Euripides, Alcestis 311-327

[hawkwing_lb]

In lieu of Homer, since it's assigned for class.

Alcestis, 311-319:

καὶ παῖς μὲν ἄρσην πατέρ᾽ ἔχει πύργον μέγαν
[ὃν καὶ προσεῖπε καὶ προσερρήθη πάλιν]:
σὺ δ᾽, ὦ τέκνον μοι, πῶς κορευθήσῃ καλῶς;
ποίας τυχοῦσα συζύγου τῷ σῷ πατρί;
μή σοί τιν᾽ αἰσχρὰν προσβαλοῦσα κληδόνα
ἥβης ἐν ἀκμῇ σοὺς διαφθείρῃ γάμους.
οὐ γάρ σε μήτηρ οὔτε νυμφεύσει ποτὲ
οὔτ᾽ ἐν τόκοισι σοῖσι θαρσυνεῖ, τέκνον,
παροῦσ᾽, ἵν᾽ οὐδὲν μητρὸς εὐμενέστερον.

And while a male child has a father [as] a great tower of defence
(which (s/)he addressed and was accosted in return):
but you, O my child, how will you grow honourably to womanhood?
What sort of yoke-fellow meeting with your father?
[What manner of wife yoked to your father?]
Let her not, casting some shameful repute against
your youth, in its peak ruin your marriage.
For your mother will never give you in marriage
nor encourage you in your childbirths, child,
(there) being at that time nothing better than a mother.


Alcestis, 320-325:

δεῖ γὰρ θανεῖν με: καὶ τόδ᾽ οὐκ ἐς αὔριον
οὐδ᾽ ἐς τρίτην μοι μηνὸς ἔρχεται κακόν,
ἀλλ᾽ αὐτίκ᾽ ἐν τοῖς οὐκέτ᾽ οὖσι λέξομαι.
χαίροντες εὐφραίνοισθε: καὶ σοὶ μέν, πόσι,
γυναῖκ᾽ ἀρίστην ἔστι κομπάσαι λαβεῖν,
ὑμῖν δέ, παῖδες, μητρὸς ἐκπεφυκέναι.


It is necessary for me to die: not tomorrow
nor the day after, nor in a month to me does this evil come,
but forthwith among those no longer in existence will I reckon myself.
Farewell, be glad: and you, husband,
brag you are to take the best of wives,
you, children, to have generated the best of mothers.


Alcestis, 325-327:

Χορός
θάρσει: πρὸ τούτου γὰρ λέγειν οὐχ ἅζομαι:
δράσει τάδ᾽, εἴπερ μὴ φρενῶν ἁμαρτάνει.

Chorus
Be of good courage: for in defence of this, I do not shrink to say,
(s/)he'll do these things, if indeed (s/)he does not err of will.

Comments

[hawkwing-lb.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :)