Οἰδίπους Τύραννος (18)

ἐγὼ μὲν The answering clause, οἱ δὲ ἄλλων θεῶν, must be supplied mentally: cp. Hom. Il. 5.893 τὴν μὲν ἐγὼ σπουδῇ δάμνησ’ ἐπέεσσι (sc. τὰς δὲ ἄλλας ῥᾳδίως). It is slightly different when μέν, used alone, emphasizes the personal pronoun, as in ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶδα Xen. Cyrop. 1.4.12 . οἵδε τ’ . The conjecture οἱ δ’ ἐπ’(“chosen to represent the youth”) involves a questionable use of ἐπί· cp. Soph. Ant. 787 n. ᾐθέων , unmarried youths: Hom. Il. 18.593 ἠΐθεοι καὶ παρθένοι : Eur. Phoen. 944 Αἵμονος … γάμοι | σφαγὰς ἀπείργουσ’· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ᾔθεος : Plut. Thes. 15 ᾐθέους ἑπτὰ καὶ παρθένους.