§1092καὶ κασιγνήταν πυκνοστίκτων ὀπαδὸν §1093ὠκυπόδων ἐλάφων στέργω διπλᾶς ἀρωγὰς §1094μολεῖν γᾷ τᾷδε καὶ πολίταις.
And I pray that his sister, the follower of swift-footed dapple-back deer, may come to this land and its citizens as a double aid.
§1095ὦ ξεῖνʼ ἀλῆτα, τῷ σκοπῷ μὲν οὐκ ἐρεῖς §1096ὡς ψευδόμαντις· τὰς κόρας γὰρ εἰσορῶ §1097τάσδʼ ἆσσον αὖθις ὧδε προσπολουμένας.
O wandering stranger, you will not say to the watcher that he is a false prophet; for I see these girls coming near again, escorted here.
§1098ποῦ ποῦ;
Oedipus: Where, where?
τί φής;
What do you say?
πῶς εἶπας;
How did you say?
§1099ὦ πάτερ πάτερ, §1100τίς ἂν θεῶν σοι τόνδʼ ἄριστον ἄνδρʼ ἰδεῖν §1101δοίη, τὸν ἡμᾶς δεῦρο προσπέμψαντά σοι;
Antigone: O father, father, would that some god might grant you to see this most noble man, who sent us back here to you!
§1102ὦ τέκνον, ἦ πάρεστον;
Oedipus: O my child, are you both really here?
Antigone: Yes, for these hands of Theseus and of his dearest attendants saved us.
Oedipus: Come near, my children, and grant your father to embrace your bodies, which he never expected would return.
§1106αἰτεῖς ἃ τεύξει· σὺν πόθῳ γὰρ ἡ χάρις.
Antigone: You ask what you shall obtain; for the favor is accompanied by longing.
§1107ποῦ δῆτα, ποῦ ʼστόν;
Oedipus: Where then, where are you two?
§1107aαἵδʼ ὁμοῦ πελάζομεν.
Antigone: Here we are, approaching together.
§1108ὦ φίλτατʼ ἔρνη.
Oedipus: O dearest shoots!
§1108aτῷ τεκόντι πᾶν φίλον.
Antigone: To the parent, everything is dear.
§1109ὦ σκῆπτρα φωτός.
Oedipus: O staffs of a man!
§1109aδυσμόρου γε δύσμορα.
Antigone: Unfortunate ones of an unfortunate man indeed.
Oedipus: I hold my dearest ones; and I would no longer be utterly wretched in death, with you two standing beside me.
§1112ἐρείσατʼ, ὦ παῖ, πλευρὸν ἀμφιδέξιον §1113ἐμφύντε τῷ φύσαντι, κἀναπαύσατον §1114τοῦ πρόσθʼ ἐρήμου τοῦδε δυστήνου πλάνου.
Lean, children, on my sides, one on each, clinging to your father, and give me rest from this previous lonely, miserable wandering.
And tell me what was done as briefly as possible, since for girls of your age a short speech is sufficient.
Antigone: This is the one who saved us; you must listen to him, father, since the deed is his; thus my own speech will be short.
Oedipus: O stranger, do not wonder if, with eager desire, since my children have appeared unexpectedly, I prolong my speech.
§1121ἐπίσταμαι γὰρ τήνδε τὴν ἐς τάσδε μοι §1122τέρψιν παρʼ ἄλλου μηδενὸς πεφασμένην· §1123σὺ γάρ νιν ἐξέσωσας, οὐκ ἄλλος βροτῶν.
For I know that this joy concerning them has been shown to me from no other than you; for you saved them, and no other mortal.
§1124καί σοι θεοὶ πόροιεν ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω, §1125αὐτῷ τε καὶ γῇ τῇδʼ, ἐπεὶ τό γʼ εὐσεβὲς §1126μόνοις παρʼ ὑμῖν ηὗρον ἀνθρώπων ἐγὼ §1127καὶ τοὐπιεικὲς καὶ τὸ μὴ ψευδοστομεῖν.
And may the gods grant you as I wish, both to yourself and to this land, since indeed reverence, equity, and truthfulness I have found among you alone of all men.
And knowing this, I make return with these words; for I have what I have through you, and no other mortal.
