Aulus Gellius (125 – after 180) is an ideal author for
providing short anecdotes in not too difficult Latin. The following story is
about Polus of Aegina, a famous Greek actor living in the 4th century BC. In
his role of Electra he embraced the urn with the ashes of his deceased son.
Indeed Electra, as it was not until the 18th century or so that women were
active on stage. No need to say that his tears and grief were real. The impact
on the public must have been enormous. I
see in detectives regularly actors and actresses grieving for someone just
killed, but too often it is not quite convincing. I think I know a way of
making it more real…
Aulus Gellius,
Noctes Atticae 6.5
Historia de Polo
histrione memoratu digna. Histrio in
terra Graecia fuit fama celebri, qui gestus et vocis claritudine et venustate
ceteris antistabat: nomen fuisse aiunt
Polum, tragoedias poetarum nobilium scite atque asseverate actitavit. Is Polus unice amatum filium morte amisit. Eum luctum quoniam satis visus est eluxisse,
rediit ad quaestum artis. In eo
tempore Athenis Electram Sophoclis acturus, gestare urnam quasi cum Oresti
ossibus debebat. Ita compositum
fabulae argumentum est, ut veluti fratris reliquias ferens Electra comploret
commisereaturque interitum eius existimatum. Igitur Polus lugubri habitu
Electrae indutus ossa atque urnam e sepulcro tulit filii et quasi Oresti
amplexus opplevit omnia non simulacris neque imitamentis, sed luctu atque
lamentis veris et spirantibus. Itaque
cum agi fabula videretur, dolor actus est.
memoratu: supine
histrio –ionis
(m.): actor
fama celebri:
ablative of description
gestus: while
acting (gero)
venustas –atis
(f.): elegance
antisto antisteti
(+ dat + abl): to excel
scite atque
asseverate: thoughtfully and earnestly/ with dignity
aiunt: they say/
it is said
actito: to
perform
unice: dearly
luctus –us (m.):
grief
quoniam:
because, since
eluceo eluxi:
to be manifest (i.e. in public mourning)
quaestus –us (m.):
way of making profit, profession
Athenis: at
Athens
Electra: first
performance not known, but probably at the end of Sophocles’ life (496 – 406)
acturus: he was
about to perform
gestare urnam quasi
cum Oresti ossibus: to carry the urn as if with the bones of Orestes (In
the play Orestes pretended to have died in order to deceive his mother and her
lover and so being able to kill them off-guard. Electra too initially thought
her brother death, but later he makes himself known to her.))
fabula: story
argumentum:
plot
reliqiae –arum:
remains
comploro (-are): to bewail
commisereor: to
grieve for
interitus –us (m.):
death
existimo (-are):
to suppose
lugubri habitu:
in the mourning dress
induo indui
indutum (-ere): to dress
amplector amplexus:
to embrace
oppleo opplevi
oppletum: to fill completely
simulacrum:
appearance, semblance
spirantibus:
inspired, true
Translation by John Carew Rolfe (1927)
A noteworthy story about the actor Polus.
1 There was in the land of Greece an actor of wide
reputation, who excelled all others in his clear delivery and graceful action.
2 They say that his name was Polus, and he often acted the tragedies of famous
poets with intelligence and dignity. 3 This Polus lost by death a son whom he
dearly loved. 4 After he felt that he had indulged his grief sufficiently, he
returned to the practice of his profession.
5 At that time he was to act the Electra of Sophocles at
Athens, and it was his part to carry an urn which was supposed to contain the
ashes of Orestes. 6 The plot of the play requires that Electra, who is
represented as carrying her brother's remains, should lament and bewail the
fate that she believed had overtaken him. 7 Accordingly Polus, clad in the
mourning garb of Electra, took from the tomb the ashes and urn of his son,
embraced them as if they were those of Orestes, and filled the whole place, not
with the appearance and imitation of sorrow, but with genuine grief and
unfeigned lamentation. 8 Therefore, while it seemed that a play was being
acted, it was in fact real grief that was enacted.
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