Callimachus, Hymn to Delos: Introduction and Commentary

282 Pages·1984·31.12 MB·English

by  Mineur

CALLIMACHUS
HYMN TO DELOS
MNEMOSYNE
BIBLIOTHECA CLASSICA BATAVA
COLLEGERUNT
A. D. LEEMAN · H. W. PLEKET · C. J. RUIJGH
BIBLIOTHECAE FASCICULOS EDENDOS CURAVIT
C. J. RUIJGH, KLASSIEK SEMINARIUM, OUDE TURFMARKT 129, AMSTERDAM
SUPPLEMENTUM OCTOGESIMUM TERTIUM
W. H. MINEUR
CALLIMACHUS
HYMN TO DELOS
LUGDUNI BATAVORUM E. J. BRILL MCMLXXXIV
CALLIMACHUS
HYMN TO DELOS
Introduction and Commentary
BY
W. H. MINEUR
LEIDEN E. J. BRILL 1984
Published with financial support from the Netherlands Organization
for the Advancement of Pure Research (Z.W.O.)
ISBN 90 04 07230 6
Copyright 1984 by £. J. Brill, le1aen, The Netherlands
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
translated in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche
or any other means without wrillen permission from the publisher
Cui dono merito meum libel/um
doctum - spero equidem - et laboriosum?
Uxor mi, tibi: namque tu solebas
coniugis studia excitare tarda,
ac pati viduatam, amata, vitam
per tot sabbata be/la feriasque.
Et vobis, pueri, dicare fas est,
heu patris totiens manus egenis.
At si pergitis in ioco atque Musis
pulcre vivere, mi est bene ac beate.
Habebunt quoque quidquid hoc libelli
diu qui mi aderant boni parentes.
Haud paucis si placent mei labores,
nil me laetius est beatiusve.

CONTENTS
Preface . IX
Abbreviations . XI
PART ONE : INTRODUCTION .
I. The Structure of the Hymn 3
I.I Synopsis . . . . 3
1. 2 Some Remarks on the Synopsis. 4
1.3 Unifying Elements . . 6
II. Purpose and Date of the Hymn . . . . . . . . . 10
2.1 Why did Callimachus write the Hymn to Delos? . 10
2.2 Date of the Hymn to Delos . 16
III. Some Aspects of Language and Style . 19
3.1 Vocabulary 19
3.2 Direct Speech. 26
3.3 Enjambement . 31
IV. Metre and Prosody . 35
4.1 Dactyls and Spondees . 35
4.2 Caesurae and Bridges . 37
4.3 Quantity . . . . . 41
4.4 Prosody, miscellaneous 43
PART Two: COMMENTARY 47
Index of Greek Words 253
General Index 260
Addendum 267

PREFACE
Since R. Pfeiffer in the Journal of Hellenic Studies of 1955 made an appeal
to scholars encouraging them to write commentaries on Hellenistic poetry
as the best help for tackling its chronological and interpretative problems,
the publication of a commentary on a Callimachean hymn hardly needs
justifying. One can only hope that what one eventually produces is not too
far below the level of Pfeiffer's own masterpiece, modestly characterized
by himself as nihil nisi initia.
The primary aim of a commentary is of course to explain the text.
However, since in Hellenistic poetry the exact meaning thereof is time and time
again hard to establish, this one is regularly required to propose several possi
ble explanations, leaving it in the Herodotean manner to the reader to choose
6Kotl':pTJ n~ ~otJA.Etat autl':cov. The many parallels quoted from Homer,
Hesiod, Tragedy and other literature also make a demand on the user's
own activity, inviting him to discern tradition and originality in the poet's
use of vocabulary and style. References to secondary literature serve the
double purpose of facilitating control as well as stimulating further investiga
tion. That the casual reader because of this will experience some difficulty in
selecting the answers to this immediate needs, I realize only too well; yet
I hope that he will be helped by the surveys and occasional translations.
The text of this book is identical with that of my doctoral thesis presented
at the University of Leyden in 1984. The tradition of this venerable Institute
forbids the author of a thesis to eulogize members of the Staff, but here
may I at least record the names of Profs. C.M.J. Sicking, P.H.
Schrijvers and H. S. Versnel, who by their criticism, knowledge and en
couragement influenced almost every page of this book.
I am also indebted to Prof. W.J. Verdenius, who not only kindly
accepted this study for publication in the series of the Supplements to
Mnemosyne, but also made some useful remarks and references, enabling
me to correct several points of the Commentary.
I remember with gratitude the stimulating contact I had in the initial
period of my research on Callimachus with Dr. K.J. Mc Kay.
Further I owe a great debt of gratitude to Ors. C.J.E.J. Hattink, who
sacrificed so much of his time making a first correction of my English
while adding valuable suggestions for improving subject-matter, and to
Mrs. Elenid Jones of Cambridge, who took care of the final revision of the
English text with great thoroughness.
For all the remaining deficiencies of this work fragment 1141 of the
Supplementum Hellenisticum applies.