Olympian II
Songs, lords of the lyre! what God shall we hymn?—what hero's praises?—What man's fame publish afar?Pisa doth Zeus own; Herakles stablished Olympia's racesWith the regal spoils of his war;Theron, who honours the guest, whose four steeds raced victorious,Akragas' stay, let us chant, full flower of an ancestry glorious,His city's saviour-star.
Toils bravely his fathers endured, and a hallowed home by the riverThey reared: they were Sicily's eye.And to crown their inborn worth, Fair Fortune attended them, giverOf wealth and of dignity.Son of Kronos and Rhea, enthroned in Olympus, thou lord of the choicestOf contests by Alpheus' ford, guard, since in our song thou rejoicest,For their sons ever graciously
Their fatherland-soil! When for right or for wrong hath been woven the tissueOf our deeds, not Time the father of all can reverse the issue.Yet oblivion may come of the pastWith the dawn of a happier day; for overmastered and slainBy the sunlight of happiness oft is memory's rankling pain,When broad and high at the last
Prosperity grows by the fiat of God. Yea, of Kadmus' daughtersThis thing I have said proved true:—Sore anguish they suffered, yet mightier blessings from out the watersOf affliction the stricken ones drew.Mid thunder-crash Semele perished, yet lives in the heavenly star-land;And Pallas and Zeus and her son, who is crowned with the ivy-garland,Enfold her with love ever new.
With the Sea-maids, the daughters of Nereus, to Ino a life unendingIn the deep is ordained for aye.But to mortals no date is appointed whereon death's bolt descendingShall smite; nor can any man sayWhen one day, child of the sun, shall in calm peace close with unbrokenBlessing. With sorrow and joy run life's streams, giving no tokenHow their mutable courses will stray.
So Destiny, she who the line of the fathers of Theron hath guidedTo happiness, yet for their god-given bliss hath also providedIn its season a bitter reverse,Since the hour when met in his journeying Laïus was, and killedBy his doom-driven son, and the word that from Pytho went forth was fulfilled,The old-time prophecy-curse.
Swift Erinys beheld it, and slew by hands with a brother's blood goryHis warrior sons. When diedPolyneikes, Thersander was left to win in a new war glory,The Adrastids' saviour and pride.From him these trace their descent; and the son of a prince most meetlyWith all praises of song triumphant and lyres outpealing sweetlyThis day shall be magnified.
Olympia's guerdon he won, and at Pytho and Isthmus the Graces,Who his kindred have evermore blessed,Brought to his brother the crowns of the twelve-course four-horse races.Ay, triumph to pain bringeth rest.Riches with nobleness graced of many things bring fruition,And they kindle the deep-glowing fire of the huntress of honour, Ambition,Within their possessor's breast,
A lodestar that beacons afar, by whose light men steer most surely,If he who doth hold by it knoweth what shall be—that they which impurelyHere lived, shall when they have diedSuffer the penalty: sins that in Zeus's realm of lightWere committed shall One judge there in the underworld Kingdom of Night,And their awful doom shall decide.
But through sunlitten nights and days a life of bliss untoilingIs ordained for the righteous-souled.No more for a meagre pittance they labour the land sore moiling,Nor on stormy seas are they rolled;But with them that be honoured of Gods, who had pleasure in leal oath-keeping,They have joy of a tearless life, while the wicked are endlessly reapingSin-harvests too dread to behold.
But they that through those three lives have endured, their spirits refrainingFrom sin upon each side death,These traverse the pathway of Zeus, to the Tower of Kronos attaining,Where the breezes of Ocean breatheRound the Isles of the Blest, where flowers all-golden like flames are glowing,Which are drooping from trees of splendour, or float on the flood soft-flowing;And their heads and their hands they enwreathe,
As it standeth by just Rhadamanthus decreed, the eternal assessorOf Kronos the husband of Rhea, of her who is throned possessorOf dominion the universe o'er.And Peleus and Kadmus are numbered amidst the glorified there;And the heart of Zeus by Thetis' petition was swayed, that she bareAchilles to that blest shore,
Him who slew the invincible Hector, and Troy's strong pillar did shiver,And of whom was Kyknus slainAnd the Dawn-queen's Aethiop son. Many swift shafts lie in my quiver;To the wise is their meaning plain;For the common herd need they interpreters. Who is by nature discerningIs the poet inspired; but the vehement babblers of other men's learningCroak vanity—crows be the twain!—
At the hallowed eagle of Zeus! O my soul, on the bow be thou aiming—And at whom in all love wilt thou speedThe renown-giving arrow? To Akragas send thou it, boldly proclaiming—Bidding Truth of thine oath take heed—That through years five-score no city on earth hath been known to rear onHer breast any son more kindly in spirit to friends than Theron,None of more liberal deed.
