第 15 节
作者:      更新:2021-02-18 23:31      字数:9322
  and   drowse   of   slumber   during   the   precious   hours   of   the   day。   Immortal;
  thou    art  cast   forth  from   the    company   of     gods;   and   by   good    men    art
  dishonoured:   that   sweetest   sound   of   all;   the   voice   of   praise;   has   never
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  thrilled thine ears; and the fairest of all fair visions is hidden from thine
  eyes   that   have   never   beheld   one   bounteous   deed   wrought   by   thine   own
  hand。   If   thou   openest   thy   lips   in   speech;   who   will   believe   thy   word?   If
  thou   hast   need   of   aught;   none   shall   satisfy   thee。   What   sane   man   will
  venture to join thy rablle rout? Ill indeed are thy revellers to look upon;
  young men impotent of body; and old men witless in mind: in the heyday
  of life they batten in sleek idleness; and wearily do they drag through an
  age   of   wrinkled   wretchedness:   and   why?   they   blush   with   shame   at   the
  thought of deeds done in the past; and groan for weariness at what is left to
  do。 During their youth they ran riot through their sweet things; and laid up
  for   themselves   large   store   of   bitterness   against   the   time   of   eld。   But   my
  companionship          is  with   the   gods;   and    with   the   good    among     men     my
  conversation; no bounteous deed; divine or human; is wrought without my
  aid。   Therefore   am   I   honoured   in   Heaven   pre…eminently;   and   upon   earth
  among   men   whose   right   it   is   to   honour   me;'38'   as   a   beloved   fellow…
  worker of all craftsmen; a faithful guardian of house and lands; whom the
  owners bless; a kindly helpmeet of servants;'39' a brave assistant in the
  labours of peace; an unflinching ally in the deeds of war; a sharer in all
  friendships indispensable。 To my friends is given an enjoyment of meats
  and drinks; which is sweet in itself and devoid of trouble; in that they can
  endure until desire ripens; and sleep more delicious visits them than those
  who toil not。 Yet they are not pained to part with it; nor for the sake   of
  slumber      do   they   let  slip   the  performance       of   their  duties。   Among       my
  followers the youth delights in the praises of his elders; and the old man
  glories   in   the   honour   of   the   young;   with   joy   they   call   to   memory   their
  deeds of old; and in to…day's well…doing are well pleased。 For my sake they
  are dear in the sight of God; beloved of their friends and honoured by the
  country   of   their   birth。   When   the   appointed   goal   is   reached   they   lie   not
  down in oblivion with dishonour; but bloom afreshtheir praise resounded
  on the lips of men for ever。'40' Toils like these; O son of noble parents;
  Heracles; it is   yours to   meet with;  and having   endured; to   enter into the
  heritage assured you of transcendant happiness。'〃
  '38' Reading {ois prosekei}; or if {proseko}; translate 〃to whom I am
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  attached。〃
  '39' Cf。 〃Econ。〃 v。 8。
  '40'    Or;  〃so   true  is  it;  a  branch   is  left  them;   undying    honour     to
  their name!〃
  This;    Aristippus;     in  rough    sketch    is  the   theme     which    Prodicus
  pursues'41' in his 〃Education of Heracles by Virtue;〃 only he decked out
  his   sentiments;     I  admit;   in  far  more   magnificant      phrases   than   I  have
  ventured on。 Were it not well; Aristippus; to lay to heart these sayings; and
  to strive to bethink you somewhat of that which touches the future of our
  life?
  '41' Reading {diokei}; al。 {diokei} = 〃so Prodicus arranged the parts
  of his discourse。〃
  II
  At    another    time;    he   had    noticed    the   angry    temper     shown     by
  Lamprocles;       the   elder   of   his  sons;    towards    their   mother;    and    thus
  addressed himself to the lad。
  Soc。   Pray;   my   son;   did   you   ever   hear   of   certain   people   being   called
  ungrateful?
