the six enneads-第144章

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hen　they　declared　the　Ideas　to　be　Beings；　Essentials。　　　　　6。　Similarly；　as　it　seems　to　me；　the　wise　of　Egypt…　whether　in　precise　knowledge　or　by　a　prompting　of　nature…　indicated　the　truth　where；　in　their　effort　towards　philosophical　statement；　they　left　aside　the　writing…forms　that　take　in　the　detail　of　words　and　sentences…　those　characters　that　represent　sounds　and　convey　the　propositions　of　reasoning…　and　drew　pictures　instead；　engraving　in　the　temple…　inscriptions　a　separate　image　for　every　separate　item：　thus　they　exhibited　the　mode　in　which　the　Supreme　goes　forth。　　　　　For　each　manifestation　of　knowledge　and　wisdom　is　a　distinct　image；　an　object　in　itself；　an　immediate　unity；　not　as　aggregate　of　discursive　reasoning　and　detailed　willing。　Later　from　this　wisdom　in　unity　there　appears；　in　another　form　of　being；　an　image；　already　less　compact；　which　announces　the　original　in　an　outward　stage　and　seeks　the　causes　by　which　things　are　such　that　the　wonder　rises　how　a　generated　world　can　be　so　excellent。　　　　　For；　one　who　knows　must　declare　his　wonder　that　this　Wisdom；　while　not　itself　containing　the　causes　by　which　Being　exists　and　takes　such　excellence；　yet　imparts　them　to　the　entities　produced　in　Being's　realm。　This　excellence　whose　necessity　is　scarcely　or　not　at　all　manifest　to　search；　exists；　if　we　could　but　find　it　out；　before　all　searching　and　reasoning。　　　　　What　I　say　may　be　considered　in　one　chief　thing；　and　thence　applied　to　all　the　particular　entities：　　　　　7。　Consider　the　universe：　we　are　agreed　that　its　existence　and　its　nature　come　to　it　from　beyond　itself；　are　we；　now；　to　imagine　that　its　maker　first　thought　it　out　in　detail…　the　earth；　and　its　necessary　situation　in　the　middle；　water　and；　again；　its　position　as　lying　upon　the　earth；　all　the　other　elements　and　objects　up　to　the　sky　in　due　place　and　order；　living　beings　with　their　appropriate　forms　as　we　know　them；　their　inner　organs　and　their　outer　limbs…　and　that　having　thus　appointed　every　item　beforehand；　he　then　set　about　the　execution？　　　　　Such　designing　was　not　even　possible；　how　could　the　plan　for　a　universe　come　to　one　that　had　never　looked　outward？　Nor　could　he　work　on　material　gathered　from　elsewhere　as　our　craftsmen　do；　using　hands　and　tools；　feet　and　hands　are　of　the　later　order。　　　　　One　way；　only；　remains：　all　things　must　exist　in　something　else；　of　that　prior…　since　there　is　no　obstacle；　all　being　continuous　within　the　realm　of　reality…　there　has　suddenly　appeared　a　sign；　an　image；　whether　given　forth　directly　or　through　the　ministry　of　soul　or　of　some　phase　of　soul；　matters　nothing　for　the　moment：　thus　the　entire　aggregate　of　existence　springs　from　the　divine　world；　in　greater　beauty　There　because　There　unmingled　but　mingled　here。　　　　　From　the　beginning　to　end　all　is　gripped　by　the　Forms　of　the　Intellectual　Realm：　Matter　itself　is　held　by　the　Ideas　of　the　elements　and　to　these　Ideas　are　added　other　Ideas　and　others　again；　so　that　it　is　hard　to　work　down　to　crude　Matter　beneath　all　that　sheathing　of　Idea。　Indeed　since　Matter　itself　is　in　its　degree；　an　Idea…　the　lowest…　all　this　universe　is　Idea　and　there　is　nothing　that　is　not　Idea　as　the　archetype　was。　And　all　is　made　silently；　since　nothing　had　part　in　the　making　but　Being　and　Idea　further　reason　why　creation　went　without　toil。　The　Exemplar　was　the　Idea　of　an　All；　and　so　an　All　must　come　into　being。　　　　　Thus　nothing　stood　in　the　way　of　the　Idea；　and　even　now　it　dominates；　despite　all　the　clash　of　things：　the　creation　is　not　hindered　on　its　way　even　now；　it　stands　firm　in　virtue　of　being　All。　To　me；　moreover；　it　seems　that　if　we　ourselves　were　archetypes；　Ideas；　veritable　Being；　and　the　Idea　with　which　we　construct　here　were　our　veritable　Essence；　then　our　creative　power　too　would　toillessly　effect　its　purpose：　as　man　now　stands；　he　does　not　produce　in　his　work　a　true　image　of　himself：　become　man；　he　has　ceased　to　be　the　All：　ceasing　to　be　man…　we　read…　〃he　soars　aloft　and　administers　the　Kosmos　entire〃；　restored　to　the　All　he　is　maker　of　the　All。　　　　　