O Mars, cause of infinite woe, why, I pray, art thou so possessed with
blood and death, so discordant with the revels of Bacchus? Thou dost not in
the circle of beautiful dancers in the bloom of youth, having let flow thy
hair,[29] on the breath of the flute modulate strains, in which there is a
lovely power to renew the dance. But with thy armed men, having excited the
army of Argives against Thebes with blood, thou dancest before the city in
a most inharmonious revel, thou movest not thy foot maddened by the thyrsus
clad in fawn-skins, but thy solid-hoofed steed with thy chariot and horses'
bits; and bounding at the streams of Ismenus, thou art borne rapidly in the
chariot-course, having excited against the race of those sown [by Cadmus,]
a raging host that grasp the shield, well armed, adverse to us at the walls
of stone: surely Discord is some dreadful Goddess, who devised all these
calamities against the princes of this land, the Labdacidæ involved in woe.
O thou forest of heavenly foliage, most productive of beasts, thou snowy
eye of Diana, Cithæron, never oughtest thou to have nourished him doomed to
death, the son of Jocasta, Œdipus, the babe who was cast out from his home,
marked by the golden clasps. Neither ought that winged virgin the Sphinx,
thou mountain monster, that grief to this land, to have come, with her most
inharmonious lays; who formerly approaching our walls, bore in her four
talons the descendants of Cadmus to the inaccessible light of heaven, whom
the infernal Pluto sends against the Thebans; but other ill-fated discord
among the children of Œdipus springs up in the palace and in the city. For
that which is not honorable, never can be honorable, as neither can
children the unhallowed offspring of the mother, the pollution of the
father. But she came to a kindred bed. Thou didst produce, O [Theban] land!
thou didst produce formerly (as I heard the foreign report,[30] I heard it
formerly at home), the race sprung from teeth from the fiery-crested dragon
fed on beasts, the proudest honor of Thebes. But to the nuptials of
Harmonia the Gods came of old, and by the harp and by the lyre of Amphion
uprose the walls of Thebes the tower of the double streams,[31] at the
midst of the pass of Dirce, which waters the verdant plain before Ismenus.
And Io, our ancient mother, doomed to bear horns, brought forth a line of
Theban kings. But this city receiving ten thousand goods one in change for
another, hath stood in the highest chaplets of war.
TIRESIAS (_led by his daughter_), MENŒCEUS, CREON, CHORUS.
TIR. Lead onward, my daughter, since thou art an eye to my blind steps, as
the star to the mariners. Placing my steps hither on this level plain,
proceed lest we stumble; thy father is feeble; and preserve carefully in
thy virgin hand my calculations which I took, having learned the auguries
of the birds, sitting in the sacred seats where I fortell the future. My
child, Menœceus, son of Creon, tell me, how far is the remainder of the
journey through the city to thy father? Since my knees are weary, and with
difficulty I accomplish such a long journey.
CRE. Be of good cheer; for thou hast steered thy foot, Tiresias, near to
thy friends; but take hold of him, my son. Since every chariot,[32] and the
foot of the aged man is used to expect the assistance of another's hand.
TIR. Well: I am present; but why didst thou call me with such haste, Creon?
CRE. We have not as yet forgotten: but recover thy strength, and collect
thy breath, having thrown aside the fatigue occasioned by the journey.
TIR. I am relaxed indeed[32a] with toil, brought hither from the Athenians
the day before this. For there also was a contest of the spear with
Eumolpus, where I made the descendants of Cecrops splendid conquerors. And
I wear this golden chaplet, as thou seest, having received the first-fruits
of the spoil of the enemy.
CRE. Thy victorious garlands I make a happy omen. For we, as thou well
knowest, are tossing in a storm of war with the Greeks, and great is the
hazard of Thebes. The king Eteocles has therefore gone forth adorned with
his armor already to battle with the Argives. But to me has he sent that I
might learn from you, by doing what we should be most likely to preserve
the city.
