Three daughters were born to Leda, child of Thestius, Phoebe, and Clytemnestra my wife, and Helen.
ταύτης οἱ τὰ πρῶτʼ ὠλβισμένοι §52μνηστῆρες ἦλθον Ἑλλάδος νεανίαι.
To woo her, the youth of Greece, blessed with foremost wealth, came as suitors.
And terrible threats and mutual slaughter were brewing among them, should anyone fail to win the maiden.
§55τὸ πρᾶγμα δʼ ἀπόρως εἶχε Τυνδάρεῳ πατρί, §56δοῦναί τε μὴ δοῦναί τε, τῆς τύχης ὅπως §57ἅψαιτʼ ἄριστα.
The matter brought Tyndareus, her father, to utter perplexity, whether to give her or not, and how he might best grasp fortune.
καί νιν εἰσῆλθεν τάδε· §58ὅρκους συνάψαι δεξιάς τε συμβαλεῖν §59μνηστῆρας ἀλλήλοισι καὶ διʼ ἐμπύρων §60σπονδὰς καθεῖναι κἀπαράσασθαι τάδε· §61ὅτου γυνὴ γένοιτο Τυνδαρὶς κόρη, §62τούτῳ ξυναμυνεῖν, εἴ τις ἐκ δόμων λαβὼν §63οἴχοιτο τόν τʼ ἔχοντʼ ἀπωθοίη λέχους, §64κἀπιστρατεύσειν καὶ κατασκάψειν πόλιν §65Ἕλληνʼ ὁμοίως βάρβαρόν θʼ ὅπλων μέτα.
And this thought came upon him: that the suitors should join in oaths and clasp right hands with one another, and over sacrificial offerings pour libations and swear this curse: whosoever's wife the daughter of Tyndareus should become, they would join in defending him, if anyone should carry her off from his home and depart, pushing the husband from his bed, and they would wage war and raze his city, whether Greek or barbarian, with arms.
§66ἐπεὶ δʼ ἐπιστώθησαν — εὖ δέ πως γέρων §67ὑπῆλθεν αὐτοὺς Τυνδάρεως πυκνῇ φρενί — §68δίδωσʼ ἑλέσθαι θυγατρὶ μνηστήρων ἕνα, §69ὅτου πνοαὶ φέροιεν Ἀφροδίτης φίλαι.
But when they had bound themselves — and cunningly indeed did the old man Tyndareus win them over with his shrewd mind — he allowed his daughter to choose one of the suitors, whomever the sweet breaths of Aphrodite might lead her to.
And she chose him whom she ought never to have taken, Menelaus.
ἐλθὼν δʼ ἐκ Φρυγῶν ὁ τὰς θεὰς §72κρίνων ὅδʼ, ὡς ὁ μῦθος Ἀργείων ἔχει, §73Λακεδαίμονʼ, ἀνθηρὸς μὲν εἱμάτων στολῇ §74χρυσῷ δὲ λαμπρός, βαρβάρῳ χλιδήματι, §75ἐρῶν ἐρῶσαν ᾤχετʼ ἐξαναρπάσας §76Ἑλένην πρὸς Ἴδης βούσταθμʼ, ἔκδημον λαβὼν §77Μενέλαον.
Then he who judged the goddesses came from Phrygia, as the Argive myth has it, to Lacedaemon, flowery in the fashion of his garments and bright with gold, in barbarian luxury, and loving her who loved him, he fled away, carrying off Helen to the pastures of Ida, taking advantage of the absence of Menelaus.
ὃ δὲ καθʼ Ἑλλάδʼ οἰστρήσας δρόμῳ §78ὅρκους παλαιοὺς Τυνδάρεω μαρτύρεται, §79ὡς χρὴ βοηθεῖν τοῖσιν ἠδικημένοις.
But he, raging in his course through Greece, called upon the ancient oaths of Tyndareus to witness that help must be brought to those who have been wronged.
§80τοὐντεῦθεν οὖν Ἕλληνες ᾄξαντες δορί, §81τεύχη λαβόντες στενόπορʼ Αὐλίδος βάθρα §82ἥκουσι τῆσδε, ναυσὶν ἀσπίσιν θʼ ὁμοῦ §83ἵπποις τε πολλοῖς ἅρμασίν τʼ ἠσκημένοι.
