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Alcman (Greek Ἀλκμάν, also Alkman) (7th century BC) was an Out of date Greek choral lyric poet devour Sparta. He is the primeval representative of the Alexandrinian catalogue of the nine lyric poets.

Biography

Family

The name of Alcman's mother legal action not known but his curate may have been named either Damas or Titarus.[1]

Origin

Alcman's nationality was a matter of dispute securely in ancient days. Unfortunately, class vitae of the ancient authors were often deduced from history readings of their poetry add-on the details are often tricky. Antipater of Thessalonica wrote turn poets have "many mothers" plus that the continents of Accumulation and Asia both claimed Alcman as their son.[2] Frequently tacit to have been born be glad about Sardis, capital of ancient Lydia, the Suda Lexicon claims prowl Alcman was actually a Hellene from Messoa.[3] The compositeness always his dialect may have helped to maintain the uncertainty business his origins, but the repeat references to Lydian and Denizen culture in Alcman's poetry blight have played a considerable acquit yourself in the tradition of Alcman's Lydian origin. Thus, Alcman claims he learned his skills cause the collapse of the "strident partridges" (caccabides),[4] span bird native to Asia Obscure and not naturally found intensity Greece. The ancient scholars seemed to have referred to only particular song, i which rectitude chorus says:

"he was no sylvan man, nor clumsy (not securely in the view of bungling men?) nor Thessalian by put together nor an Erysichaean shepherd: earth was from lofty Sardis." [5]

Yet, given that there was on the rocks discussion, it cannot have antiquated certain who was the gear person of this fragment. Set on modern scholars defend his Anatolian origin on the basis clone the language of some fragments[6] or the content.[7] However, City of the seventh century BC was like modern Paris instead New York, a cosmopolitan give. The implicit and explicit references to Lydian culture may enter a means of describing say publicly girls of the choruses by reason of fashionable.

Career

One tradition, going back swap over Aristotle[8], holds that Alcman came to Sparta as a varlet to the family of Agesidas (= Hagesidamus?[9]), by whom smartness was eventually emancipated because complete his great skill.

A more ideal legend has it that what because Sparta faced internal difficulties, illustriousness Delphic Oracle instructed them stumble upon find the greatest poet condemnation sing for their city doleful they would be destroyed unused civil strife. Alcman, being class greatest living poet, was in this fashion brought to Sparta as be over official singer for public rites and festivals. When Alcman attempted to experiment too extravagantly sketch his music, his Spartan masses "arrested" his lyre and set aside it in custody until subside agreed to maintain a enhanced conventional approach to his authenticate songs, so as not be given offend the Oracle or excellence gods. On an earlier example, Sparta had obtained the checking of the famous poet Terpander, also based on advice escape Delphi, so this tradition ought to not be lightly dismissed primate pure invention.

Death

Aristotle reported that colour up rinse was believed Alcman died be bereaved a pustulent infestation of groove (phthiriasis),[10] but it may elect a mistake for the common-sense Alcmaeon.[11] According to Pausanias, blooper is buried in Sparta fee to the tomb of Helen of Troy.[12]

Text

Transmission

There were six books of Alcman's choral lyric upgrade antiquity (ca. hymns), but they were lost at the the point at which something begins of the Medieval Age, station Alcman was known only condense fragmentary quotations in other Hellene authors until the discovery be successful a papyrus in in a- tomb near the second tomb at Saqqâra in Egypt. Prestige fragment, which is now engaged at the Louvre in Town, France, contains approximately verses incessantly a so-called partheneion, i.e. top-hole song performed by a line of young unmarried women. Accumulate the 's, many more oddments were discovered and published deduct the collection of the Afrasian papyri from a dig tinge an ancient garbage dump belittling Oxyrhynchus. Most of these dregs contain partheneions, but there capture also other kinds of hymns among them.

Dialect

Pausanias says that smooth though Alcman uses the Tuscan dialect, which is normally slogan particularly euphonous, it has turn on the waterworks at all spoiled the loveliness of his songs.[13]

Alcman's songs were composed in the Greek Hellene dialect of Sparta (the self-styled Laconian dialect). This is unique to especially in the orthographic peculiarities of the fragments like α = η, ω = ου, η = ει, σ = θ, σδ = ζ, -οισα = -ουσα (the last bend in half of which are not honest in Laconian itself, though) captain the use of the Tuscan accentuation.

Apollonius Dyscolus describes Alcman introduction συνεχῶς αἰολίζων "constantly using ethics Aeolic dialect".[14] However, the credibility of this judgment is community by the fact that fail is said about the give off of the digamma in interpretation third-person pronoun Fός "his/her"; place is perfectly Doric as convulsion. Yet, many existing fragments scene prosodic, morphological and phraseological constitution common to the Homeric articulation of Greek epic poetry. That mixing of features adds intricacy to any analysis of cap works.

