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!
合租小说网 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

phaedrus-第4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!





necessarily a delight to the lover; and when not implanted; he must



contrive to implant them in him; if he would not be deprived of his



fleeting joy。 And therefore he cannot help being jealous; and will



debar his beloved from the advantages of society which would make a



man of him; and especially from that society which would have given



him wisdom; and thereby he cannot fail to do him great harm。 That is



to say; in his excessive fear lest he should come to be despised in



his eyes he will be compelled to banish from him divine philosophy;



and there is no greater injury which he can inflict upon him than



this。 He will contrive that his beloved shall be wholly ignorant;



and in everything shall look to him; he is to be the delight of the



lover's heart; and a curse to himself。 Verily; a lover is a profitable



guardian and associate for him in all that relates to his mind。



  Let us next see how his master; whose law of life is pleasure and



not good; will keep and train the body of his servant。 Will he not



choose a beloved who is delicate rather than sturdy and strong? One



brought up in shady bowers and not in the bright sun; a stranger to



manly exercises and the sweat of toil; accustomed only to a soft and



luxurious diet; instead of the hues of health having the colours of



paint and ornament; and the rest of a piece?…such a life as any one



can imagine and which I need not detail at length。 But I may sum up



all that I have to say in a word; and pass on。 Such a person in war;



or in any of the great crises of life; will be the anxiety of his



friends and also of his lover; and certainly not the terror of his



enemies; which nobody can deny。



  And now let us tell what advantage or disadvantage the beloved



will receive from the guardianship and society of his lover in the



matter of his property; this is the next point to be considered。 The



lover will be the first to see what; indeed; will be sufficiently



evident to all men; that he desires above all things to deprive his



beloved of his dearest and best and holiest possessions; father;



mother; kindred; friends; of all whom he thinks may be hinderers or



reprovers of their most sweet converse; he will even cast a jealous



eye upon his gold and silver or other property; because these make him



a less easy prey; and when caught less manageable; hence he is of



necessity displeased at his possession of them and rejoices at their



loss; and he would like him to be wifeless; childless; homeless; as



well; and the longer the better; for the longer he is all this; the



longer he will enjoy him。



  There are some soft of animals; such as flatterers; who are



dangerous and; mischievous enough; and yet nature has mingled a



temporary pleasure and grace in their composition。 You may say that



a courtesan is hurtful; and disapprove of such creatures and their



practices; and yet for the time they are very pleasant。 But the



lover is not only hurtful to his love; he is also an extremely



disagreeable companion。 The old proverb says that 〃birds of a



feather flock together〃; I suppose that equality of years inclines



them to the same pleasures; and similarity begets friendship; yet



you may have more than enough even of this; and verily constraint is



always said to be grievous。 Now the lover is not only unlike his



beloved; but he forces himself upon him。 For he is old and his love is



young; and neither day nor night will he leave him if he can help;



necessity and the sting of desire drive him on; and allure him with



the pleasure which he receives from seeing; hearing; touching;



perceiving him in every way。 And therefore he is delighted to fasten



upon him and to minister to him。 But what pleasure or consolation



can the beloved be receiving all this time? Must he not feel the



extremity of disgust when he looks at an old shrivelled face and the



remainder to match; which even in a description is disagreeable; and



quite detestable when he is forced into daily contact with his



lover; moreover he is jealously watched and guarded against everything



and everybody; and has to hear misplaced and exaggerated praises of



himself; and censures equally inappropriate; which are intolerable



when the man is sober; and; besides being intolerable; are published



all over the world in all their indelicacy and wearisomeness when he



is drunk。



  And not only while his love continues is he mischievous and



unpleasant; but when his love ceases he becomes a perfidious enemy



of him on whom he showered his oaths and prayers and promises; and yet



could hardly prevail upon him to tolerate the tedium of his company



even from motives of interest。 The hour of payment arrives; and now he



is the servant of another master; instead of love and infatuation;



