The 9 Earthly Muses: Sappho and Her Sisters, Greek Anthology 9.26

Sappho and the Earthly Muses

Name:  Antipater of Sidon Date:    2nd – 1st century BCE Region:     Sidon [modern Lebanon] Citation:     Greek Anthology 9.26

Helicon and the Pierian mountains have nourished the following divinely-inspired women with song:

·                      Praxilla

·                     Myrus

·                     Anyte, the female Homer

·                     Sappho, the glory of pretty-haired Lesbia

·                     Erinna

·                     Famous Telesilla

·                     And you,Corinna!, who celebrates Athena’s raging spear in song,

·                     Woman-tongued Nossis

·                      Sweet-tongued Myrtis.  

All these women’s words will outlast the ages.

Great Heaven has nine Muses,

But earth has created nine of its own,

Women who will bring eternal joy to mankind.   

τάσδε θεογλώσσους Ἑλικὼν ἔθρεψε γυναῖκας ὕμνοις, καὶ Μακεδὼν Πιερίας σκόπελος, Πρήξιλλαν, Μοιρώ, Ἀνύτης στόμα, θῆλυν Ὅμηρον, Λεσβιάδων Σαπφὼ κόσμον ἐυπλοκάμων, Ἤρινναν, Τελέσιλλαν ἀγακλέα, καὶ σέ, Κόριννα, θοῦριν Ἀθηναίης ἀσπίδα μελψαμέναν, Νοσσίδα θηλύγλωσσον, ἰδὲ γλυκυαχέα Μύρτιν, πάσας ἀενάων ἐργάτιδας σελίδων. ἐννέα μὲν Μούσας μέγας Οὐρανός, ἐννέα δ᾽ αὐτὰς γαῖα τέκεν, θνατοῖς ἄφθιτον εὐφροσύναν.

Sunt enim doctae, muliebria nomina, vates quas Helicon aluit Pieriumque iugum. Praxilla et Myro facundaque gloria Lesbi [Sappho], et quae vix Anyte cedit, Homere, tibi. Est Erinna etiam Telesillaque, tuque Corinna, Quae docta clypeum Palladis arte canis: Et Myrtis placida et versu quoque femina Nossis, Omnes perpetui carminis artifices. Aetheris aequavit tellus fecunda labores, Ille novem Musas protulit, ista novem. Translated into Latin by Hugo Grotius

Antipater of Sidon [2nd – 1st century BCE, modern Lebanon] was a Greek poet who lived under Roman rule during the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE. Dozens of his poems were preserved in the Greek Anthology.

W/W: Reunited in Death: Chloris & Thyia, Pausanias, Description of Greece 10.29.5

Chloris and Thyia, Together Even in Death

Name:  Pausanias Date:        110 – 180 CE Region:    Lydia [modern Turkey] Citation:      Description of Greece   10.29.5

[In a painting depicting the Underworld] Chloris is lying against Thyia’s knees. People weren’t wrong in thinking that they had a special relationship together while they were alive. Chloris was from Orchomenos (in Boetia), and Thyia was the daughter of Kastalius from Parnassus. But others tell a different tale: that Thyia and Neptune were lovers, and Chloris married Neleus, the son of Neptune.

ὑπὸ δὲ τὴν Φαίδραν ἐστὶν ἀνακεκλιμένη Χλῶρις ἐπὶ τῆς Θυίας γόνασιν. Οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεται μὲν δὴ οὐδὲ ὅστις φησὶ φιλίαν εἶναι ἐς ἀλλήλας, ἡνίκα ἔτυχον αἱ γυναῖκες ζῶσαι: ἦσαν γὰρ δὴ ἡ μὲν ἐξ Ὀρχομενοῦ τοῦ ἐν Βοιωτίᾳ ἡ Χλῶρις, ἡ δὲ Κασταλίου θυγάτηρ ἀπὸ τοῦ Παρνασσοῦ. Εἶπον δ᾽ ἂν καὶ ἄλλοι τὸν ἐς αὐτὰς λόγον, τῇ μὲν συγγενέσθαι Ποσειδῶνα τῇ Θυίᾳ, Χλῶριν δὲ Ποσειδῶνος παιδὶ Νηλεῖ συνοικῆσαι.

Inferius aliquanto quam Phaedra est,recumbit Chloris sub Thyiae genua. Nihil omnino fallitur qui eas, dum viverent, eximia quadam se mutuo benevolentia prosecutas putat. Fuit Chloris ex Orchomeno quae est in Boeotia. De ipsis vulgatus est etiam sermo, cum Thyia Neptunum fuisse congressum, Chlorin cum Neleo Neptuni filio nuptam fuisse. Translated into Latin by Romulus Amaseus

Pausanias [110 -180 CE, modern Turkey] was a Greek writer from Lydia who lived during the era of the “Five Good Emperors.” His work, the Description of Greece, is an important source for geographical, historical, archaeological, and cultural information about ancient Greece.

