{"id":54,"date":"2020-07-23T15:55:48","date_gmt":"2020-07-23T19:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/phedre\/?post_type=chapter&p=54"},"modified":"2020-07-23T18:22:46","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T22:22:46","slug":"act-five","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/phedre\/chapter\/act-five\/","title":{"raw":"Act Five","rendered":"Act Five"},"content":{"raw":"
\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
\r\n

<\/span>FIRST SCENE.<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\nHIPPOLYTE, ARICIE, ISM\u00c8NE.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n
<\/div>\r\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
What!\u00a0can you be silent in this extreme peril?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Do you leave a father who loves you in error?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Cruel, if of my tears, contemptuous of power,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
You easily agree not to see me again,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Go;\u00a0separate yourself from sad Aricia;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
But at least when you leave, secure your life.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Defend your honor from a shameful reproach,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And force your father to revoke his vows:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
There is still time.\u00a0Why, by what whim,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Are you leaving the field open to your accuser?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Clear up Theseus.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
HIPPOLYTE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
<\/span>Hey!\u00a0what did I not say?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Did I have to uncover the shame of his bed?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Should I, by telling him too sincere a story,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Cover a father's forehead with an unworthy blush?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
You alone have unraveled this odious mystery.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
My heart to pour out has only you and the gods.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I couldn't hide from you, judge if I love you,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Everything I wanted to hide from myself.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
But think under what seal I revealed it to you:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Forget, if it is possible, that I spoke to you,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Mrs ;\u00a0and that never a mouth so pure<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Do not open to tell this horrible adventure.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
On the equity of the gods we dare to confide;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
They have too much interest in justifying me:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And Ph\u00e8dre, sooner or later for his crime punished,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Cannot avoid its just ignominy.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
This is the only respect I demand from you.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I allow all the rest to my wrath:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Get out of slavery where you are reduced;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Dare to follow me, dare to accompany my flight;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Tear yourself away from a deadly and profaned place,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Where virtue breathes a poisoned air;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Take advantage, to hide your early retirement,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
From the confusion that my disgrace throws at it.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I can assure you of the means:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Up to now you have only my guards;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Mighty defenders will take our quarrel;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Argos reaches out to us, and Sparta calls us:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
To our mutual friends let us bring our just cries;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Let us not suffer that Ph\u00e8dre, assembling our debris,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
From the father's throne drives us both away,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And promise his son my remains and yours.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The opportunity is beautiful, it must be embraced ...<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
What fear is holding you back?\u00a0you seem to be swinging?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Your only interest inspires me this daring:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
When I'm all on fire, where does this ice cream come from?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
In the footsteps of an outcast do you fear to walk?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
Alas!\u00a0how dear such an exile, my lord!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
In what raptures, to your fate bound,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
From the rest of mortals I would live forgotten!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
But not being united by such a sweet bond,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
May I with honor steal with you?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I know that, without hurting the most severe honor,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I can free myself from the hands of your father:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
It is not to tear me away from my parents' womb;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And those who flee their tyrants are allowed to escape.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
But you love me, lord;\u00a0and my alarmed glory ...<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
HIPPOLYTE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
No, no, I care too much for your fame.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
A nobler purpose brings me before you:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Flee your enemies, and follow your husband.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Free in our misfortunes, since heaven orders it,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The gift of our faith does not depend on anyone.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The hymen is not always surrounded by torches.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
At the gates of Tr\u00e9z\u00e8ne, and among these tombs,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Of the princes of my race ancient burials,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Is a formidable sacred temple to perjurers.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
This is where mortals dare not swear in vain:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The perfidious receives there a sudden punishment;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And fearing to find inevitable death there,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Lying has no more formidable brake.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
There, if you believe me, with an eternal love<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
We will go and confirm the solemn oath;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
We will take as witness the god who is revered there:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
We will both pray to him to be our father.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Of the most sacred gods I will attest to the name,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And the chaste Diana, and the august Juno,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And finally all the gods, witnesses of my tenderness,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Will guarantee the faith of my holy promises.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
The king is coming: flee, prince and leave quickly.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
To hide my departure, I stay for a while.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Come on;\u00a0and leave me some faithful guide,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Which leads my timid approach towards you.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
\r\n

<\/span>SCENE II.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\nTHESEUS, ARICIA, ISMENE.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
Gods !\u00a0enlighten my confusion, and deign in my eyes<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Show the truth that I am looking for in these places!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
Think of everything, dear Ismene, and be ready to flee.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
\r\n

