§279βροτοῖς πιφαύσκων εἶπε, τὰς δ᾽ αἰνῶν νόσους, §280σαρκῶν ἐπαμβατῆρας ἀγρίαις γνάθοις §281λειχῆνας ἐξέσθοντας ἀρχαίαν φύσιν: §282λευκὰς δὲ κόρσας τῇδ᾽ ἐπαντέλλειν νόσῳ:
He spoke, revealing these things to mortals, and detailing the diseases that assault the flesh with savage jaws, lichens devouring the original nature; and he said that white hair rises up with this disease.
§283ἄλλας τ᾽ ἐφώνει προσβολάς Ἐρινύων §284ἐκ τῶν πατρῴων αἱμάτων τελουμένας: §285τὸ γὰρ σκοτεινὸν τῶν ἐνερτέρων βέλος §286ἐκ προστροπαίων ἐν γένει πεπτωκότων, §287καὶ λύσσα καὶ μάταιος ἐκ νυκτῶν φόβος §288ὁρῶντα λαμπρὸν ἐν σκότῳ νωμῶντ᾽ ὀφρὺν §289κινεῖ, ταράσσει, καὶ διώκεσθαι πόλεως §290χαλκηλάτῳ πλάστιγγι λυμανθὲν δέμας.
And he spoke of other assaults of the Furies brought to fulfillment by the blood of a father; for the dark weapon of the underworld, arising from the suppliants who have fallen in the family, both madness and groundless fear in the night, moves and troubles the one who sees clearly in the darkness, moving his brow, and drives him from the city, his body ruined by the bronze-forged whip.
§291καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις οὔτε κρατῆρος μέρος §292εἶναι μετασχεῖν, οὐ φιλοσπόνδου λιβός, §293βωμῶν τ᾽ ἀπείργειν οὐχ ὁρωμένην πατρὸς §294μῆνιν: δέχεσθαι <δ᾽> οὔτε συλλύειν τινά.
And for such as these, there is no share in the mixing-bowl, nor of the libation that loves the drink-offering, and the unseen wrath of the father bars them from the altars; nor can anyone receive them or lodge with them.
And dishonored by all and friendless, he dies in time, miserably shriveled by an all-destructive fate.
§297τοιοῖσδε χρησμοῖς ἆρα χρὴ πεποιθέναι;
Must one, then, put trust in such oracles?
§298κεἰ μὴ πέποιθα, τοὔργον ἔστ᾽ ἐργαστέον.
Even if I do not trust them, the deed must be done.
§299πολλοὶ γὰρ εἰς ἓν συμπίτνουσιν ἵμεροι, §300θεοῦ τ᾽ ἐφετμαὶ καὶ πατρὸς πένθος μέγα, §301καὶ πρὸς πιέζει χρημάτων ἀχηνία, §302τὸ μὴ πολίτας εὐκλεεστάτους βροτῶν, §303Τροίας ἀναστατῆρας εὐδόξῳ φρενί, §304δυοῖν γυναικοῖν ὧδ᾽ ὑπηκόους πέλειν.
For many desires coincide into one: the commands of the god, and my great grief for my father, and besides, the lack of property presses me, that the most illustrious citizens of mortals, who destroyed Troy with a glorious mind, should thus be subject to two women.
§305θήλεια γὰρ φρήν: εἰ δὲ μή, τάχ᾽ εἴσεται.
For his mind is female; and if not, he will soon know.
Chorus: But, O great Fates, from Zeus bring this to an end in the way where justice sides.
§309ἀντὶ μὲν ἐχθρᾶς γλώσσης ἐχθρὰ §310γλῶσσα τελείσθω: τοὐφειλόμενον §311πράσσουσα Δίκη μέγ᾽ ἀυτεῖ: §312ἀντὶ δὲ πληγῆς φονίας φονίαν §313πληγὴν τινέτω.
In return for a hostile tongue, let a hostile tongue be paid back; crying out for what is due, Justice demands aloud: in return for a murderous blow, let him pay with a murderous blow.
δράσαντι παθεῖν, §314τριγέρων μῦθος τάδε φωνεῖ.
'To the doer, let it be done,' so says a thrice-ancient proverb.
§315ὦ πάτερ αἰνόπατες, τί σοι §316φάμενος ἢ τί ῥέξας §317τύχοιμ᾽ ἂν ἕκαθεν οὐρίσας, §318ἔνθα σ᾽ ἔχουσιν εὐναί;
Orestes: O father, terrible father, what can I say or what can I do for you to succeed in sending from afar a favorable wind where your resting place holds you?
Yet, in like manner, a glorious lament is called a favor for the Atreidae who went before the house.
§323τέκνον, φρόνημα τοῦ §324θανόντος οὐ δαμάζει §325πυρὸς [ἡ] μαλερὰ γνάθος, §326φαίνει δ᾽ ὕστερον ὀργάς: §327ὀτοτύζεται δ᾽ ὁ θνῄσκων, §328ἀναφαίνεται δ᾽ ὁ βλάπτων.
Chorus: Child, the consciousness of the dead is not subdued by the fierce jaw of fire, but he shows his wrath later; the dying man is lamented, and the injurer is brought to light.
A just lament for fathers and parents seeks full retribution when thoroughly stirred up.
Electra: Hear now, O father, in turn our tearful sorrows.
A lament from your two children at your tomb groans for you.
