Humanitext Reader

Pindar · Isthmian Odes §5.1-5.63

Hymn to Theia and Praise for the Aeacidae and Phylacidas

Passage 5 of 8 · Greek

Summary

Beginning with a hymn to Theia, mother of the Sun, the poet reflects on human glory and the divine origin of success, going on to celebrate the mythological exploits of the Aeacidae and the victory of Phylacidas and Pytheas in the pancratium.

§5.1μᾶτερ Ἁλίου πολυώνυμε Θεία, §5.2σέο ἕκατι καὶ μεγασθενῆ νόμισαν §5.3χρυσὸν ἄνθρωποι περιώσιον ἄλλων·
O Theia of many names, mother of the Sun, by your favor men have esteemed gold as mighty exceedingly beyond other things.
§5.4καὶ γὰρ ἐριζόμεναι §5.5νᾶες ἐν πόντῳ καὶ ὑφʼ ἅρμασιν ἵπποι §5.6διὰ τεάν, ὤνασσα, τιμὰν ὠκυδινάτοις ἐν ἁμίλλαισι θαυμασταὶ πέλονται·
For indeed, contending ships on the sea and horses under chariots by your honor, O queen, become wondrous in swift-whirling contests.
§5.7ἔν τʼ ἀγωνίοις ἀέθλοισι ποθεινὸν §5.8κλέος ἔπραξεν, ὅντινʼ ἀθρόοι στέφανοι §5.9χερσὶ νικάσαντʼ ἀνέδησαν ἔθειραν §5.10ἢ ταχυτᾶτι ποδῶν.
And in athletic contests, that longed-for glory is won by him whose hair the crowded crowns have bound, when he conquered with his hands or by the swiftness of his feet.
§5.11κρίνεται δʼ ἀλκὰ διὰ δαίμονας ἀνδρῶν.
But the prowess of men is decided through the gods.
§5.12δύο δέ τοι ζωᾶς ἄωτον μοῦνα ποιμαίνοντι τὸν ἄλπνιστον εὐανθεῖ σὺν ὄλβῳ, §5.13εἴ τις εὖ πάσχων λόγον ἐσλὸν ἀκούῃ.
And only two things shepherd the sweetest blossom of life along with blooming prosperity, if one, faring well, hears himself well spoken of.
§5.14μὴ μάτευε Ζεὺς γενέσθαι· πάντʼ ἔχεις, §5.15εἴ σε τούτων μοῖρʼ ἐφίκοιτο καλῶν.
Seek not to become Zeus; you have everything, if a share of these beautiful things should come to you.
§5.16θνατὰ θνατοῖσι πρέπει.
Mortal things befit mortal men.
§5.17τὶν δʼ ἐν Ἰσθμῷ διπλόα θάλλοισʼ ἀρετά, §5.18Φυλακίδα, κεῖται, Νεμέα δὲ καὶ ἀμφοῖν, §5.19Πυθέᾳ τε παγκρατίου.
And for you, Phylacidas, a double flourishing excellence lies ready at the Isthmus, and at Nemea for both of you, and for Pytheas in the pancratium.
τὸ δʼ ἐμὸν §5.20οὐκ ἄτερ Αἰακιδᾶν κέαρ ὕμνων γεύεται· §5.21σὺν Χάρισιν δʼ ἔμολον Λάμπωνος υἱοῖς §5.22τάνδʼ ἐς εὔνομον πόλιν.
And my heart does not taste of hymns without the Aeacidae; and with the Graces I have come for the sons of Lampon to this well-ordered city.
εἰ δὲ τέτραπται §5.23θεοδότων ἔργων κέλευθον ἂν καθαράν, §5.24μὴ φθόνει κόμπον τὸν ἐοικότʼ ἀοιδᾷ §5.25κιρνάμεν ἀντὶ πόνων.
And if they have turned up along a clean path of god-given deeds, grudge not to blend for them the boast that is befitting song in return for their labors.
§5.26καὶ γὰρ ἡρώων ἀγαθοὶ πολεμισταὶ §5.27λόγον ἐκέρδαναν, κλέονται δʼ ἔν τε φορμίγγεσσιν ἐν αὐλῶν τε παμφώνοις ὁμοκλαῖς §5.28μυρίον χρόνον· μελέταν δὲ σοφισταῖς §5.29Διὸς ἕκατι πρόσβαλον σεβιζόμενοι·
For indeed, the noble warriors among heroes won renown, and are celebrated both in the lyres and in the all-voiced harmonies of flutes for countless time; and they have provided themes for wise poets by the favor of Zeus, while being honored.
§5.30ἐν μὲν Αἰτωλῶν θυσίαισι φαενναῖς §5.31Οἰνεΐδαι κρατεροί, §5.32ἐν δὲ Θήβαις ἱπποσόας Ἰόλαος §5.33γέρας ἔχει, Περσεὺς δʼ ἐν Ἄργει, Κάστορος δʼ αἰχμὰ Πολυδεύκ εο ς τʼ ἐπʼ Εὐρώτα ῥεέθροις.
In the bright sacrifices of the Aetolians, the mighty sons of Oeneus have honor; and in Thebes horse-driving Iolaus has his reward, and Perseus in Argos, and the spear of Castor and Polydeuces by the streams of Eurotas.
§5.34ἀλλʼ ἐν Οἰνώνᾳ μεγαλήτορες ὀργαὶ §5.35Αἰακοῦ παίδων τε· τοὶ καὶ σὺν μάχαις §5.36δὶς πόλιν Τρώων πράθον ἑσπόμενοι §5.37Ἡρακλῆϊ πρότερον, §5.38καὶ σὺν Ἀτρείδαις.
But in Oenona, the great-hearted tempers of Aeacus and his sons; who also with battles twice sacked the city of the Trojans, following Heracles first, and then with the Atridae.
ἔλα νῦν μοι πεδόθεν· §5.39λέγε, τίνες Κύκνον, τίνες Ἕκτορα πέφνον, §5.40καὶ στράταρχον Αἰθιόπων ἄφοβον §5.41Μέμνονα χαλκοάραν·
Drive now for me from the ground; say, who slew Cycnus, who Hector, and the fearless army-leader of the Ethiopians, bronze-clad Memnon?
τίς ἄρʼ ἐσλὸν Τήλεφον §5.42τρῶσεν ἑῷ δορὶ Καΐκου παρʼ ὄχθαις;
Who then wounded noble Telephus with his spear by the banks of Caicus?
§5.43τοῖσιν Αἴγιναν προφέρει στόμα πάτραν §5.44διαπρεπέα νᾶσον· τετείχισται δὲ πάλαι §5.45πύργος ὑψηλαῖς ἀρεταῖς ἀναβαίνειν.
For them their native land, Aegina, is held up by the mouth as a distinguished island; and long ago has been built a tower for climbing to lofty excellences.
§5.46πολλὰ μὲν ἀρτιεπὴς §5.47γλῶσσά μοι τοξεύματʼ ἔχει περὶ κείνων §5.48κελαδέσαι· καὶ νῦν ἐν Ἄρει μαρτυρήσαι κεν πόλις Αἴαντος ὀρθωθεῖσα ναύταις §5.49ἐν πολυφθόρῳ Σαλαμὶς Διὸς ὄμβρῳ §5.50ἀναρίθμων ἀνδρῶν χαλαζάεντι φόνῳ.
Many indeed are the arrows my swift-speaking tongue possesses concerning them, to sing aloud; and now in war the city of Ajax, Salamis, could bear witness, being kept upright by her sailors in the destructive rain of Zeus, and the hail-like slaughter of countless men.
§5.51ἀλλʼ ὅμως καύχημα κατάβρεχε σιγᾷ· §5.52Ζεὺς τά τε καὶ τὰ νέμει, §5.53Ζεὺς ὁ πάντων κύριος.
But nevertheless, drench the boast in silence; Zeus dispenses both this and that, Zeus the lord of all.
ἐν δʼ ἐρατεινῷ §5.54μέλιτι καὶ τοιαίδε τιμαὶ καλλίνικον χάρμʼ ἀγαπάζοντι.
But in lovely honey such honors also welcome the victory-joy.
μαρνάσθω τις ἔρδων §5.55ἀμφʼ ἀέθλοισιν γενεὰν Κλεονίκου §5.56ἐκμαθών· οὔτοι τετύφλωται μακρὸς §5.57μόχθος ἀνδρῶν· οὐδʼ ὁπόσαι δαπάναι §5.58ἐλπίδων ἔκνισʼ ὄπιν.
Let a man fight, after learning thoroughly of the family of Cleonicus, contending for prizes; for surely the long toil of men has not been blinded, nor have the expenses, whatever they were, grated upon the hope's concern.
§5.59αἰνέω καὶ Πυθέαν ἐν γυιοδάμαις §5.60Φυλακίδᾳ πλαγᾶν δρόμον εὐθυπορῆσαι §5.61χερσὶ δεξιόν, νόῳ ἀντίπαλον.
I praise Pytheas also, among the limb-subduers, for steering straight the course of Phylacidas' blows, dexterous in his hands, and an equal match in mind.
§5.62λάμβανέ οἱ στέφανον, φέρε δʼ εὔμαλλον μίτραν, §5.63καὶ πτερόεντα νέον σύμπεμψον ὕμνον.
Take a crown for him, and bring the fine-wool headband, and send along with it this new winged hymn.

