PINDAR'S POETRY. 66 189 a day" are men, but after death there is in store a gladsome life." His belief in an existence beyond the grave is indicated in the following lines from one of his dirges. And here be it observed that no translation can do justice to Pindar; the Doric diamonds cease to flash when removed from their Doric setting. "Shines for them the sun's warm glow, O'er that country of desire, But the souls of the profane 'Neath the unyielding yoke of woe; While pious spirits tenanting the sky CONINGTON. The more characteristic extract given below consists of portions of the Seventh Olympic Ode, in which the poet sings the praises of Diag'oras of Rhodes for having gained a victory with the cestus (made of leather thongs and worn round the hands in boxing). This ode was so much admired by the Rhodians that they wrote it in golden letters on the wall of Minerva's temple at Lindus. It relates the birth of their patron goddess and the story of their own origin, closing with an invocation to Jupiter, who was worshipped on Ataby'ris, a mountain of the island. Here stood a temple, dedicated to him, containing the fabulous brazen bulls that bellowed when any calamity threatened. ODE TO DIAGORAS. "As when a sire the golden bowl, All foaming with the dew of wine, Chief gem where all his treasures shine- The social pledge he bears on high, And, homeward as his course he bends, Blesses the fond connubial tie, Admired by all his circling friends; E'en thus I bring the nectared strain, The Pythian and Olympic crown; Thrice blest, to whom 'tis given to share The arduous fruit of mental care, Cheered by the voice of high renown! Full many a victor in the fray My life-inspiring strains survey— Which bid the sweet-toned lyre its music raise, And wake the sounding flutes through all their notes of praise. And now, Diagoras, to thee They breathe united melody. When Rhodes, the warlike isle, is sung, Apollo's bride from Venus sprung; To justice dear, the strain inspire. Fixed on that isle which three fair cities grace, Where Embolus protects wide Asia's coast, They dwell united with the Argive host. In that blest isle secure at last, 'Twas thine, Tlepolemus, to meet For each afflictive trial past A recompense and respite sweet. EXTRACT FROM PINDAR. Chief of Tirynthian hosts, to thee, The fumes of slaughtered sheep arise The victor gains his verdant prize- On which four times the Isthmian pine, Trophies of many a well-fought field Her palms Boeotia's genuine contests yield; Great sire of all, immortal Jove! On Atabyris' mount enshrined, Which celebrates in lawful strain Whose valorous arm the cestus knows to wield. Protected by thy constant care, Whose virtuous deeds thy favor share: The well-earned fame of thine illustrious race, 191 Antimachus. An elegiac poet of the golden age was Antim'achus of Col'ophon, whose "Ly'de," an elegy on his lost love, enjoyed considerable celebrity. When, however, Antimachus undertook to read his long "Theba'is" to an audience, their patience became exhausted and one after another departed, until finally he had but a single listener left,—the young Plato. DRAMATIC POETRY. Rise of the Attic Drama.-The Greek drama, like the Hindoo, had a religious origin. In the festivals of Bacchus, the wine-god, which consisted of licentious dances and songs round his altar by persons disguised in goat-skins as fauns and satyrs (beings half-man and half-goat), we must look for its earliest phase. From the dress of those who composed the chorus, or because a goat was sacrificed, or a goat-skin of wine awarded to the poet who wrote the best ode for the occasion, such ode was called a tragedy (goat-song); and the name was afterward extended to the entire department of dramatic poetry to which these rude hymns gave rise. Comedy, on the contrary, was elaborated from the villagesongs rife during the gala-days of the vintage, when companies. of noisy revellers, their cheeks stained with wine-lees, went about from town to town, plunging into all kinds of excesses, and garnishing their songs with jokes at the expense of the spectators. The Father of Greek tragedy was THESPIS, the Athenian, who refined the coarse Bacchanalian orgies, and introduced a single actor (generally sustaining the part himself), to alternate with the chorus or enter into a dialogue with its leaders (536 B.C.). Between the hymns, the poet, having smeared his face with paint, would mount a table and recite with copious * Some derive our word comedy from kōmos, the Greek term for a band of revellers. DRAMATIC POETRY. 193 gestures some mythological legend, perhaps relating to Bac chus. With a trained chorus, Thespis strolled about Greece, stopping at the towns to give his exhibitions on the wagon which carried his machinery and skin-clad troupe. Dancing was a prominent feature of his entertainments. His pupil Phryn'icus improved the performance by exchanging myths for real events and introducing female characters; but the recitations were still disconnected and the plays lacked method; albeit Phrynicus was fined by the Athenians for moving their feelings too deeply by one of his pieces. Birth of Tragedy.-Out of these rude materials, Æschylus, who was born about ten years after the first Thespian exhibition, constructed genuine tragedy. He added a second actor and remodelled the chorus, making it secondary to the dialogue, and instituting a connection between its songs and the events represented on the stage. Appropriate theatrical costumes, stationary scenery, painted masks, and thick-soled buskins to increase the height of the performers, complete the list of his innovations. Thus the goat-song of early days developed into the true drama (action), the crowning effort of Greek genius. Athens had the honor of creating and perfecting it; while in other departments of verse she fell behind her neighbors, in dramatic poetry she eclipsed them all. The love of the theatre grew into a passion at Athens. When the first rude structure of boards gave way under the weight of the audience, her citizens erected a permanent edifice of semicircular form, whose seats, rising in tiers, were hewn in the rocky side of the Acropolis. This new theatre accommodated thirty thousand persons, who sat under the shadow of Athens' patron-goddess, and with reverent gaze watched actors and chorus go through their parts round the altar of Bacchus. The performances took place by day, and in the open air, |