§1506τύχην τις ἐσθλὴν τῆσδʼ ἔθηκε τῆς ὁδοῦ.
Some god has made this journey a fortunate one.
§1507τί δʼ ἐστίν, ὦ παῖ Λαΐου, νέορτον αὖ;
Son of Laius, what has arisen anew?
It is the turning point of my life; and what I agreed with you, I wish to die without having deceived this city.
§1510τῷ δʼ ἐκπέπεισαι τοῦ μόρου τεκμηρίῳ;
By what sign of your fate have you been persuaded?
The gods themselves, as heralds, announce it to me, falsifying no sign of those appointed beforehand.
§1513πῶς εἶπας, ὦ γεραιέ, δηλοῦσθαι τάδε;
How do you say, old man, that these things are revealed?
The many continuous thunders, and the many lightning bolts flashed from the unconquered hand.
You persuade me; for I see you prophesying many things and not falsely.
χὤ τι χρὴ ποιεῖν λέγε.
Speak, then, of what must be done.
I will teach you, son of Aegeus, what things shall lie as a painless safeguard for this city against old age.
I myself will straightway guide you to the place, without a guide to touch me, where I must die.
§1522τοῦτον δὲ φράζε μή ποτʼ ἀνθρώπων τινί, §1523μήθʼ οὗ κέκευθε μήτʼ ἐν οἷς κεῖται τόποις· §1524ὥς σοι πρὸ πολλῶν ἀσπίδων ἀλκὴν ὅδε §1525δορός τʼ ἐπακτοῦ γειτονῶν ἀεὶ τιθῇ.
And do not ever reveal this to any of men, neither where it is hidden, nor in what regions it lies; so that this may ever afford you defense in place of many shields and the imported spear of neighboring allies.
§1526ἃ δʼ ἐξάγιστα μηδὲ κινεῖται λόγῳ, §1527αὐτὸς μαθήσει, κεῖσʼ ὅταν μόλῃς μόνος· §1528ὡς οὔτʼ ἂν ἀστῶν τῶνδʼ ἂν ἐξείποιμί τῳ §1529οὔτʼ ἂν τέκνοισι τοῖς ἐμοῖς, στέργων ὅμως.
But those things which are sacred and not to be stirred by speech, you yourself shall learn when you go thither alone; since I would not disclose them to any of these citizens, nor to my own children, though I love them.
§1530ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς αἰεὶ σῷζε, χὤταν εἰς τέλος §1531τοῦ ζῆν ἀφικνῇ, τῷ προφερτάτῳ μόνῳ §1532σήμαινʼ, ὁ δʼ αἰεὶ τὠπιόντι δεικνύτω.
But do you yourself keep it always, and when you reach the end of life, point it out to the foremost one alone, and let him always show it to the next.
§1533χοὔτως ἀδῇον τήνδʼ ἐνοικήσεις πόλιν §1534σπαρτῶν ἀπʼ ἀνδρῶν· αἱ δὲ μυρίαι πόλεις, §1535κἂν εὖ τις οἰκῇ, ῥᾳδίως καθύβρισαν.
And thus you will inhabit this city safe from ravage by the sown men; but many cities, even if one governs well, easily run into insolence.
§1536θεοὶ γὰρ εὖ μέν, ὀψὲ δʼ εἰσορῶσʼ, ὅταν §1537τὰ θεῖʼ ἀφείς τις εἰς τὸ μαίνεσθαι τραπῇ· §1538ὃ μὴ σύ, τέκνον Αἰγέως, βούλου παθεῖν.
For the gods see well, but late, when someone deserts divine things and turns to madness; which do not you, son of Aegeus, wish to suffer.
§1539τὰ μὲν τοιαῦτʼ οὖν εἰδότʼ ἐκδιδάσκομεν.
Such things, then, we teach to you who already know them.
But to the place—for the present impulse from the god urges me— let us now go and no longer hesitate.
O children, follow this way; for I have appeared as a new guide for you in turn, just as you two were to your father.
