UC-NRLF 
 
 $B 2TD lEl 
 
 P A 
 
 3943 
 
 A12 
 
 1898 
 
 MAIN 
 
 BACCHYLIDES 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2007 with funding from 
 
 IVIicrosoft Corporation 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/bacchylidesproseOObaccrich 
 
BACCHTLIDES 
 
BACCHTLIBES 
 
 A TT^gSE TKJNSLJTION 
 
 BY 
 
 E. POSTE, M.A. 
 
 FELLOW OF ORIEL COLLEGE, OXFORD 
 
 Eonlion 
 
 MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited 
 
 NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 18^8 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY 
 
PREFACE 
 
 SOME lovers of poetry, not readers 
 of Greek, may glance with in- 
 tereft at a profe tranflation of the 
 odes of Bacchylides which have been 
 recently recovered from Egyptian 
 papyri. They will hardly need to 
 be warned that all, or nearly all, the 
 poetry is inevitably waflied out. of 
 a profe tranflation : even if — a large 
 afTumption — it retain the fubftantial 
 tiflue of the poet's thought. All 
 brilliancy of diction and harmony of 
 
rhythm of courfe difappear j indeed, 
 even in verle^ only a tranflation into 
 Italian or Spanilli could reproduce, 
 or make any approach towards repro- 
 ducing, the many-fyllabled epithets 
 and fonorous cadences of the Greek. 
 Some fragments, too imperfed: to 
 intereft the general reader, have been 
 omitted. 
 
 Bacchylides,who flour iflied between 
 foo and 4^0 B.C., was a native of 
 Ceos, the modern Zea, as alfb was his 
 maternal uncle Simonides. Both were 
 rivals of Pindar, and were placed by 
 ancient critics on a lifl: of the nine 
 greateft mailers of lyric poetry. 
 
 VI 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 1. HERCULES AND MELEAGER . . . . i 
 
 2. THE DAUGHTERS OF PROTEUS ... 8 
 
 3. THESEUS AND MINOS 13 
 
 4. YOUTHFUL THESEUS . . . . .19 
 
 5. NEMEA 22 
 
 6. AJAX, OR THE TROJANS .... 26 
 
 7. 10 29 
 
 8. CROESUS 31 
 
 9. MENELAUS 35 
 
 10. DEIANIRA 37 
 
 11. PEACE 39 
 
I 
 
 The folloiuing ode celebrates a viBory in the 
 horfe races at Olympia ivon by Hiero^ tyrant of 
 Syracufe^ at fome period between 500 and ^^^o 
 B.C. The fame viBory is the fubjeB of one of 
 Tindar^s extant odes. What Hiero had to do 
 ivith Hercules or Meleager is a quefion "which 
 mujl be left to the conjeBure of the reader^ as 
 to "which the tranjlator can ojfer little or no 
 ajjifiance. There "were doubt lefs tragic incidents 
 in the career of Hiero ^ and Bacchylides^ after 
 remarking that no human profperity is unalloyed^ 
 proceeds to relate that even the invincible fon of 
 Zeus had certain adventures far from joyous. 
 
 HIGH-DESTINED lord of car-borne Syra- 
 cufans, thou canft rightly judge, if any 
 living mortal can, the violet-crowned Mufes'' 
 dulcet ftrains : and now, refting awhile from 
 cares of ftate, turn hither thy attention, and 
 
 I B 
 
pronounce whether the low-cindured Graces 
 helped to weave his lay the gueft who comes 
 to your famed city from Zeal's facred ifle. 
 A votary of golden-filleted Urania he fein 
 with his own voice would fing the praifes of 
 Hiero. High aloft cleaving the deeps of ether 
 with fleet tawny wings, the eagle, meflenger of 
 Zeus, wide- ruling thunderer, boldly travels, 
 confident in matchlefs might, where leffer 
 warblers fear to venture. Neither peaks of 
 the vaflry earth nor dangerous billows of the 
 ever-refblefs main flay him, but onward through 
 the abyfs of heaven with fine-fpun plumage 
 he fweeps, his fole companion Zephyr, con- 
 fpicuous to mortal gaze. I too have myriad 
 paths, by the grace of dark-haired Victory 
 and of brazen-mailed Ares, to celebrate your 
 praifes. Oh illuflrious fons of Dinomenesj on 
 whom may heaven never ceafe to fmile. 
 
 Cheftnut-hued Pherenicus, florm-footed fleed, 
 was witnefled victorious by golden-fingered 
 dawn both by the fair flream of Alpheus and 
 
on the haunted meads of Pytho : and by holy 
 Earth I fwear, never duft from rival hoof has 
 foiled him when he neared the goal. Fleet 
 as the north wind's blaft, and docile to the 
 rein^ along fhouting nations he fpeeds win- 
 ning vidory for hofpitable Hiero. Call a 
 mortal happy to whom heaven metes a fhare 
 of triumph, an envied ftation, and a life of 
 pomp : abfolutely bleffed there is none of 
 earth's children. 
 