<\/span>SCENE III.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\nTHESEUS, ARICIE.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
You change color, and seem forbidden,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Madame: what was Hippolyte doing in this place?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
Lord, he was saying an eternal farewell to me.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
Your eyes have been able to tame this rebellious courage;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And his first sighs are your happy work.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
Lord, I cannot deny you the truth:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
He has not inherited your unjust hatred;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
He didn't treat me like a criminal.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
I hear: he swore eternal love to you.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Do not be sure about this inconstant heart;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Because to others than you he swore as much.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
Him, lord?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
<\/span>You had to make it less fickle:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
How did you suffer this horrible sharing?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
And how do you suffer that horrible speeches<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
From such a good life dare to blacken the course?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Do you have so little knowledge of his heart?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Do you see crime and innocence so badly?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Must there be only an odious cloud in your eyes<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Steals his virtue, which shines in all eyes?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Ah!\u00a0it is too much to deliver him to treacherous tongues.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Cease: repent of your homicidal vows;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Fear, lord, fear the harsh sky<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Don't hate yourself enough to make your wishes come true.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Often in his anger he receives our victims:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
His gifts are often the penalty for our crimes.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
No, you want to cover up his attack in vain;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Your love blinds you in favor of the ungrateful.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
But I believe certain, irreproachable witnesses:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I saw, I saw real tears flow.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
Beware, Lord: your invincible hands<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Have monsters without number freed humans;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
But all is not destroyed, and you let it live<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
A ... Your son, lord, forbids me to continue.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Knowing the respect he wants to keep you,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I would grieve him too much if I dared to finish.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I imitate her modesty, and flee your presence<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
So as not to be forced to break the silence.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
\r\n

<\/span>SCENE IV.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\nTHESEUS.<\/strong>\r\n
\r\n \t
So what is his thought, and what hides a speech<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Started so many times, always interrupted?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Do they want to dazzle me with a vain feint?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Do they both agree to embarrass me?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
But myself, despite my severe severity,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
What plaintive voice cries from the bottom of my heart?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
A secret pity that grieves and astonishes me.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
A second time, let's question Oenone:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I want the whole crime to be better clarified.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Guards, let Oenone go out and come here alone.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
\r\n

<\/span>SCENE V.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\nTHESEUS, PANOPE.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n
<\/div>\r\n
PANOPE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
I ignore the project that the queen is meditating,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Lord;\u00a0but I fear all of the transport which agitates it.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
A deadly despair on her face is painted;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The pallor of death is already on her complexion.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Already from his presence with shame driven away,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
In the deep sea, Oenone launched herself.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
We do not know where this furious design started from;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And the waves forever delighted her in our eyes.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
What do I hear?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
PANOPE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
<\/span>His death did not calm the queen;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Trouble seems to be growing in his uncertain soul.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Sometimes, to flatter her secret pains,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
She takes her children and bathes them in tears;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And suddenly, renouncing maternal love,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Her hand in horror pushes them away from her;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
She takes her unresolved steps at random;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
His stray eye no longer recognizes us;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
She has written three times;\u00a0and changing of mind,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Three times she broke her started letter.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Deign to see her, my lord;\u00a0deign to help her.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
O heaven!\u00a0Oenone is dead, and Ph\u00e8dre wants to die!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Call my son back, come and defend himself;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Let him come talk to me, I'm ready to hear him.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n<\/span>\u00a0(alone.)<\/span><\/i>\r\n
\r\n \t
Do not rush your fatal benefits,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Neptune;\u00a0I prefer never to be heard.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I may have believed too little faithful witnesses,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And too soon I raised my cruel hands to you.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Ah!\u00a0with what despair my wishes would be followed!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
\r\n

