248 Part Two: Epigrams in Context
There is only one protreptic verse inscription with a totally different func-
tion. It is a famous palindrome which can be found in many Byzantine sources,
among which the Greek Anthology:
n¦von änom8mata, më mönan Ávin (APl 387c, v. 5),“Clean the outside, cleanse the inside” (literally: “Do not only wash your
face, but also your sins”). In Sp, a collection of epigrams that derives from the
anthology of Cephalas, the palindrome is attributed to a certain Stylianos; the
same ascription occurs in a few Palaeologan collections of palindromes^18. Since
Cephalas is the only source to call Stylianos k ̄r, “sir”, which is obviously a sign
of respect and deference, it is likely that Cephalas knew the author personally.
The epigram of sir Stylianos is truly ingenious, firstly because it is the only
Byzantine palindrome that makes some sense (the rest are totally nonsensical),
and secondly because its palindromic shape is particularly suited for an inscrip-
tion on a circular object, such as a cistern, a well or a water basin. In a number
of Byzantine and post-Byzantine monasteries, such as the Blatadon monas-
tery in Thessalonica, the palindrome is inscribed along the rim of the well in the
courtyard^19. According to some travellers who visited Constantinople under
Ottoman rule^20 , the palindrome was also inscribed on two majestic water
vessels inside St. Sophia; but as the evidence is contradictory, we should not
lend too much credence to these reports^21. Whatever the case, it is reasonable
to assume that Stylianos composed the palindrome as a verse inscription for a
well or water basin, as is also suggested by the text itself and by its circular
shape. The original setting of the palindrome must have been a church or
monastery in ninth-century Constantinople (perhaps the church erected by
Stylianos Zaoutzes, but this is mere speculation).
**
*
Are Kassia’s Epigrams the Work of Kassia?
It is not certain whether all the epigrams that go under the name of Kassia
are actually hers. Let us look at the manuscript evidence: Krumbacher’s
edition of the epigrams of Kassia is based on three manuscripts: Brit. Mus.
(^18) See GALLAVOTTI 1989: 52–53, 57 and 64, and CAMERON 1993: 254–277, esp. p. 273.
(^19) See HUNGER 1978: II, 105, n. 26, and S. PÉTRIDÈS, EO 12 (1909) 88–89.
(^20) See, for instance, G.-J. GRELOT, Relation nouvelle d’un voyage de Constantinople. Paris
1681, 160–161.
(^21) See MANGO 1951: 57.