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.