---
title: "Hippolytus · Ἱππόλυτος"
author: "Euripides"
translator: "Edward P. Coleridge"
languages: [grc, en]
shelf: "Classical Greek"
url: https://scriptura.si/works/euripides-hippolytus/
cite: "Euripides, tr. Edward P. Coleridge, Hippolytus · Ἱππόλυτος. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/euripides-hippolytus/"
---

# Hippolytus · Ἱππόλυτος

*Euripides, tr. Edward P. Coleridge*

Aphrodite punishes a young man who scorns her through his stepmother Phaedra.

> Greek: ed. Gilbert Murray, from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-greekLit, tlg0006.tlg005, CC BY-SA 4.0).

> English: Edward P. Coleridge, from the Perseus Digital Library (tlg0006.tlg005.perseus-eng2). Notes are not included.

> Rows follow the references the two texts share (line numbers), cut where both reach the end of a sentence.

## Contents

1. [Lines 1–489](https://scriptura.si/works/euripides-hippolytus/1.md)
2. [Lines 490–982](https://scriptura.si/works/euripides-hippolytus/2.md)
3. [Lines 983–1466](https://scriptura.si/works/euripides-hippolytus/3.md)

## 1. Lines 1–489

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/euripides-hippolytus/1/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/euripides-hippolytus/1/#p-N

[¶0] Aphrodite:
Wide o’er man my realm extends, and proud the name that I, the goddess Cypris, bear, both in heaven’s courts and ’mongst all those who dwell within the limits of the sea and the bounds of Atlas, beholding the sun-god’s light;
those that respect my power I advance to honour, but bring to ruin all who vaunt themselves at me. For even in the race of gods this feeling finds a home, even pleasure at the honour men pay them.

> Greek: Ἀφροδίτη:
Πολλὴ μὲν ἐν βροτοῖσι κοὐκ ἀνώνυμος,
θεὰ κέκλημαι Κύπρις, οὐρανοῦ τ’ ἔσω·
ὅσοι τε Πόντου τερμόνων τ’ Ἀτλαντικῶν
ναίουσιν εἴσω φῶς ὁρῶντες ἡλίου,
τοὺς μὲν σέβοντας τἀμὰ πρεσβεύω κράτη,
σφάλλω δ’ ὅσοι φρονοῦσιν εἰς ἡμᾶς μέγα.
ἔνεστι γὰρ δὴ κἀν θεῶν γένει τόδε·
τιμώμενοι χαίρουσιν ἀνθρώπων ὕπο.

[¶1] And the truth of this I soon will show;

> Greek: δείξω δὲ μύθων τῶνδ’ ἀλήθειαν τάχα·

[¶2] for that son of Theseus, born of the Amazon, Hippolytus, whom holy Pittheus taught, alone of all the dwellers in this land of Troezen, calls me vilest of the deities. Love he scorns, and, as for marriage, will none of it;

> Greek: ὁ γάρ με Θησέως παῖς, Ἀμαζόνος τόκος,
Ἱππόλυτος, ἁγνοῦ Πιτθέως παιδεύματα,
μόνος πολιτῶν τῆσδε γῆς Τροζηνίας
λέγει κακίστην δαιμόνων πεφυκέναι,
ἀναίνεται δὲ λέκτρα κοὐ ψαύει γάμων·

[¶3] but Artemis, daughter of Zeus, sister of Phoebus, he doth honour, counting her the chief of goddesses, and ever through the greenwood, attendant on his virgin goddess, he dears the earth of wild beasts with his fleet hounds, enjoying the comradeship of one too high for mortal ken.

> Greek: Φοίβου δ’ ἀδελφὴν Ἄρτεμιν, Διὸς κόρην,
τιμᾷ, μεγίστην δαιμόνων ἡγούμενος·
χλωρὰν δ’ ἀν’ ὕλην παρθένῳ ξυνὼν ἀεὶ
κυσὶν ταχείαις θῆρας ἐξαιρεῖ χθονός,
μείζω βροτείας προσπεσὼν ὁμιλίας.

[¶4] ’Tis not this I grudge him, no! why should I? But for his sins against me, I will this very day take vengeance on Hippolytus; for long ago I cleared the ground of many obstacles, so it needs but trifling toil.

> Greek: τούτοισι μέν νυν οὐ φθονῶ· τί γάρ με δεῖ;
ἃ δ’ εἰς ἔμ’ ἡμάρτηκε, τιμωρήσομαι
Ἱππόλυτον ἐν τῇδ’ ἡμέρᾳ· τὰ πολλὰ δὲ
πάλαι προκόψασ’ — οὐ πόνου πολλοῦ με δεῖ.

[¶5] For as he came one day from the home of Pittheus
to witness the solemn mystic rites and be initiated therein in Pandion’s land, Phaedra, his father’s noble wife, caught sight of him, and by my designs she found her heart was seized with wild desire.

> Greek: ἐλθόντα γάρ νιν Πιτθέως ποτ’ ἐκ δόμων
σεμνῶν ἐς ὄψιν καὶ τέλη μυστηρίων
Πανδίονος γῆν, πατρὸς εὐγενὴς δάμαρ
ἰδοῦσα Φαίδρα καρδίαν κατέσχετο
ἔρωτι δεινῷ τοῖς ἐμοῖς βουλεύμασιν.

[¶6] And ere she came to this Troezenian realm,
a temple did she rear to Cypris hard by the rock of Pallas where it o’erlooks this country, for love of the youth in another land; and to win his love in days to come she called after his name the temple she had founded for the goddess.

> Greek: καὶ πρὶν μὲν ἐλθεῖν τήνδε γῆν Τροζηνίαν,
πέτραν παρ’ αὐτὴν Παλλάδος, κατόψιον
γῆς τῆσδε, ναὸν Κύπριδος ἐγκαθίσατο,
ἐρῶσ’ ἔρωτ’ ἔκδημον· Ἱππολύτῳ δ’ ἔπι
τὸ λοιπὸν ὠνόμαζ’ ἐνιδρῦσθαι θεάν.

[¶7] Now, when Theseus left the land of Cecrops,
flying the pollution of the blood of Pallas’ sons, and with his wife sailed to this shore, content to suffer exile for a year, then began the wretched wife to pine away in silence, moaning ’neath love’s cruel scourge,
and none of her servants knows what ails her. But this passion of hers must not fail thus. No, I will discover the matter to Theseus, and all shall be laid bare. Then will the father slay his child, my bitter foe, by curses,
for the lord Poseidon granted this boon to Theseus; three wishes of the god to ask, nor ever ask in vain. So Phaedra is to die, an honoured death ’tis true, but still to die; for I will not let her suffering outweigh the payment of such forfeit by my foes
as shall satisfy my honour.

> Greek: ἐπεὶ δὲ Θησεὺς Κεκροπίαν λείπει χθόνα,
μίασμα φεύγων αἵματος Παλλαντιδῶν,
καὶ τήνδε σὺν δάμαρτι ναυστολεῖ χθόνα,
ἐνιαυσίαν ἔκδημον αἰνέσας φυγήν,
ἐνταῦθα δὴ στένουσα κἀκπεπληγμένη
κέντροις ἔρωτος ἡ τάλαιν’ ἀπόλλυται
σιγῇ· ξύνοιδε δ’ οὔτις οἰκετῶν νόσον.
ἀλλ’ οὔτι ταύτῃ τόνδ’ ἔρωτα χρὴ πεσεῖν·
δείξω δὲ Θησεῖ πρᾶγμα, κἀκφανήσεται.
καὶ τὸν μὲν ἡμῖν πολέμιον νεανίαν
κτενεῖ πατὴρ ἀραῖσιν, ἃς ὁ πόντιος
ἄναξ Ποσειδῶν ὤπασεν Θησεῖ γέρας,
μηδὲν μάταιον ἐς τρὶς εὔξασθαι θεῷ.
ἣ δ’ εὐκλεὴς μέν, ἀλλ’ ὅμως ἀπόλλυται,
Φαίδρα· τὸ γὰρ τῆσδ’ οὐ προτιμήσω κακὸν
τὸ μὴ οὐ παρασχεῖν τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐμοὶ
δίκην τοσαύτην ὥστ’ ἐμοὶ καλῶς ἔχειν.

[¶8] But lo! I see the son of Theseus coming hither—Hippolytus, fresh from the labours of the chase. I will get me hence. At his back follows a long train
of retainers, in joyous cries of revelry uniting and hymns of praise to Artemis, his goddess; for little he recks that Death hath oped his gates for him, and that this is his last look upon the light.

> Greek: ἀλλ’, εἰσορῶ γὰρ τόνδε παῖδα Θησέως
στείχοντα, θήρας μόχθον ἐκλελοιπότα,
Ἱππόλυτον, ἔξω τῶνδε βήσομαι τόπων.
πολὺς δ’ ἅμ’ αὐτῷ προσπόλων ὀπισθόπους
κῶμος λέλακεν, Ἄρτεμιν τιμῶν θεὰν
ὕμνοισιν· οὐ γὰρ οἶδ’ ἀνεῳγμένας πύλας
Ἅιδου, φάος δὲ λοίσθιον βλέπων τόδε.

[¶9] Hippolytus:
Come follow, friends, singing to Artemis, daughter of Zeus, throned in the sky,
whose votaries we are.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ἕπεσθ’ ἀείδοντες ἕπεσθε
τὰν Διὸς οὐρανίαν
Ἄρτεμιν, ᾇ μελόμεσθα.

[¶10] Attendants of Hippolytus:
Lady goddess, awful queen, daughter of Zeus, all hail! hail! child of
Latona and of Zeus, peerless mid the virgin choir, who hast thy dwelling in heaven’s wide mansions at thy noble father’s court, in the golden house of Zeus.

> Greek: Χορὸς Κυνηγῶν:
πότνια πότνια σεμνοτάτα,
Ζανὸς γένεθλον,
χαῖρε, χαῖρέ μοι, ὦ κόρα
Λατοῦς Ἄρτεμι καὶ Διός,
καλλίστα πολὺ παρθένων,
ἃ μέγαν κατ’ οὐρανὸν
ναίεις εὐπατέρειαν αὐ-
λάν, Ζηνὸς πολύχρυσον οἶκον.

[¶11] All hail! most beauteous Artemis, lovelier far than all the daughters of Olympus!

> Greek: χαῖρέ μοι, ὦ καλλίστα καλ-
λίστα τῶν κατ’ Ὄλυμπον.
[παρθένων, Ἄρτεμι.]

[¶12] Hippolytus:
For thee, O mistress mine, I bring this woven wreath, culled from a virgin meadow,
where nor shepherd dares to herd his flock nor ever scythe hath mown, but o’er the mead unshorn the bee doth wing its way in spring; and with the dew from rivers drawn purity that garden tends. Such as know no cunning lore, yet in whose nature
self-control, made perfect, hath a home, these may pluck the flowers, but not the wicked world. Accept, I pray, dear mistress, mine this chaplet from my holy hand to crown thy locks of gold; for I, and none other of mortals, have this high guerdon,
to be with thee, with thee converse, hearing thy voice, though not thy face beholding. So be it mine to end my life as I began.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
σοὶ τόνδε πλεκτὸν στέφανον ἐξ ἀκηράτου
λειμῶνος, ὦ δέσποινα, κοσμήσας φέρω,
ἔνθ’ οὔτε ποιμὴν ἀξιοῖ φέρβειν βοτὰ
οὔτ’ ἦλθέ πω σίδαρος, ἀλλ’ ἀκήρατον
μέλισσα λειμῶν’ ἠρινὴ διέρχεται,
Αἰδὼς δὲ ποταμίαισι κηπεύει δρόσοις·
ὅσοις διδακτὸν μηδέν, ἀλλ’ ἐν τῇ φύσει
τὸ σωφρονεῖν εἴληχεν ἐς τὰ πάνθ’ ὁμῶς,
τούτοις δρέπεσθαι, τοῖς κακοῖσι δ’ οὐ θέμις.
ἀλλ’, ὦ φίλη δέσποινα, χρυσέας κόμης
ἀνάδημα δέξαι χειρὸς εὐσεβοῦς ἄπο.
μόνῳ γάρ ἐστι τοῦτ’ ἐμοὶ γέρας βροτῶν·
σοὶ καὶ ξύνειμι καὶ λόγοις ἀμείβομαι,
κλύων μὲν αὐδήν, ὄμμα δ’ οὐχ ὁρῶν τὸ σόν.
τέλος δὲ κάμψαιμ’ ὥσπερ ἠρξάμην βίου.

[¶13] Attendants:
My prince! we needs must call upon the gods, our lords, so wilt thou listen to a friendly word from me?

> Greek: Θεράπων:
ἄναξ — θεοὺς γὰρ δεσπότας καλεῖν χρεών —
ἆρ’ ἄν τί μου δέξαιο βουλεύσαντος εὖ;

[¶14] Hippolytus:
Why, that will I! else were I proved a fool.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
καὶ κάρτα γ’· ἦ γὰρ οὐ σοφοὶ φαινοίμεθ’ ἄν.

[¶15] Attendants:
Dost know, then, the way of the world?

> Greek: Θεράπων:
οἶσθ’ οὖν βροτοῖσιν ὃς καθέστηκεν νόμος …

[¶16] Hippolytus:
Not I; but wherefore such a question?

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
οὐκ οἶδα· τοῦ δὲ καί μ’ ἀνιστορεῖς πέρι;

[¶17] Attendants:
It hates reserve which careth not for all men’s love.

> Greek: Θεράπων:
μισεῖν τὸ σεμνὸν καὶ τὸ μὴ πᾶσιν φίλον.

[¶18] Hippolytus:
And rightly too; reserve in man is ever galling.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ὀρθῶς γε· τίς δ’ οὐ σεμνὸς ἀχθεινὸς βροτῶν;

[¶19] Attendants:
But there’s a charm in courteous affability?

> Greek: Θεράπων:
ἐν δ’ εὐπροσηγόροισιν ἔστι τις χάρις;

[¶20] Hippolytus:
The greatest surely; aye, and profit, too, at trifling cost.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
πλείστη γε, καὶ κέρδος γε σὺν μόχθῳ βραχεῖ.

[¶21] Attendants:
Dost think the same law holds in heaven as well?

> Greek: Θεράπων:
ἦ κἀν θεοῖσι ταὐτὸν ἐλπίζεις τόδε;

[¶22] Hippolytus:
I trow it doth, since all our laws we men from heaven draw.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
εἴπερ γε θνητοὶ θεῶν νόμοισι χρώμεθα.

[¶23] Attendants:
Why, then, dost thou neglect to greet an august goddess?

> Greek: Θεράπων:
πῶς οὖν σὺ σεμνός, δαίμον’ οὐ προσεννέπων …

[¶24] Hippolytus:
Whom speak’st thou of? Keep watch upon thy tongue lest it some mischief cause.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
τίν’; εὐλαβοῦ δὲ μή τί σου σφαλῇ στόμα.

[¶25] Attendants:
Cypris I mean, whose image is stationed o’er thy gate.

> Greek: Θεράπων:
τήνδ’, ἣ πύλαισι σαῖς ἐφέστηκεν Κύπρις.

[¶26] Hippolytus:
I greet her from afar, preserving still my chastity.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
πρόσωθεν αὐτὴν ἁγνὸς ὢν ἀσπάζομαι.

[¶27] Att:
Yet is she an august goddess, far renowned on earth.

> Greek: Θεράπων:
σεμνός γε μέντοι κἀπίσημος ἐν βροτοῖς.

[¶28] Hippolytus:’Mongst gods as well as men we have our several preferences.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ἄλλοισιν ἄλλος θεῶν τε κἀνθρώπων μέλει.

[¶29] Attendants:
I wish thee luck, and wisdom too, so far as thou dost need it.

> Greek: Θεράπων:
εὐδαιμονοίης νοῦν ἔχων ὅσον σε δεῖ.

[¶30] Hippolytus:
No god, whose worship craves the night, hath charms for me.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
οὐδείς μ’ ἀρέσκει νυκτὶ θαυμαστὸς θεῶν.

[¶31] Attendants:
My son, we should avail us of the gifts that gods confer.

> Greek: Θεράπων:
τιμαῖσιν, ὦ παῖ, δαιμόνων χρῆσθαι χρεών.

[¶32] Hippolytus:
Go in, my faithful followers, and make ready food within the house; a well-filled board hath charms after the chase is o’er.
Rub down my steeds ye must, that when I have had my all I may yoke them to the chariot and give them proper exercise.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
χωρεῖτ’, ὀπαδοί, καὶ παρελθόντες δόμους
σίτων μέλεσθε· τερπνὸν ἐκ κυναγίας
τράπεζα πλήρης· καὶ καταψήχειν χρεὼν
ἵππους, ὅπως ἂν ἅρμασιν ζεύξας ὕπο
βορᾶς κορεσθεὶς γυμνάσω τὰ πρόσφορα.

[¶33] As for thy Queen of Love, a long farewell to her.
[Exit Hippolytus.

> Greek: τὴν σὴν δὲ Κύπριν πόλλ’ ἐγὼ χαίρειν λέγω.

[¶34] Attendants:
Meantime I with sober mind, for I must not copy my young master,
do offer up my prayer to thy image, lady Cypris, in such words as it becomes a slave to use. But thou should’st pardon all, who, in youth’s impetuous heat, speak idle words of thee; make as though thou hearest not,
for gods must needs be wiser than the sons of men.

> Greek: Θεράπων:
ἡμεῖς δέ — τοὺς νέους γὰρ οὐ μιμητέον,
φρονοῦντας οὕτως — ὡς πρέπει δούλοις λέγειν,
προσευξόμεσθα τοῖσι σοῖς ἀγάλμασιν,
δέσποινα Κύπρι. χρὴ δὲ συγγνώμην ἔχειν,
εἴ τίς σ’ ὑφ’ ἥβης σπλάγχνον ἔντονον φέρων
μάταια βάζει· μὴ δόκει τούτων κλύειν·
σοφωτέρους γὰρ χρὴ βροτῶν εἶναι θεούς.

[¶35] Chorus:
A rock there is, where, as they say, the ocean dew distils, and from its beetling brow it pours a copious stream for pitchers to be dipped therein;

> Greek: Χορός:
Ὠκεανοῦ τις ὕδωρ στάζουσα πέτρα λέγεται,
βαπτὰν κάλπισι ῥυτὰν πα-
γὰν προιεῖσα κρημνῶν·

[¶36] ’twas here I had a friend washing robes of purple in the trickling stream, and she was spreading them out on the face of a warm sunny rock; from her
I had the tidings, first of all, that my mistress
Chorus:
she was wasting on the bed of sickness, pent within her house, a thin veil o’ershadowing her head of golden hair.

> Greek: ὅθι μοί τις ἦν φίλα
πορφύρεα φάρεα
ποταμίᾳ δρόσῳ
τέγγουσα, θερ-
μᾶς δ’ ἐπὶ νῶτα πέτρας εὐ-
αλίου κατέβαλλ’· ὅθεν
μοι πρώτα φάτις ἦλθε δεσποίνας·
Χορός:
τειρομέναν νοσερᾷ κοίτᾳ δέμας ἐντὸς ἔχειν
οἴκων, λεπτὰ δὲ φάρη ξάν-
θαν κεφαλὰν σκιάζειν·

[¶37] And this is the third day I hear that she hath closed her lovely lips and denied her chaste body all sustenance, eager to hide her suffering
and reach death’s cheerless bourn.

> Greek: τριτάταν δέ νιν κλύω
τάνδ’ ἀβρωσίᾳ
στόματος ἁμέραν
Δάματρος ἀ-
κτᾶς δέμας ἁγνὸν ἴσχειν, κρυ-
πτῷ πένθει θανάτου θέλου-
σαν κέλσαι ποτὶ τέρμα δύστανον.

[¶38] Chorus:
Maiden, thou must be possessed, by Pan made frantic or by Hecate, or by the Corybantes dread, and Cybele the mountain mother.

> Greek: Χορός:
— ἦ σὺ γ’ ἔνθεος, ὦ κούρα,
εἴτ’ ἐκ Πανὸς εἴθ’ Ἑκάτας
ἢ σεμνῶν Κορυβάντων φοι-
τᾷς ἢ ματρὸς ὀρείας;

[¶39] Or maybe thou hast sinned against Dictynna, huntress-queen, and art wasting for thy guilt in sacrifice unoffered. For she doth range o’er lakes’ expanse and past the bounds of earth
upon the ocean’s tossing billows.

> Greek: — σὺ δ’ ἀμφὶ τὰν πολύθηρον Δί-
κτυνναν ἀμπλακίαις ἀνίε-
ρος ἀθύτων πελάνων τρύχῃ;
φοιτᾷ γὰρ καὶ διὰ λίμνας
χέρσον θ’ ὑπὲρ πελάγους
δίναις ἐν νοτίαις ἅλμας.

[¶40] Chorus:
Or doth some rival in thy house beguile thy lord, the captain of Erechtheus’ sons, that hero nobly bom, to secret amours hid from thee?

> Greek: Χορός:
— ἢ πόσιν, τὸν Ἐρεχθειδᾶν
ἀρχαγόν, τὸν εὐπατρίδαν,
ποιμαίνει τις ἐν οἴκοις κρυ-
πτὰ κοίτα λεχέων σῶν;

[¶41] Or hath some mariner sailing hither from Crete reached this port that sailors love, with evil tidings for our queen, and she with sorrow for her grievous fate
is to her bed confined?

> Greek: — ἢ ναυβάτας τις ἔπλευσεν Κρή-
τας ἔξορμος ἀνὴρ λιμένα
τὸν εὐξεινότατον ναύταις,
φήμαν πέμπων βασιλείᾳ,
λύπᾳ δ’ ὑπὲρ παθέων
εὐναία δέδεται ψυχά;

[¶42] Chorus:
Yea, and oft o’er woman’s wayward nature settles a feeling of miserable perplexity, arising from labour-pains or passionate desire.

> Greek: Χορός:
— φιλεῖ δὲ τᾷ δυστρόπῳ γυναικῶν
ἁρμονίᾳ κακὰ δύστανος ἀμηχανία συνοικεῖν,
ὠδινῶν τε καὶ ἀφροσύνας.

[¶43] I, too, have felt at times this sharp thrill shoot through me, but I would cry to Artemis, queen of archery, who comes from heaven to aid us in our travail, and thanks to heaven’s grace she ever comes at my call with welcome help.

> Greek: δι’ ἐμᾶς ᾖξέν ποτε νηδύος ἅδ’
αὔρα. τὰν δ’ εὔλοχον οὐρανίαν
τόξων μεδέουσαν ἀύτευν
Ἄρτεμιν, καί μοι πολυζήλωτος αἰεὶ
σὺν θεοῖσι φοιτᾷ.

[¶44] Chorus:
Look! where the aged nurse is bringing her forth from the house before the door, while on her brow the cloud of gloom is deepening. My soul longs to learn what is her grief, the canker that is
wasting our queen’s fading charms.

> Greek: Χορός:
— ἀλλ’ ἥδε τροφὸς γεραιὰ πρὸ θυρῶν
τήνδε κομίζουσ’ ἔξω μελάθρων·
[στυγνὸν δ’ ὀφρύων νέφος αὐξάνεται.]
τί ποτ’ ἔστι μαθεῖν ἔραται ψυχή,
τί δεδήληται
δέμας ἀλλόχροον βασιλείας.

[¶45] Nurse:
O, the ills of mortal men! the cruel diseases they endure! What can I do for thee? from what refrain? Here is the bright sun-light, here the azure sky; lo! we have brought thee on thy bed of sickness
without the palace; for all thy talk was of coming hither, but soon back to thy chamber wilt thou hurry. Disappointment follows fast with thee, thou hast no joy in aught for long; the present has no power to please; on something absent
next thy heart is set. Better be sick than tend the sick; the first is but a single ill, the last unites mental grief with manual toil. Man’s whole life is full of anguish;
no respite from his woes he finds; but if there is aught to love beyond this life, night’s dark pall doth wrap it round. And so we show our mad love of this life because its light is shed on earth,
and because we know no other, and have naught revealed to us of all our earth may hide; and trusting to fables we drift at random.

