The Supernatural in the Tragedies of Euripides i 5 



Hipp. 61-72: 



■KOTVia iroTvia ae/j-voTara, 



Zavos ykvtd\ov, , 



Xolpe X^^P^ MO') ^ Kopa k. t. X. 



'O Majesty, Daughter of Zeus, dread Queen, 



I hail thee, Artemis, now, 

 O Leto's Daughter, O Zeus's child, 

 Loveliest far of the Undefiled ! 

 In that great Home of the Mighty Father, 

 The palace of Zeus, mid the glory-sheen 



Of gold — there dwellest thou. 

 O fairest, to theeward in greeting I call, 

 Artemis, fairest of Maidens that gather 



In Olympus' hall ! " 



Then Hippolytus offers a garland of flowers to Artemis ; hence 

 our play is sometimes called " Stephanephorus," the " wreath- 

 bearer." 



Hipp. 73-87: 



crol Tovde irXeKTov (rrecfiavov e^ aKrjpaTOV 



Xetjuwfos, c& deairoLva, KoaidTjaas 4>kpw, 



evi} ovre Tvoifjirjv dijtot <f>kpfitiv Qoto. 



out' rjX'&e irco (ridr]pos, dXX' aKrjpaTov k. t. X. 



" For thee this woven garland from a mead 

 Unsullied have I twined, O Queen, and bring. 

 There never shepherd dares to feed his flock. 

 Nor steel of sickle came: only the bee 

 Roveth the springtide mead undesecrate : 

 And Reverence watereth it with river-dews. 



Now Queen, dear Queen, receive this anadem 

 From reverent hand to deck thy golden hair ; 

 For to me sole of men this grace is given. 

 That I be with thee, converse hold with thee. 

 Hearing thy voice, yet seeing not thy face. 

 And may I end life's race as I began." 



In this beautiful prayer the poet portrays with exquisite skill 

 the ideal of a chaste and pious character. Hippolytus' piety is as 

 untainted as his purity. 



The Old Nurse who tries in vain to persuade Hippolytus to 

 worship Aphrodite steps up to the altar of that Goddess whose 



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