ATHANASIA K. PALAIO GEOR GOU
A T H L E T IC PONOS IN P IN D A R
T he idea of a th letic ponos is v ery com m on in P in d a r; it receives a
great deal of em phasis th ro u g h o u t th e P indaric odes, so t h a t one could
say th a t it is a distinctive aspect of th e po et’s apporach b o th to ath letics
and v ictory ode. P in d a r designates w ith a th letic ponos th e physical
effort, which is devoted to train in g and a th letic com petiton. T hough
th e idea seems a t first glance too sim ple to need a n y kin d of ex p lan a­
tio n , th e g reat scale of th e P indaric use and em phasis, and th e in te ­
gratio n of th e idea w ith o th er notions and areas w hich also dem and
physical effort, p o in t to a com plex and broad them e. T he purpose
of th is article is to discuss how th e n o tio n is used an d e v alu ated b y
th e poet each tim e and how is broadened b y its applicatio n from th e
ath letic world to every h u m an experience. T he article also addresses
th e im p o rta n t issue of th e definition of genre.
P in d ar is a p oet who has alwrays h ad a re p u ta tio n for being diffi­
cu lt. I t has been argued b y B undy in his Stadia Pindarica t h a t th e
difficulty he presents is due to our ignorance of th e conventions of
th e genre he w rites in K B undy, an d Schadew aldt before him , m apped
o u t a num ber of conventional elem ents of P in d a r’s gerne, w hich found
to occur system atically th ro u g h o u t th e corpus 12. Ponos has been reco­
gnised b y scholars as a 'generic motif* 3.
Each gerne has its own rules and conventions. G eneric convention
an d tra d itio n are im p o rta n t for th e u n d erstan d in g of th e n a tu re of every
piece of lite ra tu re. I t is tru e t h a t P in d ar inh erited a tra d itio n from th e
1. See Bundy (1986) 2.
2. See Schadewaldt’s δέξχι — Motiv, K otos- Mottv, Vater-Mutter-Motiv, Bundy’s
καιρός-motive, the θχΰμχ-motive, ther^-m otlve.
3. See Pavese's Labor, KOhnkens *s Muhe und Einsatz; see also Kurke (1991)
98: 'Epinikion often represents athletic victory as pure, unrivaled expenditure,
of both money and effort, on the part of the victor*.
Δωδώτη: Φιλολογία 30 (2001) 205*216
200
Athanasia PaJaiogeorgou
earlier archaic and epinician poetry and uses a stock of common m ate­
rials a d ap tin g th em to th e specific occasion. B u t, as Instone points out,
it would be a m istake to th in k th a t he was operating w ithin the term s
of conventions th a t were fixed or th a t the n a tu re of the victory ode
was already firmly established before P in d ar’s tim e l. There was cer­
tain ly room for the a u th o r’s intervention in the trad itio n ; the a u th o r’s
choice of em phasis, arran g em en t, and com bination of the standard
topoi point to a special originality and im agination. Many scholars
have neglected P in d a r’s originality in his use of topoi, by understanding
th e p o et’s com position as a series of loci com muni which occur in diffe­
re n t poems alw ays w ith the same function, im plying th u s a m echa­
nical repetition ra th e r th an a selection and application to th e im m e­
diate c o n tex t of each ode. Moreover, B undy’s clain th a t everything in
th e Pindaric ode exists only for th e sake of the v ictor’s praise excludes
o th er im p o rtan t functions of P in d a r’s poetry 2. Victory occasioned the
ode, b u t as th e ethical generalisations m ake clear, the poet can reflect on
more general issues, which have to do w ith th e victor’s position in the
world and are shared both by th e p atro n and the audience. P indar’s
ethical approach, his tendency to draw lessons for hum an life and to
com m unicate 'a d istin ctiv e vision of the wolrd*, according to H. LloydJo n e’s phrasing, have been underestim ated and this is true especially
for th e them e of ponos.
