audiobook
The Extant Odes of Pindar Translated with Introduction and Short Notes by Ernest Myers
by Pindar
Chapters
54 totalTHE EXTANT - ODES OF PINDAR - TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH
INTRODUCTION AND SHORT NOTES - BY - ERNEST MYERS, M.A.
SON OF THE LIGHTNING, FAIR AND FIERY STAR, STRONG-WINGED IMPERIAL PINDAR, VOICE DIVINE, LET THESE DEEP DRAUGHTS OF THY ENCHANTED WINE LIFT ME WITH THEE IN SOARINGS HIGH AND FAR PROUDER THAN PEGASEAN, OR THE CAR WHEREIN APOLLO RAPT THE HUNTRESS MAID. SO LET ME RANGE MINE HOUR, TOO SOON TO FADE INTO STRANGE PRESENCE OF THE THINGS THAT ARE. YET KNOW THAT EVEN AMID THIS JARRING NOISE OF HATES, LOVES, CREEDS, TOGETHER HEAPED AND HURLED, SOME ECHO FAINT OF GRACE AND GRANDEUR STIRS FROM THY SWEET HELLAS, HOME OF NOBLE JOYS. FIRST FRUIT AND BEST OF ALL OUR WESTERN WORLD; WHATE'ER WE HOLD OF BEAUTY, HALF IS HERS. - INTRODUCTION.
PREFATORY NOTE.
OLYMPIAN ODES. - I. - FOR HIERON OF SYRACUSE, - WINNER IN THE HORSE-RACE.
II. FOR THERON OF AKRAGAS, - WINNER IN THE CHARIOT-RACE.
III. FOR THERON OF AKRAGAS, - WINNER IN THE CHARIOT-RACE.
IV. FOR PSAUMIS OF KAMARINA, - WINNER IN THE MULE-CHARIOT-RACE.
V. FOR PSAUMIS OF KAMARINA, - WINNER IN THE MULE-CHARIOT-RACE.
VI. FOR AGESIAS OF SYRACUSE, - WINNER IN THE MULE-CHARIOT-RACE.
Description
Pindar’s surviving odes blaze with a mythic intensity that can feel both distant and immediate, and this translation brings that brilliance into clear, lyrical English. The translator’s careful rendering aims at readers who have a taste for ancient poetry but are not fluent in Greek, smoothing the most tangled passages while preserving the original’s soaring grandeur. Concise notes accompany each poem, pointing out the legendary allusions and historical references that give the verses their layered meaning.
The introductory essay sets the stage by explaining why Pindar has long seemed inaccessible—its complex language, frequent allusions, and the ceremonial context of each victory song. It also argues that a modest familiarity with Greek culture can unlock the emotional core of the odes, making the experience rewarding rather than overwhelming. Listening to these poems, guided by the notes, invites you into the ceremonial world of ancient Greece, where triumph, destiny, and divine favor intertwine in timeless verse.
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Full title
The Extant Odes of Pindar Translated with Introduction and Short Notes by Ernest Myers Translated with Introduction and Short Notes by Ernest Myers
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (288K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2004-01-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
About the author
Pindar
-522–-446
Celebrated in antiquity as the greatest of the Greek lyric poets, this master of victory odes turned athletic triumphs into vivid songs about glory, fate, and the gods. His surviving work offers one of the clearest windows into the values and ceremonies of ancient Greece.
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