§633τοὐμὸν στόμʼ, ὡς οὐκ ἂν πέρα λέξαιμʼ ἔτι.
[I will close] my mouth, so that I may say no more.
§634ἔπαιρε δὴ σὺ θύμαθʼ ἡ παροῦσά μοι §635πάγκαρπʼ, ἄνακτι τῷδʼ ὅπως λυτηρίους §636εὐχὰς ἀνάσχω δειμάτων, ἃ νῦν ἔχω.
Do you, my handmaid who are present, raise the offerings of all kinds of fruits, so that I may offer to this king prayers that release me from the fears which I now have.
§637κλύοις ἂν ἤδη, Φοῖβε προστατήριε, §638κεκρυμμένην μου βάξιν· οὐ γὰρ ἐν φίλοις §639ὁ μῦθος, οὐδὲ πᾶν ἀναπτύξαι πρέπει §640πρὸς φῶς παρούσης τῆσδε πλησίας ἐμοί, §641μὴ σὺν φθόνῳ τε καὶ πολυγλώσσῳ βοῇ §642σπείρῃ ματαίαν βάξιν εἰς πᾶσαν πόλιν.
Hear now, Phoebus our protector, my hidden speech; for my words are not among friends, nor is it fitting to unfold everything to the light when this girl is present near me, lest with malice and loud-tongued clamor she sow a vain rumor throughout the whole city.
§643ἀλλʼ ὧδʼ ἄκουε· τῇδε γὰρ κἀγὼ φράσω.
But hear me thus; for in this way I also will speak.
§644ἃ γὰρ προσεῖδον νυκτὶ τῇδε φάσματα §645δισσῶν ὀνείρων, ταῦτά μοι, Λύκειʼ ἄναξ, §646εἰ μὲν πέφηνεν ἐσθλά, δὸς τελεσφόρα, §647εἰ δʼ ἐχθρά, τοῖς ἐχθροῖσιν ἔμπαλιν μέθες·
The phantoms of double dreams which I saw this night, these, O King Lyceus, if they have appeared as good, grant that they be fulfilled, but if as hostile, turn them back upon my enemies.
§648καὶ μή με πλούτου τοῦ παρόντος εἴ τινες §649δόλοισι βουλεύουσιν ἐκβαλεῖν, ἐφῇς, §650ἀλλʼ ὧδέ μʼ αἰεὶ ζῶσαν ἀβλαβεῖ βίῳ §651δόμους Ἀτρειδῶν σκῆπτρά τʼ ἀμφέπειν τάδε, §652φίλοισί τε ξυνοῦσαν οἷς ξύνειμι νῦν §653εὐημεροῦσαν καὶ τέκνων ὅσων ἐμοὶ §654δύσνοια μὴ πρόσεστιν ἢ λύπη πικρά.
And if any are plotting by guile to cast me out from my present wealth, do not permit it, but let me always live thus in a harmless life, managing the house of the Atreidae and these sceptres, living with the friends with whom I live now, in prosperity, and with such of my children from whom no ill-will or bitter pain is present to me.
Hear these things, O Lycean Apollo, with favor, and grant them to us all just as we pray.
§657τὰ δʼ ἄλλα πάντα καὶ σιωπώσης ἐμοῦ §658ἐπαξιῶ σε δαίμονʼ ὄντʼ ἐξειδέναι· §659τοὺς ἐκ Διὸς γὰρ εἰκός ἐστι πάνθʼ ὁρᾶν.
As for all other things, even if I am silent, I deem it right that you, being a god, should know them; for it is natural for those born of Zeus to see all things.
Foreign women, how might I know clearly if these are the dwellings of the ruler Aegisthus?
§662τάδʼ ἐστίν, ὦ ξένʼ· αὐτὸς ᾔκασας καλῶς.
These are they, stranger; you yourself have guessed well.
Do I then hit the mark in guessing this lady to be his wife?
πρέπει γὰρ ὡς τύραννος εἰσορᾶν.
For she is fitting to look upon as a queen.
§665μάλιστα πάντων· ἥδε σοι κείνη πάρα.
Most of all; this is she who is present before you.
O hail, queen; I come bringing pleasant words to you and to Aegisthus alike from a friendly man.
I accept what has been said; but first of all I wish to know from you who of mortals sent you.
§670Φανοτεὺς ὁ Φωκεύς, πρᾶγμα πορσύνων μέγα.
Phanoteus of Phocis, preparing a great matter.
§671τὸ ποῖον, ὦ ξένʼ;
Of what kind, stranger?
εἰπέ· παρὰ φίλου γὰρ ὢν §672ἀνδρός, σάφʼ οἶδα, προσφιλεῖς λέξεις λόγους.
Speak; for being from a friendly man, I know well, you will speak friendly words.
§673τέθνηκʼ Ὀρέστης· ἐν βραχεῖ ξυνθεὶς λέγω.
Orestes is dead; I speak summing it up in brief.
§674οἲ ʼγὼ τάλαινʼ, ὄλωλα τῇδʼ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ.
Ah, wretched me, I am destroyed on this day!
