between the rock and the cold, cold sea

Χορός
[140]σῖγα σῖγα, λεπτὸν ἴχνος ἀρβύλης
τίθετε, μὴ κτυπεῖτ᾽.

Chorus
Softly, softly: set down lightly your half-boot's step,
don't crash about.

Ἠλέκτρα
ἀποπρὸ βᾶτ᾽ ἐκεῖσ᾽, ἀποπρό μοι κοίτας.

Elektra
Go far off from this here, far off from his bed with me.

Χορός
ἰδού, πείθομαι.

Chorus
Look, I am obeying.

Ἠλέκτρα
[145] ἆ ἆ σύριγγος ὅπως πνοὰ
λεπτοῦ δόνακος, ὦ φίλα, φώνει μοι.

Elektra
Ah, ah, like a breath from a small reed shepherd's pipe
O friend, speak to me.

Χορός
ἴδ᾽, ἀτρεμαῖον ὡς ὑπόροφον φέρω
βοάν.

Chorus
Look, I bear myself soft as the whisper of a reedpipe.

Ἠλέκτρα
ναί, οὕτως:
κάταγε κάταγε, πρόσιθ᾽ ἀτρέμας, ἀτρέμας ἴθι:
[150] λόγον ἀπόδος ἐφ᾽ ὅ τι χρέος ἐμόλετέ ποτε.
χρόνια γὰρ πεσὼν ὅδ᾽ εὐνάζεται.

Elektra
Yes, like so:
Draw down, draw down, be soft, go softly,
[150] give up a reckoning on that business for which you came now.
For after a long time, after falling down, he is sleeping here.

Χορός
πῶς ἔχει; λόγου μετάδος, ὦ φίλα:
τίνα τύχαν εἴπω; τίνα δὲ συμφοράν;

Chorus
How is he? Share some word, O friend:
Should I speak some good fortune? Or some lament?

Ἠλέκτρα
[155] ἔτι μὲν ἐμπνέει, βραχὺ δ᾽ ἀναστένει.

Elektra
[155] He breathes yet, but he groans aloud seldom.

Χορός
τί φῄς; ὦ τάλας.

Chorus
What are you saying? Oh dear.

Ἠλέκτρα
ὀλεῖς, εἰ βλέφαρα κινήσεις
ὕπνου γλυκυτάταν φερομένῳ χάριν.

Elektra
You'll do away with him, if you set his eyelids in motion
from most sweet sleep bearing him grace.

Χορός
[160] μέλεος ἐχθίστων θεόθεν ἐργμάτων,
τάλας.

Chorus
[160] Unhappy one, most hated of deeds at the hands of the gods,
alas.

Ἠλέκτρα
φεῦ μόχθων.
ἄδικος ἄδικα τότ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔλακεν ἔλακεν, ἀπό-
φονον ὅτ᾽ ἐπὶ τρίποδι Θέμιδος ἄρ᾽ ἐδίκασε
[165] φόνον ὁ Λοξίας ἐμᾶς ματέρος.

Elektra
Oh, what distress.
Injustice cried out then, it screamed, "unjust!"
unnatural that on the tripod of Themis Loxias adjudged
[165] the murder of my mother.

Χορός
ὁρᾷς; ἐν πέπλοισι κινεῖ δέμας.

Chorus
Do you see? His body moves under the sheets.

Ἠλέκτρα
σὺ γάρ νιν, ὦ τάλαινα,
θωΰξασ᾽ ἔβαλες ἐξ ὕπνου.

Elektra
You, you wretched thing,
by making noise you've cast him out of sleep!

Χορός
εὕδειν μὲν οὖν ἔδοξα.

Chorus
But it seems to me he is sleeping.

Ἠλέκτρα
[170] οὐκ ἀφ᾽ ἡμῶν, οὐκ ἀπ᾽ οἴκων
πάλιν ἀνὰ πόδα σὸν εἱλίξεις
μεθεμένα κτύπου;

Elektra
[170] Not from us, not from the house,
back by foot [won't you] turn yourself,
ceasing from this din?

Χορός
ὑπνώσσει.

Chorus
He sleeps.

Ἠλέκτρα
λέγεις εὖ.
πότνια, πότνια νύξ,
[175] ὑπνοδότειρα τῶν πολυπόνων βροτῶν,
ἐρεβόθεν ἴθι, μόλε μόλε κατάπτερος
τὸν Ἀγαμεμνόνιον ἐπὶ δόμον.
[180] ὑπὸ γὰρ ἀλγέων ὑπό τε συμφορᾶς
διοιχόμεθ᾽, οἰχόμεθα. κτύπον ἠγάγετ᾽: οὐχὶ σῖγα
σῖγα φυλασσομένα στόματος
[185] ἄνα κέλαδον ἀπὸ λέχεος ἥ-
συχον ὕπνου χάριν παρέξεις, φίλα;

Elektra
You speak truth.
Lady, Lady Night,
[175] she who gives sleep to long-suffering mortals,
come from the nether gloom, come, come winged-swift
to the hall of Agamemnon.
[180] For from agony and from misfortune
I'm ended, we're ruined. You bring such a battle-din: [why don't you]
be quiet, be soft, and keeping guard on your mouth's
rushing-water-sound turn aside away from [where
my brother] sleeps silently in his bier.

