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Chorus Leader
Oh, oh! My friends, did you hear a noise—or did an empty notion come to me?—like the underground rumbling from Zeus? Look, the breeze rises, bringing with it a sign.
Mistress, Electra, leave the house!
750
Oh, oh! My friends, did you hear a noise—or did an empty notion come to me?—like the underground rumbling from Zeus? Look, the breeze rises, bringing with it a sign.
Mistress, Electra, leave the house!
750
Electra
Rushing out
My friends, what is it? How do we stand in the contest?
My friends, what is it? How do we stand in the contest?
Leader
I only know this; I hear a wailing that means bloodshed.
I only know this; I hear a wailing that means bloodshed.
Electra
I heard it also, far off, but still heard.
I heard it also, far off, but still heard.
Leader
Yes, the sound is coming a long way, but it is clear.
Yes, the sound is coming a long way, but it is clear.
Electra
The groan was of an
Argive
; was it from my friends?
755
The groan was of an
Argive
; was it from my friends?
755
Leader
I don’t know; for the whole tune of the shout is confused.
I don’t know; for the whole tune of the shout is confused.
Electra
You are calling out to me my death; why do I delay?
You are calling out to me my death; why do I delay?
Leader
Hold back, to learn your fortune clearly.
Hold back, to learn your fortune clearly.
Electra
No, no; we are vanquished; where are the messengers?
No, no; we are vanquished; where are the messengers?
Leader
They will come; it is no trivial matter to kill a king.
760
They will come; it is no trivial matter to kill a king.
760
Messenger
O victorious maidens of
Mycenae
, I report to all his friends that Orestes has conquered, and Aegisthus, the murderer of Agamemnon, lies on the ground; but we must offer prayers to the gods.
O victorious maidens of
Mycenae
, I report to all his friends that Orestes has conquered, and Aegisthus, the murderer of Agamemnon, lies on the ground; but we must offer prayers to the gods.
Electra
Who are you? How trustworthy is your announcement?
765
Who are you? How trustworthy is your announcement?
765
Messenger
Don’t you know your brother’s servant when you look at me?
Don’t you know your brother’s servant when you look at me?
Electra
O best of friends! I could not recognize your face out of fear; but now I know you well. What are you saying? Is my father’s hated murderer dead?
O best of friends! I could not recognize your face out of fear; but now I know you well. What are you saying? Is my father’s hated murderer dead?
Messenger
He is dead; I am telling you twice what you certainly want to hear.
770
He is dead; I am telling you twice what you certainly want to hear.
770
Electra
O gods, and all-seeing justice, at last you have come. In what way and by what form of death did he kill Thyestes’ son? I would like to learn.
774
O gods, and all-seeing justice, at last you have come. In what way and by what form of death did he kill Thyestes’ son? I would like to learn.
Messenger
After we had left this house,
we stepped onto the broad highway and went to the place where the famous King of
Mycenae
was. He turned out to be walking in a well-watered garden, plucking a wreath of tender myrtle-sprays for his head; when he saw us, he called out,
Welcome, strangers! Who are you
775
and from where do you come? from what country? Orestes said,
We are Thessalians, going to the
Alpheus river
to sacrifice to Olympian Zeus. When Aegisthus heard that, he said,
You must be my guests for the feast
780
with us now, for I happen to be sacrificing an ox to the Nymphs; and if you get out of bed at dawn, it will make no difference to you. But let us go within—while he was addressing us, he took us by the hand and led us off the road—you must not refuse.
785
And when we were in the house, he gave the command:
Let someone bring water immediately for my guests, so that they may stand around the altar near the basin. But Orestes said:
Just now we purified ourselves in clean water from the river’s streams.
790
So if strangers must join in the sacrifice with citizens, Aegisthus, we are ready and will not refuse, lord. So they ended their public conversation. The slaves who formed the master’s bodyguard laid aside their spears, and all applied their hands to the work.
795
Some brought the bowl to catch the blood, others took up baskets, while others kindled fire and set cauldrons around the hearth, and the whole roof rang. Then your mother’s bed-fellow took barley for sprinkling, and cast it upon the altar with these words,
800
Nymphs of the rocks, may I and my wife, the daughter of Tyndareus, often sacrifice at home, in good fortune as now, and may my enemies suffer—meaning you and Orestes. But my master prayed for the opposite, not speaking the words aloud,
805
that he might win his father’s house. Aegisthus took from a basket a long straight knife, and cutting off some of the calf’s hair laid it with his right hand on the sacred fire, and then cut the calf’s throat when the servants had lifted it upon their shoulders, and said this to your brother:
810
They boast that this is among the honorable accomplishments for the Thessalians: to cut up a bull rightly and to tame horses; take the knife, stranger, and show us if the report about the Thessalians is true.
815
819
Orestes seized in his hands the well-hammered Dorian knife and
threw from his shoulders his graceful buckled robe; he chose Pylades as an assistant in the work and drove back the servants; and taking the calf by the hoof, he laid bare its white flesh, with arm outstretched, and flayed the hide quicker than a runner
820
finishes the two laps of the horses’ race-course; and then he laid the flanks open. Aegisthus took the entrails in his hands and inspected them. Now the liver had no lobe, while the portal vein and near-by gall-bladder revealed threatening approaches to the one who was observing it.
