§178ἔτʼ οὖν;
Still further then?
§178aἔτι βαῖνε πόρσω.
Go further forward still.
§179ἔτι;
Still further?
§182ἕπεο μάν, ἕπεʼ ὧδʼ ἀμαυρῷ κώλῳ, πάτερ, ᾇ σʼ ἄγω.
Follow indeed, follow this way with your weak step, father, where I lead you.
§184τόλμα ξεῖνος ἐπὶ ξένης, §185ὦ τλάμων, ὅ τι καὶ πόλις §186τέτροφεν ἄφιλον ἀποστυγεῖν §187καὶ τὸ φίλον σέβεσθαι.
Endure, a stranger in a foreign land, O wretched one, to hate whatever the city has nurtured as unfriendly, and to reverence what is friendly.
§188ἄγε νυν σύ με, παῖ, §189ἵνʼ ἂν εὐσεβίας ἐπιβαίνοντες §190τὸ μὲν εἴποιμεν, τὸ δʼ ἀκούσαιμεν, §191καὶ μὴ χρείᾳ πολεμῶμεν.
Lead me now, my child, where, entering the path of piety, we might speak on one hand, and hear on the other, and not war against necessity.
§192αὐτοῦ· μηκέτι τοῦδʼ αὐτοπέτρου βήματος ἔξω πόδα κλίνῃς.
Right there; no longer lean your foot outside of this natural stone pedestal.
§193οὕτως;
Like this?
§193aἅλις, ὡς ἀκούεις.
Enough, as you hear.
§195ἦ ἑσθῶ;
Shall I sit down?
Crouching sideways, yes, on the edge of the low stone.
Father, this is my task; in a quiet Ah, wretched me!
step fit your step, leaning your aged body towards my friendly hand.
§202ὤμοι δύσφρονος ἄτας.
Ah, the pain of dreadful ruin!
O wretched one, since now you rest, speak, who of mortals are you born?
§205τίς ὁ πολύπονος ἄγει; τίνʼ ἂν
Who is it that leads you, much-toiled one?
§206σοῦ πατρίδʼ ἐκπυθοίμαν;
What country of yours might I inquire?
O strangers, I am an exile; but do not— What is this you refuse, old man?
Do not, do not, do not ask me who I am, nor search further, investigating.
§212τί τόδʼ;
What is this?
§212aαἰνὰ φύσις.
A dreadful origin.
§212bαὔδα.
Speak.
§213τέκνον, ὤμοι, τί γεγώνω;
My child, ah me, what shall I say aloud?
§214τίνος εἶ σπέρματος, ὦ ξένε, φώνει, πατρόθεν.
Of what seed are you, O stranger, speak, from your father's side.
§215ὤμοι ἐγώ, τί πάθω, τέκνον ἐμόν;
Ah me, what will happen to me, my child?
§216λέγʼ, ἐπείπερ ἐπʼ ἔσχατα βαίνεις.
Speak, since you are indeed going to the very edge.
§217ἀλλʼ ἐρῶ· οὐ γὰρ ἔχω κατακρυφάν.
But I will speak; for I have no concealment.
§218μακρὰ μέλλετον, ἀλλὰ τάχυνε.
You two delay long, but make haste.
§220Λαΐου ἴστε τινʼ;
Do you know any Laius?
§220aὢ ἰοὺ ἰού.
Oh! Oh!
§221τό τε Λαβδακιδᾶν γένος;
And the race of the Labdacidae?
§221aὦ Ζεῦ.
O Zeus!
§222ἄθλιον Οἰδιπόδαν;
The wretched Oedipus?
§222aσὺ γὰρ ὅδʼ εἶ;
For are you indeed he?
§223δέος ἴσχετε μηδὲν ὅσʼ αὐδῶ.
Keep no fear of what I speak.
§224ἰὼ ὢ ὤ.
Ah!
§224aδύσμορος.
Unfortunate one!
§224bὢ ὤ.
Oh!
§225θύγατερ, τί ποτʼ αὐτίκα κύρσει;
Daughter, what indeed will happen immediately?
§226ἔξω πόρσω βαίνετε χώρας.
Go out, far away from this land!
§227ἃ δʼ ὑπέσχεο ποῖ καταθήσεις,
And where will you place what you promised?
§228οὐδενὶ μοιριδία τίσις ἔρχεται §230ἃν προπάθῃ τὸ τίνειν· ἀπάτα δʼ ἀπά- §231ταις ἑτέραις ἑτέρα παραβαλλομέ- §232να πόνον, οὐ χάριν, ἀντιδίδωσιν ἔ- §233χειν.
No fated punishment comes to anyone for returning what he first suffered; and one deceit, matched against other deceits, gives back pain, not gratitude, to hold.