TRE. For Eteocles' sake indeed I would have stopped my mouth, and repressed
the oracles, but to thee, since thou desirest to know them, will I declare
them: for this land labors under the malady of old, O Creon, from the time
when Laïus became the father of children in spite of the Gods, and begat
the wretched Œdipus, a husband for his mother. But the cruel lacerations of
his eyes were in the wisdom of the Gods, and a warning to Greece. Which
things the sons of Œdipus seeking to conceal among themselves by the lapse
of time, as about forsooth to escape from the Gods, erred through their
ignorance, for they neither giving the honor due to their father, nor
allowing him a free liberty, infuriated the unfortunate man: and he
breathed out against them dreadful threats, being both in affliction, and
moreover dishonored. And I, what things omitting to do, and what words
omitting to speak on the subject, have nevertheless fallen into the hatred
of the sons of Œdipus? But death from their mutual hands is near them, O
Creon. And many corses fallen around corses, having mingled the weapons of
Argos and Thebes, shall cause bitter lamentations to the Theban land. And
thou, O wretched city, art sapped from thy foundations, unless men will
obey my words. For this were the first thing, that not any of the family of
Œdipus should be citizens, nor king of the territory, inasmuch as they are
possessed by demons, and are they that will overthrow the city. And since
the evil triumphs over the good, there is one other thing requisite to
insure preservation. But, as this is neither safe for me to say, and
distressing to those on whom the lot has fallen, to give to the city the
balm of preservation, I will depart: farewell; for being an individual with
many shall I suffer what is about to happen if it must be so; for what can
I do![33]
CRE. Stay here, old man.
TIR. Lay not hold upon me.
CRE. Remain; why dost thou fly me?
TIR. Thy fortune flies thee, but not I.
CRE. Tell me the means of preserving the citizens and their city.
TRE. Thou wishest now indeed, and soon thou wilt not wish.
CRE. And how am I not willing to preserve my country?
TIR. Art thou willing then to hear, and art thou eager?
CRE. For toward what ought I to have a greater eagerness?
TIR. Hear now then my prophecies.--But this first I wish to ascertain
clearly, where is Menœceus who brought me hither.
CRE. He is not far off, but close to thee.
TIR. Let him depart then afar from my oracles.
CRE. He that is my son will keep secret what ought to be kept secret.
TIR. Art thou willing then that I speak in his presence?
CRE. _Yes_: for he would be delighted to hear of the means of preservation.
TIR. Hear now then the tenor of my oracles; what things doing ye may
preserve the city of the Cadmeans. It is necessary for thee to sacrifice
this thy son Menœceus for the country, since thou thyself callest for this
fortune.
CRE. What sayest thou, what word is this thou hast spoken, old man?
TIR. As circumstances are, thus also oughtest thou to act.
CRE. O thou, that hast said many evils in a short time!
TIR. To thee at least; but to thy country great and salutary.
CRE. I heard not, I attended not; let the city go where it will.
TIR. This is no longer the same man; he retracts again what he said.
CRE. Farewell! depart; for I have no need of thy prophecies.
TIR. Has truth perished, because thou art unfortunate?
CRE. By thy knees I implore thee, and by thy reverend locks.
TIR. Why kneel to me? the evils thou askest are hard to be controlled.
(Note [E].)
CRE. Keep it secret; and speak not these words to the city.
TIR. Dost thou command me to be unjust? I can not be silent.
CRE. What then wilt thou do to me? Wilt thou slay my son?
TIR. These things will be a care to others; but by me will it be spoken.
CRE. But from whence has this evil come to me, and to my child?
TIR. Well dost thou ask me, and comest to the drift of my discourse. It is
necessary that he, stabbed in that cave where the earth-born dragon lay,
the guardian of Dirce's fountain, give his gory blood a libation to the
earth on account of the ancient wrath of Mars against Cadmus, who avenges
the slaughter of the earth-born dragon; and these things done, ye shall
obtain Mars as your ally. But if the earth receive fruit in return for
fruit, and mortal blood in return for blood, ye shall have that land
propitious, which formerly sent forth a crop of men from seed armed with
golden helmets; but there must of this race die one, who is the son of the
dragon's jaw. But thou art left among us of the race of those sown men,
pure in thy descent, both by thy mother's side and in the male line; and
thy children too: Hæmon's marriage however precludes his being slain, for
he is not a youth, [for, although he has not approached her bed, he has yet
contracted the marriage.] But this youth, devoted to this city, by dying
may preserve his native country. And he will cause a bitter return to
Adrastus and the Argives, casting back death over their eyes, and Thebes
will he make illustrious: of these two fates choose the one; either
preserve thy child or the state. Every information from me thou hast:--lead
me, my child, toward home;--but whoever exercises the art of divination, is
a fool; if indeed he chance to show disagreeable things, he is rendered
hateful to those to whom he may prophesy; but speaking falsely to his
employers from motives of pity, he is unjust as touching the Gods.--Phœbus
alone should speak in oracles to men, who fears nobody.