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第3章

hiero-第3章

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those who come in contact with him。







Hiero。 Good; and on this principle we say of meats; that he who is



provided with all sorts on all occasions brings no appetite to any of



them。 He rather to whom these things are rarities; that is the man



who; when some unfamiliar thing is put before him; will take his fill



of it with pleasure。'31'







'31' {meta kharas}。 Cf。 Aesch。 Fr。 237; {stomatos en prote khara}; of



    a hungry man; 〃Od。〃 xvii。 603。







It looks very much (interposed Simonides) as if the sole pleasure left



you to explain the vulgar ambition to wear a crown; must be that named



after Aphrodite。 For in this field it is your privilege to consort



with whatever fairest fair your eyes may light on。







Hiero。 Nay; now you have named that one thing of all others; take my



word for it; in which we princes are worse off than lesser people。'32'







'32' Reading {saph' isthi}; or if as Cobet conj。 {saphestata}; transl。



    〃are at a disadvantage most clearly by comparison with ordinary



    folk。〃







To name marriage first。 I presume a marriage'33' which is contracted



with some great family; superior in wealth and influence; bears away



the palm; since it confers upon the bridegroom not pleasure only but



distinction。'34' Next comes the marriage made with equals; and last;



wedlock with inferiors; which is apt to be regarded as degrading and



disserviceable。







'33' Cf。 〃Hunting;〃 i。 9。 Holden cf。 Eur。 〃Rhes。〃 168; 〃Androm。〃 1255。







'34' Cf。 Dem。 〃in Lept。〃 S。 69; p。 499。 See Plat。 〃Rep。〃 553 C。







Now for the application: a despotic monarch; unless he weds some



foreign bride; is forced to choose a wife from those beneath him; so



that the height of satisfaction is denied him。'35'







'35' Al。 〃supreme content; the quintessential bliss; is quite unknown



    to him。〃







The tender service of the proudest…souled of women; wifely rendered;



how superlatively charming!'36' and by contrast; how little welcome is



such ministration where the wife is but a slavewhen present; barely



noticed; or if lacking; what fell pains and passions will it not



engender!







'36' Or; 〃the gentle ministrations of loftiest…thoughted women and



    fair wives possess a charm past telling; but from slaves; if



    tendered; the reverse of welcome; or if not forthcoming 。 。 。〃







And if we come to masculine attachments; still more than in those



whose end is procreation; the tyrant finds himself defrauded of such



mirthfulness;'37' poor monarch! Since all of us are well aware; I



fancy; that for highest satisfaction;'38' amorous deeds need love's



strong passion。'39'







'37' 〃Joys sacred to that goddess fair and free in Heaven yclept



    Euphrosyne。〃







'38' For {polu diapherontos} cf。 Browning (〃Abt Vogler〃); not indeed



    of Aphrodisia conjoined with Eros; but of the musician's gift:







        That out of three sounds he frame not a fourth sound; but a



        star。







'39' i。e。 〃Eros; the Lord of Passion; must lend his hand。〃 〃But;〃 he



    proceeds; 〃the god is coy; he has little liking for the breasts of



    kings。 He is more likely to be found in the cottage of the peasant



    than the king's palace。〃







But least of all is true love's passion wont to lodge in the hearts of



monarchs; for love delights not to swoop on ready prey; he needs the



lure of expectation。'40'







'40' Or; 〃even on the heels of hoped…for bliss he follows。〃







Well then; just as a man who has never tasted thirst can hardly be



said to know the joy of drinking;'41' so he who has never tasted



Passion is ignorant of Aphrodite's sweetest sweets。







'41' Reading with Holden (after H。 Steph。) {osper oun an tis 。 。 。} or



    with Hartm。 (op。 cit。 p。 259) {osper ouk an tis 。 。 。}







So Hiero ended。







Simonides answered laughingly: How say you; Hiero? What is that?



Love's strong passion for his soul's beloved incapable of springing up



in any monarch's heart? What of your own passion for Dailochus;



surnamed of men 〃most beautiful〃?







Hiero。 That is easily explained; Simonides。 What I most desire of him



is no ready spoil; as men might reckon it; but rather what it is least



of all the privilege of a tyrant to obtain。'42' I say it truly; Ithe



love I bear Dailochus is of this high sort。 All that the constitution



of our souls and bodies possibly compels a man to ask for at the hands



of beauty; that my fantasy desires of him; but what my fantasy



demands; I do most earnestly desire to obtain from willing hands and



under seal of true affection。 To clutch it forcibly were as far from



my desire as to do myself some mortal mischief。







'42' Lit。 〃of tyrant to achieve;〃 a met。 from the chase。 Cf。



    〃Hunting;〃 xii。 22。







Were he my enemy; to wrest some spoil from his unwilling hands would



be an exquisite pleasure; to my thinking。 But of all sweet favours the



sweetest to my notion is the free…will offering of a man's beloved。



For instance; how sweet the responsive glance of love for love; how



sweet the questions and the answers;'43' and; most sweet of all; most



love…enkindling; the battles and the strifes of faithful lovers。'44'



But to enjoy'45' one's love perforce (he added) resembles more an act



of robbery; in my judgment; than love's pastime。 And; indeed; the



robber derives some satisfaction from the spoils he wins and from the



pain he causes to the man he hates。 But to seek pleasure in the pain



of one we love devoutly; to kiss and to be hated; to touch'46' and to



be loathedcan one conceive a state of things more odious or more



pitiful? For; it is a certainty; the ordinary person may accept at



once each service rendered by the object of his love as a sign and



token of kindliness inspired by affection; since he knows such



ministry is free from all compulsion。 Whilst to the tyrant; the



confidence that he is loved is quite foreclosed。 On the contrary;'47'



we know for certain that service rendered through terror will



stimulate as far as possible the ministrations of affection。 And it is



a fact; that plots and conspiracies against despotic rulers are



oftenest hatched by those who most of all pretend to love them。'48'







'43' 〃The 'innere Unterhaltung'〃; the {oarismos}。 Cf。 Milton; 〃P。 L。〃:







        With thee conversing; I forget all time。







'44' Cf。 Ter。 〃Andr。〃 iii。 3。 23; 〃amantium irae amoris



    intergratiost。〃







'45' 〃To make booty of。〃







'46' For {aptesthai} L。 & S。 cf。 Plat。 〃Laws;〃 840 A; Aristot。 〃H。 A。〃



    v。 14。 27; Ep。 1 Cor。 vii。 1。







'47' Reading {au}。 〃If we do know anything it is this; that;〃 etc。







'48' Or; 〃do oftenest issue from treacherous make…believe of warmest



    friendship。〃 Cf。 Grote; 〃H。 G。〃 xi。 288; 〃Hell。〃 VI。 iv。 36。















II







To these arguments Simonides replied: Yes; but the topics you have



named are to my thinking trifles; drops; as it were; in the wide



ocean。 How many men; I wonder; have I seen myself; men in the deepest



sense;'1' true men; who choose to fare but ill in respect of meats and



drinks and delicacies; ay; and what is more; they voluntarily abstain



from sexual pleasures。 No! it is in quite a different sphere; which I



will name at once; that you so far transcend us private citizens。'2'



It is in your vast designs; your swift achievements; it is in the



overflowing wealth of your possessions; your horses; excellent for



breed and mettle; the choice beauty of your arms; th

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