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Creon
Fellow citizens, having learned that Oedipus the king lays dire charges against me, I have come in indignation. [515] If he thinks that in the present troubles he has suffered from me, by word or by deed, anything harmful, truly I do not desire my full term of years, when I must bear such blame as this. The wrong of this rumor [520] touches me not in one point alone, but has the largest scope, if I am to be called a traitor in the city, a traitor by you and by my friends. Chorus
But perhaps this taunt came under the stress of anger, rather than from the purpose of his heart. Creon
[525] Was the opinion given that my counsels had brought the seer to utter his falsehoods? Chorus
Such things were said—I do not know with what meaning. Creon
And was this charge laid against me with steady eyes and steady mind? Chorus
[530] I do not know. I see not what my masters do. But here comes our lord from the house. Oedipus enters.
Oedipus
You, how did you get here? Are you so boldfaced that you have come to my house, you who are manifestly the murderer of its master, [535] the palpable thief of its crown? Come, tell me, in the name of the gods, was it cowardice or folly which you saw in me and which led you to plot this thing? Did you think that I would not notice this deed of yours creeping upon me by stealth, or that if I became aware of it I would not ward it off? [540] Is your attempt not foolish, to seek the throne without followers or friends—a prize which followers and wealth must win?
Sophocles. The Oedipus Tyrannus of Sophocles. Edited with introduction and notes by Sir Richard Jebb. Sir Richard Jebb. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1887.
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