Alcaeus
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Alcaeus
(ălsē`əs), c.620–c.580 B.C., Greek lyric poet of Lesbos. An aristocrat, he was often embroiled in political battles with the ruling tyrants. He wrote drinking songs, hymns, love songs, and political odes. He was, according to tradition, a close associate of SapphoSappho, fl. early 6th cent. B.C., greatest of the early Greek lyric poets (Plato calls her "the tenth Muse"), b. Mytilene on Lesbos. Facts about her life are scant. She was an aristocrat, who wrote poetry for her circle of friends, mostly but not exclusively women, and like
..... Click the link for more information. . The Alcaic strophe (a four-line stanza) said to be his invention was much used by Greek lyrists and greatly admired by Horace who employed it with slight modification.
Bibliography
See D. Page, Sappho and Alcaeus (1955); H. Martin, Alcaeus (1972); A. P. Burnett, Three Archaic Poets (1983).
Alcaeus
7th century bc, Greek lyric poet who wrote hymns, love songs, and political odes