σὺ δὲ τῶνδʼ ἑδράνων πάλιν ἔκτοπος §234αὖθις ἄφορμος ἐμᾶς χθονὸς ἔκθορε, §235μή τι πέρα χρέος §236ἐμᾷ πόλει προσάψῃς.
But do you, displaced from these seats again, speed away from my land immediately, lest you attach some further debt to my city.
§237ὦ ξένοι §238αἰδόφρονες, ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ §239γεραὸν πατέρα τόνδʼ ἐμὸν §240οὐκ ἀνέτλατʼ, ἔργων §241ἀκόντων ἀΐοντες αὐδάν, §242ἀλλʼ ἐμὲ τὰν μελέαν, ἱκετεύομεν, ὦ ξένοι, οἰκτίραθʼ, ἃ §243πατρὸς ὑπὲρ τοὐμοῦ μόνου §244ἄντομαι οὐκ ἀλαοῖς προσορωμένα §245ὄμμα σὸν ὄμμασιν, ὥς τις ἀφʼ αἵματος §246ὑμετέρου προφανεῖσα, τὸν ἄθλιον §247αἰδοῦς κῦρσαι· ἐν ὔμμι γὰρ ὡς θεῷ §248κείμεθα τλάμονες.
O strangers reverent of mind, but since you did not endure this aged father of mine, hearing the voice of his involuntary deeds, yet, O strangers, we entreat you, pity me, the wretched one, who on behalf of my father alone supplicate you, looking into your eyes with my own eyes which are not blind, as though one appearing from your own blood, so that the wretched man may meet with pity; for on you, as on a god, we miserable ones rely.
ἀλλʼ ἴτε, νεύσατε τὰν ἀδόκητον χάριν· §250πρός σʼ ὅ τι σοι φίλον ἐκ σέθεν ἄντομαι, §251ἢ τέκνον ἢ λέχος ἢ χρέος ἢ θεός· §252οὐ γὰρ ἴδοις ἂν ἀθρῶν βροτὸν ὅστις ἄν, §253εἰ θεὸς ἄγοι, §253bἐκφυγεῖν δύναιτο.
But come, nod assent to the unexpected favor; I entreat you by whatever is dear to you from yourself, either child, or wife, or obligation, or god; for you would not, by observing, find any mortal who, if a god should lead him, could escape.
§254ἀλλʼ ἴσθι, τέκνον Οἰδίπου, σέ τʼ ἐξ ἴσου §255οἰκτίρομεν καὶ τόνδε συμφορᾶς χάριν· §256τὰ δʼ ἐκ θεῶν τρέμοντες οὐ σθένοιμεν ἂν §257φωνεῖν πέρα τῶν πρὸς σὲ νῦν εἰρημένων.
But know, child of Oedipus, we pity you and him equally for your misfortune; but trembling at what comes from the gods, we would not have the strength to speak beyond what has now been said to you.
§258τί δῆτα δόξης ἢ τί κληδόνος καλῆς §259μάτην ῥεούσης ὠφέλημα γίγνεται, §260εἰ τάς γʼ Ἀθήνας φασὶ θεοσεβεστάτας §261εἶναι, μόνας δὲ τὸν κακούμενον ξένον §262σῴζειν οἵας τε καὶ μόνας ἀρκεῖν ἔχειν;
What benefit then comes of glory or of fair fame flowing in vain, if they say that Athens is the most god-fearing, and the only one capable of saving the abused stranger, and the only one possessing the power to protect him?
§263κἄμοιγε ποῦ τοῦτʼ ἐστίν, οἵτινες βάθρων §264ἐκ τῶνδέ μʼ ἐξάραντες εἶτʼ ἐλαύνετε, §265ὄνομα μόνον δείσαντες;
And where is this for me, whom, having raised up from these pedestals, you then drive away, fearing only my name?
οὐ γὰρ δὴ τό γε §266σῶμʼ οὐδὲ τἄργα τἄμʼ· ἐπεὶ τά γʼ ἔργα μου §267πεπονθότʼ ἐστὶ μᾶλλον ἢ δεδρακότα, §268εἴ σοι τὰ μητρὸς καὶ πατρὸς χρείη λέγειν, §269ὧν οὕνεκʼ ἐκφοβεῖ με· τοῦτʼ ἐγὼ καλῶς §270ἔξοιδα.
For surely it is not my body nor my deeds; since my deeds are suffered rather than done, if I must speak of the matters of my mother and father, on account of which you fear me; this I know well.
καίτοι πῶς ἐγὼ κακὸς φύσιν, §271ὅστις παθὼν μὲν ἀντέδρων, ὥστʼ εἰ φρονῶν §272ἔπρασσον, οὐδʼ ἂν ὧδʼ ἐγιγνόμην κακός;
And yet, how am I evil in nature, who, having suffered, retaliated, so that even if I had acted with knowledge, I would not even thus have become evil?
But as it is, knowing nothing I came where I came, while by those from whom I suffered, I was being destroyed with their full knowledge.