Pythian 4: For Arcesilas of Cyrene

Thou must stand, my Muse! to-day in the presence of a friend, even the king of Cyrene with its noble steeds, that so, beside Arcesilas, while he celebrateth his triumph, thou mayest swell the gale of song that is now due to the children of Leto, and to Pytho also, where, in the olden time, on aday when Apollo was not far away, the priestess throned beside the golden eagles of Zeus gave for them an oracle, naming Battus the coloniser of fruitful Libya, and telling how he would at once leave the holy island, and build, on a gleaming hill, a city of noble chariots, and thus, in the seventeenth generation, fulfil the word spoken at Thera by Medea, which that brave daughter of Aeetes, that queen of the Colchians, breathed forth from her immortal lips, when she spake in this wise to the heroes who sailed with the warrior Jason:

Listen, ye sons of high-spirited men, ye sons of the gods! for I aver that, from this wave-washed land of Thera, the daughter of Epaphus, will, in days to come, find planted in her a root of cities that shall be fostered of men near the foundations of Zeus Ammon. Instead of the short-finned dolphins, shall they take to themselves swift horses, and, instead of oars, shall they ply the reins and the chariots swift as the breeze. That token shall bring it to pass that Thera shall become a mother of mighty cities, the token which, on a day, beside the out-flowing waters of lake Tritonis, Euphemus, descending from the prow of the Argo, did receive from a god in the likeness of man, who offered him earth as a hospitable gift. And, thereupon, Father Zeus, the son of Cronus, as a sign of favour, sounded a peal of thunder, what time the stranger lighted upon them as they slung beside the ship the brazen anchor, the swift Argo’s bridle.

And, ere that time, we had left the Ocean, and, by my counsel, had dragged up our sea-faring ship, and for twelve days had carried it across heavy ridges of land. Then was it that the lonely god (even the Triton) drew near in the splendid semblance of a venerable man, and began to utter friendly words, such as kindly men are wont to use, when they first offer welcome to strangers on their coming. But in very deed, the plea of our sweet return to home forbade our lingering. Now he averred that he was Eurypylus, thie son of the immortal Shaker of the Earth which is Poseidon’s portion; and when he began to know that we were hasting on our way, anon he seized some of the soil, and essayed to give to Euphemus, as a friendly gift, whatever came to hand; nor did Euphemus disobey him; hay, but the hero leaped down upon the beach, and, pressing his hand in the hand of the stranger, received from him that fateful clod of earth. But they tell me that it was washed out of the ship and passed into the sea with the spray at eventide, following the waters of the main. Verily full often did I urge the several watches of seamen to guard it with all care, but their minds were forgetful, and now is the seed of broad Libya washed ashore on, the island of Thera before its full time. For, if Euphemus, son of Poseidon, the ruler of horses, whom Europa, daughter of Tityus, erstwhile bare beside the banks of Cephisus, had only sped him to holy Taenarus, and there, in his home, cast the clod down beside that portal of the world below, the blood of the fourth generation descended from him would have taken possession of all the breadth of this vast continent. For, in that event, I see men departing thither from great Lacedaemon, and from the Argive Gulf, and from Mycenae.

But, as things be, Euphemus shall find in the bridal beds of foreign dames a chosen race, which, by the blessing of the gods, shall come to this island of Thera, and there beget a man who shall be the lord of those plains which are mantled by the dark cloud. The day shall come when Phoebus in his golden home shall make mention of him in his oracles, when, at a later time, he descendeth from the threshold into the Pythian shrine, telling how he shall carry many a man in his ships to the fertile precinct of the son of Cronus beside the Nile.

Verily such were the lays that Medea sang; and the god-like heroes, while they listened to her deep counsel, stirred not a whit, but bowed them down in silence.

But, O thou happy son of Polymnestus! twas none other than thee that, in accord with this word of prophecy, the oracle glorified by means of the unprompted utterance of the Delphic Bee, who thrice, and that loudly, bade thee hail, and declared thee the destined king of Cyrene, when thou wast asking the oracle what release the gods would grant thee from thy stammering tongue. In very deed, even now, in the latter days, as in the prime of rosy spring, eighth in the line of those descendants, bloometh Arcesilas. ’Twas Apollo and Pytho that granted him glory in the chariot-race among them that dwelt around; but I shall make himself, and the Golden Fleece, a theme for the Muses’ song. For, when the Minyae sailed forth upon that quest, then were the heaven-sent honours planted for his race.

