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Euripides · Iphigenia in Tauris §983-1056

Plot to Escape by Cleansing the Statue in the Sea

Passage 12 of 17 · Greek

Summary

Orestes and Iphigenia devise a specific plan to steal the statue of Artemis from the temple and return to Greece. Iphigenia proposes a scheme to deceive the king by using Orestes' defilement from matricide as a pretext to cleanse both him and the statue in the sea.

§983ἀλλʼ, ὦ φιληθεῖσʼ, ὦ κασίγνητον κάρα, §984σῷσον πατρῷον οἶκον, ἔκσῳσον δʼ ἐμέ· §985ὡς τἄμʼ ὄλωλε πάντα καὶ τὰ Πελοπιδῶν, §986οὐράνιον εἰ μὴ ληψόμεσθα θεᾶς βρέτας.
[Orestes]: But, O beloved, O sisterly head, save our father's house, and save me; for all my affairs and those of the Pelopidae are ruined, unless we shall take the heaven-fallen wooden image of the goddess.
§987δεινή τις ὀργὴ δαιμόνων ἐπέζεσε §988τὸ Ταντάλειον σπέρμα διὰ πόνων τʼ ἄγει.
Some terrible anger of the deities has boiled up against the seed of Tantalus and leads them through troubles.
§989τὸ μὲν πρόθυμον, πρίν σε δεῦρʼ ἐλθεῖν, ἔχω §990Ἄργει γενέσθαι καὶ σέ, σύγγονʼ, εἰσιδεῖν.
[Iphigenia]: Even before you came here, I had the desire, O kinsman, to be in Argos and to look upon you.
§991θέλω δʼ ἅπερ σύ, σέ τε μεταστῆσαι πόνων §992νοσοῦντά τʼ οἶκον, οὐχὶ τῷ κτανόντι με §993θυμουμένη, πατρῷον ὀρθῶσαι· θέλω·
And I wish what you wish: both to release you from troubles and to restore our ailing house, not being angry at the one who killed me; I wish it.
§994σφαγῆς τε γὰρ σῆς χεῖρʼ ἀπαλλάξαιμεν ἂν §995σῴσαιμί τʼ οἴκους.
For indeed I would free my hand from your slaughter, and I would save our house.
τὴν θεὸν δʼ ὅπως λάθω §996δέδοικα καὶ τύραννον, ἡνίκʼ ἂν κενὰς §997κρηπῖδας εὕρῃ λαΐνας ἀγάλματος.
But how I may escape the notice of the goddess and the king, I fear, when he shall find the stone pedestal of the image empty.
§998πῶς δʼ οὐ θανοῦμαι;
And how shall I not die?
τίς δʼ ἔνεστί μοι λόγος;
What defense is there for me?
§999ἀλλʼ, εἰ μὲν — ἕν τι — τοῦθʼ ὁμοῦ γενήσεται, §1000ἄγαλμά τʼ οἴσεις κἄμʼ ἐπʼ εὐπρύμνου νεὼς §1001ἄξεις, τὸ κινδύνευμα γίγνεται καλόν·
But if this—one thing—shall happen together, and you shall carry the image and also lead me upon the well-built ship, the venture becomes beautiful.
§1002τούτου δὲ χωρισθεῖσʼ — ἐγὼ μὲν ὄλλυμαι, §1003σὺ δʼ ἂν τὸ σαυτοῦ θέμενος εὖ νόστου τύχοις.
But if I am separated from this—I indeed perish, though you, having managed your own affairs well, might obtain a return.
§1004οὐ μήν τι φεύγω γʼ, οὐδέ σʼ εἰ θανεῖν χρεὼν §1005σῴσασαν· οὐ γὰρ ἀλλʼ ἀνὴρ μὲν ἐκ δόμων §1006θανὼν ποθεινός, τὰ δὲ γυναικὸς ἀσθενῆ.
Yet I do not flee from this, not even if it is necessary for me to die having saved you; for a man indeed, when he dies from a house, is regretted, but the affairs of a woman are weak.
§1007οὐκ ἂν γενοίμην σοῦ τε καὶ μητρὸς φονεύς· §1008ἅλις τὸ κείνης αἷμα·
[Orestes]: I would not become the murderer of both you and our mother; her blood is enough.
κοινόφρων δὲ σοὶ §1009καὶ ζῆν θέλοιμʼ ἂν καὶ θανὼν λαχεῖν ἴσον.
Sharing your mind, I would wish both to live and, dying, to obtain an equal share of lot with you.
§1010ἄξω δέ γʼ, ἤνπερ καὐτὸς ἐνταυθοῖ περῶ, §1011πρὸς οἶκον, ἢ σοῦ κατθανὼν μενῶ μέτα.
And I will lead you, if indeed I myself pass through to there, towards home, or dying I will remain with you.
§1012γνώμης δʼ ἄκουσον· εἰ πρόσαντες ἦν τόδε §1013Ἀρτέμιδι, πῶς ἂν Λοξίας ἐθέσπισε §1014κομίσαι μʼ ἄγαλμα θεᾶς πόλισμʼ ἐς Παλλάδος §1015καὶ σὸν πρόσωπον εἰσιδεῖν;
And hear my opinion: if this was hostile to Artemis, how would Loxias have ordained for me to carry the image of the goddess to the city of Pallas, and to look upon your face?
ἅπαντα γὰρ §1016συνθεὶς τάδʼ εἰς ἓν νόστον ἐλπίζω λαβεῖν.
For putting all these things together into one, I hope to obtain a return.
§1017πῶς οὖν γένοιτʼ ἂν ὥστε μήθʼ ἡμᾶς θανεῖν, §1018λαβεῖν θʼ ἃ βουλόμεσθα;
[Iphigenia]: How then could it happen so that neither we die, and we obtain what we wish?
τῇδε γὰρ νοσεῖ §1019νόστος πρὸς οἴκους· ἡ δὲ βούλησις πάρα.
For here our return home is ailing; but the willingness is present.
