Isthmian II

Pindar (518 BC–438 BC), translated by Arthur S. Way · 1922

Pindaric ode in rhymed strophes · rhyming couplets · 54 lines · from The Odes of Pindar

The singers of old, Thrasybulus, who mounted the car of the Queens of Song,The golden-tired, giving voice to the ringing lyre and the tuneful tongue,Shot lightly the arrows of honey-sweet strains in the fair one's praise,Whosoever by bright summer-bloom of lovely form and faceStirred hearts to dream upon splendour-throned Aphrodite's grace.

For then was the Muse not yet a lover of gain, nor a hireling was she.Nor then honey-throated Terpsichore sold the melting melodyOf her lays, nor with faces silver-masked did they tread the stage.But now she biddeth us heed the word of the Argive sageWhich cometh all too near to the truth in this our age:

' 'Tis money, 'tis money that maketh the man!' he said,When his friends forsook him so soon as his wealth had fled.But enough—thou art wise. O, famous afarIs the Isthmian victory won by the carThy swift steeds drew, that I sing.For Poseidon gave to thy sire renown,And the Dorian garland, the parsley crownO'er Xenokrates' hair did he fling.

And so did he honour the lord of the goodly chariot, Akragas' star.And at Krisa looked down on him graciously Apollo prevailing afar,And gave to him glory. In gleaming Athens did he attainMid the sons of Erechtheus the grace of triumph; nor might he complainOf the skill of the hands that lashed his horses and swayed the rein,

Nikomachus' hands, that gave to his steeds full rein at the moment due,He whom the truce-bearing heralds Elean of Zeus Kronion knew,Who publish the Season of Games; for his hospitality wellThey remembered; and sweetly their voices proclaimed o'er the hallowed dellHis triumph, when he on the lap of golden Victory fell

In their land, which they name the Grove of Olympus' Lord,Where the sons of Aenesidamus gained the awardOf honours whose memory aye is enscrolled.For, O Thrasybulus, known from of oldTo the halls of thine ancient lineIs the winsome charm of the song that leapsFrom the lips, as on the procession sweepsIn triumph for victory—thine!

For not uphillward nor steep is the path, if the bard is fain to guideThe feet of the praises of Helicon's Maids with famous men to abide.May song's shaft sped from mine hand as far past all else flyAs in sweetness of spirit unto Xenokrates none came nigh.Amidst of his townsmen ever a prince of courtesy,

After the wont of the Panhellenes horse-rearing he fostered still:He was constant at every feast of the Gods: no wind's breath blew so chillOn his guest-fain board as to make him furl his canvas-spread;But far as the Phasis in summertide's gales the fame of him sped,And in wintertide anchored his guest-renown in broad Nile's bed.

What though the cravings of envy like veils bedimThe vision of many men's souls?—ah, never let himHush into coward silence the praiseOf his father's prowess, nor these my lays!Not statue-like idly to standDid I fashion them! Nikesippus, bearThis, to my loyal friend to declare,When thou comest to that far land.

Words in this poem 22

tuneful a.: Harmonious; melodious; musical; as, tuneful notes.
splendour n.: Great brightness; brilliant luster; brilliancy; as, the splendor ot the sun. B. Jonson. [L. fr. splendere to shine: cf. F. splendeur.]
hireling n.: One who is hired, or who serves for wages; esp., one whose motive and interest in serving another are wholly gainful; a mercenary. [AS. h. See Hire, n., and -ling.]
terpsichore n.: The Muse who presided over the choral song and the dance, especially the latter.
argive a.: Of or performance to Argos, the capital of Argolis in Greece. [L. Argivus, fr. Argos, Argi.]
wealth n.: Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
afar adv.: At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
sire n.: A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
dorian a.: Of or pertaining to the ancient Greeks of Doris; Doric; as, a Dorian fashion.
honour n.: Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
goodly a.: Pleasant; agreeable; desirable. [OE. godlich, AS. g. See Good, and Like.]
graciously adv.: In a gracious manner; courteously; benignantly.
swayed a.: Bent down, and hollow in the back; sway-backed; -- said of a horse.
dell n.: A small, retired valley; a ravine. [AS. del, akin to E. dale; cf. D. delle, del, low ground. See Dale.]
award v. t.: To give by sentence or judicial determination; to assign or apportion, after careful regard to the nature of the case; to adjudge; as, the arbitrators awarded damages to the complainant. [OF. eswarder to look at, consider, decide, judge; es (L. ex) + warder, garder, to observe, take heed, keep, fr. OHG. wart to watch, guard. See Ward.]
winsome a.: Cheerful; merry; gay; light-hearted. [AS. wynsum, fr. wynn joy; akin to OS. wunnia, OHG. wunna, wunni, G. wonne, Goth. wunan to rejoice (in unwunands sad), AS. wunian to dwell. Win, v. t., Wont, a.]
fain v. t.: To be glad ; to wish or desire.
amidst prep.: In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
furl v. t.: To draw up or gather into close compass; to wrap or roll, as a sail, close to the yard, stay, or mast, or, as a flag, close to or around its staff, securing it there by a gasket or line. Totten. [Contr. fr. furdle, fr. fardel bundle: cf. F. ferler to furl, OF. fardeler to pack. See Furdle, Fardel, and cf. Farl.]
anchored a.: Held by an anchor; at anchor; held safely; as, an anchored bark; also, shaped like an anchor; forked; as, an anchored tongue.
bedim v. t.: To make dim; to obscure or darken.
prowess n.: Distinguished bravery; valor; especially, military bravery and skill; gallantry; intrepidity; fearlessness. Chaucer. Sir P. Sidney. [OF. proece, proesce, F. prouesse. See Prow, a.]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Isthmian II is in the public domain. This text is taken from Pindar in English Verse, Internet Archive, the Arthur S. Way translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Pindar, Isthmian II, in The Odes of Pindar (1922), text of Internet Archive, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/pindar-odes/isthmian-2.html, id L29162.

