§202τοῦ τε ζῶντος ἀλάτα, §203ὅς που γᾶν ἄλλαν κατέχει, §204μέλεος ἀλαί- §205νων ποτὶ θῆσσαν ἑστίαν, §206τοῦ κλεινοῦ πατρὸς ἐκφύς.
And for the living wanderer, who somewhere dwells in another land, wretchedly wandering towards a servant's hearth, born of a glorious father.
§207αὐτὰ δʼ ἐν χερνῆσι δόμοις §208ναίω ψυχὰν τακομένα §209δωμάτων πατρίων φυγάς, §210οὐρείας ἀνʼ ἐρίπνας.
And I myself in a poor house dwell, wasting away my soul, an exile from my ancestral home, among the mountain cliffs.
And my mother in a bloody bed lives wedded to another.
Helen, the sister of your mother, has the blame for many evils to the Greeks and to your house.
§215οἴμοι, γυναῖκες, ἐξέβην θρηνημάτων.
Alas, women, I stop my laments.
Some strangers here near the house, who have been occupying their place of ambush, rise up from their hiding.
You flee on the path, and I into the house, let us escape these evil-doing men on foot.
§220μένʼ, ὦ τάλαινα· μὴ τρέσῃς ἐμὴν χέρα.
Stay, wretched woman; do not fear my hand.
§221ὦ Φοῖβʼ Ἄπολλον·
O Phoebus Apollo!
προσπίτνω σε μὴ θανεῖν.
I entreat you that I may not die.
§222ἄλλους κτάνοιμι μᾶλλον ἐχθίους σέθεν.
May I rather slay others more hateful than you.
§223ἄπελθε, μὴ ψαῦʼ ὧν σε μὴ ψαύειν χρεών.
Go away, do not touch what you ought not to touch.
§224οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅτου θίγοιμʼ ἂν ἐνδικώτερον.
There is no one whom I could touch more rightfully.
§225καὶ πῶς ξιφήρης πρὸς δόμοις λοχᾷς ἐμοῖς;
And how is it that you lie in ambush near my house with a sword?
§226μείνασʼ ἄκουσον, καὶ τάχʼ οὐκ ἄλλως ἐρεῖς.
Wait and hear, and soon you will not say otherwise.
§227ἕστηκα· πάντως δʼ εἰμὶ σή· κρείσσων γὰρ εἶ.
I stand still; in any case I am yours, for you are stronger.
§228ἥκω φέρων σοι σοῦ κασιγνήτου λόγους.
I have come bringing you words from your brother.
§229ὦ φίλτατʼ, ἆρα ζῶντος ἢ τεθνηκότος;
O dearest one, of him living or dead?
§230ζῇ· πρῶτα γάρ σοι τἀγάθʼ ἀγγέλλειν θέλω.
He lives; for first I wish to announce the good things to you.
§231εὐδαιμονοίης, μισθὸν ἡδίστων λόγων.
May you be happy, as a reward for the sweetest words.
§232κοινῇ δίδωμι τοῦτο νῷν ἀμφοῖν ἔχειν.
I grant this to be held in common by both of us.
§233ποῦ γῆς ὁ τλήμων τλήμονας φυγὰς ἔχων;
Where on earth is the wretched man, having a wretched exile?
§234οὐχ ἕνα νομίζων φθείρεται πόλεως νόμον.
Not observing one city's custom, he wanders.
§235οὔ που σπανίζων τοῦ καθʼ ἡμέραν βίου;
Surely he is not lacking his daily livelihood?
§236ἔχει μέν, ἀσθενὴς δὲ δὴ φεύγων ἀνήρ.
He has it indeed, but an exiled man is powerless.
§237λόγον δὲ δὴ τίνʼ ἦλθες ἐκ κείνου φέρων;
And what word indeed have you come bringing from him?
§238εἰ ζῇς, ὅπως τε ζῶσα συμφορᾶς ἔχεις.
Whether you live, and how, living, you fare in your misfortune.
§239οὐκοῦν ὁρᾷς μου πρῶτον ὡς ξηρὸν δέμας.
Do you not then see, first, how wasted my body is?
§240λύπαις γε συντετηκός, ὥστε με στένειν.
Wasted away by griefs, so that I groan.
§241καὶ κρᾶτα πλόκαμόν τʼ ἐσκυθισμένον ξυρῷ.
And my head and hair shorn close with a razor.
§242δάκνει σʼ ἀδελφὸς ὅ τε θανὼν ἴσως πατήρ.
Your brother bites your heart, and perhaps your dead father.
§243οἴμοι, τί γάρ μοι τῶνδέ γʼ ἐστὶ φίλτερον;
Alas, for what is dearer to me than they?
§244φεῦ φεῦ·
Alas, alas!
τί δαὶ σὺ σῷ κασιγνήτῳ, δοκεῖς;
What then are you to your brother, do you think?
§245ἀπὼν ἐκεῖνος, οὐ παρὼν ἡμῖν φίλος.
He is dear to me, though absent, not present.
§246ἐκ τοῦ δὲ ναίεις ἐνθάδʼ ἄστεως ἑκάς;
And for what reason do you dwell here far from the city?
§247ἐγημάμεσθʼ, ὦ ξεῖνε, θανάσιμον γάμον.
I was married, O stranger, a marriage that is death to me.
§248ᾤμωξʼ ἀδελφὸν σόν.
I groan for your brother.
Μυκηναίων τίνι;
To which of the Mycenaeans?
