The Craftsmanship of Admetus

1 Admetus' promise
Your likeness, made by a skillful artist
will be placed in my bed and I will
fall upon it and hold it in my arms and
call your name and feel like I am holding
my dear wife in my arms, though I will not hold her.
A cold comfort, but still I would relieve the
burden of my heart. But coming in dreams
you could bring me pleasure. For it is sweet to see
friends even at night, for as long as they can stay.
If I had the tongue of Orpheus and his gift for song
to charm the daughter of Demeter and her husband
with songs and bring you back,
I would go down and neither Pluto's dog nor
Charon the ferryman of the dead at his oar would
hold me back until I had restored you to life.
But wait for me there until I die,
and make a home for me so we can live together when I die.
For I shall leave instructions to be laid out
in the same coffin and to lie side by side with you
and not even in death ever to be apart from you,
the only one loyal to me.