§709λέγει δὲ δὴ τί τῶν ἐκεῖ νεώτερον;
Eteocles: And what indeed of the newer events there does he report?
Creon: That they are about to encircle immediately, the Argive army.
§712ἐξοιστέον τἄρʼ ὅπλα Καδμείων πόλει.
Eteocles: Then we must carry out the arms for the city of Cadmeans.
§713ποῖ;
Creon: Whither?
μῶν νεάζων οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἃ χρή σʼ ὁρᾶν;
Being young, do you not see what you ought to see?
§714ἐκτὸς τάφρων τῶνδʼ, ὡς μαχουμένους τάχα.
Eteocles: Outside of these trenches, so as to fight quickly.
§715σμικρὸν τὸ πλῆθος τῆσδε γῆς, οἳ δʼ ἄφθονοι.
Creon: Small is the multitude of this land, but they are abundant.
§716ἐγᾦδα κείνους τοῖς λόγοις ὄντας θρασεῖς.
Eteocles: I know those men are bold only in words.
§717ἔχει τινʼ ὄγκον τἄργος Ἑλλήνων πάρα.
Creon: Argos has some weight among the Greeks.
§718θάρσει· τάχʼ αὐτῶν πεδίον ἐμπλήσω φόνου.
Eteocles: Take heart; soon I shall fill the plain with their slaughter.
§719θέλοιμʼ ἄν· ἀλλὰ τοῦθʼ ὁρῶ πολλοῦ πόνου.
Creon: I would wish so; but I see this is of great labor.
§720ὡς οὐ καθέξω τειχέων ἔσω στρατόν.
Eteocles: Because I will not hold the army inside the walls.
§721καὶ μὴν τὸ νικᾶν ἐστι πᾶν εὐβουλία.
Creon: And yet, victory is entirely good counsel.
§722βούλῃ τράπωμαι δῆθʼ ὁδοὺς ἄλλας τινάς;
Eteocles: Do you wish me indeed to turn to some other ways?
§723πάσας γε, πρὶν κίνδυνον εἰς ἅπαξ μολεῖν.
Creon: All of them indeed, before coming to danger once and for all.
§724εἰ νυκτὸς αὐτοῖς προσβάλοιμεν ἐκ λόχου;
Eteocles: What if we should attack them from ambush by night?
§725εἴπερ σφαλείς γε δεῦρο σωθήσῃ πάλιν.
Creon: If indeed, having failed, you shall be saved back here.
§726ἴσον φέρει νύξ, τοῖς δὲ τολμῶσιν πλέον.
Eteocles: Night brings equal chance, but more to those who dare.
§727ἐνδυστυχῆσαι δεινὸν εὐφρόνης κνέφας.
Creon: It is terrible to meet with misfortune in the darkness of night.
§728ἀλλʼ ἀμφὶ δεῖπνον οὖσι προσβάλω δόρυ;
Eteocles: But what if I attack them with the spear while they are at supper?
§729ἔκπληξις ἂν γένοιτο· νικῆσαι δὲ δεῖ.
Creon: That would cause panic; but we must conquer.
§730βαθύς γέ τοι Διρκαῖος ἀναχωρεῖν πόρος.
Eteocles: Surely the Dircean stream is deep to retreat.
§731ἅπαν κάκιον τοῦ φυλάσσεσθαι καλῶς.
Creon: Everything is worse than guarding oneself well.
§732τί δʼ, εἰ καθιππεύσαιμεν Ἀργείων στρατόν;
Eteocles: What then, if we should charge the Argive army with cavalry?
§733κἀκεῖ πέφρακται λαὸς ἅρμασιν πέριξ.
Creon: There too the host is fenced around with chariots.
§734τί δῆτα δράσω;
Eteocles: What then shall I do?
πολεμίοισι δῶ πόλιν;
Shall I give the city to the enemies?
§735μὴ δῆτα· βουλεύου δʼ, ἐπείπερ εἶ σοφός.
Creon: By no means; but take counsel, since you are wise.
§736τίς οὖν πρόνοια γίγνεται σοφωτέρα;
Eteocles: What foresight then is wiser?
Creon: They say there are seven men against them, as I heard— Eteocles: Appointed to do what?
τὸ γὰρ σθένος βραχύ.
For their strength is small.
§739λόχων ἀνάσσειν ἑπτὰ προσκεῖσθαι πύλαις.
Creon: To rule seven divisions, stationed at the gates.
§740τί δῆτα δρῶμεν;
Eteocles: What then shall we do?
ἀπορίαν γὰρ οὐ μενῶ.
For I will not wait in helplessness.
§741ἕπτʼ ἄνδρας αὐτοῖς καὶ σὺ πρὸς πύλαις ἑλοῦ.
Creon: You too choose seven men against them at the gates.
§742λόχων ἀνάσσειν ἢ μονοστόλου δορός;
Eteocles: To lead divisions, or for single-handed spear-combat?
§743λόχων, προκρίνας οἵπερ ἀλκιμώτατοι.
Creon: To lead divisions, choosing those who are most valiant.
§744ξυνῆκʼ· ἀμύνειν τειχέων προσαμβάσεις.
Eteocles: I understand; to defend the approaches of the walls.
§745καὶ ξυστρατήγους γʼ· εἷς δʼ ἀνὴρ οὐ πάνθʼ ὁρᾷ.