Yet praise is by spite ever dogged, wherein never is justice abiding,But from grasping envy it springs; with its slanders it fain would be hidingIn darkness the good deeds doneBy the noble of heart. But, as no man can number the great sea's sands,So the joys on his fellow-men showered by Theron with lavish hands,Who telleth the tale of them? None!
Words in this poem 45
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- 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.]
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
- saviour n.
- One who saves, preserves, or delivers from destruction or danger. [OE. saveour, OF. salveor, F. sauveur, fr. L. salvator to save. See Save, v.]
- bravely adv.
- In a brave manner; courageously; gallantly; valiantly; splendidly; nobly.
- giver n.
- One who gives; a donor; a bestower; a grantor; one who imparts or distributes.
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- graciously adv.
- In a gracious manner; courteously; benignantly.
- fatherland n.
- One's native land; the native land of one's fathers or ancestors. [Imitated fr. D. vaderland. See Father, and Land.]
- oblivion n.
- The act of forgetting, or the state of being forgotten; cessation of remembrance; forgetfulness. [L. oblivio, akin to oblivisci to forget: cf. OF. oblivion.]
- stricken p. p.
- Struck; smitten; wounded; as, the stricken deer.
- semele n.
- A daughter of Cadmus, and by Zeus mother of Bacchus.
- pallas n.
- Pallas Athene, the Grecian goddess of wisdom, called also Athene, and identified, at a later period, with the Roman Minerva.
- enfold v. t.
- To infold. See Infold.
- whereon adv.
- On which; -- used relatively; as, the earth whereon we live.
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- erinys n.
- An avenging deity; one of the Furies; sometimes, conscience personified. [Written also Erinnys.]
- gory a.
- Covered with gore or clotted blood. [From Gore.]
- meetly adv.
- Fitly; suitably; properly.
- guerdon n.
- A reward; requital; recompense; -- used in both a good and a bad sense. [OF. guerdon, guerredon, LL. widerdonum (influenced by L. donum gift, cf. Donation ), fr. OHG. widarl; widar again, against (G. wider wieder) + lon reward, G. lo]
- evermore adv.
- During eternity; always; forever; for an indefinite period; at all times; -- often used substantively with for.
- nobleness n.
- The quality or state of being noble; greatness; dignity; magnanimity; elevation of mind, character, or station; nobility; grandeur; stateliness.
- graced a.
- Endowed with grace; beautiful; full of graces; honorable.
- fruition n.
- Use or possession of anything, especially such as is accompanied with pleasure or satisfaction; pleasure derived from possession or use. [OF. fruition, L. fruitio, enjoyment, fr. L. frui, p. p. fruitus, to use or enjoy. See Fruit, n.]
- huntress n.
- A woman who hunts or follows the chase; as, the huntress Diana.
- 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.]
- lodestar n.
- A star that leads; a guiding star; esp., the polestar; the cynosure. [Load, lode + star. See Lode.]
- impurely adv.
- In an impure manner.
- underworld n.
- The lower of inferior world; the world which is under the heavens; the earth.
- meagre a.
- Destitue of, or having little, flesh; lean. [OE. merge, F. maigre, L. macer; akin to D. & G. mager, Icel. magr, and prob. to Gr. Emaciate, Maigre.]
- pittance n.
- An allowance of food bestowed in charity; a mess of victuals; hence, a small charity gift; a dole. [OE. pitance, pitaunce, F. pitance; cf. It. pietanza, LL. pitancia, pittantia, pictantia; perh. fr. L. pietas pity, piety, or perhaps akin to E. petty. Cf. Petty]
- leal a.
- Faithful; loyal; true. [OE. leial, another form of loial, F. loyal. See Loyal.]
