Greek Iambic Poetry: From the Seventh to Fifth Centuries Bc (The Loeb Classical Library, 259)

Rating:
Summary: Episcazon trimeter buffs will love it.
Review: Previously Archilochus, in the Loeb library, was in the second volume of Greek Elegy and Iambus, which also contained Anacreon, with a rhyming translation. and a puzzling commentary on the Parian chronicle. This is more logical. You get Archilochus, follwed by Semonides, Hipponax, Annanius, Susarion, Hermippus, Scythinus, Diphilus, Panarces and Adespota, which should be more than enough for anyone. This also has a lot more obscenity, which is sometimes fun.
The two missing stars refer to the content of the poets rather than the scholarship or translation. You have to (well don't really have to) wade through stuff about the brachycatalectic lame tetrameter, also called the episcazon trimeter (bet you didn't know that before) which has a spondee in the last foot, instead of an iambus.
Some of Gerber's translations seem to make more sense than Edmonds's did. Where Edmonds had "In the spear is my kneaded bread" Gerber has "On board ship I kneaded barley bread" (still rather an unlikely activity).
I continue to be irritated about the way the Loeb Library deals with inscriptions. They are transcribed into lower case characters and the the editor tells us where they were published but not where (if anywhere) the original inscription can be seen.

Rating:
Summary: Episcazon trimeter buffs will love it.
Review: Previously Archilochus, in the Loeb library, was in the second volume of Greek Elegy and Iambus, which also contained Anacreon, with a rhyming translation. and a puzzling commentary on the Parian chronicle. This is more logical. You get Archilochus, follwed by Semonides, Hipponax, Annanius, Susarion, Hermippus, Scythinus, Diphilus, Panarces and Adespota, which should be more than enough for anyone. This also has a lot more obscenity, which is sometimes fun.
The two missing stars refer to the content of the poets rather than the scholarship or translation. You have to (well don't really have to) wade through stuff about the brachycatalectic lame tetrameter, also called the episcazon trimeter (bet you didn't know that before) which has a spondee in the last foot, instead of an iambus.
Some of Gerber's translations seem to make more sense than Edmonds's did. Where Edmonds had "In the spear is my kneaded bread" Gerber has "On board ship I kneaded barley bread" (still rather an unlikely activity).
I continue to be irritated about the way the Loeb Library deals with inscriptions. They are transcribed into lower case characters and the the editor tells us where they were published but not where (if anywhere) the original inscription can be seen.