Humanitext Reader

Bacchylides · Epinician Odes §5.1-5.103

Praise of Hieron and Heracles in the Underworld

Passage 5 of 16 · Greek

Summary

The poet addresses Hieron of Syracuse, comparing his own poetic skill to a soaring eagle and praising the horse Pherenikos. He then transitions to the myth of Heracles meeting the shade of Meleager in the underworld.

§5.1εὔμοιρε Συρακοσίων §5.2ἱπποδινήτων στραταγέ, §5.3γνώσει μὲν ἰοστεφάνων §5.4Μοισᾶν γλυκύδωρον ἄγαλμα, τῶν γε νῦν §5.5αἴ τις ἐπιχθονίων, §5.6ὀρθῶς·
Fortunate general of the Syracuse horsemen, you will recognize correctly the sweet-gifted ornament of the violet-crowned Muses, if any of the mortals now living does so rightly.
φρένα δʼ εὐθύδικον §5.7ἀτρέμʼ ἀμπαύσας μεριμνᾶν §5.8δεῦρʼ ἐπάθρησον νόῳ, §5.9ᾗ σὺν Χαρίτεσσι βαθυζώνοις ὑφάνας §5.10ὕμνον ἀπὸ ζαθέας §5.11νάσου ξένος ὑμετέραν πέμ- §5.12πει κλεεννὰν ἐς πόλιν, §5.13χρυσάμπυκος Οὐρανίας κλει- §5.14νὸς θεράπων·
But resting your straight-judging mind gently from cares, look here with your intellect, how the guest-friend, having woven a hymn with the deep-girdled Graces, sends it from the sacred island to your famous city, the renowned servant of golden-filleted Urania.
ἐθέλει δὲ §5.15γᾶρυν ἐκ στηθ έω ν χέων §5.16αἰνεῖν Ἱέρωνα.
And he wishes, pouring forth speech from his chest, to praise Hieron.
βαθὺν §5.17δʼ αἰθέρα ξουθαῖσι τάμνων §5.18ὑψοῦ πτερύγεσσι ταχεί- §5.19αις αἰετὸς εὐρυάνακτος ἄγγελος §5.20Ζηνὸς ἐρισφαράγου §5.21θαρσεῖ κρατερᾷ πίσυνος §5.22ἰσχύϊ, πτάσσοντι δʼ ὄρνι- §5.23χες λιγύφθογγοι φόβῳ·
Cutting the deep ether with his swift, golden-brown wings, high aloft the eagle, the messenger of wide-ruling, loud-thundering Zeus, proceeds boldly, trusting in his mighty strength; and the clear-toned birds shrink in fear.
§5.24οὔ νιν κορυφαὶ μεγάλας ἴσχουσι γαίας, §5.25οὐδʼ ἁλὸς ἀκαμάτας §5.26δυσπαίπαλα κύματα· νωμᾶ- §5.27ται δʼ ἐν ἀτρύτῳ χάει §5.28λεπτότριχα σὺν ζεφύρου πνοι- §5.29αῖσιν ἔθειραν ἀρίγνω- §5.30τος μετʼ ἀνθρώποις ἰδεῖν·
Neither the peaks of the great earth hold him back, nor the difficult-to-travel waves of the unwearied sea; but he moves in the endless chaos, with the breezes of the West Wind, his fine-feathered plumage easily distinguished for men to see.
§5.31τὼς νῦν καὶ ἐμοὶ μυρία πάντᾳ κέλευθος §5.32ὑμετέραν ἀρετὰν §5.33ὑμνεῖν, κυανοπλοκάμου θʼ ἕκατι Νίκας §5.34χαλκεοστέρνου τʼ Ἄρηος, §5.35Δεινομένευς ἀγέρω- §5.36χοι παῖδες· εὖ ἔρδων δὲ μὴ κάμοι θεός.
Thus now for me also a countless path lies open in every direction to hymn your excellence, by the favor of dark-haired Victory and bronze-breasted Ares, proud sons of Deinomenes; and may the god not grow weary of doing well.
§5.37ξανθότριχα μὲν Φερένικον §5.38Ἀλφεὸν παρʼ εὐρυδίναν §5.39πῶλον ἀελλοδρόμαν §5.40εἶδε νικάσαντα χρυσόπαχυς Ἀώς, §5.41Πυθῶνί τʼ ἐν ἀγαθέᾳ·
The golden-haired Pherenikos by the broad-whirling Alpheos as a storm-running colt golden-armed Dawn saw victorious, and at sacred Pytho.
§5.42γᾷ δʼ ἐπισκήπτων πιφαύσκω· §5.43οὔπω νιν ὑπὸ προτέρων §5.44ἵππων ἐν ἀγῶνι κατέχρανεν κόνις §5.45πρὸς τέλος ὀρνύμενον· §5.46ῥιπᾷ γὰρ ἴσος βορέα §5.47ὃν κυβερνήταν φυλάσσων §5.48ἵεται νεόκροτον §5.49νίκαν Ἱέρωνι φιλοξείνῳ τιτύσκων.
And touching the earth, I declare: never yet in the race did the dust of horses in front of him defile him as he rushed toward the goal; for equal to the gust of the North Wind, keeping watch over his driver, he darts, securing a newly-applauded victory for hospitable Hieron.
