Εἰ γὰρ ὁ πᾶς χρόνος ὄλβον μὲν οὕτω καὶ κτεάνων
δόσιν εὐθύνοι, καμάτων δ’ ἐπίλασιν παράσχοι.
[Antistr. γ’]
ἦ κεν ἀμνάσειεν, οἵαις ἐν πολέμοισι μάχαις
τλάμονι ψυχᾷ παρέμειν’, ἁνίχ’ εὑρίσκοντο θεῶν
παλάμαις τιμάν,
οἵαν οὔτις Ἑλλάνων δρέπει,
πλούτου στεφάνωμ’ ἀγέρωχον. νῦν γε μὰν τὰν
Φιλοκτήταο δίκαν ἐφέπων
ἐστρατεύθη· σὺν δ’ ἀνάγκᾳ νιν φίλον
καί τις ἐὼν μεγαλάνωρ ἔσανεν. φαντὶ δὲ Λαμνόθεν
ἕλκει τειρόμενον μεταβάσοντας ἐλθεῖν
[Ep. γ’]
ἥρωας ἀντιθέους Ποίαντος υἱὸν τοξόταν;
ὃς Πριάμοιο πόλιν πέρσεν, τελεύτασέν τε πόνους Δαναοῖς,
ἀσθενεῖ μὲν χρωτὶ βαίνων, ἀλλὰ μοιρίδιον ἦν.
(Pindar, Pyth. 1.46-55)
Would that all of time may, in this way, keep his prosperity and the gift of wealth on a straight course, and bring forgetfulness of troubles. Indeed he might remember in what kind of battles of war he stood his ground with an enduring soul, when, by the gods’ devising, they found honor such as no other Greek can pluck, a proud garland of wealth. But now he has gone to battle in the manner of Philoctetes; and under compulsion even a haughty man fawned on him for his friendship. They say that the god-like heroes went to bring from Lemnos that man afflicted with a wound, the archer son of Poeas, who sacked the city of Priam and brought an end to the toils of the Danaans; he went with a weak body, but it was fated. (tr. Diane Arnson Svarlien)
