Entrance of Alcestis and Her Final Farewell to Admetus — Euripides, Alcestis, lines 188–281, Greek & English

188

κἄρριψεν αὑτὴν αὖθις ἐς κοίτην πάλιν.

(Servant) And then she threw herself back upon her bed again.

παῖδες δὲ πέπλων μητρὸς ἐξηρτημένοι

And the children, hanging from their mother’s clothes,

190

ἔκλαιον· ἣ δὲ λαμβάνουσ’ ἐς ἀγκάλας

were weeping; but she, taking them in her arms,

ἠσπάζετ’ ἄλλοτ’ ἄλλον, ὡς θανουμένη.

embraced them, now one, now the other, as one about to die.

πάντες δ’ ἔκλαιον οἰκέται κατὰ στέγας

And all the servants in the house were weeping,

δέσποιναν οἰκτίροντες. ἣ δὲ δεξιὰν

pitying their mistress. But she

προύτειν’ ἑκάστῳ, κοὔτις ἦν οὕτω κακὸς

stretched out her right hand to each, and there was no one so humble

195

ὃν οὐ προσεῖπε καὶ προσερρήθη πάλιν.

whom she did not address and who did not address her in return.

τοιαῦτ’ ἐν οἴκοις ἐστὶν Ἀδμήτου κακά.

Such are the evils in the house of Admetus.

καὶ κατθανών τἂν ὤλετʼ,¹ ἐκφυγών δ’ ἔχει

And if he had died, he would have been destroyed; but having escaped, he has

τοσοῦτον ἄλγος, οὗ ποτ’—οὐ λελήσεται.²

so great a pain, which he will never forget.

ἦ που στενάζει τοισίδ’ Ἄδμητος κακοῖς,

Surely Admetus groans at these misfortunes,

200

ἐσθλῆς γυναικὸς εἰ στερηθῆναί σφε χρή;

if he must be deprived of his noble wife?

κλαίει γ’ ἄκοιτιν ἐν χεροῖν φίλην ἔχων,

Yes, he weeps, holding his dear wife in his arms,

καὶ μὴ προδοῦναι λίσσεται, τἀμήχανα

and begs her not to betray him, seeking

ζητῶν· φθίνει γὰρ καὶ μαραίνεται νόσῳ.

the impossible; for she is wasting away and languishing with her disease.

παρειμένη δέ, χειρὸς ἄθλιον βάρος

And drooping, she is a sad weight on his hand,

205

ὅμως δὲ καίπερ σμικρὸν ἐμπνέουσ’ ἔτι

but yet, although breathing only a little still,

βλέψαι πρὸς αὐγὰς βούλεται τὰς ἡλίου

she wishes to look toward the rays of the sun,

ὡς οὔποτ’ αὖθις, ἀλλὰ νῦν πανύστατον.

as never again, but now for the very last time.

ἀλλ’ εἶμι καὶ σὴν ἀγγελῶ παρουσίαν·

But I will go and announce your presence;

210

οὐ γάρ τι πάντες εὖ φρονοῦσι κοιράνοις,

for not everyone is well-disposed to their rulers,

ὥστ’ ἐν κακοῖσιν εὐμενεῖς παρεστάναι·³

so as to stand by them kindly in misfortunes;

σὺ δ’ εἶ παλαιὸς δεσπόταις ἐμοῖς φίλος.

but you are an old friend to my masters.

— ἰὼ Ζεῦ, τίς ἂν πᾷ πόρος κακῶν

(Semi-Chorus A) O Zeus, what way out of these evils

γένοιτο καὶ λύσις τύχας

could there be, and what release from the fortune

ἃ πάρεστι κοιράνοις;

that is present for our rulers?

215

—αἰαῖ· εἶσί τις; ἢ τέμω τρίχα,

(Semi-Chorus B) Alas! Will anyone come out? Or shall we cut our hair

καὶ μέλανα στολμὸν πέπλων

and cast around us the black array of robes

ἀμφιβαλώμεθ’ ἤδη;

already?

—δῆλα μέν, φίλοι, δῆλά γʼ, ἀλλ’ ὅμως

(Semi-Chorus A) It is clear, friends, indeed it is clear; but yet

θεοῖσιν εὐχώμεσθα· θεῶν

let us pray to the gods; for the power

γὰρ δύναμις μεγίστα.

of the gods is greatest.

220

—ὦναξ Παιάν,

O King Paean,

ἔξευρε μηχανάν τιν’ Ἀδμήτῳ κακῶν.

devise some remedy for Admetus against these evils.

