ever found fastening the noose about thy neck, or whetting the



knife, as noble wife would have done in regret for her former husband?

And yet full oft I advised thee saying, "Get thee gone, daughter,



and let my sons take other brides; I will help thee to steal away, and

convey thee to the Achaean fleet; oh end the strife 'twixt us and



Hellas!" But this was bitter in thy ears. For thou wert wantoning in

Alexander's house, fain to have obeisance done thee by barbarians.



Yes, 'twas a proud time for thee; and now after all this thou hast

bedizened thyself, and come forth and hast dared to appear under the



same sky as thy husband, revolting wretchl Better hadst thou come in

tattered raiment, cowering humbly in terror, with hair shorn short, if



for thy past sins thy feeling were one of shame rather than

effrontery. O Menelaus, hear the conclusion of my argument; crown



Hellas by slaying her as she deserves, and establish this law for

all others of her sex, e'en death to every traitress to her husband.



CHORUS

Avenge thee, Menelaus, on thy wife, as is worthy of thy home and



ancestors, clear thyself from the reproach of effeminacy at the lips

of Hellas, and let thy foes see thy spirit.



MENELAUS

Thy thoughts with mine do coincide, that she, without



constraint, left my palace, and sought a stranger's love, and now

Cypris is introduced for mere bluster. Away to those who shall stone



thee, and by thy speedy death requite the weary toils of the Achaeans,

that thou mayst learn not to bring shame on me!



HELEN

Oh, by thy knees, I implore thee, impute not that heaven-sent



affliction to me, nor slay me; pardon, I entreat!

HECUBA



Be not false to thy allies, whose death this woman caused; on

their behalf, and for my children's sake, I sue to thee.



MENELAUS

Peace, reverend dame; to her I pay no heed. Lo! I bid my



servants take her hence, aboard the ship, wherein she is to sail.

HECUBA



Oh never let her set foot within the same ship as thee.

MENELAUS



How now? is she heavier than of yore?

HECUBA



Who loveth once, must love alway.

MENELAUS



Why, that depends how those we love are minded. But thy wish shall

be granted; she shall not set foot upon the same ship with me; for thy



advice is surely sound; and when she comes to Argos she shall die a

shameful death as is her due, and impress the need of chastity on



all her sex; no easy task; yet shall her fate strike their foolish

hearts with terror, e'en though they be more lost to shame than she.



Exit MENELAUS, dragging HELEN with him.

CHORUS



So then thou hast delivered into Achaea's hand, O Zeus, thy shrine

in Ilium and thy fragrant altar, the offerings of burnt sacrifice with



smoke of myrrh to heaven uprising, and holy Pergamos, and glens of Ida

tangled with ivy's growth, where rills of melting snow pour down their



flood, a holy sunlit land that bounds the world and takes the god's

first rays! Gone are thy sacrifices! gone the dancer's cheerful shout!



gone the vigils of the gods as night closed in! Thy images of carven

gold are now no more; and Phrygia's holy festivals, twelve times a



year, at each full moon, are ended now. 'Tis this that filleth me with

anxious thought whether thou, O king, seated on the sky, thy



heavenly throne, carest at all that my city is destroyed, a prey to

the furious fiery blast. Ah! my husband, fondly loved, thou art a



wandering spectre; unwashed, unburied lies thy corpse, while o'er

the sea the ship sped by wings will carry me to Argos, land of steeds,



where stand Cyclopian walls of stone upreared to heaven. There in

the gate the children gather, hanging round their mothers' necks,



and weep their piteous lamentation, "O mother, woe is me! torn from

thy sight Achaeans bear me away from thee to their dark ship to row me



o'er the deep to sacred Salamis or to the hill' on the Isthmus, that

o'erlooks two seas, the key to the gates of Pelops." Oh may the

• traitor [´treitə] n.叛徒，卖国贼 (初中英语单词)


• surrender [sə´rendə] vt.&n.交出；引渡；放弃 (初中英语单词)


• breeze [bri:z] n.微风；不费力的事 (初中英语单词)


• convey [kən´vei] vt.运送；传达；转让 (初中英语单词)


• violence [´vaiələns] n.猛烈；暴力(行) (初中英语单词)


• destruction [di´strʌkʃən] n.破坏，毁灭 (初中英语单词)


• utmost [´ʌtməust] a.最大的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)


• victim [´viktim] n.牺牲者；受害者 (初中英语单词)


• goddess [´gɔdis] n.女神 (初中英语单词)


• genius [´dʒi:niəs] n.天才(人物)；天赋 (初中英语单词)


• argument [´ɑ:gjumənt] n.辩论；争论；论证 (初中英语单词)


• witness [´witnis] n.见证人 vt.目击 (初中英语单词)


• triumph [´traiəmf] n.胜利 vi.得胜，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)


• guilty [´gilti] a.有罪的；心虚的 (初中英语单词)


• contest [kən´test, ´kɔntest] v.争辩 n.争夺；竞赛 (初中英语单词)


• dislike [dis´laik] vt.&n.不喜爱，厌恶 (初中英语单词)


• persuade [pə´sweid] v.(被)说服；使相信 (初中英语单词)


