Oedipus
I knew not thou wouldst utter folly, else
Long hadst thou waited to be summoned here.
Teiresias
Such am I—as it seems to thee a fool,
But to the parents who begat thee, wise.
Oedipus
What sayest thou—“parents”? Who begat me, speak?
Teiresias
This day shall be thy birth-day, and thy grave.
Oedipus
Thou lov’st to speak in riddles and dark words.
Teiresias
In reading riddles who so skilled as thou?
Oedipus
Twit me with that wherein my greatness lies.
Teiresias
And yet this very greatness proved thy bane.
Oedipus
No matter if I saved the commonwealth.
Teiresias
’Tis time I left thee. Come, boy, take me home.