§366οὗτος κέκληται πόσις ἐμὸς τῆς ἀθλίας.
This man is called the husband of wretched me.
§367φεῦ·
Alas!
There is nothing certain in regard to noble manhood; for the natures of mortals have confusion.
§369ἤδη γὰρ εἶδον ἄνδρα γενναίου πατρὸς §370τὸ μηδὲν ὄντα, χρηστά τʼ ἐκ κακῶν τέκνα, §371λιμόν τʼ ἐν ἀνδρὸς πλουσίου φρονήματι, §372γνώμην τε μεγάλην ἐν πένητι σώματι.
For already I have seen a man of a noble father being nothing, and good children from bad parents, and hunger in the mind of a rich man, and a great mind in a poor body.
§373πῶς οὖν τις αὐτὰ διαλαβὼν ὀρθῶς κρινεῖ;
How then shall anyone distinguish these things and judge aright?
§374πλούτῳ;
By wealth?
πονηρῷ τἄρα χρήσεται κριτῇ.
He will use a poor judge then.
§375ἢ τοῖς ἔχουσι μηδέν;
Or by those who have nothing?
ἀλλʼ ἔχει νόσον §376πενία, διδάσκει δʼ ἄνδρα τῇ χρείᾳ κακόν.
But poverty has a disease, and teaches a man evil through need.
§377ἀλλʼ εἰς ὅπλʼ ἔλθω;
But shall I turn to arms?
τίς δὲ πρὸς λόγχην βλέπων §378μάρτυς γένοιτʼ ἂν ὅστις ἐστὶν ἁγαθός;
But looking toward the spear, who could be a witness of who is brave?
§379κράτιστον εἰκῇ ταῦτʼ ἐᾶν ἀφειμένα.
It is best to leave these things alone, dismissed at random.
§380οὗτος γὰρ ἁνὴρ οὔτʼ ἐν Ἀργείοις μέγας §381οὔτʼ αὖ δοκήσει δωμάτων ὠγκωμένος, §382ἐν τοῖς δὲ πολλοῖς ὤν, ἄριστος ηὑρέθη.
For this man is neither great among the Argives, nor again puffed up by the reputation of his house, but being among the multitude, he has been found excellent.
§383οὐ μὴ ἀφρονήσεθʼ, οἳ κενῶν δοξασμάτων §384πλήρεις πλανᾶσθε, τῇ δʼ ὁμιλίᾳ βροτοὺς §385κρινεῖτε καὶ τοῖς ἤθεσιν τοὺς εὐγενεῖς;
Will you not cease to be foolish, you who, full of empty opinions, wander about, and will you not judge mortals by association and by their character, to see who are noble?
§386οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι καὶ πόλεις οἰκοῦσιν εὖ §387καὶ δώμαθʼ· αἱ δὲ σάρκες αἱ κεναὶ φρενῶν §388ἀγάλματʼ ἀγορᾶς εἰσιν.
For such men govern both cities well and homes; but bodies empty of understanding are but statues of the marketplace.
For neither does a strong arm withstand the spear more than a weak one; but this lies in nature and in nobility of soul.
§391ἀλλʼ — ἄξιος γὰρ ὅ τε παρὼν ὅ τʼ οὐ παρὼν §392Ἀγαμέμνονος παῖς, οὗπερ οὕνεχʼ ἥκομεν — §393δεξώμεθʼ οἴκων καταλύσεις.
But—for both the one present and the one absent, the son of Agamemnon, for whose sake we have come, are worthy— let us accept the hospitality of this house.
χωρεῖν χρεών, §394δμῶες, δόμων τῶνδʼ ἐντός.
It is necessary to go, servants, inside this house.
ὡς ἐμοὶ πένης §395εἴη πρόθυμος πλουσίου μᾶλλον ξένος.
For to me may a poor host be more welcome than a rich one.
§396αἰνῶ μὲν οὖν τοῦδʼ ἀνδρὸς ἐσδοχὰς δόμων, §397ἐβουλόμην δʼ ἄν, εἰ κασίγνητός με σὸς §398ἐς εὐτυχοῦντας ἦγεν εὐτυχῶν δόμους.
I indeed praise this man's welcome into his house, but I would have wished if your brother, being fortunate, were leading me into fortunate halls.
Perhaps he may come; for Loxias's oracles are firm, but human prophecy I bid farewell.
§401νῦν ἢ πάροιθεν μᾶλλον, Ἠλέκτρα, χαρᾷ §402θερμαινόμεσθα καρδίαν· ἴσως γὰρ ἂν §403μόλις προβαίνουσʼ ἡ τύχη σταίη καλῶς.
Now more than before, Electra, with joy we are warmed in our heart; for perhaps fortune, though advancing slowly, may stand well.
O wretched man, knowing the poverty of your house, why did you welcome these guests who are greater than yourself?
§406τί δʼ;
Why indeed?
