§1458ἀλλʼ ἡ μὲν ἡμῶν μοῖρʼ, ὅποιπερ εἶσʼ, ἴτω·
But let our fate, wherever it will go, go.
§1459παίδων δὲ τῶν μὲν ἀρσένων μή μοι, Κρέων, §1460προσθῇ μέριμναν· ἄνδρες εἰσίν, ὥστε μὴ §1461σπάνιν ποτὲ σχεῖν, ἔνθʼ ἂν ὦσι, τοῦ βίου·
But for my sons, Creon, do not, I pray, lay a care upon yourself; they are men, so that they will never have a lack of livelihood, wherever they may be.
§1462ταῖν δʼ ἀθλίαιν οἰκτραῖν τε παρθένοιν ἐμαῖν, §1463αἷν οὔποθʼ ἡμὴ χωρὶς ἐστάθη βορᾶς §1464τράπεζʼ ἄνευ τοῦδʼ ἀνδρός, ἀλλʼ ὅσων ἐγὼ §1465ψαύοιμι, πάντων τῶνδʼ ἀεὶ μετειχέτην· §1466αἷν μοι μέλεσθαι· καὶ μάλιστα μὲν χεροῖν §1467ψαῦσαί μʼ ἔασον κἀποκλαύσασθαι κακά.
But for my two wretched and pitiable daughters (maidens), for whom my dining table was never set apart without this man, but whatever things I would touch, of all these they always shared; take care of them for me; and most of all, allow me to touch them with my hands and to weep for our evils.
χερσί τἂν θιγὼν §1470δοκοῖμʼ ἔχειν σφᾶς, ὥσπερ ἡνίκʼ ἔβλεπον.
If I could touch them with my hands, I would seem to hold them, just as when I had my sight.
§1471τί φημί;
What am I saying?
§1472οὐ δὴ κλύω που πρὸς θεῶν τοῖν μοι φίλοιν §1473δακρυρροούντοιν, καί μʼ ἐποικτίρας Κρέων §1474ἔπεμψέ μοι τὰ φίλτατʼ ἐκγόνοιν ἐμοῖν;
Do I not indeed hear, by the gods, my two dear ones weeping, and has Creon, taking pity on me, sent to me my dearest children?
§1475λέγω τι;
Am I saying what is true?
You are; for I am the one who arranged these things, knowing the present delight, which has held you of old.
Then may you be happy, and on this path may a deity guard you better than he did me.
§1480ὦ τέκνα, ποῦ ποτʼ ἐστέ;
O children, where are you?
δεῦρʼ ἴτʼ, ἔλθετε §1481ὡς τὰς ἀδελφὰς τάσδε τὰς ἐμὰς χέρας, §1482αἳ τοῦ φυτουργοῦ πατρὸς ὑμὶν ὧδʼ ὁρᾶν §1483τὰ πρόσθε λαμπρὰ προυξένησαν ὄμματα· §1484ὃς ὑμίν, ὦ τέκνʼ, οὔθʼ ὁρῶν οὔθʼ ἱστορῶν §1485πατὴρ ἐφάνθην ἔνθεν αὐτὸς ἠρόθην.
Come here, come to these hands of mine, sisters to you, which for your father who planted you have brought it about that you see thus his once bright eyes; who for you, O children, neither seeing nor knowing, was found to be your father from the very source where he himself was sown.
§1486καὶ σφὼ δακρύω· προσβλέπειν γὰρ οὐ σθένω· §1487νοούμενος τὰ λοιπὰ τοῦ πικροῦ βίου, §1488οἷον βιῶναι σφὼ πρὸς ἀνθρώπων χρεών.
And for you two I weep; for I have no strength to look upon you, when I think of the remainder of your bitter life, what sort of life you two must live among men.
§1489ποίας γὰρ ἀστῶν ἥξετʼ εἰς ὁμιλίας, §1490ποίας δʼ ἑορτάς, ἔνθεν οὐ κεκλαυμέναι §1491πρὸς οἶκον ἵξεσθʼ ἀντὶ τῆς θεωρίας;
For into what assemblies of citizens will you go, into what festivals, from which you will not return home in tears instead of enjoying the spectacle?
§1492ἀλλʼ ἡνίκʼ ἂν δὴ πρὸς γάμων ἥκητʼ ἀκμάς, §1493τίς οὗτος ἔσται, τίς παραρρίψει, τέκνα, §1494τοιαῦτʼ ὀνείδη λαμβάνων, ἃ ταῖς ἐμαῖς §1495γοναῖσιν ἔσται σφῷν θʼ ὁμοῦ δηλήματα;
But when indeed you come to the age for marriage, who will he be, who will run the risk, children, of taking such reproaches, which will be ruin alike to my parents and to you two?
