Antigone - Sophocles vs Robert Fagles (1984)
Olivia Bishop /
- Created on 2025-03-07 18:31:44
- Aligned by Olivia Bishop
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
οὐ γὰρ τάφου νῷν τὼ κασιγνήτω Κρέων
τὸν μὲν προτίσας , τὸν δ᾽ ἀτιμάσας ἔχει ;
Ἐτεοκλέα μέν , ὡς λέγουσι , σὺν δίκης
χρήσει δικαίᾳ καὶ νόμου κατὰ χθονὸς
ἔκρυψε τοῖς ἔνερθεν ἔντιμον νεκροῖς :
τὸν δ᾽ ἀθλίως θανόντα Πολυνείκους νέκυν
ἀστοῖσί φασιν ἐκκεκηρῦχθαι τὸ μὴ
τάφῳ καλύψαι μηδὲ κωκῦσαί τινα ,
ἐᾶν δ᾽ ἄκλαυτον , ἄταφον , οἰωνοῖς γλυκὺν
θησαυρὸν εἰσορῶσι πρὸς χάριν βορᾶς .
τοιαῦτά φασι τὸν ἀγαθὸν Κρέοντα σοὶ
κἀμοί , λέγω γὰρ κἀμέ , κηρύξαντ᾽ ἔχειν ,
καὶ δεῦρο νεῖσθαι ταῦτα τοῖσι μὴ εἰδόσιν
σαφῆ προκηρύξοντα , καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμ᾽ ἄγειν
οὐχ ὡς παρ᾽ οὐδέν , ἀλλ᾽ ὃς ἂν τούτων τι δρᾷ ,
φόνον προκεῖσθαι δημόλευστον ἐν πόλει .
οὕτως ἔχει σοι ταῦτα , καὶ δείξεις τάχα
εἴτ᾽ εὐγενὴς πέφυκας εἴτ᾽ ἐσθλῶν κακή .
τὸν μὲν προτίσας , τὸν δ᾽ ἀτιμάσας ἔχει ;
Ἐτεοκλέα μέν , ὡς λέγουσι , σὺν δίκης
χρήσει δικαίᾳ καὶ νόμου κατὰ χθονὸς
ἔκρυψε τοῖς ἔνερθεν ἔντιμον νεκροῖς :
τὸν δ᾽ ἀθλίως θανόντα Πολυνείκους νέκυν
ἀστοῖσί φασιν ἐκκεκηρῦχθαι τὸ μὴ
τάφῳ καλύψαι μηδὲ κωκῦσαί τινα ,
ἐᾶν δ᾽ ἄκλαυτον , ἄταφον , οἰωνοῖς γλυκὺν
θησαυρὸν εἰσορῶσι πρὸς χάριν βορᾶς .
τοιαῦτά φασι τὸν ἀγαθὸν Κρέοντα σοὶ
κἀμοί , λέγω γὰρ κἀμέ , κηρύξαντ᾽ ἔχειν ,
καὶ δεῦρο νεῖσθαι ταῦτα τοῖσι μὴ εἰδόσιν
σαφῆ προκηρύξοντα , καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμ᾽ ἄγειν
οὐχ ὡς παρ᾽ οὐδέν , ἀλλ᾽ ὃς ἂν τούτων τι δρᾷ ,
φόνον προκεῖσθαι δημόλευστον ἐν πόλει .
οὕτως ἔχει σοι ταῦτα , καὶ δείξεις τάχα
εἴτ᾽ εὐγενὴς πέφυκας εἴτ᾽ ἐσθλῶν κακή .
Why
not
?
Our
own
brothers
'
burial
!
Hasn ' t Creon graced one with all the rites ,
disgraced the other ? Eteocles , they say ,
has been given full military honors ,
rightly so—Creon has laid him in the earth and he goes with glory down among the dead .
But the body of Polynices , who died miserably—
why , a city-wide proclamation , rumor has it ,
forbids anyone to bury him , even mourn him .
He ' s to be left unwept , unburied , a lovely treasure for birds that scan the field and feast to their heart ' s content .
Such , I hear , is the martial law our good Creon
lays down for you and me—yes , me , I tell you— and he ' s coming here to alert the uninformed
in no uncertain terms ,
and he won ' t treat the matter lightly . Whoever disobeys in the least will die , his doom is sealed : stoning to death inside the city walls !
There you have it . You ' ll soon show what you are , worth your breeding , Ismene , or a coward—
for all your royal blood .
Hasn ' t Creon graced one with all the rites ,
disgraced the other ? Eteocles , they say ,
has been given full military honors ,
rightly so—Creon has laid him in the earth and he goes with glory down among the dead .
But the body of Polynices , who died miserably—
why , a city-wide proclamation , rumor has it ,
forbids anyone to bury him , even mourn him .
He ' s to be left unwept , unburied , a lovely treasure for birds that scan the field and feast to their heart ' s content .
Such , I hear , is the martial law our good Creon
lays down for you and me—yes , me , I tell you— and he ' s coming here to alert the uninformed
in no uncertain terms ,
and he won ' t treat the matter lightly . Whoever disobeys in the least will die , his doom is sealed : stoning to death inside the city walls !
There you have it . You ' ll soon show what you are , worth your breeding , Ismene , or a coward—
for all your royal blood .