W/W: A Lover's Betrayal: Myrmex & Athena, Servius, In Aen. 4.402

Myrmex and Minerva

Name: Servius Date: 4th – 5th century CE Region: [modern Italy] Citation:   Commentary on the Aeneid, 4.402

Once upon a time, there was an Athenian woman named Myrmex, whom Minerva cherished because of her chastity and dexterity.   But soon Minerva's love turned into hatred. 

When Minerva saw that Ceres had discovered agriculture, she wanted to show the Athenians how to farm more efficiently, and so she invented the plough. 

Myrmex eavesdropped on the goddess as she was tilling the land, and the woman dared to steal the plough.

Then she bragged that Ceres’ crops would be worthless without this invention.   

Minerva didn't handle this well. She transformed Myrmex into an ant and ordered her to act according to her nature, as a traitor who always chases after and steals the grain of others.

Pitying the girl, Jupiter figured out a way to honor the ants.  For when he acknowledged the paternity of Aeacus (his son through Aegina), he made him king of Thessaly, and, seeing that the territory had no inhabitants, he ordered Aeacus to collect ants into one place and then he transformed them into people. This is why they are called the “Myrmidons,” the “Ant people.”

 

Myrmex and Minerva

De qua fabula talis est: in Attica regione quaedam puella Myrmix nomine fuit, Minervae ob castimoniam et sollertiam dilecta, quae postea hoc modo Minervae in se odium concitavit. Namque cum vidisset Minerva Cererem segetes invenisse, volens ipsa ostendere Atticis quo expeditius segetes parerent, aratrum dicitur invenisse. Quod cum manu ageret, et Myrmix ei adhaereret, ausa est occulte aratri stivam subripere, et apud homines se iactare, infructuosum esse Cereris munus, nisi suo uterentur invento, quo terra aratro resoluta expeditius ederet fructus. Quod cum proditum aegre tulisset Minerva, Myrmicem illam virginem in formicam convertit eamque, ut proditricem, adversam frumentis, quae semper insequitur et subripit, esse praecepit. Quae res cum Jovi miserationem movisset, excogitavit quemadmodum formicae honorem daret. Nam cum Aeacum, filium suum ex Aegina susceptum, Thessalis imponeret regem et agros ipsos videret hominibus indigere, formicas colligi in unum iussit easque in homines commutavit: unde “Myrmidones” appellati sunt.

 

Servius [Maurus Servius Honoratus; 4th – 5th century CE] Servius’ name is unfortunately the only thing we know of this author. Little is known about the author or manuscript tradition for the grammatical commentary of Vergil’s Aeneid.

 

M/M: Alligators in the Sewers: Conon, Narrationes XXI

A lover once gave a baby snake to his Cretan boyfriend. The young man raised the snake and took care of it until it grew up. The town’s inhabitants grew afraid of it and forced him to return the snake to the wild, and although he was upset about it, he complied. Later when the youth was out hunting and ran into some bandits, he shouted for help. The snake recognized its old owner, and in a show of affection, freed him from danger by curling itself around the bandits and killing them. 

ΔΙΗΓΗΣΙΣ κβ Μειρακία Κρητι γέννημα δράκοντος ό εραστής δωρείται. ό δε έτρεφέ τε και επεμελείτο έως ηυξήθη και φόβον ενεπoίει ο δράκων τοϊς επιχωρίοις ούτοι γαρ τότε ηνάγκασαν το μειράκιον έκθεϊναι το θηρίον επί της ερημίας και πολλά κλαίον εξέθετο. Υστερον δε επι θήραν έξελθόντος του μειρακίου και λησταϊς περιπεσόντος και ανακαλουμένου τους βοηθήσαντας αναγνωρίσας ο δράκων την φωνήν τους μεν ληστας διέφθειρεν εκάστω περιειληθείς σημεία δε τώ παιδί παλαιάς αισθήσεως ένδειξάμενος απαλλάσσει της επιβουλής

Cretensi puero tanquam pro amasio datus est draconis foetus. Hunc eo usque educavit ille, studioseque curavit, dum grandior factus metum etiam incolis iniiceret. Coegerunt itaque puerum in solitudinem draconem deferre. Et paruit ille, multum plorans. Tandem vero cum ad venationem aliquando adolescens egressus in latrones incididsset, opemque inclamasset: agnita voce draco, et corporibus sese implicans, praedones occidit, atque adolescentem, veteris signa necessitudinis ostendens, periculo eripuit.

