Alcimedon's Victory and the Myth of Troy's Walls — Pindar, Olympian Odes 8.1–8.88, Greek & English

μᾶτερ ὦ χρυσοστεφάνων ἀέθλων, Οὐλυμπία,

O Olympia, mother of golden-crowned contests,

δέσποινʼ ἀλαθείας· ἵνα μάντιες ἄνδρες

mistress of truth, where prophetic men,

ἐμπύροις τεκμαιρόμενοι παραπειρῶνται Διὸς ἀργικεραύνου,

judging by sacrificial fires, make trial of Zeus of the bright lightning,

εἴ τινʼ ἔχει λόγον ἀνθρώπων πέρι

to see if he has any word concerning men

μαιομένων¹ μεγάλαν

who strive in their hearts

ἀρετὰν θυμῷ λαβεῖν,

to attain great virtue

τῶν δὲ μόχθων ἀμπνοάν·

and a respite from their labors;

ἄνεται δὲ πρὸς χάριν εὐσεβίας ἀνδρῶν λιταῖς.

and it is accomplished by prayers in return for the piety of men.

ἀλλʼ ὦ Πίσας εὔδενδρον ἐπʼ Ἀλφεῷ ἄλσος,

But, O wooded grove of Pisa by the Alpheus,

τόνδε κῶμον καὶ στεφαναφορίαν δέξαι. μέγα τοι κλέος αἰεί,

receive this revel and crowning. Great indeed is his glory forever,

ᾧτινι σὸν γέρας ἕσπητʼ ἀγλαόν·

whomsoever your bright honor accompanies.

ἄλλα δʼ ἐπʼ ἄλλον ἔβαν

Different blessings come to different men,

ἀγαθῶν, πολλαὶ δʼ ὁδοὶ

and there are many paths of success

σὺν θεοῖς εὐπραγίας.

with the help of the gods.

Τιμόσθενες, ὔμμε² δʼ ἐκλάρωσεν πότμος

Timosthenes, destiny has allotted your house

Ζηνὶ γενεθλίῳ· ὃς σὲ μὲν Νεμέᾳ πρόφατον,

to ancestral Zeus, who made you a glorious victor at Nemea,

Ἀλκιμέδοντα δὲ πὰρ Κρόνου λόφῳ

and Alcimedon an Olympic victor

θῆκεν Ὀλυμπιονίκαν.

by the hill of Cronus.

ἦν δʼ ἐσορᾶν καλός, ἔργῳ τʼ οὐ κατὰ εἶδος ἐλέγχων

He was beautiful to look upon, and in action not shaming his appearance,

ἐξένεπε κρατέων πάλᾳ δολιχήρετμον Αἴγιναν πάτραν·

by winning the wrestling he proclaimed his homeland Aegina, where long oars ply.

ἔνθα σώτειρα Διὸς ξενίου

There, saving Themis, who sits beside

πάρεδρος ἀσκεῖται Θέμις

Zeus, the god of hospitality, is honored

ἔξοχʼ ἀνθρώπων. ὅ τι γὰρ πολὺ καὶ πολλᾷ ῥέπῃ,

above all men. For when many things incline in many ways,

ὀρθᾷ διακρίνειν φρενὶ μὴ παρὰ καιρόν,

to judge with an upright mind and not out of season

δυσπαλές· τεθμὸς δέ τις ἀθανάτων καὶ τάνδʼ ἁλιερκέα χώραν

is hard to wrestle with. But some ordinance of the immortals set up this sea-girt land

παντοδαποῖσιν ὑπέστασε ξένοις

as a divine pillar

κίονα δαιμονίαν

for strangers of all kinds.

ὁ δʼ ἐπαντέλλων χρόνος

May rising time

τοῦτο πράσσων μὴ κάμοι

never grow weary of doing this,

Δωριεῖ λαῷ ταμιευομέναν ἐξ Αἰακοῦ·

ruling for the Dorian people, starting from Aeacus.

