Page:Tragedies of Sophocles (Plumptre 1878).djvu/207

Rh Undaunted, against Thebes. And all of us,

By these thy children, and thy life, my father,

With one accord entreat thee, and implore

To let thy mood of wrath give way to him

Who stands before thee, hastening to chastise

The brother who deprived me of my home,

And robbed me of my country. This we ask,

For if there be aught true in oracles,

They say the side thou cleavest to will win;

Wherefore, by all the fountains of thy home,

And all thy household Gods, I pray thee yield.

Poor and in exile we, in exile thou,

And thou and I, the same ill fortune sharing,

Live, hangers-on on others, while, alas!

The despot lord at home, in pride of state

Mocks at us both; but I, if thou wilt join

Thy mind with mine, will scatter all his might,

Without much waste of trouble or of time,

And so will bring thee to thy home once more,

Stablish myself, and cast him out by force.

And this, if thou consent, 'tis mine to boast:

Without thee I've no strength to save myself.

Chor. For his sake, Œdipus, who sent him here,

Send the man back, with answer as seems fit.

Œdip. Were it not so, my friends, that he who rules

This land had sent him, Theseus, asking me

To let him hear my words, no voice of mine

His ears had heard. But now he shall go forth

Gaining his end, and hearing words from me

Which never shall bring gladness to his life.

For thou, thou vile one, having in thy hands

The thrones and sceptre which thy brother has,

Who rules in Thebes, did'st drive thy father forth,

And mad'st him homeless, wearing weeds like these,