V ictory ode as a genre had been established before P indar with
Sim onides; Bacchylides has also composed m any epinician odes and
his work is b e tte r preserved th an th a t of Sim onides. There is only one
w ay to grasp w hat is most distinctive in P in d ar’s poetry, and this m ust
be a com parison w ith au th o rs of the same genre 3. A careful exam i­
nation of Simonides* epinician fragm ents and Bacchylides* corpus re­
veals th a t th e idea of ath letic ponos does n o t play a significant role
in either poet. In fact, one is surprised by Sim onides' silence on this
them e and Bacchylides* reference to it only once, in ode 13 (II. 54-57):
. . ,ή ποτέ φαμι
ταιδε περί στεφάνοκπ
παγκρατίου πόνον Έ λ λάνεσσιν Ιδρώεντ’ έσεσΟαι.”
1. Sec Instone (1991») 9.
2. Sec Bundy (1980) 35.
3. Sec H.Uoyd-Joncs (1990) 67, 71.
Athletic p o n o s in Pindar
207
The unidentified speaker w atches H erakles as he is engaged in
struggle w ith th e Nemean lion. Cleary, in Bacchylides, H erakles is seen
as th e archetypal pankratiast. T he passage effectively com bines th e
precondition of pain w ith t h a t of sw eat for victory, to denote th e
exhaustion, which aw aits every a th le te in th e n ear fu tu re. A link is,
thu s, established betw een th e v icto r and th e hero whom P in d ar choo­
ses to_ m ake more prom inent in his odes by retu rn in g repeatedly to
him and his toils in his m ythical n a rra tiv e s. T he elem ent of toil recurs
im plicitly in th e m y th , in th e m atrial exploits of th e A eakidai. This
is th e only passage in B achylides where ath letic ponos is clearly sta te d .
The passage reflects th e p o et’s recognition of toil as 'indispensable*
cost which th e a th lete had to pay for th e v icto ry ; and th e in tro d u ctio n
of Herakles to g eth er w ith th e choise of th e A eakid-m yth im plies a co n ti­
n u ity betw een th e values of heroic p a st and those of th e present.W here
P indar, however, differs from Bacchylides is in explicitness and em pha­
sis. Bacchylides seems to tak e a th letic ponos for gran ted , where P in d ar
chooses to m ake it a core them e in his poetry.
P in d a r’s choice of em phasis clearly shows th e difficulty of defi­
ning th e genre and its rules as som ething fixed and raises th e point
of th e audience’s expectations. In o th er w ords, P in d a r’s elevation of
th e im plicitness of ath letic ponos in to explicitness raises th e questions
of w h at is 'co nventional’ in an ode and, consequently, w h a t th e a u ­
dience would expect to hear.
P in d ar’s em phasis on a th letic effort can be seen clearly by th e
vocabulary he uses to describe th is aspect of a th letic experience: ponosy
kamatos , athlos , mochthos are some of th e various term s by which
th e poet designates ath letic toil. T he need for v a rie ty is itself an indi­
cation of th e frequency of th e concept. T he distinctiveness of P in d a r’s
use of term s, which elsewhere have a negative value, has rig h tly been
em phasised b y D o rn seiff1. T he application of th is negative experience
to th e ath letic area is a clear indication of P in d a r’s wish to present
athletics as a painful business. P in d a r never regards ath letic ponos
as pleasant and easy. P in d a r certain ly would n o t have approved of
victories won either άπονητί or άκονιτί 2.
1. Dornseiff (1921) 59 ff.
2. The word άπονητί is found in Eurip. fr. 755N’; for άκονιτί (wllhoul llic dusl
of the arena, and thus without effort), see Thuc. 4. 73.
208
Athanasia Palaiogeorgou
T he exhaustion and th e pain which th e victor suffers is greater
in th e hard disciplines; sports, such as w restling, boxing and pankration
require g reater physical effort and endurance th a n th e others, since
th e a th le te was engaged into a face to face conflict. The poet speaks
of th e painful physical blows of th e pankration a t Nem. 3. 16-17, where
th e stro n g term s καματωδέων πλαγαν ('fatiguing blows’) refer to the
injuries th e victor had to suffer. The term also indicates th e violent
n atu re of th e sport. T he seventh Nemean also includes a passage,
which gives effectively the exhaustion of a w restling m atch (11. 70-74):
Εύξένιδα πάτραθε Σώγενες, άπομνύω
μή τέρμα προβαίς άκονθ’ ώτε χαλκοπάραον δρσαι
θοάν γλώσσαν· δς έξέπεμψεν παλαισμάτων
οώχένα καί σθένος άδίαντον,
ΟΪΘωνι πριν άλίοη γυΐον έμπεσεΐν,
εΐ πόνος ήν, τό τερπνόν πλέον πεδέρχεται.
