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When Homer Quotes Callimachus: Allusive Poetics in the Proem of the "Posthomerica"'

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Greensmith, EM 

Abstract

In Book 12 of Quintus Smyrnaeus’ Posthomerica (c. third century c.e.), the epic poet prepares to list the heroes who entered the Wooden Horse before the sack of Troy. Before he begins, he breaks off to ask for help (Quint. Smyrn. 12.306–13):

τούς μοι νῦν καθ᾽ ἕκαστον ἀνειρομένῳ σάφα Μοῦσαι ἔσπεθ᾽, ὅσοι κατέβησαν ἔσω πολυχανδέος ἵππου· ὑμεῖς γὰρ πᾶσάν μοι ἐνὶ φρεσὶ θήκατ᾽ ἀοιδήν, πρίν μοι <ἔτ᾽> ἀμφὶ παρειὰ κατασκίδνασθαι ἴουλον, Σμύρνης ἐν δαπέδοισι περικλυτὰ μῆλα νέμοντι 310 τρὶς τόσον Ἑρμοῦ ἄπωθεν, ὅσον βοόωντος ἀκοῦσαι, Ἀρτέμιδος περὶ νηὸν Ἐλευθερίῳ ἐνὶ κήπῳ, οὔρεΐ τ’ οὔτε λίην χθαμαλῷ οὔθ᾽ ὑψόθι πολλῷ. Muses, I ask you to tell me precisely, one by one, the names of all who went inside the cavernous horse. For you were the ones who filled my mind with all song even before down was spread across my cheeks, when I was tending my renowned sheep in the land of Smyrna, three times as far as the shouting distance from the Hermus, near Artemis’ temple in the garden of Liberty, on a hill that is neither excessively high nor too low.

Description

Keywords

43 History, Heritage and Archaeology, 47 Language, Communication and Culture, 4303 Historical Studies, 4705 Literary Studies

Journal Title

Classical Quarterly

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0009-8388
1471-6844

Volume Title

Publisher

Cambridge University Press