> Greek: Τροφός:
ὦ κακὰ θνητῶν στυγεραί τε νόσοι.
τί σ’ ἐγὼ δράσω; τί δὲ μὴ δράσω;
τόδε σοι φέγγος λαμπρόν, ὅδ’ αἰθήρ·
ἔξω δὲ δόμων ἤδη νοσερᾶς
δέμνια κοίτης.
δεῦρο γὰρ ἐλθεῖν πᾶν ἔπος ἦν σοι·
τάχα δ’ ἐς θαλάμους σπεύσεις τὸ πάλιν.
ταχὺ γὰρ σφάλλῃ κοὐδενὶ χαίρεις,
οὐδέ σ’ ἀρέσκει τὸ παρόν, τὸ δ’ ἀπὸν
φίλτερον ἡγῇ.
κρεῖσσον δὲ νοσεῖν ἢ θεραπεύειν·
τὸ μέν ἐστιν ἁπλοῦν, τῷ δὲ συνάπτει
λύπη τε φρενῶν χερσίν τε πόνος.
πᾶς δ’ ὀδυνηρὸς βίος ἀνθρώπων,
κοὐκ ἔστι πόνων ἀνάπαυσις.
ἀλλ’ ὅ τι τοῦ ζῆν φίλτερον ἄλλο
σκότος ἀμπίσχων κρύπτει νεφέλαις.
τοῦ δ’ ὅ τι τοῦτο στίλβει κατὰ γῆν
δυσέρωτες δὴ φαινόμεθ’ ὄντες,
δι’ ἀπειροσύνην ἄλλου βιότου
κοὐκ ἀπόδειξιν τῶν ὑπὸ γαίας·
μύθοις δ’ ἄλλως φερόμεσθα.

[¶46] Phaedra:
Lift my body, raise my head! My limbs are all unstrung, kind friends.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ἄρατέ μου δέμας, ὀρθοῦτε κάρα·
λέλυμαι μελέων σύνδεσμα φίλων.

[¶47] O handmaids, lift my arms, my shapely arms. The tire on my head is too heavy for me to wear; away with it, and let my tresses o’er my shoulders fall.

> Greek: λάβετ’ εὐπήχεις χεῖρας, πρόπολοι.
βαρύ μοι κεφαλᾶς ἐπίκρανον ἔχειν·
ἄφελ’, ἀμπέτασον βόστρυχον ὤμοις.

[¶48] Nurse:
Be of good heart, dear child; toss not so wildly to and fro.

> Greek: Τροφός:
θάρσει, τέκνον, καὶ μὴ χαλεπῶς
μετάβαλλε δέμας.

[¶49] Lie still, be brave, so wilt thou find thy sickness easier to bear; suffering for mortals is nature’s iron law.

> Greek: ῥᾷον δὲ νόσον μετά θ’ ἡσυχίας
καὶ γενναίου λήματος οἴσεις·
μοχθεῖν δὲ βροτοῖσιν ἀνάγκη.

[¶50] Phaedra:
Ah! would I could draw a draught of water pure from some dew-fed spring, and lay me down to rest in the grassy meadow ’neath the poplar’s shade!

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
αἰαῖ·
πῶς ἂν δροσερᾶς ἀπὸ κρηνῖδος
καθαρῶν ὑδάτων πῶμ’ ἀρυσαίμαν,
ὑπό τ’ αἰγείροις ἔν τε κομήτῃ
λειμῶνι κλιθεῖσ’ ἀναπαυσαίμαν;

[¶51] Nurse:
My child, what wild speech is this? O say not such things in public, wild whirling words of frenzy bred!

> Greek: Τροφός:
ὦ παῖ, τί θροεῖς;
οὐ μὴ παρ’ ὄχλῳ τάδε γηρύσῃ
μανίας ἔποχον ῥίπτουσα λόγον;

[¶52] Phaedra:
Away to the mountain take me! to the wood, to the pine-trees I will go, where hounds pursue the prey, hard on the scent of dappled fawns. Ye gods! what joy to hark them on,
to grasp the barbed dart, to poise Thessalian hunting-spears close to my golden hair, then let them fly.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
πέμπετέ μ’ εἰς ὄρος· εἶμι πρὸς ὕλαν
καὶ παρὰ πεύκας, ἵνα θηροφόνοι
στείβουσι κύνες
βαλιαῖς ἐλάφοις ἐγχριμπτόμεναι·
πρὸς θεῶν, ἔραμαι κυσὶ θωΰξαι
καὶ παρὰ χαίταν ξανθὰν ῥῖψαι
Θεσσαλὸν ὅρπακ’, ἐπίλογχον ἔχουσ’
ἐν χειρὶ βέλος.

[¶53] Nurse:
Why, why, my child, these anxious cares? What hast thou to do with the chase?

> Greek: Τροφός:
τί ποτ’, ὦ τέκνον, τάδε κηραίνεις;
τί κυνηγεσίων καὶ σοὶ μελέτη;

[¶54] Why so eager for the flowing spring, when hard by these towers stands a hill well watered, whence thou may’st freely draw?

> Greek: τί δὲ κρηναίων νασμῶν ἔρασαι;
πάρα γὰρ δροσερὰ πύργοις συνεχὴς
κλιτύς, ὅθεν σοι πῶμα γένοιτ’ ἄν.

[¶55] Phaedra:
O Artemis, who watchest o’er sea-beat Limna and the race-course thundering to the horse’s hoofs,
would I were upon thy plains curbing Venetian steeds!

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
δέσποιν’ ἁλίας Ἄρτεμι Λίμνας
καὶ γυμνασίων τῶν ἱπποκρότων,
εἴθε γενοίμαν ἐν σοῖς δαπέδοις,
πώλους Ἐνέτας δαμαλιζομένα.

[¶56] Nurse:
Why betray thy frenzy in these wild whirling words? Now thou wert for hasting hence to the hills away to hunt wild beasts, and now
thy yearning is to drive the steed over the waveless sands. This needs a cunning seer to say what god it is that reins thee from the course, distracting thy senses, child.

> Greek: Τροφός:
τί τόδ’ αὖ παράφρων ἔρριψας ἔπος;
νῦν δὴ μὲν ὄρος βᾶσ’ ἐπὶ θήρας
πόθον ἐστέλλου, νῦν δ’ αὖ ψαμάθοις
ἐπ’ ἀκυμάντοις πώλων ἔρασαι.
τάδε μαντείας ἄξια πολλῆς,
ὅστις σε θεῶν ἀνασειράζει
καὶ παρακόπτει φρένας, ὦ παῖ.

[¶57] Phaedra:
Ah me! alas! what have I done?

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
δύστηνος ἐγώ, τί ποτ’ εἰργασάμην;

[¶58] Whither have I strayed, my senses leaving? Mad, mad! stricken by some demon’s curse! Woe is me! Cover my head again, nurse. Shame fills me for the words I have spoken.

> Greek: ποῖ παρεπλάγχθην γνώμης ἀγαθῆς;
ἐμάνην, ἔπεσον δαίμονος ἄτῃ.
φεῦ φεῦ, τλήμων.
μαῖα, πάλιν μου κρύψον κεφαλήν,
αἰδούμεθα γὰρ τὰ λελεγμένα μοι.

[¶59] Hide me then; from my eyes the tear-drops stream, and for very shame I turn them away. Tis painful coming to one’s senses again, and madness, evil though it be, has this advantage, that one has no knowledge of reason’s overthrow.

> Greek: κρύπτε· κατ’ ὄσσων δάκρυ μοι βαίνει,
καὶ ἐπ’ αἰσχύνην ὄμμα τέτραπται.
τὸ γὰρ ὀρθοῦσθαι γνώμην ὀδυνᾷ·
τὸ δὲ μαινόμενον κακόν· ἀλλὰ κρατεῖ
μὴ γιγνώσκοντ’ ἀπολέσθαι.

[¶60] Nurse:
There then I cover thee; but when will death hide my body in the grave? Many a lesson length of days is teaching me. Yea, mortal men should pledge themselves
to moderate friendships only, not to such as reach the very heart’s core; affection’s ties should be light upon them to let them slip or draw them tight. For one poor heart to grieve for twain, as I do
for my mistress, is a burden sore to bear. Men say that too engrossing pursuits in life more oft cause disappointment than pleasure,
and too oft are foes to health. Wherefore I do not praise excess so much as moderation, and with me wise men will agree.

> Greek: Τροφός:
κρύπτω· τὸ δ’ ἐμὸν πότε δὴ θάνατος
σῶμα καλύψει;
πολλὰ διδάσκει μ’ ὁ πολὺς βίοτος.
χρῆν γὰρ μετρίας εἰς ἀλλήλους
φιλίας θνητοὺς ἀνακίρνασθαι
καὶ μὴ πρὸς ἄκρον μυελὸν ψυχῆς,
εὔλυτα δ’ εἶναι στέργηθρα φρενῶν
ἀπό τ’ ὤσασθαι καὶ ξυντεῖναι.
τὸ δ’ ὑπὲρ δισσῶν μίαν ὠδίνειν
ψυχὴν χαλεπὸν βάρος, ὡς κἀγὼ
τῆσδ’ ὑπεραλγῶ.
βιότου δ’ ἀτρεκεῖς ἐπιτηδεύσεις
φασὶ σφάλλειν πλέον ἢ τέρπειν
τῇ θ’ ὑγιείᾳ μᾶλλον πολεμεῖν.
οὕτω τὸ λίαν ἧσσον ἐπαινῶ
τοῦ μηδὲν ἄγαν·
καὶ ξυμφήσουσι σοφοί μοι.

[¶61] Chorus:
O aged dame, faithful nurse of Phaedra, our queen, we see her sorry plight; but what it is that ails her we cannot discern,
so fain would learn of thee and hear thy opinion.

> Greek: Χορός:
γύναι γεραιά, βασιλίδος πιστὴ τροφὲ
Φαίδρας, ὁρῶμεν τάσδε δυστήνους τύχας,
ἄσημα δ’ ἡμῖν ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ νόσος·
σοῦ δ’ ἂν πυθέσθαι καὶ κλύειν βουλοίμεθ’ ἄν.

[¶62] Nurse:
I question her, but am no wiser, for she will not answer.

> Greek: Τροφός:
οὐκ οἶδ’ ἐλέγχους· οὐ γὰρ ἐννέπειν θέλει.

[¶63] Chorus:
Nor tell what source these sorrows have?

> Greek: Χορός:
οὐδ’ ἥτις ἀρχὴ τῶνδε πημάτων ἔφυ;

[¶64] Nurse:
The same answer thou must take, for she is dumb on every point.

> Greek: Τροφός:
ἐς ταὐτὸν ἥκεις· πάντα γὰρ σιγᾷ τάδε.

[¶65] Chorus:
How weak and wasted is her body!

> Greek: Χορός:
ὡς ἀσθενεῖ τε καὶ κατέξανται δέμας.

[¶66] Nurse:
What marvel?’tis three days now since she has tasted food.

> Greek: Τροφός:
πῶς δ’ οὔ, τριταίαν γ’ οὖσ’ ἄσιτος ἡμέραν;

[¶67] Chorus:
Is this infatuation, or an attempt to die?

> Greek: Χορός:
πότερον ὑπ’ ἄτης ἢ θανεῖν πειρωμένη;

[¶68] Nurse:’Tis death she courts; such fasting aims at ending life.

> Greek: Τροφός:
θανεῖν; ἀσιτεῖ γ’ εἰς ἀπόστασιν βίου.

[¶69] Chorus:
A strange story! is her husband satisfied?

> Greek: Χορός:
θαυμαστὸν εἶπας, εἰ τάδ’ ἐξαρκεῖ πόσει.

[¶70] Nurse:
She hides from him her sorrow, and vows she is not ill.

> Greek: Τροφός:
κρύπτει γὰρ ἥδε πῆμα κοὔ φησιν νοσεῖν.

[¶71] Chorus:
Can he not guess it from her face?

> Greek: Χορός:
ὃ δ’ ἐς πρόσωπον οὐ τεκμαίρεται βλέπων;

[¶72] Nurse:
He is not now in his own country.

> Greek: Τροφός:
ἔκδημος ὢν γὰρ τῆσδε τυγχάνει χθονός.

[¶73] Chorus:
But dost not thou insist in thy endeavour to find out her complaint, her crazy mind?

> Greek: Χορός:
σὺ δ’ οὐκ ἀνάγκην προσφέρεις, πειρωμένη
νόσον πυθέσθαι τῆσδε καὶ πλάνον φρενῶν;

[¶74] Nurse:
I have tried every plan, and all in vain;

> Greek: Τροφός:
ἐς πάντ’ ἀφῖγμαι κοὐδὲν εἴργασμαι πλέον·

[¶75] yet not even now will I relax my zeal, that thou too, if thou stayest, mayst witness my devotion to my unhappy mistress.

> Greek: οὐ μὴν ἀνήσω γ’ οὐδὲ νῦν προθυμίας,
ὡς ἂν παροῦσα καὶ σύ μοι ξυμμαρτυρῇς
οἵα πέφυκα δυστυχοῦσι δεσπόταις.

[¶76] Come, come, my darling child, let us forget, the twain of us, our former words; be thou more mild,
smoothing that sullen brow and changing the current of thy thought, and I, if in aught before I failed in humouring thee, will let that be and find some better course. If thou art sick with ills thou canst not name, there be women here to help to set thee right;

> Greek: ἄγ’, ὦ φίλη παῖ, τῶν πάροιθε μὲν λόγων
λαθώμεθ’ ἄμφω, καὶ σύ θ’ ἡδίων γενοῦ
στυγνὴν ὀφρὺν λύσασα καὶ γνώμης ὁδόν,
ἐγώ θ’ ὅπῃ σοι μὴ καλῶς τόθ’ εἱπόμην
μεθεῖσ’ ἐπ’ ἄλλον εἶμι βελτίω λόγον.
κεἰ μὲν νοσεῖς τι τῶν ἀπορρήτων κακῶν,
γυναῖκες αἵδε συγκαθιστάναι νόσον·

[¶77] but if thy trouble can to men’s ears be divulged, speak, that physicians may pronounce on it.

> Greek: εἰ δ’ ἔκφορός σοι συμφορὰ πρὸς ἄρσενας,
λέγ’, ὡς ἰατροῖς πρᾶγμα μηνυθῇ τόδε.

[¶78] Come, then, why so dumb? Thou shouldst not so remain, my child, but scold me if I speak amiss, or, if I give good counsel, yield assent.

> Greek: εἶἑν· τί σιγᾷς; οὐκ ἐχρῆν σιγᾶν, τέκνον,
ἀλλ’ ἤ μ’ ἐλέγχειν, εἴ τι μὴ καλῶς λέγω,
ἢ τοῖσιν εὖ λεχθεῖσι συγχωρεῖν λόγοις.

[¶79] One word, one look this way! Ah me! Friends, we waste our toil to no purpose; we are as far away as ever; she would not relent to my arguments then, nor is she yielding now.
Well, grow more stubborn than the sea, yet be assured of this,
that if thou diest thou art a traitress to thy children, for they will ne’er inherit their father’s halls, nay, by that knightly queen the Amazon who bore a son to lord it over thine, a bastard born but not a bastard bred, whom well thou knowest,
e’en Hippolytus.
Phaedra:
Oh! oh!

> Greek: φθέγξαι τι, δεῦρ’ ἄθρησον. — ὦ τάλαιν’ ἐγώ,
γυναῖκες, ἄλλως τούσδε μοχθοῦμεν πόνους,
ἴσον δ’ ἄπεσμεν τῷ πρίν· οὔτε γὰρ τότε
λόγοις ἐτέγγεθ’ ἥδε νῦν τ’ οὐ πείθεται. —
ἀλλ’ ἴσθι μέντοι — πρὸς τάδ’ αὐθαδεστέρα
γίγνου θαλάσσης — εἰ θανῇ, προδοῦσα σοὺς
παῖδας πατρῴων μὴ μεθέξοντας δόμων,
μὰ τὴν ἄνασσαν ἱππίαν Ἀμαζόνα,
ἣ σοῖς τέκνοισι δεσπότην ἐγείνατο
νόθον φρονοῦντα γνήσι’, οἶσθά νιν καλῶς,
Ἱππόλυτον
Φαίδρα:
οἴμοι.

[¶80] Nurse:
Ha! doth that touch the quick?

> Greek: Τροφός:
θιγγάνει σέθεν τόδε;

[¶81] Phaedra:
Thou hast undone me, nurse; I do adjure by the gods, mention that man no more.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ἀπώλεσάς με, μαῖα, καί σε πρὸς θεῶν
τοῦδ’ ἀνδρὸς αὖθις λίσσομαι σιγᾶν πέρι.

[¶82] Nurse:
There now! thou art thyself again, but e’en yet refusest to aid thy children and preserve thy life.

> Greek: Τροφός:
ὁρᾷς; φρονεῖς μὲν εὖ, φρονοῦσα δ’ οὐ θέλεις
παῖδάς τ’ ὀνῆσαι καὶ σὸν ἐκσῶσαι βίον.

[¶83] Phaedra:
My babes I love, but there is another storm that buffets me.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
φιλῶ τέκν’· ἄλλῃ δ’ ἐν τύχῃ χειμάζομαι.

[¶84] Nurse:
Daughter, are thy hands from bloodshed pure?

> Greek: Τροφός:
ἁγνὰς μέν, ὦ παῖ, χεῖρας αἵματος φορεῖς;

[¶85] Phaedra:
My hands are pure, but on my soul there rests a stain.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
χεῖρες μὲν ἁγναί, φρὴν δ’ ἔχει μίασμά τι.

[¶86] Nurse:
The issue of some enemy’s secret witchery?

> Greek: Τροφός:
μῶν ἐξ ἐπακτοῦ πημονῆς ἐχθρῶν τινος;

[¶87] Phaedra:
A friend is my destroyer, one unwilling as myself.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
φίλος μ’ ἀπόλλυσ’ οὐχ ἑκοῦσαν οὐχ ἑκών.

[¶88] Nurse:
Hath Theseus wronged thee in any wise?

> Greek: Τροφός:
Θησεύς τιν’ ἡμάρτηκεν ἐς σ’ ἁμαρτίαν;

[¶89] Phaedra:
Never may I prove untrue to him

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
μὴ δρῶσ’ ἔγωγ’ ἐκεῖνον ὀφθείην κακῶς.

[¶90] Nurse:
Then what strange mystery is there that drives thee on to die?

> Greek: Τροφός:
τί γὰρ τὸ δεινὸν τοῦθ’ ὅ σ’ ἐξαίρει θανεῖν;

[¶91] Phaedra:
O, let my sin and me alone!’tis not ’gainst thee I sin.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ἔα μ’ ἁμαρτεῖν· οὐ γὰρ ἐς σὲ ἁμαρτάνω.

[¶92] Nurse:
Never willingly! and, if I fail,’twill rest at thy door.

> Greek: Τροφός:
οὐ δῆθ’ ἑκοῦσά γ’, ἐν δὲ σοὶ λελείψομαι.

[¶93] Phaedra:
How now? thou usest force in clinging to my hand.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
τί δρᾷς; βιάζῃ χειρὸς ἐξαρτωμένη;

[¶94] Nurse:
Yea, and I will never loose my hold upon thy knees.

> Greek: Τροφός:
καὶ σῶν γε γονάτων, κοὐ μεθήσομαί ποτε.

[¶95] Phaedra:
Alas for thee! my sorrows, shouldst thou learn them, would recoil on thee.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
κάκ’, ὦ τάλαινα, σοὶ τάδ’, εἰ πεύσῃ, κακά.

[¶96] Nurse:
What keener grief for me than failing to win thee?

> Greek: Τροφός:
μεῖζον γὰρ ἢ σοῦ μὴ τυχεῖν τί μοι κακόν;

[¶97] Phaedra:’Twill be death to thee; though to me that brings renown.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ὀλεῖς· τὸ μέντοι πρᾶγμ’ ἐμοὶ τιμὴν φέρει.

[¶98] Nurse:
And dost thou then conceal this boon despite my prayers?

> Greek: Τροφός:
κἄπειτα κρύπτεις χρήσθ’ ἱκνουμένης ἐμοῦ;

[¶99] Phaedra:
I do, for ’tis out of shame I am planning an honourable escape.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ἐκ τῶν γὰρ αἰσχρῶν ἐσθλὰ μηχανώμεθα.

[¶100] Nurse:
Tell it, and thine honour shall the brighter shine.

> Greek: Τροφός:
οὐκοῦν λέγουσα τιμιωτέρα φανῇ.

[¶101] Phaedra:
Away, I do conjure thee; loose my hand.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ἄπελθε πρὸς θεῶν δεξιᾶς τ’ ἐμῆς μέθες.

[¶102] Nurse:
I will not, for the boon thou shouldst have granted me is denied.

> Greek: Τροφός:
οὐ δῆτ’, ἐπεί μοι δῶρον οὐ δίδως ὃ χρῆν.

[¶103] Phaedra:
I will grant it out of reverence for thy holy sup- pliant touch.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
δώσω· σέβας γὰρ χειρὸς αἰδοῦμαι τὸ σόν.

[¶104] Nurse:
Henceforth I hold my peace;’tis thine to speak from now.

> Greek: Τροφός:
σιγῷμ’ ἂν ἤδη· σὸς γὰρ οὑντεῦθεν λόγος.

[¶105] Phaedra:
Ah! hapless mother, what a love was thine!

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ὦ τλῆμον, οἷον, μῆτερ, ἠράσθης ἔρον,

[¶106] Nurse:
Her love for the bull? daughter, or what meanest thou?

> Greek: Τροφός:
ὃν ἔσχε Ταύρου, τέκνον, ἢ τί φῂς τόδε;

[¶107] Phaedra:
And woe to thee! my sister, bride of Dionysus.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
σύ τ’, ὦ τάλαιν’ ὅμαιμε, Διονύσου δάμαρ,

[¶108] Nurse:
What ails thee, child? speaking ill of kith and kin.

> Greek: Τροφός:
τέκνον, τί πάσχεις; συγγόνους κακορροθεῖς;

[¶109] Phaedra:
Myself the third to suffer! how am I undone!

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
τρίτη δ’ ἐγὼ δύστηνος ὡς ἀπόλλυμαι.

[¶110] Nurse:
Thou strik’st me dumb! Where will this history end?

> Greek: Τροφός:
ἔκ τοι πέπληγμαι· ποῖ προβήσεται λόγος;

[¶111] Phaedra:
That “love” has been our curse from time long past.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ἐκεῖθεν ἡμεῖς, οὐ νεωστί, δυστυχεῖς.

[¶112] Nurse:
I know no more of what I fain would learn.

> Greek: Τροφός:
οὐδέν τι μᾶλλον οἶδ’ ἃ βούλομαι κλύειν.

[¶113] Phaedra:
Ah! would thou couldst say for me what I have to tell.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
φεῦ·
πῶς ἂν σύ μοι λέξειας ἁμὲ χρὴ λέγειν;

[¶114] Nurse:
I am no prophetess to unriddle secrets.

> Greek: Τροφός:
οὐ μάντις εἰμὶ τἀφανῆ γνῶναι σαφῶς.

[¶115] Phaedra:
What is it they mean when they talk of people being in “love?”

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
τί τοῦθ’, ὃ δὴ λέγουσιν ἀνθρώπους, ἐρᾶν;

[¶116] Nurse:
At once the sweetest and the bitterest thing, my child.

> Greek: Τροφός:
ἥδιστον, ὦ παῖ, ταὐτὸν ἀλγεινόν θ’ ἅμα.

[¶117] Phaedra:
I shall only find the latter half.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ἡμεῖς ἂν εἶμεν θατέρῳ κεχρημένοι.

[¶118] Nurse:
Ha! my child, art thou in love?

> Greek: Τροφός:
τί φῄς; ἐρᾷς, ὦ τέκνον; ἀνθρώπων τίνος;

[¶119] Phaedra:
The Amazon’s son, whoever he may be,—

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ὅστις ποθ’ οὗτός ἐσθ’, ὁ τῆς Ἀμαζόνος …

[¶120] Nurse:
Mean’st thou Hippolytus?
Phaedra:’Twas thou, not I, that spoke his name.

> Greek: Τροφός:
Ἱππόλυτον αὐδᾷς;
Φαίδρα:
σοῦ τάδ’, οὐκ ἐμοῦ κλύεις.

[¶121] Nurse:
O heavens! what is this, my child? Thou hast ruined me. Outrageous! friends; I will not live and bear it;
hateful is life, hateful to mine eyes the light. This body I resign, will cast it off, and rid me of existence by my death. Farewell, my life is o’er. Yea, for the chaste have wicked passions,’gainst their will maybe, but still they have. Cypris, it seems, is not a goddess after all,
but something greater far, for she hath been the ruin of my lady and of me and our whole family.

