135-218
Parodos. For the metres see Metrical Analysis. The framework is as follows. (1) 1st strophe 135—143 =1st antistrophe 150—158. (2) 2nd str. 169—179=2nd antistr. 180—190. (3) 3rd str. 201—209=3rd antistr. 210— 218. An anapaestic system (
σύστημα
) of six verses (144—149) follows the 1st strophe: another, of ten verses (159— 168) follows the 1st antistrophe; and a third, also of ten (191—200), follows the 2nd antistrophe. With respect to the manner in which the anapaests are interspersed with the lyrics, we may compare the Parodos of the
O. C.(where see n. on 117),—the play which is probably nearest in date to the
Philoctetes, both being among the poet's latest works. On the other hand, in the Parodos of the
Antigone (an early play), there is a stricter symmetry between the anapaestic systems (see n. there on 100).The Chorus consists of 15 men belonging to the ship of Neoptolemus, who is their prince and their ‘captain’ (
ναυκράτωρ
, 1072). As he is so youthful (
παῖς
,
ib.), they can address him as
τέκνον
(141),
παῖ
(201). It does not follow that they were actually
γέροντες
, as the author of the prose Argument (p. 4) calls them.This ode is well fitted for its place at the opening of the play. In the prologue Neoptolemus has been the pupil of a crafty veteran; now he is the young leader to whom the sailors look for guidance. Hitherto the foremost topic has been the importance of capturing Philoctetes; here our thoughts are turned to his sufferings. And so, when the ode closes, the mind has been prepared for the coming conflict of motives.
ἐν ξένᾳ ξένον
:
cp. 685
n.:
O. C. 184
ξεῖνος ἐπὶ ξένης.
στέγειν … λέγειν
: for the likeness of form in the words (
παρονομασία
), combined with likeness of sound (
παρομοίωσις
), cp.
Isocr. or. 4 § 186
φήμην δὲ καὶ μνήμην.
ὑπόπταν
: the subst. expresses a fixed habit of mind more forcibly than
ὕποπτον
would have done: cp.
Thuc. 6. 60
ὁ δῆμος...χαλεπὸς ἦν τότε καὶ ὑπόπτης ἐς τοὺς περὶ τῶν μυστικῶν τὴν αἰτίαν λαβόντας
.
Xen.
Eq. 3. 9
τοὺς...ὑπόπτας φύσει
(
ἵππους
), naturally shy. The Chorus, now entering the orchestra for the first time, cannot be conceived as thinking of what Hom. Od.has said (70 ff.): but they know how Philoctetes has been treated, and may naturally expect him to be ‘shy’ of Greek strangers.
τέχνα
, the skill of the ruler, whose art is the highest of all: see on
O. T. 380
f.,
τέχνη τέχνης
|
ὑπερφέρουσα.
ἑτέρας
, not, another kind of skill, but rather, skill in another man: see on
O. C. 230
ἀπάταις ἑτέραις.
γνώμα
,
sc.
γνώμας προὔχει
. As dist. from
τέχνη
—the art of ruling —
γνώμη
here is intellectual power generally. The latter would not be separately ascribed to the king, if we adopted
γνώμας
, which is thus the weaker reading.
παρ’ ὅτῳ
: in whose keeping. The anteced. is
ἐκείνου
understood:
cp. 956
:
O. C. 1388
κτανεῖν θ’ ὑφ’ οὗπερ ἐξελήλασαι
:
Ai. 1050
δοκοῦντ’ ἐμοί, δοκοῦντα δ’, ὃς κραίνει στρατοῦ.
τὸ θεῖον Διὸς σκῆπτρον
, the godlike Zeus-sceptre,
i.e., sceptre derived from Zeus (gen. of source),
διόσδοτον.
ἀνάσσεται
implies
ἀνάσσω σκῆπτρον
(an almost adverbial cogn. acc.), as=‘to rule with sceptre’: cp.
O. C. 449
σκῆπτρα κραίνειν
, to have sceptred sway.—The tone here is genuinely Homeric. Cp.
Il. 9. 98
λαῶν ἐσσὶ ἄναξ καί τοι Ζεὺς ἐγγυάλιξεν | σκῆπτρόν τ’ ἠδὲ θέμιστας, ἵνα σφίσι βουλεύῃσθα
.
σὲ … ἐλήλυθεν
, hath come to thee. There is perhaps no other example of the simple
ἔρχομαι
with acc. of person: but there is an exact parallel in the rare use of
βαίνω
with acc. of person,
Eur.
Hipp. 1371
καὶ νῦν ὀδύνα μ’ ὀδύνα βαίνει
. Eur. Itis doubtless more than a mere coincidence that both these instances are lyric; and that a lyric boldness was felt in them may be inferred from the parody in
Nub. 30,
ἀτὰρ τί χρέος ἔβα με
; If
σὲ δ’...ἐλήλυθεν
occurred in an iambic trimeter, the case for
σοὶ δ’
would be strong: but here, in lyrics, we should keep
σὲ δ’
.—We cannot properly compare
ἱκνεῖσθαι
, or
ἱκάνειν
, after which an acc. of pers. was common.
πᾶν κράτος
, complete (
i.e. sovereign) power. Distinguish the phrase with the art.,
Her. 6. 35
,
εἶχε μὲν τὸ πᾶν κράτος Πεισίστρατος
, which gives the same meaning in a slightly different way (‘
the whole power’).
ὠγύγιον
, predicate with
ἐλήλυθεν
, ‘from of old,’
i.e., ‘from thine ancestors’: for
ὠγύγιον
, see
O. C. 1770
n.
τὸ
, ‘therefore’:
Il. 3. 176
ἀλλὰ τάδ’ οὐκ ἐγένοντο· τὸ καὶ κλαίουσα τέτηκα
. So, in Attic,
ταῦτα
,
Xen.
An. 4. 1. 21
ταῦτ’ ἔσπευδον καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐχ ὑπέμενον
: esp.
ταῦτ’ ἄρα
,
Nub. 319, etc.—For the like use of
τῷ
, cp.
O. T. 511
n.
144 f. The Chorus has asked, How are we to help? He replies, in effect, ‘The moment for you to help has not come yet. Meanwhile you can approach, and look at the cave. When Philoctetes returns, then you must be guided by the signs that I shall give you.’ The Chorus are supposed to be on the shore, below the cave, and at a point from which they have not a clear view of it. Invited by Neoptolemus, they now advance nearer. The word
ἀμφίθυρον
(159) implies that, having approached the seaward mouth of the cave, they can see right through it; and v. 161 (
ποῦ γὰρ ὁ τλήμων
...;) confirms this; their own eyes now assure them that the cave is empty. But nothing indicates that they actually enter it.