* A μειράκιον [meirakion] is no longer an ἔφηβος [ephēbos], but not yet an ἀνήρ [anēr]; i.e., a person in their late teens to early twenties

--Conon Narratio xxi, Translated into Latin by Thomas Gale [1675]

Conon was a Greek mythographer who lived during the reign of Augustus. Although his work, the Narrations, is lost, a summary of it was preserved by the Greek author Photius. 

A Staying Hand When I Yearned for Death: Ovid, Ex Ponto I.9

 

Roman men often had deep, loving and affectionate friendships with their peers; there was no shame or stigma in expressing love and support to one another. In the following poem, Ovid expresses his love and appreciation for his deceased friend Celsus  as he faces a terrifying personal crisis (his exile in  8 CE).

To Maximus Cotta:

Your letter that came to me about Celsus’ death

was immediately drenched in my tears.

I thought it wouldn’t be possible to do so,

But as much as it shames me to say this,

I didn’t want to read your letter.

Nor did any news come to my ears more bitterly than this

Since I’ve been in Pontus,

And hopefully nothing worse will come.

Celsus’ image appears before my eyes

And my love for him deludes me into thinking the dead man still lives.

Often I think about his playful nature;

He lived his life in utter transparency.

Nothing eases my pain more than the time

when, as I wished to end my life,

when my whole world collapsed around me suddenly

and fell down upon my head,

*He* was there by my side,

when all my other friends had abandoned me;

he chose to share my pain.

I saw him mourning my death

As if he mourned the loss of his own brother.

He held me, and comforted me as I lay fallen,

And his tears mixed with mine.

Time and again he protected me from ending my bitter life

Holding my hands from ending it all.

Time and again he told me,

“The gods’ anger does not last forever:

Live and don’t deny yourself an opportunity for redemption!”

His voice rings in my ears so clearly:

“Look at how much Maximus can help you,

 Maximus will use the love he holds for you

To check Caesar’s anger, and keep him from executing you,

Performing a brother’s duty, he will use his resources

and do whatever he can to lessen your grief.”

His words alleviated my hatred for life.

See to it, Maximus, that his promises are not in vain.

He used to promise that he would come visit me here,

But only if you would allow such a long journey,

For he worshiped your day-to-day schedule

The way that you revere the gods’ management of the earth.

If what mattered wasn’t social class or ancestry

But rather if it were kindness and talent that make men great,

then he would be greatest of all your friends, --trust me!--

despite the fact that you are worthy of many other friends.

So it’s appropriate for me to shed tears over the death of Celsus,

to return the tears that he gave to me as I was exiled.

It’s appropriate for me to write poetry praising his character,

So that future readers can read your name, Celsus.

This is all I can send from Getan territory,

This alone is what I can do.

I’m not permitted to attend your funeral,

Or anoint your body,

An entire globe keeps me from your funeral pyre.

Maximus, whom you worshipped as a god,

Has completed every funeral rite for you as best he could.

He provided you with a funeral and a wake

And sprinkled the flowers over your cold body.

 Grieving, he anointed you with unguents mixed with his tears,

And covered your bones in a land close to home.

Since he performed the rite due to dead friends,

He can now add me to that number as well.

IX. COTTAE MAXIMO

 Quae mihi de rapto tua venit epistula Celso

       protinus est lacrimis umida facta meis,

quodqve nefas dictu fieri nec posse putavi,

       invitis oculis littera lecta tua est.

Nec quicquam ad nostras pervenit acerbius aures,                    5

       ut sumus in Ponto, perveniatque precor.

Ante meos oculos tamquam praesentis imago

       haeret et extinctum vivere fingit amor.

Saepe refert animus lusus grauitate carentes,

       seria cum liquida saepe peracta fide.                    10

Nulla tamen subeunt mihi tempora densius illis

       quae vellem vitae summa fuisse meae,

cum domus ingenti subito mea lapsa ruina

       concidit in domini procubuitque caput.

Adfuit ille mihi, cum me pars magna reliquit,                    15

       Maxime, Fortunae nec fuit ipse comes.

Illum ego non aliter flentem mea funera vidi

       ponendus quam si frater in igne foret.

Haesit in amplexu consolatusque iacentem est

       cumque meis lacrimis miscuit usque suas.                    20

O quotiens vitae custos invisus amarae

       continuit promptas in mea fata manus!

O quotiens dixit: 'Placabilis ira deorum est:

       vive nec ignosci tu tibi posse nega!'

Vox tamen illa fuit celeberrima: 'Respice quantum                    25

       debeat auxilium Maximus esse tibi.

Maximus incumbet, quaque est pietate, rogabit

       ne sit ad extremum Caesaris ira tenax,

cumque suis fratris vires adhibebit et omnem,

       quo levius doleas, experietur opem.'                    30

Haec mihi verba malae minuerunt taedia vitae:

       quae tu ne fuerint, Maxime, vana cave.

