§1536πηδάλιά τε ζεύγλαισι παρακαθίετο.
And the rudders were lowered by their leather loops.
§1537κἀν τῷδε μόχθῳ, τοῦτʼ ἄρα σκοπούμενοι, §1538Ἕλληνες ἄνδρες Μενέλεῳ ξυνέμποροι §1539προσῆλθον ἀκταῖς ναυφθόροις ἠσθημένοι §1540πέπλοισιν, εὐειδεῖς μέν, αὐχμηροὶ δʼ ὁρᾶν.
And during this labor, looking out for this very moment, Greek men, companions of Menelaus in travel, approached the shores, clad in shipwrecked garments, handsome indeed, but squalid to look upon.
§1541ἰδὼν δέ νιν παρόντας Ἀτρέως γόνος §1542προσεῖπε δόλιον οἶκτον ἐς μέσον φέρων· §1543ὦ τλήμονες, πῶς ἐκ τίνος νεώς ποτε
And seeing them present, the son of Atreus, addressed them, bringing a treacherous pity into their midst: "O wretched men, how and from what ship of Achaea did you wreck your vessel and come here?
§1544Ἀχαιίδος θραύσαντες ἥκετε σκάφος; §1545ἆρʼ Ἀτρέως παῖδʼ ὀλόμενον συνθάπτετε, §1546ὃν Τυνδαρὶς παῖς ἥδʼ ἀπόντα κενοταφεῖ; §1547οἳ δʼ ἐκβαλόντες δάκρυα ποιητῷ τρόπῳ, §1548ἐς ναῦν ἐχώρουν Μενέλεῳ ποντίσματα §1549φέροντες.
Are you joining to bury the deceased son of Atreus, whom this daughter of Tyndareus here honors with an empty tomb in his absence?" And they, shedding tears in a feigned manner, went into the ship, carrying sea-offerings for Menelaus.
ἡμῖν δʼ ἦν μὲν ἥδʼ ὑποψία §1550λόγος τʼ ἐν ἀλλήλοισι, τῶν ἐπεσβατῶν §1551ὡς πλῆθος εἴη· διεσιωπῶμεν δʼ ὅμως §1552τοὺς σοὺς λόγους σῴζοντες· ἄρχειν γὰρ νεὼς §1553ξένον κελεύσας πάντα συνέχεας τάδε.
But to us indeed, there was this suspicion and talk among ourselves, that of those who entered the number was too great; yet we kept silence nonetheless, preserving your words; for by ordering the stranger to command the ship, you threw all these matters into confusion.
§1554καὶ τἄλλα μὲν δὴ ῥᾳδίως ἔσω νεὼς §1555ἐθέμεθα κουφίζοντα· ταύρειος δὲ ποὺς §1556οὐκ ἤθελʼ ὀρθὸς σανίδα προσβῆναι κάτα, §1557ἀλλʼ ἐξεβρυχᾶτʼ ὄμμʼ ἀναστρέφων κύκλῳ §1558κυρτῶν τε νῶτα κἀς κέρας παρεμβλέπων §1559μὴ θιγγάνειν ἀπεῖργεν.
And the other things indeed we easily placed inside the ship, lifting them easily; but the bull's hoofs refused to go straight up along the gangway, but it bellowed, rolling its eyes around in a circle, arching its back and looking askance at its horns, it prevented anyone from touching it.
ὁ δʼ Ἑλένης πόσις §1560ἐκάλεσεν· ὦ πέρσαντες Ἰλίου πόλιν, §1561οὐκ εἶʼ ἀναρπάσαντες Ἑλλήνων νόμῳ §1562νεανίαις ὤμοισι ταύρειον δέμας §1563ἐς πρῷραν ἐμβαλεῖτε, φάσγανόν θʼ ἅμα §1564πρόχειρον ὤσει σφάγια τῷ τεθνηκότι; §1565οἳ δʼ ἐς κέλευσμʼ ἐλθόντες ἐξανήρπασαν §1566ταῦρον φέροντές τʼ εἰσέθεντο σέλματα.
