Aeschylus Eumenides 381-388.blass-note-85

374. κατὰ γᾶν , on earth, is the MS. reading: but as Hermann said, the sense below the earth, κατὰ γᾶs, is required in antithesis to ὑπ᾿ αἰθέρι. The same mistake occurs again 11. 838, 871. 11. 375, 376. Bold and imaginative expressions :

i.e. [their human glories come to naught] when we the Furies attack them and weave these magic dances which make them our captive (as we are doing to Orestes).

381. μένει γάρ , for the law abides: so μίμνει Ag. 1563. But it is obscure and abrupt: and possibly corrupted.

382. ἐσμέν is easily understood: Crafty are we, and unfailing to accomplish.

385-388. διόμεναι is rather a strange word (though the English to pursue a task or charge exactly illustrates it): hence Heath ingeniously suggested διέπο- μεν. But διόμεναι was read by Schol. and the MS. may stand.

387. ἀνηλίῳ λάμπᾳ , lit. in sunless light, an oxymoron, meaning in a light which is no light, where no sunlight shines. [Others translate

387. λάμπᾳ , filth, mould; for there is a very late word λάμπη, 'scum; and Dind. adopts Wieseler's conj. λάπᾳ in the same sense. But the strain of meaning is very harsh, and the word in the last degree unlikely.]

387. δυσοδοπαίπαλα is suspicious, as the metaphor is rather harsh (though perhaps continued from διόμεναι): the metre does not correspond with the antistrophe (καίπερ ὑπὸ χθόνα); and the double compound with δυσis unusual, indeed unique.

mvp-comment-269-1 μένει γάρ: μένει γάρ, manet enim firmum hoc: sumus promptae, i. e. nos esse promptas. Ag. v. 1530. μίμνει δὲ μίμνοντος ἐν θρόνῳ Διὸς παθεῖν τὸν ἔρξαντα. V. Opusc. VI. 2. p. 74.

mvp-comment-270-1 τε: τε recte et necessario Wakefieldius. Libri δέ. Particulae τε και etiam in antistropha in eodem loco sunt.

mvp-comment-271-1 τε μνήμονες, σεμναὶ: τε τλήμονες σεμναὶ Par. τε μνήμονες τε σεμναὶ Ven. Flor.

mvp-comment-272-1 δυςπαρήγοροι: δυσπαράγωγοι Farn.

mvp-comment-273-1 ἀτίετα: ἀτίετα Canterus. ἀτίεται M. G. Par. Ald. Rob. Turn. ἀτίετον Ven. Flor. Farn.

mvp-comment-274-1 διχοστατοῦντ᾽: διχοστατοῦντο Ven. Flor. Rob. διχοστατοῦ | τ' Μ. G. Turn. διχοστατού | τ' Αld.

mvp-comment-275-1 λάμπα, δυςοδοπαίπαλα: λάμπαι Μ. G. Par. Farn. Ald. λαμπα Ven. Flor. Rob. λάμψαι Turn. Perperam Wieselerus scribendum coniecit λάπα, situ, quod verum putaverunt et alii et Dindorfius in Parisiensi editione Thesauri Stephani. Rectissime Canterus λάμπα. Vsus est hoc vocabulo Aeschylus, ut videtur, etiam infra v. 1022. et, ut Musgravius intellexit, Euripides in Suppl. v. 993. ubi scribendum est λάμπαι δ᾽ ὠκύθοοί νιν ἀμφιππεύουσι δι᾽ ὄρφνας. Nihil autem aliud ἀνηλίῳ λάμπα significatur quam sole destituta caligo, quae mox v. 388. δυςήλιον κνέφας dicitur. Sic in Simonidis carmine de Danae νυκτιλαμπεῖ κυανέῳ τε διάφοτανυσθείς, et sexcenta alia, in quibus lucis et similium rerum notio tantum ad augendum contrarium adiicitur. V. Seidl. ad Eur. Troad. v. 566. Deinde δυσοδοπαίπαλα M. Turn. δυσοδοπαίπαλα G. δυσόδῳ παίπαλα Ald. δυσοπαίπαλα Ven. Flor. Farn. Rob.

mvp-comment-276-1 δερκομένοισι: δερχομένοισι Ald. καὶ δερκόμενοισι, adscripto ἴαμβος, Farn.

mvp-comment-120-1 μένει γάρ] 'For 'tis an abiding law. If we compare Ag. 1540

we shall conclude that the poet means to say that the fate he has described is inevitable. It is called a θεσμός, inf. 369. And the Furies go on to declare that they have means to work out their will, never forget and never forgive either in this world or the next. Cf. Prom. 524

Μοῖραι τρίμορφοι μνήμονές τ᾿ ᾿Ερινύες.

Αjax 1390

μνήμων τ᾽᾽ Ερινὺς καὶ τελεσφόρος Δίκη.

mvp-comment-121-1 λάμπᾳ] Inf. 994 and in Eur. Suppl. 993 the word seems the same as λαμπάς, but the Schol. explains, our duties are kept apart from those of the gods through the sunless gloom in which we exercise them ( τῷ προσόντι αὐτοῖς σκότει). Photius, λάμπη· παχὺς ἀφρὸς ἐπιπολῆς τοῦ οἴνου. Perhaps the Schol. took a sunless torch to mean the absence of sunlight. There was a word λάπη, which Hesychius (in λάπτης) explains βόρβορος, and Wieseler proposed to restore it here. ibid. δυσοδοπαίπαλα] Schol.

