Callimachus: Hymn to Demeter

Callimachus was one of the most important and influential writers in the ancient world. He was the outstanding poet of the Hellenistic period, and had a profound effect on the subsequent course of Greek and Roman literature. The hymns are intricate, allusive and difficult poetry, and need elucidation for the modern reader. Dr Hopkinson has established a new text of Callimachus’ Sixth Hymn, The Hymn to Demeter, which is printed here with a facing English translation. In his thorough analysis of the poem it is the editor’s aim to show how Callimachus adapts and borrows from Homer and other early poetry to form a new type of poetic diction. The introduction has full discussions of the poem’s ritual setting, of its extraordinary inset narrative, and of Callimachus’ treatment of dialect and metre. The extensive commentary elucidates difficulties in the text and treats critical, linguistic and stylistic points with reference to the Latin and later Greek hexameter writers. This is the first full edition of and commentary on the work in English. It will be welcomed by Greek scholars and those interested in Greek and Roman poetry.