ὁ γὰρ δὴ πολύπλαγκτος ἐλπὶς

πολλοῖς μὲν ὄνασις ἀνδρῶν,

πολλοῖς δ ̓ ἀπάτα κουφονόων ερώτων

εἰδότι δ ̓ οὐδὲν ἕρπει,

ἀντ. β'.

610

πρὶν πυρὶ θερμῷ πόδα τις προσαύσῃ. σοφίᾳ γὰρ ἔκ του

κλεινὸν ἔπος πέφανται

«Τὸ κακὸν δοκεῖν ποτ ̓ ἐσθλὸν

τῷδ ̓ ἔμμεν, ὅτῳ φρένας

θεὸς ἄγει πρὸς ἄταν

πράσσει δ' ὀλιγοστὸν χρόνον ἐκτὸς *ἄλγους.”

ὅδε μὴν Αἴμων, παίδων τῶν σῶν

νέατον γέννημ ̓· ἆρ ̓ ἀχνύμενος

τάλιδος ἥκει μόρον Αντιγόνης,

ἀπάτας λεχέων ὑπεραλγῶν;

615

(σύστημα)

620

Ζ. ΕΠΕΙΣΟΔΙΟΝ ΤΡΙΤΟΝ.

ΚΡΕΩΝ.

ΤΑΧ ̓ εἰσόμεσθα μάντεων ὑπέρτερον.
ὦ παῖ, τελείαν ψῆφον ἆρα μὴ κλύων
τῆς μελλονύμφου, πατρὶ λυσσαίνων πάρει;
ἢ σοὶ μὲν ἡμεῖς πανταχῆ ὁρῶντες φίλοι;

ΑΙΜΩΝ.

πάτερ, σός εἰμι καὶ σύ μοι γνώμας ἔχων χρηστὰς ἀπορθοῖς, αἷς ἔγωγ ̓ ἐφέψομαι. ἐμοὶ γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἀξίως ἔσται γάμος

μείζων φέρεσθαι, σοῦ καλῶς ἡγουμένου.

617

γρ. ἄτας.

620

γρ. τῆς μελλογάμου τάλιδος.

625

ANTISTROPHE II.

In truth to many men, hope, though deceiving many, Turns to advantage; yet to many more

'Tis but the mockery of love's flighty purpose. Nothing knows he, to whom this disappointment cometh, Until his foot hath touched the glowing flame. Wisely by some one is this strain set forth : "Evil seems ever good to him whose mind

"God leadeth on to mischief.

"Short is the time which sees him free from anguish."

(Anapastic Movement.)

Lo to thee, Hæmon,-of all thy children
Alone he survives: and cometh he vexed
By the destined fate of his bride Antigone,
For the loss of his nuptials grieving?

VII. THIRD EPISODE.

KREON.

SOON shall we know better than seers could tell us.
Thou com'st not, boy, incensed against thy father,
On tidings of the doom of thy betrothed one?
Howso we act, thou, if thou only, lov'st us?

HÆMON.

Father, I am thine only: and if thou
Resolvest wisely, thou provid'st for me
An even rule of life which I will follow.
For, as right reason dictates, never shall
A wife bear in my eyes a higher price

Than thou, while wisdom marks thy guidance of me.

T

ΚΡΕΩΝ.

οὕτω γὰρ, ὦ παῖ, χρὴ διὰ στέρνων ἔχειν,
γνώμης πατρῴας πάντ ̓ ὄπισθεν ἑστάναι.
τούτου γὰρ * εἵνεκ ̓ ἄνδρες εὔχονται γονὰς
κατηκόους φύσαντες ἐν δόμοις ἔχειν,
ὡς καὶ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἀνταμύνωνται κακοῖς,
καὶ τὸν φίλον τιμῶσιν ἐξ ἴσου πατρί.
ὅστις δ ̓ ἀνωφέλητα φιτύει τέκνα,

τί τόνδ' ἂν εἴποις ἄλλο πλὴν αὑτῷ †πέδας
φῦσαι, πολὺν δὲ τοῖσιν ἐχθροῖσιν γέλων;

