Apollo prophesied to Laius that I, before being born, would become the murderer of my father; wretched I!
§1600ἐπεὶ δʼ ἐγενόμην, αὖθις ὁ σπείρας πατὴρ §1601κτείνει με νομίσας πολέμιον πεφυκέναι· §1602χρῆν γὰρ θανεῖν νιν ἐξ ἐμοῦ·
And when I was born, again my father who begot me tried to kill me, thinking that I had been born as his enemy; for it was fated that he should die by my hand.
πέμπει δέ με §1603μαστὸν ποθοῦντα θηρσὶν ἄθλιον βοράν·
And he sent me, yearning for the breast, as a wretched prey for wild beasts.
§1604οὗ σῳζόμεσθα — Ταρτάρου γὰρ ὤφελεν §1605ἐλθεῖν Κιθαιρὼν εἰς ἄβυσσα χάσματα, §1606ὅς μʼ οὐ διώλεσʼ, ἀλλὰ §1606aδουλεῦσαί τέ μοι §1607δαίμων ἔδωκε Πόλυβον ἀμφὶ δεσπότην.
There I was saved—for Cithaeron ought to have gone to the bottomless chasms of Tartarus, which did not destroy me, but also allowed me to serve under Polybus as my master, by the gift of divinity.
§1608κτανὼν δʼ ἐμαυτοῦ πατέρʼ ὁ δυσδαίμων ἐγὼ §1609ἐς μητρὸς ἦλθον τῆς ταλαιπώρου λέχος, §1610παῖδάς τʼ ἀδελφοὺς ἔτεκον, οὓς ἀπώλεσα, §1611ἀρὰς παραλαβὼν Λαΐου καὶ παισὶ δούς.
And having killed my own father, wretched I, came to the bed of my wretched mother, and begot children who were also my brothers, whom I have destroyed, having received the curses of Laius and passed them to my children.
§1612οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἀσύνετος πέφυκʼ ἐγὼ §1613ὥστʼ εἰς ἔμʼ ὄμματʼ ἔς τʼ ἐμῶν παίδων βίον §1614ἄνευ θεῶν του ταῦτʼ ἐμηχανησάμην.
For I was not born so foolish as to have plotted these things against my own eyes and my children's lives without some of the gods.
§1615εἶἑν· τί δράσω δῆθʼ ὁ δυσδαίμων ἐγώ;
Well then, what shall I do, wretched I?
§1616τίς ἡγεμών μοι ποδὸς ὁμαρτήσει τυφλοῦ;
Who will accompany me as a guide to my blind foot?
§1617ἥδʼ ἡ θανοῦσα;
This woman who has died?
ζῶσά γʼ ἂν σάφʼ οἶδʼ ὅτι.
If she were alive, yes, I know well.
§1618ἀλλʼ εὔτεκνος ξυνωρίς;
But the pair of noble children?
ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔστι μοι.
But they are no more to me.
§1619ἀλλʼ ἔτι νεάζων αὐτὸς εὕροιμʼ ἂν βίον;
But could I myself, still young, find a livelihood?
§1620πόθεν;
From where?
τί μʼ ἄρδην ὧδʼ ἀποκτείνεις, Κρέον;
Why do you utterly destroy me thus, Creon?
§1621ἀποκτενεῖς γάρ, εἴ με γῆς ἔξω βαλεῖς.
For you will kill me, if you cast me out of the land.
§1622οὐ μὴν ἑλίξας γʼ ἀμφὶ σὸν χεῖρας γόνυ §1623κακὸς φανοῦμαι· τὸ γὰρ ἐμόν ποτʼ εὐγενὲς §1624οὐκ ἂν προδοίην, οὐδέ περ πράσσων κακῶς.
Yet indeed, I will not, by clasping my hands around your knee, show myself a coward; for I would not betray my former nobility, not even though I fare wretchedly.
Creon: You have spoken well not to touch my knees, and I would not allow you to inhabit this land.
§1627νεκρῶν δὲ τῶνδε τὸν μὲν ἐς δόμους χρεὼν §1628ἤδη κομίζειν, τόνδε δʼ, ὃς πέρσων πόλιν §1629πατρίδα σὺν ἄλλοις ἦλθε, Πολυνείκους νέκυν §1630ἐκβάλετʼ ἄθαπτον τῆσδʼ ὅρων ἔξω χθονός.
And of these dead, one must be carried now into the palace; but this other one, who came to destroy his fatherland with others, the corpse of Polynices, cast out unburied, outside the borders of this land.
§1631κηρύξεται δὲ πᾶσι Καδμείοις τάδε· §1632ὃς ἂν νεκρὸν τόνδʼ ἢ καταστέφων ἁλῷ §1633ἢ γῇ καλύπτων, θάνατον ἀνταλλάξεται.
And these things shall be proclaimed to all Cadmeans: whoever is caught either crowning this corpse or covering it with earth, shall receive death in return.
§1635σὺ δʼ ἐκλιποῦσα τριπτύχους θρήνους νεκρῶν §1636κόμιζε σαυτήν, Ἀντιγόνη, δόμων ἔσω §1637καὶ παρθενεύου τὴν ἰοῦσαν ἡμέραν §1638μένουσʼ, ἐν ᾗ σε λέκτρον Αἵμονος μένει.
