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A Crux in the Poetics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

Extract

At the beginning of the Poetics Aristotle has these words: έποιìα δn` καì τσ τραγωιδίασ ποίησισ τι δ κωμωιδία καì διθυραμβοποιητικ καì τσ αλητικσ πλɛίστη καì κιθαριστικσ πσαι τυγχάνουσιν οσαι μιμήσɛισ τò σνολον. διαøρουσι δ άλλήλων τρισίν. ρ τι ' ν τέροισ μιμɛίσθαι τι τɛρα τι τέρωσ καì μ τòν αὐτòν τρόπον. Then, expounding ν τέροισ: ᾰπασαι μν ποιονται τν μίμησιν ν p'υθμι καì λόγωι καì ρμονίαι, τοτοισ ' η χωρìσ ἤ μɛμιγμένοισ οἶον ρμονίαι μν καì p'υθμι χρῴμɛναι μόνον ἤ τɛ αὐλητικ καì κιθαριστική … αὐτι δ τ'υθμι χωρìσ ρμονίασ τν ρχηστν. Here I omit the crucial sentence; he proceeds: οὐδν γρ ἂν ἔχοιμɛν νομάσαι κοινòν τ ὺσ σøρονος καì Ξɛνάρχον μίμουσ καì τοὺσ σωκρατικοὺσ λόσουσ, οὐδɛἴ τισ δι τριμέτρων ἤ λɛγɛiων ἤ τν ἄλλων τινν τν τοιοτων ποιοῖτο τν μiμησιπλν οἱ ἂνθρωποi γɛ συνπτοντɛσ τι μτρωι τò ποιɛῖν λɛγɛιοποιοὺσ τοὺσ δ ποποιοὺσ νομζουσιν. He develops this point about the use of the word ποιητσ to denote all writers who write in verse and finally, before ending his exposition of ν τροισ, says: ισ δ τινɛσ οἳ πσι χρνται τοῖσ ɛἰρημνοισ, λγω δ οἶον p'υθμι κα μλɛι καi μτρωι, ὢσπɛρ ἤ τɛ τν διθυραμβικν ποiησισ καῖ ἤ τν νჲμων καῖ ἤ τɛ τραγωιδiα καῖ κωμωιδiα.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Classical Association 1929

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References

page 76 note 1 γνɛι Ac, ν Forchhammer.

page 76 note 2 p'υθμι μιμονται … οι τνρχηστν Ac, μιμονται del. Spengel, Ar., Paris. 2038. μιμονται seems to have intruded from p'υθμν μιμονται in the next lin (where the exemplar or an ancestor of Ac may have had ρυθμω, cf. 55b 2 πɛισοδιο Ac, -ον B; 60a 27 τν ναπτρω Ac, -ρων B; and many other examples. Both Ac and B omit a final ν at, e.g., 61a I). It is the wrong word and spoils the balance of the sentence.

For another example of error caused by anticipation, cf. 52b 9 μρη πɛρῖ τατ' στιν, πɛριπτɛια (Ac, πɛρῖ om. B, Ar.) and 59b 36 διηγηματικ κανησισ … τò δ … τɛτρμɛτρον κινητικ (κανησισ Ac, μαμησισ B, Ar.). More commonly what follows is affected by what precedes, as in 59a 17 πɛρῖ δ τσ διηγημαγικσ καῖ ν μτρωι (Ac, μμτρου B. ? μτρον Ar.) μιμητικσ instead of διηγηματικσ ν μτρωι, μιμσɛωσ, or again 53a 29 δɛντρα … σστασισ, διπλν τɛ τν σστασιν χουσα, where μɛτβασιν is evidently meant.

page 76 note 3 τριμτρων is wildly improbable. Nobody was ever called τριμɛτροπιჲσ and Aristotle is made to say that the addition of ποιɛῖν to τραμɛτρον produces the name ποποαοσ. It is to be supposed he wrot ξαμτρων, though even this does not make his statement exactly accurate. Still hexameter and ἒποσ are so freely used as interchangeable terms that the looseness of expression is pardonable.

page note 79 1 Although it is irrelevant to the present matter, I take this opportunity of suggesting that at 60a 13 the proper correction of μλλον δ νδχɛται ν τι ποποιααι τò νλογον, δ' δ συμβαανɛι μλιστα τò θαυμαστჲν is not ᾰλογον but παρλογον, just as it is said at 52a 4 τατα (sc. øοβɛρ κα λɛɛιν) δ γανɛται … ˇταν γνηταιπαρ τν δჲξαν … τò γρ θαυμαστòν οτωσ ěξɛιμλλον. This is the only case in Ac of associative error that I call to mind.