Oppian. Colluthus. Tryphiodorus. With an English Translation By A. W. Mair

by A. W. Tr. Oppian. Colluthus. Tryphiodorus. Mair

Oppian of Cilicia flourished in the latter half of the 2nd century, and dedicated his "Fishing" (in five books) to Antoninus, presumably Marcus Aurelius. It deals with the habits and characteristics of fish as well as giving instructions for if not exactly poetical, it contains a great deal of curious information. "The Chase," dedicated to Caracalla, is an inferior composition and may even be the work of a Syrian imitator. The first book gives an appreciation of the huntsman's horses and hounds, the three remaining being devoted to the hunting of wild animals, from the lion to the hare. This edition is equipped with extensive zoological and ichthyological notes.This volume also includes the extant work of two epic poets of Egypt who wrote in the second half of the 5th century under the influence of Nonnus. "The Rape of Helen" of Colluthus in 394 lines is a pleasant account of the Judgement of Paris and Helen's elopement with him; Tryphiodorus (papyri reveal the correct spelling to be Triphiodorus) deals with "The Taking of Troy" in 691 lines, beginning with the Wooden Horse and ending with the sacrifice of Polyxena.

Genres: Poetry

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1928

Reviews

[Robert Reinhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oppian's epic about fish- Part global piscatory catalogue, part taxonomy and then imaginatively conjuring mythology, analogy to human emotions and behavior seen in the habits of all the fishes and men who hunt them. In translation by the Loeb library, the language is lyrical and lovely. The final section recounting the hunting of whales is noble like Moby Dick. The killing of dolphins is immoral he says and explains why. And then finally the doleful and dangerous life of the sponge hunters ends the epic.