For Kleandros and his comrades, O ye youths, let some of you + 

Go and stand before his father Telesarchus’ gleaming door, + 

And wake the chant, the recompense for toils, his glorious due + 

For the crowns that from the Isthmus and from Nemea he bore. + 

What though I be stricken-hearted, to their praying have I hearkened, + 

And on the golden Muse I call. From night of woes that darkened + 

Around us are we rescued, and we may not brook bereaving + 

Of triumph-crowns, nor over cureless evils linger grieving. + 

But let us cheer the people with the sweetness of our song, + 

Though the pain have scarce departed; for the stone that hung so long + 

Above our heads⁠—a very stone of Tantalus⁠—at last + 

A God hath turned aside: the peril now is overpast, + 

That intolerable curse unto Hellas! But the night + 

Of terror hath departed, and the crushing load of care + 

Is lifted. Yet ’tis better evermore to keep in sight + 

The perils that be waiting in the path whereon we fare. + 

For Time is dogging mortals’ steps, with treacherous feet on-stealing, + 

And tangling all the ways of life. Yet even here is healing + 

For such as have but freedom. Let us still to hope be clinging! + 

In Thebe seven-gated nursed, the Graces’ flowers of singing + 

I needs must give Aegina; for Asopus’ daughters twain + 

Found favour in the sight of Zeus who over all doth reign. + 

And one of these by lovely-flowered Dirke’s fair demesne + 

He caused to dwell, to be the chariot-loving city’s queen. + 

But thee unto Oenopia’s isle he bore, and couched with thee. + 

And there unto the Thunder-crashing Father didst thou bear + 

A godlike scion, Aiakus, of men most righteous he; + 

Yea, even to the Gods in Heaven contention’s arbiter + 

Was he. His hero-sons and children’s children war-delighting + 

With peerless valour met the clanging bronze of warriors fighting; + 

And self-controlled they ruled their spirit, even as wisdom taught them. + 

Now when the Gods in council met, of all this they bethought them, + 

When Zeus with glory-girt Poseidon in contention strove + 

For Thetis’ hand; for either God was captive of her love, + 

And fain would win the fairest; but impossible it was + 

That Heaven’s eternal counsels should bring such a thing to pass + 

Whence once they heard the oracle that spake them Fate’s decree. + 

For Themis wise in counsel in the Gods’ assembly told + 

How that Destiny ordained it that the Lady of the Sea + 

Should bear a son more mighty than his father, who should hold + 

In his hand another sceptre more resistless than the levin + 

Or the trident, were she wedded with any lord of Heaven:⁠— + 

“Cease to contend! In marriage to a mortal be she given. + 

Like Ares’ hands her son’s shall be where battle’s strife is striven, + 

His speed of foot as lightning-flash;⁠—but she shall see him die + 

In war! I give my counsel that this honour from on high + 

To Peleus son of Aiakus be granted. All attest + 

That dweller in Iolkos’ plain of mortals holiest. + 

“Then let our message straight go forth to Cheiron’s cave divine, + 

Nor once again let Nereus’ daughter set the leaves of strife + 

In hands of Gods; but when the midmonth orbèd moonbeams shine + 

At eventide, then let her loose her maiden zone, the wife + 

Most lovely of a hero.” So the Goddess spake, preventing + 

The ruin-day of Kronos’ sons. And they in one consenting + 

Bent their immortal brows. Nor did her counsel’s fruitage wither; + 

For told it is that these two Kings in friendship came together + 

To Thetis’ bridal. And the lips of bards have published far + 

To them that saw it not the mighty prowess in the war + 

Of young Achilles, how he poured a dusky-crimson stain, + 

The life-blood of king Telephus, on Mysia’s vine-clad plain, + 

And bridge-like paved the Atreids’ safe return across the sea, + 

And rescued Helen; for he hewed asunder with his spear + 

Troy’s sinews, them who strove to stay the slaughter-work that he + 

Wrought in that battle-harried plain, yea, stayed the proud career + 

Of Memnon’s might, of Hector and the chiefs in strength excelling + 

Of Troy, to whom Achilles showed to Queen Persephone’s dwelling + 

The path⁠—the Aiakids’ champion he!⁠—and glory so was bringing + 

Unto Aegina and his race. Yea, lips immortal singing + 

Wailed o’er him dead, when Helicon’s Maids, a many-voicèd choir, + 

Stood by his death-rites, pouring forth their dirge around the pyre. + 

Ay, so the Immortals willed that heroism, even in death, + 

Should be a theme for Goddesses to hymn with praising breath. + 

Yea, to this day that law of honour holds: the Muses’ car + 

Speeds on to sound his glory forth who won the gauntlet-fight + 

In Isthmus’ glade, even Nikokles. Oh, peal his praise afar + 

Who won the Dorian parsley-crown, who vanquished by his might, + 

He too, all rivals, hurled them back with leap as of a lion. + 

Nor him dishonoureth now his father’s noble brother’s scion. + 

Twine then, ye comrades of the victor, twine the tender greenness + 

Of myrtle for his brows! Alkathous’ contest hailed his keenness + 

Of courage with fair fortune. Yea, with welcoming acclaim + 

The sons of Epidaurus met him. Meet it is the fame + 

Of such be sung by good men; for he hid not from the light, + 

As in oblivion’s pit, the splendour of his youthful might. + 