The Works of Abraham Cowley/Volume 2/The First Nemæan Ode of Pindar
Chromius, the son of Agesidamus, a young gentleman of Sicily, is celebrated for having won the prize of the chariot-race in the Nemæan games (a solemnity instituted first to celebrate the funeral of Opheltes, as is at large described by Statius; and afterwards continued every third year, with an extraordinary conflux of all Greece, and with incredible honour to the conquerors in all the exercises there practised), upon which occasion the poet begins with the commendation of his country, which I take to have been Ortygia (an island belonging to Sicily, and a part of Syracuse, being joined to it by a bridge), though the title of the Ode call him Ætnæan Chromius, perhaps because he was made governor of that town by Hieron. From thence he falls into the praise of Chromius's person, which he draws from his great endowments of mind and body, and most especially from his hospitality, and the worthy use of his riches. He likens his beginning to that of Hercules; and, according to his usual manner of being transported with any good hint that meets him in his way, passing into a digression of Hercules, and his slaying the two serpents in his cradle, concludes the Ode with that history.
Beauteous Ortygia! the first breathing-place
Of great Alpheus' close and amorous race!
Fair Delos' sister, the child-bed
Of bright Latona, where she bred
Th' original new-moon!
Who saw'st her tender forehead ere the horns were grown!
Of great Alpheus' close and amorous race!
Fair Delos' sister, the child-bed
Of bright Latona, where she bred
Th' original new-moon!
Who saw'st her tender forehead ere the horns were grown!
Who, like a gentle scion newly started out,
From Syracusa's side dost sprout!
Thee first my song does greet,
With numbers smooth and fleet
As thine own horses' airy feet,
When they young Chromius' chariot drew,
And o'er the Nemæan race triumphant flew.
Jove will approve my song and me;
Jove is concern'd in Nemea, and in thee.
From Syracusa's side dost sprout!
Thee first my song does greet,
With numbers smooth and fleet
As thine own horses' airy feet,
When they young Chromius' chariot drew,
And o'er the Nemæan race triumphant flew.
Jove will approve my song and me;
Jove is concern'd in Nemea, and in thee.
With Jove my song; this happy man,
Young Chromius, too, with Jove began;
From hence came his success,
Nor ought he therefore like it less,
Since the best fame is that of happiness;
For whom should we esteem above
The men whom Gods do love?
’Tis them alone the Muse too does approve.
Lo! how it makes this victory shine
O'er all the fruitful isle of Proserpine!
The torches which the mother brought
When the ravish'd maid she sought,
Appear'd not half so bright,
But cast a weaker light,
Through earth, and air, and seas, and up to th' heavenly vault.
Young Chromius, too, with Jove began;
From hence came his success,
Nor ought he therefore like it less,
Since the best fame is that of happiness;
For whom should we esteem above
The men whom Gods do love?
’Tis them alone the Muse too does approve.
Lo! how it makes this victory shine
O'er all the fruitful isle of Proserpine!
The torches which the mother brought
When the ravish'd maid she sought,
Appear'd not half so bright,
But cast a weaker light,
Through earth, and air, and seas, and up to th' heavenly vault.
"To thee, O Proserpine! this isle I give,"
Said Jove, and, as he said,
Smil'd, and bent his gracious head.
Said Jove, and, as he said,
Smil'd, and bent his gracious head.
"And thou, O isle!" said he, "for ever thrive,
"And keep the value of our gift alive!
"As Heaven with stars, so let
"The country thick with towns be set,
"And numberless as stars!
"Let all the towns be then
"Replenish'd thick with men,
"Wise in peace, and bold in wars!
"Of thousand glorious towns the nation,
"Of thousand glorious men each town a constellation!
"Nor let their warlike laurel scorn
"With the Olympick olive to be worn,
"Whose gentler honours do so well the brows of peace adorn!"
"And keep the value of our gift alive!
"As Heaven with stars, so let
"The country thick with towns be set,
"And numberless as stars!
"Let all the towns be then
"Replenish'd thick with men,
"Wise in peace, and bold in wars!
"Of thousand glorious towns the nation,
"Of thousand glorious men each town a constellation!
"Nor let their warlike laurel scorn
"With the Olympick olive to be worn,
"Whose gentler honours do so well the brows of peace adorn!"
Go to great Syracuse, my Muse, and wait
At Chromius' hospitable gate;
'T will open wide to let thee in,
When thy lyre's voice shall but begin;
Joy, plenty, and free welcome, dwells within.
The Tyrian beds thou shalt find ready drest,
The ivory table crowded with a feast:
The table which is free for every guest,
No doubt will thee admit,
And feast more upon thee, than thou on it.
Chromius and thou art met aright,
For, as by nature thou dost write,
So he by nature loves, and does by nature fight.
At Chromius' hospitable gate;
'T will open wide to let thee in,
When thy lyre's voice shall but begin;
Joy, plenty, and free welcome, dwells within.
The Tyrian beds thou shalt find ready drest,
The ivory table crowded with a feast:
The table which is free for every guest,
No doubt will thee admit,
And feast more upon thee, than thou on it.
Chromius and thou art met aright,
For, as by nature thou dost write,
So he by nature loves, and does by nature fight.
Nature herself, whilst in the womb he was,
Sow'd strength and beauty through the forming mass;
They mov'd the vital lump in every part,
And carv'd the members out with wondrous art.
