The Lyric Metres of Euripidean Drama - Universidade de Coimbra

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Trochaic
cretic + trochaic metron
Euripidean trochaic presents a perplexing parallel to the colon ‘ba + ia’
(discussed by Stinton 1990: 119-28): ‘cr + tr’, on which see Liapis (comm.
Rh., pp. 255-6) and Diggle (1994: 424 n. 19), who gives a list of possible
Euripidean examples, 57 on which I offer the following comments:
(i) Cycl. 608 λήψεται τὸν τράχηλον (⊗ — ∪ — — ∪ — ∪ | lk). Avoidable.
See Willink (2010: 328).
(ii) Hel. 231a ἔτεμε τὰν δακρυόεccαν (cr + tr). Not Euripidean? See
Lourenço (2000: 132-138).
(iii) Hel. 352 †ἅδε μοι τί τάδ’ ἀcύνετα† (— ∪ — ∪∪ ∪ ∪∪ ∪ | cr + pa).
This is part of a curious sequence of trochaic dimeters, where a syncopated first
metron is followed by a full trochee:
— — — ∪ — ∪ sp tr
— — ∪ ∪∪ ∪ — ∪ pa tr
† — ∪ — ∪∪ ∪ ∪∪ ∪† cr tr
This passage is analysed differently by Dale 58 and Kannicht 59 ; neither
divides so as to give a cr + tr colon. Since the line is corrupt, for our present
purpose it need not be taken into account.
(iv) Hel. 358 Ἴ- ∫ δαc ἐνίζοντι Πριαμί-∫ δαι (2 cr ∫ cr + tr ∫ lk). The text is
conjectural (ἀοιδαὶ cέβιζον Πριαμίδά L: ίδάc Tr 3 ); see Diggle (1994: 421-4).
Dale (Helen, p. 88), albeit with a different text (αὐ- ∫ δᾶι cεβίζοντι Πριαμί- ∫
δαι), was prepared to accept cr + tr. Kannicht obelizes τῶι τε †cύραγγ’ ἀοι- ∫
δαὶ cέβιζον† Πριαμί-, and inexplicably analyses this last colon as — ∪ — —
∪ ∪∪ ∪ (II: 105). Stinton’s divisions (τῶι τε cύριγγ’ ἀοι- ∫ δᾶι cεβίζοντι
Πριαμί- ∫ δαι ποτ’ ἀμφὶ βουcτάθμουc: 2 cr ∫ tr + cr ∫ lk: cf. 1990, 39) skirt cr
+ tr, but do not solve the problem, as they give a trochaic metron with long
anceps, a suspicious phenomenon in late Euripidean iambo-trochaic lyric.
Willink (2010: 178 n. 29) divides τῶι τε cύριγγαc Ἴ- ∫ δαι cεβίζοντι Πρια- ∫
μίδαι κτλ, giving cretics ending in an iambic dimeter, against which Diggle
makes the valid objection that it would be better to close with a lecythion,
the phrase used by Euripides to close each stanza in the parodos as well
as Helen’s contributions in this lyrical exchange (cf. 1994: 424 n. 20). In
view of the insoluble nature of the textual problems (no colometric course is
57 There is a further instance, in Günther’s text and colometry, at IA 1300.
58 Dividing Εὐρώταν θανόντοc | εἰ βάξιc ἔτυμοc ἀνδρὸc ἅδε μοι | τί τάδ’ ἀcύνετα, Dale
(Helen, p. 88) analyses sp + tr | sp + 2 tr | 2 tr.
59 Εὐρώταν θανόντοc | εἰ βάξιc ἔτυμοc ἀνδρὸc ἅδε μοι | τί τάδ’ ἀcύνετα φόνιον αἰ- ∫ ώρημα
κτλ: sp + tr | pa + tr + cr || lk ∫ pa + tr + cr || (Kannicht, vol. II: 105). However, as we shall see
presently, a lecythion in synartesis with the following colon is a sequence Euripides appears to
have avoided (cf. below, p. 41 with n. 64).
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