Eumenides. Aeschylus. ed. Martin L. West. Stutgardiae. 1990.
Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.
Eumenides. Aeschylus. ed. Martin L. West. Stutgardiae. 1990.
Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.
Εὐμενίδες (OCR draft) (Greek) (Εὐμενίδες. Martin L. West, 1990.)
Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.
No corresponding passage available
Eumenides
373. ὑπ᾿ αἰθέρι , beneath the sky, i.e. when they are living on earth.
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 :
377. λυμή is the destruction which attacks his mind, and blinds him to the threatening evil;
377. τόδε is best taken (not of the fall as many edd., which would be simply
377. πίπτων οὐκ οἶδεν , but) of the presence and power of the Furies.
378. κνέφας . is in apposition to
378. μύσος , and is predicative: we should say, So dark a cloud of pollution hovereth over him .
378. ἐπί , Epic adverbial use (tmesis) of the preposition, going with the verb.
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.
393. δοθέντα τέλεον , adj. used proleptically, granted for sure accomplishment.
mvp-comment-260-1 Ζεὺς γὰρ δειματοσταγὲς ἀξιόμισον ἔθνος τόδε λέσχας ἧς ἀπηξιώσατο: ζεὺς γὰρ αἱματοσταγὲς ἀξιόμισον ἔθνος τόδε λέσχας ἷς ἀπηξιώσατο Μ. G. Ald. Rob. Turn. nisi quod λέσχος est in Rob. et ἃς in G. Ald. Rob. et deinde απεξιώσατο in Rob. ζεῦ αἱματοσταγές etc. Ven. Flor. Farn. sed in Farn. οὐκ ὀρθῶς in margine adscriptum est. Deinde ὣς pro ἇς Farn. Quod Turnebus pro λέσχας ἇς ut aliam lectionem affert, μὲν σχάσας, ipsius haud dubie coniectura est. V. ad v. 310. Scholiastes ad ἔθνος τόδε adnotavit τὸ τῶν φονέων. Abreschius recte sensit, non de parricidis, sed de Furiis sermonem esse. Sed idem sine idonea caussa negavit αἱματοσταγές quadrare in Furias. Non ergo hanc ob caussam, sed propter metrum αἱματοσταγές in δειματοσταγές mutavi. V. ad Choeph. v. 828.
mvp-comment-262-1 δόξαι τ᾿ ἀνδρῶν: δόξαι τ' ἀνδρῶν eliam M. δόξαι τ' ἀνδρῶ ΑΙ.
mvp-comment-263-1 τακόμεναι κατὰ γᾶς: τακόμεναι ad prius a supra adscripto η Flor. τ᾿ ἀκόμεναι G. Ald. Deinde libri κατὰ γῆν. Scripsi κατὰ γᾶς. Tum μηνύθουσιν Farn.
mvp-comment-264-1 ἡμετέραις: ἡμετέροις Rob. ἐφόδους μελανοίμοσιν Αld.
mvp-comment-265-1 ἐπιφθόνοις: ἐπὶ φόνοις Rob. Ceteri επιφόνοις. Emendavit Heathius.
mvp-comment-266-1 πίπτων δ᾽ οὐκ οἶδεν ... λύμα: πίπτον Αld. οἶδεν M. G. Ald. Rob. οἶδε Ven. Flor. Turn. λυμα Ald. Turn.
mvp-comment-267-1 ποῖον ἐπὶ ... μύσος πεπόταται: τοῖον ἐπὶ Heathius. Libri τοῖον γὰρ ἐπί. Deinde μύσος Victorius. μύσος M. Ven. Rob. Turn. μῖσος G. Ald. Denique επιπόταται Rob.
mvp-comment-268-1 δνοφεράν ... ἀχλὺν κατὰ δώματος: κεδνοφεράν et καταδύματος Rob. ἀχλήν Αld.
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-277-1 ἅζεται: οὐχ ἅζεται Turn. οὐχάζεται M. G. Ven. Flor. Farn. Rob. οὐχ ἄζεται Ald.
mvp-comment-278-1 δέδοικεν: Libri δέδοικε.
mvp-comment-279-1 θεσμὸν: θεσμῶν Par.
mvp-comment-280-1 τὸν μοιρόκραντον: μοιρόκραντον Turn. et, ut videtur, M. μοιρόκραντον G. Ald. μοιρόκρατον Rob. μυρόκραντον, ad v supra adscripto or, Ven. Flor.