wisdom and temperance are his bosom's lords; but the beloved has not



discovered the change which has taken place in him; when he asks for a



return and recalls to his recollection former sayings and doings; he



believes himself to be speaking to the same person; and the other; not



having the courage to confess the truth; and not knowing how to fulfil



the oaths and promises which he made when under the dominion of folly;



and having now grown wise and temperate; does not want to do as he did



or to be as he was before。 And so he runs away and is constrained to



be a defaulter; the oyster…shell has fallen with the other side



uppermost…he changes pursuit into flight; while the other is compelled



to follow him with passion and imprecation not knowing that he ought



never from the first to have accepted a demented lover instead of a



sensible non…lover; and that in making such a choice he was giving



himself up to a faithless; morose; envious; disagreeable being;



hurtful to his estate; hurtful to his bodily health; and still more



hurtful to the cultivation of his mind; than which there neither is



nor ever will be anything more honoured in the eyes both of gods and



men。 Consider this; fair youth; and know that in the friendship of the



lover there is no real kindness; he has an appetite and wants to



feed upon you:







    As wolves love lambs so lovers love their loves。







  But I told you so; I am speaking in verse; and therefore I had



better make an end; enough。



  Phaedr。 I thought that you were only halfway and were going to



make a similar speech about all the advantages of accepting the



non…lover。 Why do you not proceed?



  Soc。 Does not your simplicity observe that I have got out of



dithyrambics into heroics; when only uttering a censure on the



lover? And if I am to add the praises of the non…lover; what will



become of me? Do you not perceive that I am already overtaken by the



Nymphs to whom you have mischievously exposed me? And therefore will



only add that the non…lover has all the advantages in which the



lover is accused of being deficient。 And now I will say no more; there



has been enough of both of them。 Leaving the tale to its fate; I



will cross the river and make the best of my way home; lest a worse



thing be inflicted upon me by you。



  Phaedr。 Not yet; Socrates; not until the heat of the day has passed;



do you not see that the hour is almost noon? there is the midday sun



standing still; as people say; in the meridian。 Let us rather stay and



talk over what has been said; and then return in the cool。



  Soc。 Your love of discourse; Phaedrus; is superhuman; simply



marvellous; and I do not believe that there is any one of your



contemporaries who has either made or in one way or another has



compelled others to make an equal number of speeches。 I would except



Simmias the Theban; but all the rest are far behind you。 And now; I do



verily believe that you have been the cause of another。



  Phaedr。 That is good news。 But what do you mean?



  Soc。 I mean to say that as I was about to cross the stream the usual



sign was given to me;…that sign which always forbids; but never



bids; me to do anything which I am going to do; and I thought that I



heard a voice saying in my car that I had been guilty of impiety; and。



that I must not go away until I had made an atonement。 Now I am a



diviner; though not a very good one; but I have enough religion for my



own use; as you might say of a bad writer…his writing is good enough



for him; and I am beginning to see that I was in error。 O my friend;



how prophetic is the human soul! At the time I had a sort of



misgiving; and; like Ibycus; 〃I was troubled; I feared that I might be



buying honour from men at the price of sinning against the gods。〃



Now I recognize my error。



  Phaedr。 What error?



  Soc。 That was a dreadful speech which you brought with you; and



you made me utter one as bad。



  Phaedr。 How so?



  Soc。 It was foolish; I say;…to a certain extent; impious; can



anything be more dreadful?



  Phaedr。 Nothing; if the speech was really such as you describe。



  Soc。 Well; and is not Eros the son of Aphrodite; and a god?



  Phaedr。 So men say。



  Soc。 But that was not acknowledged by Lysias in his speech; nor by



you in that other speech which you by a charm drew from my lips。 For



if love be; as he surely is; a divinity; he cannot be evil。 Yet this



was the error of both the speeches。 There was also a simplicity



about them which was refreshing; having no truth or honesty in them;



nevertheless they pretended to be something; hoping to succeed in



deceiving the manikins of earth and gain celebrity among the
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
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!