Epeisodion 1
Creon
My fellow citizens! First, the
gods, after tossing the fate of our city on wild waves, have once more
righted it. Second, I have ordered you through my messengers to come
here
apart from all the rest,
because I knew, first of all, how constant was your reverence for the
power of the throne of Laius; how, again, you were reverent, when
Oedipus was guiding our city; and lastly, how, when he was dead, you
still maintained loyal thoughts towards his children.
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Since, then, these latter have fallen in one day by a
twofold doom—each striking, each struck, both with the stain of a
brother’s murder—I now possess all the power and the throne according to
my kinship with the dead.
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Now, it is impossible to know fully any man’s character,
will, or judgment, until he has been proved by the test of rule and
law-giving. For if anyone who directs the entire city does not cling to
the best and wisest plans,
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but because of some
fear keeps his lips locked, then, in my judgment, he is and has long
been the most cowardly traitor. And if any man thinks a friend more
important than his fatherland, that man, I say, is of no account. Zeus,
god who sees all things always, be my witness—
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I would not be silent if I saw ruin, instead of safety,
marching upon the citizens. Nor would I ever make a man who is hostile
to my country a friend to myself, because I know this, that our country
is the ship that bears us safe, and that only when
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we sail her on a straight course can we make
true friends. Such are the rules by which I strengthen this city. Akin
to these is the edict which I have now published to the citizenry
concerning the sons of Oedipus: Eteocles, who fell fighting
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in behalf of our city and who excelled
all in battle, they shall entomb and heap up every sacred offering that
descends to the noblest of the dead below. But as for his brother,
Polyneices, I mean, who on his return from exile wanted to burn to the
ground
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the city of his fathers and his race’s gods, and wanted
to feed on kindred blood and lead the remnant into slavery—it has been
proclaimed to the city that no one shall give him funeral honors or
lamentation,
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but all must leave him unburied and a sight of shame,
with his body there for birds and dogs to eat. This is my will, and
never will I allow the traitor to stand in honor before the just. But
whoever has good will to Thebes,
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he shall
be honored by me in death as in life.
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Chorus
That is your will, Creon, towards this city’s enemy and
its friend. And the power is yours, I believe, to make use of every law
whatsoever, both concerning the dead and all us who live.
Creon
See, then, that you be guardians
of my commands.
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Chorus
Lay the weight of this task on some younger man.
Creon
That is not what I meant—the guards for the corpse are already in
place.
Chorus
Then what is this other command that you would give?
Creon
That you not give way to the breakers of my commands.
Chorus
There is no one so foolish as to
crave death.
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Creon
I assure you, that is the wage for disobedience. Yet by just the hope of
it, money has many times corrupted men.
Guard
My king, I will not say that I arrive breathless because of speed, or
from the action of a swift foot.
For often I brought myself to a stop because of my thoughts, and
wheeled round in my path to return. My mind was telling me many things:
Fool, why do you go to where your arrival will mean your punishment?
Idiot, are you dallying again? If Creon learns it from another, must
you not suffer for it?
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So
debating, I made my way unhurriedly, slow, and thus a short road was
made long. At last, however, the view prevailed that I should come
here—to you. Even if my report brings no good, still will I tell
you,
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since I come with a good
grip on one hope, that I can suffer nothing except what is my fate.
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Creon
And what is it that so disheartens you?
Guard
I want to tell you first about myself—I did not do the deed, nor did I
see the doer,
so it would be wrong
that I should come to any harm.
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Creon
Like a bowman you aim well at your target from a distance, and all around
you hedge yourself off well from the deed. It is clear that you have
some unheard-of thing to tell.
Guard
That I do, for terrible news imposes great hesitation.
Creon
Then tell it, will you, and so unburdened go away?
Guard
Well, here it is. The corpse—some
one has just given it burial and disappeared after sprinkling thirsty
dust on the flesh and performing the other rites that piety demands.
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Creon
What are you saying? What man dared do this?
Guard
I do not know. For there was no scar of a pickax to be seen
there,
no earth thrown up by a
mattock. The ground was hard and dry, unbroken, not rolled over by
wheels. The doer was someone who left no trace. When the first
day-watchman showed it to us, a discomforting amazement fell on us
all.
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The dead man was veiled
from us—not shut within a tomb, but a light cover of dust was on him, as
if put there by the hand of one who shunned a curse. And no sign was
visible that any beast of prey or any dog had approached or torn him.
Then evil words flew thick and loud among us,
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guard accusing guard. It would even have come to blows
in the end, nor was there anyone there to prevent it: every man was the
culprit, and no one was plainly guilty, while all disclaimed knowledge
of the act. We were ready to take red-hot iron in our hands,
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to walk through fire and to swear oaths
by the gods that we had neither done the deed, nor shared knowledge of
the planning or the doing. At last, when our investigating got us
nowhere, someone spoke up and made us all bend our faces
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in fear towards the earth. For we did
not know how we could argue with him, nor yet prosper, if we did what he
said. His argument was that the deed must be reported to you and not
hidden. This view prevailed, and so it was that
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the lot doomed miserable me to win this prize. So here
I stand, as unwelcome to you as I am unwilling, I well know. For no man
delights in the bearer of bad news.
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Chorus
My king, my thoughts have long been deliberating whether this deed is
somehow the work of gods?
Creon
Quiet, before your words truly
fill me with rage, so that you not be found at the same time foolish as
well as old. You say what is intolerable when you claim that the gods
have concern for that corpse. Was it in high esteem for his
benefactions
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that they sought
to hide him, when he had come to burn their columned shrines, their
sacred treasures and their land, and scatter its laws to the winds? Or
do you see the gods honoring the wicked? It cannot be. No! From the very
first
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certain men of the city
were chafing at this edict and muttering against me, tossing their heads
in secret, and they did not keep their necks duly under the yoke in
submission to me. By those men, I am certain, they were led astray and
bribed to do this deed.
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Nothing so
evil as money ever grew to be current among men. This destroys cities,
this drives men from their homes, this trains and warps honest minds to
set themselves to works of shame,
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this teaches people to practise villainies, and to know every act of
unholiness. But all the men who did this job for hire have made sure
that, sooner or later, they shall suffer the punishment. Now, as Zeus
still has my reverence, know this well—
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I tell you on my oath. If you do not find the very hand
that made this burial, and reveal him before my eyes, mere death shall
not suffice for you, not before, hung up alive, you have made this
outrage plain,
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so that hereafter
you may thieve with better knowledge of where your money should be
received from, and learn that it is best not to be fond of money-making
from any and every source. For you will find that ill-gotten gains bring
more men to ruin than to safety.
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Guard
Will you allow me to speak? Or
shall I just turn and go?
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Creon
Do you not know even now how much your voice sickens me?
Guard
Is the pain in your ears, or in your soul?
Creon
And why would you define the seat of my pain?
Guard
He who did it hurts your heart, but I, your ears.
Creon
God! How plain it is that you are
a born babbler.
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Guard
Perhaps, but never the author of this action.
Creon
Yes, and what is more, you sold your life for silver.
Guard
Ah! It is truly sad when the judge judges wrong .
Creon
Expound on judgment as you will. But, if you fail to
show me the perpetrators of these crimes, you
will avow that money basely earned wreaks sorrows. Exit
Creon.
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Guard
Well, may the man be found! That would be best. But, whether he be caught
or not—for fortune must decide that—I assure you that you will not see
me come here again.
Saved just now
beyond hope and belief, I owe the gods great thanks. Exit the
Guard.
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