§1057καὶ τἄμʼ ἐν ὑμῖν ἐστιν ἢ καλῶς ἔχειν §1058ἢ μηδὲν εἶναι καὶ στερηθῆναι πάτρας §1059φίλου τʼ ἀδελφοῦ φιλτάτης τε συγγόνου.
And my affairs are in your hands, either to turn out well or to be nothing and to be deprived of my fatherland, my dear brother, and my dearest sister.
§1060καὶ πρῶτα μέν μοι τοῦ λόγου τάδʼ ἀρχέτω· §1061γυναῖκές ἐσμεν, φιλόφρον ἀλλήλαις γένος §1062σῴζειν τε κοινὰ πράγματʼ ἀσφαλέσταται.
And first, let this begin my speech: we are women, a race well-disposed to one another, and most secure in keeping common secrets.
καλόν τοι γλῶσσʼ ὅτῳ πιστὴ παρῇ.
It is a beautiful thing indeed when one has a trustworthy tongue.
See how one fortune holds three dearest ones, either a return to the father's land or death.
And if I am saved, so that you too may share in my fortune, I will save you to Greece.
ἀλλὰ πρός σε δεξιᾶς §1069σὲ καὶ σὲ ἱκνοῦμαι, σὲ δὲ φίλης παρηίδος, §1070γονάτων τε καὶ τῶν ἐν δόμοισι φιλτάτων §1071μητρὸς πατρός τε καὶ τέκνων ὅτῳ κυρεῖ.
But by your right hand I beseech you and you, and you by your dear cheek, and by your knees and the dearest ones at home, mother and father and children, to whomsoever they belong.
§1072τί φατέ;
What do you say?
τίς ὑμῶν φησιν ἢ τίς οὐ θέλειν — §1073φθέγξασθε — ταῦτα;
Who of you says or who wishes not— speak out—this?
μὴ γὰρ αἰνουσῶν λόγους §1074ὄλωλα κἀγὼ καὶ κασίγνητος τάλας.
For if you do not assent to my words, I am ruined, and my wretched brother too.
§1075θάρσει, φίλη δέσποινα, καὶ σῴζου μόνον· §1076ὡς ἔκ γʼ ἐμοῦ σοι πάντα σιγηθήσεται — §1077ἴστω μέγας Ζεύς — ὧν ἐπισκήπτεις πέρι.
[Chorus]: Take courage, dear mistress, and only save yourself; for as far as I am concerned, everything will be kept silent for you— let great Zeus be witness—concerning the things you charge us.
§1078ὄναισθε μύθων καὶ γένοισθʼ εὐδαίμονες.
[Iphigenia]: May you be blessed for your words, and may you be happy.
§1079σὸν ἔργον ἤδη καὶ σὸν ἐσβαίνειν δόμους· §1080ὡς αὐτίχʼ ἥξει τῆσδε κοίρανος χθονός, §1081θυσίαν ἐλέγχων εἰ κατείργασται ξένων.
It is your task now, and yours, to enter the temple; for soon the ruler of this land will come, inquiring whether the sacrifice of the strangers has been performed.
§1082>ὦ πότνιʼ, ἥπερ μʼ Αὐλίδος κατὰ πτυχὰς §1083δεινῆς ἔσωσας ἐκ πατροκτόνου χερός, §1084σῶσόν με καὶ νῦν τούσδε τʼ· ἢ τὸ Λοξίου §1085οὐκέτι βροτοῖσι διὰ σὲ ἐτήτυμον στόμα.
O mistress, you who saved me in the mountain folds of Aulis from my father's terrible slaying hand, save me now too, and these men; or because of you, Loxias' mouth will no longer be true to mortals.
§1086ἀλλʼ εὐμενὴς ἔκβηθι βαρβάρου χθονὸς §1087ἐς τὰς Ἀθήνας· καὶ γὰρ ἐνθάδʼ οὐ πρέπει §1088ναίειν, παρόν σοι πόλιν ἔχειν εὐδαίμονα.
But go forth with favor from this barbarian land to Athens; for indeed it is not fitting for you to dwell here, when it is possible for you to possess a prosperous city.
§1089ὄρνις, ἃ παρὰ πετρίνας §1090πόντου δειράδας, ἀλκυών, §1091ἔλεγον οἶτον ἀείδεις, §1092εὐξύνετον ξυνετοῖς βοάν, §1093ὅτι πόσιν κελαδεῖς ἀεὶ μολπαῖς, §1094ἐγώ σοι παραβάλλομαι §1095θρήνους, ἄπτερος ὅρνις, §1096ποθοῦσʼ Ἑλλάνων ἀγόρους, §1097ποθοῦσʼ Ἄρτεμιν λοχίαν, §1098ἃ παρὰ Κύνθιον ὄχθον οἰ- §1099κεῖ φοίνικά θʼ ἁβροκόμαν §1100δάφναν τʼ εὐερνέα καὶ §1101γλαυκᾶς θαλλὸν ἱερὸν ἐλαί- §1102ας, Λατοῦς ὠδῖνα φίλαν, §1103λίμναν θʼ εἱλίσσουσαν ὕδωρ §1104κύκλιον, ἔνθα κύκνος μελῳ- §1105δὸς Μούσας θεραπεύει.