τὸν παῖς ὁ Λατοῦς εὐρυμέδων τε Ποσειδᾶν,

Whom the son of Leto and wide-ruling Poseidon,

Ἰλίῳ μέλλοντες ἐπὶ στέφανον τεῦξαι, καλέσαντο συνεργὸν

when they were about to build a crown for Ilium, called as a helper of the wall,

τείχεος, ἦν ὅτι³ νιν πεπρωμένον

because it was fated for it,

ὀρνυμένων πολέμων

when wars arose

πτολιπόρθοις ἐν μάχαις

in city-destroying battles,

λάβρον ἀμπνεῦσαι καπνόν.

to breathe forth fierce smoke.

γλαυκοὶ δὲ δράκοντες, ἐπεὶ κτίσθη νέον,

And blue serpents, when it was newly built,

πύργον ἐσαλλόμενοι τρεῖς, οἱ δύο μὲν κάπετον,

leaping onto the wall, three of them, two indeed fell down,

αὖθι δʼ ἀτυζομένω ψυχὰς βάλον·

and on the spot in terror gave up their lives;

εἷς δʼ ἀνόρουσε βοάσαις.

but one leaped up with a cry.

ἔννεπε δʼ ἀντίον ὁρμαίνων τέρας εὐθὺς, Ἀπόλλων·

Apollo, pondering the portent, spoke straightway against it:

Πέργαμος ἀμφὶ τεαῖς, ἥρως, χερὸς ἐργασίαι ἁλίσκεται·

”Pergamos is captured, O hero, where your hands worked;

ὣς ἐμοὶ φάσμα λέγει Κρονίδα

so the vision speaks to me, sent by the son of Cronus,

πεμφθὲν βαρυγδούπου Διός·

heavy-thundering Zeus.

οὐκ ἄτερ παίδων σέθεν, ἀλλʼ ἅμα πρώτοις ῥάζεται

Not without your children, but with the first and third generations it is destroyed.”

καὶ τερτάτοις. ὣς ἆρα θεὸς σάφα εἴπαις

Thus indeed the god spoke clearly,

Ξάνθον ἤπειγεν καὶ Ἀμαζόνας εὐίππους καὶ ἐς Ἴστρον ἐλαύνων.

and hastened to Xanthus and the Amazons skilled in horses, and driving to the Ister.

Ὀρσοτρίαινα δʼ ἐπʼ Ἰσθμῷ ποντίᾳ

And the wielder of the trident drove his swift chariot to the marine Isthmus,

ἅρμα θοὸν τανύεν,

sending Aeacus back

ἀποπέμπων Αἰακὸν

hither on golden horses,

δεῦρʼ ἀνʼ ἵπποις χρυσέαις,

and to behold the feast-famed ridge of Corinth.

καὶ Κορίνθου δειράδʼ ἐποψόμενος δαιτικλυτάν.

But nothing equally pleasant will exist among men.

τερπνὸν δʼ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἴσον ἔσσεται οὐδέν.

If I have run up in song to the glory brought to Melesias from the beardless youths,

εἰ δʼ ἐγὼ Μελησίᾳ ἐξ ἀγενείων κῦδος ἀνέδραμον ὕμνῳ,

let envy not cast a rough stone at me.

μὴ βαλέτω με λίθῳ τραχεῖ φθόνος·

For at Nemea also, in like manner,

καὶ Νεμέᾳ γὰρ ὁμῶς

I will speak of this favor,

ἐρέω ταύταν χάριν,

and thereafter of the battle of men

τὰν δʼ ἔπειτʼ ἀνδρῶν μάχαν

from the pancratium. To teach indeed

ἐκ παγκρατίου. τὸ διδάξασθαι δέ τοι

is easier for one who knows; and it is foolish not to learn beforehand,

εἰδότι ῥᾴτερον· ἄγνωμον δὲ τὸ μὴ προμαθεῖν·

for the minds of the inexperienced are lighter.

κουφότεραι γὰρ ἀπειράτων φρένες.

That man indeed could speak of those deeds

κεῖνα δὲ κεῖνος ἂν εἴποι

better than others—what way will guide a man

ἔργα περαίτερον ἄλλων, τίς τρόπος ἄνδρα προβάσει

who is about to bring home the most desired glory from sacred contests.

ἐξ ἱερῶν ἀέθλων μέλλοντα ποθεινοτάταν δόξαν φέρειν.

