Arion

a-ri'on, a Greek poet who flourished about 700 B. C. He was a native of Lesbos, but belonged rather to the Dorian school of poets. Arion dwelt for the most part at the court of Periander, king of Corinth. He was regarded by the ancients as the inventor of the dithyrambic meter. It is certain that he was the first to give finished form to the dithyramb, or choral hymn to Dionysus. Certain traditions are attached to the name of Arion. The most noted is told in an ancient fragmentary poem, said to have been written by Arion himself. The story runs that Arion wished to enter a musical contest in Sicily. Periander tried to dissuade him, but Arion decided to compete. He went to Sicily, won the prize, and embarked with his wealth for Corinth. During the voyage he was warned by Apollo in a dream that the crew intended to slay him for his treasure. He laid his plans and, when they were about to attack him, he requested the privilege of singing his death song. This was granted, for some of the crew had a desire to hear so great a poet and musician. Arion sang a beautiful song to the music of his lyre, and immediately leaped into the sea. The sailors supposed him drowned, but one of the dolphins who had been drawn by the music to approach the ship bore him safely to the shore. Arion bade his rescuer farewell and proceeded joyfully to the court of Periander. He arrived in the king's presence before the ship landed, and was thus able to confound the crew when they told Periander that they had left Arion safe and well in Tarentum, or, according to some accounts, that he was dead. Arion's lyre and the dolphin were placed among the stars, while the sailors were put to death. This story has been told by the ancient poets with many embellishments, and Arion's name is often mentioned by more modern writers. Says George Eliot:

Ariosto (1474-1533), one of the great poets of Italy. He was a native of Reggio, Lombardy, and was bred to the law, but left it for poetry. He appears to have attached himself first to a cardinal, from whom he had a small pension, and later to the Duke of Ferrara. In Ferrara city, he built a modest home and devoted his abundant leisure to the production of poems, many of them in the Latin tongue. His chief work, however, and the one on which his fame rests, is a highly imaginative Italian romance in verse entitled Orlando Furioso. It is drawn from Arabian sources. It consists chiefly of a series of tales and fantastic adventures strung together with the love affairs of Ruggero and Bradamante, with whose happy marriage, as should ever be the case, the story ends. "Nature made him and then broke the mold," is a translation from Canto X, Stanza 84, of this poem.