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Yet another Loeb book that I have unfortunately lost the companion volume to! This particular one is translated by William H. Race.
Pindar is of the ancient race, and his judgments are firmly rooted in an Archaic Greece that was in the process of gradually transforming into our so-called 'Classical Greece.'
He states, "I believe that Odysseus' story has become greater than his actual suffering because of Homer's sweet verse. For upon his fictions and soaring craft rests great majesty, and his skill deceives with misleading tales. The great majority of men have a blind heart, for if they could have seen the truth, mighty Aias, in anger over his arms, would not have planted in his chest the smooth sword. Except for Achilles, in battle he was the best..." (Nemean 7.)
Ajax, and not Odysseus, deserved Achilles' arms. This was the ancient (or archaic) judgment. However, today, we who have been shaped by a history that truly commences in Classical Greece all perceive things differently. When I was young and first delved into the Iliad and Pindar, it was then that I first became aware that there had once existed a different world...
This realization opened up a whole new realm of understanding for me, making me appreciate the evolution of thought and perception over time. It is fascinating to look back and see how the views and values of the ancient world differed from our own.
Yet another Loeb book that I have unfortunately lost the companion volume to! This particular one is translated by William H. Race.
Pindar is of the ancient race, and his judgments are firmly rooted in an Archaic Greece that was in the process of gradually transforming into our so-called 'Classical Greece.'
He states, "I believe that Odysseus' story has become greater than his actual suffering because of Homer's sweet verse. For upon his fictions and soaring craft rests great majesty, and his skill deceives with misleading tales. The great majority of men have a blind heart, for if they could have seen the truth, mighty Aias, in anger over his arms, would not have planted in his chest the smooth sword. Except for Achilles, in battle he was the best..." (Nemean 7.)
Ajax, and not Odysseus, deserved Achilles' arms. This was the ancient (or archaic) judgment. However, today, we who have been shaped by a history that truly commences in Classical Greece all perceive things differently. When I was young and first delved into the Iliad and Pindar, it was then that I first became aware that there had once existed a different world...
This realization opened up a whole new realm of understanding for me, making me appreciate the evolution of thought and perception over time. It is fascinating to look back and see how the views and values of the ancient world differed from our own.