  That I have (replied the young man)。
  Soc。 And have you understood what it is they do to get that bad name?
  Lamp。 Yes; I have: when any one has been kindly treated; and has it in
  his   power   to   requite   the   kindness   but   neglects   to   do   so;   men   call   him
  ungrateful。
  Soc。    And     you   admit    that   people     reckon    the   ungrateful     among
  wrongdoers?
  Lamp。 I do。
  Soc。 And has it ever struck you to inquire whether; as regards the right
  or wrong of it; ingratitude may not perhaps resemble some such conduct
  as the enslavement; say; of prisoners; which is accounted wrong towards
  friends but justifiable towards enemies?
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  Lamp。   Yes;   I   have   put   that   question   to   myself。   In   my   opinion;   no
  matter     who    confers     the   kindness;     friend   or   foe;  the   recipient    should
  endeavour to requite it; failing which he is a wrongdoer。
  Soc。   Then   if   that   is   how   the   matter   stands;   ingratitude   would   be   an
  instance of pure unadulterate wrongdoing?
  Lamprocles assented to the proposition。
  Soc。 It follows; then; that in proportion to the greatness of the benefit
  conferred; the greater his misdoing who fails to requite the kindness?
  Lamprocles again assented。
  Socrates   continued: And   where   can   we   hope   to   find   greater   benefits
  than    those    which     children    derive    from    their   parentstheir     father   and
  mother   who   brought   them   out   of   nothingness   into   being;   who   granted
  them to look upon all these fair sights; and to partake of all those blessings
  which the gods bestow on man; things so priceless in our eyes that one and
  all we shudder at the thought of leaving them; and states have made death
  the penalty for the greatest crimes; because there is no greater evil through
  fear of which to stay iniquity。
  You do not suppose that human beings produce children for the sake of
  carnal pleasure'1' merely; were this the motive; street and bordell are full
  of means to quit them of that   thrall; whereas nothing is plainer than   the
  pains we take to seek out wives who shall bear us the finest children。'2'
  With these we wed; and carry on the race。 The man has a twofold duty to
  perform:   partly  in   cherishing her   who   is to   raise   up   children   along   with
  him;  and   partly  towards   the   children   yet   unborn   in   providing   them  with
  things   that   he   thinks   will   contribute   to   their   well…beingand   of   these   as
  large    a  store   as  possible。     The   woman;      conceiving;      bears   her   precious
  burthen with travail and pain; and at the risk of life itselfsharing with that
  within   her   womb   the   food   on   which   she   herself   is   fed。 And   when   with
  much labour she has borne to the end and brought forth her offspring; she
  feeds it and watches over it with tender carenot in return for any good
  thing previously received; for indeed the babe itself is little conscious of
  its   benefactor   and   cannot   even   signify   its   wants;   only   she;   the   mother;
  making conjecture of what is good for it; and what will please it; essays to
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  satisfy it;'3' and for many months she feeds it night and day; enduring the
  toil nor recking what return she shall receive for all her trouble。 Nor does
  the care and kindness of parents end with nurture; but when the children
  seem   of   an   age   to   learn;   they   teach   them   themselves   whatever   cunning
  they  possess;   as   a   guide   to   life;   or   where   they  feel   that   another   is   more
  competent; to him they send them to be taught at their expense。 Thus they
  watch over their children; doing all in their power to enable them to grow
  up to be as good as possible。
  '1' Lit。 〃the joys of Aphrodite。〃
  '2'   〃For   the   procreation   of   children。〃   See   below;   IV。   iv。   22;   〃Pol。
  Lac。〃 i。
  '3' Lit。 〃to leave nought lacking。〃
  So be it (the youth answered); but even if she have done all that; and
  twenty times as much; no soul on earth could endure my mother's cross…
  grained temper。
  Then   Socrates:   Which;   think   you;   would   be   harder   to   beara   wild
  beast's savagery or a mother's?
  Lamp。 To m