§4.1ἄριστος εὐφροσύνα πόνων κεκριμένων §4.2ἰατρός· αἱ δὲ σοφαὶ §4.3Μοισᾶν θύγατρες ἀοιδαὶ θέλξαν νιν ἁπτόμεναι.
Joy is the best healer of decided struggles; and the wise daughters of the Muses, songs, soothe him by their touch.
Nor does warm water soothe the limbs so much, as praise accompanied by the lyre.
§4.6ῥῆμα δʼ ἑργμάτων χρονιώτερον βιοτεύει, §4.7ὅ τι κε σὺν Χαρίτων τύχᾳ §4.8γλῶσσα φρενὸς ἐξέλοι βαθείας.
For a word lives longer than deeds, whatever with the fortune of the Graces the tongue may draw from the depth of the mind.
§4.9τό μοι θέμεν Κρονίδᾳ τε Δὶ καὶ Νεμέᾳ §4.10Τιμασάρχου τε πάλᾳ §4.11ὕμνου προκώμιον εἴη· δέξαιτο δʼ Αἰακιδᾶν §4.12ἠΰπυργον ἕδος, δίκᾳ ξεναρκέϊ κοινὸν §4.13φέγγος.
May this be a prelude of the hymn for me, for Cronian Zeus, for Nemea, and for the wrestling of Timasarchus; and may the well-towered seat of the Aeacidae receive it, as a common light for all in hospitality-protecting justice.
εἰ δʼ ἔτι ζαμενεῖ Τιμόκριτος ἁλίῳ §4.14σὸς πατὴρ ἐθάλπετο, ποικίλον κιθαρίζων §4.15θαμά κε, τῷδε μέλει κλιθείς, §4.16υἱὸν κελάδησε καλλίνικον §4.17Κλεωναίου τʼ ἀπʼ ἀγῶνος ὅρμον στεφάνων §4.18πέμψαντα καὶ λιπαρᾶν §4.19εὐωνύμων ἀπʼ Ἀθανᾶν, Θήβαις τʼ ἐν ἑπταπύλοις, §4.20οὕνεκʼ Ἀμφιτρύωνος ἀγλαὸν παρὰ τύμβον §4.21Καδμεῖοί νιν οὐκ ἀέκοντες ἄνθεσι μίγνυον, §4.22Αἰγίνας ἕκατι.
If still under the burning sun Timocritus, your father, were warmed, playing the colorful lyre, frequently, leaning on this melody, he would have sung of his victorious son, who sent a chain of crowns from the contest of Cleonae, and from glorious, famous Athens, and in seven-gated Thebes, because beside the splendid tomb of Amphitryon, the Cadmeans gladly showered him with flowers, for the sake of Aegina.
For coming as a friend to friends, he beheld the hospitable city before the wealthy palace of Heracles.
§4.25σὺν ᾧ ποτε Τρωΐαν κραταιὸς Τελαμὼν §4.26πόρθησε καὶ Μέροπας §4.27καὶ τὸν μέγαν πολεμιστὰν ἔκπαγλον Ἀλκυονῆ, §4.28οὐ τετραορίας γε πρὶν δυώδεκα πέτρῳ §4.29ἥρωάς τʼ ἐπεμβεβαῶτας ἱπποδάμους ἕλεν §4.30δὶς τόσους.
With whom once mighty Telamon sacked Troy, and the island of Meropes, and the terrible great warrior Alcyoneus, before whom twelve four-horse chariots, and the horse-taming heroes riding on them, twice as many in number, he laid low with a great stone.
Inexperienced in battle would he seem, who does not understand my word; since it is natural for one who does something to also suffer.
§4.33τὰ μακρὰ δʼ ἐξενέπειν ἐρύκει με τεθμὸς §4.34ὧραί τʼ ἐπειγόμεναι· §4.35ἴϋγγι δʼ ἕλκομαι ἦτορ νουμηνίᾳ θιγέμεν.
But to speak at length is forbidden to me by the law, and by the pressing hours; and I am drawn in my heart by a strong desire to touch upon the new moon.
§4.36ἔμπα, καίπερ ἔχει βαθεῖα ποντιὰς ἅλμα §4.37μέσσον, ἀντίτεινʼ ἐπιβουλίᾳ· σφόδρα δόξομεν §4.38δαΐων ὑπέρτεροι ἐν φάει καταβαίνειν·
Nevertheless, though the deep sea-brine holds you by the waist, resist the conspiracy; we shall seem to descend into the light far superior to our enemies.
But another man, looking with envy, rolls an empty purpose in the darkness, and it falls to the ground.
But whatever virtue the sovereign destiny has given to me, I well know that passing time will fulfill as ordained.
§4.44ἐξύφαινε, γλυκεῖα, καὶ τόδʼ αὐτίκα, φόρμιγξ, §4.45Λυδίᾳ σὺν ἁρμονίᾳ μέλος πεφιλημένον §4.46Οἰνώνᾳ τε καὶ Κύπρῳ, ἔνθα Τεῦκρος ἀπάρχει §4.47ὁ Τελαμωνιάδας· ἀτὰρ §4.48Αἴας Σαλαμῖνʼ ἔχει πατρῴαν·
Weave, sweet lyre, right now, with Lydian harmony, a beloved melody, for Oenona and Cyprus, where Teucer reigns far away, the son of Telamon; but Ajax holds his ancestral Salamis.
