§904δυσάρεστος ἡμῶν καὶ φιλόψογος πόλις.
Our city is hard to please and fond of blame.
Speak, if you wish, sister; for we have entered into hostility with him on terms of a truceless law.
Well then; what beginning of evils shall I speak of to you first, what end?
τίνα μέσον τάξω λόγον;
What middle speech shall I set?
§909καὶ μὴν διʼ ὄρθρων γʼ οὔποτʼ ἐξελίμπανον §910θρυλοῦσʼ ἅ γʼ εἰπεῖν ἤθελον κατʼ ὄμμα σόν, §911εἰ δὴ γενοίμην δειμάτων ἐλευθέρα §912τῶν πρόσθε.
And indeed, through the dawns I never ceased muttering the things I wished to say to your face, if indeed I should ever become free from my former fears.
νῦν οὖν ἐσμεν· ἀποδώσω δέ σοι §913ἐκεῖνʼ ἅ σε ζῶντʼ ἤθελον λέξαι κακά.
Now, therefore, we are; so I will pay back to you those evils which I wished to speak to you while you were alive.
§914ἀπώλεσάς με κὠρφανὴν φίλου πατρὸς §915καὶ τόνδʼ ἔθηκας, οὐδὲν ἠδικημένος, §916κἄγημας αἰσχρῶς μητέρʼ ἄνδρα τʼ ἔκτανες §917στρατηλατοῦνθʼ Ἕλλησιν, οὐκ ἐλθὼν Φρύγας.
You destroyed me and made me and this man orphans of a dear father, having suffered no wrong yourself, and you shamefully married my mother and slew her husband who led the Greeks in war, though you yourself never went to the Phrygians.
§918ἐς τοῦτο δʼ ἦλθες ἀμαθίας ὥστʼ ἤλπισας §919ὡς ἐς σὲ ἐμὴν δὴ μητέρʼ οὐχ ἕξοις κακὴν §920γήμας, ἐμοῦ δὲ πατρὸς ἠδίκεις λέχη.
And you reached such a point of folly that you expected you would not have my mother as a bad wife to you after marrying her, though you had wronged the bed of my father.
§921ἴστω δʼ, ὅταν τις διολέσας δάμαρτά του §922κρυπταῖσιν εὐναῖς εἶτʼ ἀναγκασθῇ λαβεῖν, §923δύστηνός ἐστιν, εἰ δοκεῖ τὸ σωφρονεῖν §924ἐκεῖ μὲν αὐτὴν οὐκ ἔχειν, παρʼ οἷ δʼ ἔχειν.
Let him know, whenever someone ruins another's wife with secret beds and then is forced to take her, that he is a miserable wretch, if he thinks that she did not have self-control there, but has it with him.
§925ἄλγιστα δʼ ᾤκεις, οὐ δοκῶν οἰκεῖν κακῶς· §926ᾔδησθα γὰρ δῆτʼ ἀνόσιον γήμας γάμον, §927μήτηρ δὲ σʼ ἄνδρα δυσσεβῆ κεκτημένη.
And you lived most wretchedly, though not thinking you lived badly; for indeed you knew you had made an unholy marriage, and my mother knew she had acquired an impious husband.
And since both were wicked, you both took on a fortune, she taking your evil and you taking hers.
§930πᾶσιν δʼ ἐν Ἀργείοισιν ἤκουες τάδε· §931Ὁ τῆς γυναικός — οὐχὶ τἀνδρὸς ἡ γυνή. §932καίτοι τόδʼ αἰσχρόν, προστατεῖν γε δωμάτων §933γυναῖκα, μὴ τὸν ἄνδρα· κἀκείνους στυγῶ §934τοὺς παῖδας, ὅστις τοῦ μὲν ἄρσενος πατρὸς §935οὐκ ὠνόμασται, τῆς δὲ μητρὸς ἐν πόλει.
And among all the Argives you used to hear this: "That woman's husband,"—not, "that man's wife." And yet this is shameful, that a woman should rule the house, not the man; and I hate those children, whoever is called in the city not after his male father, but after his mother.
For when a man marries an illustrious wife of higher rank, there is no talk of the husband, but only of the woman.
§938ὃ δʼ ἠπάτα σε πλεῖστον οὐκ ἐγνωκότα, §939ηὔχεις τις εἶναι τοῖσι χρήμασι σθένων· §940τὰ δʼ οὐδὲν εἰ μὴ βραχὺν ὁμιλῆσαι χρόνον.
And what deceived you most, though you did not realize it, was that you boasted you were someone, being strong in wealth; but wealth is nothing except to keep company for a short time.
§941ἡ γὰρ φύσις βέβαιος, οὐ τὰ χρήματα.
For character is steadfast, not wealth.