Χορός
θρόει τίς κακῶν τελευτὰ μένει.

Chorus
Say what extremity of wickedness awaits.

Ἠλέκτρα
θανεῖν θανεῖν, τί δ᾽ ἄλλο;
οὐδὲ γὰρ πόθον ἔχει βορᾶς.

Elektra
To die, to die, what else?
For he has no desire for nourishment.

Χορός
[190] πρόδηλος ἆρ᾽ ὁ πότμος.

Chorus
[190] Then his fate is clear.

Ἠλέκτρα
ἐξέθυσ᾽ ὁ Φοῖβος ἡμᾶς
μέλεον ἀπόφονον αἷμα δοὺς
πατροφόνου ματρός.

Elektra
Phoebus offered us for sacrifice
when he gave [us] the miserable unnatural blood
of a father-slaying mother.

Χορός
δίκᾳ μέν.

Chorus
It was just.

Ἠλέκτρα
καλῶς δ᾽ οὔ.
[195] ἔκανες ἔθανες, ὦ
τεκομένα με μᾶτερ, ἀπὸ δ᾽ ὤλεσας
πατέρα τέκνα τε τάδε σέθεν ἀφ᾽ αἵματος:
[200] ὀλόμεθ᾽ ἰσονέκυες, ὀλόμεθα.
σύ τε γὰρ ἐν νεκροῖς, τό τ᾽ ἐμὸν οἴχεται
βίου τὸ πλέον μέρος ἐν στοναχαῖσί τε καὶ γόοισι
[205] δάκρυσί τ᾽ ἐννυχίοις, ἄγαμος
ἐπὶ δ᾽ ἄτεκνος ἅτε βίοτον ἁ
μέλεος ἐς τὸν αἰὲν ἕλκω χρόνον.

Elektra
But not noble!
You killed, you perished, O
mother who bore me, from which you've slain
a father and the children of your own blood.
[200]We are destroyed, dying alike, we are destroyed.
For you are among the dead, and it has ruined me
the greater part of my life in wailing and in weeping,
[205] in tears by night, unwed,
with a childless life which
I drag out for a miserable eternity.

Πενθεύς

ἐκφέρετέ μοι δεῦρ᾽ ὅπλα, σὺ δὲ παῦσαι λέγων.

Διόνυσος

ἆ. [810]
βούλῃ σφ᾽ ἐν ὄρεσι συγκαθημένας ἰδεῖν;

Πενθεύς

μάλιστα, μυρίον γε δοὺς χρυσοῦ σταθμόν.

Διόνυσος

τί δ᾽ εἰς ἔρωτα τοῦδε πέπτωκας μέγαν;

Πενθεύς

λυπρῶς νιν εἰσίδοιμ᾽ ἂν ἐξῳνωμένας.

Διόνυσος

ὅμως δ᾽ ἴδοις ἂν ἡδέως ἅ σοι πικρά; [815]

Πενθεύς

σάφ᾽ ἴσθι, σιγῇ γ᾽ ὑπ᾽ ἐλάταις καθήμενος.

Διόνυσος

ἀλλ᾽ ἐξιχνεύσουσίν σε, κἂν ἔλθῃς λάθρᾳ.

Πενθεύς

ἀλλ᾽ ἐμφανῶς: καλῶς γὰρ ἐξεῖπας τάδε.

Διόνυσος

ἄγωμεν οὖν σε κἀπιχειρήσεις ὁδῷ;

Πενθεύς

ἄγ᾽ ὡς τάχιστα, τοῦ χρόνου δέ σοι φθονῶ. [820]


Pentheus:
Bring here to me weapons, and you, stop talking.

Dionysos:
Ah!
You want to see them, who have lain together in the hills?

Pentheus:
Indeed, giving an immense weight of gold.
[Very much, and I'll give a lot of gold for it.]

Dionysos:
Why have you fallen into this great desire?
[Why do you want it so much?]

Pentheus:
I'd distressfully see her drunk.

Dionysos:
All the same, you'd gladly see those things which are bitter to you?

Pentheus:
Be clearly, sitting in silence under the firs.
[Indeed yes...]

Dionysos:
But they'll track you down, even if you go sneakily.

Pentheus:
But obviously: for declaring this nobly.

