DCCC.LX.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849,
By M.A. DWIGHT,
in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District
of New York.
The Annotated Edition
DCCC.LX. by Homer
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DCCC.LX.
- Poet
- Homer
- Themes
- home, mortality, nature
§01Quick summary
What this poem is about
DCCC.LX. is a poem attributed to Homer, but the text we have here is just a copyright notice from an 1849 American edition, so we can't access the actual verses. Homer, the legendary ancient Greek poet known for the *Iliad* and the *Odyssey*, wrote poems that explore themes like heroism, fate, and the human experience. Since we don't have the full text, this analysis relies on what we know about the Homeric tradition and the numbering system that includes this piece in a larger collection.
§02Themes
Recurring themes
§03Line by line
Stanza by stanza, with notes
[Full text not available — only copyright notice preserved]
Editor's note
The text provided includes just a 19th-century American copyright notice: *'Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849, By M.A. Dwight, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.'* This is standard legal language from the publisher, rather than the poem itself. The actual verse of DCCC.LX. (poem number 860 in Roman numerals) is not included in the supplied source, so we can't perform a line-by-line reading of the poem's content based solely on this text.
§04Tone & mood
How this poem feels
Because the verse text is missing, we can't directly evaluate the tone. Poems in the Homeric tradition usually have a serious, ceremonial feel — a narrator observes from a respectful distance, maintaining a balance that is neither sentimental nor detached, approaching human struggle with steady, clear-eyed dignity.
§05Symbols & metaphors
Symbols & metaphors
- The numbered title (DCCC.LX.)
- Roman numerals reading 860 indicate that this piece is part of a larger collection, suggesting its connection to a tradition of cataloguing. This practice was crucial in ancient Greek poetry, where lists and inventories held significant cultural and memory-related importance.
- The 1849 copyright notice
- The notice highlights when ancient Greek verse was presented to a 19th-century American audience, capturing the period's desire for classical education and how Homer's work was seen as both a literary treasure and a guide for moral lessons.
- M.A. Dwight as translator/editor
- The named individual connects Homer with today’s readers, showing that all the Homeric texts we have survived through many stages—oral storytelling, manuscript copying, and now printed translations.
§06Historical context
Historical context
Homer is the name that ancient Greeks gave to the poet—or group of poets—behind the *Iliad* and the *Odyssey*, which were composed around 800 to 700 BCE, although the tales themselves are even older. Professional singers known as rhapsodes originally performed these poems before they were ever written down. By the 19th century, Homer had established himself as a key figure in Western education, prompting American publishers to quickly create affordable translated versions for both schools and homes. M.A. Dwight's 1849 edition from New York is one example of this effort. The title DCCC.LX uses Roman numerals for 860, indicating that this poem is likely part of a numbered anthology or a sequential translation of shorter Homeric hymns or epigrams, rather than a standalone piece.
§07FAQ
Questions readers ask
It represents the Roman numeral for 860. This poem is the 860th entry in whatever numbered sequence or anthology this edition is compiling—most likely a collection of Homeric hymns, epigrams, or shorter verses attributed to various authors.
Almost certainly not in the way we think of a single author sitting down to write today. 'Homer' refers to a rich oral tradition. In ancient times, many shorter poems, hymns, and epigrams were credited to Homer simply because they matched the style or themes of that tradition.
The source document only includes the legal front matter from the 1849 Dwight edition. The actual verse seems to be missing from the text provided or may have been lost during transcription. The copyright notice follows the typical boilerplate used in 19th-century American publishing.
M.A. Dwight was an American educator and translator in the 19th century. She created editions of classical texts to help American students and general readers access Greek and Latin literature at a time when classical education was seen as vital.
Homer's work explores themes like heroism, fate, mortality, and the dynamics between gods and humans, along with the yearning for home and the toll of war. Even his shorter pieces often reflect on nature, beauty, or the flow of time.
A Homeric hymn is a brief poem dedicated to a Greek god or goddess, crafted in the same dactylic hexameter meter found in the *Iliad* and *Odyssey*. There are thirty-three that still exist. These hymns served as introductions to longer performances and are termed 'Homeric' due to their stylistic features, rather than because Homer definitively authored them.
Classical literature was regarded as the cornerstone of a solid education. Reading Homer in translation — or better yet, in Greek — signified a commitment to culture. Publishers like Dwight responded to genuine interest from schools, colleges, and individuals seeking self-improvement.
Not in any honest way. To truly analyze it line by line, we need the actual text. What we can do is explore the poem's historical and literary context, which is the focus of this analysis. If you have the complete Dwight 1849 edition, you can find the text for poem 860 there.
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