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Euripides · Iphigenia in Tauris Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Ταύροις

Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris 628–673: Second episode: Iphigenia goes for the letter; Orestes notices her interest in Argos

Ancient Sources / Euripides / Iphigenia in Tauris / 628–673

Iphigenia answers that the sister Orestes wishes for is far away, but promises to set ornaments on his tomb and pour oil and honey on his pyre. She tells the attendants to guard the strangers without chains, and goes to fetch the letter, while the Chorus laments for them. Orestes asks Pylades whether he too has noticed how like a Greek the girl is, and how she questioned him about Troy, Calchas and Agamemnon.

Lines 628–673 · 392 words · click a number to copy its link

Iphigenia

628–642
628μάταιον εὐχήν, ὦ τάλας, ὅστις ποτʼ εἶ, ηὔξω· μακρὰν γὰρ βαρβάρου ναίει χθονός. 630οὐ μήν, ἐπειδὴ τυγχάνεις Ἀργεῖος ὤν, ἀλλʼ ὧν γε δυνατὸν οὐδʼ ἐγὼ λείψω χάριν. πολύν τε γάρ σοι κόσμον ἐνθήσω τάφῳ, ξανθῷ τʼ ἐλαίῳ σῶμα σὸν κατασβέσω, καὶ τῆς ὀρείας ἀνθεμόρρυτον γάνος 635ξουθῆς μελίσσης ἐς πυρὰν βαλῶ σέθεν. ἀλλʼ εἶμι δέλτον τʼ ἐκ θεᾶς ἀνακτόρων οἴσω· τὸ μέντοι δυσμενὲς μὴ ʼμοὶ λάβῃς. φυλάσσετʼ αὐτούς, πρόσπολοι, δεσμῶν ἄτερ — ἴσως ἄελπτα τῶν ἐμῶν φίλων τινὶ 640πέμψω πρὸς Ἄργος, ὃν μάλιστʼ ἐγὼ φιλῶ, καὶ δέλτος αὐτῷ ζῶντας οὓς δοκεῖ θανεῖν λέγουσα πιστὰς ἡδονὰς ἀπαγγελεῖ.

You have prayed in vain, unhappy youth, whoever you are; for she lives far from a barbarian land. Yet indeed, since you happen to be an Argive, I too will not leave out any favor that I can do. I will set much ornament on the tomb and quench your body with yellow oil, and throw onto your funeral pyre the gleaming honey, that streams from flowers, of the tawny mountain bee. But I will go and bring the tablet from the temple of the goddess; take care not to bear me ill-will. Guard them, attendants, without chains. Perhaps I will send unexpected news to one of my friends, whom I especially love, in Argos; and the tablet, in telling him that those whom he thought dead are alive, will report a joy that can be believed.

644–656
Χορός 644κατολοφύρομαι σὲ τὸν χερνίβων 645ῥανίσι μελόμενον αἱμακταῖς. Ὀρέστης οἶκτος γὰρ οὐ ταῦτʼ, ἀλλὰ χαίρετʼ, ὦ ξέναι. Χορός σὲ δὲ τύχας μάκαρος, ὦ νεανία, σεβόμεθʼ, ἐς πάτραν ὅτι ποτʼ ἐπεμβάσῃ. Πυλάδης 650ἄζηλά τοι φίλοισι, θνῃσκόντων φίλων. Χορός ὦ σχέτλιοι πομπαί. φεῦ φεῦ, διόλλυσαι. αἰαῖ αἰαῖ. πότερος ὁ μᾶλλον; 655ἔτι γὰρ ἀμφίλογα δίδυμα μέμονε φρήν, σὲ πάρος ἢ σὲ ἀναστενάξω γόοις.

Chorus I raise a lament for you; the drops from the holy water, mingled with blood, will soon take you into their care.

Orestes This is not a case for pity, but farewell, strangers.

Chorus We honor you, young man, for your happy fate, because you will tread on your native land some day.

Pylades An unenviable fate indeed for a friend, when his friend is to die.

Chorus O cruel mission! Ah, ah! You are destroyed! Alas, alas! Which is better? For still my mind disputes a double argument, shall I mourn for you or rather for you.

658–673
Ὀρέστης 658Πυλάδη, πέπονθας ταὐτὸ πρὸς θεῶν ἐμοί; Πυλάδης οὐκ οἶδʼ· ἐρωτᾷς οὐ λέγειν ἔχοντά με. Ὀρέστης 660τίς ἐστὶν ἡ νεᾶνις; ὡς Ἑλληνικῶς ἀνήρεθʼ ἡμᾶς τούς τʼ ἐν Ἰλίῳ πόνους νόστον τʼ Ἀχαιῶν τόν τʼ ἐν οἰωνοῖς σοφὸν Κάλχαντʼ Ἀχιλλέως τʼ ὄνομα, καὶ τὸν ἄθλιον Ἀγαμέμνονʼ ὡς ᾤκτιρʼ ἀνηρώτα τέ με 665γυναῖκα παῖδάς τε. ἔστιν ἡ ξένη γένος ἐκεῖθεν Ἀργεία τις· οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε δέλτον τʼ ἔπεμπε καὶ τάδʼ ἐξεμάνθανεν, ὡς κοινὰ πράσσουσʼ, Ἄργος εἰ πράσσει καλῶς. Πυλάδης ἔφθης με μικρόν· ταὐτὰ δὲ φθάσας λέγεις, 670πλὴν ἕν· τὰ γὰρ τῶν βασιλέων παθήματα ἴσασι πάντες, ὧν ἐπιστροφή τις ἦν. ἀτὰρ διῆλθον χἅτερον λόγον τινά. Ὀρέστης τίνʼ; ἐς τὸ κοινὸν δοὺς ἄμεινον ἂν μάθοις.

Orestes By the gods, Pylades, do you feel the same thing I do?

Pylades I do not know; I have no reply to your question.

Orestes Who is the girl? How like a Hellene she questioned me about the labors in Ilium and the return of the Achaeans, and Calchas, wise in omens, and Achilles’ name; and how she pitied the wretched Agamemnon, and asked me about his wife and children! This stranger is an Argive by race, and from that land; or she would not be sending the tablet and examining these things, as if she had some share in Argos’ prosperity.

Pylades You are not much ahead of me: I was about to say the same things you said, except this: all who move about in the world know what happens to kings. But I have arrived at another consideration.

Orestes What is it? Share it with me so that you may know better.

People and places in this passage

Passages in other works that tell of the same people and places, oldest and closest first.

  1. Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome E.6.1–29The returns from Troy: Nauplius, Agamemnon's murder and Orestes
  2. Euripides, Orestes 1204–1245Sixth episode: the ambush is set
  3. Euripides, Orestes 1013–1068Sixth episode: Orestes and Electra say farewell
  4. Sophocles, Electra 1–85Prologue: Orestes and the Paedagogus plan the deception
  5. Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 892–930Episode: Orestes confronts Clytaemestra
  6. Sophocles, Electra 1288–1383Fourth episode (cont.): the Paedagogus urges haste

English translation by Edward P. Coleridge (1891). Original text: Greek text: Gilbert Murray (ed.), Euripidis Fabulae, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913, as digitised by Perseus. English: Edward P. Coleridge, The Plays of Euripides, London: George Bell and Sons, first published 1891 (Bohn's Classical Library; the Perseus header records a later printing).

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.