Eros in Anacreontea 11
Copyright James Jope
This
paper examines the neglected erotic content of Anacreontea
1, which suggests that the speaker is chosen for induction to
Anacreontic poetry as an eromenos
of Anacreon, and explores its relevance for the Anacreontic
collection.
The
Anacreontea are a collection of poems once attributed to Anacreon
which were largely neglected after they were shown to be spurious.
They have attracted greater interest since Patricia Rosenmeyer, in
her influential literary interpretation of this collection, described
it as a tradition of authors imitating Anacreon not as rivals (the
norm in ancient literature) but as admirers. Although Anacreon
himself had also written invective, his followers from the
Hellenistic to the Byzantine emulated an image of Anacreon which was
essentially restricted to his erotic and symposiastic interests.
According to Andrew Lear (2008), Anacreon himself set a precedent for
this narrowed range, as he adopted a sort of ‘alternative’
symposiastic lifestyle, apolitical and carefree, driven by pleasure
and eschewing engagement in ‘serious’ pursuits.
The
Anacreontic poems are set in a laid-back fantasy world of vinous
indulgence and erotic desire where toil (ponoi),
and cares (merimnas)
are eschewed2.
A keynote is struck by Poem 2, calling for Homer's lyre but without
the bloody chord. As a corollary of this withdrawal, the
Anacreontics, like some of Anacreon's own poems, describe what Felix
Budelmann3
calls 'transferable' experiences: generic situations with little to
tie them to a particular time or place.
Considerations
of meter and dialect indicate that the Anacreontea comprise two
previous anthologies4:
a Hellenistic collection comprising mainly erotic poems, and a later
anthology of mostly symposiastic poems. It is generally agreed that
Poem 1 belongs to the earliest stratum, where it introduced the first
collection; whereas Poem 2 may have introduced the second.5
The speaker recounts a dream in which he encounters, and is gifted
by, Anacreon:
Ἀνακρέων
ἰδών με
ὁ Τήϊος μελωιδὁς
(ὂναρ λἐγω) προσεῖπεν ̇
κἀγὼ δραμὼν πρὸς αὐτόν
περιπλάκην φιλήσας.
γέρων μὲν ἦν, καλός δέ,
καλός δὲ καὶ φίλευνος ̇
τὸ χείλος ὦζεν οἴνου ̇
τρέμοντα δ’ αὐτὸν ἤδη
Ἔρως ἐχειραγώγει.
ὃ δ’ ἐξελὼν καρήνου
ἐμοὶ στέφος δίδωσι ̇
τὸ δ’ ὦζ’ Ἀνακρέοντος.
ἐγὼ δ’ ὁ μωρὸς ἄρας
ἐδησάμην μεtώπωι ̇
καὶ δῆθεν ἄχρι καὶ νῦν
ἔρωτος οὐ πέπαυμαι.
ed.
West
1984
“Anacreon,
the melodious singer from Teos, spotted me (in a dream) and called to
me. And I ran over and wrapped my arms around him and kissed him. He
was old, it is true, but handsome—handsome, and amorous too. His
lips smelled of wine, and he was already trembling, but Eros led him
by the hand. He took the garland off his head to give it to me. And
it smelled of Anacreon. I, like a fool, took it up and tied it around
my head; and from that moment to this very day I have been in love
constantly.” (my translation)
To
paraphrase: Anacreon calls the speaker, probably at a symposium6.
The speaker runs over, throws his arms around Anacreon and kisses
him, observing that Anacreon may be old, but he is good-looking, and
amorous7
too. Anacreon's kiss tastes of wine, and he is unsteady; but Eros
leads him by the hand. Anacreon removes the garland from his own head
and gives it to the speaker, who, noticing that it smells of
Anacreon, “foolishly” (moros)
puts it on his own head, and has been a lover ever since.
The
common interpretation sees the dream simply as a poetic investiture,
with Anacreon in the role of the muse and the garland conveying
inspiration8.
This is incomplete. Garlands were commonly a gift of paederastic
lovers. Scholars have taken little notice of the erotic aspect, some
endeavouring to rationalize it away. K. Bartol9
argues that poetic investiture excludes erotics; whereas in fact they
are interwoven here. Glenn W. Most10
suggests that the speaker is cast as Anacreon's eromenos,
but he does not explore the implications of this trope.
