we met; and from the road, both the guide and the old man himself tried to drive me by force.
§806κἀγὼ τὸν ἐκτρέποντα, τὸν τροχηλάτην, §807παίω διʼ ὀργῆς· καί μʼ ὁ πρέσβυς ὡς ὁρᾷ, §808ὄχου παραστείχοντα τηρήσας, μέσον §809κάρα διπλοῖς κέντροισί μου καθίκετο.
And I, the one who was pushing me aside, the charioteer, I struck in anger; and when the old man saw this, watching me as I passed by the carriage, on the middle of my head he struck with his double-pronged goad.
§810οὐ μὴν ἴσην γʼ ἔτισεν, ἀλλὰ συντόμως §811σκήπτρῳ τυπεὶς ἐκ τῆσδε χειρὸς ὕπτιος §812μέσης ἀπήνης εὐθὺς ἐκκυλίνδεται· §813κτείνω δὲ τοὺς ξύμπαντας.
Yet he paid no equal penalty, but quickly struck by the staff from this hand, on his back he rolled straight out from the middle of the carriage; and I killed them all.
But if between this stranger and Laius there is any bond of kinship, who is more wretched than this man (myself)?
§816τίς ἐχθροδαίμων μᾶλλον ἂν γένοιτʼ ἀνήρ;
What man could be more hated by the gods?
§817ὃν μὴ ξένων ἔξεστι μηδʼ ἀστῶν τινι §818δόμοις δέχεσθαι μηδὲ προσφωνεῖν τινα, §819ὠθεῖν δʼ ἀπʼ οἴκων.
Whom it is not permitted for any of strangers or citizens to receive in their homes, nor to speak to, but must drive him from their houses.
καὶ τάδʼ οὔτις ἄλλος ἦν §820ἢ ʼγὼ ʼπʼ ἐμαυτῷ τάσδʼ ἀρὰς ὁ προστιθείς.
And no other was it but I who laid these curses upon myself.
And the bed of the dead man with my hands, I defile, by which very hands he perished.
ἆρʼ ἔφυν κακός;
Am I not born evil?
§823ἆρʼ οὐχὶ πᾶς ἄναγνος;
Am I not utterly impure?
εἴ με χρὴ φυγεῖν, §824καί μοι φυγόντι μἤστι τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἰδεῖν §825μηδʼ ἐμβατεύειν πατρίδος, ἢ γάμοις με δεῖ §826μητρὸς ζυγῆναι καὶ πατέρα κατακτανεῖν §827Πόλυβον, ὃς ἐξέφυσε κἀξέθρεψέ με.
If I must flee, and in my flight I may not see my own people nor set foot in my fatherland, or else I must be joined in marriage to my mother, and slay my father Polybus, who begot and reared me.
Would not one, judging these things to be from a cruel divinity upon this man, speak the truth?
§830μὴ δῆτα, μὴ δῆτʼ, ὦ θεῶν ἁγνὸν σέβας, §831ἴδοιμι ταύτην ἡμέραν, ἀλλʼ ἐκ βροτῶν §832βαίην ἄφαντος πρόσθεν ἢ τοιάνδʼ ἰδεῖν §833κηλῖδʼ ἐμαυτῷ συμφορᾶς ἀφιγμένην.
Never, never, O pure majesty of the gods, may I see that day, but from among mortals may I vanish out of sight before I see such a stain of misfortune come upon myself.
To us, lord, these things are fearful; yet until you learn clearly from the eyewitness, keep hope.
Indeed, so much of hope at least is mine, only to await the man who was the shepherd.
§838πεφασμένου δὲ τίς ποθʼ ἡ προθυμία;
And when he has appeared, what is your intent?
I will tell you; for if he is found speaking the same as you, I would have escaped this suffering.
§841ποῖον δέ μου περισσὸν ἤκουσας λόγον;
And what special word did you hear from me?
You said he spoke of "robbers" (in the plural) as having slain him.
εἰ μὲν οὖν ἔτι §844λέξει τὸν αὐτὸν ἀριθμόν, οὐκ ἐγὼ ʼκτανον· §845οὐ γὰρ γένοιτʼ ἂν εἷς γε τοῖς πολλοῖς ἴσος·
If, then, he still speaks of the same number, I did not kill him; for one man could not be equal to many.
But if he names a single, solitary traveler, clearly this deed is already leaning towards me.
§848ἀλλʼ ὡς φανέν γε τοὔπος ὧδʼ ἐπίστασο, §849κοὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῷ τοῦτό γʼ ἐκβαλεῖν πάλιν· §850πόλις γὰρ ἤκουσʼ, οὐκ ἐγὼ μόνη, τάδε.
Yet, know that the word was spoken in this way, and it is not possible for him to retract this; for the city heard it, not I alone.
§851εἰ δʼ οὖν τι κἀκτρέποιτο τοῦ πρόσθεν λόγου, §852οὔτοι ποτʼ, ὦναξ, σόν γε Λαΐου φόνον §853φανεῖ δικαίως ὀρθόν, ὅν γε Λοξίας §854διεῖπε χρῆναι παιδὸς ἐξ ἐμοῦ θανεῖν.
And even if he should turn aside somewhat from his former word, never, lord, will he show the death of Laius to be rightly in agreement with the oracle, whom Loxias declared must die by the hand of my child.
And yet that wretched child never slew him, but perished himself beforehand.
So that, for the sake of prophecy, I would not look this way nor that hereafter.
You judge well; but nevertheless, the laborer send someone to fetch, and do not neglect this.
I will send in haste; but let us go into the house; for I would do nothing that is not pleasing to you.
§863εἴ μοι ξυνείη φέροντι §864μοῖρα τὰν εὔσεπτον ἁγνείαν λόγων §865ἔργων τε πάντων, ὧν νόμοι πρόκεινται §866ὑψίποδες, οὐρανίαν §867διʼ αἰθέρα τεκνωθέντες, ὧν Ὄλυμπος §868πατὴρ μόνος, οὐδέ νιν §869θνατὰ φύσις ἀνέρων §870ἔτικτεν οὐδὲ μή ποτε λάθα κατακοιμάσῃ·
May fate be with me as I bear the reverent purity of words and of all deeds, for which laws are set forth lofty-footed, born through the heavenly ether, of which Olympus is the sole father, nor did the mortal nature of men give them birth, nor shall oblivion ever lull them to sleep.
§871μέγας ἐν τούτοις θεὸς οὐδὲ γηράσκει.
A great god is in them, and he does not grow old.
§873ὕβρις φυτεύει τύραννον· §874ὕβρις, εἰ πολλῶν ὑπερπλησθῇ μάταν, §875ἃ μὴ ʼπίκαιρα μηδὲ συμφέροντα, §876ἀκρότατον εἰσαναβᾶσʼ §877αἶπος ἀπότομον ὤρουσεν εἰς ἀνάγκαν, §878ἔνθʼ οὐ ποδὶ χρησίμῳ §880χρῆται.
Hubris begets the tyrant; Hubris, if it is glutted in vain with many things which are not timely nor profitable, having scaled the highest peak, rushes headlong into sheer ruin, where it cannot use a useful foot.
τὸ καλῶς δʼ ἔχον §881πόλει πάλαισμα μήποτε λῦσαι θεὸν αἰτοῦμαι.
But the struggle that is good for the city, I pray god never to destroy.
§882θεὸν οὐ λήξω ποτὲ προστάταν ἴσχων.
I will never cease having god as my protector.