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timaeu-第6部分

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would be the attempt to tell all the figures of them circling as in

dance; and their juxtapositions; and the return of them in their

revolutions upon themselves; and their approximations; and to say

which of these deities in their conjunctions meet; and which of them

are in opposition; and in what order they get behind and before one

another; and when they are severally eclipsed to our sight and again

reappear; sending terrors and intimations of the future to those who

cannot calculate their movements…to attempt to tell of all this

without a visible representation of the heavenly system would be

labour in vain。 Enough on this head; and now let what we have said

about the nature of the created and visible gods have an end。

  To know or tell the origin of the other divinities is beyond us; and

we must accept the traditions of the men of old time who affirm

themselves to be the offspring of the gods…that is what they say…and

they must surely have known their own ancestors。 How can we doubt

the word of the children of the gods? Although they give no probable

or certain proofs; still; as they declare that they are speaking of

what took place in their own family; we must conform to custom and

believe them。 In this manner; then; according to them; the genealogy

of these gods is to be received and set forth。

  Oceanus and Tethys were the children of Earth and Heaven; and from

these sprang Phorcys and Cronos and Rhea; and all that generation; and

from Cronos and Rhea sprang Zeus and Here; and all those who are

said to be their brethren; and others who were the children of these。

  Now; when all of them; both those who visibly appear in their

revolutions as well as those other gods who are of a more retiring

nature; had come into being; the creator of the universe addressed

them in these words: 〃Gods; children of gods; who are my works; and of

whom I am the artificer and father; my creations are indissoluble;

if so I will。 All that is bound may be undone; but only an evil

being would wish to undo that which is harmonious and happy。

Wherefore; since ye are but creatures; ye are not altogether

immortal and indissoluble; but ye shall certainly not be dissolved;

nor be liable to the fate of death; having in my will a greater and

mightier bond than those with which ye were bound at the time of

your birth。 And now listen to my instructions:…Three tribes of

mortal beings remain to be created…without them the universe will be

incomplete; for it will not contain every kind of animal which it

ought to contain; if it is to be perfect。 On the other hand; if they

were created by me and received life at my hands; they would be on

an equality with the gods。 In order then that they may be mortal;

and that this universe may be truly universal; do ye; according to

your natures; betake yourselves to the formation of animals; imitating

the power which was shown by me in creating you。 The part of them

worthy of the name immortal; which is called divine and is the guiding

principle of those who are willing to follow justice and you…of that

divine part I will myself sow the seed; and having made a beginning; I

will hand the work over to you。 And do ye then interweave the mortal

with the immortal; and make and beget living creatures; and give

them food; and make them to grow; and receive them again in death。〃

  Thus he spake; and once more into the cup in which he had previously

mingled the soul of the universe he poured the remains of the

elements; and mingled them in much the same manner; they were not;

however; pure as before; but diluted to the second and third degree。

And having made it he divided the whole mixture into souls equal in

number to the stars; and assigned each soul to a star; and having

there placed them as in a chariot; he showed them the nature of the

universe; and declared to them the laws of destiny; according to which

their first birth would be one and the same for all;…no one should

suffer a disadvantage at his hands; they were to be sown in the

instruments of time severally adapted to them; and to come forth the

most religious of animals; and as human nature was of two kinds; the

superior race would here after be called man。 Now; when they should be

implanted in bodies by necessity; and be always gaining or losing some

part of their bodily substance; then in the first place it would be

necessary that they should all have in them one and the same faculty

of sensation; arising out of irresistible impressions; in the second

place; they must have love; in which pleasure and pain mingle; also

fear and anger; and the feelings which are akin or opposite to them;

