(exit THANATOS into the palace, as CHORUS enter from stage right and stage left)


 CHORUS
Can you hear anything?

Not a whisper!
But why
is the house of Admetus so quiet?
There's not
even anyone here from the family to say
if Alcestis is dead or alive.
She's the best
and the bravest of women, by far.
Can you hear
someone crying inside?
Not a sound.
Oh, if only
Asclepius, god of good health, could appear!
But she must be alive, or the palace would echo
their cries of lament.
No, she's already died
and been buried.
What makes you so sure? Do you think
that Admetus would bury his precious Alcestis
without a cortege, all alone?
The traditional
symbols of mourning are missing: no water,
no hair, and no funeral songs.
But today
is the day she must die.
Yes, and so does my heart.
When the valiant are dying, the loyal must mourn.

 There is no one to turn to, no voyage to make
to reverse her unfortunate fate: not a god,
not a shrine, not a priest, not a man in the world.
It would take an Asclepius now to restore
her, but sadly for all of us, he is dead, too.
The king has even completed all the necessary
blood sacrifices, but no relief for our pain.