OEDIPUS AT COLONUS
(Ant. 2)
Yet another gift, of all gifts the most
Prized by our fatherland, we boast—
The might of the horse, the might of the sea;
Our fame, Poseidon, we owe to thee,
Son of Kronos, our king divine,
Who in these highways first didst fit
For the mouth of horses the iron bit;
Thou too hast taught us to fashion meet
For the arm of the rower the oar-blade fleet,
Swift as the Nereids’ hundred feet
As they dance along the brine.
Antigone
O land extolled above all lands, ’tis now
For thee to make these glorious titles good.
Oedipus
Why this appeal, my daughter?
Antigone
Father, lo!
Creon approaches with his company.
Oedipus
O kindly elders, lend me now your aid
To find deliverance and my final rest.
Chorus
Fear not, it shall be so; if we are old,
This country’s vigour has no touch of age.
Enter Creon with attendants.
Creon
Burghers, my noble friends, ye take alarm
At my approach (I read it in your eyes),
