THE STORMY SEAS OF CYPRUS: POETICS OF EASTERN WANDERING John - PDF document

THE STORMY SEAS OF CYPRUS: POETICS OF EASTERN WANDERING John Franklin Homer and the Herodotean Cypria 1. Hdt. 2.116–7 (ed. Legrand): Ἑλένης µ ὲν ταύτην ἄπιξιν παρὰ Πρωτέα ἔλεγον οἱ ἱρέες γενέσθαι . Δοκέει δέ µ οι καὶ Ὅ µ ηρος τὸν λόγον τοῦτον πυθέσθαι· ἀλλ ’, οὐ γὰρ ὁ µ οίως ἐς τὴν ἐποποιίην εὐπρεπὴς ἦν τῷ ἑτέρῳ τῷ περ ἐχρήσατο , [ ἐς ὃ ] µ ετῆκε αὐτόν , δηλώσας ὡς καὶ τοῦτον ἐπίσταιτο τὸν λόγον . Δῆλον δέ , κατά περ ἐποίησε ἐν Ἰλιάδι ( καὶ οὐδα µ ῇ ἄλλῃ ἀνεπόδισε ἑωυτόν ) πλάνην τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρου , ὡς ἀπηνείχθη ἄγων Ἑλένην τῇ τε δὴ ἄλλῃ πλαζό µ ενος καὶ ὡς ἐς Σιδῶνα τῆς Φοινίκης ἀπίκετο . Ἐπι µ έ µ νηται δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐν Διο µ ήδεος Ἀριστηίῃ· λέγει δὲ τὰ ἔπεα ὧδε· ἔνθ ’ ἔσαν οἱ πέπλοι πα µ ποίκιλοι , ἔργα γυναικῶν Σιδονίων , τὰς [v.l. τοὺς ] αὐτὸς Ἀλέξανδρος θεοειδὴς ἤγαγε Σιδονίηθεν , ἐπιπλὼς εὐρέα πόντον , τὴν ὁδὸν ἣν Ἑλένην περ ἀνήγαγεν εὐπατέρειαν . ( Il . 6, 289-92) [ Ἐπι µ έ µ νηται δὲ καὶ ἐν Ὀδυσσείῃ ἐν τοῖσδε τοῖσι ἔπεσι· τοῖα Διὸς θυγάτηρ ἔχε φάρ µ ακα µ ητιόεντα , ἐσθλά , τά οἱ Πολύδα µ να πόρεν Θῶνος παράκοιτις Αἰγυπτίη , τῇ πλεῖστα φέρει ζείδωρος ἄρουρα φάρ µ ακα , πολλὰ µ ὲν ἐσθλὰ µ ε µ ιγ µ ένα , πολλὰ δὲ λυγρά . ( Od . 4, 227-33) Καὶ τάδε ἕτερα πρὸς Τηλέ µ αχον Μενέλεως λέγει· Αἰγύπτῳ µ’ ἔτι δεῦρο θεοὶ µ ε µ αῶτα νέεσθαι ἔσχον , ἐπεὶ οὔ σφιν ἔρεξα τεληέσσας ἑκατό µ βας . ( Od . 4, 351–2)]] Ἐν τούτοισι τοῖσι ἔπεσι δηλοῖ ὅτι ἠπίστατο τὴν ἐς Αἴγυπτον Ἀλεξάνδρου πλάνην· ὁ µ ουρέει γὰρ ἡ Συρίη Αἰγύπτῳ , οἱ δὲ Φοίνικες , τῶν ἐστι ἡ Σιδών , ἐν τῇ Συρίῃ οἰκέουσι . (117.) Κατὰ ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ἔπεα καὶ τόδε [ τὸ χωρίον ] οὐκ ἥκιστα ἀλλὰ µ άλιστα δηλοῖ ὅτι οὐκ Ὁ µ ήρου τὰ Κύπρια ἔπεά ἐστι ἀλλ ’ ἄλλου τινός · ἐν µ ὲν γὰρ τοῖσι Κυπρίοισι εἴρηται ὡς τριταῖος ἐκ Σπάρτης Ἀλέξανδρος ἀπίκετο ἐς τὸ Ἴλιον ἄγων Ἑλένην , εὐαέϊ τε πνεύ µ ατι χρησά µ ενος καὶ θαλάσσῃ λείῃ· ἐν δὲ Ἰλιάδι λέγει ὡς ἐπλάζετο ἄγων αὐτήν . Ὅ µ ηρος µ έν νυν καὶ τὰ Κύπρια ἔπεα χαιρέτω . This, said the (Egyptian) priests, was (the manner of) Helen’s arrival to Proteus. And it seems to me that Homer too had heard of this tale; but, since it was not as fitting for epic poetry as that which he actually used, he dismissed it— although he made clear that he knew this version too. And it is clear, exactly as he composed the wandering ( πλάνην ) of Alexander in the Iliad (and nowhere else did he