Electra's Proposal to Assassinate Aegisthus — Sophocles, Electra, lines 910–989, Greek & English

910

κἀγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἔδρασα, τοῦτʼ ἐπίσταμαι,

Chrysothemis: And I did not do it, this I know well,

οὐδʼ αὖ σύ· πῶς γάρ; ᾗ γε μηδὲ πρὸς θεοὺς¹

nor indeed did you; for how could you? You to whom it is not permitted even to the gods

ἔξεστʼ ἀκλαύστῳ τῆσδʼ ἀποστῆναι στέγης.

to depart from this house without weeping.

ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ μὲν δὴ μητρὸς οὔθʼ ὁ νοῦς φιλεῖ

But indeed neither is it the habit of our mother’s mind

τοιαῦτα πράσσειν οὔτε δρῶσʼ ἐλάνθανʼ ἄν·

to do such things, nor could she do so without being noticed;

915

ἀλλʼ ἔστʼ Ὀρέστου ταῦτα τἀπιτύμβια.

rather, these are offerings on the tomb from Orestes.

ἀλλʼ, ὦ φίλη, θάρσυνε· τοῖς αὐτοῖσί τοι

But, my dear sister, take heart;

οὐχ αὑτὸς αἰεὶ δαιμόνων παραστατεῖ.

the same deity does not always stand by the same people.

νῷν ἦν τὰ πρόσθεν στυγνός· ἡ δὲ νῦν ἴσως

Previously ours was hateful; but today perhaps

πολλῶν ὑπάρξει κῦρος ἡμέρα καλῶν.

will be the source of many beautiful things.

920

φεῦ, τῆς ἀνοίας ὥς σʼ ἐποικτίρω πάλαι.

Electra: Alas, I have long pitied you for your folly.

τί δʼ ἔστιν; οὐ πρὸς ἡδονὴν λέγω τάδε;

Chrysothemis: What is it? Do I not speak this to your pleasure?

οὐκ οἶσθʼ ὅποι γῆς οὐδʼ ὅποι γνώμης φέρει.²

Electra: You know not where on earth nor where in thought you are being carried.

πῶς δʼ οὐκ ἐγὼ κάτοιδʼ ἅ γʼ εἶδον ἐμφανῶς;

Chrysothemis: How could I not know what I saw clearly?

τέθνηκεν, ὦ τάλαινα, τἀκείνου δέ σοι

Electra: He is dead, wretched girl, and your

925

σωτήριʼ ἔρρει· μηδὲν εἰς κεῖνόν γʼ ὅρα.

deliverance from him is gone; look no longer to him.

οἴμοι τάλαινα· τοῦ τάδʼ ἤκουσας βροτῶν;

Chrysothemis: Wretched me! From which of mortals did you hear this?

τοῦ πλησίον παρόντος, ἡνίκʼ ὤλλυτο.

Electra: From one who was present nearby when he perished.

καὶ ποῦ ʼστιν οὗτος; θαῦμά τοί μʼ ὑπέρχεται.

Chrysothemis: And where is this man? A wonder indeed steals over me.

κατʼ οἶκον, ἡδὺς οὐδὲ μητρὶ δυσχερής.

Electra: In the house, welcome and not at all displeasing to our mother.

930

οἴμοι τάλαινα· τοῦ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ποτʼ ἦν

Chrysothemis: Wretched me! For whose among men then were

τὰ πολλὰ πατρὸς πρὸς τάφον κτερίσματα;

those many offerings at our father’s tomb?

οἶμαι μάλιστʼ ἔγωγε τοῦ τεθνηκότος

Electra: I believe most of all that someone placed

μνημεῖʼ Ὀρέστου ταῦτα προσθεῖναί τινα.

these as memorials of the dead Orestes.

ὦ δυστυχής· ἐγὼ δὲ σὺν χαρᾷ λόγους

Chrysothemis: Oh, unfortunate me! And I with joy was hastening

935

τοιούσδʼ ἔχουσʼ ἔσπευδον, οὐκ εἰδυῖʼ ἄρα

with such words, not knowing, it seems,

ἵνʼ ἦμεν ἄτης· ἀλλὰ νῦν, ὅθʼ ἱκόμην,

what ruin we were in; but now, when I have come,

τά τʼ ὄντα πρόσθεν ἄλλα θʼ εὑρίσκω κακά.

I find the former evils and other new ones besides.