And you, leaving the threefold laments of the dead, take yourself, Antigone, inside the house, and remain a virgin, waiting for the coming day, on which the marriage-bed of Haemon awaits you.
§1639ὦ πάτερ, ἐν οἵοις κείμεθʼ ἄθλιοι κακοῖς.
Antigone: O father, in what wretched evils we lie!
§1640ὥς σε στενάζω τῶν τεθνηκότων πλέον· §1641οὐ γὰρ τὸ μέν σοι βαρὺ κακῶν, τὸ δʼ οὐ βαρύ, §1642ἀλλʼ εἰς ἅπαντα δυστυχὴς ἔφυς, πάτερ.
How I groan for you, even more than for the dead; for it is not that some of your evils are heavy, and others not, but in everything you were born unfortunate, father.
But I ask you, the newly-made ruler: Why do you insult this father of mine by sending him from the land?
§1645τί θεσμοποιεῖς ἐπὶ ταλαιπώρῳ νεκρῷ;
Why do you make laws over a wretched corpse?
§1646Ἐτεοκλέους βουλεύματʼ, οὐχ ἡμῶν, τάδε.
Creon: These are the designs of Eteocles, not mine.
§1647ἄφρονά γε, καὶ σὺ μῶρος ὃς ἐπίθου τάδε.
Antigone: Foolish indeed, and you are foolish to obey these.
§1648πῶς;
Creon: How?
τἀντεταλμένʼ οὐ δίκαιον ἐκπονεῖν;
Is it not right to carry out what has been commanded?
§1649οὔκ, ἢν πονηρά γʼ ᾖ κακῶς τʼ εἰρημένα.
Antigone: No, not if they are wicked and evilly spoken.
§1650τί δʼ;
Creon: What then?
οὐ δικαίως ὅδε κυσὶν δοθήσεται;
Shall he not justly be given to the dogs?
§1651οὐκ ἔννομον γὰρ τὴν δίκην πράσσεσθέ νιν.
Antigone: No, for you are not exacting justice from him lawfully.
§1652εἴπερ γε πόλεως ἐχθρὸς ἦν οὐκ ἐχθρὸς ὤν.
Creon: If indeed he was an enemy of the city, while not being one by nature.
§1653οὐκοῦν ἔδωκε τῇ τύχῃ τὸν δαίμονα.
Antigone: Therefore he paid his life to fortune.
§1654καὶ τῷ τάφῳ νυν τὴν δίκην παρασχέτω.
Creon: And now let him pay the penalty by being deprived of burial.
§1655τί πλημμελήσας, τὸ μέρος εἰ μετῆλθε γῆς;
Antigone: What did he commit, if he came to seek his share of the land?
§1656ἄταφος ὅδʼ ἁνήρ, ὡς μάθῃς, γενήσεται.
Creon: This man, that you may know it, shall be unburied.
§1657ἐγώ σφε θάψω, κἂν ἀπεννέπῃ πόλις.
Antigone: I will bury him, even if the city forbids it.
§1658σαυτὴν ἄρʼ ἐγγὺς τῷδε συνθάψεις νεκρῷ.
Creon: You will bury yourself then near this corpse.
§1659ἀλλʼ εὐκλεές τοι δύο φίλω κεῖσθαι πέλας.
Antigone: But indeed it is glorious for two loved ones to lie close.
§1660λάζυσθε τήνδε κἀς δόμους κομίζετε.
Creon: Seize her and take her into the house.
§1661οὐ δῆτʼ, ἐπεὶ τοῦδʼ οὐ μεθήσομαι νεκροῦ.
Antigone: No, indeed, since I will not let go of this corpse.
§1662ἔκρινʼ ὁ δαίμων, παρθένʼ, οὐχ ἃ σοὶ δοκεῖ.
Creon: The god has decided, maiden, not what seems good to you.
§1663κἀκεῖνο κέκριται, μὴ ἐφυβρίζεσθαι νεκρούς.
Antigone: And that is also decided, that the dead must not be insulted.
§1664ὡς οὔτις ἀμφὶ τῷδʼ ὑγρὰν θήσει κόνιν.
Creon: Be sure that no one shall place moist dust around him.
§1665ναὶ πρός σε τῆσδε μητρὸς Ἰοκάστης, Κρέον.
Antigone: Yes, by this mother Jocasta, Creon!
§1666μάταια μοχθεῖς· οὐ γὰρ ἂν τύχοις τάδε.
Creon: You labor in vain; for you would not obtain this.
§1667σὺ δʼ ἀλλὰ νεκρῷ λουτρὰ περιβαλεῖν μʼ ἔα.
Antigone: But at least allow me to wash the corpse.
§1668ἓν τοῦτʼ ἂν εἴη τῶν ἀπορρήτων πόλει.
Creon: This would be one of the things forbidden to the city.
§1669ἀλλʼ ἀμφὶ τραύματʼ ἄγρια τελαμῶνας βαλεῖν.
Antigone: But to bind bandages around his cruel wounds.
§1670οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως σὺ τόνδε τιμήσεις νέκυν.
Creon: There is no way that you shall honor this corpse.
§1671ὦ φίλτατʼ, ἀλλὰ στόμα γε σὸν προσπτύξομαι.
Antigone: O dearest, then at least I will kiss your mouth.
§1672οὐ μὴ ἐς γάμους σοὺς συμφορὰν κτήσῃ γόοις.
Creon: Do not bring disaster upon your marriage by your laments.