§523δαίμονος, ἐχθρὸν εἴκασμα βροτοῖς τε καὶ §524δαροβίοισι θεοῖσιν, §525πρόσθε πυλᾶν κεφαλὰν ἰάψειν.
daemon, and an object of hatred both to mortals and to the long-lived gods, will cast down his head before the gates.
§526οὕτως γένοιτο.
[Messenger] May it be so.
τὸν δὲ πέμπτον αὖ λέγω, §527πέμπταισι προσταχθέντα Βορραίαις πύλαις, §528τύμβον κατ᾽ αὐτὸν Διογενοῦς Ἀμφίονος:
And now I tell of the fifth, stationed at the fifth, the Borraean gates, by the very tomb of Amphion, born of Zeus.
§529ὄμνυσι δ᾽ αἰχμὴν ἣν ἔχει μᾶλλον θεοῦ §530σέβειν πεποιθὼς ὀμμάτων θ᾽ ὑπέρτερον, §531ἦ μὴν λαπάξειν ἄστυ Καδμείων βίᾳ §532Διός: τόδ᾽ αὐδᾷ μητρὸς ἐξ ὀρεσκόου
And he swears by the spear he holds, trusting in it more than in a god, and more highly than his own eyes, that he will indeed destroy the city of the Cadmeans by force, even against the will of Zeus.
§533βλάστημα καλλίπρῳρον, ἀνδρόπαις ἀνήρ.
So speaks this beautiful-faced offshoot of a mountain-dwelling mother, a boy-man.
And just now the downy hair goes through his cheeks, with youth blooming, thick hair rising.
But he, with a cruel spirit, in no way named after maidens, and having a fierce eye, stands near.
§538οὐ μὴν ἀκόμπαστός γ᾽ ἐφίσταται πύλαις: §539τὸ γὰρ πόλεως ὄνειδος ἐν χαλκηλάτῳ §540σάκει, κυκλωτῷ σώματος προβλήματι, §541Σφίγγ᾽ ὠμόσιτον προσμεμηχανημένην §542γόμφοις ἐνώμα, λαμπρὸν ἔκκρουστον δέμας, §543φέρει δ᾽ ὑφ᾽ αὑτῇ φῶτα Καδμείων ἕνα, §544ὡς πλεῖστ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀνδρὶ τῷδ᾽ ἰάπτεσθαι βέλη.
Indeed, he does not stand without boasting at the gates; for the disgrace of the city, on his bronze-wrought shield, the circular protection of his body, he brandished the raw-eating Sphinx, craftily attached with rivets, a bright embossed body, and she carries under herself one of the Cadmeans, so that most missiles would be hurled at this man.
§545ἐλθὼν δ᾽ ἔοικεν οὐ καπηλεύσειν μάχην, §546μακρᾶς κελεύθου δ᾽ οὐ καταισχυνεῖν πόρον, §547Παρθενοπαῖος Ἀρκάς: ὁ δὲ τοιόσδ᾽ ἀνὴρ
Having come, he seems not likely to deal in battle like a petty merchant, nor will he disgrace the journey of his long way, Parthenopaeus the Arcadian.
And such a man, a resident alien, paying back his fine rearing to Argos, threatens these towers with things that may a god not bring to pass.
§550εἰ γὰρ τύχοιεν ὧν φρονοῦσι πρὸς θεῶν, §551αὐτοῖς ἐκείνοις ἀνοσίοις κομπάσμασιν: §552ἦ τἂν πανώλεις παγκάκως τ᾽ ὀλοίατο.
[Eteocles] If only they would receive from the gods what they intend, with those very unholy boasts of theirs; surely they would perish utterly and in most miserable ruin.
§553ἔστιν δὲ καὶ τῷδ᾽, ὃν λέγεις τὸν Ἀρκάδα, §554ἀνὴρ ἄκομπος, χεὶρ δ᾽ ὁρᾷ τὸ δράσιμον, §555Ἄκτωρ ἀδελφὸς τοῦ πάρος λελεγμένου: §556ὃς οὐκ ἐάσει γλῶσσαν ἐργμάτων ἄτερ §557εἴσω πυλῶν ῥέουσαν ἀλδαίνειν κακά, §558οὐδ᾽ εἰσαμεῖψαι τεῖχος ἐχθίστου δάκους §559εἰκὼ φέροντα πολεμίας ἐπ᾽ ἀσπίδος: §560ἣ ʼξωθεν εἴσω τῷ φέροντι μέμψεται, §561πυκνοῦ κροτησμοῦ τυγχάνουσ᾽ ὑπὸ πτόλιν.
And against this man too, whom you call the Arcadian, there is an unboasting man, and his hand sees what must be done, Actor, brother of the one mentioned before; who will not permit a tongue without deeds flowing within the gates to multiply evils, nor to pass inside the wall carrying the image of the most hateful beast upon a hostile shield; she, from without, will complain to the one carrying her within, when she meets with heavy pounding beneath the city.
§562θεῶν θελόντων κἂν ἀληθεύσαιμ᾽ ἐγώ.
If the gods will, I indeed may speak the truth.
§563ἱκνεῖται λόγος διὰ στηθέων, §564τριχὸς δ᾽ ὀρθίας πλόκαμος ἵσταται, §565μεγάλα μεγαληγόρων κλυούσᾳ §566ἀνοσίων ἀνδρῶν.
[Chorus] The speech pierces through my chest, and the lock of my hair stands upright with fear, hearing the grand words of the loud-boasting, unholy men.