> Greek: Τροφός:
οἴμοι, τί λέξεις, τέκνον; ὥς μ’ ἀπώλεσας.
γυναῖκες, οὐκ ἀνασχέτ’· οὐκ ἀνέξομαι
ζῶσ’· ἐχθρὸν ἦμαρ, ἐχθρὸν εἰσορῶ φάος.
ῥίψω μεθήσω σῶμ’, ἀπαλλαχθήσομαι
βίου θανοῦσα· χαίρετ’· οὐκέτ’ εἴμ’ ἐγώ.
οἱ σώφρονες γὰρ οὐχ ἑκόντες, ἀλλ’ ὅμως
κακῶν ἐρῶσι. Κύπρις οὐκ ἄρ’ ἦν θεός,
ἀλλ’ εἴ τι μεῖζον ἄλλο γίγνεται θεοῦ,
ἣ τήνδε κἀμὲ καὶ δόμους ἀπώλεσεν.

[¶122] Chorus:
O, too clearly didst thou hear our queen uplift her voice to tell her startling tale of piteous suffering. Come death ere I reach thy state of feeling, loved mistress.
O horrible! woe, for these miseries! woe, for the sorrows on which mortals feed! Thou art undone! thou hast disclosed thy sin to heaven’s light. What hath each passing day and every hour in store for thee?

> Greek: Χορός:
ἄιες ὤ, ἔκλυες ὤ,
ἀνήκουστα τᾶς
τυράννου πάθεα μέλεα θρεομένας;
— ὀλοίμαν ἔγωγε, πρὶν σὰν φιλίαν
κατανύσαι φρενῶν. ἰώ μοι, φεῦ φεῦ.
— ὦ τάλαινα τῶνδ’ ἀλγέων·
— ὦ πόνοι τρέφοντες βροτούς.
— ὄλωλας, ἐξέφηνας ἐς φάος κακά.
— τίς σε παναμέριος ὅδε χρόνος μένει;

[¶123] Some strange event will come to pass in this house. For it is no longer uncertain where the star of thy love is setting, thou hapless daughter of Crete.

> Greek: — τελευτάσεταί τι καινὸν δόμοις.
— ἄσημα δ’ οὐκέτ’ ἐστὶν οἷ φθίνει τύχα
Κύπριδος, ὦ τάλαινα παῖ Κρησία.

[¶124] Phaedra:
Ladies of Troezen, who dwell here upon the frontier edge of Pelops’ land,
oft ere now in heedless mood through the long hours of night have I wondered why man’s life is spoiled; and it seems to me their evil case is not due to any natural fault of judgment, for there be many dowered with sense, but we must view the matter in this light;

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
Τροζήνιαι γυναῖκες, αἳ τόδ’ ἔσχατον
οἰκεῖτε χώρας Πελοπίας προνώπιον,
ἤδη ποτ’ ἄλλως νυκτὸς ἐν μακρῷ χρόνῳ
θνητῶν ἐφρόντισ’ ᾗ διέφθαρται βίος.
καί μοι δοκοῦσιν οὐ κατὰ γνώμης φύσιν
πράσσειν κάκιον· ἔστι γὰρ τό γ’ εὖ φρονεῖν
πολλοῖσιν· ἀλλὰ τῇδ’ ἀθρητέον τόδε·

[¶125] by teaching and experience we learn the right but neglect it in practice, some from sloth, others from preferring pleasure of some kind or other to duty. Now life has many pleasures, protracted talk, and leisure, that seductive evil;
likewise there is shame which is of two kinds, one a noble quality, the other a curse to families; but if for each its proper time were clearly known, these twain could not have had the selfsame letters to denote them.

> Greek: τὰ χρήστ’ ἐπιστάμεσθα καὶ γιγνώσκομεν,
οὐκ ἐκπονοῦμεν δ’, οἳ μὲν ἀργίας ὕπο,
οἳ δ’ ἡδονὴν προθέντες ἀντὶ τοῦ καλοῦ
ἄλλην τιν’. εἰσὶ δ’ ἡδοναὶ πολλαὶ βίου,
μακραί τε λέσχαι καὶ σχολή, τερπνὸν κακόν,
αἰδώς τε. δισσαὶ δ’ εἰσίν, ἣ μὲν οὐ κακή,
ἣ δ’ ἄχθος οἴκων. εἰ δ’ ὁ καιρὸς ἦν σαφής,
οὐκ ἂν δύ’ ἤστην ταὔτ’ ἔχοντε γράμματα.

[¶126] So then since I had made up my mind on these points,’twas not likely any drug would alter it
and make me think the contrary. And I will tell thee too the way my judgment went. When love wounded me, I bethought me how I best might bear the smart. So from that day forth I began to hide in silence what I suffered.

> Greek: ταῦτ’ οὖν ἐπειδὴ τυγχάνω φρονοῦσ’ ἐγώ,
οὐκ ἔσθ’ ὁποίῳ φαρμάκῳ διαφθερεῖν
ἔμελλον, ὥστε τοὔμπαλιν πεσεῖν φρενῶν.
λέξω δὲ καὶ σοὶ τῆς ἐμῆς γνώμης ὁδόν·
ἐπεί μ’ ἔρως ἔτρωσεν, ἐσκόπουν ὅπως
κάλλιστ’ ἐνέγκαιμ’ αὐτόν. ἠρξάμην μὲν οὖν
ἐκ τοῦδε, σιγᾶν τήνδε καὶ κρύπτειν νόσον.

[¶127] For I put no faith in counsellors, who know well to lecture others for presumption, yet themselves have countless troubles of their own. Next I did devise noble endurance of these wanton thoughts, striving by continence for victory.

> Greek: γλώσσῃ γὰρ οὐδὲν πιστόν, ἣ θυραῖα μὲν
φρονήματ’ ἀνδρῶν νουθετεῖν ἐπίσταται,
αὐτὴ δ’ ὑφ’ αὑτῆς πλεῖστα κέκτηται κακά.
τὸ δεύτερον δὲ τὴν ἄνοιαν εὖ φέρειν
τῷ σωφρονεῖν νικῶσα προυνοησάμην.

[¶128] And last when I could not succeed in mastering love hereby, methought it best to die; and none can gainsay my purpose. For fain I would my virtue should to all appear, my shame have few to witness it.

> Greek: τρίτον δ’, ἐπειδὴ τοισίδ’ οὐκ ἐξήνυτον
Κύπριν κρατῆσαι, κατθανεῖν ἔδοξέ μοι,
κράτιστον — οὐδεὶς ἀντερεῖ — βουλευμάτων.
ἐμοὶ γὰρ εἴη μήτε λανθάνειν καλὰ
μήτ’ αἰσχρὰ δρώσῃ μάρτυρας πολλοὺς ἔχειν.

[¶129] I knew my sickly passion now; to yield to it I saw how infamous; and more, I learnt to know so well that I was but a woman, a thing the world detests. Curses, hideous curses on that wife, who first did shame her marriage-vow for lovers other than her lord!’Twas from noble families
this curse began to spread among our sex. For when the noble countenance disgrace, poor folk of course will think that it is right. Those too I hate who make profession of purity, though in secret reckless sinners.

> Greek: τὸ δ’ ἔργον ᾔδη τὴν νόσον τε δυσκλεᾶ,
γυνή τε πρὸς τοῖσδ’ οὖσ’ ἐγίγνωσκον καλῶς,
μίσημα πᾶσιν. ὡς ὄλοιτο παγκάκως
ἥτις πρὸς ἄνδρας ἤρξατ’ αἰσχύνειν λέχη
πρώτη θυραίους. ἐκ δὲ γενναίων δόμων
τόδ’ ἦρξε θηλείαισι γίγνεσθαι κακόν.
ὅταν γὰρ αἰσχρὰ τοῖσιν ἐσθλοῖσιν δοκῇ,
ἦ κάρτα δόξει τοῖς κακοῖς γ’ εἶναι καλά.
μισῶ δὲ καὶ τὰς σώφρονας μὲν ἐν λόγοις,
λάθρᾳ δὲ τόλμας οὐ καλὰς κεκτημένας.

[¶130] How can these, queen Cypris, ocean’s child, e’er look their husbands in the face? do they never feel one guilty thrill that their accomplice, night, or the chambers of their house will find a voice and speak?

> Greek: αἳ πῶς ποτ’, ὦ δέσποινα ποντία Κύπρι,
βλέπουσιν ἐς πρόσωπα τῶν ξυνευνετῶν
οὐδὲ σκότον φρίσσουσι τὸν ξυνεργάτην
τέραμνά τ’ οἴκων μή ποτε φθογγὴν ἀφῇ;

[¶131] This it is that calls on me to die, kind friends,
that so I may ne’er be found to have disgraced my lord, or the children I have born; no! may they grow up and dwell in glorious Athens, free to speak and act, heirs to such fair fame as a mother can bequeath. For to know that father or mother have sinned doth turn
the stoutest heart to slavishness. This alone, men say, can stand the buffets of life’s battle, a just and virtuous soul in whomsoever found. For time unmasks the villain sooner or later, holding up to them a mirror as to some blooming maid.’Mongst such may I be never seen!

> Greek: ἡμᾶς γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτ’ ἀποκτείνει, φίλαι,
ὡς μήποτ’ ἄνδρα τὸν ἐμὸν αἰσχύνασ’ ἁλῶ,
μὴ παῖδας οὓς ἔτικτον· ἀλλ’ ἐλεύθεροι
παρρησίᾳ θάλλοντες οἰκοῖεν πόλιν
κλεινῶν Ἀθηνῶν, μητρὸς οὕνεκ’ εὐκλεεῖς.
δουλοῖ γὰρ ἄνδρα, κἂν θρασύσπλαγχνός τις ᾖ,
ὅταν ξυνειδῇ μητρὸς ἢ πατρὸς κακά.
μόνον δὲ τοῦτό φασ’ ἁμιλλᾶσθαι βίῳ,
γνώμην δικαίαν κἀγαθήν, ὅτῳ παρῇ.
κακοὺς δὲ θνητῶν ἐξέφην’, ὅταν τύχῃ,
προθεὶς κάτοπτρον ὥστε παρθένῳ νέᾳ
χρόνος· παρ’ οἷσι μήποτ’ ὀφθείην ἐγώ.

[¶132] Chorus:
Now look! how fair is chastity however viewed, whose fruit is good repute amongst men.

> Greek: Χορός:
φεῦ φεῦ· τὸ σῶφρον ὡς ἁπανταχοῦ καλὸν
καὶ δόξαν ἐσθλὴν ἐν βροτοῖς καρπίζεται.

[¶133] Nurse:
My queen,’tis true thy tale of woe, but lately told, did for the moment strike me with wild alarm,
but now I do reflect upon my foolishness; second thoughts are often best even with men. Thy fate is no uncommon one nor past one’s calculations; thou art stricken by the passion Cypris sends. Thou art in love; what wonder? so are many more.

> Greek: Τροφός:
δέσποιν’, ἐμοί τοι συμφορὰ μὲν ἀρτίως
ἡ σὴ παρέσχε δεινὸν ἐξαίφνης φόβον·
νῦν δ’ ἐννοοῦμαι φαῦλος οὖσα· κἀν βροτοῖς
αἱ δεύτεραί πως φροντίδες σοφώτεραι.
οὐ γὰρ περισσὸν οὐδὲν οὐδ’ ἔξω λόγου
πέπονθας· ὀργαὶ δ’ ἐς σ’ ἀπέσκηψαν θεᾶς.
ἐρᾷς· τί τοῦτο θαῦμα; σὺν πολλοῖς βροτῶν.

[¶134] Wilt thou, because thou lov’st, destroy thyself?’Tis little gain, I trow, for those who love or yet may love their fellows, if death must be their end; for though the Love-Queen’s onset in her might is more than man can bear, yet doth she gently visit yielding hearts,
and only when she finds a proud unnatural spirit, doth she take and mock it past belief. Her path is in the sky, and mid the ocean’s surge she rides; from her all nature springs; she sows the seeds of love, inspires the warm desire
to which we sons of earth all owe our being. They who have aught to do with books of ancient scribes, or themselves engage in studious pursuits, know how Zeus of Semele was enamoured,
how the bright-eyed goddess of the Dawn once stole Cephalus to dwell in heaven for the love she bore him; yet these in heaven abide nor shun the gods’ approach, content, I trow, to yield to their misfortune.

> Greek: κἄπειτ’ ἔρωτος οὕνεκα ψυχὴν ὀλεῖς;
οὔ τἄρα λύει τοῖς ἐρῶσι τῶν πέλας,
ὅσοι τε μέλλουσ’, εἰ θανεῖν αὐτοὺς χρεών·
Κύπρις γὰρ οὐ φορητός, ἢν πολλὴ ῥυῇ·
ἣ τὸν μὲν εἴκονθ’ ἡσυχῇ μετέρχεται,
ὃν δ’ ἂν περισσὸν καὶ φρονοῦνθ’ εὕρῃ μέγα,
τοῦτον λαβοῦσα — πῶς δοκεῖς; — καθύβρισεν.
φοιτᾷ δ’ ἀν’ αἰθέρ’, ἔστι δ’ ἐν θαλασσίῳ
κλύδωνι Κύπρις, πάντα δ’ ἐκ ταύτης ἔφυ·
ἥδ’ ἐστὶν ἡ σπείρουσα καὶ διδοῦσ’ ἔρον
οὗ πάντες ἐσμὲν οἱ κατὰ χθόν’ ἔγγονοι.
ὅσοι μὲν οὖν γραφάς τε τῶν παλαιτέρων
ἔχουσιν αὐτοί τ’ εἰσὶν ἐν μούσαις ἀεί,
ἴσασι μὲν Ζεὺς ὥς ποτ’ ἠράσθη γάμων
Σεμέλης, ἴσασι δ’ ὡς ἀνήρπασέν ποτε
ἡ καλλιφεγγὴς Κέφαλον ἐς θεοὺς Ἕως
ἔρωτος εἵνεκ’· ἀλλ’ ὅμως ἐν οὐρανῷ
ναίουσι κοὐ φεύγουσιν ἐκποδὼν θεούς,
στέργουσι δ’, οἶμαι, ξυμφορᾷ νικώμενοι.

[¶135] Wilt thou refuse to yield? thy sire, it seems, should have begotten thee on special terms
or with different gods for masters, if in these laws thou wilt not acquiesce. How many, prithee, men of sterling sense, when they see their wives unfaithful, make as though they saw it not? How many fathers, when their sons have gone astray,
assist them in their amours?’tis part of human wisdom to conceal the deed of shame. Nor should man aim at excessive refinement in his life; for they cannot with exactness finish
e’en the roof that covers in a house; and how dost thou, after falling into so deep a pit, think to escape? Nay, if thou hast more of good than bad, thou wilt fare exceeding well, thy human nature considered.

> Greek: σὺ δ’ οὐκ ἀνέξῃ; χρῆν σ’ ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς ἄρα
πατέρα φυτεύειν, ἢ ’πὶ δεσπόταις θεοῖς
ἄλλοισιν, εἰ μὴ τούσδε γε στέρξεις νόμους.
πόσους δοκεῖς δὴ κάρτ’ ἔχοντας εὖ φρενῶν
νοσοῦνθ’ ὁρῶντας λέκτρα μὴ δοκεῖν ὁρᾶν;
πόσους δὲ παισὶ πατέρας ἡμαρτηκόσι
συνεκκομίζειν Κύπριν; ἐν σοφοῖσι γὰρ
τάδ’ ἐστὶ θνητῶν, λανθάνειν τὰ μὴ καλά.
οὐδ’ ἐκπονεῖν τοι χρὴ βίον λίαν βροτούς·
οὐδὲ στέγην γὰρ ἧς κατηρεφεῖς δόμοι
καλῶς ἀκριβώσειαν· ἐς δὲ τὴν τύχην
πεσοῦσ’ ὅσην σὺ πῶς ἂν ἐκνεῦσαι δοκεῖς;
ἀλλ’, εἰ τὰ πλείω χρηστὰ τῶν κακῶν ἔχεις,
ἄνθρωπος οὖσα, κάρτα γ’ εὖ πράξειας ἄν.

[¶136] O cease, my darling child, from evil thoughts, let wanton pride be gone, for this is naught else,
this wish to rival gods in perfectness. Face thy love;’tis heaven’s will thou shouldst. Sick thou art, yet turn thy sickness to some happy issue. For there are charms and spells to soothe the soul; surely some cure for thy disease will be found.

> Greek: ἀλλ’, ὦ φίλη παῖ, λῆγε μὲν κακῶν φρενῶν,
λῆξον δ’ ὑβρίζουσ’· οὐ γὰρ ἄλλο πλὴν ὕβρις
τάδ’ ἐστί, κρείσσω δαιμόνων εἶναι θέλειν·
τόλμα δ’ ἐρῶσα· θεὸς ἐβουλήθη τάδε.
νοσοῦσα δ’ εὖ πως τὴν νόσον καταστρέφου.
εἰσὶν δ’ ἐπῳδαὶ καὶ λόγοι θελκτήριοι·
φανήσεταί τι τῆσδε φάρμακον νόσου.

[¶137] Men, no doubt, might seek it long and late if our women’s minds no scheme devise.

> Greek: ἦ τἄρ’ ἂν ὀψέ γ’ ἄνδρες ἐξεύροιεν ἄν,
εἰ μὴ γυναῖκες μηχανὰς εὑρήσομεν.

[¶138] Chorus:
Although she gives thee at thy present need the wiser counsel, Phaedra, yet do I praise thee. Still my praise may sound more harsh
and jar more cruelly on thy ear than her advice.

> Greek: Χορός:
Φαίδρα, λέγει μὲν ἥδε χρησιμώτερα
πρὸς τὴν παροῦσαν ξυμφοράν, αἰνῶ δὲ σέ.
ὁ δ’ αἶνος οὗτος δυσχερέστερος λόγων
τῶν τῆσδε καὶ σοὶ μᾶλλον ἀλγίων κλύειν.

[¶139] Phaedra:’Tis even this, too plausible a tongue, that overthrows good governments and homes of men. We should not speak to please the ear but point the path that leads to noble fame.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
τοῦτ’ ἔσθ’ ὃ θνητῶν εὖ πόλεις οἰκουμένας
δόμους τ’ ἀπόλλυσ’, οἱ καλοὶ λίαν λόγοι.
οὐ γὰρ τὰ τοῖσιν ὠσὶ τερπνὰ χρὴ λέγειν,
ἀλλ’ ἐξ ὅτου τις εὐκλεὴς γενήσεται.

## 2. Lines 490–982

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/euripides-hippolytus/2/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/euripides-hippolytus/2/#p-N

[¶0] Nurse:
What means this solemn speech? No need of rounded phrases; but at once must we sound the prince, telling him frankly how it is with thee. Had not thy life to such a crisis come, or wert thou with self-control endowed,
ne’er would I to gratify thy passions have urged thee to this course; but now ’tis a struggle fierce to save thy life, and therefore less to blame.

> Greek: Τροφός:
τί σεμνομυθεῖς; οὐ λόγων εὐσχημόνων
δεῖ σ’, ἀλλὰ τἀνδρός. — ὡς τάχος διοιστέον,
τὸν εὐθὺν ἐξειπόντας ἀμφὶ σοῦ λόγον.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν σοι μὴ ’πὶ συμφοραῖς βίος
τοιαῖσδε, σώφρων δ’ οὖσ’ ἐτύγχανες γυνή,
οὐκ ἄν ποτ’ εὐνῆς οὕνεχ’ ἡδονῆς τε σῆς
προσῆγον ἄν σε δεῦρο· νῦν δ’ ἀγὼν μέγας
σῶσαι βίον σόν, κοὐκ ἐπίφθονον τόδε.

[¶1] Phaedra:
Accursed proposal! peace, woman! never utter those shameful words again!

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ὦ δεινὰ λέξασ’, οὐχὶ συγκλῄσεις στόμα
καὶ μὴ μεθήσεις αὖθις αἰσχίστους λόγους;

[¶2] Nurse:
Shameful, maybe, yet for thee better than honour’s code. Better this deed, if it shall save thy life, than that name thy pride will kill thee to retain.

> Greek: Τροφός:
αἴσχρ’, ἀλλ’ ἀμείνω τῶν καλῶν τάδ’ ἐστί σοι.
κρεῖσσον δὲ τοὔργον, εἴπερ ἐκσώσει γέ σε,
ἢ τοὔνομ’, ᾧ σὺ κατθανῇ γαυρουμένη.

[¶3] Phaedra:
I conjure thee, go no further! for thy words are plausible but infamous; for though as yet
love has not undermined my soul, yet, if in specious words thou dress thy foul suggestion, I shall be beguiled into the snare from which I am now escaping.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
καὶ μή σε πρὸς θεῶν — εὖ λέγεις γάρ, αἰσχρὰ δέ —
πέρα προβῇς τῶνδ’· ὡς ὑπείργασμαι μὲν εὖ
ψυχὴν ἔρωτι, τᾀσχρὰ δ’ ἢν λέγῃς καλῶς,
ἐς τοῦθ’ ὃ φεύγω νῦν ἀναλωθήσομαι.

[¶4] Nurse:
If thou art of this mind,’twere well thou ne’er hadst sinned; but as it is, hear me; for that is the next best course; I in my house have charms
to soothe thy love,—’twas but now I thought of them;—these shall cure thee of thy sickness on no disgraceful terms, thy mind unhurt, if thou wilt be but brave.

> Greek: Τροφός:
εἴ τοι δοκεῖ σοι, χρῆν μὲν οὔ σ’ ἁμαρτάνειν·
εἰ δ’ οὖν, πιθοῦ μοι· δευτέρα γὰρ ἡ χάρις.
ἔστιν κατ’ οἴκους φίλτρα μοι θελκτήρια
ἔρωτος, ἦλθε δ’ ἄρτι μοι γνώμης ἔσω,
ἅ σ’ οὔτ’ ἐπ’ αἰσχροῖς οὔτ’ ἐπὶ βλάβῃ φρενῶν
παύσει νόσου τῆσδ’, ἢν σὺ μὴ γένῃ κακή.

[¶5] [But from him thou lovest we must get some token, a word or fragment of his robe,]
[and thereby unite in one love’s twofold stream.]

> Greek: δεῖ δ’ ἐξ ἐκείνου δή τι τοῦ ποθουμένου
σημεῖον, ἢ λόγον τιν’ ἢ πέπλων ἄπο
λαβεῖν, συνάψαι τ’ ἐκ δυοῖν μίαν χάριν.

[¶6] Phaedra:
Is thy drug a salve or potion?

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
πότερα δὲ χριστὸν ἢ ποτὸν τὸ φάρμακον;

[¶7] Nurse:
I cannot tell; be content, my child, to profit by it and ask no questions.

> Greek: Τροφός:
οὐκ οἶδ’· ὀνάσθαι, μὴ μαθεῖν βούλου, τέκνον.

[¶8] Phaedra:
I fear me thou wilt prove too wise for me.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
δέδοιχ’ ὅπως μοι μὴ λίαν φανῇς σοφή.

[¶9] Nurse:
If thou fear this, confess thyself afraid of all; but why thy terror?

> Greek: Τροφός:
πάντ’ ἂν φοβηθεῖσ’ ἴσθι· δειμαίνεις δὲ τί;

[¶10] Phaedra:
Lest thou shouldst breathe a word of this to Theseus’ son.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
μή μοί τι Θησέως τῶνδε μηνύσῃς τόκῳ.

[¶11] Nurse:
Peace, my child! I will do all things well; only be thou, queen Cypris, ocean’s child, my partner in the work! And for the rest of my purpose, it will be enough for me to tell it to Our friends within the house. [Exit Nurse.

> Greek: Τροφός:
ἔασον, ὦ παῖ· ταῦτ’ ἐγὼ θήσω καλῶς.
μόνον σύ μοι, δέσποινα ποντία Κύπρι,
συνεργὸς εἴης. τἄλλα δ’ οἷ’ ἐγὼ φρονῶ
τοῖς ἔνδον ἡμῖν ἀρκέσει λέξαι φίλοις.

[¶12] Chorus:
O Love, Love, that from the eyes diffusest soft desire, bringing on the souls of those, whom thou dost camp against, sweet grace, O never in evil mood appear to me, nor out of time and tune approach!

> Greek: Χορός:
Ἔρως Ἔρως, ὃ κατ’ ὀμμάτων
στάζεις πόθον, εἰσάγων γλυκεῖαν
ψυχᾷ χάριν οὓς ἐπιστρατεύσῃ,
μή μοί ποτε σὺν κακῷ φανείης
μηδ’ ἄρρυθμος ἔλθοις.

[¶13] Nor fire nor meteor hurls a mightier bolt than Aphrodite’s shaft shot by the hands of Love, the child of Zeus.

> Greek: οὔτε γὰρ πυρὸς οὔτ’ ἄστρων ὑπέρτερον βέλος,
οἷον τὸ τᾶς Ἀφροδίτας
ἵησιν ἐκ χερῶν
Ἔρως, ὁ Διὸς παῖς.