Tell me what was it that first befell-them in their sea-faring? What was the peril that bound them with strong bolts of adamant? The oracle had said that Pelias would be slain by the proud Aeolidae, either by their own hands or by their resistless counsels; for a response, which made his wary spirit shudder, came unto him in words spoken beside the central stone of tree-clad mother-earth, bidding him in any wise beware of one, shod with a single sandal, who, whether citizen or stranger, was to come down from the homesteads in the mountains to the sunny land of far-famed Iolcus. And so, at last, he came, a hero terrible to look upon, as he brandished his twain spears; and he was clothed with a two-fold raiment, the garb of his Magnesian home closely fitting his comely limbs, while the skin of a pard protected him from shivering showers. Nor had his splendid: locks of hair been shorn, but they rolled lustrous adown all his back. Then, to make trial of his dauntless spirit, he went anon and stood where all the crowd was thronging the market-place. Now they knew him not; howbeit one of the awed beholders spake and said:—

“Surely this is not Apollo, nor verily is he Aphrodite’s lord of the brazen chariot. The sons, again, of Iphimedeia, Otus, and thou, courageous king, Ephialtes, died, they say, in gleaming Naxos. And Tityus, in sooth, was hunted down by the swift dart, which Artemis sped from her unconquerable quiver, warning men to aim only at loves within their reach.”

Thus, in turn, spake they to one another. Meanwhile, driving his mules and his polished chariot with head-long speed, came Pelias in hot haste, and, as he gazed, he was astonied at the solitary sandal clearly seen on the right foot alone of the stranger; but he hid his fear in his heart, and said:

have come to my home to recover the ancient honour of my father, now held in no rightful way, even that honour which Zeus granted of old to Aeolus, the leader of the people, and to his sons. For I hear that lawless Pelias, yielding to his envious passions, violently reft it from my parents, who were lords by primal right. As soon as ever I saw the light, fearing the insolence of the overweening chieftain, then, as though one had died, they made mourning in the darkened home, not without much wailing of women, while, secretly, they sent me away enswathed in purple, with night alone as partner of the path, and gave me to Cheiron the son of Cronus to rear. The chief of all my story ye know already; and now, ye noble citizens, pray show me clearly the palace of my fathers, who rode on white steeds. For, being son of Aeson and having been born in this land, fain would I hope that I have come to my own country and not another’s. The centaur divine was wont to call me by the name of Jason. Thus spake he, and, as he entered, his father’s eyes took note of him, and tears burst forth from those aged eyelids; for, with all his heart, he rejoiced when he saw his son, the choicest and the fairest of men. And both his father’s brothers came, as soon as ever they heard report of him. Hard by was Pheres, who came from the Hypereian fountain; while Amythaon came from Messene; and Admetus also came in all speed, and Melampus, with kindly feeling for their cousin. And, while they joined in the banquet, Jason, welcoming them with gentle words and offering them befitting hospitality, gave them good cheer without stint, for five full nights and for as many days culling the sacred prime of festal life. But, on the sixth day, speaking in sober earnest, the hero told his kinsmen all the story from the beginning, and they followed his prompting; and at once he leapt with them from the tents, and so they came to the hall of Pelias, and hasted and stood within. And when Pelias heard them, he came forth himself to meet them, even the son of Tyro with the lovely locks; and Jason, with his soothing voice distilling gentle language, thus laid the foundation of wise words:

Son of Poseidon, the Cleaver of the Rock! the minds of mortals are only too swift to praise crafty gain rather than justice, even although they are moving toward a rude reckoning; but thou and I must rule our tempers by the law of right, and thus for the future weave the web of all our wealth. Thou knowest what I am soon to say.

It was one heifer that bare Cretheus and Salmeneus! bold in counsel; and we, in our day, who now look upon the golden light of the sun, were sprung from them in the third generation; but, if any feud befall men of the same kin, the Fates withdraw to hide their shame. It ill befitteth us twain to appeal to brazen swords or spears in dividing the great honours of our fathers. As for the flocks and the tawny herds of cattle, and all the fields, which thou hast taken from our parents and holdest for thine own, while feeding fat thy wealth—all these I leave thee, and it irketh me not that they give provision to thy house beyond all measure. But, as for the royal sceptre and the throne, in which Aeson once sat, while he duly laid down the law for a nation of horsemen, these do thou release to us without vexation on either side, lest haply thou shouldest cause fresh ill to spring up therefrom. Thus spake he; and Pelias, on his part, gave a soft answer:

