Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone — Page 4
And now, O Oedipus, our peerless king,
Und nun, o Ödipus, unser unvergleichlicher König,
All we thy votaries beseech thee, find
Wir alle, deine Anhänger, flehen dich an, finde
Some succor, whether by a voice from heaven
Irgendeine Hilfe, sei es durch eine Stimme vom Himmel
Whispered, or haply known by human wit.
Geflüstert, oder vielleicht durch menschlichen Verstand erkannt.
Tried counselors, methinks, are aptest found1
Bewährte Ratgeber, so dünkt mich, sind am ehesten geeignet
To furnish for the future pregnant rede.
Für die Zukunft bedeutsamen Rat zu geben.
Upraise, O chief of men, upraise our State!
Erhebe uns, o Fürst der Menschen, erhebe unseren Staat!
Look to thy laurels! for thy zeal of yore
Denk an deinen Ruhm! denn durch deinen Eifer von einst
Our country's savior thou art justly hailed:
Wirst du zu Recht als Retter unseres Landes gepriesen:
O never may we thus record thy reign:—
O mögen wir niemals deine Herrschaft so beschreiben:—
"He raised us up only to cast us down."
„Er hat uns aufgerichtet, nur um uns zu Fall zu bringen."
Uplift us, build our city on a rock.
Erhebe uns, baue unsere Stadt auf einen Felsen.
Thy happy star ascendant brought us luck,
Dein aufgehender Glücksstern brachte uns Glück,
O let it not decline! If thou wouldst rule
O lass ihn nicht sinken! Wenn du herrschen willst
This land, as now thou reignest, better sure
Über dieses Land, wie du jetzt regierst, gewiss besser
To rule a peopled than a desert realm.
Ein bevölkertes als ein ödes Reich zu regieren.
Nor battlements nor galleys aught avail,
Weder Zinnen noch Galeeren nützen irgend etwas,
If men to man and guards to guard them tail.
Wenn Männer die Männer und Wächter die Wächter im Stich lassen.
OEDIPUS.
ÖDIPUS.
Ah! my poor children, known, ah, known too well,
Ach! meine armen Kinder, bekannt, ach, nur zu gut bekannt,
The quest that brings you hither and your need.
Das Anliegen, das euch hierher bringt, und eure Not.
Ye sicken all, well wot I, yet my pain,
Ihr leidet alle, das weiß ich wohl, doch mein Schmerz,
How great soever yours, outtops it all.
Wie groß er auch bei euch sein mag, überragt ihn alles.
Your sorrow touches each man severally,
Euer Kummer berührt jeden einzeln,
Him and none other, but I grieve at once
Ihn und keinen anderen, doch ich trauere zugleich
Both for the general and myself and you.
Sowohl um das Allgemeine als auch um mich selbst und euch.
Therefore ye rouse no sluggard from day-dreams.
Daher weckt ihr keinen Träumer aus seinen Tagträumen.
Many, my children, are the tears I've wept,
Viele Tränen, meine Kinder, habe ich geweint,
And threaded many a maze of weary thought.
Und mich durch manches Labyrinth mühsamer Gedanken gewunden.
