§547οἱ δὲ ξένοι ποῦ;
"But where are the strangers?
βούλομαι γὰρ εἰσιδὼν §548αὐτοὺς ἔρεσθαι σοῦ κασιγνήτου πέρι. §549οἵδʼ ἐκ δόμων βαίνουσι λαιψηρῷ ποδί. §550ἀλλʼ εὐγενεῖς μέν, ἐν δὲ κιβδήλῳ τόδε· §551πολλοὶ γὰρ ὄντες εὐγενεῖς εἰσιν κακοί.
For I wish to see them and ask about your brother." "Here they are, coming out of the house with swift step." "Noble indeed they seem, but this is deceptive; for many who are noble are evil.
§552ὅμως δέ. — χαίρειν τοὺς ξένους προσεννέπω. §553χαῖρʼ, ὦ γεραιέ. — τοῦ ποτʼ, Ἠλέκτρα, τόδε §554παλαιὸν ἀνδρὸς λείψανον φίλων κυρεῖ; §555οὗτος τὸν ἁμὸν πατέρʼ ἔθρεψεν, ὦ ξένε.
But nevertheless—I bid the strangers welcome." "Greeting, old man.—To whom of your friends, Electra, does this old relic of a man belong?" "This man reared my father, stranger." "What do you say?
Is this he who stole your brother away?" "This is he who saved him, if indeed he still exists." "Ah!
§558aτί μʼ ἐσδέδορκεν ὥσπερ ἀργύρου σκοπῶν
Why does he look at me as if examining the bright stamp of silver?
§559λαμπρὸν χαρακτῆρʼ; ἢ προσεικάζει μέ τῳ; §560ἴσως Ὀρέστου σʼ ἥλιχʼ ἥδεται βλέπων. §561φίλου γε φωτός.
Or does he liken me to someone?" "Perhaps he is pleased to look at you, who are of Orestes' age." "Indeed, a beloved man.
τί δὲ κυκλεῖ πέριξ πόδα; §562καὐτὴ τόδʼ εἰσορῶσα θαυμάζω, ξένε. §563ὦ πότνιʼ, εὔχου, θύγατερ Ἠλέκτρα, θεοῖς. §564τί τῶν ἀπόντων ἢ τί τῶν ὄντων πέρι; §565λαβεῖν φίλον θησαυρόν, ὃν φαίνει θεός. §566ἰδού· καλῶ θεούς.
But why does he wheel his foot around me?" "I too wonder as I look at this, stranger." "O revered daughter Electra, pray to the gods." "Concerning what things absent, or what things present?" "To obtain a beloved treasure, which a god is revealing." "Behold, I call upon the gods.
ἢ τί δὴ λέγεις, γέρον; §567βλέψον νυν ἐς τόνδʼ, ὦ τέκνον, τὸν φίλτατον. §568πάλαι δέδορκα, μὴ σύ γʼ οὐκέτʼ εὖ φρονῇς. §569οὐκ εὖ φρονῶ ʼγὼ σὸν κασίγνητον βλέπων; §570πῶς εἶπας, ὦ γεραίʼ, ἀνέλπιστον λόγον; §571ὁρᾶν Ὀρέστην τόνδε τὸν Ἀγαμέμνονος. §572ποῖον χαρακτῆρʼ εἰσιδών, ᾧ πείσομαι; §573οὐλὴν παρʼ ὀφρύν, ἥν ποτʼ ἐν πατρὸς δόμοις §574νεβρὸν διώκων σοῦ μέθʼ ᾑμάχθη πεσών. §575πῶς φῄς; ὁρῶ μὲν πτώματος τεκμήριον.
But what indeed do you mean, old man?" "Look now at this most beloved one, my child." "I have long been looking, fearing lest you are no longer in your right mind." "Am I not in my right mind when looking at your brother?" "How did you speak this unhoped-for word, old man?" "That you see here Orestes, the son of Agamemnon." "Seeing what mark, by which I shall be convinced?" "The scar by your eyebrow, which once in your father's house, chasing a fawn with you, he made bloody by falling." "What do you say?
§576ἔπειτα μέλλεις προσπίτνειν τοῖς φιλτάτοις; §577ἀλλʼ οὐκέτʼ, ὦ γεραιέ· συμβόλοισι γὰρ §578τοῖς σοῖς πέπεισμαι θυμόν. — ὦ χρόνῳ φανείς, §579ἔχω σʼ ἀέλπτως — §579bκἀξ ἐμοῦ γʼ ἔχῃ χρόνῳ. §580οὐδέποτε δόξασα. §580bοὐδʼ ἐγὼ γὰρ ἤλπισα. §581ἐκεῖνος εἶ σύ; §581bσύμμαχός γέ σοι μόνος. §582ἢν δʼ ἀνσπάσωμαί γʼ ὃν μετέρχομαι βόλον — §583πέποιθα δʼ· ἢ χρὴ μηκέθʼ ἡγεῖσθαι θεούς, §584εἰ τἄδικʼ ἔσται τῆς δίκης ὑπέρτερα.
