delights an alien pain is quelled and dieth, when the decree of God sendeth happiness to grow aloft and widely.
And this word is true concerning Kadmos' fair-throned daughters, whose calamities were great, yet their sore grief fell before greater good. Amid the Olympians long-haired Semele still liveth, albeit she perished in the thunder's roar, and Pallas cherisheth her ever, and Father Zeus exceedingly, and her son, the ivy-bearing god. And in the sea too they say that to Ino, among the sea-maids of Nereus, life incorruptible hath been ordained for evermore.
Ay but to mortals the day of death is certain never, neither at what time we shall see in calm the end of one of the son's children, the Days, with good thitherto unfailing; now this way and now that run currents bringing joys or toils to men.
Thus destiny which from their fathers holdeth the happy fortune of this race[1], together with prosperity heaven-sent bringeth ever at some other time better reverse: from the day when Laïos was slain by his destined son[2] who met him on the road and made fulfilment of the oracle spoken of old at Pytho. Then fierce Erinys when she saw it slew by each other's hand his warlike sons: yet after that Polyneikes fell Thersander[3] lived after him and won honour in the Second Strife[4] and in the fights of war, a saviour scion to the Adrastid house.
From him they have beginning of their race: meet is it that Ainesidamos receive our hymn of triumph on the lyre. For at Olympia he himself received a prize and at Pytho, and at the Isthmus to his brother of no less a lot did kindred Graces bring crowns for the twelve rounds of the four-horse chariot-race.
Victory setteth free the essayer from the struggle's griefs, yea and the wealth that a noble nature hath made glorious bringeth power for this and that, putting into the heart of man a deep
