Page:History of the Literature of Ancient Greece (Müller) 2ed.djvu/227

205 LITERATURE OF ANCIENT GREECE. 205 Arion also, according to the well known fable *, played the orthian nomefj when he was compelled to throw himself from a ship into the sea, and was miraculously saved by a dolphin J. Arion is also stated, as well as Terpander, to have composed prooemia, that is, hymns to the gods, which served as an introduction to festivals §. § 8. In descending to the choral poets who lived nearer the time of the Persian war, we meet with two poets of very peculiar characters; the vehement Ibycus, and the tender and refined Simonides. Ibycus was a native of Rhegium, the city near the southernmost point of Italy, which was closely connected with Sicily, the country of Stesi- chorus. Rhegium was peopled partly by Ionians from Chalcis, partly by Dorians from Peloponnesus; the latter of whom were a superior class. The peculiar dialect formed in Rhegium had some influence on the poems of Ibycus ; although these were in general written in an epic dialect with a Doric tinge, like the poems of Stesichorus ||. Ibycus was a wandering poet, as is intimated in the story of his death having been attested and revenged by cranes ; but his travels were not, like those of Stesichorus, confined to Sicily. He passed a part of his time in Samos with Polycrates ; whence the flourishing period of Ibycus may be placed at Olymp. 63. (b. c. 528) %. We have already explained the style of poetry which was admired at the court of Polycrates. Ibycus could not here compose solemn hymns to the gods, but must accommo- date his Doric cithara, as he was best able, to the strains of Anacreon. Accordingly, it is probable that the poetry of Ibycus was first turned mainly to erotic subjects during his residence in the court of Poly- crates ; and that his glowing love-songs (especially to beautiful youths), which formed his chief title to fame in antiquity, were composed at this time. But that the poetical style of Ibycus resembled that of Stesichorus is proved by the fact that the ancient critics often doubted to which of the two a particular idea or expression belonged**. It may indeed be Tamarum, which represented Tarat sitting on a dolphin, as he appears on the coins of Tarentum. Plutarch, Conv. Sept. Sap. c. 18. mentions the Pythian instead of the orthian nome. f The orthian nome was mentioned above, chap. xii. § 15, in connexion with Po. lymnes'us. I The nomos orthioa was sung to the cithara (Herod. 1. '24. Aristoph. Eq. 1276. Ran 1308, et Schol.), but also to the Phrygian flute (Luciau4). § Suidas in v. The ode to Neptune which ^lian H. A., xii. 45, ascribes to Arion, is copious in words, but poor in ideas, and is quite unworthy of such a poet as Arion. It also presupposes the truth of the fable that Arion was saved by a dolphin. jj A peculiarity of the Rheginian dialect in Stesichorus was the formation of the third persons of barytone verbs in »<r/ ; tpi^tri, Xiytiiri, &c. % Above, ch. xiii. § 12. and Ibycus, occur in Athen. iv. p. 172 D„ Schol. Ven. ad II. xxiv. 259. iii. 114. Ile- isych. in fyuaXUrxi, vol. i. p. 774. ed. Alb., Schol. Aristoph. Av. 1302, Schol.
 * Herod. I, 23. This fable probably arose from a sacred offering in a temple at
 * Citations of Stesichorus or Ibycus. or (for the same expression) of Stesichorus