Chrysothemis: And I did not do it, this I know well, nor indeed did you; for how could you?
πῶς γάρ; ᾗ γε μηδὲ πρὸς θεοὺς §912ἔξεστʼ ἀκλαύστῳ τῆσδʼ ἀποστῆναι στέγης.
You to whom it is not permitted even to the gods to depart from this house without weeping.
§913ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ μὲν δὴ μητρὸς οὔθʼ ὁ νοῦς φιλεῖ §914τοιαῦτα πράσσειν οὔτε δρῶσʼ ἐλάνθανʼ ἄν· §915ἀλλʼ ἔστʼ Ὀρέστου ταῦτα τἀπιτύμβια.
But indeed neither is it the habit of our mother's mind to do such things, nor could she do so without being noticed; rather, these are offerings on the tomb from Orestes.
But, my dear sister, take heart; the same deity does not always stand by the same people.
Previously ours was hateful; but today perhaps will be the source of many beautiful things.
§920φεῦ, τῆς ἀνοίας ὥς σʼ ἐποικτίρω πάλαι.
Electra: Alas, I have long pitied you for your folly.
§921τί δʼ ἔστιν;
Chrysothemis: What is it?
οὐ πρὸς ἡδονὴν λέγω τάδε;
Do I not speak this to your pleasure?
§922οὐκ οἶσθʼ ὅποι γῆς οὐδʼ ὅποι γνώμης φέρει.
Electra: You know not where on earth nor where in thought you are being carried.
§923πῶς δʼ οὐκ ἐγὼ κάτοιδʼ ἅ γʼ εἶδον ἐμφανῶς;
Chrysothemis: How could I not know what I saw clearly?
Electra: He is dead, wretched girl, and your deliverance from him is gone; look no longer to him.
§926οἴμοι τάλαινα·
Chrysothemis: Wretched me!
τοῦ τάδʼ ἤκουσας βροτῶν;
From which of mortals did you hear this?
§927τοῦ πλησίον παρόντος, ἡνίκʼ ὤλλυτο.
Electra: From one who was present nearby when he perished.
§928καὶ ποῦ ʼστιν οὗτος;
Chrysothemis: And where is this man?
θαῦμά τοί μʼ ὑπέρχεται.
A wonder indeed steals over me.
§929κατʼ οἶκον, ἡδὺς οὐδὲ μητρὶ δυσχερής.
Electra: In the house, welcome and not at all displeasing to our mother.
§930οἴμοι τάλαινα·
Chrysothemis: Wretched me!
τοῦ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ποτʼ ἦν §931τὰ πολλὰ πατρὸς πρὸς τάφον κτερίσματα;
For whose among men then were those many offerings at our father's tomb?
Electra: I believe most of all that someone placed these as memorials of the dead Orestes.
§934ὦ δυστυχής·
Chrysothemis: Oh, unfortunate me!
ἐγὼ δὲ σὺν χαρᾷ λόγους §935τοιούσδʼ ἔχουσʼ ἔσπευδον, οὐκ εἰδυῖʼ ἄρα §936ἵνʼ ἦμεν ἄτης· ἀλλὰ νῦν, ὅθʼ ἱκόμην, §937τά τʼ ὄντα πρόσθεν ἄλλα θʼ εὑρίσκω κακά.
And I with joy was hastening with such words, not knowing, it seems, what ruin we were in; but now, when I have come, I find the former evils and other new ones besides.
Electra: So it is with you; but if you obey me, you will loosen the weight of the present pain.
§940ἦ τοὺς θανόντας ἐξαναστήσω ποτέ;
Chrysothemis: What, shall I ever raise the dead?
§941οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅ γʼ εἶπον· οὐ γὰρ ὧδʼ ἄφρων ἔφυν.
Electra: That is not what I said; for I was not born so foolish.
§942τί γὰρ κελεύεις ὧν ἐγὼ φερέγγυος;
Chrysothemis: What then do you command of which I am capable?
§943τλῆναί σε δρῶσαν ἃν ἐγὼ παραινέσω.
Electra: That you endure doing what I shall advise.
§944ἀλλʼ εἴ τις ὠφέλειά γʼ, οὐκ ἀπώσομαι.
Chrysothemis: But if there is any benefit, I will not reject it.
§945ὅρα, πόνου τοι χωρὶς οὐδὲν εὐτυχεῖ.
Electra: See, without toil nothing succeeds.
§946ὁρῶ.
Chrysothemis: I see.
ξυνοίσω πᾶν ὅσονπερ ἂν σθένω.
I will share in all as much as I have strength.
§947ἄκουε δή νυν ᾗ βεβούλευμαι ποεῖν.
Electra: Listen then now to how I have resolved to act.
§948παρουσίαν μὲν οἶσθα καὶ σύ που φίλων §949ὡς οὔτις ἡμῖν ἔστιν, ἀλλʼ Ἅιδης λαβὼν §950ἀπεστέρηκε καὶ μόνα λελείμμεθον.
The absence of friends indeed you also know, I suppose, that there is none for us, but Hades having taken them has deprived us, and we two are left alone.
