Page:Tragedies of Sophocles (Plumptre 1878).djvu/280

182 Thou look'st upon, in slaughter also rich,

The house of Pelops' line. Here, long ago,

After thy father's murder, I received thee,

At thy dear sister's hands, to kindred true;

And took thee, saved thee, reared thee in my home,

To this thy manhood, destined to avenge

Thy father's death. Now, therefore, Ο my son,

Orestes, and thou, Pylades, most dear

Of all true friends, we needs must quickly plan

What best to do. For lo! the sun's bright rays

Wake up the birds to tune their matin songs,

And star-decked night's dark shadows flee away;

Ye, then, before ye enter, taking rest,

The roof of living man, hold conference;

For as things are, we may not linger on:

The time is come for action.

Ores. Dearest friend,

Of servants found most faithful, still thou giv'st

Clear tokens of thy nobleness of heart

In all that touches us. For as the steed,

Though he be old, if good blood flows in him,

In danger's hour still loses not his fire,

But pricks his ears, so thou dost urge us on,

And tak'st thyself thy station in the van.

Wherefore, I tell thee what my mind approves,

And thou, give heed, full heed, to all my words;

And, if I miss the mark in aught, correct:

For I, when I had reached the Pythian shrine,

That I might learn by what device to wreak

My vengeance on my father's murderers,

Heard this from Phœbos, which thou too shalt learn,

That I myself, unarmed with shield or host,

Should subtly work the righteous deed of blood.

Since then we heard an oracle like this,