Alcaeus is a Greek lyric poet of the late 7th and early 6th century BC, born in Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. A contemporary and compatriot of Sappho, he is one of the great representatives of Greek monodic poetry.
Alcaeus(450 av. J.-C. — 400 av. J.-C.)
Alcaeus
7 min read
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born around 630 BC in Mytilene, on the island of Lesbos.
- A contemporary of the poetess Sappho, who also came from Lesbos.
- Composed monodic lyric poems (songs for a single voice accompanied by the lyre) at the beginning of the 6th century BC.
- Involved in the political struggles of Mytilene against the tyrants, notably Pittacus, which earned him exile.
- His name is associated with the “Alcaic stanza,” a metrical form later adopted by the Latin poet Horace.
Works & Achievements
Politically combative poems denouncing the tyrants Myrsilus and Pittacus, and calling on the aristocracy to seize power again. They give a unique voice to the civil struggles of Mytilene.
Poems spinning out the metaphor of the city as a vessel caught in a storm. A political image of immense legacy, taken up right down to modern times.
Poems celebrating wine and conviviality, in which Alcaeus invites his companions to drink in every season. They bear witness to the culture of the Greek aristocratic banquet.
Religious poems addressed to Apollo, Hermes, the Dioscuri, or Athena. They would later inspire the hymns of other Greek and Latin poets.
A metrical form of four lines that bears the poet's name. Adapted into Latin by Horace, it secured Alcaeus a lasting influence on European poetry.
A scholarly compilation of Alcaeus's work produced by the scholars of Alexandria. It is through this edition that the fragments have come down to us today.
Anecdotes
Alcaeus lived in Mytilene, on the island of Lesbos, in the midst of a civil war between rival aristocratic families. Caught up in these struggles against the tyrants Melanchrus and then Myrsilus, he was driven from his city and went into exile several times. His poetry rings with the anger and bitterness of the defeated aristocrat.
In one of his most famous poems, Alcaeus admits without shame that he threw away his shield to flee a battle against the Athenians, near Sigeion. Instead of hiding this flight, he mocks himself for it: “the shield, the Athenians hung it up in the temple of Athena.” The poet Archilochus, and later Horace, would take up this same motif of the abandoned shield.
Alcaeus compared his city, torn apart by factions, to a ship caught in a storm, tossed about by contrary winds and threatened with sinking. This image of the “ship of state” became a famous political metaphor, taken up for centuries right down to the present day.
Alcaeus and the poetess Sappho were contemporaries and compatriots, both from Lesbos. An ancient vase depicts them facing each other, lyre in hand. A fragment attributed to Alcaeus addresses her: “Violet-haired, pure, honey-smiling Sappho…,” to which Sappho is said to have replied.
The ancients gave the name “Alcaic” to a four-line stanza that Alcaeus used, so closely was it associated with him. The Latin poet Horace claimed to be its heir and adapted it to Latin, securing for Alcaeus a legacy of more than two thousand years.
Primary Sources
Understand this rising wind: the wave rolls in from one side, rolls in from the other, and we, caught in the middle, are swept along with our black ship.
Alcaeus is safe and sound, but the Athenians have hung up his arms in the temple of grey-eyed Athena.
Now we must get drunk and drink with all our might, since Myrsilus is dead.
Alcaeus, with his golden plectrum, sings of the hardships of the sea, the cruel hardships of exile, and the hardships of war.
Key Places
The principal city of the island of Lesbos and the homeland of Alcaeus, torn apart by struggles between aristocratic factions and tyrants. It was there that he composed and sang his poetry.
A large Greek island in the Aegean Sea, the cradle of lyric poetry with Alcaeus and Sappho. Its name has remained tied to the golden age of monodic poetry.
A promontory near Troy, in Asia Minor, contested between Mytilene and Athens. Alcaeus took part in a battle there from which he returned after abandoning his shield.
A distant land where, according to tradition, Alcaeus traveled during his exile far from Mytilene. These journeys feed the themes of wandering in his poetry.
The island's common sanctuary, where the exiled Alcaeus evokes beauty contests and religious festivals. A place of the social and religious life of the Lesbians.
Typical Objects
A plucked string instrument, a longer, deeper version of the lyre, typical of Lesbian poetry. Alcaeus would accompany himself on it to sing his monodic poems at banquets.
A wide, shallow footed cup used for drinking wine at the aristocratic banquet. Wine is a central theme in Alcaeus's poetry, which endlessly invites the listener to drink.
A large round shield of bronze and wood carried by the Greek foot soldier. Alcaeus tells of abandoning his own while fleeing the Athenians, turning this object into a famous literary motif.
A large vessel in which wine and water were mixed before serving, at the heart of the Greek banquet. A symbol of the aristocratic sociability that Alcaeus's poetry celebrates.
The writing medium on which Alcaeus's poems were copied and handed down. It is thanks to these scrolls, and later the editions of Alexandria, that fragments have reached us.
A bronze helmet covering the entire face, the emblem of the Greek hoplite. In his poems, Alcaeus evokes the gleaming weapons hung on the walls of the great hall, ready for war.
School Curriculum
Vocabulary & Tags
Key Vocabulary
Daily Life
Morning
As a Mytilenean aristocrat, Alcaeus begins his day at his residence, surrounded by servants. When the city is at peace, he tends to his family's affairs; in times of unrest, he joins his fellow faction members to plot or take up arms.
Afternoon
The afternoon is spent in political discussions in the agora or, when in exile, far from the city he dreams of taking back control of. He also trains with weapons, for the Greek aristocrat is above all a hoplite warrior.
Evening
In the evening, Alcaeus takes part in the banquet (*symposion*) among men of his rank. Reclining on a couch, cup in hand, he sings his poems while accompanying himself on the lyre, blending wine, friendship, and the call to battle.
Food
They drink a great deal of wine, always diluted with water in a krater, served with barley bread, olives, cheese, and fish from the Aegean. The aristocratic banquet turns food and drink into an art of living that Alcaeus's poetry celebrates.
Clothing
Alcaeus wears the wool tunic (*chiton*) and the draped cloak (*himation*) of the Greek aristocrat. For war, he dons the hoplite's equipment: breastplate, bronze helmet, round shield, and spear.
Housing
He lives in a house of stone and mud brick arranged around a courtyard, with a large hall (*andron*) reserved for men's banquets. On the walls hang the gleaming weapons described in one of his poems.
Historical Timeline
Period Vocabulary
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Chants de révolte (stasiôtika)
vers 600 av. J.-C.
Le navire de l'État (fragment 6 et 208)
vers 600 av. J.-C.
Chants de banquet (sumpotika)
vers 590 av. J.-C.
Hymnes aux dieux
VIe siècle av. J.-C.
La strophe alcaïque
VIe siècle av. J.-C.
Édition alexandrine en dix livres
vers 280 av. J.-C.