- tearless a.
- Shedding no tears; free from tears; unfeeling.
- endlessly adv.
- In an endless manner.
- pathway n.
- A footpath; a beaten track; any path or course. Also used figuratively.
- splendour n.
- Great brightness; brilliant luster; brilliancy; as, the splendor ot the sun. B. Jonson. [L. fr. splendere to shine: cf. F. splendeur.]
- rhadamanthus n.
- One of the three judges of the internal regions; figuratively, a strictly just judge.
- assessor n.
- One appointed or elected to assist a judge or magistrate with his special knowledge of the subject to be decided; as legal assessors, nautical assessors. Mozley & W. [L., one who sits beside, the assistant of a judge, fr. assid. See Assession. LL., one who arranges of determines the taxes, fr. assid. See Assess, v., and cf. C]
- 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]
- swayed a.
- Bent down, and hollow in the back; sway-backed; -- said of a horse.
- croak v. i.
- To make a low, hoarse noise in the throat, as a frog, a raven, or a crow; hence, to make any hoarse, dismal sound. [From the primitive of AS. cracettan to croak as a raven; akin to G. kr to croak, and to E. creak, crake.]
- twain a.
- Two;- nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque. [OE. twein, tweien, tweyne, AS. twegen, masc. See Two.]
- boldly adv.
- In a bold manner. [AS. bealdlice.]
- dogged a.
- Sullen; morose. [Fron. Dog.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Olympian 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, Olympian II, in The Odes of Pindar (1922), text of Internet Archive, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/pindar-odes/olympian-2.html, id L29125.
Form and metre
Olympian II is 100 lines in 15 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABABCCB, complete in 8 of its 15 stanzas.
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 ABABCCB praisesA · afarB · racesA · warB · victoriousC · gloriousC · starB
- 2 A-A---- riverA · eye · giverA · dignity · choicest · rejoicest · graciously
- 3 AABCCB tissueA · issueA · pastB · slainC · painC · lastB
- 4 ABABCCB daughtersA · trueB · watersA · drewB · landC · garlandC · newB
- 5 A-ABCCB unendingA · aye · descendingA · sayB · unbrokenC · tokenC · strayB
- 6 AABCCB guidedA · providedA · reverseB · killedC · fulfilledC · curseB
- 7 ABABCCB goryA · diedB · gloryA · prideB · meetlyC · sweetlyC · magnifiedB
- 8 ABABCCB gracesA · blessedB · racesA · restB · fruitionC · ambitionC · breastB
- 9 AABCCB surelyA · impurelyA · diedB · lightC · nightC · decideB
- 10 ABABCCB untoilingA · souledB · moilingA · rolledB · keepingC · reapingC · beholdB
- 11 ABABCCB refrainingA · deathB · attainingA · breatheB · glowingC · flowingC · enwreatheB
- 12 AABCCB assessorA · possessorA · o'erB · thereC · bareC · shoreB
- 13 ABABCCB shiverA · slainB · quiverA · plainB · discerningC · learningC · twainB
- 14 ABABCCB aimingA · speedB · proclaimingA · heedB · onC · theronC · deedB
- 15 AABCCB abidingA · hidingA · doneB · sandsC · handsC · noneB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Songs, lords of the lyre! what God shall we hymn?—what hero's praises?— | 15 | ···········/˘/˘ |
| What man's fame publish afar? | 7 | ···/˘˘/ |
| Pisa doth Zeus own; Herakles stablished Olympia's races | 14 | /˘·······˘/˘/˘ |
| With the regal spoils of his war; | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| Theron, who honours the guest, whose four steeds raced victorious, | 14 | /˘·/˘······˘/˘ |
| Akragas' stay, let us chant, full flower of an ancestry glorious, | 15 | ········/··/˘/˘ |
| His city's saviour-star. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Toils bravely his fathers endured, and a hallowed home by the river | 17 | ·/˘·/˘˘/··/˘···/˘ |
| They reared: they were Sicily's eye. | 9 | ··˘··/˘˘· |
| And to crown their inborn worth, Fair Fortune attended them, giver | 16 | ····/···/˘˘/˘·/˘ |
