Texte grec :
| [4,115] τοιούτῳ δεσπότῃ λατρεύουσαι καὶ τοιαῦτα πάσχουσαι πλανῶνται κατὰ
τὸν βίον ὅσαι ψυχαὶ πρὸς μὲν πόνους δειλαὶ καὶ ἀδύνατοι, δεδουλωμέναι δὲ
ἡδοναῖς, φιλήδονοι καὶ φιλοσώματοι, βίον. αἰσχρὸν καὶ ἐπονείδιστον
οὐχ ἑλόμεναι ζῶσιν, ἀλλὰ ἐνεχθεῖσαι πρὸς αὐτόν.
(116) οὐκοῦν μετὰ τοῦτον ὁ λόγος ὥσπερ ἐν ἀγῶνι σφύττει τρίτον
εἰσάγειν, ὡς ἐκεῖ χορόν, τὸν φιλότιμον, οὐ πάνυ προθύμως τὰ νῦν
ἀγωνιούμενον, καίτοι φιλόνικον ὄντα τῇ φύσει περὶ πάντα καὶ
πρωτεύειν ἀξιοῦντα· πλὴν οὐ περὶ δόξης ἢ τιμῆς ἡ κρίσις αὐτῷ
(117) τὰ νῦν ἐνέστηκεν, ὑπὲρ δὲ πολλῆς καὶ δικαίας ἀδοξίας. φέρε δὴ
ποῖόν τι πλάττωμεν τό τε σχῆμα καὶ εἶδος τοῦ φιλοτίμου δαίμονος;
ἢ δῆλον ὅτι πτερωτόν τε καὶ ὑπηνέμιον κατὰ τὸ ἦθος αὐτοῦ
καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἅμα τοῖς πνεύμασι φερόμενον, ὁποίους τοὺς
Βορεάδας ἐνεθυμήθησάν τε καὶ ἔγραψαν οἱ γραφεῖς, ἐλαφρούς τε
(118) καὶ μεταρσίους, ταῖς τοῦ πατρὸς αὔραις συνθέοντας. ἀλλ´ ἐκεῖνοι
μέν, ὁπότε βουληθεῖεν, ἐπεδείκνυντο τὴν αὑτῶν δύναμιν, τέως δὲ
μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἡρώων ἐν τῇ Ἀργοῖ συνέπλεον ναυτιλλόμενοι καὶ
τἄλλα πράττοντες οὐδενὸς ἧττον. ὁ δὲ τῶν φιλοδόξων ἀνδρῶν
προστάτης ἀεὶ μετέωρος, οὐδέποτε γῆς ἐφαπτόμενος οὐδὲ ταπεινοῦ
(119) τινος, ἀλλὰ ὑψηλὸς καὶ μετάρσιος, ὅταν μὲν αἰθρίας τύχῃ καὶ
γαλήνης ἢ ζεφύρου τινὸς ἐπιεικῶς πνέοντος, ἀεὶ μᾶλλον ἀγαλλόμενός
τε καὶ ἀνιὼν εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν αἰθέρα, πολλάκις δ´ ἐν σκοτεινῷ
νέφει κρυπτόμενος, ἀδοξίας τινὸς συντρεχούσης καὶ ψόγου παρὰ
τῶν πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὓς ἐκεῖνος θεραπεύει καὶ τιμᾷ καὶ τῆς
εὐδαιμονίας τῆς αὑτοῦ κυρίους ἀπέδειξεν.
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Traduction française :
| [4,115] In servitude to such a tyrant and suffering such
tribulation those souls wander through life which, craven and
impotent in the face of hardships, enslaved to
pleasure, pleasure-loving, and carnally-minded, go
on living a disgraceful and reprehensible life, not
from choice, but because they have drifted into it.
(116) "And now, leaving this spirit, my discourse is
eager, as in a contest, to bring in the third spirit,
as the herald to bring in a chorus I mean the
ambitious one. He is not so very eager at present
to contest, although he is naturally emulous about
everything and demands to be first. However, the
present trial is not concerned with the question of
any fame or honour that may come to him, but with
his abundant and merited dishonour. So come,
what garb and appearance shall we give to the
ambitious spirit? Or is it manifest that he shall be
winged and buoyant in keeping with his character and
ambition, floating along with the breezes like those
sons of Boreas whom artists have conceived and
painted, lightly poised on high and running in company
with their father's breezes? But while they used to
display a power of their own whenever they pleased,
yet for a time they went voyaging with the other
heroes on the Argo, serving as their shipmates
and performing the regular tasks as much as
anyone. But the spirit who presides over men who
love glory is always aspiring and never touches
the earth or anything lowly ; no, he is high
and lifted up as long as he enjoys a calm and clear
sky or a gently blowing zephyr, feeling ever happier
and happier and mounting to the very heavens, but
often he is enwrapped in a dark cloud when accompanied
by some unpopularity or censure from the
many people whom he courts and honours and has
appointed to the mastery over his own happiness.
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