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NEMEA III.

ON THE VICTORY OF ARISTOKLEIDAS OF AEGINA IN THE PANKRATION.

INTRODUCTION.

ARISTOKLEIDAS, son of Aristophanes, was probably himself a member of a college of theôri or state ambassadors to Delphi (v. 70). He won this victory many years before the composition of the ode, as he seems to have been well advanced in age (vv. 73-76). The poet seems to apologise for his delay (v. 80), but not very profoundly, so that we need not suppose an interval of more than a year or two, if any, between the dates of the promise and the ode. From vv. 4, 5, it seems that the chorus was taught at Thebes. The ode was performed in the hall or temple of the college of theôri. The date is evidently prior to the Athenian conquest of Aegina Ol. 80. 3, B.C. 458. Leop. Schmidt fancifully connects the ode with Pyth. III. and assigns it to the same date. It was sung by a chorus of youths (v. 5). The Rhythm is Aeolian, or Lydian with Aeolian measures (v. 79).

vv.

ANALYSIS.

1-5. The muse is entreated to go to Aegina on the anniversary of a Nemean victory, where a chorus awaits her.

6-8. An ode is the highest object of a victor's ambition. 9-14. The muse is entreated to inspire the poet to begin the hymn with Zeus of Nemea and to praise the country of the Myrmidons.

14-18. Whom the victorious endurance of Aristokleidas in the pankration at Nemea does not discredit.

19-20. Aristophanes' son, having done justice to his fine form, has attained to the highest achievements.

20-26. One cannot well pass the pillars which Hêrakles set up at the limit of his Western explorations.

26, 27. The poet is digressing.

28. His theme is the race of Aeakos.

29. It is the height of justice to praise the worthy.

30. But it is not good to yearn for distinctions for which one's inborn nature has not fitted one.

31. The victor need not do so, as he inherits worth.

31. The legend of Pêleus is appropriate to him.

32-39. Exploits of Pêleus.

40-42. Innate worth is best.

Acquired capacities are fruitless. 43-64. The above doctrine is illustrated by Achilles' childhood, by the aged Cheiron and by the manhood of Achilles. Invocation of Zeus.

65, 66.

67-70. This beseems Aristokleidas who has brought glory to Aegina and the college of Pythian theôri.

74, 75.

70—74. Trial proves a man's excellence in all stages of life.
Four divisions of life bring four several virtues.
76. The victor partakes of all four.

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80-81. As the eagle swoops from afar upon its prey, so the poet can seize upon the theme of a long past victory.

82. But the flight of chattering crows has a lower range. 83, 84. By favour of Kleiô the victor has won glory from Nemea, Epidauros and Megara.

Ω πότνια Μοῖσα, μᾶτερ ἡμετέρα, λίσσομαι,
τὰν πολυξέναν ἐν ἱερομηνίᾳ Νεμεάδι

1. Mârep.] Apollo and the Muses were in a metaphysical sense parents of poets. Asklêpiades in his Tpayw doúμeva is said to have made Orpheus the son of Apollo and Kalliopê.

2. τὰν πολυξέναν.] For the fame

Στρ. α'.

of the Aeginêtans for fair dealing with strangers cf. Ol. vIII. 21, Nem. IV. 12, v. 8. For the fem. form of the compound adjective cf. Nem. v. 9, vavoikλúтav. Nem. VII. 83, ἁμέρᾳ.

ἵκεο Δωρίδα νασον Αἴγιναν· ὕδατι γὰρ μένοντ ̓ ἐπ ̓ ̓Ασωπίῳ μελιγαρύων τέκτονες 5 κώμων νεανίαι, σέθεν ὄπα μαιόμενοι. διψῇ δὲ πρᾶγος ἄλλο μὲν ἄλλου, ἀεθλονικία δὲ μάλιστ ̓ ἀοιδὰν φιλεῖ, στεφάνων ἀρετῶν τε δεξιωτάταν ὀπαδόν·

5

ΙΟ

̓Αντ. α'.

τᾶς ἀφθονίαν ἔπαζε μήτιος ἀμᾶς ἄπο 1ο ἄρχε δ', οὐρανοῦ πολυνεφέλα κρέοντι θύγατερ,

ἱερομηνίᾳ.] Α holy day was s0 called because the period of its return was calculated by the moon. For special mention of the full moon of the Olympian festival cf. Ol. III. 19, 20, x. 73. The Nemean Festival was probably not on the new moon, see note on Nem. iv. 35, νεομηνία.

4. 'Aowmiw.] Two streams called Asôpos are recorded, and it is possible that in Aegina there was a third, named after the mythical father of the eponymous nymphs Thêbê, Aegina and Nemea.

We

It

cannot however be sure that the poet wishes to represent himself as present in Aegina, as τάνδε νᾶσον (v.68) is not conclusive on the point. Cf. Ól. VIII. 25, Pyth. 1x. 91. seems best, in spite of Böckh, Dissen, &c., to explain that the chorus is awaiting the moment of inspiration at Thebes.