Dionysos:
So will we lead you? Will you set out on the road?

Pentheus:
Lead as fast as possible: I grudge you the time.

---

So, climbing. My current climbing partner is a tiny giggly Polish woman who's basically the human equivalent of the Energiser Bunny. And really freaking strong. So there I was, being slightly intimidated by her ability to just keep going, when she points to yet another still-unrated route and says, "You should do this one! It is very doable!"

Dear friends: at this point I'd already climbed three 6As and a 5 (difficulties estimated), and was feeling a wee bit pumped in the forearm. But I don't like to not even attempt a challenge.

Well. If pinchy, reachy, horribly technical and made me scream like a baby is your definition of doable, yeah, sure. It's doable. While I was clinging on with two tiny fingertips per hand and stabbing my toe at a hold the whole length of my leg away...

So I fell off a lot. And eventually clawed my way past the two-thirds mark. And then my fingers, which were once again pinching tiny holds while my foot scrabbled for something, anything, decided Cap'n, she canna take much more a'this!

And that was that for my attempt at a buggering bloody 6C. (At least a 6B+, at any rate.)

I managed one more route (estimated 5) and fell off halfway up a couple more 6Bs before packing it in for the night. Still. Tonight's evidence suggests I'm building back strength, since it's an improvement on Monday and last week. My upper body strength is always going to take more maintenance than I'd prefer.

Πενθεύς

ἦλθες δὲ πρῶτα δεῦρ᾽ ἄγων τὸν δαίμονα;

Διόνυσος

πᾶς ἀναχορεύει βαρβάρων τάδ᾽ ὄργια.

Πενθεύς

φρονοῦσι γὰρ κάκιον Ἑλλήνων πολύ.

Διόνυσος

τάδ᾽ εὖ γε μᾶλλον: οἱ νόμοι δὲ διάφοροι.

Πενθεύς

τὰ δ᾽ ἱερὰ νύκτωρ ἢ μεθ᾽ ἡμέραν τελεῖς; [485]

Διόνυσος

νύκτωρ τὰ πολλά: σεμνότητ᾽ ἔχει σκότος.

Πενθεύς

τοῦτ᾽ ἐς γυναῖκας δόλιόν ἐστι καὶ σαθρόν.


Pentheus:

Did you come here first leading/bringing the god/spirit?

Dionysos:

Each of the barbarians celebrate these secret rites.

Pentheus:

For they are much [more] wicked in mind than the Greeks.

Dionysos:

They are exceedingly good: but the laws [are] different.

Pentheus:

Do you fulfill the sacrifices by night or by day?

Dionysos:

The greater part by night: darkness has dignity.

Pentheus:

This to women is deceitful and unsound.


Διόνυσος

κἀν ἡμέρᾳ τό γ᾽ αἰσχρὸν ἐξεύροι τις ἄν.

Πενθεύς

δίκην σε δοῦναι δεῖ σοφισμάτων κακῶν.

Διόνυσος

σὲ δ᾽ ἀμαθίας γε κἀσεβοῦντ᾽ ἐς τὸν θεόν. [490]

Πενθεύς

ὡς θρασὺς ὁ βάκχος κοὐκ ἀγύμναστος λόγων.

Διόνυσος

εἴφ᾽ ὅ τι παθεῖν δεῖ: τί με τὸ δεινὸν ἐργάσῃ;

Πενθεύς

πρῶτον μὲν ἁβρὸν βόστρυχον τεμῶ σέθεν.

Διόνυσος

ἱερὸς ὁ πλόκαμος: τῷ θεῷ δ᾽ αὐτὸν τρέφω.

Πενθεύς

ἔπειτα θύρσον τόνδε παράδος ἐκ χεροῖν. [495]


Dionysos:

And even during the day someone may invent a shameful thing.

Pentheus:

It is necessary to give you a penalty for evil tricks. You'll pay for your evil schemes.

Dionysos:

And you for ignorance and for sinning against the god.

Pentheus:

How bold the Bacchus, and not untrained in words!

Dionysos:

I said what must befall: what fearful thing will you do to me?

Pentheus:

First I'll shear your pretty hair.

Dionysos:

The braid is sacred: I grow it for the god.

Pentheus:

Next hand over the thyrsos from your hands. [495]



Διόνυσος

αὐτός μ᾽ ἀφαιροῦ: τόνδε Διονύσου φορῶ.

Πενθεύς

εἱρκταῖσί τ᾽ ἔνδον σῶμα σὸν φυλάξομεν.

Διόνυσος

λύσει μ᾽ ὁ δαίμων αὐτός, ὅταν ἐγὼ θέλω.

Πενθεύς

ὅταν γε καλέσῃς αὐτὸν ἐν βάκχαις σταθείς.

