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1081-1217

Second

κομμός

( cp. 827 ), taking the place of a third stasimon. 1st strophe, 1081 — 1101 = 1st antistr. 1102—1122: 2nd str. 1123—1145=2nd antistr. 1146—1168. From 1169 to 1217 the verses are without strophic correspondence (

ἀνομοιόστροφα

). For the metres see Metrical Analysis.

Philoctetes apostrophises the cave which has so long known his miserable life, and must soon witness his death,— since, now that he has lost his bow, he has no means of procuring food. The Chorus remind him that the fault is his own, as he has chosen to stay in Lemnos; and urge him to come with them to the ship. He passionately refuses, and begs for some weapon with which to kill himself.—Then Neoptolemus enters, followed by Odysseus.

γύαλον , ‘hollow’ ( O. C. 1491 ff., n.), is here properly the chamber itself, while κοίλας πέτρας (possessive gen.) is the cavernous rock which contains it. Cp. Helen. 189

πέτρινα μύχατα

γύαλα

, ‘inmost recesses of the rocks.’

θερμὸν καὶ παγετῶδες . Contrast this with the description by Odysseus, 17 ff. Cp. Hes. Op. 640

Ἄσκρη, χεῖμα κακῇ, θέρει ἀργαλέῃ, οὐδέ ποτ’ ἐσθλῇ

θνῄσκοντι συνείσει , thou wilt be conscious of my death,— i.e., wilt be the only witness of it. Cp. El. 92

τὰ δὲ παννυχίδων ἤδη στυγεραὶ

ξυνίσασ’ εὐναὶ μογερῶν οἴκων

: and so oft. The MSS. have συνοίσει . This has been rendered: (1) ‘thou wilt be a fit place for me’ to die in,— i.e., good enough. Now, the midd.

συμφέρομαι

does, indeed, mean ‘to agree with’ one,—in opinions, or tastes: O. C. 641 n.: Her. 4. 114

οὐκ ἂν ὦν δυναίμεθα ἐκείνῃσι συμφέρεσθαι

(‘live in harmony with them’). But συνοίσει here could not mean simply, conveniet mihi morienti. (2) ‘Thou wilt be profitable to me,’—by giving me a grave. So the first schol.:

ἀπολλυμένῳ μοι σύμφορον ἔσει καὶ ὠφέλιμον, καὶ δέξει με ἀποθανόντα

. This version confounds συνοίσει with συνοίσεις . (3) ‘Thou wilt be with me,’ —simply. This last is impossible.

συμφέρομαι

never means, or could mean, merely

σύνειμι

συνδιάγω

. Dindorf, who quotes a schol. for this, has not perceived that this schol.,—the second, prefaced by

ἢ οὕτω

,—is explaining, not συνοίσει , but, manifestly, συνείσει :—

σὺν ἐμοὶ ἔσει καὶ ὄψει με ἀποθανόντα

αὔλιον : cp. 19 n.

λύπας τᾶς ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ . Ph. addresses the cave as if it were a living companion, long condemned to endure his presence. (With πληρέστατον cp. what he says of Neopt. in v. 876,

βοῆς τε καὶ δυσοσμίας γέμων

.) Hence

λύπας τᾶς ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ

(instead of

τᾶς ἐμᾶς

) is fitting,—‘the anguish on my part,’—so painful for thee to witness. Cp. Soph. O. C. 292

τἀνθυμήματα...τἀπὸ σοῦ

(n.).

τίπτ’ αὖ (= 1105

ἀνδρῶν

), Bothe's correction of

τί ποτ’ αὖ

, has been generally received. As Dind. remarks, Aesch. has twice used this epic

τίπτε

in lyrics ( Aesch. Ag. 975 , Aesch. Pers. 554 ).

τὸ κατ’ ἆμαρ , daily provision. Cp. Isocr. or. 11 § 39

ἀλῆται καὶ τῶν καθ’ ἡμέραν ἐνδεεῖς

. Eur. uses this phrase as an adv. (‘every day,’ Eur. Ion 123 , Soph. El. 182 ), like

τὸ καθ’ ἡμέραν

( Ar. Eq. 1126 etc.).

σιτονόμου … ἐλπίδος . As

σιτονόμος

(found only here)=

σῖτον νέμων

, affording food,

σιτονόμος ἐλπίς

=‘a hope concerning the provision of food.’ Hence the phrase is not really parallel with

ἀστυνόμοι ὀργαί

( Ant. 355 ), ‘dispositions which regulate cities.’ It is more like

αὐδὰ τρυσάνωρ

in 208 (n.).

τοῦ … πόθεν : for the double question, cp. 243 , and n. on 220.

1092 ff. A discussion of this passage, and a notice of conjectures, will be found in the Appendix. Here I briefly give the results.

πέλειαι δ’ ἄνω is my emendation of the corrupt

† εἴθ αἰθέρος † ἄνω

. The word εἴθ’ would be possible only if, in 1094, we read μ’ ἕλοιεν for the MS. ἕλωσί μ’ . But the general sense of the passage forbids this. ἐλῶσιν (conjectured by Erfurdt and others, and found (as

ἐλῶσί μ’

) in one MS.) is a certain correction of ἕλωσί μ’ : as ἴσχω (Heath) is of ἰσχύω . He is not here praying to be caught up by winds, or slain by birds, but saying—in continuation of

τοῦ ποτε τεύξομαι

σιτονόμου πόθεν ἐλπίδος

—that now the birds will fly unharmed over his head. That αἰθέρος , no less than εἴθ’ , is spurious, is made almost certain by two distinct considerations. (1) The antistrophic v., 1113,

ι^<01>δοι— μα—ν δε^

νι—ν

, is a dochmiac.

αἰθέρος

resolves the second long syll. of the bacchius (= the final syll. of

ἰδοίμαν

); not an unexampled licence, but still a most rare one. (2) πτωκάδες is sound, but could not be used, without art. or subst., to denote ‘timid birds.’ αἰθίρος has probably supplanted that subst.

But if so, the corruption has been a deep one; i.e., εἴθ’ αἰθέρος was an attempt to supply, from the context, words which had been wholly or partly lost. Now suppose that the words

ΠΕΑΕΙΑΙ Δ ΑΝΩ

had been partly obliterated, so as to leave only

ΕΙΑΙ ΑΝΩ

. The words

ἄνω

and

ὀξυτόνου πνεύματος

would readily suggest that AI was a vestige of

αἰθέρος

. And the very fact that the schol. accepts

εἴθε ἕλωσί με

as possible shows how, in post-classical times,

ἕλωσι

might have elicited

εἴθ’

from the letters EI. The birds which will now fly harmless over his head are such as those which his bow used to slay,—

τὰς ὑποπτέρους

βάλλον πελείας

(288).

ὀξυτόνου … πνεύματος , shrill-sounding breeze: cp. Il. 14. 17

λιγέων ἀνέμων αἰψηρὰ κέλευθα

. The epithet is perh. intended to suggest also the

πτερῶν ῥοῖβδος

( Ant. 1004 ).

οὐκέτ’ ἴσχω , I do not restrain them, i.e., do not arrest their career (

ἐλῶσιν

) by my arrows. Cp. 1153 ff. For this sense of

ἴσχω

cp. El. 242

ἐκτίμους ἴσχουσα πτέρυγας

ὀξυτόνων γόων

,—where L has

ἰσχύουσα

, by the same error as here. The MS. οὐ γὰρ ἔτ’ ἰσχύω raises the question whether we should read ἐλῶς)· ἔτ’ οὐ γὰρ ἴσχω . For

ἔτ’ οὐ

, cp. 1217 : Tr. 161

ὡς ἔτ’ οὐκ ὤν

. But the MS.

ἕλωσί μ’

would have arisen from

ἐλῶσιν

more easily than from

ἐλῶσ’ ἔτ’

. It is more probable that γὰρ was an interpolation here, as it is in L's text of O. C. 1766 and Ai. 706.

σύ τοι … ἀπὸ μείζονος . In this passage I adhere to the MS. text, merely writing, with Wecklein, κοὐκ for οὐκ . The words ἄλλοθεν ἔχει τύχᾳ τᾷδ’ cannot be metrically reconciled with the corresponding words in the antistrophe (1118 f.), ἔσχ’ ὑπὸ χειρὸς ἐμᾶς . Dindorf assumes that the latter words are sound, and that the fault is in the strophe. He therefore writes

ἄλλοθεν ἁ τύχα ἅδ’ ἀπὸ μείζονος

, and thus obtains a dactylic tetrameter, answering to

ἔσχ’ ὑπὸ χειρὸς ἐμᾶς· στυγερὰν ἔχε

. This alteration is, however, extremely bold, since it eliminates ἔχει without attempting to account for it. On Dindorf's view, I should prefer to conjecture

κοὔ σ’

ἄλλου ἔχει τύχα ἅδ’ ἀπὸ μείζονος

. The traditional

τύχᾳ τᾷδ’

would thus be explained; it would have arisen from the ambiguous

ἔχει

, after

κοὔ σ’

had become

κοὐκ

. But, on the whole, it appears safer to suppose that the fault is in the antistrophe. A very slight change will bring the words

ἔσχ’ ὑπὸ χειρὸς ἐμᾶς

into agreement with

ἄλλοθεν ἔχει τύχᾳ τᾷδ’

. We have only to write, with Bergk,

ἔσχεν ὑπὸ χειρὸς ἀμ

ᾶς

. (Wecklein obtains the same metrical result by conjecturing

ἔσχε παλάμαις ἐμαῖ

σιν

.)—See Appendix.

κατηξίωσας , hast thought it right (to have it so). Cp. O. T. 944

ἀξιῶ θανεῖν

: Plat. Rep. 337D

τί ἀξιοῖς παθεῖν;

ἔχει τύχᾳ τᾷδ’ : cp. Ai. 272

οἷσιν εἴχετ’ ἐν κακοῖς.

ἀπὸ μείζονος , explaining ἄλλοθεν : for this

ἀπό

, cp. O. C. 1533 ff. n.

παρὸν : cp. fr. 323

ἢν παρὸν θέσθαι καλῶς

αὐτός τις αὑτῷ τὴν βλάβην προσθῇ φέρων.

φρονῆσαι , to come to a sound mind (ingressive aor.). Cp. 1259

ἐσωφρόνησας

. So the aor. partic. in O. T. 649

πιθοῦ θελήσας φρονήσας τ’

(n.).

The gen. τοῦ … δαίμονος depends not on εἵλον alone (as if it were

προέκρινας

), but on the idea of comparison suggested by the whole phrase εἵλου τὸ κάκιον αἰνεῖν . Cp. Ai. 1357

νικᾷ γὰρ ἁρετἡ με τῆς ἔχθρας πολύ

, where

πολὺ νικᾷ με

πολὺ κρείσσων παρ’ ἐμοί ἐστι

. For αἰνεῖν as=

στέργειν

, cp. Eur. Alc. 2

θῆσσαν τράπεζαν αἰνέσαι

τοῦ λῴονος δαίμονος , the MS. reading, is metrically impossible. The words

τοῦ λῴονος

must represent

¯˘˘¯

(= 1121

καὶ γὰρ ἐμοὶ

). But the first syllable of

λῴονος

is necessarily long. A shortening of ωι before ο cannot be justified by the similar shortening of αι or οι , as in

δείλαιος

( Ant. 1310 n.) or

οἰωνούς

( El. 1058 ). Musgrave compares

ζωῆς

and

δῃώσας

from Eur. ; but in Eur. Hec. 1108 we must read

ζόης

, and in Eur. Heracl. 995

διώσας

. In the few places where

πατρῷος

appears to have the 2nd syll. short,

πάτριος

is a certain correction ( cp. 724 n.).

Are we, then, to admit the v. l. τοῦ πλέονος ? It occurs in the first schol. on this v.:—

πλείονος δὲ δαίμονος λέγει τοῦ λυσιτελεστέρου καὶ συμφόρου

. Hermann, Dindorf and Wecklein are among those who accept it. In its favour two points may be noticed. ( a)

δαίμων

, when it means

μοῖρα

, is sometimes quite impersonal; e.g., fr. 587

μὴ σπεῖρε πολλοῖς τὸν παρόντα δαίμονα

(‘spread not thy present trouble abroad’—by speech). ( b)

τοῦ πλέονος δαίμονος

would be suggested by such phrases as

πλέον ἔχειν

: i.e., it might be possible to say

τὸν πλείω δαίμον’ ἔχω

, or the like, though not

ὁ πλείων δαίμων με σῴζει

. And so the bold phrase seems just conceivable here, where the idea is, ‘Instead of the better portion, thou hast chosen the worse.’ Omitting τοῦ , Bothe would read λωΐονος (cp. Simonides Amorg. 7. 30

λωΐων γυνή

), and Wunder λωϊτέρου . But, for Soph. , neither seems probable.

I should like to read

εὖτέ γε παρὸν κυρῆσαι λῴονος αὖ δαίμονος εἵλου τὸ κάκιον αἰνεῖν

. The loss of

αὖ

might have led to

τοῦ

being added by some one who thought that the first syll. of

λῴονος

could be short.

ἤδη ... ὕστερον … εἰσοπίσω : the redundant diction marks strong feeling, as in Ai. 858

πανύστατον δὴ κοὔποτ’ α<*>θις ὕστερον.

ὕστερον : for the short syll. at the end of the verse, cp. 184 n.

προσφέρων , bringing home. The act. denotes the simple act of ‘carrying towards’ the cave; the midd.

προσφερόμενος

would have further expressed that the food was for his own use. Cp. 708

αἴρων

: O. C. 6

φέροντα

φερόμενον

οὐ πτανῶν … ἴσχων . The only food which Ph. could obtain was that which his bow procured (287). And here the loss of the bow is uppermost in his thoughts. Hence the emphatic repetition :—

οὐ φορβὰν ἔτι προσφέρων, οὐ

(

προσφέρων

) πτανῶν ἀπ’ ἐμῶν ὅπλων . The general word,

προσφέρων

, is understood again with the adverbial phrase which specialises it. Thus the rhetorical effect is much as if he had said,

οὐκ ἀγρεύων ὄρνιθας, οὐ τοξεύων

. The object to ἴσχων is

αὐτά

( i.e.

τὰ ὅπλα

) understood. Cp. 1058

κάκιον οὐδὲν ἂν

τούτων κρατύνειν μηδ’ ἐπιθύνειν χερί

. Hartung objects that it is the bow which is held, whereas πτανῶν suits only the arrows: hence he writes,

οὐ πτανῶν ὅπλ’ ἐμῶν τόξων

(for the final spondee cp. 1151

ἀλκάν

). The simple answer is that, at the moment of shooting, the archer holds both bow and arrow: and the epithet κραταιαῖς suits precisely that moment, since it suggests the effort of drawing the bow. Brunck was clearly wrong in supplying

φορβάν

with

ἴσχων

ἄσκοπα =

ἀπροσδόκητα

: cp. El. 1315

εἴργασαι δέ μ’ ἄσκοπα

.—The dative with ὑπέδυ would not be unusual if the sense were, ‘came into my thoughts’: Od. 10. 398

πᾶσιν δ’ ἱμερόεις ὑπέδυ γόος

: Tr. 298

ἐμοὶ γὰρ οἶκτος εἰσέβη

: cp. O. C. 372 n. But here the sense is, ‘beguiled,’ for which we should have expected the acc., as after

ὑπέρχομαι, ὑποπίπτω

. The explanation may be that the sense, ‘beguiled,’ is here derived from the sense, ‘insinuated themselves into my mind.’

ἰδοίμαν : for the midd., cp. 351 .

πότμος … δαιμόνων : Ant. 157

θεῶν...συντυχίαις

, n. Two constructions are possible: I prefer the first. (1) τάδε (nom.) σε πότμος … ἔσχεν , ‘these things have come upon thee as a doom from heaven.’ (2) πότμος σε τάδε (cogn. acc.) ἔσχεν , ‘fate hath put this constraint on thee.’ We can say

βιάζομαι

(or

ἀναγκάζω

)

τινά τι

: but

ἔχω τινά τι

would be harsher. There is a like ambiguity in Aesch. Pers. 750

πῶς τάδ’ οὐ νόσος φρενῶν

εἶχε παῖδ’ ἐμόν

; and there, too,

τάδ’

seems best taken as nom. For the sense of ἔσχεν , cp. 331 n.

οὐδὲ σέ γε : for

γε

with the repeated

σε

, cp. Ant. 790.

ἀμᾶς , Bergk's correction of

ἐμᾶς

: cp. 1095 ff., n.

στυγερὰν , pass., abhorred, dreadful: cp. Ai. 1214

στυγερῷ δαίμονι. —ἔχε

, ‘direct,’ like a missile: cp. Il. 3. 263

πεδίονδ’ ἔχον ὠκέας ἵππους.

ἐπ’ ἄλλοις : cp. Tr. 468 f.

σοὶ δ’ ἐγὼ φράζω κακὸν

πρὸς ἄλλον εἶναι, πρὸς δ’ ἔμ’ ἀψευδεῖν ἀεί

: Il. 1. 295

ἄλλοισιν δὴ ταῦτ’ ἐπιτέλλεο, μὴ γὰρ ἐμοί γε

. There is no reference to Odysseus, whom they presently defend (1143), or to any definite person.

καὶ γὰρ ἐμοὶ

κ.τ.λ.

The sense is:—‘Do not blame us: so far from being thy foes, we are sincerely anxious to win thy friendship.’ τοῦτο , i.e. ,

μὴ φιλότητ’ ἀπώσῃ

. The constr. of μέλει with

μὴ ἀπώσῃ

is like that of

ὁρῶ

and

σκοπῶ

(meaning, ‘to take care’) with

μή

instead of

ὅπως μή

. Others make μὴ … ἀπώσῃ imperative: ‘ do not reject,’ etc. Then τοῦτο becomes awkward, since it can hardly refer to the coming deprecation, nor can it well mean ‘thy welfare.’

πολιᾶς , not

πολιοῦ

, since the words

πόντου θινὸς

form a single notion: Ant. 794 n. The gen. goes with ἐφημένος : cp. Pind. N. 4. 67

τᾶς...ἐφεζόμενοι

: Ap. Rhod. 3. 1000 f.

νηὸς...ἐφεζομένη

. Some take the gen. as partitive, after που : but the latter clearly means here, ‘I ween’: cp. Ai. 382

ἦ που πολὺν γέλωθ’ ὑφ’ ἡδονῆς ἄγεις

1125 *

ἐγγελᾷ

is my emendation of γελᾷ μου . The antistrophic verse (1148

χῶρος οὐρεσιβώτας

) shows the true metre; and a substitution of ˘¯¯ for ¯˘¯ is impossible here. If, on the other hand, the ἐγ of ἐγγελᾷ had been accidentally lost, the insertion of μου is just such an expedient as might have occurred to a post-classical corrector. There is no classical example of a gen. after the simple

γελᾶν

, though Lucian has that construction ( Dem. Enc. 16

γελᾶν ἔπεισί μοι τοῦ τὰς ὀφρῦς συνάγοντος

τὰν ἐμὰν μελέου : cp. O. C. 344

τἀμὰ δυστήνου κακά.

τροφάν : cp. 931 .

ἦ που : cp. 1123

καί που

n.—

ἐλεινὸν ὁρᾷς

, lookest piteously, i.e., with a look expressing sorrow for thyself, and pity for him. Cp. Tr. 527 f.

ὄμμα

... |

ἐλεινὸν

: Scut. 426

δεινὸν ὁρῶν ὄσσοισι.

τὸν Ἡράκλειον ἄρθμιον , the ally, friend, of Heracles. ἄρθμιον seems a certain correction of the MS. ἄθλιον . The word

ἄρθμιος

(expressing the bond of alliance or friendship) was a poet. synonym for

φίλος

: Od. 16. 427

οἱ δ’ ἡμῖν ἄρθμιοι ἦσαν

: Theognis 1312

οἷσπερ νῦν ἄρθμιος ἠδὲ φίλος

. Cp. Hom. hym. 3. 524

ἐπ’ ἀρθμῷ καὶ φιλότητι

: and the Homeric

ἐρίηρες ἑταῖροι

. The adj. Ἡράκλειον represents the gen.

Ἡρακλέους

, since

ἄρθμιος

with the art. can be treated as a subst. (like

οἰκεῖος, ἐπιτήδειος

, etc.): cp. O. T. 267

τῷ ααβδακείῳ παιδί

(n.). Prof. Campbell reads

ἆθλον <ἔμ)> ὧδέ σοι

, adopting

ἆθλον

from the margin of L, and conjecturally adding

ἔμ’

. He renders: ‘me thus destined no more to use thee in the Heraclean exercise,’—taking the

Ἡράκλειος ἆθλος

to be archery.

