Aglaos' Victories and the Diverse Paths of Mortals

Notes

1. 10.10νασιῶτιν ἐκίνησεν λιγύφθογγον μέλισσαν — The "sweet-voiced island bee" is a metaphor for the poet himself (Bacchylides, who was from the island of Ceos). The subject of ἐκίνησεν is "the husband of his sister" (κασιγνήτας ἀκοίτας) in line 9, who commissioned the poet to compose the victory ode for Aglaos.
2. 10.11ἀχ]ειρὲς ἵνʼ ἀθάνατον Μουσᾶν ἄγαλμα — ἵνα introduces a purpose clause with the optative εἴη (oblique optative after the past tense main verb ἐκίνησεν). The adjective ἀχειρές ("not made by hands") contrasts the incorporeal and immortal monument of song with physical statues (ἄγαλμα) made by human hands.
3. 10.23βρέχω]ν δʼ ᾆξʼ αὖτε θατήρων ἐλαίῳ — βρέχων is a present participle agreeing with the subject of the main verb ᾆξε (3rd person singular aorist of ἀΐσσω, "rushed"). It vividly describes how the oil rubbed on the athlete's body wet the garments of the cheering spectators (θατήρων) as he lunged into the crowd after finishing the race.
4. 10.51τί μακρὰν γλῶσσαν ἰθύσας ἐλαύνω — ἰθύσας (having directed straight) modifies the tongue (γλῶσσαν). The poet rhetorically asks why he is driving his tongue far off the track (ἐκτός ὁδοῦ), serving as a conventional transition device to redirect his song back to the praise of the athlete's victory.