Greek A level Electra - Sophocles lines 516-763

ἀνειμένη μέν, ὡς ἔοικας, αὖ στρέφει·

so you are wandering around again, as it seems at your own free will.

οὐ γὰρ πάρεστʼ Αἴγισθος, ὅς σʼ ἐπεῖχʼ ἀεὶ

μή τοι θυραίαν γʼ οὖσαν αἰσχύνειν φίλους·

For Aegisthus isn’t here, who has always stopped you from being outside and bringing shame on your loved ones.

νῦν δʼ ὡς ἄπεστʼ ἐκεῖνος, οὐδὲν ἐντρέπει

ἐμοῦ γε·

but now, as he is away, you pay no notice at all to me.

καίτοι πολλὰ πρὸς πολλούς με δὴ

ἐξεῖπας

and in fact you have spoken out about me to many people many times

ὡς θρασεῖα καὶ πέρα δίκης

ἄρχω, καθυβρίζουσα καὶ σὲ καὶ τὰ σά·

saying that I rule harshly and unjustly, insulting both you and your friends.

ἐγὼ δʼ ὕβριν μὲν οὐκ ἔχω, κακῶς δέ σε

λέγω κακῶς κλύουσα πρὸς σέθεν θαμά.

but I am not guilty of insolence, but I criticise you because I hear criticism from you all the time.

πατὴρ γάρ, οὐδὲν ἄλλο, σοὶ πρόσχημʼ ἀεὶ

ὡς ἐξ ἐμοῦ τέθνηκεν.

for your father, nothing else, is the excuse you always use, saying that he died at my hands.

ἐξ ἐμοῦ· καλῶς

ἔξοιδα· τῶνδʼ ἄρνησις οὐκ ἔνεστί μοι·

at my hands. yes, I know it well. you won’t get any denial of this from me.

ἡ γὰρ Δίκη νιν εἷλεν, οὐκ ἐγὼ μόνη,

ᾗ χρῆν σʼ ἀρήγειν, εἰ φρονοῦσʼ ἐτύγχανες·

For it was justice that destroyed him, not me alone, justice whom you ought to be supporting, if you had any sense.

ἐπεὶ πατὴρ σὸς οὗτος, ὃν θρηνεῖς ἀεί,

τὴν σὴν ὅμαιμον μοῦνος Ἑλλήνων ἔτλη

θῦσαι θεοῖσιν,

For this father of yours, who you are always lamenting, was the only one of the Greeks who dared to sacrifice your own sister to the gods, your own blo

οὐκ ἴσον καμὼν ἐμοὶ

λύπης, ὅτʼ ἔσπειρʼ, ὥσπερ ἡ τίκτουσʼ ἐγώ.

he didn’t suffer like me, when he sowed his seed in me, not as when I gave birth to you.

εἶεν, δίδαξον δή με τοῦ χάριν, τίνων

ἔθυσεν αὐτήν

well then, tell me for what reason, or for whom, he sacrificed her

πότερον Ἀργείων ἐρεῖς;

ἀλλʼ οὐ μετῆν αὐτοῖσι τήν γʼ ἐμὴν κτανεῖν.

will you say whether it was for the Argives? but they had no right to kill my child for themselves.

ἀλλʼ ἀντʼ ἀδελφοῦ δῆτα Μενέλεω κτανὼν

τἄμʼ, οὐκ ἔμελλε τῶνδέ μοι δώσειν δίκην;

but as - instead of Menelaus’ children he killed one of mine, was he not intending to pay me the penalty for this?

πότερον ἐκείνῳ παῖδες οὐκ ἦσαν διπλοῖ,

οὓς τῆσδε μᾶλλον εἰκὸς ἦν θνῄσκειν, πατρὸς

καὶ μητρὸς ὄντας, ἧς ὁ πλοῦς ὅδʼ ἦν χάριν;

did he not have two sons, and was it not more reasonable for them to die instead of her, as they were children of the mother, for whose sake this expedition took place?