University of Virginia Library

HELEN AND MENELAUS

Troy. The house of Deiphobus. Helen lying by Deiphobus who is asleep.
HELEN
How is it that I cannot sleep tonight?
Behold beside me how Deiphobus
Sleeps well, his hearty day's work being well done,
But I, I am too full of thought to sleep—
I wonder if this carefulness may mar
My shining beauty as the days go on.
Do I grow old? I wonder. Sick and hot
I feel beneath the coverlit of wool—
Better to walk upon the cool hard tiles
And feel the night air cool upon my breast,
That I may sleep at last and wake betimes,
Then help our feast upon the second day
Because the Greeks are gone, and like them too
Shall all hard thoughts be driven from my heart.
(Goes to window and opens it)
O cool night! raining, is it? I must feel
(Stretching out her arm)
Yea how the drops fall thick upon my arm—
Three hours after midnight, I should think,
And I hear nothing but the quiet rain.
The Greeks are gone: think now, the Greeks are gone.
Never again now shall I hear the cry
Of warder shouting in the Grecian tongue
Borne faint upon the fitful dying wind;
The very warders of the town are still.
O me! tomorrow how the folk will burst
Out at the gates and wonder with great eyes
Staring upon the place where Diomed
Has worn the grass away with his great tent:
How they will walk along the sounding sea
And strain their eyes in looking out for Greece
As even now I strain mine through the dark
Striving to think I see the wooden horse.
Behold the siege is done and I may sit
Holding my eyes and think of what is gone.
Henceforward a new life of quiet days
In this old Town of Troy is now for me.
(Enter Menelaus stealthily and unarmed)
They fought to gain me and are gone away
But have not taken off the heavy weight
From my sad heart: Paris my love is dead
(turning round)
And I feel waked to live another life.

MENELAUS
(touches her)
Helen!

HELEN
O God! but am I mad at last?
Who's this?

MENELAUS
(She reaches out. Deiphobus stirs in his sleep)

HELEN
Deiphobus.

MENELAUS
The hound—
Give me the sword. Ah so, was that the hilt?
—I tell your fingers by their being soft,
They are no warmer than the shapen brass:
What, your teeth chatter? I must hasten then;
Go to his feet, Helen, and hold them fast—
No knees to me, I say—go to the feet,
This head is mine now. Clasp the feet, Helen;
In the name of God I do myself this right.
(slays Deiphobus)
Paris is dead and you are dead also;
This bed hath burned you—ho come forth from it!

(drags the body out)
HELEN
Are you the Menelaus that I knew
And scarcely hated once in days gone by,
Or in God's name are you some evil thing
Sent here to drive me mad for all my sins?

MENELAUS
I am the Menelaus that you knew,
Come back to fetch a thing I left behind.
You think me changed: it is ten years ago
And many weary things have happened since.
Behold me lying in my own place now—
(lying in the bed)
A-bed, Helen, before the night goes by!

HELEN
I cannot lie there in the blood, my lord—
—I loved it once; yea smite, but slay me out
And not so with your unarmed hand, my lord.
Here give it me, feel here upon my breasts,
Smite so betwixt them with the sword I pray.

MENELAUS
Ah struggle, Helen, nought shall it avail.
Yea but I am the stronger in the wrists:
Feel the steel sword-point cold against your skin
And so lie quiet—ah but you hate me—
—I loved you once—

HELEN
May the Gods pity me
That ever you should love me! Ah that shout!

(shout from outside)
[GREEKS]
outside
The Kings! the Kings! Jove fights for us tonight!

[TROJANS]
Ho Pallas help! out, arm, good people all!
Ho bolts and bars, ho spears and bows to aid!
Ho Pallas Pallas! out, ye thieves of Greece!

MENELAUS
Helen, tonight the Gods have given us Troy;
You will see Greece again.

HELEN
My God, my God,
How happy I was once!

[TROJANS]
Troy! Troy!
To aid, ye sons of Priam!

[GREEKS]
Diomed!
Town won! town won! ho torches to the wood!
Come out ye women! God has sent you dawn
Four hours before the daylight: let us see
What fashion Trojan ladies lie abed.

[TROJANS]
Ho ho Æneas! Will you see your wives
Dragged naked through the streets? Out, out, ye thieves!

MENELAUS
Come Helen, let us see this play begun;
Soon will they burn the stage itself I trow.
(at the window)
There see Æneas with his goodly men
Stand well together—
(a Trojan shoots at them)

HELEN
(weeping)
O God they hate me!—not without due cause.
I have no help.

[TROJANS]
Come forth Deiphobus!
Come forth and lead us.

MENELAUS
Ah ye shall have him:
Behold this is but as Troy is, ye dogs!
(thrusts out body: cries from the window)
Who cometh here? Some shield and sword, Helen.

Shouts. Enter Teucer and Pyrrhus with their arms bloody. A rout of Greeks with them.
[PYRRHUS]
So Menelaus, wived again! come forth,
A brave jest truly! Well we wrought this night;
These are no beaten hounds I promise you:
Many a brave man has been sped ere this
By tiles and stones from house-tops, and they stand
Right bravely here and there as you shall see.
While Diomedes went to burn and slay
In the common streets, this Teucer here and I
Went round about and shortly here came we
To Priam's palace, burst the rotten gate:
There were the women and the old men crouched
Nigh dead with fear in Phoebus' bright temple;
But at the threshold did old Priam stand,
Unarmed but upright like a brisk young man.
Gods! when I saw the old gray-head traitor,
The thought of my dead father done to death
There in that temple wrought in such a guise
That all my blood seemed fire. I struck out,
Cursing with shut eyes, but my sword knew well
The way it had to go. I slew him there,
And all about we slew them old and young
But some few women. Noted you, Teucer?

TEUCER
Then as their screams rung all about the roof
Came Agamemnon, and he saw a hand
Clutching Apollo's foot from underneath
Some heap of women's raiment; down he stooped
And drew thenceforth Cassandra by the wrists
Who called upon the God in bitter strain.
As pale as privet was she to my eyes
Dark-haired and ox-eyed, tall and strong of limb.
Right many a bitter curse she called on him
And struggled in a mad way without hope.
So Agamemnon bore her off at last
And looking at her I saw not the rest.

(enter a Messenger)
[MESSENGER]
Ho haste Sir Knights! Æneas stands at bay
And groweth stronger. Menon is with him
And Helenus the priest. They bar the way,
And to them draw much folk and gather heart.
Needs must ye slay them, if ye will burn Troytown.

MENELAUS
Take Helen to the ships—Now Sirs go we:
I have but slain one man yet, big though he was.

(Exeunt)
CRIES
from without