§959χρῆν θεσπιῳδεῖν, ὃς δέδοικεν οὐδένα.
he should have prophesied, who fears no one.
§960Κρέον, τί σιγᾷς γῆρυν ἄφθογγον σχάσας;
Chorus: Creon, why do you keep silent, holding your voice speechless?
§961κἀμοὶ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἧσσον ἔκπληξις πάρα.
For to me as well, consternation is present in no less a degree.
§962τί δʼ ἄν τις εἴποι;
Creon: What could anyone say?
δῆλον οἵ γʼ ἐμοὶ λόγοι.
My words indeed are clear.
For I will never go to this extent of misfortune, so as to offer my slaughtered child to the city.
For to all men life is dear for their children's sake, nor would anyone give his own child to be killed.
§967μή μʼ εὐλογείτω τἀμά τις κτείνων τέκνα.
Let no one praise me by killing my children.
But I myself—for we stand at a ripe season of life— readily offer myself to die as a deliverer of my fatherland.
§970ἀλλʼ εἶα, τέκνον, πρὶν μαθεῖν πᾶσαν πόλιν, §971ἀκόλαστʼ ἐάσας μάντεων θεσπίσματα, §972φεῦγʼ ὡς τάχιστα τῆσδʼ ἀπαλλαχθεὶς χθονός·
But come, child, before the whole city learns of this, leaving aside the unbridled prophecies of the seers, flee as quickly as possible, departing from this land.
§973λέξει γὰρ ἀρχαῖς καὶ στρατηλάταις τάδε, §975κἂν μὲν φθάσωμεν, ἔστι σοι σωτηρία· §976ἢν δʼ ὑστερήσῃς, οἰχόμεσθα, κατθανῇ.
For he will speak these things to the rulers and generals, and if we anticipate him, there is safety for you; but if you are too late, we are ruined, and you will die.
§977ποῖ δῆτα φεύγω;
Menoeceus: Whither indeed do I flee?
τίνα πόλιν;
To what city?
τίνα ξένων;
To which of our guest-friends?
§978ὅπου χθονὸς τῆσδʼ ἐκποδὼν μάλιστʼ ἔσῃ.
Creon: Wherever you will be most out of the way of this land.
§979οὐκοῦν σὲ φράζειν εἰκός, ἐκπονεῖν δʼ ἐμέ.
Menoeceus: Surely then it is proper for you to speak, and for me to carry it out.
Creon: Passing Delphi— Menoeceus: Whither must I go, father?
§981Αἰτωλίδʼ ἐς γῆν.
Creon: To the Etolian land.
§981bἐκ δὲ τῆσδε ποῖ περῶ;
Menoeceus: And from this land, whither shall I cross?
§982Θεσπρωτὸν οὖδας.
Creon: To the Thesprotian soil.
§982bσεμνὰ Δωδώνης βάθρα;
Menoeceus: To the sacred foundations of Dodona?
§983ἔγνως.
Creon: You have understood.
§983bτί δὴ τόδʼ ἔρυμά μοι γενήσεται;
Menoeceus: What defense indeed will this be for me?
§984πόμπιμος ὁ δαίμων.
Creon: The god will guide you.
§984bχρημάτων δὲ τίς πόρος;
Menoeceus: And what provision of money?
§985ἐγὼ πορεύσω χρυσόν.
Creon: I will send gold.
§985bεὖ λέγεις, πάτερ.
Menoeceus: You speak well, father.
§986χώρει νυν· ὡς σὴν πρὸς κασιγνήτην μολών, §987ἧς πρῶτα μαστὸν εἵλκυσʼ, Ἰοκάστην λέγω, §988μητρὸς στερηθεὶς ὀρφανός τʼ ἀποζυγείς — §990ἀλλʼ εἶα, χώρει· μὴ τὸ σὸν κωλυέτω. —
Creon: Go now; as if going to your aunt, whose breast you first drew—I mean Jocasta— since you were deprived of your mother and left an orphan— But come, go; let nothing delay your purpose. — Menoeceus: Women, how well I have removed my father's fear, deceiving him with words, so that I might obtain what I wish; he who would carry me away, depriving the city of its fortune, and consigns me to cowardice.
§991γυναῖκες, ὡς εὖ πατρὸς ἐξεῖλον φόβον, §992κλέψας λόγοισιν, ὥσθʼ ἃ βούλομαι τυχεῖν· §993ὅς μʼ ἐκκομίζει, πόλιν ἀποστερῶν τύχης, §994καὶ δειλίᾳ δίδωσι. καὶ συγγνωστὰ μὲν §995γέροντι, τοὐμὸν δʼ οὐχὶ συγγνώμην ἔχει, §996προδότην γενέσθαι πατρίδος ἥ μʼ ἐγείνατο.
And indeed it is pardonable for an old man, but my own case admits no pardon, to become a traitor to the fatherland that begot me.
So that you may know, I will go and save the city, and I will give my life to die for this land.
§999αἰσχρὸν γάρ· οἱ μὲν θεσφάτων ἐλεύθεροι §1000κοὐκ εἰς ἀνάγκην δαιμόνων ἀφιγμένοι §1001στάντες παρʼ ἀσπίδʼ οὐκ ὀκνήσουσιν θανεῖν, §1002πύργων πάροιθε μαχόμενοι πάτρας ὕπερ· §1003ἐγὼ δέ, πατέρα καὶ κασίγνητον προδοὺς §1004πόλιν τʼ ἐμαυτοῦ, δειλὸς ὣς ἔξω χθονὸς §1005ἄπειμʼ· ὅπου δʼ ἂν ζῶ, κακὸς φανήσομαι.
