Its joyless flight, and the Lykeian king
The nation's youth propitiously survey!
Antistrophe III.
With every season's wealth may Zeus benign 670
Crown the rich earth, and mightily increase
Before the city walls the pasturing kine!
Ne'er may the gods' rich blessing cease!
May the well-omened song from every shrine
Ascend, and from chaste lips the solemn strain,
Joy-laden, lyre-enamoured, sound amain!
Strophe IV.
Still may the people guard with constant zeal[1]
Their honours for the virtuous, while the sway 680
Of prudent councillors the city's weal
Makes stedfast; and, ere arming for the fray,
May they, unscathed, just pacts with strangers seal!
Antistrophe IV.
And let them, to the gods this land who hold,
With sacrifice and laurel bough draw near,
Jealous to keep their fathers' rites of old.
For venerable Justice hath enroll'd
This her third statute:—"Parents aye revere."[2]
- ↑ Among the various emendations which have been proposed of this corrupt passage that of Mr. Newman, αἰσίμοισι τιμὰς for ἀτιμίας τιμὰς, appears to me to give the best sense.
- ↑ The laws of Draco, called θεσμοὶ, are alluded to, among which this triple precept occurred, borrowed, as was said, from Triptolemus: γονεῖς τιμᾶν· θεοὺς καρποῖς ἀχάλλειν· ζῷα μὴ σίνεσθαι.—Paley. In the text the triad of commandments seems completed by, Honour the national gods, and honour the national magistrates.
