Departure of Pheres and Heracles Urging Present Joy — Euripides, Alcestis, lines 718–800, Greek & English

718

οὔτοι πρὸς ἡμῶν γ’ ὤλετʼ· οὐκ ἐρεῖς τόδε.

She certainly did not die by my hand; you will not say this.

φεῦ· εἴθ’ ἀνδρὸς ἔλθοις τοῦδέ γ’ ἐς χρείαν¹ ποτέ.

Ah! If only you might some day come into need of this man!

720

μνήστευε πολλάς, ὡς θάνωσι πλείονες.

Woo many women, so that more may die!

σοὶ τοῦτ’ ὄνειδος· οὐ γὰρ ἤθελες θανεῖν.

That is a reproach to you; for you were not willing to die.

φίλον τὸ φέγγος τοῦτο τοῦ θεοῦ, φίλον.

Dear is this light of the god, dear indeed.

κακὸν τὸ λῆμα κοὐκ ἐν ἀνδράσιν τὸ σόν.

Your spirit is base, and not to be numbered among men.

οὐκ ἐγγελᾷς γέροντα βαστάζων νεκρόν.

You will not mock me as you carry out an old man’s corpse.

725

θανῇ γε μέντοι δυσκλεής, ὅταν θάνῃς.

You will die, however, inglorious when you die.

κακῶς ἀκούειν οὐ μέλει θανόντι μοι.

I do not care about hearing ill when I am dead.

φεῦ φεῦ· τὸ γῆρας ὡς ἀναιδείας πλέων.

Alas! How full of shamelessness is old age!

ἥδ’ οὐκ ἀναιδής· τήνδ’ ἐφηῦρες ἄφρονα.

She was not shameless; you found her to be foolish.

ἄπελθε κἀμὲ τόνδ’ ἔα θάψαι νεκρόν.

Go away, and let me bury this corpse.

730

ἄπειμι· θάψεις δ’ αὐτὸς ὢν αὐτῆς φονεύς,

I shall go; but you will bury her, being yourself her murderer,

δίκας δὲ δώσεις σοῖσι κηδεσταῖς ἔτι.

and you will still pay the penalty to your marriage-kin.

ἦ τἄρ’ Ἄκαστος οὐκέτ’ ἔστ’ ἐν ἀνδράσιν,

Indeed, Acastus is no longer among men,

εἰ μή σ’ ἀδελφῆς αἷμα τιμωρήσεται.

if he does not avenge his sister’s blood upon you.

ἔρρων νυν, αὐτὸς χἡ ξυνοικήσασά σοι,

Go to ruin now, you yourself and she who dwells with you,

735

ἄπαιδε παιδὸς ὄντος,² ὥσπερ ἄξιοι,

childless though your child lives, as you deserve;

γηράσκετʼ· οὐ γὰρ τῷδ’ ἔτ’ ἐς ταὐτὸν στέγος

grow old! For you shall no longer go to the same roof with me;

νεῖσθʼ· εἰ δ’ ἀπειπεῖν χρῆν με κηρύκων ὕπο

and if it were necessary for me to renounce through heralds

τὴν σὴν πατρῴαν ἑστίαν, ἀπεῖπον ἄν.

your ancestral hearth, I would have renounced it.

ἡμεῖς δέ—τοὐν ποσὶν γὰρ οἰστέον κακόν—

But we—for we must bear the evil before our feet—

740

ὡς ἂν ἐν πυρᾷ θῶμεν νεκρόν.

let us go, so that we may place the corpse on the pyre.

ἰὼ ἰώ. σχετλία τόλμης,

Alas, alas! Cruel in your daring,

ὦ γενναία καὶ μέγ’ ἀρίστη,

o noble and greatly best of women,

χαῖρε· πρόφρων σὲ χθόνιός θ’ Ἑρμῆς

farewell; may both earthly Hermes and

Ἅιδης τε δέχοιτʼ. εἰ δέ τι κἀκεῖ

Hades receive you kindly. And if even there

745

πλέον ἔστ’ ἀγαθοῖς, τούτων μετέχουσ’

there is something more for the good, sharing in this,

Ἅιδου νύμφῃ παρεδρεύοις.

may you sit beside the bride of Hades.

