Recordings
of Plautine Cantica
by Timothy
J. Moore
Department
of Classics
The University of Texas
at Austin
Cistellaria
203-228
Alcesimarchus’
song about the pains of love consists entirely of anapests.
Alcesimarchus begins with three anapestic septenarii, each clearly
marked as distinct through catalexis; but his list of love’s torments
leads him into an anapestic system, in which the form-bringing
catalexis is delayed. Twice more Alcesimarchus introduces
anapestic septenarii. Each time his emotion gets the better
of
him, and he falls back into anapestic systems. Plautus’ mixture of
short and long syllables reflects well Alcesimarchus’ emotional state,
especially in the middle of the canticum. Most of the song
contains an unusually large number of short syllables, which underline
Alcesimarchus’ hysteria. Dwelling on what Love is
doing to
him, however, Alcesimarchus falls into such gloom that he sings one
stretch of twenty-five long syllables interrupted by only four short
syllables.
Text
Recording
last modified 3 June
2010 by timmoore@mail.utexas.edu