ISTHMIA VII. [ VIII. ] ON THE VICTORY OF KLEANDROS OF AEGINA IN INTRODUCTION. KLEANDROS, son of Telesarchos of Aegina, had been victorious as a pankratiast at Nemea and at the Isthmos. There is much difficulty in determining the date. Mezger would place it between the battles of Salamis and Plataea, but the ode is clearly Isthmian, and as Salamis was fought after the Isthmian games of B.C. 480, Ol. 74. 4, I do not see that this is possible. Most authorities give the Nemean games next after the battle of Plataea, which would be in the year B.C. 477 according to Unger, according to Böckh in the supposed 'Winter Nemea,' six months after the battle and siege of Thebes. The first Isthmia of Ol. 75 fell in April B. C. 478 (not long after the date of the supposed winter Nemea), when Melissos of Thebes was victor in the pankration. I infer that the ode was composed for the Isthmian festival of B. C. 478, Kleandros' victory having been gained at one of the three consecutive Isthmian festivals immediately preceding the Battle of Salamis (April, B. c. 484, 482, 480), Phylakidas being the successful pankratiast on the other two of these three occasions (cf. Isth. v. Introd.). As this ode was a commission for the celebration at a fixed date of a victory gained two or more years before, it was probably composed before Isth. III, i.e. before April, B. c. 478, as might be gathered from the less cheerful tone of Isth. VII. compared with Isth. III. The vocabulary, which presents an unusual proportion of exclusively epic words, and the somewhat tame effect produced by frequent demonstrative pronouns at the beginnings of clauses bear evidence to the painful effort made by the poet in rousing himself from his troubles to compose a triumphal strain. The ode was recited in or before the pólupov of Telesarchos' house. The rhythm is Aeolo-Lydian. vv. 1-13. 13, 14. 14, 15. ANALYSIS. The poet rouses himself and the chorus from grief, of It is always best to attend to the immediate future. 15, 16. But if liberty remain even such troubles as those of Thebes admit of healing. It is a manly duty to cherish bright hopes, and it is a duty for a Theban born and bred to offer a choice song to Aegina. 17-23. Because she and Thêbâ are sisters, beloved of Zeus, who made the latter queen of Thebes, while the former bore to him Aeakos. 23, 24. He settled disputes even for immortals. 24, 25. His descendants are distinguished for bravery and wisdom. 26-47. [Myth] Consequently when Zeus and Poseidôn were rivals with respect to Thetis, who was destined to bear a son mightier than his sire, Themis persuaded them to agree to her marriage with Peleus. 47, 48. Of Achilles' youthful prowess accordingly poets have sung. 49-58. The exploits and glorious death of Achilles are men tioned. 59, 60. By mourning for Achilles the immortals showed their approval of celebrating worthy men in song after their death. 61-63. And the car of the Muse hastens on to raise 63, 64. Honour him for his Isthmian victor match; 64, 65. Since he had already defeated his ne 65. His cousin Kleandros does him credit. 65-67. Let his compeers weave wreaths of myrtle in honour of 67, 68. Kleandros ; Since he has won at Megusa and Epidauros. 