(Eros) destroying and through all misfortune going for mortals, when he comes.
§545τὰν μὲν Οἰχαλίᾳ §546πῶλον ἄζυγα λέκτρων, ἄναν- §547δρον τὸ πρὶν καὶ ἄνυμφον, οἴ- §548κων ζεύξασ’ ἀπ’ Εὐρυτίων §549δρομάδα Ναΐδ’ ὅπως τε Βάκ- §550χαν σὺν αἵματι, σὺν καπνῷ §551φονίοις θ’ ὑμεναίοις §552Ἀλκμήνας τόκῳ Κύπρις ἐξέδωκεν· §553ὦ τλάμων ὑμεναίων.
The one in Oechalia, a filly unyoked to marriage, husbandless before and unwedded, yoking her away from the house of Eurytus, like a running Naiad or a Bacchant, with blood, with smoke, and with murderous bridal songs, Cypris gave her to Alcmena's son; O wretched wedding!
O holy wall of Thebes, O mouth of Dirce, you could bear witness how Cypris comes.
For with double-flaming thunder, the mother of twice-born Bacchus, she bridal-joined in a murderous fate and put to rest.
For she breathes dread on all things, and like a bee she hovers.
§565σιγήσατ’, ὦ γυναῖκες·
[Phaedra] Keep silence, women!
ἐξειργάσμεθα.
We are ruined.
§566τί δ’ ἔστι, Φαίδρα, δεινὸν ἐν δόμοισί σοι;
[Chorus Leader] What is it, Phaedra, terrible in the house for you?
§567ἐπίσχετ’, αὐδὴν τῶν ἔσωθεν ἐκμάθω.
[Phaedra] Hold, let me understand the voice of those within.
§568σιγῶ· τὸ μέντοι φροίμιον κακὸν τόδε.
[Chorus Leader] I am silent; but this prelude is evil.
§569ἰώ μοι, αἰαῖ·
[Phaedra] Alas, ah me!
§570ὦ δυστάλαινα τῶν ἐμῶν παθημάτων.
O wretched me for my sufferings!
§571τίνα θροεῖς αὐδάν;
[Chorus] What voice do you utter?
τίνα βοᾷς λόγον;
What word do you cry?
Speak, what rumor terrifies you, lady, rushing upon your mind?
§575ἀπωλόμεσθα.
[Phaedra] We are undone.
ταῖσδ’ ἐπιστᾶσαι πύλαις §576ἀκούσαθ’ οἷος κέλαδος ἐν δόμοις πίτνει.
Standing by these gates, listen to what kind of clamor falls within the house.
[Chorus] You are by the bolts, to you belongs the escorting voice of the house.
§579ἔνεπε δ’ ἔνεπέ μοι, τί ποτ’ ἔβα κακόν;
Speak, speak to me, what evil has come?
[Phaedra] The son of the horse-loving Amazon cries out, Hippolytus, shouting terrible evils at the servant.
[Chorus] I hear the sound, but I do not have it clear; but let it shout out where the cry has come, come to you through the gates.
[Phaedra] And indeed, clearly, the matchmaker of evils, the one who betrayed the master's bed, he denounces.
§591ὤμοι ἐγὼ κακῶν·
[Chorus] Ah me for my evils!
προδέδοσαι, φίλα.
You are betrayed, dear one.
§592τί σοι μήσομαι;
What shall I devise for you?
For the secrets are revealed, and you are destroyed— alas, ah!
§595πρόδοτος ἐκ φίλων.
betrayed by friends.
[Phaedra] She destroyed me by speaking of my misfortunes, out of friendship, but not curing this sickness beautifully.
§598πῶς οὖν;
[Chorus] How then?
τί δράσεις, ὦ παθοῦσ’ ἀμήχανα;
What will you do, O you who have suffered helpless things?
[Phaedra] I know but one thing: to die as quickly as possible, the only remedy for the present sufferings.
[Hippolytus] O mother earth and unfoldings of the sun, what an unutterable voice of words I have heard!
§603σίγησον, ὦ παῖ, πρίν τιν’ αἰσθέσθαι βοῆς.
[Nurse] Be silent, child, before someone perceives your cry.
