第 11 节
作者:这就是结局      更新:2021-02-20 14:15      字数:9322
  time to teach them what is lawful against our enemies。 For at your age
  we do not believe you will break out into savagery against your
  fellows with whom you have been knit together since childhood in ties
  of friendship and respect。 In the same way we do not talk to the young
  about the mysteries of love; for if lightness were added to desire;
  their passion might sweep them beyond all bounds。〃
  '35' 〃Then in heaven's name; father;〃 said Cyrus; 〃remember that your
  son is but a backward scholar and a late learner in this lore of
  selfishness; and teach me all you can that may help me to overreach
  the foe。〃
  〃Well;〃 said the father; 〃you must plot and you must plan; whatever
  the size of his force and your own; to catch his men in disorder when
  yours are all arrayed; unarmed when yours are armed; asleep when yours
  are awake; or you must wait till he is visible to you and you
  invisible to him; or till he is labouring over heavy ground and you
  are in your fortress and can give him welcome there。〃
  '36' 〃But how;〃 asked Cyrus; 〃can I catch him in all these blunders?〃
  〃Simply because both you and he are bound to be often in some such
  case; both of you must take your meals sometime; both of you must
  sleep; your men must scatter in the morning to satisfy the needs of
  nature; and; for better for worse; whatever the roads are like; you
  will be forced to make use of them。 All these necessities you must lay
  to heart; and wherever you are weaker; there you must be most on your
  guard; and wherever your foe is most assailable; there you must press
  the attack。〃
  '37' Then Cyrus asked; 〃And are these the only cases where one can
  apply the great principle of greed; or are there others?〃
  〃Oh; yes; there are many more; indeed in these simple cases any
  general will be sure to keep good watch; knowing how necessary it is。
  But your true cheat and prince of swindlers is he who can lure the
  enemy on and throw him off his guard; suffer himself to be pursued and
  get the pursuers into disorder; lead the foe into difficult ground and
  then attack him there。 '38' Indeed; as an ardent student; you must not
  confine yourself to the lessons you have learnt; you must show
  yourself a creator and discoverer; you must invent stratagems against
  the foe; just as a real musician is not content with the mere elements
  of his art; but sets himself to compose new themes。 And if in music it
  is the novel melody; the flower…like freshness; that wins popularity;
  still more in military matters it is the newest contrivance that
  stands the highest; for the simple reason that such will give you the
  best chance of outwitting your opponent。 '39' And yet; my son; I must
  say that if you did no more than apply against human beings the
  devices you learnt to use against the smallest game; you would have
  made considerable progress in this art of overreaching。 Do you not
  think so yourself? Why; to snare birds you would get up by night in
  the depth of winter and tramp off in the cold; your nets were laid
  before the creatures were astir; and your tracks completely covered
  and you actually had birds of your own; trained to serve you and decoy
  their kith and kin; while you yourself lay in some hiding…place;
  seeing yet unseen; and you had learnt by long practice to jerk in the
  net before the birds could fly away。 '40' Or you might be out after
  hares; and for a hare you had two breeds of dogs; one to track her out
  by scent; because she feeds in the dusk and takes to her form by day;
  and another to cut off her escape and run her down; because she is so
  swift。 And even if she escaped these; she did not escape you; you had
  all her runs by heart and knew all her hiding…places; and there you
  would spread your nets; so that they were scarcely to be seen; and the
  very haste of her flight would fling her into the snare。 And to make
  sure of her you had men placed on the spot to keep a look…out; and
  pounce on her at once。 And there were you at her heels; shouting and
  scaring her out of her wits; so that she was caught from sheer terror;
  and there lay your men; as you had taught them; silent and motionless
  in their ambuscade。 '41' I say; therefore; that if you chose to act
  like this against human beings; you would soon have no enemies left to
  fight; or I am much mistaken。 And even if; as well may be; the
  necessity should arise for you to do battle on equal terms in open
  field; even so; my son; there will still be power in those arts which
  you have studied so long and which teach you to out…villain villainy。
