§919εἰ δʼ οὖσα μάντις καὶ τὰ θεῖʼ ἡγουμένη §920τὸ μὲν δίκαιον τοῦ πατρὸς διαφθερεῖς, §921τῷ δʼ οὐ δικαίῳ συγγόνῳ σώσεις χάριν, §922αἰσχρὸν τὰ μέν σε θεῖα πάντʼ ἐξειδέναι, §923τά τʼ ὄντα καὶ μέλλοντα, τὰ δὲ δίκαια μή.
But if you, who are a prophetess and guide divine matters, destroy the justice of your father and preserve favor for your unjust brother, it is shameful for you to know all divine things, Both what is and what shall be, but not to know what is just.
And rescue wretched me from the evils in which I am beset, granting this as a side-gift of fortune.
§926Ἑλένην γὰρ οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐ στυγεῖ βροτῶν· §927ἣ κλῄζομαι καθʼ Ἑλλάδʼ ὡς προδοῦσʼ ἐμὸν §928πόσιν Φρυγῶν ᾤκησα πολυχρύσους δόμους.
For there is no mortal who does not hate Helen, I who am rumored throughout Greece to have betrayed my husband and dwelt in the golden palaces of the Phrygians.
§929ἢν δʼ Ἑλλάδʼ ἔλθω κἀπιβῶ Σπάρτης πάλιν, §930κλύοντες εἰσιδόντες ὡς τέχναις θεῶν §931ὤλοντʼ, ἐγὼ δὲ προδότις οὐκ ἄρʼ ἦ φίλων, §932πάλιν μʼ ἀνάξουσʼ ἐς τὸ σῶφρον αὖθις αὖ, §933ἑδνώσομαί τε θυγατέρʼ, ἣν οὐδεὶς γαμεῖ, §934τὴν δʼ ἐνθάδʼ ἐκλιποῦσʼ ἀλητείαν πικρὰν §935ὄντων ἐν οἴκοις χρημάτων ὀνήσομαι.
But if I go to Greece and set foot in Sparta again, when they hear and see that they perished by the schemes of the gods and that I was not after all a betrayer of my loved ones, they will restore me once more to the reputation of virtue, and I shall provide a dowry for my daughter, whom no one will marry now, and, leaving this bitter wandering here, I shall enjoy the wealth we have at home.
§936κεἰ μὲν θανὼν ὅδʼ ἐν πυρᾷ κατεσφάγη, §937πρόσω σφʼ ἀπόντα δακρύοις ἂν ἠγάπων· §938νῦν δʼ ὄντα καὶ σωθέντʼ ἀφαιρεθήσομαι;
And if he had died and been slaughtered on the funeral pyre, I would have cherished him in his absence far away with tears; but now, when he is alive and saved, shall I be robbed of him?
Do not do so, I pray, maiden, but I entreat you: grant me this favor, and imitate the character of your righteous father.
§941πατρὸς δικαίου· παισὶ γὰρ κλέος τόδε §942κάλλιστον, ὅστις ἐκ πατρὸς χρηστοῦ γεγὼς §943ἐς ταὐτὸν ἦλθε τοῖς τεκοῦσι τοὺς τρόπους.
For this is the fairest glory for children: whoever, born of a good father, attains to the same character as his parents.
The words spoken between us are indeed piteous, and you too are piteous.
τοὺς δὲ Μενέλεω ποθῶ §946λόγους ἀκοῦσαι τίνας ἐρεῖ ψυχῆς πέρι.
But I long to hear what words Menelaus will speak on behalf of his life.
§947ἐγὼ σὸν οὔτʼ ἂν προσπεσεῖν τλαίην γόνυ §948οὔτʼ ἂν δακρῦσαι βλέφαρα· τὴν Τροίαν γὰρ ἂν §949δειλοὶ γενόμενοι πλεῖστον αἰσχύνοιμεν ἄν.
I could not bring myself to fall at your knee, nor to weep from my eyes; for if we became cowards, we would bring the greatest shame upon Troy.
And yet men say that it belongs to a noble man to shed tears from his eyes in times of misfortune.
But I will not choose this 'noble' thing—if indeed it is noble— before courage.
§954ἀλλʼ, εἰ μὲν ἄνδρα σοι δοκεῖ σῷσαι ξένον §955ζητοῦντά γʼ ὀρθῶς ἀπολαβεῖν δάμαρτʼ ἐμήν, §956ἀπόδος τε καὶ πρὸς σῷσον· εἰ δὲ μὴ δοκεῖ, §957ἐγὼ μὲν οὐ νῦν πρῶτον ἀλλὰ πολλάκις §958ἄθλιος ἂν εἴην, σὺ δὲ γυνὴ κακὴ φανῇ.
