EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHY V
EMPEDOCLES [31 DK]
R The Philosopher-Poet (R1–R4)R1 Arist.
a (A22) Poet. 1 1447b17–19
οὐδὲν δὲ κοινόν ἐστιν Ὁμήρῳ καὶ Ἐμπεδοκλεῖ πλὴν τὸ μέτρον, διὸ τὸν μὲν ποιητὴν δίκαιον καλεῖν, τὸν δὲ φυσιολόγον μᾶλλον ἢ ποιητήν.
b (< A1) De poetis in Diog. Laert. 8.57
[. . . = R5a] ἐν δὲ τῷ Περὶ ποιητῶν φησιν [Arist. Frag. 70 Rose] ὅτι καὶ Ὁμηρικὸς ὁ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς καὶ δεινὸς περὶ τὴν φράσιν γέγονεν, μεταφορητικός τε ὢν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς περὶ ποιητικὴν ἐπιτεύγμασι χρώμενος.
c (< A25) Rhet. 3.5 1407a31–35
τρίτον μὴ ἀμφιβόλοις· ταῦτα δέ, ἂν μὴ τἀναντία προαιρῆται, ὅπερ ποιοῦσιν ὅταν μηθὲν μὲν ἔχωσι λέγειν,
EMPEDOCLES
EMPEDOCLES
R The Philosopher-Poet (R1–R4)R1 Aristotle
a (A22) Poetics
Homer and Empedocles have nothing in common except for the meter. That is why it is right to call the former a poet and the other a natural philosopher rather than a poet.
b (< A1) On Poets
In his book On Poets, he [i.e. Aristotle] says that Empedocles was Homeric and possessed powerful diction, since he was good at metaphors and used the other successful poetic devices.
c (< A25) Rhetoric
Thirdly [scil. good style avoids] ambiguities, unless one deliberately chooses the opposite, which is what people do