[¶14] Chorus:
Idly, idly by the streams of Alpheus and in the Pythian shrines of Phoebus, Hellas heaps the slaughtered steers; while Love we worship not, Love, the king of men, who holds the key to Aphrodite’s
sweetest bower,—worship not him who, when he comes, lays waste and marks his path to mortal hearts by wide-spread woe.

> Greek: Χορός:
ἄλλως ἄλλως παρά τ’ Ἀλφεῷ
Φοίβου τ’ ἐπὶ Πυθίοις τεράμνοις
βούταν φόνον Ἑλλὰς ⟨αἶ’⟩ ἀέξει·
Ἔρωτα δέ, τὸν τύραννον ἀνδρῶν,
τὸν τᾶς Ἀφροδίτας
φιλτάτων θαλάμων κλῃδοῦχον, οὐ σεβίζομεν,
πέρθοντα καὶ διὰ πάσας
ἰόντα συμφορᾶς
θνατοῖς, ὅταν ἔλθῃ.

[¶15] Chorus:
There was that maiden in Oechalia, a girl unwed, that knew no wooer yet nor married joys; her did the queen of Love snatch from her home across the sea
and gave unto Alcmena’s son, mid blood and smoke and murderous marriage-hymns, to be to him a frantic fiend of hell; woe! woe for his wooing!

> Greek: Χορός:
τὰν μὲν Οἰχαλίᾳ
πῶλον ἄζυγα λέκτρων, ἄναν-
δρον τὸ πρὶν καὶ ἄνυμφον, οἴ-
κων ζεύξασ’ ἀπ’ Εὐρυτίων
δρομάδα Ναΐδ’ ὅπως τε Βάκ-
χαν σὺν αἵματι, σὺν καπνῷ
φονίοις θ’ ὑμεναίοις
Ἀλκμήνας τόκῳ Κύπρις ἐξέδωκεν·
ὦ τλάμων ὑμεναίων.

[¶16] Chorus:
Ah! holy walls of Thebes, ah! fount of Dirce, ye could testify what course the love-queen follows. For with the blazing levin-bolt
did she cut short the fatal marriage of Semele, mother of Zeus-bom Bacchus. All things she doth inspire, dread goddess, winging her flight hither and thither like a bee.

> Greek: Χορός:
ὦ Θήβας ἱερὸν
τεῖχος, ὦ στόμα Δίρκας, συνεί-
ποιτ’ ἂν ἁ Κύπρις οἷον ἕρ-
πει. βροντᾷ γὰρ ἀμφιπύρῳ
τοκάδα τὰν διγόνοιο Βάκ-
χου νυμφευσαμένα πότμῳ
φονίῳ κατηύνασεν.
δεινὰ γὰρ παντᾷ ποτιπνεῖ, μέλισσα δ’
οἵα τις πεπόταται.

[¶17] Phaedra:
Peace, ladies, peace! I am undone.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
σιγήσατ’, ὦ γυναῖκες· ἐξειργάσμεθα.

[¶18] Chorus:
What, Phaedra, is this dread event within thy house?

> Greek: Χορός:
τί δ’ ἔστι, Φαίδρα, δεινὸν ἐν δόμοισί σοι;

[¶19] Phaedra:
Hush! let me hear what those within are saying.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ἐπίσχετ’, αὐδὴν τῶν ἔσωθεν ἐκμάθω.

[¶20] Chorus:
I am silent; this is surely the prelude to mischief.

> Greek: Χορός:
σιγῶ· τὸ μέντοι φροίμιον κακὸν τόδε.

[¶21] Phaedra:
Great gods!

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ἰώ μοι, αἰαῖ·

[¶22] how awful are my sufferings!

> Greek: ὦ δυστάλαινα τῶν ἐμῶν παθημάτων.

[¶23] Chorus:
What a cry was there! what loud alarm! say what sudden terror, lady, doth thy soul dismay.

> Greek: Χορός:
τίνα θροεῖς αὐδάν; τίνα βοᾷς λόγον;
ἔνεπε, τίς φοβεῖ σε φήμα, γύναι,
φρένας ἐπίσσυτος;

[¶24] Phaedra:
I am undone. Stand here at the door and hear the noise arising in the house.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ἀπωλόμεσθα. ταῖσδ’ ἐπιστᾶσαι πύλαις
ἀκούσαθ’ οἷος κέλαδος ἐν δόμοις πίτνει.

[¶25] Chorus:
Thou art already by the bolted door;’tis for thee to note the sounds that issue from within. And tell me, O tell me what mischief can be on foot.

> Greek: Χορός:
σὺ παρὰ κλῇθρα, σοὶ μέλει πομπίμα
φάτις δωμάτων.
ἔνεπε δ’ ἔνεπέ μοι, τί ποτ’ ἔβα κακόν;

[¶26] Phaedra:’Tis the son of the horse-loving Amazon who calls, Hippolytus, uttering foul curses on my servant.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ὁ τῆς φιλίππου παῖς Ἀμαζόνος βοᾷ
Ἱππόλυτος, αὐδῶν δεινὰ πρόσπολον κακά.

[¶27] Chorus:
I hear a noise, but cannot clearly tell which way it comes. Ah!’tis through the door the sound reached thee.

> Greek: Χορός:
ἀχὰν μὲν κλύω, σαφὲς δ’ οὐκ ἔχω·
γεγωνεῖ δ’ ὅπᾳ
διὰ πύλας ἔμολεν ἔμολε σοὶ βοά.

[¶28] Phaedra:
Yes, yes, he is calling her plainly enough a go-between in vice,
traitress to her master’s honour.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
καὶ μὴν σαφῶς γε τὴν κακῶν προμνήστριαν,
τὴν δεσπότου προδοῦσαν ἐξαυδᾷ λέχος.

[¶29] Chorus:
Woe, woe is me! thou art betrayed, dear mistress! What counsel shall I give thee? thy secret is out; thou art utterly undone.

> Greek: Χορός:
ὤμοι ἐγὼ κακῶν· προδέδοσαι, φίλα.
τί σοι μήσομαι;
τὰ κρυπτὰ γὰρ πέφηνε, διὰ δ’ ὄλλυσαι —

[¶30] Phaedra:
Ah me! ah me!

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
αἰαῖ, ἒ ἔ.

[¶31] Chorus:
Betrayed by friends!

> Greek: Χορός:
πρόδοτος ἐκ φίλων.

[¶32] Phaedra:
She hath ruined me by speaking of my misfortune;’twas kindly meant, but an ill way to cure my malady.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ἀπώλεσέν μ’ εἰποῦσα συμφορὰς ἐμάς,
φίλως, καλῶς δ’ οὐ τήνδ’ ἰωμένη νόσον.

[¶33] Chorus:
O what wilt thou do now in thy cruel dilemma?

> Greek: Χορός:
πῶς οὖν; τί δράσεις, ὦ παθοῦσ’ ἀμήχανα;

[¶34] Phaedra:
I only know one way,
one cure for these my woes and that is instant death.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
οὐκ οἶδα πλὴν ἕν· κατθανεῖν ὅσον τάχος,
τῶν νῦν παρόντων πημάτων ἄκος μόνον.

[¶35] Hippolytus:
O mother earth! O sun’s unclouded orb! What words, unfit for any lips, have reached my ears!

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ὦ γαῖα μῆτερ ἡλίου τ’ ἀναπτυχαί,
οἵων λόγων ἄρρητον εἰσήκουσ’ ὄπα.

[¶36] Nurse:
Peace, my son, lest some one hear thy outcry.

> Greek: Τροφός:
σίγησον, ὦ παῖ, πρίν τιν’ αἰσθέσθαι βοῆς.

[¶37] Hippolytus:
I cannot hear such awful words and hold my peace.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
οὐκ ἔστ’ ἀκούσας δείν’ ὅπως σιγήσομαι.

[¶38] Nurse:
I do implore thee by thy fair right hand.

> Greek: Τροφός:
ναὶ πρός σε τῆς σῆς δεξιᾶς εὐωλένου.

[¶39] Hippolytus:
Let go my hand, touch not my robe.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
οὐ μὴ προσοίσεις χεῖρα μηδ’ ἅψῃ πέπλων.

[¶40] Nurse:
O by thy knees I pray, destroy me not utterly.

> Greek: Τροφός:
ὦ πρός σε γονάτων, μηδαμῶς μ’ ἐξεργάσῃ.

[¶41] Hippolytus:
Why say this, if, as thou pretendest, thy lips are free from blame?

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
τί δ’, εἴπερ, ὡς φῄς, μηδὲν εἴρηκας κακόν;

[¶42] Nurse:
My son, this is no story to be noised abroad.

> Greek: Τροφός:
ὁ μῦθος, ὦ παῖ, κοινὸς οὐδαμῶς ὅδε.

[¶43] Hippolytus:
A virtuous tale grows fairer told to many.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
τά τοι κάλ’ ἐν πολλοῖσι κάλλιον λέγειν.

[¶44] Nurse:
Never dishonour thy oath, thy son.

> Greek: Τροφός:
ὦ τέκνον, ὅρκους μηδαμῶς ἀτιμάσῃς.

[¶45] Hippolytus:
My tongue an oath did take, but not my heart.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ἡ γλῶσσ’ ὀμώμοχ’, ἡ δὲ φρὴν ἀνώμοτος.

[¶46] Nurse:
My son, what wilt thou do? destroy thy friends?

> Greek: Τροφός:
ὦ παῖ, τί δράσεις; σοὺς φίλους διεργάσῃ;

[¶47] Hippolytus:
Friends indeed! the wicked are no friends of mine.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ἀπέπτυσ’· οὐδεὶς ἄδικός ἐστί μοι φίλος.

[¶48] Nurse:
O pardon me; to err is only human, child.

> Greek: Τροφός:
σύγγνωθ’· ἁμαρτεῖν εἰκὸς ἀνθρώπους, τέκνον.

[¶49] Hippolytus:
Great Zeus, why didst thou, to man’s sorrow, put woman, evil counterfeit, to dwell where shines the sun? If thou wert minded that the human race should multiply, it was not from women they should have drawn their stock,
but in thy temples they should have paid gold or iron or ponderous bronze and bought a family, each man proportioned to his offering, and so in independence dwelt, from women free.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ὦ Ζεῦ, τί δὴ κίβδηλον ἀνθρώποις κακὸν
γυναῖκας ἐς φῶς ἡλίου κατῴκισας;
εἰ γὰρ βρότειον ἤθελες σπεῖραι γένος,
οὐκ ἐκ γυναικῶν χρῆν παρασχέσθαι τόδε,
ἀλλ’ ἀντιθέντας σοῖσιν ἐν ναοῖς βροτοὺς
ἢ χρυσὸν ἢ σίδηρον ἢ χαλκοῦ βάρος
παίδων πρίασθαι σπέρμα, τοῦ τιμήματος
τῆς ἀξίας ἕκαστον, ἐν δὲ δώμασιν
ναίειν ἐλευθέροισι θηλειῶν ἄτερ.

[¶50] [But now as soon as ever we would bring this plague into our home we bring its fortune to the ground.]1 ’Tis clear from this how great a curse a woman is; the very father, that begot and nurtured her, to rid him of the mischief gives her a dower and packs her off;

> Greek: [νῦν δ’ ἐς δόμους μὲν πρῶτον ἄξεσθαι κακὸν]
[μέλλοντες ὄλβον δωμάτων ἐκπίνομεν.]
τούτῳ δὲ δῆλον ὡς γυνὴ κακὸν μέγα·
προσθεὶς γὰρ ὁ σπείρας τε καὶ θρέψας πατὴρ
φερνὰς ἀπῴκισ’, ὡς ἀπαλλαχθῇ κακοῦ.

[¶51] while the husband, who takes the noxious weed into his home, fondly decks his sorry idol in fine raiment and tricks her out in robes, squandering by degrees, unhappy wight! his house’s wealth. For he is in this dilemma;
say his marriage has brought him good connections, he is glad then to keep the wife he loathes; or, if he gets a good wife but useless relations, he tries to stifle the bad luck with the good. But it is easiest for him who has settled in his house as wife a mere nobody, incapable from simplicity.

> Greek: ὁ δ’ αὖ λαβὼν ἀτηρὸν ἐς δόμους φυτὸν
γέγηθε κόσμον προστιθεὶς ἀγάλματι
καλὸν κακίστῳ καὶ πέπλοισιν ἐκπονεῖ
δύστηνος, ὄλβον δωμάτων ὑπεξελών.
[ἔχει δ’ ἀνάγκην, ὥστε κηδεύσας καλοῖς]
[γαμβροῖσι χαίρων σῴζεται πικρὸν λέχος,]
[ἢ χρηστὰ λέκτρα, πενθεροὺς δ’ ἀνωφελεῖς]
[λαβὼν πιέζει τἀγαθῷ τὸ δυστυχές.]
ῥᾷστον δ’ ὅτῳ τὸ μηδέν, ἀλλ’ ἀνωφελὴς
εὐηθίᾳ κατ’ οἶκον ἵδρυται γυνή.

[¶52] I hate a clever woman; never may she set foot in my house who aims at knowing more than women need; for in these clever women Cypris implants a larger store of villainy, while the artless woman is by her shallow wit from levity debarred.

> Greek: σοφὴν δὲ μισῶ· μὴ γὰρ ἔν γ’ ἐμοῖς δόμοις
εἴη φρονοῦσα πλείον’ ἢ γυναῖκα χρή.
τὸ γὰρ κακοῦργον μᾶλλον ἐντίκτει Κύπρις
ἐν ταῖς σοφαῖσιν· ἡ δ’ ἀμήχανος γυνὴ
γνώμῃ βραχείᾳ μωρίαν ἀφῃρέθη.

[¶53] No servant should ever have had access to a wife, but men should put to live with them beasts, which bite, not talk, in which case they could not speak to any one nor be answered back by them. But, as it is, the wicked in their chambers plot wickedness,
and their servants carry it abroad.

> Greek: χρῆν δ’ ἐς γυναῖκα πρόσπολον μὲν οὐ περᾶν,
ἄφθογγα δ’ αὐταῖς συγκατοικίζειν δάκη
θηρῶν, ἵν’ εἶχον μήτε προσφωνεῖν τινα
μήτ’ ἐξ ἐκείνων φθέγμα δέξασθαι πάλιν.
νῦν δ’ αἳ μὲν ἔνδον δρῶσιν αἱ κακαὶ κακὰ
βουλεύματ’, ἔξω δ’ ἐκφέρουσι πρόσπολοι.

[¶54] Even thus, vile wretch, thou cam’st to make me partner in an outrage on my father’s honour; wherefore I must wash that stain away in running streams, dashing the water into my ears. How could I commit so foul a crime
when by the very mention of it I feel myself polluted? Be well assured, woman,’tis only my religious scruple saves thee. For had not I unawares been caught by an oath,’fore heaven! I would not have refrained from telling all unto my father. But now I will from the house away, so long as
Theseus is abroad, and will maintain strict silence. But, when my father comes, I will return and see how thou and thy mistress face him, and so shall I learn by experience the extent of thy audacity.

> Greek: ὡς καὶ σύ γ’ ἡμῖν πατρός, ὦ κακὸν κάρα,
λέκτρων ἀθίκτων ἦλθες ἐς συναλλαγάς·
ἁγὼ ῥυτοῖς νασμοῖσιν ἐξομόρξομαι,
ἐς ὦτα κλύζων. πῶς ἂν οὖν εἴην κακός,
ὃς οὐδ’ ἀκούσας τοιάδ’ ἁγνεύειν δοκῶ;
εὖ δ’ ἴσθι, τοὐμόν σ’ εὐσεβὲς σῴζει, γύναι·
εἰ μὴ γὰρ ὅρκοις θεῶν ἄφαρκτος ᾑρέθην,
οὐκ ἄν ποτ’ ἔσχον μὴ οὐ τάδ’ ἐξειπεῖν πατρί.
νῦν δ’ ἐκ δόμων μέν, ἔστ’ ἂν ἔκδημος χθονὸς
Θησεύς, ἄπειμι· σῖγα δ’ ἕξομεν στόμα.
θεάσομαι δὲ σὺν πατρὸς μολὼν ποδὶ
πῶς νιν προσόψῃ καὶ σὺ καὶ δέσποινα σή·
τῆς σῆς δὲ τόλμης εἴσομαι γεγευμένος.

[¶55] Perdition seize you both! (To the audience). I can never satisfy my hate for
women, no! not even though some say this is ever my theme, for of a truth they always are evil. So either let some one prove them chaste, or let me still trample on them for ever.

> Greek: ὄλοισθε. μισῶν δ’ οὔποτ’ ἐμπλησθήσομαι
γυναῖκας, οὐδ’ εἴ φησί τίς μ’ ἀεὶ λέγειν·
ἀεὶ γὰρ οὖν πώς εἰσι κἀκεῖναι κακαί.
ἤ νύν τις αὐτὰς σωφρονεῖν διδαξάτω,
ἢ κἄμ’ ἐάτω ταῖσδ’ ἐπεμβαίνειν ἀεί.

[¶56] Phaedra:
O the cruel, unhappy fate of women!

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
τάλανες ὦ κακοτυχεῖς
γυναικῶν πότμοι.

[¶57] What arts, what arguments have we, once we have made a slip, to loose by craft the tight-drawn knot? I have met my deserts. O earth, O light of day! How can I escape the stroke of fate? How my pangs conceal, kind friends?

> Greek: τίνα νῦν ἢ τέχναν ἔχομεν ἢ ⟨τίνας⟩
σφαλεῖσαι κάθαμμα λύειν λόγους;
ἐτύχομεν δίκας· ἰὼ γᾶ καὶ φῶς.
πᾷ ποτ’ ἐξαλύξω τύχας;
πῶς δὲ πῆμα κρύψω, φίλαι;

[¶58] What god will appear to help me, what mortal to take my part or help me in unrighteousness? The present calamity of my life admits of no escape. Most hapless I of all my sex!

> Greek: τίς ἂν θεῶν ἀρωγὸς ἢ τίς ἂν βροτῶν
πάρεδρος ἢ ξυνεργὸς ἀδίκων ἔργων
φανείη; τὸ γὰρ παρ’ ἡμῖν πάθος
πέραν δυσεκπέρατον ἔρχεται βίου.
κακοτυχεστάτα γυναικῶν ἐγώ.

[¶59] Chorus:
Alas, alas! the deed is done, thy servant’s schemes have gone awry, my queen, and all is lost.

> Greek: Χορός:
φεῦ φεῦ· πέπρακται, κοὐ κατώρθωνται τέχναι,
δέσποινα, τῆς σῆς προσπόλου, κακῶς δ’ ἔχει.

[¶60] Phaedra:
Accursed woman! traitress to thy friends! How hast thou ruined me! May Zeus, my ancestor, smite thee with his fiery bolt and uproot thee from thy place.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ὦ παγκακίστη καὶ φίλων διαφθορεῦ,
οἷ’ εἰργάσω με. Ζεύς σε γεννήτωρ ἐμὸς
πρόρριζον ἐκτρίψειεν οὐτάσας πυρί.

[¶61] Did I not foresee thy purpose, did I not bid thee keep silence on the very matter which is now my shame? But thou wouldst not be still; wherefore my fair name will not go with me to the tomb. But now I must another scheme devise. Yon youth, in the keenness of his fury,
will tell his father of my sin, and the aged Pittheus of my state, and fill the world with stories to my shame. Perdition seize thee and every meddling fool who by dishonest means would serve unwilling friends!

> Greek: οὐκ εἶπον — οὐ σῆς προυνοησάμην φρενός; —
σιγᾶν ἐφ’ οἷσι νῦν ἐγὼ κακύνομαι;
σὺ δ’ οὐκ ἀνέσχου· τοιγὰρ οὐκέτ’ εὐκλεεῖς
θανούμεθ’. ἀλλὰ δεῖ με δὴ καινῶν λόγων.
οὗτος γὰρ ὀργῇ συντεθηγμένος φρένας
ἐρεῖ καθ’ ἡμῶν πατρὶ σὰς ἁμαρτίας,
ἐρεῖ δὲ Πιτθεῖ τῷ γέροντι συμφοράς,
πλήσει τε πᾶσαν γαῖαν αἰσχίστων λόγων.
ὄλοιο καὶ σὺ χὥστις ἄκοντας φίλους
πρόθυμός ἐστι μὴ καλῶς εὐεργετεῖν.

[¶62] Nurse:
Mistress, thou may’st condemn the mischief I have done, for sorrow’s sting o’ermasters thy judgment; yet can I answer thee in face of this, if thou wilt hear.’Twas I who nurtured thee; I love thee still; but in my search for medicine to cure thy sickness I found what least I sought.

> Greek: Τροφός:
δέσποιν’, ἔχεις μὲν τἀμὰ μέμψασθαι κακά·
τὸ γὰρ δάκνον σου τὴν διάγνωσιν κρατεῖ·
ἔχω δὲ κἀγὼ πρὸς τάδ’, εἰ δέξῃ, λέγειν.
ἔθρεψά σ’ εὔνους τ’ εἰμί· τῆς νόσου δέ σοι
ζητοῦσα φάρμαχ’ ηὗρον οὐχ ἁβουλόμην.

[¶63] Had I but succeeded, I had been counted wise, for the credit we get for wisdom is measured by our success.

> Greek: εἰ δ’ εὖ γ’ ἔπραξα, κάρτ’ ἂν ἐν σοφοῖσιν ἦ·
πρὸς τὰς τύχας γὰρ τὰς φρένας κεκτήμεθα.

[¶64] Phaedra:
Is it just, is it any satisfaction to me, that thou shouldst wound me first, then bandy words with me?

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
ἦ γὰρ δίκαια ταῦτα κἀξαρκοῦντά μοι,
τρώσασαν ἡμᾶς εἶτα συγχωρεῖν λόγοις;

[¶65] Nurse:
We dwell on this too long; I was not wise, I own;

> Greek: Τροφός:
μακρηγοροῦμεν· οὐκ ἐσωφρόνουν ἐγώ.

[¶66] but there are yet ways of escape from the trouble, my child.

> Greek: ἀλλ’ ἔστι κἀκ τῶνδ’ ὥστε σωθῆναι, τέκνον.

[¶67] Phaedra:
Be dumb henceforth; evil was thy first advice to me, evil too thy attempted scheme. Begone and leave me, look to thyself; I will my own fortunes for the best arrange. (Exit Nurse).

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
παῦσαι λέγουσα· καὶ τὰ πρὶν γὰρ οὐ καλῶς
παρῄνεσάς μοι κἀπεχείρησας κακά.
ἀλλ’ ἐκποδὼν ἄπελθε καὶ σαυτῆς πέρι
φρόντιζ’· ἐγὼ γὰρ τἀμὰ θήσομαι καλῶς.

[¶68] Ye noble daughters of Troezen, grant me the only boon I crave; in silence bury what ye here have heard.

> Greek: ὑμεῖς δέ, παῖδες εὐγενεῖς Τροζήνιαι,
τοσόνδε μοι παράσχετ’ ἐξαιτουμένῃ,
σιγῇ καλύπτειν ἁνθάδ’ εἰσηκούσατε.

[¶69] Chorus:
By majestic Artemis, child of Zeus, I swear I will never divulge aught of thy sorrows.

> Greek: Χορός:
ὄμνυμι σεμνὴν Ἄρτεμιν, Διὸς κόρην,
μηδὲν κακῶν σῶν ἐς φάος δείξειν ποτέ.

[¶70] Phaedra:’Tis well. But I, with all my thought, can but one way discover out of this calamity, that so I may secure my children’s honour, and find myself some help as matters stand. For never, never will I bring shame upon my Cretan home,
nor will I, to save one poor life, face Theseus after my disgrace.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
καλῶς ἔλεξας· ἓν δὲ προτρέπουσ’ ἐγὼ
εὕρημα δῆτα τῆσδε συμφορᾶς ἔχω,
ὥστ’ εὐκλεᾶ μὲν παισὶ προσθεῖναι βίον,
αὐτή τ’ ὀνάσθαι πρὸς τὰ νῦν πεπτωκότα.
οὐ γάρ ποτ’ αἰσχυνῶ γε Κρησίους δόμους,
οὐδ’ ἐς πρόσωπον Θησέως ἀφίξομαι
αἰσχροῖς ἐπ’ ἔργοις οὕνεκα ψυχῆς μιᾶς.

[¶71] Chorus:
Art thou bent then on some cureless woe?

> Greek: Χορός:
μέλλεις δὲ δὴ τί δρᾶν ἀνήκεστον κακόν;

[¶72] Phaedra:
On death; the means thereto must I devise myself.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
θανεῖν· ὅπως δέ, τοῦτ’ ἐγὼ βουλεύσομαι.

[¶73] Chorus:
Hush!

> Greek: Χορός:
εὔφημος ἴσθι.