But…　to　our　immediate　purpose…　it　is　possible　to　give　a　reason　why　the　earth　is　set　in　the　midst　and　why　it　is　round　and　why　the　ecliptic　runs　precisely　as　it　does；　but；　looking　to　the　creating　principle；　we　cannot　say　that　because　this　was　the　way　therefore　things　were　so　planned：　we　can　say　only　that　because　the　All　is　what　it　is；　therefore　there　is　a　total　of　good；　the　causing　principle；　we　might　put　it；　reached　the　conclusion　before　all　formal　reasoning　and　not　from　any　premises；　not　by　sequence　or　plan　but　before　either；　since　all　of　that　order　is　later；　all　reason；　demonstration；　persuasion。　　　　　Since　there　is　a　Source；　all　the　created　must　spring　from　it　and　in　accordance　with　it；　and　we　are　rightly　told　not　to　go　seeking　the　causes　impelling　a　Source　to　produce；　especially　when　this　is　the　perfectly　sufficient　Source　and　identical　with　the　Term：　a　Source　which　is　Source　and　Term　must　be　the　All…Unity；　complete　in　itself。　　　　　8。　This　then　is　Beauty　primally：　it　is　entire　and　omnipresent　as　an　entirety；　and　therefore　in　none　of　its　parts　or　members　lacking　in　beauty；　beautiful　thus　beyond　denial。　Certainly　it　cannot　be　anything　＇be；　for　example；　Beauty＇　without　being　wholly　that　thing；　it　can　be　nothing　which　it　is　to　possess　partially　or　in　which　it　utterly　fails　＇and　therefore　it　must　entirely　be　Beauty　entire＇。　　　　　If　this　principle　were　not　beautiful；　what　other　could　be？　Its　prior　does　not　deign　to　be　beautiful；　that　which　is　the　first　to　manifest　itself…　Form　and　object　of　vision　to　the　intellect…　cannot　but　be　lovely　to　see。　It　is　to　indicate　this　that　Plato；　drawing　on　something　well　within　our　observation；　represents　the　Creator　as　approving　the　work　he　has　achieved：　the　intention　is　to　make　us　feel　the　lovable　beauty　of　the　autotype　and　of　the　Divine　Idea；　for　to　admire　a　representation　is　to　admire　the　original　upon　which　it　was　made。　　　　　It　is　not　surprising　if　we　fail　to　　recognise　what　is　passing　within　us：　lovers；　and　those　in　general　that　admire　beauty　here；　do　not　stay　to　reflect　that　it　is　to　be　traced；　as　of　course　it　must　be；　to　the　Beauty　There。　That　the　admiration　of　the　Demiurge　is　to　be　referred　to　the　Ideal　Exemplar　is　deliberately　made　evident　by　the　rest　of　the　passage：　〃He　admired；　and　determined　to　bring　the　work　into　still　closer　likeness　with　the　Exemplar〃：　he　makes　us　feel　the　magnificent　beauty　of　the　Exemplar　by　telling　us　that　the　Beauty　sprung　from　this　world　is；　itself；　a　copy　from　That。　　　　　And　indeed　if　the　divine　did　not　exist；　the　transcendently　beautiful；　in　a　beauty　beyond　all　thought；　what　could　be　lovelier　than　the　things　we　see？　Certainly　no　reproach　can　rightly　be　brought　against　this　world　save　only　that　it　is　not　That。　　　　　9。　Let　us；　then；　make　a　mental　picture　of　our　universe：　each　member　shall　remain　what　it　is；　distinctly　apart；　yet　all　is　to　form；　as　far　as　possible；　a　complete　unity　so　that　whatever　comes　into　view　shall　show　as　if　it　were　the　surface　of　the　orb　over　all；　bringing　immediately　with　it　the　vision；　on　the　one　plane；　of　the　sun　and　of　all　the　stars　with　earth　and　sea　and　all　living　things　as　if　exhibited　upon　a　transparent　globe。　　　　　Bring　this　vision　actually　before　your　sight；　so　that　there　shall　be　in　your　mind　the　gleaming　representation　of　a　sphere；　a　picture　holding　sprung；　themselves；　of　that　universe　and　repose　or　some　at　rest；　some　in　motion。　Keep　this　sphere　before　you；　and　from　it　imagine　another；　a　sphere　stripped　of　magnitude　and　of　spatial　differences；　cast　out　your　inborn　sense　of　Matter；　taking　care　not　merely　to　attenuate　it：　call　on　God；　maker　of　the　sphere　whose　image　you　now　hold；　and　pray　Him　to　enter。　And　may　He　come　bringing　His　own　Universe　with　all　the　Gods　that　dwell　in　it…　He　who　is　the　one　God　and　all　the　gods；　where　each　is　all；　blending　into　a　unity；　distinct　in　powers　but　all　one　god　in　virtue　of　that　one　divine　power　of　many　facets。　　　　　More　truly；　this　is　the　one　God　who　is　all　the　gods；　for；　in　the　coming　to　be　of　all　those；　this；　the　one；　has　suffered　no　diminishing。　He　and　all　have　one　existence　while　each　again　is　distinct。　It　is　distinction　by　state　without　interval：　there　is　no　outward　form　to　set　one　here　and　another　there　and　to　prevent　any　from　bei