§455κλεινᾶς ἀσπίδος ἐν κύκλῳ §456τοιάδε σήματα, δείματα §457Φρύγια, τετύχθαι· §458περιδρόμῳ μὲν ἴτυος ἕδρᾳ §459Περσέα λαιμοτόμαν ὑπὲρ §460ἁλὸς ποτανοῖσι πεδί- §461λοισι φυὰν Γοργόνος ἴ- §462σχειν, Διὸς ἀγγέλῳ σὺν Ἑρ- §463μᾷ, τῷ Μαί- §463bας ἀγροτῆρι κούρῳ· §464ἐν δὲ μέσῳ κατέλαμπε σάκει φαέθων §465κύκλος ἀελίοιο §466ἵπποις ἂμ πτεροέσσαις §467ἄστρων τʼ αἰθέριοι χοροί, §468Πλειάδες, Ὑάδες, Ἕκτορος §469ὄμμασι τροπαῖοι· §470ἐπὶ δὲ χρυσοτύπῳ κράνει §471Σφίγγες ὄνυξιν ἀοίδιμον §472ἄγραν φέρουσαι· περιπλεύ- §473ρῳ δὲ κύτει πύρπνοος ἔ- §474σπευδε δρόμῳ λέαινα χαλ- §474aαῖς Πειρη- §475ναῖον ὁρῶσα πῶλον. §476ἄορι δʼ ἐν φονίῳ τετραβάμονες ἵπποι ἔπαλ- §477λον, κελαινὰ δʼ ἀμφὶ νῶθʼ ἵετο κόνις.
On the circle of the glorious shield, such designs, terrors to the Phrygians, were fashioned (so I heard); on the running border of the rim, Perseus, the slayer, over the sea with winged sandals, held the Gorgon's head, together with Hermes, the messenger of Zeus, the rustic son of Maia; and in the midst of the shield shone the bright circle of the sun on winged horses, and the ethereal dances of the stars, the Pleiades and Hyades, putting to retreat Hector's eyes; and upon the gold-beaten helmet, Sphinxes holding with their talons their sung prey; and on the curved side of the shield, the fire-breathing lioness rushed in her course, with her claws watching the Peirenean colt; and on the murderous sword four-legged horses leaped, and black dust rose around their backs.
Of such spear-toiling men, O daughter of Tyndareus, your adulterous bed slew the lord, O evil-minded woman.
§483τοιγάρ σέ ποτʼ οὐρανίδαι §484πέμψουσιν θανάτοις· ἦ σὰν §485ἔτʼ ἔτι φόνιον ὑπὸ δέραν §486ὄψομαι αἷμα χυθὲν σιδάρῳ.
Therefore, one day the heavenly ones will send you to death; yes, your murderous throat, still and again, under the sword I shall see shed with blood.
Where, where is my young mistress and lady, Agamemnon's child, whom I once reared?
How steep is the approach to this house for this wrinkled old man to ascend with his feet!
Yet, at least towards friends, one must drag this bent double spine and faltering knee.
§493ὦ θύγατερ — ἄρτι γάρ σε πρὸς δόμοις ὁρῶ — §494ἥκω φέρων σοι τῶν ἐμῶν βοσκημάτων §495ποίμνης νεογνὸν θρέμμʼ ὑποσπάσας τόδε §496στεφάνους τε τευχέων τʼ ἐξελὼν τυρεύματα, §497παλαιόν τε θησαύρισμα Διονύσου τόδε §498ὀσμῇ κατῆρες, μικρόν, ἀλλʼ ἐπεσβαλεῖν §499ἡδὺ σκύφον τοῦδʼ ἀσθενεστέρῳ ποτῷ.
O daughter—for just now I see you at the house— I come bringing to you from my flocks this newborn offspring taken from the ewe, and crowns, and cheeses taken out of the baskets, and this old treasure of Dionysus, rich in aroma, small indeed, but pleasant to pour into a cup of weaker drink.
§500ἴτω φέρων τις τοῖς ξένοις τάδʼ ἐς δόμους· §501ἐγὼ δὲ τρύχει τῷδʼ ἐμῶν πέπλων κόρας §502δακρύοισι τέγξας ἐξομόρξασθαι θέλω.
Let someone go carrying these into the house for the guests; and I, with this tatter of my garments, my eyes wet with tears, wish to wipe them away.
§503τί δʼ, ὦ γεραιέ, διάβροχον τόδʼ ὄμμʼ ἔχεις;
Why indeed, old father, do you have your eyes thus wet?
