Second Episode
(As they cease, there enters from the left a very old man, bearing a lamb, a wineskin, and a wallet.)
OLD MAN.Where is my little Princess? Ah, not now;But still my queen, who tended long agoThe lad that was her father.... How steep-setThese last steps to her porch! But faint not yet:Onward, ye failing knees and back with painBowed, till we look on that dear face again.(Enter ELECTRA.)Ah, daughter, is it thou?--Lo, here I am,With gifts from all my store; this suckling lambFresh from the ewe, green crowns for joyfulness,And creamy things new-curdled from the press.And this long-storèd juice of vintagesForgotten, cased in fragrance: scant it is,But passing sweet to mingle nectar-wiseWith feebler wine.--Go, bear them in; mine eyes...Where is my cloak?--They are all blurred with tears.
ELECTRA.What ails thine eyes, old friend? After these yearsDoth my low plight still stir thy memories?Or think'st thou of Orestes, where he liesIn exile, and my father? Aye, long loveThou gavest him, and seest the fruit thereofWasted, for thee and all who love thee!
OLD MAN.AllWasted! And yet 'tis that lost hope withalI cannot brook. But now I turned asideTo see my master's grave. All, far and wide,Was silence; so I bent these knees of mineAnd wept and poured drink-offerings from the wineI bear the strangers, and about the stoneLaid myrtle sprays. And, child, I saw thereonJust at the censer slain, a fleeced ewe,Deep black, in sacrifice: the blood was newAbout it: and a tress of bright brown hairShorn as in mourning, close. Long stood I thereAnd wondered, of all men what man had goneIn mourning to that grave.--My child, 'tis noneIn Argos. Did there come ... Nay, mark me now...Thy brother in the dark, last night, to bowHis head before that unadorèd tomb?O come, and mark the colour of it. ComeAnd lay thine own hair by that mourner's tress!A hundred little things make likenessesIn brethren born, and show the father's blood.
ELECTRA (trying to mask her excitement and resist the contagion of his).Old heart, old heart, is this a wise man's mood?...O, not in darkness, not in fear of men,Shall Argos find him, when he comes again,Mine own undaunted ... Nay, and if it were,What likeness could there be? My brother's hairIs as a prince's and a rover's, strongWith sunlight and with strife: not like the longLocks that a woman combs.... And many a headHath this same semblance, wing for wing, tho' bredOf blood not ours.... 'Tis hopeless. Peace, old man.
OLD MAN.The footprints! Set thy foot by his, and scanThe track of frame and muscles, how they fit!
ELECTRA.That ground will take no footprint! All of itIs bitter stone.... It hath?... And who hath saidThere should be likeness in a brother's treadAnd sister's? His is stronger every way.
OLD MAN.But hast thou nothing...? If he came this dayAnd sought to show thee, is there no one signWhereby to know him?... Stay; the robe was thine,Work of thy loom, wherein I wrapt him o'erThat night and stole him through the murderers' door.
ELECTRA.Thou knowest, when Orestes was cast outI was a child.... If I did weave some cloutOf raiment, would he keep the vesture nowHe wore in childhood? Should my weaving growAs his limbs grew?... 'Tis lost long since. No more!O, either 'twas some stranger passed, and shoreHis locks for very ruth before that tomb:Or, if he found perchance, to seek his home,Some spy...
OLD MAN.The strangers! Where are they? I fainWould see them, aye, and bid them answer plain...
ELECTRA.Here at the door! How swift upon the thought!
(Enter ORESTES and PYLADES.)
OLD MAN.High-born: albeit for that I trust them not.The highest oft are false.... Howe'er it be,
(Approaching them.)
I bid the strangers hail!
ORESTES.All hail to thee,Greybeard!--Prithee, what man of all the KingTrusted of old, is now this broken thing?
ELECTRA.'Tis he that trained my father's boyhood.
ORESTES.How?And stole from death thy brother? Sayest thou?
ELECTRA.This man was his deliverer, if it beDeliverance.
ORESTES.How his old eye pierceth me,As one that testeth silver and alloy!Sees he some likeness here?
ELECTRA.Perchance 'tis joy,To see Orestes' comrade, that he feels.
ORESTES.None dearer.--But what ails the man? He reelsDizzily back.
ELECTRA.I marvel. I can sayNo more.
OLD MAN (in a broken voice).Electra, mistress, daughter, pray!Pray unto God!
ELECTRA.Of all the things I crave,The thousand things, or all that others have,What should I pray for?
OLD MAN.Pray thine arms may holdAt last this treasure-dream of more than goldGod shows us!
ELECTRA.God, I pray thee!... Wouldst thou more?
OLD MAN.Gaze now upon this man, and bow beforeThy dearest upon earth!
