μεσολαβεῖ
, another tersely vivid word: the goad
grasped by the middle to give the blow force.
mvp-sidgwick-88-1-1
'Tis come, I feel it, the sore, sore chill of the cruel scourger's blow. δάμιος μαστίκτωρ is the
public scourger: a bold image for Klytaimnestra's taunts.
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The MSS. read-
κρατοῦντες τὸ πᾶν δίκας πλέον·
πάρεστι γᾶς ὀμφαλόν κ.τ.λ.
This stopping must be wrong, as the construction is very clumsy with θρόνον in apposition to ὀμφαλόν, and the strophe which is very parallel in sound and structure makes it practically certain that the stop is at κάρα. We then have two alternatives : (1) Το keep θρόνον, changing stop from πλέον to κάρα :
Ruling utterly beyond the right
We may see the Earth's navel, etc.
[φονολιβή θρόνον is a regular dochmiac, and may rightly correspond to μεσολαβεῖ κέντρῳ, where the long κεν- is an irrational syllable. So for example
O. Τ. 1315
δύσοῦρῖστὸν ōv corresponds to 1323 τυφλὸν κῆδεῦῶν.
mvp-sidgwick-89-2-1
Even if syllabic correspondence were required, we might easily correct to θρᾶνον Ahrens, θᾶκον Rauchenstein: but there is no need].
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(2) To read with Herm. and others after Wakefield θρόμβον, and suppose the second and third lines interjectory, by another speaker: κρατοῦντες intransitive:
Ruling utterly beyond the right:-
Around his feet, about his head-
The two lines would then be a vivid and bold picture of angry horror at the foul stain on the god's shrine:
such are the doings of the young gods as the ancient Furies dramatically exclaim. On the whole I prefer (1) which keeps the MS. reading, certainly also read (though misunderstood) by the Schol. who says, τὸν θρόνον οὗ Ορέστης καθῆτο πάρεστιν ὁρᾶν φονολειβῆ. It was not the seat of Orestes but the seat of Apollo.
