Two Anchors, Two Lands

December 3, 2022 ~ sententiaeantiquae ~ Leave a comment

Pindar, Olympian 6. 101-105

“Two anchors are good
to cast out from a swift ship
on a stormy night.

I hope that the god grants these people and their friends
A glorious fate.
Lord, ruler of the sea: provide them with a direct journey
Free of all troubles.

And, husband of golden-rodded Amphitrite,
Help the pleasurable flower of my songs grow.”

ἀγαθαὶ δὲ πέλοντ᾿ ἐν χειμερίᾳ
νυκτὶ θοᾶς ἐκ ναὸς ἀπεσκίμ-
φθαι δύ᾿ ἄγκυραι. θεός
τῶνδε κείνων τε κλυτὰν αἶσαν παρέχοι φιλέων.
δέσποτα ποντόμεδον, εὐθὺν δὲ πλόον καμάτων
ἐκτὸς ἐόντα δίδοι, χρυσαλακάτοιο πόσις
Ἀμφιτρίτας, ἐμῶν δ᾿ ὕμνων ἄεξ᾿ εὐτερπὲς ἄνθος.

Scholia ad Pind. Ol. 6.101

“Two anchors are good: two anchors extended from one ship are good and useful in a stormy night, he means. He says that also because Hegesias has two countries, both in Arkadia and among the Syracusans.

Also: the winds are harsh at night. This is clearly about ships, for whom two anchors are need…they are useful. In the same way, the two cities stand against developing troubles.

“[the anchors] are good: this is a clever way of defending the two countries that claim the victor. IT means, just as it is advantageous and profitable to let out two anchors in a storm and the night, it is also a good thing to have two countries.”

ἀγαθαὶ δὲ πέλονται: ἀγαθαὶ δέ, φησι, καὶ χρήσιμοι κατὰ χειμερίαν νύκτα δύο ἄγκυραι ἠρεισμέναι ἐκ μιᾶς νεώς. τοῦτο δέ φησι διὰ τὸ καὶ τὸν ᾿Αγησίαν δύο περιέχεσθαι πατρίσι, τῇ τε ᾿Αρκαδίᾳ καὶ ταῖς Συρακούσαις.

ἄλλως· ἐν νυκτὶ δ’ ἄνεμοι χαλεποί· —δῆλον νηῶν·πρὸς οὓς χρηστέον δύο ἀγκύραις ….. … <δύο ἄγκυραι> χρήσιμοι, οὕτω καὶ πρὸς τὰς γινομένας ταραχὰς αἱ δύο πόλεις.

ἀγαθαὶ δὲ πέλονται: ἀστείως ἀπολογεῖται τοῦ εἶναι τὸν νικηφόρον δύο πατρίδων, καί φησιν· ὥσπερ ἐστὶ λυσιτελὲς καὶ συμφέρον ἐν χειμῶνι καὶ νυκτὶ [τὴν νῆα] δύο ἀγκύραις ἐπερείδεσθαι, οὕτως ἐπικερδὲς καὶ δύο πατρίδας

color photograph of stone pyramid-shaped anchors standing together in an outdoor display — Ship stone anchors on display at deposit of the open-air exhibition along the Ancient Greek theater in the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus (Athens). Picture by Giovanni Dall’Orto, November 14 2009.

Be Excellent, Just Don’t Try To Become A God

December 2, 2022 ~ sententiaeantiquae ~ Leave a comment

Pindar, Olympian 5.16

“Toil and expense always reach for excellence
In an act veiled in risk.
Those who do well seem to be wise
To their fellow citizens.

Zeus, savior in the high clouds, living on Kronos’ hill
Honoring the wide flowing Alphaeos and Idaios’ holy cave,
I come to you as a suppliant, chanting over Lydian pipes,

Begging you to glorify this city with famous deeds.
And you, Olympian victor, turn a satisfied heart toward
The end of old age, taking pleasure in Poseidon’s horses,
As your sons stand ready around you, Psaumis.