ELECTRA.I gaze on thee!O, hath time made thee mad?
OLD MAN.Mad, that I seeThy brother?
ELECTRA.My ... I know not what thou say'st:I looked not for it...
OLD MAN.I tell thee, here confessedStandeth Orestes, Agamemnon's son!
ELECTRA.A sign before I trust thee! O, but one!How dost thou know...?
OLD MAN.There, by his brow, I seeThe scar he made, that day he ran with theeChasing thy fawn, and fell.
ELECTRA (in a dull voice).A scar? 'Tis so.I see a scar.
OLD MAN.And fearest still to throwThine arms round him thou lovest?
ELECTRA.O, no more!Thy sign hath conquered me....(Throwing herself into ORESTES' arms)At last, at last!Thy face like light! And do I hold thee fast,Unhoped for?
ORESTES.Yea, at last! And I hold thee.
ELECTRA.I never knew...
ORESTES.I dreamed not.
ELECTRA.Is it he,Orestes?
ORESTES.Thy defender, yea, aloneTo fight the world! Lo, this day have I thrownA net, which once unbroken from the seaDrawn home, shall ... O, and it must surely be!Else men shall know there is no God, no lightIn Heaven, if wrong to the end shall conquer right.
CHORUS.Comest thou, comest thou now,Chained by the years and slow,O Day long sought?A light on the mountains coldIs lit, yea, a fire burneth,'Tis the light of one that turnethFrom roamings manifold,Back out of exile oldTo the house that knew him not.
Some spirit hath turned our way,Victory visible,Walking at thy right hand,Belovèd; O lift this dayThine arms, thy voice, as a spell;And pray for thy brother, pray,Threading the perilous land,That all be well!
ORESTES.Enough; this dear delight is mine at lastOf thine embracing; and the hour comes fastWhen we shall stand again as now we stand,And stint not.--Stay, Old Man: thou, being at handAt the edge of time, advise me, by what wayBest to requite my father's murderers. Say,Have I in Argos any still to trust;Or is the love, once borne me, trod in dust,Even as my fortunes are? Whom shall I seek?By day or night? And whither turn, to wreakMy will on them that hate us? Say.
OLD MAN.My son,In thine adversity, there is not oneWill call thee friend. Nay, that were treasure-trove,A friend to share, not faltering from love,Fair days and foul the same. Thy name is goneForth to all Argos, as a thing o'erthrownAnd dead. Thou hast not left one spark to glowWith hope in one friend's heart! Hear all, and know:Thou hast God's fortune and thine own right hand,Naught else, to conquer back thy fatherland.
ORESTES.The deed, the deed! What must we do?
OLD MAN.Strike downAegisthus ... and thy mother.
ORESTES.'Tis the crownMy race is run for. But how find him?
OLD MAN.NotWithin the city walls, however hotThy spirit.
ORESTES.Ha! With watchers doth he goBegirt, and mailèd pikemen?
OLD MAN.Even so:He lives in fear of thee, and night nor dayHath slumber.
ORESTES.That way blocked!--'Tis thine to sayWhat next remains.
OLD MAN.I will; and thou give ear.A thought has found me!
ORESTES.All good thoughts be near,For thee to speak and me to understand!
OLD MAN.But now I saw Aegisthus, close at handAs here I journeyed.
ORESTES.That good word shall traceMy path for me! Thou saw'st him? In what place?
OLD MAN.Out on the pastures where his horses stray.
ORESTES.What did he there so far?--A gleam of dayCrosseth our darkness.
OLD MAN.'Twas a feast, methought,Of worship to the wild-wood nymphs he wrought.
ORESTES.The watchers of men's birth? Is there a sonNew born to him, or doth he pray for oneThat cometh?(Movement of ELECTRA.)
OLD MAN.More I know not; he had thereA wreathed ox, as for some weighty prayer.
ORESTES.What force was with him? Not his serfs alone?
OLD MAN.No Argive lord was there; none but his ownHousehold.
ORESTES.Not any that aught know my face,Or guess?
OLD MAN.Thralls, thralls; who ne'er have seen thy face.
ORESTES.Once I prevail, the thralls will welcome me!
OLD MAN.The slaves' way, that; and no ill thing for thee!
ORESTES.How can I once come near him?
OLD MAN.Walk thy waysHard by, where he may see thee, ere he slaysHis sacrifice.
ORESTES.How? Is the road so nigh?
OLD MAN.He cannot choose but see thee, passing by,And bid thee stay to share the beast they kill.
ORESTES.A bitter fellow-feaster, if God will!
OLD MAN.And then ... then swift be heart and brain, to seeGod's chances!
ORESTES.Aye. Well hast thou counselled me.But ... where is she?
OLD MAN.In Argos now, I guess;But goes to join her husband, ere the pressOf the feast.
