to thrust out all, the impious one, shown by the gods to be unholy and of the race of Laius.
Having pointed out such a stain of my own, was I to look upon these people with steady eyes?
§1386ἥκιστά γʼ·
By no means.
ἀλλʼ εἰ τῆς ἀκουούσης ἔτʼ ἦν §1387πηγῆς διʼ ὤτων φραγμός, οὐκ ἂν ἐσχόμην §1388τὸ μὴ ἀποκλῇσαι τοὐμὸν ἄθλιον δέμας, §1389ἵνʼ ἦ τυφλός τε καὶ κλύων μηδέν· τὸ γὰρ §1390τὴν φροντίδʼ ἔξω τῶν κακῶν οἰκεῖν γλυκύ.
Indeed, if there were still a way to block the spring of hearing through the ears, I would not have refrained from shutting up my wretched body, so that I might be both blind and hearing nothing; for to have one's thoughts dwell outside of evils is sweet.
§1391ἰὼ Κιθαιρών, τί μʼ ἐδέχου;
O Cithaeron, why did you welcome me?
Why, having taken me, did you not slay me at once, so that I might never have revealed to men whence I was born?
§1394ὦ Πόλυβε καὶ Κόρινθε καὶ τὰ πάτρια §1395λόγῳ παλαιὰ δώμαθʼ, οἷον ἆρά με §1396κάλλος κακῶν ὕπουλον ἐξεθρέψατε·
O Polybus and Corinth and my ancestral home, ancient in name, what a beauty, festering with evils underneath, you nurtured in me!
§1397νῦν γὰρ κακός τʼ ὢν κἀκ κακῶν εὑρίσκομαι.
For now I am found to be both evil myself and born of evil parents.
§1398ὦ τρεῖς κέλευθοι καὶ κεκρυμμένη νάπη §1399δρυμός τε καὶ στενωπὸς ἐν τριπλαῖς ὁδοῖς, §1400αἳ τοὐμὸν αἷμα τῶν ἐμῶν χειρῶν ἄπο §1401ἐπίετε πατρός, ἆρά μου μέμνησθʼ ἔτι §1402οἷʼ ἔργα δράσας ὑμὶν εἶτα δεῦρʼ ἰὼν §1403ὁποῖʼ ἔπρασσον αὖθις;
O triple ways and hidden valley, and glade, and narrow pass at the three roads, which drank my father's blood from my hands, do you still remember me, what deeds I did in your presence, and then, coming here, what things I did again?
ᾧ γάμοι γάμοι, §1404ἐφύσαθʼ ἡμᾶς, καὶ φυτεύσαντες πάλιν §1405ἀνεῖτε ταὐτοῦ σπέρμα, κἀπεδείξατε §1406πατέρας, ἀδελφούς, παῖδας, αἷμʼ ἐμφύλιον, §1407νύμφας, γυναῖκας μητέρας τε, χὠπόσα §1408αἴσχιστʼ ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἔργα γίγνεται.
O marriage, marriage, you brought me forth, and having begotten me, you again sent up the seed of the same stock, and showed fathers, brothers, children, kindred blood, brides, wives and mothers, and whatever most shameful deeds occur among men.
§1409ἀλλʼ οὐ γὰρ αὐδᾶν ἔσθʼ ἃ μηδὲ δρᾶν καλόν, §1410ὅπως τάχιστα πρὸς θεῶν ἔξω μέ που §1411καλύψατʼ ἢ φονεύσατʼ ἢ θαλάσσιον §1412ἐκρίψατʼ, ἔνθα μήποτʼ εἰσόψεσθʼ ἔτι.
But, since it is not fitting to speak of what is not even noble to do, by the gods, as quickly as possible hide me somewhere outside, or slay me, or cast me into the sea, where you will never look upon me again.
§1413ἴτʼ, ἀξιώσατʼ ἀνδρὸς ἀθλίου θιγεῖν.
Come, deign to touch a wretched man.
Obey, do not fear; for my evils no one of mortals is able to bear except me.
§1416ἀλλʼ ὧν ἐπαιτεῖς εἰς δέον πάρεσθʼ ὅδε §1417Κρέων τὸ πράσσειν καὶ τὸ βουλεύειν, ἐπεὶ §1418χώρας λέλειπται μοῦνος ἀντὶ σοῦ φύλαξ.
But for those things you ask, here is Creon at the right moment to act and to counsel, since he has been left as the sole guardian of the land in your stead.
§1419οἴμοι, τί δῆτα λέξομεν πρὸς τόνδʼ ἔπος;
Ah, what word indeed shall I say to him?