§951ἐγὼ δʼ ἕως μὲν τὸν κασίγνητον βίῳ §952θάλλοντʼ ἔτʼ εἰσήκουον, εἶχον ἐλπίδας §953φόνου ποτʼ αὐτὸν πράκτορʼ ἵξεσθαι πατρός· §954νῦν δʼ ἡνίκʼ οὐκέτʼ ἔστιν, εἰς σὲ δὴ βλέπω, §955ὅπως τὸν αὐτόχειρα πατρῴου φόνου §956ξὺν τῇδʼ ἀδελφῇ μὴ κατοκνήσεις κτανεῖν §957Αἴγισθον· οὐδὲν γάρ σε δεῖ κρύπτειν μʼ ἔτι.
And I, as long as I heard that my brother was still flourishing in life, had hopes that he would one day come as an avenger of our father's murder; but now when he is no more, I look to you indeed, so that you, with this sister, will not shrink from slaying Aegisthus, the perpetrator of our father's murder; for I must hide nothing from you any longer.
For where will you remain inactive, looking to what of hopes still upright?
ᾗ πάρεστι μὲν στένειν §960πλούτου πατρῴου κτῆσιν ἐστερημένῃ, §961πάρεστι δʼ ἀλγεῖν ἐς τοσόνδε τοῦ χρόνου §962ἄλεκτρα γηράσκουσαν ἀνυμέναιά τε.
You for whom it is present to lament being deprived of your father's wealth, and it is present to grieve at being so long a time growing old unwedded and without bridal song.
§963καὶ τῶνδε μέντοι μηκέτʼ ἐλπίσῃς ὅπως §964τεύξει ποτʼ· οὐ γὰρ ὧδʼ ἄβουλός ἐστʼ ἀνὴρ §965Αἴγισθος ὥστε σόν ποτʼ ἢ κἀμὸν γένος §966βλαστεῖν ἐᾶσαι, πημονὴν αὑτῷ σαφῆ.
And indeed do not hope any longer that you will ever obtain these; for Aegisthus is not so thoughtless a man as to permit your or my offspring to grow, a clear mischief to himself.
§967ἀλλʼ ἢν ἐπίσπῃ τοῖς ἐμοῖς βουλεύμασιν, §968πρῶτον μὲν εὐσέβειαν ἐκ πατρὸς κάτω §969θανόντος οἴσει τοῦ κασιγνήτου θʼ ἅμα· §970ἔπειτα δʼ, ὥσπερ ἐξέφυς, ἐλευθέρα §971καλεῖ τὸ λοιπὸν καὶ γάμων ἐπαξίων §972τεύξει· φιλεῖ γὰρ πρὸς τὰ χρηστὰ πᾶς ὁρᾶν.
But if you follow my counsels, first you will bear the reward of piety from your father below who is dead, and at the same time from your brother; and then, as you were born, you will be called free for the future, and you will obtain worthy marriage; for everyone is accustomed to look toward the good.
And do you not see how great a glory of words you will bring upon yourself and me by obeying me?
§975τίς γάρ ποτʼ ἀστῶν ἢ ξένων ἡμᾶς ἰδὼν §976τοιοῖσδʼ ἐπαίνοις οὐχὶ δεξιώσεται· §977ἴδεσθε τώδε τὼ κασιγνήτω, φίλοι, §978ὣ τὸν πατρῷον οἶκον ἐξεσωσάτην, §979ὣ τοῖσιν ἐχθροῖς εὖ βεβηκόσιν ποτὲ §980ψυχῆς ἀφειδήσαντε προὐστήτην φόνου· §981τούτω φιλεῖν χρή, τώδε χρὴ πάντας σέβειν, §982τώδʼ ἔν θʼ ἑορταῖς ἔν τε πανδήμῳ πόλει §983τιμᾶν ἅπαντας οὕνεκʼ ἀνδρείας χρεών. §984τοιαῦτά τοι νὼ πᾶς τις ἐξερεῖ βροτῶν, §985ζώσαιν θανούσαιν θʼ ὥστε μὴ ʼκλιπεῖν κλέος.
For who of citizens or strangers, seeing us, will not greet us with such praises: 'Look at these two sisters, friends, who saved their father's house, who once, when their enemies were well established, sparing not their own lives, stood at the forefront of the slaughter; these two we must love, these two all must revere, and these two both in festivals and in the assembly of the city all must honor because of their courage.' Such things indeed everyone of mortals will say of us, while we live and when we are dead, so that our glory will never fail.
§986ἀλλʼ, ὦ φίλη, πείσθητι, συμπόνει πατρί, §987σύγκαμνʼ ἀδελφῷ, παῦσον ἐκ κακῶν ἐμέ, §988παῦσον δὲ σαυτήν, τοῦτο γιγνώσκουσʼ ὅτι §989ζῆν αἰσχρὸν αἰσχρῶς τοῖς καλῶς πεφυκόσιν.
But, my dear sister, obey, toil with your father, suffer with your brother, free me from evils, and free yourself, knowing this, that to live basely is shameful for those who are well born.