“Dobbiamo cercare l’uomo ovunque sia possibile trovarlo. Quando, sulla strada per Tebe, Edipo incontrò la Sfinge, la sua risposta all’enigma fu: ‘L’Uomo’. Quella semplice parola distrusse il mostro. Abbiamo molti mostri da distruggere. Pensiamo alla risposta di Edipo.“ (Giorgos Seferis – Discorso al Banchetto dei Premi Nobel, 10 dicembre 1963)
“Σὲ τοῦτο τὸν κόσμο ποὺ ὅσο πάει στενεύει, ὁ καθένας μας ἔχει ἀνάγκη ἀπὸ ὅλους τοὺς ἄλλους. Πρέπει ν’ ἀναζητούμε τὸν ἄνθρωπο, ὅπου κι ἂν βρίσκεται. Ὅταν στὸ δρόμο τῆς Θήβας ὁ Οἰδίποδας συνάντησε τὴ Σφίγγα κι ἐκείνη τοῦ ἔθεσε τὸ αἴνιγμά της, ἡ ἀπάντηση ἦταν: ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Ἡ ἁπλὴ αὐτὴ λέξη ἐκμηδένισε τὸ τέρας. Εἶναι πολλὰ τὰ τέρατα ποὺ ἔχουμε νὰ ἐκμηδενίσουμε. Ἂς στοχαστούμε τὴν ἀπάντηση τοῦ Οἰδίποδα.“ (Γιώργος Σεφέρης – Ὁμιλία στὴ Στοκχόλμη, 10 Δεκεμβρίου 1963)
“In this world, which is getting narrower and narrower, each of us needs all the others. We must look for man wherever he can be found. When, on the road to Thebes, Oedipus encountered the Sphinx, and she put her riddle to him, his answer was: ‘Man’. This simple word destroyed the monster. We have many monsters to destroy. Let us ponder the answer of Oedipus.” (Giorgos Seferis – Nobel Banquet Speech, December 10, 1963)