HODOI ELEKTRONIKAI
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DION CHRYSOSTOME, Sur la royauté (discours 3; traduction anglaise)

Paragraphes 65-69

  Paragraphes 65-69

[3,65] μόνῳ δὲ ἐκείνῳ τῆς μὲν νυκτὸς ἧττον ἔξεστι καθυπνῶσαι τοῖς νηχομένοις· ἡμέρας δὲ εἴ πού τι βραχὺ κλέψειε τοῦ ὕπνου, καὶ τοῦτο μετέωρον καὶ ἀμφίβολον, ὡς ἀναβοᾶν πολλάκις τὸ ἱστίον στέλλειν παράγειν τὸ πηδάλιον ἄλλο τι τῶν ναυτικῶν· ὥστε καὶ κοιμώμενος ἐκεῖνος μᾶλλον ἐπιμελεῖται τῆς νεὼς τῶν ἄλλων οἱ σφόδρα ἐγρηγορότες. (66) ἔν γε μὴν τῷ στρατεύεσθαι τῶν μὲν στρατιωτῶν ἕκαστος αὑτῷ μόνῳ ἐπιμελεῖται καὶ ὅπλων καὶ τροφῆς, καὶ ταῦτα οὐ πορίζων, ἀλλ´ ἕτοιμα ἀξιῶν ἔχειν· μόνης δὲ φροντίζει τῆς ὑγιείας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ, μόνης δὲ τῆς σωτηρίας. (67) τῷ στρατηγῷ δὲ ἔργον ἐστὶν ἅπαντας μὲν ὡπλίσθαι καλῶς, ἅπαντας δὲ εὐπορεῖν σκέπης, οὐ μόνον δὲ τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων γαστέρας πληροῦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς τῶν ἵππων· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ πάντες ἔχωσι τὰ ἐπιτήδεια, πολὺ μᾶλλον ἄχθεται αὐτὸς νοσῶν· σωτηρίαν γε μὴν τὴν ἐκείνων οὐ περὶ ἐλάττονος ποιεῖται τῆς αὑτοῦ. {καὶ γὰρ δὴ νικᾶν μὲν ἀδύνατον ἄνευ σωτηρίας τῶν στρατιωτῶν· ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς νίκης πολλοὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ ἀποθνήσκειν αἱροῦνται.} (68) πάλιν δὲ καθ´ ἕκαστον ἡμῶν τὸ μὲν σῶμα, ἅτε ἀνόητον, οὐδὲ αὑτῷ βοηθεῖν ἱκανόν ἐστιν {οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ αὑτοῦ φροντίζειν πέφυκεν}, γε τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπολιπούσης οὐδὲ ὀλίγον δύναται διαμένειν, ἀλλὰ παραχρῆμα λύεται καὶ ἀπόλλυται· ψυχὴ δὲ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου πάσας μὲν φροντίδας φροντίζει, πάσας δὲ ἐπινοίας σκύλλει καὶ πολλὰ μὲν ἀνιᾶται λυπουμένη. (69) καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα παρούσης αὐτὸ μόνον αἰσθάνεται τῆς ἀλγηδόνος· ψυχὴ δὲ πρὶν γενέσθαι τὴν ἀλγηδόνα ἀνιᾶται, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ μὴ μελλούσης γίγνεσθαι δι´ ὀρρωδίαν. θανάτου δὲ σῶμα μὲν οὐδέποτε ᾔσθετο· ψυχὴ δὲ καὶ τούτου συνίησι, καὶ πολλὰ πάσχει ῥυομένη μὲν ἐκ νόσων τὸ σῶμα, ῥυομένη δὲ ἐκ πολέμων, ῥυομένη δὲ ἐκ χειμῶνος, ῥυομένη δὲ ἐκ θαλάσσης. οὕτω πανταχῇ ἐπιπονώτερον ψυχὴ καὶ ταλαιπωρότερον σώματος, ὅμως δὲ θειότερον καὶ βασιλικώτερον. [3,65] He is the only one who during the night has less chance to sleep than the night-watch ; while by day, if he does by any chance snatch a wink of sleep, even this is anxious and fitful, since he shouts out frequently, " Furl the sail," or " Hard on the tiller," or gives some other nautical command. And so, even when dozing, he has more thought for the ship than any of the others who are widest awake. (66) To take another illustration : On a campaign, the individual soldier sees to weapons and food for himself alone, and besides, does not furnish them himself but expects to find them ready at hand. It is only his own health, only his own safety that he has to think of. But it is the general's duty to see that all are well equipped, that all are provided with shelter, and to furnish sufficient food not only for the men but for the horses as well; and if all do not have their supplies, he is much more vexed than he would be if ill himself; while the safety of his men he considers just as important as his own. Indeed, victory is impossible if the soldiers be not saved, and to win victory many good men choose even to die. (68) Again, the body of each one of us, being devoid of intelligence, is not in a position to help itself, nor by its very nature can it take thought for itself; indeed, when the soul departs, it cannot endure even a short time, but suffers immediate decay and dissolution ; whereas the soul feels every care in its behalf, is troubled by every fancy when it is hurt, and is greatly distressed. Only when the soul is present is the body sensitive to pain ; but the soul is distressed before the pain comes ; often, too, through foreboding when it is not going to come. As for death, the body never feels it, but the soul understands it and suffers greatly, now rescuing the body from disease, now from war, rescuing it from storms and rescuing it from the sea. So, while from every point of view the soul is more subject to hardship and suffering than the body, yet it is the more divine and regal part.


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Dernière mise à jour : 6/12/2007