Book IX, 184

Pindar, holy mouth of the Muses, and thou, Bacchylides, garrulous Siren, and ye, Aeolian graces of Sappho; pen of Anacreon, and thou, Stesichorus, who in thy works didst draw off Homer’s stream ; honeyed page of Simonides, and thou, Ibycus, who didst cull the sweet bloom of Persuasion and of the love of lads; sword of Alcaeus, that didst often shed the blood of tyrants, defending his country’s laws, and ye nightingales of Aleman, singing ever of maidens ; look kindly on me, ye authors and finishers of all lyric song.