Helen:Look; what more do you need? Who knows better than you?
Ἑλένη:σκέψαι· τί σοὐνδεῖ; τίς δὲ σοῦ σοφώτερος;
Menelaos:You are like her; I will not deny that at least.
Μενελέως:ἔοικας· οὔτοι τοῦτό γʼ ἐξαρνήσομαι.
Helen:Who then shall teach you, if not your own eyes?
Ἑλένη:τίς οὖν διδάξει σʼ ἄλλος ἢ τὰ σʼ ὄμματα;
Menelaos:It is there that I am ailing, because I have another wife.
Μενελέως:ἐκεῖ νοσοῦμεν, ὅτι δάμαρτʼ ἄλλην ἔχω.
Helen:I did not go to Troy; that was a phantom.
Ἑλένη:οὐκ ἦλθον ἐς γῆν Τρῳάδʼ, ἀλλʼ εἴδωλον ἦν.
Menelaos:And who fashions living bodies?
Μενελέως:καὶ τίς βλέποντα σώματʼ ἐξεργάζεται;
Helen:The air, out of which you have a wife that the gods labored over.
Ἑλένη:αἰθήρ, ὅθεν σὺ θεοπόνητʼ ἔχεις λέχη.
Menelaos:What god’s handiwork? You are saying things beyond hope.
Μενελέως:τίνος πλάσαντος θεῶν; ἄελπτα γὰρ λέγεις.
Helen:Hera’s, as a substitute, so that Paris would not have me.
Ἑλένη:Ἥρας, διάλλαγμʼ, ὡς Πάρις με μὴ λάβοι.
Menelaos:How then could you be here and in Troy at the same time?
Μενελέως:πῶς οὖν ἂν ἐνθάδʼ ἦσθά ⟨τʼ⟩ ἐν Τροίᾳ θʼ ἅμα;
Helen:The name may be in many places, though not the body.
Ἑλένη:τοὔνομα γένοιτʼ ἂν πολλαχοῦ, τὸ σῶμα δʼ οὔ.
Menelaos:Let me go! I have come here with enough pain.
Μενελέως:μέθες με, λύπης ἅλις ἔχων ἐλήλυθα.
Helen:Will you leave me, and take that phantom bride away?
Ἑλένη:λείψεις γὰρ ἡμᾶς, τὰ δὲ κένʼ ἐξάξεις λέχη;
Menelaos:Yes, and fare well, for your likeness to Helen.
Μενελέως:καὶ χαῖρέ γʼ, Ἑλένῃ προσφερὴς ὁθούνεκʼ εἶ.
Helen:I am ruined! I found you, my husband, but I will not have you.
Ἑλένη:ἀπωλόμην· λαβοῦσά σʼ οὐχ ἕξω πόσιν.
Menelaos:The greatness of my troubles over there convinces me; you do not.
Μενελέως:τοὐκεῖ με μέγεθος τῶν πόνων πείθει, σὺ δʼ οὔ.
Helen:Ah me! Who was ever more miserable than I am?Those whom I love best are leaving me, and I shall never reach the Hellenes or my own country.
Ἑλένη:οἲ ἐγώ· τίς ἡμῶν ἐγένετʼ ἀθλιωτέρα;οἱ φίλτατοι λείπουσί μʼ οὐδʼ ἀφίξομαιἝλληνας οὐδὲ πατρίδα τὴν ἐμήν ποτε.
Messenger:(entering hurriedly.) Menelaos, I find you, after taking great trouble to look for you, wandering over the whole of this foreign land; I am sent by the comrades whom you left behind.
Ἄγγελος:Μενέλαε, μαστεύων σε κιγχάνω μόλιςπᾶσαν πλανηθεὶς τήνδε βάρβαρον χθόνα,πεμφθεὶς ἑταίρων τῶν λελειμμένων ὕπο.
Menelaos:What is it? Surely you are not being plundered by the foreigners?
Μενελέως:τί δʼ ἔστιν; οὔ που βαρβάρων συλᾶσθʼ ὕπο;
Messenger:It is a miracle; what I say is of less account than what happened.
Ἄγγελος:θαῦμʼ ἔστʼ, ἔλασσον τοὔνομʼ ἢ τὸ πρᾶγμʼ ἔχον.
Menelaos:Tell me; for, judging by this eagerness, you are certainly bringing something new.
Μενελέως:λέγʼ· ὡς φέρεις τι τῇδε τῇ σπουδῇ νέον.
Messenger:I say that you have suffered countless labors in vain.
Ἄγγελος:λέγω πόνους σε μυρίους τλῆναι μάτην.
Menelaos:You are mourning over old sorrows; what is your message?
Μενελέως:παλαιὰ θρηνεῖς πήματʼ· ἀγγέλλεις δὲ τί;
Messenger:Your wife has disappeared, taken up into the folds of the unseen air; she is hidden in heaven, and as she left the hallowed cave where we were keeping her, she said this: “Miserable Phrygians, and all the Achaeans! On my account you were dying by the banks of Skamandros,”“through Hera’s contrivance, for you thought that Paris had Helen when he didn’t. But I, since I have stayed my appointed time, and kept the laws of fate, will now depart into the sky, my father; but the unhappy daughter of Tyndareus,”“guilty in no way, has borne an evil name without reason.”Catching sight of HelenWelcome, daughter of Leda, were you here after all? I was just announcing your departure up to the hidden starry realms, not knowing that you had a winged body. I will not let you mock us like this again,for you gave your fill of trouble to your husband and his allies in Ilion.
Ἄγγελος:βέβηκεν ἄλοχος σὴ πρὸς αἰθέρος πτυχὰςἀρθεῖσʼ ἄφαντος· οὐρανῷ δὲ κρύπτεταιλιποῦσα σεμνὸν ἄντρον οὗ σφʼ ἐσῴζομεν,τοσόνδε λέξασʼ· ὦ ταλαίπωροι Φρύγεςπάντες τʼ Ἀχαιοί, διʼ ἔμʼ ἐπὶ Σκαμανδρίοιςἀκταῖσιν Ἥρας μηχαναῖς ἐθνῄσκετε,δοκοῦντες Ἑλένην οὐκ ἔχοντʼ ἔχειν Πάριν.ἐγὼ δʼ, ἐπειδὴ χρόνον ἔμεινʼ ὅσον με χρῆν,τὸ μόρσιμον σῴσασα, πατέρʼ ἐς οὐρανὸνἄπειμι· φήμας δʼ ἡ τάλαινα Τυνδαρὶςἄλλως κακὰς ἤκουσεν οὐδὲν αἰτία.ὦ χαῖρε, Λήδας θύγατερ, ἐνθάδʼ ἦσθʼ ἄρα;ἐγὼ δέ σʼ ἄστρων ὡς βεβηκυῖαν μυχοὺςἤγγελλον εἰδὼς οὐδὲν ὡς ὑπόπτερονδέμας φοροίης. οὐκ ἐῶ σε κερτομεῖνἡμᾶς τόδʼ αὖθις, ὡς ἄδην ἐν Ἰλίῳπόνους παρεῖχες σῷ πόσει καὶ συμμάχοις.
Menelaos:This is the meaning of that; her words have turned out to be true. O longed-for day, that has given you to my arms!
Μενελέως:τοῦτʼ ἔστʼ ἐκεῖνο· ξυμβεβᾶσιν οἱ λόγοιοἱ τῆσδʼ ἀληθεῖς. ὦ ποθεινὸς ἡμέρα,ἥ σʼ εἰς ἐμὰς ἔδωκεν ὠλένας λαβεῖν.
Helen:O Menelaos, dearest of men, the time was long, but delight is just now ours.With joy I have found my husband, friends, I have embraced my dear one, after long days of blazing light.
Ἑλένη:ὦ φίλτατʼ ἀνδρῶν Μενέλεως, ὁ μὲν χρόνοςπαλαιός, ἡ δὲ τέρψις ἀρτίως πάρα.ἔλαβον ἀσμένα πόσιν ἐμόν, φίλαι,περί τʼ ἐπέτασα χέραφίλιον ἐν μακρᾷ φλογὶ φαεσφόρῳ.
Menelaos:And I have found you; but I have many questions about t; now I do not know what to begin with first.
Μενελέως:κἀγὼ σέ· πολλοὺς δʼ ἐν μέσῳ λόγους ἔχωνοὐκ οἶδʼ ὁποίου πρῶτον ἄρξωμαι τὰ νῦν.
Helen:I am so happy, the hair rises on my head and my tears run down. I fling my arms around your neck,dear husband, to have my delight.
Ἑλένη:γέγηθα, κρατὶ δʼ ὀρθίους ἐθείραςἀνεπτέρωκα καὶ δάκρυ σταλάσσω,περὶ δὲ γυῖα χέρας ἔβαλον, ἡδονάν,ὦ πόσις, ὡς λάβω.
Menelaos:O dearest sight! I have no fault to find: I have my wife, the daughter of Zeus and Leda; your brothers on their snow-white steedsblessed you, blessed you at an earlier time, while torches blazed, but the god who took you from my home is driving us on to another fortune, better than this. An evil that was good brought you together with me, your husbandafter a long time, but may I still benefit by my good luck.
Μενελέως:ὦ φιλτάτη πρόσοψις, οὐκ ἐμέμφθην·ἔχω τὰ τῆς Διός τε λέκτρα Λήδας θʼ,ἃν ὑπὸ λαμπάδων κόροι λεύκιπποιξυνομαίμονες ὤλβισαν ὤλβισαντὸ πρόσθεν, ἐκ δόμων δὲ νοσφίσας σʼ ἐμοῦπρὸς ἄλλαν ἐλαύνειθεὸς συμφορὰν τᾶσδε κρείσσω.τὸ κακὸν δʼ ἀγαθὸν σέ τε κἀμὲ συνάγαγε, πόσινχρόνιον, ἀλλʼ ὅμως ὀναίμαν τύχας.
