poetics-第6部分

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　　In　speaking　of　a　tragedy　as　the　same　or　different；　the　best　test



to　take　is　the　plot。　Identity　exists　where　the　Complication　and



Unraveling　are　the　same。　Many　poets　tie　the　knot　well；　but　unravel



it　Both　arts；　however；　should　always　be　mastered。



　　Again；　the　poet　should　remember　what　has　been　often　said；　and　not



make　an　Epic　structure　into　a　tragedy…　by　an　Epic　structure　I　mean　one



with　a　multiplicity　of　plots…　as　if；　for　instance；　you　were　to　make



a　tragedy　out　of　the　entire　story　of　the　Iliad。　In　the　Epic　poem；



owing　to　its　length；　each　part　assumes　its　proper　magnitude。　In　the



drama　the　result　is　far　from　answering　to　the　poet's　expectation。



The　proof　is　that　the　poets　who　have　dramatized　the　whole　story　of　the



Fall　of　Troy；　instead　of　selecting　portions；　like　Euripides；　or　who



have　taken　the　whole　tale　of　Niobe；　and　not　a　part　of　her　story；



like　Aeschylus；　either　fail　utterly　or　meet　with　poor　success　on　the



stage。　Even　Agathon　has　been　known　to　fail　from　this　one　defect。　In



his　Reversals　of　the　Situation；　however；　he　shows　a　marvelous　skill　in



the　effort　to　hit　the　popular　taste…　to　produce　a　tragic　effect　that



satisfies　the　moral　sense。　This　effect　is　produced　when　the　clever



rogue；　like　Sisyphus；　is　outwitted；　or　the　brave　villain　defeated。



Such　an　event　is　probable　in　Agathon's　sense　of　the　word：　'is



probable；'　he　says；　'that　many　things　should　happen　contrary　to



probability。'



