Pindar’s Poetry: Pythian 8 (Englished)

φιλόφρον Ἡσυχία, Δίκας
ὦ μεγιστόπολι θύγατερ,
βουλᾶν τε καὶ πολέμων
ἔχοισα κλαῗδας ὑπερτάτας,
Πυθιόνικον τιμὰν
Ἀριστομένει δέκευ.
τὺ γὰρ τὸ μαλθακὸν ἔρξαι
τε καὶ παθεῖν ὁμῶς
ἐπίστασαι καιρῷ σὺν ἀτρεκεῖ:

Friendly-minded Tranquility, of Justice
who the majestic-Polis makes, her daughter, of
wishes and of battles also
possessing the latches uppermost:
Pythias-victory honors of
Aristomenes are to be received.
Thou, indeed, the softnesses accept
And alike her sympathies also
Set up with timed exactitudes together.

I ended a post last week with the lines above, so I just thought I’d start another with them.  And then render them, english them, as they appear, in greek, to me.  What particularly jumps off the page, the proverbial page, at me is the call to Tranquility, the daughter of Justice, (i.e., to Ἡσυχία, the daughter of Δίκας) to get involved in the honors of the political wars of men. In other words, the above is my attempt at formatting and at translating the poetic lines of Pindar. It’s rather jarring, that Greek syntax and the morphophonemics. I’m inspired, I confess, by translator Anne Carson, whose beautiful book Antigonick I just read recently.

FRIENDLY-MINDED TRANQUILITY, OF JUSTICE
WHO THE MAJESTIC-POLIS MAKES, HER DAUGHTER, OF
WISHES AND OF BATTLES ALSO
POSSESSING THE LATCHES UPPERMOST:
PYTHIAS-VICTORY HONORS OF
ARISTOMENES ARE TO BE RECEIVED.
THOU, INDEED, THE SOFTNESSES ACCEPT
AND HER SYMPATHIES ALIKE ALSO
SET UP WITH TIMED EXACTITUDES TOGETHER.