[¶74] Phaedra:
Do thou at least advise me well.

> Greek: Φαίδρα:
καὶ σύ γ’ εὖ με νουθέτει.

[¶75] For this very day shall I gladden Cypris, my destroyer, by yielding up my life, and shall own myself vanquished by cruel love. Yet shall my dying be another’s curse, that he may learn not to exult at my misfortunes;
but when he comes to share the self-same plague with me, he will take a lesson in wisdom.

> Greek: ἐγὼ δὲ Κύπριν, ἥπερ ἐξόλλυσί με,
ψυχῆς ἀπαλλαχθεῖσα τῇδ’ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ
τέρψω· πικροῦ δ’ ἔρωτος ἡσσηθήσομαι.
ἀτὰρ κακόν γε χἁτέρῳ γενήσομαι
θανοῦσ’, ἵν’ εἰδῇ μὴ ’πὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς κακοῖς
ὑψηλὸς εἶναι· τῆς νόσου δὲ τῆσδέ μοι
κοινῇ μετασχὼν σωφρονεῖν μαθήσεται.

[¶76] Chorus:
O to be nestling ’neath some pathless cavern, there by god’s creating hand to grow into a bird amid the winged tribes!

> Greek: Χορός:
Ἠλιβάτοις ὑπὸ κευθμῶσι γενοίμαν,
ἵνα με πτεροῦσσαν ὄρνιν ἀγέλῃσι
ποταναῖς θεὸς ἐνθείη·

[¶77] Away would I soar to Adrians wave-beat shore and to the waters of Eridanus; where a father’s hapless daughters in their grief for Phaethon
distil into the glooming flood the amber brilliance of their tears.

> Greek: ἀρθείην δ’ ἐπὶ πόντιον
κῦμα τᾶς Ἀδριηνᾶς
ἀκτᾶς Ἠριδανοῦ θ’ ὕδωρ·
ἔνθα πορφύρεον σταλάσ-
σουσιν ἐς οἶδμα πατρὸς τάλαι-
ναι κόραι Φαέθοντος οἴ-
κτῳ δακρύων
τὰς ἠλεκτροφαεῖς αὐγάς.

[¶78] Chorus:
And to the apple-bearing strand of those minstrels in the west I then would come, where ocean’s lord
no more to sailors grants a passage o’er the deep dark main, finding there the heaven’s holy bound, upheld by Atlas, where water from ambrosial founts wells up beside the couch of Zeus inside his halls,
and holy earth, the bounteous mother, causes joy to spring in heavenly breasts.

> Greek: Χορός:
Ἑσπερίδων δ’ ἐπὶ μηλόσπορον ἀκτὰν
ἀνύσαιμι τᾶν ἀοιδῶν, ἵν’ ὁ ποντο-
μέδων πορφυρέας λίμνας
ναύταις οὐκέθ’ ὁδὸν νέμει,
σεμνὸν τέρμονα κυρῶν
οὐρανοῦ, τὸν Ἄτλας ἔχει·
κρῆναί τ’ ἀμβρόσιαι χέον-
ται Ζηνὸς μελάθρων παρὰ κοί-
ταις, ἵν’ ἁ βιόδωρος αὔ-
ξει ζαθέα
χθὼν εὐδαιμονίαν θεοῖς.

[¶79] Chorus:
O white-winged bark, that o’er the booming ocean-wave didst bring
my royal mistress from her happy home, to crown her queen ’mongst sorrow’s brides! Surely evil omens from either port, at least from Crete, were with that ship, what time to glorious Athens it sped its way,
and the crew made fast its twisted cable-ends upon the beach of
 Munychus, and on the land stept out.

> Greek: Χορός:
ὦ λευκόπτερε Κρησία
πορθμίς, ἃ διὰ πόντιον
κῦμ’ ἁλίκτυπον ἅλμας
ἐπόρευσας ἐμὰν ἄνασσαν ὀλβίων ἀπ’ οἴκων,
κακονυμφοτάταν ὄνασιν. ἦ γὰρ ἀπ’ ἀμφοτέρων
ἁ Κρησίας ἐκ γᾶς δύσορ-
νις ἔπτατο κλεινὰς Ἀθή-
νας· Μουνίχου δ’ ἀκταῖσιν ἐκ-
δήσαντο πλεκτὰς πεισμάτων
ἀρχάς, ἐπ’ ἀ-
πείρου τε γᾶς ἔβασαν.

[¶80] Chorus:
Whence comes it that her heart
is crushed, cruelly afflicted by Aphrodite with unholy love; so she by bitter grief o’erwhelmed will tie a noose within her bridal bower to fit it to her fair white neck,
too modest for this hateful lot in life, prizing o’er all her name and fame, and striving thus to rid her soul of passion’s sting.
Messenger:
Help! ho! To the rescue all who near the palace stand! She hath hung herself, our queen, the wife of Theseus.

> Greek: Χορός:
ἀνθ’ ὧν, οὐχ ὁσίων ἐρώ-
των δεινᾷ φρένας Ἀφροδί-
τας νόσῳ κατεκλάσθη·
χαλεπᾷ δ’ ὑπέραντλος οὖσα συμφορᾷ τεράμνων
ἀπὸ νυμφιδίων κρεμαστὸν ἅψεται ἀμφὶ βρόχον
λευκᾷ καθαρμόζουσα δεί-
ρᾳ, δαίμονα στυγνὸν καται-
δεσθεῖσα, τὰν δ’ εὔδοξον ἀνθ-
αιρουμένα φήμαν, ἀπαλ-
λάσσουσά τ’ ἀλ-
γεινὸν φρενῶν ἔρωτα.
Τροφός: ἔσωθεν
ἰοὺ ἰού·
βοηδρομεῖτε πάντες οἱ πέλας δόμων·
ἐν ἀγχόναις δέσποινα, Θησέως δάμαρ.

[¶81] Chorus:
Woe worth the day! the deed is done; our royal mistress is no more, dead she hangs in the dangling noose.

> Greek: Χορός:
— φεῦ φεῦ, πέπρακται· βασιλὶς οὐκέτ’ ἔστι δὴ
γυνή, κρεμαστοῖς ἐν βρόχοις ἠρτημένη.

[¶82] Messenger:
Haste! some one bring a two-edged knife wherewith to cut the knot about her neck!

> Greek: Τροφός:
οὐ σπεύσετ’; οὐκ οἴσει τις ἀμφιδέξιον
σίδηρον, ᾧ τόδ’ ἅμμα λύσομεν δέρης;

[¶83] 1st Half Chorus:
Friends, what shall we do? think you we should enter the house, and loose the queen from the tight-drawn noose?

> Greek: Χορός:
— φίλαι, τί δρῶμεν; ἢ δοκεῖ περᾶν δόμους
λῦσαί τ’ ἄνασσαν ἐξ ἐπισπαστῶν βρόχων;

[¶84] 2nd Half Chorus:
Why should we? Are there not young servants here?

> Greek: — τί δ’; οὐ πάρεισι πρόσπολοι νεανίαι;

[¶85] To do too much is not a safe course in life.

> Greek: τὸ πολλὰ πράσσειν οὐκ ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ βίου.

[¶86] Messenger:
Lay out the hapless corpse, straighten the limbs. This was a bitter way to sit at home and keep my master’s house! [Exit Messenger.

> Greek: Τροφός:
ὀρθώσατ’ ἐκτείνοντες ἄθλιον νέκυν·
πικρὸν τόδ’ οἰκούρημα δεσπόταις ἐμοῖς.

[¶87] Chorus:
She is dead, poor lady, so I hear. Already are they laying out the corpse.

> Greek: Χορός:
— ὄλωλεν ἡ δύστηνος, ὡς κλύω, γυνή·
ἤδη γὰρ ὡς νεκρόν νιν ἐκτείνουσι δή.

[¶88] Theseus:
Ladies, can ye tell me what the uproar in the palace means? There came the sound of servants weeping bitterly to mine ear. None of my household deign to open wide the gates and give me glad welcome as a traveller from prophetic shrines.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
γυναῖκες, ἴστε τίς ποτ’ ἐν δόμοις βοή;
ἠχὼ βαρεῖα προσπόλων ἀφίκετο.
οὐ γάρ τί μ’ ὡς θεωρὸν ἀξιοῖ δόμος
πύλας ἀνοίξας εὐφρόνως προσεννέπειν.

[¶89] Hath aught befallen old Pittheus?

> Greek: μῶν Πιτθέως τι γῆρας εἴργασται νέον;

[¶90] No. Though he be well advanced in years, yet should I mourn, were he to quit this house.

> Greek: πρόσω μὲν ἤδη βίοτος, ἀλλ’ ὅμως ἔτ’ ἂν
λυπηρὸς ἡμῖν τούσδ’ ἂν ἐκλίποι δόμους.

[¶91] Chorus:’Tis not against the old, Theseus, that fate, to strike thee, aims this blow; prepare thy sorrow for a younger corpse.

> Greek: Χορός:
οὐκ ἐς γέροντας ἥδε σοι τείνει τύχη,
Θησεῦ· νέοι θανόντες ἀλγυνοῦσί σε.

[¶92] Theseus:
Woe is me! is it a child’s life death robs me of?

> Greek: Θησεύς:
οἴμοι· τέκνων μοι μή τι συλᾶται βίος;

[¶93] Chorus:
They live; but, cruellest news of all for thee, their mother is no more.

> Greek: Χορός:
ζῶσιν, θανούσης μητρὸς ὡς ἄλγιστά σοι.

[¶94] Theseus:
What! my wife dead? By what cruel mischance?

> Greek: Θησεύς:
τί φῄς; ὄλωλεν ἄλοχος; ἐκ τίνος τύχης;

[¶95] Chorus:
About her neck she tied the hangman’s knot.

> Greek: Χορός:
βρόχον κρεμαστὸν ἀγχόνης ἀνήψατο.

[¶96] Theseus:
Had grief so chilled her blood? or what had befallen her?

> Greek: Θησεύς:
λύπῃ παχνωθεῖσ’, ἢ ἀπὸ συμφορᾶς τινος;

[¶97] Chorus:
I know but this, for I am myself but now arrived at the house
to mourn thy sorrows, O Theseus.

> Greek: Χορός:
τοσοῦτον ἴσμεν· ἄρτι γὰρ κἀγὼ δόμοις,
Θησεῦ, πάρειμι σῶν κακῶν πενθήτρια.

[¶98] Theseus:
Woe is me! why have I crowned my head with woven garlands, when misfortune greets my embassage? Unbolt the doors, servants,
loose their fastenings, that I may see the piteous sight,
my wife, whose death is death to me. [The palace opens, disclosing the corpse.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
αἰαῖ· τί δῆτα τοῖσδ’ ἀνέστεμμαι κάρα
πλεκτοῖσι φύλλοις, δυστυχὴς θεωρὸς ὤν;
χαλᾶτε κλῇθρα, πρόσπολοι, πυλωμάτων,
ἐκλύεθ’ ἁρμούς, ὡς ἴδω πικρὰν θέαν
γυναικός, ἥ με κατθανοῦσ’ ἀπώλεσεν.

[¶99] Chorus:
Woe! woe is thee for thy piteous lot! thou hast done thyself a hurt deep enough to overthrow this family. Ah! ah! the daring of it! done to death by violence and unnatural means, the desperate effort
of thy own poor hand! Who cast the shadow o’er thy life, poor lady?

> Greek: Χορός:
— ἰὼ ἰὼ τάλαινα μελέων κακῶν·
ἔπαθες, εἰργάσω
τοσοῦτον ὥστε τούσδε συγχέαι δόμους.
— αἰαῖ τόλμας, ὦ βιαίως θανοῦσ’
ἀνοσίῳ τε συμφορᾷ, σᾶς χερὸς
πάλαισμα μελέας.
— τίς ἄρα σάν, τάλαιν’, ἀμαυροῖ ζόαν;

[¶100] Theseus:
Ah me, my cruel lot! sorrow hath done her worst on me. O fortune, how heavily hast thou set thy foot on me and on my house,
by fiendish hands inflicting an unexpected stain? Nay,’tis complete effacement of my life, making it impossible; for I see, alas! so wide an ocean of grief that I can never swim to shore again, nor breast the tide of this calamity.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ὤμοι ἐγὼ πόνων· ἔπαθον, ὦ πόλις,
τὰ μάκιστ’ ἐμῶν κακῶν. ὦ τύχα,
ὥς μοι βαρεῖα καὶ δόμοις ἐπεστάθης,
κηλὶς ἄφραστος ἐξ ἀλαστόρων τινός.
κατακονὰ μὲν οὖν ἀβίοτος βίου·
κακῶν δ’, ὢ τάλας, πέλαγος εἰσορῶ
τοσοῦτον ὥστε μήποτ’ ἐκνεῦσαι πάλιν,
μηδ’ ἐκπερᾶσαι κῦμα τῆσδε συμφορᾶς.

[¶101] How shall I speak of thee, my poor wife, what tale of direst suffering tell? Thou art vanished like a bird from the covert of my hand, taking one headlong leap from me to Hades’ halls.

> Greek: τίνα λόγον τάλας, τίνα τύχαν σέθεν
βαρύποτμον, γύναι, προσαυδῶν τύχω;
ὄρνις γὰρ ὥς τις ἐκ χερῶν ἄφαντος εἶ,
πήδημ’ ἐς Ἅιδου κραιπνὸν ὁρμήσασά μοι.

[¶102] Alas, and woe! this is a bitter, bitter sight! This must be a judgment sent by God for the sins of an ancestor, which from some far source I am bringing on myself.

> Greek: αἰαῖ αἰαῖ, μέλεα μέλεα τάδε πάθη.
πρόσωθεν δέ ποθεν ἀνακομίζομαι
τύχαν δαιμόνων
ἀμπλακίαισι τῶν πάροιθέν τινος.

[¶103] Chorus:
My prince,’tis not to thee alone such sorrows come;
thou hast lost a noble wife, but so have many others.

> Greek: Χορός:
οὐ σοὶ τάδ’, ὦναξ, ἦλθε δὴ μόνῳ κακά,
πολλῶν μετ’ ἄλλων δ’ ὤλεσας κεδνὸν λέχος.

[¶104] Theseus:
Fain would I go hide me ’neath earth’s blackest depth, to dwell in darkness with the dead in misery, now that I am reft of thy dear presence! for thou hast slain me than thyself e’en more.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
τὸ κατὰ γᾶς θέλω, τὸ κατὰ γᾶς κνέφας
μετοικεῖν σκότῳ θανὼν ὁ τλάμων,
τῆς σῆς στερηθεὶς φιλτάτης ὁμιλίας·
ἀπώλεσας γὰρ μᾶλλον ἢ κατέφθισο.

[¶105] Who can tell me what caused the fatal stroke that reached thy heart, dear wife? Will no one tell me what befell?
doth my palace all in vain give shelter to a herd of menials? Woe, woe for thee, my wife! sorrows past speech, past bearing, I behold within my house; myself a ruined man, my home a solitude, my children orphans!

> Greek: τίνος κλύω; πόθεν θανάσιμος τύχα,
γύναι, σὰν ἔβα, τάλαινα, καρδίαν;
εἴποι τις ἂν τὸ πραχθέν, ἢ μάτην ὄχλον
στέγει τύραννον δῶμα προσπόλων ἐμῶν;
ὤμοι μοι σέθεν, …
μέλεος, οἷον εἶδον ἄλγος δόμων,
οὐ τλητὸν οὐδὲ ῥητόν. ἀλλ’ ἀπωλόμην·
ἔρημος οἶκος, καὶ τέκν’ ὀρφανεύεται.

[¶106] Chorus:
Gone and left us hast thou, fondest wife and noblest of all women
’neath the sun’s bright eye or night’s star-lit radiance.

> Greek: ἔλιπες ⟨οὓς ἔτεκες,⟩ ἔλιπες, ὦ φίλα
γυναικῶν ἀρίστα θ’ ὁπόσας ὁρᾷ
φέγγος ἀελίου
τε καὶ νυκτὸς ἀστερωπὸν σέλας.

[¶107] Chorus:
Poor house, what sorrows are thy portion now! My eyes are wet with streams of tears to see thy fate;

> Greek: Χορός:
ἰὼ τάλας· ὦ τάλας· ὅσον κακὸν ἔχει δόμος.
δάκρυσί μου βλέφαρα
καταχυθέντα τέγγεται σᾷ τύχᾳ·

[¶108] but the sequel to this tragedy has long with terror filled me.

> Greek: τὸ δ’ ἐπὶ τῷδε πῆμα φρίσσω πάλαι.

[¶109] Theseus:
Ha! what means this letter? clasped in her dear hand it hath some strange tale to tell. Hath she, poor lady, as a last request, written her bidding as to my marriage and her children?

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ἔα ἔα·
τί δή ποθ’ ἥδε δέλτος ἐκ φίλης χερὸς
ἠρτημένη; θέλει τι σημῆναι νέον;
ἀλλ’ ἦ λέχους μοι καὶ τέκνων ἐπιστολὰς
ἔγραψεν ἡ δύστηνος, ἐξαιτουμένη;

[¶110] Take heart, poor ghost; no wife henceforth shall wed thy Theseus or invade his house. Ah! how yon seal of my dead wife stamped with her golden ring affects my sight! Come, I will unfold the sealed packet
and read her letter’s message to me.

> Greek: θάρσει, τάλαινα· λέκτρα γὰρ τὰ Θησέως
οὐκ ἔστι δῶμά θ’ ἥτις εἴσεισιν γυνή.
καὶ μὴν τύποι γε σφενδόνης χρυσηλάτου
τῆς οὐκέτ’ οὔσης τῆσδε προσσαίνουσί με.
φέρ’, ἐξελίξας περιβολὰς σφραγισμάτων
ἴδω τί λέξαι δέλτος ἥδε μοι θέλει.

[¶111] Chorus:
Woe unto us! Here is yet another evil in the train by heaven sent. Looking to what has happened, I should count my lot in life no longer worth one’s while to gain. My master’s house,
alas! is ruined, brought to naught, I say. Spare it, O Heaven, if it may be. Hearken to my prayer, for I see, as with prophetic eye, an omen boding 
mischief.

> Greek: Χορός:
— φεῦ φεῦ· τόδ’ αὖ νεοχμὸν ἐκδοχαῖς
ἐπιφέρει θεὸς κακόν. ἐμοὶ μὲν οὖν
ἀβίοτος βίου τύχα πρὸς τὸ κρανθέν· εἴη τυχεῖν.
— ὀλομένους γάρ, οὐκέτ’ ὄντας λέγω,
φεῦ φεῦ, τῶν ἐμῶν τυράννων δόμους.
— ὦ δαῖμον, εἴ πως ἔστι, μὴ σφήλῃς δόμους,
αἰτουμένης δὲ κλῦθί μου· πρὸς γάρ τινος
οἰωνὸν ὥστε μάντις εἰσορῶ κακοῦ.

[¶112] Theseus:
O horror! woe on woe!
and still they come, too deep for words, too heavy to bear. Ah me!

> Greek: Θησεύς:
οἴμοι· τόδ’ οἷον ἄλλο πρὸς κακῷ κακόν,
οὐ τλητὸν οὐδὲ λεκτόν. ὦ τάλας ἐγώ.

[¶113] Chorus:
What is it? speak, if I may share in it.

> Greek: Χορός:
τί χρῆμα; λέξον, εἴ τί μοι λόγου μέτα.

[¶114] Theseus:
This letter loudly tells a hideous tale! where can I escape my load of woe? For I am ruined and undone, so awful are the words I find here written clear
as if she cried them to me; woe is me!

> Greek: Θησεύς:
βοᾷ βοᾷ δέλτος ἄλαστα. πᾷ φύγω
βάρος κακῶν; ἀπὸ γὰρ ὀλόμενος οἴχομαι,
οἷον οἷον εἶδον [ἐν] γραφαῖς μέλος
φθεγγόμενον τλάμων.

[¶115] Chorus:
Alas! thy words declare themselves the harbingers of woe.

> Greek: Χορός:
αἰαῖ, κακῶν ἀρχηγὸν ἐκφαίνεις λόγον.

[¶116] Theseus:
I can no longer keep the cursed tale within the portal of my lips, cruel though its utterance be. Ah me!

> Greek: Θησεύς:
τόδε μὲν οὐκέτι στόματος ἐν πύλαις
καθέξω δυσεκπέρατον, ὀλοὸν
κακόν· ἰὼ πόλις.

[¶117] Hippolytus hath dared by brutal force to violate my honour, recking naught of Zeus, whose awful eye is over all. O father Poseidon, once didst thou promise to fulfil three prayers of mine; answer one of these and slay my son, let him not escape this single day,
if the prayers thou gavest me were indeed with issue fraught.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος εὐνῆς τῆς ἐμῆς ἔτλη θιγεῖν
βίᾳ, τὸ σεμνὸν Ζηνὸς ὄμμ’ ἀτιμάσας.
ἀλλ’, ὦ πάτερ Πόσειδον, ἃς ἐμοί ποτε
ἀρὰς ὑπέσχου τρεῖς, μιᾷ κατέργασαι
τούτων ἐμὸν παῖδ’, ἡμέραν δὲ μὴ φύγοι
τήνδ’, εἴπερ ἡμῖν ὤπασας σαφεῖς ἀράς.

[¶118] Chorus:
O king, I do conjure thee, call back that prayer; hereafter thou wilt know thy error. Hear, I pray.

> Greek: Χορός:
ἄναξ, ἀπεύχου ταῦτα πρὸς θεῶν πάλιν·
γνώσῃ γὰρ αὖθις ἀμπλακών. ἐμοὶ πιθοῦ.

[¶119] Theseus:
Impossible! Moreover I will banish him from this land, and by one of two fates shall he be struck down;

> Greek: Θησεύς:
οὐκ ἔστι· καὶ πρός γ’ ἐξελῶ σφε τῆσδε γῆς,
δυοῖν δὲ μοίραιν θατέρᾳ πεπλήξεται·

[¶120] either Poseidon, out of respect to my prayer, will cast his dead body into the house of Hades; or exiled from this land, a wanderer to some foreign shore, shall he eke out a life of misery.

> Greek: ἢ γὰρ Ποσειδῶν αὐτὸν εἰς Ἅιδου δόμους
θανόντα πέμψει τὰς ἐμὰς ἀρὰς σέβων,
ἢ τῆσδε χώρας ἐκπεσὼν ἀλώμενος
ξένην ἐπ’ αἶαν λυπρὸν ἀντλήσει βίον.

[¶121] Chorus:
Lo! where himself doth come, thy son Hippolytus, in good time;
dismiss thy hurtful rage, King Theseus, and bethink thee what is best for thy family.

> Greek: Χορός:
καὶ μὴν ὅδ’ αὐτὸς παῖς σὸς ἐς καιρὸν πάρα,
Ἱππόλυτος· ὀργῆς δ’ ἐξανεὶς κακῆς, ἄναξ
Θησεῦ, τὸ λῷστον σοῖσι βούλευσαι δόμοις.

[¶122] Hippolytus:
I heard thy voice, father, and hasted to come hither; yet know I not the cause of thy present sorrow, but would fain learn of thee.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
κραυγῆς ἀκούσας σῆς ἀφικόμην, πάτερ,
σπουδῇ· τὸ μέντοι πρᾶγμ’ ἐφ’ ᾧτινι στένεις
οὐκ οἶδα, βουλοίμην δ’ ἂν ἐκ σέθεν κλύειν.

[¶123] Ha! what is this? thy wife a corpse I see; this is passing strange;’twas but now I left her; a moment since she looked upon the light.

> Greek: ἔα, τί χρῆμα; σὴν δάμαρθ’ ὁρῶ, πάτερ,
νεκρόν· μεγίστου θαύματος τόδ’ ἄξιον·
ἣν ἀρτίως ἔλειπον, ἣ φάος τόδε
οὔπω χρόνον παλαιὸν εἰσεδέρκετο.

[¶124] How came she thus? the manner of her death?

> Greek: τί χρῆμα πάσχει; τῷ τρόπῳ διόλλυται;

[¶125] this would I learn of thee, father. Art dumb? silence availeth not in trouble; nay, for the heart that fain would know all must show its curiosity even in sorrow’s hour. Be sure it is not right, father,
to hide misfortunes from those who love, ay, more than love thee.

> Greek: πάτερ, πυθέσθαι βούλομαι σέθεν πάρα.
σιγᾷς· σιωπῆς δ’ οὐδὲν ἔργον ἐν κακοῖς·
ἡ γὰρ ποθοῦσα πάντα καρδία κλύειν
κἀν τοῖς κακοῖσι λίχνος οὖσ’ ἁλίσκεται.
οὐ μὴν φίλους γε κἄτι μᾶλλον ἢ φίλους
κρύπτειν δίκαιον σάς, πάτερ, δυσπραξίας.

