§83ἐγὼ μὲν ἄυπνος πάρεδρος ἀθλίῳ νεκρῷ §84— νεκρὸς γὰρ οὗτος οὕνεκα σμικρᾶς πνοῆς — §85θάσσω· τὰ τούτου δʼ οὐκ ὀνειδίζω κακά.
I, sleeplessly sitting by this wretched corpse— for he is a corpse except for a tiny breath— remain; but I do not reproach him for his misfortunes.
§86σὺ δʼ εἶ μακαρία μακάριός θʼ ὁ σὸς πόσις.
But you are blessed, and blessed is your husband.
§88πόσον χρόνον δʼ ἐν δεμνίοις πέπτωχʼ ὅδε;
How long has he been lying on his bed?
§89ἐξ οὗπερ αἷμα γενέθλιον κατήνυσεν.
Since he completed the shedding of his mother's blood.
§90ὢ μέλεος·
Ah, wretched one!
ἡ τεκοῦσά θʼ, ὡς διώλετο.
And the mother who bore him, how she perished!
§91οὕτως ἔχει τάδʼ, ὥστʼ ἀπείρηκεν κακοῖς.
Such is our state, so that he is exhausted by his misfortunes.
§92πρὸς θεῶν, πίθοιʼ ἂν δῆτά μοί τι, παρθένε;
By the gods, would you do me a favor, maiden?
§93ὡς ἄσχολός γε συγγόνου προσεδρίᾳ.
Since I am so busy attending my brother.
§94βούλῃ τάφον μοι πρὸς κασιγνήτης μολεῖν;
Would you go to the tomb of my sister for me?
§95μητρὸς κελεύεις τῆς ἐμῆς;
You ask me to go to my mother’s tomb?
τίνος χάριν;
For what reason?
§96κόμης ἀπαρχὰς καὶ χοὰς φέρουσʼ ἐμάς.
To carry my hair offerings and libations.
§97σοὶ δʼ οὐχὶ θεμιτὸν πρὸς φίλων στείχειν τάφον;
Is it not lawful for you to go to the tomb of your loved ones?
§98δεῖξαι γὰρ Ἀργείοισι σῶμʼ αἰσχύνομαι.
For I am ashamed to show my body to the Argives.
§99ὀψέ γε φρονεῖς εὖ, τότε λιποῦσʼ αἰσχρῶς δόμους.
You think of propriety too late, having shamefully left your home back then.
§100ὀρθῶς ἔλεξας, οὐ φίλως δʼ ἐμοὶ λέγεις.
You speak the truth, but you do not speak kindly to me.
§101αἰδὼς δὲ δὴ τίς σʼ ἐς Μυκηναίους ἔχει;
And what shame keeps you from the Mycenaeans?
§102δέδοικα πατέρας τῶν ὑπʼ Ἰλίῳ νεκρῶν.
I fear the fathers of those who died under Ilium.
§103δεινὸν γάρ· Ἄργει τʼ ἀναβοᾷ διὰ στόμα.
Indeed, for Argos cries out your name.
§104σύ νυν χάριν μοι τὸν φόβον λύσασα δός.
Then do me a favor by releasing me from my fear.
§105οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην μητρὸς ἐσβλέψαι τάφον.
I could not bear to look upon my mother’s tomb.
§106αἰσχρόν γε μέντοι προσπόλους φέρειν τάδε.
Yet it is shameful for servants to carry these.
§107τί δʼ οὐχὶ θυγατρὸς Ἑρμιόνης πέμπεις δέμας;
Why do you not send your daughter Hermione?
§108ἐς ὄχλον ἕρπειν παρθένοισιν οὐ καλόν.
It is not seemly for virgins to go into a crowd.
§109καὶ μὴν τίνοι γʼ ἂν τῇ τεθνηκυίᾳ τροφάς.
And yet she would pay back the nurture to the dead woman.
§110ὀρθῶς ἔλεξας, πείθομαί τέ σοι, κόρη.
You are right, and I obey you, girl.
