§618εἰ καρπὸς ἔσται θεσφάτοισι Λοξίου:
[Eteocles] if there is to be fruit from the prophecies of Loxias.
§619φιλεῖ δὲ σιγᾶν ἢ λέγειν τὰ καίρια.
But he is accustomed either to keep silent or to speak what is timely.
§620ὅμως δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ φῶτα, Λασθένους βίαν, §621ἐχθρόξενον πυλωρὸν ἀντιτάξομεν, §622γέροντα τὸν νοῦν, σάρκα δ᾽ ἡβῶσαν φύει, §623ποδῶκες οἶμα, χεῖρα δ᾽ οὐ βραδύνεται §624παρ᾽ ἀσπίδος γυμνωθὲν ἁρπάσαι δόρυ.
Nevertheless, against him, the strength of Lasthenes, a gate-keeper hostile to strangers, we will station, old in mind, but he grows a youthful flesh, swift in his step, and his hand is not slow to snatch the spear laid bare from beside his shield.
§625θεοῦ δὲ δῶρόν ἐστιν εὐτυχεῖν βροτούς.
For mortals to be successful is a gift of a god.
§626κλύοντες θεοὶ δικαίας λιτὰς §627ἡμετέρας τελεῖθ᾽, ὡς πόλις εὐτυχῇ, §628δορίπονα κάκ᾽ ἐκτρέποντες <ἐς> γᾶς §629ἐπιμόλους: πύργων δ᾽ ἔκτοθεν §630βαλὼν Ζεύς σφε κάνοι κεραυνῷ.
[Chorus] O gods, hearing our just prayers, fulfill them, so that the city may be fortunate, turning aside the spear-toiling evils of the land to those invading; and outside the towers, may Zeus strike and slay them with his thunderbolt.
§631τὸν ἕβδομον δὴ τόν τ᾽ ἐφ᾽ ἑβδόμαις πύλαις §632λέξω, τὸν αὐτοῦ σου κασίγνητον, πόλει §633οἵας ἀρᾶται καὶ κατεύχεται τύχας: §634πύργοις ἐπεμβὰς κἀπικηρυχθεὶς χθονί, §635ἁλώσιμον παιᾶν᾽ ἐπεξιακχάσας, §636σοὶ ξυμφέρεσθαι καὶ κτανὼν θανεῖν πέλας, §637ἢ ζῶντ᾽ ἀτιμαστῆρα τὼς ἀνδρηλατῶν §638φυγῇ τὸν αὐτὸν τόνδε τίσασθαι τρόπον.
[Messenger] The seventh indeed, and at the seventh gates, I will tell of, your own brother, what fortunes he prays for and curses upon the city: having mounted the towers and been proclaimed to the land, having shouted out the conquest-paean, to clash with you and, having killed you, to die near you, or, surviving, to punish you, who dishonored him by exile, by flight in this very same manner.
§639τοιαῦτ᾽ ἀυτεῖ καὶ θεοὺς γενεθλίους §640καλεῖ πατρῴας γῆς ἐποπτῆρας λιτῶν §641τῶν ὧν γενέσθαι πάγχυ Πολυνείκους βία.
Such things he shouts, and the ancestral gods of his fatherland he calls upon to oversee his prayers, that they may completely come to pass, the strength of Polynices.
And he has a newly made, well-rounded shield, and a double device craftily attached to it.
For to look upon, a man wrought of beaten gold, a warrior, some woman is leading, guiding him modestly.
§646Δίκη δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ εἶναί φησιν, ὡς τὰ γράμματα §647λέγει “κατάξω δ᾽ ἄνδρα τόνδε καὶ πόλιν §648ἕξει πατρῴων δωμάτων τ᾽ ἐπιστροφάς. ” §649τοιαῦτ᾽ ἐκείνων ἐστὶ τἀξευρήματα.
And she claims to be Justice, as the letters speak: “I will bring back this man, and the city he shall possess, and the return to his ancestral homes.” Such indeed are their inventions.
§650σὺ δ᾽ αὐτὸς ἤδη γνῶθι τίνα πέμπειν δοκεῖ: §651ὡς οὔποτ᾽ ἀνδρὶ τῷδε κηρυκευμάτων §652μέμψει, σὺ δ᾽ αὐτὸς γνῶθι ναυκληρεῖν πόλιν.
But do you yourself now determine whom you think to send; for never to this man on account of my reports will you complain, but do you yourself know how to steer the city.
§653ὦ θεομανές τε καὶ θεῶν μέγα στύγος, §654ὦ πανδάκρυτον ἁμὸν Οἰδίπου γένος: §655ὤμοι, πατρὸς δὴ νῦν ἀραὶ τελεσφόροι.
[Eteocles] O god-maddened and great object of the gods’ hatred, o all-lamented house of Oedipus, my own; alas, my father’s curses are now indeed coming to fulfillment.
But it is not proper either to weep or to wail, lest a more intolerable lamentation be born.
§658ἐπωνύμῳ δὲ κάρτα, Πολυνείκει λέγω, §659τάχ᾽ εἰσόμεσθα τοὐπίσημ᾽ ὅποι τελεῖ, §660εἴ νιν κατάξει χρυσότευκτα γράμματα §661ἐπ᾽ ἀσπίδος φλύοντα σὺν φοίτῳ φρενῶν.