When someone strives for healthy happiness,
Their possessions are enough, especially when a good reputation is added.
Don’t let them try to become a god.”

αἰεὶ δ᾿ ἀμφ᾿ ἀρεταῖσι πόνος δαπάνα τε μάρναται πρὸς ἔργον
κινδύνῳ κεκαλυμμένον· εὖ δὲ τυχόν-
τες σοφοὶ καὶ πολίταις ἔδοξαν ἔμμεν.
Σωτὴρ ὑψινεφὲς Ζεῦ, Κρόνιόν τε ναίων λόφον
τιμῶν τ᾿ Ἀλφεὸν εὐρὺ ῥέοντα Ἰδαῖόν τε σεμνὸν ἄντρον,
ἱκέτας σέθεν ἔρχομαι Λυδίοις ἀπύων ἐν αὐλοῖς,

αἰτήσων πόλιν ἐυανορίαισι τάνδε κλυταῖς
δαιδάλλειν, σέ τ᾿, Ὀλυμπιόνικε, Ποσειδανίοισιν ἵπποις
ἐπιτερπόμενον φέρειν γῆρας εὔθυμον ἐς τελευτάν
υἱῶν, Ψαῦμι, παρισταμένων. ὑγίεντα δ᾿ εἴ τις ὄλβον ἄρδει,
ἐξαρκέων κτεάτεσσι καὶ ἐυλογίαν
προστιθείς, μὴ ματεύσῃ θεὸς γενέσθαι.

Fragmentary black figure vase. Partial figure of Zeus sitting on thrown with eagles behind him — Zeus on throne, accompanied by a raven. Laconian kylix, around 530 BC. The Archaeological Museum of Olympia. K 1292.

Conversely

Ghostbusters Ray GIF - Ghostbusters Ray Yes - Discover & Share GIFs

Time and the Death of Pain

December 1, 2022 ~ sententiaeantiquae ~ Leave a comment

Pindar, Olympian 2.15-24

“When things are done
Justly or otherwise
Not even time, the father of everything,
Can render their results undone.

Yet with a lucky fate,
They may yet be forgotten.
Even pain dies
once the churn of feelings is subdued
Under the influence of noble joys.
Whenever the god’s Fate sends
Happiness reaching on high.

This claim fits well
The fair-throned daughters of Cadmus
Who suffered calamities–
But now their heavy grief fades
In the face of greater goods.”

τῶν δὲ πεπραγμένων
ἐν δίκᾳ τε καὶ παρὰ δίκαν ἀποίητον οὐδ᾿ ἄν
Χρόνος ὁ πάντων πατὴρ
δύναιτο θέμεν ἔργων τέλος·
λάθα δὲ πότμῳ σὺν εὐδαίμονι γένοιτ᾿ ἄν.
ἐσλῶν γὰρ ὑπὸ χαρμάτων πῆμα θνᾴσκει
παλίγκοτον δαμασθέν,
ὅταν θεοῦ Μοῖρα πέμπῃ
ἀνεκὰς ὄλβον ὑψηλόν. ἕπεται δὲ λόγος εὐθρόνοις
Κάδμοιο κούραις, ἔπαθον αἳ μεγάλα·
πένθος δὲ πίτνει βαρύ
κρεσσόνων πρὸς ἀγαθῶν.

Winged old figure in the clouds holding an hour glass in one hand and a scythe in the other. AN oil painting — Jan van Bronchorst . “Time” 1656

Praise? What Praise?

November 30, 2022 ~ lawrencebenn ~ Leave a comment

Pindar, Olympian Ode 11

There’s a time when man’s greatest need is wind,
and there’s a time when it’s waters from the sky,
the rainy offspring of clouds.
But when an individual toils and prevails
dulcet hymns are where his future fame begins
and testify to his great achievements.

