¹ Note however that Vollmer, F., P.Papinii Statii Silvarum Libri(Leipzig, 1898), 432 (on Silv. 3.5.38) suggested a possible link between Statius move to Naples and Silvae 5.4: ‘Wahrscheinlich hatte die hier erwahnte Krankheit die V 4 beschriebene Schlaflosigkeit im Gefolge, die St. durch die Ortsveranderung zu beheben versuchte, s. IV 4.51 somnum et geniale secutus litus.’ However, the lack of context in Silv. 5.4 and the self-consciously literary character of the poem make such biographical speculations dangerous.Google Scholar

² Nock, A. D., 7 « 538(1948),158;Essays on Religion and the Ancient World (Oxford, 1972),711 n. 36.Google Scholar

³ Note e.g. Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy(second edition, London, 1961),242,258: ‘The age of Epicurus was a weary age, and extinction could appeal as a welcome rest from travail of spirit.’Google Scholar

⁴ Il. 14.261.

⁵ Cf. the sleeplessness of Agamemnon at the opening of Iliad 10 (Il. 10.1–20)

⁶ See Page, D. L., Alcman: the Partheneion (Oxford, 1951),159–61Google Scholar

⁷ I have followed Mynors in deleting line 528

⁸ For other parallels, see Pease′s A. S. edition (Cambridge, MA,1935) of Aeneid A, ad loc.

⁹ In discussion of Silvae 5.4 I am using the word ‘Statius’ as a convenient shorthand for ‘the speaker of the appeal to Somnus’. Contrast Vollmers more biographical approaches to the poem (see n. 1 above, p. 467 below).

¹⁰ The curvata cacumina of line 4 must be tree-tops. Although curvata could be applied either to mountains or to trees, the point is that the sea and the rivers and the cacumina are said to be still and motionless, as a result of the general calm affecting the whole world. Whereas mountains are motionless at all times, the sea, rivers and trees can be either in motion, or calm, according to the prevailing conditions. The whole point of Statius' description is that he is describing the effects and changes brought about by Somnus. The visual image of line 4 is comparable to Theb. 10.144,'demittunt extrema cacumina silvae', where Statius describes the effect on the natural world of the journey of Somnus.

¹¹ Auden W. H., Collected Poems (London, 1976),146–7.

¹² ‘About suffering they were never wrong, The Old Masters: how well they understood Its human position; how it takes place While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along...’

¹³ The parallel with Auden seems valid on another level, in that both Statius and Auden are recalling earlier artistic creations, for both poems derive part of their validity from this source, Auden referring to the works of the ‘Old Masters’, in particular Breughel′s Icarus (e.g. ‘In Breughel′s Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away / Quite leisurely from the disaster...’), whilst Statius alludes to Virgil and other texts

¹⁵ Pastoral does, however, combine this figure with the opposite device of the pathetic fallacy compare the juxtaposition of the two motifs at Theocritus, Id. 1.65–78 and Virgil, Eel. 10.9–15.

¹⁶ The gentleness of sleep in Homer is suggested by such epithets as . The epithet used only of sleep, is usually related to ἢδυμος and δς (though see Il. 2.2).

¹⁷ Cf. the Homeric phrase ὒπνου δρον (Il. 7.482, 9.713, Od. 16.481, 19.427).

¹⁸ Perhaps compare Silius Italicus 10.345–50 where Juno reassures Somnus that she does not expect him to accomplish as great a task as overcoming Jove or Argus; all that is required is that he send a dream to Hannibal.

¹⁹ One would, if anything, expect rivers to be more audible at night in the absence of other noise.

²⁰ Is ‘te, Somne, repellit’ (15) a parodic reversal of ‘te, Palinure, petens’ (Virgil, Aen. 5.840)?

²¹ E.g. Fasti 3.675–96 (Anna Perenna's deception of Mars) and 327ff. (Numa's encounter with Jove).

²² Am. 1.13.3–4

²³ Am. 1.13.35–6

²⁴ Am. 1.13.17–18

²⁵ Am. 1.13.5–6

²⁶ Pomeroy A.J., ‘Somnus and Amor: the Play of Silvae 5.4’, QUCC, N.S. 24(1986),91–7, at 95:‘ But for Statius to view the rounds of the stars and actually feel the downfall of dew, he can hardly be lying in bed. Waiting outside or gazing from his window, he is clearly watching for the return of Somnus,!ike a wayward lover.’

