§84καὶ γὰρ κτανεῖν σ᾽ ἔπεισα μητρῷον δέμας.
For I also persuaded you to slay your mother's body.
Lord Apollo, you know indeed how not to do injustice; and since you know this, learn also not to neglect me.
§87σθένος δὲ ποιεῖν εὖ φερέγγυον τὸ σόν.
For your power is fully sufficient to do good.
§88μέμνησο, μὴ φόβος σὲ νικάτω φρένας.
Remember, let no fear conquer your mind.
§89σὺ δ᾽, αὐτάδελφον αἷμα καὶ κοινοῦ πατρός, §90Ἑρμῆ, φύλασσε: κάρτα δ᾽ ὢν ἐπώνυμος §91πομπαῖος ἴσθι, τόνδε ποιμαίνων ἐμὸν §92ἱκέτην.
And you, my own brother of a common father, Hermes, guard him; and being very true to your name, be his guide, shepherding this my suppliant.
σέβει τοι Ζεὺς τόδ᾽ ἐκνόμων σέβας, §93ὁρμώμενον βροτοῖσιν εὐπόμπῳ τύχῃ.
Zeus indeed respects this reverence of outlaws, when it starts forth among mortals with good escorting fortune.
§94εὕδοιτ᾽ ἄν, ὠή, καὶ καθευδουσῶν τί δεῖ;
Sleep on, ho! And what need is there of sleepers?
§95ἐγὼ δ᾽ ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν ὧδ᾽ ἀπητιμασμένη §96ἄλλοισιν ἐν νεκροῖσιν, ὧν μὲν ἔκτανον §97ὄνειδος ἐν φθιτοῖσιν οὐκ ἐκλείπεται,
But I, thus dishonored by you among the other dead, because of those whom I killed reproach does not leave me among the departed, and I wander in shame.
§98αἰσχρῶς δ᾽ ἀλῶμαι: προυννέπω δ᾽ ὑμῖν ὅτι §99ἔχω μεγίστην αἰτίαν κείνων ὕπο: §100παθοῦσα δ᾽ οὕτω δεινὰ πρὸς τῶν φιλτάτων, §101οὐδεὶς ὑπέρ μου δαιμόνων μηνίεται, §102κατασφαγείσης πρὸς χερῶν μητροκτόνων.
I declare to you that I have the greatest blame from them; and though I suffered such terrible things from my nearest and dearest, none of the deities is angry on my behalf, slaughtered as I was by matricidal hands.
§103ὁρᾶτε πληγὰς τάσδε καρδίας ὅθεν.
See these wounds of my heart, and where they come from.
For the sleeping mind is brightened with eyes, but in the day the fate of mortals is unforeseen.
§106ἦ πολλὰ μὲν δὴ τῶν ἐμῶν ἐλείξατε, §107χοάς τ᾽ ἀοίνους, νηφάλια μειλίγματα, §108καὶ νυκτίσεμνα δεῖπν᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάρᾳ πυρὸς §109ἔθυον, ὥραν οὐδενὸς κοινὴν θεῶν.
Indeed, you licked up many of my offerings, wineless libations, sober soothing gifts, and solemn night-banquets upon the hearth of fire I offered, at an hour shared with none of the gods.
§110καὶ πάντα ταῦτα λὰξ ὁρῶ πατούμενα.
And all these things I see trodden under foot.
§111ὁ δ᾽ ἐξαλύξας οἴχεται νεβροῦ δίκην, §112καὶ ταῦτα κούφως ἐκ μέσων ἀρκυστάτων §113ὤρουσεν ὑμῖν ἐγκατιλλώψας μέγα.
But he has escaped and is gone like a fawn, and that too lightly from the midst of the nets he bounded, mocking you greatly.
Hear how I have spoken for my life; be wise, O goddesses of the underworld!
§116ὄναρ γὰρ ὑμᾶς νῦν Κλυταιμήστρα καλῶ.
For as a dream I, Clytemnestra, now call you.
§117ʽμ̔υγμός. ʼ §118μύζοιτ᾽ ἄν, ἁνὴρ δ᾽ οἴχεται φεύγων πρόσω: §119φίλοι γάρ εἰσιν οὐκ ἐμοῖς προσεικότες.
[Moan.] You may moan, but the man is gone, fleeing far; for my supporters are not like those of my enemy.
§120ʽμ̔υγμός. ʼ §121ἄγαν ὑπνώσσεις κοὐ κατοικτίζεις πάθος: §122φονεὺς δ᾽ Ὀρέστης τῆσδε μητρὸς οἴχεται.
[Moan.] You sleep too deeply and do not pity my suffering; and Orestes, the murderer of this mother, is gone.
[Whimper.] You whimper, you sleep; will you not stand up quickly?