| Of wealth and of dignity. | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| Son of Kronos and Rhea, enthroned in Olympus, thou lord of the choicest | 19 | ··/˘·/˘···˘/˘····/˘ |
| Of contests by Alpheus' ford, guard, since in our song thou rejoicest, | 16 | ·˘/·······/··˘/˘ |
| For their sons ever graciously | 8 | ···/˘/˘˘ |
| Their fatherland-soil! When for right or for wrong hath been woven the tissue | 18 | ·/˘··········/˘·/· |
| Of our deeds, not Time the father of all can reverse the issue. | 16 | ·/····/˘···˘/·/˘ |
| Yet oblivion may come of the past | 10 | ·˘/˘˘····· |
| With the dawn of a happier day; for overmastered and slain | 15 | ·····/˘········ |
| By the sunlight of happiness oft is memory's rankling pain, | 14 | ··/··/˘··/˘/˘· |
| When broad and high at the last | 7 | ······· |
| Prosperity grows by the fiat of God. Yea, of Kadmus' daughters | 16 | ˘/˘···/˘······/˘ |
| This thing I have said proved true:— | 7 | ······· |
| Sore anguish they suffered, yet mightier blessings from out the waters | 16 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘/˘···/˘ |
| Of affliction the stricken ones drew. | 9 | ·˘/˘·/˘·· |
| Mid thunder-crash Semele perished, yet lives in the heavenly star-land; | 17 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘····/˘·· |
| And Pallas and Zeus and her son, who is crowned with the ivy-garland, | 17 | ·············/˘/˘ |
| Enfold her with love ever new. | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| With the Sea-maids, the daughters of Nereus, to Ino a life unending | 18 | ·····/˘········˘/˘ |
| In the deep is ordained for aye. | 9 | ····˘/˘·· |
| But to mortals no date is appointed whereon death's bolt descending | 17 | ··/˘···˘/˘˘/··˘/˘ |
| Shall smite; nor can any man say | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| When one day, child of the sun, shall in calm peace close with unbroken | 16 | ·············˘/˘ |
| Blessing. With sorrow and joy run life's streams, giving no token | 15 | /˘·/˘·····/˘·/˘ |
| How their mutable courses will stray. | 9 | ··/˘˘/˘·· |
| So Destiny, she who the line of the fathers of Theron hath guided | 17 | ·/˘······/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| To happiness, yet for their god-given bliss hath also provided | 15 | ·/˘····/··/˘˘/˘ |
| In its season a bitter reverse, | 9 | ··/˘·/˘˘/ |
| Since the hour when met in his journeying Laïus was, and killed | 13 | ··/····/˘···· |
| By his doom-driven son, and the word that from Pytho went forth was fulfilled, | 17 | ···/···········˘/ |
| The old-time prophecy-curse. | 7 | ···/˘˘· |
| Swift Erinys beheld it, and slew by hands with a brother's blood gory | 18 | ·˘/˘˘/·······/˘·/˘ |
| His warrior sons. When died | 7 | ·/˘˘··· |
| Polyneikes, Thersander was left to win in a new war glory, | 16 | ··············/˘ |
| The Adrastids' saviour and pride. | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| From him these trace their descent; and the son of a prince most meetly | 16 | ·····˘/·······/˘ |
| With all praises of song triumphant and lyres outpealing sweetly | 16 | ··/˘··˘/˘·····/˘ |
| This day shall be magnified. | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Olympia's guerdon he won, and at Pytho and Isthmus the Graces, | 17 | ˘/˘/˘·······/˘·/˘ |
| Who his kindred have evermore blessed, | 10 | ··/˘˘·/˘·· |
| Brought to his brother the crowns of the twelve-course four-horse races. | 15 | ···/˘········/˘ |
| Ay, triumph to pain bringeth rest. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Riches with nobleness graced of many things bring fruition, | 14 | /˘·/˘˘··/··˘/˘ |
| And they kindle the deep-glowing fire of the huntress of honour, Ambition, | 19 | ··/˘··/˘/··/˘·/˘˘/˘ |
| Within their possessor's breast, | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| A lodestar that beacons afar, by whose light men steer most surely, | 16 | ·/··/˘˘/······/˘ |
