Annotating Alcman 2

Alcman 2:

The "Muses of Olympus" refers to the nine muses of Greek mythology who were the children of Zeus and Memnosyne, the goddess of memory. Together they represented the arts, each Muse relating to a specific form (such as history, lyric poetry, epic poetry, or dance). Their main function to mortals was to inspire artists in their work, which is why at the beginning of many pieces, a dedication and prayer to the Muse of that genre may be found.

"maidenly voice of girls singing a lovely tune to the sky:" This could have several meanings. It could be a reference to a chorus of maidens, either intended only for singing or as part of a play. Large groups of women singing were also commonly referred to in relation to festivals or celebrations, where, as far as I can gather, maidens would sing more in the fashion of spur-of-the-moment rather than a rehearsed performance. The other more mythological possibilities include nymphs, nature deities in the form of maidens, or sirens, dangerous mermaids who lured men to their death in the sea with their beautiful song. This last interpretation is particularly interesting given the theme of the poem in terms of romance, and a possibly manipulative girl.

"tender/tapered feet:" Feet were an important source of beauty in ancient times, showing the cleanliness and delicacy of a girl. However, in poetry, it has a double meaning, as the author will often use it as an obscure reference to his or her own feet in the meter.

 "not to no purpose is she sweet:" This seems to suggest that Astymeloisa, the object of the speaker's affection in this poem, is manipulating him into falling in love with her. She is very intelligent and aware of her charms. The blatant deceit and power of this girl gives us insight into how the ancient Greeks perceived women - perhaps as fox-like, untrustworthy, and very alluring.

"Astymeloisa:" literally, "she whom the city cares about," played on later in the poem when Alcman describes her as "the people's darling."

"the moist charm of Kinryas:" Kinyras was a king of Cyprus which was famous for its perfumes and scents.

"golden sapling:" While nothing specifically mentioned a golden sapling, the color gold is very prevalent in many Greek myths, such as the Golden Fleece, stolen by Jason, and the golden apples of the Hesperides, stolen by Hesperides. Obviously it had great value, not only physically, but magically and religiously as well.

"suppliant:" Coming directly from a Latin word meaning "bending beneath," suppliant was a physical as well as an emotional action in ancient times. A suppliant, especially in war, would bend and, on their knees, grab the knees of the person they were a suppliant to. This would force the person to hear them out, make it difficult for them to leave, escape, and ignore them, and was also very protected - to be killed while in this position was near impossible, as the angle of the sword was too awkward.

Sources: Commentary in the book, wikipedia, commentary on the text of Catullus (Latin), and excerpts from a book called Women's Songs in Ancient Greece by Anne L. Klinck.