The Electra of Euripides Part 16

ELECTRA.

Welcome below My narrow roof! But have a care withal, A grime of smoke lies deep upon the wall.

Soil not thy robe!...

Not far now shall it be, The sacrifice G.o.d asks of me and thee.

The bread of Death is broken, and the knife Lifted again that drank the Wild Bull's life: And on his breast.... Ha, Mother, hast slept well Aforetime? Thou shalt lie with him in h.e.l.l.

That grace I give to cheer thee on thy road; Give thou to me--peace from my father's blood!

[_She follows her mother into the house_.

CHORUS.

Lo, the returns of wrong.

The wind as a changed thing Whispereth overhead Of one that of old lay dead In the water lapping long: My King, O my King!

A cry in the rafters then Rang, and the marble dome: "Mercy of G.o.d, not thou, "Woman! To slay me now, "After the harvests ten "Now, at the last, come home!"

O Fate shall turn as the tide, Turn, with a doom of tears For the flying heart too fond; A doom for the broken bond.

She hailed him there in his pride, Home from the perilous years,

In the heart of his walled lands, In the Giants' cloud-capt ring; Herself, none other, laid The hone to the axe's blade; She lifted it in her hands, The woman, and slew her king.

Woe upon spouse and spouse, Whatso of evil sway Held her in that distress!

Even as a lioness Breaketh the woodland boughs Starving, she wrought her way.

VOICE OF CLYTEMNESTRA.

O Children, Children; in the name of G.o.d, Slay not your mother!

A WOMAN.

Did ye hear a cry Under the rafters?

ANOTHER.

I weep too, yea, I; Down on the mother's heart the child hath trod!

[_A death-cry from within_.

ANOTHER.

G.o.d bringeth Justice in his own slow tide.

Aye, cruel is thy doom; but thy deeds done Evil, thou piteous woman, and on one Whose sleep was by thy side!

[_The door bursts open, and_ ORESTES _and_ ELECTRA _come forth in disorder. Attendants bring out the bodies of_ CLYTEMNESTRA _and_ AEGISTHUS.

LEADER.

Lo, yonder, in their mother's new-spilt gore Red-garmented and ghastly, from the door They reel.... O horrible! Was it agony Like this, she boded in her last wild cry?

There lives no seed of man calamitous, Nor hath lived, like this seed of Tantalus.

ORESTES.

O Dark of the Earth, O G.o.d, Thou to whom all is plain; Look on my sin, my blood, This horror of dead things twain; Gathered as one they lie Slain; and the slayer was I, I, to pay for my pain!

ELECTRA.

Let tear rain upon tear, Brother: but mine is the blame.

A fire stood over her, And out of the fire I came, I, in my misery....

And I was the child at her knee.

'Mother' I named her name.

CHORUS.

Alas for Fate, for the Fate of thee, O Mother, Mother of Misery: And Misery, lo, hath turned again, To slay thee, Misery and more, Even in the fruit thy body bore.

Yet hast thou Justice, Justice plain, For a sire's blood spilt of yore!

ORESTES.

Apollo, alas for the hymn Thou sangest, as hope in mine ear!

The Song was of Justice dim, But the Deed is anguish clear; And the Gift, long nights of fear, Of blood and of wandering, Where cometh no Greek thing, Nor sight, nor sound on the air.

Yea, and beyond, beyond, Roaming--what rest is there?

Who shall break bread with me?

Who, that is clean, shall see And hate not the blood-red hand, His mother's murderer?

ELECTRA.

And I? What clime shall hold My evil, or roof it above?

I cried for dancing of old, I cried in my heart for love: What dancing waiteth me now?

What love that shall kiss my brow Nor blench at the brand thereof?

CHORUS.

Back, back, in the wind and rain Thy driven spirit wheeleth again.

Now is thine heart made clean within That was dark of old and murder-fraught.

But, lo, thy brother; what hast thou wrought....

Yea, though I love thee.... what woe, what sin, On him, who willed it not!

ORESTES.

Saw'st thou her raiment there, Sister, there in the blood?

She drew it back as she stood, She opened her bosom bare, She bent her knees to the earth, The knees that bent in my birth....

And I ... Oh, her hair, her hair....

[_He breaks into inarticulate weeping_

CHORUS.

Oh, thou didst walk in agony, Hearing thy mother's cry, the cry Of wordless wailing, well know I.

ELECTRA.