§75οἶσθʼ, ὦ ξένʼ, ὡς νῦν μὴ σφαλῇς;
Do you know, stranger, how you may not stumble now?
ἐπείπερ εἰ §76γενναῖος, ὡς ἰδόντι, πλὴν τοῦ δαίμονος, §77αὐτοῦ μένʼ οὗπερ κἀφάνης, ἕως ἐγὼ §78τοῖς ἐνθάδʼ αὐτοῦ μὴ κατʼ ἄστυ δημόταις
Since you are noble, to all appearance, except for your fortune, remain here where you appeared, until I go and tell this to the local demesmen here, not those in the city.
tell these things; for they will decide for you whether you must remain or go back.
§81ὦ τέκνον, ἦ βέβηκεν ἡμὶν ὁ ξένος;
My child, has the stranger indeed gone from us?
He is gone, so that you may speak everything in quiet, father, since only I am near you.
§84ὦ πότνιαι δεινῶπες, εὖτε νῦν ἕδρας §85πρώτων ἐφʼ ὑμῶν τῆσδε γῆς ἔκαμψʼ ἐγώ, §86Φοίβῳ τε κἀμοὶ μὴ γένησθʼ ἀγνώμονες, §87ὅς μοι, τὰ πόλλʼ ἐκεῖνʼ ὅτʼ ἐξέχρη κακά, §88ταύτην ἔλεξε παῦλαν ἐν χρόνῳ μακρῷ, §89ἐλθόντι χώραν τερμίαν, ὅπου θεῶν §90σεμνῶν ἕδραν λάβοιμι καὶ ξενόστασιν, §91ἐνταῦθα κάμψειν τὸν ταλαίπωρον βίον, §92κέρδη μὲν οἰκήσαντα τοῖς δεδεγμένοις, §93ἄτην δὲ τοῖς πέμψασιν, οἵ μʼ ἀπήλασαν· §94σημεῖα δʼ ἥξειν τῶνδέ μοι παρηγγύα, §95ἢ σεισμὸν ἢ βροντήν τινʼ ἢ Διὸς σέλας,
O dread-faced queens, since now on your seat first in this land I have bent my knees, do not be ungracious to Phoebus and to me, who, when he prophesied those many evils to me, foretold this respite in the long course of time, when I should come to a terminal land, where a seat and asylum of the august goddesses, and there I should round out my miserable life, bringing benefit by my settling to those who received me, but ruin to those who sent me forth, who drove me away; and he promised that signs of these things would come to me, either an earthquake, or some thunder, or the flash of Zeus.
§96ἔγνωκα μέν νυν ὥς με τήνδε τὴν ὁδὸν §97οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως οὐ πιστὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν πτερὸν §98ἐξήγαγʼ εἰς τόδʼ ἄλσος·
And now I know that as for this journey, it cannot be but that a trustworthy omen from you led me out into this grove.
οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε §99πρώταισιν ὑμῖν ἀντέκυρσʼ ὁδοιπορῶν, §100νήφων ἀοίνοις, κἀπὶ σεμνὸν ἑζόμην §101βάθρον τόδʼ ἀσκέπαρνον.
For otherwise, I would never have met you first in my wanderings, I, sober, meeting you who receive no wine, nor would I have sat upon this unhewn solemn seat.
ἀλλά μοι, θεαί, §102βίου κατʼ ὀμφὰς τὰς Ἀπόλλωνος δότε §103πέρασιν ἤδη καὶ καταστροφήν τινα, §104εἰ μὴ δοκῶ τι μειόνως ἔχειν, ἀεὶ §105μόχθοις λατρεύων τοῖς ὑπερτάτοις βροτῶν.
But, O goddesses, grant, according to the oracle of Apollo, to my life some consummation now and a turning point, unless I seem to be too worthless, I who ever serve the ultimate miseries of mortals.
§106ἴτʼ, ὦ γλυκεῖαι παῖδες ἀρχαίου Σκότου, §107ἴτʼ, ὦ μεγίστης Παλλάδος καλούμεναι §108πασῶν Ἀθῆναι τιμιωτάτη πόλις, §109οἰκτίρατʼ ἀνδρὸς Οἰδίπου τόδʼ ἄθλιον §110εἴδωλον· οὐ γὰρ δὴ τόδʼ ἀρχαῖον δέμας.
Come, sweet daughters of ancient Darkness, come, O Athens, city called after greatest Pallas, most honored city of all, pity this miserable shadow of the man Oedipus; for indeed this is no longer his ancient body.
Silence; for here come some men, old in years, inspectors of your seat.
§113σιγήσομαί τε καὶ σύ μʼ ἐξ ὁδοῦ πόδα §114κρύψον κατʼ ἄλσος, τῶνδʼ ἕως ἂν ἐκμάθω §115τίνας λόγους ἐροῦσιν· ἐν γὰρ τῷ μαθεῖν §116ἔνεστιν ηὑλάβεια τῶν ποιουμένων.
