ὧνπερ ἄρχεις αρχε, as Agamemnon says to Achilles, “Μυρμιδόνεσσιν ἄνασσε” ( Il. 1. 180), and Achilles to him, “ἄλλοισιν δὴ ταῦτ᾽ ἐπιτέλλεο, μὴ γὰρ ἐμοί γε”. Cp. Aesch. Eum. 574“ἄναξ Ἄπολλον, ὧν ἔχεις αὐτὸς κράτει.” τὰ σέμν᾽ ἔπη κόλαζ̓ ἐκείνους: “ἔπη” is a bold cognate acc.; cp. 1096: O. T. 339“ἔπη ι κλύων, ἃ νῦν” “σὺ τήνδ᾽ ἀτιμάζεις πόλιν”: Aesch. Eum. 230“δίκας ι μέτειμι τόνδε φῶτα”. εἴτε μὴ σὺ φής, εἴθ᾽ ἅτερος στρ.= “εἴτε σὺ μὴ φής, εἴτ᾽ Ἀγαμέμνων μή φησιν”, whether the veto is thine or his. For “φημί” as=‘to command’ (a rare use), see Pind. N. 3. 28“Αἰακῷ σε φαμὶ γένει τε Μοῖσαν φέρειν”. Here the “μή”, despite its place, belongs in sense to the inf. (“θεῖναι εἰς ταφὰς”) understood. (“οὔ φημι θεῖναι” could mean only, nego te sepulturum: this might be referred to the assertion of Menelaüs in 1062 f.; but it would be forced.) εἰς ταφὰς θήσω, I will give him due funeral rites: see on 1090. στόμα: cp. 1147: Ant. 997“ὡς ἐγὼ τὸ σὸν φρίσσω στόμα”.
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Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments, with critical notes, commentary, and translation in English prose. Part VII: The Ajax. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1907.
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