38 Part One: Texts and Contexts
present in his own literary works – a tendency exemplified by the lyrical
effusions of Symeon the New Theologian and the highly egotistical poems of
John Geometres. See, for instance, Cr. 333, 10: “Tell me, John, who made you
an expert on matters divine and profane already at the age of eighteen? The
Holy Virgin. But not only that; she also gifted me with magnificent courage.
Let Momos (Envy) be shattered to pieces”. Here we have young Geometres
bragging about his superb talents. He is only eighteen, but he is already versed
in theology and profane wisdom. He is also a courageous soldier. That is why
he is the envy of all and sundry, but he really could not care less. Is this the
recklessness of youth? Perhaps, but even in his more mature poems Geometres
certainly shows no lack of headstrong confidence in his own talents: he is a
great poet, a profound thinker and a military genius to boot^50. The tendency of
Byzantine authors to assert themselves in their literary works becomes very
clear in Psellos, Mauropous and Christopher Mitylenaios, who do not seem to
grow weary of flaunting their superior talents and rumbustiously manifesting
themselves in the various poems that have come down to us. The same can be
said, to varying degrees, of such different poets as Kallikles, Theophylaktos,
Prodromos and Balsamon, all of whom display a remarkably strong sense of
self-esteem.
I would say that the growing dependency on influential patrons and the
tendency to increasingly assert oneself (which is perhaps simply the reverse
side of servitude, of needing a patron in order to procure a place for oneself)
explain to a large degree why Comnenian poets repeatedly ask for favours,
whereas poets before the year 1000 do not. This does not mean that poets
before the year 1000 did not desire to receive something for their trouble. But
there was not yet a highly developed system of patronage in which professional
poets had to compete and to struggle to ingratiate themselves and curry their
patron’s favour. The game was basically the same, but the rules were different.
Even back then, in the seventh through the tenth centuries, poets did write on
commission and poets did try to flatter the person for whom they were writing.
Needless to say, these poets certainly hoped to benefit from their skilfully
wrought panegyrics and other occasional poems. And yet, before the year 1000,
Byzantine poets are rarely caught red-handed in the act of soliciting. If re-
quests are made at all, they are made very discreetly. See, for instance, the
panegyric In Heraclium ex Africa redeuntem, vv. 72–75: “O thee, provisioner of
noble favours, favours that do not relate to transient matters but lead to the
everlasting substance, accept this small (contribution) and teach me (how to
deliver) greater (contributions)”. The poem was written in late 610 or early 611
by George of Pisidia, when he had not yet been enlisted into the service of
(^50) See LAUXTERMANN 1998d: 360, 364–365 and 369–370.