Musica linguae, lingua musicae
A talk given in Latin as part of a cultural panel at the Delphi Economic Forum, April 2022. The Latin text is given below the English. A recording of the event is here: I speak from 30 mins to 41.45 (exceeding my allotted 10 minutes by just a bit).
Dear hosts, friends and colleagues:
It is a pleasure to speak to you today, in the presence of colleagues and friends whose praises I sing for their work and efforts to restore the status of ancient languages, both Latin and Greek, so that everyone, not least pupils and youngsters, can learn to speak them eloquently and accurately. In this time of great pain and destruction suffered by friends and colleagues in Ukraine, it feels as much of a duty as ever for scholars and for all who have the privilege of living in peaceful and democratic countries to uphold the values of learning, truth, beauty, and excellence. These are all eternal values espoused in the highest degree by the leading lights of ancient Greek culture – by poets, philosophers, and educators.
What I want to remind you of in particular is the fact that ancient Greek, at the earliest times in which we know of it, contains its own kind of music, which is often neglected. If we pay close attention, we may understand not only the metres and rhythms of Greek correctly, but can also hear how melody is ingrained in its words and sentences. There is, in other words, a music inherent in the Greek language, musica linguae. In addition, Greek has from the times of Homer and Pythagoras given to the world a language of music (lingua musicae), that is, ways in which we may think and speak of everything to do with the ideas embraced by ‘music’.
You will all know that the word ‘music’ comes from Greek mousikê, which means ‘the arts of the Muses’. That is, not only songs, instrumental sounds, and dances, but poetry and literature, and everything that might be thought to be educational, edifying, memorable, and life-enhancing. The Muses were divine beings for the ancient Greeks, because they were the daughters of Memory and presided over all forms of knowledge and beauty. Even in the darkest times these are values that make life worth living and striving for.
When Achilles, the greatest fighter in Homer’s Iliad, retires from battle and killing, he ‘soothes his spirit’ by singing to the accompaniment of the lyre. Homer knew well what such singing was, because he himself was singing his epic, and invoking the Muse whom we identify with Calliope, “she of the lovely voice”, to entertain and enthral his listeners. Homer’s contemporary Hesiod was the first to name the nine Muses, and scholars in Alexandria some centuries later determined their different functions. They are the daughters of Memory, because their over-arching function is to help us remember and celebrate the past, and to bring it to life in the present.
Among the Muses are Erato, muse of love songs; Klio, muse of history; Melpomene, muse of tragedy; Ourania, muse of astronomy; and Thalia, muse of comedy. The whole range of human thought and emotion are expressed by these domains. To them may be added harmonious bodily movement presided over by Terpsichore, muse of dance, worship promoted by Polyhymnia, and the beautiful sounds of musical instruments that was the domain of Euterpe.
Euterpe is the Muse to whom, some time in the second century AD, a musician called Seikilos dedicated a short song that will be well known to you, ΟΣΟΝ ΖΗΣ ΦΑΙΝΟΥ. It is inscribed in Greek with musical notation on a marble column which miraculously survives to be rediscovered in 1883. Seikilos added his signature to the song, and though the end of the text is lost, what was written there was, I think, ΣΕΙΚΙΛΟΣ ΕΥΤΕΡΠΗΙ, which means that Seikilos intended his dedicatee to be none other than the Muse herself. The song demonstrates beautifully how Greek continued to be the language of music – a thousand years after Homer invoked his Muse to help him sing his masterpieces, Iliad and Odyssey.
Seikilos composed the melody with superb skill to conform precisely with the pitch accents of Greek. In earlier times the accents indicated a rise, or a rise and fall, in pitch: thus when Seikilos sets melody to the words télos and chrónos, the first syllable is higher in pitch than the second, and when he writes the words lupoû and zên, the circumflex is faithfully represented in the melody. In addition, Seikilos made his tune represent the character, or ethos, of the sentiment the song expresses, which is that expounded by the Hellenistic philosopher Epicurus: life is short, so be happy while you are alive. When Seikilos urges us to ‘shine’ ΦΑΙΝΟΥ, the pitch of the musical line rises optimistically. When he reminds us that life is short, πρὸς ὀλίγον ἔστι τὸ ζῆν, the words and music run quickly in short syllables. When he asks us to accept that in the end we die, the melody falls dejectedly. We understand this music, because it is fundamentally our own music. These tropes, found in much earlier Greek documents, make clear that Greek music, later filtered through Rome and the Holy Roman Empire, underlies the subsequent European musical tradition
All the lines of the Song are in a standard iambic metre, but Seikilos has also used assonance in each couplet. This shows us how the pronunciation of Greek in the 2nd century was much the same as it is today, since we are required to rhyme ζῆν and ἀπαιτεῖ. The Song beautifully illustrated how cultural forms advance through both continuity and variation. I will now sing the song in three languages, Greek, Latin, and English, to words that imitate the original in rhythm and rhyme.
Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου!
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ.
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἔστι τὸ ζῆν
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.
Dum vivis, splendeas!
Tu nihilo doleas.
Hominibus est brevis lux:
Tempore quaeritur exitus.
While you live, shine bright!
Don’t let sorrow you benight.
Short is the time we have to spend:
To everything Time demands and end.
In a preface to the song. Seikilos writes that it will provide ‘a long-lasting marker of eternal memory’, μνήμης ἀθανάτου σῆμα πολυχρόνιον. The wordplay on πολυχρόνιον is evident, since chrónos also means a musical beat. Seikilos has given us many chrónoi, even if the song must quickly come to an end.
The result is indeed an eternal memory; and it cannot be an epitaph, as it is often said to be. Rather it is an advertisement of the composer’s professional and musical excellence, ἀρετή. The column was found in an area of Asia Minor where there is inscriptional evidence for music being taught professionally. I believe that Seikilos was so proud of his skilful composition that he had it inscribed for posterity on marble, perhaps even to be placed at the entrance to a school where he taught music.
The Song of Seikilos reminds us how music, beauty, and skill transcend the ages and even defy death. At the base of the column is the single word ZHI, used to indicate that the author of the text is still alive. Just as Seikilos is eternally alive when we remember and sing his song, so is the beauty, excellence, and skill that his music demonstrates. These are ancient Hellenic and indeed universal values, which transcend individual lives and sustain our human journey through good times and bad, for future generations. They permit us to say, with hope, Long live Ukraine, Long live Greece, and long live Beauty, Truth, and Excellence.
Cari hospites, collegae, et amici:
summo cum gaudio hanc oratiunculam apud vos habeo, nam inter collegas et amicos versor quibus quidem laudes maximas dare velim pro operis et laboribus suis per quos linguas antiquas, et Latinam et Graecam, assidue restituere et praeferre petant ut in labros omnium, necnon discipulorum iuvenumque, pulchre et accurate exprimi possint. Iam vero amicis et collegis Ucrainiis terribili maerore et ruina afflictis homines docti et omnes qui, qua sumus fortuna, pace et libertate fruimur, mores humanas sicut eruditionem, veritatem, venustatem, in fine summas virtutes quae ab illustribus Graecorum poetis philosophis praeceptoribus in primis fovebantur, extollere et adfirmare debemus.
quod autem hodie praecipue vobis memorare velim est quod lingua Graeca antiqua, quali in temporibus antiquissimis Graeci quantum nobis scire licet uterentur, musicam certam in se habet quae licet saepe a multis neglecta sit, si intente illae animadvertimus non solum metra et rhythmos recte percipere possumus, set etiam suavitatem melodiae sicut musicam linguae in verbis et sententiis Graecis insitam audire possumus. Quo addendum est eandem Graecam de aetate Homeri Pythagoraeque linguam et sermones ad artes musicas exponendas nobis dedisse, ut cum de musica loquimur propria vocabula omnino habeamus.
Nam quis non novit vocabulum ipsum ‘Musica’ de verbo Graeco pervenisse et ‘artes Musarum’ significare, id est non solum sonos vocum et lyrae tibiarumque, non solum saltus chorosque, sed etiam poesin et litteras et omnes partes institutionis per quas mentes nostras et memoriam et vitam ipsam revivescamus et meliores efficiamus? Musae enim apud Graecos vera numina erant quae ut filiae Memoriae scientia et artibus praesidebant omnibus quae in rebus secundis nec minus caecis adversisque colendae essent ut vitam laetam optatamque persequamur.
Ille enim Achilles heros in Iliade fortissimus cum de bello luctuque se excipit ‘animam’ ut dicit Homerus ‘mulcet’ cum lyra canendo, nec ignorabat noster poeta qualis esset cantus huiusmodi quia carmen ipse cantabat Musam invocans quam Calliopen vocamus ut ‘vocem pulchram’ adhibentem, ut audientes undique captaret et blandiretur. Sed non Homerus ipse verum coaevus Hesiodus nomina Musis primus adiecit, ut docti apud Alexandriam nonnullos post saeculos sua quibusque propria regna proponerent. Quae Musae filiae Memoriae videntur esse quia praesertim nos res gestas memorare et celebrare et in praesens tempus usque renovare permittunt.
Quae inter numina Erato amorum, Clio historiae, Melpomenen tragoedie, Uraniam astronomiae, Thaliam comoediae Musas numeramus, quarum in facultatibus cuncta hominum cogitata et cuncti affectus includuntur; quibus autem motus corporis dilectos penes Musam chororum Terpsichoren adiungamus, religionem quoque pietatemque penes Polyhymniam, denique voces dulces lyrarum tibiarumque quos fovet Musa Euterpe.
