Greek Lyric, Volume V: New School of Poetry. Anonymous Songs and Hymns

by Anonymous (Translator), David A. Campbell (Editor/Translator)

Towards the end of the fifth century B.C. Aristophanes and the other writers of comedy used contemporary poets and musicians as targets for their jokes, making fun of their innovations in language and music. The dithyrambs of Melanippides, Cinesias, Phrynis, Timotheus, and Philoxenus are remarkable examples of this new style. The poets of the new school, active from the mid-fifth to the mid-fourth century, are presented in this final volume of David Campbell's widely praised edition of Greek lyric poetry. The longest piece extant is a nome by Timotheus - the foremost of these poets - called The Persians; it is a florid account of the battle of Salamis, to be sung solo to cithara accompaniment. This volume also collects folk songs, drinking songs, and other anonymous pieces. The folk songs come from many parts of Greece and include children's ditties, marching songs, love songs, and snatches of cult poetry. The drinking songs are derived mainly from Athenaeus' collection of Attic scolia, short pieces performed at after-dinner drinking parties in Athens. The anonymous pieces come from papyrus, vases, and stone as well as from literary texts, and include hymns, narrative poetry, and satirical writing.

Genres: Poetry, Ancient

496 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Unknown]

I have thoroughly learned all these love-songs by Sappho, Meletus, Cleomenes, and Lamynthius. —Epicrates, Anti-lais (2)

I have escaped the bad, I have found the better. —Folk Songs, 855

Postpone old age, beautiful Aphrodite! —Folk Songs, 872

__________
Melanippides
. . . changed from a simpler to a more ornate style. —Plutarch, On Music (6)

For my part I admire most Homer in epic poetry, Melanippides in the dithyramb, Sophocles in tragedy, Polycleitus in sculpture, Zeuxis in painting. —Xenophon, Memoirs (7)
__________
Lycimnius
And Sleep, rejoicing in the rays of his eyes, would lull the boy to rest with eyes wide open. (771)
__________
Cinesias
To die or to be ill in a normal way is the common lot of us all; but to continue for so long in such a condition and to die every day without being able to end one’s life is appropriate only for those who have committed such crimes as he has. This then is what the orator said about Cinesias. —Athenaeus (7)

Certainly Athens had no famous writer of epic or of lyric poetry; for Cinemas seems to have been a painfully bad dithyrambic poet: he lacked both descendants and distinction, but because he was jeered and mocked by the comic poets he won his share of an unfortunate fame. —Plutarch, On the fame of the Athenians (12)

'He does what Cinesias does’: used of effeminates, since that is what Cinemas was. —Apostolius, Proverbs (13)
__________
Phyrnis
And if any of the boys fooled around or perfumed the kind of twist they perform nowadays, one of those real twisters, Phyrnis-fashion, he would get a thorough hammering for doing away with the Muses. —Aristophanes, Clouds (2)
__________
Timotheus
For if there had been no Timotheus, we should be without much lyric poetry; but if there had been no Phyrnis, there would have been no Timotheus. —Aristotle, Metaphysics (3)

He added the tenth and eleventh strings to the lyre, and he made the old-fashioned music more effeminate. (2)

In that year (398 B.C.) the most distinguished dithyrambic poets were in their prime, Philoxenus of Cythera, Timotheus of Miletus, Telestes of Selinius and Polyidus, who was also an expert in painting and music. —Diodorus Siculus, World History (3)

He died in Macedonia, and his epitaph ran as follows: ‘Miletus was the motherland of Timotheus whom the Muses loved, skilful chjaioteer of the lyre. —Stephanus of Byzantium, Places and Peoples (On Miletus) (5)

When Timotheus (was despised?) among the Greeks for his musical innovation and was so deeply depressed that he had decided to take his own life, Euripides was the only one to laugh at the audiences instead, and realising how great a composer Tmotheus was in his chosen genre he encourages him with the most comforting arguments possible and even composed the prelude to The Persians, with the result that Timotheus won the prize and was despised no longer. —Satyrus, Life of Euripides (6)

There is also a certain originality (sc in metre) in Alcman and Stesichorus, although their innovations do not abandon the noble manner either; but Crexus, Timotheus, Philoxenus and the other poets of their time were more vulgar and fond of novelty, aiming for what is now called the popular and money-spinning style: the use of few strings and simplicity and dignity in music have dropped out of fashion completely. —Plutarch, On Music (8)

‘Free Verse’ is written at random and without definite metre, for example Timotheus’ nomes for cithara-singing. —Hephaestion, On Poems (11)

Menecles many times performed to his cithara the songs of Timotheus and Polyidus and our (i.e. Cnossian) ancient poets most beautifully and in a manner befitting an educated gentleman . . . —Inscription from Teos (14)

