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[863] εἴ μοι ξυνείη μοῖρα φέροντι is equivalent to εἴθε διατελοῖμι φέρων, the part. implying that the speaker is already mindful of ἁγνεία, and prays that he may continue to be so: whereas εἴ μοι ξυνείη μοῖρα φέρειν would have been equivalent to εἴθε μοι γένοιτο φέρειν, an aspiration towards ἁγνεία as not yet attained. Though μοῖρα is not expressly personified (cp. Pind. P. 3.84τὶν δὲ μοῖρ᾽ εὐδαιμονίας ἕπεται),” the conception of it is so far personal that ξυνείη( “be with”) is tinged with the associations of ξυνειδείη ( “be witness to”), and thus softens any boldness in the use of the participle; a use which, in principle, is identical with the use after such verbs as διατελῶ, τυγχάνω, λανθάνω. φέροντι (= φερομένῳ, see on 590) ... ἁγνείαν, winning purity, regarded as a precious κτῆμαSoph. Ant. 150): cp. 1190 πλέον τᾶς εὐδαιμονίας φέρει: Soph. El. 968εὐσέβειαν ... οἴσει” (will win the praise of piety): Eur. Orest. 158ὕπνου ... φερομένῳ χαράν.” —Others take φέροντι as = “bearing about with me” (or “within me”). Cp. Soph. Ant. 1090τὸν νοῦν τ᾽ ἀμείνω τῶν φρενῶν νῦν φέρει” (where it = τρέφειν in 1089): Soph. Trach. 108εὔμναστον δεῖμα φέρουσαν” (where Casaubon τρέφουσαν, as Blaydes τρέφοντι here). This may be right: but the use here, at least, would be bold; and I still incline to the former view.

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