Counting Grains of Sand: A Glance at the Subjective Perception of Time in Latin Poetry from the Perspective of Conceptual Metaphor
Ekin Öyken, Elif Buse Güven GünayAs is known, time has been an important subject of philosophy since antiquity. Metaphor and poetry –in which metaphors are considered essential– have also engaged the attention of philosophers all through the ages. Some have used metaphors as a means of expression, while others have considered them directly as an object of research, and inquiries into the nature of poetry have played a significant role in the emergence of the philosophy of aesthetics. This article approaches time, metaphor, and poetry from the perspectives of philology and literary criticism rather than philosophy with the hope that it will contribute to other multidisciplinary or directly philosophical studies as almost every step in it concerns philosophy in one way or another. That the tension between literature and philosophy, united by the aim of understanding the world and human nature and separated by their form of truth-seeking, has been fruitful in many ways and that new approaches and areas of knowledge such as cognitive aesthetics have added dimensions to this relationship are self-evident. This study analyzes certain loci classici that involve metaphors based on the subjective perception of time in Latin poetry, mainly from the Augustan period (27 BCE–14 CE) within the framework of conceptual metaphor theory and provides a general discussion of this framework’s potential for a critical analysis of Latin poetry from various angles. Based on a selection of examples from Catullus, Horace, Ovid, Tibullus, Statius, and Phaedrus, the findings from the study support the view that both cognitive processes and narrative techniques are involved in the emergence and perception of metaphors in poetry and indicate that Latin poetry can be interpreted more efficiently from this double perspective. Although the examples were selected from subjective metaphors about time (i.e., metaphors in which the individual perception of the poet or narrator comes to the fore), it has been observed that the cultural and subjective images of time cannot be sharply separated from one another, and they constitute different layers of specific conceptual systems.
Kum Tanelerini Saymak: Latin Şiirinde Öznel Zaman Algısına Kavramsal Metafor Açısından Bakış
Ekin Öyken, Elif Buse Güven GünayBilindiği gibi zaman Antik Çağ’dan itibaren felsefenin önemli konularından biri olmuştur. Metafor ve metaforun olmazsa olmaz sayıldığı şiir de hemen her çağda filozofların ilgisini çekmiş, metaforu kimileri ifade aracı olarak kullanmış, kimileri doğrudan araştırma nesnesi saymış, şiirin doğasına ilişkin sorgulamalar estetik felsefesinin doğmasında önemli rol oynamıştır. Bu makale zaman, metafor ve şiire felsefe değil filoloji ve edebiyat eleştirisi perspektifinden yaklaşmıştır ama hemen her adımı felsefeyi çeşitli açılardan ilgilendirdiğinden çok disiplinli ya da doğrudan felsefi başka çalışmalara katkı sağlayacağını umuyoruz. Dünyayı ve insan doğasını anlama amacının birleştirdiği, hakikati arama biçimlerinin ayırdığı edebiyat ve felsefenin tarih boyunca şiddeti değişse de süren geriliminin pek çok açıdan verimli olduğu, bilişsel estetik gibi yeni yaklaşım ve bilgi alanlarının da bu ilişkiye boyut kazandırdığı açıktır. Çalışmamızda, öznel zaman algısına dayalı zaman metaforlarının ağırlıklı olarak Augustus Dönemi’ne (MÖ 27–MS 14) ait Latin şiirlerindeki başlıca örnekleri kavramsal metafor kuramı çerçevesinde çözümlenmiş ve bu kuramsal çerçevenin Latin şiirine ilişkin eleştirel çözümlemelerin geneli açısından sağlayabileceği imkânlar çeşitli yönleriyle tartışılmıştır. Catullus, Horatius, Ovidius, Tibullus, Statius ve Phaedrus’tan örnekler içeren bir seçki üzerinde yaptığımız bu çalışmanın bulguları şiirdeki metaforların oluşmasında ve algılanmasında hem bilişsel süreçlerin hem anlatı tekniklerinin devrede olduğu görüşünü desteklemekte ve Latin şiirlerinin bu çifte bakış açısıyla daha verimli yorumlanabileceğine işaret etmektedir. İncelenen örnekler zamana ilişkin öznel, başka deyişle, şair ya da anlatıcının bireysel algısının öne çıktığı metaforlardan seçilmiş olmakla birlikte, zamanla ilgili kültürel ve öznel tasarımların birbirinden kesin biçimde ayrılamadığı, belirli kavram sistemlerinin farklı katmanlarını oluşturduğu görülmüştür.