§249οὐχ ᾧ πατήρ μʼ ἤλπιζεν ἐκδώσειν ποτέ.
Not to one to whom my father ever hoped to give me.
§250εἴφʼ, ὡς ἀκούσας σῷ κασιγνήτῳ λέγω.
Speak, so that having heard, I may tell your brother.
§251ἐν τοῖσδʼ ἐκείνου τηλορὸς ναίω δόμοις.
In this house, far away from him, I dwell.
§252σκαφεύς τις ἢ βουφορβὸς ἄξιος δόμων.
Some peasant or herdsman is worthy of such a house.
§253πένης ἀνὴρ γενναῖος ἔς τʼ ἔμʼ εὐσεβής.
A poor man, but noble, and respectful towards me.
§254ἡ δʼ εὐσέβεια τίς πρόσεστι σῷ πόσει;
And what respect belongs to your husband?
§255οὐπώποτʼ εὐνῆς τῆς ἐμῆς ἔτλη θιγεῖν.
He has never dared to touch my bed.
§256ἅγνευμʼ ἔχων τι θεῖον ἤ σʼ ἀπαξιῶν;
Having some divine vow of purity, or disdaining you?
§257γονέας ὑβρίζειν τοὺς ἐμοὺς οὐκ ἠξίου.
He did not think it right to outrage my parents.
§258καὶ πῶς γάμον τοιοῦτον οὐχ ἥσθη λαβών;
And how was he not pleased to obtain such a marriage?
§259οὐ κύριον τὸν δόντα μʼ ἡγεῖται, ξένε.
He does not consider the one who gave me to be my lawful guardian, stranger.
§260ξυνῆκʼ· Ὀρέστῃ μή ποτʼ ἐκτείσῃ δίκην.
I understand; lest he should some day pay the penalty to Orestes.
§261τοῦτʼ αὐτὸ ταρβῶν, πρὸς δὲ καὶ σώφρων ἔφυ.
Fearing this very thing, and besides, he is virtuous by nature.
§262φεῦ·
Ah!
§262aγενναῖον ἄνδρʼ ἔλεξας, εὖ τε δραστέον.
You speak of a noble man, and he must be well treated.
§263εἰ δή ποθʼ ἥξει γʼ ἐς δόμους ὁ νῦν ἀπών.
If indeed he who is now absent should ever return home.
§264μήτηρ δέ σʼ ἡ τεκοῦσα ταῦτʼ ἠνέσχετο;
And did your mother who bore you tolerate this?
§265γυναῖκες ἀνδρῶν, ὦ ξένʼ, οὐ παίδων φίλαι.
Women, O stranger, love their husbands, not their children.
§266τίνος δέ σʼ οὕνεχʼ ὕβρισʼ Αἴγισθος τάδε;
For what reason did Aegisthus outrage you thus?
§267τεκεῖν μʼ ἐβούλετʼ ἀσθενῆ, τοιῷδε δούς.
He wished me to bear weak children, by giving me to such a man.
§268ὡς δῆθε παῖδας μὴ τέκοις ποινάτορας;
So that indeed you might not bear children who would be avengers?
§269τοιαῦτʼ ἐβούλευσʼ· ὧν ἐμοὶ δοίη δίκην.
Such was his plan; for which may he pay the penalty to me.
§270οἶδεν δέ σʼ οὖσαν παρθένον μητρὸς πόσις;
And does your mother's husband know that you are a virgin?
§271οὐκ οἶδε· σιγῇ τοῦθʼ ὑφαιρούμεσθά νιν.
He does not know; we keep this from him in silence.
§272αἵδʼ οὖν φίλαι σοι τούσδʼ ἀκούουσιν λόγους;
Are these women then friendly to you who hear these words?
§273ὥστε στέγειν γε τἀμὰ καὶ σʼ ἔπη καλῶς.
Yes, so as to keep well hidden both my words and yours.
§274τί δῆτʼ Ὀρέστης πρὸς τόδʼ, Ἄργος ἢν μόλῃ;
What then will Orestes do in response to this, if he comes to Argos?
§275ἤρου τόδʼ;
Do you ask this?
αἰσχρόν γʼ εἶπας· οὐ γὰρ νῦν ἀκμή;
You speak shamefully; for is it not now the critical moment?
§276ἐλθὼν δὲ δὴ πῶς φονέας ἂν κτάνοι πατρός;
And if he comes indeed, how could he slay his father's murderers?
§277τολμῶν ὑπʼ ἐχθρῶν οἷʼ ἐτολμήθη πατήρ.
By daring to do what his father suffered by daring of his enemies.
§278ἦ καὶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ μητέρʼ ἂν τλαίης κτανεῖν;
Would you indeed dare to slay your mother along with him?
§279ταὐτῷ γε πελέκει τῷ πατὴρ ἀπώλετο.
With the very same axe by which my father perished.
§280λέγω τάδʼ αὐτῷ, καὶ βέβαια τἀπὸ σοῦ;
Shall I tell him these things, and are they firm on your part?
§281θάνοιμι μητρὸς αἷμʼ ἐπισφάξασʼ ἐμῆς.
May I die, once I have slaughtered and shed my mother's blood.
§282φεῦ·
Ah!
§282aεἴθʼ ἦν Ὀρέστης πλησίον κλύων τάδε.
Would that Orestes were near, hearing these things.
§283ἀλλʼ, ὦ ξένʼ, οὐ γνοίην ἂν εἰσιδοῦσά νιν.
But, O stranger, I would not recognize him if I saw him.