T he poet uses here an ath letic image to give vividly th e exhau­
stion of a w restler. T he description has a special effect on th e victor,
since it refers directly to his experience. In both passages, th e poet
m akes clear th a t ponos is som ething which th e ath lete has to go through
for th e sake of victory and com pensation in song.
T he need for hard work is stressed even in odes, which celebrate
n o n-co m bat sports. In Pythian 5, an ode composed for a chariot-vi­
cto ry , th e them e of ponos becomes prom inent: in line 54 the poet
gives th e inevitability of ponos in hum an life. The gnome concludes
a long description of th e difficult circum stances of C arrhotus’, the cha­
rio teer's victory. This exam ple cloarly shows th a t Pindar applies the
idea of ponos n o t only to the ath lete -v ic to r b u t also to those involved
in th e victory, such as charioteers, trainers or the victor's family.
T he reference to ponos also seems strange in Pythian 12, which
celebrates a victory in musical com petition. However, in lines 28-29
th e poet states the need for endurance of pain for the final happiness.
This agrees with P in d ar's tendency to reshape the idea from context
to c o n tex t and apply it to m any experiences. The autos· playing also
dem ands effort concerning th e m ethod of blowing with the mouthpiece.
E very kind of achievem ent has its own difficulty and dem ands sacri­
fice of energy b u t for th e successful com pensation comes im m edia­
tely after.
Athletic p o n o s in Pindar
209
The com pensative ch aracter of victo ry for th e toil th e ath lete has
gone th ro u g h is conveyed by its description as a 'sw eet rew ard for toils’
a t Nem. 5. 48-49 or a 'b reath in g -sp ace a fte r toil’ a t 01. 8. 7. W h at such
expressions show is th a t ponos involves th e loss or expenditure of som e­
th in g of value. Moreover, th e p ain is balanced clearly by th e relief
of victory and celebration in song. P in d ar includes his own song in
th is system of toil* com pensation, b y offering it as rew ard for ponos.
This rew ard is closely associated w ith th e posthum ous renow n of th e
p atro n in 01. 11. 5. The power of song to im m ortalise is a n old idea
firm ly established in arhaic p o etry and th e epinician genre 1. P in d ar
alone, however, uses th is tra d itio n a l idea a b o u t th e power of song to
secure rem em brance, as an exem plification of its skill to heal th e pains
of th e ath letic com petition. T his becom es clear in th e opening lines
of Nemean 4:
"Apιστός εύφροσύνα πόνων κεκριμένων
ιατρός* αί δέ σοφαί
Μοισαν θύγστρες άοιδαι θέλξαν νιν άπτόμεναι.
ουδέ θερμόν ύδωρ τόσον γε μαλθακά τεύχει
γυΐα, τόσσον εύλογία φόρμιγγι συνάορος.
The first line of th e ode gives th e th e ra p eu tic dim ension of eupkrosyne, which eases th e pains suffered b y th e v icto r during th e train in g and
th e com petition. The im plication is th a t th e joy is increased b y th e
toil th a t preceded it. This joy is fu rth e r elaborated in th e n e x t lines
(4-5), where th e poet speaks of th e relief th a t praise brings, and com pa­
res this relief to th a t of ho t w ater on lim bs. It is evident th a t th e nega­
tiv e effects of athletic ponos are balanced by th e relief th a t v icto ry
and celebration b r in g 2. As w ith th e case of Nemean 7, discussed
above, th e poet’s words apply to th e recent experience of th e victor.
The endurance of a th letic ponos is seen in m any places in P in d ar
as a confirm ation of one’s arete. P artic ip a tio n in athletics is a kind of
testin g for display of arete b y success. Hence arete becomes in m any
places in P in d ar a synonym to victory. V ictory is also regarded b y
Bacchylides as judge of th e arete b o th of gods and m en, in ode 11. 6-7.
