"Come, tell me thy famous riddle, foul Fury that thou art, that I may answer it and rid the land of this curse."
"At dawn it creeps on four legs; at noon it strides on two; at sunset and evening it totters on three. What is this thing, never the same, yet not many, but one?"
"She put out her cruel claws and lashed her tail from side to side like an angry lion waiting for his prey."
So she chanted slowly, and her eyes gleamed cruel and cold.
Then thought Œdipus within himself,
"Now or never must my learning and wit stand me in good stead, or in vain have I talked with the wisest of men and learnt the secrets of Phœnicia and Egypt."
And the gods who had given him understanding sent light into his heart, and boldly he answered,
"What can this creature be but man, O Sphinx? For, a helpless babe at the dawn of life, he crawls on his hands and feet; at noontide he walks erect in the strength of his manhood; and at evening he supports his tottering limbs with a staff, the prop and stay of old age. Have I not answered aright and guessed thy famous riddle?"