Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound and the Seven Against Thebes Part 12

[Greek: desma phygon dolometis homarteseie Prometheus, hepatos heboontos apheidea daitymonea ouranies thrasyn ornin echon pompea keleuthou].

[81] I have adopted Dindorf's emendation. See his note.

[82] How the cosmoramic effects here described were represented on the stage, it is difficult to say, but such descriptions are by no means rare in the poets. Compare Musaeus, 314, sqq. Lucan, I. 75 sqq. and a mult.i.tude in the notes of La Cerda on Virgil, aen. I. 107, and Barthius on Claudian. Gigant. 31, sqq. Nonnus, Dionys. I. p. 12.

[83] Or, "of which may Jove the Averter be what his name imports." See Paley and Linwood's Lex.

[84] This interpretation is now fully established, See Paley. Thus Caesar, B. G. I. 29, "qui arma ferre possent: et item separatius pueri, senes;" II. 28, Eteocles wishes even the [Greek: achreioi] to a.s.sist in the common defense.

[85] [Greek: pistoi] is to be supplied with [Greek: genoisthe].

[86] Although [Greek: boter] may be compared with the Roman _pullarius_, yet the phrase is here probably only equivalent to [Greek: despotes manteumaton] soon after.

[87] Paley prefers "nocturno concilio agitari," comparing Rhes. 88, [Greek: tas sas pros eunas phylakes elthontes phobo nyktegorousi]. On the authority of Griffiths, I have supplied [Greek: tous Achaious] before [Greek: epibouleuein].

[88] See my note on Prom. 863.

[89] See commentators.

[90] Cf. Jelf. Gk. Gr. - 566, 2.

[91] See Linwood, s.v. [Greek: stephein]. Paley compares v. 267, [Greek: Laphyra daon douriplechth' hagnois domois Stepso pro naon]. Adrastus alone had been promised a safe return home.

[92] Cf. Eum. 515, [Greek: oikton oiktisaito], _would utter cries of pity_. Suppl. 59, [Greek: oikton oiktron aon], _hearing one mournful piteous cry_. The old translations rendered it, "no regret was expressed on their countenance."

[93] Perhaps we might render [Greek: phraxai], _dam_, in order to keep up the metaphor of the s.h.i.+p. Cf. Hom. Od. V.

346, [Greek: phraxe de min rhipessi diamperes oisyinesi].

The closing the ports of a vessel to keep out the water will best convey the meaning to modern readers.

[94] This seems the true meaning of [Greek: ephestios], _indigenous in Greece_, as Blomfield interprets, quoting Hesych, [Greek: ephestios, autochthon, enoikos], II. B.

125, etc. An Athenian audience, with their political jealousy of Asiatic influence, and pride of indigenous origin, would have appreciated this prayer as heartily as the one below, v. 158, [Greek: polin doriponon me prodoth'

Heterophono strato], which their minds would connect with more powerful a.s.sociations than the mere provincial differences of Boeotia and Argos. How great a stress was laid upon the ridicule of foreign dialect, may be seen from the reception of Pseudartabas in the Acharnians.

[95] Cf. Arist. Rhet. II. 17, 6. The same sentiment, though expressed the contrary way, occurs in Eur. Troad.

26, [Greek: Eremia gar polin hotan labe kake, Nosei ta ton theon oude timasthai thelei].

[96] The chorus survey the surrounding plains from a high part of the Acropolis of Thebes, as Antigone from the top of the palace in the Phoenissae of Euripides, v. 103, sqq.

[97] [Greek: prodromos]=_so as to be foremost_. Cf. Soph.

Antig. 108, [Greek: phygada prodromon oxytero kinesasa chalino].

[98] This pa.s.sage is undoubtedly corrupt, but Dindorf's conjecture [Greek: hele d' emas phrenas deos; hoplon ktypos potichrimptetai, dia pedon boa potatai, bremei d']--, although ingenious, differs too much from the _ductus literarum_, to be considered safe. Paley from the interpretation of the Medicean MS. and the reading of Robortelli, [Greek: eDIDemnas], has conjectured [Greek: DIA de gas emas pedi' hoploktypou], which seems preferable. Perhaps we might read [Greek: epi de gas pedioploktypou osin chrimp. boa], by tmesis, for [Greek: epichrimptetai]. aeschylus used the compound, [Greek: enchriptesthai], Suppl. 790, and nothing is more common than such a tmesis. I doubt whether [Greek: pedioploktypon] is not one of aeschylus' own "high-crested"

compounds. Mr. Burges has kindly suggested a parallel pa.s.sage of an anonymous author, quoted by Suidas, s. v.

