Phèdre

Oscar Wilde's "Phèdre" is a deeply emotive and vivid translation of the French playwright Jean Racine’s tragedy Phèdre, which itself is based on ancient Greek mythological characters. Wilde brings his characteristic elegance and intensity to the story of Phèdre, the queen who falls in love with her stepson, Hippolytus. Wilde's version captures the psychological complexity of Phèdre’s internal struggle—her forbidden desire, guilt, and eventual descent into despair. Through his poetic sensibilities, Wilde emphasizes the raw emotionality of Racine's text, exploring themes of passion, moral conflict, and the devastating consequences of unrequited love. His translation showcases his mastery of language and his deep understanding of the tragic nuances inherent in Phèdre’s character, making this adaptation both faithful and infused with his distinctive literary style.

How vain and dull this common world must seem
To such a One as thou, who should'st have talked
At Florence with Mirandola, or walked
Through the cool olives of the Academe:
Thou should'st have gathered reeds from a green stream
For Goat-foot Pan's shrill piping, and have played
With the white girls in that Phaeacian glade
Where grave Odysseus wakened from his dream.

Ah! surely once some urn of Attic clay
Held thy wan dust, and thou hast come again
Back to this common world so dull and vain,
For thou wert weary of the sunless day,
The heavy fields of scentless asphodel,
The loveless lips with which men kiss in Hell.

Poem written by Oscar Wilde (October 16, 1854 to November 30, 1900).

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