Lord Apollo, may he come with some saving fortune, bright as his eye!
But to guess, he brings joy; for otherwise he would not approach thus, his head thickly crowned with all-fruitful laurel.
§84τάχʼ εἰσόμεσθα· ξύμμετρος γὰρ ὡς κλύειν.
We shall soon know; for he is at a distance to hear us.
Lord, my kinsman, son of Menoeceus, what message of the god have you come bringing to us?
Good news; for I say that even difficult things, if they should happen to turn out aright, would all be fortunate.
§89ἔστιν δὲ ποῖον τοὔπος;
But what is the word?
οὔτε γὰρ θρασὺς §90οὔτʼ οὖν προδείσας εἰμὶ τῷ γε νῦν λόγῳ.
For as yet I am neither confident nor premature in fear at your speech.
If you wish to hear while these are standing near, I am ready to speak, or else to go inside.
Speak to all; for I bear the grief for these more than for my own life.
§95λέγοιμʼ ἂν οἷʼ ἤκουσα τοῦ θεοῦ πάρα.
I will say what I heard from the god.
§96ἄνωγεν ἡμᾶς Φοῖβος ἐμφανῶς ἄναξ §97μίασμα χώρας, ὡς τεθραμμένον χθονὶ §98ἐν τῇδʼ, ἐλαύνειν μηδʼ ἀνήκεστον τρέφειν.
Lord Phoebus clearly commands us to drive out the pollution of the country, which has been nurtured in this land, and not to cherish it till it is past cure.
§99ποίῳ καθαρμῷ;
By what purification?
τίς ὁ τρόπος τῆς ξυμφορᾶς;
What is the manner of the misfortune?
By banishing men, or by expiating blood with blood again, since it is this blood that storms the city.
§102ποίου γὰρ ἀνδρὸς τήνδε μηνύει τύχην;
For which man's fate does he reveal this?
We had, O king, Laius as leader of this land once, before you guided this city.
§105ἔξοιδʼ ἀκούων· οὐ γὰρ εἰσεῖδόν γέ πω.
I know it well by hearsay; for I never saw him.
Now that he is dead, the god clearly commands us to punish certain murderers with hand.
§108οἳ δʼ εἰσὶ ποῦ γῆς;
But where on earth are they?
ποῦ τόδʼ εὑρεθήσεται §109ἴχνος παλαιᾶς δυστέκμαρτον αἰτίας;
Where will this hard-to-trace footprint of an ancient guilt be found?
He said it was in this land; and what is sought is found, but what is neglected escapes.
Was it at home, or in the fields, or in another land, that Laius met with this murder?
As a sacred messenger, as he said, traveling abroad, he went out and never came back home.
Did no messenger, or companion of his journey, see it, from whom one might have learned something to use?
For they died, except for one, who, having fled in fear, could tell nothing that he knew of what he saw, except one thing.
§120τὸ ποῖον;
What is that thing?
ἓν γὰρ πόλλʼ ἂν ἐξεύροι μαθεῖν, §121ἀρχὴν βραχεῖαν εἰ λάβοιμεν ἐλπίδος.
For one thing could lead to learning many, if we could get a small beginning of hope.
He said that robbers, having fallen in with them, killed him, not with one man's strength, but with a multitude of hands.
How then would the robber have gone to such a pitch of daring, unless something had been done from here with money?
Such was the suspicion; but when Laius was dead, no avenger arose in our troubles.
But what evil, when the kingship had fallen thus, stood in the way to prevent you from knowing this?
The riddling Sphinx brought us to abandon unseen things and look to what was at our feet.
§132ἀλλʼ ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς αὖθις αὔτʼ ἐγὼ φανῶ· §133ἐπαξίως γὰρ Φοῖβος, ἀξίως δὲ σὺ §134πρὸ τοῦ θανόντος τήνδʼ ἔθεσθʼ ἐπιστροφήν·
But I will reveal it again from the beginning; for worthily has Phoebus, and worthily have you, shown this care on behalf of the dead.
So that justly you will see me too as an ally, avenging this land and at the same time the god.
For not on behalf of far-off friends, but for my own sake, I will disperse this pollution.
For whoever it was that killed him, might perhaps wish to strike me too with such a hand of vengeance.
§141κείνῳ προσαρκῶν οὖν ἐμαυτὸν ὠφελῶ.
Therefore, in helping him, I benefit myself.
§142ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστα, παῖδες, ὑμεῖς μὲν βάθρων §143ἵστασθε, τούσδʼ ἄραντες ἱκτῆρας κλάδους, §144ἄλλος δὲ Κάδμου λαὸν ὧδʼ ἀθροιζέτω, §145ὡς πᾶν ἐμοῦ δράσοντος· ἢ γὰρ εὐτυχεῖς §146σὺν τῷ θεῷ φανούμεθʼ ἢ πεπτωκότες.
But as quickly as possible, children, arise from the steps, lifting up these suppliant branches, and let another assemble the people of Cadmus here, since I will do everything; for we shall be seen either successful with the help of the god, or fallen.
O children, let us arise; for because of these things we came here, which this man promises.
And may Phoebus, who sent these oracles, come at once as savior and stopper of the sickness.
O sweet-speaking voice of Zeus, in what spirit did you come from golden Pytho to glorious Thebes?
ἐκτέταμαι φοβερὰν φρένα, δείματι πάλλων, §154ἰήιε Δάλιε Παιάν,
My fearful mind is stretched, shaking with dread, O healer of Delos, called with cries!
In awe of you, I wonder what task you will accomplish for me, either new or returning again in the revolving seasons.
§157εἰπέ μοι, ὦ χρυσέας τέκνον Ἐλπίδος, ἄμβροτε Φάμα.
Tell me, O child of golden Hope, immortal Voice.