2 FATE / Page 2.3 Oedipus Tyrannus
Oedipus Tyrannus
By Sophocles
Translated by Peter Meineck & Paul Woodruff
SCENE: Before the royal house of Thebes. The great doors of
the house stand upstage center. There are two wing
entrances, one onstage left and one onstage right.
There is a holy altar center stage. A throng of citizens
have gathered there as suppliants.
(Enter Oedipus through the great doors.)
OEDIPUS:
My children, new nurtured by old Thebes,
Why have you come here pleading,
Wearing wreaths and clutching boughs?
The city burns with pungent spice.
Healing hymns echo the sounds of suffering.
To have heard such news from others
Would not have been right.
My children, I am here, famous Oedipus.
(Oedipus addresses an elderly priest.)
Old man, it is your duty to speak for all.
Why are you kneeling in supplication—
What do you fear, what do you want?
I will help. Only a heartless man could bear
To see such sorrow and not feel pity.
ELDER:
Oedipus, master of my country, look.
Every age gathers at your altar: fledglings
Not yet fit to fly, elders bending beneath time,
Ministers of Zeus, as I, and the flower of our youth.
Your people cram the city’s squares
Crowding Athena’s two temples,
The river god’s sacred shrine
And the blood-charred altar of the prophet.
Look, see for yourself: the city is plunged
Headlong into the depths of disaster,
Engulfed by a murderous seething tide.
Desolation wastes away the harvest,
Destroys our herds grazing in the fields,
Blights the women and makes them barren.
Some furious god hurls pestilence and plague,
Draining the house of Cadmus,
As Hades bloats on dirges of death.
We know that you are not a god;
These children came to your hearth to plead
To the man who knows best the trials of life,
For you understand divine power.
You came to Thebes, saved us from the Sphinx,
And without any help, delivered us from despair.
We could do nothing; we knew nothing.
It is said that once you were helped by a god;
We believed it, and you saved all our lives.
Now, Oedipus, our master and greatest power,
We are all in your care, and we beg of you:
Come to our aid.
Have you heard from a god, a man,
Is there something that you know?
You understand what to do at such times,
That is clear; all of us trust your judgment.
Come, noblest of men, save the city.
Come, be true to your fame.
Our country calls you its savior;
You earned the title. Let it never be remembered
That you once raised us up, only to let us fall.
You brought us lucky signs and good days;
Now you need do the same for us again.
If you want to rule as master of this land,
You need men to master, not walls and ships.
A nation of no-one can only be nothing.
OEDIPUS:
My poor children, I understand the hope
That brings you here—how could I not?
I know you are all in pain; ever ...
Oedipus the King Sophocles Translated by David Grene .docxcherishwinsland
Oedipus the King
Sophocles
Translated by David Grene
CHARACTERS
OEDIPUS, King of Thebes FIRST MESSENGER
JOCASTA, His Wife SECOND MESSENGER
CREON, His Brother-in-Law A HERDSMAN
TEIRESIAS, an Old Blind Prophet A CHORUS OF OLD MEN OF
THEBES
PRIEST
PART I:
Scene: In front of the palace of Oedipus at Thebes. To the
Right of the stage near the altar stands the PRIEST with a
crowd of children.
OEDIPUS emerges from the central door.
OEDIPUS: Children, young sons and daughters of old
Cadmus,
1
why do you sit here with your suppliant crowns?
2
the town is heavy with a mingled burden
of sounds and smells, of groans and hymns and
incense;
5 I did not think it fit that I should hear
of this from messengers but came myself,--
I Oedipus whom all men call the Great.
[He returns to the PRIEST.]
You’re old and they are young; come, speak for them.
What do you fear or want, that you sit here
10 suppliant? Indeed I’m willing to give all
that you may need; I would be very hard
should I not pity suppliants like these.
PRIEST: O ruler of my country, Oedipus,
You see our company around the altar;
15 you see our ages; some of us, like these,
who cannot yet fly far, and some of us
heavy with age; these children are the chosen
among the young, and I the priest of Zeus.
Within the market place sit others crowned
20 with suppliant garlands
3
, at the double shrine
of Pallas
4
and the temple where Ismenus
gives oracles by fire
5
. King, you yourself
have seen our city reeling like a wreck
1
Cadmus n. mythical founder and first king of Thebes, a city in
central Greece where the play takes place
2
suppliant crowns wreaths worn by people who ask favors of
the gods.
3
suppliant garlands branches wound in wool, which were
placed on the altar and left there until the suppliant’s request
was granted.
4
double shrine of Pallas the two temples of Athena.
5
temple where Isemenus gives oracles by fire Temple of
Apollo, located by Ismenus, the Theban river, where the priests
studied patterns in the ashes of sacrificial victims to foretell the
future.
already; it can scarcely lift its prow
25 out of the depths, out of the bloody surf.
A blight is on the fruitful plants of the earth.
A blight is on the cattle in the fields,
a blight is on our women that no children
are born to them; a God that carries fire,
30 a deadly pestilence, is on our town,
strikes us and spears us not, and the house of Cadmus
is emptied of its people while black Death
grows rich in groaning and in lamentation.
6
We have not come as suppliants to this altar
35 because we thought of you as a God,
but rather judging you the first of men
in all the chances of this life and when
we mortals have to do with more that man.
You came and by your coming saved our city,
40 freed us from the tribute which we pa.
The summary of the document is:
1) The document provides background information on the Greek tragedy Oedipus the King by Sophocles, including that it was originally published in 1912 and concerns the story of Oedipus.
2) It includes an argument that summarizes the plot - that the oracle foretold that King Laius' son would kill his father and marry his mother, so the infant Oedipus was left to die but survived and unknowingly fulfilled the prophecy.
3) It lists the dramatis personae of the play and provides the opening scene, where Oedipus addresses the people of Thebes who are suffering from a plague and sends Creon
Oedipus summons the people of Thebes to help find the murderer of their former king, Laius. He offers amnesty if the killer comes forward or compensation if someone provides information leading to their identification. However, if the killer remains unknown, Oedipus declares they will be exiled without any citizen or friend able to speak to or assist them. He is determined to avenge Laius both as the new king and as one who was almost family by marriage to help end the plague afflicting Thebes.
Tennsyon first read Charles Lyell's pioneering work Principles of Geology in 1836. The title-page of Lyell's second volume carried a startling epigraph about the perishing of whole species, which influenced Tennyson's views. Later, Tennyson struggled with reconciling his faith with the ideas of natural selection and extinction he encountered in Lyell's work.
Reports of the demise of liberalism are greatly exaggerated .docxaudeleypearl
Creon has become the new king of Thebes after the deaths of Eteocles and Polyneices. He decrees that Eteocles will receive a proper burial as a loyal soldier, but that Polyneices, as a traitor, will not be buried and will be left to rot and be eaten by animals. Antigone tells her sister Ismene of Creon's decree and plans to defy it by burying Polyneices herself. Ismene refuses to help, fearing Creon's punishment. Antigone insists on burying her brother alone.
This document provides information on funerary texts from the Ramesside Period in Egypt. Key points include:
- Funerary texts such as the Book of the Dead were derived from earlier pyramid texts and included spells and instructions to guide the deceased through the afterlife.
- These texts were commissioned by individuals for their own burials and produced by scribes, often with spaces left to add names later.
- The texts had both a practical ritual purpose to aid the deceased, as well as serving as magical objects and providing moral instruction through spells and declarations.
- Famous examples include the Papyrus of Ani and illustrations on artifacts like the sarcophagus of Seti I. The texts
Oedipus the King Sophocles Translated by David Grene .docxcherishwinsland
Oedipus the King
Sophocles
Translated by David Grene
CHARACTERS
OEDIPUS, King of Thebes FIRST MESSENGER
JOCASTA, His Wife SECOND MESSENGER
CREON, His Brother-in-Law A HERDSMAN
TEIRESIAS, an Old Blind Prophet A CHORUS OF OLD MEN OF
THEBES
PRIEST
PART I:
Scene: In front of the palace of Oedipus at Thebes. To the
Right of the stage near the altar stands the PRIEST with a
crowd of children.
OEDIPUS emerges from the central door.
OEDIPUS: Children, young sons and daughters of old
Cadmus,
1
why do you sit here with your suppliant crowns?
2
the town is heavy with a mingled burden
of sounds and smells, of groans and hymns and
incense;
5 I did not think it fit that I should hear
of this from messengers but came myself,--
I Oedipus whom all men call the Great.
[He returns to the PRIEST.]
You’re old and they are young; come, speak for them.
What do you fear or want, that you sit here
10 suppliant? Indeed I’m willing to give all
that you may need; I would be very hard
should I not pity suppliants like these.
PRIEST: O ruler of my country, Oedipus,
You see our company around the altar;
15 you see our ages; some of us, like these,
who cannot yet fly far, and some of us
heavy with age; these children are the chosen
among the young, and I the priest of Zeus.
Within the market place sit others crowned
20 with suppliant garlands
3
, at the double shrine
of Pallas
4
and the temple where Ismenus
gives oracles by fire
5
. King, you yourself
have seen our city reeling like a wreck
1
Cadmus n. mythical founder and first king of Thebes, a city in
central Greece where the play takes place
2
suppliant crowns wreaths worn by people who ask favors of
the gods.
3
suppliant garlands branches wound in wool, which were
placed on the altar and left there until the suppliant’s request
was granted.
4
double shrine of Pallas the two temples of Athena.
5
temple where Isemenus gives oracles by fire Temple of
Apollo, located by Ismenus, the Theban river, where the priests
studied patterns in the ashes of sacrificial victims to foretell the
future.
already; it can scarcely lift its prow
25 out of the depths, out of the bloody surf.
A blight is on the fruitful plants of the earth.
A blight is on the cattle in the fields,
a blight is on our women that no children
are born to them; a God that carries fire,
30 a deadly pestilence, is on our town,
strikes us and spears us not, and the house of Cadmus
is emptied of its people while black Death
grows rich in groaning and in lamentation.
6
We have not come as suppliants to this altar
35 because we thought of you as a God,
but rather judging you the first of men
in all the chances of this life and when
we mortals have to do with more that man.
You came and by your coming saved our city,
40 freed us from the tribute which we pa.
The summary of the document is:
1) The document provides background information on the Greek tragedy Oedipus the King by Sophocles, including that it was originally published in 1912 and concerns the story of Oedipus.
2) It includes an argument that summarizes the plot - that the oracle foretold that King Laius' son would kill his father and marry his mother, so the infant Oedipus was left to die but survived and unknowingly fulfilled the prophecy.
3) It lists the dramatis personae of the play and provides the opening scene, where Oedipus addresses the people of Thebes who are suffering from a plague and sends Creon
Oedipus summons the people of Thebes to help find the murderer of their former king, Laius. He offers amnesty if the killer comes forward or compensation if someone provides information leading to their identification. However, if the killer remains unknown, Oedipus declares they will be exiled without any citizen or friend able to speak to or assist them. He is determined to avenge Laius both as the new king and as one who was almost family by marriage to help end the plague afflicting Thebes.
Tennsyon first read Charles Lyell's pioneering work Principles of Geology in 1836. The title-page of Lyell's second volume carried a startling epigraph about the perishing of whole species, which influenced Tennyson's views. Later, Tennyson struggled with reconciling his faith with the ideas of natural selection and extinction he encountered in Lyell's work.
Reports of the demise of liberalism are greatly exaggerated .docxaudeleypearl
Creon has become the new king of Thebes after the deaths of Eteocles and Polyneices. He decrees that Eteocles will receive a proper burial as a loyal soldier, but that Polyneices, as a traitor, will not be buried and will be left to rot and be eaten by animals. Antigone tells her sister Ismene of Creon's decree and plans to defy it by burying Polyneices herself. Ismene refuses to help, fearing Creon's punishment. Antigone insists on burying her brother alone.
This document provides information on funerary texts from the Ramesside Period in Egypt. Key points include:
- Funerary texts such as the Book of the Dead were derived from earlier pyramid texts and included spells and instructions to guide the deceased through the afterlife.
- These texts were commissioned by individuals for their own burials and produced by scribes, often with spaces left to add names later.
- The texts had both a practical ritual purpose to aid the deceased, as well as serving as magical objects and providing moral instruction through spells and declarations.
- Famous examples include the Papyrus of Ani and illustrations on artifacts like the sarcophagus of Seti I. The texts
Trygaeus flies on a giant dung beetle to the home of Zeus to ask for peace. However, Zeus has moved away in anger at the Greeks for continuing war and has given control to War. War has imprisoned Peace in a deep pit and intends to use a large mortar to destroy Greek cities. Trygaeus rallies a chorus of farmers to free Peace. With great effort they are able to pull her out. Peace is restored and Trygaeus takes Opora as his wife to live in the country while also bringing Theoria to the Senate, representing peace and intellectual pursuits being restored.
The five readings discuss the coming of Jesus Christ. The first describes his birth as bringing peace and joy. The second talks about how he came not waiting for the perfect time but when people needed him most. The third is about the journey of the Magi to see the newborn king. The fourth focuses on Jesus' love shown through his birth, death, and resurrection. The fifth passage is from the Gospel of John describing Jesus as the Word of God made flesh.
The document announces a carol service and Christmas Mass being held at St. John Vianney Church in West Green. It includes the opening prayer, readings and carols that will be part of the service celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, such as "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night".
The document appears to be a Christmas Eve service that includes:
1) A welcome and invitation to remember the story of Jesus' birth through readings, carols and prayer
2) Five biblical lessons on the nativity story from Genesis, Isaiah, Luke and John
3) Carols sung between the lessons celebrating Jesus' birth
4) A closing blessing asking God to cast out sin and be born in the hearts of the congregation.
This document provides 3 poems that discuss themes of despair, anxiety, and finding comfort in God. The first poem talks about finding purpose and meaning even in difficult times by hungering for righteousness. The second poem is about birds finding contentment without worry by trusting in God's care. The third poem is a call to wandering children to return home, referencing how Christ's blood was shed for them. Overall the poems convey messages of trusting in God during life's hardships.
The document appears to be the order of worship for a church service. It includes songs of praise, scripture readings from Acts and Mark, and a prayer. The songs celebrate God's eternal nature, encourage waiting for God's strength, and express blessing upon God's name. They are interspersed with brief passages of scripture and prayer. The service seems focused on worshipping God through music, reading from the Bible, and congregational prayer.
The Rt Revd Gordon Mursell Bishop Gordon is a well-known preacher, author and tutor in spirituality. The art of dying in the English Spiritual Tradition was presented at Hospiscare's Holy Living, Holy Dying held in Exeter 2 November 2009.
The world, a poem, delivered before the young people's institute, dec. 21, 1837Coming Up
The document appears to be an excerpt from a longer poem titled "The World" written in 1835 and published in 1842. It discusses the origins of sin and evil in the world through a philosophical and theological lens. In 3 sentences:
The poem questions where the "monster" of the world dwells and how sin came to be, recounting a discussion between two clergymen about Satan rebelling in heaven and corrupting humanity. It rejects this version of events and instead sees sin as arising naturally from humanity's finite skills and the temptation presented by the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden according to scripture.
This document contains 21 hymns or songs about embracing the cross of Jesus Christ and living according to his example. The hymns praise Jesus for his sacrifice on the cross to save humanity from sin, encourage embracing suffering as Jesus did, and express faith that God's grace is sufficient. They declare that Jesus is above all powers and authorities and is a faithful redeemer. The hymns look forward to the time when there will be no more suffering and God's people will live eternally with him in heaven.
This document provides an overview of Victorian poetry and poets such as Tennyson, Browning, and Arnold. It discusses their backgrounds and major works. It also analyzes sample poems, including Tennyson's "In Memoriam A.H.H." which mourns the loss of his friend Hallam, and Browning's dramatic monologue "My Last Duchess" which reveals the controlling nature of the Duke through his story. The document examines poetic forms, themes of loss and faith, and encourages close reading and considering the speaker's perspective.
The document appears to be a transcript of a Catholic mass. It includes opening prayers, readings from scripture including Isaiah and Matthew, prayers such as the Our Father, sharing of peace, communion, and a final blessing. The overall theme is gathering as a community to celebrate mass, reflect on scripture, and strengthen faith through rituals like communion.
John Donne was a 17th century English poet, satirist, lawyer and priest best known for his Metaphysical poetry. Some of his most famous works explored religious, spiritual and philosophical themes through unconventional metaphors and poetic devices. His Holy Sonnets dealt with themes of faith, death, and salvation through Christ. In poems like "The Good-Morrow" and "The Canonization", Donne celebrated the profound effects of romantic love through elaborate conceits and rhetorical questions.
