Nine Lyric Poets

The nine muses: Clio, Thalia, Erato, Euterpe, Polyhymnia, Calliope, Terpsichore, Urania, Melpomene

The Nine Lyric or Melic Poets were a canonical group of ancient Greek poets esteemed by the scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria as worthy of critical study.

In the Palatine Anthology, they are stated to have established lyric song.

They were:

• Alcman of Sparta (choral lyric, 7th century BC)
• Sappho of Lesbos (monodic lyric, c. 600 BC)
• Alcaeus of Mytilene (monodic lyric, c. 600 BC)
• Anacreon of Teos (monodic lyric, 6th century BC)
• Stesichorus of Metauros (choral lyric, 7th century BC)
• Ibycus of Rhegium (choral lyric, 6th century BC)
• Simonides of Ceos (choral lyric, 6th century BC)
• Bacchylides of Ceos (choral lyric, 5th century BC)
• Pindar of Thebes (choral lyric, 5th century BC)

In most Greek sources, the word melikos (from melos, "song") is used, but the variant lyrikos (from lyra, "lyre") became the regular form in Latin (as lyricus) and in modern languages. The ancient scholars defined the genre on the basis of the musical accompaniment, not the content. Thus, some types of poetry which would be included under the label "lyric poetry" in modern criticism—namely, the elegy and iambus which were performed with flutes—are excluded.

The Nine Lyric Poets are traditionally divided among those who primarily composed choral and those who composed monodic verse. This division is, however, contested by some modern scholars.

See also

• Greek lyric