 Even he who levelled many a hoftile tower, 
 the unconquerable fon of Zeus who hurls the 
 flaming thunderbolt, defcended, they fay, to 
 the infernal halls of fair Perfephone, to drag 
 from Hades to the light of day the iron-jawed 
 monfter, whelp of deadly-fanged Echidna. 
 There he faw the fouls of haplefs mortals by 
 the waters of Cocytus, like leaves that the 
 north-weft wind drives up and down the flieep- 
 browzed fpurs of Ida. Among them gleamed 
 conspicuous, wielding a fpear, the lifelike form 
 of a dauntlefs warrior, grandchild of Porthaon. 
 3 B 2 
 
Him in refulgent armour noting, Alcmena's 
 heroic fon brought the fhrill-twanging cord to 
 his bow^s curved tip, oped his quiver and took 
 thereout a brazen-headed fhaft ; when forward 
 ftepped the fhade of Meleager, and thus 
 addrefTed him, knowing whom he faw : ^ Son 
 of mighty Zeus, ftay where thou art, and with 
 ferener mind forbear to vainly launch a hoftile 
 bolt at fouls of the dead. No foe confronts 
 thee.' So fpake he. Aftonifhed flood Amphi- 
 tryo's princely fon, and cried : ^ What mortal 
 or immortal fire — what region — reared fuch 
 a fcion? and what hand flew him? Perad- 
 venture fair-cindured Hera will fend the fame 
 adverfary againfl my life. But that is a con- 
 cern for Pallas of the yellow hair.' Him 
 answered Meleager, his cheek bedewed with 
 tears : ' Hard it is for mortals to bend the 
 refolution of the gods. Elfe had car-borne 
 Oeneus allayed the ire of high, flower- crowned, 
 white-armed Artemis, fupplicating, fond fire, 
 with facrifices of many goats and many tawny- 
 
 4 
 
hided oxen. But unappeafable was the wrath 
 of the goddefs. She fent, huntrefs maiden, 
 a monfter boar of undaunted fiercenefs into 
 the lovely dales of Calydon ^ where, refiftlefs in 
 its might, it felled orchards with its tufks, 
 flaughtered fleecy flocks, and every mortal it 
 encountered. With it we, picked band of 
 Hellas, waged defperate battle for fix days 
 without ftayj and when high heaven gave 
 Aetolia victory, we fet ourfelves to bury thofe 
 whom the tuflced monfter had flain in furious 
 onfet, Ancaeus and Agelaus, beft of my dear 
 brothers born of Althaea in the far-famed 
 halls of Oeneus. But ftill more warriors were 
 doomed to fall, for the offended huntrefs daugh- 
 ter of Latona had not yet ceafed her wrath, and 
 we joined fierce battle with the valiant Curetes 
 for the boards tawny hide. There among many 
 others I flew Iphiclus and good Aphareus my 
 mother's gallant brethren. For fierce Ares makes 
 no diftindion of friend or foe, but fliafts fly 
 blindly at oppofing ranks, carrying death wher- 
 S 
 
ever fortune wills. The sore-ftricken daughter 
 of Theftius remembered not this, and — ah 
 haplefs mother — refolved my death — ah paffion- 
 governed woman. She dragged from rich- 
 carved cafket and Idndled the quickly burning 
 brand that at my birth fate doomed to be 
 coeval with my days. At the moment I was 
 ftripping of his arms Clymenus, valiant fon of 
 Deipylus, a youth of noble build, whom I had 
 overtaken outfide the walls, when the Curetes 
 fled to the goodly towers of ancient Pleuron. 
 A fudden faintnefs feized my foul ; I felt my 
 {Irength decline, alas; and with lateft breath 
 wept to feel life's youthful fplendour flitting.' 
 Men fay the eye o^ Amphitryo's fearlefs fon 
 then and never elfe was moiflened by pity for 
 the ill-ftarred hero, as thus he anfwered : 
 ^ Mortals' beft fate is never to be born nor ever 
 to behold the fun's bright rays. But nought 
 avails repining : fo let my tongue frame words 
 to mould the future. Remains there in the 
 palace of Oeneus, dear to Ares, any virgin 
 6 
 
daughter of features like to thine ? Her would 
 I gladly make my honoured bride/ Him 
 anfwered dauntlefs Meleager'^s fprite : ^ In her 
 father^s houfe I left the fweet-voiced Deianira, 
 unacquainted yet with mortal-charming^ golden 
 Aphrodite.' 
 
 White-armed Calliope, ftay here thy fhapely 
 car. Be now thy theme Zeus, lord of Olym- 
 pus, ruler of gods ; the ever-rufhing flood of 
 Alpheus ; royal Pelops ^ and Pifa, whence far- 
 famed Pherenicus returned victor in the race 
 to Syracufa^'s towers, bringing to Hiero a fure 
 token- of hea vena's favour. Truth requires us 
 to pufh envy from our bofom with both hands, 
 and praife the mortal who fucceeds. A Boeo- 
 tian of old days, Hefiod, fervant of the Mufes, 
 faid : ^ The man whom the immortals honour 
 fhould be honoured by all mortals."* I readily 
 greet Hiero with aufpicious bodings of profper- 
 ous career, for that has put forth vigorous 
 ftems ; which may Zeus, moft mighty lire, ever 
 guard uninjured by the ftorm of war. 
 
