Bacchylides · Epinicians (Odes of Victory) Ἐπίνικοι

Bacchylides, Epinicians (Odes of Victory) 6.1–8.32: Odes 6–7: Lachon of Ceos, boys' foot-race at Olympia

Ode 6 survives only as its end, honouring Lachon, son of Aristomenes, whose swift feet won the boys' foot-race and brought renown to Ceos. Ode 7 greets the sixteenth day of the month at Olympia, which gives judgment on speed and strength. A further passage tells of Lachon's wins at Pytho, Nemea and the Isthmus and thanks Zeus for the wreath of Aetolian olive he won beside the Alpheus.

Lines 6.1–8.32 · 254 words · click a number to copy its link
1Λάχων Διὸς μεγίστου λάχε φέρτατον πόδεσσι κῦδος ἐπʼ Ἀλφ εοῦ προχοαῖσ[ι νικῶν, διʼ ὅσσα πάροιθεν 5ἀμπελοτρόφον Κέον ἄεισάν ποτʼ Ὀλυμπίᾳ πύξ τε καὶ στάδιον κρατεῦ- σαν] στεφάνοις ἐθείρας νεανίαι βρύοντες. 10σὲ δὲ νῦν ἀναξιμόλπου Οὐρανίας ὕμνος ἕκατι νίκ[ας Ἀριστομένειον ὦ ποδάνεμον τέκος, γεραίρει προδόμοις ἀοι- 15δαῖς, ὅτι στάδιον κρατή- σας Κέον εὐκλέϊξας.

as foremost in boxing or in foot-race, by youths crowned with luxuriant wreaths.

And to thee now, son of Aristomenes, thou whose feet are swift as the wind, the hymn of Urania queen of song renders honour for thy victory, in strains chanted before thy house; because by thy triumph in the foot-race thou hast brought renown to Ceos.

1ὦ λιπαρὰ θύγατερ Χρόνου τε κ[αὶ Νυκτός, σὲ πεντήκοντα μηνῶν ἁμέραν ἑκκαιδεκάταν ἐν Ὀλυμπ[ίᾳ ˘¯ !!!]β̣αρυβρ[!!!!!!!!!!!!!] ἕκατι 5!!!]ι̣τοσαιμα̣[ κρίνειν τα[χυτᾶτά τε] λαιψηρῶν ποδῶν Ἕλλασι καὶ γυίων ἀρισταλκὲς σθένος· ᾧ δὲ σὺ πρεσβύτατον νείμῃς γέρας νίκας ἐπʼ ἀνθρώποισιν εὔδοξος κέκλη- 10ται καὶ πολυζήλωτος. Ἀρ[ιστομένει]ον νῦν γ]ʼ ἐκόσμη[σας στε]φάν[οισι Λάχω]να

Radiant daughter of Time and Night, the fifty months have brought thee, sixteenth day of the month at Olympia; [thee, to whom by the Alpheus, near the tomb of Pelops who rejoices in blood-offerings, it has been allotted] to give judgment for the Greeks on pre-eminence in speed of foot and strength of limb. To whomsoever thou awardest the foremost prize of victory, his name is thenceforth famous and admired among men.

17Πυθῶνά τε μηλοθύταν ὑμν έω ν Νεμέαν τε καὶ Ἰσθμόν· γᾷ δʼ ἐπισκήπτων χέρα 20κομπάσομαι· σὺν ἀλα- θείᾳ δὲ πᾶν λάμπει χρέος· οὔτις ἀνθρώπων κ[αθʼ Ἕλλα- νας ἐν ἅλικι χρόνῳ παῖς ἐὼ ν ἀνήρ τε π[λεῦ- 25νας ἐδέξατο νίκας. ὦ Ζεῦ κεραυνεγχές, κα[ὶ ἐπʼ ἀργυ]ροδίνα ὄχθαισιν Ἀλφειοῦ τέλεσσ[ας μεγ]αλοκλ έα ς θ εο δότους εὐχάς, περὶ κ[ρατί τʼ ὄ]πα[σσα]ς γλαυκὸν Αἰτωλίδος 30ἄνδημʼ ἐλαίας ἐν Πέλοπος Φρυγίου κλεινοῖς ἀέθλοις.

And now thou hast given the honours of the wreath to Lachon, son of Aristomenes...

...singing of Pytho, where sheep are sacrificed, and of Nemea, and of the Isthmus. And laying my hand on the earth as a witness, I will make this vaunt ;—for only by the voice of truth can anything be set in a full light,—no one among the Greeks, as boy or as man, has gained more victories in an equal time.

O Zeus, whose spear is the thunder-bolt, on the banks of silver-eddying Alpheus also hast thou fulfilled his prayers, for his great fame, by gift divine; and hast set upon his brow the gray wreath of the Aetolian olive, in the glorious games of Phrygian Pelops.

People and places in this passage

English translation by Sir Richard C. Jebb (1905). Original text: Sir Richard C. Jebb (ed.), Bacchylides: The Poems and Fragments, Cambridge University Press, 1905 (Greek text as digitised by Perseus).

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library, Greek text); translation public domain (OCR from the Internet Archive scan). Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.

Epinicians 6.1–8.32: Lachon of Ceos, boys' foot-race at…