Lavish is the praise offered up
for Olympic victors. My tongue would lead the way,
but here too, it’s only because of god
a man’s art blossoms.
Now then, son of Archestratus, know this:
Hagesidamus, because of your boxing,

as an adornment of your golden-olives crown
I will shout a sweet song
which recognizes your Western Lokrian tribe.
Go join the revels there, O muses!
I promise you will not encounter a host
unwelcoming and unschooled in beauty,
but one quite wise, and spear-fighting at that.
I can promise, for neither flame-colored fox
nor loud-roaring lions change their natural ways.

ἔστιν ἀνθρώποις ἀνέμων ὅτε πλείστα
χρῆσις, ἔστιν δ᾽ οὐρανίων ὑδάτων,
ὀμβρίων παίδων νεφέλας:
εἰ δὲ σὺν πόνῳ τις εὖ πράσσοι, μελιγάρυες ὕμνοι
ὑστέρων ἀρχὰ λόγων
τέλλεται καὶ πιστὸν ὅρκιον μεγάλαις ἀρεταῖς.
ἀφθόνητος δ᾽ αἶνος Ὀλυμπιονίκαις
οὗτος ἄγκειται. τὰ μὲν ἁμετέρα
γλῶσσα ποιμαίνειν ἐθέλει,
ἐκ θεοῦ δ᾽ ἀνὴρ σοφαῖς ἀνθεῖ πραπίδεσσιν ὁμοίως.
ἴσθι νῦν, Ἀρχεστράτου
παῖ, τεᾶς, Ἁγησίδαμε, πυγμαχίας ἕνεκεν
κόσμον ἐπὶ στεφάνῳ χρυσέας ἐλαίας
ἁδυμελῆ κελαδήσω,
Ζεφυρίων, Λοκρῶν γενεὰν ἀλέγων.
ἔνθα συγκωμάξατ᾽: ἐγγυάσομαι
ὔμμιν, ὦ Μοῖσαι, φυγόξενον στρατὸν
μηδ᾽ ἀπείρατον καλῶν,
ἀκρόσοφον δὲ καὶ αἰχματὰν ἀφίξεσθαι. τὸ γὰρ
ἐμφυὲς οὔτ᾽ αἴθων ἀλώπηξ
οὔτ᾽ ἐρίβρομοι λέοντες διαλλάξαντο ἦθος.

Where’s the Praise?

In Pindar’s cosmos, contingency reigns. Neither wind nor rain, whatever the need, can be counted on. The athlete isn’t assured success (it depends on the god), and if he attains it, his greatest need (an enduring and relied-upon hymn) may go unmet (it too depends on the god). That seems to be the point of the priamel: the athlete, like those who rely on specific weather, might be frustrated in their greatest need.

It’s against this backdrop that we should interpret the singer’s promise to the Muses. It’s not irrelevant that the promise is couched in the language of oaths (ἐγγυάσομαι: I promise, I pledge); after all, the ambitious claims for the hymn were too (πιστὸν ὅρκιον: literally “a reliable oath”). Those claims were of course undermined by the singer’s reminder about contingency.

And so we should read the gnomic statement about fox and lion as also unreliable. Fox and lion are constant, just as the character of Western Lokrians is constant. What the ode has not done is identify a constant in an inconstant world. Rather, claims of predictability should have been sufficiently undermined by now that we hear irony in the lines, or perhaps a test of whether we have absorbed the ode’s lesson.

I ask where’s the praise in the ode, precisely because the singer who questions his ability to hymn the Olympic victor, by extension undermines his praise of the athletes tribe as well.

Black figure vase: two boxers face each other with hands held high — Black figure amphora.
Athens, 550-500 BCE.
British Museum.

Larry Benn has a B.A. in English Literature from Harvard College, an M.Phil in English Literature from Oxford University, and a J.D. from Yale Law School. Making amends for a working life misspent in finance, he’s now a hobbyist in ancient languages and blogs at featsofgreek.blogspot.com.

The Secret Keys to Sex and Pretense

November 29, 2022 ~ sententiaeantiquae ~ Leave a comment

Pindar, Pythian 9.37-51

“The mighty Centaur laughed brightly
With a soft brow, and immediately offered
His own wisdom: “The locks of holy sex
Are secrets of wise Persuasion, Apollo.
Gods and humans similarly avoid
Climbing quickly into bed openly, for the first time at least.

Even so, your moving lust persuaded you
To offer this speech when it is wrong For you to lie.

Are you really asking where the girl is from, lord?
You’re the one who knows the proper end of all things
And the paths that leads to them-=-
How many leaves the earth sprouts in the spring
And how many sands in the rivers and the sea
Swirl in the waves and the driven winds
Or what will be and where it will come from–
You know all of this well.

But, if it is my duty match one so wise,
I will speak…”

τὸν δὲ Κένταυρος ζαμενής, ἀγανᾷ
χλοαρὸν γελάσσαις ὀφρύι, μῆτιν ἑάν
εὐθὺς ἀμείβετο· “κρυπταὶ κλαΐδες ἐντὶ σοφᾶς
Πειθοῦς ἱερᾶν φιλοτάτων,
Φοῖβε, καὶ ἔν τε θεοῖς τοῦτο κἀνθρώποις ὁμῶς
αἰδέοντ᾿, ἀμφανδὸν ἁδεί-
ας τυχεῖν τὸ πρῶτον εὐνᾶς.
καὶ γὰρ σέ, τὸν οὐ θεμιτὸν ψεύδει θιγεῖν,
ἔτραπε μείλιχος ὀργὰ παρφάμεν τοῦ-
τον λόγον, κούρας δ᾿ ὁπόθεν γενεάν
ἐξερωτᾷς, ὦ ἄνα; κύριον ὃς πάντων τέλος
οἶσθα καὶ πάσας κελεύθους·
ὅσσα τε χθὼν ἠρινὰ φύλλ᾿ ἀναπέμπει, χὠπόσαι
ἐν θαλάσσᾳ καὶ ποταμοῖς ψάμαθοι
κύμασιν ῥιπαῖς τ᾿ ἀνέμων κλονέονται,
χὤ τι μέλλει, χὠπόθεν
ἔσσεται, εὖ καθορᾷς.
εἰ δὲ χρὴ καὶ πὰρ σοφὸν ἀντιφερίξαι,
ἐρέω·

A fresco from naples (wall painting): From left to right: Apollo (of the Apollo Lykeios type), Chiron, and Asclepius. — Fresco, 1st Century CE from Pompeii

Apollo Almost Thinks About Consent

November 29, 2022November 29, 2022 ~ sententiaeantiquae ~ 2 Comments

Pindar, Pythian 9. 17-25

“[Peneius] raised up his smooth-armed
Child, Kyrene. She had no interest in
The repetitive paths of the loom
Or the pleasure of meals at home with friends,
But instead she found the bronze javelins
And a sword for fighting and killing
The wild beasts–that’s how she made so much peace
For her father’s cattle and only just
Allowing that sweet bedmate, sleep,
To rest upon her eyelids upon descent at dawn.

Once Apollo, with his wide quiver, found her
Alone and unarmed, wrestling a powerful lion.
So he immediately called Kheiron from his home, and said,

“Come out, son of Philyra, and look
At this woman’s spirit and impressive power,
How she is pursuing this fight with a steady gaze,
This girl whose heart is stronger than suffering,
Whose thoughts are unclouded by fear!

What mortal gave birth to her? From what roots
Has she been cut to live in the forests
Of dark mountains, testing her limitless courage?

Should I lay my famous hand on her
And harvest the honey-sweet fruit from her bed?”

