第 36 节
作者:      更新:2021-02-18 23:31      字数:9322
  make surrender of yourself with heart and soul。 The secret of true love I
  am sure   you   know: not to   love softly  merely;  but devotedly。'14' And   of
  this too I am sure: you can convince your lovers of your fondness for them
  not by lip phrases; but by acts of love。
  '11' Or; 〃right well woven。〃
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  '12' Lit。 〃by which you understand。〃
  '13' Or; 〃with what smiles to lie in wait for (cf。 'Cyrop。' II。 iv。                20;
  Herod。 vi。  104)   the   devoted   admirer;  and   how   to   banish   from           your
  presence the voluptary。〃
  '14' Or; 〃that it should be simply soft; but full of tender goodwill。〃
  Theod。 No; upon my word; I have none of these devices。
  Soc。    And    yet  it  makes   all  the  difference    whether     you   approach     a
  human being in the natural and true way; since it is not by force certainly
  that you can either catch or keep a friend。 Kindness and pleasure are the
  only means to capture this fearful wild…fowl man and keep him constant。
  Theod。 You are right。
  Soc。 In the first place you must make such demands only of your well…
  wisher as he can grant without repentance; and in the next place you must
  make requital; dispensing your favours with a like economy。 Thus you will
  best   make   friends   whose   love   shall   last   the   longest   and   their   generosity
  know no stint。'15' And for your favours you will best win your friends if
  you suit your largess to their penury; for; mark you; the sweetest viands
  presented to a man before he wants them are apt to prove insipid; or; to
  one already sated; even nauseous; but create hunger; and even coarser stuff
  seems honey…sweet。
  '15'   Or;   〃This   is   the   right   road   to   friendshippermanent   and   open…
  handed friendship。〃
  Theod。 How then shall I create this hunger in the heart of my friends?
  Soc。 In the first place you must not offer or make suggestion of your
  dainties to jaded appetites until satiety has ceased and starvation cries for
  alms。 Even then shall you make but a faint suggestion to their want; with
  modest converselike one who would fain bestow a kindness 。 。 。 and lo!
  the vision fades and she is goneuntil   the very pinch of hunger; for  the
  same   gifts   have   then   a   value   unknown   before   the   moment   of   supreme
  desire。
  Then Theodote: Oh why; Socrates; why are you not by my side (like
  the huntsman's assistant) to help me catch my friends and lovers?
  Soc。 That will I be in good sooth if only you can woo and win me。
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  Theod。 How shall I woo and win you?
  Soc。 Seek and you will find means; if you truly need me。
  Theod。 Come then in hither and visit me often。
  And Socrates; poking sly fun at his own lack of business occupation;
  answered:   Nay; Theodote;  leisure   is   not   a   commodity  in   which   I   largely
  deal。 I have a hundred affairs of my own too; private or public; to occupy
  me; and then there are my lady…loves; my dear friends; who will not suffer
  me day or night to leave them; for ever studying to learn love…charms and
  incantations at my lips。
  Theod。 Why; are you really versed in those things; Socrates?
  Soc。 Of course; or else how is it; do you suppose; that Apollodorus'16'
  here   and Antisthenes   never   leave   me;   or   why   have   Cebes   and   Simmias
  come all the way from Thebes to stay with me? Be assured these things
  cannot   happen   without   diverse   love…charms   and   incantations   and   magic
  wheels。
  '16' For Apollodorus see 〃Apol。〃 28; Plat。 〃Symp。〃 172 A; 〃Phaed。〃
  59        A; 117 D。 For Antisthenes see above。 For Cebes and Simmias see
  above; I。 ii。 48; Plat。 〃Crit。〃 45 B; 〃Phaed。〃 passim。
  Theod。 I wish you would lend me your magic…wheel;'17' then; and I
  will set it spinning first of all for you。
  '17' Cf。 Theocr。 ii。 17; Schneider ad loc。
  Soc。 Ah! but I do not wish to be drawn to you。 I wish you to come to
  me。
  Theod。 Then I will come。 Only; will you be 〃at home〃 to me?
