Page:A History of Ancient Greek Literature.djvu/114

 THE SONG

THE PERSONAL SONG-SAPPHO, ALCAEUS, ANACREON

The Song proper, the Greek 'Melos,' falls into two divisions-the personal song of the poet, and the choric song of his band of trained dancers. There are remains of old popular songs with no alleged author, in various styles: the Mill Song-a mere singing to while away time-"Grind, Mills, grind; Even Pittacus grinds; Who is king of the great Mytilene";-the Spinning Song and the Wine-Press Song, and the Swallow Song, with which the Rhodian boys went round begging in early spring. Rather higher than these were the 'Skolia,' songs sung at banquets or wine-parties. The form gave rise to a special Skolion-tune, with the four-line erse and the syllable-counting which characterises the Lesbian lyric. The Skolion on Harmodius and Aristogeiton is the most celebrated; but nearly all our remains are fine work, and the "Ah, Leipsydrion, false to them who loved thee," the song of the exiles who fled from the tyran Pisistratus to the rock of that name, is full of a haunting beauty.

The Lesbian 'Melos' culminates in two great names, Alcaeus and Sappho, at the end of the seventh century (The dates are uncertain. Athens can scarcely have possessed Sigeum before the reign of Pisistratus. Beloch, Griech. Geschichte, i.330.)