And the husband of Helen cried out: "O you who sacked the city of Ilium, come, snatching it up in the Greek fashion upon your young shoulders, will you not fling the bull's body into the prow, and at the same time push the sword ready to strike as a sacrifice for the dead man?" And they, coming at his command, snatched up the bull, and carrying it, placed it on the rowing-benches.
And Menelaus, stroking the neck and forehead of the single-reined beast, persuaded it to enter the ship.
§1569τέλος δʼ, ἐπειδὴ ναῦς τὰ πάντʼ ἐδέξατο, §1570πλήσασα κλιμακτῆρας εὐσφύρῳ ποδί §1571Ἑλένη καθέζετʼ ἐν μέσοις ἑδωλίοις, §1572ὅ τʼ οὐκέτʼ ὢν λόγοισι Μενέλεως πέλας·
And finally, when the ship had received everything, filling the ladder with her fair-ankled foot, Helen sat down in the middle of the benches, and Menelaus, who was no longer living in words, sat near her.
§1573ἄλλοι δὲ τοίχους δεξιοὺς λαιούς τʼ ἴσοι §1574ἀνὴρ παρʼ ἄνδρʼ ἕζονθʼ, ὑφʼ εἵμασι ξίφη §1575λαθραῖʼ ἔχοντες, ῥόθιά τʼ ἐξεπίμπλατο §1576βοῆς κελευστοῦ φθέγμαθʼ ὡς ἠκούσαμεν.
And the others sat down, equal numbers on the right and left sides, man next to man, having swords hidden secretly under their clothes; and the surging water was filled with the noise of the boatswain's call, as we heard.
§1577ἐπεὶ δὲ γαίας ἦμεν οὔτʼ ἄγαν πρόσω §1578οὔτʼ ἐγγύς, οὕτως ἤρετʼ οἰάκων φύλαξ· §1579ἔτʼ, ὦ ξένʼ, ἐς τὸ πρόσθεν — ἢ καλῶς ἔχει — §1580πλεύσωμεν;
And when we were neither too far from the land nor close to it, the guardian of the rudders asked thus: "Shall we sail still further forward, stranger, or is it well as it is?
ἀρχαὶ γὰρ νεὼς μέλουσι σοί. §1581ὃ δʼ εἶφʼ· ἅλις μοι. δεξιᾷ δʼ ἑλὼν ξίφος §1582ἐς πρῷραν εἷρπε κἀπὶ ταυρείῳ σφαγῇ §1583σταθεὶς νεκρῶν μὲν οὐδενὸς μνήμην ἔχων, §1584τέμνων δὲ λαιμὸν ηὔχετʼ· ὦ ναίων ἅλα §1585πόντιε Πόσειδον Νηρέως θʼ ἁγναὶ κόραι, §1586σώσατέ μʼ ἐπʼ ἀκτὰς Ναυπλίας δάμαρτά τε §1587ἄσυλον ἐκ γῆς. αἵματος δʼ ἀπορροαὶ §1588ἐς οἶδμʼ ἐσηκόντιζον οὔριοι ξένῳ.
For the command of the ship belongs to you." And he said: "It is enough for me." And taking a sword in his right hand, he crept to the prow, and standing over the sacrifice of the bull, keeping no memory of any of the dead, but cutting the throat, he prayed: "O sea-dwelling Poseidon of the deep, and holy daughters of Nereus, save me and my wife to the shores of Nauplia, unharmed from this land." And the streams of blood spurted into the swell, favorable for the stranger.
§1589καί τις τόδʼ εἶπε· δόλιος ἡ ναυκληρία.
And someone said this: "This voyage is treacherous.
§1590πάλιν πλέωμεν·
Let us sail back!