ὁ δὲ τὰν εὐώλενον
θρέψατο παῖδα Κυράναν· ἁ μὲν οὔθ᾿ ἱ-
στῶν παλιμβάμους ἐφίλησεν ὁδούς,
οὔτε δείπνων †οἰκουριᾶν μεθ᾿ ἑταιρᾶν τέρψιας,
ἀλλ᾿ ἀκόντεσσίν τε χαλκέοις
φασγάνῳ τε μαρναμένα κεράιζεν ἀγρίους
θῆρας, ἦ πολλάν τε καὶ ἡσύχιον
βουσὶν εἰρήναν παρέχοισα πατρῴαις,
τὸν δὲ σύγκοιτον γλυκύν
παῦρον ἐπὶ γλεφάροις
ὕπνον ἀναλίσκοισα ῥέποντα πρὸς ἀῶ.
κίχε νιν λέοντί ποτ᾿ εὐρυφαρέτρας
ὀβρίμῳ μούναν παλαίοισαν
ἄτερ ἐγχέων ἑκάεργος Ἀπόλλων.
αὐτίκα δ᾿ ἐκ μεγάρων Χείρωνα προσήνεπε φωνᾷ·
σεμνὸν ἄντρον, Φιλλυρίδα, προλιπὼν
θυμὸν γυναικὸς καὶ μεγάλαν δύνασιν
θαύμασον, οἷον ἀταρβεῖ νεῖκος ἄγει κεφαλᾷ,
μόχθου καθύπερθε νεᾶνις
ἦτορ ἔχοισα· φόβῳ δ᾿ οὐ κεχείμανται φρένες.
τίς νιν ἀνθρώπων τέκεν; ποίας
δ᾿ ἀποσπασθεῖσα φύτλας
ὀρέων κευθμῶνας ἔχει σκιοέντων,
γεύεται δ᾿ ἀλκᾶς ἀπειράντου;
ὁσία κλυτὰν χέρα οἱ προσενεγκεῖν
ἦρα καὶ ἐκ λεχέων κεῖραι μελιαδέα ποίαν;”

Akesandros of Cyrene (Jacoby 469) F4

“Akesandros tells the story in his Concerning Cyrene that when Eurypylos was king in Libya, Cyrene was taken by Apollo because there was a lion plaguing the land. Eurypylos put his kingship up as a prize for anyone who could kill a lion—and Cyrene killed the lion and gained the kingdom. Her children were Autoukhos and Aristaios. Phularkhos says that she came to Libya with a group, and when they went on a hunting expedition, she joined them too.”

᾽Ακέσανδρος δὲ ἐν τοῖς Περὶ Κυρήνης ἱστορεῖ, ἐπ᾽ Εὐρυπύλου βασιλεύοντος ἐν Λιβύηι ὡς ὑπὸ ᾽Απόλλωνος διακομισθείη ἡ Κυρήνη, λέοντος δὲ τὴν χώραν λυμαινομένου προθείη τὴν βασιλείαν ὁ Εὐρύπυλος ἆθλον τῶι ἀποκτενοῦντι τὸν λέοντα, τὴν δὲ(?) διαχρήσασθαι αὐτόν καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν λαβεῖν· παῖδας δὲ αὐτῆς γενέσθαι Αὐτοῦχον καὶ ᾽Αρισταῖον. φησὶ δὲ αὐτὴν Φύλαρχος (81 F 16) ἐλθεῖν μετὰ πλειόνων εἰς Λιβύην, τούτων δὲ ἐκπεμφθέντων ἐπὶ τὴν κυνηγίαν, τούτοις καὶ αὐτὴν συνεξελθεῖν.

Black and white photograph of a relief sculpture (marble) showing a woman face forward with a lion in a headlock) — Photograph of a statue of the personification of Cyrene. Plate from ‘History of the recent discoveries at Cyrene, made during an expedition to the Cyrenaica in 1860-61…’

Cloud Decoys and Spinning Wheels: The Tale of Ungrateful Ixion

November 28, 2022 ~ sententiaeantiquae ~ Leave a comment

Pindar, Pythian 2. 13-34

“A different person pays out the prize of excellence
To different kinds, a song that carries well.
Kyprian tales sing of Kinyras, the one
Golden-haired Apollo made his friend,

That sacred follower of Aphrodite, since
Gratitude for the deeds of friends goes back and forth in exchange.

