§820τῶν σῶν ἀκούσασʼ ἐξέβην πρὸ δωμάτων. §821ὦ πότνιʼ αἰδώς, τήνδε τίνα λεύσσω ποτὲ §822γυναῖκα, μορφὴν εὐπρεπῆ κεκτημένην; §823οὐ θαῦμά σʼ ἡμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, οἷς μὴ πάρος
[Clytemnestra] Having heard your words, I have come out before the house.[Achilles] O revered goddess of shame, who is this woman whom I behold here, a comely form?[Clytemnestra] It is no wonder that you do not know us, since you had no relation to us before.
But I praise you because you respect moderation.[Achilles] But who are you?
τί δʼ ἦλθες Δαναϊδῶν ἐς σύλλογον, §826γυνὴ πρὸς ἄνδρας ἀσπίσιν πεφραγμένους; §827Λήδας μέν εἰμι παῖς, Κλυταιμήστρα δέ μοι §828ὄνομα, πόσις δέ μοὐστὶν Ἀγαμέμνων ἄναξ. §829καλῶς ἔλεξας ἐν βραχεῖ τὰ καίρια.
And why have you come to the assembly of the Danaans, woman to men protected by shields?[Clytemnestra] I am the daughter of Leda, Clytemnestra is my, and my husband is King Agamemnon.[Achilles] Well and briefly have you spoken the essential things.
§830αἰσχρὸν δέ μοι γυναιξὶ συμβάλλειν λόγους. §831μεῖνον — τί φεύγεις; — δεξιάν τʼ ἐμῇ χερὶ §832σύναψον, ἀρχὴν μακαρίαν νυμφευμάτων.
But it is shameful for me to converse with women.[Clytemnestra] Stay—why do you flee?—and join your right hand with my hand, a blessed beginning of the marriage.[Achilles] What do you say?
§833τί φῄς; ἐγώ σοι δεξιάν;
I join my right hand with you?
αἰδοίμεθʼ ἂν §834Ἀγαμέμνονʼ, εἰ ψαύοιμεν ὧν μή μοι θέμις. §835θέμις μάλιστα, τὴν ἐμὴν ἐπεὶ γαμεῖς §836παῖδʼ, ὦ θεᾶς παῖ ποντίας Νηρηίδος. §837ποίους γάμους φῄς;
I would feel shame Agamemnon, if I should touch what is not lawful for me.[Clytemnestra] It is highly lawful, since you are marrying my, O child of the sea goddess, the Nereid.[Achilles] What marriage do you speak of?
ἀφασία μʼ ἔχει, γύναι· §838εἰ μή τι παρανοοῦσα καινουργεῖς λόγον; §839πᾶσιν τόδʼ ἐμπέφυκεν, αἰδεῖσθαι φίλους §840καινοὺς ὁρῶσι καὶ γάμου μεμνημένοις. §841οὐπώποτʼ ἐμνήστευσα παῖδα σήν, γύναι, §842οὐδʼ ἐξ Ἀτρειδῶν ἦλθέ μοι λόγος γάμων. §843τί δῆτʼ ἂν εἴη;
Speechlessness holds me, lady;, being somewhat out of your mind, you are making up a story?[Clytemnestra] It is natural for all to feel shame when they see new relations are reminded of marriage.[Achilles] I have never wooed your daughter, lady, has any word of marriage come to me from the Atreidae.[Clytemnestra] What then could it be?
σὺ πάλιν αὖ λόγους ἐμοὺς §844θαύμαζʼ· ἐμοὶ γὰρ θαύματʼ ἐστὶ τὰ παρὰ σοῦ. §845εἴκαζε· κοινόν ἐστιν εἰκάζειν τάδε· §846ἄμφω γὰρ οὐ ψευδόμεθα τοῖς λόγοις ἴσως. §847ἀλλʼ ἦ πέπονθα δεινά;
You in turn wonder at my words; what comes from you is a wonder to me.[Achilles] Conjecture; it is common to conjecture these things; perhaps both of us are not lying in our words.[Clytemnestra] But have I indeed suffered dreadful things?
μνηστεύω γάμους §848οὐκ ὄντας, ὡς εἴξασιν· αἰδοῦμαι τάδε. §849ἴσως ἐκερτόμησε κἀμὲ καὶ σέ τις. §850ἀλλʼ ἀμελίᾳ δὸς αὐτὰ καὶ φαύλως φέρε. §851χαῖρʼ· οὐ γὰρ ὀρθοῖς ὄμμασίν σʼ ἔτʼ εἰσορῶ, §852ψευδὴς γενομένη καὶ παθοῦσʼ ἀνάξια. §853καὶ σοὶ τόδʼ ἐστὶν ἐξ ἐμοῦ· πόσιν δὲ σὸν §854στείχω ματεύσων τῶνδε δωμάτων ἔσω.
I am wooing a marriage does not exist, as it seems; I am ashamed of this.[Achilles] Perhaps someone has mocked both me and you. pay no attention to these things and bear them lightly.[Clytemnestra] Farewell; for I cannot look at you with straight eyes anymore, become a liar and having suffered unworthy things.[Achilles] And this same farewell is from me to you; and I go search for your husband within this house.[Old Servant] O stranger, offspring of Aeacus, stay!
§855ὦ ξένʼ, Αἰακοῦ γένεθλον, μεῖνον· ὦ, σέ τοι λέγω, §856τὸν θεᾶς γεγῶτα παῖδα, καὶ σέ, τὴν Λήδας κόρην. §857τίς ὁ καλῶν πύλας παροίξας;
Oh, I am speaking to you, one born of a goddess, and to you, the daughter of Leda.[Achilles] Who is calling, having opened the gate a little?
