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Another outstanding translation by RL has emerged. It is a wonderful and compact edition that features an excellent cover. This edition truly stands out with its concise yet engaging content. The translation is of high quality, ensuring that readers can fully immerse themselves in the text. The cover design is not only aesthetically pleasing but also catches the eye and piques the interest of potential readers. Whether you are a fan of the original work or simply looking for a great read, this edition is definitely one to find. It offers a unique reading experience that combines the art of translation with an attractive presentation. So, don't miss out on this opportunity to discover this remarkable edition.

Pindar's poetry is truly a challenging terrain for me to traverse. It is replete with allusions to mythic and historic figures, which, without a doubt, would have been highly familiar to his contemporary audience.

I have refrained from giving it a rating because I firmly believe that when it comes to these ancient works, a lack of understanding should not lead to a lower judgment. How could I possibly assign only two stars to one of the most celebrated poets of Thebes simply because I am an ignoramus in this regard?

What I have found truly edifying, however, are the virtues that Pindar extols. These offer a fascinating glimpse into Greek thought and life. More broadly speaking, the copious allusions to myth in the praise of contemporary champions themselves reveal a great deal about the Greek mind. It suggests not just an admiration of the present victor but also a perception of the present in continuity and reflection of legend. This is something that we have unfortunately lost in most of our modern songs and reporting. I can't help but wonder if it is possible to reclaim this aspect of our cultural heritage and bring back the richness and depth that it once added to our artistic and literary expressions.

Pindar’s Victory Odes - 5th century BC

This is a wonderful Greek/German translation by Eugen Dönt. It is comfortable to read and easy to understand. However, inevitably, the beauty of the metric-rhymes has been lost in translation. Only the fortunate reader who can read the original Greek will truly appreciate it. Pindar composed these Victory Odes by request, to celebrate the winning athletes in the years of the Olympian Games. Later, these games were also organized in Pythia, Isthmia, and Nemea. To avoid making these poems boring and to praise and glorify the winning athlete, Pindar made use of the athlete's often noble family, his city, country, and ancestry. Sometimes he went back eight generations, even delving into mythology and legends to mention all the heroes of his lineage and their great achievements. However, the reader will notice that the stories are not necessarily in line with history and tradition. Instead, they are adapted by the poet to the needs of each individual ode. It requires a flexible mind in reading to just appreciate the originality and beauty of each. Pindar's great achievement lies in the fact that he created exceptional beauty out of an unusual and difficult background.

A Challenging Read

This book presents a truly challenging read. It is often extremely dry, making it a struggle to get through. Maybe I lack the specific kind of education required to fully understand and appreciate these poems. After making several attempts to read it, I decided to listen to it on audiotape instead. It was a different translation, but I'm not sure by whom. I would often listen while washing the dishes, using it as a form of meditation. However, it was still very boring at times.

Even so, there were certain lines that managed to stand out and speak to me across the vast chasm of two and a half millennia. For example, from Nemean XI, it says: "From Zeus comes no clear sign/ Even so,/ We go abroad in our manhood's light/ Pondering many designs./ For our limbs are shacked to shameless hope/ And the streams of forethought lie afar." And from Pythian VIII: "In brief space/ Mortals' delight is exalted/ And thus again drops to the ground./ We are things of a day./ What are we?/ What are we not?/ The dream of a shadow is man./ No more./ But when the brightness comes/ And G-d gives it/ There is a shining of light on men/ And life is sweet." These lines offer profound insights into the human condition and the nature of existence.

Translated poetry should probably only be read for historical interest or for anything other than the 'artistic' element which is of course lost in translation.

This is because when a poem is translated from one language to another, much of its original beauty, rhythm, and wordplay is often sacrificed.

However, that doesn't mean translated poetry has no value. It can still provide us with a glimpse into the culture and history of the people who wrote it.

For example, Pindar's poetry still paints a fascinating look into the world of Ancient Greece.

His works tell us about the gods and goddesses they worshipped, the athletic competitions they held, and the values and beliefs they held dear.

Even though we may not be able to fully appreciate the artistic merit of his poetry in translation, we can still learn a great deal from it.

So while we should always strive to read poetry in its original language whenever possible, we can also find value in translated works if we approach them with an open mind and a willingness to learn.

Come, Muse, guide a glorious wind of poetry onto this house,

"for when men die it is songs and stories that recall their fine deeds"

It is truly astonishing how little of ancient literature remains. As a result, odes to athletes have become one of the few reliable sources we have for understanding history and mythology.

Pindar is particularly captivating. So much of his own personal politics infiltrate his works, dictating who and what he chooses to praise. Although this might have been a common practice given his profession, it still gives his poetry and songs a unique personality.

Despite being odes to modern (at that time) athletes, Pindar frequently references the heroes of the epic age of Greece. Heracles (Hercules in Latin), Ajax, Hector, and Achilles are mentioned often. Interestingly, he even takes a few jabs at Odysseus, which adds a touch of humor. What's more, my beloved Patroclus is also mentioned in several of the Olympian odes, with his strength and loyalty being lauded. Given how little I usually see of my favorite figure, I felt compelled to give this collection 5 stars.

