Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound and the Seven Against Thebes Part 13

[120] This pa.s.sage is scarcely satisfactory, but I have followed Paley. Perhaps if we place a comma after [Greek: hyperterou], and treat [Greek: hos andr. d. hyp. eutych.]

as a genitive absolute, there will be less abruptness, [Greek: elpis esti] standing for [Greek: elpizousi], by a frequent enallage.

[121] The turgidity of this metaphor is almost too much even for aeschylus!

[122] The mult.i.tude of interpretations of the common reading are from their uniform absurdity sufficient to show that it is corrupt. I have chosen the least offensive, but am still certain that [Greek: apartizei] is indefensible. Hermann (who, strange to say, is followed by Wellauer) reads [Greek: katargizei], Blomfield [Greek: katartizei].

[123] Besides Stanley's ill.u.s.trations, see Pricaeus on Apul. Apol. p. 58. Pelagonius in the Geoponica, XVI. 2, observes [Greek: agathou de hippou kai touto tekmerion, hotan hestekos me anechetai, alla kroton ten gen hosper trechein epithyme]. St. Macarius Hom. XXIII. 2, [Greek: epan de mathe (ho hippos) kai synethisthe eis ton polemon, hotan osphranthe kai akouse phonen polemou, autos hetoimos erchetai epi tous echthrous, hoste kai ap' autes tes phones ptoesin empoiein tois polemiois]. Marmion, Canto V.,

"Marmion, like charger in the stall, That hears without the trumpet's call, Began to chafe and swear."

[124] See Boyes' Ill.u.s.trations, p. 11.

[125] This seems to be the sense of [Greek: mantis ennoia]. Blomfield would add [Greek: ennoia] to the dative, which is easier.

[126] So Linwood. Justice is styled the near relation of Melanippus, because he was [Greek: aischron argos], v.

406. The scholiast however interprets it [Greek: to tes xyngeneias dikaion].

[127] Dindorf's subst.i.tution of [Greek: dikaias] for [Greek: dikaios] is no improvement. Paley's [Greek: dikaios] is more elegant, but there seems little reason for alteration.

[128] Probably nothing more than the lightning is meant, as Blomfield supposes. Paley quotes Eur. Cycl. 328, [Greek: peplon krouei, Dios brontaisin eis erin ktypon].

And this agrees with the fate of Capaneus as described in Soph. Antig. 131, sqq.; Nonnus, XXVIII. p. 480; Eur.

Phoen. 1187, sqq.

[129] Blomfield compares Eur. Bacch. 733, [Greek: thyrsois dia cheroin hoplismenas]. But the present construction is harsher.

[130] See Blomfield.

[131] I follow Blomfield and Paley.

[132] "We embrace this opportunity of making a grammatical observation with respect to the older poets, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not hitherto been noticed by any grammarian or critic. Wherever a wish or a prayer is expressed, either by the single optative mood of the verb, or with [Greek: me, eithe, ei gar, eithe gar], the verb is in the second aorist, if it have a distinct second aorist; otherwise it may be in the present tense, but is more frequently in the first aorist."--Edinb. Rev. xix. 485.

[133] _I.e._ not bearing a braggart inscription, but putting confidence in his own valor. [Greek: ou] was rightly thrown out by Erfurdt. See Paley.

[134] _I.e._ from the dragon's teeth sown by Cadmus.

[135] Eteoclus and the figure on his s.h.i.+eld.

[136] Like a Bacchic devotee. See Virg. aen. IV. 301, sqq.

So in the Agamemnon, v. 477.

[Greek: martyrei de moi kasis pelou xynouros, dipsia konis, tade].

[137] Cf. Ag. 174. [Greek: Zena de tis epinikia klazon, Teuxetai phrenon to pan]. Dindorf would omit all the following lines. There is some difficulty about the sense of [Greek: prosphileia], which I think Pauw best explains as meaning "such is the G.o.d that respectively befriends each of these champions."

[138] Cf. Apollon. Rhod. I. 466, [Greek: Isto nyn dory thouron hoto periosion allon kydos eni ptolemoisin aeiromai, oude m' oph.e.l.lei Zeus toson, hossation per emon dory]. Statius Theb. ix. 649--"ades o mihi dextera tantum Tu praesens bellis, et inevitable numen, Te voco, te solam superum contemptor adoro." See Cerda on Virg. aen. X. 773.

