Sophocles, Electra, Thomas Francklin (Translator), 2

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Orestes
( V)me then, my friends, and ere th' awakened city 23

What proofs thou giv'st me of tlie noblest

nature

And true benevolence, thou good old man !

Of servants sure the faithfullest and best

That ever bore the name : the generous steed,

Though worn with years, thus keeps his wonted courage.

And warns his master of approaching danger;

fjike him thou stir'st me up to noble deeds.

And follow'st me undaunted : but attend
25

To what I have resolved, and if I err,
25

^Let thy superior judgment set mfiriglit.
25

When to the Delphic oracle I flew,
25

Eager to know how on my father's foes

J best might satiate my revenge, the god

Enjoined me not by force or open arms

To rush upon them, but with guileful arts

And silent well-conducted fraud betraythem.

Such was his wdll. Thou, therefore, soon as time

Shall lend thee opportunity, unknown

And unsuspected (as thy absence hence

For so long space and hoary age shall make thee)

Must steal upon them, learn their secret counsels,

As soon thou mayst, and quick inform us of them ;

Say thou'rt of Phocis, from Phanoteus sent

By one who is their friend and firm ally ;

Sav, and confirm it with a solemn oath.

Orestes is no more — by a rude shock

Thrown from his chariot at the Pythian games.

Be this thy tale : meantime (for thus the god

His will divine expressed) my father's tomb

With due libations and devoted hair

Ourselves will crown ; and thence returning bring,

From the dark covert where thou knowst 'twas hid,

The brazen urn. Thei-e, we shall tell the tyrant —

Thrice welcome news ! — Orestes' ashes lie.

What should deter me from the pious fraud?

Since my feigned death but gains me real fame,

And I shall wake to better life : the deed

Which brings success and honour, must be good.

Oft times the wisest and the best of men

From death like this have rose with added greatness ;

E'en so thy friend to his deluded foes

Shall soon return unlooked-for, and before them

Shine like a star with more distinguished lustre.

O my loved country ! and its guardian gods,
35

Receive Ore.^tes, and with happy omen
35

Propitious smile ! And thou, paternal seat —
35

For lo ! by Heaven's command I come to purge thee
35
77

Of vile usurpers, and avenge thy wrongs —

Drive me not from thee an abandoned exile

With infamy, but grant me to possess

My father's throne, and fix his injured race.

Thus far 'tis well. My faithful minister,

Thou to thy office, we to ours with speed ;

So time and opportunity require

On whom the fate of mortals must depend.

Electra. Sophocles. Thomas Francklin (Translator). London. 1758–1759.

Current edition Experimental

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 2 focus

Ἀγαμέμνονος παῖ, νῦν ἐκεῖν ἔξεστί σοι

Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 1-120 focus

Παιδαγωγός

ὦ τοῦ στρατηγήσαντος ἐν Τροίᾳ ποτὲ
1

Ἀγαμέμνονος παῖ, νῦν ἐκεῖνʼ ἔξεστί σοι

παρόντι λεύσσειν, ὧν πρόθυμος ἦσθʼ ἀεί.

τὸ γὰρ παλαιὸν Ἄργος οὑπόθεις τόδε,

τῆς οἰστροπλῆγος ἄλσος Ἰνάχου κόρης·
5

αὕτη δʼ, Ὀρέστα, τοῦ λυκοκτόνου θεοῦ

ἀγορὰ Λύκειος· οὑξ ἀριστερᾶς δʼ ὅδε

Ἥρας ὁ κλεινὸς ναός· οἷ δʼ ἱκάνομεν,

φάσκειν Μυκήνας τὰς πολυχρύσους ὁρᾶν

πολύφθορόν τε δῶμα Πελοπιδῶν τόδε,
10

ὅθεν σε πατρὸς ἐκ φονῶν ἐγώ ποτε

πρὸς σῆς ὁμαίμου καὶ κασιγνήτης λαβὼν

ἤνεγκα κἀξέσωσα κἀξεθρεψάμην

τοσόνδʼ ἐς ἥβης, πατρὶ τιμωρὸν φόνου.

νῦν οὖν, Ὀρέστα καὶ σὺ φίλτατε ξένων
15

Πυλάδη, τί χρὴ δρᾶν ἐν τάχει βουλευτέον·

ὡς ἡμὶν ἤδη λαμπρὸν ἡλίου σέλας

ἑῷα κινεῖ φθέγματʼ ὀρνίθων σαφῆ

μέλαινά τʼ ἄστρων ἐκλέλοιπεν εὐφρόνη.

πρὶν οὖν τινʼ ἀνδρῶν ἐξοδοιπορεῖν στέγης,
20

ξυνάπτετον λόγοισιν· ὡς ἐνταῦθʼ ἐμέν,

ἵνʼ οὐκέτʼ ὀκνεῖν καιρός, ἀλλʼ ἔργων ἀκμή.

Ὀρέστης

ὦ φίλτατʼ ἀνδρῶν προσπόλων, ὥς μοι σαφῆ

σημεῖα φαίνεις ἐσθλὸς εἰς ἡμᾶς γεγώς.

ὥσπερ γὰρ ἵππος εὐγενής, κἂν ᾖ γέρων,
25

ἐν τοῖσι δεινοῖς θυμὸν οὐκ ἀπώλεσεν,

ἀλλʼ ὀρθὸν οὖς ἵστησιν, ὡσαύτως δὲ σὺ

ἡμᾶς τʼ ὀτρύνεις καὐτὸς ἐν πρώτοις ἕπει.

τοιγὰρ τὰ μὲν δόξαντα δηλώσω, σὺ δὲ

ὀξεῖαν ἀκοὴν τοῖς ἐμοῖς λόγοις διδούς,
30

εἰ μή τι καιροῦ τυγχάνω, μεθάρμοσον.

ἐγὼ γὰρ ἡνίχʼ ἱκόμην τὸ Πυθικὸν

μαντεῖον, ὡς μάθοιμʼ ὅτῳ τρόπῳ πατρὶ

δίκας ἀροίμην τῶν φονευσάντων πάρα,

χρῇ μοι τοιαῦθʼ ὁ Φοῖβος ὧν πεύσει τάχα·
35

ἄσκευον αὐτὸν ἀσπίδων τε καὶ στρατοῦ

δόλοισι κλέψαι χειρὸς ἐνδίκους σφαγάς.

