Agamemnon

Perseus Greek · Perseus Greek · 1,735 sections

787
But no bite of the sorrow their liver has reached to:
788
They say with the joyful, — one outside on each, too,
789
As they force to a smile smileless faces.
790
But whoever is good at distinguishing races
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In sheep of his flock — it is not for the eyes
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Of a man to escape such a shepherd’s surprise,
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As they seem, from a well-wishing mind,
794
In watery friendship to fawn and be kind.
795
Thou to me, then, indeed, sending an army for Helena’s sake,
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(I will not conceal it) wast — oh, by no help of the Muses! — depicted
797
Not well of thy midriff the rudder directing. — convicted
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Of bringing a boldness they did not desire to the men with existence at stake.
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But now — from no outside of mind, nor unlovingly — gracious thou art
800
To those who have ended the labour, fulfilling their part;
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And in time shalt thou know, by inquiry instructed,
802
Who of citizens justly, and who not to purpose, the city conducted.
810
First, indeed, Argos, and the gods, the local,
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’T is right addressing — those with me the partners
812
In this return and right things done the city
813
Of Priamos: gods who, from no tongue hearing
814
The rights o’ the cause, for Ilion’s fate man-slaught’rous
815
Into the bloody vase, not oscillating,
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Put the vote-pebbles, while, o’ the rival vessel,
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Hope rose up to the lip-edge: filled it was not.
818
By smoke the captured city is still conspicuous:
819
Até’s burnt offerings live: and, dying with them,
820
The ash sends forth the fulsome blasts of riches.
821
Of these things, to the gods grace many-mindful
822
’T is right I render, since both nets outrageous
823
We built them round with, and, for sake of woman,
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It did the city to dust — the Argeian monster,
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The horse’s nestling, the shield-bearing people
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That made a leap, at setting of the Pleiads,
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And, vaulting o’er the tower, the raw-flesh-feeding
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Lion licked up his fill of blood tyrannic.
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I to the gods indeed prolonged this preface;
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But — as for thy thought, I remember hearing —
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I say the same, and thou co-pleader hast me.
832
Since few of men this faculty is born with —
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To honour, without grudge, their friend, successful.
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For moody, on the heart, a poison seated
835
Its burthen doubles to who gained the sickness:
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By his own griefs he is himself made heavy,
837
And out-of-door prosperity seeing groans at.
838
Knowing, I’d call (for well have I experienced)
839
Fellowship’s mirror, phantom of a shadow,
840
Those seeming to be mighty gracious to me:
841
While just Odusseus — he who sailed not willing —
842
When joined on, was to me the ready trace-horse.
843
This of him, whether dead or whether living,
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I say. For other city-and-gods’ concernment —
845
Appointing common courts, in full assemblage
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We will consult. And as for what holds seemly —
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How it may lasting stay well, must be counselled:
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While what has need of medicines Paionian
849
We, either burning or else cutting kindly,
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Will make endeavour to turn pain from sickness.
851
And now into the domes and homes by altar
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Going, I to the gods first raise the right-hand —
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They who, far sending, back again have brought me.
854
And Victory, since she followed, fixed remain she!
855
Men, citizens, Argeians here, my worships!
856
I shall not shame me, consort-loving manners
857
To tell before you: for in time there dies off
858
The diffidence from people. Not from others
859
Learning, I of myself will tell the hard life
860
I bore so long as this man was ’neath Ilion.
861
First: for a woman, from the male divided,
862
To sit at home alone, is monstrous evil —
863
Hearing the many rumours back-revenging:
864
And for now This to come, now That bring after
865
Woe, and still worse woe, bawling in the household!
866
And truly, if so many wounds had chanced on
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My husband here, as homeward used to dribble
868
Report, he’s pierced more than a net to speak of!
869
While, were he dying (as the words abounded)
870
A triple-bodied Geruon the Second,
871
Plenty above — for loads below I count not —
872
Of earth a three-share cloak he’d boast of taking,
873
Once only dying in each several figure!
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Because of suchlike rumours back-revenging,
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Many the halters from my neck, above head,
876
Others than I loosed — loosed from neck by main force!
877
From this cause, sure, the boy stands not beside me —
878
Possessor of our troth-plights, thine and mine too —
879
As ought Orestes: be not thou astonished!
880
For, him brings up our well-disposed guest-captive
881
Strophios the Phokian — ills that told on both sides
882
To me predicting — both of thee ’neath Ilion
883
The danger, and if anarchy’s mob-uproar
884
Should overthrow thy council; since ’t is born with
885
Mortals, — whoe’er has fallen, the more to kick him.
886
Such an excuse, I think, no cunning carries!
887
As for myself — why, of my wails the rushing
888
Fountains are dried up: not in them a drop more!
889
And in my late-to-bed eyes I have damage,
890
Bewailing what concerned thee, those torch-holdings
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For ever unattended to. In dreams — why,
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Beneath the light wing-beats o’ the gnat, I woke up
893
As he went buzzing — sorrows that concerned thee

Perseus Greek. CTS URN tlg0085.tlg005.perseus-eng4. Via the Perseus Digital Library / Open Greek and Latin TEI corpora. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source.