λόγοι δ᾽ … φύλακα. The regular form would be, “λόγοις κακοῖς ἐρροθοῦμεν ἐν ἀλλήλοις, ἐλέγχοντες φύλαξ φύλακα” (or “ἄλλος ἄλλον”), “φύλαξ” being the part in apposition with the whole (“ἡμεῖς”). The irregularity of the form in the text is threefold. (1) For “λόγοις κακοῖς ἐρροθοῦμεν” we have an equiv. in sense, though not in grammar, λόγοι κακοὶ ἐρρόθουν. (2) In spite of this, “ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν” is retained, whereas “ἐν ἡμῖν” is now needed. (3) As a plur. part. would have been awkward after “λόγοι”, we have “φύλαξ ἐλέγχων φύλακα”, which thus is virtually equiv. to a gen. absol., “φύλακος ἐλέγχοντος φύλακα”. Remark that, even in regular examples of partitive apposition, a participle, describing what all do, is sometimes thus made singular; Xen. Anab. 7.3.47 “οί ἱππεῖς οἴχονταί μοι ἄλλος ἄλλῃ διώκων” (instead of “διώκοντες”). It is only the first of these three points that this passage has in common with others to which it has been compared. ‘They disputed, some saying this, some that,’ often appears in Greek as ‘there was a dispute,’ etc., without causing “οἱ μὲν...οἱ δέ” to be changed into the gen. absol. Her. 8.74 “πολλὰ ἐλέγετο,...οἱ μὲν ὡς...χρέον εἴη ἀποπλέειν, Ἀθηναῖοι δέ” etc. Thuc. 4.23 “ὑπ᾽ ἀμφοτέρων...ἐπολεμεῖτο, Ἀθηναῖοι μὲν περιπλέοντες..., Πελοποννήσιοι δέ” etc. Aesch. PV 200 “στάσις τ᾽ ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν ὠροθύνετο, ι οἱ μὲν θέλοντες...οἱ δέ” etc. (This illustrates the use of “ἐν ἀλλήλ”. here, but is less bold, since the noun is sing.) Eur. Phoen. 1462 “ἦν δ᾽ ἔρις στρατηλάταις, ι οἱ μὲν πατάξαι...οἱ δέ” etc. Bacch. 1131“ἦν δὲ πᾶσ᾽ ὁμοῦ βοή, ι ὁ μὲν στενάζων... αἱ δέ” etc. For ἐρρόθουν, of a confused noise of angry tongues, cp. 290. “ῥόθος” (onomatop.) is said of a rushing noise of waves, or of oars dashed into them, etc.: then, fig., Aesch. Pers. 406 “Περσίδος” “γλώσσης ῥόθος”, of an unintelligible jargon. ἐλέγχων, questioning (434, O. T. 333, 783: El. 1353), here, in the sense of ‘accusing.’ κἂν ἐγίγνετο: and blows would have come at last,—had not the matter been settled by the proposal mentioned at 268. (Not, ‘blows would come,’ i.e. were often exchanged, as Nauck takes it.) τελευτῶς', ‘at last,’ the adverbial use, found even with another partic., as Thuc. 6.53 “τυραννίδα χαλεπὴν τελευτῶσαν γενομένην.” ὁ κωλύσων: cp. O. T. 297.
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Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments, with critical notes, commentary, and translation in English prose. Part III: The Antigone. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1900.
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