ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ , ὁ δὲ χρυσὸς αἰθόμενον πῦρ
ἅτε διαπρέπει νυκτὶ μεγάνορος ἔξοχα πλούτου :
εἰ δ᾽ ἄεθλα γαρύεν
ἔλδεαι , φίλον ἦτορ ,
μηκέθ᾽ ἁλίου σκόπει
ἄλλο θαλπνότερον ἐν ἁμέρᾳ φαεννὸν ἄστρον ἐρήμας δι᾽ αἰθέρος ,
μηδ᾽ Ὀλυμπίας ἀγῶνα φέρτερον αὐδάσομεν :
ὅθεν ὁ πολύφατος ὕμνος ἀμφιβάλλεται
σοφῶν μητίεσσι , κελαδεῖν
Κρόνου παῖδ᾽ ἐς ἀφνεὰν ἱκομένους
μάκαιραν Ἱέρωνος ἑστίαν ,
θεμιστεῖον ὃς ἀμφέπει σκᾶπτον ἐν πολυμάλῳ
Σικελίᾳ , δρέπων μὲν κορυφὰς ἀρετᾶν ἄπο πασᾶν ,
ἀγλαΐζεται δὲ καὶ
μουσικᾶς ἐν ἀώτῳ ,
οἷα παίζομεν φίλαν
ἄνδρες ἀμφὶ θαμὰ τράπεζαν . ἀλλὰ Δωρίαν ἀπὸ φόρμιγγα πασσάλου
λάμβαν᾽ , εἴ τί τοι Πίσας τε καὶ Φερενίκου χάρις
νόον ὑπὸ γλυκυτάταις ἔθηκε φροντίσιν ,
ὅτε παρ᾽ Ἀλφεῷ σύτο , δέμας
ἀκέντητον ἐν δρόμοισι παρέχων ,
κράτει δὲ προσέμιξε δεσπόταν ,
Συρακόσιον ἱπποχάρμαν βασιλῆα . λάμπει δέ οἱ κλέος
ἐν εὐάνορι Λυδοῦ Πέλοπος ἀποικίᾳ :
τοῦ μεγασθενὴς ἐράσσατο γαιάοχος
Ποσειδᾶν , ἐπεί νιν καθαροῦ λέβητος ἔξελε Κλωθὼ
ἐλέφαντι φαίδιμον ὦμον κεκαδμένον .
ἦ θαυματὰ πολλά , καί πού τι καὶ βροτῶν φάτις ὑπὲρ τὸν ἀλαθῆ λόγον
δεδαιδαλμένοι ψεύδεσι ποικίλοις ἐξαπατῶντι μῦθοι
Χάρις δ᾽ , ἅπερ ἅπαντα τεύχει τὰ μείλιχα θνατοῖς ,
ἐπιφέροισα τιμὰν καὶ ἄπιστον ἐμήσατο πιστὸν
ἔμμεναι τὸ πολλάκις :
ἁμέραι δ᾽ ἐπίλοιποι
μάρτυρες σοφώτατοι .
ἔστι δ᾽ ἀνδρὶ φάμεν ἐοικὸς ἀμφὶ δαιμόνων καλά : μείων γὰρ αἰτία .
υἱὲ Ταντάλου , σὲ δ᾽ , ἀντία προτέρων , φθέγξομαι ,
ὁπότ᾽ ἐκάλεσε πατὴρ τὸν εὐνομώτατον
ἐς ἔρανον φίλαν τε Σίπυλον ,
ἀμοιβαῖα θεοῖσι δεῖπνα παρέχων ,
τότ᾽ Ἀγλαοτρίαιναν ἁρπάσαι
δαμέντα φρένας ἱμέρῳ χρυσέαισί τ᾽ ἀν᾽ ἵπποις
ὕπατον εὐρυτίμου ποτὶ δῶμα Διὸς μεταβᾶσαι ,
ἔνθα δευτέρῳ χρόνῳ
ἦλθε καὶ Γανυμήδης
Ζηνὶ τωὔτ᾽ ἐπὶ χρέος .
ὡς δ᾽ ἄφαντος ἔπελες , οὐδὲ ματρὶ πολλὰ μαιόμενοι φῶτες ἄγαγον ,
ἔννεπε κρυφᾶ τις αὐτίκα φθονερῶν γειτόνων ,
ὕδατος ὅτι σε πυρὶ ζέοισαν εἰς ἀκμὰν
μαχαίρᾳ τάμον κάτα μέλη ,
τραπέζαισί τ᾽ , ἀμφὶ δεύτατα , κρεῶν
σέθεν διεδάσαντο καὶ φάγον .
ἐμοὶ δ᾽ ἄπορα γαστρίμαργον μακάρων τιν᾽ εἰπεῖν . ἀφίσταμαι .
ἀκέρδεια λέλογχεν θαμινὰ κακαγόρους .
εἰ δὲ δή τιν᾽ ἄνδρα θνατὸν Ὀλύμπου σκοποὶ
ἐτίμασαν , ἦν Τάνταλος οὗτος : ἀλλὰ γὰρ καταπέψαι
μέγαν ὄλβον οὐκ ἐδυνάσθη , κόρῳ δ᾽ ἕλεν
ἄταν ὑπέροπλον , ἅν οἱ πατὴρ ὑπερκρέμασε καρτερὸν αὐτῷ λίθον ,
τὸν αἰεὶ μενοινῶν κεφαλᾶς βαλεῖν εὐφροσύνας ἀλᾶται .
ἔχει δ᾽ ἀπάλαμον βίον τοῦτον ἐμπεδόμοχθον ,
μετὰ τριῶν τέταρτον πόνον , ἀθανάτων ὅτι κλέψαις
ἁλίκεσσι συμπόταις
νέκταρ ἀμβροσίαν τε
δῶκεν , οἷσιν ἄφθιτον
θῆκαν .

