§1ὦ τέκνα, Κάδμου τοῦ πάλαι νέα τροφή, §2τίνας ποθʼ ἕδρας τάσδε μοι θοάζετε §3ἱκτηρίοις κλάδοισιν ἐξεστεμμένοι;
O children, young brood of ancient Cadmus, what are these seats you throng for me, crowned as you are with suppliant branches?
And the city is filled at once with the smoke of incense, and at once with paeans and groans.
§6ἁγὼ δικαιῶν μὴ παρʼ ἀγγέλων, τέκνα, §7ἄλλων ἀκούειν αὐτὸς ὧδʼ ἐλήλυθα, §8ὁ πᾶσι κλεινὸς Οἰδίπους καλούμενος.
These things, children, I deemed it not right to hear from others, from messengers, and so I have come here myself, I, who am called Oedipus, famous to all.
§9ἀλλʼ ὦ γεραιέ, φράζʼ, ἐπεὶ πρέπων ἔφυς §10πρὸ τῶνδε φωνεῖν, τίνι τρόπῳ καθέστατε, §11δείσαντες ἢ στέρξαντες;
But, O old man, speak, since you are by nature suited to speak on behalf of these, in what state do you stand, fearing or desiring?
Since I would be willing to help in every way; for I would be hard-hearted if I did not pity such a suppliant seat.
§14ἀλλʼ ὦ κρατύνων Οἰδίπους χώρας ἐμῆς, §15ὁρᾷς μὲν ἡμᾶς ἡλίκοι προσήμεθα §16βωμοῖσι τοῖς σοῖς· οἱ μὲν οὐδέπω μακρὰν §17πτέσθαι σθένοντες, οἱ δὲ σὺν γήρᾳ βαρεῖς, §18ἱερῆς, ἐγὼ μὲν Ζηνός, οἵδε τʼ ᾐθέων §19λεκτοί· τὸ δʼ ἄλλο φῦλον ἐξεστεμμένον §20ἀγοραῖσι θακεῖ πρός τε Παλλάδος διπλοῖς §21ναοῖς, ἐπʼ Ἰσμηνοῦ τε μαντείᾳ σποδῷ.
But, O Oedipus, ruler of my land, you see us, of what ages we sit at your altars: some not yet strong enough to fly far, others heavy with age, priests, I of Zeus, and these chosen from the unmarried youths; and the rest of the people, crowned with branches, sit in the marketplaces and at the two temples of Pallas, and at the prophetic ashes of Ismenus.
§22πόλις γάρ, ὥσπερ καὐτὸς εἰσορᾷς, ἄγαν §23ἤδη σαλεύει κἀνακουφίσαι κάρα §24βυθῶν ἔτʼ οὐχ οἵα τε φοινίου σάλου, §25φθίνουσα μὲν κάλυξιν ἐγκάρποις χθονός, §26φθίνουσα δʼ ἀγέλαις βουνόμοις τόκοισί τε §27ἀγόνοις γυναικῶν· ἐν δʼ ὁ πυρφόρος θεὸς §28σκήψας ἐλαύνει, λοιμὸς ἔχθιστος, πόλιν, §29ὑφʼ οὗ κενοῦται δῶμα Καδμεῖον, μέλας δʼ §30Ἅιδης στεναγμοῖς καὶ γόοις πλουτίζεται.
For the city, as you yourself see, already tosses too violently and is no longer able to raise its head from the depths of the bloody surge, wasting away in the fruitful buds of the earth, wasting away in the herds of grazing cattle and the sterile births of women; and the fire-bearing god, swooping down, drives the city, a most hateful plague, by whom the house of Cadmus is emptied, and dark Hades is enriched with groans and wailing.
§31θεοῖσι μέν νυν οὐκ ἰσούμενόν σʼ ἐγὼ §32οὐδʼ οἵδε παῖδες ἑζόμεσθʼ ἐφέστιοι, §33ἀνδρῶν δὲ πρῶτον ἔν τε συμφοραῖς βίου §34κρίνοντες ἔν τε δαιμόνων συναλλαγαῖς· §35ὅς γʼ ἐξέλυσας ἄστυ Καδμεῖον μολὼν §36σκληρᾶς ἀοιδοῦ δασμὸν ὃν παρείχομεν, §37καὶ ταῦθʼ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν οὐδὲν ἐξειδὼς πλέον §38οὐδʼ ἐκδιδαχθείς, ἀλλὰ προσθήκῃ θεοῦ §39λέγει νομίζει θʼ ἡμὶν ὀρθῶσαι βίον·
Not because we judge you equal to the gods do I and these children sit at your hearth, but judging you first of men both in the disasters of life and in the interventions of the gods; you who came and freed the city of Cadmus from the tribute we paid to the harsh songstress, and that too knowing nothing more from us nor instructed, but by the assistance of a god you are said and believed to have set our life upright.
