ALCMAN

amid the ambrosial night not as those heavenly
Doves but brighter, aye even as Sirius himself.

For neither is abundance of purple defence
enough.) ner speckled snake of pure gold, nor the
Lydian wimple that adorns the sweet and soft-cyed
maid, nor yet the tresses of our Nanno, nay nor
Areta the eoddess- like, nor Thylacis and Cleé sithera,
nor again shalt thou go to Aenesimbrota’s and say
‘Give me Astaphis wud let me see Philylla, and
Damareta and the lovely Janthemis;’ there is no
need of that, for I am safe? with Hagesichora.

For is not the fair-ankled Hagesichora here
present and abideth hard by Agido to commend
eur Thosteria®? Then O receive their prayers, ye
Gods; for to the Gods belongeth the accomplish-
ment. And for the end of my song I will tell you
a passing strange thing. My own singing hath been
nought: | that am a “girl have yet shrieked like a
very ow] from the housetop—aibeit ‘tis the same
girl’s desire to please Aotis* so far as in her lies.
secing the Goddess is the healer of our woe’—: ‘tis
Hagesichora’s doing, hers alone, that the maidens
have attained the longed-for peace.®

For ’tis true the others have run well beside her

1 this strophe names the chorus and their teacher, and
deseriles their dress * from defeat in the competition
8 the festival of Orthia, of which this song and dance was
part of the ritual * the a is long. epithet of Orthia prob.
meaning *dawn-goddess.’ ef. the invocation of the sun men-
tiemed 1. 41: the procession seems to have taken place at
daybreak Ὁ. the ritual was apparently apotropaic ὃ either
amolest way of describing their expected victory, or ref, to
the object of the ritual

borauvve: 4 pap. ποτιϑλεποι 5 pap. πάρ᾽ αὐτεῖ δ pap.
Ἴστε * the brackets 95. 101 mark very faint and uncertain
traces

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