ὁρᾷ. The hiatus is easily avoided by δ᾽ (Bergk), but, though somewhat harsh, is excused by the slight pause. ταῦτ̓=“ἀξιώματα δαιμόνων”. With στρέφων (for the corrupt “ἐπεί”), the sense is:—“"Watchful, ever watchful of these divine decrees is Time,—overthrowing some fortunes, and the next day, again, exalting others on high."” Cp. Eur. fr. 424 “μἴ ἡμέρα ι τὰ μὲν καθεῖλεν ὑψόθεν, τὰ δ᾽ ἦρ᾽ ἄνω.” ὁρᾷ, as Ph. 843 “τάδε μὲν θεὸς ὄψεται”, “"will look to"” this. Time is the vigilant minister of Fate. The mighty are humbled (as the Labdacidae have been); the lowly, again, are exalted. The last words contain an unconscious hint that the sufferings of Oedipus are well-nigh finished, and that honour is coming to him. At that instant, the thunder is heard. The MS. words “ἐπεὶ μὲν ἕτερα … ἄνω” are thus paraphrased by the schol.: “πολλὰ μὲν αὔξων παρ᾽ ἦμαρ, πολλὰ δὲ εἰς τὸ ἔμπαλιν τρέπων”. This makes it certain that, instead of ἐπεί, the schol. had some participle, as the form of the sentence plainly requires. For στρέφων cp. Eur. fr. 540 “φεῦ, τὰ τῶν εὐδαιμονούντων ὡς τάχα στρέφει θεός”. Soph. Tr. 116 “τὸν Καδμογενῆ ι στρέφει, τὸ δ᾽ αὔξει βιότου ι πολύπονον”, the troubles of his life now bring reverse, now glory, to Heracles. This was a poetical use of “στρέφω”, which the schol.'s words “εἰς τὸ ἔμπαλιν τρέπων” were meant to explain. “τρέπω” itself was not used alone as=“ἀνατρέπω”, though often in phrases with that sense: cp. the frag. of a satyric drama (Aesch. fr. 304)—of a domesticated pig—“ἣ πολλά γ᾽ ἐν δόμοισιν εἴργασται κακά,
δονοῦσα καὶ τρέπουσα τύρβ᾽ ἄνω κάτω
”. Wecklein's ἐπέχων (“"checking,"” “"arresting"”) would agree more closely with the metre of the antistrophe as given by the MSS. (see on 1469). But στρέφων requires only the slightest change there, and is metrically preferable on other grounds (see Metrical Analysis): it is also a better contrast to αὔξων. — The MS. ἐπεὶ μέν is untranslatable. It has been explained as (1) “"sometimes"”=“ὁτὲ μέν”: (2) by an ellipse of a verb, as “ἔδωκεν” (Hermann). Neither is possible.
