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第8节

symposium-第8节

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ht to desire something which he already has or is。 I give the example in order that we may avoid misconception。 For the possessors of these qualities; Agathon; must be supposed to have their respective advantages at the time; whether they choose or not; and who can desire that which he has? Therefore when a person says; I am well and wish to be well; or I am rich and wish to be rich; and I desire simply to have what I have…to him we shall reply: 〃You; my friend; having wealth and health and strength; want to have the continuance of them; for at this moment; whether you choose or no; you have them。 And when you say; I desire that which I have and nothing else; is not your meaning that you want to have what you now have in the future? 〃He must agree with us…must he not?   He must; replied Agathon。   Then; said Socrates; he desires that what he has at present may be preserved to him in the future; which is equivalent to saying that he desires something which is non…existent to him; and which as yet he has not got。   Very true; he said。   Then he and every one who desires; desires that which he has not already; and which is future and not present; and which he has not; and is not; and of which he is in want;…these are the sort of things which love and desire seek?   Very true; he said。   Then now; said Socrates; let us recapitulate the argument。 First; is not love of something; and of something too which is wanting to a man?   Yes; he replied。   Remember further what you said in your speech; or if you do not remember I will remind you: you said that the love of the beautiful set in order the empire of the gods; for that of deformed things there is no love…did you not say something of that kind?   Yes; said Agathon。   Yes; my friend; and the remark was a just one。 And if this is true; Love is the love of beauty and not of deformity?   He assented。   And the admission has been already made that Love is of something which a man wants and has not?   True; he said。   Then Love wants and has not beauty?   Certainly; he replied。   And would you call that beautiful which wants and does not possess beauty?   Certainly not。   Then would you still say that love is beautiful?   Agathon replied: I fear that I did not understand what I was saying。   You made a very good speech; Agathon; replied Socrates; but there is yet one small question which I would fain ask:…Is not the good also the beautiful?   Yes。   Then in wanting the beautiful; love wants also the good?   I cannot refute you; Socrates; said Agathon:…Let us assume that what you say is true。   Say rather; beloved Agathon; that you cannot refute the truth; for Socrates is easily refuted。   And now; taking my leave of you; I would rehearse a tale of love which I heard from Diotima of Mantineia; a woman wise in this and in many other kinds of knowledge; who in the days of old; when the Athenians offered sacrifice before the coming of the plague; delayed the disease ten years。 She was my instructress in the art of love; and I shall repeat to you what she said to me; beginning with the admissions made by Agathon; which are nearly if not quite the same which I made to the wise woman when she questioned me…I think that this will be the easiest way; and I shall take both parts myself as well as I can。 As you; Agathon; suggested; I must speak first of the being and nature of Love; and then of his works。 First I said to her in nearly the same words which he used to me; that Love was a mighty god; and likewise fair and she proved to me as I proved to him that; by my own showing; Love was neither fair nor good。 〃What do you mean; Diotima;〃 I said; 〃is love then evil and foul?〃 〃Hush;〃 she cried; 〃must that be foul which is not fair?〃 〃Certainly;〃 I said。 〃And is that which is not wise; ignorant? do you not see that there is a mean between wisdom and ignorance?〃 〃And what may that be?〃 I said。 〃Right opinion;〃 she replied; 〃which; as you know; being incapable of giving a reason; is not knowledge (for how can knowledge be devoid of reason? nor again; ignorance; for neither can ignorance attain the truth); but is clearly something which is a mean between ignorance and wisdom。〃 〃Quite true;〃 I replied。 〃Do not then insist;〃 she said; 〃that what is not fair is of necessity foul; or what is not good evil; or infer that because love is not fair and good he is therefore foul and evil; for he is in a mean between them。〃 〃Well;〃 I said; 〃Love is surely admitted by all to be a great god。〃 〃By those who know or by those who do not know?〃 〃By all。〃 〃And how; Socrates;〃 she said with a smile; 〃can Love be acknowledged to be a great god by those who say that he is not a god at all?