Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone — Page 6
King Phoebus bids us straitly extirpate
König Phoebus gebietet uns, streng auszurotten
A fell pollution that infests the land,
Eine schlimme Befleckung, die das Land verseucht,
And no more harbor an inveterate sore.
Und nicht länger ein eingewurzeltes Übel zu hegen.
What expiation means he? What's amiss?
Was für eine Sühne meint er? Was ist nicht in Ordnung?
Banishment, or the shedding blood for blood.
Verbannung, oder das Vergießen von Blut für Blut.
This stain of blood makes shipwreck of our state.
Dieser Blutmakel bringt unseren Staat zum Scheitern.
Whom can he mean, the miscreant thus denounced?
Wen kann er meinen, den so angeklagten Übeltäter?
Before thou didst assume the helm of State,
Bevor du das Steuer des Staates übernahmst,
The sovereign of this land was Laius.
War Laius der Herrscher dieses Landes.
I heard as much, but never saw the man.
Das habe ich gehört, aber den Mann nie gesehen.
He fell; and now the god's command is plain:
Er fiel; und nun ist des Gottes Gebot klar:
Punish his takers-off, whoe'er they be.
Bestraft seine Mörder, wer immer sie sein mögen.
Where are they? Where in the wide world to find
Wo sind sie? Wo in der weiten Welt zu finden
The far, faint traces of a bygone crime?
Die fernen, schwachen Spuren eines vergangenen Verbrechens?
In this land, said the god; "who seeks shall find;
In diesem Land, sprach der Gott; „wer sucht, wird finden;
Who sits with folded hands or sleeps is blind."
Wer mit gefalteten Händen sitzt oder schläft, ist blind."
Was he within his palace, or afield,
War er in seinem Palast, oder auf dem Feld,
Or traveling, when Laius met his fate?
Oder auf Reisen, als Laius sein Schicksal ereilte?
Abroad; he started, so he told us, bound
Im Ausland; er brach auf, so sagte er uns, bestimmt
For Delphi, but he never thence returned.
Nach Delphi, aber er kehrte nie von dort zurück.
Came there no news, no fellow-traveler
Kam keine Nachricht, kein Reisegefährte,
To give some clue that might be followed up?
Um einen Hinweis zu geben, dem man nachgehen könnte?
But one escape, who flying for dear life,
Nur einer entkam, der um sein Leben fliehend,
Could tell of all he saw but one thing sure.
Von allem, was er sah, nur eine Sache mit Sicherheit berichten konnte.
And what was that? One clue might lead us far,
Und was war das? Ein Hinweis könnte uns weit führen,
With but a spark of hope to guide our quest.
Mit nur einem Funken Hoffnung, um unsere Suche zu leiten.
Robbers, he told us, not one bandit but
Räuber, sagte er uns, nicht ein einzelner Bandit, sondern
A troop of knaves, attacked and murdered him.
Eine Schar von Schurken, griff ihn an und ermordete ihn.