ἄλλου δ’ ἐν μεταλλαγᾷ is Hermann's emendation of ἀλλ’ ἐν μεταλλαγᾷ , which is shorter by a syllable than the antistrophic v., 1157

ἐμᾶς σαρκὸς αἰόλας

. It is the simplest and most probable correction. ἐν here denotes an attendant circumstance (cp. Eur. H. F. 931

ὁ δ’ οὐκέθ’ αὑτὸς ἦν

, |

ἀλλ’ ἐν στροφαῖσιν ὀμμάτων ἐφθαρμένος

): and the gen. after μεταλλαγᾷ denotes the ownership to which the change is made: cp. Thuc. 6. 18

ἀπραγμοσύνης μεταβολῇ

, a change to inactivity. Thus the phrase is equiv. to

μεταλλάξαν ἄλλον πολυμήχανον ἄνδρα, ἐρέσσει

(

ὑπ’ αὐ<*>ῦ

): ‘having got a new master—a man of many wiles—thou art wielded (by him).’ For the idiomatic ἄλλου cp. Aesch. Th. 424

γίγας ὅδ’ ἄλλος

ἐρέσσει means that the new owner's hands can deal with the bow as they will. For

ἐρέσσω

(‘row,’ then fig., ‘ply’), cp. Ant. 158 n. The word is here a poet. synonym for

νωμάω

. Cp. Il. 5. 594

ἔγχος ἐνώμα

: Tr. 512

τόξα καὶ λόγχας ῥόπαλόν τε τινάσσων

Cavallin's conject., ἀλλ’ αἰὲν μετ’ ἀγκάλαις (which others have modified, see cr. n.), is liable to this primary objection, that

μετ’ ἀγκάλαις

could not here stand for

μετὰ χερσίν

. Such phrases as

ἐν ἀγκάλαις ἔχειν

are used only of what is carried ‘in the arms.’ Odysseus does not hug the bow.

ὁρῶν μὲν : for the place of

μέν

, cp. 279 n.

στυγνόν τε : for

τε

after

μέν

, cp. 1058 n.

φῶτ’ ἐχθοδοπόν is a periphrasis for

ἐχθρόν

(subst.), hence

ἐχθοδοπόν

can follow

στυγνόν

without seeming weak.

ὦ Ζεῦ is Dindorf's correction of Ὀδυσσεύς , instead of which we require a spondee or trochee (=

αἶα

1162). Cp. the

ὦ Ζεῦ

in O. T. 1198 and Tr. 995 : and Ar. Ach. 225

ὅστις, ὦ Ζεῦ πάτερ καὶ θεοί, τοῖσιν ἐχθροῖσιν ἐσπείσατο

. But he might still more fittingly have quoted Dem. or. 19 § 113 , where, as here, the indignant invocation closes the sentence: —

πολλοὺς ἔφη τοὺς θορυβοῦντας εἶναι, ὀλίγους δὲ τοὺς στρατευομένους, ὅταν δέῃ

, (

μέμνησθε δήπου

αὐτός, οἶμαι, θαυμάσιος στρατιώτης, ὦ Ζεῦ

. At v. 1181 Ph. appeals to

ἀραῖος Ζεύς

. Reading ὦ Ζεῦ , it is best to adopt Bothe's ὃς for the MS. ὅς’ , and to make ἀνατέλλονθ’ intrans.: ‘countless ills, arising from (effected by) shameful arts.’

Next to ὦ Ζεῦ , the most attractive correction of

Ὀδυσσεύς

is Arndt's οὐδείς , which would require us to take ἀνατέλλονθ’ as acc. sing. masc., with transitive sense, and to keep ὅς’ : ‘causing countless ills to spring up..., more than any other man ever contrived against me.’ Cp. Il. 22. 380

ὃς κακὰ πόλλ’ ἔρρεξεν, ὅσ’ οὐ σύμπαντες οἱ ἄλλοι

. But this is far less forcible.

ἀνδρός τοι τὰ μὲν ἔνδικ’ αἰὲν εἰπεῖν . Arndt thus amends the MS. ἀνδρός τοι τὸ μὲν εὖ δίκαιον εἰπεῖν . The change involved is very slight,

τὰ for τὸ, ν for υ , and ε for ο . The sense is:— ‘The part of a (true) man is ever to assert what is right, but to do so without adding invectives.’ That is, Philoctetes is justified in expressing his sense of the wrong done to him; but not in reviling Odysseus. Odysseus was merely the agent of the Greek army, and acted for the public good. Cp. O. T. 1158

μὴ λέγων γε τοὔνδικον

: Eur. Tro. 970

καὶ τήνδε δείξω μὴ λέγουσαν ἔνδικα

. Nauck objects that with αἰὲν we ought to have the pres. inf. λέγειν . But αἰὲν εἰπεῖν =‘to assert on each occasion,’—the aor. inf. marking the moment of the assertion. The combination of

αἰέν

with the aor. is therefore no less correct than ( e.g.) in Il. 21. 263

ὡς αἰεὶ Ἀχιλῆα κιχήσατο κῦμα ῥόοιο

The only sound version of the vulgate, ἀνδρός τοι τὸ μὲν εὖ δίκαιον εἰπεῖν , is Hermann's:—‘It is the part of a man to say that what is expedient ( quod utile est) is just’:— i.e., Philoctetes, if he is a true man, ought to remember that the act of taking him to Troy is for the public good ( τὸ εὖ ); and ought therefore to admit that it is just. But we may object:—(1) This sense of τὸ εὖ is too obscure. (2) The Chorus may properly remonstrate with Philoctetes on his invectives against Odysseus; but they could scarcely require him to allow that his treatment had been

δίκαιον

. (3) The antithesis between the first clause and the second ( εἰπόντος δὲ κ.τ.λ.) thus loses its force; for a man who conceded the justice of the act would not revile the agent.—Other versions of the vulgate, and other emendations, will be found in the Appendix.

εἰπόντος δὲ … ὀδύναν . The gen.

εἰπόντος

depends, like

ἀνδρός

, on

ἐστί

understood.

εἰπόντα

would be equally correct, but would be subject to

ἐξῶσαι

. Cp. 552

προστυχόντι

, where similarly the acc. could stand.

ἐξῶσαι , like a sting: cp. Vesp. 423

κἀξείρας τὸ κέντρον εἷτ’ ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἵεσο.

γλώσσας ὀδύναν , lit., ‘pain arising from (given by) the tongue,’ i.e., galling speech: not ‘garrulity,’ like

γλωσσαλγία

κεῖνος δ’ . Odysseus acted by the public command for the public good. He himself has used a similar plea (109).

εἷς ἀπὸ πολλῶν ταχθεὶς , appointed to the task as one out of many, i.e., as their agent. For the prep., cp. 647 n. Though v. 6 might suggest ὑπὸ , change is needless.

ἐφημοσύνᾳ =

ἐφετμῇ, ἐντολῇ

: a Homeric and Pindaric word.— τῶνδ’ is a clearly true correction of the MS. τοῦδ’ . Blaydes, reading

τάνδ’ ἐφημοσύναν

, joins it with

ταχθείς

(‘intrusted with this commission’).

ἐς φίλους , ‘towards’ his friends,—in their interest.

ἐς

has been suspected (see cr. n.); but

ἐς φίλους

is better than

τοῖς φίλοις

here, where two aspects of the same act are contrasted. Cp. Ai. 679

ὅ τ’ ἐχθρὸς ἡμῖν ἐς τοσόνδ’ ἐχθαρτέος

ὡς καὶ φιλήσων αὖθις· ἔς τε τὸν φίλον

τοσαῦθ’ ὑπουργεῖν ὠφελεῖν βουλήσομαι κ.τ.λ.

χαροπῶν . The rt

χαρ

(

χαίρω, χαρά, χάρις

) is akin to the Sanskrit ghar ( har), ‘glow,’ ‘shine’ (Curt. Etym. § 185).

χαροπός

, ‘bright-eyed,’ was used esp. to denote the fierce light in the eyes of wild animals: Od. 11. 611

χαροποί τε λέοντες

. So in Ar. Pax 1065 , where

χαροποῖσι πιθήκοις

alludes <*>o the Spartans, the adj. implies ‘truculent.’ In men, according to Physiogn. 3, the

χαροπὸν ὄμμα

is characteristic of the

ἀνδρεῖος

, and also of the

εὐφυής

. Though not descriptive of colour,

χαροπός

is sometimes associated, or even identified, with

γλαυκός

(Theocr. 20. 25

ὄμματά μοι γλαυκᾶς χαροπώτερα πολλὸν Ἀθάνας

): cp. Germ. 4 truces et caerulei oculi.

οὐρεσιβώτας , acc. plur., ‘finding food on the hills’: cp. 937 , 955: Il. 12. 299

λέων ὀρεσίτροφος

: Scut. 407

αἰγὸς ὀρεσσινόμου

: and so

ὀρειλεχής, ὀρειvόμος, ὀρεσκῷος, οὐρεσίφοιτος

, etc. If we took the adj. as nom. sing., with

χῶρος

, it would mean, ‘affording pasture on the hills’: as Ai. 614

φρενὸς οἰοβώτας

, ‘feeding lonely thoughts.’ But the first view seems to agree better with usage: and in such a compound the ending

‐βώτης

could represent either

βόσκων

βοσκόμενος

1149 f. *

μηκέτ’ ἀπ’ αὐλίων φυγ<*>

| *

μηδᾶτ’

. The MSS. give φυγᾷ μ’ οὐκέτ<*> ἀπ’ αὐλίων | πελᾶτ’ , of which the only tenable rendering is Hermann's:—‘No more, in your flight, will ye draw m<*> after you from my cave.’ On this w<*> remark:—(1) The use of πελᾶτ’ , though possible, is strange. When

πελάζειν

i<*> trans., the place to which the object i<*> brought is almost always expressed, eithe<*> by a dat., or by a prep. and case: or, i<*> not expressed, it is at least clearly im<*> plied; as in Il. 21. 92

οὐ γὰρ ὀΐω

σὰ<*> χεῖρας φεύξεσθαι, ἐπεί γ’ ἐπέλασσέ γ<*> δαίμων

: where the context implies

ἐμ<*>

far more clearly than

φυγᾷ

here implie<*>

ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς

. Comparing Il. 5. 766

ἥ<*> μάλιστ’ εἴωθε κακῇς ὀδύνῃσι πελάζειν

, and Pind. O. 1. 77

ἐμὲ...κράτει...πέλασον

, w<*> might surmise that, to a Greek ear,

φυγ<*> μ’ οὐκέτ’ ἀπ’ αὐλίων

πελᾶτ’

would rathe<*> suggest this sense,—‘Ye will no longe<*> force me to flight from my cave.’ (2) But apart from the use of

πελᾶτ’

, there i<*> a further difficulty. Verse 1149 shoul<*> correspond with v. 1126,

τὰν ἐμὰν μελέο<*> τροφάν

. These are glyconic verses. A<*> iambus,

φυγᾷ

, could not begin such<*> verse, unless its first syll. served merel<*> as anacrusis. If we transpose

φυγᾷ

b<*> keep

μ’ οὐκέτ’

, then we have anothe<*> impossibility, viz. a sentence beginnin<*> with

με

. Other versions of the vulgate which have been proposed are examined in the Appendix.

Auratus and Canter saw that μ’ οὐκέτ’ is corrupted from μηκέτ’ . Auratus, keeping

πελᾶτ’

, understood (like Wunder), ‘No longer approach, in order to fly from my cave,’—an impossible sense for the dat.

φυγᾷ

: though

πελᾶτ’

as imperat. might be defended by the verse of an unknown poet in Plut. Mor. 457 D

βαῖνε λὰξ ἐπὶ τραχήλου, βαῖνε καὶ πέλα χθονί

. Canter read ἐλᾶτ’ , ‘no longer rush.’ For this imperat. (from

ἐλάω

) cp. Eur. H. F. 819 (

ἔλα

), and Eur. fr. 779

ἔλα δὲ μήτε

κ.τ.λ. But I feel certain that the true reading is πηδᾶτ’ , which I proposed in the Journ. of Philology vol. II. p. 80 (1869).

ΠΕΔΑΤ’

(as it would have been written by Sophocles) would most easily become

ΠΕΔΑΤ’

. The change of πηδᾶτ’ into πελᾶτ’ would have facilitated that of μηκέτ’ into μ’ οὐκέτ’ , since

πελᾶτ’

would naturally be taken as fut. indic. of

πελάζω

, not as imperat. of

πελάω

The metre would be restored by reading

μὴ φυγαῖς ἔτ’ ἀπ’ αὐλίων

. But a simpler remedy is to place φυγᾷ last, instead of first, in the v. It is not essential to the correspondence of glyconic verses in strophe and antistrophe that the dactyl should occur in the same place: thus v. 1124

πόντου θινὸς ἐφήμενος

answers to 1147,

ἔθνη θηρῶν οὓς ὅδ’ ἔχει

.—See Appendix.

ἀλλ’ ἀνέδην

κ.τ.λ.

The reading of the MSS. here (see cr. n.) presents two great difficulties. (1) ἀνέδην yields no possible sense when joined with

ἐρύκεται

. That adv. (from

ἀνίημι

, ‘to let go’) means, ‘without restraint,’ ‘with free course’ ( immissis habenis), as in Suppl. 15

φεύγειν ἀνέδην διὰ κῦμ’ ἅλιον

. (2) ἐρύκεται , as the whole usage of the verb shows, must mean either ‘is detained,’ or else, ‘is warded off.’ Hence the following versions of the MS. text are impossible:—( a) ‘this place is remissly guarded ’ ; ( b) ‘this place is held by you in freedom’ (schol.

ἐρύκεται· κατέχεται

). Seyffert understands, ‘this place detains you with it in freedom’: but, even if we could make the verb midd.,

ἀνέδην

could not represent

ἀνετούς

ἀνειμένους

In the Journ. Phil. II. p. 80 (1869) I proposed the emendation which I believe to be true. ἐρύκεται ought to be ἄρ’ οὐκέτι . The error would have been an easy one if the apostrophe after

ἄῤ

had been lost, since χῶρος has no verb. That the initial α of

ἄῤ

would have been no obstacle, may be seen from the converse case in O. C. 550 , where the MSS. give

ἀπεστάλη

, corrupted from

ἐφ’ ἁστάλη

. Many other false readings have arisen from two words being made into one (or vice versa), often with a further corruption of the letters; as O. C. 775

τοσαύτη

for

τίς αὕτη

; ib. 1482

συντύχοιμι

for

σοῦ τύχοιμι

. The parenthesis,

ὁ δὲ χῶρος ἄρ’ οὐκέτι

φοβητός, οὐκέθ’ ὑμῖν

, is naturally placed, because the emphatic word of the whole sentence is ἀνέδην , and the parenthesis justifies it: ‘Without restraint—and there is nothing here now, it seems, to restrain you—go on your way.’ ἄρα expresses his new and bitter sense of helplessness. With regard to the repeated οὐκέτι , it should be noted that such pathetic iteration is peculiarly frequent in this

κομμός

: see 1095

σύ τοι, σύ τοι

: 1102

ὢ τλάμων, τλάμων ἄρ’ ἐγώ

: 1128

ὦ τόξον φίλον, ὦ φίλων κ.τ.λ.

: 1165

ἀλλὰ γνῶθ’, εὖ γνῶθ’

: 1186

δαίμων, δαίμων

: 1197

οὐδέποτ’, οὐδέποτ’

The simple transposition, φοβητός, οὐκέθ’ (for the MS.

οὐκέτι φοβητός

), is the best mode of restoring the metre (=1131

ἔχεις τὸν Ἡράκλειον

). Cp. 156 where

μὴ προσπεσών με λάθῃ

has become in the MSS.

μή με λάθῃ προσπεσών

(n.).—See Appendix.

νῦν καλὸν : cp. Ar. Pax 292

νῦν ἐστιν εὔξασθαι καλόν.

ἀντίφονον , taking blood for blood: El. 248

ἀντιφόνους δίκας.

πρὸς χάριν , ‘at your pleasure’: see Ant. 30 n.

αἰόλας , discoloured, spotted, by the disease. When this word refers to light or colour, the primary notion of rapid movement is usu. present,— i.e., the sense is ‘glancing,’ ‘gleaming’ (as in the Homeric

σάκος αἰόλον

, Il. 7. 222 , with Leaf's n.), or ‘sheeny’ (

δράκων

, II Tr.). But it could also mean ‘variegated’ simply, as in Callim. Dian. 91 (of a speckled hound).—Some take it here as=‘quivering’ (cp. Il. 22. 509

αἰόλαι εὐλαί

ἀπὸ … λείψω : cp. 817 n.

ἐν αὔ, ιις τρέφεται =

ἐξ ἀνέμων τρέφεται

(schol.). With

τρέφεσθαι

, the prep. ἐν usu. denotes the surroundings of the

τροφή

, as Plat. Theaet.p. 175 D

ἐν ἐλευθερίᾳ...τεθραμμένου

: but it can also denote, as here, the aliment; id. Plat. Tim.p. 81 C

τεθραμμένης...ἐν γάλακτι

μηκέτι : the generic

μή

(being one who commands not...), cp. 170

μή του κηδομένου.

μηδενὸς (

πάντων

) ὅσα : the relative clause here takes the place of a partitive gen.: cp. Xen. Cyr. 8. 1. 20

ἤν τις ἀπῇ οἷς παρεῖναι καθήκῃ

. Cp. 957 n.

πέμπει here=

ἀναπέμπει

ἵησι

for

προΐησι

etc.

βιόδωρος : cp. 391 .

εἴ τι σέβει ξένον , if thou hast any regard for a friendly stranger, εὐνοίᾳ πάσᾳ πελάταν , who draws near to thee with all good will, πέλασσον (intrans.), draw near to him:— i.e., meet his advances half way, instead of repelling him. For the epic

σς

, cp. Ai. 390

ὀλέσσας

: ib. 926

ἐξανύσσειν

Philoctetes is at the mouth of his cave, as if about to enter it (952): the Chorus now advance a little towards him, as they make this earnest appeal. The position of πέλασσον , between

ξένον

and εὐν. π. πελάταν , is warrantable, since the latter words suggest a reason for the prayer,

πέλασσον

. Bolder collocations of words occur elsewhere in Soph. : e.g. Soph. O. C. 1427

τίς δὲ τολμήσει κλύων

τὰ τοῦδ’ ἕπεσθαι τἀνδρός

; cp. Soph. O. T. 1251. The word

πελάταν

gives a certain tone of deference, since

πελάτης

was familiar in Attic as = ‘dependent’ ( Euthyphr. p. 4 C).— Other versions are:—(1)

εἴ τι σέβει, ξένον πέλασσον

, ‘if anything is sacred to thee, approach the stranger’: (2)

εἴ τι σέβει ξένον, πέλασσον...πελάταν

, ‘approach him who approaches thee.’ But

πελάζειν

(intrans.) could not take an acc. of the person approached: see Append. on 1149 ff. (3)

εἴ τι σέβει, ξένον πέλασσον

(trans.), bring the stranger near thee ( i.e., ‘allow him to approach thee’).

Arndt conjectures:

εἴ τι σέβει ξένον γ’ ἔλασσον,...ἀλλὰ γνῶθ’ κ.τ.λ.

: ‘if thou hast too little respect for a guest-friend, at least (

ἀλλὰ

) think’ of thine own interest. Such a use of

ἔλασσον

would be obscure; and the supposed antithesis of ideas seems forced; since, even if he did ‘revere the stranger,’ that feeling would not be his only motive for leaving Lemnos.

ἐπὶ σοὶ ( cp. 1003 ) is Seyffert's correction of the MS. ὅτι σοι (or σοί ), which could not mean, ‘that it is for thee,’ i.e., ‘in thy power.’ The objection to reading ὅτι σόν is that this would mean rather, ‘that it is thy part’ (or ‘duty’): cp. O. C. 721 n.

βόσκειν , i.e., to feed with thine own flesh: cp. 313 . For the omission of μέν , cp. Ant. 806 , O. C. 1275.

ἀδαὴς δ’ ἔχειν κ.τ.λ., while it cannot be taught to bear the countless woes that attend upon it.

ἔχειν

here= sustinere, as in O. C. 537

ἔπαθον ἄλαστ’ ἔχειν

, and Ant. 421. It is needless to read ὀχεῖν .

ὃ ξυνοικεῖ : cp. O. C. 1237

γῆρας ἄφιλον, ο. ξ. ι (/να πρόπαντα

κακὰ κακῶν ξυνοικεῖ

, and ib. 1134. The context here slightly favours ὃ as against ᾧ , though the latter is possible. The only source of obscurity here is that in the first clause (

οἰκτρὰ γὰρ βόσκειν

) the

κήρ

is the disease itself, while in the second (

ἀδαὴς δ’

) it is identified with the patient. The sense is, ‘thy disease is dreadful, and no length of time could inure thee to the countless other ills that accompany it’ (hunger, hardship, solitude).