The document describes the story of the visit of the Three Wise Men to baby Jesus in Bethlehem as told in the Gospel of Matthew. It summarizes their journey guided by the star, their meeting with King Herod in Jerusalem who asks them to report back after finding the child, their following the star to the house where they find Mary and Jesus and offer him gifts, and their being warned in a dream not to return to Herod.
The document is an order of service for an Epiphany Sunday service at St. Barnabas Anglican Church in Toronto. The service includes readings, hymns, and prayers celebrating the visit of the Wise Men and the revelation of Jesus as the Messiah. Music is provided by the choir and harpist Veronique Drozdz. The service follows the traditional liturgy of the Anglican Church.
NOTE: These poems have been collected from many sources and all of them are in public domain, and so they can be quoted in any way you like. Most all of them are by authors unknown, and the special focus is on Christmas poetry.
The document contains excerpts from various poems spanning different time periods and authors. The poems cover a range of topics from love and nature to reflections on life and death. While the speakers and settings vary across the poems, the overall purpose is to provide a collection of short poems for the reader's contemplation.
The document provides instructions for an event called "Rise Up for Jesus" including respecting stage crew, raising your hand if you need assistance, staying on the tarp, and expecting God's presence. It then lists several session titles for the event on topics related to Jesus and Christianity. The rest of the document contains the lyrics to several Christmas carols.
Business UseWeek 1 Assignment #1Instructions1. Plea.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Use
Week 1: Assignment #1
Instructions
1. Please read these two articles:
· Using forensics against a fitbit device to solve a murder: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-fitbit-alibi-21st-century-technology-used-to-help-solve-wisconsin-moms-murder/
· How Amazon Echo could be forensically analyzed! https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/6/14189384/amazon-echo-murder-evidence-surveillance-data
2. Then go around in your residence / dwelling (home, apartment, condo, etc) and be creative.
3. Identify at least five appliances or devices that you THINK could be forensically analyzed and then identify how this might be useful in an investigation. Note - do not count your computer or mobile device. Those are obvious!
4. I expect at least one paragraph answer for each device.
Why did I assign this?
The goal is to have you start THINKING about how any device, that is capable of holding electronic data (and transmitting to the Internet) could be useful in a particular investigation!
Due Date
This is due by Sunday, May 10th at 11:59PM
Surname 6
Informative speech on George Stinney Jr.
A. Info research analysis
The general purpose of the speech was to inform people about the civil injustice being done against the African American community in the United States. The specific purpose of the speech was to portray to the audience how an innocent 14-year old black boy suffered in the hands of the South Carolina State law enforcing officers. He was falsely accused of killing two white girls and electrocuted within two months after conviction.
I decided the topic of my speech after perusing through all the suggested topics ad found that the story of George Stinney Jr. was touching and emotional entirely.
This topic benefits the audience and the society in general by giving them an insight of the cruelty that the American law system has against the African American community. The audience gets to know how the shady investigations were done with claims that George had pleaded guilty to the charges of murder when there was no real evidence tying him to the crime or a signed plea agreement.
The alternative view that I found in the research was the version of the investigating officer of the case who claimed that the 14-year old boy managed to kill two girls aged 11 and 7 with a blunt object and ditch them in a nearby trench. This alternative point of view did not make sense because it is hard for a 14-year old boy to use the force that was reported by postmortem results to kill the girls. Therefore, I knew everything was a lie and I had to take the point of view of George’s innocence.
B. informative outline
Introduction:
George Stinney Jr. was an African American boy born on October 21, 1929 in Pinewood, South Carolina, U.S. He is considered as the youngest person to be executed by the United State government in 20th century.
Main body
Investigations of the alleged crimes (Bickford, 05)
The investigations concerning the alleged crimes of George S.
Business UsePALADIN ASSIGNMENT ScenarioYou are give.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Use
PALADIN ASSIGNMENT
Scenario:
You are given a PC and you are faced with this scenario: you don’t know the password to the PC which means you can’t login so you can use a forensic tool like FTK IMAGER to capture the hard drive as a bit-for-bit forensic image AND/OR
1. The hard drive is either soldiered onto the motherboard (there are some new hard drives like this!) or cannot be removed because the screws are stripped (this has happened to me);
2. Even if you figured out the password or got an admin password the PC may have its USB ports blocked via a GPO policy (this is very common in corporations now);
3. Even if you can get the GPO policy overridden you may have some concerns about putting it on the network (which is true especially if you are dealing with malware).
So what you can you do? The best solution is to boot the PC up into forensically sound environment that lets you bypass the password aspect; GPO policy; etc and take a bit-for-bit image. One software that has done the job very well for me is Paladin.
How to get points
If you can send me a screenshot showing me that you had installed Paladin .ISO and made your USB device a bootable device with Paladin using Rufus then you get 10 points.
If you can send me a screenshot showing that you had a chance to boot your computer into Paladin then you will earn an extra 10 points. It is not necessary for you to take a forensic image of your PC but I have included generic instructions here.
Assumptions:
1. You have downloaded Rufus on your computer
2. You have downloaded Paladin on your computer.
Instructions:
1. Make sure you have at least one USB drive.
2. If not down already, download Rufus from https://rufus.ie/.
3. If not done already, download the Paladin ISO image from this website: https://sumuri.com/product/paladin-64-bit-version-7/ which is free. It’s suggested price is $25.00 but you can adjust the price to $0 then order. To be clear – do not pay anything.
4. Insert the USB device in your computer.
5. Run Rufus where you install the Paladin .ISO file on the USB device and make it bootable. Now I could provide you step by step instructions, but this is a Masters class so I want you to explore a bit and figure this out. One good video is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6JehM0WDTI.
6. After you are done using Rufus where you have installed Paladin.ISO on the USB device and made it bootable then make sure the USB device is in the PC.
7. Restart your PC. Press F9(HP) laptop) or F12 (Dell laptop) so you can be taken into the BIOS bootup menu.
8. This is where things get a bit tricky e.g. your compute may be configured differently where you have to adjust your BIOS settings. If you do not feel comfortable doing this then stop here. I do not want you to mess up your computer. You have already earned ten extra points!
9. If you still proceed then you will see a list of bootable devices. You may, for example, see a list of devices. Pick the device .
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Similar to 2 FATE Page 2.3 Oedipus Tyrannus Oedipus Tyrannus B.docx
Trygaeus flies on a giant dung beetle to the home of Zeus to ask for peace. However, Zeus has moved away in anger at the Greeks for continuing war and has given control to War. War has imprisoned Peace in a deep pit and intends to use a large mortar to destroy Greek cities. Trygaeus rallies a chorus of farmers to free Peace. With great effort they are able to pull her out. Peace is restored and Trygaeus takes Opora as his wife to live in the country while also bringing Theoria to the Senate, representing peace and intellectual pursuits being restored.
The five readings discuss the coming of Jesus Christ. The first describes his birth as bringing peace and joy. The second talks about how he came not waiting for the perfect time but when people needed him most. The third is about the journey of the Magi to see the newborn king. The fourth focuses on Jesus' love shown through his birth, death, and resurrection. The fifth passage is from the Gospel of John describing Jesus as the Word of God made flesh.
The document announces a carol service and Christmas Mass being held at St. John Vianney Church in West Green. It includes the opening prayer, readings and carols that will be part of the service celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, such as "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night".
The document appears to be a Christmas Eve service that includes:
1) A welcome and invitation to remember the story of Jesus' birth through readings, carols and prayer
2) Five biblical lessons on the nativity story from Genesis, Isaiah, Luke and John
3) Carols sung between the lessons celebrating Jesus' birth
4) A closing blessing asking God to cast out sin and be born in the hearts of the congregation.
This document provides 3 poems that discuss themes of despair, anxiety, and finding comfort in God. The first poem talks about finding purpose and meaning even in difficult times by hungering for righteousness. The second poem is about birds finding contentment without worry by trusting in God's care. The third poem is a call to wandering children to return home, referencing how Christ's blood was shed for them. Overall the poems convey messages of trusting in God during life's hardships.
The document appears to be the order of worship for a church service. It includes songs of praise, scripture readings from Acts and Mark, and a prayer. The songs celebrate God's eternal nature, encourage waiting for God's strength, and express blessing upon God's name. They are interspersed with brief passages of scripture and prayer. The service seems focused on worshipping God through music, reading from the Bible, and congregational prayer.
The Rt Revd Gordon Mursell Bishop Gordon is a well-known preacher, author and tutor in spirituality. The art of dying in the English Spiritual Tradition was presented at Hospiscare's Holy Living, Holy Dying held in Exeter 2 November 2009.
The world, a poem, delivered before the young people's institute, dec. 21, 1837Coming Up
The document appears to be an excerpt from a longer poem titled "The World" written in 1835 and published in 1842. It discusses the origins of sin and evil in the world through a philosophical and theological lens. In 3 sentences:
The poem questions where the "monster" of the world dwells and how sin came to be, recounting a discussion between two clergymen about Satan rebelling in heaven and corrupting humanity. It rejects this version of events and instead sees sin as arising naturally from humanity's finite skills and the temptation presented by the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden according to scripture.
This document contains 21 hymns or songs about embracing the cross of Jesus Christ and living according to his example. The hymns praise Jesus for his sacrifice on the cross to save humanity from sin, encourage embracing suffering as Jesus did, and express faith that God's grace is sufficient. They declare that Jesus is above all powers and authorities and is a faithful redeemer. The hymns look forward to the time when there will be no more suffering and God's people will live eternally with him in heaven.
This document provides an overview of Victorian poetry and poets such as Tennyson, Browning, and Arnold. It discusses their backgrounds and major works. It also analyzes sample poems, including Tennyson's "In Memoriam A.H.H." which mourns the loss of his friend Hallam, and Browning's dramatic monologue "My Last Duchess" which reveals the controlling nature of the Duke through his story. The document examines poetic forms, themes of loss and faith, and encourages close reading and considering the speaker's perspective.
The document appears to be a transcript of a Catholic mass. It includes opening prayers, readings from scripture including Isaiah and Matthew, prayers such as the Our Father, sharing of peace, communion, and a final blessing. The overall theme is gathering as a community to celebrate mass, reflect on scripture, and strengthen faith through rituals like communion.
John Donne was a 17th century English poet, satirist, lawyer and priest best known for his Metaphysical poetry. Some of his most famous works explored religious, spiritual and philosophical themes through unconventional metaphors and poetic devices. His Holy Sonnets dealt with themes of faith, death, and salvation through Christ. In poems like "The Good-Morrow" and "The Canonization", Donne celebrated the profound effects of romantic love through elaborate conceits and rhetorical questions.
The document describes the story of the visit of the Three Wise Men to baby Jesus in Bethlehem as told in the Gospel of Matthew. It summarizes their journey guided by the star, their meeting with King Herod in Jerusalem who asks them to report back after finding the child, their following the star to the house where they find Mary and Jesus and offer him gifts, and their being warned in a dream not to return to Herod.
The document is an order of service for an Epiphany Sunday service at St. Barnabas Anglican Church in Toronto. The service includes readings, hymns, and prayers celebrating the visit of the Wise Men and the revelation of Jesus as the Messiah. Music is provided by the choir and harpist Veronique Drozdz. The service follows the traditional liturgy of the Anglican Church.
NOTE: These poems have been collected from many sources and all of them are in public domain, and so they can be quoted in any way you like. Most all of them are by authors unknown, and the special focus is on Christmas poetry.
The document contains excerpts from various poems spanning different time periods and authors. The poems cover a range of topics from love and nature to reflections on life and death. While the speakers and settings vary across the poems, the overall purpose is to provide a collection of short poems for the reader's contemplation.
The document provides instructions for an event called "Rise Up for Jesus" including respecting stage crew, raising your hand if you need assistance, staying on the tarp, and expecting God's presence. It then lists several session titles for the event on topics related to Jesus and Christianity. The rest of the document contains the lyrics to several Christmas carols.
Similar to 2 FATE Page 2.3 Oedipus Tyrannus Oedipus Tyrannus B.docx (20)
Business UseWeek 1 Assignment #1Instructions1. Plea.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Use
Week 1: Assignment #1
Instructions
1. Please read these two articles:
· Using forensics against a fitbit device to solve a murder: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-fitbit-alibi-21st-century-technology-used-to-help-solve-wisconsin-moms-murder/
· How Amazon Echo could be forensically analyzed! https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/6/14189384/amazon-echo-murder-evidence-surveillance-data
2. Then go around in your residence / dwelling (home, apartment, condo, etc) and be creative.
3. Identify at least five appliances or devices that you THINK could be forensically analyzed and then identify how this might be useful in an investigation. Note - do not count your computer or mobile device. Those are obvious!
4. I expect at least one paragraph answer for each device.
Why did I assign this?
The goal is to have you start THINKING about how any device, that is capable of holding electronic data (and transmitting to the Internet) could be useful in a particular investigation!
Due Date
This is due by Sunday, May 10th at 11:59PM
Surname 6
Informative speech on George Stinney Jr.
A. Info research analysis
The general purpose of the speech was to inform people about the civil injustice being done against the African American community in the United States. The specific purpose of the speech was to portray to the audience how an innocent 14-year old black boy suffered in the hands of the South Carolina State law enforcing officers. He was falsely accused of killing two white girls and electrocuted within two months after conviction.
I decided the topic of my speech after perusing through all the suggested topics ad found that the story of George Stinney Jr. was touching and emotional entirely.
This topic benefits the audience and the society in general by giving them an insight of the cruelty that the American law system has against the African American community. The audience gets to know how the shady investigations were done with claims that George had pleaded guilty to the charges of murder when there was no real evidence tying him to the crime or a signed plea agreement.
The alternative view that I found in the research was the version of the investigating officer of the case who claimed that the 14-year old boy managed to kill two girls aged 11 and 7 with a blunt object and ditch them in a nearby trench. This alternative point of view did not make sense because it is hard for a 14-year old boy to use the force that was reported by postmortem results to kill the girls. Therefore, I knew everything was a lie and I had to take the point of view of George’s innocence.
B. informative outline
Introduction:
George Stinney Jr. was an African American boy born on October 21, 1929 in Pinewood, South Carolina, U.S. He is considered as the youngest person to be executed by the United State government in 20th century.
Main body
Investigations of the alleged crimes (Bickford, 05)
The investigations concerning the alleged crimes of George S.
Business UsePALADIN ASSIGNMENT ScenarioYou are give.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Use
PALADIN ASSIGNMENT
Scenario:
You are given a PC and you are faced with this scenario: you don’t know the password to the PC which means you can’t login so you can use a forensic tool like FTK IMAGER to capture the hard drive as a bit-for-bit forensic image AND/OR
1. The hard drive is either soldiered onto the motherboard (there are some new hard drives like this!) or cannot be removed because the screws are stripped (this has happened to me);
2. Even if you figured out the password or got an admin password the PC may have its USB ports blocked via a GPO policy (this is very common in corporations now);
3. Even if you can get the GPO policy overridden you may have some concerns about putting it on the network (which is true especially if you are dealing with malware).
So what you can you do? The best solution is to boot the PC up into forensically sound environment that lets you bypass the password aspect; GPO policy; etc and take a bit-for-bit image. One software that has done the job very well for me is Paladin.
How to get points
If you can send me a screenshot showing me that you had installed Paladin .ISO and made your USB device a bootable device with Paladin using Rufus then you get 10 points.
If you can send me a screenshot showing that you had a chance to boot your computer into Paladin then you will earn an extra 10 points. It is not necessary for you to take a forensic image of your PC but I have included generic instructions here.
Assumptions:
1. You have downloaded Rufus on your computer
2. You have downloaded Paladin on your computer.
Instructions:
1. Make sure you have at least one USB drive.
2. If not down already, download Rufus from https://rufus.ie/.
3. If not done already, download the Paladin ISO image from this website: https://sumuri.com/product/paladin-64-bit-version-7/ which is free. It’s suggested price is $25.00 but you can adjust the price to $0 then order. To be clear – do not pay anything.
4. Insert the USB device in your computer.
5. Run Rufus where you install the Paladin .ISO file on the USB device and make it bootable. Now I could provide you step by step instructions, but this is a Masters class so I want you to explore a bit and figure this out. One good video is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6JehM0WDTI.
6. After you are done using Rufus where you have installed Paladin.ISO on the USB device and made it bootable then make sure the USB device is in the PC.
