MURIEL RUKEYSER
POET
1913-1980
Myth
"Long afterward, Oedipus, old and blinded, walked the roads. He smelled a
familiar smell. It was the Sphinx. Oedipus said "I want to ask one question.
Why didn't I recognize my mother?" "You gave the wrong answer,' said the
Sphinx. "But that was what made everything possible,"said Oedipus. "No," she
said. "When I asked, What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon,
and three in the evening, you answered, Man. You didn't say anything about
woman." "When you say Man," said Oedipus, "you include women too. Everyone
knows that." She said, "That's what you think."
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