§1284ὅσʼ ἐστὶ πάντων ὀνόματʼ, οὐδέν ἐστʼ ἀπόν.
of all the names of evils that exist, there is not one absent.
§1285νῦν δʼ ἔσθʼ ὁ τλήμων ἐν τίνι σχολῇ κακοῦ;
But now, in what respite from pain is the wretched man?
§1286βοᾷ διοίγειν κλῇθρα καὶ δηλοῦν τινα §1287τοῖς πᾶσι Καδμείοισι τὸν πατροκτόνον, §1288τὸν μητέρʼ—αὐδῶν ἀνόσιʼ οὐδὲ ῥητά μοι, §1290ὡς ἐκ χθονὸς ῥίψων ἑαυτὸν οὐδʼ ἔτι §1291μενῶν δόμοις ἀραῖος, ὡς ἠράσατο.
He shouts for someone to open the bolts and to show to all the Cadmeans the parricide, the mother's—speaking unholy words, not even to be uttered by me, intending to cast himself out of the land, and no longer to remain in the house under the curse, as he cursed.
Yet indeed he needs strength and some guide; for his affliction is greater than he can bear.
§1294δείξει δὲ καὶ σοί· κλῇθρα γὰρ πυλῶν τάδε §1295διοίγεται· θέαμα δʼ εἰσόψει τάχα §1296τοιοῦτον οἷον καὶ στυγοῦντʼ ἐποικτίσαι.
And he will show it to you too; for these bolts of the gates are being opened; and you will soon see a sight such as would move even one who loathes it to pity.
O suffering terrible for men to see, O most terrible of all that I have ever met.
τίς σʼ, ὦ τλῆμον, §1300προσέβη μανία;
What madness, wretched man, has come upon you?
What deity is it that leaped with a leap greater than the longest against your ill-fated destiny?
§1303φεῦ φεῦ, δύστανʼ·
Alas, alas, wretched man!
§1304ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ἐσιδεῖν δύναμαί σε, θέλων §1305πόλλʼ ἀνερέσθαι, πολλὰ πυθέσθαι, §1306πολλὰ δʼ ἀθρῆσαι· §1307τοίαν φρίκην παρέχεις μοι.
But I cannot even look at you, though wishing to ask many things, to learn many things, and to gaze on many things; such a shuddering you cause in me.
Alas, alas, wretched that I am, whither in the earth am I borne, wretched man?
πᾷ μοι §1310φθογγὰ διαπωτᾶται φοράδην;
Whither does my voice fly, scattered on the air?
§1311ἰὼ δαῖμον, ἵνʼ ἐξήλλου.
O deity, whither have you leaped!
§1312ἐς δεινὸν οὐδʼ ἀκουστὸν οὐδʼ ἐπόψιμον.
Into a terrible place, not to be heard of, nor to be looked upon.
O cloud of darkness, my abominable cloud, coming upon me unspeakable, unconquerable and driven by an evil wind.
οἷον εἰσέδυ μʼ ἅμα §1318κέντρων τε τῶνδʼ οἴστρημα καὶ μνήμη κακῶν.
How there has entered into me at once the sting of these goads and the memory of evils.
And it is no wonder that in such great sufferings you mourn double evils and bear double woes.
O friend, you are still my constant attendant; for still you endure caring for me, the blind man.
§1324φεῦ φεῦ.
Alas, alas!
For you do not escape my notice, but I know clearly, though I am in darkness, yet your voice at least.
O doer of dread deeds, how did you dare so to destroy your own eyes?
τίς σʼ ἐπῆρε δαιμόνων;
What deity urged you on?
Apollo it was, Apollo, friends, who brought to pass these my evil, evil sufferings.
§1331ἔπαισε δʼ αὐτόχειρ νιν οὔτις, ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ τλάμων.
But no one struck them with his own hand but I, wretched man.
For why did I need to see, to whom when seeing there was nothing sweet to behold?
§1336ἦν τᾷδʼ ὅπωσπερ καὶ σύ φῄς.
It was even as you say.
What then is there for me to look upon, or to love, or what greeting is there yet left for me to hear with pleasure, friends?
§1340ἀπάγετʼ ἐκτόπιον ὅ τι τάχιστά με, §1341ἀπάγετʼ, ὦ φίλοι, τὸν μέγʼ ὀλέθριον §1342τὸν καταρατότατον, ἔτι δὲ καὶ θεοῖς §1345ἐχθρότατον βροτῶν.
Lead me away out of the land as quickly as possible, lead me away, O friends, the utterly ruined one, the most accursed, and furthermore to the gods the most hated of mortals.
Wretched alike in your mind and in your fortune, how I wish I had never even known you.
§1349ὄλοιθʼ ὅστις ἦν, ὃς ἀγρίας πέδας §1350μονάδʼ ἐπιποδίας ἔλυσʼ μʼ ἀπό τε φόνου §1351ἔρυτο κἀνέσωσεν, οὐδὲν εἰς χάριν πράσσων.
May he perish, whoever he was, who freed me from the cruel shackles on my feet and rescued me from death and saved me, doing me no kindness.
For had I died then, I would not have been so great a grief to my friends or to myself.
§1356θέλοντι κἀμοὶ τοῦτʼ ἂν ἦν.
That would have been my wish too.
Then I would not have come as slayer of my father, nor been called bridegroom by those from whom I was born.
But now I am godless, and a child of unholy parents, and sharing the bed of those from whom I myself was born, wretched man.
And if there is any evil yet worse than evil, that has fallen to the lot of Oedipus.
I know not how I can say that you have counselled well; for you were better off no longer existing than living blind.
That these things have not been done in the best way, do not teach me, nor counsel me any longer.
§1371ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐκ οἶδʼ ὄμμασιν ποίοις βλέπων §1372πατέρα ποτʼ ἂν προσεῖδον εἰς Ἅιδου μολὼν §1373οὐδʼ αὖ τάλαιναν μητέρʼ, οἷν ἐμοὶ δυοῖν §1374ἔργʼ ἐστὶ κρείσσονʼ ἀγχόνης εἰργασμένα.
For I know not with what eyes I could look upon my father when I came to Hades, nor again my wretched mother, against both of whom deeds have been done by me that deserve more than hanging.
But was the sight of children desirable for me to behold, springing up as they did, for me to look upon?
§1377οὐ δῆτα τοῖς γʼ ἐμοῖσιν ὀφθαλμοῖς ποτε·
No indeed, never to my eyes at least.
§1378οὐδʼ ἄστυ γʼ οὐδὲ πύργος οὐδὲ δαιμόνων §1379ἀγάλμαθʼ ἱερά, τῶν ὁ παντλήμων ἐγὼ §1380κάλλιστʼ ἀνὴρ εἷς ἔν γε ταῖς Θήβαις τραφεὶς §1381ἀπεστέρησʼ ἐμαυτόν, αὐτὸς ἐννέπων
Nor city, nor tower, nor of the deities holy images, of which I, the utterly wretched, who was nurtured as the most noble single man in Thebes, deprived myself, by my own command declaring