§8.1μᾶτερ ὦ χρυσοστεφάνων ἀέθλων, Οὐλυμπία, §8.2δέσποινʼ ἀλαθείας· ἵνα μάντιες ἄνδρες §8.3ἐμπύροις τεκμαιρόμενοι παραπειρῶνται Διὸς ἀργικεραύνου, §8.4εἴ τινʼ ἔχει λόγον ἀνθρώπων πέρι §8.5μαιομένων μεγάλαν §8.6ἀρετὰν θυμῷ λαβεῖν, §8.7τῶν δὲ μόχθων ἀμπνοάν· §8.8ἄνεται δὲ πρὸς χάριν εὐσεβίας ἀνδρῶν λιταῖς.
O Olympia, mother of golden-crowned contests, mistress of truth, where prophetic men, judging by sacrificial fires, make trial of Zeus of the bright lightning, to see if he has any word concerning men who strive in their hearts to attain great virtue and a respite from their labors; and it is accomplished by prayers in return for the piety of men.
But, O wooded grove of Pisa by the Alpheus, receive this revel and crowning.
μέγα τοι κλέος αἰεί, §8.11ᾧτινι σὸν γέρας ἕσπητʼ ἀγλαόν·
Great indeed is his glory forever, whomsoever your bright honor accompanies.
Different blessings come to different men, and there are many paths of success with the help of the gods.
§8.15Τιμόσθενες, ὔμμε δʼ ἐκλάρωσεν πότμος §8.16Ζηνὶ γενεθλίῳ· ὃς σὲ μὲν Νεμέᾳ πρόφατον, §8.17Ἀλκιμέδοντα δὲ πὰρ Κρόνου λόφῳ §8.18θῆκεν Ὀλυμπιονίκαν.
Timosthenes, destiny has allotted your house to ancestral Zeus, who made you a glorious victor at Nemea, and Alcimedon an Olympic victor by the hill of Cronus.
§8.19ἦν δʼ ἐσορᾶν καλός, ἔργῳ τʼ οὐ κατὰ εἶδος ἐλέγχων §8.20ἐξένεπε κρατέων πάλᾳ δολιχήρετμον Αἴγιναν πάτραν·
He was beautiful to look upon, and in action not shaming his appearance, by winning the wrestling he proclaimed his homeland Aegina, where long oars ply.
There, saving Themis, who sits beside Zeus, the god of hospitality, is honored above all men.
For when many things incline in many ways, to judge with an upright mind and not out of season is hard to wrestle with.
τεθμὸς δέ τις ἀθανάτων καὶ τάνδʼ ἁλιερκέα χώραν §8.26παντοδαποῖσιν ὑπέστασε ξένοις §8.27κίονα δαιμονίαν
But some ordinance of the immortals set up this sea-girt land as a divine pillar for strangers of all kinds.
May rising time never grow weary of doing this, ruling for the Dorian people, starting from Aeacus.
§8.31τὸν παῖς ὁ Λατοῦς εὐρυμέδων τε Ποσειδᾶν, §8.32Ἰλίῳ μέλλοντες ἐπὶ στέφανον τεῦξαι, καλέσαντο συνεργὸν §8.33τείχεος, ἦν ὅτι νιν πεπρωμένον §8.34ὀρνυμένων πολέμων §8.35πτολιπόρθοις ἐν μάχαις §8.36λάβρον ἀμπνεῦσαι καπνόν.
Whom the son of Leto and wide-ruling Poseidon, when they were about to build a crown for Ilium, called as a helper of the wall, because it was fated for it, when wars arose in city-destroying battles, to breathe forth fierce smoke.
§8.37γλαυκοὶ δὲ δράκοντες, ἐπεὶ κτίσθη νέον, §8.38πύργον ἐσαλλόμενοι τρεῖς, οἱ δύο μὲν κάπετον, §8.39αὖθι δʼ ἀτυζομένω ψυχὰς βάλον· §8.40εἷς δʼ ἀνόρουσε βοάσαις.
And blue serpents, when it was newly built, leaping onto the wall, three of them, two indeed fell down, and on the spot in terror gave up their lives; but one leaped up with a cry.
§8.41ἔννεπε δʼ ἀντίον ὁρμαίνων τέρας εὐθὺς, Ἀπόλλων· §8.42Πέργαμος ἀμφὶ τεαῖς, ἥρως, χερὸς ἐργασίαι ἁλίσκεται· §8.43ὣς ἐμοὶ φάσμα λέγει Κρονίδα §8.44πεμφθὲν βαρυγδούπου Διός·
Apollo, pondering the portent, spoke straightway against it: "Pergamos is captured, O hero, where your hands worked; so the vision speaks to me, sent by the son of Cronus, heavy-thundering Zeus.
