Electra: I know this, child; but when the opportunity directs, then is the time to remember these deeds.
§1253ὁ πᾶς ἐμοί, §1254ὁ πᾶς ἂν πρέποι παρὼν ἐννέπειν §1255τάδε δίκᾳ χρόνος· §1256μόλις γὰρ ἔσχον νῦν ἐλεύθερον στόμα.
All time, for me, all present time would be fitting to speak these things with justice; for only now have I obtained a free mouth.
§1257ξύμφημι κἀγώ· τοιγαροῦν σῴζου τόδε.
Orestes: I agree too; therefore preserve this.
§1258τί δρῶσα;
Electra: By doing what?
§1259οὗ μή ʼστι καιρὸς μὴ μακρὰν βούλου λέγειν.
Orestes: Where it is not the right moment, do not wish to speak at length.
§1260τίς οὖν ἂν ἀξίαν γε σοῦ πεφηνότος §1261μεταβάλοιτʼ ἂν ὧδε σιγὰν λόγων; §1262ἐπεί σε νῦν ἀφράστως §1263ἀέλπτως τʼ ἐσεῖδον.
Electra: Who indeed, when you have appeared, would thus exchange silence for words, since I have now seen you beyond description and beyond hope?
§1264τότʼ εἶδες, εὖτε θεοί μʼ ἐπώτρυναν μολεῖν
Orestes: You saw me then, when the gods urged me to come.
§1266ἔφρασας ὑπερτέραν §1267τᾶς πάρος ἔτι χάριτος, εἴ σε θεὸς ἐπόρισεν §1268ἁμέτερα πρὸς μέλαθρα· δαιμόνιον §1270αὐτὸ τίθημʼ ἐγώ.
Electra: You have spoken of a favor still greater than the former one, if a god has brought you to our halls; I count this itself as divine.
Orestes: On the one hand I shrink from restraining you in your joy, but on the other I fear you, being too much overcome by pleasure.
Electra: O you who after a long time have deigned to appear to me on this dearest journey, do not, seeing me thus full of sorrow...
§1276τί μὴ ποήσω;
Orestes: What should I not do?
Electra: Do not deprive me of letting go of the pleasure of your countenance.
§1279ἦ κάρτα κἂν ἄλλοισι θυμοίμην ἰδών.
Orestes: Indeed, I should be very angry if I saw anyone else trying to do so.
§1280ξυναινεῖς;
Electra: Do you agree?
§1281τί μὴν οὔ;
Orestes: Why indeed not?
§1282ὦ φίλαι, ἔκλυον ἃν ἐγὼ οὐδʼ ἂν ἤλπισʼ αὐδάν, §1283οὐδʼ ἂν ἔσχον ὁρμὰν §1284ἄναυδον οὐδὲ σὺν βοᾷ κλύουσα, §1285τάλαινα.
Electra: O friends, I heard a voice which I would never have hoped for; nor, when hearing it, could I, wretched, have restrained my impulse in speechless silence, nor even with a cry.
But now I have you; and you have appeared, having that dearest countenance, which I would never forget even in misfortunes.
§1288τὰ μὲν περισσεύοντα τῶν λόγων ἄφες, §1289καὶ μήτε μήτηρ ὡς κακὴ δίδασκέ με, §1290μήθʼ ὡς πατρῴαν κτῆσιν Αἴγισθος δόμων §1291ἀντλεῖ, τὰ δʼ ἐκχεῖ, τὰ δὲ διασπείρει μάτην· §1292χρόνου γὰρ ἄν σοι καιρὸν ἐξείργοι λόγος.
Orestes: Dismiss superfluous words, and neither teach me how my mother is evil, nor how Aegisthus drains, pours out, and vainly scatters the ancestral wealth of our house; for speech would shut you out from the opportune time.
§1293ἃ δʼ ἁρμόσει μοι τῷ παρόντι νῦν χρόνῳ §1294σήμαινʼ, ὅπου φανέντες ἢ κεκρυμμένοι §1295γελῶντας ἐχθροὺς παύσομεν τῇ νῦν ὁδῷ.
But point out what will suit me for the present moment, where, by showing ourselves or remaining hidden, we shall make our laughing enemies cease by this present journey.
§1296οὕτω δʼ ὅπως μήτηρ σε μὴ ʼπιγνώσεται §1297φαιδρῷ προσώπῳ νῷν ἐπελθόντοιν δόμους· §1298ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐπʼ ἄτῃ τῇ μάτην λελεγμένῃ §1299στέναζʼ· ὅταν γὰρ εὐτυχήσωμεν, τότε §1300χαίρειν παρέσται καὶ γελᾶν ἐλευθέρως.
And see to it that our mother does not recognize you by your radiant face when the two of us have entered the house; but lament as if for the calamity falsely reported; for when we are successful, then it will be permitted to rejoice and laugh freely.
§1301ἀλλʼ ὦ κασίγνηθʼ, ὧδʼ ὅπως καὶ σοὶ φίλον §1302καὶ τοὐμὸν ἔσται τῇδʼ· ἐπεὶ τὰς ἡδονὰς §1303πρὸς σοῦ λαβοῦσα κοὐκ ἐμὰς ἐκτησάμην, §1304κοὐδʼ ἄν σε λυπήσασα δεξαίμην βραχὺ §1305αὐτὴ μέγʼ εὑρεῖν κέρδος· οὐ γὰρ ἂν καλῶς §1306ὑπηρετοίην τῷ παρόντι δαίμονι.
