Oedipus: He who fears hatred too much knows not how to reign: fear guards kingdoms.
He who in his cruelty guides the sceptre with harsh command fears those who fear: fear returns upon its author.
Keep the guilty man shut up in a stony cave; I myself will retrace my steps to the royal palace.
§709Non tu tantis causa periclis, §710non hinc Labdacidos petunt §711fata, sed veteres deum §712irae secuntur: Castalium nemus §713umbram Sidonio praebuit hospiti §714lavitque Dirce Tyrios colonos, §715ut primum magni natus Agenoris §716fessus per urbem furta sequi Iovis, §717sub nostra pavidus constitit arbore §718praedonem venerans suum §719monituque Phoebi §720iussus erranti comes ire vaccae, §721quam non flexerat §722vomer aut tardi iuga curva plaustri, §723deseruit fugas nomenque genti §724inauspicata de bove tradidit.
Chorus: You are not the cause of such great dangers; the fates do not attack the descendants of Labdacus from here, but the ancient angers of the gods pursue them: the Castalian grove provided shade for the Sidonian guest, and Dirce washed the Tyrian colonists, as soon as the son of great Agenor, weary of pursuing the thefts of Jupiter through the city, stopped fearful beneath our tree, venerating his own plunderer, and ordered by the admonition of Phoebus to go as a companion to the wandering heifer, which the ploughshare or the curved yokes of the slow wagon had never bent, he abandoned his flights and handed down a name to the race from the ill-omened cow.
§725Tempore ex illo nova monstra semper protulit tellus: §726aut anguis imis vallibus editus §727annosa supra robora sibilat §728superatque pinus: §728bsupra Chaonias celsior arbores §729erexit caeruleum caput, §730cum maiore sui parte recumberet; §731aut feta tellus impio partu §732effudit arma: sonuit reflexo §733classicum cornu lituusque adunco §734stridulos cantus elisit aere, §734l* §735ante non linguas agiles et ora §736vocis ignotae clamore primum §737hostico experti: §738Agmina campos cognata tenent, §739dignaque iacto semine proles, §740uno aetatem permensa die, §741post Luciferi nata meatus §742ante Hesperios occidit ortus,
From that time on, the earth has always brought forth new monsters: either a serpent, brought forth from the deepest valleys, hisses above the aged oaks and tops the pines: loftier than the Chaonian trees it raised its dark-blue head, even when it lay down with the greater part of itself; or the pregnant earth poured forth arms in an impious birth: the war-trumpet sounded with its curved horn, and the clarion squeezed out shrill notes from its bent bronze, they who beforehand had not experienced nimble tongues and faces, now for the first time with the clamour of an unknown voice in hostile conflict: Kindred battle-lines occupy the plains, and an offspring worthy of the sown seed, measuring out its lifespan in a single day, born after the course of Lucifer, fell before the rising of Hesperus.
§743horret tantis advena monstris §744populique timet bella recentis, §745donec cecidit saeva iuventus §746genetrixque suo reddi gremio §747modo productos vidit alumnos.
The stranger shudders at such great monsters and fears the wars of the newborn people, until the fierce youth fell, and the mother earth saw returned to her own bosom the children she had just now brought forth.
§748hac transierit civile nefas!
May civil sin have passed by this way!
Let that Thebes of Hercules know those battles of brothers.
§751Quid Cadmei fata nepotis, §752cum vivacis cornua cervi §753frontem ramis texere novis §754dominumque canes egere suum?
What of the fate of Cadmus' grandson, when the horns of a long-lived stag covered his forehead with new branches, and his own dogs pursued their master?
§755praeceps silvas montesque fugit §756citus Actaeon agilique magis §757pede per saltus ac saxa vagus §758metuit motas zephyris plumas §759et quae posuit retia vitat: §760donec placidi fontis in unda §761cornua vidit vultusque feros; §762ibi virgineos foverat artus §763nimium saevi diva pudoris.
Headlong through woods and mountains swift Actaeon fled, and wandering with even more agile foot through forest-glades and rocks, he feared the feathers stirred by the zephyrs and avoided the nets which he himself had set: until in the wave of a placid spring he saw his horns and wild face; there the goddess of too-savage chastity had bathed her virgin limbs.
§764C aras revolvit animus et repetit metus, §765obisse nostro Laium scelere autumant §766superi inferique, sed animus contra innocens §767sibique melius quam deis notus negat,
Oedipus: My mind revolves its dear concerns and repeats its fears; the gods above and below assert that Laius fell by my crime, but on the other hand my mind, innocent and better known to itself than to the gods, denies it.
§768redit memoria tenue per vestigium, §769cecidisse nostri stipitis pulsu obvium §770datumque Diti cum prior iuvenem senex, §771curru superbus, pelleret, Thebis procul §772Phocasaea trifidas regio qua scindit vias.
Memory returns along a slender track, that a man in my way fell by the blow of my staff and was given to Dis, when first the old man, proud in his chariot, drove the young man away, far from Thebes where the Phocian region cleaves the three-way paths.
My soul-mate wife, explain my doubts, I pray: what span of life did Laius bear when dying?
§775primone in aevo viridis an fracto occidit?
Did he fall in his green first age, or when broken?
§776Inter senem iuvenemque, sed propior seni.
Jocasta: Between an old man and a youth, but closer to the old man.
§777Frequensne turba regium cinxit latus?
Oedipus: Did a crowded throng surround the royal side?
Jocasta: The confusion of the uncertain road deceived many; faithful service bound only a few to the chariot.
§780Aliquisne cecidit regio fato comes?
Oedipus: Did any companion fall as a partner in the royal fate?
§781ioc. Vnum fides virtusque consortem addidit.
Jocasta: Faith and courage added only one as a companion.
Oedipus: I hold the guilty man; the number, the place agree: but add the time.
§783nDecima iam metitur seges.
Jocasta: Already the tenth harvest is being reaped.
Messenger: The Corinthian people call you to your father's kingdom: Polybus has obtained eternal rest.
§786Vt undique in me saeva Fortuna irruit!
Oedipus: How cruel Fortune rushes upon me from all sides!
§787edissere agedum, quo cadat fato parens.
Tell me, come, by what fate did my parent fall?
§788Animam senilem mollis exsolvit sopor.
Messenger: A gentle sleep released his aged soul.
§789Genitor sine ulla caede defunctus iacet, §790testor, licet iam tollere ad caelum pie §791puras nec ulla scelera metuentes manus,
Oedipus: My father lies dead without any slaughter; I swear that I may now piously lift up to heaven hands that are pure and fearing no crimes.
§792sed pars magis metuenda fatorum manet.
But the part of the fates more to be feared remains.
§793Omnem paterna regna discutient metum.
Messenger: The father's kingdom will dispel all fear.
§794Repetam paterna regna; sed matrem horreo.
Oedipus: I would seek my father's kingdom; but I shudder at my mother.
Messenger: Do you fear your parent, who hangs in anxious suspense, longing for your return?
§796bIpsa me pietas fugat.
Oedipus: Piety itself puts me to flight.
§797Viduam relinques?
Messenger: Will you leave her a widow?
§797bTangis en ipsos metus. — §798Effare morsus quis premat mentem timor; §799praestare tacitam regibus soleo fidem.
Oedipus: Behold, you touch my very fears.— Messenger: Speak out what biting fear oppresses your mind; I am accustomed to show silent faith to kings.
§800Conubia matris Delphico admonitu tremo.
Oedipus: I tremble at marriage with my mother, warned by the Delphic oracle.