Prologue of Apollo and Confrontation with Thanatos — Euripides, Alcestis, lines 1–85, Greek & English

Ὦ δώματ’ Ἀδμήτειʼ, ἐν οἷς ἔτλην ἐγὼ

O house of Admetus, in which I endured,

θῆσσαν τράπεζαν αἰνέσαι θεός περ ὤν.¹

god though I am, to acquiesce in the table of a servant.

Ζεὺς γὰρ κατακτὰς παῖδα τὸν ἐμὸν αἴτιος

For Zeus was the cause, having slain my son

Ἀσκληπιόν, στέρνοισιν ἐμβαλὼν φλόγα·

Asclepius, hurling a flame into his breast;

οὗ δὴ χολωθεὶς² τέκτονας Δίου πυρὸς

angered by which, I slew the Cyclopes,

κτείνω Κύκλωπας· καί με θητεύειν πατὴρ

the fashioners of Zeus’s fire; and my father forced me to serve

θνητῷ παρ’ ἀνδρὶ τῶνδ’ ἄποιν’ ἠνάγκασεν.

a mortal man as a penalty for these deeds.

ἐλθὼν δὲ γαῖαν τήνδ’ ἐβουφόρβουν ξένῳ,

And coming to this land, I tended cattle for my host,

καὶ τόνδ’ ἔσῳζον οἶκον ἐς τόδ’ ἡμέρας.

and preserved this house until this very day.

ὁσίου γὰρ ἀνδρὸς ὅσιος ὢν ἐτύγχανον³

For being myself holy, I happened upon a holy man,

παιδὸς Φέρητος, ὃν θανεῖν ἐρρυσάμην,

the son of Pheres, whom I rescued from dying

Μοίρας δολώσας· ᾔνεσαν δέ μοι θεαὶ

by deceiving the Fates; and the goddesses agreed that

Ἄδμητον ᾅδην τὸν παραυτίκ’ ἐκφυγεῖν,

Admetus should escape the immediate Hades,

ἄλλον διαλλάξαντα τοῖς κάτω νεκρόν.

if he exchanged another dead body for those below.

πάντας δ’ ἐλέγξας καὶ διεξελθὼν φίλους,

But though he tested and went through all his friends,

πατέρα γεραιάν θ’ ἥ σφ’ ἔτικτε μητέρα,

and his aged father and the mother who bore him,

οὐχ ηὗρε πλὴν γυναικὸς ὅστις ἤθελε

he found no one except his wife who was willing

θανὼν πρὸ κείνου μηκέτ’ εἰσορᾶν φάος·

to die for him and no longer look upon the light.

ἣ νῦν κατ’ οἴκους ἐν χεροῖν βαστάζεται

She is now inside the house supported in their arms,

ψυχορραγοῦσα· τῇδε γάρ σφ’ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ

gasping out her life; for on this very day

θανεῖν πέπρωται καὶ μεταστῆναι βίου.

it is fated for her to die and depart from life.

ἐγὼ δέ, μὴ μίασμά μ’ ἐν δόμοις κίχῃ,

And I, lest pollution overtake me in the house,

λείπω μελάθρων τῶνδε φιλτάτην στέγην.

am leaving this dearest roof of these halls.

ἤδη δὲ τόνδε Θάνατον εἰσορῶ πέλας,

And already I see this Death nearby,

ἱερῆ θανόντων, ὅς νιν εἰς Ἅιδου δόμους

the priest of the dead, who is about

μέλλει κατάξειν· συμμέτρως δ’ ἀφίκετο,

to lead her down to the house of Hades; he has arrived just at the right time,

φρουρῶν τόδ’ ἦμαρ ᾧ θανεῖν αὐτὴν χρεών.

watching for this day on which she must die.

ἆ ἆ·

Ah, ah!

τί σὺ πρὸς μελάθροις; τί σὺ τῇδε πολεῖς,

What are you doing at the palace? Why are you haunting this place,

Φοῖβʼ; ἀδικεῖς αὖ τιμὰς ἐνέρων

Phoebus? Are you committing injustice again,

ἀφοριζόμενος καὶ καταπαύων;

curtailing and putting an end to the privileges of the underworld gods?

