Sophocles, Electra

LCL 20: 198-199

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Sophocles

τῆς μητρός. οὕτω γὰρ φανῇ πλείστοις κακή, θανόντα πατέρα καὶ φίλους προδοῦσα σούς.

ΧΟΡΟΣ

μηδὲν πρὸς ὀργὴν πρὸς θεῶν· ὡς τοῖς λόγοις 370ἔνεστιν ἀμφοῖν κέρδος, εἰ σὺ μὲν μάθοις τοῖς τῆσδε χρῆσθαι, τοῖς δὲ σοῖς αὕτη πάλιν.

ΧΡΥΣΟΘΕΜΙΣ

ἐγὼ μέν, ὦ γυναῖκες, ἠθάς εἰμί πως τῶν τῆσδε μύθων· οὐδ᾿ ἂν ἐμνήσθην ποτέ, εἰ μὴ κακὸν μέγιστον εἰς αὐτὴν ἰὸν 375ἤκουσ᾿, ὃ ταύτην τῶν μακρῶν σχήσει γόων.

ΗΛΕΚΤΡΑ

φέρ᾿ εἰπὲ δὴ τὸ δεινόν. εἰ γὰρ τῶνδέ μοι μεῖζόν τι λέξεις, οὐκ ἂν ἀντείποιμ᾿ ἔτι.

ΧΡΥΣΟΘΕΜΙΣ

ἀλλ᾿ ἐξερῶ σοι πᾶν ὅσον κάτοιδ᾿ ἐγώ. μέλλουσι γάρ σ᾿, εἰ τῶνδε μὴ λήξεις γόων, 380ἐνταῦθα πέμψειν ἔνθα μή ποθ᾿ ἡλίου φέγγος προσόψῃ, ζῶσα δ᾿ ἐν κατηρεφεῖ στέγῃ χθονὸς τῆσδ᾿ ἐκτὸς ὑμνήσεις κακά. πρὸς ταῦτα φράζου, καί με μή ποθ᾿ ὕστερον παθοῦσα μέμψῃ. νῦν γὰρ ἐν καλῷ φρονεῖν.

ΗΛΕΚΤΡΑ

385ἦ ταῦτα δή με καὶ βεβούλευνται ποεῖν;

ΧΡΥΣΟΘΕΜΙΣ

μάλισθ᾿· ὅταν περ οἴκαδ᾿ Αἴγισθος μόλῃ.

  • 382ἐκτὸς] ἐντὸς Schenkl
198

Electra

you will seem to most people a traitor, who have betrayed your dead father and those who are your own!

chorus

I beg you, say nothing in anger! There is profit in the words of both, if you would learn to make use of hers and she in turn of yours.

chrysothemis

For my part, women, I am accustomed somehow to her way of speaking; and I should not have spoken of these things, if it were not that I have heard of a great evil coming upon her, which will restrain her from her long lamentations.

electra

Come, tell me what is the terrible thing! If you are going to tell me of something worse than my present condition, I shall argue with you no more.

chrysothemis

Well, I will tell you all I know! If you do not leave off these lamentations, they plan to send you to where you shall no longer see the light of the sun, but while still alive in a dungeon, outside this country, you shall bewail your troubles. In the face of that take thought, and do not blame me later, after you have suffered; now you have the chance to show good sense!

electra

Is that what they have decided to do to me?

chrysothemis

Yes, whenever Aegisthus returns home.

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DOI: 10.4159/DLCL.sophocles-electra.1994