Great Regulars: Could the Parthenon have turned Diogenes,

known as "The Dog," into a kitten? Well, Melville has unfortunately got his history a little mixed-up here--Diogenes was alive and well when the Parthenon was built and certainly would have seen it. And there is no proof that he found it of any account whatsoever.

But does that undermine the poem?

from Christopher Nield: The Epoch Times: The Antidote--Classic Poetry for Modern Life: A Reading of "The Apparition" by Herman Melville

~~~~~~~~~~~