§631δμῶες μέν εἰσιν, οἳ σέ γʼ οὐκ εἶδόν ποτε. §632ἡμῖν ἂν εἶεν, εἰ κρατοῖμεν, εὐμενεῖς; §633δούλων γὰρ ἴδιον τοῦτο, σοὶ δὲ σύμφορον. §634πῶς οὖν ἂν αὐτῷ πλησιασθείην ποτέ; §635στείχων ὅθεν σε βουθυτῶν ἐσόψεται. §636ὁδὸν παρʼ αὐτήν, ὡς ἔοικʼ, ἀγροὺς ἔχει; §637ὅθεν γʼ ἰδών σε δαιτὶ κοινωνὸν καλεῖ. §638πικρόν γε συνθοινάτορʼ, ἢν θεὸς θέλῃ. §639τοὐνθένδε πρὸς τὸ πῖπτον αὐτὸς ἐννόει. §640καλῶς ἔλεξας. — ἡ τεκοῦσα δʼ ἐστὶ ποῦ; §641Ἄργει· παρέσται δʼ οὖν πόσει θοίνην ἔπι. §642τί δʼ οὐχ ἅμʼ ἐξωρμᾶτʼ ἐμὴ μήτηρ πόσει; §643ψόγον τρέμουσα δημοτῶν ἐλείπετο. §644ξυνῆχʼ· ὕποπτος οὖσα γιγνώσκει πόλει. §645τοιαῦτα· μισεῖται γὰρ ἀνόσιος γυνή. §646πῶς οὖν ἐκείνην τόνδε τʼ ἐν ταὐτῷ κτενῶ; §647ἐγὼ φόνον γε μητρὸς ἐξαρτύσομαι. §648καὶ μὴν ἐκεῖνά γʼ ἡ τύχη θήσει καλῶς. §649ὑπηρετείτω μὲν δυοῖν ὄντοιν ὅδε. §650ἔσται τάδʼ· εὑρίσκεις δὲ μητρὶ πῶς φόνον; §651λέγʼ, ὦ γεραιέ, τάδε Κλυταιμήστρᾳ μολών· §652λεχώ μʼ ἀπάγγελλʼ οὖσαν ἄρσενος τόκῳ. §653πότερα πάλαι τεκοῦσαν ἢ νεωστὶ δή; §654δέχʼ ἡλίους, ἐν οἷσιν ἁγνεύει λεχώ. §655καὶ δὴ τί τοῦτο μητρὶ προσβάλλει φόνον; §656ἥξει κλύουσα λόχιά μου νοσήματα.
"They are servants indeed, who have never seen you." "Would they be well-disposed to us, if we should master them?" "For this is characteristic of slaves, and advantageous for you." "How then might I ever approach him?" "By walking where he will see you as he sacrifices cattle." "Near the very road itself, as it seems, does he have his fields?" "Yes, whence seeing you he will call you to share the feast." "A bitter fellow-feaster indeed, if God wills." "From that point, think for yourself according to how things fall out." "Well said.—But where is she who bore me?" "In Argos; but she will, at any rate, arrive for her husband's feast." "And why did my mother not set out together with her husband?" "Fearing the censure of the citizens, she stayed behind." "I understand; being under suspicion, she knows she is regarded so by the city." "Even so; for an impious woman is hated." "How then shall I kill her and him at the same time?" "I, at least, shall prepare the murder of my mother." "And indeed fortune will dispose those other matters well." "Let this man assist us, since we are two." "It shall be so; but how do you devise the murder for our mother?" "Speak, old man, going to Clytemnestra these things:" "Report that I am in childbed, having given birth to a male child." "Whether having given birth long ago, or just recently?" "Ten days, during which a woman in childbed is purified." "And indeed how does this bring death to your mother?" "She will come on hearing of my childbirth illness." "From where?