τέκτονες κώμων.] Here the chorus; elsewhere poets. Cf. Pyth. III. 113. 'Divers conditions bring divers yearnings. That of a victor in games, &c.'

6. Tрayos.] According to analogy and usage this word is rather equivalent to πρᾶξις than to πράγμα.

8. στεφάνων ἀρετᾶν τε.] A hendiadys ='of crowns for highest merit.'

ὀπαδόν. ] Here a substantive as in Frag. 72 [63].

15

9. 'No grudging measure thereof do thou elicit from my store of skill.' It is not easy to render the play on ὀπαδὸν in ὄπαξε in English. The verb should literally be rendered 'do thou bid attend,' as in Il. xxiv. 461, Nem. Ix. 30.

10. &pxe.] Cf. Alkman, Frag. 1, Μῶσ ̓ ἄγε, Μῶσα λίγεια πολυμμελὲς ἀενάοιδε μέλος νεοχμὸν ἄρχε παρσένοις ἀείδεν.

oúpavov.] Mss. give oỷpav --ŵ-wa, but all give πολυνεφέλα. According to a Schol. Aristarchos and Ammônios took Uranos to be given as the father of the Muse, reading either three datives or three genitives, but it is presumable that Pindar began with Zeus and followed Hêsiod. On this point Diodorus Siculus (Iv. 7) gives satisfactory negative evidence. Hermann takes οὐρανῷ as object to κρέοντι. Bergk alters needlessly to Oúpavoî a hypothetical form for Oúpavía. It is better to take кρéоvт as a dat. commodi than as a possessive dative with Ouyarep (so one Schol.) which in such a position has the full effect of 'thou, his daughter.' Bergk objects that it cannot Sic nude dici and that apxe uvov Au is not appropriate to the context. Surely it is appropriate to any Nemean (or Olympian) ode, even if nothing special be said about Zeus. Moreover cf. vv. 65, 66.

δόκιμον ὕμνον· ἐγὼ δὲ κείνων τέ νιν βάροις λύρᾳ τε κοινάσομαι. χαρίεντα δ ̓ ἕξει πόνον χώρας ἄγαλμα, Μυρμιδόνες ἵνα πρότεροι ᾤκησαν, ὧν παλαίφατον ἀγορὰν

15 οὐκ ἐλεγχέεσσιν ̓Αριστοκλείδας τεὰν ἐμίανε κατ' αἶσαν ἐν περισθενεῖ μαλαχθεὶς

20

25

'Eπ. a'.

παγκρατίου στόλῳ· καματωδέων δὲ πλαγᾶν ἄκος ὑγιηρὸν ἐν βαθυπεδίῳ Νεμέᾳ τὸ καλλίνικον

φέρει.

11. νιν.] I.e. ὕμνον.

βάροις.] Choral Voices. For the form cf. Pyth. Ι. 98, κοινωνίαν μαλθακὰν παίδων ὀάροισι.

12. κοινάσομαι.] Mss. κοινώσομαι. The Schol. explains κοινῶς ᾄσομαι, whence Bergk reads κοίν ̓ ἀείσομαι; but probably the Scholiast had the false reading κοινωσάσομαι produced by the incorporation into the text of a correction. Pyth. iv. 115 supports our text.

ἕξει.] Dissen takes Zeus to be the subject, Don. ἄγαλμα, rendering It will be a pleasing toil to honour the land, where &c.,' which he supports by Nem. VIII. 16, Νεμεαῖον ἄγαλμα πατρός, but there, as here, άγαλμα is concrete, 'an honour,' 'an adornment.' Here it might be said that ὕμνος is the subject, χώρας ἄγαλμα being in apposition, and ἕξει = ' will involve.' Cf. Soph. El. 351, où ταῦτα πρὸς κακοῖσι δειλίαν ἔχει; Is it not simpler to read ἕξεαι, as the causal middle, 'thou muse shalt set us grateful toil, an honour to the land (χώρας ἄγαλμα being accusative in apposition with the notion of the clause. Cf. Ol. II. 4, Aesch. Ag. 225)? For undetected instances of causal middle cf. note on φάσομαι, Nem. Ix. 43, as to κωμάζομαι, and perhaps ἀμείψεται, Aesch. Choëph. 965 (P.) = 'will cause to change.' Cf. infra v. 27,

Nem. VI. 26.

30

13. The Myrmidons were supposed to have migrated with Pêleus from Aegina to Phthiôtis.

14. ὧν παλαίφατον ἀγοράν.] • The ancient fame of whose meeting (for games).' Don. says that ȧyopà. means meeting-place here as in Od. VIII. 109, 156; but in the latter verse, νῦν δὲ μεθ' ὑμετέρῃ ἀγορῇ... | μαι, it is better to render assembly,' 'meeting.'

