This is ever the care of Zeus's daughters, ever of singers, to hymn the immortals, to hymn the fame of good men.
The Muses indeed are goddesses, and being goddesses they sing of gods; but we here are mortals, and being mortals let us mortals sing of mortals.
§16.5τίς γὰρ τῶν ὁπόσοι γλαυκὰν ναίουσιν ὑπʼ ἀῶ §16.6ἡμετέρας Χάριτας πετάσας ὑποδέξεται οἴκῳ §16.7ἀσπασίως, οὐδʼ αὖθις ἀδωρήτους ἀποπέμψει;
For who of all those who dwell beneath the grey dawn will open his house and welcome our Graces gladly, and not send them away again without a gift?
§16.8αἱ δὲ σκυζόμεναι γυμνοῖς ποσὶν οἴκαδʼ ἴασι, §16.9πολλά με τωθάζοισαι, ὅ τʼ ἀλιθίαν ὁδὸν ἦνθον, §16.10ὀκνηραὶ δὲ πάλιν κενεᾶς ἐν πυθμένι χηλοῦ §16.11ψυχροῖς ἐν γονάτεσσι κάρη μίμνοντι βαλοῖσαι, §16.12ἔνθʼ αἰεί σφισιν ἕδρα, ἐπὴν ἄπρηκτοι ἵκωνται.
And they, angry, return home with bare feet, mocking me much because I went on a fruitless journey, and shrinking back, they remain at the bottom of the empty chest, laying their heads upon their cold knees, where is their constant seat whenever they return unsuccessful.
§16.13τίς τῶν νῦν τοιόσδε;
Who of those now is such a man?
τίς εὖ εἰπόντα φιλήσει;
Who will welcome him who speaks well?
§16.14οὐκ οἶδʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἔτʼ ἄνδρες ἐπʼ ἔργμασιν ὡς πάρος ἐσθλοῖς §16.15αἰνεῖσθαι σπεύδοντι, νενίκηνται δʼ ὑπὸ κερδέων.
I know not; for men no longer, as before, are eager to be praised for noble deeds, but have been overcome by greed.
§16.16πᾶς δʼ ὑπὸ κόλπῳ χεῖρας ἔχων πόθεν οἴσεται ἀθρεῖ §16.17ἄργυρον, οὐδέ κεν ἰὸν ἀποτρίψας τινὶ δοίη, §16.18ἀλλʼ εὐθὺς μυθεῖται· ἀπωτέρω ἢ γόνυ κνάμα· §16.19αὐτῷ μοί τι γένοιτο· θεοὶ τιμῶσιν ἀοιδούς.
Everyone keeps his hands under his purse, watching where he can get silver, and would not even rub off the rust to give any to another, but straightway says: 'The shin is further than the knee; let something come to myself; the gods honor the singers.
§16.20τίς δέ κεν ἄλλου ἀκούσαι;
Who would listen to another?
ἅλις πάντεσσιν Ὁμηρος.
Homer is enough for all.
§16.21οὗτος ἀοιδῶν λῷστος, ὃς ἐξ ἐμεῦ οἴσεται οὐδέν. §16.22δαιμόνιοι, τί δὲ κέρδος ὁ μυρίος ἔνδοθι χρυσὸς §16.23κείμενος;
He is the best of singers who will carry off nothing from me.' Wondrous men, what is the gain of countless gold lying within?
