§180χωρεῖτ᾽, ἀπαλλάσσεσθε μαντικῶν μυχῶν, §181μὴ καὶ λαβοῦσα πτηνὸν ἀργηστὴν ὄφιν, §182χρυσηλάτου θώμιγγος ἐξορμώμενον, §183ἀνῇς ὑπ᾽ ἄλγους μέλαν᾽ ἀπ᾽ ἀνθρώπων ἀφρόν, §184ἐμοῦσα θρόμβους οὓς ἀφείλκυσας φόνου.
"Go, depart from the prophetic inner sanctuary, lest you also receive a winged glistening snake, speeding from a gold-wrought bowstring, and in pain vomit up the black froth drawn from men, vomiting the clots of blood you have sucked.
§185οὔτοι δόμοισι τοῖσδε χρίμπτεσθαι πρέπει: §186ἀλλ᾽ οὗ καρανιστῆρες ὀφθαλμωρύχοι §187δίκαι σφαγαί τε σπέρματός τ᾽ ἀποφθοραὶ §188παίδων †κακοῦται χλοῦνις, ἠδ᾽ ἀκρωνία, §189λευσμός τε, καὶ μύζουσιν οἰκτισμὸν πολὺν §190ὑπὸ ῥάχιν παγέντες.
Indeed, it is not fitting for you to approach these halls; but rather go where there are beheadings, gouging out of eyes, executions, and destruction of the seed of youth, castration of boys, and mutilation, and stoning, and where men impaled under the spine moan with long lamentation.
Do you hear what kind of feast makes you loathsome to the gods, possessing such loves?
πᾶς δ᾽ ὑφηγεῖται τρόπος §193μορφῆς.
Your whole shape guides us to this.
λέοντος ἄντρον αἱματορρόφου §194οἰκεῖν τοιαύτας εἰκός, οὐ χρηστηρίοις §195ἐν τοῖσδε Πυθίοισι τρίβεσθαι μύσος.
It is fitting for such as you to dwell in the cave of a blood-lapping lion, not to rub off your pollution in these prophetic Pythian sanctuaries.
§196χωρεῖτ᾽ ἄνευ βοτῆρος αἰπολούμεναι.
Go, wander without a shepherd, you goat-herd without a keeper.
For of such a flock, no god is a friend." "Lord Apollo, hear us in turn.
You yourself are not a mere accomplice in this, but you did the whole deed, being solely responsible." "How so?
τοσοῦτο μῆκος ἔκτεινον λόγου. §202ἔχρησας ὥστε τὸν ξένον μητροκτονεῖν. §203ἔχρησα ποινὰς τοῦ πατρὸς πρᾶξαι.
Extend your speech to this length." "You gave the oracle that the stranger should kill his mother." "I gave the oracle to exact vengeance for his father.
τί μήν; §204κἄπειθ᾽ ὑπέστης αἵματος δέκτωρ νέου. §205καὶ προστραπέσθαι τούσδ᾽ ἐπέστελλον δόμους. §206καὶ τὰς προπομποὺς δῆτα τάσδε λοιδορεῖς; §207οὐ γὰρ δόμοισι τοῖσδε πρόσφορον μολεῖν. §208ἀλλ᾽ ἔστιν ἡμῖν τοῦτο προστεταγμένον.
Why not?" "And then you undertook to be the receiver of the new blood." "And I commanded him to turn to this temple as a suppliant." "And then do you abuse us, who are his escorts?" "For it is not fitting for you to come to this temple." "But this has been commanded to us." "What honor is this?
Boast of your noble privilege." "We drive matricides away from homes." "What then?
§211τί γάρ; γυναικὸς ἥτις ἄνδρα νοσφίσῃ; §212οὐκ ἂν γένοιθ᾽ ὅμαιμος αὐθέντης φόνος. §213ἦ κάρτ᾽ ἄτιμα, καὶ παρ᾽ οὐδὲν εἰργάσω §214Ἥρας τελείας καὶ Διὸς πιστώματα.
What of a woman who slays her husband?" "That would not be the murder of kindred blood." "Indeed, you make of no account and bring to nothing the pledges of Hera the Fulfiller and of Zeus.
And Cypris is cast aside with dishonor by this argument, from whom the dearest things come to mortals.
For the marriage bed, fated for man and woman, is greater than an oath, guarded as it is by Justice.
§219εἰ τοῖσιν οὖν κτείνουσιν ἀλλήλους χαλᾷς §220τὸ μὴ τίνεσθαι μηδ᾽ ἐποπτεύειν κότῳ, §221οὔ φημ᾽ Ὀρέστην σ᾽ ἐνδίκως ἀνδρηλατεῖν.