§4.49ἐν δʼ Εὐξείνῳ πελάγει φαεννὰν Ἀχιλεὺς §4.50νᾶσον· Θέτις δὲ κρατεῖ §4.51Φθίᾳ· Νεοπτόλεμος δʼ Ἀπείρῳ διαπρυσίᾳ, §4.52βουβόται τόθι πρῶνες ἔξοχοι κατάκεινται §4.53Δωδώναθεν ἀρχόμενοι πρὸς Ἰόνιον πόρον.
And in the Euxine Sea Achilles rules a bright island, and Thetis rules in Phthia, and Neoptolemus in vast Epirus, where outstanding cattle-pasturing ridges lie, starting from Dodona to the Ionian strait.
§4.54Παλίου δὲ πὰρ ποδὶ λατρείαν Ἰαωλκὸν §4.55πολεμίᾳ χερὶ προστραπὼν §4.56Πηλεὺς παρέδωκεν Αἱμόνεσσιν §4.57δάμαρτος Ἱππολύτας Ἄκαστος δολίαις §4.58τέχναισι χρησάμενος·
And at the foot of Pelion, once-enslaved Iolcus, with a hostile hand, Peleus delivered to the Haemonians, after Acastus had used the cunning arts of his wife Hippolyta.
§4.59τᾷ Δαιδάλου τε μαχαίρᾳ φύτευέ οἱ θάνατον §4.60ἐκ λόχου, Πελίαο παῖς· ἄλαλκε δὲ Χείρων, §4.61καὶ τὸ μόρσιμον Διόθεν πεπρωμένον ἔκφερεν·
The son of Pelias, with Daedalus' dagger, plotted death for him from ambush, but Cheiron warded it off, and fulfilled the destiny ordained by Zeus.
§4.62πῦρ δὲ παγκρατὲς θρασυμαχάνων τε λεόντων §4.63ὄνυχας ὀξυτάτους ἀκμὰν §4.64τε δεινοτάτων σχάσαις ὀδόντων §4.65ἔγαμεν ὑψιθρόνων μίαν Νηρεΐδων, §4.66εἶδεν δʼ εὔκυκλον ἕδραν, §4.67τᾶς οὐρανοῦ βασιλῆες πόντου τʼ ἐφεζόμενοι §4.68δῶρα καὶ κράτος ἐξέφαναν ἐγγενὲς αὐτῷ.
And having escaped the all-conquering fire, and the sharpest claws of bold-scheming lions, and the edge of most terrible teeth, he married one of the high-throned Nereids, and saw the beautiful circular seat of the gods, whereon the kings of heaven and sea sitting, revealed gifts and the power inborn to his race.
Beyond Gadeira to the west is untraveled; turn back the tackle of the ship again to the land of Europe.
For it is impossible for me to go through the entire story of the children of Aeacus.
§4.73Θεανδρίδαισι δʼ ἀεξιγυίων ἀέθλων §4.74κάρυξ ἑτοῖμος ἔβαν §4.75Οὐλυμπίᾳ τε καὶ Ἰσθμοῖ Νεμέᾳ τε συνθέμενος, §4.76ἔνθα πεῖραν ἔχοντες οἴκαδε κλυτοκάρπων §4.77οὐ νέοντʼ ἄνευ στεφάνων, πάτραν ἵνʼ ἀκούομεν, §4.78Τιμάσαρχε, τ εὰ ν ἐπινικίοισιν ἀοιδαῖς §4.79πρόπολον ἔμμεναι.
And for the Theandridae, as a herald of body-strengthening contests ready I have come, having bound myself at Olympia, Isthmus, and Nemea, where, having made trial, they did not return home without crowns of glorious fruit, where we hear, Timasarchus, that your clan is a servant to victory songs.
If you bid me to your uncle Callicles, still to set up a monument, it is whiter than Parian stone.
§4.82ὁ χρυσὸς ἑψόμενος §4.83αὐγὰς ἔδειξεν ἁπάσας, ὕμνος δὲ τῶν ἀγαθῶν §4.84ἑργμάτων βασιλεῦσιν ἰσοδαίμονα τεύχει §4.85φῶτα·
As refined gold shows all its brilliance, so the hymn of noble deeds makes a man equal in fortune to kings.
κεῖνος ἀμφʼ Ἀχέροντι ναιετάων ἐμὰν §4.86γλῶσσαν εὑρέτω κελαδῆτιν, Ὀρσοτριαίνα §4.87ἵνʼ ἐν ἀγῶνι βαρυκτύπου §4.88θάλησε Κορινθίοις σελίνοις·
Let him, dwelling beyond Acheron, find my resounding tongue, where in the contest of the Earth-Shaker he flourished with Corinthian wild celery.
Whom Euphanes, your old ancestor, gladly sang once, my child.
Different comrades are for different people; and what a man has seen himself, each expects to speak of most excellently.
§4.93οἷον αἰνέων κε Μελησίαν ἔριδα στρέφοι, §4.94ῥήματα πλέκων, ἀπάλαιστος ἐν λόγῳ ἕλκειν, §4.95μαλακὰ μὲν φρονέων ἐσλοῖς, §4.96τραχὺς δὲ παλιγκότοις ἔφεδρος.
If one praises Melesias, how many words would he weave, drawing in the wrestling of speech, unwrestlable as he is in words to pull down, gentle in mind toward the noble, but a rough adversary standing against the hostile.