Laevius

Laevius was a Roman poet who probably worked in the 2nd century BC.

life and work

Much is still in the dark about the avant-garde Roman poet Laevius. His full name as well as his lifetime are not known exactly. In more recent research one assumes a heyday of Laevius between 142 and 140 BC. Chr. From. Laevius wrote at least 6 books erotopaignia (playful love poetry or erotic poetry, cf. Paignion ) in the Callimachean-Alexandrian style (sophisticated Hellenistic poetry, cf. Hellenism , Alexandria , Callimachos ).

poetry

As a typical representative of bold word formations, Laevius is downright notorious for his new word creations. In addition, he seems to be practicing technopaignia (cf. Paignion ) in general ; in his poem Phoenix he forms e.g. B. with the letters from a wing of the bird.

Laevius shows pleasure in the expressive. His style of language is a novelty in Roman poetry. Apart from a few relative clauses, there are no subordinate clauses in his fragments, but a torrent of words, accumulated nouns and adjectives, artificial word formations, selected vocabulary, accented compounds, analogizing forms, bent meanings, and occasionally a handle into vulgarity .

One of the numerous word creations of Laevius, for example, puts the word pudoricolor (shame-colored) in connection with the goddess of the dawn, Aurora . By assigning a concrete moral value to a non-concrete visual term, one can observe exactly the opposite of the usual process of metaphor formation . A double abstraction process is required of the recipient . Due to the reading and mythology experience , the reading expectation naturally steers towards the image provoked by Laevius of the reddish state of the morning reddish . In order to get an idea of ​​the connection between the visual impression of the color of the dawn and the sensitive feeling of shame, one must first abstract. This inevitably leads to the perception of the immaterial nuances of the typical Roman concept of value pudor (shame (feeling)). The extent to which Laevius' poetry represents love poetry or playful erotic poetry with content that is quite obscene for today's readers is controversial due to its fragmentary character.

Text example fragment 4

Te Andromacha perdudum manu
lasciuola ac tenellula
capiti meo, trepidans, libens,
insolito plexi munere.

Information on text criticism :

1 perdudum : DHGLK per ludum : RB ││ 4 plexi : ω, plexit : Brugnollus │ insolito… munere : ω, insolita… munera : Scaliger .

Sigla codicum Prisciani  :

• R codex Parisinus 7496 saec. IX.
• B cod. Bambergensis M. IV 12 saec. IX.
• D cod. Bernensis 109, olim Bongarsianus saec. X.
• H gymn. Halberstadiensis M 59 saec. X.
• A bibl. Publ. Amiensis saec. X / XI.
• G conuentus Sangallensis 904 saec. XI.
• L bibl. Publ. Lugd. Batav., Olim Gruterianus saec. IX.
• K cod. Caroliruhensis 223 saec. IX.
• Ω CONSENSUS OMNIUM CODICUM.

literature

• Alfonsi: Laeviana. In: Hermes . Volume 86, 1958, pp. 354-360.
• Bardon: La littérature latine inconnue . Volume 2, Paris 1956.
• P. Brown: The date of Laevius . In: LCM . Volume 5, 1980, p. 213.
• NB Crowther: Parthenius, Laevius and Cicero . In: LCM . Volume 5, 1980, pp. 181-183.
• S. Gerlinger: Sense and nonsense "hidden sense". Access ways to Laevius (Frg . 4) . (Scientific work for admission to the state examination), Heidelberg 2002.
• Granarolo: A propos des liens entre lyrisme, théâtre et satire aux époques de Laevius et de Catulle . In: Latomus . Volume 32, 1973, pp. 581-586.
• J. Granarolo: D'Ennius à Catulle . Paris 1971.
• J. Granarolo: L'époque néotérique ou la poésie romain d'avant-garde au dernier siècle de la Répuplique (Catulle excepté) . In: Rise and Fall of the Roman World . 1,3 (1973), pp. 278-360.
• LA Holford-Strevens: Laevius and Melissus . In: LCM . Volume 6, 1981, pp. 181-182.
• F. Leo: Roman poetry in the Sullan period . In: Hermes . Volume 49, 1914, pp. 161-195.
• P. Magno: La poesia di Levio . In: Sileno . Volume 8, 1982, pp. 57-66.
• V. Pöschl: A love game of Laevius . In: Rheinisches Museum . Volume 138, 1995, pp. 59-68.
• JP Schwindt: Hector's hands or the pitfalls of the hidden sense. Laevius FRG. 4 . In: Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy . Volume 126, 1999, pp. 83-87.
• A. Traglia: Polimetria e verba Laeviana . In: SCO . Volume 6, 1957, pp. 82-108.