Sophocles
μιᾶς τρέφῃ πρὸς νυκτός, ὥστε μήτ᾿ ἐμὲ 375μήτ᾿ ἄλλον, ὅστις φῶς ὁρᾷ, βλάψαι ποτ᾿ ἄν.
οὐ γάρ σε μοῖρα πρός γ᾿ ἐμοῦ πεσεῖν, ἐπεὶ ἱκανὸς Ἀπόλλων, ᾧ τάδ᾿ ἐκπρᾶξαι μέλει.
Κρέοντος, ἢ τοῦ ταῦτα τἀξευρήματα;
Κρέων δέ σοι πῆμ᾿ οὐδέν, ἀλλ᾿ αὐτὸς σὺ σοί.
380ὦ πλοῦτε καὶ τυραννὶ καὶ τέχνη τέχνης ὑπερφέρουσα τῷ πολυζήλῳ βίῳ, ὅσος παρ᾿ ὑμῖν ὁ φθόνος φυλάσσεται, εἰ τῆσδέ γ᾿ ἀρχῆς οὕνεχ᾿, ἣν ἐμοὶ πόλις δωρητόν, οὐκ αἰτητόν, εἰσεχείρισεν, 385ταύτης Κρέων ὁ πιστός, οὑξ ἀρχῆς φίλος, λάθρᾳ μ᾿ ὑπελθὼν ἐκβαλεῖν ἱμείρεται, ὑφεὶς μάγον τοιόνδε μηχανορράφον, δόλιον ἀγύρτην, ὅστις ἐν τοῖς κέρδεσιν μόνον δέδορκε, τὴν τέχνην δ᾿ ἔφυ τυφλός. 390ἐπεὶ φέρ᾿ εἰπέ, ποῦ σὺ μάντις εἶ σαφής; πῶς οὐχ, ὅθ᾿ ἡ ῥαψῳδὸς ἐνθάδ᾿ ἦν κύων, ηὔδας τι τοῖσδ᾿ ἀστοῖσιν ἐκλυτήριον; καίτοι τό γ᾿ αἴνιγμ᾿ οὐχὶ τοὐπιόντος ἦν ἀνδρὸς διειπεῖν, ἀλλὰ μαντείας ἔδει·
- 376σε . . . γ’ ἐμοῦ Brunck: με . . . γε σοῦ Π 9 et codd.
- 378του Π 9ac: σοῦ Π 9pc et codd.
- 379δὲ] γε Brunck
Oedipus Tyrannus
You are sustained by darkness only, so that you could never harm me or any other man that sees the light.
No, it is not at my hand that you are destined to fall, since Apollo, who has it in mind to bring this about, will be sufficient.
Is it Creon, or who, that has made these discoveries?
Creon is not your trouble, but rather you yourself.
O riches and kingship and skill surpassing skill in a life much-envied, how great is the hatred that you store up, if it is for the sake of this royal power, which the city placed in my hands as a gift, though I had not asked it, that Creon the trusty, my friend from the first, has crept up to me and longs to throw me out, setting upon me this wizard hatcher of plots, this crafty beggar, who has sight only when it comes to profit, but in his art is blind!
Why, come, tell me, how can you be a true prophet? Why when the versifying hound a was here did not you speak some word that could release the citizens? Indeed, her riddle was not one for the first comer to explain! It