Though it is quite possible, and indeed probable, that the Epinician Odes do not represent Pindar’s highest achievement in the realm of pure poetry, the student of history has every reason to be thank...

Chiefest is water of all things, for streaming Therefrom all life and existence came; And all proud treasure of princes the gleaming Splendour of gold outshines, as the flame Of a great fire flings th...

Chiefest is water of all things, for streaming Therefrom all life and existence came; And all proud treasure of princes the gleaming Splendour of gold outshines, as the flame Of a great fire flings th...

Songs, lords of the lyre! what God shall we hymn?⁠—what hero’s praises?⁠— What man’s fame publish afar? Pisa doth Zeus own; Heracles stablished Olympia’s races With the regal spoils of his war; Theron...

Oh Tyndarids, lords of all guest-welcoming, Oh Helen of the tresses beauty-crowned, Take pleasure in my praises, when I sing Akragas far-renowned, Chanting her son’s Olympian victory, The glory of his...

Zeus, hurler of thunderbolts tireless-winging, Most Highest, returneth thy Feast-tide fair To send me to wed with the lyre subtle-ringing My song: of the chiefest of all Games singing To the victor’s ...

O Camarina, bright daughter of Ocean, with glad spirit greet Him who the crown of Olympian achievement and glory most sweet Brings for his gifts to thee won by his car-team’s unwearying feet, Psaumis!...

’Neath our song’s forecourt-rooftree pillars golden Will we uprear; a palace shall it seem. ’Tis meet the forefront shine out far-beholden Of work that hath such splendour-flashing theme. The victor a...

As a father with wealth-laden hand uplifteth a cup With the flashing dew of the joy-giving wine brimmed up, And pledgeth therein the youth who hath won for a bride His daughter, and therewith giveth t...

Mother of contests golden-crowned, O Queen Of truth, Olympia, where from sacrifice Diviners seek the will of Zeus to glean, Who hurls white-flickering lightnings through the skies, To wot if he hath a...

Archilochus’ chant of the sweet voice singing The Olympian hymn of victory,13 With its threefold measure of triumph outringing, Sufficed to lead onward the revelry To the Hill of Kronos, as paced alon...

Read ye to me his name⁠—upon mine inmost heart ’tis writ⁠— Archestratus’ son, he who won the Olympian victory: I owe him a sweet triumph-song⁠—I had forgotten it! At last, O Muse, and thou, O Truth, t...

Sometimes the wind-battalions shouting loud Do men most service, now again The rains of heaven, the children of the cloud, Bring blessing in their train. But when by toil one winneth victory, The sing...

Hear, O thou Daughter of Zeus the Deliverer, Fortune the Saver From peril! Keep watch and ward, I implore, Over Himera, burg of the far-stretching might; for ’tis by thy favour That ships be steered t...

Now, while I laud a house that thrice can vaunt Olympian victory, gracious to the guest, To fellow-burghers courteous, I will chant With theirs the praise of Corinth heaven-blest. Here Isthmian Poseid...

O ye who your lot by Kephisus have found, Ye who dwell in the land where the swift horse races, O bright Orchomenus’ queens, ye Graces Who compass the ancient Minyans round With your guardian arms, O ...

O golden Lyre, who art Phoebus’ treasure Which he shares with the dusk-haired Song-queens aye, The light feet hear thee beating the measure As the revellers marshal their dance-array. O Lyre, thy sign...

O golden Lyre, who art Phoebus’ treasure Which he shares with the dusk-haired Song-queens aye, The light feet hear thee beating the measure As the revellers marshal their dance-array. O Lyre, thy sign...

O Syracuse, city in greatness excelling, Precinct of Ares through gulfs of war Who plungeth, O nurse of the warrior and steed That in clash of the steel of battle-weed Exult, from radiant Thebes do I ...

I were fain⁠—if my tongue might breathe the prayer Which on all lips trembles⁠—that Philyra’s son, That yet alive old Cheiron were Who perished from earth, ah, long agone, Even heaven-born Kronos’ see...

This day, O Muse, in the presence of a friend it behoves thee to stand, Even the King of Kyrene, the goodly battle-steed’s land, That so, when Arkesilas leadeth the revel-dance sweeping along, Thou at...

Far-reaching power has wealth for him to whom It comes, a gift that Destiny sends With stainless honour linked: so leads he home A charm that wins him friends. Thon, O Arkesilas the heaven-blest, Sinc...

Hear! for our ploughshare is sundering The glebe-furrows of starry-eyed Aphrodite, where Graces guide Our feet drawing nigh to the shrine At the navel of earth hollow-thundering, Where for Emmenus’ he...

No fairer prelude of the minstrel’s victory-chant can be Than praise of Athens’ mighty town, When he would hymn the far-prevailing Alkmaionidae, And their swift steeds’ renown. Yea, for what fatherlan...

O gentle-hearted Queen of Peace, thou Daughter Of Righteousness, to greatness dost thou raise Cities: of counsel calm and war’s mad slaughter The master-keys thou holdest. Of thy grace Welcome the pra...