But if it seems good to you to save a stranger who seeks rightfully to recover my wife, restore her and save me besides; but if it does not seem good, I indeed shall be wretched—not for the first time, but as I have often been— while you will be revealed as an evil woman.
§959ἃ δʼ ἄξιʼ ἡμῶν καὶ δίκαιʼ ἡγούμεθα §960καὶ σῆς μάλιστα καρδίας ἀνθάψεται, §961λέξω τάδʼ ἀμφὶ μνῆμα σοῦ πατρὸς πόθῳ· §962ὦ γέρον, ὃς οἰκεῖς τόνδε λάινον τάφον,
But what I deem worthy of myself and just, and what will touch your heart most deeply, I will speak here around the monument of your father with longing: O elder, who dwellest in this tomb of stone, restore her!
I demand back from you my wife, whom Zeus sent here for you to keep safe for me.
§965οἶδʼ οὕνεκʼ ἡμῖν οὔποτʼ ἀποδώσεις θανών· §966ἀλλʼ ἥδε πατέρα νέρθεν ἀνακαλούμενον §967οὐκ ἀξιώσει τὸν πρὶν εὐκλεέστατον §968κακῶς ἀκοῦσαι· κυρία γάρ ἐστι νῦν.
I know that, being dead, you will never restore her to me; but she here will not think it right that her father, who is invoked from below and was once most glorious, should hear evil report; for she is the one in authority now.
§969ὦ νέρτερʼ Ἅιδη, καὶ σὲ σύμμαχον καλῶ, §970ὃς πόλλʼ ἐδέξω τῆσδʼ ἕκατι σώματα §971πεσόντα τὠμῷ φασγάνῳ, μισθὸν δʼ ἔχεις·
O nether Hades, you too I call to be my ally, who received many bodies fallen by my sword for this woman's sake, and you have your pay.
§972ἢ νῦν ἐκείνους ἀπόδος ἐμψύχους πάλιν, §973ἢ τήνδε πατρὸς εὐσεβοῦς ἀνάγκασον §974κρείσσω φανεῖσαν τἀμά γʼ ἀποδοῦναι λέχη.
Either restore those men alive again now, or compel this daughter of a pious father to show herself superior and restore my wife.
But if you rob me of my wife, I will tell you what she left out of her words to you.
§977ὅρκοις κεκλῄμεθʼ, ὡς μάθῃς, ὦ παρθένε, §978πρῶτον μὲν ἐλθεῖν διὰ μάχης σῷ συγγόνῳ §979κἀκεῖνον ἢ ʼμὲ δεῖ θανεῖν· ἁπλοῦς λόγος.
We are bound by oaths, as you must learn, maiden, first to engage in battle with your brother, and either he or I must die; it is a simple word.
§980ἢν δʼ ἐς μὲν ἀλκὴν μὴ πόδʼ ἀντιθῇ ποδί, §981λιμῷ δὲ θηρᾷ τύμβον ἱκετεύοντε νώ, §982κτανεῖν δέδοκται τήνδε μοι κἄπειτʼ ἐμὸν §983πρὸς ἧπαρ ὦσαι δίστομον ξίφος τόδε §984τύμβου ʼπὶ νώτοις τοῦδʼ, ἵνʼ αἵματος ῥοαὶ §985τάφου καταστάζωσι·
But if he does not match foot to foot in battle, but hunts us two as we supplicate at the tomb with hunger, it is resolved by me to slay this woman, and then to drive this double-edged sword into my own liver, on the back of this tomb, so that streams of blood may drip down upon the grave.
And we shall lie as two corpses side by side upon this polished tomb, an undying grief to you, and a reproach to your father.
§988οὐ γὰρ γαμεῖ τήνδʼ οὔτε σύγγονος σέθεν §989οὔτʼ ἄλλος οὐδείς· ἀλλʼ ἐγώ σφʼ ἀπάξομαι, §990εἰ μὴ πρὸς οἴκους δυνάμεθʼ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς νεκρούς.
For neither your brother nor anyone else shall marry her; I will carry her away— if we cannot go to our home, then to the dead.
§991τί ταῦτα;
Why do I say this?
δακρύοις ἐς τὸ θῆλυ τρεπόμενος §992ἐλεινὸς ἦν ἂν μᾶλλον ἢ δραστήριος.
Turning to tears like a woman, I would be more pitiable than active.
§993κτεῖνʼ, εἰ δοκεῖ σοι· δυσκλεᾶς γὰρ οὐ κτενεῖς·
Slay us, if it seems good to you; for you will not slay those of ill repute.