O hymns that rule the lyre, what god, what hero, and what man shall we celebrate?
Truly, Pisa belongs to Zeus, and Heracles established the Olympic festival as the first-fruits of war.
§2.5Θήρωνα δὲ τετραορίας ἕνεκα νικαφόρου §2.6γεγωνητέον, ὄπι δίκαιον ξένων, ἔρεισμʼ Ἀκράγαντος, §2.7εὐωνύμων τε πατέρων ἄωτον ὀρθόπολιν·
But Theron, for his victorious four-horse chariot, must be proclaimed, a man righteous in his regard for guests, the bulwark of Akragas, the choice flower of illustrious ancestors, who guides his city upright.
§2.8καμόντες οἳ πολλὰ θυμῷ §2.9ἱερὸν ἔσχον οἴκημα ποταμοῦ, Σικελίας τʼ ἔσαν §2.10ὀφθαλμός, αἰὼν δʼ ἔφεπε μόρσιμος, πλοῦτόν τε καὶ χάριν ἄγων §2.11γνησίαις ἐπʼ ἀρεταῖς.
They, after enduring many things in their hearts, won a sacred home by the river, and became the eye of Sicily, and a fated lifetime attended them, bringing wealth and grace to crown their genuine virtues.
§2.12ἀλλʼ ὦ Κρόνιε παῖ Ῥέας, ἕδος Ὀλύμπου νέμων §2.13ἀέθλων τε κορυφὰν πόρον τʼ Ἀλφεοῦ, ἰανθεὶς ἀοιδαῖς §2.14εὔφρων ἄρουραν ἔτι πατρίαν σφίσιν κόμισον §2.15λοιπῷ γένει.
But, O son of Cronus and Rhea, you who rule the seat of Olympus, the summit of contests, and the stream of Alpheus, warmed by our songs, graciously keep their ancestral land for them, and for their remaining descendants.
τῶν δὲ πεπραγμένων §2.16ἐν δίκᾳ τε καὶ παρὰ δίκαν, ἀποίητον οὐδʼ ἂν §2.17χρόνος ὁ πάντων πατὴρ δύναιτο θέμεν ἔργων τέλος·
Of deeds already done, whether in justice or against justice, not even Time, the father of all, could undo their end.
§2.18λάθα δὲ πότμῳ σὺν εὐδαίμονι γένοιτʼ ἄν.
But forgetfulness may come with a happy lot.
§2.19ἐσλῶν γὰρ ὑπὸ χαρμάτων πῆμα θνάσκει §2.20παλίγκοτον δαμασθέν, §2.21ὅταν θεοῦ Μοῖρα πέμπῃ §2.22ἀνεκὰς ὄλβον ὑψηλόν.
For under the influence of noble joys, a stubborn pain dies, subdued, whenever the fated will of a god sends high prosperity upward.
ἕπεται δὲ λόγος εὐθρόνοις §2.23Κάδμοιο κούραις, ἔπαθον αἳ μεγάλα, πένθος δʼ ἐπίτνει βαρὺ §2.24κρεσσόνων πρὸς ἀγαθῶν.
This saying attends the fair-throned daughters of Cadmus, who suffered greatly, but their heavy grief fell before superior blessings.
§2.25ζώει μὲν ἐν Ὀλυμπίοις ἀποθανοῖσα βρόμῳ §2.26κεραυνοῦ τανυέθειρα Σεμέλα, φιλεῖ δέ νιν Παλλὰς αἰεί, §2.27καὶ Ζεὺς πατὴρ μάλα, φιλεῖ δὲ παῖς ὁ κισσοφόρος·
Semele of the long hair, who died in the roar of the thunderbolt, lives among the Olympians, and Pallas loves her always, and Father Zeus loves her dearly, and her ivy-crowned son loves her too.
§2.28λέγοντι δʼ ἐν καὶ θαλάσσᾳ §2.29μετὰ κόραισι Νηρῆος ἁλίαις βίοτον ἄφθιτον §2.30Ἰνοῖ τετάχθαι τὸν ὅλον ἀμφὶ χρόνον.
And they say that in the sea as well, among the ocean-daughters of Nereus, an immortal life is established for Ino for all time.
ἤτοι βροτῶν γε κέκριται §2.31πεῖρας οὔ τι θανάτου, §2.32οὐδʼ ἡσύχιμον ἁμέραν ὁπότε, παῖδʼ ἁλίου, §2.33ἀτειρεῖ σὺν ἀγαθῷ τελευτάσομεν·
Indeed, for mortals, no fated limit of death is determined, nor when we shall bring to a close a peaceful day, child of the sun, with unimpaired good.
