ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 146
OTTO KERN
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SUMMARY: This testimony, from an epigram of Martial, describes a glittering statue of Orpheus surrounded by mesmerized animals at the Fountain of Orpheus in Rome.
ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 146
In Rome at the Lacus Orphei [1] (Huelsen-Jordan Topogr. der Stadt. Rom I 3, 345; Richter Topographie von Rom 308. 333) Marci Valerii Martialis Epigrammata X 19, 4 (also numbered Epigram 522):
brevis est labor peractae altum vincere tramitem Suburae. Illic Orphea protinus videbis udi vertice lubricum theatri, mirantesque feras avemque regis, raptum quae Phryga [2] pertulit Tonanti (i. e. Ganymedem).
“When you have passed the Suburra, it is no long labour to ascend the steep pathway over the Esquiline hill. There you will see a glittering statue of Orpheus on the top of a perfume-sprinkled theatre, surrounded by beasts wondering at his music; and among them the royal bird which carried off Ganymede [2] for the Thunderer.”
(trans. anonymous, Bohn’s Classical Library, 1865)
Concerning pictorial representations of Orpheus see v. nrr. 30. 38. 55. 69 (The Descent to the Underworld of Polygnotus [3]). 107; on the most famous bas-relief see nr. 59.
TRANSLATOR’S NOTES:
[1] The Lacus Orphei, the Fountain of Orpheus, was a fountain in Rome on the Esquiline Hill (Regio V) which featured a statue of Orpheus.
[2] literally, “the Phrygian” but clearly meaning Ganymedes, as can be seen in depictions of him wearing a Phrygian cap.
[3] Πολύγνωτος, the ancient Greek painter from the 5th century BCE.
The story of the birth of the Gods: Orphic Theogony.
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Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.
Introduction to the Thæí (the Gods): The Nature of the Gods.
How do we know there are Gods? Experiencing Gods.
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