Vocabulary
- nun
- Now; at this point in time
- unser
- Our; first-person plural possessive pronoun
- unvergleichlicher
- Incomparable; without equal or match
- König
- King; male monarch or ruler of a kingdom
- alle
- All; every one of a group
- deine
- Your; second-person singular possessive pronoun
- Anhänger
- Followers; supporters or adherents of someone
- flehen
- To plead or beseech earnestly and desperately
- dich
- You; second-person singular accusative pronoun
- an
- At, on, or to; common German preposition
- finde
- Find; imperative or first-person of finden
- Irgendeine
- Some kind of; any unspecified one thing
- Hilfe
- Help; assistance or aid given to someone
- sei
- Be; subjunctive or imperative form of sein
- durch
- Through; by means of; across something
- Stimme
- Voice; the sound produced by speaking or singing
- vom
- From the; contraction of von dem
- Himmel
- Heaven or sky; the space above the earth
- Geflüstert
- Whispered; past participle of flüstern
- oder
- Or; conjunction presenting an alternative choice
- vielleicht
- Perhaps; maybe; expressing possibility or uncertainty
- menschlichen
- Human; relating to humankind, adjective inflected form
- Verstand
- Mind; reason; human intellect or understanding
- erkannt
- Recognized; past participle of erkennen, to realize
- Bewährte
- Proven; tested and reliable, adjective inflected form
- Ratgeber
- Advisor; one who gives counsel or guidance
- so
- So; thus; in this way or manner
- mich
- Me; first-person singular accusative pronoun
- ehesten
- Most likely; superlative of eher, sooner or most apt
- geeignet
- Suited; qualified; appropriate for a purpose
- Für
- For; preposition indicating purpose or beneficiary
- Zukunft
- Future; the time yet to come
- bedeutsamen
- Significant; important, adjective in inflected form
- Rat
- Advice; counsel given to guide a decision
- geben
- To give; to provide or hand something over
- Erhebe
- Elevate; lift up; imperative of erheben
- uns
- Us; first-person plural accusative or dative pronoun
- Fürst
- Prince; a sovereign ruler or high noble
- Menschen
- People; humans; plural of Mensch
- erhebe
- Elevate; first-person or imperative of erheben
- unseren
- Our; first-person plural possessive, accusative form
- Staat
- State; nation; organized political community
- Denk
- Think; imperative form of denken
- deinen
- Your; second-person singular possessive, accusative form
- Ruhm
- Glory; fame; honor earned through great deeds
- denn
- Because; for; then; causal or particle conjunction
- Eifer
- Zeal; eagerness; enthusiastic dedication to a cause
- von
- Of; from; by; common German preposition
- einst
- Once; formerly; at some past or future time
- Wirst
- Will; second-person singular future auxiliary verb
- Recht
- Right; justice; law; what is correct or just
- als
- As; when; than; subordinating conjunction or particle
- Retter
- Savior; rescuer; one who saves others from harm
- unseres
- Our; first-person plural possessive, genitive form
- Landes
- Country's; genitive of Land, land or nation
- gepriesen
- Praised; past participle of preisen, to extol
- mögen
- May; to like; expressing wish or possibility
- niemals
- Never; at no time whatsoever
- Herrschaft
- Rule; dominion; power or authority over others
- beschreiben
- To describe; to depict something in words
- aufgerichtet
- Erected; set up; past participle of aufrichten
- nur
- Only; merely; just; limiting adverb
- um
- Around; at; in order to; German preposition
- Fall
- Fall; downfall; a case or instance of falling
- bringen
- To bring; to cause; to carry to a place
- baue
- Build; first-person or imperative of bauen
- unsere
- Our; first-person plural possessive adjective
- Stadt
- City; town; an urban settlement
- auf
- On; upon; up; common German preposition
- Felsen
- Rock; boulder; a large solid mass of stone
- Dein
- Your; second-person singular possessive pronoun
- aufgehender
- Rising; ascending, adjective form of aufgehen
- Glücksstern
- Lucky star; a star believed to bring good fortune
- brachte
- Brought; past tense of bringen, to bring
- Glück
- Luck; happiness; good fortune
- lass
- Let; allow; imperative of lassen
- ihn
- Him; third-person singular masculine accusative pronoun
- nicht
- Not; negation particle in German
- sinken
- To sink; to descend; to fall lower
- Wenn
- When; if; conditional or temporal conjunction
- herrschen
- To rule; to reign; to have power over others