ἐσχατιαῖς
, locative dat. (
O. C. 411
n.), ‘in the extreme parts’ of the island,— those, namely, which are on the edge of the sea. This reading, which has the best authority, is also intrinsically better than the gen. sing.:
τόπον ἐσχατιᾶς
(‘region, part, of the sea-marge’) would be an unusual phrase. Homer, indeed, uses only the sing. of this word: and it is very likely that Soph. was thinking of
Hom.
Od. 9. 182
ἔνθα δ’ ἐν ἐσχατιῇ σπέος εἴδομεν ἄγχι θαλάσσης
,
ib. 5. 238
νήσου ἐπ’ ἐσχατιῇ
, etc. But that is no reason why Soph. should not have used the plur., which was familiar in Attic (
e.g.
H. 2. 4. 4
τῶν ἀγρῶν... εἰς τὰς ἐσχατιάς
).
ὅντινα κεῖται
, in which he is situated, abides. The verb is esp. suitable to a crippled sufferer;
cp. 183
:
Il. 2. 721
(of Philoctetes)
ἐν νήσῳ κεῖτο κρατέρ’ ἄλγεα πάσχων
. Verbs of position (as ‘sitting’ or ‘standing’) sometimes take an acc. (which may be regarded as a kind of ‘cognate’ acc.), denoting the place
in or
on which one sits, stands, etc.
Aesch.
Ag. 183
σέλμα...ἡμένων
(on the same principle as
ἕδραν ἕζομαι
):
Suppl. 987
τί ποτ’ αἰθερίαν ἕστηκε πέτραν
; (as if one said,
ἕστηκε πετρίνην στάσιν
):
ib. 657
δεξιὸν τεταγμένους
|
κέρας
(
τάξιν
). Poetry could say, then,
τόπον...ὅντινα ἕστηκε
or
τέτακται
: and so also
κοῖται
. It is true that
κεῖται τόπον
is not precisely like
κεῖται θέσιν
(
Thuc. 1. 37
ἡ πόλις...αὐτάρκη θέσιν κειμένη
): for
κεῖμαι
served as perf. pass. of
τίθημι
(
τέθειμαι
being midd.), and in
κεῖται θέσιν
the acc. is therefore as strictly ‘cognate’ as it would be in
ἐτέθη θέσιν
. But the difference between
κεῖται θέσιν
and
κεῖται τόπον
is, in principle, only the same as that between
ἕζομαι ἕδραν
and
ἕζομαι ζυγόν
.
τῶνδ’ Οὑκ μελάθρων
. For
ἐκ
I read
οὑκ
. Wakefield and Hermann were right in feeling that the sense required
τῶνδ’ ἐκ μελάθρων
to be connected with
ὁδίτης
(‘metuendus vir
qui ex hoc antro abiit’), and not with
μόλῃ
. Then, however, the article
ὁ
becomes indispensable. Let it be granted that we could say,
ὁρῶ ὁδίτην ἐκ τῶν μελάθρων
, ‘I see one leaving the abode,’—
ὁδίτην
having the constr. of
ὁδεύω
: as, in
τὰς...κινήσεις τῷ σώματι
(
Legg. 631 C), the dat. after
κινήσεις
is that which might follow
κινεῖσθαι
. But no Greek could have written
ὁπόταν μόλῃ ὁδίτης ἐκ τῶν μελάθρων
in the sense, ‘when he who has
left the abode shall
return to it,’—the movement denoted by
ἐκ τῶν μελάθρων
being opposite to that denoted by
μόλη
. For the order of words,
τῶνδε ὁ ἐκ μελάθρων
, instead of
ὁ τῶνδε ἐκ μ
., cp.
O. T. 735
καὶ τίς χρόνος τοῖσδ’ ἐστὶν οὑξεληλυθώς
=
ὁ τοῖσδε ἐξεληλυθώς
. For other examples of this crasis in Soph. , cp. below,
Soph. 639
πνεῦμα τοὐκ πρῴρας
:
Soph.
O. C. 1540
τοὐκ θεοῦ παρόν
:
Soph.
El. 731
γνοὺς δ’ οὑξ Ἀθηνῶν δεινὸς ἡνιοστρόφος
.—With the simple
ἐκ
, only two versions are possible. (1) Taking
ἐκ
with
μόλῃ
: ‘when he shall come forth from this abode.’ But N. knows that Ph. is not now in the cave, and he cannot assume that, on returning, Ph. will enter it from the landward side, to emerge at the other. Philoctetes is, in fact, outside of the cave from his first appearance at v. 219 up to v. 675. (2) Taking
ἐκ
with
προχωρῶν
, as referring to the Chorus: ‘moving forth from this abode.’ But the Chorus never enter the cave,—they only look into it: and, in any case, a
gradual retreat from it (
πρὸς ἐμὴν αἰεὶ χεῖρα
) would be unsuitable. — Seyffert refers
τῶνδ’ ἐκ μελάθρων
to the Chorus, but does not connect it with
προχωρῶν
, taking
ἐκ
in the pregnant sense of
ἔξω ὤν
:
i.e., ‘having quitted the cave (=
ἐκ
), advance ever at my beck,’ etc. This seems impossible.
πρὸς ἐμὴν αἰεὶ χεῖρα προχωρῶν
, coming forward towards my (beckoning) hand,—
i.e., at a sign given by me,—from time to time (
αἰεί
). This phrase is explained by the part which the Chorus actually plays in the dialogue between Philoctetes and Neoptolemus,—interposing, from time to time, with some utterance fitted to confirm the belief of Philoctetes in the story which Neoptolemus is telling (317, 391, 508, 676, etc.).
προχωρῶν
, because the sailors would remain at some distance from their master while he conversed with Ph. , but would naturally move a step or two nearer at the moments when they offered their own remarks. Not in a fig. sense, ‘directing your course of action.’
πρὸς ἐμὴν … χεῖρα
, too, is literal (
i.e., it does not mean simply, ‘following the lead’ of my words).
τὸ παρὸν θεραπεύειν
, to provide for the need of the moment. Cp.
Dem. or. 18 § 307
τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καιροὺς ἀντὶ τῶν τῆς πατρίδος θεραπεύειν
. Cp. the proverb
τὸ παρὸν εὖ ποιεῖν
(
Plat.
Gorg. 499C
), ‘to do the best one can.’
μέλον … μέλημα
: with a certain emphasis; cp.
Eur.
