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ANT.
Brother, I beg thee, listen to my prayer!

POL.
Dearest Antigone, speak what thou wilt.

ANT.
Turn back thy host to Argos with all speed,
And ruin not thyself and Thebe too.

POL.
Impossible. If once I shrink for fear,
No longer may I lead them to the war.

ANT.
But why renew thy rage? What benefit
Comes to thee from o’erturning thine own land?

POL.
‘Tis shameful to remain in banishment,
And let my brother mock my right of birth.

ANT.
Then seest thou not how true unto their aim
Our father’s prophecies of mutual death
Against you both are sped?

POL.
He speaks his wish.
‘Tis not for me to yield.

ANT.
O me, unhappy!
But who that hears the deep oracular sound
Of his dark words, will dare to follow thee?

POL.
They will not hear of danger from my mouth.
Wise generals tell of vantage, not of bale.

ANT.
Art thou then so resolved, O brother mine?

POL.
I am. Retard me not! I must attend
To my dark enterprise, blasted and foiled
Beforehand by my father’s angry curse.
But as for you, Heaven prosper all your way,
If ye will show this kindness in my death,
For nevermore in life shall ye befriend me!
Nay, cling to me no longer. Fare ye well.
Ye will behold my living form no more.

ANT.
O misery!

POL.
Bewail me not.

ANT.
And who
That saw thee hurrying forth to certain death
Would not bewail thee, brother?

POL.
If Fate wills,
Why, I must die.

ANT.
Nay, but be ruled by me.

POL.
Give me not craven counsel.

ANT.
Woe is me,
To lose thee!

POL.
Heaven hath power to guide the event
Or thus or otherwise. Howe’er it prove,
I pray that ye may ne’er encounter ill.
All men may know, ye merit nought but good.

[Exit. The sky is overcast–a storm is threatened]

CHORUS.
New trouble, strange trouble, deep laden with doom,
From the sight-bereft stranger seems dimly to loom!
Or peers Fate through the gloom?
She will move toward her mark or through shining or shade;
Since no purpose of Gods ever idly was made.
Time sees the fulfilment, who lifteth to-day
What was lowly, and trampleth the lofty to clay.
Thunder! Heavens! what a sound!

OED.
My children! Would but some one in the place
Haste hither THESEUS, noblest among men!

ANT.
Wherefore, my father? What is thy desire?

OED.
These winged thunders of the Highest will soon
Bear me away to the Unseen. Send quickly!

CHORUS.
Again, yonder crash through the fire-startled air
Wing’d from Zeus, rushes down, till my thin locks of hair,
Stiff with fear, upward stare.
My soul shrinks and cowers, for yon gleam from on high
Darts again! Ne’er in vain hath it leapt from the sky,
But flies forth amain to what task Zeus hath given.
I fear the unknown fatal edict of Heaven!
Lightning glares all around!

OED.
My daughters, the divinely promised end
Here unavoidably descends on me.

ANT.
How dost thou know it? By what certain sign?