poetics-第7部分

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



that　term　one　of　its　proper　attributes；　as　if　we　were　to　call　the



shield；　not　'the　cup　of　Ares；'　but　'the　wineless　cup'。



　　A　newly…coined　word　is　one　which　has　never　been　even　in　local　use；



but　is　adopted　by　the　poet　himself。　Some　such　words　there　appear　to



be：　as　ernyges；　'sprouters；'　for　kerata；　'horns'；　and　areter；



'supplicator'；　for　hiereus；　'priest。'



　　A　word　is　lengthened　when　its　own　vowel　is　exchanged　for　a　longer



one；　or　when　a　syllable　is　inserted。　A　word　is　contracted　when　some



part　of　it　is　removed。　Instances　of　lengthening　are：　poleos　for



poleos；　Peleiadeo　for　Peleidou；　of　contraction：　kri；　do；　and　ops；　as



in　mia　ginetai　amphoteron　ops；　'the　appearance　of　both　is　one。'



　　An　altered　word　is　one　in　which　part　of　the　ordinary　form　is　left



unchanged；　and　part　is　recast：　as　in　dexiteron　kata　mazon；　'on　the



right　breast；'　dexiteron　is　for　dexion。



　　Nouns　in　themselves　are　either　masculine；　feminine；　or　neuter。



Masculine　are　such　as　end　in　N；　R；　S；　or　in　some　letter　compounded



with　S…　these　being　two；　PS　and　X。　Feminine；　such　as　end　in　vowels



that　are　always　long；　namely　E　and　O；　and…　of　vowels　that　admit　of



lengthening…　those　in　A。　Thus　the　number　of　letters　in　which　nouns



masculine　and　feminine　end　is　the　same；　for　PS　and　X　are　equivalent　to



endings　in　S。　No　noun　ends　in　a　mute　or　a　vowel　short　by　nature。　Three



only　end　in　I…　meli；　'honey'；　kommi；　'gum'；　peperi；　'pepper'；　five　end



in　U。　Neuter　nouns　end　in　these　two　latter　vowels；　also　in　N　and　S。



POETICS｜22



　　XXII







　　The　perfection　of　style　is　to　be　clear　without　being　mean。　The



clearest　style　is　that　which　uses　only　current　or　proper　words；　at　the



same　time　it　is　mean…　witness　the　poetry　of　Cleophon　and　of　Sthenelus。



That　diction；　on　the　other　hand；　is　lofty　and　raised　above　the



commonplace　which　employs　unusual　words。　By　unusual；　I　mean　strange



（or　rare）　words；　metaphorical；　lengthened…　anything；　in　short；　that



differs　from　the　normal　idiom。　Yet　a　style　wholly　composed　of　such



words　is　either　a　riddle　or　a　jargon；　a　riddle；　if　it　consists　of



metaphors；　a　jargon；　if　it　consists　of　strange　（or　rare）　words。　For



the　essence　of　a　riddle　is　to　express　true　facts　under　impossible



combinations。　Now　this　cannot　be　done　　by　any　arrangement　of



ordinary　words；　but　by　the　use　of　metaphor　it　can。　Such　is　the　riddle：



'A　man　I　saw　who　on　another　man　had　glued　the　bronze　by　aid　of



fire；'　and　others　of　the　same　kind。　A　diction　that　is　made　up　of



strange　（or　rare）　terms　is　a　jargon。　A　certain　infusion；　therefore；　of



these　elements　is　necessary　to　style；　for　the　strange　（or　rare）



word；　the　metaphorical；　the　ornamental；　and　the　other　kinds　above



