CHORUS
Not to be born is, past all prizing, best; but, when a man hath seen the light, this is next best by far, that with all speed he should go thither, whence he hath come.
For when he hath seen youth go by, with its light follies, what troublous affliction is strange to his lot, what suffering is not therein?–envy, factions, strife, battles and slaughters; and, last of all, age claims him for her own,–age, dispraised, infirm, unsociable, unfriended, with whom all woe of woe abides.

The Chorus in "Oedipus at Colonus" offers a somber reflection on the human condition. They suggest that the best fate is never to be born, and the second-best is a swift return to the afterlife. This pessimistic view highlights the relentless hardships one faces throughout life. Youth, characterized by innocence and folly, is swiftly replaced by a succession of sufferings: envy, conflicts, and violence. Ultimately, old age arrives, bringing isolation and infirmity, a stage of life where woes accumulate. This passage encapsulates a recurring theme in Greek tragedy: the inevitability of suffering. It underscores the belief that life, with its myriad troubles, is ultimately a burdensome journey that might be better avoided entirely.