§1429ἀλλʼ εἶα·
Theoclymenus: Come now!
τοὺς μὲν Πελοπιδῶν ἐῶ νόμους· §1430καθαρὰ γὰρ ἡμῖν δώματʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἐνθάδε
I let be the customs of the Pelopidae; for our house is pure; for not here did Menelaus yield up his life.
§1431ψυχὴν ἀφῆκε Μενέλεως· ἴτω δέ τις §1432φράσων ὑπάρχοις τοῖς ἐμοῖς φέρειν γάμων §1433ἀγάλματʼ οἴκους εἰς ἐμούς· πᾶσαν δὲ χρὴ §1434γαῖαν βοᾶσθαι μακαρίαις ὑμνῳδίαις §1435ὑμέναιον Ἑλένης κἀμόν, ὡς ζηλωτὸς ᾖ.
Let someone go to tell my officers to bring marriage gifts into my house; and it is necessary that all the land resound with blessed songs, the hymenaeal song of Helen and myself, so that it may be envied.
§1436σὺ δʼ, ὦ ξένʼ, ἐλθών, πελαγίους ἐς ἀγκάλας §1437τῷ τῆσδε πρίν ποτʼ ὄντι δοὺς πόσει τάδε, §1438πάλιν πρὸς οἴκους σπεῦδʼ ἐμὴν δάμαρτʼ ἔχων, §1439ὡς τοὺς γάμους τοὺς τῆσδε συνδαίσας ἐμοὶ §1440στέλλῃ πρὸς οἴκους ἢ μένων εὐδαιμονῇς.
And you, stranger, go, and into the sea's embrace, having given these to the one who was once this woman's husband, hasten back to the house, bringing my wife, so that, having shared the wedding feast of this woman with me, you may be sent home, or remaining here, may be happy.
Helen: O Zeus, you are called father and wise god, look upon us and deliver us from evils.
§1443ἕλκουσι δʼ ἡμῖν πρὸς λέπας τὰς συμφορὰς §1444σπουδῇ σύναψαι· κἂν ἄκρᾳ θίγῃς χερί, §1445ἥξομεν ἵνʼ ἐλθεῖν βουλόμεσθα τῆς τύχης.
And as we drag our misfortunes up the steep hill, help us with haste; even if you touch us with a finger-tip, we shall reach the point of fortune where we wish to go.
§1446ἅλις δὲ μόχθων οὓς ἐμοχθοῦμεν πάρος.
Enough of the toils we toiled before.
§1447κέκλησθέ μοι, θεοί, πολλά χρήσθʼ ἐμοῦ κλύειν §1448καὶ λύπρʼ· ὀφείλω δʼ οὐκ ἀεὶ πράσσειν κακῶς, §1449ὀρθῷ δὲ βῆναι ποδί·
You have been invoked by me, gods, to hear many good things from me and many painful things; but I ought not always to fare ill, but to walk with an upright foot.
μίαν δέ μοι χάριν §1450δόντες τὸ λοιπὸν εὐτυχῆ με θήσετε.
By granting me one favor, you will make me happy for the future.
§1451Φοίνισσα Σιδωνιὰς ὦ §1452ταχεῖα κώπα, ῥοθίοισι μάτηρ §1453εἰρεσίας φίλα, §1454χοραγὲ τῶν καλλιχόρων §1455δελφίνων, ὅταν αὔραις §1456πέλαγος ἀνήνεμον ᾖ, §1457γλαυκὰ δὲ Πόντου θυγάτηρ §1458Γαλάνεια τάδʼ εἴπῃ· §1459κατὰ μὲν ἱστία πετάσατʼ αὔ- §1460ραις λιπόντες εἰναλίαις, §1461λάβετε δʼ εἰλατίνας πλάτας, §1462ὦ ναῦται, ναῦται, §1463πέμποντες εὐλιμένους §1464Περσείων οἴκων Ἑλέναν ἐπʼ ἀκτάς. §1465ἦ που κόρας ἂν ποταμοῦ §1466παρʼ οἶδμα Λευκιππίδας ἢ πρὸ ναοῦ §1467Παλλάδος ἂν λάβοις §1468χρόνῳ ξυνελθοῦσα χοροῖς §1469ἢ κώμοις Ὑακίνθου §1470νύχιον ἐς εὐφροσύναν, §1471ὃν ἐξαμιλλησάμενος §1472τροχῷ τέρμονα δίσκου §1473ἔκανε Φοῖβος, τᾷ Λακαί- §1474νᾳ γᾷ βούθυτον ἁμέραν· §1475ὁ Διὸς δʼ εἶπε σέβειν γόνος· §1476μόσχον θʼ, ἃν οἴκοις §1476aἔλειπες, Ἑρμιόναν, §1477ἇς οὔπω πεῦκαι πρὸ γάμων ἔλαμψαν.
Chorus: O Phoenician, Sidonian, swift oar, dear mother of rowing, beloved, leader of the beautiful dances of dolphins, when with the breezes the sea is windless, and the grey daughter of Pontus, Galeneia (Calm), speaks thus: "Spread your sails, leaving them to the breezes of the sea, and take your pine-wood oars, O sailors, sailors, escorting Helen to the harbor-rich shores of the house of Perseus." Surely indeed you will find the daughters of Leucippus by the river's swell, or before the temple of Pallas you will join at last joining in the dances or the revels of Hyacinthus into the nightly festivity, whom Phoebus, competing with the wheel of the discus, slew, for the Laconian land a day of ox-sacrificing; and the son of Zeus ordered to revere it; and the young heifer whom in your house you left, Hermione, whose wedding torches have not yet shone.
