O house of Admetus, in which I endured, god though I am, to acquiesce in the table of a servant.
§3Ζεὺς γὰρ κατακτὰς παῖδα τὸν ἐμὸν αἴτιος §4Ἀσκληπιόν, στέρνοισιν ἐμβαλὼν φλόγα· §5οὗ δὴ χολωθεὶς τέκτονας Δίου πυρὸς §6κτείνω Κύκλωπας· καί με θητεύειν πατὴρ §7θνητῷ παρ’ ἀνδρὶ τῶνδ’ ἄποιν’ ἠνάγκασεν.
For Zeus was the cause, having slain my son Asclepius, hurling a flame into his breast; angered by which, I slew the Cyclopes, the fashioners of Zeus's fire; and my father forced me to serve a mortal man as a penalty for these deeds.
And coming to this land, I tended cattle for my host, and preserved this house until this very day.
§10ὁσίου γὰρ ἀνδρὸς ὅσιος ὢν ἐτύγχανον §11παιδὸς Φέρητος, ὃν θανεῖν ἐρρυσάμην, §12Μοίρας δολώσας· ᾔνεσαν δέ μοι θεαὶ
For being myself holy, I happened upon a holy man, the son of Pheres, whom I rescued from dying by deceiving the Fates; and the goddesses agreed that Admetus should escape the immediate Hades, if he exchanged another dead body for those below.
§13Ἄδμητον ᾅδην τὸν παραυτίκ’ ἐκφυγεῖν, §14ἄλλον διαλλάξαντα τοῖς κάτω νεκρόν. §15πάντας δ’ ἐλέγξας καὶ διεξελθὼν φίλους, §16πατέρα γεραιάν θ’ ἥ σφ’ ἔτικτε μητέρα, §17οὐχ ηὗρε πλὴν γυναικὸς ὅστις ἤθελε
But though he tested and went through all his friends, and his aged father and the mother who bore him, he found no one except his wife who was willing to die for him and no longer look upon the light.
§18θανὼν πρὸ κείνου μηκέτ’ εἰσορᾶν φάος· §19ἣ νῦν κατ’ οἴκους ἐν χεροῖν βαστάζεται §20ψυχορραγοῦσα· τῇδε γάρ σφ’ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ §21θανεῖν πέπρωται καὶ μεταστῆναι βίου.
She is now inside the house supported in their arms, gasping out her life; for on this very day it is fated for her to die and depart from life.
And I, lest pollution overtake me in the house, am leaving this dearest roof of these halls.
§24ἤδη δὲ τόνδε Θάνατον εἰσορῶ πέλας, §25ἱερῆ θανόντων, ὅς νιν εἰς Ἅιδου δόμους §26μέλλει κατάξειν· συμμέτρως δ’ ἀφίκετο, §27φρουρῶν τόδ’ ἦμαρ ᾧ θανεῖν αὐτὴν χρεών.
And already I see this Death nearby, the priest of the dead, who is about to lead her down to the house of Hades; he has arrived just at the right time, watching for this day on which she must die.
§28ἆ ἆ·
Ah, ah!
§29τί σὺ πρὸς μελάθροις;
What are you doing at the palace?
τί σὺ τῇδε πολεῖς, §30Φοῖβʼ;
Why are you haunting this place, Phoebus?
ἀδικεῖς αὖ τιμὰς ἐνέρων §31ἀφοριζόμενος καὶ καταπαύων;
Are you committing injustice again, curtailing and putting an end to the privileges of the underworld gods?
Was it not enough for you to prevent the fate of Admetus, having tripped up the Fates by a crafty device?
νῦν δ’ ἐπὶ τῇδ’ αὖ §35χέρα τοξήρη φρουρεῖς ὁπλίσας, §36ἣ τόδ’ ὑπέστη πόσιν ἐκλύσασ’ §37αὐτὴ προθανεῖν Πελίου παῖς.
And now again, are you keeping guard over this woman, having armed your hand with a bow, she who undertook, having released her husband, to die herself for him, the daughter of Pelias?
§38θάρσει· δίκην τοι καὶ λόγους κεδνοὺς ἔχω.
(Ap.) Fear not; I have justice and honorable arguments.
§39τί δῆτα τόξων ἔργον, εἰ δίκην ἔχεις;
(Th.) What need then of the bow, if you have justice?
§40σύνηθες αἰεὶ ταῦτα βαστάζειν ἐμοί.
(Ap.) It is always my custom to carry this.
§41καὶ τοῖσδέ γ’ οἴκοις ἐκδίκως προσωφελεῖν.
(Th.) Yes, and to help this house unjustly.
§42φίλου γὰρ ἀνδρὸς συμφοραῖς βαρύνομαι.
(Ap.) Yes, for I am burdened by the misfortunes of a dear man.
§43καὶ νοσφιεῖς με τοῦδε δευτέρου νεκροῦ;
(Th.) And will you rob me of this second corpse?
§44ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ ἐκεῖνον πρὸς βίαν σ’ ἀφειλόμην.
(Ap.) But I did not take even that other one from you by force.
§45πῶς οὖν ὑπὲρ γῆς ἐστι κοὐ κάτω χθονός;
(Th.) How then is he above the earth and not below the ground?
§46δάμαρτ’ ἀμείψας, ἣν σὺ νῦν ἥκεις μέτα.