Water is best ; and gold , like blazing fire , shines forth pre-eminent by night above all lordly wealth .

But if it is contests that you long to celebrate , dear heart , then seek no other star warmer or brighter than the sun that shines through the empty sky by day , nor shall we proclaim any contest greater than Olympia .

From there the widely renowned hymn is woven by the counsels of wise men , so that those who have come to the prosperous hearth of blessed Hieron may sing of the son of Cronus . Hieron governs the sceptre of justice in rich Sicily , gathering the highest fruits of every excellence ; he is also adorned with the choicest flowering of music , such as we men often enjoy around the friendly banquet table .

Come then , take the Dorian lyre from its peg , if the grace of Pisa and of Pherenicus has set your mind upon sweetest thoughts , when beside the Alpheus he sped on , offering his body untouched by the goad in the race , and by his victory brought honour to his master , the Syracusan king who delights in horses .

His fame shines in the well-peopled colony of Lydian Pelops , whom the mighty earth-shaker Poseidon loved , after Clotho drew him from the pure cauldron , his bright shoulder distinguished with ivory .

Indeed , many things are marvellous ; and sometimes the tales of mortals , elaborately fashioned with varied falsehoods , deceive beyond the true account . Grace , which fashions all that is pleasant for mankind , bestowing honour , has often contrived to make even the unbelievable appear believable . Yet the days that follow are the wisest witnesses .

It is fitting for a man to speak well concerning the gods , for in this way blame is lessened .

Son of Tantalus , I shall speak of you differently from those before me .

When your father summoned the gods to his well-ordered banquet at beloved Sipylus , offering them a feast in return for theirs , then the Lord of the Glorious Trident , overcome in spirit by desire , carried you away on his golden horses to the lofty house of widely honoured Zeus . There , at a later time , Ganymede also came , to serve the same purpose for Zeus .

But when you disappeared , and despite much searching men could not bring you back to your mother , one of your jealous neighbours secretly spread the story that they had cut your limbs apart with a knife after plunging you into water heated to the boiling point by fire , and that at the final course of the feast they divided your flesh among the tables and ate it .

For my part , I cannot call any one of the blessed gods gluttonous . I reject such a tale . Slanderers often gain no profit .

If ever the guardians of Olympus honoured a mortal , that man was Tantalus . Yet he was unable to digest his great prosperity , and through satiety he incurred overpowering ruin . His father suspended above him the mighty stone , and always striving to keep it from falling upon his head , he wanders deprived of joy .

This helpless life of unending toil is his , joined with three other punishments , because he stole nectar and ambrosia from the immortals and gave them to his fellow banqueters—the very gifts by which the gods had made them deathless .

Best is water , and gold , like blazing fire ,
shines out in the night , far above all lordly wealth .
But if , dear heart , you long to sing of contests ,
look no longer for any other star ,
warmer than the sun , shining by day through the empty sky ,
nor let us proclaim any contest mightier than Olympia ' s :
from there the far-famed hymn is woven
by the wits of wise men ,
to glorify the son of Cronus , when they come
to the rich and blessed hearth of Hieron ,
who wields the lawful scepter in Sicily rich in flocks ,
culling the summits of every excellence ,
and he is glorified too
in the flower of music ,
such songs as we men delight to play
often around the friendly table . Come , take the Dorian lyre
down from its peg , if indeed the grace of Pisa and of Pherenicus
placed your mind under the sweetest cares ,
when by the Alpheus he ran , offering his body
unspurred in the race ,
and brought his master to victory ,
the horse-loving king of Syracuse . His fame shines
in the colony of Lydian Pelops , rich in brave men —
Pelops , whom the mighty earth-holder
Poseidon loved , when Clotho drew him out of the pure cauldron ,
his shoulder gleaming , fitted with ivory .
Truly there are many marvels , and indeed the speech of mortals ,
beyond the true account ,
stories embroidered with elaborate lies , deceives .
But Grace , who fashions all things gentle for mortals ,
bestowing honor , has often contrived
to make even the unbelievable believed ;
yet the days to come
are the wisest witnesses .
It is fitting for a man to speak well of the gods — the blame is less that way .
Son of Tantalus , of you I will speak , contrary to those before me :
when your father called the most law-abiding gods
to a shared feast and to dear Sipylus ,
giving in return a banquet for the gods ,
then the god of the Splendid Trident seized you ,
his heart overcome with longing , and with golden horses
carried you up to the lofty house of widely-honored Zeus ,
where at a later time
Ganymede also came ,
for the same service , to Zeus .
But when you vanished , and men searching for you long and hard
did not bring you back to your mother ,
at once some envious neighbor whispered in secret
that they had cut your limbs with a knife
into water boiling at its fiercest heat ,
and at the tables , over the last course ,
they divided your flesh among themselves and ate .
For me , it is impossible to call any of the blessed gods a glutton . I stand back from that .
Ill fortune is often the lot of those who speak evil .
But if indeed the watchers of Olympus ever honored
a mortal man , it was this Tantalus . Yet he could not
digest his great prosperity , and through excess he brought upon himself
a ruin too great to bear , one which his father hung above him —
a mighty stone , which , ever longing to cast from his head ,
he wanders deprived of joy .
He holds this helpless life of endless toil ,
a fourth labor added to three others , because he stole
from the immortals , for his mortal drinking-companions ,
nectar and ambrosia ,
with which they had made him immortal .