§821χρόα μελάνδετον δὲ φόνῳ §822ξίφος ἐς αὐγὰς ἀελίοιο δεῖξαι· §823τὸ δʼ εὖ κακουργεῖν ἀσέβεια ποικίλα §824κακοφρόνων τʼ ἀνδρῶν παράνοια.
And to show to the rays of the sun the sword black-bound with slaughter; But to do evil well is a multi-faceted impiety, and the madness of evil-minded men.
§825θανάτου γὰρ ἀμφὶ φόβῳ §826Τυνδαρὶς ἰάχησε τάλαι- §827να· Τέκνον, οὐ τολμᾷς ὅσια §828κτείνων σὰν ματέρα· μὴ πατρῴ- §829αν τιμῶν χάριν ἐξανά- §830ψῃ δύσκλειαν ἐς αἰεί. §831τίς νόσος ἢ τίνα δάκρυα καὶ §832τίς ἔλεος μείζων κατὰ γᾶν §833ἢ ματροκτόνον αἷμα χειρὶ θέσθαι;
For in fear of death the wretched daughter of Tyndareus cried out: "My child, you dare not do holy things in slaying your mother; do not, in honoring your father's favor, bind upon yourself an everlasting infamy." What sickness or what tears, and what pity is greater upon the earth, than to stain one's hand with a mother's murder-blood?
§834οἷον ἔργον τελέσας §835βεβάκχευται μανίαις, §836Εὐμενίσι θήραμα, φόνον §837δρομάσι δινεύων βλεφάροις, §838Ἀγαμεμνόνιος παῖς.
Having accomplished such a deed, he rages with madness, a prey to the Eumenides, rolling his slaughter-frenzied eyes in his head, this son of Agamemnon.
§839ὦ μέλεος, ματρὸς ὅτε §840χρυσεοπηνήτων φαρέων §841μαστὸν ὑπερτέλλοντʼ ἐσιδὼν §842σφάγιον ἔθετο ματέρα, πατρῴ- §843ων παθέων ἀμοιβάν.
O wretched man, when, beholding his mother's breast rising above her gold-woven robes, he made his mother a slaughtered victim, in requital for his father's sufferings.
Women, has wretched Orestes indeed rushed from this house, overcome by god-sent madness?
§846ἥκιστα· πρὸς δʼ Ἀργεῖον οἴχεται λεών, §847ψυχῆς ἀγῶνα τὸν προκείμενον πέρι §848δώσων, ἐν ᾧ ζῆν ἢ θανεῖν ὑμᾶς χρεών.
Not at all; but he is gone to the Argive people, to stand the trial proposed concerning his life, in which it is necessary for you to live or die.
§849οἴμοι·
Alas!
τί χρῆμʼ ἔδρασε;
What has he done?
τίς δʼ ἔπεισέ νιν;
And who persuaded him?
Pylades; and this messenger approaching seems about to speak before long of what happened there concerning your brother.
§852ὦ τλῆμον, ὦ δύστηνε τοῦ στρατηλάτου §853Ἀγαμέμνονος παῖ, πότνιʼ Ἠλέκτρα, λόγους §854ἄκουσον οὕς σοι δυστυχεῖς ἥκω φέρων.
O wretched, O unfortunate child of the general Agamemnon, noble Electra, hear the words that I have come bringing to you, unhappy ones.
§855αἰαῖ, διοιχόμεσθα·
Alas, we are ruined!
δῆλος εἶ λόγῳ.
You make it plain by your speech.
§856κακῶν γὰρ ἥκεις, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἄγγελος.
For you have come, as it seems, a messenger of evils.
By the vote of the Pelasgians, it has been decided on this day that your brother and you, wretched woman, must die.
§859οἴμοι·
Alas!
προσῆλθεν ἐλπίς, ἣν φοβουμένη §860πάλαι τὸ μέλλον ἐξετηκόμην γόοις.
The expectation has come, fearing which I have long been melting away in lamentation for the future.
§861ἀτὰρ τίς ἁγών, τίνες ἐν Ἀργείοις λόγοι
But what was the trial?
§862καθεῖλον ἡμᾶς κἀπεκύρωσαν θανεῖν;
What debates among the Argives condemned us and ratified our death?
§863λέγʼ, ὦ γεραιέ· πότερα λευσίμῳ χερὶ §864ἢ διὰ σιδήρου πνεῦμʼ ἀπορρῆξαί με δεῖ, §865κοινὰς ἀδελφῷ συμφορὰς κεκτημένην;
Tell me, old man; must I break off my life by hand-thrown stones or by iron, possessing as I do misfortunes in common with my brother?
§866ἐτύγχανον μὲν ἀγρόθεν πυλῶν ἔσω §867βαίνων, πυθέσθαι δεόμενος τά τʼ ἀμφὶ σοῦ §868τά τʼ ἀμφʼ Ὀρέστου· σῷ γὰρ εὔνοιαν πατρὶ §869ἀεί ποτʼ εἶχον, καί μʼ ἔφερβε σὸς δόμος §870πένητα μέν, χρῆσθαι δὲ γενναῖον φίλοις.
