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219-675

First

ἐπεισόδιον

. Philoctetes tells his story to Neoptolemus; who pretends that he has quarrelled with the Atreidae, and is sailing home. He promises to take Ph. with him. At this point the emissary of Odysseus (126) enters, disguised as the captain of a merchantship. He says that the Greeks have sent men in pursuit of N.; while Odysseus and Diomedes are coming to take It Ph. is decided that N. and Ph. must sail at once; they then withdraw into Ph. 's cave.

ἰὼ ξένοι , ‘extra metrum,’ as 736

ἰὼ θεοί

, O. T. 1468

ἴθ’, ὦναξ

, etc. Here

ἰώ

is a cry of surprise. In O. C. 822

ἰὼ ξένοι

(within the verse) is a despairing appeal (‘Alas, friends...’).

κἀκ ποίας πάτρας . In judging between this reading and the variant ναυτίλῳ πλάτῃ (see crit. n.), the probabilities of corruption must be carefully weighed. Suppose, first, that the poet wrote

κἀκ ποίας πάτρας

. A transcriber who found

ποίας πάτρας

in v. 222 might well assume that there was a fault either there or in v. 220: and since in v. 222 the words fit the construction, he might think that the fault was in v. 220. The substitute,

ναυτίλῳ πλάτῃ

, might then be suggested by κατέσχετ’ itself: cp. Ar. Ran. 1207

ναυτίλῳ πλάτῃ

Ἄργος κατασχών

(from the Archelaus of Eur. ). Emendations not less arbitrary were sometimes made in early times: see, e.g., on Soph. O. T. 134 and 1529. Next, suppose that

ναυτίλῳ πλάτῃ

was the true reading. It is clear and neat. To account for the variant

κἀκ ποίας πάτρας

, we must then suppose either ( a) that a scribe wrote those words by an oversight,—his eye having wandered to v. 222; which is the less likely, since v. 222 did not give him

κἀκ

: or ( b) that,

ναυτίλῳ πλάτῃ

having been somehow lost, he filled the gap with a clumsy loan from v. 222. Neither hypothesis seems so probable as that a double

ποίας πάτρας

should have led to guess-work in v. 220. Another point, though not a strong one, in favour of

κἀκ ποίας πάτρας

is that the two questions (‘who, and whence?’) are habitually combined in such inquiries: e.g. , Soph. El. 779

χαίρετ’, ὦ ξένοι· τίνες

πόθεν πορεύεσθ’, ἐστέ τ’ ἐκ ποίας χθονός

; Her. 1. 35

τίς τε ἐὼν καὶ κόθεν...ἥκων

: id. 2. 115

τίς εἴη καὶ ὁκόθεν πλέοι

: 4. 145

τίνες τε καὶ ὁκόθεν εἰσί

. On the other hand, we cannot insist on L's authority as against A's; for L has sometimes lost a true reading which A has kept (as in Soph. Ai. 28 ).

But

κἀκ ποίας πάτρας

in v. 220 and

ποίας πάτρας

in 222 cannot both be wholly sound. The first

πάτρας

might easily be corrected to

χθονὸς

(with Wecklein). It is slightly more probable, how ever, that the second

πάτρας

arose from the eye glancing back. Thus in Ant. 831 L has

τάκει

(for

τέγγει

), due to

τακομέναν

in 828. In v. 222 we might conjecture

ποίας πόλεως

. (For

πόλεως

in the 2nd place of the senarius, cp. O. T. 630. ) The series of questions in vv. 220— 222 would then correspond with the Homeric

τίς πόθεν ε<*>ς ἀνδρῶν; πόθι τοι πόλις ἠδὲ τοκῆες

; ( Od. 1. 170. )

κατέσχετ’ .

κατέχειν

( sc.

ναῦν

, though

νηΐ

is sometimes added)

εἰς τόπον

is the usu. prose constr., but poets use also a simple acc., as Helen. 1206

ποδαπὸς δ’ ὅδ’ ἁνὴρ καὶ πόθεν κατέσχε γῆν

; The difference between

κατέχω

and

προσέχω

(236) is like that between ‘to put into harbour’ and to ‘touch at’; i.e., the latter implies a further destination; the former does not necessarily imply it, though it does not exclude it ( cp. 270 ).

222 On the grounds given in n. on 220, I conjecture πόλεως instead of πάτρας . But this does not affect the question of metre. It is more probable that, with Triclinius, we ought simply to place

ὑμᾶς

after

γένους

than (1) that Soph. wrote

ποίας πάτρας

(or

πόλεως

)

ὑμᾶς ἄν, κ.τ.λ.

,— a verse like 101: or (2) that we should read

ποίας ἂν ὑμᾶς πατρίδος

, with Dind., who remarks that

πατρίδος

holds that place in Soph. O. T. 641 , Soph. O. T. 825 , Soph. O. C. 428.

τύχοιμ’ ἂν εἰπών , be right in calling. Aesch. Ag. 1232

τί νιν καλοῦσα δυσφιλὲς δάκος

τύχοιμ’ ἄν

; So

κυρῶ

Soph. El. 663. For the doubled

ἄν

, cp. Soph. O. T. 339 n.

σχῆμα κ.τ.λ. The sense is,

σχῆμα στολῆς ὑπάρχει Ἑλληνικόν, προσφιλέστατον ἐμοί

. But, instead of that, we have σχῆμα ὑπάρχει (

σχῆμα

) Ἑλλάδος στολῆς , and the epithet (

προσφιλέστατον

), which would more naturally go with

σχῆμα

, is joined to

στολῆς

:—‘the fashion is, to begin with, (

ὑπάρχει

,) that of Hellenic garb,—the garb which I love best.’ The

σχῆμα

( habitus) denotes the general ‘fashion,’ or effect to the eye:

στολὴ Ἑλλάς

refers to the actual garments distinctive of Hellenes, such as

χιτών

and

ἱμάτιον

. Cp. Eur. fr. 476

Τευθράντιον δὲ σχῆμα Μυσίας χθονός

(the fashion of garb worn by the people of Teuthrania in Mysia). In I. T. 246

ποδαποί; τίνος γῆς ὄνομ’ ἔχουσιν οἱ ξένοι

; Monk conjectured

σχῆμ’

for

ὄνομ’

.—Nauck rejects this verse, because the hero loves the land, not the clothes, of Hellas; and because he cannot yet be sure that these Greeks are friends.

ὄκνῳ

κ.τ.λ.

It seems simplest and best to construe thus:

καὶ μὴ ὄκνῳ ἐκπλαγῆτε, δείσαντές με ἀπηγριωμένον

(cp. I. A. 1535

ταρβοῦσα τλήμων κἀκπεπληγμένη φόβῳ

); though

ἐκπλαγῆτε

could directly govern

με

( El. 1045

οὐδὲν ἐκπλαγεῖσά σε

). In O. C. 1625

στῆσαι φόβῳ δείσαντας ἐξαίφνης τρίχας

, the dat. is causal (‘through fear’): in Tr. 176 ,

φόβῳ...ταρβοῦσαν

, it has an adverb. force (‘sorely afraid’; cp. O. T. 65 ).

ἀπηγριωμένον , made like to an

ἄγριος

, or wild man: cp. the description of Philoctetes, as Diomedes and Odysseus found him at Lemnos, in Quintus Smyrnaeus 9. 364 ff.:

αὐαλέαι δέ οἱ ἀμφὶ κόμαι περὶ κρατὶ κέχυντο

θηρὸς ὅπως ὀλοοῖο

... |

καί οἱ πᾶν μεμάραντο δέμας, περὶ δ’ ὀστέα μοῦνον

ῥινὸς ἔην, ὀλοὴ δὲ παρηΐδας ἀμφέχυτ’ αὐχμὴ

λευγαλέον ῥυπόωντος

. Attius Phil.fr. 14 quod te obsecro, aspernabilem ne haec taetritudo mea me inculta faxit. Cp. Tennyson, Enoch Arden: ‘Downward from his mountain gorge | Stept the longhair'd long-bearded solitary, | Brown, looking hardly human, strangely clad’...

κακούμενον , suffering hardship. Cp. Helen. 268

πρὸς θεῶν κακοῦται

(he suffers reverses). Legg. 932 D

τῶν κακούντων ἢ κακουμένων

, those who inflict or who suffer injury. This is a certain correction of the vulg. καλούμενον , which cannot be defended either as (1) pass., ‘called,’—explained by Blomfield as being here little more than

ὄντα

: or (2) midd., ‘invoking’ you. Soph. once uses the midd., Soph. O. C. 1385 (

ἀρὰς

)

ἅς σοι καλοῦμαι

: but here the obscurity would be extreme.

ἀλλ’ , appealing, ‘nay’ ( O. C. 237 n.).

ὑμῶν ἁμαρτεῖν τοῦτό γ’ , lit., to be disappointed, in regard to this, on your part. The gen. ὑμῶν is not construed directly with

ἁμαρτεῖν

(as though ‘to fail of you’ meant ‘to be repulsed by you’), but is like the gen. in O. T. 580

πάντ’ ἐμοῦ κομίζεται

(‘from me’), ib. 1163

ἐδεξάμην δέ του

. The acc. τοῦτο , again, is not directly governed by

ἁμαρτεῖν

, but is analogous to the acc. of pronouns or adjectives which can stand, almost adverbially, after

τυγχάνω

and

κυρῶ

, as Aesch. Ch. 711

τυγχάνειν τὰ πρόσφορα

: see Soph. O. T. 1298 n. In L the reviser has written

εἰς τοῦτο

over

τοῦτο

, showing that he understood it thus. Cp. Eupolis fr. 25

λέγ’ ὅτου )πιθυμεῖς, κοὐδὲν ἀτυχήσεις ἐμοῦ

(so Meineke, with Priscian 18. 1175, who has

καὶ οὐδὲν

: though Bekker Anecd. 462 gives

οὐ γὰρ

). Thus Wunder's change of τοῦτό γ’ to τοῦδέ γ’ seems needless, though the double gen. could be illustrated by 1315 (cp. O. C. 1170 n.), and the phrase by Eur. Med. 867

οὐ τἂν ἁμάρτοις τοῦδέ γ’, ἀλλ’ ἀκούσομαι

ἀλλ’ , in assent: 48 n.

οὕνεκα =

ὅτι

: Ant. 63 n.

φεῦ , expressing joyful wonder: Ar. Av. 1724

ὦ φεῦ φεῦ τῆς ὥρας, τοῦ

κάλλους.

τὸ καὶ λαβεῖν , ‘that I should e'en, really, have received....’ Cp. Eur. Med. 1051

ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐμῆς κάκης

, |

τὸ καὶ προσέσθαι μαλθακοὺς λόγους φρενί

(‘nay, out upon my cowardice,—that I should e'en have admitted such soft pleadings to my soul!’). Xen. Cyr. 2. 2. 3

εἶπε πρὸς αὑτόν· Τῆς τύχης, τὸ ἐμὲ νῦν κληθέντα δεῦρο τυχεῖν

(‘to think that...!’).

τοιοῦδ’ ἀνδρὸς , not merely a Greek, but one of such gentle breeding as is announced by the stranger's mien and speech.

ἐν χρόνῳ μακρῷ , after it: cp. Eur. Phoen. 305

χρόνῳ σὸν ὄμμα μυρίαις ἐν ἁμέραις

προσεῖδον

: Soph. O. C. 88 n.

προσέσχε has been much suspected, because

προσέχω

, in its nautical use, means, ‘touch at’ a place, not, ‘ cause one to touch at it.’ But

προσέχω

, as=‘touch at,’ meant properly, ‘to guide one's ship towards’ ( Her. 9. 99

προσσχόντες τὰς νέας

),—

ναῦν

being commonly understood. Where prose, then, would say,

τίνος χρῄζων προσέσχες

(

τὴν ναῦν

); poetry might surely say,

τίς χρεία προσέσχε σε

; ‘what need guided thy course to land?’ It may be added that προσήγαγεν is itself an argument for προσέσχε . ‘Brought thee to this shore,—aye, brought thee to my side.’

προσέσχε

implies only a passing visit to the coast;

προσήγαγε

supplements it in a way suitable to the forlorn man's eager hope.

τίς ἀνέμων ὁ φίλτατος ;=

τίς

(

ἄνεμος

ἀνέμων ὁ φίλτατος

(

ὤν

); the art. emphasizes the superl.: see n. on Ant. 100

τὸ κάλλιστον...τῶν προτέρων φάος.

γέγωνε , imperat. of the perf.

γέγωνα

, of which the subjunct.

γεγώνω

occurs O. C. 213 (n.).

ὅπως εἰδῶ without

ἄν

, as Ant. 776 , Ai. 6 , etc.: O. C. 889

λέξαθ’, ὡς εἰδῶ τὸ πᾶν

γένος , acc. of respect: El. 706

Αἰνιὰν γένος

: fr. 61. 3

κἀργείᾳ γένος

. Verg. Aen. 8. 114

Qui genus

(sc. estis)?

Σκύρου : for the gen., cp. O. T. 236 n. Scyros (still Skyro), the small island, about 25 miles long from N.W. to S.E. , which lies about 35 miles E. of Euboea, nearly in the latitude of Trachis. In 469 B.C. Cimon expelled the predatory Dolopes from the island, and brought the reputed remains of Theseus to Athens. Scyros then became a possession of the Athenians, in whose estimation it was a dreary and insignificant little place ( [Dem.] or. 52 § 9 ):

Σκυρία ἀρχή

suggested the same idea as vacuis aedilis Ulubris. The name means ‘stony.’

σκύρος

(

ὁ

), which Curtius connects with

ξύειν

‘to scrape,’ was used to denote ‘chips from hewn stones’ (

λατύπη

). At Cyrene the

σκυρωτὴ ὁδός

( Pind. P. 5. 93 ) was not a ‘paved’ road, but a road ‘hewn’ out of the solid rock.—Cp. Apollodorus 3. 13. 8: ‘Thetis, in the foreknowledge that Achilles must perish if he went to the war, disguised him in woman's attire, and left him, as a girl, in Scyros. There he grew up, and married Deidameia (

Δηϊδάμεια

) daughter of Lycomedes [king of Scyros]; and a son was born to them, Pyrrhus, afterwards called Neoptolemus.’<

Νεοπτόλεμος :

¯˘˘˘

: cp. 4 n.— οἶσθα δὴ τὸ πᾶν : cp. 389 : 1240: Ant. 402

πάντ’ ἐπίστασαι

, n.

ὦ φίλης χθονός , O thou (who belongest to) a dear land. The possessive gen. can thus be used, without a subst., just as the gen. of origin (a special form of the possessive) is so used, Ant. 379

ὦ δύστηνος

καὶ δυστήνου πατρός

. We cannot well repeat παῖ with

ὦ φίλης χθονός

, because, though classical idiom allowed

παῖδες Ἑλλήνων

, it would hardly allow

παῖς Ἑλλάδος

in the fig. sense, ‘a son of Greece.’ That would mean rather, ‘a boy belonging to Greece’ (cp.

Ἑλλάδος νεανίαι

, I. A. 52). It seems needless to write

ὦ )κ φίλης χθονός

θρέμμα Λυκομήδους , because the infant Neoptolemus was left to the care of his maternal grandfather, Lycomedes (239 n.), after his father had gone to Troy. Cp. Il. 19. 326 (Achilles speaks)

ὃς Σκύρῳ μοι ἔνι τρέφεται φίλος υἱός

. In O. T. 1143

θρέμμα

=‘foster-son.’— στόλῳ (causal dat.), mission, errand: O. C. 358

τίς σ’ ἐξῆρεν οἴκοθεν στόλος

;— προσέσχες … γῆν . The usual dative would be awkward here, on account of

τίνι στόλῳ

: and the acc. is warranted by the analogy of

κατέχω γῆν

as=

κατέχω εἰς γῆν

(221 n.): cp. 355 f. In Polyb. 2. 9. 2

μέρος δέ τι

(

τῶν λέμβων

)

προσέσχε τὸν Ἐπιδαμνίων λιμένα

, Bekker is probably right in adding

πρὸς

before

τόν

.—After

γῆν

a comma seems better than a note of interrogation: cp.

τίς πόθεν εἶς

, etc. (220 n.).

ἐξ Ἰλίου τοι δὴ

κ.τ.λ.

Here τοι =‘you must know,’ and δὴ =‘then’ ( i.e., ‘since you ask me’). The effect of the particles (which could be properly represented only by voice and manner) is to give an easy, ready tone to the answer. Cp. n. on O. T. 1171 (though the tone there is somewhat different)

κείνου γέ τοι δὴ παῖς ἐκλήζεθ’

. Burges thinks that τοι δὴ , without a preceding

γε

, is strange, and conjectures )γὼ δὴ . But

τοί

and

δή

have each their proper force, which does not depend on

γε

: and here a

γε

before

τοι

would have over-emphasised

Ἰλίου

οὐ γὰρ δὴ σύ γ’ : (How can you be coming from Troy?),—for you certainly did not go there with us at first. For this use of

οὐ γὰρ δή...γε

in rejecting an alternative supposition, see O. C. 110 n.—The order of the words almost compels us to join κατ’ ἀρχὴν τοῦ … στόλου : cp. Legg. 664 E

κατ’ ἀρχὰς τῶν λόγων

. Then

ἦσθα ναυβάτης

( cp. 1027 )

ἡμῖν

(dat. of interest)=‘sailedst in our fleet.’ But it would also be possible to join

ναυβάτης

with

τοῦ στόλου

(partitive gen., cp. 73 ), taking

κατ’ ἀρχήν

as=‘originally.’

ἦ γὰρ in eager question: 322, 654, O. C. 64.

πόνου , of warfare, the peculiarly Homeric use (as Il. 11. 601

εἰσορόων πόνον αἰπὺν ἰῶκά τε δακρυόεσσαν

), also freq. in Herod. ( 9. 27

ἐν τοῖσι Τρωϊκοῖσι πόνοισι

): cp. Eur. Cycl. 107

ἐξ Ἰλίου τε κἀπὸ Τρωϊκῶν πόνων

οὐ γὰρ ...; As in

ἦ γάρ

(248) and

πῶς γάρ

(250), the

γάρ

marks surprise (‘your words are strange, — for ...’ etc.).

οἶσθα κάτοιδ’ , as Ant. 1063 f.

ἴσθι...κατισθι

: El. 922

ΗΛ. οὐκ οἶσθ’ ὅποι γῆς οὐδ’ ὅποι γνώμης φέρει. ΧΡ. πῶς δ’ οὐκ ἐγὼ κάτοιδ’ ἅ γ’ εἶδον ἐμφανῶς;

πῶς … κάτοιδ’ ; ‘how do I know?’=‘of course I do not know.’ This form is more emphatic, because more direct, than

πῶς ἂν ᾔδη

(or

εἰδείην

), or

πῶς ἔμελλον εἰδέναι

; But it is rare except in affirmation ( i.e., with

πῶς οὐ

...), as in El. l.c.; Xen. Oecon. 18 § 3

τοῦτο μὲν οἶσθα...τί δ’ οὐκ, ἔφην ἐγώ, οἶδα

; See, however, Her. I. 75

κῶς γὰρ...διέβησαν αὐτόν;

(=‘how can they have crossed the river?’).

ὄνοὐ ἄῤ is better than

ὄνομά γ’

(cp. fr. 315

ὑμεῖς μὲν οὐκ ἄρ’ ᾖστε τὸν Προμηθέα

;). The variant

οὐδ’ οὔνομ’

might seem to favour οὐ τοὔνομ’ , but the latter (without

ἄρα

) would be too abrupt: οὐδ’ is clearly genuine. More probably

οὔνομ’

(a form unknown to Tragedy) was merely a late attempt to mend the metre.— Ph. here asks, in effect: ‘Finding me, a lonely sufferer, here in Lemnos, cannot you guess who I am?’—and the youth answers, No. This is quite consistent with 261 , where Ph. assumes that his name, when announced, will be recognised. Neoptolemus might have heard of him as possessing the bow of Heracles (262), and yet not have heard of him as suffering on Lemnos. We could not join

ὄνομα

, as=‘mention,’ with

κακῶν.

διωλλύμην , all these ten years, while my former comrades have been active at Troy.<

ἴσθι με ὡς μηδὲν εἰδότ’ , rest assured that I know nothing. ὡς marks the mental point of view (‘regard me in the light of one who knows nothing’): distinguish this use of it from that in 117 (n.). μηδὲν is generic (170 n.), not due to the imperat.: cp. 415 ; Ant. 1063

ὡς μὴ )μπολήσων ἴσθι τὴν ἐμὴν φρένα

. For ὡς cp. also below, Ant. 567 : O. T. 848.

πόλλ’ adv., ‘very’: O. C. 1514 n.

πικρὸς : schol.

ἐχθρός

. Cp. Eur. Phoen. 955 (a soothsayer)

ἢν μὲν ἐχθοὰ σημήνας τύχῃ

, |

πικρὸς καθέστηχ’ οἶς ἂν οἰωνοσκοπῇ

, ‘odious.’ Hence the conject. στυγνὸς (Nauck) is wholly needless. The active sense, ‘hostile,’ is more freq., as Soph. Ai. 1359

νῦν φίλοι καὖθις πικροί

οὗ μηδὲ

κ.τ.λ.

, a man of whom no report (the generic

μή

, 170n.).

οἴκαδε , to Malis (4 n.),—where the tidings would have had a special interest: μηδ’ Ἑλλάδος γῆς μηδαμοῦ , nor in any part of Hellas (for the gen., cp. 204

τῆδε τόπων

n.). As Neoptolemus is coming from Troy, the words have more force if we suppose the poet to use

Ἑλλάς

in the larger sense which was so familiar in his own day,— as including all lands inhabited by Greeks. Thus the

Ἑλλάς

of Her. comprises Ionia (I. 92) and Sicily (7. 157); and Soph. himself ( Soph. Tr. 1060 ) has

οὔθ’ Ἑλλὰς οὔτ’ ἄγλωσσος

. The thought will then be, ‘he had not heard of me from the mainland of Greece before he left Scyros; nor has he heard of me, since he has been at Troy, from any part of the Greek world.’ It is no objection, of course, that the Homeric poems do not recognise the Greek colonies in Asia Minor; the Attic drama was not careful in such matters. Even, however, if we restricted

Ἑλλάδος γῆς

to Greece Proper, it would still be natural that Ph. should say, ‘neither to Malis, nor to any part of Greece.’ Nauck, thus limiting

Ἑλλάς

, pronounces the distinction unmeaning; he further objects to ὧδ’ ἔχοντος (because Ph. means that, not merely his plight, but his existence, is unknown); and therefore rejects

ὦδ’ ἔχοντος οἴκαδε

μηδ’ Ἑλλάδος γῆς.

μηδαμοῦ need not be changed to

μηδαμοῖ

: cp. O. C. 1019

ὁδοῦ ... τῆς ἐκεῖ

ἐκεῖσε

): El. 1099

ὁδοιποροῦμεν ἔνθα

οἷ

)

χρῄζομεν.

πω should prob. be read instead of που . The long lapse of time imagined renders

πω

forcible; while

που

could mean only, ‘I ween’; it could not go with

μηδαμοῦ

as=‘to no place whatsoever.’ In O. C. 1370 , where πω is certain, L has που from the first hand. In fr. 467, again,

λόγῳ γὰρ ἕλκος οὐδὲν οἶδά που τυχεῖν

, the correction

πω

(Dindorf) is clearly right.

σῖγ’ ἔχοντες , i.e., saying nothing about Ph. 's fate, but allowing it to pass out of men's minds. Cp. Soph. Ai. 954

ἦ ῥα κελαινώπαν θυμὸν ἐφυβρίζει πολύτλας ἀνήρ

, |

γελᾷ δὲ τοῖσδε μαινομένοις ἄχεσιν

πολὺν γέλωτα.

τέθηλε : El. 260 (

πήματα

)

θάλλοντα μᾶλλον ἢ καταφθίνονθ’ ὁρῶ.

κἀπὶ μεῖζον ἔρχεται : cp. O. T. 638 (

οὐ

)

μὴ τὸ μηδὲν ἄλγος εἰς μέγ’ οἴσετε

; Thuc. 1. 118 § 2

ἐπὶ μέγα ἐχώρησαν δυνάμεως

: 4. 117

ἐπὶ μεῖζον χωρήσαντος αὐτοῦ

(when he had made further progress).

ἐξ : cp. 910 : Ant. 193

παίδων τῶν ἀπ’ Οἰδίπου

, n.

ὅδ’ εἴμ’ ἐγώ σοι (ethic dat.) κεῖνος : cp. El. 665

ἥδε σοι κείνη πάρα

: O. C. 138

ὅδ’ ἐκεῖνος ἐγώ

, n.— κλύεις , pres., knowest by hearsay: cp. 591 : O. T. 305

εἰ καὶ μὴ κλύεις τῶν ἀγγέλων

: O. C. 792

ὅσῳπερ κἀκ σαφεστέρων κλύω.

τῶν Ἡρ ... ὅπλων : the bow given by Apollo to Heracles, and by him to Ph. , as a reward for kindling the pyre on Oeta: cp. 198 n., 670 n.

δεσπότην : cp. Aesch. Th. 27

τοιῶνδε δεσπότης μαντευμάτων

. So dominus.

ὃν οἱ : for the art. at the end of the v., see on Ant. 409

ἣ κατεῖχε τὸν

νέκυν.

χὡ Κεφαλλήνων ἄναξ : cp. Il. 2. 631

αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς ἦγε Κεφαλλῆνας μεγαθύμους

: who are there described as inhabiting Ithaca, Zacynthus, Samos (=Cephallenia, first so called in Her. 9. 28 ), and other islands off the coast of Acarnania, as well as part of the mainland itself. So Hom. Od. 24. 378 (Laertes)

Κεφαλλήνεσσιν ἀνάσσων

. Buttmann thinks that both here and in 791 (

ὦξένε Κεφαλλήν

) the name is used scornfully. Its Homeric associations, at least, are honourable (cp. Hom. Il. 4. 330 ,

Κεφαλλήνων ἀμφὶ στίχες οὐκ ἀλαπαδναί

). To assume that the Cephallenians were despised because the Taphii, their neighbours, were pirates ( Hom. Od. 15. 427 ), seems a little unfair to them. But it is very likely that the name is used, if not with scorn, yet with a tone of dislike,—‘king of those crafty islanders.’ The Athenians had experienced the skill of Cephallenians in laying a deadly ambuscade ( Thuc. 2. 33 ).

ἀγρίᾳ is followed by ἀγρίῳ in 267. The effect is certainly unpleasing. But with regard to such repetitions it must always be remembered that ancient poetry was far less fastidious than modern: see n. on 88 (

πράσσειν

). On the other hand, Eustathius, the witness for φοινίῳ in 267 (cp. cr. n.), was frequently loose in citation: see Ant., append., p. 249. The recurrence of ἔρημον in 269 offends less, but is noteworthy. It is not surprising that interpolation should have been suspected. Three views have been held. (1) Prinz would reduce vv. 264—269 to three (see crit. note). This reconstruction is too violent to be probable. (2) Nauck would omit the words

ἔρημον, ἀγρίᾳ

νόσῳ καταφθίνοντα

. But

ξὺν ᾗ

in 268 confirms

vόσῳ

: it could not refer to

ἐχίδνης

. And

ξὺν ᾧ

would hardly have become

ξὺν ᾗ

. (3) Jacob A. proposed to omit vv. 268-70. This would obviate the repetition of

ἔρημον

, and of

ᾤχοντ’

(273); but it would also suppress the notice of Chrysè; which, however, Ph. would naturally mention, as he supposes that the whole story is new to the youth. I believe that there has been no interpolation, though Soph. has written with some verbal negligence. The point of vv. 264—267 is the putting ashore (

ἔρ‐

ριψαν

): that of 268—270, the desertion (

ᾤχοντ’

τῆς … ἐχίδνης , that which guards Chrysè's shrine (1327). The definite art. is sufficiently natural, as Ph. is following the train of his own memories, —even if he supposes that N. has not heard of the

ἔχιδνα

before ( cp. 255 ).— χαράγματι , the rent left by the serpent's bite: cp. Anacreontea 26

πυρὸς χάραγμ’

(brand of fire,—on horses): [Eur. ] Rhes. 73

νῶτον χαραχθείς

(wounded).

ξὺν ᾗ , referring to

νόσῳ

,— ‘in company with’ it,=

ᾗ ξυνόντα

, cp. 1022 : O. T. 17

σὺν γήρᾳ βαρεῖς.

ᾤχοντ’ would probably follow ἔρημον , but gains emphasis by coming first; for the irregular order of words, cp. O. T. 1251 n.

τῆς ποντίας Χρύσης , the small island near Lemnos (see n. on 8 ff., and Introd.). κατέσχον : 221 n.

ἄσμενοι , because they could now slip away without being vexed by his entreaties and reproaches. The word adds an effective touch to the picture of their heartlessness. Dindorf's ἄσμενον (received by Nauck and Blaydes) is far weaker; nor is it suitable. In Lys. or. 1 § 13

ἐκάθευδον ἄσμενος

means, ‘I gladly went to sleep’ (inchoative imperf.). Here, however,

ἄσμενον εὕδοντα

would mean, not ‘gladly going to sleep,’ but ‘gladly sleeping,’—as though with conscious satisfaction.

ἐκ πολλοῦ σάλου , after the rough passage from the islet of Chrysè to Lemnos ( ff.). Cp. Ant. 150

ἐκ ...πολέμων

: ib. 163

πολλῷ σάλῳ σείσαντες

κατηρεφεῖ , roofed over, i.e., here, over-arching,—forming a cave; cp. Ant. 885 n.

πέτρᾳ , ‘a rock,’ is a necessary correction of πέτρῳ , ‘a stone.’

πέτρος

is never used in the larger sense, nor could the epithet here justify such a use. Cp. Xen. An. 4. 3. 11

ἐν πέτρᾳ ἀντρώδει

: but ib. 7. 12

οὐδεὶς πέτρος

( i.e., none of the

λίθοι

mentioned in § 10)

ἄνωθεν ἠνέχθη

οἷα , adv.,=

ὡς

, cp. 293 , O. T. 751 : φωτὶ δυσμόρῳ , as for some poor wretch, some beggar, for whom their least gifts were good enough. Cp. Ar. Ach. 424

ἀλλ’ ἦ φιλοκτήτου τὰ τοῦ πτωχοῦ λέγεις

; ( sc.

ῥάκη

). Not, ‘rags such as my wretched state required’ ( i.e. for dressing his wound, cp. 39 ).

καί τι καὶ : cp. 308 : fr. 304

καὶ δή τι καὶ παρεῖκα τῶν ἀρτυμάτων

: Thuc. 1. 107

καί τι

(adv.)

καὶ τοῦ δήμου καταλύσεως ὑποψίᾳ

: id. 2. 17

καί τι καὶ Πυθικοῦ μαντείου ἀκροτελεύτιον

: Pind. O. 1. 28

καί πού τι

(adv.)

καὶ βροτῶν φάτις κ.τ.λ.

βορᾶς : to avoid the pollution of directly causing his death by starvation: cp. on Ant. 775

φορβῆς τοσοῦτον ὡς ἄγος μόνον προθείς.

οἷ’ αὐτοῖς τύχοι : cp. 315 : Xen. An. 3. 2. 3

οἴομαι γὰρ ἂν ἡμᾶς τοιαῦτα παθεῖν οἶα τοὺς ἐχθροὺς οἱ θεοὶ ποιήσειαν

σὺ δὴ (which has been needlessly altered, see cr. n.) suits the earnest appeal: ‘try to imagine for yourself what I felt.’

ἀνάστασιν , cogn. acc. with στῆναι as=

ἀναστῆναι

(cp. O. T. 50

στάντες τ’ ἐς ὀρθόν

ποἶ ἐκδακρῦσαι (

δάκρυα

): cp. Eur. Ph. 1344

ὥστ’ ἐκδακρῦσαί γ’

(burst into tears).

ποἶ ἀποιμῶξαι κακά , ‘what woes I lamented.’ This version is recommended ( a) by the fact that the following verses develope a picture of the

κακά

: ( b) by the ordinary use of

ἀποιμώζειν

with an acc. of the object deplored, as Ant. 1224 : Eur. Med. 31 : Eur. Alc. 635 , Eur. Alc. 768 : Aesch. fr. 134. But another version is also possible: ‘shrieked out reproaches.’ Here, however, he is speaking rather of his misery than of his resentment.

ὁρῶντα

ναῦς μὲν βεβώσας, ἄνδρα δὲ κ.τ.λ.

: cp. 1136

ὁρῶν μὲν αἰσχρὰς ἀπάτας, στυγνὸν δὲ φῶτ’ ἐχθοδοπόν

. In both passages the irregular place of

μέν

is due to the writer having begun as if he intended to repeat the partic. of

ὁράω

: as here,

ὁρῶντα μὲν ναῦς...ὁρῶντα δὲ ἄνδρα

( O. T. 25

φθίνουσα μὲν...φθίνουσα δ’

, n.). Cp. Ai. 372 ff., n.

οὐχ is equivalent to a repetition of

οὐδένα

. For ὅστις ἀρκέσειεν , cp. 693 f.

παρ’ ᾧ...ἀποκλαύσειεν

(where, as here, the sentence is negative). I. T. 588 ff.

οὐδένα γὰρ εἶχον ὅστις Ἀργόθεν μολὼν

εἰς Ἄργος αὖθις τὰς ἐμὰς ἐπιστολὰς

πέμψειε

. And in a positive sentence, Soph. Tr. 903

κρύψασ’ ἑαυτὴν ἔνθα μή τις εἰσίδοι

. The relative clause with the optative is, in such instances, virtually a final clause (as here, ‘no one to help’). Instead of such an optative, we usually find in Attic the fut. ind., even after a secondary tense; as if here we had

οὐχ ὅστις ἀρκέσει

: e.g. H. 2. 3. 2

ἔδοξε τῷ δήμῳ τριάκοντα ἄνδρας ἑλέσθαι, οἳ τοὺς πατρίους νόμους συγγράψουσι

The origin of this use of the optative is disputed. (1) According to one view, it is an extension of the deliberative use. From the direct question,

τίς ἀρκέσῃ

; comes the indirect

ἀπορῶ ὅστις ἀρκέσῃ

: and, after a secondary tense,

ἠπόρουν ὅστις ἀρκέσειεν

. ( H. 7. 4. 39

ἠπόρει ὅ τι χρήσαιτο τῷ πράγματι

.) In

οὐδένα εἶχον ὅστις ἀρκέσειεν

the interrogative sense of

ὅστις

has passed into a purely relative sense, and the clause has become final. For this view, see Sidgwick A. in Classical Review, vol. v. p. 148, 1891. (2) Others hold that this optative is simply a potential, equivalent to the optative with

ἄν

. Prof. W. G. Hale, after a full discussion, decides for this view: see Transactions of American Phil. Assoc., vol. XXIV. pp. 156—205, 1894.

νόσου κάμνοντι συλλάβοιτο , put a helping hand to the disease, i.e., help to lighten its burden, for me in my suffering. As

λαμβάνομαί τινος

=to lay hold on a thing, so

συλλαμβάνομαί τινός

τινι

=to lay hold on it along with another person; i.e., to help him with it. Eur. Med. 946

συλλήψομαι δὲ τοῦδέ σοι κἀγὼ πόνου

. Thuc. 4. 47 § 2

ξυνελάβοντο δὲ τοῦ τοιούτου οὐχ ἥκιστα

, they mainly contributed to such a result. Cp. id. 4. 10 § 1

οἱ ξυναράμενοι τοῦδε τοῦ κινδύνου.

πάντα δὲ σκοπῶν :

δέ

here=

ἀλλά

: Ant. 85 n.

πλὴν ἀνιᾶσθαι : for the absence of the art., cp. O. C. 608 n.: Antiphanes fr. incert. 51

καταλείπεθ’ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ τεθνηκέναι.

παρόν : cp. El. 959

πάρεστι μὲν στένειν

| ... |

πάρεστι δ’ ἀλγεῖν

. Musgave cp. Hor. Sat. 2. 5. 68

invenietque Nil sibi legatum praeter plorare suisque.

εὐμάρειαν , ease (704), hence, abundance. Cp. Aesch. fr. 237

κοὔπω τις Ἀκταίων’ ἄθηρος ἡμέρα

κενόν, πόνου πλουτοῦντ’ ἔπεμψεν οἴκαδε

. The author of the ‘Letters of Phalaris’ had this passage in mind, Ep. 33 (Schaefer)

ἐδήλωσεν ὅτι πάντων ἐνδεεῖς ἐστὲ πλὴν λιμοῦ καὶ φόβου· τούτων δὲ

[cp. τούτου δὲ here]

ὑμᾶς καὶ λίαν εὐμοιρεῖν

[ v. l.

εὐπορεῖν

ὁ μὲν χρόνος δὴ διὰ χρόνου

κ.τ.λ.

The text has been boldly altered by some editors (see cr. n.), in order to get rid of

διὰ χρόνου

: but the iteration is itself a proof of soundness. Such iteration is constantly employed in expressing a succession of seasons or periods; ‘day by day,’

ἔτος εἰς ἔτος

( Ant. 340 ),

παρ’ <*>μαρ ἡμέρα

( Ai. 475 ), Mod. Gr.

χρόνο σὲ χρόνο

(‘year after year’),

truditur dies die

(Hor. Carm. 2. 18. 15) , etc. The phrase διὰ χρόνου regularly means, ‘ after an interval of time’ : cp. 758 : Lys. or. 1 § 12

ἀσμένη με ἑωρακυῖα ἥκοντα διὰ χρόνου

: Xen. Cyr. 1. 4. 28

ἤκω διὰ χρόνου

. So here, ὁ χρόνος προὔβαινέ μοι , time was ever moving on for me, διὰ χρόνου , as (each) space of time was left behind. (The ‘each’ is implied in the imperfect

προὔβαινε

, which denotes not a single advance, but a series of advances.) Suppose that the interval denoted by

διὰ χρόνου

is a month. ‘One month having elapsed’ (

διὰ χρόνου

—as each month came to an end), ‘time kept moving on’ ( i.e. a new month began). Render, then, ‘Time went on for me, season by season.’ Cp. Tennyson, Enoch Arden: ‘Thus over Enoch's early-silvering head | The sunny and rainy seasons came and went | Year after year.’—Ellendt, rightly starting from the sense of

διὰ χρόνου

as ‘after an interval,’ wrongly explains it here as simply tarde, ‘pausenweise’: i.e. ‘time went on with many a pause’: as if, to Philoctetes, time seemed, at moments, to stand still. The error here consists in excepting the intervals denoted by

διὰ χρόνου

from the whole progress described by

προὔβαινε

.—Not: ‘time kept moving on through time’ : as if

ὁ χρόνος

were the moving point, while

διὰ χρόνου

denoted its course.—For προὔβαινε , cp. Her. 3. 53

τοῦ χρόνου προβαίνοντος

: Lys. or. 1 § 11

προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ χρόνου

κἄδει τι . The sense of τι here is nearly

ἕκαστόν τι

, just as

τις

sometimes =

ἕκαστός τις

( Thuc. 1. 40

τοὺς ξυμμάχους αὐτόν τινα κολάζειν

); a sense which the impf. ἔδει brings out, by implying successive needs at successive moments.— βαιᾷ , of size, as Aesch. Pers. 447

νῆσος

... |

βαιά

διακονεῖσθαι , midd.: schol.

ἐμαυτῷ ἐξυπηρετεῖσθαι

. That the midd. would suggest, to an Attic ear, ‘serving oneself,’ may be inferred from Legg. 763 A

διακονοῦντές τε καὶ διακονούμενοι ἑαυτοῖς

, ‘serving (the State), and serving themselves’ (cp. Ar. Ach. 1017

αὑτῷ διακονεῖται

). In later Greek, however, the midd. is sometimes no more than the act.; e.g. Lucian Philops. 35

δεξιῶς ὑπηρέτει καὶ διηκονεῖτο ἡμῖν

ὑποπτέρους is perh. meant here to suggest ‘shy’ (and therefore hard to shoot); for the word often implies ‘taking wing’: cp. Helen. 1236

μεθίημι vεῖκος τὸ σόν, ἴτω δ’ ὑπόπτερον

: id. fr. 420. 4

ὑπόπτερος δ’ ὁ πλοῦτος.

So Ai. 139

πέφόβημαι

, |

πτηνῆς ὡς ὄμμα πελείας

ὅ μοι βάλοι : for the optat. referring to an indefinite number of acts in past time, cp. Lys. or. 23 § 3

οὕς τε ἐξευρίσκοιμι Δεκελέων, ἐπυνθανόμην

: Xen. Cyr. 5. 3. 55

οὓς μὲν ἴδοι,...ἠρώτα

νευροσπαδὴς , ‘with drawn string,’ i.e., ‘drawn back along with the string.’ The epithet pictures the moment of taking aim, and thus suggests, though it does not literally express, the idea, ‘sped from the string.’ Not, ‘drawing the string back’ (by the pressure of the notch). Cp. Ant. 1216

ἁρμὸν...λιθοσπαδῆ

, an opening made by dragging stones away; where the adj. implies

λίθων ἐσπασμένων

, as here the adj. implies

ἀπὸ νευρᾶς ἐσπασμένης

ἄτρακτος . If the

ἀ

be for

ἀμφ

(as Curtius suggests, comparing

ἄ‐βολος

, cloak), the word meant, ‘what turns (

τρεπ

) round’; hence (1) spindle; then (2) shaft, arrow: Tr. 714 : Thuc. 4. 40 § 2, where a Laconian uses it, and Thuc. explains it by

τὸν ὀϊστόν

. Aesch. adds the qualifying epithet

τοξικῷ

(fr. 139).

αὐτὸς , having no dog to fetch it.

εἰλυόμην ( cp. 702 ), ‘crawl’; cp. Plat. Tim. 92A

ἄποδα...καὶ ἰλυσπώμενα ἐπὶ γῆς

. The word suggests that each step with the sound foot is followed by a slight halt, while the other foot is dragged after it. Thus the notion is different from that of

εἰλίποδες

(

βοῦς

), where a ‘rolling’ gait is meant. Cp. on 163. A cornelian intaglio in the Berlin collection shows Philoctetes thus

εἰλυόμενος

, with the help of a stick in his left hand, while the righ<*> holds his bow and quiver; the left foot is the wounded one. (Milani, Mito di Filottete p. 78: see Introd.) It is clear from 215 (

πταίων

) and 894 (

ὀρθώσει

) that the poet imagines him as striving to walk erect, and not as creeping prone, with the knee of the sound leg against the ground.

ἂν with the iterative impf. in apodosis, after optat. in protasis, as oft.: cp. Isocr. or. 6 § 52

τὸν παρελθόντα χρόνον, εἰ...εἷς μόνος Λακεδαιμονίων βοηθήσειεν, ὑπὸ πάντων ἂν ὡμολογεῖτο

(‘it used to be allowed’)

παρὰ τοῦτον γενέσθαι τὴν σωτηρίαν αὐτοῖς

. Cp. 294 f.

δύστηνον , as 1377

δυστήνῳ ποδί.

ἐξέλκων : cp. Eur. Phoen. 303

γήρᾳ τρομερὰν ἕλκω ποδὸς βάσιν.

πρὸς τοῦτ ἄν : for the repetition of

ἄν

, cp. 223 n.: that of

πρὸς τοῦτο

emphasises the limit of the painful effort.

πάγου χυθέντος : cp. Tr. 853

κέχυται νόσος

, ‘hath spread abroad’ (through his frame). Attius, Prometheus fr. 1 profusus gelus. Psalm cxlvii. 16: ‘He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels.’

οἷα : 273 n.— Nauck would delete this verse, because it is unreasonable that the hero should delay providing himself with firewood until the frost has set in.

ξύλον τι . Lemnos is now almost devoid of wood, save for a few plane-trees in the water-courses, and a little undergrowth.—For ἄν with iterative impf., cp. on 291 f.

ἐν πέτροισι πέτρον . For the change of quantity, cp. 827 (

ὕπνε

): O. C. 442

οἱ τοῦ πατρὸς τω—| πατρὶ

: ib. 883

ἆρ’ οὐχ ὕβρις τάδ);—ὕβρις

: Ant. 1310 f.

δείλαι^ος...—δειλαίᾳ

: El. 148

ἃ Ἴτυν, αἰὲν Ἴτυν ὀλοφύρεται.

ἐκτρίβων , rubbing hard (

ἐκ

=‘thoroughly,’ i.e. till the spark comes). The v. l.

ἐκθλίβων

would mean, ‘pressing’ or ‘squeezing,’ and is unsuitable. Cp. Xen. Cyr. 2. 2. 15

ἔκ γε σοῦ πῦρ...ῥᾷον ἄν τις ἐκτρίψειεν ἢ γέλωτα ἐξαγάγοιτο

. The use of two stones would suggest concussion rather than friction. The Eskimos kindle fire by striking a piece of iron pyrites with a piece of quartz (instead of flint); the Alaskans of North America, and the Aleutian islanders (in the North Pacific), use two pieces of quartz, smeared with native sulphur. (M. Elie Reclus, in Encycl. Brit., art. ‘Fire.’) ἐκτρίβων might, however, cover the case of a slanting or scraping blow. In Lucian Ver. Hist. 1. 32

τὰ πυρεῖα συντρίψαντες

refers to rubbing sticks together.

ἔφην’ ἄφαντον φῶς , made the invisible light visible, i.e. drew the spark forth from its hiding place in the stone. Cp. Ai. 647 (Time)

φύει τ’ ἄδηλα καὶ φανέντα κρύπτεται

. Blaydes compares Synesius Ep. 138

σπινθῆρα κεκρυμμένον καὶ ἀγαπῶντα λανθάνειν

. G. 1. 135 Ut silicis venis abstrusum excuderet ignem.

ἄφαντον could hardly be, ‘ barely seen,’ as if the sense were that the feeble spark instantly vanished again.

οἰκουμένη γὰρ οὖν , ‘for indeed...’: cp. Ant. 489 n. Remark

οὖν

in the thesis of the 3rd foot; so

δή

( O. C. 23 ), and even

περ

( ib. 896).

ἐμέ has been suspected. But it serves to qualify the general sentiment by a reference to his special circumstances:—‘shelter and fire give all that a man needs—except, in my case, health.’

φέρε … μάθῃς , L's reading, presents an unexampled construction. Elsewhere the subjunctive after

φέρε

occurs only in the first person, sing., as 1452, Nub. 787

φέρ’ ἴδω

: or plur., as id. Vesp. 1516

φέρε νυν...ξυγχωρήσωμεν

. On the other hand,

φέρ’ εἰπέ

occurs eight times in Soph. (433; Soph. O. T. 390 , Soph. O. T. 536 , Soph. O. T. 1142 : Soph. Ant. 534 : Soph. El. 310 , Soph. El. 376 : Soph. Tr. 890 ). In Her. 4. 127

φέρετε, τούτους ἀνευρόντες συγχέειν πειρᾶσθε αὐτούς

, the 2nd verb is imperat., not subj. If

φέρε...μάθῃς

be retained, it can be defended only as an irregular equivalent for

φέρε...φράσω

or the like (cp. Her. 2. 14

φέρε δὲ νῦν καὶ αὐτοῖσι Αἰγυπτίοισι ὡς ἔχει φράσω

Several recent editors (see cr. n.) cut the knot by reading μάθε . It is, however, improbable that, if μάθε had been the genuine reading—giving so plain a construction—it would have been corrupted to the unparalleled μάθῃς . A more attractive conjecture is Seyffert's κἂν … μάθοις . If κἂν had once become καὶ (a most easy change), then μάθοις might have been altered to μάθῃς by a postclassical corrector. For the optat. with

ἄν

in courteous proposal or request, cp. 674 : El. 637

κλύοις ἂν ἤδη

τὸ τῆς νήσου , its case, condition: cp. Thuc. 8. 89

οὐκ ἐδόκει μόνιμον τὸ τῆς ὀλιγαρχίας ἔσεσθαι

: Legg. 712 D

τὸ γὰρ τῶν ἐφόρων...τυραννικὸν...γέγονε

: id. Gorg. 450 C

τὸ τῆς τέχνης

: Eur. Alc. 785

τὸ τῆς τύχης

. Hence τὰ is a needless conjecture.

οὐ γάρ τις ὅρμος ἐστίν . The absence of a safe

ὅρμος

is compatible with the existence of

λιμένες

(936 n.); and Philoctetes knows only the coast near his cave. If the Iliad calls Lemnos

ἐϋκτιμένη

(21. 40), it also calls it

ἀμιχθαλόεσσα

(24. 753), which was probably understood in antiquity as ‘inhospitable’ (

μίγνυμι

); though a modern view co<*>nects it with

μιχ‐, ὀμίχλη

, (our mist,) as=‘smoky,’ i.e., volcanic. In the time of Sophocles, Lemnos possessed two towns,—Hephaestia, on the N. coast, of which the site has lately been identified by Conze ( Reise auf den Aeg. Inseln); and Myrīna, now Kastro, on the W. coast. There was once an excellent harbour at Hephaestia; there still is one at Kastro, the present seat of trade. Geod anchorage is also afforded by a deep bay on the N. coast (now ‘Purnia’), and by another on the S. (now ‘Mudros’).

οὐδ’ ὅποι πλέων : nor (is there a place), sailing to which, ἐξεμπολήσει κέρδος , a man shall sell off his wares at a profit. There is no

ἐμπόριον

. The acc.

κέρδος

seems to be ‘cognate’ (=

κερδαλέαν ἐξεμπόλησιν

), rather than objective (as if

ἐξεμπ

. meant, ‘achieve by trading’): cp. Her. 1. 1

ἐξεμπολημένων

(Ion.)

σφι σχεδὸν πάντων

: cp. Soph. Ant. 1036

ἐξημπόλημαι

n. (We cannot compare Soph. Tr. 92

τό γ’ εὖ πράσσειν...κέρδος ἐμπολᾷ

, ‘brings in’ gain.) The subject to

ἐξεμπολήσει

τις

, easily supplied from

ναυβάτης

(301).

ξενώσεται , pass.: cp. 48 n. In Lycophron 92 this form is fut. midd. There is no class. example of

ξενωθήσομαι

. Attic, indeed, generally prefers the midd. form for the fut. pass. in ‘pure’ verbs (those of which the stem ends in a vowel).— For the fut. indic. in a relative clause of purpose, cp. Dem. or. 1 § 2

πρεσβείαν πέμπειν ἥτις ταῦτ’ ἐρεῖ καὶ παρέσται τοῖς πράγμασιν

ἐνθάδ’ =

δεῦρο

: cp. 256

μηδαμοῦ

πλοῖ : this nom. pl. occurs also in Xen. An. 5. 7. 7

καλοὶ πλοῖ

: the dat. pl. in Antiphon or. 5 § 83

πλοῖς

. In L's σώφροσι the omission of the

ν ἐφελκυστικόν

is doubtless a mere error; though Soph. sometimes lengthens

ι^

before

βρ

βλ

in compounds ( Soph. Ant. 336 , O.C. 996 n.).

βροτῶν : cp. O. C. 279

πρὸς τὸν εὐσεβῆ βροτῶν

τάχ’ οὖν τις … ἔσχε : ‘perhaps, indeed, some one has put in.’

οὖν

has a concessive force; cp. 1306

ἀλλ’ οὖν

n. When

τάχα

stands without

ἄν

, it usu.= ‘quickly’: but cp. Legg. 711 A

ὑμεῖς δὲ τάχα οὐδὲ τεθέασθε τυραννουμένην πόλιν

(where

τάχ’ ἄν

is impossible). Here the force of

τάχα

is, ‘I grant that visitors have come now and then; let us suppose such a moment.’

ἔσχε =

προσέσχε

, appulit: Thuc. 6. 62 § 2

ἔσχον ἐς Ἱμέραν

. Cp. 221 , 236.

πολλὰ γὰρ κ.τ.λ.: ‘for such things (viz., such necessities as

ἄκων

implies) are likely to occur often (

πολλὰ

predicative adj., here practically equiv. to the adv.) in the long course of human life.’ Now and again in the course of his lifetime, a sailor might be driven to seek shelter even on such a coast as that of Lemnos.

ὁ μακρὸς ἀνθρώπων χρόνος

is the long term of man's normal life; cp. Ant. 461

εἰ δὲ τοῦ χρόνου

πρόσθεν θανοῦμαι

, ‘before my natural term.’ Cp. Her. 1. 32

ἐν γὰρ τῷ μακρῷ χρόνῳ πολλὰ μὲν ἔστι ἰδεῖν τὰ μή τις ἐθέλει, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ παθεῖν. ἐς γὰρ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτεα οὖρον τῆς ζόης ἀνθρώπῳ προτίθημι

. Id. 5. 9

γένοιτο δ’ ἂν πᾶν ἐν τῷ μακρῷ χρόνῳ

. A reminiscence of these phrases may have been in the poet's mind.

οὗτοι referring to the indefinite

τις

(305): cp. Ant. 709

οὖτοι

referring to

ὅστις

in 707 (n.).

λόγοις ἐλεοῦσι … οἰκτίραντες . As a general rule,

ἐλεεῖν

=‘to show pity or mercy in act’:

οἰκτίρειν

, ‘to feel pity.’ Thus Dem. or. 28 § 20

σώσατε, ἐλεήσατε

. [Dem. ] or. 57 § 45

ἐλεοῖντ’ ἂν...δικαιότερον ἢ προσαπολλύοιντο

. Lys. or. 31 § 19

οἷς ἕτεροι διδόναι παρ’ ἑαυτῶν τι

( i.e.

ἐλεεῖν

)

προῃροῦντο, διὰ τὴν ἀπορίαν οἰκτίραντες αὐτούς

. See Heinrich Schmidt, Synonymik der griechischen Sprache, vol. III. pp. 577 ff.

καί πού τι : .

στολήν : cp. 223 f. n.

ἐκεῖνο … θέλει sc.

ποιῆσαι

: cp. 100 n.

σῶσαί μ’ ἐς οἴκους : cp. Aesch. Pers. 737

πρὸς ἤπειρον σεσῶσθαι

: Soph. Ant. 189 n.

ἐν λιμῷ τε καὶ κακοῖσι . Some critics suspect

κακοῖσι

as not distinctive enough (see cr. n.); but it can surely denote those ‘hardships’ of his life which were superadded to the

λιμός

and the

νόσος

. For καί at the end of the v., cp. O. T. 267 , O. T. 1234.

βόσκων : cp. 1167 .— ἀδηφάγον : so 7

διαβόρῳ

: 745

βρύκομαι

. The

νόσος

is personified, as in 759 by

ἐξεπλήσθη

βία : cp. 321 : Tr. 38

Ἰφίτου βίαν.

οἷ’ , Porson's correction of οἷς , is certain. The sufferer prays that their sufferings may be like his own: cp. 275 n.: Ant. 927. With

οἷς

, both

αὐτοῖς

(as= ‘themselves’) and

ἀντίποιν’

become comparatively tame.

ἐμοῦ : cp. El. 592

ὡς τῆς θυγατρὸς ἀντίποινα λαμβάνεις

ἴσα could imply either (1) ‘as fully as they pitied you in their hearts,’— the sense in which the speaker means Ph. to take it: or (2) ‘only as much as they showed you pity in their deeds’: cp. Soph. Ant. 516 n. on

ἐξ ἴσου.

ἐποικτίρειν is much better than Nauck's ἐποικτιρεῖν , which, as expressing a presentiment, would call too much attention to the ambiguity of

ἴσα

ἐν λόγοις . If

ἐν

is sound, the phrase must mean ‘a witness present at (the utterance of) these words.’ Cp. Plat. Phaedo 115 E

μηδὲ λέγῃ ἐν τῇ ταφῇ

, ‘ at the funeral,’ i.e., while it is taking place. The expression is unusual; but I hesitate to receive Gernhard's conject. ὢν .

συντυχὼν , ‘having found them bad men in my intercourse with them (

σύν‐

).’ The force of the simple

τυχών

here prevails over that of the prep., and so a gen. replaces the regular dat. Since in O. C. 1483

σοῦ τύχοιμι

must be read for

συντύχοιμι

, there is no other extant example of

συντυγχάνω

with gen. But there are analogies for the exception: in 1333

ἐντυχὼν Ἀσκληπιδῶν

is the only instance of a gen. (instead of dat.) with

ἐντυγχάνω

, except Her. 4. 140

λελυμένης τῆς γεφύρης ἐντυχόντες

. Again, Her. 552

προστυχόντι τῶν ἴσων

and Soph. El. 1463

ἐμοῦ κολαστοῦ προστυχών

are isolated examples of a gen., instead of dat., with that compound. In 719

παιδὸς ὑπαντήσας

(instead of

παιδὶ

) is also unique. Cp. Soph. Tr. 17

κοίτης ἐμπελασθῆναι

(where the dat. would be normal). It may be added that here, where

συντυχών

expresses, not merely a meeting with the men, but an experience of their character, the gen. has a special excuse.—We cannot make

συντυχών

mean=‘having found them bad men, as you have done’ ( i.e.,

σύν σοι

ἦ γάρ , 248 n.

