The Lyric Fragments constitute the extant poetic corpus of Archilochus of Paros, a seminal figure in Greek literature of the seventh century BCE. Composed in Ionic Greek, his work spans several genres, encompassing personal lyric, aggressive iambic verse, and elegy. These fragments are not a unified composition but a modern assemblage of over three hundred excerpts, preserved through citations by later ancient authors and the recovery of papyrus scraps, primarily from Egypt. They offer only partial glimpses of his original output, yet they vividly capture his distinctive poetic voice.
Archilochus deliberately departed from the heroic conventions of epic poetry. His verses, likely intended for performance at symposia, present a cynical and pragmatic worldview, often from the perspective of a soldier. His themes include war, survival, love, and social conflict, treated with a striking candor exemplified in his famous admission of discarding his shield in battle to preserve his own life. This act is widely interpreted by modern scholars as a conscious rejection of aristocratic martial values in favor of personal resilience and adaptability. His sharp, intensely personal style established the iambic tradition of invective and satire, profoundly influencing subsequent Greek and Roman poets.
| S478a | πάμπαν ἀποσχόμενος· 〈 〉ἶσον δὲ τολμ[ εἰ δ’ ὦν ἐπείγεαι καί σε θυμὸς ἰθύει, ἔστιν ἐν ἡμετέρου 〈 〉ἣ νῦν μέγ’ ἱμείρε[ι καλὴ τέρεινα παρθένος· δοκέω δέ μι[ν εἶδος ἄμωμον ἔχειν· 〈 〉τὴν δὴ σὺ πένθ[ τοσαῦτ’ ἐφώνει· τὴν δ’ ἐγὼ ἀνταμει[βόμην· “Ἀμφιμεδοῦς θύγατερ 〈 〉ἐσθλῆς τε καὶ [περίφρονος γυναικός, ἣν νῦν γῆ κατ’ εὐρώεσς’ ἔ[χει, τ]έρψιές εἰσι θεῆς 〈 〉πολλαὶ νέοισιν ἀνδ[ράσιν παρὲξ τὸ θεῖον χρῆμα· τῶν τις ἀρκέσε[ι. τ]αῦτα δ’ ἐπ’ ἡσυχίης 〈 〉εὖτ’ ἂν μελανθη[ ἐ]γώ τε καὶ σὺ σὺν θεῶι βουλεύσομεν· π]είσομαι ὥς με κέλεαι· 〈 〉πολλόν μ’ ε[ θρ]ιγκοῦ δ’ ἔνερθε καὶ πυλέων ὑποφ[ μ]ή τι μέγαιρε, φίλη· 〈 〉σχήσω γὰρ ἐς ποη[φόρους κ]ήπους. τὸ δὴ νῦν γνῶθι· Νεοβούλη[ ἄ]λλος ἀνὴρ ἐχέτω· 〈 〉αἰαῖ πέπειρα δ . [ ἄν]θος δ’ ἀπερρύηκε παρθενήιον κ]αὶ χάρις ἣ πρὶν ἐπῆν· 〈 〉κόρον γὰρ οὐκ[ .. ]ης δὲ μέτρ’ ἔφηνε μαινόλις γυνή· ἐς] κόρακας ἄπεχε· 〈 〉μὴ τοῦτ’ ἐφοῖτ’ αν[ ὅ]πως ἐγὼ γυναῖκα τ[ο]ιαύτην ἔχων γεί]τοσι χάρμ’ ἔσομαι· 〈 〉πολλὸν σὲ βούλο[μαι πάρος· σὺ] μὲν γὰρ οὔτ’ ἄπιστος οὔτε διπλόη, ἡ δ]ὲ μάλ’ ὀξυτέρη, 〈 〉πολλοὺς δὲ ποιεῖτα[ι δέ]δοιχ’ ὅπως μὴ τυφλὰ κἀλιτήμερα σπ]ουδῆι ἐπειγόμενος 〈 〉τὼς ὥσπερ ἡ κ[ύων τέκω.” τοσ]αῦτ’ ἐφώνεον· παρθένον δ’ ἐν ἄνθε[σιν τηλ]εθάεσσι λαβὼν 〈 〉ἔκλινα, μαλθακῆι δ[έ μιν χλαί]νηι καλύψας, αὐχέν’ ἀγκάληις ἔχω[ν, δεί]ματι π .. [ . ] . μένην 〈 〉τὼς ὥστε νέβρ[ μαζ]ῶν τε χερσὶν ἠπίως ἐφηψάμην ἧιπε]ρ ἔφηνε νέον |
| S478a (50) | 〈 〉ἥβης ἐπήλυσις χρόα· ἅπαν τ]ε σῶμα καλὸν ἀμφαφώμενος λευκ]ὸν ἀφῆκα μένος 〈 〉ξανθῆς ἐπιψαύ[ων τριχός. |
| S478b | οὐκέ]θ’ ὁμῶς θάλλεις ἁπαλὸν χρόα, κάρφετα[ι γὰρ ἤδη ὄγμοι]ς, κακοῦ δὲ γήραος καθαιρεῖ ..... ], ἀφ’ ἱμερτοῦ δὲ θορὼν γλυκὺς ἵμερος π[ροσώπου πέπτω]κεν· ἦ γὰρ πολλὰ δή ς’ ἐπῆιξεν πνεύμ]ατα χειμερίων ἀνέμων 〈 〉 πολλάκις δε[ |
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