§390τίς ὁ τρόπος αὐτοῦ;
Jocasta: What is its manner?
τί φυγάσιν τὸ δυσχερές;
What is difficult for exiles?
§391ἓν μὲν μέγιστον, οὐκ ἔχει παρρησίαν.
Polyneices: One thing is greatest: they have no freedom of speech.
§392δούλου τόδʼ εἶπας, μὴ λέγειν ἅ τις φρονεῖ.
Jocasta: This is the mark of a slave, not to say what one thinks.
§393τὰς τῶν κρατούντων ἀμαθίας φέρειν χρεών.
Polyneices: One must bear the ignorance of those in power.
§394καὶ τοῦτο λυπρόν, συνασοφεῖν τοῖς μὴ σοφοῖς.
Jocasta: And this is painful, to share in folly with those who are not wise.
§395ἀλλʼ ἐς τὸ κέρδος παρὰ φύσιν δουλευτέον.
Polyneices: Yet for profit one must play the slave against one's nature.
§396αἱ δʼ ἐλπίδες βόσκουσι φυγάδας, ὡς λόγος.
Jocasta: But hopes feed exiles, as the saying goes.
§397καλοῖς βλέπουσαί γʼ ὄμμασιν, μέλλουσι δέ.
Polyneices: Looking indeed with beautiful eyes, but they delay.
§398οὐδʼ ὁ χρόνος αὐτὰς διεσάφησʼ οὔσας κενάς;
Jocasta: And has not time revealed them to be empty?
§399ἔχουσιν Ἀφροδίτην τινʼ ἡδεῖαν κακῶν.
Polyneices: They possess a certain sweet charm in the midst of evils.
§400πόθεν δʼ ἐβόσκου, πρὶν γάμοις εὑρεῖν βίον;
Jocasta: But how did you feed yourself, before finding a living through marriage?
§401ποτὲ μὲν ἐπʼ ἦμαρ εἶχον, εἶτʼ οὐκ εἶχον ἄν.
Polyneices: Sometimes I had enough for the day, then again I would not.
§402φίλοι δὲ πατρὸς καὶ ξένοι σʼ οὐκ ὠφέλουν;
Jocasta: Did your father's friends and guest-friends not help you?
§403εὖ πρᾶσσε·
Polyneices: Be prosperous!
τὰ φίλων δʼ οὐδέν, ἤν τι δυστυχῇς.
But friends' resources are nothing if you are unfortunate.
§404οὐδʼ ηὑγένειά σʼ ἦρεν εἰς ὕψος μέγαν;
Jocasta: Did your noble birth not raise you to great height?
§405κακὸν τὸ μὴ ἔχειν· τὸ γένος οὐκ ἔβοσκέ με.
Polyneices: It is bad not to have resources; noble birth did not feed me.
§406ἡ πατρίς, ὡς ἔοικε, φίλτατον βροτοῖς.
Jocasta: The fatherland, as it seems, is dearest to mortals.
§407οὐδʼ ὀνομάσαι δύναιʼ ἂν ὡς ἐστὶν φίλον.
Polyneices: One could not even express in words how dear it is.
§408πῶς δʼ ἦλθες Ἄργος;
Jocasta: And how did you go to Argos?
τίνʼ ἐπίνοιαν ἔσχεθες;
What plan did you have?
§409ἔχρησʼ Ἀδράστῳ Λοξίας χρησμόν τινα.
Polyneices: Loxias gave a certain oracle to Adrastus.
§410ποῖον;
Jocasta: What kind?
τί τοῦτʼ ἔλεξας;
What is this you say?
οὐκ ἔχω μαθεῖν.
I cannot understand.
§411κάπρῳ λέοντί θʼ ἁρμόσαι παίδων γάμους.
Polyneices: To join his daughters' marriages to a boar and a lion.
§412καὶ σοὶ τί θηρῶν ὀνόματος μετῆν, τέκνον;
Jocasta: And what did you have to do with the name of beasts, child?
§413οὐκ οἶδʼ· ὁ δαίμων μʼ ἐκάλεσεν πρὸς τὴν τύχην.
Polyneices: I know not; the divinity called me to this fortune.
§414σοφὸς γὰρ ὁ θεός·
Jocasta: For the god is wise.
τίνι τρόπῳ δʼ ἔσχες λέχος;
But in what way did you obtain your bride?
§415νὺξ ἦν, Ἀδράστου δʼ ἦλθον ἐς παραστάδας.
Polyneices: It was night, and I came to the portal of Adrastus.
§416κοίτας ματεύων, ᾗ φυγὰς πλανώμενος;
Jocasta: Seeking a bed, as a wandering exile?
§417ἦν ταῦτα· κᾆτά γʼ ἦλθεν ἄλλος αὖ φυγάς.
Polyneices: It was so; and then there came yet another exile.
§418τίς οὗτος;
Jocasta: Who was he?
ὡς ἄρʼ ἄθλιος κἀκεῖνος ἦν.
How wretched he too must have been!
§419Τυδεύς, ὃν Οἰνέως φασὶν ἐκφῦναι πατρός.
Polyneices: Tydeus, whom they say was born of Oeneus as father.
§420τί θηρσὶν ὑμᾶς δῆτʼ Ἄδραστος ᾔκασεν;
Jocasta: Why indeed did Adrastus liken you to beasts?
§421στρωμνῆς ἐς ἀλκὴν οὕνεκʼ ἤλθομεν πέρι.
Polyneices: Because we came to blows over a bed.
§422ἐνταῦθα Ταλαοῦ παῖς συνῆκε θέσφατα;
Jocasta: Was it then that Talaus' son understood the oracle?
