Fr. 3 

      . . . .]. τα[. . . . . . . . . . . . . .]. . κῶς ἄν[ις αὐλῶν

           ῥέζειν καὶ στεφέων εὔαδε τῷ Παρίῳ 

 

Fr. 4 

      καὶ νήσων ἐπέτεινε βαρὺν ζυγὸν αὐχένι Μίνως

 

Fr. 5 

                          τὸ μὲν θύος ἤρχετο βάλλειν

 

Fr. 6 

      οἱ δ' ἕνεκ' Εὐρυνόμη Τιτηνιὰς εἶπαν ἔτικτεν

 

Fr. 7 

                      ]ες ἀνείμον[ες] ὡς ἀπὸ κόλπου

10       μητρὸς Ἐλειθυίης ἤλθετε βουλομένης,

      ἐν δὲ Πάρῳ κάλλη τε καὶ αἰόλα βεύδε' ἔχουσαι

           . . . . .] ἀπ' ὀστλίγγων δ' αἰὲν ἄλειφα ῥέει,  

      ἔλλατε νῦν, ἐλέγοισι δ' ἐνιψήσασθε λιπώσας

           χεῖρας ἐμοῖς, ἵνα μοι πουλὺ μένωσιν ἔτος.

Fr. 3 Harder (= 3 Pf., = 5 Mass.)
  1 PSI 1219, 21, [image], Trismegistos 59399
  2 Heph. 52, 15 sqq. Consbruch

Fr. 4 Harder (= 4 Pf. = 6 Mass.) Cyrill. Alex. contra Iulian.

Fr. 5 Harder (= 5 Pf., = 7 Mass.) Σ T Il. 9, 219d

Fr. 6 Harder (= 6 Pf., = 8 Mass. )  Σ T Il. 18, 398-399b

Fr. 7 Harder (= 7.1-18 Pf., = 9.18 Mass.)
  1-17 P.Oxy. 2167 fr. 2, col I 1-14 [image],
   Trismegistos 59397

  7-16 PSI 1217A, fr. 1, 1-10 [image] Trismegistos 59397
  5-11 P. Berol. 17057 verso [image], Trismegitsos 59422
  9-10 Σ T Il. 22.80c
  11 EtGen AB β 100
  12 Σ AR 1.1297
  13-14 Σ BDP Pi. N. 4, 10
  14-18 PSI 1217B fr. 1+2, 1-5 [image], Trismegistos 144442

This section includes Callimachus' first question to the Muses (in this case Clio): why do the people of Paros sacrifice to the Graces without wreaths and flutes (Fr. 3)? The answer was apparently that King Minos of Crete, who exercized hegemony over the Cyclades (Fr. 4), was sacrificing to the Graces on Paros when he received news that his son Androgeos had died (or was killed) in Athens. He immediately discarded these signs of joy (garlands and flutes) as he completed the sacrifice (Fr. 5). Androgeos returns in fr. 103.

Fr. 6 takes up the question of the origins of the Graces. It exhibits one of the conventional features of a hymn, namely, asking which of conflicting views of the honorand's genealogy is correct. Two mothers are proposed: the Titan Eurynome or Eileithyia. 

The section seems to end (Fr. 7) with a prayer for the success and immortality of Callimachus’ own verses. Line 14 is perhaps imitated by Catullus, c.1.10: plus uno maneat perenne saeclo.

 

Bibliography

Massimilla, Giulio. 1994. ‘L’invocazione di Callimaco alle cariti nel primo libro degli Aitia (fr. 7,9-14 Pf.).’ In Proceedings of the 20th International Congress of Papyrologists, Copenhagen, 23-29 August 1992, edited by Adam Bülow-Jacobsen, 322-5. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, University of Copenhagen.

Article Nav

Suggested Citation

Susan Stephens, Callimachus: Aetia. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-947822-07-8.https://dcc.dickinson.edu/sv/callimachus-aetia/book-1/graces