[¶126] Theseus:
O ye sons of men, victims of a thousand idle errors, why teach your countless crafts, why scheme and seek to find a way for everything, while one thing ye know not nor ever yet have made your prize,
a way to teach them wisdom whose souls are void of sense?

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ὦ πόλλ’ ἁμαρτάνοντες ἄνθρωποι μάτην,
τί δὴ τέχνας μὲν μυρίας διδάσκετε
καὶ πάντα μηχανᾶσθε κἀξευρίσκετε,
ἓν δ’ οὐκ ἐπίστασθ’ οὐδ’ ἐθηράσασθέ πω,
φρονεῖν διδάσκειν οἷσιν οὐκ ἔνεστι νοῦς;

[¶127] Hippolytus:
A very master in his craft the man, who can force fools to be wise! But these ill-timed subtleties of thine, father, make me fear thy tongue is running riot through trouble.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
δεινὸν σοφιστὴν εἶπας, ὅστις εὖ φρονεῖν
τοὺς μὴ φρονοῦντας δυνατός ἐστ’ ἀναγκάσαι.
ἀλλ’ οὐ γὰρ ἐν δέοντι λεπτουργεῖς, πάτερ,
δέδοικα μή σου γλῶσσ’ ὑπερβάλῃ κακοῖς.

[¶128] Theseus:
Fie upon thee! man needs should have some certain test set up to try his friends, some touchstone of their hearts, to know each friend whether he be true or false; all men should have two voices, one the voice of honesty, expediency’s the other,
so would honesty confute its knavish opposite, and then we could not be deceived.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
φεῦ, χρῆν βροτοῖσι τῶν φίλων τεκμήριον
σαφές τι κεῖσθαι καὶ διάγνωσιν φρενῶν,
ὅστις τ’ ἀληθής ἐστιν ὅς τε μὴ φίλος,
δισσάς τε φωνὰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἔχειν,
τὴν μὲν δικαίαν, τὴν δ’ ὅπως ἐτύγχανεν,
ὡς ἡ φρονοῦσα τἄδικ’ ἐξηλέγχετο
πρὸς τῆς δικαίας, κοὐκ ἂν ἠπατώμεθα.

[¶129] Hippolytus:
Say, hath some friend been slandering me and hath he still thine ear? am I, though guiltless, banned? I am amazed indeed;
thy random, frantic words fill me with wild alarm.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ἀλλ’ ἦ τις ἐς σὸν οὖς με διαβαλὼν ἔχει
φίλων, νοσοῦμεν δ’ οὐδὲν ὄντες αἴτιοι;
ἔκ τοι πέπληγμαι· σοὶ γὰρ ἐκπλήσσουσί με
λόγοι παραλλάσσοντες ἔξεδροι φρενῶν.

[¶130] Theseus:
O the mind of mortal man! to what lengths will it proceed? What limit will its bold assurance have? for if it goes on growing as man’s life advances, and each successor outdo the man before him
in villainy, the gods will have to add another sphere unto the world, which shall take in the knaves and villains.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
φεῦ τῆς βροτείας· ποῖ προβήσεται; φρενός.
τί τέρμα τόλμης καὶ θράσους γενήσεται;
εἰ γὰρ κατ’ ἀνδρὸς βίοτον ἐξογκώσεται,
ὁ δ’ ὕστερος τοῦ πρόσθεν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν
πανοῦργος ἔσται, θεοῖσι προσβαλεῖν χθονὶ
ἄλλην δεήσει γαῖαν, ἣ χωρήσεται
τοὺς μὴ δικαίους καὶ κακοὺς πεφυκότας.

[¶131] Behold this man; he, my own son, hath outraged mine honour, his guilt most clearly proved
by my dead wife. Now, since thou hast dared this loathly crime, come, look thy father in the face. Art thou the man who dost with gods consort, as one above the vulgar herd? art thou the chaste and sinless saint?

> Greek: σκέψασθε δ’ ἐς τόνδ’, ὅστις ἐξ ἐμοῦ γεγὼς
ᾔσχυνε τἀμὰ λέκτρα κἀξελέγχεται
πρὸς τῆς θανούσης ἐμφανῶς κάκιστος ὤν.
δεῖξον δ’, ἐπειδή γ’ ἐς μίασμ’ ἐλήλυθας,
τὸ σὸν πρόσωπον δεῦρ’ ἐναντίον πατρί.
σὺ δὴ θεοῖσιν ὡς περισσὸς ὢν ἀνὴρ
ξύνει; σὺ σώφρων καὶ κακῶν ἀκήρατος;

[¶132] Thy boasts will never persuade me to be guilty of attributing ignorance to gods. Go then, vaunt thyself, and drive1 thy petty trade in viands formed of lifeless food; take Orpheus for thy chief and go a-revelling, with all honour for the vapourings of many a written scroll,
seeing thou now art caught. Let all beware, I say, of such hypocrites! who hunt their prey with fine words, and all the while are scheming villainy. She is dead; dost think that this will save thee? Why this convicts thee more than all, abandoned wretch!

> Greek: οὐκ ἂν πιθοίμην τοῖσι σοῖς κόμποις ἐγὼ
θεοῖσι προσθεὶς ἀμαθίαν φρονεῖν κακῶς.
ἤδη νυν αὔχει καὶ δι’ ἀψύχου βορᾶς
σίτοις καπήλευ’, Ὀρφέα τ’ ἄνακτ’ ἔχων
βάκχευε πολλῶν γραμμάτων τιμῶν καπνούς·
ἐπεί γ’ ἐλήφθης. τοὺς δὲ τοιούτους ἐγὼ
φεύγειν προφωνῶ πᾶσι· θηρεύουσι γὰρ
σεμνοῖς λόγοισιν, αἰσχρὰ μηχανώμενοι.
τέθνηκεν ἥδε· τοῦτό σ’ ἐκσώσειν δοκεῖς;
ἐν τῷδ’ ἁλίσκῃ πλεῖστον, ὦ κάκιστε σύ·

[¶133] What oaths, what pleas can outweigh this letter, so that thou shouldst ’scape thy doom? Thou wilt assert she hated thee, that ’twixt the bastard and the true-born child nature has herself put war; it seems then by thy showing she made a sorry bargain with her life,
if to gratify her hate of thee she lost what most she prized.’Tis said, no doubt, that frailty finds no place in man but is innate in woman; my experience is, young men are no more secure than women, whenso the Queen of Love excites a youthful breast;

> Greek: ποῖοι γὰρ ὅρκοι κρείσσονες, τίνες λόγοι
τῆσδ’ ἂν γένοιντ’ ἄν, ὥστε σ’ αἰτίαν φυγεῖν;
μισεῖν σε φήσεις τήνδε καὶ τὸ δὴ νόθον
τοῖς γνησίοισι πολέμιον πεφυκέναι·
κακὴν ἄρ’ αὐτὴν ἔμπορον βίου λέγεις,
εἰ δυσμενείᾳ σῇ τὰ φίλτατ’ ὤλεσεν.
ἀλλ’ ὡς τὸ μῶρον ἀνδράσιν μὲν οὐκ ἔνι,
γυναιξὶ δ’ ἐμπέφυκεν; οἶδ’ ἐγὼ νέους,
οὐδὲν γυναικῶν ὄντας ἀσφαλεστέρους,
ὅταν ταράξῃ Κύπρις ἡβῶσαν φρένα·

[¶134] although their sex comes in to help them. Yet why do I thus bandy words with thee, when before me lies the corpse, to be the clearest witness? Begone at once, an exile from this land, and ne’er set foot again in god-built Athens
nor in the confines of my dominion. For if I am tamely to submit to this treatment from such as thee, no more will Sinis, robber of the Isthmus, bear me witness how I slew him, but say my boasts are idle, nor will those rocks Scironian, that fringe the sea,
call me the miscreants’ scourge.

> Greek: τὸ δ’ ἄρσεν αὐτοὺς ὠφελεῖ προσκείμενον.
νῦν οὖν — τί ταῦτα σοῖς ἁμιλλῶμαι λόγοις
νεκροῦ παρόντος μάρτυρος σαφεστάτου;
ἔξερρε γαίας τῆσδ’ ὅσον τάχος φυγάς,
καὶ μήτ’ Ἀθήνας τὰς θεοδμήτους μόλῃς,
μήτ’ εἰς ὅρους γῆς ἧς ἐμὸν κρατεῖ δόρυ.
εἰ γὰρ παθών γε σοῦ τάδ’ ἡσσηθήσομαι,
οὐ μαρτυρήσει μ’ Ἴσθμιος Σίνις ποτὲ
κτανεῖν ἑαυτόν, ἀλλὰ κομπάζειν μάτην,
οὐδ’ αἱ θαλάσσῃ σύννομοι Σκιρωνίδες
φήσουσι πέτραι τοῖς κακοῖς μ’ εἶναι βαρύν.

[¶135] Chorus:
I know not how to call happy any child of man; for that which was first has turned and now is last.

> Greek: Χορός:
οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅπως εἴποιμ’ ἂν εὐτυχεῖν τινα
θνητῶν· τὰ γὰρ δὴ πρῶτ’ ἀνέστραπται πάλιν.

## 3. Lines 983–1466

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/euripides-hippolytus/3/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/euripides-hippolytus/3/#p-N

[¶0] Hippolytus:
Father, thy wrath and the tension of thy mind are terrible; yet this charge, specious though its arguments appear,
becomes a calumny, if one lay it bare. Small skill have I in speaking to a crowd, but have a readier wit for comrades of mine own age and small companies. Yea, and this is as it should be; for they, whom the wise despise, are better qualified to speak before a mob.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
πάτερ, μένος μὲν ξύστασίς τε σῶν φρενῶν
δεινή· τὸ μέντοι πρᾶγμ’ ἔχον καλοὺς λόγους,
εἴ τις διαπτύξειεν, οὐ καλὸν τόδε.
ἐγὼ δ’ ἄκομψος εἰς ὄχλον δοῦναι λόγον,
ἐς ἥλικας δὲ κὠλίγους σοφώτερος.
ἔχει δὲ μοῖραν καὶ τόδ’· οἱ γὰρ ἐν σοφοῖς
φαῦλοι παρ’ ὄχλῳ μουσικώτεροι λέγειν.

[¶1] Yet am I constrained under the present circumstances to break silence. And at the outset will I take the point which formed the basis of thy stealthy attack on me, designed to put me out of court unheard; dost see yon sun, this earth? These do not contain,
for all thou dost deny it, chastity surpassing mine. To reverence God I count the highest knowledge, and to adopt as friends not those who attempt injustice, but such as would blush to propose to their companions aught disgraceful or pleasure them by shameful services;

> Greek: ὅμως δ’ ἀνάγκη, ξυμφορᾶς ἀφιγμένης,
γλῶσσάν μ’ ἀφεῖναι. πρῶτα δ’ ἄρξομαι λέγειν,
ὅθεν μ’ ὑπῆλθες πρῶτον ὡς διαφθερῶν
κοὐκ ἀντιλέξοντ’. εἰσορᾷς φάος τόδε
καὶ γαῖαν· ἐν τοῖσδ’ οὐκ ἔνεστ’ ἀνὴρ ἐμοῦ,
οὐδ’ ἢν σὺ μὴ φῇς, σωφρονέστερος γεγώς.
ἐπίσταμαι γὰρ πρῶτα μὲν θεοὺς σέβειν,
φίλοις τε χρῆσθαι μὴ ἀδικεῖν πειρωμένοις,
ἀλλ’ οἷσιν αἰδὼς μήτ’ ἐπαγγέλλειν κακὰ
μήτ’ ἀνθυπουργεῖν αἰσχρὰ τοῖσι χρωμένοις·

[¶2] to mock at friends is not my way, father, but I am still the same behind their backs as to their face. The very crime thou thinkest to catch me in, is just the one I am untainted with, for to this day have I kept me pure from women. Nor know I aught thereof, save what I hear
or see in pictures, for I have no wish to look even on these, so pure my virgin soul. I grant my claim to chastity may not convince thee; well,’tis then for thee to show the way I was corrupted. Did this woman exceed in beauty
all her sex? Did I aspire to fill the husband’s place after thee and succeed to thy house? [That surely would have made me out a fool, a creature void of sense. Thou wilt say, “Your chaste man loves to lord it.” No, no! say I, sovereignty pleases only those]
[whose hearts are quite corrupt. Now, I would be the first and best at all the games in Hellas, but second in the state, for ever happy thus with the noblest for my friends. For there one may be happy, and the absence of danger]
[gives a charm beyond all princely joys.]

> Greek: οὐκ ἐγγελαστὴς τῶν ὁμιλούντων, πάτερ,
ἀλλ’ αὑτὸς οὐ παροῦσι κἀγγὺς ὢν φίλοις.
ἑνὸς δ’ ἄθικτος, ᾧ με νῦν ἑλεῖν δοκεῖς·
λέχους γὰρ ἐς τόδ’ ἡμέρας ἁγνὸν δέμας·
οὐκ οἶδα πρᾶξιν τήνδε πλὴν λόγῳ κλύων
γραφῇ τε λεύσσων· οὐδὲ ταῦτα γὰρ σκοπεῖν
πρόθυμός εἰμι, παρθένον ψυχὴν ἔχων.
καὶ δὴ τὸ σῶφρον τοὐμὸν οὐ πείθει σ’· ἴτω·
δεῖ δή σε δεῖξαι τῷ τρόπῳ διεφθάρην.
πότερα τὸ τῆσδε σῶμ’ ἐκαλλιστεύετο
πασῶν γυναικῶν; ἢ σὸν οἰκήσειν δόμον
ἔγκληρον εὐνὴν προσλαβὼν ἐπήλπισα;
μάταιος ἆρ’ ἦν, οὐδαμοῦ μὲν οὖν φρενῶν.
ἀλλ’ ὡς τυραννεῖν ἡδύ; τοῖσι σώφροσιν
ἥκιστά γ’, εἰ μὴ τὰς φρένας διέφθορεν
θνητῶν ὅσοισιν ἁνδάνει μοναρχία.
ἐγὼ δ’ ἀγῶνας μὲν κρατεῖν Ἑλληνικοὺς
πρῶτος θέλοιμ’ ἄν, ἐν πόλει δὲ δεύτερος
σὺν τοῖς ἀρίστοις εὐτυχεῖν ἀεὶ φίλοις.
πράσσειν τε γὰρ πάρεστι, κίνδυνός τ’ ἀπὼν
κρείσσω δίδωσι τῆς τυραννίδος χάριν.

[¶3] One thing I have not said, the rest thou hast. Had I a witness to attest my purity, and were I pitted ’gainst her still alive, facts would show thee on enquiry who the culprit was.

> Greek: ἓν οὐ λέλεκται τῶν ἐμῶν, τὰ δ’ ἄλλ’ ἔχεις·
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν μοι μάρτυς οἷός εἰμ’ ἐγώ,
καὶ τῆσδ’ ὁρώσης φέγγος ἠγωνιζόμην,
ἔργοις ἂν εἶδες τοὺς κακοὺς διεξιών·

[¶4] Now by Zeus, the god of oaths, and by the earth, whereon we stand, I swear to thee I never did lay hand upon thy wife nor would have wished to, or have harboured such a thought Slay me, ye gods! rob me of name and honour, from home and city cast me forth, a wandering exile o’er the earth!
nor sea nor land receive my bones when I am dead, if I am such a miscreant! I cannot say if she through fear destroyed herself, for more than this am I forbid. With her discretion took the place of chastity,
while I, though chaste, was not discreet in using this virtue.

> Greek: νῦν δ’ ὅρκιόν σοι Ζῆνα καὶ πέδον χθονὸς
ὄμνυμι τῶν σῶν μήποθ’ ἅψασθαι γάμων
μηδ’ ἂν θελῆσαι μηδ’ ἂν ἔννοιαν λαβεῖν.
ἦ τἄρ’ ὀλοίμην ἀκλεὴς ἀνώνυμος,
ἄπολις ἄοικος, φυγὰς ἀλητεύων χθόνα,
καὶ μήτε πόντος μήτε γῆ δέξαιτό μου
σάρκας θανόντος, εἰ κακὸς πέφυκ’ ἀνήρ.
εἰ δ’ ἥδε δειμαίνουσ’ ἀπώλεσεν βίον
οὐκ οἶδ’· ἐμοὶ γὰρ οὐ θέμις πέρα λέγειν.
ἐσωφρόνησεν οὐκ ἔχουσα σωφρονεῖν,
ἡμεῖς δ’ ἔχοντες οὐ καλῶς ἐχρώμεθα.

[¶5] Chorus:
Thy oath by heaven, strong security, sufficiently refutes the charge.

> Greek: Χορός:
ἀρκοῦσαν εἶπας αἰτίας ἀποστροφήν,
ὅρκους παρασχών, πίστιν οὐ σμικράν, θεῶν.

[¶6] Theseus:
A wizard or magician must the fellow be, to think he can first flout me, his father,
then by coolness master my resolve.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ἆρ’ οὐκ ἐπῳδὸς καὶ γόης πέφυχ’ ὅδε,
ὃς τὴν ἐμὴν πέποιθεν εὐοργησίᾳ
ψυχὴν κρατήσειν, τὸν τεκόντ’ ἀτιμάσας;

[¶7] Hippolytus:
Father, thy part in this doth fill me with amaze; wert thou my son and I thy sire, by heaven! I would have slain, not let thee off with banishment, hadst thou presumed to violate my honour.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
καὶ σοῦ γε ταὐτὰ κάρτα θαυμάζω, πάτερ·
εἰ γὰρ σὺ μὲν παῖς ἦσθ’, ἐγὼ δὲ σὸς πατήρ,
ἔκτεινά τοί σ’ ἂν κοὐ φυγαῖς ἐζημίουν,
εἴπερ γυναικὸς ἠξίουν σ’ ἐμῆς θιγεῖν.

[¶8] Theseus:
A just remark! yet shalt thou not die by the sentence thine own lips pronounce upon thyself; for death, that cometh in a moment, is an easy end for wretchedness. Nay, thou shalt be exiled from thy fatherland, [and wandering to a foreign shore drag out a life of misery; ]
[for such are the wages of sin.]

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ὡς ἄξιον τόδ’ εἶπας· οὐχ οὕτω θανῇ.
ταχὺς γὰρ Ἅιδης ῥᾷστος ἀνδρὶ δυστυχεῖ·
ἀλλ’ ἐκ πατρῴας φυγὰς ἀλητεύων χθονὸς
ὥσπερ σὺ σαυτῷ τόνδε προύθηκας νόμον —
[ξένην ἐπ’ αἶαν λυπρὸν ἀντλήσεις βίον·]
[μισθὸς γὰρ οὗτός ἐστιν ἀνδρὶ δυσσεβεῖ.]

[¶9] Hippolytus:
Oh! what wilt thou do? Wilt thou banish me, without so much as waiting for Time’s evidence on my case?

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
οἴμοι, τί δράσεις; οὐδὲ μηνυτὴν χρόνον
δέξῃ καθ’ ἡμῶν, ἀλλά μ’ ἐξελᾷς χθονός;

[¶10] Theseus:
Ay, beyond the sea, beyond the bounds of Atlas, if I could, so deeply do I hate thee.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
πέραν γε πόντου καὶ τόπων Ἀτλαντικῶν,
εἴ πως δυναίμην, ὡς σὸν ἐχθαίρω κάρα.

[¶11] Hippolytus:
What! banish me untried, without even testing my oath, the pledge I offer, or the voice of seers?

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
οὐδ’ ὅρκον οὐδὲ πίστιν οὐδὲ μάντεων
φήμας ἐλέγξας ἄκριτον ἐκβαλεῖς με γῆς;

[¶12] Theseus:
This letter here, though it bears no seers’ signs, arraigns thy pledges; as for birds that fly o’er our heads, a long farewell to them.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ἡ δέλτος ἥδε κλῆρον οὐ δεδεγμένη
κατηγορεῖ σου πιστά· τοὺς δ’ ὑπὲρ κάρα
φοιτῶντας ὄρνις πόλλ’ ἐγὼ χαίρειν λέγω.

[¶13] Hippolytus:
(aside). Great gods! why do I not unlock my lips, seeing that I am ruined by you, the objects of my reverence? No, I will not; I should nowise persuade those whom I ought to, and in vain should break the oath I swore.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ὦ θεοί, τί δῆτα τοὐμὸν οὐ λύω στόμα,
ὅστις γ’ ὑφ’ ὑμῶν, οὓς σέβω, διόλλυμαι;
οὐ δῆτα· πάντως οὐ πίθοιμ’ ἂν οὕς με δεῖ,
μάτην δ’ ἂν ὅρκους συγχέαιμ’ οὓς ὤμοσα.

[¶14] Theseus:
Fie upon thee! that solemn air of thine is more than I can bear.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
οἴμοι, τὸ σεμνὸν ὥς μ’ ἀποκτενεῖ τὸ σόν.

[¶15] Begone from thy native land forthwith!

> Greek: οὐκ εἶ πατρῴας ἐκτὸς ὡς τάχιστα γῆς;

[¶16] Hippolytus:
Whither shall I turn? Ah me! whose friendly house will take me in, an exile on so grave a charge?

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ποῖ δῆθ’ ὁ τλήμων τρέψομαι; τίνος ξένων
δόμους ἔσειμι, τῇδ’ ἐπ’ αἰτίᾳ φυγών;

[¶17] Theseus:
Seek one who loves to entertain as guests and partners in his crimes corrupters of men’s wives.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ὅστις γυναικῶν λυμεῶνας ἥδεται
ξένους κομίζων καὶ ξυνοικούρους κακῶν.

[¶18] Hippolytus:
Ah me! this wounds my heart and brings me nigh to tears to think that I should appear so vile, and thou believe me so.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
αἰαῖ, πρὸς ἧπαρ· δακρύων [τ’] ἐγγὺς τόδε,
εἰ δὴ κακός γε φαίνομαι, δοκῶ τέ σοι.

[¶19] Theseus:
Thy tears and forethought had been more in season when thou didst presume to outrage thy father’s wife.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
τότε στενάζειν καὶ προγιγνώσκειν σ’ ἐχρῆν
ὅτ’ ἐς πατρῴαν ἄλοχον ὑβρίζειν ἔτλης.

[¶20] Hippolytus:
O house, I would thou couldst speak for me and witness if I am so vile!

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ὦ δώματ’, εἴθε φθέγμα γηρύσαισθέ μοι
καὶ μαρτυρήσαιτ’ εἰ κακὸς πέφυκ’ ἀνήρ.

[¶21] Theseus:
Dost fly to speechless witnesses? This deed, though it speaketh not, proves thy guilt clearly.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ἐς τοὺς ἀφώνους μάρτυρας φεύγεις σοφῶς·
τὸ δ’ ἔργον οὐ λέγον σε μηνύει κακόν.

[¶22] Hippolytus:
Alas! Would I could stand and face myself, so should I weep to see the sorrows I endure.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
φεῦ·
εἴθ’ ἦν ἐμαυτὸν προσβλέπειν ἐναντίον
στάνθ’, ὡς ἐδάκρυσ’ οἷα πάσχομεν κακά.

[¶23] Theseus:
Ay,’tis thy character to honour thyself far more than reverence thy parents, as thou shouldst.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
πολλῷ γε μᾶλλον σαυτὸν ἤσκησας σέβειν
ἢ τοὺς τεκόντας ὅσια δρᾶν δίκαιος ὤν.

[¶24] Hippolytus:
Unhappy mother! son of sorrow! Heaven keep all friends of mine from bastard birth!

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ὦ δυστάλαινα μῆτερ, ὦ πικραὶ γοναί·
μηδείς ποτ’ εἴη τῶν ἐμῶν φίλων νόθος.

[¶25] Theseus:
Ho! servants, drag him hence! You heard
my proclamation long ago condemning him to exile.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
οὐχ ἕλξετ’ αὐτόν, δμῶες; οὐκ ἀκούετε
πάλαι ξενοῦσθαι τόνδε προυννέποντά με;

[¶26] Hippolytus:
Whoso of them doth lay a hand on me shall rue it; thyself expel me, if thy spirit move thee, from the land.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
κλαίων τις αὐτῶν ἆρ’ ἐμοῦ τεθίξεται·
σὺ δ’ αὐτός, εἴ σοι θυμός, ἐξώθει χθονός.

[¶27] Theseus:
I will, unless my word thou straight obey; no pity for thy exile steals into my heart. [Exit Theseus.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
δράσω τάδ’, εἰ μὴ τοῖς ἐμοῖς πείσῃ λόγοις·
οὐ γάρ τις οἶκτος σῆς μ’ ὑπέρχεται φυγῆς.