825
Aegisthus was angry, but my master asked,
Why are you disheartened?
Stranger, I fear some treachery from abroad. Agamemnon’s son is the man I hate most, and an enemy to my house. But Orestes said,
Do you really fear treachery from an exile,
830
when you rule the city? Instead of the Dorian knife, let someone bring me a Thessalian axe and let me split the breast-bone, so that we may hold the sacrificial feast. He took the axe and cut. Now Aegisthus took up the entrails, and was inspecting and sorting them out. As he was bending down,
835
your brother rose on tiptoe and struck him on the spine; his back-bone broke apart; with his whole body he struggled up and down, and cried out, dying hard in his blood. As soon as the servants saw it, they rushed to arms,
840
many to fight against two; yet Pylades and Orestes in their bravery stood to face them, brandishing their weapons. Then he said:
I do not come hostile to this city or to my own servants; I, the unhappy Orestes, have avenged myself on the murderer of my father;
845
but do not kill me, old servants of my father! They, when they heard his words, held back their spears, and he was recognized by an old man, who had been long in the household. Immediately they crowned your brother with a wreath, and shouted with joy.
850
And he comes bringing a head to show you, not that of the Gorgon, but of the one you hate, Aegisthus; his death today has paid in blood a bitter debt of blood.
855
After we had left this house,
we stepped onto the broad highway and went to the place where the famous King of
Mycenae
was. He turned out to be walking in a well-watered garden, plucking a wreath of tender myrtle-sprays for his head; when he saw us, he called out,
Welcome, strangers! Who are you
775
and from where do you come? from what country? Orestes said,
We are Thessalians, going to the
Alpheus river
to sacrifice to Olympian Zeus. When Aegisthus heard that, he said,
You must be my guests for the feast
780
with us now, for I happen to be sacrificing an ox to the Nymphs; and if you get out of bed at dawn, it will make no difference to you. But let us go within—while he was addressing us, he took us by the hand and led us off the road—you must not refuse.
785
And when we were in the house, he gave the command:
Let someone bring water immediately for my guests, so that they may stand around the altar near the basin. But Orestes said:
Just now we purified ourselves in clean water from the river’s streams.
790
So if strangers must join in the sacrifice with citizens, Aegisthus, we are ready and will not refuse, lord. So they ended their public conversation. The slaves who formed the master’s bodyguard laid aside their spears, and all applied their hands to the work.
795
Some brought the bowl to catch the blood, others took up baskets, while others kindled fire and set cauldrons around the hearth, and the whole roof rang. Then your mother’s bed-fellow took barley for sprinkling, and cast it upon the altar with these words,
800
Nymphs of the rocks, may I and my wife, the daughter of Tyndareus, often sacrifice at home, in good fortune as now, and may my enemies suffer—meaning you and Orestes. But my master prayed for the opposite, not speaking the words aloud,
805
that he might win his father’s house. Aegisthus took from a basket a long straight knife, and cutting off some of the calf’s hair laid it with his right hand on the sacred fire, and then cut the calf’s throat when the servants had lifted it upon their shoulders, and said this to your brother:
810
They boast that this is among the honorable accomplishments for the Thessalians: to cut up a bull rightly and to tame horses; take the knife, stranger, and show us if the report about the Thessalians is true.
815
Orestes seized in his hands the well-hammered Dorian knife and
threw from his shoulders his graceful buckled robe; he chose Pylades as an assistant in the work and drove back the servants; and taking the calf by the hoof, he laid bare its white flesh, with arm outstretched, and flayed the hide quicker than a runner
820
finishes the two laps of the horses’ race-course; and then he laid the flanks open. Aegisthus took the entrails in his hands and inspected them. Now the liver had no lobe, while the portal vein and near-by gall-bladder revealed threatening approaches to the one who was observing it.
825
Aegisthus was angry, but my master asked,
Why are you disheartened?
Stranger, I fear some treachery from abroad. Agamemnon’s son is the man I hate most, and an enemy to my house. But Orestes said,
Do you really fear treachery from an exile,
830
when you rule the city? Instead of the Dorian knife, let someone bring me a Thessalian axe and let me split the breast-bone, so that we may hold the sacrificial feast. He took the axe and cut. Now Aegisthus took up the entrails, and was inspecting and sorting them out. As he was bending down,
835
your brother rose on tiptoe and struck him on the spine; his back-bone broke apart; with his whole body he struggled up and down, and cried out, dying hard in his blood. As soon as the servants saw it, they rushed to arms,
840
many to fight against two; yet Pylades and Orestes in their bravery stood to face them, brandishing their weapons. Then he said:
I do not come hostile to this city or to my own servants; I, the unhappy Orestes, have avenged myself on the murderer of my father;
845
but do not kill me, old servants of my father! They, when they heard his words, held back their spears, and he was recognized by an old man, who had been long in the household. Immediately they crowned your brother with a wreath, and shouted with joy.
850
And he comes bringing a head to show you, not that of the Gorgon, but of the one you hate, Aegisthus; his death today has paid in blood a bitter debt of blood.
855
Electra. Euripides. Edward P. Coleridge (Translator). London. 1891.
Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.
Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.