Scaife ATLAS

Oedipus at Colonus (652-724)

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0011.tlg007.perseus-eng2:652-724

Refs	`{'start': {'reference': '652', 'human_reference': 'Line 652'}, 'end': {'reference': '724', 'human_reference': 'Line 724'}}`
Ancestors	`[]`
Children	`[]`

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What will you do, then?

Theseus

What is it that you fear?

Oedipus

Men will come—

Theseus

But these men here will see to that.

Oedipus

Beware that if you leave me—

Theseus

Do not instruct me in my duties.

Oedipus

Fear constrains me—

Theseus

My heart feels no fear.

Oedipus

You do not know the threats—

Theseus

I know that none will lead you from here against my will. Often threats have blustered in men’s hearts with words loud and vain; but when the mind comes to itself once more,

the threats have vanished. For those men, too, perhaps—yes, even if in boldness they have spoken dreadful things of bringing you back, the voyage here will prove long and hard to sail. Now I exhort you, apart from any decision of mine, to take heart,

if indeed Phoebus has been your escort here. Even if I am not present, still my name, I know, will shield you from harm.

668

Chorus

Stranger, in this land of fine horses you have come to earth’s fairest home, the shining Colonus.

Here the nightingale, a constant guest, trills her clear note under the trees of green glades, dwelling amid the wine-dark ivy

and the god’s inviolate foliage, rich in berries and fruit, unvisited by sun, unvexed by the wind of any storm. Here the reveller Dionysus ever walks the ground,

companion of the nymphs that nursed him.

681

Chorus

And, fed on heavenly dew, the narcissus blooms day by day with its fair clusters; it is the ancient crown of the Great Goddesses.

And the crocus blooms with a golden gleam. Nor do the ever-flowing springs diminish, from which the waters of Cephisus wander, and each day with pure

current it moves over the plains of the land’s swelling bosom, bringing fertility. Nor have the dancing Muses shunned this place, nor Aphrodite of the golden rein.

694

Chorus

And there is a thing such as I have not heard of on Asian ground,

nor as ever yet born in the great Dorian isle of Pelops: a plant unconquered, self-renewing, causing terror to destroying enemies.

It greatly flourishes in this land—the gray-leafed olive, nurturer of children. Youth cannot harm it by the ravages of his hand, nor can any who lives with old age. For the sleepless eye

of Zeus Morios watches over it, and gray-eyed Athena.

707

Chorus

And I have more praise for this city our mother,

the gift of a great divinity, a glory most great: the might of horses, the might of colts, and the might of the sea.

For you, son of Cronus, lord Poseidon, have set her on the throne of this pride,

by establishing first in our roads the bit that cures the rage of horses. And the shapely oar, well-fitted for the sea, in flying past the land leaps to follow the hundred-footed Nereids.

720

Antigone

Land that is praised above all lands, now it is your task to make those bright praises seen in deeds!

Oedipus

What strange new thing has happened, my daughter?

Antigone

Creon there draws near us, and not without followers, father.