contradict himself), that (Alexander) was blown off course ( ἀπηνείχθη ) as he led away Helen, and that he both wandered to elsewhere and came to Sidon in Phoenicia. He alludes to it in the Aristeia of Diomedes . He speaks the verses as follows: There she had mantles all embroidered, works of Sidonian women, whom (which?) godlike Alexander himself had led back from Sidon, sailing on the wide sea— the very route by which he led back noble Helen. ( Il . 6, 289-92) [He alludes to the tale also in the Odyssey , in the following verses: Such the cunning drugs which Zeus’ daughter had, High-quality, which Polydamna, wife of Thon, had given her, Lady of Egypt, where the fertile fields bear abundant Drugs—many useful once mixed, and many harmful. ( Od . 4, 227-33) And Menelaus says these other verses to Telemachus: The gods still held me, when I was minded to come hither home, In Egypt, since I did not make them sacrifice of perfect hecatombs. ( Od . 4, 351–2)] In these verses he makes clear that he knew the wandering of Alexander to Egypt. For Syria borders upon Egypt, and

the Phoenicians—whose city Sidon is—dwell in Syria. And according to these verses, not least but most of all, the following is also clear—that The Cypria is not by Homer but someone else. For in the Cypria it is said that Alexander arrived to Troy from Sparta on the third day leading Helen, ‘enjoying well-blowing wind and level sea’. But in the Iliad he says that (Alexander) wandered when he led her. Let that be enough about Homer and the Cypria . The Other Cypria 2. Procl. Chrest . 80 (Severyns) = Davies EGF p. 31; Bernabé PEG I, p. 39: Ἀ φροδ ί τη συν ά γει τ ὴ ν Ἑ λ έ νην τ ῷ Ἀ λεξ ά νδρ ῳ κα ὶ μετ ὰ τ ὴ ν μ ί ξιν τ ὰ πλε ῖ στα κτ ή ματα ἐ νθ έ μενοι νυκτ ὸς ἀ ποπλ έ ουσι . χειμ ῶ να δ ὲ α ὐ το ῖς ἐ φ ί στησιν Ἥ ρα . κα ὶ προσενεχθε ὶς Σιδ ῶ νι ὁ Ἀ λ έ ξανδρο ς α ἱ ρε ῖ τ ὴ ν π ό λιν . Aphrodite brings Helen and Alexander together and, after their love-making, they load very many of (sc. Menelaus’) possessions and sail off night by night. But Hera sends a storm upon them. And after being carried to Sidon, Alexander sacks the city. 3. [Apollod.] Epit . 3.4: Ἥρα δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐπιπέ µ πει χει µ ῶνα πολύν , ὑφ ’ οὗ βιασθέντες προσίσχουσι Σιδῶνι , εὐλαβού µ ενος δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος µ ὴ διωχθῇ , πολὺν διέτριψε χρόνον ἐν Φοινίκῃ καὶ Κύπρῳ . ὡς δὲ ἀπήλπισε δίωξιν , ἧκεν εἰς Τροίαν µ ετὰ Ἑλένης . Hera sends a great storm against them, under the force of which they make for Sidon; and Alexander, taking good care lest he be pursued, whiled away much time in Phoenicia and Cyprus . And when he no longer expected pursuit, he came to Troy with Helen. Kyprias, The Kypria , and the ‘Pride of Halicarnassus’ 4. Ath. Deipn . 