and honor the splendor-loving hospitality which [you], Lampon, [have provided] for me; may you not regard [my gift for your son] as slight. And if it truly is flourishing Clio who has distilled this gift in my [mind], songs filled with words of delight will proclaim him to all the people. Ode 14 For Cleoptolemus of Thessaly Chariot-Race at the Petraia Date unknown To have a good allotment from the gods is the best thing for men. Fortune can destroy even a noble man, if she comes as a grievous burden, and can make a worthless man shine on high, if she works out well. Different people have different honors. There are countless forms of excellence among men, but one stands out among all of them: when a man has conducted whatever lies at hand with a just mind. The voice of the lyre and clear-sounding choruses do not harmonize with the deep griefs of battle,