<\/span>SCENE VI.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\nTHESEUS, THERAMEN.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
Theramenes, is that you?\u00a0What have you done with my son?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I entrusted it to you from the earliest age.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
But where do the tears that I see you shed come from?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
What is my son doing?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THERAMENE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
<\/span>O late and superfluous care!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Useless tenderness!\u00a0Hippolyte is no more.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
Gods !<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THERAMENE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
<\/span>I have seen the most lovable mortals perish,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And I dare say again, Lord, the least culpable.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
My son is no more!\u00a0What!\u00a0when I hold out my arms to him,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The impatient gods hastened his demise!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
What stroke delighted me, what sudden lightning?<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THERAMENE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
We had barely left the gates of Tr\u00e9z\u00e8ne,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
He was in his chariot;\u00a0his distressed guards<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Imitated his silence, around him ranged;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
He followed the road to Mycenae with all thought;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
His hand on the horses let the reins float;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
His superb couriers that we once saw<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Full of such noble ardor to obey his voice,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
With gloomy eyes now, and lowered head,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Seemed to conform to his sad thought.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
A terrible cry from the bottom of the waves,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Airs at this moment disturbed the rest;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And from the bosom of the earth a formidable voice<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Responds with a moan to this dreadful cry.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
To the bottom of our hearts our blood is frozen;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Attentive couriers the horsehair bristled.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
However on the back of the liquid plain,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
A damp mountain rises with great boils;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The wave approaches, breaks, and vomits in our eyes,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Among waves of foam, a furious monster.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
His broad forehead is armed with threatening horns;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
His whole body is covered with yellowing scales,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Indomitable bull, fiery dragon,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Its rump curves in tortuous folds;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Its long roars shake the shore.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The sky with horror sees this wild monster;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The earth is moved by it, the air is infected with it;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The flood which brought it recoils in terror.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Everything leaks;\u00a0and without arming yourself with unnecessary courage,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
In the neighboring temple everyone is looking for an asylum.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Hippolyte alone, worthy son of a hero,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Stop his steeds, grab his javelins,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Push to the monster, and with a sting thrown with a sure hand,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
He gives him a large wound in the side.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
With rage and pain the leaping monster<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Comes at the feet of the horses, howling,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Rolls up, and presents them with a flaming mouth<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Who covers them with fire, blood and smoke.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Fear takes them away;\u00a0and, deaf at this time,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
They no longer know the brake or the voice;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
In powerless efforts their master consumes himself;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
They redden the bit with bloody foam.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
They say that we have even seen, in this dreadful disorder,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
A god who stings pressed their powdery flanks.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Across the rocks fear precipitates them;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The axle cries and breaks: the intrepid Hippolyte<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Sees his entire smashed tank shattered;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
In the reins himself he falls embarrassed.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Excuse my pain: this cruel image<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
An eternal source of tears will be for me.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I saw, lord, I saw your unhappy son<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Dragged by the horses his hand fed.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
He wants to call them back, and his voice frightens them;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
They run: her whole body is soon a wound.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
With our painful cries the plain resounds.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Their impetuous ardor finally slows down:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
They stop not far from these ancient tombs<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Where kings are his ancestors cold relics.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I run there with a sigh, and his guard follows me:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
With his generous blood the trace leads us;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The rocks are stained with it;\u00a0the dripping brambles<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Bears the bloody remains of his hair.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I arrive, I call him;\u00a0and holding out my hand,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
He opens a dying eye that he suddenly closes:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
\u201cThe sky,\u201d he said, \u201cis taking an innocent life from me.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
\u201cTake care of sad Aricia after my death.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
\"Dear friend, if my father one day disillusioned<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
\"Pity the misfortune of a falsely accused son,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
\"To appease my blood and my plaintive shadow,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
\u201cTell him how gently he treats his captive;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
\"May he give him back ...\" At that word, this expired hero<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Left in my arms only a disfigured body:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Sad object where gods triumphs over wrath,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And that even his father's eye would ignore.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
O my son!\u00a0dear hope that I delighted myself!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Inexorable gods, who have served me too much!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
What mortal regrets my life is reserved for!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THERAMENE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
The shy Aricie then arrived:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
She was coming, lord, fleeing your wrath,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
In the face of the gods to accept him as a husband.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
She approaches;\u00a0she sees the red and smoking grass;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
She sees (what an object for a lover's eyes!)<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Hippolyte stretched out, without form and without color ...<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
She wants to doubt her misfortune for a while;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And, no longer knowing this hero she adores,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
She sees Hippolyte, and asks again.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
But too sure in the end that he's in front of her eyes,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
With a sad look she accuses the gods;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And cold, moaning, and almost lifeless,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
At her lover's feet she falls swooning.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Ismene is near her;\u00a0Ismene, all in tears,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Calls her back to life, or rather to pain.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And I, I came, hating the light,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Tell you of a hero the last will,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And discharge me, lord, of the unfortunate job<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Whose dying heart rested on me.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
But I see his deadly enemy coming.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
\r\n

