《the symposium》

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the symposium- 第6部分


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At this point Hermogenes protested: I find it most unlike you; Socrates; to treat thus negligently one so passion…crazed as Critobulus。

Socrates replied: Do you suppose the sad condition of the patient dates from the moment only of our intimacy?

Herm。 Since when; then?

Soc。 Since when? Why; look at him: the down begins to mantle on his cheeks;'36' and on the nape'37' of Cleinias' neck already mounts。 The fact is; when they fared to the same school together; he caught the fever。 This his father was aware of; and consigned him to me; hoping I might be able to do something for him。 Ay; and his plight is not so sorry now。 Once he would stand agape at him like one whose gaze is fixed upon the Gorgons;'38' his eyes one stony stare; and like a stone himself turn heavily away。 But nowadays I have seen the statue actually blink。'39' And yet; may Heaven help me! my good sirs; I think; between ourselves; the culprit must have bestowed a kiss on Cleinias; than which love's flame asks no fiercer fuel。'40' So insatiable a thing it is and so suggestive of mad fantasy。 'And for this reason held perhaps in higher honour; because of all external acts the close of lip with lip bears the same name as that of soul with soul in love。''41' Wherefore; say I; let every one who wishes to be master of himself and sound of soul abstain from kisses imprinted on fair lips。'42'

'36' Lit。 〃creeping down beside his ears。〃 Cf。 〃Od。〃 xi。 319:

{prin sphoin upo krotaphoisin ioulous anthesai pukasai te genus euanthei lakhne。}

    〃(Zeus destroyed the twain) ere the curls had bloomed beneath     their temples; and darked their chins with the blossom of youth。〃     Butcher and Lang。 Cf。 Theocr。 xv。 85: {praton ioulon apo     krotaphon kataballon}; 〃with the first down upon his cheeks〃     (Lang); Aesch。 〃Theb。〃 534。

'37' {pros to opisthen}; perhaps = 〃ad posteriorem capitis partem;〃     which would be more applicable to Critobulus; whose whiskers were     just beginning to grow; than to Callias。 Possibly we should read     (after Pollux; ii。 10) {peri ten upenen}; 〃on the upper lip。〃 See     Plat。 〃Protag。〃 309 B; 〃Il。〃 xxiv。 348; 〃Od。〃 x。 279。

'38' Cf。 Pind。 〃Pyth。〃 x。 75。

'39' See 〃Cyrop。〃 I。 iv。 28; Shakesp。 〃Ven。 and Ad。〃 89: 〃But when her     lips were ready for his pay; he winks; and turns his lips another     way。〃

'40' Or; 〃a kiss which is to passion as dry combustious matter is to     fire;〃 Shakesp。 ib。 1162。

'41' Or; 〃is namesake of the love within the soul of lovers。〃 The     whole passage; involving a play on the words {philein     phileisthai}; 〃where kisses rain without; love reigns within;〃 is     probably to be regarded as a gloss。 Cf。 〃Mem。〃 I。 iii。 13。

'42' Cf。 〃Mem。〃 I。 iii。 8…14。

Then Charmides: Oh! Socrates; why will you scare your friends with these hobgoblin terrors;'43' bidding us all beware of handsome faces; whilst you yourselfyes; by Apollo; I will swear I saw you at the schoolmaster's'44' that time when both of you were poring over one book; in which you searched for something; you and Critobulus; head to head; shoulder to shoulder bare; as if incorporate?'45'

'43' Cf。 Plat。 〃Crit。〃 46 D; 〃Hell。〃 IV。 iv。 17; Arist。 〃Birds;〃 1245。

'44' 〃Grammarian's。〃 Plat。 〃Protag。〃 312 B; 326 D; Dem。 315。 8。

'45' Like Hermia and Helena; 〃Mids。 N。 D。〃 iii。 2。 208。

As yes; alack the day! (he answered); and that is why; no doubt; my shoulder ached for more than five days afterwards; as if I had been bitten by some fell beast; and methought I felt a sort of scraping at the heart。'46' Now therefore; in the presence of these witnesses; I warn you; Critobulus; never again to touch me till you wear as thick a crop of hair'47' upon your chin as on your head。

'46' Reading {knisma}; 〃scratching。〃 Plat。 〃Hipp。 maj。〃 304 A。 Al。     {knesma}。

'47' See Jebb; 〃Theophr。 Ch。〃 xxiv。 16。

So pell…mell they went at it; half jest half earnest; and so the medley ended。 Callias here called on Charmides。

Call。 Now; Charmides; it lies with you to tell us why you pride yourself on poverty。'48'

'48' Zeune; cf。 〃Cyrop。〃 VIII。 iii。 35…50。

Charmides responded: On all hands it is admitted; I believe; that confidence is better than alarm; better to be a freeman than a slave; better to be worshipped than pay court to others; better to be trusted than to be suspected by one's country。