§1020ἆρʼ ἂν τύραννον διολέσαι δυναίμεθʼ ἄν;
[Orestes]: Could we destroy the king?
§1021δεινὸν τόδʼ εἶπας, ξενοφονεῖν ἐπήλυδας.
[Iphigenia]: A terrible thing you have said, for newcomers to murder their host.
§1022ἀλλʼ, εἰ σὲ σώσει κἀμέ, κινδυνευτέον.
[Orestes]: But, if it will save you and me, we must risk it.
§1023οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην· τὸ δὲ πρόθυμον ᾔνεσα.
[Iphigenia]: I could not; but I praise your willingness.
§1024τί δʼ, εἴ με ναῷ τῷδε κρύψειας λάθρα;
[Orestes]: What then if you should hide me secretly in this temple?
§1025ὡς δὴ σκότον λαβόντες ἐκσωθεῖμεν ἄν;
[Iphigenia]: So that having taken darkness we might be saved?
§1026κλεπτῶν γὰρ ἡ νύξ, τῆς δʼ ἀληθείας τὸ φῶς.
[Orestes]: Yes, for night belongs to thieves, and light to truth.
§1027εἴσʼ ἔνδον ἱεροὶ φύλακες, οὓς οὐ λήσομεν.
[Iphigenia]: There are holy guards inside, whom we shall not escape.
§1028οἴμοι, διεφθάρμεσθα· πῶς σωθεῖμεν ἄν;
[Orestes]: Alas, we are ruined; how could we be saved?
§1029ἔχειν δοκῶ μοι καινὸν ἐξεύρημά τι.
[Iphigenia]: I think I have a certain new invention.
§1030ποῖόν τι;
[Orestes]: What kind of thing?
δόξης μετάδος, ὡς κἀγὼ μάθω.
Share your thought, so that I too may learn.
§1031ταῖς σαῖς ἀνίαις χρήσομαι σοφίσμασι.
[Iphigenia]: I shall use your troubles as a clever device.
§1032δειναὶ γὰρ αἱ γυναῖκες εὑρίσκειν τέχνας.
[Orestes]: Yes, women are terrible at finding devices.
§1033φονέα σε φήσω μητρὸς ἐξ Ἄργους μολεῖν.
[Iphigenia]: I shall say that you came from Argos as a murderer of your mother.
§1034χρῆσαι κακοῖσι τοῖς ἐμοῖς, εἰ κερδανεῖς.
[Orestes]: Use my evils, if indeed you will gain by it.
§1035ὡς οὐ θέμις γε λέξομεν θύειν θεᾷ, §1036τίνʼ αἰτίαν ἔχουσʼ;
[Iphigenia]: We shall say that it is not lawful to sacrifice you to the goddess, [Orestes]: Having what cause?
ὑποπτεύω τι γάρ.
For I suspect something.
§1037οὐ καθαρὸν ὄντα· τὸ δʼ ὅσιον δώσω φόβῳ.
[Iphigenia]: Because you are not pure; and I will give holy fear to the king.
§1038τί δῆτα μᾶλλον θεᾶς ἄγαλμʼ ἁλίσκεται;
[Orestes]: How then is the goddess' image rather affected?
§1039πόντου σε πηγαῖς ἁγνίσαι βουλήσομαι, §1040ἔτʼ ἐν δόμοισι βρέτας, ἐφʼ ᾧ πεπλεύκαμεν.
[Iphigenia]: I shall say I wish to purify you in the springs of the sea, [Orestes]: And what of the wooden image still in the temple, for which we have sailed?
§1041κἀκεῖνο νίψαι, σοῦ θιγόντος ὥς, ἐρῶ.
[Iphigenia]: I will say that must be washed too, since you touched it.
§1042ποῖ δῆτα;
[Orestes]: Whither then?
πόντου νοτερὸν εἶπας ἔκβολον;
Did you say to the wet outlet of the sea?
§1043οὗ ναῦς χαλινοῖς λινοδέτοις ὁρμεῖ σέθεν.
[Iphigenia]: Where your ship rides at anchor with flax-bound cables.
§1044σὺ δʼ ἤ τις ἄλλος ἐν χεροῖν οἴσει βρέτας;
[Orestes]: And will you or someone else carry the image in hands?
§1045ἐγώ· θιγεῖν γὰρ ὅσιόν ἐστʼ ἐμοὶ μόνῃ.
[Iphigenia]: I; for it is holy for me alone to touch it.
§1046Πυλάδης δʼ ὅδʼ ἡμῖν ποῦ τετάξεται πόνου;
[Orestes]: And where will Pylades here be stationed for us in this labor?
§1047ταὐτὸν χεροῖν σοὶ λέξεται μίασμʼ ἔχων.
[Iphigenia]: He will be said to have the same defilement of hands as you.
§1048λάθρα δʼ ἄνακτος ἢ εἰδότος δράσεις τάδε;
[Orestes]: Will you do this secretly from the king or with him knowing?
§1049πείσασα μύθοις· οὐ γὰρ ἂν λάθοιμί γε.
[Iphigenia]: Having persuaded him with words; for I could not escape his notice.
§1050καὶ μὴν νεώς γε πίτυλος εὐήρης πάρα.
[Orestes]: Indeed, the well-oared sweep of the ship is ready at hand.
§1051σοὶ δὴ μέλειν χρὴ τἄλλʼ ὅπως ἕξει καλῶς.
[Iphigenia]: It must be your care indeed that the other things turn out well.
§1052ἑνὸς μόνου δεῖ, τάσδε συγκρύψαι τάδε.
[Orestes]: Only one thing is needed, for these women to hide this.
§1053ἀλλʼ ἀντίαζε καὶ λόγους πειστηρίους §1054εὕρισκʼ· ἔχει τοι δύναμιν εἰς οἶκτον γυνή.
[Iphigenia]: But beseech them and find persuasive words; a woman indeed has power to move to pity.
§1055τὰ δʼ ἄλλʼ ἴσως —. ἅπαντα συμβαίη καλῶς.
And the other things perhaps—may all turn out well.
§1056ὦ φίλταται γυναῖκες, εἰς ὑμᾶς βλέπω,
O dearest women, I look to you,

