Letter 32: Pindar says somewhere that he is the guardian of golden apples, that they belong to the Muses, and that he...

**To Demetrius** (358/59) Pindar somewhere claims to be the guardian of golden apples, and that these belong to the Muses, who distribute them now to one person, now to another. I, for my part, consider myself to be talking nonsense, yet to you I appear to produce golden work. And now, on the basis of my lamentations, you have enrolled me among the tragic poets. Consider whether Sophocles, or any other practitioner of his art, will stand for that. But since I cannot stop you from craving my writings, I am sending you the pieces you request: my discourse on fees, my encomium of Strategius, and indeed my oration for the contest as well. And so a fourth piece now comes to you — the speech in praise of our city, which the city itself heard delivered, at least insofar as the laws permitted. The festival, meanwhile, was an affair from which the masses flee — taking refuge in the cities.

Δημητρίῳ. (358/59) Ὁ μὶν Πίνδαρός πού φησι μήλων τε χρυσῶν εἶναι φύ- λαξ, τὰ δὲ εἶναι Μουσῶν καὶ τούτων ἄλλοτε ἄλλοις νέμειν, ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν ἡγοῦμαι ληρεῖν σοὶ δὲ φαίνομαι χρυσᾶ γεννᾶν. καὶ νῦν ἡμᾶς ἐξ ὧν ἐθρηνήσαμεν εἰς τοὺς τῶν τρα- γῳδιῶν κατελόχισας ποιητάς. ὅρα εἰ σου ταῦτα ἀνέξεται Σο- φοκλῆς ἤ τις ἄλλος τῶν ὁμοτέχνων αὐτῷ. ἀλλ᾿ ἐπειδή σε μὴ δύναμαι παῦσαι τῶν ἐμῶν ἐπιθυμεῖν πέμπω σοι τῶν ἐμῶν ἃ κελεύεις, ἐν οἷς τε περὶ μισθοῦ διείλεγμαι καὶ Στρα- τήγιον ἐπαινῶ, καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα. καὶ δὴ τέταρτος ἥκει σοι <ἡ> τῆς ἡμετέρας εὐφημία, ἧς ἔν γε τοῖς νόμος ἐπέτρεψεν, ἤκουσεν ἡ πόλις. ἡ πανήγυρις δὲ ἔργον ἦν, ὃ φεύγοντες οἱ πολλοὶ καταφεύγουσιν εἰς τὰς πόλεις.