Pindar
Pindar
Pindarwas an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar is by far the greatest, in virtue of his inspired magnificence, the beauty of his thoughts and figures, the rich exuberance of his language and matter, and his rolling flood of eloquence, characteristics which, as Horace rightly held, make him inimitable." His poems however can also seem difficult and...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionPoet
deeds longer-life
Words have a longer life than deeds.
humility humble pride
Humble in a humble state and great in greatness, I will work out the divinity that is busy within my mind.
dream sunshine men
Creatures of a day, what is any one? What is he not? Man is but a dream of a shadow. Yet when there comes as a gift of heaven a gleam of sunshine, there rest upon men a radiant light and, aye, a gentle life.
endurance way bears
To bear lightly the neck's yoke brings strength; but kicking against the goads is the way of failure.
grieving giving sorrow
To our own sorrows serious heed we give, But for another?s we soon cease to grieve.
fate envied
To be envied is a nobler fate than to be pitied.
insecure errors long
Wrapt up in error is the human mind, And human bliss is ever insecure; Know we what fortune yet remains behind? Know we how long the present shall endure?
water all-things drinking-water
Water is the best of all things.
small-things
I will be small in small things, great among great.
dream men shadow
Men are the dreams of a shadow.
empty-mind envy mind
Envy, the attendant of the empty mind.
favors littles looks
Finding that the middle condition of life is by far the happiest, I look with little favor upon that of princes.
dream shadow mankind
Mankind is a dream of a shadow.
deeds dies
Unsung, the noblest deed will die.