I will be silent; and do you hide my step into the grove, until I learn from these men what words they will speak; for in learning lies caution in what we do.
§117ὅρα.
Look!
τίς ἄρʼ ἦν;
Who was he then?
ποῦ ναίει;
Where does he dwell?
Where has he rushed away from this place, he of all the most insatiable of all?
§123πλανάτας πλανάτας τις ὁ πρέσβυς οὐδʼ §125ἔγχωρος· προσέβα γὰρ οὐκ §126ἄν ποτʼ ἀστιβὲς ἄλσος ἐς §127τᾶνδʼ ἀμαιμακετᾶν κορᾶν, §128ἃς τρέμομεν λέγειν §130καὶ παραμειβόμεσθʼ ἀδέρκτως, §131ἀφώνως, ἀλόγως τὸ τᾶς. §132εὐφάμου στόμα φροντίδος
A wanderer, some wanderer is the old man, and not a native; for he would never have entered this untrodden grove of these unconquerable maidens, whom we tremble to name, and pass by without looking, silent, uttering no word, keeping the mouth of reverent thought.
§133ἱέντες, τὰ δὲ νῦν τινʼ ἥκειν §134λόγος οὐδὲν ἅζονθʼ, §135ὃν ἐγὼ λεύσσων περὶ πᾶν οὔπω §136δύναμαι τέμενος §137γνῶναι ποῦ μοί ποτε ναίει.
But now there is a rumor that someone has come who respects nothing, whom I, looking all around the sacred precinct, cannot yet discern where he is hiding.
§138ὅδʼ ἐκεῖνος ἐγώ·
Here I am, that man!
φωνῇ γὰρ ὁρῶ, §139τὸ φατιζόμενον.
For by voice I see, as the saying goes.
§140ἰὼ ἰώ,
Alas, alas!
§141δεινὸς μὲν ὁρᾶν, δεινὸς δὲ κλύειν.
Dreadful to look upon, dreadful to hear!
§142μή μʼ, ἱκετεύω, προσίδητʼ ἄνομον.
Do not, I entreat you, look upon me as a lawless man.
§143Ζεῦ ἀλεξῆτορ, τίς ποθʼ ὁ πρέσβυς;
Zeus the averter, who on earth is this old man?
§144οὐ πάνυ μοίρας εὐδαιμονίσαι §145πρώτης, ὦ τῆσδʼ ἔφοροι χώρας. §146δηλῶ δʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ὧδʼ ἀλλοτρίοις §147ὄμμασιν εἷρπον §148κἀπὶ σμικροῖς μέγας ὥρμουν.
Not one of the highest fortune to be congratulated, O rulers of this land, as I show; for otherwise I would not creep along thus by the eyes of others, nor, great as I am, would I anchor myself upon a small stay.
§149ἐή, ἀλαῶν ὀμμάτων
Alas!
§150ἆρα καὶ ἦσθα φυτάλμιος;
Were you born with blind eyes?
δυσαίων
Have you been thus from birth?
§151μακραίων γʼ, ὅσʼ ἐπεικάσαι.
Wretched and long-lived, so far as one can guess.
But indeed, so far as in me lies, you shall not add these curses.
§155περᾷς γάρ, περᾷς·
For you trespass, you trespass!
ἀλλʼ ἵνα τῷδʼ ἐν ἀ- §156φθέγκτῳ μὴ προπέσῃς νάπει §157ποιάεντι, κάθυδρος οὗ §158κρατὴρ μειλιχίων ποτῶν §160ῥεύματι συντρέχει, §161τόν, ξένε πάμμορʼ, εὖ φύλαξαι;
But lest you fall into this silent, grassy glade, where the watery bowl of sweet offerings blends with the stream, O most miserable stranger, guard yourself well against this!
§162μετάσταθʼ ἀπόβαθι.
Retire, step away!
πολ- §163λὰ κέλευθος ἐρατύει·
A great distance holds back your voice.
§165κλύεις, ὦ πολύμοχθʼ ἀλᾶτα;
Do you hear, much-toiling wanderer?
§166λόγον εἴ τινʼ οἴσεις §167πρὸς ἐμὰν λέσχαν, ἀβάτων ἀποβάς, §168ἵνα πᾶσι νόμος, §169φώνει· πρόσθεν δʼ ἀπερύκου.
If you will bring any word to our discussion, stepping away from the forbidden ground, to where it is lawful for all, speak; but before that, keep yourself back.
§170θύγατερ, ποῖ τις φροντίδος ἔλθῃ;
Daughter, where should one's thoughts go?
O father, we must act in unison with the citizens, yielding in what we must, and obeying.
§173πρόσθιγέ νύν μου.
Touch me then.
§173aψαύω καὶ δή.
I am touching you already.
O strangers, let me not be wronged after trusting you and moving from my place.