• luxury [´lʌkʃəri] n.奢侈(品)；享受 (初中英语单词)


• whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中英语单词)


• grieve [gri:v] v.&n.(使)悲痛；哀悼 (初中英语单词)


• careless [´keəlis] a.粗心的；草率的 (初中英语单词)


• assert [ə´sə:t] vt.认定；维护；坚持 (初中英语单词)


• fastening [´fɑ:səniŋ] n.(门等)扣绊，拴扣物 (初中英语单词)


• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)


• conclusion [kən´klu:ʒən] n.结束；结论；推论 (初中英语单词)


• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)


• pardon [´pɑ:dən] n.&vt.原谅；饶恕；赦免 (初中英语单词)


• aboard [ə´bɔ:d] ad.&prep.在…上 (初中英语单词)


• impress [im´pres, ´impres] v.铭刻 n.印记；特征 (初中英语单词)


• cheerful [´tʃiəful] a.快乐的；高兴的 (初中英语单词)


• furious [´fjuəriəs] a.狂怒的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)


• sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)


• hospitality [,hɔspi´tæliti] n.好客，殷勤 (高中英语单词)


• penalty [´penlti] n.刑罚；惩罚；障碍 (高中英语单词)


• riddle [´ridl] n.谜(语) v.解(谜等) (高中英语单词)


• decided [di´saidid] a.明显的；决定的 (高中英语单词)


• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)


• insure [in´ʃuə] vt.给…保险 (高中英语单词)


• leisure [´leʒə] n.空闲；悠闲；安定 (高中英语单词)


• dominion [də´miniən] n.主权；统治权；领地 (高中英语单词)


• rapture [´ræptʃə] n.着迷；全神贯注 (高中英语单词)


• strife [straif] n.竞争；吵架；冲突 (高中英语单词)


• frantic [´fræntik] a.发狂的；急忙的 (高中英语单词)


• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• monstrous [´mɔnstrəs] a.怪异的；庞大的 (高中英语单词)


• finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)


• gorgeous [´gɔ:dʒəs] a.华丽的；宜人的 (高中英语单词)


• mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)


• combat [´kɔmbæt] v.&n.斗争；战斗；争斗 (高中英语单词)


• tidings [´taidiŋz] n.消息，音信 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• reproach [ri´prəutʃ] vt.&n.责备；指责；耻辱 (高中英语单词)


• coincide [,kəuin´said] vi.一致；重合 (高中英语单词)


• implore [im´plɔ:] vt.乞求，恳求 (高中英语单词)


• allies [´ælaiz, ə´laiz] n.协约国 (高中英语单词)


• behalf [bi´hɑ:f] n.利益 (高中英语单词)


• reverend [´revərənd] a.可尊敬的 (高中英语单词)


• wherein [weər´in] ad.那里面 (高中英语单词)


• fragrant [´freigrənt] a.芳香的，芬芳的 (高中英语单词)


• throne [θrəun] n.宝座；王位 (高中英语单词)


• hanging [´hæŋiŋ] n.绞刑 a.悬挂着的 (高中英语单词)


• recompense [´rekəmpens] n.&vt.回报；补偿 (英语四级单词)


• intellect [´intilekt] n.智力；有才智的人 (英语四级单词)


• potent [´pəutənt] a.有(势)力的；烈性的 (英语四级单词)


• semblance [´sembləns] n.外表；伪装；相似 (英语四级单词)


• loveliness [´lʌvlinis] n.美丽，可爱 (英语四级单词)


• inference [´infərəns] n.推论，推断(的结果) (英语四级单词)


• thrice [θrais] ad.三倍地；三次 (英语四级单词)


• wedded [´wedid] a.(已)结婚的；献身的 (英语四级单词)


• rightly [´raitli] ad.正义地；正确地 (英语四级单词)


• lavish [´læviʃ] a.慷慨的；浪费的 (英语四级单词)


• prowess [´prauis] n.勇猛；技术；本领 (英语四级单词)


• raiment [´reimənt] n.衣饰 (英语四级单词)


• humbly [´hʌmbli] ad.恭顺地，谦卑地 (英语四级单词)


• speedy [´spi:di] a.快的，迅速的 (英语四级单词)


• fondly [´fɔndli] ad.喜爱地；愚蠢地 (英语四级单词)


• corpse [kɔ:ps] n.尸体 (英语四级单词)


• lamentation [,læmen´teiʃən] n.悲痛，哀悼，痛哭 (英语四级单词)


• stealthily [´stelθili] ad.偷偷地，隐秘地 (英语六级单词)


• persuasive [pə´sweisiv] a.有说服力的 n.动机 (英语六级单词)


• impute [im´pju:t] v.推诿，归(罪) (英语六级单词)


• forsook [fə´suk] forsake的过去式 (英语六级单词)


• deluge [´delju:dʒ] n.大洪水 vt.泛滥 (英语六级单词)


• outlay [´autlei] n.费用 vt.支付；花费 (英语六级单词)


• bluster [´blʌstə] v.(风)狂吹 n.狂风声 (英语六级单词)


• minded [´maindid] a.有…心的 (英语六级单词)


• uprising [ʌp´raiziŋ] n.叛乱；起义，暴动 (英语六级单词)