ORESTES.Why goeth not my mother straightForth at her husband's side?
OLD MAN.She fain will waitUntil the gathered country-folk be gone.
ORESTES.Enough! She knows what eyes are turned uponHer passings in the land!
OLD MAN.Aye, all men hateThe unholy woman.
ORESTES.How then can I setMy snare for wife and husband in one breath?
ELECTRA (coming forward).Hold! It is I must work our mother's death.
ORESTES.If that be done, I think the other deedFortune will guide.
ELECTRA.This man must help our need,One friend alone for both.
OLD MAN.He will, he will!Speak on. What cunning hast thou found to fillThy purpose?
ELECTRA.Get thee forth, Old Man, and quickTell Clytemnestra ... tell her I lie sick,New-mothered of a man-child.
OLD MAN.Thou hast borneA son! But when?
ELECTRA.Let this be the tenth morn.Till then a mother stays in sanctity,Unseen.
OLD MAN.And if I tell her, where shall beThe death in this?
ELECTRA.That word let her but hear,Straight she will seek me out!
OLD MAN.The queen! What careHath she for thee, or pain of thine?
ELECTRA.She will;And weep my babe's low station!
OLD MAN.Thou hast skillTo know her, child; say on.
ELECTRA.But bring her here,Here to my hand; the rest will come.
OLD MAN.I swear,Here at the gate she shall stand palpable!
ELECTRA.The gate: the gate that leads to me and Hell.
OLD MAN.Let me but see it, and I die content.
ELECTRA.First, then, my brother: see his steps be bent...
OLD MAN.Straight yonder, where Aegisthus makes his prayer!
ELECTRA.Then seek my mother's presence, and declareMy news.
OLD MAN.Thy very words, child, as tho' spokeFrom thine own lips!
ELECTRA.Brother, thine hour is struck.Thou standest in the van of war this day.
ORESTES (rousing himself).Aye, I am ready.... I will go my way,If but some man will guide me.
OLD MAN.Here am I,To speed thee to the end, right thankfully.
ORESTES (turning as he goes and raising his hands to heaven).Zeus of my sires, Zeus of the lost battle,
ELECTRA.Have pity; have pity; we have earned it well!
OLD MAN.Pity these twain, of thine own body sprung!
ELECTRA.O Queen o'er Argive altars, Hera high,
ORESTES.Grant us thy strength, if for the right we cry.
OLD MAN.Strength to these twain, to right their father's wrong!
ELECTRA.O Earth, deep Earth, to whom I yearn in vain,
ORESTES.And deeper thou, O father darkly slain,
OLD MAN.Thy children call, who love thee: hearken thou!
ORESTES.Girt with thine own dead armies, wake, O wake!
ELECTRA.With all that died at Ilion for thy sake ...
OLD MAN.And hate earth's dark defilers; help us now!
ELECTRA.Dost hear us yet, O thou in deadly wrong,Wronged by my mother?
OLD MAN.Child, we stay too long.He hears; be sure he hears!
ELECTRA.And while he hears,I speak this word for omen in his ears:"Aegisthus dies, Aegisthus dies."... Ah me,My brother, should it strike not him, but thee,This wrestling with dark death, behold, I tooAm dead that hour. Think of me as one true,Not one that lives. I have a sword made keenFor this, and shall strike deep.I will go inAnd make all ready. If there come from theeGood tidings, all my house for ecstasyShall cry; and if we hear that thou art dead,Then comes the other end!--Lo, I have said.
ORESTES.I know all, all.
ELECTRA.Then be a man to-day!
(ORESTES and the OLD MAN depart.)
O Women, let your voices from this frayFlash me a fiery signal, where I sit,The sword across my knees, expecting it.For never, though they kill me, shall they touchMy living limbs!--I know my way thus much.
(She goes into the house.)
Words in this poem 45
- princess n.
- A female prince; a woman having sovereign power, or the rank of a prince. [F. princesse. See Prince, and cf. Princesse.]
- creamy a.
- Full of, or containing, cream; resembling cream, in nature, appearance, or taste; creamlike; unctuous.
- plight v. t.
- To weave; to braid; to fold; to plait. [OE. pliten; probably through Old French, fr. LL. plectare, L. plectere. See Plait, Ply.]
- withal adv.
- With this; with that. [With + all.]
- thereon adv.
- On that or this. [AS. . See There, and On.]
- censer n.
- A vessel for perfumes; esp. one in which incense is burned. [For incenser, fr. OF. encensier, F. encensoir, fr. LL. incensarium, incensorium, fr. L. incensum incense. See Incense, and cf. Incensory.]
- fleeced a.
- Furnished with a fleece; as, a sheep is well fleeced.
- tress n.