Verity's interpretations of some of these lines are a bit strange. He references snippets of The Iliad that seem to contrast with what Pindar states. After consulting all of my copies of the epic poem, I couldn't find anything even remotely similar to what Verity claims. This has piqued my interest, and I'm now inclined to purchase his translation.

Regardless, this collection was incredibly interesting. It has inspired me to look into some of the academic texts that discuss Pindar as a primary source for ancient hero cult worship. The fact that athletes and heroes were essentially on the same level in antiquity is strikingly similar to our own culture today. Snapshots of the era provided by texts like these are invaluable in helping us realize that, despite being separated by eons, we share many similarities, both good and bad.

Man's life is but a day. What is he truly?

What is he not? He is like a shadow in a dream, ephemeral and intangible.

Man is often lost in the mists of uncertainty, wondering about his purpose and place in this vast world.

But when God sheds a brightness, a new light dawns upon the earth.

This shining life brings with it a newfound hope and a sense of purpose.

Suddenly, life becomes as sweet as honey, filled with joy and beauty.

Man realizes that he is not just a shadow in a dream, but a being with the potential to make a difference, to create, and to love.

With this new understanding, he can embrace life with open arms and make the most of every precious moment.

For in the end, it is not the length of our days that matters, but the quality of our lives and the love that we share.

Number 3 in my ancient Greek literature Odyssey is a collection of poems in praise of sporting success.

Interestingly, it serendipitously coincided with the 2024 Paris Olympics. This makes one wonder what the original Olympians would have thought of our modern version of their event. Perhaps they would have found us wearing too many clothes and lacking in chariot-racing.

These poems were likely accompanied by music and dance, so simply reading them from a book, especially in translation, makes it almost impossible to truly understand their original intent.

Moreover, the works are filled with references to people, places, and myths, which can be difficult to parse from over 2000 years in the future. Praise for Pindar often focuses on the momentum in his poetry, but my initial reading was slow and jerky as I constantly checked the notes and tried to interpret his lines.

However, as I continued, I made a conscious effort to read faster and didn't have to stop so frequently to double-check names and references. Surprisingly, the work became much easier to appreciate in this way.

...men's speech, from the sounding words that smiths of song in their wisdom
built to beauty. In the glory of poetry, the achievement of men
blossoms long; but of that, the accomplishment is given to few.

Men's speech holds great power and beauty. It is crafted by the smiths of song, those wise individuals who use their creativity and skill to build words into something magnificent. In the realm of poetry, the achievements of men can endure and shine brightly for a long time. However, not everyone is able to attain such a high level of accomplishment. Only a select few are given the gift of creating truly remarkable poetry that stands the test of time.

The sounding words that men use have the potential to touch the hearts and souls of others. They can paint vivid pictures, evoke powerful emotions, and convey deep meanings. The smiths of song are like artisans, carefully shaping and polishing their words to create works of art. Their wisdom and talent allow them to bring the beauty of language to life.

In conclusion, while men's speech has the potential for great beauty and achievement in poetry, it is a rare gift that only a few possess. We should appreciate and celebrate the works of those who are able to create such masterpieces with their words.

I found it a bit boring really.

To be honest, the overall experience was rather lackluster. However, there were a few points of interest that managed to catch my attention.

These moments provided a glimmer of excitement in an otherwise uneventful situation. It was as if these small details were like precious gems hidden within a pile of ordinary stones.

Although they were few and far between, they were enough to make me think that perhaps there was more to discover if I looked a little deeper.

Despite the initial boredom, these points of interest gave me hope that there could be something more engaging waiting just around the corner.

I write this just because I did a sort of whistle stop tour of the epinicion odes this morning. Previously, I had read Pythians I, II, IX and Olympian I in the Greek and done essay work on Olympian I. I ended up finding numerous reasons to find Pindar highly impressive. At first, the painful process of actually translating him made me feel less favorable. It is particularly in the poems with longer sections of mythological narrative like Olympian I, Pythian IV and IX that it becomes clear Pindar was a very distinctive mythographer in the Greek literary tradition. His ability at pithy renderings of myths, such as Pelops' chariot race against Oenomaus in Olymp.I, is remarkable. He also exploits myth for interesting ends, deriving moral insight or aetiology. In comparison, Bacchylides just incorporates slightly overdrawn passages of mythological narrative into his odes, which do little to enhance his poetry. Pindar is probably the best story-telling poet since Homer for this reason. Maybe Archilochus' invective narrative or Alcman's choral songs showed similar craft. His revision of myth in areas like his attempt to rehabilitate Ajax and Tantalus' feast also characterizes him as a true individual in this field. Pindar's style is also distinctive. He characteristically uses periphrasis and unconventional phrasing to create a new, grander poetic register. He covers a lot of ground in all sorts of directions, often in quite restrictive metres, and so he is obviously a poet who knows how to make poetry flexible and expressive. However, Pindar's sophia or his constant recourse to pithily phrased but somewhat platitudinous moral aphorisms can get tedious. Nevertheless, they work quite well in the eschatological section of Olympian II and Pindar's bitter response to Bacchylides' success in Hiero's court in Pythian II. They work well as transitions anyway. It has to be said that the shorter odes, the Isthmians and the Nemeans, aren't very interesting. Now, I'm interested in looking into other lyric poets.