οὕτως ἔχει σοι ταῦτʼ· ἐὰν δέ μοι πίθῃ,

Electra: So it is with you; but if you obey me,

τῆς νῦν παρούσης πημονῆς λύσεις βάρος.

you will loosen the weight of the present pain.

940

ἦ τοὺς θανόντας ἐξαναστήσω ποτέ;

Chrysothemis: What, shall I ever raise the dead?

οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅ γʼ εἶπον· οὐ γὰρ ὧδʼ ἄφρων ἔφυν.

Electra: That is not what I said; for I was not born so foolish.

τί γὰρ κελεύεις ὧν ἐγὼ φερέγγυος;

Chrysothemis: What then do you command of which I am capable?

τλῆναί σε δρῶσαν ἃν ἐγὼ παραινέσω.

Electra: That you endure doing what I shall advise.

ἀλλʼ εἴ τις ὠφέλειά γʼ, οὐκ ἀπώσομαι.

Chrysothemis: But if there is any benefit, I will not reject it.

945

ὅρα, πόνου τοι χωρὶς οὐδὲν εὐτυχεῖ.

Electra: See, without toil nothing succeeds.

ὁρῶ. ξυνοίσω πᾶν ὅσονπερ ἂν σθένω.

Chrysothemis: I see. I will share in all as much as I have strength.

ἄκουε δή νυν ᾗ βεβούλευμαι ποεῖν.

Electra: Listen then now to how I have resolved to act.

παρουσίαν μὲν οἶσθα καὶ σύ που φίλων

The absence of friends indeed you also know, I suppose,

ὡς οὔτις ἡμῖν ἔστιν, ἀλλʼ Ἅιδης λαβὼν

that there is none for us, but Hades having taken them

950

ἀπεστέρηκε καὶ μόνα λελείμμεθον.

has deprived us, and we two are left alone.

ἐγὼ δʼ ἕως μὲν τὸν κασίγνητον βίῳ

And I, as long as I heard that my brother

θάλλοντʼ ἔτʼ εἰσήκουον, εἶχον ἐλπίδας

was still flourishing in life, had hopes

φόνου ποτʼ αὐτὸν πράκτορʼ ἵξεσθαι πατρός·

that he would one day come as an avenger of our father’s murder;

νῦν δʼ ἡνίκʼ οὐκέτʼ ἔστιν, εἰς σὲ δὴ βλέπω,

but now when he is no more, I look to you indeed,

955

ὅπως τὸν αὐτόχειρα πατρῴου φόνου

so that you, with this sister, will not shrink from slaying Aegisthus,

ξὺν τῇδʼ ἀδελφῇ μὴ κατοκνήσεις³ κτανεῖνΑἴγισθον· οὐδὲν γάρ σε δεῖ κρύπτειν μʼ ἔτι.

the perpetrator of our father’s murder; for I must hide nothing from you any longer.

ποῖ γὰρ μενεῖς ῥᾴθυμος, εἰς τίνʼ ἐλπίδων

For where will you remain inactive, looking to what

βλέψασʼ ἔτʼ ὀρθήν; ᾗ πάρεστι μὲν στένειν

of hopes still upright? You for whom it is present to lament

960

πλούτου πατρῴου κτῆσιν ἐστερημένῃ,

being deprived of your father’s wealth,

πάρεστι δʼ ἀλγεῖν ἐς τοσόνδε τοῦ χρόνου

and it is present to grieve at being so long a time

ἄλεκτρα γηράσκουσαν ἀνυμέναιά τε.

growing old unwedded and without bridal song.

καὶ τῶνδε μέντοι μηκέτʼ ἐλπίσῃς ὅπως

And indeed do not hope any longer that

τεύξει ποτʼ· οὐ γὰρ ὧδʼ ἄβουλός ἐστʼ ἀνὴρ

you will ever obtain these; for Aegisthus is not so thoughtless

965

Αἴγισθος ὥστε σόν ποτʼ ἢ κἀμὸν γένος

a man as to permit your or my offspring

βλαστεῖν ἐᾶσαι, πημονὴν αὑτῷ σαφῆ.

to grow, a clear mischief to himself.

ἀλλʼ ἢν ἐπίσπῃ τοῖς ἐμοῖς βουλεύμασιν,

But if you follow my counsels,

πρῶτον μὲν εὐσέβειαν ἐκ πατρὸς κάτω

first you will bear the reward of piety from your father below

θανόντος οἴσει τοῦ κασιγνήτου θʼ ἅμα·

who is dead, and at the same time from your brother;

970

ἔπειτα δʼ, ὥσπερ ἐξέφυς, ἐλευθέρα

and then, as you were born, you will be called free

καλεῖ τὸ λοιπὸν καὶ γάμων ἐπαξίων

for the future, and you will obtain

τεύξει· φιλεῖ γὰρ πρὸς τὰ χρηστὰ πᾶς ὁρᾶν.

worthy marriage; for everyone is accustomed to look toward the good.