<\/span>SCENE VII.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\nTHESEUS, PHAEDRUS, THERAMENES, PANOPE, GUARDS.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
Well !\u00a0you triumph, and my son is lifeless!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Ah!\u00a0that I have reason to fear, and that a cruel suspicion,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The excusing in my heart, alarms me with reason!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
But, madame, he is dead, take your victim;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Enjoy its loss, unjust or legitimate:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I agree that my eyes are still being abused.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I believe him to be a criminal, since you are accusing him.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
His death to my tears offers enough material<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Without going to look for hateful lights,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Who, unable to return it to my just pain,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Maybe would only increase my unhappiness.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Leave me, far from you, and far from this shore,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
From my torn son flee the bloody image.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Confused, persecuted by a deadly memory,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
From the whole universe I would like to banish myself.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Everything seems to speak out against my injustice;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The shine of my very name increases my torment:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Less known to mortals, I would hide better.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I hate even the cares with which the gods honor me;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And I'm going to mourn their murderous favors,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Without tiring them of useless prayers.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Whatever they do for me, their fatal kindness<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Cannot pay me for what they have taken from me.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
PHAEDRA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
No, Theseus, we must break an unjust silence;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Your son must restore his innocence:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
He was not guilty.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
<\/span>Ah!\u00a0unfortunate father!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And it is on your faith that I condemned him!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Cruel!\u00a0do you think you're sorry enough ...<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
PHAEDRA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
Times are dear to me;\u00a0listen to me,\u00a0<\/span>Theseus<\/span><\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
It is I who on this son, chaste and respectful,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Dare to take a profane, incestuous eye.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Heaven put a fatal flame in my bosom:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The detestable Oenone led all the rest.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
She feared that Hippolytus, informed of my fury,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Did not discover a fire which horrified him:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
The perfidious, abusing my extreme weakness,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Has hastened in your eyes to accuse him himself.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
She punished herself, and fleeing my wrath,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Searched the waves for too sweet a torment.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Iron would have already decided my destiny;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
But I let the suspected virtue moan:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I wanted, in front of you exposing my remorse,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
By a slower path descend to the dead.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
I took, I ran through my hot veins<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
A poison that Medea brought to Athens.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Already to my heart the venom has reached<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Into this dying heart throws an unknown cold;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Already I can only see through a cloud<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And heaven and the bridegroom whom my presence insults;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And death in my eyes stealing the clarity,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Brings back to the day that they defiled all its purity.<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
PANOPE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
It expires, lord!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\r\n \t
<\/span>Of such a black action<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
What cannot with it expire the memory!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Come, my mistake, alas!\u00a0too bright,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
To mingle our tears with the blood of my unhappy son!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Let us go of this dear son to embrace what remains,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Atone for the fury of a wish I hate:<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Let us give him the honors he has too deserved;<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
And, to better appease his angry spirits,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
That, despite the plots of an unjust family,<\/span><\/dd>\r\n \t
Her lover today takes the place of a girl for me!<\/span><\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n<\/div>\r\n ","rendered":"
\n
<\/div>\n
\n

