Menelaus: They gave her to me to kill, or, if I did not kill her, if I wished to lead her back to the Argive land.
§876ἐμοὶ δʼ ἔδοξε τὸν μὲν ἐν Τροίᾳ μόρον §877Ἑλένης ἐᾶσαι, ναυπόρῳ δʼ ἄγειν πλάτῃ §878Ἑλληνίδʼ ἐς γῆν κᾆτʼ ἐκεῖ δοῦναι κτανεῖν, §879ποινὰς ὅσοις τεθνᾶσʼ ἐν Ἰλίῳ φίλοι.
But it seemed best to me to let alone the death of Helen in Troy, and to lead her by sea-faring oar to the land of Greece, and then to give her over to be killed there, as a penalty for those whose loved ones died in Ilium.
§880ἀλλʼ εἶα χωρεῖτʼ ἐς δόμους, ὀπάονες, §881κομίζετʼ αὐτὴν τῆς μιαιφονωτάτης §882κόμης ἐπισπάσαντες· οὔριοι δʼ ὅταν §883πνοαὶ μόλωσι, πέμψομέν νιν Ἑλλάδα.
But come, go into the dwellings, attendants, bring her out, dragging her by her most murder-stained hair; and when favorable winds blow, we shall send her to Greece.
§884ὦ γῆς ὄχημα κἀπὶ γῆς ἔχων ἕδραν, §885ὅστις ποτʼ εἶ σύ, δυστόπαστος εἰδέναι, §886Ζεύς, εἴτʼ ἀνάγκη φύσεος εἴτε νοῦς βροτῶν, §887προσηυξάμην σε· πάντα γὰρ διʼ ἀψόφου §888βαίνων κελεύθου κατὰ δίκην τὰ θνήτʼ ἄγεις.
Hecuba: O support of the earth and who have your seat upon the earth, whoever you are, hard to guess to know, Zeus, whether necessity of nature or mind of mortals, I pray to you; for walking through a noiseless path, you lead all mortal things according to justice.
§889τί δʼ ἔστιν;
Menelaus: What is this?
εὐχὰς ὡς ἐκαίνισας θεῶν.
How strangely you have innovated in your prayers to the gods!
§890αἰνῶ σε, Μενέλαʼ, εἰ κτενεῖς δάμαρτα σήν.
Hecuba: I praise you, Menelaus, if you will kill your wife.
§891ὁρᾶν δὲ τήνδε φεῦγε, μή σʼ ἕλῃ πόθῳ.
But avoid looking at her, lest she seize you with desire.
For she captures the eyes of men, destroys cities, and burns homes; such are her enchantments.
§894ἐγώ νιν οἶδα, καὶ σύ, χοἱ πεπονθότες.
I know her, and so do you, and those who have suffered.
§895Μενέλαε, φροίμιον μὲν ἄξιον φόβου §896τόδʼ ἐστίν· ἐν γὰρ χερσὶ προσπόλων σέθεν §897βίᾳ πρὸ τῶνδε δωμάτων ἐκπέμπομαι.
Helen: Menelaus, this prelude indeed is a cause for fear; for by force, at the hands of your attendants, I am sent out before these dwellings.
§898ἀτὰρ σχεδὸν μὲν οἶδά σοι μισουμένη, §899ὅμως δʼ ἐρέσθαι βούλομαι· γνῶμαι τίνες §900Ἕλλησι καὶ σοὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς πέρι;
Yet, though I know well enough that I am hated by you, nevertheless I wish to ask: what are the decisions of the Greeks and of you concerning my life?
Menelaus: You have not come to an exact account, but the whole army gave you to me to kill, whom you wronged.
Helen: Is it permitted then, in reply to this, to argue in speech that, if I die, I shall die unjustly?
§905οὐκ ἐς λόγους ἐλήλυθʼ, ἀλλά σε κτενῶν.
Menelaus: I have not come for speeches, but to kill you.
§906ἄκουσον αὐτῆς, μὴ θάνῃ τοῦδʼ ἐνδεής, §907Μενέλαε, καὶ δὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους λόγους §908ἡμῖν κατʼ αὐτῆς· τῶν γὰρ ἐν Τροίᾳ κακῶν §909οὐδὲν κάτοισθα.
Hecuba: Hear her, Menelaus, lest she die lacking this opportunity, and grant us the opposing speeches against her; for of the evils in Troy you know nothing.
συντεθεὶς δʼ ὁ πᾶς λόγος §910κτενεῖ νιν οὕτως ὥστε μηδαμοῦ φυγεῖν.
And the whole speech, put together, will so slay her that she cannot escape anywhere.
Menelaus: This gift is of leisure; if she wishes to speak, she may.
τῶν σῶν δʼ οὕνεχʼ — ὡς μάθῃ — λόγων §913δώσω τόδʼ αὐτῇ· τῆσδε δʼ οὐ δώσω χάριν.
But for the sake of your words—let her know this— I will grant her this; but I will not grant it for her sake.
Helen: Perhaps, whether I seem to speak well or ill, you will not answer me, deeming me an enemy.
§916ἐγὼ δʼ, ἅ σʼ οἶμαι διὰ λόγων ἰόντʼ ἐμοῦ §917κατηγορήσειν, ἀντιθεῖσʼ ἀμείψομαι §918τοῖς σοῖσι τἀμὰ καὶ τὰ σʼ αἰτιάματα.
