cratylus-第31节

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as　his　method　is　when　he　has　to　paint　flesh　colour　or　anything　of　that

kindhe　uses　his　colours　as　his　figures　appear　to　require　them；　and　so；

too；　we　shall　apply　letters　to　the　expression　of　objects；　either　single

letters　when　required；　or　several　letters；　and　so　we　shall　form　syllables；

as　they　are　called；　and　from　syllables　make　nouns　and　verbs；　and　thus；　at

last；　from　the　combinations　of　nouns　and　verbs　arrive　at　language；　large

and　fair　and　whole；　and　as　the　painter　made　a　figure；　even　so　shall　we　make

speech　by　the　art　of　the　namer　or　the　rhetorician；　or　by　some　other　art。　

Not　that　I　am　literally　speaking　of　ourselves；　but　I　was　carried　away

meaning　to　say　that　this　was　the　way　in　which　（not　we　but）　the　ancients

formed　language；　and　what　they　put　together　we　must　take　to　pieces　in　like

manner；　if　we　are　to　attain　a　scientific　view　of　the　whole　subject；　and　we

must　see　whether　the　primary；　and　also　whether　the　secondary　elements　are

rightly　given　or　not；　for　if　they　are　not；　the　composition　of　them；　my　dear

Hermogenes；　will　be　a　sorry　piece　of　work；　and　in　the　wrong　direction。



HERMOGENES：　　That；　Socrates；　I　can　quite　believe。



SOCRATES：　　Well；　but　do　you　suppose　that　you　will　be　able　to　analyse　them

in　this　way？　for　I　am　certain　that　I　should　not。



HERMOGENES：　　Much　less　am　I　likely　to　be　able。



SOCRATES：　　Shall　we　leave　them；　then？　or　shall　we　seek　to　discover；　if　we

can；　something　about　them；　according　to　the　measure　of　our　ability；　saying

by　way　of　preface；　as　I　said　before　of　the　Gods；　that　of　the　truth　about

them　we　know　nothing；　and　do　but　entertain　human　notions　of　them。　　And　in

this　present　enquiry；　let　us　say　to　ourselves；　before　we　proceed；　that　the

higher　method　is　the　one　which　we　or　others　who　would　analyse　language　to

any　good　purpose　must　follow；　but　under　the　circumstances；　as　men　say；　we

must　do　as　well　as　we　can。　　What　do　you　think？



HERMOGENES：　　I　very　much　approve。



SOCRATES：　　That　objects　should　be　imitated　in　letters　and　syllables；　and　so

find　expression；　may　appear　ridiculous；　Hermogenes；　but　it　cannot　be

avoidedthere　is　no　better　principle　to　which　we　can　look　for　the　truth　of

first　names。　　Deprived　of　this；　we　must　have　recourse　to　divine　help；　like

the　tragic　poets；　who　in　any　perplexity　have　their　gods　waiting　in　the　air；

and　must　get　out　of　our　difficulty　in　like　fashion；　by　saying　that　'the

Gods　gave　the　first　names；　and　therefore　they　are　right。'　　This　will　be　the

best　contrivance；　or　perhaps　that　other　notion　may　be　even　better　still；　of

deriving　them　from　some　barbarous　people；　for　the　barbarians　are　older　than

we　are；　or　we　may　say　that　antiquity　has　cast　a　veil　over　them；　which　is

the　same　sort　of　excuse　as　the　last；　for　all　these　are　not　reasons　but　only

ingenious　excuses　for　having　no　reasons　concerning　the　truth　of　words。　　And

yet　any　sort　of　ignorance　of　first　or　primitive　names　involves　an　ignorance

of　secondary　words；　for　they　can　only　be　explained　by　the　primary。　　Clearly

then　the　professor　of　languages　should　be　able　to　give　a　very　lucid

explanation　of　first　names；　or　let　him　be　assured　he　will　only　talk

nonsense　about　the　rest。　　Do　you　not　suppose　this　to　be　true？



HERMOGENES：　　Certainly；　Socrates。



SOCRATES：　　My　first　notions　of　original　names　are　truly　wild　and

ridiculous；　though　I　have　no　objection　to　impart　them　to　you　if　you　desire；

and　I　hope　that　you　will　communicate　to　me　in　return　anything　better　which

you　may　have。



HERMOGENES：　　Fear　not；　I　will　do　my　best。



SOCRATES：　　In　the　first　place；　the　letter　rho　appears　to　me　to　be　the

general　instrument　expressing　all　motion　（kinesis）。　　But　I　have　not　yet

explained　the　meaning　of　this　latter　word；　which　is　just　iesis　（going）；　for

the　letter　eta　was　not　in　use　among　the　ancients；　who　only　employed

epsilon；　and　the　root　is　kiein；　which　is　a　foreign　form；　the　same　as　ienai。　

And　the　old　word　kinesis　will　be　correctly　given　as　iesis　in　corresponding

modern　letters。　　Assuming　this　foreign　root　kiein；　and　allowing　for　the

change　of　the　eta　and　the　insertion　of　the　nu；　we　have　kinesis；　which

should　have　been　kieinsis　or　eisis；　and　stasis　is　the　negative　of　ienai　（or

eisis）；　and　has　been　improved　into　stasis。　　Now　the　letter　rho；　as　I　was

saying；　appeared　to　the　imposer　of　names　an　excellent　instrument　for　the

expression　of　motion；　and　he　frequently　uses　the　letter　for　this　purpose：　

for　example；　in　the　actual　words　rein　and　roe　he　represents　motion　by　rho；