Electra: But, brother, in this way, just as it is pleasing to you, so also my part shall be; since I have obtained my pleasures from you, and have not acquired them as my own, nor would I, by causing you even a little pain, consent to find a great gain for myself; for thus I should not be serving well the present divinity.
§1307ἀλλʼ οἶσθα μὲν τἀνθένδε, πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
But you know the state of things here, for how could you not?
κλύων §1308ὁθούνεκʼ Αἴγισθος μὲν οὐ κατὰ στέγας, §1309μήτηρ δʼ ἐν οἴκοις· ἣν σὺ μὴ δείσῃς ποθʼ ὡς §1310γέλωτι τοὐμὸν φαιδρὸν ὄψεται κάρα.
Hearing that Aegisthus indeed is not within the house, but our mother is at home; whom you need never fear that she will see my face radiant with laughter.
§1311μῖσός τε γὰρ παλαιὸν ἐντέτηκέ μοι, §1312κἀπεί σʼ ἐσεῖδον, οὔ ποτʼ ἐκλήξω χαρᾷ §1313δακρυρροοῦσα· πῶς γὰρ ἂν λήξαιμʼ ἐγώ, §1314ἥτις μιᾷ σε τῇδʼ ὁδῷ θανόντα τε §1315καὶ ζῶντʼ ἐσεῖδον;
For an old hatred has melted into me, and since I have seen you, I shall never cease from shedding tears of joy; for how could I cease, who in this single journey have seen you both dead and alive?
εἴργασαι δέ μʼ ἄσκοπα· §1316ὥστʼ εἰ πατήρ μοι ζῶν ἵκοιτο, μηκέτʼ ἂν §1317τέρας νομίζειν αὐτό, πιστεύειν δʼ ὁρᾶν.
You have wrought in me things beyond measure; so that if my father should come to me alive, I should no longer think it a marvel, but believe that I was seeing him.
§1318ὅτʼ οὖν τοιαύτην ἡμὶν ἐξήκεις ὁδόν, §1319ἄρχʼ αὐτὸς ὥς σοι θυμός· ὡς ἐγὼ μόνη §1320οὐκ ἂν δυοῖν ἥμαρτον· ἢ γὰρ ἂν καλῶς §1321ἔσωσʼ ἐμαυτὴν ἢ καλῶς ἀπωλόμην.
Since then you have come to us on such a journey, lead yourself as is your desire; since I, if left alone, would not have failed of one of two things—for either I would have saved myself well, or I would have perished well.
§1322σιγᾶν ἐπῄνεσʼ ὡς ἐπʼ ἐξόδῳ κλύω τῶν ἔνδοθεν χωροῦντος.
Orestes: Silence! I recommend, since I hear someone of those inside coming out.
§1323εἴσιτʼ, ὦ ξένοι, §1324ἄλλως τε καὶ φέροντες οἷʼ ἂν οὔτε τις §1325δόμων ἀπώσαιτʼ οὔτʼ ἂν ἡσθείη λαβών.
Electra: Enter, strangers, especially as you bring such things as no one of the house would reject, nor yet would rejoice to receive.
§1326ὦ πλεῖστα μῶροι καὶ φρενῶν τητώμενοι, §1327πότερα παρʼ οὐδὲν τοῦ βίου κήδεσθʼ ἔτι §1328ἢ νοῦς ἔνεστιν οὔτις ὑμὶν ἐγγενής, §1329ὅτʼ οὐ παρʼ αὐτοῖς, ἀλλʼ ἐν αὐτοῖσιν κακοῖς §1330τοῖσιν μεγίστοις ὄντες οὐ γιγνώσκετε;
Paidagogos: O utterly foolish and bereft of sense, do you no longer care for your life at all, or is there no innate understanding in you, that you do not realize you are, not near, but in the very midst of the greatest evils?
§1331ἀλλʼ εἰ σταθμοῖσι τοῖσδε μὴ ʼκύρουν ἐγὼ §1332πάλαι φυλάσσων, ἦν ἂν ὑμὶν ἐν δόμοις §1333τὰ δρώμενʼ ὑμῶν πρόσθεν ἢ τὰ σώματα· §1334νῦν δʼ εὐλάβειαν τῶνδε προυθέμην ἐγώ.
But if I had not happened to be keeping watch at these portals long since, your plans would have been in the house before your bodies; but as it is, I have taken precaution against this.
§1335καὶ νῦν ἀπαλλαχθέντε τῶν μακρῶν λόγων §1336καὶ τῆς ἀπλήστου τῆσδε σὺν χαρᾷ βοῆς §1337εἴσω παρέλθεθʼ, ὡς τὸ μὲν μέλλειν κακὸν §1338ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἔστʼ, ἀπηλλάχθαι δʼ ἀκμή.
And now, freed from long speeches and this insatiable shouting with joy, go inside; since delay is evil in such circumstances, and to have finished is the critical point.
§1339πῶς οὖν ἔχει τἀντεῦθεν εἰσιόντι μοι;
Orestes: How then do things stand inside for me as I enter?