Will you turn back again and retrace your steps, leaving off making a noise?
§173ὑπνώσσει.
He is sleeping.
§173bλέγεις εὖ.
You speak well.
§174πότνια, πότνια νύξ, §175ὑπνοδότειρα τῶν πολυπόνων βροτῶν, §178ἐρεβόθεν ἴθι, μόλε μόλε κατάπτερος §179τὸν Ἀγαμεμνόνιον ἐπὶ δόμον.
O queen, queen Night, giver of sleep to toil-worn mortals, come from Erebus, come, come on wings to the house of Agamemnon.
For by pains and by disaster we are ruined, we are gone. — Ah, you made a noise!
οὐχὶ σῖγα §182σῖγα φυλασσομένα στόματος §185ἄνα κέλαδον ἀπὸ λέχεος ἥ- §186συχον ὕπνου χάριν παρέξεις, φίλα;
Will you not quietly, quietly, keeping watch over your mouth, calm the sound, and far from his bed provide the quiet grace of sleep, my friend?
§187θρόει τίς κακῶν τελευτὰ μένει.
Speak, what end of evils awaits him?
§188θανεῖν θανεῖν, τί δʼ ἄλλο;
To die, to die; what else?
§189οὐδὲ γὰρ πόθον ἔχει βορᾶς.
For he does not even have any desire for food.
§190πρόδηλος ἆρʼ ὁ πότμος.
Then his doom is clear.
Phoebus sacrificed us, giving us the wretched, murderous blood of our mother who slew our father.
§194δίκᾳ μέν.
With justice, indeed.
§194bκαλῶς δʼ οὔ.
But not beautifully.
§195ἔκανες ἔθανες, ὦ §196τεκομένα με μᾶτερ, ἀπὸ δʼ ὤλεσας §197πατέρα τέκνα τε τάδε σέθεν ἀφʼ αἵματος·
You killed and you died, O mother who bore me, and you destroyed my father and these children of yours from your blood.
§200ὀλόμεθʼ ἰσονέκυες, ὀλόμεθα.
We are ruined, like fellow corpses, we are ruined.
§201σύ τε γὰρ ἐν νεκροῖς, τό τʼ ἐμὸν οἴχεται §204βίου τὸ πλέον μέρος ἐν στοναχαῖσί τε καὶ γόοισι §205δάκρυσί τʼ ἐννυχίοις, ἄγαμος §206ἄτεκνος ἅτε βίοτον ἁ §207μέλεος ἐς τὸν αἰὲν ἕλκω χρόνον.
For you are among the dead, and the greater part of my life has gone in groans and laments, and nightly tears, unmarried, childless, drag I, wretched one, my life on into everlasting time.
§208ὅρα παροῦσα, παρθένʼ Ἠλέκτρα, πέλας, §209μὴ κατθανών σε σύγγονος λέληθʼ ὅδε· §210οὐ γάρ μʼ ἀρέσκει τῷ λίαν παρειμένῳ.
Look, maiden Electra, being present near him, lest this brother of yours has died without your knowing; for such excessive limpness does not please me.
O dear spell of sleep, helper in disease, how sweetly you came to me—and in time of need!
O queen Lethe of evils, how wise you are, and a goddess to be prayed to by the unfortunate.
§215πόθεν ποτʼ ἦλθον δεῦρο;
From where did I ever come here?
πῶς δʼ ἀφικόμην;
And how did I arrive?
§216ἀμνημονῶ γάρ, τῶν πρὶν ἀπολειφθεὶς φρενῶν.
For I have no memory, having been left behind by my former senses.
§217ὦ φίλταθʼ, ὥς μʼ ηὔφρανας εἰς ὕπνον πεσών.
O dearest one, how you gladdened me by falling asleep!
§218βούλῃ θίγω σου κἀνακουφίσω δέμας;
Do you want me to touch you and lift up your body?
Take hold of me, take hold indeed, and wipe from my wretched mouth the foamy crust, and from my eyes.
See, the service is sweet, and I do not refuse to tend a brother's limbs with a sister's hand.
Put your side against my side, and the squalid hair remove from my face; for I see dimly with my pupils.
O wretched, filthy head of locks, how wild you have become through long lack of washing!
Lay me down on the bed again; when the disease of madness lets go, I am jointless and weak in my limbs.
See, a bed is indeed dear to the sick person, though it is a painful possession, yet necessary.
Stand me upright again, turn my body around; sick people are hard to please because of helplessness.
Would you also like to set your feet on the ground, making a step after a long time?
μεταβολὴ πάντων γλυκύ.
Change in all things is sweet.
§235μάλιστα· δόξαν γὰρ τόδʼ ὑγιείας ἔχει.
Most certainly; for this has the appearance of health.
§236κρεῖσσον δὲ τὸ δοκεῖν, κἂν ἀληθείας ἀπῇ.
And the appearance is better, even if it is far from the truth.
Listen now, then, O beloved brother, while the Erinyes permit you to be sane.
You will tell some news; and if it is good, you do a favor; but if it is to some harm, I have enough of misfortune.
Menelaus has arrived, the brother of your father; his ships are moored in the harbor of Nauplia.
§243πῶς εἶπας;
How did you say?
ἥκει φῶς ἐμοῖς καὶ σοῖς κακοῖς §244ἀνὴρ ὁμογενὴς καὶ χάριτας ἔχων πατρός;
There has come a light to my evils and yours, a man of the same blood and holding the favors of our father?
He has come—receive this pledge of my words— bringing Helen from the walls of Troy.
If he had been saved alone, he would have been more to be envied; but if he brings his wife, he has come bringing a great evil.
Tyndareus begot a race of daughters prominent for reproach, and of ill repute throughout Hellas.
You now differ from the wicked; for it is possible; and do not only say this, but also think it.
Alas, brother, your eye is troubled, and quickly you have changed to madness, though just now sane.
O mother, I beseech you, do not shake against me those blood-faced and snake-like maidens.
§257αὗται γὰρ αὗται πλησίον θρῴσκουσί μου.
For they, they are leaping near me.
Stay, wretched one, quietly in your bed; for you see nothing of what you think you clearly know.
O Phoebus, they will kill me, those dog-eyed, gorgon-faced, priestesses of the underworld, dread goddesses.
I will indeed not let you go; but entwining my hand I will hold you from leaping wretched leaps.
§264μέθες·
Let me go!
μίʼ οὖσα τῶν ἐμῶν Ἐρινύων §265μέσον μʼ ὀχμάζεις, ὡς βάλῃς ἐς Τάρταρον.
Being one of my Erinyes, you hold me by the waist, that you may cast me into Tartarus.