τοῖς πανωλέθροις : cp. Soph. El. 86

χἡ πανώλεθρος

μήτηρ.

παθών , and not merely

κλύων

324 f. The corruption in the MSS.,

θυμῷ...χεῖρα

, is of the same nature as that in O. T. 376 (

με...σοῦ

for

σε ἐμοῦ

). Cp. Plat. Rep. 465A

εἴ πού τίς τῳ θυμοῖτο, ἐν τῷ τοιούτῳ πληρῶν τὸν θυμὸν

(sating his wrath)

ἧττον ἐπὶ μείζους ἂν ἴοι στάσεις.

Μυκῆναι , as the city of Agamemnon: Σπάρτη , as that of Menelaus. γνοῖεν , after the optative

γένοιτο

: cp. Aesch. Eum. 297

ἔλθοι

(‘may she come !’)... |

ὅπως γένοιτο τῶνδ’ ἐμοὶ λυτήριος

: and Soph. O. T. 506 n.

εὖ γ’ , euge: Ar. Eccl. 213

εὖ γ’, εὖ γε νὴ Δἴ, εὖ γε· λέγε, λέγ’, ὦγαθέ

. There is no other example in Tragedy of this colloquial

εὖ γε

without a verb.

τίνος γὰρ : lit., ‘Now (

γάρ

, 249 n.), on account of what have you come thus charging them with (having provoked) the great anger (which you show)?’ τίνος , causal gen., not with

τὸν...χόλον

alone, but with the whole sentence: cp. 751 , 1308: O. T. 698

δίδαξον κἄμ’, ἄναξ, ὅτου ποτὲ

μῆνιν τοσήνδε πράγματος στήσας ἔχεις.

ὧδε , ‘thus’ (not ‘hither,’ as in O. T. 7 ).—

χόλον ἐγκαλεῖν κατά τινος

=to make one's anger a subject of accusation against a person, i.e. to charge him with having provoked it. The causal τίνος helps to explain the pregnant sense. Cp. O. T. 702

λέγ’, εἰ σαφῶς τὸ νεῖκος ἐγκαλῶν ἐρεῖς

, ‘speak, if you can make a clear statement in imputing (the blame of) the feud.’

ἐξερῶ, μόλις δ’ ἐρῶ . In such phrases

μόλις

usu. stands in the first clause, with

μέν

: Ant. 1105

μόλις μέν, καρδίας δ’ ἐξίσταμαι

, n. For

ἐξερῶ—ἐρῶ

, cp. 249 f. The feeling is like that of Odysseus when asked by Alcinous to tell his story: Od. 9. 12

σοὶ δ’ ἐμὰ κήδεα θυμὸς ἐπετράπετο στονόεντα

εἴρεσθ’, ὄφρ’ ἔτι μᾶλλον ὀδυρόμενος στεναχίζω.

μολών : to Troy, 353.

ἔσχε . The pres.

ἔχει

would mean ‘constrains’; cp. I. T. 1065

τρεῖς μία τύχη τοὺς φιλτάτους

, |

ἢ γῆς πατρῴας νόστος, ἢ θανεῖν, ἔχει

. The aor. (‘ingressive’) =‘came upon him with constraint’: cp. 1117 : fr. 529

τοὺς δὲ δουλείας

... |

ζυγὸν ἔσχ’ ἀνάγκας

: Eur. Hec. 4

ἐπεὶ Φρυγῶν πόλιν

κίνδυνος ἔσχε δορὶ πεσεῖν Ἑλληνικῷ

φράσῃς … μὴ πέρα : for the place of

μή

, cp. 67 n.

τοξευτὸς … δαμείς =

τόξοις δαμείς

. The adj. here defines the instrument, as oft. elsewhere the place ( O. T. 1411

θαλάσσιον

ἐκρίψατ’

), or the manner ( O. C. 1637

κατῄνεσεν τάδ’ ὅρκιος

ὡς λέγουσιν implies that there was something mysterious in the death; Paris might seem to have inflicted it, but, in men's belief, the true slayer was Apollo. ἐκ , however, does not here denote ulterior, as dist. from immediate, agency (‘ by doom of Phoebus’; O. T. 1453 ); it is here no more than ὑπό .—According to one account, Paris shot Achilles, but with the aid of Apollo (as Athena had helped Achilles against Hector): so Il. 19. 416 (the immortal steed Xanthus to Achilles)

ἀλλὰ σοὶ αὐτῷ

μόρσιμόν ἐστι θεῷ τε καὶ ἀνέρι ἶφι δαμῆναι

: and Hector's prophecy ( Il. 22. 359 )

ὅτε κέν σε Πάρις καὶ Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων

ἐσθλὸν ἐόντ’ ὀλέσωσιν ἐπὶ Σκαιῇσι πύλῃσιν

. Verg. Aen. 6. 57 Phoebe, ... Dardana qui Paridis direxti tela manusque | Corpus in Aeacidae. Another account speaks of Apollo without naming Paris: so Il. 21. 278 Achilles says that Thetis had predicted to him that he should die

Ἀπόλλωνος βελέεσσιν

. Cp. Aesch. fr. 350. 8 (Thetis speaks of Apollo)

αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ κτανὼν

τὸν παῖδα τὸν ἐμόν

. So, too, Hor. Carm. 4. 6. 1 ff. Quintus Smyrn. 3. 61 (Apollo, hidden in a mist)

στυγερὸν προέηκε βέλεμνον

καί ἑ θοῶς οὔτησε κατὰ σφυρόν

. As to the vulnerable heel of Achilles, cp. Statius Ach. 1. 269 , where Thetis says: progenitum Stygis amne severo | Armavi ( totumque utinam!). Hyginus ( Fab. 107 ) fused the two versions by making Apollo take the guise of Paris.—The ‘cyclic’ epic which related the death of Achilles was the Aethiopis, ascribed to Arctînus of Miletus, c. 776 B.C. ( Introd. to Homer, p. 153).

ἀλλ’ εὐγενὴς μὲν :

ἀλλά

=‘well’ (said as if with a sigh);

μέν

has a reflective tone, ‘certainly,’—‘it must be granted.’ Cp. Plat. Gorg. 460A

ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ μὲν οῖμαι

κ.τ.λ.

(The δέ in 337 does not answer to this

μέν

.) Cp. 524

ἀλλὰ...μέντοι

n.— κτανών … θανών : A frequent

παρήχησις

. Ant. 1263

ὦ κτανόντας τε καὶ

θανόντας βλέποντες ἐμφυλίους

. I. T. 553

ἡ κτανοῦσα χὡ θανών

. Alc. 488

κτανὼν ἄρ’ ἥξεις ἢ θανὼν αὐτοῦ μενεῖς

ἐλέγχω … στένω : delib. subjunct.: for the pres., cp. O. T. 651 n.

οἶμαι μὲν , as O.T. 1051: so

δοκῶ μέν

, O. C. 995 n.

καὶ τὰ ς’ , ‘ even...’. Cp. Tr. 1216

ἀλλ’ ἀρκέσει καὶ ταῦτα

. For the elision in

σ’

, O. T. 64 n.

τοιγαροῦν (‘so, then’) occurs also in O. T. 1519 , Ai. 490 , El. 1257. — αὖθις πάλιν ( O. C. 1418 n.) refers to 329 —331. He had there intimated that, on reaching Troy, he had suffered some grievous wrong. Yet it has been proposed to reject v. 342 on the ground that Ph. could not ask for the repetition of a story which he had not yet heard.

ὅτῳ , ‘wherein,’ dat. of respect: cp. Thuc. 2. 65 § 12

σφαλέντες...ἄλλῃ τε παρασκευῇ καὶ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ τῷ πλείονι μορίῳ

: id. 4. 73 § 4

τῷ βελτίστῳ τοῦ ὁπλιτικοῦ βλαφθῆναι

. The dat.

ὅτῳ

has not been influenced by the

ἐν

in the compound. For the acc. with

ἐνυβρίζω

, cp. Kaibel Epigr. Gr. 195 1

μή μου ἐνυβρίξῃς ἁγνὸν τάφον

. The

ἐν

has the same force as in

ἐγγελᾶν

: cp. Soph. El. 68

ἐν τοῖς ἐμοῖς γὰρ οὐκ ἐνύβρισας κακοῖς

ποικιλοστόλῳ , ‘with gaily decked prow’: not simply ‘gaily drest’ (like

λευκόστολος

, etc.). Cp. Aesch. Pers. 408

εὐθὺς δὲ ναῦς ἐν νηῒ χαλκήρη στόλον

ἔπαισεν

, where

στόλος

poetically=

ἔμβολον

, the beak or ram, which was attached to the ship below the prow. The term

ἀκροστόλιον

was sometimes applied to the ‘figure-head’ (such as the head and neck of a swan). Here,

ποικιλοστόλῳ

seems to denote some special adornment, intended to mark the solemnity of the mission. These envoys came, not only to announce the death of Achilles, but to salute his heir. Cp. Pind. P. 2. 62

εὐανθέα δ’ ἀναβάσομαι στόλον

: where (whether

στόλον

be taken as ‘prow,’ or, more tamely, as ‘voyage’) the epithet refers to the adorning of the ship with garlands on a festal occasion. So, too, when the Salaminia was about to leave Athens on the annual

θεωρία

to Delos, the priest of Apollo crowned the stern with garlands ( Phaed. 58 C).—Others regard

ποικιλοστόλῳ

as merely a constant epithet, equiv. to the Homeric

μιλτοπάρῃος

(now explained by some as referring ‘to a literal painting of a face upon the bows’; Leaf, Il. 2. 637 ). The v. l. ποικιλοστόμῳ is merely a prosaic corruption.

δῖός τ’ Ὀδυσσεὺς : this is the Homeric

πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς

. The epithet

δῖος

(‘bright’) may be rendered ‘princely,’ or ‘noble,’ when applied to a chief (the idea of personal comeliness being included therein): or by the more general word, ‘goodly,’ in other cases. Cp. Note 2 to Butcher and Lang's Odyssey: ‘Froissart and Brantome apply respectful terms of moral excellence to knights and ladies whom they describe as anything but moral.’

χὡ τροφεὺς : Phoenix, who, having been driven from the house of his father Amyntor, was received by Peleus, and entrusted with the care of the infant Achilles: to whom he says in Il. 9. 485

καί σε τοσοῦτον ἔθηκα

(reared thee up to manhood),

θεοῖς ἐπιείκελ’ Ἀχιλλεῦ

, |

ἐκ θυμοῦ φιλέων

. Another legend represents Achilles as brought up by Cheiron ( Il. 11. 832 ).

εἴτ’ ἄρ’ οὖν , ‘or, after all (

ἄρα

), it may be (

οὖν

)’: for

οὖν

with the second

εἴτε

, cp. O. T. 90 , and n. ib. 1049.

ἀληθὲς does not occur as=

ἀληθῶς

, though

τὸ

(or

τό γε

)

ἀληθές

is so used, like re vera. Here it has, indeed, an adverbial force, but is properly the acc. governed by λέγοντες . So in Eur. Ion 275 we may point thus:

τί δαὶ τόδ); ἆρ’ ἀληθές; ἢ μάτην λόγος

; For

μάτην

, falso, cp. also Soph. El. 63 , Soph. El. 1298.

γίγνοιτ’ : they said,

οὐ θέμις γίγνεται

, it becomes unlawful (by the fact that Achilles is now dead): cp. 116 n.

ἄλλον ἢ )μ’ . If there had been any previous indication of Neoptolemus, the reading

ἄλλον ἤ μ’

would have been tenable (

ἕλοιτό μ’

): as there is none, we surely require ἢ )μ’ . Cp. Ant. 83

μὴ )μοῦ προτάρβει

οὐ πολὺν

κ.τ.λ.

: ‘they did not cause me to make any long delay, or to refrain from sailing at once’: another way of saying, ‘they filled me with burning eagerness to sail at once.’ He speaks with a certain bitterness, meaning, ‘they well knew how to act their part, when they put the matter in that light.’ For

ἐπέχω τινά

as=‘to cause one to pause,’ see Thuc. 4. 5

καί τι καὶ αὐτοὺς ὁ στρατὸς ἔτι ἐν ταῖς Ἀθήναις ὢν ἐπέσχε

, ‘partly, too, the fact that their army was in Attica caused them to delay’ (instead of marching out at once). Id. 1. 129

καί σε μήτε νὺξ μήτε ἡμέρα ἐπισχέτω

(pres. imper.)

ὥστε ἀνεῖναι πράσσειν τι

. This sense of the trans.

ἐπέχω

and

ἐπίσχω

is not precisely the same as that in Soph. El. 517

ὅς σ’ ἐπεῖχ’ ἀεὶ

μήτοι θυραίαν οὖσαν αἰσχύνειν φίλους

, ‘ restrained thee’ (by compulsory detention): i.e.,

οὐ πολὺν χρόνον μ’ ἐπέσχον

is not, ‘they did not succeed in restraining me long’ (as if they had been trying to do so); but rather, ‘they gave me no cause for delaying long’;— not, ‘non diu me cohibuerunt,’ but ‘effecerunt ne diu morarer.’

Instead of

μή με ναυστολεῖν

, we might well prefer, with Blaydes,

μὴ οὐχὶ ναυστολεῖν

, were it not that palaeographically it is so improbable. And for

μή

where

μὴ οὐ

might be expected, cp. O. T. 1387

οὐκ ἂν ἐσχόμην

τὸ μὴ )ποκλῇσαι

, n. The repetition of με , as subject to

ναυστολεῖν

, may seem slightly inelegant; but it is not grammatically objectionable.—See Appendix.

οὐ γὰρ εἰδόμην , ‘for I had (never) seen him.’ The comment

ζῶντα

, written after

εἰδόμην

in the margin of L, represents the simplest and best interpretation. Neoptolemos was born in Scyros, and remained there, under the care of his maternal grandfather, Lycomedes (243), until he went to Troy (see n. on 239 f.). Soon after the birth of Neoptolemus, his father Achilles had returned to Phthia; whence, some eight or ten years later, he went to Troy, without revisiting Scyros. Hence Neoptolemus can say that he had never seen his father. In this conception Sophocles is following the Iliad. From Il. 11. 765 —782 it appears that Phthia, not Scyros, was the place from which Achilles went to Troy. And in Il. 19. 331 f. Achilles speaks of his son as having never seen Phthia; for, apostrophising the dead Patroclus, he says, ‘my soul had hoped that thou should'st return to Phthia,’—

ὡς ἄν μοι τὸν παῖδα θοῇ ἐνὶ νηὶ μελαίνῃ

Σκυρόθεν ἐξαγάγοις, καί οἱ δείξειας ἕκαστα

, |

κτῆσιν ἐμὴν δμῶάς τε καὶ ὑψερεφὲς μέγα δῶμα

.—Apollodorus (3. 13. 8) follows a different version, according to which Achilles had remained in Scyros till he was brought thence to Troy by Odysseus.—For the midd. εἰδόμην in dial., cp. El. 977

ἴδεσθε

, ib. 892

κατειδόμην

, Tr. 151

εἰσίδοιτο

: in lyrics, below, Tr. 1113 , Ai. 351 ; and in anapaests, Tr. 1004. Cp.

ὁρωμένη

(midd.) in dial., Tr. 306. —See Appendix.

ἔπειτα μέντοι , answering to

μάλιστα μέν

(350): cp. O. T. 647 f.

μάλιστα μέν...ἔπειτα

(without

δέ

): ib. 777

θαυμάσαι μὲν ἀξία

, |

σπουδῆς γε μέντοι κ.τ.λ.

In Eur. Med. 1145 ff.

πρὶν μὲν... ἔπειτα μέντοι

is not strictly similar, since

ἔπειτα

is there temporal.

χὡ λόγος καλὸς προσῆν , ‘there was a further charm’ (

καλός

predicate) ‘in the reason suggested,—if indeed I was to take,’ etc.: ὁ λόγος is the reason for going, suggested by the envoys, (as distinguished from the natural

ἵμερος

in the son's mind,) and is explained by

εἰ...αἱρήσοιμ’

. Not, ‘the fame, too, was attractive.’ For προσῆν cp. H. 3. 1. 28

μισθὸς μὲν ἡμῖν...εἴργασται..., ἢν δέ τι προσεργασώμεθα, καὶ ταῦτα προσέσται

. For a different use, cp. 129 n.

εἰ … αἱρήσοιμ’ , oratio obliqua: he said to himself,

εἰ αἱρήσω

. For the fut. opt., cp. Xen. Cyr. 3. 1. 3

εἴ τινα φεύγοντα λήψοιτο, προηγόρευεν ὅτι ὡς πολεμίῳ χρήσοιτο

(he said,

εἰ λήψομαι ...χρήσομαι

). For

εἰ

with optat., where one's own former thought is indicated in dependence on a past tense, cp. Lys. or. 3 § 3

αἰσχυνόμενος, εἰ μέλλοιεν πολλοί μοι συνείσεσθαι, ἠνεσχόμην

(his thought had been,

αἰσχύνομαι, εἰ μέλλουσι

τἀπὶ Τροίᾳ πέργαμ’ ( cp. 611 ), the citadel which crowns the city of Troy, the

Πέργαμος ἄκρη

of Homer ( Il. 5. 460 , Il. 6. 512 ),—who uses only the sing. Hence Ilios is called

αἰπεινή, ὀφρυόεσσα

( Il. 22. 411 ): cp. Introd. to Homer, p. 148. For the prep. ἐπί , cp. Pind. O. 8. 32 (Apollo and Poseidon)

Ἰλίῳ μέλλοντες ἐπὶ στέφανον τεῦξαι

( sc.

πύργων

ἰών , oft. added to a verb denoting enterprise: cp. Ant. 768 n.

πλέοντί μοι : dat. of relation, as oft. with ref. to time: cp. H. 2. 1. 27

ἐπεὶ ἦν ἡμέρα πέμπτη ἐπιπλέουσι τοῖς

Ἀθηναίοις

. The distance from Scyros to Sigeum is about 125 miles.

κἀγὼ : for

καί

in temporal parataxis (instead of

ὅτε

), cp. O. T. 718 n.

πικρὸν Σίγειον . Sigeum, the N.W. promontory of the Troad (now Yeni Shehr), is fitly named, as being the point for which he, coming from Scyros in the S.W., would make; and also because the tumulus, traditionally known as the ‘tomb of Achilles,’ is near Sigeum. It is ‘bitter’ or ‘cruel’ to him, not only on account of his father's death, but through the memory of his wrongs. The epithet is here a fine dramatic touch: while the conjecture

κἀγὼ )π’ ἄκρον

, which many recent edd. adopt, is tamely prosaic. Cp. Od. 17. 448

μὴ τάχα πικρὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ Κύπρον ἵκηαι.

οὐρίῳ πλάτῃ , instrum. dat.; sped by oars, while a W. S. wind also filled his sails. Cp. ‘velis remisque,’ ‘ventis remis,’ etc.

κατηγόμην , was coming into harbour at, with acc. instead of the usual acc. with

εἰς

: cp. 244

προσέσχες...γῆν

(n.). Poetry is bold in its use of the simple acc. after verbs of motion; cp. 1175 : O. C. 643

δόμους στείχειν

ὀμνύντες after στρατός : so Il. 17. 755

τῶν δ’ ὥστε ψαρῶν νέφος ἔρχεται ἠὲ κολοιῶν

, |

οὖλον κεκλήγοντες

: cp. Ant. 1021 f. n.

ζῶντ’ Ἀχ. πάλιν : legend naturally revived the image of the father in his son; Nauck cites trag. fr. adesp. 363

οὐ παῖς Ἀχιλλέως, ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνος αὐτὸς εἶ

ἔκειτ’ , ‘lay low in death,’ a poet. equiv. for ‘had died’ (not=

προέκειτο

, ‘lay on the bier,’ ready for the

ἐκφορά

). Cp. El. 1134

ὅπως θανὼν ἔκεισο τῇ τόθ’ ἡμέρᾳ

τύμβου πατρῴου κοινὸν εἰληχὼς μέρος

. Ant. 1174

καὶ τίς φονεύει; τίς δ’ ὁ κείμενος

; Simonides fr. 60

κεῖσαι ζῶν ἔτι μᾶλλον τῶν ὑπὸ γᾶς ἐκείνων

. It is natural to suppose that the son's wish to arrive before the burial (351) was fulfilled; for the tidings of the death would have been sent at once, and he would have reached Troy not later, perhaps, than five days after it ( cp. 354 ). In Hector's case the funeral took place only on the tenth day after his remains had been brought home ( Il. 24. 785 ). The conciseness of the narrative here, which does not refer to the obsequies (unless in

)δάκ‐

ρυσα

), is Sophoclean: cp. Ant. 415 n. The welcome by ‘all the host’ (356) cannot be considered as a direct allusion to the funeral rites; cp. the reception of Teucer by the army ( Ai. 721 ff.).

)δάκρυσα : for the prodelision of the augment, cp. O. C. 1062

ταχεῖ )πόρευσαν

: Ant. 457 n.

οὐ μακρῷ χρόνῳ , after it: O. C. 1648

χρόνῳ βραχεῖ στραφέντες

ὡς εἰκὸς ἦν goes closely with φίλους ,—‘friends, as it was reasonable to suppose them.’ The only peculiarity is that

ὡς εἰκὸς ἦν

here refers to a just hope felt at a past moment, and not to the fitness of a past fact (as if the sense was, ‘friends, as they naturally were,’—or, ‘having gone, as I naturally did’). Cp. Plat. Menex. 247B

φίλοι παρὰ φίλους ἡμᾶς ἀφίξεσθε.

τά τ’ ἄλλ’ ὅσ’ ἦν : Homer describes the

κλισία

of Achilles as handsomely furnished (cp., e.g., Il. 24. 597 ), and it now contained the treasures which Priam had brought as the

Ἑκτορέης κεφαλῆς ἀπερείσἰ ἄποινα

( ib. 228—236: 579).

τλημονέστατον λόγον , here=

ἀναιδέστατον

, most audacious, shameless (in Eur. Hec. 562 the same phrase=‘most courageous speech’): Soph. El. 439

εἰ μὴ τλημονεστάτη γυνὴ

πασῶν ἔβλαστε

: Aesch. Cho. 383

τλάμονι καὶ πανούργῳ

χειρί

πάρεστί σοι , ‘it is open to thee,’ ‘thou hast free leave’; cp. Ant. 213 n.

Λαέρτου : cp. n. on 86 f.

δακρύσας , the tears of pain and anger started into his eyes. (For the aor. part., cp. Phaed. 116 D

καὶ ἅμα δακρύσας, μεταστρεφόμενος ἀπῄει

.) Many recent editors change this to

ἀκούσας

, or a compound of it (see cr. n.). But the traditional reading is incomparably more forcible; it is also thoroughly Homeric in spirit; Il. 23. 385 (Diomedes, when Apollo strikes the whip from his hand in the chariot-race)

τοῖο δ’ ἀπ’ ὀφθαλμῶν χύτο δάκρυα χωομένοιο

. Cp. Iuv. 1. 168 Inde irae et lacrimae.

ἐξανίσταμαι : he had been seated, as in converse with friends.

ὀργῇ : modal dat., O. T. 405 n., βαρείᾳ , vehement: cp.

μῆνιν βαρεῖαν

( O. C. 1328 , Ai. 656 ).

κᾳταλγήσας : cp. Ant. 767

νοῦς δ’ ἐστὶ τηλικοῦτος ἀλγήσας βαρύς

. This compound (in which

κατά

is intensive) occurs elsewhere only in later Greek.

ὦ σχέτλἰ is said to Agamemnon: ἦ )τολμήσατ’ ( cp. 360

)δάκρυσα

) refers to him and Menelaus: so O. C. 1104

προσέλθετ’, ὦ παῖ

(said to Antigone, entering with Ismene).

πρὶν μαθεῖν ἐμοῦ , before ye had heard from me (that ye might do so). The phrase is so far unusual that, when

μανθάνω

takes a gen. (of the person) only, it usually=‘to understand,’ as Plat. Gorg. 463D

ἆρ’ οὖν ἂν μάθοις ἀποκριναμένου

; Id. Phileb. 51 C

εἴ μου μανθάνεις

. Similar is Soph. O. T. 545

μανθάνειν...σοῦ

, to comprehend thy teachings. Cp., however, Soph. O. T. 541 ,

ὧν μαθόντες

,=‘having made inquiries of them.’ So here

μαθεῖν

is little more than

ἀκοῦσαι

πυθέσθαι

ὁ δ’ εἶπ’ Ὀδυσσεύς . Here

ὁ

is a substantival pronoun, and the proper name is added as by an after-thought: a Homeric use, as Il. 2. 402

αὐτὰρ ὁ βοῦν ἱέρευσεν, ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων

(cp. Monro Hom. Gram. § 258). Cp. Ai. 780 ff.

ὁ δ’ εὐθὺς... Τεῦκρος

: Phaed. 70B

ἦ δ’ ὅς, ὁ Σωκράτης.

ὢν κυρεῖ . Hermann objected to the historic pres. as unsuitable to a parenthetic remark; but without cause. Cp. Ant. 253 f., with n.: Eur. Hec. 963 ff.

σχές· τυγχάνω γὰρ ἐν μέσοις Θρῃκης ὅροις

ἀπών, ὅτ’ ἦλθες δεῦῤ· ἐπεὶ δ’ ἀ φικόμην

, ... |

ἐς ταὐτὸν ἥδε συμπίτνει

. Brunck's ἦν κυρῶν ( cp. 544 ) is smoother, indeed, but could hardly have generated the MS. reading.

τάδε does not imply that the arms are present (one of Nauck's grounds for preferring δεδράκας’ ), but only that they are the subject of conversation.

παρών , not merely, ‘being here at Troy’ (while Neoptolemus was absent, 379), but, ‘being present at the critical moment’: cp. 1405 : Ar. Lys. 283

τασδὶ δὲ

... |

ἐγὼ οὐκ ἄρα σχήσω παρὼν τολμήματος τοσούτου

; Eur. Hipp. 1242

τίς ἄνδρ’ ἄριστον βούλεται σῶσαι παρών

; ( i.e. , to go and save).— Acc. to Arctînus in the Aethiopis, it was Ajax who carried the body of Achilles out of the fray, while Odysseus kept the Trojans off (Proclus p. 479). In Od. 5. 309 f. Odysseus speaks of the day,

ὅτε μοι πλεῖστοι χαλκήρεα δοῦρα

Τρῶες ἐπέρριψαν περὶ Πηλείωνι θανόντι

. In Ov. Met. 13. 284 he says:

his...humeris ego corpus Achillis | Et simul arma tuli.

ἤρασσον : cp. Ai. 725

ὀνείδεσιν

ἤρασσον ἔνθεν κἄνθεν

: for the lit. sense, O. T. 1276.

κακοῖς τοῖς πᾶσιν : the art. properly means, ‘with all the taunts that exist’: cp. Tr. 716

φθείρει τὰ πάντα κνώδαλ’.

οὐδὲν ἐνδεὲς ποιούμενος , making (on my part) nothing deficient, i.e. leaving nothing unsaid that occurred to me. For this use of the midd.

ποιοῦμαι

, cp. O. C. 1144

οὐ γὰρ λόγοισι τὸν βίον

σπουδάζομεν

λαμπρὸν ποεῖσθαι.

εἰ … ἀφαιρήσοιτο : he said, (

δεινόν ἐστιν

)

εἰ ἀφαιρήσεται

: cp. 353 n. For the double acc., cp. Eur. Andr. 613

ἀφείλου πατέρας ...τέκνα

. Since the idea of the taker's interest is usually implied, the middle voice of this verb is more freq. than the active.

ἐνθάδ’ ἥκων , brought to that point.—provoked so strongly: cp. O. T. 687

ὁρᾷς ἵν’ ἥκεις

: ib. 1158

ἀλλ’ εἰς τόδ’ ἥξεις.

οὐ δύσοργος : as his mother speaks of his

ἀγανοφροσύνη

( Od. 11. 203 ).

πρὸς ἁξήκουσεν with δηχθείς , not with ἠμείψατο .

πρός

with acc., as=‘in view of,’ can always represent the cause of a feeling; cp. Tr. 1211

ἀλλ’ εἰ φοβεῖ πρὸς τοῦτο.

ἃ ἐξήκουσεν , the taunts which had been addressed to him (382): here

ἐξ

merely strengthens the notion of ‘being reviled,’ as in

ἐξονειδίζω

: cp. 676 .

ἐπειδὴ καὶ λέγεις , ‘since thou must speak thus,’—

καί

emphasising

λέγεις

: cp. O. T. 1129 : but ib. 412

ἐπειδὴ καὶ τυφλόν μ’ ὠνείδισας

is different,

καί

going with

τυφλόν.

οὐ μήποτ’ : 103 n.— τὴν Σκῦρον (240): the art. is scornful: cp. 1060 .

ἐκπλεύσῃς implies a further taunt: having come out so late, he will not even now stay and fight.

382 ff. The words ἀκούσας κἀξονειδισθείς form a rhetorical climax,— ‘having been addressed, yes, insulted, with such taunts’: κακά is object to

ἀκούσας

, and also ‘cognate’ acc. with

ἐξονειδισθείς

. Wecklein's ingenious κἀξονειδίσας seems unlikely, since N. is dwelling on his wrongs rather than on his own heat in resenting them.

πρὸς οἴκους : the plur. implies, ‘the home country,’ as 60

ἐξ οἴκων μολεῖν

. The sing. (suggesting rather the private home) occurs in 58, 240, 488, 548.

τητώμενος : O. C. 1200 n.

κἀκ κακῶν , as the reputed son of Sisyphus, 417 n. Cp. O. T. 1397

κακός τ’ ὢν κἀκ κακῶν

τοὺς ἐν τέλει , the Atreidae: cp. Ant. 67 n.

πᾶσα and σύμπας have here an adverbial force,—‘wholly’: cp. Ai. 275

κεῖνός τε λύπῃ πᾶς ἐλήλαται κακῇ.

ἔστι … τῶν ἡγουμένων : is under their influence: cp. O. T. 917

ἔστι τοῦ λέγοντος

, n. (But in Ant. 738

οὐ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἡ πόλις νομίζεται

; ‘is deemed his property.’)

στρατός , ‘army’ (with reference to the Greek army at Troy): not=

δῆμος

,—a sense which occurs in Aesch. and elsewhere ( Soph. Ant. 8 n.), but which is nowhere requisite in Soph. , and which would be weak here, just after

πόλις.

οἱ δ’ ἀκοσμοῦντες βροτῶν (the gen. as in 304), the unruly; those who violate the rights of others, as Odysseus has done: cp. Ant. 730 and 660.

διδασκάλων λόγοισι . This play was brought out in the spring of 409 B.C. The Revolution of the Four Hundred, in the summer of 411 B.C., was emphatically a case in which

οἱ ἡγούμενοι

—Peisander and his fellow oligarchs—had corrupted or intimidated a

πόλις

. The Army at Samos had illustrated the same process in the case of a

στρατός

,—the oligarchic officers, in correspondence with Alcibiades, having been the first agents of mischief. ( Thuc. 8. 47 and 75: Grote VIII. pp. 9 and 63.) Thus, to the ears of an Athenian audience, the poet's verses might well suggest a lightly-hinted apology for those citizens who, against their will, had been compromised by the conspirators.—Cp. Soph. O. C. 1537 n.

λόγος λέλεκται πᾶς : cp. 241 n.

Ἀτρείδας . We notice the art with which, all through his story, Neoptolemus has contrived to throw the chief odium on the Atreidae. Thus, after calling their speech

τλημονέστατος

(363), he remarks incidentally that Odysseus was a goodtempered man (377); and though he calls him, indeed,

κάκιστος

(384), he hastens to add that the higher powers were more to blame (385). And now, at the close, he names the Atreidae alone. Thus he acts in the spirit of his mentor's advice (64 f.), but refines upon it.

φίλος : cp. 585 f.

381-402

Mindful of their young chief's precept—

πειρῶ τὸ παρὸν θεραπεύειν

(149)—the Chorus seize this moment in order to deepen the impression left on the mind of Philoctetes. It was in the land of the Trojans—often called ‘Phrygians’ —that Neoptolemus was wronged by the Atreidae. ‘Then and there’—say the Chorus—‘we invoked the most awful deity of the land, the great Earth Mother, the Phrygian Cybele—to punish our prince's wrong.’ The interposition of the Chorus is admirably effective for the purpose of making their master's indignation appear genuine.

This strophe, to which vv. 507—518 form the antistrophe, is a

ὑπόρχημα

, or ‘dance-song’ ( O. T. 1086 n.). The dochmiacs of which it is mainly composed (see Metrical Analysis) are accompanied by animated movement, expressive of the lively resentment which these memories suggest.

From a mythological point of view the verses are of singular interest. The attributes given to the goddess belong to three groups. (1)

παμβῶτι Γᾶ

recognises her in the primary character of an Elemental power. (2)

μᾶτερ...Διός

identifies her with Rhea. (3)

ὀρεστέρα, λεόντων ἔφεδρε

, and the mention of the Pactolus, present her as the specially Phrygian Cybele. But these three characters are completely fused in the unity of the

μάτηρ πότνια

ὀρεστέρα : cp. Helen. 1301, where the

ὀρεία

... |

μάτηρ θεῶν

is identified with Demeter. In order to appreciate the large significance of this epithet in relation to the ‘Phrygian Mother,’ we must remember that ‘Phrygia’ originally denoted the whole interior highlands of Asia Minor west of the Halys (Kiepert, Anc. Geo. § 64). παμβῶτι : cp. the epithets

βιόδωρος

(1162),

φερέσβιος, πουλυβότειρα, φυσίζοος, κουροτρόφος

, etc.

μᾶτερ αὐτοῦ Διός : the

Μητρῷον

at Athens was sacred to Rhea Cybele: see on Ant. 1070 ff. The name Rhea (probably connected with

ἔρα

, earth) was doubtless older than Cybele (see Welcker Götterl. I. 221), and in Crete the ancient cult of Rhea seems never to have passed into that of Cybele, while in Asia Minor Rhea and Cybele came to be identified. Hence Demetrius of Scepsis (in the Troad) could say that Rhea was not worshipped in Crete, because, by Rhea, he understood Cybele (Strabo p. 472). The legends of the Cretan Ida were easily transferred to the Mysian: there was a

Δίκτη

in the Troad (Strabo l.c.) as well as in Crete. Cp. Apoll. Rh. 1. 1139

ῥόμβῳ καὶ τυπάνῳ Ῥείην Φρύγες ἱλάσκοντο

. Propertius 3. 1. 27 Idaeum Simoenta (the river at Troy), Iovis cunabula parvi.

Πακτωλὸν : mentioned here as the river on which Sardis was situated, —that city being a famous seat of Cybele's worship. Her. 5. 102

Σάρδιες μὲν ἐνεπρήσθησαν

(during the Ionian revolt in 502 C.B. ),

ἐν δὲ αὐτῇσι καὶ ἱρὸν ἐπιχωρίης θεοῦ Κυβήβης· τὸ σκηπτόμενοι οἱ Πέρσαι ὕστερον ἀντενεπίμπρασαν τὰ ἐν Ἕλλησιν ἱρά

. Hence an Athenian poet might well think of Sardis in speaking of Cybele. Lydiawas included in the older and larger meaning of Phrygia (cp. Ant. 825 n.).

εὔχρυσον . When the attribute of a noun which has the article consists of more than one element (as here of

μέγαν

and

εὔχρυσον

), part of it may stand between the art. and noun, and the rest after the noun, without art.: cp. 986

τὸ παγκρατὲς σέλας

Ἡφαιστότευκτον

: O.T. 1199

τὰν γαμψώνυχα παρθένον

χρησμῳδόν

. The Pactolus brought down gold dust from Mount Tmolus, the range just south of Sardis ( Verg. Aen. 10. 142 : Hor. Epod. 15. 19 , etc.).

κἀκεῖ , at Troy also (as now in Lemnos).

ἐπηυδώμαν =

ἐπεκαλούμην

: the only classical example of this compound.

Ἀτρειδᾶν ὕβρις πᾶς’ , ‘all’ their insolence,—referring to the full account of it which N. has just given (363 ff.). Others understand: (1) ‘the complete’ or ‘consummate’

ὕβρις

: cp. 142

πᾶν κράτος

(n.). Or (2), making

πᾶσ’

predicative, ‘went with all its force’ ( cp. 385 n.).

τὰ πάτρια , which had belonged to his father, Achilles: a rare poetical use of

πάτριος

as=

πατρῷος

: cp. Pind. O. 6. 62

πατρία ὄσσα

, the voice of his father (Apollo). In Soph. O. T. 1394

τὰ πάτρια... δώματ’

=‘the house of my fathers,’

πάτριος

having its usual sense. But that sense is impossible here, since Achilles had been the first possessor of the arms wrought by Hephaestus. —

παρεδίδοσαν

: cp. 64 n.

ἰὼ calls on the goddess to note the wrong: μάκαιρα , i.e.

θεά

, as Sappho fr. 1. 13

τὺ δ’, ὦ μάκαιρα

, |

μειδιάσαισ’ ἀθανάτῳ προσώπῳ.

ταυροκτόνων , a general epithet, marking the fierceness of the creatures whom the goddess subdues: cp. Il. 18. 579

σμερδαλέω δὲ λέοντε δὔ ἐν πρώτῃσι βόεσσιν

ταῦρον ἐρύγμηλον ἐχέτην.

λεόντων ἔφεδρε is best taken literally, of riding on lions. Cybele riding sideways on a lion was often represented in works of art (statues, reliefs, coins). Pliny 35. 109 says that Nicomachus painted deum...matrem in leone sedentem. This painter belonged to the Thebano-Attic school, and flourished c. 360 B.C.: we may well suppose, then, that the lion- riding Cybele was familiar in the time of Sophocles. Cp. Eur. Ion 202

πτεροῦντος ἔφεδρον ἵππου

(Bellerophon).—But, as the Homeric

ἵππων

ἐπιβάς

( Il. 5. 328 ) refers to chariot-driving, so here

λεόντων ἔφεδρε

might also mean, in a car drawn by lions. An altarrelief of the Roman age, reproduced by Baumeister ( Denkm. p. 801), from Zoega's Bassiril. (1. 13), shows her thus: two lions draw her car; she wears a shortsleeved chiton, while the long veil attached to the back of her mural crown flows down like a mantle; in her right hand is a laurel branch; her left rests on the rim of the tympanon, holding it upright on her left knee.—It is less likely that

λεόντων ἔφεδρε

means, ‘seated above lions’; i.e., on a throne with lions crouching below at each side. Arrian ( Periplous 9) mentions such a representation, which, like the other two, seems to have been frequent.

σέβας must be acc. in appos. with

τεύχεα

: it cannot be (as the first schol. suggests) a vocative addressed to the goddess. The armour of Achilles, made by the god Hephaestus, is a

σέβας

, an object on which men gaze with reverent wonder. So Thetis describes these arms as

καλὰ μάλ’, οἷ’ οὔπω τις ἀνὴρ ὤμοισι φόρησεν

( Il. 19. 11 ). Cp. El. 685 (Orestes)

εἰσῆλθε λαμπρός, πᾶσι τοῖς ἐκεῖ σέβας

. The dat.

τῷ Λαρτίου

must be taken with

παρεδίδοσαν

, which requires it. And it seems best not to take that dat. with

σέβας

also. If we did so, the phrase would mean, ‘an object of reverence’ to Odysseus; not, an ‘honour’ or ‘glory’ to him. But, though

τῷ Λαρτίου

is not construed with

σέβας

, their juxtaposition is forcible; ‘to him—those peerless arms.’ The long separation of the verb from its dative is excused by the fact that the interposed

ἰὼ μάκαιρα... ἔφεδρε

prepares the indignant emphasis on

τῷ Λαρτίου

We should not, then, change σέβας to γέρας . As Nauck remarks, the two words are confused in the schol. on Eur. Or. 383 (vol. 2, p. 122, Eur. Or. 18 Dind.). L affords an instance of

corrupted to

in 571 (

ἔσω

for

ἐγώ

). In uncials

σέβας

might have originated from B for P. But the sense given by

γέρας

would be tamer.

σύμβολον … λύπης , a grieftoken, i.e. a token consisting in your grief (defining gen.; cp. 159

οἶκον...κοίτης

, n.).

σύμβολα

were tallies, sometimes consisting of dice (

λίσπαι

, Plat. Symp. 193A ) or knuckle-bones (

ἀστράγαλοι

) sawn in two. A message or request, purporting to come from a friend at a distance, could thus be tested. The bearer was asked to produce the other half of the divided token. See Her. 6. 86. 2

ἀποδεικνύντες τὰ σύμβολα, ἀπαίτεον τὰ χρήματα

: Eur. Med. 613

ξένοις...πέμπειν σύμβολ’

,=to give one credentials to friends abroad. When two persons established such signs between them, they were said

σύμβολα ποιεῖσθαι

: C. I. G. 87

ποιησάσθω δὲ καὶ σύμβολα ἡ βουλὴ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τὸν Σιδωνίων, ὅπως ἂν ὁ δῆμος ὁ Ἀθηναίων εἰδῇ ἐάν τι πέμπῃ...δεόμενος τῆς πόλεως

. As each half was called

σύμβολον

, the word can mean ‘counterpart’: Plat. Symp. 191D

ζητεῖ δὴ ἀεὶ τὸ αὑτοῦ ἕκαστος ξύμ‐

βολον

.—Musgrave (ed. 1809) first compared Aristeides 1. 416 (=625 Dind.)

διὸ καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἱκανόν ἐστι πρὸς αὐτήν

(Athens),

ὥσπερ ἄλλο τι σύμβολον, αὐτὸ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς ἀτυχίας

. Cp. Plaut. Poen. 5. 2. 87

Ego sum ipsus quem tu quaeris.—Si ita est, tesseram conferre si vis hospitalem.

προσᾴδεθ’ , ye are in accord with me, i.e. your complaint strikes a note which finds an echo in my own mind. Cp. O. T. 1113

ξυνᾴδει τῷδε τἀνδρὶ σύμμετρος

(in respect of age).

ξυνᾴδειν

is properly said of two or more voices which harmonise;

προσᾴδειν

of a vocal accompaniment which harmonises with music. Cp. Eur. Ion 359

προσῳδὸς ἡ τύχη τὠμῷ πάθει.

ταῦτ’ … ἔργα =

ταῦτα τὰ ἔργα

( O. C. 471 n.).

ἂν … θιγόντα =

ὅτι θίγοι ἂν

: cp. Thuc. 7. 42

ὁρῶν...εἰ ἐπικρατήσειέ τις...ῥᾳδίως ἂν αὐτὸ ληφθέν

ὅτι ῥᾳδίως ἂν ληφθείη

). Soph. O. C. 761

κἀπὸ παντὸς ἂν φέρων

λόγου δικαίου μηχάνημα ποικίλον

, n.—With πανουργίας , despite its derivation,

πάσης

must be supplied: so in Soph. Ant. 300 f.

πανουργίας

is followed by

παντὸς ἔργου

ἀφ’ ἧς μηδὲν … ποεῖν : from (=as a result of) which he would be likely, in the end, to effect anything not just. His objects have always something unjust in them; and he is unscrupulous in the choice of means. When the optat. with

ἄν

(as here the implied

θίγοι ἄν

) stands in the antecedent clause, the optat. (without

ἄν

) often stands in the relative clause: cp. n. on O. C. 560

δεινὴν γάρ τιν’ ἂν πρᾶξιν τύχοις

λέξας ὁποίας ἐξαφισταίμην ἐγώ

. This usage confirms L's μέλλοι against

μέλλει

(though the latter would be tenable: cp. Ant. 375 n.).

μηδὲν here admits of two distinct explanations, though the sense is virtually the same with either. (1) It is ‘generic’ (170 n.): i.e. his purposes are of such a kind as can have no honest result. Cp. 1006

μηδὲν ὑγιὲς...φρονῶν

: Ant. 493

ὁ θυμὸς

... |

τῶν μηδὲν ὀρθῶς <*>v σκότῳ τεχνωμένων

. I prefer this view. (2) It is ‘final’: i.e.

μέλλοι ποεῖν

ποήσοι

: ‘from which he shall not effect anything just.’ When the fut. indic. in a relative clause denotes purpose, the negative is

μή

: cp. O. T. 1412

ἐκρίψατ’

ἔνθα μήποτ’ εἰσόψεσθ’ ἔτι

(n.).

ἐς τέλος , ultimately (though his

λόγος

may be plausible at first sight): cp. Her. 9. 37

οὐ μέντοι ἔς γε τέλος οἱ συνήνεικε τὸ ἔχθος

(‘in the end,’—though for a time he prospered).

ποεῖν : for the spelling, cp. on 120: for the pres. inf. after

μέλλοι

, O. T. 967 n.

ὁ μείζων , the son of Telamon; Ajax the son of Oileus (the leader of the western Locrians) was

μείων, οὔ τι τόσος γε ὅσος Τελαμώνιος Αἴας

( Il. 2. 528 ).— οὐκ ἦν ἔτι ζῶν . Soon after the death of Achilles, and either just before or just after the coming of Neoptolemus, the Atreidae had awarded the arms to Odysseus. The suicide of Ajax followed closely on the award. He died, then, either just before, or just after, the arrival of Neoptolemus at Troy. Neoptolemus implies that he left Troy for home just after the award (382). Since his indignation is feigned, it might be supposed that the interval between the award and his sailing (for Lemnos) had really been longer. But, even if that interval had been as brief as he represents it, he might still have known, before leaving Troy, that Ajax was dead.

ἀλλ’ ἦ ...; In this formula

ἦ

asks the question:

ἀλλά

marks surprise, as it so often marks remonstrance (‘ nay, can it be so?’ or, ‘ what, can that be true?’). The fact that

ἀλλ’

is absent from L (see cr. n.) has led some editors to prefer the conjecture ἦ γάρ . But it may be observed:—( a )

ἀλλ’ ἦ

was a comparatively unfamiliar phrase, and therefore the fact that the other MSS. have it is presumptive evidence of its genuineness. ( b) The preceding πῶς εἶπας cannot be urged as an objection: cp. Eur. Alc. 58

πῶς εἶπας; ἀλλ’ ἦ καὶ σοφὸς λέληθας ὤν

; Eur. Itis true, however, that such a preface to

ἀλλ’ ἦ

is unusual: cp. Soph. El. 879 : Aesch. Ch. 220 : Eur. Alc. 816 , Helen. 490, Heracl. 425 , Hipp. 932 , [Eur. ] Rhes. 36. —Remark that in O. C. 26 , where

ἀλλὰ

and

ἦ

are separated, the peculiar force of

ἀλλ’ ἦ

is not present.

ὡς μηκέτ’ ὄντα : .

οἴμοι τάλας , ‘woe is me’ (not, ‘alas, poor Ajax’): as O. T. 744 n.— ἀλλ’ οὐχ : the negative is repeated, for greater emphasis, in 418: cp. Ant. 5

ὁποῖον οὐ

τῶν σῶν τε κἀμῶν οὐκ ὄπωπ’ ἐγὼ κακῶν

, n. —

ὁ Τυδέως γόνος

, Diomedes. Philoctetes had no personal grievance against him, but dislikes him as being a man of the same stamp as Odysseus, with whom the tenth book of the Iliad associates him in stealing the horses of Rhesus. In Il. 6. 230 it is Diomedes who proposes to Glaucus that the latter should exchange ‘golden armour for armour of bronze.’ Lesches, in the Little Iliad, and Euripides, in his Philoctetes, made Diomedes come to Lemnos to fetch Philoctetes: see Introd. Cp. 592 .

οὑμπολητὸς Σισύφου Λαερτίῳ , ‘the son of Sisyphus, bought by Laertes,’ —because Anticleia was said to have been pregnant when Laertes married her. The word

ἐμπολητός

probably means that Laertes gave a large ‘bride-price’ (

ἕδνα

) to Anticleia's father, Autolycus. So the scholiast,

πολλὰ δοὺς χρήματα ἠγάγετο

. This is simpler than to suppose that

ἐμπολητός

is merely ‘acquired’ (as a bad bargain), like

λωβητὸν ἐμπόλημα

in Tr. 538.

The legend is not Homeric, but is already known to Aesch. (fr. 169), and is congenial to the spirit in which the dramatists often conceive Odysseus; cp. Soph. Ai. 190 , fr. 143 (

ὡς ὁ Σίσυφος πολὺς

ἔνδηλος ἐν σοί

): I. A. 524, Cycl. 104 : Lycophron 344 (

τῆς Σισυφείας δ’ ἀγκύλης λαμπουρίδος

, ‘crafty fox’): Ov. Met. 13. 31

sanguine cretus | Sisyphio, furtisque et fraude simillimus illi.

With regard to the order of words, note:—(1)

ὁ ἐμπολητὸς Σισύφου

ὁ ἐμπ. Σισυφίδης

, the simple gen. of origin being placed as

Σισύφου παῖς

would have been; though usually such a simple gen. comes immediately after the art. (as Ai. 450

ἡ Διὸς γοργῶπις ἀδάματος θεά

). (2)

Λαερτίῳ

merely supplements

ἐμπολητός

, and hence can be placed as though it were an afterthought; the principle is the same as in O. C. 1514

αἱ πολλὰ βρονταὶ διατελεῖς

: cp. n. on O. T. 1245. —The genit. Λαερτίου (see cr. n.) cannot be defended by understanding, (1) ‘the son of Laertes, bought from Sisyphus’; or (2) ‘the bought son of Laertes-Sisyphus,’ i.e., of a father, nominally Laertes, but really Sisyphus.

ἔδει : cp. 1363

χρῆν

: O. T. 256 n.

καὶ μέγα θάλλοντες , full greatly prosperous: cp. Plat. Rep. 272D

τοῦτο... καὶ μάλ’ εὔκριτον

τί δ’ ;

οὐ κ.τ.λ.

The fact that the first hand in L wrote ὠ ( sic) is a good reason for believing that either οὐ or αὖ was the original reading. With

αὖ

, the proper punctuation would be,—

τί δ’ αὖ παλαιὸς κἀγαθὸς φίλος τ’ ἐμός

, |

Νέστωρ ὁ Πύλιος, ἔστιν

; ‘And then, again, what of Nestor,—is he alive?’ Cp. Ai. 101

εἶεν, τί γὰρ δὴ παῖς ὁ τοῦ Λαερτίου

, |

ποῦ σοι τύχης ἕστηκεν

; and ib. 983. But the context strongly favours οὐ . Philoctetes is wondering how the Atreidae and Odysseus had been allowed to work their will without hindrance. ‘How could Ajax allow it?’ ‘He was dead.’ ‘Well, but is not Nestor alive? He used to restrain them.’ For τί δ’ , cp. O. T. 941

τί δ); οὐχ ὁ πρέσβυς Πόλυβος ἐγκρατὴς ἔτι

;— With respect to the reading τί δ’ ὃς , we observe:—(1) ὃς might easily have been generated by the unmetrical conjecture ὁ which has been written in L above

ὠ

: (2) the ellipse of

ἐστί

after

ὅς

would be peculiarly awkward here, where the principal verb is

ἔστι.

παλαιός , simply ‘old’: not, (as some take it,) ‘one of the good old school.’ For καί … τε , cp. 581 , 656.

τά γε κείνων κακά , their misdeeds, at least: cp. Tr. 773

τοῦ σοῦ κακοῦ

, thy crime. The γε means that, if Nestor could not ward off all troubles from the army, at any rate he was able to prevent acts of flagrant wrong on the part of such men as Odysseus and Diomedes. Placed thus between

τά

and

κείνων κακά, γε

must emphasize that phrase only; it cannot here be taken with the whole sentence (‘ restrained, at least...’), as in O. C. 1278 (n.). Philoctetes alludes either to what he had seen on the voyage to Troy, or to what his occasional visitors had reported.—For the place of the art., cp. Ant. 67

τὸ γὰρ

περισσὰ πράσσειν

, n.

ἐξήρυκε : the compound occurs only here. For

ἐρύκειν

as= arcere, cp. Theocr. 7. 127

τὰ μὴ καλὰ νόσφιν ἐρύκοι

Ἀντίλοχος . Pindar is our earliest authority for the story of Antilochus saving his father Nestor's life: he brings it in à propos of a son who had driven his father's chariot in the Pythian games, and won the race ( Pyth. 6. 38 ff.). Memnon was pressing Nestor hard, and one of the horses in Nestor's chariot had been wounded by Paris. Nestor called for help to Antilochus, who diverted Memnon's attack from his father to himself, and was killed; thus winning the fame,

ὕπατος ἀμφὶ τοκεῦσιν ἔμμεν πρὸς ἀρετάν

. The Odyssey notices that Antilochus was slain by Memnon, but does not say that he fell in saving his father (4. 188). At the end of the Iliad Antilochus is still living (23. 785 ff.); in Il. 8. 90 it is Diomedes who rescues Nestor (from Hector). Pindar's source was the Aethiopis of Arctînus, in which Achilles avenged Antilochus by slaying Memnon.

ὃς παρῆν γόνος , the son who was at his side:—not (I think) with direct reference to the saving of Nestor's life by Antilochus,—this is more than

παρῆν

could suggest, without further explanation ( cp. 373 ),—but rather in the general sense that the son was the stay and comfort of his father's old age.—The MS. reading, ὅσπερ ἦν γόνος , would clearly imply that Antilochus was Nestor's only (or last surviving) son. The Iliad describes Nestor as having two sons at Troy, Thrasymedes and Antilochus (17. 378); and according to the Odyssey (3. 413 ff.) six sons were left to Nestor after the death of Antilochus, one of these being Thrasymedes. If it be suggested that the Aethiopis may have represented Antilochus as the last surviving son, we may reply that this is extremely improbable, when it is remembered that several Ionian colonies claimed to have been founded by the Neleidae, descendants of Nestor who emigrated from Pylus ( Introd. to Homer, p. 167). The same consideration condemns Seyffert's ὅς γ’ ἔτ’ ἦν . Cavallin's ὅς ποτ’ ἦν is free from this objection, but is somewhat weak.—See Appendix.

δὔ αὖ τώδ’ ἄνδρ’ ἔλεξας , a correction which I published in 1869 (see cr. n.), still appears to me the most probable. Porson's δὔ αὖ τώδ’ ἐξέδειξας is founded on the schol. in L,

γρ. δὔ αὐτὼ δ’ ἐξέδειξας

, and may be deemed certain so far as the words

δὔ αὖ τώδ’

are concerned. But no one has justified the use of

ἐξέδειξας

. We see the proper uses of the word in O. C. 1021

ἵν’ αὐτὸς ἐκδε<*>ξῃς ἐμοί

(point them out, discover them, to me): El. 348

τὸ τούτων μῖσος ἐκδείξειας ἄν

(‘manifest’). Eur. Hipp. 1298

παιδὸς ἐκδεῖξαι φρένα

τοῦ σοῦ δικαίαν

. But here the word is strangely inappropriate, ‘thou hast pointed out,’ instead of, ‘thou hast named.’ And ἔλεξας , the most natural word, is in all the MSS. Eur. Itseems very rash, then, to assume, on the strength of the schol., that

ἔλεξας

is spurious, and

ἐξέδειξας

genuine, especially when we remember the quality of some of the variants which rest on the same authority; e.g., in v. 423, the schol. on

κάκ’ ἐξήρυκε

gives

γρ. κἀξεκήρυξεν

. L's reading, δὔ αὔτως δείν’ ἔλεξας , with an erasure of two letters after

δείν’

, may well have arisen from

δὔ αὖ τώδ’ ἄν

[

δρ

]

ἔλεξας

. The word

ΔΕΙΝ

would easily have been suggested by

ΔΑΝ

if the

ΔΠ

had from any cause been obscured: or, again, a misreading of

ΔΑΝ

ΔΕΙΝ

may have led to the omission of

ΔΠ

. In minuscule writing the process would have been hardly less easy.

