Stasimon 3
[Choral 1]
You came, you came, O winged creature, born of earth
Chorus
and hellish viper, to prey upon the sons of Cadmus, full of death, full of sorrow, half a maiden, a murderous monster, with roving wings
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and ravening claws; you once caught up youths from the haunts of Dirce, with discordant song,
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and you brought, you brought a murderous grief, a deadly curse to our native land. A deadly god he was who brought all this to pass. Mourning of mothers, mourning of maidens,
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filled the houses with groans; a lamenting cry, a lamenting song, one after another wailed out, in turn throughout the city. The roar of the groaning
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was like thunder, whenever the winged maiden bore a man out of sight from the city.
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At last came Oedipus, the man of sorrow, sent from Delphi
to this land of Thebes, a joy to us then, but afterwards a cause of grief; for, when he guessed the riddle triumphantly, he formed with his mother an unhallowed union, woe to him!
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polluting the city; and striking down his sons by his curses, he handed them over to loathsome strife, through blood, the wretched man.
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We admire him, we admire him,
who has gone to his death in his country’s cause, leaving tears to Creon, but bringing a crown of victory to our seven fenced towers.
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May we be mothers in this way, may we have such fair children, dear PalIas, you who with well-aimed stone spilled the serpent’s blood, rousing Cadmus to brood upon the task,
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from which a demon’s curse swooped upon this land and ravaged it.
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