Fain am I, by the favour of the Graces Deep-girt, to chant aloud the victory won By Telesikrates, Kyrene’s son, At Pytho in the brazen-harnessed races. His fortune fair I sing, and chant the glory Tha...

Happy is Sparta, and blessed is Thessaly, seeing there reigneth In one and the other a race descended from Heracles. Is not the vaunt out of season? O nay, for a summons constraineth Me from Pelinna a...

Daughters of Kadmus!⁠—Semele borne mid flame To Olympus’ streets⁠—White Goddess whose earth-name Was Ino, who dost share the hyaline caves Of Nereus’ daughters, maidens of the waves; Come with the mot...

Lover of splendour, above all cities beauty-dowered, Persephone’s home, who dost dwell by Akragas’ water-meads green Sheep-pastured, throned on thine hill of the ramparts stately-towered, With kindly ...

O breathing-place of Alpheus panting in chase of the Nymph Arethusa, O child Of Syracuse world-renowned, Ortygia, couch of the Huntress-queen of the wild, O sister of Delos, the chant sweet-ringing is...

O breathing-place of Alpheus panting in chase of the Nymph Arethusa, O child Of Syracuse world-renowned, Ortygia, couch of the Huntress-queen of the wild, O sister of Delos, the chant sweet-ringing is...

As the sons of Homer, the singers of deftly-woven lays, Ever begin their chants with a prelude in Zeus’s praise, So in the Grove whose glory is chanted in every nation This hero-athlete hath laid his ...

O queenly Muse, our mother, hitherward come, I pray, When the holy Moon brings round the Nemean festal day, To Aegina the guest-thronged Dorian isle. Where the ripples are sliding Of Asopian waves, yo...

When conflict’s bitter strain to its decision At last attaineth, then the best physician Is mirth, to close the overtasking day. And song, the Muses’ child inspired, can lay On the heart’s wounds her ...

No carver of statues am I, to fashion images moveless abiding Dumb on the pedestals where men set them! Nay, sweet song of mine, Forth do thou fare from Aegina’s haven, on every tall ship riding, And ...

One is the race of men, and one the race of Gods; but they And we alike are children of the same Earth-mother’s womb. Yet some Power wholly diverse sunders us: we fade away To nought, but evermore abi...

O Eileithyia enthroned for ever By the Destinies deeply-brooding, hearken, Thou Daughter of Hera the mighty, O giver Of birth unto babes! Unholpen of thee Never a child of man may see The day-dawn bre...

Queen of the beauty of youth, thou herald of Aphrodite’s celestial yearning, Who on eyelids of boys and of maidens enthroned, in hands spell-weaving for ever art turning Our destinies to and fro, unto...

We will lead the revel, O Queens of Song, from Apollo’s Sikyonian fane Unto new-built Etna⁠—whose doors flung wide are too strait the throng of her guests to contain⁠— On unto Chromius’ wealthy palace...

Sing, Graces, the city of Danaus and of his fifty daughters splendour-throned, Argos the dwelling of Hera, meet for a Goddess: she shineth starry-zoned With countless achievements of chivalrous deeds ...

O Hestia, child of Rhea, who hast city-halls in ward, Sister of Zeus most high and Hera throned beside her lord, To thy bower welcome Aristagoras with gracious mien; His feres to approach thy gleaming...

Mother mine, O Thebe of shield all-golden, Me shall thy sovran behest embolden, How full soever mine hands be, to lay All other service aside for to-day. O Delos, thou for whose exaltation Hath my sou...

Mother mine, O Thebe of shield all-golden, Me shall thy sovran behest embolden, How full soever mine hands be, to lay All other service aside for to-day. O Delos, thou for whose exaltation Hath my sou...

The singers of old, Thrasybulus, who mounted the car of the Queens of Song, The golden-tired, giving voice to the ringing lyre and the tuneful tongue, Shot lightly the arrows of honey-sweet strains in...

What man soever hath prospered in winning prizes of high renown In the Games, or is mighty in wealth, who yet in his spirit crusheth down Pestilent arrogance, worthy is he to be graced with his townsm...

By grace of the Gods there be countless paths far-spreading before my feet; But, Melissus, thou at the Isthmian Games hast shown me a highway meet Whereon to follow in song the track of the prowess of...

Theia of many names, O mother of the Sun,28 Men set their stamp on gold for love of thee, Of all things precious counting this the mightiest one; Yea, and in rivalry, Queen, for thy brightness on the ...

As they do in a banquet of men when the revelry runneth high, So do we mingle a second bowl of the Song-queen’s strain. Unto Tampon’s athlete-seed do we render honour thereby. Our first was outpoured ...

In which of the old-time glories that made thy land renowned Hath thy spirit, O happy Thebe, delighted most of all? When thou sawest the birth of the God of the tresses that toss unbound, Dionysus, en...

For Kleandros and his comrades, O ye youths, let some of you Go and stand before his father Telesarchus’ gleaming door, And wake the chant, the recompense for toils, his glorious due For the crowns th...

Cf. the speech of Brasidas to his soldiers: “You are not to be cowed by any numerical superiority of your foes, since you do not come from states in which such a lesson is learnt. You come from those ...