Chorus:May you benefit indeed, and I join in the same prayer; for when there are two, it is not possible for one to be unhappy and the other not.
Χορός:ὄναιο δῆτα. ταὐτὰ δὴ ξυνεύχομαι·δυοῖν γὰρ ὄντοιν οὐχ ὃ μὲν τλήμων, ὃ δʼ οὔ.
Helen:My dear friends, I no longer sigh or grieve over what is past.I have my husband, for whom I have been waiting to come from Troy for many years.
Ἑλένη:φίλαι φίλαι, τὰ πάρος οὐκέτιστένομεν οὐδʼ ἀλγῶ.πόσιν ἐμὸν ἔχομεν [ἔχομεν,] ὃν [ἔμενον]ἔμενον ἐκ Τροίας πολυετῆ μολεῖν.
Menelaos:You have me, and I have you; although it was hard to live through so many days, I now understand the actions of the goddess. My joy is tearful; it has moredelight than sorrow.
Μενελέως:ἔχεις, ἐγώ τε σέ· ἡλίους δὲ μυρίουςμόλις διελθὼν ᾐσθόμην τὰ τῆς θεοῦ.ἐμὰ δὲ χαρμονὰ δάκρυα· πλέον ἔχειχάριτος ἢ λύπας.
Helen:What can I say? What mortal could ever have hoped for this? I hold you to my heart, little as I ever thought to.
Ἑλένη:τί φῶ; τίς ἂν τάδʼ ἤλπισεν βροτῶν ποτε;ἀδόκητον ἔχω σε πρὸς στέρνοις.
Menelaos:And I hold you, whom we thought to have gone to Ida’s city and the unhappy towers of Ilion.By the gods, how were you taken from my home?
Μενελέως:κἀγὼ σὲ τὴν δοκοῦσαν Ἰδαίαν πόλινμολεῖν Ἰλίου τε μελέους πύργους.πρὸς θεῶν, δόμων πῶς τῶν ἐμῶν ἀπεστάλης;
Helen:Ah! ah! You are setting out on a bitter beginning. Ah! ah! You are asking about a bitter tale.
Ἑλένη:ἒ ἔ· πικρὰς ἐς ἀρχὰς βαίνεις,ἒ ἔ· πικρὰν δʼ ἐρευνᾷς φάτιν.
Menelaos:Speak; all gifts from the gods should be heard.
Μενελέως:λέγʼ· ὡς ἀκουστὰ πάντα δῶρα δαιμόνων.
Helen:I detest the story I am now to introduce.
Ἑλένη:ἀπέπτυσα μὲν λόγον, οἷον οἷον ἐσοίσομαι.
Menelaos:Tell it anyway. It is sweet to hear of troubles.
Μενελέως:ὅμως δὲ λέξον· ἡδύ τοι μόχθων κλύειν.
Helen:Not to the bed of the young barbarian, on the wings of oars, on the wings of desire for lawless marriage—
Ἑλένη:οὐκ ἐπὶ βαρβάρου λέκτρα νεανίαπετομένας κώπας,πετομένου δʼ ἔρωτος ἀδίκων γάμων …
Menelaos:What god or fate tore you from your country?
Μενελέως:τίς ⟨γάρ⟩ σε δαίμων ἢ πότμος συλᾷ πάτρας;
Helen:Ah, my husband! The son of Zeus, of Zeus, brought me to the Nile.
Ἑλένη:ὁ Διὸς ὁ Διός, ὦ πόσι, παῖς μʼ …ἐπέλασεν Νείλῳ.
Menelaos:Amazing! Who sent you there? O dreadful story!
Μενελέως:θαυμαστά· τοῦ πέμψαντος; ὦ δεινοὶ λόγοι.
Helen:I have wept bitterly, and my eyes are wet with tears; the wife of Zeus ruined me.
Ἑλένη:κατεδάκρυσα καὶ βλέφαρον ὑγραίνωδάκρυσιν· ἁ Διός μʼ ἄλοχος ὤλεσεν.
Menelaos:Hera? Why did she want to bring trouble to the two of us?
Μενελέως:Ἥρα; τί νῷν χρῄζουσα προσθεῖναι κακόν;
Helen:Alas for my terrible fate, the baths and springs, where the goddesses brightened the beauty from which the judgment came.
Ἑλένη:ὤμοι ἐμῶν δεινῶν, λουτρῶν καὶ κρηνῶν,ἵνα θεαὶ μορφὰνἐφαίδρυναν, ἔνθεν ἔμολεν κρίσις.
Menelaos:Regarding the judgment, Hera made it a cause of these troubles for you?
Μενελέως:τὰ δʼ ἐς κρίσιν σοι τῶνδʼ ἔθηχʼ Ἥρα κακῶν —;
Helen:To take me away from Paris—
Ἑλένη:Πάριν ὡς ἀφέλοιτο —
Menelaos:How? Tell me.
Μενελέως:πῶς; αὔδα.
Helen:To whom Kypris had promised me.
Ἑλένη:Κύπρις ᾧ μʼ ἐπένευσεν —
Menelaos:O unhappy one!
Μενελέως:ὦ τλᾶμον.
Helen:Unhappy, unhappy; and so she brought me to Egypt.
Ἑλένη:τλάμων, τλάμων· ὧδʼ ἐπέλασʼ Αἰγύπτῳ.
Menelaos:Then she gave him a phantom instead, as I hear from you.
Μενελέως:εἶτʼ ἀντέδωκʼ εἴδωλον, ὡς σέθεν κλύω.
Helen:Sorrow, sorrow to your house,mother, alas.
Ἑλένη:τὰ δὲ ⟨σὰ⟩ κατὰ μέλαθρα πάθεα πάθεα, μᾶ-τερ, οἲ ʼγώ.
Menelaos:What do you mean?
Μενελέως:τί φῄς;
Helen:My mother is no more; through shame of my disgraceful marriage she tied a noose around her neck.
Ἑλένη:οὐκ ἔστι μάτηρ· ἀγχόνιον δὲ βρόχονδιʼ ἐμὰν κατεδήσατο δυσγάμου αἰσχύναν.
Menelaos:Alas! Is our daughter Hermione alive?
Μενελέως:ὤμοι· θυγατρὸς δʼ Ἑρμιόνης ἔστιν βίος;
Helen:Ah, my husband! Unmarried, and without children, she mourns myfatal marriage.
Ἑλένη:ἄγαμος ἄτεκνος, ὦ πόσι, καταστένειγάμον ἄγαμον ⟨ἐμόν⟩.
Menelaos:O Paris, who utterly destroyed my whole house, these things ruined you also, and countless bronze-clad Danaans.
Μενελέως:ὦ πᾶν κατʼ ἄκρας δῶμʼ ἐμὸν πέρσας Πάρις,τάδε καὶ σὲ διώλεσε μυριάδας τεχαλκεόπλων Δαναῶν.
Helen:The god cast me out, ill-fated and accursed, from my country,from my city, and from you, when I left my home and bed—yet I did not leave them—for a shameful marriage.
Ἑλένη:ἐμὲ δὲ πατρίδος ἄπο κακόποτμον ἀραίανἔβαλε θεὸς ἀπό ⟨τε⟩ πόλεος ἀπό τε σέθεν,ὅτε μέλαθρα λέχεά τʼ ἔλιπον — οὐ λιποῦσʼἐπʼ αἰσχροῖς γάμοις.
Chorus Leader:If indeed you should find happiness in the future, it would be a match for the past.
Χορός:εἰ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς τύχης εὐδαίμονοςτύχοιτε, πρὸς τὰ πρόσθεν ἀρκέσειεν ἄν.
Messenger:Menelaos, give me as well a share of that joy which I understand, but not clearly.
Ἄγγελος:Μενέλαε, κἀμοὶ πρόσδοτον τῆς ἡδονῆς,ἣν μανθάνω μὲν καὐτός, οὐ σαφῶς δʼ ἔχω.
Menelaos:Come and take part in our talk, old man, you too.
Μενελέως:ἀλλʼ, ὦ γεραιέ, καὶ σὺ κοινώνει λόγων.
Messenger:This woman is not the arbitrator of all the trouble in Troy?
Ἄγγελος:οὐχ ἥδε μόχθων τῶν ἐν Ἰλίῳ βραβεύς;
Menelaos:She is not; I was tricked by the godsand had in my arms the baneful image of a cloud.
Μενελέως:οὐχ ἥδε, πρὸς θεῶν δʼ ἦμεν ἠπατημένοι,νεφέλης ἄγαλμʼ ἔχοντες ἐν χεροῖν λυγρόν.
Messenger:What are you saying? We suffered in vain for the sake of a cloud?
Ἄγγελος:τί φῄς;νεφέλης ἄρʼ ἄλλως εἴχομεν πόνους πέρι;
Menelaos:It was the work of Hera, and the rivalry of the three goddesses.
Μενελέως:Ἥρας τάδʼ ἔργα καὶ θεῶν τρισσῶν ἔρις.
Messenger:And the one who is truly your wife is this woman here?
Ἄγγελος:ἡ δʼ οὖσʼ ἀληθῶς ἐστιν ἥδε σὴ δάμαρ;
Menelaos:This is she; trust my word for that.
Μενελέως:αὕτη· λόγοις [δʼ] ἐμοῖσι πίστευσον τάδε.