Creon: And as fellow-generals; for one man does not see everything.
§746θάρσει προκρίνας ἢ φρενῶν εὐβουλίᾳ;
Eteocles: Taking courage as preference, or by wisdom of mind?
§747ἀμφότερον· ἀπολειφθὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν θάτερον.
Creon: Both; for neither left behind is of any worth.
§748ἔσται τάδʼ· ἐλθὼν ἑπτάπυργον ἐς πόλιν §749τάξω λοχαγοὺς πρὸς πύλαισιν, ὡς λέγεις, §750ἴσους ἴσοισι πολεμίοισιν ἀντιθείς.
Eteocles: These things shall be; going to the seven-towered city I will station captains at the gates, as you say, matching equals against equal enemies.
But to tell the name of each is a great waste of time, while the enemies are sitting under the very walls.
§753ἀλλʼ εἶμʼ, ὅπως ἂν μὴ καταργῶμεν χέρα.
But I will go, so that we may not let our hand be idle.
And may it be mine to meet my brother face to face and, engaged in battle, to slay him with my spear.
§757γάμους δʼ ἀδελφῆς Ἀντιγόνης παιδός τε σοῦ §758Αἵμονος, ἐάν τι τῆς τύχης ἐγὼ σφαλῶ, §759σοὶ χρὴ μέλεσθαι· τὴν δόσιν δʼ ἐχέγγυον §760τὴν πρόσθε ποιῶ νῦν ἐπʼ ἐξόδοις ἐμαῖς.
But the marriage of my sister Antigone and your son Haemon, if I fail in any way of fortune, must be your care; and the pledge made before I now make secure on my departure.
§761μητρὸς δʼ ἀδελφὸς εἶ· τί δεῖ μακρηγορεῖν;
You are my mother's brother; what need is there to speak at length?
§762τρέφʼ ἀξίως νιν σοῦ τε τήν τʼ ἐμὴν χάριν.
Nurture her worthily of yourself and for my sake.
§763πατὴρ δʼ ἐς αὑτὸν ἀμαθίαν ὀφλισκάνει, §764ὄψιν τυφλώσας· οὐκ ἄγαν σφʼ ἐπῄνεσα· §765ἡμᾶς δʼ ἀραῖσιν, ἢν τύχῃ, κατακτενεῖ.
And my father incurs the charge of folly against himself, having blinded his sight; I do not praise him much; and us with curses, if it so happens, he will kill.
§766ἓν δʼ ἐστὶν ἡμῖν ἀργόν, εἴ τι θέσφατον §767οἰωνόμαντις Τειρεσίας ἔχει φράσαι, §768τοῦδʼ ἐκπυθέσθαι ταῦτʼ· ἐγὼ δὲ παῖδα σὸν §769Μενοικέα, σοῦ πατρὸς αὐτεπώνυμον, §770λαβόντα πέμψω δεῦρο Τειρεσίαν, Κρέον· §771σοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἡδὺς ἐς λόγους ἀφίξεται, §772ἐγὼ δὲ τέχνην μαντικὴν ἐμεμψάμην §773ἤδη πρὸς αὐτόν, ὥστε μοι μομφὰς ἔχειν.
But one thing is left underdone for us, if the bird-diviner Teiresias has any oracle to declare, to inquire this of him; and I will send your son Menoeceus, named after your father, to bring Teiresias here, Creon; for to you he will come pleasantly into discourse, but I have blamed his prophetic art before him, so that he has grievances against me.
§774πόλει δὲ καὶ σοὶ ταῦτʼ ἐπισκήπτω, Κρέον· §775ἤνπερ κρατήσῃ τἀμά, Πολυνείκους νέκυν §776μήποτε ταφῆναι τῇδε Θηβαίᾳ χθονί, §777θνῄσκειν δὲ τὸν θάψαντα, κἂν φίλων τις ᾖ.
And to the city and to you I charge this, Creon; if my cause should prevail, the corpse of Polyneices never to be buried in this Theban land, and let him who buries him die, even if he be one of his friends.
§779ἐκφέρετε τεύχη πάνοπλά τʼ ἀμφιβλήματα, §780ὡς εἰς ἀγῶνα τὸν προκείμενον δορὸς §781ὁρμώμεθʼ ἤδη ξὺν δίκῃ νικηφόρῳ.
Bring out my armor and all-armed coverings, so that to the proposed contest of the spear we may hasten now with victorious justice.
And to Caution, most useful of the goddesses, we pray to save this city.
Chorus: O Ares, bringer of much labor, why ever with blood and death are you possessed, out of harmony with the festivals of Bromios?
§786οὐκ ἐπὶ καλλιχόροις στεφάνοισι νεάνιδος ὥρας §787βόστρυχον ἀμπετάσας λωτοῦ κατὰ πνεύματα μέλπῃ §788μοῦσαν, ἐν ᾇ χάριτες χοροποιοί, §789ἀλλὰ σὺν ὁπλοφόροις στρατὸν Ἀργείων ἐπιπνεύσας §790αἵματι Θήβας §791κῶμον ἀναυλότατον προχορεύεις.
Not for the beautiful-dancing crowns of youth's season, spreading your locks to the breath of the flute, do you sing a song in which the Graces lead the dance, but with armed men, having breathed upon the host of the Argives for the blood of Thebes, you lead the dance of a most un-fluted revel.