§1015ἃν χέρα τεκτοσύνας Ἐ- §1016νυαλίῳ δοριμήστορι προσθέν- §1017τες τάλαιναν τάλαι- §1018ναν μεθεῖτε Τροίαν;
Having surrendered the artisan's hand of your craftsmanship to Enyalius, who stirs the spear, did you abandon wretched, wretched Troy?
§1019πλείστους δ’ ἐπ’ ἀκταῖσιν Σιμοεντίσιν εὐίππους §1019aὄχους §1020ἐζεύξατε καὶ φονίους ἀνδρῶν ἁμίλ- §1021λας ἔθετ’ ἀστεφάνους·
And on the banks of Simois, you yoked many chariot teams of fine horses, and made the bloody contests of men crownless.
No longer does the altar fire in Troy shine for the gods with fragrant smoke.
§1027βέβακε δ’ Ἀτρείδας ἀλόχου παλάμαις, §1028αὐτά τ’ ἐναλλάξασα φόνον θανάτῳ §1030πρὸς τέκνων ἀπηύρα §1031θεοῦ.
And the son of Atreus has perished by his wife's hands, and she herself, exchanging slaughter for death by her children's hands, received her recompense from the god.
θεοῦ νιν κέλευμ’ ἐπεστράφη §1032μαντόσυνον, ὅτε νιν Ἀργόθεν πορευθεὶς §1033Ἀγαμεμνόνιος κέλωρ, ἀδύτων ἐπιβὰς §1035κτεάνων, ματρὸς φονεὺς
The god's prophetic command was directed to him, when, having set out from Argos, Agamemnon's son entered the sacred sanctuary and became his mother's killer.
§1036ὦ δαῖμον, ὦ Φοῖβε, πῶς πείθομαι;
O divinity, O Phoebus, how can I believe this?
§1037πολλαὶ δ’ ἀν’ Ἑλλάνων ἀγόρους στοναχὰς §1039μέλποντο δυστάνων τεκέων, ἄλοχοι δ’ §1040ἐξέλειπον οἴκους §1041πρὸς ἄλλον εὐνάτορ’.
And many groans for wretched children were sung throughout the gatherings of the Greeks, and wives left their homes for another bedfellow.
οὐχὶ σοὶ μόνᾳ §1042δύσφρονες ἐπέπεσον, οὐ φίλοισι, λῦπαι·
Not upon you alone, nor upon your loved ones, did hostile griefs fall.
§1044νόσον Ἑλλὰς ἔτλα, νόσον· διέβα δὲ Φρυγῶν §1045καὶ πρὸς εὐκάρπους γύας §1046σκηπτὸς σταλάσσων τὸν Ἅιδα φόνον.
Greece endured a sickness, a sickness; and a lightning bolt dripping with the murderous blood of Hades crossed over even to the fertile fields of the Phrygians.
§1047Φθιώτιδες γυναῖκες, ἱστοροῦντί μοι §1048σημήνατ’· ᾐσθόμην γὰρ οὐ σαφῆ λόγον §1049ὡς δώματ’ ἐκλιποῦσα Μενέλεω κόρη §1050φρούδη τάδ’·
Women of Phthia, tell me who inquire; for I heard an unclear rumor that Menelaus' daughter, having left this house, is gone.
ἥκω δ’ ἐκμαθεῖν σπουδὴν ἔχων §1051εἰ ταῦτ’ ἀληθῆ· τῶν γὰρ ἐκδήμων φίλων §1052δεῖ τοὺς κατ’ οἶκον ὄντας ἐκπονεῖν τύχας.
And I have come, having eagerness to learn if this is true; for those who are at home must work out the fortunes of their absent friends.
§1053Πηλεῦ, σαφῶς ἤκουσας· οὐδ’ ἐμοὶ καλὸν §1054κρύπτειν ἐν οἷς παροῦσα τυγχάνω κακοῖς· §1055βασίλεια γὰρ τῶνδ’ οἴχεται φυγὰς δόμων.
Peleus, you have heard clearly; nor is it honorable for me to conceal the evils in which I happen to be present; for the queen is gone, fleeing from this house.
§1056τίνος φόβου τυχοῦσα;
Encountering what fear?
διαπέραινέ μοι.
Tell me in detail.
§1057πόσιν τρέμουσα, μὴ δόμων νιν ἐκβάλῃ.
Fearing her husband, lest he cast her out from the house.
§1058μῶν ἀντὶ παιδὸς θανασίμων βουλευμάτων;
Was it on account of her deadly plots against the child?
§1059ναί, καὶ γυναικὸς αἰχμαλωτίδος φόβῳ.
Yes, and out of fear of the captive woman.
§1060σὺν πατρὶ δ’ οἴκους ἢ τίνος λείπει μέτα;
Did she leave the house with her father, or with whom?
§1061Ἀγαμέμνονός νιν παῖς βέβηκ’ ἄγων χθονός.
Agamemnon's son has gone, leading her from this land.
§1062ποίαν περαίνων ἐλπίδ’;
Accomplishing what hope?
ἦ γῆμαι θέλων;
Desiring to marry her?