Mantic, frantic, Bacchic, fanatic . . . (778b)

And into it he poured one ivy-cup of the dark immortal drops, teeming with foam, and then he poured in twenty measures, and so he mingled the blood of the Bacchic god with the fresh-flowing tears of the Nymphs. —Cyclops, (Athenaeus) (780)

Never will you climb up to the heavens that enclose us above. (781)

Ares is lord: Greece has no fear of gold. (790)

The emerald-haired sea had its furrow reddened by the drops of naval blood . . . (791)

Never again I come back. (791)

Riotous with the flowers of youth . . . (791)

I do not sing the ancient songs, for my new ones are better. The young Zeus is king, and it was in ancient times that Cronus was ruler. Let the ancient Muse depart! (796)

And you, Sun, who strike with your bright rays the everlasting heavenly vault . . . (800)

His native city was Athens, the Greece of Greece. (804)
__________
Telestes
And when he was that short of other books up-country he ordered Harpalus to send them; and of the tragedies of Euripides and Sophocles and Aeschylus and dithyrambs of Telestes and Philoxenus. —Plutarch, Life of Alexander (3)
__________
Ariphron
Health, most revered of the blessed ones among mortals, may I dwell with you for what is left of my life, and may you graciously keep company with me: for any joy in wealth or in children or in a king’s godlike rule over men or in the desires which we hunt with the hidden nets of Aphrodite, any other delight or respite from toils that has been revealed by the gods to men, with you, blessed Health, it flourishes and shines in the converse of the Graces; and without you no man is happy. (813)
__________
Philoxenus of Cythera
The musician Philoxenus, asked what is the greatest aid to education, said ’Time’. (9a) —Stobaeus, Anthology (on training and education)

Philoxenus used to advise men to honour their teachers more than their parents, since parents are responsible only for life, teachers for a good life. —Stobaeus, Anthology (on training and education) (9bi)

By the gods grace I leave my dithyrambs behind grown to manhood and crowned with garlands, all of them, and I dedicate them to the Muses with whom I was brought up. —Athenaeus(11)

Elsewhere he writes, ‘Philoxenus of Cythera, they say, once prayed to get a throat four feet long “so that I may have th longest possible time for swallowing and my foods may give me pleasure all at the same time. —Athenaeus (11)

A god among men he was, and he knew true poetry and music. But poets nowadays compose ivy-twined, fountain stuff, flower-fitting, wretched songs with wretched words, into which they weave other men’s melodies. (12)

Fair-faced, golden-tressed, Grace-voiced offshoot of the Loves. (821)

With what a monster has God imprisoned me! (824)

Marriage, most radiant of gods! (828)

Within the golden-roofed chambers of the Nymphs . . . (829)

Fair-flowing wine, all expressive. (831)
__________
Philoxenus of Leucas
A: And in this deserted spot here I propose to read this book to myself.
B: Tell me, what book is it?
A: A new cookery-book of Philoxenus.
B: Show me what it’s like.
A: Listen then. ‘I shall begin with the onion and end with the tunny . . .’ —Athenaeus

. . . and yet they have read nothing except the Banquet of Philoxenus, and not all of that! —Athenaeus

. . . revelling in every skilful invention for good living. (The Banquet, 836b)

A full plate that would delight the gods. (The Banquet, 836b)

Water to wash our hands, pouring it comfortably warm over soap-powders mixed with iris-oil, as much as one wished, and they have us shining linen towels . . . and ointments, ambrosia-perfumed, and garlands of fresh violets. (The Banquet, 836b)

The draught of nectar was drunk from golden goblets . . . (The Banquet, 836d)

They call it the dessert of Zeus. (The Banquet, 836e)

And there was a cheese-cake, well mixed with milk and honey . . . (The Banquet, 836e)

Flourishing in their tender youth. (The Banquet, 836e)

And everything else that befits a feast of blessed opulence. (The Banquet, 836e)
__________
Aristotle
Such a fruition, as good as immortal, do you bestow on the mind, better than gold or parents or soft-eyed sleep. —Scolion? Athenaeus (842)

And the Muses, daughters of Memory, will exalt him to immortality . . . —Scolion? Athenaeus (842)

A man who was th only one or the first among mortals to show clearly both by his own life and by the investigations of his discourses that the good man is also a happy man: no one can ever attain that now. (673)
__________
Lycophronides
Neither in boy nor in gold-wearing girls nor in deep-bosomed women is the face beautiful unless it is modest; for it is decorous behaviour that sows the seed of beauty’s bloom. (843)

