§1168ἔσθʼ, ὅστις ἄν σου τοῦτο προσχρῄζοι τυχεῖν.
Theseus: There is someone who would request to obtain this from you.
§1169ὦ φίλτατε, σχὲς οὗπερ εἶ.
Oedipus: O dearest friend, stay where you are.
§1169aτί δʼ ἔστι σοι;
Theseus: And what is the matter with you?
§1170μή μου δεηθῇς.
Oedipus: Do not petition me.
§1170aπράγματος ποίου;
Theseus: Concerning what matter?
λέγε.
Speak.
§1171ἔξοιδʼ ἀκούων τῶνδʼ ὅς ἐσθʼ ὁ προστάτης.
Oedipus: I know well, from hearing these girls, who the suppliant is.
§1172καὶ τίς ποτʼ ἐστὶν ὅν γʼ ἐγὼ ψέξαιμί τι;
Theseus: And who on earth is he, whom I could find fault with in any way?
Oedipus: My son, O king, a hateful one, whose words I, of all men, would endure to hear with the greatest pain.
§1175τί δʼ;
Theseus: But what?
οὐκ ἀκούειν ἔστι καὶ μὴ δρᾶν ἃ μὴ §1176χρῄζεις;
Is it not possible to listen, and yet not to do what you do not wish?
τί σοι τοῦτʼ ἐστὶ λυπηρὸν κλύειν;
Why is it painful for you to hear this?
Oedipus: O king, this voice has become most hateful to a father; and do not force me by necessity to yield in this.
Theseus: But if his sitting as a suppliant forces you, consider whether the reverence of the god must be observed by you.
§1181πάτερ, πιθοῦ μοι, κεἰ νέα παραινέσω.
Antigone: Father, obey me, even if I advise you as a young girl.
§1182τὸν ἄνδρʼ ἔασον τόνδε τῇ θʼ αὑτοῦ φρενὶ §1183χάριν παρασχεῖν τῷ θεῷ θʼ ἃ βούλεται, §1185καὶ νῷν ὕπεικε τὸν κασίγνητον μολεῖν.
Allow this man to satisfy both his own mind and the god what he wishes, and yield to us that our brother should come.
For, be of good courage, he will not drag you away from your judgment by force, to things that will not be spoken to your advantage.
§1188λόγων δʼ ἀκοῦσαι τίς βλάβη;
And what is the harm in hearing words?
τά τοι κακῶς §1189ηὑρημένʼ ἔργα τῷ λόγῳ μηνύεται.
Indeed, deeds ill-devised are revealed by speech.
§1190ἔφυσας αὐτόν· ὥστε μηδὲ δρῶντά σε §1191τὰ τῶν κακίστων δυσσεβέστατʼ, ὦ πάτερ, §1192θέμις σέ γʼ εἶναι κεῖνον ἀντιδρᾶν κακῶς.
You begot him; therefore, father, even if he did to you the most unholy of the worst actions, it is not lawful for you to return evil to him.
§1193ἀλλʼ ἔασον· εἰσὶ χἀτέροις γοναὶ κακαὶ §1194καὶ θυμὸς ὀξύς, ἀλλὰ νουθετούμενοι §1195φίλων ἐπῳδαῖς ἐξεπᾴδονται φύσιν.
But allow him; others too have bad children and a sharp anger, but being admonished by the gentle persuasions of friends, they are charmed out of their nature.
§1196σὺ δʼ εἰς ἐκεῖνα, μὴ τὰ νῦν, ἀποσκόπει §1197πατρῷα καὶ μητρῷα πήμαθʼ ἅπαθες· §1198κἂν κεῖνα λεύσσῃς, οἶδʼ ἐγώ, γνώσει κακοῦ §1199θυμοῦ τελευτὴν ὡς κακὴ προσγίγνεται.
But do you look back to those things, not the present ones, the paternal and maternal sufferings which you underwent; and if you look at those, I know well, you will recognize that a bad end of a bad anger follows.
For you have no small reminders of this, being deprived of your sightless eyes.
§1202ἀλλʼ ἡμὶν εἶκε· λιπαρεῖν γὰρ οὐ καλὸν §1203δίκαια προσχρῄζουσιν, οὐδʼ αὐτὸν μὲν εὖ §1204πάσχειν, παθόντα δʼ οὐκ ἐπίστασθαι τίνειν.
But yield to us; for it is not noble to be obstinate to those who ask for just things, nor that one should receive good treatment but not know how to repay it after receiving it.
