Cinesias (poet)

Cinesias(Greek:Κινησίας;c. 450 – 390 BC) was an innovativedithyrambicpoet (an exponent of the "new music" ) inclassical Athenswhose work has survived only in a few fragments. Aninscriptionindicates that he was awarded a victory at theDionysiain the early 4th century (IG 2/3².3028). His contemporary, the comic poetAristophanes,ridiculed him in his playThe Birds,in which Cinesias attempts to borrow wings from the birds as an aid to poetic inspiration. Aristophanes refers to him also inThe Frogs(lines 153, 1437),Ecclesiazusae(line 330),Lysistrata(line 860), and in a fragmentary verse (fragment 156. 10 K-A). Another comic poet,Strattis,wrote an entire play against Cinesias, of which only fragments survive (fragments 14–22 K-A), and he was considered byPherecratesto have had a corrupting influence on dithyrambic poetry (fragment 155. 8ff. K-A).Lysiasaccused Cinesias of being in a group called theKakodaimonistaito mock the gods.