Vocabulary
- König
- King; male monarch ruling a country
- gebietet
- Commands or orders something authoritatively
- uns
- Us; first person plural accusative/dative pronoun
- streng
- Strict, severe, or rigorous in manner
- auszurotten
- To exterminate or eradicate something completely
- Eine
- A, an; feminine indefinite article in German
- schlimme
- Bad, terrible, or grave in nature
- Befleckung
- Pollution, stain, or moral contamination of something
- die
- The; feminine or plural definite article in German
- das
- The; neuter definite article in German
- Land
- Land, country, or region as a territory
- verseucht
- Contaminated, infected, or polluted by something harmful
- Und
- And; coordinating conjunction linking words or clauses
- nicht
- Not; negation particle in German sentences
- länger
- Longer, anymore; comparative of 'lang'
- ein
- A, an; indefinite article or numeral one
- eingewurzeltes
- Deeply rooted or entrenched over a long time
- Übel
- Evil, ill, or malady causing harm or suffering
- zu
- To, too, or at; preposition or infinitive particle
- hegen
- To harbor, nurture, or cherish something within
- Was
- What; interrogative or relative pronoun in German
- für
- For; preposition indicating purpose or exchange
- eine
- A, an; feminine indefinite article in German
- Sühne
- Atonement or expiation for a sin or crime
- meint
- Means or thinks; third person singular of meinen
- er
- He; third person masculine singular pronoun
- ist
- Is; third person singular of sein, to be
- in
- In, into; preposition indicating location or direction
- Ordnung
- Order, arrangement, or proper condition of things
- Verbannung
- Banishment or exile from one's home or country
- oder
- Or; coordinating conjunction offering an alternative
- Vergießen
- Shedding or spilling, especially of blood
- von
- Of, from, by; preposition indicating origin or belonging
- Blut
- Blood; the red fluid in the human body
- Dieser
- This; masculine demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- Blutmakel
- Blood stain; taint of guilt from a killing
- bringt
- Brings; third person singular of bringen
- unseren
- Our; first person plural possessive adjective accusative
- Staat
- State or nation as a political entity
- zum
- To the; contraction of zu and dem
- Scheitern
- Failure or ruin; collapse of an endeavor
- Wen
- Whom; accusative form of the interrogative wer
- kann
- Can; modal verb expressing ability or possibility
- meinen
- To mean, think, or refer to something
- den
- The; masculine accusative definite article in German
- so
- So, thus; adverb indicating manner or degree
- angeklagten
- Accused or indicted; adjective describing a charged person
- Übeltäter
- Wrongdoer or criminal who commits harmful acts
- Bevor
- Before; subordinating conjunction indicating prior time
- du
- You; second person singular informal pronoun
- Steuer
- Helm, rudder; also means tax in other contexts
- des
- Of the; masculine/neuter genitive definite article
- Staates
- Of the state; genitive form of Staat
- übernahmst
- Took over; second person singular past tense of übernehmen
- War
- Was; first/third person singular simple past of sein
- der
- The; masculine nominative definite article in German
- Herrscher
- Ruler or sovereign governing a land or people
- dieses
- Of this; genitive form of demonstrative dieser
- Landes
- Of the land/country; genitive form of Land
- Das
- That/the; neuter demonstrative pronoun or article
- habe
- Have; first person singular of haben in perfect
- ich
- I; first person singular nominative pronoun
- gehört
- Heard; past participle of hören, to hear
- aber
- But, however; coordinating conjunction showing contrast
- Mann
- Man; adult male person
- nie
- Never; adverb expressing absolute negation of time
- gesehen
- Seen; past participle of sehen, to see
- Er
- He; third person masculine singular nominative pronoun
- fiel
- Fell; third person singular simple past of fallen
- und
- And; coordinating conjunction linking words or clauses
- nun
- Now; adverb indicating the present moment or then
- Gottes
- God's; genitive form of Gott, divine possession
- Gebot
- Commandment or divine order to be obeyed
- klar
- Clear, obvious, or evident without ambiguity
- Bestraft
- Punished; past participle or imperative of bestrafen
- seine
- His; third person masculine possessive adjective
- Mörder
- Murderer; person who kills another person unlawfully
- wer
- Who; interrogative or relative pronoun in German
- immer
- Always or ever; adverb indicating continuous occurrence
- sie
- They/she; third person pronoun singular or plural
- sein
- To be or his; infinitive verb or possessive adjective
- mögen
- May or might; modal verb expressing possibility or liking
- Wo
- Where; interrogative or relative adverb of place
- sind
- Are; first/third person plural present of sein
- weiten
- Wide, vast; adjective describing broad expanse
- Welt
- World; the entire earth and its inhabitants
- finden
- To find or discover something previously unknown
- Die
- The; feminine or plural definite article in German
- fernen
- Distant or far away; adjective describing remote things
- schwachen
