Now, while I laud a house that thrice can vaunt + 

Olympian victory, gracious to the guest, + 

To fellow-burghers courteous, I will chant + 

With theirs the praise of Corinth heaven-blest. + 

Here Isthmian Poseidon fixed his portals, + 

This city glorious⁠—noble sons are hers! + 

Here hath Fair Governance her home mid mortals, + 

Here dwell her sisters, city-stablishers, + 

Justice, and Peace her fellow-fosterling: + 

God’s stewards of true wealth to men they be, + 

Themis’s golden daughters, they who bring + 

Wise counsels from the Queen of Equity; + 

And resolute are they afar to scare + 

Insolence, glutted greed’s tongue-shameless dam. + 

Fair witness of them it is mine to bear; + 

By forthright boldness spurred to speak I am. + 

None can suppress our nature’s inborn powers, + 

Hide them can none. On you, Aletes’ seed, + 

Oftentimes have the Seasons crowned with flowers + 

Bestowed the splendour of the victor’s meed + 

As upon men with hero-prowess fired, + 

Men in the sacred Games with victory wreathed; + 

And oft into men’s souls have they inspired + 

Devices wise by them of old bequeathed. + 

To him of whom first each invention came + 

Is all the honour due. Who caused to appear + 

Dionysus’ graces, with the dithyramb + 

That wins the ox? Who unto horses’ gear + 

Added the rein? On temples god-enshrining + 

Who set the twofold image of the king + 

Of birds? Flower-fragrant there the Muse is shining, + 

And Ares spear-girt by a warrior-ring. + 

Olympian Lord most high, who far and wide + 

Reignest, grudge not fulfilment of my prayer + 

Through all time! May this city’s folk abide + 

In safety! May the breeze of fortune fair + 

That breathes on Xenophon, blow constant ever! + 

The due procession singing home his crown + 

Accept thou, as from Pisa’s plain and river + 

He leads it onward to his native town. + 

For victor in the Contests Five is he + 

And in the foot-race: so hath he attained + 

Such glory multiplied of victory + 

As mortal never yet before hath gained. + 

And shadowed was his head by garlands twain + 

When Isthmus saw him win the parsley-meed: + 

Kindness no less from Nemea did he gain + 

The record of his father’s lightning speed + 

Is treasured still where Alpheus softly paces. + 

Yea, and at Pytho by his feet were won + 

The crowns of honour in the twofold races, + 

Single and double, under one day’s sun. + 

In that same month at rocky Athens-town + 

A day fulfilled of glorious victory + 

Set on his hair crown after victor’s crown + 

Whose flying feet had won him races three. + 

Seven times Hellotia crowned him. ’Twere too long + 

To tell how with their father Ptoiadore + 

Did Terpsias and Eritimus strong + 

Triumph in games beside the Sea-god’s shore; + 

How oft at Delphi ye, and in the Lion’s + 

Dark glen stood first⁠—though my song-treasury + 

Outrival all bards, their tale bids defiance + 

To reckoning; countless as the sands they be. + 

But to each thing pertaineth measure meet, + 

And best of all it is to know aright + 

The fit time. I, who sail in your great fleet, + 

Yet choose mine own course, sing the battle-might + 

And wisdom of old days, and in the telling + 

Lie not⁠—of heroism’s highways trod + 

By Corinth, and of Sisyphus excelling + 

In cunning counsels even as some God, + 

And of Medea, her who dared defy + 

Her father, chose at her own heart’s behest + 

A bridegroom, and the saviour was thereby + 

Of Argo and the Heroes of the Quest. + 

Again of old when dashed the war’s red seas + 

Against Troy’s walls, ’twas ever Corinth’s sons + 

That swayed to either side war’s balance, these + 

Helping Atreides and his mighty ones + 

To win back Helen, those to make resistance + 

