1-134
Prologue. Odysseus tells Neoptolemus that this is the spot where, ten years before, he had put Philoctetes ashore. Neoptolemus presently finds the cave, with traces in it which show that it is still inhabited. Odysseus then suggests that he should capture Philoctetes and his bow by a stratagem. He is to pretend that he has quarrelled with the Atreidae, and is sailing homeward. The youth at first refuses; but ultimately yields to the argument that only thus can he win the glory of taking Troy.—Odysseus returns to his ship, leaving Neoptolemus to watch for Philoctetes at the cave.
ἀκτὴ μὲν ἥδε
, implying the antithesis,
τῷ δὲ ἔργῳ ἤδη ἐπιχειρητέον
, which is virtually given by vv. 11 ff. For
μέν
thus deprived of its answering
δέ
by a change in the form of a long sentence, cp.
Ant. 1199
ff.
ἄστιπτος
is the form given by L here, which also has
στιπτή
in v. 33.
στιπτός
, not
στειπτός
, is also the best attested form in Aristophanes
Ach. 180
, and in Theophrastus
De Igne § 37. See Appendix.
οὐδ’ οἰκουμένη
. Aeschylus and Euripides had both written a
Φιλοκτήτης
, and each had composed his chorus of Lemnians,—thus making it seem strange that the sufferer should have been left so long without aid (Dion Chrysostom, or. 52). Sophocles wished to avoid that defect. Everything that is said of Lemnos throughout this play would naturally suggest a wholly uninhabited island. And the words ascribed to Philoctetes (vv. 220 f., 300 ff.) require us to suppose that he, at least, believed it to be so. The
Iliad, however, represents
Εὔνηος
, son of Jason and Hypsipylè, as reigning in Lemnos during the Trojan war (7. 467); and it was into ‘well-peopled Lemnos’ that Achilles sold Lycaon (21. 40). It is simplest to suppose that Sophocles, finding it convenient to have a desert island, ignored the Homeric notices. But it is also possible that he conceived the island as inhabited in some parts and desolate in others. This is the scholiast's view:
ἐν ἐρήμῳ γὰρ μέρει τῆς Λήμνου ἐξετέθη
. The area of Lemnos is about 150 square miles, or more than thrice that of Jersey. Philoctetes could not crawl far from his sea-side cave (
cp. 163
, 291).
κρατίστου … τραφείς
: strictly, ‘bred from’ (not, ‘reared by’) ‘a sire who was the bravest of the Greeks.’
πατρὸς
is not a gen. of agency (like
πληγεὶς θυγατρός
,
Eur.
Or. 497
), but a gen. of origin, as 1284
ἀρίστου πατρὸς αἴσχιστος γεγώς
: cp.
O.T. 1082
τῆς γὰρ πέφυκα μητρός
,
O.C. 1322
μητρὸς λοχευθείς
.
τραφείς
is more forcible than
γεγώς
, as suggesting, not birth merely, but the inborn qualities. Cp.
Ai. 556
δεῖ δ’ ὅπως πατρὸς
|
δείξεις ἐν ἐχθροῖς οἷος ἐξ οἵου )τράφης
, ‘thou must see that thou provest among thy father's foes of what mettle and
what breed thou art.’ In
Aesch.
Th. 792
θαρσεῖτε, παῖδες μητέρων τεθραμμέναι
, the gen. seems again to be one of origin, ‘maidens
who are true daughters of your mothers’ (
i.e., who resemble them, rather than your intrepid fathers). Wakefield's conjecture
ἔνθ’ ὦ <’
κ> κρατίστου
was warranted by the commoner usage of
τραφείς
(with
ἐκ
,
Soph.
Ai. 557
,
Eur.
Ion 693
; with
ἀπό
,
Eur.
Ion 262
,
Soph.
Ai. 1229
); but it was needless here.
Νεοπτόλεμε
, four syllables, the voice gliding so rapidly over the first
ε
that, with
ο
, it gives the effect of only one syllable. So in 241, and
Eur.
Andr. 14
,
Eur.
Tro. 1126.
But the name is a word of five syllables in
Eur.
Or. 1655
Νεοπτόλεμος γαμεῖν νιν, οὐ γαμεῖ ποτε
. Elmsley thought that verse corrupt; the same variation occurs, however, in
Θεοκλύμενος
, which is of four syllables in
Helen. 9, but of five
ib. 1168 and 1643.
τὸν Μηλιᾶ
, belonging to Malis (‘the sheepcountry,’ from
μῆλον
, as the neighbouring Mount Oeta takes its name from
οἶς
),—a district almost enclosed by hills, at the head (
i.e., west) of the
Μαλιακὸς κόλπος
. That bay forms a deep recess in the south coast of Thessaly, just opposite the N.W. end of Euboea. Cp. n. on 490. The
Iliad (2. 682) includes this region in the domain of Achilles, and assigns Philoctetes to the more northerly region of Thessaly, afterwards called Magnesia: see Introduction.—Her. , consistently Ionic, has,
ἡ Μηλὶς γῆ, ἡ Τρηχινίη
: Attic writers always have
Τραχίς
: but Thuc. and Xen. say
οἱ Μηλιεῖς
, while Aeschines, like later writers, has
οἱ Μαλιεῖς
.
Cp. 725
Μηλιάδων νυμφᾶν
.
ἐξέθηκ’
=
ἀπεβίβασα
: cp.
Arist.
Poet. 24
τὰ περὶ τὴν ἔκθεσιν
, the story of Odysseus being
put ashore by the Phaeacians in Ithaca (
Hom.
Od. 13. 116
ff.).
6 f. Nauck's transposition of these two verses effaces a delicate touch. Odysseus is anxious to present his conduct in the best light. After
ἐξέθηκ’ ἐγώ
, he hastens to add that he was merely obeying his chiefs (v. 6). And then, in vv. 7 ff., he palliates their conduct by describing how unendurable Philoctetes was.
καταστάζοντα
agrees with
υἱόν
(5):
πόδα
is acc. of respect:
Ai. 9
κάρα
|
στάζων ἱδρῶτι.
διαβόρῳ
:
Tr. 1084
ἡ τάλαινα διαβόρος νόσος
(the venom of the hydra). So below,
313
βόσκων τὴν ἀδηφάγον νόσον
:
745
βρύκομαι
. Aesch. fr. 253 (Philoctetes speaking)
φαγέδαιν’ ἀεί μου σάρκας ἐσθίει ποδός
: a v. which Euripides borrowed in his own
Philoctetes, changing
σάρκας ἐσθίει
to
σάρκα θοινᾶται
(
Arist.
Poet. 22
).
λοιβῆς … θυμάτων
. The sacrifice regularly preceded the libation (cp.
Il. 1. 462
); the order here is prompted by metrical convenience (as in
Il. 9. 500
λοιβῇ τε κνίσῃ τε
), while the natural order is given below,
1033
(
αἴθειν ἱερά,...σπένδειν
).
προσθιγεῖν
, fig., ‘engage in’; so the simple
θιγγάνω
(408,
Ant. 546
), and
ἅπτομαι
: cp.
Ant. 1005
ἐμπύρων ἐγευόμην.
δυσφημίαις
, cries of anguish, such as he utters below (
743
,
785
). Cp.
Eur.
Andr. 1144
κραυγὴ δ’ ἐν εὐφήμοισι δύσφημος δόμοις
|
πέτραισιν ἀντέκλαγξ’
(cries of strife echoing in the Delphian temple from the rocks hard by). At a sacrifice, all present were first sprinkled with consecrated water, then silence was proclaimed, and then the offering began: Ar.
Av. 958
αὖθις σὺ περιχώρει λαβὼν τὴν χέρνιβα
. |
εὐφημἴ ἔστω. ΧΡ. μὴ κατάρξῃ τοῦ τράγου
.The sacrifice which the cries of Philoctetes interrupted must be that which an oracle had commanded the Greeks to offer at Chrysè's altar, in the islet Chrysè. Thence they sailed to Lemnos, which was close by, and put him ashore (270). The word
στρατόπεδον
could be said of a fleet (Thuc. 1. 117); but the reference in vv. 8 f. can hardly include attempts at sacrifice made between Chrysè and Lemnos.
ἀκμὴ … λόγων
: cp.
El. 22
ἔργων ἀκμή
. Possibly a covert criticism on the length of the prologue in some previous
Philoctetes: cp.
O. C. 1116 n.
μὴ καὶ
: this
καὶ
=‘e'en’ (not ‘both’):
cp. 46
, 534.
ἐκχέω
(aor. subj.), ‘waste’ (
El. 1291
), which would properly be said of the labour bestowed on devising the scheme, is here applied, in the sense of ‘frustrate,’ to the
σόφισμα
itself: cp. Eur. fr. 789
μόχθων τῶν πρὶν ἐκχέαι χάριν
. (Cp.
G. 4. 491
ibi omnis |
Effusus labor.)
τῷ
for
ᾧ
:
O. C. 747
n.— Aesch. and Eur. had both represented Odysseus as boldly confronting Philoctetes, who failed to recognise him; a marvel which Eur. excused by supposing that Athena had changed the aspect of Odysseus. These two verses remind us that dramatic probability required Odysseus to keep himself in the background.
Cp. 70
.
ἔργον … σὸν
: a familiar Attic phrase, as appears from its frequency in Ar. , either (
a) with inf., as
Nub. 1343,
σὸν ἔργον, ὦ πρεσβῦτα, φροντίζειν κ.τ.λ.
: or (
b) as a parenthesis before an imperat., as
Av. 862
,
ἱερεῦ, σὸν ἔργον, θῦε
:
Th. 1208
,
σὸν ἔργον, φεῦγε
. It occurs more often without
ἐστί
than with it.
ὅπου )στ’
. Three modes of writing these words are possible: (1) as above, with prodelision of the
ἔ
in
ἔστι
. Cp.
O. T. 732
καὶ ποῦ )σθ’ ὁ χῶρος
...;
Ar.
Ach. 129
ἀλλ’ Ἀμφίθεός μοι ποῦ )στιν
; So
Soph.
O. C. 974
ὡς ἐγὼ ’φάνην
,
Soph.
Ant. 457
ἐξ ὅτου ’φάνη
. (2)
ὁποὔστ’
, with crasis, the mode followed by the scribe of L:
cp. 812
ὡς οὐ θέμις γ’ ἐμοὔστι
. (3)
ὅπου ἔστι
, with synizesis, the mode preferred by several recent edd. The fact that the 2nd syll. of
ὅπου
has ictus appears to render (1) or (2) slightly preferable to (3); and (1) seems recommended by the analogy of
)φάνην, )φάνη
, where, at the end of the verse, a synizesis would have had a very harsh effect.
ὅπου … ἐνταῦθα
,
i.e., where (precisely) in this region.
Ar.
Ran. 432
ἔχοιτ’ ἂν οὖν φράσαι νῷν
|
Πλούτων’ ὅπου )νθάδ’ οἰκεῖ
;
τοιάδ’, ἵν’
, ‘such that in it’:
ἵν’
=
ἐν ᾗ
(for
τοιόσδε...ὅς
, see
O. C. 1353
). Cp. Eur. fr. 183
νέμων τὸ πλεῖστον ἡμέρας
τούτῳ μέρος
, |
ἵν’ αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ τυγχάνει βέλτιστος ὤν
, where
ἵν’
=
ἐν ᾧ
.
ἡλίου διπλῆ … ἐνθάκησις
, lit., ‘a twofold means of sitting in the sun.’ Cp.
Probl. 5 § 36
ἑστηκότες ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ
:
ib. 16 § 1
ἐὰν ἐν ἡλίῳ τεθῶσι
. So
θακεῖν ἐν
(or
ἐνθακεῖν
)
ἡλίῳ
could mean, ‘to sit in the sun’; and the genit. in
ἡλίου ἐνθάκησις
is objective, corresponding to the dat. with the verb. This is better than to make it a gen. of quality, as if the phrase meant, ‘a sunny seat in (the cave).’ The morning sun could be enjoyed at the seaward mouth of the cave, which had a s. or S. E. aspect (
cp. 1457
); while the afternoon sun fell on the other entrance, looking N. or N. W.
ἀμφιτρῆτος
, ‘pierced at both ends,’ ‘tunnelled’: perh. suggested by
Eur.
Cycl. 707
δἰ ἀμφιτρῆτος τῆσδε προσβαίνων πέτρας
(so Kirchhoff for
ποδί
). This pass. sense of
ἀμφιτρής
(
ἀμφοτέρωθεν τετρημένον
, schol.), in which
ἀμφίτρητος
would be normal, cannot be illustrated by
σιδηροκμής
(‘slain with the sword,’
Soph.