Messenger:O daughter, how intricate and hard to trace out is the nature of the god! In some way that is good, he twists everything about, now up, now down; one man suffers, and one who has not suffered comes afterwards to a bad end,having no security in his current fortune. You and your husband have had your share of trouble, you in repute, he in the heat of battle. In his eagerness, while he was eager, he got nothing; but now that he has achieved the greatest good fortune, he has it without cause.You did not, after all, bring shame upon your old father or on the twin sons of Zeus, nor did you do such things as were spoken of. Now again I renew your wedding rites and remember the blazing torch I bore, running beside the four yoked horses; and you,in the chariot as a bride, were leaving your happy home with this man here. Whoever pays no reverence to his master’s affairs, rejoicing with him and grieving with his troubles, is worthless. Although I was born a servant, let me still be numbered among honestslaves; my mind is free, if not my name. For this is better than to suffer double misery as one man: to have a worthless heart and, being a slave, to owe obedience to any other.
Ἄγγελος:ὦ θύγατερ, ὁ θεὸς ὡς ἔφυ τι ποικίλονκαὶ δυστέκμαρτον. εὖ δέ πως πάντα στρέφειἐκεῖσε κἀκεῖσʼ ἀναφέρων· ὃ μὲν πονεῖ,ὃ δʼ οὐ πονήσας αὖθις ὄλλυται κακῶς,βέβαιον οὐδὲν τῆς ἀεὶ τύχης ἔχων.σὺ γὰρ πόσις τε σὸς πόνων μετέσχετε,σὺ μὲν λόγοισιν, ὃ δὲ δορὸς προθυμίᾳ.σπεύδων δʼ ὅτʼ ἔσπευδʼ οὐδὲν εἶχε· νῦν δʼ ἔχειαὐτόματα πράξας τἀγάθʼ εὐτυχέστατα.οὐκ ἄρα γέροντα πατέρα καὶ Διοσκόρωᾔσχυνας, οὐδʼ ἔδρασας οἷα κλῄζεται.νῦν ἀνανεοῦμαι τὸν σὸν ὑμέναιον πάλινκαὶ λαμπάδων μεμνήμεθʼ ἃς τετραόροιςἵπποις τροχάζων παρέφερον· σὺ δʼ ἐν δίφροιςξὺν τῷδε νύμφη δῶμʼ ἔλειπες ὄλβιον.κακὸς γὰρ ὅστις μὴ σέβει τὰ δεσποτῶνκαὶ ξυγγέγηθε καὶ συνωδίνει κακοῖς.ἐγὼ μὲν εἴην, κεἰ πέφυχʼ ὅμως λάτρις,ἐν τοῖσι γενναίοισιν ἠριθμημένοςδούλοισι, τοὔνομʼ οὐκ ἔχων ἐλεύθερον,τὸν νοῦν δέ· κρεῖσσον γὰρ τόδʼ ἢ δυοῖν κακοῖνἕνʼ ὄντα χρῆσθαι, τὰς φρένας τʼ ἔχειν κακὰςἄλλων τʼ ἀκούειν δοῦλον ὄντα τῶν πέλας.
Menelaos:Come, old man—often by my shieldyou have had your full share of trouble and hard work—now also have a share in my success, and go tell the friends I left behind the state of matters here, as you found them, and how my fortune stands; and bid them wait at the beach and watch eagerly for thestruggle which I expect awaits me; and if we should be able somehow to steal this woman away from the land, tell them to keep good watch so that we may share the luck and escape, if we can, from the barbarians.
Μενελέως:ἄγʼ, ὦ γεραιέ, πολλὰ μὲν παρʼ ἀσπίδαμοχθήματʼ ἐξέπλησας ἐκπονῶν ἐμοί,καὶ νῦν μετασχὼν τῆς ἐμῆς εὐπραξίαςἄγγειλον ἐλθὼν τοῖς λελειμμένοις φίλοιςτάδʼ ὡς ἔχονθʼ ηὕρηκας οἷ τʼ ἐσμὲν τύχης,μένειν τʼ ἐπʼ ἀκταῖς τούς τʼ ἐμοὺς καραδοκεῖνἀγῶνας οἳ μένουσί μʼ, ὡς ἐλπίζομεν,κεἰ τήνδε πως δυναίμεθʼ ἐκκλέψαι χθονός,φρουρεῖν ὅπως ἂν εἰς ἓν ἐλθόντες τύχηςἐκ βαρβάρων σωθῶμεν, ἢν δυνώμεθα.
Messenger:It shall be done, lord. Now indeed I see how worthlessthe seers’ doings are, and how full of falsehood; there was no health in the blaze of sacrifice after all, or in the cry of winged birds; even to think that birds can help mankind is certainly foolish. For Calchas gave no word or sign to the army,when he saw his friends dying on behalf of a cloud, nor did Helenos; but the city was taken by storm in vain. You might say: because the god did not want them to? Then why do we consult prophets? We ought to sacrifice to the gods and ask a blessing, but leave divination alone;for this was invented otherwise, as a bait for a livelihood, and no man grows rich by sacrifices if he is idle. But sound judgment and discernment are the best of seers. Exit Messenger.
Ἄγγελος:ἔσται τάδʼ, ὦναξ. ἀλλά τοι τὰ μάντεωνἐσεῖδον ὡς φαῦλʼ ἐστὶ καὶ ψευδῶν πλέα.οὐδʼ ἦν ἄρʼ ὑγιὲς οὐδὲν ἐμπύρου φλογὸςοὐδὲ πτερωτῶν φθέγματʼ· εὔηθες δέ τοιτὸ καὶ δοκεῖν ὄρνιθας ὠφελεῖν βροτούς.Κάλχας γὰρ οὐκ εἶπʼ οὐδʼ ἐσήμηνε στρατῷνεφέλης ὑπερθνῄσκοντας εἰσορῶν φίλουςοὐδʼ Ἕλενος, ἀλλὰ πόλις ἀνηρπάσθη μάτην.εἴποις ἄν· οὕνεχʼ ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἠβούλετο;τί δῆτα μαντευόμεθα; τοῖς θεοῖσι χρὴθύοντας αἰτεῖν ἀγαθά, μαντείας δʼ ἐᾶν·βίου γὰρ ἄλλως δέλεαρ ηὑρέθη τόδε,κοὐδεὶς ἐπλούτησʼ ἐμπύροισιν ἀργὸς ὤν·γνώμη δʼ ἀρίστη μάντις ἥ τʼ εὐβουλία.
Chorus Leader:My views about seers coincide exactly with this old man’s; whoever has the gods as friendswould have the best prophecy at home.
Χορός:ἐς ταὐτὸ κἀμοὶ δόξα μαντειῶν πέριχωρεῖ γέροντι· τοὺς θεοὺς ἔχων τις ἂνφίλους ἀρίστην μαντικὴν ἔχοι δόμοις.
Helen:All right; so far all is well. But how you were saved, my poor husband, from Troy, there is no gain in knowing, yet friends have a desire to learn what their friends have suffered.
Ἑλένη:εἶἑν· τὰ μὲν δὴ δεῦρʼ ἀεὶ καλῶς ἔχει.ὅπως δʼ ἐσώθης, ὦ τάλας, Τροίας ἄπο,κέρδος μὲν οὐδὲν εἰδέναι, πόθος δέ τιςτὰ τῶν φίλων φίλοισιν αἰσθέσθαι κακά.
Menelaos:Truly you have asked a great deal all at once. Why should I tell you about our losses in the Aegean, and Nauplios’ beacons on Euboia, and my visits to Crete and the cities of Libya, and the mountain-peaks of Perseus? For I would not satisfy you with the tale,and by telling you these evils I would suffer still, as I did when I experienced them; and so my grief would be doubled.
Μενελέως:ἦ πόλλʼ ἀνήρου μʼ ἑνὶ λόγῳ μιᾷ θʼ ὁδῷ.τί σοι λέγοιμʼ ἂν τὰς ἐν Αἰγαίῳ φθορὰςτὰ Ναυπλίου τʼ Εὐβοικὰ πυρπολήματαΚρήτην τε Λιβύης θʼ ἃς ἐπεστράφην πόλεις,σκοπιάς τε Περσέως; οὐ γὰρ ἐμπλήσαιμί σʼ ⟨ἂν⟩μύθων, λέγων τʼ ἄν σοι κάκʼ ἀλγοίην ἔτι,πάσχων τʼ ἔκαμνον· δὶς δὲ λυπηθεῖμεν ἄν.
Helen:Your answer is better than my question. Leave out the rest, and tell me only this: how long were you a weary wanderer over the surface of the sea?
Ἑλένη:κάλλιον εἶπας ἤ σʼ ἀνηρόμην ἐγώ.ἓν δʼ εἰπὲ πάντα παραλιπών, πόσον χρόνονπόντου ʼπὶ νώτοις ἅλιον ἐφθείρου πλάνον;
Menelaos:Besides those ten years in Troy, I went through seven cycles of years on board ship.
Μενελέως:ἐν ναυσὶν ὢν πρὸς τοῖσιν ἐν Τροίᾳ δέκαἔτεσι διῆλθον ἑπτὰ περιδρομὰς ἐτῶν.
Helen:Alas, poor man, you have spoken of a long time; and, saved from there, you have come here to the slaughter.
Ἑλένη:φεῦ φεῦ· μακρόν γʼ ἔλεξας, ὦ τάλας, χρόνονσωθεὶς δʼ ἐκεῖθεν ἐνθάδʼ ἦλθες ἐς σφαγάς.
Menelaos:What do you mean? What will you say? Ah, my wife, you have ruined me.
Μενελέως:πῶς φῄς; τί λέξεις; ὥς μʼ ἀπώλεσας, γύναι.
Helen:Escape from this land and flee as quickly as possible. The man who lives in this house will kill you.
Ἑλένη:φεῦγʼ ὡς τάχιστα τῆσδʼ ἀπαλλαχθεὶς χθονός.θανῇ πρὸς ἀνδρὸς οὗ τάδʼ ἐστὶ δώματα.
