贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > the six enneads >

第54章

the six enneads-第54章

小说: the six enneads 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



 to life is formative; shaping as it moves。     Life; then; aims at pattern as does the pantomimic dancer with his set movements; the mime; in himself; represents life; and; besides; his movements proceed in obedience to a pattern designed to symbolize life。     Thus far to give us some idea of the nature of Life in general。     But this Reason…Principle which emanates from the complete unity; divine Mind; and the complete unity Life '= Soul'… is neither a uniate complete Life nor a uniate complete divine Mind; nor does it give itself whole and all…including to its subject。 'By an imperfect communication' it sets up a conflict of part against part: it produces imperfect things and so engenders and maintains war and attack; and thus its unity can be that only of a sum…total not of a thing undivided。 At war with itself in the parts which it now exhibits; it has the unity; or harmony; of a drama torn with struggle。 The drama; of course; brings the conflicting elements to one final harmony; weaving the entire story of the clashing characters into one thing; while in the Logos the conflict of the divergent elements rises within the one element; the Reason…Principle: the comparison therefore is rather with a harmony emerging directly from the conflicting elements themselves; and the question becomes what introduces clashing elements among these Reason…Principles。     Now in the case of music; tones high and low are the product of Reason…Principles which; by the fact that they are Principles of harmony; meet in the unit of Harmony; the absolute Harmony; a more comprehensive Principle; greater than they and including them as its parts。 Similarly in the Universe at large we find contraries… white and black; hot and cold; winged and wingless; footed and footless; reasoning and unreasoning… but all these elements are members of one living body; their sum…total; the Universe is a self…accordant entity; its members everywhere clashing but the total being the manifestation of a Reason…Principle。 That one Reason…Principle; then; must be the unification of conflicting Reason…Principles whose very opposition is the support of its coherence and; almost; of its Being。     And indeed; if it were not multiple; it could not be a Universal Principle; it could not even be at all a Reason…Principle; in the fact of its being a Reason…Principle is contained the fact of interior difference。 Now the maximum of difference is contrariety; admitting that this differentiation exists and creates; it will create difference in the greatest and not in the least degree; in other words; the Reason…Principle; bringing about differentiation to the uttermost degree; will of necessity create contrarieties: it will be complete only by producing itself not in merely diverse things but in contrary things。     17。 The nature of the Reason…Principle is adequately expressed in its Act and; therefore; the wider its extension the nearer will its productions approach to full contrariety: hence the world of sense is less a unity than is its Reason…Principle; it contains a wider multiplicity and contrariety: its partial members will; therefore; be urged by a closer intention towards fullness of life; a warmer desire for unification。     But desire often destroys the desired; it seeks its own good; and; if the desired object is perishable; the ruin follows: and the partial thing straining towards its completing principle draws towards itself all it possibly can。     Thus; with the good we have the bad: we have the opposed movements of a dancer guided by one artistic plan; we recognize in his steps the good as against the bad; and see that in the opposition lies the merit of the design。     But; thus; the wicked disappear?     No: their wickedness remains; simply; their role is not of their own planning。     But; surely; this excuses them?     No; excuse lies with the Reason…Principle… and the Reason…Principle does not excuse them。     No doubt all are members of this Principle but one is a good man; another is bad… the larger class; this… and it goes as in a play; the poet while he gives each actor a part is also using them as they are in their own persons: he does not himself rank the men as leading actor; second; third; he simply gives suitable words to each; and by that assignment fixes each man's standing。     Thus; every man has his place; a place that fits the good man; a place that fits the bad: each within the two orders of them makes his way; naturally; reasonably; to the place; good or bad; that suits him; and takes the position he has made his own。 There he talks and acts; in blasphemy and crime or in all goodness: for the actors bring to this play what they were before it was ever staged。     In the dramas of human art; the poet provides the words but the actors add their own quality; good or bad… for they have more to do than merely repeat the author's words… in the truer drama which dramatic genius imitates in its degree; the Soul displays itself in a part assigned by the creator of the piece。     As the actors of our stages get their masks and their costume; robes of state or rags; so a Soul is allotted its fortunes; and not at haphazard but always under a Reason: it adapts itself to the fortunes assigned to it; attunes itself; ranges itself rightly to the drama; to the whole Principle of the piece: then it speaks out its business; exhibiting at the same time all that a Soul can express of its own quality; as a singer in a song。 A voice; a bearing; naturally fine or vulgar; may increase the charm of a piece; on the other hand; an actor with his ugly voice may make a sorry exhibition of himself; yet the drama stands as good a work as ever: the dramatist; taking the action which a sound criticism suggests; disgraces one; taking his part from him; with perfect justice: another man he promotes to more serious roles or to any more important play he may have; while the first is cast for whatever minor work there may be。     Just so the Soul; entering this drama of the Universe; making itself a part of the Play; bringing to its acting its personal excellence or defect; set in a definite place at the entry and accepting from the author its entire role… superimposed upon its own character and conduct… just so; it receives in the end its punishment and reward。     But these actors; Souls; hold a peculiar dignity: they act in a vaster place than any stage: the Author has made them masters of all this world; they have a wide choice of place; they themselves determine the honour or discredit in which they are agents since their place and part are in keeping with their quality: they therefore fit into the Reason…Principle of the Universe; each adjusted; most legitimately; to the appropriate environment; as every string of the lyre is set in the precisely right position; determined by the Principle directing musical utterance; for the due production of the tones within its capacity。 All is just and good in the Universe in which every actor is set in his own quite appropriate place; though it be to utter in the Darkness and in Tartarus the dreadful sounds whose utterance there is well。     This Universe is good not when the individual is a stone; but when everyone throws in his own voice towards a total harmony; singing out a life… thin; harsh; imperfect; though it be。 The Syrinx does not utter merely one pure note; there is a thin obscure sound which blends in to make the harmony of Syrinx music: the harmony is made up from tones of various grades; all the tones differing; but the resultant of all forming one sound。     Similarly the Reason…Principle entire is One; but it is broken into unequal parts: hence the difference of place found in the Universe; better spots and worse; and hence the inequality of Souls; finding their appropriate surroundings amid this local inequality。 The diverse places of this sphere; the Souls of unequal grade and unlike conduct; are wen exemplified by the distinction of parts in the Syrinx or any other instrument: there is local difference; but from every position every string gives forth its own tone; the sound appropriate; at once; to its particular place and to the entire plan。     What is evil in the single Soul will stand a good thing in the universal sys

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的