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Definingthe(Latin)epyllion:somerecapitulations
27
Suchmethodofinterpretationshouldprovideamorethoroughandsystematicin-
sightintothezpoetics,–orsimplyzgenre,
,ifwedonothesitatetousetheterminreference
totheepyllion–employedintheirworksbyDracontiusandbytheanonymousauthor
oftheAegritudo.Infact,itshouldalsohelptodemonstratethatwhatmakesthesepoems
zepyllic,maybenotmerely“theinterestinelaboratestructure…therecurringinterest
ineroticthemes,includingthemorepeculiarbywaysofthesubject…apreferencefor
little-knownmythsandforobscureorinventedversionsoffamousstories,”64whichare,
inefect,theonlyzcrucial,featurespersistinginDracontius,sworksrecognizedbyBright.
Iwouldstilladdthatmyaimhereisnotsomuchtodeterminezhowepyllictheepyllia
writtenbytheLatinpoetsinVandalAfricaare,
.WhatIintendtofocusonisratherthe
questiontowhatextentthesepoemsgainedtheirspecificshapeandcharacterprecisely
duetotheemploymentofstrategiestypicaloftheepyllion.
Consequently–thisconcernsthepartofmystudydevotedtoDracontius,sfourtexts
–IshallnotanalyzethemasBrightdid,onebyoneasalmostself-containedunits.Inhis
concludingobservationstheCanadianscholaremphasizedthepoet,seclecticism,oneof
theresultsofwhichisthefactthat“thepoemsarequitediferentfromeachotheraswell
asfromthetraditionaltreatmentsoftheindividualthemes.Onepoemislikeapanto-
mime,thenextlikeatragedy,andthenextlikearomance.”65Itishardlyquestionablethat
thetextsarediferentforthesimplereasonthattheytreatdiferentsubjectsand–thefact
shouldnotbeunderrated–thattheywerecomposedbyaveryversatileandaverygifed
author(inmyview,Dracontiusisoneofthemostinterestingtoread,indeed,oneofthe
bestpoetsofLatinlateantiquity).Nonetheless,itisnotwhollyfairtosaythattheyare
diferentbecauseoneresemblesapantomime,thenextatragedy,andthenextaromance.
Rather,asitwillbedemonstrated,suchelementscanbefoundin(almost)eachofthem;
whatmaydifer–anddoesdifer–istheproportion.Similarly,itshouldbetakeninto
considerationthatDracontius,sepylliadorevealacertaindevelopmentofhisartpoetica,
andevenofhismentalattitude,especiallyifwejuxtaposethe–undoubtedlyjuvenile,
albeitquitecharming–Hylas66withanyoftheotherthreesimplymorematureandmore
accomplishedworks.However,theversatilityofourpoet,aswellasthiszprogress,inhis
literary(andhuman)capacities,canbe,inmyview,mostefectivelydemonstratednot
whenwereadhistextsseparatelybutpreciselybyacomparativeanalysisofanalogous
qualitiesindiferentpoems.
OnemorecommentisneededbeforeIbeginthediscussion.AglanceatthetitlesofDra-
contius,sworksallowsustonoticethattheauthorchoosestopicsthatcouldbeconsidered
typicaloftheepylliontradition:theHylasmyth,treatedinakindofepyllicnarrativeal-
64Bright1987:249.
65Bright1987:248.
66DiazdeBustamante(1978:137)goesasfarastostateinreferencetotheHylas:“estamos
anteunadeclamatioscholasticaque,enmanosdeunpoetamenoshábilysinceroqueDraconcio,
resultariaillegible.”AgudoCubas(1978:306-328)islessstrictinherstatements,butshealsoem-
phasizesthediferencesbetweentheHylasandlaterDracontius,sepyllia.