§675τί φής, τί φής, ὦ ξεῖνε;
What do you say, what do you say, stranger?
μὴ ταύτης κλύε.
Do not listen to her!
§676θανόντʼ Ὀρέστην νῦν τε καὶ πάλαι λέγω.
I say now and of old that Orestes is dead.
§677ἀπωλόμην δύστηνος, οὐδέν εἰμʼ ἔτι.
I am destroyed, miserable one, I am nothing anymore!
You indeed mind your own business; but you, stranger, tell me the truth, in what way does he perish?
§680κἀπεμπόμην πρὸς ταῦτα καὶ τὸ πᾶν φράσω.
I was sent for this, and I will tell the whole story.
§681κεῖνος γὰρ ἐλθὼν εἰς τὸ κλεινὸν Ἑλλάδος §682πρόσχημʼ ἀγῶνος Δελφικῶν ἄθλων χάριν, §683ὅτʼ ᾔσθετʼ ἀνδρὸς ὀρθίων κηρυγμάτων §684δρόμον προκηρύξαντος, οὗ πρώτη κρίσις, §685εἰσῆλθε λαμπρός, πᾶσι τοῖς ἐκεῖ σέβας·
For he, having come to the glorious ornament of Greece for the sake of the Delphic games, when he heard the loud herald announcing the race, of which the trial is first, entered shining, an object of reverence to all who were there.
And having made the end of his course equal to the start, he came out holding the all-honored prize of victory.
§688χὤπως μὲν ἐν πολλοῖσι παῦρά σοι λέγω §689οὐκ οἶδα τοιοῦδʼ ἀνδρὸς ἔργα καὶ κράτη· §690ἓν δʼ ἴσθʼ· ὅσων γὰρ εἰσεκήρυξαν βραβῆς §692τούτων ἐνεγκὼν πάντα τἀπινίκια §693ὠλβίζετʼ, Ἀργεῖος μὲν ἀνακαλούμενος, §694ὄνομα δʼ Ὀρέστης, τοῦ τὸ κλεινὸν Ἑλλάδος §695Ἀγαμέμνονος στράτευμʼ ἀγείραντός ποτε.
And that I may tell you few things out of many, I do not know the deeds and victories of such a man; but know one thing: of all the prizes which the judges proclaimed, he carried off all the victories and was congratulated, being proclaimed an Argive, Orestes by name, the son of Agamemnon who once gathered the glorious host of Greece.
And these things indeed were so; but when some god brings harm, not even a strong man could escape.
§698κεῖνος γὰρ ἄλλης ἡμέρας, ὅθʼ ἱππικῶν §699ἦν ἡλίου τέλλοντος ὠκύπους ἀγών, §700εἰσῆλθε πολλῶν ἁρματηλατῶν μέτα.
For he on another day, when at sunrise there was the swift-footed contest of chariot-racing, entered with many charioteers.
§701εἷς ἦν Ἀχαιός, εἷς ἀπὸ Σπάρτης, δύο §702Λίβυες ζυγωτῶν ἁρμάτων ἐπιστάται· §703κἀκεῖνος ἐν τούτοισι, Θεσσαλὰς ἔχων §704ἵππους, ὁ πέμπτος· ἕκτος ἐξ Αἰτωλίας §705ξανθαῖσι πώλοις· ἕβδομος Μάγνης ἀνήρ· §706ὁ δʼ ὄγδοος λεύκιππος, Αἰνιὰν γένος· §707ἔνατος Ἀθηνῶν τῶν θεοδμήτων ἄπο· §708Βοιωτὸς ἄλλος, δέκατον ἐκπληρῶν ὄχον.
One was an Achaean, one from Sparta, two Libyans, masters of yoked chariots; and he among them, having Thessalian horses, was the fifth; the sixth from Aetolia with chestnut fillies; the seventh a Magnesian man; the eighth with white horses, an Aenian by race; the ninth from Athens built by gods; another a Boeotian, completing the tenth chariot.
§709στάντες δʼ ἵνʼ αὐτοὺς οἱ τεταγμένοι βραβῆς §710κλήροις ἔπηλαν καὶ κατέστησαν δίφρους, §711χαλκῆς ὑπαὶ σάλπιγγος ᾖξαν· οἱ δʼ ἅμα §712ἵπποις ὁμοκλήσαντες ἡνίας χεροῖν §713ἔσεισαν· ἐν δὲ πᾶς ἐμεστώθη δρόμος §714κτύπου κροτητῶν ἁρμάτων· κόνις δʼ ἄνω §715φορεῖθʼ· ὁμοῦ δὲ πάντες ἀναμεμιγμένοι §716φείδοντο κέντρων οὐδέν, ὡς ὑπερβάλοι §717χνόας τις αὐτῶν καὶ φρυάγμαθʼ ἱππικά.
And standing where the appointed judges had shaken them by lot and established their chariots, they started at the sound of the bronze trumpet; and all together, shouting to their horses, shook the reins with their hands; and the whole course was filled with the din of rattling chariots; and the dust was carried upwards; and all mixed together, spared the whips not at all, so that each might pass the wheels and the snorting of the horses of the others.