Archaic Greek Lyric Poetry: Elegy and Iambic Forms
Lyric poetry has its roots in papyrus texts, which were often fragmented. The reader must participate in the creation of the story when there are gaps. This fragmentation is so important that it even comes to writing poetry. Lyric poetry is associated with music and even dancing. Although in some respects it is heir to the epic, it has some unique characteristics. Different genders use different dialects. The different types are the elegy and iamb, the Homeric poems, and choral lyrics.
Elegy and Iambic Poetry
The elegy takes the satisfaction of teaching and exhortation but decreases in confidence over time. It combines, on the one hand, sadness with the joy of the feast. Elegy and iambic poetry are accompanied by the flute and are recited in the Ionic dialect. The poets are local, based in a particular city. No roaming. The elegy shows a greater influence of Homeric poetry than iambic poetry. The area where these compositions develop is the banquet.
The most important feature of iambic poetry is that it is written in iambic, composed of a short syllable followed by a long syllable, which results in very agile meters, very close to conversation. Iambic poetry may have originated in bawdy, satirical songs for the worship of Dionysus and Demeter and popular sayings. These are compositions of invective (insult) and virulent poetry. It is the precedent of comedy and dialogue of the tragedy, with a tone of jest and obscene abundance (like the comedy of Aristophanes).
Key Authors and Their Contributions
- Archilochus: (7th century BCE) He writes with great independence and personality. In his poems, we see attack and censorship.
- Tyrtaeus of Sparta and Callinus of Ephesus: Their work is characterized by themes of war and patriotism.
- Semonides of Amorgos: (7th-6th centuries BCE) A feature that appears as a continuum in his work is misogyny. He even associates women with animals.
- Solon: He is characterized by his dual role as a poet and politician. He stresses the defense of the ideal of justice (if there is no justice, there is no social justice). He emphasizes the value of responsibility. There is in him a steady tone that is educational and hortatory. He uses iambic to seriously defend his politics, also in conjunction with pleasures and the banquet.
- Mimnermus of Colophon: (7th century BCE) He was probably an itinerant poet. His main theme is love. He sings to his beloved. He is the precedent of love elegy. He captures the idea of enjoyment of life and the vision of old age as the worst.
- Hipponax of Ephesus: (Late 6th century BCE) In his compositions, humor and obscene comments abound. He parodies the high and solemn epic language.
- Theognis of Megara: Of aristocratic origin. The writers had very different perspectives depending on their position. He defends aristocratic ideals but is aware of the transformations of the city and argues that the aristocrats should defend their interests with guile. Not all the texts attributed to him are his, as he was much imitated.
The public are the inhabitants of the city, and they are encouraged to do something, like cultivating justice, defending the interests of the polis, etc. When the poet speaks, the country speaks. It is the voice of the interests of the people.
Choral Lyric
These are compositions to be performed at parties. Poets are almost always traveling. The myth is very important, especially in the central part of the work. Choral lyric has a threefold structure:
- Appeal: Invocation to the Divine.
- Mythical Nature: The core narrative.
- Epilogue: Concluding remarks.
According to the metric, it also has a ternary structure, but that does not have to correspond with the thematic structure:
- Strophe
- Antistrophe
- Epode
They have a greater extent than monodic compositions. The dialect in which they are recited contains elements of Ionian and Dorian. There is an evolution in the genre: initially, the themes treated were more divine, and heroic themes are becoming more human.