SOURCE: "Pindar's Pythian 8." The Classical Journal, Vol. 72, No. 3, February-March, 1977, pp. 209-221.

In the following essay, Lefkowitz examines the vocabulary and diction of "Pythian 8," focusing on the proem, the encounter with Alcmeon, and the last stanza.

I ought to begin by explaining why I want to talk about this particular ode, which celebrates the victory of Aristomenes of Aegina in the boys' wrestling contest at the Pythian games in 446 B.C. There are many practical reasons: its date is known, so we don't need to speculate; it's short, so we can read through it in relatively little time and remember what the poet has been saying; and it presents numerous difficulties (challenge is one of Pindar's principal attractions). But in the end none of these reasons truthfully explains why I want to spend time on "Pythian 8." I am in fact interested in the ode because of what it says...