§389μαίνομαι;
Am I mad?
σὺ μᾶλλον, ὅστις ἀπολέσας κακὸν λέχος §390ἀναλαβεῖν θέλεις, θεοῦ σοι τὴν τύχην διδόντος εὖ.
You rather, who, having lost a bad wife, wish to get her back, though a god is giving you good fortune.
§391ὤμοσαν τὸν Τυνδάρειον ὅρκον οἱ κακόφρονες §392φιλόγαμοι μνηστῆρες — ἡ δέ γʼ Ἐλπίς, οἶμαι μέν, θεός, §393κἀξέπραξεν αὐτὸ μᾶλλον ἢ σὺ καὶ τὸ σὸν σθένος — §394οὓς λαβὼν στράτευε· ἕτοιμοι δʼ εἰσὶ μωρίᾳ φρενῶν.
Those foolish, marriage-mad suitors swore the oath of Tyndareus; — Hope, indeed, I think, is a god, and she brought it about rather than you and your strength — take them and go to war; they are ready in the foolishness of their hearts.
§394aοὐ γὰρ ἀσύνετον τὸ θεῖον, ἀλλʼ ἔχει συνιέναι §395τοὺς κακῶς παγέντας ὅρκους καὶ κατηναγκασμένους.
For the divine is not without understanding, but is able to discern oaths badly constructed and compelled.
§396τἀμὰ δʼ οὐκ ἀποκτενῶ ʼγὼ τέκνα· κοὐ τὸ σὸν μὲν εὖ §397παρὰ δίκην ἔσται κακίστης εὔνιδος τιμωρίᾳ, §398ἐμὲ δὲ συντήξουσι νύκτες ἡμέραι τε δακρύοις, §399ἄνομα δρῶντα κοὐ δίκαια παῖδας οὓς ἐγεινάμην.
But I will not kill my children; and it will not be that your affair, through the vengeance on a most evil wife, will turn out well against justice, while nights and days waste me away with tears, as I act unlawfully and unjustly against the children whom I begot.
§400ταῦτά σοι βραχέα λέλεκται καὶ σαφῆ καὶ ῥᾴδια· §401εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλῃ φρονεῖν εὖ, τἄμʼ ἐγὼ θήσω καλῶς.
These things have been spoken to you briefly, clearly, and easily; and if you do not wish to think well, I will set my own affairs in order.
These words are different indeed from those spoken before, but it is well to spare one's children.
§404αἰαῖ, φίλους ἄρʼ οὐχὶ κεκτήμην τάλας.
Alas, I then had no friends, wretched that I am.
§405εἰ τοὺς φίλους γε μὴ θέλεις ἀπολλύναι.
Not unless you wish to destroy your friends.
§406δείξεις δὲ ποῦ μοι πατρὸς ἐκ ταὐτοῦ γεγώς;
And how will you show that you are born from the same father as I?
§407συνσωφρονεῖν σοι βούλομʼ, ἀλλʼ οὐ συννοσεῖν.
I wish to be wise with you, but not to be sick with you.
§408ἐς κοινὸν ἀλγεῖν τοῖς φίλοισι χρὴ φίλους.
Friends ought to share pain in common with friends.
§409εὖ δρῶν παρακάλει μʼ, ἀλλὰ μὴ λυπῶν ἐμέ.
Call on me when you do well, but not when you pain me.
§410οὐκ ἄρα δοκεῖ σοι τάδε πονεῖν σὺν Ἑλλάδι;
Does it not seem to you, then, to toil in this with Greece?
§411Ἑλλὰς δὲ σὺν σοὶ κατὰ θεὸν νοσεῖ τινα.
Greece, with you, is sick by some god's will.
§412σκήπτρῳ νυν αὔχει, σὸν κασίγνητον προδούς.
Boast then of your scepter, having betrayed your brother.
§413ἐγὼ δʼ ἐπʼ ἄλλας εἶμι μηχανάς τινας §414φίλους τʼ ἐπʼ ἄλλους — §414bὦ Πανελλήνων ἄναξ, §415Ἀγάμεμνον, ἥκω παῖδά σοι τὴν σὴν ἄγων, §416ἣν Ἰφιγένειαν ὠνόμαζες ἐν δόμοις.
But I will go to some other means and to other friends — O lord of all Greeks, Agamemnon, I have come bringing your daughter to you, whom you named Iphigenia in your halls.
§417μήτηρ δʼ ὁμαρτεῖ, σῆς Κλυταιμήστρας δέμας, §418καὶ παῖς Ὀρέστης, ὥς τι τερφθείης ἰδών, §419χρόνον παλαιὸν δωμάτων ἔκδημος ὤν.
And her mother accompanies her, your Clytemnestra, and the boy Orestes, so that you might be pleased to see them, having been away from home for a long time.
§420ἀλλʼ ὡς μακρὰν ἔτεινον, εὔρυτον παρὰ §421κρήνην ἀναψύχουσι θηλύπουν βάσιν, §422αὐταί τε πῶλοί τʼ· ἐς δὲ λειμώνων χλόην §423καθεῖμεν αὐτάς, ὡς βορᾶς γευσαίατο.