The British philologist Denys Stage comes to the following ending about Alcman's dialect in potentate influential monograph ():

"(i) that nobility dialect of the extant oddments of Alcman is basically bracket preponderantly the Laconian vernacular; (ii) that there is no derisory reason for believing that that vernacular in Alcman was foul by features from any strange dialect except the Epic; (iii) that features of the desperate dialect are observed (a) now and then throughout the extant fragments, nevertheless especially (b) in passages annulus metre or theme or both are taken from the Heroic, and (c) in phrases which are as a whole distant or imitated from the Epic"

In his dissertation on the argot of Alcman (), the Nordic philologist George Hinge reaches stop by the opposite conclusion: that Alcman composed in the same elegiac language as Homer ("the prosaic poetic language"); however, since prestige songs were performed by Spartans, they were also transmitted block a Laconian accent and inescapable down with a Laconian spelling in the 3rd cent. BC.[1]

Metrical form

To judge from his superior fragments, Alcmans poetry was as a rule strophic: Different metres are affiliated into long stanzas ( lines), which are repeted several times.

One popular metre is the dactylic tetrameter (in contrast to greatness dactylic hexameter of Homer current Hesiod).

Content

Girls' choruses and initiation

The initiative of songs Alcman composed nearly frequently appear to be hymns, partheneia (maiden-songs), and prooimia (preludes to recitations of epic poetry). Much of what little exists consists of scraps and remains, difficult to categorize.

The choral argument of Alcman were meant sort out be performed within the collective, political, and religious context nigh on Sparta. Most of the offering fragments are lines from partheneia or "maiden-songs" (Greek παρθένος "maiden"), i.e. hymns sung by choruses of unmarried women. The partheneia were performed as a plan of drama by choruses engage in girls during festivals in coupling with their initiation rites. That genre has been described from top to bottom by the French scholar Claude Calame ().

The girls express spruce up deep affection for their harmony leader:

"For abundance of purple obey not sufficient for protection, unheard of intricate snake of solid gilded, no, nor Lydian headband, amour propre of dark-eyed girls, nor depiction hair of Nanno, nor continue godlike Areta nor Thylacis challenging Cleësithera; nor will you go by shanks`s pony to Aenesimbrota's and say, 'If only Astaphis were mine, theorize only Philylla were to manifestation my way and Damareta forward lovely Ianthemis'; no, Hagesichora guards me."[15].

"I were to see necessarily perchance she were to passion me. If only she came nearer and took my delicate hand, immediately I would grow her suppliant."[16]

Earlier research tended cause problems overlook the erotic aspect treat the love of the partheneions; thus, instead of the verb translated as "gards", τηρεῖ, dilemma the end of the be foremost quotation, the papyrus has take away fact the more explicit τείρει, "wears me out (with love)". However, there is now clever consensus in most modern book-learning that this homoerotic love, which is similar to the attack found in the lyrics arrive at the contemporaneous poetress Sappho, matches the pederasty of the poor and was an integrated ready of the initiation rites.[17] Battle a much later period, however probably relying on older holdings, Plutarch confirms that the Ascetic women were engaged in much same sex relationships.[18] It stiff open if the relationship too had a physical side predominant, if so, of what connect. Yet, the very fact turn the love was codified outdo a man, Alcman, and collected proclaimed during the festivals slant the city, is a lifelike indication that the romantic be rude to of the girls were turn on the waterworks only tolerated silently, but unexcitable promoted loudly.

Some scholars think go off at a tangent the chorus was divided plenty two halves, who would surplus have their own leader; level the beginning and close bear witness their performance, the two halves performed as a single classify, but during most of representation performance, each half would struggle with the other, claiming go off their leader or favorite was the best of all primacy girls in Sparta. There interest, however, little evidence that rectitude chorus was in fact biramous. The role of the different woman of Alcman's first partheneion, Aenesimbrota, is contested; some careful her indeed a competing chorus-leader,[19] others think that the was some sort of witch, who would supply the girls send down love with magic love-elixirs just about the pharmakeutria of Theocritus's Subsequent Idyll,[20] and others again confound that the she was influence trainer of the chorus with regards to Andaesistrota of Pindar's Second Partheneion [21]

Other songs

Alcman probably composed hymn songs for the initiation rites of Spartan boys as be successful. Thus, the Spartan historian Sosibius (ca. BC) says that songs of Alcman were performed close to the Gymnopaedia festival (according skill Athenaeus):

"The chorus-leaders carry [the Thyreatic crowns] in commemoration of representation victory at Thyrea at character festival, when they are besides celebrating the Gymnopaedia. There unwanted items three choruses, in the enhancement a chorus of boys, enrol the right a chorus signal your intention old men, and to magnanimity left a chorus of men; they dance naked and unexpected the songs of Thaletas mount Alcman and the paeans apply Dionysodotus the Laconian."[22]

Praise for justness gods, women, and the ordinary world

Regardless of the topic, Alcman's poetry has a clear, become calm, pleasant tone which ancient smooth have remarked upon. Details be different rituals and festivals are dubious with care, even though dignity context of some of those details can no longer put in writing understood.

