§399κλῦτε δὲ Γᾶ χθονίων τε τιμαί. §400ἀλλὰ νόμος μὲν φονίας σταγόνας §401χυμένας ἐς πέδον ἄλλο προσαιτεῖν §402αἷμα.
Hear, O Earth, and the honors of the underworld. But it is the law that drops of blood poured upon the ground demand other blood.
βοᾷ γὰρ λοιγὸς Ἐρινὺν §403παρὰ τῶν πρότερον φθιμένων ἄτην §404ἑτέραν ἐπάγουσαν ἐπ᾽ ἄτῃ. §405πόποι δᾶ νερτέρων τυραννίδες <τ᾽>, §406ἴδετε πολυκρατεῖς Ἀραὶ τεθυμένων, §407ἴδεσθ᾽ Ἀτρειδᾶν τὰ λοίπ᾽ ἀμηχάνως §408ἔχοντα καὶ δωμάτων §409ἄτιμα.
For havoc cries out for a Fury from those slain before, bringing another ruin upon ruin. Ah, O Earth, and sovereignties of the underworld, behold, powerful Curses of the slain, behold the remnants of the Atreidae in their helpless state, and shut out from their home in dishonor.
πᾷ τις τράποιτ᾽ ἄν, ὦ Ζεῦ; §410πέπαλται δ᾽ αὖτέ μοι φίλον κέαρ §411τόνδε κλύουσαν οἶκτον. §412καὶ τότε μὲν δύσελπις, §413σπλάγχνα δέ μοι κελαινοῦ- §414ται πρὸς ἔπος κλυούσᾳ. §415ὅταν δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀλκῆς ἐπάρῃ <μ᾽ §416ἐλπίς,> ἀπέστασεν ἄχος §417προσφανεῖσά μοι καλῶς.
Where could anyone turn, O Zeus? My heart leaps again as I hear this lament. And at that time indeed I was hopeless, and my heart is darkened at the word as I hear it. But when again hope raises me up to strength, it drives away grief, appearing beautifully to me. What should we say to hit the mark?
§418τί δ᾽ ἂν φάντες τύχοιμεν; ἢ τάπερ §419πάθομεν ἄχεα πρός γε τῶν τεκομένων; §420πάρεστι σαίνειν, τὰ δ᾽ οὔτι θέλγεται. §421λύκος γὰρ ὥστ᾽ ὠμόφρων §422ἄσαντος ἐκ ματρός ἐστι θυμός. §423ἔκοψα κομμὸν Ἄριον ἔν τε Κισσίας §424νόμοις ἰηλεμιστρίας, §425ἀπριγδόπληκτα πολυπλάνητα δ᾽ ἦν ἰδεῖν §426ἐπασσυτεροτριβῆ τὰ χερὸς ὀρέγματα §427ἄνωθεν ἀνέκαθεν, κτύπῳ δ᾽ ἐπερρόθει §428κροτητὸν ἀμὸν καὶ πανάθλιον κάρα. §429ἰὼ δαΐα §430πάντολμε μᾶτερ, δαΐαις ἐν ἐκφοραῖς §431ἄνευ πολιτᾶν ἄνακτ᾽, §432ἄνευ δὲ πενθημάτων §433ἔτλας ἀνοίμωκτον ἄνδρα θάψαι. §434ταφὰς ἀτίμους ἔλεξας, οἴμοι. §435πατρὸς δ᾽ ἀτίμωσιν ἆρα τείσει §436ἕκατι μὲν δαιμόνων, §437ἕκατι δ᾽ ἀμᾶν χερῶν. §438ἔπειτ᾽ ἐγὼ νοσφίσας ὀλοίμαν. §439ἐμασχαλίσθη δέ γ᾽, ὡς τόδ᾽ εἰδῇς, §440ἔπρασσε δ᾽ ᾇπέρ νιν ὧδε θάπτει, §441μόρον κτίσαι μωμένα §442ἄφερτον αἰῶνι σῷ. §443κλύεις πατρῴους δύας ἀτίμους. §445λέγεις πατρῷον μόρον: ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἀπεστάτουν §446ἄτιμος, οὐδὲν ἀξία. §447μυχῷ δ᾽ ἄφερκτος πολυσινοῦς κυνὸς δίκαν §448ἑτοιμότερα γέλωτος ἀνέφερον λίβη, §449χέουσα πολύδακρυν γόον κεκρυμμένα. §450τοιαῦτ᾽ ἀκούων ἐν φρεσὶν γράφου, <πάτερ. > §451δι᾽ ὤτων δὲ συν- §452τέτραινε μῦθον ἡσύχῳ φρενῶν βάσει. §453τὰ μὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἔχει, §454τὰ δ᾽ αὐτὸς ὄργα μαθεῖν. §455πρέπει δ᾽ ἀκάμπτῳ μένει καθήκειν. §456σὲ τοι λέγω, ξυγγενοῦ, πάτερ, φίλοις. §457ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἐπιφθέγγομαι κεκλαυμένα. §458στάσις δὲ πάγκοινος ἅδ᾽ ἐπιρροθεῖ: §459ἄκουσον ἐς φάος μολών, §460ξὺν δὲ γενοῦ πρὸς ἐχθρούς. §461Ἄρης Ἄρει ξυμβαλεῖ, Δίκᾳ Δίκα. §462ἰὼ θεοί, κραίνετ᾽ ἐνδίκως <δίκας>. §463τρόμος μ᾽ ὑφέρπει κλύουσαν εὐγμάτων. §464τὸ μόρσιμον μένει πάλαι, §465εὐχομένοις δ᾽ ἂν ἔλθοι. §466ὦ πόνος ἐγγενὴς §467καὶ παράμουσος Ἄτας §468αἱματόεσσα πλαγά. §469ἰὼ δύστον᾽ ἄφερτα κήδη: §470ἰὼ δυσκατάπαυστον ἄλγος. §471δώμασιν ἔμμοτον §472τῶνδ᾽ ἄκος, οὐδ᾽ ἀπ᾽ ἄλλων §473ἔκτοθεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν, §474διώκειν ἔριν αἱματηράν. §475θεῶν <τῶν> κατὰ γᾶς ὅδ᾽ ὕμνος. §476ἀλλὰ κλύοντες, μάκαρες χθόνιοι, §477τῆσδε κατευχῆς πέμπετ᾽ ἀρωγὴν §478παισὶν προφρόνως ἐπὶ νίκῃ. §479πάτερ, τρόποισιν οὐ τυραννικοῖς θανών, §480αἰτουμένῳ μοι δὸς κράτος τῶν σῶν δόμων. §481κἀγώ, πάτερ, τοιάνδε σου χρείαν ἔχω, §482φυγεῖν μέγαν προσθεῖσαν Αἰγίσθῳ <φθόρον>. §483οὕτω γὰρ ἄν σοι δαῖτες ἔννομοι βροτῶν §484κτιζοίατ᾽: εἰ δὲ μή, παρ᾽ εὐδείπνοις ἔσει §485ἄτιμος ἐμπύροισι κνισωτοῖς χθονός. §486κἀγὼ χοάς σοι τῆς ἐμῆς παγκληρίας §487οἴσω πατρῴων ἐκ δόμων γαμηλίους: §488πάντων δὲ πρῶτον τόνδε πρεσβεύσω τάφον. §489ὦ Γαῖ᾽, ἄνες μοι πατέρ᾽ ἐποπτεῦσαι μάχην. §490ὦ Περσέφασσα, δὸς δέ γ᾽ εὔμορφον κράτος. §491μέμνησο λουτρῶν οἷς ἐνοσφίσθης, πάτερ. §492μέμνησο δ᾽ ἀμφίβληστρον ὡς ἐκαίνισας— §493πέδαις δ᾽ ἀχαλκεύτοις θηρευθείς, πάτερ,— §494αἰσχρῶς τε βουλευτοῖσιν ἐν καλύμμασιν. §495ἆρ᾽ ἐξεγείρει τοῖσδ᾽ ὀνείδεσιν, πάτερ; §496ἆρ᾽ ὀρθὸν αἴρεις φίλτατον τὸ σὸν κάρα; §497ἤτοι δίκην ἴαλλε σύμμαχον φίλοις, §498ἢ τὰς ὁμοίας ἀντίδος λαβὰς λαβεῖν, §499εἴπερ κρατηθείς γ᾽ ἀντινικῆσαι θέλεις. §500καὶ τῆσδ᾽ ἄκουσον λοισθίου βοῆς, πάτερ, §501ἰδὼν νεοσσοὺς τούσδ᾽ ἐφημένους τάφῳ: §502οἴκτιρε θῆλυν ἄρσενός θ᾽ ὁμοῦ γόνον, §503καὶ μὴ ᾽ξαλείψῃς σπέρμα Πελοπιδῶν τόδε.