- A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet. [OE. tresse, OF. trece, F. tresse, LL. tricia, fr. Gr. tri`cha threefold, because a tress is usually formed by interlacing three pieces; akin to trei^s three. Se]
- wondered a.
- Having performed wonders; able to perform wonderful things.
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- undaunted a.
- Not daunted; not subdued or depressed by fear.
- strife n.
- The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
- scan v. t.
- To mount by steps; to go through with step by step. [L. scandere, scansum, to climb, to scan, akin to Skr. skand to spring, leap: cf. F. scander. Cf. Ascend, Descend, Scale a ladder.]
- footprint n.
- The impression of the foot; a trace or footmark; as,
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- stole n.
- A long, loose garment reaching to the feet. [AS. stole, L. stola, Gr. stall. See Stall.]
- clout n.
- A cloth; a piece of cloth or leather; a patch; a rag. [AS. clut a little cloth, piece of metal; cf. Sw. klut, Icel. klutr a kerchief, or W. clwt a clout, Gael. clud.]
- childhood n.
- The state of being a child; the time in which persons are children; the condition or time from infancy to puberty. [AS. cildhad; cild child + -had. See Child, and hood.]
- ruth n.
- Sorrow for the misery of another; pity; tenderness. [From Rue, v.: cf. Icel. hryggedh, hrygedh.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- albeit conj.
- Even though; although; notwithstanding. [OE. al be although it be, where al is our all. Cf. Although.]
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- boyhood n.
- The state of being a boy; the time during which one is a boy. [Boy + -hood.]
- deliverer n.
- One who delivers or rescues; a preserver.
- dizzily adv.
- In a dizzy manner or state.
- crave v. t.
- To ask with earnestness or importunity; to ask with submission or humility; to beg; to entreat; to beseech; to implore. [AS. crafian; akin to Icel. krefia, Sw. kr, Dan. kr.]
- unhoped a.
- Not hoped or expected.
- whither adv.
- To what place; -- used interrogatively; as, whither goest thou [OE. whider. AS. hwider; akin to E. where, who; cf. Goth. hvadre whither. See Who, and cf. Hither, Thither.]
- wreak v. i.
- To reck; to care.
- adversity n.
- Opposition; contrariety. Wyclif. [OE. adversite, F. adversité, fr. L. adversitas.]
- faltering a.
- Hesitating; trembling.
- fatherland n.
- One's native land; the native land of one's fathers or ancestors. [Imitated fr. D. vaderland. See Father, and Land.]
- begirt v. t.
- To encompass; to begird.
- argive a.
- Of or performance to Argos, the capital of Argolis in Greece. [L. Argivus, fr. Argos, Argi.]
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- folk n.
- In Anglo-Saxon times, the people of a group of townships or villages; a community; a tribe. [AS. folc; akin to D. volk, OS. & OHG. folk, G. volk, Icel. f, Sw. & Dan. folk, Lith. pulkas crowd, and perh. to E. follow.]
- unholy a.
- Not holy; unhallowed; not consecrated; hence, profane; wicked; impious.
- morn n.
- The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
- unseen a.
- Not seen or discovered.
- yonder adv.
- At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- twain a.
- Two;- nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque. [OE. twein, tweien, tweyne, AS. twegen, masc. See Two.]
- yearn v. t.
- To pain; to grieve; to vex. [Also earn, ern; probably a corruption of OE. ermen to grieve, AS. ierman, yrman, or geierman, geyrman, fr. earm wretched, poor; akin to D. & G. arm, Icel. armr,]
- girt v. t.
- To gird; to encircle; to invest by means of a girdle; to measure the girth of; as, to girt a tree. [From Girt, n., cf. Girth, v.]
- depart v. i.
- To part; to divide; to separate. [OE. departen to divide, part, depart, F. départir to divide, distribute, se départir to separate one's self, depart; pref. dé- (L. de) + partir to part, depart,]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Second Episode is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Electra of Euripides, translated into English rhyming verse by Gilbert Murray, Project Gutenberg ebook #14322, the Gilbert Murray translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Euripides, Second Episode, in Electra (1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #14322, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/euripides-electra/second-episode.html, id L28814.
Form and metre
Second Episode is 447 lines in 124 stanzas. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic pentameter.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm. The first 120 of 124 stanzas.
