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Passage 3. Iphis and Ianthe

A. Melville (1986)

Ianthe longed to fix the wedding day,
To be a wife and take to be her man
Her Iphis, whom she took to be a man
Poor Iphis loved a girl, girl loving girl
And knew her love was doomed and loved the more
(221-222)

B. Golding (1567)

But unlike was theyr hope.
Both longed for the wedding day toogither for too cope.
For whome Iänthee thinkes too bee a man, shee hopes too see
Her husband. Iphys loves whereof shee thinkes shee may not bee
Partaker, and the selfe same thing augmententh still her flame.
Herself a Mayden with a Mayd (ryght straunge) in love became.
(9.848-853, 198)

C. Dryden (1717)

They felt, before they knew, the same Desires
Equal their Flame, unequal was their Care;
One lov'd with Hope, one languish'd in Despair
The Maid accus'd the ling'ring Days alone:
For whom she thought a Man, she thought her own
But Iphis bends beneath a greater Grief; As fiercely burns, but hopes no Relief.
Ev'n her Despair adds Fuel to the Fire;
A Maid with Madness does a Maid desire.
(232)

D. Mandelbaum (1993)

Ianthe waits impatiently to be wed;
she longs for what was promised and accepted,
her wedding one she takes to be a man;
while Iphis is in love with one she knows
is never to be hers; and just for this,
the flame is still more fierce; and now she burns--
a virgin for a virgin. It is hard
to check her tears.
(318)

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