Retribution for evils; changing winds blow upon this house.
τότε μὲν ἐν λουτροῖς §1149ἔπεσεν ἐμὸς ἐμὸς ἀρχέτας, §1150ἰάχησε δὲ στέγα λάινοί τε θριγκοὶ δόμων, §1151τάδʼ ἐνέποντος· Ὦ σχέτλια· τί με, γύναι, φονεύσεις φίλαν §1152πατρίδα δεκέτεσιν σποραῖσιν ἐλθόντʼ ἐμάν; §1155παλίρρους δὲ τάνδʼ ὑπάγεται δίκα §1156διαδρόμου λέχους μέλεον ἃ πόσιν §1157χρόνιον ἱκόμενον εἰς οἴκους §1158Κυκλώπειά τʼ οὐράνια τείχεʼ ὀξυθήκτου βέλους §1160ἔκανεν αὐτόχειρ, πέλεκυν ἐν χεροῖν λαβοῦσʼ·
Once in the bath fell my, my leader, and the roof and the stone copings of the house shrieked, as he uttered these words: "O cruel wife, why do you murder me, when I have come to my dear homeland after ten years of sowing?" But now a backward-flowing justice brings this woman down, who, wretchedly, for her faithless bed, her husband returning after a long time to his home and to the Cyclopean heavenly walls, with a sharp-edged weapon slew with her own hand, taking an axe in her hands.
ἆ τλάμων §1161πόσις, ὅ τί ποτε τὰν τάλαιναν ἔσχεν κακόν.
Ah, patient husband, whatever evil possessed that wretched woman!
Like some mountain lioness of the glades haunting the oak forests, she accomplished this deed.
§1165ὦ τέκνα, πρὸς θεῶν, μὴ κτάνητε μητέρα.
(Clytemnestra, from within) O children, by the gods, do not kill your mother!
§1166κλύεις ὑπώροφον βοάν;
(Chorus) Do you hear the cry beneath the roof?
§1167ἰώ μοί μοι.
(Clytemnestra) Ah, woe is me!
§1168ᾤμωξα κἀγὼ πρὸς τέκνων χειρουμένης.
(Chorus) I too groan for her as she is overpowered by her children.
§1169νέμει τοι δίκαν θεός, ὅταν τύχῃ· §1170σχέτλια μὲν ἔπαθες, ἀνόσια δʼ εἰργάσω, §1171τάλαινʼ, εὐνέταν.
Truly God distributes justice when the time comes; you suffered cruel things, but you wrought unholy deeds, wretched woman, against your husband.
§1172ἀλλʼ οἵδε μητρὸς νεοφόνοις ἐν αἵμασι §1173πεφυρμένοι βαίνουσιν ἐξ οἴκων πόδα, §1174τροπαῖα δείγματʼ ἀθλίων προσφαγμάτων.
But look, here they come, steeped in their mother's newly-shed blood, stepping out of the house, trophy-like proofs of her wretched slaughter.
There is no house more wretched than that of Tantalus' descendants, nor did any ever spring from them.
§1177ἰὼ Γᾶ καὶ Ζεῦ πανδερκέτα §1178βροτῶν, ἴδετε τάδʼ ἔργα φόνι- §1179α μυσαρά, δίγονα σώματʼ ἐν §1180χθονὶ κείμενα πλαγᾷ §1181χερὸς ὑπʼ ἐμᾶς, ἄποινʼ ἐμῶν §1181aπημάτων
(Orestes) O Earth and all-seeing Zeus of mortals, behold these murderous, abominable deeds, two bodies lying in the dust, struck down by my hand, in return for my sufferings.
§1182δακρύτʼ ἄγαν, ὦ σύγγονʼ, αἰτία δʼ ἐγώ.
(Electra) Worthy of infinite tears, O brother, and I am the cause.
Through fire did I, wretched girl, go against this mother who bore me as her daughter.
§1185ἰὼ τύχας, σᾶς τύχας, §1186μᾶτερ τεκοῦσʼ ἄλαστα, §1187ἄλαστα μέλεα καὶ πέρα §1188παθοῦσα σῶν τέκνων ὑπαί.
(Chorus) O fortune, your fortune, mother who bore unforgettable, unforgettable and worse sufferings at the hands of your children.
§1189πατρὸς δʼ ἔτεισας φόνον δικαίως.
But you paid for the murder of our father justly.