<\/span>FIRST SCENE.<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

HIPPOLYTE, ARICIE, ISM\u00c8NE.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
What!\u00a0can you be silent in this extreme peril?<\/span><\/dd>\n
Do you leave a father who loves you in error?<\/span><\/dd>\n
Cruel, if of my tears, contemptuous of power,<\/span><\/dd>\n
You easily agree not to see me again,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Go;\u00a0separate yourself from sad Aricia;<\/span><\/dd>\n
But at least when you leave, secure your life.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Defend your honor from a shameful reproach,<\/span><\/dd>\n
And force your father to revoke his vows:<\/span><\/dd>\n
There is still time.\u00a0Why, by what whim,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Are you leaving the field open to your accuser?<\/span><\/dd>\n
Clear up Theseus.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
HIPPOLYTE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span>Hey!\u00a0what did I not say?<\/span><\/dd>\n
Did I have to uncover the shame of his bed?<\/span><\/dd>\n
Should I, by telling him too sincere a story,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Cover a father’s forehead with an unworthy blush?<\/span><\/dd>\n
You alone have unraveled this odious mystery.<\/span><\/dd>\n
My heart to pour out has only you and the gods.<\/span><\/dd>\n
I couldn’t hide from you, judge if I love you,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Everything I wanted to hide from myself.<\/span><\/dd>\n
But think under what seal I revealed it to you:<\/span><\/dd>\n
Forget, if it is possible, that I spoke to you,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Mrs ;\u00a0and that never a mouth so pure<\/span><\/dd>\n
Do not open to tell this horrible adventure.<\/span><\/dd>\n
On the equity of the gods we dare to confide;<\/span><\/dd>\n
They have too much interest in justifying me:<\/span><\/dd>\n
And Ph\u00e8dre, sooner or later for his crime punished,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Cannot avoid its just ignominy.<\/span><\/dd>\n
This is the only respect I demand from you.<\/span><\/dd>\n
I allow all the rest to my wrath:<\/span><\/dd>\n
Get out of slavery where you are reduced;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Dare to follow me, dare to accompany my flight;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Tear yourself away from a deadly and profaned place,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Where virtue breathes a poisoned air;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Take advantage, to hide your early retirement,<\/span><\/dd>\n
From the confusion that my disgrace throws at it.<\/span><\/dd>\n
I can assure you of the means:<\/span><\/dd>\n
Up to now you have only my guards;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Mighty defenders will take our quarrel;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Argos reaches out to us, and Sparta calls us:<\/span><\/dd>\n
To our mutual friends let us bring our just cries;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Let us not suffer that Ph\u00e8dre, assembling our debris,<\/span><\/dd>\n
From the father’s throne drives us both away,<\/span><\/dd>\n
And promise his son my remains and yours.<\/span><\/dd>\n
The opportunity is beautiful, it must be embraced …<\/span><\/dd>\n
What fear is holding you back?\u00a0you seem to be swinging?<\/span><\/dd>\n
Your only interest inspires me this daring:<\/span><\/dd>\n
When I’m all on fire, where does this ice cream come from?<\/span><\/dd>\n
In the footsteps of an outcast do you fear to walk?<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
Alas!\u00a0how dear such an exile, my lord!<\/span><\/dd>\n
In what raptures, to your fate bound,<\/span><\/dd>\n
From the rest of mortals I would live forgotten!<\/span><\/dd>\n
But not being united by such a sweet bond,<\/span><\/dd>\n
May I with honor steal with you?<\/span><\/dd>\n
I know that, without hurting the most severe honor,<\/span><\/dd>\n
I can free myself from the hands of your father:<\/span><\/dd>\n
It is not to tear me away from my parents’ womb;<\/span><\/dd>\n
And those who flee their tyrants are allowed to escape.<\/span><\/dd>\n
But you love me, lord;\u00a0and my alarmed glory …<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
HIPPOLYTE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
No, no, I care too much for your fame.<\/span><\/dd>\n
A nobler purpose brings me before you:<\/span><\/dd>\n
Flee your enemies, and follow your husband.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Free in our misfortunes, since heaven orders it,<\/span><\/dd>\n
The gift of our faith does not depend on anyone.<\/span><\/dd>\n
The hymen is not always surrounded by torches.<\/span><\/dd>\n
At the gates of Tr\u00e9z\u00e8ne, and among these tombs,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Of the princes of my race ancient burials,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Is a formidable sacred temple to perjurers.<\/span><\/dd>\n
This is where mortals dare not swear in vain:<\/span><\/dd>\n
The perfidious receives there a sudden punishment;<\/span><\/dd>\n
And fearing to find inevitable death there,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Lying has no more formidable brake.<\/span><\/dd>\n
There, if you believe me, with an eternal love<\/span><\/dd>\n
We will go and confirm the solemn oath;<\/span><\/dd>\n
We will take as witness the god who is revered there:<\/span><\/dd>\n
We will both pray to him to be our father.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Of the most sacred gods I will attest to the name,<\/span><\/dd>\n
And the chaste Diana, and the august Juno,<\/span><\/dd>\n
And finally all the gods, witnesses of my tenderness,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Will guarantee the faith of my holy promises.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
The king is coming: flee, prince and leave quickly.<\/span><\/dd>\n
To hide my departure, I stay for a while.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Come on;\u00a0and leave me some faithful guide,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Which leads my timid approach towards you.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n

<\/span>SCENE II.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

THESEUS, ARICIA, ISMENE.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
Gods !\u00a0enlighten my confusion, and deign in my eyes<\/span><\/dd>\n
Show the truth that I am looking for in these places!<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
Think of everything, dear Ismene, and be ready to flee.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n

<\/span>SCENE III.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

THESEUS, ARICIE.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
You change color, and seem forbidden,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Madame: what was Hippolyte doing in this place?<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
Lord, he was saying an eternal farewell to me.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
Your eyes have been able to tame this rebellious courage;<\/span><\/dd>\n
And his first sighs are your happy work.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
Lord, I cannot deny you the truth:<\/span><\/dd>\n
He has not inherited your unjust hatred;<\/span><\/dd>\n
He didn’t treat me like a criminal.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
I hear: he swore eternal love to you.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Do not be sure about this inconstant heart;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Because to others than you he swore as much.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
Him, lord?<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span>You had to make it less fickle:<\/span><\/dd>\n
How did you suffer this horrible sharing?<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
And how do you suffer that horrible speeches<\/span><\/dd>\n
From such a good life dare to blacken the course?<\/span><\/dd>\n
Do you have so little knowledge of his heart?<\/span><\/dd>\n
Do you see crime and innocence so badly?<\/span><\/dd>\n
Must there be only an odious cloud in your eyes<\/span><\/dd>\n
Steals his virtue, which shines in all eyes?<\/span><\/dd>\n
Ah!\u00a0it is too much to deliver him to treacherous tongues.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Cease: repent of your homicidal vows;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Fear, lord, fear the harsh sky<\/span><\/dd>\n
Don’t hate yourself enough to make your wishes come true.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Often in his anger he receives our victims:<\/span><\/dd>\n
His gifts are often the penalty for our crimes.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
No, you want to cover up his attack in vain;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Your love blinds you in favor of the ungrateful.<\/span><\/dd>\n
But I believe certain, irreproachable witnesses:<\/span><\/dd>\n
I saw, I saw real tears flow.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
ARICIA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
Beware, Lord: your invincible hands<\/span><\/dd>\n
Have monsters without number freed humans;<\/span><\/dd>\n
But all is not destroyed, and you let it live<\/span><\/dd>\n
A … Your son, lord, forbids me to continue.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Knowing the respect he wants to keep you,<\/span><\/dd>\n
I would grieve him too much if I dared to finish.<\/span><\/dd>\n
I imitate her modesty, and flee your presence<\/span><\/dd>\n
So as not to be forced to break the silence.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n