The cognitive aspect of metaphors has begun to be studied more systematically since the 20th century, with the conceptual metaphor theory put forward by Lakoff and Johnson1 being a turning point in this regard. While conceptual metaphor theory has been used in many disciplines for various purposes and approaches, the number of such studies in the field of classical philology is relatively limited. This theory places metaphors at the heart of humans’ meaning-making system and argues metaphors to be the product of a cognitive process preceding linguistic expression. In this respect, metaphors in all texts, including ancient texts, can be analyzed and interpreted within the framework of this theory.
This study summarizes the conceptual metaphor theory along with its main problematics and analyzes certain subjective time metaphors in various Latin poems within the framework of this theory. The study generally aims to demonstrate how conceptual metaphor theory provides new and fruitful interpretative possibilities in Latin poetry criticism. On the other hand, the study also attempts to draw attention to certain similarities and differences regarding the basic functioning of metaphors by considering different types of poems and limiting the analysis to the concept of time. In so doing, the study questions the view that metaphors are only a matter of rhetoric within the limits of the field. In the attempt to demonstrate through examples of time metaphors selected from Latin poetry, the revised version of the conceptual metaphor theory is believed to be able to contribute significantly to the multifaceted reading of metaphors in ancient poetry.
Time is a concept that has been studied by various disciplines, with countless models attempting to explain it. In this regard, although time cannot be reduced to a single definition, some of its features are clearly commonly understood by all. On the other hand, quite subjective descriptions and definitions of time also are found. To put differently, while humans have brought common definitions to time by dividing it into years, months, days, and other smaller common units and by measuring it with tools such as calendars and clocks, people also perceive time more individually and abstractly according to one’s own traits, living conditions, and experiences and express time subjectively.
Due to time being an abstract concept that is relatively difficult to define, this article believes the metaphors of time in poetry can be explained more efficiently in the context of conceptual metaphor theory, which focuses on the relationship between the abstract and the concrete. Previous studies in this vein have generally analyzed metaphors of time in Latin in the general context of the language and culture2 and not specifically in the context of its poetic tradition. These studies have provided general frameworks for how time was perceived in Roman culture. For example, time was imagined as an entity moving toward a person, or as a space through which a person would move and travel by crossing a succession of points. Latin has both metaphors that reflect the idea of linear movement along the horizontal plane that are expressed by words meaning front/back (forward/ backward, etc.), as well as metaphors for movement in the vertical plane that are expressed as up/ down (high/low, above/below, etc.).
On the other hand, the metaphors in poems provide a better basis for exploring the relationship between the cultural dimension of metaphors and their individual and literary aspects. Because presenting an exhaustive corpus that covers the entirety of Latin poetry is impossible due to the scale of the study, the paper will instead attempt to make a representative selection mainly from the Augustan poetry, as this will allow some insightful observations within the frame of conceptual metaphor theory about the way metaphors on the subjective perception of time were formed in these poems.
For instance, although time seems to have two measures (e.g., sunset and sunrise, life and death) in some of Catullus’ verses, time is actually defined according to the presence or absence of his lover Lesbia. Unlike most who associate sunset with absence of light, sleep, despair, and death, sunset is for Catullus or his narrator the time to enjoy life because he meets Lesbia. Likewise, while sunrise is usually associated with light, wakefulness, hope, and life, it is the time when Lesbia leaves, thus meaning to him the opposites of these positive notions. In short, Catullus divided time into two sections: one that starts with meeting Lesbia, and the other that starts when she leaves. For the examples from Horace or his persona, time is an obstacle, because time is equated with getting old and is accompanied by death. The coming of death deprives man of many worldly pleasures. In contrast, the examples from Ovid emphasize the importance of time and opportunity, especially for the lover, and state that time flows differently for men and women. For men, time is a tangible entity that has to be observed, and one has to anticipate the right moment for each action. For women, time is a process in which a negative change (i.e., the loss of youth and beauty) occurs. The examples from Tibullus, on the other hand, do not refer to the past, and the future for Tibullus or his narrator will bring nothing but old age and ultimately death. Time flows rapidly and cannot be stopped, and humans have limited time to fall in love.
