第 9 节
作者:阎王      更新:2021-12-07 09:36      字数:9322
  desire。 If Protagoras is not disposed to answer; let him ask and I
  will answer; and I will endeavour to show at the same time how; as I
  maintain; he ought to answer: and when I have answered as many
  questions as he likes to ask; let him in like manner answer me; and if
  he seems to be not very ready at answering the precise question
  asked of him; you and I will unite in entreating him; as you entreated
  me; not to spoil the discussion。 And this will require no special
  arbiter…all of you shall be arbiters。
  This was generally approved; and Protagoras; though very much
  against his will; was obliged to agree that he would ask questions;
  and when he had put a sufficient number of them; that he would
  answer in his turn those which he was asked in short replies。 He began
  to put his questions as follows:…
  I am of opinion; Socrates; he said; that skill in poetry is the
  principal part of education; and this I conceive to be the power of
  knowing what compositions of the poets are correct; and what are
  not; and how they are to be distinguished; and of explaining when
  asked the reason of the difference。 And I propose to transfer the
  question which you and I have been discussing to the domain of poetry;
  we will speak as before of virtue; but in reference to a passage of
  a poet。 Now Simonides says to Scopas the son of Creon the Thessalian:
  Hardly on the one hand can a man become truly good; built
  four…square in hands and feet and mind; a work without a flaw。
  Do you know the poem? or shall I repeat the whole?
  There is no need; I said; for I am perfectly well acquainted with
  the ode…I have made a careful study of it。
  Very well; he said。 And do you think that the ode is a good
  composition; and true?
  Yes; I said; both good and true。
  But if there is a contradiction; can the composition be good or
  true?
  No; not in that case; I replied。
  And is there not a contradiction? he asked。 Reflect。
  Well; my friend; I have reflected。
  And does not the poet proceed to say; 〃I do not agree with the
  word of Pittacus; albeit the utterance of a wise man: Hardly can a man
  be good〃? Now you will observe that this is said by the same poet。
  I know it。
  And do you think; he said; that the two sayings are consistent?
  Yes; I said; I think so (at the same time I could not help fearing
  that there might be something in what he said)。 And you think
  otherwise?
  Why; he said; how can he be consistent in both? First of all;
  premising as his own thought; 〃Hardly can a man become truly good〃;
  and then a little further on in the poem; forgetting; and blaming
  Pittacus and refusing to agree with him; when he says; 〃Hardly can a
  man be good;〃 which is the very same thing。 And yet when he blames him
  who says the same with himself; he blames himself; so that he must
  be wrong either in his first or his second assertion。
  Many of the audience cheered and applauded this。 And I felt at first
  giddy and faint; as if I had received a blow from the hand of an
  expert boxer; when I heard his words and the sound of the cheering;
  and to confess the truth; I wanted to get time to think what the
  meaning of the poet really was。 So I turned to Prodicus and called
  him。 Prodicus; I said; Simonides is a countryman of yours; and you
  ought to come to his aid。 I must appeal to you; like the river
  Scamander in Homer; who; when beleaguered by Achilles; summons the
  Simois to aid him; saying:
  Brother dear; let us both together stay the force of the hero。
  And I summon you; for I am afraid that Protagoras will make an end
  of Simonides。 Now is the time to rehabilitate Simonides; by the
  application of your philosophy of synonyms; which enables you to
  distinguish 〃will〃 and 〃wish;〃 and make other charming distinctions
  like those which you drew just now。 And I should like to know
  whether you would agree with me; for I am of opinion that there is
  no contradiction in the words of Simonides。 And first of all I wish
  that you would say whether; in your opinion; Prodicus; 〃being〃 is
  the same as 〃becoming。〃
  Not the same; certainly; replied Prodicus。
  Did not Simonides first set forth; as his own view; that 〃Hardly can
  a man become truly good〃?