οὐκ ἤρκεσέ σοι μόρον Ἀδμήτου

Was it not enough for you to prevent the fate

διακωλῦσαι, Μοίρας δολίῳ

of Admetus, having tripped up the Fates by a crafty

σφήλαντι τέχνῃ; νῦν δ’ ἐπὶ τῇδ’ αὖ

device? And now again,

χέρα τοξήρη φρουρεῖς ὁπλίσας,

are you keeping guard over this woman, having armed your hand with a bow,

ἣ τόδ’ ὑπέστη πόσιν ἐκλύσασ’

she who undertook, having released her husband,

αὐτὴ προθανεῖν Πελίου παῖς.

to die herself for him, the daughter of Pelias?

θάρσει· δίκην τοι καὶ λόγους κεδνοὺς ἔχω.

(Ap.) Fear not; I have justice and honorable arguments.

τί δῆτα τόξων ἔργον, εἰ δίκην ἔχεις;

(Th.) What need then of the bow, if you have justice?

σύνηθες αἰεὶ ταῦτα βαστάζειν ἐμοί.

(Ap.) It is always my custom to carry this.

καὶ τοῖσδέ γ’ οἴκοις ἐκδίκως προσωφελεῖν.

(Th.) Yes, and to help this house unjustly.

φίλου γὰρ ἀνδρὸς συμφοραῖς βαρύνομαι.

(Ap.) Yes, for I am burdened by the misfortunes of a dear man.

καὶ νοσφιεῖς με τοῦδε δευτέρου νεκροῦ;

(Th.) And will you rob me of this second corpse?

ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ ἐκεῖνον πρὸς βίαν σ’ ἀφειλόμην.

(Ap.) But I did not take even that other one from you by force.

πῶς οὖν ὑπὲρ γῆς ἐστι κοὐ κάτω χθονός;

(Th.) How then is he above the earth and not below the ground?

δάμαρτ’ ἀμείψας, ἣν σὺ νῦν ἥκεις μέτα.

(Ap.) Because he exchanged his wife, whom you have now come for.

κἀπάξομαί γε νερτέρων ὑπὸ χθόνα.

(Th.) Yes, and I shall lead her away below the earth of the dead.

λαβὼν ἴθʼ· οὐ γὰρ οἶδ’ ἂν εἰ πείσαιμί σε.⁴

(Ap.) Take her and go; for I do not know if I could persuade you.

κτείνειν γ’ ὃν ἂν χρῇ; τοῦτο γὰρ τετάγμεθα.

(Th.) Persuade me to kill whom I must? For this is my appointed task.

οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μέλλουσι θάνατον ἐμβαλεῖν.

(Ap.) No, but to delay death for those who are about to die.

ἔχω λόγον δὴ καὶ προθυμίαν σέθεν.

(Th.) I understand your argument and your eagerness.

ἔστ’ οὖν ὅπως Ἄλκηστις ἐς γῆρας μόλοι;

(Ap.) Is there then any way for Alcestis to reach old age?

οὐκ ἔστι· τιμαῖς κἀμὲ τέρπεσθαι δόκει.

(Th.) There is not; believe that I too delight in my privileges.

οὔτοι πλέον γ’ ἂν ἢ μίαν ψυχὴν λάβοις.

(Ap.) Surely you would not get more than one soul.

νέων φθινόντων μεῖζον ἄρνυμαι γέρας.

(Th.) When the young die, I win a greater prize.

κἂν γραῦς ὄληται, πλουσίως ταφήσεται.

(Ap.) And if she dies an old woman, she will be buried richly.

πρὸς τῶν ἐχόντων, Φοῖβε, τὸν νόμον τίθης.

(Th.) You lay down the law in favor of the rich, Phoebus.

πῶς εἶπας; ἀλλ’ ἦ καὶ σοφὸς λέληθας ὤν;

(Ap.) How do you mean? Are you secretly clever as well?

ὠνοῖντ’ ἂν οἷς πάρεστι γηραιοὺς θανεῖν.

(Th.) Those who have the means would buy the right to die old.

οὔκουν δοκεῖ σοι τήνδε μοι δοῦναι χάριν;

(Ap.) Does it not seem good to you then to grant me this favor?

οὐ δῆτʼ· ἐπίστασαι δὲ τοὺς ἐμοὺς τρόπους.

(Th.) Certainly not; and you know my character.

ἐχθρούς γε θνητοῖς καὶ θεοῖς στυγουμένους.