  And among them I include all that has served to train the bodies and
  fire the courage of your men; all that has made them adepts in every
  craft of war。 One thing you must ever bear in mind: if you wish your
  men to follow you; remember that they expect you to plan for them。
  '42' Hence you must never know a careless mood; if it be night; you
  must consider what your troops shall do when it is day; if day; how
  the night had best be spent。 '43' For the rest; you do not need me to
  tell you now how you should draw up your troops or conduct your march
  by day or night; along broad roads or narrow lanes; over hills or
  level ground; or how you should encamp and post your pickets; or
  advance into battle or retreat before the foe; or march past a hostile
  city; or attack a fortress or retire from it; or cross a river or pass
  through a defile; or guard against a charge of cavalry or an attack
  from lancers or archers; or what you should do if the enemy comes into
  sight when you are marching in column and how you are to take up
  position against him; or how deploy into action if you are in line and
  he takes you in flank or rear; and how you are to learn all you can
  about his movements; while keeping your own as secret as may be; these
  are matters on which you need no further word of mine; all that I know
  about them you have heard a hundred times; and I am sure you have not
  neglected any other authority on whom you thought you could rely。 You
  know all their theories; and you must apply them now; I take it;
  according to circumstances and your need。 '44' But;〃 he added; 〃there
  is one lesson that I would fain impress on you; and it is the greatest
  of them all。 Observe the sacrifices and pay heed to the omens; when
  they are against you; never risk your army or yourself; for you must
  remember that men undertake enterprises on the strength of probability
  alone and without any real knowledge as to what will bring them
  happiness。 '45' You may learn this from all life and all history。 How
  often have cities allowed themselves to be persuaded into war; and
  that by advisers who were thought the wisest of men; and then been
  utterly destroyed by those whom they attacked! How often have
  statesmen helped to raise a city or a leader to power; and then
  suffered the worst at the hands of those whom they exalted! And many
  who could have treated others as friends and equals; giving and
  receiving kindnesses; have chosen to use them as slaves; and then paid
  the penalty at their hands; and many; not content to enjoy their own
  share of good; have been swept on by the craving to master all; and
  thereby lost everything that they once possessed; and many have won
  the very wealth they prayed for and through it have found destruction。
  '46' So little does human wisdom know how to choose the best; helpless
  as a man who could but draw lots to see what he should do。 But the
  gods; my son; who live for ever; they know all things; the things that
  have been and the things that are and the things that are to be; and
  all that shall come from these; and to us mortals who ask their
  counsel and whom they love they will show signs; to tell us what we
  should do and what we should leave undone。 Nor must we think it
  strange if the gods will not vouchsafe their wisdom to all men
  equally; no compulsion is laid on them to care for men; unless it be
  their will。〃
  NOTES
  'This work concludes the translation of Xenophon undertaken by Mr。
  Dakyns。 (〃The Works of Xenophon;〃 with maps; introductions; and notes;
  Vols。 I。…III。; Macmillan。) From references in the earlier vols。 (e。g。
  Vol。 I。 pp。 lvii。; lxx。; xc。; cxiii。; cxxxi。; Vol。 III。 Part I。 pp。
  v。…vii。) it is plain the translator considered that the historical
  romance of the /Cyropaedia/ was written in Xenophon's old age
  (completed /circa/ 365 B。C。) embodying many of his own experiences and
  his maturest thoughts on education; on government; on the type of man;
  a rare type; alone fitted for leadership。 The figure of his hero;
  Cyrus the Great; the founder of the Persian empire; known to him by
  story and legend; is modelled on the Spartan king Agesilaus; whom he
  loved and admired; and under whom he served in Persia and in Greece
  (op。 cit。 Vol。 II。; see under /Agesilaus/; Index; and /Hellenica/;
  Bks。 III。…V。 /Agesilaus/; /an Encomium/; passim)。 Certain traits are
  also taken from the younger Cyrus; whom Xenophon followed in his
  famous march against his brother; the Persian king; up from the coast
  of Asia Minor into the heart of Babylonia (see the /Anabasis/; Bk。 I。;
  especially c。 ix。; op。 cit。 Vol。 I。 p。 109)。 Clearly; moreover; many
  of the customs and institutions des