§1125ποίμναις τὰ πλεῖστα τοῦ βίου συνειπόμην. §1126χώροις μάλιστα πρὸς τίσι ξύναυλος ὤν; §1127ἦν μὲν Κιθαιρών, ἦν δὲ πρόσχωρος τόπος. §1128τὸν ἄνδρα τόνδʼ οὖν οἶσθα τῇδέ που μαθών; §1129τί χρῆμα δρῶντα;
"For the most part of my life, I followed flocks." "Dwelling mostly in what regions?" "It was Cithaeron, and the neighboring region." "Do you know this man here, perhaps having learned of him there?" "Doing what?
ποῖον ἄνδρα καὶ λέγεις; §1130τόνδʼ ὃς πάρεστιν· ἢ ξυναλλάξας τί πω; §1131οὐχ ὥστε γʼ εἰπεῖν ἐν τάχει μνήμης ἄπο. §1132κοὐδέν γε θαῦμα, δέσποτʼ·
What kind of man do you mean?" "This one who is present; or having had any dealings with him?" "Not so as to speak quickly from memory." "And no wonder, master; but I clearly will remind him who does not know.
ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ σαφῶς §1133ἀγνῶτʼ ἀναμνήσω νιν. εὖ γὰρ οἶδʼ ὅτι §1134κάτοιδεν, ἦμος τῷ Κιθαιρῶνος τόπῳ, §1135ὁ μὲν διπλοῖσι ποιμνίοις, ἐγὼ δʼ ἑνί, §1136ἐπλησίαζον τῷδε τἀνδρὶ τρεῖς ὅλους §1137ἐξ ἦρος εἰς ἀρκτοῦρον ἑκμήνους χρόνους· §1138χειμῶνα δʼ ἤδη τἀμά τʼ εἰς ἔπαυλʼ ἐγὼ §1139ἤλαυνον οὗτός τʼ εἰς τὰ Λαΐου σταθμά.
For I know well that he knows, when in the region of Cithaeron, he with double flocks, and I with one, I associated with this man for three whole periods of six months, from spring to Arcturus; and for winter I would drive my flocks to my folds, and he to the stables of Laius.
§1140λέγω τι τούτων ἢ οὐ λέγω πεπραγμένον; §1141λέγεις ἀληθῆ, καίπερ ἐκ μακροῦ χρόνου. §1142φέρʼ εἰπὲ νῦν, τότʼ οἶσθα παῖδά μοί τινα §1143δούς, ὡς ἐμαυτῷ θρέμμα θρεψαίμην ἐγώ; §1144τί δʼ ἔστι;
Am I saying something that happened, or am I not?" "You speak the truth, though from a long time ago." "Come, tell me now, do you know that you then gave me a child, so that I might rear it for myself as my own foster child?" "What is it?
To what purpose do you ask this question?" "This man, my good sir, is that very one who was then young." "Go to destruction!
οὐ σιωπήσας ἔσει; §1147ἆ, μὴ κόλαζε, πρέσβυ, τόνδʼ, ἐπεὶ τὰ σὰ §1148δεῖται κολαστοῦ μᾶλλον ἢ τὰ τοῦδʼ ἔπη. §1149τί δʼ, ὦ φέριστε δεσποτῶν, ἁμαρτάνω; §1150οὐκ ἐννέπων τὸν παῖδʼ ὃν οὗτος ἱστορεῖ. §1151λέγει γὰρ εἰδὼς οὐδέν, ἀλλʼ ἄλλως πονεῖ. §1152σὺ πρὸς χάριν μὲν οὐκ ἐρεῖς, κλαίων δʼ ἐρεῖς. §1153μὴ δῆτα, πρὸς θεῶν, τὸν γέροντά μʼ αἰκίσῃ. §1154οὐχ ὡς τάχος τις τοῦδʼ ἀποστρέψει χέρας; §1155δύστηνος, ἀντὶ τοῦ;
Will you not keep silent?" "Ah, do not punish him, old man, since your words need punishment more than his." "In what, O best of masters, do I err?" "By not speaking of the child whom this man asks about." "For he speaks knowing nothing, but labors in vain." "You will not speak to please, but you shall speak weeping." "Do not, by the gods, abuse an old man like me." "Will someone not twist back this man's hands as quickly as possible?" "Wretched me, for what?
τί προσχρῄζων μαθεῖν; §1156τὸν παῖδʼ ἔδωκας τῷδʼ ὃν οὗτος ἱστορεῖ; §1157ἔδωκʼ· ὀλέσθαι δʼ ὤφελον τῇδʼ ἡμέρᾳ. §1158ἀλλʼ εἰς τόδʼ ἥξεις μὴ λέγων γε τοὔνδικον. §1159πολλῷ γε μᾶλλον, ἢν φράσω, διόλλυμαι. §1160ἁνὴρ ὅδʼ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἐς τριβὰς ἐλᾷ. §1161οὐ δῆτʼ ἔγωγʼ, ἀλλʼ εἶπον, ὡς δοίην, πάλαι.
What do you wish to learn?" "Did you give the child to this man, whom he asks about?" "I gave it; would that I had perished on that day." "But you will come to this, if you do not speak the truth." "Much more do I perish, if I tell it." "This man, as it seems, is driving at delays." "No indeed, I said long ago that I gave him." "Having received him from where?
