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

A crowd led by Zeus’ PRIEST gathers in front of OEDIPUS’ palace. They have come as
suppliants (wreathed and carrying olive branches). They are weak and sick and can
hardly walk. OEDIPUS comes out of the palace and speaks to them.
OEDIPUS
Citizens of this city that Cadmus founded,
why have you come here
What is it that you want from me
I see you wear wreaths and carry sacred branches.
I smell incense and hear hymns and prayers,
and the cries of people weeping.
Your suffering is obvious,
so I, Oedipus, known to you all as your king,
have come myself to find out what I can do.
Old man, I see you are the leader of these people.
Speak to me.
If you have something to ask of me,
do not be afraid to tell me what you want. 10
I’ll do what I can.
I am not a man without pity.
PRIEST
You are our king.
We stand before you, both young and old.
I am a priest of Zeus, king of the gods.
Some are here and others are in the temples praying; 20
the city is rocked by a fierce storm,
and it is drowning in a murderous sea.
We are being ravaged by a plague:
the fruit and the grain fall to the ground;
the cattle are sick;
and women are giving birth to dead babies.
Black Hades is rich now in tears and moaning. 1 30
We know you are not a god,
but you are our leader,
and most suited for dealing with the gods,
particularly in times of crisis.
You outwitted the Sphinx,
that deadly she-monster who was destroying us,
when we could not answer her riddles.
1 Hades “the unseen” is also called Pluton, “the wealthy,” that is why there is a pun on the term “rich.” He
is called wealthy because he sends rich gifts to earth, like corn. Hades can refer to both the god and is a
proper name, and to the location (the underworld).
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