- 2 ---AABB-CCDDEEFF- man · now · ago · setA · yetA · painB · againB · electra · amC · lambC · joyfulnessD · pressD · vintagesE · isE · wiseF · eyesF · tears
- 3 --AABB- electra · years · memoriesA · liesA · loveB · thereofB · thee
- 4 -AABBCC-DEEFFD-GG----- man · allA · withalA · asideB · wideB · mineC · wineC · stone · thereonD · eweE · newE · hairF · thereF · goneD · none · nowG · bowG · tomb · come · tress · likenesses · blood
- 5 --AA--BBCC- his · mood · menA · againA · were · hair · strongB · longB · headC · bredC · man
- 6 AA- manA · scanA · fit
- 7 --AA- electra · it · saidA · treadA · way
- 8 --AA-- man · day · signA · thineA · o'er · door
- 9 -AA--BB--- electra · outA · cloutA · now · grow · moreB · shoreB · tomb · home · spy
- 10 -AA man · fainA · plainA
- 16 --AA orestes · thee · kingA · thingA
- 18 -AA orestes · howA · thouA
- 25 -AA- electra · craveA · haveA · for
- 26 -AA- man · holdA · goldA · us
- 34 -AA- man · seeA · theeA · fell
- 37 -A--BBA electra · moreA · me · arms · lastB · fastB · forA
- 42 -AABBCC orestes · aloneA · thrownA · seaB · beB · lightC · rightC
- 43 ----ABBAA- chorus · now · slow · sought · coldA · burnethB · turnethB · manifoldA · oldA · not
- 44 ABCABACB wayA · visibleB · handC · dayA · spellB · prayA · landC · wellB
- 45 -AABBCCDDEEC orestes · lastA · fastA · standB · handB · wayC · sayC · trustD · dustD · seekE · wreakE · sayC
- 46 -AA----BBCC man · sonA · oneA · trove · love · gone · o'erthrown · glowB · knowB · handC · fatherlandC
- 50 -AAA man · notA · hotA · spiritA
- 57 -AA orestes · traceA · placeA
- 60 -AA man · methoughtA · wroughtA
- 61 -AA-- orestes · sonA · oneA · cometh · electra
- 62 -AA man · thereA · prayerA
- 70 -AA- man · waysA · slaysA · sacrifice
- 75 -AA orestes · meA · sheA
- 76 -AA- man · guessA · pressA · feast
- 80 A-A manA · hate · womanA
- 85 -AA- man · willA · fillA · purpose
- 86 -AA- electra · quickA · sickA · child
- 119 -AABBCCD-DB-EE electra · hearsA · earsA · meB · theeB · tooC · trueC · keenD · deep · inD · theeB · ecstasy · deadE · saidE
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| (As they cease, there enters from the left a very old man, bearing a lamb, a wineskin, and a wallet.) | 26 | ····/˘····/˘··/˘········/˘ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Where is my little Princess? Ah, not now; | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| But still my queen, who tended long ago | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| The lad that was her father.... How steep-set | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| These last steps to her porch! But faint not yet: | 10 | ·········· |
| Onward, ye failing knees and back with pain | 10 | /˘·/˘····· |
| Bowed, till we look on that dear face again. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| (Enter ELECTRA.) | 5 | /˘˘/˘ |
| Ah, daughter, is it thou?--Lo, here I am, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| With gifts from all my store; this suckling lamb | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Fresh from the ewe, green crowns for joyfulness, | 10 | ·········· |
| And creamy things new-curdled from the press. | 10 | ·/˘···˘··· |
| And this long-storèd juice of vintages | 9 | ······/˘˘ |
| Forgotten, cased in fragrance: scant it is, | 10 | ˘/˘··/˘··· |
| But passing sweet to mingle nectar-wise | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| With feebler wine.--Go, bear them in; mine eyes... | 10 | ·········· |
| Where is my cloak?--They are all blurred with tears. | 10 | ·········· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| What ails thine eyes, old friend? After these years | 10 | ·········· |
| Doth my low plight still stir thy memories? | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| Or think'st thou of Orestes, where he lies | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| In exile, and my father? Aye, long love | 10 | ·/···/˘··· |
| Thou gavest him, and seest the fruit thereof | 10 | ·········· |
| Wasted, for thee and all who love thee! | 9 | /˘······· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| All | 1 | · |
| Wasted! And yet 'tis that lost hope withal | 10 | /˘······˘/ |
| I cannot brook. But now I turned aside | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| To see my master's grave. All, far and wide, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Was silence; so I bent these knees of mine | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And wept and poured drink-offerings from the wine | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| I bear the strangers, and about the stone | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Laid myrtle sprays. And, child, I saw thereon | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| Just at the censer slain, a fleeced ewe, | 10 | ···/˘···˘· |
| Deep black, in sacrifice: the blood was new | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| About it: and a tress of bright brown hair | 10 | ·········· |
| Shorn as in mourning, close. Long stood I there | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And wondered, of all men what man had gone | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| In mourning to that grave.--My child, 'tis none | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| In Argos. Did there come ... Nay, mark me now... | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Thy brother in the dark, last night, to bow | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| His head before that unadorèd tomb? | 9 | ········· |
| O come, and mark the colour of it. Come | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And lay thine own hair by that mourner's tress! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| A hundred little things make likenesses | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| In brethren born, and show the father's blood. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| ELECTRA (trying to mask her excitement and resist the contagion of his). | 20 | ˘/˘/˘···˘/˘·˘/·˘/˘·· |
| Old heart, old heart, is this a wise man's mood?... | 10 | ·········· |
| O, not in darkness, not in fear of men, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Shall Argos find him, when he comes again, | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| Mine own undaunted ... Nay, and if it were, | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| What likeness could there be? My brother's hair | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Is as a prince's and a rover's, strong | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| With sunlight and with strife: not like the long | 10 | ·/········ |