§1162πόθεν λαβών; οἰκεῖον ἢ ʼξ ἄλλου τινός; §1163ἐμὸν μὲν οὐκ ἔγωγʼ, ἐδεξάμην δέ του. §1164τίνος πολιτῶν τῶνδε κἀκ ποίας στέγης; §1165μὴ πρὸς θεῶν, μή, δέσποθʼ, ἱστόρει πλέον. §1166ὄλωλας, εἴ σε ταῦτʼ ἐρήσομαι πάλιν. §1167τῶν Λαΐου τοίνυν τις ἦν γεννημάτων. §1168ἦ δοῦλος ἢ κείνου τις ἐγγενὴς γεγώς; §1169οἴμοι, πρὸς αὐτῷ γʼ εἰμὶ τῷ δεινῷ λέγειν. §1170κἄγωγʼ ἀκούειν· ἀλλʼ ὅμως ἀκουστέον. §1171κείνου γέ τοι δὴ παῖς ἐκλῄζεθʼ· ἡ δʼ ἔσω §1172κάλλιστʼ ἂν εἴποι σὴ γυνὴ τάδʼ ὡς ἔχει. §1173ἦ γὰρ δίδωσιν ἥδε σοι; §1173aμάλιστʼ, ἄναξ. §1174ὡς πρὸς τί χρείας; §1174aὡς ἀναλώσαιμί νιν. §1175τεκοῦσα τλήμων; §1175aθεσφάτων γʼ ὄκνῳ κακῶν. §1176ποίων; §1176aκτενεῖν νιν τοὺς τεκόντας ἦν λόγος. §1177πῶς δῆτʼ ἀφῆκας τῷ γέροντι τῷδε σύ; §1178κατοικτίσας, ὦ δέσποθʼ, ὡς ἄλλην χθόνα §1179δοκῶν ἀποίσειν, αὐτὸς ἔνθεν ἦν· ὁ δὲ §1180κάκʼ εἰς μέγιστʼ ἔσωσεν.
Was he your own, or from someone else?" "Not mine, but I received him from someone." "From which of these citizens, and from what house?" "By the gods, do not, master, ask more." "You are dead if I ask you this again." "Then he was one of the children of the house of Laius." "A slave, or one born of his own family?" "Alas, I am at the very brink of saying the terrible thing." "And I of hearing it; but nonetheless, it must be heard." "He was indeed called that man's child; but your wife inside could best say how these things are." "For did she give him to you?" "Yes, indeed, lord." "For what purpose?" "That I might destroy him." "His mother, wretched woman?" "Through fear of evil oracles." "What kind?" "The report was that he would kill his parents." "How then did you give him up to this old man?" "Out of pity, master, thinking he would carry him away to another land, from where he himself was; but he saved him for the greatest evils.
εἰ γὰρ οὗτος εἶ §1181ὅν φησιν οὗτος, ἴσθι δύσποτμος γεγώς.
For if you are who this man says, know that you were born ill-fated." "Alas, alas!
§1182ἰοὺ ἰού· τὰ πάντʼ ἂν ἐξήκοι σαφῆ.
All must have come out clear.
§1183ὦ φῶς, τελευταῖόν σε προσβλέψαιμι νῦν, §1184ὅστις πέφασμαι φύς τʼ ἀφʼ ὧν οὐ χρῆν, ξὺν οἷς τʼ §1185οὐ χρῆν ὁμιλῶν, οὕς τέ μʼ οὐκ ἔδει κτανών. §1186ἰὼ γενεαὶ βροτῶν, §1187ὡς ὑμᾶς ἴσα καὶ τὸ μηδὲν ζώσας ἐναριθμῶ.
O light, may I look upon you now for the last time, I who have been shown to be born from those I should not, and consorting with those I should not, and having killed those I ought not!" "Alas, generations of mortals, how I count your lives as equal to nothing!
§1188τίς γάρ, τίς ἀνὴρ πλέον §1190τᾶς εὐδαιμονίας φέρει §1191ἢ τοσοῦτον ὅσον δοκεῖν §1192καὶ δόξαντʼ ἀποκλῖναι;
For who, what man wins more of happiness than just enough to seem, and having seemed, to decline?
§1193τὸν σόν τοι παράδειγμʼ ἔχων, §1194τὸν σὸν δαίμονα, τὸν σόν, ὦ τλᾶμον Οἰδιπόδα, βροτῶν §1195οὐδὲν μακαρίζω·
Having your example, your fate, yours, O wretched Oedipus, I call no mortal happy.
§1196ὅστις καθʼ ὑπερβολὰν §1197τοξεύσας ἐκράτησε τοῦ πάντʼ εὐδαίμονος ὄλβου, §1198ὦ Ζεῦ, κατὰ μὲν φθίσας §1199τὰν γαμψώνυχα παρθένον §1200χρησμῳδόν, θανάτων δʼ ἐμᾷ
Who, having shot with utmost aim, won all-prospering wealth, O Zeus, having destroyed the crook-taloned, oracle-singing maiden, and stood as a tower against deaths for my land."