nor the bright ether (receive me), if I, betraying you, having freed my own self, should leave you behind.
§1089καὶ συγκατέκτανον γάρ, οὐκ ἀρνήσομαι, §1090καὶ πάντʼ ἐβούλευσʼ ὧν σὺ νῦν τίνεις δίκας· §1091καὶ ξυνθανεῖν οὖν δεῖ με σοὶ καὶ τῇδʼ ὁμοῦ.
For I helped in the killing, I will not deny it, and I planned all things for which you now pay the penalty; therefore, it is necessary for me to die together with you and her.
For her, whose marriage I approved, I judge to be my wife.
τί γὰρ ἐρῶ κἀγώ ποτε §1094γῆν Δελφίδʼ ἐλθὼν Φωκέων ἀκρόπτολιν, §1095ὃς πρὶν μὲν ὑμᾶς δυστυχεῖν φίλος παρῆ, §1096νῦν δʼ οὐκέτʼ εἰμὶ δυστυχοῦντί σοι φίλος;
What indeed shall I ever say when I go to the Delphic land, the citadel of Phocians, I who, before you were unfortunate, was present as a friend, but now, when you are unfortunate, am no longer a friend?
§1097οὐκ ἔστιν.
It cannot be.
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν κἀμοὶ μέλει·
But these things indeed are also my concern.
And since we shall die, let us enter into common counsel, so that Menelaus may suffer misfortune with us.
§1100ὦ φίλτατʼ, εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο κατθάνοιμʼ ἰδών.
Oh dearest one, if only I might die having seen this!
§1101πιθοῦ νυν, ἄμμεινόν τε φασγάνου τομάς.
Obey me now, and wait before the stroke of the sword.
§1102μενῶ, τὸν ἐχθρὸν εἴ τι τιμωρήσομαι.
I will wait, if I may take some vengeance on the enemy.
§1103σίγα νυν· ὡς γυναιξὶ πιστεύω βραχύ.
Be silent now; for I trust women but little.
§1104μηδὲν τρέσῃς τάσδʼ· ὡς πάρεισʼ ἡμῖν φίλαι.
Do not fear them at all; for they are present as our friends.
§1105Ἑλένην κτάνωμεν, Μενέλεῳ λύπην πικράν.
Let us kill Helen, a bitter grief to Menelaus.
§1106πῶς;
How?
τὸ γὰρ ἕτοιμον ἔστιν, εἴ γʼ ἔσται καλῶς.
For the readiness is there, if only it will turn out well.
§1107σφάξαντες.
By slaughtering her.
ἐν δόμοις δὲ κρύπτεται σέθεν.
And indeed she is hidden in your house.
§1108μάλιστα· καὶ δὴ πάντʼ ἀποσφραγίζεται.
Most certainly; and indeed she is sealing up everything.
§1109ἀλλʼ οὐκέθʼ, Ἅιδην νυμφίον κεκτημένη.
But she will do so no longer, having Hades as her bridegroom.
§1110καὶ πῶς;
And how?
ἔχει γὰρ βαρβάρους ὀπάονας.
For she has barbarian attendants.
§1111τίνας;
Whom?
Φρυγῶν γὰρ οὐδένʼ ἂν τρέσαιμʼ ἐγώ.
For I would not fear any of the Phrygians.
§1112οἵους ἐνόπτρων καὶ μύρων ἐπιστάτας.
The kind that are guardians of mirrors and perfumes.
§1113τρυφὰς γὰρ ἥκει δεῦρʼ ἔχουσα Τρωικάς;
Has she indeed come here bringing Trojan luxuries?
§1114ὥσθʼ Ἑλλὰς αὐτῇ σμικρὸν οἰκητήριον.
So that Greece is a small dwelling for her.
§1115οὐδὲν τὸ δοῦλον πρὸς τὸ μὴ δοῦλον γένος.
The slave race is nothing compared to the non-slave.
§1116καὶ μὴν τόδʼ ἔρξας δὶς θανεῖν οὐχ ἅζομαι.
And indeed, having done this, I do not shrink from dying twice.
§1117ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ἐγὼ μήν, σοί γε τιμωρούμενος.
Nor do I indeed, in taking vengeance for you.
§1118τὸ πρᾶγμα δήλου καὶ πέραινʼ, ὅπως λέγεις.
Explain the plan and carry it through, as you say.
§1119ἔσιμεν ἐς οἴκους δῆθεν ὡς θανούμενοι.
We shall enter the house, ostensibly to die.
§1120ἔχω τοσοῦτον, τἀπίλοιπα δʼ οὐκ ἔχω.
I understand this much, but the rest I do not have.
§1121γόους πρὸς αὐτὴν θησόμεσθʼ ἃ πάσχομεν.
We shall make lamentations to her about what we suffer.
§1122ὥστʼ ἐκδακρῦσαί γʼ ἔνδοθεν κεχαρμένην.
So that she may weep, though rejoicing within.
§1123καὶ νῷν παρέσται ταῦθʼ ἅπερ κείνῃ τότε.