7. Restart your PC. Press F9(HP) laptop) or F12 (Dell laptop) so you can be taken into the BIOS bootup menu.
8. This is where things get a bit tricky e.g. your compute may be configured differently where you have to adjust your BIOS settings. If you do not feel comfortable doing this then stop here. I do not want you to mess up your computer. You have already earned ten extra points!
9. If you still proceed then you will see a list of bootable devices. You may, for example, see a list of devices. Pick the device .
Business UsePractical Connection WorkThis work is a writte.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Use
Practical Connection Work
This work is a written assignment where students will demonstrate how this course research has connected and been put into practice within their own career.
Assignment:
Provide a reflection of at least 500 words of how the knowledge, skills, or theories of this course, to date, have been applied, or could be applied, in a practical manner to your current work environment.
If you are not currently working, then this is where you can be creative and identify how you THINK this could be applied to an employment opportunity in your field of study.
Requirements:
Provide a 500 word minimum reflection.
Use of proper APA formatting and citations. If supporting evidence from outside resources is used those must be properly cited.
Share a personal connection that identifies specific knowledge and theories from this course.
You should NOT provide an overview of the assignments given in the course. Reflect and write about how the knowledge and skills obtained through meeting course objectives were applied or could be applied in the workplace.
// Pediatric depressionTherapy for Pediatric Clients with Mood Disorders
An African American Child Suffering From Depression
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The client is an 8-year-old African American male who arrives at the ER with his mother. He is exhibiting signs of depression.
Client complained of feeling “sad” Mother reports that teacher said child is withdrawn from peers in class Mother notes decreased appetite and occasional periods of irritation Client reached all developmental landmarks at appropriate ages Physical exam unremarkable Laboratory studies WNL Child referred to psychiatry for evaluation Client seen by Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
MENTAL STATUS EXAM
Alert & oriented X 3, speech clear, coherent, goal directed, spontaneous. Self-reported mood is “sad”. Affect somewhat blunted, but child smiled appropriately at various points throughout the clinical interview. He denies visual or auditory hallucinations. No delusional or paranoid thought processes noted. Judgment and insight appear to be age-appropriate. He is not endorsing active suicidal ideation, but does admit that he often thinks about himself being dead and what it would be like to be dead.
The PMHNP administers the Children's Depression Rating Scale, obtaining a score of 30 (indicating significant depression)
RESOURCES
§ Poznanski, E., & Mokros, H. (1996). Child Depression Rating Scale--Revised. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.
Decision Point OneSelect what the PMHNP should do:Begin Zoloft 25 mg orally daily
Begin Paxil 10 mg orally daily
Begin Wellbutrin 75 mg orally BID
.
Business System Analyst
SUMMARY:
· Cognos Business In experience intelligence with expertise in Software Design, Development, and Analysis, Teradata, Testing, Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence tools.
· Expertise in Cognos 11/10.2, 10.1, 8.x (Query Studio, Report Studio, Analysis Studio, Business Insight/Workspace, Business Insight/Workspace Advanced, Metric Studio (Score carding), Framework Manager, Cognos Connection)
· Expertise in Installation and Configuration of Cognos BI Products in Distributed environment on Windows
· Expertise with Framework Manager Modeling (Physical Layer, Business Layer, Packages) and Complex Report building with Report Studio.
· Expertise developing complex reports using drill-through reports, prompts, dashboards, master-detail, burst-reports, dynamic filtering in Cognos.
· Expertise in creating Dashboard reports using Java Script in Report studio.
· Expertise in building scorecard reports and dashboard reports using metric studio.
· Expertise with Transformer models and cubes that were used in Power play analysis and also these cubes were used in various Analysis Studio reports.
· Expertise with MDX Functions in Report Studio using Multi-dimensional Sources.
· Expertise with Cognos security (LDAP, Active Directory, Access manager, object level security, data security).
· Expertise with Tabbed Inter-phases and with Interactive Behavior of value based chart highlighting.
· Sound Skills in developing SQL Scripts, PL/SQL Stored Procedures, functions, packages.
· Expertise on production support and troubleshoot/test issues with existing reports and cubes.
· Experienced with MS SQL Server BI Tools like SSIS, SSRS and SSAS.
· Expertise in creation of packages, Data and Control tasks, Reports and Cubes using MS SQL Server BI Tools.
· Ability to translate business requirements into technical specifications and interact with end users to gather requirements for reporting.
· Good understanding of business process in Financial, Insurance and Healthcare areas.
· Expertise in infrastructure design for the cognos environment and security setup for different groups as per business requirement.
· Creating training material on all the Ad-Hoc training
· Expertise in all the basic administrative tasks like deployments, routing rule setup’s , user group setup , folder level securities etc.
· Have deployment knowledge of IBM Cognos report in Application servers like WAS.
· Have knowledge on handling securities and administration functionalities on IBM Cognos 10.x
· Good work ethics, detail oriented, fast learner, team oriented, flexible and adaptable to all kinds of stressful environments. Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Technical Skills:
BI Platform
Cognos 11,10.2, 10.1, 8.x (Query Studio, Report Studio, Analysis Studio, Business Insight/Workspace, Business Insight/Workspace Advanced, Metric Studio (Score carding), Framework Manager, Cognos Connection)
Data Base
MS Access, MS SQL Server, Orac.
Business StrategyOrganizations have to develop an international .docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Strategy
Organizations have to develop an international Human Resources Management Strategy, when they expand globally. Which do you think is more critical for international Human Resource Management:
Understanding the cultural environment, or
Understanding the political and legal environment?
Please choose 1 position and give a rationale; examples are also a way to demonstrate your understanding of the learning concepts.
.
Business StrategyGroup BCase Study- KFC Business Analysis.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Strategy
Group B
Case Study- KFC Business Analysis
Abstract
Introduced in 1952 by Colonel Sanders
Second largest restaurant chain today in terms of popularity
Annual revenue of $23 billion
Diversified its menu to suit cultural needs of people across different countries
Hindering factors in KFC’s growth are growing consumer health consciousness, animal welfare criticism, environmental criticism
Introduction
KFC was born in 1952 and its founder was Colonel Sanders
First franchise to grow globally over international market
By the 1960s – 1980s the market was booming in countries like England, Mexico, China
Management and ownership transferred over the years to Heublin, Yum Brands and PepsiCo.
Annual revenue of $23 billion in 2013
KFC had expanded its menu to suit cultural needs of people across different countries
Hindering factors in KFC’s growth are growing consumer health consciousness, animal welfare criticism, environmental criticism, logistic management issue in UK, cultural differences in Asian countries towards accepting the fried chicken menu.
Factors contributing to KFC’s global success
The core reason for KFCs success is it’s mandate to follow strict franchise protocols that have continuously satisfied customers demands:
The quality of the chicken cooked in KFC has certain specific guidelines
The size of the restaurant should be 24x60 feet.
The restaurant washrooms and ktichen has certain cleanliness standards
Food that is not sold off needs to be trashed
The workers need to have a specific clothing and uniform.
A certain % of the gross earnings should be used for advertisement and R&D
Air conditioning is mandatory in the outlets
Global number of KFC restaurants in the past decade
Importance of cultural factors to KFC’s sales success in India and China
Culture is the collective programming of the human mind that distinguishes the members of one human group from those of another. Culture in this sense is a system of collectively held values
“Culture is everything that people have, think, and do as members of their society”, which demonstrating that culture is made up of (1) material objects; (2) ideas, values, attitudes and beliefs; and (3) specified, or expected behavior.
Many scholars have theorized and studied the notion of cross-cultural adaptation, which tends to move from one culture to another one, by learning the elements such as rules, norms, customs, and language of the new culture (Oberg 1960, Keefe and Padilla 1987, Kealey 1989). According to Ady (1995),
“Cultural adaptation is the evolutionary process by which an individual modifies his personal habits and customs to fit into a particular culture. It can also refer to gradual changes within a culture or society that occur as people from different backgrounds participating in the culture and sharing their perspectives and practices.”
Cultural factors in India that go against KFC’s original recipe.
.
Business Strategy Differentiation, Cost Leadership, a.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
This document discusses various concepts related to business strategy and competitive advantage. It begins by defining a business-level strategy and outlining the "who, what, why, and how" of competing for advantage. It then discusses how industry and firm effects jointly determine competitive advantage. Key ideas around generating and sustaining advantage through barriers to imitation are presented. The document also discusses concepts like differentiation advantage, cost leadership, learning curves, economies of scale, value chains, and the resource-based view of the firm. Strategic coherence and dynamic strategic activity systems are defined.
Business RequirementsReference number Document Control.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Requirements
Reference number:
Document Control
Change Record
Date
Author
Version
Change Reference
Reviewers
Name
Position
Table of Contents
2Document Control
1
Business Requirements
4
1.1
Project Overview
4
1.2
Background including current process
4
1.3
Scope
4
1.3.1
Scope of Project
4
1.3.2
Constraints and Assumptions
5
1.3.3
Risks
5
1.3.4
Scope Control
5
1.3.5
Relationship to Other Systems/Projects
5
1.3.6
Definition of Terms (if applicable)
5
1 Business Requirements
1.1 Project Overview
Provide a short, yet complete, overview of the project.
1.2 Background including current process
Describe the background to the project, (same section may be reused in the Quality Plan) include:
This project is
The project goal is to
The IT role for this project is
1.3 Scope
1.3.1 Scope of Project
The scope of this project includes a number of areas. For each area, there should be a corresponding strategy for incorporating these areas into the overall project.
Applications
In order to meet the target production date, only these applications will be implemented:
Sites
These sites are considered part of the implementation:
Process Re-engineering
Re-engineering will
Customization
Customizations will be limited to
Interfaces
the interfaces included are:
Architecture
Application and Technical Architecture will
Conversion
Only the following data and volume will be considered for conversion:
Testing
Testing will include only
Funding
Project funding is limited to
Training
Training will be
Education
Education will include
1.3.2 Constraints and Assumptions
The following constraints have been identified:
The following assumptions have been made in defining the scope, objectives and approach:
1.3.3 Risks
The following risks have been identified as possibly affecting the project during its progression:
1.3.4 Scope Control
The control of changes to the scope identified in this document will be managed through the Change Control, with business owner representative approval for any changes that affect cost or timeline for the project.
1.3.5 Relationship to Other Systems/Projects
It is the responsibility of the business unit to inform IT of other business initiatives that may impact the project. The following are known business initiatives:
1.3.6 Definition of Terms (if applicable)
List any definitions that will be used throughout the duration of the project.
5
A working structure is the fundamental programming that bargains with all the mechanical social affair and other programming on a PC. It other than pulls in us to visit with the PC without perceiving how to talk the piece PC programs language's. A working structure is inside theory of programming on a contraption that keeps everything together. Working systems visit with the's contraption. They handle everything from your solace and mice to the Wi-Fi radio, gathering contraptions, and show. Symbolically, a worki.
Business ProposalThe Business Proposal is the major writing .docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Proposal
The Business Proposal is the major writing assignment in the course. You are to create and submit a formal proposal that suggests how to change something within an organization. This organization can be large or small, a place of employment now or in the past, or an organization to which the students belong. From past experiences, it is best to use a business with fewer than 200 employees, and one with which you have personal experience. It could be a place where you currently work or a place you have worked or volunteered in the past.
The change can be specific to a unit or can apply to the whole organization; it can relate to how important information is distributed, who has access to important information, how information is accessed, or any other change in practices the students see as having a benefit. The proposal should be directed to the person or committee with the power to authorize the change. However, if you are working within a large organization, and asking for a small organizational change, communicating with a CEO or president may not make the most sense. You need to think about who within the organization might be the best person for the type of change suggested.
For the submission, you are to follow the guidelines for formal proposals available in Chapter 10 of the text. You can review 10.1, 10.4, and 10.19 for more information about specific components for a well-written formal business proposal. A complete proposal must have all required sections of a formal report excluding the copy of an RFP and the Authorization. The final draft of the proposal should be 1500–2000 words, and include the following necessary formal proposal components:
Letter of transmittal
Executive summary
Title page
Table of contents
List of illustrations
Introduction
Background: Purpose/problem
Proposal: plan, schedule, details
Staffing
Budget
Appendix
Formatting does matter for this assignment, and you are to check the text for details about how to format and draft the different proposal segments. Proposals don't just have text; graphics and charts are necessary, too. In addition, research is important, and footnotes and references must be included. All content should be concise, clear, and detailed. The proposal should be well-written with appropriate grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
This is a scaffolded writing project that consists of four assignments.
.
Business ProjectProject Progress Evaluation Feedback Form .docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Project
Project Progress Evaluation
Feedback Form Week 3
Date:
__________________________________________________
Student Name:
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
Project Title: Effect Of Increasing Training Budget
Project Type: Business Research
Researchers:
Has a topic been chosen and a problem statement created?
Yes { } NO { }
Was the problem statement submitted in a 1-4 page paper that includes an introduction to the topic with appropriate documentation?
Yes { } No { }
Specifically, if any, needs additional content or rewriting to create more clarity? What specific recommendations do you have to help in this process?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
What is your workable timetable that states specific objectives and target completion dates for completing the final draft of the plan? Write the timetable below:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Feedback Form #3 – Project Proposal and Plan
▼
THE UK’S LEADING PROVIDER OF EXPERT SERVICES FOR IT PROFESSIONALS
NATIONAL COMPUTING CENTRE
IT Governance
Developing a successful governance strategy
A Best Practice guide for decision makers in IT
IT Governance
Developing a successful governance strategy
A Best Practice guide for decision makers in IT
The effective use of information technology is now an accepted organisational imperative - for
all businesses, across all sectors - and the primary motivation; improved communications and
commercial effectiveness. The swift pace of change in these technologies has consigned many
established best practice approaches to the past. Today's IT decision makers and business
managers face uncertainty - characterised by a lack of relevant, practical, advice and standards
to guide them through this new business revolution.
Recognising the lack of available best practice guidance, the National Computing Centre has
created the Best Practice Series to capture and define best practice across the key aspects of
successful business.
Other Titles in the NCC Best Practice series:
IT Skills - Recruitment and Retention ISBN 0-85012-867-6
The New UK Data Protection Law ISBN 0-85012-868-4
Open Source - the UK opportunity ISBN 0-85012-874-9
Intellectual Property Rights - protecting your intellectual assets ISBN 0-85012-872-2
Aligning IT with Business Strategy ISBN 0-85012-889-7
Enterprise Architecture - underst.
BUSINESS PROCESSES IN THE FUNCTION OF COST MANAGEMENT IN H.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
BUSINESS PROCESSES IN THE FUNCTION OF COST
MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS
1
1
st
IVANA DRAŽIĆ LUTILSKY
Departement of Accounting
Faculty of Economics and Business
University of Zagreb
Croatia
[email protected]
2
nd
LUCIJA JUROŠ
Faculty of Economics and Business
[email protected]
Abstract: This paper is dealing with the importance of business processes regarding costs
tracking and cost management in healthcare institutions. Various changes within the health
care system and funding of hospitals require the introduction of management information
systems and cost accounting. The introduction of cost accounting in public hospitals would
allow the planning and control of costs, monitoring of costs per patient or service and the
calculation of indicators for the analysis and assessment of the economic performance of the
business of public hospitals and lead to the transparency of budget spending. A model that
would be suited to the introduction in the public hospital is full cost allocation model based on
activities or processes that occur, known as the ABC method. Given that this is a calculation
of cost of services provided through various internal business processes, it is important to
identify all business processes in order to be able to calculate the costs incurred by services.
Although the hospital does not do business with the aim to make a profit, they must follow all
the costs (direct and indirect) to be able to calculate the full costs i.e. the price of the service
provided. In addition, the long-term sustainability of business activities in terms of funding
difficulties and the continuous growth of cost of services provided, hospitals must control and
reduce the cost of the program and specific activities. Therefore, the objective of this paper is
to point out the importance of business processes while introducing ABC method.
Keywords: Business Processes, Cost management, ABC method, Healthcare Institutions
1
This work has been fully supported by University of Zagreb funding the project “Business processes in the
implementation of cost management in healthcare system”, Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of
University of Zagreb.
mailto:[email protected]
1 Introduction
In recent years, the efficiency of the management in health care services and the system of
quality in health care institutions significantly increased. Patients expect more from
healthcare providers and higher standards of care. At the same time, those who pay for
health services are increasingly concerned about the rising costs of health care services, but
also the potential ineffectiveness of the health care system. Consequently, there is a broad
interest in understanding the ways of efficient work of health care management and .