| Locks that a woman combs.... And many a head | 10 | ···/˘··/·· |
| Hath this same semblance, wing for wing, tho' bred | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Of blood not ours.... 'Tis hopeless. Peace, old man. | 10 | ···/·/˘··· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| The footprints! Set thy foot by his, and scan | 10 | ·/········ |
| The track of frame and muscles, how they fit! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| That ground will take no footprint! All of it | 10 | ·····/···· |
| Is bitter stone.... It hath?... And who hath said | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| There should be likeness in a brother's tread | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| And sister's? His is stronger every way. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| But hast thou nothing...? If he came this day | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And sought to show thee, is there no one sign | 10 | ·········· |
| Whereby to know him?... Stay; the robe was thine, | 10 | ·········· |
| Work of thy loom, wherein I wrapt him o'er | 10 | ·········· |
| That night and stole him through the murderers' door. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Thou knowest, when Orestes was cast out | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| I was a child.... If I did weave some clout | 10 | ·········· |
| Of raiment, would he keep the vesture now | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| He wore in childhood? Should my weaving grow | 10 | ···/···/˘· |
| As his limbs grew?... 'Tis lost long since. No more! | 10 | ·········· |
| O, either 'twas some stranger passed, and shore | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| His locks for very ruth before that tomb: | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Or, if he found perchance, to seek his home, | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Some spy... | 2 | ·· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| The strangers! Where are they? I fain | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Would see them, aye, and bid them answer plain... | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Here at the door! How swift upon the thought! | 10 | ·········· |
| (Enter ORESTES and PYLADES.) | 8 | /˘˘/˘··· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| High-born: albeit for that I trust them not. | 11 | ··˘/˘······ |
| The highest oft are false.... Howe'er it be, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| (Approaching them.) | 4 | ˘/˘· |
| I bid the strangers hail! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| All hail to thee, | 4 | ···· |
| Greybeard!--Prithee, what man of all the King | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| Trusted of old, is now this broken thing? | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| 'Tis he that trained my father's boyhood. | 10 | ····˘·/˘/· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| How? | 1 | · |
| And stole from death thy brother? Sayest thou? | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| This man was his deliverer, if it be | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Deliverance. | 4 | ˘/˘˘ |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| How his old eye pierceth me, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| As one that testeth silver and alloy! | 10 | ···/˘/˘·/· |
| Sees he some likeness here? | 6 | ···/˘· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Perchance 'tis joy, | 4 | ˘/·· |
| To see Orestes' comrade, that he feels. | 10 | ··˘/˘/···· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| None dearer.--But what ails the man? He reels | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Dizzily back. | 4 | /˘˘· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| I marvel. I can say | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| No more. | 2 | ·· |
| OLD MAN (in a broken voice). | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Electra, mistress, daughter, pray! | 8 | ˘/˘/˘/˘· |
| Pray unto God! | 4 | ···· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Of all the things I crave, | 6 | ······ |
| The thousand things, or all that others have, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| What should I pray for? | 5 | ····· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Pray thine arms may hold | 5 | ····· |
| At last this treasure-dream of more than gold | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| God shows us! | 3 | ··· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| God, I pray thee!... Wouldst thou more? | 7 | ······· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Gaze now upon this man, and bow before | 10 | ·········· |
| Thy dearest upon earth! | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| I gaze on thee! | 4 | ···· |
| O, hath time made thee mad? | 6 | ······ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Mad, that I see | 4 | ···· |
| Thy brother? | 3 | ·/˘ |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| My ... I know not what thou say'st: | 7 | ······· |
| I looked not for it... | 5 | ····· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| I tell thee, here confessed | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Standeth Orestes, Agamemnon's son! | 10 | /˘˘/˘·˘/·· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| A sign before I trust thee! O, but one! | 10 | ·········· |
| How dost thou know...? | 4 | ···· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| There, by his brow, I see | 6 | ······ |
| The scar he made, that day he ran with thee | 10 | ·········· |
| Chasing thy fawn, and fell. | 6 | /˘···· |
| ELECTRA (in a dull voice). | 7 | ˘/˘···· |
| A scar? 'Tis so. | 4 | ···· |
| I see a scar. | 4 | ···· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| And fearest still to throw | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Thine arms round him thou lovest? | 7 | ······· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| O, no more! | 3 | ··· |
| Thy sign hath conquered me.... | 6 | ···/˘· |
| (Throwing herself into ORESTES' arms) | 10 | /˘˘/··˘/˘· |