But for the one so truly named, I mean Polynices, we shall soon know where his device will end, whether the gold-wrought letters will bring him back, babbling on his shield with his mind’s frenzy.
But if the virgin Justice, daughter of Zeus, were present in his deeds and mind, this might soon be so.
§664ἀλλ᾽ οὔτε νιν φυγόντα μητρόθεν σκότον, §665οὔτ᾽ ἐν τροφαῖσιν, οὔτ᾽ ἐφηβήσαντά πω, §666οὔτ᾽ ἐν γενείου ξυλλογῇ τριχώματος, §667Δίκη προσεῖδε καὶ κατηξιώσατο:
But neither when he escaped the darkness of his mother, or in his rearing, nor when he became a youth, or in the gathering of the hair of his beard, did Justice look upon him and deem him worthy.
§668οὐδ᾽ ἐν πατρῴας μὴν χθονὸς κακουχίᾳ §669οἶμαί νιν αὐτῷ νῦν παραστατεῖν πέλας, §670ἢ δῆτ᾽ ἂν εἴη πανδίκως ψευδώνυμος §671Δίκη, ξυνοῦσα φωτὶ παντόλμῳ φρένας.
Nor indeed in the maltreatment of his ancestral land do I think she now stands near at his side; or surely she would be completely falsely named Justice, if she associated in mind with a man all-daring.
Trusting in these things, I will go and engage myself; who else is more just?
Ruler against ruler, and brother against brother, enemy with enemy, I will stand.
φέρ᾽ ὡς τάχος §676κνημῖδας, αἰχμῆς καὶ πέτρων προβλήματα.
Bring with all speed greaves, protections against the spear and stones.
§677μή, φίλτατ᾽ ἀνδρῶν, Οἰδίπου τέκος, γένῃ §678ὀργὴν ὁμοῖος τῷ κάκιστ᾽ αὐδωμένῳ: §679ἀλλ᾽ ἄνδρας Ἀργείοισι Καδμείους ἅλις §680ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν: αἷμα γὰρ καθάρσιον.
[Chorus] Do not, dearest of men, child of Oedipus, become like in anger to the one most evilly spoken of; but for Cadmeans to come to hands with Argive men is enough; for that blood is capable of purification.
But for two blood-related men, a death thus self-slaying, there is no old age for this pollution.
[Eteocles] If indeed one must bear evil, let it be without shame; for that is the only profit among the dead.
§685κακῶν δὲ κᾀσχρῶν οὔτιν᾽ εὐκλείαν ἐρεῖς.
But from evil and shameful deeds, you will speak of no glory.
§686τί μέμονας, τέκνον;
[Chorus] What do you desire, child?
Let not a wrath-filled, spear-mad ruin carry you away; cast out the beginning of evil passion.
§689ἐπεὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα κάρτ᾽ ἐπισπέρχει θεός, §690ἴτω κατ᾽ οὖρον κῦμα Κωκυτοῦ λαχὸν §691Φοίβῳ στυγηθὲν πᾶν τὸ Λαΐου γένος.
[Eteocles] Since a god exceedingly hastens the matter, let the whole race of Laius, hated by Phoebus, go down the wind, having obtained the wave of Cocytus.
§692ὠμοδακής σ᾽ ἄγαν ἵμερος ἐξοτρύ- §693νει πικρόκαρπον ἀνδροκτασίαν τελεῖν §694αἵματος οὐ θεμιστοῦ.
[Chorus] A too raw-biting desire urges you on to complete a bitter-fruited manslaughter of blood not lawful to shed.
§695φίλου γὰρ ἐχθρά μοι πατρὸς μέλαιν᾽ ἀρὰ §696ξηροῖς ἀκλαύτοις ὄμμασιν προσιζάνει, §697λέγουσα κέρδος πρότερον ὑστέρου μόρου.
[Eteocles] Yes, for the hostile black curse of my dear father sits close before my dry, tearless eyes, telling of profit prior to a later death.
§698ἀλλὰ σὺ μὴ ᾽ποτρύνου: κακὸς οὐ κεκλή- §699σει βίον εὖ κυρήσας: μελάναιγις ἐκ δ᾽ §700εἶσι δόμων Ἐρινύς, ὅταν ἐκ χερῶν §701θεοὶ θυσίαν δέχωνται.
[Chorus] But do not be urged on; you will not be called bad if you obtain life well. And the black-shielded Erinnys will depart from the house, when from your hands the gods receive a sacrifice.
[Eteocles] By the gods we are already, somehow, neglected, and the favor from us perishing is admired by them.
§704τί οὖν ἔτ᾽ ἂν σαίνοιμεν ὀλέθριον μόρον;
Why then should we still fawn upon a destructive death?
§705νῦν ὅτε σοι παρέστακεν: ἐπεὶ δαίμων §706λήματος ἐν τροπαίᾳ χρονίᾳ μεταλ- §707λακτὸς ἴσως ἂν ἔλθοι θαλερωτέρῳ §708πνεύματι: νῦν δ᾽ ἔτι ζεῖ.
[Chorus] Now when it stands close to you; since the daemon, after a long time, changing with a turn of mind, might perhaps come with a gentler wind; but now it still boils.