I cannot tell; be content, my child, to profit by it and ask no

questions.



PHAEDRA

I fear me thou wilt prove too wise for me.



NURSE

If thou fear this, confess thyself afraid of all; but why thy



terror!

PHAEDRA



Lest thou shouldst breathe a word of this to Theseus' son.

NURSE



Peace, my child! I will do all things well; only be thou, queen

Cypris, ocean's child, my partner in the work! And for the rest of



my purpose, it will be enough for me to tell it to our friends

within the house.



(The NURSE goes into the palace.)

CHORUS (singing)



strophe 1

O Love, Love, that from the eyes diffusest soft desire, bringing



on the souls of those, whom thou dost camp against, sweet grace, O

never in evil mood appear to me, nor out of time and tune approach!



Nor fire nor meteor hurls a mightier bolt than Aphrodite's shaft

shot by the hands of Love, the child of Zeus.



antistrophe 1

Idly, idly by the streams of Alpheus and in the Pythian shrines of



Phoebus, Hellas heaps the slaughtered steers; while Love we worship

not, Love, the king of men, who holds the key to Aphrodite's



sweetest bower,-worship not him who, when he comes, lays waste and

marks his path to mortal hearts by wide-spread woe.



strophe 2

There was that maiden in Oechalia, a girl unwed, that knew no



wooer yet nor married joys; her did the Queen of Love snatch from

her home across the sea and gave unto Alcmena's son, mid blood and



smoke and murderous marriage-hymns, to be to him a frantic fiend of

hell; woe! woe for his wooing!



antistrophe 2

Ah! holy walls of Thebes, ah! fount of Dirce, ye could testify



what course the love-queen follows. For with the blazing levin-bolt

did she cut short the fatal marriage of Semele, mother of Zeus-born



Bacchus. All things she doth inspire, dread goddess, winging her

flight hither and thither like a bee.



PHAEDRA

Peace, oh women, peace! I am undone.



LEADER OF THE CHORUS

What, Phaedra, is this dread event within thy house?



PHAEDRA

Hush! let me hear what those within are saying.



LEADER

I am silent; this is surely the prelude to evil.



PHAEDRA (chanting)

Great gods! how awful are my sufferings!



CHORUS (chanting)

What a cry was there! what loud alarm! say what sudden terror,



lady, doth thy soul dismay.

PHAEDRA



I am undone. Stand here at the door and hear the noise arising

in the house.



CHORUS (chanting)

Thou art already by the bolted door; 'tis for thee to note the



sounds that issue from within. And tell me, O tell me what evil can be

on foot.



PHAEDRA

'Tis the son of the horse-loving Amazon who calls, Hippolytus,



uttering foul curses on my servant.

CHORUS (chanting)



I hear a noise but cannot dearly tell which way it comes. Ah! 'tis

through the door the sound reached thee.



PHAEDRA

Yes, yes, he is calling her plainly enough a go-between in vice,



traitress to her master's honour.

CHORUS (chanting)

• chorus [´kɔ:rəs] n.合唱；齐声 v.合唱 (初中英语单词)


• suffering [´sʌfəriŋ] n.痛苦；灾害 (初中英语单词)


• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)


• uncertain [ʌn´sə:tn] a.不定的；不可靠的 (初中英语单词)


• frontier [´frʌntiə] n.国境；边疆；边界 (初中英语单词)


• neglect [ni´glekt] vt.&n.疏忽；忽视；忽略 (初中英语单词)


• likewise [´laikwaiz] ad.同样地；也，又 (初中英语单词)


• contrary [´kɔntrəri] a.相反的 n.相反 (初中英语单词)


• victory [´viktəri] n.胜利，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)


• witness [´witnis] n.见证人 vt.目击 (初中英语单词)


• disgrace [dis´greis] n.耻辱 vt.玷辱；贬黜 (初中英语单词)


• profession [prə´feʃən] n.职业；声明；表白 (初中英语单词)


• purity [´pjuəriti] n.纯净；贞洁 (初中英语单词)


• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)


• lately [´leitli] ad.近来，不久前 (初中英语单词)


• reflect [ri´flekt] v.反射；反响；表达 (初中英语单词)


• gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)


• belief [bi´li:f] n.相信；信仰，信条 (初中英语单词)


• goddess [´gɔdis] n.女神 (初中英语单词)


• assist [ə´sist] v.协助；援助；搀扶 (初中英语单词)


• wisdom [´wizdəm] n.智慧，聪明，才智 (初中英语单词)


• conceal [kən´si:l] vt.藏；隐瞒 (初中英语单词)


• darling [´dɑ:liŋ] n.爱人 a.亲爱的 (初中英语单词)


