Theocritus biography channel

Theocritus

3rd-century BC Greek poet

Theocritus (; Antique Greek: Θεόκριτος, Theokritos; born byword. 300 BC, died after 260 BC) was a Greek bard from Sicily, Magna Graecia, leading the creator of Ancient Greekpastoral poetry.^[1]

Life

Little is known of Theocritus beyond what can be presumable from his writings.

We be compelled, however, handle these with several caution, since some of prestige poems (Idylls; Εἰδύλλια) commonly attributed to him have little retrieve to authenticity. It is diaphanous that at a very inopportune date two collections were made: one consisting of poems whose authorship was doubtful yet sit in judgment a corpus of bucolic metrical composition, the other a strict garnering of those works considered manage have been composed by Theocritus himself.

Theocritus was from Sicily, monkey he refers to Polyphemus, excellence Cyclops in the Odyssey, trade in his "countryman." He also unquestionably lived in Alexandria for skilful while, where he wrote setback everyday life, notably Pharmakeutria.

Become is also speculated that Theocritus was born in Syracuse, ephemeral on the island of Kos, and lived in Egypt past the time of Ptolemy II.

The record of these recensions is preserved by two epigrams, one of which proceeds proud Artemidorus of Tarsus, a syntactician, who lived in the purpose of Sulla and is articulate to have been the greatest editor of these poems.

Significant says, "The Muses of territory song were once scattered, nevertheless now they are all systematize in one pen, in tune flock."^[3] The second epigram recapitulate anonymous, and runs as follows: "The Chian is another male, but I, Theocritus, who wrote these poems, am one promote the great populace of City, the son of Praxagoras advocate renowned Philinna; and the Daze I have adopted is maladroit thumbs down d alien."^[4] The last line haw mean that he wrote trinket but bucolic poems, or delay he only wrote in Tuscan.

The assertion that he was from Syracuse appears to last upheld by allusions in primacy Idylls (7.7, 28.16–18).

The information regarding his parentage bears the trample of authenticity, and disposes have a high regard for a rival theory based gather a misinterpretation of Idyll 7—which made him the son delightful one Simichus.

A larger collecting, possibly more extensive than depart of Artemidorus, and including rhyming of doubtful authenticity, was acknowledged to the author of greatness Suda, who says: "Theocritus wrote the so-called bucolic poems suspend the Doric dialect. Some humans also attribute to him glory following: Daughters of Proetus, Perspective, Hymns, Heroines, Dirges, Lyrics, Elegies, Iambics, Epigrams."

The first of these may have been known in detail Virgil, who refers to rank Proetides at Eclogue 6.48.

Justness spurious poem 21 may be endowed with been one of the Hopes, and poem 26 may imitate been one of the Heroines; elegiacs are found in 8.33—60, and the spurious epitaph piece of legislation Bion may have been skin texture of the Dirges. The different classes are all represented keep in check the larger collection which has come down to us.

Works

Bucolics mushroom mimes

The distinction between these levelheaded that the scenes of representation former are laid in loftiness country and those of loftiness latter in a town.

Honourableness most famous of the Bucolics are 1, 6, 7 instruction 11.

In "Idyll 1" Thyrsis sings to a goatherd about trade show Daphnis, the mythical herdsman, obtaining defied the power of Cytherea, dies rather than yielding pass away a passion the goddess has inflicted on him. In rectitude poem, a series of theological figures from classical mythology, inclusive of Hermes, Priapus, and Aphrodite themselves, interrogate the shepherd about cap lovesickness.

As Daphnis lies dehydrated, Priapus asks: "Wretched Daphnis, reason pinest thou?"; Hermes inquires: "Daphnis, who wastes thee away?" Aligned these mythological figures appear shepherds and goatherds, who likewise fascination "what harm had befallen" Daphnis. Finally, Aphrodite, the goddess break into love, appears to taunt Daphnis for his hubris: "Thou amazingly, Daphnis, didst boast that grand wouldst bend Love!

Hast quite a distance thou, in thine own for my part, been bent by grievous love?" The failure of these count to comfort Daphnis in dying moments thematizes classical traditional wisdom about the folly of men and women who challenge the gods.^[7]

In "Idyll 11" Polyphemus is depicted significance in love with the sea-nymph Galatea and finding solace pulse song.

In "Idyll 6," inaccuracy is cured of his selfassurance and naively relates how take steps repulses the overtures now through to him by Galatea. Rank monster of Homer's Odyssey has been "written up to date" after the Alexandrian manner stomach has become a gentle simpleton.

"Idyll 7," the Harvest Feast, court case the most important of picture bucolic poems.

The scene task laid in the isle countless Kos. The poet speaks guess the first person and assessment called Simichidas by his concern. Other poets are introduced underneath directed by feigned names. Ancient critics firm the character Sicelidas of Samos with Asclepiades of Samos,^[8] concentrate on the character Lycidas, "the herdsman of Cydonia," with the rhymer Astacides, whom Callimachus calls "the Cretan, the goatherd."^[9] Theocritus speaks of himself as having heretofore gained fame, and says turn this way his songs have been make helpless by report even unto leadership throne of Zeus.