ὅτʼ οὖν τοιόνδε χρησμὸν εἰσηκούσαμεν,

σὺ μὲν μολών, ὅταν σε καιρὸς εἰσάγῃ,

δόμων ἔσω τῶνδʼ, ἴσθι πᾶν τὸ δρώμενον,
40

ὅπως ἂν εἰδὼς ἡμὶν ἀγγείλῃς σαφῆ.

οὐ γάρ σε μὴ γήρᾳ τε καὶ χρόνῳ μακρῷ

γνῶσʼ, οὐδʼ ὑποπτεύσουσιν ὧδʼ ἠνθισμένον.

λόγῳ δὲ χρῶ τοιῷδʼ, ὅτι ξένος μὲν εἶ

Φωκέως παρʼ ἀνδρὸς Φανοτέως ἥκων· ὃ γὰρ
45

μέγιστος αὐτοῖς τυγχάνει δορυξένων.

ἄγγελλε δʼ ὅρκον προστιθεὶς ὁθούνεκα

τέθνηκʼ Ὀρέστης ἐξ ἀναγκαίας τύχης,

ἄθλοισι Πυθικοῖσιν ἐκ τροχηλάτων

δίφρων κυλισθείς· ὧδʼ ὁ μῦθος ἑστάτω.
50

Ὀρέστης

ἡμεῖς δὲ πατρὸς τύμβον, ὡς ἐφίετο,

λοιβαῖσι πρῶτον καὶ καρατόμοις χλιδαῖς

στέψαντες εἶτʼ ἄψορρον ἥξομεν πάλιν,

τύπωμα χαλκόπλευρον ἠρμένοι χεροῖν,

ὃ καὶ σὺ θάμνοις οἶσθά που κεκρυμμένον,
55

ὅπως λόγῳ κλέπτοντες ἡδεῖαν φάτιν

φέρωμεν αὐτοῖς, τοὐμὸν ὡς ἔρρει δέμας

φλογιστὸν ἤδη καὶ κατηνθρακωμένον.

τί γάρ με λυπεῖ τοῦθʼ, ὅταν λόγῳ θανὼν

ἔργοισι σωθῶ κἀξενέγκωμαι κλέος;
60

δοκῶ μέν, οὐδὲν ῥῆμα σὺν κέρδει κακόν.

ἤδη γὰρ εἶδον πολλάκις καὶ τοὺς σοφοὺς

λόγῳ μάτην θνῄσκοντας· εἶθʼ, ὅταν δόμους

ἔλθωσιν αὖθις, ἐκτετίμηνται πλέον·

ὡς κἄμʼ ἐπαυχῶ τῆσδε τῆς φήμης ἄπο
65

δεδορκότʼ ἐχθροῖς ἄστρον ὣς λάμψειν ἔτι.

ἀλλʼ, ὦ πατρῴα γῆ θεοί τʼ ἐγχώριοι,

δέξασθέ μʼ εὐτυχοῦντα ταῖσδε ταῖς ὁδοῖς,

σύ τʼ, ὦ πατρῷον δῶμα· σοῦ γὰρ ἔρχομαι

δίκῃ καθαρτὴς πρὸς θεῶν ὡρμημένος·
70

καὶ μή μʼ ἄτιμον τῆσδʼ ἀποστείλητε γῆς,

ἀλλʼ ἀρχέπλουτον καὶ καταστάτην δόμων.

εἴρηκα μέν νυν ταῦτα· σοὶ δʼ ἤδη, γέρον,

τὸ σὸν μελέσθω βάντι φρουρῆσαι χρέος.

νὼ δʼ ἔξιμεν· καιρὸς γάρ, ὅσπερ ἀνδράσιν
75

μέγιστος ἔργου παντός ἐστʼ ἐπιστάτης.

Ἠλέκτρα

ἰώ μοί μοι δύστηνος.

Παιδαγωγός

καὶ μὴν θυρῶν ἔδοξα προσπόλων τινὸς

ὑποστενούσης ἔνδον αἰσθέσθαι, τέκνον.

Ὀρέστης

ἆρʼ ἐστὶν ἡ δύστηνος Ἠλέκτρα· θέλεις
80

μείνωμεν αὐτοῦ κἀπακούσωμεν γόων;

Παιδαγωγός

ἥκιστα· μηδὲν πρόσθεν ἢ τὰ Λοξίου

πειρώμεθʼ ἔρδειν κἀπὸ τῶνδʼ ἀρχηγετεῖν,

πατρὸς χέοντες λουτρά· ταῦτα γὰρ φέρει

νίκην τʼ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν καὶ κράτος τῶν δρωμένων.
85

Ἠλέκτρα

ὦ φάος ἁγνὸν

καὶ γῆς ἰσόμοιρʼ ἀήρ, ὥς μοι

πολλὰς μὲν θρήνων ᾠδάς,

πολλὰς δʼ ἀντήρεις ᾔσθου

στέρνων πληγὰς αἱμασσομένων,
90

ὁπόταν δνοφερὰ νὺξ ὑπολειφθῇ·

τὰ δὲ παννυχίδων ἤδη στυγεραὶ

ξυνίσασʼ εὐναὶ μογερῶν οἴκων,

ὅσα τὸν δύστηνον ἐμὸν θρηνῶ

πατέρʼ, ὃν κατὰ μὲν βάρβαρον αἶαν
95

φοίνιος Ἄρης οὐκ ἐξένισεν,

μήτηρ δʼ ἡμὴ χὠ κοινολεχὴς

Αἴγισθος ὅπως δρῦν ὑλοτόμοι

σχίζουσι κάρα φονίῳ πελέκει,

κοὐδεὶς τούτων οἶκτος ἀπʼ ἄλλης
100

ἢ ʼμοῦ φέρεται, σοῦ, πάτερ, οὕτως

αἰκῶς οἰκτρῶς τε θανόντος.

103

Ἠλέκτρα

ἀλλʼ οὐ μὲν δὴ

λήξω θρήνων στυγερῶν τε γόων,

ἔστʼ ἂν παμφεγγεῖς ἄστρων
105

ῥιπάς, λεύσσω δὲ τόδʼ ἦμαρ,

μὴ οὐ τεκνολέτειρʼ ὥς τις ἀηδὼν

ἐπὶ κωκυτῷ τῶνδε πατρῴων

πρὸ θυρῶν ἠχὼ πᾶσι προφωνεῖν.