I happened to be coming from the country inside the gates, wishing to learn about you and about Orestes; for I always had goodwill toward your father, and your house sustained me, poor as I was, though noble in serving friends.
§871ὁρῶ δʼ ὄχλον στείχοντα καὶ θάσσοντʼ ἄκραν, §872οὗ φασι πρῶτον Δαναὸν Αἰγύπτῳ δίκας §873διδόντʼ ἀθροῖσαι λαὸν ἐς κοινὰς ἕδρας.
And I saw a crowd walking and taking seats on the hill, where they say Danaus first assembled the people into a common meeting when he was giving satisfaction to Aegyptus.
And seeing the gathering, I asked one of the citizens: "What is new in Argos?
μῶν τι πολεμίων πάρα §876ἄγγελμʼ ἀνεπτέρωκε Δαναϊδῶν πόλιν; §877ὃ δʼ εἶπʼ· Ὀρέστην κεῖνον οὐχ ὁρᾷς πέλας §878στείχοντʼ, ἀγῶνα θανάσιμον δραμούμενον; §879ὁρῶ δʼ ἄελπτον φάσμʼ, ὃ μήποτʼ ὤφελον, §880Πυλάδην τε καὶ σὸν σύγγονον στείχονθʼ ὁμοῦ, §881τὸν μὲν κατηφῆ καὶ παρειμένον νόσῳ, §882τὸν δʼ ὥστʼ ἀδελφὸν ἴσα φίλῳ λυπούμενον, §883νόσημα κηδεύοντα παιδαγωγίᾳ.
Has some message from enemies fluttered the city of the Danaids?" And he said: "Do you not see Orestes yonder approaching, about to run the race for his life?" And I saw an unexpected sight, which I wish I had never seen, Pylades and your brother walking together, the one downcast and relaxed by sickness, the other grieving for his friend just like a brother, tending his illness with the care of a tutor.
§884ἐπεὶ δὲ πλήρης ἐγένετʼ Ἀργείων ὄχλος, §885κῆρυξ ἀναστὰς εἶπε· Τίς χρῄζει λέγειν, §886πότερον Ὀρέστην κατθανεῖν ἢ μὴ χρεών, §887μητροκτονοῦντα; κἀπὶ τῷδʼ ἀνίσταται §888Ταλθύβιος, ὃς σῷ πατρὶ συνεπόρθει Φρύγας.
And when the crowd of Argives became full, a herald rose and said: "Who wishes to speak, whether Orestes must die or not, for having slain his mother?" And upon this rose Talthybius, who along with your father sacked the Phrygians.
§889ἔλεξε δʼ, ὑπὸ τοῖς δυναμένοισιν ὢν ἀεί, §890διχόμυθα, πατέρα μὲν σὸν ἐκπαγλούμενος, §891σὸν δʼ οὐκ ἐπαινῶν σύγγονον, καλοὺς κακοὺς §892λόγους ἑλίσσων, ὅτι καθισταίη νόμους §893ἐς τοὺς τεκόντας οὐ καλούς· τὸ δʼ ὄμμʼ ἀεὶ §894φαιδρωπὸν ἐδίδου τοῖσιν Αἰγίσθου φίλοις.
And he spoke, being always under the power of those in authority, with double-tongue, greatly praising indeed your father, but not commending your brother, weaving fair yet evil words, because he established laws toward parents that were not good; and he always cast a cheerful eye toward the friends of Aegisthus.
§895τὸ γὰρ γένος τοιοῦτον· ἐπὶ τὸν εὐτυχῆ §896πηδῶσʼ ἀεὶ κήρυκες· ὅδε δʼ αὐτοῖς φίλος, §897ὃς ἂν δύνηται πόλεος ἔν τʼ ἀρχαῖσιν ᾖ.
For such is that race; heralds always leap toward the fortunate; and he is a friend to them, who has power and is in the offices of the city.
§898ἐπὶ τῷδε δʼ ἠγόρευε Διομήδης ἄναξ.
And after him king Diomedes spoke.
He would not permit them to slay either you or your brother, but said they would act piously by punishing you with exile.
And some shouted in approval that he spoke well, but others did not praise.
κἀπὶ τῷδʼ ἀνίσταται §903ἀνήρ τις ἀθυρόγλωσσος, ἰσχύων θράσει, §904Ἀργεῖος οὐκ Ἀργεῖος, ἠναγκασμένος, §905θορύβῳ τε πίσυνος κἀμαθεῖ παρρησίᾳ, §906πιθανὸς ἔτʼ αὐτοὺς περιβαλεῖν κακῷ τινι·
And upon this rose a certain man of unbridled tongue, strong in impudence, an Argive and yet not an Argive, one forced upon them, relying on clamor and ignorant freedom of speech, still persuasive enough to involve them in some evil.