Andr. 868
δείμ’ <*> δειμαίνεις
. The Chorus first reply to the last words of N., and then respond to his suggestion that perhaps they wish to see the abode of Ph. —The text is sound, when, with Triclinius, we have ejected
τὸ σὸν
(see cr. n.),—a gloss added by some one who, taking the
ὄμμα
to be that of N., naturally felt the want of the pos sessive pron. The
ὄμμα
is that of the Chorus, and is the subject to
φρουρεῖν
: this appears certain, when we compare
Soph.
Tr. 225
οὐδέ μ’ ὄμματος
|
φρουρὰν
[
φρουρὰ
L]
παρῆλθε
, ‘nor hath it escaped my watchful eye.’ Dindorf takes
ὄμμ’
as a sort of ‘cognate’ acc., ‘to watch
with the eye,’ and compares
Soph.
Tr. 914
κἀγὼ λαθραῖον ὄμμ’ ἐπεσκιασμένη
|
φρούρουν
: but there the partic. is the warrant for it.
ἐπὶ σῷ καιρῷ
=lit., ‘for thine
occasion,’
i.e., ‘for the moment at which a thing can be done for thine advantage.’ The use of the sing.
καιρός
with the possessive is rare, but is akin to a freq. use of the plur., as
Isocr. or. 6 § 80
ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις καιροῖς
(
i.e. at the moments advantageous for us)
ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῖς αὑτῶν ποιήσασθαι τοὺς κινδύνους
. And how naturally
ὁ σὸς καιρός
might approximate (esp. in lyric poetry) to the sense of
τὸ σὸν κέρδος
, is suggested by such phrases as that in
Her. 1. 206
οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἰδείης εἴ τοι ἐς καιρὸν ἔσται ταῦτα τελεόμενα
, ‘seasonably for thee,’=‘for thine advantage.’
αὐλὰς ποίας
:
cp. 30
. The plur.
αὐλαί
could denote a single chamber (
Ant. 945
). The Chorus are not supposed to have been present when the cave was found, and do not yet know the nature of Ph. 's quarters.
ἔνεδρος
, ‘resident,’ is not pleonastic, since
ναίει
can be said of a wanderer with ref. to the place that he is in at a given moment: 892:
O. C. 117
n.
χῶρον τίν’ ἔχει
,
i.e., where he is
now:
cp. 22
,
O. C. 37.
τὸ γὰρ οὐκ ἀποκ. μοί
(
ἐστι
)
μαθεῖν
:
τό
is pron. in nom. case (cp.
Tr. 1172
τὸ δ’ ἦν ἄρ’ οὐδὲν ἄλλο
):
μαθεῖν
, epexeg. inf.—
προσπεσών
: 46 n.
τίς τόπος … θυραῖον
; The iteration, and the want of coherence, are meant to mark eager anxiety.
ἔχει στίβον
here=‘is planting his steps’ (
cp. 29
), rather than, ‘is following a path’ (48): hence the narrow space implied by
ἔναυλον
is no objection. But with Wakefield's
τίς ἔχει
στίβος
the sense ‘path’ would be unavoidable.
οἶκον … κοίτης
, a home consisting in a rocky sleeping-place (defining gen.:
cp. 81
n.).
ἀμφίθυρον
:
cp. 16
.— The
μὲν
implies, ‘but where
he is, I know not.’ The Chorus then say,
ποῦ γὰρ
...;
i.e., (you surprise me;)
for (if he is not here) where can he be?
φορβῆς
:
cp. 43
.—
ὀγμεύει, ὄγμος
, from rt.
ἀγ
. of
ἄγω
(cp.
agmen), is prop. any
line drawn out by movement; then, esp., a
furrow in ploughing (
Il. 18. 546
, Theocr. 10. 2); or the track (‘swathe’) made by reapers through corn. Here the image is from ploughing; the furrow which the ploughman leaves behind him is compared to the track left by the helpless foot which Philoctetes drags after him.
Cp. 291
εἰλυόμην, δύστηνον ἐξέλκων πόδα
(where see n.). The word
ὀγμεύει
also serves to suggest the laborious character of the progress. Cp. Lucan 9. 721 (of a serpent)
contentus iter cauda sulcare.
τῇδε
seems a necessary correction of
τόνδε
, since
στίβον...τόνδε
would mean, ‘his path
yonder’ (as though N. could point to it): not merely ‘his path
in this neighbourhood’ (though invisible).
ταύτην
,
i.e. by making expeditions in quest of food,—referring to 162 f. Others take it to mean, ‘in the following manner,’—viz.,
θηροβολοῦντα
. This is possible (
O. C. 787
): but then we should expect
θηροβολεῖν.
φύσιν
=
τρόπον.
στυγερὸν στυγερῶς
:
cp. 1369
κακῶς.. κακούς
:
O. T. 479
μέλεος μελέῳ ποδὶ χηρεύων
. Tragedy applies
στυγερός
, in the sense of ‘wretched,’ not only to things (
Tr. 1016
βίου...τοῦ στυγεροῦ
), but also to persons, as
Ant. 144
τοῖν στυγεροῖν
(the sons of Oed.: where see n.). Almost all recent editors, however, have received Brunck's conjecture,
σμυγερὸν σμυγερῶς
,
i.e., ‘with painful toil.’ At first sight, this is favoured by the schol. here,
ἐπιμόνως
, which can scarcely be explained as meaning ‘with grim resolve,’ and ought doubtless to be
ἐπιπόνως
. Now, as Brunck points out, Hesych. has
σμυγερὸν, ἐπίπονον, οἰκτρόν, μοχθηρόν· σμυγερῶς, ἐπίπονως
. So Eustath. p. 1463
ἔστι δὲ σμυγερῶς, τὸ ἐπιπόνως, ὀδυνηρῶς
. Yet the following considerations make me hesitate to forsake the MSS. (1) Is it so clear that, in this context, the schol. could not have used
ἐπιπόνως
to explain
στυγερῶς
, seeing that the notions of
πόνος
and ‘wretchedness’ are often so near to each other, esp. in poetry? (2) Apollonius Rhodius seems to be the earliest extant writer who uses
σμυγερός
: 2. 374
σμυγερώτατοι ἀνδρῶν
(most laborious'): 4. 380
σμυγερῶς
, ‘painfully.’ Homer has only
ἐπισμυγερῶς
: Hesiod has
ἐπισμυγερός
. On the other hand, the form
μογερός
is used five times by Aesch. , thrice by Eur. , once by Soph. (
Soph.
El. 93
), and once by Ar. ; but
σμυγερός
never.