Notes

  1. §985ὡς τἄμʼ ὄλωλε — The conjunction `ὡς` introducing a reason ("for..."), combined with the stative perfect `ὄλωλε` ("are ruined / have perished"). Together with the conditional clause `εἰ μὴ ληψόμεσθα` (v. 986), it expresses that their ruin is already as good as certain if they fail to obtain the wooden image.
  2. §994ἀπαλλάξαιμεν ἂν / σῴσαιμί τʼ — Within the same speech by Iphigenia, the verb with optative + `ἄν` shifts from the first-person plural (`ἀπαλλάξαιμεν`) to the first-person singular (`σῴσαιμι`). The plural here is a poetic or majestic plural used in tragedy for self-reference, and the logical subject of both verbs is Iphigenia alone.
  3. §1005οὐ γὰρ ἀλλʼ — An idiomatic expression meaning "for indeed" or "for nothing other than." Derived from an ellipsis of `οὐ γὰρ [ἄλλο τι] ἀλλʼ`, it strongly and positively reinforces the reason given in the following clause.
  4. §1040ἔτʼ ἐν δόμοισι βρέτας — An independent accusative (or nominative) phrase with the verb omitted. Prompted by Iphigenia's preceding statement about purification in the sea, it introduces Orestes' subsequent inquiry: "But what about the wooden image still left in the temple, for which we sailed?"

Cite this passage

Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris §983-1056. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg013.humanitext-grc2:983-1056

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