mentioned；　will　raise　it　above　the　commonplace　and　mean；　while　the　use



of　proper　words　will　make　it　perspicuous。　But　nothing　contributes　more



to　produce　a　cleanness　of　diction　that　is　remote　from　commonness



than　the　lengthening；　contraction；　and　alteration　of　words。　For　by



deviating　in　exceptional　cases　from　the　normal　idiom；　the　language



will　gain　distinction；　while；　at　the　same　time；　the　partial　conformity



with　usage　will　give　perspicuity。　The　critics；　therefore；　are　in　error



who　censure　these　licenses　of　speech；　and　hold　the　author　up　to



ridicule。　Thus　Eucleides；　the　elder；　declared　that　it　would　be　an　easy



matter　to　be　a　poet　if　you　might　lengthen　syllables　at　will。　He



caricatured　the　practice　in　the　very　form　of　his　diction；　as　in　the



verse：







　　　　　Epicharen　eidon　Marathonade　badizonta；



　　　　　I　saw　Epichares　walking　to　Marathon；







or；







　　　　　ouk　an　g'eramenos　ton　ekeinou　elleboron。



　　　　　Not　if　you　desire　his　hellebore。







To　employ　such　license　at　all　obtrusively　is；　no　doubt；　grotesque；　but



in　any　mode　of　poetic　diction　there　must　be　moderation。　Even



metaphors；　strange　（or　rare）　words；　or　any　similar　forms　of　speech；



would　produce　the　like　effect　if　used　without　propriety　and　with　the



express　purpose　of　being　ludicrous。　How　great　a　difference　is　made



by　the　appropriate　use　of　lengthening；　may　be　seen　in　Epic　poetry　by



the　insertion　of　ordinary　forms　in　the　verse。　So；　again；　if　we　take



a　strange　（or　rare）　word；　a　metaphor；　or　any　similar　mode　of



expression；　and　replace　it　by　the　current　or　proper　term；　the　truth　of



our　observation　will　be　manifest。　For　example；　Aeschylus　and　Euripides



each　composed　the　same　iambic　line。　But　the　alteration　of　a　single



word　by　Euripides；　who　employed　the　rarer　term　instead　of　the　ordinary



one；　makes　one　verse　appear　beautiful　and　the　other　trivial。　Aeschylus



in　his　Philoctetes　says：







　　　　　phagedaina　d'he　mou　sarkas　esthiei　podos。



　　　　　The　tumor　which　is　eating　the　flesh　of　my　foot。







Euripides　substitutes　thoinatai；　'feasts　on；'　for　esthiei；　'feeds　on。'



Again；　in　the　line；







　　　　　nun　de　m'eon　oligos　te　kai　outidanos　kai　aeikes；



　　　　　Yet　a　small　man；　worthless　and　unseemly；







the　difference　will　be　felt　if　we　substitute　the　common　words；







　　　　　nun　de　m'eon　mikros　te　kai　asthenikos　kai　aeides。



　　　　　Yet　a　little　fellow；　weak　and　ugly。







Or；　if　for　the　line；







　　　　　diphron　aeikelion　katatheis　oligen　te　trapezan；



　　　　　Setting　an　unseemly　couch　and　a　meager　table；







we　read；







　　　　　diphron　mochtheron　katatheis　mikran　te　trapezan。



　　　　　Setting　a　wretched　couch　and　a　puny　table。







Or；　for　eiones　booosin；　'the　sea　shores　roar；'　eiones　krazousin；



'the　sea　shores　screech。'