ῥοαὶ δʼ ἄλλοτʼ ἄλλαι §2.34εὐθυμιᾶν τε μετὰ καὶ πόνων ἐς ἄνδρας ἔβαν.
But different streams of joy and toil come to men at different times.
§2.35οὕτω δὲ Μοῖρʼ, ἅ τε πατρώιον §2.36τῶνδʼ ἔχει τὸν εὔφρονα πότμον, θεόρτῳ σὺν ὄλβῳ §2.37ἐπί τι καὶ πῆμʼ ἄγει παλιντράπελον ἄλλῳ χρόνῳ· §2.38ἐξ οὗπερ ἔκτεινε Λᾷον μόριμος υἱὸς §2.39συναντόμενος, ἐν δὲ Πυθῶνι χρησθὲν §2.40παλαίφατον τέλεσσεν.
Thus Fate, which holds the kindly ancestral destiny of these men, along with god-sent wealth, also brings some reverse pain at another time, ever since the fated son met and killed Laius, fulfilling the ancient oracle spoken at Pytho.
But the sharp-eyed Erinys saw it, and slew his warlike race through mutual slaughter.
§2.43λείφθη δὲ Θέρσανδρος ἐριπέντι Πολυνείκει, νέοις ἐν ἀέθλοις §2.44ἐν μάχαις τε πολέμου §2.45τιμώμενος, Ἀδραστιδᾶν θάλος ἀρωγὸν δόμοις·
Yet Thersander was left when Polynices fell, honored in young contests and in the battles of war, a helper to the house of the Adrastids.
§2.46ὅθεν σπέρματος ἔχοντα ῥίζαν, πρέπει τὸν Αἰνησιδάμου §2.47ἐγκωμίων τε μελέων λυρᾶν τε τυγχανέμεν.
From him, having the root of the seed, it is fitting that the son of Ainesidamos should receive songs of praise and the lyre.
§2.48Ὀλυμπίᾳ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸς §2.49γέρας ἔδεκτο, Πυθῶνι δʼ ὁμόκλαρον ἐς ἀδελφεὸν §2.50Ἰσθμοῖ τε κοιναὶ Χάριτες ἄνθεα τεθρίππων δυωδεκαδρόμων §2.51ἄγαγον.
For at Olympia he himself received the prize, and at Pytho and Isthmus, the common Graces brought flowers of victory to his brother, who shares his inheritance, for the twelve-lap chariot race.
τὸ δὲ τυχεῖν §2.52πειρώμενον ἀγωνίας παραλύει δυσφρονᾶν.
To succeed when making the trial in contests releases one from painful anxieties.
§2.53ὁ μὰν πλοῦτος ἀρεταῖς δεδαιδαλμένος φέρει τῶν τε καὶ τῶν §2.54καιρόν, βαθεῖαν ὑπέχων μέριμναν ἀγροτέραν, §2.55ἀστὴρ ἀρίζηλος, ἐτήτυμον §2.56ἀνδρὶ φέγγος·
Truly, wealth adorned with virtues brings the opportunity for this and that, prompting a deep, hunting concern, a conspicuous star, a true light for a man.
εἰ δέ νιν ἔχων τις οἶδεν τὸ μέλλον, §2.57ὅτι θανόντων μὲν ἐνθάδʼ αὐτίκʼ ἀπάλαμνοι φρένες §2.58ποινὰς ἔτισαν, τὰ δʼ ἐν τᾷδε Διὸς ἀρχᾷ §2.59ἀλιτρὰ κατὰ γᾶς δικάζει τις ἐχθρᾷ §2.60λόγον φράσαις ἀνάγκᾳ· §2.61ἴσαις δὲ νύκτεσσιν αἰεί, §2.62ἴσαις δʼ ἐν ἁμέραις ἅλιον ἔχοντες, ἀπονέστερον §2.63ἐσλοὶ δέκονται βίοτον, οὐ χθόνα ταράσσοντες ἐν χερὸς ἀκμᾷ §2.64οὐδὲ πόντιον ὕδωρ §2.65κεινὰν παρὰ δίαιταν· ἀλλὰ παρὰ μὲν τιμίοις §2.66θεῶν, οἵτινες ἔχαιρον εὐορκίαις, ἄδακρυν νέμονται §2.67αἰῶνα· τοὶ δʼ ἀπροσόρατον ὀκχέοντι πόνον
And if one possessing it knows the future, that the lawless souls of those who die here immediately pay the penalty, and someone beneath the earth judges the sins committed in this empire of Zeus, pronouncing sentence with hostile necessity; but having the sun equally by night and equally by day, the good receive a life free from toil, not vexing the soil with the strength of their hands, nor the water of the sea, for a meager livelihood; but in the presence of the honored gods, those who rejoiced in keeping oaths, they spend a tearless life, while the others endure pain too dreadful to look upon.
