§203ὦ νύξ, ὦ δείπνων ἀρρήτων
O night!
§204ἔκπαγλʼ ἄχθη, §205τοὺς ἐμὸς ἴδε πατὴρ §206θανάτους αἰκεῖς διδύμαιν χειροῖν, §207αἳ τὸν ἐμὸν εἷλον βίον πρόδοτον, αἵ μʼ ἀπώλεσαν·
O horrible weight of unspoken banquets, which my father saw as piteous deaths by two hands, which betrayed and took my life, and destroyed me!
§208οἷς θεὸς ὁ μέγας Ὀλύμπιος §210ποίνιμα πάθεα παθεῖν πόροι, §211μηδέ ποτʼ ἀγλαΐας ἀποναίατο §212τοιάδʼ ἀνύσαντες ἔργα.
May the great Olympian god grant them to suffer retributive sufferings, and may they never enjoy splendor having accomplished such deeds.
§213φράζου μὴ πόρσω φωνεῖν.
Take care not to speak further.
Do you not understand from what a state you are thus piteously falling into your own ruin?
§217πολὺ γάρ τι κακῶν ὑπερεκτήσω, §218σᾷ δυσθύμῳ τίκτουσʼ ἀεὶ §219ψυχᾷ πολέμους· τὰ δὲ τοῖς δυνατοῖς §220οὐκ ἐριστὰ πλάθειν.
For you have acquired far too much of evils, always engendering wars with your sorrowful soul; and to clash with the powerful is not to be striven for.
§221δεινοῖς ἠναγκάσθην, δεινοῖς·
By terrible things I was forced, by terrible things!
§222ἔξοιδʼ, οὐ λάθει μʼ ὀργά.
I know it, my anger does not escape me.
But indeed in terrible circumstances I will not restrain these ruins, as long as life holds me.
For from whom, O dear offspring, could I hear a fitting word, from what right-thinking person?
§228ἄνετέ μʼ ἄνετε, παράγοροι·
Let me be, let me be, consolidators!
For these things shall be called endless, nor will I ever cease from my labors, thus countless in laments.
Yet indeed I speak in goodwill, like some faithful mother, so that you do not breed ruin upon ruin.
§236καὶ τί μέτρον κακότατος ἔφυ;
And what limit is there to misery?
φέρε, §237πῶς ἐπὶ τοῖς φθιμένοις ἀμελεῖν καλόν;
Tell me, how is it noble to neglect the dead?
§238ἐν τίνι τοῦτʼ ἔβλαστʼ ἀνθρώπων;
In whom of men did this spring up?
§239μήτʼ εἴην ἔντιμος τούτοις §240μήτʼ, εἴ τῳ πρόσκειμαι χρηστῷ, §241ξυνναίοιμʼ εὔκηλος, γονέων §242ἐκτίμους ἴσχουσα πτέρυγας §243ὀξυτόνων γόων.
May I neither be honored by them, nor, if I am joined to any good thing, may I dwell in quiet, restraining the wings of sharp-toned laments for my parents.
§245εἰ γὰρ ὁ μὲν θανὼν γᾶ τε καὶ οὐδὲν ὢν §246κείσεται τάλας, §247οἱ δὲ μὴ πάλιν §248δώσουσʼ ἀντιφόνους δίκας, §249ἔρροι τʼ ἂν αἰδὼς §250ἁπάντων τʼ εὐσέβεια θνατῶν.
For if the dead, being earth and nothing, shall lie there wretchedly, and they in turn do not pay the penalty of death for death, then shame would perish, and the piety of all mortals.
§251ἐγὼ μέν, ὦ παῖ, καὶ τὸ σὸν σπεύδουσʼ ἅμα §252καὶ τοὐμὸν αὐτῆς ἦλθον· εἰ δὲ μὴ καλῶς §253λέγω, σὺ νίκα· σοὶ γὰρ ἑψόμεσθʼ ἅμα.
O child, I came desiring both your interest and my own at once; but if I do not speak well, you win; for we will follow you.
Indeed, women, I am ashamed if I seem to you to grieve too much with my many laments.
§256ἀλλʼ ἡ βία γὰρ ταῦτʼ ἀναγκάζει με δρᾶν, §257σύγγνωτε· πῶς γὰρ ἥτις εὐγενὴς γυνή, §258πατρῷʼ ὁρῶσα πήματʼ, οὐ δρῴη τάδʼ ἄν;
But indeed force compels me to do these things, forgive me; for how could any noble woman, seeing her father's sufferings, not do this?
§259ἁγὼ κατʼ ἦμαρ καὶ κατʼ εὐφρόνην ἀεὶ §260θάλλοντα μᾶλλον ἢ καταφθίνονθʼ ὁρῶ· §261ᾗ πρῶτα μὲν τὰ μητρός, ἥ μʼ ἐγείνατο, §262ἔχθιστα συμβέβηκεν· εἶτα δώμασιν §263ἐν τοῖς ἐμαυτῆς τοῖς φονεῦσι τοῦ πατρὸς §264ξύνειμι, κἀκ τῶνδʼ ἄρχομαι κἀκ τῶνδέ μοι §265λαβεῖν θʼ ὁμοίως καὶ τὸ τητᾶσθαι πέλει.