But as they have traveled a long way, they are cooling their lady-like feet by a fair-flowing spring, both themselves and their horses; and we turned them loose into the green meadows so that they might taste food.
§424ἐγὼ δὲ πρόδρομος σῆς παρασκευῆς χάριν §425ἥκω· πέπυσται γὰρ στρατός — ταχεῖα γὰρ §426διῇξε φήμη — παῖδα σὴν ἀφιγμένην.
And I have come as a forerunner for the sake of your preparation; for the army has heard—since a swift rumor went abroad—that your daughter has arrived.
§427πᾶς δʼ ἐς θένα ὅμιλος ἔρχεται δρόμῳ, §428σὴν παῖδʼ ὅπως ἴδωσιν· οἱ δʼ εὐδαίμονες §429ἐν πᾶσι κλεινοὶ καὶ περίβλεπτοι βροτοῖς.
And all the crowd comes running to the sight, so that they may see your daughter; for prosperous people are famous and gazed at among all mortals.
§430λέγουσι δʼ· Ὑμέναιός τις ἢ τί πράσσεται;
And they say: "Is there some wedding, or what is being done?
§431ἢ πόθον ἔχων θυγατρὸς Ἀγαμέμνων ἄναξ §432ἐκόμισε παῖδα; τῶν δʼ ἂν ἤκουσας τάδε· §433Ἀρτέμιδι προτελίζουσι τὴν νεάνιδα, §434Αὐλίδος ἀνάσσῃ.
Or did king Agamemnon, having a longing for his daughter, bring his child?" And you would have heard these things from others: "They are performing the preliminary sacrifice for the maiden to Artemis, the queen of Aulis.
τίς νιν ἄξεταί ποτε; §435ἀλλʼ εἶα, τἀπὶ τοισίδʼ ἐξάρχου κανᾶ, §436στεφανοῦσθε κρᾶτα καὶ σύ, Μενέλεως ἄναξ, §437ὑμέναιον εὐτρέπιζε καὶ κατὰ στέγας §438λωτὸς βοάσθω καὶ ποδῶν ἔστω κτύπος· §439φῶς γὰρ τόδʼ ἥκει μακάριον τῇ παρθένῳ.
Who will marry her?" But come, begin the baskets for these things, crown your heads, you too, lord Menelaus; prepare the wedding-song, and let the flute sound throughout the house, and let there be the beating of feet; for this blessed light has come to the maiden.
I thank you, but go inside the halls; and the rest will be well as fortune proceeds.
§442οἴμοι, τί φῶ δύστηνος;
Alas, what shall I say, wretched as I am?
ἄρξωμαι πόθεν;
From where shall I begin?
§443ἐς οἷʼ ἀνάγκης ζεύγματʼ ἐμπεπτώκαμεν.
Into what kind of yokes of necessity have we fallen!
A divinity stole upon us, so as to become far wiser than my clever devices.
§446ἡ δυσγένεια δʼ ὡς ἔχει τι χρήσιμον.
How low birth indeed has something useful.
For it is easy for them to weep easily, and to say everything.
τῷ δὲ γενναίῳ φύσιν §449ἄνολβα ταῦτα.
But to the noble in nature, these things are wretched.
προστάτην δὲ τοῦ βίου §450τὸν ὄγκον ἔχομεν τῷ τʼ ὄχλῳ δουλεύομεν.
We have pomp as the master of our life, and we are slaves to the crowd.
§451ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐκβαλεῖν μὲν αἰδοῦμαι δάκρυ, §452τὸ μὴ δακρῦσαι δʼ αὖθις αἰδοῦμαι τάλας, §453ἐς τὰς μεγίστας συμφορὰς ἀφιγμένος.
For I am ashamed to shed tears, and again, wretched that I am, I am ashamed not to weep, having arrived at the greatest misfortunes.
§454εἶἑν· τί φήσω πρὸς δάμαρτα τὴν ἐμήν;
Well, what shall I say to my wife?
§455πῶς δέξομαί νιν;
How shall I receive her?
ποῖον ὄμμα συμβαλῶ;
What kind of eye shall I meet her with?
For she has ruined me by coming uninvited upon the evils that were already mine.
εἰκότως δʼ ἅμʼ ἕσπετο §458θυγατρὶ νυμφεύσουσα καὶ τὰ φίλτατα §459δώσουσʼ, ἵνʼ ἡμᾶς ὄντας εὑρήσει κακούς.
And yet, it was reasonable that she followed her daughter, to give her in marriage and to give her dearest things, where she will find us being evil.
§460τὴν δʼ αὖ τάλαιναν παρθένον — τί παρθένον;
And again, the wretched maiden—why maiden?
Hades, as it seems, will soon marry her— how I pity her!
οἶμαι γάρ νιν ἱκετεύσειν τάδε· §463Ὦ πάτερ, ἀποκτενεῖς με;
For I think she will supplicate me with these words: "O father, will you kill me?
τοιούτους γάμους
Such a marriage..."