§700ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ξένοισιν ὧδ᾽ εὐδαίμοσιν §701κεδνῶν ἕκατι πραγμάτων ἂν ἤθελον §702γνωστὸς γενέσθαι καὶ ξενωθῆναι: τί γὰρ §703ξένου ξένοισίν ἐστιν εὐμενέστερον;
Orestes: I would have wished, indeed, to have been known and welcomed by guests so fortunate for the sake of good news; for what is more friendly than a guest to guests?
§704πρὸς δυσσεβείας <δ᾽> ἦν ἐμοὶ τόδ᾽ ἐν φρεσίν, §705τοιόνδε πρᾶγμα μὴ καρανῶσαι φίλοις, §706καταινέσαντα καὶ κατεξενωμένον.
But it seemed to me a matter of impiety in my heart not to complete such a business for friends, having promised and having been hospitably received.
Clytemnestra: You shall certainly not receive less than your worth, nor would you be any less a friend to this house.
§709ἄλλος δ᾽ ὁμοίως ἦλθεν ἂν τάδ᾽ ἀγγελῶν.
Another would have come in the same way to bring these tidings.
But it is the proper time for guests who have spent the day on a long journey to obtain what is fitting.
§712ἄγ᾽ αὐτὸν εἰς ἀνδρῶνας εὐξένους δόμων, §713ὀπισθόπους τε τόνδε καὶ ξυνέμπορον: §714κἀκεῖ κυρούντων δώμασιν τὰ πρόσφορα.
Lead him to the hospitable men's quarters of the house, both this servant who follows him and his fellow traveler; and let them obtain there what is fitting for the house.
§715αἰνῶ δὲ πράσσειν ὡς ὑπευθύνῳ τάδε.
And I command you to do this as one held accountable.
§716ἡμεῖς δὲ ταῦτα τοῖς κρατοῦσι δωμάτων §717κοινώσομέν τε κοὐ σπανίζοντες φίλων §718βουλευσόμεσθα τῆσδε συμφορᾶς πέρι.
And we shall communicate these matters to the rulers of the house, and, not lacking friends, we shall take counsel concerning this calamity.
Chorus: Well, friendly handmaids of the house, when indeed shall we show the strength of our mouths on behalf of Orestes?
§722ὦ πότνια χθὼν καὶ πότνι᾽ ἀκτὴ §723χώματος, ἣ νῦν ἐπὶ ναυάρχῳ §724σώματι κεῖσαι τῷ βασιλείῳ, §725νῦν ἐπάκουσον, νῦν ἐπάρηξον:
O revered earth, and revered shore of the mound, which now upon the royal body of the commander lies, now hear, now help!
§726νῦν γὰρ ἀκμάζει Πειθὼ δολίαν §727ξυγκαταβῆναι, χθόνιον δ᾽ Ἑρμῆν §728[καὶ τὸν νύχιον] τοῖσδ᾽ ἐφοδεῦσαι §729ξιφοδηλήτοισιν ἀγῶσιν.
For now is the peak of time for guileful Persuasion to go down with him, and for chthonic Hermes to guide them in these sword-slaying contests.
The stranger man seems to be working some mischief; for I see Orestes' nurse here in tears.
§732ποῖ δὴ πατεῖς, Κίλισσα, δωμάτων πύλας;
Where indeed, Kilissa, do you tread the gates of the house?
§733λύπη δ᾽ ἄμισθός ἐστί σοι ξυνέμπορος;
And does unpaid grief go as your fellow traveler?
§734Αἴγισθον ἡ κρατοῦσα τοῖς ξένοις καλεῖν §735ὅπως τάχιστ᾽ ἄνωγεν, ὡς σαφέστερον §736ἀνὴρ ἀπ᾽ ἀνδρὸς τὴν νεάγγελτον φάτιν §737ἐλθὼν πύθηται τήνδε, πρὸς μὲν οἰκέτας
Nurse: The mistress has ordered to call Aegisthus for the strangers as quickly as possible, so that more clearly a man from a man may learn this newly reported news, by coming himself.
§738†θέτο σκυθρωπῶν ἐντὸς ὀμμάτων γέλων §739κεύθουσ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἔργοις διαπεπραγμένοις καλῶς §740κείνῃ, δόμοις δὲ τοῖσδε παγκάκως ἔχειν, §741φήμης ὕφ᾽ ἧς ἤγγειλαν οἱ ξένοι τορῶς.
To the servants indeed, she hid a laugh within her gloomy eyes over things successfully accomplished for her, but for this house it is in an altogether evil state by the rumor which the strangers clearly announced.
Surely he, on hearing it, will rejoice in his mind, when he learns the story.
ὦ τάλαιν᾽ ἐγώ:
O wretched me!
§744ὥς μοι τὰ μὲν παλαιὰ συγκεκραμένα §745ἄλγη δύσοιστα τοῖσδ᾽ ἐν Ἀτρέως δόμοις §746τυχόντ᾽ ἐμὴν ἤλγυνεν ἐν στέρνοις φρένα.
