phaedrus-第6部分

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and　mortal　creature。　For　immortal　no　such　union　can　be　reasonably



believed　to　be；　although　fancy；　not　having　seen　nor　surely　known　the



nature　of　God；　may　imagine　an　immortal　creature　having　both　a　body　and



also　a　soul　which　are　united　throughout　all　time。　Let　that；　however；



be　as　God　wills；　and　be　spoken　of　acceptably　to　him。　And　now　let　us



ask　the　reason　why　the　soul　loses　her　wings！



　　The　wing　is　the　corporeal　element　which　is　most　akin　to　the



divine；　and　which　by　nature　tends　to　soar　aloft　and　carry　that　which



gravitates　downwards　into　the　upper　region；　which　is　the　habitation　of



the　gods。　The　divine　is　beauty；　wisdom；　goodness；　and　the　like；　and　by



these　the　wing　of　the　soul　is　nourished；　and　grows　apace；　but　when　fed



upon　evil　and　foulness　and　the　opposite　of　good；　wastes　and　falls



away。　Zeus；　the　mighty　lord；　holding　the　reins　of　a　winged　chariot；



leads　the　way　in　heaven；　ordering　all　and　taking　care　of　all；　and



there　follows　him　the　array　of　gods　and　demigods；　marshalled　in　eleven



bands；　Hestia　alone　abides　at　home　in　the　house　of　heaven；　of　the　rest



they　who　are　reckoned　among　the　princely　twelve　march　in　their



appointed　order。　They　see　many　blessed　sights　in　the　inner　heaven；　and



there　are　many　ways　to　and　fro；　along　which　the　blessed　gods　are



passing；　every　one　doing　his　own　work；　he　may　follow　who　will　and　can；



for　jealousy　has　no　place　in　the　celestial　choir。　But　when　they　go



to　banquet　and　festival；　then　they　move　up　the　steep　to　the　top　of　the



vault　of　heaven。　The　chariots　of　the　gods　in　even　poise；　obeying　the



rein；　glide　rapidly；　but　the　others　labour；　for　the　vicious　steed　goes



heavily；　weighing　down　the　charioteer　to　the　earth　when　his　steed



has　not　been　thoroughly　trained：…and　this　is　the　hour　of　agony　and



extremest　conflict　for　the　soul。　For　the　immortals；　when　they　are　at



the　end　of　their　course；　go　forth　and　stand　upon　the　outside　of



heaven；　and　the　revolution　of　the　spheres　carries　them　round；　and　they



behold　the　things　beyond。　But　of　the　heaven　which　is　above　the



heavens；　what　earthly　poet　ever　did　or　ever　will　sing　worthily？　It



is　such　as　I　will　describe；　for　I　must　dare　to　speak　the　truth；　when



truth　is　my　theme。　There　abides　the　very　being　with　which　true



knowledge　is　concerned；　the　colourless；　formless；　intangible



essence；　visible　only　to　mind；　the　pilot　of　the　soul。　The　divine



intelligence；　being　nurtured　upon　mind　and　pure　knowledge；　and　the



intelligence　of　every　soul　which　is　capable　of　receiving　the　food



proper　to　it；　rejoices　at　beholding　reality；　and　once　more　gazing　upon



truth；　is　replenished　and　made　glad；　until　the　revolution　of　the



worlds　brings　her　round　again　to　the　same　place。　In　the　revolution　she



beholds　justice；　and　temperance；　and　knowledge　absolute；　not　in　the



form　of　generation　or　of　relation；　which　men　call　existence；　but



knowledge　absolute　in　existence　absolute；　and　beholding　the　other　true



existences　in　like　manner；　and　feasting　upon　them；　she　passes　down



into　the　interior　of　the　heavens　and　returns　home；　and　there　the



charioteer　putting　up　his　horses　at　the　stall；　gives　them　ambrosia



to　eat　and　nectar　to　drink。



　　Such　is　the　life　of　the　gods；　but　of　other　souls；　that　which　follows



God　best　and　is　likest　to　him　lifts　the　head　of　the　charioteer　into



the　outer　world；　and　is　carried　round　in　the　revolution；　troubled



indeed　by　the　steeds；　and　with　difficulty　beholding　true　being；



while　another　only　rises　and　falls；　and　sees；　and　again　fails　to　see



by　reason　of　the　unruliness　of　the　steeds。　The　rest　of　the　souls　are



also　longing　after　the　upper　world　and　they　all　follow；　but　not



being　strong　enough　they　are　carried　round　below　the　surface；



plunging；　treading　on　one　another；　each　striving　to　be　first；　and



there　is　confusion　and　perspiration　and　the　extremity　of　effort；　and



many　of　them　are　lamed　or　have　their　wings　broken　through　the



ill…driving　of　the　charioteers；　and　all　of　them　after　a　fruitless



toil；　not　having　attained　to　the　mysteries　of　true　being；　go　away；　and



feed　upon　opinion。　The　reason　why　the　souls　exhibit　this　exceeding



eagerness　to　behold　the　plain　of　truth　is　that　pasturage　is　found



there；　which　is　suited　to　the　highest　part　of　the　soul；　and　the　wing



on　which　the　soul　soars　is　nourished　with　this。　And　there　is　a　law



of　Destiny；　that　the　soul　which　attains　any　vision　of　truth　in　company



with　a　god　is　preserved　from　harm　until　the　next　period；　and　if



attaining　always　is　always　unharmed。　But　when　she　is　unable　to　follow；



and　fails　to　behold　the　truth；　and　through　some　ill…hap　sinks



beneath　the　double　load　of　forgetfulness　and　vice；　and　her　wings



fall　from　her　and　she　drops　to　the　ground；　then　the　law　ordains　that



