Iambic encomἸαμβικὸν Ἐγκώμιον
Epic Work Anonymous Iambic encom PDF
The Iambic Encomium is an anonymous Greek praise poem composed in iambic meter. Its title signifies a deliberate hybridization of the encomiastic genre, traditionally dedicated to formal praise, with the iambic meter, which was more conventionally linked to invective, satire, and personal attack. The work is known to be structured in twenty-two passages, but its specific subject matter, whether it honors an individual, a deity, a city, or an abstract concept, remains unattested. Consequently, the thematic content, while presumably extolling virtues and excellences in line with encomiastic tradition, cannot be detailed. The poem's transmission history is obscure; the recorded division into passages implies a known structural framework, yet the state of its manuscript tradition and whether the text is fully extant or survives only in fragments are unrecorded. The significance of the Iambic Encomium lies in its notable generic synthesis, demonstrating the adaptable use of the iambic form. By employing a meter traditionally associated with blame for the purpose of praise, the work suggests the meter's expanded rhetorical and literary potential, possibly for philosophical exposition or ironic discourse, beyond its archaic poetic conventions.
| book 1r.1 | [].σ̣ε̣[..].ο[] [] ἄλλος μὲ[ν] [τ]ῶν μυρίων ἐγ̣[κω]μίων [..... τά]χ’ οὐκ ἀνεστ[][ln_5][....]ω̣ην ἔνθα δικα[] [... ἡ]νίκ’ ἐξιὼν εσ̣ι̣[] [......]α̣λλεσ̣ε̣κκν̣[] [τῶν |
| book 1r.2 | πραγ]μ̣άτων ..τον[] ....σ̣τωνι̣[.]ν....[][ln_10][] λέγων· τῷ τ[....]... καὶ τοὺσ[] [.]κ̣ω γ̣ὰρ̣ ἣ[ν] λέγ̣ῃς ἂν οὐκ ἀρνού[μενος] ὃ̣ς̣ ἐ̣ν̣ δ̣ί̣[καις] ἔλεξεν ὡς̣ ἀ̣γωνίσ[ας] [.]..γε |
| book 1r.3 | τοι̣.ει[...]τ̣α̣διοις ἐκαί̣[νυτο][ln_15]...σ̣τ̣απελε...ν καὶ μονο.τ̣ω̣[] ο̣[ὐ]κ̣ουν α.[..]...[.] ἐ[ν] δίκῃ μόνο̣ς̣ [] ..ον δια.λ[.]χ̣ων..λο̣γεων[.].ε.[] τ̣ὸ̣ μ̣ὲν οὖν |
| book 1r.4 | προτάττω̣ καὶ γένος [τῶν |
