§678γέρων γέρων εἶ.
Menelaus: You are an old man, an old man indeed.
τὴν δ’ ἐμὴν στρατηγίαν §679λέγων ἔμ’ ὠφελοῖς ἂν ἢ σιγῶν πλέον.
As for my generalship, you would benefit me more by speaking of it, or rather by keeping silent.
§680Ἑλένη δ’ ἐμόχθησ’ οὐχ ἑκοῦσ’, ἀλλ’ ἐκ θεῶν, §681καὶ τοῦτο πλεῖστον ὠφέλησεν Ἑλλάδα· §682ὅπλων γὰρ ὄντες καὶ μάχης ἀίστορες §683ἔβησαν εἰς τἀνδρεῖον· ἡ δ’ ὁμιλία §684πάντων βροτοῖσι γίγνεται διδάσκαλος.
Helen suffered not willingly, but by the will of the gods, and this benefited Greece the most; for those who were ignorant of arms and battle advanced to courage; and companionship becomes a teacher of all things to mortals.
And if, when I came to the sight of my wife, I refrained from killing her, I was acting wisely.
§687οὐδ’ ἂν σὲ Φῶκον ἤθελον κατακτανεῖν.
Nor indeed would I have wished you to kill Phocus.
§688ταῦτ’ εὖ φρονῶν σ’ ἐπῆλθον, οὐκ ὀργῆς χάριν· §689ἢν δ’ ὀξυθυμῇς, σοὶ μὲν ἡ γλωσσαλγία §690μείζων, ἐμοὶ δὲ κέρδος ἡ προμηθία.
I approached you with good intentions, not for the sake of anger; but if you are quick-tempered, for you the tongue-wagging is greater, but for me, foresight is a gain.
Chorus: Cease now; for these are by far the best things; from vain words, lest you both stumble at the same time.
§693οἴμοι, καθ’ Ἑλλάδ’ ὡς κακῶς νομίζεται·
Peleus: Alas, how badly this is established throughout Greece!
§694ὅταν τροπαῖα πολεμίων στήσῃ στρατός, §695οὐ τῶν πονούντων τοὔργον ἡγοῦνται τόδε, §696ἀλλ’ ὁ στρατηγὸς τὴν δόκησιν ἄρνυται, §697ὃς εἷς μετ’ ἄλλων μυρίων πάλλων δόρυ, §698οὐδὲν πλέον δρῶν ἑνὸς ἔχει πλείω λόγον.
Whenever the army sets up trophies over enemies, they do not think this deed belongs to those who labored, but the general wins the reputation, who, being one among ten thousand others shaking his spear, doing nothing more than one, has greater credit.
§699σεμνοὶ δ’ ἐν ἀρχαῖς ἥμενοι κατὰ πτόλιν §700φρονοῦσι δήμου μεῖζον, ὄντες οὐδένες· §701οἱ δ’ εἰσὶν αὐτῶν μυρίῳ σοφώτεροι, §702εἰ τόλμα προσγένοιτο βούλησίς θ’ ἅμα.
And sitting solemnly in offices throughout the city, they think themselves greater than the people, though they are nothing; but the people are ten thousand times wiser than them, if only daring and will should come to them together.
§703ὡς καὶ σὺ σός τ’ ἀδελφὸς ἐξωγκωμένοι §704Τροίᾳ κάθησθε τῇ τ’ ἐκεῖ στρατηγίᾳ, §705μόχθοισιν ἄλλων καὶ πόνοις ἐπηρμένοι.
Even so, you and your brother, puffed up with pride, sit at Troy and in the generalship there, exalted by the labors and pains of others.
