Some an army on horseback, some an army on foot

and some say a fleet of ships is the loveliest sight

on this dark earth; but I say it is what-

ever you desire:

and it is perfectly possible to make this clear

to all; for Helen, the woman who by far surpassed

all others in her beauty, left her husband –

the best of all men –

behind and sailed far away to Troy; she did not spare

a single thought for her child nor for her dear parents

but [the goddess of love] led her astray

[to desire …]

                               [… which]‡

reminds me now of Anactoria

although far away,

whose long-desired footstep, whose radiant, sparkling face

I would rather see before me than the chariots

of Lydia or the armour of men

who fight wars on foot …

*****

† See also No.124 which may be a continuation of this poem.

‡ For a discussion of a new papyrus find, which might add a few words to this stanza, see ‘The New Fragments: Texts, Translations and Retranslations’.