§738ἅπαντι θυμῷ, κάρτα δ᾽ εἰμὶ τοῦ πατρός.
Athena: "With all my heart, I am entirely of the father's side.
Therefore, I shall not prefer the death of a woman who killed her husband, the guardian of the house.
§741νικᾷ δ᾽ Ὀρέστης, κἂν ἰσόψηφος κριθῇ.
Orestes wins, even if he is judged with equal votes.
§742ἐκβάλλεθ᾽ ὡς τάχιστα τευχέων πάλους, §743ὅσοις δικαστῶν τοῦτ᾽ ἐπέσταλται τέλος. §744ὦ Φοῖβ᾽ Ἄπολλον, πῶς ἀγὼν κριθήσεται; §745ὦ Νὺξ μέλαινα μῆτερ, ἆρ᾽ ὁρᾷς τάδε; §746νῦν ἀγχόνης μοι τέρματ᾽, ἢ φάος βλέπειν. §747ἡμῖν γὰρ ἔρρειν, ἢ πρόσω τιμὰς νέμειν. §748πεμπάζετ᾽ ὀρθῶς ἐκβολὰς ψήφων, ξένοι,
Cast out the lots from the urns as quickly as possible, those of the judges to whom this task has been assigned." Orestes: "O Phoebus Apollo, how will the contest be decided?" Chorus: "O dark Mother Night, do you see these things?" Orestes: "Now for me it is either the end by hanging, or to keep seeing the light." Chorus: "For us, it is either to be ruined, or to hold our honors further." Apollo: "Count rightly the casting out of the votes, strangers, revering justice in the division.
§749τὸ μὴ ᾽δικεῖν σέβοντες ἐν διαιρέσει. §750γνώμης δ᾽ ἀπούσης πῆμα γίγνεται μέγα, §751βαλοῦσά τ᾽ οἶκον ψῆφος ὤρθωσεν μία. §752ἀνὴρ ὅδ᾽ ἐκπέφευγεν αἵματος δίκην: §753ἴσον γάρ ἐστι τἀρίθμημα τῶν πάλων. §755ὦ Παλλάς, ὦ σώσασα τοὺς ἐμοὺς δόμους, §756γαίας πατρῴας ἐστερημένον σύ τοι §757κατῴκισάς με: καί τις Ἑλλήνων ἐρεῖ, §758“Ἀργεῖος ἁνὴρ αὖθις ἔν τε χρήμασιν §759οἰκεῖ πατρῴοις, Παλλάδος καὶ Λοξίου §760ἕκατι, καὶ τοῦ πάντα κραίνοντος τρίτου §760aσωτῆρος, ὃς πατρῷον αἰδεσθεὶς μόρον §761σῴζει με, μητρὸς τάσδε συνδίκους ὁρῶν. ” §762ἐγὼ δὲ χώρᾳ τῇδε καὶ τῷ σῷ στρατῷ §763τὸ λοιπὸν εἰς ἅπαντα πλειστήρη χρόνον §764ὁρκωμοτήσας νῦν ἄπειμι πρὸς δόμους, §765μήτοι τιν᾽ ἄνδρα δεῦρο πρυμνήτην χθονὸς §766ἐλθόντ᾽ ἐποίσειν εὖ κεκασμένον δόρυ.
For when judgment is absent, a great calamity arises, but a single cast vote sets a house upright." Athena: "This man has escaped the trial of blood; for the number of the lots is equal." Orestes: "O Pallas, O savior of my house, when I was deprived of my paternal land, you indeed have restored me to my home; and anyone of the Greeks will say: 'An Argive man again dwells both in his possessions and his paternal estate, by the grace of Pallas and Loxias, and of the third savior who accomplishes all, who, revering his father's death, saves me, seeing these advocates of the mother.'" "And to this land and to your army, for the future and for all time to come, I now go to my home after having sworn an oath: that no man who is a helmsman of our land shall ever come hither and bring a well-prepared spear.
§767αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ὄντες ἐν τάφοις τότε §768τοῖς τἀμὰ παρβαίνουσι νῦν ὁρκώματα §769ἀμηχάνοισι †πράξομεν δυσπραξίαις, §770ὁδοὺς ἀθύμους καὶ παρόρνιθας πόρους §771τιθέντες, ὡς αὐτοῖσι μεταμέλῃ πόνος:
For we ourselves, being then in our graves, shall harass those who now transgress my oaths with inextricable misfortunes, making their paths disheartening and their passages accompanied by bad omens, so that they may repent of their labor.
§772ὀρθουμένων δέ, καὶ πόλιν τὴν Παλλάδος §773τιμῶσιν αἰεὶ τήνδε συμμάχῳ δορί, §774αὐτοῖσιν ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν εὐμενέστεροι.
But if they walk uprightly, and always honor this city of Pallas with an allied spear, to them we ourselves shall be more well-disposed.
§775καὶ χαῖρε, καὶ σὺ καὶ πολισσοῦχος λεώς: §776πάλαισμ᾽ ἄφυκτον τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἔχοις, §777σωτήριόν τε καὶ δορὸς νικηφόρον. §778ἰὼ θεοὶ νεώτεροι, παλαιοὺς νόμους §779καθιππάσασθε κἀκ χερῶν εἵλεσθέ μου.