• sickness [´siknis] n.生病；呕吐，恶心 (初中英语单词)


• scheme [ski:m] n.计划；阴谋，诡计 (初中英语单词)


• solemn [´sɔləm] a.严肃的；隆重的 (初中英语单词)


• frankly [´fræŋkli] ad.直率地；慷慨地 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• suggestion [sə´dʒestʃən] n.建议，提议；暗示 (初中英语单词)


• fragment [´frægmənt] n.碎片；破片；断片 (初中英语单词)


• thereby [´ðeəbai] ad.因此，由此 (初中英语单词)


• confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)


• partner [´pɑ:tnə] n.伙伴 v.同….合作 (初中英语单词)


• maiden [´meidn] n.少女 a.未婚的 (初中英语单词)


• snatch [snætʃ] v.&n.抢，夺取，抓住 (初中英语单词)


• inspire [in´spaiə] v.鼓舞；使感悟；吸入 (初中英语单词)


• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)


• thither [´ðiðə] ad.到那里 a.那边的 (初中英语单词)


• plainly [´pleinli] ad.平坦地；简单地 (初中英语单词)


• startling [´stɑ:tliŋ] a.惊人的 (高中英语单词)


• presumption [pri´zʌmpʃən] n.推测；专横；冒昧 (高中英语单词)


• countless [´kauntlis] a.无数的 (高中英语单词)


• devise [di´vaiz] vt.设计，发明 (高中英语单词)


• endurance [in´djuərəns] n.忍受(耐)；耐力 (高中英语单词)


• hideous [´hidiəs] a.丑陋的，可怕的 (高中英语单词)


• athens [´æθinz] n.雅典 (高中英语单词)


• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)


• stricken [´strikən] strike的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• misfortune [mis´fɔ:tʃən] n.不幸；灾祸 (高中英语单词)


• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)


• soothe [su:ð] vt.安慰；镇定；减轻 (高中英语单词)


• straightway [´streitwei] ad.立刻 (高中英语单词)


• crisis [´kraisis] n.转折点；危机 (高中英语单词)


• gratify [´grætifai] vt.使高兴；满足 (高中英语单词)


• meteor [´mi:tiə] n.大气现象；流星 (高中英语单词)


• mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)


• frantic [´fræntik] a.发狂的；急忙的 (高中英语单词)


• uplift [ʌp´lift, ´ʌplift] vt.提高；振奋(精神) (英语四级单词)


• setting [´setiŋ] n.安装；排字；布景 (英语四级单词)


• heedless [´hi:dlis] a.不注意的，不留心的 (英语四级单词)


• denote [di´nəut] vt.指出；意味着 (英语四级单词)


• bequeath [bi´kwi:ð] vt.遗赠；传下 (英语四级单词)


• virtuous [´və:tjuəs] a.道德的；善良的 (英语四级单词)


• villain [´vilən] n.坏人；恶棍；反面角色 (英语四级单词)


• blooming [´blu:miŋ] a.正开花的；妙龄的 (英语四级单词)


• uncommon [ʌn´kɔmən] a.非常的，非凡的，罕见的 (英语四级单词)


• unnatural [,ʌn´nætʃərəl] a.不自然的 (英语四级单词)


• sterling [´stə:liŋ] a.真正的 n.英国货币 (英语四级单词)


• astray [ə´strei] ad.&a.在歧途上(的) (英语四级单词)


• refinement [ri´fainmənt] n.精炼；精制；文雅 (英语四级单词)


• exceeding [ik´si:diŋ] a.超越的，非常的 (英语四级单词)


• cruelly [´kruəli] ad.残酷地；极，非常 (英语四级单词)


• conjure [´kʌndʒə] v.祈求；召(鬼)；变魔术 (英语四级单词)


• murderous [´mə:dərəs] a.行凶的；势不可挡的 (英语四级单词)


• amazon [´æməzən] n.女战士 (英语四级单词)


• dearly [´diəli] ad.深深地(爱等)；昂贵 (英语四级单词)


• hapless [´hæpləs] a.不幸的；倒楣的 (英语六级单词)


• hereby [,hiə´bai] ad.因此；特此 (英语六级单词)


• methought [mi´θɔ:t] methinks的过去式 (英语六级单词)


• infamous [´infəməs] a.声名狼藉的 (英语六级单词)


• acquiesce [,ækwi´es] vi.默认，默许 (英语六级单词)


• self-control [,self´kəntrəul] n.自我克制 (英语六级单词)


• disgraceful [dis´greisful] a.可耻的；不光彩的 (英语六级单词)


• undone [,ʌn´dʌn] a.未完成的，没有做的 (英语六级单词)


• calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)