| book 1r.5 | πραγμάτων,] ὡς οἱ νόμοι θέλουσι τῶν ἐγ̣κ̣[ωμί]ω̣[ν][ln_20]ἀ̣ρ̣χαῖόν ἐστιν καὶ κατ’ ημ̣[] .τα̣ι.α..ο[] [.] οὐδ’ ἀνα̣μ̣φιβό[η]το̣ν̣ α[] τ̣ονι̣.τοι̣[.]εγ̣ω̣[.]ων̣.[....]εσ̣[..]ε̣να..ει̣ ὃ[ς] ἦν ἐκείνου π̣ά̣[ντ]α̣ καὶ πα̣[τὴρ] τότε[ln_25].....τ̣απ̣...ν̣νε[] .....τ̣ρ̣..ευτωπ[] τάχιστα [δ’] α̣ὐ̣τῷ ...α̣τελε̣γ̣ετο.ι..οτ[] λ̣έξας ἐν οἷς ἐδίδαξ̣[ε .]υ...χυ.[] ἐφ’ .. ἔμελλε̣ν |
| book 1r.6 | σα.[..]..ν̣αλλαξ̣..[.]ι[ln_30][] [...]χ |
| book 1r.7 | υπατ̣α̣ ε̣ξ̣... και̣ τ̣η̣π̣υ̣ν̣[..]υ̣φο..φ̣ρον̣ου. |
| book 1v.1 | []...[] [....]μονου κληρον[] [...]... ἐλπὶς καιν[ὴ] [.]α̣[..]υς..ο̣ντων οσ[][ln_5][..]τος .[.]ν̣ [ἐ]κεῖνος ἐν π̣[άτ]ρ̣ῃ ρ̣α[..].ε̣ρ̣[] το̣υτε̣ν̣[.]το̣ν̣η̣τω Καίσ[α]ρος μάθῃς ὕπ̣[ο.] καὶ μ[ετὰ τ]ά̣δ̣’ [ἄ]σ̣τρα |
| book 1v.2 | πολλάκις θαυμάζομ[εν] τὸν Κα̣ί̣σ̣α̣[ρα α]ὐ̣τῶν ἱστο̣[ρή]σαντες μόνον |
| book 1v.3 | πατρ̣ι̣[....]ο̣υ̣ν̣ παράλιον̣ [δ]ι̣ὰ πάντα νῦν[ln_10]κο̣ιν[....]..κ̣α̣ι |
| book 1v.4 | τοῖ̣ς̣ τ̣όσοις ἔργοις |
| book 1v.5 | προθ̣είς̣ παλιν[.......... ἐν]ταῦθα διανοούμενος ἀπ[ ]. λέξω τί δέ ὧν αἴ[τιος σύ γ’ ἐσ]σ̣ί, πρῶτον ἢ μέσον; τάξ[ι]ν [δὲ τίνα δεῖ τὴν] τελευταίαν νέμειν; |
| book 1v.1 | [ln_15]οὐ π[ρὸς τέλος γὰρ ῥᾳ]δίως ἔλθοι |
| book 1v.2 | τις ἄν. ..[ ]ς |
| book 1v.3 | πρῶτον ἦς βουλε[ύμα]σ[ιν] [ἔ]λαμψας εὐθέως ω[ δι]α̣φανὴς ἐν |
| book 1v.4 | πλείοσ[ι]ν κἂν ψ[αμμακοσίοις] ἦλθες· ἑστ[ία δέ] σ̣ε[ln_20]ἡ τῶν βα̣σ̣ι̣[λέων] εὐμενὴς ἐδέξατο †ἐν ᾗ στρατεύων [κ]α̣ταδεηθέντος |
| book 1v.5 | ποτέ τοῦ τότ̣ε κρατοῦντ̣ο̣ς. ἦν̣ δ̣έ το̣ι̣ ν̣ο̣[ή]μ̣ο̣ν[ος] ἀνδρὸς |
| book 1v.6 | παρὰ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτὸν τ̣[.]τ̣[] οὐ παντὸς ἀνδρός, ἀλλὰ τεχνικωτάτου[ln_25]καὶ νοῦν ἔχοντος, ὀξύτητι μὲν φ̣ρ̣εν̣ῶ̣ν̣ δρόμῳ δὲ γλώττης εὐστ[ό]χ̣ω̣ς κ[ε]χρημένου, δε[ι]νοῦ δὲ κάμνειν. ει̣δε̣.ιτι..η̣καμεν ρ̣ω̣.....υ̣τ̣....ου̣τ̣ι̣ηω̣..ωντοσσι̣.σ̣ο..ο̣υ̣ν̣ μηδε̣.σ̣α̣να̣πα..α̣ν πᾶσιν ἐρρῶσθα[ι φ]ρ̣[άσα]ς̣[ln_30]τούτῳ [....]ξα̣ς̣· τοῦ μεμαρτυρηκότος τ̣ὴ̣ν ψ[ῆ]φον οὐκ ἔδειξας ἡμαρτημένην, ἀλλ’ ἦς ἐ̣ν Ἰταλοῖ[ς] πρίν γε τὸν |
| book 1v.7 | πεπομφότα |
| book 1v.8 | τουτὶ πεπεῖσθαι |
| book 1v.9 | τοῦ χρόνου |
| book 1v.10 | σταθμωμένου ὃν [χ]ρὴ δαπανῆσαι καὶ τὸν ὀξέως πάνυ[ln_35]ὁδοιποροῦ̣ν̣τ̣[α]. π̣αρ’ Ἰταλοῖσι δ’ ἐν βραχεῖ |