Menelaos:What have I done to deserve such a fate?
Μενελέως:τί χρῆμα δράσας ἄξιον τῆς συμφορᾶς;
Helen:You have come unexpectedly to hinder my marriage.
Ἑλένη:ἥκεις ἄελπτος ἐμποδὼν ἐμοῖς γάμοις.
Menelaos:What! Does someone plan to marry my wife?
Μενελέως:ἦ γὰρ γαμεῖν τις τἄμʼ ἐβουλήθη λέχη;
Helen:And to act in violence against me, which I have endured.
Ἑλένη:ὕβριν θʼ ὑβρίζειν εἰς ἔμʼ, ἣν ἔτλην ἐγώ.
Menelaos:Does he have private power, or is he the ruler of the country?
Μενελέως:ἰδίᾳ σθένων τις ἢ τυραννεύων χθονός;
Helen:He is the lord of this land, the son of Proteus.
Ἑλένη:ὃς γῆς ἀνάσσει τῆσδε Πρωτέως γόνος.
Menelaos:This is that riddle I heard from the servant.
Μενελέως:τόδʼ ἔστʼ ἐκεῖνʼ αἴνιγμʼ ὃ προσπόλου κλύω.
Helen:Which one of the barbarian’s gates were you standing beside?
Ἑλένη:ποίοις ἐπιστὰς βαρβάροις πυλώμασιν;
Menelaos:This one, from which I was being driven away like a beggar.
Μενελέως:τοῖσδʼ, ἔνθεν ὥσπερ πτωχὸς ἐξηλαυνόμην.
Helen:You were surely not begging for food, were you? How unhappy I am!
Ἑλένη:οὔ που προσῄτεις βίοτον; ὦ τάλαινʼ ἐγώ.
Menelaos:That was the deed, though it did not have that name.
Μενελέως:τοὔργον μὲν ἦν τοῦτʼ, ὄνομα δʼ οὐκ εἶχεν τόδε.
Helen:Then you know everything, it seems, about my marriage.
Ἑλένη:πάντʼ οἶσθʼ ἄρʼ, ὡς ἔοικας, ἀμφʼ ἐμῶν γάμων.
Menelaos:I do. But if you have escaped his bed—that I do not know.
Μενελέως:οἶδʼ· εἰ δὲ λέκτρα διέφυγες τάδʼ οὐκ ἔχω.
Helen:Know that I have saved myself untouched for you.
Ἑλένη:ἄθικτον εὐνὴν ἴσθι σοι σεσῳσμένην.
Menelaos:What could persuade me of this? If true, your words are sweet.
Μενελέως:τίς τοῦδε πειθώ; φίλα γάρ, εἰ σαφῆ λέγεις.
Helen:Do you see my wretched sanctuary at this tomb?
Ἑλένη:ὁρᾷς τάφου τοῦδʼ ἀθλίους ἕδρας ἐμάς;
Menelaos:I see a miserable bed of straw, but what do you have to do with it?
Μενελέως:ὁρῶ ταλαίνας στιβάδας, ὧν τί σοὶ μέτα;
Helen:Here, as a suppliant, I am asking for an escape from his bed.
Ἑλένη:ἐνταῦθα λέκτρων ἱκετεύομεν φυγάς.
Menelaos:For want of an altar, or because it is the barbarians’ way?
Μενελέως:βωμοῦ σπανίζουσʼ ἢ νόμοισι βαρβάροις;
Helen:This was as good a protection to me as the temples of the gods.
Ἑλένη:ἐρρύεθʼ ἡμᾶς τοῦτʼ ἴσον ναοῖς θεῶν.
Menelaos:Then it’s not possible for me to take you home by ship?
Μενελέως:οὐδʼ ἄρα πρὸς οἴκους ναυστολεῖν ⟨σʼ⟩ ἔξεστί μοι;
Helen:A sword is waiting for you, rather than my bed.
Ἑλένη:ξίφος μένει σε μᾶλλον ἢ τοὐμὸν λέχος.
Menelaos:So I would be the most wretched of mortals.
Μενελέως:οὕτως ἂν εἴην ἀθλιώτατος βροτῶν.
Helen:Do not feel shame now, but escape from this land.
Ἑλένη:μή νυν καταιδοῦ, φεῦγε δʼ ἐκ τῆσδε χθονός.
Menelaos:Leaving you behind? I ravaged Troy for your sake.
Μενελέως:λιπών σε; Τροίαν ἐξέπερσα σὴν χάριν.
Helen:Yes, for that is better than that our union should cause your death.
Ἑλένη:κρεῖσσον γὰρ ἤ σε τἄμʼ ἀποκτεῖναι λέχη.
Menelaos:Oh! these are coward’s words, unworthy of those days at Troy.
Μενελέως:ἄνανδρά γʼ εἶπας Ἰλίου τʼ οὐκ ἄξια.
Helen:You could not kill the tyrant, your possible intention.
Ἑλένη:οὐκ ἂν κτάνοις τύραννον, ὃ σπεύδεις ἴσως.
Menelaos:Does he then have a body that cannot be wounded by a sword?
Μενελέως:οὕτω σιδήρῳ τρωτὸν οὐκ ἔχει δέμας;
Helen:You will hear. But to undertake impossibilities is no mark of wisdom.
Ἑλένη:εἴσῃ. τὸ τολμᾶν δʼ ἀδύνατʼ ἀνδρὸς οὐ σοφοῦ.
Menelaos:And so I am to offer my hands to be bound, in silence?
Μενελέως:σιγῇ παράσχω δῆτʼ ἐμὰς δῆσαι χέρας;
Helen:You are in a dilemma; we need some contrivance.
Ἑλένη:ἐς ἄπορον ἥκεις· δεῖ δὲ μηχανῆς τινος.
Menelaos:Yes, for it is sweeter to die in action than by not acting.
Μενελέως:δρῶντας γὰρ ἢ μὴ δρῶντας ἥδιον θανεῖν.
Helen:There is one hope, and only one, for our safety.
Ἑλένη:μίʼ ἔστιν ἐλπίς, ᾗ μόνῃ σωθεῖμεν ἄν.
Menelaos:Are we to buy it, or dare it, or win it with words?
Μενελέως:ὠνητὸς ἢ τολμητὸς ἢ λόγων ὕπο;
Helen:If the tyrant were not to learn of your arrival.
Ἑλένη:εἰ μὴ τύραννός ⟨σʼ⟩ ἐκπύθοιτʼ ἀφιγμένον.
Menelaos:Will any one tell him about me? He will certainly not know who I am.
Μενελέως:ἐρεῖ δὲ τίς μʼ; οὐ γνώσεταί γʼ ὅς εἰμʼ ἐγώ.
Helen:He has within an ally equal to the gods.
Ἑλένη:ἔστʼ ἔνδον αὐτῷ ξύμμαχος θεοῖς ἴση.
Menelaos:A voice that has settled in the inmost parts of his house?
Μενελέως:φήμη τις οἴκων ἐν μυχοῖς ἱδρυμένη;
Helen:No, but his sister; she is called Theonoe.
Ἑλένη:οὔκ, ἀλλʼ ἀδελφή· Θεονόην καλοῦσί νιν.
Menelaos:The name is prophetic; tell me what she does.
Μενελέως:χρηστήριον μὲν τοὔνομʼ· ὅ τι δὲ δρᾷ φράσον.
Helen:She knows everything, and she will tell her brother that you are here.
Ἑλένη:πάντʼ οἶδʼ, ἐρεῖ τε συγγόνῳ παρόντα σε.
Menelaos:We must die; for I cannot escape her notice.
Μενελέως:θνῄσκοιμεν ἄν· λαθεῖν γὰρ οὐχ οἷόν τέ μοι.
Helen:Perhaps we might persuade her by supplication—
Ἑλένη:ἴσως ἂν ἀναπείσαιμεν ἱκετεύοντέ νιν —
Menelaos:To do what? What hope are you leading me to?
Μενελέως:τί χρῆμα δρᾶσαι; τίνʼ ὑπάγεις μʼ ἐς ἐλπίδα;
Helen:Not to tell her brother that you are here in this land.
Ἑλένη:παρόντα γαίᾳ μὴ φράσαι σε συγγόνῳ.
Menelaos:If we persuade her, could we get away from this country?
Μενελέως:πείσαντε δʼ ἐκ γῆς διορίσαιμεν ἂν πόδα;
Helen:Easily, in common with her; but secretly we could not.
Ἑλένη:κοινῇ γʼ ἐκείνῃ ῥᾳδίως, λάθρᾳ δʼ ἂν οὔ.
Menelaos:The task is yours; it is suitable for women to deal with women.
Μενελέως:σὸν ἔργον, ὡς γυναικὶ πρόσφορον γυνή.
Helen:Be sure that I will clasp her knees.
Ἑλένη:ὡς οὐκ ἄχρωστα γόνατʼ ἐμῶν ἕξει χερῶν.
Menelaos:Well, then, what if she rejects our proposals?
Μενελέως:φέρʼ, ἢν δὲ δὴ νῷν μὴ ἀποδέξηται λόγους;
Helen:You will die. And I, the unhappy one, will be married by force.
Ἑλένη:θανῇ· γαμοῦμαι δʼ ἡ τάλαινʼ ἐγὼ βίᾳ.
Menelaos:You would be a traitor; that force of yours is all an excuse.
Μενελέως:προδότις ἂν εἴης· τὴν βίαν σκήψασʼ ἔχεις.
Helen:But I have sworn a sacred oath by your life—
Ἑλένη:ἀλλʼ ἁγνὸν ὅρκον σὸν κάρα κατώμοσα …
Menelaos:What do you mean? To die? And never to take his bed in exchange for mine?