Ai. 325
), or
δορικμής
Aesch.
Ch. 365
), since those adjectives=‘succumbing to’ the sword, etc. (from the poet. sense of
οἱ καμόντες
, etc.). But
βοτοῖς σιδηροκμῆσιν
in the former passage illustrates the use of
ἀμφιτρής
, properly masc. or fem., as a neuter adj.
αὐλίου
, as 954, 1087:
cp. 30
n.
εἴπερ ἐστὶ σῶν
, a doubt the more natural since the island was volcanic (800).
ἅ μοι προσελθὼν … κυρεῖ
: ‘advance, I pray thee (
μοι
), towards them’ [the cave and spring], ‘and sign (to me) whether he still occupies this same spot, or is elsewhere.’ The position of
μοι
indicates that it is the ethic dat. (
O. T. 1512
), rather than dat. with
σήμαινε
, with which it can easily be understood.—In the Appendix reasons are given for the following views. (1) The words
σήμαιν’ εἵτ’ ἔχει
break the metrical rule, since
εἴτ’
must be considered as metrically belonging to
ἔχει
rather than to
σήμαινε
, and therefore the 5th foot ought to be an iambus. But nevertheless the words are sound, since the natural stress on the first syllable of the imperative
σήμαιν’
, coinciding with the rhythmical ictus, has the effect of making the next syllable (
αιν
) seem relatively short to the ear. (2) In v. 23 the traditional
χῶρον
πρὸς αὐτὸν
is untenable.
πρός
with acc. could here mean only, ‘looking towards,’ ‘facing’; it could not mean merely, ‘in the neighbourhood of.’ And
ἔχει
|
χῶρον πρὸς αὐτὸν τόνδε
could not mean either, ‘(the cave and spring)
are situated facing just this spot’; nor, ‘he dwells facing this spot.’ We should read with Blaydes,
χῶρον
τὸν αὐτόν
. (3)
τόνδ’ ἔτ’, εἴτ’
is the best correction of L's
τόνδ’, ἤτ’
in v. 23: and
ἔτ’
confirms the view that Philoctetes is the subject to the verbs. Odysseus is sure that the cave is somewhere near (16). His doubt is whether Philoctetes still lives in it, or has removed to some other part of the island.
τἀπίλοιπα τῶν λόγων
, not
τοὺς ἐπιλοίπους
, because the
λόγοι
are thought of collectively, not singly;
cp. 131
;
Ant. 499
τῶν σῶν λόγων
|
ἀρεστὸν οὐδέν
:
Tr. 682
θεσμῶν οὐδέν
:
Plat.
Rep. 352 B
τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς ἑστιάσεως
. The ref. is to the plan disclosed at
50 ff.
κοινὰ
, subst., ‘joint action’ (not adv., ‘jointly,’ as though the subject to
ἴῃ
were ‘our plan,’ implied in
τἀπίλοιπα τῶν λόγων
): cp.
Thuc. 1. 8
πλωιμώτερα ἐγένετο παρ’ ἀλλήλους.
ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἴῃ
, lit., ‘proceed from both’: cp.
Eur.
Hec. 294
λόγος γὰρ ἔκ τ’ ἀδοξούντων ἰὼν
|
κἀκ τῶν δοκούντων αὑτὸς οὐ ταὐτὸν σθένει
.
τοὔργον οὐ μακρὰν λέγεις
,=
τὸ ἔργον ὂ λέγεις οὐ μακράν ἐστι
, ‘the task of which thou speakest is not far off,’
i.e. I can do thy bidding without going far.
τὸ ἔργον
is the search for (and in) the cave. This seems simpler than to take
μακράν
as=‘
to a distance’ (
O.T. 16), and
τοὔργον
as=‘mission.’ For the adverb as predicate, cp.
O. C. 586
ἀλλ’ ἐν βραχεῖ δὴ τήνδε μ’ ἐξαιτεῖ χάριν
, n.:
Tr. 962
ἀγχοῦ δ’ ἄρα κοὐ μακρὰν
|
προὔκλαιον
(
sc.
ὄν
), ‘the sorrow foretold by my lament is near, and not afar’:
El. 1191
πόθεν τοῦτ’ ἐξεσήμηνας κακόν
;
ἄνωθεν, ἢ κάτωθεν
;
i.e. above or below Neoptolemus, who is climbing the rocks. Odysseus is on the sea-shore.
Cp. 1000
ff.
καὶ στίβου γ’ οὐδεὶς κτύπος
, ‘and of foot-fall, at least, there is no sound.’ The
γε
, which has been suspected, is fitting; he is still a little below the cave, and cannot yet
see whether it is empty. Seyffert's
καὶ στίβου
δ’
would be appropriate only if it followed the mention of some other sign that the cave was empty.
στίβου
, usu. ‘track (path),’ or ‘footprint,’ here, the act of treading:
cp. 206
στίβου κατ’ ἀνάγκαν
, n. Remark how strongly
κτύπος
(L's reading) is confirmed, as against
τύπος
, by v. 30, where Odysseus says (in effect), ‘perhaps the reason why you hear no sound is that he is asleep within.’—Other readings are
καὶ στίβου γ’ οὐδεὶς τύπος
(Tricl. and Brunck):
καὶ στίβου )στ’ οὐχ ἑ=ς τύπος
(Mudge):
καὶ στίβου )στ’ οὔδει τύπος
(Bergk; though
οὖδας
is the only case of the noun found in Tragedy). These assume that there was sand or earth just in front of the cave on the side towards the sea. But vv. 1000 ff. imply that the cave's seaward mouth opened on steep rocks at some height above the beach. And if v. 29 referred to the presence or absence of foot-prints, v. 30 would lose its special point.
καθ’ ὕπνον
:
Tr. 970
καθ’ ὕπνον ὄντα
: but here
ὤν
need not be supplied; the phrase is adverbial, with
καταυλισθεὶς κυρῇ.
καταυλισθεὶς
, ‘lodged’ (
cp. 19
αὐλίου
, 153
αὐλάς
), a word suitable to rough or temporary quarters, as to a bivouac:
Xen.
An. 7. 5. 15
κατηυλίσθησαν δ’ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ
: so
Soph.
El. 304
(Electra speaking of her rustic cot tage)
οἵοις ἐν πέπλοις αὐλίζομαι
(cp.
ib. 168
ἀγρότειραν αὐλάν
).
κατακλιθεὶς
, the weak reading of some later MSS., was prob. suggested by
καθ’ ὕπνον.
κυρῇ
is the reading of our MSS., and, though their authority on such a point is not great, the subjunct. seems here slightly better than
κυρεῖ
.
ὅρα μὴ...κυρεῖ
, ‘see whether he is not,’ would imply that in the speaker's mind there was little doubt on the subject: cp. notes on
Ant. 278
,
Ant. 1253
:
Plat.
Charm. 163 A
ἀλλ’ ὅρα μὴ ἐκεῖνον κωλύει
:
Lach. 196 C
ἀλλ’ ὁρῶμεν μὴ Νικίας οἴεταί τι λέγειν
:
Theaet. 145 C
ὅρα μὴ παίζων ἔλεγεν
. These are admonitions in the polite guise of suggestions. Now here we may, indeed, conceive Odysseus as saying
μὴ...
κυρεῖ
: but, in the anxious uncertainty which he actually feels, it is more natural that he should say
μὴ...
κυρῇ
. If it be said that general Attic usage rather favours the indic. after
ὅρα μή
, we may refer to
El. 1003
and fr. 82 (
ἀλλ’ ὅρα μὴ κρεῖσσον ᾖ
) as a few places out of several where the subjunct. after
ὅρα μή
is proved by metre.
ὁρῶ
. Neoptolemus, mounting the rocks, has now just reached the mouth of the cave.
κενὴν
is made more explicit by
ἀνθρώπων δίχα
: ‘empty,—yes, there is no man there.’ Such iteration is natural when the mind confirms itself in a first impression, or dwells on a striking thought; so
Verg.
Aen. 4. 588
vacuos sensit sine remige portus
(‘empty,—no rower there’);
Ai. 464
γυμνὸν φανέντα τῶν ἀριστείων ἄτερ
‘(when I return) ungraced,—aye, without the meed of valour.’
Cp. 487
:
O. T. 57
n.,
Ant. 445
n.
οἰκοποιός … τις τροφή
, ‘any comforts, such as make a human dwelling,’ in contradistinction to a wild beast's lair.
τροφή
here=‘what sustains life,’—not only food and drink, but also provision for necessary repose and warmth: cp.
Plat.
Legg. 667 B
ἐδωδῇ μὲν καὶ πόσει καὶ ξυμπάσῃ τροφῇ
, ‘food and drink and the comforts of life generally.’ The question of Odysseus is comprehensive; in reply, Neopt. can only mention a bed; but that does not require us to assume that Od.used
τροφή
in the specific sense of ‘furniture.’ The objection which has been made to
τροφή
here thus falls to the ground. Against Welcker's
τρυφή
, remark:—(1) The irony would be misplaced here, where Od.is anxiously seeking information; it is otherwise in v. 37, where the slightly ironical tone of
θησαύρισμα
shows the first gleam of sinister joy. (2) The phrase
οἰκοποιὸς...τρυφή
would be infelicitous. The adjective itself shows that the substantive ought to denote the rudiments, not the refinements, of a home.
στιπτή γε
κ.τ.λ.
, ‘aye, a heap of leaves pressed down, as if for the use of one who sleeps in the place.’ Here
γε
serves to correct the suggestion contained in the negative question: ‘There is nothing there?’ ‘Yes, there is something.’ In this use it may be compared with the
Fr.si, since it is corrective without being emphatic. (‘Vous n'avez pas été là?’—‘Si.’)
Cp. 35
. For the spelling
στιπτή
, see v. 2. A bed of leaves (or rushes, etc.) was called
στιβάς
(
Eur.
Tro. 507
στιβάδα πρὸς χαμαιπετῆ
). [Eur. ]
Rhes. 9
λεῖπε χαμεύνας φυλλοστρώτους
(of soldiers bivouacking).
στιπτή
means, pressed down by the body of the person who has slept on it. Some take
ἐναυλίζοντίτῳ
as dat. of agent with
στιπτή
(pressed down
by some one lodging here); but the order of words renders it simpler to take the dat. as one of interest. Hartung, whom Nauck follows, changes
στιπτή
to
στρωτή
, finding a hint of the latter in one of the two scholia on this v. in L,
χαμαιστρωσία ἐκ φύλλων
. But that may refer to the one word
φυλλάς
: while the other scholium unequivocally refers to
στιπτή, —ἡπλωμένη καὶ πατουμένη
, (‘spread out, and
pressed down,’)
ὡς κοιμωμένου ἐπ’ αὐτῇ τινος
. If it be said that
ἡπλωμένη
might refer to
στρωτή
, we may reply that
πατουμένη
could refer only to
στιπτή
: and by
ἡπλωμένη
the schol. meant (I think) to express that the leaves formed, not a soft heap, but only a shallow layer.
στιπτή
is more graphic than
στρωτή
: it suggests the recent impress of the body, and the cheerless discomfort of the couch.—For
ὡς
with
ἐναυλίζοντί τῳ
,
cp. 203
.
τὰ δ’ ἄλλ’
, all parts of the cave except that covered by the bed of leaves:
ἔρημα
, ‘bare,’
i.e. without any sign of inhabitation. The second question,
κοὐδέν
κ.τ.λ., repeats the first in a more precise form.
αὐτόξυλον
, ‘of mere wood,’ means here, ‘of wood not artistically treated’; the piece of wood remained as nearly in its original state as was compatible with its serving for a cup. Cp. fr. com. 322
αὐτόποκον ἱμάτιον
, a cloak of rough wool: Alexis
Κύπριος
2
τὸν δ’ αὐτόπυρον ἄρτον
, the loaf of unbolten wheat-flour: see
O.C. 192
αὐτοπέτρου βήματος
n.
φλαυρουργοῦ
: seemingly the only extant instance of the form
φλαῦρος
in a compound adj.
τεχνήματ’
: the poet. plur. has a certain dignity, and there is possibly a shade of designed irony in its use here:
Scut. 313
τρίπος, κλυτὰ ἔργα περίφρονος (Ηφαίστοιο
:
Eur.
Or. 1053
μνῆμα, ...κέδρου τεχνάσματα
(a coffin,...finely wrought of cedar):
Virg.
Aen. 5. 359
clypeum … Didymaonis artes.
πυρεῖα
,
igniaria, ‘means of kindling a fire,’ the stones mentioned in
296
, and perhaps also bits of wood with which to catch the spark.
κείνου
, predicate, cp.
Plat.