[¶28] Hippolytus:
The sentence then, it seems, is passed. Ah, misery I How well I know the truth herein, but know no way to tell it! O daughter of Latona, dearest to me of all deities, partner, comrade in the chase, far from glorious Athens must I fly. Farewell, city
and land of Erechtheus; farewell, Troezen, most joyous home wherein to pass the spring of life;’tis my last sight of thee, farewell!

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ἄραρεν, ὡς ἔοικεν· ὦ τάλας ἐγώ·
ὡς οἶδα μὲν ταῦτ’, οἶδα δ’ οὐχ ὅπως φράσω.
ὦ φιλτάτη μοι δαιμόνων Λητοῦς κόρη,
σύνθακε, συγκύναγε, φευξόμεσθα δὴ
κλεινὰς Ἀθήνας. ἀλλὰ χαιρέτω πόλις
καὶ γαῖ’ Ἐρεχθέως· ὦ πέδον Τροζήνιον,
ὡς ἐγκαθηβᾶν πόλλ’ ἔχεις εὐδαίμονα,
χαῖρ’· ὕστατον γάρ σ’ εἰσορῶν προσφθέγγομαι.

[¶29] Come, my comrades in this land, young like me, greet me kindly and escort me forth,
for never will ye behold a purer soul, for all my father’s doubts. [Exit Hippolytus.

> Greek: ἴτ’ ὦ νέοι μοι τῆσδε γῆς ὁμήλικες,
προσείπαθ’ ἡμᾶς καὶ προπέμψατε χθονός·
ὡς οὔποτ’ ἄλλον ἄνδρα σωφρονέστερον
ὄψεσθε, κεἰ μὴ ταῦτ’ ἐμῷ δοκεῖ πατρί.

[¶30] Chorus:
In very deed the thoughts I have about the gods, whenso they come into my mind, do much to soothe its grief, but though I cherish secret hopes of some great guiding will, yet am I at fault when I survey the fate and doings of the sons of men;

> Greek: Χορὸς Κυνηγῶν:
ἦ μέγα μοι τὰ θεῶν μελεδήμαθ’, ὅταν φρένας ἔλθῃ,
λύπας παραιρεῖ· ξύνεσιν δέ τιν’ ἐλπίδι κεύθων
λείπομαι ἔν τε τύχαις θνατῶν καὶ ἐν ἔργμασι λεύσσων·

[¶31] change succeeds to change, and man’s life veers and shifts in endless restlessness.

> Greek: ἄλλα γὰρ ἄλλοθεν ἀμείβεται, μετὰ δ’ ἵσταται ἀνδράσιν
αἰὼν
πολυπλάνητος αἰεί.

[¶32] Chorus:
Fortune grant me this, I pray, at heaven’s hand,—a happy lot in life and a soul from sorrow free;

> Greek: Χορός:
εἴθε μοι εὐξαμένᾳ θεόθεν τάδε μοῖρα παράσχοι,
τύχαν μετ’ ὄλβου καὶ ἀκήρατον ἄλγεσι θυμόν·

[¶33] opinions let me hold not too precise nor yet too hollow; but, lightly changing my habits to each morrow as it comes, may I thus attain a life of bliss!

> Greek: δόξα δὲ μήτ’ ἀτρεκὴς μήτ’ αὖ παράσημος ἐνείη·
ῥᾴδια δ’ ἤθεα τὸν αὔριον μεταβαλλομένα χρόνον αἰεὶ
βίον συνευτυχοίην.

[¶34] Chorus:
For now no more is my mind free from doubts, unlooked-for sights greet my vision; for lo! I see the morning star of Athens, eye of Hellas, driven by his father’s fury
to another land. Mourn, ye sands of my native shores, ye oak-groves on the hills, where with his fleet hounds he would hunt the quarry to the death,
attending on Dictynna, awful queen.

> Greek: Χορὸς Κυνηγῶν:
οὐκέτι γὰρ καθαρὰν φρέν’ ἔχω ⟨τὰ⟩ παρ’ ἐλπίδα λεύσ-
σων,
ἐπεὶ τὸν Ἑλλανίας
φανερώτατον ἀστέρ’ Ἀθήνας
εἴδομεν εἴδομεν ἐκ πατρὸς ὀργᾶς
ἄλλαν ἐπ’ αἶαν ἱέμενον.
ὦ ψάμαθοι πολιήτιδος ἀκτᾶς,
ὦ δρυμὸς ὄρειος, ὅθι κυνῶν
ὠκυπόδων μέτα θῆρας ἔναιρεν
Δίκτυνναν ἀμφὶ σεμνάν.

[¶35] Chorus:
No more will he mount his car drawn by Venetian steeds, filling the course round Limna with the prancing of his trained horses. Nevermore in his fathers house shall he wake the Muse
that never slept beneath his lute-strings; no hand will crown the spots where rests the maiden Latona ’mid the boskage deep; nor evermore shall our virgins vie to win thy love, now thou art banished;

> Greek: Χορός:
οὐκέτι συζυγίαν πώλων Ἐνετᾶν ἐπιβάσῃ
τὸν ἀμφὶ Λίμνας τρόχον
κατέχων ποδὶ γυμνάδος ἵππου.
μοῦσα δ’ ἄυπνος ὑπ’ ἄντυγι χορδᾶν
λήξει πατρῷον ἀνὰ δόμον·
ἀστέφανοι δὲ κόρας ἀνάπαυλαι
Λατοῦς βαθεῖαν ἀνὰ χλόαν·
νυμφιδία δ’ ἀπόλωλε φυγᾷ σᾷ
λέκτρων ἅμιλλα κούραις.

[¶36] Chorus:
while I with tears at thy unhappy fate shall endure a lot all undeserved. Ah! hapless mother,

in vain didst thou bring forth, it seems. I am angered with the gods; out upon them! O ye linked Graces, why are ye sending from his native land this poor youth, a guiltless sufferer,
far from his home?

> Greek: Χορός:
— ἐγὼ δὲ σᾷ δυστυχίᾳ
δάκρυσι διοίσω πότμον
ἄποτμον· ὦ τάλαινα μᾶ-
τερ, ἔτεκες ἀνόνατα· φεῦ·
μανίω θεοῖσιν·
ἰὼ ἰώ·
συζύγιαι Χάριτες, τί τὸν τάλαν’ ἐκ πατρίας γᾶς
οὐδὲν ἄτας αἴτιον
πέμπετε τῶνδ’ ἀπ’ οἴκων;

[¶37] Chorus:
But lo! I see a servant of Hippolytus hasting with troubled looks towards the palace.

> Greek: Χορός:
— καὶ μὴν ὀπαδὸν Ἱππολύτου τόνδ’ εἰσορῶ
σπουδῇ σκυθρωπὸν πρὸς δόμους ὁρμώμενον.

[¶38] Messenger:
Ladies, where may I find Theseus, king of the country? pray, tell me if
ye know; is he within the palace here?

> Greek: Ἄγγελος:
ποῖ γῆς ἄνακτα τῆσδε Θησέα μολὼν
εὕροιμ’ ἄν, ὦ γυναῖκες; εἴπερ ἴστε μοι
σημήνατ’· ἆρα τῶνδε δωμάτων ἔσω;

[¶39] Chorus:
Lo! himself approaches from the palace.

> Greek: Χορός:
ὅδ’ αὐτὸς ἔξω δωμάτων πορεύεται.

[¶40] Messenger:
Theseus, I am the bearer of troublous tidings to thee and all citizens who dwell in Athens or the bounds of Troezen.

> Greek: Ἄγγελος:
Θησεῦ, μερίμνης ἄξιον φέρω λόγον
σοὶ καὶ πολίταις οἵ τ’ Ἀθηναίων πόλιν
ναίουσι καὶ γῆς τέρμονας Τροζηνίας.

[¶41] Theseus:
How now? hath some strange calamity overtaken these two neighbouring cities?

> Greek: Θησεύς:
τί δ’ ἔστι; μῶν τις συμφορὰ νεωτέρα
δισσὰς κατείληφ’ ἀστυγείτονας πόλεις;

[¶42] Messenger:
In one brief word, Hippolytus is dead.’Tis true one slender thread still links him to the light of life.

> Greek: Ἄγγελος:
Ἱππόλυτος οὐκέτ’ ἔστιν, ὡς εἰπεῖν ἔπος·
δέδορκε μέντοι φῶς ἐπὶ σμικρᾶς ῥοπῆς.

[¶43] Theseus:
Who slew him? Did some husband come to blows with him,
one whose wife, like mine, had suffered brutal violence?

> Greek: Θησεύς:
πρὸς τοῦ; δι’ ἔχθρας μῶν τις ἦν ἀφιγμένος,
ὅτου κατῄσχυν’ ἄλοχον ὡς πατρὸς βίᾳ;

[¶44] Messenger:
He perished through those steeds that drew his chariot, and through the curses thou didst utter, praying to thy sire, the ocean-king, to slay thy son.

> Greek: Ἄγγελος:
οἰκεῖος αὐτὸν ὤλεσ’ ἁρμάτων ὄχος
ἀραί τε τοῦ σοῦ στόματος, ἃς σὺ σῷ πατρὶ
πόντου κρέοντι παιδὸς ἠράσω πέρι.

[¶45] Theseus:
Ye gods and king Poseidon, thou hast proved my parentage
by hearkening to my prayer! Say how he perished; how fell the uplifted hand of Justice to smite the villain who dishonoured me?

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ὦ θεοὶ Πόσειδόν θ’, ὡς ἄρ’ ἦσθ’ ἐμὸς πατὴρ
ὀρθῶς, ἀκούσας τῶν ἐμῶν κατευγμάτων.
πῶς καὶ διώλετ’; εἰπέ· τῷ τρόπῳ Δίκης
ἔπαισεν αὐτὸν ῥόπτρον αἰσχύναντ’ ἐμέ;

[¶46] Messenger:
Hard by the wave-beat shore were we combing out his horses’ manes,
weeping the while, for one had come to say that Hippolytus was harshly exiled by thee and nevermore would return to set foot in this land. Then came he, telling the same doleful tale to us upon the beach, and with him was a countless throng
of friends who followed after. At length he stayed his lamentation and spake: “Why weakly rave on this wise? My father’s commands must be obeyed. Ho! servants, harness my horses to the chariot; this is no longer now city of mine.”

> Greek: Ἄγγελος:
ἡμεῖς μὲν ἀκτῆς κυμοδέγμονος πέλας
ψήκτραισιν ἵππων ἐκτενίζομεν τρίχας
κλαίοντες· ἦλθε γάρ τις ἄγγελος λέγων
ὡς οὐκέτ’ ἐν γῇ τῇδ’ ἀναστρέψοι πόδα
Ἱππόλυτος, ἐκ σοῦ τλήμονας φυγὰς ἔχων.
ὃ δ’ ἦλθε ταὐτὸν δακρύων ἔχων μέλος
ἡμῖν ἐπ’ ἀκτάς· μυρία δ’ ὀπισθόπους
φίλων ἅμ’ ἔστειχ’ ἡλίκων ⟨θ’⟩ ὁμήγυρις.
χρόνῳ δὲ δήποτ’ εἶπ’ ἀπαλλαχθεὶς γόων·
Τί ταῦτ’ ἀλύω; πειστέον πατρὸς λόγοις.
ἐντύναθ’ ἵππους ἅρμασι ζυγηφόρους,
δμῶες· πόλις γὰρ οὐκέτ’ ἔστιν ἥδε μοι.

[¶47] Thereupon each one of us bestirred himself, and, ere a man could say ’twas done, we had the horses standing ready at our master’s side. Then he caught up the reins from the chariot-rail, first fitting his feet exactly in the hollows made for them.

> Greek: τοὐνθένδε μέντοι πᾶς ἀνὴρ ἠπείγετο,
καὶ θᾶσσον ἢ λέγοι τις ἐξηρτυμένας
πώλους παρ’ αὐτὸν δεσπότην ἐστήσαμεν.
μάρπτει δὲ χερσὶν ἡνίας ἀπ’ ἄντυγος,
αὐταῖσιν ἀρβύλαισιν ἁρμόσας πόδα.

[¶48] But first with outspread palms he called upon the gods, “O Zeus, now strike me dead, if I have sinned, and let my father learn how he is wronging me, in death at least, if not in life.”

> Greek: καὶ πρῶτα μὲν θεοῖς εἶπ’ ἀναπτύξας χέρας·
Ζεῦ, μηκέτ’ εἴην, εἰ κακὸς πέφυκ’ ἀνήρ·
αἴσθοιτο δ’ ἡμᾶς ὡς ἀτιμάζει πατὴρ
ἤτοι θανόντας ἢ φάος δεδορκότας.

[¶49] Therewith he seized the whip and lashed
each horse in turn; while we, close by his chariot, near the reins, kept up with him along the road that leads direct to Argos and Epidaurus.

> Greek: κἀν τῷδ’ ἐπῆγε κέντρον ἐς χεῖρας λαβὼν
πώλοις ὁμαρτῇ· πρόσπολοι δ’ ὑφ’ ἅρματος
πέλας χαλινῶν εἱπόμεσθα δεσπότῃ
τὴν εὐθὺς Ἄργους κἀπιδαυρίας ὁδόν.

[¶50] And just as we were coming to a desert spot, a strip of sand beyond the borders of this country,
sloping right to the Saronic gulf, there issued thence a deep rumbling sound, as it were an earthquake, a fearsome noise, and the horses reared their heads and pricked their ears, while we were filled with wild alarm
to know whence came the sound; when, as we gazed toward the wave-beat shore, a wave tremendous we beheld towering to the skies, so that from our view the cliffs of Scirori vanished, for it hid the isthmus and the rock of Asclepius;

> Greek: ἐπεὶ δ’ ἔρημον χῶρον εἰσεβάλλομεν,
ἀκτή τις ἔστι τοὐπέκεινα τῆσδε γῆς
πρὸς πόντον ἤδη κειμένη Σαρωνικόν.
ἔνθεν τις ἠχὼ χθόνιος ὡς βροντὴ Διὸς
βαρὺν βρόμον μεθῆκε, φρικώδη κλύειν·
ὀρθὸν δὲ κρᾶτ’ ἔστησαν οὖς τ’ ἐς οὐρανὸν
ἵπποι· παρ’ ἡμῖν δ’ ἦν φόβος νεανικὸς
πόθεν ποτ’ εἴη φθόγγος. ἐς δ’ ἁλιρρόθους
ἀκτὰς ἀποβλέψαντες ἱερὸν εἴδομεν
κῦμ’ οὐρανῷ στηρίζον, ὥστ’ ἀφῃρέθη
Σκίρωνος ἀκτὰς ὄμμα τοὐμὸν εἰσορᾶν·
ἔκρυπτε δ’ Ἰσθμὸν καὶ πέτραν Ἀσκληπιοῦ.

[¶51] then swelling and frothing with a crest of foam, the sea discharged it toward the beach where stood the harnessed car, and in the moment that it broke, that mighty wall of waters, there issued from the wave a monstrous bull,
whose bellowing filled the land with fearsome echoes, a sight too awful as it seemed to us who witnessed it. A panic seized the horses there and then, but our master, to horses’ ways quite used,
gripped in both hands his reins, and tying them to his body pulled them backward as the sailor pulls his oar; but the horses gnashed the forged bits between their teeth and bore him wildly on, regardless of their master’s guiding hand
or rein or jointed car. And oft as he would take the guiding rein and steer for softer ground, showed that bull in front to turn him back again, maddening his team with terror;

> Greek: κἄπειτ’ ἀνοιδῆσάν τε καὶ πέριξ ἀφρὸν
πολὺν καχλάζον ποντίῳ φυσήματι
χωρεῖ πρὸς ἀκτὰς οὗ τέθριππος ἦν ὄχος.
αὐτῷ δὲ σὺν κλύδωνι καὶ τρικυμίᾳ
κῦμ’ ἐξέθηκε ταῦρον, ἄγριον τέρας·
οὗ πᾶσα μὲν χθὼν φθέγματος πληρουμένη
φρικῶδες ἀντεφθέγγετ’, εἰσορῶσι δὲ
κρεῖσσον θέαμα δεργμάτων ἐφαίνετο.
εὐθὺς δὲ πώλοις δεινὸς ἐμπίπτει φόβος·
καὶ δεσπότης μὲν ἱππικοῖσιν ἤθεσιν
πολὺς ξυνοικῶν ἥρπασ’ ἡνίας χεροῖν,
ἕλκει δὲ κώπην ὥστε ναυβάτης ἀνὴρ
ἱμᾶσιν ἐς τοὔπισθεν ἀρτήσας δέμας·
αἳ δ’ ἐνδακοῦσαι στόμια πυριγενῆ γναθμοῖς
βίᾳ φέρουσιν, οὔτε ναυκλήρου χερὸς
οὔθ’ ἱπποδέσμων οὔτε κολλητῶν ὄχων
μεταστρέφουσαι. κεἰ μὲν ἐς τὰ μαλθακὰ
γαίας ἔχων οἴακας εὐθύνοι δρόμον,
προυφαίνετ’ ἐς τὸ πρόσθεν, ὥστ’ ἀναστρέφειν,
ταῦρος, φόβῳ τέτρωρον ἐκμαίνων ὄχον·

[¶52] but if in their frantic career they ran towards the rocks, he would draw nigh the chariot-rail, keeping up with them, until, suddenly dashing the wheel against a stone, he upset and wrecked the car; then was dire confusion,
axle-boxes and linchpins springing into the air. While he, poor youth, entangled in the reins was dragged along, bound by a stubborn knot, his poor head dashed against the rocks, his flesh all torn, the while he cried out piteously,
“Stay, stay, my horses whom 
my own hand hath fed at the manger, destroy me not utterly. O luckless curse of a father! Will no one come and save me for all my virtue?”

> Greek: εἰ δ’ ἐς πέτρας φέροιντο μαργῶσαι φρένας,
σιγῇ πελάζων ἄντυγι ξυνείπετο
ἐς τοῦθ’ ἕως ἔσφηλε κἀνεχαίτισεν,
ἁψῖδα πέτρῳ προσβαλὼν ὀχήματος.
σύμφυρτα δ’ ἦν ἅπαντα· σύριγγές τ’ ἄνω
τροχῶν ἐπήδων ἀξόνων τ’ ἐνήλατα.
αὐτὸς δ’ ὁ τλήμων ἡνίαισιν ἐμπλακεὶς
δεσμὸν δυσεξήνυστον ἕλκεται δεθείς,
σποδούμενος μὲν πρὸς πέτραις φίλον κάρα
θραύων τε σάρκας, δεινὰ δ’ ἐξαυδῶν κλύειν·
Στῆτ’, ὦ φάτναισι ταῖς ἐμαῖς τεθραμμέναι,
μή μ’ ἐξαλείψητ’· ὦ πατρὸς τάλαιν’ ἀρά.
τίς ἄνδρ’ ἄριστον βούλεται σῶσαι παρών;

[¶53] Now we, though much we longed to help, were left far behind. At last, I know not how, he broke loose
from the shapely reins that bound him, a faint breath of life still in him; but the horses disappeared, and that portentous bull, among the rocky ground, I know not where.

> Greek: πολλοὶ δὲ βουληθέντες ὑστέρῳ ποδὶ
ἐλειπόμεσθα. χὣ μὲν ἐκ δεσμῶν λυθεὶς
τμητῶν ἱμάντων οὐ κάτοιδ’ ὅτῳ τρόπῳ
πίπτει, βραχὺν δὴ βίοτον ἐμπνέων ἔτι·
ἵπποι δ’ ἔκρυφθεν καὶ τὸ δύστηνον τέρας
ταύρου λεπαίας οὐ κάτοιδ’ ὅποι χθονός.

[¶54] I am but a slave in thy house,’tis true, O king,
yet will I never believe so monstrous a charge against thy son’s character, no! not though the whole race of womankind should hang itself, or one should fill with writing every pine-tree tablet grown on Ida, sure as I am of his uprightness.

> Greek: δοῦλος μὲν οὖν ἔγωγε σῶν δόμων, ἄναξ,
ἀτὰρ τοσοῦτόν γ’ οὐ δυνήσομαί ποτε,
τὸν σὸν πιθέσθαι παῖδ’ ὅπως ἐστὶν κακός·
οὐδ’ εἰ γυναικῶν πᾶν κρεμασθείη γένος,
καὶ τὴν ἐν Ἴδῃ γραμμάτων πλήσειέ τις
πεύκην, ἐπεί νιν ἐσθλὸν ὄντ’ ἐπίσταμαι.

[¶55] Chorus:
Alas! new troubles come to plague us, nor is there any escape from fate and necessity.

> Greek: Χορός:
αἰαῖ· κέκρανται συμφορὰ νέων κακῶν,
οὐδ’ ἔστι μοίρας τοῦ χρεών τ’ ἀπαλλαγή.

[¶56] Theseus:
My hatred for him who hath thus suffered made me glad at thy tidings, yet from regard for the gods and him, because he is my son,
I feel neither joy nor sorrow at his sufferings.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
μίσει μὲν ἀνδρὸς τοῦ πεπονθότος τάδε
λόγοισιν ἥσθην τοῖσδε· νῦν δ’ αἰδούμενος
θεούς τ’ ἐκεῖνόν θ’, οὕνεκ’ ἐστὶν ἐξ ἐμοῦ,
οὔθ’ ἥδομαι τοῖσδ’ οὔτ’ ἐπάχθομαι κακοῖς.

[¶57] Messenger:
But say, are we to bring the victim hither, or how are we to fulfil thy wishes? Bethink thee; if by me thou wilt be schooled, thou wilt not harshly treat thy son in his sad plight.

> Greek: Ἄγγελος:
πῶς οὖν; κομίζειν, ἢ τί χρὴ τὸν ἄθλιον
δράσαντας ἡμᾶς σῇ χαρίζεσθαι φρενί;
φρόντιζ’· ἐμοῖς δὲ χρώμενος βουλεύμασιν
οὐκ ὠμὸς ἐς σὸν παῖδα δυστυχοῦντ’ ἔσῃ.

[¶58] Theseus:
Bring him hither, that when I see him face to face, who hath denied having polluted my wife’s honour, I may by words and heaven’s visitation convict him.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
κομίζετ’ αὐτόν, ὡς ἰδὼν ἐν ὄμμασιν
τὸν τἄμ’ ἀπαρνηθέντα μὴ χρᾶναι λέχη
λόγοις τ’ ἐλέγξω δαιμόνων τε συμφοραῖς.

[¶59] Chorus:
Ah! Cypris, thine the hand that guides the stubborn hearts of gods and men; thine,
and that attendant boy’s, who, with painted plumage gay, flutters round his victims on lightning wing. O’er the land and booming deep on golden pinion borne flits the god of Love,
maddening the heart and beguiling the senses of all whom he attacks, savage whelps on mountains bred, ocean’s monsters, creatures of this sun-warmed earth,
and man; thine, O Cypris, thine alone the sovereign power to rule them all.

> Greek: Χορός:
σὺ τὰν θεῶν ἄκαμπτον φρένα καὶ βροτῶν
ἄγεις, Κύπρι, σὺν δ’
ὁ ποικιλόπτερος ἀμφιβαλὼν
ὠκυτάτῳ πτερῷ.
ποτᾶται δὲ γαῖαν εὐάχητόν θ’
ἁλμυρὸν ἐπὶ πόντον.
θέλγει δ’ Ἔρως, ᾧ μαινομένᾳ κραδίᾳ
πτανὸς ἐφορμάσῃ χρυσοφαής,
φύσιν ὀρεσκόων σκυλάκων πελαγίων θ’
ὅσα τε γᾶ τρέφει
τά τ’ ἀέλιος αἰθόμενα δέρκεται,
ἄνδρας τε· συμπάντων βασιληίδα τιμάν,
Κύπρι, τῶνδε μόνα κρατύνεις.

[¶60] Artemis:
Hearken, I bid thee, noble son of Aegeus:

> Greek: Ἄρτεμις:
σὲ τὸν εὐπατρίδην Αἰγέως κέλομαι
παῖδ’ ἐπακοῦσαι·

[¶61] lo!’tis I Latona’s child, that speak, I, Artemis. Why, Theseus, to thy sorrow dost thou rejoice at these tidings, seeing that thou hast slain thy son most impiously, listening to a charge not clearly proved, but falsely sworn to by thy wife? though clearly has the curse therefrom upon thee fallen.

> Greek: Λητοῦς δὲ κόρη σ’ Ἄρτεμις αὐδῶ.
Θησεῦ, τί τάλας τοῖσδε συνήδῃ,
παῖδ’ οὐχ ὁσίως σὸν ἀποκτείνας,
ψευδέσι μύθοις ἀλόχου πεισθεὶς
ἀφανῆ; φανερὰν δ’ ἔσχεθες ἄτην.