παλαιὸν ἄλγημ’ , the pain which the proposal that he should return to Troy has caused to him from the first moment that he heard of it: see vv. 622, 917, 999.

ὑπέμνασας without

με

: cp. 801 .—

ὦ λῷστε κ.τ.λ.

: their words grieve him the more, because they have otherwise shown him so much sympathy ( cp. 1121 , 1163 f.).

τῶν πρὶν ἐντόπων , those mentioned in 307 ff.: for

πρὶν

cp. Ant. 100

κάλλιστον

... | ...

τῶν προτέρων φάος

. The adj. here=merely ‘present in a place’ (at a given moment), as in 211, O. C. 1457 : not ‘resident,’ as in O. C. 841.

ὤλεσας . A return to Troy is more dreadful to him than death (999), and the mere suggestion of it has pierced him to the heart. This verb can denote the infliction, not only of physical (817), but also of mental anguish: cp. El. 831

ΗΛ. ἀπολεῖς. ΧΟ. πῶς

; |

ΗΛ. εἰ τῶν φανερῶς οἰχομένων

εἰς Ἀΐδαν ἐλπίδ’ ὑποίσεις, κατ’ ἐμοῦ τακομένας

μᾶλλον ἐπεμβάσει

. (But in 1388 below

ὀλεῖς

is not similar.)

εἴργασαι : perf. following aor., as 676, 929.

τί τοῦτ’ ἔλεξας ; Cp. Ai. 270

πῶς τοῦτ’ ἔλεξας

;—(

ὤλεσάς με

), εἰ … ἤλπισας , if thou hast indeed conceived the hope: cp.

ἐλπίσαι

in 629.

ἄξειν with double acc.: cp. Ant. 811 (n.).

ἀπό … λείπετ’ : cp. 817 .

νυν , ‘then,’ i.e., ‘if ye persist’ (as the present tense νοῶ implies). This is better here than

νῦν

φίλα μοι … παρήγγειλας ἑκόντι τε πράσσειν . The τε after ἑκόντι has been suspected (see cr. n.). But analogous instances occur, where conjunctions, which might have been omitted, couple dissimilar clauses: as Plat. Prot. 336A

ἀπεκρίνατο διὰ βραχέων τε καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ ἐρωτώμενα

: Thuc. 1. 67

οὐχ ἡσύχαζον ἀνδρῶν τε σφίσιν ἐνόντων καὶ ἅμα...δεδιότες

. Here,

ἑκόντι τε

would probably seem all the more natural to a Greek ear, since

βουλομένῳ μοί ἐστι τοῦτο

was so familiar an equivalent for

προσφιλές μοί ἐστι τοῦτο

. Cavallin's ἑκόντα (acc. neut. plur.) τε cannot be justified by Soph. O. T. 1229 , where

κακὰ

ἑκόντα

is merely a bold way of saying,

κακὰ ἃ ἑκών τις ἐποίησε

ναὸς (partit. gen.) ἵν’ ἡμῖν τέτακται , to that part of the ship where (=whither) it has been appointed for us to go. The Chorus are common seamen, who have to take their places on the rowing benches or at other posts. The moment of sailing is now at hand ( cp. 1076 ).

ἀραίου Διός , Zeus

ἱκέσιος

(484 n.) in another aspect,—as the god who hears the imprecation of the rejected suppliant.

ἀραῖος

does not occur elsewhere as an epithet of Zeus, but among his titles were

ἀλάστωρ

(Cramer Anecd. Ox. 1. 62),

τιμωρός

(Clemens Protrept. p. 24) and

παλαμναῖος

( De Mundo 7).

ἔλθῃς =

ἀπέλθῃς

: 48 n.

1183 The older edd. give μετρίαζε in full (making the choriambic verse hypercatalectic): Brunck wrote μετρίαζ’ . For the sense, cp. Plat. Rep. 603E

μετριάσει δέ πως πρὸς λύπην

δαίμων : for the nom., cp. Ant. 891

ὦ τύμβος

ὦ ποὺς πούς : cp. 786 .

τί σε τεύξω ;=

τί σε ποιήσω, τί σοι χρήσομαι

; ‘what shall I do with thee,’—how endure the pain,—now that my doom is otherwise so much worse?

μετόπιν , used by Rh. 4. 1764 , occurs nowhere else in class. Greek, but is related to the epic

μετόπισθεν

(used by Eur. fr. 449) as the Attic

κατόπιν

to the epic

κατόπισθεν

ἔλθετ’ ἐπήλυδες : cp. 1222 : Suppl. 388

παλίσσυτος

στεῖχ’

: Legg. 879 D

νεήλυδος ἀφιγμένου

. The adj. here=‘coming back’ (answering to

ἐπανέρχομαι

rather than

ἐπέρχομαι

): yet αὖθις need not be regarded as redundant (like

ἀρτίως

with

νεοσφαγής

in Tr. 1130 ); for they had once before been on the point of departing (1070). Elsewhere

ἔπηλυς

always= advena.

τί ῥέξοντες , to do what, γνώμᾳ ἀλλοκότῳ τῶν πάρος , with a purpose different from (that of) the former course, ὧν (by attract. for

ἃ

) προὔφαινες , which thou didst prescribe? He had told them to go away and leave him (

ἀπό νύν με λείπετ’ ἤδη

, 1177). They ask if they are now to contravene that order, and if so, what they are to do. For the gen.

τῶν πάρος

after

ἀλλοκότῳ

, cp. M. 4. 4. 25

ἄλλα τῶν δικαίων

. The verb

προφαίνειν

can be used of any utterance ( Tr. 324 ); but, as it is said of oracles ( O. T. 790 n.), so it is peculiarly applicable to commands.

The objection to the plausible conjecture ῥέξοντος is not the omission of

σοῦ

, which is quite possible ( cp. 801 n.), but the fact that Greek idiom would require

ὡς τί ῥέξοντος

. In the very rare instances where this

ὡς

is omitted, the fut. partic. refers to the subject of the principal verb, as Eur. Hec. 631 ff.

ὕλαν

... |

ἐτάμεθ’, ἅλιον ἐπ’ οἶδμα ναυστολήσων

(cp. Paley in Journ. Phil. vol. VIII. p. 80).

οὔτοι νεμεσητόν , since the feeling of

νέμεσις

is justified only when fair allowance has been made for human weakness. ( Andoc. or. 1. 57

χρὴ γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνως περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκλογίζεσθαι, ὥσπερ ἂν αὐτὸν ὄντα ἐν τῇ συμφορᾷ

.) Cp. Il. 9. 523

πρὶν δ’

(before the amend was made)

οὔτι νεμεσσητὸν κεχολῶσθαι.

ἀλύοντα : 174 n.

χειμερίῳ : cp. 1460 : Ai. 206

Α<*>ας θολερῷ

κεῖται χειμῶνι νοσήσας.

καὶ παρὰ νοῦν θροεῖν , referring to his abrupt dismissal of them (1177).

καί

(‘e'en’) expresses the relation of cause and effect.

παρὰ νοῦν

παρὰ δίκην

etc.: cp. O. T. 550

τοῦ νοῦ χωρίς

οὐδ’ εἰ πυρφόρος ἀστεροπητὴς : cp. Il. 1. 580

Ὀλύμπιος ἀστεροπητής

: O. T. 200

ὦ τᾶν πυρφόρων

ἀστραπᾶν κράτη νέμων

. This is a repetition, in stronger words, of

οὐδ’ ἢν χρῇ με πᾶν παθεῖν κακόν

(999). To brave the lightnings of Zeus is to face death in its most appalling form: so Ares says that he will avenge his son,

εἴ πέρ μοι καὶ μοῖρα Διὸς πληγέντι κεραυνῷ

κεῖσθαι ὁμοῦ νεκύεσσι

( Il. 15. 117 ). And Dido: Vel pater omnipotens adigat me fulmine ad umbras | ... Ante , Pudor, quam te violo ( Aen. 4. 25 ).

βροντᾶς αὐγαῖς : cp. Aesch. P. V. 1043

πρὸς ταῦτ’ ἐπ’ ἐμοὶ ῥιπτέσθω μὲν

πυρὸς ἀμφήκης βόστρυχος

: ib. 1083

ἕλικες δ’ ἐκλάμπουσι

στεροπῆς ζάπυροι

εἶσι φλογίζων , lit., ‘shall be in the course of consuming,’ i.e., in the very act of doing so:—as if he should behold Zeus in heaven, with the thunderbolt already brandished in his uplifted right hand. The peculiar vividness of the phrase depends on the somewhat rare use of the pres. part. with

ἔρχομαι

—a use quite distinct from that of the fut. part. Thus

ἔρχεται κατηγορήσων μου

( Euthyphro 2 C)=simply, ‘he is going to accuse me’; but

ἔρχομαι ἐπιχειρῶν σοι ἐπιδείξασθαι

( Phaedo 100 B)=‘I am proceeding with an attempt to show you’: cp. Her. 1. 122

ἤιε ταύτην αἰνέων διὰ παντός

: Pind. N. 7. 69

ἔρχομαι...ἐννέπων

ἐρρέτω Ἴλιον : not a curse on Troy itself, but a way of saying that he cares not how the Trojan war may end.

οἵ θ’ ὑπ’ ἐκείνῳ : cp. Eur. Hec. 764

τῶν θανόντων...ὑπ’ Ἰλίῳ.

τόδ’ ἐμοῦ ποδὸς ἄρθρον , this limb (cp.

ἄρθρα

in 1207), my foot:

ποδὸς

is here a defining genitive, and the phrase is a periphrasis for

τὸν ἐμὸν πόδα

, with a certain added pathos,—‘this poor lame foot.’ But in O. T. 718

ἄρθρα ποδοῖν

are the ankles.— ἀπῶσαι , act., as in Ai. 446

ἀνδρὸς τοῦδ’ ἀπώσαντες κράτη

: cp. 600

ἐκβεβληκότες

. (But the midd.

ἀπώσῃ

in 1122, of repelling advances.) He speaks as if the tortured limb were a mute suppliant that might well have moved their pity: cp. 1188

ὦ ποὺς πούς

ἀλλ’ , appealing (230).

ὀρέξατε , extend it to me, concede it: cp. Pind. N. 7. 56

οὐκ ἔχω

εἰπεῖν τίνι τοῦτο Μοῖρα τέλος ἔμπεδον

ὤρεξε

: a poet. use, like that of

ἐγγυαλίζω

. (Distinguish the sense in Il. 12. 328

ἠέ τῳ εὖχος ὀρέξομεν ἠέ τις ἡμῖν

, ‘give glory.’)

ἐρεῖς : for the fut., cp. 441 n.— εἴ ποθεν sc.

προπέμψαι ἔχετε

,=‘from any quarter.’ So in Ai. 886

εἴ ποθι...λεύσσων

λεύσσων, εἴ που

(

λεύσσει

). The elliptical use of

εἴ τις

is frequent ( Thuc. 4. 26

ἐσάγειν σῖτόν τε...καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο βρῶμα

γένυν , axe: El. 485

ἀμφάκης γένυς

: cp. Ant. 249 n.

προπέμψατε . This use of the verb is somewhat strange at first sight, and has led to conjectures (see cr. n.). But it seems to be justified by the context. The group of fifteen men is standing before him, and he sees that they are not regularly armed; but, as εἴ ποθεν shows, he hopes that some one of their number may have some weapon.

προπέμψατε

means strictly, ‘pass forward,’ from hand to hand. Cp. Ar. fr. 427

φέρε παῖ ταχέως κατὰ χειρὸς ὕδωρ

, |

παράπεμπε τὸ χειρόμακτρον

,—‘pass’ it round.

ὡς τίνα δὴ ῥέξῃς ...; So O. C. 398 (Ismene having said that Creon will come)

ΟΙ. ὅπως τί δράσῃ

; cp. ib. 1724: El. 390

ΧΡ. ὅπως πάθῃς τί χρῆμα;

παλάμαν , ‘deed of violence’; a sense in which the sing. does not seem to occur elsewhere, though the plur. often=‘violent hands’ ( Il. 3. 128

ὑπ’ Ἄρηος παλαμάων

1207 *

χρῶτ’

, Hermann's correction of κρᾶτ’ , seems to me certain. For the interchange of

and

, cp.

βρύχομαι

corrupted from

βρύκομαι

in 745 (cr. n.). Here the error may have been facilitated by a recollection of 618

κάρα

τέμνειν

. The sense is, ‘hew all the flesh (from my bones), and sever limb from limb,’—a frenzied exaggeration of his prayer in 748,

πάταξον εἰς ἄκρον πόδα

, |

ἀπάμησον ὡς τάχιστα· μὴ φείσῃ βίου

. Sophocles knew the History of Herodotus (cp. O. C. 337 n.). Is it not possible that the poet's diction here may have been influenced by a reminiscence of the passage describing the ghastly suicide of the insane Cleomenes (6. 75)? Cleomenes, like Philoctetes, ‘asked for a sword,’— which the terrified Helot gave him. Then,

παραλαβὼν τὸν σίδηρον ἄρχετο ἐκ κνημέων ἑωυτὸν λωβώμενος· ἐπιτάμνων γὰρ κατὰ μῆκος τὰς σάρκας

(cp. Χρῶτα πάντα )

προέβαινε ἐκ τῶν κνημέων ἐς τοὺς μηρούς, ἐκ δὲ τῶν μηρῶν ἔς τε τὰ ἰσχία καὶ τὰς λαπάρας, ἐς ὃ ἐς τὴν γαστέρα ἀπίκετο, καὶ ταύτην καταχορδεύων ἀπέθανε

If the MS. κρᾶτ’ be kept, πάντα must be taken in one of two ways. (1) As acc. masc. with

κρᾶτ’

. Cp. Ionfr. 61

τὸν αὑτοῦ κρᾶτα

: Eur. fr. 243

τὸν σὸν κρᾶτ’

. But with Sophocles

κρᾶτα

is elsewhere neut.: cp. 1001 , 1457. (2) As adverbial neut. pl., ‘utterly.’ In either case the sense is weak. We cannot take

πάντα καὶ ἄρθρα

as=

καὶ πάντα ἄρθρα

. (In Aesch. P. V. 51 ,

ἔγνωκα τοῖσδε κοὐδὲν ἀντειπεῖν ἔχω

, the comma should stand after

τοῖσδε

, not after

ἔγνωκα

.) A transposition is, indeed, possible—

κρᾶτα καὶ ἄρθρ’ ἀπὸ πάντα

. But, even then, there is the difficulty that he cuts off his own head before mangling his limbs. This, surely, is more than the figure of ‘prothysteron’ will comfortably excuse. Prof. Campbell compares Soph. Ai. 238

κεφαλὴν καὶ γλῶσσαν ἄκραν

ῥιπτεῖ θερίσας

: but Ajax is not decapitating himself.

φονᾷ : cp. Ant. 117 n.

τί ποτε ; the verb understood is

ἔστιν

, not

φονᾷ

: cp. Ant. 381

τί ποτ’

; ‘What means this?’

πατέρα ματεύων , as if

φονῶ

rather than

φονᾷ νόος

had preceded: cp. O. T. 159 n.

In vv. 492 ff. he had expressed the fear that his aged father must be dead; and here, in the bitterness of despair—when he feels himself utterly friendless upon earth—he utters a yearning to join Poeas in the world below. At brighter moments, again—when there is a gleam of hope that he may return to Malis—he thinks of his father as still living (665, 1371). And Heracles tells him that Poeas is indeed alive (1430).

οὐ γὰρ ἐν φάει γ’ ἔτι . Hermann's deletion of the

ἔστ’

before ἐν is probable on metrical grounds; and the interpolation might easily have arisen, as he says, from a superscript gloss

ἐστί

. On the other hand it is simpler and better to understand

ἐστί

than (as Hermann prefers)

ματεύων

ὦ πόλις : Trachis (491): for the nom., cp. 1186 n.

πῶς ἂν with optat. in a wish; cp. 531 .

ἄθλιός γ’ ἀνήρ . This, the reading of the MSS., is confirmed, as against Dindorf's conjecture (see cr. n.), by a point which seems to have escaped notice. The γε after ὅς marks the causal force of the relat. pron. (as in 663); and this indicates that ἄθλιος means, not merely ‘unhappy,’ but ‘wretchedly foolish’ (as in O.T. 372). The reflective emphasis which

γ’

adds to

ἄθλιος

is thus exactly in place,— ‘misguided indeed that I was.’ A comma after εἰσίδοιμί ς’ makes this clearer.

ἱερὰν λιβάδ’ , the Spercheius (492), neighbour to the haunts of the Malian nymphs (725). All rivers were

ἱεροί

, but here the epithet has a special force, which ἐχθροῖς brings out: he had voluntarily withdrawn himself from the realm of friendly deities. Cp. his appeal in 1040

ἀλλ’ ὦ πατρῴα γῆ θεοί τ’ ἐπόψιοι.

ἔτ’ οὐδέν εἰμι : for the place of

ἔτ’

, cp. O.T. 24

ἔτ’ οὐχ οἵα τε

(n.).

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)) — 1081 focus

ὦ κοίλας πέτρας γύαλον

θερμὸν καὶ θερμόν τε καὶ παγετῶδες, ὥς σ᾽ οὐκ ἔμελλον ἄρ᾽, ὦ τάλας ω' ταλασ ὦ τάλας,

λείψειν οὐδέποτ' οὐδέποτε, ἀλλά μοι

καὶ θνήσκοντι συνοίσει.

ὤμοι μοί μοι. ώι μοι μοι μοί οἱ μοι μοι μοι

1085

ὦ πληρέστατον αὔλιον αὐλίον αὔλιον

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΦΙ.

λύπας τᾶς ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ τάλαν,

τί ποτ᾽ αὖ μοὶ τὸ κατ᾽ καθ' ἁμαρ ἦμαρ

ἔσται; τοῦ ποτε τεύξομαι
1090

σιτονόμου μέλεος πόθεν ἐλπίδος ;

εἴθ᾽ αἰθέρος ἄνω

πτωκάδες ὀξυτόνου ὀξυτόνου διὰ πνεύματος

ἕλωσί ἐλῶσί μ᾽. †οὐ γὰρ ἔτ᾿ ἰσχύω.†

ΧΟ.
(2.)

σύ τοι σύ τοι κατηξίωσας κατηξίωσᾶς κατηξίωσασ,
1095

ὦ βαρύποτμ' βαρύποτμε βαρύποτμ', οὐκ ἄλλοθεν ἔχει τύχαις τύχᾳ τᾷδ᾽ τ. τώδε τ. τάδ' ἀπὸ μείζονος,

εὐτέ γε γάρ παρὸν φρονῆσαι

τοῦ λῴονος πλέονοσ δαίμονος εἵλου τὸ κάκιον αἰνεῖν ἑλεῖν.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙ.

ἀντ.α΄. (1.)

ὦ τλάμων τλάμων ἄρ᾽ ἐγὼ

καὶ μόχθῳ λωβατός, ὃς ἤδη μετ᾿ οὐδενὸς ὕστερον

1100

ἀνδρῶν εἰσοπίσω τάλας

ναίων ἐνθάδ᾽ ὀλοῦμαι,

αἰαῖ αἰαῖ, αἱ αἱ αἳ al αἱ αἱ αἱ αἱ

οὐ φορβὰν ἔτι προσφέρων,

οὐ πτανῶν ἀπ᾿ ἐμῶν ὅπλων

1105

κραταιαῖσιν κραταιαῖς μετὰ χερσὶν

ἴσχων· ἀλλά μοι ἄσκοπα

κρυπτά τ'᾽ ἔπη δολερᾶς ὑπέδυ φρενός·

ἰδοίμαν δέ νιν,

τὸν τάδε μησάμενον, τὸν ἴσον χρόνον

1110

ἐμὰς λαχόντ᾽ ἀνίας.

ΧΟ.
(2.)

πότμος, πότμος σε δαιμόνων τάδ',

οὐδὲ σέ γε δόλος ἔσχεν ὑπὸ χερὸς χείρος ἐμᾶς ἐμᾶς. στυγερὰν ἔχε

δύσποτμον δύσποτ'μον δύσποτμον ἀρὰν ἀρὰν ἀρὰν ἀρὰν ἐπ᾿ ἄλλοις.

καὶ γὰρ ἐμοὶ τοῦτο μέλει, μὴ φιλότητ᾽ φιλότητ(ι) φιλότητ᾿ ἀπώσῃ.
1115

ΦΙ.

στρ.β΄. (1.)

οἴμοι μοι οἴ μοι μοί, καί που πολιᾶς πουλιᾶς

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

πόντου θινὸς ἐφήμενος,

γελᾷ μου, χερὶ χειρὶ πάλλων

τὰν ἐμὰν μελέου τροφάν,

τὰν οὐδείς ποτ᾿ ἐβάστασεν.

