Helen O Menelaos, dearest of men, the time was long, but delight is just now ours. With joy I have found my husband, friends, I have embraced my dear one, after long days of blazing light.
Menelaos And I have found you; but I have many questions about it; now I do not know what to begin with first.
Helen I am so happy, the hair rises on my head and my tears run down. I fling my arms around your neck, dear husband, to have my delight.
Menelaos O dearest sight! I have no fault to find: I have my wife, the daughter of Zeus and Leda; your brothers on their snow-white steeds blessed you, blessed you at an earlier time, while torches blazed, but the god who took you from my home is driving us on to another fortune, better than this. An evil that was good brought you together with me, your husband after a long time, but may I still benefit by my good luck.
Chorus May you benefit indeed, and I join in the same prayer; for when there are two, it is not possible for one to be unhappy and the other not.
Helen My dear friends, I no longer sigh or grieve over what is past. I have my husband, for whom I have been waiting to come from Troy for many years.
Menelaos You have me, and I have you; although it was hard to live through so many days, I now understand the actions of the goddess. My joy is tearful; it has more delight than sorrow.
Helen What can I say? What mortal could ever have hoped for this? I hold you to my heart, little as I ever thought to.
Menelaos And I hold you, whom we thought to have gone to Ida’s city and the unhappy towers of Ilion. By the gods, how were you taken from my home?
Helen Ah! ah! You are setting out on a bitter beginning. Ah! ah! You are asking about a bitter tale.
Menelaos Speak; all gifts from the gods should be heard.
Helen I detest the story I am now to introduce.
Menelaos Tell it anyway. It is sweet to hear of troubles.
Helen Not to the bed of the young barbarian, on the wings of oars, on the wings of desire for lawless marriage—
Menelaos What god or fate tore you from your country?
Helen Ah, my husband! The son of Zeus, of Zeus, brought me to the Nile.
Menelaos Amazing! Who sent you there? O dreadful story!
Helen I have wept bitterly, and my eyes are wet with tears; the wife of Zeus ruined me.
Menelaos Hera? Why did she want to bring trouble to the two of us?
Helen Alas for my terrible fate, the baths and springs, where the goddesses brightened the beauty from which the judgment came.
Menelaos Regarding the judgment, Hera made it a cause of these troubles for you?
Helen To take me away from Paris—
Menelaos How? Tell me.
Helen To whom Kypris had promised me.
Menelaos O unhappy one!
Helen Unhappy, unhappy; and so she brought me to Egypt.
Menelaos Then she gave him a phantom instead, as I hear from you.
Helen Sorrow, sorrow to your house, mother, alas.
Menelaos What do you mean?
Helen My mother is no more; through shame of my disgraceful marriage she tied a noose around her neck.
Menelaos Alas! Is our daughter Hermione alive?
Helen Ah, my husband! Unmarried, and without children, she mourns my fatal marriage.
Menelaos O Paris, who utterly destroyed my whole house, these things ruined you also, and countless bronze-clad Danaans.
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