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Sophocles · Oedipus at Colonus Οἰδίπους ἐπὶ Κολωνῷ

Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 203–253b: Parodos (cont.): the secret name

Ancient Sources / Sophocles / Oedipus at Colonus / 203–253b

The Chorus ask Oedipus who he is, and he begs them not to ask. When they insist, and Antigone urges him to speak, he gives his name, and the Chorus cry out in horror and tell him to leave the country at once. Antigone pleads with them to take pity on her aged father, who is blind and has no one to guide him but herself.

Lines 203–253b · 409 words · click a number to copy its link

Chorus

203–206
203ὦ τλάμων, ὅτε νῦν χαλᾷς, αὔδασον, τίς ἔφυς βροτῶν; 205τίς ὁ πολύπονος ἄγει; τίνʼ ἂν σοῦ πατρίδʼ ἐκπυθοίμαν;

Ah, poor man, since now you are at ease, speak! What is your lineage among mortals? With what name are you led on your weary path? What fatherland can you tell us of?

207–253b
Οἰδίπους 207ὦ ξένοι, ἀπόπτολις· ἀλλὰ μὴ Χορός τί τόδʼ ἀπεννέπεις, γέρον; Οἰδίπους 210μὴ μὴ μή μʼ ἀνέρῃ τίς εἰμι, μηδʼ ἐξετάσῃς πέρα ματεύων. Χορός τί τόδʼ; Οἰδίπους αἰνὰ φύσις. Χορός αὔδα. Οἰδίπους τέκνον, ὤμοι, τί γεγώνω; Χορός τίνος εἶ σπέρματος, ὦ ξένε, φώνει, πατρόθεν. Οἰδίπους 215ὤμοι ἐγώ, τί πάθω, τέκνον ἐμόν; Ἀντιγόνη λέγʼ, ἐπείπερ ἐπʼ ἔσχατα βαίνεις. Οἰδίπους ἀλλʼ ἐρῶ· οὐ γὰρ ἔχω κατακρυφάν. Χορός μακρὰ μέλλετον, ἀλλὰ τάχυνε. Οἰδίπους 220Λαΐου ἴστε τινʼ; Χορός ὢ ἰοὺ ἰού. Οἰδίπους τό τε Λαβδακιδᾶν γένος; Χορός ὦ Ζεῦ. Οἰδίπους ἄθλιον Οἰδιπόδαν; Χορός σὺ γὰρ ὅδʼ εἶ; Οἰδίπους δέος ἴσχετε μηδὲν ὅσʼ αὐδῶ. Χορός ἰὼ ὢ ὤ. Οἰδίπους δύσμορος. Χορός ὢ ὤ. Οἰδίπους 225θύγατερ, τί ποτʼ αὐτίκα κύρσει; Χορός ἔξω πόρσω βαίνετε χώρας. Οἰδίπους ἃ δʼ ὑπέσχεο ποῖ καταθήσεις, Χορός οὐδενὶ μοιριδία τίσις ἔρχεται 230ἃν προπάθῃ τὸ τίνειν· ἀπάτα δʼ ἀπά- ταις ἑτέραις ἑτέρα παραβαλλομέ- να πόνον, οὐ χάριν, ἀντιδίδωσιν ἔ- χειν. σὺ δὲ τῶνδʼ ἑδράνων πάλιν ἔκτοπος αὖθις ἄφορμος ἐμᾶς χθονὸς ἔκθορε, 235μή τι πέρα χρέος ἐμᾷ πόλει προσάψῃς. Ἀντιγόνη ὦ ξένοι αἰδόφρονες, ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ γεραὸν πατέρα τόνδʼ ἐμὸν 240οὐκ ἀνέτλατʼ, ἔργων ἀκόντων ἀΐοντες αὐδάν, ἀλλʼ ἐμὲ τὰν μελέαν, ἱκετεύομεν, ὦ ξένοι, οἰκτίραθʼ, ἃ πατρὸς ὑπὲρ τοὐμοῦ μόνου ἄντομαι οὐκ ἀλαοῖς προσορωμένα 245ὄμμα σὸν ὄμμασιν, ὥς τις ἀφʼ αἵματος ὑμετέρου προφανεῖσα, τὸν ἄθλιον αἰδοῦς κῦρσαι· ἐν ὔμμι γὰρ ὡς θεῷ κείμεθα τλάμονες. ἀλλʼ ἴτε, νεύσατε τὰν ἀδόκητον χάριν· 250πρός σʼ ὅ τι σοι φίλον ἐκ σέθεν ἄντομαι, ἢ τέκνον ἢ λέχος ἢ χρέος ἢ θεός· οὐ γὰρ ἴδοις ἂν ἀθρῶν βροτὸν ὅστις ἄν, εἰ θεὸς ἄγοι, ἐκφυγεῖν δύναιτο.

Oedipus Strangers, I am without a city, but do not—

Chorus What is this that you forbid, old man?

Oedipus do not, do not ask me who I am! Do not seek or probe further!

Chorus What does this mean?

Oedipus Horrid the birth—

Chorus Speak!

Oedipus My child—ah, me!—what shall I say?

Chorus What is your lineage, stranger? Speak! And who is your father?

Oedipus Woe is me! What will become of me, my child?

Antigone Speak, for you are driven to the verge.

Oedipus Then speak I will. I have no way to hide it.

Chorus You two make a long delay. Come, hasten!

Oedipus Do you know of a son of Laius?

Chorus Oh!

Oedipus —And the race of the Labdacidae?

Chorus O Zeus!

Oedipus —and the pitiful Oedipus?

Chorus You are he?

Oedipus Have no fear of any words that I speak—

Chorus Ah, no, no!

Oedipus Unhappy that I am!

Chorus Oh, oh!

Oedipus Daughter, what is about to happen?

Chorus Out with you! Go forth from the land!

Oedipus And your promise—to what fulfillment will you bring it?

Chorus No man is visited by the punishment of fate if he requites deeds which were first done to himself. Deceit on the one part matches deceits on the other, and gives pain instead of pleasure for reward. And you—back with you! Out from your seat! Away from my land with all speed, that you may not fasten some heavier burden on my city!

Antigone Reverent strangers, since you have not endured my aged father—knowing, as you do, the rumor of his unintended deeds—pity at least my poor self, I implore you, who supplicate you for my father alone. I beg you with eyes that can still look on your own, like one sprung from your own blood, that this sufferer may meet with reverent treatment. On you, as on a god, we depend in our misery. But come, grant the favor for which we hardly dare hope! I implore you by everything that you hold dear at home: by child, by wife, or treasure, or god! Look well and you will not find the mortal who, if a god should lead him on, could escape.

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 1639–1766Exodos: Antigone defies Creon; Oedipus goes into exile
  2. Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus 1132–1185Fifth episode: the herdsman's confession
  3. Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus 999–1075Fourth episode (cont.): the messenger reveals that Oedipus was found as a child
  4. Euripides, Phoenician Women 1539–1583Exodos: Oedipus learns of the deaths
  5. Aeschylus, Seven against Thebes 875–1010Exodos: the lament for the two brothers
  6. Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.25.1–10Thebes: tomb of Menoeceus, Dirce, Pindar's house and the Cabiri

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.