holding clearly their own entrails along with their inner parts, a most piteous burden, of which their father tasted.
§1223ἐκ τῶνδε ποινάς φημι βουλεύειν τινὰ §1224λέοντ᾽ ἄναλκιν ἐν λέχει στρωφώμενον §1225οἰκουρόν, οἴμοι, τῷ μολόντι δεσπότῃ §1226ἐμῷ: φέρειν γὰρ χρὴ τὸ δούλιον ζυγόν: §1227νεῶν δ᾽ ἔπαρχος Ἰλίου τ᾽ ἀναστάτης §1228οὐκ οἶδεν οἵα γλῶσσα μισητῆς κυνὸς §1229λείξασα κἀκτείνασα φαιδρὸν οὖς, δίκην §1230ἄτης λαθραίου, †τεύξεται κακῇ τύχῃ.
From these things I say that someone is planning vengeance, a cowardly lion tumbling in the bed, a house-guardian, alas, against my master who has returned— for I must bear the yoke of slavery; and the commander of the ships and destroyer of Ilium does not know what kind of thing the tongue of the hateful she-dog, having licked and stretched out a joyful ear, like a secret ruin, will achieve with evil fortune.
With such daring, the female is the murderer of the male.
τί νιν καλοῦσα δυσφιλὲς δάκος §1233τύχοιμ᾽ ἄν;
What hateful monster could I call her and hit the mark?
ἀμφίσβαιναν, ἢ Σκύλλαν τινὰ §1234οἰκοῦσαν ἐν πέτραισι, ναυτίλων βλάβην, §1235θύουσαν Ἅιδου μητέρ᾽ ἄσπονδόν τ᾽ Ἄρη §1236φίλοις πνέουσαν;
An amphisbaena, or some Scylla dwelling in the rocks, a ruin of sailors, a raging mother of Hades, breathing relentless war against her loved ones?
ὡς δ᾽ ἐπωλολύξατο §1237ἡ παντότολμος, ὥσπερ ἐν μάχης τροπῇ.
And how she raised a shout of triumph, she who dares all, just as in the turning point of battle!
§1238δοκεῖ δὲ χαίρειν νοστίμῳ σωτηρίᾳ.
Yet she seems to rejoice in his safe return.
§1239καὶ τῶνδ᾽ ὅμοιον εἴ τι μὴ πείθω: τί γάρ;
And of these things it is all one if I persuade you not; for what matters?
§1240τὸ μέλλον ἥξει.
The future will come.
καὶ σύ μ᾽ ἐν τάχει παρὼν §1241ἄγαν γ᾽ ἀληθόμαντιν οἰκτείρας ἐρεῖς.
And you, present there soon, will in pity call me an all-too-true prophet.
(Chorus) The feast of Thyestes on his children's flesh I understood and shuddered at; and fear holds me as I hear what is truly and not at all in riddles told.
But hearing the rest, I run, fallen off the course.
§1246Ἀγαμέμνονός σέ φημ᾽ ἐπόψεσθαι μόρον.
(Cassandra) I say that you shall look upon the death of Agamemnon.
§1247εὔφημον, ὦ τάλαινα, κοίμησον στόμα.
(Chorus) Lull your mouth to speak auspiciously, wretched woman!
§1248ἀλλ᾽ οὔτι παιὼν τῷδ᾽ ἐπιστατεῖ λόγῳ.
(Cassandra) But no healer presides over this word.
§1249οὔκ, εἴπερ ἔσται γ᾽: ἀλλὰ μὴ γένοιτό πως.
(Chorus) No, indeed, if it is to be; but may it somehow not happen!
§1250σὺ μὲν κατεύχει, τοῖς δ᾽ ἀποκτείνειν μέλει.
(Cassandra) You pray indeed, but they care for killing.
§1251τίνος πρὸς ἀνδρὸς τοῦτ᾽ ἄχος πορσύνεται;
(Chorus) By what man is this grief being prepared?
§1252ἦ κάρτα τἄρ᾽ ἂν παρεκόπης χρησμῶν ἐμῶν.
(Cassandra) Truly then, you have entirely missed my prophecies.
§1253τοὺς γὰρ τελοῦντας οὐ ξυνῆκα μηχανήν.
(Chorus) For I did not understand the scheme of those who are to perform it.
§1254καὶ μὴν ἄγαν γ᾽ Ἕλλην᾽ ἐπίσταμαι φάτιν.
(Cassandra) And yet I know the Greek tongue all too well.
§1255καὶ γὰρ τὰ πυθόκραντα: δυσμαθῆ δ᾽ ὅμως.
(Chorus) Yes, and so are the Pythian oracles; but they are hard to understand nonetheless.
§1256παπαῖ, οἷον τὸ πῦρ: ἐπέρχεται δέ μοι.
(Cassandra) Ah, what a fire! It comes upon me.
§1257ὀτοτοῖ, Λύκει᾽ Ἄπολλον, οἲ ἐγὼ ἐγώ.
Oh, Lycean Apollo, woe is me, woe is me!
§1258αὕτη δίπους λέαινα συγκοιμωμένη §1259λύκῳ, λέοντος εὐγενοῦς ἀπουσίᾳ, §1260κτενεῖ με τὴν τάλαιναν: ὡς δὲ φάρμακον §1261τεύχουσα κἀμοῦ μισθὸν ἐνθήσειν κότῳ
This two-legged lioness, sleeping with a wolf in the absence of the noble lion, will kill me, wretched as I am; and as if mixing a poison she boasts that she will mix my wages too into her wrath.
