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Pindar · Olympian Odes §5.1-5.24

Psaumis' Mule Victory and the Prosperity of Kamarina

Passage 5 of 15 · Greek

Summary

The poet celebrates Psaumis' victory in the mule-car race at Olympia, praising his lavish offerings to the gods, his vital contributions to the growth of Kamarina, and praying for his peaceful old age.

§5.1ὑψηλᾶν ἀρετᾶν καὶ στεφάνων ἄωτον γλυκὺν §5.2τῶν Οὐλυμπίᾳ, Ὠκεανοῦ θύγατερ, καρδίᾳ γελανεῖ §5.3ἀκαμαντόποδός τʼ ἀπήνας δέκευ Ψαύμιός τε δῶρα·
The sweet bloom of lofty virtues and of crowns at Olympia, and of the tireless-footed mule-chariot, O daughter of Ocean, with a cheerful heart, and the gifts of Psaumis, receive.
§5.4ὃς τὰν σὰν πόλιν αὔξων, Καμάρινα, λαοτρόφον §5.5βωμοὺς ἓξ διδύμους ἐγέραιρεν ἑορταῖς θεῶν μεγίσταις §5.6ὑπὸ βουθυσίαις ἀέθλων τε πεμπαμέροις ἁμίλλαις, §5.7ἵπποις ἡμιόνοις τε μοναμπυκίᾳ τε.
He, magnifying your city, Camarina, nourisher of the people, honored six double altars at the greatest festivals of the gods with sacrifices of oxen and five-day contests of games, with horses, mules, and single-horse races.
τὶν δὲ κῦδος ἁβρόν §5.8νικάσαις ἀνέθηκε, καὶ ὃν πατέρʼ Ἄκρωνʼ ἐκάρυξε καὶ τὰν νέοικον ἕδραν.
And to you, splendid glory, having conquered, he dedicated, and caused his father Acron and his newly-inhabited seat to be proclaimed.
§5.9ἵκων δʼ Οἰνομάου καὶ Πέλοπος παρʼ εὐηράτων §5.10σταθμῶν, ὦ πολιάοχε Παλλάς, ἀείδει μὲν ἄλσος ἁγνὸν §5.11τὸ τεόν, ποταμόν τε Ὤανιν, ἐγχωρίαν τε λίμναν, §5.12καὶ σεμνοὺς ὀχετούς, Ἵππαρις οἷσιν ἄρδει στρατόν, §5.13κολλᾷ τε σταδίων θαλάμων ταχέως ὑψίγυιον ἄλσος, §5.14ἀπʼ ἀμαχανίας ἄγων ἐς φάος τόνδε δᾶμον ἀστῶν·
And coming from the lovely dwellings of Oenomaus and Pelops, O Pallas, guardian of the city, he sings of your holy grove, and the river Oanis, and the local lake, and the majestic channels with which Hipparis waters the people, and quickly glues together a high-limbed forest of standing chambers, leading this populace of citizens from helplessness into light.
§5.15αἰεὶ δʼ ἀμφʼ ἀρεταῖσι πόνος δαπάνα τε μάρναται πρὸς ἔργον §5.16κινδύνῳ κεκαλυμμένον·
But always, concerning virtues, toil and expense strive towards an enterprise shrouded in danger.
ἠῢ δʼ ἔχοντες σοφοὶ καὶ πολίταις ἔδοξαν ἔμμεν.
And those who fare well are deemed wise even by their citizens.
§5.17Σωτὴρ ὑψινεφὲς Ζεῦ, Κρόνιόν τε ναίων λόφον §5.18τιμῶν τʼ Ἀλφεὸν εὐρὺ ῥέοντʼ Ἰδαῖόν τε σεμνὸν ἄντρον, §5.19ἱκέτας σέθεν ἔρχομαι Λυδίοις ἀπύων ἐν αὐλοῖς, §5.20αἰτήσων πόλιν εὐανορίαισι τάνδε κλυταῖς §5.21δαιδάλλειν, σέ τʼ, Ὀλυμπιόνικε, Ποσειδανίαισιν ἵπποις §5.22ἐπιτερπόμενον φέρειν γῆρας εὔθυμον ἐς τελευτάν, §5.23υἱῶν, Ψαῦμι, παρισταμένων.
Savior Zeus of the high clouds, who inhabit the Cronian hill and honor the wide-flowing Alpheus and the holy Idaean cave, I come as your suppliant, calling out on Lydian flutes, asking to adorn this city with glorious manly virtues, and that you, Olympic victor, delighting in Poseidonian horses, may bear a cheerful old age to a happy end, with your sons, Psaumis, standing beside you.
ὑγίεντα δʼ εἴ τις ὄλβον ἄρδει, §5.24ἐξαρκέων κτεάτεσσι καὶ εὐλογίαν προστιθείς, μὴ ματεύσῃ θεὸς γενέσθαι.
And if anyone waters sound prosperity, being content with his possessions and adding good fame thereto, let him not seek to become a god.

Notes

  1. 5.3δέκευ — The direct objects of the imperative verb `δέκευ` are the accusatives `ἄωτον` and `δῶρα`. The word `ἀπήνας` is genitive singular (Doric for `ἀπήνης`, "mule-chariot"), not accusative plural, and is coordinated with `ἀρετᾶν` and `στεφάνων` to modify `ἄωτον` ("the bloom of lofty virtues, of crowns, and of the mule-chariot").
  2. 5.6ὑπὸ βουθυσίαις — The preposition `ὑπό` with the dative here denotes attendant circumstances ("accompanied by, amidst").
  3. 5.8νικάσαις — Doric aorist active participle, nominative masculine singular of `νικάω` (equivalent to Attic `νικήσας`), agreeing with the subject of the sentence (Psaumis).
  4. 5.16ἔδοξαν — Gnomic aorist of `δοκέω`, expressing a general truth or maxim, and is best translated as a present state ("are deemed/seem").
  5. 5.20αἰτήσων — The future participle of purpose `αἰτήσων` governs two infinitive clauses: 1) `δαιδάλλειν` (with ` πόλιν` as object), and 2) `φέρειν`. The accusative pronoun `σέ` serves as the subject accusative of the second infinitive `φέρειν`.

Cite this passage

Pindar, Olympian Odes §5.1-5.24. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0033.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.1-5.24

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