Now indeed Alcimedon has brought him honor,

νῦν μὲν αὐτῷ γέρας Ἀλκιμέδων

having won his thirtieth victory;

νίκαν τριακοστὰν ἑλών·

who, by the fortune of a god, and not lacking in courage,

ὃς τύχᾳ μὲν δαίμονος, ἀνορέας δʼ οὐκ ἀμπλακὼν

cast upon the limbs of four boys

ἐν τέτρασιν παίδων ἀπεθήκατο⁴ γυίοις

a most hateful return, and a more dishonored tongue, and a hidden path,

νόστον ἔχθιστον καὶ ἀτιμοτέραν γλῶσσαν καὶ ἐπίκρυφον οἶμον,

and into his father’s father breathed strength

πατρὶ δὲ πατρὸς ἐνέπνευσεν μένος

to rival old age.

γήραος ἀντίπαλον.

One who has achieved fitting things

Ἀΐδα τοι λάθεται

forgets Hades.

ἄρμενα πράξαις ἀνήρ.

But I must awake memory and speak of

ἀλλʼ ἐμὲ χρὴ μναμοσύναν ἀνεγείροντα φράσαι

the choice victory of hands for the Blepsiadae,

χειρῶν ἄωτον Βλεψιάδαις ἐπίνικον,

for whom already a sixth crown is placed around them from leaf-bearing contests.

ἕκτος οἷς ἤδη στέφανος περίκειται φυλλοφόρων ἀπʼ ἀγώνων.

The dead also have a share

ἔστι δὲ καί τι θανόντεσσιν μέρος

in rites performed according to custom;

κὰν νόμον ἐρδομένων·

and the dust does not hide

κατακρύπτει δʼ οὐ κόνις

the noble favor of their kinsmen.

συγγόνων κεδνὰν χάριν.

If Iphion hears from Angelia, the daughter of Hermes,

Ἑρμᾶ δὲ θυγατρὸς ἀκούσαις⁵ Ἰφίων

he would tell Callimachus of the brilliant

Ἀγγελίας, ἐνέποι κεν Καλλιμάχῳ λιπαρὸν

ornament at Olympia, which Zeus granted to their race.

κόσμον Ὀλυμπίᾳ, ὅν σφι Ζεὺς γένει

May he wish to grant good deeds upon good deeds,

ὤπασεν. ἐσλὰ δʼ ἐπʼ ἐσλοῖς

and ward off sharp diseases.

ἔργʼ ἐθέλοι δόμεν, ὀξείας δὲ νόσους ἀπαλάλκοι.

I pray that Nemesis may not make divided counsel concerning their fair fortune,

εὔχομαι ἀμφὶ καλῶν μοίρᾳ Νέμεσιν διχόβουλον μὴ θέμεν·

but bringing a painless life,

ἀλλʼ ἀπήμαντον ἄγων βίοτοναὐτούς τʼ ἀέξοι καὶ πόλιν.

may increase both themselves and their city.

Syntax notes5 items

8.5μαιομένων
A genitive plural present participle modifying the preceding noun ἀνθρώπων (§8.4). It governs the following infinitive λαβεῖν (§8.6) and the accusative ἀμπνοάν (§8.7), forming the attributive clause "of men striving to obtain...".
8.15ὔμμε
The Aeolic dialectal form of the second-person plural accusative (corresponding to standard ὑμᾶς). It serves as the direct object of the main verb ἐκλάρωσεν (§8.15), indicating that destiny allotted "you" (the family) to ancestral Zeus.
8.33ἦν ὅτι
A causal clause introduced by the conjunction ὅτι meaning "because... was". It provides the underlying reason for the main clause (Aeacus being summoned as a helper to build the walls), namely that the wall (or the city) was fated to perish.
8.68ἀπεθήκατο
The third-person singular aorist middle of ἀποτίθημι, meaning "to cast off from oneself onto another." It powerfully conveys the contrasting situation where Alcimedon, by winning, thrust the shameful return and humiliation onto the limbs of the four defeated boys, sparing himself.
8.81ἀκούσαις
The masculine singular nominative aorist active participle in Aeolic dialectal form (equivalent to standard ἀκούσας). It modifies the deceased relative Ἰφίων (§8.81) and functions temporally or conditionally ("if he hears / having heard from..."), coordinating with the potential optative ἐνέποι κεν.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0033.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.1-8.88