As to the reading δὔ αὕτως δείν’ ἔλεξας , two things seem clear. (1)

αὕτως

, or, as it is better written,

αὔτως

, yields no fitting sense here. It could not mean, ‘in those few words.’ It would rather mean, ‘just as in the former cases.’ Cp. O. T. 931 n. (2)

δύο...δείν’ ἔλεξας, οἷν

, would be most awkward, whether rendered ( a) ‘thou hast told dreadful news about two persons’ (

δύο

masc.), or ( b) ‘thou hast told two calamities concerning persons,’ etc. (

δύο

neut., with

τούτοιν

understood from

ο<*>ν

δὔ … ἄνδρε : Ajax (415) and Antilochus. Prof. Campbell says that v. 415 is ‘too remote to allow of this’: but vv. 416— 420 form merely a parenthetic contrast suggested by the death of Ajax, and with v. 421 we come to the father of Antilochus. If

δὔ ἄνδρε

are to be Nestor and Antilochus (as Campbell holds), ὀλωλότοιν has to mean ‘desolate’ in the case of the living father, and ‘dead’ only in the case of the son. But surely οἵδε in 428 must include both the men mentioned in 426.

ἂν ἠθέλης’ , as O. T. 1348 : so below, O. T. 1239

ἂν...ἐβουλόμην

, O. T. 1278

ἤθελον...ἄν

. Cp. Ai. 88 n.

σκοπεῖν here=

προσδοκᾶν

, a rare use. More often

σκοπεῖν

=‘look for’ in the sense of

ζητεῖν

: Xen. An. 5. 7. 32

σκοπεῖτε παῦλάν τινα.

οἵδε , Ajax and Antilochus; perh. he thinks of Achilles (331) too.

Ὀδυσσεὺς δ’ ἔστιν αὖ κἀνταῦθ’ : ‘while Odysseus survives in this case also,’ —outliving Ajax and Antilochus (

οἵδε

, 428), as he had already outlived Achilles (371). Once more, death has spared the worse man (436). According to other views, (1)

κἀνταῦθα

=‘ and’ [not ‘also’] ‘in a case where’; i.e., ‘not only does he live, but he has survived men so much his betters.’ (2)

κἀνταῦθα

=‘and in such a crisis as this,’— i.e., when, Achilles being dead, the Greeks at Troy could ill spare true men. (3) The schol. explains

κἀνταῦθ’

ἐν τοῖς ζῶσιν

: but this ignores

καί

, and makes

ἐνταῦθα

weak.—Some think that the phrase used by Philoctetes was intended to have a second meaning (‘here in Lemnos’) for the spectator; but this is improbable.

αὐτὸν , illum, not ipsum: the latter would be fitting only if Odysseus had been responsible for the deaths of the others. αὐδᾶσθαι : cp. El. 1478

ζῶντας θανοῦσιν οὕνεκ’ ἀνταυδᾷς ἴσα

, speakest of the living as if they were dead.

παλαιστὴς : cp. Ar. Ran. 877

ὅταν εἰς ἔριν ὀξυμερίμνοις

ἔλθωσι στρεβλοῖσι παλαίσμασιν ἀντιλογοῦντες

(‘when they enter the strife, contending with subtle, tortuous tricks’). Aeschin. or. 3 § 205

πάλαισμα τοῦτ’ ἐστὶ δικαστηρίου

, a trick of the law-courts.

ἐμποδίζονται : the word seems to have been suggested by

παλαιστής

,—alluding to a wrestler tripping up his adversary: cp. Ar. Eq. 262 (with ref. to the tricks by which Cleon outwits his simple victims),

διαλαβών, ἀγκυρίσας

, |

εἶτ’ ἀποστρέψας τὸν ὦμον αὐτὸν ἐνεκολήβασας

(‘you put one of your legs between his,—hook it round them,— force his shoulder back,—and fall heavily on him’).

θεῶν , a monosyll.: O. C. 964 n.

ποῦ γὰρ : for

γάρ

, cp. 249 f.

σοι , ethic dat., implying, ‘how was it that you did not find him ready to help you at that crisis?’ Cp. O. C. 81

ἦ βέβηκεν ἡμὶν ὁ ξένος;

τὰ φίλτατα , of one person, as Eur. Ion 521

τὰ φίλταθ’ εὑρών

( i.e.

τὸν υιόν

): but of several persons, Soph. O. C. 1110 etc.

λόγῳ … ἐν βραχεῖ : cp. El. 673

τέθνηκ’ Ὀρέστης· ἐν βραχεῖ συνθεὶς λέγω

. Aesch. P. V. 505

βραχεῖ δὲ μύθῳ πάντα συλλήβδην μάθε.

τοῦτ’ , instead of

τόδ’

, referring to what follows: cp. n. on O.C. 787.

πόλεμος κ.τ.λ.: the

γνώμη

stands as an independent sentence, unconnected with the prefatory

τοῦτ’ ἐκδιδάξω

: cp. Ant. 612

ἐπαρκέσει νόμος ὅδ)· οὐδὲν ἕρπει κ.τ.λ.

ἑκὼν , ‘by choice’: i.e., war has a marked preference for killing good men, though, of course, it kills some bad men too. The word

ἑκών

does not involve a definite personification of

πόλεμος

(like that in Ar. Pax): we can say,

ἡ φύσις βούλεται ποιεῖν τι

( An. Gen. 4), without writing

Φύσις

. Cp. fr. 652

τοὺς εὐγενεῖς γὰρ κἀγαθούς, ὦ παῖ, φιλεῖ

Ἄρης ἐναίρειν· οἱ δὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ θρασεῖς

φεύγοντες ἄτας ἐκτός εἰσι τῶν κακῶν·

Ἄρης γὰρ οὐδὲν τῶν κακῶν λωτίζεται

. Anacreon fr. 101

Ἄρης δ’ οὐκ ἀγαθῶν φείδεται, ἀλλὰ κακῶν

. The same thought is implied in the phrase of Andoc. , or. 3 § 30

πολλοὺς μὲν Ἀθηναίων ἀπολέσαντες ἀριστίνδην

, —as if the

ἄριστοι

had been selected.

κατ’ αὐτὸ τοῦτό γε , in accordance with this very thing, = ‘on this very ground’: cp. Isocr. or. 18 § 34

οὐκ ἄξιον οὔτε κατὰ χάριν οὔτε κατ’ ἐπιείκειαν οὔτε κατ’ ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἢ κατὰ τοὺς ὅρκους περὶ αὐτῶν ψηφίσασθαι

φωτὸς , about him (gen. of connection): cp. 441 : n. on O. C. 307. —

τί … κυρεῖ. κυρέω

, in ref. to a person's fortunes, can be either (1) intrans., with adv., as El. 1424

ΗΛ. Ὀρέστα, πῶς κυρεῖτε; ΟΡ. τἀν δόμοισι μὲν

καλῶς

: or (2) trans., with acc., as Aesch. Ch. 214

ἐπεὶ τί νῦν ἕκατι δαιμόνων κυρῶ

; (‘what do I obtain?’). Here κυρεῖ seems to be intrans., while τί is virtually adverbial: cp. Soph. O. C. 1704

ἔπραξεν οἷον ἤθελεν

ὅπως ἤθελεν

), ‘he has fared as he would.’

ποίου δὲ τούτου : cp. 572 : O. C. 67

ΞΕ. ἐκ τοῦ κατ’ ἀστυ βασιλέως τάδ’ ἄρχεται. ΟΙ. οὗτος δὲ τίς λόγῳ τε καὶ σθένει κρατεῖ

; (=

τίς ἔστιν οὗτος ὃς κρατεῖ

;) —where, as here,

δέ

continues a conversation by putting a question which the last speaker's words suggest.

ἐρεῖς , i.e., of whom do you mean to speak. Cp. O. C. 595

ΟΙ. πέπονθα, Θησεῦ, δεινὰ πρὸς

κακοῖς κακά. ΘΗ. ἦ τὴν παλαιὰν ξυμφορὰν γένους ἐρεῖς

;

Brunck's conjecture, τοῦτο for τούτου , has been preferred by some; because, where a verb of speaking or asking thus takes a simple gen., the object of the verb is usu. represented, either ( a) by an acc., as in El. 317

τοῦ κασιγνήτου τί φής

; or ( b) by a relative clause, as above in 440 by

τί νῦν κυρεῖ

; But in O. C. 307

κλύων σοῦ

(‘hearing about thee’) is an exception to the supposed rule. Further,

ἐρεῖς

is here merely a short expression for

ἐξερήσει τί νῦν κυρεῖ

Θερσίτης =‘the bold one,’

θέρσος

being the Aeolic form of

θάρσος

(Bekker Anecd. p. 1190. 2), as

κρέτος

κράτος

: cp.

Ἁλιθέρσης, Θέρσανδρος

. Here he survives Achilles. But, according to the commoner legend, he died before him. Achilles had slain the leader of the Amazons, Penthesilea. Thersites thrust his spear into the eyes of the corpse, and taunted Achilles with his love for her; when the hero killed him. This was the version given by Arctînus in the Aethiopis (Proclus, Chrestom. p. 478). It was the subject of a play (prob. a satyric drama) by Chaeremon, called

Ἀχιλλεὺς Θερσιτοκτόνος

(Suidas, s.v.

ὑπάρχων

, calls it simply

Θερσίτης

). See Nauck, Frag. Trag. p. 607.

ὃς οὐκ ἂν εἵλετ’

κ.τ.λ.

This sentence deserves study as an example of Attic expression. (1)

οὐκ ἂν εἵλετο

= ‘never used to choose.’ Xen. Cyr. 7. 1. 10

ὁπότε προσβλέψειέ τινας...εἶπεν ἄν

. In this use the aor. differs from the impf. by marking a moment; as

εἵλετο

expresses the making of the choice, while

ἡρεῖτο

would express the sentiment of preference. (2) ὅπου μηδεὶς ἐῴη , ‘in a case where no one was for allowing him to speak’: the optat. denotes indefinite frequency (as 289

ὅ μοι βάλοι

). Cp.

προσβλέψειε

in the example just cited.

μηδείς

is ‘generic,’ i.e. marks the occasion as being one of a class: cp. 170 n. And since

οὐκ ἐῶ

= ‘dissuade,’ ‘remonstrate,’

ὅπου μηδεὶς ἐῴη

ὅπου πάντες μὴ‐ἐῷεν

, ‘where all were protesting.’ Cp. Ai. 1184

τάφου μεληθεὶς τῷδε, κἂν μηδεὶς ἐᾷ

κἂν πάντες μὴ‐ἐῷσιν

, ‘though all the world forbid.’ (3) ‘He would never choose to speak (only) once’ = ‘he would always choose to speak often’; —a

μείωσις

of the same order as

οὐχ ἥκιστα

for

μάλιστα

. Thus the whole sense is—

ἀεὶ ἂν εἵλετο πολλάκις λέγειν, ὅπου πάντες σιγᾶν κελεύοιεν

. Remark that, in the negative form actually used, the aor. inf. (

εἰπεῖν

) suits

εἰσάπαξ

better than a pres. inf. (

λέγειν

) would have done.

Sophocles here reproduces the two salient traits of the Homeric Thersites: (1) he is irrepressible: Il. 2. 212

Θερσίτης δ’ ἔτι μοῦνος ἀμετροεπὴς ἐκολῴα

, |

ὅς ῥ) ἔπεα φρεσὶν ᾗσιν ἄκοσμά τε πολλά τε ᾔδη

: (2) he disgusts those whom his bluster was intended to amuse or flatter; ib. 222

τῷ δ’ ἄρ’ Ἀχαιοὶ

ἐκπάγλως κοτέοντο

.— τοῦτον οἶσθ’ : for the construction, cp. 534 , 544, 549, 573: O. C. 1197 f., Ant. 1242 f.

αὐτόν should not be changed to αὐτός , which would be too emphatic here. He speaks in a careless tone. The following νιν , though it was not necessary, affords no argument against

αὐτόν

ἔμελλ’ , sc.

ε<*>ναι

: cp. Ant. 448 n.

ἐπεὶ οὐδέν : the synizesis as in 948, 1037; fr. 479. 3

ἐπεὶ οὐδ’ ὁ κρείσσων

.—Cp. frag. adesp. 276 (Nauck)

οὐδὲν κακὸν <γὰρ> ῥᾳδίως ἀπόλλυται.

περιστέλλουσιν , cherish, protect (as Her. 9. 60 etc.), a sense derived from that of ‘dressing’ or ‘wrapping up’ (cp. Soph. Ant. 903 ).

τὰ πανοῦργα : for the neut., instead of

τοὺς κακούργους

, see on O. T. 1196.

παλιντριβῆ , lit. ‘rubbed again and again,’ hence, thoroughly versed in knavery (cp.

νόμοισιν ἐντριβής

, Ant. 177 ). So Nub. 260

λέγειν γενήσει τρίμμα, κρόταλον, παιπάλη

: ib. 447

εὑρησιεπής, περίτριμμα δικῶν.

ἀναστρέφοντες : alluding esp. to the story of Sisyphus cheating Pluto: cp. 621 n.

τὰ δὲ : cp. 442 n.— τὰ χρήστ’ : cp. El. 972

φιλεῖ γὰρ πρὸς τὰ χρηστὰ πᾶς ὁρᾶν

τὰς χρηστάς

).— ἀποστέλλους’ : cp. O.C. 1664

ἐξεπέμπετ’

(of Oed.): Plat. Symp. 179E (

θεοὶ Ἀχιλλέα

)

εἰς μακάρων νήσους ἀπέπεμψαν

. Eur. Ion 1274

ἄρδην ἂν ἐξέπεμψας εἰς Ἅιδου δόμους

(

με

). The word is so natural after

ἀναστρέφοντες

that Nauck's alteration of it to προυσελοῦς’ is strange indeed.

ποῦ χρὴ τίθεσθαι : where am I to place these things (in a theory of divine government), i.e., what am I to think of them? For this use of the midd.

τίθεμαι

, cp. 473 , 876: Dem. or. 18 § 299 (

ταῦτα

)

πόρρω μέντοι που τῶν ἐμοὶ πεπολιτευμένων τίθεμαι

(‘rank them far below...’).

ποῦ δ’ αἰνεῖν : and in what respect to praise them: cp. O. T. 390

ποῦ σὺ μάντις εἶ σαφής

; and ib. 355 n.

ὅταν κ.τ.λ. The simplest form of question would have been:—‘What is one to think of these things, seeing that they conflict with one's belief in beneficent gods?’ This is amplified into—‘What is one to think of these things, seeing that, while one praises the dealings of the gods, one finds (by these facts) that the gods are bad?’ ἐπαινῶν is best taken in a simple temporal sense, (=‘at the same time that one praises,’) rather than as tentative (‘while one tries to praise’), or concessive (‘though one praises’).

Theognis, in a similar strain, asks how a mortal is to revere the gods when he sees good men afflicted and bad men prosperous (743—752).

ἐγὼ μὲν : Ant. 11 n.

Οἰταίου , since Poeas was king of the Malians; cp. 4 n.

τηλόθεν … εἰσορῶν , ‘eyeing them from a distance, i.e. holding aloof from them. The phrase is figurative; it is not an oxymoron, like

ἐν σκότῳ ὁρᾶν

( O. T. 1273 ), as though it meant ‘never seeing them.’ This

τηλόθεν εἰσορᾶν

is a poetical counterpart of

πόρρωθεν ἀσπάζεσθαι

,— familiar in Attic as meaning ‘to give a wide berth’ to an objectionable person or thing: Plat. Rep. 499A

οἵων ζητεῖν μὲν τὸ ἀληθὲς...τὰ δὲ κομψά τε καὶ ἐριστικὰ ...πόρρωθεν ἀσπαζομἑνων

. Eur. Hipp. 102

πρόσωθεν αὐτὴν

(Aphrodite)

ἁγνὸς ὢν ἀσπάζομαι

. Antiphilus ( c. 60 A.D. ) in Anthol. 9. 29 (speaking of the golden age),

εὖτ’ ἀπὸ χέρσου

τηλόθεν, ὡς Ἅιδης, πόντος ἀπεβλέπετο

. Cp. the phrases, tinged with a similar irony, in O. T. 795 , O. T. 997.

φυλάξομαι , midd. sc.

αὐτούς

: cp. fr. 428

δισσὰ γὰρ φυλάσσεται

, |

φίλων τε μέμψιν κεἰς θεοὺς ἁμαρτάνειν

ὅπου =

παρ’ ὅτοις

, followed by τούτους : cp. Ai. 1081

ὅπου δ’ ὑβρίζειν δρᾶν θ’ ἃ βούλεται παρῆ

, |

ταύτην νόμιζε τὴν πόλιν κ.τ.λ.

δειλὸς is rightly restored by Brunck for δεινὸς of the MSS. It alludes to Odysseus as a trickster (407) and a coward (1025). Cp. Ant. 326

τὰ δειλὰ κέρδη

, where, again, L has the false reading

δεινὰ.

δεινός , by itself, would mean simply ‘able.’ As Arist. says,

δεινότης

is the faculty of finding means to an end;

ἂν οὖν ὁ<*>σκοπὸς ᾖ καλός, ἐπαινετή ἐστιν· ἂν δὲ φαῦλος, πανουργία

( Eth. N. 6. 13). So, in v. 440, the bad sense of

δεινοῦ

is hinted by

γλώσση

. Campbell quotes Isocr. or. 12 § 48 to show that

δεινός

could, by itself, mean ‘a clever

ρογυε

’: there, however,

δεινήν

(said of Sparta) means ‘formidable’ (=

φοβεράν

just before), and the sense of

δεινὴν...νομίζειν

is presently repeated in

φοβεῖσθαι...καὶ δεδιέναι

Σκῦρος : .

ἐξαρκοῦσά μοι … ὥστε (

με

) τέρπεσθαι δόμῳ , sufficient to make me content with my abode (and resigned to seeing no more of the army).

χαῖρε is repeated, as Ar. Pax 582

χαῖρε χαῖῤ

, ib. 1363

χαίρετε χαίρετ’

, etc. ὡς μέγιστα : cp.

μέγα χαῖρε

( Hom. hym. 1. 466 etc.).

μεταστήσειαν : Helen. 1442

βλέψον πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ μετάστησον κακῶν.

ὡς αὐτὸς θέλεις : Hom. hym. 2. 417

ῥεῖα μάλ’ ἐπρη+/υνεν ἑκηβόλον, ὡς ἔθελ·, αὐτός

πλοῦν ἡμὶν εἴκῃ : a very rare instance of

εἴκω τινί τι

as= concedo aliquid alicui. We cannot compare O. C. 172

εἴκοντας ἃ δεῖ

, or Ai. 1243 ,

εἴκειν ἃ τοῖς πολλοῖσιν ἤρεσκεν κριταῖς

, where the acc. merely denotes the things in regard to which one is to yield. Still, Il. 23. 337

εἶξαί τέ οἱ ἡνία

(‘to give the horse rein’) seems to confirm

εἴκῃ

here. The analogy of

παρείκω

suggests to me that the constr. here would be somewhat softened if, instead of πλοῦν , we might read πλεῖν : cp. Legg. 934 C

ὅπως ἂν ἡμῖν παρείκωσι θεοὶ ... νομοθετεῖν

. But the change, though tempting, is not necessary.

καιρὸς , the need of the moment; for the semi-personification, cp. 1450 ; El. 75

καιρὸς γάρ, ὅσπερ ἀνδράσιν

μέγιστος ἔργου παντός ἐστ’ ἐπιστάτης

: ib. 39

ὅταν σε καιρὸς εἰσάγῃ.

καλεῖ , as Eur. Hec. 1042

βούλεσθ’ ἐπεισπέσωμεν; ὡς ἀκμὴ καλεῖ

Ἑκάβῃ παρεῖναι

. Lucian ( Demonactis vita 65) quotes, as a familiar stage ‘tag,’

καιρὸς δὲ καλεῖ μηκέτι μέλλειν

πλοῦν … σκοπεῖν , to watch for (428 n.) favourable weather: cp. Antiphon or. 5 § 24 (the speaker had been detained in port by adverse winds)

πλοῦς ἡμῖν ἐγίγνετο, καὶ ἀνήγετο πλοῖα ἅπαντα

. Thuc. 1. 137

μέχρι πλοῦς γένηται.

μὴ )ξ ἀπόπτου , not at a distance (from the ship); strictly, so that the quarter in which their ship lies shall not be

ἄποπτος

, i.e., ‘seen (only) at a distance.’ Cp. Galen 3. 222

ἐξ ἀπόπτου θεασάμενος

, and append. on O. T. 762 (p. 230, 2nd ed.). At the cave they are close to the sea, and can judge of the weather as well as at another point on the coast. But he means that they must be close to their ship, in order to sail as soon as ever the wind changes. At present it is adverse (640) for a voyage to Scyros: i.e., it is south or south-west ( cp. 355 ).—Others take

ἐξ ἀπόπτου σκοπεῖν

as=‘to watch from a place where one cannot (properly) see,’ a sort of oxymoron, like

ἐν σκότῳ ὁρᾶν

πρός νύν σε πατρὸς ... πρός τ’ εἴ τι κ.τ.λ.: cp. n. on O.C. 250

πρός σ’ ὅ τι σοι φίλον ἐκ σέθεν ἄντομαι

ἱκέτης strengthens ἱκνοῦμαι much as in O. T. 760 ,

ἐξικέτευσε τῆς ἐμῆς χειρὸς θιγών

, the verb is strengthened by the added phrase, which serves to mark the attitude of formal supplication. Cp. below, O. T. 930. For

ἱκνεῖσθαι

ἱκετεύειν

, cp. 932 , O. C. 275 and 1011: Ai. 588 : El. 136.

οἵοις ὁρᾷς … ἐνναίοντα ,—the disease, and the wretched dwelling: ὅσοισί τ’ ἐξήκουσας ,—the painful provision of food, water, fuel and fire (285 —299). Cp. 174 f.

ἐν παρέργῳ θοῦ με , lit., regard me (451 n.) as a secondary task: i.e., ‘give me a place, however lowly, in thy care.’ The thought is: ‘I should not have asked you to alter your course for me; but since you are going home at any rate, let this good deed be an accident of your voyage.’ Cp. Soph. El. 509

ἦλθον γὰρ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τάφον, πάρεργ’ ὁδοῦ

(as an incident of the journey). Thuc. 1. 142 (with ref. to naval skill)

οὐκ ἐνδέχεται... ἐκ παρέργου μελετᾶσθαι.

ἐν παρέργῳ =

ἐν παρέργου μέρει

( Plat. Rep. 370C ).

δυσχέρεια : cp. 900 .

ἔξοιδα , by the bitter experience to which he alludes in 1031 f.

φορήματος , freight, as

φορέω

is said of ships ( Od. 2. 390 ).

τό τ’ αἰσχρὸν

κ.τ.λ.

The objections which have been made to this verse seem idle. Philoctetes is appealing to the generous instincts of the young man. ‘To noble natures, what is (morally) shameful is hateful, and what is worthy appears glorious.’ εὐκλεές implies, ‘even if there is no applause to be gained, the

γενναῖος

is rewarded by the sense that he has merited true

εὔκλεια

,— i.e., that his deed is, in itself, honourable.’ Then, in vv. 477—479, Philoctetes passes to a different and a lower argument,—viz., that Neoptolemus will incur reproach if he refuse to do this act of mercy, and that, in the other case, he will have men's praises. All the difficulties which have been raised have come from failing to see (1) that the subjective sense of εὐκλεές is justified by the fact that τοῖσι γενναίοισι is an ethic dat.,—‘ in the sight of the generous,’—not a dat. of interest: and (2) that the considerations urged in 475 —479 are of two distinct orders.

ἐκλιπόντι τοῦτ’ =

ἐὰν ἐκλίπῃς τοῦτο

, if thou forsake, abandon, this deed (which is a duty laid on thee): cp. I. T. 750

εἰ δ’, ἐκλιπὼν τὸν ὅρκον, ἀδικοίης ἐμέ.

ὄνειδος is strengthened by οὐ καλόν , as in 842 by

αἰσχρόν

, in O. C. 753 by

ἄθλιον

, in O. T. 1035 by

δεινόν

. Ellendt, indeed, is with those who trace here an original ‘middle’ sense of

ὄνειδος

as=‘a thing said of one’ (good or evil). It would be equally reasonable to infer a neutral meaning for

κήρ

from Tr. 454

κὴρ πρόσεστιν οὐ καλή

πλεῖστον =

μέγιστον

: cp. Ant. 1051 : Od. 4. 697

αἲ γὰρ δή, βασίλεια, τόδε πλεῖστον κακὸν εἴη·

ἀλλὰ πολὺ μεῖζον κ.τ.λ.

μόλω )γὼ : cp. El. 472

εἰ μὴ )γώ

ἴθ’ , in entreaty; cp. 750 , O. T. 1468 n.

ἡμέρας … μιᾶς . The distance from Lemnos to Scyros is about 75 miles; and, acc. to v. 354, the voyage from Scyros to Sigeum (about 125 miles) took less than two whole days.

τόλμησον : cp. 82 n.

ὅπῃ , L's reading, is here not less good than ὅποι : it goes with ἐμβαλοῦ only. ἄγων is added as in 488, O.C. 910, 1342: here it expresses how passive he is content to be in the hands of Neoptolemus.

ἀντλίαν , the hold of the ship, where he could be stowed away beneath the rowers. Cp. Athen. p. 37 D

κατα‐ βαλὼν ἐμαυτὸν ὑπὸ τοὺς θαλάμους

(the places of the

θαλαμῖται

, or lowest rank of rowers)

ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα κατωτάτω ἐκείμην

. Dionysius comicus (350 B.C.)

Θεσμοφόρος

fr. 1. 40 describes a seaman as

ἐξ ἀντλίας ἥκοντα

, i.e., the man was one of the

θαλαμῖται

. Cp. Her. 8. 118 : Xerxes is making a long voyage in stormy weather; but he and the numerous Persian nobles with him are all on the deck (

ἐπὶ τοῦ καταστρώματος

), while only the Phoenician sailors occupy the part below (

κοίλην νέα

). So, too, in [Dem. ] or. 32 § 5, during a voyage of many days, all the passengers live on deck, the

κοίλη ναῦς

being used by the rowers only.

πρῷραν … πρύμνην . Lucian ( Navig. 5), speaking of a large vessel, mentions

αἱ κατὰ πρύμναν οἰκήσεις

, but ordinarily only the

κυβερνήτης

would be located at the stern, as the

πρῳρεύς

at the prow.

πρύμνα

was the later Attic form: but

πρύμνη

is used by Attic poets for metre's sake, as Vesp. 399

ἤν πως πρύμνην ἀνακρούσηται

. Cp. 1451 .

ὅπου (or

ὅπῃ

) is necessary: ὅποι could not stand either for

ὅποι βεβλημένος

, or for

ἐκεῖσε ὅπου

. The corruption of υ to ι is one of the commonest.

μέλλω … ἀλγυνεῖν , instead of

ἀλγυνῶ

(the relative clause, with the fut. indic., expressing purpose): cp. 409 . For the fut. inf. after

μέλλω

, cp. O. T. 967 n.

ἱκεσίου : cp. 1181 : Suppl. 616

Ζηνὸς ἱκεσίου κότον

μέγαν προφωνῶν

: Od. 13. 213

Ζεὺς σφείας τίσαιθ’ ἱκετήσιος

(see Introd. to Homer, p. 54).

γόνασι : cp. Eur. Phoen. 293

γονυπετεῖς ἕδρας προσπίτνω σ’

: and n. on Soph. O. T. 2.

ἀκράτωρ . As O. C. 1236 is the only extant Attic example of

ἀκρατής

as =‘weak,’ so is this the only example of

ἀκράτωρ

in that sense. Plato uses

ἀκράτωρ

in the regular Attic sense of

ἀκρατής

as = impotens sui ( Rep. 579 C

ἑαυτοῦ...ἀκράτωρ

). The scholium here (if it be not rather a fusion of two distinct scholia) recognises both meanings:

ἀσθενὴς, ἑαυτοῦ κρατεῖν μὴ δυνάμενος

ἢ πρὸς οἶκον τὸν σὸν

κ.τ.λ.

He asks N. to convey him, either merely to the youth's own home (Scyros), or, better still, a little further, viz., to Euboea (cp. n. on 240); whence it will be easy to reach Malis (492).

τὰ Χαλκώδοντος Εὐβοίας σταθμά , the Euboean abode of Chalcodon, i.e. Euboea, his realm. Cp. Tr. 1191

τὸν Οἴτης Ζηνὸς ὕψιστον πάγον

. In Il. 2. 536 ff. Elephenor, son of Chalcodon, figures as the leader of all the Euboeans in the Greek army, who are called

Ἄβαντες

, and represent six towns, including Carystus at the extreme south of the island, Chalcis at the middle point of its west coast, and Histiaea in the extreme north.

Schneidewin remarks that Philoctetes, the former comrade of Heracles, might naturally name Chalcodon, who had been the companion of Heracles in an expedition against the Eleans ( Paus. 8. 15. 6 ). But that was merely a local Arcadian myth; and Pausanias finds it inconsistent with the better-known Theban tradition, according to which Chalcodon was slain by Amphitryon in a war between the Euboeans and Thebans (9. 19. 3). At any rate the Attic poet might think of the Attic legend, according to which Theseus had sent his sons for protection to Chalcodon's son Elephenor, before retiring from Athens to Scyros ( Plut. Thes. 35 ).

εἰς Οἴτην . The three names here—Oeta—Trachis—the Spercheius— mark the great features of the region. Typhrestus, at the southern end of Pindus, throws off two ranges towards the eastern sea. One runs nearly due east, and skirts the s. borders of Thessaly: this is Othrys, the lofty ‘brow’ which looks down from the north on the plain of Malis. The other— Oeta, the ‘sheep-land’ —runs s. of Othrys, and parallel with it at first; then, turning S. and E. , it throws out cliffs which enclose the plain of Malis on S. and W. Trachis—‘the rugged’— stood below those cliffs; they themselves were called ‘the Trachinian Rocks.’ ( Her. 7. 198

ὄρεα ὑψηλὰ καὶ ἄβατα περικλῄει πᾶσαν τὴν Μηλίδα γῆν, Τρηχίνιαι πέτραι καλεόμεναι

.) The Spercheius— ‘the vehement’—rises at the base of Typhrestus. As it runs eastward, its broad valley separates the ranges of Othrys and Oeta. It passes through the plain of Malis, and enters the Malian Gulf. Its old mouth was about five miles N. of Trachis: the present mouths are more to the south.

Τραχινίαν … δειράδα , the chain of heights which bounds the plain of Malis on S. and W.,—the

Τρηχίνιαι πέτραι

of Herod. (see last n.), the

οὔρεα Μηλίδος αἴης

of Callimachus ( Hymn. Del. 287 ). Acc. to Thuc. 3. 92 the dwellers in Malis were classed as

Τραχίνιοι

(highlanders, like the Attic

Ὑπεράκριοι

Παράλιοι

(by the Malian Gulf), and

Ἱερῆς

(a doubtful name).

All MSS. have δειράδα καὶ τὸν , making an anapaest in the 4th place. Toup proposed δεράδα . As

δέρη

was the Attic form of

δειρή

, an Attic poet might possibly have ventured on

δεράς

. But there is no trace of such a form, while

δειράς

is frequent. Further,

Δειράδες

was the name of an Attic deme of the Leontis tribe (Bekker Anecd. p. 240, 26), and

δειράς

would thus be familiar to Attic ears in ordinary life. Thus Toup's remedy, though attractive by its simplicity, is really a very bold one.

I am more disposed to think that δειράδα is sound, and that the corruption lies in the words καὶ τὸν . I conjecture,

Τραχινίαν τε δειράδ’ ἠδ’ ἐς εὔροον

. Soph. , like Aesch. and Eur. , admitted

ἠδέ

in iambics (see n. on Soph. Ant. 673 ). The corruption might arise from the fact that

was the second letter of two successive syllables. A scribe, copying

ΔΕΙΡΑΔΕΔ

(or, after 403 B.C.,

ΔΕΙΡΑΔΗΔ

), might accidentally omit

ΕΔ

(or

ΗΔ

). The verse would then stand,

ΤΡΑΧΙΝΙΑΝΤΕΔΕΙΠΑΔΕΣΕΥΡΟΟΝ

. A subsequent transcriber might easily suppose that

ΔΕΙΡΑΔΕΣ

(taken for

δειράδες

, not

δειράδ’ ἐς

) was a mere blunder for

δειράδα

. And,

ΔΕΙΠΑΔΑ

having been replaced, the copula would next be supplied, and the verse patched up, by inserting

ΚΑΙΤΟΝ

.—For other conjectures, see Appendix.

εὔροον . Tragic iambics sometimes admit uncontracted forms in

‐οος

: e.g. Aesch. fr. 37

διπλόοι

: id. fr. 275

χειμάρροον

: id. Aesch. Theb. 493

πυρπνόον

: on the other hand, id. fr. 293

ἑπτάρους

: Aesch. P. V. 852

πλατύρρους

: ib. 917

πύρπνουν

Like the Homeric

ἐΰρροος, ἐυ·ρρείτης

, the epithet refers simply to the beauty of the river, not to that swiftness (

σπέρχομαι

) from which it takes its name ( Il. 16. 176

Σπερχειῷ ἀκάμαντι

: Lucan 6. 366 Ferit amne citato | Maliacas Spercheus aquas). Rising at the foot of Typhrestus, and fed by affluents from Othrys and Oeta, the Spercheius has a considerable volume of water even in the hot season (Tozer, Geo. of Greece, p. 81).

ὃν (=

περὶ οὗ

)... δέδοικ’ : cp. Tr. 297

ταρβεῖν τὸν εὖ πράσσοντα, μὴ σφαλῇ ποτε.

παλαιὸν =

παλαιόν

(

ἐστιν

) ἐξ ὅτου , a parenthetic clause equiv. to a simple adverb (

πάλαι

) going with

δέδοικα

. Cp. Isocr. or. 5 § 47

οὖτοι γὰρ ἄρχοντες τῶν Ἑλλήνων οὐ πολὺς χρόνος

( sc.

ἐστὶν

)

ἐξ οὖ καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν εἰς τοσαύτην μεταβολὴν ἦλθον.

Ai. 600

ἐγὼ δ’ ὁ τλάμων παλαιὸς ἀφ’ οὗ χρόνος

| ...

εὐνῶμαι

.—In L

παλαιὰν

is manifestly a mere blunder for

παλαιὸν

. Those who read παλαἴ ἂν explain it in one of two ways. (1)

εἴη

is to be supplied with it, —

βεβήκῃ

, or

βέβηκε

, being read in 494. Such an ellipse of

εἴη

is impossible. (2) The

ἂν

is to go with

βεβήκοι

in 494. Cp. Tr. 630

δέδοικα γὰρ

μὴ πρὼ| λέγοις ἄν

: Thuc. 2. 93

προσδοκία οὐδεμία

(

ἦν

)

μὴ ἄν ποτε οἱ πολέμιοι...ἐπιπλεύσειαν

. But in this constr. the

ἄν

which belongs to the optative verb could not precede the

μή

. In Eur. Med. 941

οὐκ οἶδ’ ἂν εἰ πείσαιμι

, the place of

ἄν

has a special excuse, viz., the analogy of sentences with the inf. (such as

οὐκ ἂν οἶμαι πεῖσαι

μή μοι βεβήκῃ .

μοι

is ethic dat. ( Ant. 50 n.) The subjunct. is right here: cp. 30

κυρῇ

, n. The indic.

βέβηκε

would also be correct ( Dem. or. 19 § 96

δέδοικα μὴ λελήθαμεν

), but would express conviction rather than anxious fear.—For

βέβηκα

as=

οἴχομαι

, of death, cp. Eur. Andr. 1026

βέβακε δ’ Ἀτρείδας ἀλόχου παλάμαις.

τοῖς ἱγμένοις , instr. dat.: for ἔστελλον , cp. 60 n.—The partic.

ἱγμένος

occurs only here. In Tr. 229 we have

ἵγμεθα

αὐτόστολον πέμψαντα , having sent with his own

στόλος

, i.e., having sent a ship of his own. Cp. Anthol. 7. 585 (on a fisherman who died by the burning of his boat at sea),

αὐτόστολος ἦλθεν

εἰς Ἀΐδην, νεκύων πορθμίδος οὐ χατέων

, ‘he went to Hades in his own ship’ [because it perished along with him],—not needing to use Charon 's bark. Musaeus Leandr. 255

αὐτὸς ἐὼν ἐρέτης, αὐτόστολος, αὐτόματος νηῦς

, where, similarly,

αὐτόστολος

=‘providing his own

στόλος

,’ i.e. ‘selfwafted,’—answering to the word vector in Ovid's parallel v., Idem navigium, navita, vector ero ( Ep. 18. 147).—If αὐτόστολον were understood as=‘setting forth in person’ (cp.

μονόστολος, ὁμόστολος

), then πέμψαντα would be best taken as ‘having escorted me’ ( cp. 913 , 1465), and would go closely with ἐκσῶσαι . Nauck, interpreting

αὐτόστολον

in this second way, substitutes πλεύσαντα (the conj. of Blaydes) for

πέμψαντα

. This would certainly make the v. easier; but it is not necessary.

δόμους is a clearly true correction of δόμοις . The latter could not mean, ‘to my home,’ but only, ‘for the joy of the house’ (dat. of interest). On the other hand cp. Ant. 810

ἀλλά μ’ Ἅιδας...ἄγει

τὰν Ἀχέροντος ἀκτάν

: O. C. 1769

Θήβας δ’ ἡμᾶς

| ...

πέμψον

497 ff. After τὰ τῶν διακόνων we might have expected

ἠμελεῖτο

or the like (‘the messengers' part was neglected’), but ποιούμενοι follows, as if he had written

οἱ διάκονοι

. This is one of the irregularities which often arise from a change in the form of the writer's thought; it is not merely a case of constr.

κατὰ σύνεσιν

(like

τὰ...μειράκια...διαλεγόμενοι

, Plat. Lach.p. 180 E). Hence it is no objection to this view that

τὰ τῶν διακόνων

, for

οἱ διάκονοι

, would be unexampled. —Others take

τὰ τῶν διακόνων

as an adverbial parenthesis: ‘or (as is the way with messengers) they forgot me,’ etc. The objection to this is that, in such phrases, the sing. τὸ is used, never the plur. τὰ : e.g. Phaed. 77 D

δοκεῖς σύ τε καὶ Σιμμίας...δεδιέναι, τὸ τῶν παίδων, μὴ...ὁ ἄνεμος αὐτὴν...διαφυσᾷ

: id. Soph. 261B

σχολῇ που, τὸ κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν λεγόμενον, ὅ γε τοιοῦτος ἄν ποτε ἕλοι πόλιν

ὡς εἰκός expresses that such neglect might have been expected, while οἶμαι conveys the belief that it was actually committed; tautology cannot be pleaded, then, as a ground for conjecturing οἴμοι .

ἐν σμικρῷ : cp. 875 : Her. 3. 154

ἐν ἐλαφρῷ ποιησάμενος

( Tac. Ann. 3. 54

in levi habendum

μέρος . The reading μέρει would be tenable: cp. Dem. or. 2 § 18

ἐν οὐδενὸς εἶναι μέρει

. And it is true that

τοὐμὸν μέρος

is usu. adverbial ( quantum in me est, or quantum ad me attinet: cp. Soph. Ant. 1062 n.). But here

μέρος

gives a much finer verse.

ἤπειγον , trans. ( cp. 1451 ). When the act.

ἐπείγω

seems intrans., it is so because the acc., like

στόλον

here ( e.g.,

δρόμον, ὁδόν

) is understood: El. 1435

ᾗ νοεῖς, ἔπειγε νῦν

πομπόν τε καὐτὸν ἄγγελον , at once escort and, in thine own person, messenger: i.e., Neopt., when he brings Ph. home on board his ship, will at the same time bring the earliest tidings of Ph. 's fate. Ph. had asked his former visitors to act merely as

ἄγγελοι

: and they had failed to do so. Now he has found a man who will be his

πομπός

, and, thereby, also his first

ἄγγελος

. Cp. Her. 1. 79 (Cyrus)

ἐλάσας...τὸν στρατὸν ἐς τὴν Λυδίην αὐτὸς ἄγγελος Κροίσῳ ἐληλύθεε

, ‘had himself brought the first news,’ i.e., no

ἀγγελία

had preceded him. See n. on Soph. O. C. 1511 (

αὐτοὶ θεοὶ κήρυκες

ἥκω : after vainly appealing to others. The word is tinged with the fig. sense, ‘I have been brought by my fortune to thee,’ etc.: cp. 377

ὁ δ’ ἐνθάδ’ ἥκων

. [Dem. ] or. 45 § 85

τούτῳ μὲν χαίρειν λέγω, οὓς δ’ ὁ πατήρ μοι παρέδωκε βοηθούς, εἰς τούτους ἥκω

δεινὰ κἀπικινδύνως … κεῖται , are so ordained (by the gods) as to be full of fear and peril: (for the combination of adj. and adv., cp. 345 .) The infin. παθεῖν follows this phrase as it might follow

κίνδυνός ἐστιν

or the like ( Plat. Crat. 436B

οὐ σμικρὸς κίνδυνός ἐστιν ἐξαπατηθῆναι

). The general sense is:—‘There is always a danger for men that, after they have been prosperous, they may be unfortunate.’ Not: ‘It is always doubtful whether men are to fare well or ill,’—like Plat. Prot. 313A

ἐν ᾧ πάντ’ ἐστὶ τὰ σά, ἢ εὖ ἢ κακῶς πράττειν

. Of the two co-ordinated clauses, παθεῖν μὲν εὖ, παθεῖν δὲ θάτερα , the second is that on which the emphasis falls; the first serves for contrast with it:—‘that, as they have fared well, so they may fare ill.’ Cp. Soph. Ant. 616

πολλοῖς μὲν ὄνασις

ἀνδρῶν

, |

πολλοῖς δ’ ἀπάτα

(‘ though to many a blessing, yet to many a false lure’): Soph. O. C. 1536

εὖ μέν, ὀψὲ δέ

, ‘ though surely, yet late.’

θάτερα : Dem. or. 22 § 12

ἀγαθὰ ἢ θάτερα, ἵνα μηδὲν εἴπω φλαυρόν

ἐκτὸς ὄντα : 1260: Ant. 619 n.— τὰ δείν’ ὁρᾶν , to keep one's eye on dangers looming in the distance, as a steersman watches rocks ahead: cp. Il. 23. 323 (the wary charioteer)

αἰεὶ τέρμ’ ὁρόων

,— keeping his eye always on the

καμπτήρ

, as he drives round it. Thus the schol.'s

εὐλαβεῖσθαι

is true to the sense.

εὖ ζῇ , lives prosperously, as

κακῶς ζῆν

=to live unhappily ( El. 354 ). So Pind. ( Pind. P. 4. 131 ) calls festivity

εὐζῴας ἄωτον

. But in Soph. O. C. 1535

εὖ...οἰκῇ

= ‘lives aright. ’

τὸν βίον , the fortunes of one's life: the subject to λάθῃ is

ὁ βίος

. Cp. El. 207 (

χεῖρες

)

αἳ τὸν ἐμὸν εἷλον βίον

πρόδοτον

507-518

: antistrophe to 391—402. The pity expressed by the Chorus may well be sincere; but in this utterance of it, their first aim is to aid their master's design. Verse 510 shows this.

πόνων ἆθλα , ordeals consisting in

πόνοι

, sufferings. Cp. Tr. 505

ἄεθλ’ ἀγώνων

. The plur.

ἆθλα

can thus be used in the sense of

ἆθλοι

: but the sing.

ἆθλον

does not occur as =

ἆθλος

. In Suppl. 1034

τόδ’ ἆθλον

=‘this prize.’

οἷα , Porson's correction of

ὅσσα

, is probably right. It is the more natural word in such a wish: cp. 275 , 315. And

ὅσσα

may have been suggested by

πολλῶν

. An iambic trimeter set in lyrics might, indeed, tolerate

ὅσσος

,—as the corresponding trimeter (392) has the Doric

ἃ

for

ἣ

. But

ὅσσα

in Aesch. Pers. 864 ,

τόσσων

in Aesch. Ag. 140 , and

τόσσον

in Soph. Ai. 185 , seem to be the only instances of these forms in Tragedy. οἷα is clearly better than ἅσσα (=

ἅτινα

): for which cp. O.T. 425 n.—For the acc.

οἷα

with τύχοι , cp. O. T. 1298 n. The conject. λάχοι is unnecessary.

πικρούς , odious; cp. 254 n. This sense seems more suitable here than ‘bitter against thee,’ when

πικροὺς...ἔχθεις

would be like

μισοῦντ’ ἐμίσει

( Ai. 1134 ).

ἐγὼ μὲν ( cp. 453 )... πορεύσαιμ’ ἂν is a respectful suggestion,—‘I, for my part, would convey him,’— i.e., ‘If I were you, I would do so.’

τὸ κείνων κακὸν , the evil done by them: cp. 422 .

μετατιθέμενος . This compound re<*>ly takes one acc. only, meaning to ‘transpose,’ ‘shift,’ a thing: and hence, either to ‘adopt’ or to ‘discard.’ Here the compound is used like the simple verb, and the force of the prep. is adverbial.

τιθέμενος τὸ κείνων κακὸν τῷδε κέρδος

= ‘ counting their misdeeds as his gain’: cp. Od. 21. 333

τί δ’ ἐλέγχεα ταῦτα τίθεσθε

; If, after the word ‘counting,’ we inserted, ‘by transference,’ this would give the force of

μετά

. The

κακόν

is to be shifted from the reckoning against the Atreidae to the reckoning in favour of Philoctetes. Their demerit is another reason for benefiting him.

ἐπιμέμονεν : the only instance of

μέμονα

in Soph. (Cp. Aesch. Theb. 686

μέμονας

: Eur. I.A. 1495 and I. T. 655

μέμονε

εὐστόλου , here prob., ‘well-equipped’; though at v. 780

εὐσταλής

(the commoner form) = ‘expeditious.’ Cp. Apoll. Rh. 1. 603

ὄσσον ἐς ἔνδιόν κεν ἐΰστολος ὁλκὰς ἀνύσσαι

.—For the double epithet, without copula, cp. Hom. Od. 7. 34

νηυσὶ θοῇσι πεποιθότες ὠκείῃσι

: Soph. Ai. 710

θοᾶν ὠκυάλων νεῶν

τὰν θεῶν νέμεσιν . Hermann's deletion of

ἐκ

after

τὰν

is necessary, since

τὰν θεῶν

Λαρτίου

in 401. Possibly the

ἐκ

arose from a reminiscence of Her. 1. 34

ἔλαβε ἐκ θεοῦ νέμεσις μεγάλη Κροῖσον

.— Cp. 601 f., 1035 ff.

νῦν μὲν … ὅταν δὲ : i.e., ‘beware lest, though now thou art facile, yet,’ etc.: cp. n. on 503.

εὐχερὴς , easy-going ( cp. 875 ): τις gives a slightly contemptuous tone; cp. Aesch. P. V. 696

πρῴ γε στενάζεις καὶ φόβου πλέα τις εἶς

. For its position, cp. Soph. Ai. 29

καί μοί τις ὀπτήρ

.— παρῇς , as a spectator who is not yet required to make any personal sacrifice. Not from

παρίημι

, as = ‘comply.’

τῆς νόσου with πλησθῇς· ξυνουσίᾳ , causal dat.: sated with (wearied of) the disease, through consorting with it. It is also possible to join the verb with

ξυνουσίᾳ

, and to make the gen. depend on the latter: when the omission of

τῇ

would be an instance like

τῶν ἐχθρῶν κακά

( Ant. 10 n.). The objection is that, though

πλησθῆναι

can take a dat. when it means simply ‘to be filled’ ( Thuc. 7. 75

δάκρυσι πᾶν τὸ στράτευμα πλησθέν

), it usu. takes a gen. when it means ‘to be sated.’

αὑτὸς τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις , the same with (=consistent, in your action, with) these words. Plat. Euthyd. 298A

ἢ σὺ εἶ ὁ αὐτὸς τῷ λίθῳ

; If

τούτοις

were absent, then

τοῖς λόγοις

could be a dat. of respect, ‘the same in regard to your words,’ like

αὑτός εἰμι τῷ βουλεύματι

( Soph. O. T. 557 n.). But

τούτοις

shows that the other constr. is meant.

οὐκ ἔσθ’ ὅπως : cp. 196 .

ἀλλὰ … μέντοι : cp. Ant. 567. The fact that

ἀλλὰ

recurs so soon, in v. 526, has caused a corruption to be suspected in the latter place (see crit. n.): but there it has a different tone (‘come, now’). This elasticity of meaning in

ἀλλά

is one reason why classical poetry so readily allows it to be repeated at short intervals (cp. e.g. 645, Ant. 647 , Ant. 651 : O. C. 238 ff.

ἀλλ’ ἐπεὶ...ἀλλ’ ἐμὲ...ἀλλ’ ἴτε

: El. 137 — 140, El. 879 —882: Tr. 592 —594). As to the tolerance of such repetition generally, cp. 762 : O. C. 554 n.

αἰσχρὰ : for the plur., cp. 1395 , O. C. 485 n.

σοῦ γέ μ’ is better than σοῦ γ’ ἔμ’ : the latter would imply an ungraceful emphasis on the speaker's personal dignity.

πρὸς τὸ καίριον : cp. Ai. 38

ἦ...πρὸς καιρὸν πονῶ

;

πονεῖν , epexegetic of

ἐνδεέστερον

, ‘in respect of toiling’: cp. O.C. 335

οἱ δ’ αὐθόμαιμοι ποῦ νεανίαι πονεῖν

;

ὁρμάσθω , let Philoctetes set out with us for the ship at once. ταχύς =

ταχέως

: cp. 808 , 1080. χἡ ναῦς , the ship, on her part. If the sick man's shipmates make no difficulty, the ship will make none: i.e., it will be easy to find room for him on board ( cp. 481 ). Neoptolemus is on his guard against betraying elation. He speaks as if the granting of Ph. 's prayer was now a simple matter, —and one which did not greatly interest him.

ἀπαρνηθήσεται is usu. taken as passive: either (1) ‘the boon shall not be refused’: or (2) ‘he shall not be refused his wish.’ This second version is inadmissible. Clas sical Greek allows

ἀπαρνοῦμαι δοῦναί τι

, but not

ἀπαρνοῦμαι τὸν αἰτοῦντα

. And with either version the change of subject would be harsh. Rather the verb is deponent, with

ἡ ναῦς

for subject. Prof. Ridgeway, supporting this view ( Trans. Camb. Philol. Soc. I. p. 244), illustrates the personification of the ship from Od. 10. 131

ἀσπασίως δ’ ἐς πόντον ἐπηρεφέας φύγε πέτρας

, and Arist. Pol. 3. 13.§ 16 , where the ship Argo—endued by legend with a voice—is described as refusing to carry Heracles (

οὐ γὰρ ἐθέλειν αὐτὸν ἄγειν τὴν Ἀργώ

).—It is true that the classical fut. of

ἀρνέομαι

, where it occurs, is

ἀρνήσομαι

( Soph. O. T. 571 , etc.). But there is no classical instance of

ἀρνηθήσομαι

as fut. pass. And since the aor.

ἠρνήθην

is always deponent, analogy suggests that a deponent use of

ἀρνηθήσομαι

would have been possible. Cp.

διαλέγομαι

, aor.

διελέχθην

(deponent), fut.

διαλεχθήσομαι

(deponent), as well as

διαλέξομαι

. In later Greek

ἀρνηθήσομαι

occurs, indeed, as pass. (St Luke xii. 9,

ἀπαρνηθήσεται

, ‘he will be disowned’), but also as deponent (LXX. Is. xxxi. 7

ἀπαρνηθήσονται

, with v.l.

ἀπαρνήσονται

μόνον = modo, as oft. in wishes or commands ( Tr. 1109

προσμόλοι μόνον

, etc.).

βουλοίμεσθα : the optat. in the relative clause, because

σῴζοιεν

stands in the principal clause: as 961

ὄλοιο μήπω πρὶν μάθοιμ’

. Cp. 325 n.: O. C. 778 n.

ὦ φίλτατον μὲν

κ.τ.λ.

: for the epanaphora, with change from

φίλτατος

to a synonym, cp. Ant. 898

φίλη μὲν... προσφιλὴς δὲ...φίλη δὲ

, n. For the nom.

ἥδιστος ἀνήρ

after the voc., cp. 867 , 986.

πῶς ἂν … γενοίμην , a wish; cp. 794 : O. C. 1457 : so ib. 1100

τίς ἂν...δοίη

...;

ἴωμεν clearly means, ‘let us be going’ (from Lemnos). Cp. 645

χωρῶμεν

. It expresses his joyful impatience to avail himself of N.'s offer here, and naturally follows the preceding verses. If, on the other hand, we take ἴωμεν to mean, ‘let us go into the cave,’ we shall have no direct expression of Ph. 's eagerness to leave Lemnos: and the invitation to enter the cave will come with an awkward abruptness after the first words of gratitude. But if ἴωμεν means, ‘let us be going from Lemnos,’ then we must accept εἰσοίκησιν , unless we can substitute for προσκύσαντε some partic. which could go with εἰς οἴκησιν . For

προσκύσαντε εἰς οἴκησιν

could not mean, ‘having gone into the dwelling to salute it.’ I once suggested

τήνδε προσκύψαντ’ ἔσω

ἄοικον εἰς οἴκησιν

, i.e. ‘after one look’ into it; but I now doubt whether the classical usage of

προσκύπτω

would bear this. We may rather believe that Soph. hazarded the otherwise unknown word

εἰσοίκησις

, much as in Soph. O. C. 27 he ventured on

ἐξοικήσιμος

. It implies a verb

εἰσοικέω

(nowhere found, except as a v.l. for

ἐνοικέω

in Anthol. 7. 320), capable of being used thus,—

ἄντρον εἰσῴκησε

, ‘he entered the cave and made his dwelling there’=

ἄντρον εἰσελθὼν ᾤκησε

. Then

εἰσοίκησις

would be properly, the act of so making a dwelling, or the dwelling made. (

εἰσοικίζω

, to bring in as a settler, is irrelevant.) See Appendix.— προσκύσαντε , a farewell salutation (as by kissing the soil), because the cave had so long given him shelter: see below on 1408.

ὡς … καὶ : cp. 13 .

ἀφ’ ὧν : Her. 1. 216

ἀπὸ κτηνέων. ζώουσι καὶ ἰχθύων.

διέζων , sustained life (under difficulties), as Her. 3. 25

ποιηφαγέοντες διέζωον

: so

διατρέφομαι, διαγίγνομαι

οἶμαι γὰρ

κ.τ.λ.

: for I think that even the bare sight would have deterred any one but myself from enduring these things:

οὐδεὶς ἄλλος ἂν ἔτλη τάδε, εἰ θέαν μόνην ἔλαβε

. The first glance at such a dwelling would have made any other man renounce the attempt to live in it. Instead of

καὶ ὄμμασιν μόνην θέαν λαβόντα, οὐκ ἂν τλῆναι

, we have

οὐδ’ ὄμμασιν...τλῆναι,—οὐδ’

thus serving to weld the sentence into a more compact whole.

μόνην need not be changed to μόνον , though the latter would be more usual: cp. O. T. 388

ἐν τοῖς κέρδεσιν

μόνον δέδορκε

: Ant. 361

Ἅιδα μόνον φεῦξιν οὐκ ἐπάξεται

.—Some govern τάδε by θέαν λαβόντα as=

θεασάμενον

(cp. O. C. 223 n.), and take τλῆναι with the partic.: ‘endure to have looked upon.’ This is forced. For

τλῆναι

with simple acc., cp. Tr. 71 , O. C. 1077 , etc.

προὔμαθον , by painful steps (

πρό

): cp. 1015

προὐδίδαξεν

ἐπίσχετον is said to N. and Ph. , who are moving towards the cave. μάθωμεν , absol., let us learn,—viz., what tidings the new comers are bringing. The conjecture

μένωμεν

(or

μείνωμεν

) would merely repeat the sense of

ἐπίσχετον

.—This hortative subjunct. occurs even in the 1st pers. sing., as Eur. Hipp. 567

ἐπίσχετ’, αὐδὴν τῶν ἔσωθεν ἐκμάθω

: id. H.F. 1058

σῖγα, πνοὰς μάθω.

ἀλλόθρους , prop., speaking a foreign tongue: here, simply =

ἀλλότριος

, just as in Tr. 844

ἀλλόθρου

γνώμας

=merely

ἀλλοτρίας γνώμης

ὧν μαθόντες , i.e., having learned (their news) from them: cp. 370 n.

αὖθις =‘at a later moment,’ as Ai. 1283. — εἴσιτον (imperat., not indic.): for the dual, after

μαθόντες

, cp. Laches p. 187 A

αὐτοὶ εὑρεταὶ γεγονότε

: and n. on O. C. 343.