　　The　Chorus　too　should　be　regarded　as　one　of　the　actors；　it　should　be



an　integral　part　of　the　whole；　and　share　in　the　action；　in　the



manner　not　of　Euripides　but　of　Sophocles。　As　for　the　later　poets；



their　choral　songs　pertain　as　little　to　the　subject　of　the　piece　as　to



that　of　any　other　tragedy。　They　are；　therefore；　sung　as　mere



interludes…　a　practice　first　begun　by　Agathon。　Yet　what　difference



is　there　between　introducing　such　choral　interludes；　and



transferring　a　speech；　or　even　a　whole　act；　from　one　play　to　another。



POETICS｜19



　　XIX







　　It　remains　to　speak　of　Diction　and　Thought；　the　other　parts　of



Tragedy　having　been　already　discussed。　concerning　Thought；　we　may



assume　what　is　said　in　the　Rhetoric；　to　which　inquiry　the　subject　more



strictly　belongs。　Under　Thought　is　included　every　effect　which　has



to　be　produced　by　speech；　the　subdivisions　being：　proof　and



refutation；　the　excitation　of　the　feelings；　such　as　pity；　fear；　anger；



and　the　like；　the　suggestion　of　importance　or　its　opposite。　Now；　it　is



evident　that　the　dramatic　incidents　must　be　treated　from　the　same



points　of　view　as　the　dramatic　speeches；　when　the　object　is　to　evoke



the　sense　of　pity；　fear；　importance；　or　probability。　The　only



difference　is　that　the　incidents　should　speak　for　themselves　without



verbal　exposition；　while　effects　aimed　at　in　should　be　produced　by　the



speaker；　and　as　a　result　of　the　speech。　For　what　were　the　business



of　a　speaker；　if　the　Thought　were　revealed　quite　apart　from　what　he



says？



　　Next；　as　regards　Diction。　One　branch　of　the　inquiry　treats　of　the



Modes　of　Utterance。　But　this　province　of　knowledge　belongs　to　the



art　of　Delivery　and　to　the　masters　of　that　science。　It　includes；　for



instance…　what　is　a　command；　a　prayer；　a　statement；　a　threat；　a



question；　an　answer；　and　so　forth。　To　know　or　not　to　know　these　things



involves　no　serious　censure　upon　the　poet's　art。　For　who　can　admit　the



fault　imputed　to　Homer　by　Protagoras…　that　in　the　words；　'Sing；



goddess；　of　the　wrath；　he　gives　a　command　under　the　idea　that　he



utters　a　prayer？　For　to　tell　some　one　to　do　a　thing　or　not　to　do　it



is；　he　says；　a　command。　We　may；　therefore；　pass　this　over　as　an



inquiry　that　belongs　to　another　art；　not　to　poetry。



POETICS｜20



　　XX







　　Language　in　general　includes　the　following　parts：　Letter；



Syllable；　Connecting　Word；　Noun；　Verb；　Inflection　or　Case；　Sentence　or



Phrase。



　　A　Letter　is　an　indivisible　sound；　yet　not　every　such　sound；　but　only



one　which　can　form　part　of　a　group　of　sounds。　For　even　brutes　utter



indivisible　sounds；　none　of　which　I　call　a　letter。　The　sound　I　mean



may　be　either　a　vowel；　a　semivowel；　or　a　mute。　A　vowel　is　that　which



without　impact　of　tongue　or　lip　has　an　audible　sound。　A　semivowel　that



which　with　such　impact　has　an　audible　sound；　as　S　and　R。　A　mute；



that　which　with　such　impact　has　by　itself　no　sound；　but　joined　to　a



vowel　sound　becomes　audible；　as　G　and　D。　These　are　distinguished



according　to　the　form　assumed　by　the　mouth　and　the　place　where　they



are　produced；　according　as　they　are　aspirated　or　smooth；　long　or



short；　as　they　are　acute；　grave；　or　of　an　intermediate　tone；　which



inquiry　belongs　in　detail　to　the　writers　on　meter。



　　A　Syllable　is　a　nonsignificant　sound；　composed　of　a　mute　and　a



vowel：　for　GR　without　A　is　a　syllable；　as　also　with　A…　GRA。　But　the



investigation　of　these　differences　belongs　also　to　metrical　science。



　　A　Connecting　Word　is　a　nonsignificant　sound；　which　neither　causes



nor　hinders　the　union　of　many　sounds　into　one　significant　sound；　it



may　be　placed　at　either　end　or　in　the　middle　of　a　sentence。　Or；　a



nonsignificant　sound；　which　out　of　several　sounds；　each　of　them



significant；　is　capable　of　forming　one　significant　sound…　as　amphi；



peri；　and　the　like。　Or；　a　nonsignificant　sound；　which　marks　the



beginning；　end；　or　division　of　a　sentence；　such；　however；　that　it



cannot　correctly　stand　by　itself　at　the　beginning　of　a　sentence…　as



men；　etoi；　de。



　　A　Noun　is　a　composite　significant　sound；　not　marking　time；　of



which　no　part　is　in　itself　significant：　for　in　double　or　compound



words　we　do　not　employ　the　separate　parts　as　if　each　were　in　itself



significant。　Thus　in　Theodorus；　'god…given；'　the　doron　or　'gift'　is



not　in　itself　significant。



　　A　Verb　is　a　composite　significant　sound；　marking　time；　in　which；



as　in　the　noun；　no　part　is　in　itself　significant。　For　'man'　or　'white'



does　not　express　the　idea　of　'when'；　but　'he　walks'　or　'he　has　walked'