Form and metre

Isthmian II is 54 lines in 9 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 63% of the lines.

See other poems in rhyming couplets.

Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.

Rhyme words, stanza by stanza

The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.

1 ---AA song · tongue · praise · face^A · grace^A
2 AABBB she^A · melody^A · stage^B · sage^B · age^B
3 AABBCDDC said^A · fled^A · afar^B · car^B · sing^C · renown^D · crown^D · fling^C
4 AABBB star^A · afar^A · attain^B · complain^B · rein^B
5 AABBB due^A · knew^A · well^B · dell^B · fell^B
6 AABBCDDC lord^A · award^A · enscrolled^B · old^B · line^C · leaps^D · sweeps^D · thine^C
7 AABB- guide^A · abide^A · fly^B · nigh^B · courtesy
8 AABBB still^A · chill^A · spread^B · sped^B · bed^B
9 AABBCDDC bedim^A · him^A · praise^B · lays^B · stand^C · bear^D · declare^D · land^C

Scansion, line by line

Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
The singers of old, Thrasybulus, who mounted the car of the Queens of Song,	19	·/˘·······/˘·······
The golden-tired, giving voice to the ringing lyre and the tuneful tongue,	17	·/˘//˘···/˘···/˘·
Shot lightly the arrows of honey-sweet strains in the fair one's praise,	16	·/˘·/˘·/˘·······
Whosoever by bright summer-bloom of lovely form and face	15	·˘/˘··/˘··/˘···
Stirred hearts to dream upon splendour-throned Aphrodite's grace.	14	······/˘··˘/˘·
For then was the Muse not yet a lover of gain, nor a hireling was she.	18	········/˘····/˘··
Nor then honey-throated Terpsichore sold the melting melody	16	··/˘/˘˘/˘˘··/˘/˘
Of her lays, nor with faces silver-masked did they tread the stage.	15	·····/˘/˘······
But now she biddeth us heed the word of the Argive sage	14	···/˘······/˘·
Which cometh all too near to the truth in this our age:	13	·/˘········/·
' 'Tis money, 'tis money that maketh the man!' he said,	13	·/˘·/˘·······
When his friends forsook him so soon as his wealth had fled.	13	···˘/········
But enough—thou art wise. O, famous afar	11	·˘/····/˘˘/
Is the Isthmian victory won by the car	11	··/˘˘/˘····
Thy swift steeds drew, that I sing.	7	·······
For Poseidon gave to thy sire renown,	10	·˘/˘···/˘/
And the Dorian garland, the parsley crown	10	··/˘/˘·/˘·
O'er Xenokrates' hair did he fling.	8	········
And so did he honour the lord of the goodly chariot, Akragas' star.	18	····/˘····/˘/˘····
And at Krisa looked down on him graciously Apollo prevailing afar,	18	········/˘˘/˘˘/˘˘/
And gave to him glory. In gleaming Athens did he attain	15	····/˘·/˘/˘··˘/
Mid the sons of Erechtheus the grace of triumph; nor might he complain	17	··········/˘···˘/
Of the skill of the hands that lashed his horses and swayed the rein,	15	·········/˘····
Nikomachus' hands, that gave to his steeds full rein at the moment due,	17	··············/˘·
He whom the truce-bearing heralds Elean of Zeus Kronion knew,	15	····/˘/˘·······
Who publish the Season of Games; for his hospitality well	15	·/˘·/˘·····˘/˘·
They remembered; and sweetly their voices proclaimed o'er the hallowed dell	17	·˘/˘·/˘·/˘˘/··/˘·
His triumph, when he on the lap of golden Victory fell	14	·/˘······/˘/˘·
In their land, which they name the Grove of Olympus' Lord,	13	·········˘/˘·
Where the sons of Aenesidamus gained the award	13	···········˘/
Of honours whose memory aye is enscrolled.	10	·/˘·/˘····
For, O Thrasybulus, known from of old	10	··········
To the halls of thine ancient line	8	·····/˘·
Is the winsome charm of the song that leaps	10	··/˘······
From the lips, as on the procession sweeps	10	······˘/˘·
In triumph for victory—thine!	8	·/˘·/˘˘·
For not uphillward nor steep is the path, if the bard is fain to guide	17	·················
The feet of the praises of Helicon's Maids with famous men to abide.	18	····/˘·/˘···/˘··˘/
May song's shaft sped from mine hand as far past all else fly	13	·············
As in sweetness of spirit unto Xenokrates none came nigh.	14	··/˘·/········
Amidst of his townsmen ever a prince of courtesy,	12	˘/····/···/˘
After the wont of the Panhellenes horse-rearing he fostered still:	16	··········/˘·/˘·
He was constant at every feast of the Gods: no wind's breath blew so chill	17	··/˘·/˘··········
On his guest-fain board as to make him furl his canvas-spread;	14	···········/˘·
But far as the Phasis in summertide's gales the fame of him sped,	16	····/˘··········
And in wintertide anchored his guest-renown in broad Nile's bed.	15	··/˘˘/˘··˘/····
What though the cravings of envy like veils bedim	12	···/˘·/˘··˘/
The vision of many men's souls?—ah, never let him	11	·/˘·/···/··
Hush into coward silence the praise	9	···/˘/˘··
Of his father's prowess, nor these my lays!	10	··/˘/˘····
Not statue-like idly to stand	8	·/··/˘··
Did I fashion them! Nikesippus, bear	10	··/˘······
This, to my loyal friend to declare,	9	···/˘··˘/
When thou comest to that far land.	8	········

The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.

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