poetics-第7节

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Phrase。



　　A　Letter　is　an　indivisible　sound；　yet　not　every　such　sound；　but　only



one　which　can　form　part　of　a　group　of　sounds。　For　even　brutes　utter



indivisible　sounds；　none　of　which　I　call　a　letter。　The　sound　I　mean



may　be　either　a　vowel；　a　semivowel；　or　a　mute。　A　vowel　is　that　which



without　impact　of　tongue　or　lip　has　an　audible　sound。　A　semivowel　that



which　with　such　impact　has　an　audible　sound；　as　S　and　R。　A　mute；



that　which　with　such　impact　has　by　itself　no　sound；　but　joined　to　a



vowel　sound　becomes　audible；　as　G　and　D。　These　are　distinguished



according　to　the　form　assumed　by　the　mouth　and　the　place　where　they



are　produced；　according　as　they　are　aspirated　or　smooth；　long　or



short；　as　they　are　acute；　grave；　or　of　an　intermediate　tone；　which



inquiry　belongs　in　detail　to　the　writers　on　meter。



　　A　Syllable　is　a　nonsignificant　sound；　composed　of　a　mute　and　a



vowel：　for　GR　without　A　is　a　syllable；　as　also　with　A…　GRA。　But　the



investigation　of　these　differences　belongs　also　to　metrical　science。



　　A　Connecting　Word　is　a　nonsignificant　sound；　which　neither　causes



nor　hinders　the　union　of　many　sounds　into　one　significant　sound；　it



may　be　placed　at　either　end　or　in　the　middle　of　a　sentence。　Or；　a



nonsignificant　sound；　which　out　of　several　sounds；　each　of　them



significant；　is　capable　of　forming　one　significant　sound…　as　amphi；



peri；　and　the　like。　Or；　a　nonsignificant　sound；　which　marks　the



beginning；　end；　or　division　of　a　sentence；　such；　however；　that　it



cannot　correctly　stand　by　itself　at　the　beginning　of　a　sentence…　as



men；　etoi；　de。



　　A　Noun　is　a　composite　significant　sound；　not　marking　time；　of



which　no　part　is　in　itself　significant：　for　in　double　or　compound



words　we　do　not　employ　the　separate　parts　as　if　each　were　in　itself



significant。　Thus　in　Theodorus；　'god…given；'　the　doron　or　'gift'　is



not　in　itself　significant。



　　A　Verb　is　a　composite　significant　sound；　marking　time；　in　which；



as　in　the　noun；　no　part　is　in　itself　significant。　For　'man'　or　'white'



does　not　express　the　idea　of　'when'；　but　'he　walks'　or　'he　has　walked'



does　connote　time；　present　or　past。



　　Inflection　belongs　both　to　the　noun　and　verb；　and　expresses　either



the　relation　'of；'　'to；'　or　the　like；　or　that　of　number；　whether　one



or　many；　as　'man'　or　'men'；　or　the　modes　or　tones　in　actual



delivery；　e。g。；　a　question　or　a　command。　'Did　he　go？'　and　'go'　are



verbal　inflections　of　this　kind。



　　A　Sentence　or　Phrase　is　a　composite　significant　sound；　some　at　least



of　whose　parts　are　in　themselves　significant；　for　not　every　such　group



of　words　consists　of　verbs　and　nouns…　'the　definition　of　man；'　for



example…　but　it　may　dispense　even　with　the　verb。　Still　it　will



always　have　some　significant　part；　as　'in　walking；'　or　'Cleon　son　of



Cleon。'　A　sentence　or　phrase　may　form　a　unity　in　two　ways…　either　as



signifying　one　thing；　or　as　consisting　of　several　parts　linked



together。　Thus　the　Iliad　is　one　by　the　linking　together　of　parts；



the　definition　of　man　by　the　unity　of　the　thing　signified。



POETICS｜21



　　XXI







　　Words　are　of　two　kinds；　simple　and　double。　By　simple　I　mean　those



composed　of　nonsignificant　elements；　such　as　ge；　'earth。'　By　double　or



compound；　those　composed　either　of　a　significant　and　nonsignificant



element　（though　within　the　whole　word　no　element　is　significant）；　or



of　elements　that　are　both　significant。　A　word　may　likewise　be



triple；　quadruple；　or　multiple　in　form；　like　so　many　Massilian



expressions；　e。g。；　'Hermo…caico…xanthus　＇who　prayed　to　Father　Zeus＇。'