also　in　the　words　tromos　（trembling）；　trachus　（rugged）；　and　again；　in　words

such　as　krouein　（strike）；　thrauein　（crush）；　ereikein　（bruise）；　thruptein

（break）；　kermatixein　（crumble）；　rumbein　（whirl）：　　of　all　these　sorts　of

movements　he　generally　finds　an　expression　in　the　letter　R；　because；　as　I

imagine；　he　had　observed　that　the　tongue　was　most　agitated　and　least　at

rest　in　the　pronunciation　of　this　letter；　which　he　therefore　used　in　order

to　express　motion；　just　as　by　the　letter　iota　he　expresses　the　subtle

elements　which　pass　through　all　things。　　This　is　why　he　uses　the　letter

iota　as　imitative　of　motion；　ienai；　iesthai。　　And　there　is　another　class　of

letters；　phi；　psi；　sigma；　and　xi；　of　which　the　pronunciation　is　accompanied

by　great　expenditure　of　breath；　these　are　used　in　the　imitation　of　such

notions　as　psuchron　（shivering）；　xeon　（seething）；　seiesthai；　（to　be

shaken）；　seismos　（shock）；　and　are　always　introduced　by　the　giver　of　names

when　he　wants　to　imitate　what　is　phusodes　（windy）。　　He　seems　to　have

thought　that　the　closing　and　pressure　of　the　tongue　in　the　utterance　of

delta　and　tau　was　expressive　of　binding　and　rest　in　a　place：　　he　further

observed　the　liquid　movement　of　lambda；　in　the　pronunciation　of　which　the

tongue　slips；　and　in　this　he　found　the　expression　of　smoothness；　as　in

leios　（level）；　and　in　the　word　oliothanein　（to　slip）　itself；　liparon

（sleek）；　in　the　word　kollodes　（gluey）；　and　the　like：　　the　heavier　sound　of

gamma　detained　the　slipping　tongue；　and　the　union　of　the　two　gave　the

notion　of　a　glutinous　clammy　nature；　as　in　glischros；　glukus；　gloiodes。　

The　nu　he　observed　to　be　sounded　from　within；　and　therefore　to　have　a

notion　of　inwardness；　hence　he　introduced　the　sound　in　endos　and　entos：　

alpha　he　assigned　to　the　expression　of　size；　and　nu　of　length；　because　they

are　great　letters：　　omicron　was　the　sign　of　roundness；　and　therefore　there

is　plenty　of　omicron　mixed　up　in　the　word　goggulon　（round）。　　Thus　did　the

legislator；　reducing　all　things　into　letters　and　syllables；　and　impressing

on　them　names　and　signs；　and　out　of　them　by　imitation　compounding　other

signs。　　That　is　my　view；　Hermogenes；　of　the　truth　of　names；　but　I　should

like　to　hear　what　Cratylus　has　more　to　say。



HERMOGENES：　　But；　Socrates；　as　I　was　telling　you　before；　Cratylus　mystifies

me；　he　says　that　there　is　a　fitness　of　names；　but　he　never　explains　what　is

this　fitness；　so　that　I　cannot　tell　whether　his　obscurity　is　intended　or

not。　　Tell　me　now；　Cratylus；　here　in　the　presence　of　Socrates；　do　you　agree

in　what　Socrates　has　been　saying　about　names；　or　have　you　something　better

of　your　own？　and　if　you　have；　tell　me　what　your　view　is；　and　then　you　will

either　learn　of　Socrates；　or　Socrates　and　I　will　learn　of　you。



CRATYLUS：　　Well；　but　surely；　Hermogenes；　you　do　not　suppose　that　you　can

learn；　or　I　explain；　any　subject　of　importance　all　in　a　moment；　at　any

rate；　not　such　a　subject　as　language；　which　is；　perhaps；　the　very　greatest

of　all。



HERMOGENES：　　No；　indeed；　but；　as　Hesiod　says；　and　I　agree　with　him；　'to　add

little　to　little'　is　worth　while。　　And；　therefore；　if　you　think　that　you

can　add　anything　at　all；　however　small；　to　our　knowledge；　take　a　little

trouble　and　oblige　Socrates；　and　me　too；　who　certainly　have　a　claim　upon

you。



SOCRATES：　　I　am　by　no　means　positive；　Cratylus；　in　the　view　which

Hermogenes　and　myself　have　worked　out；　and　therefore　do　not　hesitate　to　say

what　you　think；　which　if　it　be　better　than　my　own　view　I　shall　gladly

accept。　　And　I　should　not　be　at　all　surprized　to　find　that　you　have　found

some　better　notion。　　For　you　have　evidently　reflected　on　these　matters　and

have　had　teachers；　and　if　you　have　really　a　better　theory　of　the　truth　of

names；　you　may　count　me　in　the　number　of　your　disciples。



CRATYLUS：　　You　are　right；　Socrates；　in　saying　that　I　have　made　a　study　of

these　matters；　and　I　might　possibly　convert　you　into　a　disciple。　　But　I

fear　that　the　opposite　is　more　probable；　and　I　already　find　myself　moved　to

say　to　you　what　Achilles　in　the　'Prayers'　says　to　Ajax；



'Illustrious　Ajax；　son　of　Telamon；　lord　of　the　people；

You　appear　to　have　spoken　in　all　things　much　to　my　mind。'



And　you；　Socrates；　appear　to　me　to　be　an　oracle；　and　to　give　answers　much

to　my　mind；　whether　you　are　inspired　by　Euthyphro；　or　whether　some　Muse　may

have　long　been　an　inhabitant　of　your　breast；　unconsciously　to　yourself。



SOCRATES：　　Excellent　Cratylus；　I　have　long　been　wondering　at　my　ow