§5.50ὄλβιος ᾧτινι θ εὸ ς §5.51μοῖράν τε καλῶν ἔπορεν §5.52σύν τʼ ἐπιζήλῳ τύχᾳ §5.53ἀφν εὸ ν βιοτὰν διάγειν· οὐ §5.54γάρ τις ἐπιχθονίων §5.55πάντα γʼ εὐδαίμων ἔφυ.
Blessed is he to whom the god has granted a share of beautiful things and with enviable fortune to lead a wealthy life; for no one of mortals is born happy in all things.
§5.56καὶ μάν π]οτʼ ἐρειψιπύλαν §5.57παῖδʼ ἀνίκ]ατον λέγουσιν §5.58δῦναι Διὸς] ἀργικεραύ- §5.59νου δώματα Φερσεφόνας τανισφύρου, §5.60καρχαρόδοντα κύνʼ ἄ- §5.61ξοντʼ ἐς φάος ἐξ Ἀΐδα, §5.62υἱὸν ἀπλάτοιʼ Ἐχίδνας·
And indeed they say that once the gate-shattering, invincible son of white-lightning-flashing Zeus descended to the halls of slender-ankled Persephone, to bring the sharp-toothed dog into the light from Hades, the son of the unapproachable Echidna.
§5.63ἔνθα δυστάνων βροτῶν §5.64ψυχὰς ἐδάη παρὰ Κωκυτοῦ ῥεέθροις, §5.65οἷά τε φύλλʼ ἄνεμος §5.66Ἴδας ἀνὰ μηλοβότους §5.67πρῶνας ἀργηστὰς δονεῖ.
There he perceived the souls of wretched mortals by the streams of Cocytus, like the leaves that the wind shakes along the sheep-grazing bright peaks of Ida.
§5.68ταῖσιν δὲ μετέπρεπεν εἴδω- §5.69λον θρασυμέμνονος ἐγ- §5.70χεσπάλου Πορθανίδα·
And among them stood out the shade of the bold-hearted, spear-brandishing descendant of Porthaon.
§5.71τὸν δʼ ὡς ἴδεν Ἀλκμήνιος θαυμαστὸς ἥρως §5.72τεύχεσι λαμπόμενον, §5.73νευρὰν ἐπέβασε λιγυκλαγγῆ κορώνας, §5.74χαλκεόκρανον δʼ ἔπειτʼ ἐξ- §5.75είλετο ϝιὸν ἀνα- §5.76πτύξας φαρέτρας πῶμα·
When the wonderful hero, Alcmene's son, saw him gleaming in his armor, he placed the clear-sounding string on the bow-tip, and then took out a bronze-headed arrow, opening the lid of his quiver.
τῷ δʼ ἐναντία §5.77ψυχὰ προφάνη Μελεάγρου §5.78καί νιν εὖ εἰδὼς προσεῖπεν· §5.79υἱὲ Διὸς μεγάλου, §5.80στᾶθί τʼ ἐν χώρᾳ, γελανώσας τε θυμόν §5.81μὴ ταΰσιον προΐει §5.82τραχὺν ἐκ χειρῶν ὀϊστὸν §5.83ψυχαῖσιν ἔπι φθιμένων· §5.84οὔτοι δέος. ὣς φάτο· θάμβησεν δʼ ἄναξ §5.85Ἀμφιτρυωνιάδας, §5.86εἶπέν τε· τίς ἀθανάτων §5.87ἢ βροτῶν τοιοῦτον ἔρνος §5.88θρέψεν ἐν ποίᾳ χθονί;
But against him the soul of Meleager appeared and, knowing well, addressed him: "Son of great Zeus, stand in your place, and calming your spirit, do not release in vain the rough arrow from your hands against the souls of the deceased; there is no danger." So he spoke; and the lord son of Amphitryon was amazed, and said: "What immortal or mortal reared such a young shoot, and in what land?
§5.89τίς δʼ ἔκτανεν;
And who killed you?
ἦ τάχα καλλίζωνος Ἥρα §5.90κεῖνον ἐφʼ ἁμετέρᾳ §5.91πέμψει κεφαλᾷ· τὰ δέ που §5.92Παλλάδι ξανθᾷ μέλει. §5.93τὸν δὲ προσέφα Μελέαγρος §5.94δακρυόεις· χαλεπὸν §5.95θ εῶ ν παρατρέψαι νόον §5.96ἄνδρεσσιν ἐπιχθονίοις.
Surely beautiful-girdled Hera will send him against my head; but that, I suppose, is the care of golden-haired Pallas." And Meleager addressed him weeping: "It is hard to turn aside the mind of the gods for mortal men.
§5.97καὶ γὰρ ἂν πλάξιππος Οἰνεὺς §5.98παῦσεν καλυκοστεφάνου §5.99σεμνᾶς χόλον Ἀρτέμιδος λευκωλένου §5.100λισσόμενος πολέων §5.101τʼ αἰγῶν θυσίαισι πατὴρ §5.102καὶ βοῶν φοινικονώτων· §5.103ἀλλʼ ἀνίκατον θεὰ
For indeed horse-driving Oeneus would have stopped the anger of flower-crowned, august, white-armed Artemis, entreating her, my father, with sacrifices of many goats and red-backed cattle; but the invincible goddess..."