mvp-comment-281-1 ἔτι δέ μοι ... γέρας παλαιόν: ἔπι δέ μοι γέρας etc. M. G. Ven. Flor. et sic Victorius. ἐπὶ δέ μοι γέρας etc. Ald. Rob. ἔστι δέ μοι γέρας etc. Turn. ἔπι scholiastes interpretatur ἔπεστιν. Scripsi ἔτι δέ μοι * μένει* γέρας παλαιόν etc. Nam iambum excidisse patet.
mvp-comment-282-1 κύρω: Libri κυρῶ. Metri caussa iam olim dedi κύρω. V. ad Soph. Ai. v. 314.
mvp-comment-283-1 τάξιν: τάξιν γ' Ven. Flor. et adscripto ἴαμβος Farn.
mvp-comment-116-1 It is easy however to read σπευδομένα. Between τάσδε and τᾶσδε there is a further doubt; a gloss in the Med. explains the latter of Clytemnestra. We may perhaps (comparing inf. 808) translate, 'and in my eagerness to remove another (i.e. Apollo) from this care, -for the gods can only prevent prayers to me from being fulfilled, but they must not come to a dispute with me, since Zeus disowns, as unworthy of converse, this blood-dripping and accursed race, -in doing this, I say ( γὰρ οὖν), I bring down from far above the heavy-falling force of my foot, my nimble limbs which trip up in the end even runners in a long course, a calamity hard for them to bear. That is, that Apollo may not rescue him, I now pursue him. The Schol. seems here right, τοῖς τανυδρόμοις αὐτῶν ἐπάγουσα τὰ σφαλερά μου κῶλα, οἷον, καὶ οἱ ταχυδρόμοι οὐ δύνανταί με ἐκφυγεῖν. For the notion of a demon leaping down see on 4--2 v. 169. As to ἀτέλειαν, ‘non-fulfilment,' the doctrine is held in view, that the gods do not directly thwart or interfere with each other's designs: see Eur. Hipp. 1330 .
mvp-comment-117-1
δόξαι κ.τ.λ.] Even the proud and high conceits of men are brought low in the other world in those who come under the spell of our weird dance.
Schol.
mvp-comment-118-1 οὐκ οἶδεν] The proud man is for long unconscious that we have him in our grasp. Like the physical pining by blood-draining (v. 257), so the moral and social descent of the family is gradual and unperceived; a gloom comes over the house, and evil things are said of it: it is under a cloud, as we express it.
mvp-comment-119-1
Schol.
mvp-comment-120-1
μένει γάρ] 'For 'tis an abiding law. If we compare
Ag. 1540
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.
mvp-comment-147-1 τὸ τῶν φονέων.
mvp-comment-148-1 καὶ τοὺς ὑψηλοὺς καθαιροῦμεν.
mvp-comment-149-1 τοῖς τανυδρόμοις αὐτῶν κώλοις ἐπάγουσα τὰ σφαλερά μου κῶλα. ἢ ἀπ᾿ ἄλλης ἀρχῆς, καὶ τοῖς τανυδρόμοις γίνεται σφαλερὰ τὰ κῶλα διὰ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν αὐτοῖς ἄτην δύσφορον ὑπ᾿ ἐμοῦ. οἷον, καὶ οἱ ταχυδρόμοι οὐ δύνανταί με ἐκφυγεῖν.
mvp-comment-150-1 παραφρονῶν (Steph. f. περιφρ.) γὰρ οὐκ αἰσθάνεται τοῦ κακοῦ.
mvp-comment-151-1 σκότος φρενῶν. λείπειν φασὶ διά, διὰ (Kirchh. f. δὲ) μύσος· οὐκ ἔστι δέ, αὐτὸ γὰρ τὸ μύσος κνέφας εἴρηκεν.
mvp-comment-152-1 κακὴ δὲ φήμη περὶ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ λέγεται.
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-157-1 τὸν ὑπὸ Μοιρῶν καὶ θεῶν τετελεσμένον.
mvp-comment-158-1 ἔπεστιν.
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-210-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 278
mvp-comment-210-2 ὑπ᾽ αἰθέρι wie οὐρανόμηκες κλέος: der Ruhm der stolz bis zu den Sternen sich hebt, sinkt nieder zur Erde und vergeht in ἐπιφθόνοις, gehässig,
mvp-comment-211-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 279
mvp-comment-211-2
Mit gewaltigem Sprunge setze ich von oben auf ihn nieder die schwer auf ihn fallende Spitze des Fufses, die ihn um so sicherer zum Falle bringt, als den Weitausholenden die
Fülse leicht ausgleiten.
