§11ἔστι γὰρ τῶν μὲν τοιούτων συγγραμμάτων μία τις ὁδός, ἣν οὔθʼ εὑρεῖν οὔτε μαθεῖν οὔτε μιμήσασθαι δύσκολόν ἐστιν· οἱ δὲ κοινοὶ πιστοὶ καὶ τούτοις ὅμοιοι τῶν λόγων διὰ πολλῶν ἰδεῶν καὶ καιρῶν δυσκαταμαθήτων εὑρίσκονταί τε καὶ λέγονται, καὶ τοσούτῳ χαλεπωτέραν ἔχουσι τὴν σύνθεσιν, ὅσῳ περ τὸ σεμνύνεσθαι τοῦ σκώπτειν καὶ τὸ σπουδάζειν τοῦ παίζειν ἐπιπονώτερόν ἐστιν.
For such writings have a certain single path, which is difficult neither to find, nor to learn, nor to imitate; but those speeches which are of common interest, trustworthy, and similar to these are discovered and spoken through many forms and hard-to-grasp occasions, and they have a composition that is more difficult to the same degree that to be dignified is more laborious than to scoff, and to be serious than to play.
σημεῖον δὲ μέγιστον· §12τῶν μὲν γὰρ τοὺς βομβυλιοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἅλας καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα βουληθέντων ἐπαινεῖν οὐδεὶς πώποτε λόγων ἠπόρησεν, οἱ δὲ περὶ τῶν ὁμολογουμένων ἀγαθῶν ἢ καλῶν ἢ τῶν διαφερόντων ἐπʼ ἀρετῇ λέγειν ἐπιχειρήσαντες πολὺ καταδεέστερον τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἅπαντες εἰρήκασιν.
And this is the greatest proof: for of those who wished to praise bumblebees and salt and such things, no one has ever been at a loss for words, but those who have attempted to speak about agreed goods or beautiful things, or about those who excel in virtue, have all spoken far below the reality.
§13οὐ γὰρ τῆς αὐτῆς γνώμης ἐστὶν ἀξίως εἰπεῖν περὶ ἑκατέρων αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν μικρὰ ῥᾴδιον τοῖς λόγοις ὑπερβαλέσθαι, τῶν δὲ χαλεπὸν τοῦ μεγέθους ἐφικέσθαι· καὶ περὶ μὲν τῶν δόξαν ἐχόντων σπάνιον εὑρεῖν, ἃ μηδεὶς πρότερον εἴρηκε, περὶ δὲ τῶν φαύλων καὶ ταπεινῶν ὅ τι ἄν τις τύχῃ φθεγξάμενος ἅπαν ἴδιόν ἐστιν.
For it is not within the capacity of the same mind to speak worthily about each of them; rather, it is easy to surpass small things in speech, but difficult to reach the greatness of great things; and while about things held in high repute it is rare to find what no one has said before, about trivial and humble things whatever one happens to utter is entirely one's own.
§14διὸ καὶ τὸν γράψαντα περὶ τῆς Ἑλένης ἐπαινῶ μάλιστα τῶν εὖ λέγειν τι βουληθέντων, ὅτι περὶ τοιαύτης ἐμνήσθη γυναικός, ἣ καὶ τῷ γένει καὶ τῷ κάλλει καὶ τῇ δόξῃ πολὺ διήνεγκεν.
Therefore, among those who have wished to speak well, I praise most of all the one who wrote about Helen, because he made mention of such a woman, who far excelled both in birth and in beauty and in reputation.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτον μικρόν τι παρέλαθεν· φησὶ μὲν γὰρ ἐγκώμιον γεγραφέναι περὶ αὐτῆς, τυγχάνει δʼ ἀπολογίαν εἰρηκὼς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐκείνῃ πεπραγμένων.
Not but what even he was slightly mistaken; for he claims to have written an encomium of her, but it happens that he has spoken a defense for what she did.
§15ἔστι δʼ οὐκ ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν ἰδεῶν οὐδὲ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἔργων ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ πᾶν τοὐναντίον· ἀπολογεῖσθαι μὲν γὰρ προσήκει περὶ τῶν ἀδικεῖν αἰτίαν ἐχόντων, ἐπαινεῖν δὲ τοὺς ἐπʼ ἀγαθῷ τινὶ διαφέροντας.
But a speech does not come from the same forms nor is it about the same deeds, but quite the contrary; for it is proper to defend those who bear the blame for doing injustice, but to praise those who excel in some good.
ἵνα δὲ μὴ δοκῶ τὸ ῥᾷστον ποιεῖν, ἐπιτιμᾶν τοῖς ἄλλοις μηδὲν ἐπιδεικνὺς τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ, πειράσομαι περὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ταύτης εἰπεῖν, παραλιπὼν ἅπαντα τὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις εἰρημένα.
So that I may not seem to be doing the easiest thing—censuring others without displaying any of my own work—I shall attempt to speak about this very same woman, leaving aside all that has been said by others.
§16τὴν μὲν οὖν ἀρχὴν τοῦ λόγου ποιήσομαι τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ γένους αὐτῆς.
I shall, therefore, make the beginning of my speech the beginning of her race.