1. See Ibycus* clain in fr. 282. 47b if., and Bacchylides 3. 95-98, 9. 82-87,
13. 63-66.
2. For the scheme, ponos -compensation by victory and song, see Nem. 10.
24, N em . 3. 18-19, 01. 8. 5-7.
210
Athanasia Palaiogeorgou
P in d a r, however, broadens th e scope by se ttin g athletic arete in the
c o n te x t of warlike and heroic excellence, and, w hat is more, by asserting
th a t arete depends on h ard work. T h a t victory in athletics is a testing
an d confirm ation of arete is m ade explicit a t N em . 7. 7-8. One’s exce­
llence is proven only by p a tricip atio n in deeds, which involve risk (kin·
dynos) and pains, as is asserted by th e poet a t 01 6. 9-11.
P in d a r often links w ar and ath letics, and presents them as fields
which one can prove his v alo u r and gain fam e:
Οάξαις δέ κε φύντ* άρετα ποτί
πελώριον όρμάσαι κλέος άνήρ θεού συν παλάμαις*
άπονον δ* Ιλαβον χάρμα παυροί τινες,
έργων πρί> πάντων βιότω φάος. (ΟΙ. 10. 20-23).
T he gnome concludes a m ythic section devoted to the difficulties
of Herakles in overcom ing K yknos. T he im plication is th a t th e heroic
life requires the sam e risks and labours w ith th e athletic in th e 'public
realm of com petition, for which th e rew ard is fam e**. This ethical
approach to athletics is related to the idea of kleos, and so to the ethics
of th e Hom eric hero, especially in the connection between risk and
fame. Behind the a ttitu d e of the Pindaric a th lete, one can see the a tti­
tu d e of th e Homeric hero in b a ttle a.
P in d a r’s tendency to link w ar and athletics is seen, n o t only in
th e m odification of th e heroic, epic ideal in th e athletic activity, but
also in the application to w ar and b a ttle of th e sam e effort and hard­
ship of th e a th lete -v ic to r, by th e use of sim ilar term s ( ponos, kamatos ,
mochthos ). In /. 6. 54, for exam ple, the word ponos> used elsewhere for
athletics, describes th e toils of w ar th a t aw ait Aias. The poet is in te­
rested here in establishing the parallel betw een the toils of war and
those of athletics, betw een m ilitary and ath letic action s, and Pindaric 123
1. See Race (1990) 67 ; Horaklcs Is explicitly seen as a case of testing and re­
cognition of arete by the great deeds he accomplished at Nem. I. 33-34.
2. For this link berweon war and athletics, see Bowra (1964) 183-185, Carey
(1995) 88-89; for the idea of kleos, applied by Pindar to the athlete, and the parallel
with the warrior, see Perysinakie (1990) 46-47.
3. The opposite of the high value and glory attributed to tho victor is the
disgrace which accompanies a failure, the έλεγχος which Arlstokleldas has avoided,
because of his endurance of tho blows of the pankrationto& is stated in Nem. 3. 15-16.
Pindar speaks elsewhere in tho odes of the grim fate, which awaits the defeated.
Athletic
ponos
in Pindar
211
m y th s often serve th is purpose, w ith th e ir special em phasis on heroic
struggle.
T h e discussion of Olympian 6 h as m ade clear t h a t P in d a r places
ponos an d kindynos to g e th e r in a system t h a t concerns arete an d its
m anifestation. T h a t th e schem e ponos-testing of are f e-success an d glory
w orks in th e sam e w ay in th e case of kindynos is seen d e a ry in 01. i .
81-85:
ο μέγας οε κίν­
δυνος άναλκιν ού φώτα λαμβάνει,
θανεΐν δ* οισιν άνάγκα, τά κ έ τις ανώνυμον
γζρας έν σκότωι καθήμενος Ιφοι μάταν,
άττάντων καλών άμμορος; άλλ’ έμοί
μεν ούτος άεθλος
ύποκείσεται*
Pelops speaks here in general term s of th e benefits of a life invol­
ving action and risk in c o n tra st to a n inactive life: th e first one brings
glory w hereas th e second th e apporach of old age in ingloriousness.