  Quite right; said Prodicus。
  And then he blames Pittacus; not; as Protagoras imagines; for
  repeating that which he says himself; but for saying something
  different from himself。 Pittacus does not say as Simonides says;
  that hardly can a man become good; but hardly can a man be good: and
  our friend Prodicus would maintain that being; Protagoras; is not
  the same as becoming; and if they are not the same; then Simonides
  is not inconsistent with himself。 I dare say that Prodicus and many
  others would say; as Hesiod says;
  On the one hand; hardly can a man become good;
  For the gods have made virtue the reward of toil;
  But on the other hand; when you have climbed the height;
  Then; to retain virtue; however difficult the acquisition; is easy。
  Prodicus heard and approved; but Protagoras said: Your correction;
  Socrates; involves a greater error than is contained in the sentence
  which you are correcting。
  Alas! I said; Protagoras; then I am a sorry physician; and do but
  aggravate a disorder which I am seeking to cure。
  Such is the fact; he said。
  How so? I asked。
  The poet; he replied; could never have made such a mistake as to say
  that virtue; which in the opinion of all men is the hardest of all
  things; can be easily retained。
  Well; I said; and how fortunate are we in having Prodicus among
  us; at the right moment; for he has a wisdom; Protagoras; which; as
  I imagine; is more than human and of very ancient date; and may be
  as old as Simonides or even older。 Learned as you are in many
  things; you appear to know nothing of this; but I know; for I am a
  disciple of his。 And now; if I am not mistaken; you do not
  understand the word 〃hard〃 (chalepon) in the sense which Simonides
  intended; and I must correct you; as Prodicus corrects me when I use
  the word 〃awful〃 (deinon) as a term of praise。 If I say that
  Protagoras or any one else is an 〃awfully〃 wise man; he asks me if I
  am not ashamed of calling that which is good 〃awful〃; and then he
  explains to me that the term 〃awful〃 is always taken in a bad sense;
  and that no one speaks of being 〃awfully〃 healthy or wealthy; or
  〃awful〃 peace; but of 〃awful〃 disease; 〃awful〃 war; 〃awful〃 poverty;
  meaning by the term 〃awful;〃 evil。 And I think that Simonides and
  his countrymen the Ceans; when they spoke of 〃hard〃 meant 〃evil;〃 or
  something which you do not understand。 Let us ask Prodicus; for he
  ought to be able to answer questions about the dialect of Simonides。
  What did he mean; Prodicus; by the term 〃hard?〃
  Evil; said Prodicus。
  And therefore; I said; Prodicus; he blames Pittacus for saying;
  〃Hard is the good;〃 just as if that were equivalent to saying; Evil is
  the good。
  Yes; he said; that was certainly his meaning; and he is twitting
  Pittacus with ignorance of the use of terms; which in a Lesbian; who
  has been accustomed to speak a barbarous language; is natural。
  Do you hear; Protagoras; I asked; what our friend Prodicus is
  saying? And have you an answer for him?
  You are entirely mistaken; Prodicus; said Protagoras; and I know
  very well that Simonides in using the word 〃hard〃 meant what all of us
  mean; not evil; but that which is not easy…that which takes a great
  deal of trouble: of this I am positive。
  I said: I also incline to believe; Protagoras; that this was the
  meaning of Simonides; of which our friend Prodicus was very well
  aware; but he thought that he would make fun; and try if you could
  maintain your thesis; for that Simonides could never have meant the
  other is clearly proved by the context; in which he says that God only
  has this gift。 Now he cannot surely mean to say that to be good is
  evil; when he afterwards proceeds to say that God only has this
  gift; and that this is the attribute of him and of no other。 For if
  this be his meaning; Prodicus would impute to Simonides a character of
  recklessness which is very unlike his countrymen。 And I should like to
  tell you; I said; what I imagine to be the real meaning of Simonides
  in this poem; if you will test what; in your way of speaking; would be
  called my skill in poetry; or if you would rather; I will be the
  listener。
  To this proposal Protagoras replied: As you please;…and Hippias;
  Prodicus; and the others told me by all means to do as I proposed。
  Then now; I said; I will endeavour to explain to you my opinion
  about this poem of Simonides。 There is a very ancient philosophy which
  is more cultivate