  Soc。 Yes; I will welcome   you; unless some one still dearer holds me
  engaged; and I must needs be 〃not at home。〃
  XII
  Seeing one of those who were with him; a young man; but feeble of
  body; named Epigenes;'1' he addressed him。
  '1'   Epigenes;   possibly   the   son   of Antiphon。   See   Plat。   〃Apol。〃   33   E;
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  〃Phaed。〃 59 B。
  Soc。 You   have   not   the   athletic   appearance   of   a   youth   in   training;'2'
  Epigenes。
  '2'  {idiotikos};  lit。  of   the   person   untrained   in   gymnastics。  See A。   R。
  Cluer ad loc。 Cf。 Plat。 〃Laws;〃 839 E; I。 ii。 4; III。 v。 15;                      〃Symp。〃 ii。
  17。
  And he: That may well be; seeing I am an amateur and not in training。
  Soc。 As little of an amateur; I take it; as any one who ever entered the
  lists of Olympia; unless you are prepared to make light of that contest for
  life   and   death   against   the   public   foe   which   the   Athenians   will   institute
  when the day comes。'3' And yet they are not a few who; owing to a bad
  habit   of   body;   either   perish   outright   in   the   perils   of   war;   or   are   ignobly
  saved。 Many are they who for the self…same cause are taken prisoners; and
  being taken must; if it so betide; endure the pains of slavery for the rest of
  their days; or; after falling into dolorous straits;'4' when they have paid to
  the uttermost   farthing of   all;  or   may  be   more   than the   worth   of   all;   that
  they   possess;   must   drag   on   a   miserable   existence   in   want   of   the   barest
  necessaries until death release them。 Many also are they who gain an evil
  repute through infirmity of body; being thought to play the coward。 Can it
  be that you despise these penalties affixed to an evil habit? Do you think
  you could lightly endure them? Far lighter; I imagine; nay; pleasant even
  by comparison; are the toils which he will undergo who duly cultivates a
  healthy bodily condition。 Or do you maintain that the evil habit is healthier;
  and   in   general   more   useful   than   the  good?   Do   you   pour   contempt   upon
  those    blessings     which    flow    from   the   healthy   state?    And     yet  the   very
  opposite of that which befalls the ill attends the sound condition。 Does not
  the   very   soundness   imply   at   once   health   and   strength?'5'   Many   a   man
  with   no   other  talisman   than this   has   passed   safely  through   the ordeal   of
  war;   stepping;   not   without   dignity;'6'   through   all   its   horrors   unscathed。
  Many with no other support than this have come to the rescue of friends;
  or    stood   forth   as   benefactors     of   their  fatherland;     whereby      they   were
  thought worthy of gratitude; and obtained a great renown and received as a
  recompense the highest honours of the State; to whom is also reserved a
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  happier and brighter   passage through   what is  left to them of   life; and   at
  their death they leave to their children the legacy of a fairer starting…point
  in the race of life。
  '3'   Or;   〃should   chance   betide。〃   Is   the   author   thinking   of   a   life…and…
  death struggle with Thebes?
  '4' e。g。 the prisoners in the Latomiae。 Thuc。 vii。 87。
  '5'   It  is  almost    a  proverb〃Sound        of   body    and   limb    is  hale  and
  strong。〃 〃Qui valet praevalebit。〃
  '6'   e。g。   Socrates   himself;   according   to Alcibiades;   ap。   Plat。   〃Symp。〃
  221     B;   and   for   the  word     {euskhemonos}         see   Arist。   〃Wasps;〃      1210;
  〃like a gentleman〃; L。 and S。; 〃Cyr。〃 I。 iii。 8; Aristot。 〃Eth。                     N。〃 i。 10;
  13; 〃gracefully。〃
  Because our city does not practise military training in public;'7' that is
  no reason for neglecting it in private; but rather a reason for making it a
  foremost care。 For be you assured that there is no contest of any sort; nor
  any transaction; in which you will be the worse off for being well prepared
  in body; and in fact there is nothing which men do for which the body is
  not a help。 In every demand; therefore; which can be laid upon the body it
  is much better  that it   should be in the  best condition; since; even   where
  you might imagine the claims upon