Pherae

His kinship with her bade him be numbered in the host.

Nor did Admetus, the lord of Pheræ rich in sheep, stay behind beneath the peak of the Calchidonian mount.

Nor at Alope stayed the sons of Hermes, rich in corn-land, well skilled in craftiness, Eurytus and Echiön, and with them on their departure their kinsman Ethealides went as the third.

Him near the streams of Amphrysus Eupolemia bare, the daughter of Myrmidon from Phthia; the two others were sprung from Antianeira, daughter of Mnesus.

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For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. recording by expatriate in bangor maine alcestis by euripides translated by arthur sanders way eighteen forty seven to nineteen thirty part i apollo being banished for a season from olympus and condemned to do service to a mortal became herdsman of admetus king of pherai in thessaly yet he loathed not his earthly taskmaster but loved him for that he was a just man and hospitable exceedingly wherefore he obtained from the fates this boon for admetus that when his hour of death should come they should accept in ransom for his life the life of whosoever should have before consented to die in his stead now when this was made known none of them who were nearest by blood to the king would promise to be his ransom in that day then alcestis his wife the daughter of peleus king of iolcas pledged her to die for him of her love she did it and for the honour of wifehood and the years passed by and the tale was told in many lands and all men praised alcestis but admetus bore a burden of sorrow for day by day she became dearer to him a wife wholly true a mother most loving and a lady to her thralls gentle exceedingly but when it was known by tokens that the day was come admetus repented him sorely but it availed not for no mortal may recall a pledge once given to the gods and on that day there came to the palace apollo to plead with death for alcestis sake and a company of elders of pherai to ask of her state and to make mourning for her and when she was dead ere she was borne forth to burial came heracles son of zeus in his journeying seeking the guest's right of meat and lodging but not knowing aught of that which had come to pass of him was a great deliverance wrought which is told herein dramatis personi apollo death chorus composed of elders of pherai handmaid alcestis daughter of peleas and wife of admetus admetus king of pherai eumelus king of admetus and alcestis heracles pheres father of admetus servant steward of the palace guards attendants handmaids and mourners the scene throughout is in front of the palace of admetus at pherae enter apollo apollo halls of admetus where i stooped my pride to brook the fair of serfs yea i a god the fault was fault of zeus he slew my son asclepius hurled the leaven through his heart wroth for the dead his smiths of heavenly fire i slew the cyclops and for blood atonement served to a mortal man my father made me to this land came i tended mine host's kine and warded still his house unto this day righteous myself i lighted on the righteous the son of pharez him i snatched from death cozening the fates to me the sisters pledged them that imminent death admetus should escape if he for ransom gave another life to all he went all near and dear and asked grey sire the mother that had given him life but save his wife found none that would consent for him to die and never more see light now in his arms upborne within yon home she gaspeth forth her life for on this day her weird it is to die and part from life i lest pollution taint me in their house go forth of yonder hall's beloved roof enter death lo yonder death i see him nigh at hand priest of the dead who comes to hail her down to hades halls well hath he kept his time watching this day whereon she needs must die death thou at the palace wilt not make room phoebus thou wrestest the right yet again thou removest the landmarks of gods of gloom and thou makest their honours vain did this not suffice thee to thwart that doom of admetus when all by thy cunning beguiled were the fates that thou now must be warding the wife with thine hand made ready the bowstring to strain though she pledged her from death to redeem with her life her lord she peleus child apollo fear not fair words and justice are with me death justice with thee what needeth then the bow apollo this this my wont to bear it evermore death yea and to aid yon house in lawless wise apollo mine heart is heavy for my friend's mischance death what wilt thou wrest from me this second corpse apollo nay not that other did i take by force death not why on earth then why not underground apollo she was his ransom she for whom thou comest death yea and will hail her deep beneath the earth apollo take her and go i trow i shall not bend thee death to slay the victim do mine office this apollo nay but to smite with death the ripe for death death ay i discern thy plea thy zeal good sooth apollo and may alcestis never see old age death never should i not love mine honours too apollo too soon or late thou canst but take one life death yet mind the goodlier prize when die the young apollo think royal obsequies if old she die death lo phoebus making laws to shield the rich apollo how say'st thou thou a sophist unawares death would wealth not buy the boon of dying old apollo so then thou wilt not grant this grace to me death nay surely dost not know my wonted way apollo hateful to mortals this and loathed of gods death all things beyond thy rights thou canst not have apollo surely thou shalt forbear though ruthless thou so mighty a man to phera's holes shall come sent of eurystheus forth the courser car from winter dreary lands of thrace to bring guest welcomed in admetus palace here by force yon woman shall he wrest from thee yea thou of me shalt have no thank for this and yet shalt do it and shalt have mine hate exit apollo death talk on talk on no prophet shalt thou win this woman down to hades halls shall pass for her i go my sword shall seal her hours for sacred to the nether gods is he he from whose head this sword hath shorn the hair exit death enter chorus dividing to right and left so that the sections answer one another half chorus one what meaneth this hush affront of the hall the home of admetus why voiceless all half chorus two no friend of the house who should speak of its plight is nigh who should bid that we raise the keen for the dead or should tell us that yet on the light alcestis looketh and liveth the queen the daughter of peleus the noblest i ween yea in all men's sight the noblest of women on earth that have been strophe one half chorus one or hearest thou mourning or sighing or beating of hands or the wail of bereaved ones out crying no handmaid stands at the palace gate o healer appear for the dying appear as a bright bird flying twixt the surges of fate half chorus two ah they would not be hushed had the life of her flown half chorus one not forth of the door is the death-train gone half chorus two whence cometh thine hope which i boast not mine own half chorus one would the king without pomp of procession have yielded the grave the possession of so dear of so faithful a one anti strophe one half chorus two nor the cup in the gateway appeareth from the spring that they bear to the gate that pollution feareth nor the severed hair in the ports for the dead which the mourner in bitterness sheareth neither beating of hands one heareth on maiden's head half chorus one yet surely is this the appointed day half chorus two ah what wilt thou say half chorus one whereon of her doom she must pass to the tomb half chorus too with a keen pang smart hast thou stabbed mine heart half chorus one it is meet when the good are its flowers plucked away that in sorrow's gloom should the breast of the old tried friend have part chorus strophe too though ye voyage all seas ye shall light on no lands nor on lycaea's lees nor ammonian sands whence redemption shall come for the wretched or loosing of death's dread bands doom's imminent slope is a precipice steep in no god is there hope though his altars should weep with the crimson atonement should veil them in clouds of the hecatomb sheep antistrophe too ah once there was one were life's light in the eyes of phoebus sun then our darling might rise from the mansions of darkness through portals of hades return to our skies for he raised up the dead ere flashed from the heaven from zeus hand sped that bolt of the leaven but now what remaineth to wait for what hope of her life is given no sacrifice more unrendered remaineth no god but the gore from his altars down reigneth yet healing is none for our ills neither balm that the spirit sustaineth enter handmaid but hither cometh of the handmaids one weeping the while what tidings shall i hear to grieve at all mischance unto thy lords may be forgiven but if thy lady lives or even now hath passed fain would we know handmaid she liveth and is dead both mayst thou say chorus ay so how should the same be dead and live handmaid even now she droopeth gasping out her life Chorus, noble and stricken, how noble she thou losest.