- willst
- Want; second-person singular of wollen, to want
- Über
- Over; above; about; German preposition
- dieses
- This; demonstrative pronoun or adjective, genitive form
- Land
- Land; country; nation or rural territory
- wie
- How; as; like; comparison or manner conjunction
- jetzt
- Now; at the present moment
- regierst
- Govern; rule; second-person singular of regieren
- gewiss
- Certainly; surely; without doubt
- besser
- Better; comparative of gut, good
- bevölkertes
- Populated; densely inhabited, adjective inflected form
- ödes
- Desolate; barren; empty, adjective inflected form
- Reich
- Realm; empire; kingdom; a territory under one rule
- regieren
- To govern; to rule over a state or territory
- Weder
- Neither; used in neither...nor constructions
- Zinnen
- Battlements; merlons; crenellations on castle walls
- noch
- Nor; yet; still; used in negative constructions
- nützen
- To be useful; to benefit or serve a purpose
- irgend
- Any; some; used with indefinite pronouns
- etwas
- Something; somewhat; a certain amount
- Männer
- Men; plural of Mann; adult male humans
- Wächter
- Guards; watchmen; those who keep watch
- Stich
- Lurch; stitch; im Stich lassen means to abandon
- lassen
- To let; to leave; to allow or cause something
- Ach
- Ah; alas; exclamation of sorrow or surprise
- meine
- My; first-person singular possessive adjective
- armen
- Poor; wretched; pitiful, adjective in inflected form
- Kinder
- Children; plural of Kind
- bekannt
- Known; familiar; well-known to someone
- ach
- Ah; alas; interjection of lament or emotion
- gut
- Good; well; positive in quality
- Anliegen
- Concern; matter; request brought to someone's attention
- euch
- You; second-person plural accusative or dative pronoun
- hierher
- Here; to this place; hither
- bringt
- Brings; third-person singular of bringen
- eure
- Your; second-person plural possessive adjective
- Not
- Distress; need; hardship; urgent necessity
- Ihr
- You; second-person plural pronoun or formal singular
- leidet
- Suffer; second-person plural or third of leiden
- weiß
- Know; first-person singular of wissen; also white
- wohl
- Well; probably; indeed; modal particle
- doch
- Yet; but; still; emphatic or contradicting particle
- mein
- My; first-person singular possessive adjective
- Schmerz
- Pain; ache; suffering either physical or emotional
- Wie
- How; as; like; interrogative or comparison word
- groß
- Great; big; large in size or magnitude
- auch
- Also; too; even; additive or emphatic particle
- bei
- By; near; at; with; German preposition
- sein
- To be; also his; infinitive or possessive
- mag
- May; might; third-person singular of mögen
- überragt
- Surpasses; towers above; third-person of überragen
- alles
- Everything; all things; neuter form of alle
- Euer
- Your; second-person plural possessive adjective
- Kummer
- Grief; sorrow; distress or worry
- berührt
- Touches; affects; third-person of berühren
- jeden
- Each; every; accusative masculine of jeder
- einzeln
- Individually; separately; one at a time
- Ihn
- Him; third-person singular masculine accusative pronoun
- keinen
- No one; none; accusative of kein
- anderen
- Other; another; inflected form of ander
- trauere
- Mourn; grieve; first-person of trauern
- zugleich
- Simultaneously; at the same time
- Sowohl
- Both; as well as; used in sowohl...als auch
- Allgemeine
- General; common; the public or general populace
- selbst
- Oneself; even; self; emphatic pronoun or adverb
- Daher
- Therefore; hence; from there; consequently
- weckt
- Wakes; rouses; third-person singular of wecken
- ihr
- Her; their; you plural; pronoun or possessive
- Träumer
- Dreamer; one who daydreams or fantasizes
- aus
- Out of; from; finished; German preposition
- seinen
- His; third-person singular masculine possessive, accusative
- Tagträumen
- Daydreams; pleasant fantasies while awake
- Viele
- Many; a large number of things or people
- Tränen
- Tears; drops of fluid shed when crying
- habe
- Have; first-person singular of haben
- geweint
- Cried; wept; past participle of weinen
- manches
- Many a; some; several, neuter form of mancher
- Labyrinth
- Labyrinth; a maze of complex winding passages
- mühsamer
- Laborious; arduous; difficult, adjective inflected form
- Gedanken
- Thoughts; ideas; plural of Gedanke
- gewunden
- Wound through; meandered; past participle of winden
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →