MIMNERMUS' IMAGES OF YOUTH AND AGE

Abstract

The poet who created the most important ancient Greek elegiac poetry on the transience of youth and love, and on the consequent necessity to enjoy youth and love while one could, is Mimnermus of Colophon (end 7th century B.C.). Wolfgang Schadewaldt formulated his contribution as follows: "Aber sein Aufruf zum GenuS der Jugend und ihrer naturgemii.6en Gabe, der Liebe, ist die entschiedenste und in aller Zeitmiidigkeit auch kriiftigste Folgerung jenes Grauens vor dem Nahen des Alters" (1933:295).1 In five fragments Mimnermus deals with the beauty and joy of youth as opposed to the physical degeneration and suffering of age in terms which portray existence after the passing of youth very negatively, and which have brought on him the criticism of pessimism.2 Equally important is his use of images to embody these themes. Bowra speaks of "his brilliant sustained images" (1970:688) and several critics have written on this aspect of Mimnermus' poetry. This article explores more closely the nature of Mimnermus' use of images in connection with his treatment of youth and age, in order to highlight a previously unnoticed tendency in the relationship between imagery and description.