 7 
 
n 
 
 This ode celebrates the viBory of a native of 
 Metapontum In a "wrefiling match in the Fythian 
 games at Delphi. The connexion of the victory 
 vjith the fiery of the Froetides confifis in the faEh 
 that the fame Artemis inho healed the daughters of 
 Froetus vjas a deity ivorf hipped at Metapontum and 
 the viBor^s patron goddefs. She derived, according 
 to CallimachuSj her title ^Healer of the mind^ 
 (Hamera) from curing the Froetides of their moon- 
 struck madness. 
 
 \A fe'w lines, apofrophizing Victory, are wanting,'^ 
 
 AND on the golden floor of Olympus, 
 ftationed by the throne of Zeus, thou ad- 
 judged: rank of merit to mortals and immortals. 
 Hail fair-haired daughter of juft- judging Zeus ! 
 By thy grace athletic youths with choral dance and 
 revelry already proclaim Metapontum a heaven- 
 favoured cityj hymning the fon of Phai'fcus, 
 
mark of all eyes, vi£tor in the Pythian games. 
 Him the god whom flowing-robed Latona bore 
 in Delos received with aufpicious glance j and 
 on the head of Alexidamus fell many a wreath 
 of flowers telling of unchequered victory in the 
 rude wreftling match. On that day the fun 
 never faw him fallen on the lap of earth. No, 
 and I will boaft that in facred Pelops' haunted 
 vale by Alpheus^ flream, had only Juflice not 
 been made to ftray from her true path, a pale 
 olive wreath won in conteft againft the cham- 
 pions of all Hellas had encircled his brows 
 when he returned to the nurfe of famous fleeds, 
 his native land. [No malice] in that facred 
 vale afTailed the youth with tortuous guile, but 
 or fome adverfe god or erring human judgement 
 wreflied the glorious prize from his hands. And 
 now he owes a fplendid triumph to Artemis 
 the golden-fhafted huntrefs, the healer of the 
 mind, the unerring archer; her to whom the 
 fon of Abas and his fair-robed daughters erit 
 built an altar, goal of many worfhippers. 
 
 9 
 
Forth from the fplendid halls of Proetus 
 almighty Hera once drove the maidens under 
 the refiftlefs yoke of madnefs. They with ftill 
 childifli fouls entering the fanduary of the 
 purple-zoned goddefs^ fa id that their fire far 
 outfhone in wealth her who fits befide the 
 throne of Zeus, majeftic king. She in dif- 
 pleafure darted into their bofoms abhorred 
 illufions, and they fled into the mountain foreft 
 uttering wild bellowings^, leaving the towers 
 of Tiryns and its god-built ftreets. For 'twas 
 there that, deferting heaven-favoured Argos, 
 dauntlefs brazen-shielded demigods had dwelt 
 full ten years with their all-envied king. For 
 ftrife implacable from flighteft caufe had 
 flaflied into flame between the fons of Abas, the 
 brothers Proetus and Acrifius. Through them 
 the people whom they ruled were afllicted with 
 civil broils, and partifan tribunals, and flaugh- 
 terous flrrife. So they entreated the Abantian 
 brothers to caft lots for the fertile plains, while 
 
 ^ ' Proetides implerunt falfis mugitibus agros/ — Vergil. 
 lO 
 
the younger fhould found the city Tiryns, 
 before irreparable ill enfued. And Zeus, imp 
 of Cronos, in regard for the progeny of Danaus 
 and chivalrous Lynceus, vouchfafed to heal the 
 baleful diforder. Audacious Cyclopian builders 
 coming from afar raifed a wondrous wall for 
 a goodly city, and there the godlike heroes 
 dwelt in high renown, having quitted ftoried 
 Argos, birth-place of fleet fteeds. ^Twas 
 thence the dark-trefTed virgin daughters of 
 Proetus fled. Anguifli feized the father's heart, 
 cruftied by the flirange difaflier • and he thought 
 to cleave his breaft with two-edged fword • but 
 his fpearman band with foothing words and 
 flirong hands hindered him. Full thirteen 
 moons the maidens lurked in darkfome forefls 
 and roved over Arcadian's fheep - browzed 
 glens. But when their fire reached Lufus^ 
 fair ftream, after laving in its waters he in- 
 voked crimfon-fcarfed Latona's ox-eyed child, 
 with hands uplifted to the fwift-charioteering 
 fun, to heal his children of their dire falfe- 
 II 
 
weening lunacy — ^and I will offer thee in 
 facrifice twenty tawny-hided oxen never yet 
 subjected to the yoke/ The daughter of an 
 almighty fire, the huntrefs maiden, heard his 
 prayer and, perfuading Hera, healed the flower- 
 crowned virgins of their god-forfaken madnefs. 
 They ftraightway enclofed for her a facred grove 
 and reared her an altar, and ftained it with 
 the blood of victims, and inftituted yearly 
 dances of maiden choirs- "Twas thence that 
 ftarting, oh golden lady of fubject cities, thou 
 wenteft with Achaeans dear to Ares to horfe- 
 pafturing plains of Italy, and, aufpicious for- 
 tune in thy train, dwellefl: in Metapontum ; 
 where they gave thee a lovely grove by the 
 banks of deep Cafuentus in compenfation for 
 thy loft fanduary, after that by doom of the 
 immortals, leagued with brazen-mailed Atridae, 
 they laid in late ruin Priam's lofty towers. 
 Whofo judges with juft mind will find in every 
 age myriad glorious exploits of Achaeans. 
 
