phaedrus-第5章

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lover　will　be　the　first　to　see　what；　indeed；　will　be　sufficiently



evident　to　all　men；　that　he　desires　above　all　things　to　deprive　his



beloved　of　his　dearest　and　best　and　holiest　possessions；　father；



mother；　kindred；　friends；　of　all　whom　he　thinks　may　be　hinderers　or



reprovers　of　their　most　sweet　converse；　he　will　even　cast　a　jealous



eye　upon　his　gold　and　silver　or　other　property；　because　these　make　him



a　less　easy　prey；　and　when　caught　less　manageable；　hence　he　is　of



necessity　displeased　at　his　possession　of　them　and　rejoices　at　their



loss；　and　he　would　like　him　to　be　wifeless；　childless；　homeless；　as



well；　and　the　longer　the　better；　for　the　longer　he　is　all　this；　the



longer　he　will　enjoy　him。



　　There　are　some　soft　of　animals；　such　as　flatterers；　who　are



dangerous　and；　mischievous　enough；　and　yet　nature　has　mingled　a



temporary　pleasure　and　grace　in　their　composition。　You　may　say　that



a　courtesan　is　hurtful；　and　disapprove　of　such　creatures　and　their



practices；　and　yet　for　the　time　they　are　very　pleasant。　But　the



lover　is　not　only　hurtful　to　his　love；　he　is　also　an　extremely



disagreeable　companion。　The　old　proverb　says　that　〃birds　of　a



feather　flock　together〃；　I　suppose　that　equality　of　years　inclines



them　to　the　same　pleasures；　and　similarity　begets　friendship；　yet



you　may　have　more　than　enough　even　of　this；　and　verily　constraint　is



always　said　to　be　grievous。　Now　the　lover　is　not　only　unlike　his



beloved；　but　he　forces　himself　upon　him。　For　he　is　old　and　his　love　is



young；　and　neither　day　nor　night　will　he　leave　him　if　he　can　help；



necessity　and　the　sting　of　desire　drive　him　on；　and　allure　him　with



the　pleasure　which　he　receives　from　seeing；　hearing；　touching；



perceiving　him　in　every　way。　And　therefore　he　is　delighted　to　fasten



upon　him　and　to　minister　to　him。　But　what　pleasure　or　consolation



can　the　beloved　be　receiving　all　this　time？　Must　he　not　feel　the



extremity　of　disgust　when　he　looks　at　an　old　shrivelled　face　and　the



remainder　to　match；　which　even　in　a　description　is　disagreeable；　and



quite　detestable　when　he　is　forced　into　daily　contact　with　his



lover；　moreover　he　is　jealously　watched　and　guarded　against　everything



and　everybody；　and　has　to　hear　misplaced　and　exaggerated　praises　of



himself；　and　censures　equally　inappropriate；　which　are　intolerable



when　the　man　is　sober；　and；　besides　being　intolerable；　are　published



all　over　the　world　in　all　their　indelicacy　and　wearisomeness　when　he



is　drunk。



　　And　not　only　while　his　love　continues　is　he　mischievous　and



unpleasant；　but　when　his　love　ceases　he　becomes　a　perfidious　enemy



of　him　on　whom　he　showered　his　oaths　and　prayers　and　promises；　and　yet



could　hardly　prevail　upon　him　to　tolerate　the　tedium　of　his　company



even　from　motives　of　interest。　The　hour　of　payment　arrives；　and　now　he



is　the　servant　of　another　master；　instead　of　love　and　infatuation；



wisdom　and　temperance　are　his　bosom's　lords；　but　the　beloved　has　not



discovered　the　change　which　has　taken　place　in　him；　when　he　asks　for　a



return　and　recalls　to　his　recollection　former　sayings　and　doings；　he



believes　himself　to　be　speaking　to　the　same　person；　and　the　other；　not



having　the　courage　to　confess　the　truth；　and　not　knowing　how　to　fulfil



the　oaths　and　promises　which　he　made　when　under　the　dominion　of　folly；



and　having　now　grown　wise　and　temperate；　does　not　want　to　do　as　he　did



or　to　be　as　he　was　before。　And　so　he　runs　away　and　is　constrained　to



be　a　defaulter；　the　oyster…shell　has　fallen　with　the　other　side



uppermost…he　changes　pursuit　into　flight；　while　the　other　is　compelled



to　follow　him　with　passion　and　imprecation　not　knowing　that　he　ought



never　from　the　first　to　have　accepted　a　demented　lover　instead　of　a