Apol. 20 E
οὐ γὰρ ἐμὸν ἐρῶ τὸν λόγον
(=
ὁ λόγος, ὃν ἐρῶ, οὐκ ἐμὸς ἔσται
).
θησαύρισμα
, ‘store’ (not so strong as ‘treasure’): the verb
θησαυρίζω
was used of ‘laying in’ supplies for household use (
Xen.
Cyr. 8. 2. 24
); cp.
Soph.
El. 497
θησαύρισμα Διονύσου
(store of wine). Yet here the word is ironical, since the ‘store’ is so wretched.
ἰοὺ ἰού
, a cry of surprise, with which the watcher greets the beacon in
Aesch.
Ag. 25
,—where it is ‘extra metrum,’ as in
Soph.
Ai. 737.
It stands within the verse, as here, in
Soph.
O. T. 1071
,
Soph. O. T. 1182
,
Soph.
Tr. 1143.
καὶ ταῦτά γ’
. In v. 29,
καὶ στίβου γ’, γε
specially emphasises the word
στίβου
: here, it does not specially emphasise
ταῦτα
, but helps
καί
to introduce the new fact;
i.e., it is not, ‘and
here are rags,’ but rather, ‘
yes, and here are rags.’ Wherever
καί … γε
occurs, it is well to note in which of these two ways it is used. Examples like
καὶ ταῦτά γ’
here are, below, 1296
καὶ πέλας γ’
:
O. T. 1132
κοὐδέν γε θαῦμα
:
ib. 1319
καὶ θαῦμά γ’ οὐδέν
. Examples like
καὶ στίβου γ’
are, below,
O. T. 674
καὶ σέ γ’ εἰσάξω
: 1277
καὶ πέρα γ’ ἴσθ’ ἢ λέγω.
ἄλλα
, ‘withal’ (
i.e., besides the other objects already found): cp.
O.T. 290 n.:
Aesch.
Theb. 424
γίγας ὅδ’ ἄλλος.
θάλπεται
, ‘are drying’ in the sun at the seaward mouth of the cave (
cp. 17
). Not, ‘are warm’ to the touch,—as if recently used. Cp.
Helen. 181
ἁλίου πέπλους
|
αὐγαῖσιν ἐν ταῖς χρυσέαις
|
ἀμφιθάλπουσ’
.
βαρείας
, ‘grievous,’ the epithet of the malady itself, as 1330
νόσου βαρείας
. Not ‘fetid’ (like
gravis...hircus,
Hor.
Ep. 12. 5
),—a sense in which
βαρύς
occurs only when it is the epithet of
ὀσμή, ἀτμίς
(
Hist. An. 9. 5), etc.
νοσηλείας
(subst. from
νοσηλός
, ‘morbid,’) here=the matter discharged from the ulcer in the foot;
cp. 824
. Isocr. uses
νοσηλεύω
as=‘to tend the sick,’ and Plut. has
νοσηλεία
as either (i) ‘sickness,’ or (ii) ‘nursing of the sick.’
πλέα
, tainted, stained with: cp.
Xen.
Cyr. 1. 3. 5
(
ἡ χεὶρ
)
πλέα σοι ἀπ’ αὐτῶν ἐγένετο
, has been
defiled by those things: so
πλήρεις
,
Soph.
Ant. 1017.
οὐχ ἑκάς που
, as 163
πέλας που
,
O.T. 1410
ἔξω...που.
κηρὶ
, ‘plague,’ as 1166
κῆρα τάνδ’ ἀποφεύγειν
,—but without ref. to the idea that the
νόσος
was ordained by fate (1326).
προσβαίη
, in the sense of ‘advance,’ where we should have expected
προβαίη
, is certainly strange. It is partly excused, however, by the fact that the speaker is himself outside of the cave, and so can the more naturally place himself in imagination at the external point towards which the movement is made,—saying, ‘
come far,’ instead of, ‘
go far.’ I do not feel sure, then, that
προσβαίη
is corrupt, though it is suspicious. If corrupt, it probably conceals a compound with
πρό
. In the
Classical Review (vol. II. p. 324, 1888) I have conjectured
προσκάζοι
, ‘limp forth.’ Minuscule
β
and
κ
often resemble each other (thus in
Ant. 1094
λακεῖν
is corrected from
λαβεῖν
). If
προσκάζοι
had become
προσβάζοι
, thelatter would easily have generated
προσβαίη
. A verb describing
painful movement would be fitting here, after
νοσῶν...κῶλον παλαιᾷ κηρί
: cp.
ὀγμεύει
(163),
εἰλυόμην
(291). It is immaterial that this particular compound of
σκάζω
does not occur elsewhere; many verbal compounds occur once only, as,
e.g.,
προδείσας
(
O. T. 90
),
προκλίνας
(
O. C. 201
). For other conjectures, see Appendix.
φορβῆς νόστον
. The defence of this much-impugned phrase depends on three points. (1)
νόστος
is poetically used in the general sense of
ὁδός
:
I. A. 1261 (speaking of the Greeks),
οἷς νόστος οὐκ ἔστ’ )Ιλίου πύργους ἔπι
. (2) In
φορβῆς‐νόστος
, a food-journey, the gen. denotes the object of the
νόστος
: the principle is the same as in
I. T. 1066
γῆς πατρῴας νόστος
, ‘a fatherland-return,’
i.e. a return
to it:
Orph. Argon. 200
ἐπὶ πλόον Ἀξείνοιο
, on a voyage to the Euxine. (3) The poet has not said,
ἐξελήλυθε φορβῆς νόστον
(‘cognate’ acc.), but
ἐξελήλυθεν
ἐπὶ φορβῆς νόστον
, thus marking that
νόστον
denotes, not merely the act of going out, but the purpose of that act, viz., a
quest. In other words, the presence of
ἐπὶ
before it already tinges
νόστον
with the sense of
ζήτησιν
: cp.
Her. 4. 140
ὑπέστρεφον ἐπὶ ζήτησιν τῶν Περσέων
.—The conjecture
ἀλλ’ ἢ )πὶ
φορβὴν νόστον ἐξελήλυθεν
seems, then, needless; but it is also open to a strong positive objection, viz. that
νόστον
then becomes a mere pleonasm. A cognate acc. added to
ἐξελήλυθεν
ought here to qualify it in some manner (cp.
Soph.
Ai. 287
ἐξόδους ἕρπειν κενάς
).
ἢ φύλλον
κ.τ.λ.
The constr. is,
ἤ, εἰ φύλλον νώδυνόν τι κάτοιδέ που
, (
ἐπ’ αὐτό
): rather than,
ἢ
(
ἐπὶ
)
φύλλον, εἴ τι νώδυνον
(
φύλλον
)
κάτοιδέ που.
νώδυνον
, in active sense:
Anthol. app. 57
φαρμάκοις ἀνωδύνοις
.
τὸν … παρόντα
,—‘thy attendant,’— the young chief's
πρόσπολος
, who is called
σκοπός
at v. 125. The phrase does not imply that he is actually at his master's side on the rocks.
μὴ καὶ
,
cp. 13
.
προσπεσών
, of sudden and unforeseen approach (
O. C. 1157
): the same phrase below,
O. C. 156
, and
Eur.
Heracl. 338.
ἕλοιτό μ’
. The enclitic
με
is warranted here (though
ἕλοιτ’
ἔμ’
might seem more natural), since the words,
μὴ καὶ λάθῃ με προσπεσών
, have already indicated Odysseus as the person chiefly menaced. It is as though he said: ‘We must take care that he does not surprise me; it would delight him more than to capture all the Greeks’; where the unemphatic ‘it’ would resemble the enclitic
με
as merely referring back to a case already indicated. A similar instance (and one that is certified by metre) occurs below, 1049 ff.:
οὗ γὰρ τοιούτων δεῖ, τοιοῦτός εἰμ’ ἐγώ·
|
χὥπου δικαίων κἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν κρίσις
, |
οὐκ ἂν λάβοις
μου μᾶλλον οὐδέν’ εὐσεβῆ
: where the
ἐγώ
in 1049 makes it needless to have
ἐμοῦ
in 1051. Such cases are distinct from those in which the enclitic form of the pers. pron. is justified by the fact that the chief emphasis is on a verbal notion (
e.g., 958:
Ant. 546
μή μοι θάνῃς σὺ κοινά
, ‘
share not my death’).—The first hand in L seems to have written
ἕλοιτε μ’
(
sic): the corrector changed the second
ε
to
ο
, accenting the latter. If there had been reason to think that the first hand in L wrote
ἕλοιτ’ ἔμ’
, then I should have taken that reading, not as better than
ἕλοιτό μ’
, but as equally good and better attested.—
λαβεῖν
, ‘catch,’ ‘find in his power.’
μολεῖν
in A was prob. a conjecture, or a mere error, rather than, as Boissonade supposed, a corruption of
μ’ ἑλεῖν
. For the difference between
ἑλεῖν
and
λαβεῖν
(in regard to warfare), see
Il. 5. 144
ἔνθ’ ἕλεν Ἀστύνοον
(‘slew’), and
ib. 159
ἔνθ’ υἷας Πριάμοιο δύω λάβε Δαρδαvίδαο, | εἰν ἑνὶ δίφρῳ ἐόντας
(‘caught’). Cp. below,
101
,
103
;
O. T. 266
ζητῶν τὸν αὐτόχειρα τοῦ φόνου λαβεῖν
(‘find’).—Blaydes says that
λαβεῖν
is ‘clearly wrong,’ and reads
βαλεῖν
(‘hit’).
ἀλλ’
, in assent, like ‘oh, well,’ —the implied adversative sense being, ‘nay, I have no objection’:
cp. 232
, 336, 645, 647.
ἔρχεται
,
sc.
ὁ παρών
(45), ‘he goes,’
i.e., ‘I send him’ (said as he makes a sign to the
πρόσπολος
).
Cp. 1181
μὴ...ἔλθῃς
, ‘
depart not’:
Ant. 99
ἄνους μὲν ἔρχει
:
Tr. 595
ἐλεύσεται
(‘depart’).—
τε καὶ
marks the full assent to v. 45: he shall go, and for that purpose.
φυλάξεται
, the fut. pass. in good prose also (
Xen.
Oec. 4. 9
):
φυλαχθήσομαι
was late. For other such futures,
cp. 303
:
Ant. 93
n.
δευτέρῳ λόγῳ
, ‘in
further speech,’— continuing the former discourse. Cp.
Pind.
O. 1. 43
δευτέρῳ χρόνῳ
,=
ὑστέρῳ
.
ἐφ’ οἷς
=
ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐφ’ οἷς
, ‘for’ (
i.e., ‘so as to aid’) ‘the objects for which,’ etc.; cp.
O. T. 1457
μὴ )πί τῳ δεινῷ κακῷ
.—The sentence begins as if the form were to be,
δεῖ...γενναῖον εἶναι, μὴ μόνον τῷ σώματι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ γνώμῃ
: he must show his true-bred spirit, not merely
physically, but
morally,—
i.e., by bringing himself (
τόλμα,
82
) to aid plans which may be repugnant to him. Neopt. supposed that his task was to take Phil. by force (
πρὸς βίαν,
90
). Odysseus seeks to prepare the disclosure very gently. Hence the hypothetical clause which takes the place of a simple
ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ γνώμῃ
, viz.,
ἀλλ’ ἤν τι καινόν, κ.τ.λ.
After that clause, a modal partic.,
ὑπουργοῦντα
(‘by serving’), ought to have balanced the instrumental dat.
τῷ σώματι
. But, instead of it, we have a second infin.,
ὑπουργεῖν
, depending, like
εἶναι
, on
δεῖ
: just as, in independent sentences, a new finite verb is often substituted for a second participial clause (
O. C. 351
n.:
Ant. 256
,
Ant. 816
).
γενναῖον
, ‘true-bred.’
τὸ γενναῖον
is, as Arist. defines it (
Hist. An. 1. 1. 32),
τὸ μὴ ἐξιστάμενον ἐκ τῆς αὑτοῦ φύσεως
. Odysseus calls on Neopt. to prove himself a true son of his sire (
cp. 3
) by complete loyalty to his mission.
τῷ σώματι
: cp.
Suppl. 886
ἵπποις τε χαίρων τόξα τ’ ἐντείνων χεροῖν
, |
πόλει παρασχεῖν σῶμα χρήσιμον θέλων
.
καινόν
, euphemistic, as oft.: cp.
α. δ.
§ 2
καινότατα γὰρ δή, εἰ χρὴ καινότατα μᾶλλον ἢ κακουργότατα εἰπεῖν, διαβάλλουσί με.
