§645χρῆν δ’ ἐς γυναῖκα πρόσπολον μὲν οὐ περᾶν, §646ἄφθογγα δ’ αὐταῖς συγκατοικίζειν δάκη §647θηρῶν, ἵν’ εἶχον μήτε προσφωνεῖν τινα §648μήτ’ ἐξ ἐκείνων φθέγμα δέξασθαι πάλιν.
[Hippolytus] No servant should have been allowed to approach a woman, but we should have housed voiceless beasts of prey with them, so that they could neither speak to anyone nor receive a voice back from them in turn.
But as it is, the wicked women within hatch wicked schemes, and the servants carry them outside.
§651ὡς καὶ σύ γ’ ἡμῖν πατρός, ὦ κακὸν κάρα, §652λέκτρων ἀθίκτων ἦλθες ἐς συναλλαγάς· §653ἁγὼ ῥυτοῖς νασμοῖσιν ἐξομόρξομαι, §654ἐς ὦτα κλύζων.
Just as you too, you vile creature, came to me for negotiations regarding my father's untouched bed; which I will wipe away with flowing streams, washing it out into my ears.
πῶς ἂν οὖν εἴην κακός, §655ὃς οὐδ’ ἀκούσας τοιάδ’ ἁγνεύειν δοκῶ;
How then could I be wicked, who feel myself unpurified merely by having heard such things?
§656εὖ δ’ ἴσθι, τοὐμόν σ’ εὐσεβὲς σῴζει, γύναι· §657εἰ μὴ γὰρ ὅρκοις θεῶν ἄφαρκτος ᾑρέθην, §658οὐκ ἄν ποτ’ ἔσχον μὴ οὐ τάδ’ ἐξειπεῖν πατρί.
Know well, woman, my piety saves you; for if I had not been caught unawares, bound by oaths to the gods, I would never have kept myself from telling this to my father.
But now, from this house, as long as Theseus is out of the country, I shall depart; and we shall keep our mouth silent.
§661θεάσομαι δὲ σὺν πατρὸς μολὼν ποδὶ §662πῶς νιν προσόψῃ καὶ σὺ καὶ δέσποινα σή· §663τῆς σῆς δὲ τόλμης εἴσομαι γεγευμένος.
But I will observe, returning with my father's step, how you and your mistress will look at him; and I shall know your audacity, having tasted of it.
§664ὄλοισθε.
Perish!
μισῶν δ’ οὔποτ’ ἐμπλησθήσομαι §665γυναῖκας, οὐδ’ εἴ φησί τίς μ’ ἀεὶ λέγειν· §666ἀεὶ γὰρ οὖν πώς εἰσι κἀκεῖναι κακαί.
I shall never have my fill of hating women, even if someone says that I am always repeating myself; for they too are always somehow wicked.
§667ἤ νύν τις αὐτὰς σωφρονεῖν διδαξάτω, §668ἢ κἄμ’ ἐάτω ταῖσδ’ ἐπεμβαίνειν ἀεί. §669τάλανες ὦ κακοτυχεῖς §669aγυναικῶν πότμοι.
Either let someone now teach them to be sensible, or let me always trample upon them. [Phaedra] O wretched, ill-fated destinies of women!
What art or what words do we have now, having stumbled, to undo this knot?
§672ἐτύχομεν δίκας· ἰὼ γᾶ καὶ φῶς.
We have met our just reward; O earth and light!
§673πᾷ ποτ’ ἐξαλύξω τύχας;
Whither shall I escape my fate?
§674πῶς δὲ πῆμα κρύψω, φίλαι;
How shall I hide my suffering, friends?
What god as a helper, or what mortal as an associate or accomplice in unjust deeds would appear?
τὸ γὰρ παρ’ ἡμῖν πάθος §678πέραν δυσεκπέρατον ἔρχεται βίου.
For our suffering passes beyond life, hard to pass through.
πέπρακται, κοὐ κατώρθωνται τέχναι, §681δέσποινα, τῆς σῆς προσπόλου, κακῶς δ’ ἔχει. §682ὦ παγκακίστη καὶ φίλων διαφθορεῦ, §683οἷ’ εἰργάσω με.
It is done, and the schemes of your servant have not succeeded, mistress, and it goes badly. [Phaedra] O most wicked woman and destroyer of friends, what you have done to me!
Ζεύς σε γεννήτωρ ἐμὸς §684πρόρριζον ἐκτρίψειεν οὐτάσας πυρί.
May my ancestor Zeus strike you with fire and destroy you root and branch.
Did I not tell you—did I not foresee your mind?— to keep silent about those things for which I am now disgraced?
But you did not hold back; therefore I shall no longer die with good repute.
ἀλλὰ δεῖ με δὴ καινῶν λόγων.
But indeed I have need of new words.
§689οὗτος γὰρ ὀργῇ συντεθηγμένος φρένας §690ἐρεῖ καθ’ ἡμῶν πατρὶ σὰς ἁμαρτίας, §691ἐρεῖ δὲ Πιτθεῖ τῷ γέροντι συμφοράς, §692πλήσει τε πᾶσαν γαῖαν αἰσχίστων λόγων.
