§814δμῶες, λέγει δὲ σῷ κασιγνήτῳ τάδε· §815Ἐκ τῶν καλῶν κομποῦσι τοῖσι Θεσσαλοῖς §816εἶναι τόδʼ, ὅστις ταῦρον ἀρταμεῖ καλῶς §817ἵππους τʼ ὀχμάζει·
"Servants," and he spoke these words to your brother: "It is boasted among Thessalians that this is one of the fine things, namely, whoever can skillfully carve a bull and tame horses.
λαβὲ σίδηρον, ὦ ξένε, §818δεῖξόν τε φήμην ἔτυμον ἀμφὶ Θεσσαλῶν. §819ὁ δʼ εὐκρότητον Δωρίδʼ ἁρπάσας χεροῖν, §820ῥίψας ἀπʼ ὤμων εὐπρεπῆ πορπάματα, §821Πυλάδην μὲν εἵλετʼ ἐν πόνοις ὑπηρέτην, §822δμῶας δʼ ἀπωθεῖ· καὶ λαβὼν μόσχου πόδα, §823λευκὰς ἐγύμνου σάρκας ἐκτείνων χέρα· §824θᾶσσον δὲ βύρσαν ἐξέδειρεν ἢ δρομεὺς §825δισσοὺς διαύλους ἱππίους διήνυσε, §826κἀνεῖτο λαγόνας.
Take the iron, stranger, and show that the rumor about Thessalians is true." And he, snatching the well-forged Dorian blade in his hands, casting off his handsome buckled cloak from his shoulders, chose Pylades as his helper in the labors, and pushed away the servants; and seizing the calf's foot, he bared the white flesh, stretching out his hand; and more quickly he flayed the hide than a runner completes the double course of a horse-track, and opened the flanks.
ἱερὰ δʼ ἐς χεῖρας λαβὼν §827Αἴγισθος ἤθρει.
And taking the entrails in his hands, Aegisthus inspected them.
καὶ λοβὸς μὲν οὐ προσῆν §828σπλάγχνοις, πύλαι δὲ καὶ δοχαὶ χολῆς πέλας §829κακὰς ἔφαινον τῷ σκοποῦντι προσβολάς.
And no lobe was present on the liver, and the portal vein and nearby gallbladder showed evil signs to the observer.
§830χὣ μὲν σκυθράζει, δεσπότης δʼ ἀνιστορεῖ· §831τί χρῆμʼ ἀθυμεῖς; — ὦ ξένʼ, ὀρρωδῶ τινα §832δόλον θυραῖον.
And he frowned, but my master asked: "Why are you disheartened?" — "O stranger, I dread some plot from without.
ἔστι δʼ ἔχθιστος βροτῶν §833Ἀγαμέμνονος παῖς πολέμιός τʼ ἐμοῖς δόμοις· §834ὃ δʼ εἶπε· φυγάδος δῆτα δειμαίνεις δόλον, §835πόλεως ἀνάσσων;
For the most hateful of mortals is Agamemnon's son, and an enemy to my house." And he said: "Do you indeed fear the plot of an exile, ruling over the city?
οὐχ, ὅπως παστήρια §836θοινασόμεσθα, Φθιάδʼ ἀντὶ Δωρικῆς §837οἴσει τις ἡμῖν κοπίδʼ, ἀπορρήξω χέλυν; §838λαβὼν δὲ κόπτει.
Will someone not bring us, so that we may feast on the sacrificial meat, a Phthian cleaver instead of a Dorian one, so that I may split open the breast-bone?" And taking it, he struck.
σπλάγχνα δʼ Αἴγισθος λαβὼν §839ἤθρει διαιρῶν.
And Aegisthus, taking the entrails, examined them, separating them.
τοῦ δὲ νεύοντος κάτω §840ὄνυχας ἐπʼ ἄκρους στὰς κασίγνητος σέθεν §841ἐς σφονδύλους ἔπαισε, νωτιαῖα δὲ §842ἔρρηξεν ἄρθρα· πᾶν δὲ σῶμʼ ἄνω κάτω §843ἤσπαιρεν ἠλάλαζε δυσθνῄσκων φόνῳ.
And while he was bending down, your brother, standing on tiptoe, struck him on the vertebrae, and the spinal joints he shattered; and his whole body, up and down, quivered, and he screamed in agony, dying a hard death in his blood.
And the servants, seeing this, immediately rushed to their spears, many to fight against two.
But because of their courage, they stood face to face, brandishing their weapons, Pylades and Orestes.
εἶπε δʼ· οὐχὶ δυσμενὴς §848ἥκω πόλει τῇδʼ οὐδʼ ἐμοῖς ὀπάοσιν, §849φονέα δὲ πατρὸς ἀντετιμωρησάμην §850τλήμων Ὀρέστης·
And he said: "I have not come as an enemy to this city, nor to my own followers, but I have avenged the murderer of my father, unfortunate Orestes.
ἀλλὰ μή με καίνετε, §851πατρὸς παλαιοὶ δμῶες. οἳ δʼ, ἐπεὶ λόγων §852ἤκουσαν, ἔσχον κάμακας· ἐγνώσθη δʼ ὑπὸ §853γέροντος ἐν δόμοισιν ἀρχαίου τινός.
Therefore, do not kill me, ancient servants of my father!" And they, when they heard his words, held back their spears; and he was recognized by a certain old man in the house.
And immediately they crowned your brother's head, rejoicing and shouting.
