and saw the dark house of the Knossian monster, and gathered the thread from the long, winding path.
§651quis tum ille fulsit! presserant vittae comam §652et ora flavus tenera tinguebat pudor: §653inerant lacertis mollibus fortes tori; §654tuaeque Phoebes vultus aut Phoebi mei.
How he shone then! Headband had pressed his hair, and a golden shame colored his tender cheeks; strong muscles were in his soft arms, and he had the face of your Phoebe, or of my Phoebus.
§655tuusque potius— talis, en talis fuit §656cum placuit hosti, sic tulit celsum caput: §657in te magis refulget incomptus decor; §658est genitor in te totus et torvae tamen §659pars «aliqua matris miscet ex aequo decus: §660in ore Graio Scythicus apparet rigor.
Or rather yours— such, behold, such was he when he pleased the enemy, thus he bore his high head; in you, unadorned beauty shines more brightly; your father is entirely in you, and yet some part of your fierce mother mingles her beauty equally; in a Greek face, Scythian harshness appears.
If you had entered the Cretan sea with your father, my sister would have spun her threads for you instead.
§663te te, soror, quacumque siderei poli §664in parte fulges, invoco ad causam parem: §665domus sorores una corripuit duas, §666te genitor, at me gnatus.
You, sister, in whatever part of the starry sky you shine, I invoke you to a similar cause: one house has seized two sisters, the father took you, but the son took me.
en supplex iacet §667adlapsa genibus regiae proles domus.
Behold, a suppliant lies, the offspring of a royal house, fallen at your knees.
Sprinkled with no stain, untouched and innocent, I am changed for you alone.
certa descendi ad preces: §670finem hic dolori faciet aut vitae dies.
Determined, I have descended to prayers; this day will make an end either to my grief or to my life.
Pity the lover— Great ruler of the gods, do you hear crimes so slowly? Do you see them so slowly?
§673et quando saeva fulmen. emittes manu, §674si nunc serenum est? omnis impulsus ruat §675aether et atris nubibus condat diem, §676ac versa retro sidera obliquos agant §677retorta cursus, tuque, sidereum caput, §678radiate Titan, tu nefas stirpis tuae
And when will you send the lightning from your fierce hand, if now the sky is clear? Let all the shattered heaven fall and hide the day with black clouds, and let the reversed stars drive their twisted paths backward, and you, starry head, radiant Titan, do you look upon the crime of your offspring?
§679speculare? lucem merge et in tenebras fuge.
Plunge your light and flee into darkness.
Why is your right hand, ruler of gods and men, idle, and the world does not burn with your three-forked torch?
§682in me tona, me fige, me velox cremet §683transactus ignis— sum nocens, merui mori: §684placui novercae, dignus en stupris ego?.
Thunder against me, transfix me, let the swift fire burn me, driven through me— I am guilty, I have deserved to die: I pleased my stepmother, behold, am I worthy of disgrace?
§685scelerique tanto visus ego solus tibi
And did I alone seem to you easy material for so great a crime?
§686materia facilis? hoc meus meruit rigor?
Did my rigidity deserve this?
§687o scelere vincens omne femineum genus, §689genetrice peior! illa se tantum stupro §690contaminavit, et tamen. tacitum diu §691crimen biformi partus exhibuit nota §692scelusque matris arguit vultu truci §693ambiguus infans— ille te venter tulit.
O you who surpass all womankind in crime, worse than your mother! She contaminated herself only with adultery, and yet, a long-silent crime was revealed by her offspring of double form, and the ambiguous child proved the mother's crime with his fierce face— that womb bore you.
§694o ter quaterque prospero fato dati §695quos hausit et peremit et leto dedit §696odium dolusque— genitor, invideo tibi: §697Colchide noverca maius haec, maius malum est.
O three and four times blessed by happy fate whom hatred and deceit swallowed, destroyed, and gave to death— father, I envy you: this woman is a greater, a far greater evil than the Colchian stepmother.
I myself also recognize the fate of our house: we seek what must be avoided; but I am not master of myself.
§700te vel per ignes, per mare insanum sequar §701rupesque et amnes, unda quos torrens rapit; §702quacumque gressus tuleris hac amens agar— §703iterum, superbe, genibus advolvor tuis.
I will follow you even through fires, through the raging sea, and rocks and rivers which the torrential wave sweeps away; wherever you carry your steps, I, mad, will be driven— again, proud youth, I prostrate myself at your knees.
Remove far from my chaste body your shameless touches— what is this? Does she even rush into my embrace?
§706stringatur ensis, merita supplicia exigat.
Let my sword be drawn, let it exact deserved punishment.
§707en impudicum crine contorto caput §708laeva reflexi: iustior numquam focis §709datus tuis est sanguis, arquitenens dea.
Behold, with her hair twisted, I bent back her shameless head with my left hand: never was more righteous blood offered to your altars, bow-bearing goddess.
Hippolytus, now you make me possessor of my wish: you cure my madness.
maius hoc voto meo est, §712salvo ut pudore manibus immoriar tuis.
This is greater than my prayer, that with my honor safe I may die by your hands.
Depart, live so that you may obtain nothing by prayer, and let this defiled sword leave my chaste side.
What Tanais will wash me, or what Maeotis with its barbarian waves flowing into the Pontic sea?
Not the great father himself with the whole Ocean could expiate so much crime. O woods, o wild beasts!
§719Deprensa culpa est.
The crime is detected.
anime, quid segnis stupes?
My soul, why do you stand numb in sloth?
§720regeramus ipsi crimen atque ultro impiam §721Venerem arguamus: scelere velandum est scelus: §722tutissimum est inferre, cum timeas, gradum.
Let us turn back the crime ourselves, and let us accuse him of impious love: crime must be veiled by crime; it is safest to attack when you are afraid.
Whether we first dared or suffered the crime, since the sin is secret, what witness will know?
§725Adeste, Athenae! fida famulorum manus, §726fer opem! nefandi raptor Hippolytus stupri §727instat premitque, mortis intentat metum, §728ferro pudicam terret— en praeceps abit §729ensemque trepida liquit attonitus fuga.
Be near, Athens! Faithful band of servants, bring aid! Hippolytus, the ravisher of unspeakable lust, presses and attacks, threatens the fear of death, terrifies a chaste woman with iron— behold, he departs headlong, and in his trembling flight, astonished, he left his sword.
§730pignus tenemus sceleris, hanc maestam prius
We hold the proof of his crime, first this sorrowful woman—