Greeks endure hardships for a long time on account of such a woman. In
countenance she is wondrous like unto the immortal goddess, but even so,
although being such, let her return in the ships, nor be left a
destruction to us and to our children hereafter."

Thus they spoke. But Priam called Helen,--"Coming hither before us, dear
daughter, sit by me, that thou mayest see thy former husband, thy
kindred, and thy friends--(thou art not at all in fault towards me; the
gods, in truth, are in fault towards me, who have sent against me the
lamentable war of the Greeks)--that thou mayest name for me this mighty
man, who is this gallant and tall Grecian hero. Certainly there are
others taller in height; but so graceful a man have I never yet beheld
with my eyes, nor so venerable; for he is like unto a kingly man."

But him Helen, one of the divine women, answered in [these] words:
"Revered art thou and feared by me, dear father-in-law; would that an
evil death had pleased me, when I followed thy son hither, having left
my marriage-bed, my brothers, my darling[154] daughter, and the
congenial company of my equals. But these things were not done:
therefore I pine away with weeping. But this will I tell thee, which
thou seekest of me and inquirest. This is wide-ruling Agamemnon, son of
Atreus, in both characters,[155] a good king and a brave warrior. He was
the brother-in-law, moreover, of shameless me, if ever indeed he
was." [156]

[Footnote 154: See Buttm. Lexil. s. v. and Arnold.]

[Footnote 155: Observe the force of the neuter.]

[Footnote 156: "_Si unquam fuit, quod nunc non est ampleus_. i.e.
_si recte dici potest fuisse, quod ita sui factum est dissimile,
ut fuisse unquam vix credas_."--Herm. on Vig. p. 946, quoted by
Anthon.]

Thus she spoke. But him the old man admired, and said "O blessed son of
Atreus, happy-born, fortunate, truly indeed were many Achaean youths made
subject to thee. Before now I entered vine-bearing Phrygia, where I
beheld many Phrygians, heroes on fleet horses, the forces of Otreus and
godlike Mygdon, who encamped there near the banks of the Sangarius. For
I also, being an ally, was numbered with them on that day, when the
man-opposing Amazons came. But not even these were so numerous as the
black-eyed Greeks."

But next perceiving[157] Ulysses, the old man asked her: "Come, tell me
of this one also, dear daughter, who he is? he is less indeed in
height[158] than Agamemnon