§1544χωρεῖτε καὶ μὴ ψαύετʼ, ἀλλʼ ἐᾶτέ με §1545αὐτὸν τὸν ἱερὸν τύμβον ἐξευρεῖν, ἵνα §1546μοῖρʼ ἀνδρὶ τῷδε τῇδε κρυφθῆναι χθονί.
Go on, and do not touch me, but permit me myself to find out the sacred tomb, where it is the fate for this man to be hidden in this land.
This way, thus, this way go; for this way leads me Hermes the guide and the goddess of the underworld.
O lightless light, once, I suppose, you were mine, but now my body touches you for the last time.
For already I creep to hide the end of my life with Hades.
ἀλλά, φίλτατε ξένων, §1553αὐτός τε χώρα θʼ ἥδε πρόσπολοί τε σοὶ §1554εὐδαίμονες γένοισθε, κἀπʼ εὐπραξίᾳ §1555μέμνησθέ μου θανόντος εὐτυχεῖς ἀεί.
But, dearest of hosts, may both you yourself, and this land, and your servants be happy, and in prosperity remember me when dead, fortunate always.
§1556εἰ θέμις ἐστί μοι τὰν ἀφανῆ θεὸν §1557καὶ σὲ λιταῖς σεβίζειν, §1558ἐννυχίων ἄναξ, §1560Αἰδωνεῦ Αἰδωνεῦ, λίσσωμαι §1561ἄπονα μήτʼ ἐπὶ βαρυαχεῖ §1562ξένον ἐξανύσαι §1563μόρῳ τὰν παγκευθῆ κάτω §1564νεκρῶν πλάκα καὶ Στύγιον δόμον.
If it is lawful for me to worship with prayers the unseen goddess and you, lord of the night-dwellers, Aidoneus, Aidoneus, I pray that without pain or heavy groaning the stranger may accomplish his end to the all-enshrouding plain of the dead below and the Stygian home.
For though many and vain afflictions came upon him, a just god may raise him up again.
§1568ὦ χθόνιαι θεαὶ σῶμά τʼ ἀνικάτου §1569θηρός, ὃν ἐν πύλαισι §1570ταῖσι πολυξένοις §1571εὐνᾶσθαι κνυζεῖσθαί τʼ ἐξ ἄντρων §1572ἀδάματον φύλακα παρʼ Ἁίδᾳ §1573λόγος αἰὲν ἔχει· §1574τόν, ὦ Γᾶς παῖ καὶ Ταρτάρου, §1575κατεύχομαι ἐν καθαρῷ βῆναι §1576ὁρμωμένῳ νερτέρας §1577τῷ ξένῳ νεκρῶν πλάκας· §1578σέ τοι κικλήσκω τὸν αἰένυπνον.
O underworld goddesses, and the body of the unconquered beast, who in the gates thronged with many guests is said to lie and whine from the caves, an untamed guardian at Hades, as rumor always holds; him, O son of Earth and Tartarus, I pray to leave a clear path for the stranger as he hastens to the underworld plain of the dead; you I call, who send the eternal sleep.
§1579ἄνδρες πολῖται, ξυντομωτάτως, μὲν ἂν §1580τύχοιμι λέξας Οἰδίπουν ὀλωλότα· §1581ἃ δʼ ἦν τὰ πραχθέντʼ, οὔθʼ ὁ μῦθος ἐν βραχεῖ §1582φράσαι πάρεστιν οὔτε τἄργʼ ὅσʼ ἦν ἐκεῖ.
Citizens, I could tell you most briefly that Oedipus has perished; but what was done cannot be told in a brief word, nor can all the deeds that took place there.
§1583ὄλωλε γὰρ δύστηνος;
Has the wretched man perished?
Know well that he has left that everlasting life.
§1585πῶς;
How?
ἆρα θείᾳ κἀπόνῳ τάλας τύχῃ;
Was it by a divine and painless fate, wretched one?
§1586ταῦτʼ ἐστὶν ἤδη κἀποθαυμάσαι πρέπον.
This is indeed worthy of wonder.