if they conquered these they would live righteously; and if they

were conquered by them; unrighteously。 He who lived well during his

appointed time was to return and dwell in his native star; and there

he would have a blessed and congenial existence。 But if he failed in

attaining this; at the second birth he would pass into a woman; and

if; when in that state of being; he did not desist from evil; he would

continually be changed into some brute who resembled him in the evil

nature which he had acquired; and would not cease from his toils and

transformations until he followed the revolution of the same and the

like within him; and overcame by the help of reason the turbulent

and irrational mob of later accretions; made up of fire and air and

water and earth; and returned to the form of his first and better

state。 Having given all these laws to his creatures; that he might

be guiltless of future evil in any of them; the creator sowed some

of them in the earth; and some in the moon; and some in the other

instruments of time; and when he had sown them he committed to the

younger gods the fashioning of their mortal bodies; and desired them

to furnish what was still lacking to the human soul; and having made

all the suitable additions; to rule over them; and to pilot the mortal

animal in the best and wisest manner which they could; and avert

from him all but self…inflicted evils。

  When the creator had made all these ordinances he remained in his

own accustomed nature; and his children heard and were obedient to

their father's word; and receiving from him the immortal principle

of a mortal creature; in imitation of their own creator they

borrowed portions of fire; and earth; and water; and air from the

world; which were hereafter to be restored…these they took and

welded them together; not with the indissoluble chains by which they

were themselves bound; but with little pegs too small to be visible;

making up out of all the four elements each separate body; and

fastening the courses of the immortal soul in a body which was in a

state of perpetual influx and efflux。 Now these courses; detained as

in a vast river; neither overcame nor were overcome; but were hurrying

and hurried to and fro; so that the whole animal was moved and

progressed; irregularly however and irrationally and anyhow; in all

the six directions of motion; wandering backwards and forwards; and

right and left; and up and down; and in all the six directions。 For

great as was the advancing and retiring flood which provided

nourishment; the affections produced by external contact caused

still greater tumult…when the body of any one met and came into

collision with some external fire; or with the solid earth or the

gliding waters; or was caught in the tempest borne on the air; and the

motions produced by any of these impulses were carried through the

body to the soul。 All such motions have consequently received the

general name of 〃sensations;〃 which they still retain。 And they did in

fact at that time create a very great and mighty movement; uniting

with the ever flowing stream in stirring up and violently shaking

the courses of the soul; they completely stopped the revolution of the

same by their opposing current; and hindered it from predominating and

advancing; and they so disturbed the nature of the other or diverse;

that the three double intervals 'i。e。 between 1; 2; 4; 8'; and the

three triple intervals 'i。e。 between 1; 3; 9; 27'; together with the

mean terms and connecting links which are expressed by the ratios of 3

: 2; and 4 : 3; and of 9 : 8…these; although they cannot be wholly

undone except by him who united them; were twisted by them in all

sorts of ways; and the circles were broken and disordered in every

possible manner; so that when they moved they were tumbling to pieces;

and moved irrationally; at one time in a reverse direction; and then

again obliquely; and then upside down; as you might imagine a person

who is upside down and has his head leaning upon the ground and his

feet up against something in the air; and when he is in such a

position; both he and the spectator fancy that the right of either

is his left; and left right。 If; when powerfully experiencing these

and similar effects; the revolutions of the soul come in contact

with some external thing; either of the class of the same or of the

other; they speak of the same or of the other in a manner the very

opposite of the truth; and they become false and foolish; and there is

no course or revolution in them which has a guiding or directing

power; and if again any sensations enter in violently from without and

drag after them the whole vessel of the soul; then the courses of

the soul; though they seem to conquer; are really conquered。

  And by reason of all these affections; the soul; when encased in a

mortal body; now; as in the beginning; is at first without

intelligence; but when the flood of growth and nutriment abates; and

the courses of the soul; calming down; go their own way and become

steadier as time goes on; then the several circles return to their

natural form; and their revolutions are corrected; and they call the

same and the other by their right names; and make the possessor of

them to become a rational being。 And if these combine in him with

any true nurture or education; he attains the fulness and health of

the perfect man; and escapes the worst disease of all
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