Oedipus

Ah, dearest old men, now give me

Tokens

What	1	w	4
will	1	w	8
you	1	w	11
do	1	w	13
then	1	w	18
Theseus	1	w	26
What	2	w	30
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it	1	w	34
that	1	w	38
you	2	w	41
fear	1	w	45
Oedipus	1	w	53
Men	1	w	56
will	2	w	60
come	1	w	64
Theseus	2	w	72
But	1	w	75
these	1	w	80
men	1	w	83
here	1	w	87
will	3	w	91
see	1	w	94
to	1	w	96
that	2	w	100
Oedipus	2	w	108
Beware	1	w	114
that	3	w	118
if	1	w	120
you	3	w	123
leave	1	w	128
me	3	w	130
Theseus	3	w	138
Do	1	w	140
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me	4	w	153
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my	1	w	157
duties	1	w	163
Oedipus	3	w	171
Fear	1	w	175
constrains	1	w	185
me	5	w	187
Theseus	4	w	195
My	1	w	197
heart	1	w	202
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fear	2	w	213
Oedipus	4	w	221
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the	3	w	236
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here	2	w	283
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my	2	w	292
will	5	w	296
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have	1	w	313
blustered	1	w	322
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s	27	w	329
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itself	1	w	383
once	1	w	387
more	1	w	391
the	5	w	395
threats	3	w	402
have	2	w	406
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For	1	w	418
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too	1	w	430
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even	1	w	447
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in	8	w	451
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they	1	w	463
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prove	1	w	527
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and	2	w	534
hard	1	w	538
to	4	w	540
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Now	1	w	548
I	2	w	549
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you	6	w	558
apart	1	w	564
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heart	3	w	597
if	3	w	600
indeed	1	w	606
Phoebus	1	w	613
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your	1	w	624
escort	1	w	630
here	4	w	634
Even	1	w	639
if	4	w	641
I	3	w	642
am	1	w	644
not	3	w	647
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my	3	w	662
name	1	w	666
I	4	w	668
know	3	w	672
will	7	w	677
shield	1	w	683
you	8	w	686
from	3	w	690
harm	1	w	694
Chorus	1	w	701
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this	1	w	716
land	1	w	720
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you	9	w	735
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nightingale	1	w	800
a	49	w	802
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the	11	w	876
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ivy	1	w	888
and	4	w	891
the	12	w	894
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s	62	w	899
inviolate	1	w	908
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berries	1	w	929
and	5	w	932
fruit	1	w	937
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by	1	w	949
sun	1	w	952
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by	2	w	962
the	13	w	965
wind	1	w	969
of	5	w	971
any	2	w	974
storm	1	w	979
Here	2	w	984
the	14	w	987
reveller	1	w	995
Dionysus	1	w	1003
ever	1	w	1007
walks	1	w	1012
the	15	w	1015
ground	1	w	1021
companion	1	w	1031
of	6	w	1033
the	16	w	1036
nymphs	1	w	1042
that	5	w	1046
nursed	1	w	1052
him	1	w	1055
Chorus	2	w	1062
And	1	w	1065
fed	1	w	1069
on	10	w	1071
heavenly	1	w	1079
dew	1	w	1082
the	17	w	1086
narcissus	1	w	1095
blooms	1	w	1101
day	1	w	1104
by	3	w	1106
day	2	w	1109
with	2	w	1113
its	2	w	1116
fair	2	w	1120
clusters	1	w	1128
it	8	w	1131
is	7	w	1133
the	18	w	1136
ancient	1	w	1143
crown	1	w	1148
of	7	w	1150
the	19	w	1153
Great	1	w	1158
Goddesses	1	w	1167
And	2	w	1171
the	20	w	1174
crocus	1	w	1180
blooms	2	w	1186
with	3	w	1190
a	70	w	1191
golden	1	w	1197
gleam	1	w	1202
Nor	1	w	1206
do	3	w	1208
the	21	w	1211
ever-flowing	1	w	1223
springs	1	w	1230
diminish	1	w	1238
from	4	w	1243
which	1	w	1248
the	22	w	1251
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of	8	w	1259
Cephisus	1	w	1267
wander	1	w	1273