| At last, at last! | 4 | ···· |
| Thy face like light! And do I hold thee fast, | 10 | ·········· |
| Unhoped for? | 3 | ˘/· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Yea, at last! And I hold thee. | 7 | ······· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| I never knew... | 4 | ·/˘· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| I dreamed not. | 3 | ··· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Is it he, | 3 | ··· |
| Orestes? | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Thy defender, yea, alone | 7 | ·˘/˘·˘/ |
| To fight the world! Lo, this day have I thrown | 10 | ·········· |
| A net, which once unbroken from the sea | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Drawn home, shall ... O, and it must surely be! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Else men shall know there is no God, no light | 10 | ·········· |
| In Heaven, if wrong to the end shall conquer right. | 11 | ·/······/˘· |
| CHORUS. | 2 | /˘ |
| Comest thou, comest thou now, | 7 | ······· |
| Chained by the years and slow, | 6 | ······ |
| O Day long sought? | 4 | ···· |
| A light on the mountains cold | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Is lit, yea, a fire burneth, | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| 'Tis the light of one that turneth | 8 | ······/˘ |
| From roamings manifold, | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Back out of exile old | 6 | ···/·· |
| To the house that knew him not. | 7 | ······· |
| Some spirit hath turned our way, | 9 | ·/˘··˘/˘· |
| Victory visible, | 6 | /˘˘/˘˘ |
| Walking at thy right hand, | 6 | /˘···· |
| Belovèd; O lift this day | 6 | ······ |
| Thine arms, thy voice, as a spell; | 7 | ······· |
| And pray for thy brother, pray, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Threading the perilous land, | 7 | /˘·/˘˘· |
| That all be well! | 4 | ···· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Enough; this dear delight is mine at last | 10 | ˘/··˘/···· |
| Of thine embracing; and the hour comes fast | 10 | ··˘/˘··/·· |
| When we shall stand again as now we stand, | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| And stint not.--Stay, Old Man: thou, being at hand | 10 | ·······/·· |
| At the edge of time, advise me, by what way | 11 | ·····˘/···· |
| Best to requite my father's murderers. Say, | 10 | ··/˘·/˘/˘· |
| Have I in Argos any still to trust; | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Or is the love, once borne me, trod in dust, | 10 | ·········· |
| Even as my fortunes are? Whom shall I seek? | 10 | /··/˘····· |
| By day or night? And whither turn, to wreak | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| My will on them that hate us? Say. | 8 | ········ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| My son, | 2 | ·· |
| In thine adversity, there is not one | 10 | ··˘/˘˘···· |
| Will call thee friend. Nay, that were treasure-trove, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| A friend to share, not faltering from love, | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| Fair days and foul the same. Thy name is gone | 10 | ·········· |
| Forth to all Argos, as a thing o'erthrown | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And dead. Thou hast not left one spark to glow | 10 | ·········· |
| With hope in one friend's heart! Hear all, and know: | 10 | ·········· |
| Thou hast God's fortune and thine own right hand, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Naught else, to conquer back thy fatherland. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| The deed, the deed! What must we do? | 8 | ········ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Strike down | 2 | ·· |
| Aegisthus ... and thy mother. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| 'Tis the crown | 3 | ··· |
| My race is run for. But how find him? | 9 | ········· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Not | 1 | · |
| Within the city walls, however hot | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Thy spirit. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Ha! With watchers doth he go | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Begirt, and mailèd pikemen? | 7 | ˘/····· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Even so: | 3 | /˘· |
| He lives in fear of thee, and night nor day | 10 | ·········· |
| Hath slumber. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| That way blocked!--'Tis thine to say | 7 | ······· |
| What next remains. | 4 | ··˘/ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| I will; and thou give ear. | 6 | ······ |
| A thought has found me! | 5 | ····· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| All good thoughts be near, | 5 | ····· |
| For thee to speak and me to understand! | 10 | ········˘/ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| But now I saw Aegisthus, close at hand | 10 | ·········· |
| As here I journeyed. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| That good word shall trace | 5 | ····· |
| My path for me! Thou saw'st him? In what place? | 10 | ·········· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Out on the pastures where his horses stray. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| What did he there so far?--A gleam of day | 10 | ·········· |
| Crosseth our darkness. | 6 | /˘/˘/˘ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| 'Twas a feast, methought, | 5 | ···˘/ |
| Of worship to the wild-wood nymphs he wrought. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| The watchers of men's birth? Is there a son | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| New born to him, or doth he pray for one | 10 | ·········· |
| That cometh? | 3 | ·/˘ |
| (Movement of ELECTRA.) | 6 | /˘·˘/˘ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| More I know not; he had there | 7 | ······· |
| A wreathed ox, as for some weighty prayer. | 10 | ··˘····/˘· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| What force was with him? Not his serfs alone? | 10 | ········˘/ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| No Argive lord was there; none but his own | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Household. | 2 | /· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Not any that aught know my face, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Or guess? | 2 | ·· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Thralls, thralls; who ne'er have seen thy face. | 8 | ········ |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Once I prevail, the thralls will welcome me! | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| The slaves' way, that; and no ill thing for thee! | 10 | ·········· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| How can I once come near him? | 7 | ······· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Walk thy ways | 3 | ··· |