682de (ed. Kaibel) ἀνθῶν δὲ στεφανωτικῶν µ έ µ νηται ὁ µ ὲν τὰ Κύπρια Ἔπη πεποιηκὼς Ἡγησίας ἢ Στασῖνος· Δη µ οδά µ ας γὰρ ὁ Ἁλικαρνασσεὺς ἢ Μιλήσιος ἐν τῷ περὶ Ἁλικαρνασσοῦ (FGrH 428 F 1) Κυπρία Ἁλικαρνασσέως [ δ ’] αὐτὰ εἶναί φησι ποιή µ ατα· κτλ . And of wreath-flowers the composer of the Cyprian Verses makes mention—(be it) Hegesias or Stasinos; in fact Demodamas (the Halicarnassan or Milesian) says in his book On Halicarnassus that this poem is by Kyprias of Halicarnassus. 5. ‘Pride of Halicarnassus’: Col. II, l. 46: (sc. Halicarnassus) Ἰλιακῶν Κυπρίαν τίκτεν ἀοιδοθέτην , ‘(Halicarnassus) begot Kyprias, the song-maker of Iliaka ’. For text, see Isager, S., 'The Pride of Halicarnassos. Editio princeps of an Inscription from Salmakis', ZPE 123 (1998), 1–23. Liar King: The Hosting by Kinyras / The Terracotta Fleet 6. Hom. Il. 11.19–23: δε ύ τερον α ὖ θ ώ ρηκα περ ὶ στ ή θεσσιν ἔ δυνε / τ ό ν ποτ έ ο ἱ Κιν ύ ρη ς δ ῶ κε ξειν ήϊ ον ε ἶ ναι . / πε ύ θετο γ ὰ ρ Κ ύ προνδ ε μ έ γα κλ έ ο ς ο ὕ νεκ ' Ἀ χαιο ὶ / ἐς Τρο ί ην ν ή εσσιν ἀ ναπλε ύ σεσθαι ἔ μελλον · / το ὔ νεκ ά ο ἱ τ ὸ ν δ ῶ κε χαριζ ό μενο ς βασιλ ῆϊ . Next in turn he donned the corselet round his chest / Which once Kinyras gave him as a hosting-gift. / For he had heard a great report on Cyprus—the Achaeans / Were to sail in ships to Troy—wherefore / He gave the corselet to him, cultivating favor with the king. 7. [Apollod.] Epit. 3.9–10: Ὅτι Μενέλαος σὺν Ὀδυσσεῖ καὶ Ταλθυβίῳ πρὸς < Κινύραν εἰς (suppl. West)> Κύπρον ἐλθόντες συ µµ αχεῖν ἔπειθον· ὁ δὲ Ἀγα µ έ µ νονι µ ὲν οὐ παρόντι θώρακα [ ς ] ἐδωρήσατο , ὀ µ όσας δὲ πέ µ ψειν πεντήκοντα ναῦς , µ ίαν πέ µ ψας , ἧς ἦρχεν . . . ὁ Μυγδαλίωνος , καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς ἐκ γῆς πλάσας µ εθῆκεν εἰς τὸ πέλαγος . (10) Ὅτι θυγατέρες Ἀνίου τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος Ἐλαῒς Σπερ µ ὼ Οἰνώ , αἱ Οἰνότροφοι λεγό µ εναι· αἷς ἐχαρίσατο Διόνυσος ποιεῖν ἐκ γῆς ἔλαιον σῖτον οἶνον . (He says) that Menelaus went with Odysseus and Talthybius to Kinyras in Cyprus, and tried to persuade him to join the battle. But he—he made a gift of a breastplate[s] for Agamemnon, who was not present; and vowing to send fifty