Notes

  1. §5.1σέο ἕκατι καὶ μεγασθενῆ νόμισαν χρυσὸν ἄνθρωποι — The goddess of light, Theia, is credited as the reason why men deem gold to be exceptionally mighty. χρυσόν is the direct object of νόμισαν, and μεγασθενῆ is the predicative accusative adjective.
  2. §5.8ἔν τʼ ἀγωνίοις ἀέθλοισι ποθεινὸν κλέος ἔπραξεν, ὅντινʼ — The verb ἔπραξεν is a gnomic aorist expressing a general truth, whose logical subject is the antecedent of the relative pronoun ὅντινα. The overall structure means 'longed-for glory is achieved in contests by anyone whose hair the crowded crowns have bound.'
  3. §5.23ἂν καθαράν — The word ἂν is the preposition ἀνά undergoing apocope, placed in anastrophe to govern the accusative καθαρὰν [κέλευθον], meaning 'up along a clean path.' It is not the modal particle ἄν.
  4. §5.45τετείχισται δὲ πάλαι πύργος ὑψηλαῖς ἀρεταῖς ἀναβαίνειν — The infinitive ἀναβαίνειν expresses purpose or result, defining the metaphor πύργος ('tower'). The syntax indicates that Aegina has long been built as a tower for climbing up to lofty excellences.
  5. §5.48μαρτυρήσαι κεν πόλις Αἴαντος... Σαλαμίς — A long hyperbaton is formed as the subject Σαλαμίς and its modifying participle ὀρθωθεῖσα ('kept upright by her sailors') are separated by various qualifying prepositional and dative/genitive phrases. The core of the clause is 'Salamis, the city of Ajax, could bear witness (μαρτυρήσαι κεν),' with the historical details of the Persian War inserted as modifiers.

Cite this passage

Pindar, Isthmian Odes §5.1-5.63. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0033.tlg004.humanitext-grc2:5.1-5.63

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.