Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone — Page 12
My liege, if any man sees eye to eye / With our lord Phoebus, 'tis our prophet, lord / Teiresias; he of all men best might guide / A searcher of this matter to the light.
王よ、もし誰かが我らが主フォイボスと真に心を通わせる者がいるとすれば、それは我らが預言者、テイレシアスにございます。この件を究明しようとする者を、彼こそが誰よりもうまく導くことができましょう。
OEDIPUS. Here too my zeal has nothing lagged, for twice / At Creon's instance have I sent to fetch him, / And long I marvel why he is not here.
オイディプス。 この点においても私の熱意は少しも怠っておらぬ。クレオンの勧めにより、彼を呼びに二度も使いを出したのだ。それなのに、なぜ彼がまだここに来ないのか、私はずっと不思議に思っている。
CHORUS. I mind me too of rumors long ago— / Mere gossip.
コロス。 私もずっと昔の噂を思い出します――ただの世間話ですが。
OEDIPUS. Tell them, I would fain know all.
オイディプス。 話してくれ、すべてを知りたいのだ。
CHORUS. 'Twas said he fell by travelers.
コロス。 旅人たちによって殺されたと言われておりました。
OEDIPUS. So I heard, / But none has seen the man who saw him fall.
オイディプス。 そう聞いた。しかし、彼が倒れるのを見た者を、誰も目撃していないのだ。
CHORUS. Well, if he knows what fear is, he will quail / And flee before the terror of thy curse.
コロス。 さて、もし彼が恐怖というものを知っているならば、王の呪いの恐ろしさの前に怯え、逃げ去るでしょう。
OEDIPUS. Words scare not him who blenches not at deeds.
オイディプス。 行いにも臆さぬ者を、言葉で脅すことはできぬ。
CHORUS. But here is one to arraign him. Lo, at length / They bring the god-inspired seer in whom / Above all other men is truth inborn. [Enter TEIRESIAS, led by a boy.]
コロス。 しかし、彼を糾弾する者がここに来ました。見よ、ついに、あらゆる人々の中で最も真実を生まれながらに宿す、神のお告げを受けた予言者が連れて来られました。 〔テイレシアス、少年に導かれて登場。〕
OEDIPUS. Teiresias, seer who comprehendest all, / Lore of the wise and hidden mysteries, / High things of heaven and low things of the earth, / Thou knowest, though thy blinded eyes see naught, / What plague infects our city; and we turn / To thee, O seer, our one defense and shield.
オイディプス。 テイレシアスよ、すべてを悟る予言者よ、賢者の知識と隠された秘密、天上の高き事柄と地上の低き事柄、あなたはその盲いた目には何も見えぬとはいえ、何の疫病が我らが都市を侵しているかをご存知のはず。我らはあなたに頼る、ああ予言者よ、あなたこそ我らが唯一の守りと盾なのだ。
Vocabulary
- 王
- ō — King; ruler of a kingdom
- よ
- yo — Sentence-final particle expressing assertion or address
- もし
- moshi — If; used to introduce a conditional clause
- 誰か
- dareka — Someone; some unspecified person
- が
- ga — Subject-marking particle in Japanese grammar
- 我ら
- warera — We; us (archaic or formal plural first person)
- 主
- nushi / omo / shu — Lord; master; owner of something
- と
- to — Particle meaning 'and' or quotation marker
- 真に
- makoto ni — Truly; sincerely; in all honesty
- 心
- kokoro — Heart; mind; inner feelings
- を
- o — Object-marking particle in Japanese grammar
- 通わせる
- kayowaseru — To connect hearts; to communicate deeply with someone
- 者
- mono — Person; one who does something
- いる
- iru — To exist; to be (for animate beings)
- すれば
- sureba — If (one) does; conditional form of 'suru'
- それ
- sore — That; referring to something previously mentioned
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle in Japanese grammar
- 預言者
- yogensha — Prophet; one who foretells future events
- に
- ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or indirect object
- ございます
- gozaimasu — Formal polite form of 'to be/exist'
- この
- kono — This; referring to something nearby or just mentioned
- 件
- ken — Matter; case; affair under discussion
- 究明
- kyūmei — Investigation; thorough inquiry into a matter
- しよう
- shiyō — Let's do; volitional form of 'suru'
- する
- suru — To do; general-purpose action verb
- 彼
- kare — He; that man; third-person male pronoun
- こそ
- koso — Emphatic particle meaning 'it is precisely'
- 誰
- dare — Who; which person (interrogative pronoun)
- より
- yori — Than; more than; comparative particle
- も
- mo — Also; even; particle adding inclusivity or emphasis
- うまく
- umaku — Skillfully; well; in a capable manner
- 導く
- michibiku — To guide; to lead someone in a direction
- こと