Business Process Management JournalBusiness process manageme.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Process Management Journal
Business process management: a maturity assessment of Saudi Arabian
organizations
Omar AlShathry,
Article information:
To cite this document:
Omar AlShathry, (2016) "Business process management: a maturity assessment of Saudi Arabian
organizations", Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 22 Issue: 3, pp.507-521, https://
doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-07-2015-0101
Permanent link to this document:
https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-07-2015-0101
Downloaded on: 04 September 2018, At: 00:11 (PT)
References: this document contains references to 26 other documents.
To copy this document: [email protected]
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1083 times since 2016*
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded:
(2016),"Process improvement for professionalizing non-profit organizations: BPM approach",
Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 22 Iss 3 pp. 634-658 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/
BPMJ-08-2015-0114">https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-08-2015-0114</a>
(2016),"Ownership relevance in aspect-oriented business process models", Business
Process Management Journal, Vol. 22 Iss 3 pp. 566-593 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/
BPMJ-01-2015-0006">https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-01-2015-0006</a>
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https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-07-2015-0101
https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-07-2015-0101
*Related content and download information correct at time of download.
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Business process management:
a maturity assessment of Saudi
Arabian organizations
Omar AlShathry
Department of Information Systems,
Imam Mohammed Bin Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Purpose – Business Process Management (BPM) has become increasingly common among organizations
in d.
Business Plan[Your Name], OwnerPurdue GlobalBUSINESS PLANDate.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Plan[Your Name], Owner
Purdue Global
BUSINESS PLAN
Date
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 Product
1.2 Customers
1.3 What Drives Us
2. COMPANY DESCRIPTION
2.1 Mission and Vision Statements
2.2 Principal Members at Startup (In Unit 7 you will expand on this section to include medium and long term personnel plans for all team members, including the line staff.)
2.2.1 Using chapter 10 of your text, write the plan, using the section in Chapter 10 that shows how to introduce each team member and describe their background and responsibilities. You will start with the leaders and managers, then discuss other employees as needed for your company to grow.
2.2.2 Use this spreadsheet to show the planning
Leaders/managers (unit 1)
When needed (number of months/years after opening)
Outside Services Needed
Key Functions
Add line staff (Unit 7)
2.3 Legal Structure
3. MARKET RESEARCH
3.1 Industry (from SBA, Business Guides by Industry, and Bureau of Labor Statistics)
3.1.1 Industry description
3.2.1 Resources used
3.2 Customers (from SBA site fill in worksheet, then use text for spreadsheets and follow-up explanations)
Add SBA part here:
Then, fill in spreadsheet using this example from the text:
Housewife:
Married Couple:
Age:
35–65
Age:
35–55
Income:
Fixed
Income:
Medium to high
Sex:
Female
Sex:
Male or Female
Family:
Children living at home
Family:
0 to 2 children
Geographic:
Suburban
Geographic:
Suburban
Occupation:
Housewife
Occupation:
Varies
Attitude:
Security minded
Attitude:
Security minded, energy conscious
Older Couple:
Elderly:
Age:
55–75
Age:
70+
Income:
High or fixed
Income:
Fixed
Sex:
Male or Female
Sex:
Male or Female
Family:
Empty nest
Family:
Empty nest
Geographic:
Suburban
Geographic:
Suburban
Occupation:
White-collar or retired
Occupation:
Retired
Attitude:
Security minded, energy conscious
Attitude:
Security minded, energy conscious
Explain who you are targeting and where they are located. Insert information here using these guidelines:
Information About Your Target Market – Narrow your target market to a manageable size. Many businesses make the mistake of trying to appeal to too many target markets. Research and include the following information about your market:
Distinguishing characteristics – What are the critical needs of your potential customers? Are those needs being met? What are the demographics of the group and where are they located? Are there any seasonal or cyclical purchasing trends that may impact your business?
Size of the primary target market – In addition to the size of your market, what data can you include about the annual purchases your market makes in your industry? What is the forecasted market growth for this group? For more information, see the market research guide for tips and free government resources that can help you build a market profile.
How much market share can you gain? – What is the market share.
Business PlanCover Page Name of Project, Contact Info, Da.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Plan
Cover Page
Name of Project, Contact Info, Date
Picture/graphics
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
The Company
The Project
The Industry
The Market
Distribution
Risk Factors
Financing
Sources
List of sources, specific articles, and websites
I WILL PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION IN CHAT TO COMPLETE PROPOSAL.
.
Business Planning and Program Planning A strategic plan.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
This document discusses business planning and program planning. It explains that a strategic plan specifies how a program will achieve its objectives, while a business plan defines the path of a business and includes its organizational structure and financial projections. The document also discusses how the financial projection element of a business plan can impact a program's strategic planning process by influencing the program's budget. Finally, it notes that a program plan should include a funding request, as outlined in a business plan, to help secure necessary resources and facilitate achieving the program's goals and objectives.
Business Plan In your assigned journal, describe the entity you wil.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Plan: In your assigned journal, describe the entity you will utilize and explain your decision.
Must be:
At required length or longer
Written in American English at graduate level
Received on or before the deadline
Must pass turn it in
Written in APA with references
.
Business Plan Part IVPart IV of the Business PlanPart IV of .docxfelicidaddinwoodie
Business Plan Part IV
Part IV of the Business Plan
Part IV of the business plan is due in week 7. Together with this part, you must show to your instructor that you have implemented the necessary corrections based on the part I feedback.
Part IV Requirements
1. Financials Plan
a. Present an in-depth narrative to demonstrate the viability of your business to justify the need for funding.
b. In this section describe financial estimates and rationale which include financial statements and forms that document the viability of your proposed business and its soundness as an investment.
c. Tables and figures must be introduced in the narrative.
i. Describe the form of business (sole-proprietor, LLC, or Corporation).
ii. Prepare three-year projections for income, expenses, and sources of funds.
iii. Base predictions on industry and historical trends.
iv. Make realistic assumptions.
v. Allow for funding changes at different stages of your company’s growth.
vi. Present a written rationale for your projections.
vii. Indicate your startup costs.
viii. Detail how startup funds will be used to advance your proposed business
ix. List current capital and any other sources of funding you may have
x. Document your calculations.
xi. Use reasonable estimates or actual data (where possible).
2. Continuous Improvement System
a. Present a brief summary of the continuous improvement processes that you will utilize for quality management (Six sigma, TQM, etc).
.
BUSINESS PLAN FORMAT Whether you plan to apply for a bu.docxfelicidaddinwoodie
BUSINESS PLAN FORMAT
Whether you plan to apply for a business loan or not, you need to have a roadmap or plan to get you from where you are to the successful operation of your business. The pages that follow demonstrate the content of a simple business plan which has been found to be successful in obtaining startup funds from banks. You are encouraged to use all or whatever portions of this fit your business.
Please DO NOT write page after page of drivel or copy from someone else’s plan or one of those templates you can find on the Internet. In most cases this will not “sound" like you, nor will it be short and to the point. Those who read these things are busy people and will not be inclined to spend time reading irrelevant paperwork.
Throughout this sample, there are
italicized
comments which are meant to guide you in preparation. If you follow this format it is reasonable to expect a finished document with 15-20 pages plus the supporting documents in the last section.
If you have good quality pictures of your space, products or other items, you might include them as another way to convey just what you plan to do. A map of your location, diagram of floor space, or other illustration is also sometimes helpful. On the other hand, do not add materials simply to “bulk-up” the report.
While content is critical, it is also important to make this presentation look as good as possible. For this course, you will create the business plan in Word and submit the plan and all attachments through the Assignment drop box. That means all attachments have to be in digital form. For a bank loan or an investor, you would normally provide them with a print version. Print the pages in black ink on a high quality tinted letterhead paper. Color is not necessary but would add some interest in headlines, etc. Bind the document in a presentation folder or with a spiral binding. Don’t simply punch a staple in the upper left corner.
If your were going to pursue a bank loan or an investor, it would be normal to take this business plan to your SCORE counselor for a review and critique.
NOTE: Before you begin your inspection of the simple plan outline which follows, take a moment to review the Business Plan Checklist on the next page.
BUSINESS PLAN CHECKLIST
By way of review, here is a concise list of the basic requirements for a Business Plan, as recommended by the MIT Enterprise Forum:
·
Appropriate Arrangement
- prepare an executive summary, a table of contents and chapters in the right order.
·
Right Length
- make it not too long and not too short, not too fancy and not too plain.
·
Expectations
- give a sense of what founder(s) and the company expect to accomplish three to seven years in the future.
·
Benefits
- explain in quantitative and qualitative terms the benefit to the consumer of the products and services.
·
Marketability
- present hard evidence of the mar.
How to Add Chatter in the odoo 17 ERP ModuleCeline George
In Odoo, the chatter is like a chat tool that helps you work together on records. You can leave notes and track things, making it easier to talk with your team and partners. Inside chatter, all communication history, activity, and changes will be displayed.
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Dive into the world of AI! Experts Jon Hill and Tareq Monaur will guide you through AI's role in enhancing nonprofit websites and basic marketing strategies, making it easy to understand and apply.
Assessment and Planning in Educational technology.pptxKavitha Krishnan
In an education system, it is understood that assessment is only for the students, but on the other hand, the Assessment of teachers is also an important aspect of the education system that ensures teachers are providing high-quality instruction to students. The assessment process can be used to provide feedback and support for professional development, to inform decisions about teacher retention or promotion, or to evaluate teacher effectiveness for accountability purposes.
Physiology and chemistry of skin and pigmentation, hairs, scalp, lips and nail, Cleansing cream, Lotions, Face powders, Face packs, Lipsticks, Bath products, soaps and baby product,
Preparation and standardization of the following : Tonic, Bleaches, Dentifrices and Mouth washes & Tooth Pastes, Cosmetics for Nails.
How to Fix the Import Error in the Odoo 17Celine George
An import error occurs when a program fails to import a module or library, disrupting its execution. In languages like Python, this issue arises when the specified module cannot be found or accessed, hindering the program's functionality. Resolving import errors is crucial for maintaining smooth software operation and uninterrupted development processes.
it describes the bony anatomy including the femoral head , acetabulum, labrum . also discusses the capsule , ligaments . muscle that act on the hip joint and the range of motion are outlined. factors affecting hip joint stability and weight transmission through the joint are summarized.
How to Build a Module in Odoo 17 Using the Scaffold MethodCeline George
Odoo provides an option for creating a module by using a single line command. By using this command the user can make a whole structure of a module. It is very easy for a beginner to make a module. There is no need to make each file manually. This slide will show how to create a module using the scaffold method.
বাংলাদেশের অর্থনৈতিক সমীক্ষা ২০২৪ [Bangladesh Economic Review 2024 Bangla.pdf] কম্পিউটার , ট্যাব ও স্মার্ট ফোন ভার্সন সহ সম্পূর্ণ বাংলা ই-বুক বা pdf বই " সুচিপত্র ...বুকমার্ক মেনু 🔖 ও হাইপার লিংক মেনু 📝👆 যুক্ত ..
আমাদের সবার জন্য খুব খুব গুরুত্বপূর্ণ একটি বই ..বিসিএস, ব্যাংক, ইউনিভার্সিটি ভর্তি ও যে কোন প্রতিযোগিতা মূলক পরীক্ষার জন্য এর খুব ইম্পরট্যান্ট একটি বিষয় ...তাছাড়া বাংলাদেশের সাম্প্রতিক যে কোন ডাটা বা তথ্য এই বইতে পাবেন ...
তাই একজন নাগরিক হিসাবে এই তথ্য গুলো আপনার জানা প্রয়োজন ...।
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The simplified electron and muon model, Oscillating Spacetime: The Foundation...RitikBhardwaj56
Discover the Simplified Electron and Muon Model: A New Wave-Based Approach to Understanding Particles delves into a groundbreaking theory that presents electrons and muons as rotating soliton waves within oscillating spacetime. Geared towards students, researchers, and science buffs, this book breaks down complex ideas into simple explanations. It covers topics such as electron waves, temporal dynamics, and the implications of this model on particle physics. With clear illustrations and easy-to-follow explanations, readers will gain a new outlook on the universe's fundamental nature.
1. 2 FATE / Page 2.3 Oedipus Tyrannus
Oedipus Tyrannus
By Sophocles
Translated by Peter Meineck & Paul Woodruff
SCENE: Before the royal house of Thebes. The great doors of
the house stand upstage center. There are two wing
entrances, one onstage left and one onstage right.
There is a holy altar center stage. A throng of citizens
have gathered there as suppliants.
(Enter Oedipus through the great doors.)
OEDIPUS:
My children, new nurtured by old Thebes,
Why have you come here pleading,
Wearing wreaths and clutching boughs?
The city burns with pungent spice.
Healing hymns echo the sounds of suffering.
2. To have heard such news from others
Would not have been right.
My children, I am here, famous Oedipus.
(Oedipus addresses an elderly priest.)
Old man, it is your duty to speak for all.
Why are you kneeling in supplication—
What do you fear, what do you want?
I will help. Only a heartless man could bear
To see such sorrow and not feel pity.
ELDER:
Oedipus, master of my country, look.
Every age gathers at your altar: fledglings
Not yet fit to fly, elders bending beneath time,
Ministers of Zeus, as I, and the flower of our youth.
Your people cram the city’s squares
Crowding Athena’s two temples,
The river god’s sacred shrine
And the blood-charred altar of the prophet.
3. Look, see for yourself: the city is plunged
Headlong into the depths of disaster,
Engulfed by a murderous seething tide.
Desolation wastes away the harvest,
Destroys our herds grazing in the fields,
Blights the women and makes them barren.
Some furious god hurls pestilence and plague,
Draining the house of Cadmus,
As Hades bloats on dirges of death.
We know that you are not a god;
These children came to your hearth to plead
To the man who knows best the trials of life,
For you understand divine power.
You came to Thebes, saved us from the Sphinx,
And without any help, delivered us from despair.
We could do nothing; we knew nothing.
It is said that once you were helped by a god;
4. We believed it, and you saved all our lives.
Now, Oedipus, our master and greatest power,
We are all in your care, and we beg of you:
Come to our aid.
Have you heard from a god, a man,
Is there something that you know?
You understand what to do at such times,
That is clear; all of us trust your judgment.
Come, noblest of men, save the city.
Come, be true to your fame.
Our country calls you its savior;
You earned the title. Let it never be remembered
That you once raised us up, only to let us fall.
You brought us lucky signs and good days;
Now you need do the same for us again.
If you want to rule as master of this land,
You need men to master, not walls and ships.
A nation of no-one can only be nothing.
5. OEDIPUS:
My poor children, I understand the hope
That brings you here—how could I not?
I know you are all in pain; every one of you
Feels it, but at least that pain is only yours.
None of you can know the anguish that I feel.
Sick to my soul, I grieve not only for myself
But for the whole city, for everyone, for you.
You have not disturbed me; I could not sleep.
These nights have seen me weep a flood of tears.
My mind has wandered so many trails of thought
Until at last my search sought out the one and only cure.
I have already sent Creon, my own wife’s brother,
To the Pythian oracle, Apollo’s shrine at Delphi.
There he will learn the will of the gods
And what I must say or do that I might save the city.
But he should have returned by now;
6. Too much time has passed since he left.
I fear what might have happened—where can he be?
When he does come, I would be worthless if I failed
To do what is made apparent by the word of a god.
ELDER:
Well said and timely too.
These men say they have seen Creon.
OEDIPUS:
Bless us, Lord Apollo! Let it be deliverance.
Let good news shine bright in his eyes.
ELDER:
Good news, yes. Can you see him?
He’s wearing a thick, fresh laurel wreath . . . good news!
OEDIPUS:
Soon he will hear us; then we’ll know for sure.
(Enter Creon from the stage left wing.)
Creon, royal brother, son of Thebes,
What word have you brought from the god?
7. CREON:
Good words. If fortune smiles,
It will set these troubles straight.
OEDIPUS:
Yes, certainly, but what of the oracle?
Is there any hope? Have we anything to fear? Tell me!
CREON:
Here? With all these people around us? If you wish,
I’m ready to talk. Or we can go inside.
OEDIPUS:
Let everyone hear. I grieve for them
Far more than I do for myself.
CREON:
Then hear the words I heard from the god.
Lord Apollo has made his will clear:
Drive out defilement nurtured in your land.
Cherish it no longer; it must be purged.
8. OEDIPUS:
How should we purge this curse? What is the cause?
CREON:
The purge is banishment, or else death for death.
The cause is murder, and blood guilt storms over our city.
OEDIPUS:
Who is this man whose fate has been revealed?
CREON:
We had a leader here whose name was Laius,
Before you came to steer our city straight.
OEDIPUS:
I know. I’ve heard of him, though I never saw the man myself.
CREON:
He’s dead, and the command is clear:
Punish the killers by force.
