hesiod, the homeric hymns, and homerica-第6节

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　　After　the　punishment　of　Telphusa　for　her　deceit　in　giving　him　no　warning　of　the　dragoness　at　Pytho；　Apollo；　in　the　form　of　a　dolphin；　brings　certain　Cretan　shipmen　to　Delphi　to　be　his　priests；　and　the　hymn　ends　with　a　charge　to　these　men　to　behave　orderly　and　righteously。

The　Delian　part　is　exclusively　Ionian　and　insular　both　in　style　and　sympathy；　Delos　and　no　other　is　Apollo's　chosen　seat：　but　the　second　part　is　as　definitely　continental；　Delos　is　ignored　and　Delphi　alone　is　the　important　centre　of　Apollo's　worship。　　From　this　it　is　clear　that　the　two　parts　need　not　be　of　one　date　　The　first；　indeed；　is　ascribed　（Scholiast　on　Pindar　〃Nem〃。　ii；　2）　to　Cynaethus　of　Chios　（fl。　504　B。C。）；　a　date　which　is　obviously　far　too　low；　general　considerations　point　rather　to　the　eighth　century。　　The　second　part　is　not　later　than　600　B。C。；　for　1）　the　chariot…races　at　Pytho；　which　commenced　in　586　B。C。；　are　unknown　to　the　writer　of　the　hymn；　2）　the　temple　built　by　Trophonius　and　Agamedes　for　Apollo　（ll。　294…299）　seems　to　have　been　still　standing　when　the　hymn　was　written；　and　this　temple　was　burned　in　548。　　We　may　at　least　be　sure　that　the　first　part　is　a　Chian　work；　and　that　the　second　was　composed　by　a　continental　poet　familiar　with　Delphi。

The　〃Hymn　to　Hermes〃　differs　from　others　in　its　burlesque；　quasi…　comic　character；　and　it　is　also　the　best…known　of　the　Hymns　to　English　readers　in　consequence　of　Shelley's　translation。

After　a　brief　narrative　of　the　birth　of　Hermes；　the　author　goes　on　to　show　how　he　won　a　place　among　the　gods。　　First　the　new…born　child　found　a　tortoise　and　from　its　shell　contrived　the　lyre；　next；　with　much　cunning　circumstance；　he　stole　Apollo's　cattle　and；　when　charged　with　the　theft　by　Apollo；　forced　that　god　to　appear　in　undignified　guise　before　the　tribunal　of　Zeus。　　Zeus　seeks　to　reconcile　the　pair；　and　Hermes　by　the　gift　of　the　lyre　wins　Apollo's　friendship　and　purchases　various　prerogatives；　a　share　in　divination；　the　lordship　of　herds　and　animals；　and　the　office　of　messenger　from　the　gods　to　Hades。

The　Hymn　is　hard　to　date。　　Hermes'　lyre　has　seven　strings　and　the　invention　of　the　seven…stringed　lyre　is　ascribed　to　Terpander　（flor。　676　B。C。）。　　The　hymn　must　therefore　be　later　than　that　date；　though　Terpander；　according　to　Weir　Smyth　（16）；　may　have　only　modified　the　scale　of　the　lyre；　yet　while　the　burlesque　character　precludes　an　early　date；　this　feature　is　far　removed；　as　Allen　and　Sikes　remark；　from　the　silliness　of　the　〃Battle　of　the　Frogs　and　Mice〃；　so　that　a　date　in　the　earlier　part　of　the　sixth　century　is　most　probable。

The　〃Hymn　to　Aphrodite〃　is　not　the　least　remarkable；　from　a　literary　point　of　view；　of　the　whole　collection；　exhibiting　as　it　does　in　a　masterly　manner　a　divine　being　as　the　unwilling　victim　of　an　irresistible　force。　　It　tells　how　all　creatures；　and　even　the　gods　themselves；　are　subject　to　the　will　of　Aphrodite；　saving　only　Artemis；　Athena；　and　Hestia；　how　Zeus　to　humble　her　pride　of　power　caused　her　to　love　a　mortal；　Anchises；　and　how　the　goddess　visited　the　hero　upon　Mt。　Ida。　　A　comparison　of　this　work　with　the　Lay　of　Demodocus　（〃Odyssey〃　viii；　266　ff。）；　which　is　superficially　similar；　will　show　how　far　superior　is　the　former　in　which　the　goddess　is　but　a　victim　to　forces　stronger　than　herself。　　The　lines　（247…255）　in　which　Aphrodite　tells　of　her　humiliation　and　grief　are　specially　noteworthy。