69, 70. He has made it easy for a worthy man to praise him, by winning distinctions in his youth. Κλεάνδρῳ τις ἁλικίᾳ τε λύτρον εὔδοξον, ὦ νέοι, καμάτων Στρ. α'. πατρὸς ἀγλαὸν Τελεσάρχου παρὰ πρόθυρον ἰὼν ἀνεγειρέτω κῶμον, Ἰσθμιάδος τε νίκας ἄποινα, καὶ Νεμέα 1. Ts.] The indefinite pronoun with the active is often found in Greek where we should use a passive, while in other cases it occasionally refers to a definite person or persons, sometimes with deliberate vagueness, sometimes with solemn mysteriousness, sometimes with sinister or pathetic effect. Cf. Nem. VIII. 50, where it means the poet, while here it means the chorus, & véo, v. 2, also being addressed to the chorus. Matthiae, §§ 487, 511, quotes Soph. Ai. 245, ὥρα τιν' (us) ἤδη κάρα καλύμμασι κρυψάμενον ποδοῖν κλοπὰν ἀρέσθαι, ib. 1138, τοῦτ ̓ εἰς ἀνίαν τοῦπος ἔρXeTai TV (thee). Aristoph. Ran. 552, 554. Cookesley's 'every one (Dissen omnes) is not wrong, as an explanation, if we limit it to ' of you, the chorus,' as infra v. 65, ἁλίκων τις = 4 every one of his equals in age;' in Il. xvII. 227, it means 'every one of you my allies.' Professor Seymour, for "some one,' many a one,' compares Il. II. 382, where however μέν τις...δέ τις seem to mean 'some of you, others of you' (Dissen refers to this place support Pron. rìs usitatum in tationibus ubi omnes intellitur'). Cookesley (after Dissen) for every one' Herod. vIII. 5 109, where Matthiae's alternative 'let the houses be rebuilt' is better, for Themistokles cannot have meant literally every one' to build and sow. He also cites Il. xxi. 126, where many a one,' not every one,' is meant. In rendering into English, our own indefinite pronouns should generally be used in such cases, as our idiom somewhat resembles the Greek. aλikia Te.] Generally taken as a hendiadys (cf. Hor. Od. III. 4. 43. Mezger's three quotations from Pindar, inf. vv. 46, 55, Nem. VIII. 46, are quite irrelevant); but from v. 67, I infer that the poet bids the chorus raise the kômos-song for Kleandros and his youthful companions in the kômos (cf. Pyth. 11. 74). λύτρον καμάτων.] Cf. Pyth. ν. 99, τὸ καλλίνικον λυτήριον δαπαναν μέλος χάριεν, Ο1. νιι. 77, τόθι λύτρον συμφορᾶς οἰκτρᾶς γλυκύ, Isth. iv. 25, ἀντὶ πόνων. 3. παρὰ πρόθυρον.] Cf. Nem. I. 19. 4. ἄποινα.] Accusative of general agreement, of sth. III. 7, infra v. 63. locative, cf. Nep κίρναμεν Λάμπωνος εὐάθλου γενεᾶς ὕπερ, ἐν Νεμέα μὲν πρῶτον, ὦ Ζεῦ, τὶν ἄωτον δεξάμενοι στεφάνων, 5 νῦν αὖτε, Ἰσθμοῦ δεσπότα, Νηρεΐδεσσί τε πεντήκοντα παίδων ὁπλοτάτου σωτῆρι πορσαίνοντας Ὀλυμπίῳ Αἴγιναν κατὰ το εἰ γάρ τις ἀνθρώπων δαπάνᾳ τε χαρεὶς 66 καὶ Σοφοκλῆς ἐν Ναυπλίῳ· “ Ζεὺς παυσίλυπε, καὶ Διὸς σωτηρίου | σπονδὴ τρίτου κρατῆρος·” τὸν μὲν γὰρ πρῶτον Διός Ολυμπίου ἐκίρνασαν, τὸν δὲ δεύτερον ἡρώων, τὸν δὲ τρίτον Διὸς Σωτῆρος καθὰ καὶ Αἴσχυλος ἐν Επιγόνοις λοιβὰς Διὸς μὲν πρῶτον ὡραίον γάμον | Ηρας τε.” εἶτα· τὴν δευτέραν γε κρᾶσιν ἥρωσιν νέμω.” εἶτα· “ τρίτον Διὸς Σωτῆρος εὐκταίαν λίβα.” Hence Aeschylos calls Ζεὺς “σωτήρ τρίτος” Suppl. 26, Eum. 729, 730 [P.]. Pindar's first bowl of song was Nem. v. For the metaphor cf. Isth. iv. 25. Μοισαίων.] ΜSS. μοισέων. 3. Λάμπωνος.] Cf. Nem. v. Introd. μέν.] Taken up by αὖτις υ. 5, cf. O. and P. p. xxxviii. 4. τίν.] mss. give text. Many edd. τίν γ'. The particle certainly emphasises the pronoun, for, having begun by winning in games sacred to Zeus, they may hope for the third victory under the auspices of Zeus of Olympia. But for the sense' is not really wanted, and though τίν is short, Pyth. Ι. 29, Nem. x. 30, the form τεΐν shews that it may be long. For this dat., and δεσπότα Νηρεΐδεσσί τε, cf. Pyth. IV. 23, Οl. ΧΙΙΙ. 29. ἄωτον στεφάνων.] Cf. Οl. v. 1, Ix. 19. Here the expression is not 5 ΙΟ Αντ. α'. quite superlative, 'a choice crown.' 