§1004οὐκ οἶδα πρᾶξιν τήνδε πλὴν λόγῳ κλύων §1005γραφῇ τε λεύσσων· οὐδὲ ταῦτα γὰρ σκοπεῖν §1006πρόθυμός εἰμι, παρθένον ψυχὴν ἔχων.
I do not know this deed except by hearing it in speech and beholding it in painting; for I am not even eager to look at these things, since I have a virgin soul.
And indeed, if my temperance does not convince you, so be it; you must show in what way I was corrupted.
Was this woman's body the most beautiful of all women?
ἢ σὸν οἰκήσειν δόμον §1011ἔγκληρον εὐνὴν προσλαβὼν ἐπήλπισα;
Or did I hope to dwell in your house by acquiring an heiress wife?
§1012μάταιος ἆρ’ ἦν, οὐδαμοῦ μὲν οὖν φρενῶν.
In that case I would have been foolish, or rather, completely out of my mind.
§1013ἀλλ’ ὡς τυραννεῖν ἡδύ;
But is ruling sweet?
To the temperate, not at all, unless monarchy has corrupted the minds of those mortals who take pleasure in it.
§1016ἐγὼ δ’ ἀγῶνας μὲν κρατεῖν Ἑλληνικοὺς §1017πρῶτος θέλοιμ’ ἄν, ἐν πόλει δὲ δεύτερος §1018σὺν τοῖς ἀρίστοις εὐτυχεῖν ἀεὶ φίλοις.
I would rather be first to win in the Hellenic games, but second in the city, always happy with the noblest friends.
For there is opportunity for action, and the absence of danger gives a greater joy than ruling.
§1021ἓν οὐ λέλεκται τῶν ἐμῶν, τὰ δ’ ἄλλ’ ἔχεις· §1022εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν μοι μάρτυς οἷός εἰμ’ ἐγώ, §1023καὶ τῆσδ’ ὁρώσης φέγγος ἠγωνιζόμην, §1024ἔργοις ἂν εἶδες τοὺς κακοὺς διεξιών·
One point of my defense has not been spoken, but you have the rest; for if I had a witness of what kind of man I am, and if I were contesting while she still beheld the light, you would see by the deeds who is the wicked one as you examined them.
§1025νῦν δ’ ὅρκιόν σοι Ζῆνα καὶ πέδον χθονὸς §1026ὄμνυμι τῶν σῶν μήποθ’ ἅψασθαι γάμων §1027μηδ’ ἂν θελῆσαι μηδ’ ἂν ἔννοιαν λαβεῖν.
But now, by Zeus the guardian of oaths and by the ground of the earth, I swear to you that I never touched your marriage bed, nor ever wished to, nor even conceived the thought.
§1028ἦ τἄρ’ ὀλοίμην ἀκλεὴς ἀνώνυμος, §1029ἄπολις ἄοικος, φυγὰς ἀλητεύων χθόνα, §1030καὶ μήτε πόντος μήτε γῆ δέξαιτό μου §1031σάρκας θανόντος, εἰ κακὸς πέφυκ’ ἀνήρ.
May I perish without glory and without a name, cityless and homeless, a fugitive wandering the earth, and may neither sea nor land receive my flesh when I am dead, if I am a wicked man by nature.
Whether she destroyed her life out of fear I do not know; for it is not lawful for me to say more.
She was temperate when she was not able to be temperate, while we, who have temperance, could not use it well.
Chorus: You have spoken a sufficient defense against the charge, offering oaths to the gods, a no minor pledge.
§1038ἆρ’ οὐκ ἐπῳδὸς καὶ γόης πέφυχ’ ὅδε, §1039ὃς τὴν ἐμὴν πέποιθεν εὐοργησίᾳ §1040ψυχὴν κρατήσειν, τὸν τεκόντ’ ἀτιμάσας;
Theseus: Is this man not indeed a spellbinder and a wizard, who trusts that he will master my mind with his calm temper, after having dishonored his father?