ὦ δῶμʼ Ἀΐδου καὶ Περσεφόνης,
110

ὦ χθόνιʼ Ἑρμῆ καὶ πότνιʼ Ἀρὰ

σεμναί τε θεῶν παῖδες Ἐρινύες,

αἳ τοὺς ἀδίκως θνῄσκοντας ὁρᾶθʼ,

αἳ τοὺς εὐνὰς ὑποκλεπτομένους,

ἔλθετʼ, ἀρήξατε, τίσασθε πατρὸς
115

φόνον ἡμετέρου,

καί μοι τὸν ἐμὸν πέμψατʼ ἀδελφόν·

μούνη γὰρ ἄγειν οὐκέτι σωκῶ

λύπης ἀντίρροπον ἄχθος.
120

Translations (4)

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 2 focus

OR
23

Kind faithful friend, how well thou mak’st appear

Thy constancy in service to our house!

As some good steed, aged, but nobly bred,

Slacks not his spirit in the day of war,

But points his ears to the fray, even so dost thou

Press on and urge thy master in the van.

Hear, then, our purpose, and if aught thy mind,

Keenly attent, discerns of weak or crude

In this I now set forth, admonish me.

I, when I visited the Pythian shrine
25

Oracular, that I might learn whereby
25

To punish home the murderers of my sire,
25

Had word from Phoebus which you straight shall hear:
25

‘No shielded host, but thine own craft, O King!

The righteous death-blow to thine arm shall bring.’

Then, since the will of Heaven is so revealed,

Go thou within, when Opportunity

Shall marshal thee the way, and gathering all

Their business, bring us certain cognizance.

Age and long absence are a safe disguise;

They never will suspect thee who thou art.

And let thy tale be that another land,

Phocis, hath sent thee forth, and Phanoteus,

Than whom they have no mightier help in war.

Then, prefaced with an oath, declare thy news,

Orestes’ death by dire mischance, down-rolled

From wheel-borne chariot in the Pythian course.

So let the fable be devised; while we,

As Phoebus ordered, with luxuriant locks

Shorn from our brows, and fair libations, crown

My father’s sepulchre, and thence return

Bearing aloft the shapely vase of bronze

That’s hidden hard by in brushwood, as thou knowest,

And bring them welcome tidings, that my form

Is fallen ere now to ashes in the fire.

How should this pain me, in pretence being dead,

Really to save myself and win renown?

No saying bodes men ill, that brings them gain.

Oft have I known the wise, dying in word,

Return with glorious salutation home.

So lightened by this rumour shall mine eye

Blaze yet like bale-star on mine enemies.

O native earth! and Gods that hold the land,

Accept me here, and prosper this my way!

Thou, too, paternal hearth! To thee I come,

Justly to cleanse thee by behest from heaven.

Send me not bootless, Gods, but let me found

A wealthy line of fair posterity!
35

I have spoken. To thy charge! and with good heed
35

Perform it. We go forth. The Occasion calls,
35

Great taskmaster of enterprise to men.
35

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 1 focus

O Sohn des Feldherrn, der in Troas einst gebot,¹
1

Des Agamemnon, endlich ist es dir vergönnt,

Zu schaun mit Augen, was zu schaun dich stets verlangt.

Dein graues Argos, deiner Sehnsucht Land, ist hier,²

Der wuthgeschlagnen Inachid' uralter Hain;
5

Das dort, Orestes, ist der Markt des Lykiers,

Des wolferlegenden Gottes, und zur Liuken hier

Der Hera stolzer Tempel: wo wir hingelangt,

Schaust du Mykenä's Veste, reich an goldnem Schaz,

Und hier der Pelopsenkel unheilschwangres Haus,
10

Wo nach des Vaters grausem Tod ich ehedem

Von deiner Schwester dich empfing und weiter trug

Und rettet' und zu solcher Jugendblüte dich

Aufzog, dereinst zu rächen deines Vaters Mord.

Nun denn, Orestes, und o du, mein Pylades,
15

Der Freunde liebster, was zu thun, berathet schnell:

Denn schon erweckt der Sonne strahlenvoller Glanz

Der Vögel Morgenstimmen uns zu hellem Schall;

Die schwarze Nacht der Sterne schwand in's Dunkel hin.

Drum eh' ein Mann aus dieses Hauses Pforte tritt,
20

Beredet euch zusammen; denn wir stehen da,

Wo's nimmer gilt zu säumen, wo's der That bedarf.

Orestes.

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 2 focus

Orestes
23

Loved Pylades, demands your firm resolves :

This hour determine; for the early songs

Of birds call forth the sun's resplendent beams,

And the stars vanish from the dusky night.

Now, ere the foot of man from forth the gates

Shall tread the streets, consult: for from this hour

Th' important time to instant action calls.

O thou most loved of servants, strong the proofs

Thou givest me of thy goodness and firm faith:

For as the generous steed e'en in old age

Of his high courage in the fierce alarm

Abates not, but with pride sustains the charge,

So dost thou urge me forward, and advance
25

E'en in the front of danger: for this cause
25

I will unfold my counsels to my words
25

Give thou attentive heed, and where I judge
25

Amiss,, thy riper prudence be my guide.
25

When to the fate-foretelling shrine I came

Of Pytho, and inquired by what best way

I on his impious murderers might avenge

My father's blood, this answer Phœbus gave,

" In arms advance not, nor with martial force,

"But steal upon them, and with fraudful hand

"Let thy just fury strike th' avenging blow.""

These mandates known, as time and chance present

A fair occasion, enter thou this house,

And learn what passes there; me much imports

Clear information; thee they will not know

Absent so long, and chang'd by hoary age;

Nor thus attired suspicion wilt thou wake.

Thou art a stranger, so address thy tale,

Of Phocis, sent by Phanoteus, now join'd

In close alliance with them; say, and add

The sanction of an oath, that by the force

Of ruthless fate Orestes is no more,

Hurl'd from his chariot in the Pythian games.

This be the purport of thy tale. Mean time,

Obedient to the god, my father's tomb

We with libations and these sever'd locks.

