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Pindar · Pythian Odes §12.1-12.32

Victory of Midas and Athena's Invention of the Flute

Passage 18 of 18 · Greek

Summary

The poet praises the city of Acragas and Persephone, celebrating Midas' victory in the Pythian flute-playing contest. He then relates the myth of how Athena invented flute music to imitate the Gorgons' lament after Perseus slew Medusa.

§12.1αἰτέω σε, φιλάγλαε, καλλίστα βροτεᾶν πολίων, §12.2Φερσεφόνας ἕδος, ἅ τʼ ὄχθαις ἔπι μηλοβότου §12.3ναίεις Ἀκράγαντος ἐΰδματον κολώναν, ὦ ἄνα, §12.4ἵλαος ἀθανάτων ἀνδρῶν τε σὺν εὐμενίᾳ §12.5δέξαι στεφάνωμα τόδʼ ἐκ Πυθῶνος εὐδόξῳ Μίδᾳ, §12.6αὐτόν τέ νιν Ἑλλάδα νικάσαντα τέχνᾳ, τάν ποτε §12.7Παλλὰς ἐφεῦρε θρασειᾶν Γοργόνων §12.8οὔλιον θρῆνον διαπλέξαισʼ Ἀθάνα· §12.9τὸν παρθενίοις ὑπό τʼ ἀπλάτοις ὀφίων κεφαλαῖς §12.10ἄϊε λειβόμενον δυσπενθέϊ σὺν καμάτῳ, §12.11Περσεὺς ὁπότε τρίτον ἄνυσσεν κασιγνητᾶν μέρος, §12.12εἰναλίᾳ τε Σερίφῳ λαοῖσί τε μοῖραν ἄγων.
I pray to you, splendor-loving, most beautiful of mortal cities, seat of Persephone, you who on the banks of sheep-grazing Acragas dwell on the well-built hill, O queen, propitious, with the goodwill of both immortals and men, receive this crown from Pytho for glorious Midas, and him himself, who conquered Greece in the art which once Pallas Athena found, when she wove the deadly lament of the bold Gorgons; which she heard flowing from the maidenly and unapproachable heads of serpents with grievous distress, when Perseus accomplished the third part of the sisters, and brought fate to marine Seriphos and its people.
§12.13ἤτοι τό τε θεσπέσιον Φόρκοιο μαύρωσεν γένος, §12.14λυγρόν τʼ ἔρανον Πολυδέκτᾳ θῆκε ματρός τʼ ἔμπεδον §12.15δουλοσύναν τό τʼ ἀναγκαῖον λέχος, §12.16εὐπαράου κρᾶτα συλάσαις Μεδοίσας §12.17υἱὸς Δανάας· τὸν ἀπὸ χρυσοῦ φαμεν αὐτορύτου §12.18ἔμμεναι.
Truly he blinded the wondrous race of Phorcys, and made a grievous feast for Polydectes, and his mother's lasting slavery and forced bed, by despoiling the head of fair-cheeked Medusa, the son of Danae; whom we say was born from the self-flowing gold.
ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ ἐκ τούτων φίλον ἄνδρα πόνων §12.19ἐρρύσατο, παρθένος αὐλῶν τεῦχε πάμφωνον μέλος, §12.20ὄφρα τὸν Εὐρυάλας ἐκ καρπαλιμᾶν γενύων §12.21χριμφθέντα σὺν ἔντεσι μιμήσαιτʼ ἐρικλάγκταν γόον.
But when from these labors she had rescued her dear man, the maiden created the all-voiced melody of flutes, so that she might imitate the loud-sounding wailing which poured from the swift jaws of Euryale together with her serpent armor.
§12.22εὗρεν θεός· ἀλλά νιν εὑροῖσʼ ἀνδράσι θνατοῖς ἔχειν, §12.23ὠνόμασεν κεφαλᾶν πολλᾶν νόμον, §12.24εὐκλεᾶ λαοσσόων μναστῆρʼ ἀγώνων, §12.25λεπτοῦ διανισσόμενον χαλκοῦ θαμὰ καὶ δονάκων, §12.26τοὶ παρὰ καλλιχόρῳ ναίοισι πόλει Χαρίτων. §12.27Καφισίδος ἐν τεμένει, πιστοὶ χορευτᾶν μάρτυρες.
The goddess found it; but having found it for mortal men to possess, she named it the "tune of many heads," the glorious reminder of people-stirring contests, which passes through thin bronze and reeds, which dwell by the city of the Graces with beautiful dances, in the sacred precinct of Cephisus, faithful witnesses of dancers.
§12.28εἰ δέ τις ὄλβος ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν, ἄνευ καμάτου §12.29οὐ φαίνεται· ἐκ δὲ τελευτάσει νιν ἤτοι σάμερον §12.30δαίμων—τὸ δὲ μόρσιμον οὐ παρφυκτόν,—ἀλλʼ ἔσται χρόνος §12.31οὗτος, ὃ καί τινʼ ἀελπτίᾳ βαλὼν §12.32ἔμπαλιν γνώμας τὸ μὲν δώσει, τὸ δʼ οὔπω.
But if there is any prosperity among men, it does not appear without labor; yet a god will bring it to an end, either today— and what is fated cannot be escaped—but there will be a time which, striking someone with unexpected change, contrary to his expectation, will give one thing, and another not yet.

Notes

  1. §12.1καλλίστα βροτεᾶν πολίων — A vocative noun phrase personifying the city of Acragas (Agrigento). It stands in apposition to σε, the direct object of αἰτέω. The subsequent phrases "seat of Persephone" and "you who dwell on the hill of Acragas" also refer to the city.
  2. §12.6αὐτόν τέ νιν — νιν is the third-person singular accusative pronoun, serving as the object of δέξαι (§12.5). αὐτόν is an intensive adjective ('him himself'), forming a double object structure with the preceding στεφάνωμα ('receive this crown... and him himself').
  3. §12.9τὸν ... ἄϊε — The relative pronoun τὸν refers to the preceding θρῆνον (§12.8). The subject of the main verb ἄϊε ('heard') is Athena (Pallas Athena), and the participle λειβόμενον describes the lament flowing or pouring forth.
  4. §12.11τρίτον ... κασιγνητᾶν μέρος — Literally 'the third part of the sisters,' a circumlocution referring to the head of Medusa, the third and only mortal sister among the three Gorgons (Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa).
  5. §12.21σὺν ἔντεσι — Although ἔντεα usually refers to 'armor' or 'instruments,' here it metaphorically represents the serpent fangs growing from the Gorgon's head, or the menacing snakes themselves, viewed as weapons of war or instruments producing sound.
  6. §12.22ἔχειν — An epexegetic infinitive of purpose, meaning 'for mortal men to possess and keep [the art of flutes].' It depends on the preceding participle εὑροῖσʼ ('having found').
  7. §12.31ὃ καί ... δώσει — A relative clause introduced by ὃ, which refers back to χρόνος (§12.30) as its antecedent (a neuter relative pronoun referring to a masculine noun, treating 'time' or 'the moment' as a general concept). The subject, 'this time/moment,' throws a person (τινʼ) into unexpected despair, giving one thing while withholding another.

Cite this passage

Pindar, Pythian Odes §12.1-12.32. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0033.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:12.1-12.32

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