The usual order would be αἱ πολλὰ διατελεῖς βρονταί, “"the long-continued thunderings."” But an adj. or partic. is sometimes thus placed after the subst., when the art. and an adv. (or adverbial phrase) stands before it: cp. O. T. 1245 “τὸν ἤδη Λάϊον πάλαι νεκρόν” =“τὸν ἤδη πάλαι νεκρὸν Λ.”, the already long-dead L.: where see n. πολλὰ= “"very,"” with the adj.: cp. Ant. 1046 “χοἱ πολλὰ δεινοί”: Ph. 254 “ὦ πόλλ᾽ ἐγὼ μοχθηρός”: El. 1326 “ὦ πλεῖστα μῶροι”: Il. 11.557 “πόλλ᾽ ἀέκων”.—The answer is framed as if Theseus had said, “ποῖα δὲ σημεῖα ἐφάνη τῶνδε”; If Reiske's δηλοῦσι (which Wecklein receives) is to be admitted, we must view L's αἱ πολλαὶ as a mere gloss suggested by διατελεῖς and conformed to τὰ πολλά τε. This, however, seems very improbable, since (a) the article τὰ with βέλη recommends the art. with βρονταὶ, and (b) the reiterated πολλὰ is effective.
This text is part of:
Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments, with critical notes, commentary, and translation in English prose. Part II: The Oedipus Coloneus. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1899.
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