§1329ἡμᾶς μέν, οὓς σὺ δεσμὰ συμπέμπεις ξένων §1330ἔχοντας, ἐξένευσʼ ἀποστῆναι πρόσω §1331Ἀγαμέμνονος παῖς, ὡς ἀπόρρητον φλόγα §1332θύουσα καὶ καθαρμὸν ὃν μετῴχετο, §1333αὐτὴ δʼ ὄπισθε δέσμʼ ἔχουσα τοῖν ξένοιν §1334ἔστειχε χερσί.
While the daughter of Agamemnon signaled us—whom you sent along holding the bonds of the strangers— to stand far away, as if she were about to offer the secret flame and perform the purification which she had gone to do, and she herself went behind, holding the bonds of the two strangers in her hands.
καὶ τάδʼ ἦν ὕποπτα μέν, §1335ἤρεσκε μέντοι σοῖσι προσπόλοις, ἄναξ.
And while these things were indeed suspicious, they nevertheless pleased your servants, O king.
§1336χρόνῳ δʼ, ἵνʼ ἡμῖν δρᾶν τι δὴ δοκοῖ πλέον, §1337ἀνωλόλυξε καὶ κατῇδε βάρβαρα §1338μέλη μαγεύουσʼ, ὡς φόνον νίζουσα δή.
And in time, so that she might seem to us to be doing something of greater consequence, she raised a shriek and chanted foreign songs like a sorceress, as if indeed washing away the blood.
§1339ἐπεὶ δὲ δαρὸν ἦμεν ἥμενοι χρόνον, §1340ἐσῆλθεν ἡμᾶς μὴ λυθέντες οἱ ξένοι §1341κτάνοιεν αὐτὴν δραπέται τʼ οἰχοίατο.
But when we had been sitting for a long time, the thought entered us that the strangers, having been released, might kill her and go off as fugitives.
§1342φόβῳ δʼ ἃ μὴ χρῆν εἰσορᾶν καθήμεθα §1343σιγῇ· τέλος δὲ πᾶσιν ἦν αὑτὸς λόγος §1344στείχειν ἵνʼ ἦσαν, καίπερ οὐκ ἐωμένοις.
Yet through fear of seeing what we ought not, we sat in silence; but at last, the same decision was made by all, to go where they were, even though we were not permitted.
§1345κἀνταῦθʼ ὁρῶμεν Ἑλλάδος νεὼς σκάφος §1346ταρσῷ κατήρει πίτυλον ἐπτερωμένον, §1347ναύτας τε πεντήκοντʼ ἐπὶ σκαλμῶν πλάτας §1348ἔχοντας, ἐκ δεσμῶν δὲ τοὺς νεανίας §1349ἐλευθέρους πρύμνηθεν ἑστῶτας νεώς.
And there we saw the hull of the Greek ship winged with its array of oars, and fifty sailors having their blades on the rowlocks, and the young men, free from their bonds, standing at the stern of the ship.
§1350κοντοῖς δὲ πρῷραν εἶχον, οἳ δʼ ἐπωτίδων §1351ἄγκυραν ἐξανῆπτον· οἳ δέ, κλίμακας §1352σπεύδοντες, ἦγον διὰ χερῶν πρυμνήσια, §1353πόντῳ δὲ δόντες τοῖν ξένοιν καθίεσαν.
Some held the prow with poles, while others from the catheads were securing the anchor; and others, hurrying with the ladders, were bringing the stern-cables through their hands, and, giving them to the sea, let them down for the two strangers.
§1354ἡμεῖς δʼ ἀφειδήσαντες, ὡς ἐσείδομεν §1355δόλια τεχνήματʼ, εἰχόμεσθα τῆς ξένης §1356πρυμνησίων τε, καὶ διʼ εὐθυντηρίας §1357οἴακας ἐξῃροῦμεν εὐπρύμνου νεώς.
But we, sparing nothing when we saw the deceitful devices, laid hold of the stranger woman and the stern-cables, and tried to pull out the rudders through the steering-ports of the fine-sterned ship.
And words went back and forth: 'By what right do you sail away, stealing images and priestesses from this land?
§1360τίνος τίς ὢν σὺ τήνδʼ ἀπεμπολᾷς χθονός; §1361ὁ δʼ εἶπʼ· Ὀρέστης, τῆσδʼ ὅμαιμος, ὡς μάθῃς, §1362Ἀγαμέμνονος παῖς, τήνδʼ ἐμὴν κομίζομαι §1363λαβὼν ἀδελφήν, ἣν ἀπώλεσʼ ἐκ δόμων. §1364ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν ἧσσον εἰχόμεσθα τῆς ξένης §1365καὶ πρὸς σὲ ἕπεσθαι διεβιαζόμεσθά νιν· §1366ὅθεν τὰ δεινὰ πλήγματʼ ἦν γενειάδων.
Who are you, and whose son, to smuggle this woman from the country?' And he said: 'I am Orestes, her brother, that you may know, the son of Agamemnon; I am taking my sister, whom I lost from my home, having recovered her.' But we held onto the stranger woman nonetheless, and tried to force her to follow us to you; whence came those terrible blows to our faces.
§1367κεῖνοί τε γὰρ σίδηρον οὐκ εἶχον χεροῖν §1368ἡμεῖς τε· πυγμαί τʼ ἦσαν ἐγκροτούμεναι, §1369καὶ κῶλʼ ἀπʼ ἀμφοῖν τοῖν νεανίαιν ἅμα §1370ἐς πλευρὰ καὶ πρὸς ἧπαρ ἠκοντίζετο, §1371ὡς τῷ ξυνάπτειν καὶ συναποκαμεῖν μέλη.