But I, setting my counter-accusations against your accusations, will answer the charges which I think you would make against me in speech.
§919πρῶτον μὲν ἀρχὰς ἔτεκεν ἥδε τῶν κακῶν, §920Πάριν τεκοῦσα· δεύτερον δʼ ἀπώλεσε §921Τροίαν τε κἄμʼ ὁ πρέσβυς οὐ κτανὼν βρέφος, §922δαλοῦ πικρὸν μίμημʼ, Ἀλέξανδρόν ποτε.
First of all, she gave birth to the beginning of these evils by bearing Paris; secondly, the old man destroyed both Troy and me by not killing the baby, once the bitter likeness of a firebrand, Alexander.
§923ἐνθένδε τἀπίλοιπʼ ἄκουσον ὡς ἔχει.
Hear how the rest follows from this.
§924ἔκρινε τρισσὸν ζεῦγος ὅδε τριῶν θεῶν·
This man judged the threefold yoke of three goddesses.
§925καὶ Παλλάδος μὲν ἦν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ δόσις §926Φρυξὶ στρατηγοῦνθʼ Ἑλλάδʼ ἐξανιστάναι, §927Ἥρα δʼ ὑπέσχετʼ Ἀσιάδʼ Εὐρώπης θʼ ὅρους §928τυραννίδʼ ἕξειν, εἴ σφε κρίνειεν Πάρις· §929Κύπρις δὲ τοὐμὸν εἶδος ἐκπαγλουμένη §930δώσειν ὑπέσχετʼ, εἰ θεὰς ὑπερδράμοι §931κάλλει.
And Pallas' gift to Alexander was to overthrow Greece, leading the Phrygians in war, and Hera promised that he should hold empire over Asia and the borders of Europe if Paris should judge her; while Cypris, marveling at my beauty, promised to give me, if she should surpass the goddesses in beauty.
τὸν ἔνθεν δʼ ὡς ἔχει σκέψαι λόγον· §932νικᾷ Κύπρις θεάς, καὶ τοσόνδʼ οὑμοὶ γάμοι §933ὤνησαν Ἑλλάδʼ· οὐ κρατεῖσθʼ ἐκ βαρβάρων, §934οὔτʼ ἐς δόρυ σταθέντες, οὐ τυραννίδι.
Consider now the argument that follows from this: Cypris conquered the goddesses, and so much did my marriage benefit Greece; you are not ruled by barbarians, neither defeated in battle, nor under a tyranny.
§935ἃ δʼ εὐτύχησεν Ἑλλάς, ὠλόμην ἐγὼ §936εὐμορφίᾳ πραθεῖσα, κὠνειδίζομαι §937ἐξ ὧν ἐχρῆν με στέφανον ἐπὶ κάρᾳ λαβεῖν.
But what was good fortune for Greece was ruin for me, sold for my beauty, and I am reproached for things for which I ought to have received a crown upon my head.
You will say that I have not yet spoken of what is right before us, how I departed from your house in secret.
§940ἦλθʼ οὐχὶ μικρὰν θεὸν ἔχων αὑτοῦ μέτα §941ὁ τῆσδʼ ἀλάστωρ, εἴτʼ Ἀλέξανδρον θέλεις §942ὀνόματι προσφωνεῖν νιν εἴτε καὶ Πάριν· §943ὅν, ὦ κάκιστε, σοῖσιν ἐν δόμοις λιπὼν §944Σπάρτης ἀπῆρας νηὶ Κρησίαν χθόνα.
He came having no small goddess with him, this woman's avenging spirit—whether you wish to address him by the name of Alexander or Paris— whom you, O most base man, leaving in your house, sailed away from Sparta on a Cretan ship to the land of Crete.
§945εἶἑν.
Well then.
§945aοὐ σέ, ἀλλʼ ἐμαυτὴν τοὐπὶ τῷδʼ ἐρήσομαι· §946τί δὴ φρονοῦσά γʼ ἐκ δόμων ἅμʼ ἑσπόμην §947ξένῳ, προδοῦσα πατρίδα καὶ δόμους ἐμούς;
Next, I will ask myself, not you: What indeed was I thinking, that I followed a stranger out of the house, betraying my fatherland and my home?
§948τὴν θεὸν κόλαζε καὶ Διὸς κρείσσων γενοῦ, §949ὃς τῶν μὲν ἄλλων δαιμόνων ἔχει κράτος, §950κείνης δὲ δοῦλός ἐστι· συγγνώμη δʼ ἐμοί.
Punish the goddess and become stronger than Zeus, who has power over the other divinities but is her slave; so pardon is due to me.
§951ἔνθεν δʼ ἔχοις ἂν εἰς ἔμʼ εὐπρεπῆ λόγον· §952ἐπεὶ θανὼν γῆς ἦλθʼ Ἀλέξανδρος μυχούς, §953χρῆν μʼ, ἡνίκʼ οὐκ ἦν θεοπόνητά μου λέχη, §954λιποῦσαν οἴκους ναῦς ἐπʼ Ἀργείων μολεῖν.
From this point you might have a plausible argument against me: since Alexander died and went to the depths of the earth, it behooved me, when my bed was no longer made by gods, to leave the house and go to the ships of the Argives.