ὧν
(
τούτων ἃ
)
πρὶν οὐκ ἀκήκοας
, ‘(some novel thing), viz., one of those things which thou hast not heard before’;
i.e., ‘a part of my plans which has not hitherto been disclosed to thee.’ Cp.
Eur.
Med. 356
οὐ γάρ τι δράσεις δεινόν, ὧν φόβος μ’ ἔχει
.
ὑπηρέτης
, like
ὑπηρετεῖν
in 15, said of a friend and equal. Cp.
Soph.
El. 821
(Orestes)
Πυλάδην μὲν εἵλετ’ ἐν πόνοις ὑπηρέτην
, |
δμῶας δ’ ἀπωθεῖ
: and so even in good prose, as
Xen.
An. 1. 9. 18.
τί δῆτ’ ἄνωγας
; The division of the verse between the speakers (
ἀντιλαβή
) serves at once to mark the surprise of Neopt. and to introduce the words of Od.with a certain abrupt force: cp.
O. C. 722
n.
σε δεῖ
κ.τ.λ. Two other examples of this constr. are extant:
Ai. 556
δεῖ σ’ ὅπως πατρὸς
|
δείξεις ἐν ἐχθροῖς οἶος ἐξ ὅου )τράφης
: Cratinus (the poet of the Old Comedy),
Νέμεσις
fr. 3
δεῖ σ’ ὅπως εὐσχήμονος
|
ἀλεκτρυόνος μηδὲν διοίσεις τοὺς τρόπους
. In both these passages, as in this, the constr. is used by an elder, or superior, in giving a precept of conduct. The admonitory tone thus associated with the formula confirms the text, as against Matthiae's conjecture,
σε
δεῖν ψυχὴν ὅπως λόγοισιν ἐκκλέψεις
λέγω
. The acc. of the object (
σε
) is like that in
δεῖ σε τούτου
: while the
ὅπως
clause (answering to the genitive there) is like that in
ἐδέοντο Βοιωτοὺς ὅπως παραδώσουσι
(
Thuc. 5. 36
§ 2). The partic.
λέγων
explains the instrum. dat.
λόγοισιν
more clearly; it is not instrumental (‘
by speaking’), but temporal;
i.e., literally, ‘
as you go on speaking.’ It indicates that Neopt. is to converse alone with Phil. (
cp. 70
,
ὁμιλία
), and is to deceive him in the course of their conversation. The next verse makes this still clearer:—‘
When he asks, say,’ etc. A similar use of
λέγων
, to denote the process of talk, is frequent in Herod. , when, after epitomising part of a speech, he gives the sequel in the speaker's own words; as 3. 156, ‘
νῦν τε,’ ἔφη λέγων
,... ‘And now,’ he
went on to say,...(lit., said, as he went on speaking).—Other ways of taking
λέγων
, which seem less good, are:—(1) As instrum. partic., with which
αὐτούς
is to be supplied from
λόγοισιν
: ‘with words,...
i.e., by speaking them.’ For this view, Schneidewin cp.
Legg. 885 B
ὅσα λόγῳ καὶ ὅσα ἔργῳ περὶ θεοὺς ὑβρίζει τις λέγων ἢ πράττων
. (2) As instrum. partic., used absolutely, to emphasise
λόγοισιν
,—‘with words,—I repeat, by speaking.’ (3) As instrum. partic., to be taken closely with
λόγοισιν
, in the sense, ‘speaking vain words.’ This is Seyffert's view, who explains
λόγοις λέγειν
as
meris verbis dicere: a sense which the phrase could not bear.
ἐκκλέψεις
: here related to
κλέπτειν
,
fallere (
Tr. 243
εἰ μὴ συμφοραὶ κλέπτουσί με
), as
ἐξαπατᾶν
to
ἀπατᾶν
.
Cp. 968
.
Il. 14. 217
ἥ τ’ ἔκλεψε νόον πύκα περ φρονεόντων
.
λέγειν
, infin. for imper. (
O. C. 481
n.); not depending on
δεῖ
in
54
.—
Ἀχιλλέως, ˘¯¯
. The
ε
suffers synizesis again in
364
,
582
,
1066
,
1237
,
1298
,
1312
: though not in
4
,
50
,
241
,
260
,
1220
,
1433.
τόδ’ οὐχὶ κλεπτέον
: lit., ‘this thing’ (his parentage) ‘must not be represented falsely,’—
i.e., the truth must not be hidden.
κλέπτειν τι
can mean, ‘to do (or speak) a thing fraudulently’:
Ai. 189
κλέπτουσι μύθους
, they speak false words. In
Tr. 437
μὴ...ἐκκλέψῃς λόγον
= ‘do not
keep back the story’; but the simple
κλέπτειν
could not literally express this.
—
κρυπτέον
is a tame conjecture.
πλεῖς
is more dramatic than
πλεῖν
, which would also be awkward after
λέγειν.
ὡς πρὸς οἶκον
.
πρός
states the direction of the voyage:
ὡς
merely adds an indication of the voyager's purpose: ‘thou art homeward
bound.’ (Not, ‘thou art sailing
as if for home,’ with ref. to the story being untrue.) Cp.
Ai. 44
ἦ καὶ τὸ βούλευμ’ ὡς ἐπ’ Ἀργείοις τόδ’ ἦν
; ‘was this plot, in his intention (
ὡς
), against the Greeks?’ (though the actual victims were the cattle).
Thuc. 4. 93
παρεσκευάζετο ὡς ἐς μάχην
, made his dispositions with a view (
ὡς
) to fighting.
H. 1. 1. 12
ἀνάγεσθαι ἤδη αὐτοῦ μέλλοντος ὡς ἐπὶ ναυμαχίαν.
ἔχθος ἐχθήρας μέγα
: cp.
El. 1034
οὐδ’ αὖ τοσοῦτον ἔχθος ἐχθαίρω σ’ ἐγώ
. For the aor. part.
cp. 227
, 309:
Pind.
N. 7. 88
φιλήσαντ’
(having formed a friendship);
Soph.
O. T. 11
n.,
Soph. O. T. 649
n.
οἵ
, with causal force (Lat.
qui with subjunct.):
O. C. 263
n.
ἐν λιταῖς
, by means of prayers:
cp. 102
ἐν δόλῳ...ἄγειν
, 1393
ἐν λόγοις
|
πείθειν
:
Ant. 764
n.—
στείλαντες … μολεῖν
: lit., having caused thee to set forth, so that thou shouldst come from home: cp.
Ant. 164
ὑμᾶς δ’ ἐγὼ πομποῖσιν ἐκ πάντων δίκα
|
ἔστειλ’ ἱκέσθαι
. Odysseus and Phoenix were sent from Troy to bring the young Neoptolemus from Scyros: 343 ff.
μόνην
. If L's
μόνην
δ’
were sound, then
στείλαντες
(
μέν
) and
ἔχοντες δέ
would express two reasons why the conduct of the Atreidae was bad:—‘when they had brought thee from home, and when that was their only way of taking Troy,’— the second clause implying that, as his presence was so momentous, his claim to good treatment was the stronger. But
μόνην
, without
δ’
, is clearly right. Then
ἔχοντες
is causal, expressing the motive of
στείλαντες
,—‘having brought thee,... since they had no other way,’ etc. The insertion of
δ’
, if not a mere error, may have been due to a corrector who, not perceiving the relation of the two participles, thought that they required a copula.
ἅλωσιν
,
means of capture:
Thuc. 2. 75
χῶμα ἔχουν πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, νομίζοντες ταχίστην αἵρεσιν
[
τὴν αἵρεσιν
Classen]
ἔσεσθαι αὐτῶν
(the quickest
way of taking the place).
τῶν Ἀχιλλείων ὅπλων
, gen. depending on the principal verb
ἠξίωσαν
, instead of an acc.,
τὰ Ἀχίλλεια ὅπλα
, depending on the infin.
δοῦναι
. This construction arises from eagerness for compact expression of the main idea,— as here the main idea is completely expressed by v. 62. The ‘epexegetic’ infin., like
δοῦναι
, is usu. the only word added: but here it is naturally supplemented by the words which denote the aggravating circumstances (
ἐλθόντι...κυρίως αἰτουμένῳ
).
Legg. 941 D
δίκης οὖν οὐδέτερον οὐδετέρου ἐλάττονος...ὁ νόμος ἀξιοῖ ζημιοῦν
(instead of
ἀξιοῖ ζημιοῦν δίκῃ
).
Thuc. 3. 6
καὶ τῆς μὲν θαλάσσης εἶργον μὴ χρῆσθαι τοὺς Μυτιληναίους
. Cp.
Soph.
O. C. 1211
n.—
κυρίως
, with good right (
tuo iure), as heir of Achilles; cp.
Dem. or. 36 § 32
κυρίως δόντος τοῦ πατρὸς...κατὰ τοὺς νόμους αὐτὴν γεγαμῆσθαι
.
παρέδοσαν
, handed over,—a word suggesting fraud or treachery, as oft.;
cp. 399
.
λέγων
refers back to
λέγειν
in 57 (with which, as infin. for imperat., the nomin. is rightly used in the 2nd pers.,
O. T. 1529
n.). Odysseus leaves the available epithets to his young friend's imagination. Cp.
O. T. 1287
βοᾷ διοίγειν κλῇθρα καὶ δηλοῦν τινα
|
τοῖς πᾶσι Καδμείοισι τὸν πατροκτόνον
, |
τὸν μητρός, αὐδῶν ἀνόσἰ οὐδὲ ῥητά μοι
.
I. T. 16
καὶ λέγει Κάλχας τάδε·
| ...‘
παῖδ’ οὖν ἐν οἴκοις σὴ Κλυταιμνήστρα δάμαρ
|
τίκτει’— τὸ καλλιστεῖον εἰς ἔμ’ ἀναφέρων
— | ‘
ἣν χρή σε θῦσαι.’
καθ’ ἡμῶν
, in this context, seems best taken as=
κατ’ ἐμοῦ
: for the sing.
με
so closely following, see n. on
Ant. 734
πόλις γὰρ ἡμῖν ἁμὲ χρὴ τάσσειν ἐρεῖ;
ἔσχατ’ ἐσχάτων
: cp.
O. T. 465
ἄρρητ’ ἀρρήτων
n.
66 *
τούτῳ γὰρ
κ.τ.λ.
The reading
τούτων γὰρ οὐδέν μ’ ἀλγυνεῖς
is probably that which stood in L's archetype; for the inserted
ν
, by which
οὐδέμ’
has been made into
οὐδένμ’
, is due to the first corrector of L, who revised the work of the scribe by comparing the copy with the original. The first question, then, is whether that reading can be kept. It is required to mean:—‘for
in regard to no one of these things’ (viz., the
κακά
, taunts) ‘wilt thou pain me.’ But it would properly mean:—‘for thou wilt not cause me any of these pains.’
Cp. 1021
ἐγὼ δ’ ἀλγύνομαι
|
τοῦτ’ αὔθ’ ὅτι ζῶ κ.τ.λ.
, ‘I feel just this pain,—that I live,’ etc.:
Ar.
Ach. 2
ἥσθην δὲ βαιὰ
... |
ἃ δ’ ὠδυνήθην, κ.τ.λ.
:
Soph.
Ant. 550
τί ταῦτ’ ἀνιᾷς μ’
(cause me this distress). Before
τούτων γὰρ οὐδέν μ’ ἀλγυνεῖς
could be accepted, it would be needful to show that a cognate acc. (
οὐδέν
) could thus replace an instrum. dat. The next question concerns its origin. It might be suggested that the
οὐδέμ’
of the 1st hand in L came, not from
οὐδέν μ’
, but from
οὐδέν’
, and that the sense is, ‘thou wilt pain no one of
them’ (masc.),—so that
καθ’ ἡμῶν
in 65 should mean, Odysseus and the Atreidae. But this cannot be; for, here, there has been no direct mention of the Atreidae,—only of
Ἀχαιῶν
generally (59); and so, for contrast with
πᾶσιν Ἀργείοις
(67), the pain denoted by
ἀλγυνεῖς
must be pain to Odysseus.
τούτων γὰρ οὐδέν’ ἀλγυνεῖς
being thus set aside, we have to weigh (1)
τούτων γὰρ οὐδὲν ἀλγυνεῖ μ’
,— Dindorf's conjecture; and (2)
τούτῳ γὰρ οὐδέν μ’ ἀλγυνεῖς
,—Buttmann's. Both being possible, the question is, which of them is most likely to have generated
τούτων γὰρ οὐδέν μ’ ἀλγυνεῖς
. The fact that
ἀλγυνεῖς
precedes
ἐργάσει
diminishes the probability that
ἀλγυνεῖς
arose from
ἀλγυνεῖ μ’
by assimilation of persons. Further, had
οὐδέν μ’ ἀλγυνεῖς
come from
οὐδὲν ἀλγυνεῖ μ’
, we might have expected to find a variant,
οὐδὲν ἀλγυνεῖς μ’
. If, on the other hand, the words
οὐδέν μ’ ἀλγυνεῖς
are genuine, we have only to suppose a change of
τούτωι
into
τούτων
. On these palaeographical grounds Buttmann's reading appears preferable to Dindorf's.
