And what of the fact that my mind, mindful of its shameful crime, does not allow me to impose severe laws on my husband?
§267dat ille veniam facile cui venia est opus.
He who has need of pardon easily grants pardon.
§268Itane est? pacisci mutuam veniam licet?
Is it so? Is one allowed to bargain for mutual pardon?
§269ignota tibi sunt iura regnorum aut nova?
Are the laws of kingdoms unknown to you, or are they new?
§270nobis maligni iudices, aequi sibi §271id esse regni maximum pignus putant, §272si quicquid aliis non licet solis licet.
Unjust judges to us, but fair to themselves, they think it is the greatest pledge of kingship if whatever is not allowed to others is allowed to them alone.
He pardoned Helen: joined to Menelaus she returns, she who afflicted Europe and Asia with equal evils.
But no secret love snatched the son of Atreus away, nor captured his mind which was bound to his own wife.
§277iam crimen ille quaerit et causas parat.
Now he seeks a charge and prepares causes.
Believe that nothing shameful has been committed by you: what does an honorable life profit, free from disgrace?
§280ubi dominus odit fit nocens, non quaeritur.
When the master hates, one becomes guilty, it is not questioned.
§281Spartamne repetes spreta et Eurotan tuum §282patriasque sedes profuga? non dant exitum §283repudia regum, spe metus falsa levas.
Will you return to Sparta, despised, and to your Eurotas, and to your ancestral home, a fugitive? The divorces of kings do not grant an escape; you ease your fear with false hope.
§284Delicta novit nemo nisi fidus mea.
No one knows my sins except a faithful one.
§285Non intrat umquam regium limen fides.
Faithfulness never enters a royal threshold.
§286Opibus merebor, ut fidem pretio obligem.
I will win it with wealth, so that I may bind faithfulness with a price.
§287Pretio parata vincitur pretio fides.
Faithfulness prepared by a price is conquered by a price.
§288Surgit residuus pristinae mentis pudor— §289quid obstrepis? quid voce blandiloqua mala §290consilia dictas? scilicet nubet tibi, §291regum relicto rege, generosa exuli?
The remaining shame of my former mind rises up— Why do you clamor against me? Why with smooth voice do you dictate evil counsels? Forsooth, shall a noble woman marry you, having abandoned the king of kings, an exile?
And why do I seem inferior to the son of Atreus to you, I, the son of Thyestes?
§293bSi parum est, adde et nepos.
If that is too little, add also his grandson.
§294Auctore Phoebo gignor: haud generis pudet.
I am born with Phoebus as my ancestor: I am not ashamed of my lineage.
Do you call Phoebus the ancestor of your unspeakable race, whom, pulling back his reins in sudden night, you drove from heaven?
§297caelo expulistis? quid deos probro addimus?
Why do we add gods to our disgrace?
§298subripere doctus fraude genialis toros, §299quem Venere tantum scimus inlicita virum, §300facesse propere ac dedecus nostrae domus §301asporta ab oculis: haec vacat regi ac viro.
Skilled at stealing marriage-beds by deceit, whom we know to be a man only in illicit love, depart quickly, and carry away the disgrace of our house from my eyes: this house is empty for its king and husband.
§302Exilia mihi sunt haud nova, assuevi malis.
Exile is not new to me; I have grown accustomed to evils.
§303si tu imperas, regina, non tantum domo §304Argisve cedo: nil moror iussu tuo §305aperire ferro pectus aerumnis grave.
If you command, queen, I depart not only from this house or from Argos: I do not delay at your command to open with steel my breast heavy with sorrows.
§306Siquidem hoc cruenta Tyndaris fieri sinam.
If indeed I, the bloody daughter of Tyndareus, should allow this to happen.
§307quae iuncta peccat debet et culpae fidem.
She who sins having joined with another owes faithfulness even to her guilt.
Rather withdraw with me, so that our joined counsels may untangle this doubtful and threatening state of affairs.