ποδὸς ἀκμάν wie
Pers. 1061
mvp-comment-212-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 279
mvp-comment-212-2
Er stürzt ohne sich dessen zu versehen infolge verderblichen Wahnsinns; so
grofs ist die Dunkelheit, welche mit der Befleckung auf dem Manne gelagert ist, wie auf seinem Hause schwarze Finsternis ruht, welche die vielen Klagen des Volkes auf dasselbe werfen.
τοῖον κνέφας steht prädikativ zu dem Subjekt
μύσος.
—
ἐπιπεπότα ται ebenso
Pers. 672
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
mvp-comment-214-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 280
mvp-comment-214-2 Schol. τὸν ὑπὸ Μοιρῶν καὶ θεῶν τετελεσμένον. Die Mören haben die Satzungen der Erinyen festgesetzt, das junge Göttergeschlecht hat sie bestätigt.
mvp-comment-215-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 280
mvp-comment-215-2 καίπερ τάξιν ἔχουσα ὑπὸ χθόνα καὶ δυσήλιον κνέφας. Vgl. zu Cho. 990 .
mvp-sidgwick-173-1-1
Again an obscure passage. MSS. read :
mvp-sidgwick-173-2-1 Where the general drift seems to be: [I pursue the guilty] and am eager to relieve another (the gods) of this charge, and set the gods free, and prevent the crime from coming to trial-for Zeus has banished the guilty from his sight, etc.
mvp-sidgwick-173-3-1 This seems to make a fair sense, and it is best with most editors to suppose the nom. pendens σπευδόμεναι to be taken up again by μάλα γὰρ οὖν, so that the sentence is only grammatically completed when we reach καταφέρω.
mvp-sidgwick-173-4-1 [This anacoluthon is rather harsh: Wecklein and Kirchhoff take Döderlein's suggestion σπεύδομεν αΐδ', we here are eager. But the phrase is then abrupt and unnatural.]
mvp-sidgwick-173-5-1 The points that remain are:
mvp-sidgwick-173-6-1 (1) 362 ἐμαῖσι λιταῖς, which, if right, must be referred to the prayer of the Eumenides to Apollo not to interfere. But the passage is too general to refer specially to Orestes, though he is of course in their minds. So that perhaps ἐμαῖς μελέταις is better, and by my labour to set the gods free (lit. to bring about the freedom or immunity of the gods, i. e. freedom from the duty of punishing the criminal).
mvp-sidgwick-173-7-1 (2) 363 μηδ' εἰς ἄγκρισιν ἐλθεῖν: i. e. to take the guilty into my own hands and prevent the matter from being tried by the gods;the very thing they feared was going to be done with Orestes. ἄγκρισις or ἀνάκρισις is the technical term for the preliminary investigation by a magistrate.
mvp-sidgwick-173-8-1 (3) Bloody hateful race, i.e. as Schol. explains, the race of murderers: the whole passage from l. 348 being a general description of the office of the Furies and their relation to the gods. [H. P. and others refer ἔθνοs to Furies: but they would hardly call themselves ἀξιώμισον.]
mvp-sidgwick-173-9-1
The whole passage may then be translated as follows:
μάλα with
ἁλομένα
:
ὅμως inserted and
μάταν , see above l. 359 ] is almost necessary to give the right sense, even though they fly swiftly.
ὑπ᾿ αἰθέρι , beneath the sky, i.e. when they are living on earth.
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
ll. 838, 871
.
ll. 375, 376
. Bold and imaginative expressions :
mvp-sidgwick-177-1-1 After this line in the MSS. comes μάλα γὰρ οὖν . . . μάταν ( ll. 367-371 ). It is possible that the words are repeated as a refrain both here and after l. 380 .
λυμή is the destruction which attacks his mind, and blinds him to the threatening evil;
τόδε is best taken (not of the fall as many edd., which would be simply
πίπτων οὐκ οἶδεν , but) of the presence and power of the Furies.
κνέφας . is in apposition to
μύσος , and is predicative: we should say, So dark a cloud of pollution hovereth over him.
ἐπί , Epic adverbial use (tmesis) of the preposition, going with the verb.
mvp-sidgwick-180-1-1
Again a highly imaginative and picturesque phrase which needs no alteration:
μένει γάρ
,
for the law abides: so
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
δοθέντα τέλεον , adj. used proleptically, granted for sure accomplishment.
mvp-sidgwick-187-1-1 Two syllables are wanting to make the metre correspond: and they are usually supplied among the iambics of l. 394 , with adoption of Hermann's κύρω for κῠρῶ; but possibly l. 394 is all right, and the loss is in l. 395 .
mvp-sidgwick-187-2-1 [Enter Athena from above in the air.]