ἐπινωμᾶν
, intrans., ‘direct his course towards,’ ‘approach’:
cp. 717
, where
προσενώμα
also seems to be intrans., ‘bent his course towards’ the water. This intrans. use must come from the trans. sense of
νωμάω
‘to ply’ the limbs, or ‘guide’ a chariot, etc., as
Il. 10. 358
γούνατα νωμᾶν
:
O. T. 468
πόδα νωμᾶν
:
Pind.
P. 4. 18
δίφρους τε νωμάσοισιν
: we must mentally supply
πόδα, ὁδόν
, or the like. Apart from the two instances in this play, there appears to be no sound example of an intrans.
νωμάω
. See Appendix.
οἰκτίρω
, the spelling attested by Attic inscriptions (
O. T. 13
n.).
ὅπως
, ‘(thinking) how’: cp.
Ai. 510
οἴκτιρε δ’, ὦναξ, παῖδα τὸν σόν,...ὅσον κακὸν
|
κείνῳ τε κἀμοὶ τοῦθ’, ὅταν θάνῃς, νεμεῖς
.
μή του
. The force of
μή
(as dist. from
οὐ
) is here ‘generic,’
i.e., it presents the situation as typical of a class; ‘in
a case
where there is none to tend’: and this implies the
cause of pity,—‘seeing that there is none to tend.’
Cp. 256
, 715:
O. T. 397
n.
μηδὲ
seems better than any of the proposed corrections (see cr. n.): and for
μή του
κηδομένου..., μηδὲ
ἔχων
, cp.
O. C. 737
οὐκ ἐξ ἑνὸς στείλαντος, ἀλλ’ ἀστῶν ὕπο | πάντων κελευσθείς
, n.:
Tr. 291
νῦν σοι τέρψις ἐμφανὴς κυρεῖ
, |
τῶν μὲν παρόντων, τὰ δὲ πεπυσμένῃ λόγῳ
.— The second syllable of the verse might be short (see Anal.), and therefore
σύντροφον
could stand. But, as there is no other instance of that syllable being shortened in this strophe or antistrophe, Brunck's
ξύντροφον
is better, and is received by Heinrich Schmidt (
Compositionslehre, p. clxii.).
ξυντρ. ὄμμ’
, the face of a man who lives with one; cp.
Ai. 977
ὦ φίλτατ’ Αἴας, ὦ ξύναιμον ὄμμ’ ἐμοί
.
ἀλύει
, properly, ‘wanders in mind’; hence, here, of despairing perplexity,
cp. 1194
. This use of the word might be illustrated by Alexis
Κυβερνήτης
13
εἶθ’ οἱ μὲν εὐποροῦμεν, οἱ δ’ ἀλύομεν
, ‘some of us are rich, while others are at their wits' ends.’
παντί τῳ χρείας
=each item or article of need,
i.e., each new form in which need besets him. Cp. n. on
Ant. 1229
ἐν τῷ
(=
τίνι
)
συμφορᾶς.
ἱσταμένῳ
=
ὅτε ἵσταται
, as it arises.
Cp. 1263
:
Il. 21. 240
κυκώμενον ἵστατο κῦμα
.
ὦ παλάμαι Θεῶν
: the ‘devices’ of the gods are their mysterious dispensations, which can bring such misery on a man who was once fortunate. Cp.
Pind.
P. 1. 48
εὑρίσκοντο θεῶν παλάμαις τιμάν
. I have accepted Lachmann's conjecture here,
θεῶν
for
θνητῶν
, because (1) there is a
prima facie case for a short penult., answering to that of
ἀθυρόστομος
(188); and (2)
θνητῶν
, so closely followed by
βροτῶν
, is very awkward, while
θεῶν
not only gives a forcible contrast with
βροτῶν
, but suggests a thought well suited to the solemn pathos. Hermann defends
θνητῶν
at the cost of reading
ἀθυρόγλωσσος
in 188. Heinrich Schmidt also keeps it, but re tains
ἀθυρόστομος
in 188, on the ground that, in this logaoedic measure, the ‘irrational syllable’ is admissible in the choree (
αι— θνητ
). A probably authentic example is
δεινόν
in 218 (=
θροεῖ
in 209).
παλάμαι
θνητῶν
, if sound, would mean, ‘the resources of men’ (as shown by Philoctetes): so Theognis 623
παντοῖαι κακότητες ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἔασιν
, |
παντοῖαι δ’ ἀρεταὶ καὶ βιότου παλάμαι
. Cp. the praise of man as
παντοπόρος
in
Soph.
Ant. 360.
Not, ‘the (wicked) devices of men,’ as seen in the hero's enemies.
γένη
, ‘races,’ in the narrower sense of ‘houses’ or ‘families,’ such as the princely house to which Philoctetes belonged: cp.
Od. 15. 533
ὑμετέρου δ’ οὐκ ἔστι γένος βασιλεύτερον ἄλλο
. Not ‘generations,’
γενεαί
(
O. T. 1186
): nor, again, ‘
sons of men,’—a sense which could not be justified by the bold phrase in
Ai. 784
,
Τέκμησσα, δύσμορον γένος
. In
Her. 3. 159
read
ἵνα σφι γενεὴ
(not
γένεα
)
ὑπογίνηται
.
οἷς μὴ μέτριος αἰών
.
αἰών
here= not ‘life’ merely (as
Ant. 583
), but ‘fortune in life,’ as
Tr. 34
τοιοῦτος αἰὼν εἰς δόμους τε κἀκ δόμων
|
αἰεὶ τὸν ἄνδρ’ ἔπεμπε.
μὴ
, ‘such as to exceed the ordinary lot,’—in prosperity, and afterwards in misery. The more highly placed a man is, the greater may be his fall.
Cp. 505
f.:
O. T. 1186
ff.,
O. T. 1282
ff. (the reverses of Oed.):
Ant. 1161
ff. (those of Creon).
Aesch.
Eum. 528
παντὶ μέσῳ τὸ κράτος θεὸς ὤπασεν
.
Eur.
Med. 123
ἐμοὶ γοῦν ἐπὶ μὴ μεγάλοις
|
ὀχυρῶς εἴη καταγηράσκειν
. |
τῶν γὰρ μετρίων πρῶτα μὲν εἰπεῖν
|
τοὔνομα νικᾷ
: where it is added that ‘excess of good fortune’ (
τὰ ὑπερβάλλοντα
) ‘brings greater calamities on houses, when the god is wroth,’
μείζους δ’ ἄτας, ὅταν ὀργισθῇ
|
δαίμων οἴκοις ἀπέδωκεν
.