Μενελέως:τί φῄς; θανεῖσθαι; κοὔποτʼ ἀλλάξεις λέχη;
Helen:Yes, by the same sword; I will lie at your side.
Ἑλένη:ταὐτῷ ξίφει γε· κείσομαι δὲ σοῦ πέλας.
Menelaos:Then on these conditions touch my right hand.
Μενελέως:ἐπὶ τοῖσδε τοίνυν δεξιᾶς ἐμῆς θίγε.
Helen:I touch it, swearing that I will leave the light of day if you die.
Ἑλένη:ψαύω, θανόντος σοῦ τόδʼ ἐκλείψειν φάος.
Menelaos:And I will end my life if I lose you.
Μενελέως:κἀγὼ στερηθεὶς σοῦ τελευτήσειν βίον.
Helen:How then shall we die so as to insure our reputation for this?
Ἑλένη:πῶς οὖν θανούμεθʼ ὥστε καὶ δόξαν λαβεῖν;
Menelaos:I will kill you on the tomb’s surface, and then kill myself. But first I will fight a great contest for your bed. Let anyone who wishes come near!For I will not disgrace my Trojan fame, nor, on my return to Hellas, will I receive great blame—I who robbed Thetis of Achilleus, and saw the slaughter of Aias, son of Telamon, and the son of Neleus made childless;shall I not resolve to die for my wife? Most certainly; for if the gods are wise, they lightly bury in the earth a brave man who has been killed by his enemies, while cowards they cast up out of the earth onto a harsh rock.
Μενελέως:τύμβου ʼπὶ νώτῳ σὲ κτανὼν ἐμὲ κτενῶ.πρῶτον δʼ ἀγῶνα μέγαν ἀγωνιούμεθαλέκτρων ὑπὲρ σῶν. ὁ δὲ θέλων ἴτω πέλας·τὸ Τρωικὸν γὰρ οὐ καταισχυνῶ κλέοςοὐδʼ Ἑλλάδʼ ἐλθὼν λήψομαι πολὺν ψόγον,ὅστις Θέτιν μὲν ἐστέρησʼ Ἀχιλλέως,Τελαμωνίου δʼ Αἴαντος εἰσεῖδον σφαγάς,τὸν Νηλέως τʼ ἄπαιδα· διὰ δὲ τὴν ἐμὴνοὐκ ἀξιώσω κατθανεῖν δάμαρτʼ ἐγώ;μάλιστά γε· εἰ γάρ εἰσιν οἱ θεοὶ σοφοί,εὔψυχον ἄνδρα πολεμίων θανόνθʼ ὕποκούφῃ καταμπίσχουσιν ἐν τύμβῳ χθονί,κακοὺς δʼ ἐφʼ ἕρμα στερεὸν ἐκβάλλουσι γῆς.
Chorus Leader:O gods, may the race of Tantalos be fortunate at last, and may it be set free from evils!
Χορός:ὦ θεοί, γενέσθω δή ποτʼ εὐτυχὲς γένοςτὸ Ταντάλειον καὶ μεταστήτω κακῶν.
Helen:Ah, I am unhappy, for so is my fate! Menelaos, we are destroyed. The prophetess Theonoe is coming out of the house; it resounds as thebolts are unfastened. Try to escape! But what is the use of trying? For whether she is absent or present she knows of your arrival here. Oh, I am lost, unfortunate! Saved from Troy and from a barbarian land, you have come only to fall upon barbarian swords.
Ἑλένη:οἲ ἐγὼ τάλαινα· τῆς τύχης γὰρ ὧδʼ ἔχω.Μενέλαε, διαπεπράγμεθʼ· ἐκβαίνει δόμωνἡ θεσπιῳδὸς Θεονόη· κτυπεῖ δόμοςκλῄθρων λυθέντων. φεῦγʼ· ἀτὰρ τί φευκτέον;ἀποῦσα γάρ σε καὶ παροῦσʼ ἀφιγμένονδεῦρʼ οἶδεν· ὦ δύστηνος, ὡς ἀπωλόμην.Τροίας δὲ σωθεὶς κἀπὸ βαρβάρου χθονὸςἐς βάρβαρʼ ἐλθὼν φάσγανʼ αὖθις ἐμπεσῇ.
Theonoe:Please lead the way with blazing torches, and purify, according to the sacred law, the inmost corners of the air, so I may receive the pure breath of heaven; and you in turn, if someone has harmed the path by treading with unholy foot, submit it to the cleansing fire,and strike the torch in front of me, so that I may pass through. And when you have paid back to the gods my customary observance, take the household flame within.Helen, what about my prophecy—how is it? This man, your husband Menelaos, has openly arrived,robbed of his ships and of your counterfeit. O unhappy man! What troubles you have escaped to come here; nor do you know whether you are to return home or to stay here. For there will be strife among the gods, and a solemn assembly held by Zeus on your account this very day.Hera, who was hostile to you before, is now friendly and wants to bring you safely home, with this woman, so that Hellas may learn that the marriage of Paris, Kypris’ gift, was false; but Kypris wishes to ruin your journey home,so that she may not be convicted, or seem to have bought the prize of beauty by a marriage that was profitless as regards Helen. Now the decision rests with me, whether to ruin you, as Kypris wishes, by telling my brother of your presence here, or to save your life by taking Hera’s side,keeping my brother in the dark, for his orders are for me to tell him, whenever you happen to come to this land.One of you, go show my brother this man is here, so that I may secure my position.
Θεονόη:ἡγοῦ σύ μοι φέρουσα λαμπτήρων σέλαςθείου δε σεμνὸν θεσμὸν αἰθέρος μυχούς,ὡς πνεῦμα καθαρὸν οὐρανοῦ δεξώμεθα·σὺ δʼ αὖ κέλευθον εἴ τις ἔβλαψεν ποδὶστείβων ἀνοσίῳ, δὸς καθαρσίῳ φλογί,κροῦσον δὲ πεύκην, ἵνα διεξέλθω, πυρός.νόμον δὲ τὸν ἐμὸν θεοῖσιν ἀποδοῦσαι πάροςἐφέστιον φλόγʼ ἐς δόμους κομίζετε.Ἑλένη, τί τἀμὰ — πῶς ἔχει — θεσπίσματα;ἥκει πόσις σοι Μενέλεως ὅδʼ ἐμφανής,νεῶν στερηθεὶς τοῦ τε σοῦ μιμήματος.ὦ τλῆμον, οἵους διαφυγὼν ἦλθες πόνους,οὐδʼ οἶσθα νόστον οἴκαδʼ εἴτʼ αὐτοῦ μενεῖς·ἔρις γὰρ ἐν θεοῖς σύλλογός τε σοῦ πέριἔσται πάρεδρος Ζηνὶ τῷδʼ ἐν ἤματι.Ἥρα μέν, ἥ σοι δυσμενὴς πάροιθεν ἦν,νῦν ἐστιν εὔνους κἀς πάτραν σῷσαι θέλειξὺν τῇδʼ, ἵνʼ Ἑλλὰς τοὺς Ἀλεξάνδρου γάμους,δώρημα Κύπριδος, ψευδονυμφεύτους μάθῃ·Κύπρις δὲ νόστον σὸν διαφθεῖραι θέλει,ὡς μὴ ʼξελεγχθῇ μηδὲ πριαμένη φανῇτὸ κάλλος, Ἑλένης οὕνεκʼ, ἀνονήτοις γάμοις.τέλος δʼ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν, εἴθʼ, ἃ βούλεται Κύπρις,λέξασʼ ἀδελφῷ σʼ ἐνθάδʼ ὄντα διολέσω,εἴτʼ αὖ μεθʼ Ἥρας στᾶσα σὸν σώσω βίον,κρύψασʼ ὁμαίμονʼ, ὅς με προστάσσει τάδεεἰπεῖν, ὅταν γῆν τήνδε νοστήσας τύχῃς …τίς εἶσʼ ἀδελφῷ τόνδε σημανῶν ἐμῷπαρόνθʼ, ὅπως ἂν τοὐμὸν ἀσφαλῶς ἔχῃ;
Helen:Maiden, I fall at your knees as a suppliant,and seat myself in this sad posture on behalf of myself and of this man; I am on the point of seeing him slain, after I have found him with such difficulty. Please do not tell your brother that my husband has returned to my loving arms,but save us, I beseech you; do not forsake the piety that was once yours for your brother’s sake, buying favors that are wicked and unjust. For the god hates violence, and commands everyone to have their possessions without robbery.[Wealth that is unjust, though it may bring some power, ought to be avoided.] Heaven is common to all mortals, and so is the earth, where people ought to fill up their homes without having another’s property, or taking it away by force.At a critical time, but unhappily for me, Hermes gave me to your father to keep safe for my husband, this man who is here and wishes to have me back. But how could he recover me if he is dead? How could your father ever restore the living to the dead? Now examine the will of the god and of your father;would the deity and your dead father be willing to give back again their neighbor’s goods, or would they not? I think they would. It is not, therefore, right that you should attach more importance to a thoughtless brother more than a good father. If you, who are a prophet and believe in divine affairs,ruin the lawful intention of your father and gratify your lawless brother, it is disgraceful that you should have full knowledge of divine matters, both what is and what will be, and yet not know what is right. Save me, the unhappy one, enveloped in these troubles,and give me this addition to my fate; for there is no mortal who does not hate Helen; I am famous throughout Hellas as the one who betrayed my husband and lived in Phrygia’s golden halls. If I come to Hellas and set foot once more in Sparta,they will hear and see how they were ruined by the wiles of gods, while I was no traitor to my friends after all; and so they will lead me back to virtue again, and I shall betroth my daughter, whom no man now will marry; and, leaving this bitter beggar’s life here, shall enjoy the goods that are in my home.And if this man were dead and slaughtered on a funeral pyre, I would be cherishing his memory with tears far away; but shall I be robbed of him when he is now alive and safe?Ah! not that, maiden, I beseech you:grant me this favor, and imitate the character of a just father; for this is the fairest glory for children, when the child of a good father resembles its parents in character.