She whets her sword for her husband, boasting that she will exact a murderous vengeance for my bringing hither.
Why then do I keep these things that mock me— these sceptres and the prophetic wreaths around my neck?
§1266σὲ μὲν πρὸ μοίρας τῆς ἐμῆς διαφθερῶ.
You indeed I will destroy before my own fate.
§1267ἴτ᾽ ἐς φθόρον: πεσόντα θ᾽ ὧδ᾽ ἀμείψομαι.
Go to destruction! Falling thus, I will requite you.
§1268ἄλλην τιν᾽ ἄτης ἀντ᾽ ἐμοῦ πλουτίζετε.
Enrich some other with ruin instead of me.
§1269ἰδοὺ δ᾽ Ἀπόλλων αὐτὸς ἐκδύων ἐμὲ §1270χρηστηρίαν ἐσθῆτ᾽, ἐποπτεύσας δέ με §1271κἀν τοῖσδε κόσμοις καταγελωμένην μέγα §1272φίλων ὑπ᾽ ἐχθρῶν οὐ διχορρόπως, μάτην— §1273καλουμένη δὲ φοιτὰς ὡς ἀγύρτρια §1274πτωχὸς τάλαινα λιμοθνὴς ἠνεσχόμην— §1275καὶ νῦν ὁ μάντις μάντιν ἐκπράξας ἐμὲ §1276ἀπήγαγ᾽ ἐς τοιάσδε θανασίμους τύχας.
Look, Apollo himself is stripping me of my prophetic robe, he who watched me, even in these adornments, being greatly mocked by friendly enemies, without doubt, and in vain— and called a 'madwoman,' like a begging vagrant, a wretched, starving beggar, I endured it— and now the prophet, having undone me, his prophetess, has led me away to such fatal fortunes.
And instead of my ancestral altar, a chopping block awaits me, struck down with a warm, bloody sacrifice.
§1279οὐ μὴν ἄτιμοί γ᾽ ἐκ θεῶν τεθνήξομεν.
Yet we shall not die unavenged by the gods.
§1280ἥξει γὰρ ἡμῶν ἄλλος αὖ τιμάορος, §1281μητροκτόνον φίτυμα, ποινάτωρ πατρός: §1282φυγὰς δ᾽ ἀλήτης τῆσδε γῆς ἀπόξενος §1283κάτεισιν, ἄτας τάσδε θριγκώσων φίλοις: §1284ὀμώμοται γὰρ ὅρκος ἐκ θεῶν μέγας, §1285πράξειν νιν ὑπτίασμα κειμένου πατρός.
For there shall come another avenger of us, a mother-slaying offspring, an avenger of his father; and a wandering exile, estranged from this land, he shall return, to put a coping-stone upon these ruins for his loved ones; for a great oath has been sworn by the gods, that the prostration of his fallen father shall bring him back.
§1286τί δῆτ᾽ ἐγὼ κάτοικτος ὧδ᾽ ἀναστένω;
Why indeed do I wail so piteously?
§1287ἐπεὶ τὸ πρῶτον εἶδον Ἰλίου πόλιν §1288πράξασαν ὡς ἔπραξεν, οἳ δ᾽ εἷλον πόλιν §1289οὕτως ἀπαλλάσσουσιν ἐν θεῶν κρίσει, §1290ἰοῦσα πράξω: τλήσομαι τὸ κατθανεῖν.
Since I first saw the city of Ilium fare as it fared, and those who took the city depart thus in the judgment of the gods, I will go and meet my fate; I will dare to die.
§1291Ἅιδου πύλας δὲ τάσδ᾽ ἐγὼ προσεννέπω: §1292ἐπεύχομαι δὲ καιρίας πληγῆς τυχεῖν, §1293ὡς ἀσφάδαστος, αἱμάτων εὐθνησίμων §1294ἀπορρυέντων, ὄμμα συμβάλω τόδε.
And I address these gates of Hades; and I pray to receive a mortal blow, so that without a spasm, as my life-blood flows away in an easy death, I may close these eyes.
(Chorus) Oh woman, greatly wretched and again greatly wise, you have spoken at length.
But if you truly know your own fate, how is it that, like a god-driven heifer, you tread so courageously toward the altar?
§1299οὐκ ἔστ᾽ ἄλυξις, οὔ, ξένοι, χρόνον πλέω.
(Cassandra) There is no escape, no, strangers, for any longer time.
§1300ὁ δ᾽ ὕστατός γε τοῦ χρόνου πρεσβεύεται.
(Chorus) Yet the last of one's time is held in highest honor.
§1301ἥκει τόδ᾽ ἦμαρ: σμικρὰ κερδανῶ φυγῇ.
(Cassandra) This day has come; I shall gain but little by flight.
§1302ἀλλ᾽ ἴσθι τλήμων οὖσ᾽ ἀπ᾽ εὐτόλμου φρενός.
(Chorus) But know that you are enduring with a courageous mind.
§1303οὐδεὶς ἀκούει ταῦτα τῶν εὐδαιμόνων.
(Cassandra) No one of the happy ever hears such words.