Phaedra's Resolve and the Nurse's Appeal to Hippolytus — Seneca the Younger, Phaedra, lines 388–469, Latin & English

388

vestes, procul sit¹ muricis Tyrii rubor,

those garments, let the redness of Tyrian purple be far away,

quae fila ramis ultimi Seres legunt:

and those threads which the far-off Seres gather from the branches;

390

brevis expeditos zona constringat sinus,

let a short girdle bind her tucked-up robes,

cervix monili vacua, nec niveus lapis

let her neck be free of necklaces, nor let the snow-white stone,

deducat auris, Indici donum maris;

the gift of the Indian sea, weigh down her ears;

odore crinis sparsus Assyrio vacet,²

let her hair be free from being sprinkled with Assyrian perfume,

sic temere iactae. colla perfundant comae

let her locks, thus carelessly tossed, flow over her neck

395

umerosque summos, cursibus motae citis

and over the tops of her shoulders; moved by rapid running,

ventos sequantur, laeva se pharetrae dabit,

let them follow the winds. Her left hand will give itself to the quiver,

hastile vibret dextra Thessalicum manus.

and her right hand will brandish a Thessalian spear.

qualis relictis frigidi Ponti plagis

Just as, having left the tracts of the cold Pontus,

400

egit catervas Atticum pulsans solum

and treading upon the Attic soil, she led her troops,

Tanaitis aut Maeotis et nodo comas

the woman of Tanais or Maeotis, and with a knot bound her hair

coegit emisitque. lunata latus

together and let it loose; her side protected

protecta pelta: talis in silvas ferar.

by a crescent shield: such shall I betake myself to the woods.

Regina nemorum, sola quae montes colis

Queen of the groves, who alone inhabit the mountains,

et una solis montibus coleris dea,

and are worshipped as the sole goddess on the solitary mountains,

converte tristes ominum in melius minas,

turn the grim threats of omens for the better,

o magna silvas inter et lucos dea

O great goddess among the woods and sacred groves,

410

claramque caeli sidus et noctis decus,

and bright star of heaven and glory of the night,

cuius relucet mundus alterna vice,

by whose alternating turn the universe shines back,

Hecate triformis, en ades coeptis favens.

three-formed Hecate, behold, be present and favor our undertakings.

animum rigentem tristis Hippolyti doma:

Subdue the rigid mind of gloomy Hippolytus:

det facilis aures: mitiga pectus ferum:

let him lend a compliant ear; soften his wild breast;

415

amare discat, mutuos ignes ferat.

let him learn to love, let him bear mutual fires.

inflecte mentem: torvus aversus ferox

Bend his mind: let him, stern, averse, and fierce,

in iura Veneris redeat, huc vires tuas

return to the laws of Venus; hither direct

intende: sic te lucidi vultus ferant³

your powers: so may your shining countenances bear you,

et nube rapta cornibus puris eas,

and, the cloud snatched away, may you journey with clear horns;

420

sic te regentem frena nocturni aetheris

so may the Thessalian spells never be able to drag you down

detrahere numquam Thessali cantus queant

while you guide the reins of the night-time sky,

nullusque de te gloriam pastor ferat,

and let no shepherd bear away glory concerning you.

ades invocata, iam fave votis, dea:

Be present, invoked; now favor our prayers, O goddess:

ipsum intuor solemne venerantem sacrum

I behold him himself worshipping with solemn rite,

425

nullo latus comitante— quid dubitas? dedit

with no one accompanying his side— why do you hesitate? Chance

tempus locumque casus: utendum artibus,

has given time and place: we must use arts.

trepidamus? haud est facile mandatum scelus

Are we trembling? It is by no means easy to dare

audere, verum iussa qui regis timet,

a commanded crime, but he who fears the orders of a king

deponat omne et pellat ex animo decus:

should lay aside all honor and expel it from his mind:

430

malus est minister regii imperii pudor.

shame is a bad servant of royal power.

Quid huc seniles fessa moliris gradus,

Why do you direct your weary, aged steps hither,

o fida nutrix, turbidam frontem gerens

O faithful nurse, wearing a troubled brow

et maesta vultu? sospes est certe parens

and sad in countenance? Is my parent indeed safe,

sospesque Phaedra stirpis et geminae iugum?

and is Phaedra safe, and the yoke of her twofold offspring?

435

Metus remitte, prospero regnum in statu est

Dismiss your fears; the kingdom is in a prosperous state,

domusque florens sorte felici viget.

and the flourishing house thrives under a happy lot.

sed tu beatis mitior rebus veni:

But do you come more gentle toward this happy state of affairs:

namque anxiam me cura sollicitat tui,

for anxiety and concern for you trouble me,

quod te ipse poenis gravibus infestus domas.⁴

because you, hostile to yourself, subdue yourself with heavy punishments.

