine
725
Of Loxias, he drave me from our halls,
Barring the gates against me: loth he was
To do, as I to suffer, this despite:
But the strong curb of Zeus had overborne
His will to me-ward. As I parted thence,
730
In form and mind I grew dishumanized,
And horned as now ye see me, poison-stung
By the envenomed bitings of the brize,
I leapt and flung in frenzy, rushed away
To the bright waters of Cerchneia's stream
735
And Lerna's beach: but ever at my side,
A herdsman by his heifer, Argus moved,
Earth-born, malevolent of mood, and peered,
With myriad eyes, where'er my feet would roam.
But on him in a moment, unforeseen,
740
Came Fate, and sundered him from life; but I,
Still maddened by the gadfly's sting, the scourge
Of God's infliction, roam the weary world.
How I have fared, thou hearest: be there aught
Of what remains to bear, that thou canst tell,
745
Speak on! but let not thy compassion warm
Thy words to cheering falsehood. Worst of woes
Are words that break their promise to our hope!
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1854; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (Aeschylos. Deutsch in den Versmaßen der Urschrift. Stuttgart: Hoffmann, 1854. Native Donner line citations, Smyth card correspondence, selected textual readings and metrical facsimiles. Remaining OCR differences and unattributed reading notes are documented in the linked review inventory.) — 640 focus
Wohl darf ich eurem Wunsche nicht entgegen sein.
Ihr sollt in klarem Worte, was ihr hören wollt,
640
Vernehmen. Zwar mich schmerzt es, auch zu sagen nur,
Woher der gottverhängte Sturm, der grause Tausch
Der jungen Schönheit über mich Unsel'ge kam.
Traumbilder schwebten nächtlich stets herein zu mir
In meine Frauenkammer, und ermahnten mich
645
Mit Schmeichellauten: „Mädchen, hochbeseligtes,
Was willst du Jungfrau bleiben, da der Ehe Bund
Dir winkt, der höchste? Zeus erglüht in Liebe dir
Vom Pfeil der Sehnsucht, und verlangt Kythere's Glück
Mit dir zu kosten. Du verschmähe nicht, o Kind,
650
Des Zeus Umarmung, geh zu Lerna's tiefer Au,
Nach deines Vaters Heerden und Gehöft hinaus,
Damit Kronions Auge sein Verlangen stillt."
Durch solche Träume ward ich Unglückselige
In jeder Nacht geängstet, bis ich Muth gewann,
655
Die Nachtgesichte meinem Vater kundzuthun.
Der sandte viele Boten nach Dodona's Hain,
Nach Pytho's Herd, zu forschen, wie der Götter Huld
Er sich gewinne durch die That, durch welches Wort.
Sie kehrten heim und brachten sinnverwirrende
660
Aussprüch', in unlösbare Räthsel eingehüllt.
Doch endlich ward dem Inachos ein heller Spruch,
Der unverhüllt in klaren Worten ihm gebot,
Mich auszustoßen aus der Väter Haus und Land,
Daß ich verlassen irrt' am fernsten Saum der Welt;
665
Und woll' er nicht, so zucke flammenäugiger
Blikstrahl von Zeus, ganz auszutilgen sein Geschlecht.
Gehorsam diesem Seherspruch des Loxias,
Vertrieb der Vater sträubend mich die sträubende,
Verbannte mich vom Hause; denn ihn zwang des Zeus
670
Allmächt'ger Zügel mit Gewalt zu solcher That.
Sofort verwandelt wurde mir Gestalt und Sinn:
Die Stirn gehörnt, ihr seht es, durch verwirrenden
Wahnsinn gestachelt, rannt' ich fort in wüthendem,
Sinnlosem Sprunge zu Kerchneia's süßem Born,
675
Zur Quelle Lerna's. Und ein Hirt, der Erde Sohn,
Voll ungestümen Zornes, Argos, folgte mir
Aus hundert Augen lauernd nach auf jeder Spur.
Doch ihm entriß ein jähes Schicksal unverhofft
Das Leben; mich treibt ohne Rast im Bremsensturm
680
Die Göttergeißel stachelnd fort von Land zu Land.
Mein Mißgeschick vernahmst du: wenn du sagen kannst,
Was noch bevorsteht, melde mir's; doch schmeichle nicht
Mitleidig mir mit Lügen; denn das schändlichste
Der Uebel nenn' ich lügenhafter Worte Trug.
685

Commentary

Critical apparatus to Prometheus Bound (OCR draft) (Latin and Greek critical apparatus to Gottfried Hermann's 1852 edition of Prometheus Bound.) focus

640. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-722

ἔχει:
ἔχειν
Lips. Ald.

641. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-723

ὑμῖν:
ἡμῖν
Lips.

641. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-724

ἀπιστῆσαί:
ἀποστῆσαι
Vit. cum glossa
παρακοῦσαι
, quae in G. ad
ἀπιστῆσαι
adscripta est.

642. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-725

πᾶν ὅπερ προςχρήζετε:
τὸ πᾶν ὅπερ χρήζεται
Lips. Aug. sed in Lips. correctum
χρήζετε
.

643. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-726

πεύσεσθε:
πεύσοισθε
Lips. Aug. Rob.

643. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-727

αἰσχύνομαι:
ὀδύρομαι
M. G. Vit. Lips. Aug. Par. D. N. Ven. 3. Bess. Vind. quattuor et edd. vett. In M. Lips. Par. B. D. N. Mosc. 1. adnotatum
γρ. αἰσχύνομαι
. Id in textu habent Cantabr. 1. 2. Deplorari mutationem formae sponte apparet, quia de ea re conqueritur: sed caussam mutatae formae non sine pudore aperire poterat Io.

644. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-728

διαφθορὰν:
διαφορὰν
Lips.

646. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-729

ἀεὶ:
αἰεὶ
Μ. Cantabr. 1.

646. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-730

ὄψεις:
ὄψει
ante sec. manus correctionem M.

646. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-731

πωλεύμεναι:
πωλεύμεναι
, Par. C. et, superscripto a recentiore manu
ο
, Μ.
πολεύμεναι
G. Vit. Lips. Aug. edd. vett.
πολούμεναι
Par. D. Videtur servari posse Homerica forma, Od. II. 55. XVII. 534.
οἳ δ᾽ εἰς ἡμέτερον πωλεύμενοι ἤματα πάντα
.

648. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-732

εὐδαίμων:
εὐδαίμων
M. in quo sec. manus ultimae syllabae
o
superscripsit, Vit. Lips. Aug. Par. B. Ald. Turn. quod recte praeferre videtur Elmsleius.
εὐδαῖμον
G. Vind. 2. 4. Bess. Rob.
εὐδαιμον
Ven. 3.

649. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-733

παρθενεύει:
παρθενεύεις
Vind. 1. 3, Ceteri
παρθενεύῃ
.

651. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-734

τέθαλπται:
τέθωπται
, cum glossa
κατακαίεται
, Vit.

651. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-735

δαρόν:
δηρὸν
Aug.

651. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-736

συναίρεσθαι:
ξυναίρεσθαι γρ. ξυνάρασθαι
Par. B. Ceteri
συναίρεσθαι
.

652. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-737

'πολακτίσῃς:
μὴ 'πιλακτίσῃς
Vit.
μὴ πωλακτήσει
Lips.
μὴ ἀπολακτήσει
Aug.

653. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-738

τὸ Ζηνός:
τὸ Διὸς
Lips. Aug.

653. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-739

Λέρνης:
Λέρνην
Lips. Aug.

654. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-740

βουστάσεις τε πρὸς πατρός:
β. τε καὶ πρὸς πατρὸς
Vit.

656. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-741

ὀνείμασιν:
ὀνείρασιν
Cantabr. 1. Ald. Rob. Ceteri
ὀνείμασιν
.

657. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-742

ἔςτε:
ὥστε
Vit.

658. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-743

νυκτίφοιτ':
νυκτίφαντ'
Μ. Rob.

659. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-744

κἀπὶ Δωδώνης:
κἀπὶ Δωδώνην
Lips. Aug. Turn.
κἀπὶ Δωδώνης
M. G. Vit. aliique et Ald. Rob. atque aliquot libri Thomae M. qui p. 180, 11. hunc versum et partem sequentis affert. Atticam hanc constructionem vocant schol. ad Il. III. 5. V. 700. Eustathius p. 371. seq.

659. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-745

πυκνοὺς:
συχνούς
, vulgare verbum, Arund. et Thomas M.

660. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-746

ἴαλλεν:
ἴαλεν
G. Vit. aliique et Ald. Rob.

660. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-747

μάθοι:
μάθοι
M. Lips. Aug. Turn. In Lips.
η
superscriptum.
μάθῃ
G. Vit. aliique et Ald. Rob.

661. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-748

δαίμοσιν:
δαίμοσι
Vit. edd. vett.

661. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-749

πράσσειν:
πράσσειν
M. Vit. Par. C. et superscriptum in Par. Β.
πράττειν
G. Lips. edd. vett.
πτάτο.τειν
Aug.

661. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-750

φίλα:
φίλωι
(non φίλως), superscripto a recentiore manu
α
, Μ. Α
φίλα
vulgata scriptura est.
φίλον
G. Lips. Aug. Vind. 2. 4. In Lips. superscriptum
α
.

663. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-751

ἀσήμους:
ἀσήμους
Μ. (si recte adnotatum ex M.) G. Vit. aliique et Rob.
ἀσήμως
Lips. Aug. Ald. Turn.

663. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-752

δυςκρίτως τ':
δυςκρίτως τ'
M. G. Lips. Aug. aliique et Ald. Turn.
δυςκρίτως
Vit.
δυσκρίτους τ'
Par. C. Rob.

664. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-753

βάξις ἦλθεν:
ἦλθε βάξις
Cantabr. 1. 2. Mosc. 1. Ceteri omnes, nominatim M. G. Vit. Lips. Aug. Ven. 3. Bess. edd. vett.
βάξις ἦλθεν
.

667. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-754

ἀλᾶσθαι:
ἁλᾶσθαι
G. Lips. Ald. Rob. In Lips. etiam alterum
a
supra scriptum. Idem codex ad
ἐσχάτοις
superscriptum habet
η
. Blomfieldius cum extremis verbis comparavit Heliodori hoc Aethiop. VI. prope finem,
γύναιον ὑπ᾽ ἔρωτος σεσοβημένον καὶ πᾶσαν ὡς εἰπεῖν ἐρωμένου τινὸς ἐπὶ γῆν ἕνεκεν ἀλωμένου· ᾧ μετὰ μυρίους μὲν μόχθους, μυρίους δὲ κινδύνους “γῆς ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτοις ὅροις” τύχῃ σὺν λαμπρᾷ καὶ βασιλικῇ συμβιώσεται
.

668. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-755

θέλοι:
θέλοι
Μ. G. Vit. Turn. In G.
θέλει
et
θέλῃ
adscriptum.
θέλῃ
Lips. Aug. aliique nonnulli et Ald. Rob.

668. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-756

πυρωπὸν:
πυρωτὸν
Μ.

669. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-757

ἐξαϊστώσει:
ἐξαϊστώσει
M. Non opus est Blomfieldii coniectura
ἐξαιστώσοι
.

669. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-758

γένος:
γένος
, non
μένος
, etiam M. habere videtur.

671. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-759

ἐξήλασέν με:
ἐξήλασέν με
M. et ed. Vict.
ἐξήλασε με
G. Vit. Lips. Aug. aliique et edd. ante Vict.

671. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-760

κἀπέκλεισε:
κἀπέκλεισεν
Μ.

672. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-761

ἐπηνάγκαζέ νιν:
ἐπαναγκαζέ νιν
G.

674. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-762

εὐθὺς δὲ μορφὴ:
εὐθὺς οὖν μορφή
Thomas M. p. 93, 8.

675. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-763

κεράστις:
κεράστης
Vit.
κεράστη
Rob.

675. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-764

ὡς:
ὡς
omissum, sed postea ab eadem manu insertum in Vit.

675. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-765

ὀξυστόμῳ:
ὀξυτόμῳ
Lips. Rob.

676. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-766

ἐμμανεῖ σκιρτήματι:
ἐμμανεῖ σκιρτήματι
, ad postremam syllabam superscripto
α
, Lips. Non reprehendi posset
ἐμμανῆ σκιρτήματα
.

677. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-767

Κεγχρείας:
Κερχνείας
Μ. Rob. Turn.
γρ. Κερχνείας
Lips.
Κεγχρείας
G. Vit. Lips. Aug. Par. A. B. E. Ox. Arund. Bess. Vind. quattuor et Ald.
Κεγχρείας
, formam, quae ut asperior ita antiquior fuerit, praeferendam censebat contra Spanhemium ad Callim. h. Del. 271. Valckenarius ad Phoen. 1395.
Κεγχρεύς
tantum Stephanus Byzantius commemorat, et sic etiam Pausanias II. 24, 7. Hoc cum Aurato et Brunckio praetuli.

678. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-768

Λέρνης τ᾽ ἐς ἄκρην:
Λέρνης ἄκρην τε
M. G. Ven. 3. Bess. Turn. In Par. B. adnotatum
γρ. κρήνην
. Atque
λ. κρήνην τε
habent Lips. Aug. Ald. Rob.
Λέρνης ἄκραν τε
Par. A. Colb. 2.
τε
omittunt Colb. 1. Cantabr. 1.
Λέρνης ἐς ἄκρην
, supra scripto
ἐς
, sic tamen ut pro ipso textus vocabulo habendum sit, addita super eo glossa
εἰς
, Vit. Canteri coniecturam,
Λέρνης τε κρήνην
, recepit Blomfieldius, sed mavult
ἀκτήν τε Λέρνης
. Pessime Spanhemius ad Callim. Lav. Pall. 46.
Λέρνης ἀκτήν τε
, etsi recte comparans Pindari
Λερναίας ἀπ' ἀκτᾶς
Ol. VII. 60. Hinc ego viam monstrante codice Vit. dedi
Λέρνης τ' ἐς ἀκτήν
, inciditque in idem Reisigius. Buttmannus, cuius accurata de Lerna disputatio est in Mythologi vol. II. p. 93. seqq. neque horum Aeschyli verborum recordatus est, nec memor fuit Hemsterhusii, a quo ad Luciani Dial. mar. VI. 1. vol. I. p. 303. breviter eadem fere, quae ipse copiosius persecutus est, indicata sunt. De
Λερναίῳ ἀκτῇ
v. Heffterum de cultu deorum apud Rhodios II. p. 62. de fonte Lernaeo Ungeri Thebana paradoxa p. 191.ss.

680. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-769

τοὺς ἐμοὺς:
τὰς ἐμὰς
Vit.

680. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-770

κατὰ στίβους:
κατὰ στίβους
M. G. Vit. Ven. 3. Vind. quattuor et Turn.

681. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-771

αἰφνίδιος: Speciosa est Elmsleii coniectura, scripsisse Aeschylum
ἀφνίδιος
, ab
ἄφνω
, quae forma hodie apud solum exstet Hesychium,
ἀφνιδίως, αἰφνιδίως, ἄφνω
. Tamen ille mihi non persuasit, qui videam quidem analogiae convenire eam formam, sed tamen suspectam habeam, quum usus diphthongum etiam in prosa oratione, si libris fides est, probasse videatur. Negavitque etiam Porsonus, Dobraeo teste in Aristophanicis p. (145.) umquam Atticos dixisse
ἀφνιδίως
. Atque illa quae in codicibus illis adscripta est interpretatio
αἰφνίδιος
pridem me moverat, ut
αἰφνίδιος
vel ex
αἰφνιδίως
vel ex ipso illo cui interpretando inservire
αἰφνίδιος
poterat,
ἀφνιδίως
ortum existimarem. Itaque illam Hesychii glossam ad hunc ipsum referri credo Aeschyli versum. Neque enim facile aliquem adductum iri puto, ut
αἰφνηδίς
, quae forma ex Bekkeri Anecd. p. 1310. innotuit, Aeschylo tribuat.

682. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-772

οἰστροπλὴξ:
οἰστροπλὴξ
M. Vit.
οἰστρόπληξ
G. Lips. Aug.
οἰστρόπληγε
Bess. Ald. sed Bess. cum accentu et in media et in ultima syllaba, ut in Rob.
οἰστρόπληξ
scriptum est. V. Lob. Paralip. p. 279.

683. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-773

θείᾳ:
θείας
Lips. Aug.

683. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-774

γῆν πρὸ γῆς:
γῆς πρὸς γῆν
G. Vit. Lips. Aug. aliique et Ald.
γῆς πρὸ γῆν
Bess.
γῆν πρὸς γῆς
vel
γῆς πρὸς γῆς
alii.
γῆν ἐκ γῆς
Rob.
γῆν προγῆς
, a sec. manu ad
προ
adscripto accentu et
σ
, Μ.
γῆν πρὸ γῆς
Turn. Cicero ad Att. XIV. 10.
itaque γῆν πρὸ γῆς cogito
.

684. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-775

ὅ τι:
ἔτι
M. G. Vit. Lips. Aug. Colb. 1. 2. Cantabr. 1. 2. Ven. 2. 3. Par. H. Vindobonenses et Rob. Quae lectio ad
πόνον
spectat, quod nonnulli v. sequente habent.
ὅτι
Ald.
ὅ,τι
Turn.

685. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-776

πόνων:
πόνον
M. Cantabr. 1. 2. Ven. 2. Vind. 3. Ald.
πόνου
Rob. Ceteri
πόνων
.

685. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-777

σήμαινε:
σήμαινε
Vit. Lips. Aug. Colb. 1.
σήμηνον
Cantabr. 2. et vulgatae superscriptum Mosc. 1.

685. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-hermann1852-appcrit-lat1-778

μηδέ μ':
μηδ' ἔμ'
, eraso apostrophe post
μηδ
, fuit enim antea
μηδ' ἐμ
, Μ.

English commentary on Prometheus Bound (OCR draft) (N. Wecklein, translated by F. D. Allen. Ginn & Company, 1893; compared with the 1891 printing. Printed commentary pages 31–144. Provisional alignment and unresolved OCR are visibly flagged.) focus

561-886. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-375

1
2
561-886. Third Episode. Io and Prometheus. The myth of Io is connected with that of Prometheus by the person of Heracles, the libera- tor of Prometheus, who is descended from paphus, the son of Zeus and Io (see on 774). The appearance of Io therefore prepares the way for the introduction of Heracles in the Προ- μηθεὺς λυόμενος. But the immediate significance of this scene consists in the present relation of Zeus and Io. Io appears as innocent and yet perse- cuted; her sufferings, superficially considered, put Zeus in the worst possible light. Accordingly the in- dignation of Prometheus rises more and more, till at last, carried away by passion, he vaunts his secret in such terms that the interposition of Zeus becomes inevitable. So the transition to the catastrophe is pre- pared. The geographical part of this episode, with its description of marvels, like the scene of Heracles in the Προμηθεὺς λυόμενος (see below, Frg. VII. and VIII.), doubtless had a peculiar charm for the Athenians of the period. On the origin of the myth of Io, see Introd. p. 9, footnote. Io appears as a horned maiden (588, 674; so indi- cated by her mask). In early Greek art, especially in vase-paintings, she has the figure of a cow outright. On the throne of the Amyclaean Apollo, a work of the sculptor Bathycles (about Ol. 60), Hera was represented as glaring at Io, 'who is already a cow' (Paus. iii. 18. 7). On an archaic black-figured vase of the Munich collection (No. 573; see Panofka, Argos Panoptes, plate 5), Argus is seen, seated on the ground, a fero- cious figure with long hair and beard, and a huge eye in his shaggy breast; he holds in his hand a long cord, attached to the horns of a cow. Near by stands Hermes, grasping the cord near the horns with his left hand, and about to draw his sword with his right. Argus's dog
stands at bay in front of his master. Through the influence of this trag- edy, Io came later to be depicted in art as a maiden with horns. So, for instance, on a red-figured vase of the Berlin Museum (Panofka, l.c., plate 3). The stinging gadfly' of the legend (cp. Suppl. 306 BΑ. τί οὖν ἔτευξεν ἄλλο δυσπότμῳ βοΐ; ΧΟ. βοη- λάτην μύωπα κινητήριον, Verg. Georg. iii. 147 cui nomen asilo Ro- manum est, oestrum Graii vertere vocantes), which is mentioned in Io's narrative, 675 be- low, had also to be omitted in the scenic representation. The difficulty was met by a figurative conception of οἶστρος; the maddening sting was interpreted as the reminiscence of the crafty eye of Argos (567). — On account of the unusual manner of Io's entrance and exit, the anapaests which commonly accompany the ar- rival and departure of a personage are here and at 877 given to the actor, not to the chorus. So above, at the entrance of the chorus (120 ff.).

640. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-415

3
4
640. Verses lacking the usual cae- sura, and dividing themselves into two halves, are not frequent in Aes- chylus. The greatest number (seven) occurs in the Persians. In this place the ill effect is somewhat relieved by a pause after οὐκ οἶδ᾽. – ἀπιστῆσαι; disobey. Cp. Sept. 1030 ἔχουσ᾽ ἄπιστον τήνδ᾽ ἀναρχίαν πόλει, Soph. Ant. 381 οὐ δή που σε γ᾽ ἀπιστοῦσαν τοῖς βασι- λείοισιν ἄγουσι νόμοις, Eur. Suppl. 389 ἦν δ᾽ ἀπιστῶσ᾽, οἵδε δεύτεροι λόγοι.

642. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-416

5
6
642. καὶ λέγουσ᾽ ὀδύρομαι : "the bare recital costs me tears." Ср. 197; Eur. Hec. 519 νῦν τε γὰρ λέγων κακὰ τέγξω τόδ᾽ ὄμμα, πρὸς τάφῳ θ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἄλλυτο, Verg. Aen. ii. 6 quis talia fando...temperet a lacri- mis?

644. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-417

7
8
644. Cp. Soph. Αi. 282 τίς γάρ ποτ' ἀρχὴ τοῦ κακοῦ προσέπτατο; Eur. Alc. 420 οὐκ ἄφνω κακὸν τόδε προσέπτατο.

647. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-418

9
10
647. μέγ᾿ εὔδαιμον: cp. Χen. Cyr. ν. 1,28 μέγα εὐδαίμονας γενέσθαι, Suppl. 141 σεμνᾶς μέγα ματρός, Eur. Or. 1691 ὦ μέγα σεμνὴ Νίκη, and 1004 below. Also μέγ᾽ ἔξοχος, μέγα νήπιος in Homer and Hesiod. Krüger II. § 46, 6, 7.

648. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-419

11
12
648. Enclitics form, as it were, one word with the preceding; the long thesis of the fifth foot is therefore not a blemish, especially after the phthehemimeral caesura. See on 107.

649. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-420

13
14
649 f. ἱμέρου βέλει : = ἔρωτι (591). In an inverse relation τόξευμα is used in Suppl. 1003 καὶ παρθένων χλιδαῖσιν εὐμόρφοις ἔπι πᾶς τις παρελθὼν ὄμματος θελκτήριον τόξευμ᾽ ἔπεμψεν ἱμέρου νικώ- μενος. - τέθαλπται: cp. Soph. Ant. 1085 ἀφῆκα καρδίας τοξεύματα βέβαια τῶν σὺ θάλπος οὐκ ὑπεκδραμεῖ. θάλ- πος is said both of the smart of wounds and the fire of love (590). συναίρεσθαι Κύπριν: συνουσιάσαι, Schol.

651. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-421

15
16
651. Crasis of μὴ ἀ- is frequent. Cho. 918, Eum. 85 f., 694, 749, Suppl. 209. – ἀπολακτίσῃς: ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλό- γων ζῴων, Schol. The coarse expres- sion is purposely chosen, for intimi- dation.

652. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-422

17
18
652. βαθὺν λειμώνα : grassy meadow, i.e. with thick, deep herbage. Cp. Od. ix. 134 μάλα κὲν βαθὺ λήιον αἰεὶ εἰς ὥρας ἀμῷεν, ἐπεὶ μάλα πῖαρ ὑπ᾽ οὐδας, ΙΙ. ii. 147 ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε κινήσῃ Ζέφυρος βαθὺ λήιον ἐλθών, ix. 151 ῎Ανθειαν βαθύλει- μον, Eur. Hipp. 1138 βαθεῖαν ἀνὰ χλόαν.

654. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-423

19
20
654. ὄμμα λωφήσῃ: cp. 376. De- sire betrays itself in the look. Cp. Soph. Αi. 140 πεφόβημαι πτηνῆς ὡς ὄμμα πελείας.

657. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-424

21
22
657. Cp. Cho. 523 ἐκ τ᾽ ὀνειράτων καὶ νυκτιπλάγκτων δειμάτων πεπαλμένη.

658. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-425

23
24
658 f. ἐπὶ Δωδώνης: towards Do- dona. ἐπί with gen. of general direc- tion or end in view, frequent in Homer (cp. Il. iii. 5) and Herodotus (cp. i. 1). With our passage cp. Eur. El. 1343 στεῖχ᾽ ἐπ᾿ ᾿Αθηνῶν, Thuc. i. 63 ὁποτέρωσε διακινδυνεύσει χωρήσας ἢ ἐπὶ τῆς Ὀλύνθου ἢ ἐς τὴν Ποτίδαιαν. G. 191, VI. 2, 1a; H. 799, 1, 6. – ἴαλλεν: an epic word.

660. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-426

25
26
660. τί δρῶντ᾽ ἢ λέγοντα: this par- ticularization is a favorite one in Greek. Cp. the Homeric ἡ ἔπει ἢ ἔργῳ, ΙΙ. 1. 504. Especially appro-
priate in anxious inquiry of an ora- cle; cp. Soph. Ο. Τ. 70 ἐς τὰ Πυθικὰ ἔπεμψα Φοίβου δώμαθ᾽, ὡς πύθοιθ᾽, ὅ τι δρῶν ἢ τί φωνῶν τήνδε ῥυσαίμην πόλιν. Cp. also Cho. 316 τί σοι φάμενος ἢ τί ῥέξας, Pers. 174 μήτ᾽ ἔπος μήτ᾽ ἔργον, Eur. Hec. 372 μηδὲν ἐμποδὼν γένῃ λέγουσα μηδὲ δρῶσα, Phoen. 878 τί οὐ δρῶν, ποῖα δ᾽ οὐ λέγων ἔπη. – πράσ- σειν φίλα : = ἦρα φέρειν, χαρίζεσθαι. πράσσειν covers both δρᾶν and λέ- γειν.

662. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-427

27
28
662. Synonymorum coacervatio non modo rem ipsam, scilicet ambigui- tatem oraculorum, auget atque exag- gerat, sed etiam commotum Ius animum ostendit' (Schütz). So below ἐναργὴς ... σαφῶς ἐπισκήπτουσα καὶ μυθουμένη.

666. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-428

29
30
666. ἄφετον: for the resolution see on 116. ἄφετos, at large, as said of sacred animals ranging the enclosure of a temple. Cp. Plat. Critias 119 d ἀφέτων ὄντων ταύρων ἐν τῷ τοῦ Ποσει- δῶνος ἱερῷ, Prot. 320 & αὐτοὶ περιιόντες νέμονται ὥσπερ ἄφετοι, Eur. Ion 821 8 δ᾽ ἐν θεοῦ δόμοισιν ἄφετος, ὡς λάθοι, παιδεύεται. ἀλᾶσθαι : consecutive infinitive. Krüger I. § 55, 3, 20. Ср. Cho. 489 ἄνες μοι πατέρ᾽ ἐποπτεῦσαι μάχην.

667. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-429

31
32
667 f. μολεῖν κεραυνόν: see on 358 (ἦλθεν). – ἐξαϊστώσοι: see on 151.

671. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-430

33
34
671. ἄκουσαν ἄκων: see on 19. - ἀλλ᾽ ἐπηνάγκαζε: refers to the notion contained in άκων. Cp. Eum. 458 ἔφθιθ᾽ οὗτος οὐ καλῶς, μολὼν ἐς οἶκον· ἀλλά νιν κελαινόφρων ἐμὴ μήτηρ και τέκτα, Eur. Bacch. 1127 ἀπεσπάραξεν ὦμον οὐχ ὑπὸ σθένους, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ θεὸς εὐμά- ρειαν ἐπεδίδου χεροῖν.

672. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-431

35
36
672. Διὸς χαλινός : cp. Ag. 133 στόμιον μέγα Τροίας, 218 ἀνάγκης λέ- παδνον. – πρὸς βίαν: nearly like βίᾳ φρενῶν (Sept. 612), with inner reluc- tance.

673. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-432

37
38
673. The poet here omits certain details, which are related Suppl. 291 ff. The maid Io touches on external
facts only; she passes over the rea- sons of her persecution. A hint of these has been given by Prometheus at 592. – φρένες διάστροφοι: cp. Soph. Αἱ. 447 ὄμμα καὶ φρένες διάστροφοι.

674. mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-433

39
40
674 f. ὀξυστόμῳ μύωπι : see on 561, and cp. Schol. Apollon. Rhod. Arg. i. 1265 μύωψ εἶδος μυίας κατὰ τὸ ἔαρ γινό- μενον, ἥτις ταῖς λαγόσι τῶν βοῶν ἐπι- καθεζομένη δάκνει αὐτὰς καὶ εἰς μανίαν ἄγει· ἀφ᾽ οὗ καὶ οἶστρος λέγεται. Σώ- στρατος δὲ ἐν τῇ τετάρτῃ περὶ ζῴων διαστέλλει τὸν μύωπα τοῦ οἴστρου· ὁ μὲν γὰρ μύωψ ἐκ τῶν ξύλων ἀπογεννᾶ- ται, ὁ δὲ οἶστρος ἐκ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ποταμοῖς ἐπιπλεόντων σκωρίων. But Suppl. 307 βοηλάτην μύωπα κινητήριον· οἶστρον κα- λοῦσιν αὐτὸν οἱ Νείλου πέλας. Cp. Plin. H. N. xi. 28, 34, 100 pinnae in- sectis omnibus sine scissura, nulli cauda nisi scorpioni; ...reliquorum quibusdam aculeus in ore ut asilo, sive tabanum dici placet.

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676. εὔποτον: cp. 812. 'The Greeks in general were so little prone to de- scriptive poetry that we cannot but wonder at the inexhaustible wealth of expression with which their poets describe the blessings of flowing water. It is surprising how carefully they inquired into its properties, and how they compared the waters of distant regions, distinguishing their temperature, taste, color, weight, and - their effect on the human body in drinking and bathing' (Ernst Curtius in Griechische Quell- und Brunnenin- schriften). – Κερχνείας ῥέος : Κέρχνη κρήνη ῎Αργους, Schol. According to Pausanias ii. 24, 7, the small town Κεγχρεαί (the later form of the name) lay on the route from Argos to Tegea. Not far away, near the coast, was the marshy lake of Lerna, renowned in the myth of Heracles. Cp. Pau- san. ii. 36, 6. 'The mountain-ridge Pontinus pushes out so close to the sea that the waters welling up at its base have not space to form a river- bed. It is these springs which pro- duce the Lernaean swamp.... Lerna itself was never a town; the name designates either the chief fountain, or the lake, or the whole coast-region' (E. Curtius, Peloponnesos II. pp. 340, 371).

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678. ἄκρατος: intemperatus, unmitigated, unsoftened, like unmixed wine.

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680. Here, too, the poet skilfully passes over details (see on 571). ἀπροσδόκητος, ἀφνίδιος: joined as in Thuc. ii. 61 δουλοῖ γὰρ φρόνημα τὸ αἰφνίδιον καὶ ἀπροσδόκητον καὶ τὸ πλεί- στῳ παραλόγῳ συμβαίνον. The form ἀφνίδιος is from ἄφνω. For the reso- lution, see on 2. The caesura is to be made after αὐτόν, not after ἀπροσ- δόκητος δ᾽.

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681. οἰστροπλήξ: cp. Soph. El. 5 τῆς οἰστροπλῆγος ἄλσος Ἰνάχου κόρης. Whips were sometimes armed with sharp points, to serve as goads (cp. on 691); so the expression οἰστροπλὴξ μάστιγι is especially fitting.

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682. γῆν πρὸ γῆς: cp. Ar. Ach. 235 διώκειν γῆν πρὸ γῆς. Also the phrases γῆν πρὸ γῆς ἀπιέναι, ἴτω χαιρέτω γῆν πρὸ γῆς ὅποι βούλοιτο, φεύγω γῆν πρὸ γῆς, quoted by Suidas (s.vv. διαξαίνειν, ἴτω, and πρὸ γῆς), Lucian Alex. 46 γῆν πρὸ γῆς ἐλαύνεσθαι ὡς ἀσεβῆ, Cic. Att. xiv. 10 haec et alia ferre non possum; itaque γῆν πρὸ γῆς cogito. The expression (πρό= ἀντί) is analogous to ἀμείβεσθαι τόπον.

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684. The scholiast compares Tele- machus's words, Od. iii. 96 μηδέ τί μ' αἰδόμενος μειλίσσεο μηδ᾽ ἐλεαίρων, ἀλλ᾽ εὖ μοι κατάλεξον.

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685. νόσημα αἴσχιστον: cp. 1069; Eur. Οr. 10 ἀκόλαστον ἔσχε γλῶσσαν, αἰσχίστην νόσον.