Her. 7. 10
φιλέει γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τὰ ὑπερέχοντα πάντα κολούειν
.—Others take
μὴ μέτριος
as, ‘exceeding the ordinary measure of woe.’ Cp.
Eur.
Tro. 717
οὐ γὰρ μέτρια πάσχομεν κακά
. I prefer the former view, because (
a) the sense of
γένη
suggests the greatness that precedes the abasement; and (
b) vv. 180 ff., which comment on
οἷς μὴ μέτριος αἰών
, show that these words suggested a contrast between Ph. 's past and present fortunes.
πρωτογόνων
: schol.
εὐγενῶν
. Elsewhere
πρωτόγονος
always = ‘firstborn.’ But as
ἀρχαιόγονος
can mean ‘of ancient race’ (
Ant. 981
), so
πρωτόγονος
‘of foremost race.’ Cp.
Thuc. 3. 65
§ 2
ἄνδρες ὑμῶν οἱ πρῶτοι καὶ χρήμασι καὶ γένει.
ἴσως
does not imply a doubt as to whether Philoctetes is of noble birth, but merely gives a certain vagueness to the surmise that no one else was nobler. Yet Nauck (following Burges) changes
ἴσως
to
γεγὼς
because the Chorus must have
known the hero to be noble. Cp.
Tr. 301
(Deianeira is pitying the captives sent to her by Heracles),
αἳ πρὶν μὲν ἦσαν ἐξ ἐλευθέρων ἴσως
|
ἀνδρῶν
: where
ἴσως
does not mean that she doubts their former freedom, but merely that she does not know their fathers' names. Cp.
που
in
Thuc. 7. 77
§ 2 (Nicias speaking of himself),
οὔτ’ εὐτυχίᾳ δοκῶν που ὕστερός του εἶναι
. So we sometimes guard a statement by saying, ‘perhaps’ the greatest, etc.
οὐδενὸς
sc.
ἀνδρός. οὐδεὶς οἴκων πρωτογόνων
could mean either (
a) no
house of those houses, or (
b) no
man belonging to them; cp.
Plat.
Prot. 316B
Ἀπολλοδώρου υἱός, οἰκίας μεγάλης
. Here it is possible, indeed, to supply
οἴκου
(‘a man inferior to no house,’
i.e., ‘to no
member of a house’). But in compressed Greek comparison the type
τὸ ἐκείνου γένος οὐχ ὕστερόν ἐστι τῶν βασιλέων
(
sc.
τοῦ γένους
), is commoner than
ἐκεῖνος
(for
τὸ ἐκείνου γένος
)
οὐχ ὕστερός ἐστι τοῦ τῶν βασιλέων γένους
,—which latter would be the type here. Further, the fact that
οὐδενὸς
(
οἴκου
) depends on
οἴκων
would increase the awkwardness. The reading
ἥκων
for
οἴκων
is specious; cp.
Soph.
Ai. 636
δς ἐκ πατρῴας ἥκων γενεᾶς <ἄριστος
>: though
ἄριστος
is there doubtful. But
οἴκων
is confirmed (
a) by
Eur.
Ion 1073
ἁ τῶν εὐπατριδᾶν γεγῶσ’ οἴκων
: and (
b) by the bold use of
πρωτογόνων
, which
οἴκων
helps to interpret.—
οὐδενὸς ὕστερος
, as Plat.
Tim.p. 20 A
οὐσίᾳ καὶ γένει οὐδενὸς ὕστερος ὢν τῶν ἐκεῖ
.
ἐν βίῳ
belongs to
ἄμμορος
(destitute, in his life, of all things): it cannot go with
πάντων
, as if we had
πάντων τῶν ἐν βίῳ
: but the sense is virtually the same.
μοῦνος ἀπ’ ἄλλων
, alone, apart from his fellows: an epic phrase;
Hymn. Hom. 3. 193
ὁ δὲ ταῦρος ἐβόσκετο μοῦνος ἀπ’ ἄλλων
: cp.
Od. 16. 239
μούνω ἄνευθ’ ἄλλων.
στικτῶν
(the epithet of an
ἔλαφος
in
El. 568
, and of
νεβρίδες
in
Eur.
Bacch. 111
) naturally suggests deer, and, acc. to one interpretation, is meant here to denote the class of ‘peaceful animals,’ as dist. from
λασίων
, beasts of prey. The latter epithet, it might be objected, could equally well suggest goats and sheep. Another and stranger view is that
στικτῶν
means birds (
pictae volucres), as dist. from beasts. Obviously the poet used the epithets simply in order to call up a general picture of creatures that haunt the wilds; he was not carefully classifying them.
Cp. 937
.
μετὰ
. The last syllable of a verse is of variable value (
ἀδιάφορος
,
anceps );
i.e., a short may stand for a long, as here, or
vice versa. Cp. Heinrich Schmidt,
Rhythmic and Metric, p. 58, who cites
Aesch.
Ag. 1531
εὐπάλαμον μέριμναν | ὅπα
κ.τ.λ.: the
‐α^ν
there serves as
‐α—ν
. So
188
(
ἀθυρόστομ
ος
),
1089
(
ἆμ
αρ
),
1104
(
ὕστερ
ον
),
1110
(
χερς
ὶν
), etc. It is needless, then, to alter
μετά.
ἔν τ’ ὀδύναις
=
ἐν ὀδύναις τε
(cp.
O. T. 258
n.): for this
ἐν
of circumstance,
ib. 1112
ἐν...μακρῷ | γήρᾳ
, n.
Ὀρεία δ’
, MeklerS. 's correction of
βαρεῖα δ’
, occurs in his revision of
Dindorf (6th Teubner ed., 1885)
, where it is placed in the text. But, so far as I know, the arguments for it have not yet been stated. It is one of those emendations, the probability of which cannot be adequately estimated at a first glance, but must be carefully considered in relation to the peculiarities of the MS. (1) We observe, then, that L has
βαρεῖ
|
αδ’ ἀθυρόστομος
. This favours the view that v. 188 began with
α δ’
rather than
ἁ δ’
. But, as metre proves, that
α
must have been
α—
, not
α^
: and this points to an ending
‐εί
|
α—
, as in
ὀρεί
|
α
. (2) Some corruptions in L, as in other MSS., have arisen through the genuine word being mistaken for one resembling it in form; as
ἄχος
has become
ἄχθος
in
O. T. 1355.
And this could occur even when the initial of the false word did not belong to the true word. See
Tr. 887
στονόεντος ἐν τομᾷ σιδάρου
. For
τομᾷ
, L there has
στομαῖ
: and this, not merely through the influence of
στονόεντος
, but, evidently, because the scribe was thinking of
στόμα
. Thus, even without assuming an intermediate
ἀρεί
|
α
or
ἀρεῖ
|
α
, we see that
βαρεῖ
|
α
was a possible corruption of
ὀρεί
|
α
. Note, as increasing the probability, that v. 208,
βαρεῖα τηλόθεν αὐδά
, stands in L in the middle of the same page (82 A) which contains this verse. (3)
ὀρεία
, as an epithet for Echo here, is illustrated by the only other place in the play where such echo is spoken of: 1458
πολλὰ δὲ φωνῆς τῆς ἡμετέρας
|
Ἑρμαῖον ὄρος παρέπεμψεν ἐμοί
. The
θῆρες
have just been mentioned (185); and at 937 we have
θηρῶν ὀρείων
. Cp.
