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Oedipus
( )r ^rant he should, the oracle was ne'er
Right, my Jocasta ; but, I beg thee, send
And fetch this shepherd ; do not fail.
Joe. I will
This moment ; come, my lord, let us go in ••
I will do nothing but what pleases thee, - [Exeunt.
Grant me henceforth, ye powers divine,
In virtue's purest paths to tread !
In every word, in every deed.
May sanctity of manners ever shine !
Obedient to the laws of Jove,
977
The laws descended from above.
Which, not like those by feeble mortals given,
Buried in dark oblivion lie,
Or worn by time decay, and die,
But bloom eternal like their native heaven !
Pride first gave birth to tyrflnufi^r"^
That hateful vice, insulting pride,
When, every human power defied,
She lifts to glory's height her votary ;
Soon stumbling, from her tottering throne
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She throws the wretched victim down.
985
But may the pfod indulgent hear my prnyer,
985
That god wliom humbly I adore,
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Oh ! may he smile on Thebes once more,
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And take its wretched monarch to his care !
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Perish the impious and profane,
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Who, void of reverential fear.
985
Nor justice nor the laws revere,
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"Who leave their god for pleasure or for gain !
Who swell by fraud their ill-got store,
Who rob the wretched and the poor !
If vice unpunished virtue's meed obtain,
Who shall refrain the impetuous soul,
The rebel passions who control,
Or wherefore do I lead this choral train ?
No more to Delphi's sacred shrine
Need we with incense now repair,
No more shall Phocis hear our prayer ;
Nor fair Olympia see Jier rites divine ;
If oracles no longer prove
The power of Phoebus and of Jove.
Great lord of all, from thy eternal throne
Behold, how impious men defame
Thy loved Apollo's honoured name ;
Oh ! guard his rights, and vindicate thy own. [Exeunt.
'Scene I.
Right, my Jocasta ; but, I beg thee, send
And fetch this shepherd ; do not fail.
Joe. I will
This moment ; come, my lord, let us go in ••
I will do nothing but what pleases thee, - [Exeunt.
Grant me henceforth, ye powers divine,
In virtue's purest paths to tread !
In every word, in every deed.
May sanctity of manners ever shine !
Obedient to the laws of Jove,
The laws descended from above.
Which, not like those by feeble mortals given,
Buried in dark oblivion lie,
Or worn by time decay, and die,
But bloom eternal like their native heaven !
Pride first gave birth to tyrflnufi^r"^
That hateful vice, insulting pride,
When, every human power defied,
She lifts to glory's height her votary ;
Soon stumbling, from her tottering throne
985
She throws the wretched victim down.
985
But may the pfod indulgent hear my prnyer,
985
That god wliom humbly I adore,
985
Oh ! may he smile on Thebes once more,
985
And take its wretched monarch to his care !
985
Perish the impious and profane,
985
Who, void of reverential fear.
985
Nor justice nor the laws revere,
985
"Who leave their god for pleasure or for gain !
Who swell by fraud their ill-got store,
Who rob the wretched and the poor !
If vice unpunished virtue's meed obtain,
Who shall refrain the impetuous soul,
The rebel passions who control,
Or wherefore do I lead this choral train ?
No more to Delphi's sacred shrine
Need we with incense now repair,
No more shall Phocis hear our prayer ;
Nor fair Olympia see Jier rites divine ;
If oracles no longer prove
The power of Phoebus and of Jove.
Great lord of all, from thy eternal throne
Behold, how impious men defame
Thy loved Apollo's honoured name ;
Oh ! guard his rights, and vindicate thy own. [Exeunt.
'Scene I.
Oedipus Tyrannus. Sophocles. Thomas Francklin (Translator). London. 1758–1759.