Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone — Page 3
Yea, Oedipus, my sovereign lord and king,
Sí, Edipo, mi soberano señor y rey,
Thou seest how both extremes of age besiege
Ves cómo ambos extremos de la edad asedian
Thy palace altars—fledglings hardly winged,
Los altares de tu palacio—polluelos apenas emplumados,
and greybeards bowed with years; priests, as am I
y ancianos encorvados por los años; sacerdotes, como yo soy
of Zeus, and these the flower of our youth.
de Zeus, y estos la flor de nuestra juventud.
Meanwhile, the common folk, with wreathed boughs
Mientras tanto, el pueblo llano, con ramas entrelazadas
Crowd our two market-places, or before
Llena nuestras dos plazas del mercado, o ante
Both shrines of Pallas congregate, or where
Ambos santuarios de Palas se congregan, o donde
Ismenus gives his oracles by fire.
Ismeno entrega sus oráculos por el fuego.
For, as thou seest thyself, our ship of State,
Pues, como tú mismo ves, nuestra nave del Estado,
Sore buffeted, can no more lift her head,
Gravemente sacudida, ya no puede alzar la cabeza,
Foundered beneath a weltering surge of blood.
Hundida bajo una revuelta marea de sangre.
A blight is on our harvest in the ear,
Una plaga afecta nuestra cosecha en la espiga,
A blight upon the grazing flocks and herds,
Una plaga sobre los rebaños y manadas que pastan,
A blight on wives in travail; and withal
Una plaga sobre las mujeres en parto; y además
Armed with his blazing torch the God of Plague
Armado con su antorcha ardiente el Dios de la Peste
Hath swooped upon our city emptying
Se ha abalanzado sobre nuestra ciudad vaciando
The house of Cadmus, and the murky realm
La casa de Cadmo, y el sombrío reino
Of Pluto is full fed with groans and tears.
De Plutón está repleto de gemidos y lágrimas.
Therefore, O King, here at thy hearth we sit,
Por ello, oh Rey, aquí ante tu hogar nos sentamos,
I and these children; not as deeming thee
Yo y estos niños; no porque te consideremos
A new divinity, but the first of men;
Una nueva divinidad, sino el primero de los hombres;
First in the common accidents of life,
Primero en los accidentes comunes de la vida,
And first in visitations of the Gods.
Y primero en las visitas de los Dioses.
Art thou not he who coming to the town
¿No eres tú quien llegando a la ciudad
of Cadmus freed us from the tax we paid
de Cadmo nos liberó del tributo que pagábamos
To the fell songstress? Nor hadst thou received
A la cruel cantora? Ni habías recibido
Prompting from us or been by others schooled;
Indicación alguna de nosotros ni fuiste instruido por otros;
No, by a god inspired (so all men deem,
No, inspirado por un dios (así lo creen todos los hombres,
And testify) didst thou renew our life.
Y lo atestiguan) renovaste nuestra vida.
Vocabulary
- Sí
- Yes; affirmative response
- mi
- My; first-person singular possessive adjective
- soberano
- Sovereign; supreme ruler of a nation
- señor
- Sir, lord, or mister; respectful male address
- y
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- rey
- King; male monarch ruling a kingdom
- Ves
- You see; second-person singular present of ver
- cómo
- How; interrogative or exclamatory adverb
- ambos
- Both; referring to two things or people
- extremos
- Extremes; the outermost or farthest points
- de
- Of, from; very common Spanish preposition
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- edad
- Age; stage or period of a person's life
- asedian
- They besiege; to surround and overwhelm something
- Los
- The; masculine plural definite article
- altares
- Altars; raised structures used for religious offerings
- tu
- Your; second-person singular possessive adjective
- palacio
- Palace; large official residence of a ruler
- apenas
- Barely, scarcely; only just managing something
- ancianos
- Elderly people; old men or elders
- encorvados
- Stooped, bent over; hunched due to age
- por
- By, for, through; versatile Spanish preposition
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article
- años
- Years; units of time equal to twelve months
- sacerdotes
- Priests; ordained ministers performing religious duties
- como
- Like, as; comparison or manner conjunction
- yo
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- soy
- I am; first-person singular present of ser
- estos
- These; masculine plural demonstrative adjective or pronoun
- flor
- Flower; bloom, also metaphor for youth's prime
- nuestra
- Our; first-person plural feminine possessive adjective
- juventud
- Youth; the period of being young
- Mientras
- While, meanwhile; temporal conjunction indicating simultaneity
- tanto
- So much, as much; indicates degree or quantity
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article
- pueblo
- People, town; community or common folk
- llano
- Plain, common; flat or ordinary in character
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- ramas
- Branches; limbs extending from a tree trunk
- entrelazadas
- Intertwined, interlaced; woven or twisted together
- Llena
- Fills; third-person singular present of llenar
- nuestras
- Our; first-person plural feminine possessive adjective
- dos
- Two; the cardinal number after one
- plazas
- Plazas, squares; open public spaces in towns
- del
- Of the; contraction of de and el
- mercado
- Market; place where goods are bought and sold
- o
- Or; disjunctive coordinating conjunction
- ante
- Before, in front of; preposition indicating position
- Ambos
- Both; referring to two entities together
- santuarios
- Sanctuaries; holy places of worship or refuge
- se
- Reflexive pronoun; himself, herself, itself, themselves
- congregan
- They gather, congregate; people assembling in a place
- donde
- Where; relative or interrogative adverb of place
- entrega
- Delivers, hands over; gives or provides something
- sus
- His, her, their, your; third-person possessive adjective
- fuego
- Fire; combustion producing heat and light
- Pues
- Well, for, since; causal or filler conjunction
- tú
- You; second-person singular subject pronoun
- mismo
