Cento (poetry)
Encyclopedia
A cento is a poetical
work wholly composed of verse
s or passages taken from other authors; only disposed in a new form or order.
κέντρων. The Roman
soldiers used these centones, or old stuffs patched over each other, to guard themselves from the strokes of their enemies. Others say, that centos were probably used for the patches of leather, etc, with which their galleries or screens, called vineae, were covered; under which the besiegers made their approaches towards any place. Hence centonarii, the people whose business was to prepare these centos.
The cento originated in the 3rd or 4th century. The first known cento is the Medea by Hosidius Geta
, composed out of Virgil
ian works, according to Tertullian
.
Ausonius
(310–395) laid down the rules to be observed in composing centos. The pieces, he says, may be taken either from the same poet, or from several. The verses may be either taken in their entirety, or divided into two; one half to be connected with another half taken elsewhere. Two verses should never be used running, nor much less than half a verse be taken. In accordance with these rules, he made a cento from Virgil, the Cento Nuptialis.
Faltonia Betitia Proba
wrote a Cento vergilianus de laudibus Christi, in which she details the life of Jesus
and deeds of the Old
and New
Testaments; it was written entirely in centos taken from Virgil
.
The Politics of Justus Lipsius
(Politicorum Libri Sex, 1589) consist only of centos; there being nothing of his own but conjunctions and particles. Etienne de Pleure did the same as Proba in Sacra Aeneis (1618). Alexander Ross
did the same thing in his Virgilii Evangelisantis Christiados (1634), his most celebrated work of poetry.
of the Magi
(asterisks separate quotations from different verses):
!align="center" colspan="3"|Adoratio Magorum, Gospel of Matthew
2.
|-
|6, &c. Aeneid
. 255.
|Ecce autem primi sub lumina solis, et ortus,
|
|-
|2, Aeneid 694.
|Stella facem ducens multa cum luce cucurrit :
|
|-
|5, Aeneid 526.
|Signavitque Viam * coeli in regione serena.
|8, Aeneid 528.
|-
|8, Aeneid 330.
|Tum Reges * (credo quia sit divinitus illis
|1, 9, 415.
|-
|1, 91, 416.
|Ingenium, et rerum fato prudentia major)
|
|-
|7, Aeneid 98.
|Externi veniunt * quae cuique est copia laeti
|1, 9, 57.
|-
|3, Aeneid 464.
|Dona dehinc auro gravia, * Regumque Parentem.
|6, Aeneid 548.
|-
|1, 9, 418.
|Mutavere vias, * perfectis ordine votis :
|10, Aeneid 548.
|-
|6, Aeneid 16.
|Insuetum per iter, * spatia in sua quisque recessit.
|12, Aeneid 126.
|}
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
work wholly composed of verse
Verse (poetry)
A verse is formally a single line in a metrical composition, e.g. poetry. However, the word has come to represent any division or grouping of words in such a composition, which traditionally had been referred to as a stanza....
s or passages taken from other authors; only disposed in a new form or order.
History
The term comes from the Latin cento, a cloak made of patches; and that from the GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
κέντρων. The Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
soldiers used these centones, or old stuffs patched over each other, to guard themselves from the strokes of their enemies. Others say, that centos were probably used for the patches of leather, etc, with which their galleries or screens, called vineae, were covered; under which the besiegers made their approaches towards any place. Hence centonarii, the people whose business was to prepare these centos.
The cento originated in the 3rd or 4th century. The first known cento is the Medea by Hosidius Geta
Hosidius Geta
Hosidius Geta was a Roman playwright. Tertullian refers to him as his contemporary in the De Prescriptione Haereticorum....
, composed out of Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
ian works, according to Tertullian
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
.
Ausonius
Ausonius
Decimius Magnus Ausonius was a Latin poet and rhetorician, born at Burdigala .-Biography:Decimius Magnus Ausonius was born in Bordeaux in ca. 310. His father was a noted physician of Greek ancestry and his mother was descended on both sides from long-established aristocratic Gallo-Roman families...
(310–395) laid down the rules to be observed in composing centos. The pieces, he says, may be taken either from the same poet, or from several. The verses may be either taken in their entirety, or divided into two; one half to be connected with another half taken elsewhere. Two verses should never be used running, nor much less than half a verse be taken. In accordance with these rules, he made a cento from Virgil, the Cento Nuptialis.
Faltonia Betitia Proba
Faltonia Betitia Proba
Faltonia Betitia Proba was a Latin Roman Christian poetess, possibly the most influential Latin poetess of Late Antiquity....
wrote a Cento vergilianus de laudibus Christi, in which she details the life of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
and deeds of the Old
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and New
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
Testaments; it was written entirely in centos taken from Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
.
The Politics of Justus Lipsius
Justus Lipsius
Justus Lipsius was a Southern-Netherlandish philologist and humanist. Lipsius wrote a series of works designed to revive ancient Stoicism in a form that would be compatible with Christianity. The most famous of these is De Constantia...
(Politicorum Libri Sex, 1589) consist only of centos; there being nothing of his own but conjunctions and particles. Etienne de Pleure did the same as Proba in Sacra Aeneis (1618). Alexander Ross
Alexander Ross (writer)
Alexander Ross was a prolific Scottish writer and controversialist. He was Chaplain-in-Ordinary to Charles I.-Life:He was born in Aberdeen, and entered King's College, Aberdeen, in 1604. About 1616 he succeeded Thomas Parker in the mastership of the free school at Southampton, an appointment which...
did the same thing in his Virgilii Evangelisantis Christiados (1634), his most celebrated work of poetry.
Example
The following is an instance of the cento Sacra Aeneis (1618), by Etienne de Pleure, on the adorationAdoration
Adoration is love given with deep affection. The term comes from the Latin adōrātiō, meaning "to give homage or worship to someone or something."-Ancient Middle East:...
of the Magi
Magi
Magi is a term, used since at least the 4th century BC, to denote a follower of Zoroaster, or rather, a follower of what the Hellenistic world associated Zoroaster with, which...
(asterisks separate quotations from different verses):
-
- {|cellspacing="10"
!align="center" colspan="3"|Adoratio Magorum, Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
2.
|-
|6, &c. Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
. 255.
|Ecce autem primi sub lumina solis, et ortus,
|
|-
|2, Aeneid 694.
|Stella facem ducens multa cum luce cucurrit :
|
|-
|5, Aeneid 526.
|Signavitque Viam * coeli in regione serena.
|8, Aeneid 528.
|-
|8, Aeneid 330.
|Tum Reges * (credo quia sit divinitus illis
|1, 9, 415.
|-
|1, 91, 416.
|Ingenium, et rerum fato prudentia major)
|
|-
|7, Aeneid 98.
|Externi veniunt * quae cuique est copia laeti
|1, 9, 57.
|-
|3, Aeneid 464.
|Dona dehinc auro gravia, * Regumque Parentem.
|6, Aeneid 548.
|-
|1, 9, 418.
|Mutavere vias, * perfectis ordine votis :
|10, Aeneid 548.
|-
|6, Aeneid 16.
|Insuetum per iter, * spatia in sua quisque recessit.
|12, Aeneid 126.
|}
Sources
- James P. Holoka, review of Homeric Stitchings: The Homeric Centos of the Empress Eudocia, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 1999.09.08.
External links
- http://www.kakanien.ac.at/beitr/graeca_latina/MOkacova1.pdf CENTONES: Recycled Art or the Embodiment of Absolute Intertextuality? by Marie Okáčová (Brno) with many examples of classical centones.