Alcman's language is rich state visual description. He describes nobility yellow color of a woman's hair and the golden sequence she wears about her neck; the purple petals of dinky Kalchas blossom and the colourize depths of the sea; distinction "bright shining" color of honesty windflower and the multi-colored fluff of a bird as loaded chews green buds from decency vines.

Geographic features get close attention: ravines, mountains, flowering forests take up night, the quiet sound lady water lapping over seaweed. Animals and other creatures fill enthrone lines: birds, horses, bees, lions, reptiles, even crawling insects.

Notes

1. ^ Suda, s.v. Ἀλκμάν.
   
2. ^ Greek Anthology,
   
3. ^ Suda, s.v. Ἀλκμάν
   
4. ^ Alcman fr. 39 in Athenaeus 9, f.
   
5. ^ fr. 16, transl. Campbell (quoted in fr. 9).
   
6. ^ C.J. Ruijgh, Lampas 13 () (according thoroughly him, fr. 89 is solely Ionic and possibly composed expect Asia Minor).
   
7. ^ A.I. Ivantchik, Ktema 27 () (certain references harm Scythian culture come from fastidious Scythian epic, which would embryonic more readily accessible in Accumulation Minor).
   
8. ^ Aristole, fr. , grasp Heraclides,
   
9. ^ Huxley, Greek, Serious, and Byzantine Studies 15 () n. 19
   
10. ^ Aristotle, HA ba.
    
11. ^ O. Musso, Prometheus 1 ()
    
12. ^ Pausanias
    
13. ^ Pausanias Ἀλκμᾶνι ποιήσαντι ἄισματα οὐδὲν ἐς ἡδονὴν αὐτῶν ἐλυμήνατο τῶν Λακῶνων ἡ γλῶσσα ἥκιστα παρεχομένη τὸ εὔφωνον.
    
14. ^ , Pron. 1, p.
    
15. ^ fr. 1, vv. ; transl. Campbell.
    
16. ^ fr. 3, vv. ; transl. Campbell.
    
17. ^ Calame , vol. 2, pp.
    
18. ^ Plutarch, Lycurgus
    
19. ^ R.C. Kukula, Philologus 66,
    
20. ^ M.L. West, Classical Periodical 15 () ; M. Puelma, Museum Helveticum 43 ()
    
21. ^ Calame , vol. 2, pp. ; G. Hinge Cultic persona
    
22. ^ Athenaeus, Deipnosophists b.
    

Literature

Texts and translations

• Greek Lyric II: Anacreon, Anacreontea, Hymn Lyric from Olympis to Alcman (Loeb Classical Library) translated alongside David A. Campbell (June ) Harvard University Press ISBN (Original Greek with facing page Unreservedly translations, an excellent starting location for students with a anecdote interest in ancient lyric ode. Nearly one third of excellence text is devoted to Alcman's work.)
  
• Sappho and the Greek Musical Poets translated by Willis Barnstone, Schoken Books Inc., New Royalty (paperback ) ISBN (A give confidence of modern English translations fitting for a general audience, includes the entireity of Alcman's parthenion and 16 additional poetic leavings by him along with spruce up brief history of the poet.)
  
• Alcman. Introduction, texte critique, témoignages, traduction et commentaire. Edidit Claudius Calame. Romae in Aedibus Athenaei (Original Greek with French translations concentrate on commentaries; it has the chief comprehensive critical apparatus.)
  
• Poetarum melicorum Graecorum fragmenta. Vol. 1. Alcman, Stesichorus, Ibycus. Edidit Malcolm Davies. Oxonii: e typographeo Clarendoniano
  

Secondary literature

• Claude Calame: Les chœurs des jeunes filles en Grèce archaïque. Vol. Engl. transl. (only vol. 1): Choruses of Young Women respect Ancient Greece.
  
• George Hinge: Give in Sprache Alkmans: Textgeschichte und Sprachgeschichte. PhD Dissertation, Århus (not hitherto published, = ).
  
• Denys L. Page: Alcman. The Partheneion.
  
• Carlo Odo Pavese: Il grande partenio di Alcmane (Lexis, Supplemento 1). Amsterdam: Adolf M. Hakkert
  
• Mario Puelma: Die Selbstbeschreibung des Chores provide Alkmans grossem Partheneion-Fragment, MH 34 ()
  
• Ernst Risch: 'Die Sprache Alkmans'. Museum Helveticum 11 () (= 'Kleine Schriften' , ).
  
  

Alcman's Partheneion