Τ

μή νύν ποτ ̓, ὦ παῖ, τὰς φρένας †πρὸς ἡδονῆς,

εν

γυναικὸς * εἵνεκ', ἐκβάλης, εἰδὼς ὅτι
ψυχρὸν παραγκάλισμα τοῦτο γίγνεται,
γυνὴ κακὴ ξύνευνος ἐν δόμοις. τί γὰρ
γένοιτ ̓ ἂν ἕλκος μεῖζον ἢ φίλος κακός;
ἀλλὰ πτύσας ωσεί τε δυσμενη, μέθες
τὴν παῖδ' ἐν Ἅιδου τήνδε νυμφεύειν τινί.
ἐπεὶ γὰρ αὐτὴν εἷλον ἐμφανῶς ἐγὼ
πόλεως απιστήσασαν ἐκ πάσης μόνην,
ψευδῆ γ' ἐμαυτὸν οὐ καταστήσω πόλει,
ἀλλὰ κτενῶ. πρὸς ταῦτ ̓ εφυμνείτω Δία
Ξύναιμον. εἰ γὰρ δὴ †τά γ' ἐγγενῆ φύσει
ἄκοσμα θρέψω, κάρτα τοὺς ἔξω γένους.
ἐν τοῖς γὰρ οἰκείοισιν ὅστις ἔστ ̓ ἀνὴρ
χρηστὸς, φανεῖται καν πόλει δίκαιος ὤν.
ὅστις δ ̓ ὑπερβὰς ἢ νόμους βιάζεται,
ἢ τοὺπιτάσσειν τοῖς +κρατύνουσιν νοεῖ,
οὐκ ἔστ ̓ ἐπαίνου τοῦτον ἐξ ἐμοῦ τυχεῖν.

630

635

640

645

650

655

KREON.

Such thoughts, my son, should rule thy bosom ever: A son in all his acts should yield the lead

To what his sire resolves. It is for this

That men beseech the Gods to give the children,
Whom they beget and keep at home, a spirit
Of dutiful obedience, that so

They may requite with ill their father's foe,

And honour whom their father loves to honour.
But when a man's own children help him not,
What shall we say he has begotten but
Clogs for himself and laughter for his foes?
Then be it far from thee, my son, for lust
And for a woman's love, to make a shipwreck
Of all thy understanding, knowing that

Cold mocks the warmth of thy embraces when
A vile companion of thy bed holds sway
Within thy house and home. For who could probe
A wound more festering than a faithless friend?
Then spurn this maid, and cast her off as one
Whose heart is hostile to thee, so that she
May seek some spouse within the realm of Hades.
For now that I have caught her openly

Alone of all the city disobedient,

I will not place myself before the state

As one whose words are naught: but she shall die.
Then let her weary with repeated prayers

Zeus, who protects the ties of blood relations.
For if I rear obedient to no rule

Those who are born within my family,
How shall I govern those without the pale?
For whose in his household acts discreetly,

In public also will approve himself
A righteous man. But whoso wantonly
Or strains the laws or sets about dictating
To those who rule, it is not possible

That such a one should ever earn my praise.

SOPH. ANTIG.

F

ἀλλ ̓ ὃν πόλις στήσειε, τοῦδε χρὴ κλύειν,
καὶ σμικρά, καὶ δίκαια, καὶ τἀναντία.
καὶ τοῦτον ἂν τὸν ἄνδρα θαρσοίην ἐγὼ

αν

καλῶς μὲν ἄρχειν, εὖ δ ̓ ἂν ἄρχεσθαι θέλειν

δορός τ ̓ ἂν ἐν χειμῶνι προστεταγμένον

μένειν δίκαιον κἀγαθὸν παραστάτην.
ἀναρχίας δὲ μεῖζον οὐκ ἔστιν κακόν.
αὕτη πόλεις τ ̓ ὄλλυσιν, ἥδ ̓ ἀναστάτους
οἴκους τίθησιν, ἥδε σὺν μάχῃ δορὸς

τροπὰς καταῤῥήγνυσι· τῶν δ ̓ ὀρθουμένων
σώζει τὰ πολλὰ σώμαθ ̓ ἡ πειθαρχία.

οὕτως ἀμυντέ ἐστὶ τοῖς κοσμουμένοις,

κοὗτοι γυναικὸς οὐδαμῶς ἡσσητέα.

660

665

κρεῖσσον γὰρ, εἴπερ δεῖ, πρὸς ἀνδρὸς ἐκπεσεῖν· 670 κοὐκ ἂν γυναικῶν ἥσσονες καλοίμεθ ̓ ἄν.

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

ἡμῖν μὲν, εἰ μὴ τῷ χρόνῳ κεκλέμμεθα, λέγειν φρονούντως ὧν λέγεις δοκεῖς πέρι.

ΑΙΜΩΝ.

πάτερ, θεοὶ φύουσιν ἀνθρώποις φρένας,
πάντων, ὅσ ̓ ἐστὶ, κτημάτων ὑπέρτατον.
ἐγὼ δ ̓ ὅπως σὺ μὴ λέγεις ὀρθῶς τάδε,
οὔτ ̓ ἂν δυναίμην, μήτ' ἐπισταίμην λέγειν·
γένοιτο μέντἂν χατέρῳ καλῶς ἔχον.
σοῦ δ ̓ οὖν πέφυκα πάντα προσκοπεῖν, ὅσα
λέγει τις, ἢ πράσσει τις, ἢ ψέγειν ἔχει.

675

680