 IX 
 
Ill 
 
 On the "Walls of the temple of The feus at Athens^ 
 according to Faufanias^ "was to be feen a figure 
 refrefent'ing the lafi fcene of the adventure narrated 
 In the follo^wing ode. 
 
 In prehijioric days, before Athens *was tyrant of 
 the Aegean^ fhe owed to Crete an annual tribute of 
 feven ^rls and feven boys to be facrlficed to Mino- 
 taur, the Cretan monjler. 
 
 In this ode Bacchylldes ajjumes that Minos ^ the 
 Cretan klng^ has received the tribute -, and The feus, 
 the Athenian hero. In fome unexplained pofitlon. Is 
 on board the vejjel vjhlch bears them to Crete, The 
 mention of Athena In the opening lines Is of good 
 omen for the captives, 
 
 Erlboea In after days was mother of the Aeglne- 
 tan hero^ Ajax, 
 
 Minos had wedded Pafphae, daughter of the Sun, 
 as we fhall be reminded In the ode, 
 
 ABLUE-PROWED fhip, bearing valiant 
 Thefeus and twice feven noble chil- 
 dren of Ionia, was fwiftly cleaving Cretan 
 I? 
 
waters. On its far-gleaming fails fell blafts of 
 Boreas by the heft of high, aegis-fwaying 
 Athena. And magic gifts of the charm- 
 cin£tured goddefs Aphiodite ftung the heart of 
 Minos. He no longer checked a rafli hand, 
 and touched the white cheeks of a maiden. 
 But Eriboea fhrieked to the brazen-mailed 
 descendant of Pandion. Thefeus beheld, and 
 beneath frowning brows rolled an indignant 
 eye, heart-ftruck with keen pain. And thus he 
 fpoke : ' Son of mighty Zeus, no longer law- 
 revering wifdom rules thy will. Ufe not, oh 
 hero, tyrannous violence. Whatever heaven^s 
 refiftlefs doom hath decreed and the fcale of 
 juftice hath impofed, the utmoft of our pre- 
 deftined lot, we will fufFer when it comes. But 
 do thou curb oppreflive purpofe. If a high- 
 born maiden. Phoenix' fair child, bride of Zeus 
 beneath the peaks of Ida, made thee by thy birth 
 moft exalted of mortals j me too the daughter 
 of rich Pittheus bore to fea-god Pofeidon, and 
 received as wedding gift a golden veil from 
 
violet-garlanded Nereids. Wherefore, king of 
 CnofTus, I bid thee abftain from deep-wounding 
 outrage. For I would never willingly fee again 
 the charming light of immortal dawn after thou 
 fhouldeft offer difhonour to any of the youths. 
 Ere that happens we will fhow what ftrength is 
 in our arms, and the ifliie heaven fhall arbitrate.^ 
 Thus fpoke the hero, armed with juftice. 
 Amazed were the crew to hear his overween- 
 ing raflinefs- and he who wived the daughter 
 of the Sun was ftirred to anger. He formed 
 an inftant plan, and cried aloud, <^Mighty 
 ruler, Zeus my fire, lift to my prayer. If in 
 footh thou beeft my fire by Phoenix"* white- 
 armed daughter, now fend thou down from 
 heaven the fwift, fiery-maned lightning, fignal 
 all may recognize. And if Troezenian Aethra 
 bore thee alfo, Thefeus, to the earth-fhaking 
 god Pofeidon, boldly fling thy fair body into thy 
 father's halls, and bring back the golden ring 
 that now decks my finger from the waves' fait 
 abyfs. Thou fhall fee whether my prayer is 
 I? 
 
granted by the imp of Cronos, lord of the light- 
 ning, univerfal king.' Mighty Zeus granted 
 the exorbitant" defire, according Minos tran- 
 fcendent honour, to give a dear child clear 
 atteftation. He hurled the lightning. Minos, 
 valiant hero, when he faw the welcome portent, 
 pointed towards the vault of heaven and faid : 
 ' Thou feeft, Thefeus, the unambiguous refponfe 
 of Zeus, and now do thou leap into the bafs- 
 voiced waters, and thy fire, the imp of Cronos, 
 lord Pofeidon, fhall give thee glory unparalleled 
 on earth^s verdant plains."* So fpake he. The 
 other's courage recoiled not, and ftepping on to 
 the vefleFs fhapely item he leaped, and the 
 deep received him into its liquid fbreft. Then 
 the child of Zeus relented in his inmoft foul, 
 and bade them ftay the fhapely (hip that 
 haftened down the wind. But fate purpofed 
 another way. Onward rufhed the rapid barque, 
 fped by a gale of Boreas blowing from the 
 ftern. All the band of young Athenians trem- 
 bled when the hero leapt into the waves, and 
 i6 
 
