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A) Proclus' Summary of the Cypria, attributed to Stasinus of CyprusZeus, together with Themis, plans the Trojan War.
For Eris, while attending a feast of the gods at the wedding of Peleus, instigates a feud [neikos] among Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite about beauty.
They, by order of Zeus, are led by Hermes to Mount Ida for judgment by Alexandros.
Alexandros judges for Aphrodite, encouraged by a promise of Helen in marriage.
On the advice of Aphrodite, he has ships built.
Helenos prophesies to him about what is going to happen.
Aphrodite tells Aineias [Aeneas] to sail with him.
Then Kassandra foretells the events of the future.
When he gets to Lacedaemonia, Alexandros is entertained as a xenos by the sons of Tyndaros,
and afterwards by Menelaos at Sparta.
Alexandros gives Helen gifts during the feast.
Menelaos sails off to Crete, telling Helen to provide proper hospitality for their xenoi while he is away.
Aphrodite brings Helen and Alexandros together.
After their intercourse, they load up a great many valuables and sail away by night.B) Proclus' Summary of the Cypria (cont.)
… The expedition gathers at Aulis for the second time.
Agamemnon kills a deer on the hunt and boasts that he surpasses even Artemis.
The goddess gets mênis and holds them back from the voyage by sending them bad weather.
But Kalchas explains the mênis of the goddess and tells them to sacrifice Iphigeneia to Artemis.
They summon her as if for a marriage to Achilles and
are about to sacrifice her.
But Artemis snatches her away and carries her to Tauris
and makes her immortal,
meanwhile placing a deer on the altar instead of the girl.C) Proclus' Summary of the Cypria (cont.)
…. Going into the countryside, the Achaeans destroy the surrounding cities.
After this Achilles longs to have a look at Helen and
Aphrodite and Thetis arrange a place for them to meet.
Then when the Achaeans are eager to return home, Achilles holds them back.
He drives off the cattle of Aineias
and destroys Lyrnessos and Pedasos and many of the surrounding cities
and he kills Troilos.
Patroklos takes Lykaon to Lemnos and sells him
and from the ransom Achilles takes Briseis as his prize and Agamemnon, Chryseis.
Then there is the death of Palamedes
and Zeus' plan to relieve the Trojans by pulling Achilles out of the Achaean alliance
and a catalogue of all those who fought together against the Trojans.
[The Iliad follows the Cypria.]D) Sappho 16 stanza 1
Some say an army of horsemen,
some of footsoldiers, some of ships,
is the fairest thing on earth,
but I say it is what one loves.E) Sappho 44 The Wedding of Hektor and Andromache
...Cyprus...
...The herald Idaios came...a swift messenger
...and the rest of Asia...unwilting glory (kleos aphthiton).
Hektor and his companions led the dark-eyed
luxuriant Andromache from holy Thebes and...Plakia
in ships upon the salty sea. Many golden bracelets and purple
garments..., ornaments with many different patterns,
countless silver cups and ivory.
Thus he spoke. And his dear father quickly leapt up.
And the story went to his friends through the broad city.
Straightaway the Trojans joined mules to smooth-running carriages,
And the whole band of women and...maidens got on.
Separately, the daughters of Priam...
And the unmarried men led horses beneath the chariots
and greatly...charioteers...
< >
< >
< >
...like the gods
...holy
set forth into Troy...
And the sweet song of the flute mixed...
And the sound of the castanets, and then the maidens
sang a sacred song
and a wondrous echo reached the heavens...
And everywhere through the streets...
Mixing bowls and cups...
And myrrh and cassia and frankincense were mingled.
And the older women wailed aloud.
And all the men gave forth a high-pitched song,
calling upon Paon [Apollo] the far-darter who is skilled in the lyre, to sing of Hektor and Andromache, like to the gods [theoeikelois].F) Sappho 55 (translation after Julia Dubnoff)
When you lie dead there will be no remembrance of you,
nor will there be any need for you in the future. For you have no share in
the Muses' roses. But unseen even in the house of Hades
you will roam flitting aimlessly about among the shadowy dead.G) Two fragments of Sappho
1. "He is dying, Aphrodite;
luxuriant Adonis is dying.
What should we do?""Beat your breasts, young maidens.
And tear your garments
in grief."2. Oh, weep for Adonis!
H) Two fragments from wedding songs of Sappho
1. Like the sweet apple that reddens on the highest branch,
on the very top of the top-most branch, and the apple-pickers have forgotten it,
no they have not forgotten it, they could not reach it. (translation after Andrew Miller)2. Like the hyacinth, which shepherds in the mountains
step on with their feet, and on the ground the purple flower…I) From Euripides' Hippolytus
To you, poor sufferer, in compensation for for these miseries, I will grant the greatest tîmai in the polis of Troizen: unwed girls before marriage will cut off their hair for you, and through the length of time you will harvest the sorrows [penthos pl.] of their tears. It will be the care of the virgin girls to make songs about you, and so Phaedra's love for you will not fade away unremembered and remain a secret.
For more on Sappho and the poetic and performance traditions associated with her, see The Poetry of Sappho and Women's Song and Dance Traditions.Visit the John Addington Symonds pages, compiled by Rictor Norton, to read a beautiful translation of the Lament for Adonis composed by the Hellenistic pastoral poet Bion.
An electronic text of Proclus' summaries of the Epic Cycle is available here. A handy outline of the poems of the Epic Cycle is available here.
Women sing and dance in an orchard.