Sexual life in ancient Greece : with thirty-two full-page plates

EROTIC IN GREEK LITERATURE

one of them, after which he became a woman, and from that time also had intercourse with men. But Apollo told him that when he again watched the snakes and wounded one of them, he would become a man again. This also happened. Now Zeus and Hera were once disputing which felt the greatest enjoyment in embracing, the man or the woman. Since Teiresias had experienced both, they asked his opinion, and received the answer : The man only enjoys one-tenth of the pleasure when sleeping with a woman, the woman only tentenths.” (This is the explanation of the old Scholiasts on Lycophron, 683 ; according to others, the wife's share of enjoyment is nine-tenths, the husband’s one-tenth (v. Kinkel).) ‘‘ Hera was offended at this answer and made Teiresias blind, but Zeus by way of compensation bestowed upon him the gift of prophecy and long life.”’

2. Lyric POETRY

We cannot glean much more from the lyric poetry of the Greeks than from their epic compositions just discussed. Certainly it is for the greatest part of an erotic nature, but—and this is one of the most essential differences between Greek and modern lyric poetry—the subject of its erotic is nearly always boys and youths ; it is these who are sung of by Greek lyric poets. Hence we shall have to occupy ourselves later with Greek lyric poetry when we come to discuss pederasty, and must confine ourselves here to some information about the love of the man for the woman.

The first Greek lyric poet who sings of the love between man and woman is Mimnermus of Colophon (late seventh cent. B.c.). Somewhat effeminate and sentimental, and always in love, he praises the joys of living and its sensual pleasures, and complains of the rapid fading away of youth and of happiness in love. His love and poetry had

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