542 Odysseus said that he would send back the

σκοπός

, disguised as a merchant captain, if N. seemed to be tarrying too long (126 ff.). The actor who now comes on as

ἔμπορος

would not, however, be the same who played the

σκοπός

(a mute person), but the tritagonist, who played Odysseus. The sailor who accompanies him is a mute person; and that part may have been taken by the former representative of the

σκοπός

As N. has already ensnared Ph. , and is on the point of starting with him, there is no actual need for the intervention of the

ἔμπορος

. But Odysseus, at the ship, could not know this; and we are to suppose that he had become impatient. The scene which follows heightens the dramatic interest by bringing out the horror with which Ph. regards the idea of returning to Troy.

ξυνέμπορον , fellow-traveller, as Tr. 318 , etc.

φράσαι σε, ποῦ

κ.τ.λ.

: for the constr., cp. n. on 443 f., ad fin.

κυρῶν εἴης : cp. O. T. 1285

οὐδέν ἐστ’ ἀπόν

δοξάζων μὲν οὔ : cp. Ant. 255

τυμβήρης μὲν οὔ

, n.

ὁρμισθεὶς : the same constr. with the pass. in H. 1. 4 § 18,

πρὸς τὴν γῆν ὁρμισθείς

ὁρμίσας τὴν ναῦν

, or

ὁρμισάμενος

, having brought one's ship to anchor. ταὐτὸν … πέδον , the same land (Lemnos); not, strictly, the same ‘spot.’

οὐ πολλῷ στόλῳ , with no large company ( i.e. with one ship, and only a small crew to handle it): as Tr. 496

σὺν πολλῷ στόλῳ

=‘with a numerous train.’ If

στόλῳ

were taken as ‘fleet,’ the phrase could hardly be, a mere equivalent for

μιᾷ νηί

, but would suggest at least a plurality of vessels.

Πεπάρηθον (now called

Σκόπελος

), a small island near the Thessalian coast, about 12 miles E. of the south end of Magnesia. The island of Sciathus lies between it and the mainland; Euboea is only 20 miles distant to the S.W., and Scyros about 40 to the S. The E. name is well-chosen, then, to make Philoctetes feel that he is listening to a neighbour of his old home. Peparethus, though not more than some 12 miles in length, with a greatest width of 5 or 6, contained three towns. Its famous wine is ranked by Aristophanes with those of Pramnus, Chios and Thasos (fr. 301). The author of [Dem. ] or. 35 § 35 names Peparethus, along with Cos, Thasos and Mendè, as a seat of the wine-trade with the Euxine. An Alexandrian physician, Apollodorus, recommended the wine of Peparethus before all others, adding that its repute would be still higher, did it not require six years to attain perfection ( H. N. 14. 9). The epithet εὔβοτρυν here is peculiarly fitting, since Pliny speaks of the island as quondam Evoenum dictam ( ib. 4. 23). And so Heracleides Ponticus fr. 13 says of it,

αὔτη ἡ νῆσος εὔοινός ἐστι καὶ εὔδενδρος

. It also produced good olives ( Ov. Met. 7. 470 ).—In the Iliad the Greeks at Troy import wine from Lemnos (7. 467) and from Thrace (9. 72).

ἤκουσα τοὺς ναύτας ὅτι : cp. Ai. 1141

σὺ δ’ ἀντακούσει τοῦτον ὡς τεθάψεται

: M. 4. 2. 23

τὸν Δαίδαλον οὐκ ἀκήκοας, ὅτι ἠναγκάζετο δουλεύειν

;— πάντες : and therefore he could not have been anticipated in bringing the news.— Dobree's conjecture, συννεναυστοληκότες , has been generally accepted by recent edd. If the MS. οἱ νεναυστοληκότες is retained, then σοὶ is possess. pron.: ‘that all those who had made the voyage were thy men.’ The objection to this is the want of point in the participle.

ἔδοξέ μοι

κ.τ.λ.

The constr. of προστυχόντι is made somewhat awkward by the negative before ποεῖσθαι . ‘I decided to sail, not in silence, or before I had told thee, (but only when, having told thee,) I had received a due reward.’ It would have been clearer to have written either: (1)

ἔδοξέ μοι φράσαντι τὸν πλοῦν ποεῖσθαι, προστυχόντι τῶν ἴσων

: or (2)

ἔδοξέ μοι μὴ σῖγα τὸν πλοῦν ποεῖσθαι, πρὶν φράσαιμι καὶ προστύχοιμι τῶν ἴσων

. The justification of the actual form is that μὴ σῖγα, πρὶν φράσαιμι , is felt as a more emphatic equivalent for a simple

φράσαντι

. For the dat. προστυχόντι (instead of an acc.) with the inf., cp. Xen. An. 2. 1 § 2

ἔδοξεν οὖν αὐτοῖς συσκευασαμένοις...προϊέναι

. The acc. is, however, more usual, as ib. 3. 2. 1

ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς προφυλακὰς καταστήσαντας συγκαλεῖν τοὺς στρατιώτας

, since it excludes a possible ambiguity: cp. Soph. Ant. 838 n.— The use of προστυχόντι (‘having obtained, met with’) is like that in Soph. El. 1463

ἐμοῦ κολαστοῦ προστυχών.

τῶν ἴσων : by

τὰ ἴσα

is meant a reasonable recompense for his trouble. This sense of

ἴσος

( aequus) is virtually the same as in such phrases as

ἐπὶ τοῖς ἴσοις καὶ ὁμοίοις

( Thuc. 5. 79 ), etc. Similarly the messengers in Soph. O. T. 1005 and Soph. Tr. 190 expressly say that they have come in the hope of being rewarded.—Others join προστυχόντι with σοι , ‘when thou shouldst have received (the information) due.’ Nauck understands, ‘since I have met with the same fortune as thine’— i.e., have put in at the same coast. (Cp. Soph. El. 1168

ξὺν σοὶ μετεῖχον τῶν ἴσων

ἃ τοῖσιν

κ.τ.λ.

The antecedent to

ἃ

is not

τῶν σαυτοῦ

in 553: rather the relative clause is epexegetic. ‘Thou knowest nothing of thine own affairs, — i.e., of those new counsels ( sc.

περὶ τούτων

.) which,’ etc.

vέα , in addition to the former wrong (60).

οὐκέτ’ ἐξαργούμενα , deeds which are no longer allowed to remain

ἀργά

, i.e., in which the doers are not slack. After the

βουλεύματα

had become

ἔργα

, by the taking of the first steps, the action might still have been sluggish. But these ἔργα are δρώμενα ,—advancing towards completion. So Plut. Mor. 2 E

γῆ... ἐξαργηθεῖσα

, land which has been allowed to lie fallow. Arist. uses the pf. act.

ἐξηργηκέναι

as=‘to have become torpid’ ( Eth. N. 1. 8: Pol. 5. 10 ). Cp. O. T. 287

ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐν ἀργοῖς οὐδὲ τοῦτ’ ἐπραξάμην

ἀλλ’ , ‘well’: cp. 232 , 336.— ἡ χάρις … τῆς προμηθίας , the favour of (conferred by) thy forethought; cp. O. T. 764

φέρειν...χάριν

, Tr. 1217

πρόσνειμαι δέ μοι | χάριν βραχεῖαν.

προμηθίας , the poet. form (cp. Ant. 943 n.); for the sense, (‘kind thought for one,’) cp. O. C. 332

σῇ, πάτερ, προμηθίᾳ.

εἰ μὴ κακὸς πέφυκα : Xen. Cyr. 5. 1. 21

χάριν τούτων ἐγὼ ὑμῖν ἔχω μέν, εἰ μὴ ἀδικῶ.

προσφιλὴς , grata, well-pleasing,—gratefully remembered. Aesch. Theb. 580

ἦ τοῖσιν ἔργον καὶ θεοῖσι προσφιλές

. The difficulty felt as to

προσφιλής

(see crit. n.) has arisen from the assumption that χάρις here=‘gratitude.’

ἅπερ γ’ . It is not surprising that

γε

should have been suspected here, since L has

ἅπερ ἔλεξας

. But the emendations which have been suggested (see cr. n.) are improbable. If any were to be made, I should rather suggest ἅπερ κἄλεξας . L seems, however, to have lost

γε

in some other places ( cp. 105 n.): and here the particle appears defensible, if regard is had to the tone of the passage. Neoptolemus, mindful of his part, receives the (supposed) stranger's announcement with politeness, but without manifesting much concern. ‘I am really very much obliged to you for the trouble which you have taken. But perhaps you would kindly say what, precisely, it is to which you allude.’ So

ἅπερ γ’

=‘just those things which,’—the γε merely adding a slight emphasis to ἅπερ .

νεώτερον , not simply

νέον

(554), but ‘startling,’—ominous of some new wrong: cp. Thuc. 4. 51

μηδὲν περὶ σφᾶς νεώτερον βουλεύσειν

ἀπ’ Ἀργείων with βούλευμα , not with

ἔχεις

,—a plot on their part: for this

ἀπό

, cp. O. C. 293. — ἔχεις with μοι , ‘hast for me,’ i.e., announcest to me. Cp. Ant. 9 n.

φοῖνιξ : cp. 344 .

οἵ τε Θησέως κόροι : Demophon,—the ruler of Athens who figures in Heracleidae,—and his brother Acamas, who in the same play is a mute person at his side (v. 119). These

Θησείδα, ὄζω Ἀθηνῶν

( Eur. Hec. 125 ), are plausibly represented as foes of Neoptolemus, since their father Theseus was treacherously slain in Scyros by Lycomedes ( Paus. 1. 17. 6 ). Arctinus of Miletus ( c. 776 B.C.), the author of the

Ἰλίου Πέρσις

, made Neoptolemus the hero of his epic, and introduced the two sons of Theseus in the episode of the wooden horse. On the Acropolis of Athens Pausanias saw the

δούρειος ἵππος

commemorated in bronze. ‘Menestheus and Teucer,’ he adds, ‘are peeping out of it, —and the sons of Theseus’ (1. 23. 8).— These Theseidae do not appear in Il.or Od.; nor does their father, except where Nestor speaks of having known him ( Il. 1. 265 ), and in a doubtful verse of the

νέκυια

( Od. 11. 631 ).

ἐκ βίας : cp. 945 .

λόγοις is changed by Nauck to δόλοις , because the antithesis between force and persuasion is not suitable here; ‘since Neoptolemus must assume a hostile intention in the

διώκοντες

.’ But why should he not suppose that the Atreidae, finding him indispensable, wish to entice him back by smooth

λόγοι

? ( Cp. 629

λόγοισι μαλθακοῖς

.) In v. 102

τί δ’ ἐν δόλῳ δεῖ μᾶλλον ἢ πείσαντ’ ἄγειν

; the antithesis is between a false story and persuasion by honest argument. But

λόγος

(whether true or false), as a means of prevailing, can also be contrasted with force, as in 593 f.,

ἢ λόγῳ

πείσαντες ἄξειν, ἢ πρὸς ἰσχύος κράτος

. And that is the antithesis meant here.

καθ’ ὁρμὴν , impetuously, like

κατὰ σπουδὴν

( Thuc. 1. 93 ): cp.

ἀπὸ μιᾶς ὁρμῆς

(id. 7. 71).

ὡς ταῦτ’ ἐπίστω δρώμεν’ . Where

ὡς

occurs in such phrases with an imperative, it regularly belongs to the partic.: cp. 253

ὡς μηδὲν εἰδότ’ ἴσθι μ’

(n.). But here

ὡς ταῦτα...δρώμενα

could not strictly stand for

ὡς δρώμενα...ταῦτα

. The suspicions which the text has excited are, so far, natural. Yet I think that it is sound. The irregularity seems to have arisen from the fact that

ὡς

, prefixed to an assurance, could either ( a) belong to a partic. (as in 253, 415, etc.), or ( b) introduce the whole sentence, as 117

ὡς τοῦτό γ’ ἔρξας δύο φέρει δωρήματα

. Thus the Attic ear had become accustomed to

ὡς

as the first word of such an assurance in either type. And so

ὡς

could be given that place in a sentence of type ( a), even though the partic, did not immediately follow. That is, I do not suppose that

ὡς ταῦτ’ ἐπίστω δρώμενα

is for

ὡς δρώμεν’ ἐπίστω ταῦτα

: but rather that, instead of saying simply

ταῦτ’ ἐπίστω δρώμενα

, he can prefix

ὡς

, because the associations of type ( b) had blunted the feeling for what was essential in type ( a),—viz., that the partic. (or partic. with

μή

) should immediately follow

ὡς

πρὸς τάδ’ . After

οὖν

, it is slightly better to take these words as= ‘for this purpose’ ( O. T. 766

πρὸς τί

;), rather than as=‘in view of these facts’ (=

πρὸς ταῦτα

, O. T. 426 ).

αὐτάγγελος , carrying his own message: O. C. 333.

κεῖνός γ’ : the

γε

throws a slight stress on the pron., ‘oh, he’: cp. 424 .

ὁ Τυδέως παῖς , Diomedes, who, in the Philoctetes of Eur. , accompanied Odysseus to Lemnos (see Introd.).— ἔστελλον =

ἐστέλλοντο

: cp. 640 : Her. 4. 147

ἔστελλε ἐς ἀποικίην

πρὸς ποῖον αὖ τόνδ’ … ἔπλει ; ‘who was this other person in quest of whom Odysseus himself was sailing?’ αὖ is oft. thus used after interrogatives: cp. Ant. 7

τί τοῦτ’ αὖ φασὶ πανδήμῳ πόλει

κήρυγμα θεῖναι

...; (For

πρὸς ποῖον...τόνδε

as=

ποῖος ἦν ὅδε, πρὸς ὅν

, cp. 441 .) Not ‘was sailing again’ (with ref. to his former voyage to Scyros, 343). If αὖ is a true correction here (as it has been deemed by almost all recent edd.), the corruption ἂν in the MSS. is the reverse of that which has probably occurred in O. C. 1418 (n.).

If ἂν is kept, it must be explained in one of two ways. (1) Taking

ἄν

with

ἔπλει

: ‘who is this, for whom he would have been sailing?’ (=‘presumably sailed’). Cp. Od. 4. 546

ἤ κεν Ὀρέστης

κτεῖνεν

, ‘or Orestes would have slain him,’=‘or, it may be, O. slew him.’ (2) Taking

ἄν

with

ποῖον τόνδε

, as if

ὄντα

were understood: ‘Who might this man be, for whom he sailed?’ On this view,

ἄν

does not affect

ἔπλει

, and

πρὸς ποῖον ἂν τόνδε

ποῖος ὅδε ἂν εἴη, πρὸς ὃν ἔπλει

. This is possible: though here

πρὸς ποῖον ἂν τόνδε

would more naturally suggest

ποῖος ὅδε ἂν ἦν

σοι , ethic dat.: cp. 261 .

τὰ πλείον’ , the further details which N. might naturally wish to learn: cp. O. C. 36

πρίν νυν τὰ πλείον’ ἱστορεῖν

(n.).

σεαυτὸν ξυλλαβὼν , a phrase of colloquial tone (cp. Shaksp., ‘be packing’): Ar. Av. 1469

ἀπίωμεν ἡμεῖς συλλαβόντες τὰ πτερά

, and n. on Soph. O. T. 971 : Soph. Ant. 444

σὺ μὲν κομίζοις ἂν σεαυτὸν ᾖ θέλεις

τί με ... διεμπολᾷ … πρός σε ; what bargain is he making with thee concerning me? From the words

ἀλλὰ

τόνδε

in 573 onwards, the pretended

ἔμπορος

has spoken to N. in lower tones; while N. has taken care to pronounce v. 575 loud enough for Ph. to hear. The object of this by-play is to quicken Ph. 's interest in the coming story (603 ff.), and his anxiety to leave Lemnos. Seyffert's change of τί με into τί δὲ is no improvement. It is natural that Ph. , the

ἀνὴρ ὑπόπτης

(136), should suspect some design against himself. The

ἔμπορος

had suddenly assumed an air of mystery; and, on learning Ph. 's name, had urged N. to save himself (

σεαυτὸν συλλαβών

). The

διά

in διεμπολᾷ expresses traffic: cp. fr. 521. 7 (a woman bewailing the lot of her sex),

ὠθούμεθ’ ἔξω καὶ διεμπολώμεθα

(as by a bargain between suitor and parents). — Cp. 978 : Ant. 1036.

εἰς φῶς , opp. to

κατὰ σκότον

(578): cp. 1353 : El. 639

οὐδὲ πᾶν ἀναπτύξαι πρέπει

πρὸς φῶς

: O. T. 1229

εἰς τὸ φῶς φανέι

: fr. 832

πάντ’ ἐκκαλύπτων ὁ χρόνος εἰς τὸ φῶς ἄγει

. Yet Nauck has ejected

εἰς φῶς

from the text, and conjecturally substituted

σαφῶς

. He wishes also to replace

λέξει

χρῄζει

. But for the fut. cp. O.C. 114

ἕως ἂν ἐκμάθω

τίνας λόγους ἐροῦσιν

. So here

λέξει

μέλλει λέξειν

.—For καί … τε cp. 421 .

σπέρμ’ : cp. 364 .

στρατῷ : the dat. as Eur. Hec. 863

Ἀχαιοῖς εἰ διαβληθήσομαι

, etc. In prose usu.

πρός τινα

εἴς τινα

: also

παρά τινι

, or

ἔν τισι.

ἃ μὴ δεῖ , quae non oporteat (generic

μή

δρῶν ἀντιπάσχω : the emphasis is here rather on the verb than on the partic.: ‘I receive many benefits from them, in return for my services.’ The schol. has:

ὑπ’ ἐκείνων εὐεργετούμενος ἀντευεργετῶ αὐτούς, ὡς δύναται πένης εὐεργετεῖν, δηλονότι ὑπηρετεῖν

. This makes

δρῶν

more prominent than

ἀντιπάσχω

, —evidently because the schol. thought that οἷ’ ἀνὴρ πένης referred only to

δρῶν

,—‘so far as a poor man can confer benefits.’ But that clause refers to

ἀντιπάσχω

also: the benefits which he received were important for such as he was. Cp. O. T. 763

ἄξιος...οἷ’ ἀνὴρ

δοῦλος

(‘for a slave’), and ib. 1118

πιστὸς ὡς νομεὺς ἀνήρ.

χρηστά θ’ :

πολλὰ

(or

πολλά τε

)

καὶ χρηστὰ

is commoner than

πολλὰ χρηστά τε

(though cp. Aesch. Theb. 338

πολλὰ γάρ, εὖτε πτόλις δαμασθῇ

, |

ἐή, δυστυχῆ τε πράσσει

): and on the other hand we find

πολλὰ...καλά

(fr. 79),

πολλὰ...σοφά

(fr. 99), etc. Still,

χρηστά θ’

seems more probable here than

χρηστά γ’

ἐγώ εἰμ’ . This synizesis is extremely rare, though that of

and

ου

is less so ( O. T. 332

ἐγὼ οὔτ’

, n.). Indeed there is no other certain instance in Tragedy; for in Soph. El. 1332

οὐδ’ ἐγὼ εἰς σὸν βλέφαρον πελάσω

ought not to be compared. There

οὐδ’ ἐγὼ

is a dactyl, by epic hiatus, as in Il. 1. 29

τὴν δ’ ἐγὼ οὐ λύσω

. In Comedy we have Vesp. 1224

ἐγὼ εἴσομαι

, where Burges reads

ταχ’ εἴσομαι.

φίλος μέγιστος : cp. Ai. 1331

φίλον σ’ ἐγὼ μέγιστον Ἀργείων νέμω

λόγων appears slightly preferable to the MS. λόγον here: and either would have been written

ΛΟΓΟΝ

in the poet's time. ὧν is most simply taken as=

τούτων οὕς

: though, if

λόγον

were retained, it might also represent (

περὶ

)

τούτων ἅ

ὅρα

κ.τ.λ.

Some take this verse as an exchange of veiled hints between the accomplices. But why should the

ἔμπορος

fear that N. was likely to trip in his part? Rather it is merely a piece of acting, like the feigned ‘aside’ in 573, and with the same object—viz., to impress Philoctetes.

πάλαι , referring back merely to the moment at which he began to press his question,— i.e., to 580: cp. O. T. 1161 n.—For the

ἀντιλαβή

, marking excitement, cp. 54 , 466.

ποιοῦ , instead of

τίθου

. Cp. O. T. 54

ὡς εἴπερ ἄρξεις τῆσδε γῆς, ὥσπερ κρατεῖς

, n.

λέγων : cp. O. C. 1038 (n.)

χωρῶν ἀπείλει νῦν

, threaten (if you will) —but set out. So here, ‘hold me responsible if thou wilt—but answer.’

λέγω . So Tr. 1130

λέγω· τέθνηκεν κ.τ.λ.

: Ant. 245 (where the reluctant speaker is at last brought to the point)

καὶ δὲ λέγω σοι.

)πὶ τοῦτον . Such aphaeresis after a stop is rare: but cp. I. A. 719

μέλλω· ’πὶ ταύτῃ καὶ καθέσταμεν τύχῃ

: [Eur. ] Rhes. 157

ἥξω· )πὶ τούτοις τόνδ’ ὑφίσταμαι πόνον

: Nub. 1354

ἐγὼ φράσω. )πειδὴ γὰρ κ.τ.λ.

τοῦτον , this man here, (=

τόνδε

,) Philoctetes.

592 Although Odysseus and Diomedes had been named in 570, it is obviously natural that their names should be repeated in this more explicit statement.

διώμοτοι . The adj., not found elsewhere, answers to

διόμνυμι

( Tr. 255 ) or

διόμνυμαι

( ib. 378, Ai. 1233 ) as=‘to swear solemnly.’

ἦ μὴν , prefacing an oath, as Tr. 256 (

διώμοσεν

)

ἦ μὴν...δουλώσειν

: ib. 1185

ὄμνυ

... |

ἦ μὴν τί δράσειν

; The formula occurs first in Il. 1. 76

ὄμοσσον

ἦ μέν

(Ion. for

μήν

)

μοι ἀρήξειν

. It is used also in threats, O.C. 816

ἦ μὴν... λυπηθεὶς ἔσει

(n.).

πείσαντες

κ.τ.λ.

: cp. 102 .—

πρὸς ἰσχύος κράτος. ἰσχύς

is the physical strength at the disposal of the captors;

κράτος

, the mastery which this strength will give them. Thus the gen. defines the source of the

κράτος

. Cp. Aesch. P. V. 212

ὡς οὐ κατ’ ἰσχὺν οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ καρτερὸν

χρείη, δόλῳ δὲ τοὺς ὑπερσχόντας κρατεῖν

: where

κατ’ ἰσχύν

expresses the available strength, and

πρὸς τὸ καρτερόν

the triumphant exertion of it. (As to

πρὸς ἰσχύος χάριν

in Eur. Med. 538 , see on Soph. Ant. 30. ) For πρὸς cp. 90 n.

πλέον , predicate: cp. 352 , 601.

θατέρου =

ἢ ὁ ἕτερος

: cp. O.C. 568

πλέον ...σοῦ

πλέον ἢ σοί

(n.).

τίνος … πράγματος χάριν ; cp. O. T. 698

ὅτου ποτὲ

| ...

πράγματος.

χρόνῳ τοσῷδε =

διὰ χρόνου τοσούτου

, after so long a time: cp. 722 : El. 1273

ἰὼ χρόνῳ μακρῷ φιλτάταν

ὁδὸν ἐπαξιώσας... φανῆναι.

ἐπεστρέφοντο , bethought them (impf.) of caring for: Dem. or. 10 § 9

οὐδὲν ἐφροντίσατε οὐδ’ ἐπεστράφητε οὐδὲν τούτων

. Cp. Soph. O. T. 134

πρὸ τοῦ θανόντος τήνδ’ ἔθεσθ’ ἐπιστροφήν.

ἄγαν οὕτω , with

ἐπεστρέφοντο

: El. 884

ὧδε πιστεύεις ἄγαν

The order of the words is remarkable, not only because τίνος is so far from πράγματος , but also because it is closely followed by τοῦδ’ , so that, when the ear caught the first words, the sense expected might naturally be, ‘Who was for this man for whom’ etc. ( cp. 441 ). The motive has been the wish to emphasise the pron referring to Philoctetes (

τοῦδ’

). A somewhat similar instance is Ant. 944

ἔτλα καὶ Δανάας οὐράνιον φῶς

ἀλλάξαι δέμας ἐν χαλκοδέτοις αὐλαῖς

εἶχον … ἐκβεβληκότες : cp. El. 590

ἐκβαλοῦσ’ ἔχεις

. The perf. part. ( O. T. 701 ) is much rarer than the aor. part. in mere periphrasis. When joined to the perf. partic.,

ἔχω

has usu. a separate force; as Xen. An. 1. 3. 14

πολλὰ χρήματα ἔχομεν ἀνηρπακότες

(‘have carried off, and hold’). So ib. 4. 7. 1

ἐν οἷς καὶ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια πάντα ἀνακεκομισμένοι

(had carried up, and kept).

χρόνιον (masc.): O. C. 441 n.

τίς ὁ πόθος : cp. O. C. 205

τίς ὁ πολύπονος ἄγει

; (n.)

ἵκετ’ : Il. 1. 240

ἦ ποτ’ Ἀχιλλῆος ποθὴ ἵξεται υἷας Ἀχαιῶν.

θεῶν βία , constraint imposed by the gods; an unusual phrase, but suitable here, where spontaneous yearning (

πόθος

) is opposed to the external pressure of destiny. Cp. fr. adesp. 424

οὐ γὰρ πρὸ μοίρας ἡ τύχη βιάζεται

( i.e., one does not die before one's appointed time). Ant. 1140

βιαίας...νόσου.

νέμεσις : cp. 518 .

ἀμύνουσιν , requite, punish: O. C. 1128.

ὄνομα δ’ ὠνομάζετο : Eur. Ion 800

ὄνομα δὲ ποῖον αὐτὸν ὀνομάζει πατήρ

; Symmetry with

Πριάμου μὲν υἱός

required

ὀνομαζόμενος

: cp. 215 n. (

βοᾷ

for

βοῶν

Ἕλενος ,—distinguished as

Πριαμίδης

from Helenus son of Oenops, a Greek hero slain by Hector ( Il. 5. 707 ), —figures in the Iliad as at once a seer and a warrior. He gives counsel at critical moments to his brother Hector ( Il. 6. 76 , Il. 7. 44 ); with his brother Deïphobus, he leads a third of the Trojan host in the attack on the Greek camp ( Il. 12. 94 ). The story of his capture by Odysseus does not belong to the Iliad, but was probably included in the

Ἰλιὰς Μικρά

of Lesches ( c. 700 B.C.),—the epic which contained the return of Philoctetes to Troy (see Introd.). Ovid associates this exploit with two other similar feats of Odysseus,—the capture of the horses of Rhesus, when their master, and the Trojan spy Dolon, were slain ( Il. 10 ),—and the theft of the Palladium: Met. 13. 99 Conferat his Ithacus Rhesum imbellemque Dolona, | Priamidemque Helenum rapta cum Pallade captum. In Verg. Aen. 3. 346 ff., Helenus, then settled in Epeirus, prophesies to Aeneas.

The statement of the

ἔμπορος

is only part of the truth. Helenus had indeed been captured, and had said that Troy could not be taken without Philoctetes. But he had also said that Troy was destined to be taken that summer,—as if he knew that fate had decreed the return of Philoctetes,—who was then to be healed by the Asclepiadae, and to share with Neoptolemus the glory of the victory (1329—1342). Odysseus, however, believed that Philoctetes would not listen to persuasion, but must be brought back by a stratagem (103). And so the object of the

ἔμπορος

in referring to Helenus is merely to convince Philoctetes that Odysseus is coming, in order that the sufferer may become still more anxious to depart with Neoptolemus for Greece, as he supposes.

ἀκούων , with ref. to general repute, as 1313.

λωβητὰ ἔπη , insulting, contumelious words: for the act. sense, cp. Tr. 538

λωβητὸν ἐμπόλημα

, a bargain that ruins one.

ἐς μέσον with ἔδειξ’ , rather than with

δέσμιον...ἄγων

: cp. Pind. fr. 42

καλῶν μὲν ὦν μοῖράν τε τερπνῶν ἐς μέσον χρὴ παντὶ λαῷ

δεικνύναι

τά τ’ ἄλλα … πάντα , including the command to bring Neopt. from Scyros ( cp. 346 ). This phrase serves to emphasise the statement introduced by καὶ : cp. Ant. 506

ἀλλ’ ἡ τυραννὶς πολλά τ’ ἄλλ’ εὐδαιμονεῖ

, |

κἄξεστιν αὐτῇ κ.τ.λ.

τἀπὶ Τροίᾳ πέργαμ’ : cp. 353 n.

οὐ μή ποτε πέρσοιεν . Helenus said,

οὐ μὴ πέρσετε

. It is certain that οὐ μή was used with the 1st or 3rd pers. of the fut. indic. in strong denial,—having then the same force as

οὐ μή

with the subjunctive, which was the commoner construction. There is no need, then, for changing

οὐ μὴ πέρσοιεν

into

οὐ μὴ πέρσειαν

(as though he had said

οὐ μὴ πέρσητε

). In oratio obliqua after a secondary tense this fut. indic. with

οὐ μή

could be retained (as if here we had

πέρσουσιν

): or it could be represented by a fut. inf. (as if we had

ἔφη αὐτοὺς οὐ μήποτε πέρσειν

). See the examples in n. on O. C. 177.

οὐ δηποτε πέρσοιεν would be a weaker reading.

ἄγοιντο : he said,

ἐὰν μὴ ἄγησθε

, if ye shall not bring. Blaydes places his conjecture ἀγάγοιντο in the text, and also suggests ἄξοιντο . Either would serve; but ἄγοιντο is right also. In a conditional sentence, the pres. subj. can have either of two meanings: (1)

ἐὰν ἄγησθε, καλῶς ἕξει

,—‘if ye shall bring, it will be well’—a particular supposition referring to the future: or (2)

ἐὰν ἄγησθε, καλῶς ἔχει

,—‘if ye (ever) bring, it is (always) well,’—a general supposition referring to the present. Here, of course,

ἄγοιντο

represents (1). Cp. Xen. Cyr. 3. 2. 13

ἢν μὲν πόλεμον αἱρῆσθε, μηκέτι ἥκετε δεῦρο ἄνευ ὅπλων...ἢν δὲ εἰρήνης δοκῆτε δεῖσθαι, ἄνευ ὅπλων ἥκετε

: ib. 5. 3. 27

ἐὰν οὖν ἴῃς νῦν, πότε ἔσει οἴκοι

; For similar instances of this pres. subj. (referring to the future) represented by the optative in oratio obliqua, cp. Dem. or. 18 § 148

εἰ μὲν τοίνυν τοῦτο...τῶν ἐκείνου συμμάχων εἰσηγοῖτό τις

(representing

ἐὰν εἰσηγῆταί τις

ὑπόψεσθαι τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐνόμιζε

(

πάντας

). Xen. Anab. 6. 1. 25

ἐδόκει δῆγον εἶναι ὅτι αἱρήσονται αὐτόν, εἴ τις ἐπιψηφίζοι

ἐάν τις ἐπιψηφίζῃ

νήσου , gen. after a verb of motion: 630, El. 324

δόμων...ἐντάφια... φέρουσαν

: O. T. 142 n.

617 The words οἴοιτο μὲν μάλιστα are parenthetical, just as if we had

εἰκότως μὲν ἑκούσιον λαβών

: and the optat. is used as if

εἶπεν ὅτι δηλώσοι

had preceded. Cp. Lys. or. 13 § 19

λέγει ὅτι, ἐὰν αὐτὸν ἕλησθε περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης πρεσβευτὴν αὐτοκράτορα, ποιήσειν ¹ ὥστε μήτε τῶν τειχῶν διελεῖν μήτε ἄλλο τὴν πόλιν ἐλαττῶσαι μηδέν· οἴοιτο δὲ καὶ ἄλλο τι ἀγαθὸν...εὑρήσεσθαι

. Similarly a clause with

γάρ

can take the optat. in oratio obliqua: H. 7. 1. 23

γέγων ὡς μόνοις μὲν αὐτοῖς πατρὶς Πελοπόννησος εἴη, μόνοι γὰρ αὐτόχθονες ἐν αὐτῇ οἰκοῖεν.

μάλιστα with οἴοιτο , indicating what he thought most likely: cp. El. 932

οἶμαι μάλιστ’ ἔγωγε

, and O.C. 1298 n.

τούτων with μὴ τυχών (=

εἰ μὴ τύχοι

): the place of the pron. is emphatic; cp. 598 n.

κάρα τέμνειν =

κεφαλὴν ἀποτέμνειν

(or poet.

καρατομεῖν

). The Homeric Odysseus twice uses this expression; Il. 2. 259

μηκέτ’ ἔπειτ’ Ὀδυσῆι κάρη ὤμοισιν ἐπείη

—if he does not chastise Thersites; and Od. 16. 102

αὐτίκ’ ἔπειτ’ ἀπ’ ἐμεῖο κάρη τάμοι ἀλλότριος φώς

—if he should not punish the suitors.— ἐφεῖτο , usu. ‘commanded’ or ‘enjoined’; here rather, ‘gave leave.’ [In Xen. An. 6. 6. 31

ἡ στρατιά σοι ὑφεῖτο ὅ τι ἐβούλου ποιῆσαι, ἐφεῖτο

is only a doubtful v. l.]

τὸ σπεύδειν : for the superfluous art., cp. O. C. 47 (

τοὐξανιστάναι

) n.

σοι καὐτῷ : the

καί

=‘both,’ yet can follow

σοι

because the thought is, ‘I recommend haste to you, both in your own interest and in that of your friends.’— πέρι : a very rare addition to the gen. with

κήδομαι

: as a general rule, however, verbs of ‘caring’ can take either the simple gen. or gen. with prep. (as

φροντίζω, μέλει

, etc.).

ἡ πασα βλάβη , that utter pest. In this phrase

πᾶσα

is justified by the figurative application; i.e., when a man is called a

βλάβη

, instead of saying

ὁ πᾶς βλάβη ὤν

, he who is altogether a bane, we can say

ἡ πᾶσα βλάβη

, the bane which is altogether such. The tendency is the same which appears, e.g., in

λέγει...εἶναι ταύτην

(instead of

τοῦτο

)

ὀρθότητα ὀνόματος

( Plat. Crat. 443E : Soph. O. C. 88 n.).—So Aegisthus is

ὁ πάντ’ ἄναλκις οὗτος, ἡ πᾶσα βλάβη

, Soph. El. 301. Cp. 927

πᾶν δεῖμα

πεισθήσομαι . No entreaties can recall the dead to the upper world; and no entreaties will recall him to Troy. We need not object to

πεισθήσομαι

that a Greek would think of the departed as glad to revisit the sunlight. The point is that the dead are deaf to the voice that would bring them back.

γὰρ implies the suppressed thought,

οὔτοι στελεῖ.

ὧδε =‘at this rate’ (=‘if I go to Troy’): so oft.

οὕτω.

πρὸς φῶς ἀνελθεῖν . Nauck writes

ἂν ἐλθεῖν

, taking the sense to be: ‘I shall be made to believe that I could return,’=

ὅτι ἔλθοιμι ἄν

. But ( a)

ἀνελθεῖν

is confirmed by the context: cp. Ar. Pax 445

εἰς φῶς ἀνελθεῖν

, etc.: and ( b) it gives a more direct and forcible sense.

οὑκείνου πατήρ , Sisyphus. The scholiast gives the story as it was told (probably) by the logographer Pherecydes ( flor. 470 B.C.?), who is quoted in ref. to Sisyphus by the schol. on Il. 6. 153. Sisyphus had directed his wife to leave him unburied. On reaching the shades, he denounced her impiety to Pluto, and obtained leave to go back and punish her. Having thus returned to earth, he stayed there,—

ἕως

(adds the scholiast)

μετ’ ἀνάγκης κατῆλθεν

. Theognis (v. 702) is the earliest witness:—

Σισύφου Αἰολίδεω

, |

ὅς τε καὶ ἐξ Ἀΐδεω πολυϊδρίῃσιν ἀνῆλθεν

, |

πείσας Περσεφόνην αἱμυλίοισι λόγοις

συμφέροι , be your helper: a sense derived from the idea of sharing a burden: El. 946

ξυνοίσω πᾶν ὅσονπερ ἂν σθένω

. Not, ‘be in accord with you’ ( vobiscum conspiret, Herm. : Ar. Lys. 166

ἀνήρ, ἐὰν μὴ τῇ γυναικὶ συμφέρῃ

τάδε : for the plur. cp. 524 n.

ἂν with δεῖξαι .

νεὼς ἄγοντ’ , leading him ashore from his ship: cp. 613 n.

οὔ· is clearly right: cp. 993 , 997, Tr. 415. Welcker's

οὑ

(=‘whereas’) is much weaker: so, too, is

ἦ θᾶσσον

, or

οὐ θᾶσσον...ἄπουν;

πλεῖστον ἐχθίστης : cp. O. C. 743

πλεῖστον

... |

κάκιστος

, n.

ἄπουν , deprived of the use of one's feet,

χωλόν

: cp. Metaphys. 4. 22

λέγεται...ἄπουν καὶ τῷ μὴ ἔχειν ὅλως πόδας καὶ τῷ φαύλους

πάντα λεκτά ,

κ.τ.λ.

For the omission of

μέν

in the epanaphora cp. 779 : Ant. 806 n.

ὡς … ὁρίζῃ . The MS. ὁρίζει cannot be defended here, either with

ὡς

as=‘since,’ or with the conjecture

ἕως

as=‘while yet.’ The words clearly express the eagerness of Ph. to put a space of sea between himself and his pursuer. And he has no reason to believe that his pursuer is still distant.

τοὐκ πρῴρας : cp. 1451

κατὰ πρύμναν.

ἀνῇ , as in 764: and so 705

ἐξανείη

. Cp. Her. 2. 113

οὐ γὰρ ἀνίει

(pres.)

τὰ πνεύματα.

στελοῦμεν : 571 n.

οὔκ, ἀλλὰ

κ.τ.λ.

The tone of this idiomatic phrase would be nearly rendered (here, at least) by ‘nay, but.’ The οὐκ refers to

ἀεὶ καλὸς πλοῦς κ.τ.λ.

: ‘This is not a case of flight from imminent peril; but (on the contrary) our pursuers also are being delayed.’ Cp. Plat. Euthyd. 277A

ἆρα σὺ οὐ μανθάνεις; ...οὔκ, ἀλλ’, ἦ δ’ ὅς, μανθάνω

.—I do not think, then, that any alteration is necessary. Of the conjectures (see cr. n.) Doederlein's οἶδ)· is perhaps the best. O. Heine's ἀλλ’ οὐχὶ ...; is also possible.

ἀλλ’ , followed by

ἀλλ’

in 647: n. on 524 f.

χωρῶμεν … λαβὼν . The subject to the plur. verb being

ἐγὼ καὶ σύ

, the sing. partic. agrees with

σύ

,—a constr. harsher in form than in reality. Cp. Ar. Av. 202

δευρὶ γὰρ ἐσβὰς

... |

ἔπειτ’ ἀνεγείρας τὴν ἐμὴν ἀηδόνα

, |

καλοῦμεν αὐτούς

. Aesch. Eum. 141

ἀνίστω, κἀπολακτίσασ’ ὕπνον

ἰδώμεθ’

. Eur. Med. 564

καὶ ξυναρτήσας γένος

εὐδαιμονοῖμεν

(so Elms., for

‐οίην

). Dem. or. 14 § 15

ἀπεβλέψατε πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ὡς αὐτὸς μὲν ἕκαστος οὐ ποιήσων

.—Dobree's conjecture, λαβόνθ’ , was suggested by Soph. O. C. 1164 , where the MSS. give

μολόντ’

at the end of the v.: but that should prob. be

μόνον

καίπερ οὐ πολλῶν ἄπο : and so it will not take long to choose them out. For the use of the prep., cp. Thuc. 1. 110

ὀλίγοι ἀπὸ πολλῶν

νεώς γε τῆς ἐμῆς ἔπι . The correction of the MS. ἔνι to ἔπι is necessary and certain. Of ἔνι (=

ἔνεστι

) only three explanations are possible. (1) Some hold that the gen. νεώς depends on the idea of

ἔσω

ἔνδον

implied in ἔνι : ‘is contained in my ship.’ Cp. Ai. 1274

ἑρκέων... ἐγκεκλῃμένους

: Eur. Ph. 451

τόνδ’ εἰσεδέξω τειχέων

. But there the notion ‘within’ is implied far more clearly than by

ἔνι

here. (2) Or

νεώς

is an absolute local gen., ‘in the ship’; cp. El. 900

ἐσχάτης δ’ ὁρῶ πυρᾶς...βόστρυχον

. (3) Others take ἔνι with

λαβεῖν

supplied from

λαβών

in 645: ‘what is there which it is not possible to obtain from my ship?’ No one of these views is tenable.

πάνυ is fitting enough, where he is dwelling on the value of the herb to him; and it certainly is not weaker than the substitutes which have been proposed for it (see cr. n.). Meineke ( Analecta Soph. p. 317) makes the arbitrary assumption that

πάνυ

was not used by Soph. in dialogue; though it is certainly used by him in anapaests ( Soph. O. C. 144 ).

τί γὰρ ἔτ’ : ‘Now what else...?’

γάρ introduces the question, as oft., when a speaker turns to a new point: cp. 1405 : Ai. 101

εἶεν· τί γὰρ δὴ παῖς ὁ τοῦ Λαερτίου

, |

ποῦ σοι τύχης ἕστηκεν

;

εἴ μοί τι τόξων (‘I fain would fetch) any of these arrows that may have been overlooked and may have slipped away from me.’ The vaguer interpretation, ‘any appurtenance of this bow,’ is not the best here. Philoctetes, who has been afield in quest of game, carries his bow and his quiver ( cp. 291 n.); but he is afraid that one or more of the arrows may have been accidentally left behind in the cave. τόξα , in poetry, can mean either (1) bow, (2) bow and arrows, or (3) arrows. For sense (2), cp. Il. 21. 502 : Leto picks up the arrows which had dropped from the quiver of Artemis (492

ταχέες δ’ ἔκπιπτον ὀϊστοί

):—

συναίνυτο καμπύλα τόξα

πεπτῶτ’ ἄλλυδις ἄλλα μετὰ στροφάλιγγι κονίης

(where

καμπύλα

is the epithet of the bow only). For (3), Eur. Ion 524

εἴσω τόξα πνευμόνων λαβεῖν.

ἀπημελημένον , a rare compound, of which this perf. partic. occurs in Her. 3. 129.

παρερρύηκεν , has slipped aside (as by dropping from the quiver); not, ‘has slipped from my memory.’ Cp. Xen. An. 4. 4

ἀλεεινὸν ἦν ἡ χιὼν ἐπιπεπτωκυῖα, ὅτῳ μὴ παρερρυείη

(slip off). Plato has the word in a fig. sense, Legg. 781 A

πολλὰ ὑμῖν παρέρρει, πολὺ ἄμεινον ἂν ἔχοντα εἰ νόμων ἔτυχεν ἢ τὰ νῦν

(escaped your care).

ὡς λίπω μή =

ὡς μὴ λ.

: cp. 67 n.: λαβεῖν : cp. 81 .

οὐ γὰρ ἄλλ’ ἔστ’, ἀλλ’ ἃ κ.τ.λ. L's reading,

οὐ γαρ άλλ’

( sic)

ἔσθ’ ἃ

clearly points to the reading in the text, since ἀλλ’ might easily have been omitted by a scribe who mistook it for a repetition of ἄλλ’ . And

confirms this. For ἄλλος closely followed by

ἀλλά

, Seyffert cp. Od. 8. 311

ἀτὰρ οὔ τι μοι αἴτιος ἄλλος

, |

ἀλλὰ τοκῆε δύω

(cp. ib. 11. 558). Remark that this reading is further corroborated by the form of the statement. It is peculiarly Sophoclean to have three clauses, in which the second is opposed to the first, and the third repeats the sense of the first,—as here ἃ βαστάζω = ταῦτ’ : see on Ant. 465. —A's reading ἄλλα γ’ ἔσθ’ ἃ is weaker, and also less likely to have generated L's.

ὥστε after ἔστιν , as sometimes after

δυνατόν, ἐθέλω, δέομαι, πείθω

, etc.: cp. O. C. 969 n.

θεόν . So the Arcadian Parthenopaeus swears by his spear-head (

αἰχμή

ἢν ἔχει μᾶλλον θεοῦ

σέβειν πεποιθώς

( Aesch. Theb. 529 ). Idas, one of the Argonauts, says,

οὐδ’ ἔμ’ ὀφέλλει

Ζεὺς τόσον, ὁσσάτιόν περ ἐμὸν δόρυ

(Apoll. Rhod. 1. 468). Mezentius: Dextra mihi deus et telum, quod missile libro, | Nunc adsint ( Verg. Aen. 10. 773 ). Capaneus: Ades O mihi dextera tantum: | Tu praesens bellis et inevitable numen; | Te voco , te solam, superum contemptor, adoro (Statius 9. 548). Here, however, Neoptolemus regards the bow as a ‘god,’ not so much because it is invincible, as because it had belonged to Heracles.—For the fig. use of θεός , cp. O. T. 27 n.

ξυμφέρῃ cannot mean, ‘what is pleasing to you’ (as Nauck takes it, ‘was genehm ist’), but only, ‘what is profitable for you.’ The latter sense, however, is quite consistent with ἐρῶ in 660.

καὶ μὴν … γε : Ant. 221 n.— πάρες , ‘let it go,’ ‘think no more about it.’ There is no real ground for thinking this word corrupt.

παριέναι

can mean omittere no less than concedere. Cp. Ant. 1193

κοὐδὲν παρήσω...ἔπος

. Legg. 754 A

μὴ τοίνυν γιγνώσκοντές γε παρῶμεν αὐτὸ ἄρρητον

. Pind. P. 1. 86

μὴ παρίει καλά

ὅσια … θέμις : cp. El. 432

οὐ γάρ σοι θέμις

οὐδ’ ὅσιον

(n.).

ὅς γ’ , as 1215, O. T. 35 , etc. The relative, with this causal force, refers to an antecedent (

σοί

) which is understood: O. C. 263 n.

φάος , life, in place of imminent death.

δέδωκας , followed by an aor. (666): cp. 928 f.

χθόν’ Οἰταίαν : 490 n.—The repetition of the pron.

ὅς

has much the same rhetorical effect as the repetition of the verb (

δέδωκας

) would have with us.

ἀνέστησας πέρα . If πέρα is genuine, the sense is:—‘When I was under the feet of my foes, thou hast lifted me up, (placing me) beyond their reach. ’ πέρα could be either prep. with

ἐχθρῶν

, or adv.: the former is best for contrast with ἔνερθεν . While suffering in Lemnos, Ph. was

ἔνερθεν τῶν ἐχθρῶν

. If he is restored to his home in Greece (and he assumes that this is certain), then they can touch him no more. Thus

πέρα

blends the thought of conveyance across the sea with the image of ‘uplifting’ which is expressed by

ἀνέστησας

. The very fact of such a blending seems in favour of πέρα . Sophocles not seldom admits a partial fusion of the figurative with the literal: see on Soph. O. T. 886 , Soph. O. T. 1300 ff., Soph. Ant. 117. —No emendation is satisfactory. If we read

ἐχθρῶν ἔνερθεν ὄντ’ ἀνέστησάς μ’ ὕπερ

, we should have to suppose that the loss of the letters μ’ ὕ had led to the expansion of περ into

πέρα

(

πέραι

in L). But such a loss is not very likely. In Soph. Ant. 1301 , where

πέριξ

prob. arose from

περὶ ξ

[

ίφει

], the lost letters were the last of the verse. I had thought of ἀναστήσας πάρει : but prefer to retain πέρα .—Cp. Soph. El. 1090

ζῴῃς μοι καθύπερθεν

χειρὶ καὶ πλούτῳ τοσόνδ’ ἐχθρῶν, ὅσον

νῦν ὑπόχειρ ναίεις

ταῦτα (nom.) παρέσται σοι , (

ὥστε

) καὶ θιγγάνειν (

αὐτῶν

θιγγάνω

never takes an accus. in class. Greek: Ant. 546 n.

καὶ δόντι δοῦναι . These words are not only genuine, but mark a delicate turn of phrase. Instead of saying, ‘You shall be allowed to handle the bow, on condition of returning it,’ he says, ‘You shall be allowed to handle the bow and to return it.’ The clause

καὶ δόντι δοῦναι

coheres closely with

θιγγάνειν

. The condition which qualifies the boon is thus lightly and courteously hinted,— being inserted between the words (

θιγγάνειν, κἀξεπεύξασθαι

) which express the privileges conceded. Cp. 774

οὐ δοθήσεται

πλὴν σοί τε κἀμοί

.—The aorist δοῦναι expresses the moment of giving, and ἐπεύξασθαι the moment of vaunting; while the pres. θιγγάνειν denotes the continuing act of touching. Cp. Dem. or. 2 § 26

πολὺ γὰρ ῥᾷον ἔχοντας φυλάττειν ἢ κτήσασθαι πάντα πέφυκεν

669 The acc. μόνον is correct; it represents the nom. of the direct form,

εὔχει ἐπιψαῦσαι μόνος

. Here, however, after δόντι , it is slightly awkward. Nauck wishes to read μόνῳ . I should prefer to keep μόνον and insert ς’ after ἀρετῆς . The direct form implied would then be,

εὔχει σὲ ἐπιψαῦσαι μόνον

. Cp. Plat. Gorg. 474B

ἐγὼ γὰρ δὴ οἶμαι καὶ ἐμὲ καὶ σὲ... ἡγεῖσθαι

εὐεργετῶν , by kindling the pyre for Heracles: cp. 801 ff.

671-673

These three verses, called ‘manifesto spurii’ by Dindorf, are clearly genuine. If they are rejected, then Neoptolemus deigns no reply beyond

χωροῖς ἂν εἴσω

to the gracious and cordial speech of Philoctetes. In proof that the verses are pointless, Dindorf says:—‘Neque enim quidquam beneficii a Philocteta accepit Neoptolemus, ut

εὖ παθών

dici possit.’ Blaydes, though he does not bracket the verses, assents to this argument:—‘Certainly

εὖ παθὼν

cannot well apply to Neoptolemus.’ But

εὖ παθών

refers, of course, to Philoctetes. Neoptolemus means:—‘I am not sorry that chance drove me to Lemnos, and thus enabled me to gain your friendship. One who is ready to requite a benefit (viz., conveyance to Greece) by such a kindness as this (the promised loan of the bow), must indeed prove to be a priceless friend.’

εὖ δρᾶν εὖ παθὼν : O. C. 1202 (

οὐ καλὸν

)

αὐτὸν μὲν εὖ

πάσχειν παθόντα δ’ οὐκ ἐπίστασθαι τίνειν

. Thuc. 2. 40

οὐ γὰρ πάσχοντες εὖ ἀλλὰ δρῶντες κτώμεθα τοὺς φίλους

.—So, of injury, Soph. O. C. 271

παθὼν μὲν ἀντέδρων

κτήματος : cp. Ant. 701

ἐμοὶ δὲ σοῦ πράσσοντος εὐτυχῶς, πάτερ

, |

οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν κτῆμα τιμιώτερον

χωροῖς ἂν εἴσω : Tr. 624

στείχοις ἂν ἤδη

. Cavallin gives these words, as well as the following, to Philoctetes, because the invitation to enter the cave ought to come from him, whose home it is. But then the words καὶ σέ γ’ εἰσάξω lose their proper force; for we have to understand Ph. as saying,—‘Pray enter: — or rather —I will lead you in.’ But γε can only emphasise σέ : and therefore χωροῖς ἂν εἴσω must be said to Philoctetes. In these words Neoptolemus reverts to the wish which he had already expressed ( 645 , 651 ) that Ph. should fetch from the cave anything that he needed for the voyage.

τὸ γὰρ | νοσοῦν : for the art. as penult. word of the v., cp. O. T. 231 ; O. C. 265 , O. C. 351 : Ant. 67 , Ant. 78. τὸ … νοσοῦν , my sick estate: cp. Thuc. 1. 36

τὸ μὲν δεδιὸς αὐτοῦ...τὸ δὲ θαρσοῦν

(his mood of fear or courage).

Commentary on Sophocles: Philoctetes. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. 1932.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Experimental

Commentary (R. C. Jebb) (OCR draft) (English) (Commentary (R. C. Jebb))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 219 focus

ἰὼ ξένοι,

τίνες ποτ᾽ ἐς γῆν τήνδε ναυτίλῳ πλάτῃ ναυτίλῳ πλάτῃ κάκ ποίας πάτρας ναυτίλω κώπῃ τῇ πλάτη προσρμίσατε τίνες ποτ᾽ ἐσ γῆν τήνδε κἀκ ποίας πάτρας κἀκ ποίας πάτρας κἀκ ποίας πέτρας
220

κατέσχετ' οὔτ᾽ εὔορμον οὔτ᾽ οἰκουμένην ;

ποίας πάτρας ἂν ἢ γένους ὑμᾶς πάτρας ἂν ὑμᾶς ἡ γένους πάτρας ὑμᾶς ἂν ἡ γένους ποτὲ

τύχοιμ᾽ ἂν εἰπών; σχῆμα μὲν γὰρ ῾Ελλάδος

στολῆς ὑπάρχει προσφιλεστάτης ἐμοί·

φωνῆς δ᾽ ἀκοῦσαι βούλομαι· καὶ μή μ᾽ ὄκνῳ
225

δείσαντες ἐκπλαγῆτ᾽ ἀπηγριωμένον,

ἀλλ᾽ οἰκτίσαντες ἄνδρα δύστηνον, μόνον,

ἔρημον ὧδε κἄφιλον κακούμενον καλούμενον καλών μενον καλάμινον,

φωνήσατ᾽, εἴπερ ὡς φίλοι προσήκετε.

ἀλλ᾽ ἀνταμείψασθ᾽ ἀνταμείψασθ'· οὐ γὰρ εἰκὸς οὔτ᾽ ἐμὲ
230

ὑμῶν ἁμαρτεῖν τοῦτό γ᾽ οὔθ᾽ ὑμᾶς ἐμοῦ.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΝΕ.

ἀλλ᾽, ὦ ξέν, ἴσθι τοῦτο πρῶτον, οὕνεκα

"Ελληνές ἐσμεν· τοῦτο γὰρ βούλει μαθεῖν.

ΦΙ.

ὦ φίλτατον φώνημα· φεῦ τὸ καὶ καὶ καὶ λαβεῖν

πρόσφθεγμα τοιοῦδ᾽ ἀνδρὸς ἐν χρόνῳ μακρῷ.
235

τίς σ' om. add, ὦ τέκνον, προσέσχε, τίς προσήγαγεν

χρεία; τίς ὁρμή ὀρμὴ ὁρμή? τίς ἀνέμων τίς δ᾽ ἀνέμων τίς ἀνέμων ὁ φίλτατος;

γέγωνέ μοι πᾶν τοῦθ᾽, ὅπως εἰδῶ μάθω τίς εἶ.

ΝΕ.

ἐγὼ γένος μέν εἰμι τῆς περιρρύτου περιρρύτου

Σκύρου· πλέω δ᾽ ἐς οἶκον· αὐδῶμαι δὲ παῖς
240

᾿Αχιλλέως, Νεοπτόλεμος. οἶσθα δὴ οἶσθ᾽ ἤδη οἶσθα δὴ τὸ πᾶν.

ΦΙ.

ὦ φιλτάτου παῖ πατρός, ὦ φίλης χθονός,

ὦ τοῦ γέροντος θρέμμα Λυκομήδους, τίνι

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

στόλῳ προσέσχες τήνδε γῆν πόθεν πλέων;

ΝΕ.

ἐξ Ιλίου τοι * δὴ τανῦν δῆτα νῦν γε ναυστολῶ.
245

ΦΙ.

πῶς εἶπας; οὐ γὰρ δὴ σύ γ᾽ οὐ γαρ συγ οὐ γὰρ δὴ σύγ᾿ οὐ γὰρ σύ γ᾽ ἦσθα ναυβάτης

ἡμῖν κατ᾿ ἀρχὴν τοῦ πρὸς Ἴλιον Ἴλιου στόλου.

ΝΕ.

ἢ γὰρ μετέσχες καὶ σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ πόνου;

ΦΙ.

