§1θεοὺς μὲν αἰτῶ τῶνδ᾽ ἀπαλλαγὴν πόνων, §2φρουρᾶς ἐτείας μῆκος, ἣν κοιμώμενος §3στέγαις Ἀτρειδῶν ἄγκαθεν, κυνὸς δίκην, §4ἄστρων κάτοιδα νυκτέρων ὁμήγυριν, §5καὶ τοὺς φέροντας χεῖμα καὶ θέρος βροτοῖς §6λαμπροὺς δυνάστας, ἐμπρέποντας αἰθέρι §7[ἀστέρας, ὅταν φθίνωσιν, ἀντολάς τε τῶν].
I ask the gods for release from these labors, throughout the length of a year's watch, during which, lying on the roofs of the Atreidae on my elbows, dog-like, I have come to know the assembly of the night stars, and those that bring winter and summer to mortals, bright rulers, outstanding in the ether, [the stars, when they wane, and their risings].
§8καὶ νῦν φυλάσσω λαμπάδος τό σύμβολον, §9αὐγὴν πυρὸς φέρουσαν ἐκ Τροίας φάτιν §10ἁλώσιμόν τε βάξιν: ὧδε γὰρ κρατεῖ §11γυναικὸς ἀνδρόβουλον ἐλπίζον κέαρ.
And now I am watching for the signal of the torch, the gleam of fire bringing from Troy the report and rumor of capture; for thus commands a woman's male-counseling, hoping heart.
§12εὖτ᾽ ἂν δὲ νυκτίπλαγκτον ἔνδροσόν τ᾽ ἔχω §13εὐνὴν ὀνείροις οὐκ ἐπισκοπουμένην §14ἐμήν: φόβος γὰρ ἀνθ᾽ ὕπνου παραστατεῖ, §15τὸ μὴ βεβαίως βλέφαρα συμβαλεῖν ὕπνῳ: §16ὅταν δ᾽ ἀείδειν ἢ μινύρεσθαι δοκῶ, §17ὕπνου τόδ᾽ ἀντίμολπον ἐντέμνων ἄκος, §18κλαίω τότ᾽ οἴκου τοῦδε συμφορὰν στένων §19οὐχ ὡς τὰ πρόσθ᾽ ἄριστα διαπονουμένου.
And whenever I have my night-roaming, dew-drenched bed, not visited by dreams of mine—for fear stands beside me instead of sleep, preventing me from closing my eyelids fast in sleep— and when I think to sing or hum, shredding this cure against sleep, I weep then, groaning for the misfortune of this house, not, as before, excellently managed.
But now may there be a happy release from labors, as the fire of good tidings appears in the darkness.
§22ὦ χαῖρε λαμπτὴρ νυκτός, ἡμερήσιον §23φάος πιφαύσκων καὶ χορῶν κατάστασιν §24πολλῶν ἐν Ἄργει, τῆσδε συμφορᾶς χάριν.
Oh hail, torch of the night, showing a daylight light and the setting up of many dances in Argos, for the sake of this event.
§25ἰοὺ ἰού.
Io, io.
§26Ἀγαμέμνονος γυναικὶ σημαίνω τορῶς §27εὐνῆς ἐπαντείλασαν ὡς τάχος δόμοις §28ὀλολυγμὸν εὐφημοῦντα τῇδε λαμπάδι §29ἐπορθιάζειν, εἴπερ Ἰλίου πόλις §30ἑάλωκεν, ὡς ὁ φρυκτὸς ἀγγέλλων πρέπει:
I signal clearly to Agamemnon's wife to rise from her bed as quickly as possible and, in the palace, to raise a propitious shout of joy at this torch, if indeed the city of Ilium has been taken, as the beacon-light clearly announces.
§31αὐτός τ᾽ ἔγωγε φροίμιον χορεύσομαι.
And I myself will dance the prelude.
For I shall count my masters' good fortunes as my own, this beacon-watching having thrown triple-sixes for me.
But anyway, may it happen that I hold the friendly hand of the returning master of this house in this hand of mine.
§36τὰ δ᾽ ἄλλα σιγῶ: βοῦς ἐπὶ γλώσσῃ μέγας §37βέβηκεν: οἶκος δ᾽ αὐτός, εἰ φθογγὴν λάβοι, §38σαφέστατ᾽ ἂν λέξειεν: ὡς ἑκὼν ἐγὼ §39μαθοῦσιν αὐδῶ κοὐ μαθοῦσι λήθομαι.
As for the rest, I am silent; a great ox has stepped upon my tongue; but the house itself, if it could find a voice, would speak most clearly; since I willingly speak to those who know, and to those who do not, I forget.
§40δέκατον μὲν ἔτος τόδ᾽ ἐπεὶ Πριάμου §41μέγας ἀντίδικος, §42Μενέλαος ἄναξ ἠδ᾽ Ἀγαμέμνων, §43διθρόνου Διόθεν καὶ δισκήπτρου §44τιμῆς ὀχυρὸν ζεῦγος Ἀτρειδᾶν §45στόλον Ἀργείων χιλιοναύτην §46τῆσδ᾽ ἀπὸ χώρας §47ἦραν, στρατιῶτιν ἀρωγὴν, §48μέγαν ἐκ θυμοῦ κλάζοντες Ἄρη §49τρόπον αἰγυπιῶν, οἵτ᾽ ἐκπατίοις §50ἄλγεσι παίδων ὕπατοι λεχέων §51στροφοδινοῦνται §52πτερύγων ἐρετμοῖσιν ἐρεσσόμενοι, §53δεμνιοτήρη §54πόνον ὀρταλίχων ὀλέσαντες:
This is indeed the tenth year since Priam's great adversary, Lord Menelaus and Agamemnon, the strong pair of the Atreidae, holding from Zeus double thrones and double scepters of honor, set forth from this land with an Argive fleet of a thousand ships, a military aid, shouting a great battle-cry from their hearts, in the manner of vultures who, in lonely grief for their children, high above their nests wheel around, rowed by the oars of their wings, having lost the nest-guarding labor of their young.