§657πόθεν; τί δʼ αὐτῇ σοῦ μέλειν δοκεῖς, τέκνον; §658ναί· καὶ δακρύσει γʼ ἀξίωμʼ ἐμῶν τόκων. §659ἴσως· πάλιν τοι μῦθον ἐς καμπὴν ἄγε. §660ἐλθοῦσα μέντοι δῆλον ὡς ἀπόλλυται. §661καὶ μὴν ἐπʼ αὐτάς γʼ εἶσι σῶν δόμων πύλας. §662οὐκοῦν τραπέσθαι σμικρὸν εἰς Ἅιδου τόδε; §663εἰ γὰρ θάνοιμι τοῦτʼ ἰδὼν ἐγώ ποτε. §664πρώτιστα μέν νυν τῷδʼ ὑφήγησαι, γέρον — §665Αἴγισθος ἔνθα νῦν θυηπολεῖ θεοῖς; §666ἔπειτʼ ἀπαντῶν μητρὶ τἀπʼ ἐμοῦ φράσον. §667ὥστʼ αὐτά γʼ ἐκ σοῦ στόματος εἰρῆσθαι δοκεῖν. §668σὸν ἔργον ἤδη· πρόσθεν εἴληχας φόνου. §669στείχοιμʼ ἄν, εἴ τις ἡγεμὼν γίγνοιθʼ ὁδοῦ. §670καὶ μὴν ἐγὼ πέμποιμʼ ἂν οὐκ ἀκουσίως. §671ὦ Ζεῦ Πατρῷε, καὶ Τροπαῖʼ ἐχθρῶν γενοῦ — §672οἴκτιρέ θʼ ἡμᾶς· οἰκτρὰ γὰρ πεπόνθαμεν — §673οἴκτιρε δῆτα σούς γε φύντας ἐκγόνους. §674Ἥρα τε, βωμῶν ἣ Μυκηναίων κρατεῖς — §675νίκην δὸς ἡμῖν, εἰ δίκαιʼ αἰτούμεθα. §676δὸς δῆτα πατρὸς τοῖσδε τιμωρὸν δίκην. §677σύ τʼ, ὦ κάτω γῆς ἀνοσίως οἰκῶν πάτερ — §678καὶ Γαῖʼ ἄνασσα, χεῖρας ᾗ δίδωμʼ ἐμὰς — §679ἄμυνʼ ἄμυνε τοῖσδε φιλτάτοις τέκνοις. §680νῦν πάντα νεκρὸν ἐλθὲ σύμμαχον λαβών. §681οἵπερ γε σὺν σοὶ Φρύγας ἀνήλωσαν δορὶ — §683χὥσοι στυγοῦσιν ἀνοσίους μιάστορας. §682ἤκουσας, ὦ δείνʼ ἐξ ἐμῆς μητρὸς παθών; §684πάντʼ, οἶδʼ, ἀκούει τάδε πατήρ· στείχειν δʼ ἀκμή. §685καί σοι προφωνῶ πρὸς τάδʼ Αἴγισθον θανεῖν· §686ὡς εἰ παλαισθεὶς πτῶμα θανάσιμον πεσῇ, §687τέθνηκα κἀγώ, μηδέ με ζῶσαν λέγε· §688παίσω γὰρ ἧπαρ τοὐμὸν ἀμφήκει ξίφει. §689δόμων ἔσω βᾶσʼ εὐτρεπὲς ποήσομαι. §690ὡς ἢν μὲν ἔλθῃ πύστις εὐτυχὴς σέθεν, §691ὀλολύξεται πᾶν δῶμα· θνῄσκοντος δέ σου §692τἀναντίʼ ἔσται τῶνδε· ταῦτά σοι λέγω. §693πάντʼ οἶδα. §693bπρὸς τάδʼ ἄνδρα γίγνεσθαί σε χρή. §694ὑμεῖς δέ μοι, γυναῖκες, εὖ πυρσεύετε §695κραυγὴν ἀγῶνος τοῦδε· φρουρήσω δʼ ἐγὼ §696πρόχειρον ἔγχος χειρὶ βαστάζουσʼ ἐμῇ. §697οὐ γάρ ποτʼ ἐχθροῖς τοῖς ἐμοῖς νικωμένη §698δίκην ὑφέξω, σῶμʼ ἐμὸν καθυβρίσαι.