Illae quidem Musae Euterpei in saeculo secundo musicus quidam nomine Sicilus carmen breve dedicavit bene vobis notum, id est Hoson Zes Phainou. Quod quidem Graece cum signis musicis in stela marmorea inscriptum anno millesimo octingentesimo octogesimo tertio sub terra repertum miro modo adhuc superest. Carmini ipsi addidit Sicilus suum nomen, et quamquam ultima linea partim perisse videtur, mea sententia ibi scriptum fuit ‘Sicilus Euterpei’, et hoc indicare non solum auctorem Musae ipsi hoc carmen dedicasse, sed etiam linguam Graecam licet mille annos postquam Homerus in suis summis operibus Musam invocaverit tamquam linguam musicae mansisse.
Noster enim Sicilus melodiam summa arte composuit ut melos cum tonis Graecis accurate adaptetur. qui autem toni in priscis temporibus elationem vel forte ascensum et descensionem vocis significabant, ut cum auctor verbis telos et chronos melodiam addit syllabam primam altiorem quam secundam efficiat, et qua lupou et zen inveniuntur perispomena propria in melodia fideliter audiantur. Nec minus effecit Sicilus ut ethos carminis praestare posset, scilicet illud Epicuri quo dicitur vita quia brevis est oportet nos viventes laetari. Ergo cum Sicilus nos urget ut niteamus, phainou, accentus apud propriam syllabam surgit; cum dicit vitam brevem esse, pros oligon esti to zen, et verba et melodia syllabis brevibus constituuntur. Cum poscit ut agnoscamus quod in fine omnes mortem obimus, melos ipsum quasi tristitia affectum desuper cadit. Nos autem talem speciem musicae bene intellegimus quia denique nostra est, et quia formae quae in scriptis Graecis inveniuntur nos sane docent hanc musicam, scilicet per aetates Romanas et multas postea perfluerit, formas musicas omni Europae suppeditasse.
Omnes carminis versus iambice rite componuntur, verum Sicilus in distichis adsonantia quoque utitur, ex quo certi fieri possimus vocem Graecam in saeculo secundo similem hodiernae fuisse, quippe zen et apaitei adsonare videntur. Itaque hoc carmen nobis et traditionem et variationem morum antiquorum bene monstrat. Nunc igitur tribus linguis usus, Graece et Latine et tandem Anglice, vocabulis rhythmum et modos carminis imitantibus, carmen cantare ipse temptabo.
Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου!
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ.
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἔστι τὸ ζῆν
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.
Dum vivis, splendeas!
Tu nihilo doleas.
Hominibus est brevis lux:
Tempore quaeritur exitus.
While you live, shine bright!
Don’t let sorrow you benight.
Short is the time we have to spend:
To everything Time demands and end.
Antequam incipit carmen ipsum scribit Sicilus id ‘signum duraturum memoriae aeternae’ fore, mnemes athanatou sema poluchronion. Certe videmus eum cum verbo poluchronion ludere, quippe chronos non solum tempus sed etiam durationem musicam, id est moram, significat. Etenim multas nobis moras Sicilus hic dedit, etsi carmen mox et sine multa mora ad finem advenire debet. Quod autem eventum est haud dubio memoriae est aeternae; nec enim epitaphium ut saepe dicitur esse potest, sed potius monumentum artis auctoris eiusque excellentiae, id est arete. Quo plus animadvertamus stelam in Asia inventam esse, qua in terra hoc tempore optimi musici (ut aliis in inscriptionibus legere possumus) operam suam gerebant. Credo igitur equidem Sicilo tam gratum fuisse suum ipsum ingenium in hoc carmine componendo ut curavit ut in marmor pro hominibus sequentibus inscribatur, fortasse etiam ut in atrio scholae qua artes musicas ipse docebat adponatur.
Carmen Sicili nos memores efficit musicam et pulchritudinem et artem ultra vitam hominum supervolare et mortem ipsum oppugnare. Ad partem inferiorem huius stelae invenitur vocabulum unicum ZEI quod solet significare auctorem inscriptionis adhuc vivum esse. Sicut enim cum carmen Sicili memoramus cantamusque in aeternum vivit homo ipse, vivunt nihilominus in musica eius insita ars, excellentia, et ingenium. Quae eadem cum Graecorum antiquorum tum hominum universorum sunt mores, qui supra vitam hominum superstant et iter humanum per res secundas et adversas regunt ut ad nepotes ultro perveniant. Ergo licet nobis optima sperare cum iam una dicimus “Vivat Ucrainia, Vivat Graecia, vivant Venustas, Veritas, et Excellentia”.
