Dionysius of Halicarnassus On Literary Composition Being the Greek Text of the De Compositione Verborum

(4) σπαδονισμοὺς τῶν ἤχων (‘impediments to sound,’ ‘arrested sounds’) occurs, without variant, in _de Demosth._ c. 40, and is adopted by U.-R. as well as by other editors; (5) t...

[Footnote 74: Among the shorter fragments preserved by him are one of Bacchylides (in c. 25), and another from the _Telephus_ of Euripides (in c. 26). Two lines of the _Danaë_ a...

Now that I have finished this part of the subject, I think you must be eager for information on the next point—how unmetrical language is made to resemble a beautiful poem or ly...

Concerning melodious metrical composition which bears a close affinity to prose, my views are of the following kind. The prime factor here too, just as in the case of poetical p...

If there were any doubt that the Greek accent was an affair of pitch rather than of stress, the eleventh chapter of this treatise would go far to remove it. It is clear that Dio...

some persons to suppose that Dionysius pronounced οι and αι as real diphthongs of two vowels ending in ι. We know, however, that at this time αι was a single vowel ε prolonged,...

1 ἃ R: ἃς libri 3 πρώτων F: πρω[**TN: τ written above ω of πρω] P: πρῶτον RMVs 4 τελευταῖα P: τελευταῖον R: τελευταῖαν FVs: τελευταίαν M 9 μὴ φωνηέντων REFM: μὲν φωνηέντων PR^b:...

To show yet more conclusively the great force wielded by the faculty of composition both in poetry and prose, I will quote some passages which are universally regarded as fine,...

1 ἓν EPM: om. FV 5 κεκινῆσθαι EF: κ[αὶ] κινῆσθαι cum rasura P: καὶ κινεῖσθαι MV 6 φέρεσθαι EFM: φέρεσθαι καὶ PV || τῶν ἑτέρων PMV: τῶν θατέρων F: θατέρων E || καὶ FMV: om. P ||...

The reason why I have been led to make these preliminary remarks (for certainly it was no part of my design to touch without due cause on metrical and rhythmical questions, but...

Among the sources of charm and beauty in style there are, I conceive, four which are paramount and essential,—melody, rhythm, variety, and the appropriateness demanded by these...

=ἄφωνος.= =138= 13, =140= 3, =146= 5, =148= 11, 20, =220= 10. _Voiceless_, _mute_. Lat. _vocis expers_, _mutus_. From the standpoint of the modern science of phonetics, in which...

9. The charm of a simple scene, simply but beautifully described, is seen in Virg. _Ecl._ vii. 1-15; _Georg._ ii. 385-9; _Aen._ v. 328-30, 357-60. (The Latin illustrations, here...

It still remains for me to speak about appropriateness. All the other ornaments of speech must be associated with what is appropriate; indeed, if any other quality whatever fail...

=ἦθος.= =88= 12, =160= 17, =212= 11. _Character_. Lat. _mos_, _indoles_. Cp. Demetr. p. 284, D.H. p. 193. See Jebb’s _Attic Orators_ i. 30, 31 for _pathos_ and _ethos_ in Antiph...

=παράδειγμα.= =92= 5, =136= 2, =152= 3, =214= 6, =232= 23, =240= 24, etc. _Instance._ Lat. _exemplum_. τὰ παραδείγματα is often used of appropriate (perhaps customary, or stock)...

Such is the number of the letters, and such are their properties. From them are formed the so-called _syllables_. Of these syllables, those are long which contain long vowels or...

The characteristic feature of the austere arrangement is this:—It requires that the words should be like columns firmly planted and placed in strong positions, so that each word...

I have mentioned that rhythm contributes in no small degree to dignified and impressive composition; and I will treat of this point also. Let no one suppose that rhythm and metr...

The poets and prose-writers themselves, then, with their eye on each object in turn, frame—as I said—words which seem made for, and are pictures of, the things they connote. But...

To you, Rufus Metilius, whose worthy father is my most honoured friend, “I also offer this gift, dear child,”[85] as Helen, in Homer, says while entertaining Telemachus. To-day...

that the text of F agreed in the main with that of the _Rhetor_ and of the Epitome. The result was to enhance greatly the authority of F, with which earlier editors had merely a...

It is not in the nature of all the words in a sentence to affect the ear in the same way, any more than all visible objects produce the same impression on the sense of sight, th...

My view is that the science of composition has three functions. The first is that of observing the combinations which are naturally adapted to produce a beautiful and agreeable...

The third cause of beautiful arrangement that was to be examined is variety. I do not mean the change from the better to the worse (that would be too foolish), nor yet that from...

Well, my notion was that we ought to follow mother nature to the utmost, and to link together the parts of speech according to her promptings. For example, I thought I must plac...

ἀριστεροῖς βραχίοσιν ἐφόρουν (οἱ Σαβῖνοι), καὶ τῶν δακτυλίων.—Probably here a large curb-chain is meant, rather than a cheek-ring, which would be too small. So Curtius iv. 6. 29...

The third kind of composition is the mean between the two already mentioned. I call it _harmoniously blended_ for lack of a proper and better name. It has no form peculiar to it...

I think I can in a very few words show that some clauses admit changes which take the form now of additions not necessary to the sense, now of curtailments rendering the sense i...

=μέλος.= =204= 3, _limb_: =122= 24, =126= 21 (_bis_), =194= 7, 13, _tune_, _melody_: =120= 18, =122= 11, =130= 4, 11, _melodious effect_, _tunefulness_: =92= 22, =120= 26, =126=...

_Composition_ is, as the very name indicates, a certain arrangement of the parts of speech, or elements of diction, as some call them. These were reckoned as three only by Theod...

The minute variations in word-order between F and P are not usually given in the critical footnotes. But the fact that P places (here and in =164= 17) the verb at the end of the...

The foregoing, then, is one branch of the art of composition which requires consideration: namely, that which relates to the primary parts and elements of speech. But there is a...

I assert without any hesitation that there are many specific differences of composition, and that they cannot be brought into a comprehensive view or within a precise enumeratio...

The complete utterance of our thoughts takes more than one form. We throw them at one time into the shape of an assertion, at another into that of an inquiry, or a prayer, or a...

Now that I have laid down these broad outlines, the next step will be to state what should be the aims kept in view by the man who wishes to compose well, and by what methods hi...

=ὀξύς.= =126= 5, 8, 10, =128= 6, 8. _Acute_ (accent), _high_ (pitch). Lat. _acutus_. So =ὀξύτης= =126= 14. Cp. s.v. βαρύς, p. 292 _supra_. In Aristot. _Poet._ c. 20 ὀξύτητι καὶ...

Every utterance, then, by which we express our thoughts is either in metre or not in metre. Whichever it be, it can, when aided by beautiful arrangement, attain beauty whether o...

So far, so good. But, if some one were to ask me in what way, and by attention to what principles, literary structure can be made beautiful, I should reply: In no other way, bel...

discourse through the elisions. So again by using “ἐποίησε” (without the ν) in place of ἐποίησεν, and “ἔγραψε” in place of ἔγραψεν, and “ἀφαιρήσομαι” in place of ἀφαιρεθήσομαι,...