Mother of contests golden-crowned, O Queen + 

Of truth, Olympia, where from sacrifice + 

Diviners seek the will of Zeus to glean, + 

Who hurls white-flickering lightnings through the skies, + 

To wot if he hath any word of grace + 

For men whose hearts yearn hotly to attain + 

To high achievement, and a breathing-space + 

From toil to gain. + 

This he vouchsafes to reverent prayer and vow. + 

O Pisan precinct fair with olive-lines, + 

Welcome this victory-procession thou, + 

And the crown-bearing! Bright his glory shines + 

Whom splendour of thy guerdon shall attend! + 

Ay, diverse boons to diverse men be given, + 

And many paths to happiness ascend + 

By grace of Heaven. + 

Timosthenes, to Zeus, who hath in keeping + 

Thine house, thee and thy brother Destiny + 

Allotted: He at Nemea honoured thee, + 

And Kronos’ Hill saw glory’s harvest-reaping, + 

Alkimedon’s Olympian victory. + 

Goodly of presence, not by deeds he shamed + 

His beauty! He, in wresthng-bout victorious, + 

Aegina of far-sweeping oars proclaimed + 

His home. There Saviour Themis, throned all-glorious + 

With Guest-ward Zeus, is most with honour named. + 

Far-reaching issues, whose decision still + 

Shifteth, with mind unwarped to judge of these + 

Fairly, is hard: yet sure the Immortals’ will + 

Ordained this island rampired by the seas + 

To be for strangers out of every clime + 

A god-reared pillar of strength, land of the free⁠— + 

Oh may the years in this work through all time + 

Toil tirelessly!⁠— + 

This isle committed unto Dorian hands + 

To be Heaven’s stewards, since, in Aiakus’ days, + 

When Phoebus and the Girder of all lands + 

A tower-coronal for Troy would raise, + 

And as their fellow-builder bade him come + 

To rear that wall, which should, when wars awoke, + 

Breathe out, when battle brought her day of doom, + 

Wild-billowing smoke. + 

Scarce was it built, when, with eyes lurid-glaring, + 

Three dragons leapt to scale its ramparts high. + 

Now twain of these fell back, and suddenly + 

Died, writhing as in impotent despairing: + 

But the third leapt in with fierce battle-cry. + 

That portent Phoebus pondered; then spake he: + 

“Aiakus, where thine hands reared this stone wonder, + 

There breached and taken Pergamus shall be, + 

As this sign sent down by the Lord of Thunder, + 

Zeus, Kronos’ Son, revealeth unto me. + 

“This shall thine house accomplish. Troy shall fall + 

Stormed by thy son and thy fourth in descent.” + 

So plainly spake the God, and therewithal + 

To Xanthus and the fleet-horsed Amazons went, + 

And unto Ister speeding fast his car. + 

With golden team the Trident-wielder fares + 

To Isthmus oversea, and Aiakus far + 

To Aegina bears. + 

Thence, to behold his glorious festival, + 

To Corinth’s mountain-ridge he bore him on. + 

No praise of song is sweet alike to all: + 

If I retrace all fame Melesias won + 

Through boys, no stone at me let envy fling! + 

I sing of honours no less high attained + 

At Nemea, and of crowns pankratian sing + 

By his men gained. + 

To teach is no hard task for him who knoweth; + 

But who unlearned would teach, a fool is he, + 

For wit untrained hath no stability. + 

But this Melesias best of all men showeth + 

How with the strong to strive victoriously, + 

Teacheth what training shall to triumph guide + 

Our champion to repeat the oft-told story, + 

In those great Games, of longed-for victory’s pride. + 

Now hath Alkimedon achieved that glory⁠— + 

Melesias’ thirtieth triumph published wide! + 

By God’s grace, and by his own prowess he + 

Hath vanquished striplings four. Ha! not for him, + 

But them, to steal back home shamefacedly + 

Shrinking from taunting tongues through bypaths dim! + 

His victory hath thrilled his old grandsire + 

With strength that o’er eld’s frailty triumpheth. + 

For he that hath attained his heart’s desire + 

Forgetteth death. + 

I must awaken Memory, I wis, + 

To tell the glory of old champions’ might, + 

The Blepsiads’ conquering sons: the sixth crown this + 

That wreathes their brows from those games garland-dight. + 

Yea, their dead fathers have their share therein, + 

When due memorial rites are not forgot. + 

The grace of honour living kinsmen win + 

The dust hides not. + 

The song by Hermes’ child, Glad-tidings, chanted + 

Shall Iphion hear, his bright Olympic fame, + 

And to Kallimachus shall tell the same, + 

The glory Zeus to this old House hath granted. + 

With triumph on triumph may he crown their name, + 

And aye avert affliction’s bitter blow! + 

And, for the glory in their lot, may never + 

God’s jealousy make Nemesis their foe. + 

May he exalt them and their country, ever + 

Vouchsafing them a life unvexed of woe. + 