§3.1ὦ πότνια Μοῖσα, μᾶτερ ἁμετέρα, λίσσομαι, §3.2τὰν πολυξέναν ἐν ἱερομηνίᾳ Νεμεάδι §3.3ἵκεο Δωρίδα νᾶσον Αἴγιναν·
O queenly Muse, our mother, I beseech you, to the hospitable island in the sacred Nemean month come to the Dorian island of Aegina.
For by the water waiting by the Asopian stream, the fashioners of sweet-sounding revels, the young men, are longing for your voice.
§3.6διψῇ δὲ πρᾶγος ἄλλο μὲν ἄλλου· §3.7ἀε θλονικία δὲ μάλιστʼ ἀοιδὰν φιλεῖ, §3.8στεφάνων ἀρετᾶν τε δεξιωτάταν ὀπαδόν·
And each deed thirsts for a different thing; but victory in the games especially loves song, the most fitting companion of crowns and valiant deeds.
§3.9τᾶς ἀφθονίαν ὄπαζε μήτιος ἀμᾶς ἄπο· §3.10ἄρχε δʼ οὐρανοῦ πολυνεφέλα κρέοντι, θύγατερ, §3.11δόκιμον ὕμνον· ἐγὼ δὲ κείνων τέ νιν ὀάροις §3.12λύρᾳ τε κοινάσομαι.
Of this, grant abundance from my understanding; and begin, O daughter, for the ruler of the cloud-wrapped heaven, a glorious hymn; and I shall communicate it in the songs of those youth and with the lyre.
χαρίεντα δʼ ἕξει πόνον §3.13χώρας ἄγαλμα, Μυρμιδόνες ἵνα πρότεροι §3.14ᾤκησαν, ὧν παλαίφατον ἀγορὰν §3.15οὐκ ἐλεγχέεσσιν Ἀριστοκλείδας τεὰν §3.16ἐμίανε κατʼ αἶσαν ἐν περισθενεῖ μαλαχθεὶς §3.17παγκρατίου στόλῳ· καματωδέων δὲ πλαγᾶν §3.18ἄκος ὑγιηρὸν ἐν βαθυπεδίῳ Νεμέᾳ τὸ καλλίνικον φέρει.
And it will have a pleasing labor, as an ornament of the land, where of old the Myrmidons dwelt, whose anciently-famed assembly Aristocleides, by no disgrace, did not stain, through your destiny, nor did he grow soft in the powerful expedition of the pankration; but of wearying blows a healing remedy in deep-valed Nemea, the glorious victory brings.
§3.19εἰ δʼ ἐὼν καλὸς ἔρδων τʼ ἐοικότα μορφᾷ §3.20ἀνορέαις ὑπερτάταις ἐπέβα παῖς Ἀριστοφάν εο ς· οὐκέτι πρόσω §3.21ἀβάταν ἅλα κιόνων ὑπὲρ Ἡρακλέος περᾶν εὐμαρές, §3.22ἥρως θεὸς ἃς ἔθηκε ναυτιλίας ἐσχάτας §3.23μάρτυρας κλυτάς· δάμασε δὲ θῆρας ἐν πελάγεσιν §3.24ὑπέροχος, διά τʼ ἐξερεύνασε τεναγέων §3.25ῥοάς, ὅπα πόμπιμον κατέβαινε νόστου τέλος, §3.26καὶ γᾶν φράδασσε.
And if, being beautiful and doing deeds that match his form, the son of Aristophanes has embarked upon supreme manhood; no further is it easy to cross the untraveled sea beyond the pillars of Heracles, which the hero-god set up as famous witnesses of the furthest limit of sailing; and he subdued beasts in the seas, pre-eminent as he was, and thoroughly searched out the flows of the shallows, where he determined the escorting end of his return, and made the land known.
θυμέ, τίνα πρὸς ἀλλοδαπὰν §3.27ἄκραν ἐμὸν πλόον παραμείβ εαι;
My soul, to what foreign promontory are you deflecting my voyage?
§3.28Αἰακῷ σε φαμὶ γένει τε Μοῖσαν φέρειν, §3.29ἕπεται δὲ λόγῳ δίκας ἄωτος,
ἐσλὸς αἰνεῖν· §3.30οὐδʼ ἀλλοτρίων ἔρωτες ἀνδρὶ φέρειν κρέσσονες·
I bid you bring the Muse for Aeacus and his race; and the flower of justice follows the rule, to praise the noble; nor are desires for things of others better for a man to bear; seek at home.
