And always, both going out and coming into the house, your son here, Theoclymenus, addresses you, father.
Now you, servants, carry the dogs and nets for wild beasts into the royal palace.
But I have scolded myself severely indeed; for do we not punish the wicked with death?
§1173καὶ νῦν πέπυσμαι φανερὸν Ἑλλήνων τινὰ §1174ἐς γῆν ἀφῖχθαι καὶ λεληθέναι σκοπούς, §1175ἤτοι κατόπτην ἢ κλοπαῖς θηρώμενον §1176Ἑλένην· θανεῖται δʼ, ἤν γε δὴ ληφθῇ μόνον.
And now I have clearly learned that some Greek has arrived in this land and escaped the watchmen, either as a spy or hunting to steal Helen; and he shall die, if only he is caught.
§1177ἔα·
Hold!
§1178ἀλλʼ, ὡς ἔοικε, πάντα διαπεπραγμένα §1179ηὕρηκα· τύμβου γὰρ κενὰς λιποῦσʼ ἕδρας §1179aἡ Τυνδαρὶς παῖς ἐκπεπόρθμευται χθονός.
But, as it seems, I find everything has been accomplished; for leaving the empty seats of the tomb, the daughter of Tyndareus has been ferried away from the land.
§1180ὠή, χαλᾶτε κλῇθρα·
Ho there!
λύεθʼ ἱππικὰ
Undo the bolts!
§1181φάτνης, ὀπαδοί, κἀκκομίζεθʼ ἅρματα, §1182ὡς ἂν πόνου γʼ ἕκατι μὴ λάθῃ με γῆς §1183τῆσδʼ ἐκκομισθεῖσʼ ἄλοχος, ἧς ἐφίεμαι. —
Release the horses from the manger, attendants, and bring out the chariots, so that, as far as effort is concerned, the wife I desire may not escape me by being carried out of this land. — Hold!
For I see those we are pursuing present in the palace and not fled.
§1186αὕτη, τί πέπλους μέλανας ἐξήψω χροὸς §1187λευκῶν ἀμείψασʼ ἔκ τε κρατὸς εὐγενοῦς §1188κόμας σίδηρον ἐμβαλοῦσʼ ἀπέθρισας §1189χλωροῖς τε τέγγεις δάκρυσι σὴν παρηίδα §1190κλαίουσα;
You there, why have you put black robes around your skin, exchanging them for white, and from your noble head sheared your hair, applying the iron, and wet your cheek with fresh tears as you weep?
πότερον ἐννύχοις πεπεισμένη §1191στένεις ὀνείροις, ἢ φάτιν τινʼ οἴκοθεν §1192κλύουσα λύπῃ σὰς διέφθαρσαι φρένας;
Is it because you are persuaded by nightly dreams that you lament, or have you ruined your mind with grief, hearing some rumor from home?
O master—for now I address you by this word— I am ruined; my affairs are gone and I am no longer anything.
§1195ἐν τῷ δὲ κεῖσαι συμφορᾶς;
In what misfortune do you lie?
τίς ἡ τύχη;
What is the happening?
§1196Μενέλαος — οἴμοι, πῶς φράσω; — τέθνηκέ μοι.
Menelaus—alas, how shall I say it?—is dead to me.
§1197οὐδέν τι χαίρω σοῖς λόγοις, τὰ δʼ εὐτυχῶ.
I do not rejoice at all at your words, yet I am fortunate.
§1198πῶς δʼ οἶσθα;
But how do you know?
μῶν σοι Θεονόη λέγει τάδε;
Surely Theonoe does not tell you this?
§1199κείνη τε φησὶν ὅ τε παρὼν ὅτʼ ὤλλυτο.
She says so, and also the one who was present when he perished.
§1200ἥκει γὰρ ὅστις καὶ τάδʼ ἀγγέλλει σαφῆ;
For has someone come who reports these things clearly?
§1201ἥκει·
He has come.
μόλοι γὰρ οἷ σφʼ ἐγὼ χρῄζω μολεῖν.
May he go where I want him to go.
§1202τίς ἐστι;
Who is he?
ποῦ ʼστιν; ἵνα σαφέστερον μάθω.
Where is he, so that I may learn more clearly?
§1203ὅδʼ ὃς κάθηται τῷδʼ ὑποπτήξας τάφῳ.
This one who sits cowering at this tomb.
§1204Ἄπολλον, ὡς ἐσθῆτι δυσμόρφῳ πρέπει.
Apollo! How he is distinguished by wretched clothing!
§1205οἴμοι, δοκῶ μὲν κἀμὸν ὧδʼ ἔχειν πόσιν.
Alas, I think my husband too is in such a state.
§1206ποδαπὸς δʼ ὅδʼ ἁνὴρ καὶ πόθεν κατέσχε γῆν;
Of what country is this man, and from where did he reach this land?
§1207Ἕλλην, Ἀχαιῶν εἷς ἐμῷ σύμπλους πόσει.
A Greek, one of the Achaeans, a fellow-sailor with my husband.
§1208θανάτῳ δὲ ποίῳ φησὶ Μενέλεων θανεῖν;
By what kind of death does he say Menelaus died?