How fearfully he calls.[Old Servant] A slave; I do not boast of this, for fortune does not permit it.[Clytemnestra] Whose?
ἐμὸς μὲν οὐχί· χωρὶς τἀμὰ καὶ Ἀγαμέμνονος. §860τῆσδε τῆς πάροιθεν οἴκων, Τυνδάρεω δόντος πατρός. §861ἕσταμεν· φράζʼ, εἴ τι χρῄζεις, ὧν μʼ ἐπέσχες οὕνεκα. §862ἦ μόνω παρόντε δῆτα ταῖσδʼ ἐφέστατον πύλαις; §863ὡς μόνοιν λέγοις ἄν, ἔξω δʼ ἐλθὲ βασιλείων δόμων. §864ὦ Τύχη πρόνοιά θʼ ἡμή, σῴσαθʼ οὓς ἐγὼ θέλω. §865ὁ λόγος ἐς μέλλοντʼ ἂν ὤση χρόνον· ἔχει δʼ ὄγκον τινά. §866δεξιᾶς ἕκατι μὴ μέλλʼ, εἴ τί μοι χρῄζεις λέγειν. §867οἶσθα δῆτʼ ἔμʼ, ὅστις ὢν σοὶ καὶ τέκνοις εὔνους ἔφυν; §868οἶδά σʼ ὄντʼ ἐγὼ παλαιὸν δωμάτων ἐμῶν λάτριν. §869χὥτι μʼ ἐν ταῖς σαῖσι φερναῖς ἔλαβεν Ἀγαμέμνων ἄναξ; §870ἦλθες εἰς Ἄργος μεθʼ ἡμῶν καὶ ἐμὸς ἦσθʼ ἀεί ποτε. §871ὧδʼ ἔχει.
Not mine, indeed; my property and Agamemnon's are separate.[Old Servant] Belonging to this lady in front of the house, given by Tyndareus her father.[Clytemnestra] We have stopped; speak, if you want anything, for the sake of which you held me back.[Old Servant] Are you two really standing alone at these gates?[Clytemnestra] You may speak as if to us alone; come out of the royal house.[Old Servant] O Fortune and my foresight, save those whom I wish![Achilles] His speech will push into future time; but it has some weight.[Clytemnestra] For the sake of my right hand, do not delay, if you want to tell me something.[Old Servant] Do you indeed know me, who I am, that I was born well-disposed to you and your children?[Clytemnestra] I know you are an old servant of my house.[Old Servant] And that King Agamemnon received me among your dowry?[Clytemnestra] You came to Argos with us and you were always mine.[Old Servant] So it is.
καὶ σοὶ μὲν εὔνους εἰμί, σῷ δʼ ἧσσον πόσει. §872ἐκκάλυπτε νῦν ποθʼ ἡμῖν οὕστινας λέγεις λόγους. §873παῖδα σὴν πατὴρ ὁ φύσας αὐτόχειρ μέλλει κτενεῖν.
And to you indeed I am well-disposed, but less to your husband.[Clytemnestra] Reveal to us now at last whatever words you are speaking.[Old Servant] The father who begot her is about to kill your child with his own hand.[Clytemnestra] How?
§874πῶς; ἀπέπτυσʼ, ὦ γεραιέ, μῦθον· οὐ γὰρ εὖ φρονεῖς. §875φασγάνῳ λευκὴν φονεύων τῆς ταλαιπώρου δέρην.
I spit out your story, old man; for you are not in your right mind.[Old Servant] Slaughters her wretched white neck with a sword.[Clytemnestra] O wretched me!
§876ὦ τάλαινʼ ἐγώ. μεμηνὼς ἆρα τυγχάνει πόσις; §877ἀρτίφρων, πλὴν ἐς σὲ καὶ σὴν παῖδα· τοῦτο δʼ οὐ φρονεῖ.
Has my husband then run mad?[Old Servant] He is sane, except toward you and your child; in this he is not wise.[Clytemnestra] For what reason?
§878ἐκ τίνος λόγου; τίς αὐτὸν οὑπάγων ἀλαστόρων; §879θέσφαθʼ, ὥς γέ φησι Κάλχας, ἵνα πορεύηται στρατός. §880ποῖ;
Who of the avenging spirits is leading him on?[Old Servant] Oracles, as Calchas says, so that the army may proceed.[Clytemnestra] Whither?
τάλαινʼ ἐγώ, τάλαινα δʼ ἣν πατὴρ μέλλει κτενεῖν. §881Δαρδάνου πρὸς δώμαθʼ, Ἑλένην Μενέλεως ὅπως λάβῃ. §882εἰς ἄρʼ Ἰφιγένειαν Ἑλένης νόστος ἦν πεπρωμένος; §883πάντʼ ἔχεις· Ἀρτέμιδι θύσειν παῖδα σὴν μέλλει πατήρ. §884ὁ δὲ γάμος τίνʼ εἶχε πρόφασιν, ᾧ μʼ ἐκόμισεν ἐκ δόμων; §885ἵνʼ ἀγάγοις χαίρουσʼ Ἀχιλλεῖ παῖδα νυμφεύσουσα σήν. §886ὦ θύγατερ, ἥκεις ἐπʼ ὀλέθρῳ καὶ σὺ καὶ μήτηρ σέθεν.
Wretched me, and wretched she whom her father is about to kill.[Old Servant] To the house of Dardanus, so that Menelaus may take Helen.[Clytemnestra] Was Helen's return then fated at the cost of Iphigenia?[Old Servant] You have it all; the father is about to sacrifice your child to Artemis.[Clytemnestra] But what pretext did the marriage have, by which he brought me from home?[Old Servant] So that you might bring your child rejoicing, to marry her to Achilles.[Clytemnestra] O daughter, you have come to destruction, both you and your mother.