charmides-第3节

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this　form　of　construction　owing　to　the　want　of　case　endings。　　For　the　same



reason　there　cannot　be　an　equal　variety　in　the　order　of　words　or　an　equal



nicety　of　emphasis　in　English　as　in　Greek。







（2）　The　formation　of　the　sentence　and　of　the　paragraph　greatly　differs　in



Greek　and　English。　　The　lines　by　which　they　are　divided　are　generally　much



more　marked　in　modern　languages　than　in　ancient。　　Both　sentences　and



paragraphs　are　more　precise　and　definitethey　do　not　run　into　one　another。



They　are　also　more　regularly　developed　from　within。　　The　sentence　marks



another　step　in　an　argument　or　a　narrative　or　a　statement；　in　reading　a



paragraph　we　silently　turn　over　the　page　and　arrive　at　some　new　view　or



aspect　of　the　subject。　　Whereas　in　Plato　we　are　not　always　certain　where　a



sentence　begins　and　ends；　and　paragraphs　are　few　and　far　between。　　The



language　is　distributed　in　a　different　way；　and　less　articulated　than　in



English。　　For　it　was　long　before　the　true　use　of　the　period　was　attained　by



the　classical　writers　both　in　poetry　or　prose；　it　was　（Greek）。　　The　balance



of　sentences　and　the　introduction　of　paragraphs　at　suitable　intervals　must



not　be　neglected　if　the　harmony　of　the　English　language　is　to　be　preserved。



And　still　a　caution　has　to　be　added　on　the　other　side；　that　we　must　avoid



giving　it　a　numerical　or　mechanical　character。







（3）　This；　however；　is　not　one　of　the　greatest　difficulties　of　the



translator；　much　greater　is　that　which　arises　from　the　restriction　of　the



use　of　the　genders。　　Men　and　women　in　English　are　masculine　and　feminine；



and　there　is　a　similar　distinction　of　sex　in　the　words　denoting　animals；



but　all　things　else；　whether　outward　objects　or　abstract　ideas；　are



relegated　to　the　class　of　neuters。　　Hardly　in　some　flight　of　poetry　do　we



ever　endue　any　of　them　with　the　characteristics　of　a　sentient　being；　and



then　only　by　speaking　of　them　in　the　feminine　gender。　　The　virtues　may　be



pictured　in　female　forms；　but　they　are　not　so　described　in　language；　a　ship



is　humorously　supposed　to　be　the　sailor's　bride；　more　doubtful　are　the



personifications　of　church　and　country　as　females。　　Now　the　genius　of　the



Greek　language　is　the　opposite　of　this。　　The　same　tendency　to



personification　which　is　seen　in　the　Greek　mythology　is　common　also　in　the



language；　and　genders　are　attributed　to　things　as　well　as　persons　according



to　their　various　degrees　of　strength　and　weakness；　or　from　fanciful



resemblances　to　the　male　or　female　form；　or　some　analogy　too　subtle　to　be



discovered。　　When　the　gender　of　any　object　was　once　fixed；　a　similar　gender



was　naturally　assigned　to　similar　objects；　or　to　words　of　similar



formation。　　This　use　of　genders　in　the　denotation　of　objects　or　ideas　not



only　affects　the　words　to　which　genders　are　attributed；　but　the　words　with



which　they　are　construed　or　connected；　and　passes　into　the　general



character　of　the　style。　　Hence　arises　a　difficulty　in　translating　Greek



into　English　which　cannot　altogether　be　overcome。　　Shall　we　speak　of　the



soul　and　its　qualities；　of　virtue；　power；　wisdom；　and　the　like；　as　feminine



or　neuter？　　The　usage　of　the　English　language　does　not　admit　of　the　former；



and　yet　the　life　and　beauty　of　the　style　are　impaired　by　the　latter。　　Often



the　translator　will　have　recourse　to　the　repetition　of　the　word；　or　to　the



ambiguous　'they；'　'their；'　etc。；　for　fear　of　spoiling　the　effect　of　the



sentence　by　introducing　'it。'　　Collective　nouns　in　Greek　and　English　create



a　similar　but　lesser　awkwardness。







（4）　To　use　of　relation　is　far　more　extended　in　Greek　than　in　English。　



Partly　the　greater　variety　of　genders　and　cases　makes　the　connexion　of



relative　and　antecedent　less　ambiguous：　　partly　also　the　greater　number　of



demonstrative　and　relative　pronouns；　and　the　use　of　the　article；　make　the



correlation　of　ideas　simpler　and　more　natural。　　The　Greek　appears　to　have



had　an　ear　or　intelligence　for　a　long　and　complicated　sentence　which　is



rarely　to　be　found　in　modern　nations；　and　in　order　to　bring　the　Greek　down



to　the　level　of　the　modern；　we　must　break　up　the　long　sentence　into　two　or



more　short　ones。　　Neither　is　the　same　precision　required　in　Greek　as　in



Latin　or　English；　nor　in　earlier　Greek　as　in　later；　there　was　nothing



