§466σὺ γὰρ στράτευμα Δαναϊδῶν ἥκεις ἄγων, §467ἄδικα πεπονθώς, ὡς σὺ φῄς· κριτὴς δέ τις §468θεῶν γένοιτο καὶ διαλλακτὴς κακῶν.
Jocasta: For you have come leading the army of the Danaids, having suffered injustice, as you say; and may some judge of the gods become the arbitrator of these evils.
§469ἁπλοῦς ὁ μῦθος τῆς ἀληθείας ἔφυ, §470κοὐ ποικίλων δεῖ τἄνδιχʼ ἑρμηνευμάτων· §471ἔχει γὰρ αὐτὰ καιρόν·
Polyneices: The speech of truth is simple by nature, and just claims do not need complex interpretations; for they have their own fitness.
ὁ δʼ ἄδικος λόγος §472νοσῶν ἐν αὑτῷ φαρμάκων δεῖται σοφῶν.
But the unjust speech, being sick in itself, needs clever remedies.
§473ἐγὼ δὲ πατρὸς δωμάτων προυσκεψάμην §474τοὐμόν τε καὶ τοῦδʼ, ἐκφυγεῖν χρῄζων ἀρὰς §475ἃς Οἰδίπους ἐφθέγξατʼ εἰς ἡμᾶς ποτε, §476ἐξῆλθον ἔξω τῆσδʼ ἑκὼν αὐτὸς χθονός, §477δοὺς τῷδʼ ἀνάσσειν πατρίδος ἐνιαυτοῦ κύκλον, §478ὥστʼ αὐτὸς ἄρχειν αὖθις ἀνὰ μέρος λαβὼν §479καὶ μὴ διʼ ἔχθρας τῷδε καὶ φθόνου μολὼν §480κακόν τι δρᾶσαι καὶ παθεῖν, ἃ γίγνεται.
And I, taking thought beforehand for my father's house, both mine and his, wishing to escape the curses which Oedipus once uttered against us, departed out of this land of my own free will, giving to him to rule the fatherland for a year's cycle, on condition that I myself should rule in turn, taking my part, and not, coming into hatred and envy with him, to do or suffer some evil, as usually happens.
§481ὃ δʼ αἰνέσας ταῦθʼ ὁρκίους τε δοὺς θεούς, §482ἔδρασεν οὐδὲν ὧν ὑπέσχετʼ, ἀλλʼ ἔχει §483τυραννίδʼ αὐτὸς καὶ δόμων ἐμῶν μέρος.
But he, having agreed to this and having given gods as witnesses under oath, did nothing of what he promised, but holds the tyranny himself and my share of the house.
§484καὶ νῦν ἕτοιμός εἰμι τἀμαυτοῦ λαβὼν §485στρατὸν μὲν ἔξω τῆσδʼ ἀποστεῖλαι χθονός, §486οἰκεῖν δὲ τὸν ἐμὸν οἶκον ἀνὰ μέρος λαβὼν §487καὶ τῷδʼ ἀφεῖναι τὸν ἴσον αὖθις αὖ χρόνον, §488καὶ μήτε πορθεῖν πατρίδα μήτε προσφέρειν §489πύργοισι πηκτῶν κλιμάκων προσαμβάσεις, §490ἃ μὴ κυρήσας τῆς δίκης πειράσομαι §491δρᾶν.
And now I am ready, having received my own, to send the army out of this land, and to inhabit my own house, taking my part, and to yield to him in turn an equal time, and neither to ravage the fatherland nor to apply to the towers the scaling-steps of joined ladders, which things, if I do not obtain justice, I will try to do.
μάρτυρας δὲ τῶνδε δαίμονας καλῶ, §492ὡς πάντα πράσσων σὺν δίκῃ, δίκης ἄτερ §493ἀποστεροῦμαι πατρίδος ἀνοσιώτατα.
And I call the divinities as witnesses of these things, that acting in all things with justice, without justice I am deprived of my fatherland most impiously.
§494ταῦτʼ αὔθʼ ἕκαστα, μῆτερ, οὐχὶ περιπλοκὰς §495λόγων ἀθροίσας εἶπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σοφοῖς §496καὶ τοῖσι φαύλοις ἔνδιχʼ, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ.
These very details, mother, not having gathered twists of words, I have spoken, but to both the wise and to the common people they are just, as it seems to me.
Chorus: To me indeed, even if we were not brought up in the land of the Greeks, yet nevertheless you seem to me to speak wisely.
§499εἰ πᾶσι ταὐτὸν καλὸν ἔφυ σοφόν θʼ ἅμα, §500οὐκ ἦν ἂν ἀμφίλεκτος ἀνθρώποις ἔρις· §501νῦν δʼ οὔθʼ ὅμοιον οὐδὲν οὔτʼ ἴσον βροτοῖς, §502πλὴν ὀνόμασαι· τὸ δʼ ἔργον οὐκ ἔστιν τόδε.