Why do you think she cares for you, child?" "Yes; and she will indeed weep for the low status of my offspring." "Perhaps; turn your speech back to the point." "Indeed, once she comes, it is clear she will perish." "And indeed, she will go to the very gates of your house." "And is this not a small turn into Hades?" "If only I might die, having once seen this!" "First of all, now, guide this man, old man—" "To where Aegisthus is now sacrificing to the gods?" "Then, meeting my mother, tell her what comes from me." "So that it seems to have been spoken from your own mouth." "Your task now; you have drawn the first lot for the murder." "I would go, if someone would become my guide of the way." "And indeed I would escort you not unwillingly." "O ancestral Zeus, and vanquisher of enemies, be on our side—" "And pity us; for we have suffered pitiable things—" "Indeed, pity those who are born your offspring." "And Hera, who rule over Mycenaean altars—" "Grant us victory, if we ask for just things." "Grant indeed to these children a punishing justice for their father." "And you, my father, who dwell unholily beneath the earth—" "And Queen Earth, to whom I stretch out my hands—" "Defend, defend these your most beloved children." "Now come, bringing every dead man as an ally." "Those indeed who with you destroyed the Phrygians with the spear—" "And all who hate impious polluters." "Did you hear, O you who suffered terrible things from my mother?" "Our father hears all these things, I know; but it is high time to go." "And I declare to you beforehand: in response to this, Aegisthus must die." "For if you, wrestled down, shall fall a fatal fall," "I too am dead, and do not speak of me as living;" "for I shall strike my own liver with a two-edged sword." "Going inside the house, I shall make things ready." "For if fortunate news of you comes," "the whole house will shout for joy; but if you die," "the opposite of these will be; these things I tell you." "I know all." "In response to this, you must show yourself a man." "And you, women, signal well for me" "the shout of this struggle; and I shall keep watch," "holding a ready sword in my hand." "For never, overcome by my enemies," "shall I submit to punishment, for them to insult my body." "Once, from the hills of Argos, the rumor remains in ancient stories of old that Pan, the guardian of the fields, breathing a sweet-sounding tune on his well-joined reeds, brought a golden lamb of beautiful tresses from its tender mother.
§699ἀταλᾶς ὑπὸ ματρὸς ἄρνʼ §699aἈργείων §700ὀρέων ποτὲ κληδὼν ἐν §701πολιαῖσι μένει φήμαις §702εὐαρμόστοις ἐν καλάμοις §703Πᾶνα μοῦσαν ἡδύθροον §704πνέοντʼ, ἀγρῶν ταμίαν, §705χρυσέαν καλλιπλόκαμον §706πορεῦσαι. πετρίνοις δʼ ἐπι- §707στὰς κᾶρυξ ἰάχει βάθροις· §708Ἀγορὰν ἀγοράν, Μυκη- §709ναῖοι, στείχετε μακαρίων §710ὀψόμενοι τυράννων §711φάσματα δείματα χοροὶ δʼ Ἀτρει- §712δᾶν ἐγέραιρον οἴκους·
And standing on stone steps, a herald cried aloud: 'To the assembly, to the assembly, Mycenaeans, go, to see the prodigies and terrors of our blessed rulers!' And dances honored the house of the Atreidae.
§713θυμέλαι δʼ ἐπίτναντο χρυ- §714σήλατοι, §715σελαγεῖτο δʼ ἀνʼ ἄστυ πῦρ §715aἐπιβώμιον Ἀργείων· §716λωτὸς δὲ φθόγγον κελάδει §717κάλλιστον, Μουσᾶν θεράπων· §718μολπαὶ δʼ ηὔξοντʼ ἐραταί, §719χρυσέας ἀρνὸς ἐπίλογοι, §720Θυέστου· κρυφίαις γὰρ εὐ- §721ναῖς πείσας ἄλοχον φίλαν
And altars of beaten gold were spread, and the sacrificial fire blazed throughout the city of the Argives; and the pipe, the servant of the Muses, sounded its most beautiful voice; and lovely songs grew, celebrations of the golden lamb, of Thyestes; for having persuaded the beloved wife in secret bed..."