Hippolytus, 1-20 (Johnston)
Chiara Palladino / JCLS / Hippolytus 1-20
- Created on 2022-04-18 22:53:16
- Modified on 2022-04-27 17:22:01
- Translated by Ian Johnston
- Aligned by Chiara Palladino
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
Πολλὴ μὲν ἐν βροτοῖσι κοὐκ ἀνώνυμος
θεὰ κέκλημαι Κύπρις οὐρανοῦ τ᾽ ἔσω :
ὅσοι τε Πόντου τερμόνων τ᾽ Ἀτλαντικῶν
ναίουσιν εἴσω , φῶς ὁρῶντες ἡλίου ,
τοὺς μὲν σέβοντας τἀμὰ πρεσβεύω κράτη ,
σφάλλω δ᾽ ὅσοι φρονοῦσιν εἰς ἡμᾶς μέγα .
ἔνεστι γὰρ δὴ κἀν θεῶν γένει τόδε :
τιμώμενοι χαίρουσιν ἀνθρώπων ὕπο .
δείξω δὲ μύθων τῶνδ᾽ ἀλήθειαν τάχα :
ὁ γάρ με Θησέως παῖς , Ἀμαζόνος τόκος ,
Ἱππόλυτος , ἁγνοῦ Πιτθέως παιδεύματα ,
μόνος πολιτῶν τῆσδε γῆς Τροζηνίας
λέγει κακίστην δαιμόνων πεφυκέναι :
ἀναίνεται δὲ λέκτρα κοὐ ψαύει γάμων ,
Φοίβου δ᾽ ἀδελφὴν Ἄρτεμιν , Διὸς κόρην ,
τιμᾷ , μεγίστην δαιμόνων ἡγούμενος ,
χλωρὰν δ᾽ ἀν᾽ ὕλην παρθένῳ ξυνὼν ἀεὶ
κυσὶν ταχείαις θῆρας ἐξαιρεῖ χθονός ,
μείζω βροτείας προσπεσὼν ὁμιλίας .
θεὰ κέκλημαι Κύπρις οὐρανοῦ τ᾽ ἔσω :
ὅσοι τε Πόντου τερμόνων τ᾽ Ἀτλαντικῶν
ναίουσιν εἴσω , φῶς ὁρῶντες ἡλίου ,
τοὺς μὲν σέβοντας τἀμὰ πρεσβεύω κράτη ,
σφάλλω δ᾽ ὅσοι φρονοῦσιν εἰς ἡμᾶς μέγα .
ἔνεστι γὰρ δὴ κἀν θεῶν γένει τόδε :
τιμώμενοι χαίρουσιν ἀνθρώπων ὕπο .
δείξω δὲ μύθων τῶνδ᾽ ἀλήθειαν τάχα :
ὁ γάρ με Θησέως παῖς , Ἀμαζόνος τόκος ,
Ἱππόλυτος , ἁγνοῦ Πιτθέως παιδεύματα ,
μόνος πολιτῶν τῆσδε γῆς Τροζηνίας
λέγει κακίστην δαιμόνων πεφυκέναι :
ἀναίνεται δὲ λέκτρα κοὐ ψαύει γάμων ,
Φοίβου δ᾽ ἀδελφὴν Ἄρτεμιν , Διὸς κόρην ,
τιμᾷ , μεγίστην δαιμόνων ἡγούμενος ,
χλωρὰν δ᾽ ἀν᾽ ὕλην παρθένῳ ξυνὼν ἀεὶ
κυσὶν ταχείαις θῆρας ἐξαιρεῖ χθονός ,
μείζω βροτείας προσπεσὼν ὁμιλίας .
I
am
a
powerful
goddess
,
celebrated
in heaven and among all mortal men ,
who call me Aphrodite . Of all people
who gaze upon the sunlight and inhabit
regions between the Pillars of Atlas
and the Euxine Sea , I look with favour
on those who give my power due respect ,
but I strike down all those who , stuffed with pride ,
disparage me . For the family of gods
shares this attribute—they get great delight
from those honours human beings bestow .
That this is true I will soon demonstrate .
For Theseus and Hippolyta , an Amazon ,
had a son , Hippolytus , and this lad ,
a student trained by pious Pittheus ,
is the only person here in Troezen
who claims that I , of all divinities ,
by nature am the most despicable .
He refuses to have women in his bed ,
turns his back on any thought of marriage ,
and worships Zeus’s daughter Artemis ,
Apollo’s sister , believing her to be
the greatest god of all . He spends his time
in green forests , always in the company
of that virgin goddess , scouring the land
for wild creatures with his swift hunting dogs .
The two enjoy a close relationship ,
too close for any mortal with a god .
in heaven and among all mortal men ,
who call me Aphrodite . Of all people
who gaze upon the sunlight and inhabit
regions between the Pillars of Atlas
and the Euxine Sea , I look with favour
on those who give my power due respect ,
but I strike down all those who , stuffed with pride ,
disparage me . For the family of gods
shares this attribute—they get great delight
from those honours human beings bestow .
That this is true I will soon demonstrate .
For Theseus and Hippolyta , an Amazon ,
had a son , Hippolytus , and this lad ,
a student trained by pious Pittheus ,
is the only person here in Troezen
who claims that I , of all divinities ,
by nature am the most despicable .
He refuses to have women in his bed ,
turns his back on any thought of marriage ,
and worships Zeus’s daughter Artemis ,
Apollo’s sister , believing her to be
the greatest god of all . He spends his time
in green forests , always in the company
of that virgin goddess , scouring the land
for wild creatures with his swift hunting dogs .
The two enjoy a close relationship ,
too close for any mortal with a god .