gentle eyes dropped tears from hearts that 
 boded dire difafter. But dolphin denizens 
 of the brine fleetly bore ftrong Thefeus to 
 the palace of his fteed-borne fire. He reached 
 the divine abode, and beheld with awe the 
 floried daughters of blefled Nereus; for 
 their beauteous limbs gleamed with fire-like 
 radiance, and their heads were circled with 
 fillets of woven gold, as with lightly-bending 
 feet they difported in joyous dance. He faw 
 in lovely bower his fire^s dear confort, majeftic, 
 ox-eyed Amphitrite; who flung upon him 
 a purple mantle, and on his crifp locks fet 
 a wondrous diadem, erfl: wedding gift fi-om wily 
 Aphrodite, twined with rofes. Nought willed 
 by heaven is incredible to fober-thinking 
 mortals. He arofe at the fhip's narrow flern 
 before their eyes. Hah ! from what torment- 
 ing thoughts he delivered the Cnoflian king, 
 when, undrenched by the wave, he climbed the 
 fliip^s fide, amazing fpectacle, the divine adorn- 
 ments glittering on his limbs. The radiant 
 17 c 
 
bench of maidens with new-created courage 
 raifed a loud cry of gladnefs, the fea refounded 
 with the peal, and the boys clofing round them 
 fang a paean with fweet voices. God of Delos, 
 mayeft thou, charmed by the Zean chorus, 
 grant it heaven-fent guerdon of applaufe. 
 
 i8 
 
IV 
 
 The following fang for t'wo voices ivas probably 
 'written for the Athenian Ephebi, the youths 'who 
 garrifoned the frontier fortrejfes in their fecond year 
 of military fervice. 
 
 One of the fpeakers is Aegeus^ king of Athens : 
 the other may be Medea^ 'who fled to Athens after 
 taking 'vengeance on Jafon, 
 
 Frocoptes is another name for FrocrufieSy and 
 Polypemon may be his father, 
 
 KING of facred Athens, Lord of lonians 
 who live at eafe, what tidings caufed the 
 brazen-throated trumpet to found a warlike 
 note? Is a hoftile commander crofling the 
 frontier of our land? Or are marauding 
 brigands, defying fliepherds, driving our flocks 
 in lawlefs raid? Or what alarms thy foul? 
 19 c a 
 
Tell me, for, methinks, if any mortal has 
 valiant warriors to defend him, it is thou, oh 
 offfpring of Pandion and Creufa. 
 
 A herald came by land from the far end of 
 the ifthmus bringing tidings of wondrous deeds 
 of fome man of might. He flew proud Sinis, 
 ftrongeft of mortals, begotten by him of Cronos 
 born, the earth-fliaker god, Lytaeus : killed the 
 homicidal boar of the groves of Crommyon, 
 and the ruthlefs bandit Sciron: clofed Cer- 
 cyon's wreftling fchool: and made Procoptes, 
 overmatched, drop Polypemon^s heavy hammer. 
 What may be his crowning exploit is my fear. 
 
 Who faid he the man was, and whence, and 
 with what train equipped? Said he that he 
 comes with warlike armament and numerous 
 hofl: ; or unaccompanied, like merchant wan- 
 dering in foreign lands, but with ftrength and 
 prowefs and daring fingly to overcome fuch 
 mighty ones? Or has he heaven's miffion to 
 bring vengeance on the wicked ? Elfe it were 
 not eafy, ever battling, not to meet with a 
 20 
 
mifhap. In Jong fpace of time every iflue 
 comes to pafs. 
 
 He faid that only two men follow him : 
 that from his gleaming fhoulders hangs a fword 
 [. . . .], two polifhed javelins are in his hands : 
 a fhapely Spartan helm prefTes his auburn locks : 
 a purple tunic and a woollen mantle of Theflaly 
 enfold his breaft : his eyes flafh red volcanic 
 flame : he is in youth^'s earliefl: prime : his 
 delight is in the games of Ares, war and 
 battlers brazen clangour : and his feet are 
 bound for fplendour-loving Athens. 
 
 21 
 
This ode celebrates a viBory at Nemea by a native 
 of Fhlius, The river Afopus on 'which Fhlius flood 
 vjas the mythical father of many daughters v^ho gave 
 their names to various cities andijlandsy e,g, Thebes, 
 Aegina^ Salamis, ^c. After touching on the origin 
 of the Nemean games and the viSiors deeds, Bacchy- 
 lides feems about to launch on fome The ban mythology 
 'when the fragment ends abruptly. 
 