<\/span>SCENE IV.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

THESEUS.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
So what is his thought, and what hides a speech<\/span><\/dd>\n
Started so many times, always interrupted?<\/span><\/dd>\n
Do they want to dazzle me with a vain feint?<\/span><\/dd>\n
Do they both agree to embarrass me?<\/span><\/dd>\n
But myself, despite my severe severity,<\/span><\/dd>\n
What plaintive voice cries from the bottom of my heart?<\/span><\/dd>\n
A secret pity that grieves and astonishes me.<\/span><\/dd>\n
A second time, let’s question Oenone:<\/span><\/dd>\n
I want the whole crime to be better clarified.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Guards, let Oenone go out and come here alone.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n

<\/span>SCENE V.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

THESEUS, PANOPE.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
PANOPE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
I ignore the project that the queen is meditating,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Lord;\u00a0but I fear all of the transport which agitates it.<\/span><\/dd>\n
A deadly despair on her face is painted;<\/span><\/dd>\n
The pallor of death is already on her complexion.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Already from his presence with shame driven away,<\/span><\/dd>\n
In the deep sea, Oenone launched herself.<\/span><\/dd>\n
We do not know where this furious design started from;<\/span><\/dd>\n
And the waves forever delighted her in our eyes.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
What do I hear?<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
PANOPE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span>His death did not calm the queen;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Trouble seems to be growing in his uncertain soul.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Sometimes, to flatter her secret pains,<\/span><\/dd>\n
She takes her children and bathes them in tears;<\/span><\/dd>\n
And suddenly, renouncing maternal love,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Her hand in horror pushes them away from her;<\/span><\/dd>\n
She takes her unresolved steps at random;<\/span><\/dd>\n
His stray eye no longer recognizes us;<\/span><\/dd>\n
She has written three times;\u00a0and changing of mind,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Three times she broke her started letter.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Deign to see her, my lord;\u00a0deign to help her.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
O heaven!\u00a0Oenone is dead, and Ph\u00e8dre wants to die!<\/span><\/dd>\n
Call my son back, come and defend himself;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Let him come talk to me, I’m ready to hear him.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

<\/span>\u00a0(alone.)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n
Do not rush your fatal benefits,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Neptune;\u00a0I prefer never to be heard.<\/span><\/dd>\n
I may have believed too little faithful witnesses,<\/span><\/dd>\n
And too soon I raised my cruel hands to you.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Ah!\u00a0with what despair my wishes would be followed!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n

