suffering terrible things at the hands of Aegisthus, who slew my father—and my utterly destructive mother.
ἀφῖγμαι δʼ ἐκ θεοῦ μυστηρίων §88Ἀργεῖον οὖδας οὐδενὸς ξυνειδότος, §89φόνον φονεῦσι πατρὸς ἀλλάξων ἐμοῦ.
I have come from the god's oracle to the Argive soil, with no one knowing, to repay blood for blood to the murderers of my father.
§90νυκτὸς δὲ τῆσδε πρὸς τάφον μολὼν πατρὸς §91δάκρυά τʼ ἔδωκα καὶ κόμης ἀπηρξάμην §92πυρᾷ τʼ ἐπέσφαξʼ αἷμα μηλείου φόνου, §93λαθὼν τυράννους οἳ κρατοῦσι τῆσδε γῆς.
And during this night, having gone to the tomb of my father, I gave tears and dedicated a lock of my hair, and slaughtered a sheep as a blood sacrifice upon the pyre, escaping the notice of the tyrants who rule this land.
§94καὶ τειχέων μὲν ἐντὸς οὐ βαίνω πόδα, §95δυοῖν δʼ ἅμιλλαν ξυντιθεὶς ἀφικόμην §96πρὸς τέρμονας γῆς τῆσδʼ, ἵνʼ ἐκβάλω ποδὶ §97ἄλλην ἐπʼ αἶαν, εἴ μέ τις γνοίη σκοπῶν, §98ζητῶν τʼ ἀδελφήν· φασὶ γάρ νιν ἐν γάμοις §99ζευχθεῖσαν οἰκεῖν οὐδὲ παρθένον μένειν· §100ὡς συγγένωμαι καὶ φόνου ξυνεργάτιν §101λαβὼν τά γʼ εἴσω τειχέων σαφῶς μάθω.
And indeed I do not step within the walls, but combining two endeavors I have come to the borders of this land, so that I might escape on foot to another land, if anyone should recognize me while watching, and to seek my sister; for they say that she lives yoked in marriage and does not remain a virgin; so that I may meet her and, having obtained her as a helper in the murder, clearly learn the things inside the walls.
Now therefore—for the bright eye of day is rising— let us change our path out of this road.
§104ἢ γάρ τις ἀροτὴρ ἤ τις οἰκέτις γυνὴ §105φανήσεται νῷν, ἥντινʼ ἱστορήσομεν §106εἰ τούσδε ναίει σύγγονος τόπους ἐμή.
For either some plowman or some servant woman will appear to us, whom we will ask if my sister dwells in these places.
§107ἀλλʼ — εἰσορῶ γὰρ τήνδε προσπόλον τινά, §108πηγαῖον ἄχθος ἐν κεκαρμένῳ κάρᾳ §109φέρουσαν — ἑζώμεσθα κἀκπυθώμεθα §110δούλης γυναικός, ἤν τι δεξώμεσθʼ ἔπος §111ἐφʼ οἷσι, Πυλάδη, τήνδʼ ἀφίγμεθα χθόνα.
But—for I see some servant here, carrying a burden of spring water on her shorn head— let us sit down and inquire from the slave woman, if we might receive some word concerning those things for which, Pylades, we have come to this land.
Hurry—it is time—the impulse of your foot; oh, go, go on, weeping aloud; ah, woe is me.
§115ἐγενόμαν Ἀγαμέμνονος §116καί μʼ ἔτεκεν Κλυταιμήστρα §117στυγνὰ Τυνδάρεω κόρα, §118κικλήσκουσι δέ μʼ ἀθλίαν §119Ἠλέκτραν πολιῆται.
I was born of Agamemnon, and Clytemnestra bore me, the hateful daughter of Tyndareus, and the citizens call me wretched Electra.
Alas, alas for my wretched labors and hateful life.
O father, you lie in Hades, by the slaughter of your wife and of Aegisthus, Agamemnon.
Go, arouse the same lament, awaken the tearful pleasure.
Hurry—it is time—the impulse of your foot; oh, go, go on, weeping aloud; ah, woe is me.
§130τίνα πόλιν, τίνα δʼ οἶκον, ὦ §131τλᾶμον σύγγονʼ, ἀλατεύεις §132οἰκτρὰν ἐν θαλάμοις λιπὼν §133πατρῴοις ἐπὶ συμφοραῖς §134ἀλγίσταισιν ἀδελφάν;
What city, what house, O wretched brother, do you wander, leaving your sister pitied in the bridal chambers of her father, amidst the most painful misfortunes?
§135ἔλθοις τῶνδε πόνων ἐμοὶ §136τᾷ μελέᾳ λυτήρ, §137ὦ Ζεῦ Ζεῦ, πατρί θʼ αἱμάτων §138ἐχθίστων ἐπίκουρος, Ἄρ- §139γει κέλσας πόδʼ ἀλάταν.
May you come as a deliverer from these labors for me, for miserable me, O Zeus, Zeus, and as an avenger of the most hateful blood for my father, landing your wandering foot in Argos.