| If he who doth hold by it knoweth what shall be—that they which impurely | 18 | ·······/˘······˘/˘ |
| Here lived, shall when they have died | 7 | ······· |
| Suffer the penalty: sins that in Zeus's realm of light | 13 | /˘·/˘···/˘··· |
| Were committed shall One judge there in the underworld Kingdom of Night, | 17 | ·˘/˘······/˘·/˘·· |
| And their awful doom shall decide. | 8 | ··/˘··˘/ |
| But through sunlitten nights and days a life of bliss untoiling | 15 | ··············· |
| Is ordained for the righteous-souled. | 10 | ·˘/˘··/˘·˘ |
| No more for a meagre pittance they labour the land sore moiling, | 16 | ····/˘/˘·/······ |
| Nor on stormy seas are they rolled; | 9 | ··/˘····˘ |
| But with them that be honoured of Gods, who had pleasure in leal oath-keeping, | 18 | ·····/˘····/˘···/˘ |
| They have joy of a tearless life, while the wicked are endlessly reaping | 17 | ·····/˘···/˘·/˘/˘ |
| Sin-harvests too dread to behold. | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| But they that through those three lives have endured, their spirits refraining | 16 | ········˘/·/˘˘/˘ |
| From sin upon each side death, | 7 | ······· |
| These traverse the pathway of Zeus, to the Tower of Kronos attaining, | 17 | ·˘/·/·····/·/˘˘/˘ |
| Where the breezes of Ocean breathe | 8 | ··/˘·/˘· |
| Round the Isles of the Blest, where flowers all-golden like flames are glowing, | 16 | ·······/·/˘···/˘ |
| Which are drooping from trees of splendour, or float on the flood soft-flowing; | 16 | ··/˘···/˘······/ |
| And their heads and their hands they enwreathe, | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| As it standeth by just Rhadamanthus decreed, the eternal assessor | 19 | ··/˘······˘/·˘/˘˘/˘ |
| Of Kronos the husband of Rhea, of her who is throned possessor | 17 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| Of dominion the universe o'er. | 9 | ·˘/˘·/˘·· |
| And Peleus and Kadmus are numbered amidst the glorified there; | 16 | ·······/˘˘/·/˘·· |
| And the heart of Zeus by Thetis' petition was swayed, that she bare | 16 | ······/˘˘/˘····· |
| Achilles to that blest shore, | 7 | ˘/˘···· |
| Him who slew the invincible Hector, and Troy's strong pillar did shiver, | 17 | ····˘/˘/˘···/˘·/˘ |
| And of whom was Kyknus slain | 7 | ······· |
| And the Dawn-queen's Aethiop son. Many swift shafts lie in my quiver; | 15 | ·······/·····/˘ |
| To the wise is their meaning plain; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| For the common herd need they interpreters. Who is by nature discerning | 18 | ··/˘···˘/˘···/˘˘/˘ |
| Is the poet inspired; but the vehement babblers of other men's learning | 18 | ··/˘˘/··/˘/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| Croak vanity—crows be the twain!— | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| At the hallowed eagle of Zeus! O my soul, on the bow be thou aiming— | 18 | ··/˘/˘··········/˘ |
| And at whom in all love wilt thou speed | 9 | ········· |
| The renown-giving arrow? To Akragas send thou it, boldly proclaiming— | 19 | ·˘//˘/˘·······/˘˘/˘ |
| Bidding Truth of thine oath take heed— | 8 | /˘······ |
| That through years five-score no city on earth hath been known to rear on | 16 | ······/˘········ |
| Her breast any son more kindly in spirit to friends than Theron, | 15 | ··/˘··/˘·/···/˘ |
| None of more liberal deed. | 7 | ···/˘˘· |
| Yet praise is by spite ever dogged, wherein never is justice abiding, | 16 | ·····/···/·/˘˘/˘ |
| But from grasping envy it springs; with its slanders it fain would be hiding | 18 | ··/˘/˘····/˘····/˘ |
| In darkness the good deeds done | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| By the noble of heart. But, as no man can number the great sea's sands, | 17 | ··/˘·······/˘···· |
| So the joys on his fellow-men showered by Theron with lavish hands, | 16 | ·····/˘·/·/˘·/˘· |
| Who telleth the tale of them? None! | 8 | ·/˘····· |
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