sensible　non…lover；　and　that　in　making　such　a　choice　he　was　giving



himself　up　to　a　faithless；　morose；　envious；　disagreeable　being；



hurtful　to　his　estate；　hurtful　to　his　bodily　health；　and　still　more



hurtful　to　the　cultivation　of　his　mind；　than　which　there　neither　is



nor　ever　will　be　anything　more　honoured　in　the　eyes　both　of　gods　and



men。　Consider　this；　fair　youth；　and　know　that　in　the　friendship　of　the



lover　there　is　no　real　kindness；　he　has　an　appetite　and　wants　to



feed　upon　you：







　　　　As　wolves　love　lambs　so　lovers　love　their　loves。







　　But　I　told　you　so；　I　am　speaking　in　verse；　and　therefore　I　had



better　make　an　end；　enough。



　　Phaedr。　I　thought　that　you　were　only　halfway　and　were　going　to



make　a　similar　speech　about　all　the　advantages　of　accepting　the



non…lover。　Why　do　you　not　proceed？



　　Soc。　Does　not　your　simplicity　observe　that　I　have　got　out　of



dithyrambics　into　heroics；　when　only　uttering　a　censure　on　the



lover？　And　if　I　am　to　add　the　praises　of　the　non…lover；　what　will



become　of　me？　Do　you　not　perceive　that　I　am　already　overtaken　by　the



Nymphs　to　whom　you　have　mischievously　exposed　me？　And　therefore　will



only　add　that　the　non…lover　has　all　the　advantages　in　which　the



lover　is　accused　of　being　deficient。　And　now　I　will　say　no　more；　there



has　been　enough　of　both　of　them。　Leaving　the　tale　to　its　fate；　I



will　cross　the　river　and　make　the　best　of　my　way　home；　lest　a　worse



thing　be　inflicted　upon　me　by　you。



　　Phaedr。　Not　yet；　Socrates；　not　until　the　heat　of　the　day　has　passed；



do　you　not　see　that　the　hour　is　almost　noon？　there　is　the　midday　sun



standing　still；　as　people　say；　in　the　meridian。　Let　us　rather　stay　and



talk　over　what　has　been　said；　and　then　return　in　the　cool。



　　Soc。　Your　love　of　discourse；　Phaedrus；　is　superhuman；　simply



marvellous；　and　I　do　not　believe　that　there　is　any　one　of　your



contemporaries　who　has　either　made　or　in　one　way　or　another　has



compelled　others　to　make　an　equal　number　of　speeches。　I　would　except



Simmias　the　Theban；　but　all　the　rest　are　far　behind　you。　And　now；　I　do



verily　believe　that　you　have　been　the　cause　of　another。



　　Phaedr。　That　is　good　news。　But　what　do　you　mean？



　　Soc。　I　mean　to　say　that　as　I　was　about　to　cross　the　stream　the　usual



sign　was　given　to　me；…that　sign　which　always　forbids；　but　never



bids；　me　to　do　anything　which　I　am　going　to　do；　and　I　thought　that　I



heard　a　voice　saying　in　my　car　that　I　had　been　guilty　of　impiety；　and。



that　I　must　not　go　away　until　I　had　made　an　atonement。　Now　I　am　a



diviner；　though　not　a　very　good　one；　but　I　have　enough　religion　for　my



own　use；　as　you　might　say　of　a　bad　writer…his　writing　is　good　enough



for　him；　and　I　am　beginning　to　see　that　I　was　in　error。　O　my　friend；



how　prophetic　is　the　human　soul！　At　the　time　I　had　a　sort　of



misgiving；　and；　like　Ibycus；　〃I　was　troubled；　I　feared　that　I　might　be



buying　honour　from　men　at　the　price　of　sinning　against　the　gods。〃



Now　I　recognize　my　error。



　　Phaedr。　What　error？



　　Soc。　That　was　a　dreadful　speech　which　you　brought　with　you；　and



you　made　me　utter　one　as　bad。



　　Phaedr。　How　so？



　　Soc。　It　was　foolish；　I　say；…to　a　certain　extent；　impious；　can



anything　be　more　dreadful？



　　Phaedr。　Nothing；　if　the　speech　was　really　such　as　you　describe。



　　Soc。　Well；　and　is　not　Eros　the　son　of　Aphrodite；　and　a　god？



　　Phaedr。　So　men　say。



　　Soc。　But　that　was　not　acknowledged　by　Lysias　in　his　speech；　nor　by



you　in　that　other　speech　which　you　by　a　charm　drew　from　my　lips。　For



if　love　be；　as　he　surely　is；　a　divinity；　he　cannot　be　evil。　Yet　this



was　the　error　of　both　the　speeches。　There　was　also　a　simplicity



about　them　which　was　refreshing；　having　no　truth　or　honesty　in　them；



nevertheless　they　pretended　to　be　something；　hoping　to　succeed　in



deceiving　the　manikins　of　earth　and　gain　celebrity　among　them。