One generation does not release the next, but some god casts them down, and there is no release.
νῦν γὰρ ἐσχάτας ὑπὲρ §600ῥίζας ὃ τέτατο φάος ἐν Οἰδίπου δόμοις, §601κατʼ αὖ νιν φοινία θεῶν τῶν νερτέρων §602ἀμᾷ κόνις λόγου τʼ ἄνοια καὶ φρενῶν ἐρινύς. §605τεάν, Ζεῦ, δύνασιν τίς ἀνδρῶν ὑπερβασία κατάσχοι; §606τὰν οὔθʼ ὕπνος αἱρεῖ ποθʼ ὁ πάντʼ ἀγρεύων, §607οὔτε θεῶν ἄκματοι μῆνες, ἀγήρῳ δὲ χρόνῳ §610δυνάστας κατέχεις Ὀλύμπου μαρμαρόεσσαν αἴγλαν. §611τό τʼ ἔπειτα καὶ τὸ μέλλον §612καὶ τὸ πρὶν ἐπαρκέσει §613νόμος ὅδʼ, οὐδὲν ἕρπει §614θνατῶν βιότῳ πάμπολύ γʼ ἐκτὸς ἄτας. §615ἁ γὰρ δὴ πολύπλαγκτος ἐλπὶς πολλοῖς μὲν ὄνασις ἀνδρῶν, §616πολλοῖς δʼ ἀπάτα κουφονόων ἐρώτων· §617εἰδότι δʼ οὐδὲν ἕρπει, πρὶν πυρὶ θερμῷ πόδα τις §620προσαύσῃ.
For now, over the last root in the house of Oedipus, the light that was stretched out is now again, by the bloody dust of the gods below, reaped, with folly of speech and a Fury of the mind. Your power, O Zeus, what human transgression could hold back? It, which neither all-capturing sleep ever takes, nor the unwearied months of the gods; but in unaging time, as ruler, you possess the dazzling splendor of Olympus. Now, and in the future, and in the past, this law will prevail: nothing comes into the life of mortals very far free from disaster. For indeed, far-wandering hope is a benefit to many men, but to many, a deception of light-minded desires; it creeps upon one who knows nothing, until he touches his foot against hot fire, unaware.
σοφίᾳ γὰρ ἔκ του κλεινὸν ἔπος πέφανται. §621τὸ κακὸν δοκεῖν ποτʼ ἐσθλὸν §622τῷδʼ ἔμμεν ὅτῳ φρένας §623θεὸς ἄγει πρὸς ἄταν· §625πράσσει δʼ ὀλίγιστον χρόνον ἐκτὸς ἄτας. §626ὅδε μὴν Αἵμων, παίδων τῶν σῶν §627νέατον γέννημʼ· ἆρʼ ἀχνύμενος §628τάλιδος ἥκει μόρον Ἀντιγόνης, §630ἀπάτης λεχέων ὑπεραλγῶν; §631τάχʼ εἰσόμεσθα μάντεων ὑπέρτερον. §632ὦ παῖ, τελείαν ψῆφον ἆρα μὴ κλύων §633τῆς μελλονύμφου πατρὶ λυσσαίνων πάρει; §634ἢ σοὶ μὲν ἡμεῖς πανταχῇ, δρῶντες φίλοι; §635πάτερ, σός εἰμι, καὶ σύ μοι γνώμας ἔχων §636χρηστὰς ἀπορθοῖς, αἷς ἔγωγʼ ἐφέψομαι. §637ἐμοὶ γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἀξιώσεται γάμος §638μείζων φέρεσθαι σοῦ καλῶς ἡγουμένου. §639οὕτω γάρ, ὦ παῖ, χρὴ διὰ στέρνων ἔχειν, §640γνώμης πατρῴας πάντʼ ὄπισθεν ἑστάναι. §641τούτου γὰρ οὕνεκʼ ἄνδρες εὔχονται γονὰς §642κατηκόους φύσαντες ἐν δόμοις ἔχειν, §643ὡς καὶ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἀνταμύνωνται κακοῖς §644καὶ τὸν φίλον τιμῶσιν ἐξ ἴσου πατρί. §645ὅστις δʼ ἀνωφέλητα φιτύει τέκνα, §646τί τόνδʼ ἂν εἴποις ἄλλο πλὴν αὑτῷ πόνους §647φῦσαι, πολὺν δὲ τοῖσιν ἐχθροῖσιν γέλων; §648μή νύν ποτʼ, ὦ παῖ, τὰς φρένας ὑφʼ ἡδονῆς §649γυναικὸς οὕνεκʼ ἐκβάλῃς, εἰδὼς ὅτι §650ψυχρὸν παραγκάλισμα τοῦτο γίγνεται, §651γυνὴ κακὴ ξύνευνος ἐν δόμοις.