Will honour. Thence returning, in our hands

The brazen sculptured urn, now, as thou know'st,

Hid in the tangled thicket, we will bring;

That we may thus deceive them with a tale

To them most grateful, that my wretched corse

Already on the funeral pile is burnt,

And my cold ashes in this urn enclosed.

Why should this grieve me, that in words I die,

When I in deed am saved, and by them raised

To glory? Nor ill-omen'd shall I deem

A word which gives the promise of success.

Oft e'en the wise have I observed, by fame:

Reported dead, return, and rise again...!!

To higher honour. Such shall be my boast,

I from this rumour shall be found alive,

And, like a star, to my astonish'd foes

Yet shine. But, O my country, and ye gods

The guardians of my country, to your care

Receive me, and protect me in these ways!

And thou, my father's house! for I am come

With vengeance, at the impulse of the gods,

To purge thy stain away: send me not hence

Dishonour'd, but to wealth, to greatness raised,

Give me thy ancient glories to restore !
35

Of this enough. Be it thy care, old man,
35

The part assign'd thee to discharge. We two
35

Must leave thee now; th' occasion so requires,
35

Whose sovereign power o'er ev'ry work presides.
35

English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 1-120 focus

Paedagogus

Son of him who once commanded our forces at Troy , son of Agamemnon!—now you may survey all that your heart has desired for so long. There is the ancient Argos of your yearning,
1

that consecrated land from which the gad-fly drove the daughter of Inachus; there, Orestes, is the Lycean market place, named from the wolf-slaying god; there on the left is Hera’s famous temple; and in this place to which we have come, know that you see Mycenae , the rich in gold,
5

and here the house of Pelops’ heirs, so often stained with bloodshed. Long ago from here, away from the murder of your father, I carried you for her whose blood is yours, your sister, and saved you and reared you up to manhood to be the avenger of your murdered father.

10

Now, therefore, Orestes, and you, best of allies, Pylades, our plan of action must be quickly laid; for look, already the sun’s bright ray is stirring the birds’ songs into clarity, and the kindly darkness of the stars is spent.
15

Before, then, anyone comes out from the house, we must make our plans, since we are at the point where it is no longer opportune to hesitate, but it is the moment for action.
20

Orestes

True friend and follower, how well you prove your loyalty to our house!

Just as a thoroughbred mount, even if advanced in years, does not lose courage in danger, but pricks up his ears, so you speed us forward and follow in the first ranks. I will tell you, then, what I have determined.
25

Listen closely to my words and correct me, if I miss the mark in any way.
When I went to the Pythian oracle to learn how I might avenge my father on his murderers,
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Phoebus gave me the commandment which you will now hear: that alone, and by stealth, without the aid of arms or large numbers, I should carry off my right hand’s just slaughters. Accordingly, since I received this divine declaration, you must go into that house there
35

when opportunity gives you entrance, and learn all that is happening, so that you may report to us out of sure knowledge. Your age and the lapse of time will prevent them from recognizing you; they will never suspect who you are with that silvered hair. Let your story be that you are a Phocian stranger
40

sent by Phanoteus, since he is the greatest of their allies. Tell them, and affirm it with your oath, that Orestes has perished by a fatal chance, hurled at the Pythian games
45

from his speeding chariot. Let that be the substance of your message. Meanwhile, we will first crown my father’s tomb as the god ordered with libations and the luxuriant tribute of a severed lock; then we will return here, bearing in our hands an urn of hammered bronze
50

—now hidden, as you no doubt know, in the brushwood—so that we may gladden them with the false tidings that this body of mine exists no more, but has been consumed with fire and reduced to ashes. How does it hurt me, when by feigned death
55

I find true life and win renown? No word is ill-omened, I trust, if it yields gain. For often before now I have seen clever men die in false report; then, when they return home, they are held in greater honor.
60

And so for myself I trust that as a result of this rumor I, too, shall live, shining down like a star upon my enemies.
But you, O my fatherland and native gods of my soil, receive me with good fortune in this journey, and you also, house of my ancestors,
65

since I come by divine mandate to cleanse you as justice demands. Do not dismiss me from this land in dishonor, but grant that I may rule over my possessions and restore my house!
I have said enough. Go now, old one, and take care to watch over your task.
70

The two of us will depart; for so opportunity bids, chief ruler of every enterprise for men.
75

77 Within.

Electra

ah, me, ah, joyless me!

Paedagogus

Listen, my son; from the doors of the house, I think, came the sound of some serving girl moaning inside.

Orestes

Can it be my joyless Electra? Shall we remain here and listen to her cries?
80

Paedagogus

No, no; before all else, let us strive to obey the commands of Loxias and from them make a fair beginning by pouring libations to your father. For such actions bring

victory within our grasp and give us mastery in all our doings. Exeunt Paedagogus on the spectators left, Orestes and Pylades on the right.
85

86 Enter Electra, from the house.

Electra

O you pure sunlight, and you air, light’s equal partner over earth, how often have you heard the chords of my laments

and the thudding blows against this bloodied breast at the time of gloomy night’s leaving off! My accursed bed in that house of suffering there knows well already how I observe my night-long rites—how often I bewail my miserable
90

father, whom bloody Ares did not welcome with deadly gifts in a foreign land, but my mother and her bedfellow Aegisthus split his head with murderous axe, just as woodmen chop an oak.
95

And for this crime no pitying cry bursts from any lips but mine, when you, Father, have died a death so cruel and so deserving of pity!
100

103

But never will I end from cries and bitter lamentation,

while I look on the stars’ glistening flashes or on this light of day. No, like the nightingale, slayer of her offspring, I will wail without ceasing, and cry aloud to all here at the doors of my father.