〃 〃And who are they?〃 I said。 〃You and I are two of them;〃 she replied。 〃How can that be?〃 I said。 〃It is quite intelligible;〃 she replied; 〃for you yourself would acknowledge that the gods are happy and fair of course you would…would to say that any god was not?〃 〃Certainly not;〃 I replied。 〃And you mean by the happy; those who are the possessors of things good or fair?〃 〃Yes。〃 〃And you admitted that Love; because he was in want; desires those good and fair things of which he is in want?〃 〃Yes; I did。〃 〃But how can he be a god who has no portion in what is either good or fair?〃 〃Impossible。〃 〃Then you see that you also deny the divinity of Love。〃   〃What then is Love?〃 I asked; 〃Is he mortal?〃 〃No。〃 〃What then?〃 〃As in the former instance; he is neither mortal nor immortal; but in a mean between the two。〃 〃What is he; Diotima?〃 〃He is a great spirit (daimon); and like all spirits he is intermediate between the divine and the mortal。〃 〃And what;〃 I said; 〃is his power?〃 〃He interprets;〃 she replied; 〃between gods and men; conveying and taking across to the gods the prayers and sacrifices of men; and to men the commands and replies of the gods; he is the mediator who spans the chasm which divides them; and therefore in him all is bound together; and through him the arts of the prophet and the priest; their sacrifices and mysteries and charms; and all; prophecy and incantation; find their way。 For God mingles not with man; but through Love。 all the intercourse; and converse of god with man; whether awake or asleep; is carried on。 The wisdom which understands this is spiritual; all other wisdom; such as that of arts and handicrafts; is mean and vulgar。 Now these spirits or intermediate powers are many and diverse; and one of them is Love。 〃And who;〃 I said; 〃was his father; and who his mother?〃 〃The tale;〃 she said; 〃will take time; nevertheless I will tell you。 On the birthday of Aphrodite there was a feast of the gods; at which the god Poros or Plenty; who is the son of Metis or Discretion; was one of the guests。 When the feast was over; Penia or Poverty; as the manner is on such occasions; came about the doors to beg。 Now Plenty who was the worse for nectar (there was no wine in those days); went into the garden of Zeus and fell into a heavy sleep; and Poverty considering her own straitened circumstances; plotted to have a child by him; and accordingly she lay down at his side and conceived love; who partly because he is naturally a lover of the beautiful; and because Aphrodite is herself beautiful; and also because he was born on her birthday; is her follower and attendant。 And as his parentage is; so also are his fortunes。 In the first place he is always poor; and anything but tender and fair; as the many imagine him; and he is rough and squalid; and has no shoes; nor a house to dwell in; on the bare earth exposed he lies under the open heaven; in…the streets; or at the doors of houses; taking his rest; and like his mother he is always in distress。 Like his father too; whom he also partly resembles; he is always plotting against the fair and good; he is bold; enterprising; strong; a mighty hunter; always weaving some intrigue or other; keen in the pursuit of wisdom; fertile in resources; a philosopher at all times; terrible as an enchanter; sorcerer; sophist。 He is by nature neither mortal nor immortal; but alive and flourishing at one moment when he is in plenty; and dead at another moment; and again alive by reason of his father's nature。 But that which is always flowing in is always flowing out; and so he is never in want and never in wealth; and; further; he is in a mean between ignorance and knowledge。 The truth of the matter is this: No god is a philosopher。 or seeker after wisdom; for he is wise already; nor does any man who is wise seek after wisdom。 Neither do the ignorant seek after Wisdom。 For herein is the evil of ignorance; that he who is neither good nor wise is nevertheless satisfied with himself: he has no desire for that of which he feels no want。〃 〃But…who then; Diotima;〃 I said; 〃are the lovers of wisdom; if they are neither the wise nor the foolish?〃 〃A child may answer that question;〃 she replied; 〃they are those who are in a mean between the two; Love is one of them。 For wisdom is a most beautiful thing; and Love is of the beautiful; and therefore Love is also a philosopher: or lover of wisdom; and being a lover of wisdom is in a mean between the wise and the ignorant。 And of this too his birth is the cause; for his father is wealthy and wise; and his mother poor and foolish。 Such; my dear Socrates; is the nature of the spir

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