--And
anciently all the oracles were called Carmina; or whatever sentence was
expressed, were it much or little, it was called an Epic, Dramatic,
Lyric, Elegiac, or Epigrammatic poem.
anciently all the oracles were called Carmina; or whatever sentence was
expressed, were it much or little, it was called an Epic, Dramatic,
Lyric, Elegiac, or Epigrammatic poem.
Ben Jonson - Discoveries Made Upon Men, and Some Poems
_Poema_. --A poem is not alone any work or composition of the poet's in
many or few verses; but even one verse alone sometimes makes a perfect
poem. As when AEneas hangs up and consecrates the arms of Abas with this
inscription:--
"AEneas haec de Danais victoribus arma. " {136a}
And calls it a poem or carmen. Such are those in Martial:--
"Omnia, Castor, emis: sic fiet, ut omnia vendas. " {136b}
And--
"Pauper videri Cinna vult, et est pauper. " {136c}
_Horatius_. --_Lucretius_. --So were Horace's odes called Carmina, his lyric
songs. And Lucretius designs a whole book in his sixth:--
"Quod in primo quoque carmine claret. " {136d}
_Epicum_. --_Dramaticum_. --_Lyricum_. --_Elegiacum_. --_Epigrammat_.
--And
anciently all the oracles were called Carmina; or whatever sentence was
expressed, were it much or little, it was called an Epic, Dramatic,
Lyric, Elegiac, or Epigrammatic poem.
_But how differs a Poem from what we call Poesy_?
_Poesis_. --_Artium regina_. --_Poet.
differentiae_. --_Grammatic_. --_Logic_. --_Rhetoric_. --_Ethica_. --A poem, as I
have told you, is the work of the poet; the end and fruit of his labour
and study. Poesy is his skill or craft of making; the very fiction
itself, the reason or form of the work. And these three voices differ,
as the thing done, the doing, and the doer; the thing feigned, the
feigning, and the feigner; so the poem, the poesy, and the poet. Now the
poesy is the habit or the art; nay, rather the queen of arts, which had
her original from heaven, received thence from the Hebrews, and had in
prime estimation with the Greeks transmitted to the Latins and all
nations that professed civility. The study of it (if we will trust
Aristotle) offers to mankind a certain rule and pattern of living well
and happily, disposing us to all civil offices of society. If we will
believe Tully, it nourisheth and instructeth our youth, delights our age,
adorns our prosperity, comforts our adversity, entertains us at home,
keeps us company abroad, travels with us, watches, divides the times of
our earnest and sports, shares in our country recesses and recreations;
insomuch as the wisest and best learned have thought her the absolute
mistress of manners and nearest of kin to virtue.