μὴ
: for
εἰ ἐργάσει μή
, instead of
εἰ μὴ ἐργάσει
,
cp. 332
, 653,
O. T. 328
n.,
El. 993
: for
μή
as first word of a verse, when a word with which it is construed stands in the preceding verse, cp.
O. C. 1349
(
εἰ
... |
μή
),
O. T. 348
(
ὅσον
|
μή
).—
βαλεῖς
here=
ἐμβαλεῖς
(or
προσβαλεῖς
), ‘inflict’ on them: cp.
Tr. 915
f.
δεμνίοις
| ...
βάλλουσαν φάρη
:
Eur.
Phoen. 1534
σκότον ὄμμασι σοῖσι βαλών
. In poetry the simple dat. (instead of dat. or accus. with a prep.) is sometimes thus used to denote the object to, or against, which an action is directed: cp. n. on
Soph.
Ant. 1232
πτύσας προσώπῳ
. Not, ‘launch against them,’ as though the
λύπη
were a missile; nor, ‘sow’ sorrow for them, like
ἀνίας μοι κατασπείρας
,
Soph.
Ai. 1005.
εἰ
...
μὴ ληφθήσεται, οὐκ ἔστι
κ.τ.λ. ‘if the bow is not to be taken, then it is impossible’ etc. Here the condition expressed by the fut. ind. in the protasis is really a present one; the meaning is, ‘if it is (now) settled that the bow is not to be taken.’ Cp.
Xen.
An. 3. 4. 39
οὐκ ἔστι παρελθεῖν, εἰ μὴ τούτους ἀποκόψομεν
: ‘it is an impossibility to advance, if we are not to dislodge these men’ (
i.e. assuming that we do not mean to dislodge them). Practically, this is a more emphatic way of expressing the necessity of the act to which the protasis refers. Distinguish those cases in which the condition expressed by the fut. indic. is really future; as in 66 f.,
εἰ μὴ ἐργάσει
(‘if thou fail to do this’),
βαλεῖς
: and in 75 f.
εἴ με αἰσθήσεται
(‘if he shall perceive me’),
ὄλωλα
(
i.e.
ὀλοῦμαι
): where
ἐὰν μὴ ἐργάσῃ, ἐάν με αἴσθῃ
would differ from the fut. ind. with
εἰ
only as being somewhat less vivid.
οὐκ ἔστι πέρσαι σοι
. The difference between
σοι
and
σοὶ
here resembles that between ‘thou canst
never take’ and ‘
thou canst never take.’ L supports
σοὶ
, which is, of course, quite tenable. But
σοι
seems preferable, because (
a) in giving a reason, as
γάρ
implies, why ‘all the Greeks’ will be pained, it seems less fitting to place the personal concern of Neoptolemus in the foreground; and (
b) the necessary emphasis on
σοὶ
in v. 70 would have a slightly awkward effect if the same pron. had been emphasised in v. 69. Cp. n. on 47,
ἕλοιτό μ’
.
τὸ Δαρδάνου πέδον
, the land of Dardanus,—meaning
Τροία
in its larger sense, the town with its territory (
cp. 920
τὰ Τροίας πεδία
, 1435
ἑλεῖν τὸ Τροίας πεδίον
). So
O. C. 380
τὸ Καδμείων πέδον
=
Θήβης πέδον
(
ib. 415). Dardanus, son of Zeus, was fifth ancestor of Priam (
Il. 20. 215
ff.). Cp.
Pind.
O. 13. 56
πρὸ Δαρδάνου τειχέων
:
Helen. 1493
Δαρδάνου
|
πόλιν
.
ὡς δ’ ἔστ’ ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐχί
κ.τ.λ.
: cp.
Xen.
An. 2. 5. 35
οἱ δὲ πάντες μὲν οὐκ ἦλθον, Ἀριαῖος δὲ καὶ Ἀρτάοζος κ.τ.λ.
—Odysseus anticipates the objection that, if there is to be a stratagem, he should conduct it himself,—as Aesch. and Eur. had made him do:
cp. 13
n.
ὁμιλία
, merely ‘intercourse,’ in a general sense: the special meaning, ‘colloquy,’ (seen in the Gk.
μοδ. ὁμιλέω
=‘to speak,’) is postclassical.
πιστὴ
, trusted by Philoctetes;
cp. 1272
.
βέβαιος
, safe for Neoptolemus.
ἔνορκος
. Odysseus was bound by the oath which all the suitors of Helen had sworn to her father Tyndareus,— that they would come to her husband's aid, if he was robbed of her:
I. A. 61
ὅτου γυνὴ γένοιτο Τυνδαρὶς κόρη
, |
τούτῳ ξυναμυνεῖν, εἴτις ἐκ δόμων λαβὼν
|
οἴχοιτο
. So Ajax came to Troy
οὕνεχ’ ὅρκων οἷσιν ἦν ἐνώμοτος
(
Ai. 1113
). Paus. was shown the place, called
Ἵππου μνῆμα
, on the road from Lacedaemon into Arcadia, where Tyndareus, having sacrificed a horse,
τοὺς Ἑλένης ἐξώρκου μνηστῆρας
(3. 20. 9).
ἐξ ἀνάγκης
: Odysseus feigned madness, in order to avoid going to Troy, but Palamedes detected the trick:
cp. 1025
n.
—
τοῦ πρώτου στόλου
, partit. gen., thou hast not sailed ‘on’ (=‘as a member of’) the first expedition. Cp.
Dem. or. 21 § 202
οὐδαμοῦ πώποτε ὁ Μειδίας τῶν συνηδομένων οὐδὲ τῶν συγχαιρόντων ἐξητάσθη τῷ δήμῳ
(‘has nowhere figured in the ranks of those who share the pleasure and joy of the people’).—The
πρῶτος στόλος
is the original Greek expedition, as distinguished from the voyage of Odysseus and Phoenix when they brought Neop. from Scyros (343 ff.).
ἐγκρατὴς
: for the omission of
ὤν
, even when, as here, the adj. marks a condition, cp. n. on
Ant. 1327
βράχιστα γὰρ κράτιστα τἀν ποσὶν κακά
i.e.
βράχιστα
(
ὄντα
)
κράτιστά
(
ἐστι
).
ὄλωλα
: cp.
O. T. 1166
ὄλωλας, εἴ σε ταῦτ’ ἐρήσομαι πάλιν
:
Xen.
An. 1. 8. 12
κἂν τοῦτ’, ἔφη, νικῶμεν, πάνθ’ ἡμῖν πεποίηται
.
Plaut.
Amphitruo 1. 1. 64
perii, si me adspexerit.
προσδιαφθερῶ
ought not to be changed (as Tournier proposed) to
προσδιαφθείρω
. The force of
ὄλωλα
, used in the sense of
ὀλοῦμαι
, would be weakened, not enhanced, by a repetition of the device; while, on the other hand, the natural future
προσδιαφθερῶ
makes the rhetorical
ὄλωλα
more impressive: cp.
I. T. 1002
τούτου δὲ χωρισθεῖσ’
(=
εἰ χωρισθήσομαι
)
ἐγὼ μὲν ὄλλυμαι
, |
σὺ δ’ ἂν τὸ σαυτοῦ θέμενος εὖ νόστου τύχοις
.
αὐτὸ τοῦτο
prepares the emphasis on
κλοπεὺς
, while it also refers back to 54 f.
τὴν Φιλοκτήτου...ἐκκλέψεις
. The connection of thought is:—‘No; open force is out of the question; the object which our ingenuity must compass is precisely that (which I have already indicated),—viz., how the bow can be taken by craft.’
σοφισθῆναι
: cp.
Ar.
Av. 1401
χαρίεντά γ’, ὦ πρεσβῦτ’, ἐσοφίσω καὶ σοφά.
κλοπεὺς … γενήσει
: cp.
O. T. 721
φονέα γενέσθαι πατρός
:
O. C. 582
ὅταν θάνω )γὼ καὶ σύ μου ταφεὺς γένῃ
.
ἔξοιδα, Παῖ
. Erfurdt's correction of
καὶ
to
παῖ
appears certain. The caressing tone of
παῖ
(cp.
O. T. 1008
,
Ant. 1289
) is dramatically happy at this moment, when he has just used the jarring word
κλοπεύς
. The arguments in defence of
καὶ
are examined in the Appendix.
φύσει
is excusably added to
πεφυκότα
, since the force of the latter had become weakened by usage (
πεφυκέναι
oft. meaning little more than
εἶναι
): as here,
πεφυκότα...τεχνᾶσθαι
(without
φύσει
) would not necessarily mean more than ‘
apt to contrive,’—whether the aptitude was innate, or acquired. So
Eur.
Bacch. 896
φύσει πεφυκός
:
Plat.
Crat. 389 C
τὸ φύσει ἑκάστῳ πεφυκὸς ὄργανον.
φωνεῖν
: for the inf. with
πεφυκότα
,
cp. 88
, 1052.
ἡδὺ γάρ τι κτῆμα
(
τὸ κτῆμα
)
τῆς νίκης λαβεῖν
(
ἐστι
): the possession consisting in victory (defining gen.) is a pleasant possession to win.
κτῆμα
, which, without an art., stands as predicate, has to be supplied, with an art., as subject. So
Plat.
Theaet. 209 E
ἡδὺ χρῆμ’ ἂν εἴη τοῦ καλλίστου τῶν περὶ ἐπιστήμης λόγου
,
i.e. (
τὸ χρῆμα
)
τοῦ...λόγου ἡδὺ χρῆμ’ ἂν εἴη
, (‘our most successful definition of knowledge would be a pretty affair’): where (
τὸ χρῆμα
)
τοῦ...λόγου
is a mere periphrasis for
ὁ...λόγος
.
Eur.
Andr. 957
σοφόν τι χρῆμα τοῦ διδάξαντος βροτοὺς
|
λόγους ἀκούειν
, ‘a wonder of wisdom was he who taught’ (etc.), where (
τὸ χρῆμα
)
τοῦ διδάξαντος
is a periphrasis for
ὁ διδάξας
. Sometimes the defining gen. has no art.:
Eur.
Andr. 181
ἐπίφθονόν τι χρῆμα θηλειῶν ἔφυ
:
i.e. (
τὸ
)
θηλειῶν
(
χρῆμα
)
ἐπίφθονόν τι χρῆμά ἐστι
.—The reading
ἡδὺ γάρ
τοι
(instead of
τι
) is preferred by several edd. The combination
ἀλλὰ... γάρ τοι
is unusual (no example occurs in Soph. ); but that matters little, since here
ἀλλὰ γάρ
is not elliptically used (cp.
Soph.
Ant. 148
n.);
i.e.
ἀλλά
goes with
τόλμα
, and therefore
γάρ
, in the parenthetic clause, could be followed by
τοι
as legitimately as if there were no
ἀλλά
in question. The reasons for preferring
τι
seem to be these: (
a)
τοι
would be bluntly sententious, while
τι
has a more delicate persuasiveness: (
b)
τι
is elsewhere associated with the peculiar constr. used here: see
Eur.
Andr. 181
,
Eur. Andr. 957
, quoted above, and
ib. 727
ἀνειμένον τι χρῆμα πρεσβυτῶν ἔφυ
.—(
τὸ κτῆμα
)
τῆς vίκης
: for the defining gen.,
cp. 159
f.,
403 f.
:
O. T. 1474
τὰ φίλτατ’ ἐκγόνοιν ἐμοῖν
(‘my darlings—my two daughters’),
Ant. 471
τὸ γέννημα τῆς παιδός.
λαβεῖν
epexeg., as
Ant. 439
ταῦθ’ ἥσσω λαβεῖν
|
ἐμοὶ πέφυκε
, n. The conjecture
λαχεῖν
would be as good, but no better.
τόλμα
, bring thyself to do it:
cp. 481
,
O. C. 184
,
Ai. 528.
δίκαιοι … ἐκφανούμεθα
sc.
ὄντες
(cp.
O. T. 1063
ἐκφανεῖ κακή
):
Il. 13. 278
ἔνθ’ ὅ τε δειλὸς ἀνήρ, ὅς τ’ ἄλκιμος, ἐξεφαάνθη.
