ELECTRA
But thy malignity, thy cruel acts
Compel me; baseness is from baseness learnt.
Clytemnestra
Thou brazen monster! I, my words, my acts,
Are matter for thy glib garrulity!
Electra
The fault is thine, not mine; for thine the acts,
And mine are but the words that show them forth.
Clytemnestra
Now, by our lady Artemis, thou shalt rue
Thy boldness when Aegisthus comes again.
Electra
See, rage distracts thee; first thou grantest me
Free speech, and wilt not listen when I speak.
Clytemnestra
I let thee have thy say, and wilt not thou
Hush thy wild tongue and let me sacrifice?
Electra
Go, I adjure thee, sacrifice; nor blame
My voice; henceforth I shall not speak one word.
Clytemnestra
Bear this, my maid, this offering of earth’s fruits,
That to our King I may uplift my prayers,
To rid me of the dread that haunts my soul.
O Phoebus, our Defender, lend an ear
To my petition; dark and veiled the words
For those who love me not, nor were it meet
To lay my whole heart bare, while she is by,
Ready to blab with her envenomed tongue
Through all the town some empty, rash report.
Darkly I pray; to my dark prayer attend!
