But either refute me, if I say anything not well, or agree with words well spoken.
§300φθέγξαι τι, δεῦρ’ ἄθρησον. — ὦ τάλαιν’ ἐγώ, §301γυναῖκες, ἄλλως τούσδε μοχθοῦμεν πόνους, §302ἴσον δ’ ἄπεσμεν τῷ πρίν· οὔτε γὰρ τότε §303λόγοις ἐτέγγεθ’ ἥδε νῦν τ’ οὐ πείθεται. — §304ἀλλ’ ἴσθι μέντοι — πρὸς τάδ’ αὐθαδεστέρα §305γίγνου θαλάσσης — εἰ θανῇ, προδοῦσα σοὺς §306παῖδας πατρῴων μὴ μεθέξοντας δόμων, §307μὰ τὴν ἄνασσαν ἱππίαν Ἀμαζόνα, §308ἣ σοῖς τέκνοισι δεσπότην ἐγείνατο §309νόθον φρονοῦντα γνήσι’, οἶσθά νιν καλῶς, §310Ἱππόλυτον
Say something, look this way. — Oh, wretched me, women, we undergo these labors in vain, and we are as far away as before; for neither then was she softened by our words, nor is she persuaded now. — But know indeed — be more stubborn against this than the sea — if you die, you will betray your children, who will have no share in their father's house, by the mistress Amazon of horses, who bore a master for your children, a bastard with legitimate thoughts — you know him well, Hippolytus — Ah me!
You have ruined me, nurse, and by the gods I entreat you, keep silent henceforth about this man.
§313ὁρᾷς;
You see?
φρονεῖς μὲν εὖ, φρονοῦσα δ’ οὐ θέλεις §314παῖδάς τ’ ὀνῆσαι καὶ σὸν ἐκσῶσαι βίον.
You understand well, but though you understand you are unwilling to benefit your children and save your own life.
§315φιλῶ τέκν’· ἄλλῃ δ’ ἐν τύχῃ χειμάζομαι.
I love my children; but I am tossed by another storm of fortune.
§316ἁγνὰς μέν, ὦ παῖ, χεῖρας αἵματος φορεῖς;
Are your hands, my child, pure of blood?
§317χεῖρες μὲν ἁγναί, φρὴν δ’ ἔχει μίασμά τι.
My hands are pure, but my mind has some defilement.
§318μῶν ἐξ ἐπακτοῦ πημονῆς ἐχθρῶν τινος;
Is it from some external harm caused by an enemy?
§319φίλος μ’ ἀπόλλυσ’ οὐχ ἑκοῦσαν οὐχ ἑκών.
A loved one destroys me, unwilling, himself unwilling.
§320Θησεύς τιν’ ἡμάρτηκεν ἐς σ’ ἁμαρτίαν;
Has Theseus committed some wrong against you?
§321μὴ δρῶσ’ ἔγωγ’ ἐκεῖνον ὀφθείην κακῶς.
May I never be seen to do him any wrong.
§322τί γὰρ τὸ δεινὸν τοῦθ’ ὅ σ’ ἐξαίρει θανεῖν;
For what is this terrible thing that urges you to die?
§323ἔα μ’ ἁμαρτεῖν· οὐ γὰρ ἐς σὲ ἁμαρτάνω.
Let me err; for I do not err against you.
§324οὐ δῆθ’ ἑκοῦσά γ’, ἐν δὲ σοὶ λελείψομαι.
Not willingly, indeed, and in losing you I shall be left behind.
§325τί δρᾷς;
What are you doing?
βιάζῃ χειρὸς ἐξαρτωμένη;
Do you force me, clinging to my hand?
§326καὶ σῶν γε γονάτων, κοὐ μεθήσομαί ποτε.
And to your knees, and I will never let go.
§327κάκ’, ὦ τάλαινα, σοὶ τάδ’, εἰ πεύσῃ, κακά.
These things are bad for you, wretched woman, if you learn them.
§328μεῖζον γὰρ ἢ σοῦ μὴ τυχεῖν τί μοι κακόν;
For what greater evil is there for me than to fail to win you?
§329ὀλεῖς· τὸ μέντοι πρᾶγμ’ ἐμοὶ τιμὴν φέρει.
You will perish; yet the matter brings honor to me.
§330κἄπειτα κρύπτεις χρήσθ’ ἱκνουμένης ἐμοῦ;
And then do you hide good things when I entreat you?
§331ἐκ τῶν γὰρ αἰσχρῶν ἐσθλὰ μηχανώμεθα.
For from shameful things I am devising noble ones.
§332οὐκοῦν λέγουσα τιμιωτέρα φανῇ.
Therefore by speaking you will appear more honorable.
§333ἄπελθε πρὸς θεῶν δεξιᾶς τ’ ἐμῆς μέθες.
Go away, by the gods, and let go of my right hand.
§334οὐ δῆτ’, ἐπεί μοι δῶρον οὐ δίδως ὃ χρῆν.