αὖθις
, afterwards, — some other day:
Ant. 1204
n.
νῦν δ’
κ.τ.λ.
, has been suggested by the contrast with
αὖθις
, and so the thought already conveyed by
τόλμα
is re-stated more explicitly: then
ἡμέρας μέρος βραχύ
suggests, in its turn,
κᾆτα τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον κ.τ.λ.
, which repeats the sense of
δίκαιοι δ’ αὖθις ἐκφανούμεθα
. Cp. n. on
Ant. 465
ff.
εἰς ἀναιδὲς ἡμέρας μέρος βραχὺ
, ‘for one little roguish day’:
ἡμέρας μέρος βραχὺ
=‘a short space (consisting in) one day’ (cp.
Eur.
Med. 1247
ἀλλὰ τήνδε γε
|
λαθοῦ βραχεῖαν ἡμέραν παίδων σέθεν
, |
κἄπειτα θρήνει
).
μέρος
is a fraction of the life-time which is before him: and since
ἡμέρας‐μέρος
(‘dayspace’) forms one notion,
ἀναιδὲς
has the same force as if it were
ἀναιδοῦς
, agreeing with
ἡμέρας
(
Soph.
Ant. 794
νεῖκος—ἀνδρῶν ξύναιμον
, n.). For several epithets joined (without copula) to one subst., cp.
Soph.
Ant. 586
ποντίαις ... δυσπνόοις
... |
Θρῄσσαισιν... πνοαῖς
. For
εἰς
marking a limit of time, cp. below,
1076
χρόνον τοσοῦτον εἰς ὅσον τά τ’ ἐκ νεὼς
|
στείλωσι ναῦται, κ.τ.λ.
—Others take
εἰς ἀναιδὲς
by itself, as=
εἰς ἀναίδειαν
(
ἡμ. μέρος βρ.
being acc. of duration of time), ‘for shamelessness.’ Such an abstract sense for the neut. adj., without the art., seems impossible. Campbell compares
Plat.
Gorg. 504 C
ἐμοὶ γὰρ δοκεῖ ταῖς μὲν τοῦ σώματος τάξεσιν ὄνομα εἶναι ὑγιεινόν
(as though
ὑγιεινόν
stood for
τὸ ὑγιεινόν
, or
ὑγίειαν
): but cp. Cope's ver sion: ‘For my opinion is, that order in the body of every kind bears the name of ‘healthy’:’
i.e.
ὄνομα
is equiv. to ‘epithet.’ In
Thuc. 5. 18
§ 4
δικαίῳ χρήσθων καὶ ὅρκοις, δικαίῳ
is certainly a subst. (‘law,’ in the sense of ‘legal procedure’): but that does not warrant
ἀναιδὲς
as=
ἀναίδεια
. —Blaydes, again takes
εἰς ἀναιδὲς
in a concrete sense, as=‘for a shameless
deed’ (supplying
ἔργον
). We can hardly supply
ἔργον
, though we might perhaps supply
τι
(cp.
Soph.
O. T. 517
,
Soph. O. T. 1312
,
Soph.
Ant. 687
). This view seems just possible, but very improbable.
δός μοι σεαυτόν
,
i.e. allow me to overrule your scruples, a phrase applicable to friendly remonstrance, as
Tr. 1117
δός μοι σεαυτόν, μὴ τοσοῦτον ὡς δάκνει
|
θυμῷ δύσοργος
: cp. n. on
Ant. 718.
Brunck cp.
Adelph. 5. 3. 838
Mitte iam istaec: da te hodie mihi: |
Exporge frontem.
κἐκλησο
: for the perf.,
cp. 119
,
El. 366
,
Tr. 736.
μὲν
merely emphasises
ἐγώ
(
Ant. 11
n.); it is not opposed to
ἀλλ’
in
90
.
Λαερτίου
: the same form (always in the 1st or 5th place, the
α
being long)
417
,
628
,
1357
,
Ai. 101
: but
Λαέρτου
below,
366
,
614
,
fr. 827
: and
Λαρτίου
,
401
,
1286
,
Ai. 1
,
380
. Eur. , too, has these three forms: while in the Hom.
Od., where the name occurs 22 times,
Λαέρτης
alone is used.
τούσδε
, referring back to
οὓς ἂν
: cp.
O. C. 1332
οἷς ἂν σὺ προσθῇ τοῖσδ’ ἔφασκ’ εἶναι κράτος
: so
El. 441
,
Tr. 23
,
Tr. 820.
Prose would here use
τούτους
, because
οὗτος
regularly (though not always) points back, while
ὅδε
points forward. Buttmann's
τοὺς δὲ
, though admissible, would be too emphatic: see Appendix.
πράσσειν λόγους
, as meaning, ‘to
put words
into acts,’ is not a strictly correct phrase, but the verb is used here, with some poetical freedom, as if
οὓς ἂν τῶν λόγων...τούσδε
were
ἃ ἂν λεγόμενα...τάδε
:
i.e.
λόγοι
are virtually ‘proposed deeds.’ The prose equivalent of this
πράσσειν
would be
ἔργῳ ἐπιτελεῖν
(
Thuc. 1. 70
). Distinguish
Eur.
H. F. 1305
ἔπραξε γὰρ βούλησιν ἣν ἐβούλετο
, where the verb=
ἐξέπραξε
, ‘effected.’—
Isocr. or. 1 § 15
has the converse maxim,
ἃ ποιεῖν αἰσχρόν, ταῦτα νόμιζε μηδὲ λέγειν εἶναι καλόν
(cp.
Soph.
O. T. 1409
).
ἐκ τέχνης
: for
ἐκ
=‘by means of,’
cp. 563
, 710,
El. 279
ἐκ δόλου
.
Ant. 475
ὀπτὸν ἐκ πυρὸς περισκελῆ.
πράσσειν
: for the inf.,
cp. 80
: for the repetition of the word from 87, cp.
O. C. 554
n.,
Ant. 76
n.
οὔτ’ αὐτὸς
κ.τ.λ.: instead of
οὔτε
γὰρ αὐτὸς ἔφυν, οὔτε ὁ ἐκφύσας
(
ἔφυ
): cp.
O. C. 461
ἐπάξιος μέν, Οἰδίπους, κατοικτίσαι
, |
αὐτός τε παῖδές θ’ αἵδ’.
οὔθ’, ὡς φασίν, οὑκφύσας
: as in
Il. 9. 312
Achilles says,
ἐχθρὸς γάρ μοι κεῖνος ὁμῶς Ἀΐδαο πύλῃσιν
, |
ὅς χ’ ἕτερον μὲν κεύθῃ ἐνὶ φρεσίν, ἄλλο δὲ εἴπῃ
: and in
I. A. 926
ἐγὼ δ’ ἐν ἀνδρὸς εὐσεβεστάτου τραφεὶς
|
Χείρωνος ἔμαθον τοὺς τρόπους ἁπλοῦς ἔχειν
.
πρὸς βίαν
: so 594
πρὸς ἰσχύος κράτος
: cp.
πρὸς ἡδονήν, πρὸς χάριν
, etc.:
ἄγειν
=
ἀπάγειν
(
cp. 941
), as 102, 985 etc. —
καὶ μὴ δόλοισιν· μή
is generic (it does not, and could not here, go with the inf.
ἄγειν
):
i.e., the phrase means strictly, ‘and by such means as are not frauds’: cp. on 409 (
μηδὲν δίκαιον
),
Ant. 494
τῶν μηδὲν ὀρθῶς...τεχνωμένων
.
οὐ γὰρ
κ.τ.λ.: the
γάρ
implies, ‘this ought to satisfy thee,
for force cannot fail': it is thus already a trace of irresolution.
ἐξ ἑνὸς ποδὸς
, lit. starting from one foot,’
i.e. ‘when he has the use of only one foot,’—
ἐκ
marking that
εἷς πούς
is the condition which makes his victory impossible. Cp. n. on
O. C. 848
οὔκουν ποτ’ ἐκ τούτοιν γε μὴ σκήπτροιν ἔτι
|
ὁδοιπορήσῃς
. In
El. 455
Ὀρέστην ἐξ ὑπερτέρας χερὸς
|
ἐχθροῖσιν...ἐπεμβῆναι
, (‘that, with victorious might, he may trample on his foes,’) the
ὑπερτέρα χείρ
is similarly the antecedent condition.
τοσούσδε
(
sc.
ὄντας
, cp. n. on
ἐγκρατής
, 75): the 15 seamen who form the Chorus will be at hand to help them.
πεμφθείς γε μέντοι
:
γε
emphasises
πεμφθείς
, and
μέντοι
=‘however’: cp.
O. T. 442
n.
προδότης
: he is thinking of what Od.said in v. 53.—
βούλομαι δ’
:
δέ
=
ἀλλά
(
Ant. 85
).
ἐξαμαρτεῖν
, aor., ‘to fail’ (regarded as an event occurring at some one moment);
νικᾶν
, pres., ‘to be victorious’ (a continuing state:
O. T. 437
n.).
Cp. 1397
πάσχειν...παθεῖν
.
ἀργόν
, fem.: in good Attic prose as well as verse this adj. is of two terminations, and the v. l.
ἀργήν
here represents only a later usage: Aristotle (if our MSS. may be trusted) wrote in
Meteor. I. 14 (Berl. ed. p. 352
a 13)
ἡ μὲν γὰρ
(
χώρα
)
ἀργὴ γέγονε
, yet in
Oecon. 2
(Berl. ed. p. 1348
a 3)
τῆς χώρας ἀργοῦ γενομένης
.
εἰς ἔλεγχον ἐξιὼν
, going forth to those contests of real life by which the adult tries the maxims learned in youth.
ἔλεγχος
here is the test which the man applies to the principle (
γλῶσσαν μὲν ἀργόν κ.τ.λ.
); not the test applied to the man himself. The latter is, however, the usual sense of this phrase: cp. fr. 101
γένος γὰρ εἰς ἔλεγχον ἐξιὸν καλὸν
|
εὔκλειαν ἂν κτήσαιτο
:
Eur.
Alc. 640
ἔδειξας εἰς ἔλεγχον ἐξελθὼν ὃς εἶ
:
Phaedr. 278 C
εἰς ἔλεγχον ἰὼν περὶ ὧν ἔγραψε.
βροτοῖς
‘
for men,’
i.e. in their estimation, an ethic dat. (
Ar.
Av. 445
πᾶσι νικᾶν τοῖς κριταῖς
).
πάνθ’ ἡγουμένην
, ‘taking the lead, having the chief influence (absol., as 386) in all things’: for the adv.
πάντα
cp.
Soph.
O. T. 904
πάντ’ ἀνάσσων
.—We might also take
βροτοῖς
directly with
ἡγουμ
. as= ‘
showing the way in all things to men’)
cp. 133
): but here the notion required is that of ‘swaying’ rather than ‘guiding’; and in the former sense
ἡγουμένην
would take the genit.
βροτῶν
. There is an allusion to the Athenian demagogues (
cp. 388
διδασκάλων λόγοισι
): as Cleon says (
Thuc. 3. 38
) of the citizens in the ecclesia,
εἰώθατε θεαταὶ μὲν τῶν λόγων γίγνεσθαι, ἀκροαταὶ <*>ὲ τῶν ἔργων
(‘absorbed in the drama of debate, but content with rumours from the field of action’).
τί μ’ οὖν
. With Nauck, I adopt Wakefield's transposition here, while recognising that much may be said for
τί οὖν μ’
. Two questions are involved, and should be kept distinct; viz. (1) whether Tragedy ever used the licence, denied to it by Porson (
Phoen. 892
), of hiatus after
τί
: and (2) whether Sophocles is likely to have written
τί οὖν μ’
rather than
τί μ’ οὖν
here. As to (1), the strongest instance is
Aesch.
Theb. 704
τί οὖν ἔτ’ ἂν σαίνοιμεν ὀλέθριον μόρον
; where
τί δ’ οὖν, τί νῦν, τί δῆτ’
are all improbable. It would seem, then, that Aesch. , at least, sometimes admitted the hiatus; so that, if we transpose
μ’
here, it does not necessarily follow that the same transposition should be made in
Aesch.
Eum. 902
τί οὖν μ’ ἄνωγας τῇδ’ ἐφυμνῆσαι χθονί
; But the prevailing character of Sophoclean verse certainly favours
τί μ’ οὖν
rather than
τί οὖν μ’
. As against conjecturing
τί νύν μ’
, it is well to note
Soph.
Tr. 1247
πράσσειν ἄνωγας οὖν με πανδίκως τάδε
;
Soph.
Ai. 1364
ἄνωγας οὖν με τὸν νεκρὸν θάπτειν ἐᾶν
; though no argument can be drawn from the fact that
οὖν
precedes
με
in those places.