OEDIPUS:
And where on this earth are they? Where can the faint
Track of this old blood-crime be found?
9. CREON:
On Theban soil, the god proclaims.
Search leads to capture; what is ignored escapes.
OEDIPUS:
But where was Laius murdered? In the palace?
Out in the country? Or did it happen abroad?
CREON:
He’d been abroad, seeking an oracle, they said,
And he never came home from his journey.
OEDIPUS:
Did anyone see it happen? Someone on the same journey,
A messenger? A clue to solve this crime?
CREON:
No, they all died, except one who fled in fear.
But he said he saw only one thing for certain.
OEDIPUS:
What was that? One thing could reveal much more.
10. Hope can spring from such a small beginning.
CREON:
A pack of thieves killed him in ambush;
Not one man alone, but many.
OEDIPUS:
How would a thief dare to do such a thing
Unless he had been paid off by someone here?
CREON:
There were suspicions. But Laius was dead,
And we had no one to help in our crisis.
OEDIPUS:
Your ruler had been murdered! What crisis
Could have kept you from a complete investigation?
CREON:
The Sphinx. Her riddles made us set aside
That mystery; we had to deal with the trouble at hand.
OEDIPUS:
Then I will start again. I will see it exposed.
11. You are right, Apollo is fully justified
To remind us of our obligations to the dead.
Watch, as I join the fight for this land
As the god’s true instrument of vengeance.
I do not do this for some far-off cousin.
I have my own reasons for driving out this infection;
The killer, whoever it may be, could kill again
And lay those deadly hands on me.
As I serve this cause, so I serve myself.
Now quickly, my children, up off the steps,
Take your boughs of supplication and go.
Call the people of Thebes to assemble here,
And I will do everything. Apollo be with us,
He will reveal our fortune—or our fall.
ELDER:
Up, children; he has given his word
That he will do all that we asked,
12. And we have all heard the oracle from Apollo.
Come to our aid, Apollo, save us from the sickness!
(Exit Oedipus through the great doors; exit Creon stage right.
Exit the suppliants
through the stage right wing. Enter the chorus of Theban
citizens from the stage right
wing.)
2 FATE / Page 2.4 Oedipus Tyrannus
Choral Entry-Song (Parodos)
CHORUS:
[Strophe a]
Be good to us, O Word of Zeus! What is your meaning?
Rich in gold, the prophet speaks to shining Thebes.
But I am strung between fear and hope. Panic beats at my mind.
Blessed Healer to whom we cry,
I await your answer with awe and dread:
Will it be a new demand?
13. Or will the passing years fulfill an ancient curse?
Tell me, Child of Hope, golden immortal word.
[Antistrophe a]
Daughter of Zeus, I first call on you,
Immortal Athena—
And on the earth-holder, your sister
Artemis, who is seated on her rounded throne,
Glorious in the center of Thebes—
And on Apollo, who strikes from afar. Come,
O you three protectors, let me see you now.
If ever you have saved us, when disaster raged over the city,
If ever you sent the flames of misery far away,
Come, save us now.
[Strophe b]
Pain, misery beyond reckoning:
My people, all my people, sick with plague.
I search my mind for some defense,
But there is none.
14. No crops will grow, none from our fabled earth.
No children crown the birth pangs of our women.
But they cry out, and, one by one,
You see them take bird wings and rise
Like flame on flame, unassailable in flight,
To the dark shore of the western god.
[Antistrophe b]
Death, beyond the city’s reckoning:
Beyond pity, children lie on the ground unmourned,
Bearing death to the living,
While wives and gray-haired mothers
Stream to the bank of altars,
Exhausted by their sadness,
Moaning, begging for relief.
Hymns flash out to the healing god
With cries of lamentation.
Over us, we pray, golden daughter of Zeus,
15. Raise the bright face of your shield.
[Strophe c]
Blazing Ares, god of war, comes against me now.
With no bronze sword or shield.
He scorches me, and the shouts rise about him.
Turn him back, put him to flight out of our land.
Give him a fair wind
Either back to the broad lap of the Atlantic
Or back to the cruel surf of the Thracian sea.
For now the horror left undone
By night is finished in the day.
Smite the war god, Father Zeus,
For yours is the power of ultimate fire:
Smash him with your thunderbolt.
[Antistrophe c]
Lord of light, Apollo, lift your bow, I pray.
Loose from its gold-spun string
A shower of arrows, irresistible.
16. And send down also the radiant beams
Of Artemis, who sets the mountain peaks
Of Lycia shining in the night.
And I call upon you, god of the golden crown,
You who share your name with our land,
Bacchus, glowing with wine and happy cries of Maenads:
Bring your torches of blazing pine
And strike the god whom the gods detest.
2 FATE / Page 2.5 Oedipus Tyrannus
(Enter Oedipus through the great doors.)
OEDIPUS:
You plead for help. Let me provide the answer:
If you listen to me and do as the disease demands,
You will rise again and find relief from this curse.
I tell you these things as a stranger,
A stranger to all that happened here,
17. But I cannot go far on this trail alone
Unless I have some sort of sign.
Therefore, as I have since become a citizen,
I will make this decree to all of Thebes:
If any man knows who killed Laius, son of Labdacus,
I command him to disclose everything to me.
Do not fear that you will condemn yourself.
I offer amnesty and will drop all charges—
Only exile, and you will leave this land unharmed.
Should anyone know that the murderer is a foreigner,
Let him not keep silent any longer;
I will pay a rich reward and give my grateful thanks.
But if you should keep silent out of fear,
To protect yourself or shield a friend,
Then hear what I will do,
Should my ruling be ignored:
I forbid any inhabitant of the land
Where I hold the seat of power
18. To speak with or shelter this man,
To share the sacred or hold sacrifice,
Or to sprinkle the water of holy rites.
Banish him, shun him from your homes.
This is the man who has plagued us
With the curse the oracle revealed to me.
So I stand, side by side with the god,
Fighting for the rights of the murdered man.
I damn the killer, whoever he may be,
An unknown man, or one of many.
May he suffer and die, pain beyond pain.
I damn myself, if I should come to know
That he shares my hearth and home—
Then I call this curse to fall on me.
I command you, see this to its end,
For my sake, for the gods, and for your country,
Decaying into a godforsaken wasteland.
19. Even if Apollo had not sent his decree,
It was not right that the crime went unpurged.
Your king, the best of men, was cruelly killed,
But you sought no answers. Now I rule,
I have the authority that once was his,
I own his bed and make his wife mine.
My children, planted in the same mother as his,
Could have forged a bond of blood between us,
If fate had not fallen and he had not died childless.
His cause is mine, and I will fight for him,
As if he were my very own father,
And I will stop at nothing to find
The one who has this man’s blood on his hands,
For the sake of ancient Agenor, Cadmus, Polydorus,
And Labdacus, and for Laius, the last of his line.
Those who disobey me be damned by the gods:
Your barren land will know no harvest,
Nurture no children. This curse or something
20. Far, far worse will doom you to destruction.
Those faithful Thebans who accept my words
Can claim that Justice stands at their side.
May the good grace of the gods be with you forever.
CHORUS:
As you request, sir, I will speak on oath:
I did not kill him, and I cannot name
The man who did. Apollo set us to this search;
Apollo should reveal the man who did this.
OEDIPUS:
You are right, but there is not a man alive
Who can force the will of the gods.
CHORUS:
May I tell you what I think is second best?
OEDIPUS:
Tell me, and the third best; I’ll hear it all.
CHORUS:
There is one I know who has the gift of sight,
21. Clear as Apollo—Tiresias. Inquire of him,
If you wish to learn precisely what took place.
OEDIPUS:
I have seen to that already. On Creon’s advice
I sent a herald to fetch him. Twice now. Where is he?
I can’t believe he has not yet arrived.
CHORUS:
Without him, all we have are meaningless old rumors . . .
OEDIPUS:
Rumors? I must look everywhere; tell me every word.
CHORUS:
He was killed, they say, by travelers on the road.
OEDIPUS:
I know, but nobody saw anything.
CHORUS:
Even so, this curse of yours will make him flee,
If he can still feel any shred of fear.
22. OEDIPUS:
A man who acts without fear will not flee from words.
(Enter Tiresias, the blind prophet, led by a boy from the stage
left wing.)
CHORUS:
Here is the one who will put him to the test,
The godlike prophet they are leading in,
The only man who was born to know the truth.
OEDIPUS:
Tiresias, great visionary, mystic teacher,
Medium to other worlds, above and below,
Though you are blind, I know you sense
The sickness that has infected the city.
You can deliver us, you can keep us safe.
We questioned Apollo—did the heralds
Tell you?—the god has sent his answer;
We must discover who murdered Laius
And sentence them to banishment or death.
23. Only then will this sickness be purged.
Please help us now, interpret the signs,
Use every part of your prophet’s craft.
Save yourself, your city, save me,
Save everything that this death has defiled.
We are all in your care, and the finest
To give is to use your powers for greater good.
TIRESIAS:
Oh, oh. It is a hateful thing to know, when nothing
Can be gained from knowledge. I saw it clearly
But forced it from my thoughts! How else could I be here?
OEDIPUS:
What is it? Why this despair?
TIRESIAS:
Please let me go home. It’s for the best.
You bear your load; let me bear mine.
OEDIPUS:
24. But this hostility is unlawful! This city raised you.
You cannot cheat us of this prophecy!
TIRESIAS:
I see your words, dangerous words.
In such precarious times it’s best that I say nothing.
OEDIPUS:
By all the gods! Don’t turn your back on us.
We’re all on our knees, begging you.
TIRESIAS:
You all know nothing and I will never speak of it!
You’ll not hear of these horrors from me.
OEDIPUS:
What? So you do know but refuse to speak?
Traitor! You condemn your city to destruction.
TIRESIAS:
I’ll not cause this pain, not yours, not mine.
Stop your investigation. I’ve nothing more to say.
OEDIPUS:
25. Nothing? Damn you! You could make the coldest stone
Burn with rage. Is there anything that moves you?
Will you never speak? You could end this now!
TIRESIAS:
You condemn my temper yet fail to see
Where your own dwells. Instead, you blame me.
OEDIPUS:
Could anyone not be angry after hearing
How you hold our city in such contempt?
TIRESIAS:
I’ve kept my secret, but what will be will be.
OEDIPUS:
What will be? If you know what’s coming, you must tell me.
TIRESIAS:
I have nothing more to say. Go on, rage against me
If you want, vent your savagery, do what you will.
OEDIPUS:
26. If it’s anger you want, then I’ll spare you none
And speak what’s on my mind. I see it now:
You had a hand in this, you were part of the plot.
It was you, and if you’d had eyes in your head,
You would have murdered the man yourself!
TIRESIAS:
What? Then hear me speak. Obey the edict
That you yourself proclaimed: No one here
Shall ever speak with you again.
You are this land’s defiler, you are the curse!
OEDIPUS:
Insolence! How dare you stir up such a story?
Do you think you’ll escape the consequences?
TIRESIAS:
Yes, I do. Truth protects me.
OEDIPUS:
This is not prophecy! Who put you up to this?
TIRESIAS:
27. You did; you forced me to tell you.
OEDIPUS:
Tell me what? Say it again so there will be no
misunderstanding.
TIRESIAS:
How could you not understand? Do you dare me to speak of
this?
OEDIPUS:
Again! Let there be no doubt.
TIRESIAS:
I say that the murderer you seek is you.
OEDIPUS:
You’ll be sorry you said that vile thing twice.
TIRESIAS:
Rage on and I’ll tell you even more!
OEDIPUS:
Say what you will; your lies mean nothing.
TIRESIAS:
28. I say you can’t comprehend it, living in abomination,
Intimate with nearest and dearest, failing to see the evil.
OEDIPUS:
Do you believe you can say these things with impunity?
TIRESIAS:
I do, if there is power in truth.
OEDIPUS:
Indeed there is, but not for you; you have no power—
Your ears and your mind are as blind as your eyes.
TIRESIAS:
You poor fool, the same abuse you hurl at me
They’ll soon enough be hurling back at you.
OEDIPUS:
Never-ending night shrouds you in darkness.
You’re harmless to those of us who see the light.
TIRESIAS:
It is not I who will bring down your doom.
Apollo will be sufficient, and he has it all in hand.
29. OEDIPUS:
Did you plot all of this, or could it be Creon?
TIRESIAS:
Creon doesn’t plague you, you plague yourself!
OEDIPUS:
Prosperity, power, skill surpassing skill—
These should be admired, not envied.
What jealous craving eats away at you people?
Is it because of my tyranny? I never asked for it;
It was handed to me by the city.
For this, my dear old friend, loyal Creon,
Longs to cast me out, stalking in secret,
Ambushing me with this conniving trickster.
You cheating old beggar! All you can see
Is personal profit. To the future you’re blind!
Tell me, when have your prophecies been proved?
When the Sphinx sounded her deadly song
30. Did you speak to save our people then?
The riddle could not be solved by just any man.
It needed the skills of a seer, but where were you?
You saw no omens, you made no revelations,
There was no divine inspiration, you knew nothing.
Then I came, ignorant Oedipus. I silenced her
By using my mind, not signs from the sky!
Did you really think you could just cast me out
And align yourself with the throne of Creon?
Conspirators! You will pay dearly for trying
To put the blame on me. If you weren’t so old
I would have taught you your lesson already.
CHORUS:
Our judgment is that this man spoke
In anger, and so did you, Oedipus.
But we have no need of angry words, only this:
Explain the oracle, the word of the god.
TIRESIAS:
31. Yes, you hold the power, but I am still your equal
In at least having the right to reply.
I am not one of your minions; I answer to Apollo.
Nor do I stand with Creon; he is not my patron.
You ridicule me and call me blind,
But your eyes cannot see your own corruption
Or where you live and just who you live with.
Do you even know your parents? You, an oblivious
Enemy to all your kith and kin, both living and dead.
The double-edged curse of your mother and father,
Treading the terror, will hound you out of this land,
And then your keen eyes will see only darkness.
What place will not harbor your cries
Echoing from the slopes of Mount Cithaeron
When you come to understand the marriage you made?
You thought that fortune had sailed you to a safe haven,
But you cannot perceive the deluge of disasters
32. That will be the measure of you and your children.
So sling your mud at Creon and soil
My words with your foul insults—
No man will ever suffer as much as you.
OEDIPUS:
Must I tolerate this, from him?
Damn you! Scurry back where you came from,
Get away from my house! Get away!
TIRESIAS:
I would not have come if you had not summoned me.
OEDIPUS:
And I never would have sent for you
If I had known you were a babbling fool!
TIRESIAS:
I am what I am; a fool, if that is what you think,
But those that bore you thought me wise enough.
OEDIPUS:
Wait! What did you say? Who gave birth to me?
33. TIRESIAS:
This day bears your birth and brings your devastation.
OEDIPUS:
Is everything you say shrouded in dark riddles?
TIRESIAS:
Are you not the greatest solver of riddles?
OEDIPUS:
Insult me there and you’ll discover just how great I am.
TIRESIAS:
Yet your blessing proves to be your curse.
OEDIPUS:
I couldn’t care less what you say; I saved this city.
TIRESIAS:
Then I will leave you to it. Come, boy, lead me away.
OEDIPUS:
Then take him away! He’ll just impede us here.
He’ll cause me no more trouble once he’s gone.
34. TIRESIAS:
I’ll go, when I’ve said why I came. I’m not frightened
By your angry glare; you could never hurt me.
I tell you, the murderer of Laius, the object
Of your self-proclaimed manhunt,
The one you’ve sought for so long—he is here.
He seems at first to be a newcomer from abroad,
Yet soon he’ll be seen as a born Theban. But no joy
For him in that. Hopeless, a blind man who once could see,
A beggar who before was rich, led by a stick,
Picking his way across lands unknown.
All will be seen; both brother and father
To the children he holds so dear, husband
And son to the woman who bore him. He bred
In his father’s bed and his father’s blood he shed!
Now go in and think on that; when you prove me false,
Then you can say that the seer has no sight!
(Exit Tiresias and the boy through the stage left wing. Exit
Oedipus through the great
35. doors.)
2 FATE / Page 2.6 Oedipus Tyrannus
Second Chorus (First Stasimon)
CHORUS:
[Strophe a]
Who is the man? The holy oracle
From Delphi sings from the rock
Unspeakable, unspeakable crimes:
Who is it stained his hands in blood?
Now, even horses of the wind
Are too slow for his escape.
The son of Zeus leaps after him
With blazing thunderbolts,
And the horrible death-goddesses
Cannot be shaken off his trail.
