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

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ngeance　of　Orestes　on　Aegisthus。　　The　story　ends　with　the　return　home　of　Menelaus；　which　brings　the　general　narrative　up　to　the　beginning　of　the　〃Odyssey〃。

But　the　〃Odyssey〃　itself　left　much　untold：　what；　for　example；　happened　in　Ithaca　after　the　slaying　of　the　suitors；　and　what　was　the　ultimate　fate　of　Odysseus？　　The　answer　to　these　questions　was　supplied　by　the　〃Telegony〃；　a　poem　in　two　books　by　Eugammon　of　Cyrene　（fl。　568　B。C。）。　　It　told　of　the　adventures　of　Odysseus　in　Thesprotis　after　the　killing　of　the　Suitors；　of　his　return　to　Ithaca；　and　his　death　at　the　hands　of　Telegonis；　his　son　by　Circe。　　The　epic　ended　by　disposing　of　the　surviving　personages　in　a　double　marriage；　Telemachus　wedding　Circe；　and　Telegonus　Penelope。

The　end　of　the　Cycle　marks　also　the　end　of　the　Heroic　Age。


The　Homeric　Hymns

The　collection　of　thirty…three　Hymns；　ascribed　to　Homer；　is　the　last　considerable　work　of　the　Epic　School；　and　seems；　on　the　whole；　to　be　later　than　the　Cyclic　poems。　　It　cannot　be　definitely　assigned　either　to　the　Ionian　or　Continental　schools；　for　while　the　romantic　element　is　very　strong；　there　is　a　distinct　genealogical　interest；　and　in　matters　of　diction　and　style　the　influences　of　both　Hesiod　and　Homer　are　well…marked。　　The　date　of　the　formation　of　the　collection　as　such　is　unknown。　　Diodorus　Siculus　（temp。　Augustus）　is　the　first　to　mention　such　a　body　of　poetry；　and　it　is　likely　enough　that　this　is；　at　least　substantially；　the　one　which　has　come　down　to　us。　　Thucydides　quotes　the　Delian　〃Hymn　to　Apollo〃；　and　it　is　possible　that　the　Homeric　corpus　of　his　day　also　contained　other　of　the　more　important　hymns。　　Conceivable　the　collection　was　arranged　in　the　Alexandrine　period。

Thucydides；　in　quoting　the　〃Hymn　to　Apollo〃；　calls　it　PROOIMION；　which　ordinarily　means　a　‘prelude'　chanted　by　a　rhapsode　before　recitation　of　a　lay　from　Homer；　and　such　hymns　as　Nos。　vi；　xxxi；　xxxii；　are　clearly　preludes　in　the　strict　sense；　in　No。　xxxi；　for　example；　after　celebrating　Helios；　the　poet　declares　he　will　next　sing　of　the　‘race　of　mortal　men；　the　demi…gods'。　　But　it　may　fairly　be　doubted　whether　such　Hymns　as　those　to　〃Demeter〃　（ii）；　〃Apollo〃　（iii）；　〃Hermes〃　（iv）；　〃Aphrodite〃　（v）；　can　have　been　real　preludes；　in　spite　of　the　closing　formula　‘and　now　I　will　pass　on　to　another　hymn'。　　The　view　taken　by　Allen　and　Sikes；　amongst　other　scholars；　is　doubtless　right；　that　these　longer　hymns　are　only　technically　preludes　and　show　to　what　disproportionate　lengths　a　simple　literacy　form　can　be　developed。

The　Hymns　to　〃Pan〃　（xix）；　to　〃Dionysus〃　（xxvi）；　to　〃Hestia　and　Hermes〃　（xxix）；　seem　to　have　been　designed　for　use　at　definite　religious　festivals；　apart　from　recitations。　　With　the　exception　perhaps　of　the　〃Hymn　to　Ares〃　（viii）；　no　item　in　the　collection　can　be　regarded　as　either　devotional　or　liturgical。

The　Hymn　is　doubtless　a　very　ancient　form；　but　if　no　example　of　extreme　antiquity　survive　this　must　be　put　down　to　the　fact　that　until　the　age　of　literary　consciousness；　such　things　are　not　preserved。

First；　apparently；　in　the　collection　stood　the　〃Hymn　to　Dionysus〃；　of　which　only　two　fragments　now　survive。　　While　it　appears　to　have　been　a　hymn　of　the　longer　type　（15）；　we　have　no　evidence　to　show　either　its　scope　or　date。

The　〃Hymn　to　Demeter〃；　extant　only　in　the　MS。　discovered　by　Matthiae　at　Moscow；　describes　the　seizure　of　Persephone　by　Hades；　the　grief　of　Demeter；　her　stay　at　Eleusis；　and　her　vengeance　on　gods　and　men　by　causing　famine。　　In　the　end　Zeus　is　forced　to　bring　Persephone　back　from　the　lower　world；　but　the　goddess；　by　the　contriving　of　Hades；　still　remains　partly　a　deity　of　the　lower　world。　　In　memory　of　her　sorrows　Demeter　establishes　the　Eleusinian　mysteries　（which；　however；　were　purely　agrarian　in　origin）。

This　hymn；　as　a　literary　work；　is　one　of　the　finest　in　the　collection。　　It　is　surely　Attic　or　Eleusinian　in　origin。　　Can　we　in　any　way　fix　its　date？　　Firstly；　it　is　certainly　not　later　than　the　beginning　of　the　sixth　century；　for　it　makes　no　mention　of　Iacchus；　and　the　Dionysiac　element　was　introduced　at　Eleusis　at　about　that　period。　　Further；　the　insignificance　of　Triptolemus　and　Eumolpus　point　to　considerable　antiquity；　and　the　digamma　is　still　active。　　All　these　considerations　point　to　the　seventh　century　as　the　probable　date　of　the　hymn。

The　〃Hymn　to　Apollo〃　consists　of　two　parts；　which　beyond　any　doubt　were　originally　distinct；　a　Delian　hymn　and　a　Pythian　hymn。

The　Delian　hymn　describes　how　Leto；　in　travail　with　Apollo；　sought　out　a　place　in　which　to　bear　her　son；　and　how　Apollo；　born　in　Delos；　at　once　claimed　for　himself　the　lyre；　the　bow；　and　prophecy。　　This　part　of　the　existing　hymn　ends　with　an　encomium　of　the　Delian　festival　of　Apollo　and　of　the　Delian　choirs。　　The　second　part　celebrates　the　founding　of　Pytho　（Delphi）　as　the　oracular　seat　of　Apollo。　　After　various　wanderings　the　god　comes　to　Telphus；　near　Haliartus；　but　is　dissuaded　by　the　nymph　of　the　place　from　settling　there　and　urged　to　go　on　to　Pytho　where；　after　slaying　the　she…dragon　who　nursed　Typhaon；　he　builds　his　temple。　　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