§730κατασφαγείη πρὸς τριπλαῖς ἁμαξιτοῖς.
was slain at the three crossroads.
§731ηὐδᾶτο γὰρ ταῦτʼ οὐδέ πω λήξαντʼ ἔχει.
For this was said, and has not yet ceased to be rumored.
§732καὶ ποῦ ʼσθʼ ὁ χῶρος οὗτος οὗ τόδʼ ἦν πάθος;
And where is this place where this misfortune happened?
The land is called Phocis, and a cleft road leads to the same point from Delphi and from Daulis.
§735καὶ τίς χρόνος τοῖσδʼ ἐστὶν οὑξεληλυθώς;
And what is the time that has elapsed since these events?
Almost just before you were revealed as holding the rule of this land, this was heralded to the city.
§738ὦ Ζεῦ, τί μου δρᾶσαι βεβούλευσαι πέρι;
O Zeus, what have you decreed to do to me?
§739τί δʼ ἐστί σοι τοῦτʼ, Οἰδίπους, ἐνθύμιον;
Why does this weigh on your mind, Oedipus?
Do not ask me yet; but tell me of Laius, what build he had, and what prime of life he possessed.
Tall, his head recently turning white, and in his form he was not very different from yours.
§744οἴμοι τάλας·
Alas, wretched me!
ἔοικʼ ἐμαυτὸν εἰς ἀρὰς §745δεινὰς προβάλλων ἀρτίως οὐκ εἰδέναι.
I seem to have cast myself just now into dread curses, without knowing it.
§746πῶς φῄς;
What do you mean?
ὀκνῶ τοι πρός σʼ ἀποσκοποῦσʼ, ἄναξ.
I tremble indeed as I look at you, lord.
§747δεινῶς ἀθυμῶ μὴ βλέπων ὁ μάντις ᾖ·
I am dreadfully afraid lest the blind seer has sight.
§748δείξεις δὲ μᾶλλον, ἢν ἓν ἐξείπῃς ἔτι.
But you will show it better if you tell me one thing more.
§749καὶ μὴν ὀκνῶ μέν, ἃ δʼ ἂν ἔρῃ μαθοῦσʼ ἐρῶ.
Indeed, though I tremble, I will speak when I learn what you ask.
Did he travel with few, or having many armed men, like a ruling lord?
They were five in all, and among them was a herald; and a single carriage carried Laius.
§754αἰαῖ, τάδʼ ἤδη διαφανῆ.
Alas! These things are now clear.
τίς ἦν ποτε §755ὁ τούσδε λέξας τοὺς λόγους ὑμῖν, γύναι;
Who was it, my wife, who told these things to you?
§756οἰκεύς τις, ὅσπερ ἵκετʼ ἐκσωθεὶς μόνος.
A domestic servant, who returned having escaped alone.
§757ἦ κἀν δόμοισι τυγχάνει τανῦν παρών;
Is he by chance present now in the house?
§758οὐ δῆτʼ· ἀφʼ οὗ γὰρ κεῖθεν ἦλθε καὶ κράτη §759σέ τʼ εἶδʼ ἔχοντα Λάϊόν τʼ ὀλωλότα, §760ἐξικέτευσε τῆς ἐμῆς χειρὸς θιγὼν §761ἀγρούς σφε πέμψαι κἀπὶ ποιμνίων νομάς, §762ὡς πλεῖστον εἴη τοῦδʼ ἄποπτος ἄστεως.
No indeed; for since he returned from there and saw you holding power and Laius dead, he besought me, touching my hand, to send him to the fields and to the pastures of the flocks, so that he might be as far as possible out of sight of this city.
And I sent him; for he was worthy, as a slave, to obtain this favor, and even a greater one.
§765πῶς ἂν μόλοι δῆθʼ ἡμὶν ἐν τάχει πάλιν;
How then might he return to us with speed?
§766πάρεστιν· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τί τοῦτʼ ἐφίεσαι;
It is possible; but why do you desire this?
I fear for myself, my wife, lest too many things have been spoken by me, which is why I wish to see him.
Well, he will come; but surely I too deserve to learn what weighs heavily on your mind, lord.
And you shall not be deprived of it, since I have come to such a pitch of expectation.
τῷ γὰρ ἂν καὶ μείζονι §773λέξαιμʼ ἂν ἢ σοί, διὰ τύχης τοιᾶσδʼ ἰών;
For to whom of greater value than you could I speak, passing through such a fortune?
My father was Polybus of Corinth, and my mother Merope, a Dorian.
ἠγόμην δʼ ἀνὴρ §776ἀστῶν μέγιστος τῶν ἐκεῖ, πρίν μοι τύχη §777τοιάδʼ ἐπέστη, θαυμάσαι μὲν ἀξία, §778σπουδῆς γε μέντοι τῆς ἐμῆς οὐκ ἀξία.
And I was held the greatest of the citizens there, until a fortune befell me, worthy of wonder indeed, yet not worthy of the anxiety I gave it.
For a man at a banquet, filled too full with drink, called out over his wine that I was a supposititious child to my father.
§781κἀγὼ βαρυνθεὶς τὴν μὲν οὖσαν ἡμέραν §782μόλις κατέσχον, θἀτέρᾳ δʼ ἰὼν πέλας §783μητρὸς πατρός τʼ ἤλεγχον· οἱ δὲ δυσφόρως §784τοὔνειδος ἦγον τῷ μεθέντι τὸν λόγον.
And I, being vexed, for that day scarcely contained myself, but on the next, going near my mother and father, I questioned them; and they with vexation bore the insult against him who had let slip the word.
And I was pleased with their reaction, but yet this ever rankled in me; for it crept abroad widely.
§787λάθρᾳ δὲ μητρὸς καὶ πατρὸς πορεύομαι §788Πυθώδε, καί μʼ ὁ Φοῖβος ὧν μὲν ἱκόμην §789ἄτιμον ἐξέπεμψεν, ἄλλα δʼ ἄθλια §790καὶ δεινὰ καὶ δύστηνα προύφηνεν λέγων, §791ὡς μητρὶ μὲν χρείη με μιχθῆναι, γένος δʼ §792ἄτλητον ἀνθρώποισι δηλώσοιμʼ ὁρᾶν, §793φονεὺς δʼ ἐσοίμην τοῦ φυτεύσαντος πατρός.
And without the knowledge of my mother and father I went to Pytho, and Phoebus sent me away without honor in respect of the things for which I came, but other wretched and terrible and miserable things he foretold, saying that I must be joined in union with my mother, and that I would show a race unbearable for men to look upon, and that I would be the murderer of the father who begot me.
§794κἀγὼ ʼπακούσας ταῦτα τὴν Κορινθίαν, §795ἄστροις τὸ λοιπὸν ἐκμετρούμενος, χθόνα §796ἔφευγον, ἔνθα μήποτʼ ὀψοίμην κακῶν §797χρησμῶν ὀνείδη τῶν ἐμῶν τελούμενα.
And I, having heard this, thenceforth measuring the Corinthian land by the stars, fled from it, to where I should never see the reproaches of my evil oracles being fulfilled.
And as I went, I came to these regions, in which you say this ruler perished.
§800καί σοι, γύναι, τἀληθὲς ἐξερῶ.
And to you, my wife, I will tell the truth.