 When Adraflus^ king of Argos, and the other 
 ^ Seven againfl Thebes^ vjere at Nemea on their 
 march to afjifl the exiled Tolynices to recover his 
 throne, the death of the child Archemorus 'was 
 recognized by the fon of Oecleus, the prophet Am- 
 phiarauSj one of the Seven, as an omen of difafler, 
 and he vainly urged his companions to abandon the 
 enterprife, 
 
 Achilles traced his lineage, through Feleus, Aea- 
 cus, and Aegina, to the river-god Afopus, 
 
 22 
 
Amazons from the banks of the Thermodon were 
 fald to have fought againfi the Greeks on the fde of 
 the Irojans, 
 
 GRANT, oh golden-fpindJed Graces, per- 
 fuafive fplendour to the lay which the 
 violet-crowned Mufes' infpired prieft prepares 
 to fing of Phlius and the fertile plain of Neme- 
 aean Zeus: where white-armed Hera reared 
 of old, firft occafion for Heracles of glorious 
 exploit, a flock-flaughterer, deep-voiced lion. 
 There crimfon-fliielded demigods, picked band 
 of Argives, held the firft games over the tomb 
 of young Archemorus, flain as he gathered 
 flowers by felon fnake with yellow-flafhing eyes, 
 an omen of impending overthrow. Oh reJQft- 
 lefs power of fate ! Did not Oecleus'' fon urge 
 them to march back to their warlike homes? 
 Hope often gives ill counfel. She it was who 
 then fent againft Thebes Talai'onid Adraftus, 
 leagued with flieed-borne Polynices, after thofe 
 famed contefts in the fields of Nemea. 
 
Illuftrious are the mortals who bind their auburn 
 locks with the triennial wreath. Fortune now 
 hath granted that boon to victorious Auto- 
 medes, pre-eminent among the athletes of the 
 pentathlum as is among the ftars, when the 
 month is halved, the full-orbed moon : fo goodly 
 a form he fhowed to encircling hofts of Hellas 
 when he threw the rounded difcus; or when 
 the dark-leaved afli^s ftem hurled by his hand 
 through the fky called forth applauding fhouts • 
 or when, in the clofmg wreille^s lightning 
 flaflies, with the fame tranfcendent ftrength 
 he flung to earth his flrrong-limbed adverfaries 
 ere he returning fought the dark-whirling waters 
 of Afopus. That river^'s name hath travelled 
 to all regions and as far as the fources of the 
 Nile. Even the dwellers by the fair fir earn of 
 Thermodon, fkilled javelin-hurler daughters of 
 fleet-flreeded Ares, rued, oh famous river, the 
 prowefs of a child of thy flood beneath the lofty 
 towers of Troy. To every region on broad 
 highways travel myriad tales of thy race of 
 H 
 
ample-veftured daughters whom the gods with 
 happy deftiny have feated on the thrones of 
 unconquerable nations. Who hath not heard 
 of Thebe of the hyacinthine locks and her 
 well-built towers ? . . . 
 
 ^y 
 
VI 
 
 The ode, of "which the following pajf age is a frag- 
 ment , celebrated the viBory of Fytheas, an Aegine- 
 tan, in the boys^ pancratium at Nemea, This viBory 
 is also celebrated in an extant ode of Findar. 
 
 In the beginning of the ode Teirefias has a pro- 
 phetic vtfion of the viBory of Heracles over the 
 Nemean lion, and the infiitution of the Nemean 
 games, 
 
 HE fliall ftay the tyrant's lofty infolence, 
 and give juftice to the world. How 
 infupportable a hand the child of Perfeus lays 
 upon the neck of the devouring lion with exhauft- 
 lefs refource, when his glittering death-dealing 
 fteel cannot pierce the unyielding hide, and the 
 blade bends backward ! Truly I predict that 
 fpot fliall one day witnefs much-fweated con- 
 teflis of Hellenic champions for the wreaths of 
 the pancratium . . . 
 
 %6 
 
^After mentioning the Aeginetan hero^ AjaXj 
 grandfon of AeacuSy the poet then proceeds {\ 
 
 Who, ftationed on his vefTers ftern, flayed 
 bold Hector of the brazen helm fiercely bent, 
 though he was, on deftroying the fliips with 
 horrid fire; what time the Ton of Peleus, 
 nurfing wrath, left the field and releafed 
 the Dardan hoft from its terrors. Till then, 
 panic-ftricken, they ventured not to leave 
 Ilion^s fair bulwarks, but crouched behind 
 them, dreading the fierce fhock of battle, fo 
 long as Achilles madly raged in the plain, 
 {battering their ranks with brandifhed, hoft- 
 flaughtering fpear. But when the battle faw 
 no more the violet-crowned Nereid's dauntlefs 
 fon : as on the darkling waters Boreas furioufly 
 afTaults with whelming waves feafaring men 
 whom he furprifes refting from their toils by 
 night, but ceafes to ftorm when the light of 
 morning breaks : a calm fmooths the billows : 
 and, the South wind bellying the fails with its 
 breath, the gladdened failors reach the def- 
 ^7 
 
paired of harbour : fo the Trojans, when they 
 heard that the grim Achilles was flaying in his 
 tent becaufe of lovely yellow-haired Brifeis, 
 lifted thankful hands to heaven, feeing war's 
 ftorm-cloud fringed beneath with aufpicious 
 light. Then, leaving with all hafte the walls 
 of Laomedon, they rufhed into the plain, bring- 
 ing vaft array of war, and ftruck terror into 
 the Danai, urged on by javelin-hurler Ares 
 and the lord of Lycia, Loxias Apollo. They 
 reached the fhore and fought by the fhips' fair 
 fterns, and blood of men flain by hands of 
 HecStor reddened the dark foil . . . 
 