How the old mixed troubles, hard to bear in these halls of Atreus, grieved my heart within my breast.
§747ἀλλ᾽ οὔτι πω τοιόνδε πῆμ᾽ ἠνεσχόμην.
But never yet have I endured such a calamity.
§748τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλα τλημόνως ἤντλουν κακά: §749φίλον δ᾽ Ὀρέστην, τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς τριβήν, §750ὃν ἐξέθρεψα μητρόθεν δεδεγμένη,— §751κἀκ νυκτιπλάγκτων ὀρθίων κελευμάτων §752καὶ πολλὰ καὶ μοχθήρ᾽ ἀνωφέλητ᾽ ἐμοὶ
For other evils indeed I drained with patience; but beloved Orestes, the wearing-out of my soul, whom I reared, receiving him from his mother,— and from loud nocturnal cries that kept me wandering I endured many troublesome and useless labors for myself.
For that which has no understanding must, like a beast, be reared, how indeed not? according to its disposition.
§755οὐ γάρ τι φωνεῖ παῖς ἔτ᾽ ὢν ἐν σπαργάνοις, §756εἰ λιμός, ἢ δίψη τις, ἢ λιψουρία §757ἔχει: νέα δὲ νηδὺς αὐτάρκης τέκνων.
For a child still in swaddling clothes does not speak at all, if hunger, or thirst, or a need to make water holds him; and the young stomach of children is self-sufficient.
§758τούτων πρόμαντις οὖσα, πολλὰ δ᾽, οἴομαι, §759ψευσθεῖσα παιδὸς σπαργάνων φαιδρύντρια, §760γναφεὺς τροφεύς τε ταὐτὸν εἰχέτην τέλος.
Being a foreseer of these things, and often, I think, deceived, as the cleanser of the child's swaddling clothes, washerwoman and nurse held the same office.
§761ἐγὼ διπλᾶς δὲ τάσδε χειρωναξίας §762ἔχουσ᾽ Ὀρέστην ἐξεδεξάμην πατρί: §763τεθνηκότος δὲ νῦν τάλαινα πεύθομαι.
I, having these double manual tasks, received Orestes for his father; and now, wretched me, I hear of his death.
And I go to the man who is the defiler of this house, and he will gladly hear this report.
§766πῶς οὖν κελεύει νιν μολεῖν ἐσταλμένον;
Chorus: How then does she order him to come equipped?
§767ἦ πῶς;
Nurse: How?
λέγ᾽ αὖθις, ὡς μάθω σαφέστερον.
Speak again, so that I may learn more clearly.
§768εἰ ξὺν λοχίταις εἴτε καὶ μονοστιβῆ.
Chorus: Whether with guards or indeed alone.
§769ἄγειν κελεύει δορυφόρους ὀπάονας.
Nurse: She orders him to bring spear-bearing guards.
§770μή νυν σὺ ταῦτ᾽ ἄγγελλε δεσπότου στύγει: §771ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν, ὡς ἀδειμάντως κλύῃ, §772ἄνωχθ᾽ ὅσον τάχιστα γηθούσῃ φρενί.
Chorus: Do not then announce this to our hated master; but order him to come alone, so that he may hear without fear, as quickly as possible with a rejoicing mind.
§773ἐν ἀγγέλῳ γὰρ κυπτὸς ὀρθοῦται λόγος.
For in the hands of a messenger a crooked message is set straight.
§774ἀλλ᾽ ἦ φρονεῖς εὖ τοῖσι νῦν ἠγγελμένοις;
Nurse: But are you indeed of good hope at the present news?
§775ἀλλ᾽ εἰ τροπαίαν Ζεὺς κακῶν θήσει ποτέ.
Chorus: But what if Zeus will someday bring a turn of evils?
§776καὶ πῶς;
Nurse: And how?
Ὀρέστης ἐλπὶς οἴχεται δόμων.
Orestes, the hope of the house, is gone.
§777οὔπω: κακός γε μάντις ἂν γνοίη τάδε.
Chorus: Not yet; even a poor prophet might know this.
§778τί φής;
Nurse: What do you say?
ἔχεις τι τῶν λελεγμένων δίχα;
Do you have something apart from what has been said?
§779ἄγγελλ᾽ ἰοῦσα, πρᾶσσε τἀπεσταλμένα.
Chorus: Go, deliver the message, do what has been ordered.
§780μέλει θεοῖσιν ὧνπερ ἂν μέλῃ πέρι.
The gods care for what they care for.
§781ἀλλ᾽ εἶμι καὶ σοῖς ταῦτα πείσομαι λόγοις.
Nurse: Well, I will go and obey your words.
§782γένοιτο δ᾽ ὡς ἄριστα σὺν θεῶν δόσει.
And may it turn out for the best, with the gift of the gods.