T he hero’s final choise shows, as in o th er cases, a resolution to accept
th e h ard w ay 1. T he com m on end of d e a th becom es th e ground for
tak in g risks for th e sake of kleos -. T his is a heroic, epic ideal expre­
ssed in Sarpedon’s speech a t R. 12. 310-328. T h a t P in d a r applies th is
model to th e area of a th le tic com petition points b o th to a n adoption
and a d a p tatio n of th ese tra d itio n a l ideas.
A p art from kindynos , th e re is also an o th e r idea often linked w ith
ponos ; th ere is a ten d en cy for th e a th letic v icto ry to be presented as
th e resu lt of b o th m oney and effort, and dapana is also view ed as a
risk u n d ertak en for th e sake of glory. T h e need to spend for th e sake
of v icto ry is also stressed by Bacchylides, who p resents H ieron’ s v i­
cto ry in ode 3 as a result of th e kings’ generosity. B u t, unlike B acchy­
lides, P in d ar lays a special em phasis on dapana and links th e idea w ith
o th er notions. A t I. 1. 42 ff., P in d a r speaks clearly of th e need for spen- *23
AthJetic success was seen as something important by the rewards the community
offered to the victor, but defeat generally viewed as a misfortune, which brings
shame. Cf. Ol. 8. 68-70 and P yth. 8. 81-87.
f. Cf. also Polydeuces9 choice in Nem. 10. 90.
2. The link between taking risks and gain of glory is also clear in Pyth. 4.
185-187.
3. For a combination of ponos and dapana^ see also Of. 5. 15-16 and /. 5. 56-57.
212
Athanasla Palatogeorgou
ding to g eth er w ith effort for victory and glory a. T he victo r sacrifice»
effort and m oney, and th e n as recom pense the poet offers him ungru­
dging praise. This poetic praise becom es a ξυνόν χαλάν (line 47). Clearly
ponos and dapana are regarded as self-sacrifice for th e good of state
and th e p o et’s praise of th em establishes a lesson for the whole com m u­
n ity . In th e concluding lines of th e ode, th e poet gives the opposite
picture of a m an who keeps his w ealth hidden in his home and instead
of labouring, laughs a t others. T his kind of m an dies 'w ith o u t glory’.
Spending m oney is clearly a reality shared by the aristocratic m ajority
of th e p a tricip a n ts in a th letic games, and P in d a r’s audience was aware
of ath letics as an expensive enterprise. C hariot racing was particularly
expensive, since th e rearing of horses dem anded the possession of
w ealth. B u t again, as in the case of ponos, dapana is not lim ited only
to odes, w hich celebrate equestrian events, b u t also in odes which cele­
b ra te h ard disciplines. The case of /. 6. 10-14 is a clear exam ple:
si γάρ τις άνθρώπων δαπάνα τε χαρείς
καί πόνωι πράσσει Οεοδμάτους άρετάς
συν τέ οί δαίμων φυτεύει δόξαν έπήρατον, έσχατιαΐς ήδη πρδς όλβου
βάλλετ’ άγκυραν Οεότιμος έών.
T he additional elem ent of delight comes from devotion to ath le ­
tics and th e d eterm in atio n to accept th e cost of ponos and dapana
for th e sake of v ictory and glory *. P in d ar applies these ideas to Lam pon,
th e v icto r’s father, in lines 16 ff., referring to his disposition to accept
th e cost of ponos and dapana for final achievem ent. Lam pon shows
a moral outlook, sim ilar to Hieron’s high m oral a ttitu d e in Pyth. 1.
89-90, where P indar urgos the la tte r to m aintain th is a ttitu d e by conti­
nued expenditure. F urtherm ore, this reference to Lampon*» disposition
agrees w ith P in d ar’s tendency, already discussed above, to apply the
ideas of ponos and those related to it, n o t only to the victor-athlete,
b u t also to those personally interested in th e victory.
P in d a r’s adm onition to the victor to continue labouring and spe­
nding is seen as the necessary prerequisite for more future victories.