For neither they had iron weapons in their hands nor did we; but fists were striking, and limbs from both the young men together were aimed at our ribs and at our livers, so that our limbs clashed and we were exhausted together.
§1372δεινοῖς δὲ σημάντροισιν ἐσφραγισμένοι §1373ἐφεύγομεν πρὸς κρημνόν, οἳ μὲν ἐν κάρᾳ §1374κάθαιμʼ ἔχοντες τραύμαθʼ, οἳ δʼ ἐν ὄμμασιν· §1375ὄχθοις δʼ ἐπισταθέντες εὐλαβεστέρως §1376ἐμαρνάμεσθα καὶ πέτρους ἐβάλλομεν.
Stamped with terrible marks of blows, we fled to the cliff, some with blood-stained wounds on their heads, others on their eyes; and standing on the heights, we fought more cautiously and threw stones.
But archers standing on the stern kept us back with arrows, so as to drive us far away.
§1379κἀν τῷδε — δεινὸς γὰρ κλύδων ὤκειλε ναῦν §1380πρὸς γῆν, φόβος δʼ ἦν παρθένῳ τέγξαι πόδα — §1381λαβὼν Ὀρέστης ὦμον εἰς ἀριστερόν, §1382βὰς ἐς θάλασσαν κἀπὶ κλίμακος θορών, §1383ἔθηκʼ ἀδελφὴν ἐντὸς εὐσήμου νεώς, §1384τό τʼ οὐρανοῦ πέσημα, τῆς Διὸς κόρης §1385ἄγαλμα.
And at this moment—for a terrible wave drove the ship to the shore, and there was fear that the maiden would wet her feet— Orestes, taking her on his left shoulder, stepping into the sea and leaping onto the ladder, placed his sister inside the well-marked ship, and also the image that fell from heaven, the daughter of Zeus.
ναὸς δʼ ἐκ μέσης ἐφθέγξατο §1386βοή τις· ὦ γῆς Ἑλλάδος ναῦται, νεὼς §1387λάβεσθε κώπαις ῥόθιά τʼ ἐκλευκαίνετε·
And from the middle of the ship a cry shouted: 'O sailors of the land of Greece, grip the oars of the ship and whiten the surge!
§1388ἔχομεν γὰρ ὧνπερ οὕνεκʼ ἄξενον πόρον §1389Συμπληγάδων ἔσωθεν εἰσεπλεύσαμεν. §1390οἳ δὲ στεναγμὸν ἡδὺν ἐκβρυχώμενοι §1391ἔπαισαν ἅλμην.
For we have that for which we sailed inside the unfriendly strait of the Symplegades.' And they, roaring out a joyful groan, struck the brine.
ναῦς δʼ, ἕως μὲν ἐντὸς ἦν §1392λιμένος, ἐχώρει στόμια, διαπερῶσα δὲ §1393λάβρῳ κλύδωνι συμπεσοῦσʼ ἠπείγετο·
And the ship, as long as it was inside the harbor, made progress toward the outlet, but as it passed through, meeting a fierce wave, it was forced back.
§1394δεινὸς γὰρ ἐλθὼν ἄνεμος ἐξαίφνης νεὼς §1395ὠθεῖ παλίμπρυμνʼ ἱστίʼ· οἳ δʼ ἐκαρτέρουν §1396πρὸς κῦμα λακτίζοντες·
For a terrible wind came suddenly and pushed the ship's sails backward; but they persevered, struggling against the wave.
ἐς δὲ γῆν πάλιν §1397κλύδων παλίρρους ἦγε ναῦν.
Yet back to the land the back-washing surge brought the ship.
σταθεῖσα δὲ §1398Ἀγαμέμνονος παῖς ηὔξατʼ· ὦ Λητοῦς κόρη §1399σῷσόν με τὴν σὴν ἱερέαν πρὸς Ἑλλάδα §1400ἐκ βαρβάρου γῆς καὶ κλοπαῖς σύγγνωθʼ ἐμαῖς.
And standing up, the daughter of Agamemnon prayed: 'O daughter of Leto, save me, your priestess, to Greece, out of the barbarian land, and forgive my thefts.
§1401φιλεῖς δὲ καὶ σὺ σὸν κασίγνητον, θεά· §1402φιλεῖν δὲ κἀμὲ τοὺς ὁμαίμονας δόκει. §1403ναῦται δʼ ἐπευφήμησαν εὐχαῖσιν κόρης §1404παιᾶνα, γυμνὰς ἐκ πέπλων ἐπωμίδας §1405κώπῃ προσαρμόσαντες ἐκ κελεύσματος.
You too love your brother, O goddess; so think that I too love my kindred.' And the sailors shouted in response to the maiden's prayers a paean, and fitting their bare shoulders, stripped of their robes, to the oar at the word of command.
§1406μᾶλλον δὲ μᾶλλον πρὸς πέτρας ᾔει σκάφος· §1407χὣ μέν τις ἐς θάλασσαν ὡρμήθη ποσίν, §1408ἄλλος δὲ πλεκτὰς ἐξανῆπτεν ἀγκύλας.
But more and more the hull went toward the rocks; and indeed one rushed into the sea with his feet, while another began to tie the twisted ropes.
And I was sent straightway to you here, to report to you, O king, the fortunes from there.