Oedipus: My child, you conquer me by speaking a heavy pleasure; but let it be as is dear to you.
Only, stranger, if that man is to come here, let no one ever gain control over my life.
Theseus: Old man, I wish to hear such petitions once, not twice.
κομπεῖν δʼ οὐχὶ βούλομαι· σὺ δʼ ὢν §1210σῶς ἴσθʼ, ἐάν περ κἀμέ τις σῴζῃ θεῶν.
I do not wish to boast; but know that you are safe, if indeed any of the gods saves me.
§1211ὅστις τοῦ πλέονος μέρους χρῄζει τοῦ μετρίου παρεὶς §1212ζώειν, σκαιοσύναν φυλάσσων §1213ἐν ἐμοὶ κατάδηλος ἔσται.
Chorus: Whoever desires to live for a longer portion, passing by the moderate measure, guarding foolishness in my view will be manifest.
§1215ἐπεὶ πολλὰ μὲν αἱ μακραὶ ἁμέραι κατέθεντο δὴ §1216λύπας ἐγγυτέρω, τὰ τέρποντα δʼ οὐκ ἂν ἴδοις ὅπου, §1217ὅταν τις ἐς πλέον πέσῃ §1220τοῦ δέοντος· ὁ δʼ ἐπίκουρος ἰσοτέλεστος, §1221Ἄϊδος ὅτε μοῖρʼ ἀνυμέναιος §1222ἄλυρος ἄχορος ἀναπέφηνε, §1223θάνατος ἐς τελευτάν.
Since many long days indeed store up griefs closer, and you would not see where joys are, whenever one falls into more than is necessary; and the helper is equal-ending, when the fate of Hades, without bridal song, without lyre, without dance, has appeared, death at the end.
§1225μὴ φῦναι τὸν ἅπαντα νικᾷ λόγον· τὸ δʼ, ἐπεὶ φανῇ, §1226βῆναι κεῖθεν ὅθεν περ ἥκει, §1227πολὺ δεύτερον, ὡς τάχιστα.
Not to be born surpasses every calculation; but when one has appeared, to go back there from where one came, is by far the second best, as quickly as possible.
For when youth is present, bringing light follies, what troublesome blow is outside?
τίς οὐ καμάτων ἔνι;
What toil is not within?
§1232φθόνος, στάσεις, ἔρις, μάχαι §1235καὶ φόνοι· τό τε κατάμεμπτον ἐπιλέλογχε §1236πύματον ἀκρατὲς ἀπροσόμιλον §1237γῆρας ἄφιλον, ἵνα πρόπαντα §1238κακὰ κακῶν ξυνοικεῖ.
Envy, factions, strife, battles, and slaughters; and then the most censured last stage, powerless, unsociable, friendless old age falls to one's lot, where all evils of evils dwell together.
§1239ἐν ᾧ τλάμων ὅδʼ, οὐκ ἐγὼ μόνος, §1240πάντοθεν βόρειος ὥς τις §1241ἀκτὰ κυματοπλὴξ χειμερία κλονεῖται, §1242ὣς καὶ τόνδε κατʼ ἄκρας §1243δειναὶ κυματοαγεῖς §1244ἆται κλονέουσιν ἀεὶ ξυνοῦσαι, §1245αἱ μὲν ἀπʼ ἀελίου δυσμᾶν, §1246αἱ δʼ ἀνατέλλοντος· §1247αἱ δʼ ἀνὰ μέσσαν ἀκτῖνʼ, §1248αἱ δʼ ἐννυχιᾶν ἀπὸ Ῥιπᾶν.
In which state this wretched man is, not I alone, just as some northern shore beaten by winter waves is shaken on every side, so also on his head dread, wave-breaking calamities shake him always, dwelling with him, some from the setting of the sun, some from its rising, some along the midday beam, some from the nightly Rhipaean mountains.
§1249καὶ μὴν ὅδʼ ἡμῖν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὁ ξένος §1250ἀνδρῶν γε μοῦνος, ὦ πάτερ, διʼ ὄμματος §1251ἀστακτὶ λείβων δάκρυον ὧδʼ ὁδοιπορεῖ.
Antigone: And indeed, as it seems, the stranger comes to us, alone of men, father, from his eyes shedding a flood of tears, as he journeys here.
§1252τίς οὗτος;
Oedipus: Who is this?
Antigone: The very one whom we have long held in our thoughts; this Polyneices is present here.
§1254οἴμοι, τί δράσω;
Polyneices: Alas, what shall I do?
Shall I weep for my own evils first, sisters, or as I see those of this aged father?