§179ποῦ δʼ ὃς τὰ δεινὰ τῇδʼ ἐφυβρίζει πόλει;
Antigone: And where is he who insults this city so terribly?
§180Καπανεύς;
Servant: Capaneus?
ἐκεῖνος προσβάσεις τεκμαίρεται §181πύργων ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω τείχη μετρῶν.
He is measuring the approaches, measuring the walls of the towers up and down.
§182ἰώ, §182aΝέμεσι καὶ Διὸς βαρύβρομοι βρονταί, §183κεραυνῶν τε φῶς αἰθαλόεν, σύ τοι §184μεγαλαγορίαν ὑπεράνορα κοιμίζεις·
Oh, Nemesis, and heavy-roaring thunders of Zeus, and the glowing light of lightning, you indeed lay to rest his superhuman boasting.
§185ὅδʼ ἐστίν, αἰχμαλώτιδας §186ὃς δορὶ Θηβαίας Μυκηνηΐσιν §187Λερναίᾳ τε δώσειν τριαίνᾳ, §188Ποσειδανίοις Ἀμυμωνίοις §189ὕδασι δουλείαν περιβαλών — §190μήποτε μήποτε τάνδʼ, ὦ πότνια, §191χρυσεοβόστρυχον ὦ Διὸς ἔρνος §192Ἄρτεμι, δουλοσύναν τλαίην.
This is he who [says that] he will give the captive Theban women by his spear to Mycenaean women, and to Lerna's trident, to the Poseidonian Amymonian waters, casting slavery around them— never, never, O lady, O golden-haired offspring of Zeus, Artemis, may I endure slavery.
§193ὦ τέκνον, ἔσβα δῶμα καὶ κατὰ στέγας §194ἐν παρθενῶσι μίμνε σοῖς, ἐπεὶ πόθου §195ἐς τέρψιν ἦλθες ὧν ἔχρῃζες εἰσιδεῖν.
Servant: My child, enter the house and inside the building remain in your maiden chambers, since you have come to the joy of your desire of those things you wished to see.
§196ὄχλος γάρ, ὡς ταραγμὸς εἰσῆλθεν πόλιν, §197χωρεῖ γυναικῶν πρὸς δόμους τυραννικούς, §198φιλόψογον δὲ χρῆμα θηλειῶν ἔφυ, §199σμικράς τʼ ἀφορμὰς ἢν λάβωσι τῶν λόγων, §200πλείους ἐπεσφέρουσιν· ἡδονὴ δέ τις §201γυναιξὶ μηδὲν ὑγιὲς ἀλλήλας λέγειν.
For a crowd of women, as confusion has entered the city, is moving toward the royal palace, and women are by nature prone to gossip, and if they get small starting points for talk, they add more to them; and it is a kind of pleasure for women to speak nothing wholesome of one another.
§202Τύριον οἶδμα λιποῦσʼ ἔβαν §203ἀκροθίνια Λοξίᾳ §204Φοινίσσας ἀπὸ νάσου §205Φοίβῳ δούλα μελάθρων, §206ἵνʼ ὑπὸ δειράσι νιφοβόλοις §207Παρνασοῦ κατενάσθη, §208Ἰόνιον κατὰ πόντον ἐλά- §209τᾳ πλεύσασα περιρρύτῳ §210ὑπὲρ ἀκαρπίστων πεδίων §211Σικελίας Ζεφύρου πνοαῖς §212ἱππεύσαντος, ἐν οὐρανῷ §213κάλλιστον κελάδημα.
Chorus: Leaving the Tyrian wave I came, as first-fruits for Loxias, from the Phoenician island, to be a servant for Phoebus in his halls, where under the snow-swept ridges of Parnassus he is established, having sailed over the Ionian sea by oar through the flowing waters, over the barren plains of Sicily, by the blasts of Zephyrus, as he rode, in the heaven making the most beautiful murmur.
§214πόλεος ἐκπροκριθεῖσʼ ἐμᾶς §215καλλιστεύματα Λοξίᾳ §216Καδμείων ἔμολον γᾶν, §217κλεινῶν Ἀγηνοριδᾶν §218ὁμογενεῖς ἐπὶ Λαΐου §219πεμφθεῖσʼ ἐνθάδε πύργους.
Chosen from my city, as the fairest offerings for Loxias, I came to the land of the Cadmeans, sent to the towers of Laius, kinsmen of the renowned descendants of Agenor, here.
§220ἴσα δʼ ἀγάλμασι χρυσοτεύ- §221κτοις Φοίβῳ λάτρις ἐγενόμαν· §222ἔτι δὲ Κασταλίας ὕδωρ §223περιμένει με κόμας ἐμᾶς §224δεῦσαι παρθένιον χλιδὰν §225Φοιβείαισι λατρείαις.
And equal to statues wrought of gold, I became a servant to Phoebus; and still the water of Castalia awaits me, to wet the maidenly luxury of my hair, in Phoebean services.
