| A re-reading of Posidippus Anth. Pal. XII.98, aiming to make the epigram less obscure. Of essence is the meaning attributed to the phrase δήσας επ’ ακάνθαις, leading to the rendition: ‘love, by tying the cicada of the Muses on thorns, tries to turn it into an ακάνθιος τέττιξ, a silent cicada’. A second problem concerns whether the poet is victorious over love or succumbs to its power. Evidence is produced in favour of the former interpretation. |