εἴθε γὰρ §567θεοὶ τούσδ᾽ ὀλέσειαν ἐν γᾷ.
Oh, may the gods destroy them in this land.
§568ἕκτον λέγοιμ᾽ ἂν ἄνδρα σωφρονέστατον, §569ἀλκήν τ᾽ ἄριστον μάντιν, Ἀμφιάρεω βίαν: §570Ὁμολωίσιν δὲ πρὸς πύλαις τεταγμένος §571κακοῖσι βάζει πολλὰ Τυδέως βίαν: §572τὸν ἀνδροφόντην, τὸν πόλεως ταράκτορα, §573μέγιστον Ἄργει τῶν κακῶν διδάσκαλον, §574Ἐρινύος κλητῆρα, πρόσπολον φόνου, §575κακῶν τ᾽ Ἀδράστῳ τῶνδε βουλευτήριον. §576καὶ τὸν σὸν αὖθις προσθροῶν ἀδελφεόν, §577ἐξυπτιάζων ὄμμα, Πολυνείκους βίαν, §578δίς τ᾽ ἐν τελευτῇ τοὔνομ᾽ ἐνδατούμενος, §579καλεῖ.
[Messenger] I would tell of the sixth, a most moderate man, and a prophet best in valor, the strength of Amphiaraus; stationed at the Homoloian gates, he rails with many evils against the strength of Tydeus: "The manslayer, the troubler of the city, the greatest teacher of evils to Argos, the summoner of the Erinnys, the servant of slaughter, and the counselor of these evils to Adrastus." And addressing your brother in turn, turning his eyes upward, the strength of Polynices, and dividing his name twice at its end, he calls him.
λέγει δὲ τοῦτ᾽ ἔπος διὰ στόμα: §580“ἦ τοῖον ἔργον καὶ θεοῖσι προσφιλές, §581καλόν τ᾽ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ λέγειν μεθυστέροις, §582πόλιν πατρῴαν καὶ θεοὺς τοὺς ἐγγενεῖς §583πορθεῖν, στράτευμ᾽ ἐπακτὸν ἐμβεβληκότα;
And he speaks this word through his mouth: "Is such a deed indeed pleasing to the gods, and beautiful to hear and to tell to those hereafter, to destroy your ancestral city and native gods, having brought in an imported army?
§584μητρός τε πηγὴν τίς κατασβέσει δίκη;
And what justice will quench a mother's spring?
And how will your fatherland, captured by your eagerness under the spear, become an ally to you?
I indeed will fatten this earth, lying hidden as a prophet beneath a hostile ground.
§589μαχώμεθ᾽, οὐκ ἄτιμον ἐλπίζω μόρον. ” §590τοιαῦθ᾽ ὁ μάντις ἀσπίδ᾽ εὔκυκλον νέμων §591πάγχαλκον ηὔδα: σῆμα δ᾽ οὐκ ἐπῆν κύκλῳ.
Let us fight; I expect no dishonorable doom." Such things the prophet spoke, wielding his well-rounded all-bronze shield; but no device was on its circle.
§592οὐ γὰρ δοκεῖν ἄριστος, ἀλλ᾽ εἶναι θέλει, §593βαθεῖαν ἄλοκα διὰ φρενὸς καρπούμενος, §594ἐξ ἧς τὰ κεδνὰ βλαστάνει βουλεύματα.
For he wishes not to seem the best, but to be, reaping a deep furrow through his mind, from which wise counsels sprout.
Against him, wise and good opponents I advise you to send.
δεινὸς ὃς θεοὺς σέβει.
Terrible is the one who reveres the gods.
[Eteocles] Alas, for the ill omen that associates among mortals a just man with the most impious.
In every matter, indeed, there is nothing worse than evil association; its fruit is not to be harvested.
§601ἄτης ἄρουρα θάνατον ἐκκαρπίζεται.
The field of ruin reaps death.
§602ἢ γὰρ ξυνεισβὰς πλοῖον εὐσεβὴς ἀνὴρ §603ναύταισι θερμοῖς καὶ πανουργίᾳ τινὶ §604ὄλωλεν ἀνδρῶν σὺν θεοπτύστῳ γένει, §605ἢ ξὺν πολίταις ἀνδράσιν δίκαιος ὢν §606ἐχθροξένοις τε καὶ θεῶν ἀμνήμοσιν, §607ταὐτοῦ κυρήσας ἐκδίκοις ἀγρεύματος, §608πληγεὶς θεοῦ μάστιγι παγκοίνῳ ʼδάμη.
For either a pious man, embarking on a ship with hot-headed sailors and some villainy, perishes with the god-hated race of men, or, being just among fellow citizens who are hostile to strangers and unmindful of the gods, falling into the same trap as the unrighteous, he is subdued, struck by the god's all-encompassing whip.
§609οὕτως δ᾽ ὁ μάντις, υἱὸν Οἰκλέους λέγω, §610σώφρων δίκαιος ἀγαθὸς εὐσεβὴς ἀνήρ, §611μέγας προφήτης, ἀνοσίοισι συμμιγεὶς §612θρασυστόμοισιν ἀνδράσιν βίᾳ φρενῶν, §613τείνουσι πομπὴν τὴν μακρὰν πάλιν μολεῖν, §614Διὸς θέλοντος ξυγκαθελκυσθήσεται.
And so indeed the prophet, I mean the son of Oecles, a moderate, just, good, pious man, a great seer, having associated with unholy, bold-mouthed men, against his own judgment, who extend their march to return on that long journey, if Zeus wills, he will be dragged down together with them.