this　soul　shall　at　her　first　birth　pass；　not　into　any　other　animal；



but　only　into　man；　and　the　soul　which　has　seen　most　of　truth　shall



come　to　the　birth　as　a　philosopher；　or　artist；　or　some　musical　and



loving　nature；　that　which　has　seen　truth　in　the　second　degree　shall　be



some　righteous　king　or　warrior　chief；　the　soul　which　is　of　the　third



class　shall　be　a　politician；　or　economist；　or　trader；　the　fourth　shall



be　lover　of　gymnastic　toils；　or　a　physician；　the　fifth　shall　lead



the　life　of　a　prophet　or　hierophant；　to　the　sixth　the　character　of



poet　or　some　other　imitative　artist　will　be　assigned；　to　the　seventh



the　life　of　an　artisan　or　husbandman；　to　the　eighth　that　of　a



sophist　or　demagogue；　to　the　ninth　that　of　a　tyrant…all　these　are



states　of　probation；　in　which　he　who　does　righteously　improves；　and　he



who　does　unrighteously；　improves；　and　he　who　does　unrighteously；



deteriorates　his　lot。



　　Ten　thousand　years　must　elapse　before　the　soul　of　each　one　can



return　to　the　place　from　whence　she　came；　for　she　cannot　grow　her



wings　in　less；　only　the　soul　of　a　philosopher；　guileless　and　true；



or　the　soul　of　a　lover；　who　is　not　devoid　of　philosophy；　may　acquire



wings　in　the　third　of　the　recurring　periods　of　a　thousand　years；　he　is



distinguished　from　the　ordinary　good　man　who　gains　wings　in　three



thousand　years：…and　they　who　choose　this　life　three　times　in



succession　have　wings　given　them；　and　go　away　at　the　end　of　three



thousand　years。　But　the　others　receive　judgment　when　they　have



completed　their　first　life；　and　after　the　judgment　they　go；　some　of



them　to　the　houses　of　correction　which　are　under　the　earth；　and　are



punished；　others　to　some　place　in　heaven　whither　they　are　lightly



borne　by　justice；　and　there　they　live　in　a　manner　worthy　of　the　life



which　they　led　here　when　in　the　form　of　men。　And　at　the　end　of　the



first　thousand　years　the　good　souls　and　also　the　evil　souls　both



come　to　draw　lots　and　choose　their　second　life；　and　they　may　take



any　which　they　please。　The　soul　of　a　man　may　pass　into　the　life　of　a



beast；　or　from　the　beast　return　again　into　the　man。　But　the　soul　which



has　never　seen　the　truth　will　not　pass　into　the　human　form。　For　a



man　must　have　intelligence　of　universals；　and　be　able　to　proceed



from　the　many　particulars　of　sense　to　one　conception　of　reason；…this



is　the　recollection　of　those　things　which　our　soul　once　saw　while



following　God…when　regardless　of　that　which　we　now　call　being　she



raised　her　head　up　towards　the　true　being。　And　therefore　the　mind　of



the　philosopher　alone　has　wings；　and　this　is　just；　for　he　is　always；



according　to　the　measure　of　his　abilities；　clinging　in　recollection　to



those　things　in　which　God　abides；　and　in　beholding　which　He　is　what　He



is。　And　he　who　employs　aright　these　memories　is　ever　being　initiated



into　perfect　mysteries　and　alone　becomes　truly　perfect。　But；　as　he



forgets　earthly　interests　and　is　rapt　in　the　divine；　the　vulgar　deem



him　mad；　and　rebuke　him；　they　do　not　see　that　he　is　inspired。



　　Thus　far　I　have　been　speaking　of　the　fourth　and　last　kind　of



madness；　which　is　imputed　to　him　who；　when　he　sees　the　beauty　of



earth；　is　transported　with　the　recollection　of　the　true　beauty；　he



would　like　to　fly　away；　but　he　cannot；　he　is　like　a　bird　fluttering



and　looking　upward　and　careless　of　the　world　below；　and　he　is



therefore　thought　to　be　mad。　And　I　have　shown　this　of　all　inspirations



to　be　the　noblest　and　highest　and　the　offspring　of　the　highest　to



him　who　has　or　shares　in　it；　and　that　he　who　loves　the　beautiful　is



called　a　lover　because　he　partakes　of　it。　For；　as　has　been　already



said；　every　soul　of　man　has　in　the　way　of　nature　beheld　true　being；



this　was　the　condition　of　her　passing　into　the　form　of　man。　But　all



souls　do　not　easily　recall　the　things　of　the　other　world；　they　may



have　seen　them　for　a　short　time　only；　or　they　may　have　been



unfortunate　in　their　earthly　lot；　and；　having　had　their　hearts



turned　to　unrighteousness　through　some　corrupting　influence；　they



may　have　lost　the　memory　of　the　holy　things　which　once　they　saw。　Few



only　retain　an　adequate　remembrance　of　them；　and　they；　when　they



behold　here　any　image　of　that　other　world；　are　rapt　in　amazement；



but　they　are　ignorant　of　what　this　rapture　means；　because　they　do



not　clearly　perceive。　For　there　is　no　light　of　justice　or　temperance



or　any　of　the　higher　ideas　which　are　precious　to　souls　in　the



earthly　copies　of　them：　they　are　seen　through　a　glass　dimly；　and　there



are　few　who；　going　to　the　images；　behold　in　them　the　realities；　and



these　only　with　difficulty。　There　was　a　time　when　with　the　rest　of　the



happy　band　they　saw　beauty　shining　in　brightness…we　philosophers



following　in　the　train　of　Zeus；　others　in　company　with　oth