友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
hiero-第7部分
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!
at your approach; they shall step aside to yield you passage in the
streets。'3' All present shall at all times magnify you;'4' and shall
pay homage to you both with words and deeds。 Those; I take it; are
ever the kind of things which subjects do to please the monarch;'5'
and thus they treat each hero of the moment; whom they strive to
honour。'6'
'1' Lit。 〃that human beings will abide all risks and undergo all pains
to clutch the bait。〃
'2' Cf。 〃Cyrop。〃 II。 iii。 8; VIII。 i。 29。
'3' Cf。 〃Mem。〃 II。 iii。 16; 〃Cyrop。〃 VII。 v。 20。
'4' {gerairosi}; poetic。 Cf。 〃Cyrop。〃 VIII。 i。 39; 〃Hell。〃 I。 vii。 33;
〃Econ。〃 iv。 8; 〃Herod。〃 v。 67; Pind。 〃O。〃 iii。 3; v。 11; 〃N。〃 v。
15; 〃Od。〃 xiv。 437; 441; 〃Il。〃 vii。 321; Plat。 〃Rep。〃 468 D;
quoting 〃Il。〃 vii。 321。
'5' Reading {tois turannois}; or if {tous turannous}; after Cobet;
〃That is how they treat crowned heads。〃
'6' Cf。 Tennyson; 〃Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington〃:
With honour; honour; honour to him;
Eternal honour to his name。
Yes; Hiero; and herein precisely lies the difference between a man and
other animals; in this outstretching after honour。'7' Since; it would
seem; all living creatures alike take pleasure in meats and drinks; in
sleep and sexual joys。 Only the love of honour is implanted neither in
unreasoning brutes'8' nor universally in man。 But they in whose hearts
the passion for honour and fair fame has fallen like a seed; these
unmistakably'9' are separated most widely from the brutes。 These may
claim to be called men;'10' not human beings merely。 So that; in my
poor judgment; it is but reasonable you should submit to bear the
pains and penalties of royalty; since you are honoured far beyond all
other mortal men。 And indeed no pleasure known to man would seem to be
nearer that of gods than the delight'11' which centres in proud
attributes。
'7' Or; 〃in this strong aspiration after honour。〃 Holden aptly cf。
〃Spectator;〃 No。 467: 〃The love of praise is a passion deeply
fixed in the mind of every extraordinary person; and those who are
most affected with it seem most to partake of that particle of the
divinity which distinguishes mankind from the inferior creation。〃
'8' {alogous}; i。e。 〃without speach and reason〃; cf。 modern Greek {o
alogos} = the horse (sc。 the animal par excellence)。 See
〃Horsemanship;〃 viii。 14。
'9' {ede}; 〃ipso facto。〃
'10' See 〃Anab。〃 I。 vii。 4; Frotscher ap。 Breit。 cf。 Cic。 〃ad Fam。〃 v。
17。 5; 〃ut et hominem te et virum esse meminisses。〃
'11' Or; 〃joyance。〃
To these arguments Hiero replied: Nay; but; Simonides; the honours and
proud attributes bestowed on tyrants have much in common with their
love…makings; as I described them。 Like honours like loves; the pair
are of a piece。
For just as the ministrations won from loveless hearts'12' are felt to
be devoid of grace; and embraces forcibly procured are sweet no
longer; so the obsequious cringings of alarm are hardly honours。 Since
how shall we assert that people who are forced to rise from their
seats do really rise to honour those whom they regard as malefactors?