²⁷ The most celebrated example of insomnia affecting one lying in bed is Achilles, grieving for Patroclus (Il. 24.1–13, cited above). The almost proverbial status which was later accorded to his insomnia is testified by Juvenal 3.279–80 'noctem patitur lugentis amicum / Pelidae, cubat in faciem, mox deinde supinus'. See also Catullus 50.10–15, Ovid Am.1.2.1–4, Propertius 1.14.21, Valerius Flaccus 7.21, Juvenal 13.218 and Seneca, De tranquittiate animi2.6,2.12 (where the same comparison with Achilles occurs) for insomnia being characterized by tossing and turning in bed. An exception to this general tendency is Suetonius, Caligula50.3, who notes that Caligula, growing weary of lying in bed would sometimes sit on his bed, and sometimes wander about among the porticoes, longing for the onset of dawn (see n. 29).

²⁸ For the cool of early morning compare Ovid, Am. 1.13.7 ‘nunc etiam somni pingues et frigidus aer’.

²⁹ For the desire to see the dawn after a sleepless night, compare Catullus 50.12 ‘cupiens videre lucem’. Note also Iliad 24.12–13 (quoted above).

³⁰ Note also the similarity between the openings of Medea′s and Statius‘ complaint. Valerius Flaccus 7.9–10: ’nunc ego quo casu vel quo sic pervigil usque / ipsa volens errore trahor?1 Statius, Silv. 5.4.1–3:‘ crimine quo merui, iuuenis placidissime divum,/ quove errore miser, donis ut solus egerem,/ Somne, tuis?’

³¹ Am. 1.13.47–4: ‘iurgia finieram. scires audisse; rubebat,/ nee tamen adsueto tardius orta dies.’

³² On the seriousness of prolonged insomnia during both day and night, see Celsus 2.4.2

³³ Cf. Silius Italicus 10.345–7:... non mille premendi sunt oculi tibi, nee spernens tua numina custos Inachiae multa superandus nocte iuvencae.

³⁴ Perhaps compare Silius Italicus 10.343–5, where Juno tells Somnus that he is not required for ‘maioribus... / ausis’. For mortal reluctance to ask too much of a god compare e.g. Ovid, Ex P. 1.8.71–2.

³⁵ Note that this passage also refers to the virga of Mercury (on which see below).

³⁶ Ovid, Met. 1.713–21

³⁷ In the Iliad the body of Sarpedon is rescued by Hypnos and Thanatos, who are described as διδυμοςιν (‘twins’) at 11. 16.672,682. Cf. 11. 14.231, Hesiod, Theog. 756, Virgil, Aen. 6.278 'consanguineus Leti Sopor', Pausanias 5.18.1. Note also metaphorical descriptions of death as sleep: κοιμςατο χλκεον ὒπνον (Il. 11.241); 'olli dura quies oculos et ferreus urget / somnus (Virgil, Aen. 10.745–6).

³⁸ On the difficulties of lumina morte resignat, see Pease and Austin ad loc, whose view that Mercury opens the eyes of the dead on the funeral pyre (they had previously been closed by relatives) I have followed

³⁹ II. 24.343–5, Od. 5.47–9. The details of the staffs deathly attributes are not however in Homer, who merely refers to the giving and withholding of sleep

⁴⁰ Note also leviter (Silv. 5.4.19), perhaps recalling levis, applied to Somnus at Aen. 5.838.

⁴¹ Pomeroy, op. cit. (n. 26). henceforth referred to as 'Pomeroy'.

⁴² Pomeroy 9 1:‘Statius’ purpose from the beginning of the poem is to lure the god into his bed and the themes used are designed to achieve this.

⁴³ Pomeroy 93–4.

⁴⁴ Pomeroy 92.

⁴⁵ Pomeroy 95.

⁴⁶ Pomeroy 97.

⁴⁷ For insomnia as a symptom of love, see the list of passages collected by McKeown on Ovid Am. 1.2.1–4.

⁴⁸ heu si Barth:heus M.

⁴⁹ F. Vollmer, op. cit. (n. 1),546.

⁵⁰ Note also that Silvae 5 was almost certainly published posthumously; the poems were probably arranged by an editor. See further Laguna, G., Estacio, Silvas III. Introduction, Edition Critica, Traduccion y Comentario (Madrid, 1992),11–12.Google Scholar

⁵¹ For such generic ‘deceiving’, see F. Cairns, Tibullus:A Hellenistic Poet at Rome (Cambridge,1979),166–91, who identifes this technique of false generic signposts in Tibullus.

⁵² I should like to thank Heyworth S. J., Hill D. E., Dr Laird A. J. W., Professor Nisbet R. G. M., Professor Winterbottom M. and the CQ referee for their valuable comments on earlier drafts of this paper.