- koto — Thing; fact; nominalizer turning verbs into nouns
- できましょう
- dekimashō — Will likely be able to; polite volitional of 'dekiru'
- 点
- ten — Point; aspect; specific feature of something
- において
- ni oite — In; regarding; in the context of something
- 私
- watashi — I; me; first-person singular pronoun
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle in Japanese
- 熱意
- netsui — Enthusiasm; zeal; passionate dedication to a cause
- 少し
- sukoshi — A little; a small amount of something
- 怠っ
- okotot(te) — Neglected; was lazy about (te-form of okotaru)
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases
- おらぬ
- oranu — Have not been; archaic negative of 'oru'
- 勧め
- susume — Recommendation; advice; suggestion to do something
- により
- ni yori — By means of; due to; according to something
- 呼び
- yobi — Calling; summoning (stem form of yobu)
- 二度
- nido — Twice; two times; on two occasions
- 使い
- tsukai — Messenger; errand; one sent on a mission
- 出し
- dashi — Sent out; dispatched (stem of dasu)
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb in Japanese
- だ
- da — Plain form copula meaning 'is/am/are'
- なのに
- na no ni — Even though; despite that; expressing disappointment
- なぜ
- naze — Why; for what reason (interrogative adverb)
- まだ
- mada — Still; not yet; continuing state or absence
- ここ
- koko — Here; this place; nearby location
- 来
- ki(nai) — Come; arrival (stem of kuru)
- ない
- nai — Negative auxiliary; does not; is not present
- か
- ka — Question particle placed at sentence end
- ずっと
- zutto — All along; continuously; the whole time
- 不思議
- fushigi — Strange; mysterious; wondering about something puzzling
- 思っ
- omot(te) — Thought; was thinking (te-form of omou)
- 昔
- mukashi — Long ago; the old days; ancient times
- 噂
- uwasa — Rumor; gossip; story circulating among people
- 思い出し
- omoidashi — Recalled; remembered (stem of omoidasu)
- ます
- masu — Polite verb ending indicating present or future tense
- ただ
- tada — Just; merely; only; nothing more than
- 世間話
- sekenbana shi — Small talk; casual conversation about everyday matters
- です
- desu — Polite copula meaning 'is/am/are'
- 話し
- hanashi — Story; talk; speech; act of speaking
- くれ
- kure — Please give; imperative of kureru (informal request)
- すべて
- subete — All; everything; the entirety of something
- 知り
- shiri — Knowing; to know (stem form of shiru)
- たい
- tai — Want to do; expresses desire for an action
- 旅人
- tabibito — Traveler; wanderer; person on a journey
- たち
- tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings
- によって
- ni yotte — By; by means of; through the agency of
- 殺さ
- korosa — Killed; murdered (passive stem of korosu)
- れ
- re — Passive voice auxiliary attached to verb stems
- 言わ
- iwa — Said; spoken (passive/negative stem of iu)
- おり
- ori — Is/are (humble or classical form of iru)
- まし
- mashi — Polite past auxiliary (part of mashita form)
- そう
- sō — So; like that; it seems that way
- 聞い
- kiite / kiit(ta) — Heard; listened (te-form of kiku)
- しかし
- shikashi — However; but; expressing a contrasting statement
- 倒れる
- taoreru — To fall down; to collapse; to be struck down
- 見
- mi — Saw; seeing (stem form of miru)
- 目撃
- mokugeki — Witnessing; eyewitness observation of an event
- し
- shi — Did; conjunctive or past form of suru
- い
- i — Exists; is (shortened form of iru)
- さて
- sate — Well now; now then; transitional discourse marker
- 恐怖
- kyōfu — Terror; dread; intense feeling of fear
- という
- to iu — Called; known as; the thing called something
- もの
- mono — Thing; object; something abstract or concrete
- 知っ
- shit(te) — Knows; knowing (te-form of shiru)
- なら
- nara — If it is; conditional assuming a given situation
- ば
- ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'when'