[139] So Catullus, iii. 4, 5.

Pa.s.ser, deliciae meae puellae, Quem plus illa oculis suis amabat.

And Vathek, p. 124 (of the English version), "Nouronihar loved her cousin more than her own beautiful eyes."--OLD TRANSLATOR. See Valcken. on Theocrit. xi. 53.

[140] A pun upon the word [Greek: parthenos] in the composition of Parthenopaeus's name.

[141] The figure on the s.h.i.+eld is undoubtedly the one meant.

[142] _I.e._ "he will fight by wholesale." See comm.

Perhaps the English phrase to "deal a blow," to "lend a blow," is the nearest approximation to this curious idiom.

Boyes quotes some neat ill.u.s.trations.

[143] This pa.s.sage is a fair instance of the impossibility of construing certain portions of aeschylus as they are edited. Dindorf in his notes approves of Dobree's emendation, [Greek: kai ton son aut' adelphou es patros moron Exyptiazon onoma], and so Paley, except that he reads [Greek: omma] with Schutz, and renders it "_oculo in patrio OEdipi fatum religiose sublato_." Blomfield's [Greek: prosmolon h.o.m.osporon] seems simpler, and in better taste. [Greek: h.o.m.osporon] was doubtless obliterated by the gloss [Greek: adelpheon] (an Ionic form ill suited to the senarius), and the [Greek: h.o.m.oioteleuton] caused the remainder of the error. Burges first proposed [Greek: h.o.m.osporon] in Troad. Append. p. 134, D. As to Paley's idea that OEdipus' death was caused "_per contentiorim filii indolem_," I can not find either authority for the fact, or reason for its mention here, and I have therefore followed Blomfield. Dindorf's translation I can not understand. The explanations of [Greek: exyptiazon onoma]

are amusing, and that is all.

[144] _I.e._ saying [Greek: Polyneikes polyneikes]. Paley ingeniously remarks that [Greek: endateisthai] is here used in a double sense, both of _dividing_ and _reproaching_. See his note, and cf. Phoen. 636. [Greek: alethos onoma Polyneike pater etheto soi theia, p.r.o.noia, neikeon eponymon].

[145] See Griffiths.

[146] Porson, and all the subsequent editors have bracketed this verse, as spurious, but the chief objection to this sense of [Greek: karpizesthai] seems to be obviated by Paley. See his note.

[147] Either with [Greek: palin] or [Greek: polin] there is much difficulty, as without an epithet [Greek: polis]

seems harshly applied to Hades. Paley thinks that [Greek: ten makran] refers both to [Greek: pompen] and [Greek: polin]. Dindorf adopts his usual plan when a difficulty occurs, and proposes to omit the line. Fritzsche truly said of this learned critic, that if he had the privilege of omitting every thing he could not understand, the plays of the Grecian dramatists would speedily be reduced to a collection of fragments.

[148] When the spear was not in use, it was held in the left hand, under the s.h.i.+eld. See Blomfield.

[149] Sc. king, or victor. Blomfield adopts the former.

[150] This pa.s.sage is not satisfactory. Paley reads [Greek: andrelaton], but I am doubtful about [Greek: tos ... tonde ... tropon].

[151] In the original there is, perhaps, a slight mixture of construction, [Greek: haimatos] partly depending upon [Greek: karpos] implied in [Greek: pikrokarpon], and partly upon [Greek: androktasian], [Greek: androkt..

haim.] being _the slaughter of a man, by which his blood is shed_.

[152] Wellauer: _denuntians lucrum, quod prius erit morte posteriore_: _i.e._ victoriam quam sequetur mors. And so Griffiths and Paley.

[153] Shakespeare uses this name in the opening speech of King Henry, in part I.:

No more the thirsty Erinnys of this soil Shall daub her lips with her own children's blood.

OLD TRANSLATOR.

[154] See above, v. 383.

[155] Somewhat to the same effect is the dream of Atossa in the Persae.

[156] I prefer Blomfield's transposition to Dindorf's correction, [Greek: blapsiphronos], which, though repudiated in the notes, is still adopted by Paley.

[157] A n.o.ble impersonation of the sword.

[158] Shakespeare, King John, Act 4, sc. 2: