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!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!! 报告错误
飞读中文网 返回本书目录 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 进入书吧 加入书签

cratylus-第7章

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!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




wants there; and hence he is called Pluto or the rich。  He will have

nothing to do with the souls of men while in the body; because he cannot

work his will with them so long as they are confused and entangled by

fleshly lusts。  Demeter is the mother and giver of foode didousa meter

tes edodes。  Here is erate tis; or perhaps the legislator may have been

thinking of the weather; and has merely transposed the letters of the word

aer。  Pherephatta; that word of awe; is pheretapha; which is only an

euphonious contraction of e tou pheromenou ephaptomene;all things are in

motion; and she in her wisdom moves with them; and the wise God Hades

consorts with herthere is nothing very terrible in this; any more than in

the her other appellation Persephone; which is also significant of her

wisdom (sophe)。  Apollo is another name; which is supposed to have some

dreadful meaning; but is susceptible of at least four perfectly innocent

explanations。  First; he is the purifier or purger or absolver (apolouon);

secondly; he is the true diviner; Aplos; as he is called in the Thessalian

dialect (aplos = aplous; sincere); thirdly; he is the archer (aei ballon);

always shooting; or again; supposing alpha to mean ama or omou; Apollo

becomes equivalent to ama polon; which points to both his musical and his

heavenly attributes; for there is a 'moving together' alike in music and in

the harmony of the spheres。  The second lambda is inserted in order to

avoid the ill…omened sound of destruction。  The Muses are so calledapo

tou mosthai。  The gentle Leto or Letho is named from her willingness

(ethelemon); or because she is ready to forgive and forget (lethe)。 

Artemis is so called from her healthy well…balanced nature; dia to artemes;

or as aretes istor; or as a lover of virginity; aroton misesasa。  One of

these explanations is probably true;perhaps all of them。  Dionysus is o

didous ton oinon; and oinos is quasi oionous because wine makes those think

(oiesthai) that they have a mind (nous) who have none。  The established

derivation of Aphrodite dia ten tou athrou genesin may be accepted on the

authority of Hesiod。  Again; there is the name of Pallas; or Athene; which

we; who are Athenians; must not forget。  Pallas is derived from armed

dancesapo tou pallein ta opla。  For Athene we must turn to the

allegorical interpreters of Homer; who make the name equivalent to theonoe;

or possibly the word was originally ethonoe and signified moral

intelligence (en ethei noesis)。  Hephaestus; again; is the lord of lighto

tou phaeos istor。  This is a good notion; and; to prevent any other getting

into our heads; let us go on to Ares。  He is the manly one (arren); or the

unchangeable one (arratos)。  Enough of the Gods; for; by the Gods; I am

afraid of them; but if you suggest other words; you will see how the horses

of Euthyphro prance。  'Only one more God; tell me about my godfather

Hermes。'  He is ermeneus; the messenger or cheater or thief or bargainer;

or o eirein momenos; that is; eiremes or ermesthe speaker or contriver of

speeches。  'Well said Cratylus; then; that I am no son of Hermes。'  Pan; as

the son of Hermes; is speech or the brother of speech; and is called Pan

because speech indicates everythingo pan menuon。  He has two forms; a

true and a false; and is in the upper part smooth; and in the lower part

shaggy。  He is the goat of Tragedy; in which there are plenty of

falsehoods。



'Will you go on to the elementssun; moon; stars; earth; aether; air;

fire; water; seasons; years?'  Very good:  and which shall I take first? 

Let us begin with elios; or the sun。  The Doric form elios helps us to see

that he is so called because at his rising he gathers (alizei) men

together; or because he rolls about (eilei) the earth; or because he

variegates (aiolei = poikillei) the earth。  Selene is an anticipation of

Anaxagoras; being a contraction of selaenoneoaeia; the light (selas) which

is ever old and new; and which; as Anaxagoras says; is borrowed from the

sun; the name was harmonized into selanaia; a form which is still in use。 

'That is a true dithyrambic name。'  Meis is so called apo tou meiousthai;

from suffering diminution; and astron is from astrape (lightning); which is

an improvement of anastrope; that which turns the eyes inside out。  'How do

you explain pur n udor?'  I suspect that pur; which; like udor n kuon; is

found in Phrygian; is a foreign word; for the Hellenes have borrowed much

from the barbarians; and I always resort to this theory of a foreign origin

when I am at a loss。  Aer may be explained; oti airei ta apo tes ges; or;

oti aei rei; or; oti pneuma ex autou ginetai (compare the poetic word

aetai)。  So aither quasi aeitheer oti aei thei peri ton aera:  ge; gaia

quasi genneteira (compare the Homeric form gegaasi); ora (with an omega);

or; according to the old Attic form ora (with an omicron); is derived apo

tou orizein; because it divides the year; eniautos and etos are the same

thoughto en eauto etazon; cut into two parts; en eauto and etazon; like

di on ze into Dios and Zenos。



'You make surprising progress。'  True; I am run away with; and am not even

yet at my utmost speed。  'I should like very much to hear your account of

the virtues。  What principle of correctness is there in those charming

words; wisdom; understanding; justice; and the rest?'  To explain all that

will be a serious business; still; as I have put on the lion's skin;

appearances must be maintained。  My opinion is; that primitive men were

like some modern philosophers; who; by always going round in their search

after the nature of things; become dizzy; and this phenomenon; which was

really in themselves; they imagined to take place in the external world。 

You have no doubt remarked; that the doctrine of the universal flux; or

generation of things; is indicated in names。  'No; I never did。'  Phronesis

is only phoras kai rou noesis; or perhaps phoras onesis; and in any case is

connected with pheresthai; gnome is gones skepsis kai nomesis; noesis is

neou or gignomenon esis; the word neos implies that creation is always

going onthe original form was neoesis; sophrosune is soteria phroneseos;

episteme is e epomene tois pragmasinthe faculty which keeps close;

neither anticipating nor lagging behind; sunesis is equivalent to sunienai;

sumporeuesthai ten psuche; and is a kind of conclusionsullogismos tis;

akin therefore in idea to episteme; sophia is very difficult; and has a

foreign lookthe meaning is; touching the motion or stream of things; and

may be illustrated by the poetical esuthe and the Lacedaemonian proper name

Sous; or Rush; agathon is ro agaston en te tachuteti;for all things are

in motion; and some are swifter than others:  dikaiosune is clearly e tou

dikaiou sunesis。  The word dikaion is more troublesome; and appears to mean

the subtle penetrating power which; as the lovers of motion say; preserves

all things; and is the cause of all things; quasi diaion going throughthe

letter kappa bei
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
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!