§310Canite, o pubes inclita, Phoebum!
Sing, O illustrious youth, of Phoebus!
§311tibi festa caput §312turba coronat, tibi virgineas, §313laurum quatiens, §314de more comas innuba fudit §315stirps Inachia; §316tu quoque nostros, Thespias hospes, §317comitare choros, §318quaeque Erasini gelidos fontes, §319quaeque Eurotan, §320quaeque virenti tacitum ripa §321bibis Ismenon: §322quam fatorum praescia Manto, §323sata Tiresia, §324Latonigenas monuit sacris §325celebrare deos.
For you the festive crowd crowns its head, for you the unmarried Inachian offspring, shaking the laurel, has poured out her maiden hair according to custom; you too, Thespian guest, accompany our choruses, and you who drink the cold springs of Erasinus, and you who drink Eurotas, and you who drink the silent Ismenos on its green bank: as Manto, foreknowing of the fates, the offspring of Tiresias, warned to celebrate the Latona-born gods with sacred rites.
§326arcus, victor, pace relata, §327Phoebe, relaxa §328umeroque graves levibus telis §329pone pharetras §330resonetque manu pulsa citata §331vocale chelys: §332nil acre velim magnumque modis §333intonet altis, §334sed quale soles leviore lyra §335flectere carmen §336simplex, lusus cum docta tuos §337Musa recenset; §338licet et chorda graviore sones, §339quale canebas §340cum Titanas fulmine victos §341videre dei, §342vel cum montes montibus altis §343super impositi §344struxere gradus trucibus monstris, §345stetit imposita §346Pelion Ossa, pinifer ambos §347pressit Olympus, §348ades, o magni, soror et coniunx, §349consors sceptri, §350regia Iuno: tua te colimus §351turba Mycenae, §352tu sollicitum supplexque tui §353numinis Argos §354sola tueris, tu bella manu §355pacemque regis; §356tu nunc laurus Agamemnonias §357accipe victrix, §358tibi multifora tibia buxo §359solemne canit, §360tibi fila movent docta puellae. §361carmine molli, §362tibi votivam matres Graiae §363lampada iactant: §364ad tua coniunx candida tauri §365delubra cadet, §366nescia aratri, nullo collum §367signata iugo.
Relax your bow, victor, peace being restored, O Phoebus, and lay down from your shoulder the heavy quivers with light arrows, and let the vocal lyre, struck by your swift hand, resound: I would not wish anything harsh or great to thunder in high measures, but such simple song as you are wont to modulate with lighter lyre, when the learned Muse recounts your plays; or you may sound with a heavier string, such as you used to sing when the gods saw the Titans vanquished by the thunderbolt, or when mountains piled upon high mountains built steps for the fierce monsters, Pelion stood upon Ossa, and pine-bearing Olympus pressed upon both, be present, O sister and wife of the great one, partner of the sceptre, royal Juno: we, your crowd of Mycenae, worship you, you alone protect Argos, anxious and suppliant of your divinity, you rule wars and peace with your hand; receive now, victorious one, the Agamemnonian laurels, for you the pipe of many-holed boxwood sings the solemn song, for you skilled girls move the strings with gentle song, for you Grecian mothers toss the votive torch: at your temples the white spouse of the bull shall fall, ignorant of the plow, her neck marked by no yoke.
§368tuque, o magni gnata Tonantis, §369incluta Pallas, §370quae Dardanias cuspide turres §371saepe petisti, §372te permixto matrona minor §373maiorque choro §374colit et reserat veniente dea §375templa sacerdos: §376tibi nexilibus turba coronis §377redimita venit,
And you, O daughter of the great Thunderer, illustrious Pallas, who often attacked the Dardanian towers with your spear, the matron, younger and older, worships you in a mingled chorus, and the priestess unlocks the temple as the goddess approaches: to you the crowd comes, crowned with woven wreaths,