Ἑλένη:ὦ παρθένʼ, ἱκέτις ἀμφὶ σὸν πίτνω γόνυκαὶ προσκαθίζω θᾶκον οὐκ εὐδαίμοναὑπέρ τʼ ἐμαυτῆς τοῦδέ θʼ, ὃν μόλις ποτὲλαβοῦσʼ ἐπʼ ἀκμῆς εἰμι κατθανόντʼ ἰδεῖν·μή μοι κατείπῃς σῷ κασιγνήτῳ πόσιντόνδʼ εἰς ἐμὰς ἥκοντα φιλτάτας χέρας,σῷσον δέ, λίσσομαί σε· συγγόνῳ δὲ σῷτὴν εὐσέβειαν μὴ προδῷς τὴν σήν ποτε,χάριτας πονηρὰς κἀδίκους ὠνουμένη.μισεῖ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τὴν βίαν, τὰ κτητὰ δὲκτᾶσθαι κελεύει πάντας οὐκ ἐς ἁρπαγάς.[ἐατέος δʼ ὁ πλοῦτος ἄδικός τις ὤν.]κοινὸς γάρ ἐστιν οὐρανὸς πᾶσιν βροτοῖςκαὶ γαῖʼ, ἐν ᾗ χρὴ δώματʼ ἀναπληρουμένουςτἀλλότρια μὴ σχεῖν μηδʼ ἀφαιρεῖσθαι βίᾳ.ἡμᾶς δὲ καιρίως μέν, ἀθλίως δʼ ἐμοί,Ἑρμῆς ἔδωκε πατρὶ σῷ σῴζειν πόσειτῷδʼ ὃς πάρεστι κἀπολάζυσθαι θέλει.πῶς οὖν θανὼν ἂν ἀπολάβοι; κεῖνος δὲ πῶςτὰ ζῶντα τοῖς θανοῦσιν ἀποδοίη ποτʼ ἄν;ἤδη τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς σκόπει·πότερον ὁ δαίμων χὡ θανὼν τὰ τῶν πέλαςβούλοιντʼ ἂν ἢ οὐ βούλοιντʼ ἂν ἀποδοῦναι πάλιν;δοκῶ μέν. οὔκουν χρή σε συγγόνῳ πλέοννέμειν ματαίῳ μᾶλλον ἢ χρηστῷ πατρί.εἰ δʼ οὖσα μάντις καὶ τὰ θεῖʼ ἡγουμένητὸ μὲν δίκαιον τοῦ πατρὸς διαφθερεῖς,τῷ δʼ οὐ δικαίῳ συγγόνῳ σώσεις χάριν,αἰσχρὸν τὰ μέν σε θεῖα πάντʼ ἐξειδέναι,τά τʼ ὄντα καὶ μέλλοντα, τὰ δὲ δίκαια μή.τήν τʼ ἀθλίαν ἔμʼ, οἷσιν ἔγκειμαι κακοῖς,ῥῦσαι, πάρεργον δοῦσα τοῦτο τῆς τύχης·Ἑλένην γὰρ οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐ στυγεῖ βροτῶν·ἣ κλῄζομαι καθʼ Ἑλλάδʼ ὡς προδοῦσʼ ἐμὸνπόσιν Φρυγῶν ᾤκησα πολυχρύσους δόμους.ἢν δʼ Ἑλλάδʼ ἔλθω κἀπιβῶ Σπάρτης ⟨πάλιν⟩,κλύοντες εἰσιδόντες ὡς τέχναις θεῶνὤλοντʼ, ἐγὼ δὲ προδότις οὐκ ἄρʼ ἦ φίλων,πάλιν μʼ ἀνάξουσʼ ἐς τὸ σῶφρον αὖθις αὖ,ἑδνώσομαί τε θυγατέρʼ, ἣν οὐδεὶς γαμεῖ,τὴν δʼ ἐνθάδʼ ἐκλιποῦσʼ ἀλητείαν πικρὰνὄντων ἐν οἴκοις χρημάτων ὀνήσομαι.κεἰ μὲν θανὼν ὅδʼ ἐν πυρᾷ κατεσφάγη,πρόσω σφʼ ἀπόντα δακρύοις ἂν ἠγάπων·νῦν δʼ ὄντα καὶ σωθέντʼ ἀφαιρεθήσομαι;μὴ δῆτα, παρθένʼ, ἀλλά σʼ ἱκετεύω τόδε·δὸς τὴν χάριν μοι τήνδε καὶ μιμοῦ τρόπουςπατρὸς δικαίου· παισὶ γὰρ κλέος τόδεκάλλιστον, ὅστις ἐκ πατρὸς χρηστοῦ γεγὼςἐς ταὐτὸν ἦλθε τοῖς τεκοῦσι τοὺς τρόπους.
Chorus Leader:The arguments here proposed are worthy of pity,and so are you. But I am anxious to hear what Menelaos will say to save his life.
Χορός:οἰκτρὸν μὲν οἱ παρόντες ἐν μέσῳ λόγοι,οἰκτρὰ δὲ καὶ σύ. τοὺς δὲ Μενέλεω ποθῶλόγους ἀκοῦσαι τίνας ἐρεῖ ψυχῆς πέρι.
Menelaos:I could not endure to fall at your knees, or wet my eyes with tears; for if I were cowardly, I would greatly dishonor Troy.And yet they say that it is fitting for a noble man to let tears fall from his eyes in misfortune. But I will not choose this honorable course, if it is honorable, in preference to bravery. But, if you think it right to save a strangerseeking justly to recover his wife, then restore her and save us in addition; if not, I would be wretched, not now for the first time but as often before, and you will seem to be an evil woman. What I consider honest and worthy of me,and what will touch your heart most closely, these things I will say at the tomb of your father, with regret for his loss.Old man, dwelling in this tomb of stone, give her back, I demand of you my wife, whom Zeus sent here for you to keep for me.I know you will never restore her to me yourself, for you are dead; but this woman here will not think it right that her father, invoked from below, once so glorious, should bear a tarnished name; for she is the one in authority now.
Μενελέως:ἐγὼ σὸν οὔτʼ ἂν προσπεσεῖν τλαίην γόνυοὔτʼ ἂν δακρῦσαι βλέφαρα· τὴν Τροίαν γὰρ ἂνδειλοὶ γενόμενοι πλεῖστον αἰσχύνοιμεν ἄν.καίτοι λέγουσιν ὡς πρὸς ἀνδρὸς εὐγενοῦςἐν ξυμφοραῖσι δάκρυʼ ἀπʼ ὀφθαλμῶν βαλεῖν.ἀλλʼ οὐχὶ τοῦτο τὸ καλόν, εἰ καλὸν τόδε,αἱρήσομαι ʼγὼ πρόσθε τῆς εὐψυχίας.ἀλλʼ, εἰ μὲν ἄνδρα σοι δοκεῖ σῷσαι ξένονζητοῦντά γʼ ὀρθῶς ἀπολαβεῖν δάμαρτʼ ἐμήν,ἀπόδος τε καὶ πρὸς σῷσον· εἰ δὲ μὴ δοκεῖ,ἐγὼ μὲν οὐ νῦν πρῶτον ἀλλὰ πολλάκιςἄθλιος ἂν εἴην, σὺ δὲ γυνὴ κακὴ φανῇ.ἃ δʼ ἄξιʼ ἡμῶν καὶ δίκαιʼ ἡγούμεθακαὶ σῆς μάλιστα καρδίας ἀνθάψεται,λέξω τάδʼ ἀμφὶ μνῆμα σοῦ πατρὸς πόθῳ·ὦ γέρον, ὃς οἰκεῖς τόνδε λάινον τάφον,ἀπόδος, ἀπαιτῶ τὴν ἐμὴν δάμαρτά σε,ἣν Ζεὺς ἔπεμψε δεῦρό σοι σῴζειν ἐμοί.οἶδʼ οὕνεκʼ ἡμῖν οὔποτʼ ἀποδώσεις θανών·ἀλλʼ ἥδε πατέρα νέρθεν ἀνακαλούμενονοὐκ ἀξιώσει τὸν πρὶν εὐκλεέστατονκακῶς ἀκοῦσαι· κυρία γάρ ἐστι νῦν.
You, too, Hades of the world below, I call as an ally;you who have received so many bodies slain by my sword for Helen’s sake, you have your payment; either restore them to life again now, or compel this woman to show herself better than her pious father, and give me back my wife.But if you will rob me of her, I will tell you what she omitted in her speech. So that you may know, maiden, I am bound by an oath, first to go into battle with your brother; he or I must die; the matter is simple.If he refuses to meet me face to face, but hunts us down, two suppliants at the tomb, by starvation, I am resolved to kill this woman, and then to plunge this two-edged sword through my heart, on the surface of the tomb, so that streams of blood mayrun down the grave; we will lie, two corpses side by side upon this polished slab, a deathless grief to you, and a reproach to your father. Your brother will never marry this woman, nor will any other; but I will carry her off,if not to my house, at any rate to death.Why do I say this? If I turned to women’s ways with tears, rather than being active, I would be pitied more. Kill me, if it seems good to you; you will not kill those who are without fame; but it is better to yield to what I say,so that you may act with justice, and I recover my wife.Chorus Leader:You must judge these arguments, maiden. Decide in such a way as to please all.
ὦ νέρτερʼ Ἅιδη, καὶ σὲ σύμμαχον καλῶ,ὃς πόλλʼ ἐδέξω τῆσδʼ ἕκατι σώματαπεσόντα τὠμῷ φασγάνῳ, μισθὸν δʼ ἔχεις·ἢ νῦν ἐκείνους ἀπόδος ἐμψύχους πάλιν,ἢ τήνδε πατρὸς εὐσεβοῦς ἀνάγκασονκρείσσω φανεῖσαν τἀμά γʼ ἀποδοῦναι λέχη.εἰ δʼ ἐμὲ γυναῖκα τὴν ἐμὴν συλήσετε,ἅ σοι παρέλιπεν ἥδε τῶν λόγων, φράσω.ὅρκοις κεκλῄμεθʼ, ὡς μάθῃς, ὦ παρθένε,πρῶτον μὲν ἐλθεῖν διὰ μάχης σῷ συγγόνῳκἀκεῖνον ἢ ʼμὲ δεῖ θανεῖν· ἁπλοῦς λόγος.ἢν δʼ ἐς μὲν ἀλκὴν μὴ πόδʼ ἀντιθῇ ποδί,λιμῷ δὲ θηρᾷ τύμβον ἱκετεύοντε νώ,κτανεῖν δέδοκται τήνδε μοι κἄπειτʼ ἐμὸνπρὸς ἧπαρ ὦσαι δίστομον ξίφος τόδετύμβου ʼπὶ νώτοις τοῦδʼ, ἵνʼ αἵματος ῥοαὶτάφου καταστάζωσι· κεισόμεσθα δὲνεκρὼ δύʼ ἑξῆς τῷδʼ ἐπὶ ξεστῷ τάφῳ,ἀθάνατον ἄλγος σοί, ψόγος δὲ σῷ πατρί.οὐ γὰρ γαμεῖ τήνδʼ οὔτε σύγγονος σέθενοὔτʼ ἄλλος οὐδείς· ἀλλʼ ἐγώ σφʼ ἀπάξομαι,εἰ μὴ πρὸς οἴκους δυνάμεθʼ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς νεκρούς.τί ταῦτα; δακρύοις ἐς τὸ θῆλυ τρεπόμενοςἐλεινὸς ἦν ἂν μᾶλλον ἢ δραστήριος.κτεῖνʼ, εἰ δοκεῖ σοι· δυσκλεᾶς γὰρ οὐ κτενεῖς·μᾶλλόν γε μέντοι τοῖς ἐμοῖς πείθου λόγοις,ἵνʼ ᾖς δικαία καὶ δάμαρτʼ ἐγὼ λάβω.Χορός:ἐν σοὶ βραβεύειν, ὦ νεᾶνι, τοὺς λόγους·οὕτω δὲ κρῖνον, ὡς ἅπασιν ἁνδάνῃς.
Theonoe:My nature and my inclination lean towards piety; and I respect myself, and I would not defilemy father’s fame, or gratify my brother at the cost of seeming infamous. There is a great temple of justice in my nature; and having this heritage from Nereus, I will try to keep it, Menelaos.Since Hera wishes to serve you, I will cast my vote on her side. May Kypris be gracious to me; but she has had nothing to do with me, and I will try to remain a virgin always. As for your reproaches against my father at this tomb,I have the same words to say. I would be doing wrong if I do not give her back; for that man, if he were alive, would have given her back for you to have, and you to her.For truly there is retribution for these things, both among the dead and among all men living. The mindof the dead does not live, yet it has eternal thought as it falls into eternal ether. So as not to give advice at length, I will be silent as to what you have entreated, and I will never aid my brother’s folly with my counsel.For I am doing him a service, though he does not think it, if I turn him from his godless life to holiness. You yourselves devise some course of action; I will stand out of your way by my silence. Begin with the gods, and begKypris to allow you to return to your country, and Hera that her intention to save you and your husband may remain the same. And you, my own dead father, never, as far as I have strength, shall you be called impious instead of pious. Exit Theonoe.
Θεονόη:ἐγὼ πέφυκά τʼ εὐσεβεῖν καὶ βούλομαι,φιλῶ τʼ ἐμαυτήν, καὶ κλέος τοὐμοῦ πατρὸςοὐκ ἂν μιάναιμʼ, οὐδὲ συγγόνῳ χάρινδοίην ἂν ἐξ ἧς δυσκλεὴς φανήσομαι.ἔνεστι δʼ ἱερὸν τῆς δίκης ἐμοὶ μέγαἐν τῇ φύσει· καὶ τοῦτο Νηρέως πάραἔχουσα σῴζειν, Μενέλεως, πειράσομαι.Ἥρᾳ δʼ, ἐπείπερ βούλεταί σʼ εὐεργετεῖν,ἐς ταὐτὸν οἴσω ψῆφον· ἡ Κύπρις δʼ ἐμοὶἵλεως μὲν εἴη, ξυμβέβηκε δʼ οὐδαμοῦ·πειράσομαι δὲ παρθένος μένειν ἀεί.ἃ δʼ ἀμφὶ τύμβῳ τῷδʼ ὀνειδίζεις πατρί,ἡμῖν ὅδʼ αὑτὸς μῦθος. ἀδικοίημεν ἄν,εἰ μὴ ἀποδώσω· καὶ γὰρ ἂν κεῖνος βλέπωνἀπέδωκεν ἂν σοὶ τήνδʼ ἔχειν, ταύτῃ δὲ σέ.καὶ γὰρ τίσις τῶνδʼ ἐστὶ τοῖς τε νερτέροιςκαὶ τοῖς ἄνωθεν πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις· ὁ νοῦςτῶν κατθανόντων ζῇ μὲν οὔ, γνώμην δʼ ἔχειἀθάνατον εἰς ἀθάνατον αἰθέρʼ ἐμπεσών.ὡς οὖν παραινῶ μὴ μακράν, σιγήσομαιἅ μου καθικετεύσατʼ, οὐδὲ μωρίᾳξύμβουλος ἔσομαι τῇ κασιγνήτου ποτέ.εὐεργετῶ γὰρ κεῖνον οὐ δοκοῦσʼ ὅμως,ἐκ δυσσεβείας ὅσιον εἰ τίθημί νιν.αὐτοὶ μὲν οὖν ὁδόν τινʼ ἐξευρίσκετε,ἐγὼ δʼ ἀποστᾶσʼ ἐκποδὼν σιγήσομαι.ἐκ τῶν θεῶν δʼ ἄρχεσθε χἱκετεύετετὴν μέν σʼ ἐᾶσαι πατρίδα νοστῆσαι Κύπριν,Ἥρας δὲ τὴν ἔννοιαν ἐν ταὐτῷ μένεινἣν ἐς σὲ καὶ σὸν πόσιν ἔχει σωτηρίας.σὺ δʼ, ὦ θανών μοι πάτερ, ὅσον γʼ ἐγὼ σθένω,οὔποτε κεκλήσῃ δυσσεβὴς ἀντʼ εὐσεβοῦς.
Chorus Leader:No one born lawless ever prospered, but in a lawful cause there is hope of safety.
Χορός:οὐδείς ποτʼ εὐτύχησεν ἔκδικος γεγώς,ἐν τῷ δικαίῳ δʼ ἐλπίδες σωτηρίας.
Helen:Menelaos, as far as the maiden is concerned, we are safe. For the rest, you must contribute your advice and frame a device to save ourselves.
Ἑλένη:Μενέλαε, πρὸς μὲν παρθένου σεσῴσμεθα·τοὐνθένδε δὴ σὲ τοὺς λόγους φέροντα χρὴκοινὴν ξυνάπτειν μηχανὴν σωτηρίας.
Menelaos:Then listen; you have been in the house for a long time and are intimate with the king’s servants.
Μενελέως:ἄκουε δή νυν· χρόνιος εἶ κατὰ στέγαςκαὶ συντέθραψαι προσπόλοισι βασιλέως.
Helen:What do you mean by that? You are offering hope, as if you were really about to do something useful for both of us.
Ἑλένη:τί τοῦτʼ ἔλεξας; ἐσφέρεις γὰρ ἐλπίδαςὡς δή τι δράσων χρηστὸν ἐς κοινόν γε νῷν.
Menelaos:Could you persuade someone in charge of the wagonsand horses to give us a chariot?
Μενελέως:πείσειας ἄν τινʼ οἵτινες τετραζύγωνὄχων ἀνάσσουσʼ, ὥστε νῷν δοῦναι δίφρους;
Helen:I might; but how will we escape, in our ignorance of the country and the barbarian land?
Ἑλένη:πείσαιμʼ ⟨ἄν⟩· ἀλλὰ τίνα φυγὴν φευξούμεθαπεδίων ἄπειροι βαρβάρου τʼ ὄντες χθονός;
Menelaos:You are right; a dilemma. Well, what if I were to hide in the house and kill the king with this two-edged sword?
Μενελέως:ἀδύνατον εἶπας. φέρε, τί δʼ, εἰ κρυφθεὶς δόμοιςκτάνοιμʼ ἄνακτα τῷδε διστόμῳ ξίφει;
Helen:His sister would never be silent or allow you to intend her own brother’s death.
Ἑλένη:οὐκ ἄν σʼ ἀνάσχοιτʼ οὐδὲ σιγήσειεν ἂνμέλλοντʼ ἀδελφὴ σύγγονον κατακτενεῖν.
Menelaos:Nor indeed is there a ship in which we might safely escape; for the sea holds the one we had.
Μενελέως:ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ μὴν ναῦς ἔστιν ᾗ σωθεῖμεν ἂνφεύγοντες· ἣν γὰρ εἴχομεν θάλασσʼ ἔχει.
Helen:Listen to me, if even a woman can say something wise.Are you willing to be called dead in word, though you are not dead?
Ἑλένη:ἄκουσον, ἤν τι καὶ γυνὴ λέξῃ σοφόν.βούλῃ λέγεσθαι, μὴ θανών, λόγῳ θανεῖν;
Menelaos:It is a bad omen; but if I profit by it, I am ready to be called dead in word, though I am not dead.
