ὡς φάτο. τὸν δ' οὔ τι προσέφη κορυθαιόλος Ἕκτωρ:
τὸν δ' Ἑλένη μύθοισι προσηῦδα προσηύδα μειλιχίοισι:
δᾶερ ἐμεῖο κυνὸς, κακομηχάνου. ὀκρυοέσσης:
ὥς μ' ὄφελ' ήματι τῷ ὅτε με πρῶτον τέκε μήτηρ.
οἴχεσθαι προφέρουσα κακὴ ἀνέμοιο θύελλα
εἰς ὄρος ἢ εἰς κῦμα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης:
ἔνθά με κῦμ' ἀπόερσε πάρος τάδε έργα γενέσθαι:
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τάδε γ' ὧδε θεοὶ κακὰ τεκμήραντο:
ἀνδρὸς. ἔπειτ' ὤφελλον ἀμείνονος εἶναι ἄκοιτις.
ὃς ᾔδη νέμεσίν τε καὶ αἴσχεα πολλ`' ἀνθρώπων.
τούτῳ δ' οὔτ' ἂρ νῦν φρένες ἔμπεδοι οὔτ' ἂρ ὀπίσσῳ
ἔσσονται. τῶ καί μιν ἐπαυρήσεσθαι ὀΐω:
ἀλλ'' ἄγε νῦν εἴσελθε. καὶ ἕζεο τῷδ' ἐπι δίφρῳ
δᾶερ: ἐπεί σε μάλιστα πόνος φρένας ἀμφιβέβηκεν
εἵνεκ' ἐμεῖο κυνὸς, καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου ἕνεκ' ἄτης,
οἷσιν ἐπὶ Ζεὺς θῆκε κακὸν μόρον. ὡς καὶ ὀπίσσω
ἀνθρώποισι πελώμεθ' ἀοίδιμοι ἐσσομένοισι:
So said he, and Hector of the flashing helm answered him not a word, but unto him spake Helen with gentle words: "O Brother of me that am a dog, a contriver of mischief and abhorred of all, I would that on the day when first my mother gave me birth an evil storm-wind had borne me away to some mountain or to the wave of the loud-resounding sea, where the wave might have swept me away or ever these things came to pass. Howbeit, seeing the gods thus ordained these ills, would that I had been wife to a better man, that could feel the indignation of his fellows and their many revilings. But this man's understanding is not now stable, nor ever will be hereafter; thereof I deem that he will e'en reap the fruit. But come now, enter in, and sit thee upon this chair, my brother, since above all others has trouble encompassed thy heart because of shameless me, and the folly of Alexander; on whom Zeus hath brought an evil doom, that even in days to come we may be a song for men that are yet to be."
