would never have expected that either you or we would be deceived by Menelaus, O King, as he escaped notice being present.
§1621ὦ γυναικείαις τέχναισιν αἱρεθεὶς ἐγὼ τάλας·
wretched me, captured by women's wiles!
§1622ἐκπεφεύγασιν γάμοι με.
marriage has escaped me.
κεἰ μὲν ἦν ἁλώσιμος §1623ναῦς διώγμασιν, πονήσας εἷλον ἂν τάχα ξένους· §1624νῦν δὲ τὴν προδοῦσαν ἡμᾶς τεισόμεσθα σύγγονον, §1625ἥτις ἐν δόμοις ὁρῶσα Μενέλεων οὐκ εἶπέ μοι.
And if indeed ship were catchable by pursuit, I would have captured the strangers quickly by my labor; now we shall punish our sister who betrayed us,, seeing Menelaus in the house, did not tell me.
§1626τοιγὰρ οὔποτʼ ἄλλον ἄνδρα ψεύσεται μαντεύμασιν.
she shall never deceive another man with her prophecies.
§1627οὗτος ὤ, ποῖ σὸν πόδʼ αἴρεις, δέσποτʼ, ἐς ποῖον φόνον;
there! Where are you directing your foot, master, to what slaughter?
§1628οἷπερ ἡ δίκη κελεύει με· ἀλλʼ ἀφίστασʼ ἐκποδών.
justice commands me; but stand out of the way!
§1629οὐκ ἀφήσομαι πέπλων σῶν· μεγάλα γὰρ σπεύδεις κακά.
will not let go of your robes; for you are hastening great evils.
§1630ἀλλὰ δεσποτῶν κρατήσεις δοῦλος ὤν;
will you, being a slave, rule over your masters?
§1630bφρονῶ γὰρ εὖ.
, for I think rightly.
in my view, unless you let me—, we will not let you.
kill a most wicked sister— most pious one, rather.
betrayed me— noble betrayal indeed, to do what is just.
§1634τἀμὰ λέκτρʼ ἄλλῳ διδοῦσα.
my bed to another.
§1634bτοῖς γε κυριωτέροις.
those who have a greater right.
§1635κύριος δὲ τῶν ἐμῶν τίς;
who is master of my possessions?
§1635bὃς ἔλαβεν πατρὸς πάρα.
who received her from her father.
§1636ἀλλʼ ἔδωκεν ἡ τύχη μοι.
fortune gave her to me.
§1636bτὸ δὲ χρεὼν ἀφείλετο.
necessity took her away.
§1637οὐ σὲ τἀμὰ χρὴ δικάζειν.
is not for you to judge my affairs.
§1637bἤν γε βελτίω λέγω.
indeed I speak better things.
§1638ἀρχόμεσθʼ ἄρʼ, οὐ κρατοῦμεν.
are ruled, then, not rulers.
§1638bὅσια δρᾶν, τὰ δʼ ἔκδικʼ οὔ.
do holy things, but not unjust things.
§1639κατθανεῖν ἐρᾶν ἔοικας.
seem to love death.
§1639bκτεῖνε· σύγγονον δὲ σὴν
me!
§1640οὐ κτενεῖς ἡμῶν ἑκόντων, ἀλλʼ ἔμε· ὡς πρὸ δεσποτῶν §1641τοῖσι γενναίοισι δούλοις εὐκλεέστατον θανεῖν.
But your sister shall not kill with our consent, but rather me; since for masters is most glorious for noble slaves to die.
§1642ἐπίσχες ὀργὰς αἷσιν οὐκ ὀρθῶς φέρῃ, §1643Θεοκλύμενε, γαίας τῆσδʼ ἄναξ· δισσοὶ δέ σε §1644Διόσκοροι καλοῦμεν, οὓς Λήδα ποτὲ §1645ἔτικτεν Ἑλένην θʼ, ἣ πέφευγε σοὺς δόμους·
the anger with which you are wrongly carried away,, king of this land; we, the two, call upon you, whom Leda once along with Helen, who has fled your house.
§1646οὐ γὰρ πεπρωμένοισιν ὀργίζῃ γάμοις, §1647οὐδʼ ἡ θεᾶς Νηρῇδος ἔκγονος κόρη §1648ἀδικεῖ σʼ ἀδελφὴ Θεονόη, τὰ τῶν θεῶν §1649τιμῶσα πατρός τʼ ἐνδίκους ἐπιστολάς.
you should not be angry at a marriage destined by fate, does the daughter born of the goddess Nereid, sister Theonoe, wrong you, since she honors the things of the gods the just commands of her father.