- 呪い
- noroi — Curse; hex; evil wish placed upon someone
- 恐ろし
- osoroshi — Frightening; dreadful; terrifying (adjective stem)
- さ
- sa — Noun-forming suffix indicating a degree or quality
- 前
- mae — Before; in front of; prior to something
- 怯え
- obiete / obiete — Trembling with fear; cowering in fright
- 逃げ去る
- nige saru — To flee away; to run off and escape
- でしょう
- deshō — Probably; I suppose; polite presumptive form
- 行い
- okonai — Deed; conduct; action one carries out
- にも
- ni mo — Even in; also with; particle combination for emphasis
- 臆さ
- okosa — Flinching; being intimidated (negative stem of okosuru)
- ぬ
- nu — Classical negative auxiliary meaning 'not'
- 言葉
- kotoba — Words; language; speech; verbal expression
- で
- de — Particle indicating means, location, or cause
- 脅す
- odokasu — To threaten; to intimidate someone with menace
- でき
- deki — Can do; be able (stem of dekiru)
- 糾弾
- kyūdan — Denunciation; condemning someone's wrongdoing openly
- 見よ
- miyo — Look! Behold! Imperative command to observe
- ついに
- tsui ni — Finally; at last; after a long time
- あらゆる
- arayuru — All; every possible kind without exception
- 人々
- hitobito — People; various persons; many individuals
- 中
- naka — Among; inside; in the middle of something
- 最も
- mottomo — Most; to the greatest degree (superlative marker)
- 真実
- shinjitsu — Truth; reality; what is genuinely the case
- 生まれながら
- umarenagara — By nature; innately; from the moment of birth
- 宿す
- yadosu — To harbor; to hold within; to contain inside
- 神
- kami — God; deity; divine spirit in Japanese belief
- お告げ
- otsuge — Divine oracle; sacred message from a god
- 受け
- uke — Receiving; accepting (stem form of ukeru)
- 予言者
- yogensha — Seer; prophet; one who predicts future events
- 連れ
- tsure — Brought along; accompanying (stem of tsureru)
- 少年
- shōnen — Boy; young male; youth
- 導か
- michibika — Guided; led (passive/causative stem of michibiku)
- 登場
- tōjō — Entrance; appearance on stage or scene
- 悟る
- satoru — To realize; to attain enlightenment or understanding
- 賢者
- kenja — Wise man; sage; person of great wisdom
- 知識
- chishiki — Knowledge; information; learned understanding
- 隠さ
- kakusa — Hidden; concealed (stem of kakusu)
- 秘密
- himitsu — Secret; confidential information not publicly known
- 天上
- tenjō — Heavens; celestial realm above the earth
- 高き
- takaki — High; lofty (classical adjective form of takai)
- 事柄
- kotogara — Matter; affair; subject of concern or discussion
- 地上
- chijō — On earth; above ground; the earthly realm
- 低き
- hikuki — Low; humble (classical adjective form of hikui)
- あなた
- anata — You; second-person singular pronoun (polite)
- その
- sono — That; referring to something near the listener
- 盲い
- mōi — Blind; lacking sight; sightless (classical form)
- 目
- me — Eye; the organ of sight
- 何
- nani — What; which thing (interrogative pronoun)
- 見え
- mie — Visible; can be seen (stem of mieru)
- いえ
- ie — No; well; interjection of mild denial or correction
- 疫病
- ekibyō — Plague; epidemic disease afflicting a population
- 都市
- toshi — City; urban area; large populated settlement
- 侵し
- okashi — Violated; afflicted; invaded (stem of okasu)
- ご存知
- gozonji — Knowing; being aware (honorific form of shiru)
- はず
- hazu — Should be; expected to be; supposed to be
- 頼る
- tayoru — To rely on; to depend upon someone or something
- ああ
- ā — Ah; oh; exclamation of feeling or realization
- 唯一
- yuiitsu — The only one; sole; unique among all others
- 守り
- mamori — Protection; defense; safeguarding something precious
- 盾
- tate — Shield; protective barrier against attack
- な
- na — Sentence-final particle for emphasis or gentle assertion
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