[58] ἔφθης … ἤ. ‘Thou hast been quicker coming afoot than I with my dark ship.’ For the construction cp. Il.23. 444“φθήσονται τούτοισι πόδες καὶ γοῦνα καμόντα”
“ἢ ὑμῖν”. With the singular naiveté of these words we may compare what Telemachus in the island of Ithaca says to his guest. Od.1. 173“οὐ μὲν γάρ τί σε πεζὸν ὀίομαι ἐνθάδ᾽ ἱκέσθαι”. The Schol. is careful to remark that the address is not to be understood as banter (“οὐκ ἔστι κερτομίας ὁ λόγος”), but rather the expression of astonishment that there was any quicker means of transit to the realm of Hades than he himself had enjoyed, “οὐρίᾳ χρησάμενος πολλῇ”. The Scholl. further ask how it is that none of the men who fell fighting with the Laestrygones or who were eaten by Cyclops, come forward to meet their captain. And the reason suggested is that they were not hanging about the gates of Hades, as was Elpenor, “οὗτοι γὰρ, εἰ καὶ ἀθέσμως, ἀλλ᾽ οὖν ἐτάφησαν”. Nor is this explanation absurd, for the great supposed disadvantage of being unburied was the being left visible in the upperworld after death. Now to have been eaten by the monster Cyclops secured at any rate the advantage of being hidden away from sight. Cp. Strabo 11. 517 “ζῶντας παραβάλλεσθαι τρεφομένοις κυσὶν ἐπιτηδὲς πρὸς τοῦτο οὓς ἐνταφιαστὰς καλοῦσι”, Antig. 1081 “ὅσων σπαράγματ᾽ ἢ κύνες καθήγισαν”, Elect. 1487 “ κτανὼν πρόθεςταφεῦσιν ὧν τόνδ᾽ εἰκός ἐστι τυγχάνειν
”, Aesch. S. c. T. 1004 “ πετεινῶν τόνδ̓ ὑπ̓ οἰωνῶν δοκεῖ
ταφέντ̓ ἀτίμως τοὐπιτίμιον λαβεῖν
”, Ennius 141 ‘Vulturus in silvis miserum mandebat homonem,
heu quam crudeli condebat membra sepulcro,’ Lucr.5. 993‘Viva videns vivo sepeliri viscera busto.’ Vultures are similarly called by Gorgias “ἔμψυχοι τάφοι”.
