Oedipus at Colonus 1714–1779: Theseus and the end

Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 1714–1779: Exodos (cont.): Theseus and the end

The Chorus tell the sisters that his end is blessed, and Antigone wishes that she might see her father's grave. Theseus tells her that Oedipus told him that no one should approach the place or disturb it. She yields, and asks to be sent to Thebes, to prevent the deaths of her brothers. Theseus promises to do that and whatever else he can for them, and the Chorus bid them cease their mourning.

1714–1722

Ἀντιγόνη 1714ἔρημος ἔθανες ὧδέ μοι. Ἰσμήνη 1715ὦ τάλαινα, τίς ἄρα με πότμος αὖθις ὧδʼ […] […] ἐπαμμένει σέ τʼ, ὦ φίλα, τὰς πατρὸς ὧδʼ ἐρήμας; Χορός 1720ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ ὀλβίως γʼ ἔλυσεν τὸ τέλος, ὦ φίλαι, βίου, λήγετε τοῦδʼ ἄχους· κακῶν γὰρ δυσάλωτος οὐδείς.

Ismene Wretched me! What fate awaits you and me, dear, orphaned as we are of our father?

Chorus Cease from your grief, dear girls, since his end is blessed. No one is beyond the reach of evil.

1723–1736

Ἀντιγόνη 1723πάλιν, φίλα, συθῶμεν. Ἰσμήνη ὡς τί ῥέξομεν; Ἀντιγόνη ἵμερος ἔχει με. Ἰσμήνη τίς; Ἀντιγόνη 1725τὰν χθόνιον ἑστίαν ἰδεῖν Ἰσμήνη τίνος; Ἀντιγόνη πατρός, τάλαινʼ ἐγώ. Ἰσμήνη θέμις δὲ πῶς τάδʼ ἐστί; μῶν οὐχ ὁρᾷς; Ἀντιγόνη 1730τί τόδε ἐπέπληξας; Ἰσμήνη καὶ τόδʼ, ὡς Ἀντιγόνη τί τόδε μάλʼ αὖθις; Ἰσμήνη ἄταφος ἔπιτνε δίχα τε παντός. Ἀντιγόνη ἄγε με, καὶ τότʼ ἐπενάριξον. Ἰσμήνη αἰαῖ, δυστάλαινα, ποῦ δῆτʼ 1735αὖθις ὧδʼ ἔρημος ἄπορος αἰῶνα τλάμονʼ ἕξω;

Antigone Dear, let us hasten back.

Ismene To do what deed?

Antigone A longing fills my soul—

Ismene For what?

Antigone To see the netherworld home.

Ismene Of whom?

Antigone Wretched me! Of our father.

Ismene And how can this be right? Surely you understand?

Antigone Why this rebuke?

Ismene And surely you know this, too—

Antigone What more would you tell me?

Ismene That he perished without a tomb, apart from everyone.

Antigone Lead me there, and then kill me, too.

Ismene Unhappy me! Abandoned and helpless, where am I now to live my wretched life?

1737–1750

Χορός 1737φίλαι, τρέσητε μηδέν. Ἀντιγόνη ἀλλὰ ποῖ φύγω; Χορός καὶ πάρος ἀπέφυγε Ἀντιγόνη τί; Χορός 1740τὰ σφῷν τὸ μὴ πίτνειν κακῶς. Ἀντιγόνη φρονῶ. Χορός τί δῆθʼ ὅπερ νοεῖς; Ἀντιγόνη ὅπως μολούμεθʼ ἐς δόμους, οὐκ ἔχω. Χορός μηδέ γε μάτευε. Ἀντιγόνη μόγος ἔχει. Χορός καὶ πάρος ἐπεῖχε. Ἀντιγόνη 1745τοτὲ μὲν ἄπορα, τοτὲ δʼ ὕπερθεν. Χορός μέγʼ ἄρα πέλαγος ἐλάχετόν τι. Ἀντιγόνη ναὶ ναί. Χορός ξύμφημι καὐτός. Ἀντιγόνη αἰαῖ, ποῖ μόλωμεν, ὦ Ζεῦ; ἐλπίδων γὰρ ἐς τίνʼ ἔτι με 1750δαίμων τανῦν γʼ ἐλαύνει;

Chorus Dear girls, do not be afraid.

