§181κάκιστος εἶναι νῦν τε καὶ πάλαι δοκεῖ· §182καὶ μεῖζον ὅστις ἀντὶ τῆς αὑτοῦ πάτρας §183φίλον νομίζει, τοῦτον οὐδαμοῦ λέγω. §184ἐγὼ γάρ, ἴστω Ζεὺς ὁ πάνθʼ ὁρῶν ἀεί, §185οὔτʼ ἂν σιωπήσαιμι τὴν ἄτην ὁρῶν §186στείχουσαν ἀστοῖς ἀντὶ τῆς σωτηρίας, §187οὔτʼ ἂν φίλον ποτʼ ἄνδρα δυσμενῆ χθονὸς §188θείμην ἐμαυτῷ, τοῦτο γιγνώσκων ὅτι §189ἥδʼ ἐστὶν ἡ σῴζουσα καὶ ταύτης ἔπι §190πλέοντες ὀρθῆς τοὺς φίλους ποιούμεθα. §191τοιοῖσδʼ ἐγὼ νόμοισι τήνδʼ αὔξω πόλιν, §192καὶ νῦν ἀδελφὰ τῶνδε κηρύξας ἔχω §193ἀστοῖσι παίδων τῶν ἀπʼ Οἰδίπου πέρι· §194Ἐτεοκλέα μέν, ὃς πόλεως ὑπερμαχῶν §195ὄλωλε τῆσδε, πάντʼ ἀριστεύσας δόρει, §196τάφῳ τε κρύψαι καὶ τὰ πάντʼ ἀφαγνίσαι §197ἃ τοῖς ἀρίστοις ἔρχεται κάτω νεκροῖς. §198τὸν δʼ αὖ ξύναιμον τοῦδε, Πολυνείκη λέγω, §199ὃς γῆν πατρῴαν καὶ θεοὺς τοὺς ἐγγενεῖς §200φυγὰς κατελθὼν ἠθέλησε μὲν πυρὶ §201πρῆσαι κατʼ ἄκρας, ἠθέλησε δʼ αἵματος §202κοινοῦ πάσασθαι, τοὺς δὲ δουλώσας ἄγειν, §203τοῦτον πόλει τῇδʼ ἐκκεκήρυκται τάφῳ §204μήτε κτερίζειν μήτε κωκῦσαί τινα, §205ἐᾶν δʼ ἄθαπτον καὶ πρὸς οἰωνῶν δέμας §206καὶ πρὸς κυνῶν ἐδεστὸν αἰκισθέν τʼ ἰδεῖν. §207τοιόνδʼ ἐμὸν φρόνημα, κοὔποτʼ ἔκ γʼ ἐμοῦ §208τιμὴν προέξουσʼ οἱ κακοὶ τῶν ἐνδίκων· §209ἀλλʼ ὅστις εὔνους τῇδε τῇ πόλει, θανὼν §210καὶ ζῶν ὁμοίως ἐξ ἐμοῦ τιμήσεται. §211σοὶ ταῦτʼ ἀρέσκει, παῖ Μενοικέως Κρέον, §212τὸν τῇδε δύσνουν κἀς τὸν εὐμενῆ πόλει· §213νόμῳ δὲ χρῆσθαι παντί που πάρεστί σοι §214καὶ τῶν θανόντων χὠπόσοι ζῶμεν πέρι. §215ὡς ἂν σκοποὶ νῦν εἶτε τῶν εἰρημένων. §216νεωτέρῳ τῳ τοῦτο βαστάζειν πρόθες. §217ἀλλʼ εἴσʼ ἕτοιμοι τοῦ νεκροῦ γʼ ἐπίσκοποι. §218τί δῆτʼ ἂν ἄλλο τοῦτʼ ἐπεντέλλοις ἔτι; §219τὸ μὴ ʼπιχωρεῖν τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσιν τάδε. §220οὔκ ἔστιν οὕτω μῶρος ὃς θανεῖν ἐρᾷ. §221καὶ μὴν ὁ μισθός γʼ, οὗτος· ἀλλʼ ὑπʼ ἐλπίδων §222ἄνδρας τὸ κέρδος πολλάκις διώλεσεν. §223ἄναξ, ἐρῶ μὲν οὐχ ὅπως τάχους ὕπο §224δύσπνους ἱκάνω κοῦφον ἐξάρας πόδα. §225πολλὰς γὰρ ἔσχον φροντίδων ἐπιστάσεις, §226ὁδοῖς κυκλῶν ἐμαυτὸν εἰς ἀναστροφήν· §227ψυχὴ γὰρ ηὔδα πολλά μοι μυθουμένη· §228τάλας, τί χωρεῖς οἷ μολὼν δώσεις δίκην; §229τλήμων, μενεῖς αὖ;
"...seems to me to be the worst of men, both now and in the past. And whoever considers a friend more important than his own fatherland, him I reckon as nothing. For I—may Zeus who always sees all things be my witness— would neither keep silent if I saw ruin advancing upon the citizens instead of safety, nor would I ever make a man who is hostile to the land a friend to myself, knowing this, that this fatherland is she that saves us, and sailing upon her while she is upright, we make our friends. With such laws I make this city great, and now I have made a proclamation akin to these to the citizens concerning the children of Oedipus: Eteocles indeed, who died fighting for this city, having proved himself best in all things with the spear, to hide in a tomb and to consecrate with all those rites which go to the best of the dead below; but his brother, I mean Polyneices, who, returning as an exile, wished to burn to the ground his ancestral land and the gods of his race with fire, and wished to feast on shared blood, and to lead the rest away as slaves, concerning him it has been proclaimed to this city that no one shall honor him with a tomb, nor weep for him, but to leave his body unburied and for birds and dogs to eat, and mangled for all to see. Such is my mind, and never from me shall the wicked hold honor before the righteous. But whoever is well-disposed to this city, in death and in life alike shall be honored by me." "This is your pleasure, Creon, son of Menoeceus, regarding the enemy of this city and the friend; (already integrated in the line above) and you have the power to use any law, both concerning the dead and all of us who live. (already integrated in the line above) "See to it then that you are guardians of what has been spoken." "Lay this burden on some younger man to bear." "Nay, there are already watchers of the corpse ready." "What else then would you still enjoin?" "Not to give way to those who disobey this." "There is no one so foolish as to love to die." "And yet that indeed is the reward; but hope of gain has often destroyed men." "My lord, I will not say that from swiftness I arrive out of breath, having lifted a light foot. For I had many halts of thought, turning myself round on the path to go back; for my soul spoke to me, saying many things: 'Wretch, why do you go where, when you arrive, you will pay the penalty?' 'Fool, will you tarry again?
