Page:Tragedies of Sophocles (Plumptre 1878).djvu/250

152 Against thy father, hearing his decree,

Fixing her doom who should have been thy bride;

Or dost thou love us still, whatever we do?

Hæmon. My father, I am thine; and thou dost guide

With thy wise counsels, which I gladly follow.

No marriage weighs one moment in the scales

With me, while thou dost guide my steps aright.

Creon. This thought, my son, should dwell within thy breast,

That all things stand below a father's will;

For so men pray that they may rear and keep

Obedient offspring by their hearths and homes,

That they may both requite their father's foes,

And pay with him like honours to his friend.

But he who reareth sons that profit not,

What could one say of him but this, that he

Breeds his own sorrow, laughter to his foes?

Lose not thy reason, then, my son, o'ercome

By pleasure, for a woman's sake, but know,

A cold embrace is that to have at home

A worthless wife, the partner of thy bed.

What ulcerous sore is worse than one we love

Who proves all worthless? No! with loathing scorn,

As hateful to thee, let that girl go wed

A spouse in Hades. Taken in the act

I found her, her alone of all the State,

Rebellious. And I will not make myself

False to the State. She dies. So let her call

On Zeus, the lord of kindred. If I rear

Of mine own stock things foul and orderless,

I shall have work enough with those without.

For he who in the life of home is good

Will still be seen as just in things of state;

I should be sure that man would govern well,