There　are　only　general　indications　of　date。　　The　influence　of　Hesiod　is　clear；　and　the　hymn　has　almost　certainly　been　used　by　the　author　of　the　〃Hymn　to　Demeter〃；　so　that　the　date　must　lie　between　these　two　periods；　and　the　seventh　century　seems　to　be　the　latest　date　possible。

The　〃Hymn　to　Dionysus〃　relates　how　the　god　was　seized　by　pirates　and　how　with　many　manifestations　of　power　he　avenged　himself　on　them　by　turning　them　into　dolphins。　　The　date　is　widely　disputed；　for　while　Ludwich　believes　it　to　be　a　work　of　the　fourth　or　third　century；　Allen　and　Sikes　consider　a　sixth　or　seventh　century　date　to　be　possible。　　The　story　is　figured　in　a　different　form　on　the　reliefs　from　the　choragic　monument　of　Lysicrates；　now　in　the　British　Museum　（17）。

Very　different　in　character　is　the　〃Hymn　to　Ares〃；　which　is　Orphic　in　character。　　The　writer；　after　lauding　the　god　by　detailing　his　attributes；　prays　to　be　delivered　from　feebleness　and　weakness　of　soul；　as　also　from　impulses　to　wanton　and　brutal　violence。

The　only　other　considerable　hymn　is　that　to　〃Pan〃；　which　describes　how　he　roams　hunting　among　the　mountains　and　thickets　and　streams；　how　he　makes　music　at　dusk　while　returning　from　the　chase；　and　how　he　joins　in　dancing　with　the　nymphs　who　sing　the　story　of　his　birth。　　This；　beyond　most　works　of　Greek　literature；　is　remarkable　for　its　fresh　and　spontaneous　love　of　wild　natural　scenes。

The　remaining　hymns　are　mostly　of　the　briefest　compass；　merely　hailing　the　god　to　be　celebrated　and　mentioning　his　chief　attributes。　　The　Hymns　to　〃Hermes〃　（xviii）；　to　the　〃Dioscuri〃　（xvii）；　and　to　〃Demeter〃　（xiii）　are　mere　abstracts　of　the　longer　hymns　iv；　xxxiii；　and　ii。


The　Epigrams　of　Homer

The　〃Epigrams　of　Homer〃　are　derived　from　the　pseudo…Herodotean　〃Life　of　Homer〃；　but　many　of　them　occur　in　other　documents　such　as　the　〃Contest　of　Homer　and　Hesiod〃；　or　are　quoted　by　various　ancient　authors。　　These　poetic　fragments　clearly　antedate　the　〃Life〃　itself；　which　seems　to　have　been　so　written　round　them　as　to　supply　appropriate　occasions　for　their　composition。　　Epigram　iii　on　Midas　of　Larissa　was　otherwise　attributed　to　Cleobulus　of　Lindus；　one　of　the　Seven　Sages；　the　address　to　Glaucus　（xi）　is　purely　Hesiodic；　xiii；　according　to　MM。　Croiset；　is　a　fragment　from　a　gnomic　poem。　　Epigram　xiv　is　a　curious　poem　attributed　on　no　very　obvious　grounds　to　Hesiod　by　Julius　Pollox。　　In　it　the　poet　invokes　Athena　to　protect　certain　potters　and　their　craft；　if　they　will；　according　to　promise；　give　him　a　reward　for　his　song；　if　they　prove　false；　malignant　gnomes　are　invoked　to　wreck　the　kiln　and　hurt　the　potters。


