Greek Anthology
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| - | Reading the opening chapter of [[Ivins]]'s ''[[PaVC]]'' on the [[indescribability]] of things reminded me of the [[garland]] and the [[Greek Anthology]]. | + | The '''''Greek Anthology''''' (also called '''''Anthologia Graeca''''' or, sometimes, the '''''Palatine Anthology''''') is a collection of [[poem]]s, mostly [[epigram]]s, that span the classical and [[Byzantine]] periods of [[Greek literature]]. |
| - | Googling for "indescribability" brings up | + | While [[papyrus|papyri]] containing fragments of collections of poetry have been found in [[Egypt]], the earliest known anthology in Greek was compiled by [[Meleager of Gadara]], under the title ''Anthologia'', or "Garland." It contained poems by the compiler himself and forty-six other poets, including [[Archilochus]], [[Alcaeus]], [[Anacreon]], and [[Simonides of Ceos|Simonides]]. In his preface to his collection, Meleager describes his arrangement of poems as if it were a [[head-band]] or [[garland]] of [[flower]]s woven together in a tour de force that made the word "Anthology" a synonym for a collection of literary works for future generations. |
| - | :The trope of [[unrepresentability]] is probably the commonest of all in [[mountain literature]] and art: the throwing up of the hands, the confession of the inadequacy of representation to catch the phenomena of the mountain world. I remember reading the journal of an Edinburgh bishop from the 1760s who’d gone on a mini-Caledonian tour. He writes: “I looked north and saw rank on rank of unspeakably beautiful…” He crosses out “unspeakably”—he’s obviously unhappy with it—and writes instead “mountains so beautiful I could not describe them.” Then he crosses that out, and we get four synonyms for “indescribable,” the first three crossed out. What’s exciting about Ruskin is that instead of acquiescing to indescribability, he tries to enact it, to let his art or prose take the forms of their subjects. In his drawing of the Glacier du Bois, near Chamonix, for example, the whole image is vortical; everything is being tugged by some centripetal force which has no apparent center but which is clearly at work. It’s hard to say what that force is, but it has something to do with time, a kind of deep time that is at work in that viewing moment. The glacier looks like a river in flood, in spate; the sun looks to have been absorbed by it, and there’s an inexplicably detached tree bole and root in the foreground. Even his curving signature seems to be vulnerable to the vortex.[] | + | Meleager's ''Anthology'' was popular enough that it attracted later additions.Prefaces to the editions of [[Philippus of Thessalonica]] and [[Agathias]] were preserved in the ''Greek Anthology'' to attest to their additions of later poems. The definitive edition was made by [[Constantine Cephalas]] in the tenth century AD, who added a number of other collections: [[homoeroticism|homoerotic]] verse collected by [[Straton of Sardis]] in the [[2nd century|second century AD]]; a collection of [[Christianity|Christian]] epigrams found in churches; a collection of satirical and convivial epigrams collected by [[Diogenianus]]; [[Christodorus]]' description of statues in the Byzantine [[gymnasium (ancient Greece)|gymnasium]] of [[Baths of Zeuxippos|Zeuxippos]]; and a collection of inscriptions from a temple in [[Cyzicus]]. |
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| + | The scholar [[Maximus Planudes]] also made an edition of the Greek Anthology, which while adding some poems, primarily deleting or [[Thomas Bowdler|bowdlerizing]] many of the poems he felt were impure. His anthology was the only one known to Western Europe (his autograph copy, dated 1301 survives; the first edition based on his collection was printed in 1494) until 1606 when [[Claudius Salmasius]] found in the library at [[Heidelberg]] a fuller collection based on Cephalas. The copy made by Salmasius was not, however, published until 1776, when [[Richard François Philippe Brunck]] included it in his ''Analecta''. The first critical edition was that of F. Jacobs (13 vols. 1794-1803; revised 1813-17). | ||
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| + | Since its transmission to the rest of Europe, the ''Greek Anthology'' has left a deep impression on its readers. In a 1971 article on [[Robin Skelton]]'s translation of a selection of poems from the ''Anthology'', a reviewer for the ''[[Times Literary Supplement]]'' wrote, "The time of life does not exist when it is impossible to discover in it a masterly poem one had never seen before." Its influence can be seen on writers as diverse as [[Propertius]], [[Ezra Pound]] and [[Edgar Lee Masters]]. Since full and uncensored English translations became available at the end of the 20th century, its influence has widened still further. | ||
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The Greek Anthology (also called Anthologia Graeca or, sometimes, the Palatine Anthology) is a collection of poems, mostly epigrams, that span the classical and Byzantine periods of Greek literature.
While papyri containing fragments of collections of poetry have been found in Egypt, the earliest known anthology in Greek was compiled by Meleager of Gadara, under the title Anthologia, or "Garland." It contained poems by the compiler himself and forty-six other poets, including Archilochus, Alcaeus, Anacreon, and Simonides. In his preface to his collection, Meleager describes his arrangement of poems as if it were a head-band or garland of flowers woven together in a tour de force that made the word "Anthology" a synonym for a collection of literary works for future generations.
Meleager's Anthology was popular enough that it attracted later additions.Prefaces to the editions of Philippus of Thessalonica and Agathias were preserved in the Greek Anthology to attest to their additions of later poems. The definitive edition was made by Constantine Cephalas in the tenth century AD, who added a number of other collections: homoerotic verse collected by Straton of Sardis in the second century AD; a collection of Christian epigrams found in churches; a collection of satirical and convivial epigrams collected by Diogenianus; Christodorus' description of statues in the Byzantine gymnasium of Zeuxippos; and a collection of inscriptions from a temple in Cyzicus.
The scholar Maximus Planudes also made an edition of the Greek Anthology, which while adding some poems, primarily deleting or bowdlerizing many of the poems he felt were impure. His anthology was the only one known to Western Europe (his autograph copy, dated 1301 survives; the first edition based on his collection was printed in 1494) until 1606 when Claudius Salmasius found in the library at Heidelberg a fuller collection based on Cephalas. The copy made by Salmasius was not, however, published until 1776, when Richard François Philippe Brunck included it in his Analecta. The first critical edition was that of F. Jacobs (13 vols. 1794-1803; revised 1813-17).
Since its transmission to the rest of Europe, the Greek Anthology has left a deep impression on its readers. In a 1971 article on Robin Skelton's translation of a selection of poems from the Anthology, a reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement wrote, "The time of life does not exist when it is impossible to discover in it a masterly poem one had never seen before." Its influence can be seen on writers as diverse as Propertius, Ezra Pound and Edgar Lee Masters. Since full and uncensored English translations became available at the end of the 20th century, its influence has widened still further.
