Ἀλκμάν
Alkman, Alcman
Translated by Samuel Huskey9 Jun 2000Vetting: high8 revisions
Translation
A Laconian from Messoa; but according to Crates1 -- who is mistaken2 -- a Lydian out of Sardis; a lyric poet, son of Damas or Titaros. He was born in the 27th Olympiad,3 when Ardys, the father of Alyattes, was king of Lydia;4 and being an especially passionate man, he was the inventor of love poetry.5 His parents were slaves; he wrote six books: lyric poetry and Diving Women.6 He was the first to introduce singing in meters other than the hexameter. He used a Doric dialect, as Spartans [do]. There is also another Alcman, one of the lyric poets, born in Messene. And the plural [is] "Alcmanes".7
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ἀλκμάν· Λάκων ἀπὸ Μεσσόας· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Κράτητα πταίοντα Λυδὸς ἐκ Σάρδεων· λυρικὸς, υἱὸς Δάμαντος ἢ Τιτάρου. ἦν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς κζʹ Ὀλυμπιάδος, βασιλεύοντος Λυδῶν Ἄρδυος, τοῦ Ἀλυάττου πατρός· καὶ ὢν ἐρωτικὸς πάνυ εὑρετὴς γέγονε τῶν ἐρωτικῶν μελῶν. ἀπὸ οἰκετῶν δέ· ἔγραψε βιβλία ἓξ, μέλη καὶ Κολυμβώσας. πρῶτος δὲ εἰσήγαγε τὸ μὴ ἑξαμέτροις μελῳδεῖν. κέχρηται δὲ Δωρίδι διαλέκτῳ, καθάπερ Λακεδαιμόνιοι. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἕτερος Ἀλκμὰν, εἷς τῶν λυρικῶν, ὃν ἤνεγκεν ἡ Μεσσήνη. καὶ τὸ πληθυντικὸν Ἀλκμᾶνες.
Betacode
*)alkma/n: *la/kwn a)po\ *messo/as: kata\ de\ to\n *kra/thta ptai/onta *ludo\s e)k *sa/rdewn: luriko\s, ui(o\s *da/mantos h)\ *tita/rou. h)=n de\ e)pi\ th=s kz# *)olumpia/dos, basileu/ontos *ludw=n *)/arduos, tou= *)alua/ttou patro/s: kai\ w)\n e)rwtiko\s pa/nu eu(reth\s ge/gone tw=n e)rwtikw=n melw=n. a)po\ oi)ketw=n de/: e)/graye bibli/a e(\c, me/lh kai\ *kolumbw/sas. prw=tos de\ ei)sh/gage to\ mh\ e(came/trois melw|dei=n. ke/xrhtai de\ *dwri/di diale/ktw|, kaqa/per *lakedaimo/nioi. e)/sti de\ kai\ e(/teros *)alkma\n, ei(=s tw=n lurikw=n, o(\n h)/negken h( *messh/nh. kai\ to\ plhquntiko\n *)alkma=nes.
Notes (7)
- OCD(4) s.v. Alcman (p.54).↩
See also alpha 1290.- 1Crates of Mallus (fl. 168 BCE). See Campbell (1988) 337 n.3. ↩
- 2This translates what is transmitted, the participle
ptai/onta in agreement with the name Crates, but Adler (addenda) notes the attempts of several scholars to emend it into something quite different, e.g.patro/qen (Schneider),peri\ poihtw=n (Bernhardy). ↩- 3672-669 BCE. ↩
- 4The chronology is hotly disputed. Campbell (1994, 192) suggests "Sadyattes" for the reading "Alyattes" in the mss. According to Herodotus (1.16.1), Ardys' son was Sadyattes, who passed the kingship on to his son Alyattes. For a full discussion of the problem with the chronology as it relates to Alcman's dates, see Davison 178. ↩
- 5See PMG 58, 59 for a hint of Alcman's love poetry. ↩
- 6The sentence is problematic. Did Alcman write 6 books of lyric poetry and a poem called Diving Women? Or was Diving Women the sixth book? The contributor of the OCD entry, C. Carey, leaves the question open. Whatever the case may be, nothing more than the title Diving Women is preserved, so its contents remain a mystery. (Adler [addenda] notes Flach's suggestion that 'and Diving Women' belongs with alpha 1284, q.v.) ↩
- 7This final sentence, from the grammarians, is added in the margin of ms. A.
References
Calame, Claude, Choruses of Young Women in Ancient Greece (Lanham MD 1997)
Campbell, David A., Greek Lyric vol. 2 (Cambridge MA, 1988); text and translations
Campbell, David A., Greek Lyric Poetry (London 1994)
Davison, John A., From Archilochus to Pindar (London 1968)
Page, Denys L., Alcman: the Partheneion (Oxford 1951)
See also web address 1.
Campbell, David A., Greek Lyric vol. 2 (Cambridge MA, 1988); text and translations
Campbell, David A., Greek Lyric Poetry (London 1994)
Davison, John A., From Archilochus to Pindar (London 1968)
Page, Denys L., Alcman: the Partheneion (Oxford 1951)
See also web address 1.
External resources
- Web address 1 stoa.org
Linked from5 entries
- α1280ἈλκιβιάδηςAlcibiades, AlkibiadesThe son of Kleinias and of Perikles' sister. An Athenian, a philosopher and a politician. A pupil first of Sophilos, then of Sokrates, whose lover he was too, as some say. Some also record that he was born of slaves.…
- α1290Ἀλκμανικὸν εἶδοςAlcmanic form[Meaning] the one which is frequent in Alcman, [i.e.] arranging the verb in between the nouns on both sides. And [sc. this also occurs] in Homer: "where the rivers Simoeis flow together and Scamander."
- α1291ἈλκμαιονίδαιAlkmaionidai, Alkmeonidai, Alcmaeonidae, AlcmeonidsIt is a prominent clan/family in Athens, [sc. named] from Alkman.
- α3886ἈρίωνArionOf Methymna, a lyric poet, son of Kykleus. He was born in the 38th Olympiad. Certain people recorded that he was even a pupil of Alkman. He composed songs: [namely] preludes in 2000 verses. It is claimed also that he…
- ε750Ἐλατήρbroad-cake[Meaning] a flat pastry like a cake; hence its name [e)lath/r], from being driven [e)lau/nesqai] with the hands into flatness. Or a hollow loaf of bread, in which they used to put the bean soup and bring it to the…
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Revision history8 revisions · last 30 Jul 2014
- updated a ref — David Whitehead
- augmented notes — David Whitehead
- deleted link — Catharine Roth
- augmented notes and keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- added italics, removed a link — Catharine Roth
- cosmetics — Catharine Roth
- Updated link. — Catharine Roth
- added note and keyword; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Samuel Huskey