εἰ μὴ τὸν αὐτόχειρα τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου
εὑρόντες ἐκφανεῖτ ̓ ἐς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐμοὺς,
οὐχ ὑμῖν Αιδης μοῦνος ἀρκέσει, πρὶν ἂν
ζώντες κρεμαστοὶ τήνδε δηλώσηθ ̓ ὕβριν,
ἵν ̓ εἰδότες τὸ κέρδος ἔνθεν οἰστέον,
τὸ λοιπὸν ἁρπάζητε, καὶ μάθηθ', ὅτι
οὐκ ἐξ ἅπαντος δεῖ τὸ κερδαίνειν φιλεῖν.
ἐκ τῶν γὰρ αἰσχρῶν λημμάτων τοὺς πλείονας
ἀτωμένους ἴδοις ἂν ἢ σεσωσμένους.

ΦΥΛΑΞ.

εἰπεῖν τι δώσεις, ἢ στραφεὶς οὕτως ἴω;

ΚΡΕΩΝ.

οὐκ οἶσθα καὶ νῦν ὡς ἀνιαρῶς λέγεις;

ΦΥΛΑΞ.

ἐν τοῖσιν ὠσὶν, ἢ 'πὶ τῇ ψυχῇ δάκνει ;

ΚΡΕΩΝ.

τί δὲ ῥυθμίζεις τὴν ἐμὴν λύπην ὅπου;

ΦΥΛΑΞ.

ὁ δρῶν σ ̓ ἀνιᾷ τὰς φρένας, τὰ δ ̓ ὦτ ̓ ἐγώ.

ΚΡΕΩΝ.

ωτ

οἴμ', ως †ἄλημα δῆλον ἐκπεφυκὸς εἶ.

ΦΥΛΑΞ.

οὔκουν τό †γ ̓ ἔργον τοῦτο ποιήσας ποτέ.

ΚΡΕΩΝ.

καὶ ταῦτ ̓ ἐπ' ἀργύρῳ γε τὴν ψυχὴν προδούς.

φεῦ

ΦΥΛΑΞ.

ἢ δεινὸν ᾧ δοκεῖ γε καὶ ψευδῆ δοκεῖν.

310

315

320

320

γρ. λάλημα.

321

γρ.

τόδ'.

Unless ye

find and openly produce

Before my eyes the man whose very hands
Performed these obsequies, your death alone
Shall not suffice, until, hung up alive,

Ye have denounced the insolent offender.

To the end that, knowing whence to get your gains,

Ye may pursue your filching, till ye learn
That love of pelf must somewhere find its limit;
For by degrading lucre thou mayest see
More men get mischief than security.

SENTINEL.

Wilt let me speak, or must I go at once?

KREON.

Know'st not that even now thy words offend?

SENTINEL.

Where is the pinch? i' th' ears or in the soul?

KREON.

Why mark the boundary line of my displeasure?

SENTINEL.

The doer plagues thy heart; I, but thine ears.

KREON.

Oh! it is clear thou art a coxcomb born.

It may

be so;

SENTINEL.

but not who did this deed.

KREON.

Thou didst it, man, selling thy soul for silver.

Alas!

SENTINEL.

'Tis sad when one thinks good to think a lie.

SOPH. ANT.

Ꭰ

ΚΡΕΩΝ.

κόμψευε νῦν τὴν δόξαν· εἰ δὲ ταῦτα μὴ φανεῖτέ μοι τοὺς ὁρῶντας, ἐξερεῖθ ̓, ὅτι τὰ † δειλὰ κέρδη πημονὰς ἐργάζεται.

ΦΥΛΑΞ.

ἀλλ ̓ εὑρεθείη μὲν μάλιστ ̓ ἐὰν δέ τοι ληφθῇ τε καὶ μὴ, τοῦτο γὰρ τύχη κρινεῖ, οὐκ ἔσθ' ὅπως ὄψει σὺ δεῦρ ̓ ἐλθόντα με. καὶ νῦν γὰρ ἐκτὸς ἐλπίδος γνώμης τ ̓ ἐμῆς σωθεὶς, ὀφείλω τοῖς θεοῖς πολλὴν χάριν.

Τ

325

330

KREON.

Prate as thou wilt on thinking, but unless
Ye point me out the doers, ye shall say
That sneaking profits only purchase pain.

SENTINEL.

Nay, by all means I would the man were known:
Be he caught or not, for luck will settle this,
Thou wilt not see me coming here again.
E'en now preserved beyond my hope and thought,
I owe a debt of gratitude to heaven.

IV. FIRST STASIMON.

CHORUS.

STROPHE I.

MANY the things that mighty be,

And nought is mightier than-MAN.
For he can cross the foaming ocean,
What time the stormy South is blowing,
Steering amid the mantling waves that roar around him.

And for his uses he wearieth

Earth, the highest Deity,

The immortal, the untiring one,

As year by year the ploughs are drawn

Up and down the furrow'd field,

To and fro his harness'd teams-
The seed of horses-driving.

Man, full of ingenuity,

Entraps in folds of woven meshes

And leads away the tribe

Of flighty-purpos'd birds,

ANTISTROPHE 1.

350

καὶ θηρῶν ἀγρίων ἔθνη,
πόντου τ ̓ εἰναλίαν φύσιν
σπείραισι δικτυοκλώστοις,
περιφραδὴς ἀνήρ

κρατεῖ δὲ μηχαναῖς ἀγραύλου

θηρὸς ὀρεσσιβάτα, Χασιαύχενα θ'

ἵππον †ὀχμάζεται ἀμφὶ λόφον† ζυγών
οὔρειόν τ' ἀδμῆτα ταῦρον.

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350