Metri e ritmi delle "poetesse minori": Osservazioni preliminari

This paper undertakes an examination of the metrical structures employed by female lyric poets, namely Corinna, Telesilla and Praxilla. While scholarly attention has long been devoted to their ability to reinterpret mythological narratives of civic relevance, their metrical-musical competence also deserves attention, to better contextualize their poetic activity. Hephaestion, in his Encheiridion, cites verses from their compositions as examples of specific metrical structures; notably, two distinct verses bear Praxilla’s name. The present study analyzes these exempla in conjunction with extant fragments attributed to these poets, to reconstruct the range and nuance of their metrical repertory. First, this paper presents a collection of sources that have often been studied separately, particularly in relation to the use of certain metrical structures in dramatic contexts. The meters are then examined within the literary tradition, through comparison with occurrences of the same structures in other authors. The analysis suggests that these poets were capable of blending traditional patterns with the more sophisticated lyric tradition.