And he is coming to you, to show you a head, bringing not a Gorgon's, but Aegisthus whom you hate.
αἷμα δʼ αἵματος §858πικρὸς δανεισμὸς ἦλθε τῷ θανόντι νῦν.
Blood for blood, a bitter loan has now returned to him who died.
Set your foot in the dance, O friend, like a fawn leaping towards the sky, bounding lightly with splendor.
§862νικᾷ στεφαναφορίαν §863κρείσσω τοῖς παρʼ Ἀλφειοῦ ῥεέθροισι τελέσσας §864κασίγνητος σέθεν· ἀλλʼ ἐπάειδε §865καλλίνικον ᾠδὰν ἐμῷ χορῷ.
He wins a victory in crown-wearing, better than those achieved by the streams of Alpheus, your brother; so sing a song of fair victory to my dance.
§866ὦ φέγγος, ὦ τέθριππον ἡλίου σέλας, §867ὦ γαῖα καὶ νὺξ ἣν ἐδερκόμην πάρος, §868νῦν ὄμμα τοὐμὸν ἀμπτυχαί τʼ ἐλεύθεροι, §869ἐπεὶ πατρὸς πέπτωκεν Αἴγισθος φονεύς.
O light, O four-horse chariot gleam of the sun, O earth, and night which I looked upon before, now my eye and its look is free, since Aegisthus, the murderer of my father, has fallen.
§870φέρʼ, οἷα δὴ χω καὶ δόμοι κεύθουσί μου §871κόμης ἀγάλματʼ ἐξενέγκωμαι, φίλαι, §872στέψω τʼ ἀδελφοῦ κρᾶτα τοῦ νικηφόρου.
Come, whatever ornaments for the hair my house conceals, let me bring out, O friends, and crown the head of my victorious brother.
Lift up now the ornaments for his head; and our dance, dear to the Muses, shall go forward.
§876νῦν οἱ πάρος ἁμέτεροι §877γαίας τυραννεύσουσι φίλοι βασιλῆες, §878δικαίως τοὺς ἀδίκους καθελόντες.
Now our former dear kings shall rule the land, having justly overthrown the unjust.
§879ἀλλʼ ἴτω ξύναυλος βοὰ χαρᾷ.
But let the shout go up in harmony with joy.
§880ὦ καλλίνικε, πατρὸς ἐκ νικηφόρου §881γεγώς, Ὀρέστα, τῆς ὑπʼ Ἰλίῳ μάχης, §882δέξαι κόμης σῆς βοστρύχων ἀνδήματα.
O victorious one, born of a victorious father in the battle under Ilium, Orestes, receive the wreaths for the locks of your hair.
§883ἥκεις γὰρ οὐκ ἀχρεῖον ἔκπλεθρον δραμὼν §884ἀγῶνʼ ἐς οἴκους, ἀλλὰ πολέμιον κτανὼν §885Αἴγισθον, ὃς σὸν πατέρα κἀμὸν ὤλεσε.
For you have returned to your home, having run no useless six-plethra race, but having slain your enemy Aegisthus, who destroyed your father and mine.
§886σύ τʼ, ὦ παρασπίστʼ, ἀνδρὸς εὐσεβεστάτου §887παίδευμα Πυλάδη, στέφανον ἐξ ἐμῆς χερὸς §888δέχου· φέρῃ γὰρ καὶ σὺ τῷδʼ ἴσον μέρος §889ἀγῶνος·
And you, O comrade-in-arms, pupil of a most pious man, Pylades, receive a crown from my hand; for you too bear an equal share with him of the contest.
αἰεὶ δʼ εὐτυχεῖς φαίνοισθέ μοι.
May you always appear prosperous to me.
§890θεοὺς μὲν ἡγοῦ πρῶτον, Ἠλέκτρα, τύχης §891ἀρχηγέτας τῆσδʼ, εἶτα κἄμʼ ἐπαίνεσον §892τὸν τῶν θεῶν τε τῆς τύχης θʼ ὑπηρέτην.
Consider the gods first, Electra, as the authors of this fortune, and then praise me too, the servant of both the gods and of fortune.
§893ἥκω γὰρ οὐ λόγοισιν ἀλλʼ ἔργοις κτανὼν §894Αἴγισθον· ὡς δὲ τῷ σάφʼ εἰδέναι τάδε §895προσθῶμεν, αὐτὸν τὸν θανόντα σοι φέρω, §896ὃν εἴτε χρῄζεις θηρσὶν ἁρπαγὴν πρόθες, §897ἢ σκῦλον οἰωνοῖσιν, αἰθέρος τέκνοις, §898πήξασʼ ἔρεισον σκόλοπι· σὸς γάρ ἐστι νῦν
For I have come having slain Aegisthus not in words but in deeds; and so that we may add this to your clear knowledge, I bring the dead man himself to you, whom, if you wish, expose as prey to beasts, or as spoil for birds, children of the air, impaling him on a stake; for he is now yours.
§900αἰσχύνομαι μέν, βούλομαι δʼ εἰπεῖν ὅμως.
I am indeed ashamed, yet I wish to speak nevertheless.
§901τί χρῆμα;
What is it?
λέξον· ὡς φόβου γʼ ἔξωθεν εἶ.
Speak; for you are outside of fear.
§902νεκροὺς ὑβρίζειν, μή μέ τις φθόνῳ βάλῃ.
To insult the dead, lest someone strike me with envy.
§903οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς ὅστις ἂν μέμψαιτό σε.
There is no one who would blame you.