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'Oxford Classicist writes winning Ode for the Olympics' ran a Times headline in July 2004. The return of the Olympic Games to Athens in August 2004 provided an unmissable opportunity to raise the public profile of the ancient Greek poet Pindar (ca. 518-438 BC), and to demonstrate the continued relevance of Classics in the modern world.

Portrait of the ancient Greek poet Pindar.

Pindar was the most renowned poet of his time, famed throughout Greece particularly for his Victory Odes (epinikia). These haunting and intricate poems - an Ode is simply a poem intended to be sung - which alone of Pindar's works survive intact today, were performed in celebration of the winners of different events at ancient Games held in various locations.  Thus Corinth put on the Isthmians, Nemea the Nemeans, and Delphi the Pythians: but the Olympics, which took place every four years at Olympia in the north west Peloponnese, were the most important of all.

First modern Olympics, Athens 1896

A Greek Ode had been composed by an Oxford classicist for the first modern Olympics hosted by Athens in 1896. In April 2004 Dame Mary Glen-Haig, a former champion fencer and delegate to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), suggested that a Pindaric Ode should be compsed in ancient Greek and performed at the opening of the Athens Games.

The Ode was read out at the closing session of the Athens Olympics 2004

At that point no athlete could be celebrated, as no event had yet been competed for and won. However, Pindar had composed Odes in similar style (called dithyrambs) in praise of mythical heroes and Greek city-states. I therefore decided to write a short Ode (three verses consisting of 25 lines in total) using Pindaric metre, style and language, celebrating Athens for hosting the Games for a second time. My Ode was approved by the IOC, and I was invited to Athens to attend some of the events and to read my Ode at their closing session.

 

The Ode itself had already attracted international media coverage, testifying to the continued fascination with the products of classical learning. Pindar is considered a particularly difficult poet to understand, partly because the historical context of his Odes is obscure and partly because their style and contents seem strange to modern readers.

The Ode itself had already attracted international media coverage, testifying to the continued fascination with the products of classical learning.

I deliberately composed my Ode for a modern audience, while incorporating some of the structure and characteristics of Pindaric praise poetry, which included elements of self-praise that can jar on modern ears. After it was published, some classicists told me that they were now keen to read Pindar in the original, and others said that they had returned to his poetry with a new sense of understanding. It's heartening to think that this newly-composed Ode could turn people on to Pindar's poetic genius!

Dr Armand D'Angour,
Jesus College

 

View the Ode: In English (pdf) - In Greek (pdf)