§1420τίς μοι φανεῖται πίστις ἔνδικος;
What just ground of trust will appear on my part?
τὰ γὰρ §1421πάρος πρὸς αὐτὸν πάντʼ ἐφεύρημαι κακός.
For in the past I have been found entirely false toward him.
I have not come as a mocker, Oedipus, nor to reproach you for any of your past evils.
§1424ἀλλʼ εἰ τὰ θνητῶν μὴ καταισχύνεσθʼ ἔτι §1425γένεθλα, τὴν γοῦν πάντα βόσκουσαν φλόγα §1426αἰδεῖσθʼ ἄνακτος Ἡλίου, τοιόνδʼ ἄγος §1427ἀκάλυπτον οὕτω δεικνύναι, τὸ μήτε γῆ §1428μήτʼ ὄμβρος ἱερὸς μήτε φῶς προσδέξεται.
But if you no longer respect the race of mortals, at least revere the all-nourishing flame of lord Helios, and do not show such a pollution thus uncovered, which neither earth nor sacred rain nor light will welcome.
§1429ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστʼ ἐς οἶκον ἐσκομίζετε· §1430τοῖς ἐν γένει γὰρ τἀγγενῆ μάλισθʼ ὁρᾶν §1431μόνοις τʼ ἀκούειν εὐσεβῶς ἔχει κακά.
But conduct him into the house as quickly as possible; for it is most fitting for kindred alone to see and to hear the evils of their kin.
§1432πρὸς θεῶν, ἐπείπερ ἐλπίδος μʼ ἀπέσπασας, §1433ἄριστος ἐλθὼν πρὸς κάκιστον ἄνδρʼ ἐμέ, §1434πιθοῦ τί μοι· πρὸς σοῦ γὰρ οὐδʼ ἐμοῦ φράσω.
By the gods, since you have torn me from my expectation, coming as the noblest man to me, the worst, grant me a request; for I shall speak for your sake, not my own.
§1435καὶ τοῦ με χρείας ὧδε λιπαρεῖς τυχεῖν;
And what is the request you so importunately beg to obtain from me?
Cast me out of this land as quickly as possible, to a place where I shall be addressed by no mortal.
Know well that I would have done this, had I not wished first to learn from the god what must be done.
But his oracle has been made entirely clear: to destroy the parricide, the impious one—me.
So it was said; yet, in the plight where we stand, it is better to learn clearly what must be done.
§1444οὕτως ἄρʼ ἀνδρὸς ἀθλίου πεύσεσθʼ ὕπερ;
Will you then inquire on behalf of a man so wretched?
§1445καὶ γὰρ σὺ νῦν τἂν τῷ θεῷ πίστιν φέροις.
Yes, for you too would now surely place trust in the god.
§1446καὶ σοί γʼ ἐπισκήπτω τε καὶ προστέψομαι, §1447τῆς μὲν κατʼ οἴκους αὐτὸς ὃν θέλεις τάφον §1448θοῦ· καὶ γὰρ ὀρθῶς τῶν γε σῶν τελεῖς ὕπερ· §1449ἐμοῦ δὲ μήποτʼ ἀξιωθήτω τόδε §1450πατρῷον ἄστυ ζῶντος οἰκητοῦ τυχεῖν, §1451ἀλλʼ ἔα με ναίειν ὄρεσιν, ἔνθα κλῄζεται §1452οὑμὸς Κιθαιρὼν οὗτος, ὃν μήτηρ τέ μοι §1453πατήρ τʼ ἐθέσθην ζῶντε κύριον τάφον, §1454ἵνʼ ἐξ ἐκείνων, οἵ μʼ ἀπωλλύτην, θάνω.
And to you indeed I enjoin and will entreat: for her within the house, prepare such a tomb as you wish; for you will perform it rightly on behalf of your own; but let this ancestral city never be deemed worthy to have me as a living inhabitant, but allow me to dwell in the mountains, where my Cithaeron is famed, which my mother and father, while living, appointed as my proper tomb, so that I may die by those who sought to destroy me.
§1455καίτοι τοσοῦτόν γʼ οἶδα, μήτε μʼ ἂν νόσον §1456μήτʼ ἄλλο πέρσαι μηδέν· οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε §1457θνῄσκων ἐσώθην, μὴ ʼπί τῳ δεινῷ κακῷ.
And yet this much at least I know: that neither sickness nor anything else can destroy me; for I would never have been saved when dying, except for some terrible evil.