Yet the maiden of western Lokris calls you,
Son of Deinomenes, from her front door.
She is safe now thanks to your power
After the inescapable labors of war.

People claim that that at gods’ command,
As he turns in every way on his flying wheel,
Ixion has this to say to mortals:
Go and pay back fairly
Someone who has done you good.

And he learned this well, for even though he lived
a sweet life among the children of Kronos.
He couldn’t abide happiness for long
Because he went crazy when he
Started to lust for Hera, whose happy bedtimes
Are reserved for Zeus alone.
But arrogance drove him to conceited delusion
And so the man soon suffered what was right,
And received exceptional pain.

His two crimes earned this suffering.
To start, he was the first mortal
To get mixed up in familial blood,
And there was deception;
And then, he tried to attack Zeus’ wife
In the depths of her bed chambers..
You need to always take the measure of everything from your own perspective.”

ἄλλοις δέ τις ἐτέλεσσεν ἄλλος ἀνήρ
εὐαχέα βασιλεῦσιν ὕμνον ἄποιν᾿ ἀρετᾶς.
κελαδέοντι μὲν ἀμφὶ Κινύραν πολλάκις
φᾶμαι Κυπρίων, τὸν ὁ χρυσοχαῖτα προ-
φρόνως ἐφίλησ᾿ Ἀπόλλων,
ἱερέα κτίλον Ἀφροδίτας· ἄγει δὲ χάρις
φίλων ποί τινος ἀντὶ ἔργων ὀπιζομένα·
σὲ δ᾿, ὦ Δεινομένειε παῖ, Ζεφυρία πρὸ δόμων
Λοκρὶς παρθένος ἀπύει,
πολεμίων καμάτων ἐξ ἀμαχάνων
διὰ τεὰν δύναμιν δρακεῖσ᾿ ἀσφαλές.
θεῶν δ᾿ ἐφετμαῖς Ἰξίονα φαντὶ ταῦτα βροτοῖς
λέγειν ἐν πτερόεντι τροχῷ
παντᾷ κυλινδόμενον·
τὸν εὐεργέταν ἀγαναῖς
ἀμοιβαῖς ἐποιχομένους τίνεσθαι.
ἔμαθε δὲ σαφές. εὐμενέσσι γὰρ παρὰ Κρονίδαις
γλυκὺν ἑλὼν βίοτον, μακρὸν οὐχ ὑπέμεινεν ὄλ-
βον, μαινομέναις φρασίν
Ἥρας ὅτ᾿ ἐράσσατο, τὰν Διὸς εὐναὶ λάχον
πολυγαθέες· ἀλλά νιν ὕβρις εἰς ἀυάταν ὑπεράφανον
ὦρσεν· τάχα δὲ παθὼν ἐοικότ᾿ ἀνήρ
ἐξαίρετον ἕλε μόχθον. αἱ δύο δ᾿ ἀμπλακίαι
φερέπονοι τελέθοντι· τὸ μὲν ἥρως ὅτι
ἐμφύλιον αἷμα πρώτιστος οὐκ ἄτερ
τέχνας ἐπέμειξε θνατοῖς,
ὅτι τε μεγαλοκευθέεσσιν ἔν ποτε θαλάμοις
Διὸς ἄκοιτιν ἐπειρᾶτο. χρὴ δὲ κατ᾿ αὐτὸν αἰ-
εὶ παντὸς ὁρᾶν μέτρον.