and	7	w	1277
each	1	w	1281
day	3	w	1284
with	4	w	1288
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current	1	w	1299
it	11	w	1301
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over	1	w	1310
the	23	w	1313
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of	9	w	1321
the	24	w	1324
land	2	w	1328
s	94	w	1330
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bosom	1	w	1343
bringing	2	w	1352
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Nor	2	w	1365
have	5	w	1369
the	25	w	1372
dancing	1	w	1379
Muses	1	w	1384
shunned	1	w	1391
this	2	w	1395
place	1	w	1400
nor	1	w	1404
Aphrodite	1	w	1413
of	10	w	1415
the	26	w	1418
golden	2	w	1424
rein	1	w	1428
Chorus	3	w	1435
And	3	w	1438
there	1	w	1443
is	11	w	1445
a	82	w	1446
thing	2	w	1451
such	1	w	1455
as	2	w	1457
I	5	w	1458
have	6	w	1462
not	5	w	1465
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of	11	w	1472
on	11	w	1474
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nor	2	w	1489
as	3	w	1491
ever	3	w	1495
yet	1	w	1498
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the	28	w	1507
great	1	w	1512
Dorian	1	w	1518
isle	1	w	1522
of	12	w	1524
Pelops	1	w	1530
a	90	w	1532
plant	1	w	1537
unconquered	1	w	1548
self-renewing	1	w	1562
causing	1	w	1570
terror	1	w	1576
to	8	w	1578
destroying	1	w	1588
enemies	1	w	1595
It	1	w	1598
greatly	1	w	1605
flourishes	1	w	1615
in	38	w	1617
this	3	w	1621
land	3	w	1625
the	29	w	1629
gray-leafed	1	w	1640
olive	1	w	1645
nurturer	1	w	1654
of	13	w	1656
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Youth	1	w	1670
cannot	1	w	1676
harm	2	w	1680
it	14	w	1682
by	4	w	1684
the	30	w	1687
ravages	1	w	1694
of	14	w	1696
his	5	w	1699
hand	1	w	1703
nor	3	w	1707
can	2	w	1710
any	3	w	1713
who	1	w	1716
lives	1	w	1721
with	5	w	1725
old	4	w	1728
age	4	w	1731
For	2	w	1735
the	31	w	1738
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eye	1	w	1750
of	15	w	1752
Zeus	1	w	1756
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over	2	w	1773
it	16	w	1775
and	11	w	1779
gray-eyed	1	w	1788
Athena	1	w	1794
Chorus	4	w	1801
And	4	w	1804
I	7	w	1805
have	7	w	1809
more	2	w	1813
praise	1	w	1819
for	1	w	1822
this	4	w	1826
city	1	w	1830
our	3	w	1833
mother	1	w	1839
the	34	w	1843
gift	1	w	1847
of	16	w	1849
a	111	w	1850
great	3	w	1855
divinity	1	w	1863
a	113	w	1865
glory	1	w	1870
most	1	w	1874
great	4	w	1879
the	35	w	1883
might	1	w	1888
of	17	w	1890
horses	2	w	1896
the	36	w	1900
might	2	w	1905
of	18	w	1907
colts	1	w	1912
and	12	w	1916
the	37	w	1919
might	3	w	1924
of	19	w	1926
the	38	w	1929
sea	1	w	1932
For	3	w	1936
you	10	w	1939
son	1	w	1943
of	20	w	1945
Cronus	1	w	1951
lord	1	w	1956
Poseidon	1	w	1964
have	8	w	1969
set	1	w	1972
her	8	w	1975
on	16	w	1977
the	39	w	1980
throne	1	w	1986
of	21	w	1988
this	5	w	1992
pride	1	w	1997
by	5	w	2000
establishing	1	w	2012
first	1	w	2017
in	41	w	2019
our	4	w	2022
roads	1	w	2027
the	40	w	2030
bit	1	w	2033
that	6	w	2037
cures	1	w	2042
the	41	w	2045
rage	1	w	2049
of	22	w	2051
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And	5	w	2061
the	42	w	2064
shapely	1	w	2071
oar	1	w	2074
well-fitted	1	w	2086
for	2	w	2089
the	43	w	2092
sea	2	w	2095
in	42	w	2098
flying	1	w	2104
past	1	w	2108
the	44	w	2111
land	4	w	2115
leaps	1	w	2120
to	9	w	2122
follow	1	w	2128
the	45	w	2131
hundred-footed	1	w	2145
Nereids	1	w	2152
Antigone	1	w	2161
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that	7	w	2169
is	20	w	2171
praised	1	w	2178
above	1	w	2183
all	1	w	2186
lands	1	w	2191
now	4	w	2195
it	21	w	2197
is	22	w	2199
your	2	w	2203
task	1	w	2207
to	10	w	2209
make	1	w	2213
those	2	w	2218
bright	1	w	2224
praises	1	w	2231
seen	1	w	2235
in	44	w	2237
deeds	1	w	2242
Oedipus	5	w	2250
What	3	w	2254
strange	1	w	2261
new	2	w	2264
thing	3	w	2269
has	2	w	2272
happened	1	w	2280
my	4	w	2283
daughter	1	w	2291
Antigone	2	w	2300
Creon	1	w	2305
there	2	w	2310
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near	1	w	2319
us	27	w	2321
and	16	w	2325
not	7	w	2328
without	1	w	2335
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father	1	w	2351
Oedipus	6	w	2359
Ah	1	w	2361
dearest	1	w	2369
old	5	w	2372
men	4	w	2375
now	5	w	2379
give	1	w	2383
me	13	w	2385