§1209οἰκτρόταθʼ, ὑγροῖσιν ἐν κλυδωνίοις ἁλός.
Most piteously, in the wet waves of the sea.
§1210ποῦ βαρβάροισι πελάγεσιν ναυσθλούμενον;
Where? Sailing in barbarian seas?
§1211Λιβύης ἀλιμένοις ἐκπεσόντα πρὸς πέτραις.
Cast out against the harborless rocks of Libya.
§1212καὶ πῶς ὅδʼ οὐκ ὄλωλε κοινωνῶν πλάτης;
And how did this man not perish, sharing the oar?
§1213ἐσθλῶν κακίους ἐνίοτʼ εὐτυχέστεροι.
Sometimes the base are more fortunate than the noble.
§1214λιπὼν δὲ ναὸς ποῦ πάρεστιν ἔκβολα;
Leaving the wreckage of the ship, where is it?
§1215ὅπου κακῶς ὄλοιτο, Μενέλεως δὲ μή.
Where it may perish miserably, but may Menelaus not.
§1216ὄλωλʼ ἐκεῖνος.
He is dead.
ἦλθε δʼ ἐν ποίῳ σκάφει;
But in what vessel did this man come?
§1217ναῦταί σφʼ ἀνείλοντʼ ἐντυχόντες, ὡς λέγει.
Sailors picked him up, having met him, as he says.
§1218ποῦ δὴ τὸ πεμφθὲν ἀντὶ σοῦ Τροίᾳ κακόν;
Where indeed is the evil sent to Troy instead of you?
§1219νεφέλης λέγεις ἄγαλμα;
Do you mean the image of cloud?
ἐς αἰθέρʼ οἴχεται.
It is gone into the upper air.
§1220ὦ Πρίαμε καὶ γῆ Τρῳάς, ὡς ἔρρεις μάτην.
O Priam and Trojan land, how you perished in vain!
§1221κἀγὼ μετέσχον Πριαμίδαις δυσπραξίας.
I too shared in misfortune with the children of Priam.
§1222πόσιν δʼ ἄθαπτον ἔλιπεν ἢ κρύπτει χθονί;
Did he leave your husband unburied, or does he hide him in the earth?
§1223ἄθαπτον·
Unburied.
οἲ ἐγὼ τῶν ἐμῶν τλήμων κακῶν.
Oh, wretched me for my evils!
§1224τῶνδʼ οὕνεκʼ ἔταμες βοστρύχους ξανθῆς κόμης·
Is it for this reason that you cut the locks of your golden hair?
§1225φίλος γάρ ἐστιν, ὅς ποτʼ ἐστίν, ἐνθάδʼ ὤν.
For he is dear, whoever he is, being there.
Indeed, this misfortune is rightly wept for— At any rate, it is easy for you to escape my sister's notice.
§1228οὐ δῆτα.
Not so.
πῶς οὖν;
How then?
τόνδʼ ἔτʼ οἰκήσεις τάφον;
Will you still dwell at this tomb?
§1229τί κερτομεῖς με, τὸν θανόντα δʼ οὐκ ἐᾷς;
Why do you mock me, and not let the dead be?
§1230πιστὴ γὰρ εἶ σὺ σῷ πόσει φεύγουσά με.
For you are faithful to your husband, fleeing me.
§1231ἀλλʼ οὐκέτʼ· ἤδη δʼ ἄρχε τῶν ἐμῶν γάμων.
But no longer; now begin my marriage.
§1232χρόνια μὲν ἦλθεν, ἀλλʼ ὅμως αἰνῶ τάδε.
It has come late, but still I praise this.
§1233οἶσθʼ οὖν ὃ δρᾶσον;
Do you know then what to do?
τῶν πάρος λαθώμεθα.
Let us forget the past.
§1234ἐπὶ τῷ;
On what terms?
χάρις γὰρ ἀντὶ χάριτος ἐλθέτω.
For let favor return for favor.
§1235σπονδὰς τέμωμεν καὶ διαλλάχθητί μοι.
Let us make a treaty, and be reconciled to me.
§1236μεθίημι νεῖκος τὸ σόν, ἴτω δʼ ὑπόπτερον.
I release my grievance against you; let it fly away on wings.
By these knees of yours, then, since you are a friend— Seeking what thing have you reached out to me as a suppliant?
§1239τὸν κατθανόντα πόσιν ἐμὸν θάψαι θέλω.
I wish to bury my dead husband.
§1240τί δʼ;
What?
ἔστʼ ἀπόντων τύμβος;
Is there a tomb for those who are absent?
ἢ θάψεις σκιάν;
Or will you bury a shadow?
There is a law for the Greeks, whoever dies at sea— To do what?
σοφοί τοι Πελοπίδαι τὰ τοιάδε.
The descendants of Pelops are indeed clever in such matters.
§1243κενοῖσι θάπτειν ἐν πέπλων ὑφάσμασιν.
To bury them in empty foldings of robes.
§1244κτέριζʼ· ἀνίστη τύμβον οὗ χρῄζεις χθονός.
Perform the funeral rites; raise a tomb on whatever land you wish.
§1245οὐχ ὧδε ναύτας ὀλομένους τυμβεύομεν.
We do not bury sailors who perished in this way.