ναὸς ἄξενον … ὅρμον, a haven that has no ship for its guest; cp. O. C. 1383“ἀπάτωρ ἐμοῦ”, ‘having no father in me’: and ib. 677 n. “ἄξενος” is here the opposite of “πολύξενος” rather than of “εὔξενος”. Thus “ναὸς ἄξενον” is not less correct, while it is more forcible, than “ναυσὶν ἄξενον” would be. The waters off the rock-bound coast are a “ὅρμος ἄνορμος” (cp. 302).— Others render, ‘the inhospitable anchorage of our ship,’—which was not visible from the cave (cp. 467), but might have been seen by Philoctetes from another point. The sense seems, however, to be:—‘his cry is caused, either by physical pain, or by a feeling of despair as he looks at the lonely sea.’ The Chorus have been dwelling on his two great calamities—disease, and solitude (173 f., 185 f.). In this closing strain, it is natural that the two motives of their pity should be identified with the two sources of his anguish. προβοᾷ τι γἀρ δεινόν. Wunder thus transposes “γάρ τι”. It was hardly needful to defend the place of “γάρ” by I. T. 1036 (“ὑποπτεύω τι γάρ”): cp. below, 1450 f. Heinrich Schmidt seems right in holding that δεινόν here does not require “θρηνεῖ” (for θροεῖ) in 209. Lachmann's conjecture, “προβοᾷ γὰρ αἴλινον”, hardly deserved to be adopted by Blaydes. See Metrical Analysis.—Hermann's view, that in 209 “διάσημα θροεῖ γάρ” should be read, as here, “προβοᾷ δέ τι δεινόν”, involves the arbitrary substitution of “δέ” for “γάρ”. It would be obvious to suggest “προβοᾷ τι γὰρ αἰνόν”, or “προβοᾷ γὰρ ἐλεινόν”: but neither is probable.
This text is part of:
Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments, with critical notes, commentary, and translation in English prose. Part IV: The Philoctetes. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1932.
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