A Victim Caught in the Middle: Hippolytus, Greek Anthology 9.132

When they met face-to-face,

Celibacy & Love

Destroyed two souls:

A burning desire for Hippolytus slew Phaedra;

But Hippolytus’ innocent chastity slew him.

 Modestia et Amor obviam sibi-invicem

progressi vitas perdiderunt ambo:

Phaedram quidem interfecit ardens amor Hippolyti:

Hippolytum vero casta interemit modestia.

σωφροσύνη καὶ Ἔρως κατεναντίον ἀλλήλοισιν

ἐλθόντες ψυχὰς ὤλεσαν ἀμφότερον:

Φαίδρην μὲν κτεῖνεν πυρόεις πόθος Ἱππολύτοιο:

Ἱππόλυτον δ᾽ ἁγνὴ πέφνε σαοφροσύνη:.

--Greek Anthology 9.132, Translated into Latin by Friedrich Duebner

The Greek Anthology is a modern collection of Greek lyric poetry compiled from various sources over the course of Greco-Roman literature. The current collection was created from two major sources, one from the 10^th century CE and one from the 14^th century CE. The anthology contains authors spanning the entirety of Greek literature, from archaic poets to Byzantine Christian poets.