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In the poetic collection attributed to Claudian (IV-V cent. AD) and known to us by the spurious title of carmina minora three short hexametric poems present topics of the minutest doxography: in the carm. min. 9 Hystrix, 28 Nilus and 49 Torpedo, in fact, the late Latin poet's curiosity about the mirabile by way of the description of a place (the Nile river) or an animal (the porcupine and the torpedo fish), and his attraction to the literature of the 'paradox' go together. In combining the essence of the epigram's form with a supposedly didactic purpose, and by elevating zoological or geographical topics to the level of high literature, Claudian appears comfortable in creating a poetry which is free of empirical or scientific precision and has no intention of being educative, but simply wishes to share the wonderment at the bizarre aspects of reality. The Latin text is presented here in a new critical edition, accompanied by introduction, parallel translation in Italian and commentary.
Résumé
Nella raccolta di componimenti attribuiti a Claudiano (IV-V sec. d.C.) e noti ai moderni con il titolo non genuino di carmina minora, tre brevi poemetti in esametri presentano argomenti di dossografia anche minuta: nei carm. min. 9 Hystrix, 28 Nilus e 49 Torpedo, infatti, la curiosità del poeta tardoantico per la rappresentazione del mirabile attraverso la descrizione di un luogo (il fiume Nilo) o di un animale (l’istrice e la torpedine), si lega all’attrattiva per la letteratura del ‘paradosso’. Associando a un presunto fine didascalico la forma propria dell’epigramma ed elevando nel linguaggio letterario argomenti zoologici o geografici, Claudiano appare a suo agio nell’elaborazione di una poesia, che, svincolata dalla precisione empirica o scientifica, non intende propriamente insegnare, ma semplicemente condividere lo stupore per aspetti bizzarri del reale. Il testo latino è presentato qui in una nuova edizione critica, accompagnata da introduzione, traduzione italiana a fronte e commento.****************In the poetic collection attributed to Claudian (IV-V cent. AD) and known to us by the spurious title of carmina minora three short hexametric poems present topics of the minutest doxography: in the carm. min. 9 Hystrix, 28 Nilus and 49 Torpedo, in fact, the late Latin poet’s curiosity about the mirabile by way of the description of a place (the Nile river) or an animal (the porcupine and the torpedo fish), and his attraction to the literature of the ‘paradox’ go together. In combining the essence of the epigram’s form with a supposedly didactic purpose, and by elevating zoological or geographical topics to the level of high literature, Claudian appears comfortable in creating a poetry which is free of empirical or scientific precision and has no intention of being educative, but simply wishes to share the wonderment at the bizarre aspects of reality. The Latin text is presented here in a new critical edition, accompanied by introduction, parallel translation in Italian and commentary.
