Type 2559
(formerly typ/650)
| Τὸ μέτρον οὕτω τῶν ἰάμβων μοι νόει· | |
| καὶ τοὺς πόδας μὲν ἡ μέλισσα δεικνύτω | |
| τῶν συλλαβῶν δὲ τὴν ἀρίθμησιν κύκλον | |
| τὸν ζωδιακὸν εἰσορῶν μάνθανέ μοι. | |
| μέλλων δὲ μετρεῖν καὶ στίχους πλέκειν, φίλε, | |
| ἅπασαν ἐν νῷ τοῦ σκοποῦ τὴν εἰκόνα | |
| προσλαμβάνων ἄριστα τοὺς στίχους πλέκε. | |
| πρῶτον μὲν οὖν καὶ τρίτον ἢ πέμπτον πόδα | |
| ἴαμβος ἢ σπονδεῖος εὐτρεπιζέτω, | |
| τὸν δεύτερον δὲ καὶ τέταρτον ἀξίως | |
| ἴαμβον ἁπλοῦν εἰσφέρων ἑτοιμάσεις, | |
| ἔκτος δ’ ἴαμβῳ τέρπεται κόσμον φέρων | |
| καὶ πυρριχίῳ τὴν κάραν ὑψοῦ φέρει. | |
| ἔστωσαν οὖν σοι πυρρίχιος μὲν λόγος · | |
| σπονδεῖος Αἴας ἐκ μακρῶν χρόνων δύο · | |
| Λάχης δ’ ἴαμβος καὶ λέβης αὖ καὶ θέων. | |
| ἰδοῦ τὸ πᾶν εἴληφας ἐν βραχεῖ μέτρῳ . | |
| μαθὼν τὸ μέτρον, εὐφυῶς πλέκε στίχου[ς]. | |
| {ἰδὲ μέτρον ἰαμβικὸν ὦ φίλος ὧδε.} |
| Text source | D. Rasljic 2022, Two Greek Paratext Poems from the Manuscript Q No. 2 of the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Philologia Classica, 17(1), 113-124: 117-118 |
| Text status | Text completely known |
| Editorial status | Critical text |
| Genre(s) | Reader-related epigram |
| Person(s) | |
| Metre(s) | Dodecasyllable |
| Subject(s) | Grammar |
| Tag(s) | |
| Translation(s) |
This is how you should apprehend iambic meter; And the bee shall show the feet; As for counting the number of syllables, Look at the Zodiac cycle and learn from there. If you want to measure and weave verses, my friend, Bearing in mind the whole picture of the scope You shall weave the verses the best way. So, for the first, third and fifth foot Iamb or spondee should be acceptable. And second and fourth you will properly Prepare by introducing plain iamb. Sixth, bringing its adornment, enjoys iamb And holds its head proud high with pyrrhic. Now, for pyrrhic you should consider λόγος; For spondee Αἴας, forming two long syllables; Λάχης for iamb as well as λέβης and θέων. There, in short time you have learned completely your meter. Having learned this meter, weave now beautifully verses. Look, my friend, at this iambic meter. |
| Comment | Two manuscripts attribute this poem not to Michael Psellos, but to the monk Ioannikios (Ambros. H 22 sup. and Vat.Pal.gr. 92). Rasljic (2022: 116): "Thematically it is out of the question that a polymath as he was" (i.e. Psellos) "could write another poetical instruction on versification. But as it is known that numerous works are attributed to him only because of his importance and popularity, it might well be that the real author is left unknown." The last line occurs only in ms. Saint Petersburg, BAN Q No. 2. This poem also occurs in several other manuscripts, where it does not function as a book epigram. For a full list, see Rasljic (2022: 117). |
| Bibliography | |
| Number of verses | 19 |
| Occurrence(s) |
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| Acknowledgements |
Contributor(s)
The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete. |
| Identification | Vassis ICB 2005, 769: "Michael Psellus, De metro iambico" |
| Permalink | https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/2559 |
Last modified: 2023-08-25.