§942ἣ μὲν γὰρ αἰεὶ παραμένουσʼ αἴρει κακά· §943ὁ δʼ ὄλβος ἀδίκως καὶ μετὰ σκαιῶν ξυνὼν §944ἐξέπτατʼ οἴκων, σμικρὸν ἀνθήσας χρόνον.
For character, always remaining, lifts up evils; but wealth, associating unjustly and with foolish men, flies out of the house, having flourished for a short time.
And as for what concerns women—for it is not seemly for a maiden to speak of it—I keep silent, but I will hint at it clearly.
You behaved insolently, as indeed having a royal house and being joined with beauty.
ἀλλʼ ἔμοιγʼ εἴη πόσις §949μὴ παρθενωπός, ἀλλὰ τἀνδρείου τρόπου.
But to me, may there be a husband not of maidenly aspect, but of manly character.
For the children of such men cling to Ares, but those who are merely good-looking are only an ornament in dances.
Go to ruin, knowing nothing of those things for which, being discovered in time, you have paid the penalty.
— ὧδέ τις κακοῦργος ὢν §954μή μοι τὸ πρῶτον βῆμʼ ἐὰν δράμῃ καλῶς, §955νικᾶν δοκείτω τὴν Δίκην, πρὶν ἂν πέλας §956γραμμῆς ἵκηται καὶ τέλος κάμψῃ βίου.
Thus, let no doer of evil, if he runs his first step well, think that he conquers Justice, until he comes near the finish line and turns the end of his life.
He has done terrible things, and terrible things has he paid back to you and this man; for Justice has great power.
§959εἶἑν· κομίζειν τοῦδε σῶμʼ ἔσω χρεὼν §960σκότῳ τε δοῦναι, δμῶες, ὡς, ὅταν μόλῃ §961μήτηρ, σφαγῆς πάροιθε μὴ εἰσίδῃ νεκρόν.
Well then; we must carry this man's body inside and give it to darkness, servants, so that, when our mother comes, she may not see the corpse before she is slaughtered.
§962ἐπίσχες·
Hold!
ἐμβάλωμεν εἰς ἄλλον λόγον.
Let us turn to another subject.
§963τί δʼ;
What is it?
ἐκ Μυκηνῶν μῶν βοηδρόμους ὁρῶ;
Do I see rescuers running from Mycenae?
§964οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τὴν τεκοῦσαν ἥ μʼ ἐγείνατο.
No, but the mother who bore me.
Then she is marching beautifully right into the middle of the net— and indeed she is resplendent in carriages and attire.
§967τί δῆτα δρῶμεν;
What then shall we do?
μητέρʼ ἦ φονεύσομεν;
Shall we murder our mother?
§968μῶν σʼ οἶκτος εἷλε, μητρὸς ὡς εἶδες δέμας;
Did pity seize you when you saw your mother's body?
§969φεῦ·
Alas!
§969aπῶς γὰρ κτάνω νιν, ἥ μʼ ἔθρεψε κἄτεκεν;
For how can I kill her who nurtured and bore me?
§970ὥσπερ πατέρα σὸν ἥδε κἀμὸν ὤλεσεν.
Just as she destroyed your father and mine.
O Phoebus, you prophesied great folly— But where Apollo is foolish, who are wise?
§973ὅστις μʼ ἔχρησας μητέρʼ, ἣν οὐ χρῆν, κτανεῖν.
You who commanded me to kill my mother, whom I ought not to kill.
§974βλάπτῃ δὲ δὴ τί πατρὶ τιμωρῶν σέθεν;
And how are you harmed by avenging your father?
§975μητροκτόνος νῦν φεύξομαι, τόθʼ ἁγνὸς ὤν.
I, who was pure then, shall now flee as a matricide.
§976καὶ μή γʼ ἀμύνων πατρὶ δυσσεβὴς ἔσῃ.
And yet if you do not defend your father, you will be impious.
§977ἐγὼ δὲ μητρὸς —; τῷ φόνου δώσω δίκας;
But to whom shall I pay the penalty for my mother's blood?
§978τῷ δʼ ἢν πατρῴαν διαμεθῇς τιμωρίαν;
And to whom if you abandon the vengeance of your father?
§979ἆρʼ αὔτʼ ἀλάστωρ εἶπʼ ἀπεικασθεὶς θεῷ;
Did an avenging spirit speak these things, having made itself like a god?
§980ἱερὸν καθίζων τρίποδʼ;
Sitting upon the holy tripod?
ἐγὼ μὲν οὐ δοκῶ.
I do not think so.
§981οὐδʼ ἂν πιθοίμην εὖ μεμαντεῦσθαι τάδε.
Nor can I believe that these things were well prophesied.