(sixth century b.c.) poet, composer
Anacreon was one of the most influential and famous Greek literary and musical figures who flourished during the time before the Persian Wars and the Golden Age of Athens. Greek writers continued to imitate him long after his death, and his impact on Greek culture was profound.
Anacreon was born in the Ionian Greek city of Teos, on the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea.
Throughout his life, he was never able to remain in the same place for very long, being continually forced to relocate because of political turmoil. After Teos fell to the Persians, the poet became a guest of Polycrates, the tyrant-ruler of the island of Samos. According to the historian herodotus, Anacreon may have been dining with Polycrates when the latter was assassinated. Following this event, Anacreon moved again, this time to Athens. When another political friend was assassinated, Anacreon again fled, this time to Thessaly, but was later recalled to Athens. He died there, according to legend, by choking on a raisin.
Anacreon was best known for his brilliant and bawdy feasting songs. They glorified the enjoyment of life, the subjects generally being wine, women, and pleasure. The chief theme of his work is that people should strive to enjoy life while they have the chance. People throughout the Greek world enjoyed these songs, and Anacreon was extremely popular. He also wrote satirical pieces that were well received. Greek and Roman writers continued to imitate his style for many centuries, and the tradition of popular “drinking songs” owes much to Anacreon.
In the 16th century, a large collection of Anacreon’s works was published in Paris for the first time. It influenced writers such as Ben Jonson, Richard Lovelace, and Robert Herrick. An English translation by Thomas Moore, titled Odes of Anacreon, appeared in 1800.
An English Version of Works by Anacreon
“If you can count the number” and other untitled poems in The Norton Book of Classical Literature. Edited by Bernard Knox. New York: W. W. Norton, 1993,243-246.
Works about Anacreon
Greek Songs in the Manner of Anacreon. Translated by Richard Aldington. London: The Egoist Ltd., 1919.
Rosenmeyer, Patricia. The Poetics of Imitation: Anacreon and the Anacreontic Tradition. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