She fill'd his mind with courage, and with wit,
And a vast bounty, apt and fit
For the great dower which Fortune made to it
’Tis madness sure treasures to hoard,
And make them useless, as in mines, remain,
To lose th' occasion Fortune does afford
Fame and publick love to gain:
Ev'n for self-concerning ends,
’Tis wiser much to hoard-up friends.
Though happy men the present goods possess,
Th' unhappy have their share in future hopes no less.
Sow'd strength and beauty through the forming mass;
They mov'd the vital lump in every part,
And carv'd the members out with wondrous art.
She fill'd his mind with courage, and with wit,
And a vast bounty, apt and fit
For the great dower which Fortune made to it
’Tis madness sure treasures to hoard,
And make them useless, as in mines, remain,
To lose th' occasion Fortune does afford
Fame and publick love to gain:
Ev'n for self-concerning ends,
’Tis wiser much to hoard-up friends.
Though happy men the present goods possess,
Th' unhappy have their share in future hopes no less.
How early has young Chromius begun
The race of virtue, and how swiftly run,
And borne the noble prize away,
Whilst other youths yet at the barriers stay!
None but Alcides e'er set earlier forth than he:
The God, his father's, blood nought could restrain,
'T was ripe at first, and did disdain
The slow advance of dull humanity.
The big-limb'd babe in his huge cradle lay,
Too weighty to be rock'd by nurses' hands,
Wrapt in purple swadling-bands;
When, lo! by jealous Juno's fierce commands,
Two dreadful serpents come,
Rolling and hissing loud, into the room;
To the bold babe they trace their bidden way;
Forth from their flaming eyes dread lightnings went,
Their gaping mouths did forked tongues, like thunder-bolts, present.
The race of virtue, and how swiftly run,
And borne the noble prize away,
Whilst other youths yet at the barriers stay!
None but Alcides e'er set earlier forth than he:
The God, his father's, blood nought could restrain,
'T was ripe at first, and did disdain
The slow advance of dull humanity.
The big-limb'd babe in his huge cradle lay,
Too weighty to be rock'd by nurses' hands,
Wrapt in purple swadling-bands;
When, lo! by jealous Juno's fierce commands,
Two dreadful serpents come,
Rolling and hissing loud, into the room;
To the bold babe they trace their bidden way;
Forth from their flaming eyes dread lightnings went,
Their gaping mouths did forked tongues, like thunder-bolts, present.
Some of th' amazed women dropp'd down dead
With fear, some wildly fled
About the room, some into corners crept,
Where silently they shook and wept:
All naked from her bed the passionate mother leap'd,
To save or perish with her child;
She trembled, and she cry'd; the mighty infant smil'd:
The mighty infant seem'd well pleas'd
At his gay gilded foes;
And, as their spotted necks up to the cradle rose,
With his young warlike hands on both he seiz'd;
In vain they rag'd, in vain they hiss'd,
In vain their armed tails they twist,
And angry circles cast about;
Black blood, and fiery breath, and poisonous soul, he squeezes out!
With fear, some wildly fled
About the room, some into corners crept,
Where silently they shook and wept:
All naked from her bed the passionate mother leap'd,
To save or perish with her child;
She trembled, and she cry'd; the mighty infant smil'd:
The mighty infant seem'd well pleas'd
At his gay gilded foes;
And, as their spotted necks up to the cradle rose,
With his young warlike hands on both he seiz'd;
In vain they rag'd, in vain they hiss'd,
In vain their armed tails they twist,
And angry circles cast about;
Black blood, and fiery breath, and poisonous soul, he squeezes out!
With their drawn swords
In ran Amphitryo and the Theban lords;
With doubting wonder, and with troubled joy,
They saw the conquering boy
Laugh, and point downwards to his prey,
Where, in death's pangs and their own gore, they folding lay.
When wise Tiresias this beginning knew,
He told with ease the things t' ensue;
From what monsters he should free
The earth, the air, and sea;
What mighty tyrants he should slay,
Greater monsters far than they;
How much at Phlægra's field the distrest Gods should owe
To their great offspring here below;
And how his club should there outdo
Apollo's silver bow, and his own father's thunder too.
In ran Amphitryo and the Theban lords;
With doubting wonder, and with troubled joy,
They saw the conquering boy
Laugh, and point downwards to his prey,
Where, in death's pangs and their own gore, they folding lay.
When wise Tiresias this beginning knew,
He told with ease the things t' ensue;
From what monsters he should free
The earth, the air, and sea;
What mighty tyrants he should slay,
Greater monsters far than they;
How much at Phlægra's field the distrest Gods should owe
To their great offspring here below;
And how his club should there outdo
Apollo's silver bow, and his own father's thunder too.
And that the grateful Gods, at last,
The race of his laborious virtue past,
Heaven, which he sav'd, should, to him give;
Where, marry'd to eternal youth, he should for ever live;
Drink nectar with the Gods, and all his senses please
In their harmonious, golden palaces;
Walk with ineffable delight
Through the thick groves of never-withering light,
And, as he walks, affright
The lion and the bear,
Bull, centaur, scorpion, all the radiant monsters there.
The race of his laborious virtue past,
Heaven, which he sav'd, should, to him give;
Where, marry'd to eternal youth, he should for ever live;
Drink nectar with the Gods, and all his senses please
In their harmonious, golden palaces;
Walk with ineffable delight
Through the thick groves of never-withering light,
And, as he walks, affright
The lion and the bear,
Bull, centaur, scorpion, all the radiant monsters there.