does　connote　time；　present　or　past。



　　Inflection　belongs　both　to　the　noun　and　verb；　and　expresses　either



the　relation　'of；'　'to；'　or　the　like；　or　that　of　number；　whether　one



or　many；　as　'man'　or　'men'；　or　the　modes　or　tones　in　actual



delivery；　e。g。；　a　question　or　a　command。　'Did　he　go？'　and　'go'　are



verbal　inflections　of　this　kind。



　　A　Sentence　or　Phrase　is　a　composite　significant　sound；　some　at　least



of　whose　parts　are　in　themselves　significant；　for　not　every　such　group



of　words　consists　of　verbs　and　nouns…　'the　definition　of　man；'　for



example…　but　it　may　dispense　even　with　the　verb。　Still　it　will



always　have　some　significant　part；　as　'in　walking；'　or　'Cleon　son　of



Cleon。'　A　sentence　or　phrase　may　form　a　unity　in　two　ways…　either　as



signifying　one　thing；　or　as　consisting　of　several　parts　linked



together。　Thus　the　Iliad　is　one　by　the　linking　together　of　parts；



the　definition　of　man　by　the　unity　of　the　thing　signified。



POETICS｜21



　　XXI







　　Words　are　of　two　kinds；　simple　and　double。　By　simple　I　mean　those



composed　of　nonsignificant　elements；　such　as　ge；　'earth。'　By　double　or



compound；　those　composed　either　of　a　significant　and　nonsignificant



element　（though　within　the　whole　word　no　element　is　significant）；　or



of　elements　that　are　both　significant。　A　word　may　likewise　be



triple；　quadruple；　or　multiple　in　form；　like　so　many　Massilian



expressions；　e。g。；　'Hermo…caico…xanthus　＇who　prayed　to　Father　Zeus＇。'



　　Every　word　is　either　current；　or　strange；　or　metaphorical；　or



ornamental；　or　newly…coined；　or　lengthened；　or　contracted；　or　altered。



　　By　a　current　or　proper　word　I　mean　one　which　is　in　general　use　among



a　people；　by　a　strange　word；　one　which　is　in　use　in　another　country。



Plainly；　therefore；　the　same　word　may　be　at　once　strange　and



current；　but　not　in　relation　to　the　same　people。　The　word　sigynon；



'lance；'　is　to　the　Cyprians　a　current　term　but　to　us　a　strange　one。



　　Metaphor　is　the　application　of　an　alien　name　by　transference



either　from　genus　to　species；　or　from　species　to　genus；　or　from



species　to　species；　or　by　analogy；　that　is；　proportion。　Thus　from



genus　to　species；　as：　'There　lies　my　ship'；　for　lying　at　anchor　is　a



species　of　lying。　From　species　to　genus；　as：　'Verily　ten　thousand



noble　deeds　hath　Odysseus　wrought'；　for　ten　thousand　is　a　species　of



large　number；　and　is　here　used　for　a　large　number　generally。　From



species　to　species；　as：　'With　blade　of　bronze　drew　away　the　life；'　and



'Cleft　the　water　with　the　vessel　of　unyielding　bronze。'　Here　arusai；



'to　draw　away'　is　used　for　tamein；　'to　cleave；'　and　tamein；　again



for　arusai…　each　being　a　species　of　taking　away。　Analogy　or　proportion



is　when　the　second　term　is　to　the　first　as　the　fourth　to　the　third。　We



may　then　use　the　fourth　for　the　second；　or　the　second　for　the



fourth。　Sometimes　too　we　qualify　the　metaphor　by　adding　the　term　to



which　the　proper　word　is　relative。　Thus　the　cup　is　to　Dionysus　as



the　shield　to　Ares。　The　cup　may；　therefore；　be　called　'the　shield　of



Dionysus；'　and　the　shield　'the　cup　of　Ares。'　Or；　again；　as　old　age



is　to　life；　so　is　evening　to　day。　Evening　may　therefore　be　called；



'the　old　age　of　the　day；'　and　old　age；　'the　evening　of　life；'　or；　in



the　phrase　of　Empedocles；　'life's　setting　sun。'　For　some　of　the



terms　of　the　proportion　there　is　at　times　no　word　in　existence；



still　the　metaphor　may　be　used。　For　instance；　to　scatter　seed　is



called　sowing：　but　the　action　of　the　sun　in　scattering　his　rays　is



nameless。　Still　this　process　bears　to　the　sun　the　same　relation　as



sowing　to　the　seed。　Hence　the　expression　of　the　poet　'sowing　the



god…created　light。'　There　is　another　way　in　which　this　kind　of



metaphor　may　be　employed。　We　may　apply　an　alien　term；　and　then　deny　of



that　term　one　of　its　proper　attr