“I shall be even as thou wilt; but old age is already coming over me, while thy bloom of youth - is even now swelling with fulness, and thou hast it in thy power to remove the resentment of the gods below. For Phrixus biddeth us go to the halls of Aeetes, and bring his spirit home, and recover the fleecy fell of the ram, on which he was erstwhile rescued from the sea, and from his step-dame’s impious weapons. Such is the message brought me by a wondrous dream, and I have inquired of the oracle at Castalia, whether there is need for further quest, and the oracle bids me make ready with all speed a ship to escort him home again. This is the quest that I would have thee bring promptly to an end; and, thereupon, I swear that I shall deliver up to thee the sole sovereignty and kingdom. As a mighty pledge, may Zeus, the father of our common ancestor, be our witness!”

This agreement they approved, and then they parted; and Jason forthwith sent messengers to tell men everywhere that there would be a voyage indeed. And soon there came the three sons unwearied in war, whom the bright-eyed Alcmene and Leda bare unto Zeus, the son of Cronus; and two heroes with their tresses waving on high, the offspring of Poseidon, with a soul of honour inspired by their lofty courage, from Pylos and from the foreland at Taenarus; and goodly fame was won by both of them, even by Euphemus, and by thee, Periclymenus, whose power extendeth far. And Apollo’s son came also, even that minstrel of the lyre, that father of song, the famous Orpheus. And Hermes of the golden wand sent two sons to take part in the unabating toil, even Echion and Eurytus, exulting in their youth. Swiftly came they who dwell by the foot of the Pangaean mount, for with gladsome mind did their father, Boreas, lord of the winds, speedily equip Zetes and Calais, with their purple pinions heaving adown their backs. And Hera it was who enkindled in the demigods that all-persuasive sweet desire for the ship Argo, that none should be left behind, and stay by his mother’s side, nursing a life that knoweth no peril; but should, even if death were to be the meed, win, with the aid of his comrades, a peerless elixir of prowess.

But, when the flower of the seamen came down to the shore of Iolcus, Jason numbered them and praised them, every one; and, to aid him, Mopsus, after inquiring the will of heaven by noting the flight of birds and by drawing lots, right gladly gave the host the signal to set forth. And, when they had slung the anchor over the vessel’s prow, the leader took in his hands a golden goblet, and, standing at the stern, called on Zeus, the father of the sons of Heaven, whose lance is the lightning; called also on the swiftly rushing waves and winds, to speed them on their way; and on the night-watches and on the tracks across the main, praying that the days might be propitious, and that the fortune of their return to their home might be kindly. And from the clouds there answered an auspicious peal of thunder, and there came bright flashes of lightning bursting forth) and the heroes took fresh courage at the bidding of the signals sent of heaven. And the seer inspired them with good hopes, while he loudly bade them lay their hands to the oars, and from under their swift palms the rowing sped on, and could not be sated. And so, sent on their way by the breezes of the South wind, they reached the mouth of the Inhospitable Sea, and there they marked out a plot of holy ground in honour of Poseidon; and withal there was a red herd of Thracian bulls, and a hollow of stone newly built on the summit of an altar.