And stretch out to me, O king, your right hand, so that I may touch it, and kiss, if it is lawful, your head.
§1132καίτοι τί φωνῶ;
And yet, what am I saying?
How could I, who have become wretched, wish to touch a man—I, in whom what stain of evils does not dwell as a companion?
οὐκ ἔγωγέ σε, §1135οὐδʼ οὖν ἐάσω· τοῖς γὰρ ἐμπείροις βροτῶν §1136μόνοις οἷόν τε συνταλαιπωρεῖν τάδε.
I indeed will not touch you, nor then will I permit it; for only those mortals who have experience of them can share in suffering these things.
But do you bid me farewell from where you stand, and for the rest care for me justly, just as you have done up to this day.
§1139οὔτʼ εἴ τι μῆκος τῶν λόγων ἔθου πλέον, §1140τέκνοισι τερφθεὶς τοῖσδε, θαυμάσας ἔχω, §1141οὔτʼ εἰ πρὸ τοὐμοῦ προύλαβες τὰ τῶνδʼ ἔπη. §1142βάρος γὰρ ἡμᾶς οὐδὲν ἐκ τούτων ἔχει.
Theseus: I do not wonder either if you made your speech at greater length, rejoicing in these children, or if you preferred their words before mine; for no annoyance holds us because of these things.
For we do not strive to make our life illustrious by words rather than by deeds.
§1145δείκνυμι δʼ· ὧν γὰρ ὤμοσʼ οὐκ ἐψευσάμην §1146οὐδέν σε, πρέσβυ· τάσδε γὰρ πάρειμʼ ἄγων §1147ζώσας, ἀκραιφνεῖς τῶν κατηπειλημένων.
And I show it; for of what I swore I have not deceived you in anything, old man; for I am here bringing these girls alive, unharmed by what was threatened.
And how the fight was won, why should I boast in vain, which things you will learn yourself from being with these two?
§1150λόγος δʼ ὃς ἐμπέπτωκεν ἀρτίως ἐμοὶ §1151στείχοντι δεῦρο, συμβαλοῦ γνώμην, ἐπεὶ §1152σμικρὸς μὲν εἰπεῖν, ἄξιος δὲ θαυμάσαι· §1153πρᾶγος δʼ ἀτίζειν οὐδὲν ἄνθρωπον χρεών.
But a report which has just now fallen upon me as I was coming here—give me your counsel, since it is small to tell, but worthy of wonder; and a mortal must despise no matter.
§1154τί δʼ ἔστι, τέκνον Αἰγέως;
Oedipus: And what is it, child of Aegeus?
δίδασκέ με §1155ὡς μὴ εἰδότʼ αὐτὸν μηδὲν ὧν σὺ πυνθάνει.
Instruct me, since I myself know nothing of what you inquire.
§1156φασίν τινʼ ἡμῖν ἄνδρα, σοὶ μὲν ἔμπολιν §1157οὐκ ὄντα, συγγενῆ δέ, προσπεσόντα πως §1158βωμῷ καθῆσθαι τῷ Ποσειδῶνος, παρʼ ᾧ §1159θύων ἔκυρον, ἡνίχʼ ὡρμώμην ἐγώ.
Theseus: They say that some man, who is not your fellow-citizen but a kinsman, having somehow fallen at the altar of Poseidon, is sitting there, near which I happened to be sacrificing when I set out.
§1160ποδαπόν;
Oedipus: From where?
τί προσχρῄζοντα τῷ θακήματι·
Requesting what by his sitting?
Theseus: I know nothing except one thing; for they tell me that he asks for some brief speech with you, not full of heavy weight.
§1163ποῖόν τινʼ;
Oedipus: Of what kind?
οὐ γὰρ ἥδʼ ἕδρα σμικροῦ λόγου.
For this sitting is of no small matter.
Theseus: They say he asks only to come to speech with you and to depart safely from his journey here.
§1166τίς δῆτʼ ἂν εἴη τήνδʼ ὁ προσθακῶν ἕδραν;
Oedipus: Who then could he be, who is sitting at this seat?
§1167ὅρα κατʼ Ἄργος εἴ τις ὑμὶν ἐγγενὴς
Theseus: Consider if there is any relative of yours in Argos...