cratylus-第5部分

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esia；　which　is　an　old　form　of　ousia；　and　means　the　first　principle　of

things：　　this　agrees　with　the　fact　that　to　Hestia　the　first　sacrifices　are

offered。　　There　is　also　another　readingosia；　which　implies　that　'pushing'

（othoun）　is　the　first　principle　of　all　things。　　And　here　I　seem　to　discover

a　delicate　allusion　to　the　flux　of　Heracleitusthat　antediluvian

philosopher　who　cannot　walk　twice　in　the　same　stream；　and　this　flux　of　his

may　accomplish　yet　greater　marvels。　　For　the　names　Cronos　and　Rhea　cannot

have　been　accidental；　the　giver　of　them　must　have　known　something　about　the

doctrine　of　Heracleitus。　　Moreover；　there　is　a　remarkable　coincidence　in

the　words　of　Hesiod；　when　he　speaks　of　Oceanus；　'the　origin　of　Gods；'　and

in　the　verse　of　Orpheus；　in　which　he　describes　Oceanus　espousing　his　sister

Tethys。　　Tethys　is　nothing　more　than　the　name　of　a　springto　diattomenon

kai　ethoumenon。　　Poseidon　is　posidesmos；　the　chain　of　the　feet；　because　you

cannot　walk　on　the　seathe　epsilon　is　inserted　by　way　of　ornament；　or

perhaps　the　name　may　have　been　originally　polleidon；　meaning；　that　the　God

knew　many　things　（polla　eidos）：　　he　may　also　be　the　shaker；　apo　tou

seiein；in　this　case；　pi　and　delta　have　been　added。　　Pluto　is　connected

with　ploutos；　because　wealth　comes　out　of　the　earth；　or　the　word　may　be　a

euphemism　for　Hades；　which　is　usually　derived　apo　tou　aeidous；　because　the

God　is　concerned　with　the　invisible。　　But　the　name　Hades　was　really　given

him　from　his　knowing　（eidenai）　all　good　things。　　Men　in　general　are

foolishly　afraid　of　him；　and　talk　with　horror　of　the　world　below　from　which

no　one　may　return。　　The　reason　why　his　subjects　never　wish　to　come　back；

even　if　they　could；　is　that　the　God　enchains　them　by　the　strongest　of

spells；　namely　by　the　desire　of　virtue；　which　they　hope　to　obtain　by

constant　association　with　him。　　He　is　the　perfect　and　accomplished　Sophist

and　the　great　benefactor　of　the　other　world；　for　he　has　much　more　than　he

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　being　inserted　for　the　sake　of　euphony。　　This　is　a　great

mystery　which　has　been　confided　to　me；　but　when　I　ask　for　an　explanation　I

am　thought　obtrusive；　and　another　derivation　is　proposed　to　me。　　Justice　is

said　to　be　o　kaion；　or　the　sun；　and　when　I　joyfully　repeat　this　beautiful

notion；　I　am　answered；　'What；　is　there　no　justice　when　the　sun　is　down？'　

And　when　I　entreat　my　questioner　to　tell　me　his　own　opinion；　he　replies；

that　justice　is　fire　in　the　abstract；　or　heat　in　the　abstract；　which　is　not

very　intelligible。　　Others　laugh　at　such　notions；　and　say　with　Anaxagoras；

that　justice　is　the　ordering　mind。　　'I　think　that　some　one　must　have　told

you　this。'　　And　not　the　rest？　　Let　me　proceed　then；　in　the　hope　of　proving

to　you　my　originality。　　Andreia　is　quasi　anpeia　quasi　e　ano　roe；　the　stream

which　flows　upwards；　and　is　opposed　to　injustice；　which　clearly　hinders　the

principle　of　penetration；　arren　and　aner　have　a　similar　derivation；　gune　is

the　same　as　gone；　thelu　is　deriv