δεξιὰν κέλευε σύ, §1591σὺ δὲ στρέφʼ οἴακʼ. ἐκ δὲ ταυρείου φόνου §1592Ἀτρέως σταθεὶς παῖς ἀνεβόησε συμμάχους· §1593τί μέλλετʼ, ὦ γῆς Ἑλλάδος λωτίσματα, §1594σφάζειν φονεύειν βαρβάρους νεώς τʼ ἄπο §1595ῥίπτειν ἐς οἶδμα; ναυβάταις δὲ τοῖσι σοῖς §1596βοᾷ κελευστὴς τὴν ἐναντίαν ὄπα· §1597οὐκ εἶʼ ὃ μέν τις λοῖσθον ἀρεῖται δόρυ, §1598ὃ δὲ ζύγʼ ἄξας, ὃ δʼ ἀφελὼν σκαλμοῦ πλάτην §1599καθαιματώσει κρᾶτα πολεμίων ξένων; §1600ὀρθοὶ δʼ ἀνῇξαν πάντες, οἳ μὲν ἐν χεροῖν §1601κορμοὺς ἔχοντες ναυτικούς, οἳ δὲ ξίφη· §1602φόνῳ δὲ ναῦς ἐρρεῖτο.
You, order the starboard turn, and you, turn the rudder." But from the slaughter of the bull, the son of Atreus, standing up, shouted to his allies: "Why do you delay, O flower of the land of Greece, to slaughter and kill the barbarians and from the ship to fling them into the swell?" And to your sailors the boatswain shouted the opposite cry: "Come, will not one lift some spare timber, another smash a bench, and another, taking a blade from its rowlock, bloody the heads of these hostile strangers?" And they all leaped up, some having in their hands pieces of ship's timber, others swords; and the ship flowed with blood.
παρακέλευσμα δʼ ἦν §1603πρύμνηθεν Ἑλένης· ποῦ τὸ Τρωικὸν κλέος;
And there was encouragement from the stern from Helen: "Where is the Trojan glory?
§1604δείξατε πρὸς ἄνδρας βαρβάρους· σπουδῆς δʼ ὕπο §1605ἔπιπτον, οἳ δʼ ὠρθοῦντο, τοὺς δὲ κειμένους §1606νεκροὺς ἂν εἶδες.
Show it to these barbarians!" And with haste they fell, others rose, and those lying corpses you might have seen.
Μενέλεως δʼ ἔχων ὅπλα, §1607ὅποι νοσοῖεν ξύμμαχοι κατασκοπῶν, §1608ταύτῃ προσῆγε χειρὶ δεξιᾷ ξίφος, §1609ὥστʼ ἐκκολυμβᾶν ναός, ἠρήμωσε δὲ §1610σῶν ναυβατῶν ἐρετμά.
And Menelaus, having arms, watching wherever his allies were hard pressed, brought his sword there with his right hand, so that they leaped from the ship, and he cleared the rowing-benches of your sailors.
ἐπʼ οἰάκων δὲ βὰς §1611ἄνακτʼ ἐς Ἑλλάδʼ εἶπεν εὐθύνειν δόρυ.
And going to the rudders, he told the helmsman to steer the ship straight to Greece.
§1612οἳ δʼ ἱστὸν ᾖρον, οὔριαι δʼ ἧκον πνοαί.
And they raised the mast, and favorable breezes came.
§1613βεβᾶσι δʼ ἐκ γῆς.
They have gone from the land.
διαφυγὼν δʼ ἐγὼ φόνον §1614καθῆκʼ ἐμαυτὸν εἰς ἅλʼ ἄγκυραν πάρα· §1615ἤδη δὲ κάμνονθʼ ὁρμιατόνων μέ τις §1616ἀνείλετʼ, ἐς δὲ γαῖαν ἐξέβησέ σοι §1617τάδʼ ἀγγελοῦντα.
And I, having escaped slaughter, let myself down into the sea by the anchor; and as I was already growing exhausted, someone with fishing lines picked me up and set me on the land to tell this news.
σώφρονος δʼ ἀπιστίας §1618οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν χρησιμώτερον βροτοῖς.
For of wise distrust there is nothing more useful to mortals.