The Lyric Metres of Euripidean Drama - Universidade de Coimbra

Anapaestic
concentration of phrases that are self-contained syntactic and semantic cells,
marked off from each other by metron-diaeresis, is particularly noticeable in
so called Klaganapäste, where we sense a deliberately halting, ‘unflowing’ mode
of lyric utterance. 79 Consider, for instance, Hecuba’s anapaestic lament at Hec.
154-61, where only 156 (with its ‘pitying’ 80 paregmenon δειλαία δειλαίου)
lacks metron-diaeresis:
οἲ ἐγὼ μελέα, : τί ποτ’ ἀπύcω;
ποίαν ἀχώ, : ποῖον ὀδυρμόν,
δειλαία δειλαίου γήρωc
δουλείαc : τᾶc οὐ τλατᾶc,
τᾶc οὐ φερτᾶc; : ὤμοι μοι.
τίc ἀμύνει μοι; : ποία γενεά,
ποία δὲ πόλιc; : φροῦδοc πρέcβυc,
φροῦδοι παῖδεc.
In other monodies — the lyric genre where anapaests are most often
used by Euripides —, this intrinsic lack of fluidity does not always suit the
overflowing intensity of feeling that usually prompts song in the first place;
so it is not surprising that Hippolytus, overburdened with choking emotions,
should shift into iambic after an opening run of anapaests (Hi. 1370-8),
the better to pour out his feelings in an unrestrained gush of syncopation,
resolution and word-overlap (1379-88).
Coincidentally, Hippolytus’ monody presents a bizarre instance of two
anapaestic dimeters in synartesis (Hi. 1374-5):
†προcαπόλλυτέ μ’ ὄλλυτε τὸν δυcδαί- ∪ ∪ — ∪ ∪ — ∪ ∪ — — — 2 an ∫
μονα· † ἀμφιτόμου λόγχαc ἔραμαι ∪ ∪ — ∪ ∪ — — — ∪ ∪ — 2 an
Barrett’s claim (comm. Hi. p. 405) that ‘such overruns are admissible in
lyric anapaests’ slightly overstates the case since, other than Or. 1434-5, there
is only one other (doubtful) instance in Euripides. 81 Dale ( 2 1968: 68) considers
αἰαῖ : τρομερὰν φρίκαι | τρομερὰν φρέν’ ἔχω…, Or. 1426 Φρυγίοιc ἔτυχον : Φρυγίοιcι νόμοιc,
IA 129-30 οὐκ οἶδε γάμοιc : οὐδ’ ὅτι πράccομεν, | οὐδ’ ὅτι κείνωι…, 1327-9 τοῖcι δὲ λύπαν :
τοῖcι δ’ ἀνάγκαν, | τοῖc δ’ ἐξορμᾶν, : τοῖc δὲ cτέλλειν, | τοῖc δὲ μέλλειν. For other examples, see
Diggle (1996: 195) and comm. Phaeth. p. 115.
79 West (1982: 122) prefers to link up the ‘halting’ quality of anapaestic lyric with catalexis,
rather than with metron diaeresis.
80 Cf. Willink (2010: 163 n. 78). As it happens, the two other dimeters in this sequence also
lacking metron-diaeresis involve the same adjective: Hec. 203 γήραι δειλαία δειλαίωι and 206a
μόcχον δειλαία δειλαίαν.
81 Hyps. fr. 8/9. 13-4 Bond (2 an ∫ an) = Fr. 753c, 19-20 Kannicht. But we can alternatively
divide ‘an | 2 an’; so the example is far from decisive.
47