| Hard by, where he may see thee, ere he slays | 10 | ·········· |
| His sacrifice. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| How? Is the road so nigh? | 6 | ······ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| He cannot choose but see thee, passing by, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| And bid thee stay to share the beast they kill. | 10 | ·········· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| A bitter fellow-feaster, if God will! | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘··· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| And then ... then swift be heart and brain, to see | 10 | ·········· |
| God's chances! | 3 | ·/˘ |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Aye. Well hast thou counselled me. | 7 | ····/˘· |
| But ... where is she? | 4 | ···· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| In Argos now, I guess; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| But goes to join her husband, ere the press | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Of the feast. | 3 | ··· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Why goeth not my mother straight | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Forth at her husband's side? | 6 | ···/˘· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| She fain will wait | 4 | ···· |
| Until the gathered country-folk be gone. | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Enough! She knows what eyes are turned upon | 10 | ˘/········ |
| Her passings in the land! | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Aye, all men hate | 4 | ···· |
| The unholy woman. | 6 | ·˘/˘/˘ |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| How then can I set | 5 | ····· |
| My snare for wife and husband in one breath? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| ELECTRA (coming forward). | 7 | ˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| Hold! It is I must work our mother's death. | 10 | ······//˘· |
| ORESTES. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| If that be done, I think the other deed | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Fortune will guide. | 4 | /˘·· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| This man must help our need, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| One friend alone for both. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| He will, he will! | 4 | ···· |
| Speak on. What cunning hast thou found to fill | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Thy purpose? | 3 | ·/˘ |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Get thee forth, Old Man, and quick | 7 | ······· |
| Tell Clytemnestra ... tell her I lie sick, | 10 | ·········· |
| New-mothered of a man-child. | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Thou hast borne | 3 | ··· |
| A son! But when? | 4 | ···· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Let this be the tenth morn. | 6 | ······ |
| Till then a mother stays in sanctity, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| Unseen. | 2 | ˘/ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| And if I tell her, where shall be | 8 | ········ |
| The death in this? | 4 | ···· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| That word let her but hear, | 6 | ······ |
| Straight she will seek me out! | 6 | ······ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| The queen! What care | 4 | ···· |
| Hath she for thee, or pain of thine? | 8 | ········ |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| She will; | 2 | ·· |
| And weep my babe's low station! | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Thou hast skill | 3 | ··· |
| To know her, child; say on. | 6 | ······ |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| But bring her here, | 4 | ···· |
| Here to my hand; the rest will come. | 8 | ········ |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| I swear, | 2 | ·· |
| Here at the gate she shall stand palpable! | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| The gate: the gate that leads to me and Hell. | 10 | ·········· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Let me but see it, and I die content. | 10 | ········/˘ |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| First, then, my brother: see his steps be bent... | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Straight yonder, where Aegisthus makes his prayer! | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Then seek my mother's presence, and declare | 10 | ···/˘/˘·˘/ |
| My news. | 2 | ·· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Thy very words, child, as tho' spoke | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| From thine own lips! | 4 | ···· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Brother, thine hour is struck. | 7 | /˘·/˘·· |
| Thou standest in the van of war this day. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| ORESTES (rousing himself). | 7 | ˘/˘/˘˘/ |
| Aye, I am ready.... I will go my way, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| If but some man will guide me. | 7 | ······· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Here am I, | 3 | ··· |
| To speed thee to the end, right thankfully. | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| ORESTES (turning as he goes and raising his hands to heaven). | 15 | ˘/˘/˘····/˘···/ |
| Zeus of my sires, Zeus of the lost battle, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Have pity; have pity; we have earned it well! | 11 | ·/˘·/˘····· |
| OLD MAN. | 2 | ·· |
| Pity these twain, of thine own body sprung! | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| ELECTRA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| O Queen o'er Argive altars, Hera high, | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
The first 400 of 447 lines; the reader marks them all.
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.