Hymn. Hom. 19. 21
κορυφὴν δὲ περιστένει οὔρεος ἠχώ
. Echo is the ‘neighbour’ of Pan (Moschus 6. 1), himself
ὀρεσσιβάτης
(
O. T. 1100
).—For other conjectures, see Appendix.
ἀθυρόστομος
is not extant elsewhere. Cp.
Eur.
Or. 903
ἀνήρ τις ἀθυρόγλωσσος, ἰσχύων θράσει
.
Ar.
Ran. 838
ἔχοντ’ ἀχάλινον ἀκρατὲς ἀθύρωτον στόμα
. Theognis 421
πολλοῖς ἀνθρώπων γλώσσῃ θύραι οὐκ ἐπίκεινται
|
ἁρμόδιαι
.—Wecklein reads
ἀθυροστομοῦς’
(comparing
θρασυστομεῖν, πολυστομεῖν
), for the sake of the long final syll.: but see on
μετὰ
in 184.
Ἀχὼ τηλεφανὴς
, Echo, appearing afar,—as if she came forth from her secret abode in response to the voice. Eur. introduced Echo as an (unseen) speaker in his
Andromeda; cp.
Ar.
Th. 1059
ff. (
Ἠχώ, λόγων ἀντῳδός, ἐπικοκκάστρια
‘mocker’). But she was not, in the classical age, a distinctly recognised
δαίμων
: though Paus. (2. 35. 10) saw at Corinth a
ἱερόν
of
ἡ Χθονία
, locally called
Ἠχώ
. Cp. Wieseler,
Die Nymphe Echo (Göttingen, 1854).
πικραῖς | οἰμωγαῖς ὑπακούει
is the best correction yet proposed for
πικρᾶς οἰμωγᾶς ὑπόκειται
. With the latter verb, the dat.
πικραῖς οἰμωγαῖς
would be required. The sense would then be, ‘Echo
is subject to his cries,’
i.e., attends upon them, follows them, as a kind of understrain or accompaniment. Such a use of
ὑπόκειται
is not merely forced; it is (to my mind) inconceivable. Prof. Campbell, keeping the gen.
πικρᾶς οἰμωγᾶς
, renders
ὑπόκειται
‘lies close to,
i.e. keeps following upon’: and quotes
Plat.
Gorg. 465B
τῇ μὲν οὖν ἰατρικῇ...ἡ ὀψοποιϊκὴ κολακεία ὑπόκειται
: but that means, ‘Cookery is a flattery which
ranges under medicine,’
i.e., corresponds to it, as the counterfeit to the genuine art. And, on any view of
ὑπόκειται
, the dat. is needful. For
ὑπακούει
, cp.
Hom.
Od. 4. 283
(Helen was calling to the heroes in the wooden horse; they were eager)
ἢ ἐξελθέμεναλ, ἢ ἔνδοθεν αἶψ’ ὑπακοῦσαι
, ‘to come forth, or to
answer promptly from within.’ And
ib. 10. 82
ποιμένα ποιμὴν
|
ἠπύει εἰσελάων, ὁ δέ τ’ ἐξελάων ὑπακούει
, ‘herdsman
hails herdsman as he drives in, and the other, as he drives forth,
makes answer.’ In classical prose,
ὑπακούειν
more often means to ‘respond’ in the sense of ‘comply.’ But the passages just cited prove that the word was also familiar as=‘to
speak in reply’: nor was this latter sense confined to poetry; cp.
Arist.
Top. 8. 11
(Berl. ed. p. 157
b 14)
ἐρωτώμενοι τἀναντία καὶ τὸ ἐν ἀρχῇ πολλάκις ὑπακούουσιν
, =
ἀποκρίνονται
(the word used previously in the same passage).—Other emendations of
ὑπόκειται
are examined in the Appendix.
θεῖα
, predicate, ‘from the gods’:
cp. 1039
, 1326.
κἀγώ
, I also (as well as others): the
καί
gives a modest tone;
Ant. 719
n.
καὶ τὰ παθήμ. κεῖνα
. The
καί
here = ‘e'en’: its force is to mark that, from the very beginning, his troubles were heaven-ordained. This seems better than to take it as ‘both,’ answering to the
καὶ νῦν
in 195.
τῆς ὠμόφρ. Χρύσης
, gen. of source, with
ἐπέβη
. Such a simple gen. usu. denotes the
place whence (
O. T. 152
Πυθῶνος ἔβας
), but the idea of ‘source’ could easily be connected with a person also; cp.
O. C. 1515
στράψαντα χειρὸς τῆς ἀνικήτου βέλη
. It is also possible to join
παθήματα … Χρύσης
as ‘sufferings inflicted by her’:
cp. 422
τὰ κείνων κακά
, n.: but (
a) the order of words renders this less natural: and (
b) a gen. after
πάθημα
ought to denote the sufferer.— Philoctetes was bitten by a serpent that guarded the altar of Chrysè, in the islet of the same name, near Lemnos:
cp. 1326
.
ὠμόφρονος
, as cruelly punishing his intrusion. The
Iliad (2. 723) speaks of him as
ἕλκει μοχθίζοντα κακῷ ὀλοόφρονος ὕδρον
. The relation of Chrysè to the gods is like that of Calypso in the
Odyssey. The
δαίμων
can work her will on the mortal; but only so far as the higher powers permit.
οὐκ ἔσθ’ ὡς οὐ
,
sc.
πονεῖ
: for
ὡς
instead of the usual
ὅπως
, cp.
Ant. 750
ταύτην ποτ’ οὐκ ἔσθ’ ὡς ἔτι ζῶσαν γαμεῖς
. This shows that we ought not to read
οὐκ ἔστιν ὅπως οὐ θεῶν μελέτῃ
(omitting
του
).