§504μῶν τἀμὰ διὰ χρόνου σʼ ἀνέμνησεν κακά;
Has my misfortune after so long a time reminded you of it?
§505ἢ τὰς Ὀρέστου τλήμονας φυγὰς στένεις §506καὶ πατέρα τὸν ἐμόν, ὅν ποτʼ ἐν χεροῖν ἔχων §507ἀνόνητʼ ἔθρεψας σοί τε καὶ τοῖς σοῖς φίλοις;
Or do you lament the wretched exile of Orestes, and my father, whom once holding in your hands you reared without profit to yourself and to your friends?
§508ἀνόνηθʼ· ὅμως δʼ οὖν τοῦτό γʼ οὐκ ἠνεσχόμην.
Without profit; but yet I could not bear this, at any rate.
§509ἦλθον γὰρ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τάφον πάρεργʼ ὁδοῦ §510καὶ προσπεσὼν ἔκλαυσʼ ἐρημίας τυχών, §511σπονδάς τε, λύσας ἀσκὸν ὃν φέρω ξένοις, §512ἔσπεισα, τύμβῳ δʼ ἀμφέθηκα μυρσίνας.
For I went to his grave as a side-task of my journey, and falling down, finding it deserted, I wept, and pouring libations, opening the skin-bag which I bring for the guests, I poured them, and placed myrtle branches around the tomb.
§513πυρᾶς δʼ ἐπʼ αὐτῆς οἶν μελάγχιμον πόκῳ §514σφάγιον ἐσεῖδον αἷμά τʼ οὐ πάλαι χυθὲν §515ξανθῆς τε χαίτης βοστρύχους κεκαρμένους.
And upon the altar itself I saw a sheep, black-fleeced in wool, sacrificed, and blood not long ago shed, and cut locks of golden hair.
And I wondered, child, who of men had dared to come to the tomb; for it was surely none of the Argives.
But perhaps your brother came secretly, and arriving, showed respect to the wretched tomb of his father.
§520σκέψαι δὲ χαίτην προστιθεῖσα σῇ κόμῃ, §521εἰ χρῶμα ταὐτὸν κουρίμης ἔσται τριχός· §522φιλεῖ γάρ, αἷμα ταὐτὸν οἷς ἂν ᾖ πατρός, §523τὰ πόλλʼ ὅμοια σώματος πεφυκέναι.
Look at the hair, placing it against your own lock, to see if the color of the shorn hair is the same; for it is usual for those who have the same blood of a father to be similar in most parts of the body.
§524οὐκ ἄξιʼ ἀνδρός, ὦ γέρον, σοφοῦ λέγεις, §525εἰ κρυπτὸν ἐς γῆν τήνδʼ ἂν Αἰγίσθου φόβῳ §526δοκεῖς ἀδελφὸν τὸν ἐμὸν εὐθαρσῆ μολεῖν.
You speak words unworthy of a wise man, old father, if you think that through fear of Aegisthus my brave brother would come secretly to this land.
§527ἔπειτα χαίτης πῶς συνοίσεται πλόκος, §528ὁ μὲν παλαίστραις ἀνδρὸς εὐγενοῦς τραφείς, §529ὁ δὲ κτενισμοῖς θῆλυς;
Then, how shall a lock of hair agree, the one nourished in the palaestras of a noble man, and the other feminine by combing?
ἀλλʼ ἀμήχανον.
No, it is impossible.
You would find similar locks among many, even if they are not born of the same blood, old father.
But do you, stepping into the footprint of his boot, see if it will be of equal measure with your foot, my child.
And how could there be on a rocky ground an imprint of feet?
εἰ δʼ ἔστιν τόδε, §536δυοῖν ἀδελφοῖν ποὺς ἂν οὐ γένοιτʼ ἴσος §537ἀνδρός τε καὶ γυναικός, ἀλλʼ ἅρσην κρατεῖ.
And even if there is, the feet of two siblings would not be equal, of a man and of a woman, but the male prevails.
§538οὐκ ἔστιν, εἰ καὶ γῆν κασίγνητος μολών, §539κερκίδος ὅτῳ γνοίης ἂν ἐξύφασμα σῆς, §540ἐν ᾧ ποτʼ αὐτὸν ἐξέκλεψα μὴ θανεῖν;
Is there not then, even if your brother has arrived in this land, a woven garment of your loom by which you might recognize him, in which I once stole him away to escape death?
Do you not know, when Orestes was cast out of the land, that I was still young?