And farewell, both you and the people who guard the city; may you have a grip inescapable for your adversaries, a source of safety and victorious with the spear." Chorus: "O younger gods, you have ridden down the ancient laws, and snatched them from my hands.
§780ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἄτιμος ἁ τάλαινα βαρύκοτος §781ἐν γᾷ τᾷδε, φεῦ, §782ἰὸν ἰὸν ἀντιπενθῆ §783μεθεῖσα καρδίας, σταλαγμὸν χθονὶ §784ἄφορον: ἐκ δὲ τοῦ §785λειχὴν ἄφυλλος, ἄτεκνος, §786ἰὼ δίκα, πέδον ἐπισύμενος §787βροτοφθόρους κηλῖδας ἐν χώρᾳ βαλεῖ.
And I, without honor, wretched and heavy with wrath, in this land, alas, shall release venom, venom in return for my grief, from my heart, a dripping intolerable to the land; and from this a lichen, leafless, childless, O Justice, rushing over the ground, will cast pestilential stains upon the land.
§788στενάζω;
Shall I groan?
τί ῥέξω;
What shall I do?
§789γελῶμαι: δύσοιστα.
I am laughed at; it is hard to bear.
§790πολίταις ἔπαθον: §791ἰὼ μεγάλα τοι κόραι δυστυχεῖς §792Νυκτὸς ἀτιμοπενθεῖς. §793ἐμοὶ πίθεσθε μὴ βαρυστόνως φέρειν.
I have suffered this at the hands of the citizens; O great, unfortunate daughters of Night, mourning in dishonor." Athena: "Be persuaded by me not to bear this with heavy groans.
For you are not defeated, but a trial of equal votes came out in truth, not to your dishonor.
§797ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ Διὸς γὰρ λαμπρὰ μαρτύρια παρῆν, §798αὐτός θ᾽ ὁ χρήσας αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ μαρτυρῶν, §799ὡς ταῦτ᾽ Ὀρέστην δρῶντα μὴ βλάβας ἔχειν.
But indeed, brilliant testimonies from Zeus were present, and he who gave the oracle was himself the witness, that Orestes, doing these things, should suffer no harm.
§800ὑμεῖς δὲ μὴ θυμοῦσθε μηδὲ τῇδε γῇ §801βαρὺν κότον σκήψητε, μηδ᾽ ἀκαρπίαν §802τεύξητ᾽, ἀφεῖσαι †δαιμόνων σταλάγματα, §803βρωτῆρας αἰχμὰς σπερμάτων ἀνημέρους.
Do not be angry, and do not launch your heavy wrath upon this land, nor bring barrenness, releasing the drippings of spirits, savage spears devouring the seeds.
§804ἐγὼ γὰρ ὑμῖν πανδίκως ὑπίσχομαι §805ἕδρας τε καὶ κευθμῶνας ἐνδίκου χθονὸς §806λιπαροθρόνοισιν ἡμένας ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάραις §807ἕξειν ὑπ᾽ ἀστῶν τῶνδε τιμαλφουμένας. §808ἰὼ θεοὶ νεώτεροι, παλαιοὺς νόμους §809καθιππάσασθε κἀκ χερῶν εἵλεσθέ μου.
For I promise you in all justice that you shall have seats and sanctuaries in a righteous land, sitting by hearths with gleaming thrones, held in high honor by these citizens." Chorus: "O younger gods, you have ridden down the ancient laws, and snatched them from my hands.
§810ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἄτιμος ἁ τάλαινα βαρύκοτος §811ἐν γᾷ τᾷδε, φεῦ, §812ἰὸν ἰὸν ἀντιπενθῆ §813μεθεῖσα καρδίας, σταλαγμὸν χθονὶ §814ἄφορον: ἐκ δὲ τοῦ §815λειχὴν ἄφυλλος, ἄτεκνος, §816ἰὼ δίκα, πέδον ἐπισύμενος §817βροτοφθόρους κηλῖδας ἐν χώρᾳ βαλεῖ.
And I, without honor, wretched and heavy with wrath, in this land, alas, shall release venom, venom in return for my grief, from my heart, a dripping intolerable to the land; and from this a lichen, leafless, childless, O Justice, rushing over the ground, will cast pestilential stains upon the land.
§818στενάζω;
Shall I groan?
τί ῥέξω;
What shall I do?
§819γελῶμαι: δύσοιστα
I am laughed at; it is hard to bear.
§820πολίταις ἔπαθον: §821ἰὼ μεγάλα τοι κόραι δυστυχεῖς §822Νυκτὸς ἀτιμοπενθεῖς. §823οὐκ ἔστ᾽ ἄτιμοι, μηδ᾽ ὑπερθύμως ἄγαν §824θεαὶ βροτῶν στήσητε δύσκηλον χθόνα.
I have suffered this at the hands of the citizens; O great, unfortunate daughters of Night, mourning in dishonor." Athena: "You are not without honor; do not, O goddesses, in excessive anger, make this land difficult for mortals.
§825κἀγὼ πέποιθα Ζηνί, καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν;
I also trust in Zeus—and what need is there to say it?
And I alone of the gods know the keys of the house in which the thunderbolt is sealed.