§1232εὐτυχεῖς δʼ ἡμεῖς ἐσόμεθα.
[Iphigenia]: And we shall be fortunate.
τἄλλα δʼ οὐ λέγουσʼ, ὅμως §1233τοῖς τὰ πλείονʼ εἰδόσιν θεοῖς σοί τε σημαίνω, θεά.
I do not speak of the rest, yet to the gods who know more, and to you, O goddess, I make it clear.
§1234εὔπαις ὁ Λατοῦς γόνος, §1235τόν ποτε Δηλιὰς ἐν καρποφόροις γυάλοις §1236ἔτικτε, χρυσοκόμαν §1238ἐν κιθάρᾳ σοφόν, ἅ τʼ ἐπὶ τόξων §1239εὐστοχίᾳ γάνυται· φέρε δʼ αὐτά §1240νιν ἀπὸ δειράδος εἰναλίας, §1241λοχεῖα κλεινὰ λιποῦσα μά- §1242τηρ, τὰν ἀστάκτων ὑδάτων §1243βακχεύουσαν Διονύ- §1244σῳ Παρνάσιον κορυφάν·
[Chorus]: Glorious is the child of Leto, whom once the Delian mother, in the fruitful valleys, brought forth, the golden-haired, skilled in the lyre, and her who in the archery of bows delights; and she carried him from the ridge of the sea, leaving her famous birth-place, to the Parnassian peak that revels for Dionysus with flowing waters.
§1244aὅθι ποικιλόνωτος οἰ- §1245νωπὸς δράκων, §1246σκιερᾷ κατάχαλκος εὐ- §1247φύλλῳ δάφνᾳ, §1248γᾶς πελώριον τέρας, ἄμφεπε μαντεῖ- §1248aον Χθόνιον.
Where the dappled-backed, wine-dark serpent, covered by the shady, leafy laurel, a monstrous beast of the earth, guarded the Chthonic oracle.
§1249ἔτι μιν ἔτι βρέφος, ἔτι φίλας §1250ἐπὶ ματέρος ἀγκάλαισι θρῴσκων §1251ἔκανες, ὦ Φοῖβε, μαντείων δʼ ἐπέβας ζαθέων, §1254τρίποδί τʼ ἐν χρυσέῳ θάσσεις, ἐν ἀψευδεῖ θρόνῳ §1255μαντείας βροτοῖς θεσφάτων νέμων §1257ἀδύτων ὕπο, Κασταλίας ῥεέθρων γείτων, μέσον §1258γᾶς ἔχων μέλαθρον.
While still a babe, still leaping in the arms of your dear mother, you slew him, O Phoebus, and entered upon the sacred oracle, and you sit upon the golden tripod, on the true throne, dispensing prophecies from the gods to mortals from beneath the sanctuary, neighbor of the streams of Castalia, holding the central shrine of the earth.
§1259Θέμιν δʼ ἐπεὶ γᾶς ἰὼν §1260παῖδʼ ἀπενάσσατο Πυθῶνος ἀπὸ ζαθέων §1261χρηστηρίων, νύχια §1262Χθὼν ἐτεκνώσατο φάσματʼ ὀνείρων, §1263οἳ πολέσιν μερόπων τά τε πρῶτα, τά τʼ §1265ἔπειθʼ, ὅσσα τʼ ἔμελλε τυχεῖν, §1266ὕπνου κατὰ δνοφερὰς γᾶς εὐ- §1267νὰς ἔφραζον·
But when, coming there, he removed Themis, the child of Earth, from Pytho's sacred oracle, Earth brought forth the nocturnal phantoms of dreams, which declared to many of mortal men both the first things, and those that came after, and whatever was going to happen, in the dark beds of sleep upon the earth; and Earth took away the prophetic honor from Phoebus, out of jealousy for her daughter.
Γαῖα δὲ τὰν §1268μαντεῖον ἀφείλετο τι- §1269μὰν Φοῖβον, φθόνῳ θυγατρός. §1270ταχύπους δʼ ἐς Ὄλυμπον ὁρ- §1271μαθεὶς ἄναξ §1271aχέρα παιδνὸν ἕλιξεν ἐκ §1272Διὸς θρόνων §1273Πυθίων δόμων χθονίαν ἀφελεῖν μῆ- §1273aνιν θεᾶς.
And rushing swiftly to Olympus, the young lord wound his childish hand around the throne of Zeus, to remove the chthonic anger of the goddess from the Pythian temple.
And Zeus laughed, because his child had come so soon wishing to hold the gold-rich worship-offerings.
§1276ἐπὶ δʼ ἔσεισεν κόμαν, παῦσαι νυχίους ἐνοπάς, §1277ἀπὸ δʼ ἀλαθοσύναν νυκτωπὸν ἐξεῖλεν βροτῶν, §1280καὶ τιμὰς πάλιν θῆκε Λοξίᾳ, §1281πολυάνορι δʼ ἐν ξενόεντι θρόνῳ θάρση βροτοῖς §1282θεσφάτων ἀοιδαῖς.