No indeed, since you do not give me the gift you ought to.
§335δώσω· σέβας γὰρ χειρὸς αἰδοῦμαι τὸ σόν.
I will give it; for I respect the sacred appeal of your hand.
§336σιγῷμ’ ἂν ἤδη· σὸς γὰρ οὑντεῦθεν λόγος.
I would be silent now; for from here on the speech is yours.
§337ὦ τλῆμον, οἷον, μῆτερ, ἠράσθης ἔρον,
O wretched mother, what a love you loved, the love she had for the bull, my child?
§338ὃν ἔσχε Ταύρου, τέκνον, ἢ τί φῂς τόδε;
Or what is this you say?
And you, wretched sister, wife of Dionysus, My child, what is the matter with you?
συγγόνους κακορροθεῖς;
Are you slandering your kindred?
§341τρίτη δ’ ἐγὼ δύστηνος ὡς ἀπόλλυμαι.
And I, the third, how miserably I perish.
§342ἔκ τοι πέπληγμαι· ποῖ προβήσεται λόγος;
I am struck with amazement; where will your speech proceed?
§343ἐκεῖθεν ἡμεῖς, οὐ νεωστί, δυστυχεῖς.
From there our misfortunes come, not recently.
§344οὐδέν τι μᾶλλον οἶδ’ ἃ βούλομαι κλύειν.
I know no better the things I wish to hear.
§345φεῦ·
Alas!
§345aπῶς ἂν σύ μοι λέξειας ἁμὲ χρὴ λέγειν;
How I wish you could say for me what I must say.
§346οὐ μάντις εἰμὶ τἀφανῆ γνῶναι σαφῶς.
I am no prophet to know clearly what is unseen.
§347τί τοῦθ’, ὃ δὴ λέγουσιν ἀνθρώπους, ἐρᾶν;
What is this that people call loving?
§348ἥδιστον, ὦ παῖ, ταὐτὸν ἀλγεινόν θ’ ἅμα.
The sweetest thing, my child, and painful at the same time.
§349ἡμεῖς ἂν εἶμεν θατέρῳ κεχρημένοι.
We must have experienced the latter of the two.
§350τί φῄς;
What are you saying?
ἐρᾷς, ὦ τέκνον;
Are you in love, my child?
ἀνθρώπων τίνος;
With whom?
§351ὅστις ποθ’ οὗτός ἐσθ’, ὁ τῆς Ἀμαζόνος
Whoever he may be... the son of the Amazon...
§352Ἱππόλυτον αὐδᾷς;
Do you mean Hippolytus?
§352bσοῦ τάδ’, οὐκ ἐμοῦ κλύεις.
You hear this from yourself, not from me.
§353οἴμοι, τί λέξεις, τέκνον;
Ah me, what will you say, child?
ὥς μ’ ἀπώλεσας.
How you have ruined me!
Women, it is unbearable; I will not endure to live; a hateful day, a hateful light I behold.
I will cast off and let go of my body, I will be rid of life by dying.
χαίρετ’· οὐκέτ’ εἴμ’ ἐγώ.
Farewell; I am no more.
For the chaste, not willingly, yet nonetheless, love what is evil.
Κύπρις οὐκ ἄρ’ ἦν θεός, §360ἀλλ’ εἴ τι μεῖζον ἄλλο γίγνεται θεοῦ, §361ἣ τήνδε κἀμὲ καὶ δόμους ἀπώλεσεν.
Cypris then was no god, but if there is anything greater than a god, she who has destroyed this woman, and me, and the house.
Did you hear, oh, did you hear, unheard-of, the queen's wretched sufferings uttered in her cry?
— May I perish before I reach your state of mind.
ἰώ μοι, φεῦ φεῦ.
Alas for me, alas, alas.
§366— ὦ τάλαινα τῶνδ’ ἀλγέων·
— O wretched woman for these pains!
§367— ὦ πόνοι τρέφοντες βροτούς.
— O troubles that nurture mortals!
§368— ὄλωλας, ἐξέφηνας ἐς φάος κακά.
— You are ruined, you have brought evils to light.
§369— τίς σε παναμέριος ὅδε χρόνος μένει;
— What kind of day-long time awaits you?
§370— τελευτάσεταί τι καινὸν δόμοις.
— Some new end will be accomplished for the house.
— It is no longer unclear where the fortune of Cypris fades, O wretched Cretan girl.
§373Τροζήνιαι γυναῖκες, αἳ τόδ’ ἔσχατον §374οἰκεῖτε χώρας Πελοπίας προνώπιον, §375ἤδη ποτ’ ἄλλως νυκτὸς ἐν μακρῷ χρόνῳ §376θνητῶν ἐφρόντισ’ ᾗ διέφθαρται βίος.
Trozenian women, who inhabit this outermost vestibule of the Pelopian land, already before this, in the long duration of night, I have pondered how the life of mortals is ruined.