Alcman

Alcman (in Dorien Ἀλκμάν / Alkmán ), lyric poet Greek of seventh century BC

Biography

Born with Sardinian, in Lydie, it is brought young person to Sparte as a slave. There, according to the Welded, it is freed by its new Master, Agésidas. It is in activity with Sparte between 672 and 612 av. J. - C., and testifies to the literary glare of the city at that time.

Work

One makes of him the inventor of poetry known as erotic , i.e. in love. It is with this category that belong its Parthénées , anthems made up for choruses of young girls. One also allots to him the invention of the Hexamètre crétois. It contributed to fix the Dorien, dialect of Sparte and the Grande Greece, like language of the lyric choral society.

Papyruses preserved fragments of poem. Thus, three stanzas of parthénée, describing the initiation of a named young girl Agido, appear in the manuscript Louvre E 3320 .

Athénée also preserved in its Banquet of the sophists of the quotations of Alcman, among which comments of the poet on his art, considered as an imitation of the song of the birds:

“Alcman found these paroles
and of its language sifflé
has air by braiding the song of partridges. ”
(9, 389f, transl. Brownish Philippe)

Considered for its grace and its simplicity, it appears at the head of the nine lyric ones retained by the Canon alexandrine of Aristophane de Byzance and Aristarque de Samothrace.

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