§1496τί γὰρ κακῶν ἄπεστι;
For what evil is lacking?
τὸν πατέρα πατὴρ §1497ὑμῶν ἔπεφνε· τὴν τεκοῦσαν ἤροσεν, §1498ὅθεν περ αὐτὸς ἐσπάρη, κἀκ τῶν ἴσων §1499ἐκτήσαθʼ ὑμᾶς, ὧνπερ αὐτὸς ἐξέφυ.
Your father killed his father; he ploughed the mother who bore him, from whom he himself was sown, and from the same source obtained you, from whom he himself sprang.
§1500τοιαῦτʼ ὀνειδιεῖσθε· κᾆτα τίς γαμεῖ;
Such reproaches you will suffer; then who will marry you?
There is no one, O children, but clearly you must waste away barren and unmarried.
§1503ὦ παῖ Μενοικέως, ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ μόνος πατὴρ §1504ταύταιν λέλειψαι, νὼ γάρ, ὣ ʼφυτεύσαμεν, §1505ὀλώλαμεν δύʼ ὄντε, μή σφε περιίδῃς §1506πτωχὰς ἀνάνδρους ἐκγενεῖς ἀλωμένας, §1507μηδʼ ἐξισώσῃς τάσδε τοῖς ἐμοῖς κακοῖς.
O son of Menoeceus, since you are left as the sole father to these two—for we two who begot them are destroyed—do not allow them to wander as beggars, husbandless, outcasts, nor make them equal to my evils.
But pity them, seeing them at such an age so destitute of all things, except for your part.
§1510ξύννευσον, ὦ γενναῖε, σῇ ψαύσας χερί.
Consent, noble one, touching them with your hand.
§1511σφῷν δʼ, ὦ τέκνʼ, εἰ μὲν εἰχέτην ἤδη φρένας, §1512πόλλʼ ἂν παρῄνουν· νῦν δὲ τοῦτʼ εὔχεσθέ μοι, §1513οὗ καιρὸς ἐᾷ ζῆν, τοῦ βίου δὲ λῴονος §1514ὑμᾶς κυρῆσαι τοῦ φυτεύσαντος πατρός.
And to you, children, if you already had understanding, I would have given much advice; but now pray for this for me: to live where opportunity permits, and to find a life better than that of the father who begot you.
§1515ἅλις ἵνʼ ἐξήκεις δακρύων· ἀλλʼ ἴθι στέγης ἔσω.
You have wept enough; now go inside the house.
§1516πειστέον, κεἰ μηδὲν ἡδύ.
I must obey, even if it is not pleasant.
§1516aπάντα γὰρ καιρῷ καλά.
Yes, for all things are good in their season.
§1517οἶσθʼ ἐφʼ οἷς οὖν εἶμι;
Do you know on what conditions I will go?
§1517aλέξεις, καὶ τότʼ εἴσομαι κλύων.
You will speak, and then I will know by hearing.
§1518γῆς μʼ ὅπως πέμψεις ἄποικον.
That you will send me as an exile from this land.
§1518aτοῦ θεοῦ μʼ αἰτεῖς δόσιν.
You ask of me what is the god's to give.
§1519ἀλλὰ θεοῖς γʼ ἔχθιστος ἥκω.
But I have come as one most hateful to the gods.
§1519aτοιγαροῦν τεύξει τάχα.
Therefore indeed you will soon obtain your wish.
§1520φῂς τάδʼ οὖν;
Do you promise this?
§1520aἃ μὴ φρονῶ γὰρ οὐ φιλῶ λέγειν μάτην.
What I do not mean, I am not fond of saying in vain.
§1521ἄπαγέ νύν μʼ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη.
Lead me away from here now.
§1521aστεῖχέ νυν, τέκνων δʼ ἀφοῦ.
Go now, but let go of the children.
§1522μηδαμῶς ταύτας γʼ ἕλῃ μου.
Do not by any means take them from me.
Do not wish to rule in all things; for indeed what you ruled did not follow you through your life.
§1524ὦ πάτρας Θήβης ἔνοικοι, λεύσσετʼ, Οἰδίπους ὅδε, §1525ὃς τὰ κλείνʼ αἰνίγματʼ ᾔδει καὶ κράτιστος ἦν ἀνήρ, §1526οὗ τίς οὐ ζήλῳ πολιτῶν ἦν τύχαις ἐπιβλέπων, §1527εἰς ὅσον κλύδωνα δεινῆς συμφορᾶς ἐλήλυθεν.
O inhabitants of our native Thebes, look upon this Oedipus, who knew the famous riddles and was a most powerful man, whom which of the citizens did not look upon with envy for his fortune, into how great a wave of terrible calamity he has come!