τοῦ μὴ … τεῖναι
, ‘in order that he should not bend...’
τοῦ μή
is not to be taken with
μελέτῃ
(‘care to prevent his bending’), but with the whole preceding sentence. This constr. occurs (
a) after words of hindering,
Xen.
An. 3. 5. 11
πᾶς...ἀσκὸς δύο ἄνδρας ἕξει τοῦ μὴ καταδῦναι
: (
b) where the notion of hindering is not expressed, but only implied, as
Thuc. 1. 23
§ 5
τὰς αἰτίας προέγραψα..., τοῦ μή τινα ζητῆσαί ποτε ἐξ ὅτου τοσοῦτος πόλεμος...κατέστη
.
Id. 2. 22
§ 1
ἐκκλησίαν οὐκ ἐποίει..., τοῦ μὴ ὀργῇ...ξυνελθόντας ἐξαμαρτεῖν
. So, in affirmative sentences,
τοῦ
without
μή
: id. 1. 4
τό τε λῃστικὸν ...καθῄρει..., τοῦ τὰς προσόδους μᾶλλον ἰέναι αὐτῷ.
τεῖναι … βέλη
,
point them, like
sagittas tendere (
C. 1. 29. 9): we need not suppose that a word proper to the bow (‘stretch’) is transferred to the arrows.
τὰ θεῶν
,
i.e., given by the gods (
cp. 140
Διὸς σκῆπτρον
), because the bow of Philoctetes was originally the gift of Apollo to Heracles (
Apollod. 1. 4. 11
§ 9).
Cp. 943
.
πρὶν...ἐξήκοι
, not
πρὶν ἂν ἐξήκῃ
, although the tense of the principal verb (
πονεῖ
, understood in v. 196) is primary, since a secondary tense is implied in the phrase
θεῶν του μελέτῃ
:
i.e., ‘he is suffering, because the gods
ordained that he should suffer, until the time should be fulfilled,’ etc. Cp.
Dem. or. 22 § 11
τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον ὁ νόμος...ἵνα μηδὲ πεισθῆναι μηδ’ ἐξαπατηθῆναι γένοιτ’ ἐπὶ τῷ δήμῳ
: ‘the law
stands thus, that the people
might not even have the power’: where ‘stands’ (
ἔχει
) implies ‘was made’ (
ἐτέθη
).
γένηται
would be regular there, as
πρὶν ἂν ἐξήκῃ
would be here: yet in both places the optat. is natural. The speaker is tracing a present fact to a past motive.
λέγεται
: the Trojan seer Helenus had said that Troy was to be taken by Philoctetes before the summer was over (1340).—
τῶνδε, τῶν βελῶν
: cp. on
τούσδε
, 87.
εὔστομ’ ἔχε
=
σῖγα ἔχε
: for the neut. pl. as adv., cp.
O. T. 883
n.
Her. 2. 171
ταύτης...μοι πέρι
(
τῆς τελετῆς
)
εὔστομα κείσθω
,
i.e., ‘it will be best to observe silence.’ Aelian
De Nat. An. 14. 28
τά
γε παῤ ἐμοῦ ἔστω πρὸς αὐτοὺς
(the gods)
εὔστομα
.
Nub. 833
εὐστόμει
=
εὐφήμει.
τί τόδε
; ‘what now?’ So
τί τοῦτο
;
O. C. 513.
Here, as in 210 f., the rapid tribrachs mark excitement.
προὐφάνη
:
cp. 189
τηλεφανής
.
σύντροφος
, sharing his life,
i.e., constantly attending on him, habitual to him: cp.
Ai. 639
οὐκέτι συντρόφοις
|
ὀργαῖς ἔμπεδος
, the dispositions that have grown with his growth,—the promptings of his own nature.
Thuc. 2. 50
(the plague)
ἐδήλωσε...ἄλλο τι ὂν ἢ τῶν ξυντρόφων τι
(the
familiar maladies). Polyb. 4. 20 (
τὴν μουσικὴν
)
σύντροφον ποιεῖν
. The genit. (
φωτὸς
), though less usual than the dat., hardly requires us to view
σύντροφος
as a subst. (‘companion’): cp.
Phaed. 96D
τὰ αὐτῶν οἰκεῖα
, the things appropriate to them.
ἤ που
:
cp. 215
. Cavallin reads
ἦ που
with a note of interrogation after
τόπων
: but they do not doubt that it comes from one of the two quarters.
τῇδ’ … τῇδε
:
O. T. 857
n. The Attic form seems warranted by the colloquial tone; then, with
ἐτύμα
, we return to lyric Doricism.
τόπων
with
τῇδε
:
O. T. 108
ποῦ γῆς;
βάλλει
: the fuller phrase in
Ant. 1187
καί με φθόγγος
... |
βάλλει δἰ ὤτων
. So
βάλῃ
, simply, of smell,
ib. 412.
ἐτύμα
, real,—not due to a hallucination of the senses. Cp. Theocr. 15. 82 (with ref. to painted figures),
ὡς ἔτυμ’ ἑστάκαντι καὶ ὡς ἔτυμ’ ἐνδινεῦντι
(‘move in the dance’), |
ἔμψυχ’, οὐκ ἐνυφαντά
. Elsewhere the Attic fem. is
ἔτυμος
(
Helen. 351,
Ar.
Pax 114
).
στίβον … ἕρποντος
:
cp. 1223
:
Ai. 287
ἐξόδους ἕρπειν κενάς.
κατ’ ἀνάγκαν
,
i.e., under stress of pain:
cp. 215
πταίων ὑπ’ ἀνάγκας
.
Eur.
Bacch. 88
ἐν ὠδίνων
|
λοχίαις ἀνάγκαισι
.—The reading
στίβου κατ’ ἀνάγκαν
would mean, ‘with painfulness of movement,’
στίβου
being then the act of planting the steps (
cp. 29
, 157). This is tenable; but I prefer
στίβον
, because (
a) the phrase with
στίβον
seems a little forced, and (
b) with the gen.
του... ἕρποντος
the effect of an interposed gen. would be somewhat unpleasing.
οὐδέ με λάθει
: this reiteration is natural, since the sound continues, and draws nearer. For the negative form after the positive, cp.
El. 222
ἔξοιδ’, οὐ λάθει μ’ ὀργά
, and
ib. 131:
Il. 24. 563
καὶ δέ σε γιγνώσκω, Πρίαμε, φρεσίν, οὐδέ με λήθεις.
βαρεῖα
, grievous,
i.e., expressing pain; so
Eur.
Hipp. 791
ἠχὼ βαρεῖα.