(Ap.) Because he exchanged his wife, whom you have now come for.
§47κἀπάξομαί γε νερτέρων ὑπὸ χθόνα.
(Th.) Yes, and I shall lead her away below the earth of the dead.
§48λαβὼν ἴθʼ· οὐ γὰρ οἶδ’ ἂν εἰ πείσαιμί σε.
(Ap.) Take her and go; for I do not know if I could persuade you.
§49κτείνειν γ’ ὃν ἂν χρῇ;
(Th.) Persuade me to kill whom I must?
τοῦτο γὰρ τετάγμεθα.
For this is my appointed task.
§50οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μέλλουσι θάνατον ἐμβαλεῖν.
(Ap.) No, but to delay death for those who are about to die.
§51ἔχω λόγον δὴ καὶ προθυμίαν σέθεν.
(Th.) I understand your argument and your eagerness.
§52ἔστ’ οὖν ὅπως Ἄλκηστις ἐς γῆρας μόλοι;
(Ap.) Is there then any way for Alcestis to reach old age?
§53οὐκ ἔστι· τιμαῖς κἀμὲ τέρπεσθαι δόκει.
(Th.) There is not; believe that I too delight in my privileges.
§54οὔτοι πλέον γ’ ἂν ἢ μίαν ψυχὴν λάβοις.
(Ap.) Surely you would not get more than one soul.
§55νέων φθινόντων μεῖζον ἄρνυμαι γέρας.
(Th.) When the young die, I win a greater prize.
§56κἂν γραῦς ὄληται, πλουσίως ταφήσεται.
(Ap.) And if she dies an old woman, she will be buried richly.
§57πρὸς τῶν ἐχόντων, Φοῖβε, τὸν νόμον τίθης.
(Th.) You lay down the law in favor of the rich, Phoebus.
§58πῶς εἶπας;
(Ap.) How do you mean?
ἀλλ’ ἦ καὶ σοφὸς λέληθας ὤν;
Are you secretly clever as well?
§59ὠνοῖντ’ ἂν οἷς πάρεστι γηραιοὺς θανεῖν.
(Th.) Those who have the means would buy the right to die old.
§60οὔκουν δοκεῖ σοι τήνδε μοι δοῦναι χάριν;
(Ap.) Does it not seem good to you then to grant me this favor?
§61οὐ δῆτʼ· ἐπίστασαι δὲ τοὺς ἐμοὺς τρόπους.
(Th.) Certainly not; and you know my character.
§62ἐχθρούς γε θνητοῖς καὶ θεοῖς στυγουμένους.
(Ap.) Yes, hostile to mortals and detested by the gods.
§63οὐκ ἂν δύναιο πάντ’ ἔχειν ἃ μή σε δεῖ.
(Th.) You cannot have everything that you should not have.
§64ἦ μὴν σὺ παύσῃ καίπερ ὠμὸς ὢν ἄγαν· §65τοῖος Φέρητος εἶσι πρὸς δόμους ἀνήρ, §66Εὐρυσθέως πέμψαντος ἵππειον μέτα §67ὄχημα Θρῄκης ἐκ τόπων δυσχειμέρων, §68ὃς δὴ ξενωθεὶς τοῖσδ’ ἐν Ἀδμήτου δόμοις §69βίᾳ γυναῖκα τήνδε σ’ ἐξαιρήσεται.
(Ap.) Indeed you shall stop, fierce though you are; such a man is coming to the house of Pheres, sent by Eurystheus to bring back a chariot of horses from the wintry regions of Thrace, who, being entertained in this house of Admetus, shall take this woman away from you by force.
And neither will there be any gratitude for you from me, and you will do this just the same, and be hated by me.
§72πόλλ’ ἂν σὺ λέξας οὐδὲν ἂν πλέον λάβοις·
(Th.) You may speak much, but you will gain nothing more.
§73ἡ δ’ οὖν γυνὴ κάτεισιν εἰς Ἅιδου δόμους.
The woman, at any rate, shall go down to the house of Hades.
§74στείχω δ’ ἐπ’ αὐτήν, ὡς κατάρξωμαι ξίφει· §75ἱερὸς γὰρ οὗτος τῶν κατὰ χθονὸς θεῶν §76ὅτου τόδ’ ἔγχος κρατὸς ἁγνίσῃ τρίχα.
And I am going to her, so that I may initiate the rite with my sword; for he is sacred to the gods below the earth whose hair this blade consecrates from his head.
§77—τί ποθ’ ἡσυχία πρόσθεν μελάθρων;
(Chorus) Why is there silence before the palace?
§78—τί σεσίγηται δόμος Ἀδμήτου;
Why is the house of Admetus hushed in silence?
§79—ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ φίλων πέλας οὐδείς, §80ὅστις ἂν εἴποι πότερον φθιμένην §81βασίλεαν πενθεῖν χρή μʼ, ἢ ζῶσ’ ἔτι §82φῶς τόδε λεύσσει Πελίου παῖς §83Ἄλκηστις, ἐμοὶ πᾶσί τ’ ἀρίστη §84δόξασα γυνὴ §85πόσιν εἰς αὑτῆς γεγενῆσθαι.
But there is not even any friend nearby, who could tell us whether I must mourn the deceased queen, or if still living she beholds this light, the daughter of Pelias Alcestis, who to me and to all has seemed to have been the best wife toward her own husband.