No doubt William, that you are the first to open up this post. Did I catch you? ;D
And now that we’re talking about Pindar, I was wondering if you have read that phenomenal book called Pindar and Dance, by William Mullen. What a beautiful book!
For those of us who do not know, Greek poetry was actually a combination of words beautifully arranged in metrical patterns, together with music, from which (for the ancients) poetry was inseparable. Pindar was a lyric poet who wrote Choral Lyric poetry. What remains to us of Pindar are his victory odes which he wrote for victors at the Olympic Games. He was a genius, and probably was as famous in the Greece of his day for his Odes as Verdi was in Italy for his Opera.
Greek Choral Lyric was a genre that not only combined words and music, but dance as well. It was this tripartite art through which Pindar expressed his genius.
Mullen’s book, wonderfully written, shows us what we can learn from reading the Odes of Pindar by keeping it’s musical and performative nature in mind. Truly a brilliant work! Once you read a couple of chapters it will make you eager to find a copy of Pindar. Though as a word of warning to the timid. I have heard Pindar described as some of the most difficult ancient Greek that remains.
-S.
You did. I was so hoping for a Pindar text announcement.
Though as a word of warning to the timid. I have heard Pindar described as some of the most difficult ancient Greek that remains.
Well, Philodemus is reported to be very much more difficult, and is even prose. But Pindar can be mind-bending Greek, at least based on my small exposure so far.