The tomb has received suppliants and exiles alike.
§338τί τῶνδ᾽ εὖ, τί δ᾽ ἄτερ κακῶν;
What of these is well, and what is free from evils?
§339οὐκ ἀτρίακτος ἄτα;
Is not our ruin unconquerable?
§340ἀλλ᾽ ἔτ᾽ ἂν ἐκ τῶνδε θεὸς χρῄζων §341θείη κελάδους εὐφθογγοτέρους: §342ἀντὶ δὲ θρήνων ἐπιτυμβιδίων §343παιὰν μελάθροις ἐν βασιλείοις §344νεοκρᾶτα φίλον κομίσειεν.
Chorus: Yet still from these, if a god wills, he may make voices of happier sound; and instead of laments at the tomb, a song of welcome in the royal palace may bring back the newly-mixed friend.
§345εἰ γὰρ ὑπ᾽ Ἰλίῳ §346πρός τινος Λυκίων, πάτερ, §347δορίτμητος κατηναρίσθης, §348λιπὼν ἂν εὔκλειαν ἐν δόμοισι §349τέκνων τ᾽ ἐν κελεύθοις §350ἐπιστρεπτὸν αἰῶ §351κτίσας πολύχωστον ἂν εἶχες §352τάφον διαποντίου γᾶς §353δώμασιν εὐφόρητον.
Orestes: If only under Ilium, by some of the Lycians, father, you had been slain, cut down by the spear, leaving glory in your halls and making for your children's paths a life that wins respect, you would have held a great, piled-up tomb in a land across the sea, easy for your house to bear.
§354φίλος φίλοισι τοῖς §355ἐκεῖ καλῶς θανοῦσιν §356κατὰ χθονὸς ἐμπρέπων §357σεμνότιμος ἀνάκτωρ, §358πρόπολός τε τῶν μεγίστων §359χθονίων ἐκεῖ τυράννων: §360βασιλεὺς γὰρ ἦν, ὄφρ᾽ ἔζης, §361μόριμον λάχος πιπλάντων §362χειροῖν πεισιβρότοῳ τε βάκτρῳ.
Chorus: Dear to the dear ones who died gloriously there, distinguished beneath the earth, a majestic ruler, and a servant of the greatest rulers of the underworld there; for you were a king, while you lived, of those who fulfill their allotted portion with their hands and the sceptre that sways mortals.
§363μηδ᾽ ὑπὸ Τρωίας §364τείχεσι φθίμενος, πάτερ, §365μετ᾽ ἄλλῳ δουρικμῆτι λαῷ §366παρὰ Σκαμάνδρου πόρον τεθάφθαι.
Electra: But not under the walls of Troy, father, falling with the rest of the spear-slain host, should you have been buried by the stream of Scamander.
§367πάρος δ᾽ οἱ κτανόντες §368νιν οὕτως δαμῆναι §369<φίλοις>, θανατηφόρον αἶσαν §370πρόσω τινὰ πυνθάνεσθαι §371τῶνδε πόνων ἄπειρον.
Rather, would that those who slew him had been subdued thus, and that we had heard from afar of their deadly fate, knowing nothing of these troubles.
§372ταῦτα μέν, ὦ παῖ, κρείσσονα χρυσοῦ, §373μεγάλης δὲ τύχης καὶ ὑπερβορέου §374μείζονα φωνεῖς: δύνασαι γάρ.
Chorus: These things, my child, are better than gold, and greater than great fortune and the Hyperborean bliss you speak of; for you are able to wish so.
§375ἀλλὰ διπλῆς γὰρ τῆσδε μαράγνης §376δοῦπος ἱκνεῖται: τῶν μὲν ἀρωγοὶ §377κατὰ γῆς ἤδη, τῶν δὲ κρατούντων §378χέρες οὐχ ὅσιαι στυγερῶν τούτων,
But indeed, the sound of this double whip arrives: helpers for the one side are already beneath the earth, but the hands of the rulers, these hateful ones, are unholy.
§379†πᾶσι δὲ μᾶλλον γεγένηται.
The matter has become more painful for all.
Orestes: This went straight through my ear like an arrow.
§382Ζεῦ Ζεῦ, κάτωθεν ἀμπέμπων §383ὑστερόποινον ἄταν §384βροτῶν τλάμονι καὶ πανούργῳ §385χειρί, τοκεῦσι δ᾽ ὅμως τελεῖται.
Zeus, Zeus, sending up from below late-punishing ruin upon the reckless and wicked hand of mortals, yet it is fulfilled for the parents as well.
§386ἐφυμνῆσαι γένοιτό μοι πυκά- §387εντ᾽ ὀλολυγμὸν ἀνδρὸς §388θεινομένου, γυναικός τ᾽ §389ὀλλυμένας: τί γὰρ κεύθω φρενὸς οἷον ἔμπας §390ποτᾶται;
Chorus: May it be mine to raise a loud shout of joy over the man when he is struck, and the woman as she perishes; for why should I hide what nevertheless flutters before my mind?
And before my prow blows a sharp anger and a hateful grudge of the heart.
Electra: And when would Zeus, who makes both sides flourish, lay his hand, alas, alas, splitting their heads?
§397πιστὰ γένοιτο χώρᾳ.
Let trust return to the land.
§398δίκαν δ᾽ ἐξ ἀδίκων ἀπαιτῶ.
I demand justice from the unjust.