The　Burlesque　Poems

To　Homer　were　popularly　ascribed　certain　burlesque　poems　in　which　Aristotle　（〃Poetics〃　iv）　saw　the　germ　of　comedy。　　Most　interesting　of　these；　were　it　extant；　would　be　the　〃Margites〃。　　The　hero　of　the　epic　is　at　once　sciolist　and　simpleton；　‘knowing　many　things；　but　knowing　them　all　badly'。　　It　is　unfortunately　impossible　to　trace　the　plan　of　the　poem；　which　presumably　detailed　the　adventures　of　this　unheroic　character：　the　metre　used　was　a　curious　mixture　of　hexametric　and　iambic　lines。　　The　date　of　such　a　work　cannot　be　high：　Croiset　thinks　it　may　belong　to　the　period　of　Archilochus　（c。　650　B。C。）；　but　it　may　well　be　somewhat　later。

Another　poem；　of　which　we　know　even　less；　is　the　〃Cercopes〃。　　These　Cercopes　（‘Monkey…Men'）　were　a　pair　of　malignant　dwarfs　who　went　about　the　world　mischief…making。　　Their　punishment　by　Heracles　is　represented　on　one　of　the　earlier　metopes　from　Selinus。　　It　would　be　idle　to　speculate　as　to　the　date　of　this　work。

Finally　there　is　the　〃Battle　of　the　Frogs　and　Mice〃。　　Here　is　told　the　story　of　the　quarrel　which　arose　between　the　two　tribes；　and　how　they　fought；　until　Zeus　sent　crabs　to　break　up　the　battle。　　It　is　a　parody　of　the　warlike　epic；　but　has　little　in　it　that　is　really　comic　or　of　literary　merit；　except　perhaps　the　list　of　quaint　arms　assumed　by　the　warriors。　　The　text　of　the　poem　is　in　a　chaotic　condition；　and　there　are　many　interpolations；　some　of　Byzantine　date。

Though　popularly　ascribed　to　Homer；　its　real　author　is　said　by　Suidas　to　have　been　Pigres；　a　Carian；　brother　of　Artemisia；　‘wife　of　Mausonis'；　who　distinguished　herself　at　the　battle　of　Salamis。

Suidas　is　confusing　the　two　Artemisias；　but　he　may　be　right　in　attributing　the　poem　to　about　480　B。C。


The　Contest　of　Homer　and　Hesiod

This　curious　work　dates　in　its　present　form　from　the　lifetime　or　shortly　after　the　death　of　Hadrian；　but　seems　to　be　based　in　part　on　an　earlier　version　by　the　sophist　Alcidamas　（c。　400　B。C。）。　　Plutarch　（〃Conviv。　Sept。　Sap。〃；　40）　uses　an　earlier　（or　at　least　a　shorter）　version　than　that　which　we　possess　（18）。　　The　extant　〃Contest〃；　however；　has　clearly　combined　with　the　original　document　much　other　ill…digested　matter　on　the　life　and　descent　of　Homer；　probably　drawing　on　the　same　general　sources　as　does　the　Herodotean　〃Life　of　Homer〃。　　Its　scope　is　as　follows：　1）　the　descent　（as　variously　reported）　and　relative　dates　of　Homer　and　Hesiod；　2）　their　poetical　contest　at　Chalcis；　3）　the　death　of　Hesiod；　4）　the　wanderings　and　fortunes　of　Homer；　with　brief　notices　of　the　circumstances　under　which　his　reputed　works　were　composed；　down　to　the　time　of　his　death。

The　whole　tract　is；　of　course；　mere　romance；　its　only　values　are　1）　the　insight　it　give　into　ancient　speculations　about　Homer；　2）　a　certain　amount　of　definite　information　about　the　Cyclic　poems；　and　3）　the　epic　fragments　included　in　the　stichomythia　of　the　〃Contest〃　proper；　many　of　which　　did　we　possess　the　clue　　would　have　to　be　referred　to　poems　of　the　Epic　Cycle。


ENDNOTES：

（1）　　sc。　in　Boeotia；　Locris　and　Thessaly：　elsewhere　the　movement　　　　　　was　forced　and　unfruitful。　（2）　　The　extant　collection　of　three　poems；　〃Works　and　Days〃；　　　　　　〃Theogony〃；　and　〃Shield　of　Heracles〃；　which　a