Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
PoeticInspiration…
whileweknownothingbutreport
WhowerethechiefsandprincesoftheDanaans.
(Il.II484147)9
11
TheMuseisbelievedtobeasourceofreliableinformation,morespecifically,
acertainkindofknowledge,whichinanyothercase,apartfrompoetryandora-
cles,wouldandshouldbeinaccessibletoameremortal.Homer’sMuse,provides
himwithinformation,mostlyknowledgeofthepast.Therefore,theneedforac-
curateinformation,asopposedtoamererumour,wasinterpretedastheauthor’s
desiretomake1preservation,thekeyaspectofhispoetry.Indeed,thearchaic
poetswereconsidered“historians”oftheirculture,guardingandmaintaining,in
theirpoems,traditionoftheirsocieties.
Homerviewedhispoetryasasourceofdivineknowledgebut,foremost,
asourceofpleasure.Wearetold,inOdysseythatDemodocus’talentishispower
togivedelightthroughhissong.TheMuses,thus,helpthepoettoenchantand
mesmerisehisaudience,inthemomentofdeliveringhissongtothelisteners.With
theassistanceofthegoddessesthebardisabletoseducehisaudienceandevoke
theatmosphereoftensionandcuriosity.Theassociationofpoetryandpleasureis
broughtupthroughoutIliadandOdyssey,forexamplewhenAchillesfindsdelight
inhislyre,singingepicpoetry:
tὸνδ΄εὗρoνIρένOtερπόpενoνIόρpiγγiλiγείῃ
KOλῇδOiδOλέῃ,ἐπlδ΄ἀργύρεoνζυγὸνἦεν,
tὴνἄρεt΄ἐξἐνάρωνπόλiνἨεtίωνogὀλέσσOg·
tῇὅγεGυpὸνἔtερπεν,ἄεiδεδ΄ἄρOKλέOἀνδρῶν.
andtheyfoundAchillesplayingonalyre,ofcunningworkmanship,
anditscross-barwasofsilver,
itwaspartofthespoilshehadtakenwhenhesackedthecityofEëtion.
Andhenowwasdivertinghimselfwithitandsingingthegloryofheroes.
(Il.IX1861189)
ortheSirenspromisethattheirsongwillbringbothpleasureandknowledge:ἀλλ΄
ὅγεtερψάpενogνεῖtOiKOlρλείoνOε.δÓg10.
AlthoughtheopeninglinesofIliad(ΜῆνiνἄεiδεGεὰ)seemtoconfirmthe
thesisofthepoetasapassiveinstrumentofthedeity,theinvocationbeforethe
CatalogueofShips,andthepoet’srequestforspecificinformationimplyhisactive
partasarecipientofthedivineknowledge.Hisrolebecomesmoreevidentinthe
9TheIliad.Ed.S.Butler.NewYork1999.
10Od.XII188.Seealso;Il.4721474,IX186,IX189;Od.I4211423,VIII429,XVIII3041
306,XVII6051606,XII188.