Cp. 733
, 753, 917. See Appendix.
τί … ἄλλο
,
sc.
ποιεῖν
:
cp. 310
, and n. on
Ant. 497
θέλεις τί μεῖζον ἢ κατακτεῖναι μ’ ἐλών
;
λέγω σ’ … λαβεῖν
, ‘I say that thou art to take.’ In this constr., ‘say’ means ‘command’; the act commanded is denoted by the inf., and the agent by the acc., as subject to the inf. Cf.
Ai. 1047
σὲ φωνῶ τόνδε τὸν νεκρὸν χεροῖν
|
μὴ συγκομίζειν
:
O. C. 932
εἶπον μὲν οὖν καὶ πρόσθεν, ἐννέπω δὲ νῦν
, |
τὰς παῖδας ὡς τάχιστα δεῦρ’ ἄγειν τινά
:
Tr. 137
ff.
σὲ...ἐλπίσιν λέγω
|
τάδ’ αἰὲν ἴσχειν
. The agent can also stand in the dat. as object to the verb of saying:
O. C. 840
χαλᾶν λέγω σοι
.—This verse has no caesura:
cp. 1369
:
Ant. 1021
οὐδ’ ὄρνις εὐσήμους ἀπορροιβδεῖ βοάς
, with n. there. Distinguish these rare examples from those which have an elision after the 3rd foot (‘quasi-caesura’), as 276:
Ant. 44
ἦ γὰρ νοεῖς θάπτειν σφ’, ἀπόρρητον πόλει
;
ἐν δόλῳ
:
cp. 60
.
πείσαντ’
,
i.e. by persuading him that it is for his own good to come to Troy,—instead of deceiving him by a pretext of taking him home to Greece (58).
οὐ μὴ πίθηται
, a strong denial:
cp. 381
, 418,
O. C. 849
n.
πρὸς βίαν δ’
: persuasion will be in vain: and, when persuasion has failed, force will be useless (
cp. 90
).
οὕτως
...
τι δεινὸν
κ.τ.λ. It seems truer to regard
τι
as adj. with
δεινὸν
than as adv. with
οὕτως
: cp.
Xen.
Cyr. 5. 1. 24
οὕτω δεινός τις ἔρως...ἐγγίγνεται
. For the enclitic
τις
preceding its noun,
cp. 519
,
O. C. 280
n. In Herod. , indeed,
οὕτω δή τι
(‘so
very...’) often qualifies adjectives (
1. 185
,
3. 12
, etc.): but in the Attic examples of
οὕτω τι
with an adj. the latter is usually a neut. sing., as Posidippus
Μύρμηξ
fr. 2
οὕτω τι πολύπουν ἐστὶν ἡ λύπη κακόν.
ἰσχύος θράσος
, strength-confidence,
i.e., strength which makes him confident. Against
κράτος
, conjectured by Nauck and Blaydes, (the latter placing it in the text,) observe that
θράσος
agrees well with
οὐ μὴ πίθηται
. If Philoctetes is deaf to persuasion, and risks the alternative of having force used against him, he must have some resource which inspires him with such boldness.
ἰοὺς
: we might expect
ἰούς γ’
, since the question in 104 is not, ‘what resource has he?’ but, ‘has he some resource?’ And in 104 we cannot well change
τι
to
τί
. L has probably lost
γ’
in some other places: see,
e.g., on
Ant. 648
,
Ant. 1241.
But
γ’
is not indispensable, and by its absence the reply gains a certain abrupt force.
Cp. 985
,
Tr. 629.
ἐκείνῳ γ’
:
γε
emphasises the pron., ‘then we dare not even approach
him,’—a man with such arrows as those.
προσμεῖξαι
: the spelling
μείξω, ἔμειξα
, is attested for
saec. VI.—IV. B.C. by numerous Attic inscriptions (Meisterhans, p. 87, n. 690).
θρασύ
, a thing that may be dared; Pind. has this pass. sense,
Pind.
N. 7. 50
θρασύ μοι τόδ’ εἰπεῖν
. Cp.
Plat.
Rep. 450E
τἀληθῆ εἰδότα λέγειν ἀσφαλὲς καὶ θαρραλέον
.
μὴ δόλῳ λαβόντα
, acc. as subj. to
προσμεῖξαι
, (it is not safe that one should approach him,) unless one has ensnared him; for
λαβόντα
,
cp. 47
n.
τὰ ψευδῆ
. The art. with the neut. adj. gives a certain emphasis (‘those things which are false’), and the objection to it here would have point only if, instead of the adj., we had the subst.,
τὰ ψεύδη
. For the same reason,
τὰ ψευδῆ λέγειν
seems rather better than
τὸ ψευδῆ λέγειν
, though at first sight the latter is specious. In fr. 325
καλὸν μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔστι τὰ ψευδῆ λέγειν
, also,
τὰ
appears sound. Cp.
Antiphon or. 1 § 10
αὕτη γὰρ καὶ τοὺς τὰ ψευδῆ παρεσκευασμένους λέγειν τἀληθῆ κατηγορεῖν ποιήσει
. Cavallin changes
δῆτα τὰ
to
δηλαδὴ
, ‘evidently’ (
O. T. 1501
): but this would be better suited to ironical reproof than to ingenuous surprise.
τὸ σωθῆναι
:
i.e. the success of the Greeks at Troy. The aor. inf. is used because the speaker is thinking of that success as an event (to be marked by the fall of Troy), not as a process or state (
τὸ σῴζεσθαι
). Cp. Andoc. or. 2 § 12
οὐ περὶ τοῦ σῶσαι τὰς Ἀθήνας ὁ κίνδυνος ἦν αὐτοὺς μᾶλλον ἢ περὶ τοῦ μηδὲ αὐτοὺς σωθῆναι
(referring to the Athenian army at Samos in 411 B.C.): where, as here, the aorists infinitive mark the critical moments.
πῶς οὖν βλέπων
κ.τ.λ.
By using
οὖν
, he concedes (at least for argument's sake) what Od.has just said. ‘Granting, then, that a falsehood is not disgraceful when it has such a motive, how is one to have the face to tell it?’ In vv. 91 ff. we saw the first trace of irresolution: this verse marks a further step. He now demurs to play the part, not (as in v. 108) because it is immoral, but because it is distasteful and difficult. For
πῶς οὖν
, cp.
O. T. 124
πῶς οὖν ὁ λῃστής
(‘granting that there was a robber, how
then...?’): for
πῶς … βλέπων
,
O. T. 1371
ὄμμασιν ποίοις βλέπων
, n.
λακεῖν
of bold or impudent utterance, as
Ar.
Ach. 1046
τοιαῦτα λάσκων
: cp.
Soph.
Ant. 1094
n.
εἰς κέρδος
, for it, with a view to it: cp.
Il. 23. 304
πατὴρ δέ οἱ ἄγχι παραστὰς
|
μυθεῖτ’ εἰς ἀγαθά
:
Eur.
Phoen. 395
ἀλλ’ ἐς τὸ κέρδος παρὰ φύσιν δουλευτέον
:
Xen.
Cyr. 8. 1. 33
ἰδὼν ἂν αὐτοὺς ἡγήσω τῷ ὄντι εἰς κάλλος ζῆν
.
αἱρεῖ
, the oracular pres., denoting what
is to happen:
Aesch.
Ag. 126
χρόνῳ μὲν ἀγρεῖ Πριάμου πόλιν ἅδε κέλευθος
: id.
Aesch.
P. V. 170
τὸ νέον βούλευμ’ ὑφ’ ὅτου
|
σκῆπτρον τιμάς τ’ ἀποσυλᾶται
:
Her. 3. 155
ἤδη ὦν, ἢν μὴ τῶν σῶν δεήσῃ, αἰρέομεν Βαβυλῶνα
.
ὡς ἐφάσκετ’
: when Odysseus and Phoenix visited Scyros, and persuaded him to come to Troy (345 ff.).
οὔτ’ ἂν
sc.
πέρσειας
: cp.
El. 364
τῆς σῆς δ’ οὐκ ἐρῶ τιμῆς τυχεῖν
, |
οὔτ’ ἂν σύ, σώφρων γ’ οὖσα
(
sc.
ἐρῴης
):
Tr. 462
(
κοὔπω τις...ἠνέγκατ’...ὄνειδος
)
· ἥδε δ’ οὐδ’ ἂν
(
sc.
ἐνέγκαιτο
),
κ.τ.λ.
θηρατἔ οὖν γίγνοιτ’ ἄν
, they would then
become (by logical inference) desirable prizes: cp.
Plat.
Prot. 338C
εἰ δὲ αἱρήσεσθε..., αἰσχρὸν γὰρ τοῦτο τῷδε γίγν εται
. So
γίγνομαι
denotes arithmetical process (
Thuc. 3. 17
αἱ πᾶσαι
(
νῆες
)
ἅμα ἐγίγνοντο διακόσιαι κ.τ.λ.
), or legal succession to property (Isae. or. 5 § 44
ἃ ἐκείνων ἐγίγνετο
). This usage of
γίγνομαι
is decisive for
γίγνοιτ’
against
γένοιτ’
, a v. l. found in a few late MSS.
οὖν
, the conjecture of Triclinius, seems better here than the other corrections,
θηρατἔ ἂν γίγνοιτ’ ἄν
(or
γίγνοιτ’ ἄῤ
).
ὡς … φέρει
, (be sure) that thou winnest: cp.
Ai. 39
ΑΘ. ὡς ἔστιν ἀνδρὸς τοῦδε τἄργα ταῦτά σοι
:
Eur.
Ph. 1664
ΚΡ. ὡς οὔτις ἀμφὶ τῷδ’ ὑγρὰν θήσει κόνιν
:
id.
Hec. 400
ΕΚ. ὡς τῆσδ’ ἑκοῦσα παιδὸς οὐ μεθήσομαι.
φέρει
,
reportas: cp.
O. T. 500
n.
τὸ δρᾶν
: for the art., cp.
O. C. 442
τὸ δρᾶν
|
οὐκ ἠθέλησαν
, and
ib. 47 n. —Neoptolemus was already all but per suaded by the promise that he should take Troy. If, besides that reward, there is yet another, then his mind is made up.
σοφός τ|) … κἀγαθός
: schol.
σοφὸς μὲν διὰ τὸ κλέψαι, ἀγαθὸς δὲ διὰ τὸ πορθῆσαι
. Cp
El. 1088
δύο φέρειν ἐν ἑνὶ λόγῳ
, |
σοφά τ’ ἀρίστα τε παῖς κεκλῆσθαι.
αὑτὸς
:
O. T. 458
ἀδελφὸς αὑτὸς καὶ πατήρ
, n.
κεκλᾖ
: for the forms of the optat. perf. pass., see n. on
O. T. 49
.
ἴτω
is a defiance of the possible consequences (‘happen what may’): cp.
Eur.
Med. 819
(Medea, having taken her resolve to kill the children)
ἴτω· περισσοὶ πάντες οὑν μέσῳ λόγοι
.
ποήσω
. Numerous Attic inscriptions of the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. show that in this verb the letter
ι
was regularly omitted before a following E-sound (
ε
or
η
), though never before an O-sound (
ο
or
ω
): hence (
e.g. )
ποεῖ, ποήσας
, but
ποιοῦσι, ποιῶν
. It should be noted that
πο‐
and
ποι‐
, according as the E- or O-sound follows, sometimes occur in the same inscription: thus in
C. I. A. 167, 55 (of 334—326 B.C.) we find
ποιῶν
(thrice) in company with
ποήσας
. The omission of
ι
before the E-sound was not, indeed, rigorous; thus an Attic inscription of the 5th cent. B.C. gives
Εὔφρων ἐξεποίησ’ οὐκ ἀδαὴς Πάριος
: but the facts prove that it was usual. See Meisterhans,
Gramm. d. Att. Inschriften, p. 27. As to L, its practice is not constant. It almost always gives
πο
, not
ποι
, before
ε
or
η
, when the first syllable is short,—as here, and in vv. 552, 752, 926, 1010. In a few such places where the first hand had written
ποι
it has been corrected to
πο
. But there are also a few places where
ποι
remains. See Appendix. In writing
ποήσω
, etc., I. rely primarily on the epigraphic evidence belonging to the poet's own time: but L's prevailing practice must also be considered as strengthening the grounds for believing that those inscriptions represent the general rule.
πᾶσαν αἰσχύνην ἀφείς
. This verse does not (as some have objected) mark an abrupt change of mind; that change has come by a series of steps which the poet has indicated by light touches (91 ff., 110, 116, 118). Rather this very phrase hints that the feeling shown in v. 110 still lingers with him. He will do the deed, but there is still a sense of
αἰσχύνη
which it costs an effort to shake off. These are the words of one who may yet feel remorse.