This
is a queer investiture indeed--not an encounter with serious
divinities like those which inspired epic or didactic poetry, but, I
shall argue, an appropriately seriocomical induction to the
insouciant genre of Anacreontic lyric. Ignoring the erotic content
has unnecessarily problematized the poem. Why a garland? which, as
even Bartol concedes, is more reminiscent of paederastic courtship
than of poetic investiture. Why does the speaker feel that he was
foolish to accept the gift? Some answer11
that the writer has suffered from the burden of writing the poetry
inspired here; but the only aspect of the Anacreontic poems that is
burdensome is erotic passion, not writing the poems. In fact, Poem 60
advocates writing poetry to allay that passion. What mysterious words
did Anacreon say to his epigone, and why is there no report of
specific instructions like those given by the Muses to Hesiod? But if
this is also an erotic encounter, the point is simply that Anacreon
initiates it, as erastai
conventionally did. The opening line of an erotic encounter--
especially by a drunken lover-- is often trivial. Finally, what is
the role of Anacreon himself? He is not divine or immortal, yet he
can inspire.12
But unlike the Muses, Anacreon inspires by example. Anacreon himself
pursued the life of pleasure and composed this kind of poetry. And
the project of the Anacreontic poets is to follow his example.
Let
us look again at the speaker’s dream. When the author runs to kiss
Anacreon, this could be simply philia.
But it is Eros who leads Anacreon to offer his garland to the author,
and lest there be any doubt about the flavour even of poetic
inspiration imparted under this god's tutelage, the author cites an
olfactory stimulus: The garland smells of Anacreon: the musky scent
of the man after drinking and dancing13.
And
the speaker reacts to his scent not with aversion, but by eagerly
taking and wearing the garland. The signals of erotic motivation are
too clear for the scene to involve only a conventional poetic
investiture.
Anacreon,
the speaker says, is old, but still good-looking (kalos).
This cannot mean, in this context, as Bartol14
suggests, that he resembles more conventional agents of inspiration
like the Muses in some aspect other than physical attractiveness. The
word here means precisely physical attractiveness. Rosenmeyer15
mentions that an early statue of Anacreon emphasized his virility,
and that even though he is pictured as old, at least one vase
painting seems to label him kalos.
Paul Zanker describes a type of portrait statue which he calls the
'handsome old man' (kalos
geron).
This type began in portraits of Homer, but was later used for others.
Regarding Homer, Zanker writes:
Old age does not
carry negative connotations here... Signs of decrepitude in the
cheeks, temples, and the... eyes are indicated with the utmost
discretion. This Homer is a handsome old man... full of dignity...
beauty and nobility. (p. 16)
A
Periclean statue of Anacreon was influenced by this type. Portrayed
as a symposiast, he is shown nude,
...with a
handsome, ageless physique. Only ...subtle hints of advancing age.
(p. 25)
...his nudity
celebrates the perfection of the body, just as those of younger men.
(p. 30)
If
our poet envisioned Anacreon in this way, his attraction is
understandable. And it is likely that he did so. This portrait type
was followed in Hellenistic copies; and Hellenistic literary texts
often alluded and responded to familiar statuary.16
Some
Anacreontic poems feature comical scenes. Eros too can be targeted,
although his power can still assert itself. For example, in Poem 6 he
is small enough to be swallowed by the poet, and Poem 35 mocks his
childishness. Poem 1 too has a comical strain. The inebriated old man
needing help to walk, and the speaker's eager response (too eager by
some Greeks’ standards) are comical images, as is especially Eros
assuming the role of a slave or kindly helper by guiding the old man;
anyone acquainted with these and other Hellenistic poems well knows
that the sneaky little god must be up to mischief. But the amorous
old drunk fits the stereotype of Anacreon throughout this collection.
And the eagerness of the speaker shows that he is expressing genuine
admiration and attraction. These comic features may signal that the
eroticism need not be taken too seriously: It is rather a pointed
symbol of the literary liaison of the epigone with Anacreon. The
author’s devotion to his model is like that of a responsive
eromenos
to his suitor and mentor.