Well now; I will tell you how it fared with me in this same city when I was wealthy。 First; I lived in daily terror lest some burglar should break into my house and steal my goods and do myself some injury。 I cringed before informers。'49' I was obliged to pay these people court; because I knew that I could injure them far less than they could injure me。 Never…ending the claims upon my pocket which the state enforced upon me; and as to setting foot abroad; that was beyond the range of possibility。 But now that I have lost my property across the frontier;'50' and derive no income from my lands in Attica itself; now that my very household goods have been sold up; I stretch my legs at ease; I get a good night's rest。 The distrust of my fellow…citizens has vanished; instead of trembling at threats; it is now my turn to threaten; at last I feel myself a freeman; with liberty to go abroad or stay at home as suits my fancy。 The tables now are turned。 It is the rich who rise to give me their seats; who stand aside and make way for me as I meet them in the streets。 To…day I am like a despot; yesterday I was literally a slave; formerly it was I who had to pay my tribute'51' to the sovereign people; now it is I who am supported by the state by means of general taxation。'52'

'49' 〃And police agents。〃

'50' Cf。 〃Mem。〃 II。 viii。 1。

'51' {phoros}; tributum。 Al。 〃property…tax。〃 Cf。 〃Econ。〃 ii。 6。

'52' {telos}; vectigal。 Sturz; 〃Lex。 Xen。〃 s。v。 Cf。 〃Pol。 Ath。〃 i。 3。

And there is another thing。 So long as I was rich; they threw in my teeth as a reproach that I was friends with Socrates; but now that I am become a beggar no one troubles his head two straws about the matter。 Once more; the while I rolled in plenty I had everything to lose; and; as a rule; I lost it; what the state did not exact; some mischance stole from me。 But now that is over。 I lose nothing; having nought to lose; but; on the contrary; I have everything to gain; and live in hope of some day getting something。'53'

'53' 〃I feed on the pleasures of hope; and fortune in the future。〃

Call。 And so; of course; your one prayer is that you may never more be rich; and if you are visited by a dream of luck your one thought is to offer sacrifice to Heaven to avert misfortune。'54'

'54' Or; 〃you wake up in a fright; and offer sacrifice to the     'Averters。'〃 For {tois apotropaiois} see Aristoph。 〃Plutus;〃 359;     Plat。 〃Laws;〃 854 B; 〃Hell。〃 III。 iii。 4。

Char。 No; that I do not。 On the contrary; I run my head into each danger most adventurously。 I endure; if haply I may see a chance of getting something from some quarter of the sky some day。

Come now (Socrates exclaimed); it lies with you; sir; you; Antisthenes; to explain to us; how it is that you; with means so scanty; make so loud a boast of wealth。

Because (he answered) I hold to the belief; sirs; that wealth and poverty do not lie in a man's estate; but in men's souls。 Even in private life how many scores of people have I seen; who; although they roll in wealth; yet deem themselves so poor; there is nothing they will shrink from; neither toil nor danger; in order to add a little to their store。'55' I have known two brothers;'56' heirs to equal fortunes; one of whom has enough; more than enough; to cover his expenditure; the other is in absolute indigence。 And so to monarchs; there are not a few; I perceive; so ravenous of wealth that they will outdo the veriest vagrants in atrocity。 Want'57' prompts a thousand crimes; you must admit。 Why do men steal? why break burglariously into houses? why hale men and women captive and make slaves of them? Is it not from want? Nay; there are monarchs who at one fell swoop destroy whole houses; make wholesale massacre; and oftentimes reduce entire states to slavery; and all for the sake of wealth。 These I must needs pity for the cruel malady which plagues them。 Their condition; to my mind; resembles that poor creature's who; in spite of all he has'58' and all he eats; can never stay the wolf that gnaws his vitals。

'55' Cf。 〃Cyrop。〃 VIII。 ii。 21; Hor。 〃Epist。〃 i。 2。 26; 〃semper avarus     eget。〃

'56' Is Antisthenes thinking of Callias and Hermogenes? (presuming     these are sons of Hipponicus and brothers)。 Cf。 〃Mem。〃 II。 x。 3。

'57' Or; 〃'Tis want that does it。〃 See 〃Pol。 Ath。〃 i。 5; 〃Rev;〃 i。 1。

'58' Reading {ekhon}; or if {pinon}; transl。 〃who eats and drinks; but     never sates himself。〃

But as to me; my riches are so plentiful I cannot lay my hands on them myself;'59' yet for all that I have enough to eat till my hunger is stayed; to drink till my thirst is sated;'60' to clothe myself withal; and out of doors not Callias there; with all his riches; is more safe than I from shivering; and when I find myself indoors; what warmer shirting'61' do I need than my bare walls? what ampler greatcoat than the tiles above my head? these seem to suit me well enough; and as to bedclothes; I am not so ill supplied but it is a business to arouse me in the morning。

'59' 〃That I can scarce discover any portion of it。〃 Zeune cf。 〃Econ。〃     viii。 2。

'60' So 〃the master〃 himself。 See 〃Mem。〃 I。 ii。 1; vi。 5。

'61' Cf。 Aristot。 〃Pol。〃 ii。 8。 1; of Hippodamus。

And as to sexual desire; my body's need is satisfied by what comes first to hand。 Indeed; there is no lack of warmth in the caress which greets me; just because it is unsought by others。'62'

'62' Cf。 〃Mem。〃 I。 iii。 14; the germ of cynicism and stoicism; the     Socratic {XS} form of 〃better to marry than to burn。〃

Well then; these several pleasures I enjoy so fully that I am much more apt to pray for less than more of them; so strongly do I feel that some of them are sweeter than what is good for one or profitable。

But of all the precious things in my possession; I reckon this the choicest; that were I robbed of my whole present stock; there is no work so mean; but it would amply serve me to furnish me with sustenance
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