πολλοὺς μὲν ἤδη κἀπὸ παντοίας χθονὸς

Many guests indeed, and from all kinds of land,

ξένους μολόντας οἶδ’ ἐς Ἀδμήτου δόμους,

who have come to the house of Admetus, I know,

οἷς δεῖπνα προύθηκʼ· ἀλλὰ τοῦδ’ οὔπω ξένου

to whom I have set dinners; but never yet have I received

750

κακίον’ ἐς τήνδ’ ἑστίαν ἐδεξάμην.

a worse guest than this one at this hearth.

ὃς πρῶτα μὲν πενθοῦντα δεσπότην ὁρῶν

Who, first indeed, seeing our master mourning,

ἐσῆλθε κἀτόλμησ’ ἀμείψασθαι πύλας.

entered and dared to cross the gates.

ἔπειτα δ’ οὔτι σωφρόνως ἐδέξατο

And then, by no means soberly did he accept

τὰ προστυχόντα ξένια, συμφορὰν μαθών,

the hospitality that came to hand, though he had learned of our misfortune,

755

ἀλλʼ, εἴ τι μὴ φέροιμεν, ὤτρυνεν φέρειν.

but if we did not bring something, he urged us to bring it.

ποτῆρα δ’ ἐν χείρεσσι κίσσινον λαβὼν

And taking a cup of ivy-wood in his hands,

πίνει μελαίνης μητρὸς³ εὔζωρον μέθυ,

he drinks the unmixed wine of the dark mother,

ἕως ἐθέρμην’ αὐτὸν ἀμφιβᾶσα φλὸξ

until the flame of the wine surrounded and warmed him;

οἴνου· στέφει δὲ κρᾶτα μυρσίνης κλάδοις

and he crowns his head with branches of myrtle,

760

ἄμουσ’ ὑλακτῶν· δισσὰ δ’ ἦν μέλη κλύειν·

howling discordant songs; and there were two songs to be heard:

ὃ μὲν γὰρ ᾖδε, τῶν ἐν Ἀδμήτου κακῶν

for he sang on the one hand, caring nothing

οὐδὲν προτιμῶν, οἰκέται δ’ ἐκλαίομεν

for the evils in the house of Admetus, while we servants wept for

δέσποιναν· ὄμμα δ’ οὐκ ἐδείκνυμεν ξένῳ

our mistress; but we did not show our weeping eyes to the guest,

τέγγοντες· Ἄδμητος γὰρ ὧδ’ ἐφίετο.

wetting them; for Admetus had so commanded.

765

καὶ νῦν ἐγὼ μὲν ἐν δόμοισιν ἑστιῶ

And now, indeed, I am entertaining in the house

ξένον, πανοῦργον κλῶπα καὶ λῃστήν τινα,

a guest who is a cunning thief and some sort of robber,

ἣ δ’ ἐκ δόμων βέβηκεν, οὐδ’ ἐφεσπόμην

while she has gone from the house, and I did not follow

οὐδ’ ἐξέτεινα χεῖρʼ, ἀποιμώζων ἐμὴν

nor stretch out my hand, lamenting my

δέσποιναν, ἣ’μοὶ πᾶσί τ’ οἰκέταισιν ἦν

mistress, who was to me and to all the servants

770

μήτηρ· κακῶν γὰρ μυρίων ἐρρύετο,

a mother; for she saved us from countless evils,

ὀργὰς μαλάσσουσ’ ἀνδρός. ἆρα τὸν ξένον

softening the angers of her husband. Do I then hate this guest

στυγῶ δικαίως, ἐν κακοῖς ἀφιγμένον;

justly, who has arrived in the midst of evils?

οὗτος, τί σεμνὸν καὶ πεφροντικὸς βλέπεις;

You there! Why do you look so solemn and thoughtful?

οὐ χρὴ σκυθρωπὸν τοῖς ξένοις τὸν πρόσπολον

A servant ought not to be sullen to guests,

775

εἶναι, δέχεσθαι δ’ εὐπροσηγόρῳ φρενί.

but should receive them with an affable mind.

σὺ δ’ ἄνδρ’ ἑταῖρον δεσπότου παρόνθ’ ὁρῶν,

But you, seeing a man who is a companion of your master present,

στυγνῷ προσώπῳ καὶ συνωφρυωμένῳ

receive him with a gloomy and frowning face,

δέχῃ, θυραίου πήματος σπουδὴν ἔχων.

having your concern for a misfortune outside the house.

