§379ἔρρεις, Ὀρέστα, καὶ πατρὸς ζηλωμάτων — §380τὰ τῆς θεοῦ δὲ μέμφομαι σοφίσματα, §381ἥτις βροτῶν μὲν ἤν τις ἅψηται φόνου, §382ἢ καὶ λοχείας ἢ νεκροῦ θίγῃ χεροῖν, §383βωμῶν ἀπείργει, μυσαρὸν ὡς ἡγουμένη, §384αὐτὴ δὲ θυσίαις ἥδεται βροτοκτόνοις.
You are ruined, Orestes, and cut off from the glories of your father — But I find fault with the subtleties of the goddess, who, if any mortal touches bloodshed, or even childbirth, or handles a corpse with their hands, bars them from her altars, holding them to be defiled, yet she herself delights in human sacrifices.
It cannot be that Leto, the consort of Zeus, gave birth to such folly.
ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν §387τὰ Ταντάλου θεοῖσιν ἑστιάματα §388ἄπιστα κρίνω, παιδὸς ἡσθῆναι βορᾷ, §389τοὺς δʼ ἐνθάδʼ, αὐτοὺς ὄντας ἀνθρωποκτόνους, §390ἐς τὴν θεὸν τὸ φαῦλον ἀναφέρειν δοκῶ· §391οὐδένα γὰρ οἶμαι δαιμόνων εἶναι κακόν.
I, therefore, judge the banquet of Tantalus for the gods to be past belief, that they should delight in the flesh of a child; and I think that the people here, being themselves murderers, attribute their own baseness to the goddess; for I believe no one of the divinities is evil.
§392κυάνεαι κυάνεαι §393σύνοδοι θαλάσσας, ἵνʼ οἶ- §394στρος ὁ πετόμενος Ἀργόθεν ἄ- §395ξενον ἐπʼ οἶδμα διεπέρασεν — §396Ἀσιήτιδα γαῖαν §397Εὐρώπας διαμείψας.
Dark, dark confluences of the sea, where the gadfly flying from Argos crossed over the inhospitable wave — exchanging the land of Asia for Europe.
§399τίνες ποτʼ ἄρα τὸν εὔυδρον δονακόχλοα §400λιπόντες Εὐρώταν ἢ §401ῥεύματα σεμνὰ Δίρκας §402ἔβασαν ἔβασαν ἄμεικτον αἶαν, ἔνθα κούρᾳ §403δίᾳ τέγγει §405βωμοὺς καὶ περικίονας §406ναοὺς αἷμα βρότειον;
Who then, leaving Eurotas rich in waters and green with reeds or the sacred streams of Dirce, came, came to this inhospitable land, where the divine maiden wets the altars and the pillared temples with human blood?
§407ἦ ῥοθίοις εἰλατίνας §408δικρότοισι κώπας ἔπλευ- §409σαν ἐπὶ πόντια κύματα, νά- §410ιον ὄχημα λινοπόροις αὔραις, §411φιλόπλουτον ἅμιλλαν §412αὔξοντες μελάθροισιν;
Or did they sail upon the ocean waves in a pine-wood vessel with double-beating oars, running over the sea-waves, a ship-borne carriage with linen-passing breezes, to increase a wealth-loving rivalry for their homes?
§414φίλα γὰρ ἐλπίς γʼ, ἐπί τε πήμασιν βροτῶν §415ἄπληστος ἀνθρώποις, ὄλ- §416βου βάρος οἳ φέρονται §417πλάνητες ἐπʼ οἶδμα πόλεις τε βαρβάρους περῶντες, §418κοινᾷ δόξᾳ·
For sweet is hope, insatiable to humans even amidst sufferings, as they carry a weight of wealth, wandering over the wave and passing through barbarian cities, with a common expectation.
Yet the mind is untimely for wealth to some, while to others it comes in due measure.
§421πῶς πέτρας τὰς συνδρομάδας, §422πῶς Φινεϊδᾶν ἀΰ- §423πνους ἀκτὰς ἐπέρασαν §424παρʼ ἅλιον §425αἰγιαλὸν ἐπʼ Ἀμφιτρί- §426τας ῥοθίῳ δραμόντες, §427ὅπου πεντήκοντα κορᾶν §428Νηρῄδων χοροὶ §429μέλπουσιν ἐγκύκλιοι, §430πλησιστίοισι πνοαῖς §431συριζόντων κατὰ πρύμναν §432εὐναίων πηδαλίων §433αὔραις σὺν νοτίαις §434ἢ πνεύμασι Ζεφύρου, §435τὰν πολυόρνιθον ἐπʼ αἶ- §436αν, λευκὰν ἀκτάν, Ἀχιλῆ- §437ος δρόμους καλλισταδίους, §438ἄξεινον κατὰ πόντον;
How did they pass the clashing rocks, how the sleepless shores of the sons of Phineus, running along the sea-strand upon the surging tide of Amphitrite, where the circular dances of the fifty Nereid maidens sing, while with breezes that fill the sails the rudders resting at the stern whistle under southern winds or the breath of Zephyrus, to the land of many birds, the white shore, the beautiful racecourse of Achilles, along the inhospitable sea?
