PHRY. I have escaped from death by the Argive sword in these barbaric
slippers, _climbing_ over the cedar beams of the bed and the Doric
triglyphs, by the flight of a barbarian.[38] Thou art gone, thou art gone,
O my country, my country! Alas me! whither can I escape, O strangers,
flying through the hoary air, or the sea, which the Ocean, with head in
shape like a bull's, rolling with his arms encircles the earth?
CHOR. But what is the matter, O attendant of Helen, thou man of Ida?
PHRY. O Ilion, Ilion! alas me! O thou fertile Phrygian city, thou sacred
mount of Ida, how do I lament for thee destroyed, a sad,[39] sad strain for
my barbaric voice, on account of that form of the hapless, hapless Helen,
born from a bird, the offspring of the beauteous Leda in shape of a swan,
the fiend of the splendid Apollonian Pergamus! Alas! Oh! lamentations!
lamentations! O wretched Dardania, warlike school[40] of Ganymede, the
companion of Jove!
CHOR. Relate to us clearly each circumstance that happened in the house,
for I do not understand your former account, but merely conjecture.
PHRY. Αιλινον, αιλινον, the Barbarians begin the song of death in the
language of Asia, Alas! alas! when the blood of kings has been poured on
the earth by the ruthless swords of death. There came to the palace (that I
may relate each circumstance) two Grecians, lions, of the one the leader of
the Grecian host was said to be the father, the other the son of Strophius,
a man of dark design; such was Ulysses, secretly treacherous, but faithful
to his friends, bold in battle, skilled in war, cruel as the dragon. May he
perish for his deep concealed design, the worker of evil! But they having
advanced within her chamber, whom the archer Paris had as his wife, their
eyes bathed with tears, they sat down in humble mien, one on each side of
her, on the right and on the left, armed with swords. And around her knees
did they both fling their suppliant hands, around the knees of Helen did
they fling them. But the Phrygian attendants sprung up, and fled in
amazement: and one called out to another in terror, _See_, lest there be
treachery. To some indeed there appeared no danger; but to others the
dragon stained with his mother's blood appeared bent to infold in his
closest toils the daughter of Tyndarus.
CHOR. But where wert thou then, or hadst thou long before fled through
fear?
PHRY. After the Phrygian fashion I chanced with the close circle of
feathers to be fanning the gale, _that sported_ in the ringlets of Helen,
before her cheek, after the barbaric fashion. But she was winding with her
fingers the flax round the distaff, but what she had spun she let fall on
the ground, desirous of making from the Phrygian spoils a robe of purple as
an ornament for the tomb, a gift to Clytæmnestra. But Orestes entreated the
Spartan girl; "O daughter of Jove, here, place thy footstep on the ground,
rising from thy seat, come to the place of our ancestor Pelops, the ancient
altar, that thou mayest hear my words." And he leads her, but she followed,
not dreaming of what was about to happen. But his accomplice, the wicked
Phocian, attended to other points. "Will ye not depart from out of the way,
but are the Phrygians always vile?" and he bolted us out scattered in
different parts of the house, some in the stables of the horses, and some
in the outhouses, and some here and there, dispersing them some one way,
some another, afar from their mistress.
CHOR. What calamity took place after this?
PHRY. O powerful, powerful Idean mother, alas! alas! the murderous
sufferings, and the lawless evils, which I saw, I saw in the royal palace!
From beneath their purple robes concealed having their drawn swords in
their hands, they turned each his eye on either side, lest any one might
chance to be present. But like mountain boars standing over against the
lady, they say, "Thou shalt die, thou shalt die! thy vile husband kills
thee, having given up the offspring of his brother to die at Argos." But
she shrieked out, Ah me! ah me! and throwing her white arm on her breast
inflicted on her head miserable blows, and, her feet turned to flight, she
stepped, she stepped with her golden sandals; but Orestes thrusting his
fingers into her hair, outstripping her flight,[41] bending back her neck
over his left shoulder, was about to plunge the black sword into her
throat.
CHOR. Where then were the Phrygians, who dwell under the same roof, to
assist her?
PHRY. With a clamor having burst by means of bars the doors and cells where
we were waiting, we run to her assistance, each to different parts of the
house, one bringing stones, another spears, another having a long-handled
sword in his hand. But Pylades came against us, impetuous, like as the
Phrygian Hector or Ajax in his triple-crested helmet, whom I saw, I saw at
the gates of Priam: but we clashed together the points of our swords: then
indeed, then did the Phrygians give clear proof how inferior we were in the
force of Mars to the spear of Greece. One indeed turning away, a fugitive,
but another wounded, and another deprecating the death that threatened him:
but under favor of the darkness we fled: and the corses fell, but some
staggered, and some lay prostrate. But the wretched Hermione came to the
house at the time when her murdered mother fell to the ground, that unhappy
woman that gave her birth. And running upon her as Bacchanals without their
thyrsus, as a heifer in the mountains they bore her away in their hands,
and again eagerly rushed upon the daughter of Jove to slay her. But she
vanished altogether from the chamber through the palace. O Jupiter and O
earth, and light, and darkness! or by her enchantments, or by the art of
magic, or by the stealth of the Gods. But of what followed I know no
farther, for I sped in stealth my foot from the palace. But Menelaus having
endured many, many severe toils, has received back from Troy the violated
rites of Helen to no purpose.
CHOR. And see something strange succeeds to these strange things, for I see
Orestes with his sword drawn walking before the palace with agitated step,