And, as they sped on their way into deep peril, they besought the Lord of Ships, that they might escape the irresistible onset of the clashing rocks; for twain were they, and alive withal, and they rolled onward more swiftly than the battle-lines of the loudly roaring winds; but that voyage of the demigods made them stand still in death. And then they went to Phasis, where they mingled in battle with the swarthy Colchians in the realm of Aeetes himself. Then, for the first time, did the Queen of swiftest darts, in Cyprus born, bind the dappled wryneck to the four spokes of a wheel indissoluble, and brought unto men that maddening bird; and she taught the son of Aeson the lore of suppliant incantations, that so he might rob Medea of her reverence for her parents, and that a longing for Hellas might lash her with the whip of Suasion, while her heart was all aflame.—- And she quickly revealed the means of performing the labours set by her father, and with oil she mingled antidotes against sore pains, and gave them to Jason, to anoint himself withal; and they vowed sweet union in mutual wedlock. But when Aeetes had set steadfast in the midst the adamantine plough, and the oxen, which from their tawny jaws were breathing the flame of burning fire, and were ever and anon pawing the ground with their brazen hoofs, Jason led them along, and single-handed brought them beneath the yoke, and straight stretched he the furrows as he was driving, and clave a ridge of clods a fathom deep. Then Aeetes spake on this wise:— Let the king, whosoever hath command of the ship, complete this task for me, and then let him carry off the coverlet imperishable, the fleece that gleameth with its golden fringe.’ When thus he had spoken, Jason flung off his saffron robe, and, putting his trust in God, set his hand to the task; and, by grace of the counsels of the magic maiden, he quailed not before the fire; but seizing the plough, and binding the necks of the oxen in the harness irresistible, and ever thrusting the unwearied goad into their strong-ribbed frame, the stalwart hero accomplished the allotted measure of his task. And Aeetes, though he could find no voice for his anguish, shrilled forth a cry, in amazement at the stranger’s strength; and his comrades stretched forth their hands towards the sturdy hero, and crowned him with garlands of grass and greeted him with gentle words; and at once the wondrous offspring of the Sun-god spake of the shining fleece, telling where it had been stretched out by the falchion of Phrixus; and he hoped that this further labour Jason would not be able to accomplish. For the fleece lay in a dense thicket; cleaving to the ravening jaws of a dragon, which, in bulk and length, was vaster than a ship of fifty oarsmen, built with many a hammer’s blow.

’Tis too far for me to fare along the high-road: for time is pressing; and I know a short path; to many another am I a leader: in the lore of song. Thou must know, Arcesilas, how Jason, by his cunning, slew that serpent with its glaring eyes and spangled back, and stole away Medea, with her own aid, to be the death of Pelias. And they reached the streams of Ocean, and the Red Sea, and the race of the Lemnian wives who slew their lords. There it was that, in athletic contests, they proved their prowess, with raiment for their prize, and shared the marriage bed; and then it was that the fated day, or, haply, the night-watches, received in a foreign field the seed of your bright prosperity. There it was that the race of Euphemus was planted, to increase for ever in the days to come; and, having mingled with the homes of the Lacedaemonians, in due time they went and dwelt in the isle once called Calliste. Thence was it that the son of Leto caused your race to bring prosperity to the plain of Libya by the honours granted of heaven, and to rule over the divine city of golden-throned Cyrene, having found for it counsel that ruleth in righteousness. Now learn and know the lore of Oedipus:—If a man, with keen-edged axe, were to hew all the boughs of a mighty oak, and mar its comely form; even although its fruit may fail, it nevertheless giveth proof of itself, if ever it cometh at last to the wintry fire; or if, having left its own place desolate, it resteth (as a beam) on the upright pillars of some palace, and doeth slavish service amid alien walls. But thou, Arcesilas, art a most timely healer, and the God of Healing honoureth the light that cometh from thee. One must needs apply a gentle hand in tending a festering wound; for, even for the feeble, it is an easy task to shake a city to its foundation, but it is indeed a sore struggle to set it in its place again, unless God becometh a guide unto its rulers. But, for thee, the web of these fair fortunes is now being woven out toward its end. Deign to bestow all earnest heed on happy Cyrene; and, of the sayings of Homer, take to heart and cherish even this:—“A good messenger,” said he, “bringeth honour to every business”’; even the Muse herself is exalted by a message rightly sped. Cyrene and the most glorious hall of Battus were familiar with the righteous heart of Demophilus; for he, as a youth among boys, and in counsels as an elder who hath attained a hundred years of life, robbeth calumny of her loud voice; he hath learnt to loathe insolence; he neither contendeth against the nobly born, nor delayeth any decisive deed. For, in the hands of men, the fitting moment hath but a brief limit of time. Well hath he taken note of it; it waiteth on him, as a willing servant, not as a thrall. But they say the saddest lot of all is to know the good, and yet, perforce, to be debarred therefrom.

The famous Atlas indeed is still bearing up against heaven’s weight, banished from his ancestral land and his possessions; but the Titans were set free by immortal Zeus; and, as time passeth on, there are shiftings of sails at the change of the breeze. But the exile avoweth that the day will come, when he shall have drained to the dregs the cup of baneful woe, and shall see his home again; and, near Apollo's fountain, shall betake himself to the joys of the banquet, and yield his soul, full oft, to youthful gladness, and, amid fellow-citizens skilled in song, shall hold in his hands his deftly carven cithern, and attain to peace, doing despite to no man, and being himself unscathed by his townsmen. And haply he will tell how fair a fountain of immortal song he found, Arcesilas, when lately welcomed by a friend at Thebes.