shocking　to　the　contemporary　of　Thucydides　and　Plato　in　anacolutha　and



repetitions。　　In　such　cases　the　genius　of　the　English　language　requires



that　the　translation　should　be　more　intelligible　than　the　Greek。　　The　want



of　more　distinctions　between　the　demonstrative　pronouns　is　also　greatly



felt。　　Two　genitives　dependent　on　one　another；　unless　familiarised　by



idiom；　have　an　awkward　effect　in　English。　　Frequently　the　noun　has　to　take



the　place　of　the　pronoun。　　'This'　and　'that'　are　found　repeating　themselves



to　weariness　in　the　rough　draft　of　a　translation。　　As　in　the　previous　case；



while　the　feeling　of　the　modern　language　is　more　opposed　to　tautology；



there　is　also　a　greater　difficulty　in　avoiding　it。







（5）　Though　no　precise　rule　can　be　laid　down　about　the　repetition　of　words；



there　seems　to　be　a　kind　of　impertinence　in　presenting　to　the　reader　the



same　thought　in　the　same　words；　repeated　twice　over　in　the　same　passage



without　any　new　aspect　or　modification　of　it。　　And　the　evasion　of



tautologythat　is；　the　substitution　of　one　word　of　precisely　the　same



meaning　for　anotheris　resented　by　us　equally　with　the　repetition　of



words。　　Yet　on　the　other　hand　the　least　difference　of　meaning　or　the　least



change　of　form　from　a　substantive　to　an　adjective；　or　from　a　participle　to



a　verb；　will　often　remedy　the　unpleasant　effect。　　Rarely　and　only　for　the



sake　of　emphasis　or　clearness　can　we　allow　an　important　word　to　be　used



twice　over　in　two　successive　sentences　or　even　in　the　same　paragraph。　　The



particles　and　pronouns；　as　they　are　of　most　frequent　occurrence；　are　also



the　most　troublesome。　　Strictly　speaking；　except　a　few　of　the　commonest　of



them；　'and；'　'the；'　etc。；　they　ought　not　to　occur　twice　in　the　same



sentence。　　But　the　Greek　has　no　such　precise　rules；　and　hence　any　literal



translation　of　a　Greek　author　is　full　of　tautology。　　The　tendency　of　modern



languages　is　to　become　more　correct　as　well　as　more　perspicuous　than



ancient。　　And；　therefore；　while　the　English　translator　is　limited　in　the



power　of　expressing　relation　or　connexion；　by　the　law　of　his　own　language



increased　precision　and　also　increased　clearness　are　required　of　him。　　The



familiar　use　of　logic；　and　the　progress　of　science；　have　in　these　two



respects　raised　the　standard。　　But　modern　languages；　while　they　have　become



more　exacting　in　their　demands；　are　in　many　ways　not　so　well　furnished　with



powers　of　expression　as　the　ancient　classical　ones。







Such　are　a　few　of　the　difficulties　which　have　to　be　overcome　in　the　work　of



translation；　and　we　are　far　from　having　exhausted　the　list。　　（6）　The



excellence　of　a　translation　will　consist；　not　merely　in　the　faithful



rendering　of　words；　or　in　the　composition　of　a　sentence　only；　or　yet　of　a



single　paragraph；　but　in　the　colour　and　style　of　the　whole　work。　



Equability　of　tone　is　best　attained　by　the　exclusive　use　of　familiar　and



idiomatic　words。　　But　great　care　must　be　taken；　for　an　idiomatic　phrase；　if



an　exception　to　the　general　style；　is　of　itself　a　disturbing　element。　　No



word；　however　expressive　and　exact；　should　be　employed；　which　makes　the



reader　stop　to　think；　or　unduly　attracts　attention　by　difficulty　and



peculiarity；　or　disturbs　the　effect　of　the　surrounding　language。　　In



general　the　style　of　one　author　is　not　appropriate　to　another；　as　in



society；　so　in　letters；　we　expect　every　man　to　have　'a　good　coat　of　his



own；'　and　not　to　dress　himself　out　in　the　rags　of　another。　　（a）　Archaic



expressions　are　therefore　to　be　avoided。　　Equivalents　may　be　occasionally



drawn　from　Shakspere；　who　is　the　common　property　of　us　all；　but　they　must



be　used　sparingly。　　For；　like　some　other　men　of　genius　of　the　Elizabethan



and　Jacobean　age；　he　outdid　the　capabilities　of　the　language；　and　many　of



the　expressions　which　he　introduced　have　been　laid　aside　and　have　dropped



out　of　use。　　（b）　A　similar　principle　should　be　observed　in　the　employment



of　Scripture。　　Having　a　greater　force　and　beauty　than　other　language；　and　a



religious　association；　it　disturbs　the　even　flow　of　the　style。　　It　may　be



used　to　reproduce　in　the　translation　the　quaint　effect　of　some　antique



phrase　in　the　original；　but　rarely；　and　when　adopted；　it　should　have　a



certain　freshness　and　a　suitable　'entourage。'　　It　is　strange　to　obse