πλέοντί μοι: dat. of relation, as oft. with ref. to time: cp. H. 2. 1. 27 “ἐπεὶ ἦν ἡμέρα πέμπτη ἐπιπλέουσι τοῖς” “Ἀθηναίοις”. The distance from Scyros to Sigeum is about 125 miles. κἀγὼ: for “καί” in temporal parataxis (instead of “ὅτε”), cp. O. T. 718 n. πικρὸν Σίγειον. Sigeum, the N.W. promontory of the Troad (now Yeni Shehr), is fitly named, as being the point for which he, coming from Scyros in the S.W., would make; and also because the tumulus, traditionally known as the ‘tomb of Achilles,’ is near Sigeum. It is ‘bitter’ or ‘cruel’ to him, not only on account of his father's death, but through the memory of his wrongs. The epithet is here a fine dramatic touch: while the conjecture “κἀγὼ ᾿π᾽ ἄκρον”, which many recent edd. adopt, is tamely prosaic. Cp. Od. 17. 448“μὴ τάχα πικρὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ Κύπρον ἵκηαι.” οὐρίῳ πλάτῃ, instrum. dat.; sped by oars, while a W. S. wind also filled his sails. Cp. ‘velis remisque,’ ‘ventis remis,’ etc. κατηγόμην, was coming into harbour at, with acc. instead of the usual acc. with “εἰς”: cp. 244 “προσέσχες...γῆν” (n.). Poetry is bold in its use of the simple acc. after verbs of motion; cp. 1175: O. C. 643“δόμους στείχειν”.
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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