For he, with his mind sharpened in anger, will tell your sins to his father to our harm, will tell the misfortunes to the old Pittheus, and will fill the whole land with most shameful words.
§693ὄλοιο καὶ σὺ χὥστις ἄκοντας φίλους §694πρόθυμός ἐστι μὴ καλῶς εὐεργετεῖν. §695δέσποιν’, ἔχεις μὲν τἀμὰ μέμψασθαι κακά· §696τὸ γὰρ δάκνον σου τὴν διάγνωσιν κρατεῖ· §697ἔχω δὲ κἀγὼ πρὸς τάδ’, εἰ δέξῃ, λέγειν.
Perish both you and whoever is eager to benefit unwilling friends in an unseemly way. [Nurse] Mistress, you may indeed blame my errors, for the sting dominates your judgment; but I too have something to say to this, if you will accept it.
I reared you and am loyal to you; but seeking remedies for your sickness, I found what I did not wish.
§700εἰ δ’ εὖ γ’ ἔπραξα, κάρτ’ ἂν ἐν σοφοῖσιν ἦ· §701πρὸς τὰς τύχας γὰρ τὰς φρένας κεκτήμεθα. §702ἦ γὰρ δίκαια ταῦτα κἀξαρκοῦντά μοι, §703τρώσασαν ἡμᾶς εἶτα συγχωρεῖν λόγοις; §704μακρηγοροῦμεν· οὐκ ἐσωφρόνουν ἐγώ.
If I had succeeded, I would indeed be among the wise; for we possess our wisdom according to our success. [Phaedra] Is this indeed just and sufficient for me, to wound me first and then make amends with words? [Nurse] We speak at too great length; I was not sensible.
§705ἀλλ’ ἔστι κἀκ τῶνδ’ ὥστε σωθῆναι, τέκνον. §706παῦσαι λέγουσα· καὶ τὰ πρὶν γὰρ οὐ καλῶς §707παρῄνεσάς μοι κἀπεχείρησας κακά.
But there is a way to be saved even from this, child. [Phaedra] Stop speaking; for even before you did not advise me well and you attempted evil things.
But go out of my way and think of yourself; for I shall settle my own affairs well.
§710ὑμεῖς δέ, παῖδες εὐγενεῖς Τροζήνιαι, §711τοσόνδε μοι παράσχετ’ ἐξαιτουμένῃ, §712σιγῇ καλύπτειν ἁνθάδ’ εἰσηκούσατε. §713ὄμνυμι σεμνὴν Ἄρτεμιν, Διὸς κόρην, §714μηδὲν κακῶν σῶν ἐς φάος δείξειν ποτέ. §715καλῶς ἔλεξας· ἓν δὲ προτρέπουσ’ ἐγὼ §716εὕρημα δῆτα τῆσδε συμφορᾶς ἔχω, §717ὥστ’ εὐκλεᾶ μὲν παισὶ προσθεῖναι βίον, §718αὐτή τ’ ὀνάσθαι πρὸς τὰ νῦν πεπτωκότα.
And you, noble daughters of Troezen, grant me this much at my earnest request: cover in silence what you have heard here. [Chorus Leader] I swear by revered Artemis, daughter of Zeus, never to reveal any of your evils to the light. [Phaedra] You have spoken well; but I, turning it over in my mind, have indeed found one remedy for this misfortune, so as to bequeath a life of good repute to my children, and myself benefit in the face of what has now fallen.
§719οὐ γάρ ποτ’ αἰσχυνῶ γε Κρησίους δόμους, §720οὐδ’ ἐς πρόσωπον Θησέως ἀφίξομαι §721αἰσχροῖς ἐπ’ ἔργοις οὕνεκα ψυχῆς μιᾶς. §722μέλλεις δὲ δὴ τί δρᾶν ἀνήκεστον κακόν; §723θανεῖν· ὅπως δέ, τοῦτ’ ἐγὼ βουλεύσομαι. §724εὔφημος ἴσθι. §724bκαὶ σύ γ’ εὖ με νουθέτει.
For I will never disgrace the house of Crete, nor will I come before the face of Theseus for shameful deeds, for the sake of one single life. [Chorus Leader] What irreparable evil are you indeed about to do? [Phaedra] To die; but how, that I shall deliberate myself. [Chorus Leader] Speak words of good omen. [Phaedra] And you too, advise me well.
§725ἐγὼ δὲ Κύπριν, ἥπερ ἐξόλλυσί με, §726ψυχῆς ἀπαλλαχθεῖσα τῇδ’ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ §727τέρψω· πικροῦ δ’ ἔρωτος ἡσσηθήσομαι.
I, leaving this life today, will please Cypris, who is destroying me, and I shall be defeated by a bitter love.
§728ἀτὰρ κακόν γε χἁτέρῳ γενήσομαι
Yet I shall become an evil to the other as well.