κεἰ τάδʼ εἴσεται Κρέων §230ἄλλου παρʼ ἀνδρός; πῶς σὺ δῆτʼ οὐκ ἀλγύνει; §231τοιαῦθʼ ἑλίσσων ἤνυτον σχολῇ βραδύς. §232χοὔτως ὁδὸς βραχεῖα γίγνεται μακρά. §233τέλος γε μέντοι δεῦρʼ ἐνίκησεν μολεῖν §234σοί. κεἰ τὸ μηδὲν ἐξερῶ, φράσω δʼ ὅμως· §235τῆς ἐλπίδος γὰρ ἔρχομαι δεδραγμένος, §236τὸ μὴ παθεῖν ἂν ἄλλο πλὴν τὸ μόρσιμον. §237τί δʼ ἐστὶν ἀνθʼ οὗ τήνδʼ ἔχεις ἀθυμίαν; §238φράσαι θέλω σοι πρῶτα τἀμαυτοῦ· τὸ γὰρ §239πρᾶγμʼ οὔτʼ ἔδρασʼ οὔτʼ εἶδον ὅστις ἦν ὁ δρῶν, §240οὐδʼ ἂν δικαίως ἐς κακὸν πέσοιμί τι. §241εὖ γε στοχάζει κἀποφάργνυσαι κύκλῳ §242τὸ πρᾶγμα· δηλοῖς δʼ ὥς τι σημανῶν νέον. §243τὰ δεινὰ γάρ τοι προστίθησʼ ὄκνον πολύν. §244οὔκουν ἐρεῖς ποτʼ, εἶτʼ ἀπαλλαχθεὶς ἄπει; §245καὶ δὴ λέγω σοι.
And if Creon learns this from another man, how then will you not suffer for it?' Turning such thoughts in my mind, I completed my journey slowly and at leisure, and thus a short way becomes long. At last, however, the decision won out to come here to you; and even if I shall speak what is nothing, I will speak nevertheless; for I come clutching onto hope, that I would suffer nothing else except my destiny." "And what is it because of which you have this dejection?" "I want to tell you first about my own part; for the deed I neither did, nor did I see who it was that did it, nor would I justly fall into any harm." "You aim well and fence yourself all around from the matter; and you make it clear that you have some strange news to tell." "Yes, for terrible things bring much hesitation." "Will you not speak at last, and then go, freed?" "Indeed, I tell you.
Someone has just buried the corpse and gone away, and on its skin sprinkled thirsty dust, and performed the proper rites." "What do you say?
Who of men was it that dared this?" "I do not know.
ἐκεῖ γὰρ οὔτε του γενῇδος ἦν §250πλῆγμʼ, οὐ δικέλλης ἐκβολή. στύφλος δὲ γῆ §251καὶ χέρσος, ἀρρὼξ οὐδʼ ἐπημαξευμένη §252τροχοῖσιν, ἀλλʼ ἄσημος οὑργάτης τις ἦν. §253ὅπως δʼ ὁ πρῶτος ἡμὶν ἡμεροσκόπος §254δείκνυσι, πᾶσι θαῦμα δυσχερὲς παρῆν. §255ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἠφάνιστο, τυμβήρης μὲν οὔ, §256λεπτὴ δʼ, ἄγος φεύγοντος ὥς, ἐπῆν κόνις· §257σημεῖα δʼ οὔτε θηρὸς οὔτε του κυνῶν
For there, there was neither stroke of pickaxe, nor throwing up of earth by spade; but the ground was hard and dry, unbroken, and not rutted by wheels, but the doer was trackless. And when the first day-watchman pointed it out to us, a painful wonder was present to all. For he had disappeared, not indeed in a tomb, but a thin dust was upon him, as of one avoiding pollution; and there were signs of neither wild beast nor of any of the dogs..."