Or rather the griefs we suffered from those who gave us birth? It is possible to fawn on them, but they are not at all appeased. For like a savage-minded wolf, the temper we inherited from our mother is unappeasable. I beat an Aryan lament, and in the strains of a Kissian wailing-woman, you could see the hands stretching out, striking tightly, wandering far and wide, blow upon blow descending from above, from high above; and with the sound, my beaten and utterly wretched head rang in response. O cruel, all-daring mother, in a cruel burial, without citizens, a king, without laments, you dared to bury your husband unmourned. You speak of a dishonor's burial, alas. But she shall pay for the dishonoring of my father, by the will of the gods, and by my own hands. Then let me perish after having taken her life. His body was mutilated, you must know this. And she acted so as to bury him thus, striving to make his death an unbearable burden for your life. You hear of your father's dishonorable sufferings. You speak of my father's death; but I was kept away, dishonored, worth nothing. Shut out in the inner chamber like a harmful dog, I brought forth tears more easily than laughter, pouring out a tearful lament in secret. Hearing such things, write them in your mind, father. And through your ears pierce this word with a quiet movement of your mind. For these things are so, and you must learn the rest of the anger yourself. It is fitting to enter the contest with unbending resolve. To you indeed I speak, join your loved ones, father. And I add my voice, weeping. And this whole throng cries out in unison: come to the light, hear us, and stand with us against the enemies. War will clash with war, justice with justice. O gods, fulfill the judgments with justice. Trembling creeps over me as I hear these prayers. What is fated has long been waiting, and it will come to those who pray. O trouble inborn in the race, and discordant blow of blood-stained Ruin. O lamentable, unbearable sorrows; O pain hard to quiet. The healing for these is fit for the house, not from others from without, but from themselves, by pursuing the bloody strife. This is the hymn to the gods below the earth. But hearing this, blessed powers of the underworld, send help to this prayer to the children, readily, for victory. Father, who died in a way not befitting a king, grant to me, who entreats you, the mastery over your house. And I too, father, have such a need of you, to escape after bringing great destruction upon Aegisthus. For so the customary banquets of mortals would be established for you; but otherwise, you will be without honor among the rich sacrificial feasts of the earth's savory offerings. And I too will bring to you nuptial libations from my inheritance, from my father's house; and first of all I will honor this tomb. O Earth, send up my father to watch over the battle. O Persephone, grant us glorious victory. Remember the baths in which you were slain, father. And remember how you were trapped in the net— caught in fetters not of bronze, father,— and in shamefully plotted coverings. Are you aroused by these reproaches, father? Do you lift up your beloved head? Either send justice as an ally to your friends, or grant them to take the same grip in turn, if indeed, having been conquered, you wish to conquer in turn. And hear this last cry, father, seeing these nestlings perched upon your tomb; pity both the female and the male offspring, and do not wipe out this seed of the Pelopidae.