ὦ τέκνον, οὐ γὰρ οἶσθά μ' ὅντιν εἰσορᾷς;

ΝΕ.

πῶς γὰρ κάτοιδ᾽ ὅν γ' εἶδον οὐδεπώποτε;
250

ΦΙ.

οὐδ᾽ ὄνομά *γ᾽ οὔνομ' ὄνομ', οὐδὲ τῶν ἐμῶν κακῶν κλέος

ᾔσθου ποτ᾿ πότ᾽ ποτ' οὐδέν, οἷς ἐγὼ διωλλύμην ;

ΝΕ.

ὡς μηδὲν εἰδότ᾽ ἴσθι μ᾽ ὧν ἀνιστορεῖς ἂν ἱστορεῖς.

ΦΙ.

ὦ .. ὦ ὦ .. ὦ ὦ .. ὦ ὦ .. ὡς πόλλ᾽ ἐγὼ μοχθηρός, ὦ πικρὸς θεοῖς,

οὐ μηδὲ κληδὼν ὧδ᾽ ἔχοντος οἴκαδε
255

μηδ᾽ ῾Ελλάδος γῆς μηδαμοῦ διῆλθέ που.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ἀλλ᾽ οἱ μὲν ἐκβαλόντες ἀνοσίως ἐμὲ

γελῶσι σῖγ᾽ ἔχοντες, ἡ δ᾽ ἐμὴ νόσος

ἀεὶ τέθηλε τέθ. ηλε τέθηλε κἀπὶ κάπι μεῖζον ἔρχεται.

ὦ τέκνον, ὦ παῖ πατρὸς ἐξ ᾿Αχιλλέως,
260

ὅδ᾽ εἴμ᾽ ἐγώ σοι κεῖνος, ὃν κλύεις ἴσως

τῶν ῾Ηρακλείων ὄντα Ηρακλείω τα Ἠρακλείων ὄντα δεσπότην ὅπλων,

ὁ τοῦ Ποίαντος παῖς Φιλοκτήτης, ὃν οἱ

δισσοὶ στρατηγοὶ χώ χώ χ᾿ ὡ Κεφαλλήνων κεφαλήνων ἄναξ

ἔρριψαν αἰσχρῶς ὧδ᾽ ἔρημον, ἀγρίᾳ
265

νόσῳ καταφθίνοντα, *τῆς τῆσδ᾽ ἀνδροφθόρου ἀνδροφόνου

πληγέντ᾽ ἐχίδνης φοινίῳ ἀγρίῳ χαράγματι·

ξὺν ᾗ μ᾽ ἐκεῖνοι, παῖ, προθέντες ἐνθάδε

ᾤχοντ᾽ ἔρημον, ἡνίκ ἐκ τῆς ποντίας

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

Χρύσης κατέσχον δεῦρο ναυβάτῃ στόλῳ.
270

τότ᾽ ἄσμενοί μ᾿ ὡς εἶδον ἐκ πολλοῦ σάλου

εὕδοντ᾿ ἐπ᾿ ἀκτῆς ἐν κατηρεφεῖ πέτρῳ,

λιπόντες ᾤχονθ', οἷα οἱ φωτὶ δυσμόρῳ

ῥάκη προθέντες βαιὰ καί τι καὶ βορᾶς

ἐπωφέλημα σμικρόν, οἱ᾽ οἳ οἵ αὐτοῖς τύχοι.
275

σὺ δή, τέκνον, ποίαν μ' ἀνάστασιν ἀνάστασεν δοκεῖς

αὐτῶν βεβώτων ἐξ ὕπνου στῆναι τότε;

ποῖ᾽ ἐκδακρῦσαι, ποῖ᾽ ἀποιμῶξαι κακά;

ὁρῶντα μὲν ναῦς, ἃς ἔχων ἐναυστόλουν,

πάσας βεβώσας, ἄνδρα δ᾽ οὐδέν᾽ οὐδὲν οὐδέν᾽ ἔντοπον,
280

οὐχ ὅστις ἀρκέσειεν, οὐδ᾽ ὅστις νόσου

κάμνοντι συλλάβοιτο συμβάλλοιτο συμβα(λ)λοιτο συλλάβοιτο συμβάλοιτο· πάντα δὲ σκοπῶν

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

εὕρισκον οὐδὲν πλὴν ἀνιᾶσθαι παρόν,

τούτου δὲ πολλὴν εὐμάρειαν, ὦ τέκνον.

ὁ μὲν χρόνος δὴ οὖν δὴ διὰ χρόνου προὔβαινέ πρόβαινε προὔβαινε μοι,
285

κἄδει τι βαιῇ βαίᾳ τῇδ᾽ τίδ᾽ τῇδ᾽ ὑπὸ στέγῃ μόνον

διακονεῖσθαι· γαστρὶ μὲν τὰ σύμφορα

τόξον τόδ᾽ ἐξεύρισκε εὕρισκε ἐξεύρισκε, τὰς ὑποπτέρους

βάλλον πελείας· πρὸς δὲ τοῦθ᾽, ὅ μοι βάλοι

νευροσπαδὴς ἄτρακτος om add, αὐτὸς ἂν τάλας
290

εἰλυόμην δύστηνος ἐξέλκων πόδα

πρὸς τοῦτ᾽ ἄν· εἴ τ᾽ εἶτ᾽ ἔδει τι καὶ ποτὸν λαβεῖν,

καί που πάγου χυθέντος, οἷα χείματι,

ξύλον τι θραῦσαι, ταῦτ᾽ ἂν ἐξέρπων τάλας

ἐμηχανώμην· εἶτα πῦρ ἂν οὐ παρῆν,
295

ἀλλ᾽ ἐν πέτροισι πέτρον ἐκτρίβων ἐκθλίβων ἐκθλίβων ἐκτρίβων μόλις

ἔφην᾿ ἄφαντον φῶς, ὃ καὶ σώζει μ' ἀεί.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

οἰκουμένη γὰρ οὖν στέγη πυρὸς μέτα

πάντ᾽ ἐκπορίζει πλὴν τὸ μὴ νοσεῖν ἐμέ.

φέρ᾽, ὦ τέκνον, νῦν καὶ τὸ τῆς νήσου μάθῃς.
300

ταύτῃ πελάζει ναυβάτης οὐδεὶς ἑκών·

οὐ γάρ τις τίσ τις τίς σ' ὅρμος ἐστίν ὅρμόσ ἐστιν, οὐδ᾽ ὅποι πλέων

ἐξεμπολήσει κέρδος, ἢ ξενώσεται.

οὐκ ἐνθάδ᾽ οἱ πλοῖ τοῖσι σώφροσιν σώφροσι βροτῶν.

†τάχ᾽ οὖν τις ἄκων ἄκοντ᾽ ἄκων ἔσχε· πολλὰ γὰρ τάδε
305

ἐν τῷ μακρῷ γένοιτ' ἂν ἀνθρώπων χρόνῳ.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

οὗτοί μ᾽, ὅταν μόλωσιν, ὦ τέκνον, λόγοις

ἐλεοῦσι μέν, καί πού κἄπου καίπου τι καὶ βορᾶς μέρος

προσέδοσαν οἰκτείραντες, ἤ τινα στολήν·

ἐκεῖνο δ᾽ οὐδείς, ἡνίκ ἂν μνησθῶ, θέλει,
310

σῶσαί μ᾽ ἐς οἴκους, ἀλλ᾽ ἀπόλλυμαι τάλας

ἔτος τόδ᾽ ἤδη δέκατον ἐν λιμῷ τε καὶ

κακοῖσι βόσκων βώσκων τὴν ἀδηφάγον νόσον.

τοιαῦτ᾽ ᾿Ατρεῖδαί μ' ἥ τ᾽ Οδυσσέως βία,

ὦ παῖ, δεδράκασ', οἷς ᾿Ολύμπιοι θεοὶ
315

δοῖέν ποτ' αὐτοῖς ἀντίποιν᾿ ἀντάποιν' ἀντίποιν᾿ ἐμοῦ παθεῖν.

ΧΟ.

ἔοικα κἀγὼ τοῖς ἀφιγμένοις ἴσα

ξένοις ἐποικτείρειν σε, Ποίαντος τέκνον.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΝΕ.

ἐγὼ δὲ καὐτὸς τοῖσδε μάρτυς ἐν λόγοις λόγοισ λόγοις,

ὡς εἴσ᾿ ἀληθεῖς ἀληθεῖς ἀληθεῖς οἶδα, συντυχὼν κακῶν
320

ἀνδρῶν ᾿Ατρειδῶν τῆς τ᾿ Οδυσσέως βίας.

ΦΙ.

ἢ γάρ τι καὶ σὺ τοῖς πανωλέθροις ἔχεις

ἔγκλημ᾽ ᾿Ατρείδαις ᾿Ατρείδ(..) ᾿Ατρείδαις, ὥστε θυμοῦσθαι παθών;

ΝΕ.

θυμὸν γένοιτο χειρὶ θυμῷ.. χεῖρα πληρῶσαί ποτε,

ἵν αἱ Μυκῆναι γνοῖεν ἡ Σπάρτη θ᾽ ὅτι
325

χή Σκῦρος ἀνδρῶν ἀλκίμων μήτηρ ἔφυ.

ΦΙ.

εὖ γ᾽, ὦ τέκνον· τίνος γὰρ ὧδε τὸν μέγαν

χόλον κατ᾿ αὐτῶν καυτῶν κατ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐγκαλῶν ἐλήλυθας;

ΝΕ.

ὦ παῖ Ποίαντος, ἐξερῶ ἐξερῶ ἐξερῶ, μόλις δ᾽ ἐρῶ,

ἅγωγ᾽ ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐξελωβήθην μολών.
330

ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἔσχε μοῖρ᾽ ᾿Αχιλλέα θανεῖν,

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΦΙ.

οἴμοι· φράσῃς μοι μὴ πέρα, πρὶν ἂν μάθω

πρῶτον τόδ᾽· ἢ εἰ ή τέθνηχ᾽ ὁ Πηλέως γόνος;

ΝΕ.

τέθνηκεν, ἀνδρὸς οὐδενός, θεοῦ δ᾽ ὕπο,

τοξευτός, ὡς λέγουσιν, ἐκ Φοίβου δαμείς.
335

ΦΙ.

ἀλλ᾽ εὐγενὴς ευγενὴς μὲν ὁ κτανών τε χώ θανών.

ἀμηχανῶ δὲ πότερον, ὦ τέκνον, τὸ σὸν

πάθημ᾽ ἐλέγχω πρῶτον, ἢ κεῖνον στένω.

ΝΕ.

οἶμαι μὲν ἀρκεῖν σοί γε καὶ τὰ σ᾽, ὦ τάλας,

ἀλγήμαθ᾽, ὥστε μὴ τὰ τῶν πέλας στένειν.
340

ΦΙ.

ὀρθῶς ἔλεξας. τοιγαροῦν τοιγὰροῦν τὸ σὸν φράσον

αὖθις πάλιν μοι πρᾶγμ᾽, ὅτῳ σ᾽ ἐνύβρισαν.

ΝΕ.

ἦλθόν με νηὶ ποικιλοστόλῳ ποικιλοστόλῳ ποικιλοστόμῳ ποικιλοστόλῳ ποικίλῳ στόλῳ μέτα

διός τ᾽ Ὀδυσσεὺς χώ τροφεὺς τοὐμοῦ πατρός,

λέγοντες, εἴτ᾿ ἀληθὲς εἴτ᾿ ἄρ᾽ οὖν μάτην,
345

ὡς οὐ θέμις γίγνοιτ' γίνοιτ', ἐπεὶ κατέφθιτο

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

πατὴρ ἐμός, τὰ πέργαμ᾽ ἄλλον ἢ ἐμ᾽ ἢ μ' ἢ 'μ' ἢ 'μ' ἑλεῖν.

ταῦτ᾽, ὦ ξέν', οὕτως ἐννέποντες οὐ πολὺν

χρόνον μ᾽ ἐπέσχον ἐπάσχον μή με ναυστολεῖν ταχύ,

μάλιστα μὲν δὴ τοῦ θανόντος ἱμέρῳ,
350

ὅπως ἴδοιμ᾽ ἄθαπτον· οὐ γὰρ εἰδόμην·

ἔπειτα μέντοι χώ λόγος καλὸς προσῆν,

εἰ τἀπὶ Τροίᾳ πέργαμ᾽ αἱρήσοιμ᾿ ἰών.

ἦν δ᾽ ἦμαρ ἤδη δεύτερον πλέοντί μοι,

κἀγὼ πικρὸν Σίγειον οὐρίῳ πλάτῃ
355

κατηγόμην· καί μ᾽ εὐθὺς ἐν κύκλῳ στρατὸς

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ἐκβάντα πᾶς ἠσπάζετ' ἠσπάζετο·, ὀμνύντες βλέπειν

τὸν οὐκέτ᾽ ὄντα ζῶντ᾿ ᾿Αχιλλέα πάλιν.

κεῖνος μὲν οὖν ἔκειτ· ἐγὼ δ᾽ ὁ δύσμορος,

ἐπεὶ δάκρυσα κεῖνον οὐ μακρῷ χρόνῳ
360

ἐλθὼν ᾿Ατρείδας πρὸς φίλους, ὡς εἰκὸς ἦν,

τά θ᾽ ὅπλ᾽ ἀπῄτουν τοῦ πατρὸς τά τ' ἄλλ᾽ ὅσ᾽ ἦν.

οἱ δ᾽ εἶπον, οἴμοι οἱ μοι οἴμοι, τλημονέστατον λόγον,

ὦ σπέρμ᾽ ᾿Αχιλλέως, τἄλλα μὲν πάρεστί σοι

πατρῷ᾽ ἑλέσθαι, τῶν δ᾽ ὅπλων κείνων ἀνὴρ
365

ἄλλος κρατύνει νῦν, ὁ Λαέρτου γόνος.

κἀγὼ δακρύσας εὐθὺς ἐξανίσταμαι

ὀργῇ βαρείᾳ, καὶ καταλγήσας λέγω,

ὦ σχέτλι, ἡ 'τολμήσατ' τολμήσατ' τολμήσ᾽ ἀντ᾿ ἐμοῦ τινι

δοῦναι τὰ τεύχη τἀμά, πρὶν μαθεῖν ἐμοῦ;
370

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ὁ δ᾽ ὅδ' εἶπ᾿ Ὀδυσσεύς Ὀδυσσεύς, πλησίον γὰρ ἂν κύρει,

ναί, παῖ, δεδώκασ᾽ ἐνδίκως οὗτοι τάδε.

ἐγὼ γὰρ αὔτ᾽ ἔσωσα κἀκεῖνον παρών.

κἀγὼ χολωθεὶς εὐθὺς ἤρασσον κακοῖς

τοῖς πᾶσιν, οὐδὲν ἐνδεὲς ποιούμενος,
375

εἰ τἀμὰ κεῖνος ὅπλ᾽ ἀφαιρήσοιτό ἀφαιρήσοιτό ἀφαιρήσοιτο με.

ὁ δ᾽ ἐνθάδ᾽ ἥκων ἥκων, καίπερ οὐ δύσοργος ὤν,

δηχθεὶς πρὸς ἁξήκουσεν ὧδ᾽ ἡμείψατο,

οὐκ ἦσθ᾽ ἵν ἡμεῖς, ἀλλ᾽ ἀπῆσθ᾽ ἵν οὔ σ᾽ ἔδει.

καὶ ταῦτ᾽, ἐπειδὴ καὶ λέγεις θρασυστομῶν,
380

οὐ μήποτ᾽ ἐς τὴν μήποτ᾽ ἐσ τὴν Σκῦρον ἐκπλεύσῃς ἔχων.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

τοιαῦτ᾽ ἀκούσας κάξονειδισθεὶς κακὰ

πλέω πρὸς οἴκους, τῶν ἐμῶν τητώμενος

πρὸς τοῦ κακίστου κἀκ κακῶν ᾿Οδυσσέως.

κοὐκ αἰτιῶμαι κεῖνον αἰτιῶμ᾽ ἐκεῖνον ὡς τοὺς ἐν τέλει.
385

πόλις γάρ ἐστι πᾶσα τῶν ἡγουμένων

στρατός τε σύμπας· οἱ δ᾽ ἀκοσμοῦντες βροτῶν

διδασκάλων λόγοισι γίγνονται κακοί.

λόγος λέλεκται πᾶς. ὁ δ᾽ ᾿Ατρείδας στυγῶν

ἐμοί θ᾽ ὁμοίως καὶ θεοῖς εἴη φίλος φίλος.
390

ΧΟ.
στρ.

Ὀρεστέρα παμβῶτι Γᾶ ya yᾷ γὰ, μᾶτερ αὐτοῦ Διός,

ἃ τὸν μέγαν Πακτωλὸν εὔχρυσον νέμεις,

σὲ κἀκεῖ, μᾶτερ πότνι, ἐπηυδώμαν,

ὅτ᾽ ἐς τόνδ᾽ ᾿Ατρειδᾶν ὕβρις πᾶσ᾽ ἐχώρει,

ὅτε τὰ πάτρια τεύχεα τεύ(χ)χεα παρεδίδοσαν παραδίδοσαν παρεδίδοσαν,
395

ἰὼ μάκαιρα ταυροκτόνων

λεόντων ἔφεδρε, τῷ Λαρτίου λαερτίου λαρτίου

σέβας ὑπέρτατον.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙ.

ἔχοντες, ὡς ἔοικε, σύμβολον σαφές

λύπης πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὦ ξένοι, πεπλεύκατε,
400

καί μοι προσᾴδεθ᾽ ὥστε γιγνώσκειν γινώσκειν ὅτι

ταῦτ᾽ ἐξ᾿ Ατρειδῶν ἔργα· κἀξ᾿Οδυσσέως.

ἔξοιδα γάρ νιν παντὸς ἂν λόγου κακοῦ

γλώσσῃ θιγόντα καὶ πανουργίας, ἀφ᾿ ἧς

μηδὲν δίκαιον ἐς τέλος μέλλοι ποιεῖν.
405

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ἀλλ᾽ οὐ τι τοῦτο θαῦμ᾽ ἔμοιγ', ἀλλ᾽ εἰ παρὼν

Αίας ὁ μείζων ταῦθ᾽ ὁρῶν ἠνείχετο,

ΝΕ.

οὐκ ἦν ἔτι ζῶν, ὦ ξén· οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε

ζῶντός γ'᾽ ἐκείνου ταῦτ᾽ ἐσυλήθην ἐγώ.

ΦΙ.

πῶς εἶπας; ἀλλ᾽ om. ἀλλ' ἡ χοὗτος οἴχεται οἴχεται θανών;
410

ΝΕ.

ὡς μηκέτ᾽ ὄντα κεῖνον ἐν φάει νόει.

ΦΙ.

οἴμοι τάλας. ἀλλ᾽ οὐχ ὁ Τυδέως γόνος

οὐδ᾽ οὑμπολητὸς οὐδ᾽ ὁ ᾿μπολητὸς Σισύφου Λαερτίῳ Λαερτίου Λαρτίου Λαερτίῳ,

οὐ μὴ θάνωσι. τούσδε γὰр μὴ ζῆν ἔδει.

ΝΕ.

οὐ δῆτ᾽· ἐπίστω ἐπίστω τοῦτό γ· ἀλλὰ καὶ μέγα
415

θάλλοντές εἰσι νῦν ἐν ᾿Αργείων ἀργείωι ἀργειών στρατῷ.

ΦΙ.

τί δ᾽ ὃς ὁ ὃ ὁς ὃs παλαιὸς κἀγαθὸς φίλος τ᾿ ἐμός,

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

Νέστωρ ὁ Πύλιος, ἔστιν πύλιόσ ἐστιν? οὗτος γὰρ τά γε

κείνων κάκ᾽ ἐξήρυκε κἀξεκήρυξε, βουλεύων σοφά σοφῶς.

ΝΕ.

κεῖνός γε πράσσει νῦν κακῶς, ἐπεὶ θανὼν
420

᾿Αντίλοχος αὐτῷ φροῦδος ὅσπερ ἦν γόνος.

ΦΙ.

οἴμοι, δύ αὕτως δείν᾽ ἔλεξας δύ' αὕτως δεὶν.. ἔλεξας δύ' αὐτὼ δ᾽ ἐξέδειξας δύ' αὕτως δείν᾽ ἔλεξας δύ᾽ αὕτως δεῖν᾽ ἔλεξας δύ᾽ ἄυτως δείν᾽ ἔλεξας δ᾽ αὕτως δείν᾽ ἔλεξας, οἷν ἐγὼ

ἥκιστ᾽ ἂν ἠθέλησ᾽ ὀλωλότοιν κλύειν.

φεῦ φεῦ· τί δῆτα δεῖ σκοπεῖν, ὅθ᾽ οἵδε μὲν

τεθνᾶσ᾽, ᾿Ὀδυσσεὺς δ᾽ ἔστιν αὖ, κἀνταῦθ᾽ ἵνα
425

χρῆν χρὴν χρῆν ἀντὶ τούτων αὐτὸν αὐδᾶσθαι νεκρόν ;

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΝΕ.

σοφὸς παλαιστὴς κεῖνος, ἀλλὰ χαί σοφαὶ

γνῶμαι, Φιλοκτῆτ᾽, ἐμποδίζονται θαμά.

ΦΙ.

φέρ᾽ εἰπὲ πρὸς θεῶν, ποῦ γὰρ ἦν ἐνταῦθά σοι

Πάτροκλος, ὅς σοι πατρὸς ἦν τὰ φίλτατα;
430

ΝΕ.

χοῦτος τεθνηκὼς τεθνηκὼ τεθνηκώς ἦν· λόγῳ δέ σ' * ἐν βραχεῖ σε βραχεῖ

τοῦτ᾽ ἐκδιδάξω. πόλεμος οὐδέν᾽ ἄνδρ᾽ ἑκὼν

αἱρεῖ αἴρει πονηρόν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς χρηστοὺς ἀεί.

ΦΙ.

ξυμμαρτυρῶ σοι· καὶ κατ᾿ αὐτὸ κατ᾿ αὐτὸ κατ᾿ αὐτὸ κατὰ τ᾿ αὐτὸ τοῦτό γε

ἀναξίου μὲν φωτὸς ἐξερήσομαι,
435

γλώσσῃ δὲ τε δὲ γε δεινοῦ καὶ σοφοῦ, τί νῦν κυρεῖ.

ΝΕ.

ποίου γε τούτου πλήν γ' Ὀδυσσέως ἐρεῖς;

ΦΙ.

οὐ τοῦτον εἶπον, ἀλλὰ Θερσίτης τις ἦν,

ὃς οὐκ ἂν εἴλετ᾽ εἰσάπαξ εἰσάπαξ εἰπεῖν, ὅπου

μηδεὶς ἐῴη ἐὼν ἐώη ? ἐψη· τοῦτον οἶσθ᾽ εἰ ζῶν κυρεῖ;
440

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΝΕ.

οὐκ εἶδον αὐτόν, ἠσθόμην δ᾽ ἔτ᾽ δέ τ' δ᾽ ἔτ' ὄντα νιν.

ΦΙ.

ἔμελλ᾽· ἐπεὶ οὐδέπω κακόν γ᾿ ἀπώλετο,

ἀλλ᾽ εὐ περιστέλλουσιν αὐτὰ δαίμονες,

καί πως καὶ πῶσ καί πως τὰ μὲν πανοῦργα καὶ παλιντριβῆ παλιντριβῆ(ς) παλιντριβῆ

χαίρουσ᾽ ἀναστρέφοντες ἐξ "Αιδου, τὰ δὲ
445

δίκαια καὶ τὰ χρήστ᾽ χρῆστ᾽ χρήστ᾽ ἀποστέλλουσ᾽ ἀεί.

ποῦ χρὴ χρῆ χρὴ τίθεσθαι ταῦτα, ποῦ δ᾽ αἰνεῖν, ὅταν

τὰ θεῖ᾽ ἐπαινῶν τοὺς θεοὺς εὕρω κακούς;

ΝΕ.

ἐγὼ μέν, ὦ γένεθλον Οἰταίου πατρός,

τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη τηλόθεν τό τ᾿ Ἴλιον
450

καὶ τοὺς ᾿Ατρείδας εἰσορῶν φυλάξομαι·

ὅπου θ᾽ θ' θ' ὁ χείρων τἀγαθοῦ μεῖζον σθένει

κἀποφθίνει τὰ χρηστὰ χώ δεινὸς κρατεῖ,

τούτους ἐγὼ τοὺς ἄνδρας οὐ στέρξω ποτέ.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ἀλλ᾽ ἡ πετραία Σκῦρος ἐξαρκοῦσά μοι
455

ἔσται τὸ λοιπόν, ὥστε τέρπεσθαι δόμῳ.

νῦν δ᾽ εἶμι πρὸς ναῦν. καὶ σύ, Ποίαντος τέκνον,

χαῖρ᾽ ὡς μέγιστα, χαῖρε· καί σε δαίμονες

νόσου μεταστήσειαν, ὡς αὐτὸς θέλεις.

ἡμεῖς δ᾽ ἴωμεν, ὡς ὁπηνίκ᾽ ἂν θεὸς
460

πλοῦν ἡμὶν εἴκῃ ἥκη εἴκῃ ἥκει, τηνικαῦθ᾽ ὁρμώμεθα.

ΦΙ.

ἤδη, τέκνον, στέλλεσθε στέλεσθε στέλλεσθε?

NE.

καιρὸς γὰρ καλεῖ

πλοῦν μὴ ἐξ ἀπόπτου μᾶλλον ἢ ἐγγύθεν σκοπεῖν.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙ.

πρός νύν νῦν σε πατρός, πρός τε μητρός, ὦ τέκνον,
465

πρός τ' εἴ τί σοι κατ' οἰκόν ἐστι προσφιλές,

ἱκέτης ἱκνοῦμαι, μὴ λίπῃς λείπηισ λίπης μ' οὕτω μόνον,

ἔρημον ἐν κακοῖσι τοῖσδ᾽ οἷοις ὁρᾷς

ὅσοισί τ᾽ ἐξήκουσας ἐνναίοντά ἐννέοντα ἐννέοντα ἐνναίοντα ἐννέποντα με·

ἀλλ᾽ ἐν παρέργῳ θοῦ με. δυσχέρεια μέν,
470

ἔξοιδα, πολλὴ τοῦδε τοῦ φορήματος·

ὅμως δέ δὲ τλῆθι, τοῖσι γενναίοισί τοι

τό τ' αἰσχρὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ τὸ χρηστὸν εὐκλεές.

σοὶ δ᾽, ἐκλιπόντι τοῦτ᾽, ὄνειδος οὐ καλόν,

δράσαντι δ᾽, ὦ παῖ, πλεῖστον εὐκλείας γέρας,
475

ἐὰν μόλωἐγὼ ζῶν πρὸς Οἰταίαν χθόνα.

ἴθ᾽· ἡμέρας τοι μόχθος οὐχ ὅλης μιᾶς.

τόλμησον, ἐμβαλοῦ ἐκβαλοῦ ἐμβαλοῦ μ᾿ ὅπῃ θέλεις ἄγων,

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΧΟ.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΝΕ.

ΦΙ.

ΝΕ.

ΦΙ.

ΝΕ.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΦΙ.

ΝΕ.

ΦΙ.

ΝΕ.

ΦΙ.

ΝΕ.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

εἰς ἀντλίαν, εἰς πρῷραν, εἰς πρύμνην πρύμναν, ὅποι

ἥκιστα μέλλω τοὺς ξυνόντας ἀλγυνεῖν.
480

νεῦσον, πρὸς αὐτοῦ Ζηνὸς ἱκεσίου, τέκνον,

πείσθητι. προσπίτνω προσπίτνῶ σε γόνασι γούνασι, καίπερ ὢν

ἀκράτωρ ὁ τλήμων, χωλός. ἀλλὰ μή μ᾿ ἀφῇς

ἔρημον οὕτω χωρὶς ἀνθρώπων στίβου·

ἀλλ᾽ ἢ πρὸς οἶκον τὸν σὸν ἔκσωσόν μ᾿ ἄγων,
485

ἢ πρὸς τὰ Χαλκώδοντος Εὐβοίας σταθμά σταθμά,

κἀκεῖθεν οὔ μοι μακρὸς εἰς Οἴτην στόλος

Τραχινίαν τε *δεράδα δειράδα καὶ τὸν εὔροον

Σπερχειὸν ἔσται, πατρί μ᾿ ὡς δείξῃς φίλῳ,

ὃν δὴ παλαί᾽ ἂν παλαιὰν πάλαι ἂν πάλαι ἂν ἐξότου δέδοικ᾽ ἐγὼ
490

μή μοι βεβήκῃ βεβήκοι βεβήκῃ. πολλὰ γὰρ τοῖς ἱγμένοις ἱκμένοισ

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ἔστελλον αὐτὸν ἱκεσίους πέμπων λιτάς,

αὐτόστολον πέμψαντά μ᾽ ἐκσῶσαι δόμοις.

ἀλλ᾽ ἢ τέθνηκεν, ἢ τὰ τῶν διακόνων,

ὡς εἰκός, οἶμαι, τοὐμὸν ἐν σμικρῷ μέρος
495

ποιούμενοι τὸν οἴκαδ᾽ ἤπειγον στόλον.

νῦν δ᾽ εἰς σὲ γὰρ γὰρ πομπόν τε καὐτὸν ἄγγελον

ἥκω, σὺ σῶσον, σύ μ᾽ ἐλέησον, εἰσορῶν

ὡς πάντα δεινὰ κἀπικινδύνως βροτοῖς

κεῖται παθεῖν μὲν εὖ, παθεῖν δὲ θἄτερα.
500

χρὴ δ᾽ ἐκτὸς ὄντα πημάτων τὰ δείν ὁρᾶν,

χὤταν τις εὖ ζῇ, τηνικαῦτα τὸν βίον

σκοπεῖν μάλιστα, μὴ διαφθαρεὶς λάθῃ.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΧΟ.
ἀντ.

Οἴκτειρ᾽, ἄναξ· πολλῶν ἔλεξεν ἔλεξε δυσοίστων πόνων

ἆθλ᾽, ὅσσα μηδεὶς τῶν ἐμῶν τύχοι φίλων.
505

εἰ δὲ πικρούς πικρούς, ἄναξ, ἔχθεις ᾿Ατρείδας,

ἐγὼ μέν, τὸ κείνων κακὸν τῷδε κέρδος

μετατιθέμενος μέγα τιθέμενος μετατιθέμενος, ἔνθαπερ ἐπιμέμονεν ἐπεὶ μέμονεν ἐπεὶ μέμηνεν,

ἐπ᾿ εὐστόλου ταχείας νεὼς

πορεύσαιμ᾽ ἂν ἐς δόμους, τὰν * θεῶν τὰν ἐκ θεῶν
510

νέμεσιν ἐκφυγών.

ΝΕ.

ὅρα σὺ μὴ νῦν μέν τις εὐχερὴς παρῇς,

ὅταν δὲ πλησθῇς τῆς νόσου ξυνουσίᾳ,

τότ᾽ τόθ᾽ τότ' οὐκέθ᾽ αὑτὸς οὐκέθ᾽ αὐτὸσ οὐκ᾿ ἔθ᾽ ὡὐτὸσ τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις φανῇς.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΧΟ.

ἥκιστα. τοῦτ᾽ οὐκ ἔσθ᾽ ὅπως ποτ᾽ εἰς ἐμὲ
515

τοὔνειδος ἕξεις ἕξεις ἔξεις ἐνδίκως ὀνειδίσαι.

ΝΕ.

ἀλλ᾽ αἰσχρὰ αισχρὰ μέντοι σοῦ γέ μ᾽ ἐνδεέστερον

ξένῳ φανῆναι πρὸς τὸ καίριον πονεῖν.

ἀλλ᾽, εἰ δοκεῖ, πλέωμεν, ὁρμάσθω ταχύς·

χή ναῦς γὰρ ἄξει κοὐκ ἀπαρνηθήσεται.
520

μόνον θεοὶ σώζοιεν ἔκ *τε ἔκ δέ ἔκ γε ἐκ δὲ τῆσδε γῆς

ἡμᾶς ὅποι τ᾽ ἐνθένδε βουλοίμεσθα πλεῖν.

ΦΙ.

ὦ φίλτατον μὲν ἦμαρ, ἥδιστος ἥδιστος δ᾽ ἀνήρ,

φίλοι δὲ ναῦται, πῶς ἂν ὑμὶν ἐμφανὴς

ἔργῳ γενοίμην, ὥς μ᾽ ἔθεσθε προσφιλῆ.
525

ἴωμεν, ὦ παῖ, * προσκύσαντε προσκύσαντεσ προσκύσοντες τὴν ἔσω

ἄοικον εἰσοίκησιν, ὥς με καὶ μάθῃς

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ἀφ᾽ ὧν διέζων, ὥς τ᾽ ἔφυν εὐκάρδιος.

οἶμαι γὰρ οὐδ᾽ ἂν ὄμμασιν μόνην θέαν

ἄλλον λαβόντα πλὴν ἐμοῦ τλῆναι τάδε·
530

ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἀνάγκῃ προὔμαθον στέργειν κακά τάδε.

ΧΟ.

ἐπίσχετον, μάθωμεν. ἄνδρε γὰρ δύο δύω,

ὁ μὲν νεὼς νεὼ νεὼς σῆς ναυβάτης, ὁ δ᾽ ἀλλόθρους,

χωρεῖτον, ὧν μαθόντες αὖθις αὖτις αὖθις εἴσιτον.

ΕΜΠΟΡΟΣ.

᾿Αχιλλέως παῖ, τόνδε τὸν ξυνέμπορον,
535

ὃς ἦν νεὼς σῆς σὺν δυοῖν ἄλλοιν φύλαξ,

ἐκέλευσ᾽ ἐμοί σε ποῦ κυρῶν εἴης φράσαι,

ἐπείπερ ἀντέκυρσα, δοξάζων μὲν οὔ οὖν,

τύχῃ δέ πως πρὸς ταὐτὸν πρὸσ αὐτὸν πρὸστ αὐτὸν πρὸς ταὐτὸν ὁρμισθεὶς πέδον.

πλέων γάρ, ὡς ναύκληρος, οὐ πολλῷ στόλῳ
540

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ἀπ᾿ ἐξ ᾿Ιλίου πρὸς οἶκον ἐς τὴν εὔβοτρυν

Πεπάρηθον, ὡς ἤκουσα τοὺς ναύτας, ὅτι

σοὶ πάντες εἶεν οἱ νεναυστοληκότες,

ἔδοξέ μοι μὴ σίγα, πρὶν φράσαιμί σοι,

τὸν πλοῦν ποιεῖσθαι ποεῖσθαι ποιεῖσθαι, προστυχόντι τῶν ἴσων τὸν ἴσον τῶν ἴσων.
545

οὐδὲν σύ σύ σύ που κάτοισθα τῶν σαυτοῦ πέρι,

ἃ τοῖσιν ᾿Αργείοισιν ἀμφὶ σοῦ *νέα σ' ούνεκα σούνεκα ἀμφὶς εἴνεκα

βουλεύματ᾽ ἐστί ἔστι ἐστὶ, κοὐ μόνον βουλεύματα,

ἀλλ᾽ ἔργα δρώμεν', οὐκέτ᾽ ἐξαργούμενα.

ΝΕ.

ἀλλ᾽ ἡ χάρις μὲν τῆς προμηθίας, ξένε,
550

εἰ μὴ κακὸς πέφυκα, προσφιλὴς μενεῖ·

φράσον δ᾽ ἅπερ γ᾽ om. γ' ἔλεξας, ὡς μάθω τί μοι

νεώτερον βούλευμ᾽ βούλευμα ἀπ᾿ ᾿Αργείων ἔχεις.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΕΜ.

φροῦδοι διώκοντές σε ναυτικῷ ναυστικῷ στόλῳ

Φοῖνιξ Φοίνιξ Φοῖνιξ ὁ πρέσβυς οἵ τε Θησέως κόροι.
555

ΝΕ.

ὡς ἐκ βίας μ' ἄξοντες ἢ λόγοις πάλιν ;

ΕΜ.

οὐκ οἶδ᾽. ἀκούσας δ᾽ ἄγγελος πάρειμί σοι.

ΝΕ.

ἢ ταῦτα δὴ Φοῖνίξ ἢ ταῦτα δὴ φοῖνιξ τε χοί ξυνναυβάται

οὕτω καθ᾽ ὁρμὴν δρῶσιν ᾿Ατρειδῶν χάριν;

ΕΜ.

ὡς ταῦτ᾽ ἐπίστω δρώμεν, οὐ μέλλοντ᾽ ἔτι,
560

ΝΕ.

πῶς οὖν Ὀδυσσεὺς πρὸς τάδ᾽ οὐκ αὐτάγγελος

πλεῖν ἦν ἑτοῖμος; ἢ φόβος τις εἶργέ εἶργε εἶργε νιν;

ΕΜ.

κεῖνός γ᾽ ἐπ᾿ ἄλλον ἄνδρ᾽ ὁ Τυδέως τε παῖς

ἔστελλον, ἡνίκ᾽ ἐξανηγόμην ἐγώ ἔσω.

ΝΕ.

πρὸς ποῖον ἂν ἀν ἂν τόνδ᾽ αὐτὸς οὐδυσσεὺς ὁ δυσσεὺς οὑδυσσεὺς ὀδυσσεὺς ἔπλει;
565

ΕΜ.

ἦν δή τις-ἀλλὰ τόνδε μοι πρῶτον φράσον

τίς ἐστίν εστιν· ἂν λέγῃς δὲ μὴ φώνει μέγα.

ΝΕ.

ὅδ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ὁ κλεινός σοι Φιλοκτήτης, ξένε.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΕΜ.

μή νύν μὴ νῦν μ᾽ om. ἔρῃ τὰ πλείον, ἀλλ᾽ ὅσον τάχος

ἔκπλει σεαυτὸν ξυλλαβὼν ἐκ τῆσδε γῆς.

ΦΙ.

τί φησιν, ὦ παῖ; τί με κατὰ σκότον ποτὲ

διεμπολᾷ λόγοισι πρός πρό πρός σ᾽ ὁ ναυβάτης;

ΝΕ.

οὐκ οἶδά πω τί φησι· δεῖ δ᾽ αὐτὸν λέγειν
580

εἰς φῶς ὁ λέξει, πρὸς σὲ κἀμὲ τούσδε τε.

ΕΜ.

ὦ σπέρμ᾽ ᾿Αχιλλέως, μή με διαβάλῃς διαβάλληισ διαβάλῃς στρατῷ

λέγονθ᾽ ἃ μὴ δεῖ· πόλλ᾽ ἐγὼ κείνων ὕπο

δρῶν ἀντιπάσχω χρηστά γ', οἱ᾽ ἀνὴρ πένης.

ΝΕ.

ἐγώ εἰμ' ἐγὼ ᾿μ' ἐγώ εἰμ᾿ ἐγὼ μὲν ᾿Ατρείδαις ἀτρείδαις δυσμενής· οὗτος δέ μοι
585

φίλος μέγιστος, οἵνεκ' ᾿Ατρείδας στυγεῖ.

δεῖ δή σ᾽ ἔμοιγ' ἐλθόντα προσφιλῆ λόγον

κρύψαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἡμᾶσ(δε) ἡμᾶς μηδέν᾽ ὧν ἀκήκοας.

ΕΜ.

ὅρα τί ποιεῖς, παῖ.

NE.

σκοπῶ κἀγὼ πάλαι.
590

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΕΜ.

σὲ θήσομαι τῶνδ᾽ αἴτιον.

NE.

ποιοῦ λέγων.

ΕΜ.

λέγω. ἐπὶ τοῦτον ἄνδρε τώδ᾽ ἅπερ κλύεις,

ὁ Τυδέως παῖς ἥ τ᾿ Οδυσσέως βία,

διώμοτοι πλέουσιν ἢ ή ή μὴν ἢ λόγῳ
595

πείσαντες ἄξειν, ἢ πρὸς ἰσχύος κράτος.

καὶ ταῦτ᾽ ᾿Αχαιοὶ πάντες ἤκουον σαφῶς

Οδυσσέως λέγοντος, οὗτος γὰρ πλέον

τὸ θάρσος εἶχε θατέρου, δράσειν τάδε.

ΝΕ.

τίνος δ᾽ ᾿Ατρείδαι τοῦδ᾽ ἄγαν οὕτω χρόνῳ
600

τοσῷδ᾽ τοσῷδ᾽ τοσῷδ᾽ ἐπεστρέφοντο πράγματος χάριν,

ὃν *γ' τ' εἶχον ἤδη χρόνιον ἐκβεβληκότες;

τίς ὁ πόθος αὐτοὺς ἵκετ᾽, ἢ θεῶν βία φθόνος

καὶ νέμεσις, οἵπερ ἔργ᾽ ἀμύνουσιν κακά;

ΕΜ.

ἐγώ σε τοῦτ᾽, ἴσως γὰρ οὐκ ἀκήκοας,
605

πᾶν ἐκδιδάξω. μάντις ἦν τις εὐγενής,

Πριάμου μὲν υἱός, ὄνομα δ᾽ ὠνομάζετο

Ἕλενος, ὃν οὗτος νυκτὸς ἐξελθὼν μόνος

ὁ πάντ᾿ ἀκούων αἰσχρὰ καὶ λωβήτ᾽ λωβὴτ᾿ λωβήτ᾿ ἔπη

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

δόλιος Ὀδυσσεὺς εἶλε· δέσμιόν τ' δ' ἄγων
610

ἔδειξ᾽ ᾿Αχαιοῖς ἐς μέσον, θήραν καλήν·

ὃς δὴ τὰ τ᾿ ἄλλ᾽ αὐτοῖσι πάντ᾽ ἐθέσπισεν ἐθέσπισε

καὶ τἀπὶ Τροίᾳ πέργαμ᾽ ὡς οὐ μή ποτε

πέρσοιεν, εἰ μὴ τόνδε πείσαντες λόγῳ

ἄγοιντο νήσου τῆσδ᾽ ἐφ᾿ ἧς ναίει τὰ νῦν τανῦν.
615

καὶ ταῦθ᾽ ὅπως ἤκουσ᾽ ἤκουσεν ἤκουσ᾽ ὁ Λαέρτου τόκος

τὸν μάντιν εἰπόντ' εἰπόνθ εἰπόντ᾽, εὐθέως ὑπέσχετο

τὸν ἄνδρ᾽ ᾿Αχαιοῖς τόνδε δηλώσειν ἄγων·

οἴοιτο μὲν μάλισθ' μάλιστ' ἑκούσιον λαβών,

εἰ μὴ θέλοι δ᾽, ἄκοντα· καὶ τούτων κάρα
620

τέμνειν ἐφεῖτο τῷ θέλοντι μὴ τυχών.

ἤκουσας, ὦ παῖ, πάντα τὸ σπεύδειν δέ σοι

καὐτῷ παραινῶ κεἴ τινος κήδει κ. ήδει κήδηι κήδη πέρι.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΦΙ.

οἴμοι τάλας. ἢ ή ή κεῖνος, ἡ πᾶσα βλάβη,

ἔμ᾽ εἰς ᾿Αχαιοὺς ὤμοσεν πείσας στελεῖν;
625

πεισθήσομαι γὰρ ὧδε κἀξ "Αιδου θανὼν

πρὸς φῶς ἀνελθεῖν, ὥσπερ οὐκείνου πατήρ.

ΕΜ.

οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ἐγὼ ταῦτ᾽, ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ μὲν εἶμ᾽ ἐπὶ

ναῦν, σφῶν δ᾽ ὅπως ἄριστα συμφέροι θεός.

ΦΙ.

οὔκουν τάδ', ὦ παῖ, δεινά, τὸν Λαερτίου
630

ἔμ᾽ ἐλπίσαι ποτ᾽ ἂν λόγοισι μαλθακοῖς

δεῖξαι νεὼς ἄγοντ᾽ ἄγονθ ἄγοντ᾿ ἐν om. Ἀργείοις μέσοις;

οὔ. οὔ θᾶσσον ἂν τῆς πλεῖστον ἐχθίστης ἐμοὶ

κλύοιμ᾽ ἐχίδνης, ἡ μ᾿ ἔθηκεν ὧδ᾽ ἄπουν.

ἀλλ᾽ ἔστ᾽ ἐκείνῳ πάντα λεκτά, πάντα δὲ
635

τολμητά, καὶ νῦν οἶδ᾽ ὁθούνεχ᾽ ὅθ᾽ οὔνεκ᾽ ὅθ᾽ ὁύνεχ' ἴξεται.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ἀλλ᾽, ὦ τέκνον, χωρῶμεν, ὡς ἡμᾶς πολὺ

πέλαγος * ὁρίζῃ ὁρίζει τῆς ᾿Οδυσσέως νεώς.

ἴωμεν. ἥ τοι καίριος σπουδὴ πόνου

λήξαντος ὕπνον κἀνάπαυλαν ἤγαγεν.
640

ΝΕ.

οὐκοῦν ἐπειδὰν πνεῦμα τοὐκ τοῦ τοὐκ πρώρας ἀνῇ ἄηι ῥάῃ παρῆι ἀγῇ ἄη,

τότε στελοῦμεν· νῦν γὰρ ἀντιοστατεῖ.

ΦΙ.

ἀεὶ καλὸς πλοῦς ἔσθ᾽, ὅταν φεύγῃς κακά.

ΝΕ.

οὔκ· ἀλλὰ κἀκείνοισι ταῦτ᾽ ἐναντία.

ΦΙ.

οὐκ ἔστι λῃσταῖς πνεῦμ᾽ ἐναντιούμενον,
645

ὅταν παρῇ κλέψαι τε κλέψαι τε κλέψαι τε χαρπάσαι βίᾳ.

ΝΕ.

ἀλλ᾽ εἰ δοκεῖ, χωρῶμεν, ἔνδοθεν λαβὼν

ὅτου σε χρεία καὶ πόθος μάλιστ᾽ ἔχει.

ΦΙ.

ἀλλ᾽ ἔστιν ὧν δεῖ, καίπερ οὐ πολλῶν ἄπο.

ΝΕ.

τί τοῦθ᾽ ὁ μὴ νεώς γε τῆς ἐμῆς ἔνι;
650

ΦΙ.

φύλλον τί μοι πάρεστιν, ᾧ μάλιστ᾽ ἀεὶ

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

κοιμῶ τόδ᾽ ἕλκος, ὥστε πραΰνειν πάνυ.

ΝΕ.

ἀλλ᾽ ἔκφερ᾿ αὐτό. τί γὰρ ἔτ᾿ ἄλλ᾽ ἐρᾷς λαβεῖν;

ΦΙ.

εἴ μοί τι τόξων τῶνδ᾽ ἀπημελημένον

παρερρύηκεν, ὡς λίπω μή τῳ λαβεῖν.
655

ΝΕ.

ἢ ταῦτα γὰρ τὰ κλεινὰ τόξ᾽, ἃ τόξα νῦν ἔχεις;

ΦΙ.

ταῦτ᾽, οὐ γὰρ ἄλλα γ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ἀλλ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ἄλλα γ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ἄλλ᾽ ἔσθ' ἀλλ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ἀλλ᾽, ἃ βαστάζω χεροῖν.

ΝΕ.

ἆρ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἆρ᾿ ἔστιν ἔστιν ἔστὶν ὥστε κἀγγύθεν θέαν λαβεῖν,

καὶ βαστάσαι με προσκύσαι θ᾽ ὥσπερ θεόν;

ΦΙ.

σοί γ', ὦ τέκνον, καὶ τοῦτο κἄλλο τῶν ἐμῶν,
660

ὁποῖον ἄν σοι ξυμφέρῃ συμφέρον, γενήσεται.

ΝΕ.

καὶ μὴν ἐρῶ γε· τὸν δ᾽ ἔρωθ᾽ οὕτως ἔχω·

εἴ μοι θέμις, θέλοιμ᾽ ἄν· εἰ δὲ μή, πάρες.

ΦΙ.

ὅσιά τε φωνεῖς ἔστι τ᾽, ὦ τέκνον, θέμις,

ὅς γ'᾽ ἡλίου τόδ᾽ τότ' τόδ' τόγ' εἰσορᾶν ἐμοὶ φάος
665

μόνος δέδωκας, ὃς χθόν᾽ Οἰταίαν ἰδεῖν,

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ὃς πατέρα πρέσβυν, ὃς φίλους, ὃς τῶν ἐμῶν

ἐχθρῶν μ᾽ ἔνερθεν ὄντ᾽ ἀνέστησας πέρα πέραι πέρα.

θάρσει, παρέσται ταῦτά σοι καὶ θιγγάνειν

καὶ δόντι δοῦναι κἀξεπεύξασθαι βροτῶν

ἀρετῆς ἕκατι τῶνδ᾽ ἐπιψαῦσαι μόνον.

εὐεργετῶν γὰρ καὐτὸς αὔτ᾽ ἀντ'? αὔτ᾽ αὐτ' ἐκτησάμην.

[οὐκ ἄχθομαί σ᾿ ἰδών τε καὶ λαβὼν φίλον.
670

ὅστις γὰρ εὖ δρᾶν εὖ παθὼν ἐπίσταται,

παντὸς γένοιτ᾽ ἂν κτήματος κτήμτος κρείσσων φίλος.]

ΝΕ.
χωροῖς ἂν εἴσω.

ΦΙ.
καὶ σε γ᾽ εἰσάξω· τὸ γὰρ·

ΦΙ.

νοσοῦν ποθεῖ σε ξυμπαραστάτην λαβεῖν.

ΧΟ.

στρ. α΄.

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 219-390 focus

Φιλοκτήτης

ἰὼ ξένοι,

τίνες ποτʼ ἐς γῆν τήνδε κἀκ ποίας πάτρας
220

κατέσχετʼ οὔτʼ εὔορμον οὔτʼ οἰκουμένην;

ποίας ἂν ὑμᾶς πατρίδος ἢ γένους ποτὲ

τύχοιμʼ ἂν εἰπών; σχῆμα μὲν γὰρ Ἑλλάδος

στολῆς ὑπάρχει προσφιλεστάτης ἐμοί·

φωνῆς δʼ ἀκοῦσαι βούλομαι· καὶ μή μʼ ὄκνῳ
225

δείσαντες ἐκπλαγῆτʼ ἀπηγριωμένον,

ἀλλʼ οἰκτίσαντες ἄνδρα δύστηνον, μόνον,

ἔρημον ὧδε κἄφιλον κακούμενον,

φωνήσατʼ, εἴπερ ὡς φίλοι προσήκετε.

ἀλλʼ ἀνταμείψασθʼ· οὐ γὰρ εἰκὸς οὔτʼ ἐμὲ
230

ὑμῶν ἁμαρτεῖν τοῦτό γʼ οὔθʼ ὑμᾶς ἐμοῦ.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀλλʼ, ὦ ξένʼ, ἴσθι τοῦτο πρῶτον, οὕνεκα

Ἕλληνές ἐσμεν· τοῦτο γὰρ βούλει μαθεῖν.

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ φίλτατον φώνημα· φεῦ τὸ καὶ λαβεῖν

πρόσφθεγμα τοιοῦδʼ ἀνδρὸς ἐν χρόνῳ μακρῷ.
235

τίς σʼ, ὦ τέκνον, προσέσχε, τίς προσήγαγεν

χρεία; τίς ὁρμή; τίς ἀνέμων ὁ φίλτατος;

γέγωνέ μοι πᾶν τοῦθʼ, ὅπως εἰδῶ τίς εἶ.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἐγὼ γένος μέν εἰμι τῆς περιρρύτου

Σκύρου· πλέω δʼ ἐς οἶκον· αὐδῶμαι δὲ παῖς
240

Ἀχιλλέως, Νεοπτόλεμος. οἶσθα δὴ τὸ πᾶν.

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ φιλτάτου παῖ πατρός, ὦ φίλης χθονός,

ὦ τοῦ γέροντος θρέμμα Λυκομήδους, τίνι

στόλῳ προσέσχες τήνδε γῆν πόθεν πλέων;

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἐξ Ἰλίου τοι δὴ τανῦν γε ναυστολῶ.
245

Φιλοκτήτης

πῶς εἶπας; οὐ γὰρ δὴ σύ γʼ ἦσθα ναυβάτης

ἡμῖν κατʼ ἀρχὴν τοῦ πρὸς Ἴλιον στόλου.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἦ γὰρ μετέσχες καὶ σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ πόνου;

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ τέκνον, οὐ γὰρ οἶσθά μʼ ὅντινʼ εἰσορᾷς;

Νεοπτόλεμος

πῶς γὰρ κάτοιδʼ ὅν γʼ εἶδον οὐδεπώποτε;
250

Φιλοκτήτης

οὐδʼ ὄνομʼ ἄρʼ οὐδὲ τῶν ἐμῶν κακῶν κλέος

ᾔσθου ποτʼ οὐδέν, οἷς ἐγὼ διωλλύμην;

Νεοπτόλεμος

ὡς μηδὲν εἰδότʼ ἴσθι μʼ ὧν ἀνιστορεῖς.

254

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ πόλλʼ ἐγὼ μοχθηρός, ὦ πικρὸς θεοῖς,

οὗ μηδὲ κληδὼν ὧδʼ ἔχοντος οἴκαδε
255

μηδʼ Ἑλλάδος γῆς μηδαμοῦ διῆλθέ που.

ἀλλʼ οἱ μὲν ἐκβαλόντες ἀνοσίως ἐμὲ

γελῶσι σῖγʼ ἔχοντες, ἡ δʼ ἐμὴ νόσος

ἀεὶ τέθηλε κἀπὶ μεῖζον ἔρχεται.

ὦ τέκνον, ὦ παῖ πατρὸς ἐξ Ἀχιλλέως,
260

ὅδʼ εἴμʼ ἐγώ σοι κεῖνος, ὃν κλύεις ἴσως

τῶν Ἡρακλείων ὄντα δεσπότην ὅπλων,

ὁ τοῦ Ποίαντος παῖς Φιλοκτήτης, ὃν οἱ

δισσοὶ στρατηγοὶ χὠ Κεφαλλήνων ἄναξ

ἔρριψαν αἰσχρῶς ὧδʼ ἔρημον, ἀγρίᾳ
265

νόσῳ καταφθίνοντα, τῆς ἀνδροφθόρου

πληγέντʼ ἐχίδνης ἀγρίῳ χαράγματι·

ξὺν ᾗ μʼ ἐκεῖνοι, παῖ, προθέντες ἐνθάδε

ᾤχοντʼ ἔρημον, ἡνίκʼ ἐκ τῆς ποντίας

Χρύσης κατέσχον δεῦρο ναυβάτῃ στόλῳ.
270

τότʼ ἄσμενοί μʼ ὡς εἶδον ἐκ πολλοῦ σάλου

εὕδοντʼ ἐπʼ ἀκτῆς ἐν κατηρεφεῖ πέτρᾳ,

λιπόντες ᾤχονθʼ, οἷα φωτὶ δυσμόρῳ

ῥάκη προθέντες βαιὰ καί τι καὶ βορᾶς

ἐπωφέλημα σμικρόν, οἷʼ αὐτοῖς τύχοι.
275

σὺ δή, τέκνον, ποίαν μʼ ἀνάστασιν δοκεῖς

αὐτῶν βεβώτων ἐξ ὕπνου στῆναι τότε;

ποῖʼ ἐκδακρῦσαι, ποῖʼ ἀποιμῶξαι κακά;

ὁρῶντα μὲν ναῦς, ἃς ἔχων ἐναυστόλουν,

πάσας βεβώσας, ἄνδρα δʼ οὐδένʼ ἔντοπον,
280

οὐχ ὅστις ἀρκέσειεν οὐδʼ ὅστις νόσου

κάμνοντι συλλάβοιτο· πάντα δὲ σκοπῶν

ηὕρισκον οὐδὲν πλὴν ἀνιᾶσθαι παρόν,

τούτου δὲ πολλὴν εὐμάρειαν, ὦ τέκνον.

