§443ἄπελθʼ·
Go away.
ἐμοὶ γὰρ τοῦτο πρόσκειται, ξένε, §444μηδένα πελάζειν τοισίδʼ Ἑλλήνων δόμοις.
For this is laid upon me, stranger, to let none of the Greeks approach this house.
§445ἆ· μὴ προσείλει χεῖρα μηδʼ ὤθει βίᾳ.
Ah, do not touch me with your hand nor push me by force.
§446πείθῃ γὰρ οὐδὲν ὧν λέγω, σὺ δʼ αἴτιος.
For you do not obey what I say at all, and you are to blame.
§447ἄγγειλον εἴσω δεσπόταισι τοῖσι σοῖς
Announce my presence to your masters within.
§448πικρῶς ἄρʼ οἶμαί γʼ ἀγγελεῖν τοὺς σοὺς λόγους.
Bitterly indeed, I think, I shall report your words.
§449ναυαγὸς ἥκω ξένος, ἀσύλητον γένος.
I have come as a shipwrecked stranger, a class of men not to be plundered.
§450οἶκον πρὸς ἄλλον νύν τινʼ ἀντὶ τοῦδʼ ἴθι.
Go then to some other house instead of this one.
§451οὔκ, ἀλλʼ ἔσω πάρειμι· καὶ σύ μοι πιθοῦ.
No, but I will go inside; and do you listen to me.
§452ὀχληρὸς ἴσθʼ ὤν· καὶ τάχʼ ὠσθήσῃ βίᾳ.
Know that you are troublesome; and soon you will be pushed out by force.
§453αἰαῖ·
Alas!
τὰ κλεινὰ ποῦ ʼστί μοι στρατεύματα;
Where are my famous armies?
§454οὐκοῦν ἐκεῖ που σεμνὸς ἦσθʼ, οὐκ ἐνθάδε.
Then indeed you were majestic somewhere else, not here.
§455ὦ δαῖμον, ὡς ἀνάξιʼ ἠτιμώμεθα.
O fortune, how unworthily we are dishonored!
§456τί βλέφαρα τέγγεις δάκρυσι;
Why do you wet your eyes with tears?
πρὸς τίνʼ οἰκτρὸς εἶ;
For whom are you an object of pity?
§457πρὸς τὰς πάροιθεν συμφορὰς εὐδαίμονας.
For my former fortunate circumstances.
§458οὔκουν ἀπελθὼν δάκρυα σοῖς δώσεις φίλοις;
Will you not go away then and give your tears to your friends?
§459τίς δʼ ἥδε χώρα;
What country is this?
τοῦ δὲ βασίλειοι δόμοι;
And whose royal palace is this?
§460Πρωτεὺς τάδʼ οἰκεῖ δώματʼ, Αἴγυπτος δὲ γῆ.
Proteus inhabits this house, and the land is Egypt.
§461Αἴγυπτος;
Egypt?
ὦ δύστηνος, οἷ πέπλευκʼ ἄρα.
O wretched man, where indeed have I sailed!
§462τί δὴ τὸ Νείλου μεμπτόν ἐστί σοι γάνος;
What, pray, is to be blamed by you in the bright water of the Nile?
§463οὐ τοῦτʼ ἐμέμφθην· τὰς ἐμὰς στένω τύχας.
I did not blame this; I groan for my fortunes.
§464πολλοὶ κακῶς πράσσουσιν, οὐ σὺ δὴ μόνος.
Many fare ill, indeed not you alone.
§465ἔστʼ οὖν ἐν οἴκοις ὅντινʼ ὀνομάζεις ἄναξ;
Is he then in the house, the one whom you name as king?
§466τόδʼ ἐστὶν αὐτοῦ μνῆμα, παῖς δʼ ἄρχει χθονός.
This is his tomb; and his son rules the land.
§467ποῦ δῆτʼ ἂν εἴη;
Where indeed might he be?
πότερον ἐκτὸς ἢ ʼν δόμοις;
Outside or in the house?
§468οὐκ ἔνδον· Ἕλλησιν δὲ πολεμιώτατος.
Not within; and he is most hostile to the Greeks.
§469τίνʼ αἰτίαν σχὼν ἧς ἐπηυρόμην ἐγώ;
What cause does he have, from which I have suffered?
§470Ἑλένη κατʼ οἴκους ἐστὶ τούσδʼ ἡ τοῦ Διός.
Helen is in this house, the daughter of Zeus.
§471πῶς φῄς;
How do you say?
τίνʼ εἶπας μῦθον;
What story did you tell?
αὖθίς μοι φράσον.
Tell me again.
§472ἡ Τυνδαρὶς παῖς, ἣ κατὰ Σπάρτην ποτʼ ἦν.
The daughter of Tyndareus, she who once was in Sparta.
§473πόθεν μολοῦσα;
Whence did she come?
