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Pindar · Olympian Odes §4.1-4.28

Victory of Psaumis and the Myth of Erginus

Passage 4 of 15 · Greek

Summary

The poet prays to Zeus, asking him to receive the Olympic victory celebration for Psaumis of Camarina. He invokes the myth of Erginus, son of Clymenus, who overcame the insults of Lemnian women through actual trial, demonstrating that youthfulness or premature gray hair does not diminish true capability.

§4.1ἐλατὴρ ὑπέρτατε βροντᾶς ἀκαμαντόποδος Ζεῦ·
O supreme driver of the untiring-footed thunder, Zeus!
τεαὶ γὰρ ὧραι §4.2ὑπὸ ποικιλοφόρμιγγος ἀοιδᾶς ἑλισσόμεναί μʼ ἔπεμψαν §4.3ὑψηλοτάτων μάρτυρʼ ἀέθλων.
For your Seasons, spinning to the song of the varied-sounding lyre, have sent me as a witness of the loftiest contests.
§4.4ξείνων δʼ εὖ πρασσόντων ἔσαναν αὐτίκʼ ἀγγελίαν §4.5ποτὶ γλυκεῖαν ἐσλοί.
And when friends prosper, the good are immediately cheered by the sweet news.
§4.6ἀλλʼ, ὦ Κρόνου παῖ, ὃς Αἴτναν ἔχεις, §4.7ἶπον ἀνεμόεσσαν ἑκατογκεφάλα Τυφῶνος ὀβρίμου, §4.8Οὐλυμπιονίκαν δέκευ §4.9Χαρίτων ἕκατι τόνδε κῶμον, §4.10χρονιώτατον φάος εὐρυσθενέων ἀρετᾶν.
But, O son of Cronus, who hold Etna, the windy weight of the mighty hundred-headed Typhon, receive, by favor of the Graces, this Olympic-victory revel, as a long-lasting light for wide-ruling virtues.
Ψαύμιος γὰρ ἵκει §4.11ὀχέων, ὅς, ἐλαίᾳ στεφανωθεὶς Πισάτιδι, κῦδος ὄρσαι §4.12σπεύδει Καμαρίνᾳ.
For it comes from the chariot of Psaumis, who, crowned with the olive of Pisa, hastens to raise glory for Camarina.
θεὸς εὔφρων §4.13εἴη λοιπαῖς εὐχαῖς· ἐπεί νιν αἰνέω μάλα μὲν §4.14τροφαῖς ἑτοῖμον ἵππων, §4.15χαίροντά τε ξενίαις πανδόκοις §4.16καὶ πρὸς ἁσυχίαν φιλόπολιν καθαρᾷ γνώμᾳ τετραμμένον.
May the god be gracious to his remaining prayers; since I praise him as very ready in the rearing of horses, and rejoicing in hospitality that welcomes all, and turned with a pure mind toward city-loving peace.
§4.17οὐ ψεύδεϊ τέγξω λόγον· §4.18διάπειρά τοι βροτῶν ἔλεγχος· §4.19ἅπερ Κλυμένοιο παῖδα §4.20Λαμνιάδων γυναικῶν §4.21ἔλυσεν ἐξ ἀτιμίας.
I shall not stain my word with falsehood; trial, indeed, is the test of mortals; this it was that released the son of Clymenus from the dishonor of the Lemnian women.
§4.22χαλκέοισι δʼ ἐν ἔντεσι νικῶν δρόμον §4.23ἔειπεν Ὑψιπυλείᾳ μετὰ στέφανον ἰών· §4.24οὗτος ἐγὼ ταχυτᾶτι· §4.25χεῖρες δὲ καὶ ἦτορ ἴσον. §4.26φύονται δὲ καὶ νέοις ἐν ἀνδράσιν
And winning the race in bronze armor, as he went for the crown, he said to Hypsipyle: 'This is I in swiftness; and my hands and heart are equal.' And gray hairs often grow even on young men, even before the fitting time of life.
§4.27πολιαὶ θαμὰ καὶ παρὰ τὸν ἁλικίας §4.28ἐοικότα χρόνον.

Notes

  1. §4.2ὑπὸ ποικιλοφόρμιγγος ἀοιδᾶς — The preposition ὑπό with genitive is used here to indicate accompaniment, meaning 'to the accompaniment of' or 'to the song of' the lyre.
  2. §4.4ἔσαναν — The aorist of σαίνω (originally 'to wag the tail' of a dog, here used as a gnomic aorist) is employed metaphorically to mean 'to welcome with joy' or 'to be cheered' by good news.
  3. §4.7ἶπον — A noun meaning 'press' or 'weight'. It is used here in apposition to describe Mount Etna as a heavy weight crushing the giant Typhon.
  4. §4.10Ψαύμιος γὰρ ἵκει ὀχέων — The subject of the verb ἵκει ('comes') is the previously mentioned κῶμος ('revel'). The phrase Ψαύμιος ὀχέων ('from the chariot of Psaumis') functions as a genitive of origin or separation.

Cite this passage

Pindar, Olympian Odes §4.1-4.28. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0033.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.1-4.28

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