§1650ἐς μὲν γὰρ αἰεὶ τὸν παρόντα νῦν χρόνον §1651κείνην κατοικεῖν σοῖσιν ἐν δόμοις ἐχρῆν· §1652ἐπεὶ δὲ Τροίας ἐξανεστάθη βάθρα, §1653καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς παρέσχε τοὔνομʼ, οὐκέτι· §1654ἐν τοῖσι δʼ αὑτῆς δεῖ νιν ἐζεῦχθαι γάμοις §1655ἐλθεῖν τʼ ἐς οἴκους καὶ συνοικῆσαι πόσει.
up to the present time, was necessary for her to dwell in your house; since the foundations of Troy have been overturned, she has provided her name to the gods, it is no longer so; she must be joined in her own marriage, go to her home and dwell with her husband.
hold back the dark sword from your sister, believe that she does these things wisely.
§1658πάλαι δʼ ἀδελφὴν κἂν πρὶν ἐξεσώσαμεν, §1659ἐπείπερ ἡμᾶς Ζεὺς ἐποίησεν θεούς· §1660ἀλλʼ ἥσσονʼ ἦμεν τοῦ πεπρωμένου θʼ ἅμα §1661καὶ τῶν θεῶν, οἷς ταῦτʼ ἔδοξεν ὧδʼ ἔχειν.
we would have saved our sister long ago, Zeus made us gods; we were weaker than fate, and at the same time the gods, to whom it seemed best that things should be thus.
you I say these things, and to my sister I speak: with your husband; and you shall have a favorable wind.
we, your two brothers, as saviors, beside you on the sea, will escort you to your homeland.
§1666ὅταν δὲ κάμψῃς καὶ τελευτήσῃς βίον, §1667θεὸς κεκλήσῃ καὶ Διοσκόρων μέτα §1668σπονδῶν μεθέξεις ξένιά τʼ ἀνθρώπων πάρα §1669ἕξεις μεθʼ ἡμῶν· Ζεὺς γὰρ ὧδε βούλεται.
when you bend the course and end your life, shall be called a goddess, and with the Dioscuri shall share in libations and receive gifts of hospitality from men us; for Zeus wills it so.
§1670οὗ δʼ ὥρισέν σοι πρῶτα Μαιάδος τόκος, §1671Σπάρτης ἀπάρας, τὸν κατʼ οὐρανὸν δρόμον, §1672κλέψας δέμας σὸν μὴ Πάρις γήμειέ σε, §1673— φρουρὸν παρʼ Ἀκτὴν τεταμένην νῆσον λέγω — §1674Ἑλένη τὸ λοιπὸν ἐν βροτοῖς κεκλήσεται, §1675ἐπεὶ κλοπαίαν σʼ ἐκ δόμων ἐδέξατο.
where the son of Maia first established you, from Sparta on the path through heaven, your body so that Paris might not marry you, —I mean the island stretched out as a guard along Acte— shall be called Helen's island among mortals in the future, it received you stolen from your home.
§1676καὶ τῷ πλανήτῃ Μενέλεῳ θεῶν πάρα §1677μακάρων κατοικεῖν νῆσόν ἐστι μόρσιμον· §1678τοὺς εὐγενεῖς γὰρ οὐ στυγοῦσι δαίμονες, §1679τῶν δʼ ἀναριθμήτων μᾶλλόν εἰσιν οἱ πόνοι.
for the wandering Menelaus, it is destined by the gods dwell on the island of the blessed; the gods do not hate noble men, the labors of the countless many are greater.
§1680ὦ παῖδε Λήδας καὶ Διός, τὰ μὲν πάρος §1681νείκη μεθήσω σφῶν κασιγνήτης πέρι· §1682ἐγὼ δʼ ἀδελφὴν οὐκέτʼ ἂν κτάνοιμʼ ἐμήν.
children of Leda and Zeus, the former regarding your sister I will let go; I would no longer kill my sister.
§1683κείνη δʼ ἴτω πρὸς οἶκον, εἰ θεοῖς δοκεῖ.
her go to her home, if it seems good to the gods.
know that you are born of a sister is both best and most chaste of the same blood.
farewell, for the sake of Helen's most noble, which is not found in many women.
§1688πολλαὶ μορφαὶ τῶν δαιμονίων, §1689πολλὰ δʼ ἀέλπτως κραίνουσι θεοί· §1690καὶ τὰ δοκηθέντʼ οὐκ ἐτελέσθη, §1691τῶν δʼ ἀδοκήτων πόρον ηὗρε θεός.
are the forms of the divine, many things the gods accomplish unexpectedly; was expected was not fulfilled, for the unexpected a god found a way.
§1692τοιόνδʼ ἀπέβη τόδε πρᾶγμα.
was the end of this matter.