Handmaid, his depth of loss he knows not ere it come.

Chorus, and hope, is no hope left her life to save? Handmaid, none, for the day foredoomed constraineth her.

Nor was Iphiclus long left behind in Phylace, the uncle of Æson's son; for Æson had wedded his sister Alcimede, daughter of Phylacus; his kinship with her bade him be numbered in the host.

Nor did Admetus, the lord of Pheræ rich in sheep, stay behind beneath the peak of the Chalkidonian mount.

Nor at Alope stayed the sons of Hermes, rich in corn-land, well skilled in craftiness, Eurytus and Echiön; and with them on their departure their kinsman Ithalides went as the third.

Him near the streams of Amphrysus Eupolemia bare, the daughter of Myrmidon from Phthia; the two others were sprung from Antianeira, daughter of Mnesus.

More often the three or four leading cities, Larissa, Kranon, Farsalas, held their immediate neighbors in subjection, and were at more or less open war with each other, their government being either a close oligarchy or a despotism in the hands of a single man.

Toward the end of the Peloponnesian War, about 407, Pherae was added to the list of leading cities by the energy of a man called Lycophron, who made himself tyrant and did his best, though without success, to subject all Thessaly to himself.

Iason, three seventy-four to three seventy, succeeded where Lycophron failed.

He was strong and active, bold and prudent.

He increased his military force.

He bribed far and near, enemies no less than friends.

He overran Doris, invaded Boiotia, and actually made himself master of Thermopylae, opening negotiations with the Thessalian despots of Pherae.

It was this last step which brought Philip on the scene and led to his taking part in the sacred war.

His kinship with her bade him be numbered in the host.

Nor did Admetus, the lord of Pherae rich in sheep, stay behind beneath the peak of the Chalkidonian mount.

Nor at Alope stayed the sons of Hermes, rich in corn land, well skilled in craftiness, Eurytus and Echiön, and with them on their departure their kinsman Ithalides went as the third.

Him near the streams of Amphrysus, Eupolemia bare, the daughter of Myrmidon from Phthia.