The Lyric Metres of Euripidean Drama - Universidade de Coimbra

455
460
Introduction
period: see especially the mesodes in the first stasimon of Heracles, 12 or the
opening of the first stasimon of Bacchae. 13 At Alc. 455-461b (~466-71b), there
is reason to assume that each line is a self-contained period; note, among other
features, the insistence on pendent close:
εἴθ’ ἐπ’ ἐμοὶ μὲν εἴη, — ∪ ∪ — ∪ — — ar
δυναίμαν δέ cε πέμψαι ∪ — — ∪ ∪ — — ph
φάοc ἐξ Ἀίδα τεράμνων ∪ ∪ — ∪ ∪ — ∪ — — diom
καὶ Κωκυτοῖο ῥεέθρων — — — — ∪ ∪ — — prm
ποταμίαι νερτέραι τε κώπαι. ∪∪ ∪ — — ∪ — ∪ — — cr + cr +ba
cὺ γάρ, ὦ μόνα ὦ φίλα γυναικῶν, ∪ ∪ — ∪ ∪ — ∪ — ∪ — — T + ba
cὺ τὸν αὑτᾶc ∪ ∪ — — ∧s-
ἔτλαc πόcιν ἀντὶ cᾶc ἀμεῖψαι ∪ — ∪ — ∪ ∪ — ∪ — ∪ — — enop
It is not possible to determine period-end in this lyric sequence by means of
breuis in longo or hiatus. Nevertheless, the structure is perfectly clear. Although
for the last two lines (where another colometry might be possible) we have
only the pendent close to go by, each of the other lines contains a significant
syntactic pointer revealing how the phrases are articulated: the disjunctions
μέν and δέ in the two opening lines fit neatly into separate, complementary
periods, as do the copulatives καί and τε (458, 459). As for the vocative
utterance at 460, not only is it ‘housed’ by an essentially clausular colon, ‘T +
ba’ (on which see below, p. 76), but it responds with a phrase in the antistrophe
that ends in full stop. Moreover, it can be observed that invocations, as a class
of lyric utterance, tend to fall naturally into small, self-contained periods. 14
12 Cf. Herc. 359-63~375-79~389-93~403-7~419-24~436-41: ph || B ph || ph || gl ∫ ph |||.
13 Ba. 402-5: ph || ph || gl ∫ ph : ἱκοίμαν ποτὶ Κύπρον, || νᾶcον τᾶc Ἀφροδίταc, || ἵν’ οἱ
θελξίφρονεc νέμον– ∫ ται θνατοῖcιν Ἔρωτεc.
14 Here is a list of all the examples where the period-end following the invocation is
confirmed by hiatus or breuis in longo: Alc. 221a, ὦναξ Παιάν|| Ha , 568-9 ὦ πολύξεινοc καὶ
ἐλευθέρου ἀνδρὸc ἀεί ποτ’ οἶκοc || Ba , Med. 1274 ἰὼ τλᾶμον, ὦ κακοτυχὲc γύναι || H , Hi. 141
†cὺ γὰρ† ἔνθεοc, ὦ κούρα || H , 362a ἄιεc ὤ, ἔκλυεc ὤ || H , 1144 ὦ τάλαινα μᾶτερ || B , Hec. 444
αὔρα, ποντιὰc αὔρα || H , 684 ὦ τέκνον τέκνον || B (cf. Hyps. fr. 64, 91 Bond: … τέκνον ὦ τέκνον
|| B = TrGFS Hyps. 276-7, where the effect is lost with Diggle’s colometry = Hyps. Fr. 759a, 1612
Kannicht), Tr. 1238 ὦ φίλταται γυναῖκεc || B , IT 894 τάλαινα τάλαινα || B , Ion 907 ὠή, τὸν
Λατοῦc αὐδῶ || H , Hel. 1341 βᾶτε, cεμναὶ Χάριτεc || B , 1497 παῖδεc Τυνδαρίδαι || Bs , Ph. 1290
ἰώ μοι πόνων, ἰὼ Ζεῦ, ἰὼ Γᾶ || H , 1293 τάλαιν’ ἐγὼ τάλαινα || B , 1532 πάτερ γεραιέ, δεῖξον || B ,
1550 πάτερ, οἴμοι || H (cf. 1559), Or. 317-8 δρομάδεc ὦ πτεροφόροι | ποτνιάδεc θεαί || H ,
1454a Ἰδαία μᾶτερ μᾶτερ || B , 1537a ἰὼ ἰὼ τύχα || H , Ba. 152 ὦ ἴτε βάκχαι || H , 413 πρόβακχ’ εὔιε
δαῖμον || B , IA 280 Ἤλιδοc δυνάcτορεc || B , 1284 νιφόβολον Φρυγῶν νάποc || B , Rh. 346 ἥκειc,
ὦ ποταμοῦ παῖ || H , Phaeth. 240 ὦ μἀκαρ, ὦ βαcιλεὺc μείζων ἔτ’ ὄλβον || B ; cf. A. Pe. 1005 ἰὼ ἰώ,
δαίμονεc || B , ScT 97 μάκαρεc εὔεδροι || H , S. Phil. 177 ὦ παλάμαι θεῶν || Ba , 714 ὦ μελέα ψυχά
|| H , OC 237 ὦ ξένοι αἰδόφρονεc, Arist. Nub. 275~298. Examples within longer periods can be
found at Hcld. 748-50, Hec. 1088-90, Herc. 790-1, Hel. 211-2, 644 (cf. Willink [2010: 151]), Ph.
226-8, 801-2 and Ba. 120-2.
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