　　Every　word　is　either　current；　or　strange；　or　metaphorical；　or



ornamental；　or　newly…coined；　or　lengthened；　or　contracted；　or　altered。



　　By　a　current　or　proper　word　I　mean　one　which　is　in　general　use　among



a　people；　by　a　strange　word；　one　which　is　in　use　in　another　country。



Plainly；　therefore；　the　same　word　may　be　at　once　strange　and



current；　but　not　in　relation　to　the　same　people。　The　word　sigynon；



'lance；'　is　to　the　Cyprians　a　current　term　but　to　us　a　strange　one。



　　Metaphor　is　the　application　of　an　alien　name　by　transference



either　from　genus　to　species；　or　from　species　to　genus；　or　from



species　to　species；　or　by　analogy；　that　is；　proportion。　Thus　from



genus　to　species；　as：　'There　lies　my　ship'；　for　lying　at　anchor　is　a



species　of　lying。　From　species　to　genus；　as：　'Verily　ten　thousand



noble　deeds　hath　Odysseus　wrought'；　for　ten　thousand　is　a　species　of



large　number；　and　is　here　used　for　a　large　number　generally。　From



species　to　species；　as：　'With　blade　of　bronze　drew　away　the　life；'　and



'Cleft　the　water　with　the　vessel　of　unyielding　bronze。'　Here　arusai；



'to　draw　away'　is　used　for　tamein；　'to　cleave；'　and　tamein；　again



for　arusai…　each　being　a　species　of　taking　away。　Analogy　or　proportion



is　when　the　second　term　is　to　the　first　as　the　fourth　to　the　third。　We



may　then　use　the　fourth　for　the　second；　or　the　second　for　the



fourth。　Sometimes　too　we　qualify　the　metaphor　by　adding　the　term　to



which　the　proper　word　is　relative。　Thus　the　cup　is　to　Dionysus　as



the　shield　to　Ares。　The　cup　may；　therefore；　be　called　'the　shield　of



Dionysus；'　and　the　shield　'the　cup　of　Ares。'　Or；　again；　as　old　age



is　to　life；　so　is　evening　to　day。　Evening　may　therefore　be　called；



'the　old　age　of　the　day；'　and　old　age；　'the　evening　of　life；'　or；　in



the　phrase　of　Empedocles；　'life's　setting　sun。'　For　some　of　the



terms　of　the　proportion　there　is　at　times　no　word　in　existence；



still　the　metaphor　may　be　used。　For　instance；　to　scatter　seed　is



called　sowing：　but　the　action　of　the　sun　in　scattering　his　rays　is



nameless。　Still　this　process　bears　to　the　sun　the　same　relation　as



sowing　to　the　seed。　Hence　the　expression　of　the　poet　'sowing　the



god…created　light。'　There　is　another　way　in　which　this　kind　of



metaphor　may　be　employed。　We　may　apply　an　alien　term；　and　then　deny　of



that　term　one　of　its　proper　attributes；　as　if　we　were　to　call　the



shield；　not　'the　cup　of　Ares；'　but　'the　wineless　cup'。



　　A　newly…coined　word　is　one　which　has　never　been　even　in　local　use；



but　is　adopted　by　the　poet　himself。　Some　such　words　there　appear　to



be：　as　ernyges；　'sprouters；'　for　kerata；　'horns'；　and　areter；



'supplicator'；　for　hiereus；　'priest。'



　　A　word　is　lengthened　when　its　own　vowel　is　exchanged　for　a　longer



one；　or　when　a　syllable　is　inserted。　A　word　is　contracted　when　some



part　of　it　is　removed。　Instances　of　lengthening　are：　poleos　for



poleos；　Peleiadeo　for　Peleidou；　of　contraction：　kri；　do；　and　ops；　as



in　mia　ginetai　amphoteron　ops；　'the　appearance　of　both　is　one。'



　　An　altered　word　is　one　in　which　part　of　the　ordinary　form　is　left



unchanged；　and　part　is　recast：　as　in　dexiteron　kata　mazon；　'on　the



right　breast；'　dexiteron　is　for　dexion。



　　Nouns　in　themselves　are　either　masculine；　feminine；　or　neuter。



Masculine　are　such　as　end　in　N；　R；　S；　or　in　some　letter　compounded



with　S…　these　being　two；　PS　and　X。　Feminine；　such　as　end　in　vowels



that　are　always　long；　namely　E　and　O；　and…　of　vowels　that　admit　of



lengthening…　those　in　A。　Thus　the　number　of　letters　in　which　nouns



masculine　and　feminine　end　is　the　same；　for　PS　and　X　are　equivalent　to



endings　in　S。　No　noun　ends　in　a　mute　or　a　vowel　short　by　nature。　Three



only　end　in　I…　meli；　'honey'；　kommi；　'gum'；　peperi；　'pepper'；　five　end



in　U。　Neuter　nouns　end　in　these　two　latter　vowels；　also　in　N　and　S。



POETICS｜22



　　XXII







　　The　perfection　of　style　is　to　be　clear　without　being　mean。　The



clearest　style　is　that　which　uses　only　current　or　proper　words；　at　the



same　time　it　is　mean…　witness　the　poetry　of　Cleophon　and　of　Sthenelus。



That　diction；　on　the　other　hand；　is　lofty　and　raised　above　the



commonplace　which　employs　unusual　words。　By　unusual；　I　mean　strange



（or　rare）　words；　metaphorical；　lengthened…　anything；　in　short；　that



differs　from　the　normal　idiom。　Yet　a　style　wholly　composed　of　such



words　is　either　a　riddle　or　a　jargon；　a　riddle；　if　it　consists　of



metaphors；　a　jargon；　if　it　consists　of　strange　（or　rare）　words。　For



the　essence　of　a　riddle　is　to　express　true　facts　under　impossible



combinations。　Now　this　cannot　be　done　　by　any　arrangement　of



ordinary　words；　but　by　the　use　of　metaphor　it　can。　Such　is　the　riddle：



'A　man　I　saw　who　on　another　man　had　glued　the　bronze　by　aid　of



fire；'　and　others　of　the　same　kind。　A　diction　that　is　made　up　of



strange　（or　rare）　terms　is　a　jargon。　A　certain　infusion；　therefore；　of



these　elements　is　necessary　to　style；　for　the　strange　（or　rare）



word；　the　metaphorical；　the　ornamental；　and　the　other　kinds　above



mentioned；　will　raise　it　above　the　commonplace　and　mean；　while　the　use



of　proper　words　will　make　it　perspicuous。　But　nothing　contributes　more



to　produce　a　cleanness　of　diction　that　is　remote　from　commonness



than　the　lengthening；　contracti