§1063καὶ σῷ γε παιδὸς παιδὶ πορσύνων μόρον.
Yes, and planning death for your grandson.
§1064κρυπτὸς καταστὰς ἢ κατ’ ὄμμ’ ἐλθὼν μάχῃ;
By setting a secret ambush, or coming face to face in battle?
§1065ἁγνοῖς ἐν ἱεροῖς Λοξίου Δελφῶν μέτα.
In the holy temple of Loxias, together with the Delphians.
§1066οἴμοι·
Alas!
τόδ’ ἤδη δεινόν.
This is indeed terrible.
οὐχ ὅσον τάχος §1067χωρήσεταί τις Πυθικὴν πρὸς ἑστίαν §1068καὶ τἀνθάδ’ ὄντα τοῖς ἐκεῖ λέξει φίλοις, §1069πρὶν παῖδ’ Ἀχιλλέως κατθανεῖν ἐχθρῶν ὕπο;
Will not someone go with all speed to the Pythian hearth and tell the friends there what is happening here, before Achilles' son dies by his enemies?
§1070ὤμοι μοι·
Alas, alas!
What kind of fortunes do I, wretched, come to announce to you, old man, and to the friends of my master!
§1072αἰαῖ·
Alas!
πρόμαντις θυμὸς ὥς τι προσδοκᾷ.
My prophetic mind expects something.
§1073οὐκ ἔστι σοι παῖς παιδός, ὡς μάθῃς, γέρον §1074Πηλεῦ· τοιάσδε φασγάνων πληγὰς ἔχει §1075Δελφῶν ὑπ’ ἀνδρῶν καὶ Μυκηναίου ξένου.
Your grandson is no more, old man Peleus, that you may know it; he has such sword wounds from the Delphian men and the Mycenaean stranger.
§1076ἆ ἆ, τί δράσεις, ὦ γεραιέ;
Ah, ah, what will you do, old man?
μὴ πέσῃς· §1077ἔπαιρε σαυτόν.
Do not fall; raise yourself.
§1077bοὐδέν εἰμ’· ἀπωλόμην.
I am nothing; I have perished.
§1078φρούδη μὲν αὐδή, φροῦδα δ’ ἄρθρα μου κάτω.
My voice is gone, and my limbs below are dissolved.
Listen to what has been done, if indeed you wish to aid your loved ones, after uprighting your body.
O fate, at the final boundaries of old age, how you have surrounded me, wretched as I am!
§1083πῶς δ’ οἴχεταί μοι παῖς μόνου παιδὸς μόνος;
How has the only son of my only son perished?
§1084σήμαιν’· ἀκοῦσαι δ’ οὐκ ἀκούσθ’ ὅμως θέλω.
Tell me; though it is hard to hear, I wish to hear.
§1085ἐπεὶ τὸ κλεινὸν ἤλθομεν Φοίβου πέδον, §1086τρεῖς μὲν φαεννὰς ἡλίου διεξόδους §1087θέᾳ διδόντες ὄμματ’ ἐξεπίμπλαμεν.
When we reached the famous ground of Phoebus, for three bright courses of the sun we feasted our eyes, giving them to sightseeing.
And this was indeed suspicious; for into gatherings and circles did the people who inhabit the god's land assemble.
§1090Ἀγαμέμνονος δὲ παῖς διαστείχων πόλιν §1091ἐς οὖς ἑκάστῳ δυσμενεῖς ηὔδα λόγους· §1092Ὁρᾶτε τοῦτον, ὃς διαστείχει θεοῦ §1093χρυσοῦ γέμοντα γύαλα, θησαυροὺς βροτῶν, §1094τὸ δεύτερον παρόντ’ ἐφ’ οἷσι καὶ πάρος §1095δεῦρ’ ἦλθε, Φοίβου ναὸν ἐκπέρσαι θέλων; §1096κἀκ τοῦδ’ ἐχώρει ῥόθιον ἐν πόλει κακόν· §1097ἀρχαί τε, πληροῦντές τε βουλευτήρια, §1098ἰδίᾳ θ’ ὅσοι θεοῦ χρημάτων ἐφέστασαν, §1099φρουρὰν ἐτάξαντ’ ἐν περιστύλοις δόμοις.
And Agamemnon's son, walking through the city, spoke hostile words into the ear of each: 'Do you see this man, who walks through the god's gold-filled glades, the treasuries of mortals, being present for a second time for the same purpose for which he came here before, wishing to plunder Phoebus' temple?' And from this, an evil murmur spread through the city; the magistrates filled the council chambers, and privately as many as were in charge of the god's treasures stationed guards in the colonnaded halls.
§1100ἡμεῖς δὲ μῆλα, φυλλάδος Παρνασίας §1101παιδεύματ’, οὐδὲν τῶνδέ πω πεπυσμένοι, §1102λαβόντες ᾖμεν ἐσχάραις τ’ ἐφέσταμεν §1103σὺν προξένοισι μάντεσίν τε Πυθικοῖς.
And we, taking the sheep, the offspring of Parnassus' foliage, knowing nothing of these things yet, went and stood at the altars with the hosts and Pythian prophets.
And someone said this: 'O young man, what shall we pray to the god for you?