—πόριζε δὴ πόριζε· καὶ πάρος γὰρ

Provide it, yes, provide it! For in the past

τοῦδ’ ἐφεῦρες, καὶ νῦν

you found one, and now

λυτήριος ἐκ θανάτου γενοῦ,

become a deliverer from death,

225

φόνιον δ’ ἀπόπαυσον Ἅιδαν.

and stay blood-stained Hades.

— παπαῖ

(Semi-Chorus B) Ah,

ὦ παῖ Φέρητος, οἷ’ ἔπρα-

O son of Pheres, what things you suffer,

ξας δάμαρτος σᾶς στερείς.

being deprived of your wife!

—αἰαῖ· ἄξια καὶ σφαγᾶς τάδε,

Alas! Are these things not even worth throat-slitting,

καὶ πλέον ἢ βρόχῳ δέρην

and more than bringing one’s neck

230

οὐρανίῳ πελάσσαι;

to a high-hanging noose?

τὰν γὰρ οὐ φίλαν ἀλλὰ φιλτάταν

For your wife—not just dear, but dearest—

γυναῖκα κατθανοῦσαν ἐν

you will see dead

ἄματι τῷδ’ ἐπόψῃ.

on this very day.

—ἰδοὺ ἰδού,

Look, look!

ἥδ’ ἐκ δόμων δὴ καὶ πόσις πορεύεται.

Here she comes out of the house, and her husband indeed with her.

235

—βόασον ὦ, στέναξον, ὦ Φεραία

(Chorus) Cry out, groan, O land of Pherae,

χθών, τὰν ἀρίσταν

for the best

γυναῖκα μαραινομέναν νόσῳ

woman wasting away with disease

κατὰ γᾶς χθόνιον παρ’ Ἅιδαν.

to the underworld, to Hades below.

οὔποτε φήσω γάμον εὐφραίνειν

Never will I say that marriage brings joy

πλέον ἢ λυπεῖν, τοῖς τε πάροιθεν

more than grief, judging both by past

240

τεκμαιρόμενος καὶ τάσδε τύχας

events and seeing these fortunes

λεύσσων βασιλέως, ὅστις ἀρίστης

of the king, who, having lost

ἀπλακὼν ἀλόχου τῆσδ’ ἀβίωτον

this best of wives, will live

τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον βιοτεύσει.⁴

a life not worth living for the time to come.

Ἅλιε καὶ φάος ἁμέρας,

(Alcestis) Sun, and light of day,

245

οὐράνιαί τε δῖναι νεφέλας δρομαίου.

and heavenly eddies of the running cloud.

ὁρᾷ σὲ κἀμέ, δύο κακῶς πεπραγότας,οὐδὲν θεοὺς δράσαντας ἀνθ’ ὅτου θανῇ.

(Admetus) It sees you and me, two who have fared ill, having done nothing to the gods for which you should die.

γαῖά τε καὶ μελάθρων στέγαι

(Alcestis) Earth, and roofs of the halls,

νυμφίδιοί τε κοῖται πατρίας Ἰωλκοῦ.

and bridal beds of my ancestral Iolcus.

250

ἔπαιρε σαυτήν, ὦ τάλαινα, μὴ προδῷς·

(Admetus) Raise yourself up, O unhappy one, do not betray me;

λίσσου δὲ τοὺς κρατοῦντας οἰκτῖραι θεούς.

and entreat the ruling gods to have pity.

ὁρῶ δίκωπον ὁρῶ σκάφος ἐν λίμνᾳ·

(Alcestis) I see, I see the two-oared boat on the lake;

νεκύων δὲ πορθμεὺς

and the ferryman of the dead,

ἔχων χέρ’ ἐπὶ κοντῷ Χάρων

Charon, with his hand upon the pole,

255

μ’ ἤδη καλεῖ· Τί μέλλεις;

already calls me: “Why do you delay?

ἐπείγου· σὺ κατείργεις. τάδε τοί μεσπερχόμενος ταχύνει.⁵

Hasten! You are holding us back.” Thus urging me, he hurries me on.

οἴμοι, πικράν γε τήνδε μοι ναυκληρίαν

(Admetus) Alas, a bitter voyage indeed is this

ἔλεξας. ὦ δύσδαιμον, οἷα πάσχομεν.

you speak of. O unhappy woman, what things we suffer!

ἄγει μ’ ἄγει τις· ἄγει μέ τις—οὐχ ὁρᾷς;—

(Alcestis) Someone is leading me, leading me—do you not see?—

260

νεκύων ἐς αὐλάν,

to the hall of the dead,

ὑπ’ ὀφρύσι κυαναυγέσι

looking from under dark-shining brows,

βλέπων πτερωτός—αἵδας.

the winged one—Hades.

τί ῥέξεις; ἄφες.—οἵαν ὅδον ἁ δει-

”What will you do? Release me!”—On what a journey,

λαιότατα προβαίνω.

