Anacreontics
Encyclopedia
Anacreontics are verses in a meter
used by the Greek
poet Anacreon in his poems dealing with love and wine. His later Greek imitators (whose surviving poems are known as the Anacreontea) took up the same themes and used the Anacreontic meter. In modern poetry, Anacreontics are short lyrical pieces that keep the Anacreontic subject matter but not the meter.
and ¯ longum
). While the Anacreontic may well not be in its origin an "anaclastic" variant of the Ionic
dimeter (˘ ˘ ¯ ¯ ˘ ˘ ¯ ¯), the two meters have been associated since Anacreon, who often used them together in compositions.
One example of anacreontics from the corpus of Anacreon is fr. 11b PMG:
, who called a section of his poems "anacreontiques" because they were paraphrased out of the so-called writings of Anacreon into a familiar measure which was supposed to represent the meter of the Greek
.
Half a century later, when the form had been much cultivated, John Phillips
(1631-1706) laid down the arbitrary rule that an anacreontic line "consists of seven syllables, without being tied to any certain law of quantity." In the 18th century, the antiquary William Oldys
(1696-1761) was the author of a little piece which is the perfect type of an anacreontic; this begins:
In 1800 Thomas Moore
published a collection of erotic anacreontics which are also typical in form; Moore speaks of the necessity of catching "the careless facility with which Anacreon appears to have trifled," as a reason why anacreontics are often tame and worthless. He dwells, moreover, on the absurdity of writing "pious anacreontics," a feat, however, which was performed by several of the Greek Christian
poets, and in particular by Gregory of Nazianzus
and John of Damascus
.
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
used by the Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
poet Anacreon in his poems dealing with love and wine. His later Greek imitators (whose surviving poems are known as the Anacreontea) took up the same themes and used the Anacreontic meter. In modern poetry, Anacreontics are short lyrical pieces that keep the Anacreontic subject matter but not the meter.
The Greek meter
The Anacreontic verse or anacreonteus is the seven-syllable line ˘ ˘ ¯ ˘ ¯ ˘ ¯ ¯ (where ˘ = breveSyllable weight
In linguistics, syllable weight is the concept that syllables pattern together according to the number and/or duration of segments in the rime. In classical poetry, both Greek and Latin, distinctions of syllable weight were fundamental to the meter of the line....
and ¯ longum
Syllable weight
In linguistics, syllable weight is the concept that syllables pattern together according to the number and/or duration of segments in the rime. In classical poetry, both Greek and Latin, distinctions of syllable weight were fundamental to the meter of the line....
). While the Anacreontic may well not be in its origin an "anaclastic" variant of the Ionic
Ionic meter
The ionic is a four-syllable metrical unit of light-light-heavy-heavy that occurs in ancient Greek and Latin poetry. Like the choriamb, in classical quantitative verse the ionic never appears in passages meant to be spoken rather than sung...
dimeter (˘ ˘ ¯ ¯ ˘ ˘ ¯ ¯), the two meters have been associated since Anacreon, who often used them together in compositions.
One example of anacreontics from the corpus of Anacreon is fr. 11b PMG:
- ἄγε δηὖτε μηκέτ' οὕτω
- πατάγωι τε κἀλαλητῶι
- Σκυθικὴν πόσιν παρ' οἴνωι
- μελετῶμεν, ἀλλὰ καλοῖς
- ὑποπίνοντες ἐν ὕμνοις.
English Anacreontics
In English poetry, Anacreontics are the title given to short lyrical pieces, of an easy kind, dealing with love and wine. The English word appears to have been first used in 1656 by Abraham CowleyAbraham Cowley
Abraham Cowley was an English poet born in the City of London late in 1618. He was one of the leading English poets of the 17th century, with 14 printings of his Works published between 1668 and 1721.-Early life and career:...
, who called a section of his poems "anacreontiques" because they were paraphrased out of the so-called writings of Anacreon into a familiar measure which was supposed to represent the meter of the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
.
Half a century later, when the form had been much cultivated, John Phillips
John Phillips (author)
John Phillips was an English author, the brother of Edward Phillips, and a nephew of John Milton.Anne Phillips, mother of John and Edward, was the sister of John Milton, the poet. In 1652, John Phillips published a Latin reply to the anonymous attack on Milton entitled Pro Rege et populo anglicano...
(1631-1706) laid down the arbitrary rule that an anacreontic line "consists of seven syllables, without being tied to any certain law of quantity." In the 18th century, the antiquary William Oldys
William Oldys
William Oldys was an English antiquarian and bibliographer.The illegitimate son of Dr William Oldys, chancellor of Lincoln, London was probably his place of birth. His father had held the office of advocate of the admiralty, but lost it in 1693 because he would not prosecute as traitors and...
(1696-1761) was the author of a little piece which is the perfect type of an anacreontic; this begins:
- "Busy, curious, thirsty fly,
- Drink with me, and drink as I;
- Freely welcome to my cup,
- Could'st thou sip and sip it up.
- Make the most of life you may;
- Life is short and wears away."
In 1800 Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
published a collection of erotic anacreontics which are also typical in form; Moore speaks of the necessity of catching "the careless facility with which Anacreon appears to have trifled," as a reason why anacreontics are often tame and worthless. He dwells, moreover, on the absurdity of writing "pious anacreontics," a feat, however, which was performed by several of the Greek Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
poets, and in particular by Gregory of Nazianzus
Gregory of Nazianzus
Gregory of Nazianzus was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age...
and John of Damascus
John of Damascus
Saint John of Damascus was a Syrian monk and priest...
.