Oedipus.

The tale, yes: but the witness, where is he?

Leader.

The man hath heard thy curses. If he knows

The taste of fear, he will not long stay close.

Oedipus.

He fear my words, who never feared the deed?

Leader.

Well, there is one shall find him.—See, they lead

Hither our Lord Tiresias, in whose mind

All truth is born, alone of human kind.

Enter Tiresias led by a young disciple. He is an old blind man in a prophet’s robe, dark, unkempt and sinister in appearance.

Oedipus.

Tiresias, thou whose mind divineth well

All Truth, the spoken and the unspeakable,

The things of heaven and them that walk the earth;

Our city … thou canst see, for all thy dearth

Of outward eyes, what clouds are over her.

In which, O gracious Lord, no minister

Of help, no champion, can we find at all

Save thee. For Phoebus—thou hast heard withal

His message—to our envoy hath decreed

One only way of help in this great need:

To find and smite with death or banishing,

Him who smote Laïus, our ancient King.

Oh, grudge us nothing! Question every cry

Of birds, and all roads else of prophecy

Thou knowest. Save our city: save thine own

Greatness: save me; save all that yet doth groan

Under the dead man’s wrong! Lo, in thy hand

We lay us. And, methinks, no work so grand

Hath man yet compassed, as, with all he can

Of chance or power, to help his fellow man.

Tiresias (to himself).

Ah me!

A fearful thing is knowledge, when to know

Helpeth no end. I knew this long ago,

But crushed it dead. Else had I never come.

Oedipus.

What means this? Comest thou so deep in gloom?

Tiresias.

Let me go back! Thy work shall weigh on thee

The less, if thou consent, and mine on me.

Oedipus.

Prophet, this is not lawful; nay, nor kind

To Thebes, who feeds thee, thus to veil thy mind.

Tiresias.

’Tis that I like not thy mind, nor the way

It goeth. Therefore, lest I also stray …

[He moves to go off. Oedipus bars his road.

Oedipus.

Thou shalt not, knowing, turn and leave us! See,

We all implore thee, all, on bended knee.

Tiresias.

All without light!—And never light shall shine

On this dark evil that is mine … and thine.

Oedipus.

What wilt thou? Know and speak not? In my need

Be false to me, and let thy city bleed?

Tiresias.

I will not wound myself nor thee. Why seek

To trap and question me? I will not speak.

Oedipus.

Thou devil!

[Movement of Leader to check him.

Nay; the wrath of any stone

Would rise at him. It lies with thee to have done

And speak. Is there no melting in thine eyes!

Tiresias.

Naught lies with me! With thee, with thee there lies,

I warrant, what thou ne’er hast seen nor guessed.

Oedipus (to Leader, who tries to calm him).

How can I hear such talk?—he maketh jest

Of the land’s woe—and keep mine anger dumb?

Tiresias.

Howe’er I hold it back, ’twill come, ’twill come.

Oedipus.

The more shouldst thou declare it to thy King.