[Greek: hyparattomenes: hippon chremetizonton, tes ges tois posin auton hyparattomenes, oulon synkrouomenon].

[99] Cf. Soph. Antig. 106.

[100] Cf. Virg. _aen._ I. 479;

"Interea ad templum non aequae Palladis ibant Crinibus Iliades pa.s.sis, peplumque ferebant Suppliciter tristes"--

Statius, Theb. x. 50:

----"et ad patrias fusae Pelopeides aras Sceptriferae Junonis opem, reditumque suorum Exposc.u.n.t, pictasque fores, et frigida vultu Saxa terunt, parvosque docent proc.u.mbere natos * * * * *

Peplum etiam dono, cujus mirabile textum," etc.

[101] Here there is a gap in the metre. See Dindorf.

[102] "pro vitanda servitute."--Paley.

[103] Not "at the seven gates," as Valckenaer has clearly shown.

[104] The paronomasia can only be kept up by rendering, "do thou, king of wolves, fall with wolf-like fierceness,"

etc. Muller, Dorians, vol. i. p. 325, considers that [Greek: Lykeios] is connected with [Greek: lyke], _light_, not with [Greek: lykos], _a wolf_.

[105] I follow Paley's emendation, [Greek: autais].

[106] See a judicious note of Paley's.

[107] I have borrowed Griffiths' translation. It seems impossible that [Greek: hagnon telos] could ever be a personal appeal, while [Greek: sy te] evidently shows that the address to Pallas Onca was unconnected with the preceding line. As there is probably a lacuna after [Greek: Diothen], it is impossible to arrive at any certain meaning.

[108] See Stanley. [Greek: Onka] is a Phoenician word, and epithet of Minerva.

[109] The boys, girls, etc.

[110] Cf. Eur. Hippol. 1219, sqq.

[Greek: kai despotes men hippikois en ethesi polys xynoikon herpas' henias cheroin, helkei de kopen hoste naubates aner].

[111] _I.e._ to adore the images placed at the head of the vessel. See Griffiths.

[112] This far-fetched interpretation of an absurd text is rightly condemned by W. Dindorf in his note, who elegantly reads with Lud. Dindorf [Greek: hydasi t' Ismenou]. Paley has clearly shown the origin of the corruption. Linwood is equally disinclined to support the common reading.

[113] Blomfield reads [Greek: ego de g' andras], the change of [Greek: DEG] to [Greek: DEP] being by no means a difficult one. Linwood agrees with this alteration, and Dindorf in his notes. But Paley still defends the common reading, thinking that [Greek: ep' echthrois] is to be taken from the following line. I do not think the poet would have hazarded a construction so doubtful, that we might take [Greek: epi] either with [Greek: andras], [Greek: echthrois], or by tmesis, with [Greek: axo].

[114] The construction of the exegetical accusative is well ill.u.s.trated in Jelf's Gk. Gr. - 580, 3.

[115] I have followed Blomfield, and Dindorf in his notes, in reading [Greek: kydos toisde politais].

[116] This is perhaps the sense required; but, with Dindorf, I can not see how it can be elicited from the common reading. Perhaps Schneider's [Greek: art.i.trophois]

is right, which is approved by Dindorf, Linwood, and Paley.

[117] There is the same irregular ant.i.thesis between [Greek: allon agei] and [Greek: ta de (=ta de) pyrph.o.r.ei]; as in Soph. Ant. 138, [Greek: eiche d' alla ta men, alla d'

ep' allois epenoma--Ares].

[118] See Elmsl. on Eur. Bacch. 611. I follow Griffiths and Paley.

[119] There is much difficulty in the double participle [Greek: peson-kyresas]. Dindorf would altogether omit [Greek: kyresas], as a gloss. But surely [Greek: peson] was more likely to be added as a gloss, than [Greek: kyresas]. I think that the fault probably lies in [Greek: peson].