1120

ὦ τόξον φίλον, ὦ φίλων

χειρῶν ἐκβεβιασμένον,

ἦ εἴ που ἐλεινὸν ἐλεεινὸν ὁρᾷς, φρένας εἴ τινας

ἔχεις ἔχεις, τὸν ῾Ηράκλειον

ἆθλον ἄθλιον γρ. ἆθλον ἆθλον ἔμ' ὧδέ σοι

1125

οὐκέτι χρησόμενον τὸ μεθύστερον μεθ' ὕστερον·

†ἀλλ᾽ ἐν μεταλλαγᾷ μεταλλαγῆ

πολυμηχάνου ἀνδρὸς ἐρέσσει ἐρέσσῃ ἐρέσσει,

ὁρῶν μὲν αἰσχρὰς ἀπάτας, στυγνόν τε φῶτ᾽ ἐχθοδοπόν,

μυρί᾽ ἀπ' αἰσχρῶν ἀνατέλλονθ᾽ ἀνατέλλοντα, ὅσ᾽ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν κάκ' ἐμήσατ᾿ Ὀδυσσεύς.

1130

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΧΟ.
(2.)

ἀνδρός τοι τὸ μὲν εὖ δίκαιον εἰπεῖν,

εἰπόντος δὲ μὴ φθονερὰν

ἐξῶσαι γλώσσας ὀδύναν.

κεῖνος δ᾽ εἰς ἀπὸ πολλῶν

ταχθείς, τοῦδ᾽ ὑφημοσύνᾳ ἐφημοσύνᾳ,
1135

κοινὰν ἤνυσεν ἐς φίλους ἀρωγάν.

ΦΙ.

ἀντ.β΄. (1.)

ὦ πταναὶ πτηναὶ πταναὶ θῆραι χαροπῶν τ᾽

ἔθνη θηρῶν, οὓς ου for ο ὅδ᾽ ἔχει

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

χῶρος οὐρεσιβώτας οὐρεσσιβώτας οὐρεσιβώτας,

φυγᾷ μ᾽ οὐκέτ᾽ ἀπ᾿ αὐλίων

1140

πελᾶτ᾽ πελά(ι)τ' πελάτ᾿· οὐ γὰρ ἔχω χεροῖν

τὰν πρόσθεν βελέων ἀλκάν,

ὦ δύστανος ἐγὼ τανῦν τὰ νῦν τανῦν,

ἀλλ᾽ ἀνέδην ἀναιδην ἀνέδην ὅδε χῶρος ἐρύκεται,

οὐκέτι φοβητὸς ὑμῖν.

1145

ἕρπετε ἔρπεται, νῦν καλὸν

ἀντίφονον κορέσαι στόμα πρὸς χάριν

ἐμᾶς σαρκὸς αἰόλας.

ἀπὸ γὰρ βίον αὐτίκα λείψω.

πόθεν γὰρ ἔσται βιοτά; τίς ὧδ᾽ ἐν αὔραις τρέφεται,

1150

μηκέτι μηδενὸς κρατύνων, ὅσα πέμπει βιόδωρος αἷα;

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΧΟ.
(2.)

πρὸς θεῶν, εἴ τι σέβει ξένον, πέλασσον πέλασσον πέλασσεν

εὐνοίᾳ πάσᾳ πελάταν·

ἀλλὰ γνῶθ᾽, εὐ γνῶθ᾽ ὅτι σοὶ σοι σοὶ

κῆρα τάνδ᾽ ἀποφεύγειν.
1155

οἰκτρὰ γὰρ βόσκειν, ἀδαὴς δ᾽

ἔχειν μυρίον ἄχθος, ᾧ ᾧ ξυνοικεῖ.

ΦΙ.

ἐπ. (1.)

πάλιν πάλιν παλαιὸν

ἄλγημ᾽ ὑπέμνασας, ὦ λῷστε τῶν πρὶν ἐντόπων.

τί μ᾽ ὤλεσας; τί μ' εἴργασαι;

1160

ΧΟ.

τί τοῦτ᾽ ἔλεξας;

ΦΙ.

εἰ σὺ τὰν ἐμοὶ ἐμοὶ στυγερὰν

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΦΙ.

Τρωάδα γᾶν γᾶν γᾶν γαῖαν μ᾽ ἤλπισας ἤλπισασ μ' ἄξειν.

ΧΟ.

τόδε γὰρ νοῶ κράτιστον.
1175

ΦΙ.

ἀπό νύν ἀπὸ νῦν με λείπετ᾽ μ' ἐλείπετ᾿ μελείπετ᾿ ἤδη.

ΧΟ.

φίλα μοι, φίλα ταῦτα παρήγγειλας ἑκόντι τε πράσσειν.

ἴωμεν ἴωμεν ἴομεν ἴομεν ἴωμεν ἴωμεν

ναὸς ἵν ἡμῖν τέτακται.

ΦΙ.

μή, πρὸς ἀραίου Διός, ἔλθῃς, ἱκετεύω.
1180

XO.

μετρίαζε.

ΦΙ.

ὦ ξένοι, μείνατε, πρὸς θεῶν.

ΧΟ.

τί θροεῖς;

ΦΙ.

αἰαῖ αἰαῖ, αἱ αἱ αἱ αἱ δαίμων δαίμων.

ἀπόλωλ᾽ ὁ τάλας·
1185

ὦ ποὺς πούς, τί σ᾽ τίσ ἔτ᾽ ἐν βίῳ

τεύξω τῷ μετόπιν τάλας;

ὦ ξένοι, ἔλθετ᾽ ἐπήλυδες αὖθις.

ΧΟ.

τί ῥέξοντες ἀλλοκότῳ

γνώμᾳ τῶν πάρος, ὧν προὔφαινες προὔφανες προὔφαινες ;
1190

ΦΙ.

οὔτοι οὔτι οὔτι νεμεσητόν νεμεσσητὸν,

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ἀλύοντα χειμερίῳ

λύπᾳ καὶ παρὰ νοῦν παράνουν θροεῖν.

ΧΟ.
(2.)

βᾶθί νυν, ὦ τάλαν, ὥς σε κελεύομεν.

ΦΙ.

οὐδέποτ᾽ οὐδέποτ'᾽, ἴσθι τόδ᾽ ἔμπεδον,
1195

οὐδ᾽ εἰ πυρφόρος υ from ο πυρφόρος ἀστεροπητὴς

βροντᾶς αὐγαῖς βρονταῖς αὐταῖς γρ. καὶ αὐγαῖς μ' εἶσι φλογίζων.

ἐρρέτω "Ιλιον, οἱ θ᾽ ὑπ᾿ ἐκείνῳ

πάντες ὅσοι τόδ᾽ ἔτλασαν ἐμοῦ ποδὸς ἄρθρον ἀπῶσαι.

ἀλλ᾽, ὦ ξένοι, ἕν γέ μοι εὖχος ὀρέξατε.
1200

ΧΟ.

ποῖον ἐρεῖς τόδ᾽ ἔπος;

ΦΙ.

ξίφος, εἴ ποθεν,

ἢ γένυν, ἢ βελέων τι, προπέμψατε.

ΧΟ.

ὡς τίνα δὴ ῥέξῃς ῥέξῃς ....χ ῥέξεις παλάμαν ποτέ;

ΦΙ.

κρᾶτ᾽ ἀπὸ πάντα ἀποπάντα ἀπὸ πάντα καὶ ἄρθρα τέμω χερί·
1205

φονᾷ φονᾷ νόος νός νόος νύσος ἤδη.

ΧΟ.

τί ποτε;

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΦΙ.

πατέρα ματεύων.

ΧΟ.

ποῖ γᾶς ;

ΦΙ.

ἐς εἰς ἐς "Αιδου. οὐ γάρ ἐστ᾽ ἐν φάει γ'᾽ ἔτι. ἐστ᾽ ἐν φάει γ' ἔτ'
1210

ὦ πόλις ὦ ὦ πόλις ὦ πόλις πατρία,

πῶς ἂν εἰσίδοιμ᾽ ἄθλιός σ᾽ ἀνήρ πῶς ἂν εἰσίδοιμί σ᾽ ἄθλιός γ᾽ ἀνὴρ εἰσίδοιμί σε ἄθλιός γ' ἀνήρ εἰσίδοιμί σε ἄθλιός ἀνήρ,

ὅς γε σὰν λιπὼν

ἱερὰν λιβάδ᾽ (η)λιβάδ' λιβάδ᾽, ἐχθροῖς ἔβαν Δαναοῖς δανοῖς δαναοῖς

ἀρωγός· ἔτ᾽ οὐδέν εἰμι.
1215

ΧΟ.

ἐγὼ μὲν ἤδη καὶ πάλαι νεὼς νεως νεῶς νεὼς ὁμοῦ ὁμοῦ ἐγγὺς

στείχων ἂν ἦ ἄνην ἂν ἦν σοι τῆς ἐμῆς, εἰ μὴ πέλας

Ὀδυσσέα στείχοντα τόν τ᾿ ᾿Αχιλλέως

γόνον πρὸς ἡμᾶς δεῦρ᾿ ἰόντ᾽ ἐλεύσσομεν ἐλεύσομεν ἐλεύσσομεν.

ΟΔ.

οὐκ ἂν οὐκ ἂν φράσειας ἥντιν᾽ αὖ παλίντροπος
1220

κέλευθον ἕρπεις ὧδε σὺν σπουδῇ συμπουδῆι συνσπουδῆι σὺν σπουδῇ ταχύς;

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΝΕ.

λύσων ὅσ᾽ ἐξήμαρτον ἐν τῷ πρὶν χρόνῳ.

ΟΔ.

δεινόν γε φωνεῖς· ἡ δ᾽ ἁμαρτία τίς ἦν;

ΝΕ.

ἣν σοὶ πιθόμενος πειθόμενος τῷ τε σύμπαντι στρατῷ

ΟΔ.

ἔπραξας ἔργον ποῖον ὧν οὐ σοι πρέπον;
1225

ΝΕ.

ἀπάταισιν αἰσχραῖς ἄνδρα καὶ δόλοις ἑλών.

ΟΔ.

τὸν ποῖον; ὤμοι· μῶν τι βουλεύει νέον ;

ΝΕ.

νέον μὲν οὐδέν, τῷ δὲ Ποίαντος τόκῳ

ΟΔ.

τί χρῆμα τί χρῆμα τί τί χρῆμα δράσεις; ὥς μ᾽ ὑπῆλθέ τις ὑπῆλθ᾽ ἔτι ὑπῆλθέ τις φόβος.

ΝΕ.

παρ' οὗ περ ἔ παρέ.λαβον τάδε τὰ τόξ᾽, αὖθις πάλιν
1230

ΟΔ.

ὦ Ζεῦ, τί λέξεις; οὔ τί που δοῦναι νοεῖς;

ΝΕ.

αἰσχρῶς γὰρ αὐτὰ κοὐ δίκῃ λαβὼν ἔχω.

ΟΔ.

πρὸς θεῶν, πότερα δὴ δὴ κερτομῶν λέγεις τάδε;

ΝΕ.

εἰ κερτόμησίς ἐστι τἀληθῆ λέγειν.

ΟΔ.

τί φής, ᾿Αχιλλέως ἀχιλλέω ἀχιλλέως παῖ; τίν εἴρηκας λόγον ;
1235

ΝΕ.

δὶς ταὐτὰ βούλει καὶ τρὶς ἀναπολεῖν ἀναπολεῖ ἀναπολεῖν μ' ἔπη;

ΟΔ.

ἀρχὴν κλύειν ἂν οὐδ᾽ ἅπαξ ἐβουλόμην.

ΝΕ.

εὖ νῦν ἐπίστω πάντ᾽ ἀκηκοὼς ἀκήκοας λόγον.

ΟΔ.

ἔστιν τις, ἔστιν, ὅς σε κωλύσει τὸ δρᾶν.

ΝΕ.

τί φής; τίς ἔσται μ' οὑπικωλύσων τάδε;
1240

ΟΔ.

ξύμπας ᾿Αχαιῶν λαός, ἐν δὲ τοῖσδ᾽ ἐγώ.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΝΕ.

σοφὸς πεφυκὼς οὐδὲν ἐξαυδᾷς σοφόν.

ΟΔ.

σὺ δ᾽ οὔτε φωνεῖς οὔτε δρασείεις δρασειας ? δρασείεις δρασείης σοφά σοφόν.

ΝΕ.

ἀλλ᾽ εἰ δίκαια, τῶν σοφῶν κρείσσω κρείσω κρείσσω τάδε.

ΟΔ.

καὶ πῶς δίκαιον, ἅ γ᾽ ἔλαβες βουλαῖς ἐμαῖς,
1245

πάλιν μεθεῖναι μεθεῖ.. ναι μεθεῖναι ταῦτα;

NE.

τὴν ἁμαρτίαν

αἰσχρὰν ἁμαρτὼν ἀναλαβεῖν πειράσομαι.

ΟΔ.

στρατὸν δ᾽ ᾿Αχαιῶν οὐ φοβεῖ, πράσσων τάδε;

ΝΕ.

ξὺν τῷ δικαίῳ τὸν σὸν οὐ ταρβῶ φόβον.
1250

ΝΕ.

ἀλλ᾽ οὐδέ τοι σῇ χειρὶ πείθομαι τὸ δρᾶν.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΟΔ.

οὔ τἄρα Τρωσίν, ἀλλὰ σοὶ μαχούμεθα.

ΝΕ.

ἔστω τὸ μέλλον.

ΟΔ.

χεῖρα δεξιὰν ὁρᾷς

κώπης ἐπιψαύουσαν ;

NE.

ἀλλὰ κἀμέ καὶ ἐμέ τοι

ταὐτὸν τόδ᾽ ὄψει δρῶντα κοὐ μέλλοντ᾽ ἔτι.
1255

ΟΔ.

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1081-1216 focus

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ κοίλας πέτρας γύαλον

θερμὸν καὶ παγετῶδες, ὥς σʼ οὐκ ἔμελλον ἄρʼ, ὦ τάλας,

λείψειν οὐδέποτʼ, ἀλλά μοι καὶ θνῄσκοντι συνείσει.

ὤμοι μοί μοι.

ὦ πληρέστατον αὔλιον

λύπας τᾶς ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ τάλαν,

τίπτʼ αὖ μοι τὸ κατʼ ἆμαρ

ἔσται; τοῦ ποτε τεύξομαι
1090

σιτονόμου μέλεος πόθεν ἐλπίδος;

πέλειαι δʼ ἄνω

πτωκάδες ὀξυτόνου διὰ πνεύματος

ἐλῶσιν· οὐκέτʼ ἴσχω.

Χορός

σύ τοι σύ τοι κατηξίωσας,
1095

ὦ βαρύποτμε, κοὐκ

ἄλλοθεν ἔχει τύχᾳ τᾷδʼ ἀπὸ μείζονος,

εὖτέ γε παρὸν φρονῆσαι

τοῦ λῴονος δαίμονος εἵλου τὸ κάκιον αἰνεῖν.
1100

1101

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ τλάμων τλάμων ἄρʼ ἐγὼ

καὶ μόχθῳ λωβατός, ὃς ἤδη μετʼ οὐδενὸς ὕστερον

ἀνδρῶν εἰσοπίσω τάλας ναίων ἐνθάδʼ ὀλοῦμαι,

αἰαῖ αἰαῖ,

οὐ φορβὰν ἔτι προσφέρων,

οὐ πτανῶν ἀπʼ ἐμῶν ὅπλων

κραταιαῖς μετὰ χερσὶν
1110

ἴσχων· ἀλλά μοι ἄσκοπα

κρυπτά τʼ ἔπη δολερᾶς ὑπέδυ φρενός·

ἰδοίμαν δέ νιν,

τὸν τάδε μησάμενον, τὸν ἴσον χρόνον

ἐμὰς λαχόντʼ ἀνίας.
1115

Χορός

πότμος, πότμος σε δαιμόνων τάδʼ,

οὐδὲ σέ γε δόλος,

ἔσχεν ὑπὸ χειρὸς ἀμᾶς. στυγερὰν ἔχε

δύσποτμον ἀρὰν ἐπʼ ἄλλοις.
1120

καὶ γὰρ ἐμοὶ τοῦτο μέλει, μὴ φιλότητʼ ἀπώσῃ.

1123

Φιλοκτήτης

οἴμοι μοι, καί που πολιᾶς

πόντου θινὸς ἐφήμενος

ἐγγελᾷ, χερὶ πάλλων
1125

τὰν ἐμὰν μελέου τροφάν,

τὰν οὐδείς ποτʼ ἐβάστασεν.

ὦ τόξον φίλον, ὦ φίλων

χειρῶν ἐκβεβιασμένον,

ἦ που ἐλεινὸν ὁρᾷς, φρένας εἴ τινας
1130

ἔχεις, τὸν Ἡράκλειον

ἄρθμιον ὧδέ σοι

οὐκέτι χρησόμενον τὸ μεθύστερον,

ἄλλου δʼ ἐν μεταλλαγᾷ

πολυμηχάνου ἀνδρὸς ἐρέσσει,
1135

ὁρῶν μὲν αἰσχρὰς ἀπάτας, στυγνὸν δὲ φῶτʼ ἐχθοδοπόν,

μυρίʼ, ἀπʼ αἰσχρῶν ἀνατέλλονθʼ, ὃς ἐφʼ ἡμῖν κάκʼ ἐμήσατʼ, ὦ Ζεῦ.

Χορός

ἀνδρός τοι τὰ μὲν ἔνδικʼ αἰὲν εἰπεῖν,
1140

εἰπόντος δὲ μὴ φθονερὰν

ἐξῶσαι γλώσσας ὀδύναν.

κεῖνος δʼ εἷς ἀπὸ πολλῶν

ταχθεὶς τῶνδʼ ἐφημοσύνᾳ

κοινὰν ἤνυσεν ἐς φίλους ἀρωγάν.
1145

1146

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ πταναὶ θῆραι χαροπῶν τʼ

ἔθνη θηρῶν, οὓς ὅδʼ ἔχει

χῶρος οὐρεσιβώτας,

μηκέτʼ ἀπʼ αὐλίων φυγᾷ

πηδᾶτʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἔχω χεροῖν
1150

τὰν πρόσθεν βελέων ἀλκάν,

ὦ δύστανος ἐγὼ τανῦν,

ἀλλʼ ἀνέδην, ὁ δὲ χῶρος ἄρʼ οὐκέτι

φοβητὸς οὐκέθʼ ὑμῖν,

ἕρπετε· νῦν καλὸν
1155

ἀντίφονον κορέσαι στόμα πρὸς χάριν

ἐμᾶς σαρκὸς αἰόλας·

ἀπὸ γὰρ βίον αὐτίκα λείψω.

πόθεν γὰρ ἔσται βιοτά; τίς ὧδʼ ἐν αὔραις τρέφεται,
1160

μηκέτι μηδενὸς κρατύνων ὅσα πέμπει βιόδωρος αἶα;

Χορός

πρὸς θεῶν, εἴ τι σέβει ξένον, πέλασσον,

εὐνοίᾳ πάσᾳ πελάταν·

ἀλλὰ γνῶθʼ, εὖ γνῶθʼ ἐπὶ σοὶ
1165

κῆρα τάνδʼ ἀποφεύγειν.

οἰκτρὰ γὰρ βόσκειν, ἀδαὴς δʼ

ἔχειν μυρίον ἄχθος, ὃ ξυνοικεῖ.

1170

Φιλοκτήτης

πάλιν πάλιν παλαιὸν ἄλγημʼ ὑπέμνασας, ὦ
1170

λῷστε τῶν πρὶν ἐντόπων.

τί μʼ ὤλεσας; τί μʼ εἴργασαι;

Χορός

τί τοῦτʼ ἔλεξας;

Φιλοκτήτης

εἰ σὺ τὰν ἐμοὶ στυγερὰν

Τρῳάδα γᾶν μʼ ἤλπισας ἄξειν.
1175

Χορός

τόδε γὰρ νοῶ κράτιστον.

Φιλοκτήτης

ἀπό νύν με λείπετʼ ἤδη.

Χορός

φίλα μοι, φίλα ταῦτα παρήγγειλας ἑκόντι τε πράσσειν.

ἴωμεν ἴωμεν

ναὸς ἵνʼ ἡμῖν τέτακται.
1180

Φιλοκτήτης

μή, πρὸς ἀραίου Διός, ἔλθῃς, ἱκετεύω.

Χορός

μετρίαζʼ.

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ ξένοι, μείνατε, πρὸς θεῶν.

Χορός

τί θροεῖς;

Φιλοκτήτης

αἰαῖ αἰαῖ, δαίμων δαίμων·
1185

ἀπόλωλʼ ὁ τάλας·

ὦ ποὺς πούς, τί σʼ ἔτʼ ἐν βίῳ

τεύξω τῷ μετόπιν τάλας;

ὦ ξένοι, ἔλθετʼ ἐπήλυδες αὖθις.
1190

Χορός

τί ῥέξοντες ἀλλοκότῳ

γνώμᾳ τῶν πάρος, ὧν προύφαινες;

Φιλοκτήτης

οὔτοι νεμεσητόν,

ἀλύοντα χειμερίῳ

λύπᾳ καὶ παρὰ νοῦν θροεῖν.
1195

Χορός

βᾶθί νυν, ὦ τάλαν, ὥς σε κελεύομεν.

Φιλοκτήτης

οὐδέποτʼ οὐδέποτʼ, ἴσθι τόδʼ ἔμπεδον,

οὐδʼ εἰ πυρφόρος ἀστεροπητὴς

βροντᾶς αὐγαῖς μʼ εἶσι φλογίζων.

ἐρρέτω Ἴλιον οἵ θʼ ὑπʼ ἐκείνῳ
1200

πάντες ὅσοι τόδʼ ἔτλασαν ἐμοῦ ποδὸς ἄρθρον ἀπῶσαι.

ἀλλʼ, ὦ ξένοι, ἕν γέ μοι εὖχος ὀρέξατε.

Χορός

ποῖον ἐρεῖς τόδʼ ἔπος;

Φιλοκτήτης

ξίφος, εἴ ποθεν,

ἢ γένυν ἢ βελέων τι προπέμψατε.

Χορός

ὡς τίνα δὴ ῥέξῃς παλάμαν ποτέ;
1205

Φιλοκτήτης

χρῶτʼ ἀπὸ πάντα καὶ ἄρθρα τέμω χερί·

φονᾷ φονᾷ νόος ἤδη.

Χορός

τί ποτε;

Φιλοκτήτης

πατέρα ματεύων.

Χορός

ποῖ γᾶς;
1210

Φιλοκτήτης

ἐς Ἅιδου·

οὐ γάρ ἐστʼ ἐν φάει γʼ ἔτι.

ὦ πόλις, ὦ πατρία,

πῶς ἂν εἰσίδοιμʼ ἄθλιός σʼ ἀνήρ,

ὅς γε σὰν λιπὼν ἱερὰν

λιβάδʼ ἐχθροῖς ἔβαν Δαναοῖς
1215

ἀρωγός· ἔτʼ οὐδέν εἰμι.

Χορός

ἐγὼ μὲν ἤδη καὶ πάλαι νεὼς ὁμοῦ

στείχων ἂν ἦ σοι τῆς ἐμῆς, εἰ μὴ πέλας

Ὀδυσσέα στείχοντα τόν τʼ Ἀχιλλέως

γόνον πρὸς ἡμᾶς δεῦρʼ ἰόντʼ ἐλεύσσομεν.
1220

Ὀδυσσεύς

οὐκ ἂν φράσειας ἥντινʼ αὖ παλίντροπος

κέλευθον ἕρπεις ὧδε σὺν σπουδῇ ταχύς;

Νεοπτόλεμος

λύσων ὅσʼ ἐξήμαρτον ἐν τῷ πρὶν χρόνῳ.

Ὀδυσσεύς

δεινόν γε φωνεῖς· ἡ δʼ ἁμαρτία τίς ἦν;

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἣν σοὶ πιθόμενος τῷ τε σύμπαντι στρατῷ
1225

Ὀδυσσεύς

ἔπραξας ἔργον ποῖον ὧν οὔ σοι πρέπον;

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀπάταισιν αἰσχραῖς ἄνδρα καὶ δόλοις ἑλών.

Ὀδυσσεύς

τὸν ποῖον; ὤμοι· μῶν τι βουλεύει νέον;

Νεοπτόλεμος

νέον μὲν οὐδέν, τῷ δὲ Ποίαντος τόκῳ,
1230

Ὀδυσσεύς

τί χρῆμα δράσεις; ὥς μʼ ὑπῆλθέ τις φόβος.

Νεοπτόλεμος

παρʼ οὗπερ ἔλαβον τάδε τὰ τόξʼ, αὖθις πάλιν

Ὀδυσσεύς

ὦ Ζεῦ, τί λέξεις; οὔ τί που δοῦναι νοεῖς;

Νεοπτόλεμος

αἰσχρῶς γὰρ αὐτὰ κοὐ δίκῃ λαβὼν ἔχω.

Ὀδυσσεύς

πρὸς θεῶν, πότερα δὴ κερτομῶν λέγεις τάδε;
1235

Νεοπτόλεμος

εἰ κερτόμησίς ἐστι τἀληθῆ λέγειν.

Ὀδυσσεύς

τί φής, Ἀχιλλέως παῖ; τίνʼ εἴρηκας λόγον;

Νεοπτόλεμος

δὶς ταὐτὰ βούλει καὶ τρὶς ἀναπολεῖν μʼ ἔπη;

Ὀδυσσεύς

ἀρχὴν κλύειν ἂν οὐδʼ ἅπαξ ἐβουλόμην.

Νεοπτόλεμος

εὖ νῦν ἐπίστω πάντʼ ἀκηκοὼς λόγον.
1240

Ὀδυσσεύς

ἔστιν τις, ἔστιν ὅς σε κωλύσει τὸ δρᾶν.

Νεοπτόλεμος

τί φής; τίς ἔσται μʼ οὑπικωλύσων τάδε;

Ὀδυσσεύς

ξύμπας Ἀχαιῶν λαός, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἐγώ.

Νεοπτόλεμος

σοφὸς πεφυκὼς οὐδὲν ἐξαυδᾷς σοφόν.

Ὀδυσσεύς

σὺ δʼ οὔτε φωνεῖς οὔτε δρασείεις σοφά.
1245

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀλλʼ εἰ δίκαια, τῶν σοφῶν κρείσσω τάδε.

Ὀδυσσεύς

καὶ πῶς δίκαιον, ἅ γʼ ἔλαβες βουλαῖς ἐμαῖς, πάλιν μεθεῖναι ταῦτα;

Νεοπτόλεμος

τὴν ἁμαρτίαν

αἰσχρὰν ἁμαρτὼν ἀναλαβεῖν πειράσομαι.

Ὀδυσσεύς

στρατὸν δʼ Ἀχαιῶν οὐ φοβεῖ, πράσσων τάδε;
1250

Νεοπτόλεμος

ξὺν τῷ δικαίῳ τὸν σὸν οὐ ταρβῶ φόβον.

Ὀδυσσεύς

ξὺν τῷ δικαίῳ χεὶρ ἐμή σʼ ἀναγκάσει.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀλλʼ οὐδέ τοι σῇ χειρὶ πείθομαι τὸ δρᾶν.

Ὀδυσσεύς

οὔ τἄρα Τρωσίν, ἀλλὰ σοὶ μαχούμεθα.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἴτω τὸ μέλλον.

Ὀδυσσεύς

χεῖρα δεξιὰν ὁρᾷς

κώπης ἐπιψαύουσαν;
1255

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀλλὰ κἀμέ τοι

ταὐτὸν τόδʼ ὄψει δρῶντα κοὐ μέλλοντʼ ἔτι.

1257

Ὀδυσσεύς

καίτοι σʼ ἐάσω· τῷ δὲ σύμπαντι στρατῷ

λέξω τάδʼ ἐλθών, ὅς σε τιμωρήσεται.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἐσωφρόνησας· κἂν τὰ λοίφʼ οὕτω φρονῇς,

ἴσως ἂν ἐκτὸς κλαυμάτων ἔχοις πόδα.
1260

σὺ δʼ, ὦ Ποίαντος παῖ, Φιλοκτήτην λέγω,

ἔξελθʼ, ἀμείψας τάσδε πετρήρεις στέγας.

Φιλοκτήτης

τίς αὖ παρʼ ἄντροις θόρυβος ἵσταται βοῆς;

τί μʼ ἐκκαλεῖσθε; τοῦ κεχρημένοι, ξένοι;

ὤμοι· κακὸν τὸ χρῆμα. μῶν τί μοι νέα
1265

πάρεστε πρὸς κακοῖσι πέμποντες κακά;

Νεοπτόλεμος

θάρσει· λόγους δʼ ἄκουσον οὓς ἥκω φέρων.

Φιλοκτήτης

δέδοικʼ ἔγωγε· καὶ τὰ πρὶν γὰρ ἐκ λόγων

καλῶν κακῶς ἔπραξα, σοῖς πεισθεὶς λόγοις.

Νεοπτόλεμος

οὔκουν ἔνεστι καὶ μεταγνῶναι πάλιν;
1270

Φιλοκτήτης

τοιοῦτος ἦσθα τοῖς λόγοισι χὤτε μου

τὰ τόξʼ ἔκλεπτες, πιστός, ἀτηρὸς λάθρᾳ.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀλλʼ οὔ τι μὴν νῦν· βούλομαι δέ σου κλύειν,

πότερα δέδοκταί σοι μένοντι καρτερεῖν

ἢ πλεῖν μεθʼ ἡμῶν;
1275

Φιλοκτήτης

παῦε, μὴ λέξῃς πέρα·

μάτην γὰρ ἃν εἴπῃς γε πάντʼ εἰρήσεται.

Νεοπτόλεμος

οὕτω δέδοκται;

Φιλοκτήτης

καὶ πέρα γʼ ἴσθʼ ἢ λέγω.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀλλʼ ἤθελον μὲν ἄν σε πεισθῆναι λόγοις

ἐμοῖσιν· εἰ δὲ μή τι πρὸς καιρὸν λέγων

κυρῶ, πέπαυμαι.
1280

Φιλοκτήτης

πάντα γὰρ φράσεις μάτην.

οὐ γάρ ποτʼ εὔνουν τὴν ἐμὴν κτήσει φρένα,

ὅστις γʼ ἐμοῦ δόλοισι τὸν βίον λαβὼν

ἀπεστέρηκας, κᾆτα νουθετεῖς ἐμὲ

ἐλθών, ἀρίστου πατρὸς αἴσχιστος γεγώς.

ὄλοισθʼ, Ἀτρεῖδαι μὲν μάλιστʼ, ἔπειτα δὲ ὁ Λαρτίου παῖς καὶ σύ.
1285

Νεοπτόλεμος

μὴ ʼπεύξῃ πέρα·

δέχου δὲ χειρὸς ἐξ ἐμῆς βέλη τάδε.

1288

Φιλοκτήτης

πῶς εἶπας; ἆρα δεύτερον δολούμεθα;

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀπώμοσʼ ἁγνὸν Ζηνὸς ὑψίστου σέβας.

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ φίλτατʼ εἰπών, εἰ λέγεις ἐτήτυμα.
1290

Νεοπτόλεμος

τοὔργον παρέσται φανερόν· ἀλλὰ δεξιὰν

πρότεινε χεῖρα, καὶ κράτει τῶν σῶν ὅπλων.

Ὀδυσσεύς

ἐγὼ δʼ ἀπαυδῶ γʼ, ᾧ θεοὶ ξυνίστορες,

ὑπέρ τʼ Ἀτρειδῶν τοῦ τε σύμπαντος στρατοῦ.

Φιλοκτήτης

τέκνον, τίνος φώνημα, μῶν Ὀδυσσέως,
1295

ἐπῃσθόμην;

Ὀδυσσεύς

σάφʼ ἴσθι· καὶ πέλας γʼ ὁρᾷς,

ὅς σʼ ἐς τὰ Τροίας πεδίʼ ἀποστελῶ βίᾳ,

ἐάν τʼ Ἀχιλλέως παῖς ἐάν τε μὴ θέλῃ·

Φιλοκτήτης

ἀλλʼ οὔ τι χαίρων, ἢν τόδʼ ὀρθωθῇ βέλος.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἆ, μηδαμῶς, μή, πρὸς θεῶν, μεθῇς βέλος.
1300

Φιλοκτήτης

μέθες με, πρὸς θεῶν, χεῖρα, φίλτατον τέκνον.

Νεοπτόλεμος

οὐκ ἂν μεθείην.

Φιλοκτήτης

φεῦ· τί μʼ ἄνδρα πολέμιον

ἐχθρόν τʼ ἀφείλου μὴ κτανεῖν τόξοις ἐμοῖς;

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀλλʼ οὔτʼ ἐμοὶ τοῦτʼ ἐστὶν οὔτε σοὶ καλόν.

Φιλοκτήτης

ἀλλʼ οὖν τοσοῦτόν γʼ ἴσθι, τοὺς πρώτους στρατοῦ,
1305

τοὺς τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ψευδοκήρυκας, κακοὺς

ὄντας πρὸς αἰχμήν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς λόγοις θρασεῖς.

Νεοπτόλεμος

εἶεν· τὰ μὲν δὴ τόξʼ ἔχεις, κοὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅτου

ὀργὴν ἔχοις ἂν οὐδὲ μέμψιν εἰς ἐμέ.

Φιλοκτήτης

ξύμφημι· τὴν φύσιν δʼ ἔδειξας, ὦ τέκνον,
1310

ἐξ ἧς ἔβλαστες, οὐχὶ Σισύφου πατρός,

ἀλλʼ ἐξ Ἀχιλλέως, ὃς μετὰ ζώντων ὅτʼ ἦν

ἤκουʼ ἄριστα, νῦν δὲ τῶν τεθνηκότων.

1314

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἥσθην πατέρα τὸν ἀμὸν εὐλογοῦντά σε

αὐτόν τʼ ἔμʼ· ὧν δέ σου τυχεῖν ἐφίεμαι,
1315

ἄκουσον. ἀνθρώποισι τὰς μὲν ἐκ θεῶν

τύχας δοθείσας ἔστʼ ἀναγκαῖον φέρειν·

ὅσοι δʼ ἑκουσίοισιν ἔγκεινται βλάβαις,

ὥσπερ σύ, τούτοις οὔτε συγγνώμην ἔχειν

δίκαιόν ἐστιν οὔτʼ ἐποικτίρειν τινά.
1320

σὺ δʼ ἠγρίωσαι, κοὔτε σύμβουλον δέχει,

ἐάν τε νουθετῇ τις εὐνοίᾳ λέγων,

στυγεῖς, πολέμιον δυσμενῆ θʼ ἡγούμενος.

ὅμως δὲ λέξω· Ζῆνα δʼ ὅρκιον καλῶ·

καὶ ταῦτʼ ἐπίστω καὶ γράφου φρενῶν ἔσω.
1325

σὺ γὰρ νοσεῖς τόδʼ ἄλγος ἐκ θείας τύχης,

Χρύσης πελασθεὶς φύλακος, ὃς τὸν ἀκαλυφῆ

σηκὸν φυλάσσει κρύφιος οἰκουρῶν ὄφις·

καὶ παῦλαν ἴσθι τῆσδε μή ποτʼ ἂν τυχεῖν

νόσου βαρείας, ἕως ἂν αὑτὸς ἥλιος
1330

ταύτῃ μὲν αἴρῃ, τῇδε δʼ αὖ δύνῃ πάλιν,

πρὶν ἂν τὰ Τροίας πεδίʼ ἑκὼν αὐτὸς μόλῃς,

καὶ τοῖν παρʼ ἡμῖν ἐντυχὼν Ἀσκληπίδαιν

νόσου μαλαχθῇς τῆσδε, καὶ τὰ πέργαμα

ξὺν τοῖσδε τόξοις ξύν τʼ ἐμοὶ πέρσας φανῇς.
1335

ὡς δʼ οἶδα ταῦτα τῇδʼ ἔχοντʼ ἐγὼ φράσω.

ἀνὴρ γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἐκ Τροίας ἁλούς,

Ἕλενος ἀριστόμαντις, ὃς λέγει σαφῶς

ὡς δεῖ γενέσθαι ταῦτα· καὶ πρὸς τοῖσδʼ ἔτι

ὡς ἔστʼ ἀνάγκη τοῦ παρεστῶτος θέρους
1340

Τροίαν ἁλῶναι πᾶσαν· ἢ δίδωσʼ ἑκὼν

κτείνειν ἑαυτόν, ἢν τάδε ψευσθῇ λέγων.

ταῦτʼ οὖν ἐπεὶ κάτοισθα, συγχώρει θέλων.

καλὴ γὰρ ἡ ʼπίκτησις, Ἑλλήνων ἕνα

κριθέντʼ ἄριστον τοῦτο μὲν παιωνίας
1345

ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν, εἶτα τὴν πολύστονον

Τροίαν ἑλόντα κλέος ὑπέρτατον λαβεῖν.

1348

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ στυγνὸς αἰών, τί με, τί δῆτʼ ἔχεις ἄνω

βλέποντα κοὐκ ἀφῆκας εἰς Ἅιδου μολεῖν;

οἴμοι, τί δράσω; πῶς ἀπιστήσω λόγοις
1350

τοῖς τοῦδʼ, ὃς εὔνους ὢν ἐμοὶ παρῄνεσεν;

ἀλλʼ εἰκάθω δῆτʼ; εἶτα πῶς ὁ δύσμορος

εἰς φῶς τάδʼ ἔρξας εἶμι; τῷ προσήγορος;

πῶς, ὦ τὰ πάντʼ ἰδόντες ἀμφʼ ἐμοὶ κύκλοι,

ταῦτʼ ἐξανασχήσεσθε, τοῖσιν Ἀτρέως
1355

ἐμὲ ξυνόντα παισίν, οἵ μʼ ἀπώλεσαν;

πῶς τῷ πανώλει παιδὶ τῷ Λαερτίου;

οὐ γάρ με τἄλγος τῶν παρελθόντων δάκνει,

ἀλλʼ οἷα χρὴ παθεῖν με πρὸς τούτων ἔτι

δοκῶ προλεύσσειν· οἷς γὰρ ἡ γνώμη κακῶν
1360

μήτηρ γένηται, τἄλλα παιδεύει κακούς.

καὶ σοῦ δʼ ἔγωγε θαυμάσας ἔχω τόδε.

χρῆν γάρ σε μήτʼ αὐτόν ποτʼ ἐς Τροίαν μολεῖν

ἡμᾶς τʼ ἀπείργειν, οἵ γέ σου καθύβρισαν,

πατρὸς γέρας συλῶντες, εἶτα τοῖσδε σὺ
1365

εἶ ξυμμαχήσων, κἄμʼ ἀναγκάζεις τόδε;

μὴ δῆτα, τέκνον· ἀλλʼ ἅ μοι ξυνώμοσας,

πέμψον πρὸς οἴκους· καὐτὸς ἐν Σκύρῳ μένων

ἔα κακῶς αὐτοὺς ἀπόλλυσθαι κακούς.

χοὔτω διπλῆν μὲν ἐξ ἐμοῦ κτήσει χάριν,
1370

διπλῆν δὲ πατρός, κοὐ κακοὺς ἐπωφελῶν

δόξεις ὁμοῖος τοῖς κακοῖς πεφυκέναι.

Νεοπτόλεμος

λέγεις μὲν εἰκότʼ, ἀλλʼ ὅμως σε βούλομαι

θεοῖς τε πιστεύσαντα τοῖς τʼ ἐμοῖς λόγοις

φίλου μετʼ ἀνδρὸς τοῦδε τῆσδʼ ἐκπλεῖν χθονός.
1375

Φιλοκτήτης

ἦ πρὸς τὰ Τροίας πεδία καὶ τὸν Ἀτρέως

ἔχθιστον υἱὸν τῷδε δυστήνῳ ποδί;

Νεοπτόλεμος

πρὸς τοὺς μὲν οὖν σε τήνδε τʼ ἔμπυον βάσιν

παύσοντας ἄλγους κἀποσώσοντας νόσου.

1380

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ δεινὸν αἶνον αἰνέσας, τί φής ποτε;
1380

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἃ σοί τε κἀμοὶ λῷσθʼ ὁρῶ τελούμενα.

Φιλοκτήτης

καὶ ταῦτα λέξας οὐ καταισχύνει θεούς;

Νεοπτόλεμος

πῶς γάρ τις αἰσχύνοιτʼ ἂν ὠφελῶν φίλους·

Φιλοκτήτης

λέγεις δʼ Ἀτρείδαις ὄφελος ἢ ʼπʼ ἐμοὶ τόδε;

Νεοπτόλεμος

σοί που, φίλος γʼ ὤν, χὠ λόγος τοιόσδε μου.
1385

Φιλοκτήτης

πῶς, ὅς γε τοῖς ἐχθροῖσί μʼ ἐκδοῦναι θέλεις;

Νεοπτόλεμος

ὦ τᾶν, διδάσκου μὴ θρασύνεσθαι κακοῖς.

Φιλοκτήτης

ὀλεῖς με, γιγνώσκω σε, τοῖσδε τοῖς λόγοις.

Νεοπτόλεμος

οὔκουν ἔγωγε· φημὶ δʼ οὔ σε μανθάνειν.

Φιλοκτήτης

ἐγὼ οὐκ Ἀτρείδας ἐκβαλόντας οἶδά με;
1390

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀλλʼ ἐκβαλόντες εἰ πάλιν σώσουσʼ ὅρα.

Φιλοκτήτης

οὐδέποθʼ ἑκόντα γʼ ὥστε τὴν Τροίαν ἰδεῖν.

Νεοπτόλεμος

τί δῆτʼ ἂν ἡμεῖς δρῷμεν, εἰ σέ γʼ ἐν λόγοις

πείσειν δυνησόμεσθα μηδὲν ὧν λέγω;

ὡς ῥᾷστʼ ἐμοὶ μὲν τῶν λόγων λῆξαι, σὲ δὲ
1395

ζῆν, ὥσπερ ἤδη ζῇς, ἄνευ σωτηρίας.

Φιλοκτήτης

ἔα με πάσχειν ταῦθʼ ἅπερ παθεῖν με δεῖ·

ἃ δʼ ᾔνεσάς μοι δεξιᾶς ἐμῆς θιγών,

πέμπειν πρὸς οἴκους, ταῦτά μοι πρᾶξον, τέκνον,

καὶ μὴ βράδυνε μηδʼ ἐπιμνησθῇς ἔτι
1400

Τροίας· ἅλις γάρ μοι τεθρήνηται γόοις.

1402

Νεοπτόλεμος

εἰ δοκεῖ, στείχωμεν.

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ γενναῖον εἰρηκὼς ἔπος.

Νεοπτόλεμος

ἀντέρειδε νῦν βάσιν σήν.

Φιλοκτήτης

εἰς ὅσον γʼ ἐγὼ σθένω.

Νεοπτόλεμος

αἰτίαν δὲ πῶς Ἀχαιῶν φεύξομαι;

Φιλοκτήτης

μὴ φροντίσῃς.

Νεοπτόλεμος

τί γάρ, ἐὰν πορθῶσι χώραν τὴν ἐμήν;
1405

Φιλοκτήτης

ἐγὼ παρὼν

Νεοπτόλεμος

τίνα προσωφέλησιν ἔρξεις;

Φιλοκτήτης

βέλεσι τοῖς Ἡρακλέους

Νεοπτόλεμος

πῶς λέγεις;

Φιλοκτήτης

εἴρξω πελάζειν.

Νεοπτόλεμος

στεῖχε προσκύσας χθόνα.

1408

Ἡρακλῆς

μήπω γε, πρὶν ἂν τῶν ἡμετέρων

ἀίῃς μύθων, παῖ Ποίαντος·

φάσκειν δʼ αὐδὴν τὴν Ἡρακλέους
1410

ἀκοῇ τε κλύειν λεύσσειν τʼ ὄψιν.

τὴν σὴν δʼ ἥκω χάριν οὐρανίας

ἕδρας προλιπών,

τὰ Διός τε φράσων βουλεύματά σοι
1415

κατερητύσων θʼ ὁδὸν ἣν στέλλει·

σὺ δʼ ἐμῶν μύθων ἐπάκουσον.

καὶ πρῶτα μέν σοι τὰς ἐμὰς λέξω τύχας,

ὅσους πονήσας καὶ διεξελθὼν πόνους

ἀθάνατον ἀρετὴν ἔσχον, ὡς πάρεσθʼ ὁρᾶν.
1420

καὶ σοί, σάφʼ ἴσθι, τοῦτʼ ὀφείλεται παθεῖν,

ἐκ τῶν πόνων τῶνδʼ εὐκλεᾶ θέσθαι βίον.

ἐλθὼν δὲ σὺν τῷδʼ ἀνδρὶ πρὸς τὸ Τρωικὸν

πόλισμα, πρῶτον μὲν νόσου παύσει λυγρᾶς,

ἀρετῇ τε πρῶτος ἐκκριθεὶς στρατεύματος,
1425

Πάριν μέν, ὃς τῶνδʼ αἴτιος κακῶν ἔφυ,

τόξοισι τοῖς ἐμοῖσι νοσφιεῖς βίου,

πέρσεις τε Τροίαν, σκῦλά τʼ εἰς μέλαθρα σὰ

πέμψεις, ἀριστεῖʼ ἐκλαβὼν στρατεύματος,

Ποίαντι πατρὶ πρὸς πάτρας Οἴτης πλάκα.
1430

ἃ δʼ ἂν λάβῃς σὺ σκῦλα τοῦδε τοῦ στρατοῦ,

τόξων ἐμῶν μνημεῖα πρὸς πυρὰν ἐμὴν

κόμιζε. καὶ σοὶ ταῦτʼ, Ἀχιλλέως τέκνον,

παρῄνεσʼ· οὔτε γὰρ σὺ τοῦδʼ ἄτερ σθένεις

ἑλεῖν τὸ Τροίας πεδίον οὔθʼ οὗτος σέθεν.
1435

ἀλλʼ ὡς λέοντε συννόμω φυλάσσετον

οὗτος σὲ καὶ σὺ τόνδʼ· ἐγὼ δʼ Ἀσκληπιὸν

παυστῆρα πέμψω σῆς νόσου πρὸς Ἴλιον.

τὸ δεύτερον γὰρ τοῖς ἐμοῖς αὐτὴν χρεὼν

τόξοις ἁλῶναι. τοῦτο δʼ ἐννοεῖθʼ, ὅταν
1440

πορθῆτε γαῖαν, εὐσεβεῖν τὰ πρὸς θεούς·

ὡς τἄλλα πάντα δεύτερʼ ἡγεῖται πατὴρ

Ζεύς· οὐ γὰρ εὐσέβεια συνθνῄσκει βροτοῖς·

κἂν ζῶσι κἂν θάνωσιν, οὐκ ἀπόλλυται.

1445

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ φθέγμα ποθεινὸν ἐμοὶ πέμψας
1445

χρόνιός τε φανείς,

οὐκ ἀπιθήσω τοῖς σοῖς μύθοις.

Νεοπτόλεμος

κἀγὼ γνώμην ταύτῃ τίθεμαι.

Ἡρακλῆς

μή νυν χρόνιοι μέλλετε πράσσειν·

καιρὸς καὶ πλοῦς
1450

ὅδʼ ἐπείγει γὰρ κατὰ πρύμνην.

Φιλοκτήτης

φέρε νυν στείχων χώραν καλέσω.

χαῖρʼ, ὦ μέλαθρον ξύμφρουρον ἐμοί,

νύμφαι τʼ ἔνυδροι λειμωνιάδες,

καὶ κτύπος ἄρσην πόντου προβολῆς,
1455

οὗ πολλάκι δὴ τοὐμὸν ἐτέγχθη

κρᾶτʼ ἐνδόμυχον πληγαῖσι νότου,

πολλὰ δὲ φωνῆς τῆς ἡμετέρας

Ἑρμαῖον ὄρος παρέπεμψεν ἐμοὶ

στόνον ἀντίτυπον χειμαζομένῳ.
1460

νῦν δʼ, ὦ κρῆναι Λύκιόν τε ποτόν,

λείπομεν ὑμᾶς, λείπομεν ἤδη

δόξης οὔ ποτε τῆσδʼ ἐπιβάντες.

χαῖρʼ, ὦ Λήμνου πέδον ἀμφίαλον,

καί μʼ εὐπλοίᾳ πέμψον ἀμέμπτως,
1465

ἔνθʼ ἡ μεγάλη Μοῖρα κομίζει

γνώμη τε φίλων χὠ πανδαμάτωρ

δαίμων, ὃς ταῦτʼ ἐπέκρανεν.

Χορός

χωρῶμεν δὴ πάντες ἀολλεῖς,

νύμφαις ἁλίαισιν ἐπευξάμενοι
1470

νόστου σωτῆρας ἱκέσθαι.

Translations (5)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 1081 focus

O cavern of the hollow rock,

Frosty and stifling in the seasons’ change!

How I seem fated never more to range

From thy sad covert, that hath felt the shock

Of pain on pain, steeped with my wretchedness.
1085

Now thou wilt be my comforter in death!

Grief haunted harbour, choked with my distress!

Tell me, what hope is mine of daily food,

Who will be careful for my good?
1090

I fail. Ye cowering creatures of the sky,

Oh, as ye fly,

Snatch me, borne upward on the blast’s sharp breath!

CH. 1

Thou child of misery!
1095

No mightier power hath this decreed,
1095

But thine own will and deed

Hath bound thee thus in grief,

Since, when kind Heaven had sent relief

And shown the path of wisdom firm and sure,

Thou still hast chosen this evil to endure.

PHI

O hapless life, sore bruised with pain!

No more with living mortal may I dwell,
1100

But ever pining in this desert cell

With lonely grief, all famished must remain

And perish; for what food is mine to share,

When this strong arm no longer wields my bow,

Whose fleet shafts flew to smite the birds of air
1105

I was o’erthrown by words, words dark and blind,

Low-creeping from a traitorous mind!

O might I see him, whose unrighteous thought

This ruin wrought,

Plagued for no less a period with like woe!

CH. 2

Not by our craft thou art caught,

But Destiny divine hath wrought

The net that holds thee bound.

Aim not at us the sound

Of thy dread curse with dire disaster fraught.

On others let that light! ’Tis our true care

Thou should’st not scorn our love in thy despair.
1115

PHI

Now, seated by the shore

Of heaving ocean hoar,

He mocks me, waving high

The sole support of my precarious being,

The bow which none e’er held but I.

O treasure of my heart, torn from this hand,
1120

That loved thy touch,—if thou canst understand,

How sad must be thy look in seeing

Thy master destined now no more,

Like Heracles of yore,

To wield thee with an archer’s might!
1125

But in the grasp of an all-scheming wight,

O bitter change! thou art plied;

And swaying ever by his side,

Shalt view his life of dark malignity,

Teeming with guileful shames, like those he wrought on me.
1130

CH. 3

Nobly to speak for the right

Is manly and strong;

But not with an envious blight

To envenom the tongue;

He to serve all his friends of the fleet,

One obeying a many-voiced word,

Through the minist’ring craft of our lord
1135

Hath but done what was meet.

PHI

Come, legions of the wild,

Of aspect fierce or mild,

Fowl from the fields of air,

And beasts that roam with bright untroubled gaze,

No longer bounding from my lair
1140

Fly mine approach! Now freely without fear

Ye may surround my covert and come near,

Treading the savage rock-strewn ways.

The might I had is no more mine,

Stolen with those arms divine.
1145

This fort hath no man to defend.

Come satisfy your vengeful jaws, and rend

These quivering tainted limbs!

Already hovering death bedims

My fainting sense. Who thus can live on air,
1150

Tasting no gift of earth that breathing mortals share?

CH. 4

Ah! do not shrink from thy friend,

If love thou reverest,

But know ’tis for thee to forfend

The fate which thou fearest.

The lot thou hast here to deplore,
1155

Is sad evermore to maintain,
1155

And hardship in sickness is sore,

But sorest in pain.

PHI

Kindest of all that e’er before

Have trod this shore,

Again thou mind’st me of mine ancient woe!

Why wilt thou ruin me? What wouldst thou do?
1160

CH. 5

How mean’st thou?

PHI

If to Troy, of me abhorred

Thou e’er hast hoped to lead me with thy lord.

CH. 6

So I judge best.
1175

PHI

Begone at once, begone!

CH. 7

Sweet is that word, and swiftly shall be done!

Let us be gone, each to his place on board.

PHI

Nay, by dear Zeus, to whom all suppliants moan
1180

Leave me not yet!
1180

CH. 8

Keep measure in thy word.

PHI

Stay, by Heaven, stay!

CH. 9

What wilt thou say?

PHI

O misery! O cruel power

That rul’st this hour!

I am destroyed. Ah me!
1185

O poor torn limb, what shall I do with thee

Through all my days to be?

Ah, strangers, come, return, return!

CH. 10

What new command are we to learn

Crossing thy former mind?
1190

PHI

Ah! yet be kind.

Reprove not him, whose tongue, with grief distraught,

Obeys not, in dark storms, the helm of thought!

CH. 11

Come, poor friend, the way we call.

PHI

Never, learn it once for all!
1195

Not though he, whom Heaven obeys,
1195

Blast me with fierce lightning’s blaze!

Perish Troy, and all your host,

That have chosen, to their cost,

To despise and cast me forth,

Since my wound obscured my worth!

Ah, but, strangers, if your sense

Hath o’er-mastered this offence,

Yield but one thing to my prayer!
1200

CH. 12

What wouldst thou have?

PHI

Some weapon bare,

Axe or sword or sharpened dart,

Bring it to content my heart.

CH. 13

What is thy new intent?

PHI

To sever point by point
1205

This body, joint from joint.
1205

On bloody death my mind is bent.

CH. 14

Wherefore?

PHI

To see my father’s face.

CH. 15

Where upon earth?

PHI

He hath no place
1210

Where sun doth shine, but in the halls of night.
1210

O native country, land of my delight,

Would I were blest one moment with thy sight!

Why did I leave thy sacred dew

And loose my vessels from thy shore,

To join the hateful Danaän crew

And lend them succour? Oh, I am no more!
1215

LEADER OF CH

Long since thou hadst seen me nearing yonder ship,

Had I not spied Odysseus and the son

Of great Achilles hastening to our side.

OD

Wilt thou not tell me why thou art hurrying
1220

This backward journey with reverted speed?

NEO

To undo what I have wrongly done to-day.

OD

Thy words appal me. What is wrongly done?

NEO

When in obeying thee and all the host—

OD

Thou didst what deed that misbecame thy life?
1225

NEO

I conquered with base stratagem and fraud—

OD

Whom? What new plan is rising in thy mind?

NEO

Not new. But to the child of Poeas here—

OD

What wilt thou do? I quake with strange alarm.

NEO

From whom I took these weapons, back again——
1230

OD

O Heaven! thou wilt not give them! Mean’st thou this?

NEO

Yea, for I have them through base sinful means.

OD

I pray thee, speak’st thou thus to anger me?

NEO

If the truth anger thee, the truth is said.

OD

Achilles’ son! What word is fallen from thee?
1235

NEO

Must the same syllables be thrice thrown forth?

OD

Once was too much. Would they had ne’er been said!

NEO

Enough. Thou hast heard my purpose clearly told.

OD

I know what power shall thwart thee in the deed.

NEO

Whose will shall hinder me?
1240

OD

The Achaean host

And I among them.

NEO

Thou’rt sharp-witted, sure!

But little wit or wisdom show’st thou here.

OD

Neither thy words nor thy design is wise.

NEO

But if ’tis righteous, that is better far.

OD

How righteous, to release what thou hast ta’en
1245

By my device?

NEO

I sinned a shameful sin,

And I will do mine utmost to retrieve it.

OD

How? Fear’st thou not the Achaeans in this act?

NEO

In doing right I fear not them nor thee.

OD

I call thy power in question.

NEO

Then I’ll fight,

Not with Troy’s legions, but with thee.

OD

Come on!

Let fortune arbitrate.

NEO

Thou seest my hand

Feeling the hilt.
1255

OD

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 1081 focus

tiefhöhliges Felsgemach,

Warmes, kühles Gewölbe du,

Also werd' ich Gequälter dich

Nie mehr lassen, du wirst dereinst

Auch im Tode mir beisteh'n!
1055

weh, weh mir!

Unglückselige Grotte du,

Meiner bittersten Klagen voll!

Was soll fürder mich nähren?

Wo vermag ich zu hoffen, daß
1060

Einer mit Speisen erquicke mich Darbenden?

daß hoch empor

Vögel mit sausendem Schwung in die Lüfte mich

Entrafften! Nicht mehr wehr' ich's.

Zweite Strophe.

Der Chor.

Du selbst, du selbst erkorst dir dieses,
1065

Unseliger; ja, kein Andrer sonst,

Kein Größerer band dich an dieses Geschick.

Dein war die Wahl des Bessern;

Aber das Heil hast du verschmäht, und dir erwählt das Schlimm're.

Erste Gegenstrophe.

Weh, weh über mich Elenden,
1070

Abgemüht von des Leidens Hohn!

Der verlassen hinfort, und nie

Einem Sterblichen mehr gesellt,

Hier dem Tode zum Raub wird,

(weh, wehe!)
1075

Der nicht Speise nach Hause mehr

Schafft, nicht durch die beschwingte Wehr

Sie mit kräftigen Armen

Hascht; denn nimmer geahnt beschlich

Mich das betrügliche Wort des Verschlagenen!
1080

Ha, wohl möcht' ich ihn,

Der es ersonnen, an gleiche Bekümmerniß

Gleich lange Zeit gebannt seh'n!

Zweite Gegenstrophe.

Die Götter thaten dir's, die Götter;

Kein täuschender Trug von meiner Hand
1085

Umfing dich: o wirf den verwünschenden Fluch

Des Mißgeschicks auf Andre!

Bangt es mir doch, daß du den wohlwollenden Sinn verscherzest.

Dritte Strophe.

Philoktetes.

Weh mir, weh! An der grauen See

Strande sizt er und spottet wohl
1090

Mein und schwingt in den Händen

Meine lebenerhaltende

Wehr, die noch kein Sterblicher trug.

Trauter Bogen, der trauten Hand

Durch schamlose Gewalt entrückt!
1095

Wurde Gefühl dir verlichen, so siehest du

Mitleidig auf mich armen

Diener des Herakles,

Welcher hinfort dich nimmer bedienen wird!

Den Herrn wechselnd, wirst du jezt
1100

Von dem listigen Frevler gehandhabt;

Du siehst den schmachvollen Betrug,

Siehst ihn, den haßwürdigen Feind,

Der zu dem Leid, das er zuvor schon mir ersann, zahllose Schmach hinzufügt.

Vierte Strophe.

Der Chor.

Männern ziemt es, das Gute recht zu nennen;
1105

Thust du dies, dann stoße den Groll

Nicht in Worten des Hasses aus.

Er bringt, Einer von Vielen

Ausgesandt, auf ihren Befehl

Seinen Freunden die langersehnte Hülse.
1110
Dritte Gegenstrophe.

Philoktetes.

Ihr hochschwebenden Vögel, ihr

Thiergeschlechter mit wildem Blick,

Weidend hier in den Bergen,

Niemals naht ihr aus Höhlen mir

Mehr, um wieder zu flieh'n; dem Arm
1115

Fehlt des alten Geschosses Kraft:

Weh mir! Iammer umringt mich nun!

Kommet (ihr dürft euch nicht vor dem Lahmen mehr,

Der hier zurückbleibt, fürchten,)

Kommet herbei, nach Lust
1120

Euch mit dem Morde der Rache zu sättigen

Am bleich abgezehrten Fleisch;

Bald werd' ich ja scheiden vom Leben:

Denn wo gelangt Speise zu mir?

Wen kann die Luft sättigen, wenn
1125

Aller Genuß stets ihm gebricht, welchen der Erd' heiliger Schooß heraufschickt?

Vierte Gegenstrophe.

Der Chor.

Bei Zeus, wenn du den Fremdling ehrst, o nah' ihm,

Der dir naht, mit gütigem Sinn,

Wiss' es wohl, zum Heile dir selbst,

Dieser Dual zu entrinyen!
1130

Graunvoll schwelgt sie; wen sie befiel,

Nimmer lernt er die Pein ohn' Ende tragen.

Philoktetes.

Schon wieder, wieder rufst du mein altes Leid mir zurück,

Du Bester, der mir je genaht!

Was quälst du, was verderbst du mich?
1135

Der Chor.

Wie meinst du dieses?

Philoktetes.

Weil du mich in's troische Land

Willst, in das mir feindselige, führen.

Dies acht' ich für das Beste.

So verlaßt mich ohne Säumen!
1140

Der Chor.

Gern hör' ich, was du mich thun heißest, und folge dir willig.

Wir gehen, wir gehen,

Nehmen im Schiff unsern Plaz ein!

(will gehen.)

Philoktetes.

Bleibet, o bleibt, fleh' ich, bei Zeus, welcher den Fluch schrecklich erfüllt!

Mäßige dich!
1145

Fremdlinge, weh! Fliehet mich nicht!

Der Chor.

Welches Geschrei?

Philoktetes.

Ach, ach, ach, ach! Geschick, o Geschick!

Ich vergeh' in der Qual!

Fuß, o Fuß, was soll ich hinfort

Noch mit dir in dem Leben thun?
1150

Kommet, o Fremdlinge, wendet zurück euch!

Der Chor.

Was zu thun? Um wieder zu geh'n,

Wie du früher mir schon bedeutet?

Philoktetes.

Nicht scheltet den Mann, der

Trauernd irrt in stürmischer Qual,
1155

Sprach er wider Vernunft ein Wort!

Der Chor.

Geh, wir gebieten es dir, Unseliger!

Nie, sei dessen gewiß, nie folg' ich dir,

Nie, und käme der Donnerer flammend,

Sengte mich hin mit den Gluten des Donners!
1160

Nieder mit Ilion, nieder mit Allen

Dort, die frech das Gelenke des Fußes mir

Stießen in's Elend! Aber, o Fremdlinge,

Eins, nur Eines gewährt dem Verlangenden!

Welches Begehr? Sprich!
1165

Philoktetes.

Habt ihr ein Beil wo,
1165

Oder ein Schwert, ein Geschoß, o bringt es mir!

Der Chor.

Was zu beginnen damit, Unglücklicher?

Philoktetes.

Abhau'n will ich das Haupt und die Glieder mir:

Nach Mord, Mord steht mir der Sinn jezt.

Der Chor.

Warum?
1170

Philoktetes.

Den Vater such' ich.

Der Chor.

Und wo?

Philoktetes.

Im Hades;

Denn er lebt nicht mehr im Licht.

Theures, geliebtes Vatergebiet,

Könnt' ich doch dich wiederseh'n, ich armer Mann,

Welcher deinen heiligen Strom
1175

Verließ, mit den Verhaßten zog

Als Helfer, und jezt ein Nichts ist!

(er geht in die Höhle.)

Der Chor.

Von hinnen eilend würden wir jezt lange schon

In unfres Schiffes Nähe sein, erblickten wir

Nicht hier Odysseus, dort Achilleus' edlen Sohn,
1180

Die gegen uns die raschen Schritte zugewandt.

Odysseus. Neoptolemos. Der Chor.

Odysseus.

Du mußt mir sagen, was du diesen Weg so schnell,

Mit solchem Eifer wiederum zurückgekehrt.

Neoptolemos.

Den Fehl zu sühnen, welchen ich zuvor beging.

Odysseus.

Ein schweres Wort, ich staune: was war dein Vergeh'n?
1185

Neoptolemos.

Daß dir ich folgend und Achäa's ganzem Heer

Odysseus.

Welch eine That begingst du, die dir nicht geziemt?

Neoptolemos.

Mit schnöden Listen, mit Betrug den Mann umstrickt.

Odysseus.

Wen? Weh mir! Doch nichts Unbedachtes sinnst du da?

Neoptolemos.

Nichts Unbedachtes! Pöas' Sohne wollt' ich nur
1190

Odysseus.

Was willst du thun? Der Schrecken übermannte mich -

Neoptolemos.

Den ihm geraubten Bogen hier jezt wiederum

Odysseus.

Was hör' ich! Zeus! Ihn wiedergeben, willst du das?

Neoptolemos.

Ich habe schmählich, ohne Recht, ihn mir geraubt.

Odysseus.

Bei allen Göttern! Mich zu kränken, sagst du dies?
1195

Neoptolemos.

Wenn dir, die Wahrheit sagen, eine Kränkung ist.

Odysseus.

Wie, Sohn Achillens? Welches Wort vernahm ich da?

Neoptolemos.

Zweimal und dreimal soll ich Eins wohl wiederkäu'n?

Odysseus.

Ich wollte, daß ich's nicht gehört das eine Mal.

Neoptolemos.

So sei versichert: Alles hast du klar gehört.
1200

Odysseus.

Er lebt, er lebt noch, der es dir zu thun verwehrt.

Neoptolemos.

Was sagst du? Wer ist, der mir das verwehren will?

Odysseus.

Das ganze Heer von Argos, und in diesem ich.

Neoptolemos.

So klugen Sinnes, sprichst du da kein kluges Wort.

Odysseus.

Du bist in Worten weder klug, noch klug im Thun.
1205

Neoptolemos.

Wohl, wenn gerecht nur: besser dies, als kluge List.

Odysseus.

Und kann's gerecht sein, was dir erst mein Rath erwarb,

Nun wieder hinzugeben?

Neoptolemos.

Ich versuche mur

Das gutzumachen, was ich schnöd vorhin gefehlt.

Odysseus.

Das Heer Achäa's scheust du nicht bei solcher That?
1210

Neoptolemos.

Hab' ich das Recht zur Seite, schreckt dein Droh'n mich nicht,

Und mein Entschluß wankt nimmer, brauchst du auch Gewalt.

Odysseus.

Nicht also Troja's Söhne, dich bekämpfen wir.

Neoptolemos.

Es komme, was da wolle!

Odysseus.

Siehst du meine Hand
1215

Neoptolemos.

Auch mich sollst du gleich

Den Griff des Schwertes fassen?
1215

Dasselbe hier thun sehen, und ich zögre nicht.

Odysseus.

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 1081 focus

O my poor hut ! and is it then decreed

Again I come to theo to part no more,

To end my wretched days in this sad cave,

The scene of all my woes ? For whither now

Can I betake me 1 Who will feed, support,

Remains for me. Oh ! that th' impetuous storms
1090

Would bear me with them to some distant clime !

For I must perish here.

Chorus

Unhappy man !
1095

Thou hast provoked thy fate ; thyself alone

Art to thyself a foe, to scorn the good,

Which wisdom bids thee take, and choose misfortune.

Philoctetes

Wretch that I am, to perish here alone !

Oh ! I shall see the face of man no more,

Nor shall my arrows pierce their winged prey,

And bring me sustenance 1 Such vile delusions

Used to betray me ! Oh I that pains like those

I feel might reach the author of my woes 1

Chorus

The gods decreed it ; we are not to blame.

Heap not thy curses therefore on the guiltless,

But take our friendship.

Philoctetes

[pointing to the sea-shore.] 1 behold him there;

E'en now I see him laughing me to scorn

On yonder shore, and in his hands the darts

Ho waves triumphant, which no arms but these

Had ever borne. O my dear glorious trea.sure !

Hadst thou a mind to feel th' indignity.

How wouldst thou grieve to change thy noble master,

The friend of great Alcides, for a wretch

So vile, so base, so impious as Ulysses !

Chorus

Justice will ever rule the good man's tongue,

Nor from his lips reproach and bitterness

Invidious flow. Ulysses, by the voice

Of Greece appointed, only sought a friend

To join the common cause, and serve his country.

Philoctetes

Hear me, ye winged inhabitants of air,

And you, who on these mountains love to feed,

My savage prey, whom once I could pursue ;
1140

This hollow rock — I cannot hurt you now ;

You need not dread to enter here. Alas !

You now may come, and in your turn regale

On these poor limbs, when I shall be no more.

Where can I hope for food? or who can breathe

This vital air, when life-preserving earth

No longer will assist him ?

Chorus

By the gods !

Let me entreat thee, if thou dost regard

Our master, and thy friend, come to him now,

Whilst thou mayst 'scape this sad calamity ;
1155

Who but thyself would choose to be unhappy

That could prevent it ?

Philoctetes

Oh ! you have brought back

Once more the sad remembrance of my griefs ;

Why, why, my friends, would you afflict me thus ?
1160

Chorus

Afflict thee —how ?

Philoctetes

Think you I'll e'er return

To hateful Troy ?

Chorus

We would advise thee to it.
1175

Philoctetes

I'll hear no more. Go, leave me !

Chorus

That we shal.1

Most gladly. To the ships, my friends ; away ! \Goincj,

Obey your orders.

Philoctetes

\sto'ps them]. By protecting Jove,
1180

Who hears the suppliant's prayer, do not forsake me !
1180

Chorus

[returning]. Be calm then.

Philoctetes

O my friends ! will you then stay ?

Do, by the gods I beg you.

Chorus

Why that groan ?

Philoctetes

Alas ! I die. My wound, my wound ! Hereafter

What can I do 1 You will not leave me ! Hear

Chorus

What canst thou say we do not know already 1

Philoctetes

O'erwhelmed by such a storm of griefs as I am,

You should not thus resent a madman's ifrenzy.

Chorus

Comply then and be happy.

Philoctetes

Never, never I
1195

Be sure of that. Tho' thunder- bearing Jove

Should with liis lightnings blast me, would I go ?

No ! Let Troy perish, perish all the host

Who sent me hero to die ; but, O my friends !

Grant me this last request.
1200

Chorus

What is it ? Speak.

Philoctetes

A sword, a daH, some instrument of death.

Chorus

What wouldst thou do?

Philoctetes

I'd hack off every limb.
1205

Deaths my soul longs for death.

Chorus

But wherefore is it ?

Philoctetes

I'll seek my father.

Chorus

Whither ?

Philoctetes

In the tomb ;
1210

There he must be. O Scyi-os' ! O my country !

How could I bear to see thee as I am —

I who had left thy sacred shores to aid

The hateful sons of Greece? O misery !

Ulysses
\Goes into the, cave,. Exeunt. ACT V. Scene I.

Neoptolemus, Chorus.

Chorus

Ere now we should have taken thee to our

ships,

But that advancing this way I behold

Ulysses

and with him Achilles' son.

Ulysses

Why this return ? Wherefore this haste ?

Neoptolemus

I come

To purge me of my crimes.

Ulysses

Indeed ! What crimes '#
1225

Neoptolemus

My blind obedience to the Grecian host

And to thy counsels.

Ulysses

Hast thou practised auglit

Base or unworthy of thee?

Neoptolemus

' Yes ; by art

And vile deceit betrayed th' unhappy.
1230

Ulysses

Whom ?

Alas ! what mean you?

I'J'eo. Nothing. But the son

Of Pfxian

Ulysses

Ha ! what wouldst thou do? My heart

Misgives me. [ Aside.

Neoptolemus

I have ta'en his arms, and now

Ulysses

Thou wouldst restore them ! Speak ! Is that

thy purpose?

Almighty Jove !

Neoptolemus

Unjustly should I keep

Another's right ?

Ulysses

Now, by the gods, thou meanst
1235

To mock me ! Dost thou not?
1235

Neoptolemus

If to speak truth

Be mockery.

Ulysses

And does Achilles' son

Say this to me ?

Neoptolemus

Why force me to repeat

My words so often to thee ?

Ulysses

Once to hear them

Is once indeed too much.

Neoptolemus

Doubt then no more,
1240

For I have told thee all.
1240

Ulysses

There are, remember,

There are who may prevent thee.

Neoptolemus

Who shall dare

To thwart my purpose?

Ulysses

All the Grecian host,

And with them, I.

Neoptolemus

Wise as thou art, Ulysses,

Thou talkst most idly.

Ulysses

Wisdom is not thine
1245

Either in word or deed.

Neoptolemus

Know, to be just

Is better far than to be wise.

Ulysses

But where,

Where is the justice, tlius unauthorized,

To give a treasure back thou ow'st to me,

And to my counsels ?

Neoptolemus

I have done a wrong,
1250

And I will try to make atonement for it.
1250

Ulysses

Dost thou not fear the power of Greece ?
1250

Neoptolemus

I fear

Nor Greece nor thee, wlien I am doing right.

Ulysses

'Tis not with Troy then we contend, but thee.

Neoptolemus

I know not that.

Ulysses

Seest thou this hand ? behold.

It gi'a.sps my sword.

Neoptolemus

Mine is alike prepared.

Nor seeks delay.
1255

Ulysses

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 1081 focus

Will you forsake me, and not pity me?

Chorus

Thou rocky cave, now warm with summer suns,

Now cold with winter's frosts, I shall not leave,
1100

No, I shall never leave thee; e'en in death.

Thou shalt be still my mansion. Poor abode,

Thou witness of my woes, what day by day

Will now betide me? Whence shall I derive)

My food, or whence my soul-supporting hope ?

Oh, might the whirlwinds through the howling air

Bear me aloft; their force were welcome now !

Chorus

These woes, ill-fated man, these woes by choice
1095

Hast thou drawn on thee; by no other hand,

No foreign force art thou involved in ills.

A better fortune in thy reach was placed,

Hadst thou been wise: thou hast preferred the worse.

Philoctetes

I am a wretch, a wretch, oppress'd with woes;

And never, never from this hour with man

Shall have my dwelling, but shall perish here.

My food no more shall I procure, no more

Bend my strong bow, and pierce the flying birds;

For dark and treacherous words, that ever smooth

The tongue of fraud, have robbed me of my arms.

Oh, might I see the base betrayer rack'd

For such a length of time with pains like mine!

Chorus

This is the fate assign'd thee by the gods;

This is their work, not fraud by us devised.

Thy dire and hateful imprecations spare,

Spare them: to thee benevolent my heart;

Reject not thou our friendship with disdain.

Philoctetes

Now on the margin of the hoary deep

Laughing he sits, and poizes in his hands

My life's support, which none hath ever borne.

O my dear bow, from these unhappy hands

Wrested by force, if thou hast sense, how grieved

Dost thou behold the toils of Hercules

No more employ thee ! Changed thy noble lord,
1145

Thou seest a vile deceiver guide thy shafts;

Thou seest his hateful and detested arts

Hostile to me, and all the thousand wiles

Which to ensnare me he hath basely forged.

Chorus

What in a man is virtuous, justice wills

We speak; nor while we speak it should thy tongue

A torrent of malignant envy pour.

Call'd forth from all the Chiefs of Greece our lord,
1155

Guided by his wise councils, hath achieved

A charge of highest import to his friends..

Philoctetes

Ye winged birds, ye tribes of tawny beasts,

That o'er these rugged mountains roam, no more,

When from your coverts you come near me, fly:

These hands no more the forceful arrows bear,

(Such now is my ill fortune) but this place

Is now no more destructive, and by you

No longer to be fear'd; an happy change:

For you: come, in your turn your hunger glut,

And gorge my spotted flesh; I soon shall leave
1160

My life; for whence shall food be now supplied ?
1160

Who lives on air, deprived of strength'ning food,
1160

Whate'er the life-sustaining earth affords ?
1160

Chorus

Now by the gods, if strangers thou revere,

Meet us with all benevolence; we come

Benevolent to thee: and know, know well.

Thou hast the pow'r to fly this wretched state:

But to feed grief, to force a thousand woes

To dwell with us, denotes a mind unwise.

Philoctetes

Again, again hast thou recall'd the sense

Of my old grief, thou kindest of all those

That ever visited this drear abode.

Chorus

Why wilt thou talk thus?
1175

Philoctetes

Forming yet an hope

To lead me to the hated land of Troy.

Chorus

That I esteem thy best and wisest choice.

Philoctetes

No more of this: away, and leave me here.
1180

Chorus

This thy command with pleasure I receive,

And willingly obey it. Let us go,

As we are order'd, to our vessel go.

Philoctetes

By Jove, that hears the suppliant, do not go!

Chorus

Learn moderation.

By the gods I beg,

Stay, strangers, stay.

Why these lamenting cries?

Philoctetes

Ah me, my fate, my fate! Ah wretched me!

O misery, misery! How shall I sustain;
1185

Henceforth the anguish of my wound, and live?

Come back, O strangers, come to me again.

Chorus

What wou'dst thou now? Already hast thou shown

The settled purpose of a wayward mind.
1190

Philoctetes

Forgive a wretch that sinks beneath a storm

Of raging anguish, which distracts his sense.

Chorus

Go with us now: let our advice prevail.

Philoctetes

Oh never, never: know my fix'd resolve :
1195

Not if the thunderer from the flaming sky

Hurl his red lightenings on me. Perish Troy,

And all that sit beneath its walls in arms,

All, whose hard hearts an outcast left me here.

But, generous strangers, grant me one request.
1200

Chorus

And what is thy request?

Philoctetes

Give me a sword,

An axe, or any weapon of keen edge.

Chorus

What deed wou'dst thou attempt?

I would hew off

My head, and all these wretched limbs. My mind

Philoctetes

Calls me, it calls aloud.

Chorus

Calls thee to what?

Philoctetes

To seek my father.

Chorus

Seek thy father! Where?

Philoctetes

In the dark realms below; for he no more
1210

Views heav'n's fair light. How, O my country, how

O city of my fathers, could I bear

To show you, wretched as I am, these ills,

Who left your sacred streams to aid the arms

Of hated Greece! Ah, I am nothing now.
1215

Chorus

Hence to our bark we all long since had gone,

But that I saw Ulysses and our lord

This way advancing to us; they are nigh.

Philoctetes retires into the cave.

Ulysses
ULYSSES, NEOPTOLEMUS, CHORUS.

Wilt thou not tell me why with eager pace
1220

Thy steps so soon returning tread this path?

Neoptolemus

To make atonement for my former deed

At thy words I stand amazed:

Of baseness.

Ulysses

What was this deed of baseness?
1225

Neoptolemus

What with thee

Complying, and th' united host of Greece,

I have effected.

Ulysses

What, that ill becomes

Thy honour, hast thou done?

Neoptolemus

A deed of fraud,

And base deceit.

Ulysses

'Gainst whom? Ah, hast thou form'd

Some new design?

Neoptolemus

Not new; but to the son
1230

Of Poeas—
1230

Ulysses

What thy purpose? How thy words

Alarm my fears!

Neoptolemus

The bow from him received

To him again-

Ulysses

Jove, what wilt thou say?

Thou wouldst not give it back?:

Neoptolemus

It was obtain'd

By baseness and injustice.

Ulysses

Thou speak'st this
1235

But in a sportive mood.
1235

Neoptolemus

If to speak truth

Be sportive.

Ulysses

What means this? What hast thou said,

Son of Achilles ?

Neoptolemus

Hast thou then a wish

That twice I speak these words?

Ulysses

I had no wishG

To hear them once.

Neoptolemus

Know then my purpose now:
1240

Thou hast heard all.
1240

Ulysses

There is, be thou assured

There is who will prevent thy purpose.'

Neoptolemus

Who shall prevent me?

Ulysses

The united host

Of Greece, and with them I.

Neoptolemus

Wise though thou art,

Thy words no wisdom show.

Ulysses

endeleh Nor wise thy words,
1245

Nor would thy deeds be wise.

Neoptolemus

If they are just,

They have an excellence beyond the wise.

Ulysses

Where is the justice to return the arms

Won by my counsels?

Neoptolemus

I have done a deed
1250

Of baseness, and will expiate the guilt.

Ulysses

Thus acting, fear'st thou not the troops of Greece? M

Neoptolemus

By justice guided thy suggested fearstie ab il

I scorn; nor shall thy hand my actions rule. m

Ulysses

No more 'gainst Troy, but thee, our arms are turn'd.

Neoptolemus

Let come what will come.

My sword.

See my hand, it grasps, buf
1255

See mine, my sword as prompt to grasp.
1255

Ulysses

English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1081-1215 focus

Philoctetes

Hollow in the caverned rock, now hot, now frosty, how true it seems, then, that I was sadly fated never to leave you!

No, you will witness my death, too. Ah, ah, me! Sad dwelling, so long filled with the pain welling from my flesh, what will be my daily portion hereafter?
1085

Where, from what provision, shall I, unhappy, find any hope of sustenance? Above my head the tremulous doves will go on their way through the whistling wind. I can stop their flight no more.
1090

Chorus

It was you, you, I say, doomed one, that chose this fate; and this fortune to which you are captive comes from no other source, nor from a stronger man’s compulsion. For when in fact it was in your power to show sense,
1095

you chose to reject the better fate, and to accept the worse.
1100

1101

Philoctetes

Ah, miserable, miserable, then, am I, and shamed by hardship, who next must hereafter dwell in my misery here,

with no man for companion in the days to come, and waste away. I can no longer bring food to my home, no
1105

longer gain it by the winged weapons held in my strong hands. But the unsuspected and stealthy fictions of a treacherous mind deceived me. If only I could watch him, the contriver of this plot, doomed to endure my anguish for as long a time!
1110

Chorus

Doom, god-sent doom constrained you to suffer this, not, I tell you, any treachery to which my hand was lent.
1115

Aim your hate-filled, baneful curse elsewhere, since I prefer that you not reject my friendship.
1120

1123

Philoctetes

Alas! No doubt sitting on the white ocean shore

he mocks me, brandishing the weapon that nourished my unhappy life, the weapon which no one else had carried! Cherished bow, ah, friend forced from my loving hands,
1125

if you have the power to feel, surely you see with pity that the comrade of Heracles will now no longer use you anymore!
1130

Now you are handled by another, a man of craftiness; you see the shameless deceptions and the face of that hated enemy by whom countless wrongs, springing from shameless designs, have been contrived against me. O Zeus!
1135

Chorus

A man must always assert what is right. But, when he has done so, he must not let loose malignant, stinging taunts. The man was the sole representative of the whole army, and at their mandate
1140

he achieved a universal benefit for his friends.
1145

1146

Philoctetes

Ah, my winged prey, and you tribes of bright-eyed creatures held by this place in its upland pastures, leap no more

in flight from your lairs, for I do not grasp in my hands those shafts which were once my strength—but now, gone, are my undoing! Roam at will now; the place has no more terrors—for you!
1150

The time is ripe for you to take blood for blood, to sate yourselves to your heart’s desire on my discolored flesh! Soon I will leave life, for from what source can I find the means to live? Who can feed, as I will have to,
1155

on the winds, when he no longer owns any of the bounty that the life-giving earth supplies?
1160

Chorus

In the name of the gods, if you have any reverence for a friend who approaches you in all kindness, approach him!

