τονδ' Ἑλένη μύθοισιν ἀμείβετο δῖα γυναικῶν:
αἰδοῖός τέ μοι ἐσσι φίλε ἑκυρὲ δεινός τε:
ὡς ὄφελεν θάνατός μοι ἁδεῖν κακὸς. ὁππότε δεῦρο
υἱέϊ σῷ ἑπόμην: θάλαμον γνωτούς τε λιποῦσα:
παῖδά τε τηλυγέτην: καὶ ὁμηλικίην ἐρατεινήν:
ἀλλὰ τάγ' οὐκ ἐγένοντο: τὸ καὶ κλαίουσα τέτηκα:
τοῦτο δέ τοι ἐρέω, ὅ μ' ἀνείρεαι ἠδὲ μεταλλᾷς:
οὗτός γ' Ἀτρείδης εὐρὺ κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων:
ἀμφότερον: βασιλεύς τ' ἀγαθὸς. κρατερός τ' αἰχμητής:
δαὴρ αὖτ' ἐμὸς έσκε κυνώπιδος. εἴ ποτ' ἔην γε
And Helen, fair among women, answered him, saying: "Revered art thou in mine eyes, dear father of my husband, and dread. Would that evil death had been my pleasure when I followed thy son hither, and left my bridal chamber and my kinfolk and my daughter, well-beloved, and the lovely companions of my girlhood. But that was not to be; wherefore I pine away with weeping. Howbeit this will I tell thee, whereof thou dost ask and enquire. Yon man is the son of Atreus, wide-ruling Agamemnon, that is both a noble king and a valiant spearman. And he was husband's brother to shameless me, as sure as ever such a one there was."