105

O House of Hades and Persephone! O Hermes of the shades! O potent Curse, and you fearsome daughters of the gods, the Erinyes, who take note when a life is unjustly taken, when a marriage-bed is thievishly dishonored,
110

come, help me, bring vengeance for the murder of my father and send me my brother. I no longer have the strength to hold up alone against
115

the load of grief that crushes me.
120

Commentary

Commentary (R. C. Jebb) (OCR draft) (Commentary (R. C. Jebb))

mvp-comment-16-1 ὦ φίλτατ’ ἀνδρῶν ¹

mvp-comment-16-2 σημεῖα φαίνεις ² γεγώς ³

mvp-comment-17-1 ὥσπερ γὰρ ἵππος εὐγενὴς ⁴

mvp-comment-18-1 ἐν τοῖσι δεινοῖς ⁵

mvp-comment-18-2 ἀπώλεσεν ⁶ ἵστησιν ⁷

mvp-comment-18-3 ὡσαύτως δὲ ⁸

mvp-comment-19-1 ἐν πρώτοις ἕπει ⁹

mvp-comment-20-1 εἰ μή τι ¹⁰

mvp-comment-20-2 καιροῦ τυγχάνω ¹¹

mvp-comment-20-3 μεθάρμοσον ¹²

mvp-comment-21-1 γὰρ ¹³

mvp-comment-21-2 ἱκόμην ¹⁴

mvp-comment-21-3 μάθοιμ’ ¹⁵

mvp-comment-21-4 ἀροίμην ¹⁶

mvp-comment-22-1 χρῇ ¹⁷ τοιαῦθ’ ¹⁸ ὧν ¹⁹

mvp-comment-22-2 ὁ Φοῖβος ²⁰

mvp-comment-22-3 πεύσει ²¹

mvp-comment-22-4 This verse might seem the preface to some longer recital (cp. Ph. 1418 n.). But in fact it is merely an emphatic prelude to the oracle: τάχα ²²

mvp-comment-23-1 αὐτὸν ²³ ἀσπίδων ²⁴

mvp-comment-23-2 ἀσπίδων τε καὶ στρατοῦ ²⁵ δόλοισι ²⁶

mvp-comment-23-3 χειρὸς ²⁷ σφαγάς ²⁸

mvp-comment-23-4 κλέψαι ²⁹

mvp-comment-24-1 ὅτε ³⁰

mvp-comment-24-2 σὺ μὲν μολὼν ³¹

mvp-comment-24-3 καιρὸς ³²

mvp-comment-24-4 ἴσθι ³³

mvp-comment-25-1 γήρᾳ ³⁴ χρόνῳ μακρῷ ³⁵

mvp-comment-25-2 οὐδ’ ὑποπτεύσουσιν ³⁶ οὐ μὴ γνῶσι ³⁷

mvp-comment-25-3 ὧδ’ ἠνθισμένον ³⁸

mvp-comment-26-1 Φωκεύς ³⁹

mvp-comment-26-2

ἀνδρὸς Φανοτέως. ἀνήρ

, thus prefixed to a proper name, serves either: ( a) to introduce a person not previously men tioned,—being more respectful than

τις

, as Il. 11. 92

ἄνδρα Βιήνορα

, Her. 8. 82

ἀνὴρ Παναίτιος

: or ( b) adds something of solemnity or pathos to the mention of a familiar name, as Soph. O. C. 109

ἀνδρὸς Οἰδίπου

, Soph. Ai. 817

ἀνδρὸς Ἕκτορος

mvp-comment-26-3 Phanoteus was the eponymous hero of the town Phanoteus ( Thuc. 4. 89 ), or Panopeus ( Il. 2. 520 etc., Paus. , Strabo), in Phocis, close to the Boeotian frontier, —about three miles west of Chaeroneia, and as many east of Daulis. He was the brother of Crisus, from whom the town of Crisa in Phocis (about two miles w. s. w. of Delphi) took its name. Between these brothers, said the legend, there was a deadly feud; before birth they had struggled in the womb (Tzetzes, Lycophr. 939: cp. Preller, Griechische Mythologie, 2. p. 54 n. 5). Now Crisus was the father of Strophius, that king of Crisa who was the ally of Agamemnon, and with whom the young Orestes found a home. Hence Phanoteus, the foe of Crisus, is represented as the friend of Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra. He is the first to send them the glad tidings that Orestes is dead. On the other hand it is Strophius who is described as paying the last honours to the corpse, and sending the ashes to Mycenae (1111).

mvp-comment-26-4 ὁ γὰρ ⁴⁰

mvp-comment-27-1 μέγιστος ⁴¹

mvp-comment-27-2 τυγχάνει ⁴²

mvp-comment-27-3 δορυξένων ⁴³

mvp-comment-28-1 ὅρκον ⁴⁴ ὅρκῳ ⁴⁵

mvp-comment-28-2 On the other hand, the phrase

προστιθέναι ὅρκον

has the authority of Sophocles himself: fr. 431

ὅρκου δὲ προστεθέντος ἐπιμελεστέρα

ψυχὴ κατέστη

. Cp. too Tr. 255

ὅρκον αὑτῷ προσβαλών

mvp-comment-28-3 The false oath would be regarded as excused by the

δόλοι

which Apollo had prescribed (v. 37); but in fact the Paedagogus takes no such oath.

mvp-comment-29-1 ἀναγκαίας τύχης ⁴⁶

mvp-comment-29-2 ἄθλοισι ⁴⁷ Πυθικοῖσιν ⁴⁸

mvp-comment-29-3 τροχηλάτων ⁴⁹

mvp-comment-29-4 ἑστάτω ⁵⁰

mvp-comment-30-1 ἐφίετο ⁵¹

mvp-comment-30-2 λοιβαῖσι ⁵²

mvp-comment-30-3 καρατόμοις χλιδαῖς ⁵³

mvp-comment-30-4 στέψαντες ⁵⁴

mvp-comment-30-5 ἄψορρον … πάλιν ⁵⁵

mvp-comment-31-1 τύπωμα ⁵⁶ χαλκόπλευρον ⁵⁷

mvp-comment-31-2 ἠρμένοι ⁵⁸

mvp-comment-31-3 Others take

ἠρμένοι

as middle. This use of

ἦρμαι

is not unknown to later Greek; e.g. Strabo 3. p. 150 has

νίκην ἠρμένοι

ἀράμενοι

. But there is no example of it in the classical period.

