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Irine Darchia (Tbilisi)

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Irine Darchia (Tbilisi) Phas1s 2-\ 2000 Irine Darchia (Tbilisi) PHENOMENON OF COLOUR IN THE POETRY OF PINDAR Many great thinkers have researched and analysed the phenomenon of colour - a universal aesthetic category - from antiquity to our days. Thus there are many different theories and teachings studying the physical-anatomic mechanism of the formation and perception of colours, focused on the philosophical, artistic-Or symbolical point of view.1 At the same time colours are used by art-people as an instrument, sometimes unconscious device of self-expression. Thus the phenomenon of colour - with its complexity, depth and diversity - is presented in the works of art not theoretically but practically. Colour must be considered as an inseparable and organic element, having its important function not only of painting and architecture, the spheres most closely connected to colour, but of belles-lettres as well. A colour is an indispensable element of the artistic world of any literary work. This study builds upon the above-mentioned tradition by analysing the phenomenon of colour, its various functions in the poetry of Pindar, one of the greatest authors of Antiquity. Both in odes and fragments of Pindar I identified approximately 60 words associated with col­ our and classified them into three groups:2 1) Words showing any concrete colour.3 e.g. cipyciEtS', cipytv6Ets, AEUKav911s, AEUKOS (white), y>..auK6s (bluish green or grey), y>..auK6xpws (grey), Epu9p6s (red),4 Kp6KEOS', KpoKwT6s (saffron­ coloured), KUCivrns (dark blue), AEUKOW (whiten over), µE>..as (black), {av96s (yellow of various shades), 1raµ1r6P4>upos (all purple), 1rciyxpuoos (all-golden), iro>..uxpooos (rich in gold), irop<j>uprns, <j>o(vtaaa (purple), <j)otvtKEOS' (purple-red), x>..wp6s (greenish-yellow). 2) Composite words describing both the object and its colour. e. g. i.oj3AE<j>apos (violet-eyed), i.01r>..6Kaµcs, i.61TAOKOS' (with violet locks), KEAatVE'YXllS' (with black, i. e. bloody spear), KEAatvwms (black-faced), KEAaLVE<l>llS' (shrouded in black clouds), KEAatvwljJ (swarthy), AEUKL 1T1TOS', AEUK61rw>..os (with white horses), AEVKWAEVOS' (white-armed), µEMµ<j>u>..>..os (black-leafed), µEAUVTELXllS' (black­ walled), ~av9oK6µas (fair, golden-haired), <j>otvtKciv9Eµos (with purple flowers), <j>otvtK6KpoKos (of purple woof), <j>otvtK61TeCa (ruddy-footed), q>OLVtK6po6os (red with roses), q>otVLKOOTEp61ras (hurling red lightning). 3) Words showing not the colour itself, but provoking its association in the reader's mind. For instance, in stating that an object is of gold or silver, not only material (metal) is imagined, but also its colour - golden or silver as well. The metals - gold and silver - and their colours are inseparably con­ nected to each other. Accordingly, the words related to gold and silver considered as indirectly showing the colour of the object are, for example, cipyupeos (of silver), cipyup6w (to cover with silver), apyu­ pcmE(a (silver-footed or -sandalled), XPOOEOS' (of gold), xpooaMKa.Tos (with distaff of gold), xpuociµ1ru~ (with fillet or frontlet of gold), xpucrcivtos (with reins of gold), xpoocipµarns (with or in car of gold), xpuoaams (with shield of gold), xpooawp (with sword of gold), xpoo69povos (with 1 Let us remember the thoughts of Alcmaeon and Empedocles, Democritus and Theophrastus, Plato, Aristotle and Plimus. Newton and Goethe, R. Steiner, H. Wagner and other famous thinkers. 