λόγων γε μὴν εὔκλειαν οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅσην

And do you not see how great a glory of words

σαυτῇ τε κἀμοὶ προσβαλεῖς πεισθεῖσʼ ἐμοί;

you will bring upon yourself and me by obeying me?

975

τίς γάρ ποτʼ ἀστῶν ἢ ξένων ἡμᾶς ἰδὼν

For who of citizens or strangers, seeing us,

τοιοῖσδʼ ἐπαίνοις οὐχὶ δεξιώσεται·

will not greet us with such praises:

ἴδεσθε τώδε τὼ κασιγνήτω, φίλοι,

’Look at these two sisters, friends,

ὣ τὸν πατρῷον οἶκον ἐξεσωσάτην,⁴

who saved their father’s house,

ὣ τοῖσιν ἐχθροῖς εὖ βεβηκόσιν ποτὲ

who once, when their enemies were well established,

980

ψυχῆς ἀφειδήσαντε προὐστήτην φόνου·

sparing not their own lives, stood at the forefront of the slaughter;

τούτω φιλεῖν χρή, τώδε χρὴ πάντας σέβειν,

these two we must love, these two all must revere,

τώδʼ ἔν θʼ ἑορταῖς ἔν τε πανδήμῳ πόλει

and these two both in festivals and in the assembly of the city

τιμᾶν ἅπαντας οὕνεκʼ ἀνδρείας χρεών.

all must honor because of their courage.’

τοιαῦτά τοι νὼ πᾶς τις ἐξερεῖ βροτῶν,

Such things indeed everyone of mortals will say of us,

985

ζώσαιν θανούσαιν θʼ ὥστε μὴ ʼκλιπεῖν κλέος.

while we live and when we are dead, so that our glory will never fail.

ἀλλʼ, ὦ φίλη, πείσθητι, συμπόνει πατρί,

But, my dear sister, obey, toil with your father,

σύγκαμνʼ ἀδελφῷ, παῦσον ἐκ κακῶν ἐμέ,

suffer with your brother, free me from evils,

παῦσον δὲ σαυτήν, τοῦτο γιγνώσκουσʼ ὅτι

and free yourself, knowing this, that

ζῆν αἰσχρὸν αἰσχρῶς τοῖς καλῶς πεφυκόσιν.⁵

to live basely is shameful for those who are well born.

Syntax notes5 items

911ᾗ γε μηδὲ πρὸς θεοὺς
The relative adverb ᾗ introduces a causal or circumstantial clause, explaining the premise of Chrysothemis' argument—namely, that Electra's movements are so restricted that she is not even permitted to leave the house to weep before the gods.
922οὐκ οἶσθʼ ὅποι γῆς οὐδʼ ὅποι γνώμης φέρει.
The verb φέρει is used intransitively or impersonally in the sense of 'where (tends/leads)'. The genitives γῆς and γνώμης dependent on the adverb of direction ὅποι are partitive genitives denoting space and state ('where on earth', 'where in thought').
954εἰς σὲ δὴ βλέπω, ὅπως ... μὴ κατοκνήσεις
The construction βλέπω ὅπως is followed by the future indicative κατοκνήσεις (second-person singular), functioning as a strong exhortation or an indirect command expressing urgent entreaty.
978ὣ τὸν πατρῷον οἶκον ἐξεσωσάτην
The dual nominative relative pronoun ὣ (or ὥ) is used here to refer to the two sisters. The subsequent verbs ἐξεσωσάτην, προὐστήτην (line 980), and participle ἀφειδήσαντε (line 980) are all consistently inflected in the dual number.
989ζῆν αἰσχρὸν αἰσχρῶς τοῖς καλῶς πεφυκόσιν.
The nominative infinitive ζῆν is the subject of the sentence, with the predicate adjective αἰσχρόν ('to live ... is shameful'). The cognate adverb αἰσχρῶς is juxtaposed for rhetorical emphasis, and the dative τοῖς καλῶς πεφυκόσιν functions as a dative of reference ('for those well born').

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0011.tlg005.humanitext-grc2:910-989