The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-01-28
PROF. HARRIS.
H's Lecture on se,Ic Poetry a, Richmond
College.

= ~-<N ssttHutpuO 1Oiittt tutl'tls
at O'Clock last evening. The lectures are
sasen 70 the senior class. but good audi.
ence OF the admirers OF Sappho and Pipdar
were present from the city, and the Pro
1850. was fresh, entertaining and in-
suucu'e to all. Some or our most
suoseanusi citizens were present. Men
~nv every day deal with hard facts and
"Sdrcs turned away from their pressing
cares TO visit the thousand Isles OF the
u.ev'an Archipelago and the renowned
S Ss., OF the famous Greeks. They were
ue.I! guided to the homes Of the great
o"us ana shown the inner life
grand people. There were preach
@ ana merchants, teachers and
artizans, lawyers and manufacturers
nut large part Of the audience was COM
poseo OF cultivated ladies, who had no idea
W permitting husbands, brothers and sweet
"cdIVs 10 ENJOY exclusively the "sweet con-
verse with the past, )" which the accomplish
"a PROFESSOR so interestingly brought in re-
view. Lighting up his theme with touches
VI humOr, giving the PARKWAY history
q realistic tinge, the speaker led his
| ncaTers through the hour with gratifying
| success. Some years ago DIR. Harris visit
ca oreece, and he knows how to tell about
II, ana his general knowledge of language
| ana literature ayails him well as lecturer.
ierhaps glimpse Of some Of the good
Things said may CRAFTY those who We're not
aoie 10 attend, and we gladly give n rapid
review oil the chief points Of the lecture:
THE LECTURE.
Nellie, or song poetry, may be roughly di-
Nlded into personal, suited in form and sem
llment for solo, and choral, suited for a
group OF voices, accompanied among the
uieeAs by dancing or graceful movements
III harmony with the thoughts expressed.
the former sang OF the passions inspired by
ponies, by love, and by wine, attained its
| highest development at Mitylene, on the
island OF Lesbos, and from its dialect is
called Aeolic; the latter flOurished ailOng
the more staid and religious Dorian peoples,
and from them takes its name.
THE AEOLIC SCHOOL.
This species of poetry, born of the times,
is best explained by sketchng the lives OF
It's principal writers. The Lecturer had
/ fresh memories of visit TO Mityene, and
| graphically sketched the beautiful green
island, the carved shore, the old castle, the
slopes clothed in vineyards and olive or.
chards, and dotted with white villas, and
the lovely vale beside the town which ne
had in fancy selected as the spot
| Where burning Sappho loved and sung"
| ALCAEUs.
| 1. AlcSeus lived in troubOus times, the
last Of .Le seventh and beginning of the
sixth century, b. c. The OligaTchy, 10
| which he was heartily attached, was twice
OyerthrOwn by tyrants, who in turn fell by
| assassination; and then the noble Pittacus,
| one of the Seven Wise Men, was chosen
Dictator and laid the foundations Of demo
crazy. The poet was banished and took
service under Pharaoh HOphra, brother
at the same time enlisting under Nebuchad.
ngZvar Tho hnXa met in a
he wars between their sovereigns waged in
Palestine, and resulting in the sack of Je
rusalem. Or perchance Alcaeus met the
aged jeremiah IN his retreat at Tahpanhes
and his brother may have seen Daniel pro
NOTED 10 be chief of the Magi, or possibly
heard the harp young Ezekiel "by the
rivers Of Babylon" Such at least were the
times in which they lived.
In attempting secure recall by exciting
revolution Alcaeus was made "A prisoner
but released by Plttacus, and seems TO have
spent his last days quietly in his native
town, though out of sympathy with its pro
gress. OF his ten books of songs, political
!cOnvivial, and amatory, only few frag
ments survive. They seem TO have beer
composed for limited audience on festive
occasions, and have furnished models anC
ideas to Horace, Catullus, Byron, and Othel
like poets, of which several examples were
given.
2. There was Younger contempor AIRY OF
Alcaeus whom he describes in an eXtan
fragment as ''Violet-crowned pure, sweetly
smiling Sappho." Her character was early
assaled, but without sufiic ent reason. He
manners were those of the levant and die
not indicate what similar behavior nigh
have done at Athens; her sentiments wer,
passionate, but not ungOverned; the story
of her Leucadian leap is unquestionably :
myth, based perhaps on some poem present
ing such fate of unrequited love. She
seems TO have been brunette of small stat
ure and rare beauty, the hOnOred head of &
cOterie or school of young ladies studying
poetry.
OF the nine books she composed only two
short poems and few other fragment:
survive. They are notable for intense deptf
Of feeling and exquisite grace of dictiOn
As a sample. take the ode translated by
Calullus and from him by Lord Byron
Equal TO JOye that youth must be-" &c.
SapphO's history was made TO point q
moral IN favor of higher and better edu
cation for women.
3. AnacreOn, born at TeOs, lived mainly
at the splendid courts of POlycrates, o.
Samos, and the sons of Pisistratus al
| Athens, and well suited such surroundings
i His verses lack naturalness, spOntaniety
feeling, and make amends only by me
ehanical polish. This character invited
| imitation. and the dialect of the "Odes'
translated by Moore show that they are
spurious, though perhaps very much in The
style of the genuine. Several OF these were
| quoted in illustration OF the theme.
THE DORIC SCHOOL.
OF this there are several varieties, such az
the simple chorus used at Sparta in worship
of Apollo, the Dithysamh, at COrinth, in
| aF nfnnyanG tho EnluleiQn in cole
bratiOn of victories at the great games.
EARLIER AUTHORS.
Among the founders of the art, three OF
| four deserve special mention.
| /. Alema1, a native OF Sardis. brought
probably as slave TO Sparta, $40 b. c..
| and there attaining eminence as poet and
| dancing-master. About the same time
came Terpander, of Lesbos, a great must
! cal refOrmer. These found at the leading
city of Hellas what every artist needs, the
sympathetic support OF an appreciatiye au-
! dance.
?. Tisias of Sicily was famous trainer
| Of chOruses, and hence came to be called
| Stesichorus.
| 3. Arcion of Lesbos, resident of the Court
| OF Fernandez of COrinth, composed dithy.
rambic Odes for the popular worship, from
which sprang tragedy. The story of his
ride upon dolphin. illustrates his power
| as poet and musician.
| THE CHIEF MASTERS.
The principal writers of DOric or choral
| Lyric were two:
| /, SimOnides of Coos, who lived during
and after the Persian wars and surpassed
all others in versatility, being cosmopolitan
| in tastes and habits, equally at home with
the tyIants of Thessaly or the Democrats OF
Athens, ready for feast or funeral. for elegy,
satire, religious or epinician ode, dong
quite well in every kind of verse, but OF
course superlatiyely excellent in none.
| His predecessors had received presents, he
wrote for stipulated pay, and praised IN
d. opOrtion to the amount. Several anecdotes
were told, as showing the estimation in
which he was held, and selections presented
from his epitaphs and his odes.
>. pinder OF BeOtia, stands alone among
his cOunIrymen, but like Epamiuondas,
towers high above all his contemporaries.
| He owes his eminence partly 10 native ge-
MUS, and hard work, partly 10 circumstan-
ces among which were the introduction Of
orgrastic sun-worship, the growth of ma
tionaI feeling during the Persian war, and
the rise OF tragedy, for he was contempt
rary with Aeschylus. He was welcome
visitor at the court OF Hero, OF Syracuse,
but lacked the arts OF popular cOurtier.