Sophocles
πάτερ ταλαίπωρ᾿ Οἰδίπους, πύργοι μὲν οἳ 15πόλιν στέφουσιν, ὡς ἀπ᾿ ὀμμάτων, πρόσω· χῶρος δ᾿ ὅδ᾿ ἱερός, ὡς σάφ᾿ εἰκάσαι, βρύων δάφνης, ἐλαίας, ἀμπέλου· πυκνόπτεροι δ᾿ εἴσω κατ᾿ αὐτὸν εὐστομοῦσ᾿ ἀηδόνες· οὗ κῶλα κάμψον τοῦδ᾿ ἐπ᾿ ἀξέστου πέτρου· 20μακρὰν γὰρ ὡς γέροντι προὐστάλης ὁδόν.
κάθιζέ νύν με καὶ φύλασσε τὸν τυφλόν.
χρόνου μὲν οὕνεκ᾿ οὐ μαθεῖν με δεῖ τόδε.
ἔχεις διδάξαι δή μ᾿ ὅποι καθέσταμεν;
τὰς γοῦν Ἀθήνας οἶδα, τὸν δὲ χῶρον οὔ.
25πᾶς γάρ τις ηὔδα τοῦτό γ᾿ ἡμὶν ἐμπόρων.
ἀλλ᾿ ὅστις ὁ τόπος ἦ μάθω μολοῦσά ποι;
ναί, τέκνον, εἴπερ ἐστί γ᾿ ἐξοικήσιμος.
ἀλλ᾿ ἐστὶ μὴν οἰκητός· οἴομαι δὲ δεῖν οὐδέν· πέλας γὰρ ἄνδρα τόνδε νῷν ὁρῶ.
- 15στέφουσιν Wakefield: στέγουσιν codd.
- 25τοῦτό γ᾿ Aristobulus Apostolides: τοῦτον cett.
Oedipus at Colonus
Unhappy father, Oedipus, the walls that surround the city look to be far off; and this place is sacred, one can easily guess, with the bay, the olive, and the vine growing everywhere; and inside it many feathered nightingales make their music. Relax your limbs here on this unhewn rock; for you have gone a long way for an aged man.
Then seat me here and guard me, blind as I am!
After so long, you do not need to tell me that!
She seats oedipus upon the rock in the middle of the stage.
Can you explain to me where it is we are?
I know that it is Athens, but I do not know what place.
Yes, all the people on the road told us that much.
But shall I go and discover what place it is?
Yes, my child, if indeed it can be lived in.
Why, it is lived in! But I think there is no need to go, for I see a man here near us.