Texte grec :
| [4,85] φέρε οὖν καθάπερ οἱ κομψοὶ τῶν δημιουργῶν ἐπὶ πάντα ἔμβραχυ
φέρουσι τὴν αὑτῶν ἐπίνοιαν καὶ τέχνην, οὐ μόνον τὰς τῶν θεῶν
ἀπομιμούμενοι φύσεις ἀνθρωπίνοις εἴδεσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων
ἕκαστον, ποταμούς τε ἐνίοτε γράφοντες ἀνδράσιν ὁμοίους καὶ κρήνας
ἔν τισι γυναικείοις εἴδεσι, νήσους τε καὶ πόλεις καὶ τὰ ἄλλα μικροῦ
δεῖν ξύμπαντα, ὁποῖον καὶ Ὅμηρος ἐτόλμησεν ἐπιδεῖξαι Σκάμανδρον
(86) φθεγγόμενον ὑπὸ τῇ δίνῃ, κἀκεῖνοι φωνὰς μὲν οὐκ ἔχουσι
προσθεῖναι τοῖς εἰδώλοις, εἴδη δὲ οἰκεῖα καὶ σημεῖα ἀπὸ τῆς
φύσεως, οἷον τοὺς ποταμοὺς κατακειμένους γυμνοὺς τὸ πλέον,
(87) γένειον πολὺ καθεικότας, μυρίκην ἢ κάλαμον ἐστεφανωμένους·
οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς μὴ χείρους μηδὲ φαυλότεροι περὶ τοὺς λόγους
φανῶμεν ἢ ἐκεῖνοι περὶ τὰς αὑτῶν τέχνας, τῷ πλάττειν καὶ ἀφομοιοῦν
τοὺς τρόπους τοῦ τριπλοῦ δαίμονος τῶν τριῶν βίων, τὴν
ἐναντίαν ἕξιν καὶ ἀντίστροφον ἐπιδεικνύμενοι τῆς τῶν λεγομένων
(88) φυσιογνωμόνων ἐμπειρίας καὶ μαντικῆς. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς μορφῆς
καὶ τοῦ εἴδους τὸ ἦθος γιγνώσκουσι καὶ ἀπαγγέλλουσιν, ἡμεῖς
δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἠθῶν καὶ τῶν ἔργων χαρακτῆρα καὶ μορφὴν ἀξίαν
ἐκείνων σπάσωμεν, εἰ ἄρα μᾶλλον ἅψασθαι δυνησόμεθα τῶν πολλῶν
καὶ φαυλοτέρων· πρὸς τὸ ἀποδεῖξαι τὴν τῶν βίων ἀτοπίαν
(89) οὐδὲν ἄσχημον ὂν οὐδὲ νεμεσητὸν καὶ ποιηταῖς παραβαλλομένους
καὶ χειροτέχναις καὶ καθαρταῖς {ὁρᾶσθαι}, εἰ δέοι, σπεύδειν πανταχόθεν
εἰκόνας καὶ παραδείγματα πορίζοντας, ἄν πως ἰσχύσωμεν
ἀποτρέψαι κακίας καὶ ἀπάτης καὶ πονηρῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν, εἰς ἀρετῆς
δὲ φιλίαν προαγαγεῖν καὶ ἔρωτα {καὶ} ζωῆς ἀμείνονος·
|
|
Traduction française :
| [4,85] "Therefore, tome, let us imitate clever artists.
They put the impress of their thought and art upon
practically everything, representing not only the
various gods in human forms but everything else as
well. Sometimes they paint rivers in the likeness of
men and springs in certain feminine shapes, yes, and
islands and cities and well-nigh everything else, like
Homer, who boldly represented the Scamander as
speaking beneath his flood, and though they cannot
give speech to their figures, nevertheless do give
them forms and symbols appropriate to their nature,
as, for example, their river gods recline, usually
naked, and wear long flowing beards and on their
heads crowns of tamarisk or rushes. Let us then
show ourselves to be no whit worse or less competent
in the field of discourse than they in their several
arts as we mould and depict the characters of the
three spirits of the three lives, therein displaying an
accomplishment the reverse of and complementary
to the skill and prophetic power of the physiognomists,
as they call them. These men can determine
and announce a man's character from his shape
and appearance ; while we propose to draw from a
man's habits and acts, a type and shape that will
match the physiognomist's work - that is, if we
shall suceeed in getting hold rather of the average
and lower types. Since our purpose is to show the
absurdity existing in human lives, there is no impropriety
or objection to our being seen imitating
poets or artists or, if need be, priests of purification
and to our striving to furnish illustrations and
examples from every source, in the hope of being
able to win souls from evil, delusion, and wicked
desires and to lead them to love virtue and to long
for a better life ;
|
|
