Alcaeus (ALKAIOS), Greek lyric poet, an older contemporary
of
Sappho, was a native of Mytilene
? in Lesbos
? and flourished
about 600 b.c. His life was greatly mixed up with
the political disputes and internal feuds of his native
city. He belonged to one of the noble families, and sided
with his class against the "tyrants" who at that time set
themselves up in Mytilene. He was in consequence obliged to
leave his native country, and spent a considerable time in
exile. He is said to have become reconciled to Pittacus, the
ruler set up by the popular party, and to have returned to
Lesbos. The date of his death is unknown. The subjects of
his poems, which were composed in the Aeolic
? dialect, were
of various kinds: some were hymns to the gods; others were of
a martial or political character; others breathed an ardent
love of liberty and hatred of tyrants; lastly, some were
love-songs. Alcaeus was allotted the second place among the
nine lyric poets in the [Alexandrian canon]
?. The considerable
number of fragments extant, and the well-known imitations
of
Horace, who regarded Alcaeus as his great model, enable
us to form a fair idea of the character of his poems. A
new fragment has recently been discovered, together with
some fragments of Sappho (Classical Review, May 1902).
See Bergk, Poetae Lyrici Graeci (1882); also The Songs
of Alcaeus, by J. Easby-Smith (Washington, 1901); Plehn,
Lesbiacorum Liber (1826); Flach, Geschichte der griechischen
Lyrik (1883-1884); Farnell, Greek Lyric Poets (1891).
Initial text from 1911 encyclopedia -- Please update as needed
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