§439εἴθʼ εὐχαῖσιν δεσποσύνοις §439aΛήδας Ἑλένα φίλα §440παῖς ἐλθοῦσα τύχοι τὰν §441Τρῳάδα λι- §442ποῦσα πόλιν, ἵνʼ ἀμφὶ χαί- §443τᾳ δρόσον αἱματηρὰν §444ἑλιχθεῖσα λαιμοτόμῳ §445δεσποίνας χειρὶ θάνοι §446ποινὰς δοῦσʼ ἀντιπάλους.
Would that, in answer to our mistress's prayers, Helen, the beloved child of Leda, might come, leaving the city of Troy, so that, entwined with bloody dew around her hair by the throat-cutting hand of our mistress, she might die, paying equal retribution.
§447ἁδίσταν δʼ ἀγγελίαν §448δεξαίμεσθʼ, Ἑλλάδος ἐκ γᾶς §449πλωτήρων εἴ τις ἔβα, §450δουλείας ἐμέθεν §451δειλαίας παυσίπονος· §452κἀν γὰρ ὀνείροισι συνεί- §453ην δόμοις πόλει τε πατρῴ- §454ᾳ, τερπνῶν ὕπνων ἀπόλαυ- §455σιν, κοινὰν χάριν ὄλβου.
And the sweetest news we would receive, if any of the sailors from the land of Greece came, bringing an end to the toil of my wretched slavery; for even in dreams might I dwell in my ancestral home and city, an enjoyment of delightful sleep, a shared grace of happiness.
§456ἀλλʼ οἵδε χέρας δεσμοῖς δίδυμοι §457συνερεισθέντες χωροῦσι, νέον §458πρόσφαγμα θεᾶς· σιγᾶτε, φίλαι.
But here they come, the two with hands bound close together, a fresh sacrifice for the goddess; be silent, my friends.
§459τὰ γὰρ Ἑλλήνων ἀκροθίνια δὴ §460ναοῖσι πέλας τάδε βαίνει· §461οὐδʼ ἀγγελίας ψευδεῖς ἔλακεν §462βουφορβὸς ἀνήρ.
For these first-fruits of the Greeks are indeed walking near the temple; and the herdsman did not speak false news.
§463ὦ πότνιʼ, εἴ σοι τάδʼ ἀρεσκόντως §464πόλις ἥδε τελεῖ, δέξαι θυσίας, §465ἃς ὁ παρʼ ἡμῖν νόμος οὐχ ὁσίας §466ἀναφαίνει.
O mistress, if this city performs these things acceptably to you, receive the sacrifices which our custom declares to be unholy.
Well; first I must take care that the matters of the goddess are in good order.
μέθετε τῶν ξένων χέρας, §469ὡς ὄντες ἱεροὶ μηκέτʼ ὦσι δέσμιοι.
Loose the hands of the strangers, so that being consecrated they may no longer be bound.
And going inside the temple, prepare what is necessary and customary for the present circumstances.
§472φεῦ·
Alas!
Who was the mother who once bore you, and your father?
And your sister, if she happens to exist — of what a pair of young men deprived will she be left brotherless!
— τὰς τύχας τίς οἶδʼ ὅτῳ §476τοιαίδʼ ἔσονται;
Who knows to whom such fortunes will fall?
πάντα γὰρ τὰ τῶν θεῶν §477ἐς ἀφανὲς ἕρπει, κοὐδὲν οἶδʼ οὐδεὶς κακὸν §478ἡ γὰρ τύχη παρήγαγʼ ἐς τὸ δυσμαθές.
For all things of the gods creep into obscurity, and no one knows any evil; for fortune leads us astray into the difficult to learn.
§479πόθεν ποθʼ ἥκετʼ, ὦ ταλαίπωροι ξένοι;
From where have you come, O wretched strangers?
How long a voyage did you make to this land, and for a long time far from home you will be forever below!
Orestes: Why do you lament these things, and trouble us with the evils that are to come upon us, whoever you are, O woman?
I certainly do not think him wise who, when about to be slain, wishes to conquer the terror of destruction with pity.
§486οὐχ ὅστις Ἅιδην ἐγγὺς ὄντʼ οἰκτίζεται §487σωτηρίας ἄνελπις· ὡς δύʼ ἐξ ἑνὸς §488κακὼ συνάπτει, μωρίαν τʼ ὀφλισκάνει §489θνῄσκει θʼ ὁμοίως·
Nor is he wise who pities himself when Hades is near and he is hopeless of safety; for thus he links two evils from one, incurring the charge of folly, and dies just the same.
τὴν τύχην δʼ ἐᾶν χρεών.
One must let fortune be.
§490ἡμᾶς δὲ μὴ θρήνει σύ· τὰς γὰρ ἐνθάδε
But do not wail for us; for the rites here