Eteocles: If the same thing were beautiful and wise to all alike, there would be no disputable strife among men; but now nothing is either like or equal to mortals, except in name; but in reality this is not so.
§503ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐδέν, μῆτερ, ἀποκρύψας ἐρῶ· §504ἄστρων ἂν ἔλθοιμʼ ἡλίου πρὸς ἀντολὰς §505καὶ γῆς ἔνερθεν, δυνατὸς ὢν δρᾶσαι τάδε, §506τὴν θεῶν μεγίστην ὥστʼ ἔχειν Τυραννίδα.
For I, mother, hiding nothing, will speak: I would go to the rising of the stars and the sun and below the earth, if I were able to do these things, so that I might hold Tyranny, the greatest of the gods.
§507τοῦτʼ οὖν τὸ χρηστόν, μῆτερ, οὐχὶ βούλομαι §508ἄλλῳ παρεῖναι μᾶλλον ἢ σῴζειν ἐμοί· §509ἀνανδρία γάρ, τὸ πλέον ὅστις ἀπολέσας §510τοὔλασσον ἔλαβε.
Therefore, mother, this good thing I do not wish to yield to another rather than preserve for myself; for it is unmanliness, whoever having lost the greater received the less.
πρὸς δὲ τοῖσδʼ αἰσχύνομαι, §511ἐλθόντα σὺν ὅπλοις τόνδε καὶ πορθοῦντα γῆν §512τυχεῖν ἃ χρῄζει· ταῖς γὰρ ἂν Θήβαις τόδε §513γένοιτʼ ὄνειδος, εἰ Μυκηναίου δορὸς §514φόβῳ παρείην σκῆπτρα τἀμὰ τῷδʼ ἔχειν.
And in addition to these things, I am ashamed that this man, having come with arms and ravaging the land, should obtain what he desires; for to Thebes this would be a disgrace, if through fear of Mycenaean spear I should yield my scepter for him to hold.
§515χρῆν δʼ αὐτὸν οὐχ ὅπλοισι τὰς διαλλαγάς, §516μῆτερ, ποιεῖσθαι· πᾶν γὰρ ἐξαιρεῖ λόγος §517ὃ καὶ σίδηρος πολεμίων δράσειεν ἄν.
And he ought to make reconciliation, not with arms, mother; for speech accomplishes everything which even the iron of enemies might do.
But, if indeed he wishes to dwell in this land otherwise, it is permitted; but that other thing I will not willingly let go.
§520ἄρχειν παρόν μοι, τῷδε δουλεύσω ποτέ;
When it is possible for me to rule, shall I ever serve this man?
§521πρὸς ταῦτʼ ἴτω μὲν πῦρ, ἴτω δὲ φάσγανα, §522ζεύγνυσθε δʼ ἵππους, πεδία πίμπλαθʼ ἁρμάτων, §523ὡς οὐ παρήσω τῷδʼ ἐμὴν τυραννίδα.
To this end, let fire come, let swords come, yoke the horses, fill the plains with chariots, for I will not yield my tyranny to him.
For if indeed one must do injustice, for the sake of tyranny it is most noble to do injustice, but in other things one must be pious.
Chorus: One should not speak well except upon noble deeds; for this is not noble, but bitter to justice.
§528ὦ τέκνον, οὐχ ἅπαντα τῷ γήρᾳ κακά, §529Ἐτεόκλεες, πρόσεστιν· ἀλλʼ ἡμπειρία §530ἔχει τι λέξαι τῶν νέων σοφώτερον.
Jocasta: Oh child, not all evils, Eteocles, belong to old age; but experience has something to say wiser than the young.
Why do you strive after Ambition, the worst of divinities, child?
μὴ σύ γʼ· ἄδικος ἡ θεός· §533πολλοὺς δʼ ἐς οἴκους καὶ πόλεις εὐδαίμονας §534ἐσῆλθε κἀξῆλθʼ ἐπʼ ὀλέθρῳ τῶν χρωμένων· §535ἐφʼ ᾗ σὺ μαίνῃ.
Do not do so; she is an unjust goddess; into many prosperous houses and cities she has entered and departed, to the ruin of those who use her; after whom you rave.
κεῖνο κάλλιον, τέκνον, §536Ἰσότητα τιμᾶν, ἣ φίλους ἀεὶ φίλοις §537πόλεις τε πόλεσι συμμάχους τε συμμάχοις §538συνδεῖ· τὸ γὰρ ἴσον μόνιμον ἀνθρώποις ἔφυ, §539τῷ πλέονι δʼ αἰεὶ πολέμιον καθίσταται §540τοὔλασσον ἐχθρᾶς θʼ ἡμέρας κατάρχεται.
That other is nobler, child, to honor Equality, who always binds friends to friends, and cities to cities and allies to allies; for that which is equal is stable for men, but to the greater there is always set as hostile the less, and it begins the day of hatred.