Of
course we do not know the author's age in real life.17
But he was certainly younger than Anacreon, whether we mean the
image or the poet. And he sees himself as an admirer who here becomes
inspired. We seem to have here an expression, perhaps a recollection,
or at any rate a representation of erotic love for the older poet by
a presumably youthful poet about to embark on his creative career.
And it is a 'transferable' experience which other poets aspiring to
imitate Anacreon could have shared. Hence its suitability as an
introductory poem.
This
erotically mediated literary succession must have reminded Greek
readers of educational paederasty. After all, the young man acquires
his mentor’s expertise in love and poetry.
But
Greek readers would also notice a difference. Educational
relationships, like the philosophical pederasty advocated by the
early Stoics18
or even athletic training19
would always involve prolonged and laborious training-- like the
cares (merimnas)
and toils (ponoi)
eschewed by Anacreontic poets. Anacreon himself had abandoned the
educational function along with other ‘serious’ pursuits.20
And the Anacreontic poems repeatedly reject arduous learning in
favour of quick inspiration by eros or wine. In Poem 49 wine
“teaches” the poet to dance. In 52, the poet rejects the rules
and rigours (anankas)
of the rhetors for such easy learning. In 58, the poet's temptation
to pursue wealth occurs when his heart (thymos),
not his brain, encourages him to “think big” (hyperphronein).
And in Poem 19 Eros himself does not wish to leave the service of
Beauty, because he has been taught (dedidaktai)—i.e.,
conditioned, obviously by pleasure rather than study-- to serve. All
of these poems exhibit a rejection of arduous learning and a
preference for heady inspiration. But here, precisely, is an
Anacreontic style of succession: Anacreon hands over the garland
under the god’s oversight and the eromenos
instantly morphs into an erastes.
Here there is no instruction, only inspiration. Anacreon offers both
the benefit of educational paederasty and the ease of impulsive
liaisons. His lessons have no exercises.
Those
who would interpret the poem simply as a poetic investiture puzzle
over how Anacreon had the power to convey inspiration. But there is
no need to ascribe any preternatural power to Anacreon. The
competent deity himself (Eros) is present. And he is obviously
manipulating the event; for, the result of the encounter is that the
speaker cannot cease to be a lover (erotos).
The text does not say “to love Anacreon” or “to write poems”
(though he does both). The surprising result of inspiration in Poem
1, viz., that the dreamer becomes not just a poet, but a lover, is
less surprising if we remember that Poem 1 belongs to the first,
predominantly erotic collection, and that the Anacreontea imitate
Anacreon’s ‘alternative lifestyle’ as well as his poetry21.
Poem 60, at the end of the Anacreontea, contains the often quoted
exhortation “Imitate Anacreon” (ton
Anakreontea mimou).
What that poem advocates specifically is writing erotic poetry as a
safe way to mitigate searing passion. It is desire (eros)
that produces both the creativity of Anacreontic poets and the
anxiety which the final poem seeks to mitigate, and which of course
explains why the speaker in Poem 1 was ‘foolish’ to accept the
garland.
In
our poem, and throughout the collection, Anacreon is a role model.
Our poet’s attitude resembles that of a young admirer who desires
to follow in his footsteps. Close attention to the erotic
motif
has clarified previously problematized issues about this poem; it
casts new light on the devotion of Anacreontic poets to their model,
and incidentally provides a rare glimpse of the motivations which a
responsive eromenos
might have felt. Anacreon here is a role model, an erastes,
and a mentor; but all of these are human attributes. Since the
preternatural influence which transfers his poetic talent operates by
making the younger poet too an erastes,
it must come from the god. In spite of the playful treatment of Eros
in our poem, it is he who is the ultimate source of inspiration and
the presiding deity. If the speaker’s enthusiasm expresses itself
as erotic attraction when he becomes excited at the sudden appearance
of his handsome model, this would not seem so unusual in Hellenistic
Greece as it might today. In the Anacreontic setting, however, it is
more than appropriate.