οὐχ ἅδε πλούτου φρονέουσιν ὄνασις, §16.24ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ψυχᾷ, τὸ δὲ καί τινι δοῦναι ἀοιδῶν· §16.25πολλοὺς δʼ εὖ ἔρξαι παῶν, πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ ἄλλων §16.26ἀνθρώπων, αἰεὶ δὲ θεοῖς ἐπιβώμια ῥέζειν, §16.27μηδὲ ξεινοδόκον κακὸν ἔμμεναι, ἀλλὰ τραπέζῃ §16.28μειλίξαντʼ ἀποπέμψαι, ἐπὴν ἐθέλωντι νέεσθαι, §16.29Μουσάων δὲ μάλιστα τίειν ἱεροὺς ὑποφήτας, §16.30ὄφρα καὶ εἰν Ἀίδαο κεκρυμμένος ἐσθλὸς ἀκούσῃς, §16.31μηδʼ ἀκλεὴς μύρηαι ἐπὶ ψυχροῦ Ἀχέροντος, §16.32ὡσεί τις μακέλᾳ τετυλωμένος ἔνδοθι χεῖρας §16.33ἀχὴν ἐκ πατέρων πενίην ἀκτήμονα κλαίων.
That is not the enjoyment of wealth for those of sound mind; rather, one part should be given to one's own soul, and another to some of the singers; and to do good to many of one's kinsmen, and to many other men besides, and always to offer sacrifices upon the altars of the gods, and not to be a bad host to guests, but to treat them kindly at the table and send them away whenever they wish to depart, and especially to honor the sacred interpreters of the Muses, so that even when you are hidden in Hades, you may hear yourself called noble, and not weep inglorious beside cold Acheron, like some man with hands calloused by the spade, bewailing the inheritance of fatherless, propertyless poverty.
§16.34πολλοὶ ἐν Ἀντιόχοιο δόμοις καὶ ἄνακτος Ἀλεύα §16.35ἁρμαλιὴν ἔμμηνον ἐμετρήσαντο πενέσται· §16.36πολλοὶ δὲ Σκοπάδῃσιν ἐλαυνόμενοι ποτὶ σακοὺς §16.37μόσχοι σὺν κεραῇσιν ἐμυκήσαντο βόεσσι, §16.38μυρία δʼ ἀμπεδίον Κραννώνιον ἐνδιάασκον §16.39ποιμένες ἔκκριτα μῆλα φιλοξείνοισι Κρεώνδαις· §16.40ἀλλʼ οὔ σφιν τῶν ἦδος, ἐπεὶ γλυκὺν ἐξεκένωσαν §16.41θυμὸν ἐς εὐρεῖαν σχεδίαν στυγνοῦ Ἀχέροντος, §16.42ἄμναστοι δὲ τὰ πολλὰ καὶ ὄλβια τῆνα λιπόντες §16.43δειλοῖς ἐν νεκύεσσι μακροὺς αἰῶνας ἔκειντο, §16.44εἰ μὴ κεῖνος ἀοιδὸς ὁ Κήιος αἰόλα φωνέων §16.45βάρβιτον ἐς πολύχορδον ἐν ἀνδράσι θῆκʼ ὀνομαστοὺς §16.46ὁπλοτέροις, τιμᾶς δὲ καὶ ὠκέες ἔλλαχον ἵπποι, §16.47οἵ σφισιν ἐξ ἱερῶν στεφανηφόροι ἦλθον ἀγώνων.
Many serfs in the halls of Antiochus and of king Aleuas measured out their monthly rations; and many calves, driven to the pens of the Scopadae, bellowed with the horned cows; and countless choice sheep did shepherds pasture throughout the plain of Crannon for the hospitable Creondae; yet they had no pleasure in these things, once they had poured out their sweet life into the broad raft of grim Acheron, and forgotten, leaving those many riches behind, they would have lain for long ages among the wretched dead, had not that Ceian singer, sounding varied notes upon his many-stringed lyre, made them famous among later men, and the swift horses too received honor, who came back to them crown-bearing from the sacred games.
§16.48τίς δʼ ἂν ἀριστῆας Λυκίων ποτέ, τίς κομόωντας §16.49Πριαμίδας ἢ θῆλυν ἀπὸ χροιᾶς Κύκνον ἔγνω, §16.50εἰ μὴ φυλόπιδας προτέρων ὕμνησαν ἀοιδοί;
And who would ever have known the chiefs of the Lycians, who the long-haired sons of Priam, or Cycnus, feminine of skin, had not singers sung of the battles of former men?