§1478διʼ ἀέρος εἴθε ποτανοὶ §1479γενοίμεσθʼ ᾇ Λιβύας §1480οἰωνοὶ στοχάδες §1481ὄμβρον λιποῦσαι χειμέριον §1482νίσονται πρεσβυτάτᾳ §1483σύριγγι πειθόμεναι §1485ποιμένος, ὃς ἄβροχα πεδία καρποφόρα τε γᾶς §1486ἐπιπετόμενος ἰαχεῖ.
Would that we might become winged in the air, where the flocking birds of Libya, leaving the wintry rain, wing their way, obeying the eldest pipe of the shepherd, who, flying over the rainless and fruitful plains of the earth, cries aloud; as he flies over.
§1487ὦ πταναὶ δολιχαύχενες, §1488σύννομοι νεφέων δρόμου, §1489βᾶτε Πλειάδας ὑπὸ μέσας §1490ὠρίωνά τʼ ἐννύχιον· §1491καρύξατʼ ἀγγελίαν, §1492Εὐρώταν ἐφεζόμεναι, §1493Μενέλεως ὅτι Δαρδάνου §1494πόλιν ἑλὼν δόμον ἥξει.
O winged, long-necked birds, companions of the clouds' path, go beneath the mid Pleiades and night-shining Orion; proclaim the news, settling upon the Eurotas, that Menelaus, having taken the city of Dardanus, will return home.
§1495μόλοιτέ ποθʼ ἵππιον οἶμον §1496διʼ αἰθέρος ἱέμενοι §1497παῖδες Τυνδαρίδαι, §1498λαμπρῶν ἄστρων ὑπʼ ἀέλλαισιν· §1499οἳ ναίετʼ οὐράνιοι, §1500σωτῆρες τᾶς Ἑλένας, §1501γλαυκὸν ἔπιτʼ οἶδμα κυανόχροά τε κυμάτων §1502ῥόθια πολιὰ θαλάσσας, §1503ναύταις εὐαεῖς ἀνέμων §1505πέμποντες Διόθεν πνοάς· §1506δύσκλειαν δʼ ἀπὸ συγγόνου §1507βάλετε βαρβάρων λεχέων, §1508ἃν Ἰδαίων ἐρίδων §1509ποιναθεῖσʼ ἐκτήσατο, γᾶν §1510οὐκ ἐλθοῦσά ποτʼ Ἰλίου §1511Φοιβείους ἐπὶ πύργους.
May you come at last to the horse-path of heaven, hastening through the air, sons of Tyndareus, under the whirl of bright stars; you who dwell in heaven, saviors of Helen, go upon the grey swell and the dark-colored white-foamed surges of the sea, sending to the sailors favorable breezes of winds, breaths from Zeus; and cast away the dishonor from your sister of barbarian beds, which, as a punishment for the Idaean strifes, she acquired as a penalty, though she never went to the land of Ilium, to the Phoibean towers.
Messenger: O King, we have found the worst of evils in the house; for you will soon hear new troubles from me.
§1514τί δʼ ἔστιν;
Theoclymenus: What is it?
Messenger: Labor for the courtship of another woman; for Helen has gone out of the land.
§1516πτεροῖσιν ἀρθεῖσʼ ἢ πεδοστιβεῖ ποδί;
Theoclymenus: Raised on wings, or with earth-treading foot?
Messenger: Menelaus has ferried her out of the land, the very man who came announcing his own death.
§1519ὦ δεινὰ λέξας·
Theoclymenus: O teller of dread things!
τίς δέ νιν ναυκληρία §1520ἐκ τῆσδʼ ἀπῆρε χθονός;
What ship-voyage took her away from this land?
ἄπιστα γὰρ λέγεις.
For you speak unbelievable things.
Messenger: The very one you gave to the stranger; and having your sailors he has gone, so that you may learn in brief.
§1523πῶς;
Theoclymenus: How?
εἰδέναι πρόθυμος· οὐ γὰρ ἐλπίδων §1524ἔσω βέβηκα μίαν ὑπερδραμεῖν χέρα §1525τοσούσδε ναύτας, ὧν ἀπεστάλης μέτα.
I am eager to know; for I did not think that a single hand could overcome so many sailors, with whom you were sent out.
§1526ἐπεὶ λιποῦσα τούσδε βασιλείους δόμους §1527ἡ τοῦ Διὸς παῖς πρὸς θάλασσαν ἐστάλη §1528σοφώταθʼ ἁβρὸν πόδα τιθεῖσʼ ἀνέστενε §1529πόσιν πέλας παρόντα κοὐ τεθνηκότα.
Messenger: When the daughter of Zeus, leaving these royal halls, was escorted to the sea, placing her delicate foot most craftily, she lamented her husband who was present near and not dead.
§1530ὡς δʼ ἤλθομεν σῶν περίβολον νεωρίων, §1531Σιδωνίαν ναῦν πρωτόπλουν καθείλκομεν §1532ζυγῶν τε πεντήκοντα κἀρετμῶν μέτρα §1533ἔχουσαν.
And when we came to the enclosure of your dockyards, we dragged down a Sidonian ship on her first voyage, which had fifty rowing-benches and the measure of oars befitting.