§188κἄρριψεν αὑτὴν αὖθις ἐς κοίτην πάλιν.
(Servant) And then she threw herself back upon her bed again.
§189παῖδες δὲ πέπλων μητρὸς ἐξηρτημένοι §190ἔκλαιον· ἣ δὲ λαμβάνουσ’ ἐς ἀγκάλας §191ἠσπάζετ’ ἄλλοτ’ ἄλλον, ὡς θανουμένη.
And the children, hanging from their mother's clothes, were weeping; but she, taking them in her arms, embraced them, now one, now the other, as one about to die.
And all the servants in the house were weeping, pitying their mistress.
But she stretched out her right hand to each, and there was no one so humble whom she did not address and who did not address her in return.
§196τοιαῦτ’ ἐν οἴκοις ἐστὶν Ἀδμήτου κακά.
Such are the evils in the house of Admetus.
And if he had died, he would have been destroyed; but having escaped, he has so great a pain, which he will never forget.
Surely Admetus groans at these misfortunes, if he must be deprived of his noble wife?
§201κλαίει γ’ ἄκοιτιν ἐν χεροῖν φίλην ἔχων, §202καὶ μὴ προδοῦναι λίσσεται, τἀμήχανα §203ζητῶν· φθίνει γὰρ καὶ μαραίνεται νόσῳ.
Yes, he weeps, holding his dear wife in his arms, and begs her not to betray him, seeking the impossible; for she is wasting away and languishing with her disease.
§204παρειμένη δέ, χειρὸς ἄθλιον βάρος §205ὅμως δὲ καίπερ σμικρὸν ἐμπνέουσ’ ἔτι §206βλέψαι πρὸς αὐγὰς βούλεται τὰς ἡλίου §207ὡς οὔποτ’ αὖθις, ἀλλὰ νῦν πανύστατον.
And drooping, she is a sad weight on his hand, but yet, although breathing only a little still, she wishes to look toward the rays of the sun, as never again, but now for the very last time.
§209ἀλλ’ εἶμι καὶ σὴν ἀγγελῶ παρουσίαν· §210οὐ γάρ τι πάντες εὖ φρονοῦσι κοιράνοις, §211ὥστ’ ἐν κακοῖσιν εὐμενεῖς παρεστάναι· §212σὺ δ’ εἶ παλαιὸς δεσπόταις ἐμοῖς φίλος.
But I will go and announce your presence; for not everyone is well-disposed to their rulers, so as to stand by them kindly in misfortunes; but you are an old friend to my masters.
(Semi-Chorus A) O Zeus, what way out of these evils could there be, and what release from the fortune that is present for our rulers?
§215—αἰαῖ·
(Semi-Chorus B) Alas!
εἶσί τις;
Will anyone come out?
Or shall we cut our hair and cast around us the black array of robes already?
(Semi-Chorus A) It is clear, friends, indeed it is clear; but yet let us pray to the gods; for the power of the gods is greatest.
O King Paean, devise some remedy for Admetus against these evils.
§222—πόριζε δὴ πόριζε·
Provide it, yes, provide it!
καὶ πάρος γὰρ §223τοῦδ’ ἐφεῦρες, καὶ νῦν §224λυτήριος ἐκ θανάτου γενοῦ, §225φόνιον δ’ ἀπόπαυσον Ἅιδαν.
For in the past you found one, and now become a deliverer from death, and stay blood-stained Hades.
(Semi-Chorus B) Ah, O son of Pheres, what things you suffer, being deprived of your wife!
§228—αἰαῖ·
Alas!
Are these things not even worth throat-slitting, and more than bringing one's neck to a high-hanging noose?
For your wife—not just dear, but dearest— you will see dead on this very day.
§234—ἰδοὺ ἰδού,
Look, look!
§234aἥδ’ 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 §235aχθών, τὰν ἀρίσταν §236γυναῖκα μαραινομέναν νόσῳ §237κατὰ γᾶς χθόνιον παρ’ Ἅιδαν.
(Chorus) Cry out, groan, O land of Pherae, for the best woman wasting away with disease to the underworld, to Hades below.
§238οὔποτε φήσω γάμον εὐφραίνειν §239πλέον ἢ λυπεῖν, τοῖς τε πάροιθεν §240τεκμαιρόμενος καὶ τάσδε τύχας §241λεύσσων βασιλέως, ὅστις ἀρίστης §242ἀπλακὼν ἀλόχου τῆσδ’ ἀβίωτον §243τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον βιοτεύσει.
Never will I say that marriage brings joy more than grief, judging both by past events and seeing these fortunes of the king, who, having lost this best of wives, will live a life not worth living for the time to come.
(Alcestis) Sun, and light of day, and heavenly eddies of the running cloud.
(Admetus) It sees you and me, two who have fared ill, having done nothing to the gods for which you should die.
(Alcestis) Earth, and roofs of the halls, and bridal beds of my ancestral Iolcus.
(Admetus) Raise yourself up, O unhappy one, do not betray me; and entreat the ruling gods to have pity.
§252ὁρῶ δίκωπον ὁρῶ σκάφος ἐν λίμνᾳ· §253νεκύων δὲ πορθμεὺς §254ἔχων χέρ’ ἐπὶ κοντῷ Χάρων §255μ’ ἤδη καλεῖ·
(Alcestis) I see, I see the two-oared boat on the lake; and the ferryman of the dead, Charon, with his hand upon the pole, already calls me: "Why do you delay?
Τί μέλλεις; §256ἐπείγου·
Hasten!
σὺ κατείργεις. τάδε τοί με §256aσπερχόμενος ταχύνει.
You are holding us back." Thus urging me, he hurries me on.
(Admetus) Alas, a bitter voyage indeed is this you speak of.
ὦ δύσδαιμον, οἷα πάσχομεν.
O unhappy woman, what things we suffer!
§259ἄγει μ’ ἄγει τις· ἄγει μέ τις—οὐχ ὁρᾷς; — §260νεκύων ἐς αὐλάν, §261ὑπ’ ὀφρύσι κυαναυγέσι §262βλέπων πτερωτός—αἵδας.
(Alcestis) Someone is leading me, leading me—do you not see?— to the hall of the dead, looking from under dark-shining brows, the winged one—Hades.
§263τί ῥέξεις;
"What will you do?
ἄφες. —οἵαν ὅδον ἁ δει- §263aλαιότατα προβαίνω.
Release me!"—On what a journey, O most wretched, do I advance!
(Admetus) A pitiful journey for your friends, and of them most of all for me and the children, to whom this grief is in common.
§266μέθετε μέθετέ μ’ ἤδη.
(Alcestis) Let me go, let me go now.
Lay me down, I have no strength in my feet; Hades is near.
§269σκοτία δ’ ἐπ’ ὄσσοισι νὺξ ἐφέρπει.
And dark night creeps over my eyes.
Children, children, no longer indeed, no longer is your mother.
§272χαίροντες, ὦ τέκνα, τόδε φάος ὁρῷτον.
May you, O children, look upon this light in joy.
§273οἴμοι·
(Admetus) Alas!
τόδ’ ἔπος λυπρὸν ἀκούω §274καὶ παντὸς ἐμοὶ θανάτου μεῖζον.
I hear this painful word, and greater to me than any death.
Do not, by the gods, bring yourself to abandon me, do not, by the children whom you will make orphans, but rise, take courage!