Fain am I, by the favour of the Graces + 

Deep-girt, to chant aloud the victory won + 

By Telesikrates, Kyrene’s son, + 

At Pytho in the brazen-harnessed races. + 

His fortune fair I sing, and chant the glory + 

That crowns the city of the flying car, + 

Kyrene!⁠—Her Apollo, saith the story, + 

The bright-haired Son of Leto, caught afar + 

From Pelion’s dells with echoing winds enfolden, + 

And bare her thence upon his chariot golden, + 

That huntress-maid, to where he made her queen + 

Of flocks and harvests in her wide demesne, + 

The third part of the great earth’s boundless bosom, + 

A root of leafage fair and lovely blossom. + 

Then welcomed Aphrodite silver-footed + 

Her Delian guest, and touched with fingers light + 

The car a God had fashioned starry-bright; + 

And o’er their bridal couch, the rapture-fruited, + 

The loveliness of shamefastness down-shedding + 

In bonds of mutual love she linked the twain, + 

The Archer-god unto the daughter wedding + 

Of Hypseus wide-dominioned, who did reign + 

In that day o’er the haughty Lapith nation, + 

A hero-son of the third generation + 

Of Ocean’s Lord. Him mid the mountain-dells + 

World-famed where mighty Pindus heavenward swells, + 

The child of Earth, Kreusa Fountain-maiden, + 

Bare to Peneius’ bed with sweetness laden. + 

His child Kjnrene of the arms of snow + 

Had little love for pacings to and fro + 

Before the loom, nor for feast-revelry + 

With maiden-friends home-keeping young as she; + 

But warring with bronze darts without surcease, + 

And with the hunter’s knife, that princess slew + 

Fierce beasts of prey. Ay, wide-spread was the peace + 

And restful that her father’s cattle knew. + 

But little wasted she upon her eyes + 

Of slumber, restfellow that sweetly lies + 

On tired ones, when Dawn’s feet prepare to climb the skies. + 

Where gloomed the forest-solitudes around her + 

She grappled a fierce lion once in fight + 

Spearless. Then He of the far arrow-flight, + 

Apollo, God of the wide quiver, found her. + 

Straightway amazement-stricken did he cry on + 

Cheiron, whose rocky hall was hard thereby: + 

“Leave thou thine hallowed cave, O Philyra’s scion; + 

Gaze on the mighty strength with wondering eye + 

Of yonder woman, how with brow undaunted + 

She wages conflict grim! Not terror-haunted + 

Her spirit is in peril’s tempest-rush: + 

Her iron heart no weight of toil can crush! + 

What sire begat a child so lion-hearted? + 

From what strong kindred is she exile-parted, + 

“That now in hidden folds she should be dwelling + 

Of hills dark-shadowed? She puts to the test + 

Strength limitless! Doth it beseem the Blest + 

To lay on her his glorious hands all-quelling + 

Even now, or rather to pluck this sweet flower + 

Of spousal rites upon a bridal bed?” + 

Came on the Centaur inspiration’s power, + 

And in the wisdom of his heart he said, + 

“With eyes beneath his kindly brow soft-smiling: + 

Phoebus, the keys of Suasion heart-beguiling + 

That ope the portal of love’s sanctities + 

Are from the light withheld. A shame it is + 

For Gods or men to leap to love’s fruition + 

First in broad day, dishonouring Night’s sweet mission. + 

“Now even thee, whose tongue hath never lied, + 

Nor can, thy softened mood hath turned aside + 

To utter feignèd speech. Thou askest, King, + 

The maiden’s lineage!⁠—thou to whom everything + 

Is known, all issues whereto all things tend, + 

All paths that lead thereto through all the world: + 

How many leaves earth up to light doth send + 

In spring, the number of the sand-grains hurled + 

Down seas and streams when waves wind-driven rise, + 

And what shall come to pass and whence⁠—thine eyes + 

See clearly. Yet, if I must match me against the wise, + 

“I will speak on. To this glade sombre-shady + 

Thou cam’st to espouse her; yea, and thou shalt bear + 

Her overseas unto the garden fair + 

Of Zeus, where thou shalt make her royal lady + 

Of a new city. Thou shalt gather thither + 

An isle-folk round its plain-encircled hill. + 

And that land’s queen, content to queen it with her, + 

Libya of broad meads, shall with gracious will + 

Welcome thy glorious bride in golden bower. + 

And there the lady Libya shall, for dower, + 

Give her a portion of the land to be + 

Lawful domain beneath her sovereignty, + 

Land rich in tribute of all plants fruit-laden + 

And wildwood-prowlers for thine huntress-maiden. + 

“There shall she bear the son whom thou hast given, + 

Whom glorious Hermes in his hour of birth + 

Shall from his mother take, and bear to Earth + 

And to the Hours, the splendour-throned in Heaven. + 

And while upon their knees thy child is lying + 

Soft-cradled, these between his lips shall pour + 

Ambrosia and nectar; so undying, + 

Even as a God, shall he be evermore, + 

As Zeus, as holy Apollo: sweetest, dearest + 

To all his friends, to their hearts ever nearest. + 

Nomeus, ‘flock-warder,’ Agreus, these shall name + 

Thy son, as Aristaius those acclaim.” + 

His words spurred on the God’s heart passion-thrilling + 

To bring to pass the bridal’s sweet fulfilling. + 

Swift are the acts of Gods, and short their ways + 

Whose purposes to their fulfilment race. + 

That selfsame day saw Love his goal attain; + 

For in a golden chamber were the twain + 

Made one, in Libya’s bower, whence she looks down + 

On a fair city famed in athlete-rings. + 

Kameades’ son hath linked Kyrene’s town + 

At Pytho with the fair flower fortune brings. + 

His victory there hath published wide her name. + 

The city of fair girls with glad acclaim + 

Greets him who brings to her from Delphi lovely fame. + 

Great deeds of prowess lure the bard unwitting + 

To lengthen out his strain; yet brevity + 

Grace-clad the wise hear most acceptably. + 

In everything to grasp the season fitting + 

Crowneth the emprise. Thebe seven-gated + 

Knew it; nor Iolaus failed to tread + 

That path. He clave Eurystheus’ head all-hated + 

With the keen sword; but when himself lay dead, + 

Then Thebe buried him with honour, heaping + 

His grave-mound where Amphitryon lay sleeping, + 

Her chariot-chief⁠—that tomb wherein did rest + 

His father’s father, he who was the guest + 

Of the Sown Men, lords of white steeds, who greeted + 

That hero well in Thebe stately-streeted. + 

To him and Zeus did royal-souled Alkmena + 

In love united, in one travail bear + 

The might of twin sons: conquerors they were + 

Ever, these twain, in battle’s grim arena. + 

A dullard is the man who never raiseth + 

His voice to sing the deeds of Heracles, + 

And Dirke’s streams remembereth not nor praiseth + 

Whose Fountain-maid reared him and Iphikles. + 

Unto these now will I uplift a chanting + 

Of triumph-song for that their gracious granting + 

Of vows’ fulfilment. On me may your light, + 

O Graces ringing-voiced, shine ever bright! + 

Aegina and Nisus’ Hill have heard me singing + 

Three times ere this, Kyrene’s praise outringing. + 

And so the impotence that is the shame + 

Of tongue-tied bards do I escape. I claim + 

That citizens, friends or foes, shall ne’er conceal + 

Good work accomplished for the common weal, + 

That jealousy set not at nought the rede + 

Of that old Sea-god: “Give whole-hearted praise, + 

If justice claim it, for each noble deed, + 

Even to a foe⁠—dispraise is thy disgrace!” + 

Our maids at Pallas’ yearly feasts saw thee + 

Full oft victorious, and prayed silently, + 

Telesikrates, that such their spouse or son might be. + 

In Games Olympian thine was fame far-ringing, + 

And in the lists beside Earth’s central stone, + 

And in the land thou claimest for thine own:⁠— + 

But lo, as I would quench my thirst for singing, + 

I hear a voice that speaks of old-time glory + 

That bids me pay a debt, recall the pride + 

Of thy forefathers, bids me tell the story + 

How, for the winning of a Libyan bride, + 

Hasted to Irasa’s city many a lover + 

Of a fair-haired one famed the wide world over, + 

Drawn thither for Antaius’ daughter’s sake, + 

Whom many a gallant kinsman fain would take + 

To wife, and many in far countries dwelling; + 

For wondrous was her beauty, past all telling. + 

With passionate longing for love’s fruit they sought her, + 

This mortal Hebe of the Golden Crown. + 

Howbeit a marriage of more high renown + 

Her father purposed for his princess-daughter. + 

For he had heard how Danaus meditated + 

At Argos how should spousal-rites be won + 

For eight-and-forty daughters yet unmated, + 

Ere their life’s noontide should have come and gone, + 

And how he compassed this with no delaying. + 

For at the limits of the lists arraying + 

The throng of suitors of the maidens sweet, + 

He bade them by contention of swift feet + 

Decide which several daughter should be given + 

To each whose feet had for the guerdon striven. + 

So would that lord of Libya-land decide + 

Between those suitors for a princess-bride. + 

He set the maid bedecked with gold and gem + 

To be the goal and prize, and cried to them + 

That he should lead her home who foremost sped + 

And touched her robes. Of all that suitor-band + 

Alexidamus’ swift feet foremost fled, + 

And his hand clasped the noble maiden’s hand, + 

And led her through the Nomad horse-array. + 

Leaves many and wreaths upon him showered they, + 

Ay, many a victory-plume had he won ere that day. + 