The Mimiambs of Herodas: Translated into an English ‘Choliambic’ Metre with Literary-Historical Introductions and Notes

Description

The third-century BC Greek poet Herodas had been all but forgotten until a papyrus of eight of his Mimiambs (plus fragments) turned up in the Egyptian desert at the end of the 19th century. They have since been translated into various modern languages and supplied with scholarly commentaries. This book is the first to attempt to reproduce in English Herodas’ ‘choliambic’ or ‘limping’ metre (sic) - distinctive for its signatory reversed final foot, a variant on the standard Greek iambic trimeter. The present volume provides an accessible introduction to Herodas and his Mimiambs requiring no knowledge of Greek. The translation steers a judicious course between literal accuracy and fidelity to this linguistically very demanding poet’s spirit and intention. The contextual introductions and notes on the poems take into account the most recent scholarship, providing explanation of the context of the Mimiambs and guiding the reader to an appreciation of the poetry itself. The General Introduction places the author in his cultural world and context, namely urban society in the Ptolemaic Empire of the hellenistic period. This he conjures up in his Mimiambs with an often scathing vividness. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Dedication Contents General Introduction About this work Who was Herodas? The Hellenistic age Dramatic location of the Mimiamboi Alexandrian poetry The character and characters of the Mimiamboi Mime as genre Sex, slavery and class in the Mimiamboi Iambics The Mimiamb Herodas’ Greek and the present translation Diction Were the Mimiamboi staged or read? The Mimiamboi as a collection Herodas as theorist of art Metre Text Notes Mimiamb One Introduction Notes Mimiamb One: The Bawd Mimiamb Two Introduction Notes Mimiamb Two: The Brothel-Keeper Mimiamb Three Introduction Notes Mimiamb Three: The Schoolmaster Mimiamb Four Introduction Notes Mimiamb Four: Offerings to Asklepios Mimiamb Five Introduction Notes Mimiamb Five: A Jealous Woman Mimiamb Six Introduction Notes Mimiamb Six: Intimate Friends Mimiamb Seven Introduction Notes Mimiamb Seven: The Shoemaker Mimiamb Eight Introduction Notes Mimiamb Eight: The Dream The Fragments Introduction The Fragments IX–XIII Select Bibliography Index