phaedrus-第6章

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！





nevertheless　they　pretended　to　be　something；　hoping　to　succeed　in



deceiving　the　manikins　of　earth　and　gain　celebrity　among　them。



Wherefore　I　must　have　a　purgation。　And　I　bethink　me　of　an　ancient



purgation　of　mythological　error　which　was　devised；　not　by　Homer；　for



he　never　had　the　wit　to　discover　why　he　was　blind；　but　by　Stesichorus；



who　was　a　philosopher　and　knew　the　reason　why；　and　therefore；　when



he　lost　his　eyes；　for　that　was　the　penalty　which　was　inflicted　upon



him　for　reviling　the　lovely　Helen；　he　at　once　purged　himself。　And



the　purgation　was　a　recantation；　which　began　thus；…







　　False　is　that　word　of　mine…the　truth　is　that　thou　didst　not　embark



in　ships；　nor　ever　go　to　the　walls　of　Troy；







and　when　he　had　completed　his　poem；　which　is　called　〃the　recantation；〃



immediately　his　sight　returned　to　him。　Now　I　will　be　wiser　than　either



Stesichorus　or　Homer；　in　that　I　am　going　to　make　my　recantation　for



reviling　love　before　I　suffer；　and　this　I　will　attempt；　not　as　before；



veiled　and　ashamed；　but　with　forehead　bold　and　bare。



　　Phaedr。　Nothing　could　be　more　agreeable　to　me　than　to　hear　you　say



so。



　　Soc。　Only　think；　my　good　Phaedrus；　what　an　utter　want　of　delicacy



was　shown　in　the　two　discourses；　I　mean；　in　my　own　and　in　that　which



you　recited　out　of　the　book。　Would　not　any　one　who　was　himself　of　a



noble　and　gentle　nature；　and　who　loved　or　ever　had　loved　a　nature　like



his　own；　when　we　tell　of　the　petty　causes　of　lovers'　jealousies；　and



of　their　exceeding　animosities；　and　of　the　injuries　which　they　do　to



their　beloved；　have　imagined　that　our　ideas　of　love　were　taken　from



some　haunt　of　sailors　to　which　good　manners　were　unknown…he　would



certainly　never　have　admitted　the　justice　of　our　censure？



　　Phaedr。　I　dare　say　not；　Socrates。



　　Soc。　Therefore；　because　I　blush　at　the　thought　of　this　person；　and



also　because　I　am　afraid　of　Love　himself；　I　desire　to　wash　the　brine



out　of　my　ears　with　water　from　the　spring；　and　I　would　counsel



Lysias　not　to　delay；　but　to　write　another　discourse；　which　shall　prove



that　ceteris　paribus　the　lover　ought　to　be　accepted　rather　than　the



non…lover。



　　Phaedr。　Be　assured　that　he　shall。　You　shall　speak　the　praises　of　the



lover；　and　Lysias　shall　be　compelled　by　me　to　write　another



discourse　on　the　same　theme。



　　Soc。　You　will　be　true　to　your　nature　in　that；　and　therefore　I



believe　you。



　　Phaedr。　Speak；　and　fear　not。



　　Soc。　But　where　is　the　fair　youth　whom　I　was　addressing　before；　and



who　ought　to　listen　now；　lest；　if　he　hear　me　not；　he　should　accept　a



non…lover　before　he　knows　what　he　is　doing？



　　Phaedr。　He　is　close　at　hand；　and　always　at　your　service。



　　Soc。　Know　then；　fair　youth；　that　the　former　discourse　was　the　word



of　Phaedrus；　the　son　of　Vain　Man；　who　dwells　in　the　city　of　Myrrhina



（Myrrhinusius）。　And　this　which　I　am　about　to　utter　is　the



recantation　of　Stesichorus　the　son　of　Godly　Man　（Euphemus）；　who



comes　from　the　town　of　Desire　（Himera）；　and　is　to　the　following



effect：　〃I　told　a　lie　when　I　said〃　that　the　beloved　ought　to　accept



the　non…lover　when　he　might　have　the　lover；　because　the　one　is　sane；



and　the　other　mad。　It　might　be　so　if　madness　were　simply　an　evil；



but　there　is　also　a　madness　which　is　a　divine　gift；　and　the　source



of　the　chiefest　blessings　granted　to　men。　For　prophecy　is　a　madness；



and　the　prophetess　at　Delphi　and　the　priestesses　at　Dodona　when　out　of



their　senses　have　conferred　great　benefits　on　Hellas；　both　in　public



and　private　life；　but　when　in　their　senses　few　or　none。　And　I　might



also　tell　you　how　the　Sibyl　and　other　inspired　persons　have　given　to



many　an　one　many　an　intimation　of　the　future　which　has　saved　them　from



falling。　But　it　would　be　tedious　to　speak　of　what　every　one　knows。