7. εἴη.] For the accus. πορσαίνοντας cf. Οl. I. 115, Pyth. II. 96, Nem. VII. 25, Isth. I. 64, Od. II. 310, xvi. 243, Aristoph. Ach. 1079: with dat. Theognis 1153: for suppression of pronoun cf. Pyth. 1. 29, II. 83. τρίτον.] Sc. κρατῆρα. 8. πορσαίνοντας.] Sc. ἡμᾶς, i. e. the poet alone or with the chorus included. Ολυμπίῳ.] Not immediately of Olympos but of Olympia. Of course Olympia was named from Zeus of Olympos. κατὰ | σπένδειν.] A metrical tmesis. He pours over Aegina' the wine of song (cf. infra, v. 21) as he pours (in fancy) the material wine on her soil. For the compound and construction cf. Eur. Or. 1239, δακρύοις κατασπένδω σ', ‘I make a libation over thee (the dead Agamemnon) with tears.' Secondarily the meaning 'to honour with offerings of tears' (L. and S.) is right, but κατασπένδω Δία would not be likely to occur. 9. μελιφθόγγοις.] Appropriate, as wine was sweetened with honey. For metaphor cf. Nem. III. 77. 10. δαπάνα.] Cf. Isth. iv. 57, Ι. 42. καὶ πόνῳ πράσσει θεοδμάτους ἀρετάς, 15 σύν τέ οἱ δαίμων φυτεύει δόξαν ἐπήρατον, ἐσχατιαῖς ἤδη πρὸς ὄλβου βάλλετ ̓ ἄγκυραν θεότιμος ἐών. τοίαισιν ὀργαῖς εύχεται 15 ἀντιάσαις ἀΐδαν γῆράς τε δέξασθαι πολιὸν ὁ Κλεονίκου παῖς· ἐγὼ δ ̓ ὑψίθρονον 20 Κλωθώ κασιγνήτας τε προσεννέπω ἑσπέσθαι κλυ ταῖς ἀνδρὸς φίλου Μοίρας ἐφετμαῖς. μμε τ ̓, ὦ χρυσάρματοι Αἰακίδαι, 2ο τέθμιόν μοι φαμὶ σαφέστατον εἶναι τάνδ ̓ ἐπιστείχοντα νᾶσον ῥαινέμεν εὐλογίαις. 11. πράσσει.] ‘Achieves, cf. Isth. IV. 8, Pyth. 11. 40, O. and P. p. xxxix. ἀρετάς.] Distinctions, cf. Nem. v. 53, Isth. I. 41. Perhaps θεοδμάτους suggested the metaphor of Isth. Iv. 45. 12. σύν τέ.] ‘And if at the same time,' cf. Eur. Herc. Fur. 785. oi.] Dat. commodi. φυτεύει.] Cf. Pyth. iv. 69, θεόπομποί σφισιν τιμαὶ φύτευθεν, Nem. VIII. 16. ἐσχατιαῖς.] So the best ms. and Schol. Böckh ἐσχατιάς. Cf. O1. III. 43, Pyth. x. 28, Nem. III. 21, 22, Isth. III. 30. 13. βάλλετ'.] For βάλλεται. 14. • Such feelings (i. e. of satisfaction) in supreme success doth Lampon pray that he may attain ere he be visited by death or (Isth. III. 28) hoar old age. Dissen gives for opyal the forced rendering 'quae quis appetit." For the participle cf. Nem. VIII. 38, Isth. VI. 40, Thuk. 1. 20 § 2. We should make it the principal verb. For δέξασθαι cf. Il. XVIII. 115, κῆρα δ' ἐγὼ τότε 66 25 'ET. a'. 30 δέξομαι ὅπποτέ κεν δὴ ¦ Ζεὺς ἐθέλῃ τελέσαι ἠδ ̓ ἀθάνατοι θεοὶ ἄλλοι. 17. ἑσπέσθαι.] MSS. σπέσθαι. Edd. after Pauwe the late Epic ἕσπεσθαι, but the aorist is better. Perhaps we should read 'πεσπέσθαι, cf. Pyth. iv. 133. κλυταῖς.] ‘Loud, cf. Ol. xΙν. 19, κλυτὰν ἀγγελίαν, and Isth. VI. 19. 18. ἀνδρός.] Lampon. Μοίρας.] For position cf. Σαλαμίς, Isth. iv. 49. ἐφετμαῖς.] Here entreaties,urgent prayers, cf. Il. I. 495, Θέτις δ ̓ οὐ λήθετ ̓ ἐφετμαῖς | παιδὸς ἑοῦ. The word usually means the 'behests' of a superior. 19. ϋμμε.] Acc. after ῥαινέμεν. 20. τέθμιον.] 'A most clear prescription,' most clearly prescribed.' Cf. Ol. VII. 88, XIII. 28, Nem. Iv. 33, x. 33. 21. τάνδ'.] For this pronoun not implying the poet's presence cf. Pyth. ix. 91, ΟΙ. VIII. 25 ; but here the whole tone of the ode suggests that the poet was present. ἐπιστείχοντα.] For the change of |