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El Centón Homérico De Eudoxia (S. V D. C.) Teología Y Vida, Vol Teología y Vida ISSN: 0049-3449 [email protected] Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Chile Arbea G., Antonio El centón homérico de Eudoxia (s. V d. C.) Teología y Vida, vol. XLIII, núm. 2-3, 2002, pp. 97-106 Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago, Chile Disponible en: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=32217004002 Cómo citar el artículo Número completo Sistema de Información Científica Más información del artículo Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina, el Caribe, España y Portugal Página de la revista en redalyc.org Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto EL CENTÓN HOMÉRICO DE EUDOXIA (S. V D. C.)Teología y Vida, Vol. XLIII (2002), pp. 97-106 97 ESTUDIOS Antonio Arbea G. Profesor del Instituto de Letras Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile El centón homérico de Eudoxia (s. V d. C.) 1. AELIA EUDOXIA AUGUSTA (ANTES ATHENAIS) Eudoxia (o Eudocia) es nombre de emperatriz. En los siglos cristianos IV y V encontramos al menos tres emperatrices llamadas así (1). La nuestra, la autora del centón homérico, es la más famosa, y sobre su vida disponemos hoy de bastante información (2). Nació en Atenas el año 394 d. C., y llevó inicialmente el nombre de Athenais. Fue hija de un maestro de elocuencia –de un rJhvtwr– llamado Leoncio; con él se formó en las letras griegas y latinas, que llegaron a serle muy familiares. Ya crecida, viajó a Constantinopla, donde el 7 de junio de 421, a los 26 años, tras recibir el bautismo de manos del obispo de Constantinopla y tomar el nombre de Elia Eudo- xia, contrajo matrimonio con Teodosio II, que era seis años menor que ella. Al año siguiente dio a luz una hija, Licinia Eudoxia, quien terminaría casándose con quien más tarde fue Valentiniano III, emperador de Occidente. Víctima de los celos de su esposo y reducida a condición privada, Eudoxia fue autorizada a retirarse a Jerusalén alrededor del año 450 d. C., donde pasó el resto de su vida entregada a actividades piadosas. Murió el año 461 d. C., a los 67 años. (1)A saber, Aelia Eudocia Augusta (375-404 d. C.), esposa de Arcadio, emperador de Oriente; Aelia Eudocia Augusta, antes Athenais [’Aqhnai‘] ı(394-461 d. C.), esposa de Teodosio II, emperador de Oriente; y Licinia Eudocia Augusta (422-? d. C.), esposa de Valentiniano III, emperador de Occidente. (2) He aquí, por ejemplo, parte de lo que FORCELLINI trae sobre Eudocia en su Onomasticon: “Eudocia vel Eudoxia, plenius Aelia Eudoxia Augusta […], filia Leonis vel Leontii, sophistae Atheniensis, nata Athenis anno 394, Athenais nomine, a patre in litteris optime erudita, quam, a fratribus suis expulsam et Constantinopolim profectam, tanti ob eius preclaras corporis animique dotes fecit Pulcheria ut eam nuptui daret fratri suo Theodosio postquam ab Attico patriarcha instructa baptismum recepit, quae antea ethnicorum superstitione imbuta fuerat, anno 421, mutato in Eudociam nomine. Ex hoc matri- monio duas filias habuit, Eudoxiam unam, quae nupsit Valentiniano III., et Flaccillam, quae brevi obiit. Sed quum in suspicionem adulterii venisset, cuius causa Theodosius Paulinum patricium interimi iussit, Augusta Hierosolymam, quo, marito consentiente, antea concesserat, cum eo [i. e., Theodosio] collisa remeasse videtur. [Ibi] Severum presbyterum et Johannem diaconum, Eudoxiae reginae apud Aeliam [i. e., Hierosolymam] urbem ministrantes, missus ab imperatore Theodosio Saturninus, comes domesticorum, occidit. Eudoxia, nescio quo excita dolore, Saturninum protinus obtruncavit, statimque, mariti imperatoris nutu, regis spoliata ministris, apud Aeliam [i. e., Hierosolymam] civitatem moritura remansit. […] Scripsit autem prosa et versa oratione, ut paraphrasim in octo priores Veteris Testamenti libros post reditum ex bello quod Theodosius contra Persas feliciter gesserat; tum etiam in libros Danielis et Zachariae, et alia quae aetatem non tulerunt”. 98 ANTONIO ARBEA Como escritora compuso, al menos, cinco obras: (i) un poema en celebración de la victoria alcanzada por Teodosio en la guerra contra los persas del año 421 d. C., (2) una paráfrasis del Octateuco, (3) una paráfrasis de las profecías de Daniel y Zacarías, (4) un poema en tres libros sobre la historia y martirio de San Cipriano, y (5) un centón homérico. Las dos últimas son las únicas que se conservan. 