1 Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus Introduced and Translated by ...

Destroy him with your thunderbolt.
Lycian Apollo, 6
Help me now in my need.
May your invincible shafts
Fly from your bow
With its golden cord;
You, Artemis, also,
Who carry bright torches of fire,
As you run over Lycian peaks.
I call now on you, Bacchus of the wine-red face,
Who gave your name to this land: 210
Your Maenads run near, and joyfully shout “Evoe,”
Attack now with bright torch of pine
The dark god who destroys us,
That god whom no god honors.
People assemble and OEDIPUS addresses them.
OEDIPUS
You asked me for help.
If you listen carefully,
and treat the disease as I tell you,
you will find a cure and relief from your suffering.
Since I’m a stranger to both the story and what was done, 220
I wouldn’t get very far without something to go on.
I’m now also a citizen, so I make this announcement:
whoever knows who killed Laius, son of Labdacus,
I order you to tell me the whole story.
Don’t be afraid!
If you did it, you should give yourself up.
The penalty won’t be terrible:
only to leave the city,
without any harm to yourself.
If you know the person, or if he is a foreigner, 230
I’ll gratefully give you a reward.
But if you remain silent,
whether out of fear for yourself,
or someone else, beware.
6 Apollo may be called Lycian because he accompanied his mother Leto to Lycia. She also assumed the
form of a wolf to escape Hera’s notice, so Apollo is often called the wolf-god (Lukos means “wolf”).
Wolves were often sacrificed to him, and wolves appeared with him on ancient coins. Lycius was also a
person turned into a crow by Apollo for an improper sacrifice.
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