[Antistrophe a]
36. The shining word flashes from Parnassus:
“Dog his tracks, everyone,
Whoever he may be.”
Through wild forests, in caves,
On rocky crags, the fugitive roams,
Alone, like a bull in pain,
His foot in pain,
Putting behind him the prophecies
From center earth; but they rise up,
Always, they live and flutter around him.
[Strophe b]
And now I’m amazed! Worried. Frightened.
That clever soothsayer—
I can’t believe him, I can’t deny him,
I don’t know what to say.
I’m floating on hope,
Blind here and now, blind to the future.
Was there a feud between the families
37. Of Laius and Polybus?
No evidence.
I never heard of a feud,
Now or before.
So how can I take sides?
How can I join the cause of Laius
Against Oedipus, with all his popularity?
This murder is not yet solved.
[Antistrophe b]
Zeus and Apollo are wise;
They know what mortals do.
But a human prophet?
There’s no true way to tell that he knows more than I.
Tiresias is clever.
Well, clever men compete; they put each other down.
No. I will not add my voice to the accuser’s
Until I see the charge made good.
38. We saw him plainly—Oedipus—
When the winged Sphinx attacked.
And we saw that he was clever.
That was proof. The city loved him.
I can’t convict him in my mind,
Not yet, not of any crime.
(Enter Creon from the stage right wing.)
CREON:
Fellow citizens, this is terrible, what I hear.
This accusation against me, by our ruler Oedipus,
It’s outrageous. Amid all this trouble,
If he now thinks I have done him any harm,
In word or deed, any harm whatever,
I’d rather die, not live another moment
Than carry such a reputation. The damages
Are enormous from a charge like that:
I’d be called a traitor to my city,
A traitor to you and even to my family.
39. CHORUS:
But it was driven by anger, not thought.
I don’t think he meant to blame you.
CREON:
But did the word come out in the full light of day:
That I planted lies for the prophet to tell?
CHORUS:
Yes, but I know he didn’t mean it.
CREON:
Did his eyes shift when he accused me?
Was he in his right mind?
CHORUS:
I don’t know. I never see what rulers do.
He’s on his way from the palace now.
(Enter Oedipus through the great doors.)
OEDIPUS:
You? You dare to come here, to my house?
40. What bare-faced audacity!
Here’s the murderer in plain sight.
Clearly, he meant to steal my power
Gods! What was it that you saw in me—
Weakness, stupidity? Did you really think
That I’d never see through your scheme
And take steps against your creeping conspiracy?
What a fool, to think you could even try
To pursue power with no allies, no following.
Without men and means, there can be no conquest.
CREON:
Do you know what you should do? You had your say;
Now it is your turn to listen to me. Learn first, then judge.
OEDIPUS:
There’s nothing more to learn from your malicious words.
I know that you are my most deadly enemy.
CREON:
The very point on which I wish to speak . . .
41. OEDIPUS:
The very point is that you are plainly guilty.
CREON:
Do you really take pride in being so stubborn
And thoughtless? You’ve lost your mind!
OEDIPUS:
And you’re out of your mind! Do you really think
You can harm your own family with impunity?
CREON:
In principle I agree, but no one
Has done you wrong. You must have proof.
OEDIPUS:
Did you, or did you not, persuade me
To send for that self-righteous soothsayer?
CREON:
I did. And I’d still give the same advice.
OEDIPUS:
42. How long has it been since Laius . . .
CREON:
Since he what? I’ve no idea.
OEDIPUS:
Since he vanished, violently.
CREON:
You’d have to go back a long, long time.
OEDIPUS:
And this old prophet, was he in business back then?
CREON:
Yes, as expert then as now and highly revered.
OEDIPUS:
And at that time did he ever mention me?
CREON:
No. Not that I know of.
OEDIPUS:
Was there no murder investigation?
CREON:
43. We tried. We never heard . . .
OEDIPUS:
And what of your expert? Why did he not speak then?
CREON:
I don’t know—and so I have the sense to keep quiet.
OEDIPUS:
You know; and if you had any sense, you’d tell.
CREON:
What do you mean? If I knew something I wouldn’t deny it.
OEDIPUS:
Without your support, he never would have dared
To name me as the killer of Laius.
CREON:
Is that what he said? Then you’re the one who knows,
And I have just as much right to question you.
OEDIPUS:
Ask your questions. I’ll never be found a murderer.
44. CREON:
So you say. You are married to my sister, aren’t you?
OEDIPUS:
There’s no denying that.
CREON:
And you have equal power with her, as ruler of this land?
OEDIPUS:
Whatever she desires, I provide.
CREON:
And is it not true that I am equal to you both, that we three are
equal?
OEDIPUS:
Exactly! The evil in our family is revealed.
CREON:
No! Look at yourself from my point of view,
And ask this question first: Do you think anyone
Would choose to rule in constant fear
When he could sleep without trembling,
45. And have exactly the same power? Not me.
Why should I want to be Tyrannus?
I’d be insane! I already do as I please.
I have everything from you, and nothing to fear.
As ruler, I’d have to do things against my will,
But the power I have now is exactly to my taste.
Why would I find tyranny more attractive?
I’m not a fool, I’m not enthralled,
I do not hunger for more than what is fair—
And profitable. As it is, I’m friends
With everyone! People fawn on me
Whenever they want anything from you,
Because I am their best hope of success.
So how could I give that up and be a traitor?
Look, I hate the very idea of such a plot,
And I’d never dare join people actually doing it.
Test me. Go to the oracle at Delphi
46. And ask if my report was accurate.
And then, if you prove I conspired
With that seer, take my life.
I’ll add my vote to yours for death.
But don’t you presume me guilty without proof.
“It’s not right to think good men are bad,
Or bad men good, if your reasons are worthless.”
“When you reject a noble friend, you cast
Your very life away, and all you hold so dear.”
In time, you will be certain of my innocence.
“It takes time to prove the goodness of a man,
But you’ll see evil come to light in one bad day.”
CHORUS:
A good speech, my lord. Anyone who treads carefully will
agree:
Decisions made too quickly are dangerous.
OEDIPUS:
When a conspirator moves quickly against me,
Then I must be quick to conspire back at him.
47. If I hesitate I will lose the initiative,
While he will seize the moment and strike.
CREON:
What do you want? To throw me out of Thebes?
OEDIPUS:
No, not exile. I demand your death.
CREON:
When have I done anything to deserve that penalty?
OEDIPUS:
When you showed how much you resented me.
CREON:
Why won’t you believe what I tell you?
OEDIPUS:
How can I believe a man like you?
CREON:
I see it now. You’ve lost your mind.
OEDIPUS:
48. My mind is clear.
CREON:
Then it should think like mine.
OEDIPUS:
Like yours? You’re contemptible!
CREON:
And you could be wrong.
OEDIPUS:
Nevertheless, I must rule.
CREON:
Not if it means ruling badly.
OEDIPUS:
Oh, my city, my city . . .
CREON:
I belong in this city, it’s not only yours!
CHORUS:
Stop! Please, gentlemen, Jocasta
Is on her way from the house. This is timely;
49. She will surely make you settle your dispute.
(Enter Jocasta through the great doors.)
JOCASTA:
What are you thinking? Why this outburst of fighting words?
You should be ashamed, forcing your personal quarrels on us
When the whole country is suffering from such sickness.
Why don’t you go inside, and Creon, please go home.
There’s no reason to cause this mayhem.
CREON:
Sister, your husband, Oedipus, wants to throw me out
Of my own country or have me put to death.
He’s on the brink of making a horrible decision.
OEDIPUS:
Indeed I am. Jocasta, I caught him conniving,
Hatching malignant plots against me.
CREON:
If I did anything that you accuse, then may the gods
50. Let me die in misery—I put this curse on myself!
JOCASTA:
You must accept his word, Oedipus. He has sworn
Before the gods. Oaths call for reverence.
So do I, and so do the people standing before you.
2 FATE / Page 2.7 Oedipus Tyrannus
[Strophe a]
CHORUS:
Take thought, sir. I pray you change your mind . . .
OEDIPUS:
And why should I yield?
CHORUS:
He has never been a man to speak lightly.
You must respect the power of this oath.
OEDIPUS:
Do you know what you are asking of me?
51. CHORUS:
I know.
OEDIPUS:
Then say what you mean!
CHORUS:
He’s a part of your family and under his own curse:
You should not disgrace him with a groundless charge.
OEDIPUS:
Then you should know that what you want
Will mean my exile or my death.
[Strophe b]
CHORUS:
No, by the brightest of the gods, Apollo.
If that was ever in my mind, then let me die the death,
Friendless, godforsaken, in agony.
But the wasting of this land eats away my heart,
Horror piled on horror,
First the plague and now this deadly quarrel.
52. OEDIPUS:
Then let him go, though it means death
Or dishonor, cast out of my country, forever.
I feel for you, not him; your voice has moved me.
Wherever he goes he’ll always have my hate.
CREON:
Look, you’re as hateful now as you were fierce before.
Your submission is as painful as your rage. It’s in your nature—
A kind of justice—that you hurt yourself the most.
OEDIPUS:
Go! Leave me. Go!
CREON:
I will go.
You don’t know the truth, but these men knew what was right.
(Exit Creon through the stage right wing.)
[Antistrophe a]
CHORUS:
53. Lady, you should help him home.
JOCASTA:
First, I want to know what happened.
CHORUS:
Only words—blind suspicion.
But that eats away at a man, even when it’s wrong.
JOCASTA:
Words on both sides?
CHORUS:
Yes.
JOCASTA:
What did they say?
CHORUS:
No more, please, no more. This land is full
Of agony already. They spoke; now, let it be.
OEDIPUS:
Can you see what you have done, trying
To blunt my edge with your good intentions?
54. [Antistrophe b]
CHORUS:
Sir, I have said it many, many times: You can be sure
I’d have to lose every shred of my good sense
Before I’d turn away from you.
You were the one, when our land was tossed
In storms of trouble, who brought us a fair breeze,
Put us in order. Now, I pray again,
Be our good steersman—make us safe!
JOCASTA:
By the gods, sir, what is the cause?
Why are you so angry? Please explain.
OEDIPUS:
I will, not for them, but from respect for you, my wife.
It is Creon; he conspires against me.
JOCASTA:
Tell me exactly how this fighting started.
55. OEDIPUS:
He says I am guilty of murdering Laius.
JOCASTA:
Was he a witness? Or is he acting on hearsay?
OEDIPUS:
He sent his malevolent soothsayer;
He would never say such things himself.
JOCASTA:
A soothsayer? Then you should dismiss all charges.
Listen. I’ll tell you why you can’t rely
On any merely human soothsayers.
Here, in brief, is my evidence:
An oracle came to Laius once—I won’t say
“From Apollo”; it came from priests—
That “Laius would die at the hands of a son
That would be born to him and me.”
But Laius was killed by strangers
At a place where three roads meet. That’s the story.
56. And our son? He did not last three days.
Laius yoked his feet and had him thrown away—
By other people—into a wilderness of mountains.
So Apollo did not make the tale come true:
The boy never came to murder his father;
The father had nothing to fear from his son.
That’s the way a soothsayer charts the truth!
Don’t trust them. The god knows what’s needed:
The god himself will speak when he sees fit.
OEDIPUS:
What you’re telling me shakes my soul,
Sends my mind reeling one way then another.
JOCASTA:
What’s the matter? You’re startled. Tell me.
OEDIPUS:
I thought I heard you say that Laius
Was murdered where three roads meet.
57. JOCASTA:
So they say. The tale’s still told.
OEDIPUS:
Where exactly did this happen?
JOCASTA:
A place called Phocis, where the road divides,
One road from Delphi, one from Daulis.
OEDIPUS:
When was this?
JOCASTA:
The news came shortly before you arrived
And became the master of our land.
OEDIPUS:
Zeus! What are you conspiring against me?
JOCASTA:
What is tormenting you, Oedipus? Please tell me.
OEDIPUS:
Wait! Not yet. Tell me what Laius
58. Looked like. How old was he?
JOCASTA:
He was dark, about your size,
Hair just starting to go gray.
OEDIPUS:
O gods, no! I think I’ve cursed myself,
Called down calamity. I never knew . . .
JOCASTA:
What do you mean? It scares me to look at you.
OEDIPUS:
A terrifying thought. What if the blind prophet can see?
It will all be exposed if you can tell me just one more thing.
JOCASTA:
I’ll try. But you frighten me.
OEDIPUS:
Was he traveling with a small entourage
Or in force at the head of a large column?
59. JOCASTA:
He had five men, including his herald;
There was one carriage, and Laius rode in that.
OEDIPUS:
Oh, now I start to see!
Jocasta, who told you about this?
JOCASTA:
A slave. The only survivor.
OEDIPUS:
Is he still here, among our household?
JOCASTA:
No. He came and saw that you
Now held the power Laius had
Before he died. He touched my hand,
Begging me to send him far away,
To be a shepherd in fields from which
He could not see this city. I did as he asked.
He was a slave, but I owed him more than this.
60. OEDIPUS:
Could he be brought back as soon as possible?
JOCASTA:
He could. But why ask for this?
OEDIPUS:
Jocasta, I fear I’ve already said too much.
I have to see this man for myself.
JOCASTA:
Very well. But I deserve to know
This burden that you find so hard to bear.
OEDIPUS:
I will not keep it from you, not when hope seems
So very far away. To talk to you at a time
Like this means more to me than anything.
My father was Polybus of Corinth and my mother,
Merope, a Dorian. I was held in the highest esteem,
A prominent man. Then something strange happened,
61. Something that shocked me. It wasn’t much,
And I should not have worried, but my thoughts raced:
A drunken dinner guest filled with wine
Blurted out that I was not my father’s son.
It was all I could do that day to control my rage.
But on the next day, I went to my mother and father
Seeking some explanation, and they were furious
That anyone would speak such spurious slander.
I was consoled, but a rumor creeps in stealth,
And soon enough it started to grate on my mind.
I left in secret; my mother and father never knew
I went to Delphi. But there, Apollo shunned me,
Denied my questions and sent me away,
But not before he revealed what was to come.
Such tormenting horrors! He said I would
Mate with my mother and reveal a race
Too vile to stand in the sight of man.
He said I would kill my father.
62. I heard Apollo’s word, and I ran,
Tried to flee a universe from Corinth,
To reach some place that would never see
The fulfillment of that revolting prophecy.
On and on until I reached the region
Where you say your ruler met his death.
You, dear wife, you shall know the truth:
I traveled to a place where three roads meet
And saw a herald coming toward me
Followed by a horse-drawn carriage,
And seated inside, a man, just as you said.
We met, then the herald and the old man
Ordered me out of their way, forcing ahead.
Run off the road, I furiously struck the driver,
The old man saw this and as his carriage passed
He cracked his two-pronged goad down on my head
And I swiftly smashed my walking stick square
63. Across his shoulders; he spun headlong out of his carriage,
And I killed every last one of them, there and then.
But if this stranger bled the blood of Laius,
Who could be as contemptible as I?
What man could be more heaven-hated?
Neither foreigner nor citizen could shelter me;
I would be shunned in silence,
A pariah, hounded from humanity.
Condemned by a curse called down
By no one else but me.
If these hands that touched her killed him,
I have defiled a dead man’s bed. Am I so foul?
So hopelessly unholy? Then I’ll be banished,
An outcast, never to see my family,
Never to set foot in the land I called my home.
Or I’ll be yoked in marriage to my mother
And forced to murder my own father,
Dear Polybus, who brought me into the world.
64. Some malicious spirit bears down on me—
What man in his right mind could say otherwise?
No, no, never, great gods above,
Never let me see that terrible day,
Wrench me from the human race, obliterate me!
But never let me see myself so disgraced.
CHORUS:
That would be horror for us all. But keep hope alive
Until you’ve heard from the man who was there.
OEDIPUS:
I will await the herdsman;
He is now my only hope.
JOCASTA:
And when he arrives, what then?
OEDIPUS:
Let me tell you; if what he says agrees
With your story, then I will escape this crisis.
65. JOCASTA:
What did you hear me say?
OEDIPUS:
You said he explained how Laius was killed
By several thieves. If he still says thieves,
Then I could not have killed him.
How can one be the same as many?
But if he should speak of just one lone man,
Then the guilt will clearly fall on me.
JOCASTA:
Don’t worry, I told you exactly what he said.
It’s too well known for him to take it back.
The whole city heard it, not just me.
But even if he tries to change his tale,
He cannot make the oracle prove true.
