The Sphinx has fallen upon him
with teeth and nails outstretched
and with the full ferocity of life.
Oedipus fell at her first onslaught,
her first appearance horrified him—
until then he had never imagined
such a face or such talk.
But for all the monster's leaning
her two legs on Oedipus' breast,
he recovers quickly—and now
he has no fear of her at all, because he has
the solution ready and will win.
And yet he is not joyful over this victory.
His fully melancholy gaze
is not turned on the Sphinx, beyond
he sees the narrow road that leads to Thebes,
and that finally will end at Colonus.
And his soul is clearly and prophetically aware
that there the Sphinx will speak to him again
with more difficult and with more extensive
riddles that have no answer.