I had liefer die in action than sitting still.
HELEN
There is one hope, and only one, of our safety.
MENELAUS
Will gold, or daring deeds, or winning words procure it?
HELEN
We are safe if the prince learn not of thy coming.
MENELAUS
ary one tell him it is I? He certainly will not know who I am.
HELEN
He hath within his palace an ally equal to the gods.
MENELAUS
Some voice divine within the secret chambers of his house?
HELEN
No; his sister; Theonoe men call her.
MENELAUS
Her name hath a prophetic sound; tell me what she doth.
HELEN
She knoweth everything, and she will tell her brother thou art come.
MENELAUS
Then must we die; for I cannot escape her ken.
HELEN
Perchance we might by suppliant prayers win her over.
MENELAUS
To what end? To what vain hope art thou leading me?
HELEN
That she should not tell her brother thou art here.
MENELAUS
Suppose we persuade her, can we get away?
HELEN
Easily, if she connive thereat; without her knowledge, no, MENELAUSBe that thy task; women deal best with women.
HELEN
I will not fail, be sure, to clasp her knees.
MENELAUS
Come, then; only, suppose she reject our proposals?
HELEN
Thou wilt be slain, and I, alas! wedded by force.
MENELAUS
Thou wilt betray me; that "force" of thine is but an excuse.
HELEN
Nay, by thy life I swear a sacred oath.
MENELAUS
What meanest thou? dost swear to die and never to another husband yield?
HELEN
Yes, by the self-same sword; I will fall by thy side.
MENELAUS
On these conditions touch my right hand.
HELEN
I do so, swearing I will quit the light of day if thou art slain.
MENELAUS
I, too, will end my life if I lose thee.
HELEN
How shall we die so as to gain fame?
MENELAUS
I will slay thee and then myself upon the summit of the tomb.
But first will I in doughty fight contest another's claim to thee; and let who will draw nigh! for I will not sully the lustre of my Trojan fame, nor will I, on my return to Hellas, incur a storm of taunts, as one who robbed Thetis of Achilles; saw Ajax, son of Telamon, fall a weltering corpse; and the sort of Neleus of his child bereft; shall I then flinch myself from death for my own wife? No, no! For if the gods are wise, o'er a brave man by his foes laid low they lightly sprinkle the earth that is his tomb, while cowards 'they cast forth on barren rocky soil.
LEADER
Grant, heaven, that the race of Tantalus may at last be blest, and pass from sorrow unto joy!
HELEN
Ah, woe is me! Yea, all my lot is woe; O Menelaus, we are utterly undone! Behold! from forth the house comes Theonoe, the prophetess, The palace echoes as the bolts are unfastened; fly! yet what use to fly? For whether absent or present she knows of thy arrival here. Ah me! how lost am I! Saved from Troy and from a barbarian land, thou hast come only to fall a prey to barbarian swords.
(THEONOE enters, attended by hand-maidens carrying torches.)THEONOELead on, bearing before me blazing brands, and, as sacred rites ordain, purge with incense every cranny of the air, that I may breathe heaven's breath free from taint; meanwhile do thou, in case the tread of unclean feet have soiled the path, wave the cleansing flame above it, and brandish the torch in front, that I may pass upon my way. And when to heaven ye have paid the customs I exact, bear back into the house the brand from off the hearth. What of my prophecy, Helen? how stands it now? Thou hast seen thy husband Menelaus arrive without disguise, reft of his ships, and of thy counterfeit. Ah, hapless man! what troubles hast thou escaped, and art come hither, and yet knowest not whether thou art to return or to abide here; for there is strife in heaven, and Zeus this very day will sit in solemn conclave on thee. Hera, who erst was thy bitter foe, is now grown kind, and is willing to bring thee and thy wife safe home, that Hellas may learn that the marriage of Paris was all a sham, assigned to him by Cypris; but Cypris fain would mar thy homeward course, that she may not be convicted, or proved to have bought the palm of beauty at the price of Helen in a futile marriage. Now the decision rests with me, whether to ruin thee, as Cypris wishes, by telling my brother of thy presence bere, or to save thy life by taking Hera's side, concealing thy coming from my brother, for his orders are that I should tell him, whensoe'er thou shouldst reach these shores. Ho! one of you, go show my brother this man is here, that I may secure my safety.
HELEN