Laius’ death was not the one that was foretold:
He did not die by his son’s hand,
That wretched child never killed him;
66. He was dead himself, long before the murder.
So much for soothsayers. After that they’ll never
Have me looking for answers, here, there, and everywhere.
OEDIPUS:
You are right, of course, but I still want
That herdsman here. Send for him now.
JOCASTA:
I’ll send for him the quickest way.
Let’s go inside. I want what’s best for you.
(Exit Oedipus and Jocasta through the great doors.)
Third Chorus (Second Stasimon)
CHORUS:
[Strophe a]
Be with me always, Destiny,
And may I ever sustain holy
Reverence in word and deed,
According to the Laws on high,
67. Brought to birth in brightest sky
By Heaven, their only father.
These Laws were not made by men;
Men are born to die.
But the Law shall never sleep forgotten;
Great among gods, it never ages.
[Antistrophe a]
Hubris grows from tyranny,
Hubris overflowing, a monstrous waste,
Loss without measure:
It climbs high,
It rushes to a precipice jutting out—
The end, no foothold saves it now.
And so I pray the god will not dissolve
What is good for the city, our wrestling for power.
May god protect us always.
[Strophe b]
If a man moves in lofty pride
68. His hands or tongue
Fearless of injustice—
No reverence for holy places—
I pray he meet an evil fate
To pay for his miserable excesses.
If he piles wealth on wealth, without justice,
If he does not shrink from fighting reverence
And puts his hand to what may not be touched,
Then may his efforts be wasted,
And may there be no shield
To save his mind from blows.
But if gods give honor to a life like his,
Why should I dance in prayer and praise?
[Antistrophe b]
No longer will I go in reverence
To the sacred navel of the world—
Not to Delphi, not to Abai,
Or the temple at Olympia,
69. If the oracles do not come true
For all humanity to see.
Ruler of all, O Zeus our lord,
If that be your name, do not let this escape
Your notice or your undying power:
Apollo’s word to Laius long ago
Is fading, it is already lost.
Now Apollo’s fame and honor die away,
And everything divine departs.
2 FATE / Page 2.8 Oedipus Tyrannus
(Enter Jocasta and an attendant through the great doors. She is
holding wreaths and a
small container of incense.)
JOCASTA:
I thought that I should go to the temple, sirs,
70. And bring these gifts to the gods—
Incense and ritual wreaths.
Oedipus is chafing his mind too much,
One agony after another. It makes no sense:
He weighs this strange news
Against old prophecies and lets anyone who speaks
Frighten him. Nothing I say can raise his hopes.
(Jocasta makes her offerings at the altar.)
Apollo, nearest god, to you I pray:
I have come with offerings,
I entreat you for relief, light out of darkness.
The captain of our ship has lost his wits,
And we are all so very afraid.
(Enter an elderly Corinthian from the stage left wing.)
CORINTHIAN:
I am a stranger here. Please, tell me,
Where is the house of Oedipus Tyrannus.
Or better yet, where is the man himself?
71. CHORUS:
This is his house, and he’s at home.
But here is his wife and mother of his children.
CORINTHIAN:
Blessings on her and her family:
She is a perfect wife for him.
JOCASTA:
The same to you, sir, thanks for your kind greeting.
Tell me, now, what brings you here?
CORINTHIAN:
Good news for your house, lady, and for your husband.
JOCASTA:
What is it? Who sent you?
CORINTHIAN:
I came from Corinth. My news . . .
Well, it might please you, or it might make you sad.
JOCASTA:
72. What is it? Why such ambivalence?
CORINTHIAN:
I hear that the people of Corinth
Will make him ruler of their land.
JOCASTA:
What! Is old Polybus no longer in power?
CORINTHIAN:
No. He’s dead and buried.
JOCASTA:
What are you saying? Polybus is dead?
CORINTHIAN:
On my life, it’s true.
JOCASTA: (To her attendant.)
You, go at once and tell this to your master.
These oracles from the gods—
Where are they now? Oedipus was so afraid
Of killing Polybus that he ran from home.
And now look: He was killed by chance, not Oedipus.
73. (Enter Oedipus through the great doors.
OEDIPUS:
Jocasta, dear wife,
Why call me from our house?
JOCASTA:
Listen to this man. He’ll make you doubt
The truth of “holy oracles from the gods.”
OEDIPUS:
Well, who is he? What is he saying?
JOCASTA:
He’s from Corinth. He has news
That your father, Polybus, is dead.
OEDIPUS:
What’s your message? Speak for yourself.
CORINTHIAN:
If I must tell him that first,
Yes, he is dead and gone. It is true.
74. OEDIPUS:
Was there foul play, or did he die of natural causes?
CORINTHIAN:
A small push lays an old man down to sleep.
OEDIPUS:
So sickness sapped the poor man’s life.
CORINTHIAN:
Yes. That and old age.
OEDIPUS:
Why? Why, dear wife, should we observe the oracle
At Delphi, or strain to see signs from birds screeching
In the sky? They led me to believe that I would kill
My father, yet he’s dead and buried deep in the earth.
And here am I, who never raised a hand against him,
Unless my absence made him die brokenhearted.
Then, I suppose, I could be called his killer,
But not the kind contained within these worthless oracles.
Polybus has taken those with him to Hades.
75. JOCASTA:
Exactly what I said in the beginning.
OEDIPUS:
You did, but fear misguided me.
JOCASTA:
And now you mustn’t worry about these things any more.
OEDIPUS:
But I should still shun my mother . . . her bed.
JOCASTA:
Why be afraid? Chance governs human life,
And we can never know what is to come.
Live day by day, as best you can.
You must not fear this marriage to your mother:
Many a man has slept with his own mother
In a dream. But these things mean nothing
If you bear life’s burdens easily.
OEDIPUS:
76. This would all be well and good
If my mother were dead, but she’s still alive
And I still fear her, whatever you say.
JOCASTA:
But this is spectacular—your father’s dead!
OEDIPUS:
A great comfort, but it’s the living that scare me.
CORINTHIAN:
Who is the woman you are worried about?
OEDIPUS:
The wife of Polybus, old man, Merope.
CORINTHIAN:
But why are you so afraid of her?
OEDIPUS:
A terrifying prediction, stranger, given by a god.
CORINTHIAN:
May I hear? Is it permitted for you to speak of it?
OEDIPUS:
77. It is. My fate was revealed by Apollo.
He said I would lie with my own mother
And stain my hands with my father’s blood.
From then on I shunned Corinth, kept well away,
And all seemed well, except I always knew
I would never again see my parents’ kind faces.
CORINTHIAN:
And this was the fear that made you leave your home?
OEDIPUS:
So I could not kill my father.
CORINTHIAN:
Why don’t I relieve you of this fear?
I came to do you good, after all.
OEDIPUS:
For that I’d pay you dearly.
CORINTHIAN:
And that’s the very reason I came—
78. I’ll receive my reward when you come home.
OEDIPUS:
No! I will not be near my parents.
CORINTHIAN:
My boy, it’s quite clear you don’t know what you’re doing.
OEDIPUS:
By all the gods! Explain yourself, old man.
CORINTHIAN:
If they are the reason you shun a homecoming . . .
OEDIPUS:
I’m afraid I’ll see Apollo’s word come true.
CORINTHIAN:
So you wouldn’t have the guilt of a crime against parents?
OEDIPUS:
You are right, old man, it is my ever-present fear.
CORINTHIAN:
And you never knew! Really, you had no cause for fear.
OEDIPUS:
79. Why? They are my parents; I am their son.
CORINTHIAN:
Because Polybus is no relation of yours.
OEDIPUS:
What are you talking about? I was born to Polybus.
CORINTHIAN:
The man was no more to you than I am.
OEDIPUS:
How could you equal my father? You are nothing to me.
CORINTHIAN:
He did not father you, and neither did I.
OEDIPUS:
Then why did he call me his son?
CORINTHIAN:
You were a gift, you see, taken from my own hands.
OEDIPUS:
From another’s hands? But he loved me like a son.
80. CORINTHIAN:
He was overcome by the need to have a child.
OEDIPUS:
So you gave me away. Was I bought? Did you find me
somewhere?
CORINTHIAN:
I found you in a tangled ravine on Mount Cithaeron.
OEDIPUS:
Why were you traveling in that region?
CORINTHIAN:
At that time I was grazing sheep in the mountains.
OEDIPUS:
So you were a wandering shepherd, a hired hand?
CORINTHIAN:
Yes, child, and there and then your rescuer.
OEDIPUS:
And when you first held me, was I hurt?
CORINTHIAN:
Your own feet can testify to that!
81. OEDIPUS:
An old affliction; why speak of it now?
CORINTHIAN:
Because I set you free from a spike that pierced your feet.
OEDIPUS:
A hideous blemish I’ve carried from the cradle.
CORINTHIAN:
That’s how you came to have your name.
OEDIPUS:
Gods! Who did this—my mother? My father?
CORINTHIAN:
I don’t know. The man who gave you to me, he’d understand.
OEDIPUS:
You took me from someone else? You didn’t find me?
CORINTHIAN:
No, another shepherd gave you to me.
OEDIPUS:
82. Who was it? Do you know? Can you tell me?
CORINTHIAN:
I think I heard he belonged to Laius.
OEDIPUS:
The Tyrannus who used to rule this country?
CORINTHIAN:
Of course. The man was his herdsman.
OEDIPUS:
Does he still live? Can I see him?
CORINTHIAN: (To the chorus.)
You men who live here, you’d know best.
OEDIPUS:
Do any of you gathered here know
Who this herdsman could be?
Is he somewhere out in the country? Is he here?
Make it known! Everything must be exposed.
CHORUS:
83. I think he’s the same man,
The shepherd you wanted to see just now.
Jocasta would have the best answer.
OEDIPUS:
My wife? (To Jocasta.) Could the man he means
Be the one we summoned? Do you know?
JOCASTA:
Why ask who it was? Don’t listen to this man.
Put his worthless words right out of mind.
OEDIPUS:
I cannot, not while I hold the evidence
That will reveal the truth of my birth.
JOCASTA:
No! By all the gods, if you care for your life,
Stop these questions. Have I not suffered enough?
OEDIPUS:
Be brave. Even if I find my mother was a slave,
Descended from slaves, you would still be noble.
84. JOCASTA:
Even so, be persuaded, I entreat you. Stop.
OEDIPUS:
You’ll never persuade me to give up the truth.
JOCASTA:
But this is for your own good. It is what’s best . . .
OEDIPUS:
Then long ago your “best” married me to woe.
JOCASTA:
Your fate is dismal. I pray you never know the man you are.
OEDIPUS:
Now, somebody bring this herdsman here.
Let her bask in the glory of her eminent line.
JOCASTA:
Your fate is hideous. That is all
That I can say to you, all I can say forever.
(Exit Jocasta through the great doors.)
85. 2 FATE / Page 2.9 Oedipus Tyrannus
CHORUS:
What is it, Oedipus? What savage grief
Has hurled your wife away?
Her silence frightens me; evil will break from it.
OEDIPUS:
Then it will break! I have to know
Who I am, however low my birth.
That woman, with her feminine conceit,
Is ashamed of my humble origins,
But I see myself as a child of good-giving
Fortune, and I will not be demeaned.
She is my mother, the seasons my kin,
And I rise and fall like the phases of the moon.
That is my nature, and I will never play the part
Of someone else, nor fail to learn what I was born to be.
86. Fourth Chorus (Third Stasimon)
CHORUS:
[Strophe]
Tomorrow, if my skill is good
At soothsaying, Heaven be my witness,
You, O Mount Cithaeron, will know glory
Shining in the full moon’s light,
For you have been nurse and mother to Oedipus.
We dedicate our dance to you,
For you it was
Brought joy to our masters.
Apollo, hear our prayers.
[Antistrophe]
Who gave you birth, my child?
Was she one of the Nymphs who dallies with Pan
In the mountains?
Or was she bedmate to Apollo,
Lover of high meadows?
87. Or Hermes of Cyllene?
Or Dionysus, mountain-dweller—
Were you his lucky find?
For he loves to toy with Nymphs,
And his delight is in their darting eyes.
(Enter the elderly Herdsman accompanied by Oedipus’ men
from the stage right
wing.)
OEDIPUS:
Elders, though I never knew him,
I believe that this could be the herdsman
We’ve so long sought to see.
He’s just as old as this Corinthian,
And those are my men bringing him in.
Have you ever seen this shepherd?
For you may know far more than I.
CHORUS:
88. Yes, of course I know the man. Laius
Was his master. No shepherd could be more loyal.
OEDIPUS:
First of all, tell me, Corinthian, is this the man?
CORINTHIAN:
Yes, he is the man you see.
OEDIPUS: (Addressing the Herdsman.)
You there! Old man, come here and look at me.
Answer me this: Did you once belong to Laius?
HERDSMAN:
Aye, but not a boughten slave; I grew up in this house.
OEDIPUS:
What was your job, your livelihood?
HERDSMAN:
Tending flocks, most of my life.
OEDIPUS:
Where did you usually work?
HERDSMAN:
89. Mount Cithaeron—that general area.
OEDIPUS:
Was this man ever there—did you know him?
HERDSMAN:
What has he done? Which man do you mean?
OEDIPUS:
This man. Have you met him before?
HERDSMAN:
Couldn’t say, offhand. Can’t call him to mind.
CORINTHIAN:
That’s not surprising, sir. But I am sure,
Though he’s forgotten, I can bring his memory back.
I knew him well in those days on Mount Cithaeron,
When he had two flocks and I had one.
We were neighbors for three full seasons,
Six months each, from spring to fall.
Come winter, I’d drive my herds home,
90. And he’d take his to Laius’ barns.
(To the Herdsman.) Am I not right?
HERDSMAN:
It’s true, but so long past!
CORINTHIAN:
Then tell me this: Do you know a child
You gave to me to bring up as my own?
HERDSMAN:
What about it? Why look into this?
CORINTHIAN:
Because, my friend, this is the man who was that boy.
HERDSMAN:
Damn you! Can’t you keep your mouth shut?
OEDIPUS:
Don’t scold him, old man,
It is you that deserves the scorn.
HERDSMAN:
Master, when have I ever done wrong?
91. OEDIPUS:
When you refused to answer him about the child.
HERDSMAN:
He doesn’t know what he’s saying; he’s wasting our time.
OEDIPUS:
If you won’t speak willingly, you’ll speak through pain.
HERDSMAN:
No, by all the gods! I’m too old for torture!
OEDIPUS: (To his attendants.)
Lock his arms behind his back!
(Oedipus’ men take hold of the Herdsman’s arms and force him
to his knees.)
HERDSMAN:
Gods, no! What more do you need to know?
OEDIPUS:
Did you give him a child as he said?
HERDSMAN:
Yes. I should have died that day.
92. OEDIPUS:
It may come to that, unless you start telling the truth.
HERDSMAN:
I’m more likely to die if I do.
OEDIPUS:
I think he’s trying to play for time.
HERDSMAN:
Not me. I said, ages ago, that I gave the child to him.
OEDIPUS:
Where did you get it—your own home, or from someone else?
HERDSMAN:
It wasn’t mine. From someone else.
OEDIPUS:
Which citizen was it? Whose house?
HERDSMAN:
No, by all the gods, master. No more questions!
OEDIPUS:
93. If I have to ask you again, you’ll die.
HERDSMAN:
Laius. It was born in his house.
OEDIPUS:
A slave child, or one of his own?
HERDSMAN:
No! I’m on the edge of saying terrible things.
OEDIPUS:
And I of hearing them. But hear them I must!
HERDSMAN:
I heard the child was his—but she’s inside:
Your wife’s the one who’d answer best.
OEDIPUS:
She gave it to you?
HERDSMAN:
She did, sir.
OEDIPUS:
For what reason?
94. HERDSMAN:
So I would destroy it.
OEDIPUS:
Her own baby? So callous.
HERDSMAN:
She feared an oracle.
OEDIPUS:
That said what?
HERDSMAN:
That it would kill its parents.
OEDIPUS:
Then why did you give him to this old man?
HERDSMAN:
I took pity on him, sir. I meant to deliver him abroad,
To the place where this man came from, but his rescue
Was a disaster. If you are the same as the man
He speaks of, then truly you were born for a hideous fate.
95. OEDIPUS:
Oh! Oh! It all comes clear!
Light, let me look at you one last time.
I am exposed—born to forbidden parents, joined
In forbidden marriage, I brought forbidden death.
(Exit Oedipus, rushing through the great doors. Exit the
Herdsman stage right and the
Corinthian stage left.)