§112ὦ τέκνον, ἔξελθʼ, Ἑρμιόνη, δόμων πάρος §113καὶ λαβὲ χοὰς τάσδʼ ἐν χεροῖν κόμας τʼ ἐμάς· §114ἐλθοῦσα δʼ ἀμφὶ τὸν Κλυταιμήστρας τάφον §115μελίκρατʼ ἄφες γάλακτος οἰνωπόν τʼ ἄχνην, §116καὶ στᾶσʼ ἐπʼ ἄκρου χώματος λέξον τάδε· §117Ἑλένη σʼ ἀδελφὴ ταῖσδε δωρεῖται χοαῖς, §118φόβῳ προσελθεῖν μνῆμα σόν, ταρβοῦσά τε §119Ἀργεῖον ὄχλον. πρευμενῆ δʼ ἄνωγέ νιν §120ἐμοί τε καὶ σοὶ καὶ πόσει γνώμην ἔχειν §121τοῖν τʼ ἀθλίοιν τοῖνδʼ, οὓς ἀπώλεσεν θεός.
My child, Hermione, come out before the house, and take these libations in your hands and my hair; and going to the tomb of Clytemnestra, pour honeyed-milk and the red foam of wine, and standing on the top of the mound, speak these words: "Your sister Helen offers you these libations, fearing to approach your tomb, and dreading the Argive crowd." And ask her to have a kindly mind towards me, you, and my husband, and these two wretched ones, whom the god destroyed.
And all the gifts to the underworld that are fitting for me to perform for a sister, promise them all.
Go, my child, hasten, and having given the libations to the tomb as quickly as possible, remember your way back.
O human nature, what a great evil you are among men, and yet a saving grace to those who possess you beautifully!
Did you see how she clipped her hair only at the tips, saving her beauty?
ἔστι δʼ ἡ πάλαι γυνή.
She is the same woman as of old.
May the gods hate you, as you have destroyed me, and him, and all of Hellas.
ὦ τάλαινʼ ἐγώ·
O wretched me!
§132αἵδʼ αὖ πάρεισι τοῖς ἐμοῖς θρηνήμασι §133φίλαι ξυνῳδοί· τάχα μεταστήσουσʼ ὕπνου §134τόνδʼ ἡσυχάζοντʼ, ὄμμα δʼ ἐκτήξουσʼ ἐμὸν §135δακρύοις, ἀδελφὸν ὅταν ὁρῶ μεμηνότα.
Here they are again, accompanying my lamentations, my dear friends; soon they will rouse him from sleep as he rests quietly, and they will melt my eyes with tears, when I see my brother driven mad.
Quietly, quietly, plant the light step of your shoe, make no sound.
§142ἀποπρὸ βᾶτʼ ἐκεῖσʼ, ἀποπρό μοι κοίτας.
Go far away from there, far away from his bed for me.
§143ἰδού, πείθομαι.
See, I obey.
Ah, ah, like the breath of a pipe of slender reed, my friend, speak to me.
§148bναί, οὕτως·
Yes, thus.
Lower, lower, approach quietly, quietly go; tell me for what purpose you have come.
§151χρόνια γὰρ πεσὼν ὅδʼ εὐνάζεται.
For he has fallen and been sleeping for a long time.
§153πῶς ἔχει;
How is he?
λόγου μετάδος, ὦ φίλα· §154τίνα τύχαν εἴπω;
Tell me, my friend; What fortune should I speak of?
τίνα δὲ συμφοράν;
What calamity?
§155ἔτι μὲν ἐμπνέει, βραχὺ δʼ ἀναστένει.
He is still breathing, but groans only faintly.
§156τί φῄς;
What do you say?
ὦ τάλας.
O wretched one.
You will destroy him if you cause his eyelids to move, while he enjoys the sweetest gift of sleep.
Wretched because of most hateful deeds from the gods, miserable one.
§162φεῦ μόχθων.
Alas for his troubles.
§163ἄδικος ἄδικα τότʼ ἄρʼ ἔλακεν ἔλακεν, ἀπό- §164φονον ὅτʼ ἐπὶ τρίποδι Θέμιδος ἄρʼ ἐδίκασε §165φόνον ὁ Λοξίας ἐμᾶς ματέρος.
Unjustly did Loxias then utter unjust things, when on the tripod of Themis he decreed the blood-shedding of my mother.
§166ὁρᾷς;
Do you see?
ἐν πέπλοισι κινεῖ δέμας.
He moves his body in his robes.
For you, wretched one, by crying out, have cast him out of sleep.
§169εὕδειν μὲν οὖν ἔδοξα.
Nay, indeed, I thought he was sleeping.
§170οὐκ ἀφʼ ἡμῶν, οὐκ ἀπʼ οἴκων
Go away from us, go away from the house—