- Himself, same; intensive or identity adjective
- ves
- You see; second-person singular present of ver
- nave
- Ship, vessel; also nave of a building
- Estado
- State; organized political community or government
- Gravemente
- Gravely, seriously; in a severe or critical manner
- sacudida
- Shaken; violently jolted or rocked
- ya
- Already, now; adverb indicating time or emphasis
- no
- No, not; negation adverb
- puede
- Can, is able to; third-person singular of poder
- alzar
- To raise, lift up; to elevate something
- cabeza
- Head; upper body part containing the brain
- Hundida
- Sunken, submerged; plunged beneath a surface
- bajo
- Under, beneath; preposition indicating lower position
- una
- A, an; feminine singular indefinite article
- revuelta
- Revolt, upheaval; rebellion or turbulent disturbance
- marea
- Tide; regular rise and fall of sea level
- sangre
- Blood; red fluid circulating in the body
- Una
- A, one; feminine singular indefinite article
- plaga
- Plague, blight; destructive epidemic or infestation
- afecta
- Affects; has an impact or effect on something
- cosecha
- Harvest, crop; gathered agricultural produce
- en
- In, on, at; common Spanish locative preposition
- sobre
- On, over, about; preposition of position or topic
- rebaños
- Flocks, herds; groups of grazing animals
- manadas
- Herds, packs; groups of animals moving together
- que
- That, which, who; relative pronoun or conjunction
- las
- The; feminine plural definite article
- mujeres
- Women; adult female human beings
- parto
- Childbirth, labor; act of giving birth
- además
- Furthermore, also; additive adverb indicating something more
- Armado
- Armed; equipped with weapons or destructive force
- su
- His, her, its, your; singular possessive adjective
- antorcha
- Torch; a burning stick carried for light
- ardiente
- Burning, ardent; intensely hot or passionate
- Dios
- God; supreme divine being or deity
- Peste
- Plague, pestilence; deadly infectious disease epidemic
- Se
- Reflexive pronoun; himself, herself, itself, themselves
- ha
- Has; auxiliary verb in perfect tense constructions
- abalanzado
- Lunged, pounced; thrown oneself forcefully toward something
- ciudad
- City; large urban populated area or town
- vaciando
- Emptying; progressively making something empty or void
- La
- The; feminine singular definite article
- casa
- House, home; building where people live
- sombrío
- Gloomy, somber; dark and depressing in character
- reino
- Kingdom, realm; territory ruled by a monarch
- De
- Of, from; common Spanish preposition
- está
- Is; third-person singular present of estar
- repleto
- Full, replete; completely filled to capacity
- gemidos
- Groans, moans; sounds expressing pain or sorrow
- lágrimas
- Tears; drops of liquid shed when crying
- Por
- For, by, because of; versatile Spanish preposition
- ello
- It, that; neuter third-person pronoun referring to idea
- oh
- Oh; exclamatory interjection expressing emotion
- Rey
- King; male monarch ruling a kingdom
- aquí
- Here; adverb indicating this place or location
- hogar
- Home, hearth; place of family dwelling and comfort
- nos
- Us, ourselves; first-person plural object pronoun
- sentamos
- We sit; first-person plural present of sentarse
- Yo
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- niños
- Children, boys; young male or mixed group kids
- porque
- Because; causal subordinating conjunction
- te
- You; second-person singular direct or indirect object
- consideremos
- Let us consider; first-person plural present subjunctive
- nueva
- New; feminine adjective meaning recently appeared or created
- divinidad
- Divinity; quality or state of being divine
- sino
- But rather; conjunction correcting a negative statement
- primero
- First; ordinal number indicating the earliest position
- hombres
- Men, humans; adult male human beings
- Primero
- First; foremost in order or importance
- accidentes
- Accidents, incidents; unforeseen events or mishaps
- comunes
- Common, ordinary; shared by or typical of many
- vida
- Life; the state of being alive
- Y
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- visitas
- Visits; acts of going to see someone or somewhere
- Dioses
- Gods; divine supernatural beings worshipped by people
- No
- No, not; negation word
- eres
- You are; second-person singular present of ser
- quien
- Who; relative pronoun referring to a person
- llegando
- Arriving; present participle of llegar, to arrive
- a
- To, at; very common Spanish preposition
- liberó
- Freed, liberated; set someone free from constraint
- tributo
- Tribute; payment or acknowledgment given to authority
- pagábamos
- We were paying; first-person plural imperfect of pagar
- A
- To, at; preposition indicating direction or recipient
- cruel
- Cruel; causing pain or suffering deliberately
- Ni
- Nor, neither; negative coordinating conjunction
- habías
- You had; second-person singular pluperfect of haber
- recibido
- Received; past participle of recibir
- Indicación
- Indication, hint; sign or suggestion pointing to something
- alguna
- Any, some; feminine singular indefinite adjective or pronoun
- nosotros
- We, us; first-person plural subject pronoun
- ni
- Nor, neither; negative coordinating conjunction
- fuiste
- You were; second-person singular preterite of ser or ir
- instruido
- Instructed, taught; past participle of instruir
- otros
- Others; masculine plural indefinite pronoun or adjective
- inspirado
- Inspired; filled with creative or divine motivation
- un
- A, an; masculine singular indefinite article
- dios
- God; a divine supernatural being
- así
- Thus, so, this way; adverb of manner
- lo
- It, him; masculine singular direct object pronoun
- creen
- They believe; third-person plural present of creer
- todos
- All, everyone; masculine plural indefinite pronoun or adjective
- atestiguan
- They attest, testify; to bear witness to something
- renovaste
- You renewed; second-person singular preterite of renovar
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