§722Ἀτρέως, τέρας ἐκκομί- §723ζει πρὸς δώματα· νεόμενος δʼ §724εἰς ἀγόρους ἀυτεῖ §724aτὰν κερόεσσαν ἔχειν χρυσεόμαλ- §725λον κατὰ δῶμα ποίμναν.
That wonder of Atreus, he carried out to his dwelling; and coming to the assembly he cried aloud that he had the horned, golden-fleeced flock in his house.
§726τότε δὴ τότε φαεν- §727νὰς ἄστρων μετέβασʼ ὁδοὺς §728Ζεὺς καὶ φέγγος ἀελίου §730λευκόν τε πρόσωπον ἀ- §731οῦς, τὰ δʼ ἕσπερα νῶτʼ ἐλαύ- §732νει θερμᾷ φλογὶ θεοπύρῳ, §733νεφέλαι δʼ ἔνυδροι πρὸς ἄρ- §734κτον, ξηραί τʼ Ἀμμωνίδες ἕ- §735δραι φθίνουσʼ ἀπειρόδροσοι, §736καλλίστων ὄμβρων Διόθεν στερεῖσαι.
Then, yes, then, Zeus changed the shining paths of the stars, and the light of the sun, and the white face of dawn; and he drove the western back with hot, god-fired flame, and the watery clouds went to the north, and the dry seats of Ammon withered without dew, deprived from Zeus of their most beautiful rains.
§737λέγεται, τὰν δὲ πί- §738στιν σμικρὰν παρʼ ἔμοιγʼ ἔχει, §739στρέψαι θερμὰν ἀέλιον §740χρυσωπὸν ἕδραν ἀλλά- §741ξαντα δυστυχίᾳ βροτεί- §742ῳ θνατᾶς ἕνεκεν δίκας.
It is told—though it has small credit with me— that the sun turned his hot, golden seat, changing it for the misfortune of mortals, because of a mortal dispute.
Yet fearful myths are a benefit to mortals for the worship of the gods.
ὧν οὐ μνασθεῖσα πόσιν §746κτείνεις, κλεινῶν συγγενέτειρʼ ἀδελφῶν.
Remembering none of these, you killed your husband, O sister of famous brothers.
§747ἔα ἔα·
Ah, ah!
Friends, did you hear a cry—or did a hollow fancy steal over me?—like the subterranean thunder of Zeus?
§749ἰδού, τάδʼ οὐκ ἄσημα πνεύματʼ αἴρεται·
Look, no indistinct winds are rising here.
§750δέσποινʼ, ἄμειψον δώματʼ, Ἠλέκτρα, τάδε.
Electra, mistress, leave these dwellings.
§751φίλαι, τί χρῆμα;
Friends, what is the matter?
πῶς ἀγῶνος ἥκομεν;
How have we fared in the contest?
§752οὐκ οἶδα πλὴν ἕν· φόνιον οἰμωγὴν κλύω.
I know nothing but one thing: I hear a murderous wail.
§753ἤκουσα κἀγώ, τηλόθεν μέν, ἀλλʼ ὅμως.
I too heard it, from afar indeed, but still.
§754μακρὰν γὰρ ἕρπει γῆρυς, ἐμφανής γε μήν.
For the voice travels far, but is still clear.
§755Ἀργεῖος ὁ στεναγμός· ἦ φίλων ἐμῶν;
The groaning is Argive; is it that of my friends?
§756οὐκ οἶδα· πᾶν γὰρ μείγνυται μέλος βοῆς.
I do not know; for every strain of cry is mixed.
§757σφαγὴν ἀυτεῖς τήνδε μοι· τί μέλλομεν;
You announce this slaughter to me; why do we delay?
§758ἔπισχε, τρανῶς ὡς μάθῃς τύχας σέθεν.
Hold, so that you may clearly learn your fortune.
§759οὐκ ἔστι· νικώμεσθα· ποῦ γὰρ ἄγγελοι;
It cannot be; we are defeated; for where are the messengers?
§760ἥξουσιν· οὔτοι βασιλέα φαῦλον κτανεῖν.
They will come; it is indeed no light thing to kill a king.
§761ὦ καλλίνικοι παρθένοι Μυκηνίδες, §762νικῶντʼ Ὀρέστην πᾶσιν ἀγγέλλω φίλοις, §763Ἀγαμέμνονος δὲ φονέα κείμενον πέδῳ §764Αἴγισθον·
O Mycenaean maidens, beautiful in victory, I announce Orestes as victorious to all his friends, and Aegisthus, the murderer of Agamemnon, lying on the ground.
ἀλλὰ θεοῖσιν εὔχεσθαι χρεών.
But we must pray to the gods.
§765τίς δʼ εἶ σύ;
And who are you?
πῶς μοι πιστὰ σημαίνεις τάδε;
How do you signal this reliably to me?
§766οὐκ οἶσθʼ ἀδελφοῦ μʼ εἰσορῶσα πρόσπολον;
Do you not know me, looking at the servant of your brother?
O dearest man, from fear indeed I had difficulty recognizing your face; but now I truly know you.
§769τί φῄς;
What do you say?
τέθνηκε πατρὸς ἐμοῦ στυγνὸς φονεύς;
Is the hateful murderer of my father dead?
§770τέθνηκε· δίς σοι ταὔθʼ, ἃ γοῦν βούλῃ, λέγω.
He is dead; I tell you twice the very thing you wish.
§771ὦ θεοί, Δίκη τε πάνθʼ ὁρῶσʼ, ἦλθές ποτε.