[Chorus]: O bird, you who by the rocky cliffs of the sea, halcyon, sing of your sad fate, a cry well-understood by those who understand, that you always lament your husband with songs, I compare my laments with yours, a wingless bird, longing for the assemblies of the Greeks, longing for Artemis, goddess of childbirth, who dwells by the Cynthian hill, and the soft-haired palm, and the flourishing laurel, and the sacred sprout of the gray-green olive, beloved birth-pains of Leto, and the lake winding its circular water, where the singing swan serves the Muses.
§1106ὦ πολλαὶ δακρύων λιβάδες, §1107αἳ παρηίδας εἰς ἐμὰς §1108ἔπεσον, ἁνίκα πύργων §1109ὀλομένων ἐν ναυσὶν ἔβαν §1110πολεμίων ἐρετμοῖσι καὶ λόγχαις.
O many streams of tears, which upon my cheeks fell, when, our towers having perished, I went in ships by the oars and spears of the enemies.
§1111ζαχρύσου δὲ διʼ ἐμπολᾶς §1112νόστον βάρβαρον ἦλθον, §1113ἔνθα τᾶς ἐλαφοκτόνου §1114θεᾶς ἀμφίπολον κόραν §1115παῖδʼ Ἀγαμεμνονίαν λατρεύ- §1116ω βωμούς τʼ οὐ μηλοθύτας,
And through a trade of much gold I came to a barbarian journey, where I serve the maiden, minister of the stag-killing goddess, the child of Agamemnon, and altars not sacrificing sheep.
I envy the ruin that is unfortunate through all; for when one is brought up with necessity, one does not grow weary.
For misfortune changes; but to suffer misfortune after prosperity is a heavy life for mortals.
§1123καὶ σὲ μέν, πότνιʼ, Ἀργεία §1124πεντηκόντορος οἶκον ἄξει· §1125συρίζων θʼ ὁ κηροδέτας §1126κάλαμος οὐρείου Πανὸς §1127κώπαις ἐπιθωΰξει, §1128ὁ Φοῖβός θʼ ὁ μάντις ἔχων §1129κέλαδον ἑπτατόνου λύρας §1130ἀείδων ἄξει λιπαρὰν §1131εὖ σʼ Ἀθηναίων ἐπὶ γᾶν.
And you indeed, O mistress, an Argive fifty-oared ship will carry home; and whistling, the wax-bound reed of mountain Pan will cheer on the oars, and Phoebus the prophet, having the sound of his seven-toned lyre, singing, will guide you well to the brilliant land of the Athenians.
§1132ἐμὲ δʼ αὐτοῦ λιποῦσα §1133βήσῃ ῥοθίοισι πλάταις· §1134ἀέρι δὲ πρότονοι κατὰ πρῷραν ὑ- §1135πὲρ στόλον ἐκπετάσουσι πόδα §1136ναὸς ὠκυπόμπου.
But leaving me here, you will go with rushing oars; and in the air the forestays along the prow will stretch out the sheet of the swift-sailing ship over the bowsprit.
§1138λαμπροὺς ἱπποδρόμους βαίην, §1139ἔνθʼ εὐάλιον ἔρχεται πῦρ· §1140οἰκείων δʼ ὑπὲρ θαλάμων §1141πτέρυγας ἐν νώτοις ἁμοῖς §1142λήξαιμι θοάζουσα·
Would that I might go to the bright horse-courses where the fair-sunned fire travels; and over my own chambers may I cease from fluttering the wings on my back.
§1143χοροῖς δʼ ἑσταίην, ὅθι καὶ §1144παρθένος, εὐδοκίμων γάμων, §1145παρὰ πόδʼ εἱλίσσουσα φίλας §1146ματρὸς ἡλίκων θιάσους, §1147χαρίτων εἰς ἁμίλλας, §1148χαίτας ἁβρόπλουτον ἔριν, §1149ὀρνυμένα, πολυποίκιλα φάρεα §1150καὶ πλοκάμους περιβαλλομένα §1151γένυσιν ἐσκίαζον.
And may I stand in the dances, where also as a maiden, at renowned marriages, whirling near the foot of my dear mother the bands of my equals, into rivalries of graces, the rivalry of delicate, luxurious hair, leaping forward, wrapping multi-colored robes around myself and letting my tresses shadow my cheeks.
[Thoas]: Where is the Greek woman, the gatekeeper of this house?
ἤδη τῶν ξένων κατήρξατο;
Has she already begun the rites for the strangers?
§1155ἀδύτοις ἐν ἁγνοῖς σῶμα λάμπονται πυρί;
Are their bodies shining with fire within the holy sanctuaries?
§1156ἥδʼ ἐστίν, ἥ σοι πάντʼ, ἄναξ, ἐρεῖ σαφῶς.
[Chorus]: Here she is; she will tell you everything clearly, O king.
§1157ἔα·
[Thoas]: Ha!
Why do you remove this from its immovable pedestal, child of Agamemnon, holding the goddess' image in your arms?
§1159ἄναξ, ἔχʼ αὐτοῦ πόδα σὸν ἐν παραστάσιν.
[Iphigenia]: O king, hold your foot there at the portals.
§1160τί δʼ ἔστιν, Ἰφιγένεια, καινὸν ἐν δόμοις;
[Thoas]: But what is it, Iphigenia, new in the temple?
§1161ἀπέπτυσʼ· Ὁσίᾳ γὰρ δίδωμʼ ἔπος τόδε.
[Iphigenia]: I spit it out; for to Holiness I give this word.