Notes

  1. 5.3γνώσει — The future tense γνώσει ("you will recognize") refers to Hieron's future act of reading and appreciating the poem. Accompanied by the conditional clause τῶν γε νῦν αἴ τις ... ὀρθῶς ("if anyone of mortals now living does so rightly"), it serves as a tactful compliment to Hieron's keen critical judgment.
  2. 5.19αἰετὸς — The subject αἰετὸς ("eagle") and the main verb θαρσεῖ ("proceeds", §5.21) are widely separated by a long participial clause (cutting the deep ether with wings, §5.16-18). This suspension of the sentence structure evokes the majestic and steady flight of the eagle, which symbolizes the poet's own artistic supremacy.
  3. 5.73νευρὰν ἐπέβασε — This describes Heracles' instinctive defensive action upon encountering the shade of Meleager in the underworld. The successive use of the aorist indicative verbs ἐπέβασε ("placed") and ἐξείλετο ("took out", §5.74-75) emphasizes the hero's rapid and swift preparation to shoot.
  4. 5.97καὶ γὰρ ἂν — The particle ἄν combined with the past indicative verb παῦσεν (§5.98) forms the apodosis of a past contrary-to-fact condition: "For indeed (if it were possible) Oeneus would have stopped..." This serves as Meleager's concrete family illustration of the general truth stated in the preceding lines (§5.94-96) that it is hard to turn aside the mind of the gods.

Cite this passage

Bacchylides, Epinician Odes §5.1-5.103. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0199.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.1-5.103

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