§1041καὶ σοῦ γε ταὐτὰ κάρτα θαυμάζω, πάτερ· §1042εἰ γὰρ σὺ μὲν παῖς ἦσθ’, ἐγὼ δὲ σὸς πατήρ, §1043ἔκτεινά τοί σ’ ἂν κοὐ φυγαῖς ἐζημίουν, §1044εἴπερ γυναικὸς ἠξίουν σ’ ἐμῆς θιγεῖν.
Hippolytus: Father, I too marvel greatly at this in you; for if you were the son, and I your father, I would have killed you and not punished you with exile, if indeed you had dared to touch my wife.
§1045ὡς ἄξιον τόδ’ εἶπας·
Theseus: How worthy of yourself you speak!
οὐχ οὕτω θανῇ.
You shall not die thus.
§1047ταχὺς γὰρ Ἅιδης ῥᾷστος ἀνδρὶ δυστυχεῖ· §1048ἀλλ’ ἐκ πατρῴας φυγὰς ἀλητεύων χθονὸς §1046ὥσπερ σὺ σαυτῷ τόνδε προύθηκας νόμον — §1051οἴμοι, τί δράσεις;
For a swift death is easiest for an unfortunate man; but wandering as an exile from your father's land, even as you proposed this law for yourself— Hippolytus: Alas, what will you do?
οὐδὲ μηνυτὴν χρόνον §1052δέξῃ καθ’ ἡμῶν, ἀλλά μ’ ἐξελᾷς χθονός;
Will you not even accept time to inform against us, but will drive me from the land?
Theseus: Beyond the sea and the Atlantic bounds, if only I were able, so much do I hate your person.
Hippolytus: Without examining oath or pledge or the utterances of prophets, will you cast me from the land without a trial?
§1057ἡ δέλτος ἥδε κλῆρον οὐ δεδεγμένη §1058κατηγορεῖ σου πιστά· τοὺς δ’ ὑπὲρ κάρα §1059φοιτῶντας ὄρνις πόλλ’ ἐγὼ χαίρειν λέγω.
Theseus: This tablet, which has received no lot of divination, accuses you reliably; and as for the birds that fly over our heads, I bid them a long farewell.
Hippolytus: O gods, why then do I not loose my mouth, who am being destroyed by you, whom I revere?
No, indeed; I would not at all convince those whom I must, and I would only break in vain the oaths I swore.
§1064οἴμοι, τὸ σεμνὸν ὥς μ’ ἀποκτενεῖ τὸ σόν.
Theseus: Ah, how your solemnity will kill me!
§1065οὐκ εἶ πατρῴας ἐκτὸς ὡς τάχιστα γῆς;
Will you not go out of your land as quickly as possible?
§1066ποῖ δῆθ’ ὁ τλήμων τρέψομαι;
Hippolytus: Whither then, wretched as I am, shall I turn?
τίνος ξένων §1067δόμους ἔσειμι, τῇδ’ ἐπ’ αἰτίᾳ φυγών;
Whose house of strangers shall I enter, fleeing on this charge?
Theseus: Whoever delights in welcoming destroyers of women as guests and cohabitants of evil.
§1070αἰαῖ, πρὸς ἧπαρ· δακρύων ἐγγὺς τόδε,
Hippolytus: Alas, to the heart!
§1071εἰ δὴ κακός γε φαίνομαι, δοκῶ τέ σοι.
This is close to tears, if indeed I appear wicked and seem so to you.
Theseus: Then you ought to have groaned and foreseen it, when you dared to outrage your father's wife.
Hippolytus: O halls, would that you could utter a voice for me and testify whether I am a wicked man by nature.
Theseus: You flee wisely to speechless witnesses; but the deed, though not speaking, reveals you as wicked.
§1078φεῦ·
Hippolytus: Alas!
Would that it were possible to stand opposite and look at myself, so that I might weep for the evils we suffer!
Theseus: You have trained yourself far more to revere yourself than to act piously toward your parents, as you ought.
§1082ὦ δυστάλαινα μῆτερ, ὦ πικραὶ γοναί·
Hippolytus: O wretched mother, O bitter birth!
§1083μηδείς ποτ’ εἴη τῶν ἐμῶν φίλων νόθος.
May none of my friends ever be a bastard.