§706δείξω δ’ ἐγώ σοι μὴ τὸν Ἰδαῖον Πάριν §707ἥσσω νομίζειν Πηλέως ἐχθρόν ποτε, §708εἰ μὴ φθερῇ τῆσδ’ ὡς τάχιστ’ ἀπὸ στέγης §709καὶ παῖς ἄτεκνος, ἣν ὅ γ’ ἐξ ἡμῶν γεγὼς §710ἐλᾷ δι’ οἴκων τῶνδ’ ἐπισπάσας κόμης· §711ἣ στερρὸς οὖσα μόσχος οὐκ ἀνέξεται §712τίκτοντας ἄλλους, οὐκ ἔχουσ’ αὐτὴ τέκνα.
But I will show you that you should never think the Idaean Paris a lesser enemy than Peleus, unless you get yourself lost from this roof as quickly as possible, and your childless child, whom my offspring, born of me, will drive through this house, dragging her by the hair; who, being a stubborn heifer, will not tolerate others bearing children, when she herself has none.
But if her affair concerning children is unfortunate, must we be established as childless of offspring?
Get away from her, servants, so that I may find out if anyone will prevent me from freeing her hands.
Raise yourself up; for I, although trembling, will loosen the twisted loops of the straps.
§719ὧδ’, ὦ κάκιστε, τῆσδ’ ἐλυμήνω χέρας;
Did you thus, O worst of men, maltreat her hands?
§720βοῦν ἢ λέοντ’ ἤλπιζες ἐντείνειν βρόχοις;
Did you expect to bind a cow or a lion with nooses?
Or did you fear lest she should take a sword and defend herself against you?
ἕρπε δεῦρ’ ὑπ’ ἀγκάλας, βρέφος, §723ξύλλυε μητρὸς δεσμόν· ἐν Φθίᾳ σ’ ἐγὼ §724θρέψω μέγαν τοῖσδ’ ἐχθρόν.
Come here under my arms, child, help loosen your mother's bond; in Phthia I will rear you to be a great enemy to them.
If the glory of the spear and the contest of battle were absent from the Spartans, know that in other things you are better than no one.
Chorus: The race of old men is a lawless thing, and hard to guard against because of quick temper.
§729ἄγαν προνωπὴς εἰς τὸ λοιδορεῖν φέρῃ· §730ἐγὼ δὲ πρὸς βίαν μὲν εἰς Φθίαν μολὼν §731οὔτ’ οὖν τι δράσω φλαῦρον οὔτε πείσομαι.
Menelaus: You are carried away too headlong into abuse; but I, having come to Phthia by force, will neither do anything worthless nor suffer it.
§732καὶ νῦν μέν—οὐ γὰρ ἄφθονον σχολὴν ἔχω— §733ἄπειμ’ ἐς οἴκους· ἔστι γάρ τις οὐ πρόσω §734Σπάρτης πόλις τις, ἣ πρὸ τοῦ μὲν ἦν φίλη, §735νῦν δ’ ἐχθρὰ ποιεῖ· τήνδ’ ἐπεξελθεῖν θέλω §736στρατηλατήσας χὑποχείριον λαβεῖν.
And now indeed — for I do not have abundant leisure — I will depart for home; for there is not far from Sparta a certain city, which before indeed was friendly, but now acts hostily; this one I wish to march against, leading an army, and bring under my control.
§737ὅταν δὲ τἀκεῖ θῶ κατὰ γνώμην ἐμήν, §738ἥξω· παρὼν δὲ πρὸς παρόντας ἐμφανῶς §739γαμβροὺς διδάξω καὶ διδάξομαι λόγους.
And when I have set things there according to my mind, I will return; and being present, to those present, clearly I will teach my son-in-law my words and be taught by his.
§740κἂν μὲν κολάζῃ τήνδε καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ᾖ §741σώφρων καθ’ ἡμᾶς, σώφρον’ ἀντιλήψεται· §742θυμούμενος δὲ τεύξεται θυμουμένων, §743ἔργοισι δ’ ἔργα διάδοχ’ ἀντιλήψεται.
And if he punishes her and is for the future chaste towards us, he will receive chaste treatment in return; but if he is angry, he will meet with angry men, and in deeds he will receive deeds in return as succession.