Stasimon 6
Neither bed-keeping —
1450
And bear unended sleeping,
Is our keeper, the kindest of mood!
Having borne, for a woman’s sake, much strife —
By a woman he withered from life!
Law-breaking Helena who, one,
1455
Hast many, so many souls undone
’Neath Troia! and now the consummated
Hast thou made flower-forth, red
With the blood no rains disperse,
1460
That which was then in the House —
1460
Strife all-subduing, the woe of a spouse.
KLUTAIMNESTRA.
Nowise, of death the fate —
Burdened by these things — supplicate!
Nor on Helena turn thy wrath
As the man-destroyer, as she who hath,
1465
Many and many a soul undone
And wrought immense annoy!
CHOROS.
Daimon, who fallest
Upon this household and the double-raced
Tantalidai, a rule, minded like theirs displaced,
Thou rulest me with, now,
1470
Whose heart thou gallest!
And on the body, like a hateful crow,
Stationed, all out of tune, his chant to chant
KLUTAIMNESTRA.
Now, of a truth, hast thou set upright
1475
O’er the race that has dominion:
For through him it is that Eros
In the belly is bred: ere ended quite
Is the elder throe — new ichor!
1480
CHOROS.
Certainly, great of might
And heavy of wrath, the Sprite
Thou tellest of, in the palace
— An evil tale of a fate
1485
King, king, how shall I beweep thee?
1490
From friendly soul whatever say?
Thou liest where webs of the spider o’ersweep thee
In impious death, life breathing away.
By a slavish death subdued thou art,
1495
From the hand, by the two-edged dart.
KLUTAIMNESTRA.
Thou boastest this deed to be mine:
For, showing himself in sign
1500
Of the spouse of the corpse thou dost see,
1500
Did the ancient bitter avenging-ghost
Pay the man here as price —
A full-grown for the young one’s sacrifice.
CHOROS.
That no cause, indeed, of this killing art thou,
1505
Who shall be witness-bearer?
How shall he bear it — how?
But the sire’s avenging-ghost might be in the deed a sharer.
By the kin-born flowing of blood,
1510
— Black Ares: to where, having gone,
He shall leave off, flowing done,
At the frozen-child’s-flesh food.
King, king, how shall I beweep thee?
From friendly soul whatever say?
Thou liest where webs of the spider o’ersweep thee
1515
In impious death, life breathing away.
By a slavish death subdued thou art,
From the hand, by the two-edged dart.
1520
KLUTAIMNESTRA.
No death unfit for the free
Do I think this man’s to be:
For did not himself a slavish curse
But the scion of him, myself did nurse —
1525
That much-bewailed Iphigeneia, he
Having done well by, — and as well, nor worse,
Been done to, — let him not in Haides loudly
Being by sword-destroying death amerced
For that sword’s punishment himself inflicted first.
CHOROS.
I at a loss am left —
1530
Of a feasible scheme of mind bereft —
Where I may turn: for the house is falling:
I fear the bloody crash of the rain
That ruins the roof as it bursts amain:
Destiny doth Justice whet
1535
For other deed of hurt, on other whetstones yet.
Woe, earth, earth — would thou hadst taken me
Of the silver-sided bath-vase, dead!
1540
Who is it shall bury him, who
Sing his dirge? Can it be true
That thou wilt dare this same to do —
Having slain thy husband, thine own,
To make his funeral moan:
And for the soul of him, in place
1545
Of his mighty deeds, a graceless grace
To wickedly institute? By whom
Shall the tale of praise o’er the tomb
At the god-like man be sent —
From the truth of his mind as he toils intent?
1550
KLUTAIMNESTRA.
It belongs not to thee to declare
By us did he fall — down there!
Did he die — down there! and down, no less,
We will bury him there, and not beneath
The wails of the household over his death:
But Iphigeneia, — with kindliness, —
1555
His daughter, — as the case requires,
Facing him full, at the rapid-flowing
Passage of Groans shall — both hands throwing
Around him — kiss that kindest of sires!
CHOROS.
This blame comes in the place of blame:
1560
Hard battle it is to judge each claim.
He is borne away who bears away:
And the killer has all to pay.
And this remains while Zeus is remaining,
The doer shall suffer in time — for, such his ordaining.
Who may cast out of the House its cursed brood?
1565
The race is to Até glued!
KLUTAIMNESTRA.
Thou hast gone into this oracle
With a true result. For me, then, — I will
— To the Daimon of the Pleisthenidai
Making an oath — with all these things comply
1570
Hard as they are to bear. For the rest —
Going from out this House, a guest,
May he wear some other family
To nought, with the deaths of kin by kin!
And, — keeping a little part of my goods, —
Having expelled from the royal House
These frenzied moods
1575