§604οὐκ ἔστ’ ἀκούσας δείν’ ὅπως σιγήσομαι.
[Hippolytus] It is not possible, having heard terrible things, that I should keep silent.
§605ναὶ πρός σε τῆς σῆς δεξιᾶς εὐωλένου.
[Nurse] Yes, by your beautiful-armed right hand!
§606οὐ μὴ προσοίσεις χεῖρα μηδ’ ἅψῃ πέπλων.
[Hippolytus] Do not bring your hand near, nor touch my garments.
§607ὦ πρός σε γονάτων, μηδαμῶς μ’ ἐξεργάσῃ.
[Nurse] Oh, by your knees, do not destroy me utterly!
§608τί δ’, εἴπερ, ὡς φῄς, μηδὲν εἴρηκας κακόν;
[Hippolytus] Why so, if indeed, as you say, you have spoken no evil?
§609ὁ μῦθος, ὦ παῖ, κοινὸς οὐδαμῶς ὅδε.
[Nurse] This speech, child, is by no means for everyone.
§610τά τοι κάλ’ ἐν πολλοῖσι κάλλιον λέγειν.
[Hippolytus] Beautiful things are more beautifully spoken among many.
§611ὦ τέκνον, ὅρκους μηδαμῶς ἀτιμάσῃς.
[Nurse] O child, do not dishonor your oaths.
§612ἡ γλῶσσ’ ὀμώμοχ’, ἡ δὲ φρὴν ἀνώμοτος.
[Hippolytus] My tongue has sworn, but my mind is unsworn.
§613ὦ παῖ, τί δράσεις;
[Nurse] O child, what will you do?
σοὺς φίλους διεργάσῃ;
Will you destroy your friends?
§614ἀπέπτυσ’·
[Hippolytus] I spit it out!
οὐδεὶς ἄδικός ἐστί μοι φίλος.
No unjust person is my friend.
§615σύγγνωθ’· ἁμαρτεῖν εἰκὸς ἀνθρώπους, τέκνον.
[Nurse] Forgive; it is natural for humans to err, child.
[Hippolytus] O Zeus, why indeed did you settle women in the light of the sun, as a counterfeit evil for humans?
§618εἰ γὰρ βρότειον ἤθελες σπεῖραι γένος, §619οὐκ ἐκ γυναικῶν χρῆν παρασχέσθαι τόδε, §620ἀλλ’ ἀντιθέντας σοῖσιν ἐν ναοῖς βροτοὺς §621ἢ χρυσὸν ἢ σίδηρον ἢ χαλκοῦ βάρος §622παίδων πρίασθαι σπέρμα, τοῦ τιμήματος §623τῆς ἀξίας ἕκαστον, ἐν δὲ δώμασιν §624ναίειν ἐλευθέροισι θηλειῶν ἄτερ.
For if you wished to sow the mortal race, it should not have been provided from women, but mortals, paying down in your temples either gold, or iron, or a weight of bronze, should buy the seed of children, each according to the value of the price, and in their houses dwell free, without females.
§627τούτῳ δὲ δῆλον ὡς γυνὴ κακὸν μέγα· §628προσθεὶς γὰρ ὁ σπείρας τε καὶ θρέψας πατὴρ §629φερνὰς ἀπῴκισ’, ὡς ἀπαλλαχθῇ κακοῦ.
And by this it is clear that woman is a great evil; for the father who begot and raised her, adding a dowry, sends her away, to be rid of the evil.
§630ὁ δ’ αὖ λαβὼν ἀτηρὸν ἐς δόμους φυτὸν §631γέγηθε κόσμον προστιθεὶς ἀγάλματι §632καλὸν κακίστῳ καὶ πέπλοισιν ἐκπονεῖ §633δύστηνος, ὄλβον δωμάτων ὑπεξελών.
And he, in turn, receiving the ruinous plant into his house, rejoices, adding ornaments to the image, beautiful on the worst, and exhausts himself with robes, wretched man, draining the wealth of his house.
It is easiest for him whose wife is a cipher, but a useless woman is installed in the house in her simplicity.
But a clever woman I hate; may there not be in my house one thinking more than a woman should.