§55ὕπατος δ᾽ ἀίων ἤ τις Ἀπόλλων §56ἢ Πὰν ἢ Ζεὺς οἰωνόθροον §57γόον ὀξυβόαν τῶνδε μετοίκων §58ὑστερόποινον §59πέμπει παραβᾶσιν Ἐρινύν.
But someone on high, hearing—either Apollo, or Pan, or Zeus—the bird-voiced, shrill-crying wail of these metics, sends a late-punishing Erinys against the transgressors.
§60οὕτω δ᾽ Ἀτρέως παῖδας ὁ κρείσσων §61ἐπ᾽ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ πέμπει ξένιος §62Ζεὺς πολυάνορος ἀμφὶ γυναικὸς §63πολλὰ παλαίσματα καὶ γυιοβαρῆ §64γόνατος κονίαισιν ἐρειδομένου §65διακναιομένης τ᾽ ἐν προτελείοις §66κάμακος θήσων Δαναοῖσι §67Τρωσί θ᾽ ὁμοίως.
Even so, the more powerful Zeus, protector of guests, sends the sons of Atreus against Alexander, for the sake of a woman of many husbands, about to impose many limb-wearying wrestlings, with knees pressed in the dust and spears broken in the preliminary rites of marriage, upon both Danaans and Trojans alike.
ἔστι δ᾽ ὅπη νῦν §68ἔστι: τελεῖται δ᾽ ἐς τὸ πεπρωμένον:
Things are as they are now is; and it will be fulfilled according to destiny.
Neither by burning offerings underneath, nor by pouring libations, nor by weeping, will anyone appease the unbending wrath of unburned sacrifices.
§72ἡμεῖς δ᾽ ἀτίται σαρκὶ παλαιᾷ §73τῆς τότ᾽ ἀρωγῆς ὑπολειφθέντες §74μίμνομεν ἰσχὺν §75ἰσόπαιδα νέμοντες ἐπὶ σκήπτροις.
But we, unhonored in our old flesh, left behind from that aid of then, remain, guiding a child-like strength upon our staffs.
For the young marrow within the breast, springing up inside, is equal to an old man's, and Ares is not in his place.
§79τό θ᾽ ὑπέργηρων φυλλάδος ἤδη §80κατακαρφομένης τρίποδας μὲν ὁδοὺς §81στείχει, παιδὸς δ᾽ οὐδὲν ἀρείων §82ὄναρ ἡμερόφαντον ἀλαίνει.
And extreme old age, its foliage already withering away, goes its three-footed ways, no better than a child, wandering like a dream appearing in daytime.
But you, daughter of Tyndareus, Queen Clytemnestra, what is the matter?
§85τί χρέος; τί νέον;
What is new?
What have you perceived, by what report or persuasion have you sent messengers around to burn sacrifices?
§88πάντων δὲ θεῶν τῶν ἀστυνόμων, §89ὑπάτων, χθονίων, §90τῶν τ᾽ οὐρανίων τῶν τ᾽ ἀγοραίων, §91βωμοὶ δώροισι φλέγονται:
For the altars of all the gods who guard our city, those above, those below, those of the heavens and those of the market-place, are ablaze with gifts.
§92ἄλλη δ᾽ ἄλλοθεν οὐρανομήκης §93λαμπὰς ἀνίσχει, §94φαρμασσομένη χρίματος ἁγνοῦ §95μαλακαῖς ἀδόλοισι παρηγορίαις, §96πελάνῳ μυχόθεν βασιλείῳ.
And from here and there, a torch reaching heavenward rises up, drugged by the pure ointment's soft, guileless persuasions, by the royal cake-offering from the inner chambers.
§97τούτων λέξασ᾽ ὅ τι καὶ δυνατὸν §98καὶ θέμις αἰνεῖν, §99παιών τε γενοῦ τῆσδε μερίμνης, §100ἣ νῦν τοτὲ μὲν κακόφρων τελέθει, §101τοτὲ δ᾽ ἐκ θυσιῶν ἀγανὴ φαίνουσ᾽ §102ἐλπὶς ἀμύνει φροντίδ᾽ ἄπληστον §103τῆς θυμοβόρου φρένα λύπης.
Of these things, tell me what is possible and lawful to praise, and become a healer of this anxiety, which now at one time turns out to be malevolent, but at another, hope, appearing kindly from the sacrifices, wards off the insatiable worry of heart-devouring grief.
§104κύριός εἰμι θροεῖν ὅδιον κράτος αἴσιον ἀνδρῶν §105ἐκτελέων: ἔτι γὰρ θεόθεν καταπνεύει §106πειθοῖ μολπᾶν §107ἀλκὰν σύμφυτος αἰών: §108ὅπως Ἀχαιῶν §109δίθρονον κράτος, Ἑλλάδος ἥβας §110ξύμφρονε ταγώ,
I am authorized to proclaim the auspicious power of the men on their journey, of those in full authority; for still from the gods is breathed upon me, by persuasion of songs, a life-coeval strength; how the double power of the Achaeans, the harmonious leaders of the youth of Hellas, send