285

Φιλοκτήτης

ὁ μὲν χρόνος δὴ διὰ χρόνου προύβαινέ μοι,
285

κἄδει τι βαιᾷ τῇδʼ ὑπὸ στέγῃ μόνον

διακονεῖσθαι. γαστρὶ μὲν τὰ σύμφορα

τόξον τόδʼ ἐξηύρισκε, τὰς ὑποπτέρους

βάλλον πελείας· πρὸς δὲ τοῦθʼ, ὅ μοι βάλοι

νευροσπαδὴς ἄτρακτος, αὐτὸς ἂν τάλας
290

εἰλυόμην, δύστηνον ἐξέλκων πόδα,

πρὸς τοῦτʼ ἄν· εἴ τʼ ἔδει τι καὶ ποτὸν λαβεῖν,

καί που πάγου χυθέντος, οἷα χείματι,

ξύλον τι θραῦσαι, ταῦτʼ ἂν ἐξέρπων τάλας

ἐμηχανώμην· εἶτα πῦρ ἂν οὐ παρῆν,
295

ἀλλʼ ἐν πέτροισι πέτρον ἐκτρίβων μόλις

ἔφηνʼ ἄφαντον φῶς, ὃ καὶ σῴζει μʼ ἀεί.

οἰκουμένη γὰρ οὖν στέγη πυρὸς μέτα

πάντʼ ἐκπορίζει πλὴν τὸ μὴ νοσεῖν ἐμέ.

φέρʼ, ὦ τέκνον, νῦν καὶ τὸ τῆς νήσου μάθῃς.
300

ταύτῃ πελάζει ναυβάτης οὐδεὶς ἑκών·

οὐ γάρ τις ὅρμος ἔστιν οὐδʼ ὅποι πλέων

ἐξεμπολήσει κέρδος ἢ ξενώσεται.

οὐκ ἐνθάδʼ οἱ πλοῖ τοῖσι σώφροσιν βροτῶν.

τάχʼ οὖν τις ἄκων ἔσχε· πολλὰ γὰρ τάδε
305

ἐν τῷ μακρῷ γένοιτʼ ἂν ἀνθρώπων χρόνῳ·

οὗτοί μʼ, ὅταν μόλωσιν, ὦ τέκνον, λόγοις

ἐλεοῦσι μέν, καί πού τι καὶ βορᾶς μέρος

προσέδοσαν οἰκτίραντες ἤ τινα στολήν·

ἐκεῖνο δʼ οὐδείς, ἡνίκʼ ἂν μνησθῶ, θέλει,
310

σῶσαί μʼ ἐς οἴκους, ἀλλʼ ἀπόλλυμαι τάλας

ἔτος τόδʼ ἤδη δέκατον ἐν λιμῷ τε καὶ

κακοῖσι βόσκων τὴν ἀδηφάγον νόσον.

τοιαῦτʼ Ἀτρεῖδαί μʼ ἥ τʼ Ὀδυσσέως βία,

ὦ παῖ, δεδράκασʼ, οἷʼ Ὀλύμπιοι θεοὶ
315

δοῖέν ποτʼ αὐτοῖς ἀντίποινʼ ἐμοῦ παθεῖν.

317

Χορός

ἔοικα κἀγὼ τοῖς ἀφιγμένοις ἴσα

ξένοις ἐποικτίρειν σε, Ποίαντος τέκνον.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἐγὼ δὲ καὐτὸς τοῖσδε μάρτυς ἐν λόγοις,

ὡς εἴσʼ ἀληθεῖς οἶδα, συντυχὼν κακῶν
320

ἀνδρῶν Ἀτρειδῶν τῆς τʼ Ὀδυσσέως βίας.

Φιλοκτήτης

ἦ γάρ τι καὶ σὺ τοῖς πανωλέθροις ἔχεις

ἔγκλημʼ Ἀτρείδαις, ὥστε θυμοῦσθαι παθών;

Νεοπτόλεμος

θυμὸν γένοιτο χειρὶ πληρῶσαί ποτε,

ἵνʼ αἱ Μυκῆναι γνοῖεν ἡ Σπάρτη θʼ ὅτι
325

χἠ Σκῦρος ἀνδρῶν ἀλκίμων μήτηρ ἔφυ.

Φιλοκτήτης

εὖ γʼ, ὦ τέκνον· τίνος γὰρ ὧδε τὸν μέγαν

χόλον κατʼ αὐτῶν ἐγκαλῶν ἐλήλυθας;

Νεοπτόλεμος

ὦ παῖ Ποίαντος, ἐξερῶ, μόλις δʼ ἐρῶ,

ἅγωγʼ ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἐξελωβήθην μολών.
330

ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἔσχε μοῖρʼ Ἀχιλλέα θανεῖν,

Φιλοκτήτης

οἴμοι· φράσῃς μοι μὴ πέρα, πρὶν ἂν μάθω

πρῶτον τόδʼ, ἦ τέθνηχʼ ὁ Πηλέως γόνος;

Νεοπτόλεμος

τέθνηκεν, ἀνδρὸς οὐδενός, θεοῦ δʼ ὕπο,

τοξευτός, ὡς λέγουσιν, ἐκ Φοίβου δαμείς.
335

Φιλοκτήτης

ἀλλʼ εὐγενὴς μὲν ὁ κτανών τε χὠ θανών·

ἀμηχανῶ δὲ πότερον, ὦ τέκνον, τὸ σὸν

πάθημʼ ἐλέγχω πρῶτον ἢ κεῖνον στένω.

Νεοπτόλεμος

οἶμαι μὲν ἀρκεῖν σοί γε καὶ τὰ σʼ, ὦ τάλας,

ἀλγήμαθʼ, ὥστε μὴ τὰ τῶν πέλας στένειν.
340

Φιλοκτήτης

ὀρθῶς ἔλεξας· τοιγαροῦν τὸ σὸν φράσον

αὖθις πάλιν μοι πρᾶγμʼ, ὅτῳ σʼ ἐνύβρισαν.

343

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἦλθόν με νηὶ ποικιλοστόλῳ μέτα

δῖός τʼ Ὀδυσσεὺς χὠ τροφεὺς τοὐμοῦ πατρός,

λέγοντες, εἴτʼ ἀληθὲς εἴτʼ ἄρʼ οὖν μάτην,
345

ὡς οὐ θέμις γίγνοιτʼ, ἐπεὶ κατέφθιτο

πατὴρ ἐμός, τὰ πέργαμʼ ἄλλον ἤ μʼ ἑλεῖν.

ταῦτʼ, ὦ ξένʼ, οὕτως ἐννέποντες οὐ πολὺν

χρόνον μʼ ἐπέσχον μή με ναυστολεῖν ταχύ,

μάλιστα μὲν δὴ τοῦ θανόντος ἱμέρῳ,
350

ὅπως ἴδοιμʼ ἄθαπτον· οὐ γὰρ εἰδόμην·

ἔπειτα μέντοι χὠ λόγος καλὸς προσῆν,

εἰ τἀπὶ Τροίᾳ πέργαμʼ αἱρήσοιμʼ ἰών.

ἦν δʼ ἦμαρ ἤδη δεύτερον πλέοντί μοι,

κἀγὼ πικρὸν Σίγειον οὐρίῳ πλάτῃ
355

κατηγόμην· καί μʼ εὐθὺς ἐν κύκλῳ στρατὸς

ἐκβάντα πᾶς ἠσπάζετʼ, ὀμνύντες βλέπειν

τὸν οὐκέτʼ ὄντα ζῶντʼ Ἀχιλλέα πάλιν.

κεῖνος μὲν οὖν ἔκειτʼ· ἐγὼ δʼ ὁ δύσμορος

ἐπεὶ ʼδάκρυσα κεῖνον, οὐ μακρῷ χρόνῳ
360

ἐλθὼν Ἀτρείδας πρὸς φίλους, ὡς εἰκὸς ἦν,

τά θʼ ὅπλʼ ἀπῄτουν τοῦ πατρὸς τά τʼ ἄλλʼ ὅσʼ ἦν.

οἱ δʼ εἶπον, οἴμοι, τλημονέστατον λόγον·

ὦ σπέρμʼ Ἀχιλλέως, τἄλλα μὲν πάρεστί σοι

πατρῷʼ ἑλέσθαι, τῶν δʼ ὅπλων κείνων ἀνὴρ
365

ἄλλος κρατύνει νῦν, ὁ Λαέρτου γόνος.

κἀγὼ δακρύσας εὐθὺς ἐξανίσταμαι

ὀργῇ βαρείᾳ, καὶ καταλγήσας λέγω·

ὦ σχέτλιʼ, ἦ ʼτολμήσατʼ ἀντʼ ἐμοῦ τινι

δοῦναι τὰ τεύχη τἀμά, πρὶν μαθεῖν ἐμοῦ;
370

ὁ δʼ εἶπʼ Ὀδυσσεύς, πλησίον γὰρ ὢν κυρεῖ,

ναί, παῖ, δεδώκασʼ ἐνδίκως οὗτοι τάδε·

ἐγὼ γὰρ αὔτʼ ἔσωσα κἀκεῖνον παρών.

κἀγὼ χολωθεὶς εὐθὺς ἤρασσον κακοῖς

τοῖς πᾶσιν, οὐδὲν ἐνδεὲς ποιούμενος,
375

εἰ τἀμὰ κεῖνος ὅπλʼ ἀφαιρήσοιτό με.

ὁ δʼ ἐνθάδʼ ἥκων, καίπερ οὐ δύσοργος ὤν,

δηχθεὶς πρὸς ἁξήκουσεν ὧδʼ ἠμείψατο·

οὐκ ἦσθʼ ἵνʼ ἡμεῖς, ἀλλʼ ἀπῆσθʼ ἵνʼ οὔ σʼ ἔδει·

καὶ ταῦτʼ, ἐπειδὴ καὶ λέγεις θρασυστομῶν,
380

οὐ μήποτʼ ἐς τὴν Σκῦρον ἐκπλεύσῃς ἔχων.

τοιαῦτʼ ἀκούσας κἀξονειδισθεὶς κακὰ

πλέω πρὸς οἴκους, τῶν ἐμῶν τητώμενος

πρὸς τοῦ κακίστου κἀκ κακῶν Ὀδυσσέως.

κοὐκ αἰτιῶμαι κεῖνον ὡς τοὺς ἐν τέλει·
385

πόλις γάρ ἐστι πᾶσα τῶν ἡγουμένων

στρατός τε σύμπας· οἱ δʼ ἀκοσμοῦντες βροτῶν

διδασκάλων λόγοισι γίγνονται κακοί.

λόγος λέλεκται πᾶς· ὁ δʼ Ἀτρείδας στυγῶν

ἐμοί θʼ ὁμοίως καὶ θεοῖς εἴη φίλος.
390

Χορός

ὀρεστέρα παμβῶτι Γᾶ, μᾶτερ αὐτοῦ Διός,

ἃ τὸν μέγαν Πακτωλὸν εὔχρυσον νέμεις,

σὲ κἀκεῖ, μᾶτερ πότνιʼ, ἐπηυδώμαν,
395

ὅτʼ ἐς τόνδʼ Ἀτρειδᾶν ὕβρις πᾶσʼ ἐχώρει,

ὅτε τὰ πάτρια τεύχεα παρεδίδοσαν,

ἰὼ μάκαιρα ταυροκτόνων
400

λεόντων ἔφεδρε, τῷ Λαρτίου

σέβας ὑπέρτατον.

Φιλοκτήτης

ἔχοντες, ὡς ἔοικε, σύμβολον σαφὲς

λύπης πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὦ ξένοι, πεπλεύκατε,

καί μοι προσᾴδεθʼ ὥστε γιγνώσκειν ὅτι
405

ταῦτʼ ἐξ Ἀτρειδῶν ἔργα κἀξ Ὀδυσσέως.

ἔξοιδα γάρ νιν παντὸς ἂν λόγου κακοῦ

γλώσσῃ θιγόντα καὶ πανουργίας, ἀφʼ ἧς

μηδὲν δίκαιον ἐς τέλος μέλλοι ποεῖν.

ἀλλʼ οὔ τι τοῦτο θαῦμʼ ἔμοιγʼ, ἀλλʼ εἰ παρὼν
410

Αἴας ὁ μείζων ταῦθʼ ὁρῶν ἠνείχετο.

Νεοπτόλεμος

οὐκ ἦν ἔτι ζῶν, ὦ ξένʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε

ζῶντός γʼ ἐκείνου ταῦτʼ ἐσυλήθην ἐγώ.

Φιλοκτήτης

πῶς εἶπας; ἀλλʼ ἦ χοὖτος οἴχεται θανών;

Νεοπτόλεμος

ὡς μηκέτʼ ὄντα κεῖνον ἐν φάει νόει.
415

Φιλοκτήτης

οἴμοι τάλας. ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὁ Τυδέως γόνος

οὐδʼ οὑμπολητὸς Σισύφου Λαερτίῳ,

οὐ μὴ θάνωσι· τούσδε γὰρ μὴ ζῆν ἔδει.

Νεοπτόλεμος

οὐ δῆτʼ· ἐπίστω τοῦτό γʼ· ἀλλὰ καὶ μέγα

θάλλοντές εἰσι νῦν ἐν Ἀργείων στρατῷ.
420

Φιλοκτήτης

τί δʼ; οὐ παλαιὸς κἀγαθὸς φίλος τʼ ἐμός,

Νέστωρ ὁ Πύλιος, ἔστιν; οὗτος γὰρ τά γε

κείνων κάκʼ ἐξήρυκε, βουλεύων σοφά.

Νεοπτόλεμος

κεῖνός γε πράσσει νῦν κακῶς, ἐπεὶ θανὼν

Ἀντίλοχος αὐτῷ φροῦδος, ὃς παρῆν, γόνος.
425

Φιλοκτήτης

οἴμοι, δύʼ αὖ τώδʼ ἄνδρʼ ἔλεξας, οἷν ἐγὼ

ἥκιστʼ ἂν ἠθέλησʼ ὀλωλότοιν κλύειν.

φεῦ φεῦ· τί δῆτα δεῖ σκοπεῖν, ὅθʼ οἵδε μὲν

τεθνᾶσʼ, Ὀδυσσεὺς δʼ ἔστιν αὖ κἀνταῦθʼ ἵνα

χρῆν ἀντὶ τούτων αὐτὸν αὐδᾶσθαι νεκρόν;
430

Νεοπτόλεμος

σοφὸς παλαιστὴς κεῖνος· ἀλλὰ χαἰ σοφαὶ

γνῶμαι, Φιλοκτῆτʼ, ἐμποδίζονται θαμά.

Φιλοκτήτης

φέρʼ εἰπὲ πρὸς θεῶν, ποῦ γὰρ ἦν ἐνταῦθά σοι

Πάτροκλος, ὃς σοῦ πατρὸς ἦν τὰ φίλτατα;

Νεοπτόλεμος

χοὖτος τεθνηκὼς ἦν· λόγῳ δέ σʼ ἐν βραχεῖ
435

τοῦτʼ ἐκδιδάξω· πόλεμος οὐδένʼ ἄνδρʼ ἑκὼν

αἱρεῖ πονηρόν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς χρηστοὺς ἀεί.

Φιλοκτήτης

ξυμμαρτυρῶ σοι· καὶ κατʼ αὐτὸ τοῦτό γε

ἀναξίου μὲν φωτὸς ἐξερήσομαι,

γλώσσῃ δὲ δεινοῦ καὶ σοφοῦ, τί νῦν κυρεῖ.
440

441

Νεοπτόλεμος

ποίου δὲ τούτου πλήν γʼ Ὀδυσσέως ἐρεῖς;

Φιλοκτήτης

οὐ τοῦτον εἶπον, ἀλλὰ Θερσίτης τις ἦν,

ὃς οὐκ ἂν εἵλετʼ εἰσάπαξ εἰπεῖν, ὅπου

μηδεὶς ἐῴη· τοῦτον οἶσθʼ εἰ ζῶν κυρεῖ;

Νεοπτόλεμος

οὐκ εἶδον αὐτόν, ᾐσθόμην δʼ ἔτʼ ὄντα νιν.
445

Φιλοκτήτης

ἔμελλʼ· ἐπεὶ οὐδέν πω κακόν γʼ ἀπώλετο,

ἀλλʼ εὖ περιστέλλουσιν αὐτὰ δαίμονες,

καί πως τὰ μὲν πανοῦργα καὶ παλιντριβῆ

χαίρουσʼ ἀναστρέφοντες ἐξ Ἅιδου, τὰ δὲ

δίκαια καὶ τὰ χρήστʼ ἀποστέλλουσʼ ἀεί.
450

ποῦ χρὴ τίθεσθαι ταῦτα, ποῦ δʼ αἰνεῖν, ὅταν

τὰ θεῖʼ ἐπαινῶν τοὺς θεοὺς εὕρω κακούς;

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἐγὼ μέν, ὦ γένεθλον Οἰταίου πατρός,

τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη τηλόθεν τό τʼ Ἴλιον

καὶ τοὺς Ἀτρείδας εἰσορῶν φυλάξομαι·
455

ὅπου δʼ ὁ χείρων τἀγαθοῦ μεῖζον σθένει

κἀποφθίνει τὰ χρηστὰ χὠ δειλὸς κρατεῖ,

τούτους ἐγὼ τοὺς ἄνδρας οὐ στέρξω ποτέ·

ἀλλʼ ἡ πετραία Σκῦρος ἐξαρκοῦσά μοι

ἔσται τὸ λοιπόν, ὥστε τέρπεσθαι δόμῳ.
460

νῦν δʼ εἶμι πρὸς ναῦν· καὶ σύ, Ποίαντος τέκνον,

χαῖρʼ ὡς μέγιστα, χαῖρε· καί σε δαίμονες

νόσου μεταστήσειαν, ὡς αὐτὸς θέλεις.

ἡμεῖς δʼ ἴωμεν, ὡς ὁπηνίκʼ ἂν θεὸς

πλοῦν ἡμὶν εἴκῃ, τηνικαῦθʼ ὁρμώμεθα.
465

Φιλοκτήτης

ἤδη, τέκνον, στέλλεσθε;

Νεοπτόλεμος

καιρὸς γὰρ καλεῖ

πλοῦν μὴ ʼξ ἀπόπτου μᾶλλον ἢ ʼγγύθεν σκοπεῖν.

468

Φιλοκτήτης

πρός νύν σε πατρὸς πρός τε μητρός, ὦ τέκνον,

πρός τʼ εἴ τί σοι κατʼ οἶκόν ἐστι προσφιλές,

ἱκέτης ἱκνοῦμαι, μὴ λίπῃς μʼ οὕτω μόνον,
470

ἔρημον ἐν κακοῖσι τοῖσδʼ οἵοις ὁρᾷς

ὅσοισί τʼ ἐξήκουσας ἐνναίοντά με·

ἀλλʼ ἐν παρέργῳ θοῦ με. δυσχέρεια μέν,

ἔξοιδα, πολλὴ τοῦδε τοῦ φορήματος·

ὅμως δὲ τλῆθι· τοῖσι γενναίοισί τοι
475

τό τʼ αἰσχρὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ τὸ χρηστὸν εὐκλεές.

σοὶ δʼ ἐκλιπόντι τοῦτʼ ὄνειδος οὐ καλόν,

δράσαντι δʼ, ὦ παῖ, πλεῖστον εὐκλείας γέρας,

ἐὰν μόλω ʼγὼ ζῶν πρὸς Οὐταίαν χθόνα.

ἴθʼ· ἡμέρας τοι μόχθος οὐχ ὅλης μιᾶς.
480

τόλμησον. ἐμβαλοῦ μʼ ὅπῃ θέλεις ἄγων,

εἰς ἀντλίαν, εἰς πρῷραν, εἰς πρύμνην, ὅποι

ἥκιστα μέλλω τοὺς ξυνόντας ἀλγυνεῖν.

νεῦσον, πρὸς αὐτοῦ Ζηνὸς ἱκεσίου, τέκνον,

πείσθητι· προσπίτνω σε γόνασι, καίπερ ὢν
485

ἀκράτωρ ὁ τλήμων, χωλός. ἀλλὰ μή μʼ ἀφῇς

ἔρημον οὕτω χωρὶς ἀνθρώπων στίβου,

ἀλλʼ ἢ πρὸς οἶκον τὸν σὸν ἔκσωσόν μʼ ἄγων

ἢ πρὸς τὰ Χαλκώδοντος Εὐβοίας σταθμά·

κἀκεῖθεν οὔ μοι μακρὸς εἰς Οἴτην στόλος
490

Τραχινίαν τε δειράδʼ ἠδʼ ἐς εὔροον

Σπερχειὸν ἔσται· πατρί μʼ ὡς δείξῃς φίλῳ,

ὃν δὴ παλαιὸν ἐξ ὅτου δέδοικʼ ἐγὼ

μή μοι βεβήκῃ. πολλὰ γὰρ τοῖς ἱγμένοις

ἔστελλον αὐτὸν ἱκεσίους πέμπων λιτάς,
495

αὐτόστολον πέμψαντά μʼ ἐκσῶσαι δόμους.

ἀλλʼ ἢ τέθνηκεν ἢ τὰ τῶν διακόνων,

ὡς εἰκός, οἶμαι, τοὐμὸν ἐν σμικρῷ μέρος

ποιούμενοι τὸν οἴκαδʼ ἤπειγον στόλον.

νῦν δʼ, εἰς σὲ γὰρ πομπόν τε καὐτὸν ἄγγελον
500

ἥκω, σὺ σῶσον, σύ μʼ ἐλέησον, εἰσορῶν

ὡς πάντα δεινὰ κἀπικινδύνως βροτοῖς

κεῖται παθεῖν μὲν εὖ, παθεῖν δὲ θάτερα.

χρὴ δʼ ἐκτὸς ὄντα πημάτων τὰ δείνʼ ὁρᾶν,

χὤταν τις εὖ ζῇ, τηνικαῦτα τὸν βίον
505

σκοπεῖν μάλιστα, μὴ διαφθαρεὶς λάθῃ.

Χορός

οἴκτιρʼ, ἄναξ· πολλῶν ἔλεξεν δυσοίστων πόνων

ἆθλʼ, οἷα μηδεὶς τῶν ἐμῶν τύχοι φίλων.

εἰ δὲ πικρούς, ἄναξ, ἔχθεις Ἀτρείδας,
510

ἐγὼ μέν, τὸ κείνων κακὸν τῷδε κέρδος

μετατιθέμενος, ἔνθαπερ ἐπιμέμονεν,
515

ἐπʼ εὐστόλου ταχείας νεὼς

πορεύσαιμʼ ἂν ἐς δόμους, τὰν θεῶν

νέμεσιν ἐκφυγών.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ὅρα σὺ μὴ νῦν μέν τις εὐχερὴς παρῇς,

ὅταν δὲ πλησθῇς τῆς νόσου ξυνουσίᾳ,
520

τότʼ οὐκέθʼ αὑτὸς τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις φανῇς.

Χορός

ἥκιστα· τοῦτʼ οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως ποτʼ εἰς ἐμὲ

τοὔνειδος ἕξεις ἐνδίκως ὀνειδίσαι.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀλλʼ αἰσχρὰ μέντοι σοῦ γέ μʼ ἐνδεέστερον

ξένῳ φανῆναι πρὸς τὸ καίριον πονεῖν.
525

ἀλλʼ εἰ δοκεῖ, πλέωμεν, ὁρμάσθω ταχύς·

χἠ ναῦς γὰρ ἄξει κοὐκ ἀπαρνηθήσεται.

μόνον θεοὶ σῴζοιεν ἔκ τε τῆσδε γῆς

ἡμᾶς ὅποι τʼ ἐνθένδε βουλοίμεσθα πλεῖν.

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ φίλτατον μὲν ἦμαρ, ἥδιστος δʼ ἀνήρ,
530

φίλοι δὲ ναῦται, πῶς ἂν ὑμὶν ἐμφανὴς

ἔργῳ γενοίμην, ὥς μʼ ἔθεσθε προσφιλῆ;

ἴωμεν, ὦ παῖ, προσκύσαντε τὴν ἔσω

ἄοικον εἰσοίκησιν, ὥς με καὶ μάθῃς

ἀφʼ ὧν διέζων ὥς τʼ ἔφυν εὐκάρδιος.
535

οἶμαι γὰρ οὐδʼ ἂν ὄμμασιν μόνην θέαν

ἄλλον λαβόντα πλὴν ἐμοῦ τλῆναι τάδε·

ἐγὼ δʼ ἀνάγκῃ προύμαθον στέργειν κακά.

Χορός

ἐπίσχετον, μάθωμεν· ἄνδρε γὰρ δύο,

ὁ μὲν νεὼς σῆς ναυβάτης, ὁ δʼ ἀλλόθρους,
540

χωρεῖτον, ὧν μαθόντες αὖθις εἴσιτον.

Ἔμπορος

Ἀχιλλέως παῖ, τόνδε τὸν ξυνέμπορον,

ὃς ἦν νεὼς σῆς σὺν δυοῖν ἄλλοιν φύλαξ,

ἐκέλευσʼ ἐμοί σε ποῦ κυρῶν εἴης φράσαι,

ἐπείπερ ἀντέκυρσα, δοξάζων μὲν οὔ,
545

τύχῃ δέ πως πρὸς ταὐτὸν ὁρμισθεὶς πέδον.

πλέων γὰρ ὡς ναύκληρος οὐ πολλῷ στόλῳ

ἀπʼ Ἰλίου πρὸς οἶκον ἐς τὴν εὔβοτρυν

Πεπάρηθον, ὡς ἤκουσα τοὺς ναύτας ὅτι

σοὶ πάντες εἶεν συννεναυστοληκότες,
550

ἔδοξέ μοι μὴ σῖγα, πρὶν φράσαιμί σοι,

τὸν πλοῦν ποεῖσθαι, προστυχόντι τῶν ἴσων.

οὐδὲν σύ που κάτοισθα τῶν σαυτοῦ πέρι,

ἃ τοῖσιν Ἀργείοισιν ἀμφὶ σοῦ νέα

βουλεύματʼ ἐστί, κοὐ μόνον βουλεύματα,
555

ἀλλʼ ἔργα δρώμενʼ, οὐκέτʼ ἐξαργούμενα.

557

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀλλʼ ἡ χάρις μὲν τῆς προμηθίας, ξένε,

εἰ μὴ κακὸς πέφυκα, προσφιλὴς μενεῖ·

φράσον δʼ ἅπερ, γʼ ἔλεξας, ὡς μάθω τί μοι

νεώτερον, βούλευμʼ ἀπʼ Ἀργείων ἔχεις.
560

Ἔμπορος

φροῦδοι διώκοντές σε ναυτικῷ στόλῳ

Φοῖνιξ ὁ πρέσβυς οἵ τε Θησέως κόροι.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ὡς ἐκ βίας μʼ ἄξοντες ἢ λόγοις πάλιν;

Ἔμπορος

οὐκ οἶδʼ· ἀκούσας δʼ ἄγγελος πάρειμί σοι.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἦ ταῦτα δὴ Φοῖνίξ τε χοἰ ξυνναυβάται
565

οὕτω καθʼ ὁρμὴν δρῶσιν Ἀτρειδῶν χάριν;

Ἔμπορος

ὡς ταῦτʼ ἐπίστω δρώμενʼ, οὐ μέλλοντʼ ἔτι.

Νεοπτόλεμος

πῶς οὖν Ὀδυσσεὺς πρὸς τάδʼ οὐκ αὐτάγγελος

πλεῖν ἦν ἕτοιμος; ἢ φόβος τις εἶργέ νιν;

Ἔμπορος

κεῖνός γʼ ἐπʼ ἄλλον ἄνδρʼ ὁ Τυδέως τε παῖς
570

ἔστελλον, ἡνίκʼ ἐξανηγόμην ἐγώ.

Νεοπτόλεμος

πρὸς ποῖον αὖ τόνδʼ αὐτὸς Οὑδυσσεὺς ἔπλει;

Ἔμπορος

ἦν δή τις—ἀλλὰ τόνδε μοι πρῶτον φράσον

τίς ἐστίν· ἃν λέγῃς δὲ μὴ φώνει μέγα.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ὅδʼ ἔσθʼ ὁ κλεινός σοι Φιλοκτήτης, ξένε.
575

Ἔμπορος

μή νύν μʼ ἔρῃ τὰ πλείονʼ, ἀλλʼ ὅσον τάχος

ἔκπλει σεαυτὸν ξυλλαβὼν ἐκ τῆσδε γῆς.

Φιλοκτήτης

τί φησιν, ὦ παῖ; τί με κατὰ σκότον ποτὲ

διεμπολᾷ λόγοισι πρός σʼ ὁ ναυβάτης;

Νεοπτόλεμος

οὐκ οἶδά πω τί φησι· δεῖ δʼ αὐτὸν λέγειν
580

εἰς φῶς ὃ λέξει, πρὸς σὲ κἀμὲ τούσδε τε.

Ἔμπορος

ὦ σπέρμʼ Ἀχιλλέως, μή με διαβάλῃς στρατῷ

λέγονθʼ ἃ μὴ δεῖ· πόλλʼ ἐγὼ κείνων ὕπο

δρῶν ἀντιπάσχω χρηστά θʼ, οἷʼ ἀνὴρ πένης.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἐγώ εἰμʼ Ἀτρείδαις δυσμενής· οὗτος δέ μοι
585

φίλος μέγιστος, οὕνεκʼ Ἀτρείδας στυγεῖ.

δεῖ δή σʼ ἔμοιγʼ ἐλθόντα προσφιλῆ, λόγων

κρύψαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς μηδένʼ ὧν ἀκήκοας.

Ἔμπορος

ὅρα τί ποιεῖς, παῖ.

Νεοπτόλεμος

σκοπῶ κἀγὼ πάλαι.

Ἔμπορος

σὲ θήσομαι τῶνδʼ αἴτιον.
590

Νεοπτόλεμος

ποιοῦ λέγων.

591

Ἔμπορος

λέγω. ʼπὶ τοῦτον ἄνδρε τώδʼ ὥπερ κλύεις,

ὁ Τυδέως παῖς ἥ τʼ Ὀδυσσέως βία,

διώμοτοι πλέουσιν ἦ μὴν ἢ λόγῳ

πείσαντες ἄξειν ἢ πρὸς ἰσχύος κράτος.

καὶ ταῦτʼ Ἀχαιοὶ πάντες ἤκουον σαφῶς
595

Ὀδυσσέως λέγοντος· οὗτος γὰρ πλέον

τὸ θάρσος εἶχε θατέρου δράσειν τάδε.

Νεοπτόλεμος

τίνος δʼ Ἀτρεῖδαι τοῦδʼ ἄγαν οὕτω χρόνῳ

τοσῷδʼ ἐπεστρέφοντο πράγματος χάριν,

ὅν γʼ εἶχον ἤδη χρόνιον ἐκβεβληκότες;
600

τίς ὁ πόθος αὐτοὺς ἵκετʼ; ἢ θεῶν βία

καὶ νέμεσις, οἵπερ ἔργʼ ἀμύνουσιν κακά;

Ἔμπορος

ἐγώ σε τοῦτʼ, ἴσως γὰρ οὐκ ἀκήκοας,

πᾶν ἐκδιδάξω. μάντις ἦν τις εὐγενής,

Πριάμου μὲν υἱός, ὄνομα δʼ ὠνομάζετο
605

Ἕλενος, ὃν οὗτος νυκτὸς ἐξελθὼν μόνος,

ὁ πάντʼ ἀκούων αἰσχρὰ καὶ λωβήτʼ ἔπη

δόλιος Ὀδυσσεὺς εἷλε· δέσμιόν τʼ ἄγων

ἔδειξʼ Ἀχαιοῖς ἐς μέσον, θήραν καλήν·

ὃς δὴ τά τʼ ἄλλʼ αὐτοῖσι πάντʼ ἐθέσπισεν
610

καὶ τἀπὶ Τροίᾳ πέργαμʼ ὡς οὐ μή ποτε

πέρσοιεν, εἰ μὴ τόνδε πείσαντες λόγῳ

ἄγοιντο νήσου τῆσδʼ ἐφʼ ἧς ναίει τανῦν.

καὶ ταῦθʼ ὅπως ἤκουσʼ ὁ Λαέρτου τόκος

τὸν μάντιν εἰπόντʼ, εὐθέως ὑπέσχετο
615

τὸν ἄνδρʼ Ἀχαιοῖς τόνδε δηλώσειν ἄγων·

οἴοιτο μὲν μάλισθʼ ἑκούσιον λαβών,

εἰ μὴ θέλοι δʼ, ἄκοντα· καὶ τούτων κάρα

τέμνειν ἐφεῖτο τῷ θέλοντι μὴ τυχών.

ἤκουσας, ὦ παῖ, πάντα· τὸ σπεύδειν δέ σοι
620

καὐτῷ παραινῶ κεἴ τινος κήδει πέρι.

Φιλοκτήτης

οἴμοι τάλας· ἦ κεῖνος, ἡ πᾶσα βλάβη,

ἔμʼ εἰς Ἀχαιοὺς ὤμοσεν πείσας στελεῖν;

πεισθήσομαι γὰρ ὧδε κἀξ Ἅιδου θανὼν

πρὸς φῶς ἀνελθεῖν, ὥσπερ οὑκείνου πατήρ.
625

Ἔμπορος

οὐκ οἶδʼ ἐγὼ ταῦτʼ· ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ μὲν εἶμʼ ἐπὶ

ναῦν, σφῷν δʼ ὅπως ἄριστα συμφέροι θεός.

628

Φιλοκτήτης

οὔκουν τάδʼ, ὦ παῖ, δεινά, τὸν Λαερτίου

ἔμʼ ἐλπίσαι ποτʼ ἂν λόγοισι μαλθακοῖς

δεῖξαι νεὼς ἄγοντʼ ἐν Ἀργείοις μέσοις;
630

οὔ· θᾶσσον ἂν τῆς πλεῖστον ἐχθίστης ἐμοὶ

κλύοιμʼ ἐχίδνης, ἥ μʼ ἔθηκεν ὧδʼ ἄπουν.

ἀλλʼ ἔστʼ ἐκείνῳ πάντα λεκτά, πάντα δὲ

τολμητά· καὶ νῦν οἶδʼ ὁθούνεχʼ ἵξεται.

ἀλλʼ, ὦ τέκνον, χωρῶμεν, ὡς ἡμᾶς πολὺ
635

πέλαγος ὁρίζῃ τῆς Ὀδυσσέως νεώς.

ἴωμεν· ἥ τοι καίριος σπουδὴ πόνου

λήξαντος ὕπνον κἀνάπαυλαν ἤγαγεν.

Νεοπτόλεμος

οὐκοῦν ἐπειδὰν πνεῦμα τοὐκ πρῴρας ἀνῇ,

τότε στελοῦμεν· νῦν γὰρ ἀντιοστατεῖ.
640

Φιλοκτήτης

ἀεὶ καλὸς πλοῦς ἔσθʼ, ὅταν φεύγῃς κακά.

Νεοπτόλεμος

οὔκ, ἀλλὰ κἀκείνοισι ταῦτʼ ἐναντία.

Φιλοκτήτης

οὐκ ἔστι λῃσταῖς πνεῦμʼ ἐναντιούμενον,

ὅταν παρῇ κλέψαι τι χἀρπάσαι βίᾳ.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀλλʼ εἰ δοκεῖ, χωρῶμεν, ἔνδοθεν λαβὼν
645

ὅτου σε χρεία καὶ πόθος μάλιστʼ ἔχει.

Φιλοκτήτης

ἀλλʼ ἔστιν ὧν δεῖ, καίπερ οὐ πολλῶν ἄπο.

Νεοπτόλεμος

τί τοῦθʼ ὃ μὴ νεώς γε τῆς ἐμῆς ἔπι;

Φιλοκτήτης

φύλλον τί μοι πάρεστιν, ᾧ μάλιστʼ ἀεὶ

κοιμῶ τόδʼ ἕλκος, ὥστε πραΰνειν πάνυ.
650

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀλλʼ ἔκφερʼ αὐτό. τί γὰρ ἔτʼ ἄλλʼ ἐρᾷς λαβεῖν;

Φιλοκτήτης

εἴ μοί τι τόξων τῶνδʼ ἀπημελημένον

παρερρύηκεν, ὡς λίπω μή τῳ λαβεῖν.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἦ ταῦτα γὰρ τὰ κλεινὰ τόξʼ ἃ νῦν ἔχεις;

Φιλοκτήτης

ταῦτʼ, οὐ γὰρ ἄλλʼ ἔστʼ, ἀλλʼ ἃ βαστάζω χεροῖν.
655

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἆρʼ ἔστιν ὥστε κἀγγύθεν θέαν λαβεῖν

καὶ βαστάσαι με προσκύσαι θʼ ὥσπερ θεόν;

Φιλοκτήτης

σοί γʼ, ὦ τέκνον, καὶ τοῦτο κἄλλο τῶν ἐμῶν

ὁποῖον ἄν σοι ξυμφέρῃ γενήσεται.

Νεοπτόλεμος

καὶ μὴν ἐρῶ γε, τὸν δʼ ἔρωθʼ οὕτως ἔχω·
660

εἴ μοι θέμις, θέλοιμʼ ἄν· εἰ δὲ μή, πάρες.

Φιλοκτήτης

ὅσιά τε φωνεῖς ἔστι τʼ, ὦ τέκνον, θέμις,

ὅς γʼ ἡλίου τόδʼ εἰσορᾶν ἐμοὶ φάος

μόνος δέδωκας, ὃς χθόνʼ Οἰταίαν ἰδεῖν,

ὃς πατέρα πρέσβυν, ὃς φίλους, ὃς τῶν ἐμῶν
665

ἐχθρῶν μʼ ἔνερθεν ὄντʼ ἀνέστησας πέρα.

θάρσει, παρέσται ταῦτά σοι καὶ θιγγάνειν

καὶ δόντι δοῦναι κἀξεπεύξασθαι βροτῶν

ἀρετῆς ἕκατι τῶνδʼ ἐπιψαῦσαι μόνον·

εὐεργετῶν γὰρ καὐτὸς αὔτʼ ἐκτησάμην.
670

Νεοπτόλεμος

οὐκ ἄχθομαί σʼ ἰδών τε καὶ λαβὼν φίλον·

ὅστις γὰρ εὖ δρᾶν εὖ παθὼν ἐπίσταται,

παντὸς γένοιτʼ ἂν κτήματος κρείσσων φίλος. χωροῖς ἂν εἴσω.

Φιλοκτήτης

καὶ σέ γʼ εἰσάξω· τὸ γὰρ

νοσοῦν ποθεῖ σε ξυμπαραστάτην λαβεῖν.
675

Translations (5)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 219 focus

Ho!

What men are ye that to this desert shore,
220

Harbourless, uninhabited, are come

On shipboard? Of what country or what race

Shall I pronounce ye? For your outward garb

Is Grecian, ever dearest to this heart

That hungers now to hear your voices’ tune.
225

Ah! do not fear me, do not shrink away

From my wild looks: but, pitying one so poor,

Forlorn and desolate in nameless woe,

Speak, if with friendly purpose ye are come.

Oh answer! ’Tis not meet that I should lose
230

This kindness from your lips, or ye from mine.

NEO

Then know this first, O stranger, as thou wouldest,

That we are Greeks.

PHI

O dear, dear name! Ah me!

In all these years, once, only once, I hear it!
235

My son, what fairest gale hath wafted thee?

What need hath brought thee to the shore? What mission?

Declare all this, that I may know thee well.

NEO

The sea-girt Scyros is my native home.

Thitherward I make voyage:—Achilles’ son,
240

Named Neoptolemus.—I have told thee all.

PHI

Dear is that shore to me, dear is thy father

O ancient Lycomedes’ foster-child,

Whence cam’st thou hither? How didst thou set forth?

NEO

From Troy we made our course in sailing hither.
245

PHI

How? Sure thou wast not with us, when at first

We launched our vessels on the Troyward way?

NEO

Hadst thou a share in that adventurous toil?

PHI

And know’st thou not whom thou behold’st in me,

Young boy?

NEO

How should I know him whom I ne’er
250

Set eye on?
250

PHI

Hast not even heard my name,

Nor echoing rumour of my ruinous woe?

NEO

Nay, I know nought of all thy questioning.

PHI

How full of griefs am I, how Heaven-abhorred,

When of my piteous state no faintest sound

Hath reached my home, or any Grecian land!

But they, who pitilessly cast me forth,

Keep silence and are glad, while this my plague

Blooms ever, and is strengthened more and more.

Boy, great Achilles’ offspring, in this form

Thou seest the man, of whom, methinks, erewhile

Thou hast been told, to whom the Hercúlean bow

Descended, Philoctetes, Poeas’ son;

Whom the two generals and the Ithacan king

Cast out thus shamefully forlorn, afflicted

With the fierce malady and desperate wound

Made by the cruel basilisk’s murderous tooth.

With this for company they left me, child!

Exposed upon this shore, deserted, lone.

From seaward Chrysa came they with their fleet

And touched at Lemnos. I had fallen to rest

From the long tossing, in a shadowy cave

On yonder cliff by the shore. Gladly they saw,

And left me, having set forth for my need,

Poor man, some scanty rags, and a thin store
255

Of provender. Such food be theirs, I pray!
255

Imagine, O my son, when they were gone,
255

What wakening, what arising, then was mine;
255

What weeping, what lamenting of my woe!
255

When I beheld the ships, wherewith I sailed,
255

Gone, one and all! and no man in the place,
255

None to bestead me, none to comfort me
255

In my sore sickness. And where’er I looked,
255

Nought but distress was present with me still.
255

No lack of that, for one thing!—Ah! my son,
255

Time passed, and there I found myself alone
255

Within my narrow lodging, forced to serve
255

Each pressing need. For body’s sustenance
255

This bow supplied me with sufficient store,
255

Wounding the feathered doves, and when the shaft,
255

From the tight string, had struck, myself, ay me!
255

Dragging this foot, would crawl to my swift prey.
255

Then water must be fetched, and in sharp frost
255

Wood must be found and broken,—all by me.
255

Nor would fire come unbidden, but with flint
255

From flints striking dim sparks, I hammered forth

The struggling flame that keeps the life in me.

For houseroom with the single help of fire

Gives all I need, save healing for my sore.

Now learn, my son, the nature of this isle.

No mariner puts in here willingly.

For it hath neither moorage, nor sea-port,

For traffic or kind shelter or good cheer.

Not hitherward do prudent men make voyage.

Perchance one may have touched against his will.

Many strange things may happen in long time.

These, when they come, in words have pitied me,

And given me food, or raiment, in compassion.

But none is willing, when I speak thereof,

To take me safely home. Wherefore I pine

Now this tenth year, in famine and distress,

Feeding the hunger of my ravenous plague.

Such deeds, my son, the Atridae, and the might

Of sage Odysseus, have performed on me.

Wherefore may all the Olympian gods, one day,

Plague them with stern requital for my wrong!

CH

Methinks my feeling for thee, Poeas’ child,

Is like that of thy former visitants.

NEO

I, too, a witness to confirm his words,

Know them for verities, since I have found
320

The Atridae and Odysseus evil men.

PHI

Art thou, too, wroth with the all-pestilent sons

Of Atreus? Have they given thee cause to grieve?

NEO

Would that my hand might ease the wrath I feel!

Then Sparta and Mycenae should be ware
325

That Scyros too breeds valiant sons for war.

PHI

Brave youth! I love thee. Tell me the great cause

Why thou inveighest against them with such heat?

NEO

O son of Poeas, hardly shall I tell

What outrage I endured when I had come;

Yet I will speak it. When the fate of death
330

O’ertook Achilles—

PHI

Out, alas! no more!

Hold, till thou first hast made me clearly know,

Is Peleus’ offspring dead?

NEO

Alas! he is,

Slain by no mortal, felled by Phoebus’ shaft:

So men reported—
335

PHI

Well, right princely was he!

And princely is he who slew him. Shall I mourn

Him first, or wait till I have heard thy tale?

NEO

Methinks thou hast thyself enough to mourn,

Without the burden of another’s woe.
340

PHI

Well spoken. Then renew thine own complaint,

And tell once more wherein they insulted thee.

NEO

There came to fetch me, in a gallant ship,

Odysseus and the fosterer of my sire,

Saying, whether soothly, or in idle show,

That, since my father perished, it was known

None else but I should take Troy’s citadel.

Such words from them, my friend, thou may’st believe,

Held me not long from making voyage with speed,

Chiefly through longing for my father’s corse,

To see him yet unburied,—for I ne’er

Had seen him. Then, besides, ’twas a fair cause,

If, by my going, I should vanquish Troy.

One day I had sailed, and on the second came

To sad Sigeum with wind-favoured speed,

When straightway all the host, surrounding me

As I set foot on shore, saluted me,

And swore the dead Achilles was in life,

Their eyes being witness, when they looked on me.

He lay there in his shroud: but I, unhappy,

Soon ending lamentation for the dead,

Went near to those Atridae, as to friends,

To obtain my father’s armour and all else

That had been his. And then,—alas the while,

That men should be so hard!—they spake this word:

‘Seed of Achilles, thou may’st freely take

All else thy father owned, but for those arms,

Another wields them now, Laërtes’ son.’

Tears rushed into mine eyes, and in hot wrath

I straightway rose, and bitterly outspake:

‘O miscreant! What? And have ye dared to give

Mine arms to some man else, unknown to me?’

Then said Odysseus, for he chanced to be near,

‘Yea, child, and justly have they given me these.
345

I saved them and their master in the field.’
345

Then in fierce anger all at once I launched
345

All terms of execration at his head,
345

Bating no word, being maddened by the thought
345

That I should lose this heirloom,—and to him!
345

He, at this pass, though not of wrathful mood,
345

Stung by such utterance, made rejoinder thus:
345

‘Thou wast not with us here, but wrongfully
345

Didst bide afar. And, since thou mak’st so bold,
345

I tell thee, never shalt thou, as thou sayest,
345

Sail with these arms to Scyros.’—Thus reviled,
345

With such an evil echo in mine ear,
345

I voyage homeward, robbed of mine own right
345

By that vile offset of an evil tree.
345

Yet less I blame him than the men in power.
345

For every multitude, be it army or state,

Takes tone from those who rule it, and all taint

Of disobedience from bad counsel springs.

I have spoken. May the Atridae’s enemy

Be dear to Heaven, as he is loved by me!

Mother of mightiest Zeus,

Feeder of all that live,

Who from thy mountainous breast

Rivers of gold dost give!

To thee, O Earth, I cried that shameful day,

When insolence from Atreus’ sons went forth

Full on our lord: when they bestowed away

His father’s arms to crown Odysseus’ worth;

Thou, whom bull-slaughtering lions yoked bear,

O mighty mother, hear!

PHI

Your coming is commended by a grief

That makes you kindly welcome. For I feel

A chord that vibrates to your voice, and tells,
400

Thus have Odysseus and the Atridae wrought.

Full well I know, Odysseus’ poisoned tongue

Shrinks from no mischief nor no guileful word

That leads to bad achievement in the end.

This moves not my main marvel, but if one

Saw this and bore it,—Aias of the shield.
405

NEO

Ah, friend, he was no more. Had he but lived,

This robbery had ne’er been wrought on me.

PHI

What? Is he too departed?
410

NEO

He is dead.

The light no more beholds him.

PHI

Oh! alas!

But Tydeus’ offspring, and the rascal birth

Laërtes bought of Sisyphus, they live:

I know it. For their death were to be wished.

NEO

Yea, be assured, they live and flourish high
415

Exalted in the host of Argive men.

PHI

And Nestor, my old friend, good aged man,

Is he yet living? Oft he would prevent

Their evils, by the wisdom of his thought.

NEO

He too is now in trouble, having lost
420

Antilochus, the comfort of his age.

PHI

There, there! In one brief word thou hast revealed

The mournful case of twain, whom I would last

Have chosen to hear of as undone. Ah me!

Where must one look? when these are dead, and he,

Odysseus, lives,—and in a time like this,
425

That craves their presence, and his death for theirs.

NEO

He wrestles cleverly; but, O my friend,

Even ablest wits are ofttimes snared at last.

PHI

Tell me, I pray, what was become of him,

Patroclus, whom thy father loved so well?
430

NEO

He, too, was gone. I’ll teach thee in a word

One truth for all. War doth not willingly

Snatch off the wicked, but still takes the good.

PHI

True! and to prove thy saying, I will inquire

The fate of a poor dastard, of mean worth,
435

But ever shrewd and nimble with his tongue.

NEO

Whom but Odysseus canst thou mean by this?

PHI

I meant not him. But there was one Thersites,

Who ne’er made conscience to stint speech, where all

Cried ‘Silence!’ Is he living, dost thou know?
440

NEO

I saw him not, but knew he was alive.

PHI

He must be: for no evil yet was crushed.

The Heavens will ever shield it. ’Tis their sport

To turn back all things rancorous and malign

From going down to the grave, and send instead
445

The good and true. Oh, how shall we commend

Such dealings, how defend them? When I praise

Things god-like, I find evil in the Gods.

NEO

I, O thou child of a Trachinian sire,

Henceforth will take good care, from far away

To look on Troy and Atreus’ children twain.

Yea, where the trickster lords it o’er the just,
450

And goodness languishes and rascals rule,
450

—Such courses I will nevermore endure.

But rock-bound Scyros henceforth shall suffice

To yield me full contentment in my home.

Now, to my vessel! And thou, Poeas’ child,

Farewell, right heartily farewell! May Heaven

Grant thy desire, and rid thee of thy plague!

Let us be going, that when God shall give

Fair voyage, that moment we may launch away.

PHI

My son, are ye now setting forth?

NEO

Our time

Bids us go near and look to sail erelong.

PHI

Now, by thy father, by thy mother,—nay,
465

By all thy love e’er cherished in thy home,
465

Suppliant I beg thee, leave me not thus lone,
465

Forlorn in all my misery which thou seest,
465

In all thou hast heard of here surrounding me!

Stow me with other freightage. Full of care,

I know, and burdensome the charge may prove.

Yet venture! Surely to the noble mind

All shame is hateful and all kindness blest.

And shame would be thy meed, didst thou fail here

But, doing this, thou shalt have glorious fame,

When I return alive to Oeta’s vale.

Come, ’tis the labour not of one whole day.

So thou durst take me, fling me where thou wilt

O’ the ship, in hold, prow, stern, or wheresoe’er

I least may trouble those on board with me.

Ah! by great Zeus, the suppliant’s friend, comply,

My son, be softened! See, where I am fall’n

Thus on my knees before thee, though so weak,
470

Crippled and powerless. Ah! forsake me not
470

Thus far from human footstep. Take me, take me!
470

If only to thy home, or to the town
470

Of old Chalcodon in Euboea.—From thence

I have not far to Oeta, and the ridge

Of Trachis, and Spercheius’ lordly flood.

So thou shalt bless my father with my sight.

And yet long since I fear he may be gone.

For oft I sent him suppliant prayers by men

Who touched this isle, entreating him to fetch

And bear me safely home with his own crew.

But either he is dead, or else, methinks,

It well may be, my messengers made light

Of my concerns, and hastened onward home.

But now in thee I find both messenger

And convoy, thou wilt pity me and save.

For, well thou knowest, danger never sleeps,

And fear of dark reverse is always nigh.
475

Mortals, when free, should look where mischief lurks,
475

And in their happiest hour consider well
475

Their life, lest ruin unsuspected come.
475

Pity him, O my king!

Many a crushing woe

He telleth, such as I pray

None of my friends may know.

And if, dear master, thou mislikest sore

Yon cruel-hearted lordly pair, I would,

Turning their plan of evil to his good,

On swift ship bear him to his native shore,

Meeting his heart’s desire; and free thy path

From fear of heavenly wrath.

NEO

Thou mak’st small scruple here; but be advised:

Lest, when this plague on board shall weary thee,

Thy voice should alter from this liberal tone.

CH

No, truly! Fear not thou shalt ever have

Just cause to utter such reproach on me.

NEO

Then sure ’twere shame, should I more backward prove

Than thou, to labour for the stranger’s need.

Come, if thou wilt, let us make voyage, and he,

Let him set forth with speed. Our ship shall take him.
520

He shall not be refused. Only may Heaven

Lead safely hence and to our destined port!

PHI

O morning full of brightness! Kindest friend,

Sweet mariners, how can I make you feel,

In act, how dearly from my heart I love you!

Ye have won my soul. Let us be gone, my son,—

First having said farewell to this poor cave,
525

My homeless dwelling-place, that thou may’st know,
525

How barely I have lived, how firm my heart!

Methinks another could not have endured

The very sight of what I bore. But I

Through strong necessity have conquered pain.

CH

Stay: let us understand. There come two men

A stranger, with a shipmate of thy crew.

When ye have heard them, ye may then go in.

MERCHANTMAN
Enter Messenger , disguised as a merchantman.

Son of Achilles, my companion here,
535

Who with two more remained to guard thy ship,
535

Agreed to help me find thee where thou wert,
535

Since unexpectedly, through fortune’s will,

I meet thee, mooring by the self-same shore.

For like a merchantman, with no great sail,

Making my course from Ilion to my home,

Grape-clustered Peparethos, when I heard

The mariners declare that one and all

Were of thy crew, I would not launch again,

Without a word, till we had told our news.—

Methinks thou knowest nought of thine own case,

What new devices of the Argive chiefs

Surround thee; nor devices only now,
540

But active deeds, no longer unperformed.
540

NEO

Well, stranger, for the kindness thou hast shown,—
550

Else were I base,—my heart must thank thee still.

But tell me what thou meanest, that I may learn

What new-laid plot thou bring’st me from the camp.

MER

Old Phoenix, Acamas and Demophon

Are gone in thy pursuit with ships and men.
555

NEO

To bring me back with reasons or perforce?

MER

I know not. What I heard, I am here to tell.

NEO

How? And is this in act? Are they set forth

To please the Atridae, Phoenix and the rest?

MER

The thing is not to do, but doing now.
560

NEO

What kept Odysseus back, if this be so,

From going himself? Had he some cause for fear?

MER

He and the son of Tydeus, when our ship

Hoist sail, were gone to fetch another man.

NEO

For whom could he himself be sailing forth?
565

MER

For some one,—but first tell me, whispering low

Whate’er thou speakest,—who is this I see?

NEO

().

This, sir, is Philoctetes the renowned.

MER

().

Without more question, snatch thyself away

And sail forth from this land.

PHI

What saith he, boy?

Through what dark traffic is the mariner

Betraying me with whispering in thine ear?

NEO

I have not caught it, but whate’er he speaks
580

He must speak openly to us and thee.

MER

Seed of Achilles, let me not offend

The army by my words! Full many a boon,

Being poor, I reap from them for service done.

NEO

The Atridae are my foes; the man you see
585

Is my fast friend, because he hates them sore.

Then, if you come in kindness, you must hide

Nothing from him or me of all thou hast heard.

MER

Look what thou doest, my son!

NEO

I mark it well.
590

MER

Thou shalt be answerable.

NEO

Content: but speak.

MER

Then hear me. These two men whom I have named,

Diomedes and Odysseus, are set forth

Engaged on oath to bring this man by force
595

If reasons fail. The Achaeans every one

Have heard this plainly from Odysseus’ mouth.

He was the louder and more confident.

NEO

Say, for what cause, after so long a time,
600

Can Atreus’ sons have turned their thoughts on him,

Whom long they had cast forth? What passing touch

Of conscience moved them, or what stroke from Heaven,

Whose wrath requites all wicked deeds of men?

MER

Methinks thou hast not heard what I will now
605

Unfold to thee. There was a princely seer,
605

A son of Priam, Helenus by name,
605

Whom he for whom no word is bad enough,
605

Crafty Odysseus, sallying forth alone

One night, had taken, and in bonds displayed

‘Fore all the Achaeans, a right noble prey.

He, ’mid his other prophecies, foretold

No Grecian force should sack Troy’s citadel,

Till with fair reasons they had brought this man

From Lemnos isle, his lonely dwelling-place.

When thus the prophet spake, Laërtes’ son

Straight undertook to fetch this man, and show him

To all the camp:—he hoped, with fair consent:

But else, perforce.—And, if he failed in this,

Whoever would might smite him on the head.

My tale is told, dear youth. I counsel speed

To thee and to the friend for whom thou carest.

PHI

Ah me, unhappy! has that rascal knave

Sworn to fetch me with reasons to their camp?
625

As likely might his reasons bring me back,

Like his begetter, from the house of death.

MER

You talk of what I know not. I will go

Shipward. May God be with you for all good.

PHI

Is not this terrible, Laërtes’ son
630

Should ever think to bring me with soft words
630

And show me from his deck to all their host?

No! Sooner will I listen to the tongue

Of the curs’d basilisk that thus hath maim’d me.

Ay, but he’ll venture anything in word

Or deed. And now I know he will be here.

Come, O my son, let us be gone, while seas

And winds divide us from Odysseus’ ship.
635

Let us depart. Sure timely haste brings rest
635

And quiet slumber when the toil is done.

NEO

Shall we not sail when this south-western wind

Hath fallen, that now is adverse to our course?

PHI

All winds are fair to him who flies from woe.