Which I see day and night blooming more rather than decaying; to whom first the deeds of my mother, who bore me, have turned out most hostile; then in my own house I live with the murderers of my father, and by them I am ruled, and from them it is for me both to receive and to be deprived.
§266ἔπειτα ποίας ἡμέρας δοκεῖς μʼ ἄγειν, §267ὅταν θρόνοις Αἴγισθον ἐνθακοῦντʼ ἴδω §268τοῖσιν πατρῴοις, εἰσίδω δʼ ἐσθήματα §269φοροῦντʼ ἐκείνῳ ταὐτὰ καὶ παρεστίους §270σπένδοντα λοιβὰς ἔνθʼ ἐκεῖνον ὤλεσεν, §271ἴδω δὲ τούτων τὴν τελευταίαν ὕβριν, §272τὸν αὐτοέντην ἡμὶν ἐν κοίτῃ πατρὸς §273ξὺν τῇ ταλαίνῃ μητρί, μητέρʼ εἰ χρεὼν §274ταύτην προσαυδᾶν τῷδε συγκοιμωμένην·
Then what kind of days do you think I spend, when I see Aegisthus sitting on the throne of my father, and see him wearing the very same clothes, and pouring libations at the hearth where he slew him, and when I see the ultimate outrage of these things, the murderer in my father's bed with my wretched mother, if indeed it is right to call this woman "mother" who sleeps with him?
§275ἡ δʼ ὧδε τλήμων ὥστε τῷ μιάστορι §276ξύνεστʼ, ἐρινὺν οὔτινʼ ἐκφοβουμένη· §277ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ ἐγγελῶσα τοῖς ποιουμένοις, §278εὑροῦσʼ ἐκείνην ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ τότε §279πατέρα τὸν ἀμὸν ἐκ δόλου κατέκτανεν, §280ταύτῃ χοροὺς ἵστησι καὶ μηλοσφαγεῖ §281θεοῖσιν ἔμμηνʼ ἱερὰ τοῖς σωτηρίοις.
She is so shameless that she cohabits with the defiler, fearing no Erinys; but as if laughing at what was done, having found that day on which she then killed my father by deceit, on this day she sets up dances and slays sheep, sacrificing monthly offerings to the savior gods.
§282ἐγὼ δʼ ὁρῶσʼ ἡ δύσμορος κατὰ στέγας §283κλαίω, τέτηκα, κἀπικωκύω πατρὸς §284τὴν δυστάλαιναν δαῖτʼ ἐπωνομασμένην §285αὐτὴ πρὸς αὑτήν.
And I, wretched, seeing this within the house, weep, waste away, and lament my father's ill-fated feast, as it is called, all by myself.
οὐδὲ γὰρ κλαῦσαι πάρα §286τοσόνδʼ ὅσον μοι θυμὸς ἡδονὴν φέρει.
For it is not even permitted to weep as much as my heart brings me pleasure.
§287αὕτη γὰρ ἡ λόγοισι γενναία γυνὴ §288φωνοῦσα τοιάδʼ ἐξονειδίζει κακά· §289ὦ δύσθεον μίσημα, σοὶ μόνῃ πατὴρ §290τέθνηκεν;
For this woman, noble in words, crying out such things, reproaches me with evils: "O impious hatred, has your father died for you alone?
ἄλλος δʼ οὔτις ἐν πένθει βροτῶν;
Is no other mortal in mourning?
§291κακῶς ὄλοιο, μηδέ σʼ ἐκ γόων ποτὲ §292τῶν νῦν ἀπαλλάξειαν οἱ κάτω θεοί. §293τάδʼ ἐξυβρίζει· πλὴν ὅταν κλύῃ τινὸς §294ἥξοντʼ Ὀρέστην· τηνικαῦτα δʼ ἐμμανὴς §295βοᾷ παραστᾶσʼ· οὐ σύ μοι τῶνδʼ αἰτία;
May you perish miserably, and may the gods below never free you from your present laments." Thus she insults; except when she hears from someone that Orestes is coming; then, driven mad, she stands by me and screams: "Are you not the cause of this?
Is this not your deed, you who stole Orestes from my hands and smuggled him away?
§298ἀλλʼ ἴσθι τοι τίσουσά γʼ ἀξίαν δίκην. §299τοιαῦθʼ ὑλακτεῖ, σὺν δʼ ἐποτρύνει πέλας §300ὁ κλεινὸς αὐτῇ ταὐτὰ νυμφίος παρών, §301ὁ πάντʼ ἄναλκις οὗτος, ἡ πᾶσα βλάβη, §302ὁ σὺν γυναιξὶ τὰς μάχας ποιούμενος.
But know indeed that you will pay a worthy penalty!" Such things she barks, and urging her on nearby is her famous bridegroom present with her, doing the same, this utter coward, this complete plague, who fights his battles with women.