§841πρόβαθʼ ὧδε, βᾶτε βᾶτʼ, ἔντοποι·
Come here, come, come, inhabitants of the land!
§842πόλις ἐναίρεται, πόλις ἐμά, σθένει·
The city is being violated, my city, by force!
πρόβαθʼ ὧδέ μοι.
Come here to me!
§843ἀφέλκομαι δύστηνος, ὦ ξένοι ξένοι.
I am being dragged away, wretched that I am, O strangers, strangers!
§844ποῦ, τέκνον, εἴ μοι;
Where, my child, are you to me?
§844aπρὸς βίαν πορεύομαι.
I am being led away by force.
§845ὄρεξον, ὦ παῖ, χεῖρας.
Stretch out, my child, your hands!
§845aἀλλʼ οὐδὲν σθένω.
But I have no strength at all.
§846οὐκ ἄξεθʼ ὑμεῖς;
Will you not lead her away?
§846aὦ τάλας ἐγώ, τάλας.
O wretched that I am, wretched!
Never indeed relying on these two staffs shall you journey further.
ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ νικᾶν θέλεις §850πατρίδα τε τὴν σὴν καὶ φίλους, ὑφʼ ὧν ἐγὼ §851ταχθεὶς τάδʼ ἔρδω, καὶ τύραννος ὢν ὅμως, §852νίκα.
But since you wish to conquer your fatherland and your friends, by whose command I do these things, even though I am a ruler—conquer!
χρόνῳ γάρ, οἶδʼ ἐγώ, γνώσει τάδε, §853ὁθούνεκʼ αὐτὸς αὑτὸν οὔτε νῦν καλὰ §854δρᾷς οὔτε πρόσθεν εἰργάσω βίᾳ φίλων, §855ὀργῇ χάριν δούς, ἥ σʼ ἀεὶ λυμαίνεται.
For in time, I know, you will understand these things: that you do no good things for yourself, neither now nor did you before, in opposition to your friends, giving way to your anger, which always ruins you.
§856ἐπίσχες αὐτοῦ, ξεῖνε.
Hold there, stranger!
§856aμὴ ψαύειν λέγω.
I tell you not to touch!
§857οὔτοι σʼ ἀφήσω, τῶνδέ γʼ ἐστερημένος.
I will indeed not let you go, having been deprived of these two girls.
And indeed a greater pledge you will soon for the city lay down; for I will touch not only these two.
§860ἀλλʼ ἐς τί τρέψει;
But to what will you turn?
§860aτόνδʼ ἀπάξομαι λαβών.
I will take this man and lead him away.
§861δεινὸν λέγοις ἄν.
A terrible thing you would say.
§861aτοῦτο νῦν πεπράξεται.
This shall now be done.
§862ἢν μή σʼ ὁ κραίνων τῆσδε γῆς ἀπειργάθῃ.
Unless the ruler of this land prevents you.
§863ὦ φθέγμʼ ἀναιδές, ἦ σὺ γὰρ ψαύσεις ἐμοῦ;
O shameless voice! Will you indeed touch me?
§864αὐδῶ σιωπᾶν.
I tell you to be silent.
May these goddesses not make me silent yet from this curse!
You who, O vilest of men, having torn away my only eye in addition to those eyes lost before, depart by force.
§868τοιγὰρ σέ τʼ αὐτὸν καὶ γένος τὸ σὸν θεῶν §869ὁ πάντα λεύσσων Ἥλιος δοίη βίον §870τοιοῦτον οἷον κἀμὲ γηρᾶναί ποτε.
Therefore may the all-seeing Sun, among the gods, grant to you yourself and to your race a life such as mine, to grow old.
§871ὁρᾶτε ταῦτα, τῆσδε γῆς ἐγχώριοι;
Do you see these things, inhabitants of this land?
They see both me and you, and they understand that having suffered by deeds, I defend myself against you only with words.
I will indeed not restrain my anger, but I will lead him by force, even if I am alone and slow with time.
§876ἰὼ τάλας.
O wretched me.
§877ὅσον λῆμʼ ἔχων ἀφίκου, ξένʼ, εἰ τάδε δοκεῖς τελεῖν.
With how great a spirit you have come, stranger, if you think you will accomplish these things.
§878δοκῶ.
