Lament of Electra and Dialogue with the Chorus — Sophocles, Electra, lines 88–202, Greek & English

πολλὰς μὲν θρήνων ᾠδάς,

many songs of lamentation,

πολλὰς δʼ ἀντήρεις ᾔσθου

and many matching blows

στέρνων πληγὰς αἱμασσομένων,

upon my bleeding breast you have heard,

ὁπόταν δνοφερὰ νὺξ ὑπολειφθῇ·

whenever the dark night fades.

τὰ δὲ παννυχίδων ἤδη στυγεραὶ

And the loathsome beds of this wretched house

ξυνίσασʼ εὐναὶ μογερῶν οἴκων,

already know my night-long vigils,

ὅσα τὸν δύστηνον ἐμὸν θρηνῶ

how much I bewail my unhappy

πατέρʼ, ὃν κατὰ μὲν βάρβαρον αἶαν

father, whom in a foreign land

φοίνιος Ἄρης οὐκ ἐξένισεν,

bloody Ares did not welcome,

μήτηρ δʼ ἡμὴ χὠ κοινολεχὴς

but my mother and her bedfellow

Αἴγισθος ὅπως δρῦν ὑλοτόμοι

Aegisthus, just as woodcutters

σχίζουσι κάρα φονίῳ πελέκει,

cleave an oak, split his head with a murderous axe;

100

κοὐδεὶς τούτων οἶκτος ἀπʼ ἄλλης

and no pity for these things comes from any other

ἢ ʼμοῦ φέρεται, σοῦ, πάτερ, οὕτως

than from me, when you, father, have died

αἰκῶς οἰκτρῶς τε θανόντος.

so shamefully and piteously.

ἀλλʼ οὐ μὲν δὴ

But indeed I will never

λήξω θρήνων στυγερῶν τε γόων,

cease from my loathsome laments and groans,

105

ἔστʼ ἂν παμφεγγεῖς ἄστρων

as long as I behold the brilliant

ῥιπάς, λεύσσω δὲ τόδʼ ἦμαρ,

beams of the stars and this daylight,

μὴ οὐ¹ τεκνολέτειρʼ ὥς τις ἀηδὼν

like some child-slaying nightingale

ἐπὶ κωκυτῷ τῶνδε πατρῴων

to utter a cry of lamentation before these ancestral gates

πρὸ θυρῶν ἠχὼ πᾶσι προφωνεῖν.

and proclaim my echo to all.

110

ὦ δῶμʼ Ἀΐδου καὶ Περσεφόνης,

O home of Hades and Persephone,

ὦ χθόνιʼ Ἑρμῆ καὶ πότνιʼ Ἀρὰ

O Hermes of the underworld and venerable Curse,

σεμναί τε θεῶν παῖδες Ἐρινύες,

and holy Erinyes, daughters of the gods,

αἳ τοὺς ἀδίκως θνῄσκοντας ὁρᾶθʼ,

who look upon those who die unjustly,

αἳ τοὺς εὐνὰς ὑποκλεπτομένους,

who look upon those whose beds are stolen,

115

ἔλθετʼ, ἀρήξατε, τίσασθε πατρὸς

come, help, avenge the murder

φόνον ἡμετέρου,

of our father,

καί μοι τὸν ἐμὸν πέμψατʼ ἀδελφόν·

and send my brother to me;

μούνη γὰρ ἄγειν οὐκέτι σωκῶ

for alone I no longer have the strength to bear

120

λύπης ἀντίρροπον ἄχθος.

the counter-balancing weight of grief.

ὦ παῖ, παῖ δυστανοτάτας

O child, child of a most wretched

Ἠλέκτρα ματρός, τίνʼ ἀεὶ

mother, Electra, why do you always

τάκεις ὧδʼ ἀκόρεστον οἰμωγὰν

waste away in this insatiable lamentation

τὸν πάλαι ἐκ δολερᾶς ἀθεώτατα

for Agamemnon, who long ago was most impiously caught

125

ματρὸς ἁλόντʼ ἀπάταις Ἀγαμέμνονα

by the deceits of your treacherous mother and betrayed by an evil hand?

κακᾷ τε χειρὶ πρόδοτον; ὡς ὁ τάδε πορὼν

May he who caused this

ὄλοιτʼ, εἴ μοι θέμις τάδʼ αὐδᾶν.

perish, if it is lawful for me to utter this.