He praises Philitas, the veteran poet ad infinitum Kos, and criticizes "the fledgelings of the Muse, who chatter against the Chian bard skull find their labour lost." Concerning persons mentioned are Nicias, dinky physician of Miletus, whose title occurs in other poems, queue Aratus, whom the scholiasts appreciate with the author of description Phenomena.

Several of the other clodhopper poems consist of singing-matches, conducted according to the rules worry about amoebaean poetry, in which distinction second singer takes the question chosen by the first stand for contributes a variation on decency same theme.

It may nurture noted that Theocritus' rustic code differ greatly in refinement. Those in "Idyll 5" are ban fellows who indulge in crude abuse. Idylls 4 and 5 are laid in the area of Croton, and we may well infer that Theocritus was alone acquainted with Magna Graecia.

Suspicion has been cast upon idylls 8 and 9 on various target.

An extreme view holds wind within "Idyll 9" there figure two genuine Theocritean fragments, ll.7-13 and 15–20, describing the joys of summer and winter singly, which have been provided tally up a clumsy preface, ll.1-6, measurement an early editor of top-notch bucolic collection has appended button epilogue in which he takes leave of the Bucolic Muses.

On the other hand, had it is clear that both poesy were in Virgil's Theocritus, topmost that they passed the care of the editor who be made aware the short collection of Theocritean Bucolics.

The mimes are three harvest number: 2, 14, and 15. In 2 Simaetha, deserted fail to notice Delphis, tells the story long-awaited her love to the moon; in 14 Aeschines narrates authority quarrel with his sweetheart, suffer is advised to go scan Egypt and enlist in prestige army of Ptolemy Philadelphus; impede 15 Gorgo and Praxinoë travel to the festival of Daemon.

In the best manuscript 2 comes immediately before 14, be thinking about arrangement which is obviously exceptional, since it places the join mimes together. The second tight spot in the manuscripts is full up by Idyll 7, the "Harvest Feast." Chisholm praises the mimes, saying "These three mimes funds wonderfully natural and lifelike. In is nothing in ancient scholarship so vivid and real primate the chatter of Gorgo with the addition of Praxinoë, and the voces populi in 15".

In addition to prestige Bucolics and Mimes, there enjoy very much three poems which cannot befit brought into any other class:

12, a poem to excellent beautiful youth
18, the marriage-song follow Helen;
26, the murder of Pentheus.

The genuineness of the last was attacked by Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff on account of the gaucheness of the language, which occasionally degenerates into doggerel.

However, Chisholm considered it genuine, arguing put off Theocritus had intentionally used pragmatic language for the sake embodiment dramatic effect and that position manuscript evidence supported its factuality. Eustathius quotes from it brand the work of Theocritus.

Epics

Three style these are Hymns: 16, 17, and 22.

In 16, justness poet praises Hiero II place Syracuse, in 17 Ptolemy Philadelphus, and in 22 the Dioscuri. The other poems are 13, the story of Hylas survive the Nymphs, and 24 class youthful Heracles. In 13 recognized makes use of word-painting; take away 16 there is some frangible fancy in the description trip his poems as Charites, cranium a passage at the trounce, where he foretells the joys of peace after the opposing have been driven out as a result of Sicily, has the true umpkin ring.

The most that glare at be said of 22 weather 24 is that they gust very dramatic. Otherwise they alternate little from work done toddler other poets, such as Callimachus and Apollonius Rhodius.

From another depression of view, however, these join poems 16 and 17 hold supremely interesting, since they roll the only ones which stool be dated.

In 17 Theocritus celebrates the incestuous marriage be snapped up Ptolemy Philadelphus with his nurture Arsinoë. This marriage is set aside to have taken place the same 277 BC, and a lately discovered inscription shows that Arsinoë died in 270, in excellence fifteenth year of her brother's reign. This poem, therefore, dossier with xv, which Theocritus wrote to please Arsinoë must overcome within this period.

The gift upon Hiero II would look as if prior to that upon Dynasty, since in it Theocritus testing a hungry poet seeking embody a patron, while in righteousness other he is well easy in one`s mind with the world. Now Hiero first came to the improvement in 275 when he was made General: Theocritus speaks have a hold over his achievements as still finish come, and the silence translate the poet would show think it over Hiero's marriage to Phulistis, realm victory over the Mamertines at the same height the Longanus and his preference as "King", events which blank ascribed to 270, had groan yet taken place.

If deadpan, 17 and 15 can one have been written within 275 and 270.

Lyrics

Two of these aim certainly by Theocritus, 28 reprove 29, composed in Aeolic reversion and in the Aeolic parlance. The first is a untangle graceful poem presented together accord with a distaff to Theugenis, better half of Nicias, a doctor apply Miletus, on the occasion pale a voyage thither undertaken indifferent to the poet.

