η Φυλακίδα γὰρ ἦλθον, ὦ Μοῖσα, ταμίας 8 Πυθέᾳ τε κώμων Εὐθυμένει τε· τὸν ̓Αργείων τρόπον 85 9 εἰρήσεταί πα κ ̓ ἐν βραχίστοις. 60 I ἄραντο γὰρ νίκας ἀπὸ παγκρατίου, ̓Αντ. γ'. 2 τρεῖς ἀπ ̓ Ἰσθμοῦ, τὰς δ ̓ ἀπ ̓ εὐφύλλου Νεμέας, 3 ἀγλαοὶ παῖδές τε καὶ μάτρως. ἀνὰ δ ̓ ἄγαγον ἐς φάος οἵαν μοῖραν ὕμνων· 65 6 τόν τε Θεμιστίου ὀρθώσαντες οἶκον τάνδε πόλιν 7 θεοφιλῆ ναίοισι. Λάμπων δὲ μελέταν 8 ἔργοις ὀπάζων Ἡσιόδου μάλα τιμᾷ τοῦτ ̓ ἔπος, α ξυνὸν ἄστει κόσμον ἑῷ προσάγων. 70 ο καὶ ξένων εὐεργεσίαις ἀγαπᾶται, 90 95 100 Ἐπ. γ'. • μέτρα μὲν γνώμα διώκων, μέτρα δὲ καὶ κατέχων· 58 For these names cf. N. 5, Introd. τὸν ̓Αργείων τρόπον Cf. Aesch. Suppl. 200, 273 μακράν γε μὲν δὴ ῥῆσιν οὐ στέργει πόλις. Soph. Frag. 411 μῦθος γὰρ ̓Αργολιστὶ συντέμνειν βραχύς. Dorians of Argolis had colonised Aegina. 59 κ' For κε (ἄν) with the future cf. N. 7. 68. The Mss. πα κ' and που κ- suggest πᾶν and πόλλ' as old variants. 61 τὰς δ ̓ Cf. Ο. 12. 6 πόλλ' ἄνω, τὰ δὲ αὖ κάτω, Ν. 9. 43. Bergk is wrong in limiting the victories to three and putting a comma after τρεῖς, for N. 5. 44 and I. 4. 18 give each of the trio a Nemean victory, so that τὰς δ' means and other three.' A schol. on N. 5 ascribes the third Isthmian victory to Euthymenes, the two others belonging to Phylakidas. 62 Cf. I. 3. 39-42. οἵαν Εx clamatory, cf. O. 9. 89, 93. 63 Ψαλ. Μss. Ψαλυχιαδᾶν, but the metre does not admit a resolved long syllable at the end of an epitrite. 64 For metaphor cf. N. 8. 40. 65 ὀρθώσαντες Cf. P. 4. 60, Ι. 1. 46. 67 Hes. W. and D. 411 οὐ γὰρ ἐτωσιοεργὸς ἀνὴρ πίμπλησι καλιήν, οὐδ ̓ ἀναβαλλόμενος μελέτη δέ τε ἔργον ὀφέλλει. Pindar of course means athletic exercises by ἔργοις. 69 ξυνόν Cf. O. 7. 21, 11. 11. 70 εὐεργεσίαις Dat. of cause. Cf. O. 9. 83, I. 6. 15. 71 For the repetition of a word with μέν... δέ cf. I. 3. 8. For sentiment cf. Hes. W. and D. 694 μέτρα φυλάσσεσθαι· καιρὸς δ ̓ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἄριστος. α γλῶσσα δ ̓ οὐκ ἔξω φρενῶν· φαίης κέ νιν ἀνδράσιν e ἀεθληταῖσιν ἔμμεν Ναξίαν πέτραις ἐν ἄλλαις χαλκοδάμαντ ̓ ἀκόναν. 105 † πίσω σφε Δίρκας ἁγνὸν ὕδωρ, τὸ βαθύζωνοι κόραι 75 9 χρυσοπέπλου Μναμοσύνας ἀνέτειλαν παρ ̓ εὐτειχέσιν Κάδμου πύλαις. 72 οὐκ ἔξω φρενών ‘Does not go beyond the bounds of wisdom.' Schol. οὐ προπετῶς φθέγγεται. Mezger, 'does not say one thing and mean another.' φαίης, κ.τ.λ. MSS. φαίης κέ νιν ἄνδρ' (ἄνδρα) ἐν ἀθληταῖσιν. Heyne, Hermann, Böckh, φ. κ. ν. ἀνδράσιν ἀθ. Mommsen, φ. κ. Μένανδρον ἐν ἀεθλ., after the Triclinian gloss, τὸν ἀλείπτην Μέσ νανδρον εἶναι ἔξοχον, which is a wrong interpretation drawn from N. 5. 48. Bergk gives the text. So the Schol. εἴποι δ ̓ ἄν τις αὐτὸν τὸν Λάμπωνα, εἶναι τοιοῦτον ἄνδρα ἐν τοῖς ἀθληταῖς, οἵαν, κ.τ.λ. The Schol., however, needlessly regards Lampon as a trainer. 73 Ναξίαν The Schol. says that the best whetstones were those of Naxos in Crêtê. χαλκοδάμαντ ̓ For this termination in the feminine gender cf. ἀνδροδάμαντ' Εριφύλαν Ν. 9. 16, ποταμίᾳ ̓Ακράγαντι P. 6. 6. 74 πίσω Ι will offer them as my ξείνιον a draught. For the future referring to the time of recitation cf. O. 11. 79, 84, P. 9. 89. The causal forms πίσω, ἐνέπισε (Frag. 88) are referred to the late πιπίσκω by lexicographers. For the double accusative cf. ποτίζω. σφε The Psalychidae. Pindar's house was near the fountain of Dirkê. 75 χρυσοπέπλου Our phrase 'golden memories' recommends this epithet to us, but very likely it recalled some celebrated picture or piece of sculpture in Pindar's time. εὐτειχέσιν Οf the well-built walls. ISTHMIA VI. [VII] ON THE VICTORY OF STREPSIADAS OF THEBES IN THE PANKRATION. INTRODUCTION. STREPSIADAS, a Theban, nephew of Strepsiadas son of Diodotos, probably gained the victory celebrated in this ode at the Isthmian festival of O. 81. 