§423κἄδωκέ γʼ ἡμῖν δύο δυοῖν νεάνιδας.
Polyneices: And he gave us two, his two daughters.
§424ἆρʼ εὐτυχεῖς οὖν τοῖς γάμοις ἢ δυστυχεῖς;
Jocasta: Are you then fortunate in your marriage, or unfortunate?
§425οὐ μεμπτὸς ἡμῖν ὁ γάμος ἐς τόδʼ ἡμέρας.
Polyneices: Our marriage is not to be blamed by us up to this day.
§426πῶς δʼ ἐξέπεισας δεῦρό σοι σπέσθαι στρατόν;
Jocasta: And how did you persuade an army to follow you here?
Polyneices: Adrastus swore this to his two sons-in-law, to lead both back to their fatherland, but me first.
§430πολλοὶ δὲ Δαναῶν καὶ Μυκηναίων ἄκροι §431πάρεισι, λυπρὰν χάριν, ἀναγκαίαν δʼ, ἐμοὶ §432διδόντες· ἐπὶ γὰρ τὴν ἐμὴν στρατεύομαι §433πόλιν.
And many chiefs of the Danai and Mycenaeans are present, granting a painful but necessary favor to me; for I am marching against my own city.
θεοὺς δʼ ἐπώμοσʼ ὡς ἀκουσίως §434τοῖς φιλτάτοις ἑκοῦσιν ἠράμην δόρυ.
And I swear by the gods that unwillingly against my dearest, who are willing, I raised the spear.
§435ἀλλʼ ἐς σὲ τείνει τῶνδε διάλυσις κακῶν, §436μῆτερ, διαλλάξασαν ὁμογενεῖς φίλους §437παῦσαι πόνων με καὶ σὲ καὶ πᾶσαν πόλιν.
But the resolution of these evils depends on you, mother, by reconciling friends of the same blood, to free me and yourself and the whole city from troubles.
§438πάλαι μὲν οὖν ὑμνηθέν, ἀλλʼ ὅμως ἐρῶ· §439τὰ χρήματʼ ἀνθρώποισι τιμιώτατα, §440δύναμίν τε πλείστην τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἔχει.
Though it has been sung long ago, I will say it nevertheless: wealth is the most precious thing for men, and has the greatest power among human things.
To get this I have come here, leading a countless spear-force; for a poor man, even if noble, is nothing.
§443καὶ μὴν Ἐτεοκλῆς ἐς διαλλαγὰς ὅδε §444χωρεῖ· σὸν ἔργον, μῆτερ Ἰοκάστη, λέγειν §445τοιούσδε μύθους οἷς διαλλάξεις τέκνα.
Chorus: And see, here Eteocles comes for reconciliation; it is your task, mother Jocasta, to speak such words by which you will reconcile your children.
§446μῆτερ, πάρειμι·
Eteocles: Mother, I am here.
τὴν χάριν δὲ σοὶ διδοὺς §447ἦλθον.
Granting this favor to you I came.
τί χρὴ δρᾶν; ἀρχέτω δέ τις λόγου·
What must be done?
§448ὡς ἀμφὶ τείχη καὶ ξυνωρίδας λόχων §449τάσσων ἐπέσχον πόλιν, ὅπως κλύοιμί σου §450κοινὰς βραβείας, αἷς ὑπόσπονδον μολεῖν §451τόνδʼ εἰσεδέξω τειχέων πείσασά με.
Let someone begin the speech; for, having drawn up around the walls the double divisions of companies, I held the city in check, so that I might hear from you the impartial arbitration, under which to come under truce you admitted this man inside the walls, having persuaded me.
§452ἐπίσχες·
Jocasta: Hold!
οὔτοι τὸ ταχὺ τὴν δίκην ἔχει, §453βραδεῖς δὲ μῦθοι πλεῖστον ἀνύουσιν σοφόν.
Haste does not have justice, but slow speeches accomplish the most wisdom.
§454σχάσον δὲ δεινὸν ὄμμα καὶ θυμοῦ πνοάς· §455οὐ γὰρ τὸ λαιμότμητον εἰσορᾷς κάρα §456Γοργόνος, ἀδελφὸν δʼ εἰσορᾷς ἥκοντα σόν.
Relax your fierce look and the breaths of anger; for you are not looking upon the throat-cut head of Gorgo, but you are looking upon your brother who has arrived.
§457σύ τʼ αὖ πρόσωπον πρὸς κασίγνητον στρέφε, §458Πολύνεικες· ἐς γὰρ ταὐτὸν ὄμμασιν βλέπων §459λέξεις τʼ ἄμεινον τοῦδέ τʼ ἐνδέξῃ λόγους.
And you in turn, Polyneices, turn your face toward your brother; for looking with your eyes at the same point, you will speak better and receive his words better.
§460παραινέσαι δὲ σφῷν τι βούλομαι σοφόν· §461ὅταν φίλος τις ἀνδρὶ θυμωθεὶς φίλῳ §462ἐς ἓν συνελθὼν ὄμματʼ ὄμμασιν διδῷ, §463ἐφʼ οἷσιν ἥκει, ταῦτα χρὴ μόνον σκοπεῖν, §464κακῶν δὲ τῶν πρὶν μηδενὸς μνείαν ἔχειν.
And I wish to advise you both something wise: whenever someone, angry with a beloved man, coming together meets eye to eye, on the matters for which he has come, these alone he must consider, and of former evils have no memory.
§465λόγος μὲν οὖν σὸς πρόσθε, Πολύνεικες τέκνον·
So then, your speech is first, Polyneices, my child.