εἴπερ εἰσὶν ὡς δοκοῦσιν εὐγενεῖς, §407οὐκ ἔν τε μικροῖς ἔν τε μὴ στέρξουσʼ ὁμῶς;
If they are noble as they seem, will they not be content equally in small things and in great?
§408ἐπεί νυν ἐξήμαρτες ἐν σμικροῖσιν ὤν, §409ἔλθʼ ὡς παλαιὸν τροφὸν ἐμοῦ φίλον πατρός, §410ὃς ἀμφὶ ποταμὸν Τάναον Ἀργείας ὅρους §411τέμνοντα γαίας Σπαρτιάτιδός τε γῆς §412ποίμναις ὁμαρτεῖ πόλεος ἐκβεβλημένος·
Since then you have made a mistake, being in small circumstances, go to the old tutor, the friend of my father, who, around the river Tanaos which marks the boundaries of Argive land and Spartan territory, follows his flocks, having been cast out of the city.
And bid him come to these guests who have arrived at my house, and to provide some feast for the strangers.
He will indeed be glad and will pray to the gods, hearing that the child is alive whom he once saved.
§417οὐ γὰρ πατρῴων ἐκ δόμων μητρὸς πάρα §418λάβοιμεν ἄν τι· πικρὰ δʼ ἀγγείλαιμεν ἄν, §419εἰ ζῶντʼ Ὀρέστην ἡ τάλαινʼ αἴσθοιτʼ ἔτι.
For from my father's house, from my mother, we could receive nothing; and we would report bitter news if the wretched woman should perceive that Orestes is still alive.
§420ἀλλʼ, εἰ δοκεῖ σοι, τούσδʼ ἀπαγγελῶ λόγους §421γέροντι· χώρει δʼ ἐς δόμους ὅσον τάχος §422καὶ τἄνδον ἐξάρτυε.
Well, if it seems good to you, I will deliver these words to the old man; and do you go into the house as quickly as possible and prepare things inside.
πολλά τοι γυνὴ §423χρῄζουσʼ ἂν εὕροι δαιτὶ προσφορήματα.
Indeed, a woman if she wishes can find many additions for a feast.
And indeed there is still so much in the house as to fill these men with food for at least one day.
§426ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις δʼ ἡνίκʼ ἂν γνώμης πέσω, §427σκοπῶ τὰ χρήμαθʼ ὡς ἔχει μέγα σθένος, §428ξένοις τε δοῦναι σῶμά τʼ ἐς νόσους πεσὸν §429δαπάναισι σῷσαι· τῆς δʼ ἐφʼ ἡμέραν βορᾶς §430ἐς σμικρὸν ἥκει· πᾶς γὰρ ἐμπλησθεὶς ἀνὴρ §431ὁ πλούσιός τε χὡ πένης ἴσον φέρει.
And when I fall into such thoughts, I consider how great a power wealth has, both to give to guests, and when a body has fallen into sickness, to save it through expenditure; but for daily food it comes to little; for every man, once filled, both the rich and the poor, bears an equal portion.
§432κλειναὶ νᾶες, αἵ ποτʼ ἔβατε Τροίαν §433τοῖς ἀμετρήτοις ἐρετμοῖς §434πέμπουσαι χοροὺς μετὰ Νηρῄδων, §435ἵνʼ ὁ φίλαυλος ἔπαλλε δελ- §436φὶς πρῴραις κυανεμβόλοι- §437σιν εἱλισσόμενος, §438πορεύων τὸν τᾶς Θέτιδος §439κοῦφον ἅλμα ποδῶν Ἀχιλῆ §440σὺν Ἀγαμέμνονι Τρωίας §441ἐπὶ Σιμουντίδας ἀκτάς.
Famous ships, which once went to Troy with countless oars, escorting dances with the Nereids, where the flute-loving dolphin leaped, twisting about the dark-beaked prows, escorting the son of Thetis, Achilles of light leap of feet, with Agamemnon to the Trojan shores of Simois.
§442Νηρῇδες δʼ Εὐβοῖδας ἄκρας λιποῦσαι §443μόχθους ἀσπιστὰς ἀκμόνων §444Ἡφαίστου χρυσέων ἔφερον τευχέων, §445ἀνά τε Πήλιον ἀνά τε πρυ- §446μνὰς Ὄσσας ἱερᾶς νάπας §447Νυμφαίας σκοπιὰς §448κόρας μάτευσʼ, ἔνθα πατὴρ §449ἱππότας τρέφεν Ἑλλάδι φῶς §450Θέτιδος εἰνάλιον γόνον §451ταχύπορον πόδʼ Ἀτρείδαις.
And the Nereids, leaving the Euboean capes, bore the shield-bearing labors of the anvils of Hephaestus, of golden armor, both up Pelion and up the ridges of holy Ossa's sacred valley, the Nymphaean lookouts, they searched for the youth, where the father equestrian father raised as a light for Greece the marine offspring of Thetis, swift-moving foot for the sons of Atreus.