ΧΟ. διαίνομαι γοεδνὸς ὤν. ΧΟ. οτοτοτοί. ΞΕ. μέλαινα δ' αὖ μεμίξεται— ΧΟ. ο, στονόεσσα πλαγά. 1050 ΞΕ. καὶ στέρν ̓ ἄρασσε κἀπιβόα τὸ Μύσιον. στρ. ζ. ΧΟ. ἄνι ̓ ἄνια. ΞΕ. καί μοι γενείου πέρθε λευκήρη τρίχα. 1055 ΞΕ. αΰτει δ ̓ ὀξύ. ΧΟ. καὶ τάδ ̓ ἔρξω. ΞΕ. πέπλον δ ̓ ἔρεικε κολπίαν ἀκμῇ χερῶν. ἀντ. ζ'. ΞΕ. καὶ ψάλλ ̓ ἔθειραν καὶ κατοίκτισαι στρατόν. ΧΟ. ἄπριγδ ̓ ἄπριγδα μάλα γοεδνά. ΧΟ. ἰω ἰω, Περσίς αία δύσβατος. ΞΕ. ἰωὰ δὴ κατ ̓ ἄστυ. ΧΟ. ἰωὰ δῆτα, ναὶ ναί. ΞΕ. γοᾶσθ ̓ ἁβροβάται. ΧΟ. ἰω ἰω, Περσίς αἶα δύσβατος. ΞΕ. ἰὴ ἰὴ, τρισκάλμοισιν, ἰὴ ἰὴ, βάρισιν ὀλόμενοι. ΧΟ. πέμψω τοί σε δυσθρόοις γόοις. 1070 NOTES. 1-154. This Choric Ode consists of three distinct parts; (1) the Parodos (11. 1-64), written in anapaestic dimeters, and sung by the old men forming the Chorus as they move from the entrance of the theatre across the orchestra to their place around the Thymele; (2) the First Stasimon (11. 65-140) which falls into strophe and antistrophe, and which is sung by the Chorus after they have arranged themselves and are stationary; (3) the anapaestic lines (ll. 140-154). The first song of the Chorus in the Agamemnon (11. 40—257) should be compared. It, too, is composite, the anapaestic Parodos (11. 40— 104) being immediately followed by the antistrophic Stasimon (11. 105-257). The length of the Parodos is almost exactly the same (64 lines) in the two cases, being probably proportioned in each to the movement of aged feet over the same space. In the Persae we notice the absence of the usual Prologue"; which is to some extent supplied by the Chorus, who give the information necessary to make the spectator acquainted with the opening situation. The same thing happens in the Suppliants, and no doubt marks a comparatively early stage of the dramatic art of Aeschylus. 66 In the Parodos the old men, speaking as the venerable representatives of Persia, express the apprehension and gloom abroad in Susa and throughout the empire touching the absent king and army, of whom no tidings reach home. The language in which they dwell on the numbers of the varied host and the splendour of its leaders does but bring this feeling home to us more forcibly. In the Stasimon the same theme is pursued in fuller detail, and with express mention of the fear that, through pride and insolence, the armament may be even now involved in the toils of Até. Special uneasiness is awakened by the thought that the Persians have quitted their old heaven-appointed career of land conquest to brave the perils of a passage by sea. The city is deserted as a hive whence bees have swarmed, every woman is mourning for her absent one. May it not be that city and wives have to mourn their men lost to them for ever! At the close of the Ode, the leader, in a few anapaestic lines (11. 140-154), calls on his fellows to join him in deliberation on the crisis; and then, on the unexpected entrance of the queen, mother and regent, bespeaks for her a fitting rever ence. In thought, as well as in outward form, we are throughout reminded of the choric song of the Agamemnon already mentioned. The old men, trusted counsellors of a queen-regent, the gloomy feeling about an absent army, the misgivings as to the righteousness of their cause, the fear that, be that cause never so righteous, they may yet by cruelty or irreverence pass under the wrath of heaven, are common to both plays, and suggest that Aeschylus in the more finished work may have had the earlier in mind. The dramatic effect of the entrance of the queen is similar in each case. 1. táde μèv—i.e. nueîs. The Chorus in their first words explain who they are, and what (1. 8) is the motive of their song. This information would usually be given by the speaker of the Prologue. See above. 2. πιστά—i.e. οἱ πιστοί. Cp. 1. 