§282ἐγώ σε πρεσβεύουσα κἀντὶ τῆς ἐμῆς §283ψυχῆς καταστήσασα φῶς τόδ’ εἰσορᾶν, §284θνῄσκω, παρόν μοι μὴ θανεῖν, ὑπὲρ σέθεν, §285ἀλλ’ ἄνδρα τε σχεῖν Θεσσαλῶν ὃν ἤθελον, §286καὶ δῶμα ναίειν ὄλβιον τυραννίδι.
I, honoring you and having established you to look upon this light in place of my own life, am dying for you, though it was possible for me not to die, but to have as a husband whichever of the Thessalians I wished, and to dwell in a home blessed with royal power.
§287οὐκ ἠθέλησα ζῆν ἀποσπασθεῖσά σου §288σὺν παισὶν ὀρφανοῖσιν, οὐδ’ ἐφεισάμην §289ἥβης, ἔχουσ’ ἐν οἷς ἐτερπόμην ἐγώ.
I did not wish to live torn away from you with orphaned children, nor did I spare my youth, although possessing those things in which I rejoiced.
§290καίτοι σ’ ὁ φύσας χἠ τεκοῦσα προύδοσαν, §291καλῶς μὲν αὐτοῖς κατθανεῖν ἧκον βίου, §292καλῶς δὲ σῶσαι παῖδα κεὐκλεῶς θανεῖν.
And yet the father who begot you and the mother who bore you betrayed you, although it had come to a good point of life for them to die, and a good point to save their child and die gloriously.
For you were their only one, and there was no hope, if you died, of producing other children.
§295κἀγώ τ’ ἂν ἔζων καὶ σὺ τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον, §296κοὐκ ἂν μονωθεὶς σῆς δάμαρτος ἔστενες §297καὶ παῖδας ὠρφάνευες.
And so both I and you would be living for the remaining time, and you would not be groaning, left solitary of your wife, and rearing orphaned children.
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν §298θεῶν τις ἐξέπραξεν ὥσθ’ οὕτως ἔχειν.
But indeed some god has brought these things to pass so that they are this way.
§299εἶεν· σὺ νῦν μοι τῶνδ’ ἀπόμνησαι χάριν·
Well then; do you now remember to pay me return for these things.
§300αἰτήσομαι γάρ σ’—ἀξίαν μὲν οὔποτε· §301ψυχῆς γὰρ οὐδέν ἐστι τιμιώτερον— §302δίκαια δʼ, ὡς φήσεις σύ· τούσδε γὰρ φιλεῖς §303οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ ʼγὼ παῖδας, εἴπερ εὖ φρονεῖς·
For I shall ask of you a return—never an equal one indeed, for nothing is more precious than life— but a just one, as you yourself will say; for you love these children no less than I do, if you are wise.
§304τούτους ἀνάσχου δεσπότας ἐμῶν δόμων, §305καὶ μὴ ʼπιγήμῃς τοῖσδε μητρυιὰν τέκνοις, §306ἥτις κακίων οὖσ’ ἐμοῦ γυνὴ φθόνῳ §307τοῖς σοῖσι κἀμοῖς παισὶ χεῖρα προσβαλεῖ.
Allow these to be masters of my house, and do not marry a stepmother over these children, who, being a worse woman than I, will out of envy lay her hand upon your children and mine.
§308μὴ δῆτα δράσῃς ταῦτά γʼ, αἰτοῦμαί σ’ ἐγώ.
Do not indeed do these things, I beg of you.
For the incoming stepmother is hostile to the children of the former marriage, in no way gentler than a viper.
And a male child indeed has his father as a great tower of defense, but you, my child, how will you be brought up well as a maiden?
§314ποίας τυχοῦσα συζύγου τῷ σῷ πατρί;
What sort of wife will you find for your father?
lest, having cast some shameful rumor upon you, she ruin your marriage in the bloom of your youth.
§317οὐ γάρ σε μήτηρ οὔτε νυμφεύσει ποτὲ §318οὔτ’ ἐν τόκοισι σοῖσι θαρσυνεῖ, τέκνον, §319παροῦσʼ, ἵν’ οὐδὲν μητρὸς εὐμενέστερον.
For your mother will never either give you in marriage or encourage you in your childbirths, my child, by being present, where nothing is more well-disposed than a mother.
§320δεῖ γὰρ θανεῖν με· καὶ τόδ’ οὐκ ἐς αὔριον §321οὐδ’ ἐς τρίτην μοι μηνὸς ἔρχεται κακόν, §322ἀλλ’ αὐτίκ’ ἐν τοῖς οὐκέτ’ οὖσι λέξομαι.
For I must die; and this evil comes to me not tomorrow, nor on the third day of the month, but straightway I shall be counted among those who are no more.