§1190ἰὼ Φοῖβʼ, ἀνύμνησας δίκαιʼ §1191ἄφαντα, φανερὰ δʼ ἐξέπρα- §1192ξας ἄχεα, φόνια δʼ ὤπασας §1193λάχεʼ ἀπὸ γᾶς Ἑλλανίδος.
(Orestes) O Phoebus, you sang of an obscure justice, but you have brought about manifest sorrows, and you have granted murderous lots from the land of Greece.
§1194τίνα δʼ ἑτέραν μόλω πόλιν;
To what other city shall I go?
What stranger, what pious man will look upon my face, having killed my mother?
§1198ἰὼ ἰώ μοι.
(Electra) Ah, woe is me!
ποῖ δʼ ἐγώ, τίνʼ ἐς χορόν, §1199τίνα γάμον εἶμι;
Where, to what dance, to what marriage shall I go?
τίς πόσις με δέξεται §1200νυμφικὰς ἐς εὐνάς;
What husband will receive me into his bridal bed?
§1201πάλιν, πάλιν φρόνημα σὸν §1202μετεστάθη πρὸς αὔραν· §1203φρονεῖς γὰρ ὅσια νῦν, τότʼ οὐ §1204φρονοῦσα, δεινὰ δʼ εἰργάσω, §1205φίλα, κασίγνητον οὐ θέλοντα.
(Chorus) Again, again your mind has shifted with the wind; for you think holy thoughts now, though then you did not, and you wrought dreadful things, my friend, urging your brother who was unwilling.
§1206κατεῖδες, οἷον ἁ τάλαινʼ ἔξω πέπλων §1207ἔβαλεν, ἔδειξε μαστὸν ἐν φοναῖσιν, §1208ἰώ μοι, πρὸς πέδῳ §1209τιθεῖσα γόνιμα μέλεα;
(Orestes) Did you see how the wretched woman threw her robes aside, showing her breast in the slaughter, ah, woe is me, on the ground laying the limbs that gave me birth?
τὰν κόμαν δʼ ἐγὼ —
And her hair I...
(Chorus) I know well, you went through agony, hearing the piteous wail of the mother who bore you.
§1214βοὰν δʼ ἔλασκε τάνδε, πρὸς γένυν ἐμὰν §1215τιθεῖσα χεῖρα· Τέκος ἐμόν, λιταίνω· §1216παρῄδων τʼ ἐξ ἐμᾶν §1217ἐκρίμναθʼ, ὥστε χέρας ἐμὰς λιπεῖν βέλος.
(Orestes) And she uttered this cry, putting her hand to my cheek: "My child, I beseech you!" And from my cheeks she hung, so as to make the weapon leave my hands.
(Chorus) Wretched man, how did you endure to see with your eyes the slaughter of your mother breathing her last?
(Orestes) Casting my cloak over my eyes, I began with the sword, plunging it into my mother's neck.
(Electra) And I urged you on, and touched the sword at the same time.
§1226δεινότατον παθέων ἔρεξας.
(Chorus) You have done the most dreadful of deeds.
Take hold, cover your mother's limbs with robes, and compose her wounds.
§1229φονέας ἔτικτες ἆρά σοι.
You bore your own murderers.
(Electra) Look, to her who was dear and not dear we cast these garments around.
§1232τέρμα κακῶν μεγάλων δόμοισιν.
(Chorus) The end of great evils for the house.
But who are these appearing above the palace roofs—daemons or gods of heaven?
For this is not a path of mortals; why indeed do they come into plain sight of men?
§1238Ἀγαμέμνονος παῖ, κλῦθι·
(Dioscuri) Agamemnon's child, listen.
Your mother's twin brothers, the Dioscuri, call you, Castor and this brother Polydeuces.
§1241δεινὸν δὲ ναυσὶν ἀρτίως πόντου σάλον §1242παύσαντʼ ἀφίγμεθʼ Ἄργος, ὡς ἐσείδομεν §1243σφαγὰς ἀδελφῆς τῆσδε, μητέρος δὲ σῆς.
Having just stilled the terrible surge of the sea for ships, we have come to Argos, as we saw the slaughter of this sister, your mother.
§1244δίκαια μέν νυν ἥδʼ ἔχει, σὺ δʼ οὐχὶ δρᾷς·
She has received justice indeed, but your deed is not right.
And Phoebus, Phoebus—but since he is my king, I am silent; wise though he is, he did not prophesy wisely to you.
But we must accept these things; henceforth you must do what Fate and Zeus have decreed for you.