I dedicate to you this rose . . . since my thoughts are spilled out elsewhere, towards the girl who is dear to the Graces and beautiful. (844)
__________
Folk Songs
Where are my roses, where are my violets, where are my beautiful celery-flowers?
—Here are your roses, here are your violets, here are your beautiful celery-flowers. (852, Ath)

We were once valiant youths. (870)

It is poured, call the god! (879, 3)

Out, Carians! The Feast of Flowers is over. (883)
__________
Scolia — Drinking Songs
To be healthy its the best for mortal man, second is to be handsome ni body, third is to be wealthy without trickery, fourth, to be young with ones friends
—Myrtilus pointed out that the comic poet Anaxandrides made fun of it in his Treasure in these lines: ’The man who devised the scoliomn, whoever he was, was right to name health first as the best thing: but when he put a handsome body second and wealth third he was out of his mind, of course, for wealth is next best to health: a handsome man who is hungry is an ugly beast. (890)

Learn the story of Admetus, my friend, and love the good, and keep away from the worthless, knowing that the worthless have little gratitude. (897)

If only I could become a great handsome unfired golden bowl, and a handsome woman carried me with pure thoughts in her mind. (901)

Drink with me, be youthful with me, love with me, wear garlands with me, be mad with me when I am mad, be sober with me when I am sober. (902)

The sow has one acorn but longs to get the other; and I have one beautiful girl but long to get the other. (904)

So all else is nothing apart from gold. (910)
__________
Anonymous Fragments
Let the holy step of the foot be flung high . . . (926c)

Items from a list of compound adjectives:
Sea-begetting
Feast-avenging
True-tongued
Truth-prophesying
Truth-revealing
Truth-speaking
Knee-bending
Arm-bending
Dark-haired (fem. pl.)
Scarlet-cheeked
Iron-destructive
Crimson-cheeked (928)

But now the springtime is here, and all the flowers . . . (929b)

Gladly treading underfoot the soft flowers of the meadows . . . (929e)

Soft-eyed sleep (came), embracing all his limbs . . . (929g)

The dark-benched. Sea-faring ship Argo . . . (931L)

Lady Demeter, Elusinian, rose-armed! (931L)

(They) breathe out darkness . . . (931M)

Went wandering through the mountains and glens, trailing her flowing hair . . . (935)

Greetings great mother, queen of Olympus! (935)

Sprinkling the company of the Olympian gods with immortal muse. (936)

Airy words I begin . . . (938d)

Oh father Zeus, if only I could become wealthy! (938i)

More now, more now it’s gone beyond now! (938iii)

Softer than the narcissus . . . (943)

Although you are chaste, grant me this. (945A)

(Of) the wile-weaving Cyprus-born . . . (949)

. . . and when she received the gold cup she immediately gazed at it in wonder. (952)

You uttered that hymn, oh golden-throned Muse, which from the fine land of fair women the glorious old Teian man delightfully sang. (953)

. . . honey-winged song of the Muses. (954)

I have a secure treasure-house on my tongue. (960)

Never shall I exchange virtue for unjust gain. (961)

All that is nourished by the earth and the depths of the sea and the measureless breadth of the air. (961A)

Within the small space of mortal’s life . . . (970)

You who look o the rites of the white-armed Cytherea. (975c)

. . . to rejoice in what is fine (986)

For Helen Troy was set ablaze and perished. (989)

Men’s thinking rouses one in this way, another in that. (995)

Furling the great sail to the foot of the mast he flees from the hell dark sea. (999)

I say that he obtained a fine share of the violet-haired Muses. (1001)

[John Cairns · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first laugh was Pherecrates' verdict on Cinesias that 'he was bearable all the same: Phrynis on the other hand....' If Timotheus died between 366 and 356 BC he couldn't've been anywhere near the burning of Persepolis. He was so depressed at being laughed at by the audience he decided to take his own life but Euripides realised his greatness, comforted him with arguments and composed the prelude to The Persians for him. In Arcadia the boys are taught the traditional hymns and paeans first before going on to those of Philoxenus and Timotheus, contemporary music. There's quite a large chunk of the latter's Persians here, on Salamis, that won the prize and my one quibble would be his use of alimentary vessel for stomach, though that was the fashion and brings to mind 18th century English prosody . I like the story of Philoxenus at the court of Dionysius being so frank about the latter's bad poetry he was sent to the quarries. Subsequently on his return when asked by Dionysius what he thought of his poetry he summoned the attendants and told them to take him off to the quarries. His wit was appreciated. He went on to reassure his answers would be at once be true and please Dionysius who asked about his plays. Tragic, replied Philoxenus.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greek lyric is the beginning of the Greek poetry phase after Homer. Personally this is my favourite period so I will be biased. I love this bilingual version.