![]() This precept, from one of Bacchylides' extant fragments, was considered by his modern editor, Richard Claverhouse Jebb, to be typical of the poet's temperament: "If the utterances scattered throughout the poems warrant a conjecture, Bacchylides was of placid temper amiably tolerant satisfied with a modest lot not free from some tinge of that pensive melancholy which was peculiarly Ionian but with good sense." īacchylides' lyrics do not seem to have been popular in his own lifetime. One canon is there, one sure way of happiness for mortals – if one can keep a cheerful spirit throughout life. The most notable features of his lyrics are their clarity in expression and simplicity of thought, making them an ideal introduction to the study of Greek lyric poetry in general and to Pindar's verse in particular. His career coincided with the ascendency of dramatic styles of poetry, as embodied in the works of Aeschylus or Sophocles, and he is in fact considered one of the last poets of major significance within the more ancient tradition of purely lyric poetry. Marvell for missing the grandeur of Milton". However, the differences in their styles do not allow for easy comparison, and translator Robert Fagles has written that "to blame Bacchylides for not being Pindar is as childish a judgement as to condemn. He has often been compared unfavourably with his contemporary, Pindar, as "a kind of Boccherini to Pindar's Haydn". ![]() Some scholars have characterized these qualities as superficial charm. The elegance and polished style of his lyrics have been noted in Bacchylidean scholarship since at least Longinus. ![]() Later Greeks included him in the canonical list of Nine Lyric Poets, which included his uncle Simonides.
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