mvp-comment-32-1 Join που ⁵⁹ καὶ σὺ ⁶⁰

mvp-comment-32-2 The v.l. μοι ⁶¹

mvp-comment-33-1 λόγῳ κλέπτοντες ⁶²

mvp-comment-33-2 φέρωμεν ⁶³

mvp-comment-33-3 ἔρρει ⁶⁴

mvp-comment-33-4 δέμας ⁶⁵

mvp-comment-34-1 τί γάρ με λυπεῖ ⁶⁶

mvp-comment-34-2 ἔργοισι ⁶⁷

mvp-comment-34-3 κἀξενέγκωμαι ⁶⁸

mvp-comment-35-1 δοκῶ μέν ⁶⁹ σὺν κέρδει ⁷⁰

mvp-comment-35-2 κακόν ⁷¹

mvp-comment-36-1 πολλάκις ⁷²

mvp-comment-36-2 λόγῳ μάτην θνῄσκοντας ⁷³

mvp-comment-36-3 ἐκτετίμηνται ⁷⁴

mvp-comment-37-1 ὡς ⁷⁵

mvp-comment-37-2 κἄμ’ ἐπαυχῶ ⁷⁶

mvp-comment-37-3 ἄπο ⁷⁷

mvp-comment-37-4 δεδορκότ’ ⁷⁸

mvp-comment-37-5 ἐχθροῖς ⁷⁹ λάμψειν ⁸⁰

mvp-comment-37-6 ἄστρον ⁸¹

mvp-comment-37-7 ἔτι ⁸²

mvp-comment-38-1 πατρῴα γῆ ⁸³

mvp-comment-38-2 εὐτυχοῦντα ⁸⁴

mvp-comment-38-3 ὁδοῖς ⁸⁵

mvp-comment-39-1 καθαρτής ⁸⁶

mvp-comment-39-2 πρὸς θεῶν ὡρμημένος ⁸⁷

mvp-comment-40-1 ἀλλ’ ἀρχέπλουτον ⁸⁸

mvp-comment-40-2 ἀρχέπλουτον ⁸⁹

mvp-comment-40-3 καταστάτην ⁹⁰

mvp-comment-41-1 εἴρηκα μέν νυν ταῦτα ⁹¹

mvp-comment-41-2 μελέσθω ⁹²

mvp-comment-42-1 ἐπιστάτης ⁹³

mvp-comment-43-1 ἰώ μοί μοι δύστηνος ⁹⁴

mvp-comment-44-1 καὶ μὴν ⁹⁵

mvp-comment-44-2 θυρῶν ⁹⁶

mvp-comment-44-3 I should agree with the schol. in governing

θυρῶν

by ἔνδον ⁹⁷

mvp-comment-44-4 προσπόλων τινὸς ⁹⁸

mvp-comment-45-1 θέλεις | μείνωμεν … ; ⁹⁹

mvp-comment-45-2 The reading of the MSS., κἀνακούσωμεν ¹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-45-3 On the other hand Sophocles has

ἐπακούω

, ‘to listen,’ in O. T. 708 , O. T. 794 : O. C. 694 : Ph. 1417. Nauck's correction, κἀπακούσωμεν ¹⁰¹

mvp-comment-46-1 μηδὲν πρόσθεν ¹⁰²

mvp-comment-46-2 τὰ Λοξίου ¹⁰³

mvp-comment-46-3 ἀρχηγετεῖν ¹⁰⁴

Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) focus

26-27. mvp-comment-18-1 ἀπώλεσεν.. ἵστησιν] The description passes from the gnomic aorist to the vivid present. For the verb, cp. Hdt. 4. 129, οἱ ἵπποι ἐν θαύματι ἔσκον, ὀρθὰ ἱστάντες τὰ ὦτα.

27. mvp-comment-19-1 δέ] In apodosi.

29. mvp-comment-20-1 τὰ . . δόξαντα] Sc. ἐμοί τε καὶ Πυλάδῃ τῷδε. Their plans are already formed.

31. mvp-comment-21-1 εἰ μή τι καιροῦ τυγχάνω] 'If anywhere I miss the mark,'-εἴ τι ἁμαρτάνω. Ε. on L. § 41. p. 78.

33. mvp-comment-22-1 πατρί is more expressive than πατρός. Cp. supr. 14.

34. mvp-comment-23-1 ἀροίμην is probably aorist (not future) optative, being indirect for (τίνι τρόπῳ) ἄρωμαι;

36. mvp-comment-24-1 Myself alone, unsupported by armed men.' Cp. Pind. Nem. 3. 59, δε καὶ Ἰωλκὸν εἶλε μόνος ἄνευ στρατιᾶς.

37. mvp-comment-25-1 By craft to steal the righteous deathblow which my hand should give.' χειρός marks the directly personal nature of the act. Cp. O. T. 811, ἐκ τῆσδε χειρός, and note. For the genitive, cp. infr. 206, θανάτους αἰκεῖς διδύμαιν χειροῖν.

38. mvp-comment-26-1 τοιόνδε, like τοιαῦτα in supr. 35, points to the remarkable nature of the oracle (cp. O. Τ. 95, οἱ ἤκουσα, and note), but with greater vividness. E. on L. § 22. p. 34.

39. mvp-comment-27-1 καιρός is personified, as infr. 75.

42-43. mvp-comment-28-1 (1) For thine age, and the long lapse of time, that has so altered thee, will surely prevent their recognizing or suspecting thee.' Or (2) taking οὐδ᾽ ἠνθισμένον separately, as referring to the Phocian costume, For thine age and the lapse of time will prevent their knowing you, nor will they once suspect you under this disguise.' Or (3) supposing ὧδ' ήνθισμένον to be an afterthought and the causal datives to be resumed with it, 'After so many years in which you have grown old they will not know or suspect you, altered as you are by age.' Cp. Shak. Cymb. 4. 4. 31-4 (Guiderius): 'Pray, sir, to the army: I and my brother are not known; yourself So out of thought, and thereto so o'ergrown, Cannot be questioned.' For the combination of aorist subj. and fut. ind., cp. Ο. C. 450, 1, ἀλλ᾽ οὗ τι μὴ λάχωσι τοῦδε συμμάχου, | οὔτε σφιν ἀρχῆς . . | ὄνησις ἥξει.

45. mvp-comment-29-1 Phanoteus had quarrelled with his brother Crisus, the father of Strophius and uncle of Pylades, and therefore was likely to send information of a fact which told against them. (Dind.). Whether this be the precise version of the legend as understood by Sophocles or not, some such relation between Strophius and Phanoteus is intended by him. Strophius is, in Sophocles also, the guardian of Orestes, - infr. 1111.