2. EL CENTÓN: DEFINICIÓN La palabra centón proviene del latín cento, centonis, voz con que, ya en el siglo III a. C., se designaba una colcha o manto cobertor compuesto de diferentes retazos viejos y de diverso color, cosidos entre sí, que era usado principalmente por la gente humilde (3). Más tarde, en el siglo III d. C., ya en el latín postclásico, la palabra cento aparece usada metafóricamente con el significado de “poema o relato compuesto de diversos fragmentos de una obra ajena” (4). Este sentido figurado fue el único que la palabra terminó conservando. Así, llamamos hoy centón a un poema, un discurso, una composición literaria cualquiera, formada de versos, medios versos, períodos o fragmentos tomados de aquí y de allá de la obra de un autor o de varios autores, pero de modo tal que, cosidos entre sí y formando un nuevo todo con sentido, constituyan un conjunto de significación enteramente nueva. Nuestros modernos pots-pourris, por ejemplo, no son otra cosa que centones musicales, como también las así llamadas rapsodias. Sobre este último término, por lo demás, conviene recor- dar que proviene justamente del griego rJavptw‘coser, zurcir’ y wj/dhv ‘canto’. El rapsoda de la antigua Grecia –el rJaywj/dov–, eseı cantor ambulante que iba de pue- blo en pueblo recitando poemas épicos, particularmente los de Homero, era, en rigor, un zurcidor o ajustador de cantos. Si en el mundo latino el autor preferido de los centonistas fue Virgilio, en el mundo griego fue principalmente Homero quien surtió de ‘materia prima’ a los autores de centones. Así, pues, la mayoría de las obras de este tipo que por entonces se escribieron fueron homerocentones –llamados JOmhrokevntra entre los griegos (5)–, es decir, poemas enteramente compuestos de versos extraídos de distintos lugares de la Ilíada o la Odisea. Estos versos, prácticamente sin modificaciones, eran ‘forzados’ a relatar asuntos enteramente distintos de los cantados en los libros homéricos. Aunque son pocas la piezas de este tipo que han llegado íntegras hasta nosotros, sí pueden encontrarse bastantes citas de ellas en algunos autores antiguos (6). (3) “Vestis stragula […] ex variis pannis veteribus ac diversi coloris consuta, qua pauperum lecti sternuntur” (FORCELLINI). (4) “Carmen seu scriptum ex variis fragmentis [alieni operis] contextum” (DU CANGE). (5) La palabra kevntrwn ‘centón’, término asociado al trabajo de los mosaicos, está emparentada, según Ernout-Meillet, con el latín cento. (6) V. gr., Anthologia Palatina 9.361, 381, 382; Ireneo (apud Epiph. Pan. II, 29.9); Heliodoro (ed. Hilgard 1901: 480-1). EL CENTÓN HOMÉRICO DE EUDOXIA (S. V D. C.) 99 3. EL CENTÓN HOMÉRICO DE EUDOXIA: SINOPSIS DE SU CONTENIDO El centón homérico de Eudoxia tiene 2.344 versos (7) y relata una cincuentena de episodios bíblicos. Algunos de estos episodios son muy breves y no alcanzan los 10 versos; otros, en cambio, son más extensos y superan los 100 versos. Los episodios del Antiguo Testamento recogidos en el centón son muy pocos y ocupan solo los primeros 200 versos, menos de una décima parte de la obra entera. Entre ellos están, por ejemplo, la creación del mundo, la tentación de la serpiente, la caída. El Nuevo Testamento, en cambio, está ampliamente representado en el cen- tón. Entre otros episodios evangélicos, se relatan allí, por ejemplo, la adoración de los reyes magos, la matanza de Herodes de los recién nacidos, la huida a Egipto, el bautismo de Jesús, el llamamiento de los apóstoles, las bodas de Caná, la curación del paralítico, el encuentro con la samaritana, la resurrección de Lázaro, la traición de Judas, la crucifixión, la resurrección y la ascensión de Cristo. 4. UNA MUESTRA: Peri; tou‘ eujaggelismou‘ (SOBRE LA ANUNCIACIÓN). Ofrezco a continuación una breve muestra del centón de Eudoxia: el comienzo del episodio de la Anunciación. Este es uno de los episodios más largos de la obra: se extiende desde el verso 202 hasta el 268 (8). 202 Kai; tovt’ a[r a[ggelon h|ken, o}ı ajggeivleie [Odiseagunaiki; 15, 458] Y entonces un ángel vino a anunciar a la mujer 203 boulh;n, h{ rJav ¿tovte(9) ejfhvndane sfinfl mhtiovwsi. [Ilíada 7, 45] el plan, que luego a ella agradó. —————— 204 aujta;r oJ bh, mevga gavr(10) rJaw[trunen ¿qeou‘ ejfetmhvfl [Il. 21, 299] Y él vino, pues mucho (lo) animó el mandato de Dios 205 ajntiva despoivnhı favsqai kaiv e{kasta puqevsqai.[Od. 15, 377] de hablarle cara a cara a la mujer y preguntarle sobre cada cosa. 206 K arpalivmwı’ dh[i>xen ejpi; cqovna poulubovteiran[Il. 11, 118 + 619] Rápidamente se precipitó a la tierra que nutre a todos 207 oujranovqen kataba;ı dia; aijqevroı [ajtrugevtoio,Il. 11, 184 + 17, 425] bajando desde el cielo por el éter desierto, 208 nuvmfh eujplokavmw/ ˚eijpei‘n ˚nhmerteva ˚boulhvn.[Od. 5, 30] a comunicarle a la joven de bellos bucles la decisión inapelable. (7) Sigo la reciente edición de Mark D. Usher Homerocentones Eudociae Augustae (Bibliotheca Scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana, Stuttgart - Leipzig, 1999). (8) El texto griego va acompañado yuxtalinealmente de una traducción mía muy literal. A la izquier- da de cada verso griego indico el número que este tiene en la edición de Usher; a la derecha, el lugar preciso que en la Ilíada o en la Odisea ocupa cada fragmento homérico empleado por Eudoxia. Empleo las barras dobles () para indicar el límite de hemistiquios de distinta proceden- cia. Entre llaves ({}) encierro las modificaciones al texto homérico, casos en que reproduzco en nota el texto homérico original. (9) Texto homérico original: qeoi‘sin (del que depende mhtiovwsi [dat.
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