2 FATE / Page 2.10 Oedipus Tyrannus
Fifth Chorus (Fourth Stasimon)
CHORUS:
[Strophe a]
Oh, what a wretched breed
We mortals are:
Our lives add up to nothing.
Does anyone, anyone at all
96. Harvest more of happiness
Than a vacant image,
And from that image fall away?
You are my pattern,
Your fortune is mine,
You, Oedipus, your misery teaches me
To call no mortal blessed.
[Antistrophe a]
You aimed your arrow high, and struck happiness,
You self-made lord of joy.
Zeus knows, when you killed
The snag-clawed maiden, the riddling Sphinx—
Then between death and my land
There rose a fortress, and it was you.
For that, we call you king,
Our king of highest glory,
Lord of mighty Thebes.
[Strophe b]
97. Now is there a sadder story to be heard?
Madness so cruel? Pain so deep?
You have shared your home with catastrophe.
O, Oedipus,
One harbor served you as a child
And as a father sailing into marriage.
How, oh how, could the field your father plowed
Bear you so long in silence?
[Antistrophe b]
Time found you out, all seeing,
And brought you to the judgment you can’t bear:
This marriage is not a marriage,
This breed of children is the brood.
Oh, child of Laius,
I wish, I wish
I’d never seen you.
I mourn you above all others, crying out
98. Truly, you gave me breath,
And now through you I close my eyes in sleep.
(Enter a Messenger through the great doors.)
MESSENGER:
Most honored elders of this land,
The things you will hear! The things you will see!
The burden you will carry! It is grief.
That is, if you care for this family as kin.
No river is great enough, not the Danube,
Not the Phasis, to wash this house clean.
So deep is the stain of evil hidden here.
Soon it will come to light:
The worst pain is self-chosen, deliberate.
CHORUS:
Nothing could be heavier than what we know
Already. How can you add anything to that?
MESSENGER:
As brief a message as you could hear:
99. She is dead. The queen, Jocasta, is dead.
CHORUS:
Poor, poor woman. What happened?
MESSENGER:
She killed herself.
It’s horrible, but you weren’t there.
You won’t see the worst of it.
Listen, you’ll find out how much she suffered,
If I have any power to tell a tale.
Well, then. She was in a terrible state.
She went inside and ran straight to the bedroom,
To her marriage bed. She was tearing at her hair
With both hands, and she slammed the doors
As soon as she was inside, then called a dead man’s name—
"Laius! Do you remember making love, making the child
That later killed you, that left me to give birth
To the children of your child, children of the curse?"
100. And she was wailing at the bed where she had conceived,
A double misery: a husband from her husband,
And children from her child. Then she died.
I don’t know more, because Oedipus plunged in,
Shouting so loud we could not think about her troubles.
We kept our eyes on him dashing up and down,
Raving about, roaring, “Bring my sword.
And where’s my wife—no, not my wife,
Mother of two crops, myself and my children.”
He was in a frenzy, and some spirit led him—
It wasn’t any one of us servants—
He went charging at the doors and bent them inward
With a terrible shout, as if someone guided him,
Plunged through the doors, fell inside the room.
She was hanging there, his wife. We saw her
Hanging in a noose of braided rope.
Then he saw her. He howled in misery,
Loosened the hanging rope, and laid her down
101. On the ground, poor woman.
Then a horrible sight: he tore out the long pins
Of beaten gold that had adorned her clothes,
Lifted them up, and plunged them into his eyes,
Crying out, “Now you may not see the evil,
Not the evil I have done—or suffered.
From now on, you must gaze in darkness
On forbidden faces, while the ones you should have seen
You’ll never know.” That was his litany.
Again and again he chanted it and struck his eyes.
Blood was running down from the sockets,
Staining his cheeks red, an unstoppable flood
Dashing down, a dense hail of gore.
And so the storm has broken on them both—
Husband and wife, their suffering commingled.
It used to be happiness that they shared,
Happiness indeed, but now, today:
Grief, unseeing madness, death, disgrace,
102. Every horror that we know how to name.
CHORUS:
Poor man. Is there no relief for him?
MESSENGER:
He shouts for someone to unlock the gates
And show all Thebes the father-killer,
The mother- (I cannot say what is unholy),
And then he’ll cast himself out from this land
And not stay on to be a curse at home,
For he bears the curse that he called down.
He begs for strength, and for someone to lead him,
For he is sick beyond what he can bear.
He’ll show you, himself. The doors are opening now.
What you will see is loathsome; pity him.
(Exit Messenger through the stage right wing. Enter Oedipus
through the great doors.
The gruesome effects of his blinding can be seen clearly.)
CHORUS:
103. Amazing horror!
Nothing worse can come upon a man.
Was it madness that struck your mind?
Or was it a god great bounds away,
Who leapt upon your life,
Bringing disaster?
Cry, cry misfortune! I cannot bear to look.
Many things I wish to ask
I wish to learn, I wish to see,
But you are blinding me with horror.
OEDIPUS:
Ai! Ai! My suffering!
Where on this earth am I going, led by misery?
My voice? It is scattered on the wings of the wind.
How far Destiny has leapt.
CHORUS:
To terrors beyond what we can hear or see.
OEDIPUS:
104. Oh, darkness!
Hideous clouds engulf me, swept in
By ill wind! Inescapable, unspeakable!
Ohhh!
Again and again, so much agony!
Memories stabbing, piercing me with pain!
CHORUS:
Do not be amazed: Your agony’s so great,
You feel it twice, first in body, then in soul.
OEDIPUS:
A friend? Here?
You’d stay, for me? Solid in support.
You’d help a blind man, care for me?
(He sighs.)
This I see, despite the darkness.
I hear you, I know your voice.
CHORUS:
105. Ah, what a dreadful thing you’ve done! How could you bear
To put out your sight? Which god spurred you on?
OEDIPUS:
Apollo! It was Apollo, my friends.
Agony after agony, he brought them on.
But I did this . . .
By my own hand.
Why should I have eyes
When there is nothing sweet to see?
CHORUS:
I cannot disagree with what you say . . .
OEDIPUS:
Now,
What can I ever see to love?
What greeting can ever please me to hear?
Cast me out of this place, my friends,
Quickly, cast me out:
I am the destroyer, the curse,
106. The man the gods loathe most of all.
CHORUS:
Now your mind is just as wretched as your fate;
I wish I’d never known you.
OEDIPUS:
Damn that man, whoever he was,
Who freed my feet from the shackles
And rescued me from death.
Call it cruelty, not kindness!
I should have died there and then
And spared them all this pain.
CHORUS:
It would have been for the best.
OEDIPUS:
Then, I would have never killed my father,
Nor been known as the man
Who married his mother.
107. Now, I am the godless son of shame,
Who slept in the same bed where he was bred.
What evil could there ever be
That could surpass the fate of Oedipus?
CHORUS:
I can’t agree with what you did:
Better to die than to be blind.
OEDIPUS:
Don’t tell me that what I did was not for the best.
I do not want opinions, I do not need advice.
If I had eyes, how could I bear to see my father
When I die and go down to the depths of Hades,
Or face my wretched mother? My crimes
Against them could not be cured by suicide.
Could I ever long to see my children, born
As they were born, and enjoy that sweet sight?
My eyes could not bear to look at them!
The finest man raised by Thebes
108. Has deprived himself of his city, her walls
The sacred idols of the gods. Wretch!
I gave the order: Cast out the curse!
The gods have exposed the impiety,
And so stand I, the son of Laius, defiled.
Now that my vile stain glares out,
Could I ever meet the eyes of my people?
Never! If only I could stem the stream of sound,
Then I’d shut away my broken body
Hearing silence, seeing nothing:
Sweet oblivion, where the mind
Exists beyond the bounds of grief.
Cithaeron, why did you accept me?
Why did you not let me die, there and then?
Why show the world my birth? Why?
Polybus! Corinth! You were my home.
You raised me, covered me in kindness.
109. But evil festered beneath my skin,
Erupting in me, evil born of evil.
The three ways at that hidden gully,
The narrow track through the woods
Where I spilled my father’s blood,
My own blood! Do you remember?
The triple path witnessed what I did.
Do you see where you have led me?
Marriage! The marriage bond bred me,
Brought me up to wed my own blood.
Kin created kin: fathers, brothers, sons
Mixed with mothers, brides, and wives.
Humanity’s foulest deeds!
I cannot speak of such abhorrent acts.
By all the gods, you must let me hide away,
Cast me into the sea, kill me, shun me from sight.
(Oedipus moves toward the chorus; they shrink back in fear.)
Come closer, I am not untouchable,
110. You should not fear the wretched.
My affliction cannot cause you any harm;
No one but me is able to endure my pain.
(Enter Creon and attendants from stage right wing.)
CHORUS:
The man you need for what you ask is here:
Creon. Ready for action or decision,
He alone remains our guardian in your place.
OEDIPUS:
What could I ever say to him?
Why would he believe a word I say,
Now I’ve been shown to be so very wrong?
CREON:
Oedipus, I have not come to jeer at you
Or cast any blame for past wrongs.
(To the attendants, who are afraid to go near Oedipus.)
Now, perhaps you’ve no respect for human
111. Beings, but at least show reverence
To the fiery sun that feeds us all:
Do not openly display this cursed thing
That earth and rain and light can’t bear to touch.
Take him quickly inside our house.
Close relatives alone may see and hear,
With all due holiness, such evil in the family.
OEDIPUS:
O gods! My fears dispelled,
You are the best of men and I the worst.
Just one thing, for your sake, not for mine.
CREON:
What do you want, that you ask so earnestly?
OEDIPUS:
Cast me out, quick as you can, to a place
Where I will never speak to another human.
CREON:
I would have already done so, without fail, but first
112. I had to discover what the god wished me to do.
OEDIPUS:
But that is clear, it was ordained:
The father-killer is defiled and so must die.
CREON:
Yes, so we all heard. But in a time of great need
We should know for sure what we must do.
OEDIPUS:
You would seek divine guidance for my sake?
CREON:
Yes, and this time you should believe the god.
OEDIPUS:
I only ask this of you, I beg you:
Do right by her, your sister. Give her
A proper burial, a final place to rest.
But do not sentence my father’s city
To the curse of caring for me while I live.
I will go to the mountains, to Cithaeron,
113. My mountain, where my mother and father
Long ago marked out my tomb.
There they wanted me dead. There I will die.
Now I know that no ordinary end waits
For me. There was a reason I was spared
From death, some other daunting destiny.
Let fate guide where I go, and what will be will be.
My children? Creon, don’t spare a thought
For the boys. They are grown men now;
Wherever they go, they will survive.
But my poor unhappy girls,
They’ve never known another table.
Everything I touched was theirs to share.
Take care of them, Creon—please.
If only I could hold them one last time,
Let our tears fall together . . .
O lord, my lord . . .
114. Noble Creon . . . could I hold them in my arms?
I can imagine them . . . as I used to see them.
(Enter Ismene and Antigone from the stage right wing.)
What’s this?
I can hear them, yes, by all the gods, my darlings!
They’re crying, crying . . . Creon, you took pity,
You sent me what I love more than anything . . . anything.
Tell me that I’m right.
CREON:
You’re right. I brought them here.
I knew how much they’d gladden you now, as always.
OEDIPUS:
Oh, bless you. May the gods guard your way.
May your journey be so much better than mine.
My children, where are you? Come here,
Take my hands, the hands of your brother.
Do you see what they did to your father,
Who once looked at you with gleaming eyes?
115. But, children, I saw nothing, I knew nothing,
I fathered you in the soil where I was sown.
I grieve for you, though I cannot see your faces.
I can imagine how this cruel world
Will make you lead the rest of your lives.
What people will share their city with you?
What festivals will you ever enjoy? Shut away
Out of sight, no more celebrations, only tears.
And when the time comes for you to marry,
Who can he be? Who, my daughters,
Would ever dare to take on the disgrace
That blights the children of this family?
They won’t spare a single insult:
Your father killed his father!
Your father is your brother!
Your brother is your father!
Your father ploughed his mother!
116. You’ll hear it all. Who would marry you?
No such man exists. No, you’ll waste away
Dry wombed, sterile, barren,
Unmarried and all alone.
Creon, son of Menoeceus, you are now
Their only father; they are orphans,
Their parents lost in one cruel stroke.
Don’t let them become impoverished
Spinsters, wandering vagrants, outcasts.
Take pity on them. Look at these lost
Children; they have nothing else but you.
Swear it, noble Creon. Give me your hand!
(Creon reels back, and Oedipus turns to his children.)
Oh, children, there was so much I wanted
To say to you, but now I can only ask this:
Pray that you always lead measured lives,
Better lives than lived by your own father.
CREON:
117. Enough tears! It’s time to go inside.
OEDIPUS:
If I must, though it gives me no comfort.
CREON:
For good measure it is best.
OEDIPUS:
Then I’ll go, but know my terms.
CREON:
I’ll know them when I hear them.
OEDIPUS:
Exile. Banish me from this land.
CREON:
That is for the god to decide.
OEDIPUS:
The gods have come to hate me more than anyone.
CREON:
Then perhaps you’ll get what you want.
118. OEDIPUS:
So do I have your word?
CREON:
I’m always as good as my word; I don’t speak before I think.
OEDIPUS:
Then lead me away from here.
CREON:
Come, then, but leave your children.
OEDIPUS:
No! You cannot take them away from me!
CREON:
Still you try to take control of everything.
Go; your power has not followed you through life.
(Exit Creon and children through the great doors. Exit Oedipus,
alone, through the
stage left wing.)
CHORUS:
Behold, all you who dwell in Thebes: This is Oedipus.
119. He knew the riddle’s answer, he held great power,
And we all looked on his success with envy.
Now a terrible wave of trouble sweeps over him.
Therefore, always look to the last day,
And never say a man is happy
Until he’s crossed life’s boundary free from grief.
(Exit the chorus through the stage right wing.)
–END–
Poems of Li Bai
Old Poem #9
Zhuangzhou dreaming
Zhuangzhou dreamed he became a butterfly,
Or did the butterfly become Zhuangzhou?
With ease, one body turns into another—
120. Passing from change to change, all things flow.
Water that lapped the fairies’ eastern island
Returns in a stream running clear and shallow.
The farmer planting his melons past Green Gate
Ruled as Duke of Dongling not long ago.
Seekers of wealth and power, surely you know
Your vain posing is just a shadow show.
The Meaning of Life Revealed Upon Waking Up Drunk on a
Spring Day
Life in this world is just a glorious dream,
So why should we sweat and toil our lives away?
Be lazy—pour some wine, always stay drunk
121. Like me, laid out here on the porch all day
Till I woke up, and spied among the courtyard’s
Blossoming flowers one small songbird at play.
“Little friend,” I asked, “Kindly tell me the season!”
The wandering warbler sang on the breeze of May—
Spring already! I could only heave a sigh,
Pour some more wine, and down it without delay.
Then loudly I sang, awaiting bright moonrise.
My song has ended—what did I mean to say?
Song of Changgan
Back when my hair barely covered my forehead
I was picking flowers in front of the gate.
122. You rode over, whipping your bamboo horse
With green plum branch, chasing me round the bed
Together we lived and played in Changgan village,
Two small innocents who saw no shadows.
At fourteen, my husband, I became your wife.
A bashful girl who never laughed, I closed
Myself to you, set my face to a wall.
A thousand calls! I wouldn’t turn my head.
Fifteen—a smile—brows unknit, I wished
My ashes mixed with those of him I wed.
I thought you’d wait in a rising river for me—
Why need I peer from a tower, on my toes?
Sixteen—I watched you leave on a long journey.
A boat through Qutang Gorge in June must thread
The needle to dodge the underwater rocks
While gibbons tell the far heavens their sorrows.
Traces you left are still in front of the gate;
But now in every footprint green moss grows,
123. Moss that’s too deep to sweep it all away.
Leaves fall in early winds that blow this autumn.
September’s here; the butterflies are yellow.
Pair by pair they fly above West Garden.
It hurts to watch it all. My heart is aching.
I sit and grieve, my face a fading blossom.
Whenever it’s time to start your trip back home,
Write me to say you’ve left those faraway lands—
I’ll run to meet you, run as far as I can,
Even all the way to Changfeng Sands.
Gazing Upon the Ruins at Yue
The king of Yue defeated Wu,
124. came home in a grand parade,
and all his noble warriors dressed
in robes of rich brocade,
And all the ladies, delicate flowers,
adorned Spring Palace here.
All gone now. Partridges take flight;
wings beat the air, then fade.
Originally published in Facing the Moon: Poems of Li Bai and
Du Fu, translated by Keith Holyoak (Oyster River Press, 2007).
Reprinted with permission.