 . . . They weened that they would deftroy 
 the blue-prowed fliips and all their crews, and 
 that on the morrow the found of joy and revelry 
 would fill the god-built ftreets of Ilion. But 
 fate ordained that, ere that hour arrived, the 
 whirling waters of Scamander Ihould be em- 
 purpled with their blood as they died by Aeacid 
 hands, overthrowers of their towers . . . 
 
 28 
 
VII 
 This fragment begins luith the flory of lo. 
 
 THERE are myriad paths of deathlefs 
 fong for whofo has received gifts from 
 the Pierian Mufes, and whofe hymns are clothed 
 with fplendour by the violet-eyed, wreath-dif- 
 penfing Graces. Weave now, oh commended 
 Phantafy of a Cean bard, fome novelty 
 concerning lovely, heaven-favoured Athens. 
 Endowed by Calliope with her choicefl: gifts, it 
 befeems thee of all others to foar a wondrous 
 flight. 
 
 Once upon a time leaving Argos, land ot 
 fleet fteeds, Inachus"* rofy-fingered child was 
 fleeing far, by the will of mighty Zeus, bleft 
 potentate, tranfformed into a cow with golden 
 horns : and Argus, whofe unwearied eyes looked 
 
 ^9 
 
every way, was bidden by majeftic, golden- 
 mantled Hera, uncouchingly, unfleepingly, to 
 guard the heifer of the lovely horns. Not even 
 Maia^'s fon could elude his watchful gaze either 
 by the bright-rayed day or the fhades of holy 
 night. But whether fate ordained that the fwift 
 meffenger of Zeus fhould flay the monfter- 
 breeding Earth^'s fell ofHpring, Argus, or his 
 never-reflring watch outwearied him at lafl:, or 
 foothing {trains of the Pierides clofed his eyes 
 in flumber, my fureft way of fliunning error is 
 only to relate the end. After lo, bearing 
 Epaphus in her womb, had reached the flowered 
 banks of Nile, Zeus made her child ruler of 
 linen-fl:oled priefts, lord of peerlefs wealth, and 
 founder of a mighty clan. From Epaphus 
 fprung Agenor^s fcion, Cadmus, fire of Semele 
 in feven-gated Thebes. She gave birth to the 
 inipirer of the frenzied Bacchae, Dionyfus 
 [giver of the vine] and inventor of the wreath- 
 crowned dance ... 
 
 30 
 
VIII 
 
 This ode celebrates a chariot viBory of Hiero at 
 Olymfia, ^6% B,C.^ ^won the year before his death, 
 
 CHOOSE fertile Sicily's queen, Demeter, 
 and her violet-crowned daughter for the 
 theme of thy fong, melodious Clio, and the 
 fleet Olympic-racer fteeds of Hiero. For with 
 tranfcendent victory and grace they flew along 
 the broadly-whirling Alpheus, winning wreaths 
 for Dinomenes' heaven-favoured fon. And 
 Achaean ranks exclaimed : ^ Thrice happy 
 man who, by Zeus invefled wideft ruler of 
 Hellenes, has the wifdom not to hide his high- 
 piled wealth behind a dark obfcuring fhroud. 
 The temples are aflir with feftive facrifices of 
 oxen, the ftreets with hofpitality; and bright 
 flalh the corufcations from the gold of deep- 
 
 31 
 
chafed tripods, fet before the flirine where the 
 holieft grove of Phoebus by Caftalia'^s ftream is 
 miniftered by Delphic priefts/ 
 
 Heaven^Heaven demands a tribute from every 
 fortune-favoured mortal. For in bygone days 
 horfe-taming Lydia^'s monarch, when by Zeus' 
 fatal ordinance Sardis fell before the Perfian 
 holt, Croefus was protected by the golden- 
 fworded god, Apollo. When the grievous day 
 arrived, the king was not one to await the added 
 woe of a flave's all-tearful doom, but reared a pyre 
 before the brazen walls of his palace-court, and 
 mounted thereon with his confort dear and fair- 
 haired, wildly weeping daughters. And, raifing 
 his hands towards the o'er-canopying heaven, 
 he cried reproachfully : ^ Oh, overmaftering 
 fupernal power, where is the gratitude of all 
 the gods ? Where is Latona's princely fon ? 
 . . . [Lydian blood ftains] the golden-fanded 
 Pactolus. Lydian dames are ignominioufly 
 torn from well-built homes. The hated foe is 
 henceforth to be their dear lord. No ! death is 
 3^ 
 
a fweeter Jot/ So faying he bade kindle the 
 gorgeous-carpeted wooden ftrudture. His 
 daughters flirieked and flung their hands 
 about their mother's neck : for horrid to 
 mortals is the face of imminent death. But 
 when the fierce fire's gleam began to penetrate 
 the pile^ Zeus brought overhead an abyfs of 
 darkfome cloudy and quenched the yellow flame. 
 Incredible is nought that the divine will works. 
 Thereupon the Delian god Apollo bore the old 
 king to the Hyperboreans, and enthroned him 
 in their midfl: with his taper-ankled daughters 
 in requital of his piety, becaufe that of all 
 mortals he had fent the richefl offerings to 
 god-haunted Pytho . . . 
 