or that these others who step aside to let their betters pass them in
the street; desire thus to show respect to miscreants?'13' And as to
gifts; it is notorious; people commonly bestow them largely upon those
they hate; and that too when their fears are gravest; hoping to avert
impending evil。 Nay; these are nothing more nor less than acts of
slavery; and they may fairly be set down as such。
'12' Or; 〃the compliance of cold lips where love is not reciprocated
is 。 。 。〃
'13' Or; 〃to rank injustice。〃
But honours have a very different origin;'14' as different to my mind
as are the sentiments to which they give expression。 See how; for
instance; men of common mould will single out a man; who is a man;'15'
they feel; and competent to be their benefactor; one from whom they
hope to reap rich blessings。 His name lives upon their lips in praise。
As they gaze at him; each one among them sees in him a private
treasure。 Spontaneously they yield him passage in the streets。 They
rise from their seats to do him honour; out of love not fear; they
crown him for his public'16' virtue's sake and benefactions。 They
shower gifts upon him of their own free choice。 These same are they
who; if my definition holds; may well be said to render honour to
their hero by such service; whilst he that is held worthy of these
services is truly honoured。 And for my part I can but offer my
congratulations to him。 〃God bless him;〃 say I; perceiving that so far
from being the butt of foul conspiracy; he is an object of anxiety to
all; lest evil should betide him; and so he pursues the even tenour of
his days in happiness exempt from fears and jealousy'17' and risk。 But
the current of the tyrant's life runs differently。 Day and night; I do
assure you; Simonides; he lives like one condemned by the general
verdict of mankind to die for his iniquity。
'14' Lit。 〃Honours would seem to be the outcome and expression of
conditions utterly remote from these; in fact their very
opposites。〃
'15' Cf。 Napoleon's accost of Goethe; 〃Vous etes un homme;〃 and 〃as
Goethe left the room; Napoleon repeated to Berthier and Daru;
'Voila un homme!'〃 (〃The Life of Goethe;〃 Lewes; p。 500)。
'16' Reading {koines}; which ought to mean 〃common to them and him〃;
if with Cobet {koine}; 〃in public crown him for his virtue's sake;
a benefactor。〃
'17' Or; 〃without reproach。〃
Now when Simonides had listened to these reasonings to the end;'18' he
answered: How is it; Hiero; if to play the tyrant is a thing so
villainous;'19' and that is your final judgment; how comes it you are
not quit of so monstrous an evil? Neither you; nor; for that matter;
any monarch else I ever heard of; having once possessed the power; did
ever of his own free will divest himself of sovereignty。 How is that;
Hiero?
'18' Cf。 〃Econ。〃 xi。 1。
'19' Or; 〃if to monarchise and play the despot。〃
For one simple reason (the tyrant answered); and herein lies the
supreme misery of despotic power; it is not possible even to be quit
of it。'20' How could the life of any single tyrant suffice to square
the account? How should he pay in full to the last farthing all the
moneys of all whom he has robbed? with what chains laid upon him make
requital to all those he has thrust into felons' quarters?'21' how
proffer lives enough to die in compensation of the dead men he has
slain? how die a thousand deaths?
'20' Holden aptly cf。 Plut。 〃Sol。〃 14; {kalon men einai ten torannida
khorion; ouk ekhein de apobasin}; 〃it was true a tyrrany was a
very fair spot; but it had no way down from it〃 (Clough; i。 p。
181)。
'21' Or; 〃how undergo in his own person the imprisonments he has
inflicted?〃 Reading {antipaskhoi}; or if {antiparaskhoi}; transl。
〃how could he replace in his own person the exact number of
imprisonments which he has inflicted on others?〃
Ah; no! Simonides (he added); if to hang one's self outright be ever
gainful to pour mortal soul; then; take my word for it; that is the
tyrant's remedy: there's none better suited'22' to his case; since he
alone of all men is in this dilemma; that neither to keep nor lay
aside his troubles profits him。
'22' Or; 〃nought more profitable to meet the case。〃 The author plays
on {lusitelei} according to his wont。
VIII
Here Simonides took up the thread of the discourse'1' as follows: That
for the moment; Hiero; you should be out of heart regarding tyranny'2'
I do not wonder; since you have a strong desire to be loved by human
beings; and you are persuaded that it is your office which balks the
realisation of your dream。
'1' Al。 〃took up the speaker thus。〃
'2' 〃In reference to despotic rule。〃
Now; however; I am no less certain I can prove to you that
government'3' implies no obstacle to being loved; but rather holds the
advantage over private life so far。 And whilst investigating if this
be really so; let us not embarass the inquiry by asking whether in
proportion to his greater power the ruler is able to do kindness on a
grander scale。 But put it thus: Two human beings; the one in humble
circumstances;'4' the other a despotic ruler; perform a common act;
which of these twain will; under like conditions;'5' win the larger
thanks? I will begin with the most trifling'6' examples; and first a
simple friendly salutation; 〃Good day;〃 〃Good evening;〃 dropped at
sight of some one from the lips of here a ruler; there a private
citizen。 In such a case; whose salutation will sound the pleasanter to
him accosted?
'3' {to arkhein}。 Cf。 〃Cyrop。〃 passim。
'4' 〃A private person。〃
'5' Lit。 〃by like expenditure of power。〃
'6' {arkhomai soi}。 Lit。 〃I'll begin you with quite commonplace
examples。〃 Holden cf。 Shakesp。 〃Merry Wives;〃 i。 4。 97; 〃I'll do
you your master what good I can〃; 〃Much Ado;〃 ii。 3。 115; 〃She
will sit you。〃 For the distinction between {paradeigmaton} =
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!