<\/span>SCENE VI.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

THESEUS, THERAMEN.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
Theramenes, is that you?\u00a0What have you done with my son?<\/span><\/dd>\n
I entrusted it to you from the earliest age.<\/span><\/dd>\n
But where do the tears that I see you shed come from?<\/span><\/dd>\n
What is my son doing?<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THERAMENE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span>O late and superfluous care!<\/span><\/dd>\n
Useless tenderness!\u00a0Hippolyte is no more.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
Gods !<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THERAMENE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span>I have seen the most lovable mortals perish,<\/span><\/dd>\n
And I dare say again, Lord, the least culpable.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
My son is no more!\u00a0What!\u00a0when I hold out my arms to him,<\/span><\/dd>\n
The impatient gods hastened his demise!<\/span><\/dd>\n
What stroke delighted me, what sudden lightning?<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THERAMENE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
We had barely left the gates of Tr\u00e9z\u00e8ne,<\/span><\/dd>\n
He was in his chariot;\u00a0his distressed guards<\/span><\/dd>\n
Imitated his silence, around him ranged;<\/span><\/dd>\n
He followed the road to Mycenae with all thought;<\/span><\/dd>\n
His hand on the horses let the reins float;<\/span><\/dd>\n
His superb couriers that we once saw<\/span><\/dd>\n
Full of such noble ardor to obey his voice,<\/span><\/dd>\n
With gloomy eyes now, and lowered head,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Seemed to conform to his sad thought.<\/span><\/dd>\n
A terrible cry from the bottom of the waves,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Airs at this moment disturbed the rest;<\/span><\/dd>\n
And from the bosom of the earth a formidable voice<\/span><\/dd>\n
Responds with a moan to this dreadful cry.<\/span><\/dd>\n
To the bottom of our hearts our blood is frozen;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Attentive couriers the horsehair bristled.<\/span><\/dd>\n
However on the back of the liquid plain,<\/span><\/dd>\n
A damp mountain rises with great boils;<\/span><\/dd>\n
The wave approaches, breaks, and vomits in our eyes,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Among waves of foam, a furious monster.<\/span><\/dd>\n
His broad forehead is armed with threatening horns;<\/span><\/dd>\n
His whole body is covered with yellowing scales,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Indomitable bull, fiery dragon,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Its rump curves in tortuous folds;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Its long roars shake the shore.<\/span><\/dd>\n
The sky with horror sees this wild monster;<\/span><\/dd>\n
The earth is moved by it, the air is infected with it;<\/span><\/dd>\n
The flood which brought it recoils in terror.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Everything leaks;\u00a0and without arming yourself with unnecessary courage,<\/span><\/dd>\n
In the neighboring temple everyone is looking for an asylum.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Hippolyte alone, worthy son of a hero,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Stop his steeds, grab his javelins,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Push to the monster, and with a sting thrown with a sure hand,<\/span><\/dd>\n
He gives him a large wound in the side.<\/span><\/dd>\n
With rage and pain the leaping monster<\/span><\/dd>\n
Comes at the feet of the horses, howling,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Rolls up, and presents them with a flaming mouth<\/span><\/dd>\n
Who covers them with fire, blood and smoke.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Fear takes them away;\u00a0and, deaf at this time,<\/span><\/dd>\n
They no longer know the brake or the voice;<\/span><\/dd>\n
In powerless efforts their master consumes himself;<\/span><\/dd>\n
They redden the bit with bloody foam.<\/span><\/dd>\n
They say that we have even seen, in this dreadful disorder,<\/span><\/dd>\n
A god who stings pressed their powdery flanks.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Across the rocks fear precipitates them;<\/span><\/dd>\n
The axle cries and breaks: the intrepid Hippolyte<\/span><\/dd>\n
Sees his entire smashed tank shattered;<\/span><\/dd>\n
In the reins himself he falls embarrassed.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Excuse my pain: this cruel image<\/span><\/dd>\n
An eternal source of tears will be for me.<\/span><\/dd>\n
I saw, lord, I saw your unhappy son<\/span><\/dd>\n
Dragged by the horses his hand fed.<\/span><\/dd>\n
He wants to call them back, and his voice frightens them;<\/span><\/dd>\n
They run: her whole body is soon a wound.<\/span><\/dd>\n
With our painful cries the plain resounds.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Their impetuous ardor finally slows down:<\/span><\/dd>\n
They stop not far from these ancient tombs<\/span><\/dd>\n
Where kings are his ancestors cold relics.<\/span><\/dd>\n
I run there with a sigh, and his guard follows me:<\/span><\/dd>\n
With his generous blood the trace leads us;<\/span><\/dd>\n
The rocks are stained with it;\u00a0the dripping brambles<\/span><\/dd>\n
Bears the bloody remains of his hair.<\/span><\/dd>\n
I arrive, I call him;\u00a0and holding out my hand,<\/span><\/dd>\n
He opens a dying eye that he suddenly closes:<\/span><\/dd>\n
\u201cThe sky,\u201d he said, \u201cis taking an innocent life from me.<\/span><\/dd>\n
\u201cTake care of sad Aricia after my death.<\/span><\/dd>\n
“Dear friend, if my father one day disillusioned<\/span><\/dd>\n
“Pity the misfortune of a falsely accused son,<\/span><\/dd>\n
“To appease my blood and my plaintive shadow,<\/span><\/dd>\n
\u201cTell him how gently he treats his captive;<\/span><\/dd>\n
“May he give him back …” At that word, this expired hero<\/span><\/dd>\n
Left in my arms only a disfigured body:<\/span><\/dd>\n
Sad object where gods triumphs over wrath,<\/span><\/dd>\n
And that even his father’s eye would ignore.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
O my son!\u00a0dear hope that I delighted myself!<\/span><\/dd>\n
Inexorable gods, who have served me too much!<\/span><\/dd>\n
What mortal regrets my life is reserved for!<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THERAMENE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
The shy Aricie then arrived:<\/span><\/dd>\n
She was coming, lord, fleeing your wrath,<\/span><\/dd>\n
In the face of the gods to accept him as a husband.<\/span><\/dd>\n
She approaches;\u00a0she sees the red and smoking grass;<\/span><\/dd>\n
She sees (what an object for a lover’s eyes!)<\/span><\/dd>\n
Hippolyte stretched out, without form and without color …<\/span><\/dd>\n
She wants to doubt her misfortune for a while;<\/span><\/dd>\n
And, no longer knowing this hero she adores,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/dd>\n
She sees Hippolyte, and asks again.<\/span><\/dd>\n
But too sure in the end that he’s in front of her eyes,<\/span><\/dd>\n
With a sad look she accuses the gods;<\/span><\/dd>\n
And cold, moaning, and almost lifeless,<\/span><\/dd>\n
At her lover’s feet she falls swooning.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Ismene is near her;\u00a0Ismene, all in tears,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Calls her back to life, or rather to pain.<\/span><\/dd>\n
And I, I came, hating the light,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Tell you of a hero the last will,<\/span><\/dd>\n
And discharge me, lord, of the unfortunate job<\/span><\/dd>\n
Whose dying heart rested on me.<\/span><\/dd>\n
But I see his deadly enemy coming.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n