And for us two there will be the same situation as for her then.
§1124ἔπειτʼ ἀγῶνα πῶς ἀγωνιούμεθα;
Then how shall we fight the contest?
§1125κρύπτʼ ἐν πέπλοισι τοισίδʼ ἕξομεν ξίφη.
Hidden in these garments we shall have swords.
§1126πρόσθεν δʼ ὀπαδῶν τίς ὄλεθρος γενήσεται;
But before that, what destruction will there be of the attendants?
§1127ἐκκλῄσομεν σφᾶς ἄλλον ἄλλοσε στέγης.
We shall lock them up in different parts of the house.
§1128καὶ τόν γε μὴ σιγῶντʼ ἀποκτείνειν χρεών.
And indeed, it is necessary to kill anyone who is not silent.
§1129εἶτʼ αὐτὸ δηλοῖ τοὔργον οἷ τείνειν χρεών.
Then the deed itself shows where we must aim.
§1130Ἑλένην φονεύειν· μανθάνω τὸ σύμβολον.
To kill Helen; I understand the signal.
§1131ἔγνως· ἄκουσον δʼ ὡς καλῶς βουλεύομαι.
You understand; now hear how well I plan.
§1132εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐς γυναῖκα σωφρονεστέραν §1133ξίφος μεθεῖμεν, δυσκλεὴς ἂν ἦν φόνος· §1134νῦν δʼ ὑπὲρ ἁπάσης Ἑλλάδος δώσει δίκην, §1135ὧν πατέρας ἔκτεινʼ, ὧν δʼ ἀπώλεσεν τέκνα, §1136νύμφας τʼ ἔθηκεν ὀρφανὰς ξυναόρων.
For if we had cast our sword against a more virtuous woman, the murder would have been inglorious; but now she will pay the penalty on behalf of all Greece, whose fathers she killed, and whose children she destroyed, and made brides orphan of their spouses.
§1137ὀλολυγμὸς ἔσται, πῦρ τʼ ἀνάψουσιν θεοῖς, §1138σοὶ πολλὰ κἀμοὶ κέδνʼ ἀρώμενοι τυχεῖν, §1139κακῆς γυναικὸς οὕνεχʼ αἷμʼ ἐπράξαμεν.
There will be shouting, and they will kindle fire for the gods, praying for many good things to happen to you and me, because we exacted blood for a wicked woman.
§1140ὁ μητροφόντης δʼ οὐ καλῇ ταύτην κτανών, §1141ἀλλʼ ἀπολιπὼν τοῦτʼ ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον πεσῇ, §1142Ἑλένης λεγόμενος τῆς πολυκτόνου φονεύς.
You will not be called a matricide having killed her, but leaving this behind, you will fall upon a better reputation, being called the killer of Helen, the killer of many.
§1143οὐ δεῖ ποτʼ, οὐ δεῖ, Μενέλεων μὲν εὐτυχεῖν, §1144τὸν σὸν δὲ πατέρα καὶ σὲ κἀδελφὴν θανεῖν, §1145μητέρα τε — ἐῶ τοῦτʼ· οὐ γὰρ εὐπρεπὲς λέγειν — §1146δόμους δʼ ἔχειν σοὺς διʼ Ἀγαμέμνονος δόρυ §1147λαβόντα νύμφην· μὴ γὰρ οὖν ζῴην ἔτι, §1148ἢν μὴ ʼπʼ ἐκείνῃ φάσγανον σπασώμεθα.
It must never, never be, that Menelaus prospers, while your father, and you, and your sister die, and your mother—I leave this aside, for it is not fitting to speak of it— and that he should hold your house, taking a bride won by Agamemnon's spear; for may I no longer live, if we do not draw the sword against her.
If indeed we do not achieve the slaughter of Helen, we will burn down this house and die.
For not failing in either of the two, we shall have glory, dying nobly or being saved nobly.
She was born to be hated by all women, the daughter of Tyndareus, who disgraced her sex.
§1155φεῦ·
Alas!
§1156οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν κρεῖσσον ἢ φίλος σαφής, §1157οὐ πλοῦτος, οὐ τυραννίς· ἀλόγιστον δέ τι §1158τὸ πλῆθος ἀντάλλαγμα γενναίου φίλου.
There is nothing better than a true friend, not wealth, not tyranny; and a crowd is a foolish thing to exchange for a noble friend.
§1159σὺ γὰρ τά τʼ εἰς Αἴγισθον ἐξηῦρες κακὰ §1159aκαὶ πλησίον παρῆσθα κινδύνων ἐμοί, §1160νῦν τʼ αὖ δίδως μοι πολεμίων τιμωρίαν §1161κοὐκ ἐκποδὼν εἶ — παύσομαί σʼ αἰνῶν, ἐπεὶ §1162βάρος τι κἀν τῷδʼ ἐστίν, αἰνεῖσθαι λίαν.
For you devised the evils against Aegisthus and were present near me in dangers, and now again you give me vengeance on my enemies, and you do not stand out of the way—I will cease praising you, since there is some burden even in this, to be praised too much.