Epinician Odes and Dithyrambs of Bacchylides

Front Cover
University of Pennsylvania Press, Jan 29, 1998 - Literary Collections - 83 pages

Until a century ago, the fifth-century Greek poet Bacchylides was known only by 107 nonsequential lines buried as quotations in the writings of other ancient authors. With the discovery in 1896 of a papyrus containing his work, 1,382 lines were reassembled and the poems of Bacchylides finally began to take shape for the modern reader. Slavitt argues in the Introduction to this collection that, although Bacchylides is often considered a "lesser Pindar," he is a poet who warrants consideration. "He deserves attention not because he is beetling, like Pindar, but because he is not. He relies on craftsmanship and reliably displays an attractive grace and elegance."

 

Selected pages

Common terms and phrases

9 lines missing Achaeans Achilles Adrastus Aeacus Aegina Aethra almighty ancient Apollo areté Areté is different Argeius Argos Aristomenes Artemis Asopus Athens Beside the swirling blessed bore bright bronze celebrate Ceos chorus Clio Cretan crimson Croesus Cronus daughter dazzling deeds Deianeira Deinomenes distaff Dithyrambs of Bacchylides earth envy epinician Eriboea Eurytus Euxantius fame fate father favor fearless in battle fortune garlands gift glorious glory goddess godlike gods Graces Greeks hair hands heart Hera Herakles hero Hieron holy island honor horses hymn Isthmian Isthmian games Isthmus killed kleos land lightning bolts long poem lord lovely maidens Meleager's ghost mighty Zeus mind Minos mortals Nemea Niké nimble Oeneus Peleus Pelops Pherenicus Pierian Muses Pindar pious poet poetry Poseidon prayers Proetus Pytheas Pythian games Pytho ruler shining Sing the praises Slavitt song sons splendid stream strength sweet Thebes Theseus Tiryns Trojans Urania's utter non-entities valiant victory wealth well-built wind

About the author (1998)

David R. Slavitt was born in White Plains, New York in 1935. He received an AB and an MA from Columbia University. After graduating from college and beginning a Ph.D., he worked as a movie critic for Newsweek from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s. During this time, he published his first book of poetry, Suits for the Dead. His first novel, Rochelle, or Virtue Rewarded, was published in 1966. He has written about 100 works of fiction, poetry, and poetry and drama in translation including Alice at 80, The Cock Book, Falling from Silence: Poems, The Latin Odes of Jean Dorat, Milton's Latin Poems, and Three Greenlandic Poets. He also writes under the names David Benjamin, Henry Lazarus, Lynn Meyer, and Henry Sutton. As Henry Sutton, he has written less "literary" works that have sold well such as The Exhibitionist and The Sacrifice: A Novel of the Occult.

Bibliographic information

TitleEpinician Odes and Dithyrambs of Bacchylides
AuthorBacchylides
Translated byDavid R. Slavitt
PublisherUniversity of Pennsylvania Press, 1998
ISBN0812234472, 9780812234473
Length83 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Literary Collections / Ancient & Classical
Poetry / European / General
Poetry / General
  
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