2 For the vocabulary of Pindar sec: Pindari Carmina cum Fragmentis, Pars I, Epinicia, Post Brunoncm Snell, Ed1t 1t Hen 1cus Maehler, BSB B. G. Teubner Verlagsgeselschaft, 1984; Rumpel Joannes, Lexicon Pindaricum, Lipsiae, In Acdibus B. G. Teubneri, MDCCCLXXXIII. 3 For English equivalents of Greek words and English translation of Pindar see: Liddell M. G. and Scott R. (ed.), A Gn:ck­ English Lexicon, Oxford, 1961 ; The Odes of Pindar Including the Principal Fragments (With an introduction and an English translation by sir John Sandys), London, Cambridge, Massachusetts, MCMLXVIII. 4 This word is met only once, in a geographical name: "Red Sec" (1T611nv epuGpt~ - Py. IV 25 I). 88 Irinc Darchia throne of gold), xpoo6KEpos, xpoo6Kepws (with horn of gold), XpoooK6µas (golden haired), xpu­ a6nrnAos. xpooox( Twv (with robe of gold), xpoo6pams (with wand of gold), 6vo<f>Ep6s (dark, black).5 Pindar's range of colours is quite varied. Twelve colours can be identified in his odes and frag­ ments: white, black, red, purple (purple-red), dark-blue, bluish green, grey, saffron, golden-yellow, greenish-yellow, golden, silver. And they are expressed by approximately sixty various terms.6 Nine of them (torrA6Kaµos , µeAavrnx~s. 1raµ1rop<j>upos, <j>oLVtKciv0E:µos , <j>oLVtK6KpoKos, <j>otvtK61re(a , q>ou,tK6pooos, xpuaoxa1Ta, xpucr61re1r>..os) are found in Pindar's poetry.7 The most frequently used colour terms are AEUKOS (16 times), ~av86s (13 times) and µEA.as (10 times). The following frequency of colour use has been calculated: golden (59 times), white and black (18 times), purple and golden­ yellow (13 times), silver (7 times), violet (4 times), saffron and greenish-yellow (3 times), dark-blue (twice), red, bluish green and grey (once). Upon analysis, I found that the colours have different functions in Pindar's works. Namely, some colours - black, dark-blue, white, grey and red - are used as epithets showing the real colour of the objects, without any metaphoric or symbolic meaning.8 It can not be said that Pindar is distinguished by originality, when choosing colour as an epithet, showing us original interrelation between the colour and object. In the examples cited below the poet is more descriptive, ascribing real, visible and noted colour to each object. But this conclusion is applied only to a small portion of the colours used by Pindar. Black can symbolically mean destruction, humiliation, misfortune, grief and mouming.9 Such traditional understanding of this colour is reflected in these metaphoric epithets: "black murder" (µE - Aavt q>ovw - Is. VII 50 {VIII 55)), "black (dark) death" (µE>,avos 0avciTOu - Py. XI 56), "black dark­ ness" (KEA.mve<j>Et BE CJKOTEL - fr. 142 (106), 3), ''black-leafed (dark-leafed) heights of Aetna" (Ahvas µe>..aµ<j>uUots Kopu<j>a1s - Py. I 27). "The black darkness" can be metaphorically under­ stood as "death", and by the "black-leafed heights of Aetna" something terrible, disastrous and destruc­ tive is meant. The plains of Libya are mentioned as "mantled by the black (dark) cloud" (KEA.aLVEq>Ewv TTE - 6(wv - Py. IV 52), but this phrase is metaphorically understood1° and it is considered that the fertility of Libyan earth is meant here. As the plains are "mantled by the black clouds", it