hesiod, the homeric hymns, and homerica-第4章

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This　tendency　to　introduce　romantic　episodes　led　to　an　important　development。　　Several　poems　are　ascribed　to　Hesiod；　such　as　the　〃Epithalamium　of　Peleus　and　Thetis〃；　the　〃Descent　of　Theseus　into　Hades〃；　or　the　〃Circuit　of　the　Earth〃　（which　must　have　been　connected　with　the　story　of　Phineus　and　the　Harpies；　and　so　with　the　Argonaut…legend）；　which　yet　seem　to　have　belonged　to　the　〃Catalogues〃。　　It　is　highly　probable　that　these　poems　were　interpolations　into　the　〃Catalogues〃　expanded　by　later　poets　from　more　summary　notices　in　the　genuine　Hesiodic　work　and　subsequently　detached　from　their　contexts　and　treated　as　independent。　　This　is　definitely　known　to　be　true　of　the　〃Shield　of　Heracles〃；　the　first　53　lines　of　which　belong　to　the　fourth　book　of　the　〃Catalogues〃；　and　almost　certainly　applies　to　other　episodes；　such　as　the　〃Suitors　of　Helen〃　（9）；　the　〃Daughters　of　Leucippus〃；　and　the　〃Marriage　of　Ceyx〃；　which　last　Plutarch　mentions　as　‘interpolated　in　the　works　of　Hesiod。'

To　the　〃Catalogues〃；　as　we　have　said；　was　appended　another　work；　the　〃Eoiae〃。　　The　title　seems　to　have　arisen　in　the　following　way　（10）：　　the　〃Catalogues〃　probably　ended　（ep。　〃Theogony〃　963　ff。）　with　some　such　passage　as　this：　‘But　now；　ye　Muses；　sing　of　the　tribes　of　women　with　whom　the　Sons　of　Heaven　were　joined　in　love；　women　pre…eminent　above　their　fellows　in　beauty；　such　as　was　Niobe　（？）。'　　Each　succeeding　heroine　was　then　introduced　by　the　formula　‘Or　such　as　was。。。'　（cp。　frags。　88；　92；　etc。）。　　A　large　fragment　of　the　〃Eoiae〃　is　extant　at　the　beginning　of　the　〃Shield　of　Heracles〃；　which　may　be　mentioned　here。　　The　〃supplement〃　（ll。　57…480）　is　nominally　Heracles　and　Cycnus；　but　the　greater　part　is　taken　up　with　an　inferior　description　of　the　shield　of　Heracles；　in　imitation　of　the　Homeric　shield　of　Achilles　（〃Iliad〃　xviii。　478　ff。）。　　Nothing　shows　more　clearly　the　collapse　of　the　principles　of　the　Hesiodic　school　than　this　ultimate　servile　dependence　upon　Homeric　models。

At　the　close　of　the　〃Shield〃　Heracles　goes　on　to　Trachis　to　the　house　of　Ceyx；　and　this　warning　suggests　that　the　〃Marriage　of　Ceyx〃　may　have　come　immediately　after　the　‘Or　such　as　was'　of　Alcmena　in　the　〃Eoiae〃：　possibly　Halcyone；　the　wife　of　Ceyx；　was　one　of　the　heroines　sung　in　the　poem；　and　the　original　section　was　‘developed'　into　the　〃Marriage〃；　although　what　form　the　poem　took　is　unknown。

Next　to　the　〃Eoiae〃　and　the　poems　which　seemed　to　have　been　developed　from　it；　it　is　natural　to　place　the　〃Great　Eoiae〃。　　This；　again；　as　we　know　from　fragments；　was　a　list　of　heroines　who　bare　children　to　the　gods：　from　the　title　we　must　suppose　it　to　have　been　much　longer　that　the　simple　〃Eoiae〃；　but　its　extent　is　unknown。　　Lehmann；　remarking　that　the　heroines　are　all　Boeotian　and　Thessalian　（while　the　heroines　of　the　〃Catalogues〃　belong　to　all　parts　of　the　Greek　world）；　believes　the　author　to　have　been　either　a　Boeotian　or　Thessalian。

Two　other　poems　are　ascribed　to　Hesiod。　　Of　these　the　〃Aegimius〃　（also　ascribed　by　Athenaeus　to　Cercops　of　Miletus）；　is　thought　by　Valckenaer　to　deal　with　the　war　of　Aegimus　against　the　Lapithae　and　the　aid　furnished　to　him　by　Heracles；　and　with　the　history　of　Aegimius　and　his　sons。　　Otto　Muller　suggests　that　the　introduction　of　Thetis　and　of　Phrixus　（frags。　1…2）　is　to　be　connected　with　notices　of　the　allies　of　the　Lapithae　from　Phthiotis　and　Iolchus；　and　that　the　story　of　Io　was　incidental　to　a　narrative　of　Heracles'　expedition　against　Euboea。　　The　remaining　poem；　the　〃Melampodia〃；　was　a　work　in　three　books；　whose　plan　it　is　impossible　to　recover。　　Its　subject；　however；　seems　to　have　been　the　histories　of　famous　seers　like　Mopsus；　Calchas；　and　Teiresias；　and　it　probably　took　its　name　from　Melampus；　the　most　famous　of　them　all。