 King Apollo, the herdfman god, once told 
 the fon of Pheres : ' Mortal as thou art thou 
 muft nurfe two expectations : that to-morrow's 
 folar ray is the lafl: which thou fhalt fee ; and 
 that thou fhalt count another fifty years of 
 happy life.' Live righteoufly and joyoufly; 
 this is highefl wifdom. The wife will under- 
 33 D 
 
ftand thefe words : The depths of ether have 
 no ftain ; the water of the fea no corruption ; 
 gold is cheerer of the heart • and to man it 
 is not given to caft off hoary eld and recover 
 youthful days. But virtue's radiance dims not 
 with the mortal frame's decay. It is nurtured 
 by the mufe. Hiero, thou haft fliown the 
 world profperous fortune's faireft flowers. A 
 bright career receives not his due meed from 
 filence ; and one of thofe who aim aright will 
 be he who fliall fing the honeyed ftrains of 
 the Cean nightingale. 
 
 3+ 
 
IX 
 
 This fragment relates to the demand addrejfed to 
 the Trojans for the refioration of Helen, The 
 Grecian emhajfy was introduced by Antenor^ of whom 
 we read in Vergil: ^ Antenor potuit mediis elapfus 
 Achivis lllyricos penetrare finus.' His fons were 
 worfhipped as heroes at Cyrene, They give the ode 
 its title ^ Antenoridae, 
 
 THEIR fire^ prudent hero, bore to royal 
 Priam and his fons all the meflage of 
 the Achaeans. Then heralds fpeeding through 
 the wide-fpread city fummoned the Trojan 
 tribes to the people^s meeting-place. Every- 
 where ran the tidings loudly-voiced, and hands 
 uplifted to the immortal gods prayed that their 
 troubles foon might have an end. Say, Mufe, 
 whofe tongue firft urged the plea of right. 
 Pleifthenid Menelaus uttered winning words 
 counfelled by the fair-robed Graces. 
 
 35: Da 
 
^Oh warlike Trojans, it is not high-ruling 
 and all-feeing Zeus that is the caufe to men of 
 their calamities- for all mankind are free to 
 hold fail to ftra^'ght-walking Juftice, companion 
 of chafte Order and wife Law. Happy they 
 whofe children choofe to have this dweller in 
 their ftreets ! But fhe who flourifhes by treach- 
 erous falfehood and bold contempt of equal 
 meafure, nought-reverencing Arrogance, firft 
 lightly gives away another's wealth and havings, 
 and after plunges into deep difafter. She it 
 was that brought annihilation on the overween- 
 ing race of Earth-born giants . . / 
 
 i^ 
 
X 
 
 The following fragment Jhovjs that the plot of the 
 Trachiniae^ a play luhlch fame attribute to Sophocles, 
 others to lophon^ his lefs-gifted fon^ had been already 
 outlined in the verfes of Bacchylides, 
 
 SUCH was the ftrain that Delphic choirs 
 fang before thy far-famed fhrine, oh 
 Pythian Apollo. Already Oechalia, faid the 
 lay, had been left a flaming ruin by Amphitryon's 
 dauntlefs fon, when he touched at the Euboean 
 promontory, purpofing to offer from his fpoils 
 nine deep- voiced bulls in facrifice to cloudy- 
 throned Kenaian Zeus, two to the god who lifts 
 the fea and fhakes the earth, and to Athena, 
 flern-eyed virgin, a fingle heifer, unyoked, 
 lofty-horned. Then an overmaftering power 
 infpired Deianira with a plan, that cofl: her 
 many tears, to recover her confort's love, after 
 
 37 
 
{he heard the cruel tidings that white-armed 
 lole was on her way^ fent under efcort to his 
 palace as a lovely bride by Zcus^ dreadlefs fon. 
 Ah, haplefs wife ! Ah, evil-ftarred ! How 
 direful was her deed ! Malevolence of a mighty 
 one wrought her ruin, and darknefs fhrouding 
 future days, when on the rufliing waters of 
 Lycormas fhe took into her hancs a fatal gift 
 from NelTus. . . . 
 
 3» 
 
XI 
 
 Before the difcovery of the papyri the following^ 
 fra^ent 'was the longeft remnant of the poems of 
 Bacchylides, 
 
 FOR mortals Peace has blessings in her 
 hands, plenty and poefy's nedrared 
 flowers. And for the immortals thighs of oxen 
 and long-fleeced flieep burn in yellow flames 
 on rich-carved altars. Athletic fports and 
 the flute and feftive dances bufy the young. 
 But in the fliields' iron-bound handles the 
 tawny fpider weaves her webs, and the long- 
 fliafted fpear-heads and double-edged fwords 
 are marred with rufl:. Nor is the brazen 
 clarion heard frightening fweet flumber, foul- 
 carefTer, from the eyelids. But joyous revelry 
 fills the flireets, and notes of love-fongs tremble 
 in the air. 
 
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