Oedipus Tyrannus, Sophocles, creator; Sophocles with an English translation Vol 1; Storr, Francis, 1839-1919, editor, translator. London, New York: William Heinemann Ltd., The Macmillan Company, 1912.
Made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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μνήμην παλαιῶν σπερμάτων ἔχουσʼ, ὑφʼ ὧν
θάνοι μὲν αὐτός, τὴν δὲ τίκτουσαν λίποι
τοῖς οἷσιν αὐτοῦ δύστεκνον παιδουργίαν.
γοᾶτο δʼ εὐνάς, ἔνθα δύστηνος διπλοῦς
1250
ἐξ ἀνδρὸς ἄνδρα καὶ τέκνʼ ἐκ τέκνων τέκοι.
χὤπως μὲν ἐκ τῶνδʼ οὐκέτʼ οἶδʼ ἀπόλλυται·
βοῶν γὰρ εἰσέπαισεν Οἰδίπους, ὑφʼ οὗ
οὐκ ἦν τὸ κείνης ἐκθεάσασθαι κακόν,
ἀλλʼ εἰς ἐκεῖνον περιπολοῦντʼ ἐλεύσσομεν.
1255
φοιτᾷ γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἔγχος ἐξαιτῶν πορεῖν,
γυναῖκά τʼ οὐ γυναῖκα, μητρῴαν δʼ ὅπου
κίχοι διπλῆν ἄρουραν οὗ τε καὶ τέκνων.
λυσσῶντι δʼ αὐτῷ δαιμόνων δείκνυσί τις·
οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀνδρῶν, οἳ παρῆμεν ἐγγύθεν.
1260
δεινὸν δʼ ἀύσας ὡς ὑφηγητοῦ τινος
πύλαις διπλαῖς ἐνήλατʼ, ἐκ δὲ πυθμένων
ἔκλινε κοῖλα κλῇθρα κἀμπίπτει στέγῃ.
οὗ δὴ κρεμαστὴν τὴν γυναῖκʼ ἐσείδομεν,
πλεκταῖσιν αἰώραισιν ἐμπεπλεγμένην.
1265
ὁ δʼ ὡς ὁρᾷ νιν, δεινὰ βρυχηθεὶς τάλας
χαλᾷ κρεμαστὴν ἀρτάνην. ἐπεὶ δὲ γῇ
ἔκειτο τλήμων, δεινὰ δʼ ἦν τἀνθένδʼ ὁρᾶν.
ἀποσπάσας γὰρ εἱμάτων χρυσηλάτους
περόνας ἀπʼ αὐτῆς, αἷσιν ἐξεστέλλετο,
1270
ἄρας ἔπαισεν ἄρθρα τῶν αὑτοῦ κύκλων,
αὐδῶν τοιαῦθʼ, ὁθούνεκʼ οὐκ ὄψοιντό νιν
οὔθʼ οἷʼ ἔπασχεν οὔθʼ ὁποῖʼ ἔδρα κακά,
ἀλλʼ ἐν σκότῳ τὸ λοιπὸν οὓς μὲν οὐκ ἔδει
ὀψοίαθʼ, οὓς δʼ ἔχρῃζεν οὐ γνωσοίατο.
1275
τοιαῦτʼ ἐφυμνῶν πολλάκις τε κοὐχ ἅπαξ
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