Schol ad Pindar, Pythian 2 40b 16-28

“When no one would cleanse Ixion for murder, and the rest of the gods had rejected him, Zeus cleanse him for it because he pitied him and took him home to the sky. But people report that he was tempted by another mistake because of lust for Hera. When Zeus learned this, he fashioned a cloud version of Hera that looked just like her, and when he saw Ixion rushing at her and laying next to her, he fathered a wild and monstrous creature from this whom people called Centaur. Later on, he bound Ixion’s hands and feet to a wheel and Zeus ordered that it be spun around in this fashion.”

τοῦ δὲ μύσους μηδενὸς καθαρίζοντος τὸν ᾿Ιξίονα, ἀποστραφέντων δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων θεῶν, οἰκτείρας ὁ Ζεὺς ἐκάθηρε μὲν αὐτὸν τοῦ φόνου, ἀνήγαγε δὲ καὶ εἰς οὐρανὸν καὶ συνέστιον εἶχεν αὐτόν. τὸν δὲ δευτέρῳ ἁμαρτήματι ἐπιχειροῦντα εἰς ἔρωτα τῆς ῞Ηρας κινηθῆναί φασι· μαθόντα δὲ τὸν Δία νεφέλην τῇ ῞Ηρᾳ ἀναπλάσαι καὶ ἐκτυπῶσαι ὁμοίαν, τὸν δὲ ᾿Ιξίονα θεασάμενον ἐφορμῆσαι καὶ παρακλιθῆναι. γενέσθαι δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄγριόν τινα καὶ τερατώδη ἄνδρα, ὃν Κένταυρον ὠνόμασαν. ὕστερον δὲ τροχῷ τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰς χεῖρας τοῦ ᾿Ιξίονος προσδεσμευθῆναι, καὶ κελεῦσαι τὸν Δία πρὸς τὴν δίνησιν τοῦ τροχοῦ τὸ τοιοῦτον…

Dark Oil painting of two figures looking at each other, one beginning to chain the other. — José Ribera, Ixion (1632). Oil on canvas, 220 x 301 cm. Museo del Prado, Madrid.

Born of the Same Mother

November 16, 2022 ~ lawrencebenn ~ Leave a comment

Pindar. Nemean Ode 6. 1-7.

Men and gods are kin–we draw breath
From one mother, men and gods.
Yet, a critical property separates us:
Men are nothing, but gods have bronze heaven
As their ever-secure seat.

Still, we do somewhat resemble immortals,
Whether in our vast mind or our form,
Although neither by day nor by night
Do we know what course
Destiny has set down for us to run.

In Pindar’s Greek, it is δύναμις, a word most commonly translated as “power,” which separates gods and men. I was unsure what “power” he had in mind, but the scholia’s interpretation was clarifying.

The scholia points out that “unchangeability” (ἀμετάβλητος) is the gods’ defining characteristic. It then goes on to state:

“The critical δύναμις of the gods separates us from one another . . . The consequence is that the race of men is easily destroyed, but the race of gods is inalterable, secure, and immortal.”

In light of the scholia, I think a better translation of δύναμις, in this instance, is “property.” Hence my translation, “a critical property separates us . . .”

Pindar:

ἓν ἀνδρῶν, ἓν θεῶν γένος: ἐκ μιᾶς δὲ πνέομεν
ματρὸς ἀμφότεροι: διείργει δὲ πᾶσα κεκριμένα
δύναμις, ὡς τὸ μὲν οὐδέν, ὁ δὲ χάλκεος ἀσφαλὲς αἰὲν ἕδος
μένει οὐρανός. ἀλλά τι προσφέρομεν ἔμπαν ἢ μέγαν
νόον ἤτοι φύσιν ἀθανάτοις,
καίπερ ἐφαμερίαν οὐκ εἰδότες οὐδὲ μετὰ νύκτας
ἄμμε πότμος
αντιν᾽ ἔγραψε δραμεῖν ποτὶ στάθμαν.

