§331ego sum? meorum facinorum exempla appetunt, §332me nunc secuntur; laudo et agnosco libens, §333exhortor, aliquid ut patre hoc dignum gerant.
Am I? They seek the examples of my crimes, they follow me now; I praise and gladly acknowledge them, I exhort them to perform something worthy of this father.
§334agite, o propago cara, generosam indolem §335probate factis, gloriam ac laudes meas §336superate et aliquid facite propter quod patrem §337adhuc iuvet vixisse, facietis, scio:
Go on, O dear offspring, prove your noble nature by your deeds, surpass my glory and praises and do something on account of which it may still please your father to have lived.
§338sic estis orti.
You will do so, I know: thus you were born.
scelere defungi haut levi, §339haut usitato tanta nobilitas potest.
Such great nobility cannot discharge a light crime, nor an ordinary one.
§340ferte arma, facibus petite penetrales deos §341frugemque flamma metite natalis soli, §342miscete cuncta, rapite in exitium omnia, §343disicite passim moenia, in planum date, §344templis deos obruite, maculatos lares §345conflate, ab imo tota considat domus; §346urbs concremetur— primus a thalamis meis §347incipiat ignis.
Bring arms, attack the household gods with torches, and reap the harvest of your native soil with flame, confound all things, drag everything to destruction, scatter the walls everywhere, level them to the ground, overwhelm the gods in their temples, melt down the defiled Lares, let the whole house collapse from its deepest foundations; let the city be burned—let the first fire begin from my bridal chamber.
§347bMitte violentum impetum §348doloris ac te publica exorent mala §3349auctorque placidae liberis pacis veni.
[ANTIGONE] Dismiss the violent onset of grief, and let the public evils win you over, and come as the author of gentle peace for your children.
[OEDIPUS] Do you see an old man devoted to a modest mind, and do you call him to the side of one who loves gentle peace?
§352tumet animus ira, fervet immensus dolor, §353maiusque quam quod casus et iuvenum furor §354conatur aliquid cupio, non satis est adhuc
My mind swells with anger, immense grief boils, and I desire something greater than what chance and the madness of youth attempt.
§355civile bellum: frater in fratrem ruat; §356nec hoc sat est: quod debet, ut fiat nefas §357de more nostro, quod meos deceat toros: §358date arma matri, nemo me ex his eruat §359silvis: latebo rupis exesae cavo §360aut sepe densa corpus abstrusum tegam.
It is not yet enough, civil war: let brother rush against brother; nor is this enough: what is due, that a crime may be committed according to our custom, which would befit my bed: give arms to the mother. Let no one rescue me from these woods: I will hide in the hollow of an eroded cliff, or cover my concealed body with a thick hedge.
From here I will catch the words of wandering rumor and hear the fierce wars of the brothers, which is all I can do.
§363Felix Agaue: facinus horrendum manu, §364qua fecerat, gestavit et spolium tulit §365cruenta nati maenas in partes dati; §366fecit scelus, sed misera non ultro suo §367sceleri occucurrit.
[JOCASTA] Happy Agave: a horrible crime by her hand, with which she had committed it, she carried, and bore the spoil, the bloody Maenad of her son torn to pieces; she committed a crime, but, wretched woman, did not knowingly run to meet her own crime.
hoc leve est quod sum nocens: §368feci nocentes, hoc quoque etiamnunc leve est: §369peperi nocentes, derat aerumnis meis, §370ut et hostem amarem, bruma ter posuit nives §371et tertia iam falce decubuit Ceres, §372ut exul errat natus et patria caret §373profugusque regum auxilia Graiorum rogat, §374gener est Adrasti, cuius imperio mare §375quod scindit Isthmos regitur; hic gentes suas §376septemque secum regna ad auxilium trahit
This is light, that I am guilty: I made others guilty. This too is still light: I gave birth to guilty ones. There was lacking to my hardships, that I should also love an enemy. Three times winter has laid down snow, and already Ceres has fallen by the third sickle, since my son wanders as an exile and lacks his fatherland, and as a fugitive asks the aid of Greek kings; He is the son-in-law of Adrastus, under whose rule the sea which the Isthmus cleaves is ruled; he draws his own peoples and seven kingdoms with him to the aid of his son-in-law.
§377genero, quid optem quidve decernam haut scio.
What I should wish or what I should decide, I do not know.
He demands back the kingdom: the cause of the one demanding is good, bad is that of the one seeking it thus.
vota quae faciam parens?
What vows shall I, a parent, make?
§380utrimque natum video: nil possum pie §381pietate salva facere: quodcumque alteri §382optabo nato fiet alterius malo.
On both sides I see a son: I can do nothing piously with piety preserved: whatever I shall wish for one son, will turn out to the misfortune of the other.
§383sed utrumque quamvis diligam affectu pari, §384quo causa melior sorsque deterior trahit §385inclinat animus semper infirmo favens: §386miseros magis fortuna conciliat suis.
But although I love both with equal affection, whither the better cause and the worse fortune draw me, my mind inclines, always favoring the weak: fortune commends the wretched more to their own.
§387Regina, dum tu flebiles questus cies §388terisque tempus, saeva nudatis adest §389acies in armis; aera iam bellum cient §390aquilaque pugnam signifer mota vocat.
[MESSENGER] Queen, while you raise tearful complaints and waste time, the fierce battle-line is near with bared weapons; the bronze horns already rouse war, and the standard-bearer calls to battle, the eagle standard being raised.
§391septena reges bella dispositi parant, §392animo pari Cadmea progenies subit, §393cursu citato miles hinc atque hinc ruit.
The kings, arranged, prepare seven battles, with equal spirit the Cadmean offspring advances, with swift pace the soldier rushes from this side and that.
§394vide ut atra nubes pulvere abscondat diem §395fumoque similes campus in caelum erigat §396nebulas, equestri fracta quas tellus pede §397summittit et, si vera metuentes vident, §398infesta fulgent signa, subrectis adest §399frons prima telis, aurea clarum nota §400nomen ducum vexilla praescriptum ferunt.
See how a black cloud hides the day with dust, and the plain raises to heaven mists similar to smoke, which the earth, shattered by horses' hooves, sends up, and, if those who fear see the truth, hostile standards gleam, the front line is near with raised weapons, and the banners bear the name of the leaders written in bright golden mark explicitly written.
Go, restore love to the brothers, peace to all, and stop the impious arms by the intervention of their mother.
§403Perge, o parens, et concita celerem gradum, §404compesce tela, fratribus ferrum excute, §405nudum inter enses pectus infestos tene: §406aut solve bellum, mater, aut prima excipe,
[ANTIGONE] Go on, O parent, and quicken your swift step, restrain the weapons, knock the iron from the brothers' hands, hold your bare breast between hostile swords: either dissolve the war, mother, or be the first to receive its blows.
§407Ibo ibo et armis obvium opponam caput, §408stabo inter arma; petere qui fratrem volet, §409petat ante matrem, tela, qui fuerit pius, §410rogante ponat matre; qui non est pius §411incipiat a me.
[JOCASTA] I will go, I will go, and I will oppose my head in the path of arms, I will stand between the weapons; he who wishes to attack his brother, let him first attack his mother; let him who is pious lay down his weapons at his mother's request; he who is not pious, let him begin with me.