§125τί σοι πέπρωται πρᾶγμα πλὴν τεύχειν κακά;
What deed has been fated for you except to work evil?
[Whimper.] Sleep and toil, master conspirators, have withered the wrathful strength of the terrible dragoness.
[Double sharp moan.] Take him, take him, take him, take him, look out!
In a dream you pursue a beast, and you bark like a dog that never leaves off the care of its toil.
§133τί δρᾷς;
What are you doing?
ἀνίστω, μή σε νικάτω πόνος, §134μηδ᾽ ἀγνοήσῃς πῆμα μαλθαχθεῖσ᾽ ὕπνῳ.
Stand up, let not toil conquer you, nor ignore the loss, softened by sleep.
Pain your heart with just reproaches; for to the wise they become as goads.
§137σὺ δ᾽ αἱματηρὸν πνεῦμ᾽ ἐπουρίσασα τῷ, §138ἀτμῷ κατισχναίνουσα, νηδύος πυρί, §139ἕπου, μάραινε δευτέροις διώγμασιν.
And you, blowing a bloody breath upon him, wasting him with the vapor, the fire of your womb, follow, wither him with a second pursuit!
§140ἔγειρ᾽, ἔγειρε καὶ σὺ τήνδ᾽, ἐγὼ δὲ σέ.
Wake, wake her too, as I wake you.
§141εὕδεις;
Do you sleep?
ἀνίστω, κἀπολακτίσασ᾽ ὕπνον, §142ἰδώμεθ᾽ εἴ τι τοῦδε φροιμίου ματᾷ.
Stand up, and kicking off sleep, let us see if any of this prelude is in vain.
§143ἰοὺ ἰοὺ πόπαξ.
Alas, alas, oh shame!
ἐπάθομεν, φίλαι,— §144ἦ πολλὰ δὴ παθοῦσα καὶ μάτην ἐγώ,— §145ἐπάθομεν πάθος δυσαχές, ὦ πόποι, §146ἄφερτον κακόν.
We have suffered, friends,— indeed, I have suffered much and in vain,— we have suffered a painful blow, oh gods, an intolerable evil.
Out of the nets the beast has fallen and is gone— overcome by sleep, I lost my prey.
§149ἰὼ παῖ Διός, ἐπίκλοπος πέλει,— §150νέος δὲ γραίας δαίμονας καθιππάσω,— §151τὸν ἱκέταν σέβων, ἄθεον ἄνδρα καὶ §152τοκεῦσιν πικρόν, §153τὸν μητραλοίαν δ᾽ ἐξέκλεψας ὢν θεός. — §154τί τῶνδ᾽ ἐρεῖ τις δικαίως ἔχειν;
Ah, son of Zeus, you are a thief,— and young as you are, you have ridden over ancient deities,— respecting the suppliant, a godless man and bitter to his parents, and you, a god, have stolen away the matricide.— Who will say that any of these things is just?
§155ἐμοὶ δ᾽ ὄνειδος ἐξ ὀνειράτων μολὸν §156ἔτυψεν δίκαν διφρηλάτου §157μεσολαβεῖ κέντρῳ §158ὑπὸ φρένας, ὑπὸ λοβόν. — §160πάρεστι μαστίκτορος δαΐου δαμίου §161βαρὺ τὸ περίβαρυ κρύος ἔχειν.
And to me, a reproach coming from dreams struck me like a charioteer's middle-grasped goad, under the heart, under the liver.— It is ours to feel the heavy, very heavy chill of a hostile public scourger.
§162τοιαῦτα δρῶσιν οἱ νεώτεροι θεοί, §163κρατοῦντες τὸ πᾶν δίκας πλέον §164φονολιβῆ θρόνον §165περὶ πόδα, περὶ κάρα. — §166πάρεστι γᾶς ὀμφαλὸν προσδρακεῖν αἱμάτων §167βλοσυρὸν ἀρόμενον ἄγος ἔχειν.
Such things the younger gods do, ruling altogether beyond justice, a throne dripping with blood, around the foot, around the head.— One can see the earth's navel-stone holding a grim defilement of blood it has taken upon itself.
§168ἐφεστίῳ δὲ μάντις ὢν μιάσματι §170μυχὸν ἔχρανας αὐτόσσυτος, αὐτόκλητος, §171παρὰ νόμον θεῶν βρότεα μὲν τίων, §172παλαιγενεῖς δὲ Μοίρας φθίσας.
And being a prophet, he has defiled his own sanctuary with a stain on his hearth, self-impelled, self-invited, honoring human things contrary to the law of the gods, and destroying the ancient Fates.
To me too he is hateful, and he shall not release that man, even if he flees beneath the earth, he is never set free.
And being a suppliant for purification, he will get another avenging spirit of his own kin upon his head.
§178ἔξω, κελεύω, τῶνδε δωμάτων τάχος
Out, I command you, from these halls at once!