οὐκ οἴκτου μέτα, without making lamentation,—controlling his feelings in presence of the afflicted girls. Vauvilliers: “"οἶκτος" hic est quod nos Galli dicimus foiblesse.” Cp. Plat. Phaedo 117C “καὶ ἡμῶν οἱ πολλοὶ τέως μὲν ἐπιεικῶς οἷοί τε ἦσαν κατέχειν τὸ μὴ δακρύειν, ὡς δὲ εἴδομεν πίνοντά τε καὶ πεπωκότα”, (that Socrates had drunk the hemlock,) “οὐκέτι, ἀλλ᾽ ἐμοῦ γε βίᾳ καὶ αὐτοῦ” (in spite of myself) “ἀστακτὶ ἐχώρει τὰ δάκρυα”. If the men of the old Greek world were more easily moved to tears than modern men, at least they knew very well when a man is bound to repress his emotion, if he can. Why, then, obliterate a noble touch by changing οἴκτου—as Wecklein does with Wex and Bothe — to the wretchedly feeble ὄκνου?
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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