Afrikaans: Hierdie proefskrif is ' n kommentaar op die anoniem oorgelewerde gedig De Laude Pisonis wat deesdae meestal aan Calpurnius Siculus toegeskryf word, 'n digter van ekloges uit die middel van die eerste eeu n.C. Die gedig van 261 heksameters is 'n lofdig op 'n sekere Calpurnius Piso, heel waarskynlik die bekende adellike wat in 65 n.C. as leier van 'n sameswering teen keiser Nero gesterf het. Die gedig verheerlik Piso as die nasaat van groot generaals, as 'n uiters welsprekende advokaat, 'n senator en consul (of oud-consul), maar ook as 'n baie vrygewige beskermheer van 'n kring van kunssinnige 'vereerders' en vriende, as 'n knap digter en lierspeler, en laastens as 'n baie bekwame balspeler en 'n kampioen in 'n bordspel genaamd latrunculi. In die laaste vyfde van die gedig bied die digter sy lofdig aan Piso as 'n 'liefdespand' en as proefstuk van sy digterlike bedrewenheid aan, en versoek hom vervolgens om hom in sy vriendekring op te neem en, SODS Maecenas van weleer met Vergilius en Horatius gemaak het, hom te help om as digter vooruit te gaan en beroemd te word; as dank hiervoor beloof hy aan Piso ewige roem in sy eie gedigte, waarin hy horn as sy Maecenas sal prys. Die jong outeur - hy sê dat hy nog nie eens twintig jaar oud is nie - is deur moderne geleerdes soms geloof vir sy tegniese bedrewenheid, maar ook herhaaldelik oor die konsep van die gedig berispe. Die eerste kommentaar op die De Laude Pisonis is in 1917 deur Gladys Martin geskryf; 'n heelwat breedvoeriger kommentaar, in Duits, is in 1969 deur A.Seel gepubliseer. Vergeleke met hierdie voorgangers is die onderhawige kommentaar heelwat meer omvattend wat die filologies-eksegetiese aspek sowel as sake van sosio-historiese belang betref. Daarbenewens word ook meer aandag gegee aan die waardering van die gedig se struktuur, die gedagteloop en oorgange tussen die temas, aan die rol van die metrum, en aan eksakte interpretasie; daar word ook 'n Afrikaanse prosavertaling aangebied. Die inleiding tot die kommentaar gee 'n oorsig van die tekstradisie en vroeër uitgawes van die gedig, behandel die vermoedelike identiteite van die digter en die geadresseerde, en bepaal kortliks die gedig se plek in die geskiedenis van die lofdig as 'n literêre genre. Die kommentaar is gebaseer op die teks van die Franse Budé-edisie van 1991. Daar word bevind dat die De Laude Pisonis 'n goed gestruktureerde en in alle opsigte fyn afgewerkte gedig is. Die versritme sowel as 'goue versreëls' word dikwels ingespan om die betekenis te onderstreep. Die taalgebruik stem grootliks ooreen met dié van ander digters van die Silwer Tydperk. Die verskillende temas van lofprysing is vindingryk en interessant aangebied in 'n verhewe maar aantreklike styl, opvallend ryk aan metafore. Ook die afsluitende versoek om die geadresseerde se steun is aandoenlik en oortuigend geformuleer. Daar kan sekerlik aanvaar word dat die ambisieuse jong skrywer se lofdig die gewensde indruk op die geadresseerde moes gemaak het. Bes moontlik was hierdie gedig inderdaad die begin van die jong ekloge-digter Calpumius Siculus se digterloopbaan onder die bevordering van die edele Piso. Die kwaliteit van hierdie gedig is waarskynlik tot dusver deur moderne navorsers onderskat. English: This thesis is a commentary on the anonymously preserved poem De Laude Pisonis which is now usually ascribed to Calpurnius Siculus, a pastoral poet of the middle of the first century AD. The poem of 261 hexameters is a panegyric on a certain Calpurnius Piso, most likely the well-known nobleman who died in AD 65 as leader of a conspiracy against the emperor Nero. The poem eulogizes Piso as the scion of a family of great generals, a most eloquent lawyer, a senator and consul (or ex-consul), but also as a very generous patron of a circle of artistic admirers and friends, a fine poet and musician, and finally as a spectacular ball-player and champion in the chess-like game of latrunculi. In the final part of the poem the author offers his panegyric to the noble Pi so as a pledge of his affection and a specimen of his ability, then proceeds to beg him to accept him into his circle and help him, like Maecenas did with Vergil and Horace, to gain literary fame; for this he promises him eternal glory in his poems, where he will praise him as his own Maecenas. The young author - he says he is still under twenty - has been praised for his technical competence, but also sometimes criticised for the poem's concept. The first English commentary on the De Laude Pisonis was written by Gladys Martin in 1917, a more extensive one in German was published by A.Seel in 1969. Compared with its predecessors, the present commentary, besides being more exhaustive on the philological-¬exegetic side and on matters of socio-historical interest, also pays more attention to the poem's structure, lines of thought, transitions between themes, to the role of the metre, and to exact interpretation; an Afrikaans prose translation is also presented. The introduction to the commentary gives a survey of the text tradition and previous editions of the poem, discusses the probable identities of the author and of the addressee, and deals briefly with panegyric as a literary genre. The commentary is based on the text of the French Budé edition of 1991. The De Laude Pisonis is found to be a well structured and in all respects well finished poem. Verse rhythm as well as 'golden lines' are often used to underline or emphasise the meaning. The language usage conforms to that of the other poets of the Silver Age. The various laudatory topics are imaginatively and attractively presented in an elevated but pleasing style, remarkably rich in metaphor. Also the concluding request for sponsorship is formulated rather movingly and persuasively. There can be little doubt that the ambitious young man's presentation poem must have duly impressed its recipient, and it is, in fact, very likely that this is the poem which launched the young pastoral poet Calpurnius Siculus on his career as a protegé of the addressee. Perhaps the quality of this poem has generally been underrated by modern scholars. / Thesis (DLitt (Latin))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Ancient Languages / unrestricted
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:up/oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/22878 |
| Date | 27 February 2006 |
| Creators | Hasse, Paul |
| Contributors | Prof M J Mans, upetd@up.ac.za |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | © 2001, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
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