FEW NOTES ON ThE STRUCTURE OF aRaTUS’ pHAeNOMeNA

1 Phaen. 752–7. Quoted from: Aratos, Phénomènes, texte établi, traduit et commenté par Jean Martin, tome I–II, Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1998, 46 (hereinafter referred to as “Martin 1998”). 2 Aratus, Phaenomena, edited with introduction, translation and commentary by Douglas A. Kidd, Cambridge: University Press, 1997, 129 (hereinafter referred to as “Kidd 1997”). of time measurement, mentions Metonic cycle only “for the sake of completeness” (exactly the same way he does for the planets at the end of the description of constellations, as their irregular movement in the celestial sphere gives no tangible benefit to his description of the regular, annual meteorological phenomena3), as (again, quoting Kidd) “there is no evidence that it was ever adopted by any Greek state for its civil calendar”4. However, the aforementioned Metonic cycle brings out some interesting compositional nuances of the Phaenomena, let alone polished poetics of the verse 753. Bearing in mind the intellectual challenge of leptotēs,

of time measurement, mentions Metonic cycle only "for the sake of completeness" (exactly the same way he does for the planets at the end of the description of constellations, as their irregular movement in the celestial sphere gives no tangible benefit to his description of the regular, annual meteorological phenomena 3 ), as (again, quoting Kidd) "there is no evidence that it was ever adopted by any Greek state for its civil calendar" 4 .
However, the aforementioned Metonic cycle brings out some interesting compositional nuances of the Phaenomena, let alone polished poetics of the verse 753. Bearing in mind the intellectual challenge of leptotēs, 3 Kidd 1997, 434: "Why then did Aratus insert this brief reference to the 19-year cycle, if it was not strictly necessary for his purpose? I suspect that he wished to complete, for the sake of completeness, the tally of time-periods, in much the same way as he included a brief note on the planets (454-61) in order to complete the list of ἄστρα." Also cf. Martin 1998, 462: "[...] l'ennéakaidékaétéride (sc. Metonic cycle -P. G.) semble avoir eu pour objet non pas d'intégrer le mois lunaire dans une « grande année » solaire, mais d'établir une correspondance, renouvelable tous les dix-neuf ans, entre les événements astronomiques et tous les calendriers lunaires possibles. L'année solaire est comptée à partir du solstice d'été, qui est annoncé par le lever complet d'Orion (vers 518, 587-588, 730), et suivi par le lever du Chien." 4 Kidd 1997, 436. which is always thrown down by the Hellenistic poets and should be expected, it emerges, step-by-step, that the poem contains a certain structural symmetry, which is not so evident at first glance. Let's take a closer look at the structural composition of the poem's technical part: of celestial circles (c), simultaneous risings and settings of the Zodiac constellations that shape the ecliptic circle (d), and the description of time periods (e). The inner compositional harmony of our first large part ((a)(b)) is quite evident: the description commences with northern circumpolar constellations and The major technical part of the poem (except the proem and the description of planets which is irrelevant to the consistency of meteorological signs), up to the verse 757, all this part may be divided into two large parts: description of constellations, on the one hand, and description of time measurement, on the other. While the first large part may be expanded to the description of the northern constellations (a) and that of the southern constellations (b), the second large part may be divided into the description concludes with Gemini that are near Cancer, where the northern Tropic is situated (reflected by the arrow on the right). Furthermore, the transition from the northern constellations (a) to the southern ones brings out one nice peace of chiastic composition (two crossed arrows and a dotted square): the northern constellations are concluded by Capricorn, where the southern Tropic is situated, while the southern constellations commence with Orion, which is near Cancer, where, as mentioned earlier, the northern Tropic is situated. Besides, one can notice a strict system, according to which the technical material is composed: the description of the southern constellations commences and ends practically in the same point of the celestial sphere, and the common point, again, is Cancer (underlined Cancer in the figure).
The constellation of Gemini not only connects two largest structural units together ((a)(b) and (c)(d)(e)) (arrow connecting two large parts), but also becomes a conjunctive element of the latter: the description of the celestial circles (c) starts and ends with Gemini (dotted square), then the description of simultaneous risings and settings ends with Gemini (arrow on the right), which is situated between Cancer and Orion, which is the most important figure of the end of the part (d) and the end of the part (e) (reflected by two arrows: on the left and on the right).
So, it's quite clear that the core points of this technical part of Phaenomena are the neighbouring constellations of Cancer, Gemini, and Orion. Above all, Cancer and Gemini denote respectively the beginning the end of the tropical year (in this constellation, there is a northern, or summer Tropic), therefore can be regarded as seasonal boundaries. Secondly, Orion and his guard, the Great Dog, are extremely clearly visible (enough to remember Sirius, the brightest star in the sky), and thus can be regarded as perfect guides. Thirdly, Orion, including his belt, is one of the oldest, best known, and most easily recognisable constellations. And finally, those three constellations are the Westernmost ones, and this fact is practical, important, and useful for sailors.
Aratus somewhat stresses on cyclic alternation of visible phenomena and inter-weaves space and time in an astonishingly organic way. This means that his described phenomena exist, above all, in space, as they are visible, but their meaning as such is crystallised only when perceived in time.
Mentioned in the beginning of the article, the intellectual challenge of leptotēs, which is, technically speaking, the embodiment of principles of the Hellenistic poetics, is perhaps the most important feature of Hellenistic approach to aesthetics, in general. The poem itself can be figuratively regarded as the celestial sphere, a kind of micro-cosmos projected to the macro-cosmos, which is shaped by Stoic Zeus. Aratus delivers his balanced text-the Phaenomena-to the reader exactly the same way as Zeus reveals to men his eternal signs-the phaenomena. At the same time his poem becomes one of the divine phenomena and is to be regarded as hierarchically superior to all other signs, through which they are exclusively interpreted and revealed. Thus being part of all possible phenomena, the poem is unclosed as the whole comprising all other signs that would not be valuable as such or even exist without the presence of the former. All that is scarcely surprising, for it should be expected from a Hellenistic poet, as leptos as Aratus. Surprising is the way the poet encrypts this depth-harmony of the plot under some surface-harmony of the poem, which is no less tuneful. From this perspective, the place and role of Metonic cycle in the poem, "Cycle of the cycles", which crowns the description of time periods (begun with the night and proceeded with the month and the year) (e), becomes quite meaningful, although, as it may first seem, Aratus mentions it episodically and without further development.