§1341βραχεῖ σὺν ὄγκῳ καὶ χρόνῳ διασκεδῶ.
With little trouble and in a short time, I shall scatter him.
§1342ὥστʼ ἐν δόμοισι τοῖσι σοῖς στήσω σʼ ἄγων.
So that I shall lead you and establish you in your own palace.
§1343στήσω δʼ ἐμαυτόν, κεῖνον ἐκβαλὼν βίᾳ.
And I shall establish myself, casting him out by force.
And if you are willing, it is possible for me to boast of these things; but without you, I have not even the strength to be saved.
Chorus: Oedipus, for the sake of the one who sent this man, speak what is fitting and send him back again.
§1348ἀλλʼ εἰ μέν, ἄνδρες, τῆσδε δημοῦχοι χθονός §1349μὴ ʼτύγχανʼ αὐτὸν δεῦρο προσπέμψας ἐμοὶ §1350Θησεύς, δικαιῶν ὥστʼ ἐμοῦ κλύειν λόγους, §1351οὔ τἄν ποτʼ ὀμφῆς τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπῄσθετο·
Oedipus: But, men, rulers of this land, if Theseus had not happened to send him hither to me, deeming it right that he should hear my words, he would never have heard my voice.
§1352νῦν δʼ ἀξιωθεὶς εἶσι κἀκούσας γʼ ἐμοῦ §1353τοιαῦθʼ ἃ τὸν τοῦδʼ οὔ ποτʼ εὐφρανεῖ βίον· §1354ὅς γʼ, ὦ κάκιστε, σκῆπτρα καὶ θρόνους ἔχων, §1355ἃ νῦν ὁ σὸς ξύναιμος ἐν Θήβαις ἔχει, §1356τὸν αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ πατέρα τόνδʼ ἀπήλασας §1357κἄθηκας ἄπολιν καὶ στολὰς ταύτας φορεῖν, §1358ἃς νῦν δακρύεις εἰσορῶν, ὅτʼ ἐν πόνῳ §1359ταὐτῷ βεβηκὼς τυγχάνεις κακῶν ἐμοί.
But now, having been deemed worthy, he shall go after hearing from me such things as will never gladden his life; you, O basest of men, who when you held the scepter and the throne, which now your brother holds in Thebes, drove out this man, your own father, and made him cityless, and made him wear these garments, which you now weep to look upon, when you find yourself in the same plight of misery as I.
These things are not to be wept for, but must be borne by me as long as I live, remembering you as my murderer.
§1362σὺ γάρ με μόχθῳ τῷδʼ ἔθηκας ἔντροφον, §1363σύ μʼ ἐξέωσας, ἐκ σέθεν δʼ ἀλώμενος §1364ἄλλους ἐπαιτῶ τὸν καθʼ ἡμέραν βίον.
For you made me familiar with this toil, you drove me out, and wandering because of you, I beg my daily bread from others.
And if I had not begotten these daughters as my nourishers, surely, as far as you are concerned, I should not be alive.
But now they preserve me, they are my nourishers, they are men, not women, in sharing my toil.
§1369ὑμεῖς δʼ ἀπʼ ἄλλου κοὐκ ἐμοῦ πεφύκατον.
But you two are begotten of another, and not of me.
§1370τοιγάρ σʼ ὁ δαίμων εἰσορᾷ μὲν οὔ τί πω §1371ὡς αὐτίκʼ, εἴπερ οἵδε κινοῦνται λόχοι §1372πρὸς ἄστυ Θήβης.
Therefore the deity looks upon you; not yet, however, as he soon will, if indeed these ranks are moving toward the city of Thebes.
οὐ γὰρ ἔσθʼ ὅπως πόλιν §1373κείνην ἐρείψεις, ἀλλὰ πρόσθεν αἵματι §1374πεσεῖ μιανθεὶς χὼ σύναιμος ἐξ ἴσου.
For there is no way that you shall overthrow that city, but beforehand you shall fall defiled with blood, and your brother likewise.
§1375τοιάσδʼ ἀρὰς σφῷν πρόσθε τʼ ἐξανῆκʼ ἐγὼ §1376νῦν τʼ ἀνακαλοῦμαι ξυμμάχους ἐλθεῖν ἐμοί, §1377ἵνʼ ἀξιῶτον τοὺς φυτεύσαντας σέβειν §1378καὶ μὴ ʼξατιμάζητον, εἰ τυφλοῦ πατρὸς §1379τοιώδʼ ἐφύτην· αἵδε γὰρ τάδʼ οὐκ ἔδρων.
Such curses I let loose upon you both before, and now I call them to come as my allies, so that you may deem it right to revere your parents, and not despise them, even if you are the sons of a blind father; for these daughters did not do such things.