τρυσάνωρ
should properly be active, ‘man-wearing,’ like
φθισήνωρ
, ‘man-destroying’ (epith. of
πόλεμος
,
Il. 2. 833
). And so some understand
αὐδὰ τρυσάνωρ
as=a lament for a disease that wears one: cp. on 695 f.
στόνον...βαρυβρῶτ’
. This, however, seems verystrained. More probably the poet has boldly used
αὐδὰ τρυσάνωρ
as=
αὐδὰ ἀνδρὸς τετρυμένου
, like
αἷμα ἀνδρόφθορον
for
αἷμα ἀνδρὸς ἐφθαρμένου
(
Ant. 1022
),
κτύπος διόβολος
for
κτύπος δίου βέλους
(
O. C. 1463
). Cp.
Nub. 421
φειδωλοῦ καὶ τρυσιβίου γαστρός
, where
τρυς
. seems to be pass.,=
τετρυμένον βίον ἔχοντος
, rather than act. (as if it imposed the hardships).
διάσημα γὰρ θροεῖ
. This, the reading of the MSS., seems sound. As to the metre, see n. on 218 (
προβοᾷ τι γὰρ δεινόν
).
ἀλλ’ ἔχε
. In many editions XO. is printed before these words, presumably to mark that they open the 3rd antistrophe. But, as the part of the Chorus is continuous from v. 202, a XO. here is confusing. It does not exist in L.
ἀλλ’
, hortative, like, ‘come, then.’
ἔχε … φροντίδας vέας
:
i.e. turn from thy reflections on his hard lot (162—168) to such thoughts as the moment of action demands. The effect of N.'s interpellation,
λέγ’ ὅ τι
, is to mark excitement, and to bring out the reply with greater force. See n. on
O. C. 645.
οὐκ ἔξεδρος
: for they have now learned that he has a permanent dwelling here (
cp. 153
).
μολπὰν … ἔχων
,
engaged in it; cp.
Od. 24. 515
ἀρετῆς πέρι δῆριν ἔχοντες.
σύριγγος
: cp.
Il. 18. 525
(on the shield)
δύω θ’ ἅμ’ ἕποντο νομῆες
, |
τερπόμενοι σύριγξι
.
Plat.
Rep. 399D
λύρα δή σοι...καὶ κιθάρα λείπεται, καὶ κατὰ πόλιν χρήσιμα· καὶ αὖ κατ’ ἀγροὺς τοῖς νομεῦσι σύριγξ ἂν εἴη
:—a good illustration of
ἀγροβότας
here. Theocr. 7. 27
φαντὶ τὺ πάντες
|
συρικτὰν ἔμεναι μέγ’ ὑπείροχον ἔν τε νομεῦσιν
|
ἔν τ’ ἀμητήρεσσι
. Cp.
ἄλυρος, ἀφόρμικτος, ἀκίθαρις, ἄχορος
, as epithets of wailing, etc. (
Soph.
O. C. 1223
n.).
ποιμὰν
, not
ποιμὴν
, is surely required here, where
μολπὰν
precedes and
ἀγροβότας, ἀνάγκας, ἰωάν
follow. Cp.
O. C. 132
, where L has
τᾶς εὐφήμου.
ἀγροβότας, ἐν ἀγρῷ βόσκων
: cp.
O. T. 1103
πλάκες ἀγρόνομοι
, n. Philoctetes is returning from wild places to his dwelling. This suggests the contrast with a shepherd who, playing his pipe, comes cheerily home from the ‘otia dia pastorum.’
ἀλλ’ ἤ που
κ.τ.λ.
After
οὐ μολπὰν
ἔχων
we ought to have had
ἀλλὰ ...βοῶν
: but a finite verb,
βοᾷ
, takes the place of a second participle, as oft.: see n. on
O. C. 351.
—Join
ὑπ’ ἀνάγκας
with
πταίων
rather than with
βοᾷ
: the
ἀνάγκη
, or stress of pain (206),—from the ulcered foot which he drags after him (291),— causes him to stumble on the rough ground.
τηλωπὸν ἰωάν
, a cry heard from a distance.
τηλωπός
= (1) ‘of distant aspect,’ (
ὤψ
,)
i.e., ‘seen afar’: then (2) simply, ‘distant,’ though the object is not visible:
Ai. 564
τηλωπὸς οἰχνεῖ
. It is in this general sense of ‘distant’ that
τηλωπός
is here applied to a sound heard from afar. We cannot properly compare
τηλεφανής
, said of the personified Echo (189). In
Aesch.
Theb. 103
κτύπον δέδορκα
may imply the mental picture called up by the clash of arms, as Verrall observes.
ναὸς ἄξενον … ὅρμον
, a haven that has no ship for its guest; cp.
O. C. 1383
ἀπάτωρ ἐμοῦ
, ‘having no father in me’: and
ib. 677 n.
ἄξενος
is here the opposite of
πολύξενος
rather than of
εὔξενος
. Thus
ναὸς ἄξενον
is not less correct, while it is more forcible, than
ναυσὶν ἄξενον
would be. The waters off the rock-bound coast are a
ὅρμος ἄνορμος
(
cp. 302
).— Others render, ‘the inhospitable anchorage
of our ship,’—which was not visible from the cave (
cp. 467
), but might have been seen by Philoctetes from another point. The sense seems, however, to be:—‘his cry is caused, either by physical pain, or by a feeling of despair as he looks at the lonely sea.’ The Chorus have been dwelling on his two great calamities—disease, and solitude (173 f., 185 f.). In this closing strain, it is natural that the two motives of their pity should be identified with the two sources of his anguish.
προβοᾷ τι γἀρ δεινόν
. Wunder thus transposes
γάρ τι
. It was hardly needful to defend the place of
γάρ
by
I. T. 1036 (
ὑποπτεύω τι γάρ
): cp. below, 1450 f. Heinrich Schmidt seems right in holding that
δεινόν
here does not require
θρηνεῖ
(for
θροεῖ
) in 209. Lachmann's conjecture,
προβοᾷ γὰρ
αἴλινον
, hardly deserved to be adopted by Blaydes. See Metrical Analysis.—Hermann's view, that in 209
διάσημα θροεῖ γάρ
should be read, as here,
προβοᾷ
δέ τι δεινόν
, involves the arbitrary substitution of
δέ
for
γάρ
. It would be obvious to suggest
προβοᾷ τι γὰρ αἰνόν
, or
προβοᾷ γὰρ ἐλεινόν
: but neither is probable. Commentary on Sophocles: Philoctetes. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. 1932.
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