δεῦρ’ ἔλθʼ, ὅπως ἂν καὶ σοφώτερος γένῃ.

Come here, so that you may also become wiser.

780

τὰ θνητὰ πράγματ’ οἶδας ἣν ἔχει φύσιν;

Do you know what kind of nature mortal affairs have?

οἶμαι μὲν οὔ· πόθεν γάρ; ἀλλ’ ἄκουέ μου.

I think not; for how could you? But listen to me.

βροτοῖς ἅπασι κατθανεῖν ὀφείλεται,

To all mortals, to die is a debt owed,

κοὐκ ἔστι θνητῶν ὅστις ἐξεπίσταται

and there is no mortal who knows for certain

τὴν αὔριον μέλλουσαν εἰ βιώσεται·

whether he will live through the coming tomorrow.

785

τὸ τῆς τύχης γὰρ ἀφανὲς οἷ προβήσεται,

For the course of fortune is unseen where it will go,

κἄστ’ οὐ διδακτὸν οὐδ’ ἁλίσκεται τέχνῃ.

and it is not to be taught, nor is it captured by skill.

ταῦτ’ οὖν ἀκούσας καὶ μαθὼν ἐμοῦ πάρα,

Therefore, having heard and learned these things from me,

εὔφραινε σαυτόν, πῖνε, τὸν καθ’ ἡμέραν

cheer yourself, drink, and reckon the life of each day

βίον λογίζου σόν, τὰ δ’ ἄλλα τῆς τύχης.

as your own, and the rest as belonging to fortune.

790

τίμα δὲ καὶ τὴν πλεῖστον ἡδίστην θεῶν

And honor also Cyprus, the sweetest of the gods

Κύπριν βροτοῖσιν· εὐμενὴς γὰρ ἡ θεός.

to mortals; for the goddess is gracious.

τὰ δ’ ἄλλ’ ἔασον ταῦτα καὶ πιθοῦ λόγοις

Dismiss those other things, and obey my words,

ἐμοῖσιν—εἴπερ ὀρθά σοι δοκῶ λέγειν;

if indeed I seem to you to speak correctly?

οἶμαι μέν. οὔκουν τὴν ἄγαν λύπην ἀφεὶς

I think so indeed. Will you not then, letting go of excessive grief,

795

πίῃ μεθ’ ἡμῶν τάσδ’ ὑπερβαλὼν τύχας,

drink with us, rising above these misfortunes,

στεφάνοις πυκασθείς; καὶ σάφ’ οἶδ’ ὁθούνεκα

crowned with wreaths? And I know well that

τοῦ νῦν σκυθρωποῦ καὶ ξυνεστῶτος φρενῶν

from your present sullen and contracted state of mind

μεθορμιεῖ σε πίτυλος ἐμπεσὼν σκύφου.⁴

the splash of the falling cup will move you to another anchorage.

ὄντας δὲ θνητοὺς θνητὰ καὶ φρονεῖν χρεών·

Being mortal, it is right also to think mortal thoughts;

800

ὡς τοῖς γε σεμνοῖς καὶ συνωφρυωμένοις

since for those who are solemn and frowning,

Syntax notes4 items

719ἔλθοις ... ἐς χρείαν
The optative (ἔλθοις) with εἴθε expresses a wish for the future. The phrase "ἀνδρὸς τοῦδε" is a deictic expression referring to the speaker himself (Admetus).
735ἄπαιδε παιδὸς ὄντος
The word "ἄπαιδε" is in the dual number, referring to both Pheres and his wife (Admetus' mother). The following "παιδὸς ὄντος" is a genitive absolute meaning "although a child (Admetus) is living."
757μελαίνης μητρὸς
Literally "of the dark mother." It is a poetic expression referring to the "earth" which nourishes the grapes, or the "dark vine" itself.
798πίτυλος ἐμπεσὼν σκύφου
The word "πίτυλος" originally refers to the regular sweep of oars or the splashing sound of water. Here it describes the motion or splash of wine when the cup (σκύφου) is drained. Along with the verb "μεθορμιεῖ" (to move to another anchorage), it forms a nautical metaphor.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — note 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:718-800