In place of λάχη we seem to want some word meaning ὁδοὺς, 'pursuing them over rough and difficult ways. By a harsh figure, the duties ( λάχη) of the pursuers are themselves called rough and rugged for the pursued.

mvp-comment-153-1 λείπει τὸ ἐσμέν. ἡμεῖς γὰρ εὐμήχανοι ἐσμεν καὶ ἐπιτελεστικαὶ καὶ τῶν κακῶν μνήμονες.

mvp-comment-154-1 οὐ ταχέως παρηγορούμεναι ὑπὸ βροτῶν.

mvp-comment-155-1 ἀφωρισμένα τῶν θεῶν τῶι προσόντι αὐτοῖς σκότει. μετερχόμεναι λάχη ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐ τιμώμεθα ὑπὸ θεῶν.

mvp-comment-156-1 δυσπαράβατα καὶ τραχέα ζῶσι καὶ τοῖς θνήισκουσιν (καὶ τεθνηκόσιν Wieseler).

mvp-comment-191-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 276

mvp-comment-191-2 erstes Stasimon, welches besonders in den Ephymnien den Charakter des ὕμνος δέσμιος hat. ,, Apollon beraubt uns unseres Rechtes, indem er uns diesen Flüchtling entzieht, der uns zur Sühne des Muttermords zukommt und dem unser grauser Gesang gilt. Denn SO hat das Schicksal bestimmt, dafs wir die Mörder verfolgen und peinigen. Drum weil Umsturz von Häusern unser Los ist, haben die Götter des Lichts keine Gemeinschaft mit uns und Feste der Freude sind uns versagt. Dafür sind die Götter dieser traurigen Sorge überhoben und brauchen sich nicht mit Blutbefleckten zu befassen. Wir verfolgen den Mörder und stürzen ihn von der Höhe seines Ruhms. Er wird, ohne dessen in seiner Geistesnacht inne zu werden, von der Stimme des Volkes verurteilt und allgemeine Mifsachtung umnachtet sein Haus (vgl. Cho. 53 ff. , Ag. 463 ff. ). So steht es fest: Geniessen wir auch nicht die Ehre, den oberen Göttern gesellt zu sein, so haben doch die Sterblichen die vom Schicksal gegebene Satzung, auf der unser altheiliges Amt beruht, zu fürchten und zu verehren." Wenn man aus den drei Ephymnien schliefsen darf, wird jedes der drei ersten Strophenpaare von einem Stoichos, die Ephymnien und das vierte Strophenpaar von dem Gesamtchore vorgetragen.

mvp-comment-213-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 279

mvp-comment-213-2 μένει γάρ wie Ag. 1562 . Der Gesamtchor fafst das von den einzelnen Reihen Vorgetragene zusammen. εὐμήχανοι τε καὶ τέλειοι ( οὖσαι), d. i. die wir (die uns zufallende Rache) vollbringen und dazu viele Mittel und Wege haben. τε vor μνήμονες braucht nicht als lange Silbe betrachtet zu werden, zu Ag. 980 . μνήμονες wie Prom. 532

- μονές τ' Ερινύες. σεμναί, unnahbar. ἄτιμ᾽ ἀτίετα κτέ, das Amt, dessen wir walten, ist nicht geehrt, nicht geachtet, insofern wir fern von den Göttern in sonnenlosem Moder unsere Stelle haben. διέπομεν wie 932. διχοστα τοῦντα, vgl. 350. ἀνηλίω λάπα das gleiche wie ζόφω ευρώεντι Hymn. auf Demeter 482. λάχη δυσοδοπαίπαλα κτἑ., Schol. δυσπαράβατα καὶ τραχέα ζῶσι καὶ τεθνηκόσιν. Schwer wandeln den rauhen Pfad zu mir Lebende wie Tote. Vgl. Hom. ω 10 ευρώεντα κέλευθα, Verg. Aen. VI 462 per loca senta situ noctemque profundam. Also,,ich habe meinen Wohnsitz fern von den Göttern an dunkler, unzugänglicher Stätte". Indes ist δυσοδοπαίπαλα wegen mangelhafter Responsion mit καίπερ ὑπὸ χθόνα (398) zu beanstanden. Heimsöth vermutet δυσποροπαίπαλα, Weil δυσποδοπαίπαλα, Oberdick δύσβατα, παίπαλα, Davies δυσβατοπαίπαλα. δερκομένοισι καὶ δυσομμάτοις wie ἀλαοῖσι καὶ δεδορκόσιν 323.

μένει γάρ , for the law abides: so

Ag. 1563 . But it is obscure and abrupt: and possibly corrupted.

ἐσμέν is easily understood: Crafty are we, and unfailing to accomplish.

διόμεναι is rather a strange word (though the English to pursue a task or charge exactly illustrates it): hence Heath ingeniously suggested διέπο- μεν. But διόμεναι was read by Schol. and the MS. may stand.

ἀνηλίῳ λάμπᾳ , lit. in sunless light, an oxymoron, meaning in a light which is no light, where no sunlight shines. [Others translate

λάμπᾳ , filth, mould; for there is a very late word λάμπη, 'scum; and Dind. adopts Wieseler's conj. λάπᾳ in the same sense. But the strain of meaning is very harsh, and the word in the last degree unlikely.]

δυσοδοπαίπαλα is suspicious, as the metaphor is rather harsh (though perhaps continued from διόμεναι): the metre does not correspond with the antistrophe (καίπερ ὑπὸ χθόνα); and the double compound with δυσis unusual, indeed unique.

mvp-sidgwick-184-3-1 There are many suggestions to cure the metrical fault, δυσποροπ., δυσποδοπ., δυσμολοπ., δυσβατοπ., etc. But it is best to leave it.

mvp-sidgwick-185-1-1 Compare

l. 322 .