440

quem fata cogunt, ille cum venia est miser;

He whom the fates compel is wretched with pardon;

at si quis ultro se malis offert volens

but if anyone willingly offers himself to evils of his own accord

seque ipse torquet, perdere est dignus bona

and tortures himself, he is worthy to lose the blessings

quis nescit uti.⁵ potius annorum memor

which he knows not how to use. Rather, mindful of your years,

mentem relaxa: noctibus festis facem

relax your mind: lift up the torch on festive nights,

445

attolle, curas Bacchus exoneret graves;

let Bacchus unburden your heavy cares;

aetate fruere: mobili cursu fugit,

enjoy your youth: it flees with a rapid course.

nunc facile pectus, grata nunc iuveni Venus:

Now is your heart susceptible, now is Venus pleasing to a youth:

exultet animus, cur toro viduo iaces?

let your mind exult; why do you lie on a widowed bed?

tristem iuventam solve; nunc cursus rape,

Loose your sad youth; now snatch your course,

450

effunde habenas, optimos vitae dies

let loose the reins, forbid the best days of life

effluere prohibe, propria descripsit deus

to flow away. God has mapped out proper

officia et aevum per suos duxit gradus:

duties and has guided age through its own steps:

laetitia iuvenem, frons decet tristis senem.

joy becomes a youth, a sad brow becomes an old man.

quid te coherces et necas rectam indolem?

Why do you restrain yourself and destroy your proper nature?

455

seges illa magnum fenus agricolae dabit

That crop will give a great return to the farmer,

quaecumque laetis tenera luxuriat satis,

whatever tender thing luxuriates in joyful crops,

arborque celso vertice evincet nemus

and that tree will surpass the grove with its lofty top,

quam non maligna caedit aut resecat manus:

which no malicious hand prunes or cuts back;

ingenia melius recta se in laudes ferunt,

proper talents direct themselves better toward praise,

460

si nobilem animum vegeta libertas alit.

if vigorous freedom nourishes a noble mind.

truculentus et silvester ac vitae inscius

Will you, grim and wild and ignorant of life,

tristem iuventam Venere deserta coles?

cultivate a sad youth, having deserted Venus?

hoc esse munus credis indictum viris,

Do you believe this is the duty appointed to men,

ut dura tolerent, cursibus domitent equos

to endure hardships, to tame horses in their courses,

465

et saeva bella Marte sanguineo gerant?

and wage savage wars under bloody Mars?

475

quam varia leti genera mortalem trahunt

How many various kinds of death drag mortal man

carpuntque turbam, pontus et ferrum et doli!

and pluck the crowd— the sea, the sword, and treachery!

providit ille maximus mundi parens,

That greatest parent of the world foresaw,

cum tam rapaces cerneret Pati manus,

when he perceived the hands of Fate to be so greedy,

ut damna semper subole repararet nova.

that he should always repair losses with new offspring.

sed fata credas desse: sic atram Styga

But you might believe that the fates are lacking: thus we seek

iam petimus ultro, caelibem vitam probet

the black Styx already of our own accord. Let sterile youth

sterilis iuventus: hoc erit, quicquid vides,

approve a celibate life: whatever you behold will be

480

unius aevi turba et in semet ruet.

the crowd of a single age, and will collapse into itself.

excedat agedum rebus humanis Venus,

Let Venus indeed depart from human affairs,

Syntax notes5 items

388procul sit
sit is a present subjunctive of wish or command. Phaedra is commanding that luxurious ornaments be kept far from her.
393vacet
vacet is also a present subjunctive of wish. The subject is crinis (hair), modified by the participle sparsus (sprinkled), wishing that the hair remain free from Assyrian perfume.
418sic te ... ferant
The construction sic followed by present subjunctives of wish (ferant, eas, etc.) constitutes a conditional formula of blessing ("so may... if you grant my prayer"), promising perpetual honor to the goddess in return for her favor.
439quod te ipse poenis gravibus infestus domas
quod is a conjunction explaining the cause or fact ("because" / "that"). infestus is an adjective agreeing with the subject tu (or ipse), functioning adverbially to mean "hostilely" or "with self-inflicted harm."
443quis nescit uti
This is understood with the omission of the relative pronoun referring to bona in the preceding clause ([quibus] quis nescit uti). uti governs the ablative case, and the relative pronoun is understood: "which [blessings] anyone does not know how to use."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)

2026-09-22 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi1017.phi005.humanitext-lat2:388-469