O Zeus, I behold that which hath not fallen save by the doom of

jealous Heaven; but, if Nemesis attend that word, be it unsaid!
Take all the covering from the face, that kinship, at least, may

receive the tribute of lament from me also.
ORESTES

Lift the veil thyself; not my part this, but thine, to look upon
these relics, and to greet them kindly.

AEGISTHUS
'Tis good counsel, and I will follow it.- (To ELECTRA) But

thou-call me Clytemnestra, if she is within.
ORESTES

Lo, she is near thee: turn not thine eyes elsewhere.
(AEGISTHUS removes the face-cloth from the corpse.)

AEGISTHUS
O, what sight is this!

ORESTES
Why so scared? Is the face so strange?

AEGISTHUS
Who are the men into whose mid toils I have fallen, hapless that I

am?
ORESTES

Nay, hast thou not discovered ere now that the dead, as thou
miscallest them, are living?

AEGISTHUS
Alas, I read the riddle: this can be none but Orestes who speaks

to me!
ORESTES

And, though so good a prophet, thou wast deceived so long?
AEGISTHUS

Oh lost, undone! Yet suffer me to say one word...
ELECTRA

In heaven's name, my brother, suffer him not to speak further,
or to plead at length! When mortals are in the meshes of fate, how can

such respite avail one who is to die? No,- slay him forthwith, and
cast his corpse to the creatures from whom such as he should have

burial, far from our sight! To me, nothing but this can make amends
for the woes of the past.

ORESTES (to AEGISTHUS)
Go in, and quickly; the issue here is not of words, but of thy

life.
AEGISTHUS

Why take me into the house? If this deed be fair, what need of
darkness? Why is thy hand not prompt to strike?

ORESTES
Dictate not, but go where thou didst slay my father, that in the

same place thou mayest die.
AEGISTHUS

Is this dwelling doomed to see all woes of Pelops' line, now,
and in time to come?

ORESTES
Thine, at least; trust my prophetic skill so far.

AEGISTHUS
The skill thou vauntest belonged not to thy sire.

ORESTES
Thou bandiest words, and our going is delayed. Move forward!

AEGISTHUS
Lead thou.

ORESTES
Thou must go first.

AEGISTHUS
Lest I escape thee?

ORESTES
No, but that thou mayest not choose how to die; I must not spare

thee any bitterness of death. And well it were if this judgment came
straight-way upon all who dealt in lawless deeds, even the judgment of

the sword: so should not wickedness abound.
(ORESTES and PYLADES drive AEGISTHUS into the palace.)

CHORUS (singing)
O house of Atreus, through how many sufferings hast thou come

forth at last in freedom, crowned with good by this day's enterprise!
-THE END-

.

• tribute [´tribju:t] n.贡物；献礼；颂词 (初中英语单词)
• counsel [´kaunsəl] n.商议；劝告；律师 (初中英语单词)
• prophet [´prɔfit] n.预言家；先知；提倡者 (初中英语单词)
• dwelling [´dweliŋ] n.住所；寓所 (初中英语单词)
• lament [lə´ment] v.哀悼 n.哀悼；恸哭 (高中英语单词)
• riddle [´ridl] n.谜(语) v.解(谜等) (高中英语单词)
• forthwith [fɔ:θ´wið] ad.立刻 (高中英语单词)
• prompt [prɔmpt] a.敏捷的 vt.促使 (高中英语单词)
• bitterness [´bitənis] n.苦味；辛酸；苦难 (高中英语单词)
• corpse [kɔ:ps] n.尸体 (英语四级单词)
• lawless [´lɔ:ləs] a.无法无天的 (英语四级单词)
• hapless [´hæpləs] a.不幸的；倒楣的 (英语六级单词)
• respite [´respait] n.暂缓 vt.缓期执行 (英语六级单词)
• prophetic [prə´fetik] a.预言(家)的；预示的 (英语六级单词)