[¶62] Why dost thou not for very shame hide beneath the dark places of the earth, or change thy human life and soar on wings to escape this tribulation?’Mongst men of honour thou hast
now no share in life.

> Greek: πῶς οὐχ ὑπὸ γῆς τάρταρα κρύπτεις
δέμας αἰσχυνθείς,
ἢ πτηνὸς ἄνω μεταβὰς βίοτον
πήματος ἔξω πόδα τοῦδ’ ἀνέχεις;
ὡς ἔν γ’ ἀγαθοῖς ἀνδράσιν οὔ σοι
κτητὸν βιότου μέρος ἐστίν.

[¶63] Hearken, Theseus; I will put thy wretched case. Yet will it naught avail thee, if I do, but vex thy heart; still with this intent I came, to show thy son’s pure heart,—that he may die with honour,—
as well the frenzy, and, in a sense, the nobleness of thy wife; for she was cruelly stung with a passion for thy son by that goddess whom all we, that joy in virgin purity, detest. And though she strove to conquer love by resolution,
yet by no fault of hers she fell, thanks to her nurse’s strategy, who did reveal her malady unto thy son under oath. But he would none of her counsels, as indeed was right, nor yet, when thou didst revile him, would he break the oath he swore, from piety.

> Greek: ἄκουε, Θησεῦ, σῶν κακῶν κατάστασιν·
καίτοι προκόψω γ’ οὐδέν, ἀλγυνῶ δέ σε.
ἀλλ’ ἐς τόδ’ ἦλθον, παιδὸς ἐκδεῖξαι φρένα
τοῦ σοῦ δικαίαν, ὡς ὑπ’ εὐκλείας θάνῃ,
καὶ σῆς γυναικὸς οἶστρον ἢ τρόπον τινὰ
γενναιότητα· τῆς γὰρ ἐχθίστης θεῶν
ἡμῖν, ὅσαισι παρθένειος ἡδονή,
δηχθεῖσα κέντροις παιδὸς ἠράσθη σέθεν.
γνώμῃ δὲ νικᾶν τὴν Κύπριν πειρωμένη
τροφοῦ διώλετ’ οὐχ ἑκοῦσα μηχαναῖς,
ἣ σῷ δι’ ὅρκων παιδὶ σημαίνει νόσον.
ὃ δ’, ὥσπερ ὢν δίκαιος, οὐκ ἐφέσπετο
λόγοισιν, οὐδ’ αὖ πρὸς σέθεν κακούμενος
ὅρκων ἀφεῖλε πίστιν, εὐσεβὴς γεγώς.

[¶64] She meantime, fearful of being found out, wrote a lying letter, destroying by guile thy son, but yet persuading thee.

> Greek: ἣ δ’ εἰς ἔλεγχον μὴ πέσῃ φοβουμένη
ψευδεῖς γραφὰς ἔγραψε καὶ διώλεσεν
δόλοισι σὸν παῖδ’· ἀλλ’ ὅμως ἔπεισέ σε.

[¶65] Theseus:
Woe is me!

> Greek: Θησεύς:
οἴμοι.

[¶66] Artemis:
Doth my story wound thee, Theseus? Be still awhile; hear what follows, so wilt thou have more cause to groan.

> Greek: Ἄρτεμις:
δάκνει σε, Θησεῦ, μῦθος; ἀλλ’ ἔχ’ ἥσυχος,
τοὐνθένδ’ ἀκούσας ὡς ἂν οἰμώξῃς πλέον.

[¶67] Dost remember those three prayers thy father granted thee, fraught with certain issue?’Tis one of these thou hast misused, unnatural wretch, against thy son, instead of aiming it at an enemy. Thy sea-god sire,’tis true, for all his kind intent, hath granted that boon he was compelled, by reason of his promise, to grant.

> Greek: ἆρ’ οἶσθα πατρὸς τρεῖς ἀρὰς ἔχων σαφεῖς;
ὧν τὴν μίαν παρεῖλες, ὦ κάκιστε σύ,
ἐς παῖδα τὸν σόν, ἐξὸν εἰς ἐχθρόν τινα.
πατὴρ μὲν οὖν σοι πόντιος φρονῶν καλῶς
ἔδωχ’ ὅσονπερ χρῆν, ἐπείπερ ᾔνεσεν·

[¶68] But thou alike in his eyes and in mine hast shewn thy evil heart, in that thou hast forestalled all proof or voice prophetic, hast made no inquiry, nor taken time for consideration, but with undue haste cursed thy son even to the death.

> Greek: σὺ δ’ ἔν τ’ ἐκείνῳ κἀν ἐμοὶ φαίνῃ κακός,
ὃς οὔτε πίστιν οὔτε μάντεων ὄπα
ἔμεινας, οὐκ ἤλεγξας, οὐ χρόνῳ μακρῷ
σκέψιν παρέσχες, ἀλλὰ θᾶσσον ἤ σ’ ἐχρῆν
ἀρὰς ἀφῆκας παιδὶ καὶ κατέκτανες.

[¶69] Theseus:
Perdition seize me! Queen revered!

> Greek: Θησεύς:
δέσποιν’, ὀλοίμην.

[¶70] Artemis:
An awful deed was thine, but still even for this thou mayest obtain pardon; for it was Cypris that would have it so, sating the fury of her soul. For this is law amongst us gods; none of us will thwart
his neighbour’s will, but ever we stand aloof. For be well assured, did I not fear Zeus, never would I have incurred the bitter shame of handing over to death a man of all his kind to me most dear. As for thy sin,
first thy ignorance absolves thee from its villainy, next thy wife, who is dead, was lavish in her use of convincing arguments to influence thy mind.

> Greek: Ἄρτεμις:
δείν’ ἔπραξας, ἀλλ’ ὅμως
ἔτ’ ἔστι καί σοι τῶνδε συγγνώμης τυχεῖν·
Κύπρις γὰρ ἤθελ’ ὥστε γίγνεσθαι τόδε,
πληροῦσα θυμόν. θεοῖσι δ’ ὧδ’ ἔχει νόμος·
οὐδεὶς ἀπαντᾶν βούλεται προθυμίᾳ
τῇ τοῦ θέλοντος, ἀλλ’ ἀφιστάμεσθ’ ἀεί.
ἐπεί, σάφ’ ἴσθι, Ζῆνα μὴ φοβουμένη
οὐκ ἄν ποτ’ ἦλθον ἐς τόδ’ αἰσχύνης ἐγὼ
ὥστ’ ἄνδρα πάντων φίλτατον βροτῶν ἐμοὶ
θανεῖν ἐᾶσαι. τὴν δὲ σὴν ἁμαρτίαν
τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι μὲν πρῶτον ἐκλύει κάκης·
ἔπειτα δ’ ἡ θανοῦσ’ ἀνήλωσεν γυνὴ
λόγων ἐλέγχους ὥστε σὴν πεῖσαι φρένα.

[¶71] On thee in chief this storm of woe hath burst, yet is it some grief to me as well; for when the righteous die, there is no joy in heaven,
albeit we try to destroy the wicked, house and home.

> Greek: μάλιστα μέν νυν σοὶ τάδ’ ἔρρωγεν κακά,
λύπη δὲ κἀμοί· τοὺς γὰρ εὐσεβεῖς θεοὶ
θνῄσκοντας οὐ χαίρουσι· τούς γε μὴν κακοὺς
αὐτοῖς τέκνοισι καὶ δόμοις ἐξόλλυμεν.

[¶72] Chorus:
Lo! where he comes, this hapless youth, his fair young flesh and auburn locks most shamefully handled. Unhappy house!
what twofold sorrow doth o’ertake its halls, through heaven’s ordinance!

> Greek: Χορός:
καὶ μὴν ὁ τάλας ὅδε δὴ στείχει,
σάρκας νεαρὰς ξανθόν τε κάρα
διαλυμανθείς. ὦ πόνος οἴκων,
οἷον ἐκράνθη δίδυμον μελάθροις
πένθος θεόθεν καταληπτόν.

[¶73] Hippolytus:
Ah! ah! woe is me! foully undone by an impious father’s impious imprecation!

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
αἰαῖ αἰαῖ·
δύστηνος ἐγώ, πατρὸς ἐξ ἀδίκου
χρησμοῖς ἀδίκοις διελυμάνθην.

[¶74] Undone, undone! woe is me! Through my head shoot fearful pains; my brain throbs convulsively. Stop, let me rest my worn-out frame. Oh, oh!

> Greek: ἀπόλωλα τάλας, οἴμοι μοι.
διά μου κεφαλῆς ᾄσσουσ’ ὀδύναι,
κατὰ δ’ ἐγκέφαλον πηδᾷ σφάκελος.
σχές, ἀπειρηκὸς σῶμ’ ἀναπαύσω.
[ἓ ἕ·]

[¶75] Accursed steeds, that mine own hand did feed, ye have been my ruin and my death. O by the gods, good sirs, I beseech ye, softly touch my wounded limbs.

> Greek: ὦ στυγνὸν ὄχημ’ ἵππειον, ἐμῆς
βόσκημα χερός,
διά μ’ ἔφθειρας, κατὰ δ’ ἔκτεινας.
φεῦ φεῦ· πρὸς θεῶν, ἀτρέμας, δμῶες,
χροὸς ἑλκώδους ἅπτεσθε χεροῖν.

[¶76] Who stands there at my right side? Lift me tenderly; with slow and even step conduct a poor wretch cursed by his mistaken sire. Great Zeus, dost thou see this? Me thy reverent worshipper,
me who left all men behind in purity, plunged thus into yawning Hades ’neath the earth, reft of life; in vain the toils I have endured through my piety towards mankind.

> Greek: τίς ἐφέστηκεν δεξιὰ πλευροῖς;
πρόσφορά μ’ αἴρετε, σύντονα δ’ ἕλκετε
τὸν κακοδαίμονα καὶ κατάρατον
πατρὸς ἀμπλακίαις. Ζεῦ Ζεῦ, τάδ’ ὁρᾷς;
ὅδ’ ὁ σεμνὸς ἐγὼ καὶ θεοσέπτωρ,
ὅδ’ ὁ σωφροσύνῃ πάντας ὑπερσχὼν
προῦπτον ἐς Ἅιδην στείχω κατ’ ἄκρας
ὀλέσας βίοτον· μόχθους δ’ ἄλλως
τῆς εὐσεβίας
εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐπόνησα.

[¶77] Hippolytus:
Ah me! ah me! O the thrill of anguish shooting through me! Set me down, poor wretch I am; come Death to set me free! Kill me, end my sufferings.
O for a sword two-edged to hack my flesh, and close this mortal life! Ill-fated curse of my father! the crimes of bloody kinsmen. ancestors of old,
now pass their boundaries and tarry not, and upon me are they come all guiltless as I am; ah! why? Alas, alas!

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
αἰαῖ αἰαῖ·
καὶ νῦν ὀδύνα μ’ ὀδύνα βαίνει —
μέθετέ με, τάλανες —
καί μοι θάνατος Παιὰν ἔλθοι.
προσαπόλλυτ’ ἀπόλλυτε τὸν δυσδαί-
μονά ⟨μ’·⟩ ἀμφιτόμου λόγχας ἔραμαι,
διαμοιρᾶσαι
διά τ’ εὐνᾶσαι τὸν ἐμὸν βίοτον.
ὦ πατρὸς ἐμοῦ δύστηνος ἀρά·
μιαιφόνων [τε] συγγόνων παλαιῶν
προγεννητόρων ἐξορίζεται
κακόν, οὐδὲ μέλλει,
ἔμολέ τ’ ἐπ’ ἐμὲ τί ποτε τὸν οὐ-
δὲν ὄντ’ ἐπαίτιον κακῶν;
ἰώ μοί μοι·

[¶78] what can I say? How from my life get rid of this relentless agony? O that the stern Death-god, night’s black visitant, would give my sufferings rest!

> Greek: — τί φῶ; πῶς ἀπαλλάξω βιοτὰν ἐμὰν τάνδ’ ἀναλ-
γήτου πάθους; εἴθε με κοι-
μάσειε τὸν δυσδαίμον’ Ἅι-
δου μέλαινα νύκτερός τ’ ἀνάγκα.

[¶79] Artemis:
Poor sufferer! cruel the fate that links thee to it!

> Greek: Ἄρτεμις:
ὦ τλῆμον, οἵᾳ συμφορᾷ συνεζύγης·

[¶80] Thy noble soul hath been thy ruin.

> Greek: τὸ δ’ εὐγενές σε τῶν φρενῶν ἀπώλεσεν.

[¶81] Hippolytus:
Ah! the fragrance from my goddess wafted! Even in my agony I feel thee near and find relief; she is here in this very place, my goddess Artemis.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ἔα·
ὦ θεῖον ὀδμῆς πνεῦμα· καὶ γὰρ ἐν κακοῖς
ὢν ᾐσθόμην σου κἀνεκουφίσθην δέμας·
ἔστ’ ἐν τόποισι τοισίδ’ Ἄρτεμις θεά.

[¶82] Artemis:
She is, poor sufferer! the goddess thou hast loved the best.

> Greek: Ἄρτεμις:
ὦ τλῆμον, ἔστι, σοί γε φιλτάτη θεῶν.

[¶83] Hippolytus:
Dost see me, mistress mine? dost see my present suffering?

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ὁρᾷς με, δέσποιν’, ὡς ἔχω, τὸν ἄθλιον;

[¶84] Artemis:
I see thee, but mine eyes no tear may weep.

> Greek: Ἄρτεμις:
ὁρῶ· κατ’ ὄσσων δ’ οὐ θέμις βαλεῖν δάκρυ.

[¶85] Hippolytus:
Thou hast none now to lead the hunt or tend thy fane.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
οὐκ ἔστι σοι κυναγὸς οὐδ’ ὑπηρέτης,

[¶86] Artemis:
None now; yet e’en in death I love thee still.

> Greek: Ἄρτεμις:
οὐ δῆτ’· ἀτάρ μοι προσφιλής γ’ ἀπόλλυσαι.

[¶87] Hippolytus:
None to groom thy steeds, or guard thy shrines.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
οὐδ’ ἱππονώμας οὐδ’ ἀγαλμάτων φύλαξ.

[¶88] Artemis:
Twas Cypris, mistress of iniquity, devised this evil.

> Greek: Ἄρτεμις:
Κύπρις γὰρ ἡ πανοῦργος ὧδ’ ἐμήσατο.

[¶89] Hippolytus:
Ah me! now know I the goddess who destroyed me.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ὤμοι· φρονῶ δὴ δαίμον’ ἥ μ’ ἀπώλεσεν.

[¶90] Artemis:
She was jealous of her slighted honour, vexed at thy chaste life.

> Greek: Ἄρτεμις:
τιμῆς ἐμέμφθη σωφρονοῦντι δ’ ἤχθετο.

[¶91] Hippolytus:
Ah! then I see her single hand hath struck down three of us.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
τρεῖς ὄντας ἡμᾶς ὤλεσ’, ᾔσθημαι, Κύπρις.

[¶92] Artemis:
Thy sire and thee, and last thy father’s wife.

> Greek: Ἄρτεμις:
πατέρα γε καὶ σὲ καὶ τρίτην ξυνάορον.

[¶93] Hippolytus:
My sire’s ill-luck as well as mine I mourn.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ᾤμωξα τοίνυν καὶ πατρὸς δυσπραξίας.

[¶94] Art:
He was deceived by a goddess’s design.

> Greek: Ἄρτεμις:
ἐξηπατήθη δαίμονος βουλεύμασιν.

[¶95] Hippolytus:
Woe is thee, my father, in this sad mischance!

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ὦ δυστάλας σὺ τῆσδε συμφορᾶς, πάτερ.

[¶96] Theseus:
My son, I am a ruined man; life has no joys for me.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ὄλωλα, τέκνον, οὐδέ μοι χάρις βίου.

[¶97] Hippolytus:
For this mistake I mourn thee rather than myself.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
στένω σὲ μᾶλλον ἢ ’μὲ τῆς ἁμαρτίας.

[¶98] Theseus:
O that I had died for thee, my son!

> Greek: Θησεύς:
εἰ γὰρ γενοίμην, τέκνον, ἀντὶ σοῦ νεκρός.

[¶99] Hippolytus:
Ah! those fatal gifts thy sire Poseidon gave.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ὦ δῶρα πατρὸς σοῦ Ποσειδῶνος πικρά.

[¶100] Theseus:
Would God these lips had never uttered that prayer!

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ὡς μήποτ’ ἐλθεῖν ὤφελ’ ἐς τοὐμὸν στόμα.

[¶101] Hippolytus:
Why not? thou wouldst in any case have slain me in thy fury then.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
τί δ’; ἔκτανές τἄν μ’, ὡς τότ’ ἦσθ’ ὠργισμένος.

[¶102] Theseus:
Yes; Heaven had perverted my power to think.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
δόξης γὰρ ἦμεν πρὸς θεῶν ἐσφαλμένοι.

[¶103] Hippolytus:
O that the race of men could bring a curse upon the gods!

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
φεῦ·
εἴθ’ ἦν ἀραῖον δαίμοσιν βροτῶν γένος.

[¶104] Artemis:
Enough! for though thou pass to gloom beneath the earth, the wrath of Cypris shall not, at her will, fall on thee unrequited, because thou hadst a noble righteous soul.

> Greek: Ἄρτεμις:
ἔασον· οὐ γὰρ οὐδὲ γῆς ὑπὸ ζόφον
θεᾶς ἄτιμοι Κύπριδος ἐκ προθυμίας
ὀργαὶ κατασκήψουσιν ἐς τὸ σὸν δέμας
σῆς εὐσεβείας κἀγαθῆς φρενὸς χάριν.

[¶105] For I with mine own hand will with these unerring shafts avenge me on another, who is her votary, dearest to her of all the sons of men. And to thee, poor sufferer, for thy anguish now will I grant high honours in the city of Troezen;
for thee shall maids unwed before their marriage cut off their hair, thy harvest through the long roll of time of countless bitter tears. Yea, and for ever shall the virgin choir hymn thy sad memory,
nor shall Phaedra’s love for thee fall into oblivion and pass away unnoticed.

> Greek: ἐγὼ γὰρ αὐτῆς ἄλλον ἐξ ἐμῆς χερὸς
ὃς ἂν μάλιστα φίλτατος κυρῇ βροτῶν
τόξοις ἀφύκτοις τοῖσδε τιμωρήσομαι.
σοὶ δ’, ὦ ταλαίπωρ’, ἀντὶ τῶνδε τῶν κακῶν
τιμὰς μεγίστας ἐν πόλει Τροζηνίᾳ
δώσω· κόραι γὰρ ἄζυγες γάμων πάρος
κόμας κεροῦνταί σοι, δι’ αἰῶνος μακροῦ
πένθη μέγιστα δακρύων καρπουμένῳ.
ἀεὶ δὲ μουσοποιὸς ἐς σὲ παρθένων
ἔσται μέριμνα, κοὐκ ἀνώνυμος πεσὼν
ἔρως ὁ Φαίδρας ἐς σὲ σιγηθήσεται.

[¶106] But thou, O son of old Aegeus, take thy son in thine arms, draw him close to thee, for unwittingly thou slewest him, and men may well commit an error when gods put it in their way.

> Greek: σὺ δ’, ὦ γεραιοῦ τέκνον Αἰγέως, λαβὲ
σὸν παῖδ’ ἐν ἀγκάλαισι καὶ προσέλκυσαι·
ἄκων γὰρ ὤλεσάς νιν· ἀνθρώποισι δὲ
θεῶν διδόντων εἰκὸς ἐξαμαρτάνειν.

[¶107] And thee Hippolytus, I admonish; hate not thy sire, for in this death thou dost but meet thy destined fate.

> Greek: καὶ σοὶ παραινῶ πατέρα μὴ στυγεῖν σέθεν,
Ἱππόλυτ’· ἔχεις γὰρ μοῖραν ᾗ διεφθάρης.

[¶108] And now farewell!’tis not for me to gaze upon the dead, or pollute my sight with death-scenes, and e’en now I see thee nigh that evil moment. [Exit Artemis.

> Greek: καὶ χαῖρ’· ἐμοὶ γὰρ οὐ θέμις φθιτοὺς ὁρᾶν
οὐδ’ ὄμμα χραίνειν θανασίμοισιν ἐκπνοαῖς·
ὁρῶ δέ σ’ ἤδη τοῦδε πλησίον κακοῦ.

[¶109] Hippolytus:
Farewell, blest virgin queen! leave me now! How easily thou resignest our long friendship! I am reconciled with my father at thy desire, yea, for ever before I would obey thy bidding.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
χαίρουσα καὶ σὺ στεῖχε, παρθέν’ ὀλβία·
μακρὰν δὲ λείπεις ῥᾳδίως ὁμιλίαν.
λύω δὲ νεῖκος πατρὶ χρῃζούσης σέθεν·
καὶ γὰρ πάροιθε σοῖς ἐπειθόμην λόγοις.

[¶110] Ah me! the darkness is settling even now upon my eyes.

> Greek: αἰαῖ, κατ’ ὄσσων κιγχάνει μ’ ἤδη σκότος·

[¶111] Take me, father, in thy arms, lift me up.

> Greek: λαβοῦ, πάτερ, μου καὶ κατόρθωσον δέμας.

[¶112] Theseus:
Woe is me, my son! what art thou doing to me thy hapless sire!

> Greek: Θησεύς:
οἴμοι, τέκνον, τί δρᾷς με τὸν δυσδαίμονα;

[¶113] Hippolytus:
I am a broken man; yes, I see the gates that close upon the dead.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ὄλωλα καὶ δὴ νερτέρων ὁρῶ πύλας.

[¶114] Theseus:
Canst leave me thus with murder on my soul!

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ἦ τὴν ἐμὴν ἄναγνον ἐκλιπὼν χέρα;

[¶115] Hippolytus:
No, no; I set thee free from this bloodguiltiness.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
οὐ δῆτ’, ἐπεί σε τοῦδ’ ἐλευθερῶ φόνου.

[¶116] Theseus:
What sayest thou? dost absolve me from bloodshed?

> Greek: Θησεύς:
τί φῄς; ἀφίης αἵματός μ’ ἐλεύθερον;

[¶117] Hippolytus:
Artemis, the archer-queen, is my witness that I do.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
τὴν τοξόδαμνον Ἄρτεμιν μαρτύρομαι.

[¶118] Theseus:
My own dear child, how generous dost thou show thyself to thy father!

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ὦ φίλταθ’, ὡς γενναῖος ἐκφαίνῃ πατρί.

[¶119] Hippolytus:
Pray to have children such as me bom in lawful wedlock.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
τοιῶνδε παίδων γνησίων εὔχου τυχεῖν.

[¶120] Theseus:
O that holy, noble soul of thine!

> Greek: Θησεύς:
οἴμοι φρενὸς σῆς εὐσεβοῦς τε κἀγαθῆς.

[¶121] Hippolytus:
Farewell, dear father! a long farewell to thee!

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
ὦ χαῖρε καὶ σύ, χαῖρε πολλά μοι, πάτερ.

[¶122] Theseus:
O leave me not, my son; endure awhile.

> Greek: Θησεύς:
μή νυν προδῷς με, τέκνον, ἀλλὰ καρτέρει.

[¶123] Hippolytus:’Tis finished, my endurance; I die, father; quickly cover my face with a mantle.

> Greek: Ἱππόλυτος:
κεκαρτέρηται τἄμ’· ὄλωλα γάρ, πάτερ.
κρύψον δέ μου πρόσωπον ὡς τάχος πέπλοις.

[¶124] Theseus:
O glorious Athens, realm of Pallas,
what a splendid hero ye have lost! Ah me, ah me! How oft shall I remember thy evil work, O Cypris!

> Greek: Θησεύς:
ὦ κλείν’ Ἀθῆναι Παλλάδος θ’ ὁρίσματα,
οἵου στερήσεσθ’ ἀνδρός. ὦ τλήμων ἐγώ·
ὡς πολλά, Κύπρι, σῶν κακῶν μεμνήσομαι.

[¶125] Chorus:
On all our citizens hath come this universal sorrow, unforeseen. Now shall the copious tear gush forth,
for sad news about great men takes more than usual hold upon the heart.

> Greek: Χορός:
κοινὸν τόδ’ ἄχος πᾶσι πολίταις
ἦλθεν ἀέλπτως.
πολλῶν δακρύων ἔσται πίτυλος·
τῶν γὰρ μεγάλων ἀξιοπενθεῖς
φῆμαι μᾶλλον κατέχουσιν.