Διόνυσος

καὶ νῦν ἃ πάσχω πλησίον παρὼν ὁρᾷ. [500]

Πενθεύς

καὶ ποῦ 'στιν; οὐ γὰρ φανερὸς ὄμμασίν γ᾽ ἐμοῖς.

Διόνυσος

παρ᾽ ἐμοί: σὺ δ᾽ ἀσεβὴς αὐτὸς ὢν οὐκ εἰσορᾷς.

Πενθεύς

λάζυσθε: καταφρονεῖ με καὶ Θήβας ὅδε.

Διόνυσος

αὐδῶ με μὴ δεῖν σωφρονῶν οὐ σώφροσιν.

Πενθεύς

ἐγὼ δὲ δεῖν γε, κυριώτερος σέθεν. [505]


Dionysos:

Take it from me yourself. I carry this for Dionysos.

Pentheus:

Inside a prison we'll keep your body.

Dionysos:

The god himself will release me, when I desire.

Pentheus:

Whenever you call him, standing raving.

Dionysos:

Even now what I suffer he sees, being present nearby.

Pentheus:

And where is he? For he's not visible to my eyes.

Dionysos:

Beside me: you, being impious, don't see him.

Pentheus:

Seize him! He despises me and this here Thebes.

Dionysos:

I say not to bind me who is of sound mind, as you all are not.

Pentheus:

I'll bind you indeed, since I'm more powerful than you! [505]


Διόνυσος

οὐκ οἶσθ᾽ ὅ τι ζῇς, οὐδ᾽ ὃ δρᾷς, οὐδ᾽ ὅστις εἶ.

Πενθεύς

Πενθεύς, Ἀγαύης παῖς, πατρὸς δ᾽ Ἐχίονος.

Διόνυσος

ἐνδυστυχῆσαι τοὔνομ᾽ ἐπιτήδειος εἶ.


Dionysos:

You don't know what you stir up, nor what you do, nor who you are.

Pentheus:

Pentheus, son of Agaue, whose father was Exion.

Dionysos:

You're fit to be unlucky in your name.

In lieu of Homer, since it's assigned for class.

Alcestis, 311-319:

καὶ παῖς μὲν ἄρσην πατέρ᾽ ἔχει πύργον μέγαν
[ὃν καὶ προσεῖπε καὶ προσερρήθη πάλιν]:
σὺ δ᾽, ὦ τέκνον μοι, πῶς κορευθήσῃ καλῶς;
ποίας τυχοῦσα συζύγου τῷ σῷ πατρί;
μή σοί τιν᾽ αἰσχρὰν προσβαλοῦσα κληδόνα
ἥβης ἐν ἀκμῇ σοὺς διαφθείρῃ γάμους.
οὐ γάρ σε μήτηρ οὔτε νυμφεύσει ποτὲ
οὔτ᾽ ἐν τόκοισι σοῖσι θαρσυνεῖ, τέκνον,
παροῦσ᾽, ἵν᾽ οὐδὲν μητρὸς εὐμενέστερον.

And while a male child has a father [as] a great tower of defence
(which (s/)he addressed and was accosted in return):
but you, O my child, how will you grow honourably to womanhood?
What sort of yoke-fellow meeting with your father?
[What manner of wife yoked to your father?]
Let her not, casting some shameful repute against
your youth, in its peak ruin your marriage.
For your mother will never give you in marriage
nor encourage you in your childbirths, child,
(there) being at that time nothing better than a mother.


Alcestis, 320-325:

δεῖ γὰρ θανεῖν με: καὶ τόδ᾽ οὐκ ἐς αὔριον
οὐδ᾽ ἐς τρίτην μοι μηνὸς ἔρχεται κακόν,
ἀλλ᾽ αὐτίκ᾽ ἐν τοῖς οὐκέτ᾽ οὖσι λέξομαι.
χαίροντες εὐφραίνοισθε: καὶ σοὶ μέν, πόσι,
γυναῖκ᾽ ἀρίστην ἔστι κομπάσαι λαβεῖν,
ὑμῖν δέ, παῖδες, μητρὸς ἐκπεφυκέναι.


It is necessary for me to die: not tomorrow
nor the day after, nor in a month to me does this evil come,
but forthwith among those no longer in existence will I reckon myself.
Farewell, be glad: and you, husband,
brag you are to take the best of wives,
you, children, to have generated the best of mothers.


Alcestis, 325-327:

Χορός
θάρσει: πρὸ τούτου γὰρ λέγειν οὐχ ἅζομαι:
δράσει τάδ᾽, εἴπερ μὴ φρενῶν ἁμαρτάνει.

Chorus
Be of good courage: for in defence of this, I do not shrink to say,
(s/)he'll do these things, if indeed (s/)he does not err of will.