§378ἀλλʼ ἐξερῶ σοι πᾶν ὅσον κάτοιδʼ ἐγώ.
But I will tell you everything that I know.
§379μέλλουσι γάρ σʼ, εἰ τῶνδε μὴ λήξεις γόων, §380ἐνταῦθα πέμψειν ἔνθα μή ποθʼ ἡλίου §381φέγγος προσόψει, ζῶσα δʼ ἐν κατηρεφεῖ §382στέγῃ χθονὸς τῆσδʼ ἐκτὸς ὑμνήσεις κακά.
For they are going to, if you do not cease from these laments, send you where you will never look upon the light of the sun, but living in a roofed dungeon outside of this land, you will sing of your evils.
Therefore, reflect on this, and do not ever blame me later when you suffer; for now is the proper time to be wise.
§385ἦ ταῦτα δή με καὶ βεβούλευνται ποεῖν;
Have they indeed resolved to do this to me?
§386μάλισθʼ· ὅταν περ οἴκαδʼ Αἴγισθος μόλῃ.
Most certainly, as soon as Aegisthus comes home.
§387ἀλλʼ ἐξίκοιτο τοῦδέ γʼ οὕνεκʼ ἐν τάχει.
Then may he arrive quickly for this reason!
§388τίνʼ, ὦ τάλαινα, τόνδʼ ἐπηράσω λόγον;
What word is this, wretched sister, that you prayed for?
§389ἐλθεῖν ἐκεῖνον, εἴ τι τῶνδε δρᾶν νοεῖ.
For him to come, if he intends to do any of these things.
§390ὅπως πάθῃς τί χρῆμα;
So that you may suffer what?
ποῦ ποτʼ εἶ φρενῶν;
Where in the world are your senses?
§391ὅπως ἀφʼ ὑμῶν ὡς προσωτάτω φύγω.
So that I may flee as far as possible from you.
§392βίου δὲ τοῦ παρόντος οὐ μνείαν ἔχεις;
Have you no regard for your present life?
§393καλὸς γὰρ οὑμὸς βίοτος ὥστε θαυμάσαι.
Yes, for my life is beautiful, so as to be admired!
§394ἀλλʼ ἦν ἄν, εἰ σύ γʼ εὖ φρονεῖν ἠπίστασο.
But it would be, if you knew how to be wise.
§395μή μʼ ἐκδίδασκε τοῖς φίλοις εἶναι κακήν.
Do not teach me to be base to my friends.
§396ἀλλʼ οὐ διδάσκω· τοῖς κρατοῦσι δʼ εἰκαθεῖν.
But I am not teaching that, but to yield to those in power.
§397σὺ ταῦτα θώπευʼ· οὐκ ἐμοὺς τρόπους λέγεις.
You flatter them in this; you do not speak of my ways.
§398καλόν γε μέντοι μὴ ʼξ ἀβουλίας πεσεῖν.
Yet it is a fine thing indeed not to fall through folly.
§399πεσούμεθʼ, εἰ χρή, πατρὶ τιμωρούμενοι.
We will fall, if we must, avenging our father.
§400πατὴρ δὲ τούτων, οἶδα, συγγνώμην ἔχει.
But our father, I know, has forgiveness for this.
§401ταῦτʼ ἐστὶ τἄπη πρὸς κακῶν ἐπαινέσαι.
These are words for cowards to praise.
§402σὺ δʼ οὐχὶ πείσει καὶ συναινέσεις ἐμοί;
And will you not be persuaded and agree with me?
§403οὐ δῆτα· μή πω νοῦ τοσόνδʼ εἴην κενή.
Indeed not; may I never be so empty of understanding.
§404χωρήσομαί τἄρʼ οἷπερ ἐστάλην ὁδοῦ.
Then I will go on the way where I was sent.
§405ποῖ δʼ ἐμπορεύει;
And where are you going?
τῷ φέρεις τάδʼ ἔμπυρα;
To whom are you carrying these offerings?
§406μήτηρ με πέμπει πατρὶ τυμβεῦσαι χοάς.
Mother sends me to pour libations at father's tomb.
§407πῶς εἶπας;
What did you say?
ἦ τῷ δυσμενεστάτῳ βροτῶν;
To the most hostile of mortals?
§408ὃν ἔκτανʼ αὐτή· τοῦτο γὰρ λέξαι θέλεις.
Whom she herself killed; for this is what you want to say.
§409ἐκ τοῦ φίλων πεισθεῖσα;
Persuaded by whom of her friends?
τῷ τοῦτʼ ἤρεσεν;
To whom did this seem good?
§410ἐκ δείματός του νυκτέρου, δοκεῖν ἐμοί;
From some nightly terror, so it seems to me.
§411ὦ θεοὶ πατρῷοι, συγγένεσθέ γʼ ἀλλὰ νῦν.
O ancestral gods, assist us, at least now!
§412ἔχεις τι θάρσος τοῦδε τοῦ τάρβους πέρι;
Do you derive some confidence from this fear of hers?
§413εἴ μοι λέγοις τὴν ὄψιν, εἴποιμʼ ἂν τότε.
If you would tell me the vision, I could tell you then.
§414ἀλλʼ οὐ κάτοιδα πλὴν ἐπὶ σμικρὸν φράσαι.