Unto the uttermost, when Danaans quailed + 

Before strong Glaukus, who from the far distance + 

Of Lycia’s highlands flashed on them bronze-mailed, + 

And vaunted of his father’s empery + 

Over the city of Peirene there, + 

And of his heritage of deep-loamed lea, + 

And of his stately palace royal-fair, + 

That sire who sorely suffered by the spring + 

Where he would fain bind snake-haired Gorgon’s son + 

Pegasus. Dreaming, he saw Pallas bring + 

The bridle that with golden frontlet shone:⁠— + 

And lo, ’twas no dream! “Aiolid prince, awake thee!” + 

She cried⁠—“Receive this spell to charm yon steed. + 

To thine horse-taming Sire with this betake thee; + 

There let a white bull on his altar bleed.” + 

Thus as he slumbered in the gloom of night, + 

The Maid of the Dark Aegis seemed to say. + 

Upleaping, on his feet he stood upright, + 

And seized the marvel that beside him lay. + 

Then joyously to Corinth’s seer he wended, + 

And to the son of Koiranus he showed + 

How that strange venture of the night had ended, + 

How, trusting all the prophet did forebode, + 

He laid him down to sleep all through the night + 

Upon the altar in Athene’s fane; + 

How she, the Child of Him whose lance of light + 

Is levin, with her own hands did she deign + 

To bring to him the spirit-taming gold. + 

The seer bade haste that vision to obey; + 

To the Wide-ruler who doth earth enfold + 

The bull, the mighty-footed beast, to slay; + 

And then to rear to Pallas chariot-reining + 

An altar. Ah, by power of Gods is brought + 

To pass a thing transcending prayers’ attaining, + 

Transcending all hope⁠—effortlessly wrought! + 

So was it now; for strong Bellerophon + 

With haste impetuous hied him forth to quell + 

That winged steed⁠—lo, the victory was won + 

When touched his jaws the fury-stilling spell! + 

He sprang on Pegasus’ back; in brazen mail + 

Arrayed to play the play of swords he sped; + 

And riding on that steed did he assail + 

From the chill cloudland’s folds untenanted + 

The Amazon host, the maids that bear the quiver; + 

Fire-breath’d Chimaera slew and Solymi. + 

That steed in Zeus’s stalls abideth ever:⁠— + 

His rider’s doom I pass in silence by. + 

But, as I hurl the whizzing casting-spear, + 

My shaft beside the mark I may not speed. + 

To Song-queens splendour-throned with joy draws near + 

Their champion, and to Oligaithus’ seed. + 

How oft at Nemea these have shone victorious + 

And at the Isthmus, all will I comprise + 

In few words: of the record passing-glorious + 

My tale a truthful witness ratifies⁠— + 

Ay, under oath⁠—that noble herald’s tongue + 

Which published threescore victories in the names + 

Of this House⁠—welcome-sweet his accents rung!⁠— + 

When Nemea and the Isthmus held their games. + 

Touching their victories at Olympia won, + 

Meseems, the tale already hath been told; + 

And of the great deeds that shall yet be done, + 

Their tale hereafter shall my song unfold + 

Clearly. I hope now: with God lies the issue; + 

But, if this House’s fortune speed, I trow, + 

Zeus and the War-god’s hands shall weave the tissue + 

Of that bright future. ’Neath Parnassus’ brow + 

Six triumphs won they: all at Argos gained + 

And Thebes, and where by that Lykaian height + 

The altar royal unto Zeus ordained + 

Shall witness in Arcadia’s people’s sight, + 

And in Pellene, Megara, Sikyon, + 

And in the Aiakids’ close fair-walled around, + 

And at Eleusis, shining Marathon, + 

And towns by Etna’s huge mass overfrowned, + 

Euboea⁠—nay, all Hellas through, thy questing + 

Shall prove them countless. Zeus, who answerest prayer, + 

Light let their feet glide on! Be honour resting + 

On these, all bliss be theirs and fortune fair! + 