Texte grec :
| [3,80] ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀσθενέστεροι φέρειν ἐσμὲν τὴν μεταβολὴν
ἀθρόαν γιγνομένην, κατ´ ὀλίγον ταῦτα μηχανᾶται, καὶ
τρόπον τινὰ λανθάνει συνεθίζων μὲν ἡμᾶς διὰ τοῦ ἦρος ὑπενεγκεῖν
τὸ θέρος, προγυμνάζων δὲ διὰ τοῦ μετοπώρου χειμῶνα ἀνέχεσθαι,
ἐκ μὲν τοῦ χειμῶνος θάλπων κατ´ ὀλίγον, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ θέρους
ἀναψύχων, ὥστε ἀλύπως ἀφικνεῖσθαι πρὸς ἑκατέραν τὴν ὑπερβολήν.
(81) ἐπεὶ δὲ αὖ τὸ φῶς ὁρᾶσθαι μὲν ἥδιστον, πράττειν δὲ
ἀδύνατον ὁτιοῦν χωρὶς αὐτοῦ, κοιμώμενοι δὲ πᾶσαν μὲν ἡσυχίαν
ἄγομεν, οὐδὲν δὲ χρώμεθα τῷ φωτί, ὅσον μὲν ἱκανὸν ἐγρηγορέναι
χρόνον, ἡμέραν ἐποίησεν, ὅσον δὲ κοιμᾶσθαι ἀναγκαῖον, νύκτα
ἀπέδειξε, περὶ πᾶσαν ἰὼν γῆν, ἄλλοτε ἄλλους ἀναπαύων τε καὶ
ἀνιστάς, ἀφιστάμενος μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν μηκέτι δεομένων φωτός, τοῖς
δὲ ἀεὶ δεομένοις ἐπιφαινόμενος. καὶ ταῦτα μηχανώμενος δι´ αἰῶνος
οὐδέποτε κάμνει.
(82) ὅπου δὲ θεὸς ὁ πάντων κάλλιστος καὶ φανερώτατος
οὐχ ὑπερορᾷ τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἀνθρώπων ἐπιμελούμενος,
ἦπού γε ἄνθρωπον θεοφιλῆ καὶ φρόνιμον χρὴ βαρύνεσθαι τὸ
τοιοῦτον, ἀλλὰ μὴ καθ´ ὅσον οἷός τέ ἐστι μιμεῖσθαι τὴν ἐκείνου
(83) δύναμιν καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν; ταῦτα δὴ λογιζόμενος οὐκ ἄχθεται
καρτερῶν. κατανοεῖ δὲ τοὺς μὲν πόνους ὑγίειάν τε παρέχοντας
καὶ σωτηρίαν ἔτι δὲ δόξαν ἀγαθήν, τὴν δὲ αὖ τρυφὴν ἅπαντα τούτων τἀναντία.
ἔτι δὲ οἱ μὲν πόνοι αὑτοὺς ἐλάττους ἀεὶ ποιοῦσι
καὶ φέρειν ἐλαφροτέρους, τὰς δὲ ἡδονὰς μείζους καὶ ἀβλαβεστέρας,
ὅταν γίγνωνται μετὰ τοὺς πόνους. ἡ δέ γε τρυφὴ τοὺς μὲν πόνους
ἀεὶ χαλεπωτέρους ποιεῖ φαίνεσθαι, τὰς δὲ ἡδονὰς ἀπομαραίνει
καὶ ἀσθενεῖς ἀποδείκνυσιν.
(84) ὁ γὰρ ἀεὶ τρυφῶν ἄνθρωπος, μηδέποτε δὲ ἁπτόμενος πόνου μηδενός,
τελευτῶν πόνον μὲν οὐκ ἂν οὐδένα ἀνάσχοιτο, ἡδονῆς δὲ οὐδεμιᾶς ἂν αἴσθοιτο,
οὐδὲ τῆς σφοδροτάτης.
|
|
Traduction française :
| [3,80] And since a sudden change would be too much for our
weakness, he brings all this to pass gradually, and in a way he
accustoms us insensibly in the spring to endure the
heat of summer and in the late autumn gives preliminary
training to support the chill of winter -
in the one case taking off the chill of winter little by
little, in the other, reducing the heat of summer, so
that we reach either extreme without discomfort.
(81) And furthermore, since it is so great a pleasure to
see the Iight and impossible to do anything without
it, and since, when we are asleep, we do absolutely
nothing and make no use of the light, he has made day
the time requisite for our waking hours, and turned
into night the time necessary for sleep, making a
complete revolution around the earth and sending
now these men to rest or awakening them, now those :
departing from those who no longer need his light
and appearing to those who need it in their turn.
And he never grows weary of bringing these things
to pass throughout the ages.
(82) But where a god, the fairest and most conspicuous
of all, does not neglect his eternal watch over man, can
it possibly be right for man, intelligent object of the
god's care, to feel oppressed by similar duties?
Should he not, so far as in him lies, imitate the god's
power and goodness ? Reasoning thus, the good
king endures without repining. He realizes too that
toil brings health and salvation and goodly report as
well ; while, on the other hand, luxurious ease brings
quite the opposite. Then again, toil endured ever
grows less and easier to support, the while it makes
pleasure greater and less harmful if it follows the
toil. Ease, on the other band, makes toil appear
more and more difficult in that it lessens pleasure
and blunts its edge. (84) The man who lives in the lap
of luxury and never puts his hand to a single task,
ends by being unable to endure any task or to feel
any pleasure at all, however intense.
|
|