§1380τοιγὰρ τὸ σὸν θάκημα καὶ τοὺς σοὺς θρόνους §1381κρατοῦσιν, εἴπερ ἐστὶν ἡ παλαίφατος §1382Δίκη ξύνεδρος Ζηνὸς ἀρχαίοις νόμοις.
Therefore they have mastery over your supplication and your throne, if indeed anciently spoken Justice sits beside Zeus according to the ancient laws.
§1383σὺ δʼ ἔρρʼ ἀπόπτυστός τε κἀπάτωρ ἐμοῦ, §1384κακῶν κάκιστε, τάσδε συλλαβὼν ἀράς, §1385ἅς σοι καλοῦμαι, μήτε γῆς ἐμφυλίου §1386δόρει κρατῆσαι μήτε νοστῆσαί ποτε §1387τὸ κοῖλον Ἄργος, ἀλλὰ συγγενεῖ χερὶ §1388θανεῖν κτανεῖν θʼ ὑφʼ οὗπερ ἐξελήλασαι.
Go, accursed one, disowned by me as father, basest of the base, taking with you these curses, which I invoke upon you: that you may neither conquer your kindred land by the spear, nor ever return to hollow Argos, but die by a kinsman’s hand, and kill him by whom you have been driven out.
§1389τοιαῦτʼ ἀρῶμαι καὶ καλῶ τὸ Ταρτάρου §1390στυγνὸν πατρῷον ἔρεβος, ὥς σʼ ἀποικίσῃ, §1391καλῶ δὲ τάσδε δαίμονας, καλῶ δʼ Ἄρη §1392τὸν σφῷν τὸ δεινὸν μῖσος ἐμβεβληκότα.
Such curses I pray, and I call upon the hateful paternal darkness of Tartarus, that it may settle you elsewhere; and I call upon these deities, and I call upon Ares, who has cast into you both that terrible hatred.
§1393καὶ ταῦτʼ ἀκούσας στεῖχε, κἀξάγγελλʼ ἰὼν §1394καὶ πᾶσι Καδμείοισι τοῖς σαυτοῦ θʼ ἅμα §1395πιστοῖσι συμμάχοισιν, οὕνεκʼ Οἰδίπους §1396τοιαῦτʼ ἔνειμε παισὶ τοῖς αὑτοῦ γέρα.
Having heard these things, go, and go declare to all the Cadmeans, and at the same time to your own faithful allies, that Oedipus has distributed such honors to his own sons.
Polyneices: I do not rejoice with you in your past journeys, and now go back with all speed.
Alas for my journey and my ill fortune, and alas for my comrades!
οἷον ἆρʼ ὁδοῦ τέλος §1401Ἄργους ἀφωρμήθημεν, ὦ τάλας ἐγώ, §1402τοιοῦτον οἷον οὐδὲ φωνῆσαί τινι §1403ἔξεσθʼ ἑταίρων, οὐδʼ ἀποστρέψαι πάλιν, §1404ἀλλʼ ὄντʼ ἄναυδον τῇδε συγκῦρσαι τύχῃ.
For what an end to our journey did we set out from Argos, ah wretched me, such an end as it is not even permitted to declare to any of my comrades, nor to turn back, but in silence to meet this fate.
§1405ὦ τοῦδʼ ὅμαιμοι παῖδες, ἀλλʼ ὑμεῖς, ἐπεὶ §1406τὰ σκληρὰ πατρὸς κλύετε ταῦτʼ ἀρωμένου, §1407μή τοί με πρὸς θεῶν σφώ γʼ, ἐὰν αἱ τοῦδʼ ἀραὶ §1408πατρὸς τελῶνται καί τις ὑμῖν ἐς δόμους §1409νόστος γένηται, μή μʼ ἀτιμάσητέ γε, §1410ἀλλʼ ἐν τάφοισι θέσθε κἀν κτερίσμασιν.
O sisters, daughters of this man, since you hear our father praying these harsh curses, do not, by the gods, if the curses of this father of mine are fulfilled, and if some return home should come to you, do not treat me with dishonor, but place me in a tomb and give me funeral rites.
§1411καὶ σφῷν ὁ νῦν ἔπαινος, ὃν κομίζετον §1412τοῦδʼ, ἀνδρὸς οἷς πονεῖτον, οὐκ ἐλάσσονα §1413ἔτʼ ἄλλον οἴσει τῆς ἐμῆς ὑπουργίας.
And the praise which you now receive from this man for the things you toil at, will bring you no less other praise for your service to me.
§1414Πολύνεικες, ἱκετεύω σε πεισθῆναί τί μοι.
Antigone: Polyneices, I entreat you to listen to me in something.
§1415ὦ φιλτάτη, τὸ ποῖον, Ἀντιγόνη;
Polyneices: O dearest Antigone, what is it?
λέγε.
Speak.
§1416στρέψαι στράτευμʼ ἐς Ἄργος ὡς τάχιστά γε,
Antigone: Turn your army back to Argos as quickly as possible,