O most wretched, do I advance!

οἰκτρὰν φίλοισιν, ἐκ δὲ τῶν μάλιστ’ ἐμοὶ

(Admetus) A pitiful journey for your friends, and of them most of all for me

265

καὶ παισίν, οἷς δὴ πένθος ἐν κοινῷ τόδε.

and the children, to whom this grief is in common.

μέθετε μέθετέ μ’ ἤδη.

(Alcestis) Let me go, let me go now.

κλίνατʼ, οὐ σθένω ποσίν·

Lay me down, I have no strength in my feet;

πλησίον Ἅιδας.

Hades is near.

σκοτία δ’ ἐπ’ ὄσσοισι νὺξ ἐφέρπει.

And dark night creeps over my eyes.

270

τέκνα, τέκνʼ, οὐκέτι δὴ

Children, children, no longer indeed,

οὐκέτι μάτηρ σφῷν ἔστιν.

no longer is your mother.

χαίροντες, ὦ τέκνα, τόδε φάος ὁρῷτον.

May you, O children, look upon this light in joy.

οἴμοι· τόδ’ ἔπος λυπρὸν ἀκούω

(Admetus) Alas! I hear this painful word,

καὶ παντὸς ἐμοὶ θανάτου μεῖζον.

and greater to me than any death.

275

μὴ πρός σε θεῶν τλῇς με προδοῦναι,⁶

Do not, by the gods, bring yourself to abandon me,

μὴ πρὸς παίδων οὓς ὀρφανιεῖς,

do not, by the children whom you will make orphans,

ἀλλ’ ἄνα, τόλμα·

but rise, take courage!

σοῦ γὰρ φθιμένης οὐκέτ’ ἂν εἴην·

For if you die, I would no longer exist;

ἐν σοὶ δ’ ἐσμὲν καὶ ζῆν καὶ μή·

in you we are both to live and not to live;

σὴν γὰρ φιλίαν σεβόμεσθα.

for we revere your love.

280

Ἄδμηθʼ, ὁρᾷς γὰρ τἀμὰ πράγμαθ’ ὡς ἔχει,

(Alcestis) Admetus, for you see how my affairs stand,

λέξαι θέλω σοι πρὶν θανεῖν ἃ βούλομαι.

I wish to tell you before I die what I want.

Syntax notes6 items

197καὶ κατθανών τἂν ὤλετʼ
The word "τἂν" is a crasis of "τοι ἄν", which, combined with the aorist indicative "ὤλετο", forms the apodosis of a past unreal condition: "if he had died, he would have been destroyed (instantly)." It serves to contrast the quick release of death with the ongoing, lifelong pain that Admetus must now endure after escaping his own fate.
198οὗ ποτ’—οὐ λελήσεται
The relative pronoun "οὗ" refers to the antecedent "ἄλγος" (pain) and is in the genitive case. This is because the governing verb "λελήσεται" (future middle/passive of "λανθάνω", used in the sense of "forgetting") grammatically requires its object in the genitive.
210–211οὐ γάρ τι πάντες εὖ φρονοῦσι κοιράνοις, / ὥστ’ ἐν κακοῖσιν εὐμενεῖς παρεστάναι·
The phrase "εὖ φρονεῖν" (to be well-disposed) governs the dative "κοιράνοις". "ὥστε" introduces a clause of result with the infinitive "παρεστάναι" (to stand by), expressing the consequence or degree of their loyalty: "so as to stand by them kindly in times of trouble."
242–243ἀπλακὼν ἀλόχου τῆσδ’ ἀβίωτον / τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον βιοτεύσει
The word "ἀπλακών" is an aorist active participle of "ἀμπλακίσκω" (to lose), describing the circumstance of the subject. The accusative phrase "ἀβίωτον τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον" (the subsequent unlivable time) functions as a cognate accusative with the intransitive verb "βιοτεύσει" (he will live), defining the duration and quality of the life he is to lead.
256τάδε τοί με σπερχόμενος ταχύνει
The grammatical subject of the present middle participle "σπερχόμενος" (urging/hurrying) is Charon from the previous line. Combined with the accusative object "με" (me) and the active verb "ταχύνει" (hastens), it portrays an urgent, causative situation: "urging me, he hurries me on."
275μὴ πρός σε θεῶν τλῇς με προδοῦναι
"πρός σε θεῶν" is a formulaic expression of entreaty, in which the pronoun "σε" (you) is inserted between the preposition "πρός" and its genitive object "θεῶν" (by the gods), creating a hyperbaton. "μὴ τλῇς" is a prohibitive aorist subjunctive from "τλάω" (to bring oneself to/bear), expressing a desperate plea: "do not bring yourself to abandon me."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:188-281