rains frequently and hence the earth is fertile. The association of black with murder, death, darkness, natural phenomena is quite logical and at the same time a traditional, well-known artistic device. To the colour black is also attributed abso­ lutely unexpected and extraordinary meaning as well. In Pindar's works it metaphorically means "fer­ tile", which can be considered as an original poetic vision of the poet. In one of the fragments the word-combination "black heart" is used. As the poet says, "the God sending gladness to the person, to his black heart knocks at first" (6rr6Tav 0Eos civ8pl. xcipµa 1TEµlj,11 , mipos µO.. mvav Kpa61.av ECJTu<j>EXt~Ev - fr. 225 (247). 5 The term 6vo¢Ep6s- (dark, murky) can be considered as indirectly showing the colour because it figuratively can mean "black" as well. 6 The colour terms used by Pindar: white (cipy<iEtS, cipyw&ts, AE UKaveiJs, AEUKoS, AEUK6w, AEUKt mros, AEUKOTTWAOS . AEUKWAEVoS'.), black (6v<><j>Ep6s-, KEAmvwms, KEAatVOS, KEAmvqxtjs, KEAatve<j>iJs, KEAmvulljJ , µEAas , µEAciµ<j> uUos, ftt:X­ avTELXtjs), red, purple, purple-red (ipu8p6s, rraµ1r6p<!>vpos , 1rop<j>upEos, <l>otviKEOS, <j>otvtcrcra, q><xVLK<iv0Eµos , q><xvtK6K­ poKOS' q>OL\11.KOTTE(a, q>OlVLKopooos, q>OLVLKOOTEpotras), dark-blue (KtJCi.VEOS, KOO\JGL )'LS' KOOV<iµm~) . bluish green and grey (yXauK6s, yXaUK6XPWS), greenish-yellow (xXwp6s), golden-yellow ({av86s, {av0oK6µas), saffron (Kp6Keos. KpoKwT6s), (to~Xi<j>apos, lo1rX6Kaµos , l6rrXoKos), golden (XPUOEOS, TT<I)'XPUOOS, 1r0Xti)(pucros, )(pucraXciKaTos, xpucrciµ ­ mx;, )(pUOciVLOS, )(pUOcipµaTos , )(plJOQ<TITLS, xpucrawp, )(pU068povos, )(pUOOKEpos, )(pUOOKEpws, XpucroK6µas , )(pUOOTTE· rrXos, XPU06pams), silver (cipytipEos, cipyup6w, cipyup&rrE(a). 7 For the history and etymology of the colour terms see: Chantraine Pierre, Dictionnaire Etymologique de la Langue Grecque, Historic des Mots, Tome I- IV-2, Paris, Editions Klincksieck, 1968-1980. 8 For example, Pindar associates the black with the earth, cheek, face, night and in this case the colour reflects the empirical reality and reproduces the real colour of the things. e. g. x96va µiXm vav - black (dark) earth (01. IX. 50), tti Xamu apoupm - (Ne. IX 39), µEXav yEvELov - black (dusky) cheek (01. I 70 (68)), KEXmvw,rrnm K6Xxmcru · - swarthy Colchi (Py. IV 212), µEXa[vas vuKTOS, 6vo<j>Epcis vuKTOS - black night (fr. 130 (95), fr. 142 (106)). Grey is associated with olives (yXauK6xpoa Kooµov eXa[as - 01. HI 13) and the bluish green or grey - with snakes (yXa uKo't 6pciKoVTES - 01. VIII 37). A flame is red (<j>o[vtcrcra <j>M~ - Py. I 24) and the earth - dark blue (Kuovfos xOoVOS" - fr. 87 (58), 4, X6xµas Kuavfos - 01. VI. 40). Milk, ivory and a column are white (A£UK!ji y<i>.aim - Ne. 111 77, XeuKov yci >.a - fr. 166 (147), 2, XEuKov eXE<j>av0 ' - Ne. VII 78, crT<iXav AEUKOTEpav - Ne. IV 8 I), and the head of the personage - Mclissus of Thebes - is wreathed with myrtle white (AEuKw8t:ls Kcipa µup TotS - ls. 111 .87 (IV 69)). 9 On the symbolism of black see: Cooper J. C., Lexicon Alter Symbole (Translated from English), VEB E. A. Seemann Ver­ lag, Leipzig, I 986, p. 52. 10 For such interpretation see: Rumpel I. , op. cit., p. 246. Phenomenon of Colour in the Poetry of Pindar 89 "The black heart" can be understood in different ways, proceeding from the varied symbolical meanings of the colour.
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