681. The abstract neuter is here followed by a genitive. "The faithful watch left by the Persians (i. e. the king and nobles) who have gone forth to Grecian shores." For the word as applied to Persian counsellors ep. Xenophon Anab. Ι. 5, 15 σὺν τοῖς παροῦσι τῶν πιστῶν. Cp. also γηραλέα πιστώματα in l. 171. 3. Kal TоλUXρúowv-These words are by some editors thought to be a gloss upon rŵv åøveŵv (see on 1. 6). But if this were true of the adjective we should still have to account for the intrusion of kal into the text. For the adjective cp. 11. 9, 45, 53, also 11. 79 and 159. It is always characteristic of Aeschylus to use a word repeatedly in the same play or passage; here there is a special poetical fitness in the repetition of the epithet "golden" and its derivative as applied to Persia, her city and army, since pride of wealth was the precursor, and, even the cause (see on 1. 163), of her fall. 4. KαTа Tрeoẞelav-" by virtue of our rank"; not merely "of our years So the Scholiast. 5. avròs avag-The absolute nature of Persian rule is indicated, and is meant to jar upon Athenian ears. See on 1. 213. 6. The MSS. have Aapelov vids, a manifest gloss on Aapeloyevns, which, being written by its side, has crept into the text. 7. épopεvely "to govern". Cp. Eum. 530. So èπwπâν in Eum. 929, Toжтеúεw, Cho. 1. Here the verb takes a geni. tive after the analogy of ἄρχειν. 9. TоλνXρúσoν-See on 1. 3. The splendour of the army, glittering with gold, is meant. 66 10. κακόμαντις... ἔσωθεν— My soul from within me is all too sorely stirred and becomes a prophet of ill", i.e. my foreboding soul is its own prophet. Cp. Ovμóμavтis in 1. 224, also Agam. 942, &c. especially the words μαντιπολεῖ δ ̓ ἀκέλευστος ἄμισθος ἀοιδὰ, and τὸν δ ̓ ἄνευ λύρας ὅμως ὑμνωδεῖ θρῆνον Ερινύος αὐτοδίδακτος ἔσωθεν θυμός. So too Hamlet's "O my prophetic soul!" The Scholiasts explain ὀρσολοπεῖται by ταράσσεται, οι KɩveîTαι. In the Homeric hymn to Hermes we have ἢ με βοῶν ἔνεχ ̓ ὧδε χολούμενος ὀρσολοπεύεις; i. e."dost thou provoke me?" and the adjective opσóλoros is used by Anacreon as an epithet of Ares, "blustering". Perhaps this verb is merely a lengthened and emphatic poetical variation of opvura, the termination never having had any significance (compare μeλáyximos, dúoximos, both used by Aeschylus). Aristotle would call such a word éğŋλλayμévov i.e. varied in form (Poet. c. 21), his instance being deşirepòv for değióv. The same account would hold for ỏρσooλeîтαι, which is the reading of one MS. 12-13. The reading of the text is that of all MSS. Two reasons are given for the distress and anxiety just described: (1) the whole force of Asia has gone forth; (2) no message comes home. To the former of these the clause νέον δ' ἄνδρα βαζει is attached, being virtually equivalent to ὥστε βαύξειν αὐτὸν (τὸν θυμὸν) τὸν νέον ἄνδρα. "The whole force of Asia has gone forth, and my soul yearns and cries aloud for its young hero." This appears better than, with one Scholiast, to take Ασία, supplied out of 'Ασιατογενής, for the subject to βαζει. The verb occurs in a somewhat similar context in Agam. 447 Táde σîŸá Tis ẞaügel, of the inarticulate expression of a people's discontent at the prolonged absence of its king and army. Here it is used transitively. The words véov avôpa are usually understood of Xerxes, though the expression is somewhat strange. The variation οἴχωκεν, ἑὸν δ ̓ ἄνδρα βαζει, which, so far as letters go, is the same reading, is perhaps possible, the epic èòv being supported by other epic forms in this play (see on 1. 782): it would mean, as a Scholiast suggests, "its own hero". Herodotus in speaking of the consternation caused at Susa by the news of the defeat, adds οὐκ οὕτω δὲ περὶ τῶν νηῶν ἀχθόμενοι ταυτα οἱ Πέρσαι ἐποίευν ὡς περὶ αὐτῷ Ξέρξῃ δειμαί |