I hope I may join belatedly in this discussion (it's been a busy time recently!) I'm glad that Servius is vindicated in calling 'amarus' epitheton naturale. Still, I don't think that the existence of the literal meaning prevents the word's contributing to the melancholy of the scene - the faces of Phaethon's womenfolk appear obscurely through the clumps of moss; if their senses still operate they are pervaded by the bitter tannic scent. At this rate l.68, balancing 'floribus' against 'amaro', suggests that Linus' commission of Gallus is not a source of pure joy. (I think that the parsley which Linus wears was a symbol of mourning, used to crown athletes after the Persian Wars: so has a sense of 'success and sadness' about it.) The Old Man of Ascraea had received a commission to tell the truth: something dangerous here? The 'success and sadness' balance seems to serve the wider purpose of E vi. Commentators link Silenus' speech with that of Orpheus in Argonautica I 496. Where Orpheus attempts to create calm and unity around the idea that the universe has evolved benignly towards the reign of Zeus, Silenus seeks to create amusement and exhilaration around an Epicurean, atheist view of evolution. Silenus is himself exhilarated, but no longer (I would think) by drink but by lust for Aegle. The wider purpose is to present favourably the Epicurean philosophy's view of itself as liberating and life-enhancing. The element of fun in human life is a necessary reflection of the elemental riot from which all life began. Yet this idea is also subverted by Silenus' dwelling on the Strange Transformations which the Epicurean system predicts. As he tries to seduce Aegle with his poetry he also warns her of the damage and sadness which love and even strong affection can cause, as to the Phaethontiadae, encased in their bitter, tannic bark. Perhaps he is not quite the irresponsible satyr which he seems to be. The wider purpose of this philosophical poem is to note - indeed to present powerfully - the attractiveness of Epicureanism but also to ask whether Epicureanism creates attitudes by which it is itself subverted. The other side of this coin would be the idea that religion, the main enemy of the Epicureans, has the opposite quality, an extraordinary power to regenerate itself just when it should have been discredited: an idea which I think V does advance elsewhere. - Martin Hughes.
On Tue, 26 Jan 1999, Marjorie Rigby wrote: > Neven, thank you for a most interesting summary list of Vergil's use of > 'bitter' (amarus) which prompted me to search likewise. > > In the first instance, my comments 'dispensing with poetic meanings' referred > only to the lines in question re bitter bark rather than as a general rule > for the corpus of Vergil's poetry. On the other hand, a text search of > Vergil's works produced, as you say, interesting results. > > The following were all bitter:- willows,alder bark, parsley, Sardinian herb > (crowfoot - poisonous), waves (i.e. salty-bitter), succory (chicory), > pausians (olives), juices of lemons, oleaster leaves x 2, smoke, centaury > (used as herbal tonic) and soil which in modern terms is called 'sour'. > Also - hoar frost, 2 x dew, and......taunts, 2 x words - which we all say can > leave a bitter taste in the mouth! > This leaves 1 x love according to a fairly quick review. > > Conclusion - 'literal' taste appears to rule Vergil's use of 'bitter' > (amarus) in the majority of cases. > > I don't often go to such detail but it has been fun since I had a little time > today. I guess it is the only way really. > > Yours sincerely, > > Marjorie Rigby > > Somerset, UK. > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub
