Creon. May I ne'er prosper, but accursèd die,
If I have done the things he says I did!
Joc. Oh, by the Gods, believe him, Œdipus!
Respect his oath, which calls the Gods to hear;
And reverence me, and these who stand by thee.
Chorus. Hearken, my king! be calmer, I implore!
Œdip. What wilt thou that I yield? 650
Chorus. Oh, have respect
To one not weak before, who now is strong
In this his oath.
Œdip. And know'st thou what thou ask'st?
Chorus. I know right well.
Œdip. Say on, then, what thou wilt.
Chorus. Hurl not to shame, on grounds of mere mistrust,
*The friend on whom no taint of evil hangs.
Œdip. Know then that, seeking this, thou seek'st, in truth,
To work my death, or else my banishment.
Chorus. Nay, by the Sun-God, Helios, chief of Gods![1]
May I, too, die, of God and man accursed, [ 660
If I wish aught like this! But on my soul,
Our wasting land dwells heavily; ills on ills
*Still coming, new upon the heels of old.
Œdip. Let him depart then, even though I die,
Or from my country be thrust forth m shame: 670
Thy face, not his, I view with pitying eye;
For him, where'er he be, is nought but hate.
Creon. Thou 'rt loth to yield, 'twould seem, and wilt be vexed
When this thy wrath is over: moods like thine
Are fitly to themselves most hard to bear.
- ↑ Helios, specially invoked as the giver of light, discerning and making manifest all hidden things.