47. mvp-comment-30-1 ὅρκῳ προστιθείς] (1) Sc. τὰ ἀγγελλόμενα. With the preface of an oath.' Hermann objects to this: 'At ita res primaria in secundariam converteretur.' But such inversions are not infrequent. Cp. Aristoph. Av. 1004. See E. on L. § 42. p. 80, and Schmidt's Shak. Lex., Grammatical Observations, § 14. p. 1423. The correction ὅρκον προστιθείς (for which cp. Fr. 428, ὅρκου δὲ προστεθέντος ἐπιμελεστέρα | ψυχὴ κατέστη) is therefore unnecessary. Or (2) ὅρκῳ is a dative of manner, 'With an oath,' to which προστιθείς, sc. ὅρκον, is added epexegetically. Cp. Essay on L. § 14. p. 21; ib. § 36. p. 63 (5) a.

48. mvp-comment-31-1 ἐξ ἀναγκαίας τύχης] 'Through a fatal accident.' ἀναγκαία τύχη is here a misfortune that cannot be avoided. The same phrase is used with slightly different shades of meaning in Aj. 485, 803.

49. mvp-comment-32-1 ἄθλοισι Πυθικοῖσιν] ‘At the Pythian games.' Dat. of the occasion. E. on L. § 11. p. 18. The Delphic contest is said to have been instituted in the 48th Olympiad, but is here ideally carried back into the heroic age. Cp. Aj. 596 and note.

51. mvp-comment-33-1 ὡς ἐφίετο] Sc. ὁ Λοξίας ( infr. 82, 3). Cp. Ο. Τ. 110, ἐν τῇδ᾽ ἔφασκε γῇ.

52. mvp-comment-34-1 καρατόμοις χλιδαῖς] ‘With shorn locks luxuriant.' Cp. infr. 901, νεώρη βόστρυχον. The word χλιδή perhaps marks the luxuriance of the youthful Orestes' locks. Cp. Plat. Phaedo, 89 B, αὔριον δή, ἔφη, ἴσως, ὦ Φαίδων, τὰς καλὰς ταύτας κόμας ἀποκερεῖ.

54. mvp-comment-35-1 'Holding uplifted in our hands the shapely urn with sides of brass.' The Scholiast rightly compares the construction of τύπωμα with ᾐρμένοι to such expressions as πώγωνα καθειμένος, – ἀντὶ τοῦ κεχαλασμένον ἔχων. But he does not observe that in both cases the verb is in the middle voice. τύπωμα is literally, A moulded form.' Cp. Ant. 430, ἐκ δ' εὐκροτήτου .. πρόχου, κ.τ.λ. For χαλκόπλευρον, cp. Aesch. Cho. 686, λέβητος χαλκέου πλευρώματα.

55. mvp-comment-36-1 (1) Which, as I believe (που) you know, is hidden in the brake.' For οἰσθά που, cp. infr. 948, 9, παρουσίαν μὲν λέγων, | οἶσθα καὶ σὺ που φίλων | ὡς. κ.τ.λ. (2) The v. r. μοι for που is also possible. Which I have, as you know, hidden in the brake.' μοι, if genuine, is not dative of the agent, but of remote reference not I have hidden it, but 'I have it hidden.'

56. mvp-comment-37-1 λόγῳ κλέπτοντες] 'Stealing our advance through feigned words.' The participle is equally emphatic with the verb.

57. mvp-comment-38-1 φέρωμεν] The optative cannot be defended here.

59-60. mvp-comment-39-1 The precise construction would be either λυπεῖ.. ὅτε σώζομαι, or λυπήσει . . ὅταν σωθῶ. But as the sentence proceeds the mind of Orestes dwells more than at first on the futurity of the event.

60. mvp-comment-40-1 κἀξενέγκωμαι κλέος] ‘And win renown.' Cp. Od. 1. 298, οἷον κλέος ἔλλαβε δῖος Ορέστης.

61. mvp-comment-41-1 δοκῶ μέν] Cp. infr. 547: О. С. 995, δοκῶ μέν, εἴπερ ζῆν φιλεῖς, κ.τ.λ.: Fr. 83, δοκῶ μέν, οὐδείς: Plato, Meno, 94 C, δοκῶ μέν, ἐβούλετο, Methinks, no word is inauspicious that is accompanied with gain.' Cp. Eur. Hel. 1050 foll. (quoted by Brunck), ΕΛ. βούλει λέγεσθαι, μὴ θανών, τεθνηκέναι; ΜΕΝ. κακὸς μὲν ὄρνις· εἰ δὲ κερδανῶ λέγων, | ἕτοιμός εἰμι μὴ θανών λόγῳ θανείν.

62-66. mvp-comment-42-1 Some such story as that of Aristeas of Proconnesus, Hdt. 4. 13-16, is probably in the mind of the poet, who need not however be accused of the anachronism of making Orestes refer to this or any similar story (as of Pythagoras, Epimenides, Solon, Zaleucus, or Zamolxis). Hermann finds here an allusion to some banished Athenian citizen, who (like the late Lord Brougham) may have ambitiously spread the rumour of his own death.

63. mvp-comment-43-1 μάτην] ‘Without reality. For the pleonasm, see E. on L. § 40. p. 75.

64. mvp-comment-44-1 ἐκτετίμηνται πλέον] ‘Their name stands higher than before.' For this intensive use of the perfect, cp. ἐσπούδακα, τετεύτακα, and similar words.

65-66. mvp-comment-45-1 Even so I, having indeed come to life in consequence of this report, shall yet, I trust, flash like a comet on my foes.' δεδορκότα is used intensively for βλέποντα = ζῶντα, but this natural use of language is assisted by the image of the star. (See L. and S. s. ν. δέρκομαι.) The star of Orestes in the ascendant will be of evil omen to his enemies. Cp. Il. 22. 30, λαμπρότατος μὲν ὅδ᾽ ἐστί, κακὸν δὲ τε σῆμα τέτυκται. For ἔτι meaning 'Hereafter, though not now, cp. infr. 471: Trach. 256, 7, ἢ μὴν τὸν ἀγχιστῆρα τοῦδε τοῦ πάθους | ξὺν παιδὶ καὶ γυναικὶ δουλώσειν ἔτι: Ant. 69: Phil. 1359. Compare with ll. 59-66 the comic words of Falstaff, Shak. I Hen. 4. 5. 4. 120, 'To counterfeit dying, when a man thereby liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the true and perfect image of life indeed.'