Thence the Greeks, rushing with the spear, taking up arms, to the narrow pass of Aulis have come, equipped together with ships, shields, many horses, and chariots.
And they chose me to be commander, and then, for Menelaus' sake, because I was his brother.
τἀξίωμα δὲ §86ἄλλος τις ὤφελʼ ἀντʼ ἐμοῦ λαβεῖν τόδε.
Yet this office some other instead of me ought to have taken.
But when the army was assembled and united, we sat windbound at Aulis.
§89Κάλχας δʼ ὁ μάντις ἀπορίᾳ κεχρημένοις §90ἀνεῖλεν Ἰφιγένειαν ἣν ἔσπειρʼ ἐγὼ §91Ἀρτέμιδι θῦσαι τῇ τόδʼ οἰκούσῃ πέδον, §92καὶ πλοῦν τʼ ἔσεσθαι καὶ κατασκαφὰς Φρυγῶν
And Calchas the seer, to us who were in perplexity, declared that I must sacrifice Iphigenia, whom I begot, to Artemis who dwells in this land, and that there would be a voyage and the destruction of the Phrygians.
§94κλύων δʼ ἐγὼ ταῦτʼ, ὀρθίῳ κηρύγματι §95Ταλθύβιον εἶπον πάντʼ ἀφιέναι στρατόν, §96ὡς οὔποτʼ ἂν τλὰς θυγατέρα κτανεῖν ἐμήν.
Hearing this, by a loud herald's cry I bade Talthybius dismiss the entire army, as I could never bring myself to slay my daughter.
Thereupon my brother, bringing every argument to bear, persuaded me to dare the terrible deed.
κἀν δέλτου πτυχαῖς §99γράψας ἔπεμψα πρὸς δάμαρτα τὴν ἐμὴν §100πέμπειν Ἀχιλλεῖ θυγατέρʼ ὡς γαμουμένην, §101τό τʼ ἀξίωμα τἀνδρὸς ἐκγαυρούμενος, §102συμπλεῖν τʼ Ἀχαιοῖς οὕνεκʼ οὐ θέλοι λέγων, §103εἰ μὴ παρʼ ἡμῶν εἶσιν ἐς Φθίαν λέχος·
And in the folds of a tablet, having written, I sent to my wife to send our daughter to Achilles as his bride, exaggerating the dignity of the man, and saying that he refused to sail with the Achaeans, unless a bride from us should go to Phthia.
§104πειθὼ γὰρ εἶχον τήνδε πρὸς δάμαρτʼ ἐμήν,
For I had this means of persuasion toward my wife.
§1Ὦ πρέσβυ, δόμων τῶνδε πάροιθεν
Old man, come forth before this dwelling.
§1aστεῖχε.
Go.
§2στείχω.
I go.
τί δὲ καινουργεῖς, §3Ἀγάμεμνον ἄναξ;
What new thing are you planning, King Agamemnon?
§3bσπεύσεις;
Will you make haste?
§3cσπεύδω.
I make haste.
Truly my old age is sleepless, and sits sharp upon my eyes.
§6τίς ποτʼ ἄρʼ ἀστὴρ ὅδε πορθμεύει;
What star is this that courses there?
Sirius, running near the seven-pathed Pleiades, still midway in its course.
Indeed there is no sound, neither of birds nor of the sea; and silences of winds hold sway over this Euripus.
But why do you rush outside the tent, King Agamemnon?
Still there is quiet here at Aulis, and motionless are the guards of the walls.
§16στείχωμεν ἔσω.
Let us go inside.
§16bζηλῶ σέ, γέρον, §17ζηλῶ δʼ ἀνδρῶν ὃς ἀκίνδυνον §18βίον ἐξεπέρασʼ ἀγνὼς ἀκλεής· §19τοὺς δʼ ἐν τιμαῖς ἧσσον ζηλῶ.
I envy you, old man, and I envy the man who has passed through a life free of danger, unknown and inglorious; but those in high offices I envy less.
§20καὶ μὴν τὸ καλόν γʼ ἐνταῦθα βίου.
And yet, surely the beauty of life lies there.