§226ἰὼ λάμπουσα πέτρα πυρὸς §227δικόρυφον σέλας ὑπὲρ ἄκρων §228βακχειῶν Διονύσου, §229οἴνα θʼ ἃ καθαμέριον §230στάζεις τὸν πολύκαρπον §231οἰνάνθας ἱεῖσα βότρυν, §232ζάθεά τʼ ἄντρα δράκοντος οὔ- §233ρειαί τε σκοπιαὶ θεῶν §234νιφόβολόν τʼ ὄρος ἱερόν, εἱ- §235λίσσων ἀθανάτας θεοῦ §236χορὸς γενοίμαν ἄφοβος §237παρὰ μεσόμφαλα γύαλα Φοί- §238βου Δίρκαν προλιποῦσα.
O shining rock of fire, showing a double-peaked flash over the heights of the Bacchic revels of Dionysus, and the vine which daily distills the fruitful grape cluster, putting forth its bloom, and the sacred caves of the dragon, and the mountain watchtowers of the gods, and the snow-swept holy mountain, spinning the chorus of the immortal goddess, may I become a fearless dancer, leaving Dirce, by the navel-halls of Phoebus.
§239νῦν δέ μοι πρὸ τειχέων §240θούριος μολὼν Ἄρης §241αἷμα δάιον φλέγει §242τᾷδʼ, ὃ μὴ τύχοι, πόλει· §243κοινὰ γὰρ φίλων ἄχη, §244κοινὰ δʼ, εἴ τι πείσεται §245ἑπτάπυργος ἅδε γᾶ, §246Φοινίσσᾳ χώρᾳ.
But now before the walls for me, raging Ares having come, kindles hostile blood for this city, which may it not happen; for common are the griefs of friends, and common, if this seven-gated land suffers anything, to the Phoenician land.
φεῦ φεῦ.
Alas, alas.
Common blood, common children of the horned Io are born; of whose troubles I have a share.
§250ἀμφὶ δὲ πτόλιν νέφος §251ἀσπίδων πυκνὸν φλέγει §252σχῆμα φοινίου μάχης, §253ἃν Ἄρης τάχʼ εἴσεται §254παισὶν Οἰδίπου φέρων §255πημονὰν Ἐρινύων.
Around the city a dense cloud of shields flashes, the shape of bloody battle, which Ares soon will know, bringing to the children of Oedipus the woe of the Erinyes.
§256Ἄργος ὦ Πελασγικόν, §257δειμαίνω τὰν σὰν ἀλκάν, §258καὶ τὸ θεόθεν· οὐ γὰρ ἄδικον §259εἰς ἀγῶνα τόνδʼ ἔνοπλος ὁρμᾷ §260ὃς μετέρχεται δόμους.
O Pelasgian Argos, I fear your strength and what comes from the gods; for not unjustly does he rush in arms to this contest, who seeks to recover his home.
Polyneices: The gatekeepers' bolts indeed admitted me to come inside the walls with ease.
And this is what I fear, lest, having caught me inside the net, they will not let me go out with unscathed skin.
Therefore, my eye must be cast everywhere, both there and here, lest there be some plot.
Armed in my hand with this sword, I will provide assurance of courage to myself.
§269ὠή, τίς οὗτος;
Oh, who is this?
ἢ κτύπον φοβούμεθα;
Or do I fear a noise?
For to those who dare, everything seems terrible, when the foot crosses a hostile land.
Yet I trust my mother, and at the same time I do not trust her, who persuaded me to come here under truce.
But help is near; for the altar hearths are present close by, and the chambers are not deserted.
Come, let me release my sword into its dark sheath, and ask these women, who they are standing by the house.
Foreign women, tell me, from what fatherland do you approach these Greek halls?
§280Φοίνισσα μὲν γῆ πατρὶς ἡ θρέψασά με, §281Ἀγήνορος δὲ παῖδες ἐκ παίδων δορὸς §282Φοίβῳ μʼ ἔπεμψαν ἐνθάδʼ ἀκροθίνιον.
Chorus: Indeed the Phoenician land is the homeland that reared me, and the children of Agenor sent me here as first-fruits for Phoebus.
§283μέλλων δὲ πέμπειν μʼ Οἰδίπου κλεινὸς γόνος §284μαντεῖα σεμνὰ Λοξίου τʼ ἐπʼ ἐσχάρας — §285ἐν τῷδʼ ἐπεστράτευσαν Ἀργεῖοι πόλιν.
And the renowned offspring of Oedipus, being about to send me to the solemn oracle and hearths of Loxias— in the meantime, the Argives marched against the city.
But you in turn answer me, who you are that have come to the seven-gated fortifications of this Theban land.
§288πατὴρ μὲν ἡμῖν Οἰδίπους ὁ Λαΐου, §289ἔτικτε δʼ Ἰοκάστη με, παῖς Μενοικέως· §290καλεῖ δὲ Πολυνείκη με Θηβαῖος λεώς.
Polyneices: My father indeed is Oedipus, the son of Laius, and Jocasta, daughter of Menoeceus, bore me; and the Theban people call me Polyneices.
§291ὦ συγγένεια τῶν Ἀγήνορος τέκνων,
Chorus: O kinsman of the children of Agenor,