SIMONIDES, si-mon'l-dez, Greek lyric poet: b. Island of Ceos, 556; d. about 468 B.C. Invited by Hipparchus, tyrant of Athens, to visit that city, he there met Anacreon and Lasus, Pin dais master. After the death of Hipparchus he proceeded to Thessaly, where he won the favor of the Aleuads and Scopads, whose vic tories in the games he afterward celebrated. Returning to Athens, in a competition for the best elegy upon those who fell on the field of Marathon, he gained the prize over 2Eschylus himself. Shortly after this he was invited to the court of Hiero at Syracuse, where he re mained till his death at the age of 90. He ap pears to have been a chief favorite with Hiero in a court adorned by the presence, among others, of Pindar, Bacchylides and lEschylus. Poetic conception, pathos and perfect power of expression, in addition to the sweetness which procured for him the surname of Melicertes, are among the chief characteristics of his poetry, though in copiousness, vigor and origi nality he was surpassed by Pindar. He brought
the elegy and epigram to a high degree of per fection, and in the dithyramb and triumphal ode he particularly distinguished himself. To Simonides belongs the unenviable fame of be ing the first who took money for his poems. The best editions of his works are Schneidewin's Cei Carminum Reliquim) (1835) ; and Bergk's (in his Poet Lyrics Grmci,) Leip zig 1843; 4th ed., 1882; reprint 1914) ; Smyth, H. W., Melic Poets' (London 1900). Consult Croisct, A. and M., (Abridged History of Greek Literature' (English trans., New York 1904) ; Christ-Schmid, (Geschichte der griechischen Litteratur' (Vol. I 6th ed., Munich 1912), and Wright, W. C., History of Greek Literature> (New York 1907).