(Ap.) Yes, hostile to mortals and detested by the gods.

οὐκ ἂν δύναιο πάντ’ ἔχειν ἃ μή σε δεῖ.

(Th.) You cannot have everything that you should not have.

ἦ μὴν σὺ παύσῃ καίπερ ὠμὸς ὢν ἄγαν·

(Ap.) Indeed you shall stop, fierce though you are;

τοῖος Φέρητος εἶσι πρὸς δόμους ἀνήρ,

such a man is coming to the house of Pheres,

Εὐρυσθέως πέμψαντος ἵππειον μέτα

sent by Eurystheus to bring back a chariot of horses

ὄχημα Θρῄκης ἐκ τόπων δυσχειμέρων,

from the wintry regions of Thrace,

ὃς δὴ ξενωθεὶς τοῖσδ’ ἐν Ἀδμήτου δόμοις

who, being entertained in this house of Admetus,

βίᾳ γυναῖκα τήνδε σ’ ἐξαιρήσεται.

shall take this woman away from you by force.

κοὔθ’ ἡ παρ’ ἡμῶν σοι γενήσεται χάρις

And neither will there be any gratitude for you from me,

δράσεις θ’ ὁμοίως ταῦτʼ, ἀπεχθήσῃ τ’ ἐμοί.

and you will do this just the same, and be hated by me.

πόλλ’ ἂν σὺ λέξας οὐδὲν ἂν πλέον λάβοις·

(Th.) You may speak much, but you will gain nothing more.

ἡ δ’ οὖν γυνὴ κάτεισιν εἰς Ἅιδου δόμους.

The woman, at any rate, shall go down to the house of Hades.

στείχω δ’ ἐπ’ αὐτήν, ὡς κατάρξωμαι ξίφει·

And I am going to her, so that I may initiate the rite with my sword;

ἱερὸς γὰρ οὗτος τῶν κατὰ χθονὸς θεῶν

for he is sacred to the gods below the earth

ὅτου τόδ’ ἔγχος κρατὸς ἁγνίσῃ τρίχα.⁵

whose hair this blade consecrates from his head.

—τί ποθ’ ἡσυχία πρόσθεν μελάθρων;

(Chorus) Why is there silence before the palace?

—τί σεσίγηται δόμος Ἀδμήτου;

Why is the house of Admetus hushed in silence?

—ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ φίλων πέλας οὐδείς,

But there is not even any friend nearby,

ὅστις ἂν εἴποι πότερον φθιμένην

who could tell us whether I must mourn

βασίλεαν πενθεῖν χρή μʼ, ἢ ζῶσ’ ἔτι

the deceased queen, or if still living

φῶς τόδε λεύσσει Πελίου παῖς

she beholds this light, the daughter of Pelias

Ἄλκηστις, ἐμοὶ πᾶσί τ’ ἀρίστη

Alcestis, who to me and to all has seemed

δόξασα γυνὴ

to have been the best wife

πόσιν εἰς αὑτῆς γεγενῆσθαι.

toward her own husband.

Syntax notes5 items

2θεός περ ὤν
A concessive participle construction. The particle περ emphasizes the concessive meaning, "although being a god."
5οὗ δὴ χολωθεὶς
The relative pronoun οὗ refers to the preceding event (the death of Asclepius) and functions as a genitive of cause with the passive participle of emotion, χολωθείς ("angered by which").
10ὁσίου γὰρ ἀνδρὸς ὅσιος ὢν ἐτύγχανον
The verb ἐτύγχανον ("I happened to be / I met") takes the supplementary participle ὤν to mean "I happened to be (holy)," and at the same time governs the genitive ἀνδρὸς in the sense of "I met (a holy man)."
48οὐ γὰρ οἶδ’ ἂν εἰ πείσαιμί σε
A hyperbaton where the particle ἄν is placed before the conditional conjunction εἰ. The underlying syntax is οὐ γὰρ οἶδα εἰ πείσαιμι ἄν σε ("for I do not know if I could persuade you"), expressing a potential optative.
76ὅτου τόδ’ ἔγχος κρατὸς ἁγνίσῃ τρίχα
The relative pronoun ὅτου (= οὗτινος) does not refer to οὗτος in the main clause, but rather introduces a relative clause of characteristic with the subjunctive ἁγνίσῃ, meaning "whoever's hair this blade consecrates."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:1-85