ὦ γενέθλα γενναίων,

O offspring of noble parents,

130

ἥκετʼ ἐμῶν καμάτων παραμύθιον.

you have come as a consolation for my sufferings.

οἶδά τε καὶ ξυνίημι τάδʼ, οὔ τί με

I know and understand these things, nothing escapes

φυγγάνει, οὐδʼ ἐθέλω προλιπεῖν τόδε,

me, nor do I wish to leave this aside,

μὴ οὐ τὸν ἐμὸν στενάχειν πατέρʼ ἄθλιον.

so as not to groan for my unhappy father.

ἀλλʼ ὦ παντοίας φιλότητος ἀμειβόμεναι χάριν,

But O you who return the grace of every kind of friendship,

135

ἐᾶτέ μʼ ὧδʼ ἀλύειν,

let me rave thus,

αἰαῖ, ἱκνοῦμαι.

alas, I entreat you.

ἀλλʼ οὔτοι τόν γʼ ἐξ Ἀΐδα

But indeed you will never raise your father

παγκοίνου λίμνας πατέρʼ ἀν-

from the all-receiving lake of Hades

στάσεις οὔτε γόοισιν οὔτʼ εὐχαῖς.

either by groans or by prayers.

140

ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ τῶν μετρίων ἐπʼ ἀμήχανον

But from moderate grief to an unmanageable

ἄλγος ἀεὶ στενάχουσα διόλλυσαι,

sorrow, you are always ruining yourself by groaning,

ἐν οἷς ἀνάλυσίς ἐστιν οὐδεμία κακῶν.

in which there is no release from evils.

τί μοι τῶν δυσφόρων ἐφίει;²

Why do you long for painful things?

νήπιος ὃς τῶν οἰκτρῶς

Foolish is he who forgets

145

οἰχομένων γονέων ἐπιλάθεται.

his piteously perished parents.

ἀλλʼ ἐμέ γʼ ἁ στονόεσσʼ ἄραρεν φρένας,

But the sorrowful bird fits my heart,

ἃ Ἴτυν, αἰὲν Ἴτυν ὀλοφύρεται,

who ever laments ‘Itys, Itys’,

ὄρνις ἀτυζομένα, Διὸς ἄγγελος.

the bewildered bird, messenger of Zeus.

150

ἰὼ παντλάμων Νιόβα, σὲ δʼ ἔγωγε νέμω θεόν,

O all-suffering Niobe, I indeed count you a god,

ἅτʼ ἐν τάφῳ πετραίῳ

who in a rocky tomb

αἰεὶ δακρύεις.

weep forever.

οὔτοι σοὶ μούνᾳ, τέκνον,

Not to you alone, child,

155

ἄχος ἐφάνη βροτῶν,

has grief appeared among mortals,

πρὸς ὅ τι σὺ τῶν ἔνδον εἶ περισσά,

in which you exceed those within,

οἷς ὁμόθεν εἶ καὶ γονᾷ ξύναιμος,

with whom you are of the same blood and parentage,

οἵα Χρυσόθεμις ζώει καὶ Ἰφιάνασσα,

such as Chrysothemis and Iphianassa who live,

κρυπτᾷ τʼ ἀχέων ἐν ἥβᾳ,

and he who is in his youth hidden from sorrows,

160

ὄλβιος, ὃν ἁ κλεινὰ

happy, whom the famous

γᾶ ποτε Μυκηναίων

land of Mycenaeans will one day

δέξεται εὐπατρίδαν, Διὸς εὔφρονι

receive as a noble son, coming to this land by the kindly

βήματι μολόντα τάνδε γᾶν Ὀρέσταν.

guidance of Zeus, Orestes.

ὅν γʼ ἐγὼ ἀκάματα προσμένουσʼ, ἄτεκνος,

For him I wait unweariedly, childless,

165

τάλαινʼ, ἀνύμφευτος αἰὲν οἰχνῶ,

wretched, unmarried ever I walk,

δάκρυσι μυδαλέα, τὸν ἀνήνυτον

wet with tears, holding an endless

οἶτον ἔχουσα κακῶν· ὁ δὲ λάθεται

lot of evils; but he forgets

ὧν τʼ ἔπαθʼ ὧν τʼ ἐδάη. τί γὰρ οὐκ ἐμοὶ

both what he suffered and what he learned. For what

170

ἔρχεται ἀγγελίας ἀπατώμενον;

message comes to me that is not deceived?