§40νῦν τʼ, ὦ κράτιστον πᾶσιν Οἰδίπου κάρα, §41ἱκετεύομέν σε πάντες οἵδε πρόστροποι §42ἀλκήν τινʼ εὑρεῖν ἡμίν, εἴτε του θεῶν §43φήμην ἀκούσας εἴτʼ ἀπʼ ἀνδρὸς οἶσθά του· §44ὡς τοῖσιν ἐμπείροισι καὶ τὰς ξυμφορὰς §45ζώσας ὁρῶ μάλιστα τῶν βουλευμάτων.
And now, O Oedipus, greatest power in all eyes, we all suppliants here beseech you to find some help for us, whether having heard some voice of the gods, or from some man you know it; since for those who are experienced, I see that even the outcomes of their counsels are most alive.
§46ἴθʼ, ὦ βροτῶν ἄριστʼ, ἀνόρθωσον πόλιν, §47ἴθʼ, εὐλαβήθηθʼ· ὡς σὲ νῦν μὲν ἥδε γῆ §48σωτῆρα κλῄζει τῆς πάρος προθυμίας· §49ἀρχῆς δὲ τῆς σῆς μηδαμῶς μεμνώμεθα §50στάντες τʼ ἐς ὀρθὸν καὶ πεσόντες ὕστερον.
Go, O best of mortals, set the city upright, go, be careful; since now this land calls you savior because of your past zeal; and may we by no means remember your reign as having stood upright and then fallen later.
§51ἀλλʼ ἀσφαλείᾳ τήνδʼ ἀνόρθωσον πόλιν· §52ὄρνιθι γὰρ καὶ τὴν τότʼ αἰσίῳ τύχην §53παρέσχες ἡμῖν, καὶ τανῦν ἴσος γενοῦ.
But set this city upright in safety; for with a favorable omen you provided us with that good fortune then, and now be equal to it.
§54ὡς εἴπερ ἄρξεις τῆσδε γῆς, ὥσπερ κρατεῖς, §55ξὺν ἀνδράσιν κάλλιον ἢ κενῆς κρατεῖν· §56ὡς οὐδέν ἐστιν οὔτε πύργος οὔτε ναῦς §57ἔρημος ἀνδρῶν μὴ ξυνοικούντων ἔσω.
For if indeed you will rule this land, just as you hold power, it is better to rule it with men than empty; since nothing is either a tower or a ship empty of men who do not dwell within.
§58ὦ παῖδες οἰκτροί, γνωτὰ κοὐκ ἄγνωτά μοι §59προσήλθεθʼ ἱμείροντες· εὖ γὰρ οἶδʼ ὅτι §60νοσεῖτε πάντες, καὶ νοσοῦντες, ὡς ἐγὼ §61οὐκ ἔστιν ὑμῶν ὅστις ἐξ ἴσου νοσεῖ.
O pitiable children, known and not unknown to me are the desires with which you have come; for I know well that you are all sick, and yet, sick though you are, there is not one of you who is as sick as I.
§62τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὑμῶν ἄλγος εἰς ἕνʼ ἔρχεται §63μόνον καθʼ αὑτὸν κοὐδένʼ ἄλλον, ἡ δʼ ἐμὴ §64ψυχὴ πόλιν τε κἀμὲ καὶ σʼ ὁμοῦ στένει.
For your pain comes to one alone, himself and no other, but my soul groans for the city, for myself, and for you at the same time.
§65ὥστʼ οὐχ ὕπνῳ γʼ εὕδοντά μʼ ἐξεγείρετε, §66ἀλλʼ ἴστε πολλὰ μέν με δακρύσαντα δή, §67πολλὰς δʼ ὁδοὺς ἐλθόντα φροντίδος πλάνοις· §68ἣν δʼ εὖ σκοπῶν ηὕρισκον ἴασιν μόνην, §69ταύτην ἔπραξα· παῖδα γὰρ Μενοικέως §70Κρέοντʼ, ἐμαυτοῦ γαμβρόν, ἐς τὰ Πυθικὰ §71ἔπεμψα Φοίβου δώμαθʼ, ὡς πύθοιθʼ ὅ τι §72δρῶν ἢ τί φωνῶν τήνδε ῥυσαίμην πόλιν.
So you do not wake me as one sleeping in slumber, but know that I have wept many tears, and gone many paths in the wanderings of thought; and the only cure which I found by searching well, this I did: for I sent Creon, son of Menoeceus, my own brother-in-law, to the Pythian dwellings of Phoebus, so that he might learn what I must do or say to save this city.
§73καί μʼ ἦμαρ ἤδη ξυμμετρούμενον χρόνῳ §74λυπεῖ τί πράσσει· τοῦ γὰρ εἰκότος πέρα §75ἄπεστι πλείω τοῦ καθήκοντος χρόνου.
And already the day, measured against the time, pains me as to what he is doing; for beyond expectation he is absent longer than the proper time.
But when he arrives, then I would be base if I did not do all that the god reveals.