Translated by F. Storr. From the Loeb Library Edition, Originally published by Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA and William Heinemann Ltd, London. First published in 1912.
Oedipus:
O listen, since thy presence comes to me
A shock of glad surprise--so noble thou,
And I so vile--O grant me one small boon.
I ask it not on my behalf, but thine.
Creon:
And what the favor thou wouldst crave of me?
Oedipus:
Forth from thy borders thrust me with all speed;
Set me within some vasty desert where
No mortal voice shall greet me any more.
Creon:
This had I done already, but I deemed
It first behooved me to consult the god.
Oedipus:
His will was set forth fully--to destroy
The parricide, the scoundrel; and I am he.
Creon:
Yea, so he spake, but in our present plight
'Twere better to consult the god anew.