The
poem, incidentally, also throws light upon the response of boys in a
pederastic relationship. The representation of an eromenos
in the first person singular, even if the words ascribed to him are
projected by an older author, is rare in the literature. But here we
have a plausible and positive representation of the subjective
experience (dream) of a responsive youth.
Comments? Questions? jamesjope@jamesjope.ca
Notes
1.This article originated as a
presentation at the annual meeting of the Classical Association of
Canada in Quebec City, 2016. Thanks to William A. Percy for bringing
the Anacreontea to my attention, and to Robert Fowler and Beert
Verstraete for advice on initiating my research.
2
Rosenmeyer also
stresses the absence of violence and of consummated sex. However,
there are exceptions. The violence of Eros shooting the poet in the
gut in Poems 13 and 33 is as graphic as an epic battle scene,
although it may be intended to parody such. And the rape in Poem 59:
20-24 is consummated, with serious consequences. West
1984: 46 notes: “puellae
suadetur... innuptae videlicet: nuptias igitur sponsas tantum
prodere potest.” While it is true
that sex is usually not consummated, this it is hardly an exclusive
feature of these poems; it motivates perhaps most love poetry.
3
Budelmann
2009:
234-235
4
West op.cit.:
pages
XVI-XVII.
For the argument based on
dialects see also Sens (2014).
5
For detailed discussion of the composition and
dates of the collection see Campbell, D.A. 1988: 14-18 and Edmonds,
J.M.: 1-16.
6
The setting of the dream is not described.
Most Anacreontic poems are set at a symposium, and there is no
reason why Poem 1 should be an exception. Anacreon has been
drinking, and dancing (hence his scent).
7
phileunos:
“amorous” is my translation. LSJ translate this as “fond of
the marriage bed”, but there is no reference to marriage either in
the word itself or in this poem. Edmonds emends to philoinos,
arguing that the context concerns drinking; but the reference to
drinking is only one detail of this erotic investiture. Rosenmeyer
translates “good in bed”, but the word denotes fondness for
rather than skill at making love.
8
Thus Rosenmeyer 1993 and Bartol 1993.
For more detailed discussion of the erotic content--albeit still
without acknowledging its importance--see Brioso Sánchez 1979, who
argues that Anacreon's portrayal simply epitomizes his standard
characteristics. But this does not explain the role of Eros and the
behaviour of the speaker.
9
Bartol 1993: 68
recognizes “eine
deutliche Anspielung auf das sympotische Modell einer homosexuellen
Situation”
but insists that “das
Bild kann aber zugleich anders interpretiert werden”.
10
Most
11
Bartol op.
cit.: 69; cf. Rosenmeyer op.
cit.: 67.
12
Gutzwiller 2014: 54-56 cites evidence that
Anacreon may have been treated as a hero in the Hellenistic period,
but I see no indication of that in this particular poem.
13
Readers who
consider the suggestion of sweat repugnant have postulated that the
scent is of wine or of myrrh. These undoubtedly sweetened the
bouquet, but the text says only that the garland smelled of
Anacreon.
14
op. cit. 69
15
op. cit. 28-29
16
Gutzwiller discusses several instances of
Hellenistic epigrams relating to statues of Anacreon. The essays
collected by Evelyne Prioux and Agnès
Rouveret 2010 explore in depth cross-references between the literary
and plastic media in the Hellenistic period.
17
More than one scholar believe that an
Anacreontic persona may be at least quasi-autobiographical.
Alexander Rudolph 2014: 131-144 argues that the 'I' in these poems
is more real than fictitious, because the literary setting is
anchored in the social setting of the symposium, where the speaker
plays a type role that could be experienced by any of the
participants.
18
For the sexual ethics of the early Stoics see
Schofield 1991 3-56.
19
For the athletics, see Hubbard 2003.
20
As Lear explains, the educational side of
pederasty was a ‘serious’ social duty. Stehle
2014: 250 suggests that Anacreon avoided educational involvement
because of its political repercussions, as he was hosted by tyrants.
The two motives need not be mutually exclusive.
21
For the imitation of the
Anacreontic lifestyle see also, e.g., Glenn W. Most 2014: 151.
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