祝婚歌の伝統と革新 : スタティウスとクラウディアヌス

Abstract

In the tradition of "epithalamium", Statius in the first century has a special position. He introduced some new elements to the conventional literary form, "epithalamium", which had been established as a model for later poets by Catullus during the first century B. C. The principal new elements Statius introduced are as follows : (1)positive employment of epic techniques, such as digression, description, etc. ; (2) application of words and motifs used in love poetry and the insertion of fictional love story ; (3) the influence of pastoral poetry which is a sophisticated literary form originating from simple folk songs similar to "epithalamium ; (4) creation of a special function of Venus as "coniugator" and "pronuba". All of these elements also appear in the epithalamia of Claudian in the fourth century. Although Statius was approximately forty years younger than Seneca, the philosopher whose "epithalamium' in his tragedy, "Medea", was typical of the tradition and Statius lived more than three hundred years after Claudian, the epithalamia of later two poets have far more similarities. The epithalamia of poets after Claudian including the Renaissance poets also contain many of the elements Statius introduced. Statius can be called an innovator in the tradition of "epithalamiun'. Claudian also has an important place in the tradition. He added four lyrical poems called "Fescenninae" to his stereotyped epithalamium and revived the lyrical beauty and energy that marriage hymns originally had. He dedicated his epithalamium to his patron and became a model to his successors in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.