But I do not know it, except to tell a little.
Tell even that; for indeed, small words have often overthrown and set upright mortals.
§417λόγος τις αὐτήν ἐστιν εἰσιδεῖν πατρὸς §418τοῦ σοῦ τε κἀμοῦ δευτέραν ὁμιλίαν §419ἐλθόντος ἐς φῶς·
There is a report that she beheld our father, yours and mine, in a second association, when he returned to the light.
εἶτα τόνδʼ ἐφέστιον §420πῆξαι λαβόντα σκῆπτρον οὑφόρει ποτὲ §421αὐτός, τανῦν δʼ Αἴγισθος· ἐκ δὲ τοῦδʼ ἄνω §422βλαστεῖν βρύοντα θαλλόν, ᾧ κατάσκιον §423πᾶσαν γενέσθαι τὴν Μυκηναίων χθόνα.
And then, that he took the sceptre which he once bore himself, but Aegisthus now bears, and fixed it by the hearth; and from this there grew up a flourishing shoot, by which the whole land of the Mycenaeans was overshadowed.
Such things I heard from someone who was present when she was showing her dream to the Sun, explaining it.
But more than this I do not know, except that she sends me because of this fear.
§428πρός νυν θεῶν σε λίσσομαι τῶν ἐγγενῶν §429ἐμοὶ πιθέσθαι μηδʼ ἀβουλίᾳ πεσεῖν· §430εἰ γάρ μʼ ἀπώσει, σὺν κακῷ μέτει πάλιν.
Now, by our family gods, I entreat you to obey me and not to fall through folly; for if you reject me, you will return with sorrow later.
But, my dear sister, of these things which you have in your hands, lay nothing on the tomb.
οὐ γάρ σοι θέμις §433οὐδʼ ὅσιον ἐχθρᾶς ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ἱστάναι §434κτερίσματʼ οὐδὲ λουτρὰ προσφέρειν πατρί·
For it is not lawful for you, nor holy, to place offerings or bring libations to your father from a hostile woman.
§435ἀλλʼ ἢ πνοαῖσιν ἢ βαθυσκαφεῖ κόνει §436κρύψον νιν, ἔνθα μή ποτʼ εἰς εὐνὴν πατρὸς §437τούτων πρόσεισι μηδέν· ἀλλʼ ὅταν θάνῃ §438κειμήλιʼ αὐτῇ ταῦτα σῳζέσθω κάτω.
But either hide them in the winds or in deep-dug dust, where none of these things shall ever reach our father's resting place; but let them be preserved as treasures below for her when she dies.
§439ἀρχὴν δʼ ἄν, εἰ μὴ τλημονεστάτη γυνὴ §440πασῶν ἔβλαστε, τάσδε δυσμενεῖς χοὰς §441οὐκ ἄν ποθʼ ὅν γʼ ἔκτεινε, τῷδʼ ἐπέστεφε.
For to begin with, if she had not been born the most shameless of all women, she would never have poured these hostile libations on the one she killed.
§442σκέψαι γὰρ εἴ σοι προσφιλῶς αὐτῇ δοκεῖ §443γέρα τάδʼ οὑν τάφοισι δέξεσθαι νέκυς, §444ὑφʼ ἧς θανὼν ἄτιμος, ὥστε δυσμενής, §445ἐμασχαλίσθη, κἀπὶ λουτροῖσιν κάρᾳ §446κηλῖδας ἐξέμαξεν.
For consider whether the dead man in his tomb seems to you likely to receive these gifts from her with goodwill, by whom he was killed without honor, treated like an enemy, and mutilated, and who wiped off the bloodstains on his head with water?
ἆρα μὴ δοκεῖς §447λυτήριʼ αὐτῇ ταῦτα τοῦ φόνου φέρειν;
Do you think these things will bring her release from the murder?
§448οὐχ ἔστιν.
It is not possible.
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν μέθες· σὺ δὲ
But let these things go.
§449τεμοῦσα κρατὸς βοστρύχων ἄκρας φόβας §450κἀμοῦ ταλαίνης, σμικρὰ μὲν τάδʼ, ἀλλʼ ὅμως §451ἅχω, δὸς αὐτῷ, τήνδʼ ἀλιπαρῆ τρίχα §452καὶ ζῶμα τοὐμὸν οὐ χλιδαῖς ἠσκημένον.
And you, cutting the tips of the curls of your hair, and of mine, wretched, small gifts indeed, but yet what I have, give to him—this unanointed hair and my girdle, not adorned with luxuries.
§453αἰτοῦ δὲ προσπίτνουσα γῆθεν εὐμενῆ §454ἡμῖν ἀρωγὸν αὐτὸν εἰς ἐχθροὺς μολεῖν, §455καὶ παῖδʼ Ὀρέστην ἐξ ὑπερτέρας χερὸς §456ἐχθροῖσιν αὐτοῦ ζῶντʼ ἐπεμβῆναι ποδί, §457ὅπως τὸ λοιπὸν αὐτὸν ἀφνεωτέραις
And ask, falling to the ground, that he come as a kindly helper to us against our enemies, and that his son Orestes, with a conquering hand, may step alive upon his enemies with his foot, so that in the future, with richer