§2.68ὅσοι δʼ ἐτόλμασαν ἐστρὶς §2.69ἑκατέρωθι μείναντες ἀπὸ πάμπαν ἀδίκων ἔχειν §2.70ψυχάν, ἔτειλαν Διὸς ὁδὸν παρὰ Κρόνου τύρσιν· ἔνθα μακάρων §2.71νᾶσος ὠκεανίδες §2.72αὖραι περιπνέοισιν, ἄνθεμα δὲ χρυσοῦ φλέγει, §2.73τὰ μὲν χερσόθεν ἀπʼ ἀγλαῶν δενδρέων, ὕδωρ δʼ ἄλλα φέρβει, §2.74ὅρμοισι τῶν χέρας ἀναπλέκοντι καὶ στεφάνοις §2.75βουλαῖς ἐν ὀρθαῖσι Ῥαδαμάνθυος, §2.76ὃν πατὴρ ἔχει μέ γας ἑτοῖμον αὐτῷ πάρεδρον, §2.77πόσις ὁ πάντων Ῥέας ὑπέρτατον ἐχοίσας θρόνον.
But as many as had the courage, remaining steadfast three times on either side, to keep their souls entirely from injustice, have traveled the road of Zeus to the tower of Cronus; there the ocean breezes blow around the island of the blessed, and flowers of gold blaze, some on land from splendid trees, while the water nurtures others, with which they weave wreaths and garlands for their hands, under the upright counsels of Rhadamanthys, whom the great Father keeps as his ready assessor, the husband of Rhea, who holds the highest throne of all.
§2.78Πηλεύς τε καὶ Κάδμος ἐν τοῖσιν ἀλέγονται· §2.79Ἀχιλλέα τʼ ἔνεικʼ, ἐπεὶ Ζηνὸς ἦτορ §2.80λιταῖς ἔπεισε, μάτηρ· §2.81ὃς Ἕκτορʼ ἔσφαλε, Τροίας §2.82ἄμαχον ἀστραβῆ κίονα, Κύκνον τε θανάτῳ πόρεν, §2.83Ἀοῦς τε παῖδʼ Αἰθίοπα.
Peleus and Cadmus are numbered among these; and his mother brought Achilles there, after she persuaded the heart of Zeus with entreaties— he who felled Hector, Troy's invincible, unshakable pillar, and gave Cycnus to death, and the Ethiopian son of the Dawn.
πολλά μοι ὑπʼ ἀγκῶνος ὠκέα βέλη §2.84ἔνδον ἐντι φαρέτρας §2.85φωνᾶντα συνετοῖσιν· ἐς δὲ τὸ πὰν ἑρμηνέων §2.86χατίζει.
I have many swift arrows under my arm within my quiver that speak to the wise, but for the crowd they need interpreters.
σοφὸς ὁ πολλὰ εἰδὼς φυᾷ· μαθόντες δὲ λάβροι §2.87παγγλωσσίᾳ, κόρακες ὥς, ἄκραντα γαρύετον §2.88Διὸς πρὸς ὄρνιχα θεῖον.
Wise is the man who knows many things by nature; but those who have only learned, boisterous in their chatter, like crows, scream in vain against the divine bird of Zeus.
§2.89ἔπεχε νῦν σκοπῷ τόξον, ἄγε θυμέ, τίνα βάλλομεν §2.90ἐκ μαλθακᾶς αὖτε φρενὸς εὐκλέας ὀϊστοὺς ἱέντες;
Now, aim your bow at the mark; come, my heart, whom do we strike, sending glorious arrows again from a gentle mind?
ἐπί τοι §2.91Ἀκράγαντι τανύσαις §2.92αὐδάσομαι ἐνόρκιον λόγον ἀλαθεῖ νόῳ §2.93τεκεῖν μή τινʼ ἑκατόν γε ἐτέων πόλιν φίλοις ἄνδρα μᾶλλον §2.94εὐεργέταν πραπίσιν ἀφθονέστερόν τε χέρα §2.95Θήρωνος.
Directing them at Akragas, I will speak an oath-bound word with a truthful mind, that for a hundred years no city has brought forth a man more beneficent to his friends in mind, or more generous with his hand than Theron.
ἀλλʼ αἶνον ἔβα κόρος §2.96οὐ δίκᾳ συναντόμενος, ἀλλὰ μάργων ὑπʼ ἀνδρῶν, §2.97τὸ λαλαγῆσαι ἐθέλων κρύφον τε θέμεν ἐσλῶν καλοῖς §2.98ἔργοις·
But praise is attacked by envy, which does not meet with justice but comes from frantic men, who wish to chatter and cast a shadow over the noble deeds of good men.