But know this, and know it well: it is in your power to escape this plague. Cruel is it that you feed it with your own flesh, and that there is no way for you to learn to endure the countless torments that dwell with it.
1165

1170

Philoctetes

Again, again, you have recalled the old agony to my thoughts—kindest though you are of all who have visited before! Why have you ruined me? What have you done to me?
1170

Chorus

What do you mean?

Philoctetes

That it was your hope to take

me to that Trojan land I abhor.
1175

Chorus

Yes, I believe that to be the best course.

Philoctetes

Leave me, then—immediately!

Chorus

Pleasant, pleasant, indeed, is the task you set me, and I am ready to obey.

Come, let us be going, each to his station in the ship!
1180

Philoctetes

By Zeus who hears men’s curses, do not go, I implore you!

Chorus

Be moderate.

Philoctetes

Friends, in the name of the gods, stay!

Chorus

Why do you call?
1185

Philoctetes

Ayee, ayee! Doom, Doom! My suffering kills me! Foot, my foot, what shall I do with you in the days to come?

O friends, return, come back to me!
1190

Chorus

To do what that has a different spirit from that of your former commands?

Philoctetes

There is no reason for indignation when the words of one crazed

by a storm of pain are senseless.
1195

Chorus

Come with us, then, poor man, as we bid you.

Philoctetes

Never, never—of that be certain! Not even if the lord of the fiery lightning comes to wrap me in the blaze of his thunderbolts!

Ilium be damned, and as many of the men before its walls as dared reject this foot of mine! But oh, friends, grant me one wish!
1200

Chorus

What would you ask?

Philoctetes

A sword, if you can find one, or an axe, or any weapon—

please, pass it to me!
1205

Chorus

That you may execute what scheme?

Philoctetes

Mangle all this body, and sever limb from limb with my own hand! Death, death is my thought now!

Chorus

Why, why ever would you—

Philoctetes

I am seeking my father—
1210

Chorus

In what land?

Philoctetes

In Hades; he dwells in the sunlight no more. Ah, my city, city of my fathers! I crave to see you, unhappy man that I truly am

for leaving your sacred stream and going to help the Danaans, my enemies! I am nothing now, nothing anymore! Exit Philoctetes into the cave.
1215

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1081-1217

Current edition Experimental

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙ. ἀντ.α΄. (1.)

ΦΙ. στρ.β΄. (1.)

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙ. ἀντ.β΄. (1.)

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΦΙ. ἐπ. (1.)

ΧΟ. τί τοῦτ᾽ ἔλεξας;

ΦΙ. εἰ σὺ τὰν ἐμοὶ ἐμοὶ στυγερὰν

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΦΙ. Τρωάδα γᾶν γᾶν γᾶν γαῖαν μ᾽ ἤλπισας ἤλπισασ μ' ἄξειν.

ΧΟ. τόδε γὰρ νοῶ κράτιστον. 1175

ΦΙ. ἀπό νύν ἀπὸ νῦν με λείπετ᾽ μ' ἐλείπετ᾿ μελείπετ᾿ ἤδη.

ΧΟ. φίλα μοι, φίλα ταῦτα παρήγγειλας ἑκόντι τε πράσσειν. ἴωμεν ἴωμεν ἴομεν ἴομεν ἴωμεν ἴωμεν ναὸς ἵν ἡμῖν τέτακται.

ΦΙ. μή, πρὸς ἀραίου Διός, ἔλθῃς, ἱκετεύω. 1180

XO. μετρίαζε.

ΦΙ. ὦ ξένοι, μείνατε, πρὸς θεῶν.

ΧΟ. τί θροεῖς;

ΦΙ. αἰαῖ αἰαῖ, αἱ αἱ αἱ αἱ δαίμων δαίμων. ἀπόλωλ᾽ ὁ τάλας· 1185 ὦ ποὺς πούς, τί σ᾽ τίσ ἔτ᾽ ἐν βίῳ τεύξω τῷ μετόπιν τάλας; ὦ ξένοι, ἔλθετ᾽ ἐπήλυδες αὖθις.

ΧΟ. τί ῥέξοντες ἀλλοκότῳ γνώμᾳ τῶν πάρος, ὧν προὔφαινες προὔφανες προὔφαινες ; 1190

ΦΙ. οὔτοι οὔτι οὔτι νεμεσητόν νεμεσσητὸν,

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΧΟ. (2.) βᾶθί νυν, ὦ τάλαν, ὥς σε κελεύομεν.

ΧΟ. ποῖον ἐρεῖς τόδ᾽ ἔπος;

ΦΙ. ξίφος, εἴ ποθεν, ἢ γένυν, ἢ βελέων τι, προπέμψατε.

ΧΟ. ὡς τίνα δὴ ῥέξῃς ῥέξῃς ....χ ῥέξεις παλάμαν ποτέ;

ΦΙ. κρᾶτ᾽ ἀπὸ πάντα ἀποπάντα ἀπὸ πάντα καὶ ἄρθρα τέμω χερί· 1205 φονᾷ φονᾷ νόος νός νόος νύσος ἤδη.

ΧΟ. τί ποτε;

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΦΙ. πατέρα ματεύων.

ΧΟ. ποῖ γᾶς ;

ΧΟ.

ΟΔ. οὐκ ἂν οὐκ ἂν φράσειας ἥντιν᾽ αὖ παλίντροπος 1220 κέλευθον ἕρπεις ὧδε σὺν σπουδῇ συμπουδῆι συνσπουδῆι σὺν σπουδῇ ταχύς;

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΝΕ. λύσων ὅσ᾽ ἐξήμαρτον ἐν τῷ πρὶν χρόνῳ.

ΟΔ. δεινόν γε φωνεῖς· ἡ δ᾽ ἁμαρτία τίς ἦν;

ΝΕ. ἣν σοὶ πιθόμενος πειθόμενος τῷ τε σύμπαντι στρατῷ

ΟΔ. ἔπραξας ἔργον ποῖον ὧν οὐ σοι πρέπον; 1225

ΝΕ. ἀπάταισιν αἰσχραῖς ἄνδρα καὶ δόλοις ἑλών.

ΟΔ. τὸν ποῖον; ὤμοι· μῶν τι βουλεύει νέον ;

ΝΕ. νέον μὲν οὐδέν, τῷ δὲ Ποίαντος τόκῳ

ΟΔ. τί χρῆμα τί χρῆμα τί τί χρῆμα δράσεις; ὥς μ᾽ ὑπῆλθέ τις ὑπῆλθ᾽ ἔτι ὑπῆλθέ τις φόβος.

ΝΕ. παρ' οὗ περ ἔ παρέ.λαβον τάδε τὰ τόξ᾽, αὖθις πάλιν 1230

ΟΔ. ὦ Ζεῦ, τί λέξεις; οὔ τί που δοῦναι νοεῖς;

ΝΕ. αἰσχρῶς γὰρ αὐτὰ κοὐ δίκῃ λαβὼν ἔχω.

ΟΔ. πρὸς θεῶν, πότερα δὴ δὴ κερτομῶν λέγεις τάδε;

ΝΕ. εἰ κερτόμησίς ἐστι τἀληθῆ λέγειν.

ΟΔ. τί φής, ᾿Αχιλλέως ἀχιλλέω ἀχιλλέως παῖ; τίν εἴρηκας λόγον ; 1235

ΝΕ. δὶς ταὐτὰ βούλει καὶ τρὶς ἀναπολεῖν ἀναπολεῖ ἀναπολεῖν μ' ἔπη;

ΟΔ. ἀρχὴν κλύειν ἂν οὐδ᾽ ἅπαξ ἐβουλόμην.

ΝΕ. εὖ νῦν ἐπίστω πάντ᾽ ἀκηκοὼς ἀκήκοας λόγον.

ΟΔ. ἔστιν τις, ἔστιν, ὅς σε κωλύσει τὸ δρᾶν.

ΝΕ. τί φής; τίς ἔσται μ' οὑπικωλύσων τάδε; 1240

ΟΔ. ξύμπας ᾿Αχαιῶν λαός, ἐν δὲ τοῖσδ᾽ ἐγώ.

ΦΙΛΟΚΤΗΤΗΣ.

ΝΕ. σοφὸς πεφυκὼς οὐδὲν ἐξαυδᾷς σοφόν.

ΟΔ. σὺ δ᾽ οὔτε φωνεῖς οὔτε δρασείεις δρασειας ? δρασείεις δρασείης σοφά σοφόν.

ΝΕ. ἀλλ᾽ εἰ δίκαια, τῶν σοφῶν κρείσσω κρείσω κρείσσω τάδε.

ΟΔ. καὶ πῶς δίκαιον, ἅ γ᾽ ἔλαβες βουλαῖς ἐμαῖς, 1245 πάλιν μεθεῖναι μεθεῖ.. ναι μεθεῖναι ταῦτα;

NE. τὴν ἁμαρτίαν αἰσχρὰν ἁμαρτὼν ἀναλαβεῖν πειράσομαι.

ΟΔ. στρατὸν δ᾽ ᾿Αχαιῶν οὐ φοβεῖ, πράσσων τάδε;

ΝΕ. ξὺν τῷ δικαίῳ τὸν σὸν οὐ ταρβῶ φόβον. 1250

ΝΕ. ἀλλ᾽ οὐδέ τοι σῇ χειρὶ πείθομαι τὸ δρᾶν.

ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ

ΟΔ. οὔ τἄρα Τρωσίν, ἀλλὰ σοὶ μαχούμεθα.

ΝΕ. ἔστω τὸ μέλλον.

ΟΔ. χεῖρα δεξιὰν ὁρᾷς κώπης ἐπιψαύουσαν ;

NE. ἀλλὰ κἀμέ καὶ ἐμέ τοι ταὐτὸν τόδ᾽ ὄψει δρῶντα κοὐ μέλλοντ᾽ ἔτι. 1255

ΟΔ.

Φιλοκτήτης πάλιν πάλιν παλαιὸν ἄλγημʼ ὑπέμνασας, ὦ 1170 λῷστε τῶν πρὶν ἐντόπων. τί μʼ ὤλεσας; τί μʼ εἴργασαι;

Χορός τί τοῦτʼ ἔλεξας;

Φιλοκτήτης εἰ σὺ τὰν ἐμοὶ στυγερὰν Τρῳάδα γᾶν μʼ ἤλπισας ἄξειν. 1175

Χορός τόδε γὰρ νοῶ κράτιστον.

ΦΙ.

ἀντ.α΄. (1.)

ΦΙ.

στρ.β΄. (1.)

ΦΙ.

ἀντ.β΄. (1.)

ΦΙ.

ἐπ. (1.)

ΧΟ.

τί τοῦτ᾽ ἔλεξας;

ΦΙ.

εἰ σὺ τὰν ἐμοὶ ἐμοὶ στυγερὰν

ΦΙ.

Τρωάδα γᾶν γᾶν γᾶν γαῖαν μ᾽ ἤλπισας ἤλπισασ μ' ἄξειν.

ΧΟ.

τόδε γὰρ νοῶ κράτιστον.
1175

ΦΙ.

ἀπό νύν ἀπὸ νῦν με λείπετ᾽ μ' ἐλείπετ᾿ μελείπετ᾿ ἤδη.

ΧΟ.

φίλα μοι, φίλα ταῦτα παρήγγειλας ἑκόντι τε πράσσειν.

ἴωμεν ἴωμεν ἴομεν ἴομεν ἴωμεν ἴωμεν

ναὸς ἵν ἡμῖν τέτακται.

ΦΙ.

μή, πρὸς ἀραίου Διός, ἔλθῃς, ἱκετεύω.
1180

XO.

μετρίαζε.

ΦΙ.

ὦ ξένοι, μείνατε, πρὸς θεῶν.

ΧΟ.

τί θροεῖς;

ΦΙ.

αἰαῖ αἰαῖ, αἱ αἱ αἱ αἱ δαίμων δαίμων.

ἀπόλωλ᾽ ὁ τάλας·
1185

ὦ ποὺς πούς, τί σ᾽ τίσ ἔτ᾽ ἐν βίῳ

τεύξω τῷ μετόπιν τάλας;

ὦ ξένοι, ἔλθετ᾽ ἐπήλυδες αὖθις.

ΧΟ.

τί ῥέξοντες ἀλλοκότῳ

γνώμᾳ τῶν πάρος, ὧν προὔφαινες προὔφανες προὔφαινες ;
1190

ΦΙ.

οὔτοι οὔτι οὔτι νεμεσητόν νεμεσσητὸν,

ΧΟ.
(2.)

βᾶθί νυν, ὦ τάλαν, ὥς σε κελεύομεν.

ΧΟ.

ποῖον ἐρεῖς τόδ᾽ ἔπος;

ΦΙ.

ξίφος, εἴ ποθεν,

ἢ γένυν, ἢ βελέων τι, προπέμψατε.

ΧΟ.

ὡς τίνα δὴ ῥέξῃς ῥέξῃς ....χ ῥέξεις παλάμαν ποτέ;

ΦΙ.

κρᾶτ᾽ ἀπὸ πάντα ἀποπάντα ἀπὸ πάντα καὶ ἄρθρα τέμω χερί·
1205

φονᾷ φονᾷ νόος νός νόος νύσος ἤδη.

ΧΟ.

τί ποτε;

ΦΙ.

πατέρα ματεύων.

ΧΟ.

ποῖ γᾶς ;

ΟΔ.

οὐκ ἂν οὐκ ἂν φράσειας ἥντιν᾽ αὖ παλίντροπος
1220

κέλευθον ἕρπεις ὧδε σὺν σπουδῇ συμπουδῆι συνσπουδῆι σὺν σπουδῇ ταχύς;

ΝΕ.

λύσων ὅσ᾽ ἐξήμαρτον ἐν τῷ πρὶν χρόνῳ.

ΟΔ.

δεινόν γε φωνεῖς· ἡ δ᾽ ἁμαρτία τίς ἦν;

ΝΕ.

ἣν σοὶ πιθόμενος πειθόμενος τῷ τε σύμπαντι στρατῷ

ΟΔ.

ἔπραξας ἔργον ποῖον ὧν οὐ σοι πρέπον;
1225

ΝΕ.

ἀπάταισιν αἰσχραῖς ἄνδρα καὶ δόλοις ἑλών.

ΟΔ.

τὸν ποῖον; ὤμοι· μῶν τι βουλεύει νέον ;

ΝΕ.

νέον μὲν οὐδέν, τῷ δὲ Ποίαντος τόκῳ

ΟΔ.

τί χρῆμα τί χρῆμα τί τί χρῆμα δράσεις; ὥς μ᾽ ὑπῆλθέ τις ὑπῆλθ᾽ ἔτι ὑπῆλθέ τις φόβος.

ΝΕ.

παρ' οὗ περ ἔ παρέ.λαβον τάδε τὰ τόξ᾽, αὖθις πάλιν
1230

ΟΔ.

ὦ Ζεῦ, τί λέξεις; οὔ τί που δοῦναι νοεῖς;

ΝΕ.

αἰσχρῶς γὰρ αὐτὰ κοὐ δίκῃ λαβὼν ἔχω.

ΟΔ.

πρὸς θεῶν, πότερα δὴ δὴ κερτομῶν λέγεις τάδε;

ΝΕ.

εἰ κερτόμησίς ἐστι τἀληθῆ λέγειν.

ΟΔ.

τί φής, ᾿Αχιλλέως ἀχιλλέω ἀχιλλέως παῖ; τίν εἴρηκας λόγον ;
1235

ΝΕ.

δὶς ταὐτὰ βούλει καὶ τρὶς ἀναπολεῖν ἀναπολεῖ ἀναπολεῖν μ' ἔπη;

ΟΔ.

ἀρχὴν κλύειν ἂν οὐδ᾽ ἅπαξ ἐβουλόμην.

ΝΕ.

εὖ νῦν ἐπίστω πάντ᾽ ἀκηκοὼς ἀκήκοας λόγον.

ΟΔ.

ἔστιν τις, ἔστιν, ὅς σε κωλύσει τὸ δρᾶν.

ΝΕ.

τί φής; τίς ἔσται μ' οὑπικωλύσων τάδε;
1240

ΟΔ.

ξύμπας ᾿Αχαιῶν λαός, ἐν δὲ τοῖσδ᾽ ἐγώ.

ΝΕ.

σοφὸς πεφυκὼς οὐδὲν ἐξαυδᾷς σοφόν.

ΟΔ.

σὺ δ᾽ οὔτε φωνεῖς οὔτε δρασείεις δρασειας ? δρασείεις δρασείης σοφά σοφόν.

ΝΕ.

ἀλλ᾽ εἰ δίκαια, τῶν σοφῶν κρείσσω κρείσω κρείσσω τάδε.

ΟΔ.

καὶ πῶς δίκαιον, ἅ γ᾽ ἔλαβες βουλαῖς ἐμαῖς,
1245

πάλιν μεθεῖναι μεθεῖ.. ναι μεθεῖναι ταῦτα;

NE.

τὴν ἁμαρτίαν

αἰσχρὰν ἁμαρτὼν ἀναλαβεῖν πειράσομαι.

ΟΔ.

στρατὸν δ᾽ ᾿Αχαιῶν οὐ φοβεῖ, πράσσων τάδε;

ΝΕ.

ξὺν τῷ δικαίῳ τὸν σὸν οὐ ταρβῶ φόβον.
1250

ΝΕ.

ἀλλ᾽ οὐδέ τοι σῇ χειρὶ πείθομαι τὸ δρᾶν.

ΟΔ.

οὔ τἄρα Τρωσίν, ἀλλὰ σοὶ μαχούμεθα.

ΝΕ.

ἔστω τὸ μέλλον.

ΟΔ.

χεῖρα δεξιὰν ὁρᾷς

κώπης ἐπιψαύουσαν ;

NE.

ἀλλὰ κἀμέ καὶ ἐμέ τοι

ταὐτὸν τόδ᾽ ὄψει δρῶντα κοὐ μέλλοντ᾽ ἔτι.
1255

Φιλοκτήτης

πάλιν πάλιν παλαιὸν ἄλγημʼ ὑπέμνασας, ὦ
1170

λῷστε τῶν πρὶν ἐντόπων.

τί μʼ ὤλεσας; τί μʼ εἴργασαι;

Χορός

τί τοῦτʼ ἔλεξας;

Φιλοκτήτης

εἰ σὺ τὰν ἐμοὶ στυγερὰν

Τρῳάδα γᾶν μʼ ἤλπισας ἄξειν.
1175

Χορός

τόδε γὰρ νοῶ κράτιστον.

Φιλοκτήτης

ἀπό νύν με λείπετʼ ἤδη.

Χορός

φίλα μοι, φίλα ταῦτα παρήγγειλας ἑκόντι τε πράσσειν.

ἴωμεν ἴωμεν

ναὸς ἵνʼ ἡμῖν τέτακται.
1180

Φιλοκτήτης

μή, πρὸς ἀραίου Διός, ἔλθῃς, ἱκετεύω.

Χορός

μετρίαζʼ.

Φιλοκτήτης

ὦ ξένοι, μείνατε, πρὸς θεῶν.

Χορός

τί θροεῖς;

Φιλοκτήτης

αἰαῖ αἰαῖ, δαίμων δαίμων·
1185

ἀπόλωλʼ ὁ τάλας·

ὦ ποὺς πούς, τί σʼ ἔτʼ ἐν βίῳ

τεύξω τῷ μετόπιν τάλας;

ὦ ξένοι, ἔλθετʼ ἐπήλυδες αὖθις.
1190

Χορός

τί ῥέξοντες ἀλλοκότῳ

γνώμᾳ τῶν πάρος, ὧν προύφαινες;

Φιλοκτήτης

οὔτοι νεμεσητόν,

ἀλύοντα χειμερίῳ

λύπᾳ καὶ παρὰ νοῦν θροεῖν.
1195

Χορός

βᾶθί νυν, ὦ τάλαν, ὥς σε κελεύομεν.

Χορός

ποῖον ἐρεῖς τόδʼ ἔπος;

Φιλοκτήτης

ξίφος, εἴ ποθεν,

ἢ γένυν ἢ βελέων τι προπέμψατε.

Χορός

ὡς τίνα δὴ ῥέξῃς παλάμαν ποτέ;
1205

Φιλοκτήτης

χρῶτʼ ἀπὸ πάντα καὶ ἄρθρα τέμω χερί·

φονᾷ φονᾷ νόος ἤδη.

Χορός

τί ποτε;

Φιλοκτήτης

πατέρα ματεύων.

Χορός

ποῖ γᾶς;
1210

Ὀδυσσεύς

οὐκ ἂν φράσειας ἥντινʼ αὖ παλίντροπος

κέλευθον ἕρπεις ὧδε σὺν σπουδῇ ταχύς;