For in wisdom, a famous saying has been revealed by someone: "Evil seems at some time to be good to him whose mind a god leads to disaster." And he fares but the briefest time free from disaster. Here indeed is Haemon, of your children the youngest offspring; does he come grieving for the fate of his betrothed Antigone, deeply pained by the deception of his marriage? We shall soon know, better than prophets. My son, surely you have not heard the final decree concerning your future bride and come raging at your father? Or are we, whatever we do, dear to you? Father, I am yours, and you, possessing good judgments for me, direct me rightly, and I shall follow them. For to me, no marriage will be deemed of greater value than your good guidance. Yes, my son, it is necessary to hold this in your breast, to stand in all things behind your father's judgment. For this is why men pray to have obedient offspring born to them in their houses: so that they may requite their enemy with evils and honor their friend equally with their father. But he who begets useless children, what would you say he has begotten other than troubles for himself, and much laughter for his enemies? Do not then ever, my son, cast out your reason for the sake of pleasure because of a woman, knowing that this becomes a cold embrace: an evil woman as a bedfellow in the house.
τί γὰρ §652γένοιτʼ ἂν ἕλκος μεῖζον ἢ φίλος κακός; §653ἀλλὰ πτύσας ὡσεί τε δυσμενῆ μέθες §654τὴν παῖδʼ ἐν Ἅιδου τήνδε νυμφεύειν τινί. §655ἐπεὶ γὰρ αὐτὴν εἷλον ἐμφανῶς ἐγὼ §656πόλεως ἀπιστήσασαν ἐκ πάσης μόνην, §657ψευδῆ γʼ ἐμαυτὸν οὐ καταστήσω πόλει, §658ἀλλὰ κτενῶ.
For what wound could be greater than an evil loved one? But spit her out like an enemy, let this girl marry someone in Hades. For since I caught her openly, alone out of the whole city, being disobedient, I will not make myself a liar to the city, but I will kill her.
πρὸς ταῦτʼ ἐφυμνείτω Δία §659ξύναιμον.
Therefore, let her sing hymns to Zeus of kindred blood.
εἰ γὰρ δὴ τά γʼ ἐγγενῆ φύσει §660ἄκοσμα θρέψω, κάρτα τοὺς ἔξω γένους §661ἐν τοῖς γὰρ οἰκείοισιν ὅστις ἔστʼ ἀνὴρ §662χρηστός, φανεῖται κἀν πόλει δίκαιος ὤν. §663ὅστις δʼ ὑπερβὰς ἢ νόμους βιάζεται §664ἢ τοὐπιτάσσειν τοῖς κρατύνουσιν νοεῖ, §665οὐκ ἔστʼ ἐπαίνου τοῦτον ἐξ ἐμοῦ τυχεῖν. §666ἀλλʼ ὃν πόλις στήσειε τοῦδε χρὴ κλύειν §667καὶ σμικρὰ καὶ δίκαια καὶ τἀναντία. §668καὶ τοῦτον ἂν τὸν ἄνδρα θαρσοίην ἐγὼ §669καλῶς μὲν ἄρχειν, εὖ δʼ ἂν ἄρχεσθαι θέλειν, §670δορός τʼ ἂν ἐν χειμῶνι προστεταγμένον §671μένειν δίκαιον κἀγαθὸν παραστάτην. §672ἀναρχίας δὲ μεῖζον οὐκ ἔστιν κακόν. §673αὕτη πόλεις ὄλλυσιν, ἥδʼ ἀναστάτους §674οἴκους τίθησιν, ἥδε συμμάχου δορὸς §675τροπὰς καταρρήγνυσι·
For if I nurture those of my own blood in disorder, I shall surely do so to those outside my house. For the man who is honest in his household affairs will also be shown to be just in the city. But he who transgresses and violates the laws or thinks to give commands to the rulers, cannot obtain praise from me. But whomsoever the city may establish, him must one obey in small things, in just things, and in their opposites. And I would be confident that this man would rule well, and would be willing to be ruled well, and in the storm of the spear would remain where stationed, a just and brave comrade-in-arms. But there is no greater evil than anarchy. This destroys cities, this makes houses desolate, this breaks the ranks of allied spears into defeat.
τῶν δʼ ὀρθουμένων §676σῴζει τὰ πολλὰ σώμαθʼ ἡ πειθαρχία. §677οὕτως ἀμυντέʼ ἐστὶ τοῖς κοσμουμένοις, §678κοὔτοι γυναικὸς οὐδαμῶς ἡσσητέα. §679κρεῖσσον γάρ, εἴπερ δεῖ, πρὸς ἀνδρὸς ἐκπεσεῖν, §680κοὐκ ἂν γυναικῶν ἥσσονες καλοίμεθʼ ἄν. §681ἡμῖν μέν, εἰ μὴ τῷ χρόνῳ κεκλέμμεθα, §682λέγειν φρονούντως ὧν λέγεις δοκεῖς πέρι. §683πάτερ, θεοὶ φύουσιν ἀνθρώποις φρένας, §684πάντων ὅσʼ ἐστὶ κτημάτων ὑπέρτατον. §685ἐγὼ δʼ ὅπως σὺ μὴ λέγεις ὀρθῶς τάδε, §686οὔτʼ ἂν δυναίμην μήτʼ ἐπισταίμην λέγειν.
But for those who stand upright, obedience saves the majority of their lives. Therefore, we must defend the established order, and we must by no means be defeated by a woman. For it is better, if we must, to fall before a man, and we would not be called inferior to women. To us, unless we have been deceived by time, you seem to speak wisely about what you say. Father, the gods implant reason in men, which is the highest of all possessions. But how you do not speak these things rightly, I could not say, nor would I know how to say.