For it is shameful: while those who are free from seers' words and have not come under the necessity of the gods standing by their shields will not shrink from dying, fighting before the towers for the sake of the fatherland; and I, having betrayed my father and my brother and my own city, like a coward shall go out of the land; and wherever I live, I shall appear base.
§1006μὰ τὸν μετʼ ἄστρων Ζῆνʼ Ἄρη τε φοίνιον, §1007ὃς τοὺς ὑπερτείλαντας ἐκ γαίας ποτὲ §1008Σπαρτοὺς ἄνακτας τῆσδε γῆς ἱδρύσατο.
No, by Zeus who dwells among the stars, and bloody Ares, who once established the Sown-men, who rose from the earth, as the rulers of this land.
§1009ἀλλʼ εἶμι καὶ στὰς ἐξ ἐπάλξεων ἄκρων §1010σφάξας ἐμαυτὸν σηκὸν ἐς μελαμβαθῆ §1011δράκοντος, ἔνθʼ ὁ μάντις ἐξηγήσατο, §1012ἐλευθερώσω γαῖαν· εἴρηται λόγος.
But I will go, and standing upon the topmost battlements, having slaughtered myself over the deep dark cavern of the dragon, where the seer declared, I will free the land; the word is spoken.
And I go, to give to the city no shameful gift of death, and I will rid this land of its disease.
§1015εἰ γὰρ λαβὼν ἕκαστος ὅ τι δύναιτό τις §1016χρηστὸν διέλθοι τοῦτο κἀς κοινὸν φέροι §1017πατρίδι, κακῶν ἂν αἱ πόλεις ἐλασσόνων §1018πειρώμεναι τὸ λοιπὸν εὐτυχοῖεν ἄν.
For if each person, taking whatever good he could, would carry this through and bring it to the common stock for his fatherland, our cities, experiencing fewer evils henceforth, would be prosperous.
§1019ἔβας ἔβας, §1019aὦ πτεροῦσσα, γᾶς λόχευμα §1020νερτέρου τʼ Ἐχίδνας, §1021Καδμείων ἁρπαγά, §1022πολύφθορος πολύστονος §1023μειξοπάρθενος, §1023aδάιον τέρας, §1024φοιτάσι πτεροῖς §1025χαλαῖσί τʼ ὠμοσίτοις· §1026Διρκαίων ἅ ποτʼ ἐκ §1027τόπων νέους πεδαίρουσʼ §1028ἄλυρον ἀμφὶ μοῦσαν §1029ὀλομέναν τʼ Ἐρινὺν §1030ἔφερες ἔφερες ἄχεα πατρίδι §1031φόνια· φόνιος ἐκ θεῶν §1032ὃς τάδʼ ἦν ὁ πράξας.
Chorus: You came, you came, O winged one, offspring of the earth and of underworld Echidna, ravisher of the Cadmeans, bringest of much ruin, much lamentation, half-maiden, a hostile monster, with roving wings and claws that feed on raw flesh; who once from Dirce's places snatching the young men upward, with a lyreless song and a deadly Fury, you brought, you brought bloody sorrows to the fatherland; bloody indeed from the gods was he who brought these things to pass.
§1033ἰάλεμοι δὲ ματέρων, §1034ἰάλεμοι δὲ παρθένων §1035ἐστέναζον οἴκοις· §1036ἰηιήιον βοάν, §1037ἰηιήιον μέλος, §1038ἄλλος ἄλλʼ ἐπωτότυζε §1038aδιαδοχαῖς ἀνὰ πτόλιν.
And the wailing of mothers, and the wailing of maidens, resounded in the houses; a cry of grief, a song of grief, one after another wailed in succession throughout the city.
§1039βροντᾷ δὲ στεναγμὸς §1040ἀχά τʼ ἦν ὅμοιος, §1041ὁπότε πόλεος ἀφανίσειεν §1042ἁ πτεροῦσσα παρθένος τινʼ ἀνδρῶν.
And the groaning was like thunder and echo, whenever the winged maiden snatched away some one of the men from the city.
§1043χρόνῳ δʼ ἔβα §1043aΠυθίαις ἀποστολαῖσιν §1044Οἰδίπους ὁ τλάμων §1045Θηβαίαν τάνδε γᾶν §1046τότʼ ἀσμένοις, πάλιν δʼ ἄχη· §1047ματρὶ γὰρ γάμους §1048δυσγάμους τάλας §1049καλλίνικος ὢν §1049aαἰνιγμάτων συνάπτει, §1050μιαίνει δὲ πτόλιν· §1051διʼ αἱμάτων δʼ ἀμείβει §1052μυσαρὸν εἰς ἀγῶνα §1053καταβαλὼν ἀραῖσι §1054τέκεα μέλεος.
But in time there came, by Pythian missions, the wretched Oedipus to this Theban land, then to their joy, but again to their sorrows; for a marriage with his mother, an ill-fated marriage, the wretched man, though being gloriously victorious over the riddles, joins, and defiles the city; and through blood he passes on, into a loathsome contest, casting down by curses his wretched children.
ἀγάμεθʼ ἀγάμεθʼ, §1055ὃς ἐπὶ θάνατον οἴχεται
We admire, we admire him who goes to his death.