formula #πεα πτερεντα, ‘winged words’, and the Eπτερο μυ
θο, the
utterance that fails to fly. Lyric poets describe their songs as ‘winged’ or
‘flying’,^56 or as causing the person celebrated to fly.^57
In a more pointed image the song is conceived as a bolt shot from a bow.^58
‘Like an arrow on the bow the minding/hymn is set’ (RV 9. 69. 1). ‘Like an
archer shooting his shaft clear beyond (his rivals), proffer him the praise-
song’ (10. 42. 1). ‘O singer, bring forth the hymn... just as an archer aims his
arrow, address this prayer to the gods’ (AV 20. 127. 6). ‘From the mouth fly
forth the arrows of speech’ (MBh. 5. 34. 77). Once again Pindar provides close
parallels:
Many are the swift shafts under my elbow, within the quiver,
that speak to those who understand, but for the generality
require interpreters...
Come, my spirit, aim the bow at the target! Whom do we hit this time
with our arrows of glory discharged from gentle heart?^59The arrow is his favourite metaphorical missile, and presumably traditional,
but sometimes he varies it by speaking of throwing a javelin (Ol. 13. 93, Pyth.
- 44, Nem. 7. 71, 9. 55) or a discus (Isth. 2. 35).
VERSIFICATIONScholars have long looked for genetic relationships between the metrical
systems used by different ancient Indo-European peoples. Rudolf Westphal
made the first such attempt in 1860, and a meritorious effort it was.^60 He
compared Vedic and Avestan metres with some of the standard Greek ones,
and fastened on to a number of important points. Others in the nineteenth
century tried to reconstruct an Urvers from which the Latin Saturnian and
Germanic alliterative verse could also be derived by postulating developments
ad hoc, but they failed to add much of significance to what Westphal had
achieved.^61
(^56) Pratinas, PMG 708. 5; Pind. Pyth. 8. 34, Nem. 7. 22, Isth. 5. 63; Anon. PMG 954b.
(^57) Theognis 237 f.; Pind. Pyth. 5. 114, Isth. 1. 64; cf. Ennius’ claim in his epitaph, uolito uiuus
per ora uirum,‘Ifly living across the mouths of men’.
(^58) See Durante (1958), 7 f. ~ (1976), 128; Nünlist (1998), 145–8.
(^59) Ol. 2. 83–90; see also Ol. 1. 112, 9. 5–12, Nem. 6. 28, Isth. 2. 3, 5. 46 f., fr. 6a (g).
(^60) ‘Zur vergleichenden Metrik der indogermanischen Völker’,ZVS 9 (1860), 437–58.
(^61) K. Bartsch, Der saturnische Vers und die altdeutsche Langzeile (Leipzig 1867); F. Allen,
‘Ueber den Ursprung des homerischen Versmasses’,ZVS 24 (1879), 556–92; H. Seiling, Ur-
sprung und Messung des homerischen Verses (Progr. Münster, Nördlingen 1887); Hermann
Usener, Altgriechischer Versbau (Bonn 1887). Cf. Schmitt (1967), 7 f.
- Poet and Poesy 45