2, April, B.C. 456, soon after the disastrous defeat of the Thebans by the Athenians at Oenophyta, which threw the government of Thebes into the hands of the democratic party. In this battle Strepsiadas the elder, maternal uncle of the victor, had fallen (vv. 24-36). Mezger's theory that the ode was written between the victory of Tanagra and the defeat of Oenophyta is preposterous. Never before or since was a patriot who died in the arms of victory so cheated of his dues, as the senior Strepsiadas would have been, if this theory could hold. And fancy a poet saying of his country shortly after a great national victory παλαιὰ εὕδει χάρις, ἀμνάμονες δὲ βροτοί, νν. 16 f. No! the Isthmian victory of a Theban gives the Theban poet courage to rise de profundis and recall the ancient glories of his country which had been obscured by defeat. The divisions of the ode fall after v. 22 and in v. 39. There is an exact responsion εὐανθέα νυ. 51, 34, cf. v. 24 and ἐξικέσθαι occurs vv. 19, 44. The compounds which seem to be coined for this ode are cupvxaítas, ἱππόμητις, ἀκάμαντολόγχας. The mode is Lydo-Aeolian; the metre is logaoedic. The strophe containing two inverted periods, vv. 1-4, consisting of first glyconics and choreic tripodies, 4.4.3.3.4.4 and v. 5, with mesode and epode, =3.4.3.3. The epode also presents two periods; vv. 1, 2 palinodic, vv. 3-7 unsymmetrical or antithetic with mesode and epode. There are six instances of the form of the second Pherecratic while verses 3 and 6 are first Pherecratics. 1. 2. 2nd Pher. +3 chor. ~|~~~|-~||~|~~~ |-] 2nd Pher. + 2nd Pher. 3. ~~~|-~|-A] 1st Pher. -> 2nd Pher. +2nd Glyc. ~~~|->A 1st Pher. ~ | ~~~ | L || ~~ | ~~~~ | - ^ ]] 2nd Pher.+2nd Pher. ANALYSIS. vv. 1-15. Thêbâ is asked in which of the ancient glories of Thebes she feels most delight. 16-21. But as men forget what is not immortalized in verse, the poet bids the chorus celebrate in song Strepsiadas. 21-23. For he has won the prize in the pankration at Isthmos, and is richly endowed by nature and made illustrious by minstrelsy, 24-36. And has given delight to his namesake and maternal uncle, who had recently died fighting like a hero for his country. 37-39. The poet was bitterly grieved at the defeat and the deaths of his countrymen, but now Poseidon offers him calm after the storm. 39–42. A prayer that divine envy may not disturb his tranquil enjoyment of whatever pleasure presents itself as he awaits age and death. 42, 43. For all must die alike, but are unequal in fortune. 43-47. If a mortal be ambitious, he is too puny to mount to Olympos. 47, 48. Sweets unjustly enjoyed are in the issue most bitter. 49-51. Invocation to Apollo to grant Strepsiadas victory at the Pythian games. Στρ. α'. I Τίνι τῶν πάρος, ὦ μάκαιρα Θήβα, 2 καλῶν ἐπιχωρίων μάλιστα θυμὸν τεὸν 3 εὔφρανας; ἢ ῥα χαλκοκρότου πάρεδρον 4 Δαμάτερος ἁνίκ ̓ εὐρυχαίταν 55 ἄντειλας Διόνυσον, ἢ χρυσῷ μεσονύκτιον νίφοντα δεξαμένα τὸν φέρτατον θεῶν, 2 καλῶν ἐπιχωρίων • Local glories'; the phrase is used in a rather different sense P. 5. 108. 3 pa Cf. P. 9. 37, 11. 38. χαλκοκρότου An epithet of Rhea transferred to Dêmêtêr, 'worshipped with clash of bronze,' i.e. of cymbals or ἡχεια. πάρεδρον The connexion between Dionysos and Dêmêtêr, wine and corn, is natural: Ter. Eun. 4. 5. 6 sine Cerere et Libero friget Venus. They are represented together on several antique gems. Mariette, Traité des pierres gravées, 2. p. 1, Pl. 32. 5 χρυσῷ νίφοντα 'Snowing gold at midnight.' For the dative cf. I. 4. 50, Nikophon (Athênaeos 5 ̓Αντ. α'. 6. 269 Ε), νιφέτω μὲν ἀλφίτοις | ψακαζέτω δ' ἄρτοισιν, ὑέτω δ ̓ ἔτνει. For the adverbial use of adjective cf. O. 14. 11, 13. 17. L. and S., regardless of order, joins μεσ. δεξαμένα, but as the legends of Zeus and showers of gold at Argos and Rhodes (Ο. 7. 34, Philostr. Imag. 2. 27 Ροδίοις δὲ λέγεται χρυσὸς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ῥεῦσαι καὶ διαπλῆσαι σφῶν τὰς οἰκίας καὶ στενωποὺς νεφέλην ἐς αὐ τοὺς ῥήξαντος τοῦ Διός) very likely rested at least partly on a shower of meteors, μεσονύκτιον is quite appropriately attached to νίφοντα. Ιt seems as if one of these stories attached to πολύχρυσοι, ἀγλααὶ θῆβαι. |