And you have received a fitting ornament, to sing something sweet.
παλαιαῖσι δʼ ἐν ἀρεταῖς §3.33γέγαθε Πηλεὺς ἄναξ ὑπέραλλον αἰχμὰν ταμών· §3.34ὃς καὶ Ἰωλκὸν εἷλε μόνος ἄνευ στρατιᾶς, §3.35καὶ ποντίαν Θέτιν κατέμαρψεν §3.36ἐγκονητί.
And among ancient deeds of valor king Peleus rejoiced, having cut an extraordinary spear; he who also took Iolcus alone without an army, and seized the ocean-dwelling Thetis with much effort.
Λαομέδοντα δʼ εὐρυσθενὴς §3.37Τελαμὼν Ἰόλᾳ παραστάτας ἐὼν ἔπερσεν· §3.38καί ποτε χαλκότοξον Ἀμαζόνων μετʼ ἀλκὰν §3.39ἕπετό οἱ· οὐδέ νίν ποτε φόβος ἀνδροδάμας ἔπαυσεν ἀκμὰν φρενῶν.
And Laomedon was sacked by the mighty Telamon, who stood as a comrade-in-arms to Iolas; and once he followed him against the bronze-bowed strength of the Amazons; nor did man-subduing fear ever blunt the sharpness of his spirit.
§3.40συγγενεῖ δέ τις εὐδοξίᾳ μέγα βρίθει· §3.41ὃς δὲ διδάκτʼ ἔχει, ψεφηνὸς ἀνὴρ ἄλλοτʼ ἄλλα πνέων οὔ ποτʼ ἀτρεκεῖ §3.42κατέβα ποδί, μυριᾶν δʼ ἀρετᾶν ἀτελεῖ νόῳ γεύεται.
But by inborn glory a man carries great weight; but he who has only learned things is a shadow-man, breathing now this now that, and never with a steady foot does he enter the arena, tasting ten thousand virtues with an ineffectual mind.
§3.43ξανθὸς δʼ Ἀχιλεὺς τὰ μὲν μένων Φιλύρας ἐν δόμοις §3.44παῖς ἐὼν ἄθυρε μεγάλα ἔργα, χερσὶ θαμινὰ §3.45βραχυσίδαρον ἄκοντα πάλλων, ἴσα τʼ ἀνέμοις §3.46μάχᾳ λεόντεσσιν ἀγροτέροις ἔπρασσεν φόνον, §3.47κάπρους τʼ ἔναιρε, σώματα δὲ παρὰ Κρονίδαν §3.48Κένταυρον ἀσθμαίνοντα κόμιζεν, §3.49ἑξέτης τὸ πρῶτον, ὅλον δʼ ἔπειτʼ ἂν χρόνον·
And golden-haired Achilles, while staying in the home of Philyra, being still a child, played at great deeds, frequently brandishing with his hands a short-pointed javelin, and like the winds he dealt death in battle to wild lions, and slew wild boars, and carried their panting bodies to the Centaur, the son of Cronus, first at six years of age, and so for all the time thereafter.
§3.50τὸν ἐθάμβεον Ἄρτεμίς τε καὶ θρασεῖʼ Ἀθάνα, §3.51κτείνοντʼ ἐλάφους ἄνευ κυνῶν δολίων θʼ ἑρκέων· §3.52ποσσὶ γὰρ κράτεσκε.
Artemis and bold Athena marveled at him, as he slew stags without dogs or treacherous nets; for he excelled in swiftness of foot.