μνημονεύεις
. Almost all recent edd. adopt the conjecture
μνημονεύσεις
, but without necessity. The question, ‘dost thou remember my advice?’ naturally implies here, ‘dost thou intend to observe it?’—and so N.'s answer,
σάφ’ ἴσθ’
, follows the present tense just as fitly as it would follow the future. For the place of
οὖν
in the verse, cp.
O. C. 1205
,
Tr. 1247.
ἅ … παρῄνεσα
: referring to 56 ff.
συνῄνεσα
, ‘agreed’:
O. C. 1508
n. Remark the two compounds of
αἰνέω
at the end of two successive verses: cp.
Ar.
Eq. 1370
f.
μετεγγραφήσεται
, | ...
ἐγγεγράψεται
:
Soph.
Tr. 1265
f.
συγγνωμοσύνην
| ...
ἀγνωμοσύνην
.
ἐκδέχου
,
excipe. The idea of the compound is, ‘be ready for him,’—prepared to deal with him the moment that he appears. The figurative use of the word in
Her. 4. 1
is essentially the same, —
Σκύθας...κατιόντας ἐς τὴν σφετέρην ἐξεδέξατο οὐκ ἐλάσσων πόνος
(as if it had been lying in wait for them).
κατοπτευθῶ
: cp.
Ai. 829
πρὸς ἐχθρῶν του κατοπτευθείς.
καὶ τὸν σκοπὸν
κ.τ.λ. The
σκοπός
is the attendant of Neoptolemus who had been sent to watch the neighbourhood of the cave, lest Philoctetes should take Odysseus by surprise (46). Now that Odysseus is going back to his ship, such a
σκοπός
is no longer needed. And it is natural that Odysseus should expect to meet the sentinel, since the latter would be keeping watch on that side of the cave at which Odysseus himself had hitherto been standing; viz., the side nearest to the ships.
ναῦν
here means the ship of Neoptolemus. See Introduction, p. xx, n. 1.
καὶ δεῦῤ
. If any undue delay occurred, Odysseus might reasonably suppose that Neoptolemus was failing to persuade Philoctetes. In case of such delay, then, Odysseus will send back N.'s man, disguised as the captain of a ship. The object of the disguise is that the supposed captain may tell a story which shall quicken the desire of Philoctetes to leave Lemnos, and shall also confirm his trust in Neoptolemus.
τοῦ χρόνου … τι κατασχολάζειν
. Nauck's conjecture
πέρα σχολάζειν
would suit the sense; but it would leave the origin of the vulgate unexplained. I believe that Soph. has used
κατασχολάζειν τοῦ χρόνου
, somewhat boldly, in the sense of ‘to lag
behind the due time,’—the use of
σχολάζειν
in the sense ‘to linger,’ ‘to delay,’ permitting a genitive to be used, as after
ὑστερεῖν, λελεῖφθαι
, etc. The compound
κατασχολάζειν
may be compared with
καθυστερεῖν
, where
κατά
merely implies that the delay is to be regretted or blamed. At first sight there is much in favour of the more generally received view, that
τοῦ χρόνου τι κατασχολάζειν
means, ‘to
waste part of our (precious) time
by lingering.’ But the tone of that phrase seems very unsuitable here.
ἐκπέμψω
. The prep. is not otiose, as Burges thought, but marks that the person sent will come as the sender's agent.
ναυκλήρου
: the man, when he comes, pretends to be the captain of a small merchant-ship, trading between Greece and the Troad (547 ff.). In
Plaut.
Mil. 4. 3. 41 ff.
the ‘skipper's dress’ (
ornatus nauclericus
) consists of a darkcoloured hat with broad brim (
causia
), and a garment of the same colour, well girt-up, and looped on the left shoulder, leaving the right arm bare, like the Greek
ἐξωμίς
. The colour of both hat and tunic is described by
ferrugineus
, (
‘nam is colos thalassicust’
). This was a dark violet, rather than, as Nonius (p. 549) makes it, iron-grey: see Conington on
Verg.
G. 1. 467
, and Munro on
Lucr. 4. 76.
τρόποις
, as
Aesch.
Cho. 479
τρόποισιν οὐ τυραννικοῖς θανών
: often with
ἐν
, as
Aesch.
Ag. 918
γυναικὸς ἐν τρόποις
. Not
τρόπον
, which would mean,
ὥσπερ ναύκληρος δολοῖ τὴν μορφήν
: cp.
Her. 2. 57
ὄρνιθος τρόπον... φθέγγεσθαι
=
ὥσπερ ὄρνις φθέγγεται
.
ἀγνοία
: ignorance, on the part of Philoctetes, as to the real quality of the
σκοπός
. Disyllables in
οια
(as
Τροία
) have final
α—
, but longer words have
α^
. Other exceptions are:
Tr. 350
ἀγνοία μ’ ἔχει
: fr. 521
ἁνοία τρέφει
: fr. 748
παλιρροία βυθοῦ
:
Aesch.
Theb. 402
ἁνοία τινί
(Blomf.
ἐννοίᾳ
):
Eur.
Andr. 520
καὶ γὰρ ἀνοία
|
μεγάλη
(in anapaests): Ar. fr. 29
ὦ παρανοία καὶ ἀναιδεία
(do.).—
προσῇ
, may be an attendant circumstance,
i.e., may aid our plan: cp.
Soph.
Ant. 1251
ἥ τ’ ἄγαν σιγὴ βαρὺ
|
δοκεῖ προσεῖναι
, n. — The reading
ἀγνοίᾳ
is certainly wrong: the sense would then be, ‘that he (the
σκοπός
) may be added to your company without suspicion’ (dat. of circumstance): it could not be, as Musgrave took it, ‘that thou mayest approach the man without seeming to know him’ (
προσῇ
being then 2nd pers. subj. aor. midd. of
προσίημι
).
οὗ δῆτα
. Blaydes conjectures
οὗ δὴ σύ
. But
δῆτα
is right. It means, ‘then, of course’—differing from
δή
by implying more clearly that the step prescribed by
δέχου
is the obvious one.—
οὗ
=
παρὰ οὗ
, with
δέχου
: cp.
O. T. 1163
ἐδεξάμην δέ του
. This is better than to take
οὗ...αὐδωμένου
as gen. absol.
ποικίλως
, ‘craftily,’—
i.e., in terms fitted to beguile Philoctetes. Not, ‘in
riddling speech,’ as if the point of the artifice lay in second meanings which Neoptolemus was to divine. The word could, indeed, mean that (cp.
O. T. 130
ἡ ποικιλῳδὸς Σφίγξ
): but the more general sense agrees better with vv. 542—627.
αὐδωμένου
, midd., as
852
,
Ai. 772
: the pass. occurs below,
240
,
430
.
τὰ συμφέροντα
: for the neut.,
cp. 24
n.
τῶν ἀεὶ λόγων
, the words spoken by him from moment to moment,—the tenor of his discourse. The phrase is explained by the dialogue between the disguised
σκοπός
and Neo ptolemus (vv. 542—627). The
σκοπός
tells a story; N. follows his lead, and strikes in from time to time with artful comments, —reasserting his hatred of the Atreidae, his sympathy with Philoctetes, etc. These opportunities, or ‘cues,’ are ‘the useful hints’ (
τὰ συμφέροντα
).
σοὶ παρεὶς τάδε
, ‘having committed these matters to thee,’ —a parting reminder of the responsibility. Not, ‘having given thee these directions.’
Ἑρμῆς ὁ πέμπων δόλιος
=
Ἑρμῆς δόλιος ὃς πέμπει
, the god of stratagems, who escorts men on their way.
ὁ πέμπων
: cp.
Tr. 620
(the herald Lichas speaks)
ἀλλ’ εἴπερ Ἑρμοῦ τήνδε πομπεύω τέχνην
:
Aesch.
Eum. 91
(Apollo to Hermes)
πομπαῖος ἴσθι, τόνδε ποιμαίνων ἐμὸν ἱκέτην
. So he is
ὅδιος, ἐνόδιος, ἡγεμόνιος, ἁγήτωρ
, and, in relation to the dead,
ψυχοπομπός
(
Soph.
O. C. 1548
n.).
δόλιος
. Near Pellene in Achaia Pausanias saw a statue of
Ἑρμῆς,—ἐπίκλησιν μὲν Δόλιος, εὐχὰς δὲ ἀνθρώπων ἕτοιμος τελέσαι
(7. 27. 1)
. Cp.
Ar.
Th. 1202
Ἑρμῆ δόλιε, ταυτὶ μὲν ἔτι καλῶς ποιεῖς
. The Corcyrean month
ψυδρεύς
was probably sacred to Hermes as
ψυδρός
(=
ψευδής
). In Babrius fab. 57 Hermes is conducting ‘a waggon-load of lies,’ when he is way-laid and robbed of his whole stock by Arabs. Especially, he is the arch-thief (
Hor.
Carm. 1. 10. 7
: cp. Ovid
Fast. 5. 691
).— His character of
δόλιος
is similarly combined with that of
πομπός
in
El. 1396
Ἑρμῆς σφ’ ἄγει δόλον σκότῳ
|
κρύψας, κ.τ.λ.
: and in
[Eur.]
Rhes. 216
ἀλλ’ εὖ σ’ ὁ Μαίας παῖς ἐκεῖσε καὶ πάλιν | πέμψειεν Ἑρμῆς, ὅς γε φηλητῶν ἄναξ.
νῷν
, dat.: cp.
on 98.
Νίκη τ’ Ἀθάνα Πολιάς
. The personified
Νίκη
meant Victory not merely in war but in any contest. She was especially associated with Zeus; but his daughter was the only goddess with whom she was actually identified. Thus Eur. (
Eur.
Ion 452
ff.):
τὰν...ἐμὰν
|
Ἀθάναν ἱκετεύω
, | ...
ὦ μάκαιρα Νίκα
, |
μόλε
. And Aristeides, in his oration on Athena, says of her,
μόνη μὲν ἁπάντων θεῶν, ὁμοίως δὲ πασῶν, οὐκ ἐπώνυμος τῆς vίκης ἐστίν
[in such epithets as
νικηφόρος
],
ἀλλ’ ὁμώνυμος
(I. p. 29). At Athens the small Ionic temple of
Ἀθηνᾶ Νίκη
stood on the platform of a bastion (
πύργος
) springing from the south wing of the Propylaea, on the right hand of one ascending to the Acropolis. The figure of the goddess, probably a work of Calamis, bore a helmet in her left hand, and in her right a pomegranate (
σίδη
), her regular attribute in the Athena-cult at Sidè in Pamphylia. As Benndorf has shown (
Ueber das Kultusbild der Athena Nike, Vienna, 1879), the temple probably commemorated Cimon's victory over the Persians at the mouth of the Eurymedon, near Sidè (466 B.C.). This
Ἀθηνᾶ Νι—/κη
was the figure which at Athens came to be popularly known as the Wingless Victory,
Νίκη Ἄπτερος
. Wings were the distinctive attribute of
Νίκη
in art: and Athenians were familiar with the winged
Νίκη
which the chryselephantine Athena of Pheidias, in the Parthenon, held in her outstretched right hand (cp.
Ar.
Av. 574
). The conception of
Ἀθηνᾶ Νίκη
was not exclusively Athenian. Thus Pausanias saw at Megara
ἱερὸν Ἀθηνᾶς...καλουμένης Νίκης
(1. 42. 4).The same remark applies to the name
Πολιάς
. At Athens it denoted Athena as guardian of citadel, city, and land. Athena Polias was represented by the old
βρέτας
of olive-wood in the Erechtheum. But she bore the title
Πολιάς
in many other places also, especially in the Ionic cities of Asia Minor,—as at Erythrae, Prienè, Teos, Phocaea (
Paus. 7. 5. 3, 4
:
2. 31. 9
). Equivalent titles were
Πολιᾶτις, Πολιοῦχος
, and (in a case noticed by Leake,
Morea, II. p. 80)
Ἁγησίπολις
. Cp. Aristeides I. p. 21:
καὶ εἰσὶν αἱ πόλεις δῶρα Ἀθηνᾶς· ὅθεν δὴ καὶ Πολιοῦχος ἄπασι κέκληται
. Thus Sophocles, though writing for Athenians, is not making purely local allusions.
ἣ σῴζει μ’ ἀεί
: as in the
Odyssey. In
Ai. 14
he calls her
φιλτάτης ἐμοὶ θεῶν
. Commentary on Sophocles: Philoctetes. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. 1932.
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