68. mvp-comment-46-1 Receive me and let me prosper in this my coming. The participle is proleptic. For ταῖσδε ταῖς ὁδοῖς, cp. Ὁ. C. 553, τανῦν θ᾽ ὁδοῖς | ἐν ταῖσδ᾽ ἀκούων μᾶλλον ἐξεπίσταμαι.

70. mvp-comment-47-1 δίκῃ καθαρτής] ‘A rightful purifier.' See E. on L. § 14. р. 20. Ср. Shak. J. C. 2. 1. 180, We shall be called purgers, not murderers.'

72. mvp-comment-48-1 ἀλλ᾽ ἀρχέπλουτον] Sc. καταστήσατε, the positive notion elicited from the negative, -E. on L. § 36. p. 64. (1) But make me the founder of a wealthy line.' This would seem to be the meaning of the compound, according to the analogy of ἀρχέκακος. The word in this sense may possibly be construed with δόμων, 'Beginner of wealth to the house. Others explain it as equal to ἀρχαιόπλουτος, (2) ‘Enjoying ancient wealth. For this, cp. ἀρχεδίκης, Pind. Pyth. 4. 189-195, ἀρχαίαν κομίζων πατρὸς ἐμοῦ βασιλευομέναν | οὐ κατ' αἶσαν .... τιμάν. | πεύθομαι γάρ νιν Πελίαν . . | ἁμετέρων ἀποσυλᾶσαι βιαίως ἀρχεδικᾶν τοκέων.

74. mvp-comment-49-1 τὸ σὸν .. φρουρῆσαι χρέος] 'Go thy way and watchfully execute thy duty.' Lit. Watch thy service,' i. e. perform thy service which requires watchfulness. τὸ σὸν . . χρέος is cognate acc. after φρουρῆσαι, but also in the first instance the subject of μελέσθω, to which φρουρῆσαι is added as an explanatory infinitive.

75. mvp-comment-50-1 καιρὸς γάρ] Sc. ἐστί. For the occasion is here. See E. on L. § 39. p. 72, 1 α.

75-76. mvp-comment-51-1 ὅσπερ, κ.τ.λ.] 'And of all powers that direct men's enterprises, Occasion is chief.'

77-86. mvp-comment-52-1 As the function of the chorus, see Introduction, is to respond to Electra, who gives the principal interest to the play, their entrance is preceded by a monody from her, which draws the sympathy of the spectators to the chief person, and prepares them to enter more fully into the spirit of the action. And-less to whet the purpose of Orestes, than to show his firmness- he is allowed to hear her wailing from within. It is easy to see how this must excite him. But it does not alter his determination to rely upon himself alone. And thus, although for the moment eager to hear more, he yields at once to the counsel of the old man, that nothing should delay the action for which the moment is come. After l. 85, exeunt Orestes, the Paedagogus, and Pylades, leaving the proscenium vacant.

77. mvp-comment-53-1 -------. A paroemiac, consisting wholly of long syllables, like infr. 88, 89, 105, and other lines in the following lament. See the scheme of metres below.

78-79. mvp-comment-54-1 'Methinks there comes from the doors a sound as of some handmaiden moaning within them.' The harshness of the unusual genitive, θυρῶν ='In the direction of the doorway,' 'e regione ostii,' is softened by the addition of ἔνδον, with which θυρῶν is to be resumed. For the genitive of the place from which an object strikes the sense, cp. infr. 900, 1, ἐσχάτης ὁρῶ | πυρᾶς νεώρη βόστρυχον τετμημένον.

81. mvp-comment-55-1 There is no valid objection to the Scholiast's explanation of this as καὶ ἀνακούσωμεν, ‘And let us hear afresh,' or 'hear further.' Hermann prefers καὶ ἐνακούσωμεν. Neither form is found elsewhere, and Nauck conj. κάπακούσωμεν. But, as Prof. Paley observes, this is unnecessary.

82-83. mvp-comment-56-1 μηδὲν πρόσθεν] Sc. ποιώμεθα, which is absorbed in πειρώμεθ᾽ ἔρδειν. κἀπὸ τῶνδ᾽ ἀρχηγετεῖν] ‘And with this rite initiate our act.

Sophocles Electra 2

Thomas Francklin (Translator)

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Ἠλέκτρα

ἰώ μοί μοι δύστηνος.

Παιδαγωγός

καὶ μὴν θυρῶν ἔδοξα προσπόλων τινὸς

ὑποστενούσης ἔνδον αἰσθέσθαι, τέκνον.

Ὀρέστης

ἆρʼ ἐστὶν ἡ δύστηνος Ἠλέκτρα· θέλεις
80

μείνωμεν αὐτοῦ κἀπακούσωμεν γόων;

Orestes.

Electra

ah, me, ah, joyless me!

Paedagogus

Listen, my son; from the doors of the house, I think, came the sound of some serving girl moaning inside.

Orestes

Can it be my joyless Electra? Shall we remain here and listen to her cries?
80

Commentary

Stable identifiers

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Ἠλέκτρα ἰώ μοί μοι δύστηνος.

Παιδαγωγός καὶ μὴν θυρῶν ἔδοξα προσπόλων τινὸς ὑποστενούσης ἔνδον αἰσθέσθαι, τέκνον.

Ὀρέστης ἆρʼ ἐστὶν ἡ δύστηνος Ἠλέκτρα· θέλεις 80 μείνωμεν αὐτοῦ κἀπακούσωμεν γόων;

Orestes.

Electra ah, me, ah, joyless me!

Paedagogus Listen, my son; from the doors of the house, I think, came the sound of some serving girl moaning inside.

Orestes Can it be my joyless Electra? Shall we remain here and listen to her cries? 80

Commentary

Stable identifiers

Ἠλέκτρα

ἰώ μοί μοι δύστηνος.

Παιδαγωγός

καὶ μὴν θυρῶν ἔδοξα προσπόλων τινὸς

ὑποστενούσης ἔνδον αἰσθέσθαι, τέκνον.

Ὀρέστης

ἆρʼ ἐστὶν ἡ δύστηνος Ἠλέκτρα· θέλεις
80

μείνωμεν αὐτοῦ κἀπακούσωμεν γόων;

Electra

ah, me, ah, joyless me!

Paedagogus

Listen, my son; from the doors of the house, I think, came the sound of some serving girl moaning inside.

Orestes

Can it be my joyless Electra? Shall we remain here and listen to her cries?
80