Isthmian 8: For Cleandros of Aegina

Ho youths! go one of you to the gleaming portal of Telesarchus, and awake the festal triumph-song in honour of Cleandros and his comrades, in reward for his victory at the Isthmus, no less than for his winning the prize in the contests at Nemea.

Therefore, I also, though stricken sorely at heart, am bidden to invoke the golden Muse. Yet, now that we are set free from mighty woes, let us not fall into any lack of festal garlands, nor do thou brood over sorrows; but ceasing to dwell on unavailing ills, we shall delight the people with some strain of sweetness, even after toil; inasmuch as the trouble that Hellas could not brook, the stone of Tantalus above our head, hath now been turned aside for us by one of the gods; but, as for me, the passing away of terror hath caused stern care to cease; yet is it better to look evermore at that which lieth before one’s foot, for man is entangled in a treacherous time that maketh crooked the path of life. Yet even this may be healed for mortals, if only they have freedom. Howsoever, it is meet for man to take to heart good hope; aye, meet it is for one who was reared at Thebes, the city of seven gates, to give Aegina the brightest flower of graceful song.

For to one father, Asopus, were twin daughters born, the youngest of his children, and they found favour with Zeus the king. Wherefore he caused one of them to dwell beside fair Dirce’s stream, as queen of a city rejoicing in chariots; while thee, the other, he carried unto the isle Oenopia and made his bride,—that isle where, to the sire who loudly thundereth, thou barest Aeacus divine, most virtuous of all the race of earth. Therefore it was that even for the gods he became arbiter of strife. His god-like sons and their warlike children were ever bravest in courage, and they were pure in life, and wise in heart.

All this was remembered even by the assembly of the blessed gods, when Zeus and glorious Poseidon strove for the hand of Thetis, both of them desiring her to be his beauteous bride, for love enthralled them. Yet the immortal counsels of the gods did not bring that marriage to pass, when they had heard a certain oracle. For Themis, wise in counsel, spake in their midst, saying how that it was fated that the sea-queen should bear a princely son, who would be stronger than his father, and who in his hand would wield another weapon, mightier than the thunder-bolt or the stubborn trident, if she were wedded either to Zeus or to his brethren. Nay, cease from this, she added, “rather let her win a mortal marriage and see her son fall in war, after vying with Ares in the might of his hands, and with the lightnings in the speed of his feet. My counsel is to grant this marriage-boon divine to the son of Aeacus, even to Peleus, who is famed to be the holiest man that liveth in the plain of Iolcus. At once let the message be sent with all speed to Cheiron’s cave divine; and let not the daughter of Nereus ever again place in our hands the leaves of strife; but, in the evenings of full-moon, let her unloose her maiden-girdle in love for that hero.” So said the goddess, speaking unto the sons of Cronus, and they gave assent with their brows; and the fruit of her words did not wither away, for they tell how that Zeus joined in favouring even the marriage of Thetis. And the lips of poets wise made known the youthful prowess of Achilles to those who had heard it not before;—Achilles who stained and besprent the vine-clad plain of Mysia with the dark blood of Telephus, and enabled the Atreidae to return by a safe path across the sea. ’Twas Achilles who rescued Helen, when with the sword he hewed asunder the sinews of Troy, that aforetime stayed him in plying on the plain the work of murderous war—hewed asunder the over-weening might of Memnon, and Hector, and other brave heroes, to whom Achilles, champion of the house of Aeacus, pointed the road to the house of Persephone, and thus brought fame to Aegina and to his race. And even when dead, he was not forsaken of song, but, beside his funeral pyre and tomb, there stood the maids of Helicon, and poured over him the dirge of many voices. Thus was it proved to be the will of the immortals to make a brave man, even when dead, a theme for the hymns of goddesses; and even now this law holdeth good, and therefore doth the Muses’ car start forth to sound aloud the glory of the boxer, Nicocles. O praise ye him, who won the crown of wild Dorian celery in the Isthmian glade, since he too, in his day, was victorious over all that dwelt around him, smiting them with his resistless hands. He is not dishonoured by the offspring of his father’s noble brother. Therefore let a bright crown of myrtle, in honour of the pancratium, be entwined for Cleandros by one of his comrades, since the contest of Alcathous, and the young men of Epidaurus gave him welcome aforetime. ’Tis fitting for the good to praise him, for he hid not the spirit of his youth in a hole unknown to fame.