Antigone ll.49-68
Cook, Jeanna / Antigone
- Created on 2017-05-03 19:08:08
- Modified on 2017-05-03 19:27:13
- Translated by Robert Fagles
- Aligned by Cook, Jeanna
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
ΙΣΜΗΝΗ
οἴμοι · φρόνησον , ὦ κασιγνήτη , πατὴρ
50 ὡς νῷν ἀπεχθὴς δυσκλεής τ᾿ ἀπώλετο
πρὸς αὐτοφώρων ἀμπλακημάτων , διπλᾶς
ὄψεις ἀράξας αὐτὸς αὐτουργῷ χερί ·
ἔπειτα μήτηρ καὶ γυνή , διπλοῦν ἔπος ,
πλεκταῖσιν ἀρτάναισι λωβᾶται βίον ·
55 τρίτον δ᾿ ἀδελφὼ δύο μίαν καθ᾿ ἡμέραν
αὐτοκτονοῦντε τὼ ταλαιπώρω μόρον
κοινὸν κατειργάσαντ᾿ ἐπαλλήλοιν χεροῖν .
νῦν δ᾿ αὖ μόνα δὴ νὼ λελειμμένα σκόπει
ὅσῳ κάκιστ᾿ ὀλούμεθ᾿ , εἰ νόμου βίᾳ
60 ψῆφον τυράννων ἢ κράτη παρέξιμεν .
ἀλλ᾿ ἐννοεῖν χρὴ τοῦτο μὲν γυναῖχ᾿ ὅτι
ἔφυμεν , ὡς πρὸς ἄνδρας οὐ μαχουμένα ·
ἔπειτα δ᾿ οὕνεκ᾿ ἀρχόμεσθ᾿ ἐκ κρεισσόνων
καὶ ταῦτ᾿ ἀκούειν κἄτι τῶνδ᾿ ἀλγίονα .
65 ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν αἰτοῦσα τοὺς ὑπὸ χθονὸς
ξύγγνοιαν ἴσχειν , ὡς βιάζομαι τάδε ,
τοῖς ἐν τέλει βεβῶσι πείσομαι . τὸ γὰρ
περισσὰ πράσσειν οὐκ ἔχει νοῦν οὐδένα .
οἴμοι · φρόνησον , ὦ κασιγνήτη , πατὴρ
50 ὡς νῷν ἀπεχθὴς δυσκλεής τ᾿ ἀπώλετο
πρὸς αὐτοφώρων ἀμπλακημάτων , διπλᾶς
ὄψεις ἀράξας αὐτὸς αὐτουργῷ χερί ·
ἔπειτα μήτηρ καὶ γυνή , διπλοῦν ἔπος ,
πλεκταῖσιν ἀρτάναισι λωβᾶται βίον ·
55 τρίτον δ᾿ ἀδελφὼ δύο μίαν καθ᾿ ἡμέραν
αὐτοκτονοῦντε τὼ ταλαιπώρω μόρον
κοινὸν κατειργάσαντ᾿ ἐπαλλήλοιν χεροῖν .
νῦν δ᾿ αὖ μόνα δὴ νὼ λελειμμένα σκόπει
ὅσῳ κάκιστ᾿ ὀλούμεθ᾿ , εἰ νόμου βίᾳ
60 ψῆφον τυράννων ἢ κράτη παρέξιμεν .
ἀλλ᾿ ἐννοεῖν χρὴ τοῦτο μὲν γυναῖχ᾿ ὅτι
ἔφυμεν , ὡς πρὸς ἄνδρας οὐ μαχουμένα ·
ἔπειτα δ᾿ οὕνεκ᾿ ἀρχόμεσθ᾿ ἐκ κρεισσόνων
καὶ ταῦτ᾿ ἀκούειν κἄτι τῶνδ᾿ ἀλγίονα .
65 ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν αἰτοῦσα τοὺς ὑπὸ χθονὸς
ξύγγνοιαν ἴσχειν , ὡς βιάζομαι τάδε ,
τοῖς ἐν τέλει βεβῶσι πείσομαι . τὸ γὰρ
περισσὰ πράσσειν οὐκ ἔχει νοῦν οὐδένα .
ISMENE
:
Oh my sister , think— 60
think how our own father died , hated ,
his reputation in ruins , driven on
by the crimes he brought to light himself
to gouge out his eyes with his own hands—
then mother . . . his mother and wife , both in one , 65
mutilating her life in the twisted noose—
and last , our two brothers dead in a single day ,
both shedding their own blood , poor suffering boys ,
battling out their common destiny hand-to-hand .
Now look at the two of us , left so alone . . . 70
think what a death we ' ll die , the worst of all
if we violate the laws and override
the fixed decree of the throne , its power—
we must be sensible . Remember we are women ,
we ' re not born to contend with men . Then too , 75
we ' re underlings , ruled by much stronger hands ,
so we must submit in this , and things still worse .
I , for one , I ' ll beg the dead to forgive me—
I ' m forced , I have no choice—I must obey
the ones who stand in power . Why rush to extremes ? 80
It ' s madness , madness .
Oh my sister , think— 60
think how our own father died , hated ,
his reputation in ruins , driven on
by the crimes he brought to light himself
to gouge out his eyes with his own hands—
then mother . . . his mother and wife , both in one , 65
mutilating her life in the twisted noose—
and last , our two brothers dead in a single day ,
both shedding their own blood , poor suffering boys ,
battling out their common destiny hand-to-hand .
Now look at the two of us , left so alone . . . 70
think what a death we ' ll die , the worst of all
if we violate the laws and override
the fixed decree of the throne , its power—
we must be sensible . Remember we are women ,
we ' re not born to contend with men . Then too , 75
we ' re underlings , ruled by much stronger hands ,
so we must submit in this , and things still worse .
I , for one , I ' ll beg the dead to forgive me—
I ' m forced , I have no choice—I must obey
the ones who stand in power . Why rush to extremes ? 80
It ' s madness , madness .