I see indeed the token of the fall." "Then do you delay to fall into the arms of your most beloved?" "No longer, old man; for by your tokens I am convinced in my heart.—O you who have appeared in time, I hold you unhoped-for—" "And you are held by me in time." "Having never expected it." "For neither did I hope." "Are you indeed he?" "Your only ally, at any rate." "And if I draw up the net which I am pursuing— and I trust in this; otherwise we must no longer believe in gods, if injustice is to be stronger than justice." "You came, you came, O long-awaited day!
§585ἔμολες ἔμολες, ὤ, χρόνιος ἁμέρα, §586κατέλαμψας, ἔδειξας ἐμφανῆ §587πόλει πυρσόν, ὃς παλαιᾷ φυγᾷ §588πατρίων ἀπὸ δωμάτων τάλας §589ἀλαίνων ἔβα. §590θεὸς αὖ θεὸς ἁμετέραν τις ἄγει §591νίκαν, ὦ φίλα. §592ἄνεχε χέρας, ἄνεχε λόγον, ἵει λιτὰς §593ἐς θεούς, τύχᾳ σοι τύχᾳ §595κασίγνητον ἐμβατεῦσαι πόλιν. §596εἶἑν· φίλας μὲν ἡδονὰς ἀσπασμάτων §597ἔχω, χρόνῳ δὲ καὖθις αὐτὰ δώσομεν. §598σὺ δʼ, ὦ γεραιέ — καίριος γὰρ ἤλυθες — §599λέξον, τί δρῶν ἂν φονέα τεισαίμην πατρός;
You shone out, you showed clear to the city the beacon, who in his long exile from his ancestral home, wretchedly went wandering." "A god, yes, some god leads us to victory, my friend." "Raise your hands, raise your voice, send prayers to the gods, that by fortune, by fortune your brother has set foot in the city." "Well; I have the dear pleasures of embraces, and in time hereafter we shall give them again." "But you, old man—for you have come in good season— tell me, by doing what might I avenge my father's murderer?" "Is there any well-disposed friend for me in Argos?
Or are we utterly ruined, just as our fortunes are?
§603τῷ ξυγγένωμαι;
With whom should I associate?
νύχιος ἢ καθʼ ἡμέραν;
By night or by day?
What way should we turn against my enemies?" "O child, no one is a friend to you in your misfortune.
§606εὕρημα γάρ τοι χρῆμα γίγνεται τόδε, §607κοινῇ μετασχεῖν τἀγαθοῦ καὶ τοῦ κακοῦ. §608σὺ δʼ — ἐκ βάθρων γὰρ πᾶς ἀνῄρησαι φίλοις §609οὐδʼ ἐλλέλοιπας ἐλπίδʼ — ἴσθι μου κλύων, §610ἐν χειρὶ τῇ σῇ πάντʼ ἔχεις καὶ τῇ τύχῃ, §611πατρῷον οἶκον καὶ πόλιν λαβεῖν σέθεν. §612τί δῆτα δρῶντες τοῦδʼ ἂν ἐξικοίμεθα; §613κτανὼν Θυέστου παῖδα σήν τε μητέρα. §614ἥκω ʼπὶ τόνδε στέφανον· ἀλλὰ πῶς λάβω; §615τειχέων μὲν ἐλθὼν ἐντὸς οὐδʼ ἂν εἰ θέλοις. §616φρουραῖς κέκασται δεξιαῖς τε δορυφόρων; §617ἔγνως· φοβεῖται γάρ σε κοὐχ εὕδει σαφῶς. §618εἶἑν· σὺ δὴ τοὐνθένδε βούλευσον, γέρον. §619κἀμοῦ γʼ ἄκουσον· ἄρτι γάρ μʼ ἐσῆλθέ τι. §620ἐσθλόν τι μηνύσειας, αἰσθοίμην δʼ ἐγώ. §621Αἴγισθον εἶδον, ἡνίχʼ εἷρπον ἐνθάδε.
For this thing is indeed a rare find, to share in common both good and evil." "But you—for you are utterly destroyed in respect to friends and have not even left hope—know, listening to me, that in your hand and in fortune you have everything, to regain your ancestral house and city." "Then by doing what could we attain this?" "By killing the son of Thyestes and your mother." "I have come for this crown; but how shall I take it?" "Not even if you wished could you go inside the walls." "Is he guarded by garrisons and the right hands of spear-bearers?" "You have hit the mark; for he fears you and clearly does not sleep." "Well; do you then plan the next steps, old man." "And listen to me; for just now a thought has entered my mind." "May you declare something good, and may I perceive it." "I saw Aegisthus when I was creeping hither." "I welcome what you said.
In what place?" "Near these fields, where his horse-pastures are." "Doing what?
§624τί δρῶνθʼ; ὁρῶ γὰρ ἐλπίδʼ ἐξ ἀμηχάνων. §625Νύμφαις ἐπόρσυνʼ ἔροτιν, ὡς ἔδοξέ μοι. §626τροφεῖα παίδων ἢ πρὸ μέλλοντος τόκου; §627οὐκ οἶδα πλὴν ἕν· βουσφαγεῖν ὡπλίζετο.
For I see hope out of desperate straits." "He was preparing a feast for the Nymphs, as it seemed to me." "For the rearing-thanks of children, or before a future birth?" "I do not know, except one thing: he was preparing to sacrifice cattle." "With how many men?