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Sophocles · Oedipus at Colonus Οἰδίπους ἐπὶ Κολωνῷ

Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 887–938: Third episode (cont.): Theseus arrives and orders the pursuit

Ancient Sources / Sophocles / Oedipus at Colonus / 887–938

Theseus hears the shout and hurries from his sacrifice to Poseidon, and Oedipus tells him that Creon has taken his daughters. Theseus orders his men to leave the sacrifice and ride to the place where the two roads meet, so that the girls cannot be carried off. He tells Creon that he will not leave the land until he has brought the girls before him, and rebukes him for his violence against a city of law.

Lines 887–938 · 496 words · click a number to copy its link
887–896a
Θησεύς 887τίς ποθʼ ἡ βοή; τί τοὔργον; ἐκ τίνος φόβου ποτὲ βουθυτοῦντά μʼ ἀμφὶ βωμὸν ἔσχετʼ ἐναλίῳ θεῷ τοῦδʼ ἐπιστάτῃ Κολωνοῦ; λέξαθʼ, ὡς εἰδῶ τὸ πᾶν, 890οὗ χάριν δεῦρʼ ᾖξα θᾶσσον ἢ καθʼ ἡδονὴν ποδός. Οἰδίπους ὦ φίλτατʼ, ἔγνων γὰρ τὸ προσφώνημά σου, πέπονθα δεινὰ τοῦδʼ ὑπʼ ἀνδρὸς ἀρτίως. Θησεύς τὰ ποῖα ταῦτα, τίς δʼ ὁ πημήνας; λέγε. Οἰδίπους Κρέων ὅδʼ, ὃν δέδορκας, οἴχεται τέκνων 895ἀποσπάσας μου τὴν μόνην ξυνωρίδα. Θησεύς πῶς εἶπας; Οἰδίπους οἷά περ πέπονθʼ ἀκήκοας.

Theseus What is this shout? What is the trouble? What fear has moved you to stop my sacrifice at the altar to the sea-god, the lord of your Colonus? Speak, so that I may know the situation; for that is why I have sped here more swiftly than was pleasant.

Oedipus Dearest of men! I know your voice. Terrible are the things I have just suffered at the hands of this man here.

Theseus What things are these? And who has pained you? Speak!

Oedipus Creon, whom you see here, has torn from me my children—my only two.

Theseus What is that you say?

Oedipus You have heard my wrongs.

897–938
Θησεύς 897οὔκουν τις ὡς τάχιστα προσπόλων μολὼν πρὸς τούσδε βωμούς, πάντʼ ἀναγκάσει λεὼν ἄνιππον ἱππότην τε θυμάτων ἄπο 900σπεύδειν ἀπὸ ῥυτῆρος, ἔνθα δίστομοι μάλιστα συμβάλλουσιν ἐμπόρων ὁδοί, ὡς μὴ παρέλθωσʼ αἱ κόραι, γέλως δʼ ἐγὼ ξένῳ γένωμαι τῷδε, χειρωθεὶς βίᾳ. ἴθʼ, ὡς ἄνωγα, σὺν τάχει. τοῦτον δʼ ἐγώ, 905εἰ μὲν διʼ ὀργῆς ἧκον, ἧς ὅδʼ ἄξιος, ἄτρωτον οὐ μεθῆκʼ ἂν ἐξ ἐμῆς χερός. νῦν δʼ οὕσπερ αὐτὸς τοὺς νόμους εἰσῆλθʼ ἔχων, τούτοισι κοὐκ ἄλλοισιν ἁρμοσθήσεται. οὐ γάρ ποτʼ ἔξει τῆσδε τῆς χώρας, πρὶν ἂν 910κείνας ἐναργεῖς δεῦρό μοι στήσῃς ἄγων· ἐπεὶ δέδρακας οὔτʼ ἐμοῦ καταξίως οὔθʼ ὧν πέφυκας αὐτὸς οὔτε σῆς χθονός· ὅστις δίκαιʼ ἀσκοῦσαν εἰσελθὼν πόλιν κἄνευ νόμου κραίνουσαν οὐδέν, εἶτʼ ἀφεὶς 915τὰ τῆσδε τῆς γῆς κύριʼ, ὧδʼ ἐπεισπεσὼν ἄγεις θʼ ἃ χρῄζεις καὶ παρίστασαι βίᾳ, καί μοι πόλιν κένανδρον ἢ δούλην τινὰ ἔδοξας εἶναι κἄμʼ ἴσον τῷ μηδενί. καίτοι σε Θῆβαί γʼ οὐκ ἐπαίδευσαν κακόν· 920οὐ γὰρ φιλοῦσιν ἄνδρας ἐκδίκους τρέφειν, οὐδʼ ἄν σʼ ἐπαινέσειαν, εἰ πυθοίατο συλῶντα τἀμὰ καὶ τὰ τῶν θεῶν, βίᾳ ἄγοντα φωτῶν ἀθλίων ἱκτήρια. οὔκουν ἔγωγʼ ἂν σῆς ἐπεμβαίνων χθονός, 925οὐδʼ εἰ τὰ πάντων εἶχον ἐνδικώτατα, ἄνευ γε τοῦ κραίνοντος, ὅστις ἦν, χθονὸς οὔθʼ εἷλκον οὔτʼ ἂν ἦγον, ἀλλʼ ἠπιστάμην ξένον παρʼ ἀστοῖς ὡς διαιτᾶσθαι χρεών. σὺ δʼ ἀξίαν οὐκ οὖσαν αἰσχύνεις πόλιν 930τὴν αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ, καί σʼ ὁ πληθύων χρόνος γέρονθʼ ὁμοῦ τίθησι καὶ τοῦ νοῦ κενόν. εἶπον μὲν οὖν καὶ πρόσθεν, ἐννέπω δὲ νῦν, τὰς παῖδας ὡς τάχιστα δεῦρʼ ἄγειν τινά, εἰ μὴ μέτοικος τῆσδε τῆς χώρας θέλεις 935εἶναι βίᾳ τε κοὐχ ἑκών· καὶ ταῦτά σοι τῷ νῷ θʼ ὁμοίως κἀπὸ τῆς γλώσσης λέγω. Χορός ὁρᾷς ἵνʼ ἥκεις, ὦ ξένʼ; ὡς ἀφʼ ὧν μὲν εἶ φαίνει δίκαιος, δρῶν δʼ ἐφευρίσκει κακά.

Theseus Hurry, one of you attendants, to the altars there, and order the people to leave the sacrifice and race on foot and by horse full speed, to the region where the two highways meet, so that the maidens may not pass, and I not become a mockery to this stranger as one worsted by force. Quick, I say, away with you! As for this man, if my anger went as far as he deserves, I would not let him go uninjured from my hand. But now, just such law as he himself has brought will be the rule for his correction. You will never leave this land until you bring those maidens and produce them in my sight. For your action is a disgrace to me, and to your own ancestors, and to your country. You have come to a city that practices justice and sanctions nothing without law, yet you have spurned her lawful authorities and made this violent assault. You are taking captives at will and subjugating them by force, as if you believed that my city was void of men, or manned by slaves, and that I counted for nothing. Yet it was not Thebes that trained you to be evil. Thebes is not accustomed to rearing unjust men;— nor would she praise you, if she learned that you are despoiling me, and despoiling the gods, when by force you drive off their unfortunate suppliants. If my foot were upon your land, never would I drag off or lead away someone without permission from the ruler of the land, whoever he might be—no, even if my claim were the most just of all. I would know how a stranger ought to live among citizens. But you are disgracing a city that does not deserve it: your own, and your years, despite their fullness, bring you an old age barren of sense. Now, I have said before, and I say it once again: let the maidens be brought here speedily, unless you wish to be an unwilling immigrant to this country by force. These are the words of my lips; my mind is in accord.

Chorus Do you see your plight, stranger? You are judged to be just by where you are from, but your deeds are found to be evil.

People and places in this passage

Passages in other works that tell of the same people and places, oldest and closest first.

  1. Euripides, Phoenician Women 834–895Fourth episode: Teiresias arrives and hints at a hidden remedy
  2. Euripides, Suppliants 634–730Messenger speech: Theseus defeats the Thebans
  3. Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.28.1–11Athens: Acropolis offerings, the Areopagus and the courts of justice
  4. Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus 404–462First episode (cont.): Teiresias foretells Oedipus' fate
  5. Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.41.1–9Megara: tomb of Alcmena, the lion of Cithaeron and the tomb of Tereus
  6. Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus 1478–1530Exodos (cont.): Oedipus and his daughters; the end

English translation by Richard C. Jebb (modernised by Perseus) (1889). Original text: Greek text: Francis Storr (ed. and trans.), Sophocles, Loeb Classical Library, London: William Heinemann, 1912, as digitised by Perseus. English: Richard C. Jebb, Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments, The Oedipus at Colonus, Cambridge University Press, 1889 (Perseus's modernised version of Jebb's prose translation).

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.