O gods, and Justice who sees all, you have come at last.
In what way and by what manner of slaughter did he kill the son of Thyestes?
βούλομαι μαθεῖν.
I wish to learn.
§774ἐπεὶ μελάθρων τῶνδʼ ἀπήραμεν πόδα, §775ἐσβάντες ᾖμεν δίκροτον εἰς ἁμαξιτὸν §776ἔνθʼ ἦν ὁ κλεινὸς τῶν Μυκηναίων ἄναξ.
When we had directed our feet away from these dwellings, entering we went along the double-tracked highway, where the famous ruler of the Mycenaeans was.
And he happened to be walking in well-watered gardens, plucking wreaths for his head from tender myrtle.
§779ἰδών τʼ ἀυτεῖ· Χαίρετʼ, ὦ ξένοι· τίνες
And seeing us, he cried: 'Welcome, strangers; who are you and whence do you travel?
§780πόθεν πορεύεσθʼ; ἔστε τʼ ἐκ ποίας χθονός; §781ὁ δʼ εἶπʼ Ὀρέστης· Θεσσαλοί· πρὸς δʼ Ἀλφεὸν §782θύσοντες ἐρχόμεσθʼ Ὀλυμπίῳ Διί. §783κλύων δὲ ταῦτʼ Αἴγισθος ἐννέπει τάδε· §784νῦν μὲν παρʼ ἡμῖν χρὴ συνεστίους ἐμοὶ §785θοίνης γενέσθαι· τυγχάνω δὲ βουθυτῶν §786νύμφαις·
And from what land are you?' And Orestes said: 'Thessalians; and to the Alpheus we are going to sacrifice to Olympic Zeus.' Hearing this, Aegisthus spoke these words: 'Now indeed you must be guests of my hearth, sharing the feast with me; and I happen to be sacrificing a bull to the nymphs.
ἑῷοι δʼ ἐξαναστάντες λέχους §787ἐς ταὐτὸν ἥξετʼ.
In the morning rising from bed you will go on the same way.
ἀλλʼ ἴωμεν ἐς δόμους — §788καὶ ταῦθʼ ἅμʼ ἠγόρευε καὶ χερὸς λαβὼν §789παρῆγεν ἡμᾶς — οὐδʼ ἀπαρνεῖσθαι χρεών· §791λούτρʼ ὡς τάχιστα τοῖς ξένοις τις αἰρέτω, §792ὡς ἀμφὶ βωμὸν στῶσι χερνίβων πέλας. §793ἀλλʼ εἶπʼ Ὀρέστης· Ἀρτίως ἡγνίσμεθα §794λουτροῖσι καθαροῖς ποταμίων ῥείθρων ἄπο.
But let us go into the house'— and at the same time he said these things and taking our hands he led us in—'nor should you refuse.' 'Let someone bring baths as quickly as possible for the strangers, so that they may stand around the altar near the lustral water.' But Orestes said: 'We have just been purified with clean baths from river streams.
§795εἰ δὲ ξένους ἀστοῖσι συνθύειν χρεών, §796Αἴγισθʼ, ἕτοιμοι κοὐκ ἀπαρνούμεσθʼ, ἄναξ. §797τοῦτον μὲν οὖν μεθεῖσαν ἐκ μέσου λόγον· §798λόγχας δὲ θέντες δεσπότου φρουρήματα §799δμῶες πρὸς ἔργον πάντες ἵεσαν χέρας·
And if it is right for strangers to sacrifice with citizens, Aegisthus, we are ready and do not refuse, O King.' So indeed they dismissed this talk from the midst; and laying down their spears, the guards of their master, the servants all set their hands to the task.
§800οἳ μὲν σφαγεῖον ἔφερον, οἳ δʼ ᾖρον κανᾶ, §801ἄλλοι δὲ πῦρ ἀνῆπτον ἀμφί τʼ ἐσχάρας §802λέβητας ὤρθουν· πᾶσα δʼ ἐκτύπει στέγη.
Some carried the slaughter-basin, others raised the baskets, and others kindled the fire and around the hearths set up the cauldrons; and the whole house resounded.
§803λαβὼν δὲ προχύτας μητρὸς εὐνέτης σέθεν §804ἔβαλλε βωμούς, τοιάδʼ ἐννέπων ἔπη· §805νύμφαι πετραῖαι, πολλάκις με βουθυτεῖν §806καὶ τὴν κατʼ οἴκους Τυνδαρίδα δάμαρτʼ ἐμὴν §807πράσσοντας ὡς νῦν, τοὺς δʼ ἐμοὺς ἐχθροὺς κακῶς §808— λέγων Ὀρέστην καὶ σέ.
And taking the barley-meal, the bedfellow of your mother cast it on the altars, speaking such words: 'Nymphs of the rocks, may I often sacrifice cattle, and the daughter of Tyndareus, my wife at home, faring as we do now, and my enemies ill'— meaning Orestes and you.
But my master prayed the opposite, not speaking the words aloud, to regain his father's house.
ἐκ κανοῦ δʼ ἑλὼν §811Αἴγισθος ὀρθὴν σφαγίδα, μοσχείαν τρίχα §812τεμὼν ἐφʼ ἁγνὸν πῦρ ἔθηκε δεξιᾷ, §813κἄσφαξʼ ἐπʼ ὤμων μόσχον ὡς ἦραν χεροῖν
And taking from the basket Aegisthus the straight sacrificial knife, the calf's hair cutting off, he placed it with his right hand on the holy fire, and slaughtered the calf on its shoulders as they raised it with their hands.