Scholia:

διαχωρίζει δὲ ἀπ ἀλλήλων ἡμᾶς ἡ ὡρισμένη δύναμις τῶν θεῶν . . . ὥστε τὸ μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων εὐδιάφθορον εἶναι γένος, τὸ δὲ τῶν θεῶν ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ καὶ βεβαίῳ καὶ ἀφθαρσίᾳ τυγχάνειν.

Oil painting of woman nude from chest down, lying on a bed or couch — Gustave Courbet. L’Origin du Monde. 1866.
Musee d’Orsay.

Pindar: When Men Shine

October 16, 2022 ~ lawrencebenn ~ Leave a comment

Pindar. Pythian Odes. 8. 88-97.

A man fresh from some handsome win
In a time of plenty,
Takes flight, hope-propelled,
On wings of manly accomplishment.
He’s intent on more than riches.

Men’s joy swells fast, and fast it falls to earth
Disturbed by an adverse pronouncement.

Beings for a day. What is anyone?
What is someone not? A shadow’s dreaming,
That’s man. Yet, when the light of Zeus issues,
Men shine radiant and life is kind.

ὁ δὲ καλόν τι νέον λαχὼν
ἁβρότατος ἔπι μεγάλας
ἐξ ἐλπίδος πέταται
ὑποπτέροις ἀνορέαις, ἔχων
κρέσσονα πλούτου μέριμναν. ἐν δ᾽ ὀλίγῳ βροτῶν
τὸ τερπνὸν αὔξεται: οὕτω δὲ καὶ πίτνει χαμαί,
ἀποτρόπῳ γνώμᾳ σεσεισμένον.

ἐπάμεροι: τί δέ τις; τί δ᾽ οὔ τις; σκιᾶς ὄναρ
ἄνθρωπος. ἀλλ᾽ ὅταν αἴγλα διόσδοτος ἔλθῃ,
λαμπρὸν φέγγος ἔπεστιν ἀνδρῶν καὶ μείλιχος αἰών.

Black vase with a white square for the painting. An Athlete in simple lines carries a tripod on his head — Greek terracotta amphora depicting an athlete
carrying off his prize (a tripod).
c.550 B.C.
Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Pleasure of a Life without Helplessness

October 11, 2022 ~ sententiaeantiquae ~ Leave a comment

Bacchylides, Odes 1. 159-177

I claim and I will continue to claim
that excellence receives the greatest glory.
Wealth tends to join up
With even worthless people–
It longs to puff up a man’s thoughts,

But someone who treats the gods well
Inflates their heart with a hope for greater glory–
Even though mortal, they earn health and
Can live from their own means and
Compete among the foremost.

Pleasure joins every human life
Once the helplessness of poverty and disease
Is removed.

Rich people desire equal
In proportion to their wealth,
And the poor want less–
Yet there’s nothing sweet
When mortals can get everything.
We always try to take
Whatever escapes us.”

φαμὶ καὶ φάσω μέγιστον
κῦδος ἔχειν ἀρετάν· πλοῦ-
τος δὲ καὶ δειλοῖσιν ἀνθρώπων ὁμιλεῖ,

ἐθέλει δ᾿ αὔξειν φρένας ἀνδρός·
ὁ δ᾿ εὖ ἔρδων θεούς
ἐλπίδι κυδροτέραι
σαίνει κέαρ. εἰ δ᾿ ὑγιείας
θνατὸς ἐὼν ἔλαχεν
ζώειν τ᾿ ἀπ᾿ οἰκείων ἔχει,
πρώτοις ἐρίζει· παντί τοι
τέρψις ἀνθρώπων βίωι
ἕπεται νόσφιν γε νόσων
πενίας τ᾿ ἀμαχάνου.

ἶσον ὅ τ᾿ ἀφνεὸς ἱμείρει
μεγάλων ὅ τε μείων
παυροτέρων· τὸ δὲ πάντων
εὐμαρεῖν οὐδὲν γλυκύ
θνατοῖσιν, ἀλλ᾿ αἰεὶ τὰ φεύγοντα
δίζηνται κιχεῖν.