42. The three great commanders and statesmen here named flourished about
500-450 B.C. and their achievements were still fresh in the memory of
the Athenians after more than two hundred years, hence, (43) _de leva
ännu--de stå mig när_. Great as these heroes were, the hyperbole in line
41, _då en värld befriades_, is obvious.
45. _Kerameikos_, the old Potters' Quarter in Athens, transformed into
one of the finest parts of the city, with a wide square or plaza which
is here specifically meant.
46. _pyrririsk vapendans_--the ancient Pyrrhic dance was performed to
the music of flutes, by armed men simulating a hand to hand battle.
63. _ett panateneiskt festtåg_--the Panathenaea was the most ancient and
important festival of Athens, celebrated in honor of the goddess Athena,
in part by a festive procession to her temple in the center of the
Acropolis.
75. _falang_--the Greek phalanx was a body of heavily armed infantry
formed in close ranks and files varying from four to twenty-five ranks
deep.
76. _tyrteiska hymnen_, a martial hymn by the ancient Spartan poet
Tyrtaeus who flourished in the seventh century B.C.
81 ff. The Song of the Athenians is written in distich form, a strophic
group of two lines; this was a favorite form for elegiac and other
solemn poetry.
93 ff. The Song of the Goths is characterized both by the irregularity
of old German verse and the alliteration of the Eddic poetry of
Scandinavia. It forms a striking contrast to the careful chiseling of
the Greek verse.
94. _nickar_ here implies not only a nodding or swaying motion but a
command, as expressed in what follows. Thus, the pine tree of the North,
like the oak of Dodona, is voicing the decree of destiny.
112. _lekt Maraton_. The beating off of the Goths on this occasion,
however, did not prove as decisive a battle as that of Marathon. Not
until their defeat by Claudius in the battle of Naissus two years later
did the Goths cease to harass and devastate Greece and other territories
of the Roman empire inadequately protected by its legions (see line 8).