If, then, you are lenient to those who kill each other, so as not to punish them nor watch them with wrath, I say you do not pursue Orestes with justice.
For I know you are deeply resentful of the one, but clearly acting more mildly towards the other.
§224δίκας δὲ Παλλὰς τῶνδ᾽ ἐποπτεύσει θεά. §225τὸν ἄνδρ᾽ ἐκεῖνον οὔ τι μὴ λίπω ποτέ. §226σὺ δ᾽ οὖν δίωκε καὶ πόνον πλέω τίθου. §227τιμὰς σὺ μὴ ξύντεμνε τὰς ἐμὰς λόγῳ. §228οὐδ᾽ ἂν δεχοίμην ὥστ᾽ ἔχειν τιμὰς σέθεν. §229μέγας γὰρ ἔμπας πὰρ Διὸς θρόνοις λέγει: §230ἐγὼ δ᾽, ἄγει γὰρ αἷμα μητρῷον, δίκας §231μέτειμι τόνδε φῶτα κἀκκυνηγετῶ. §232ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἀρήξω τὸν ἱκέτην τε ῥύσομαι: §233δεινὴ γὰρ ἐν βροτοῖσι κἀν θεοῖς πέλει §234τοῦ προστροπαίου μῆνις, εἰ προδῶ σφ᾽ ἑκών. §235ἄνασσ᾽ Ἀθάνα, Λοξίου κελεύσμασιν §236ἥκω, δέχου δὲ πρευμενῶς ἀλάστορα, §237οὐ προστρόπαιον οὐδ᾽ ἀφοίβαντον χέρα, §238ἀλλ᾽ ἀμβλὺν ἤδη προστετριμμένον τε πρὸς §239ἄλλοισιν οἴκοις καὶ πορεύμασιν βροτῶν.
But the goddess Pallas shall oversee the justice of these matters." "That man I will never, ever abandon." "Pursue him then, and make more trouble for yourself." "Do not curtail my honors by your words." "I would not even accept to have your honors." "For you are said to be great anyway beside Zeus's throne; but I, since a mother's blood leads me on, will pursue this man and hunt him down." "But I will aid my suppliant and rescue him; for terrible among mortals and gods is the wrath of a suppliant, if I should willingly betray him." "Queen Athena, by the commands of Loxias I have come; receive kindly a wanderer, not one needing purification, nor with unwashed hand, but already blunted and worn away at other homes and paths of mortals.
§240ὅμοια χέρσον καὶ θάλασσαν ἐκπερῶν, §241σῴζων ἐφετμὰς Λοξίου χρηστηρίους, §242πρόσειμι δῶμα καὶ βρέτας τὸ σόν, θεά.
Crossing land and sea alike, keeping the prophetic commands of Loxias, I approach your temple and your image, goddess.
§243αὐτοῦ φυλάσσων ἀμμενῶ τέλος δίκης.
Guarding it here, I will await the outcome of justice." "Aha!
§244εἶεν: τόδ᾽ ἐστὶ τἀνδρὸς ἐκφανὲς τέκμαρ.
This is the clear sign of the man.
§245ἕπου δὲ μηνυτῆρος ἀφθέγκτου φραδαῖς.
Follow the indications of the voiceless informer.
For like a dog after a wounded fawn, we track him by blood and drippings.
§248πολλοῖς δὲ μόχθοις ἀνδροκμῆσι φυσιᾷ §249σπλάγχνον: χθονὸς γὰρ πᾶς πεποίμανται τόπος, §250ὑπέρ τε πόντον ἀπτέροις ποτήμασιν §251ἦλθον διώκουσ᾽, οὐδὲν ὑστέρα νεώς.
And with many man-wearying toils my lungs gasp; for every place of the earth has been traversed, and over the sea with wingless flight I came pursuing, no slower than a ship.
§252καὶ νῦν ὅδ᾽ ἐνθάδ᾽ ἐστί που καταπτακών.
And now he is here somewhere, cowering.
§253ὀσμὴ βροτείων αἱμάτων με προσγελᾷ.
The smell of human blood smiles upon me.
Look, look indeed again, and scan everything, lest the matricide escape by flight and go unpunished.
— §258ὁ δ᾽ αὖτέ γ᾽ οὖν ἀλκὰν ἔχων §259περὶ βρέτει πλεχθεὶς θεᾶς ἀμβρότου §260ὑπόδικος θέλει γενέσθαι χερῶν.
But he, having some protection again, twined around the image of the immortal goddess, wishes to be brought to trial for his deeds.
But that is not possible; a mother's blood on the ground is hard to recall, alas!
§263τὸ διερὸν πέδοι χύμενον οἴχεται.
the liquid poured on the ground is gone.