NEO

Nay, but this head-wind hinders them no less.

PHI

No head-wind hinders pirates on their way,
645

When violence and rapine lead them on.

NEO

Well, then, let us be going, if you will;

When you have taken from within the cave

What most you need and value.

PHI

Though my all

Be little, there is that I may not lose.

NEO

What can there be that we have not on board?
650

PHI

A leaf I have found, wherewith I still the rage

Of my sore plague, and lull it quite to rest.

NEO

Well, bring it forth.—What? Is there something more?

PHI

If any of these arrows here are fallen,

I would not leave them for a casual prey.
655

NEO

How? Do I see thee with the marvellous bow?

PHI

Here in my hand. The world hath only one.

NEO

And may one touch and handle it, and gaze

With reverence, as on a thing from Heaven?

PHI

Thou mayest, my son. This and whate’er of mine
660

May stead thee, ’tis thy privilege to enjoy.

NEO

In very truth I long for it, but so,

That longing waits on leave. Am I permitted?

PHI

Thou art, my son,—and well thou speakest,—thou art.

Thou, that hast given me light and life, the joy

Of seeing Mount Oeta and my father’s home,

With all I love there, and his aged head,—

Thou that hast raised me far above my foes
665

Who triumphed! Thou may’st take it in thine hand,
665

And,—when thou hast given it back to me,—may’st vaunt
665

Alone of mortals for thine excellence

To have held this in thy touch. I, too, at first,

Received it as a boon for kindness done.

NEO

Well, go within.

PHI

Nay, I must take thee too.

My sickness craves thee for its comforter.

CHORUS
CHORUS .

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 219 focus

Weh, Fremdlinge!

Philoktetes.

Wer seid ihr, die mit Rudern an dies Land gelenkt,

Das wüste, hafenlose, menschenleere Land?
215

Wie nenn' ich euch, nach welcher Heimat, welchem Stamm,

Mit rechtem Namen? Wohl umschließt Hellenentracht,

Die mir vor Allem theuer ist, die Glieder euch.

Doch eure Stimme hört' ich gern: o wendet euch

Nicht weg mit Abscheu, fürchtend mich Verwilderten;
220

Nein, habt Erbarmen mit dem unglückseligen,

Verlass'nen, freundelosen, hart gequälten Mann,

Und redet, wenn ihr wohlgesinnt als Freunde kamt.

Vergönnt mir Antwort: billig wird ja solche Gunst

Mir nicht von euch verweigert, und euch nicht von mir.
225

Neoptolemos.

Wohlan, o Fremdling, wisse denn vor Allem dies:

Wir sind Hellenen; denn nach diesem fragst du ja.

Philoktetes.

theure Laute! Wonne! Hör' ich endlich doch

Ein Wort aus solchem Munde nach so langer Zeit!

Was hat dich, Sohn, getrieben, was hieher geführt?
230

Welch Sehnen, welch Verlangen, welcher holde Wind?

Dies Alles sage, daß ich wisse, wer du bist.

Neoptolemos.

Die meerumfloss'ne Skyros ist mein Vaterland;¹

Ich schiffe heim und heiße Neoptolemos,

Der Sohn Achillens. Alles hast du nun gehört.
235

Philoktetes.

O Sohn des theuren Vaters, Sohn des theuren Lands!

O Pflegekind des greisen Lykomedes! Wie,

Auf welcher Fahrt, von wannen kamst du hier an's Land?

Neoptolemos.

Von Ilion geht eben meine Fahrt zurück.

Philoktetes.

Wie sagst du? Nimmer warst du doch, mit uns vereint,
240

Zu Schiff im Anfang, bei der Fahrt nach Ilion.

Neoptolemos.

So nahmst auch du an dieses Zuges Mühen Theil?

Philoktetes.

Mein Lieber, also weißt du nicht, mit wem du sprichst?

Neoptolemos.

Wie sollt' ich Einen kennen, den ich nie geseh'n?

Auch meinen Namen, auch den Ruf von meiner Noth,
245

Die mich vernichtend niederbeugt, vernahmst du nie?

Von Allem, was du fragtest, ward kein Wort mir kund.

Philoktetes.

Weh mir, dem vielgequälten, gottverhaßten Mann,

Von dessen Leide nicht ein Ruf nach Hause, noch

Sonst irgend hin gedrungen im Hellenenland!
250

Und jene, die mich frevelnd ausgeworfen hier,

Hohulachen mein im Stillen: doch in voller Kraft

Blüht meine Krankheit, und gewinnt an Stärke ſtets.

Kind, Achillens, eines edlen Vaters, Sohn!

Ich, wisse, bin derselbe, den dir wohl der Ruf
255

Als den genannt hat, der Herakles' Wehr empfing,

Bin Philoktetes, Pöas' Sohn, den jene zwei

Heerfürsten und der Kephallenenkönig einst²

Schmachvoll in diese Wüste warfen, weil an ihm

Die grimme Krankheit zehrte, seit der wilde Biß
260

Der mordbewehrten Natter ihn verwundete.

Mit ihr, o Jüngling, haben sie mich ausgesezt,

Mich einsam hier gelassen, als der Schiffe Zug

Von Chryse's Meereilande sich hieher gewandt.

Da froh gewahrend, wie ich matt vom Meergetos
265

Am Strande schlief im wohlgewölbten Felsenhaus,

Entfloh'n sie treulos, ließen wenig Lumpen mir,

Wie einem Bettler, und der Kost armseligen

Bedarf zurück: o werde Gleiches ihnen auch!

Doch welch Erwachen dünkt es dir, zu welchem ich
270

Nach ihrem Abzug aus dem Schlaf erstand, o Kind?

Wie bitter weint' ich? Wie beklagt' ich meine Noth?

Ich sah die Schiffe, welche mich hieher geführt,

All' abgezogen, keinen Mann am Orte mehr,

Nicht Einen, der mir hülse, der mich Leidenden
275

In meiner Qual erquickte: ringsum späht' ich nach;

Doch nichts entdeckt' ich überall, als Sammer nur;

Und dessen fand ich eine große Fülle, Kind.

Die Tage floh'n mir, einer nach dem andern, hin;

Ich mußt' allein hier unter diesem engen Dach
280

Mich selbst bedienen. Für den Hunger schaffte zwar,

Was nöthig war, der Bogen, der die flüchtigen

Waldtauben mir erlegte; doch, traf mein Geschoß,

Der Sehn' entrauscht, die Beute, mußt' ich Armer selbst

Nachkriechen meinem Fange, selbst mühvoll den Fuß
285

Hinschleppen. Braucht' ich einen Trunk, war etwa Holz

Zu fällen, wann der Boden, wie zur Winterzeit,

Vom Eise starrte, kroch ich Armer fort, es selbst

In's Werk zu richten. Daun gebrach's an Feuer mir,

Und Stein an Steine rieb ich, und entlockte kaum
290

Den dort verschloss'nen Funken, der mich stets erhält.

Denn wohnlich durch das Fener, schafft die Hütte nun

Mir alle Nothdurft; nur Gesundheit schafft sie nicht.

Wohlan, o Sohu, jezt höre von der Insel auch.

Freiwillig mag kein Schiffer ihrem Strande nah'n;
295

Sie beut zur Landung keinen Ort, kein gastlich Haus,

Noch Pläze, wo der Handel ihm Gewinn verheißt.

Nie wendet hieher seine Fahrt ein kluger Mann.

Sie landen unfreiwillig wohl; denn solcher Art

Begiebt sich Manches auf des Lebens langer Bahu.
300

Und diese, wann sie kommen, Sohu, bedanern mid)

Zwar wohl mit Worten, reichen auch wohl Speise mir

Ein wenig oder ein Gewand erbarmenvoll:

Doch das, erwähn' ich's etwa, will mir Keiner thun,

Heimwärts mich retten; nein, in Noth und Hunger, ach!
305

Verkümmr' ich hier in dieses zehnte Jahr bereits,

Und unersättlich zehrt an mir die Wunde fort.

Dies thaten Atreus' Söhne mir, o Jüngling, an,

Dies that Odysseus: mögen einst Olympos' Herrn

Vergeltend ihnen lohnen, was sie mir gethan!
310

Der Chor.

Auch ich beklage billig, Sohn des Pöas, dich

Gleich jenen Fremden, welche hier gelandet sind.

Neoptolemos.

Und deine Worte muß auch ich bestätigen.

Wahr sind sie, wahr, das weiß ich, weil ich selbst erfuhr,

Wie frech Odysseus, srech des Atreus Söhne sind.
315

Philoktetes.

So hätten Atreus' Söhne denn auch wider dich

Gefrevelt, daß du diesen Allverderbern zürnst?

Neoptolemos.

könnt' ich sättigen meinen Groll mit dieser Hand,

Daß noch Mykenä, Sparta noch erkennte, wie

Auch Skyros tapf're Männer großgezogen hat!
320

Philoktetes.

Recht, lieber Sohn: doch was verbrachen jene denn,

Das, deinen Zorn entflammend, dich von Troja trieb?

Neoptolemos.

O Sohn des Pöas, sag' ich's denn, - doch kann ich's kaum

Was die mich höhnten, als ich kam vor Ilion.

Nachdem Achillen dort ereilt des Todes Loos
325

Philoktetes.

Weh mir! O rede weiter nicht, bevor ich erst

Vernommen: Peleus' Sprößling, ist er wirklich todt?

Neoptolemos.

Ja, todt, von keinem Menschen, nein, von Götterhand

Erlegt, getroffen, sagen sie, durch Phöbos' Pfeil.³

Philoktetes.

Ein Edler war denn Sieger und Gefallener!
330

Doch schwank' ich zweifelnd, ob ich deine Schmach, o Sohu,

Zuerst erkunden, oder ihn beklagen soll.

Neoptolemos.

Ich dächte, dein Leid, Armer, wäre dir genug,

Daß nicht um fremde Leiden du zu klagen brauchst.

Philoktetes.

Du redest Wahrheit. Sage denn noch Einmal mir
335

Von deinem Leide, wie dich höhnt' ihr Uebermuth.

Neoptolemos.

Um mich zu holen, kam Laertes' edler Sohn

Und meines Vaters Pfleger an auf buntem Schiff;

Sie sagten, ob wahrhaftig oder ohne Grund,

Unmöglich sei es, daß ein Andrer Pergamos,⁴
340

Als ich, erob're, nun dahin mein Vater sei.

Und also redend, stimmten sie mich bald dahin,

O Fremdling, daß ich ungesäumt zu Schiffe ging,

Sehnsüchtig wünschend, ihn zu seh'n, den Todten, eh

Man ihn begrübe; denn ich hatt' ihn nie geseh'n:
345

Daun trieb mich auch des Ruhmes stolzes Wort hinaus,

Wenn ich die Zinnen Ilions erobere.

Die zweite Sonne glänzte schon auf meiner Fahrt,

Und an Sigeions Trauerport trieb heller Wind⁵

Mein Segel; schnell umringte mich das ganze Heer,
350

Sobald ich ausstieg, grüßte, schwur, des Thetis Sohn,

Der Todte, stehe neubelebt vor ihrem Blick.

Der lag noch unbestattet dort; ich Armer ging,

Nachdem ich ihn betrauert, schnell den Freunden zu,

Den Söhnen Atreus', und erbat, wie's billig war,
355

Mir meines Vaters Waffen und sein andres Gut.

Doch jene, weh mir! sagten dies verweg'ne Wort:

„O Sohn Achillens, alles Andre magst du dir

Von deinem Vater nehmen; doch das Wehrgeräth

Nennt schon ein andrer Krieger sein, Laertes' Sohu."
360

Und ich, in Thränen schwimmend, sprang alsbald empor

In schwerem Unmuth, und erwiedre schmerzerfüllt :

„Ihr wagtet, Freche, meine Wehr an meiner Statt

Iemanden auszuliefern, eh ihr mich gefragt?"

Da rief Odysseus, denn er stand nicht fern von uns:
365

„Sa, Knabe, mir, mir gaben sie mit Recht die Wehr;

Denn ich entriß die Waffen und ihn selbst dem Feind."⁶

Und ich, erzürnt, rief alle nur erdenkbaren

Schmachworte, jeden Nachefluch auf sie herab,

Wenn jener mir entreiße meinen Waffeuschmuck.
370

Er, sonst zum Zorne langsam, fand durch solches Wort

Sich schwer getroffen, daß er stolz entgegnete:

„Du standest, wo wir standen, nicht, bliebst seig daheim;

Und weil du so voll Trozes sprichst, erklär' ich dir:

Mit diesen Waffen sollst du nie gen Skyros zieh'n!"
375

Nach solcher Antwort, so geschmäht auf's Bitterste,

Segl' ich nach Hause, meines Eigenthums beraubt

Vom schlimmsten Kinde schlimmer Art, Laertes' Sohn.⁷

Doch diesen klag' ich minder als die Herrscher an.

Denn Stadt und Heer, sie folgen beide ganz und gar
380

Den Worten ihrer Führer; wer das Schlechte liebt,

Wird durch des Meisters Lehre nur ein Bösewicht.

Nun sagt' ich Alles. Wer des Atreus Söhne haßt,

Der sei so lieb den Göttern, wie er mir es ist!

Strophe.

Der Chor.

Bergmutter, Erd', Alnährerin, welcher Zeus selbst entsproß,⁸
385

Die waltet bei Paktolos' großem, goldnem Strom!

Schon dort, hehre Mutter, dort rief ich zu dir,

Da schmachvollen Hohn ihm des Atreus Geschlecht bot,

Da sie des Vaters Wehr ihm an Laertes' Sohn

Hingaben, als des Ruhms höchsten Preis,
390

du Sel'ge, die auf Berglöwen hoch,

Den Stierwürgern, thront!

Philoktetes.

Ich sehe wohl, o Freunde, mit dem deutlichen

Merkmal des Schmerzes kommt ihr hergeschifft zu mir;

Zu meinem Lied stimmt eures; so erkenn' ich klar:
395

Das ist Odysseus' und der Atreussöhne Werk.

Der leiht ja seine Zunge, wie ich's wohl erfuhr,

Zu jedem Trug, zu jeder argen Tücke, daß

Er Nichts am Ende schaffen mag, was edel ist.

Doch wundert das mich minder, als daß Ajas auch,
400

Der größ're, solches ruhig anzuseh'n ertrug.⁹

Neoptolemos.

Er lebte nicht mehr; freilich, wenn der lebte, Freund,

Dann hätte man mich meiner Waffen nie beraubt.

Philoktetes.

Wie sagst du? Ging denn dieser auch des Todes Weg?

Neoptolemos.

Ja, wisse, nicht mehr athmet er im Sonnenlicht.
405

Philoktetes.

O Jammer, weh mir! Aber Tydeus' Sohn und er,¹⁰

Den sich Laertes einst erkauft von Sisyphos,¹¹

Die sollten nicht mehr leben, und sie starben nicht!

Neoptolemos.

Nein, wahrlich, dessen sei gewiß, sie blüh'n sogar

In hohem Anseh'n eben jezt in Argos' Heer.
410

Philoktetes.

Wie aber? Lebt der alte, biedre Pyler noch,

Mein theurer Nestor? Hat doch er die schädlichen

Anschläge jener oft gehemmt durch weisen Rath.

Neoptolemos.

Er lebt, gebeugt von Trauer; sein Antilochos

Schied hin im Tode, der des Vaters Stüze war.¹²
415

Philoktetes.

Weh mir! Du nanntest Zweie da, von deren Tod¹³

Zu hören, mehr als alles Andre mich betrübt.

Wohin die Blicke wenden, hah! wenn die der Tod

Hinrafft, Odysseus aber lebt, wo, traun, der Ruf

Von seinem Tode melden sollt' an ihrer Statt?
420

Neoptolemos.

Das ist ein schlauer Ringer; doch nicht selten auch,

Philoktetes, wird verstrict ein schlauer Sinn.

Philoktetes.

Bei allen Göttern, sage doch, wo war dir da

Patroklos, deines Vaters heißgeliebter Freund?

Neoptolemos.

Auch dieser war gestorben. Nimm die Lehre dir
425

In kurzem Worte: nimmer raubt des Krieges Wuth

Die Schlechten gerne, sondern stets die Besten nur.

Philoktetes.

Wohl hast du Recht; und ebendarum will ich noch

Nach einem Manne, fragen, der unwürdig war,

Doch klug und kühner Zunge, wie's mit diesem ist.
430

Neoptolemos.

Wer, als Odysseus, wäre der, nach dem du fragst?

Philoktetes.

Nicht diesen meint' ich; nein, Thersites hieß ein Mann,¹⁴

Dem's nie genug war, Einmal nur zu sagen, was

Ungern gehört ward: weißt du nicht, ob dieser lebt?

Neoptolemos.

Ich sah ihn selbst nicht; wie ich hörte, lebt er noch.
435

Philoktetes.

Wohl muß er leben, weil ja noch nichts Böses starb.

Mit zarter Sorgfalt hegen das die Himmlischen;

Sie lieben, Tückevolles und Verschlagenes¹⁵

Zurückzuführen aus des Hades Nacht, und stets

Hinabzusenden, was gerecht und edel ist.
440

Wie nenn' ich's? Soll ich's loben, wenn ich, Götterthun

Bereit zu loben, Götter selbst als schlecht erfand?

Neoptolemos.

O Sohn des Vaters, der an Deta's Höh'n gebeut!

Ich will hinfort mich hüten, auch von ferne nicht

Die Stadt der Troer und des Atreus Söhne seh'n.
445

Denn wo der Schlechte höher als der Tapfre gilt,

Das Edle schmachvoll untergeht, der Feige siegt,

Nein, solchen Männern werd' ich nie befreundet sein.

An Skyros Felseilande will ich fürder mir

Genügen lassen und der Heimat mich erfreu'n.
450

Ich gehe nun zum Schiffe. Lebe, lebe wohl,

O Sohn des Pöas! Mögen dich die Himmlischen

Von deiner Qual erlösen, wie dein Herz es wünscht!

Wir eilen weiter; denn sobald uns guten Wind

Ein Gott gewährte, wollen wir von dannen zieh'n.
455

Ihr rüstet schon zur Reise, Kind?

Die Stunde mahut,

Auf Wind im Schiff zu harren, nicht vom User fern.

Philoktetes.

Bei deinem Vater, bei der Mutter, liebes Kind,

Und allem Andern, was daheim dir theuer ist,

Beschwör' ich dich und flehe, laß nicht so allein,
460

Hülflos in meinem Leide mich, das, wie du siehst,

Und wie du hörtest, grauenvoll mich hier umringt:

Als Nebenlast nur nimm mich! Zwar, ich weiß es wohl,

Vielfach beschwerlich wird dir solche Bürde sein;

Doch wag' es muthvoll! Hochgesinnte finden nur
465

Das Edle rühmlich, hassenswerth das Schändliche.

Dir, Jüngling, bringt es keinen Nuhm, versagst du mir's;

Und thust du's, ist der höchste Lohn der Ehre dein,

Wenn lebend heim ich kehre nach dem Detaland.

Auf! Keines vollen Tages Frist währt solche Noth:
470

So wag' es, nimm und wirf mich hin, wo dir's gefällt,

In den Bauch des Schiffes, hinten oder vorne, wo

Ich euch, die Fahrtgenossen, nicht belästige.

Bei Zeus, dem Gott der Fleh'nden, Sohn, gewähre mir's,

Erhöre mich! An deine Kniee sink' ich hier,
475

Ich Armer, wenn auch schwach und lahm; o laß mich nicht

In solcher Dede, die der Menschen Tritte flieh'n!

Zu deiner Heimat rette mich, ach, oder hin

In's reiche Land Euböa, wo Chalkodon herrscht.¹⁶

Von dort zum Deta führte mich kein weiter Weg,
480

Zu Trachis' Hügeln und dem stolzhinrollenden¹⁷

Spercheios: wieder bringe mich dem Vater dort,

Um den die Sorge lange schon mich quält, er sei

Dahingegangen. Alle, die hier landeten,

Hab' ich mit heißen Bitten oft an ihn gesandt,
485

Selbst herzusegeln und mich heim zu retten: doch

Er ist gestorben, oder meine Boten sind,

So muß ich leider glauben, weil sie meine Noth

Für klein geachtet, ihrer Heimat zugeschifft.

Nun fleh' ich, sei du Bote, sei du Führer mir,
490

Erbarm dich meiner, rette mich; du siehest ja,

Wie drohend Alles, voll Gefahr, der Menschen Pfad

Umlagert, hier das Ungemach und dort das Glück.

Wer frei von Leid ist, blicke fürchtend auf das Leid,

Und wer das Glück hat, schaue frei mit wachem Blick
495

In's Leben, daß nicht ungeahnt der Fluch ihn trifft.

Gegenstrophe.

Der Chor.

Erbarmen, Herr! Vielfachen Kampf, herbe Noth klagt er uns,

Wie keinen unsrer Freunde je sie treffen soll!

Hassest du, Herr, Atreus' feindlich Geschlecht so sehr,

So würd' ich das Unheil, das Werk ihres Frevels,
500

Wandeln in Heil ihm, führt' in schnellsegelndem,

Geschmücktem Schiff zu dem ersehnten Port

Der Heimat ihn hin, flöhe den Nachefluch,

Der von den Göttern droht.

Neoptolemos.

Sieh, daß du jezt nicht allzuleicht dich willig zeigst,
505

Und, wann der Krankheit Nähe dich mit Ekel füllt,

Nicht als derselbe mehr erscheinst, der dieses sprach.

Der Chor.

Mit nichten: niemals soll der Tag erscheinen, wo

Du solchen Vorwurf wider mich mit Grund erhebſt.

Neoptolemos.

Traun, Schande wär' es, fände man mich säumiger,
510

Als euch, dem Fremdling beizusteh'n zur guten Zeit.

Drum wenn's gefällt, so geh'n wir; schnell bereit' er sich;

Auch wird das Schiff ihn tragen ohne Weigerung.

Daß nur die Götter rettend uns aus diesem Land

Dorthin an unsrer Wünsche Ziel geleiteten!
515

Philoktetes.

meiner Tage schönster, du mein bester Mann,

Ihr theuren Schiffer, könnt' ich euch doch durch die That

Darthun, wie eure Liebe mich verpflichtet hat!

Wir geh'n, o Jüngling, wenn wir mein unwohnliches

Wohnhaus zuvor begrüßten, daß dir Kunde wird,
520

Wovon ich lebte, wie beherzt mein Leben trug.

Ein Andrer, glaub' ich, außer mir, ertrüg' es nicht,

Auch nur mit Augen dieses Elend anzuseh'n:

Der Noth mich fügen, lehrte mich die strenge Noth.

Der Chor.

Verweilt, wir wollen hören: denn zwei Männer nah'n,
525

Ein Schiffer deines Schiffes und der Andre fremd;

Die mögt ihr hören, eh' ihr euch hinein verfügt.

Der Späher, als Schiffsherr verkleidet. Ein Schiffer.

Die Vorigen.

Der Schiffsherr.

O Sohn Achillens, diesem Fahrtgenossen hier,

Der deines Schiffes Wächter mit zwei andern war,

Gebot ich, mir zu sagen, wo du selbst verweilst,
530

Nachdem ich euch begegnet, nicht mit Willen zwar,

Nein, wohl vom Zufall hergelenkt zum gleichen Strand.

Ich bin ein Schiffsherr, segle, nicht mit großem Zug,

Von Troja heim zu Peparethos' Nebenland;¹⁸

Und weil ich hörte, daß die Schiffer allzumal
535

Dir angehören, welche hier gelandet sind,

Schien mir's, ich dürfe schweigend, eh' ich sprach mit dir,

Nicht weiter segeln, müss' empfah'n des Boten Lohn.

Wohl hast du nicht erfahren, was dich nah berührt,

Welch neuen Anschlag über dich die Danaer
540

Ersonnen haben, aber nicht Anschläge bloß,

Vielmehr bereits vollbrachte, nicht verschob'ne That.

Neoptolemos.

Für diese Sorgfalt wartet dein liebreicher Dank,

O Freund, so wahr ich edel bin von edler Art.

Doch sage, was du meintest; denn ich wüßte gern,
545

Welch neuen Anschlag über mich das Heer gefaßt.

Der Schiffsherr.

Der greise Phönix und des Theseus Söhne sind¹⁹

Mit Schiffen ausgezogen, dich verfolgend, Herr.

Neoptolemos.

Durch Bitten oder mit Gewalt mich fortzuzieh'n?

Der Schiffsherr.

Weiß nicht; ich komm' und melde, was ich selbst gehört.
550

Neoptolemos.

Und sollte Phönix und die Schiffsgefährten dies

Mit solchem Eifer für des Atreus Söhne thun?

Der Schiffsherr.

Schon wird's gethan von ihnen, soll nicht erst gescheh'n.

Neoptolemos.

So war Odysseus nicht bereit, selbst auszugeh'n

Auf diese Sendung? Oder hielt ihn Furcht zurück?
555

Der Schiffsherr.

Er ging mit Deneus' Enkel einen andern Mann

Zu suchen, als ich auf die Fahrt von dannen zog.

Neoptolemos.

Nach welchem Manne fuhr Odysseus selbst hinaus?

Es war

(halblaut)

Der Schiffsherr.

vor Allem sage mir, wer dieser Mann

Hier ist, und sprich nur leise, was du sagen willst.
560
(laut)

Das ist des Pöas hochgepries'ner Sohn, o Freund.

So frage mich nicht weiter, nein, in Eile dich

Zusammenraffend, segle fort aus diesem Land.

Philoktetes.

Was sagt er, Jüngling? Was verkauft im Dunkel mich

Mit seinen Neden hier an dich der Handelsherr?
565

Neoptolemos.

Noch nicht versteh' ich, was er meint; doch muß er selbst

An's Licht es sagen, dir und mir und diesen da.

Der Schiffsherr.

O Sohn Achillens, klage nicht im Heer mich an,

Sag' ich Verbot'nes. Manches Gute thun sie mir

Und thu' ich ihnen wieder, wie's ein Armer kann.
570

Neoptolemos.

Ich bin des Atreus Söhnen feind, und dieser ist

Der liebste Freund mir, weil er Atreus' Söhne haßt.

So darfst du, wenn du kamest als mein Freund, vor uns

Kein Wort von dem verhehlen, was dein Ohr vernahm.

Der Schiffsherr.

Sieh, was du thust, Kind!
575

Neoptolemos.

Ich erwog es lange schon.

Der Schiffsherr.

Die Schuld von Allem bleibe dein!

Neoptolemos.

Sei's: rede nur!

Der Schiffsherr.

Nun gut! Nach dem zieh'n Beide, die ich dir genannt,

Der Sohn des Tydeus und Odysseus' Kraft, hinaus;

Sie schwuren, ihn zu bringen, sei's mit klugem Wort

Ihn überredend, oder durch der Stärke Macht.
580

Und deutlich hörten aus Odysseus' Munde dies

Die Wehrgenossen alle; denn er hatte mehr

Vertrau'n, die That zu wagen, als der Andere.

Neoptolemos.

Was ist es, daß auf diesen nach so langer Zeit

Die zween Atriden wiederum den Sinn gelenkt,
585

Nachdem er längst von ihnen ausgestoßen ward?

Was trieb sie? Welch Verlangen? War's der Götter Macht

Und Strafe, die der Missethat des Frevlers wehrt?

Der Schiffsherr.

Das will ich (denn vernruthlich hast du's nicht gehört)

Dir alles kundthun. Ein erlauchter Seher war,
590

Der Priamide Helenos, so hieß der Mann:

Ihn fing Odysseus, dieser schmachbedeckte Schalk,

Der Mann des Hohnes, als er einst auf nächtlichem,

Einsamem Pfade streifte, schlug in Fesseln ihn,

Und stellt ihn Argos' Volke dar als schönen Fang.
595

Da deutet' ihnen Allerlei der Seher aus,

Und sagte dann auch, daß sie Troja's Veste nie

Zerstörten, wenn sie diesen Mann durch kluges Wort

Nicht aus dem Eiland lockten, das er jezt bewohnt.

Und als Laertes' Sprößling aus des Sehers Mund
600

Den Spruch vernommen, da verhieß er, ungesäumt

Den Mann zu stellen vor das Angesicht des Heers;

Er hoffe sicher ihn zu fah'n mit gutem Wort,

Und widersteh' er, mit Gewalt; mißling' es ihm,

Wer wolle, mög' ihm dann das Haupt von Rumpfe hau'n.
605

Mein Sohn, du hörtest Alles: Eile rath' ich nun

Dir selbst und Jedem, dessen Wohl dir Sorge macht.

Philoktetes.

Weh, weh mir! Also schwur der Allverderbliche,

Beredend mich zu locken in's Achäerheer?

So wenig folg' ich, als ich todt aus Hades' Haus
610

Zum Lichte wiederkehre, wie sein Vater einst!²⁰

Der Schiffsherr.

Da siehe du zu; doch ich eile nun zum Schiff;

Und euch gewähre, was am besten frommt, ein Gott!

Philoktetes. Neoptolemos. Der Chor.

Philoktetes.

Ist das, o Kind, nicht schrecklich, daß Laertes' Sohn

In's Schiff mit glatten Worten mich zu locken hofft,
615

Mich dort zur Schau zu stellen vor dem ganzen Heer?

Nein! Wahrlich eher hört' ich auf das feindliche

Scheusal, die Natter, die des Fußes mich beraubt.

Doch Alles sagen darf der Mann, darf Alles sich

Erdreisten: jezt auch weiß ich, daß er kommen wird.
620

So laß, o Sohn, uns eilen, daß wir weit hinweg

Von seinem Schiffe durch das Meer geschieden sind.

Auf denn von hinnen! Eilen wir bei guter Zeit,

Wird nach der Arbeit Schlummer uns und süße Rast.

(ab.)

Neoptolemos.

Sobald der Wind ruht, welcher vorn' am Buge bläst,
625

Geh'n wir zu Schiffe; jezo wehrt er uns die Fahrt.

Philoktetes.

Stets ist der Wind gut, wenn du vor dem Uebel fliehst.

Neoptolemos.

Gewiß; indeß auch jene sind durch ihn gehemmt.

Philoktetes.

Nie hält ein widerwärt'ger Wind die Räuber auf,²¹

Wenn ihnen Diebstahl, wenn Gewaltraub ihnen winkt.
630

Neoptolemos.

Nun, wenn's gefällt, so geh'n wir; doch nimm drinnen erst,

Wozu Bedürfniß oder Wunsch zuerst dich treibt.

Philoktetes.

Wohl brauch' ich Etwas, das ich wähl' aus Wenigem.

Neoptolemos.

Was wär' es, das dir unser Schiff nicht geben kann?

Philoktetes.

Ein Kraut besiz' ich, welches stets am ehsten mir
635

Der Wunde Schmerz einschläfert, daß er ganz verstummt.

Neoptolemos.

So hole dir's: doch was begehrst du weiter noch?

Philoktetes.

Ob mir von diesem Bogen aus Versehen nicht

Ein Stück entfallen, daß es mir kein Andrer nimmt.

Neoptolemos.

Das ist der edle Bogen denn, in deiner Hand?
640

Philoktetes.

Der ist es, ja; denn keinen andern trag' ich sonst.

Neoptolemos.

Und ist es mir gestattet, darf ich näher ihn

Betrachten, fassen, küssen, gleich als wär's ein Gott?

Philoktetes.

Dir, Trauter, will ich gerne dies und was mir sonst

Gehört, gewähren, wenn es dich erfreuen kann.
645

Neoptolemos.

Ich wünsch' es freilich, aber so nur wünsch' ich es:

Darf ich, so möcht' ich's; darf ich nicht, versage mir's.

Philoktetes.

Du redest fromm, o Jüngling, und du darfst es wohl,

Du, der allein die Strahlen dieser Sonne mich,

Der mich das Land am Deta, der die Freunde mich,
650

Den greisen Vater schauen läßt, der hoch empor

Mich schon gestürzten über meine Feinde hob!

Getrost: du darfst ihn fassen, darfst dem Gebenden

Ihn geben, darfst dich rühmen, daß auf Erden du

Zum Lohne deiner Tugend ihn allein berührt.
655
(reicht ihm den Bogen hin)

Durch Liebesdienste hab' ich selbst ihn mir verdient.²²

Neoptolemos.

Wohl, wohl mir, daß ich dich geseh'n, zum Freund gewann!

Denn wer für Wohlthat wohlzuthun versteht wie du,

Weit über alle Schäze geht ein solcher Freund.

So geh hinein.
660
(ergreift seinen Arm)

Philoktetes.

Und du geleite mich, o Kind,
660

Da meine Krankheit deinen Arm als Stüze sucht.

(Beide gehen in die Höhle. Der Chor bleibt allein zurück.) Erste Strophe.

Der Chor.

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 219 focus

Say, welcome stmngers, what disastrous

fate

Led you to this inhospitable shore,
220

Nor haven safe, nor habitation fit

Affording ever ? Of what clime, what race ?

Who are ye 1 Speak ! If I may trust that garb,

Familiar once to me, ye are of Greece,

My much-loved country. Let me hear the sound
225

Of your long wished-for voices. Do not look

With horror on me, but in kind compassion

Pity a wretch deserted and forlorn

In this sad place. Oh ! if ye come as friends,

Speak then, and answer — hold some converse with me,
230

For this at least from man to man is due.

Neoptolemus

Know, stranger, first what most thou seemst to

wish;

We are of Greece.

Philoctetes

Oh ! happiness to hear !

After so many years of dreadful silence,

How welcome was that sound ! Oh ! tell me, son,
235

What chance, what purpose, who conducted thee ?

What brought thee thither, what propitious gale ?

Who art thou ? Tell me all — inform me quickly.

Neoptolemus

Native of Sc^ti-os, hither I return ;

My name is Neoptolemus, the son
240

Of brave Achilles. I have told thee all.

Philoctetes

Dear is thy country, and thy father dear

To me, thou darling of old Lycomede ;

But tell me in what fleet, and whence thou cam'st.

Neoptolemus

From Troy.
245

Philoctetes

From Troy ? I think thou wert not with us

When first our fleet sailed forth.

Neoptolemus

Wei-t thou then there ?

Or knowst thou aught of that great enterprise ?

Philoctetes

Know you not then the man whom you behold ]

Neoptolemus

How should I know whom I had never seen 1
250

Philoctetes

Have you ne'er heard of me, nor of my name ?

Hath my sad story never reached your ear ?

Neoptolemus

Never.

Philoctetes

Alas ! how hateful to the gods,

How very poor a wretch must 1 be then,

That Greece should never hear of woes like mine !

But they who sent me hither, they concealed them,

And smile triumphant, whilst my cruel wounds

Grow deeper still. O, sprung from great Achilles !

Behold before thee Psean's wretched son,
255

With whom, a chance but thou hast heard, remain
255

The dreadful arrows of renowned Alcides,
255

Whom the Atridse and the vile Ulysses
255

Inhuman left, distempered as I was
255

By the envenomed serpent's deep-felt wound.
255

Soon as they saw that, with long toil oppressed.

Sleep had o'ertaken me on the hollow rock.

There did they leave me when from Chrysa's shore

They bent their fatal course ; a little food

And these few rags were all they would bestow.

Such one day be their fate ! Alas ! my son.

How dreadful, thinkst thou, was that waking to me,

When from my sleep I rose and saw them not !

How did I weep ! and mourn my wretched state !

When not a ship remained of all the fleet

That brought me here — no kind companion left

To minister or needful food or balm

To my sad wounds. On every side I looked,

And nothing saw but woe ; of that indeed

Measure too fuU. For day succeeded day.

And still no comfort came ; myself alone

Could to myself the means of life afford,

In this poor grotto. On my bow I lived :

The winged dove, which my sharp arrow slew,

With pain I brought into my little hut,

And feasted there ; then from the broken ico

1 slaked my thirst, or crept into the woocl

For useful fuel ; from the stricken flint

I drew the latent spark, that warms me still

And still revives. This with my humble roof

Preserve me, son. But, oh ! my wounds remain.

Thou seest an island desolate and waste ;

No friendly port nor hopes of gain to tenjpt,

Nor host to welcome in the traveller ;

Few seek the wild inhospitable shore.

By adverse winds, sometimes th' unwilling guests,

As well thou mayst suppose, were hither driven ;

But when they came, they only pitied me.

Gave me a little food, or better garb

To shield me from the cold ; in vain 1 prayed

That they would bear me to my native soil,

For none would listen. Here for ten long years

Have 1 remained, whilst misery and famine

Keep fresh my wounds, and double my misfortune.

This have th' Atridae and Ulysses done.

And may the gods with equal woes repay them !

Chorus

0, son of Paean ! well might those, who came

And saw thee thus, in kind compassion weep ;

I too must pity thee — I can no more.

Neoptolemus

I can bear witness to thee, for I know

By sad experience what th' Atridae are,

And what Ulysses.
335

Philoctetes

Hast thou suflfered then ?

And dost thou hate them too ?

Neoptolemus

Oh ! that these hands

Could vindicate my wrongs ! Mycenae then

And Sparta should confess that Scyros boasts
340

Of sons as brave and valiant as their own.
340

Philoctetes

O noble youth ! But wherefore cam'st thou

hither?

Whence this resentment ?

Neoptolemus

I will tell thee all,

If I can bear to tell it. Know then, soon

As great Achilles died

Philoctetes

Oh, stay, my son !

Is then Achilles dead?

Neoptolemus

He is, and not

By mortal hand, but by Apollo's shaft

Fell glorious.

Philoctetes

Oh ! most worthy of each other,
410

The slayer and the slain ! Permit me, son,
410

To mourn his fate, ere I attend to thine. [lie weeps.
410

Neoptolemus

Alas ! thou needst not weep for others' woes,

Thou hast enough already of thy own.

Philoctetes

'Tis very true ; and therefore to thy tale.

Neoptolemus

Thus then it was. Soon as Achilles died.
415

Phoenix, the guardian of his tender years,
415

Instant sailed forth, and sought me out at Scyros ;
415

With him the wary chief Ulysses came.
415

They told me then (or true or false I know not),
415

My father dead, by me, and me alone
415

Proud Troy must fall. I yielded to their prayers ;
415

I hoped to see at least the dear remains
415

Of him whom living I had long in vain
415

Wished to behold. Safe at Sigeum's port
415

Soon we arrived. In crowds the numerous host
415

Thronged to embrace me, called the gods to witness
415

In me once more they saw their loved Achilles
415

To life restored ; but he, alas ! was gone.
415

I shed the duteous tear, then sought my friends
415

Th' Atridse — friends I thought 'em ! — claimed the arms
415

Of my dead father, and what else remained
415

His late possession : when — O cruel words !

And wretched I to hear them — thus they answered :

" Son of Achilles, thou in vain demandst

Those arms already to Ulysses given ;

The rest be thine." I wept. " And is it thus,"

Indignant I replied, "ye dare to give

My right away?" " Know, boy," Ulysses cried,

" That right was mine, and therefore they bestowed

The boon on me : me who preserved the arms,

And him who bore them too." With anger fired

At this proud speech, I threatened all that rage

Could dictate to me if he not returned them.

Stung with my words, yet calm, he answered me :

*' Thou wert not with us ; thou wert in a place,

Where thou shouldst not have been ; and since thou

meanst

To brave ns tluis, Ivnow, lliou shalt never bear
420

Those arms \^^th thee to Scyros; 'tis resolved."
420

Thus injured, thus deprived of all I held
420

Most precious, by the worst of men, 1 left
420

The hateful place, and seek my native soil.
420

Nor do 1 blame so much the proud IHysses
420

As his base masters — army, city, all
420

Depend on those who rule. When men grow vile
420

The guilt is theirs who taught them to be wicked.
420

I've told thee all, and liim who hates the Atridre
420

I liold a friend to me and to the gods.
420

O Earth ! thou mother of great Jove,
420

Embracing all with universal love,
420

Author l^enign of every good.
420

Through whom Pactolus rolls his golden flood !
420

To thee, whom in thy rapid car
420

Fierce lions draw, I rose and made my prayer-

To thee I made my sorrows known,

When from Achilles' injured son

Th' Atridse gave the prize, that fatal day

When proud Ulysses bore his arms away.

PniL. I wonder not, my friend, to see you here,

And I believe the tale ; for well 1 know

The man who wronged you, know the base Ulysses

Falsehood and fraud dwell on his lips, and nought

That's just or good can be expected from him.

He dare attempt it.

I had ne'er been spoiled

Had he been living.

Thus of my right.

Is he then dead ?

He is.

Philoctetes
Strophe.

Alas ! the son of Tydeus, .and that slave.

Sold by his father Sisyphus, they live,

Unworthy as they are.

JSTeo. Alas ! they do.

And flourish still.

Philoctetes

My old and worthy friend

The Pylian sage, how is he ? He could see

Their arts, and would have given them better counsels.

Neoptolemus

Weighed down with grief he lives, but most

unliappy.

Weeps his lost son, his dear Antilochus.

Philoctetes

O double woe ! whom I could most have wished

To live and to be happy, those to perish !

Ulysses to survive ! It should not be.
430

Neoptolemus

Oh ! tis a subtle foe ; but deepest plans

May sometimes fail.

Philoctetes

Where was Patroclus then,

Thy father's dearest friend ]

Neoptolemus

He too was dead.

In war, alas — so fate ordains it ever —

The coward 'scapes, the brave and virtuous fall.

Philoctetes

It is too true ; and now thou talkst of cowards.

Where is that worthless wretch, of readiest tongue,

Subtle and voluble ?
440

Neoptolemus

Ulysses ?

Philoctetes

No ;

Thersites ; ever talking, never heard.

Neoptolemus

I have not seen him, but I hear he lives.

Philoctetes

I did not doubt it : evil never dies ;

The gods take care of that. If aught there be

Fraudful and vile, 'tis safe ; the good and just

Perish unpitied by them. Wherefore is it 1

When gods do ill, why should we worship them ?

Neoptolemus

Since thus it is, since virtue is oppressed,

And vice triumphant, who deserve to live

Are doomed to perish, and the guilty reign.

Henceforth, O son of Psean ! far from Troy

And the Atridse will I live remote.

I would not see the man I cannot love.

My barren Scyros shall afford me refuge,

And home-felt joys delight my future days.

So, fare thee well, and may th' indulgent gods

no

Heal thy sad wound, and grant thee every wish

Thy soul can form ! Once more, farewell ! I go,

The first propitious gale.

PjiiL. What ! now, my son ?
520

So soon?

Meg. Immediately; the time demands

Wo should be near, and ready to depart.

Philoctetes

Now, by the memory of thy lionoured sire,
465

By thy loved mother, ])y whate'er remains
465

On earth most dear to thee, oh ! hear me now.
465

Thy suppliant ! Do not, do not thus forsake me,

Alone, oppressed, deserted, as thou seest.

In this sad place. I shall, I know it must, be

A burthen to thee. But, oh ! bear it kindly \

For ever doth the noble mind abhor

Th' ungenerous deed, and loves humanity ;

Disgrace attends thee if thou dost forsake me.

If not, immortal fame rewards thy goodness.

Thou mayst convey me safe to CEta's shores

In one short day ; I'll trouble you no longer.
470

Hide mo in any part where I may least
470

Molest you. Hear me ! By the guardian god
470

Of the poor suppliant, all protecting Jove,

I beg. Behold me at thy feet, infirm,

And wretched as I am, I clasp thy knees.

Leave me not here then, where there is no mark

Of human footstep — take me to thy home !

Or to Eubooa's port, to CEta, thence

Of Sperchius' gentle stream, to meet my father,

If yet he lives ; for, oh ! I begged him oft

By those who hither came, to fetch me hence —

Or is he dead, or they neglectful bent
475

Their hasty course to their own native soil.
475

Be thou my better guide ! Pity and save

The poor and wretched. Think, my son, how frail

And full of danger is the state of man —

Now prosperous, now adverse. Who feels no ills

Should therefore fear them ; and when fortune smiles

Be doubly cautious, lest destruction come

Remorseless on him, and he fall unpitied.

Chorus

Oh, pity him, my lord, for bitterest woes

And trials most severe he hath recounted ;

Far be such sad distress from those I love !
505

Oh ! if thou hat'st the base Atridae, now

Revenge thee on them, serve their deadliest foe ;

Bear the poor suppliant to his native soil ;

So shalt thou bless thy friend, and 'scape the wrath

Of the just gods, who still protect the wretched.

Ned. Your proffered kindness, friends, may cost you

dear ;
510

When you shall feel his dreadful malady
510

Oppress you sore, you will repent it.

Chorus

Never
515

Shall that reproach be ours.
515

Ned. In generous pity
515

Of the afflicted thus to be o'ercome
515

Were most disgraceful to me ; he shall go.

May the kind gods speed our departure hence,

And guide our vessels to the wished-for shore !

Philoctetes

O happy hour ! O kindest, best of men !

And you my dearest friends ! how shall I thank you ?

What shall I do to show my grateful heart ?

Let us be gone ! But, oh ! permit me first

To take a last farewell of my poor hut,
525

Where 1 so long have lived. Perhaps you'll say
525

I must have had a noble mind to bear it.

The very sight to any eyes but mine

Were horrible, but sad necessity

At length prevailed, and made it pleasing to me

Chorus

One from our ship, my lord, and with him

Son of great Acliilles,
535

Know, chance alone hath brought me hither, driven
535

By adverse winds to where thy vessels lay,

As home I sailed from Troy. There did I meet

This my companion, who informed me where

Thou mightst be found. Hence to pursue my course

And not to tell thee what concerns thee near

Had been ungenerous, thou perhaps meantime
540

Of Greece and of her counsels naught suspecting.
540

Counsels against thee not by threats alone

Or words enforced, but now in execution.
555

Neoptolemus

Now by my virtue, stranger, for thy news
550

I am much bound to thee, and will repay

Thy service. Tell me what the Greeks have done.

Merchant

a fleet already sails to fetch thee back,

Conducted by old Phoenix, and the sons

Of valiant Theseus.

Neoptolemus

Come they then to force me ?

Oi- am I to be won by their persuasion ?

Merchant

I know not that ; you have what I could learn.
560

Neoptolemus

And did th' Atridse send them ?

Merchant

Sent they are,

And will be with you soon.

Neoptolemus

But wherefore then
565

Came not Ulysses ? Did his courage fail ?
565

Merchant

He, ere I left the camp, with Diomed^

On some important embassy sailed forth

In search —

Neoptolemus

Of whom?

Merchant

There was a man — but stay,

Who is thy friend here, tell me, but speak softly.

SpY: Ha ! begone then !

Ask me no more — away, immediately !

Philoctetes
[Whispering him.

What do these dark mysterious whispers mean ?

Concern they me, my son ?

Neoptolemus

I know not what
580

He means to say, but I would have him speak
580

Boldly before us all, whate'er it be.

Merchant

Do not betray me to the Grecian host,

Nor make me speak what I would fain conceal.

I am but poor — they have befriended me.

Neoptolemus

In me thou seest an enemy confest
585

To the Atridse. This is my best friend

Because he hates them too ; if thou art mine,

Hide nothing then.

Merchant

Consider first.

Neoptolemus

I have.
590

Merchant

The blame will be on you.

Neoptolemus

Why, let it be ;

But speak, I charge thee.

Merchant

Since I must then, know,

In solemn league combined, the bold Ulysses

And gallant Diomede have sworn by force
595

Or by persuasion to bring back thy friend :

The Grecians heard Laertes' son declare

His purpose ; far more resolute he seemed

Than Diomede, and surer of success.

Neoptolemus

But why th' Atridae, after so long time.
600

Again should wish to see this wretched exile ?

Whence this desire? Came it from th' angry gods

To punish thus their inhumanity ]

Merchant

I can inform you ; for perhaps from Greece
605

Of late you have not heard. There was a prophet,

Son of old Priam, Helenus by name,

Him, in his midnight walks, the wily chief

Ulysses

curse of every tongue, espied ;
605

Took him, and led him captive, to the Greeks
605

A welcome spoil. Much he foretold to all,
605

And added last that Troy should never fall

Ulysses heard, and instant promise gave

To fetch him hence ; he hoped by gentle means

To gain him ; those successless, force at last

Could but compel him. He would go, he cried,

And if lio failed his liead should pay the forfeit.

I've told thee all, and warn thee to be gone,

Thou and thy friend, if thou wouldst wish to save him.

Philoctetes

And does the traitor think he can persuade me ?

As well might he persuade me to return
625

From death to life, as his base father did.

Merchant

Of tliat I know not : I must to my ship.

Farewell, and may the gods protect you both ! \_ExiL

Philoctetes

Lead me — expose me to the Grecian host !
630

And could the insolent Ulysses hope
630

With his soft flatteries e'er to conquer me \

No ! Sooner would 1 listen to the voice

Of that fell serpent, whose envenomed tongue

Hath lamed me thus. But what is there he dare not

Or say or do ? I know he will be here

E'en now, depend on't. Therefore, let's away !

Quick let the sea divide us from Ulysses.

Let us be gone ; for well-timed expedition,

The task performed, brings safety and repose.
635

Ned. Soon {\s the wind permits us we embark,
635

But now 'tis adverse.

Philoctetes

Every wind is fair

When we are flying from misfortune.

Ned. True ;

And 'tis against them too.

Philoctetes

Alas ! no storms
645

Can drive back fraud and rapine from their prey.

Neoptolemus

I'm ready. Take what may be necessaiy,

And follow me.

Philoctetes

I want not much.

Neoptolemus

Perhaps
650

My ship will furnish you.
650

Philoctetes

There is a plant

Which to my wound gives some relief ; I must

Have that.

Neoptolemus

Is there aught else?

Philoctetes

Alas ! my bow

I had forgot. I must not lose that treasure.

hrhigs out his boiv and ay-rows.
655

Neoptolemus

Are these the famous arrows then ?

Philoctetes

They are.

Neoptolemus

And may I be permitted to behold,

To touch, to pay my adoration to them ?

Philoctetes

In these, my son, in everything that 's mine
660

Thou hast a right.

Neoptolemus

But if it be a crime.

I would not ; otherwise

Philoctetes

Oh! thou art full

Of piety ; in thee it is no crime ;

In thee, my friend, by whom alone I look
665

Once more with pleasure on the radiant sun —

By whom I live— who giv'st me to return

To my dear father, to my friends, my country :

Sunk as I was beneath my foes, once more

I rise to triumph o'er them by thy aid :

Behold them, touch them, but return them to me,

And boast that virtue which on thee alone

Bestowed such honour. Virtue made them mine.

I can deny thee nothing : he, whose heart

Is grateful can alone deserve the name
670

Of friend, to every treasure far superior.

ISTeo. Go in.

Philoctetes

Come with me ; for my painful wound

Requires thy friendly hand to help me onward.

Since proud Ixion, doomed to feel

The tortures of th' eternal wheel.

Bound by the hand of angry Jove,

Received the due rewards of impious love ;

Ne'er was distress so deep or woe so great

Who ever with the just and good,

Guiltless of fraud and rapine, stood,

And the fair paths of virtue still pursued ;

Alone on this inhospitable shore,

Where waves for ever beat and tempests roar,

How could he e'er or hope or comfort know,

Or painful life support beneath such weight of woe ?

Exposed to the inclement skies,

Deserted and forlorn he lies,

No friend or fellow-mourner there

To soothe his sorrows and divide his care,

Or seek the healing plant of power to 'suage

His aching wound and mitigate its rage ;

But if perchance, awhile released

From torturing pain, he sinks to rest.

Awakened soon, and by sharp hunger prest,

Compelled to wander forth in search of food.

He crawls in anguish to the neighbouring wood ;

Even as the tottering infant in despair

Who mourns an absent mother's kind supporting care,

The teeming earth, who mortals still supplies

With every good, to him her seed denies ;

A stranger to the joy that flows

From the kind aid which man on man bestows ;

Nor food, alas ! to him was given,

Save when his arrows pierced the birds of heaven ;

Nor e'er did Bacchus' heart-expanding bowl

For ten long years relieve his cheerless soul ;

But glad was he his eager thirst to slake

In the unwholesome pool, or ever-stagnant lak^.

But now, behold the joyful captive freed ;

A fairer fate, and brighter days succeed :

For he at last hath found a friend

Of noblest race, to save and to defend.

To guide him with protecting hand,

And safe restore him to his native land ;

On Sperchius' flowery banks to join the throng

Of Melian nymphs, and lead the choral song

On CEta's top, which saw Alcides rise,

And from the flaming pile ascend his native skies,

Neoptolemus
{Exeunt. Stro'plie, Antistrophe. Strophe 2. Antistrophe 2. ACT III. Scene I.

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 219 focus

Strangers, who are you that have steer'd your bark

To this rude coast, which knows not friendly port,
220

Nor habitation? What your country say;

Of what race may I speak you? for your garb

Presents the modes of Greece, to me most dear.

I wish to hear your voice. Nay, do not look

With fear and horror at this savage form,

But pity me, a poor forsaken wretch,

Alone, and friendless, and oppress'd with ills.

Speak to me, if you come as friends, O speak;

This I should not refuse; refuse not you.

Neoptolemus

Stranger, be first inform'd of this, for this

Was thy first wish to know, we are of Greece.

Philoctetes

O welcome accents! What a joy to hear

That language, to its sound so long disused!

Who brought thee hither? What necessity,
235

What strong desire impell'd thy sails, what wind

To me most dear? Speak to me, tell me all,

That who thou art undoubting I may know.

Neoptolemus

My birth I draw from Scyros, sea-girt isle,

Thither my bark now steers its homeward course;

And Neoptolemus men call my name,
240

Son of Achilles. I have told thee all.

Philoctetes

Son of a father to my soul most dear,

Thou native of a land I love, thou joy

Of aged Lycomedes, to these shores

On what achievement bound? Whence sail'd thy bark?

Neoptolemus

From Ilium now I steer my willing course.
245

Philoctetes

What say'st thou? Not with us didst thou embark,

When first 'gainst Ilium sail'd our warlike host.

Neoptolemus

Hadst thou too in that martial toil a share?

Philoctetes

Know'st thou not me, my son, whom now thou seest?

Neoptolemus

How should I know a man not seen before?
250

Philoctetes

Hath not my name, hath not the bruit of ills

By which I perish, ever reach'd thine ear?

Neoptolemus

Nothing of these thy questions do I know.

Philoctetes

Oh what a wretch am. I, and to the gods

How hateful, that no tidings of my woes ..

Have reach'd my house, nor any realm of Greece!

While they whose impious arts exposed me here,

Deride me, and conceal the barbarous deed,

My wound still rankling, and my pains more fierce.

Know then, thou son of an illustrious sire,

Son of Achilles, I am he, whose name

Widely divulged perchance hath reach'd thine ears,

Lord of the arms of Hercules, the son

Of Poœas, Philoctetes; whom the Chiefs,

And Cephallene's king, here basely left

An outcast, and alone, with dire disease...

Consumed, and tortured with this gnawing wound

By the fell serpent's venom'd tooth impress'd.

In this ill plight they left me here alone, "

From Chryse when on this wild coast we touch'd...

As wearied with the tossing of the waves.........

They saw me sleeping on the shore, beneath

This rock's rude covering, with malignant joy

They left me, and sail'd hence, a few mean rågs,

Meet for a wretch like me, beside me laid,

And food, a scanty pittance; such be theirs!
255

Think from that sleep, my son, how I awoke
255

When they were gone; think on my tears, my groans,
255

Such ills lamenting, when I saw my ships,
255

With which I hither sail'd, all out at sea,
255

And steering hence; no mortal in the place,
255

Not one to succour me, not one to lend
255

His lenient hand to mitigate my wound..
255

On every side I roll'd my eyes, and saw
255

Nothing but wretchedness; of that enough....
255

Time after time roll’d on; this narrow cave
255

I made my mansion, and these hands alone!
255

Supplied my wants; my bow procured me food,
255

Piercing the doves on wing; beneath my shafts!
255

Whene'er they fell, I trail'd my foot along
255

In anguish; so when thirst compell'd me forth,
255

Or the inclement winter's piercing frost
255

To break a few dry sticks, out crawl'd this wretch
255

Devising shifts: fire was not here; I struck
255

Flint against flint, and raised the latent sparks
255

With pain: thus cherish'd life hath been preserved.
255

This sheltering mansion, with such cheering fire,
255

Hath furnish'd me with all things, but a cure 1.

To my disease. Now learn from me the state

Of this rude isle: no mariner through choice

Adventures on this coast; for no safe port,

Receives his bark, no mart is open here

For traffic, and no hospitable door

To give him welcome; to these shores his course..

