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Athenaeus, The Learned Banqueters (Deipnosophistae) 601a · 601a

Songs about boys

Myrtilus — λέγει δ’ οὕτως περὶ αὐτῆς·
Alcman, quoted by Myrtilus — τοῦθ’ ἁδειᾶν Μουσᾶν ἔδειξε δῶρον μάκαιρα παρθένων ἁ ξανθὰ Μεγαλοστράτα.
Myrtilus — καὶ Στησίχορος δ’ οὐ μετρίως ἐρωτικὸς γενόμενος συνέστησε καὶ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον τῶν ᾀσμάτων· ἃ δὴ καὶ τὸ παλαιὸν ἐκαλεῖτο παίδεια καὶ παιδικά. οὕτω δ’ ἐναγώνιος ἦν ἡ περὶ τὰ ἐρωτικὰ πραγματεία, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἡγεῖτο φορτικοὺς τοὺς ἐρωτικούς, ὥστε καὶ Αἰσχύλος μέγας ὢν ποιητὴς καὶ Σοφοκλῆς ἦγον εἰς τὰ θέατρα διὰ τῶν τραγῳδιῶν

…and he speaks of her like this: “This gift of the sweet Muses has been shown by the blessed one among girls, golden-haired Megalostrata.” Stesichorus too, a man given to love and not mildly, composed songs of this kind, which in the old days were called paideia and paidika. So keenly was the business of love pursued, and so far was anyone from thinking lovers vulgar, that even Aeschylus, a great poet, and Sophocles brought onto the stage in their tragedies…

Word by word

Myrtilus

λέγειlégeispeaksδ’d’andοὕτωςhoútōslike thisπερὶperìofαὐτῆςautêsher·

Alcman, quoted by Myrtilus

τοῦθ’toûth’thisἁδειᾶνhadeiânsweetΜουσᾶνMousânMusesἔδειξεédeixehas shownδῶρονdôrongiftμάκαιραmákairablessedπαρθένωνparthénōnamong girlsἁha—ξανθὰxanthàgolden-hairedΜεγαλοστράταMegalostrátaMegalostrata.

Myrtilus

καὶkaìtooΣτησίχοροςStēsíchorosStesichorusδ’d’andοὐounotμετρίωςmetríōsmildlyἐρωτικὸςerōtikòsgiven to loveγενόμενοςgenómenosbeingσυνέστησεsynéstēsecomposedκαὶkaì—τοῦτονtoûtonthisτὸνtòn—τρόπονtróponkindτῶνtônofᾀσμάτωνaismátōnsongs·ἃhàwhichδὴdḕindeedκαὶkaì—τὸtò—παλαιὸνpalaiònin the old daysἐκαλεῖτοekaleîtowere calledπαίδειαpaídeiapaideiaκαὶkaìandπαιδικάpaidikápaidika.οὕτωhoútōsoδ’d’andἐναγώνιοςenagṓnioskeenly contestedἦνênwasἡhētheπερὶperìofτὰtà—ἐρωτικὰerōtikàloveπραγματείαpragmateíapursuit,καὶkaìandοὐδεὶςoudeìsno oneἡγεῖτοhēgeîtothoughtφορτικοὺςphortikoùsvulgarτοὺςtoùs—ἐρωτικούςerōtikoúslovers,ὥστεhṓstethatκαὶkaìevenΑἰσχύλοςAischýlosAeschylusμέγαςmégasgreatὢνṑnbeingποιητὴςpoiētḕspoetκαὶkaìandΣοφοκλῆςSophoklêsSophoclesἦγονêgonbroughtεἰςeisontoτὰtàtheθέατραthéatrastageδιὰdiàinτῶνtôntheirτραγῳδιῶνtragōidiôntragedies

The setting

Myrtilus has been quoting poets in love with women, ending with Alcman's lines on Megalostrata. Now he turns to poets who loved boys. Stesichorus was a lyric poet of the 6th century BC.

A note on this passage

Alcman's lines close a run of poets who loved women. With Stesichorus Myrtilus changes subject, and the old names he gives for the songs are plain about it: paideia and paidika both come from pais, boy, and paidika was also the everyday word for a man's beloved. The claim that follows is about how such love was regarded. Nobody, he says, thought a lover coarse for it, and his proof is the theatre: the two greatest tragic poets put these loves before the whole city at a public festival.

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