Note 193 — Women in Greek Poetry (continued 2)
Reading edition
Λύδης δ’ Ἀντίμαχος Λυσηΐδος ἐκ μὲν ἐρωτος πληγεὶς Πακτωλοῦ ῥεῦμ’ ἐπέβη ποταμοῦ. Σαρδιανὴν δὲ θανοῦσαν ὑπὸ ξηρὴν θέτο γαῖαν, Τμώλιον αἴζαον δ’ ἦλθεν ἀποπρολιπὼν ἄκρην ἐς Κολοφῶνα, γόων δ’ ἐνεπλήσατο βίβλους ἱράς, ἐκ παντὸς παυσάμενος καμάτου. (Hermesianax, iii. 41.)
Ἀντίμαχος ὁ ποιητὴς, ἀποθανούσης τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ Λύδης, πρὸς ἢν φιλοστόργως εἶχε, παραμύθιον τῆς λύπης αὑτῷ ἐποίησε τὴν ἐλέγειαν τὴν καλουμένην Λύδην, ἐξαριθμησάμενος τὰς ἡρωϊκὰς συμφορὰς, τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις κακοῖς ἐλάττω τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ποιῶν λύπην. (Plut. Cons. ad Apoll. p. 106 B.)
The very important detail that he married her is confirmed by the passage in Athen. xiii. 597A, where the Lyde of Antimachus is expressly contrasted with τὴν ὁμώνυμον ταύτης ἑταῖραν Λύδην.
Cp. too Ovid, Trist. i. 6, 1:
nec tantum Clario Lyde dilecta poetae, nec tantum Coo Battis amata suo est, pectoribus quantum tu nostris, uxor, inhaeres.