　　Again；　Ariphrades　ridiculed　the　tragedians　for　using　phrases　which



no　one　would　employ　in　ordinary　speech：　for　example；　domaton　apo；



'from　the　house　away；'　instead　of　apo　domaton；　'away　from　the



house；'　sethen；　ego　de　nin；　'to　thee；　and　I　to　him；'　Achilleos　peri；



'Achilles　about；'　instead　of　peri　Achilleos；　'about　Achilles；'　and　the



like。　It　is　precisely　because　such　phrases　are　not　part　of　the　current



idiom　that　they　give　distinction　to　the　style。　This；　however；　he



failed　to　see。



　　It　is　a　great　matter　to　observe　propriety　in　these　several　modes



of　expression；　as　also　in　compound　words；　strange　（or　rare）　words；　and



so　forth。　But　the　greatest　thing　by　far　is　to　have　a　command　of



metaphor。　This　alone　cannot　be　imparted　by　another；　it　is　the　mark



of　genius；　for　to　make　good　metaphors　implies　an　eye　for　resemblances。



　　Of　the　various　kinds　of　words；　the　compound　are　best　adapted　to



dithyrambs；　rare　words　to　heroic　poetry；　metaphors　to　iambic。　In



heroic　poetry；　indeed；　all　these　varieties　are　serviceable。　But　in



iambic　verse；　which　reproduces；　as　far　as　may　be；　familiar　speech；　the



most　appropriate　words　are　those　which　are　found　even　in　prose。



These　are　the　current　or　proper；　the　metaphorical；　the　ornamental。



　　Concerning　Tragedy　and　imitation　by　means　of　action　this　may



suffice。



POETICS｜23



　　XXIII







　　As　to　that　poetic　imitation　which　is　narrative　in　form　and　employs　a



single　meter；　the　plot　manifestly　ought；　as　in　a　tragedy；　to　be



constructed　on　dramatic　principles。　It　should　have　for　its　subject　a



single　action；　whole　and　complete；　with　a　beginning；　a　middle；　and



an　end。　It　will　thus　resemble　a　living　organism　in　all　its　unity；



and　produce　the　pleasure　proper　to　it。　It　will　differ　in　structure



from　historical　compositions；　which　of　necessity　present　not　a



single　action；　but　a　single　period；　and　all　that　happened　within



that　period　to　one　person　or　to　many；　little　connected　together　as　the



events　may　be。　For　as　the　sea…fight　at　Salamis　and　the　battle　with　the



Carthaginians　in　Sicily　took　place　at　the　same　time；　but　did　not



tend　to　any　one　result；　so　in　the　sequence　of　events；　one　thing



sometimes　follows　another；　and　yet　no　single　result　is　thereby



produced。　Such　is　the　practice；　we　may　say；　of　most　poets。　Here　again；



then；　as　has　been　already　observed；　the　transcendent　excellence　of



Homer　is　manifest。　He　never　attempts　to　make　the　whole　war　of　Troy　the



subject　of　his　poem；　though　that　war　had　a　beginning　and　an　end。　It



would　have　been　too　vast　a　theme；　and　not　easily　embraced　in　a



single　view。　If；　again；　he　had　kept　it　within　moderate　limits；　it　must



have　been　over…complicated　by　the　variety　of　the　incidents。　As　it



is；　he　detaches　a　single　portion；　and　admits　as　episodes　many　events



from　the　general　story　of　the　war…　such　as　the　Catalogue　of　the



ships　and　others…　thus　diversifying　the　poem。　All　other　poets　take　a



single　hero；　a　single　period；　or　an　action　single　indeed；　but　with　a



multiplicity　of　parts。　Thus　did　the　author　of　the　Cypria　and　of　the



Little　Iliad。　For　this　reason　the　Iliad　and　the　Odyssey　each　furnish



the　subject　of　one　tragedy；　or；　at　most；　of　two；　while　the　Cypria



supplies　materials　for　many；　and　the　Little　Iliad　for　eight…　the　Award



of　the　Arms；　the　Philoctetes；　the　Neoptolemus；　the　Eurypylus；　the



Mendicant　Odysseus；　the　Laconian　Women；　the　Fall　of　Ilium；　the



Departure　of　the　Fleet。



POETICS｜24



　　XXIV







　　Again；　Epic　poetry　must　have　as　many　kinds　as　Tragedy：　it　must　be



simple；　or　complex；　or　'ethical；'or　'pathetic。'　The　parts　also；　with



the　exception　of　song　and　spectacle；　are　the　same；　for　it　requires



Reversals　of　the　Situation；　Recognitions；　and　Scenes　of　Suffering。



Moreover；　the　thoughts　and　the　diction　must　be　artistic。　In　all



these　respects　Homer　is　our　earliest　and　sufficient　model。　Indeed　each



of　his　poems　has　a　twofold　character。　The　Iliad　is　at　once　simple



and　'pathetic；'　and　the　Odyssey　complex　（for　Recognition　scenes　run



through　it）；　and　at　the　same　time　'ethical。'　Moreover；　in　diction



and　thought　they　are　supreme。



　　Epic　poetry　differs　from　Tragedy　in　the　scale　on　which　it　is



constructed；　and　in　its　meter。　As　regards　scale