MED. Now them addressest, now salutest them, formerly
rejecting them with scorn.
JAS. Grant me, by the Gods, to touch the soft skin
of my sons.
MED. It is not possible. Thy words are thrown
away in vain.
JAS. Dost thou hear this, O Jove, how I am rejected,
and what I suffer from this accursed and child-destroying
lioness? But as much indeed as is in my power
and I am able, I lament and mourn over these; calling
the Gods to witness, that having slain my children,
thou preventest me from touching them with my hands,
and from burying the bodies, whom, oh that I had never
begotten, and seen them thus destroyed by thee.
CHOR. Jove is the dispenser of various fates
in heaven, and the Gods perform many things contrary
to our expectations, and those things which we looked
for are not accomplished; but the God hath brought
to pass things unthought of. In such manner hath
this affair ended.
* * * *
*
* * * *
[1] The Cyaneae Petrae, or Symplegades, were two rocks
in the mouth of the Euxine Sea, said to meet together
with prodigious violence, and crush the passing ships.
See Pindar. Pyth. iv. 386.
[2] [Greek: eretmosai] signifies to make to row;
[Greek: eretmesai], to row. In the same
sense the two verbs derived from [Greek: polemos]
are used, [Greek: polemoo] signifying ad bellum
excito; [Greek: polemeo], bellum gero.
[3] Elmsley reads [Greek: phyge] in the nominative
case, “a flight indeed pleasing,”
etc.
[4] Literally, Before we have drained this to the
very dregs. So Virgil, AEn. iv. 14. Quae
bella exhausta canebat!
[5] Ter. And. Act. ii. Sc. 5. Omnes
sibi malle melius esse quam alteri. Ac. iv.
Sc. 1. Proximus sum egomet mihi.
[6] Elmsley reads [Greek: kai] for [Greek:
ei], “And their father,” etc.
[7] In Elms. Dind. [Greek: to gar eithisthai],
“for the being accustomed,” etc.
[8] [Greek: dynatai] here signifies [Greek:
ischyei, sthenei]; and in this sense it is repeatedly
used: [Greek: oudena kairon], in this place,
is not to be interpreted “intempestive”,
but “immoderate, supra modum.” For
this signification consult Stephen’s Thesaurus,
word [Greek: kairos]. EMSLEY.
[9] [Greek: hode] is used in this sense v. 49,
687, 901, of this Play.
[10] [Greek: mogera] is best taken with Reiske
as the accusative plural, though the Scholiast considers
it the nominative singular. ELMSLEY.
[11] [Greek: gegotas] need not be translated
as [Greek: nomizomenous], the sense is [Greek;
ontas]: so [Greek: authades gegos], line
225.
[12] That is, the character of man can not be discovered
by the countenance: so Juvenal,
Fronti nulla fides.