§140θὲς τόδε τεῦχος ἐμῆς ἀπὸ κρατὸς ἑ- §141λοῦσʼ, ἵνα πατρὶ γόους νυχίους §142ἐπορθροβοάσω, §143ἰαχάν, Ἀΐδα μέλος, §144Ἀΐδα, πάτερ, σοι §144aκατὰ γᾶς ἐνέπω γόους §145οἷς ἀεὶ τὸ κατʼ ἦμαρ §146διέπομαι, κατὰ μὲν φίλαν §147ὄνυχι τεμνομένα δέραν §148χέρα τε κρᾶτʼ ἐπὶ κούριμον §149τιθεμένα θανάτῳ σῷ.
Put down this vessel, taking it from my head, so that I may shout aloud my nightly laments to my father at dawn, a cry, a song of Hades, to Hades, father, for you beneath the earth I utter laments, to which I always daily devote myself, tearing my dear throat with my nails, and putting my hand upon my shorn head because of your death.
§150αἶ αἶ, δρύπτε κάρα· §151οἷα δέ τις κύκνος ἀχέτας §152ποταμίοις παρὰ χεύμασιν §153πατέρα φίλτατον καλεῖ, §154ὀλόμενον δολίοις βρόχων §155ἕρκεσιν, ὣς σὲ τὸν ἄθλιον, §156πάτερ, ἐγὼ κατακλαίομαι, §157λουτρὰ πανύσταθʼ ὑδρανάμενον χροῒ §158κοίτᾳ ἐν οἰκτροτάτᾳ θανάτου.
Alas, alas, tear your head; and like some shrieking swan beside the river streams calls its dearest father, who perished in the treacherous meshes of nets, so you, wretched father, I weep for, having washed your body in the very last bath in the most pitiful bed of death.
§159ἰώ μοι, ἰώ μοι §160πικρᾶς μὲν πελέκεως τομᾶς §161σᾶς, πάτερ, πικρᾶς δʼ ἐκ §162Τροΐας ὁδίου βουλᾶς· §163οὐ μίτραισι γυνή σε §164δέξατʼ οὐδʼ ἐπὶ στεφάνοις, §164aξίφεσι δʼ ἀμφιτόμοις λυγρὰν §165Αἰγίσθου λώβαν θεμένα §166δόλιον ἔσχεν ἀκοίταν.
Woe is me, woe is me for the bitter stroke of your axe, father, and bitter for the journey from Troy and its counsel; not with headbands did your wife receive you, nor with crowns, but with two-edged swords, making you a wretched outrage for Aegisthus, she took a treacherous husband.
O daughter of Agamemnon, I have come, Electra, to your rustic courtyard.
§170ἔμολέ τις ἔμολεν γαλακτοπότας ἀνὴρ §170aΜυκηναῖος ὀρειβάτας· §171ἀγγέλλει δʼ ὅτι νῦν τριταί- §172αν καρύσσουσιν θυσίαν §173Ἀργεῖοι, πᾶσαι δὲ παρʼ Ἥ- §174ραν μέλλουσιν παρθενικαὶ στείχειν.
There came, there came some milk-drinking man, a Mycenaean mountaineer; he announces that now for the third day the Argives are proclaiming a sacrifice, and all the maidens are about to march to Hera.
§175οὐκ ἐπʼ ἀγλαΐαις, φίλαι, §176θυμὸν οὐδʼ ἐπὶ χρυσέοις §177ὅρμοις ἐκπεπόταμαι §178τάλαινʼ, οὐδʼ ἱστᾶσα χοροὺς §179Ἀργείαις ἅμα νύμφαις §180εἱλικτὸν κρούσω πόδʼ ἐμόν.
Not for splendors, my friends, is my heart fluttered, nor for golden necklaces, wretched as I am, nor standing in dances together with Argive brides will I beat my whirling foot.
With tears I spend the night, and tears are my concern, miserable as I am, day by day.
§184σκέψαι μου πιναρὰν κόμαν §185καὶ τρύχη τάδʼ ἐμῶν πέπλων, §186εἰ πρέποντʼ Ἀγαμέμνονος §187κούρᾳ ʼσται βασιλείᾳ §188τᾷ Τροίᾳ θʼ, ἃ ʼμοῦ πατέρος §189μέμναταί ποθʼ ἁλοῦσα.
Look at my dirty hair and these rags of my robes, if they are fitting for the royal daughter of Agamemnon and for Troy, which remembers my father, having once been captured.
§190μεγάλα θεός· ἀλλʼ ἴθι, §191καὶ παρʼ ἐμοῦ χρῆσαι πολύ- §192πηνα φάρεα δῦναι, §193χρύσεά τε — χαρίσαι — προσθήματʼ ἀγλαΐας.
The goddess is great; but go, and borrow from me thick-woven robes to wear, and golden—grant me this—additions of splendor.
Do you think by your tears, not honoring the gods, you will conquer your enemies?
Not with groans, but by worshipping the gods with prayers will you have fair days, O child. child.
None of the gods hears the cry of the unfortunate, nor the ancient sacrifices of my father.
§201οἴμοι τοῦ καταφθιμένου
Woe is me for the perished one