The Argonautica | Page 4

also probably in some epigrams, but
most of all in his "Ibis", of which we have an imitation, or perhaps
nearly a translation, in Ovid's poem of the same name. On the part of
Apollonius there is a passage in the third book of the "Argonautica" (11.
927-947) which is of a polemical nature and stands out from the
context, and the well-known savage epigram upon Callimachus. (2)
Various combinations have been attempted by scholars, notably by
Couat, in his "Poesie Alexandrine", to give a connected account of the
quarrel, but we have not data sufficient to determine the order of the
attacks, and replies, and counter-attacks. The "Ibis" has been thought to
mark the termination of the feud on the curious ground that it was
impossible for abuse to go further. It was an age when literary men
were more inclined to comment on writings of the past than to produce
original work. Literature was engaged in taking stock of itself. Homer

was, of course, professedly admired by all, but more admired than
imitated. Epic poetry was out of fashion and we find many epigrams of
this period--some by Callimachus--directed against the "cyclic" poets,
by whom were meant at that time those who were always dragging in
conventional and commonplace epithets and phrases peculiar to epic
poetry. Callimachus was in accordance with the spirit of the age when
he proclaimed "a great book" to be "a great evil", and sought to confine
poetical activity within the narrowest limits both of subject and space.
Theocritus agreed with him, both in principle and practice. The chief
characteristics of Alexandrianism are well summarized by Professor
Robinson Ellis as follows: "Precision in form and metre, refinement in
diction, a learning often degenerating into pedantry and obscurity, a
resolute avoidance of everything commonplace in subject, sentiment or
allusion." These traits are more prominent in Callimachus than in
Apollonius, but they are certainly to be seen in the latter. He seems to
have written the "Argonautica" out of bravado, to show that he could
write an epic poem. But the influence of the age was too strong. Instead
of the unity of an Epic we have merely a series of episodes, and it is the
great beauty and power of one of these episodes that gives the poem its
permanent value--the episode of the love of Jason and Medea. This
occupies the greater part of the third book. The first and second books
are taken up with the history of the voyage to Colchis, while the fourth
book describes the return voyage. These portions constitute a metrical
guide book, filled no doubt with many pleasing episodes, such as the
rape of Hylas, the boxing match between Pollux and Amyeus, the
account of Cyzicus, the account of the Amazons, the legend of Talos,
but there is no unity running through the poem beyond that of the
voyage itself.
The Tale of the Argonauts had been told often before in verse and prose,
and many authors' names are given in the Scholia to Apollonius, but
their works have perished. The best known earlier account that we have
is that in Pindar's fourth Pythian ode, from which Apollonius has taken
many details. The subject was one for an epic poem, for its unity might
have been found in the working out of the expiation due for the crime
of Athamas; but this motive is barely mentioned by our author.

As we have it, the motive of the voyage is the command of Pelias to
bring back the golden fleece, and this command is based on Pelias'
desire to destroy Jason, while the divine aid given to Jason results from
the intention of Hera to punish Pelias for his neglect of the honour due
to her. The learning of Apollonius is not deep but it is curious; his
general sentiments are not according to the Alexandrian standard, for
they are simple and obvious. In the mass of material from which he had
to choose the difficulty was to know what to omit, and much skill is
shown in fusing into a tolerably harmonious whole conflicting
mythological and historical details. He interweaves with his narrative
local legends and the founding of cities, accounts of strange customs,
descriptions of works of art, such as that of Ganymede and Eros
playing with knucklebones, (3) but prosaically calls himself back to the
point from these pleasing digressions by such an expression as "but this
would take me too far from my song." His business is the
straightforward tale and nothing else. The astonishing geography of the
fourth book reminds us of the interest of the age in that subject,
stimulated no doubt by the researches of Eratosthenes and others.
The language is that of the conventional epic. Apollonius seems to have
carefully studied Homeric glosses,