I do think so.
§879τάνδʼ ἄρʼ οὐκέτι νεμῶ πόλιν.
Then I shall no longer count this city as a city.
§880τοῖς τοι δικαίοις χὠ βραχὺς νικᾷ μέγαν.
Indeed, in just causes, even the small conquers the great.
§881ἀκούεθʼ οἷα φθέγγεται;
Do you hear what kind of things he utters?
§881aτά γʼ οὐ τελεῖ.
Things he will not accomplish, indeed.
§883Ζεύς γʼ ἂν εἰδείη, σὺ δʼ οὔ.
Zeus indeed would know, but you do not.
§884ἆρʼ οὐχ ὕβρις τάδʼ;
Is this not outrage?
§884aὕβρις, ἀλλʼ ἀνεκτέα.
Outrage, indeed, but to be borne.
O all you people, O leaders of the land, come with speed, come, since these men are indeed crossing the boundary!
§887τίς ποθʼ ἡ βοή;
What indeed is this cry?
τί τοὔργον;
What is the deed?
From what fear have you stopped me while sacrificing bulls at the altar of the sea god, the guardian of Colonus?
λέξαθʼ, ὡς εἰδῶ τὸ πᾶν, §890οὗ χάριν δεῦρʼ ᾖξα θᾶσσον ἢ καθʼ ἡδονὴν ποδός.
Tell me, so that I may know the whole matter, for whose sake I have rushed here swifter than the pleasure of my feet.
O dearest friend, for I recognized your voice, I have suffered terrible things just now at the hands of this man.
§893τὰ ποῖα ταῦτα, τίς δʼ ὁ πημήνας;
What kind of things are these, and who is the one who harmed you?
λέγε.
Speak.
This Creon, whom you see, has gone after snatching away from me my only pair of daughters.
§896πῶς εἶπας;
How did you say?
§896aοἷά περ πέπονθʼ ἀκήκοας.
You have heard the very things I suffered.
§897οὔκουν τις ὡς τάχιστα προσπόλων μολὼν §898πρὸς τούσδε βωμούς, πάντʼ ἀναγκάσει λεὼν §899ἄνιππον ἱππότην τε θυμάτων ἄπο §900σπεύδειν ἀπὸ ῥυτῆρος, ἔνθα δίστομοι §901μάλιστα συμβάλλουσιν ἐμπόρων ὁδοί, §902ὡς μὴ παρέλθωσʼ αἱ κόραι, γέλως δʼ ἐγὼ §903ξένῳ γένωμαι τῷδε, χειρωθεὶς βίᾳ.
Will not someone then as quickly as possible go to these altars, and compel all the people, both horsemen and footmen, to hasten from the sacrifices with loosened rein, to where the double-mouthed paths of travelers meet, so that the maidens may not pass by, and I become a laughingstock to this stranger, overcome by force?
§904ἴθʼ, ὡς ἄνωγα, σὺν τάχει.
Go, as I command, with speed.
And as for this man, if I had come in such anger as he deserves, I would not have let him go uninjured from my hand.
But now, by the very laws with which he entered, by these and no others shall he be governed.
For you shall never leave this land, until you bring those girls and set them clearly before me.
§911ἐπεὶ δέδρακας οὔτʼ ἐμοῦ καταξίως §912οὔθʼ ὧν πέφυκας αὐτὸς οὔτε σῆς χθονός· §913ὅστις δίκαιʼ ἀσκοῦσαν εἰσελθὼν πόλιν §914κἄνευ νόμου κραίνουσαν οὐδέν, εἶτʼ ἀφεὶς §915τὰ τῆσδε τῆς γῆς κύριʼ, ὧδʼ ἐπεισπεσὼν §916ἄγεις θʼ ἃ χρῄζεις καὶ παρίστασαι βίᾳ, §917καί μοι πόλιν κένανδρον ἢ δούλην τινὰ §918ἔδοξας εἶναι κἄμʼ ἴσον τῷ μηδενί.
Since you have acted in a way worthy neither of me, nor of your own birth, nor of your country; you who, having entered a city that practices justice and decides nothing without law, then casting aside the authorities of this land, have thus rushed in, and take what you want and subjugate by force; and you seemed to think that my city was empty of men or a slave, and that I was equal to nothing.