charmides-第2章

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Plato's　Laws；　nor　with　his　opinion　respecting　Plato's　doctrine　of　the



rotation　of　the　earth。　　But　I　'am　not　going　to　lay　hands　on　my　father



Parmenides'　（Soph。）；　who　will；　I　hope；　forgive　me　for　differing　from　him　on



these　points。　　I　cannot　close　this　Preface　without　expressing　my　deep



respect　for　his　noble　and　gentle　character；　and　the　great　services　which　he



has　rendered　to　Greek　Literature。







Balliol　College；



January；　1871。











PREFACE　TO　THE　SECOND　AND　THIRD　EDITIONS。







In　publishing　a　Second　Edition　（1875）　of　the　Dialogues　of　Plato　in　English；



I　had　to　acknowledge　the　assistance　of　several　friends：　　of　the　Rev。　G。G。



Bradley；　Master　of　University　College；　now　Dean　of　Westminster；　who　sent　me



some　valuable　remarks　on　the　Phaedo；　of　Dr。　Greenhill；　who　had　again



revised　a　portion　of　the　Timaeus；　of　Mr。　R。L。　Nettleship；　Fellow　and　Tutor



of　Balliol　College；　to　whom　I　was　indebted　for　an　excellent　criticism　of



the　Parmenides；　and；　above　all；　of　the　Rev。　Professor　Campbell　of　St。



Andrews；　and　Mr。　Paravicini；　late　Student　of　Christ　Church　and　Tutor　of



Balliol　College；　with　whom　I　had　read　over　the　greater　part　of　the



translation。　　I　was　also　indebted　to　Mr。　Evelyn　Abbott；　Fellow　and　Tutor　of



Balliol　College；　for　a　complete　and　accurate　index。







In　this；　the　Third　Edition；　I　am　under　very　great　obligations　to　Mr。



Matthew　Knight；　who　has　not　only　favoured　me　with　valuable　suggestions



throughout　the　work；　but　has　largely　extended　the　Index　（from　61　to　175



pages）　and　translated　the　Eryxias　and　Second　Alcibiades；　and　to　Mr　Frank



Fletcher；　of　Balliol　College；　my　Secretary。　　I　am　also　considerably



indebted　to　Mr。　J。W。　Mackail；　late　Fellow　of　Balliol　College；　who　read　over



the　Republic　in　the　Second　Edition　and　noted　several　inaccuracies。







In　both　editions　the　Introductions　to　the　Dialogues　have　been　enlarged；　and



essays　on　subjects　having　an　affinity　to　the　Platonic　Dialogues　have　been



introduced　into　several　of　them。　　The　analyses　have　been　corrected；　and



innumerable　alterations　have　been　made　in　the　Text。　　There　have　been　added



also；　in　the　Third　Edition；　headings　to　the　pages　and　a　marginal　analysis



to　the　text　of　each　dialogue。







At　the　end　of　a　long　task；　the　translator　may　without　impropriety　point　out



the　difficulties　which　he　has　had　to　encounter。　　These　have　been　far



greater　than　he　would　have　anticipated；　nor　is　he　at　all　sanguine　that　he



has　succeeded　in　overcoming　them。　　Experience　has　made　him　feel　that　a



translation；　like　a　picture；　is　dependent　for　its　effect　on　very　minute



touches；　and　that　it　is　a　work　of　infinite　pains；　to　be　returned　to　in　many



moods　and　viewed　in　different　lights。







I。　　An　English　translation　ought　to　be　idiomatic　and　interesting；　not　only



to　the　scholar；　but　to　the　unlearned　reader。　　Its　object　should　not　simply



be　to　render　the　words　of　one　language　into　the　words　of　another　or　to



preserve　the　construction　and　order　of　the　original；this　is　the　ambition



of　a　schoolboy；　who　wishes　to　show　that　he　has　made　a　good　use　of　his



Dictionary　and　Grammar；　but　is　quite　unworthy　of　the　translator；　who　seeks



to　produce　on　his　reader　an　impression　similar　or　nearly　similar　to　that



produced　by　the　original。　　To　him　the　feeling　should　be　more　important　than



the　exact　word。　　He　should　remember　Dryden's　quaint　admonition　not　to



'lacquey　by　the　side　of　his　author；　but　to　mount　up　behind　him。'　