τίνα τὸ πρᾶγμʼ ἔχει λόγον;
What meaning does this matter have?
§474Λακεδαίμονος γῆς δεῦρο νοστήσασʼ ἄπο.
Having returned here from the Lacedaemonian land.
§475πότε;
When?
οὔ τί που λελῄσμεθʼ ἐξ ἄντρων λέχος;
Surely my wife has not been stolen from the caves?
§476πρὶν τοὺς Ἀχαιούς, ὦ ξένʼ, ἐς Τροίαν μολεῖν.
Before the Achaeans, stranger, came to Troy.
But depart from the house; for there is some fortune in the house, by which the house of the ruler is troubled.
For you have come at an inopportune time; and if my master catches you, death will be your guest-gift.
For I am well-disposed to the Greeks, although I gave bitter words out of fear of my master.
§483τί φῶ;
What shall I say?
τί λέξω;
What shall I speak?
συμφορὰς γὰρ ἀθλίας §484ἐκ τῶν πάροιθεν τὰς παρεστώσας κλύω, §485εἰ τὴν μὲν αἱρεθεῖσαν ἐκ Τροίας ἄγων §486ἥκω δάμαρτα καὶ κατʼ ἄντρα σῴζεται, §487ὄνομα δὲ ταὐτὸν τῆς ἐμῆς ἔχουσά τις §488δάμαρτος ἄλλη τοισίδʼ ἐνναίει δόμοις.
For I hear of present wretched misfortunes in addition to those of old, if I have come bringing my wife whom I took from Troy, and she is kept safe in the caves, while another woman having the same name as my wife dwells in this house.
§489Διὸς δʼ ἔλεξε παῖδά νιν πεφυκέναι.
And she said that she was born a daughter of Zeus.
But is there some man holding the name of Zeus by the banks of the Nile?
εἷς γὰρ ὅ γε κατʼ οὐρανόν.
For the one in heaven is unique.
And where on earth is Sparta, except only where the streams of the fair-reeded Eurotas are?
§494ἁπλοῦν δὲ Τυνδάρειον ὄνομα κλῄζεται.
The name of Tyndareus is celebrated as unique.
And what land is homonymous with Lacedaemon and Troy?
ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἔχω τί χρὴ λέγειν.
I indeed do not know what I must say.
§497πολλοὶ γάρ, ὡς εἴξασιν, ἐν πολλῇ χθονὶ §498ὀνόματα ταὔτʼ ἔχουσι καὶ πόλις πόλει §499γυνὴ γυναικί τʼ· οὐδὲν οὖν θαυμαστέον.
For many, as it seems, in many lands have the same names, and city with city, and woman with woman; so there is nothing to wonder at.
§500οὐδʼ αὖ τὸ δεινὸν προσπόλου φευξούμεθα· §501ἀνὴρ γὰρ οὐδεὶς ὧδε βάρβαρος φρένας, §502ὃς ὄνομʼ ἀκούσας τοὐμὸν οὐ δώσει βοράν.
Nor again shall we flee the threat of the servant; for no man is so barbarian in mind who, having heard my name, will not give me food.
Famous is the fire of Troy, and I who kindled it, Menelaus, not unknown in any land.
§505δόμων ἄνακτα προσμενῶ· δισσὰς δέ μοι §506ἔχει φυλάξεις· ἢν μὲν ὠμόφρων τις ᾖ, §507κρύψας ἐμαυτὸν εἶμι πρὸς ναυάγια· §508ἢν δʼ ἐνδιδῷ τι μαλθακόν, τὰ πρόσφορα §509τῆς νῦν παρούσης συμφορᾶς αἰτήσομαι.
I will wait for the master of the house; and I have two precautions: if indeed he should be of cruel mind, I will hide myself and go to the shipwreck; but if he shows any softness, I will ask for things suitable to my present misfortune.
§510κακῶν μὲν ἡμῖν ἔσχατον τοῖς ἀθλίοις, §511ἄλλους τυράννους αὐτὸν ὄντα βασιλέα §512βίον προσαιτεῖν· ἀλλʼ ἀναγκαίως ἔχει.
It is the extreme of evils for us wretched ones, being ourselves kings, to beg other rulers for our livelihood; but it is necessary.
For the saying is not mine, but a wise word, that nothing is stronger than dreadful necessity.
§515ἤκουσα τᾶς θεσπιῳδοῦ κόρας, §516ἃ χρῄζουσʼ ἐφάνη τυράννοις §517δόμοις, ὡς Μενέλαος οὔ- §518πω μελαμφαὲς οἴχεται §519διʼ ἔρεβος χθονὶ κρυφθείς,
I heard the maiden who sings prophecies, who appeared to the royal house to tell those who asked, how Menelaus is not yet gone to dark-gleaming Erebus, hidden in the earth,