Huc quoque venturum mihi se iurare solebat

       non nisi te longae ius sibi dante viae.

Nam tua non alio coluit penetralia ritu                    35

       terrarum dominos quam colis ipse deos.

Crede mihi, multos habeas cum dignus amicos,

       non fuit e multis quolibet ille minor,

si modo non census nec clarum nomen avorum,

       sed probitas magnos ingeniumque facit.                     40

Iure igitur lacrimas Celso libamus adempto,

       cum fugerem, vivo quas dedit ille mihi;

carmina iure damus raros testantia mores,

       ut tua venturi nomina, Celse, legant.

Hoc est quod possum Geticis tibi mittere ab arvis;                    45

       hoc solum est istic quod licet esse meum.

Funera non potui comitare nec ungere corpus

       atque tuis toto diuidor orbe rogis.

Qui potuit, quem tu pro numine vivus habebas,

       praestitit officium Maximus omne tibi.                    50

Ille tibi exequias et magni funus honoris

       fecit et in gelidos vertit amoma sinus

diluit et lacrimis maerens unguenta profusis

       ossaque vicina condita texit humo.

Qui quoniam extinctis quae debet praestat amicis,                    55

       et nos extinctis adnumerare potest.

 --Ovid, Ex Ponto I.9

 

Ovid was one of the most famous love poets of Rome’s Golden Age. His most famous work, the Metamorphoses, provides a history of the world through a series of interwoven myths. Most of his poetry is erotic in nature; for this reason, he fell into trouble during the conservative social reforms under the reign of the emperor Augustus. In 8 CE he was banished to Bithynia, where he spent the remainder of his life pining for his native homeland.

 

A Friend in Need: Cicero, Ad Atticum III.3

The letters of Cicero reveal insights into aspects of ancient Roman masculinity. By reading these letters, we see that Roman men often had deep, loving and affectionate friendships with their peers. There is no shame or stigma in expressing love and support to one another. In the following letter, Cicero expresses his love and appreciation for his friend Atticus as he faces a terrifying personal crisis (his exile in 58 BCE).

To: Atticus

From: Cicero

Greetings.

I hope that one day I will thank you for forcing me to go on living; I certainly still regret it. But I ask you to come visit me at Vibo, where many reasons have caused me to change my route. If you meet me there, I can get your advice on my strategy for my exile and my flight. I’d be surprised if you can’t come; rather, I am confident that you will.

CICERO ATTICO SAL.

Vtinam illum diem videam cum tibi agam gratias quod me vivere coegisti! adhuc quidem valde me paenitet. sed te oro ut ad me Vibonem statim venias quo ego multis de causis converti iter meum. sed eo si veneris, de tota itinere ac fuga mea consilium capere potero. si id non feceris, mirabor; sed confido te esse facturum.

--Cicero, Ad Atticum III.3 

Cicero was an Italian-born Roman statesman and author who lived during the complexities of Rome’s transition from Republic to monarchy. Cicero spent most of his life in service of his country, serving as both a lawyer, senator, and even consul [Roman equivalent of president]. He is known for his suppression of the failed governmental coup in 63 BCE known as the Catilinarian conspiracy that occurred during his consulship. After the rise of Octavian [later known as the first Roman emperor Augustus], his views fell out of favor and he was eventually put to death during the proscriptions under the Second Triumvirate (Octavian, Marc Antony and Lepidus). He was a prolific author with a wide range in genres, and his literary style was adopted by Petrarch as the default model for the Latin language. 

A Victim Caught in the Middle: Hippolytus, Greek Anthology 9.132

When they met face-to-face,

Celibacy & Love

Destroyed two souls:

A burning desire for Hippolytus slew Phaedra;

But Hippolytus’ innocent chastity slew him.

 Modestia et Amor obviam sibi-invicem

progressi vitas perdiderunt ambo:

Phaedram quidem interfecit ardens amor Hippolyti:

Hippolytum vero casta interemit modestia.

σωφροσύνη καὶ Ἔρως κατεναντίον ἀλλήλοισιν

ἐλθόντες ψυχὰς ὤλεσαν ἀμφότερον:

Φαίδρην μὲν κτεῖνεν πυρόεις πόθος Ἱππολύτοιο:

Ἱππόλυτον δ᾽ ἁγνὴ πέφνε σαοφροσύνη:.

--Greek Anthology 9.132, Translated into Latin by Friedrich Duebner

The Greek Anthology is a modern collection of Greek lyric poetry compiled from various sources over the course of Greco-Roman literature. The current collection was created from two major sources, one from the 10^th century CE and one from the 14^th century CE. The anthology contains authors spanning the entirety of Greek literature, from archaic poets to Byzantine Christian poets.