ABSTRACT
The first poem in Wolfram Hörandner’s edition of Theodore Prodromos’ Historische Gedichte is a ‘first’ in many other ways that are of interest to readers of Byzantine literature in its performative dimension. In terms of content and performance context, Prodromos’ poem clearly belongs to this tradition of continuity and adaptation. It is placed explicitly in the mouth of the demes, speaking on behalf of the city populace, as they wait for the new emperor and his parents to emerge from the palace – or, in the solar metaphor of imperial acclamation, to rise and shine upon the world. Augusta had given Eirene-Piroska her name, and had no doubt groomed the young Hungarian princess in the etiquette of the Byzantine palace. She was also the patron of Theodore Prodromos at the beginning of his literary career.