T he poet often stresses th a t it is because of this a ttitu d e th a t th e victor
has gained, and th a t only a continuation of this can bring more succe­
sses. Tho victor reveals himself and his ethos through th e way of1
1. Cf. /. 4. 29, where the poet makes clear that spending is necessary for fame.
Athletic
ponos
in Pindar
213
his life, and p articu la rly his choise of ponos . T his is a p p a re n t in Nem.
10. 30, where th e poet uses th e th em e of ponos to im ply th a t th e v icto r
deserves an Olym pic v icto ry , and to enhance his p resen tatio n of T heaios’ good qualities.
W h at th e discussion so far has show n is t h a t ponos is n o t a narrow
them e describing only th e a th le te ’s w ork, b u t ra th e r a broad idea,
which is interconnected w ith o th er notions. T he poet deepens th e c o n te x t
of th e idea and sees ponos as a basic approach b o th to life and v icto ry ode.
This is clear in P in d a r’s ten d en cy to link song and ath letics because
b o th presuppose certain expenditure. P in d a r n o t only presents his song
as com pensation for ponos , b u t also speaks of th e poetic ponos during
th e actual com position of th e ode. T he poet displays a certain ethos ,
by presenting him self as one who can recognise and accept th e need
for pain in his own job. T his is clearly sta te d a t Nem. 3. 12, w here he
describes his ta sk as a 'p le a sa n t pain’, and links th u s im plicitly his
own painful job w ith th e toil of th e victor, as is described in lines 16-17.
This is p a rt of P in d a r’s effort to establish a bond of phttia berw een
himself and th e victor. T he po et includes him sef in th is m orally decent
category of th e m en w ho labour, and a t th e sam e tim e establishes his
p roxim ity to th e victor. P in d a r is, in w h a t survives of th e v icto ry ode,
alone in stressing th e difficulty of th e p o e t’s job b y his use of ath letic
im agery in his o des.W hat P in d a r offers is a realistic p o rtay a l of p o e try
which is n o t seen sim ply as divine in sp irartio n and n a tu ra l ta le n t, b u t
as result of th e poet’s h a rd w o rk .
T he ten d en cy to explore ponos n o t in isolation b u t in th e c o n te x t
of h u m an life in general can be seen in P in d a r’s practice of presenting
victory in games as com pensation from earlier m isfortunes. B acchylides also presents A lexidam us’ v icto ry in ode 11 as com pensation
from an earlier defeat. P in d ar, how ever, broadens th e idea b y 'u tili­
sing v icto ry to offset political and n o n -ath letic personal disasters’ x,
and relates th e idea w ith a th letic ponos: a th letic ponos is necessary
and rew arded by success, n o n -ath letic ponos is also com pensated b y
success. T he a p p aren t interchangeability of th e tw o notions is p a rt
of P in d ar’s ten dency to insist on th e elem ent of vicissitude in h u m an
life. V ictory in ath letic gam es is n o t som ething stable ju s t as th e jo y
in life is brief. T he po et in m any places speaks of th e in stab ility of
h um an life and its a lte ra tio n betw een jo y and suffering, b y using th e 1
1. See Carey (1995) 87.
214
Λtlmnsla Palnlogeorgou
word ponos and its synonym s to denote sorrow or genera! m isfortune,
and reflects on th e ignorance of man a b o u t his future *. T his is not
som ething new b u t agrees with the trad itio n al view about th e nature
of hum an life as characterised by a m ixture of good and evil, whereas
gods alone are free from cares and pains 12. Pindar, however, gives a
realistic and positive tw ist to th is reality : pain and sorrow are inevitable
in hum an life, b u t there are 'G od-given m om ents’ (Pyth. 8. 98)) which
b rin g light upon life and m ake one forget th e past suffering. Thus,
a t Isthm ian 1, A sopodorus' political exile, which is stated by the m eta­
p h o r of shipw reck in lines 35-37, is recom pensed by his son’s victory
(lines 39-40), and in the tw elfth Olympian Rrgoteles’ exile from Cnossus
is a p ast grief which has been balanced by his present victories.