- Weak or faint; adjective describing lack of strength
- Spuren
- Traces, tracks, or clues left behind by someone
- eines
- Of a; genitive form of indefinite article ein
- vergangenen
- Past or bygone; adjective referring to earlier times
- Verbrechens
- Of the crime; genitive form of Verbrechen
- In
- In, inside; preposition indicating location or context
- diesem
- This; dative form of the demonstrative dieser
- sprach
- Spoke; third person singular simple past of sprechen
- Gott
- God; divine supreme being worshipped in religion
- sucht
- Seeks or searches; third person singular of suchen
- wird
- Will or becomes; auxiliary or main verb form
- Wer
- Who; interrogative or relative pronoun in German
- mit
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- gefalteten
- Folded; adjective describing hands clasped or folded together
- Händen
- Hands; dative plural form of Hand
- sitzt
- Sits; third person singular present of sitzen
- schläft
- Sleeps; third person singular present of schlafen
- blind
- Blind; unable to see or perceive clearly
- seinem
- His; dative form of possessive adjective sein
- Palast
- Palace; large, grand residence of a ruler
- auf
- On, upon; preposition indicating surface or position
- dem
- The; masculine/neuter dative definite article
- Feld
- Field; open expanse of land or battlefield
- Oder
- Or; coordinating conjunction offering an alternative choice
- Reisen
- Travel or journeys; plural of Reise or infinitive
- als
- As, when, than; conjunction or comparative particle
- Schicksal
- Fate or destiny determining the course of life
- ereilte
- Overtook or caught up with; past tense of ereilen
- Im
- In the; contraction of in and dem
- Ausland
- Foreign country; abroad, outside one's home country
- brach
- Broke; third person singular simple past of brechen
- sagte
- Said; third person singular simple past of sagen
- bestimmt
- Certainly, definitely; also means determined or specific
- Nach
- To, after, according to; preposition with dative
- kehrte
- Returned; third person singular simple past of kehren
- dort
- There; adverb indicating a specific distant location
- zurück
- Back; separable prefix indicating return to origin
- Kam
- Came; third person singular simple past of kommen
- keine
- No, none; negating indefinite article feminine form
- Nachricht
- News or message conveying information to someone
- kein
- No, not a; negating indefinite article in German
- Reisegefährte
- Travel companion; someone journeying together with another
- Um
- Around, at, in order to; preposition or conjunction
- einen
- A; masculine accusative indefinite article in German
- Hinweis
- Clue, hint, or indication pointing toward something
- geben
- To give; infinitive of the verb geben
- man
- One, you; impersonal pronoun referring to people generally
- nachgehen
- To follow up on or investigate something further
- könnte
- Could; subjunctive form of modal verb können
- Nur
- Only, just; adverb limiting scope or quantity
- einer
- One; masculine nominative or genitive indefinite pronoun
- entkam
- Escaped; third person singular simple past of entkommen
- um
- Around, at, for; preposition indicating purpose or time
- Leben
- Life; existence or the act of living
- fliehend
- Fleeing; present participle of fliehen, to flee
- Von
- From, of, by; preposition indicating origin or belonging
- allem
- Everything; dative form of alles used after prepositions
- was
- What; interrogative or relative pronoun in German
- sah
- Saw; third person singular simple past of sehen
- nur
- Only, just; adverb restricting to a single thing
- Sache
- Thing, matter, or affair of some importance
- Sicherheit
- Safety or certainty; state of being secure
- berichten
- To report or inform about something that happened
- konnte
- Could; third person singular simple past of können
- war
- Was; first/third person singular simple past of sein
- Ein
- A, an; masculine/neuter indefinite article in German
- weit
- Far, wide; adverb or adjective indicating great distance
- führen
- To lead, guide, or conduct someone or something
- Mit
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or instrument
- einem
- A; dative form of the indefinite article ein
- Funken
- Spark; a small glimmer of hope or fire
- Hoffnung
- Hope; expectation of something positive in future
- unsere
- Our; first person plural possessive adjective nominative
- Suche
- Search or quest for something or someone
- leiten
- To lead, direct, or guide toward a goal
- Räuber
- Robber or bandit who steals through force
- einzelner
- A single individual acting alone without accomplices
- Bandit
- Bandit; outlaw or armed criminal operating outside law
- sondern
- But rather; conjunction correcting a negative statement
- Schar
- Crowd or band of people acting together
- Schurken
- Villains or scoundrels engaged in criminal activity
- griff
- Grabbed or attacked; simple past of greifen
- ihn
- Him; masculine accusative third person singular pronoun
- an
- On, at, to; preposition or separable verb prefix
- ermordete
- Murdered; third person singular simple past of ermorden
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