Antigone But where shall I flee?

Chorus Already a refuge has been found—

Oedipus What do you mean?

Chorus —That no harm befall you.

Antigone I feel—

Chorus What do you think?

Antigone How we are to go home, I cannot tell.

Chorus Do not seek to go.

Antigone Trouble surrounds us.

Chorus And previously it bore heavily.

Antigone Then it was desperate, but now even crueler.

Chorus Vast, then, is the sea of your troubles.

Antigone Alas, alas! Zeus, where shall we turn? To what last hope does the divinity now drive us?

1751–1779

Θησεύς 1751παύετε θρήνων, παῖδες· ἐν οἷς γὰρ χάρις ἡ χθονία ξύνʼ ἀπόκειται, πενθεῖν οὐ χρή· νέμεσις γάρ. Ἀντιγόνη ὦ τέκνον Αἰγέως, προσπίτνομέν σοι. Θησεύς 1755τίνος, ὦ παῖδες, χρείας ἀνύσαι; Ἀντιγόνη τύμβον θέλομεν προσιδεῖν αὐταὶ πατρὸς ἡμετέρου. Θησεύς ἀλλʼ οὐ θεμιτόν. Ἀντιγόνη πῶς εἶπας, ἄναξ, κοίρανʼ Ἀθηνῶν; Θησεύς 1760ὦ παῖδες, ἀπεῖπεν ἐμοὶ κεῖνος μήτε πελάζειν ἐς τούσδε τόπους μήτʼ ἐπιφωνεῖν μηδένα θνητῶν θήκην ἱεράν, ἣν κεῖνος ἔχει. καὶ ταῦτά μʼ ἔφη πράσσοντα καλῶς 1765χώραν ἕξειν αἰὲν ἄλυπον. ταῦτʼ οὖν ἔκλυεν δαίμων ἡμῶν χὠ πάντʼ ἀΐων Διὸς Ὅρκος. Ἀντιγόνη ἀλλʼ εἰ τάδʼ ἔχει κατὰ νοῦν κείνῳ, ταῦτʼ ἂν ἀπαρκοῖ· Θήβας δʼ ἡμᾶς 1770τὰς ὠγυγίους πέμψον, ἐάν πως διακωλύσωμεν ἰόντα φόνον τοῖσιν ὁμαίμοις. Θησεύς δράσω καὶ τάδε καὶ πάνθʼ ὁπόσʼ ἂν μέλλω πράσσειν πρόσφορά θʼ ὑμῖν 1775καὶ τῷ κατὰ γῆς, ὃς νέον ἔρρει, πρὸς χάριν· οὐ δεῖ μʼ ἀποκάμνειν. Χορός ἀλλʼ ἀποπαύετε μηδʼ ἐπὶ πλείω θρῆνον ἐγείρετε· πάντως γὰρ ἔχει τάδε κῦρος.

Theseus Cease your lament, children! Where the favor of the nether night is stored up, there is no room for sorrow; divine retribution would follow.

Antigone Son of Aegeus, we supplicate you!

Theseus To obtain what desire, my children?

Antigone We want to look with our own eyes upon our father’s tomb.

Theseus It is not right to go there.

Antigone What do you mean, lord, ruler of Athens?

Theseus Children, he told me that no one should draw near that place, or approach with prayer the sacred tomb in which he sleeps. He said that, so long as I saw to this, I would always keep the country free from pain. The divinity heard me say these things, as did the all-seeing Oath of Zeus.

Antigone If this is his intention, we must be content with it. Send us to ancient Thebes, in case we may somehow stop the bloodshed that threatens our brothers.

Theseus I will do both this and whatever other favorable service I can, for you and for the newly-departed under the earth, according to the gratitude I owe. I am bound to spare no pains.

Chorus Cease; raise up the lamentation no further. These things are established firm and fixed.

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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.

Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 1714–1779: Exodos (cont.): Theseus and the end

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