§2.1οἱ μὲν πάλαι, ὦ Θρασύβουλε, φῶτες, οἳ χρυσαμπύκων §2.2ἐς δίφρον Μοισᾶν ἔβαινον κλυτᾷ φόρμιγγι συναντόμενοι, §2.3ῥίμφα παιδείους ἐτόξευον μελιγάρυας ὕμνους, §2.4ὅστις ἐὼν καλὸς εἶχεν Ἀφροδίτας §2.5εὐθρόνου μνάστειραν ἁδίσταν ὀπώραν.
The men of old, Thrasybulus, who mounted the chariot of the golden-snooded Muses, meeting them with the glorious lyre, swiftly shot their honey-voiced hymns of boyhood love, at whoever was beautiful and possessed the sweetest autumn, the reminder of lovely-throned Aphrodite.
§2.6ἁ Μοῖσα γὰρ οὐ φιλοκερδής πω τότʼ ἦν οὐδʼ ἐργάτις· §2.7οὐδʼ ἐπέρναντο γλυκεῖαι μελιφθόγγου ποτὶ Τερψιχόρας §2.8ἀργυρωθεῖσαι πρόσωπα μαλθακόφωνοι ἀοιδαί.
For the Muse was not yet fond of gain then, nor a hired laborer; nor were sweet, soft-voiced songs sold under honey-voiced Terpsichore, having their faces silvered over.
§2.9νῦν δʼ ἐφίητι τὸ τὠργείου φυλάξαι §2.10ῥῆμʼ ἀλαθείας ἐτᾶς ἄγχιστα βαῖνον, §2.11χρήματα, χρήματʼ ἀνήρ,
ὃς φᾶ κτεάνων θʼ ἅμα λειφθεὶς καὶ φίλων.
But now she bids us keep the word of the Argive, which goes closest to actual truth: "Money, money is the man," which he said when stripped of possessions and friends alike.
§2.12ἐσσὶ γὰρ ὦν σοφός, οὐκ ἄγνωτʼ ἀείδω §2.13Ἰσθμίαν ἵπποισι νίκαν, §2.14τὰν Ξενοκράτει Ποσειδάων ὀπάσαις, §2.15Δωρίων αὐτῷ στεφάνωμα κόμᾳ §2.16πέμπεν ἀναδεῖσθαι σελίνων, §2.17εὐάρματον ἄνδρα γεραίρων, Ἀκραγαντίνων φάος.
For you are wise, so I sing of no unknown victory, the Isthmian victory with horses, which Poseidon granted to Xenocrates, and sent him a wreath of Dorian wild celery to bind upon his hair, honoring the man of the fine chariot, the light of the Agrigentines.
§2.18ἐν Κρίσᾳ δʼ εὐρυσθενὴς εἶδʼ Ἀπόλλων νιν πόρε τʼ ἀγλαΐαν §2.19καὶ τόθι· κλειναῖς δʼ Ἐρεχθειδᾶν χαρίτεσσιν ἀραρὼς §2.20ταῖς λιπαραῖς ἐν Ἀθάναις, οὐκ ἐμέμφθη §2.21ῥυσίδιφρον χεῖρα πλαξίπποιο φωτός, §2.22τὰν Νικόμαχος κατὰ καιρὸν νεῖμʼ ἁπάσαις ἁνίαις· §2.23ὅντε καὶ κάρυκες ὡρᾶν ἀνέγνον, σπονδοφόροι Κρονίδα §2.24Ζηνὸς Ἀλεῖοι, παθόντες πού τι φιλόξενον ἔργον· §2.25ἁδυπνόῳ τέ νιν ἀσπάζοντο φωνᾷ §2.26χρυσέας ἐν γούνασιν πίτνοντα Νίκας §2.27γαῖαν ἀνὰ σφετέραν, τὰν δὴ καλέοισιν Ὀλυμπίου Διὸς §2.28ἄλσος· ἵνʼ ἀθανάτοις Αἰνησιδάμου §2.29παῖδες ἐν τιμαῖς ἔμιχθεν.
And in Krisa wide-ruling Apollo looked upon him and granted him glory there too; and fitted with the glorious favors of the Erechtheids in shining Athens, he did not blame the chariot-saving hand of the horse-striking driver, which Nikomachos applied at the right moment to all the reins; whom also the heralds of the seasons recognized, the truce-bearing Eleans of Zeus, since they had experienced, no doubt, some hospitable deed from him; and they welcomed him with sweet-breathing voice as he fell upon the knees of golden Victory in their own land, which they call the grove of Olympian Zeus; where the sons of Ainesidamos were joined with immortal honors.
§2.30καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἀγνῶτες ὑμῖν ἐντὶ δόμοι §2.31οὔτε κώμων, ὦ Θρασύβουλʼ, ἐρατῶν, §2.32οὔτε μελικόμπων ἀοιδᾶν.
For indeed, Thrasybulus, your halls are not strangers to lovely revelry, nor to honey-sounding songs.
§2.33οὐ γὰρ πάγος, οὐδὲ προσάντης ἁ κέλευθος γίνεται, §2.34εἴ τις εὐδόξων ἐς ἀνδρῶν ἄγοι τιμὰς Ἑλικωνιάδων.
For the path is neither steep nor uphill, if one should bring the honors of the Heliconian Muses to the homes of famous men.
§2.35μακρὰ δισκήσαις ἀκοντίσσαιμι τοσοῦθʼ, ὅσον ὀργὰν §2.36Ξεινοκράτης ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων γλυκεῖαν §2.37ἔσχεν.
If I were to throw the discus far, I would cast the javelin as far as Xenocrates had a sweet disposition beyond other men.
αἰδοῖος μὲν ἦν ἀστοῖς ὁμιλεῖν, §2.38ἱπποτροφίας τε νομίζων ἐν Πανελλάνων νόμῳ· §2.39καὶ θεῶν δαῖτας προσέπτυκτο πάσας· οὐδέ ποτε ξενίαν §2.40οὖρος ἐμπνεύσαις ὑπέστειλʼ ἱστίον ἀμφὶ τράπεζαν· §2.41ἀλλʼ ἐπέρα ποτὶ μὲν Φᾶσιν θερείαις, §2.42ἐν δὲ χειμῶνι πλέων Νείλου πρὸς ἀκτάς.
He was revered in his intercourse with citizens, and maintained horse-breeding according to the custom of the Panhellenes; and he embraced all the banquets of the gods; nor did any wind of hospitality ever make him furl his sail around his table; but he sailed to Phasis in summer, and in winter sailed to the shores of the Nile.
§2.43μή νυν, ὅτι φθονεραὶ θνατῶν φρένας ἀμφικρέμανται ἐλπίδες, §2.44μήτʼ ἀρετάν ποτε σιγάτω πατρῴαν, §2.45μηδὲ τούσδʼ ὕμνους· ἐπεί τοι §2.46οὐκ ἐλινύσοντας αὐτοὺς εἰργασάμαν.
Now, let him not, because envious hopes hang around the minds of mortals, ever keep silent his father's excellence, nor these hymns; since I did not fashion them to stand idle.