§8.45οὐκ ἄτερ παίδων σέθεν, ἀλλʼ ἅμα πρώτοις ῥάζεται §8.46καὶ τερτάτοις. ὣς ἆρα θεὸς σάφα εἴπαις §8.47Ξάνθον ἤπειγεν καὶ Ἀμαζόνας εὐίππους καὶ ἐς Ἴστρον ἐλαύνων.
Not without your children, but with the first and third generations it is destroyed." Thus indeed the god spoke clearly, and hastened to Xanthus and the Amazons skilled in horses, and driving to the Ister.
§8.48Ὀρσοτρίαινα δʼ ἐπʼ Ἰσθμῷ ποντίᾳ §8.49ἅρμα θοὸν τανύεν, §8.50ἀποπέμπων Αἰακὸν §8.51δεῦρʼ ἀνʼ ἵπποις χρυσέαις, §8.52καὶ Κορίνθου δειράδʼ ἐποψόμενος δαιτικλυτάν.
And the wielder of the trident drove his swift chariot to the marine Isthmus, sending Aeacus back hither on golden horses, and to behold the feast-famed ridge of Corinth.
§8.53τερπνὸν δʼ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἴσον ἔσσεται οὐδέν.
But nothing equally pleasant will exist among men.
If I have run up in song to the glory brought to Melesias from the beardless youths, let envy not cast a rough stone at me.
For at Nemea also, in like manner, I will speak of this favor, and thereafter of the battle of men from the pancratium.
τὸ διδάξασθαι δέ τοι §8.60εἰδότι ῥᾴτερον· ἄγνωμον δὲ τὸ μὴ προμαθεῖν· §8.61κουφότεραι γὰρ ἀπειράτων φρένες.
To teach indeed is easier for one who knows; and it is foolish not to learn beforehand, for the minds of the inexperienced are lighter.
§8.62κεῖνα δὲ κεῖνος ἂν εἴποι §8.63ἔργα περαίτερον ἄλλων, τίς τρόπος ἄνδρα προβάσει §8.64ἐξ ἱερῶν ἀέθλων μέλλοντα ποθεινοτάταν δόξαν φέρειν.
That man indeed could speak of those deeds better than others—what way will guide a man who is about to bring home the most desired glory from sacred contests.
§8.65νῦν μὲν αὐτῷ γέρας Ἀλκιμέδων §8.66νίκαν τριακοστὰν ἑλών· §8.67ὃς τύχᾳ μὲν δαίμονος, ἀνορέας δʼ οὐκ ἀμπλακὼν §8.68ἐν τέτρασιν παίδων ἀπεθήκατο γυίοις §8.69νόστον ἔχθιστον καὶ ἀτιμοτέραν γλῶσσαν καὶ ἐπίκρυφον οἶμον, §8.70πατρὶ δὲ πατρὸς ἐνέπνευσεν μένος §8.71γήραος ἀντίπαλον.
Now indeed Alcimedon has brought him honor, having won his thirtieth victory; who, by the fortune of a god, and not lacking in courage, cast upon the limbs of four boys a most hateful return, and a more dishonored tongue, and a hidden path, and into his father's father breathed strength to rival old age.
§8.74ἀλλʼ ἐμὲ χρὴ μναμοσύναν ἀνεγείροντα φράσαι §8.75χειρῶν ἄωτον Βλεψιάδαις ἐπίνικον, §8.76ἕκτος οἷς ἤδη στέφανος περίκειται φυλλοφόρων ἀπʼ ἀγώνων.
But I must awake memory and speak of the choice victory of hands for the Blepsiadae, for whom already a sixth crown is placed around them from leaf-bearing contests.
§8.77ἔστι δὲ καί τι θανόντεσσιν μέρος §8.78κὰν νόμον ἐρδομένων· §8.79κατακρύπτει δʼ οὐ κόνις §8.80συγγόνων κεδνὰν χάριν.
The dead also have a share in rites performed according to custom; and the dust does not hide the noble favor of their kinsmen.
§8.81Ἑρμᾶ δὲ θυγατρὸς ἀκούσαις Ἰφίων §8.82Ἀγγελίας, ἐνέποι κεν Καλλιμάχῳ λιπαρὸν §8.83κόσμον Ὀλυμπίᾳ, ὅν σφι Ζεὺς γένει §8.84ὤπασεν.
If Iphion hears from Angelia, the daughter of Hermes, he would tell Callimachus of the brilliant ornament at Olympia, which Zeus granted to their race.
ἐσλὰ δʼ ἐπʼ ἐσλοῖς §8.85ἔργʼ ἐθέλοι δόμεν, ὀξείας δὲ νόσους ἀπαλάλκοι.
May he wish to grant good deeds upon good deeds, and ward off sharp diseases.