No wise man steers; some in a length of time,

Which rolls along events surpassing thought,

Have been driv'n hither; these, my son, when here,

In words have pitied me: nay, they have giv'n,

Touch'd with compassion, some small share of food,

Some raiment; but entreaties all were vain,

Not one, though oft I urged the fond request,

Would bear me to my household gods, and save

This life; the tenth sad year now rolls its course,

Since here with wretchedness and famine pierced

I waste away, and feed my rankling wound.

These wrongs from the Atridæ I sustain,

And from Ulysses, whose unfeeling heart

Ne'er knew the touch of pity: on their heads

May the just gods pour miseries great as mine!

Chorus

Like others, who have visited this isle,

I too, O son of Peas, pity thee.

Neoptolemus

I can bear witness to thy words, by proof

I know them true: Ulysses I have found
320

Unfeeling, and the sons of Atreus base.

Philoctetes

Hast thou too suffer'd from them? Is thy rage

'Gainst their destructive guilt, like mine, inflamed ?

Neoptolemus

Oh that my hand had pow'r t' avenge my wrongs!

Then should Mycenæ and proud Sparta know
325

And feel that Scyros to the brave gives birth.

Philoctetes

This shows a noble spirit: but, my son,

What mighty wrongs to Lemnos urged thy sails?

Neoptolemus

I will inform thee, if my soul can bear

To speak my wrongs; for since Achilles died.......

Philoctetes

Ah, let me check thy speech: of this event

First tell me. Is the son of Peleus dead?

Neoptolemus

And by no mortal hand, but by the bow

Of Phœbus, such the voice of fame, subdued.
335

Philoctetes

Illustrious he that slew, and he that fell!

But what behoves me now? Should I first ask

What thou hast suffer'd, or lament his fate?

Neoptolemus

Griefs of thy own, I think thou hast enough,

Unhappy man, unmix'd with foreign ills.
340

Philoctetes

Thy words are wise: return then to thy tale,

My son, and say what wrongs thou hast received.

Neoptolemus

In a tall bark with all her sails unfurl'd

The great Ulysses, and the sage who train'd

May father's youth, came to me, and declared

(The truth yet doubtful) that, my father dead,

No arm but mine could raze the tow'rs of Troy.

I heard them, nor detain'd them long, but soon

Mounted the bark; for ardent my desire

To see the dead, whom I had never seen,

Ere in the earth entomb'd: their plea besides

Had honour in it, that the tow'rs of Troy

Should, if I join'd them, fall beneath my arm.

One day our vessel plough'd the foaming main,

And on the second with a favouring gale

I reach'd Sigæum, scene of bitter woe.

Soon as I landed, all the army round

Enclosing me with salutations greet,

And swear they see Achilles, now no more,

Living again; but he was stretch'd in death.

O'er him in all the anguish of my grief

I shed the pious tears; nor mourn'd him long,

But hasted to th' Atridæ, as my friends,

For such I deem'd them, and my father's arms

Demanded, and besides whateʼer was his.

In words that pierced my heart they thus replied,

Son of Achilles, thine be all the stores,

The treasures of thy father, save his arms;

Of these another now is lord, the son

Of old Laertes. Strait the swelling tear
345

Burst from my eye; and roused to ardent rage
345

Indignant I replied, Have you then dared,
345

Injurious men, to give my arms away,
345

My leave not ask'd? Ulysses, who was nigh,
345

Address'd me thus, To me, young man, these arms
345

With justice they have giv'n, for from the foe
345

I saved them, and their slaughter'd lord. Incensed
345

I pour'd a torrent of reproachful words
345

Against him, should he bear my arms away.
345

Stung with my words, though train'd to curb his rage,
345

Thus far to rising passion he gave way,
345

Thou wast not where we were, but distant far
345

From danger and from glory: but these arms,

Since in so high a strain thy tongue breaks loose,

To Scyros sailing never shalt thou bear.i

Thus slighted, thus insulted, of my right,

Robb'd by the vile Ulysses, of a race

As vile descended, I to Scyros steer

My homeward course; yet less with him enraged

Than with the potent kings; for every state,

And every army from their Chiefs are form'd.

And they, who mock at honour's dictates, learn

Their baseness from their lords. Thou hast heard all:

But know, whoe'er the sons of Atreus hates,

Must be to me, and to the gods, most dear.

Chorus

Thou all-sustaining parent, mighty queen,

Delighting in the mountain's wood-crown'd height,

Mother of Jove, who feed'st the golden stream

Of rich Pactolus, pow'r revered, to thee

My vows I then address'd, when all these wrongs

Burst from the sons of Atreus, when they gave
395

His father's arms (O thou, whose car sublime,

Blest as thou art, bull-rending lions draw!) :

To grace Ulysses, an illustrious prize.

Philoctetes

With marks of grief imprinted deep, I ween,

Strangers, to me you steer'd your course, with mine

Your voice according; for, with me, the sons
400

Of Atreus, and Ulysses you have felt :

These are their deeds: I know him well; his tongue

To subtile blandishment and wicked guile

Is always smooth'd, whence nothing just was e'er

Brought to effect. I marvel not at this,

But much, if this the greater Ajax saw,

How his high soul such deeds of baseness brook'd.
405

Neoptolemus

He, stranger, was no more; for had he lived,

I had not of my arms been plunder'd thus.

Philoctetes

Dead, say'st thou? Is the noble Ajax dead?
410

Neoptolemus

No more he views the sun's ethereal light.

I mourn his fate. But tell me lives the son

Of Tydeus? Lives that wretch, who ere his birth

By Sisyphus was to Laertes sold?

Philoctetes

Are not they dead? Such wretches should not live.

Neoptolemus

No: be thou well assured of that: they live,
415

And flourish now amidst the Argive host.

Philoctetes

Where is my honour'd good, and aged friend,

The Pylian, Nestor? Well his sage advice

The baseness of their actions might have curb'd.

Neoptolemus

He lives indeed, but sinks beneath his grief,
420

Mourning Antilochus, his loved, lost son.

Philoctetes

Twice have thy words with sorrow pierced my heart,

To hear, what least I wish'd to hear, the death,

Of two brave friends. Ah, what must be our thought,

When such men perish, and Ulysses lives,
425

Whose death, instead of theirs, should be announced!

Neoptolemus

He is a wary combatant; but craft

Is oft entangled in the nets it spreads.

Philoctetes

Now, by the gods inform me where was then

Patroclus, to thy father once most dear?
430

Neoptolemus

He too was dead. In one brief sentence hear

This truth, that never willingly doth war

Cut off the base, and never spares the brave.

Philoctetes

To show thee that my thoughts accord with thine,

Now let me ask thee of a worthless man,
435

But passing shrewd, and voluble of tongue.

Neoptolemus

Of other than Ulysses dost thou speak?

Philoctetes

I meant not him: but in the Grecian camp

Was one Thersites, who wish'd oft to speak

What no man would hear once: is he alive?
440

Neoptolemus

I saw him not, but heard that yet he lives.

Philoctetes

Yes, he will live; for never have I known

That the base perish; such the gods protect,

Delighting from the realms of death to snatch

The crafty and the guileful; but the just

And generous they in ruin always sink.
445

How for these things shall we account, or how

Approve them? When I find the gods unjust,

How can I praise their heavenly governance ?

Neoptolemus

Son of tean Peas, I will guard

My future life from Ilium distant far,

Far from the sons of Atreus. O'er the brave
450

Where the vile lords it, and illustrious worth
450

Is doom'd to perish by oppressive pow'r,

I with such men will never live a friend.

But me the rocks of Scyros shall henceforth

Content, not undelighted with my home.

Now to my bark I go: farewell, thou son

Of Poœas; be each blessing thine, farewell;

May the gods heal thy wound! We must go hence,

That when the gale springs favouring we may sail.

Philoctetes

Would you now spread your sails, my son?

Neoptolemus

The time

Now calls us near the bark to watch the gale.

Philoctetes

Now by thy father's honour'd shade, my son,
465

And by thy mother, by whate'er thy house.
465

Holds dear to thee, thy suppliant I implore
465

Thy pity, do not leave me thus alone,

Abandon'd in these ills, which now thou seest,

And with which thou hast heard I long have had

My dwelling here. Receive me in thy bark,

Allow me there a place; this freight, I know;

Will be offensive; yet disdain it not:

Whate'er is base the noble mind abhors,

But glories in the kind and generous deed.

Not to perform this kindness were reproach.

To thee, and shame; but granting my request,

High honour waits thee. If I reach alive

The land of Eta, I shall burden thee

Not one whole day; refuse not my request;
470

Throw me where'er thou wilt, into the hold,
470

The prow, the stern, where least I may annoy!".
470

The mariners; assent, my son, by Jove

Protector of the suppliant, grant my pray'r.

Infirm, and lame, and wretched as I am,

Low at thy knees I fall; forsake me not

Far from the haunt of men abandon'd thus

But save me, bear me to thy friendly shore,

Or to Chalcodon's ports that deep indenti

Euboœa; thence the passage is not long

To Eta, and to Trachin's rocky heights,

And to Sperchius, beauteous-rolling stream.

Show me to my loved father; yet long since

The tomb, I fear, received him; for to those,

Who reach'd this coast, I oft gave charge, and oft
475

Sent my request that he would speed a bark.
475

To bear me hence in safety to my home.
475

But he is dead, or they perchance, (for this

Might be expected) on whose promised aid

I built my hopes, of my disastrous state

Made small account, and steer'd their onward course

To their own ports. But now I come to thee

To bear my message, nay, to bear me hence. 1.

Save me, have pity on me; for thou seest.

The dangers, and the horrible events

Attendant

prosperous now, anon

In misery sunk. Behoves it then the man,

A stranger now to ill, on ills to come

Forward to look; then most when fortune smiles,

To have a sense of man's uncertain state,

Lest ruin steal upon him, and he fall.

Chorus

Have pity on him, king; for he hath told

Of hard encounters with severest toils

Beyond man's sufferance: ne'er may one I love
505

Endure the like! And if, O king, thou hate

The stern Atridæ, I would turn their ill

To his great good; and since his wish is urged

So strongly, in my swift well-furnish'd bark

Convey him to his mansion, and avoid
510

The righteous vengeance of th' offended gods..

Neoptolemus

Take heed lest now too gentle be thy mind,

But when, embark'd together, his diseasejut

Long time annoys thee, other be thy thoughts.

Chorus

Never, oh never: nor shalt thou have cause
515

To charge my stedfast mind wtth such reproach.

Neoptolemus

Nay, I should blush indeed, should I appear

Less prompt than thou with generous toil to aid

In his distress a stranger. We will sail,

Neoptolemus

If such thy judgment: let him come with speed;

Merchant

My bark shall bear him hence, nor shall he find

Neoptolemus

Denial: may the gods direct our course! mo

Merchant

Safe to the shore on which we wish to land

Philoctetes

O welcome day! Most courteous thou of men!

And you, ye friendly mariners, what thanks

Can I return you? With what words express

The gratitude that glows within my heart?...

But let us go, my son, and pay within "

A farewell greeting to this cheerless cave,id
525

Dwelling unmeet for man; that thou may'st know
525

Where I have lived, and what I have sustain'd

With a firm heart: the sight alone, I think,

Horror on others must impress; but me

Necessity hath taught to love e'en this.

Chorus

Restrain your steps awhile: two men advance, , . ,

One to thy bark belongs, a stranger oneli

es podt of IC

First hear their tidings; visit then the cave.)

MERC. Son of Achilles, to this mariner,

Who with two others guarded thy tall bark,

I made request that he would show me where

Merchant

Thou might'st be found; since thus I light on thee THIA
535

Where least expected, driv'n by chance to land
535

On the same shore'; for I, as master, steer'd
535

My little galley homeward from the coast

Of Troy to Peparethus cloth'd with vines

Rich with the purple grape. But when I heard

That all thy naval train was waiting here,d

I deem'd it meet in silence not to sail,

But first to tell thee things perchance to thee

Unknown, and much importing thee to know;

What late resolves the Grecian Chiefs have form'd

Against thee; not resolves alone, but acts
540

With vigour and without delay enforced. T
540

Neoptolemus
MERCHANT, MARINER, NEOPTOLEMUS, PHILOCTETES, CHORUS.

In grateful memory, stranger, I shall hold

Thy kind concern for me, else 1 were base.”

What thou hast hinted speak at large, 'gainst me

The councils by the Grecians lately form'd.

Merchant

MERC. The sons of Theseus, and the aged Chiefs dhid
560

Phœnix, pursue thee with a well-arm'd fleet:
560

Neoptolemus

By force to lead me back, or suasive words?

Merchant

MERC. I know not: what I heard I came to speak

Neoptolemus

Doth Phoenix this, and they who with him sail,)
565

Obsequious to th' Atridæ's royal will?
565

Merchant

MERC. Be thou assured they speed without delay.

Whence is it that Ulysses came not, prompt

To sail with them? Hath fear restrain'd his zeal?

MERC. He and the son of Tydeus, when I sail'd, to count

Against some other plough'd the foaming main.

Neoptolemus

On what adventure was Ulysses bound?

Merchant

MERC. There was a man...... But tell me, who is this?T

I would first know: but speak it not aloud.

Neoptolemus

This, friend, is Philoctetes the renown'd.

Merchant

MERC. Nay then no further question: with all speed

Hoist every sail, and hie thee from this land.

Neoptolemus

What says this merchant? What design, my son,

Merchant

'Gainst me conveys that whisper to thy ear?

Neoptolemus

What he would say I know not; let him speak
590

Clear and aloud to thee, and me, and these.
590

MERC. Son of Achilles, to the Grecian host
590

Betray me not, as what I should conceal
590

Merchant

Disclosing; many favours at their hands

Have I received for services by mea

To them perform'd, such as a poor man may.h

Neoptolemus

I hate the sons of Atreus; and this man,

Because he hates them, is my dearest friend.

Merchant

Behoves thee, since to me thou comest a friend,

Nought, which a friend can tell us, to conceal.T

MERC. See what thou dost.

That long hath been my care

MERC. On thee I charge the blame.
595

Charge it, but speak
595

MERC. Then I will speak. Against this man the son I

Of Tydeus, and the stern Ulysses speed

Their sails; their purpose ratified by oath

By soft persuasion or compulsive force

To bring him back: this all the Grecians heard-

Ulysses speak aloud; for bolder hoperidoli

Was his, and firm assurance of successo di

Neoptolemus

After such length of time what cause hath moved
600

The sons of Atreus to such anxious care
600

For one, an outcast, whom so long they left?

Whence this desire? Or have the gods by force

Impell'd them, thus avenging impious deeds?...

MERC. Of this I will inform thee, things perchance

By thee not heard. There was a noble Seer,

The son of Priam, Helenus his name;

Him this dark plotter cursed by every tongue,

As in the night he prowling roved alone,

Ulysses

and brought his glorious prize
605

Bound to the Grecians: all the dark decrees.
605

Of fate he open'd to them, and declared
605

That never should they raze the tow'rs of Troy,

Till by persuasion they should lead this man

From his lone dwelling in this rocky isle.

This when Ulysses heard the seer declare,..

Instant he pledged his faith to lead him hence,

And show him to the Grecian camp: his hopes

Are warm to win his willing mind; if not,

He will recur to force; and for success

Hath pledged his head. Thou hast heard all: now haste,

Thou and whoe'er is dear to thee: be warn'd.

Philoctetes

What, hath this vile accurs'd deceiver sworn

To show me to the Grecians? Were I dead,

Philoctetes

Then might persuasion bring me from the realms

Of Pluto, like his father, back to light.

Merchant

MERC. I know not that. My bark demands me now

May the best blessings of the gods be yours.!:)

Philoctetes
PHILOCTETES, NEOPTOLEMUS, CHORUS.

Is not this strange? What, dares Ulysses hope:
630

With soothing words to win me to embark
630

With him, and trail me through the Grecian camp

Aspectacle! No: rather would I hear

The serpent, from whose venom'd tooth my foot

Received this wound. But he dares speak and act

Whate'er is base. I know that he will come;

Let us then hence; with all its, broad expanse

Let the sea roll between his bark and us.
635

Let us begone: for well-timed speed (the toil
635

Surmounted) brings the calm of sweet repose.

Neoptolemus

When from the shore the favouring gales arise,

Our sails shall catch them: they are adverse now.

Philoctetes

Fair is each gale that wafts the bark from ills.

Neoptolemus

No: but to them the gale is adverse too.

Philoctetes

To daring pirates adverse is no wind,
645

With ruffian force when they can seize their spoil.

Neoptolemus

Well; instant let us sail: but from thy cave

First bear what thou may'st need, or wish to take.

Philoctetes

There is, though small my stores, what I shall need.

Neoptolemus

What is there which my bark can not supply?
650

Philoctetes

There is an herb, with which I oft assuage

My wound, and wholly mitigate its pain.

Neoptolemus

Bring it. Aught else hast thou a wish to take?

Philoctetes

If of these shafts one carelessly be dropt,

I would not leave it to a casual lord.
655

Neoptolemus

Is this the bow so famous through the world?

Philoctetes

It is: my hands no other deign to hold.

Neoptolemus

Wilt thou indulge me with a nearer view,

To hold, to kiss it as a thing divine?

Philoctetes

This, and what else is mine, to thee, my son,
660

To gratify thy wish shall be allow'd.

Neoptolemus

I wish it, so far wish it as thy will

Assents; if not, my wish shall be suppress'd.

Philoctetes

Thy words are pious; thou hast my consent,

Thou, who alone hast giv'n me to behold

The sun's bright beams, to see th' Otæan land,

My aged father, my loved friends; when sunk

Beneath my foes, to rise and triumph. Yes,

Thou hast my leave to touch it, to my hands
665

Again to give it, and to make thy boast
665

That for thy virtue thou of all mankind
665

Alone hast handled it: for friendly deeds.
665

It was my prize; nor envy I my friend

To see, to touch it. He, whose grateful heart

Knows to requite a favour, is a friend

Of higher value than rich treasured stores.

Neoptolemus

The cave now enter.

Philoctetes

I will lead thee on;

English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 219-390 focus

Enter Philoctetes, on the spectators’ right.

Philoctetes

O strangers!

Who can you be, and from what country, that you have put into this harborless and desolate land? What would I rightly say is your city or your ancestry? The fashion of your equipment is Greek, and most welcome to my
220

sight; but it would please me to hear your voices. And do not shrink from me in fear, or be frightened by my savage looks. No, pity one so wretched and so lonely, a castaway, so friendless and so miserable. Speak to me, if indeed you have come as friends.
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Oh, answer! It is not right that I be disappointed by you in this request, at least, nor you by me.
230

Neoptolemus

Well, know first, stranger, that we are Greeks, since you desire to learn this.

Philoctetes

O cherished sound! Ah, that I should truly be

greeted by such a man, after so long a time! What need, young man, has made you land here and brought you to this spot? What business? What wind so kind? Speak, tell me all, so that I may know who you are.
235

Neoptolemus

My birthplace is the island Scyros, and I am sailing

homeward. I am the son of Achilles, by name Neoptolemus. Now you know everything.
240

Philoctetes

O son of a father I loved, and of soil I cherished! Ward of aged Lycomedes, on what mission have you touched this shore? From where are you sailing?

Neoptolemus

Well, since you ask, it is from Ilium that I am now guiding my ship.
245

Philoctetes

What? You were certainly not our shipmate at the beginning of the expedition there.

Neoptolemus

And did you have a part in that toil?

Philoctetes

Then you do not know who I am?

Neoptolemus

How should I know one whom I have never seen before?
250

Philoctetes

Then you have not even heard my name, or any rumor of those sufferings under which I have been perishing?

Neoptolemus

Be sure that I know nothing of what you ask.

254

Philoctetes

How cursed I must be, how abhorred by the gods,

if not a word of my miserable condition has reached my homeland, or any Greek land at all! Instead those men, who against the gods’ laws cast me away, keep their secret and laugh, while my plague has ever flourished and grows worse!
255

O my son, boy whose father was Achilles, here I am before you, the man of whom you have perhaps heard as lord of the bow of Heracles, Philoctetes the son of Poeas. I am he whom the two marshalls and the Cephallenian king
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shamelessly hurled to this solitude which you see, when I was wasting with a fierce disease, stricken by the savage bite of the murderous serpent. With that plague for my sole companion, boy, those men put me out
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here alone and left, after they landed here with their fleet from sea-washed Chryse . Delighted they were then, when they saw me asleep after much tossing on the waves, in the shelter of a cave upon the shore, and they abandoned me, first setting out a few rags, as though for an unfortunate beggar, and a bit of food, too—
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a small work of charity. But may they get what they gave me! Can you imagine, boy, what kind of awakening I had when they had gone, and I rose from sleep that day?—what stinging tears I wept, and what miseries I bewailed when I saw that the ships with which I had sailed
275

were all gone, and that there was no man in the place, not one to help me, not one to ease the sickness that afflicted me, when looking all around me, I could find nothing at hand, save agony—but of that a ready store?
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285

So time passed for me, season by season, and alone in this narrow house, I had to attend to all my wants by my own resources. For my stomach’s needs this bow provided, bringing down doves on the wing. And whatever my string-sped arrow might strike,
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in pain I would crawl to it myself, dragging my wretched foot behind me. Or, again, if water had to be fetched, or, if when the frost had spread, as often happens in winter, a bit of firewood had to be broken, I would creep out in pain and
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manage it. Then fire would be lacking; but by rubbing stone hard on stone I would at last reveal the hidden spark which preserves me from day to day. Indeed, a roof over my head and a fire inside provides all that I want—except release from my disease.
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Come now, son, you must understand what sort of island this is. No mariner approaches it by choice, since there is no anchorage or port where he can find a gainful market or a kindly host. This is not a place to which prudent men voyage. But suppose that some one has put in against his will, for such things may often
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happen in the long course of a man’s life. These visitors, then, when they come, son, have compassionate words for me, and, perhaps moved by pity, they give me a little food or some clothing.
305

But there is one thing that no one will do, whenever I mention it: take me home in safety. No, this is already the tenth year that I am wasted by misery from hunger and suffering, by feeding this gluttonous plague. This is what the Atreids and the forceful Odysseus have done to me, boy.
310

May the gods on Olympus someday give them agonies as strong in requital for mine!
315

317

Chorus

I believe that I, too, pity you, son of Poeas, as much as your former visitors.

Neoptolemus

And I myself attest your accusations,

for I know their truth through my own experience with the wickedness of the Atreids and the force of Odysseus.
320

Philoctetes

What, do you also have a grievance against the accursed sons of Atreus, a cause for anger at some mistreatment?

Neoptolemus

If only I might one day be allowed to fulfill my heart’s rage by the deeds of my hand,

so that Mycenae might learn, and Sparta , that Scyros also is a mother of brave men!
325

Philoctetes

Well said, son! Now what is the reason that you have come complaining against them with this fierce wrath?

Neoptolemus

I will tell you—and yet it is hard to tell—

the outrage that I suffered from them upon my arrival there. For when fate decreed that Achilles should die—
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Philoctetes

Ah, me! Tell me no more, until I first know this—is the son of Peleus dead?

Neoptolemus

Dead—not by a mortal hand, but by a god’s.

He was brought down, as men say, by the arrow of Phoebus.
335

Philoctetes

Well, noble alike are the slayer and the slain. But I am at a loss to know, son, whether I should first inquire into the wrong done you, or mourn the dead.

Neoptolemus

Your own sorrows, I think, are enough

for you, unhappy man, without mourning for those of your neighbor.
340

Philoctetes

You speak the truth. Therefore tell me again what happened to you, and how they wronged you.

343

Neoptolemus

They came for me in a ship elaborately ornamented, shining Odysseus, and he who fostered my father,

and said—whether truly or falsely, I do not know—that since my father had perished, fate now forbade that anyone but I should take the towers of Troy .
Saying that this, my friend, was how things stood, they caused me no long delay before I set sail in haste,
345

chiefly because of my yearning for the dead, that I might look upon him before burial, since I had never seen him. Then, besides, theirs was a fine promise, if by accompanying them I might sack the towers of Troy .
It was now the second day of my voyage
350

when, sped by breeze and oar, I approached bitter Sigeum. When I landed, straightaway the entire army thronged around me with greetings, vowing that they saw their lost Achilles once more alive.
He, though, lay ready for burial, and I, unhappy,
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when I had wept for him, went before long to the Atreids, to friends, as it was reasonable to suppose,—and claimed my father’s arms and all else that had been his. O, their reply was bold and shameless! Seed of Achilles, you may take all else that was your father’s. But of those arms another man now is lord, the son of Laertes .
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The tears came quick to my eyes as I sprang up in passionate anger and said in my bitterness, Madman! Have you dared give my arms to another man in my place, without asking me? But Odysseus—for he chanced to be at hand—said, Yes, boy, they awarded them as was just, since it was I who saved the arms and their master by my presence at the crucial moment. Then immediately, in my fury, I began to lash at him with every kind of insult

and left not one unsaid, if he was indeed to rob me of my arms. At this point, stung by the abuse, though not given to anger, he answered,— You have not gone to where we have; instead you have been absent from where you were needed. And since your tongue is so arrogant, you will never sail back to Scyros with those arms in your possession. In that way rebuked, in that way insulted, I sail for home, deprived of what is my own by that worst offspring of a wicked line, Odysseus.
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And yet I do not blame him as much as I do those in power. For a city hangs wholly on its leaders, and so does an army, but when men shatter law and order, it is the lessons of their teachers that corrupt them. My tale is told in full. May he who hates the Atreids
385

be as dear to the gods as he is to me!
390

Chorus

Goddess of the hills, Earth all-nourishing, mother of Zeus himself, you through whose realm the great Pactolus

rolls golden sands! There, there also, dread Mother, I called upon your name, when all the insults of the Atreids landed upon this man, when they handed over his father’s armor, that sublime marvel,
395

to the son of Laertes . Hear it, blessed queen, who rides on bull-slaughtering lions!
400

Philoctetes

It seems that you have come to me, friends, well commended by a grief that matches my own.

Your story is in harmony with mine, so that I can recognize the work of the Atreids and of Odysseus. For well I know that he would put his tongue to any base tale and to any mischief-making, if thereby he could hope to accomplish something criminal in the end.
405

No, that is not at all a wonder to me, but rather that the elder Ajax, if he was there, could bear to see this.
410

Neoptolemus

Ah, friend, he was no longer alive—I would never have been plundered like that while he lived.

Philoctetes

What do you say? Is he, too, dead and gone?

Neoptolemus

Think of him as of one who sees the sun’s light no more.
415

Philoctetes

Oh, no! But the son of Tydeus, and Sisyphus’ offspring that was bought by Laertes—they will not die, since they do not deserve to live!

Neoptolemus

No, indeed, be sure of it. On the contrary, they prosper now

—yes, and greatly—in the Argive army.
420

Philoctetes

And what of my brave old friend, Nestor of Pylos—is he not alive? He often checked the crimes of those two, if not others, by his sage counsels.

Neoptolemus

He has his own troubles now, since Antilochus,

the son that was at his side, left him for Hades.
425

Philoctetes

Ah, me! These two, again, whom you have named, are men of whose death I had least wished to hear. Gods! What are we to look for, when these men have died, but Odysseus here again lives, when

in their place he should have been announced as dead?
430

Neoptolemus

The man is a clever wrestler. But even clever schemes, Philoctetes, are often blocked.

Philoctetes

Now, by the gods, tell me—where was Patroclus when you needed him, he whom your father loved beyond all others?

Neoptolemus

He, too, was dead. And in a brief maxim I would teach you this: War takes no evil man by choice, but always the good men.
435

Philoctetes

I will attest to that, and with that very truth in mind, I will ask you how fares a man of little worth, but sharp of tongue and clever.

Neoptolemus

Surely the man of whom you ask is no one but Odysseus?
440

441

Philoctetes

I did not mean him; there was one Thersites, who could never be content to speak once and briefly, even though no one wanted him to speak at all. Do you know if he is alive?

Neoptolemus

I never saw him, but I heard that he is still alive.
445

Philoctetes

He would be—no evil thing has ever been known to perish. No, the gods take excellent care of their kind. They find a strange joy in turning back from Hades all things criminal

and crooked, while they are always dispatching the just and the good from life. How am I to regard these doings? How can I praise them, when in the very act of praising the ways of the gods, I find that the gods are evil?
450

Neoptolemus

I, at least, son of Oetean Poeas, will be on my guard hereafter against Ilium

and the Atreids, and look on them only from afar. And where the worse man is stronger than the good, where nobility goes to ruin and the vile man dominates—among such men I will never make my friends. No, rocky Scyros shall suffice for me
455

from now on to make me delight in my home. Now to my ship! And you, son of Poeas, farewell—as best you can, farewell! May the gods free you of your disease, just as you wish! But we must be going, so that we
460

may set sail whenever the god permits our voyage.
465

Philoctetes

Are you setting out already, son?

Neoptolemus

Yes, since opportunity bids us watch near our ship for a fair wind, rather than from afar.

468

Philoctetes

Now by your father and by your mother, son, by all that you cherish at home—

I solemnly supplicate you, do not leave me alone like this, helpless amid these miseries in which I live, so harsh as you see, and so numerous as I have said! Consider me a small side-task. Great is
470

your disgust, well I know, at such a cargo. Yet bear with it all the same—to noble minds baseness is hateful, and a good deed is glorious. If you forsake this task, you will have a stain on your honor; but if you perform it, boy, you will win the prize of highest honor—if I return alive to Oeta’s soil.
475

Come, the trouble will not last one full day. Endure it, take me and throw me where you will—in the hold, the prow, the stern, wherever I will least annoy my shipmates. Say yes, by the great god of suppliants, son;
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be persuaded! I supplicate you at your knees, I am an infirm wretch, and lame! Do not leave me desolate like this, far from the paths of mankind! No, bring me safely to your own home, or to Euboea , Chalcodon’s seat;
485

and from there it will be no long journey for me to Oeta and the Trachinian heights, and fair-flowing Spercheius, so that you may show me to my beloved father, though long I have feared that he may have departed me. For often
490

did I summon him by means of those who came here, sending imploring prayers that he would himself send a ship and get me safely home. But either he is dead, or else, as I think is likely, my messengers thought my concerns of little account and hurried on their homeward voyage.
495

Now, however, since in you I have found one who can be both an escort and a messenger, save me and show me mercy, keeping in mind that all human destiny is full of the fear and the danger that prosperity may be followed by its opposite. He who stands clear of trouble must beware of dangers,
500

and when a man lives at ease, then it is that he must look most closely to his livelihood, lest it secretly suffer ruin.
505

Chorus

Have pity, my king! He has told of a struggle with sufferings manifold and oppressive—may the like befall no friend of mine!

And if, my king, you hate the hateful Atreids, then, turning their wrongdoing to this man’s gain,
510

I would take him in your swift, well-rigged ship to the home for which he longs, and so escape the god’s just wrath.
515

Neoptolemus

Though now as a casual spectator you are compliant,

beware lest later, when filled with his disease by its constant company, you prove no longer constant to these sentiments.
520

Chorus

That will not happen. You will never have just cause to rebuke me for that!

Neoptolemus

Well, then, it would shame me if the stranger were to find

me less ready than you are to toil for his good. Come, if it pleases you, let us sail. Let the man set out at once; our ship, for her part, will carry him, and will not refuse. Only may the gods give us safe passage from this land, and from here to whatever destination we choose!
525

Philoctetes

O day of joy unsurpassed! Most delightful man, and you good sailors! If only I could show you in deeds what a true friend you have made in me! Let us be going, my son, when we two have made a solemn farewell to my homeless home inside, so that you may also learn
530

by what means I sustained my life, and how stout of heart I was born. For I believe that the mere sight would have deterred any other man but me from enduring these sufferings. But I have been slowly schooled by necessity to endure misery. Neoptolemus is about to follow Philoctetes into the cave.
535

Chorus

Wait, let us listen to the two men who are coming!

One is a crewman of your ship, the other a stranger. Go in after you hear their report.
540

Enter the Merchant, on the spectators’ left, accompanied by a Sailor.

Merchant

Son of Achilles, I asked my companion here, when he was guarding your ship with two others, to tell me where you might be found,

since I have chanced upon you unexpectedly by the good fortune of coming to anchor off this very coast. With no great company I am homeward bound on my trader’s voyage from Ilium to Peparethus with its cluster-laden vines, but when I heard that the sailors
545

were all of your crew, I resolved not to continue my voyage in silence, without first giving you my news and getting the due reward. You know nothing, I suspect, of your own affairs: the new designs the Greeks
550

have regarding you, and not only designs, but deeds in progress and no longer postponed.
555

557

Neoptolemus

The service you have done me by your forethought, sir, unless I am unworthy, will remain in my grateful thoughts. But tell me just what the designs are that you mentioned, so that I may understand

what is the strange plan of the Greeks that you know.
560

Merchant

Pursuers are on the way in search of you with a fleet. They are the aged Phoenix and the sons of Theseus.

Neoptolemus

To bring me back by force, or through persuasion?

Merchant

I do not know; but I have come to tell you what I did hear.

Neoptolemus

Are Phoenix and his comrades really so eager to do this favor for the Atreids?
565

Merchant

Be sure that it is being done, and without delay.

Neoptolemus

Then why was Odysseus not ready to sail on this mission, and bring the message himself? Or did some fear hold him back?

Merchant

Oh, he and the son of Tydeus were readying for pursuit of another man, just as I was leaving port.
570

Neoptolemus

Who is this other after whom Odysseus himself was sailing?

Merchant

There was a man. . . . But tell me first who that is over there. And whatever you say, do speak quietly.

Neoptolemus

There, sir, before your eyes is the renowned Philoctetes.
575

Merchant

Then do not question me further, but get yourself out of here as quickly as possible and sail away.

Philoctetes

What is he saying, boy? Why does the sailor traffic with you about me in these dark whispers?

Neoptolemus

His meaning yet eludes me. But, whatever he will say, he must say openly—to you, me and my men here.
580

Merchant

Seed of Achilles, do not stir the army’s resentment against me for saying what I should not. I receive many benefits for what services I do them, as a poor man may.

Neoptolemus

I am the enemy of the Atreids, and this man is my closest friend precisely because he hates them. Since, then, you have come kindly disposed towards me, you must not hide from us any part of their plans that you have heard.
585

Merchant

Beware of what you are doing, boy.

Neoptolemus

I am well aware.

Merchant

I will hold you accountable.
590

Neoptolemus

Do so, but speak.

591

Merchant

I will. It is after this man that those two whom I named to you, Diomedes and forceful Odysseus, are sailing. They are oath-bound to retrieve him, either by winning words or by overpowering might.

And all the Achaeans heard this clearly from the mouth Odysseus, for his confidence of success in this action was higher than his comrade’s.
595

Neoptolemus

And for the sake of what did the Atreids after so long a time turn their thoughts so urgently towards this man,

whom they were long since keeping an outcast? What was the desire that came over them, or what force? What avenging spirit sent by the gods to exact payment for evil deeds?
600

Merchant

I will inform you of all that, since it seems that you have not heard. There was a seer of noble birth,

a son of Priam, called Helenus, whom that man, out on a solitary night raid—that deceitful Odysseus, whose repute is all shame and dishonor—captured. Leading him back in bonds, he displayed him publicly to the Achaeans as his glorious prey.
605

Helenus then prophesied for them whatever matter they asked, and, pertaining to Troy , he foretold that they would never sack its towers, unless by winning words they should bring Philoctetes here from the island where he now dwells. And, as soon as he heard the seer prophecy this, Laertes ’ son
610

immediately promised that he would bring the man and show him to the Achaeans. He thought it most likely that he would get him willingly, but, if unwilling, then by force, and he added that, were he to fail in this, whoever wished it might sever his head.
615

You have heard everything, boy, and I advise speed for you, and for any man for whom you care.
620

Philoctetes

Alas! Has he, the utter plague, sworn to fetch me back to the Achaeans by persuasion? For if that were to happen, I could be persuaded, when dead, to come back up

from Hades into the light, as his father did!
625

Merchant

I know nothing about that. But for my part I must return to ship, while for you I pray that god may help you in every possible way. Exit Merchant.

628

Philoctetes

Now is it not astounding, boy, that Odysseus would ever have expected by means of soft words

to lead me from his ship and show me in the middle of the Greeks? No! I would sooner listen to that greatest and worst of my enemies, the viper which made me crippled as I am! But there is nothing that he would not say or dare. And now I know that he is coming here.
630

Come, son, let us be moving, so that a wide sea may part us from the ship of Odysseus. Let us go! Good speed in good season brings sleep and rest when toil is finished.
635

Neoptolemus

Then as soon as the wind is not at our prow,

we will sail. At present it blows against us.
640

Philoctetes

The sailing is always fair, when you flee trouble.

Neoptolemus

Not so; this weather is against them also.

Philoctetes

No wind stands in the way of pirates who sense a chance to steal and plunder by force.

Neoptolemus

Well, if you are so resolved, let us go, once you have taken from the cave whatever you need or desire most.
645

Philoctetes

Yes, there are some things that I need, though the choice is not large.

Neoptolemus

What is there that will not be available on board my ship?

Philoctetes

I have a store of a certain herb, whereby I can always

best lull this wound, until it is wholly tamed.
650

Neoptolemus

Fetch it, then. Now, what else do you wish to take?

Philoctetes

Any of these arrows that may have been forgotten, and may have slipped away from me, so that I not leave it for another to take.

Neoptolemus

Is that indeed the famous bow which you hold?

Philoctetes

This, and no other, that I carry in my hand.
655

Neoptolemus

Is there any way that I might have a closer view of it—and handle it, and salute it as divine?

Philoctetes

To you alone, my son, this shall be granted, along with anything else in my power that is in your interest.

Neoptolemus

I do indeed crave to touch it, but my craving takes this form: if it is lawful, I would be glad. If not, think no more of it.
660

Philoctetes

Your words are reverent, son, and your wish is lawful. For you alone have given to my eyes the light of life and the hope of seeing the land of Oeta, of seeing

my aged father and my friends; and you alone, when I lay beneath the feet of my enemies, have lifted me beyond their reach. Be bold. The bow shall be yours to handle and to return to the hand that gave it, and you will be able to boast aloud that in reward for your goodness, you alone of mortals have touched it.
665

Yes, it was by a good deed that I myself won it.
670

Neoptolemus

I am not sorry that I found you and have gained your friendship, since whoever knows how to render benefit for a benefit received must prove a friend more valuable than any possession. Please, do go inside.

Philoctetes

Agreed, and I will bring you also.

My sickness craves the comfort of your presence. Philoctetes and Neoptolemus enter the cave.
675

Notes on the current edition

Philoctetes

1. [irreg. for

ποιήσει

poih/s1ei

‐σοι

-s1oi

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ὦ .. ὦ ὦ .. ὦ ὦ .. ὦ ὦ .. ὡς πόλλ᾽ ἐγὼ μοχθηρός, ὦ πικρὸς θεοῖς, οὐ μηδὲ κληδὼν ὧδ᾽ ἔχοντος οἴκαδε 255 μηδ᾽ ῾Ελλάδος γῆς μηδαμοῦ διῆλθέ που.

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εὕρισκον οὐδὲν πλὴν ἀνιᾶσθαι παρόν, τούτου δὲ πολλὴν εὐμάρειαν, ὦ τέκνον.

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ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΧΟ.

ἔοικα κἀγὼ τοῖς ἀφιγμένοις ἴσα ξένοις ἐποικτείρειν σε, Ποίαντος τέκνον.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΝΕ. ἐγὼ δὲ καὐτὸς τοῖσδε μάρτυς ἐν λόγοις λόγοισ λόγοις, ὡς εἴσ᾿ ἀληθεῖς ἀληθεῖς ἀληθεῖς οἶδα, συντυχὼν κακῶν 320 ἀνδρῶν ᾿Ατρειδῶν τῆς τ᾿ Οδυσσέως βίας.

ΦΙ. ἢ γάρ τι καὶ σὺ τοῖς πανωλέθροις ἔχεις ἔγκλημ᾽ ᾿Ατρείδαις ᾿Ατρείδ(..) ᾿Ατρείδαις, ὥστε θυμοῦσθαι παθών;

ΝΕ. *θυμὸν γένοιτο *χειρὶ θυμῷ.. χεῖρα πληρῶσαί ποτε, ἵν αἱ Μυκῆναι γνοῖεν ἡ Σπάρτη θ᾽ ὅτι 325 χή Σκῦρος ἀνδρῶν ἀλκίμων μήτηρ ἔφυ.

ΦΙ. εὖ γ᾽, ὦ τέκνον· τίνος γὰρ ὧδε τὸν μέγαν χόλον κατ᾿ αὐτῶν καυτῶν κατ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐγκαλῶν ἐλήλυθας;

ΝΕ. ὦ παῖ Ποίαντος, ἐξερῶ ἐξερῶ ἐξερῶ, μόλις δ᾽ ἐρῶ, ἅγωγ᾽ ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐξελωβήθην μολών. 330 ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἔσχε μοῖρ᾽ ᾿Αχιλλέα θανεῖν,

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΦΙ. οἴμοι· φράσῃς μοι μὴ πέρα, πρὶν ἂν μάθω πρῶτον τόδ᾽· ἢ εἰ ή τέθνηχ᾽ ὁ Πηλέως γόνος;

ΝΕ. τέθνηκεν, ἀνδρὸς οὐδενός, θεοῦ δ᾽ ὕπο, τοξευτός, ὡς λέγουσιν, ἐκ Φοίβου δαμείς. 335

ΦΙ. ἀλλ᾽ εὐγενὴς ευγενὴς μὲν ὁ κτανών τε χώ θανών. ἀμηχανῶ δὲ πότερον, ὦ τέκνον, τὸ σὸν πάθημ᾽ ἐλέγχω πρῶτον, ἢ κεῖνον στένω.

ΝΕ. οἶμαι μὲν ἀρκεῖν σοί γε καὶ τὰ σ᾽, ὦ τάλας, ἀλγήμαθ᾽, ὥστε μὴ τὰ τῶν πέλας στένειν. 340

ΦΙ. ὀρθῶς ἔλεξας. τοιγαροῦν τοιγὰροῦν τὸ σὸν φράσον αὖθις πάλιν μοι πρᾶγμ᾽, ὅτῳ σ᾽ ἐνύβρισαν.

ΝΕ.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΧΟ. στρ.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙ.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ἀλλ᾽ οὐ τι τοῦτο θαῦμ᾽ ἔμοιγ', ἀλλ᾽ εἰ παρὼν Αίας ὁ μείζων ταῦθ᾽ ὁρῶν ἠνείχετο,

ΝΕ. οὐκ ἦν ἔτι ζῶν, ὦ ξén· οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε ζῶντός γ'᾽ ἐκείνου ταῦτ᾽ ἐσυλήθην ἐγώ.

ΦΙ. πῶς εἶπας; ἀλλ᾽ om. ἀλλ' ἡ χοὗτος οἴχεται οἴχεται θανών; 410

ΝΕ. ὡς μηκέτ᾽ ὄντα κεῖνον ἐν φάει νόει.

ΦΙ. οἴμοι τάλας. ἀλλ᾽ οὐχ ὁ Τυδέως γόνος οὐδ᾽ οὑμπολητὸς οὐδ᾽ ὁ ᾿μπολητὸς Σισύφου Λαερτίῳ Λαερτίου Λαρτίου Λαερτίῳ, οὐ μὴ θάνωσι. τούσδε γὰр μὴ ζῆν ἔδει.

ΝΕ. οὐ δῆτ᾽· ἐπίστω ἐπίστω τοῦτό γ· ἀλλὰ καὶ μέγα 415 θάλλοντές εἰσι νῦν ἐν ᾿Αργείων ἀργείωι ἀργειών στρατῷ.

ΦΙ. τί δ᾽ ὃς ὁ ὃ ὁς ὃs παλαιὸς κἀγαθὸς φίλος τ᾿ ἐμός,

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

Νέστωρ ὁ Πύλιος, ἔστιν πύλιόσ ἐστιν? οὗτος γὰρ τά γε κείνων κάκ᾽ ἐξήρυκε κἀξεκήρυξε, βουλεύων σοφά σοφῶς.

ΝΕ. κεῖνός γε πράσσει νῦν κακῶς, ἐπεὶ θανὼν 420 ᾿Αντίλοχος αὐτῷ φροῦδος ὅσπερ ἦν γόνος.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΝΕ. σοφὸς παλαιστὴς κεῖνος, ἀλλὰ χαί σοφαὶ γνῶμαι, Φιλοκτῆτ᾽, ἐμποδίζονται θαμά.

ΦΙ. φέρ᾽ εἰπὲ πρὸς θεῶν, ποῦ γὰρ ἦν ἐνταῦθά σοι Πάτροκλος, ὅς σοι πατρὸς ἦν τὰ φίλτατα; 430

ΝΕ.

ποίου γε τούτου πλήν γ' Ὀδυσσέως ἐρεῖς;

ΦΙ. οὐ τοῦτον εἶπον, ἀλλὰ Θερσίτης τις ἦν, ὃς οὐκ ἂν εἴλετ᾽ εἰσάπαξ εἰσάπαξ εἰπεῖν, ὅπου μηδεὶς ἐῴη ἐὼν ἐώη ? ἐψη· τοῦτον οἶσθ᾽ εἰ ζῶν κυρεῖ; 440

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΝΕ. οὐκ εἶδον αὐτόν, ἠσθόμην δ᾽ ἔτ᾽ δέ τ' δ᾽ ἔτ' ὄντα νιν.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΦΙ. ἤδη, τέκνον, στέλλεσθε στέλεσθε στέλλεσθε?

NE. καιρὸς γὰρ καλεῖ πλοῦν μὴ ἐξ ἀπόπτου μᾶλλον ἢ ἐγγύθεν σκοπεῖν.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙ.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΧΟ.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΝΕ.

ΝΕ.

ἀλλ᾽, ὦ ξέν, ἴσθι τοῦτο πρῶτον, οὕνεκα

"Ελληνές ἐσμεν· τοῦτο γὰρ βούλει μαθεῖν.

ΝΕ.

ἐγὼ γένος μέν εἰμι τῆς περιρρύτου περιρρύτου

Σκύρου· πλέω δ᾽ ἐς οἶκον· αὐδῶμαι δὲ παῖς
240

᾿Αχιλλέως, Νεοπτόλεμος. οἶσθα δὴ οἶσθ᾽ ἤδη οἶσθα δὴ τὸ πᾶν.

ΦΙ.

ὦ φιλτάτου παῖ πατρός, ὦ φίλης χθονός,

ὦ τοῦ γέροντος θρέμμα Λυκομήδους, τίνι

ΝΕ.

ἐξ Ιλίου τοι * δὴ τανῦν δῆτα νῦν γε ναυστολῶ.
245

ΦΙ.

πῶς εἶπας; οὐ γὰρ δὴ σύ γ᾽ οὐ γαρ συγ οὐ γὰρ δὴ σύγ᾿ οὐ γὰρ σύ γ᾽ ἦσθα ναυβάτης

ἡμῖν κατ᾿ ἀρχὴν τοῦ πρὸς Ἴλιον Ἴλιου στόλου.

ΝΕ.

ἢ γὰρ μετέσχες καὶ σὺ τοῦδε τοῦ πόνου;

ΦΙ.

ὦ τέκνον, οὐ γὰρ οἶσθά μ' ὅντιν εἰσορᾷς;

ΝΕ.

πῶς γὰρ κάτοιδ᾽ ὅν γ' εἶδον οὐδεπώποτε;
250

ΦΙ.

οὐδ᾽ ὄνομά *γ᾽ οὔνομ' ὄνομ', οὐδὲ τῶν ἐμῶν κακῶν κλέος

ᾔσθου ποτ᾿ πότ᾽ ποτ' οὐδέν, οἷς ἐγὼ διωλλύμην ;

ΝΕ.

ὡς μηδὲν εἰδότ᾽ ἴσθι μ᾽ ὧν ἀνιστορεῖς ἂν ἱστορεῖς.

ὦ .. ὦ ὦ .. ὦ ὦ .. ὦ ὦ .. ὡς πόλλ᾽ ἐγὼ μοχθηρός, ὦ πικρὸς θεοῖς,

οὐ μηδὲ κληδὼν ὧδ᾽ ἔχοντος οἴκαδε
255

μηδ᾽ ῾Ελλάδος γῆς μηδαμοῦ διῆλθέ που.

εὕρισκον οὐδὲν πλὴν ἀνιᾶσθαι παρόν,

τούτου δὲ πολλὴν εὐμάρειαν, ὦ τέκνον.

ἔοικα κἀγὼ τοῖς ἀφιγμένοις ἴσα

ξένοις ἐποικτείρειν σε, Ποίαντος τέκνον.

ΦΙ.

ἢ γάρ τι καὶ σὺ τοῖς πανωλέθροις ἔχεις

ἔγκλημ᾽ ᾿Ατρείδαις ᾿Ατρείδ(..) ᾿Ατρείδαις, ὥστε θυμοῦσθαι παθών;

ΝΕ.

θυμὸν γένοιτο χειρὶ θυμῷ.. χεῖρα πληρῶσαί ποτε,

ἵν αἱ Μυκῆναι γνοῖεν ἡ Σπάρτη θ᾽ ὅτι
325

χή Σκῦρος ἀνδρῶν ἀλκίμων μήτηρ ἔφυ.

ΦΙ.

εὖ γ᾽, ὦ τέκνον· τίνος γὰρ ὧδε τὸν μέγαν

χόλον κατ᾿ αὐτῶν καυτῶν κατ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐγκαλῶν ἐλήλυθας;

ΝΕ.

ὦ παῖ Ποίαντος, ἐξερῶ ἐξερῶ ἐξερῶ, μόλις δ᾽ ἐρῶ,

ἅγωγ᾽ ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐξελωβήθην μολών.
330

ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἔσχε μοῖρ᾽ ᾿Αχιλλέα θανεῖν,

ΦΙ.

οἴμοι· φράσῃς μοι μὴ πέρα, πρὶν ἂν μάθω

πρῶτον τόδ᾽· ἢ εἰ ή τέθνηχ᾽ ὁ Πηλέως γόνος;

ΝΕ.

τέθνηκεν, ἀνδρὸς οὐδενός, θεοῦ δ᾽ ὕπο,

τοξευτός, ὡς λέγουσιν, ἐκ Φοίβου δαμείς.
335

ΦΙ.

ἀλλ᾽ εὐγενὴς ευγενὴς μὲν ὁ κτανών τε χώ θανών.

ἀμηχανῶ δὲ πότερον, ὦ τέκνον, τὸ σὸν

πάθημ᾽ ἐλέγχω πρῶτον, ἢ κεῖνον στένω.

ΝΕ.

οἶμαι μὲν ἀρκεῖν σοί γε καὶ τὰ σ᾽, ὦ τάλας,

ἀλγήμαθ᾽, ὥστε μὴ τὰ τῶν πέλας στένειν.
340

ΦΙ.

ὀρθῶς ἔλεξας. τοιγαροῦν τοιγὰροῦν τὸ σὸν φράσον

αὖθις πάλιν μοι πρᾶγμ᾽, ὅτῳ σ᾽ ἐνύβρισαν.

ΧΟ.
στρ.

ἀλλ᾽ οὐ τι τοῦτο θαῦμ᾽ ἔμοιγ', ἀλλ᾽ εἰ παρὼν

Αίας ὁ μείζων ταῦθ᾽ ὁρῶν ἠνείχετο,

ΝΕ.

οὐκ ἦν ἔτι ζῶν, ὦ ξén· οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε

ζῶντός γ'᾽ ἐκείνου ταῦτ᾽ ἐσυλήθην ἐγώ.

ΦΙ.

πῶς εἶπας; ἀλλ᾽ om. ἀλλ' ἡ χοὗτος οἴχεται οἴχεται θανών;
410

ΝΕ.

ὡς μηκέτ᾽ ὄντα κεῖνον ἐν φάει νόει.

ΝΕ.

οὐ δῆτ᾽· ἐπίστω ἐπίστω τοῦτό γ· ἀλλὰ καὶ μέγα
415

θάλλοντές εἰσι νῦν ἐν ᾿Αργείων ἀργείωι ἀργειών στρατῷ.

ΦΙ.

τί δ᾽ ὃς ὁ ὃ ὁς ὃs παλαιὸς κἀγαθὸς φίλος τ᾿ ἐμός,

Νέστωρ ὁ Πύλιος, ἔστιν πύλιόσ ἐστιν? οὗτος γὰρ τά γε

κείνων κάκ᾽ ἐξήρυκε κἀξεκήρυξε, βουλεύων σοφά σοφῶς.

ΝΕ.

κεῖνός γε πράσσει νῦν κακῶς, ἐπεὶ θανὼν
420

᾿Αντίλοχος αὐτῷ φροῦδος ὅσπερ ἦν γόνος.

ΝΕ.

σοφὸς παλαιστὴς κεῖνος, ἀλλὰ χαί σοφαὶ

γνῶμαι, Φιλοκτῆτ᾽, ἐμποδίζονται θαμά.

ΦΙ.

φέρ᾽ εἰπὲ πρὸς θεῶν, ποῦ γὰρ ἦν ἐνταῦθά σοι

Πάτροκλος, ὅς σοι πατρὸς ἦν τὰ φίλτατα;
430

ΦΙ.

οὐ τοῦτον εἶπον, ἀλλὰ Θερσίτης τις ἦν,

ὃς οὐκ ἂν εἴλετ᾽ εἰσάπαξ εἰσάπαξ εἰπεῖν, ὅπου

μηδεὶς ἐῴη ἐὼν ἐώη ? ἐψη· τοῦτον οἶσθ᾽ εἰ ζῶν κυρεῖ;
440

ΝΕ.

οὐκ εἶδον αὐτόν, ἠσθόμην δ᾽ ἔτ᾽ δέ τ' δ᾽ ἔτ' ὄντα νιν.

ΦΙ.

ἤδη, τέκνον, στέλλεσθε στέλεσθε στέλλεσθε?

NE.

καιρὸς γὰρ καλεῖ

πλοῦν μὴ ἐξ ἀπόπτου μᾶλλον ἢ ἐγγύθεν σκοπεῖν.

ΧΟ.
ἀντ.

ΧΟ.

ἥκιστα. τοῦτ᾽ οὐκ ἔσθ᾽ ὅπως ποτ᾽ εἰς ἐμὲ
515

τοὔνειδος ἕξεις ἕξεις ἔξεις ἐνδίκως ὀνειδίσαι.

ΧΟ.

ἐπίσχετον, μάθωμεν. ἄνδρε γὰρ δύο δύω,

ὁ μὲν νεὼς νεὼ νεὼς σῆς ναυβάτης, ὁ δ᾽ ἀλλόθρους,

χωρεῖτον, ὧν μαθόντες αὖθις αὖτις αὖθις εἴσιτον.

ΕΜ.

φροῦδοι διώκοντές σε ναυτικῷ ναυστικῷ στόλῳ

Φοῖνιξ Φοίνιξ Φοῖνιξ ὁ πρέσβυς οἵ τε Θησέως κόροι.
555

ΝΕ.

ὡς ἐκ βίας μ' ἄξοντες ἢ λόγοις πάλιν ;

ΕΜ.

οὐκ οἶδ᾽. ἀκούσας δ᾽ ἄγγελος πάρειμί σοι.

ΝΕ.

ἢ ταῦτα δὴ Φοῖνίξ ἢ ταῦτα δὴ φοῖνιξ τε χοί ξυνναυβάται

οὕτω καθ᾽ ὁρμὴν δρῶσιν ᾿Ατρειδῶν χάριν;

ΕΜ.

ὡς ταῦτ᾽ ἐπίστω δρώμεν, οὐ μέλλοντ᾽ ἔτι,
560

ΝΕ.

πῶς οὖν Ὀδυσσεὺς πρὸς τάδ᾽ οὐκ αὐτάγγελος

πλεῖν ἦν ἑτοῖμος; ἢ φόβος τις εἶργέ εἶργε εἶργε νιν;

ΕΜ.

κεῖνός γ᾽ ἐπ᾿ ἄλλον ἄνδρ᾽ ὁ Τυδέως τε παῖς

ἔστελλον, ἡνίκ᾽ ἐξανηγόμην ἐγώ ἔσω.

ΝΕ.

πρὸς ποῖον ἂν ἀν ἂν τόνδ᾽ αὐτὸς οὐδυσσεὺς ὁ δυσσεὺς οὑδυσσεὺς ὀδυσσεὺς ἔπλει;
565

ΕΜ.

ἦν δή τις-ἀλλὰ τόνδε μοι πρῶτον φράσον

τίς ἐστίν εστιν· ἂν λέγῃς δὲ μὴ φώνει μέγα.

ΝΕ.

ὅδ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ὁ κλεινός σοι Φιλοκτήτης, ξένε.