Μενελέως:κακὸς μὲν ὄρνις· εἰ δὲ κερδανῶ, λέγεινἕτοιμός εἰμι μὴ θανὼν λόγῳ θανεῖν.
Helen:And truly I would mourn you, as women do, with hair cut short and laments before this impious man.
Ἑλένη:καὶ μὴν γυναικείοις σʼ ἂν οἰκτισαίμεθακουραῖσι καὶ θρήνοισι πρὸς τὸν ἀνόσιον.
Menelaos:What saving remedy does this have for us two? There is a flavor of deception in your scheme.
Μενελέως:σωτηρίας δὲ τοῦτʼ ἔχει τί νῷν ἄκος;παλαιότης γὰρ τῷ λόγῳ γʼ ἔνεστί τις.
Helen:I will beg the tyrant of this country for permission to bury you in an empty tomb, as if you had really died at sea.
Ἑλένη:ὡς δὴ θανόντα σʼ ἐνάλιον κενῷ τάφῳθάψαι τύραννον τῆσδε γῆς αἰτήσομαι.
Menelaos:Soppose he allows it; then how shall we escape with no ship,when we have buried my body in the empty tomb?
Μενελέως:καὶ δὴ παρεῖκεν· εἶτα πῶς ἄνευ νεὼςσωθησόμεσθα κενοταφοῦντʼ ἐμὸν δέμας;
Helen:I will urge him to give me a vessel, from which I shall have the offerings from your tomb let down into the sea’s embrace.
Ἑλένη:δοῦναι κελεύσω πορθμίδʼ, ᾗ καθήσομαικόσμον τάφῳ σῷ πελαγίους ἐς ἀγκάλας.
Menelaos:You have spoken well, except for one thing: if he commands you to set up a tomb on the dry land, your pretext comes to nothing.
Μενελέως:ὡς εὖ τόδʼ εἶπας πλὴν ἕν· εἰ χέρσῳ ταφὰςθεῖναι κελεύσει σʼ, οὐδὲν ἡ σκῆψις φέρει.
Helen:But I will say it is not the custom in Hellas to bury those who have died at sea on the dry land.
Ἑλένη:ἀλλʼ οὐ νομίζειν φήσομεν καθʼ Ἑλλάδαχέρσῳ καλύπτειν τοὺς θανόντας ἐναλίους.
Menelaos:You are setting this right, too; then I will sail with you, and help let down the funeral offerings, in the same ship.
Μενελέως:τοῦτʼ αὖ κατορθοῖς· εἶτʼ ἐγὼ συμπλεύσομαικαὶ συγκαθήσω κόσμον ἐν ταὐτῷ σκάφει.
Helen:You must above all be at hand,with your sailors who escaped from the wreck.
Ἑλένη:σὲ καὶ παρεῖναι δεῖ μάλιστα τούς τε σοὺςπλωτῆρας οἵπερ ἔφυγον ἐκ ναυαγίας.
Menelaos:Be sure that if I have a ship at anchor, they will be posted, man beside man, each with his sword.
Μενελέως:καὶ μὴν ἐάνπερ ναῦν ἐπʼ ἀγκύρας λάβω,ἀνὴρ παρʼ ἄνδρα στήσεται ξιφηφόρος.
Helen:You must direct everything; only let there be winds in our sails to guide us, and a speedy ship.
Ἑλένη:σὲ χρὴ βραβεύειν πάντα· πόμπιμοι μόνονλαίφει πνοαὶ γένοιντο καὶ νεὼς δρόμος.
Menelaos:It will be so; for the deities will bring my troubles to an end. But from whom will you say that you heard I was dead?
Μενελέως:ἔσται· πόνους γὰρ δαίμονες παύσουσί μου.ἀτὰρ θανόντα τοῦ μʼ ἐρεῖς πεπυσμένη;
Helen:From you; allege that you were the only one to escape death, when you were sailing with the son of Atreus, and that you saw him dead.
Ἑλένη:σοῦ· καὶ μόνος γε φάσκε διαφυγεῖν μόρονἈτρέως πλέων σὺν παιδὶ καὶ θανόνθʼ ὁρᾶν.
Menelaos:It is true that these rags thrown around my bodywill bear witness with me as to the shipwreck.
Μενελέως:καὶ μὴν τάδʼ ἀμφίβληστρα σώματος ῥάκηξυμμαρτυρήσει ναυτικῶν ἐρειπίων.
Helen:They have come at the right time, although then they seemed an ill-timed loss. Perhaps that misery may turn to good fortune.
Ἑλένη:ἐς καιρὸν ἦλθε, τότε δʼ ἄκαιρʼ ἀπώλλυτο·τὸ δʼ ἄθλιον κεῖνʼ εὐτυχὲς τάχʼ ἂν πέσοι.
Menelaos:Should I to enter the house with you, or am I to sit quietly here at this tomb?
Μενελέως:πότερα δʼ ἐς οἴκους σοὶ συνεισελθεῖν με χρὴἢ πρὸς τάφῳ τῷδʼ ἥσυχοι καθώμεθα;
Helen:Stay here; for if he does something harsh to you, this tomb and your sword would protect you. But I will go into the house, cut off my hair, exchange my white robe for a dark one, and tear my cheek with nails that make the flesh bloody.For the contest is a great one, and I see two turns of the scale: either I must die if I am detected in my plot, or else come home and save you as well.Lady Hera, you who lie in the bed of Zeus, grant relief from their labors to two pitiable creatures;we beg you, casting our arms straight towards heaven, where you have your home in an embroidery of stars. And you, who won the prize of beauty at the price of my marriage, Kypris, daughter of Dione, do not destroy me utterly. You have maltreated me enough before now,handing over my name, though not my body, to barbarians. Let me die, if you want to kill me, in my native land. Why are you so insatiable for mischief, practising arts of love, deceits, and treacherous schemes, and magic spells that bring bloodshed on families?If you were only moderate, in other ways you are by nature the sweetest of gods for men; I don’t deny it. Exeunt Helen and Menelaos.
Ἑλένη:αὐτοῦ μένʼ· ἢν γὰρ καί τι πλημμελές σε δρᾷ,τάφος σʼ ὅδʼ ἂν ῥύσαιτο φάσγανόν τε σόν.ἐγὼ δʼ ἐς οἴκους βᾶσα βοστρύχους τεμῶπέπλων τε λευκῶν μέλανας ἀνταλλάξομαιπαρῇδί τʼ ὄνυχα φόνιον ἐμβαλῶ χροός.μέγας γὰρ ἁγών, καὶ βλέπω δύο ῥοπάς·ἢ γὰρ θανεῖν δεῖ μʼ, ἢν ἁλῶ τεχνωμένη,ἢ πατρίδα τʼ ἐλθεῖν καὶ σὸν ἐκσῷσαι δέμας.ὦ πότνιʼ ἣ Δίοισιν ἐν λέκτροις πίτνειςἭρα, δύʼ οἰκτρὼ φῶτʼ ἀνάψυξον πόνων,αἰτούμεθʼ ὀρθὰς ὠλένας πρὸς οὐρανὸνῥίπτονθʼ, ἵνʼ οἰκεῖς ἀστέρων ποικίλματα.σύ θʼ, ἣ ʼπὶ τὠμῷ κάλλος ἐκτήσω γάμῳ,κόρη Διώνης Κύπρι, μή μʼ ἐξεργάσῃ.ἅλις δὲ λύμης ἥν μʼ ἐλυμήνω πάροςτοὔνομα παρασχοῦσʼ, οὐ τὸ σῶμʼ, ἐν βαρβάροις.θανεῖν δʼ ἔασόν μʼ, εἰ κατακτεῖναι θέλεις,ἐν γῇ πατρῴᾳ. τί ποτʼ ἄπληστος εἶ κακῶν,ἔρωτας ἀπάτας δόλιά τʼ ἐξευρήματαἀσκοῦσα φίλτρα θʼ αἱματηρὰ δωμάτων;εἰ δʼ ἦσθα μετρία, τἄλλα γʼ ἡδίστη θεῶνπέφυκας ἀνθρώποισιν· οὐκ ἄλλως λέγω.
Chorus:Let me call on you, beneath leafy haunts, sitting in your place of song, you, the most sweetly singing bird,tearful nightingale, oh, come, trilling through your tawny throat, to aid me in my lament, as I sing the piteous woes of Helen andthe tearful fate of Trojan women under the Achaeans’ spears; when he sped over the surging plains with foreign oar, when he came, came bringing to Priam’s race from Lacedaemonyou, Helen, his unhappy bride—Paris, fatally wedded, under the guidance of Aphrodite.
Χορός:σὲ τὰν ἐναύλοις ὑπὸ δενδροκόμοιςμουσεῖα καὶ θάκους ἐνί-ζουσαν ἀναβοάσω,σὲ τὰν ἀοιδοτάταν ὄρνιθα μελῳδὸνἀηδόνα δακρυόεσσαν,ἔλθʼ ὦ διὰ ξουθᾶνγενύων ἐλελιζομέναθρήνων ἐμοὶ ξυνεργός,Ἑλένας μελέας πόνουςτὸν Ἰλιάδων τʼ ἀει-δούσᾳ δακρυόεντα πότμονἈχαιῶν ὑπὸ λόγχαις·ὅτʼ ἔδραμε ῥόθια πεδία βαρβάρῳ πλάτᾳὅτʼ ἔμολεν ἔμολε, μέλεα Πριαμίδαις ἄγωνΛακεδαίμονος ἄπο λέχεασέθεν, ὦ Ἑλένα, Πάρις αἰνόγαμοςπομπαῖσιν Ἀφροδίτας.