§323χαίροντες εὐφραίνοισθε·
Farewell, may you rejoice!
καὶ σοὶ μέν, πόσι, §324γυναῖκ’ ἀρίστην ἔστι κομπάσαι λαβεῖν, §325ὑμῖν δέ, παῖδες, μητρὸς ἐκπεφυκέναι.
And for you, husband, it is possible to boast that you obtained the best of wives, and for you, children, that you were born of such a mother.
§326θάρσει·
(Chorus) Take heart!
πρὸ τούτου γὰρ λέγειν οὐχ ἅζομαι· §327δράσει τάδʼ, εἴπερ μὴ φρενῶν ἁμαρτάνει.
For I do not shrink from speaking on his behalf; he will do these things, if indeed he does not fail in his senses.
§328ἔσται τάδ’ ἔσται, μὴ τρέσῃς· ἐπεὶ σ’ ἐγὼ §329καὶ ζῶσαν εἶχον καὶ θανοῦσ’ ἐμὴ γυνὴ §330μόνη κεκλήσῃ, κοὔτις ἀντὶ σοῦ ποτε §331τόνδ’ ἄνδρα νύμφη Θεσσαλὶς προσφθέγξεται.
(Admetus) These things shall be, they shall be, do not fear; since I both possessed you when living, and in death you alone shall be called my wife, and never shall any Thessalian bride address this man in your stead.
There is no woman so noble of father, nor otherwise so exceedingly preeminent in beauty of form.
And I have enough of children; I pray to the gods that I may have joy in these; for of you we have not had the enjoyment.
§336οἴσω δὲ πένθος οὐκ ἐτήσιον τὸ σόν, §337ἀλλ’ ἔστ’ ἂν αἰὼν οὑμὸς ἀντέχῃ, γύναι, §338στυγῶν μὲν ἥ μ’ ἔτικτεν, ἐχθαίρων δ’ ἐμὸν §339πατέρα· λόγῳ γὰρ ἦσαν οὐκ ἔργῳ φίλοι.
And I shall bear mourning for you, not for a year, but as long as my life holds out, wife, loathing her who bore me, and hating my father; for they were friends in word, not in deed.
But you, giving in exchange what was dearest for my life, saved it.
ἆρά μοι στένειν πάρα §342τοιᾶσδ’ ἁμαρτάνοντι συζύγου σέθεν;
Is it not then permitted to me to groan, losing such a spouse as you?
And I shall put an end to revels and the gatherings of banqueters, and garlands and the music which used to possess my house.
§345οὐ γάρ ποτ’ οὔτ’ ἂν βαρβίτου θίγοιμ’ ἔτι §346οὔτ’ ἂν φρέν’ ἐξαίροιμι πρὸς Λίβυν λακεῖν §347αὐλόν· σὺ γάρ μου τέρψιν ἐξείλου βίου.
For never would I either touch the lyre again, nor lift my heart to sing to the Libyan flute; for you have taken away the pleasure of my life.
§348σοφῇ δὲ χειρὶ τεκτόνων δέμας τὸ σὸν §349εἰκασθὲν ἐν λέκτροισιν ἐκταθήσεται, §350ᾧ προσπεσοῦμαι καὶ περιπτύσσων χέρας §351ὄνομα καλῶν σὸν τὴν φίλην ἐν ἀγκάλαις §352δόξω γυναῖκα καίπερ οὐκ ἔχων ἔχειν· §353ψυχρὰν μέν, οἶμαι, τέρψιν, ἀλλ’ ὅμως βάρος §354ψυχῆς ἀπαντλοίην ἄν.
And your image, fashioned by the skilled hand of craftsmen, shall be stretched out on the bed, upon which I shall fall and, wrapping my hands around it, calling your name, I shall seem to hold my dear wife in my arms, although not holding her; a cold pleasure indeed, I think, but yet I might drain off the heavy burden of my soul.
ἐν δ’ ὀνείρασι §355φοιτῶσά μ’ εὐφραίνοις ἄν· ἡδὺ γὰρ φίλους §356κἀν νυκτὶ λεύσσειν, ὅντιν’ ἂν παρῇ χρόνον.
And visiting me in dreams you might delight me; for it is sweet to behold loved ones even in the night, for whatever time is allowed.
§357εἰ δ’ Ὀρφέως μοι γλῶσσα καὶ μέλος παρῆν, §358ὥστ’ ἢ κόρην Δήμητρος ἢ κείνης πόσιν §359ὕμνοισι κηλήσαντά σ’ ἐξ Ἅιδου λαβεῖν, §360κατῆλθον ἄν, καί μ’ οὔθ’ ὁ Πλούτωνος κύων
And if the tongue and song of Orpheus were mine, so that, having charmed either Demeter's daughter or her husband with hymns, I could take you from Hades, I would have gone down, and neither Pluto's dog...