πλείστων γὰρ ἡμιθέων ὑπὸ Διὸς γεννηθέντων μόνης ταύτης γυναικὸς πατὴρ ἠξίωσε κληθῆναι.
For although very many demigods were begotten by Zeus, he deigned to be called the father of this woman alone.
σπουδάσας δὲ μάλιστα περί τε τὸν ἐξ Ἀλκμήνης καὶ τοὺς ἐκ Λήδας, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον Ἑλένην Ἡρακλέους προὐτίμησεν ὥστε τῷ μὲν ἰσχὺν ἔδωκεν, ἣ βίᾳ τῶν ἄλλων κρατεῖν δύναται, τῇ δὲ κάλλος ἀπένειμεν, ὃ καὶ τῆς ῥώμης αὐτῆς ἄρχειν πέφυκεν.
And though he was especially devoted to the son of Alcmene and the sons of Leda, he preferred Helen to Heracles to such an extent that, while to him he gave strength, which is able to rule others by force, to her he assigned beauty, which is by nature suited to rule over strength itself.
§17εἰδὼς δὲ τὰς ἐπιφανείας καὶ τὰς λαμπρότητας οὐκ ἐκ τῆς ἡσυχίας, ἀλλʼ ἐκ τῶν πολέμων καὶ τῶν ἀγώνων γιγνομένας, βουλόμενος αὐτῶν μὴ μόνον τὰ σώματʼ εἰς θεοὺς ἀναγαγεῖν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς δόξας ἀειμνήστους καταλιπεῖν, τοῦ μὲν ἐπίπονον καὶ φιλοκίνδυνον τὸν βίον κατέστησε, τῆς δὲ περίβλεπτον καὶ περιμάχητον τὴν φύσιν ἐποίησεν.
And knowing that renown and brilliance arise not from quiet but from wars and contests, and wishing not only to raise their bodies to the gods but also to leave their reputations everlasting in memory, he established for him a life of labor and danger, but made her nature admired by all and fought over by all.
§18καὶ πρῶτον μὲν Θησεύς, ὁ λεγόμενος μὲν Αἰγέως, γενόμενος δʼ ἐκ Ποσειδῶνος, ἰδὼν αὐτὴν οὔπω μὲν ἀκμάζουσαν, ἤδη δὲ τῶν ἄλλων διαφέρουσαν, τοσοῦτον ἡττήθη τοῦ κάλλους ὁ κρατεῖν τῶν ἄλλων εἰθισμένος, ὥσθʼ ὑπαρχούσης αὐτῷ καὶ πατρίδος μεγίστης καὶ βασιλείας ἀσφαλεστάτης ἡγησάμενος οὐκ ἄξιον εἶναι ζῆν ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀγαθοῖς ἄνευ τῆς πρὸς ἐκείνην οἰκειότητος, §19ἐπειδὴ παρὰ τῶν κυρίων οὐχ οἷός τʼ ἦν αὐτὴν λαβεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἐπέμενον τήν τε τῆς παιδὸς ἡλικίαν καὶ τὸν χρησμὸν τὸν παρὰ τῆς Πυθίας, ὑπεριδὼν τὴν ἀρχὴν τὴν Τυνδάρεω καὶ καταφρονήσας τῆς ῥώμης τῆς Κάστορος καὶ Πολυδεύκους καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν Λακεδαίμονι δεινῶν ὀλιγωρήσας, βίᾳ λαβὼν αὐτὴν εἰς Ἄφιδναν τῆς Ἀττικῆς κατέθετο, §20καὶ τοσαύτην χάριν ἔσχε Πειρίθῳ τῷ μετασχόντι τῆς ἁρπαγῆς, ὥστε βουληθέντος αὐτοῦ μνηστεῦσαι Κόρην τὴν Διὸς καὶ Δήμητρος, καὶ παρακαλοῦντος ἐπὶ τὴν εἰς Ἅιδου κατάβασιν, ἐπειδὴ συμβουλεύων οὐχ οἷός τʼ ἦν ἀποτρέπειν, προδήλου τῆς συμφορᾶς οὔσης ὅμως αὐτῷ συνηκολούθησε, νομίζων ὀφείλειν τοῦτον τὸν ἔρανον, μηδενὸς ἀποστῆναι τῶν ὑπὸ Πειρίθου προσταχθέντων ἀνθʼ ὧν ἐκεῖνος αὐτῷ συνεκινδύνευσεν.
And first Theseus, who was said to be the son of Aegeus but was born of Poseidon, seeing her when she was not yet at her prime, but already excelling others, was so overcome by her beauty—he who was accustomed to rule over others—that, although he possessed a very great homeland and a most secure kingdom, he deemed that it was not worth living with his present blessings without intimacy with her, since he was unable to obtain her from her guardians—for they were waiting because of the child's age and the oracle from Pythia—disregarding the rule of Tyndareus and despising the strength of Castor and Polydeuces, and making light of all the terrors in Lacedaemon, he took her by force and deposited her in Aphidna of Attica, and he felt such gratitude to Pirithous, who had shared in the abduction, that when Pirithous wished to woo Kore, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and invited him to the descent into Hades, since he was unable to dissuade him by advising, although the disaster was obvious, he nevertheless followed him, thinking that he owed this return-favor—not to shrink from any of the things commanded by Pirithous in return for the danger that Pirithous had shared with him.