Date　of　the　Hesiodic　Poems

There　is　no　doubt　that　the　〃Works　and　Days〃　is　the　oldest；　as　it　is　the　most　original；　of　the　Hesiodic　poems。　　It　seems　to　be　distinctly　earlier　than　the　〃Theogony〃；　which　refers　to　it；　apparently；　as　a　poem　already　renowned。　　Two　considerations　help　us　to　fix　a　relative　date　for　the　〃Works〃。　　1）　In　diction；　dialect　and　style　it　is　obviously　dependent　upon　Homer；　and　is　therefore　considerably　later　than　the　〃Iliad〃　and　〃Odyssey〃：　moreover；　as　we　have　seen；　it　is　in　revolt　against　the　romantic　school；　already　grown　decadent；　and　while　the　digamma　is　still　living；　it　is　obviously　growing　weak；　and　is　by　no　means　uniformly　effective。

2）　On　the　other　hand　while　tradition　steadily　puts　the　Cyclic　poets　at　various　dates　from　776　B。C。　downwards；　it　is　equally　consistent　in　regarding　Homer　and　Hesiod　as　‘prehistoric'。　　Herodotus　indeed　puts　both　poets　400　years　before　his　own　time；　that　is；　at　about　830…820　B。C。；　and　the　evidence　stated　above　points　to　the　middle　of　the　ninth　century　as　the　probable　date　for　the　〃Works　and　Days〃。　　The　〃Theogony〃　might　be　tentatively　placed　a　century　later；　and　the　〃Catalogues〃　and　〃Eoiae〃　are　again　later；　but　not　greatly　later；　than　the　〃Theogony〃：　the　〃Shield　of　Heracles〃　may　be　ascribed　to　the　later　half　of　the　seventh　century；　but　there　is　not　evidence　enough　to　show　whether　the　other　‘developed'　poems　are　to　be　regarded　as　of　a　date　so　low　as　this。


Literary　Value　of　Homer

Quintillian's　（11）　judgment　on　Hesiod　that　‘he　rarely　rises　to　great　heights。。。　and　to　him　is　given　the　palm　in　the　middle…class　of　speech'　is　just；　but　is　liable　to　give　a　wrong　impression。　　Hesiod　has　nothing　that　remotely　approaches　such　scenes　as　that　between　Priam　and　Achilles；　or　the　pathos　of　Andromache's　preparations　for　Hector's　return；　even　as　he　was　falling　before　the　walls　of　Troy；　but　in　matters　that　come　within　the　range　or　ordinary　experience；　he　rarely　fails　to　rise　to　the　appropriate　level。　　Take；　for　instance；　the　description　of　the　Iron　Age　（〃Works　and　Days〃；　182　ff。）　with　its　catalogue　of　wrongdoings　and　violence　ever　increasing　until　Aidos　and　Nemesis　are　forced　to　leave　mankind　who　thenceforward　shall　have　‘no　remedy　against　evil'。　　Such　occasions；　however；　rarely　occur　and　are　perhaps　not　characteristic　of　Hesiod's　genius：　if　we　would　see　Hesiod　at　his　best；　in　his　most　natural　vein；　we　must　turn　to　such　a　passage　as　that　which　he　himself　　according　to　the　compiler　of　the　〃Contest　of　Hesiod　and　Homer〃　　selected　as　best　in　all　his　work；　‘When　the　Pleiades；　Atlas'　daughters；　begin　to　rise。。。'　（〃Works　and　Days；　383　ff。）。　　The　value　of　such　a　passage　cannot　be　analysed：　it　can　only　be　said　that　given　such　a　subject；　this　alone　is　the　right　method　of　treatment。

Hesiod's　diction　is　in　the　main　Homeric；　but　one　of　his　charms　is　the　use　of　quaint　allusive　phrases　derived；　perhaps；　from　a　pre…　Hesiodic　peasant　poetry：　thus　the　season　when　Boreas　blows　is　the　time　when　‘the　Boneless　One　gnaws　his　foot　by　his　fireless　hearth　in　his　cheerless　house'；　to　cut　one's　nails　is　‘to　sever　the　withered　from　the　quick　upon　that　which　has　five　branches'；　similarly　the　burglar　is　the　‘day…sleeper'；　and　the　serpent　is　the　‘hairless　one'。　　Very　similar　is　his　reference　to　seasons　through　what　happens　or　is　done　in　that　season：　‘when　the　House…　carrier；　fleeing　the　Pleiades；　climbs　up　the　plants　from　the　earth'；　is　the　season　for　harvesting；　or　‘when　the　artichoke　flowers　and　the　clicking　grass…hopper；　seated　in　a　tree；　pours　down　his　shrill　song'；　is　the　time　for　rest。

Hesiod's　charm　lies　in　his　child…like　and　sincere　naivete；　in　his　unaffected　interest　in　and　picturesque　view　of　nature　and　all　that　happens　in　nature。　　These　qualities；　it　is　true；　are　those　pre…eminently　of　the　〃Works　and　Days〃：　the　literary　values　of　the　〃Theogony〃　are　of　a　more　technical　character；　skill　in　ordering　and　disposing　long　lists　of　names；　sure　judgment　in　seasoning　a　monotonous　subject　with　marvellous　incidents　or　episodes；　and　no　mean　imagination　in　depicting　the　awful；　as　is　shown　in　the　description　of　Tartarus　（ll。　736…745）。　　Yet　it　remains　true　that　Hesiod's　distinctive　title　to　a　high　place　in　Greek　literature　lies　in　the　very　fact　of　his　freedom　form　classic　form；　and　his　grave；　and　yet　child…like；　outlook　upon　his　world。


The　Ionic　School

The　Ionic　School　of　Epic　poetry　was；　as　we　have　seen；　dominated　by　the　Homeric　tradition；　and　while　the　style　and　method　of　treatment　are　Homeric；　it　is　natural