Trecho sincronizado
SCENE.--Before the Palace of OEDIPUS at Thebes. A crowd of suppliants of all ages are waiting by the altar in front and on the steps of the Palace; among them the PRIEST OF ZEUS. As the Palace door opens and OEDIPUS comes out all the suppliants with a cry move towards him in attitudes of prayer, holding out their olive branches, and then become still again as he speaks. OEDIPUS. My children, fruit of Cadmus' ancient tree New springing, wherefore thus with bended knee Press ye upon us, laden all with wreaths And suppliant branches? And the city breathes Heavy with incense, heavy with dim prayer And shrieks to affright the Slayer.--Children, care For this so moves me, I have scorned withal Message or writing: seeing 'tis I ye call, 'Tis I am come, world-honoured Oedipus. Old Man, do thou declare--the rest have thus Their champion--in what mood stand ye so still, In dread or sure hope? Know ye not, my will Is yours for aid 'gainst all? Stern were indeed The heart that felt not for so dire a need. [Sidenote: vv. 15-39] PRIEST. O Oedipus, who holdest in thy hand My city, thou canst see what ages stand At these thine altars; some whose little wing Scarce flieth yet, and some with long living O'erburdened; priests, as I of Zeus am priest, And chosen youths: and wailing hath not ceased Of thousands in the market-place, and by Athena's two-fold temples and the dry Ash of Ismenus' portent-breathing shore. For all our ship, thou see'st, is weak and sore Shaken with storms, and no more lighteneth Her head above the waves whose trough is death. She wasteth in the fruitless buds of earth, In parched herds and travail without birth Of dying women: yea, and midst of it A burning and a loathly god hath lit Sudden, and sweeps our land, this Plague of power; Till Cadmus' house grows empty, hour by hour, And Hell's house rich with steam of tears and blood. O King, not God indeed nor peer to God We deem thee, that we kneel before thine hearth, Children and old men, praying; but of earth A thing consummate by thy star confessed Thou walkest and by converse with the blest; Who came to Thebes so swift, and swept away The Sphinx's song, the tribute of dismay, That all were bowed beneath, and made us free. A stranger, thou, naught knowing more than we, Nor taught of any man, but by God's breath Filled, thou didst raise our life. So the world saith; So we say. [Sidenote: vv. 40-69] Therefore now, O Lord and Chief, We come to thee again; we lay our grief On thy head, if thou find us not some aid. Perchance thou hast heard Gods talking in the shade Of night, or eke some man: to him that knows, Men say, each chance that falls, each wind that blows Hath life, when he seeks counsel. Up, O chief Of men, and lift thy city from its grief; Face thine own peril! All our land doth hold Thee still our saviour, for that help of old: Shall they that tell of thee hereafter tell "By him was Thebes raised up, and after fell!" Nay, lift us till we slip no more. Oh, let That bird of old that made us fortunate Wing back; be thou our Oedipus again. And let thy kingdom be a land of men, Not emptiness. Walls, towers, and ships, they all Are nothing with no men to keep the wall. OEDIPUS. My poor, poor children! Surely long ago I have read your trouble. Stricken, well I know, Ye all are, stricken sore: yet verily Not one so stricken to the heart as I. Your grief, it cometh to each man apart For his own loss, none other's; but this heart For thee and me and all of us doth weep. Wherefore it is not to one sunk in sleep Ye come with waking. Many tears these days For your sake I have wept, and many ways Have wandered on the beating wings of thought. And, finding but one hope, that I have sought [Sidenote: vv. 70-86] And followed. I have sent Menoikeus' son, Creon, my own wife's brother, forth alone To Apollo's House in Delphi, there to ask What word, what deed of mine, what bitter task, May save my city. And the lapse of days Reckoned, I can but marvel what delays His journey. 'Tis beyond all thought that thus He comes not, beyond need. But when he does, Then call me false and traitor, if I flee Back from whatever task God sheweth me. PRIEST. At point of time thou speakest. Mark the cheer Yonder. Is that not Creon drawing near? [They all crowd to gaze where CREON is approaching in the distance. OEDIPUS. O Lord Apollo, help! And be the star That guides him joyous as his seemings are! PRIEST. Oh! surely joyous! How else should he bear That fruited laurel wreathed about his hair? OEDIPUS. We soon shall know.--'Tis not too far for one Clear-voiced. (Shouting) Ho, brother! Prince! Menoikeus' son, What message from the God? [Sidenote: vv. 87-99] CREON (from a distance). Message of joy! Enter CREON I tell thee, what is now our worst annoy, If the right deed be done, shall turn to good. [The crowd, which has been full of excited hope, falls to doubt and disappointment. OEDIPUS. Nay, but what is the message? For my blood Runs neither hot nor cold for words like those. CREON. Shall I speak now, with all these pressing close, Or pass within?--To me both ways are fair. OEDIPUS. Speak forth to all! The grief that these men bear Is more than any fear for mine own death. CREON. I speak then what I heard from God.--Thus saith Phoebus, our Lord and Seer, in clear command. An unclean thing there is, hid in our land, Eating the soil thereof: this ye shall cast Out, and not foster till all help be past. OEDIPUS. How cast it out? What was the evil deed? [Sidenote: vv. 100-113] CREON. Hunt the men out from Thebes, or make them bleed Who slew. For blood it is that stirs to-day. OEDIPUS. Who was the man they killed? Doth Phoebus say? CREON. O King, there was of old King Laius In Thebes, ere thou didst come to pilot us. OEDIPUS. I know: not that I ever saw his face. CREON. 'Twas he. And Loxias now bids us trace And smite the unknown workers of his fall. OEDIPUS. Where in God's earth are they? Or how withal Find the blurred trail of such an ancient stain? CREON. In Thebes, he said.--That which men seek amain They find. 'Tis things forgotten that go by. OEDIPUS. And where did Laius meet them? Did he die In Thebes, or in the hills, or some far land? [Sidenote: vv. 114-127] CREON. To ask God's will in Delphi he had planned His journey. Started and returned no more. OEDIPUS. And came there nothing back? No message, nor None of his company, that ye might hear? CREON. They all were slain, save one man; blind with fear He came, remembering naught--or almost naught. OEDIPUS. And what was that? One thing has often brought Others, could we but catch one little clue. CREON. 'Twas not one man, 'twas robbers--that he knew-- Who barred the road and slew him: a great band. OEDIPUS. Robbers?... What robber, save the work was planned By treason here, would dare a risk so plain? CREON. So some men thought. But Laius lay slain, And none to avenge him in his evil day. [Sidenote: vv. 128-148] OEDIPUS. And what strange mischief, when your master lay Thus fallen, held you back from search and deed? CREON. The dark-songed Sphinx was here. We had no heed Of distant sorrows, having death so near. OEDIPUS. It falls on me then. I will search and clear This darkness.--Well hath Phoebus done, and thou Too, to recall that dead king, even now, And with you for the right I also stand, To obey the God and succour this dear land. Nor is it as for one that touches me Far off; 'tis for mine own sake I must see This sin cast out. Whoe'er it was that slew Laius, the same wild hand may seek me too: And caring thus for Laius, is but care For mine own blood.--Up! Leave this altar-stair, Children. Take from it every suppliant bough. Then call the folk of Thebes. Say, 'tis my vow To uphold them to the end. So God shall crown Our greatness, or for ever cast us down. [He goes in to the Palace. PRIEST. My children, rise.--The King most lovingly Hath promised all we came for. And may He [Sidenote: vv. 149-161] Who sent this answer, Phoebus, come confessed Helper to Thebes, and strong to stay the pest. [The suppliants gather up their boughs and stand at the side. The
