See also: Alcée

Alcée de Mytilène (in Greek old Ἀλκαῖος / Alkaĩos , in Latin Alcaeus ) is a Greek Poète of the antiquated time, representing lyric poetry monodic. The Canon alexandrine sees in him the second of the Greek lyric poets.

Biography

It was born with Mytilène, just like Sappho of which he was the rival and in love one, the most important city of the island of Lesbos, about the year 630 av. J. - C. During its youth, its family was actively committed in the local policy of its birthplace. The members of family belonged to the opposition against the Tyran S reigning. This attitude was probably the cause of its exile. We know that he travelled much, and that he visited the Egypt and the Palestine. He died towards 580 av. J. - C.

Works

Its poems are transmitted to us only partially: it is about Hymne S, of political and quarrelsome songs, praises of the wine and good food, of songs of love.

An outline of the anthems is possible thanks to a paraphrase of sound Hymne to Apollo by the Sophiste Himérius (4th century of the Christian era). Better still, a papyrus allowed the conservation of half of the Hymne the Dioscures . It is about a “cletic” anthem (of the Greek κλητικός / klêtikós , “which is used to call”), i.e. calling upon the presence of the gods whom he sings.

Warlike anthems ( πολεμικά / polemiká ), known as also “seditious” ( στασιωτικά / stasiôtiká , i.e. concerning a Civil war) was preserved better. They are songs on the wars carried out by Mytilène, in particular against the Babylonian .

Lastly, the political poems deplore the end of the aristocracy and the emergence of a world controlled by the money. It attacks the tyrants who reign on his island, in particular with Pittacos, which was however counted like one of the wise Seven: it tackles its mean extraction and treachery shows it. Its liveliness on the matter, and its skill to handle the invective will be then admired by Denys d' Halicarnasse.

The border is sometimes difficult to establish between the political poems and the songs of table. Indeed, Alcée drinks sometimes with dead of the Myrtylos tyrant, and benefits from it elsewhere to attack Pittacos. Nevertheless, Alcée is shown very varied in the topics of its songs of banquet: all or to almost is him pretext with drinking. Some of these songs also refer to the love: it rents it thus “charming Ménon” or, according to Horace ( Odes , 1,32,10), “beautiful Lycos with the hair and the black eyes”, like good of other young people.

The language of Alcée is the wind dialect , and its vocabulary is strewn with Homeric formations. It is at the origin of the Alcaic Strophe, which will be used in particular by Horace.

See too