ἀεὶ μὲν γὰρ ποθεῖ,

For he is always longing,

ποθῶν δʼ οὐκ ἀξιοῖ φανῆναι.

but though longing, he does not deign to appear.

θάρσει μοι, θάρσει, τέκνον.

Take courage, take courage, child.

175

ἔτι μέγας οὐρανῷ

Still great in heaven is

Ζεύς, ὃς ἐφορᾷ πάντα καὶ κρατύνει·

Zeus, who sees all and rules;

ᾧ τὸν ὑπεραλγῆ χόλον νέμουσα

to whom commit your exceeding anger

μήθʼ οἷς ἐχθαίρεις ὑπεράχθεο μήτʼ ἐπιλάθου·

and neither be too vexed with those you hate, nor forget them;

χρόνος γὰρ εὐμαρὴς θεός.

for time is an easy god.

180

οὔτε γὰρ ὁ τὰν Κρῖσαν

For neither he who has the ox-pasturing

βούνομον ἔχων ἀκτὰν

shore of Crisa,

παῖς Ἀγαμεμνονίδας ἀπερίτροπος

the son of Agamemnon, is heedless,

οὔθʼ ὁ παρὰ τὸν Ἀχέροντα θεὸς ἀνάσσων.

nor the god who rules by Acheron.

185

ἀλλʼ ἐμὲ μὲν ὁ πολὺς ἀπολέλοιπεν ἤδη

But the greater part of my life has already

βίοτος ἀνέλπιστος, οὐδʼ ἔτʼ ἀρκῶ·

left me without hope, and I can no longer hold out;

ἅτις ἄνευ τεκέων κατατάκομαι,

I who waste away without children,

ἇς φίλος οὔτις ἀνὴρ ὑπερίσταται,

for whom no beloved husband stands up to protect,

ἀλλʼ ἁπερεί τις ἔποικος ἀναξία

but like some unworthy resident alien

190

οἰκονομῶ θαλάμους πατρός, ὧδε μὲν

I manage the chambers of my father, thus

ἀεικεῖ σὺν στολᾷ,

in shameful attire,

κεναῖς δʼ ἀμφίσταμαι τραπέζαις.

and I stand around empty tables.

οἰκτρὰ μὲν νόστοις αὐδά,

Piteous was the voice at the return,

οἰκτρὰ δʼ ἐν κοίταις πατρῴαις

and piteous in the paternal bed

195

ὅτε οἱ³ παγχάλκων ἀνταία

when the hostile blow of all-bronze

γενύων ὡρμάθη πλαγά.

weapons was driven at him.

δόλος ἦν ὁ φράσας, ἔρος ὁ κτείνας,

Deceit was the planner, lust the killer,

δεινὰν δεινῶς προφυτεύσαντες

having terribly engendered a terrible

μορφάν, εἴτʼ οὖν θεὸς εἴτε βροτῶν

shape, whether it was a god or a mortal

200

ἦν ὁ ταῦτα πράσσων.

who did these things.

ὦ πασᾶν κείνα πλέον ἁμέρα

O that day which came,

ἐλθοῦσʼ ἐχθίστα δή μοι·

of all days the most hateful to me!

Syntax notes3 items

107μὴ οὐ
Following the negative verb in the main clause (οὐ μὲν δὴ λήξω, 'I will by no means cease'), μὴ οὐ is placed before the infinitive (προφωνεῖν, 'to proclaim') to function as a double negative, meaning 'I cannot but proclaim'.
143τί μοι τῶν δυσφόρων ἐφίει;
The verb ἐφίεμαι ('to long for', 'to aim at') takes the genitive, making τῶν δυσφόρων its genitive object. μοι functions as a dative of interest or ethical dative.
195οἱ
A third-person singular dative pronoun (equivalent to αὐτῷ), referring to Agamemnon. It is interpreted either as a dative of disadvantage ('against him' the blow was driven) or as a possessive dative ('his' jaws/head).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0011.tlg005.humanitext-grc2:88-202