Kiln (poem)

Authorship

Although the "Kiln" is printed among the Hesiodic fragments, there is little reason to assume that it was widely attributed to Hesiod. In discussing a word for "basket" known as a κάναστρον (kanastron), Pollux cites the third verse of the poem, calling it the "Potters" and giving a tentative ascription to Hesiod:

: "May the cups turn a fine black, and all the baskets"|τὰ δὲ κάναστρα τοῦ ποιήσαντος τοὺς Κεραμέας, οὕς τινες Ἡσιόδῳ προσνέμουσιν· λέγει γοῦν : "εὖ δὲ μελανθεῖεν κότυλοι καὶ πάντα κάναστρα"}}

The other witnesses to the poem all belong to the Homeric biographical tradition, and it seems that the "Kiln" was composed during the 6th or 5th century BCE as part of a lost work on Homer that predates the surviving texts. According to the pseudo-Herodotean Life of Homer, the great bard was traveling through the eastern Mediterranean and happened to land on the island of Samos. While there he encountered a group of potters who, aware of his fame, offered Homer some of their wares and whatever else they had on hand if he would sing for them. In response, Homer sang the "Kiln".

Synopsis

The poem opens with a dual address to Athena and the poet's audience:

The goddess' potential guardianship is described next: she would make the potter's cups and dishes well-blackened and well-baked, and would make sure that these wares sold for a fair price and in large quantity in the market place, making the potters much profit (lines 3–6). Should the poet not profit as promised, he threatens to "invoke all of the kiln gremlins, Smasher and Crasher, Overblaze and Shakeapart and Underbake, who does this craft [pottery] much harm." Once these gremlins have cast the kiln into confusion and begun wasting the wares, mythological mischief is threatened: Circe will come and harm the potters with her drugs, and Chiron will lead in a host of centaurs to smash kiln and crafts alike (lines 15–20). The poem closes with the poet envisioning himself enjoying the destruction and offers one final curse:

Select editions and translations

Critical editions

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Translations

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Notes

Bibliography

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References

1. {{harvtxt. Cingano. 2009
2. {{harvtxt. Most. 2006
3. Hesiod; Homer; Evelyn-White, Hugh G. (Hugh Gerard), d. 1924 ''Hesiod, the Homeric hymns, and Homerica'' London : W. Heinemann; New York : Putnam p.473-5
4. As fr. 302 in {{harvtxt. Merkelbach. West. 1967.
5. {{harvtxt. Cingano. 2009
6. Pollux, ''Onomasticon'' 10.85
7. The text and translation of the quoted verse is after {{harvtxt. West. 2003. grc. περανθεῖεν (''perantheien''), "finished," where Pseudo-Herodotus has {{lang. grc. μελανθεῖεν (''melantheien''), "turn black"; the ''[[Suda]]'' offers another variant: {{lang. grc. μαρανθεῖεν (''marantheien''), "to be dried"; cf. {{harvtxt. Merkelbach. West. 1967
8. {{harvtxt. West. 2003
9. Ps.-Herodotus 32 [[#{{harvid. West. 2003. West]].
10. A similar account is given by the ''Suda'' [[Sub voce#sub verbo. grc. Ὅμηρος (ο 251)], though the order of events found in Pseudo-Herodotus has been altered, and Homer's encounter with the potters follows his stay on [[Chios]], preceding the trip to Samos.
11. Trans. {{harvtxt. West. 2003
12. "Kiln" 9–10, trans. {{harvtxt. West. 2003. grc. Σύντριβ' ὁμῶς Σμάραγόν τε καὶ Ἄσβολον ἠδὲ Σαβάκτην. {{lang. grc. Ὠμόδαμόν θ', ὃς τῆιδε τέχνηι κακὰ πολλὰ πορίζει·).
13. "Kiln" 21–3, trans. {{harvtxt. West. 2003