507-518
: antistrophe to 391—402. The pity expressed by the Chorus may well be sincere; but in this utterance of it, their first aim is to aid their master's design. Verse 510 shows this.
πόνων ἆθλα, ordeals consisting in “
πόνοι”, sufferings. Cp.
Tr. 505“
ἄεθλ᾽ ἀγώνων”. The plur. “
ἆθλα” can thus be used in the sense of “
ἆθλοι”: but the sing. “
ἆθλον” does not occur as =“
ἆθλος”. In
Suppl. 1034 “
τόδ᾽ ἆθλον”=‘this prize.’
οἷα, Porson's correction of “
ὅσσα”, is probably right. It is the more natural word in such a wish:
cp. 275, 315. And “
ὅσσα” may have been suggested by “
πολλῶν”. An iambic trimeter set in lyrics might, indeed, tolerate “
ὅσσος”,—as the corresponding trimeter (392) has the Doric “
ἃ” for “
ἣ”. But “
ὅσσα” in
Aesch. Pers. 864, “
τόσσων” in
Aesch. Ag. 140, and “
τόσσον” in
Soph. Ai. 185, seem to be the only instances of these forms in Tragedy.
οἷα is clearly better than
ἅσσα (=“
ἅτινα”): for which cp.
O.T. 425 n.—For the acc. “
οἷα” with
τύχοι, cp.
O. T. 1298 n. The conject.
λάχοι is unnecessary.