（Dedication　to　the　Aeneis。）　　He　must　carry　in　his　mind　a　comprehensive　view



of　the　whole　work；　of　what　has　preceded　and　of　what　is　to　follow；as　well



as　of　the　meaning　of　particular　passages。　　His　version　should　be　based；　in



the　first　instance；　on　an　intimate　knowledge　of　the　text；　but　the　precise



order　and　arrangement　of　the　words　may　be　left　to　fade　out　of　sight；　when



the　translation　begins　to　take　shape。　　He　must　form　a　general　idea　of　the



two　languages；　and　reduce　the　one　to　the　terms　of　the　other。　　His　work



should　be　rhythmical　and　varied；　the　right　admixture　of　words　and



syllables；　and　even　of　letters；　should　be　carefully　attended　to；　above　all；



it　should　be　equable　in　style。　　There　must　also　be　quantity；　which　is



necessary　in　prose　as　well　as　in　verse：　　clauses；　sentences；　paragraphs；



must　be　in　due　proportion。　　Metre　and　even　rhyme　may　be　rarely　admitted；



though　neither　is　a　legitimate　element　of　prose　writing；　they　may　help　to



lighten　a　cumbrous　expression　（Symp。）。　　The　translation　should　retain　as



far　as　possible　the　characteristic　qualities　of　the　ancient　writerhis



freedom；　grace；　simplicity；　stateliness；　weight；　precision；　or　the　best



part　of　him　will　be　lost　to　the　English　reader。　　It　should　read　as　an



original　work；　and　should　also　be　the　most　faithful　transcript　which　can　be



made　of　the　language　from　which　the　translation　is　taken；　consistently　with



the　first　requirement　of　all；　that　it　be　English。　　Further；　the　translation



being　English；　it　should　also　be　perfectly　intelligible　in　itself　without



reference　to　the　Greek；　the　English　being　really　the　more　lucid　and　exact



of　the　two　languages。　　In　some　respects　it　may　be　maintained　that　ordinary



English　writing；　such　as　the　newspaper　article；　is　superior　to　Plato：　　at



any　rate　it　is　couched　in　language　which　is　very　rarely　obscure。　　On　the



other　hand；　the　greatest　writers　of　Greece；　Thucydides；　Plato；　Aeschylus；



Sophocles；　Pindar；　Demosthenes；　are　generally　those　which　are　found　to　be



most　difficult　and　to　diverge　most　widely　from　the　English　idiom。　　The



translator　will　often　have　to　convert　the　more　abstract　Greek　into　the　more



concrete　English；　or　vice　versa；　and　he　ought　not　to　force　upon　one



language　the　character　of　another。　　In　some　cases；　where　the　order　is



confused；　the　expression　feeble；　the　emphasis　misplaced；　or　the　sense



somewhat　faulty；　he　will　not　strive　in　his　rendering　to　reproduce　these



characteristics；　but　will　re…write　the　passage　as　his　author　would　have



written　it　at　first；　had　he　not　been　'nodding'；　and　he　will　not　hesitate　to



supply　anything　which；　owing　to　the　genius　of　the　language　or　some　accident



of　composition；　is　omitted　in　the　Greek；　but　is　necessary　to　make　the



English　clear　and　consecutive。







It　is　difficult　to　harmonize　all　these　conflicting　elements。　　In　a



translation　of　Plato　what　may　be　termed　the　interests　of　the　Greek　and



English　are　often　at　war　with　one　another。　　In　framing　the　English　sentence



we　are　insensibly　diverted　from　the　exact　meaning　of　the　Greek；　when　we



return　to　the　Greek　we　are　apt　to　cramp　and　overlay　the　English。　　We



substitute；　we　compromise；　we　give　and　take；　we　add　a　little　here　and　leave



out　a　little　there。　　The　translator　may　sometimes　be　allowed　to　sacrifice



minute　accuracy　for　the　sake　of　clearness　and　sense。　　But　he　is　not



therefore　at　liberty　to　omit　words　and　turns　of　expression　which　the



English　language　is　quite　capable　of　supplying。　　He　must　be　patient　and



self…controlled；　he　must　not　be　easily　run　away　with。　　Let　him　never　allow



the　attraction　of　a　favourite　expression；　or　a　sonorous　cadence；　to



overpower　his　better　judgment；　or　think　much　of　an　ornament　which　is　out　of



keeping　with　the　general　character　of　his　work。　　He　must　ever　be　casting



his　eyes　upwards　from　the　copy　to　the　original；　and　down　again　from　the



original　to　the　copy　（Rep。）。　　His　calling　is　not　held　in　much　honour　by　the



world　of　scholars；　yet　he　himself　may　be　excused　for　thinking　it　a　kind　of



glory　to　have　lived　so　many　years　in　the　companionship　of　one　of　the



greatest　of　human　intelligences；　and　in　some　degree；　more　perhaps　than



others；　to　have　h