15. τεὰν κατ' αἶσαν.] For the usual rendering by thy favour,' tuo beneficio, which strains the interpretation both of κarà and of αΐσαν, Ο1. ΙΧ. 28 is quoted, but see my note and that on Pyth. VIII. 68. Ι prefer 'in reference to thy standard, Kleiô.' Acòs aloq, Ol. ix. 42, is 'by Zeus' assignment.'

16. μαλαχθείς.] ‘By yielding, 'by proving soft,' the participle signifying, as Don. says, the cause.

17. καματωδέων.] For sentiment cf. Nem. VIII. 49, 50, Isth. VII. 1-3.

18. βαθυπεδίῳ.] So best MSS. Moschopulos from one or two mss. read ἔν γε βαθυπέδῳ. The lemma, which ought to be in L. and S., is from πεδίον not πέδον. βαθύπεδος would be, as Prof. Paley renders, 'deep-soiled,' not 'with low-lying plain.'

φέρει.] ‘He won at Nemea and wears, &c.' (cf. Nem. v. 54), akos

εἰ δ ̓ ἐὼν καλὸς ἔρδων τ ̓ ἐοικότα μορφᾷ

20 ανορέαις ὑπερτάταις ἐπέβα παῖς ̓Αριστοφάνεος, οὐκέτι

πρόσω

35

ἀβάταν ἅλα κιόνων ὑπὲρ Ηρακλέος περᾶν εὐμαρές,

ἥρως θεὸς ἃς ἔθηκε ναυτιλίας ἐσχάτας

Στρ. β'.

μάρτυρας κλυτάς· δάμασε δὲ θῆρας ἐν πελάγεσιν 40 ὑπερόχος, διά τ ̓ ἐξερεύνασε τεναγέων

25 ῥοάς, ὁπᾷ πόμπιμον κατέβαινε νόστου τέλος,

καὶ γᾶν φράδασσε. θυμέ, τίνα πρὸς ἀλλοδαπὰν 45 ἄκραν ἐμὸν πλόον παραμείβεαι;

Αἰακῷ σε φαμὶ γένει τε Μοῖσαν φέρειν. ἕπεται δὲ λόγῳ δίκας ἄωτος, ἐσλὸς αἰνεῖν·

50

'Αντ. β'.

30 οὐδ ̓ ἀλλοτρίων ἔρωτες ἀνδρὶ φέρειν κρέσσονες.

being an extension of the predicate. Cf. Isth. vi. 21. It is scarcely a historic present, which is rare in Pindar, but cf. Ol. II. 23, Pyth. iv. 163.

19. For sentiment cf. Οl. VIII. 19, ΙΧ. 94, ὡραῖος ἐὼν καὶ καλὸς κάλλιστά τε ῥέξαις, Isth. vi. 22.

21. Cf. Ol. 111. 43.

22. ἥρως θεός.] Hero and God. Cf. Pausanias II. 10. 1.

24. ὑπερόχος.] Dor. acc. plur. Cf. infr. v. 29, Ol. 1. 53. The conquest of sea-monsters by Herakles is probably a mythical dress given to the suppression of pirates by Hellenic mariners. mss. give ὑπέροχος, ἰδίᾳ τ' ἐρευν-. A Schol. gives a v. l. διά τ' έρ. Böckh inserts έξ-, Hermann αύτ'.

τεναγέων ῥοάς.] Channels of the shallow straits.' Pliny (Nat. Hist. III. 1) says of the Straits of Gibraltar, frequentes taeniae candicantis vadi carinas tentant. Curtius rejects the connection with τέγγω, which is given by a Schol., and would look rather to stagnum.

25. πόμπιμον νόστου.] Το be taken together as by Prof. Paley; 'Where he came to land at the bourne which sped him on his homeward way,' i. e. the reaching of which enabled him to start back speedily. For the genitive cf. Aesch. Choëph. 84, tŵoδε προστροπῆς πομποί.

26. γᾶν φράδασσε.] ‘Made the land known,'i.e. explored the shores as he had the straits. Prof. Paley renders 'defined the limits of the earth, Schol. [φραδιτὴν] ἐποιήσε καὶ δήλην.

27. παραμείβεαι.] See note on v. 12 supra, ἕξει. Mss. -βῃ.

29. The flower of justice concurs with the maxim, "praise the noble."' For awros cf. Ol. 1. 15, 11. 7, Nem. II. 9 ; for the infinitive cf. Pyth. 1. 68, II. 24, Nem. ix. 6 (where there is the same sentiment).

30. For infinitive cf. Ol. νιι. 25. The poet states in a negative form that συγγενὴς εὐδοξία (ν. 40) is best. He is complimenting the victor, not, as Leop. Schmidt thinks, warning him against unwise ambition.

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