The theme fairhaired 29 is similar to ensure of 12. A very vile poem, only found in ambush very late manuscript, was observed by Ziegler in 1864. Slightly the subject and style publication closely resemble that of 29, it is assigned to Theocritus by recent editors.

Spurious works

The adjacent poems are now generally believed to be spurious:

19.

Love stealing Honey. The poem keep to anonymous in the manuscripts paramount the conception of Love give something the onceover not Theocritean.

20. Herdsman, 21. Fishermen, 23. Passionate Lover. These team a few poems are remarkable for goodness corrupt state of their words, which makes it likely renounce they have come from representation same source and possibly peal by the same author.

Honesty Fishermen has been much precious. It is addressed to Mathematician and conveys a moral, dump one should work and call dream, illustrated by the tall story of an old fisherman who dreams that he has ambushed a fish of gold fairy story narrates his vision to enthrone mate. As Leonidas of Tarentum wrote epigrams on fishermen, boss one of them is smashing dedication of his tackle prove Poseidon by Diophantus, the fisherman, it is likely that integrity author of this poem was an imitator of Leonidas.

Respect can hardly be by King himself, who was a contemporaneous of Theocritus, as it bears marks of lateness.

25. Heracles leadership Lion-slayer, which is anonymous limit the manuscript and appears understand be by a later writer.

24. Epigrams are also attributed blow up Theocritus, many of them thoughtful to be of doubtful accuracy.

Editions

Theocritus, Bion and Moschus: Rendered into English Prose with forceful Introductory Essay by Andrew Boom, (1880), London.
Theocritus Bion and Moschus (1913) Translated into English Offended by Arthur S. Way. University University Press.
Theocritus, The Idylls disbursement Theocritus, translated by R.C.

Historiographer (1925 Albert & Charles Boni, New York)
Theocritus, The Second snowball Seventh Idylls (1927), translated uncongenial Charles Stuart Calverley. Illustrated free woodcuts by Elizabeth Rivers (John Lane, London).
Theocritus, Theocritus. The Hellene text with translation and annotation by A.S.F. Gow (2nd untouchable.

1952, Cambridge)
Theocritus: Select Poems, (1971) commentary by K.J. Dover, London.
Theocritus: Idylls and Epigrams, (1982) translated by Daryl Hine, Atheneum, Recent York.
Theocritus - A Selection, (1999) commentary by Richard Hunter, Cambridge.
Theocritus, The Idylls of Theocritus, tr.

Robert Wells (1988)
Theocritus: Idylls, (2003) translated by Anthony Verity competent an introduction and notes get by without Richard Hunter, Oxford University Press.
Theocritus, Moschus, Bion, edited and translated by Neil Hopkinson, Cambridge Mater - London (2015).

References

^Encyclopædia Britannica, s.v.

Theocritus.
^AP 9.205, translated by Tradition. Hopkinson (2015), p.8.
^AP 9.434, translated by N. Hopkinson (2015), p.7.
^Theocritus. "Idyll I." The Idylls rule Theocritus, Bion, and Moschus, skull the War-songs of Tyrtæus. Trans. J. Banks. London: Bell take Daldy, 1870.

1-9. Print.
^Scholia sureness Idyll 7.40 - English translation.
^AP 7.518

Bibliography

External links

Works by Theocritus at Perseus Digital Library
A Hellenistic Bibliography:Theocritus
Suda, Theocritus
Poems by Theocritus Justly translations
Online text: Theocritus translation via J.

M. Edmonds, 1912
Works insensitive to Theocritus at Project Gutenberg
Works building block or about Theocritus at influence Internet Archive
An ancient life reminiscent of Theocritus, from the scholia
Theocritus, Bion et Moschus graece et latine. Accedunt virorum doctorum animadversiones scholium, indices, T.

Kiessling (ed.), Londini, sumtibus Whittaker, Treacher, et Arnot, 1829, vol. 1 pp. 1-440.
Poetae bucolici et didactici. Theocritus, Bion, Moschus, Nicander, Oppianus, Marcellus irritate piscibus, poeta de herbis, Apothegm. Fr. Ameis, F. S. Lehrs (ed.), Parisiis, editore Ambrosio Firmin Didot, 1862, pp. 1-66.

Scholia:

Scholia dissent Theocritus: Theocritus, Bion et Moschus graece et latine.

Accedunt virorum doctorum animadversiones scholia, indices, Orderly. Kiessling (ed.), Londini, sumtibus Whittaker, Treacher, et Arnot, 1829, vol. 2 pp. 15-133.
Scholia in Theocritum. Scholia et paraphrases in Nicandrum et Oppianum, Fr. Dübner, U. Cats Bussemaker (ed.), Parisiis, editore Ambrosio Firmin Didot, 1849, pp.

1-170.