Oedipus the king is quite the interesting read with a lot of double meanings and nuances the part of the passage I picked is
What is the sweet spoken word of God from the shrine of Pytho rich in gold
War God ringed with the cries of men, a savage God who burns us;
grant that he turn in racing course backwards out of our country’s bounds
to the great palace of Amphitrite19 or where the waves of the Thracian sea
215 deny the stranger safe anchorage.
Whatsoever escapes the night at last the light of day revisits;
so smite the War God, Father Zeus,
beneath your thunderbolt,
220 for you are the Lord of the lightning, the lightning that carries fire.
This is said shortly after Oedipus talks about the previous king that was murdered and promises that he would not have the same fate as for the chorus I believe they’re trying to be optimistic somewhat and have a good outlook by saying that anyone that is trying to turn the country backwards or is trying to set it back will be taken care of by their god (Zeus) by first denying the stranger any safe anchorage to make it harder for them to get in. They even go onto to say that whatever ends up getting through at night time will pop up when the day comes and that Zeus will take care of the war god by striking them. I think that the stranger they are talking about is a metaphor for war and anyone that is trying to hurt their new king and trying to turn their country into a less stable more chaotic place and that they have full faith in Zeus to take care of it which is why I believe it has a hint of optimism because although it seems negative and seems bleak with them worrying about “the stranger” and “a savage god that burns us”ends up getting through at the end of the day they believe in Zeus enough to take care of them and protect them.
