Life Praxilla of Sicyon (Πράξιλλα ἡ Σικυωνία) was a lyric poet active in the mid-5th century BCE. Ancient sources, including the Suda, note she wrote dithyrambs, hymns, and drinking songs (scolia) [1][2]. She was a contemporary of the poet Telesilla of Argos, but no further biographical details survive [1].

Works Her work exists only in fragments. The most famous is from a hymn to Adonis, where the dying Adonis lists the most beautiful things he leaves: "The most beautiful thing I leave is the light of the sun, / Next to that the brilliant stars and the face of the moon, / And then ripe cucumbers and apples and pears" [1][2]. This juxtaposition of celestial and mundane elements was both celebrated and mocked in antiquity, giving rise to the proverbial phrase "sillier than Praxilla's Adonis" [1][2]. Other fragments indicate she treated mythological themes [2].

Significance Praxilla is significant as one of the few attested female poets from ancient Greece. Her recognition is confirmed by her entry in the Suda and the proverbial use of her Adonis fragment, which made her a known cultural reference [1][2]. Her surviving work provides a rare glimpse into the thematic range of a female poet within the Doric choral tradition.

Sources 1. Suda lexicon, entry for Praxilla (via ToposText): https://topostext.org/work/529#pr.1 2. Encyclopædia Britannica, entry for Praxilla: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Praxilla