<\/span>SCENE VII.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

THESEUS, PHAEDRUS, THERAMENES, PANOPE, GUARDS.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
Well !\u00a0you triumph, and my son is lifeless!<\/span><\/dd>\n
Ah!\u00a0that I have reason to fear, and that a cruel suspicion,<\/span><\/dd>\n
The excusing in my heart, alarms me with reason!<\/span><\/dd>\n
But, madame, he is dead, take your victim;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Enjoy its loss, unjust or legitimate:<\/span><\/dd>\n
I agree that my eyes are still being abused.<\/span><\/dd>\n
I believe him to be a criminal, since you are accusing him.<\/span><\/dd>\n
His death to my tears offers enough material<\/span><\/dd>\n
Without going to look for hateful lights,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Who, unable to return it to my just pain,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Maybe would only increase my unhappiness.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Leave me, far from you, and far from this shore,<\/span><\/dd>\n
From my torn son flee the bloody image.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Confused, persecuted by a deadly memory,<\/span><\/dd>\n
From the whole universe I would like to banish myself.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Everything seems to speak out against my injustice;<\/span><\/dd>\n
The shine of my very name increases my torment:<\/span><\/dd>\n
Less known to mortals, I would hide better.<\/span><\/dd>\n
I hate even the cares with which the gods honor me;<\/span><\/dd>\n
And I’m going to mourn their murderous favors,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Without tiring them of useless prayers.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Whatever they do for me, their fatal kindness<\/span><\/dd>\n
Cannot pay me for what they have taken from me.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
PHAEDRA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
No, Theseus, we must break an unjust silence;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Your son must restore his innocence:<\/span><\/dd>\n
He was not guilty.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span>Ah!\u00a0unfortunate father!<\/span><\/dd>\n
And it is on your faith that I condemned him!<\/span><\/dd>\n
Cruel!\u00a0do you think you’re sorry enough …<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
PHAEDRA.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
Times are dear to me;\u00a0listen to me,\u00a0<\/span>Theseus<\/span><\/span><\/dd>\n
It is I who on this son, chaste and respectful,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Dare to take a profane, incestuous eye.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Heaven put a fatal flame in my bosom:<\/span><\/dd>\n
The detestable Oenone led all the rest.<\/span><\/dd>\n
She feared that Hippolytus, informed of my fury,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Did not discover a fire which horrified him:<\/span><\/dd>\n
The perfidious, abusing my extreme weakness,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Has hastened in your eyes to accuse him himself.<\/span><\/dd>\n
She punished herself, and fleeing my wrath,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Searched the waves for too sweet a torment.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Iron would have already decided my destiny;<\/span><\/dd>\n
But I let the suspected virtue moan:<\/span><\/dd>\n
I wanted, in front of you exposing my remorse,<\/span><\/dd>\n
By a slower path descend to the dead.<\/span><\/dd>\n
I took, I ran through my hot veins<\/span><\/dd>\n
A poison that Medea brought to Athens.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Already to my heart the venom has reached<\/span><\/dd>\n
Into this dying heart throws an unknown cold;<\/span><\/dd>\n
Already I can only see through a cloud<\/span><\/dd>\n
And heaven and the bridegroom whom my presence insults;<\/span><\/dd>\n
And death in my eyes stealing the clarity,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Brings back to the day that they defiled all its purity.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
PANOPE.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
It expires, lord!<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/div>\n
THESEUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span>Of such a black action<\/span><\/dd>\n
What cannot with it expire the memory!<\/span><\/dd>\n
Come, my mistake, alas!\u00a0too bright,<\/span><\/dd>\n
To mingle our tears with the blood of my unhappy son!<\/span><\/dd>\n
Let us go of this dear son to embrace what remains,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Atone for the fury of a wish I hate:<\/span><\/dd>\n
Let us give him the honors he has too deserved;<\/span><\/dd>\n
And, to better appease his angry spirits,<\/span><\/dd>\n
That, despite the plots of an unjust family,<\/span><\/dd>\n
Her lover today takes the place of a girl for me!<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

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