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Read Ebook: Oedipus King of Thebes Translated into English Rhyming Verse with Explanatory Notes by Sophocles BCE BCE Murray Gilbert Translator
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Ebook has 627 lines and 15767 words, and 13 pages
OEDIPUS.
'Tis weak to none save thee. Thou hast no part In truth, thou blind man, blind eyes, ears and heart.
TIRESIAS.
More blind, more sad thy words of scorn, which none Who hears but shall cast back on thee: soon, soon.
OEDIPUS.
Thou spawn of Night, not I nor any free And seeing man would hurt a thing like thee.
TIRESIAS.
OEDIPUS .
Ha! Creon!--Is it his or thine, this plot?
TIRESIAS.
'Tis thyself hates thee. Creon hates thee not.
OEDIPUS.
O wealth and majesty, O conquering skill That carved life's rebel pathways to my will, What is your heart but bitterness, if now For this poor crown Thebes bound upon my brow, A gift, a thing I sought not--for this crown Creon the stern and true, Creon mine own Comrade, comes creeping in the dark to ban And slay me; sending first this magic-man And schemer, this false beggar-priest, whose eye Is bright for gold and blind for prophecy? Speak, thou. When hast thou ever shown thee strong For aid? The She-Wolf of the woven song Came, and thy art could find no word, no breath, To save thy people from her riddling death. 'Twas scarce a secret, that, for common men To unravel. There was need of Seer-craft then. And thou hadst none to show. No fowl, no flame, No God revealed it thee. 'Twas I that came, Rude Oedipus, unlearned in wizard's lore, And read her secret, and she spoke no more. Whom now thou thinkest to hunt out, and stand Foremost in honour at King Creon's hand. I think ye will be sorry, thou and he That shares thy sin-hunt. Thou dost look to me
An old man; else, I swear this day should bring On thee the death thou plottest for thy King.
LEADER.
Lord Oedipus, these be but words of wrath, All thou hast spoke and all the Prophet hath. Which skills not. We must join, for ill or well, In search how best to obey God's oracle.
TIRESIAS.
King though thou art, thou needs must bear the right Of equal answer. Even in me is might For thus much, seeing I live no thrall of thine, But Lord Apollo's; neither do I sign Where Creon bids me. I am blind, and thou Hast mocked my blindness. Yea, I will speak now. Eyes hast thou, but thy deeds thou canst not see Nor where thou art, nor what things dwell with thee. Whence art thou born? Thou know'st not; and unknown, On quick and dead, on all that were thine own, Thou hast wrought hate. For that across thy path Rising, a mother's and a father's wrath, Two-handed, shod with fire, from the haunts of men Shall scourge thee, in thine eyes now light, but then Darkness. Aye, shriek! What harbour of the sea, What wild Kithairon shall not cry to thee In answer, when thou hear'st what bridal song, What wind among the torches, bore thy strong Sail to its haven, not of peace but blood. Yea, ill things multitude on multitude
Thou seest not, which so soon shall lay thee low, Low as thyself, low as thy children.--Go, Heap scorn on Creon and my lips withal: For this I tell thee, never was there fall Of pride, nor shall be, like to thine this day.
OEDIPUS.
To brook such words from this thing? Out, I say! Out to perdition! Aye, and quick, before ...
OEDIPUS.
Oh, riddles everywhere and words of doubt!
TIRESIAS.
Aye. Thou wast their best reader long ago.
OEDIPUS.
Laugh on. I swear thou still shalt find me so.
TIRESIAS.
That makes thy pride and thy calamity.
OEDIPUS.
I have saved this land, and care not if I die.
TIRESIAS.
Then I will go.--Give me thine arm, my child.
OEDIPUS.
Aye, help him quick.--To see him there makes wild My heart. Once gone, he will not vex me more.
TIRESIAS .
I fear thee not; nor will I go before That word be spoken which I came to speak. How canst thou ever touch me?--Thou dost seek With threats and loud proclaim the man whose hand Slew La?us. Lo, I tell thee, he doth stand Here. He is called a stranger, but these days Shall prove him Theban true, nor shall he praise His birthright. Blind, who once had seeing eyes, Beggared, who once had riches, in strange guise,
His staff groping before him, he shall crawl O'er unknown earth, and voices round him call: "Behold the brother-father of his own Children, the seed, the sower and the sown, Shame to his mother's blood, and to his sire Son, murderer, incest-worker." Cool thine ire With thought of these, and if thou find that aught Faileth, then hold my craft a thing of naught.
Rage in his heart, and rage across his way, He toileth ever to beat from his ears away The word that floateth about him, living, where'er he goes.
CREON.
Good brother citizens, a frantic word I hear is spoken by our chosen Lord Oedipus against me, and here am come Indignant. If he dreams, 'mid all this doom That weighs upon us, he hath had from me Or deed or lightest thought of injury, ... 'Fore God, I have no care to see the sun Longer with such a groaning name. Not one Wound is it, but a multitude, if now All Thebes must hold me guilty--aye, and thou And all who loved me--of a deed so foul.
LEADER.
If words were spoken, it was scarce the soul That spoke them: 'twas some sudden burst of wrath.
CREON.
The charge was made, then, that Tiresias hath Made answer false, and that I bribed him, I?
LEADER.
It was--perchance for jest. I know not why.
CREON.
His heart beat true, his eyes looked steadily And fell not, laying such a charge on me?
LEADER.
I know not. I have no eyes for the thing My masters do.--But see, here comes the King.
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