λεγόμενον δὲ τοῦτο προτέρων §3.53ἔπος ἔχω· βαθυμῆτα Χείρων τράφε λιθίνῳ §3.54Ἰάσονʼ ἔνδον τέγει, καὶ ἔπειτεν Ἀσκλήπιον, §3.55τὸν φαρμάκων δίδαξε μαλακόχειρα νόμον· §3.56νύμφευσε δʼ αὖτις ἀγλαόκαρπον §3.57Νηρέος θύγατρα, γόνον τέ οἱ φέρτατον §3.58ἀτίταλλεν, ἐν ἀρμένοισι πᾶσι θυμὸν αὔξων· §3.59ὄφρα θαλασσίαις ἀνέμων ῥιπαῖσι πεμφθεὶς §3.60ὑπὸ Τρωΐαν, δορίκτυπον ἀλαλὰν Λυκίων τε προσμένοι καὶ Φρυγῶν §3.61Δαρδάνων τε, καὶ ἐγχεσφόροις ἐπιμίξαις §3.62Αἰθιόπεσσι χεῖρας, ἐν φρασὶ πάξαιθʼ, ὅπως σφίσι μὴ κοίρανος ὀπίσω §3.63πάλιν οἴκαδʼ ἀνεψιὸς ζαμενὴς Ἑλένοιο Μέμνων μόλοι.
I have this tale told by those of old: deep-minded Cheiron raised Jason within his stone roof, and afterwards Asclepius, whom he taught the gentle-handed law of medicine; and then he arranged the marriage of the splendid-fruited daughter of Nereus, and nurtured her most excellent offspring for her, growing his spirit in all fitting things; so that, sent by the sea-blasts of the winds to Troy, he might withstand the spear-clashing battle-shout of the Lycians, Phrygians, and Dardanians, and joining in close combat with the spear-bearing Ethiopians, he might fix it in his mind that their violent ruler, Helenus' cousin, Memnon, should ever return home again.
§3.64τηλαυγὲς ἄραρε φέγγος Αἰακιδᾶν αὐτόθεν· §3.65Ζεῦ, τεὸν γὰρ αἷμα, σέο δʼ ἀγών, τὸν ὕμνος ἔβαλεν §3.66ὀπὶ νέων ἐπιχώριον χάρμα κελαδέων.
From there, the far-shining light of the Aeacidae is firmly fixed; O Zeus, for they are of your blood, and yours is the contest which this hymn has struck, singing the local joy with the voice of the young men.
§3.67βοὰ δὲ νικαφόρῳ σὺν Ἀριστοκλείδᾳ πρέπει, §3.68ὃς τάνδε νᾶσον εὐκλέϊ προσέθηκε λόγῳ §3.69καὶ σεμνὸν ἀγλααῖσι μερίμναις §3.70Πυθίου Θεάριον.
And the shout of triumph is fittingly joined with victorious Aristocleides, who has linked this island with glorious fame, and, with his splendid achievements, the venerable Thearion of Pythian Apollo.
ἐν δὲ πείρᾳ τέλος §3.71διαφαίνεται, ὧν τις ἐξοχώτερος γένηται, §3.72ἐν παισὶ νέοισι παῖς, ἐν ἀνδράσιν ἀνήρ, τρίτον §3.73ἐν παλαιτέροισι, μέρος ἕκαστον οἷον ἔχομεν §3.74βρότεον ἔθνος.
But in trial the final issue is made manifest, in which a man may prove superior, as a boy among young boys, a man among men, and thirdly among elders, according to each stage which we, the mortal race, possess.
ἐλᾷ δὲ καὶ τέσσαρας ἀρετὰς §3.75ὁ θνατὸς αἰών, φρονεῖν δʼ ἐνέπει τὸ παρκείμενον.
And mortal life also drives four virtues, and bids us be wise concerning what is at hand.
§3.76τῶν οὐκ ἄπεσσι.
Of these you are not lacking.
χαῖρε, φίλος.
Farewell, my friend!
ἐγὼ τόδε τοι §3.77πέμπω μεμιγμένον μέλι λευκῷ §3.78σὺν γάλακτι, κιρναμένα δʼ ἔερσʼ ἀμφέπει, §3.79πόμʼ ἀοίδιμον Αἰολῇσιν ἐν πνοαῖσιν αὐλῶν, §3.80ὀψέ περ.
I send this to you, honey mixed with white milk, which the blended dew surrounds, a drink of song, accompanied by the Aeolian breaths of flutes, though sent late.
ἔστι δʼ αἰετὸς ὠκὺς ἐν ποτανοῖς, §3.81ὃς ἔλαβεν αἶψα, τηλόθε μεταμαιόμενος, δαφοινὸν ἄγραν ποσίν· §3.82κραγέται δὲ κολοιοὶ ταπεινὰ νέμονται.
But the eagle is swift among winged things, who, seeking his prey from afar, suddenly seizes the bloody quarry with his talons; but the chattering daws feed in the low places.