To conclude, w h a t em erges from the discussion is th a t Pindar’s
use of ponos raises th e question of the definition of genre. Since P indar
and Bacchylides differ so much in th eir tre a tm e n t of th e subject, this
m akes one w onder w h eth er th e re are objective rules in a genre. It is
clear th a t th a t the genre allows room for poetic freedom. Though there are
som e predictable elem ents, generic conventions are not always fixed,
b u t the result of negotiation betw een poets and audiences. It seems
th a t P in d a r’s com position is a com bination of fixity and flexibility;
th e a u th o r tries ideas upon th e audience, w hereas the audience accepts
th e variation and the individual em phasis on certain issues. Thus, genre
is flexible, a sort of convergent exp ectatio n s betw een poet and audience.
T he discussion of the idea also shows the great degree of P in d ar’s expe­
rim en tatio n w ith the lim its of the epinician genre.
The case of ath letic ponos shows also th a t conventions are flexible
even w ithin the work of the sam e poet. P indar’s reshaping of the them e
of ponos from co n tex t to co n tex t, in other words his tendency for v a­
riety , dem onstrates th a t we have to do with a flexible elem ent, which
is fixed only on the level of concept, not th a t of expression. As a concept,
however, ponos is difficult to separato from other ideas, since when
one speaks of it inevitably touches on other notions, such as those of
arete, glory, or the power of song. This agrees w ith H. L loyd-Jone’s
view, already stressed in the beginning, th a t Pindar com m unicates a
'd istin ctiv e vision of th e world*. T he poet creates this world by using
1. So#», for example, Sem . 10. 78-79.
2. 8ee Achilles’ words at It. 24. 525 ff., Simonides
fr. 130 West, Bacchylides fr. 13.
Athletic p o n o s in Pindar
215
m aterial from th e audience’s perception of ath letics and its experience
of ponos in th eir lives. Ponos does n o t refer sim ply to athletics, b u t
covers every aspect of h u m an experience. A thletics is th e m icrocosm
th ro ug h which th e p o et sees th e m acrocosm of life in general. T h a t
P in d ar does n o t wish to isolate th e idea is clear from th e form of passa­
ges we have discussed; every sta te m e n t is m ade on general grounds
and has a m oral co n ten t, which p o in ts also to P in d a r’s ethos and e sta ­
blishm ent of general lessons for h u m an life. V ictory is seen as a p a ra ­
digm for hum an achievem ent in general. T his didactic dim ension w hich
has been neglected, expresses a th letic experience in view of o th er h u m an
experiences. P in d ar’s process of selection an d rep e titio n of sim ilar ideas
in different form s com m unicates a coherent ideology a b o u t life in ge­
neral: w arriors, athletes, poets and heroes share th e sam e ethics, q u a­
lities and dem ands in th e ir life* 1.
Π Ε Ρ ΙΛ Η Ψ Η
To άρθρο αυτό αναλύει την ιδέα του αθλητικού πόνου στον Πίνδαρο.
Η προσπάθεια και ο κόπος που καταβάλλει ο αθλητής για την επίτευξη της
νίκης τονίζονται από τον ποιητή σε πολλά σημεία στις ωδές. Η ιδέα του πόνον
του αθλητή συνδέεται επίσης με άλλες ιδέες και θέματα (δαπάνη, κίνδυνος,
αρετή, κλέος). Μ* αυτό τον τρόπο ο ποιητής δίνει μια συγκεκριμένη ιδεολο­
γία ζωής, που δεν αναφέρεται μόνο στον αθλητή, αλλά γενικά στην αναγκαι­
ότητα του πόνου στη ζωή του ανθρώπου. Η έμφαση που δίνει ο Πίνδαρος
στην ιδέα και η διαφορετική πραγμάτευσή της από ωδή σε ωδή δείχνουν
ότι ο ποιητής δεν υπακούει πάντα στις συμβάσεις του ποιητικού είδους που
γράφει, αλλά έχει τη δυνατότητα της προσωπικής παρέμβασης και των ποικί­
λων παραλλαγών.
1. This study was originally announced as a paper at Royal Holloway, Uni­
versity of London, at Classical Association Conference, in April 1996. I owe special
gratitude to Prof. C. Carey for his help and support.
216
Alhanasln Palaiogeorgou
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