And he shook his hair to stop the nocturnal voices, and took away the night-vision falsehoods from mortals, and restored the honors back to Loxias, and gave confidence to mortals in the songs of prophecies on the hospitable throne crowded with men.
[Messenger]: O temple guardians and ministers of the altar, where is Thoas, the king of this land, gone?
Open the well-bolted gates and call the ruler of this earth outside these halls.
§1288τί δʼ ἔστιν, εἰ χρὴ μὴ κελευσθεῖσαν λέγειν;
[Chorus Leader]: What is it, if I may speak without being ordered?
§1289βεβᾶσι φροῦδοι δίπτυχοι νεανίαι §1290Ἀγαμεμνονείας παιδὸς ἐκ βουλευμάτων §1291φεύγοντες ἐκ γῆς τῆσδε καὶ σεμνὸν βρέτας §1292λαβόντες ἐν κόλποισιν Ἑλλάδος νεώς.
[Messenger]: The two young men are gone and fled, by the counsels of the daughter of Agamemnon, fleeing from this land and carrying the sacred image in the bosom of a Greek ship.
[Chorus Leader]: You speak an unbelievable tale; but the king of this land whom you wish to see has gone, rushing out of the temple.
§1295ποῖ;
[Messenger]: Whither?
δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν εἰδέναι τὰ δρώμενα.
For he must know what is being done.
[Chorus Leader]: We do not know; but go and pursue him, wherever you may find him, to report these words.
§1298ὁρᾶτʼ, ἄπιστον ὡς γυναικεῖον γένος·
[Messenger]: See how untrustworthy is the race of women!
§1299μέτεστι χὑμῖν τῶν πεπραγμένων μέρος.
You too have a share in what has been done.
§1300μαίνῃ·
[Chorus Leader]: You are mad!
τί δʼ ἡμῖν τῶν ξένων δρασμοῦ μέτα;
What have we to do with the flight of the strangers?
§1301οὐκ εἶ κρατούντων πρὸς πύλας ὅσον τάχος;
Will you not go to the gates of the rulers as quickly as possible?
[Messenger]: No, not before this interpreter here speaks the word, whether the ruler of the land is inside or not inside.
§1304ὠή, χαλᾶτε κλῇθρα, τοῖς ἔνδον λέγω,
[Messenger]: Ho there!
Loose the bolts, I say to those inside, and signal to the master that at the gates I am present, announcing a load of new evils.
[Thoas]: Who raises this cry around the temple of the goddess, battering the gates and sending noise inside?
§1309φεῦ·
[Messenger]: Alas!
How these women spoke, and tried to drive me from the halls, saying that you were outside; but you were in the house after all.
§1311τί προσδοκῶσαι κέρδος ἢ θηρώμεναι;
[Thoas]: Expecting what gain, or seeking what?
[Messenger]: I will report their deeds later; but hear the immediate things at hand.
ἡ νεᾶνις ἣ ʼνθάδε §1314βωμοῖς παρίστατʼ, Ἰφιγένειʼ, ἔξω χθονὸς §1315σὺν τοῖς ξένοισιν οἴχεται, σεμνὸν θεᾶς §1316ἄγαλμʼ ἔχουσα· δόλια δʼ ἦν καθάρματα.
The maiden who stood here by the altars, Iphigenia, is gone outside the land with the strangers, having the sacred image of the goddess; and the purifications were a trick.
§1317πῶς φῄς;
[Thoas]: What do you say?
τί πνεῦμα συμφορᾶς κεκτημένη;
What breath of misfortune possessing her?
§1318σῴζουσʼ Ὀρέστην· τοῦτο γὰρ σὺ θαυμάσῃ.
[Messenger]: To save Orestes; for at this you will wonder.
§1319τὸν ποῖον;
[Thoas]: Which one?
ἆρʼ ὃν Τυνδαρὶς τίκτει κόρη;
Is it he whom Tyndareus' daughter bore?
§1320ὃν τοῖσδε βωμοῖς θεὰ καθωσιώσατο.
[Messenger]: The one whom the goddess consecrated at these altars.
§1321ὦ θαῦμα — πῶς σε μεῖζον ὀνομάσας τύχω;
[Thoas]: O wonder!
§1322μὴ ʼνταῦθα τρέψῃς σὴν φρένʼ, ἀλλʼ ἄκουέ μου·
How may I chance to name you by a greater name?
[Messenger]: Do not turn your mind there, but listen to me; clearly observe and, listening, consider what pursuit will hunt down the strangers.
§1325λέγʼ· εὖ γὰρ εἶπας·
[Thoas]: Speak; for you have spoken well.
οὐ γὰρ ἀγχίπλουν πόρον §1326φεύγουσιν, ὥστε διαφυγεῖν τοὐμὸν δόρυ.
For they do not flee along a short voyage, so as to escape my spear.