Anacreontics

Anacreontics

Anacreontics (from the name of the Greek poet Anacreon), 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 Cowley, 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:

:"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 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.

References

*1911

ee also

*Anacreontic Society


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Anacreon — /euh nak ree euhn/, n. c570 c480 B.C., Greek writer, esp. of love poems and drinking songs. * * * or Anakreon born с 582 BC, Teos, Ionia died с 485 Last great lyric poet of Asian Greece. Only fragments of his poetry have survived. Though he may… …   Universalium

  • Friedrich von Hagedorn — (April 23, 1708 October 28, 1754), German poet, was born at Hamburg, where his father, a man of scientific and literary taste, was Danish minister.He was educated at the gymnasium of Hamburg, and later (1726) became a student of law at Jena.… …   Wikipedia

  • Anacreontic Song — The Anacreontic Song was the official song of the Anacreontic Society, an 18th century club of amateur musicians in London who gathered regularly to perform concerts. The song is commonly (albeit incorrectly) referred to as To Anacreon in Heaven …   Wikipedia

  • Anacreontic Society — The Anacreontic Society was a popular gentlemen s club of amateur musicians in London, named in honor of Anacreon, a lyric poet of Greece who lived and wrote in the sixth century B.C. The society s patron saint was Anacreon, the convivial bard of …   Wikipedia

  • Gabriello Chiabrera — (June 8, 1552 – October 14, 1638) was an Italian poet, sometimes called the Italian Pindar. Gabriello Chiabrera Biography He was of patrician descent, and was born at Savona, a little town in the domain of the Genoese republic, twenty eight years …   Wikipedia

  • Otto Julius Bierbaum — (June 28, 1865 – February 1, 1910) was a German writer. Bierbaum was born in Grünberg, Silesia. After studying in Leipzig, he became a journalist and editor for the journals Die freie Bühne, Pan and Die Insel. His literary w …   Wikipedia

  • Christopher of Mytilene — (Greek: Χριστόφορος Μυτιληναῖος, Christophoros Mytilenaios) was a Greek language poet living in the first half of the 11th century. His works include poems on various subjects and four Christian calendars. Biography Christopher was born in… …   Wikipedia

  • Amoretti — was a sonnet cycle written by Edmund Spenser in the 16th century. The cycle describes his courtship and eventual marriage to Elizabeth Boyle.Amoretti was first published in 1595 in London by William Ponsonby. It was printed as part of a volume… …   Wikipedia

  • Hagedorn, Friedrich von — ▪ German poet born April 23, 1708, Hamburg [Germany] died Oct. 28, 1754, Hamburg  poet who introduced a new lightness and grace into German poetry and was highly esteemed by his contemporaries.       Hagedorn s father was the Danish ambassador in …   Universalium

  • Hölty, Ludwig Heinrich Christoph — ▪ German poet born Dec. 21, 1748, Mariensee, Hanover died Sept. 1, 1776, Mariensee       German poet who is considered the most gifted lyric poet of the Göttinger Hain, a group of young poets who saw themselves as heirs of the great lyric poet… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”