Poétique des ténèbres. De l’indo-européen au latin

 

Latins have lost the oral epic tradition, as kept by Homer and Mahābhārata. The present paper tries to trace out latin formulas which could belong to such a tradition : Indo-European poetry conceived the succession of days and nights as two veils, one being bright, the other dark, which were drawn alternatively over the earth. Latin poetry uses noctem/ tenebras/ auroram (in/ob)-tendere or (in/ob)ducere, but it is not easy to distinguish inherited formulas and borrowings from Greek epic poetry. More surprising is the use of ruere (nox ruit, sol ruit) ; in such a phraseology; ruere could represent an i.-e. root *Hrew- ‘is red’ (hitt. harwanaizzi ‘the first light of dawn appears’), further confused with ruere ‘to rush’.

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