　　There　will　be　more　reason　in　appealing　to　the　ancient　inventors　of



names；　who　would　never　have　connected　prophecy　（mantike）　which



foretells　the　future　and　is　the　noblest　of　arts；　with　madness



（manike）；　or　called　them　both　by　the　same　name；　if　they　had　deemed



madness　to　be　a　disgrace　or　dishonour；…they　must　have　thought　that



there　was　an　inspired　madness　which　was　a　noble　thing；　for　the　two



words；　mantike　and　manike；　are　really　the　same；　and　the　letter　t　is



only　a　modern　and　tasteless　insertion。　And　this　is　confirmed　by　the



name　which　was　given　by　them　to　the　rational　investigation　of



futurity；　whether　made　by　the　help　of　birds　or　of　other　signs…this；



for　as　much　as　it　is　an　art　which　supplies　from　the　reasoning



faculty　mind　（nous）　and　information　（istoria）　to　human　thought



（oiesis）　they　originally　termed　oionoistike；　but　the　word　has　been



lately　altered　and　made　sonorous　by　the　modern　introduction　of　the



letter　Omega　（oionoistike　and　oionistike）；　and　in　proportion



prophecy　（mantike）　is　more　perfect　and　august　than　augury；　both　in



name　and　fact；　in　the　same　proportion；　as　the　ancients　testify；　is



madness　superior　to　a　sane　mind　（sophrosune）　for　the　one　is　only　of



human；　but　the　other　of　divine　origin。　Again；　where　plagues　and



mightiest　woes　have　bred　in　certain　families；　owing　to　some　ancient



blood…guiltiness；　there　madness　has　entered　with　holy　prayers　and



rites；　and　by　inspired　utterances　found　a　way　of　deliverance　for　those



who　are　in　need；　and　he　who　has　part　in　this　gift；　and　is　truly



possessed　and　duly　out　of　his　mind；　is　by　the　use　of　purifications　and



mysteries　made　whole　and　except　from　evil；　future　as　well　as



present；　and　has　a　release　from　the　calamity　which　was　afflicting　him。



The　third　kind　is　the　madness　of　those　who　are　possessed　by　the　Muses；



which　taking　hold　of　a　delicate　and　virgin　soul；　and　there　inspiring



frenzy；　awakens　lyrical　and　all　other　numbers；　with　these　adorning　the



myriad　actions　of　ancient　heroes　for　the　instruction　of　posterity。　But



he　who；　having　no　touch　of　the　Muses'　madness　in　his　soul；　comes　to



the　door　and　thinks　that　he　will　get　into　the　temple　by　the　help　of



art…he；　I　say；　and　his　poetry　are　not　admitted；　the　sane　man



disappears　and　is　nowhere　when　he　enters　into　rivalry　with　the　madman。



　　I　might　tell　of　many　other　noble　deeds　which　have　sprung　from



inspired　madness。　And　therefore；　let　no　one　frighten　or　flutter　us



by　saying　that　the　temperate　friend　is　to　be　chosen　rather　than　the



inspired；　but　let　him　further　show　that　love　is　not　sent　by　the　gods



for　any　good　to　lover　or　beloved；　if　he　can　do　so　we　will　allow　him　to



carry　off　the　palm。　And　we；　on　our　part；　will　prove　in　answer　to　him



that　the　madness　of　love　is　the　greatest　of　heaven's　blessings；　and



the　proof　shall　be　one　which　the　wise　will　receive；　and　the　witling



disbelieve。　But　first　of　all；　let　us　view　the　affections　and　actions



of　the　soul　divine　and　human；　and　try　to　ascertain　the　truth　about



them。　The　beginning　of　our　proof　is　as　follows：…



　　The　soul　through　all　her　being　is　immortal；　for　that　which　is　ever



in　motion　is　immortal；　but　that　which　moves　another　and　is　moved　by



another；　in　ceasing　to　move　ceases　also　to　live。　Only　the　self…moving；



never　leaving　self；　never　ceases　to　move；　and　is　the　fountain　and



beginning　of　motion　to　all　that　moves　besides。　Now；　the　beginning　is



unbegotten；　for　that　which　is　begotten　has　a　beginning；　but　the



beginning　is　begotten　of　nothing；　for　if　it　were　begotten　of



something；　then　the　begotten　would　not　come　from　a　beginning。　But　if



unbegotten；　it　must　also　be　indestructible；　for　if　beginning　were



destroyed；　there　could　be　no　beginning　out　of　anything；　nor　anything



out　of　a　beginning；　and　all　things　must　have　a　beginning。　And



therefore　the　self…moving　is　the　begin